mini_me

awww, malice, i hope that hernia repair goes off well.....((winks))

i weigh with and without clothes, and on doc appt day, i make note of the weight with clothes and compare my home scales to the doc scales. doc's office is always a few lbs heavier than mine...so i like mine better. by the time i get nekkid, i am ten lbs lighter than the doc's scales...lol..not really, but usually about 5-6 lbs difference on doc scales with clothes vs. my scales no clothes

leatha, i first thought of DVT/PE also. then i started hearing of the "suspicious" person in the room before he died, toxicology reports, etc. sunta, i am the same way about these special interest sort of things. i latch on to some crazy theme and cant get enough. ((like brittney and kevin's train wreck)) i am so sad for the woman. i cannot imagine the joy of giving birth countered by the death of a child. who cares how she choses to have her image portrayed? she loves her children the same way we all do, and the last thing i think about in this situation is her 'trashy image.' i am definitley going to think of her often, and hope she finds peace somehow.

dr. spivak gave me a case by case run down of all the erosions that have occured in his patients. he told me of 4 or 5 of the last 2000 bands. all of the cases had pre-existing conditions that contributed...ie-ulcers, alcohol consumption, admitted use of medications which are not recommended for use with band, etc. i cannot remember all of the details right now. he was very forthcoming and informative. i really think highly of him.

TOM?? are you there? are you ok?

well, i am keeping mine secret by defining my "diet" using general bandster rules. i tell my friends that my recipe for a good diet is eating my proteins first, the veggies, then carbs if i am still hungry. i am staying away from breads and any foods that i can eat with a spoon, as well as sugar. i also tell them that i am significantly reducing my portions. i have used this diet explanation for each and every occasion where someone has noticed my eating habits, and noone has suspected a thing. i have a few valued friends who know, and they keep me posted on the 'office' gossip concerning my diet. there are two girls who have adopted my eating habits, and they have managed to lose more weight than me. i have found it very easy to explain my way out of it. also, in my experience, people tend to think of everything in terms of themselves. so when someone notices that i am eating very little and i tell them that part of my new diet is portion control, it is easy to grab onto one of their remarks about how they could never JUST eat THAT much, and i run with it! i tell them sure they can. i tell them that i took the first week to eat tiny amounts every 1 1/2 hours throughout the day to shrink my stomach. i explain my uninformed biology of the stomach shrinking and how smaller portions make you feel fuller once your stomach is full. i even have my friends convinced that if you do not drink with your meals that the food will stay in their stomach longer and make the fuller for longer periods of time. despite their knowledge of WW practices, etc, they see me losing weight and adopt my practice--AND IT IS WORKING FOR THOSE WHO USE IT!! so,do not fear...it will not be as hard as you think. best of luck to you!! solicit a response from wheetsin, she always has REALLY good advice.

i'll say it is working...look at you! you are almost to your 160 goal!! i was banded three days after you,and i am filled to 3cc's and i have only lost 19 lbs, and two of those keep sneaking up on me, like this is some kind of hide and seek game.

bad mini, bad, bad mini... i drink with all of my meals, but the more restriction i get, the less i want to drink. ((the less i drink with meal -- AAND the less i drink in general. no wonder i am losing so damned slowly!))

it is 50% of your excess body weight and the second year of fills are at his office, NOT under flouro. good luck, i don't think i will make it, but i am going to keep trying.

hey bups! i think it will be really hard to get a good idea of "normal" from others. i am currently filled to 3cc's, but i am scheduled for another fill in two weeks. (only been at 3cc's since mid august) i could eat a full sandwich, but i really have no desire for bread. ((sounds crazy right?))

i think that is common practice in our area. i used spivak and i have not seen him since surgery day. he did sit with me for a few minutes after surgery. ((very kind, gentle man)) i am filled at the surgicenter by the PA Marj(blah blah blah...cant remember her name). i did not have to go in after surgery for a follow-up, just had to make an appointment for my first fill. someone from the doc's office called me about 48 hours or so after surgery and asked some questions about Fluid intake and general "how ya doin?" type questions.

did someone say this was the BCBS board? pffffff.... yeah, right...i had to self pay also...AND I AM ANOTHER TEXAS GURL!!!

hehe...believe it or not, my husband has flown approx 1200 times and he has never had an incident. a few unruly, drunk, fun passengers, including the guy returning from vegas with million dollar jackpot check...and his buddy who painted the guys face with lipstick from other passengers when the millionaire was asleep...a few plane changes/flight cancellations following mechanical problems...a family of Hawaiians who refused to stop singing...a lot of boring seat neighbors who were more interested in their own story than anyone else was...LOTS of hits from flight attendants of the same sex ((lolololol))......but no true incidents. we estimate that he will fly approximately 5000 more times in the next twenty years. (if i had a dime for every flight he took by the end of twenty years, i would have $528...maybe i should start a piggy bank...)

hey BJean... it has really been a bit of a roller coaster...a baby roller coaster, but a roller coaster nonetheless. i went to my preop consult with a bmi of 38 and no comorbidities. i knew i was not terribly obese...yet. my maternal grandmother was 4'11@275 when she died(72), my dad's only sister was 4'11@325 when she died(55)...i can tell you of ten relatives like this off the top of my head. i am 5'1 and went to consult at 207. i was VERY unhappy with my body. diets of course did not work for me. I could always lose the weight, but it ALWAYS came back with some fatty friends. i looked at wls for over two years. i finally decided on the band, and went for consult in feb, had to wait for the income tax check to add to my savings, and was selfpaid bandster on march 13, 2006. things seemed well at first. lost a few lbs and thought i was off to a good start. then, as i was warned, i had no restriction and started yo-yo'ing a little with my weight. i was gaining the few lbs that i had lost. i have not been losing at a very fast pace. but i do lose a couple of pounds between each fill. i have only lost 19 lbs since march, but i am down from an 18/20 to 14/16. i can tell quite a difference. this last fill has really given me a level of restriction that i can feel each and every day. the scales have shifted again this week. overall, i am happy, though i do have days where i feel like i am failing. that is when i come here to lbt and get some encouragement. i had no post-op problems. it was a bit more painful than i anticipated. but the healing was fast and i felt exponentially better each day. i am glad i did this. i have not gained any of my lost weight back. i don't feel like i am 'dieting' because i eat normally. i need to exercise. i need to count calories. i need to do a lot of things before i will get to my goal weight. i am moving in that direction slowly, and one of these days, i will wake up with a burst of motivation, and this band will be here to assist. do you have the band? good luck. '

one thing i learned through all of this madness is that you don't HAVE to be crazy to get banded (not banneded) and join LBT, but it sure does help!!!

in poland, horses are revered for their strength and endurance. betchya dint no dat

i miss jack. where's jack?

***mini pops an extra 100mg of zoloft and grabs the bag of popcorn.

i am quite surprised to hear that golden coral did you that way. i go there quite frequently for lunch. the gc in my area offers carryout for lunch at 3.99 per pound. i can get a piece of grilled meat and a serving of veggies, or a salad for less that $2. i have become a 'regular' in the place and all of the employees and managers know me, and my band. they are quick to oblige me, and when i show up there with my hubby or kids to sit down for lunch, they usually don't even charge me. (and i don't take advantage of that. i make myself a (banded) normal size meal of foods that i know i will eat. i always order iced tea when we sit down for a meal there, because i know that they won't charge me for my meal. i guess the managers have the authority to apply these 'company policies' at their discretion.

hey vicki... u r right, the PA that does dr. spivak's fills is very good at what she does. i have had three fills also, and have had no pain at all. i am going for fill #4 monday and i have absolutely NO jitters.

i dislike spiders as much as the next squeamish person, but i have lived with the bw, browns, etc all my life and never been bit.

OMIGOSH!! I missed this thread somehow! thanks everyone!

i will be donating mine to the tugboat association of america for their use as a tugboat rope.

hey wheets, these guys here have everything from power tools and saws to jeweling tools, leather working, woodworking, you name it. they have just about anything you can imagine. they have to have the proper custody status, they must have a clear disciplinary history, etc, and they are only allowed to possess/store the items in the designated area, called the craftshop. tell the asst warden that i am speaking from texas, and he will probably be aware of the capabilities of the offenders here. we have a very large prison system. (2nd largest in the world? i think) the offenders at the units where i have worked have crafted saddles, boots, etc for president george bush and george w for many many years. there are even celebrities from time to time that make orders(usually because they are sympathetic to the plight of an offender whose guilt may be questionable). let me know if i can put you in touch with someone. any decision to allow work is ultimately at the discretion of the warden. it would probably serve warden dad to call himself and identify himself by title (warden). there is a bit of a kinship among wardens. good luck. btw-great story!