DeLarla

Since having my band removed 12/27/05, I have been nearly perfect on my 1200 calorie diet. Till last night! I think I proved my surgeon's advice about avoiding artificial sweeteners. Before discharging me from the hospital, Dr. Billy told me how he wants me to eat. His number one rule is: No Equal, Nutrasweet, Splenda or any artificial sweeteners, no diet, lowfat, nonfat, fat free or anything labeled as such. If I want a Dove Bar, eat one as long as I count the calories in my daily total, and I'm allowed 1200 calories a day. Since then I have avoided my favorite drug - diet Pepsi (or Diet Coke, I'm not picky.) Yesterday I had my first Diet Coke in the morning, then another late in the day. (Long story, hubby was cleaning out the fridge & was going to throw away perfectly good Diet soda since we don't drink it, so I figured I'd finish off the case then quit for good.) My husband has mountains of goodies in the house, and they haven't bothered me till late last night. I've made it this far without eating past 7:00 p.m. till last night. Last night it was absolutely impossible for me to avoid Peanut Butter Cookies. I started with two, but then I figured I'd better enjoy them so I had a glass of milk. This put me over my calories. Soon I was picking all the cashews out of his roasted nuts, then a handful of peanuts. I figured, "it's too late now" so I ate a couple more cookies and poured a 2nd glass of milk. I am THRILLED that I stopped there, but horrified that I broke over 20 days of perfect dieting because my cravings and willpower were stronger. After yesterday's experiment, I am 100% convinced that Dr. Billy is correct when it comes to artificial sweeteners. He said the ingredients are derived from sugar and have the same "spike and valley" effect on our bloodsugar that carbs have. That means a couple hours after the diet soda crash, you'll crave bad carbs. I brought the case of soda to work and will stay away from the CRAP. I was so upset that I got up at 4:30 a.m. this morning and calculated my binge. I ate 1125 extra calories during my rage last night, and I was determined to burn off every single calorie. I exercised for 1.5 hours but still only burned 800. I need to burn 325 more before going to bed because I've come too far to stop now.

FINALLY BETTY, there you are! I already had an accident, so I am so very very outta here! I will snap snap as soon as I get there!

Is it me, or does LBT now have an XXX rated selection of sexually explicit bananas? Jack, is that one on the far right end really getting it from behind?

"I know a man in Vegas who is getting him some tonight!!!!!!" You do? When are you going to introduce me? Ha ha! Karen, Chris is the best husband most of the time. Trust me, I knocked a lot of rough off him over the years, but he's still got some pretty sharp edges! And think about it, did he really buy his wife a brand new bike, or did he buy himself bragging rights? Oh geeze, I can just hear him telling his buddies that 'his' wife has 2 Harleys AND owns and adult toy store. He thinks he's King Ding Dong! His friends worship him for my vibrator business alone!

YOU are in shock? I'll probably have a stroke when I get home. I'm trapped at work for another hour and can't even see it till then! He said our money tree out back by the gold mine just bloomed. At least I have witnesses to testify how nicotine abstinence has caused his temporary insanity for when the bankruptcy judge comes a knockin! And you people don't expect me to ride her, do you? She's way, wayyyy too pretty for riding! If I don't die in the next hour, I'll post a pic when I get to her! I'm not thrilled that Daddy is riding my newborn first, but my head is spinning and heart pounding - not the safest riding conditions going on right now! I told him he'd die next if he DARES riding her anywhere but to the garage! MINE. Wow. Like, wow!

Hubby on phone now - 2006 Street Glide, Black and beautiful. She'll be getting very delicate pink pin stripe details - nothing tacky, just very DeLarla!!!! IT HAS A STEREO!

Confession time. I completely lost control for 2 nights. I just added up the binge foods (all loaded with fat.) No lie, I ate almost 4000 calories in crap the past 2 nights. I cried & screamed this morning and marched into my doctor. We had a serious talk about my monster PMS issues. One day a cookie is nothing, but during PMS I'll kill. I am very concerned because my band hurts today (I swear, Billy must have forgot to remove it because I still feel it.) The doc was amazing. I cried, she gave me Kleenex. We discussed a diet pill for 5 days prior to my period. She said "no prescription meds due to your fluctuating blood pressure." But she wants me to take OTC Hydroxicut during those 5 days, which is designed to curb carb & sugar cravings. She also referred me to a psychiatrist/psychologist since my food moods are so predictably related to my PMS schedule. I will schedule a monthy visit to the shrink to coincide with my 5 days of Hydroxicut and beat the hell out of this disease from all angles. Last night I felt it coming on, I begged my husband to tie me down, but he fell asleep and left me alone. My obesity and PMS go hand-in-hand. 3500 calories equals one pound, so I ate enough in 2 days to gain a solid 1.25 pounds in 2 nights. Thank you all for your support. I'm still waiting for my stupid period, so I weighed 241 today (238 yesterday.) That's 2 pounds of Water and 1.25 pounds of real fat weight. I appreciate all your support and will go home and rearrange my entire house tonight if I have to. I need to start a whole new threat about TIVO (prices, etc.) I need to quit TV 100% during the week and stick to reading. TV is bad, bad, bad. Thank you all so much. I'm a mess. I was doing so good, now I feel like a train wreck. I hate how hard this is. And my pouch hurts. I mean it hurts like I slipped it... and I don't even have a band.

No, Jack, I have not heard of the Aspertame hoax. I usually don't understand half of what you say, so can you break it down for my simple brain? I'm curious as to what you mean.

Wow, Candysmooch! You just described my husband! He refuses to leave the house. I went country dancing alone the other night. I can't wait to get home to read your post to him! This morning he said he wanted to buy a pack of smokes. Our backyard faces the gas station where he bought his cigs, and he stands at the wall and stares at the gas station for 20 minutes several times a day. He used to stand at that wall smoking, watching the traffic and the cars at the gas station. He's having a really rough time. I told him to start focusing on all the good, and he actually told me, "The garage doesn't stink any more, does it?" Chris always wakes up in his sleep and says, "Hold me." But I always told him he smelled too bad. How sad. Then he'd try to put his arm around me but I'd push it away because his fingers were like ashtrays. Now when he kisses me he smells like chocolate pudding and baked goods. Now I'm the one cuddling up next to him, so I reminded him of all these wonderful things. He sleeps like a peaceful baby now, and before it was awful snoring and gross, scary noises. Thanks for asking, Paula, because I'm going to show him all the support he has right here As far as me, I have not gone back for a 2nd treatment because I'm not struggling right now. I have been very fortunately blessed by the Willpower Fairy (out of the blue, I have no idea where this willpower came from.) So if I start struggling again, I'll go get a treatment. This place uses a warm laser. I am, however, very disappointed with all the BULLSHIP advertisement from this laser center. Tons of commercials on all the radio and TV stations with people saying they smoked 3 packs a day for 20 years and left the first treatment cured. Damn liars! Our friend, CJ, also went for his treatment and is 1 week smoke free, but his whole family tells me how awful he is to live with. So maybe the treatments help to some degree (with Chris they help right afterwards for the day.) But they certainly don't turn smokers into non-smokers with just a few treatments. I have not gone in for a 2nd treatment myself.

It's really important to not compare your saline fills with anyone else. Everyone has a different face, right? Same with the way our stomachs react to the band and fills. US doctors are famous for giving a little at a time, kind of like sneaking up on a good level. I've read it's because it's safer to fill slowly because sudden tight fills "might" be an erosion factor, but that can't be proved. The Mexican docs I know fill you tight right away. How did they fill you? Did he simply give you the small amount then send you home? Or did he fill you, then ask you to drink Water to see how it felt? Did they do it under x-ray to see how the Fluid looked going through the band?

I'll repeat it - my new penpal banded out of Florida has horror stories of an infected port that landed her hospitilized for EIGHT days. When she was finally discharged she was sent home with weeks of in-home IVs 3 times a day. Her US surgeon worse than my Mexican surgeon. And Donali & Karen were perfect model bandsters like Michelle. Both banded by Lopez in TJ. When my band eroded, my doctor demanded 100% honesty when he asked me two questions: 1. Did you smoke? 2. Did you take NSAIDs (anti inflammatory meds) I was able to answer no to both, and I confessed to drinking alcohol. He assured me alcohol isn't a factor, nor is eating the wrong foods. Like Forest Gump says, Erosion Happens. These generalizations have me fired up, too, but I'm speaking from my own personal experience after having three surgeries in three separate Tijuana facilities. Two of them were clean but still re-used disposable items. I had to ask every single time what IV they were hooking up because nobody ever checked my name, and one time they had the wrong IV (it belonged to the asthmatic down the hall.) I had to ask them to put on gloves. The 2nd center looked worse than my local DMV, and nobody ever asked for ID. The third center was a converted office building - clean, but certainly not suitable for surgery in my opinion.

Forget about your sore throat and worry about your band! After a bad PB, you need to take it easy a couple days. Stick to soft foods and liquids only to let things settle. Girl, take care of yourself!

My new penpal banded out of Florida has horror stories of an infected port that landed her hospitilized for EIGHT days. When she was finally discharged she was sent home with weeks of in-home IVs 3 times a day. Her US surgeon worse than my Mexican surgeon.

I've stayed out of this thread way too long and can't hold back any more because there are both good and bad points on both sides. First, "I know nothing about the hospitals there, but unless the Water is filtered, isn't a little scary that your surgeons are scrubbing in with water that is supposedly full of parasites?" Having been banded in Mexico & infected for over a year before eventually eroding - G R O S S. Had I read this statement prior to going to Tijuana, I'd never have gone. Great point. Then: "LOL The hospitals obviously use water that is not full of parasites. It might be another country with different plumbing systems, but they aren't in the dark ages. The medical community there understand the concept of being sterile." Well this is hugely innacurate! I had three surgeries there, and there's not much sterile going on. Nurses don't wear gloves to change IVs, IV needles are seen laying around, they wash instead of disposing certain disposable items (like the used leg stockings I wore.) They spelled my name wrong every single time and consider a handshake as good as a driver's license for identification purposes. I remember faces from my band surgery, and looking back I should have seen SURGICAL MASKS like I do in the US. During my 2nd surgery the doors were propped open with people walking in and out getting supplies. When I speak of Mexico, I'm referring to facilites used by the 3 most popular Tijuana surgeons. I have heard nothing but glowing reports from Dr. Rumbault in Monterey Mexico, which includes his facility. I had nothing but negative, unsterile, infected luck going to Tijuana... or am I wrong? All that hell has me down 78 pounds. And as far as pros and cons of band vs. bypass, once I eroded my band removal surgery was, well, reversible without having to sew my giblets back together. I made the right choice, and anyone saying they'd never go to another country for surgery never hit rock bottom. Once you decide life isn't worth living and start planning suicide, any country will do. Mexico screwed me, but I also got my life back in the end, thanks to my amazing US surgeon and his sterile facility and staff.

"I put my faith in Inamed's recommendation, but now I see who else they have recommended." Yeah, I put my faith in Inamed too, who claimed Dr. Lopez was their number one guy. Dr. Lopez and Dr. Ortiz used to be partners. It's not just the fact that these two guys have eroded patients, it's that about 10 of us are all from the same time frame. Try to explain why Michelle, Franceca, Penni, Me, Karen, Donali and others, who are ALL Ortiz and Lopez patient and all banded in the same time frame, ended up eroded. As far as I'm concerned, Ortiz and Lopez are doing something other doctors aren't doing, which is why so many of their patients are eroding at about 18 months out. Meanwhile, Lopez and Ortiz both boomed so fast that they've banded hundreds in the past couple years. How many of those banded patients are walking around eroded right now? The only way to detect erosion is to get an endoscopy, and neither Lopez or Ortiz require regular endoscopies unless a patient is experiencing a problem or if they don't like what they see during a an x-ray fluoroscopy. Some of us had great x-ray results but were smart enough to get endoscopies even though Lopez and Ortiz don't require it. Sure enough we were eroded. When other people post negative things about a surgeon, that's a good thing. It gives potential bandsters the chance to check that surgeon out. Maybe they'll like the guy anyway, but maybe they'll chose someone else and have a healthy band. It's all about choices. You don't have to like what you read.

In DeLarla's 3 Month Challenge for Prizes things are screwballs. I can't get to page 18. When I click on page 18, it takes me to a completely different thread that has nothing to do with me. When I posted a reply, it posted it to that same thread. 10 minutes ago I was able to get to page 18, but now when I click on page 19 it takes me to a completly OTHER thread. I even tried going to "last page" from the title of the post where it says. I clicked on "last page" and it brought me to this thread: Hi New here I'm Malcolm and banded 4 years last may Who is Malcolm, and why is his thread coming up in my thread? I started that challenge and don't want to miss updating anyone's progress. Should I cry?

As always, my hero. Thank you.

Stupid scale! Here's a place to curse your scale. No cheerleaders or motivators please, just pure anger and PMS. Shrinks say it's healthy to vent, so vent away!

PLEASE READ Something is wrong with my LBT. I can't get to page 18 of this thread. When I click on page 18 it takes me to a completely different post, which is strange since I can get to page 19. Can anyone get to page 18? Also, I apologize for changing the rules to "must weigh in on Monday." I didn't think it through when I started the challenge, but like Margo mentioned, it was too hard making heads or tails of all the posts. If anyone can get to page 18, are there updates that I need to change? I'll have to report the problem to Alex.

You should cut and paste some of the complications to this board and send it to the TV station. That's blatant false advertising.

It's all about slowing down and chewing your food. Every single surgeon says the same thing, which is chew, chew, chew. Chew every single bite till it's mush before swallowing. You went through the pain and expense of surgery because you wanted to lose weight, so you HAVE to change your lifestyle or you'll hurt yourself. You can cause your band to slip - or worse. My band eroded, so it had to come out. The one thing I did learn from being banded 1.5 years is to eat slow, small bites. You must take at least 20 minutes to eat your meals. Stop using big forks. Even without my band I eat with tiny spoons and dinner plates. Eat slow, please. Chew chew chew!

"I think she ment Shrinks!!! LOL!!! " Shinks, shrinks, either way you look at it, the scale is a piece of doody!

Oh you naughty little Bandsters! I am not talking about potato chips, corn chips, fried chips or chocolate chips! Here's a new fun thread that we can all use. I'm looking for volunteers to create Virtual Chips that we can put in our signature line after we EARN THEM. I think Trish is good at creating all those cute computer diddies, so can those of you creative with the computer "create" some virtual chips and post some samples here for us to vote on? In AA, you get a 30 day chip if you don't drink booze for 30 days. It's a little plastic chip for your keychain. You get another after 60 days, 90 days, 3 months, 6 months, a year, etc. You get the same chips in OA (Overeater's Anonymous) for abstinence. For example, my big problem right now is sugar and soda. I haven't had any for 3 days, so in another 27 days I'll have earned my 30 Day Chip. WHO ELSE WANTS CHIPS? Post your starting date, your abstinence and the number of days you have. If you stick to your plan for 30 days, you can add a chip to your signature. This is based on honesty. Here are some abstinence suggestions: Three meals a day, no Snacks. No sugar. Exercise 5 times a week (abstain from laziness) No Carbs No Booze No Caffeine I'll start: Lisa, abstaining from sugar and soda, currently on Day 3.

They say, "You're only as sick as your secrets." I've been keeping most of my really fat pictures secret from you guys, so I thought I'd share a couple. They are very humiliating. Today I can very proudly say that I've lost 76 pounds since the beginning of my band journey. I'll ask hubby to take some current photos so Penni can make them into a side-by-side for me to update the Before & After thread, but I feel compelled to share these with my LBT family through choked-back tears. Here's dying Lisa:

Heather, I'll dig out my childhood pic of an abused & neglected scruffy 175 pound child that will make you cry. I can't explain how you get on the right train, but you'll find it. I look better now than I did in grade school. Just eat 4-5 ounces of protein this morning, then drink tons of water. Sure, you might feel a little hungry, but a huge salad is just a few hours away. You can do it girl!