annieM

OMG! Where were you? I lived in Maine for years and never saw a moose. You really are lucky to be alive! Those beasts are huge.

SW Ohio, Beavercreek. We're a 'burb of Dayton.

Jack! We ALL miss you! What's going on??????

My sister is in her fifties and has had Crones since her early 20's. She has had one child and a couple surgeries. She is also a nurse and plays tennis regularly. She has her moments when she has eaten something irritating but mostly she lives a great life. Take care of yourself! The diet to take care of your crones should be a good one for the band too.

I have been banded 7 months and am down 45 (and have been stuck at 45 for a couple months). I'm 5'7" and started at 228. I have arthritis though and I don't get much exercise. People tell me that exercise is the key to moving it off faster.

Erosion is when the band ends up inside the stomach instead of being on the outside. This happened more to people who had their bands before the techniques were perfected. It's gotta hurt.

I agree that 82 lbs is right on target. Great job!!! If I lost that much at one year I'd load up my post with goofy smile faces. I'm stuck at 45lbs for a couple of months now and am ready to see a loss again. I tell myself when i'm feeling like a failure that i've lost 45 more lbs than i would have without my band. (or worse lost it and then gained it back!)

pb=productive burp The acids and bile that make a "sick" vomit so awful are not present with a pb. For me, a pb has never been something I would want to happen at the table. Not gentle at all. There is warning though and as you get to know how it feels (there is pain involved, so you won't want it to happen often), you know when you need to get to the rest room.

WOW!!!! You go girl! Keep up the great work!

Derick, Could your painting be by David Joseph Bles? He was a Dutch painter and printmaker (1821-1899) known for his satirical genre scenes and portraits with sassy double meanings. What is your painting of? I found the info on grove art online.

I know what you mean about the stomach being slow to shrink! I think a TT will be in my future. I haven't posted here in a while. 149 pages! November bandsters rock. I have plateau'd for a couple of months. I need to cut back on the starbucks. Hello to everyone, and great work!

Fructose contributes calories and the other, splenda, does not.

I'm having a BIG cup of coffee as I'm reading this. My surgeon said coffee was OK so I have not restricted it. The Starbucks frappicinos are lower in calories than the lattes. When I make coffee at home I put sugar free vanilla or hazelnut flavor and a bit of skim milk in. There is no way I could live without caffeine and it hasn't caused me any trouble.

Congrats Laurend! Four weeks of a liquid diet will really jump-start your weight loss! I can't wait to hear of your successes.

I just stumbled on a way that helps me deal with cravings. I let ice melt in my mouth. It sounds stupid, but cravings have been a big issue with me, especially when I am not hungry. Having ice in a glass keeps me cool and distracts me so I don't eat what I don't want to eat. Gum chewing works OK too, but it doesn't last as long. Talk about a cheap fix! What works for you?

I would get the band again too. I have been stuck at the same weight after my initial 45 lb loss and I know that without my band I would have gained all the weight back. (been there, done that) My band keeps me honest about my portion sizes and I really am not hungry very often.

Portland, Maine for beauty and great shops and restaurants (check out the lighthouses). Then head north through all the cute harbor towns and end at acadia national park. It is so beautiful I think everyone should see it. Stephen King lives in Bangor in a blood red mansion.

You poor thing. I don't know where your pain is coming from, but I sympathize and I hope you feel better soon. Pain is a funny thing and it can be hard for the docs to pin down a cause. Keep a pain journal and write down any changes, good or bad, so when you go in you can show them a documented list of what has happened. (that will help them take you seriously too)

Welcome Melissa! You've done a great job on your weight loss so far! Congratulations and welcome. Where do you live in KY?

I don't remember the exact amount, but it was thousands. Enough to not mind that 35 min drive...The people there are very nice too. (Not that they were not nice elsewhere, I think that doc's in bariatric surgery really do want to help people. The insurance people, however, are idiots)

Thank you for starting this post. I never thought I would admit this but we will be married 20 years this fall but our sex life ended 17 years ago. I know my weight gain was directly related to my feelings of loneliness and emptiness and not wanting to be attractive (so my outside would match my insides). It's good to know that i'm not the only one on the planet with this problem, 'cause it sure seems like it from TV and movies! I know nothing will change if I lose weight. I do know it is very uncomfortable to get attention from other men now that I have dropped a bit of weight. BTW, i'm a trekkie too (live long and prosper)

We have a temperpedic and love it. I was sleeping in a reclining chair with lots of pillows 'cause my back was giving me such pain. I thought i'd never sleep flat again 'till we got the temperpedic. Ours is the middle price model.

My prayers go out to you and your family. Ovarian cancer is one of the toughest to fight because it is so difficult to find. My DH is a pathologist and is active in the breast cancer fight. I applaud you for turning your terrible loss into action.

Congrats to your daughter. She really sounds like she has her act together. I have two daughters who make me so proud i could explode and i have an adopted son who is nothing but frustration. He failed math and English this year and has to go to summer school. He doesn't seem to think it is a big deal. Meanwhile the two girls are all A's and have summer reading and work for honors English. It can be so hard to parent them all when they are so different. Your SIL sounds like a B all right. It must make it hard on you if you are close to your brother. You can never choose your in-laws...

I was self-pay and the hospital based surgeons cost much more. That is, the hospitals charge a bigger cut. Cincy wt loss center uses an out patient surgery center, so it has less overhead. (it is still loaded with all the newest gadgets and the place is lovely and spotless) My DH had bypass surgery at Kettering when the unit was new and other than one nurse in the icu (who was an idiot) he had great care.