TerriDoodle

Sure! I think it's natural to feel this way! I'm sure diabetics have the same issue, too. I'm coming up on a year and having that problem as well. I'm pretty darn tight right now so many, many foods get stuck. So I have to ask myself what do I need to do to make it work for me again? I've analyzed what seems to work and what doesn't work and have simply tried to 'get back on the horse' every morning when I wake up. Some days I'm good, some days I'm not. Oh well. I still feel like I'm making progress over a year ago! I often choose mushy foods because they're easy. But I am trying to get back to lean Protein (read: dry!) and veggies. I know I CAN eat those things...it just takes more effort! I have to take tiny tiny bites, chew chew chew, and wait a good while between bites. (Sound familiar??) We have to make good choices because the nutrition is so important. I guess I don't have any words of wisdom for you except to try to adjust your mindset. Try to pay attention to the negative talk in your head and reverse that thinking. Instead of: "This grilled chicken and asparagus is going to get stuck. I'll have the cheese enchiladas instead", think "Grilled chicken and asparagus is great for my health and will keep me fuller, longer... I love myself and choose to be healthy...I will make the effort to eat slowly and deliberately...I will savor the subtle flavors of healthy food." Those negative tape loops are a killer. Pay attention. I hope this helps in some way. I understand your struggle. Stay strong!

Alex and the moderators have been working on the FAQ board and there are some great new "stickies"! It's a work in progress but it's looking good! ---> Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References <---

Oh, and Kat.... this is for your "guest"..... :biggrin::tt2::thumbup::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2::tt2:

No, you are STILL a Goody Two Shoes because you got on the elliptical!! You were sooooooooo close!!! Darn! It's a fluke, Janie... I go in spurts. OH, and I ended up having a 100 calorie bag of Chips Ahoy AND a Skinny Cow ice cream bar after I had those veggies!!! LOL :biggrin: Ohh gosh, does THAT bring back memories or what?? Easter was always my favorite holiday (besides Xmas of course) because of all the foo-foo we got to wear! Hats and gloves and always new white patent shoes with tights. LOL...and like you said....we had it on for about an hour! But man-o-man I used to love the Easter Egg Hunts at my grandpa's farm with all my cousins and all the wonderful food. My grandpa would BBQ in the yard (it's usually about 80 by Easter), the folks would drink cold beer and sit in lawn chairs and talk while the kids would run around like crazy people, in and out of the house eating kolaches. But the highlight of the day was when Grandpa would take us to the chick house and we'd get to play with the 100 new baby chicks he bought. (Little did we realize we'd be eating those baby chicks for Easter the next year!!) That must have been really hard, Laura!! I'd go see movies more often if weren't for the intoxicating smell of popcorn!! I eat as much as I can stuff into my face...WITH butter, of course. Oy, it's an incredible weakness for me! My hat's off to ya, girlfriend! Hope the scale rewards your efforts! LOL That's so funny!! I can't imagine under what crazy scenario that would even be remotely necessary! Oddly, my DH hasn't voiced any concern whatsoever. Hmmmm. :thumbup:

:Dancing_O_o: :Dancing_sad::prrr: :Dancing_O_o::cuss: :Dancing_O_o: :Dancing_biggrin: Maybe we'll convert YOU, Judy!! LOL! :Dancing_biggrin::Dancing_O_o::Dancing_biggrin: :Dancing_biggrin::caked::argue: :drum::der::Dancing_O_o: :Dancing_sad::Dancing_sad::Dancing_biggrin:

Ya'll are cracking me UP!!!!! My daughter keeps saying, "MOM!! WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?????" (She thinks I am so weird sometimes...that's why she loves me so much.) Except for you, Jenn -- you are NOT cracking me up! I am in shock!! But I do second what Laura said! The economy is rockin' here in TX and has been for quite some time...(except for our health care system that the illegal aliens have crippled.) I know you are really wanting to stay put for your daughter's sake...but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm really, really sorry, sweetie! Ok, ice cream is my crack too. I admit it. I do eat 'no sugar added' vanilla @ 90 cals/half-cup....then put Hershey's Lite syrup on it...but I never ever miss a day. Some nights it's the only thing I get down, so I don't worry about it too much! We're all addicts. Oh. Except for Judy!!! Little Miss Goody Two Shoes!

I just looked down.... there are "3 guests" reading this thread right now. They must think we're nuts.

KIDDING!! Well, he does know a lot about baseball...and politics. He's extremely smart, has an incredible memory, laughs easily, is very generous and cares deeply about everyone in his life. He's highly respected in his field and has many, many friends. He's a wonderful golfer. He thinks I'm wonderful and funny and tells me I'm pretty every single day. He spoils me rotten and would give me anything I ask for (almost). He doesn't ever complain about how rarely I cook or that I spend so much time (and $$) at my beading table and the computer.

My DH knows a lot about baseball.

I just had a nice experience. I guess you could call it an NSV. I've been a pretty good little bandster lately (even lost another pound!) so I'm in a bit of a 'groove'. Anyway, i went downstairs to our deli just to get some soup for lunch. There's a girl in front of me who's maybe 5'2" and about 240#. I kind of lean over and am looking at the pretty veggies that are available....some asparagus and squash...and i say to myself, "MMM..those look good!" Well she looks over and thinks I"m talking about the huge cookies that are right next to them and says, 'Oh yes they do!"....and grabs one for herself. She's waiting for her California Burger to come off the grill, has this humongous cookie, a Coke and bag of Cheetos. I had a cup of sausage & vegetable soup and a side of veggies. I'm NOT being critical of her, 'cause lord knows that was ME a year ago! I just had a moment there where I recognized that I HAVE made some progress. Yea me!

Laura, you have beautiful legs!

Oh, I think we all understand that, Laura. Same for me! usually the only time i post about my DH is when I"m complaining or licking my wounds from a fight. Besides, who comes online and says things like, "Oh let me tell you how wonderful my DH is...!!" HA! But we don't hestitate to post the crappy part, eh? It's all good.... and I'm very happy to hear that ya'll have what sounds like a great relationship! You are mature for your age and have a very good head on your shoulders! I don't mean to sound like i'm 'lecturing' you either, ...just giving you the benefit of my experience...and I've got a LOT of it!! LOL

I praise the Lord every day for capris!! i like 'em loose and cotton-y!

Well, once AGAIN, I had a multi-paragraph post with personals for everyone and it vanished. I'm weary... I'm going nite-nite. zzzzzzzzzzz

Shorts!?!? I haven't worn a pair of shorts for 5 years!!

Haydee, I JUST read this little inspirational ditty and I instantly thought of you... take it for what you will: You can't believe how often not wanting to feel awkward gets in our way of having our dream come true. We feel tongue-tied, all thumbs, as if we've got two left feet—and we take it as a sign to go back to the tried and true. Even if the tried and true is a prison cell, we long for the comfort of the familiar. As my friend Dawna Markova says, "Be it ever so toxic, there's no place like home." But to learn anything, we have to leave the comfort of the known for the awkwardness of the untried. And we must accept our ineptness as the price of beginning, trusting that, like adolescents, we'll grow out of that awkward stage and blossom into mastery if we just hang in there. -- MJRyan

Laura, In my experience having children totally changed my life (obviously) and having the second one contributed so greatly to the stress in our marriage that it collapsed. I don't know if ya'll are ready or not, but what I can tell you is that being realistic and getting your marriage in a very strong place first is so very important. The issue of video games that you mention sometimes as being a problem, I can see becoming a major problem when you throw a child into the mix. Suddenly there is about 3-4x the amount of work to be done around the house and if he's in the habit of escaping into his virtual world, I can only see that getting worse. Even if that's not a problem anymore....there will be others that you haven't even gotten a glimpse of yet and will take you by surprise...so the bigger question is how are problems handled in general. Are you partners or is one more dominant than the other? In my experience if one is more dominant, the resentment tends to build as does the stress. You add a kid into that mix and POW! you got a load of trouble. BTW, my DH and I were married 10 years before we had children!....then the real trouble began. I certainly don't mean to imply that I regret having children...NOT AT ALL! I'm only trying to emphasize to you that your marriage needs to be in a very stable place...ready and committed to handling anything that comes your way. I also think that your dh might very well change his mind about going into the delivery room. If he is adamant about NOT going in, yes, I'd say that's a bit of a red flag. Here are some online quizzes for you if you want.... Relationship Baby-Ready Quiz Quizzes – Take a Fun Quiz and Test Your Knowledge about Getting Pregnant, Pregnancy and Parenting - BabyZone.com Quiz: What Kind of Dad Will He Be? Quiz: Ready for Parenthood Quiz Are You Ready for Parenthood? - A Parenting Quiz http://public.findlaw.com/life_events/forms/le2_2_1.pdf

You're kidding, right? I can think of a hundred bad foods right off the top of my head and unfortunately many of us LIVED on those bad foods. Don't forget that because our portions are so small, we absolutely have to make healthy choices....with an occasional treat.

There is a sticky in the LB FAQ section, too.... here's a link. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/abbreviations-what-they-mean-7959/

I started a new Violet recipe section!! Don't ya'll think thats a good idea?? Yes, Tracy...Congrats to you on DAY 1!!! It's the hardest day of all. Best of luck to you, girlfriend! Janie - If the emerald is scratched up it makes me think that it's not real. Emeralds are pretty hard ...about a 7.5 or 8, I think (with diamond being a 10). If it is real, it could be polished up and re-set. Any jeweler could tell you if it's real or not...or look to see if your town has a local lapidary society and contact them for advice. That's also a good place to find custom jewelers who are probably reasonably priced.

Hola! (Speaking of "hola"....where the HELL is HAYDEE?????) Well, DD and I survived our day of shopping. And, of course, as it turns out after 4 hours of shopping she ended up buying the 2nd dress she tried on at the 1st store we visited. But we had to go to 10 other stores just to make sure it was the right one. It really is perfect and it will make her dad happy too....very elegant and modest .... a black chiffon short dress over a pewter colored satin 'slip'...with a few black bugle beads around the waist. Wednesday we shop for shoes. Oy. DH met us for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant...he and I split mahi-mahi, a stuffed potato and greek salad. I had maybe 1/5 of it! It was delish. Then DD and I went to the beauty supply place so I could buy supplies for highlighting my hair tomorrow. THEN we went to Barnes and Noble where I bought 3 jewelry books!!! What a fun day....but man, am I exhausted now! Speakiing of jewelry (my favorite subject!) this morning I made a set of silver "stacking rings" like the ones below...except I have a stack of 5...might make a couple more tomorrow. They're so easy, fast and aren't they cute? I just canNOT wait to start my metalsmithing class next month!!! G'night all....gonna go play around, maybe shop for some tools on ebay! Wheeeee!

I'm pretty sure Haydee was banded in Mexico.... Off to go dress shopping for my DD. Pray for me.

To be on the safe side I do as my doctor said....no pills larger than a birth control pill. That would be about 4-5mm, I guess. However, I 'tested' my Lexapro pills which are about three times that size and are not coated in any way. (A coating or capsule on your pill should give you a hint that they are meant to pass thru the esophagus and/or stomach before being dissolved). I dropped it in a tiny bit of Water to see how fast it dissolves and it dissolved almost instantly. So that told me that if I only drink a full glass of water with the pill it would have no trouble getting thru the band. I also NEVER take any aspirin or ibuprofen or aleve (NSAIDs) unless it's a liquid and always with plenty of water. These are very hard on your upper GI system. Hope that helps.

I would suggest you do a search in the Insurance section for BCBS to get a good idea of what your experience will be like because all of the other people here who have gone thru it already. There will be tons of info there!

thanks, Judy!! You're a really good counter!!