Zoe

Looks like you have to get not only a new wardrobe, but a new mental image of yourself. Excellent NSV!

That's an easy one: use the band in a gorgeous new beaded necklace! I'll take mine with turquoise and amethyst, please. With sterling silver threads wrapped around the port. If I can't afford the necklace, you could always list this fabulous creation on Ebay. . .

Hey, Pati, what you're saying makes sense. Sure, it's important for everyone to know about the potential complications, and it's critical that people who suffer those complications have a place to express themselves and find support, including from those of us lucky souls who don't (yet) have trouble. But if you find yourself wasting precious time obsessing about everything that could go wrong, it's definintely time for a break! Good luck, and please check in later. Hijack: Greg, fellow Aug. 2004 bandster, it's good to see ya!

As of 2/6/06 I am still at 197.5. I suppose the real miracle was that I didn't gain -- a new Coldstone Creamery opened in my neighborhood recently. I am not going to mope around about how slow my weight loss has become. Lots of people here have medical reasons -- including good old slow metabolism -- why they lose very slowly. For me, alas, neither the band nor my endocrine system is the problem -- my sweet tooth is. And my recent slavery to it. Well, Megan's bumped "attitude" post inspired me to kick myself in the butt. Both the dog and I are ready to get our waists back! So now that I can walk pretty much like a normal person again, I am recommitting to exercise. Three miles to the park and back, four times a week, fast enough to break into a sweat (for at least a while). Hey, I can lose four pounds in four weeks, I think! See you again March 6 for our monthly check-in.

Glad I'm not the only one! I was doing OK on the quiz, then I started counting the relatives on both hands. . . almost needed my feet too. Result? 65.5. That's four-and-a-half more years than my father had -- but it just seems too damn close!

Great find! Thanks, Jenna. Maybe we should start a new thread on attitudes.

Thanks to Drs. Ortiz and Pleatman for offering medical information on what can be a highly emotional subject. I haven't read all the posts on this long thread -- I don't have that many years of life left -- but what I've read has convinced me to have Dr. Rumbaut, who performed my surgery, check me out in the next few months. A quick word to the Mexophobes: As many have already pointed out, a lot of the Mexican band surgeons are among the best-trained, experienced, and respected in the world. When I first returned from my surgery, I posted here on a few unknowing friends and acquaintances who assumed I was being hacked with a machete behind a lone cactus with only a swig of tequila for anesthesia. Instead, I had excellent care at a first-rate medical facility. Yes, like anywhere, some doctors are subpar. But when you hear "surgery in Mexico," if you picture a delapidated cantina supervised by a Pancho Villa imitator, please think again. Z (not a shill for any doc or for the Mexican tourism bureau!)

"Only" 28 pounds in three months? Are you kidding? That's a fantastic achievement. You're doing great! Congratulations -- and welcome.

Hang in there, Vines. I'm glad you're getting some answers, even if they're coming slowly. If you have any doubts or questions about your meds, post a question here; so many of us have been on various mood-altering drugs that several people are bound to have had experience with whatever you're on. I hope you get answers and sensible treatment on the PCOS soon. Female trouble is no fun.

I guess I agree with Keri and Tommy. If most people ask me how I lost weight, I laugh and tell them, "very slowly." My close friends and family all know about my band. When a sincere acquaintance who is seriously overweight asks, I tell. Two people I know are getting bands later this year, at least partly because they saw that I lost weight without giving up my regular life. While I'm not exactly a Lap-Band poster child -- I'd still like to lose another 30 lbs. or so, and I'm terrible about eating sweets -- I think some people figure that if I can succeed, they can too. I never thought I'd be a weight-loss role model for anyone, but I think that so many people see nothing but diet failures that even small victories are to be celebrated. On the other hand, when someone I don't know well who's not especially heavy asks me, just out of curiosity, I stick with Dee's method -- name, rank, and not even my serial number.

Good luck, Crystal -- let us know about your results on Tuesday.

Could the high cortisol levels be connected to being raised by wolves? Just a crackpot theory. . .

I've had entire decades I can't account for! We're all on long-term weight-loss journeys. It sounds trite, but it's true. And I'm certain that most of us here have slipped -- not just once, but several times. For me, the trick is to remember that I am no longer ON A DIET. There is no bad food (except the stuff that makes me PB while turning in a busy intersection). As long as you're generally making good choices, you'll be OK. So take a deep breath and be kind to yourself. We've all been through down periods (with or without the band). You'll get through this.

Vines, it sounds as if the diagnosis isn't final. According to the NIH page you cited, specific tests (including the painless urinanalysis) are needed to determine if you have Cushing's. The page also indicated that the microsurgery used to treat the most common form of Cushing's has an 80% success rate -- not perfect, but pretty damn good. I'm embarrassed to admit that the only creature I know with Cushing's is a happy and healthy old Weimaraner who just takes daily pills. Hang in there. We're rooting for you. If the tests are on Friday, when will you get results and the specialist's diagnosis?

I've tried BFL several times -- and, yes, I had great results because my body responds well to weight-training. But I didn't keep the weight off. I couldn't stick to six tiny meals a day forever, and since I don't have room for a home gym, when my schedule got crazy I stopped going to the health club. (Still paying for the membership, though.) So even though I kept walking, I relapsed into my old eating habits, and gained everything back. I think if someone is really disciplined and committed, BFL is a sensible program. I felt great. But if all diets worked long-term, I wouldn't have gotten the band -- and after reading lots of bandsters' weight-loss histories here, I suspect that applies to most of us. I don't mean the common-sense calorie-counting that DeLarla and Penni are doing, but the inflexible regimens (Optifast, Atkins, Medifast) that we know all too well.

I've had four lower-body surgeries (none of them cosmetic), so I've received a grant from the Keep America Beautiful Task Force to stick to my granny one-piece. But you go, Amy!

The new issue of Consumer Reports has an interesting article on weight-loss surgery from a cost/benefit point of view. It raised a sobering statistic I've seen elsewhere, including surgical weight-loss web sites: The average bandster loses 50-65% of his or her excess weight -- meaning that someone like me, who was 100 lbs. overweight, will most likely lose 50-65 pounds. That, of course, is an average, and I'm not sure how many studies were conducted, or when, to arrive at this conclusion. This figure may now be out of date. Nevertheless, the statistics give us something to think about. They're not necessarily cause for pessimism or alarm, but they do make me think twice when I start beating myself up over not losing more weight, and faster.

I don't think Oprah's had WLS, for many of the reasons already cited here: Her weight still fluctuates, she has a personal chef and trainer, and she'd probably not shy away from talking about it. I don't watch her show that often, but I was really impressed to see her allow the cameras backstage to photograph her without makeup. If she had actually been banded, maybe she'd invite an audience of low-income obese people to the show and give them free Lap-Band surgery as a surprise gift!

I am from another planet. What's bunco? I never even heard of it.

OK, ladies (and any guys who want to join). I suggest we check in on the first Monday of each month, more often if you want. But if we commit to at least once a month, we can see if we're all going in a general downward pattern, without getting too bummed out about short-term gains and plateaus. Now that I can walk almost like a normal person again, I'm back on the long walks that helped me lose pounds last winter. Anyone can join this challenge at any time. Let's kick ass! See you here on February 6!

I recently switched to Cymbalta after being on Prozac for years. The pill is pretty big; I swallow it only after swirling it around in my mouth to soften the enteric coating. So far, so good -- it's helping with my nerve pain, and my mood seems fine.

Here's a straight-up challenge that can be an extension of Christina's boot camp. Are you up for losing 20 lbs. by the 4th of July, via food changes, exercise, supernatural intervention, or any combination of the above? No frills, no nothing -- just commit yourself. If you don't hit the full 20 but are losing weight, you'll still be ahead of the game. Recently banded rabbits may lose 20 by March 1; members of the turtle society may lose 5 by July 4. We're not competing against each other, just against ourselves. So, for us number nerds, let's see how close we can get to 20 in 26. (My dream is to lose 20 by July 4 and be at goal by next Dec. 31.) Any takers? Please sign in. This isn't an alternative to boot camp (which I joined just today), but an extra motivator.

I'm in! Thanks, Christina.

Penni, I'm sorry I wasn't around when you were going through all this. You are a great support to everyone here, and now we can return the favor. This SUCKS, though. (((hugs)))

It's been so long since I've visited LBT that many people won't know (or care) that I was gone. . . but I've been thinking about everyone, and when I had a dream last night about meeting a lot of you from your before-and-after pictures, I knew I had to stop by again! I had a total abdominal hysterectomy in October, and wasn't posting much even before the surgery because I was in pain and doped up. Now, three months later, I'm pretty well recovered from the operation, although I had a lot of nasty, mostly unrelated, back/nerve pain over the past several months. And I was being a very bad bandster indeed. Not only was I unable to exercise since I couldn't really move for several weeks, I got into a horrible comfort-food habit, meaning ice cream, candy, you name it, even though I had lost a few pounds right after the surgery. It's amazing that I didn't creep back up over the 200-lb. mark. Well, I swore off not only LBT but most of my computer activities for several months because I was spending too much time sitting (not to mention wasting time when I had a lot of other work and school stuff to do). And while I won't be visiting as often as I used to -- meaning several times a day -- I sure need the support and incredible humor of LBT. Thanks to everyone who sent me messages over the past several months; I will answer them this week. I apologize for falling off the face of the earth. Right now I'm doing well, and ready to start a new challenge. Anybody interested in losing 20 lbs. in 26 weeks?