NanaRenan

Melody, I'd be more concernd if you WEREN'T scared to go under anesthesia!! It's a knock on the door of your primal survival urges. You'll be fine.

Congrats and welcome to LBT. Not from VA, but you're welcome to join the Crazy Ates!!! 8/07 bandsters!

Hi, jetti I think the main thing they're looking for in a psych eval is to be sure you realize that the band is not a magic bullet that's going to MAKE you lose weight. It is merely a tool - albeit a mighty serious and expensive one! -- to help keep you from going too far astray....but it's not going to MAKE you choose grilled fish instead of fried fish and fries....etc. You still have that work to do yourself.

ROFLMAO!! That reminds me of a LONG, LONG list of things I read one time of things people do before weighing in at WW. They included clipping nails, leaving off cologne, even shaving their legs and removing belly button lint!!! And so much more. I LOL til I cried! I was guilty of not washing my hair for 24 hours before a weigh-in, because I have a lot of hair and its very porous -- didn't want that affecting the outcome.

Fat is a complicated issue. I don't think it's the 'forbidden fruit' factor here as much as something else. Being EXTREMELY paleskinned, I've learned that prior to the end of WW2, fair-complectedness was desirable and women wore hats and bonnets and gloves to protect their skin. Why? Because being tanned was equated with poverty...having to work out of doors for a living. It wasn't until the post-war affluence, combining affordable air travel and paid vacations, that tan became to be a symbol of wealth and leisure -- a complete paradigm flip. I think 'fat' as a status symbol is the same way. From prehistoric times and, to this day in poor countries, women with a little meat on their bones were seen as affluent and healthier. They had wealth/a good provider so food was plentiful and they weren't going to expire at the first famine or plague like someone with little body fat might. Scientifically, men are programmed to like curves because it implies health and that translates into better childbearing odds. Today, I think it has become a distorted image of wealth, You can be as frail as you want -- if you're wealthy enough to hire someone to do your work for you. Then, you can pay to have some one train you to work out, so you can fight time and gravity and keep your adolescent figure. Bearing children is no longer thought to be every woman's EXPECTED role and celebrities get MORE attention for the babies they DON"T carry themselves -- Angelina and Madonna. And she's had at least two pregnancies since that's shows been on the air. I think she's probably just high energy and drew a lucky hand genetically.

Ahhh -- SISTERS!!! You gotta love 'em....there's no where to hide the bodies! My sister was overweight since childhood -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I was very skinny as a child and teen, but started to creep up as I got older and had kids. But WHEN I WAS pregnany -- WHOA, Nellie did I spread out. Anyhow, 18 years ago we had to travel to my aunt's funeral -- arriving late in the evening. As soon as we arrived where the wake was being held, my sister grabbed me and took me back to the kitchen area where lots of cousins I hadn't seen in over 10 years were at. We couldn't both fit in the room, so she shoved me in, hollering over my shoulder, "See, I told you she was bigger than me!" I WAS 8 MONTHS PREGNANT!!!! Eventually I did end up being bigger than her (still am, for a few months longer!!) and she's revelled in it. Especially since my gray hair and Nana-status has people now asking, "Now which one is older?" SHE IS, by 11 years!

Man, did I drop a stink bomb with this one, or what?? Nobody's biting. Guess I'll put on the old thinking cap and try something different.

Small world, huh?? My husband worked in Odessa, but we lived in Midland. He loved it more than I did and would move back -- I hear about this mostly when we're stuck in traffic! But I like rain and cloudy days, so in that way I'm happier here in Houston now.

LOL I was teasing you about the name. I knew what you meant because my oldest daughter has been "mad" about frogs for a long time!

Hey, Nilsa -- I'm right there with ya, Hon!!! Trust me. I'm wanting to pick -- I've not done anything that required real chewing yet, but some pasty things that I could work around in my mouth until they pretty much dissolve to nothing. I figure its partly the quantity, but it's largely the FLAVOR and the process -- the longer I take to eat something, the less of it I actually consume. So I'm focusing on only eating things I REALLY love and enjoy and that taste great! I expect to do a LOT MORE homecooking now!

Right there with ya, Kacee and RagDoll -- buck naked and light in the bladder. But, I'm very familiar with fluctuations, I just don't let them bother me. I'm a "the truth is rarely as scary as my imagination" sort of person. So if I go a long period without weighing, I can think, "Man, I feel like I'm putting on weight! I may as well have another slice of pizza...." But if I know I'm doing good -- even if it's just maintaining, I think it helps me in the long run. 30+ years ago when I was a skinny little teenager the new pastor's wife was my Sunday School teacher. I was somewhat amazed that she was my mother's age, yet still had a figure as nice as her daughters....unlike almost every other middle-aged woman I knew. So I asked her.... She told me she weighed every day and if she saw a jump up, she knew to make very smart choices when she ate.

I notice a little less restriction each day, but the scale are still moving, so I can't call it "hell" at all. I'm following Alex's example tho'......I'm only gonna put in the really, REALLY good stuff. I mean it's all about the real estate, right? If you own an acre of land in lower Manhattan, you're NOT going to put in a bait and tackle shop! (I know, weird analogy -- shrug -- I AM the queen after all!) But I've eaten a couple of things out of reflex and just thought, "Hmmm, why did I waste my time with THAT when I could've had THIS!" Guess I'll be getting to know my local Whole Foods soon. But I'll have help -- my two oldest and their SOs have all worked there at one time or another -- they can steer me in the right directions.

Hi and Welcome.... My caridologist found my bariatric surgeon for me, too! I saw the surgeon in late February and had my surgery last week - so mid-August. BUT, the insurance turned me down FOUR times before they finally said yes, and I give the girl's at the surgeon's office FULL credit for their full-bore assault tactics of submitting and resubmitting. Otherwise, I think I'd STILL be waiting.

I'm so happy I was able to express myself without coming off too opinionated. I know everyone is different, and I'm not a very 'private' person at all. I've seen a lot of hurt and unnecessary suffering come from people being too private. And, not to sound sanctimonious, I would feel like a hypocrit telling people "Oh, I'm just eating healthier and exercising more." ESPECIALLY if it is someone overweight!!! Because if I was considering having WLS and worked up the nerve to ask someone who'd had significant and rapid weight loss -- and that was the reply I heard -- I would just walk away saying, "See, you're such a loser and a failure -- why can't YOU just eat better and exercise!!! You're such an idiot. Why don't you just go stuff your face some more!!?!" I guess I can't place the importance of my pride above the possibility of my less-than-100%-honest response setting off negative feelings in someone else. Just my POV, I guess.

Sheesh -- maybe I'm just TOO out there. But I'd go on Larry King, Jay Leno and Oprah if it would help just one person. Screw what people think. They're gonna think SUMTHIN' anyhow!

Please don't think I'm trying to sound preachy -- I just like to make people look at things from another side. I have four grown children and two in-laws. Some of them have enough of a weight problem that WLS surgery could be an option in their lives. (My DIL's younger sister had WLS several years ago at 17.) Speaking as a mother and mother-in-law....I would be SO hurt to think that my child did not feel 'safe enough' in my love tp tell me when something so monumental was going on in their life. Why would they not want what's best for you? and for you to succeed?? Yes, people are going to watch what you do -- but as obese people, aren't we always aware of that? I went to the movies with a friend today -- my first such outing since surgery. (And -- incredibly, I survived WITHOUT popcorn!!!:whoo: but I digress....) I was conscious of people watching as I was dropped at the door and minced my way inside. It's 100 degrees and I'm still sore. But I caught myself wondering how many were thinking "Poor fat slob really ought to do something." Oh, well......I can't live my life wondering what others are thinking of me. I just have to live the best life I can each day. Besides, six months from now they won't recognize me at the movies anyhow!

I was raised on cold cereals, too, but after my diabetes, I would be comotose in an hour and starving by mid-morning. I did the eggs(Eggbeaters) -- every which way until I just burned out on them. One thing I learned to really love for my Breakfast is deli-meats and cheese!!! Quick, easy and portable! My favorite meat is Boar's Head Brand Rosemary Ham. Roll a thin slice of that around a piece of 2% mozzarella string cheese......YUM!!!

Whenever possible I'm buying low sodium -- which is all relative because all 'prepared foods' are high in sodium. But resturant soup wouldn't be any better -- all resturant food is notoriously and noxiously high in salt. My husband's been hypertensive since he was a teen.....and in my many, many years of Weight Watchers, I could not eat out within 24 hours of weighing in because I could not get an accurate read. Only way to really control that is to cook everything from scratch.

Ah, Heaven!! I just made some chicken salad for dinner. Used two cans of Deviled Chicken (already minced super fine), a little dill relish, a touch of mayo and a couple of eggs I boiled and grated to a fine powder. Made DH a nice sandwich with it and filled one of my little 3 oz cups with it -- I just took miniscule bites and chewed chewed chewed what little there was to chew and savored it. It was YUM! Also bought some Braunsweiger since Alex put it in my head the other day!! Gonna have that tomorrow.:hungry:

Don't worry, Tabitha. We've been told we're NOT NORMAL for so long, the mere word is intimidating!! Glad your wait is shorter though....just cause I know how slow time moves when we're waiting for a major life change! :mad:

I am SO excited for you!! I can't imagine what I would be doing right now!! Out shopping for clothes, I supposed!!! Scratch that -- saving nickels and dimes to pay for reconstruct!!!

Oops, I see you already got the date, I missed that before. I got approved on a Friday and went for surgery the following Thursday -- I had two more dates before I actually got the band, tho'. I was happy -- at the time -- that it was happening so fast. But, I'm a wee bit misty that I didn't get to enjoy certain 'last meals' that I know I may never be able to eat again, or for a long time. So THAT is something to look forward to in the next few days.

I'm very excited for you!!! My band is a week old today!! So I'm feelin' ya! Let us know when your date is.

LI-LO and then Stitch -- it could be a LBT cartoon! No, everyone will experience it if they're own liquids long enough. It seems to somewhat stabalize after a few days and become a less....er....urgent? problem. Or at least it has for me.

:bump: What?.....too much......? Remember, you don't have to answer every question. I'm just trying to prompt some conversation. Don't be skeered!!