Bright

Damn Better buy a new whiter than white one then!!! if it's any consolation Alexandra, I prob won't get to see much of Paris - but it's only an hour or so flight away from Dublin....if u ever need a bed! Ps My husband has been offered a job in Delaware and wants us to move to the US! He loved Jersey and has been pushing city guides etc at us over breakfast!!! LOOOOOVE to live in the US but would really miss my family - well we're not going to make a decision til the new year ! Small world xx

Babs, Lulu, Thanks guys for being happy with me! I read the other day on someone's post (could be Spotlights or the Super-Wise Alexandra here!) that a bad childhood or traumatic event can be someone's challenge or another person's excuse... and I seem to have spent YEARS getting over things so this is why my band will be almost spiritual to me!!! you are all so kind and interested! Anyway - can't wait - consult on 26th September....what should i wear???!!!!! Will it be a "best bra" event???!!! :)

nice pic! Verrrrrrry Vampy! See where u get your nickname!

hey babs! great to "see" u again too - I have "personal messaged" you - click on the user cp button at the top to get your message!

I am terrified I am going to be the one this doesn't work for - but everyone has felt that at some point so I am trying to calm down. A lot of pretty dreadful things have happened to me in the last 18 months (2 miscarriages, my granny died, my mother had been suffering from alcoholism & took her own life a few months ago, my sister is so ill from anorexia....shall i go on!!??) and I am putting my trust in this band in a higher power (i am not a believer in a god so i'm not sure what higher power!) and in a way, trusting the people on this forum, because basically i don't trust myself anymore - I don't seem to know up from down and I think I have reached a point where I have to let go, and trust that so many other people have gotten thru this operation and are very happy with their descision. I am kind of shattered by all these events, and when I read someone saying on the Spotlight Forum, that they "suffered" from Analysis Paralysis - I thought That's ME!! - so thru this difficult time, I am determined to come out of it, once and for all, with body and brain intact, breaking the circle of repetitive behaviour and actually changing my life! My favourite quote - Definition of Insanity: doing the same things over and over and expecting things to turn out differently. This maybe unknown territory for loads of us but I am shocked at how raw this trusting of other people feels. Sorry for all this stuff from inside my brain! Aaaargghhh - the control freak letting go is not a pretty sight....

Hey Nikki Well done - you (well you're bum) looks great! I'm in Ireland, and hoping to have surgery done in France next month! Where did you have your surgery done? I was going to have it done in the UK but it's pretty expensive there! anyway great to hear from you!

.............. actually after reading this again, Alexandra, the overwhelming answer is that is exactly what i do now, and I don't know if I will magically change after the surgery - that's why the band for me will still require quite a bit of will power... but I'm sure I'm not the only person who has had this problem and overcome it.......

hmmmm I guess you're right Alexandra... I have been reading a book - "Potatoes, not Prozac" which talks about people who are sugar sensitive, (and i am according to the book) and I am hoping that sticking to a high protein diet for a while will help break the craving... and i'm hoping this in turn will help with all the sugar highs/lows, depression etc. I do think that the psychological impact of having the surgery shouldn't be discounted either, great expectations can be a good thing!

...............the little things that cheer us up! I just got the new IKEA catalogue - all the way from England, and I'm so happy - not to mention the time thing sorted! Ahhh all is at peace with the world..................

you did? Well can i take this opportunity to thank you for this amazing forum! It's really brilliant - so clear, and handy - It was the first one I ever used and I took it for granted till I saw the others!!!! The Yahoo groups ones are so difficult! Maybe I'm an idiot but I can never find out where their threads start! anyway THANK u soooooooooooooo much for this - I'm sure everyone agrees! :)

hey Megan, and Babs this article really makes me concerned - I posted a thread a while back about my "sweet tooth" as I had read on one of the european banding websites, (a belgian one, I think) that people with a sweet tooth are not recommended to have the gastric band. As a matter of fact, they had a sort of online questionaire where you click on an answer and then another question pops up - one of the questions was "Do you eat a lot of sweet food?" I clicked on "yes" and was promptly bumped to a page telling me I should consider the gastric bypass instead!!! I am so worried about this...... Anyone any advice/comments????:think

ps - Wow to Babs too - 43 lbs in ten weeks - thats fantastic! Can't wait til it's me!!!!

Jeunesse you really look fantastic! What a huge difference in such a short time! It really makes me realise that I don't just have to keep my eye on a goal weight, and one big transformation - there are going to be lots of great changes along the way! Well done - best of luck for the rest of your journey :)

thanks Alex - I did that, and hey presto, "my" time is now correct!

hey I agree with Lisa, It says all times are GMT (which I take to mean Grenwich Mean Time) and I'm IN the GMT zone but the times are still 5 hours behind me! Have i done something wrong in set up?

Michelle, you're an angel, thanks! How kind! I'm still waiting for the French Consultancy company to get back to me re the surgery but apparently there's no waiting list! So it's just the matter of seeing if i can get in with Dr Frerer who is apparently the best in the world! He has done over 3600 lap bands! Just a matter of getting the money together! We had planned to go to florida next easter but we may have to use the money for surgery instead! thanks again hon xx

I am trying to read/learn as much as I can about the lap band before surgery - and I'm getting worried about my sweet tooth. Like a lot of obese people I reckon I'm an emotional eater - I don't drink, smoke, drink tea or coffee but I reach for sweet things or carbs when I'm stressed etc. I have been trying high protein diet for the past week or so and I am completely miserable - I'm not keen on meats or eggs! Also some of the european lap band websites I am on, say if you eat a lot of sweet things you are not suitable for a band!!!! I know I will have to eat less, and up the protein for health reasons - i love fish and tofu but does anyone else out there find they can indulge their sweet tooth (as in low fat chocolate mousse, no-sugar jello, popcorn etc?) and still lose weight with the band? I'm afraid i'm doomed even before i start.... For example could I stick to a weightwatchers diet (ooops the D word!) and "point" food and still lose weight? Does it have to be an Atkins road? any advice greatly appreciated

yeah maybe we could start up a girl band??!!! Or just market washing powder!!! I actually have an excuse - my real mysterious name is an unpronouncable irish name which means bright!! Do I win???!!! :D

Donali, surely a gallon of water a day can't be right? As far as I know it's between 1.5 - 2 litres which is 3 - 4 pints - from what i remember of imperial measure, isn't a gallon 8 pints? Wouldn't you kinda drown!!!!!???? :D

Oh Michelle, how good are you! Thank you so much for your offer - when I have had my surgery (hopefully at the end of october!) I would be thrilled to get some of the atkins treats! But first, I would mail you the $$$$ including some for mailing etc - it would probably cost way less than on the atkins site! Hope I'm not being pushy! I guess you're right about the bake mixes but it would be great to get the treats for a friday-night-in front -of -the- tv- watchin -Will & Grace- and- ER -reruns!!!! Don't worry about it for now though - have a think! Thanks so much again xx

Hey Gerard, Sarah & Jeunesse, Thanks for the great ideas guys My husband doesn't think I should worry the kids before the surgery - I hope to be travelling to France to have the surgery and he thinks it will be too traumatic for them to have to wait the few days til I come back - and not being able to physically see me "ok" in the hospital. I think I will sit them down when I get back and explain pretty much what I have read here - I need the surgery to be more healthy, to have a longer life and be able to participate in that life to a much better extent. They are always fed up that I won't go swimming with them so maybe I'll use that!!!

Dear God! Come to Europe! It's going to cost me $6500 to get the surgery in France! You could actually take a world trip and end it with the lap band surgery in france for the $38,000! :eek

Hey Michelle, wow- your weight loss is brilliant! You must be thrilled! I went online to the Atkins site.... and nearly cried!!! They charge $40 to send anything to europe! I'm so annoyed I didn't look this up before cos my husband just came back from a business trip (Delaware, NYC, New Jersey!) and I should have asked him to get me some! Oh well - my uncle, who is a catholic priest, lives in NYC - I'll make him go out shopping for me!!! He's making a trip to Ireland before christmas so he can come home laden with Atkins peanut butter cups and brownie mix! thanks for the info about the diet coke - if I stay off the cans and stick with the big bottles (which always end up flat and non fizzy anyway!) I should be ok! You're so right - reason I'm overweight in the first place is brownies INSTEAD of dinner! take care!

best of luck with your surgery Sparkle! Hope it all goes well - I guess nervousness is a big part of what you're feeling when your date is getting closer but I don't think you have anything to worry about - just reading about everyone else's experiences here will really put you at ease. Wishing you lots of happy babys! here's a banana for ya! :banana Alexandra!!!! No way are you over 39! In your photo you look about 25! You'll look amazing when you reach your goal weight if this is how you look now! :knockedou Hope this doesn't offend in any way??? so hard working with this medium sometimes!

I guess you're right Alexandra, my grandmother always said "everything in moderation"! The secret must be protein first, and a little of what you fancy last! Michelle, I live in Ireland and we don't have any atkins products at all here - I wonder what they're like? A protein made to taste like a carb? I am definitely going to try the chocolate flavoured protein drinks - but i really hate the atkins plan - especially in the mornings - i love my bagel and low fat cream cheese or a bowl of cereal! I think i will have to say good bye to two of my fave things - diet coke and bagels!