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Fantastico! Way to go, Lise.

Dia, be careful with that lidocaine. Too much can make your heart do funny things (arrhythmias)

What a cool basket! If he's about to break 90, then he's earned a shot and a stogie. If you had arranged for a stripper to deliver the basket, then you would have single-handedly created the best gift basket known to man. LOL

Do they make "miracle suits" for guys? I'm thinking of a pouch in the crotch area that can be filled with a silicone-like implant...:biggrin: Uh, I'm only asking for a "friend"....yeah, that's it....that's the ticket.

Hmmmmmm, some very interesting comments and views. Tommy O, I guess your distinction between the 3 words makes sense to me. I still do not really see how the balance of power thing comes into play, OH Juli. I understand what you're saying, but isn't that view essentially an apologetic excuse for certain groups to keep hating?

Excellent, Mickers!

Laurend - socially-ingrained privilege? Jachut - Justifiable hatred because you're white? This is starting to sound like a case of "white guilt". We kind of covered this in The Watcher's cool thread in this section. Thinking of racism in this context is building a straw man. Racism needs to be thought of as a very personal indignation. Person-to-person. Jachut - You certainly could make the arguement that muslims (and I assume you mean Arabic peoples....not white, black, or Asian muslims...because then we're edging out of race and into religious intolerence) have been treated unfairly. But have you treated one unfairly? Because if you haven't, then their distrust and fear of you based on color alone is racist. Laurend - I think you're splitting hairs between bigotry / racism / hatred. By your reasoning, I can't be racist because I have quite a bit of Native American blood in me (not 100% pureblood, but I have a card), right? So if I discriminate or hate white people because of some "tribal memory", then that doesn't count as racism? I believe thinking of racism in broad social mores is a mistake. What our ancestors may have done or believed is not always how we behave or what we believe. There is no way to change how past peoples were mistrated (Jachut, the aboriginal people....Laurend, slavery), so all we can do really is to change behavior right now. This is shaping up to be a lively and thought-provoking debate, which is what I think the OP wanted!

Hi Yolanda. I may get flamed for this, but I would advise you not to get the band if you don't think you can commit to the band rules. The band doesn't take away your desire for food, it only helps shrink your appetite. There is still a lot of responsibility on your shoulders to eat right, exercise, etc. If you seriously doubt your willingness to change your lifestyle, then hold off on getting the band. You don't need to waste your time and money. There may be other reasons why you are uncertain about getting banded...keep reading and get educated, then make a decision. It might be helpful to attend a seminar, where you'd have a chance to express your concerns to a doctor.

Hi Mom. As unhelpful as it sounds, here's my take: Only you can say if the lapband is right for you. At the seminars you'll attend, you should be told that the band is not a magic device that takes away your desire to eat. The band is a tool that can help you to feel more full with less food. Others may diasgree with me, but I say you know yourself best of all. If you don't have the committment to eat right and follow the band rules, the truth is your weight loss will be minimal. And who wants to go through surgery for minimal results? However, if you can committ to following the rules, the band is a powerful weight loss tool. You should go to the seminars to get more info to help you make up your mind. Good luck!

Jaimee, I'm down close to 50 lbs. Katieann, WW helps you make better choices, and teaches you portion control. But for me, after I'd get done lifting weights at the gym, portion control went out the window. I knew in my head how much I should eat, but my stomach was telling me "more, more....just a little more". That's where the band has really helped me. It squashed my monster appetite down to where I can control it.

Sounds like you are right on track, Pnw_Red.

Nukechick, that's cool.

I like ladybug3's response. I hate, hate, hate to be the center of attention. I've always been rather introverted...I would be uncomfortable even with compliments.

Manatee, there's flat and there's flat. From your pics, it looks like your belly is pretty flat. For abs to show, a guy has to get down to something like 5% bodyfat, which is out of reach for most average joes...especially the joes that have genetics working against them.

But.....what if a young muslim or asian you described hated you simply because you are white? Wouldn't that be racism? In America, what about the trashy rednecks that hate wealthy blacks because of the color of their skin? Wouldn't that be racism, despite the social and economic flipflop? It seems to me that racism is the child of ignorance (like Stacey M wrote), but ignorance is the child of poverty.

Newhope, I don't know if this is practical or not, but maybe try asking the GM to shadow this lady for 1-2 days to evaluate strengths and weaknesses (this approach worked for me. My boss went behind a co-worker, checking up on him discreetly, and saw what a waste of space he was).

LMAO, Glouc.....I'm giving you a rep point

LMAO.... "Mr Smith, as your doctor, feel free to contact me any time with any questions. My email address is monstersausage69@xxx.com" I can honestly say I'd never considered how important an email address might be, until you posted that, kathystric...

ReadySteady, you tattletell....Oops, that was name calling. Here comes the lockdown!!

#1 - unfortunately, yes. I think with every generation there's a little less, though...or maybe it's just not as universally accepted. Think about this: We all on LBT interact with each other in a way that was impossible 15 short years ago. #2 - "racism" to me implies a dislike based solely upon race, so reverse racism is a bit of a mis-nomer, IMO. #3 - Affirmative action based on race, no. To me, that belittles the accomplishment of the individual. Now, affirmative action based on wealth (or income) I could totally get behind. #4 - stereotypes......that's a funny word. I don't believe anything should be assumed due to race only. But, there are certain individualisms unique to all cultures (so, cultural stereotypes, maybe. Racial stereotypes, no). OH Juli, isn't that a racist statement you used earlier? That no civil liberty gains could be made if a white man were to be elected president? Does that mean if a black man is elected, racial problems will be solved, or even eased?

I think either is fine. I would hope that no matter what WLS somebody chooses, they would change to a healthier lifestyle (I mean, just because it might be technically possible to lose weight eating nothing but potato chips doesn't make them the best choice.....absurd example, but y'all see my point). Personally, I like that the band tames my appetite but I still have to eat healthier. It's empowering, to totally use a "girl" term, LOL. RNY vs. LB......whatevah. I'd applaud anybody willing to make the big step to take control of their life, no matter what they choose.

Turler, whenever you feel like you're struggling with your appetite, all you have to do is.....not eat. Sometimes you only have to resist temptation for 5 minutes to feel better, sometimes it's an multi-hour fight. And if you do slip off the bandwagon from time to time (like every-dang-body does) just climb back on without beating yourself up too much. You seem to have a great attitude. I know you'll do well.

I have a size goal, not a weight goal. I posted a rant about that the other day (except, I railed against a BMI goal, instead of total weight, per se). If I can get down to a 34 or 36 waist size, I won't care one whit about what the scale says.

Hey there Roustabout. I'm afraid I've got some semi-bad news for you. Weight loss reduces he severity of sleep apnea for some patients. Mostly, weight has very little to do with having to wear a CPAP. The biggest risk factor is genetic (How your airway is shaped. You get that from the parents). I'm a registered sleep therapist, so....take my opinion or don't, LOL. I will tell you that some of the most severe sleep apnea patients that I've had in my lab have been as big around as my arm. Bottom line, will WLS help your BP and sleep apnea problems? Probably. It's sure not going to make them worse. But will WLS cure your BP and sleep apnea problems? Nobody can conclusively say. Good luck to you, no matter what path you take.

Brandy II - Nope, you're not a dumba$$. Don't even look like one. I would squarely place the blame on the doc / doc's office. Even if you did have some "stop and starts", they should have erred on the side of giving you too much information. You sound pretty laid back. I think I'd be a little angrier @ my docs if they pulled a stunt like that.