Devana

Do dead guys count?? Since this is fantasy, I imagine so. So for me a few dead guys: Burt Lancaster Raul Julia Gregory Peck

Andre, my first thoughts? What a wonderful decision you've made. It's the start of a whole new life for you. Congratulations.

Way to go! You have to try out? I'm hoping you'll be a shoo-in.

That's VERY near to me. It is indeed beautiful here.

Welcome Ibrahem, I'm glad you found us. This is a great place for support and making friends. You should look up the December Bandsters thread and you will find other people at the same stage as you. Keep reading and keep us posted. Congratulations on your banding.

Hi Helen and welcome. You may want to check out the "Elsewhere Local Band Support" threads at the bottom of the main page. That has specific UK threads in it and you may be able to get your questions answered there. All the best with your research.

Hello Melissa and welcome! I'll echo Faybie's advice about finding the December bandsters thread. It's good to connect with people who are at the same stage. Keep reading and posting. All the best and congratulations on your banding.

Welcome tachlime. There are several middle aged men here who are having success with the banded lifestyle. That's great about your insurance coverage. Keep reading and posting, you'll get lots of information and support. There's also an over 50's thread you may want to join. All the best!

Welcome, I'm glad you started posting. I lurked for a long while before posting, too. So have you made a decision yet, or are you still contemplating? I'm wishing that this was available when I was your age. It would have been nice to have control of my weight when I was young rather than middle age. However, this is still a new life for me. Best of luck.

Happy Birthday Lisa, and Happy New Year to everyone. I've learned, over these holidays, that brie, shortbread, fruitcake and all sorts of stuff goes down easily if chewed well enough. So much for my good intentions to stay away from treats. I'm glad the holidays are over! I, too, am not crazy about all this loose skin. Regardless of my size, I always felt like a goddess when making out with my sweetie. However, I feel decidedly yukky and unattractive with extra skin flapping about. PS for me down the road for sure! There's a clothing site that I read about here somewhere, and they have swimsuits that have legs that go down to mid thigh or almost the knee. I think I would feel less self conscious in something like that than I would in a pantie length with flappy thighs. Las Vegas in June sounds great. I have to figure out some things first before committing. My son is graduating from his school around then after his first eight years with the same small group of kids and the same teacher. (It's a Waldorf school) It's quite a deal that involves a camping trip, dinner with the parents, the class performing a Shakespeare play and a bunch of other stuff. I definitely have to be around for that.

I finally got a chance to see a picture of her slimmer bod. She's on the cover of the latest Chatelaine. She looks good. Anyone else see it?

Oh my God, that's too cool. I'm surprised you even had doubts. My desire is to go paint-balling when I'm agile again. I know, I know, a middle aged woman running around in the bush........ but the kids look like they're having so much fun. You've gotta post pics in your regalia when you get it.

Hello and welcome. I'm wondering if all went well with your surgery.

Congratulations on your decision BlueEyedBaby. I'm not an old pro, however you still have my support.

Welcome JSmith, I'm glad you found us. Sometimes it takes several fills to reach the sweet spot. I'll bet you feel more restriction when you get your next fill.

Welcome Floridagirl. Congratulations on your decision. I hope June comes quickly for you.

For me it was watching a tv program about 3 people who had lost weight and managed to keep it off for a couple of years. The program had a statistic that alarmed me: only 4 or 5% of people manage to keep the weight of for long term. I had to admit that it was pretty unlikely, knowing myself, that I would ever be in that small percentage. I needed help.

Oh my God, absolutely the best laugh out loud guffawing stress reliever I've had in ages. I needed that Carlene.

Mine arrived!! Thank you so much Heather (K@t). It is a rock and mineral collection. It was like going on a treasure hunt opening up each one. My favourite is the citrine. I hadn't really noticed how much I liked rocks until a move we made a few years ago and I had a couple of months to clean and pack up beforehand. Aside from all the windowsills and places like that, I found rocks in my cutlery drawer, in with my underwear, in my sewing table, under the bathroom sink. It was the moment I had to face up to my addiction, I just had no idea before that. We have been quite nomadic and have moved often, and we can't get through a move without my sweetie having his "stuff tantrum". He gets to a point where fatigue and frustration set in and he starts ranting "Stuff, stuff, all we have is stuff, AND NONE OF IT IS MINE!! ROCKS! I can't believe I'm moving ROCKS!" Anyway you get the picture. He's a sweet guy but he just doesn't understand. This will be my chance to finally get this photo-posting business sorted out. These are too cool not to show everyone. I'll work on it after I get home from work. Thanks again Heather.

Welcome Amy. You're right, this is a great place for support and fun. We have many experienced bandsters who are generous with their information and support. It sounds like you have a busy and interesting life. There'll be no stopping you when you're lighter and moving faster and easier. Good luck with it all.

Holy smokes, Maro, that's an impressive weight loss. Congratulations! Sounds like the band (and your work) have given you a whole new life. By the way, welcome and I'm glad you found us. Keep us posted on your progress. How about some photos on the before and after site?

Grapefruit also has a very high amount of pectin which is a soluble fibre. Other soluble fibres are psyllium, glucomannan, oat bran. They all aid in weight loss. Regarding the cholesterol lowering properties, in simplified form it works like this: Your liver pulls cholesterol from the blood and uses it to make bile. This is then sent to the gall bladder where it is concentrated. When you eat, the gall bladder squirts the bile into the digestive system where it acts like a dish detergent on the fats in the food, it breaks the fats down in order for them to be absorbed into the bloodstream. After this happens, the bile is usually broken down and the cholesterol is then recycled back into the bloodstream. If you have water soluble fibre in your digestive tract, however, it binds to the bile and passes through the digestive tract and is eliminated. So it stops this recycling of cholesterol.

Welcome Denise and congratulations on your surgery date. Are you on a pre-op diet? I'm wondering if you have told people or if you have to find a way to get through the Christmas excess discreetly.

Hi Jim and welcome to LBT. I found this site invaluable when I was researching the band. So many experienced people to answer questions! Good luck with your research and with your decision, whatever it may be.

Good luck on the 20th, Kathy. A wonderful Christmas present to yourself!