Zoe

Americans are weight-obsessed, so it's no surprise that people jump all over us with questions when they find out one of us is banded. For newbies, check out "My Secret Lapband" at http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3061. People posted preferences from totally secret to totally open, and everything in between. I'm more open about my band than when I wrote my first post in the "Secret" thread, but I still don't tell everyone. Most questions don't bother me, except for those that imply that the band is a magic cure that requires no work -- and even those questions are usually raised out of ignorance. As H.L. Mencken said, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Congratulations, Janie. Hope your next 12 months are wonderful.

Well, my sciatica has returned, so I've been a slug for the last few days. Yesterday the orthopod said I can get steroid injections into my spine instead of taking the oral meds that make me hungry. Off to the pain clinic next week. . . meanwhile, I'm stoned on Vicodin, and there is a silver lining: I don't have much appetite. Sorry, maggots. But I will get back on the trail as soon as I can!

I was on tramadol for a while during one of my many back pain bouts. I didn't care for it; I got sleepy and nauseated. I'm glad to hear you don't have a bone spur -- but sorry that the mystery remains unsolved. And the MRI people stink! I've worn those lovely gowns for spinal and gyne MRIs, but why did you have to wear one for your foot? To make sure you weren't wearing metal fasteners inside the machine? Hope you feel better soon, Penni. Keep us posted. I'm with Kathy: go see Dr. Jack!

My old Labrador loved Mexican food, even plain tortillas. She also had a thing for margaritas and Corona beer! Try chicken & peanut sauce from your favorite Thai place; all dogs seem to love it.

That depends on how long your stride is. For me (a long-legged but very slow 5'9") it's about three miles. Some pedometers, like my $15 Timex, will convert steps to miles at the touch of a button. Some have to be programmed with your exact stride length. Some won't make the calculation at all. Anyone is welcome to join the challenge at any time. Thanks for walking with me! I got home from class at 9:30 last night and walked for an hour because I fell behind on Monday. I'm so glad I got a move on -- I felt great afterward. Penni, how's your foot?

I'm glad you're headed home. How sad about old Astro, though. I'm sure he's had a wonderful, spoiled life, but it's hard on us to watch our old friends falter. Many of us have been through painful doggy goodbyes, so if/when the time comes, we'll be here for you. Meanwhile, give that pup a Porterhouse! (My mother's last Siberian Husky almost made it to his 16th birthday -- as rare for that breed as for Labs -- in part because he was eating Thai food and BBQ for the last few years of his life. After he hit 12, she was afraid he'd die at any minute, so she gave him whatever she was having for dinner.)

Yes, and he attacked his own daughter because she broke her curfew. The poor little friend just happened to be with her. A horrible, sad business.

Spaghetti squash is kind of like a courgette (that's zucchini to Yanks) but bigger. I'm not sure it's grown in England. I agree that you're doing great with your weight loss! But I can see why you're getting bored with your routine. I'm stuck in a yogurt rut too. When I don't feel like cooking (which is most of the time) I just heat up a frozen diet dinner or whip up some simple pasta: a few ravioli in a tomato sauce usually are enough to fill me up. Indian take-away is also good -- stick with the meat-based stuff like rogan josh and go light on the rice. I used to love chicken tandoori, but these days it makes me pb. As for vegetables, I'd rather have a salad than most cooked stuff. You might want to check the food forum here (see "Forum Jump" at lower right) for ideas.

Any second now! Good luck getting through the month. Waiting for the surgery date is one of the hardest parts of getting banded -- but not nearly as hard as making up your mind or waiting to GET a surgery date. Congratulations.

Hi Sandra. . . so how did your surgery go? Hope you're feeling OK. Most of us feel a lot better after the first three days. BTW, Yanks, it's autumn in Australia (and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere) now.

Well done, Teresa! You look great. You're almost at that century mark... just think what the next year will bring. Congratulations!

I'm down 1/2 lb to 202. Better than nothing, but jeez! I'm losing soooo slowly these past two months. I'm going to kick up the walking a notch and try to follow the good old bandster rules more carefully. Maybe I can slide to the other side of 200 before I have even more silver hair!

Try asking Dr. Roberto Rumbaut Diaz in Monterrey. I have no idea where he stands on the rebanding issue, but he's an excellent, experienced surgeon with a lot of American self-paying patients: see http://www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com/teammain.html

Happy bandiversary to you too, Teresa. Look at those impressive stats -- together you and Lisa have lost a whole person. It's so encouraging to all of us, especially newbies, to see successes like both of yours, especially in the face of serious obstacles.

I am very much a skeptic. But I have to relate a weird story about my great-aunt Eva, which no one has ever explained. Eva was born around 1915 and grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. She graduated from UW and studied no foreign language except Latin. I mention this because when she was about 40 she went to Paris on a vacation and for 24 hours she was able not only to understand everything everyone was saying but to speak fluent French. The next day, Eva woke up, and the gift was gone -- she was back to struggling over "Bonjour." My grandmother and another of their sisters swore this really happened. Their family was not French and they never heard the language growing up. Weird.

Thanks, Jenna, for getting up the nerve to post your pictures. I think you do yourself a disservice by calling your post "ranting." Sure, there's some dissent about the BMI issue -- but, hey, why shouldn't you get a band? I know exactly what you mean about the 50-70 yo-yo pounds. By taking action now, you've made sure you wouldn't yo-yo back to a higher weight, where maybe you'd be considered an excellent candidate for weight loss surgery by any standard! I'm certain your post will help a lot of people who are about your size -- not to mention those of us who were larger and occasionally get huffy about "lightweights" getting the band. Thank you.

Greetings, fellow maggots! Everyone's doing great! I wasn't going to check in until Monday, but here goes... my walking has been erratic this week: 5/1: 6,500 (estimate) 5/2: 10,394 5/3: 3,121 (class night) 5/4: 7,978 5/5: 5,315 (no reason, just lazy) 5/6: 13,011 (went twice around park instead of just once!) Paula, you asked about the <99 countdown. I am creeping along. I may have lost a few ounces this week, but at the rate I've been going, I may not make it until the end of the month. Oh well, at least I'm moving in the right direction! I'm keeping track on Jonathan's www.waistingaway.com page. Have a good weekend, everyone. I am so proud of how we're all doing. And Penni, I hope you get a good diagnosis for your foot on Monday. You get a reprieve from Camp Maggot until your doctor says you can walk again.

Thanks for the laughs, Mary!

I went to Monterrey alone and lived to tell about it. Kim's right -- travel very, very, light, because you won't want to be schlepping anything after you're banded. Many of the Mexican docs (including mine) will give you their cell phone number in case you have any questions or problems while you're in Mexico. You also might want to have a friend or family member on call back home, just in case you want to talk about anything, from last-minute nerves to what's on TV in your hotel room. I think you've got the right attitude toward your friend; she shouldn't go if she's not ready, but that's no reason for you to wait! Good luck. You'll do fine.

No problems with farts for me, but I burp a lot. I used to burp when I ate too much (which happened often); now I seem to burp recreationally. On the plus side, just about every male I know from age 4 to 74 thinks it's hilarious.

You are totally normal. We all have plateaus. Sometimes our bodies are restoring some of the water weight we lost right after surgery, sometimes we're losing fat but gaining heavier muscle, sometimes our metabolisms need to readjust to lower calorie intake. Keep doing whatever you're doing -- eating less, exercising -- and more weight loss will definitely follow. All of us who have been banded for, say, half a year or longer are testament to that. I'm certain our veterans of a year or more will have some encouraging words for you! Congratulations on the 25 lb. loss.

You look maahvelous, darlink! Amazing what a year can do, not just to the body but the mind and spirit. Yes, keep that head up, and celebrate not just an amazing year but what's to come. Happy Bandiversary!

I'm a Boxer, "an affectionate breed full of fun but can be immature and boisterous." Pretty much on the money! Arf.

Come on, Babs, cut it out! Don't you bloat up like the rest of us just before the old friend (some friend!) comes to call? It's a drag to feel fat -- and when you've lost over 100 lbs., as you have, and have been eating right and exercising like a fiend, it's just not right! I'm with DeLarla: the scale is a bastard and you should chuck it. Now put on some of those baggy size 14s (surely you must realize how envious most of us are about that one), and pull your socks up. Yeah, we love you, but when you beat yourself up, some of us just want to kick your bony ass!