DeLarla

So here's my diet plan: Breakfast: Protein shake (milk, nana, low carb powder, Vitamins, fish oil, fiber) Lunch: Raw veggies and either 2 tacos, 1 slice pizza, Kid's meal, 3 Fingers or 6" Sub Dinner: salad with chicken breast, tuna or steak & vinegrette instead of Ranch Water, water, movement and laughter.

Patti, you have good reason to be confused ~ I tend to do that to people. First, if you look at Band stats, you'll see that the average banded person loses about 1/2 of their excess body weight by restricting their caloric intake. But then many of us start falling back on bad food choices. Even though we can't eat large quantities, we can still get too many calories from fattening & unhealthy choices. I lost 1/2 of what I wanted to lose, and now I'm slowly gaining due to eating junk food, snacking between meals, drinking, etc. I'm a rare Bandster since I don't have a port. I lost my first port due to infection (they had to remove it.) Then I got a new port, but that one also got infected and was removed. So now I could really use a fill since my band isn't very tight, but I've been through so many complications and heartache over my band that I'm ready to throw in the towel. I'm no longer losing weight, so the band isn't doing me much good. Since I was banded in another country, my local US doctors won't help me. I'm here to encourage people but also to let everyone know the truth. I don't sugar coat my posts because everyone should hear the good and the bad before getting banded. Nobody here will tell you that the band does all the work! The band is just a small tool to help restrict food, but it's up to YOU to stay away from goodies, fried foods, snacking, late night eating ~ you know, all the stuff that got us fat to begin with.

OMG, if Chris knew someone caught him wearing the same thing he'd burn that suit! Truth is, he planned on going casual this year till the very last second. But when he saw me all dolled up he jumped in his suit and wondered if anyone would notice. I told him people don't pay attention to what men wear!

Hang in there, it was almost 3 weeks for me before I felt human. Heating pad and pampering will help. Maybe get a spa pedicure where you sit in the vibrating chair for 1/2 hour.

Alex, it's your turn to duck from the flying shoes! And Kim, I'm right there with you and gave up on dieting long ago. But Dr. Billy said that I never tried a diet while banded, and the band might make it easier. I like the sound of the Med Diet since it looks like it's based on veggies. I actually know the answer to my own question, but I wanted to see if anyone was willing to at least give something one last desperate try. I want to weigh less than 200 pounds. I want to weigh less than 200 pounds. I want to weigh less than 200 pounds. The only way to do it is for me to know how many calories I'm consuming, and that involves a very ugly morbid word known as MATH. Jenny Craig & Nutrisystem won't work for me since I've failed too many times, and they aren't realistic. They call a dry sponge and teaspoon of fake tomato paste "pizza." I think I'll write my own diet and post it here. The Fast food Diet. Like a Protein shake for b-fast, a taco n' salad for lunch, a salad n' chick breast for dinner. Simple. Thanks for your input!

Terri, we need to start planning the bash more carefully so we can get it all in! I would LOVE to do makeovers at the bash! So you gotta show up really early next time. Is it summer yet?

My Christmas splurge shirt is lime green, and I LOVE it. It's a 2 piece with a little silk cami for under. But it sucks that even though I paid way too much for it, there's already little snags and sequence coming off. Damn, I might have to wear it twice then get a full refund! It's probably the prettiest shirt I've ever owned. As far as me hooking up with all the HOT men, it's called Basic Instincts. I never leave the house without my pheromone cologne! NEVER. Last night Bruno's wife (yep, married) couldn't make the Christmas party. I snuggled up close enough for him to smell my Basic Instincts and told him to pick the prettiest girl to pose with since Jill was gone, and he said, "Why can't I have you?" It's the pheromones!

I actually splurged on my lime green shirt from Nordstrom, and I LOVE it! I wasn't really looking for compliments though (well, yes I was, hahaha.) My point to this post was due to all the recent freaking out over erosion with newbies deciding NOT to get the band after all the hell they read here. Even though I'm currently "considering" band removal, I still think the band worked for me. I have not decided to have the band removed, but I'm starting to work on other weight loss options. So thanks for letting me toot my own horn and thanking my band for doing it's job. I DO NOT have a port. I never really had a port, actually. My first port was infected before my original wounds healed, then my 2nd port only lasted one week before getting infected and removed. If I had a port, hmmmm... one could only imagine. Thanks for all the compliments. I never post ugly pics of myself, but trust me that they do exist! I'm more than happy to help people with makeovers. I LOVE doing makeovers. I could make any one of you just as pretty with a little makeup and hair. Just let me at you!

Jen, I could use you right now. And YOU can use me. I need to start all over again from square one. I pick horrible food choices, terrible habits, bad, bad, bad. Right now I'm looking for someone dead serious to diet with. Phone calls, support, friggen weekend visits, whatever it takes.

"Feeling" your port doesn't sound like a problem. However, if it bothers you, or if it's red, inflamed, itchy, warm, hot or infected then you've got a problem. Sometimes people are so uncomfy that they opt for a port replacement and the doc is usually happy to place the port somewhere less irritating. But pulling, like a pulled stitch feeling??? That doesn't sound right. Call your doc, k?

I have two of the most amazing, remarkable, loveable fur babies in the world. I just lost my 15 year old sweet Kitty Milo to old age, too. Being overweight has nothing to do with owning pets because I know tons of thin people who are just as in love. Doctors and studies do show that pet ownership helps with stress. I've even read pet owners live longer. Cats are wonderful but dogs are more like people. My cat was the best companion ever, but cats are funny and come and go as they please, while dogs follow your every step. I miss my kitty terribly, but I have the love of my two dogs to keep me filled up with life for a long time.

I wish I had time to really dive into this post considering I'm on thyroid meds for underactive thyroid, PLUS I have Sarcoidosis, an auto immune disease. And YES my port immediately became infected. But if Sarcoid or Thyroid would reject the port, why didn't it reject the whole band? I personally don't believe my thyroid or autoimmune had anything to do with it. I think my surgeon did sloppy work or just a fluke. Donali, Karen, Michelle, Diane, Penni, Francesca, Karen, etc... all eroded. Did they all have my same conditions? Uh, nope. I'm not being mean, I'm just too busy to get fluffy right now, but I mean well!

Last week, right after my Upper GI that came out with good results, I suddenly lost all restriction for the first time in my banded history. I mean ALL restriction. I even did all the testing, like swallowing a horse pill 1st thing in the morning, but it slide right down. I ate a whole steak dinner with a massive baked potato. I haven't had an ounce of restriction in several days, which was very odd for me. But she's back, the sweet PB and pain of restriction is back! This morning I was physically hungry after being on my feet till midnight last night. I warmed a tortilla and spread it with cottage cheese. I was able to eat about 2/3 before getting the horrible, slimy, painful golf ball PB. OH WHAT A FEELING! I also received written lap results on the same day that say "UPPER GI RESULTS WITH RESPECT TO GASTRIC LAPBAND ARE NORMAL." My band is normal for today! Gives me a whole new lease (again.) So I gave the rest of the tort to my furry friends, who really LOVE when Mamma PBs. It's been 2 hours since my tortilla, and I'm still full! GO BANDY!

I LOVE Texas and wish I could stay longer. I tasted all the local cuisines, got lost on all the massive highways and collected great souveniers along my travels. Chris even surprised me with a 14k gold pig for my charm bracelet and a pink cowboy hat with an Alamo Harley Davidson pin (how very DeLarla!) Here's me with a real life Nevada State Trooper! I can't wait to frame my speeding ticket! DeLarla.bmp

I'm really excited about the red flower... every year I take couple's photos at our annual Christmas party, and every year the snots snarl at the camera and make me force smiles out of them. This year I made everyone pose with the beautiful red flower, and all the pictures came out really pretty. Here's our flower shot:

I'm having a really hard time posting pics in order... Lisa, try some SLEEP why don't you?

My company Christmas party, December 2003,

Trust me, I worked this guy every way I knew how, but dem Texan cops don't mess 'round when it comes to da law! Ain't he a cute 'un tho?

That pic was from my cell phone. Here's my favorite pic from the whole roll of film! He was so cute, I asked if I could have a pic with him. In his most polite Texas twang he said, "No Maam, I can't take a photo or it would git me in trouble' as he inched closer and closer then smiled for the camera. He was just too cute. Chris bowed down to him and thanked him for giving me a ticket since Chris is the only one that ever gets in trouble. It was a fun time for all!

Wow... deep.

Let me add, if you "think" something "might" be wrong, CHECK IT OUT. Check it out, check it out, check it out! Okay, I know you said all that, but I see too many people coming to LBT with issues that should be taken straight to their doctors instead of a bunch of opinionated bandsters. Glad to talk to you, you sounded much better. Yikes. That's about all I can, YIKES.

I'm so happy today. I suprised my best friend (since high school) and made her cry. We all met at (THE BEST) Mexican restaurant but I hid. She walked up to the table as I peeked with a weird look on her face trying to figure out who the guy was sitting at the table with his back to her. It was Chris, but it took her a while to walk around the table and register in her mind. The second she saw Chris, she got all shaky and just kept saying, "OH my God, Oh, my God!" Then she hugged him while looking frantically as I popped out with this huge ridiculous bow around my hat. We both cried, and she said it was the best present ever. Then we suprised Mom & Dad. Then they all argued over where we should stay, so we agreed to stay here one night, then there another, then back n' forth. I'm at Conrad's (Jill's son) who lives with my other baby, Jessie (Rad's step-sister.) The last time I spent Christmas with Jessie was when she was so tiny that she sat in my lap for dinner. Now my babies have left for their grown up jobs, and Chris just woke up. With all this love, I slept for the first time in months, like a rock. sleep of the gods. Today, the world is our oyster... as soon as Chris "coffee ups" we'll get in the car and start exploring since everyone's working. It's COLD! Sorry to the Dallas bunch, but I can't make it down there. The weather is too unpredictable after last night's ice-over or sleet thing or whatever you guys call this crazy weather. I went to shwoose all the Water off the windshiled but it was puddles of frozen ice all over the car. Cars a slippin' & slidin' on the roads and major traffic jams would turn a 4 hour trip into a 6 hour nightmare. I'll see ya'll in the Summer when I go to Slumber Convention in Ft. Worth (I think it's August.) We'll plan to stay an extra day.

Oh, I have lots of pics with and without the bow. I'm having a blast but time's going way too fast. I actually put 350 miles on our rental car today (I'm kinda hard to keep up with.) I spent a fortune on who-knows-what, but I'm wearing the CUTEST Harley hoodie right now Is there Rudy's barbeque in Dallas? If so, save me a damn seat! We just ate there, but my 3 friends were friggen ravenous animals that never even chewed their food. I was in such love/appreciation/admiration/lust over the mountain of barbeque that I was really disappointed that they all ate so fast. My band is wide open and I could have sat and enjoyed the meal with some regular bandsters. And the bastards let me leave without one of those lemonade pies. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I want to get pregnant and name my child Rudy. Rudy's is awesome!

I got an e-mail from Jon. Penni did well with the surgery and actually had less pain with the removal than the original placement. Then again, I'm not sure what pain meds she's on. She's going to be so touched to see all this love though, that's for sure.

Due to my variety of complications, I've consulted with more doctors than most bandsters all over the US, Tijuana and Monterey Mexico. Let me tell you, even surgeons that claim to be experienced are clueless to lots of band information and rules that I've learned along the way. Many US doctors are still sending their patients away with no aftercare rules (I KNOW this because I've been contacted by Vegas patients who ask what they're supposed to do now that they're banded.) LIke the Queen says, this ain't no sofa. Take your time, make a file of research, talk to people that have been banded, go to seminars, read books, look at statistics, share everything you've found with loved ones, and then make your decision.