Unforgettable

Kartman you've articulated my thoughts extremely well. I don't care who believes in what religion and why - I respect individual beliefs and have my own as well, but I would NEVER push them onto someone else and I hate that it's pushed onto me. That's fine if people believe that homosexuality is a sin, but aren't you supposed to let god judge those that sin? Yet it's so hard for some people to follow that. If it truly is a sin and there really is a god, he'll take care of that. It's not up to individual people to go around judging others. I just get so frustrated

Isn't one of the ten commandments thou shall not kill? If that's the case, why are you saying it's okay for us to go to war and kill people because god said so? So killing is ok then. But when someone brought up the mother killing the baby, that's not right....must be nice to always bend the rules and bible to fit your own needs.

Walking was the best thing that worked for me. Outside, inside, even a dvd called walk away the pounds

What did your doctor have to say about the number? Increased WBC can be a sign of infection, among other things. Overall, it's just outside the high end of normal (around 10). I don't think it would make that big of a difference if you have no other issues going on but call your doc to reassure yourself

Aren't you supposed to capitalize your h's when you say him and his? Anywho, I suppose that argument is fair enough if you believe the words in the bible. Although the bible is a whole 'nother subject. If I were to write a sentence in English, and it were to get translated into a handful of different languages multiple times, and years were to pass and English was no longer used, then someone came across that sentence and tried to translate it into modern text...well let's just say it would probably turn into a completely different sentence than what I originally intended. Now do that to a whole book and look where we end up.

Hey! You're crackin me up with the record scratch. I like to think of myself as a future former fatty, it sounds much nicer haha Welcome to the boards! There is lots and lots of useful information to be found here

There are so many factors here. If you are self-pay, it will be relatively quick. If insurance, you're gonna jump through some hoops. I started in September, had to do the 6 month diet, as well as finding out late that I needed to do a sleep study. I found out I got approved maybe in April, but it only took like 2 weeks from when my insurance papers were submitted. I could have had the surgery scheduled for May but chose July for schedule reasons.

So if god tells them to do something good, then they are following his path and he is always right. But if they say god tells them to do something bad, then you automatically write them off as having mental issues. Interesting. This has become quite entertaining.

Hello! It all depends on what type of insurance you have. When I was approved, I think I weighed between 219 and 225 pounds and I'm 5'5.5" so my BMI was "only" like 36 or 37. My insurance required BMI of 40 or more OR BMI 35 or higher with 2 comorbidities. I have PCOS as well as sleep apnea, but I went through a sleep study to document it for insurance. I also had to turn in my past 2 years of medical records, as well as do a 6 month diet. The best thing to do is to call your insurance company yourself and find out exactly what their requirements are. Also, if you've already decided on a surgeon, many offices have an insurance specialist that are very good at this too. Good luck!

Right after surgery when I was lacking energy, I walked my butt off. My doc doesn't want any hardcore working out until 8 weeks post-op, so in the meantime I walked and fiddled around with Wii Fit/EA Active. After 8 weeks he has no restrictions so I'll go back to normal like before surgery. Every doc is different though

First of all, 7 pounds is great. Your body just went through a major trauma, and is focusing most of its energy on recovering from surgery so any weight loss is a bonus. Second, without proper restriction the band will only do so much. The band works best when there is proper restriction. Just make sure you are eating the right type of foods, trying to make smarter choices about portions, and exercising - if so, then you are doing your part and it's just a matter of waiting for your fill to get restriction.

What was their thoughts - were they concerned? I've only had one fill, but they told me it was okay if at the next fill there was up to 1cc difference from what was put in. Just to calm yourself, I would call in the morning to double check

7/10 - 230 last week - 205.6 8/31 - 204.4 % of weight loss since total 11.1% % of weight loss since last week .6% This was a rough week for me...kept teetering between 205.6 and 206, so I was pretty sure I was going to break even this week with no loss or gain. So I'm happy to see a 1.2 pound loss! Still think getting to ONEderland is taking waaaay to long. Then again I totally slacked with exercise this week

The fact that it seems a big part of your problem is based on your own religious views just seems ignorant. As a non-Christian myself, I am deeply saddened to hear statements like yours. I will never claim to know the bible or be able to quote scriptures, but I would hope it doesn't teach you to not accept someone because of different beliefs. To think that someone is thought of as less-than just because they don't follow the same belief as you, but may be a better person on the inside, just disgusts me. I would hope that I would be judged by my kindness, integrity, honesty and loyalty rather than what religion I am. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and I respect that, but for some reason you can't. You can be Christian all you want, but a person with a good heart is a person with a good heart regardless of what religious label you want to put on it. For the record, he said "Whatever we once were, we're no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers" and I agree.

Just wanted to share an experience I had after my first fill. A day or two after my fill, the area was really bruised, there was a small knot, and it was very tender. I figured that some of the saline got into my subcutaneous tissue, kinda like when I start an IV on patients and some saline gets into the tissue and the vein. I kept an eye on it - I didn't have any actual problems with the band or eating or anything like that so I just watched it. Well the knot and tenderness eventually went away but the bruising didn't, so I sent an email to the NP that did the fill. She basically said that there are vessels in your subcutaneous fat that sometimes the needle hits when going for a fill and it is what causes this. Just thought I'd share! Obviously always check with your doctor, but it was nice to know I had nothing to worry about.

Girl, I'm glad you posted this. Amen!! It is nice to turn them down now I bet. I'm a sucker for a tall guy too. Like you said we all have our physical preferences, but ou need to look past that sometimes too and don't be so rude about it!

KartMan, thanks for putting into meaningful words what my thoughts were. Overall well said and I agree.

wait...you mean...I didn't win???? DAMN!!!

Ohhhh that sounds good I'm going to have to try that! I've been doing just the fage and Peanut Butter.

I can understand that. I have a hard time thinking that I will actually make it to a goal of 140, but that's because hello I've been fat my whole life there is no way I can reach that weight lol I guess friends have the same problem, trying to imagine us at that weight.

I am not one to get into political debates, because I have my opinion and can respect that you have yours so I don't see the point of arguing. I will say this though - who is to say that your information is reliable? How do you know they called HRDC - were you listening in on this conversation? Or that he had thousands of dollars of lobster shipped in? I was told to believe only half of what I see and none of what I hear, and am inclined to when I read stuff like this. I don't care who we are talking about - it could be Obama, Palin, McCain, or the boogey monster for all I care, I would still question the reliability of it. I just wish people would base their opinions on fact, and not a chain email....really? A chain email. Send it to 5 people in the next 15 minutes or you're dreams will never come true. That being said, thanks for sharing.

I'm glad it's not just me haha I've NEVER been a scale watcher, and I've always been a weigh in only once a week person. But once I saw how close I am, I am obsessing over it. Like you said it feels like a diet almost! I'm really good about my water. I exercise too, not as often as I could so maybe I'll focus on really increasing that. I've never seen the scale go under 200, in fact this is my smallest weight, so I'm anxious for it. When are you due for a fill? I go back Sept 10. I go to NYC Sept 17 and would love to solidly be under 200 pounds by then, which is totally obtainable. We can totally do this though! Let's focus on our water intake and exercising.

I agree with bookwormswot...there is definitely a learning curve and I'm teaching myself how to shop again. Especially when it comes to fresh produce - at first after surgery I would buy the normal amount of fresh veggies or fruits and I wasted so much of it because I couldn't eat it all before it went bad. I'm definitely still learning how much I'll use and will I use the food before they aren't fresh anymore.

I have had one fill and also haven't had any problems taking pills. My doc suggested pills smaller than the size of M&Ms, but basically if I can tolerate it then go for it. Most of mine are small or chewable. I did start taking fish oil pills which are HUGE and I've had no problems. After each fill though I'll probably wait a while before doing those. There is a possibility that once I get to a certain restriction point, I won't be able to take the big pills anymore.

I just went grocery shopping today and realized not only am I saving money, but I'm buying more quality products. I'm buying more expensive stuff, but I'm buying it in such small portions that I end up saving money. Pretty cool