kagoscuba

Rice totally kicks my ass. I can eat Chinese food, like the chicken dishes, but not even one spoonfull of rice. I gave my wife a not too pleasant show two weeks ago because of rice. I won't even try it anymore. I haven't had any meat except chicken and a little turkey since I've been banded. Very little bread too...chewed the crap out of it before I swallowed it. I got my second fill today, so I see chicken being an issue soon, as it sometimes gave me that uncomfortbale feeling.

I guess it's up to the individual. I've lost almost 40 pounds since 9/27/07. Once you stabilize your weight loss, then yes, you should continually lose 1-2 pounds per week, to lose in a healthy way. If you were constantly monitored though, I imagine the doctor could get more aggressive.

So, I went to get my second fill today, as I've been feelnig rather hungry. When I saw the barium go through the band pre-adjustment, I was shocked and the doctor said "wow, you are wide open." I asked him why, since I saw last time it was pretty restrictive. He just smiled and said, "Because you are losing weight and there is less fat pushing around the band. The fat pushing around the band also helps restriction, but once you lose fat the band can and will get looser "on it's own." He asked me how restricted I wanted to be and I told him to go for the gusto. He told me I'm "liquid tight" right now, and I'd better chew good in two weeks, when I go back to solids. Very cool. Three NSV's 1. Wearing jeans I haven't worn in 2.5 years 2. Losing enough weight to affect the band 3. Having the radiology tech say, "Hey, you are looking good, you're getting to be a skinny man!!!" If he wasn't a dude, I would have kissed him, so I just slapped him on the a$$. *kidding*

No matter the religion; it is the internal indoctrination of the people that live there that is corrupt. If you've never read "Me Against My Brother, " try it as it is a very insightful look at the wars in Sudan, Somalia, and Rawanda. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Me-Against-My-Brother-Somalia/dp/0415921988]Amazon.com: Me Against My Brother : At War in Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda: Books: Scott Peterson[/ame] "Me Against My Brother" is from an old Somali saying that goes like this: Me against my brother; my brother and I against our family; our family against the clan; our clan against the world. That is how they see the proper escalation of violence. Our problem in places like Somalia is not that we try to help; our problem is we don't understand they don't want our help and are not rational enough to understand why someone might want to try and help.

In case you guys haven't figured out the geography yet, Sudan is where Darfur is, so the next time you hear about the "poor starving people in Darfur" remember who you are being asked to save. They should be ignored, just like the a-holes in Somalia.

Hey, Kylie is a hottie!! If you like Midnight Oil, you've got to check out Blue Sky Mining...it's my favorite album from them: Blue Sky Mining - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a victim of abuse, I have vowed enver to spank my children. The reason is I don't think I can accurately tell the line between discipline and abuse, in regards to physical discipline. However, I believe corporal punishment in schools should not only be allowed; it should be encouraged. I grew up part of my life in Texas, and I have seen and experienced first-hand how effective corporal punishment is. When it was used, another teacher had to be present and the parents had to be notified, thus greatly reducing the threat of an abusive teacher. The discipline problems were minimal there. I moved to a suburb of Atlanta (Marietta) in the middle of my 8th grade year. Corporal punishment was not allowed there, and the change in students' attitudes and behavior were shocking. They just didn't give a rat's a$$ what the teacher thought. The worst that could happen to them was on-campus isolation, suspension, or expulsion. None of those things mean much to a teenager. Now living in NJ and seeing how kids here act with no true discipline in schools, it is the same way as GA. Kids think they rule the world. Oh, and for those that say corporal punishment teaches the powerful can control the weak through force...well, yeah, what world are you living in where that doesn't happen anyway?

Bodybuilders are in a different class of their own. As mentioned before, pre-competition is a lot of calories (4,000+ a day) and a ton of Protein (I have seen as high as 1 gram per pound of bodyweight). A lot of the heavyweights go over 300 pounds during the training cycle, then compete/show at around 260. Unless you are working out every day, it'll be impossible to reach close to what they are doing to their bodies. Typical adults would be hard pressed to add 20 pounds of lean muscle mass in a year, so don't fall into the trap of "Oh, I gained 10 pounds this month, but that's ok because muscle weighs more than fat." It's true it does, but 99.9% of people out there would not be able to gain that much in lean muscle in such a short time frame. Short term weight gain for those of us who lift weights is typically Water retention. Oh, and those bodybuilders use diuretics to lose those last few pounds prior to shows too. They don't look like they do in pictures as soon as the next day, and a few have died from dehydration complications.

Thanks Kat!! I'll be looking forward to my next fill. I know what it feels like to eat incorrectly, but only sometimes. I think I need the fill to get that kick in the pants a bit more often.

So far chicken has been fairly easy for me, except when I've tried too big of a bite. I can eat Chicken with Garlic Sauce from my local Chinese place, broccoli and all no problem. If I even try one forkful of rice though, I'll PB very soon. So far, rice is the only thing I've tried which has made me PB. Chicken has given me that chest pain feeling, but it has never reversed course.

"OMG every time I ate 3-4 bites was IT!" Were you full after those 3-4 bites or were you still hungry? The reason why I ask is I'm about to be filled for the second time, and I have asked the doctor to be as restrictive as he deems safe for me. However, if restriction just means being unable to eat and staying hungry, that is not optimal. My doctor uses three ways to describe the fill. Yellow: big meals and hungry. Green: small meals and satisfied. Red: can barely get anything down and hungry all the time. I'm a yellow right now and have been stuck at the same weight for a little over three weeks. Time to change something else, as my exercise program is getting changed all of the time. I'm not eating nearly as much as I used to, but I am eating way more than what some people here are describing as a satisfying meal.

Holy Cow said the Bovine Priest!!! Those are some shocking numbers, and I now see the main contributer (other than myself) for my weight gain. Chili's, which was my favorite restaurant for years, was killing me!! I am shocked by how high some of those fat content numbers are!

"Hahahaha!!!" It sounds funny, but it is not, as there are still millions of those out there who remain unenlightened about the true roots of the Mormon religion. Not only are they ignorant; they will be obtuse enough to not want to hear the truth. The only reason I know the whole "Satan gave Joseph Smith the means to write the Book of Mormon" is false is because Satan does not exist. He doesn't need to. Humans are fully capable of unspeakable "evil" without the intervention of a supernatural being. There is no one responsible for our failings or good fortunes other than ourselves.

"Mormons are Christians. We believe in Jesus Christ." I guess this goes back to who you are asking. Not that I am a practicing Methodist anymore, but the United Methodist Church teaches Mormons are cultists and not Christian. I don't care either way, but there is a lot of confusion out there, especially when millions of Protestants (my Baptist friends were taught the same information) learn from their church about other religions. We were even taught the founder of the Mormon church was visited by "an angel of light" and given instruction on writing the Book of Mormon. One catch to that story is Protestants believe the angel of light is Satan.

When the Christians are done with Christmas, the Pagans would like it back...along with their Yule log.

Hey, if it's good enough for Abraham and Moses, it's good enough for me! :car: Seriously though...why would any man want to be married to more than one woman? Oh, the drama!! It's hard enough to keep one woman emotionally satisfied, much less more than one...however, if there were two women or more in the house, they could talk to each other and leave me alone during the game on Sunday...there may be a reason after all!!

the nutritionist at my gym and why I rated one part of my hospital stay so poorly in their survey. The nutritonist started off by saying, "So when will you get this removed?" Then the a-hole continued with "My girlfriend is overweight and wanted to get surgery, but I told her I would leave her if she did." Nice. The part of the survey the hospital got dinged on was how professional their nurses were. When I was in recovery, one of the nurses asked me what surgery I had done; I told her and she said, "What? You don't look big enough for that surgery. Didn't you try exercise and dieting?" I felt like saying, "No, you stupid bit@h, I decided to self-pay $22k for $hits and giggles and have a fun time." I refrained however, used my passive aggressive side and eviscerated her on the survey...not that anybody reads those things anyway, but it made me feel better.

I was denied coverage by Horizon. The denial was because I could not produce five years of written proof I have been overweight. I ignored their denial and went ahead and had the surgery as a self pay. So far they have paid 80% of my doctor's fee ($6k), 100% of my anesthesiologist's fee ($2.4k), 100% of my fill fees, and lastly they are giving me some grief on the hospital bill. It was $13k, and they have paid $2k so far. They are saying something about the hospital benig out of network, but I'm making sure today that means I have to pay that much (I know out-of-network means extra costs, but I have a PPO and the insurance usually covers at least 50%). Anyway, I went from 100% denied to so far getting paid back a little over $8k. Just don't take no for an answer!! :scared:

This goes into the "No $hit" category I'm sure the researchers could haev saved a lot of time and money by coming here and asking a couple of questions: <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">LONDON</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> (AP) -- Three diet drugs recommended for long-term use result in minimal weight loss and carry some serious side effects, a review of research found.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <!--startclickprintexclude--><!--===========IMAGE============-->Though most users of the drugs remained overweight, experts said the drugs could help curb the dangers of obesity by reducing rates of heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.<o:p></o:p> In a paper published Friday in the British Medical Journal, researchers in Canada and Brazil analyzed existing data on three popular weight-loss drugs: orlistat, or Xenical; sibutramine, known as Meridia in the United States and Reductil in Europe; and rimonabant, or Accomplia.<o:p></o:p> Scientists found that patients on the drugs -- men and women between 45 and 50 years old who weighed about 220 pounds and had a body mass index of about 35 -- lost less than 11 pounds on average. The study participants used the drugs for periods of between one and four years.<o:p></o:p> "Drugs are not the magic cure and are not for everybody," said Dr. Raj Padwal, an assistant professor at the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Alberta</st1:PlaceName> in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, one of the paper's authors. "But in specific patients, they have great benefits."<o:p></o:p> Padwal and colleagues considered 16 trials that tested orlistat, which involved 10,631 people. Orlistat, which works by preventing fat digestion, helped people lose about 6.6 pounds on average. But it also reduced diabetes and improved their cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Up to 30 percent of patients had unpleasant digestive and intestinal side effects, such as incontinence.<o:p></o:p> Of the 10 trials on sibutramine, which involved 2,623 people, study participants lost about 9 pounds on average and had improved cholesterol levels. In up to 20 percent of patients, sibutramine caused side effects including raised blood pressure and pulse rates, insomnia and nausea.<o:p></o:p> And in the four rimonabant studies involving 6,365 people, scientists found that users lost on average about 11 pounds. Rimonabant also improved their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The risk of mood disorders increased in 6 percent of patients.<o:p></o:p> Both sibutramine and rimonabant work by interrupting nerve signals in the brain.<o:p></o:p> Another study published Friday in The Lancet also showed rimonabant raised the risk of psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety.<o:p></o:p> A report from the food and Drug Administration in June found that 26 percent of people on rimonabant -- versus 14 percent of those given a placebo -- developed symptoms that included depression, anxiety and, in severe cases, suicidal tendencies. The FDA refused to authorize the drug.<o:p></o:p> Modest help is worthwhile<o:p></o:p> Rimonabant has been approved by the European Drug Agency, and is available in countries including <st1:country-region w:st="on">Austria</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Denmark</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region> and the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United Kingdom</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p> Sibutramine and orlistat are licensed for sale in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. Another version of orlistat known as Alli is sold over the counter in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>, and its maker, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, is seeking approval for sales in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p> Some experts say that the few pounds the drugs help people to shed are worth it. "Modest weight loss brings surprisingly big health gains," said Susan Jebb, head of nutrition and health at <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Medical Research Council. Jebb was not tied to either study.<o:p></o:p> "We are not just fighting obesity, but the things that come along with it," Jebb said. Losing as little as 5 pounds can help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.<o:p></o:p> But other experts worry that easy access to diet drugs give people a false sense of security.<o:p></o:p> "Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill," wrote Dr. Gareth Williams, dean and professor of medicine at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bristol</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, in an editorial in the British Medical Journal.<o:p></o:p> <!--startclickprintexclude-->Padwal said the biggest caveat about the drugs is that their long-term effects are unknown. In 2005, global sales of the drugs were estimated at $1.2 billion.<o:p></o:p> Faced with an increasing global obesity epidemic -- the World Health Organization estimates that 3 billion adults will be overweight or obese by 2015 -- many experts think the drugs could be used more widely.<o:p></o:p> "Diet and lifestyle interventions on their own have been stunningly poor," Jebb said. "We've got to be realistic," she said. "Even though the weight losses from the drugs are modest, they're better than most other things we've got."<o:p></o:p>

<p>Everyone goes to Russia and China, because it is easier than getting an adopted child here in the States. I am adopted, and when my wife could not stay pregnant, we considered adoption (finally went with gestational carrier) and the laws and wait here in the States were ridiculous. It wasn't for the lack of children...there were plenty waiting to get adopted here in the US</p>

I've got a better way. 1. If you are on welfare, then you need to work for the government in any capacity they see fit that is not illegal. If that means picking tomatos, in order to alleviate the dependence on illegal aliens, then *poof* you can add "tomato picker" to your resume. If you refuse to work, then you lose your right to welfare. If you are unable to work, then you'd better have a nice family to support you. Excuses do not pay the bills and tax-payers should not have to give free rides. 2. However many children you have when you start welfare for the first time is the number of children you can claim for a lifetime. If you have 20 more kids, more power to you, but you aren't getting more money. The country will kust be gaining more ditch-diggers and tomato pickers. 3. Children of welfare parents get some kind of preferential treatment for college. We don't need multiple generations of under-achievers. 4. People on Welfare can ask for but will not be mandated to have free surgery for sterilization. If they choose not to and have more kids, please see rule #2.

I did not mean to be interpreted as high and mighty in my response. I apologize if it read that way. As far as alcohol being fattening, no matter the calories, I would contend that's bogus. Let's use the Wine/Big-Mac example again. Let's say I drank 576 calories of wine and my best friend ate the Big Mac. Who just creamed their saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol for the day and who did not? Same calories; different nutritional results; same exact weight loss, if both of us stay the same below our BMR. What someone eats affects their overall health. How much they eat (caloric intake) affects their weight.

"My dr told me that 2 glasses of red wine are equivalent to one big mac" You may have a wonderful doctor, but he is seriously misinformed about calories in certain foods, and I won't even go into the other values of the two foods mentioned. A 3.5 oz glass of red wine was 75 calories. A Big Mac has 576 calories. You'd have to drink 26.88 oz of red wine to equal a Big Mac. That's a big red plastic party cup full and a little over half another one. If someone is drinking wine like that on a normal basis, then they've got more problems than nutritional ones.

"Well, that's not what I said, now, is it? We don't MEAN to sin, but we're human and humans are sinners by nature. There is no such thing as a sinless human being. " Good points, but my original intent was to point out that waiting on God to judge those who trespass against you and forgiving those without reaction on your part is going to lead to your eventual demise. The meek may inherit the earth, but meanwhile, the strong are making a pretty good living. (knowing that is short-sighted as infinity is longer than a possible 120 years). Oh, and every sin I've ever done has been done with my full knowledge and consent. It doesn't make me proud that I did them, but as you said, we are just human after all.

"How so? We are given free will and the chance to repent. How does that make me dead and buried?" You cannot intentionally do an act with the intent to ask for forgiveness or the ability to repent. That's like trying to coerce God. Forgiving and "turning the other cheek" in a purely hardcore Christian way would be akin to inviting every other society not willing to follow social norms to dominate and kill Christians (it would happen...social Darwinism expects it). Pure forgiveness would be like having 9/11 happen and we do nothing about it in Afghanistan. No war, no tirades, just a dialogue of understanding. I would prefer the dialogue of MIRV (Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicle).