the best me

OOOO, scary. I can't rate me, but I can rate all of you...I have 10 rep points for this post. Hmmm...the paranoia heightens... editing... Okay Kelly, I approved of your post and commented "thanks for starting this thread!" let's see what that does... editing again... so now I click on the bell or telephone or whatever that is under Kelly and the message pops up, "you cannot give rep points to the same post" so I try it on another post in the same thread, and it says "you must spread some repuation around before giving it to Kellymoos again" No kidding! Ya'll try it!

Okay, my rep power is only a 1. Sob, I'm such a loser! No...my guess is it has to do with 1)how long you have been posting and 2)how many posts you have made. So I'll bet we can't rate one another. It's more about quantity and longevity, not quality. Who knows! Alex B., wer'e getting a little paranoid here...Help!

Yay! Good for you. Smart girl...I flunked Chemistry in the final semester, did the whole graduation thing with family in from out of town, party etc. then got my grades in the mail...F in Chemistry. Went to Jamaica for 5 days to celebrate, then came back and took it again in summer school. Bummer. But I got a B and my degree! You'll get yours too. Way to go!!!! BTW, how much longer for you in school?

Hey!, you gave them the right code for the Lap Band surgery...43843...things are looking very hopeful, but listen to the advice posted here, and let us know how it goes!! Good Luck!

You, too, Samy Love!!!!! SMACK!! (that was a blow the kiss, not a slap) Ha

I think hot means it has new posts. Bumping is finding an old thread and posting at the end of it. Since it has a new post, it moves to just below the stickies on the front page, since the posts are "posted" newest to oldest. Moderators can make something a sticky, which means it always stays at the top, rather than getting lost in old posts on page 8 of the topic. Uh, you got it Leatha...I backed up and actually read it!...Duh. I'm with you on rep power...no clue Do we have it right, anyone? Here's a helpful tip...See the bar at the top? Click on "New Posts" and you'll get a list of recent posts in different forums, then click on the new stuff, just to catch up and save the searching around for researching. I have learned the hard way to search for something before asking. eg: uh, what's a PB? It's usually in there somewhere, and if you need to bump it for clarification, you can. Don't feel dumb, though, you are not the only one new to this (me?) and everyone here is very patient and nice, they will let you know if you do it the wrong way. And they do it without making you feel like an idiot, too. Amazing.

Huh? What's a lottery ticket? (HaHa...I live in North Carolina, no lottery here) That is a nice thought though. I know you will accept a super big THANK YOU!!!! All of you!

Good for you! Be proud, that is hard to do. It's a busy stress eating situation for me...I can imagine myself grabbing this and that and shoving thousands of calories in a hour of being in a preschool classroom with, what, eight 3yos and 6 moms and noise and conversations and little dramas all over the room (she took my toy!!) AAUGHH! Give me a cookie! or two or three. Well done!

Now wouldn't that be cool? But, I'm not waiting on insurance...I love NPR, don't listen to it enough, even though I tend to disagree with most of the political stuff I hear. Anyway, cool!

We will pray! Please post as soon as you return and have a great trip!!! Good for you!

You have a "Band family" now...I am so glad you have a local Dr for aftercare and I feel lots better. I also saw that you posted on the Ortiz thread and are armed with info, good, bad and ugly (editing...little one hit the send button...how'd he do that?!!!!) armed with info...anyway. I think you'll do great and be fine. Keep reading and posting and all the expert bandsters here will get you through. Yay, you! Best wishes and keep us up to date.

Okay, I'm not a nurse, and I haven't had the Band, AND I haven't had a breast reduction surgery...but...after my C-sects, and after being pumped with fluids during and after surgery, it took a good while for me to lose the Fluid. With baby #2, it was a few weeks! I could see it in my ankles, especially. But one morning, I woke up and peed like a racehorse, I mean forever, and looked down and my swollen ankles were most definatley less plump. It was uncomfortable for a while after the surgery, but it went away fast, once I started letting go of the fluid. At my 6 week checkup after the baby, I had lost 43lbs! Okay, 8lbs 10oz of that was baby, but the rest was fluid retention and other related baby stuff. What I'm getting at, is that it seems normal to retain fluid after surgery, and certainly when hooked up to IV fluids. When it starts coming off, it will come off fast, and then some, I'll bet. I know it's hard not to watch the scale...I wouldn't want you telling me not to get on it!...but rest assured it will come off. Hope that helps, and recover well!

Tammy, from what I have read here, I do NOT think you need to be taking any phenteramine after surgery. Do your reasearch on post-surgery diet, and get a feel from other bandsters what the eating is like after surgery, and certainly follow your Dr's eating instructions. Who is providing your after-care? Fills? Do you have a Band Dr. , not just a physician who knows nothing about the band, who can see you should you have problems? There are lots of threads about the importance of aftercare...just go to the bar at the top, click the search button, type in "after care", and click on any of the many post that will be available for you to read, especially after being banded in MX. Dr Kuri in in TJ also. Do like Marie said and search your Dr's name and read old posts. Many here have been to Ortiz, and you are sure to find interesting reading. Please post back your aftercare plans, so we won't worry, and you'd better post when you get back and let us know how everything is going, okay?

Oh, she posted her before and after pics, I know, this is BIKINI BELINDA! Woohoo! I thought it was so cute...when the thread started and everyone was putting in their comments (before Penny separated it out for us) here was Belinda's bikini picture and the next post was Vera. All she wrote was "Holy Smokes, Belinda!" Well said. I cracked up! I have said that to myself for weeks now, washing the dishes, doing laundry, thinking about the possibility of losing all this fat and saying to myself, "Holy Smokes, Belinda!" You are a great inspiration. What I can't believe is that was BEFORE Tummy Tuck...wow. Great job, Belinda!

I like that the rebuttal is posted, don't know the whole story, don't really need to but everyone's opinion is important. If you had a great experience with de la Garza, awesome, I want to hear about it, so thanks, Blacknamaste. If it was bad , so be it. But don't censor it. I'm a grown up. I agree, I'll succeed. Thanks Alex B., for sticking to your convictions and for everyone who has posted here.

Oh YAY Tanya!!! Great news, and you've been so patient...another March Bandster! WooooHooo!!!

Thank you Moderators, for doing all the hard work, and thank you Alex for getting us started. It's a huge success, and I hope, at the very least, is on your resume! Well done. Yep, I'm addicted, too. It's kinda pitiful to see me log in first thing in the AM after getting daughter to school, hubby to work, and little one propped in front of the TV watching Blue's Clues eating bananas and cheerios. Time for me to see if anything happened overnight! And of course I have to check the board before turning off the computer at night...you know, check on the kids, cover them up, close the garage door, start the dishwasher, turn off the lights and turn on the nightlights, and check the boards...sad but true. I love it here, can't wait to cross over to Bandland! Big thanks to everyone for making LBT the best!

Post an update here, Bandit, I'm following you! Hope all is good news.

Hey Tammy! I see you got your ticker! You are posting well, I just went to your User Profile (double clicked on your name) and clicked on "read all posts by Tammymaybeband" and went from there. Your doing fine! And you have introduced yourself by posting a new thread under introductions, And you have an avatar...woohooo! I'd say your getting the hang of things on LBT. One thing that has helped me is I go to "New Posts" on the bar across the top and it gives me just the newest posts, no matter what section it's in. That cuts down on my surfing when I just want to take a quick peek and catch up on everybody. I also go to the "Search" on that bar and look up things, like a Dr's name, or a topic, whatever. You can find all kinds of old posts that probably answer lots of your questions. When I was reading your old posts, I saw that you were asking about Dr Kuri and have scheduled with Ortiz, both in TJ. My plan is to see Kuri in April, so I was wondering what made you choose one over the other? Just curious, it helps alot to talk to others about their choices, just to be sure my thinking is in line. Thanks. Also, I am 5'5" and weigh 220, a good little bit more than you. My goal weight is 140, kind of arbitrary, but based on the recommendation for my height and build, which I THINK is 125-140. So I picked 140 and we'll hope for the best. Do you know your BMI? That may be the thing that is causing your Dr to hold back his support of you having WLS. I took the Phenteramine and did not like the jittery feel it gave me, but it does suppress the appetite. Not a good long term solution for me, and I haven't heard of the coreg you mentioned. My husband asked me this. He said, "if the Lap Band didn't exist and you had $5000.00 to spend however you wanted on weight loss, what would you do?" I said, I'd probably try Nutrisystem for a while, then go back to Jenny Craig, make sure my gym membership was paid up every month, get a personal trainer. You know, I may just be able to get this weight off without WLS, but 5 -10 years from now, will it still be gone? Will I be miserable? Will $5000.00 be enough to spend on the help I will need for the rest of my life? I see my 65 year old mother struggling to stay below 135lbs, having to spend her hard-earned money on Jenny Craig to keep it from spiraling up (her weight). My husband said, "Do it". Okaaaay...not that fast but I continue to research. So your Dr wants you to try the old fashioned way, understandable. I can't give an answer for you, but you have made your decision and are scheduled next week! just do your research and be prepared for life after the band. Don't stray far from "home" here on LBT because you'll get your best advice and support from these nice folks. Keep us posted here...I want to hear about your trip!

Curves is great...I am glad you are getting in 4 days a week, that's just great! You are getting a good balance of strength training and cardio, and walking on your days off is perfect! One thing I learned from Curves, is to do all your work on the machines and have THAT work get your heart rate up, then march on the recovery pads and use them for what they are designed to do, and that is to allow your muscles to recover. Some of the ladies there were doing aerobic moves on the recovery pads to get their heart rates up to a good cardio level, and there was not enough energy left to REALLY work their muscles on the machines. Which is why it's so important to do just cardio on your days off. What you are doing is excellent! As far as exercise after the band, I have heard take a month off of exercise, but see what the bandsters say, and your doctor. I love a good ole step aerobics class...great cardio, which I need. I have good muscle tone under all the fat, but the cardio is the real fat burner. Good muscles help your body burn the fat more efficiently, particularly at "rest" or during non-exercise times. If your are able to maintain your current pace after the band (with the appropriate time off directly after surgery per you doctor) I think you will really see results! And Vinesqueen is right, increase your duration both at Curves and on the treadmill. you can go around the circuit an extra time, and add a 1/2 mile to your treadmill. Well done! You are a good exerciser!

Oh my garsh...I have SOO much reading to do! Thanks for the tip Betty, I thought I had been through everything, but sure hadn't gone there! Thank you Alex, wherever you are...this site is the best! You can tell it owes nothing to anyone, like you said Alex. I have been to Yahoo too and it's more difficult to get through, plus pop ups, and I just don't feel as comfortable with the info...everything here is straight up, and easier to check out. great info, thanks ya'll!

So, whatever happened? Just searching old threads and wondered...hope all is well!

You are NOT alone in your thoughts, even if it's just you and me, Tony, which I doubt. I need time to ponder and respond...I'm here with you...

Whoda thought? All she needed was a tan, not the kick in the butt she asked for and was given!!! hehe Good job Kelly. You are looking great, and you'll get that last bit off, I know it. Body Fat- you can measure it with a machine-Curves always had one when I went there and I'm sure other gyms probably have them, just ask! Also, a friend of mine got one on e-bay, or was it Amazon?, for 30-40 bucks. I always thought it would be handy to have one. I spent $40 on a pretty good scale, heck, I may just buy a Body Fat measuring machine! Anyone know the proper name for those thingys?

Oh my gosh, don't listen to me for you post-surgery diet! I'm not even banded! Follow what your Dr says is okay to eat. What if it's too soon for chicken? Even pureed chicken? I don't know! I do know you are walking around on fewer calories though, so follow your Dr's orders, for goodness sakes! Good job on getting rest, and well done everyone, way to kick butt! See, told ya they would...