plain

Well, I see your point, but mine was that people don't need to speak the jargon or know the minute details to judge whether or not a program is efficiently working. You know, I actually totally agree with you on this (and I'm a little surprised by your stance here, actually). This is a good example of the government giving people incentive to do nothing. Personally, I feel that the government should not limit SS benefits if seniors make above x dollars / year (within limits, of course.....for example, they should be able to earn as much money per year as a public school teacher makes). That way, there is incentive for seniors to continue working (if they want). I don't have any problem at all with the school breakfast program theory. My problem is, (at least it works this way in Texas where my wife teaches) that the program gives the school x amount of dollars to feed poor kids, but only if a certain number of families apply to the program. Otherwise, they'll eliminate program for the school entirely. In effect, if not many families apply (whether due to apathy or.......as is the case where my wife works, pride), then the government is telling the kids that DO apply, "Sorry kids. It's not efficient to just feed the 3 of you. Good luck, though". That's not a well-run program, IMO. BTW, the county that I live in (and surrounding counties, for the most part) are rual and poverty-stricken. I know there's a need for school breakfasts, but the way the program is run kinda sucks. That's all I was saying.

Bwahahaha.....See, I was going to go the other way and express surprise as to how hell must be freezing over, but your optimisim has won me over, KartMan!!

You corporate types.....what did you do, sleep in until 0330? This ain't no vacation, sister! Nah.

Good morning!!

Here ya go, try this..... Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum - FAQ: Lap-band Abbreviations

Hi kari. You might get a better reply from St. louisians (?!) in the "local support groups" section on the main page!

Hi jnic. I would suggest you go to the "local support groups" section on the main page here at lapbandtalk. It breaks things down by geographical location.

I kinda had a suspicion, lol.... I'm a big fan of the "pouch test", and will occasionally do this when I feel like I'm slowly enlarging my portions beyond what they should be.

Ok, if we're speaking of social security as an example of a really well-run government program, fine. Aside from the solvency issues (because like you said, congress has a track record of dipping in to fund other numb-nut programs), there's a little matter of the amount. How many of us here have heard of seniors on a fixed income (SS) having to sometimes decide between food / rent / whatever else. How about fraud? There's a ton of stuff wrong with SS. I guess it's all in what you consider "well run"... No, I'm purely civilian sector...never worked on any of these programs. However, I'm pretty familiar with some of the ones that you listed: I have a grandma that gets SS, I have numerous uncles that deal with the VA (and let's not get started on the sub-par quality of medical care that we give our vets. It's free, but.....you get what you pay for), I myself repaid some federal student loans, I have friends that went to school via the GI Bill and were active military, and my wife teaches and is very familiar with the weird quirks of the school Breakfast program (hope enough poor kids apply to the program, or the feds will cut off ALL funding to the school....yep, the fed wants to feed x% of poor kids or none at all). I guess what I'm saying is, intimate knowledge of federal programs isn't really required to judge the results. I can't fly a plane, either....but I can judge a successful landing vs a crash by observation.

Ok Tony, welcome to lapbandtalk. It's cool to have a new member that's also a banded vet. So....where do you think you're going wrong? If you are actually using that exercise equipment, then the problem must be with your intake. The two things that come to mind immediately are: are you making good food choices? and are you confusing head hunger with physical hunger? Or is there something else I'm not addressing? The important things to realize are that you can start over today, and you don't have to give up.

Juli, I'm kinda late for the 'big reveal', but you look great. I was going to write some bullcrap about you being brave to post these encouraging pics, but then I realized.....when you have afters that look that good, it doesn't require much bravery, lol.

Oooh, that'll be that day I come up for that cycle ride. Nekkid riding, woohoo!! "cougar boobies" ?!? Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! I don't think a healthy adult goal is to look like we did in our early teen years. Screw what they tell you is your goal, slim.

At the risk of being called traitorous to my race, I do love the Dallas Cowboys (but not Jerry Jones).

I wouldn't eliminate any of these programs....but I don't think anybody would agree that these programs are "run quite well". If anything they all serve as a cautious reminder of how the government can screw up a good idea.

Frankly, I'm a little disturbed at the number of people that snapped at the poster for not being "fat enough"..... I don't get why a bunch of people who assemble on an internet site for weightloss surgery would pick apart somebody that needs to lose weight. One poster even argued that the OP wasn't as overweight as she claimed! WTH?!? We've all heard of women electing to get mastectomies simply because of genetic risk, even if they currently are cancer free. Is this really any different a pre-emptive move? Maybe I'm a bit simple-minded (ok, that's a given), but I wish I had learned about the band when I was only 50 lbs overweight. Because if I had, maybe I wouldn't have had 10 years of excess weight doing damage to my body. Maybe I could have cut that to 3 years of damage. Regardless, I cannot for the life of me see how mocking and jeering a low BMI'er for getting banded is helpful in any way.

Well, kinda. Different bandsters tolerate different foods. I can eat almost anything (bread gives me problems), but I know people that can't eat (and this isn't one person, lol....I'm just thinking of different foods I've heard that give some people problems) asparagus, broccoli, raisins, pasta, chicken, beef, etc. Now you're talking!! Some people haven't realized that it is not reasonable to eat crap foods and expect to lose weight. Sounds like you are on the right track. And exercise will really help take the pounds off.

Ok, others might have a different take, but my idea of a good first step would be to call your new insurance company and see what (if anything) they cover in relation to weight loss surgery. If they cover a surgery (and heck, maybe they cover the bypass but not the band......every insurance is a little different, which is why you need to talk to them, even if you're not covered yet), they can tell you what (if any) prerequisites you need. You might discover that your insurance has a preferred doc, or you might discover that you'll need 6 months of a documented diet before you'll qualify. That's why nobody can really lay out a step-by-step procedure.......all insurances are different. Of course, if you self-pay, this stuff is rather streamlined, lol. So in my opinion, yes......wait until you are fully covered to do anything that actually costs money. A "fill" is also what some call an "adjustment". Basically, it's when the doc puts in more saline to make the band a little tighter.

Hi Allison, welcome to lapbandtalk. The preop diet sucks. for sure. What helped me was the knowledge that, statistically speaking, smaller livers make for safer surgeries. The healthcare worker in you should appreciate that, even if it's hell living through it, lol. On a positive note, you can use the weightloss from the preop diet to build momentum going into the band. Good luck!!

Highly, highly recommend if you have decent weather. Here in East Texas, we have 100+ degree days from (generally speaking) May - August, plus the humidity is insane. It's tough on the big guy, but he LOVES winter time. We can barely get him to come inside when it gets cold. We actually got him because my middle boy had a fear of big dogs, and we wanted a sort of "therapy dog" that was big (and boy is Tug big....last vet visit he weighed in around 190 lbs). He is by far the smartest dog I have ever owned. Aside from the drooling, a lot of Newfs have a thing with water. I have a kiddie sandbox that I keep filled with water, and Tug loves to get inside when he drinks and splash about. Strangely enough, he doesn't really eat all that much (although he isn't really active, lol). He's also nocturnal (I work nights) and sleeps during the day so he can patrol our land all night. Lots of deer, hogs and coyotes to run off, dontcha know.....

Right after a fill, most people have swelling and irritation. That's why most docs advise liquids for the first day after a fill, then mushies, then back to real food. However, as the swelling goes down, so does some of the restriction.

Hi mountaingal, welcome to lapbandtalk. Here's a good place to start: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/researching-mexican-lap-band-surgeons-101-a-66635/ Good luck!

Hi Bonnie. All I can do is tell you that I love my band. Some people have not had as good experience as I've had. There's a lot of posts to read on this site, and we're pretty good about posting the good, the bad, and the ugly associated with the gastric band. Good luck with your research!

Hi freeman, welcome to lapbandtalk. The lapband (well, any weightloss surgery really) is a pretty big step. I love mine and am glad I got it, but you really need to thoroughly do the research and make sure that the band is the right tool for you. This is something you don't need to rush into (although I know you are eager to "get the ball rolling", lol). Good luck!