Wheetsin

The first time I could have thick liquids (as opposed to sugar free thin liquids like broth and jello) I had some strained cream of chicken soup. And just about had... one... if you know what I mean. I remember thinking, "Now I know what the man in the desert who finds a bottle of water feels like".

Hmm...are there any disclaimer signs in the parking lot? Is it owned by the aquarium? A month is a long time to go with no headlight. One way or the other you want to get it fixed. You can't go popeye b/c they won't pay for it. Maybe yu could run it through your insurance? That way they're working with your employer's insurance and you don't have to do that much. I don't know for sure, and it might depend on the ownership of the lot land. At least you had clean underwear.

Ooh, lucky you! I'm trying to rearrange the wall/vanity decor in our main guest bath. Maybe I'll post pictures and we can have a "redecorate Wheetsin's walls" party! What, that doesn't sound fun to you?? :heh: :heh:

Yes Teresita... :hail: :heh: :heh: I'm between 5'10 and 5'11. My goal is 180 (personal goal, no idea what my surgeon's goal is) which should put me around a size 12 or 14. I used to carry my weight well until I reached almost 400 lbs. There's just no way to carry 400 lbs gracefully. As I lose I'm becoming more and more disproportionate. E.g. most of my tops are 18s or 20s, and most of my pants are 22s or 24s. I used to say I had the profile of a rubber duck. Now I have to say I'm built like a diamond all hips and thighs (and pannus ) / /

I wore sweats in, but for wearing home (same day) I brought one of those knit dresses that have the empire waist. I call them "house dresses" but I see ladies wearing them to work. There are little ties at the waist that tie in back. Surely someone knows what they're really called. Anyway - didn't want to risk a waistband, so I just brought one of those dresses and some "Crocs" (ugly but comfortable) so I could just slip in and out of them. hair went in a ponytail with a headband to hold back the short pieces. I didn't need a pillow on the drive home but the bumps in the road did hurt - but just uncomfortable, not great pain. What hurt was using the muscles, so sitting down, standing up, walking, going up stairs, sneezing, coughing, etc. Whomever had the 10 hour jounrey - I don't know how long post-op your flights are, but if they're within the first 3 days, I'd recommend making sure you have wheelchairs booked or shuttles. Especially if you have a gate change.

Oooh, a regular liberalpalooza. I can't wait!

This is my cynical nature showing through, but I've often wondered if WL surgeons don't "pad" the weight on their scales - you know, like set it so that 0 pounds registers at 10 pounds... ...I can tell you that when I was weighed at my consultation and saw a number over 20 lbs higher than what I THOUGHT I weighed, it certainly didn't HURT my decision to go through with it.

My surgeon's scale weighs me about 14 lbs heavier than my home scale. My PCP's scale is about 6 lbs heavier. What's ironic is that my surgeon has no way of tracking how much weight I've lost. I was weighed at my consultation (in really heavy clothes), but he never weighed me on my day of surgery (I weighed myself at the hospital, but it wasn't a number that ever made its way into his records). So whenever I go for a fill, it's depressing. Not only does his scale weight so much higher than my home scale, but there's a ~15 lb loss (what I gained between consultation and surgery) that is never accounted for. By my records, I've lost about 130 lbs. By his records, I've lost about 108.

Just curious, how tall are you guys?

"JBT" (jbtullis) was the original poster - the member who created this thread. I think TracyinKS was drawing a parallel between her situation and jbtullis'.

Oh also, you may want to check out this thread http://www.lapbandtalk.com/thread-super-sized-t16168.html?p=404751. I started it long ago for people with starting BMIs over 50, and it has attracted a fairly large following.

Just read some of the responses to this thread and - wow - we all have such a common spine in our stories. Giving up. At one point I had told myself that I really needed to start working on "being happy" with myself, because I was going to live and die obese. Don't focus on "200 lbs to lose" because that will seem like a mountain you can't climb. 200 lbs is only 20 pounds, ten times.

Hi tasha111. When I got my band, I had 202 lbs to lose to hit my personal goal. Yesterday was my 1 year band anniversary and I'm down a total of 130 lbs (ok, 129, but who's counting?!?). I was very reluctant to do this because it seemed like most people getting banded weighed closer to my goal weight than my starting weight! So I actually hopped on another board and posted in the lapband section about people with 200+ lbs to lose, and I got SOOO many positive responses. And then (because this is me, afterall) there's always the logical approach. The amount of weight you lose is only limited by the effort you put into losing it. It's not like each band comes pre-packaged with a set amount of pounds the recipient will be able to shed. I truly believe that it doesn't matter if you have 10 lbs to lose, or 500, the band will HELP you get there, but it will not get you there on its own.

That's what I'm saying! It's like poetic justice to the extreme. And it was a two-fer (two yaks to get it gone), AND I had to do it while hosting a conference call... "You know what, I'm being frantically flagged down to help with something. <insert name>, can you take over for me while I go take care of a fire real quick?"

I doubt Ron Cusano would flame you. That seems to be reserved for the people who disagree with him. I can't say liberals, because it's more than that, so I think I'll just go with general disagree.

Never heard of it, do tell!

Why would me being a "mod" cause you to get defensive and offensive?

My husband makes more than I do in base salary, but when you add in bonus (ours are large while his company doesn't give them), I make about the same amount he does. Actually I think a little more. When we have child chances are great that we will both work, but we have discussed who would work and who would stay home if those chances changed. Given the essentially equal gross, that my benefits are better & cheaper for him to join than the reverse, and that (saying it frankly) I'm more likely to grow farther and faster in my career than he is in his, it would make a lot of very practical sense for me to continue working while he stayed home. Plus his field is one where even not working as a FTE, he could easily pick up a contracting job that could be done on his own time from home. I could too, and do contract, but my contracts require face to face meetings whereas his do not.

Hi! I'm in Kansas City MO and just today (ok, technically yesterday) had my 1 year band anniversary. Best of luck to you!

If I had waited 6 more minutes, it would be tomorrow. I need not stay up so late (multitasking while I do homework). Eekgad.

I'm borrowing this:

Oy vey, you got me, and I stand corrected! I was kind of having two conversations in one. With myself, of course. Lucifer the light bringer, Day Star, Son of Dawn, shining star of the dawn, helel, etc. and a conversation I had earlier in the day (with a good christian friend) about some OT scholars who really do believe Satan should not be associated with evil: Some say that Satan was originally not considered evil but gradually became identified with his unpleasant functions. According to this approach, Satan is still God's servant. There is much in the Book of Job that tends to support this view. Satan appears only in the first two chapters and then disappears. Some believe the first two chapters were added much later, for in the last chapter we read: ". . . they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him" (42:11).

An epispasm sounds like what I gave myself lastnight. :rolleyes For the body shots we need a volunteer - preferrably a man (or Angelina Jolie) with no chest hair (that applies to Angelina Jolie too).

Once I spent a month in Central America. I was 19 and you could drink... younger than that. I don't remember what the age was. I'm really not a drinker, but I had to order something called a "Bloody Brain" just because the name was so awesome. So it's a shot of rum, add Grenadine which sinks to the bottom, and pour in some Kahlua through one of those little silver spout things. The Khalua "coagulates" in the rum and keeps the "noodle" shape it gets from pouring out of the spout... and piles up, making this thing that looks like a brain. Then when you take the shot the grenadine comes up and kind of punches through the Kahlua, making this exploded bloody brain kind of thing. It was yummy. It was also the only shot I've ever taken. Because it came out of my nose when I choked on it, and that was so unpleasant I've never cared to try again. K-a-h-l-u-a is really hard to get straight.

Pretty much. There is a very predictable pattern here.