Zoe

Everything sounds more serious in German! I love quotations and have a constantly changing group of favorites. Here's one that's cited in so many places that it's become a cliché, but it's still worth repeating: "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" -- Rabbi Hillel LBJ, when asked why he didn't fire FBI director J. Edgar Hoover: "I'd rather have him on the inside pissing out than on the outside pissing in."

Absolutely. I've been suffering from band burnout lately. . . and need some motivation. So I'm in! I weighed exactly 200 this morning (we'll see what the doctor's scale says this afternoon) and hope to reach 190 by Labor Day. Jonathan, please add my name to the challenge site, and I can post my own stats.

Love all the pictures -- TraumaNurse, is that a little French Bulldog? He is adorable!

In another few days you'll probably feel much better. I think most of us feel pretty wretched for the first two days, then improve. Some lucky souls feel great from the moment they wake up from the anesthesia! Hang in there -- by the end of the weekend, the pain will probably be much reduced and you'll have a burst of energy.

I just went to lunch with a former co-worker and had chicken with peanut sauce at a Thai restaurant just a block from my house. Not only did I have to dash off to the bathroom twice to PB, but just seconds after I jumped in the car to head back to work I got that tight sensation that so many of us know so well. A pick-up truck was right behind me driving down the small street where I live, and there was no place to pull over until the next corner, so I grabbed a plastic bag in one hand (I'm a dog owner, so I've got 'em everywhere), clutched the steering hand for dear life with the other, and let fly, braking just in time for the stop sign. My aim was damn good, but Lord I hope I never have to do that again. Has anyone else PBd while driving, or driven while PBing?

OK, I'll leave the dirty double-entendres to someone else. How about naming your (lap)band Aladdin?

Sounds like I must rent "Shaun of the Dead." And how could I have goofed on my new TV hero's name? It's Johnny Knoxville, not Nashville! Got my Tennessee geography all mixed up. At least he's not Johnny Chattanooga.

(Lewd alert) An Irish friend of mine claimed to have heard a band called Dick Penis and the Four (Fore?) Skins.

Will do. It's on my Mac at home, but I hereby reserve space for it. Kick ... kick ... kick ...

I gotta laugh, Crystal, 'cause when I saw the headline I thought you meant "name your silicone symbiant." Mine is Nigel.

Everyone's kids are so cute -- but OMG, I love the dog pictures! Voodoo and Sachi are adorable!

Christina, what sad sad news. My heart is aching for you. Like many others who have posted here, I had to put a beloved pet down, and I still get teary when I think about it. But you have done the ultimate loving, humane thing for your dear companion. You may be suffering, but he no longer is. Blessings on you for making a hard decision that was maybe not in your own best interests but was the kindest gift for Gunnar. Here is a web site that helped me during the difficult days right after Lola the Labrador died: http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/loss.html. Keep a box of Kleenex near you.

Great! Let us know how you're feeling afterwards. See you on the banded side!

Oh, Christina, has Gunnar crossed the Rainbow Bridge? We can see his gentle soul through those beautiful brown doggy eyes -- what a special guy. I hope you are getting the comfort and support you need.

Kathy, sounds as if you're having the same procedure my best friend had last year. It's no fun, to be sure . . . but she was glad she went through it, because everything turned out just fine. Hang in there!

I agree. Also, it's probably not worth getting into an argument over medical issues with the RNY crowd. How about just relating your experience with the band? Readers should get their hard-core medical info elsewhere, but there's nothing like an internet board for learning about day-to-day life as a bandster. (Caveat emptor: buyer beware; caveat lector: reader beware.)

Yeah, boot cut trousers are flattering for most of us larger women. I gave away all of my tapered versions -- they made my legs look super-short, and that's some trick when you're 5'9". Whatever your height, both Lane Bryant and Avenue have trou in petite, regular, and tall lengths. The tricky part is finding something in June other than capri pants, which IMO don't flatter most people. Just stay away from the tapers. And pleated fronts make everything look even bigger and rounder, so try to avoid them too.

Yeah, yeah, OK. I guess I was having a menopause moment myself. Ancient indeed!

I think someone needs to do a major study on antidepressants and weight gain. I've already posted elsewhere about my experience, and while I can't say that Prozac and its SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) friends made me fat -- I did that all by myself -- they didn't exactly help. I complained to my shrink for a few years, and he finally admitted that while there wasn't any medical literature indicating that Prozac led to weight gain, he had heard this from so many of his own patients that he could no longer deny a connection. I suspect other SSRIs may tend to have the same effect. Years ago, a few docs were prescribing Prozac for weight loss. I haven't heard of this for a while; I bet that too many patients realized it didn't work! Rhonda, talk to your prescribing doc about your concerns. We have different reactions to different drugs. There are some new meds available now that might be better choices for you -- if you decide that drugs are the way to go. For some of us medication is the only thing that brings us back from the brink; for others, it's an ineffective or second-rate solution. Whatever you choose, I hope you feel better soon.

Ladies, you're making me feel ancient. Come on now, Yanks, I can't be the only American who grew up using "lb." for "pound." This is not some obscure Brit usage, it's a normal abbreviation! "Libra" is right on the money, no pun intended; that's why the symbol for the British currency (pound sterling) is a variation on the letter L: £. Confused? Just think of the zodiac sign Libra, the scales.

Mine wasn't as easy as Vinesqueen's. I was very uncomfortable for the first five days or so, and that first day after surgery was nasty. I found it hard to move around, and my belly was sore all over -- but compared to gyne surgery it's a picnic. Minimal scarring, no giant staples in your belly, much less pain (in my experience).

Greetings, Alex, from the edge of menopause here in Chicago. At 48, I look older too, now that I'm a little thinner. . . but people can see my eyes now that they aren't surrounded by so much fat, and a few crow's feet are a small price to pay. I always love your posts, especially your signature goal weight: "Wherever I get." How sane! Sounds to me like you're pretty happy right where you are. Just keep doing whatever you've been doing to stay healthy -- walking, running, chasing after the kids -- and let the rest follow. Slightly off-topic: aren't these changing cycles a drag? I was a perfect 30-day gal for years. Now I'm still on a 30-day cycle, but I have my period for 23 days then have seven days off! Doctor's appt. next week.

Je suis jolie = I am pretty. The translation's close enough for West Side Story! Boy, I would love to go to Vegas. Let me see if I can swing it. I love to sing and will take requests -- although after I receive them, I keep singing anyway.

I've stayed away from the sun since my father died of skin cancer nearly 20 years ago, and I'm not going under a sunlamp either. But my natural skin color is close to baby blue, and now that summer is here I don't like strutting around like a pale-legged plucked chicken. I bought a bottle of Coppertone light/medium self-tanning lotion and tried it on my legs this morning. The fake tan is uneven, and almost as orange as the QT version (remember that stuff from 30 years ago, anyone?). While I'm not wearing shorts anytime soon, I think the world could handle a glimpse of my ankles now that it's 90 degrees. Have any other pale (not just Caucasian, but library-paste-complected) LBTers had success with tan-in-a-bottle lotions or creams? All recommendations welcome. Thanks!

Do I smell a Labor Day challenge? Excellent! (Cute new avatar, Penni!)