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BigPaul always makes me feel really good about myself. He's funny and silly but really smart right when you need him to be. TellyMelly keeps me motivated on days I think I want to slack and theres always a smile on my face when I'm talking to her, she just keeps me laughing. She brightens my day! Cutiern reminds me of my daughter. I love how she is young, independent, and willing to make financial sacrifices to change her life. Dawg is a great husband. Selfless and supportive. He lives a banded lifestyle, without the band, so that he may succeed along side his wife. Pennie always seems so level-headed and diplomatic. I really admire that. Jack cracks me up with the use of his warped sense of humour in the manner in which he offers practical advice. Humour and practicalilty...great match and I always appreciate his input. (I also like his avatar!!) The best me (Kathy) has one of the most loving and tender hearts I've ever seen. She is always caring and giving to others even when she's needing support for herself. Her love of God and her desire to be a better servant shows in every post.

Hiya Eddie! Welcome to LBT. So many people ask this question and like Funny said, it's a very personal decision. As for whether or not the band can work for you that will depend on you. You can cheat with the band, and if you are a real sweet addict, chances are it will be harder for you to succeed because so many sweet things can disolve easily and slip right through the banded area of the stomach. liquid calories are a killer. The band is designed to restrict the amounts of food we eat, and for those of us who have difficutly with eating reasonable amounts or are big bread eaters, the band is a great tool. Be sure to ask all the questions you want. There are many people here, from newcomers like you to seasoned bandster - from success stories to the worst case scenario stories of erosion and band removal. You'll find it all. Here are a couple of threads you might find interesting. Questions to ask your doctor about the lapband prior to surgery: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15595 People here who have lost over 100 pounds: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16050 Is it worth it? http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17875 Also, check out the FAQ Forum. There are a lot of links to other sites with information about the band as well as a lot of information provided by LBT members. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=73 About smoking. Smoking inhibits healing, and with the chances of infection after surgery I think it would be very important to give it up. Not to mention the health benifits from that. I have been a smoker so I know its not easy. But hey, if you're going to undergo surgery to get healthy why would you want to keep a habit that could kill you in a different way? Just a thought. :eek: Cheers!

Hi there, Becky! Welcome home! Your post took my breath away. 148 pounds is so freaking awesome! I can't wait to hear more of your story. :eek:

How awesome! I never knew this about Cinco de Mayo. I always thought it was the Mexican Independence thing and couldn't figure out why the US celebrated it too (other than the obvious reasons to party hearty) For those interested, here's the story behind the holiday: http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm

LindaV is homeschooling here in Idaho. Ive called her and told her about this thread. I homeschooled my kids through most of their school years, but after a divorce that left me having to be the bread winner of the family, I decided to let the kids go to public school while I went back to college. I regret that decision and I think it was a huge mistake on my part but thankfully, my kids had enough years of the good foundation that they came through ok.. well not completely ok. It took almost 10 years to get my son back to his self again. It was touch and go for a while. Want to see my gray hairs that prove it? *chuckles* Edited for afterthoughts: Just before I saw this thread, I had found some pictures of my son that were taken just months before he returned to public school. We were on a missions trip with some YWAM families and every picture of him was a picture of a tender hearted young man (9 yrs old) who loved children and loved the Lord. Since then, he has survived the death of a class mate (gun shot), drug overdoses, fights, juvenile court, depression, you name it. Once, after school, he agreed to meet another boy to fight in a lot near the school. This was 8th grade. Of course word got out about the fight and lots of other kids showed up. The fight began and my son was winning until 4 highschool boys that were friends of the kid my son was fighting showed up and beat him senseless. It took him two hours to figure out where he lived and to make his way home. That was 9 years ago, He's 22 now. He made it through but I have a lot of regrets and guilt for those years. All so I could go to school and work. *sighs* I know all things work out for the best, and indeed they have. Perhaps he had to go through those things in his life to become the wonderful man he is today. I don't know for sure. But one thing I do know is, if I had it to do over again, public school would not have been part of my children's upbringing. Now I have a grandson who is two and I can't even stand for him to go to daycare. Oh boy do my daughter and son-in-law have a tough road ahead of them (with me) if they decide to put that boy in public school. *nervous laugh*

Celeste, at 307 lbs I was right there with you on the desperation meter. Thank God for the band. The only thing I'm desperate for now is a size 12! hehe

Hey Mo, check out the Starvation Mode thread. Even though we've been led to believe that we can ruin our metabolism, we can't! That's great news! I put a link on there to an article about metabolisms. Have a peek at that when you can. Knowledge is power! One quick thing from that article that really hit me was... when we crash diet, then gain it back, diet again... doin' the yo-yo, we actually lose muscle mass from the low amount of calories but what we gain back (and we always have) is not muscle, its FAT! So everytime we do that we have less and less muscle mass. Muscles take more energy to function, so they burn up more calories. The less muscle mass we have the slower our metabolism is because we aren't burning up as much. Make sense to you all too? Sure did to me! We need muscles!

Have you guys seen this video? Its awesome... a recording of an actual lap band surgery and they answer a LOT of questions. I can't remember if they show you where the tubing goes, but check it out. Its about an hour long but worth the time. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3190472028990485080&q=lap+band

I almost spit out my coffee when I got to the punchline! :eek:

Ooo! Ooo! I wanna be a cheerleader! I can cover my chest in little streamers and then when I jump up and down people will think I'm holding pompoms in front of me!

Alison, can I be your friend? *snickers*

Stay upwind from Dawg. *grins*

I haven't cheated but man have I been a slacker. I miss my walking partner. Um.. treadmill. Didn't we buy one of those not long ago? Ohh... that big black thing on the other side of the room! Yeah.. wonder if it still works? :eek: Hey, I see Kathy (the best me) in the thread. *waves* Hiya Kathy! You haven't done your scorecard in a while. I hope that's what you're doing. I've noticed that life had you by the wrist and is dragging you all around. I hope you get free to take a break and catch your breath soon. *hugs*

I did a couple of days of clear liquids, then moved on to full liquids which included yogurt. I was supposed to stay on full liquids for 3 weeks but at week two I was so hungry I was ready to start gnawing the kitchen table. So my Dr said it was ok to progress to mushies. I did that for three weeks, gradually introducing more solid, but still soft, foods during week three. I remember being so afraid to eat the wrong thing. I was very fearful of PBs. Not because of the pain but because I wanted to give my band plenty of time to get "seated" and for the stitches to heal. To date, I have not had a PB.

That cat has had way too much tequilla. How do I know? Dawg gets the same look in his eyes when he's down to the worm! *laughs* Sorry, I don't do Mayo anymore. Well, perhaps just a little low fat won't hurt. Aaahhrrrreeebah! Ondalay! Ondalay! Eeeyahh! (geesh, that was almost as bad as a skinny white guy trying to rap)

Dont ya just love the hugging part? It's such an amazing difference for Dawg and me. And guess what? It gets better. *winks* Great NSVs! All of them lifechanging rewards!

Have you ever seen that commercial where the woman is in the shower washing her hair and she's saying, "Yes.. Yes!!.. YES!!"? Yeah, you get the idea. :eek:

Holy crap. I can only imagine the fear that must have struck you when you heard those words. *big hugs* I am guessing that what you saw was his genuine concern for you and that's good. How he approached it might have been shocking, but I think he was just being blunt. Men can be so... blunt, sometimes. *sighs* I have read about you and several others who have mentioned being on medication for heartburn and it struck me as odd. From what I've read, heartburn and reflux are typical indicators of being too tight or slipping. To treat with medication seemed contrary to the goal of keeping your body healthy. I think that's what he's trying to achieve now, keeping you healthy by letting things settle down and the irritation that's causing the reflux to heal. Letha's right though. You have learned how to eat well and make good choices. Don't panic and think the band did it all for you. It didn't. You did a huge portion of that on your own and you still have those capabilities. Relax and let's see what the unfil does. Chances are, like Na- er PlunderBunny said, it will subside once some of the fill is out. I'll be praying for ya Kell. *hugs*

Kristin, you must be feeling so good about your life right now. Every day you look better and better (your pics on the before and after thread were awesome!), you have to be feeling younger and healthier, and you're working to achieve your career goals. Good for you, girl! How are the finals coming along?

Very true DeLarla. It is a process that the body has as a means of protecting us during times such as famines but it won't prevent us from losing weight. It appears to, for a short time, but in reality what is happening is our bodies are breaking down muscle for energy and storing fat. Check out the article. I think it will help explain why so many of us have the wrong idea about what starvation mode really is.

I can hear it now. "How much weight have you lost, Amy?" "Five gallons this week!"

Ok, I'm on a roll now. *laughs* Check out this site for more great information about starvation mode and metabolisms. It has some wonderful explanations that we could all benefit from. There is also a link at the bottom of the article entitled, "8 ways to speed up your metabolism" Happy Reading! http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/starvation.htm By the way, for all you who don't know what st stands for, its stones. The English, and perhaps more Europeans, use stones for weight measure. I believe a stone is equal to approximately 13 pounds. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Excellent post, Wheetsin. Just a comment about eating almonds. They are good for you IF you are eating RAW almonds. Roasting almonds, or any nuts for that matter, ruins the benefit of the natural oils in the nuts and of course the addition of salt is not good.

Ok, I've been reading more on this and here's what I've found so far. This is from a site selling nutrition supplements and this article was focused on RnY patients so I haven't copied it all. If you are interested in reading the article in its entirety, the addy is: http://www.vitalady.com/why_protein.htm Protein is initially broken down in the upper small intestine, just outside the lower stomach, using an enzyme manufactured there called trypsin. Once broken down, protein is best absorbed in that first 12 to 18 inches out of the stomach. Protein is best absorbed in amounts of no more than 30g at one time. Professional athletes can do a little better, but for weight loss surgery patients, 30g would be a good try. More protein won’t hurt, but is just wasted. Unless you are very distal, two drinks of 30g each is an excellent start toward a healthy protein intake.

Here's one that has the drinks for $36.99. Haven't checked the shipping costs yet. You can also call your local health and Vitamin stores, like GNC or Bodybuilding.com and see if they have it in stock. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VFD8E/ref=nosim/103-0069101-0698210?n=3375251]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VFD8E/ref=nosim/103-0069101-0698210?n=3375251[/ame]