Wheetsin

Google "virtual model" which is the trademarked brand for that application. My Virtual Model is the creator's site and I believe they have a list of customers -- you could probably access it either way (from a customer's site, or theirs). Keep in mind -- if I could look now, how my model looks 100 lbs heavier than my current weight, I'd go to maintenance. So take the likeness with a gigantic grain of salt. :smile:

Sometimes though (speaking from my personal experience) another fill is no longer the solution. Sometimes it's just a matter of realizing -- maybe this is my "sweet spot," and sometimes I'm going to have way more help than I want, and sometimes I'm doing to have to step up to the plate and do it solo. Before I accepted this as my sweet spot, I chased the perfect fill level, and bounced between no restriction and unable to swallow my own saliva with very, very tiny adjustments. You don't want to be blocked off in the morning & lunch, for the sake of getting full on 6 bites at dinner... you know?

Have you never had moments of "unexplained" tightness in the 4.5 years you've been banded? I seem to get them a few times a month. I got really tight, for a while, when I was (am) pg. :bolt:

Yep, I've been experiencing it for over two years. Sometimes in the morning I'm lucky to get Water down without pressure, but by dinner I'm relying on my own self control (and shrunken stomach) to limit my meal. Welcome to the band. :bolt:

Yeah how do you pronounce it? I would think "glow-chester" kind of like worcestershiresicreiheire sauce. I hate it when my reading of someone's online handle is too phonetic. It's kind of like trying to decipher vanity plates.

I've not yet gained any weight back. I've stalled, and weight loss has slowed down, but I've never gone back up. I'm still going down, just much more slowly than I did at first. I feel fine, love my band.

I'm not sure I can answer that. I don't care if our president is black, purple, yellow, or polka-dotted. I think we're ready for a good, competent president. If that person happens to be black, so be it.

I've given this issue some off and on thought, and part of it for me is that (IMO) a parents' religion is only the child's religion in so far as the parents say so. I know there are processes to bring someone in to a religion, and that can happen at a very early time in life, but that doesn't mean the infant understands what it means, had a choice in it, etc. I think children largely "subsribe" (in so much as they can) to a religion because it's what their parents tell them is right, or tell them to do, or because they grew up in it and don't know any different. (Really, the same reason kids have most significant belief systems). If the parents chose it for themselves, fine. But to "force their beliefs" (so to speak) on a child... I dunno. Even asking a child what they want isn't going to get you an answer that makes you feel comfrtoable the child truly understands the concepts involves, can apply judgment, can distinguish consequences, etc. That's some pretty high cognitive stuff that we're probably just not going to see on that level at such young ages. Until then, I think children are owned responsibilityfrom their parents, and ignoring a medical need in lieu of a fantastic solution is not fully IMO responsible Now - don't get me wrong, this isn't an "evils of regigion" post. But I do think that my above opinions are influencing what I think about this. If I am an adult, and can understand my religion, what it means, what it includes -- don't know the age for that but "18" seems to be when the government feels we're able to make sound decisions... and I choose not to seek medical help because of my beliefs, that's one thing. But if we're talking about parents of.... an infant, let's say... the parents are acting in their belief, on behalf of their child. I keep coming back to a "sanity of the choice" issue, which is all kinds of sticky. I tend to believe that someone with an extraordinarily ill child, who sees no use for doctors because "god" will fix the problem, is probably not packing a full lunchbox. But I can put myself into their shoes, and see how they might be perceiving the situation. *sigh* All of that to update you that I'm still on the fence, I guess. :bolt: In one sense, we probably intervene a little too much for our own (logistics) good, and maybe not enough for our (social) good. Sometimes we need to let people die, but far be it for me to have an answer to, "Who gets to live?"

Cravings: If I crave something, I have it. This is a big tenant in my success. Frustration: I don't know that I've ever had "band frustration". Life frustration, sure - lots and lots of it. But sitting here thinking I honestly can't think of one time I've been frustrated because of my band. Feelings of weakness: Not sure I have these either, but I understand where my weaknesses come from, and I also understand they're not something I should let get me down. I mean - I'm weak in those areas for a reason, and the most I can do is try to improve. (You can probably tell -- I'm not, nor was, much of an emotional eater)

Gosh, that could be anywhere, so many fish taco places. One of the more common ones I can think of was Wahoo's, but that cuisine is something you can find all over the place there. The greasiest I remember was one of the stands at the Del Mar Fair, but I don't remember the name of the place. Ok, here are my SoCal places I really miss (I know they're elsewhere, but not here): Del Taco. Mmmm. I loved their taco burgers as a kid, and always favored their quesadillas with the little pepper pieces in them. Naugles. Which I think was bought by Del Taco. THey made the biggest beef & cheese burritos, absolutely crammed full of both. Jack in the Box -- Breakfast Jack was the only ham I would eat. Carl's Jr (which I know is a Hardee's thing now, but it was different when it was still Carl's). I fondly remember the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, theur crinkly fries, and the *best* breakfast sandwiches. A steakhouse called Pinnacle Peak, don't remember if it was a chain or not. A nrighborhood place (maybe a chain, don't remember) called Gaetano's. BEST Italian. Doodle Burger. Oh, and a place called Souplantation. And Tio Leo's (instead of chips & salsa, you got chips w/ hot jalapenos/carrots/onions) Mmmm. And I was thin then...

Gaining weight does not equal gaining fat. Please don't panic because the scale moves one pound. Knee-jerk/irrational reactions like that do nothing but through your mental state out of whack. See this post: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/784949-post5.html

Most insurance-paid WLS require a psychologist, especially the more permanent options. Fixing the inside and outside are not mutually exclusive, and outside fixes are not always about vanity or superficial/exterior motives. And even when they are, I'd say it's as common with band recipients as with any other procedure. It doesn't much longevity here to clearly see a lot more driving "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" than "nothing tastes as good as healthy feels"... and a lot more "what size for what weight" questions than "what weight for what health improvement" ones. And don't forget the internal-external relationship... many times an inside fix (diabetes, HBP, cholesterol, etc.) comes from an outside fix (losing body fat). I don't know that I agree it's a matter of priorities being out of whack. Not everyone's priority is (or should be) behavioral change, relearning eating patterns, etc. Especially not up front. If my doctor told me, "You need to lose weight now or you will die" -- quick weightloss period, regardless of my in/ability to make behavioral changes, becomes my priority and an AGB becomes a very poor choice for me. If I don't have the cognitive/behavioral strength to commit to owning my choices, then something that ignores my choices is a much better option with the priority of staying alive. We may see it as abusing their tool because they are behaviors we can't do, and as such seem foreign or "wrong" to us. But when your chosen procedure allows those behaviors, then I don't see where there's even an issue. There are a handful of options out there, and the ebst we can do is pick the one that's right for us at a given time, and hope it stays right, or do something to make it different. If the option to eat at a buffet and still lose weight is right (and come on... let's be real for a moment... at one time or another mostof us would have given a lot for a "cure" that let us eat what we wanted while still losing weight) for someone, and it's the basis of the surgery they chose, what's wrong with that?

Are you on mushies -- I assume 15 days post-op? If so just call your surgeon or nutritionist or whomever made up your post-op plan and ask if they consider well-cooked noodles in liquid a mushy. At the point you're at, it's not so much what "bandsters" tolerate (you won't have a fill yet, may have some swelling still, but tolerances/intolerances shouldn't be much of an issue until you start getting fills), as it is sticking to your post-op diet.

Unless you eat like 40 sticks of butter for dinner, or are a medical anamoly, overnight weight gain is going to be Fluid fluctuations. Mushy foods tend to be high-carb foods. Liquids tend to be low-carb. On liquids you probably were in ketosis, eating the potatoes threw you out, and the result was a bit of fluid retention. You're only like 2 weeks out from surgery. Don't worry about losing weight at this point, just focus on meeting nutrion needs and resting so that you can finish healing. I don't know if your surgeon was clear about this, but weight lost between surgery and restriction is a bonus, not an expectation. Most people will lose a chunk after surgery because generally you don't want to eat or drink much, or are afraid to, but you can't expect that weight to stay 100% gone when you're doing things to alter the way your body treats its fluids, and when you're gradually getting back to a more "normal" diet. For hunger, do as many Proteins (not liquids if you can help it) as you can, as long as they fit into your food stage. Proteins make you feel full longer than carbs, fats, etc.

Saran Wrap insulates you while you exercise, basically dehydrating yourself. People use it as a very temporary spot treatment, e.g. on the upper arms before an evening in a strapless gown. You "sweat off inches" (as it's advertised at the spas that offer it for about $150 a pop), but drink a glass of water and those inches come right back. :biggrin:

Green, I somehow missed yuor unfortunate news until just now. I"ve yet not yet had a cancer diagnosis, though I certainlyw ouldn't be surprised by one... but I've been through my mom telling me her diagnosis is cancer 5 times now. There's nothing really to say that helps, and even it there were I wouldn't know what it is, but let me know if you need anything.

LaRose, many people here are more than 6 months out. I'm over two years, and I'm not even close to an "oldie." Just ask your questions, I'm sure you'll get feedback.

Don't assume the chocolates will be turned into fat. As long as you didn't exceed your daily caloric need, no problem. Even if you did, that doesn't mean a 1/2 lb of chocolate becomes a 1/2 lb of fat -- doesn't work that way.

Ohhh, anyone else familiar with Boll Weevil? SoCal burger place, not even sure if it was a chain. They had the BEST burgers! I used to get strawberry limeades all summer long, or fresh lime slush w/ extra lime. And cheddar peppers. Mmmmm.

Oh I heart those shoes! I can do tops like that because of my hips and waist-hip ratio. Anthing empire waist, babydoll, etc. actually looks ok on me because it helps the expanse of my hips look like it's supposed to be that way. Button-ups (tailored ones are ok) and other shirts without much shape are hard for me because they're loose on top & tight on bottom or vice versa. I can easily do a 14 top in a "loose around the hip" kind of shirt, even though the sleeves may dig into my saggy bat wings, but if I buy it to fit my hips, we're talking 18.

I was born & raised in San Diego and never heard of Sonic until we moved here - and didn't Frankie Avalon used to do the ads? In-n-Out -- much better. I also have fond memories of Rally's.

It's virtually impossible to say what it is, especially since we aren't Docs. BUT, in areas that tend to sweat, which whether people want to realize/admit it or not any point of skin-skin contact is going to sweat a LOT, including pannuseses...panni... the salty sweat and friction can lead to various kinds of irritation. I used to get an acute reddish rash. Medicated powder on it sometimes helped, but sometimes burned, and almost always became a "paste" by the end of the day with the sweat and what not. So here's what I did, and it worked for me. Dried off very well after showers, like dry off right after, then dry off again, dry off before getting dressed, etc. When I was completely dry, I'd apply hydrocortizone. I did this until visible irritation went away. Then I'd continue with the drying but instead of the hydrocortizone I'd swipe a sensitive skin deodorant under (prefer Dove since it has moisturizers as well). That's kind of a multitasker. It takes care of sweat, odor, dryness, and also is "slippery" enough to sort of lubricate the skin and create a barrier between the skin layers (which is a lot of what causes the irritation I had). I don't know what you have, or if this will fix it, but if nothing else it's good to do for hygiene reasons anyway. My pannus is largely deflated and I still do it, just because it's easy to get stinky there with skin-on-skin in a warm area all day.

I still have hips, they're still the biggest part of me. In fact, pants that fit my hips are baggy EVERYWHERE else. I get freaking crotch bag even. But they're deflating... and I'm starting to get the deflated skin folds. I still have the pokey out saddlebags tho, probably always will, even if it's just all the loose skin tied up into a big ball.

This hits on one of my general life pet peeves. Anyone's personal experience does not write the "law" of what will happen, especially when the topic at hand is 99.99% subjective. Oh I do hate that so.