claraluz

Greg, you're hilarious! Penni, so glad you had such a wonderful Christmas. I feel robbed. I gained two pounds, yes, but I didn't have any of the fun the rest of you were having. No fudge, no candy, no nothing. Maybe a few too many nuts. I was at 179, but this morning the scale said 181 and this morning is what counts. Oh, well. Nancy

Mark, As you can see, you've hit a nerve. I'm going to try not to repeat what others have said, but I agree with almost all of it. What I want to say to you is that the pain and worry you feel for your son came through in what you wrote. I didn't hear you say that you're ashamed of him. I know you love him and are afraid for him. And you're right. He is killing himself. But he is killing himself very, very slowly. He has time to figure out how to manage his weight. I am 50 and have been morbidly obese for most of my adult life. I didn't start having any health problems at all until last year - high cholseterol and borderline diabetes - but both have responded well to the appropriate treatment including diet and exercise and weight loss. So your son has time. A lot of time. Your son may not let you know it (he may be passively opposing you as a way to resist your pressure to lose weight), but he does not forget for one second of the day that he is morbidly obese. And he wants to be thin. You think he doesn't want it enough? You have no idea. There are so many little things that he cannot physically do. Like bend over. Squat to pick something up. Get out of bed easily. Sit in any chair he wants to. Fasten a seatbelt. Drive without the wheel rubbing against him. Fit in a booth at a restaurant. Pass someone in a corridor. Run to catch the bus. Walk across the room without getting short of breath. Fit in. Be a hunk. Have his pick of girls. You think he doesn't want to be thin? You are probably right when you say there is a genetic component to his obesity. You and your wife are overweight. You are harming your health just as much as he is harming his. Being even mildly overweight increases your risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. You know this, but so far you haven't been able to change. You and your son have exactly the same disease. He's just got a worse case of it. And I challenge you and your wife both to lose your excess weight and keep it off for five years. If you manage to do that you will be among only 5% of people who can. If you can't manage to do that, then I guess you know it's not just because you don't want it. Statistically speaking, it is very unlikely that any amount of diet and exercise will help your son in the long run. He may lose weight, but if he is like the rest of us, he will regain it and more very quickly. Diet and exercise can sometimes help those with less weight to lose, but for the morbidly obese, surgery is the recommended treatment by the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the Lung Heart and Blood Institute of the NIH and many others. My parents are dead now. I know that my weight probably worried them sick. And I know they probably ached for me because of the shame and depression and lonliness I suffered because of my obesity. I always loved and respected them so much for not ever saying one word to me about it. They knew I knew I was fat. They knew I knew they knew I was fat. They knew I knew how to eat better and exercise more. And I guess they knew that if they nagged me about it, that would be just one more reason to feel angry and resentful and to calm myself with food. They were so wise, so wise. I'm sorry they never got to see me thin. But I guess wherever they are now, they know. My heart goes out to you and to your family. I know you are hurting. I pray that all of you will come to the answer that is right for you. Nancy

Right, you look great! And I agree that your current avatar does not do you justice, you gorgeous thing, you! Nancy

Yes, Lisa, you were beautiful anyway, but you can really see the weight loss in your face. Thanks for sharing these photos. Nancy

I have an announcement! It's snowing in Houston right this minute and the snow is sticking! The roofs are white and the grass is getting there! Kids are out making snowballs. I remember it snowed once about 20 years ago, but it didn't stick. This is great. We may even have a White Christmas. Falalalala! Nancy

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you enjoy your time with your family. Zoe, that is awesome about seeing everyone for the first time in 20 years! Nancy

The whole band experience is a learning process as far as I'm concerned. I'm 16 months out from surgery and I'm still working on changing my diet and my habits. Nancy

You've done exceptionally well and I know you must have done a lot of hard work to get to your goal. Congratulations and thanks for posting! It really helps to see people who have gotten to goal. Nancy

The list that is in the book is very comprehensive and too long to print. You can get good, but limited information at Mendosa.com or by googling "glycemic index." In general, the good news is that you don't have to give up carbs. You just have to be careful about which ones you eat. Surprisingly, Pasta is low-glycemic, so if your band allows, it's fine in small portions. Most (but not all) veggies and fruits are OK. meats and nuts have a glycemic index of 0. But be careful of the fat. Lowfat, no sugar milks and yogurts are OK. Beans and lentils are great. Most fruits are OK, but bananas, mangoes, and dried dates (darn it!) can be high. Apple juice is low, but orange juice is high. Oranges themselves are low. Rice is very high except for basmati rice (which is still kind of high) or Uncle Ben's converted. Breads, crackers, and cereals are the worst. White bread is worse than pure sugar! So are potatoes. But sourdough bread, oat bran breads (not just with oat bran sprinkled on top), and pumpernickel bread is OK. For cereals, oatmeal, All-bran are OK and just about everything else is horrible. Popcorn is very high. If you eat according to the band rules: Protein first, then veggies, and then fruits, and starches only if you have room, you'll be on a very low glycemic index diet. Hope this helps. Nancy

Congratulations, Darcey. So glad you had a relatively easy time of it. You're going to love your band. Nancy

I'm thinking of you, too, Lauri. I hope all is well. Nancy

Enjoy your holiday and congratulations on your weight loss. Nancy

Lisa, I just cannot believe your avatar! Didn't I just see you a couple of months ago? You look so different! And so great! Nancy

Am I the only one who's starting to get freaked out about all the erosions we've been hearing about lately? I'm beginning to wonder if this is a more common problem than I realize. Lately I've been thinking that it almost seems unreasonable to believe that one could have a tight band around one's stomach for a long period of time and that it wouldn't erode or cause some other problem. Does anyone know what the real rate of erosion is? When I get to my goal weight I am definitely going to get as much of an unfill as I can while still maintaining my weight. Nancy

I know how relieved you must be, Penni, that your mom is cancer-free and I am so happy for both of you. I am very sorry about your sister, though. But despite her trials, she is blessed to have a sister like you. Take care. Nancy

Wow, Betty, snowing! They say it may even snow here in Houston tonight and tomorrow, but I doubt that it will down my way, since I live so far South. Is the snow actually sticking to the ground? I highly recommend menopause to those of you who are cold. I only wish that I could share some of my body heat with you. Nancy

Bandstock sounds great, but don't expect me to dance naked in the mud. I look better than I did, but not THAT much better! Nancy

Well, Penni, and everyone - I hope the time with family renews your spirit. As for me, I'm Jewish, and I have to say that as an outsider looking at Christmas, it has never looked all that fun to me - all that crazy rushing around, parties where we are tempted to eat the wrong things, spending too much - and it leaves so many people feeling stressed out and a little hollow. But it is a beautiful tree. Oh, and I have a suggestion as to where to go to renew your spirit: Guanica, Puerto Rico. Beautiful, deserted coves. Gorgeous giant trees with flaming red flowers. A flourescent bay in moonlight. And a U.N. biosphere dry forest to hike in. Ah, the memories. Nancy

There's another reason Dr. Ortiz should be upset. I am curious about the book, but I'd be a fool to order it now. So the sales of his book could well be affected. Nancy

I was at 183 yesterday, so that is my official weight for this week. I feel I am doing really well in the eating department on most days, but I did not do so well on the exercise this past week. I maybe got in two hours of walking total. But I vow to do better in the upcoming week. Nancy

LOL, Megan! Nancy

I miss you, too, Donali. I learned so much from you. I hope you are well and happy. Nancy

wow, she's really got a serious problem.

Lauri, I don't want to scare you, but if your PCP can't see you or refer you to a neurologist who can see you today, I would go to the emergency center. I have no idea what your symptoms could mean but they do sound serious. Chest pain, shortness of breath, left arm tingling, and neck pain can all be heart related. Not being able to walk is certainly a serious symptom. This does not sound to me like something that can wait. Please let us know what the doctor says. Nancy

Chrissy, it sounds like you were very sick for a while there so I'm grateful that at least you are doing better. I am sorry you are having to go through this, though. But 54 pounds is a lot of weight. I am sure that by having the band you learned more than you knew before about what a reasonable portion is and I hope that you can continue to use this information. Let us know how you are doing. Nancy