Zoe

I'm going off line for a couple of days in the country -- will try to read my messages from somewhere before I head back on Sunday. Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Bumping for Nickie

Carmen, the military's not my thing -- far from it -- but if you have always wanted to join up and the only thing standing between you and your wish was your weight, I say follow your dream (if that's not too big of a cliché). Our country sure can use all the brave volunteers it can get. Of course your family and friends (including virtual ones here at LBT) fear for your safety. But that's about them, not you. They -- and we -- might cry when you head off, but a few of those drops will be tears of pride.

For me, the later, the better! But I thought someone couldn't come on Sunday night.

No problem. I think it's great that both the X-rated threads and most of the religious ones are clearly titled, so anyone who wants to avoid one or the other (or both) can stay clear.

I will probably be on the expressway from Michigan at 3 pm, so better not include me in the head count -- but if I can get to the restaurant by 4, I'll stop by and say hello. I know it's hard to find a time that fits everyone's schedule.

Congratulations, Crystal! Slow weight loss sucks, but when you eat as much ice cream as I do, it's a part of life. I dropped out of the summer challenge because of my female trouble; I'm going even more slowly than you are. A grand total of 0.5 lbs. down since June. By the time I'm dead, I might be able to wear a size 10 in my casket. But I feel great and, like you, things fit better, even if the scale doesn't show much of a change. Keep up the great NSVs!

You can do this, Jen. Most of us were nervous and scared before we got our bands. But it's worth it. I'm more than 20 years older than you (hence creakier) and I went for my surgery alone. Friends stopped by to help me when I got home, but to tell the truth I needed the conversation more than I needed physical assistance. You'll be achy & sore for a few days, then life gets better. Are you going to a local hospital, to Mexico, or to a neighboring state? If you're traveling far, it might be worth having your parents along for support. But if they will be just a few miles away, no matter how much they love you, maybe you should just tough it out alone. You don't need anything else getting on your nerves right now. Good luck.

Never mind the port for now, I say -- you've got too much other stuff going on. Do you speak German or French? Even a little? You sure could heat up Switzerland by taking your Slumber Parties on the road, and your Chloe visit could pay for itself! I'm not sure what you'd say to the Swiss customs official who opened your luggage, though. . .

Congratulations, Pam! Welcome to Bandland. That's mighty impressive, posting the same day as your surgery.

Terri, I have a dumb question: Why are you on Optifast? Did your surgeon require you to lose some quick pounds before getting banded? Just curious.

That's wonderful, Rose! And congratulations on making it to Twonesia. Patty, NSV = Non-Scale Victory.

The 18th (Sunday) at 3 pm at Gourmand Café, to judge from the recent posts. I'm going away this weekend, but hope to be back in town in time for the late lunch. I may come directly from the country; I'll be the tall one covered in dry leaves and dog fur!

Butch, thanks for giving a guy's perspective on this topic, and a gentle reminder to us that women aren't the only ones who might feel unsexy because of their size. You're NEVER too old to be sexy and cute!

Hey Nesstg, you wrote your message a few weeks ago. Where are you? HOW are you? Welcome to Bandland!

Absolutely. But we have most of modern Western society telling us that fat is not and cannot be sexy, and many (most?) of us had parents, SOs and total strangers telling us that we were fat -- and therefore unattractive, undesirable, unsexy. Between American culture (when does the fat chick get the hunk? when is the fat chick anything other than the best friend or an object of ridicule?), our families, and our own regrettable belief in all this BS, it's near impossible to tune out the unsexy message and see ourselves as desirable. Those lucky enough to be members of the maligned SuchAPrettyFace tribe have it easier than most of our large sisters. If a woman has never heard that anything about her is sexy, she's going to have a hard time believing that she can be a hot mama. This thread is a great start toward addressing an important topic. Thanks, Sarah and Crystal, for getting the issue out there!

Nicole, I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't have anything deep or spiritual to say -- just that I'm another bandster who's thinking of you. Thanks for letting us know what you have been going through.

From the neck up? Probably my lips. No need for collagen here! Below the neck? Hmm... that's tougher. My shoulders and arms, I guess. Definitely not my feet. They're huge: long, wide, and high! When I was a teenager, however, two older men followed me around and made bizarre comments about how sexy my feet were. I guess some guys like big body parts anywhere they can find them -- foot fetishists included.

Wow! I was visiting my mom over the weekend and missed all the real-time postings, not to mention our off-line pity party. I am so sorry I didn't go to Vegas. It looks as if you all have become real-life friends, not just virtual ones. Thanks for posting the pictures, everyone, so the rest of us could join the vicarious bash.

Can you imagine how your doctor would react if his own doctor said that to him? Good grief. This sucks big time. I think you're doing the right thing by getting a second opinion; even if you like and respect your surgeon, it can't hurt to talk to someone else. And it does sound as if the doc is treating you in a very cavalier fashion. "Difficult" indeed! I think that word is used to describe women patients who ask questions and refuse to be patronized by their doctors. Give 'em hell, Babs!

What a relief! Thanks for letting us know. Now you can get back to real life!

Yankee here -- I injured my back in Melbourne in 1986 and painfully made my way to the Royal Victorian Hospital. Great care for very little money, even for a visitor. And great big doses of codeine! Gotta love the place.

You can't control what's served at someone else's house, but wait a minute, D -- aren't you throwing some of those parties? So how about offering some decent bandster cuisine? You can still dish out the high-cal goodies, but I bet a lot of guests will thank you for having some healthy options available. Then the eating choice is up to you. BTW, this definitely falls in the "Do as I say, not as I do" advice category.

Ditto! I wish I could get an anti-cellulite filter to use in real life. Kare, I'll take you on: My cellulite's bigger than yours, nyah-nyah!

It's the dirty digit of destiny, DeLarla. I'm an ice cream fanatic, too. I know it's keeping me from losing more weight, and I'm slowly trying to climb down from the hot-fudge mountain now that September is here. . . but last night I went to a local Coldstone with friends and had Sweet Cream with Oreos and Heath Bars. If you don't have Coldstone in your area and you have a sweet tooth, pray that a franchise won't open near you! It is delicious and deadly! Here's my (rationalizing) take on the ice cream monster. I got banded so that I could eat like a semi-normal person instead of wavering between diets and binges. So having smallish servings of ice cream on a, ahem, regular basis is kinda sorta in my plan.