Donna113

I won't be going to the conference in NY/NJ next March. But if they have one here in Houston sometime next year, I definitely will go. I'm hoping that I will have reached goal by next summer and will be shopping for a PS specializing in WLS patients.

Ditto on the insurance, the doctor, the cost and the chant!

Band_Groupie, it sounds like you and I have the same treadmilll. I love it. The only problem is that it does get to be boring if you don't vary it up. I was using it consistently and even for couch to 5 k until my knee flared up and I was told to rest it for a week or two. I did, the pain went away, but I got out of the habit of exercising. I'm starting back up Friday.

Missy, I wish I had done the lap band at 180 lbs, even at 160 lbs. My understanding is that if you have 40 lbs or more to lose, you are a candidate for the band. Read through more of these threads, read up more on the band and you will realize that your fear of losing to much weight is groundless.

Good morning. I'm on day 3 of the 5 Day Pouch Test and wondering WTF? The first 2 days are liquids and I expected to have some weight loss but I got 0! My DH is doing it with me just for kicks and he lost 3.5 lbs!

I say screw it ALL and be a happy hedonist!

I'm now on Day 3 of the 5 Day Pouch Test. You'd think after 2 days of liquids, I'd lose some weight, but NOOOOOO, not an ounce. I want to break 190 so bad I can taste it. The last day of the 5 Day Pouch Test is Friday and by Saturday moring I'd better be below 190!

Good luck RedAntz! I plan on starting my exercises again this Friday.

Geranium, I hope all goes well for you today.

Can I get the phone number for God or is it unlisted? You say you know what God has to say on this matter but what you think you know is what has been taught to you in your church, bible school, bible college and the Bible which was originally penned by a man and then translated and retranslated dozens of times. I'm not convinced that the Bible is the word of God. It is full of cruelty and intolerance and a bunch of mumbo jumbo that quite frankly has no relevance or applicability in today's world.

I haven't PB'd or thrown up since being banded in July. I've had a couple of episodes of sliming which have lasted for less than 5 minutes at a time. I think I have decent restriction, yet as I stated before, I'm usually in a state of semi-hunger.

I've had 4 fills and have some restriction; in fact canceled an appt. today for a 5th fill becasue I'm afraid of over restriction. Even with restriction, I have hunger. I stop eating because I feel the discomfort in my pouch which chases away hunger but as soon as discomfort passes, hunger returns. I just live in a state of semi-hunger.

That sounds great. :laugh:

Yeah, what she said...

I take it you two have never had a discussion about pornography. My husband and I both agree porn is stupid so we don't have it in the house, but if he liked porn and wanted some mags, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. Porn on computers is another matter entirely.

Are NY or NJ the only venues under consideration? For purposes of convenience of travel (flying into NY or NJ is always such a hassle) and affordability, wouldn't other venues be more accessible?

Maybe she'll use that as the platform for why she's getting one. Picture it -- "We, Oprah, have decided We will have WLS because after We received further documentary and medical information as part of our due diligence process in acquiring a Health Network, We discoverd WLS is the best method for permanent weight loss."

Boos, have you had any fills? I've had 4 and had a 5th one scheduled for today but I canceled it because I do have some restriction and I'm scared of being overrestricted. The first couple of days after my 4th fill, I had the most restriction but for me that meant I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites of solid food before discomfort and pain but the hunger still remained. It was very tempting to do slider foods so I decided that I'd rather be too loose than even slightly too tight. If after I complete my 5 Day Pouch Test, I feel I'm still too loose, then I'll get a 5th fill.

Arguing with the Christian Right is like arguing with a door knob, except you might get a more diverse response from the door knob. I don't mean this as an insult to Christians, it's just that being a recovering zealot, I know that when you are in that phase and God is the answer to every question, how can anyone argue against God? Arguing that the Bible was written by man doesn't work either because "God enlightened man and the hand the man wrote with was simply an instrument of God's will"

yumm -- sounds good.

I'm just flabbergasted. My husband would throw himself in front of a bus before he'd suggest I submit to him and if he didn't, I'd shove him in front of that bus. In all seriousness, we are best friends, lovers and partners in life. This brings us joy in our relationship and also sets an example for both our son and daughter that one is not above the other. It saddens me when I see people use God as a sword to stab others with whom they disagree. That's one of the reasons why I no longer practice any organized relgion. I prefer to be a tolerant spiritualist.

I had been exercising daily but my knee flared up when I started the Couch to 5 K training and I was advised by the doctor to rest it for a week or 2 and sure enough after a couple of weeks, the knee stopped bothering me but I had gotten out of the habit of exercising so I really need to get back into it. As for food, right now I'm on day 2 of the 5 Day Pouch Test but normally, I just eat normal food in much smaller amounts than I used to prior to banding. I don't eat bread anymore (although I've tested it to see if I can and I still can). I don't miss it so I don't eat it. I still eat a tiny bit of pasta and a tiny bit of rice on rare occasions. I love them so I just stay away from them. I have had a bit of trouble over Halloween chocolate (ate it every day for a week straight) but miraculously did not gain any weight. That probably means I would have lost had I not indulged. I just really suck at tracking food on a diary. I hate it and don't want to do it. It makes me feel like I'm a slave to the food and in fact makes me feel even less in control. Does that make sense?

Her show at least... I heard tonight that Oprah plans to "retire" from her show in 3 years.

OMG you've planted some sort of device in my head so you can read all my thoughts, haven't you?

I feel your DW's pain.