Zoe

Fran, good luck to you! If you want, and if I can get away from work, I'll stop by tomorrow to say hello at the U of I. (Send me a PM or e-mail.) Your new life is about to begin!

OK, I'm not thinking February for this -- but would anyone be interested in a Chicago bash? Maybe next summer? Let's see if anyone's interested, and we can take it from there. There's tons of stuff to do for everyone from music nuts to power shoppers; it's easy to get around on public transportation; and the whole place comes alive when we thaw out. It's centrally located for Midwesterners (that is, equally inconvenient for everybody), and flights are relatively cheap because Chicago's a major airline hub. Attractions: the Art Institute of Chicago, Ravinia music festival, jazz and blues clubs, hanging out or power-walking along the lakefront, more museums, Michigan Avenue stores that will wring out your wallet, and did I mention pizza? (Plus the cheezborger-cheezborger-cheezborger joint that John Belushi made famous.) Interested? Suggestions?

DeLarla, I promise not to go to Numero Uno pizzeria without you! There, I've just saved myself from one of many food temptations. Let me think about this Chicago bash for awhile. . . I guess there are enough of us in the area to pull it off, and there are relatively cheap flights available to O'Hare and Midway for any durn foreigners. We'd have to do it when the weather's better, or all those Texas roses would freeze! Maybe next summer? OK, I'll start a new thread so this one can get back to the scale challenge.

I'd recommend a Midwestern bandster gathering in Chicago -- but how could we pass up all those famous pizza joints? Including the place that calls itself the original Numero Uno. Thin crust, stuffed, double crust, we've got it all, and believe me I've tried 'em. I suppose we could order one small pizza to divide among 12 people. . .

I like your idea, Michelle. How about making this less work for you, though, and more work for Inamed? If you post an Inamed e-mail address for reporting, each of us with an Inamed band, whether we've had trouble or not, can write directly to the company, listing our surgeon's name, surgery date, and any complications.

I should be working, but instead I'm lurking, grateful that I didn't choose Dr. Lopez; even the new, supposedly improved version surely must have his patients (even the currently satisfied ones) worrying if or when they're going to have problems. About Inamed's Black and Decker analogy: DeLarla's right. Yeah, if you wanted to exchange or replace the tool, you'd go to Home Depot. But it's Black & Decker, not the store, that issues the warranty on its products. The analogy can only go so far, since Home Depot is just a place where you pick up the tool. I'd think a manufacturer of any equipment who conferred "authorized installer" status on certain people would want to know if one of those installers routinely had customer complaints, not to mention lawsuits, because its equipment caused serious damage. Any prospective bandster may give Margret the benefit of the doubt, but should take heed of the many serious, documented complaints that Lopez has left unanswered. You'd think the least he could do is call up his injured patients and apologize. But, malpractice insurance and liability issues being what they are, I doubt he'll publicly acknowledge that he was at fault. Even if he wakes up in the middle of the night regretting his mistakes, and gives an earful to his confessor on a regular basis, he's probably been advised by legal counsel to admit nothing. But would it kill him just to call or send a routine e-mail to ask how his patients are doing?

Aww, DeLarla, I'm sorry to hear that. This is a hell of a time to get stuck in "diet mind," with all that yummy holiday food around. Hope you feel better. Hey, we'll have another challenge in the new year, and you'll be putting us all to shame. Congrats, everyone, on your progress, even if you're like Penni and me -- exactly the same weight as last Monday. That's a big achievement, considering how much I've eaten in the last seven days! I've been walking fiendishly every day, the only thing that has stopped me from gaining. No parties this week, so I'll try to behave myself, or at least stay away from desserts. Greg, did you get my e-mail and PM?

That's great, Ryan! And tomorrow you'll feel even better. Are you still on liquids, or have you started mushy food? See ya in Twonesia. . .

Thank you, Nancy, for your eloquent and inspiring message. It sounds as if you are just beginning a new life at 50: you've lost over 60 pounds, and you've gained strength and confidence. May the new year bring you even more insight, health, and happiness.

Wow, Melanie, your band date is almost here! Congratulations. If you find yourself obsessing about all things Lap-Band in the next 48 hours, that's normal. Just pack light (including flip-flops, clogs, or some other shoes that you can just slide into), have lots of good liquids already in your pantry so you & your partner won't have to rush to the grocery store when you return home, and keep thinking about next Thanksgiving! Good luck. Let us know how your surgery goes.

What a wonderful message, Carmen. Your transformation, inside and out, is inspiring!

Figs stuffed with chocolate, pumpkin pie, chocolate cheesecake. . . OK, I didn't each huge slabs of the stuff, but eat it I did, and not just itsy-bitsy morsels either. Nary a complaint from the band, which instead graced me with a multiple PB at noon, hours before the real dinner started, for not chewing enough on a teeny piece of roast beef. Oh well. I walked the dog for an hour today, and over an hour through the Indiana dunes with friends yesterday... I'm not looking forward to the Monday weigh-in (especially since I'm going to yet another dinner tonight, and tomorrow), but I can say -- like a lot of us, I bet -- that I'm not eating as much as I used to. At least we're having fun over Thanksgiving, instead of trying to stay on an insane diet or else gorging ourselves beyond full. So let's hold our heads high on Monday morning and look at that nasty scale. We're living, not dieting, and we'll get through the holidays no matter what.

Way to go, Penni! I'm satisfied . . . for the moment. No lollygagging, maggots! I'm signing off for Thanksgiving; hope everyone has a safe, sane, and fun weekend. I started off with a big food bang when I went to a carnitas (roast pig) restaurant for lunch with some co-workers and had three small tortillas. Almost PBd on the last one -- luckily everyone else was doing shots of tequila so they didn't notice. Teresa, that chocolate dessert sounds heavenly -- sometimes "too rich" can be just right. Isn't it great to have things like that as a special treat and not a staple? I made a chocolate cake last night and was amazed to find I only wanted one tiny section of the bittersweet bar that went in it. Who is this person? I used to buy double whatever the recipe called for so I could OD on chocolate. I promise to keep exercising over the weekend, pumpkin pie and all; I know that a working body, however flawed, is one of the greatest gifts I have among the many many things for which I'm thankful. Let's knock each other out with our post-holiday reports! Happy Thanksgiving.

Lauri, I loved your story, horrible though it was -- glad you're still able to laugh about it! Meanwhile, in the land of the shrinking gazongas, I threw on a blazer at the last minute this morning when I caught myself in the mirror and realized you could see the excess fabric of my bra cups flattened under my turtleneck. Not the best look, but maybe everyone will be wearing it on the Paris runways next spring.

Michelle, consider your ass officially kicked by a pair of size 11 combat boots! That goes for you, too, Penni. Shopping can count as exercise if you're doing a lot of walking and weight-lifting. Just walk around the block so you can tell yourself you did something. Walked fast (without the dog) for 45 mins. this morning; hope to do more this afternoon, since our office is closing early. Eat my dust!

See's candy is the best. My LA relatives used to send big boxes of the stuff to the cheesehead family branch every Christmas. One year my mother's Siberian Husky devoured a pound of peanut brittle and most of a box of chocolate mints. Great breath and no stomach trouble -- not even a twinge of chocolate-induced mania. My Chocolate Lab (coincidence?) got into the caramel suckers a couple of years after that and swallowed plenty of wrappers but kindly left the sticks behind. Is there a connection between bandsters and candy-loving dogs? Nancy, you didn't give that Pit Bull any sweet stuff, did you?

Maybe our dogs should join the challenge. My pudgy Lab mix could definitely afford to lose a few pounds, and she's loving the extra hour of squirrel chasing each morning.

If you started at 217 and 5'7", you were definitely not one of the higher BMI bandsters that Leatha mentioned -- in fact, you're one of the lower BMI people on this board, and you've lost a lot of weight so far. Congratulations! As long as you're feeling restriction without a fill, I'd wait, especially if getting a fill means paying big bucks to a local doc. If, however, you can eat a huge Thanksgiving meal without restriction or pain, maybe it's time to get that fill after all! How about waiting until this Friday to see how you're doing? That way you still have your fill appointment locked in if you need it, but you can cancel it without trouble if you're doing OK.

Steve, I'd pass up the stuffing and focus on cranberry jelly and the inside of a piece of pumpkin pie; you can even have whipped cream on it if you want. (I'm thinking healing around the band, not weight loss.) Bread -- including stuffing, even loaded with gravy -- can be hard for even a long-term bandster to digest, and it's probably best not to mess with it while you're still in the mushy stage. If you can't pass up the turkey, dark meat will be easier to swallow than light; just chew it to mush. But stick to truly mushy stuff if you can -- it'll be easier on your newly banded stomach.

focus... focus... Walked dog for 50 minutes this morning, hope to do more later; getting additional strength-training workout by restraining self from typing dirty response to Greg's comment.

That's Dr. Horgan. He charges $1000 per fill if you have gone to another surgeon, but he will make an exception for patients of his mentor, Dr. Rumbaut. (I know, because he did for me.) Sarah and Michelle's suggestions are right on; you'll have to do some calling, but at least it's a place to start. You also might want to contact your Mexican surgeon to see if he/she has a colleague in Chicago. Good luck!

Excellent! Thanks for posting your info. Our weight is exactly the same, but I won't race you to Onederland -- at the rate you're going, you'll arrive in no time! See you there sometime next year (I'm aiming for early April).

OK, OK, I'll do it. My three-month bandiversary is the day after Thanksgiving; I'll post my horrid before picture, along with a current one I'll get taken over the next few days (not, however, while I'm draped over a recliner suffering from tryptophan overdose). Consider yourselves warned. Back on topic, it's not too late to join the exercise challenge. See how much you can move between now and Jan. 3! Check Greg's recent post for details.

That's why I haven't posted an avatar photo -- a drawing of Bullwinkle is close enough!

Check out the "Food" thread for some additional mushy suggestions. I love the faux lasagna recipe! I ate pizza toppings -- just cheese and sauce, really -- while I was on mushies and had no trouble.