Betsyjane

I got sick of the treadmill and a fitness freak told me to just stop and do free weights for awhile. She said building up my muscles would make the treadmill easier later, and switching around keeps things interesting.

Danielle: I think we've all been where you are. Somehow, the TV tells us all we need to do is diet and exercise and we'll be fine, and otherwise we're lazy. That's just bigoted ignorance. Morbid obesity is a complex thing, unlike a thin person trying to lose 10 pounds! But we've been blamed and we blame ourselves. The kind of person you want to hang around from this day forward in your life is the person who cheers you on. that's all. People either enhance you or deplete you, so go with the enhancers. When I told my hubby that I'd be writing a check for $15000 out of our now mostly depleted savings, and I told him what for, he said that some people go on for the rest of their lives not facing big problems and doing whatever it takes, and that he was proud of me for going for it! (After he picked his jaw up off the ground about the money...) And as far as it being easy, let me tell you all it did for me was to make the Impossible into just Hard Work! And that's enough for me. Yoyo dieting for the next 40 years and THEN getting banded is stooopid. Hi---call me stooooooopid. But at 20, you probably still want to please everybody, right? Just hang around us old crusty souls. We'll be your cheerleaders. Everybody else can either support you or jump off a cliff.

On this South Beach thing...It's interesting. Some bandsters tell me that they see the band as a way to never mess with diets again...It's about sensible eating and lots of portion control. Others tell me they follow particular diets and even take diet supplements or diet pills. Anybody have any thoughts about that?

There's a thread under PreOp that lists everything....

Yeah, you're right. It doesn't make sense not to drink with meals on the liquid stage. It's just good to start practicing now....... Behave like a good bandster now to get those good habits down right from the beginning. I drink fluids right up to the moment I start eating, but then none for 60-90 minutes.

Check with your insurance company. Check with your insurnace company. Check with your insurance company.

Your first posts from around a month ago and your posts now are so very differnet that it feels more like covering up than lasting change. Seems like you're all over the place from one month to the next, and that's a hard road. Eveybody wishes you the best. What will happen to the dog if it doesn't work out for you guys?

Never heard of him. sorry. I went to Spivak in Houston.

i'S MONEY WELL SPENT, BUT LOOK FOR A BETTER DEAL BEFOR EYOU SPEND IT...THEN GO FOR IT. There's one person here who came down to Houston and rented a house on the beach in Galveston. She's all by herself but had her surgery with Dr. Spivak, who makes it hassle free. Lots of folks here say good things about Ortiz in Mexico. Just do it!

Check in with your doctor. I would guess your diet is high in fat and calories. Try meats and veges with just a little slider on them....a little applesauce on pork, a little mayo on tuna, no heavily processed high calorie lunch meats, less dairy. Keep a food log for calorie counting for awhile.

Notice that we're all talking among ourselves, and she's ignoring us? she was honest...she wanted a place to monolog....not help. Created chaos and left the room to go play another day. You're right about 19! Not equating anyone with a pig, but I've always liked this expressions. "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It won't work, and it annoys the pig."

Analoren-Sometimes after a fill you can be a bit inflammed and tighter than you will be later. The only thing that stopped my reflux was nto eating for 4 hours before bedtime.

Steal at will. I just am discovering more and more that it's that quiet little voice within me that needs attending to, and that whisper of the band. It's hard for me to do that, with TV, billboards, demands of the day....but the more I do it, the better my relationship with food and the band. I thought for a long time I was going to name my band Trixie after a guard dog we knew and loved. Now I think I'll have to come up with a softer name because my band is quieter than a bark.

For me, I'm trying to eat healthy and give up all the fad diets I've ever tried and failed at. I know it sounds silly, but I do better by taking a long deep breath before I eat. For me it's about slowing my insides down in order to accept food. almost a prayer, or an honoring of me and food. However spiritual or unspiritual you want to get, I'm beginning to understand that what I need is a slower heart rate and slower respirations when I'm in the presence of food. I also find that I need to struggle through getting enough of the right foods at each meal, and not just eating a little and then making up the difference with cheap calories or shakes.

Mackinac Island is fun! I haven't been there is years, but it's so pretty. Tom is great at putting things in perspective. We're still new kids on this journey and as much as we want the weight to melt off, I frankly still feel like I'm in a huge learning curve. It's hard to change my head, my stomach, and my behavior about something as significant as food in my life. When I count calories, I am surprised what has sneaked in. When I exercise, I am surprised how good it feels and then how hard it is to go back to it. When I eat perfectly, that is comprised of so many components. And some days the band is more subtle than I would like, while other days it is a harsh taskmaster. Seems like one of the BIG things I need to learn about me and food is that there are successes to build on, and there never have been before for me. sometimes small successes, or just aha! learning experiences, but they are there and I am improving, albeit slowly. I can also tell you that getting the right amount of fill is so helpful.

I also have to find a balance with food. Too many "sliders", and I can eat too much....gravy, melted cheese, dressing. Too little and I can't get enough nutrients down, but I try to stick with chunks of meat and veges without sliders as much as possible.

I have Lupus, and when I don't feel like I can treadmill, I swim.

I had problems "finding" restriction. I can usually eat past my band if I eat quickly with lots of distractions. I don't get the sense of fullness quickly enough or loud enough unless I turn off the TV, put down the book, take a deep breath and get into a trance-like commune with my band. Small bites, slowy, putting down my fork regularly, and I find my own sweet spot.

A woman who is busy drinking everyone else under the table is not likely to take advice...or condoms! A person who is drinking most of her calories with the band is headed for a fall. I don't think an internet intervention can sway her as much as a striiper. We are here to witness a car wreck.

With so many hoops to jump through for insurance to pay, I woinder how many people give up so the insurance company gets to keep its money.... I felt bad that my insurance doesn't cover barriatrics and I had to self pay. I gues it's all a mixed blessing. You'll get there.....

The longer you cover up problems with stimulants (food, strippers, alcohol), the more of a mess you'll be in. The more of a mess you're in, the more you'll wonder why other people get things and you don't. The more you feel rage about others getting things, the less you'll be heard for who you are. You say you want to get the goodies of life and you want to be heard...in order for that to happen you'll need to work through your problems. If you don't work through your problems, you're choosing for things to remain the same. If you choose for things to remain the same, don't be angry or surprised if you get what you choose.

Lana-If not this month, we'll go next month..... No hurry for me! Barbara-It was great to meet John! He's proud of you. Aw, newlyweds!

If it helps any, I have Lupus and am on meds that have in the past caused me to gain as much as 80 pounds at a time. I'm doing fine with the band. It sounds to me like meeting with your surgeon and getting back on track is the way to go, and if you were uncomfortable with one support group, try another.

Fun! It's easier to do short term distractions than long term problem solving, eh?

That was really fun tonight. Laughter is great medicine. Sounds like the schedule is.... Humble City Cafe 6:30 PM March 12 La Villa in Atascocita 5:30 PM March 26 (I will have just driven nonstop from Kansas City the day before so I may be goofy....) Lana-I can go to Spivak's meeting the 13th, if that's when it is. What time? (There's also a Houston support meeting on the 17th at Central Co-op.)