green

Those are good words, Cloe. Thanx.

I don't know how it is south of the border but up here in Canada it is the middle-aged and seniors who regularly vote. Our youth view all politicians as corrupt and liars - or simply ineffectual at best - when it comes to fulfilling promises made on the campaign trail. They are alienated from the process and tend not to vote. I can't say that I blame them even though I always vote.

I have never watched Rush Limbaugh but I have heard for years now that he is a serious a$$hole. Then after his own drug abuse hit the news it was revealed that he was also a hypocrite. Does anyone actually take him seriously anymore? As for Michael J. Fox, he is a fine human being and a gifted comic actor whose illness has cut short his career. As far as I am aware there has been no scandal to taint his name. So when push comes to shove, who is the public gonna believe? Michael J. Fox or Rush Limbaugh? Let's hope that it's Michael J. Fox.

"Say no to crack."

Same sex marriage is legal up here in Canada. This right was made law by our previous government. We are used to gay couples getting wed. Now our new Conservative government is threatening to open this up to another vote. It seems that a lot of those guys don't approve. Congratulations to New Jersey, eh.

I think that Oprah cherrypicked her guests. Introducing formerly fat people who had had weight loss surgery and then replaced their addictions with healthy habits like scrapbooking, gardening, or returning to university would do less for her ratings. At the same time she has made an interesting point: food is an addiction for most of us and there is the possibility that some of us may replace this with another unhealthy addiction. I have heard that she herself is very much a workoholic. This is an addiction but one that society approves of.

I think change can be initially scary and threatening to those around you whatever that change may be, and here I am thinking of such things as marriage, a promotion or loss of a job, coming into money, buying a house, or having a child. Two of the people who are closest to me, the friend who told me about lapband surgery and my husband, were initially supportive but began to get antsy as the day for my surgery approached. Another one of my friends and my doc were completely disapproving. Now that it is done and I have begun to lose weight everyone is cool. In fact I've been getting a lot of compliments. I would suggest that you reassure your husband about your feelings for him. Explain to him how living as a fat person feels and why you want the band. He will likely calm down a bit though he will worry about the surgery itself as the day approaches. This is normal. My husband coped with it by drinking too much beer while I was under the knife. We had to go home by cab. LOL

Your house is so cool. You are a lucky woman! I really enjoyed looking at all the pics. Thanx for posting 'em.

I've known a few reformed alcoholics who have told me that everyone at the AA meetings chainsmokes and guzzles tons of coffee. These people were all heavy coffee drinkers and smokers.

That sandwich is called a Croque Monsieur. I've never had one dipped in maple syrup. sounds good.

mookie1, I can so relate! Your last paragraph was positively cheese porn! LOL! And I don't like smoked cheese, either.

Yah, S&V will ruin the inside of your mouth but it's a good kind of damage.:hungry: Mmmm......... Salt and vinegar chips!:girl_hug:

My mother once explained to me the difference between the odd numbers and the even numbers but I forgot. I think the odds might be for shorter waisted women but I am not sure. :help: Anyone else got any info?

I can't see how this will help these people break down their barriers. It is just a ratings gimmick.

I posted on this thread and I am a Canadian! That screws the stats up, eh. I woulda voted for John Kerry's wife if I could have voted. She looked liked she would have stirred things up. LOL

Some meds do cause you to gain weight. Ask your doctor if your medication is associated with weight gain.

I feel for you, jq. You and your childhood friend went through the same bad times as children and now he has been busted for one of the most heinous crimes possible and his lawyer wants you to stand up for him. He was, as many others have already suggested, undoubtedly molested as a child himself. It was this that damaged him. Poor guy. Nevertheless, the prognosis for curing these guys seems to be poor and even though he may have an explanation for his behaviour he shouldn't be inflicting this kind of pain, humiliation and long term damage on kids. Although I feel sorry for him I am inclined to think that he should be kept away from society because this will prevent him from hurting any more kids.

Your clothes sound great. I love Albert Nippon. The problem with us setting up a clothing exchange is that we all live so far apart. What a drag! None of my friends were as fat as me and so as I got fatter I was handing my clothes down the line. I was at the top of the food chain, unfortunately, and nobody was able to give me any good (or even bad) stuff.

I don't have a scale. I developed a phobia to the damn things when I was 25. The first time I weighed myself in recent memory was the morning of my operation. I knew I was fat because I was taking size large in all my clothes and the mirror doesn't lie. When I went back for my first fill they weighed me and I had lost 13 lbs. Yippee! I also had some NSVs. I am relying on the NSVs to tell me whether I have lost weight because I still hate getting on a scale. In a week's time I go back for my second fill. I don't know whether I will have lost any more weight. I don't feel any restriction yet though I am trying to watch what I eat. I do think that the scale can be tricky. Fat can be converted into muscle. You will weigh the same but take up less space and you will look better.

My clinic requires one week clear liquids, two weeks liquids, followed by two weeks of mushies. They are quite strict about this and I found that my stomach did shrink quite a bit during this period of time. Of course the light diet is so that your stomach can recover from the surgery. Anything else that happens during this period of time, such as weight loss, is a bonus. I used the time to practise eating differently. I lost 13 #. Some people lose more but I was pleased. You might want to try eating a very light diet, with very small portions but lots of snacks.

Oh, and as to the W sizes, I always think that the W means wide. I think it means that we are wider in the torso.

No, normal stores do not have W sizes. This type of sizing occurs when the store is catering to a number of different types of shopper. Winner's uses this sizing as does Cotton Ginny (although Cotton Ginny doesn't have P sizes). Some stores offer L sizes for tall women. Normal stores usually offer up to 16 or 18 max and then they might offer petite sizes for shorter women. This leaves people like us out in the cold.

Yah gotta take yer shoes off to get into skinny jeans. Sometimes they had zippers in the ankles. Of course, Teresita has a point.... lol

Yah, tight pants wouldn't have stopped me from gaining weight but they would have made me hot and cranky!

So much of the weight issue really is genetic, isn't it? Both my parents were slim but we had fatties in our family and some of us have inherited this problem. My niece is only 30 but she has been struggling with weight ever since she had her child. She is a big woman and she hates it. She is also a single mother, and is lonely. She feels marginalized by her size. She can't afford the operation at this time but is really curious about my experiences with the band. Both myself and my kid brother were chubby teenagers. We both managed to get this under control for awhile. My weight was manageable until I hit menopause and then I started to get fatter and fatter. My slender mother also ballooned up after menopause. The drugs that I am on for depression pretty much finished off the job. This band is a good thing.