cobrien78

I don't really have any:( However I did do better grocery shopping, I got a Kashi Cereal that has 9grams of Protein per serving. I got some SF carnation instant Breakfast and tried some greek-style yogurt that has 10 grams of protein per serving!! I think now that it is October I'm starting to prepare myself more and really making better choices with my food! And since I did SO bad in Sept. I think that is a NSV for me.:cool2:

Are you inviting all of the November bandster over for dinner??? :girl_hug:

Heck yeah! If you are willing to come all the way to Montana I will have quite a spread for you!!LOL!:thumbup:

Well all your responses so far have me feel good! I think it's not necessarily the food but the amount!LOL! I feel like I'm already sabotaging my commitment to change and afraid I will end up regretting it! UGH why couldn't I have had a sooner surgery date?!:cursing:I feel bad about it and then again I don't cause I know I will be changing my habits soon and why not indulge a little while I can. I think I need a therapist!LOL

Ok so I'm getting frustrated! I've been trying to make good choices with food while waiting to be banded. It's hard though cause everytime I'm faced with that decision I'm like "I should eat it while I can!".

I've always been the type I have to be FORCED into something that will help me lose weight. This is partly why I chose the lapband that even though it is a tool it will do part of the work. I am prepared to change my life I really want to, but there is that voice that says party it up with the food while you can. So have any of you that have been banded with success went through this? Cause I'm starting to worry the band won't help me. I need support, advice, and all of the above! LOL:)

My surgery is scheduled for Nov. 21st with Dr. Trivedi out of Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey. I'm trying to bribe someone to have thanksgiving early! LOL!

I AM!! Thanksgiving food is my FAVORITE! My birthday is in October so that is what I'm having for my birthday meal! LOL!

Stop it, you're scaring me! J/K,LOL! I have been starting to dream about getting my lapband! I had a dream that I had it but I forgot that I had it and would eat these large quantities of food and get sick. It was scary!

I love asian food so I wholeheartedly intend on eating lots of egg drop soup!LOL! My dietician gave a huge information packet that includes recipes for the pureed stage and recipes on mixing Protein powders however I have decided to get the slim-fast low carb diet shakes. I've always liked slim-fast shakes so I think that is my best bet. I plan on doing a grocery shop in October to get all the things I will need for my diet pre/post op. I only have to do 1 week pre-op and since I haven't been eating as well as I should I plan on NOT cheating AT ALL!

:thumbup:ME TOO!! My surgery is November 3rd!! I feel like I've been waiting forever, I've known since August. I'm so excited, I know once October hits it will all go so fast!

I'm glad for you. I noticed your BMI is under 40. Do you have comorbs? I was denied at 38BMI and I will resubmit since I pu on 20lb and now I'm on 40.8 BMI

I have PCOS with Insulin resistance. In the past I have been treated for high blood pressure and high cholesterol but not currently. I was pretty shocked to be approved because I thought you had to have 2 co-morbs? I don't know but I can't wait for this surgery and a change in my life!

Well, it depends on what information you're talking about. The pay information comes from two cousins and a good friend who are active military (two Army, one Navy), as well as the information listed on the military.com benefits site (though their information actually reflects higher comp than what I mentioned). If you're talking about the other information I posted, it comes 18 years as part of an active military family, and about 12 years as part of a retired military family, knowing what my active military family and friends experience, etc.Why do you present things like having to take care of your own yard as such a hardship? (And I never said housing allowance was given when you lived on base. It makes sense that it wouldn't be - we didn't need an allowance to pay for something that was free.) I don't think I contested any of this. We were (and should have been) expected to maintain our free yard when we lived in housing. I mean - yeah. Not hard to do when Water was free, we were provided a free lawnmower (granted it was the spinning razor push type, but it was useable), and we could even borrow sprinklers from the... forget what it was called, same place from which we could borrow broadcast spreaders, same place that would provide seed/fertilizer if we needed it, etc. (Drawing a total blank but it was the same building people would go to to get the free bread, cheese, Peanut Butter, etc.) This is going to vary by state and time of year, but right now my electric + Water bill is hitting about $510 a month. Not having to pay those would be significant. Cable is optional. Phone is arguably optional, but doesn't cost anywhere near $510. I'd just pay phone + cable over mortgage + electric + water + maintenance + repairs etc. in a heartbeat if I had the choice. Yes, you give up freedoms for free housing (at least we did) but they weren't huge comparatively. We couldn't hang more than one thing on a given wall, couldn't renovate or remodel, we couldn't paint whatever color we wanted to (we could put down carpet, but we had to remove it when we left the house). But when our roof caved in we were put in a hotel and it was fixed free of charge. Exterior painting & other maintenances were free. As a homeowner, I know which I'd prefer. :biggrin: Yeah, free healthcare. Just like I said. Yes, and I've experienced it happen. Maybe that's note as valid as seeing it? Dunno. Not Iraq, but deployment without warning (and families torn apart for 9+ months at a time, including mine). When I was in active military family there was no charge for uniforms. Not that I remember, perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly, or perhaps something has changed since then. Entirely possible, it has been a while. I didn't say it was easy. I would never say that military life is an easy life, especially knowing what it did to me and my family. In fact, I say quite the opposite and always have. But not in financial terms. My belief and my experience is that financially, enlisted do have it "easier" than civilian, in terms of financial responsibilities. If I insinuated anything it's that an abnormally large number of military families seem to have financial problems when you compare them to civilian families making similar incomes, paying more in cost of living.

First of all your facts are wrong! I think your "friends" are exaggerating to you on how much they make and I don't what pay chart you are looking at but you might want to make sure you are looking at ENLISTED and not OFFICER pay, there is a big difference! And note that is base pay and doesn't include the taxes being taken out and other fees for dental insurance and life insurance and other things. The self-help store you are referring to is soon going away when eventually ALL of base housing will go privitized. I'm NOT trying to make it seem military life is a hardship, but I get really pissed when someone like YOU makes it seem as if we live in the lap of luxury and don't pay for anything! IF my husband had this job as a civilian his salary would be TWICE what he is paid currently and that is MORE than what it costs the military to house us! Think about that!

Another thing about uniforms, YOU ARE WRONG buddy! When you enlist you are issued uniforms in basic training after that you are given a yearly clothing allowance based on your paygrade. Talk to any REAL military member that is getting the appropriate gear and they will tell you their clothing allowance does not cover a years worth of uniforms and everything that goes into them. They charge for uniforms at clothing sales store on base. You also have to pay for your PT uniform! There is a military spouses group on LBT take look and ask anyone of them if you don't believe me! UGH, it never ceases to amaze me what SOME people think about how it is to be military.

How is this greed? This is capitalism, and it's what our economy is based on. Let me ask you a question.....Where would you cap income tax on the rich? 50%? 60%? 90%? Where?

Commendable. And it is a shame that anybody serving their country should have to live like that. That should totally be fixed. I don't think either candidate has addressed this issue, unless you count Obama's promises to deeply cut back on the military, basically firing all these soldiers.

Uh, nobody here wants to turn out people truly in need. We both agree that the system needs to be overhauled. Did you know that the disaster of Katrina exposed that much of the city of New Orleans were 3rd generation welfare recipients? Grandpa, then dad, then current person. Guess where the child and grandchild are headed? Both candidates agree that the welfare system is flawed.....McCain wants to reform it within the current framework, Obama wants to throw more government at it.

And McCain is on record as saying that he thinks less kids need to go to college? College needs to be more financially available to the lower and middle income familes. High end kids have their share of college troubles, but being able to afford the tuition is usually not one of them. On this we agree.

Nope. McCain wants to give everybody a $5000 tax credit to be used towards insurance. This credit would apply even if you already recieve insurance from an employer. That sounds better than Obama's plan: universal health care paid for by taxpayers. What could possibly go wrong if the government were in charge of healthcare, right?

If you increase the money taken out of the middle class families paycheck it makes it harder for them to make ends meet on a monthly basis. Giving them a lump sum once a year does not make it easier for them when they are playing catch up all year. Also, this does not fix the problem of insurance companies flat out denying people coverage that they are willing to pay for to begin with. THAT is the majority of the problem! I'm not necessarily for universal healthcare but something has to be done and throwing money at it won't solve it and where do you think that $5000 credit will come from?

50% of a $30,000/yr salary is a lot different than 50% of 1,000,000/yr. salary! Think about it, you can survive off 500,000/yr. in a luxurious lifestyle no less but try surviving off $15,000/yr. Also if you come from a poor family lower class family how can you be expected to go to college and pay for it to make that 1,000,000/yr. in the future? And that's going for a serious profession, nowadays you can't hardly get out of college without $100,000 worth of student loans and if you want to be a nurse who starts out at MAYBE 50,000 how are they going to pay for all the necessities in life to include your student loans? It is a double-edged sword. How do we fix it? I personally like Obama's plan cause he has one to begin with!LOL!

The military is another interesting angle. Military families can (or at least could last I was part of one) live free on base or receive BAH to cover/offset if not. Core utilities were free or very greatly reduced. Major appliances are provided. Maintenance (structural) was free. Goods could be purchased at reduced rates, and with decreased sales tax through commissaries and PX. Including non-necessities like alcohol, beauty accessories, furniture, etc. Medical was free, dental was free. I don't remember vision but I think it was free too. Cheap life insurance. There was no required budget for work attire. Gas to and fro base, but parking was free and things like bridge passes were comped. Then consider all civilian world discounts (granted their use is optional). An E-4's avg. full compensation is around $40,000 not including "extras" (e.g. special pay) and not including what they're saving on ancillary perks such as the free medical. With branch discretions. Why is it so much harder (or at least perceived to be harder) for military families? We always did fine, but when I think back, quite a few of the families were on some form of welfare. I can see reasons in most cases, largely around choices or responsibility, not so much related to being a military family.

WOW where the heck are you getting this information?? I am a military wife and my husband is an E-6 and we DO NOT make 40,000! He takes home around $30,000/year! If you are going by the base pay chart please note that taxes are taken out of our checks as well as yours and we have to pay for our dental. We still have to pay for childcare like others, gas costs the same on base as it does off and sometimes it's cheaper off base. Also our housing allowance is only given to us if we live off base and in MOST cases does not cover rent/house payment + insurance+utilities. And I can tell you since I do live in base housing you are expected to maintain the house yourself to include the yard. It works much like a rental. However, more and more base housing is going privitized and is not run by the government but by a company contracted through the government. We do not pay for utilities such as electric or Water but do pay for cable and phone. It is a good thing we don't have to pay for housing because what my husband brings home a paycheck we couldn't survive if we had to.

The commissary does have a surcharge for each time you use like a tax. Prices there are comparable but sometimes are more expensive since they do not carry "off" brands like Best Choice. Also keep in mind my husband's particular job takes him away from us 5 days at a time then he comes home for 5 days however, 2 of those days he is in training most of the day and DOES NOT get paid overtime or receive any special pay. He gets a yearly clothing allowance which does not cover the cost of purchasing uniforms, sewing on all necessary Patches, and maintaining said uniforms. To buy 1 set of uniforms with the cost of Patches sewn on is around $200 not including maintenance and his yearly clothing allowance is $350. This also does not include specific shirts, boots, cost to purchase patches, nametags, ribbons, stripes, etc.

Honestly looking back I don't know how we survived when husband was an E-4. You need to go to a military forum and talk to the troops and see how their way of life really is!! There are a lot of misconceptions about military life! Now to mention our free healthcare it's free as long as you use military run facilities or are "approved" through tricare to be seen by a civilian. And lets not forget as an active duty military person you can be notified TODAY that you will be deploying for Iraq TOMORROW!! I've seen it happen! So please don't insinuate that the military life is easy or we have some sort of money trees here. For the service my husband, myself, and others have given to this country, it's insulting! Especially since you have no idea what you are talking about! I have been military affiliated for 11 years so I DO know what I'm talking about!

And like I said before, Reform our government assistance programs-YES, do away with them-NO.

You know I really think the problem with people these days is greed! Some of you have stated there are these people who live off the government without working and why should someone who makes more pay out more in taxes, etc. This is really disheartening to me as an American. My husband is in the Air Force and I am a veteran myself, I have seen lots of families on government programs like foodstamps and wic. It is incredulous the view some of you have about people on government assistance. Do I think that there are people out there who abuse the system? Yes of course but how can we do away with the system when there are MORE people who genuinely need the help? Reform it, yes but do away with it NO.

Maybe we need to make college more financially available to people of ALL incomes, which in my opinion would help with abuse of government assistance. Which by the way is what Obama plans to do!

Also don't know if you are aware of McCain's health plan but he wants to tax the amount people pay for employer-based healthcare meaning: Not only would you pay your normal taxes from your pay, you would also being paying taxes on what you pay for your healthcare plan from your employer! I don't see how that helps the healthcare problem since SO MANY americans don't even have healthcare. AND it's not just because it is expensive but because insurance companies DENY people care! Where's the solution to that JOHN MCCAIN??!!

Unfortunately I live in Montana and am not up for that kind of commute LOL!:0) Also, I'm pretty lucky that I can even post on this forum I am so bad with computers. Sorry but appreciate the thought really I do!!:)

That is very true! Most of what I have learned about the band I have learned from this site! I feel pretty prepared for my surgery and the range of feelings and what to expect. I would definitely recommend this site for anyone who is considering lapband.

I have thought about doing this myself. My surgery isn't till Nov. and I've been trying to eat better but it's hard when I know I don't necessarily have to at this point. I only have to do 1 week of pre-op diet but I might just do 2 to be on the safe side and to lose as much as I can.

First of all what is there to take out of context? These were his own words! His commission plan is for the economy and plainly stated such. I'm not angry, but I don't like to be told that I'm only reading headlines and throwing my own 2 cents in and consider it news. Maybe someone else should check their facts!

JWRN- That is a biased right wing source you have there and it's absolutely incorrect, you can check the facts online at reputable unbiased sites. Maybe you missed it but Obama wants to take guns out of criminals hands while maintaining the the right to bear arms said so himself in his speech. And what are McCain's plans?

So are we supposed to just have good faith in the wealthiest people to give money to the poor? Whatever! Why shouldn't the wealthiest people pay more in taxes? Can they not afford it? Also, studies have shown that in the past 20 years our economy does better under a democratic president.

Personally my morals and beliefs are more conservative but I am sick and tired of seeing our economy the way it is. Also, I'm sick and tired of seeing our soldiers die over oil that makes Cheney and all his cronies rich!

Jack- that congress you talk about, McCain has been apart of for what 26 years? Makes you wonder doesn't it.

How is it this person who is running for president is basing his campaign on lies and slander. People support him why? For his moral beliefs? Because you know it's abortions and gay marriage that have brought us to where we are! Give me a break there are bigger things at stake then whether Susie is on her 2nd or 3rd abortion or if Joe and Bob want to get married! What are his plans to get us out of this war we shouldn't have started in the first place? What exactly is his plan to stop the economic crisis? I think people need to look at the issues which his campaign manager said this campaign isn't about issues!! WOW! But go ahead and vote for him but don't complain when our country hits a depression after he is elected!

Sorry cobrien, I believe you "bought the hype" 100%. 1) - He clarified that he was referring to the American people when he was talking about the fundamentals of the economy. 2) - The commission statement was in reference to what, if any, action the government should take with huge investment and insurance firms. 3) - I think a lot of Americans are whiners. Lots of folks don't want to roll up sleeves and work....all they want is the government tit. 4) - Rove (who I cannot stand, BTW) was pointing out that both campaigns are running ads that are factually misleading, or downright wrong.

See, when you only skim the headlines, or get news from highly biased sources, you only get , like 10% of the story. I should point out that I'm a registered independant, and I haven't made up my mind yet who'll I'll vote for. I don't blindly swallow all the McCain attack ads either. The kindergarden sex ed ad was 100% false (just to give an example).

Why is the race so tight? Because the majority of Americans who work hard for their money believe in the idea that government should be kept to a minimum. They believe that redistribution of wealth is basically and totally un-American. They don't share the same core values as the pseudo-intellectual liberals that mocks religion and gun ownership. Bottom line, it seems the democrats just cannot or will not see that the vast majority of the American public have conservative values, not liberal.

So, there are some reasons why some people support McCain. Hope that answers your question.

You should be sorry! Early this year John McCain stated he didn't know much about the economy. I don't SKIM headlines I see the whole story and let me tell you it doesn't appeal to the majority of Americans who ARE hard-working and NOT looking for a hand-out that we are a bunch of whiners! That's not very patriotic if you have a crappy view of the average American. So, basically what you and McCain and his advisors are saying is that because we have some Americans who are "abusing" the system or looking for "the government tit" we should do away with government intervening to help those who aren't and by no fault of their own in serious financial trouble because of state of our economy?

And since when does the word fundamentals refer to people?! That makes no sense whatsoever! However, not surprising that he is just NOW "clarifying" that statement since just NOW he is being called out on it.

And for your information Obama has laid out a 6 point plan to get the economy running! So maybe YOU should be paying more attention! AND here is a quote from CBS.com what exactly McCain said in his interview!

"The economy is in crisis," McCain said on CBS News' The Early Show. "The fundamentals of our economy are the American worker. The American worker still the most productive and the hardest working, most industrious worker in the world and I am proud of them."

"They have been betrayed by Wall Street -- by greed, by excess and by corruption and they have been done a great disservice, but someone disagrees that American workers aren't the best in the world, we just have a disagreement," he added in the interview with Harry Smith. "We need to set up a 9/11 Commission in order to get to the bottom of this and get it fixed, and act to clean up this corruption… They've violated the social contract that capitalism and the citizen have, and we can't ever let this happen again. I'll make sure it never happens again."

As far as I can see there is no plan to get us out of this crisis on his part! But then I guess I was just skimming!:thumbup:

IF the economy is the #1 issue in America why would you vote for McCain? He stated not long ago (Sept 15,2008) that the fundamentals of our economy is good:blink:. Seriously? Then just today or yesterday, he said the problem with the economy is corporate greed and would have a commission (much like the like 9/11 commission) study it. WTF?! So basically he is saying he doesn't want to deal with the economy! AND lets not forget his TOP economic advisor stated just a few months ago in JUNE/JULY of THIS year that there was nothing wrong with our economy and that the American people were a bunch of "whiners". Does this sound like a person who is for the people? It is just infuriating to me that this race has become "tight"! I mean it's pretty bad when Karl Rove says the McCain campaign is lying and running a bad campaign!! UGH I will never understand what people see in McCain!

I honestly think I am bored to the point of depression. food makes me happy and though I've never binged because of depression or stress before I see myself starting to do so. We just moved here and I haven't met anyone and my husband's job takes him away 5 days at a time. I'm a stay at home mom so I get pretty lonely. I want to change but don't know how. I'm applying for this job because I'm pretty burnt out on bein a SAHM. I still haven't got a call back though. UGH!Hugs would be nice and if anyone is hiring?LOL!

Only recently did I wonder if it was her at the top! WOW, that is amazing! How awesome! I voted!

I'm supposed to have my band placed Nov.3. Does the band help with hunger? I've been trying to diet and lose weight but I just feel hungry ALL the time especially today. I think it might be in my head but I don't know how to stop it or control it! Ugh, I'm feeling like what is the point of getting the band if I won't be able to stop eating! I'm so depressed after the day I had!:tt1:

For my postop diet I have to do 1-2 days Clear Liquids, then 1-2 weeks full liquids, then 2-4 weeks pureed foods, then 2-4 weeks soft foods. Really, what's the difference between pureed and soft?

Also could I eat the egg drop Soup from a restaurant or should I make it at home?

I think it's sad when I hear women say "Oh it's so nice he picked a woman". It's for that very reason he picked her, to get the female vote. Aren't you the least bit angry that the whole reason McCain picked HER is because he thinks women will vote for McCain solely based on the fact that his running mate is a woman! It really pisses me off that the republican party thinks I would be so shallow or blind to vote solely on gender and not on the issues at hand.

:smile:Yup I second my vote for Notorious Novembers and will add to my siggy soon!

I think you're missing my point entirely. My point was about context. Yes, other politicians have used the lipstick on a pig line in the past, and yes, even McCain has. But in the context of what is going on right now in politics, it is a slam against Palin, and both he and his audience clearly knew it.

In the context of a conservative speaking about Ted Kennedy, a statement that "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" means more than the usual understanding of the phrase (you do know about Chappaquiddick, don't you?).

In the context of a post 9/11 USA, Obama's middle name Hussein can be taken to be an attack . . . just as you took it . . . when all I was doing was "innocently" writing his full name. I did it on purpose. To make a point.

Do you get it?

Yes you are making a ridiculous point that is false he is not muslim. You can't even talk about the real issues, you use the fact his middle name is Hussein to distract from the fact that McCain is a horrible choice for president and he has no real plans to improve our country. The economy is number 1 on everyone's minds and what exactly is McCain's plan? Oh yeah to keep the bush tax cuts. Yes that has obviously worked for the country. And talk about voting records McCain has voted 90% of the time with Bush and he has the highest disapproval ratings for any president in our country. Doesn't sound like change or improvement to me!!

But by all means keep typing Barrack's full name and avoiding real issues you just might get others on your level of thinking to side with you!