BJean

I love Rock Star! I really wish they would do another one! Yeah, Fantasia. I keep thinking she's going to take a dump on the stage when she's singing. That was such a frenetic song it made me wonder if she's doing some of what Whitney got in trouble for.

You know I love David Cook, but I do think you make an excellent point, MissyG. David A. can use some serious coaching and promoting and David C. probably needs to be able to tap into his creative side more. I thought that Syesha was a great presence in the competition. Early on I didn't care for her because she seemed to force the upper registers too much for me. But you know she really did handle everything with a whole lot of maturity and there's no question that she has an important career ahead of her. I think she has a better voice than Vanessa Williams and probably overall is, as you said, classier. They're both breathtakingly beautiful. I also think that the show suffered after Carly and Brooke left. In fact there were several early competitors that I really enjoyed watching. I thought this whole group was top-notch. I was more engaged this time than ever before in the show from beginning to now. I'm always surprised when I hear someone say they don't think this group was all that good. My DIL asked me if I'd forgotten Melinda (who we all loved). Which makes me wonder - what happened to Melinda? What did ya'll think of whatzername's performance - last years winner? I cannot think of her name right this minute. Brain freeze. She sort of put Lucy to shame with the hair color.

The man made what we call a "miraculous recovery" however I don't believe that what the doctor said indicated that he actually believed that it was a miracle. The fact that the odds were stacked against the patient doesn't prove that a miracle took place. If the man had lost huge amounts of blood, had multiple life threatening wounds and did not receive any medical attention, but his wounds closed themselves and the man had no ill effects from the loss of blood, and he just jumped up off the ground, raised his arms and said, "ta-da, want to see me do that again?" Now that would probably be accepted as a miracle. I don't mean to sound smart alecky, but I was wondering what things we might discuss that everyone could agree was a miracle too. That one sure doesn't do it for me.

Not a big Disney fan? Or just missed that particular one? It's been around forever. I recommend it if you ever get a chance to see it. Are you rooting for Syesha to win, MissyG? Or David Archuleta?

Gotcha. I was never quite sure which side of the fence you were really on at that thread. I think you believe in women's rights as it relates to that topic, right? But you were very gentle about it. And that's a good thing! After a while, I tend to become abrasive because I feel so strongly about it. And that's of course a big turn off to most people. Which is understandable!

Oh. Yep. That was one of the places where I've been targeted and felt a bit persecuted. And nope, I don't want to rehash that again either! I was only trying to divert some attention away from the attack/counterattack going on here. I now understand why it made people uncomfortable when it was happening elsewhere. When you're in the middle of it you're simply trying to have your say and you are attempting to explain yourself. It can be difficult to understand when people try to intervene and shut it down if you're the one swapping barbs. :thumbup:

luluc: Thanks!! I'll listen. Madonna is awesome. (Is this the thread where I'm a trouble maker?) froggi: Gooooooo David Cook!!!!!!!

luluc: not to belabor the point, but I'm not sure what thread you're talking about. I'd like to understand if I'm being naughty.

luluc: you're a real thorough reader. But mine was only a post in a thread, not a new thread, I think. Am I right or have I always been wrong about what a thread is? Help!

luluc: I didn't know Madonna had also done it. Did you see her perform it in person? My guess is that she didn't smile at the audience while she was singing it. All the big grins were what I thought was inappropriate in Syesha's performance of that song. Also I think that if you're going to vamp it up and sit in a chair, etc., you shouldn't be wearing such a short dress. It was all very distracting instead of making it seem like she was really selling the song. I do think that she has come a long way from the beginning. She seems to be the most improved overall. I just don't think that makes her better than the two Davids. Although I would rather see Syesha perform than David A. I like his voice a lot. Now if he could establish some kind of neat stage persona, he'd be ready to cut his own records and tour everywhere. The sheepish, toe in the sand shy giggly bashful thing is unattractive to me. MissyG: Peggy Lee could sing a song like that better than anyone before or since. Did you ever see "Lady and the Tramp"? Remember the sexy gal at the dog pound who sang that song about Tramp - "He's a Tramp, but I love him"? That was Peggy Lee's voice.

Well any discussion that poses a question about fear and a personal belief is bound to wind up in an argument. I understand how infuriating it is to be accused of saying stuff that you haven't said and I also know how irritating it is to be accused of directing your words at a specific participant when you haven't singled any one person out. Some people are just very personally affected by what people post and that's why so much of the time any topic that is political and/or religious is going to digress into some kind of p$$ing on someone else's punkin' contest. I am delighted that I, for once, am not at the center of it and catching the wrath of those who are holier than thou. But it's fun reading - ya'll keep it up. Wish we had a smiley icon with a halo so I could use it now. :thumbdown:

I thought David Cook's first and last performances were great. David A. was good, and I was glad he did something a little more upbeat, but I still hope that David Cook wins. Syesha has definitely blossomed, but her vamp song really turned me off. It seriously sucked. If you've ever heard the original and seen a tape of Peggy Lee's rendition, you'd know why.

Fascinating thread! I've loved reading each and every post. I can't personally identify with any one thought or belief that has been put forth, but I can tell you one thing I would fight to the death if someone forced me to believe in their particular definition of God. And I believe that atheists would fight to the death if our country were absolutely taken over by any religious sect who subsequently passed laws that compelled non-believers to worship their God and follow their belief system. Just as religious people would fight to the death to be able to practice their religion. So that argument sure bothered me. On the other hand, I am very impressed with the quality of thought and passion that has been brought forth by this thread and I believe that it has been worthwhile.

ALL animals don't go around raping other animals. It is not common behavior even in animals.

So true, Brandy!! As for carbs vs. Protein, I am one of those people who if I have carbs first thing in the morning, I am starving the rest of the day. My regular doctor said for some people (especially women) that complex carbs, like oatmeal and whole grain breads, can actually deplete B Vitamins and that can cause the hunger. It's weird - we're eating B vitamins but it is depleting our B vitamins. Now if that isn't a complex situation, I don't know what is. And when it comes to now having the band, I can't eat rice, especially brown rice, it just causes the worst problems! And I love PF Chang's food and sushi. Baw! I can't eat bread. I love hamburgers and haven't been able to eat one in over a year. I tried to eat a bran muffin once and it was the first really painful PB I experienced I had - and it was after one small bite! So after reading Jachut's post and knowing how carbs react in my body, it is more confirmation of this not being an easy fix. I think it is up to us to figure it out for ourselves and use the dang doctors and the band however we can to make them work for us. One size does not fit all and one answer is not the only answer. Let's do think up a cool name and let's stick together! For those who have sailed through the banding process and are happy as can be, I salute them. But for those who are struggling, like I am, I respect them for trying to find the answers and not giving up!! Yea me. And you!

:smile::smile::w00t: When you start having flashbacks from your experiences in the 70's Brandy, let me know and I'll join the party.

Well did you watch Grey's last night? About the gay topic they decided to go with two guys. Did you find the kissing distasteful? They had Hahn and Callie laugh about the accusation that they might be gay. t didn't really put it to rest for me though. How 'bout you? I was also glad that Christina blurted out her feelings about Burke. You go girl! He was a schmuck. In real life I think there may be quite a few schmuck doctors with God complexes. It was kinda fun to see it on TV.

Tommy there have been many, many books and studies done about whether capital punishment is a deterrent to people considering murder. It has been proven over and over that it is not a deterrent. I'm not as familiar with studies about other crimes but I do know that the number of recidivists all across the board is astounding.

I also had forgotten about DeLarla. I didn't know that she'd had LB problems. I guess none of us know about Carlene or TOM. I read some Marjon from time to time and it inspires my soul. I really like his wit and wisdom.

Devana I haven't read anything of yours for a long time. Am I just in the wrong places? I always used to enjoy reading your posts.

Susan- that's GREAT! Very inspirational and motivational for me. I also am way too hard on myself - I must be since so many people tell me I am. I have always thought I was just being honest with myself. I guess I was beating myself up and constantly reeling from the bad feelings I was generating toward myself and that really undermines the whole process. I've probably done it all my life. I think you really have your head on right! Keep up the great work. I am serious that your post has been very good for me! I went to a fat farm once and their motto was: one brownie doesn't make you fat...

Grace: It is not uncommon for people with the band to become overfilled, subsequently be unable to eat much solid food and wind up eating things like milk shakes, chocolate and other super-rich foods because they are not getting enough nutrition and they are hungry. That's when they gain weight in spite of the fact that they have kept up with getting fills. Obviously if there is barely any restriction, and patients go for periods of time without getting fills, they can eat too much real food and do not lose weight. But if they are over-filled, they can certainly still gain weight even though they are not eating a lot of food. You almost have to live through it to understand it. No one warned me about it and it was really hard to figure out.

Brandy: My heart bleeds for all of us who are frustrated and discouraged and disappointed. It's too bad that no one seems to know what will help us without suggesting another surgery of some sort. Susan: I burst into tears one day in the dietician's office. Her door is often open during our bi-weekly (usually) visits. The entire office can hear what both the dietician and I have to say. The dietician was asking question after question trying to figure out why I had gained weight. She was being very direct and I just fell apart. I couldn't stop crying. She did suggest that I see this psychologist she works with, but I didn't. I just kept trying to handle it myself. I know everyone felt sorry for me on one hand, but I couldn't help but wonder if they thought I was one of those people who eats super high calorie foods and doesn't realize they're sabbotaging the band. I KNEW why I gained weight, I just didn't know what to do to stop it. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. I kept reading stuff here at LBT and listening to what everyone (other patients) were saying in the doc's office. With their help, I finally realized that I must be over-filled. So he removed some of the restriction and sure enough I was less hungry and started losing weight again. None of the experts that I know have an answer for this but I do know that my doctor's office is finally realizing that this is what happens to many of their patients. When you stop to think about it, this is a relatively new procedure in the U.S. It's bound to take some time for all the stats to get sorted out and for there to be clear parameters published for patients to determine whether they are good candidates for LB. Before the surgery I was interviewed and evaluated by my doctor's psychologist which included taking some psychological tests. Obviously they did not reveal that I'm probably not the right kind of person for getting the band. Oh well. That's the proverbial Water under the bridge at this point. I intend to continue to work at this and hope that I can continue to take off weight - and I also plan to be happy with a very slow losing process. I do know that I need to stop beating myself up and I'm pretty sure that we all do if we're going to succeed. Easy to admit, harder to do though.

plain: I agree with you. I think you're right when it comes to "head hunger" for most of us. But if the band is placed properly we should be able to use it as a tool and have it work for us. Physically we are all different. Not only that but our doctors are all different. How in the world can we possibly expect to all have the same outcome? I believe that it is far more complicated than just accusing someone of having "head hunger" and no real will-power. We all want very much to be thinner and healthy. We sure wouldn't have gone through what we have if we didn't. But there are lots of complicators that no one has studied and no one can explain. And having the band is not the same as going on another diet. The band has an effect. It is very possible that it can have a detrimental effect - it could actually cause hunger in some people and it could be actually causing depletion of some Vitamins or nutrients that is responsible for sabbotaging us. We're always so quick to blame ourselves for our lack of succes, we don't even consider the possibility that it is much more complicated than just self-control and will-power. Btw, I am NOT referring to you when I say we are quick to judge others. I mean doctors, family, friends and even ourselves. If this diet game were simple, there wouldn't be a billion dollar industry constantly pumping out pills and "solutions" to the problem. Don't you agree?

I have found that having too much restriction is as bad as having no restriction at all and in some cases, WORSE! That doesn't make sense to those people who haven't experienced it, but for me having too much restriction made me not only hungry because I wasn't getting enough real food (protein) but it also made me crave things that didn't make me PB - all things that felt good going down, like ice cream and crispy things like tortilla chips. I've always been an ice cream freak, but never been a fan of chips. Go figure. When I first had the band I was doing the diet exactly as it was given to me by using sugar-free/fat-free Jello, low-fat yogurt, low-fat/low-sodium Soups and suger-free popsicles. Occasionally I had low-fat cottage cheese with canned pineapple. Sure you'll lose weight if that's all you eat. But once I started eating real food, I gained weight. Not because I was eating massive quantities of food mind you. I just wasn't eating all low-fat/non-sugar stuff. Since I've had the band I have never had a soft drink. I don't consume much caffiene at all. I try to eat only nutritious food and still I get hungry - both in my head and in my tummy. If I am really restricted I eat ice cream products and the occasional order of nachos. What I need to do is go back to the original post surgery diet (as I listed above) and I would take off another 20 lbs. Part of the problem is that I've lost enough weight to feel better and take myself out of the painful state that I was in, pre-surgery. I wear cuter clothes, I feel lighter and my medical status is better. Not being in that kind of pain, I am having trouble being as motivated as I was when I got the band. I think this syndrome is common with many bandsters but not too many of them want to write about it and admit that they might be failing at this weight loss game - AGAIN - in spite of having surgery! I do think that the sleeve has been more effective with my doctor's patients who have had the band replaced when they reached the state that I'm currently in. I haven't talked to one of them who hasn't gone on to lose a lot more weight. But I personally don't think I'm ready for another surgery and I think the jury may still be out on the safety of the sleeve. I know how frustrated you must be, Brandy. Especially when you read posts and see photos of people who have had enormous success with the band here at LBT. I know I went through I time when I almost hated to come here, but I couldn't stay away. I was embarrassed and I felt quite lonely and the major failure I had always thought I was. But I'm beginning to feel better, although I'm sure not out of the woods, and I have high hopes that I can turn this downswing around and actually get to my goal. And by the way, my goal is higher than a lot of people think it should be, but I've played this diet game long enough to know that I have to be realistic or I'll never win! Have you had a frank discussion with your doc about your options? Does he/she have any ideas about why the band hasn't worked for you? Or is he/she one of those stupid folks who blame you for not having enough self-control? That, by the way, is not why your band hasn't worked for you. If your band was working properly, you'd be doing better. Keep me posted. For some reason, Brandy, I feel as if you and I are kindred spirits.