PhotoNut

PuddinPie uses this. I've seen some of her posts about recipes and that sucker thing. I want one! *whines*

I did, I did! 17 minutes of walking and doing arm exercises! Yay! Omg.. I'm going to start tanning next week and the gym this week, and you know what? I don't care what I look like! w00t! Better to see me sweating my buns off in a gym and tanning salon than to see me sitting comfortably in Pizza Hut.. right brothers and sisters?! *boogies down* Wow.. walking really gives you energy! Woohoo! PS - *laughs* Off the chuckwagon and on to the bandwagon! Yahoo!

I was good! I walked my 17 minutes darn it. No butt kicking for me today! Yay! *goes to update the commitment thread* Hey wait.. Hank Williams? LOL I'm glad I left! Good luck in Mexico today Shanna! I hope you're unfill is all you dreamed of and more. Randy.. I want to hear some Stevie Ray coming from your way soon! hehe Karen.. tell your boss you need your 15 minute break and go outside for a few minutes! That will wake you up. *chuckles* Ok, now off to update the commitment thread. OoooOOooo! I have energy.. imagine that! I think I'll jog over to the other thread.. impressed aren't ya?

OMG! Darcy! I never even got up! ROFL!!! Ok, ok.. I'm going now. I swear it! LOL

Actually, I'm just a severely depressed person in remission. LOL That's what the psychologist actually wrote on my papers! Gotta love Effexor.. without it, I would not have been approved for the band. I used to work as a software tester, with my husband Dawg. But a little over a year ago I started having panic attacks and just couldn't manage to go through the doors at work. Haven't been back since. Now I'm just trying to get myself back out into life again without falling apart. It's getting a LOT better, but well.. baby steps right? I do have two kids. My daughter is 25, happily married with an adorable 2 1/2 yr old son.. they live here in town. And my son is - er, wow, going to be 22 in a few weeks. I really do need to tell him to move out! LOL

I've been thinking about this since I first saw the thread last night. I'm not sure there was a definite turning point. I just felt there was nowhere else to go but to the grave. I had given up on life, given up on me, given up on having any hope. I was obsessed with thoughts about dying from poor health and age. I was convinced I was really old now and I should just stop caring. And that I did. I didn't leave my house. I didn't see my friends or even talk to them on the phone. I shut out the world that lived outside of our home. I submerged myself in the internet, living a life of fun times and adventure - in my head. My family was feeling hurt over the fact that I never followed through with any plans to be with them. I always backed out with the excuse of being sick. I had developed a hernia about midway between my belly button and breastplate, which I thought was stomach cancer or something. Only after a year of suffering with it did I finally break down and go to the doctor. She looked at me and asked how I was and I fell apart. She got me on Effexor and omg.. things started changing. The first day I actually felt happiness again, I cried - tears of joy. I had heard about the lap band a year prior to this point. That was a glimmer of hope that lasted only a short time. I found out that our insurance wouldn't cover the $20,000+ operation, so there went that option. But as I was preparing to get the hernia surgery done, the lap band topic came up with my mother and wow.. she told me to get it done, she had the money. I walked forward in a daze, and within 6 weeks I was banded. The surgeon helped me get through the hoops quickly so he could repair the hernia at the same time. And here I am. Still in a daze of sorts. Still trying to deal with this surreal idea of actually being 130 pounds again. I haven't been able to truly grasp that yet, so I just focus on today, and keep thanking God and my family for pulling me back into the world of the living.

OOooo! Donna bribed the mailman! LOL

Butch? I have one word for you.. *laughs* Ya bum! How dare you show us up like that? *laughs*

Me! Me! Ooo Ooo! Me! *jumps up and down waving her arms* I was just whining to Dawg this morning about this. I've lost almost 50 pounds and I'm only down one pant size. I can tell they are loose but dang.. WHEN oh WHEN will the real visual rewards start appearing? I have so far to go though. I'm trying to be patient, really I am. You know what though? I was always one who could carry more weight without people noticing because I gain all over equally. Maybe the loss is all over too. You know? Maybe it won't be a drastic change until we suddenly slip on a pair of size 9 jeans. *chuckles* Hang in there.. you know you're losing. You're doing the right things. Ohh.. and I just thought of something else. We are not only fat on the outside, our organs are full of fat too. So maybe you're getting your insides right before the outsides start? Yeah, I know, I'm fishing now. There are so many "could be's" in this thing. Fact is though, if you keep doing what you're doing.. You WILL see the pay off!

I had to laugh when I read this. I got this image of my Dr's face all screwed up in a puzzled expression as his head pulls back a bit and he says, 'Huh, I've never heard of that before.' LOL Isn't it comforting to know that our Dr's know so much about our bands?! LOL

Karen! Geesh, you have the perfect motivation to do stuff all day. Facials, fingernails, hair, shave your legs and pits.. go shopping for a new dress! LOL Ok.. Darcy, I'll get up right now and do 15 mins on the dreadmill if you will - at the same time - do 15 minutes of some form of exercise. Deal? *puts on her butt kicking boots*

Yup, yup.. water was my first thought. You should be beyond sipping now and should be able to drink freely. Didn't know about the calcium, but when we crave things it's usually brought on by the body crying out for something it needs - or "thinks" it needs. Let us know if the suggestions help ya. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hadn't heard about the calcium thing so I looked up salt cravings and check this out: The craving: salt According to Somer, many women experience salt cravings related to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) since fluctuating levels of estrogen can interfere with the normal salt concentration in the body. Unfortunately, cravings for salt often result in the consumption of foods that are not only high in sodium -- dangerous for anyone with hypertension -- but also heavy in fat (think chips, French fries, pizza). Some studies have shown that people who are deficient in calcium crave salt more frequently than those who are not. And Somer suggests the desire for salty foods, such as chips or pretzels, may have more to do with the wish to crunch than the actual salt. The solution: Try upping your calcium intake (which will also benefit your bones) with low-fat dairy foods or leafy greens. And reach for crisp, fresh, munch-able foods, like baby carrots or bell pepper wedges -- they make great stand-ins for that pretzel or chip crunch. If you can't forgo the salt, eat just one serving of low-fat, whole-grain pretzels. Here's the link: http://www.bluedragonfly.org/nastycravings.html

I am so bored.. *sighs* I'm listening to the Moody Blues, 'Tuesday Afternoon' and wondering what all of you are doing? How's your day going? Someone motivate me to do something! :tired

Someone tell me to get up off my lazy butt and walk on the dreadmill!! Ugh.. no motivation to move in two days. Scratch that - four days.

Leener's got a fever.. and the only prescription is more cowbell!! *Puts on a short tshirt and dances around with the cowbell, just for Leener* (singing the appropriate song, "Don't fear the Reaper") *CLANK*CLUNK*CLANK*CLANK*CLUNK*CLANK*CLUNK*CLUNK*CLANK*

Happy Bandiversary Vines. May you receive back threefold all the love and encouragement you give to others.

OMG.. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. How completely Awesome. The white one took my breath away. We are so small and so ignorant compared to the universe. Thanks for sharing that Crystal.

Welcome to Bandland, Kathy! Glad to hear you're home and doing ok. The gas is a pain, isn't it? Rest a lot, but move around and walk all you can. It will help that gas go away. What's left is pushing on your diaphram, which causes the pain to radiate up into the shoulder. Don't worry about eating just yet. Give yourself a few days to become used to drinking in small sips. Focus on keeping yourself hydrated right now, that's most important. I keep a food journal, and am supposed to get between 800 and 1,000 calories per day as well. I haven't had any problem with this and I usually get in about 80-100 grams of Protein - without needing shake suppliments. Did your doctor give you a post-op diet to follow so you know what foods you can eat and when? I'll be keeping you in my prayers for a speedy recovery. *hugs*

I was wondering this same thing. His profile says he hasn't been here since last Monday. Oohhhh Jaa-aaack! Where are you?? Heather's been around.. sort of. She posted on the Gone for Good Club thread the other day. She usually only comes in from work, so she's not around on the weekends. Maybe she's been busy at work? Heather? Speak up girl. It's weird around here with you being so quiet! Ah ha! Her profile shows she was here yesterday afternoon and posted on Diane's thread about inlaw troubles. Gosh I'd make a great spy. hehe

This is your last day of starvation, Carla! Aren't you excited!? How are ya doing? Getting nervous? The Monday bandsters are back and checking in. As you can tell, they are sore but geesh, if Leener can do it without painkillers... aw, nevermind...she's nuts *grins*

Leener.. you sweetheart. I'm so proud of you. Each day will get better and better. I was one of those that didn't walk out the door and go shopping. In fact, I stayed overnight in the hospital and they had to tell me to get out. I didn't want to go! So you're not alone in that aspect. Try to get up and move about as much as you can. It sounds contrary to what your body wants (which is to lay still) but it really will help. Keep sipping that Water. Don't worry about food or losing weight right now. All of that will come in due time. Did they send you home with a breathing thing? Incentive whatchamacallit thingie? I had to breathe in with that thing a couple of times a day to be sure my lungs didn't stick together at the bottom. It makes you cough too. I HATED that thing, but I felt better each time I did it. Hang in there girlfriend. You're doing great. And you're so doggone brave! Christopher would be proud of you! *big smiles*

Ah the dreaded gas pains. The reason you are feeling this up in your shoulder and neck is because some of the residual gas is pressing on your diaphram. As suggested by Karen, walking and moving around will help this dissipate quicker. My gas pains were never in my shoulder or neck, but I had a horrible band of pain around my chest, just under my bra line. It will go away, hang in there. *hugs*

Here's another thread about this topic: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?p=175834#post175834 Dawg's post about Inamed recommending an unfil is on there.

Don't forget Kat1215! She was getting banded yesterday too. Wow, a whole slew of baby bandsters! Neat!

Very interesting subject. Wheetsin, I hope you get it all figured out before Dawg and I fly to England! That's not only a lo-n-n-n-n-ng flight, but it's also going from high altitude to sea level. Will I be tight in the air and loose on vacation? *rubs chin* Hmm.. very interesting, indeed. And you know, I could have sworn that Dawg quoted Inamed's site where they recommend getting an unfill before flying. I'll have to look at that again.