LeighaMason

Very pretty. Congratulations.

Patty, I am confused about your link for Born Again American. When you click on the "take the next step" tab and then click on the "People for the American Way" on the bottom right they have this under the "Take Action" tab. Tell President Obama: End the discriminatory policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by repealing it in this year's defense budget. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is not just job discrimination, it's discrimination against patriotic Americans who are willing to make incredible sacrifice in the defense our nation. Further, the policy weakens our country, both symbolically -- by undermining our core values -- AND in a very direct way -- by undermining the strength of our armed forces. The time has come to end it. Dump DOMA It's time for some real change we can believe in. It's time for the federal government to stop punishing loving same-sex couples. It's time to repeal DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act). President-elect Obama says he supports the repeal. Take action right now to make sure Congress sends him the legislation. and my personal favorite: Tell Congress How to Restore Justice Justice has been on vacation for eight long years. It needs to be restored. That means restoring checks and balances, accountability, transparency and the rule of law -- some of our most fundamental constitutional values that have been stepped on and undermined by the previous administration. People For has a new Campaign to Restore Justice and a three-point petition to congressional leaders. So you support an organization that supports same-sex marriage and the repeal of don't ask, don't tell? I have my doubts but if you do I am impressed.

Yeah for 18 lbs! Good luck with the testing and keep us updated.

Lose it is my choice as well. Plus they have a web site with lots of other reports available. I have been using it for a year now. I also use virtual weight just for visual motivation. I downloaded ifitness but I dont use it.

The lady who does my fills is also banded. She told me that being too tight is worse for weight loss than being too loose. She said we should be able to eat normal food just not a lot of it. She said she wants me to be able to eat any healthy food and not resort to sliders just because I was hungry. If you cant eat turkey and gravy I would talk to someone at my doctors office. Being too tight wont stop snacking it will only stop healthy eating. Then the only thing you have left is snacking, then you feel bad about it so you snack some more, its a vicious cycle. This might also account for your lack of energy to go to the gym? I dont know for sure, just some suggestions? :redface:

Whillow, I saw your other posts. Do you think you could be too tight? Do you do your fills under floro?

My mother in law (the nicest, funnest, smartest lady in the world) says that when she feels like this she gives herself 2 days to have a true "pity party" she lays in bed, whines, complains and feels sorry for herself. Then she gets up and puts it all away and goes back to thinking good thoughts and doing the things she knows she should. I think this is wonderful advice. I hope you get to feeling better. I know you can do it, I have read your posts, you are a positive person. Just a little blip in the plan.........

I am going in the kitchen right now to soak the garbanzo beans that have been in my pantry forever......

I was self pay too. And I started questioning my decision after surgery. I gained weight after the surgery but before my first fill. So then I thought Crap! Another failed diet, but this one had a $10k price tag! Then after my first fill everything started working out wonderfully. I just had my 3rd fill and I am sailing right along averaging 2 lbs a week. I even started working out last week!

Dr Kim did my surgery too, I had a horrible case of gas but didn't know what I could take the night after surgery so I called his office about 10PM and he personally called me back within 5 minutes. That was back in October and I haven't talked to him since, but I haven't needed to. I feel like if I need them they are just a phone call away. I get my fills at Forest Park (I love those people) and I have called them a couple of times with questions.

Morality used in its correct sense has nothing to do with Christianity. One can be perfectly moral and not be a Christian. In its "descriptive" sense, morality refers to personal or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores that distinguish between right and wrong in the human society. Describing morality in this way is not making a claim about what is objectively right or wrong, but only referring to what is considered right or wrong by people. For the most part right and wrong acts are classified as such because they are thought to cause benefit or harm, but it is possible that many moral beliefs are based on prejudice, ignorance or even hatred. This sense of term is also addressed by descriptive ethics.--Wikipedia (There is more but I just used the first paragraph for the sake of space.) So declaring someone immoral because they don't have the same religious beliefs that you have is just not accurate.

Maybe you could work on just toning your arms and legs with weightlifting? If you build muscle it uses more energy throughout the day so you burn more calories. It may not be as fast as cardio but it will be less painful. Then when you add the band and start losing weight faster you can add back in the cardio?

I am under the impression that if your band slips you are not able to keep anything down, even water. You might want to go to the lap band complications forum and read some of the posts from people who have had a slippage.

I think that the most important thing about working with the band is being prepared, having the right foods with you at all times. I bet you didn't just casually get the McDonald's. I may be wrong but when I have made bad choices it was because I let my self get too hungry. If you will be sure and eat something every 3-4 hours you probably wont get into the "I got to have something now!" stage that leads to bad choices. When I was in the mushy stage my go to meal (when I was so hungry that I couldn't take it anymore) was mashed potatoes with lots of cheese, sour cream, milk and butter to make it very thin. Not very healthy but it hit the spot and killed the HUNGRY monster, without any danger to the band. I am not recommending this on a daily basis. This is for emergency use only. Oh, and by the way, once you start getting fills it will really help with the hungry part. :redface:

Good luck with your surgery, I do have one piece of advice if you don't mind. I think that proper fills are at least as important if not more important than the band. Be sure and find a good local fill center. :redface:

Your eternal destination is not determined by your good or bad deeds. The only thing that determines heaven or hell for anyone is their faith in Jesus. What? I can do anything I want to in this life (good or bad) and still go to heaven if I have faith in Jesus? Really? Cool.

We had an exchange student from Norway, he told us that in Norway when someone requires aid they are given a proficiency test, they are then given training in the field that they scored the highest in. They are required to work on the program and do well to continue to receive funds. After they are retrained to reenter the workforce they have a certain amount of time to find employment. This keeps the system moving. No lifetime entitlement. (Which, by the way, I don't think people want anyway.) Why cant we do some thing like this? It's SOCIALISM, oh my god the dreaded SOCIALISM, the worst thing ever! Run! Fire! Socialism!

Sandi, Are you from Texas?

Sorry but I snuck into the mens room. Congratulations on your banding! I hope you are feeling better. Tell your wife congrats on her loss at well!

Patty, I have a question for you, Do you disagree with any of your party's positions? As an example, I am a democrat but I am all about my 2nd amendment right to bear arms. I own guns as well as a concealed handgun permit. I am also all for capital punishment. Maybe this is just from being in the south but I don't even like lethal injection (too humane), like my grandpa always said "hang 'em high". He was a sheriff deputy in the 30's and 40's. Do you disagree with anything the Republicans believe in? If so, what?

Dr Kim did my surgery at Forest Park....I love those people!

My BMI was 35 with sleep apnea and foot problems. I was self pay and I expected my Doctor to give me hell when I first went in and told him I wanted the lap band. I was following a very strict diet to stay under 200. I dieted (was hungry) probably 2 out of every 3 days for the last 15 years. When I went to my initial consultation, he had me do a barium swallow and said I had an exceptionally large stomach and that is why I had to eat so much to feel full, he then told me it was amazing that I had kept my weight so low. I could have cried to hear that this wasn't all in my mind. I feel like lap band should be available to anyone who needs it. We shouldn't have to get to the 100 lb mark to "qualify". If you have cancer you don't have to wait until your tumor is large to have it removed. If obesity is negatively affecting your health you should be able to do something about it.

Has anyone ever seen a chart that shows the states ranked by education level and also showing their political leaning?

Do y'all have any idea what its like living in Republican hell? Almost everyone that lives around me are Republicans. My good friend (who is a millionaire) is a Republican and he laughs at all the poor people here who vote against their best financial interests. I drive around and see $500 cars that barely run with Palin stickers. Its crazy. There are Tea party's on the town square. That is a riot, we go drive by just to laugh at the signs. Then we have the "drill here, drill now, pay less" bumper stickers EVERYWHERE! Newsflash, the oil that is "here" is not the quality of oil that is needed to make gasoline. Science doesn't allow us to "drill here, drill now and pay less" we could "drill here, drill now and pay more". Unfortunately scientific knowledge isn't a requirement to get a bumper sticker.

You poor thing, I hope you are able to just relax and get some rest this weekend. We will be thinking of you....