DeLarla

I know many people that had doubts, and even some folks that had fullblown panic attacks (like me!) It's part of the process and totally normal. Hang in there and things will get better, then once the weight starts coming off you'll realize what a great decision you made. Good luck to you!

Hi Chickaboomboom, sorry about your sick family & I understand why you haven't been around. I'm not here much either, but I'm glad I checked in and found your cute face. I spent some time with Donali over the weekend and think back to times when LBT had a countable number of members! There are so many new people that I wish I could say hi to, also. Love you bunches, Lis.

Diva, that's not a weird question at all! I wish I'd have asked it. My tube just floated around like Major Tom, which was part of the reason my port incision never healed (because the port & tube were too near the surface of the skin.) Since my drama, which eventually led to erosion, I've heard surgeons say that they now put the port deeper into the tissue. Heck, maybe my surgeon was supposed to stitch my port down, but mine was just a floatie.

None of my hunger headaches were anywhere near the pain I suffered as a morbidly obese young lady. I realize that's not what you're asking, but you'll get enough food and Tylenol to keep the headaches in check (unless they're migraines, which is another story.) Good luck on your new journey!

S H U T UP!!! OMG, I thought I was getting a history lesson! That was a good one. But seriously, I had my band surgery in Tijuana on Cinco de Mayo. I figured there would be parades and celebrations and asked my surgeon if I could get a shot of tequila in my goody bag (IV.) The staff laughed at me because Cinco de Mayo is an American born holiday that they don't even acknowledge in Mexico. The next day as I left through the center of town, I expected to see debris and signs of a big party, but there were no parties. It's a US thang! Cinco de Mayo - way too funny!

Hi darling, does this happen just on your face? Did it just pop up out of the blue, perhaps allergies to something new around you?

ANYONE WANT TO PITCH IN FOR MY PLANE FARE? Hell, I had to try. Not fair, not fair, not fair! I'm hungry. Damn. And I'm also a fun, happy drunk!

I don't know what to say other than you are NOT alone. I had so many band related complications before having my band removed, and I still have a good 50-60 pounds to lose. If you ever want someone to talk to, yell at, cry on, just send me a PM and we'll freak out together, okay?

My surgeon laughs at the "starvation mode" myth. He says the majority of morbidly obese are about the most dishonest folks around when it comes to their weight and will use any excuse possible to convince society that it's not their fault. If you take in fewer calories than you need, you'll lose weight. If you starve for a week, you'll lose weight. When they talk about "starvation mode" it's such a temporary phase that it's not even worth mentioning, which is why people are starving to death while we speak.

Poodles, regardless of what technique is used to place the band, a percentage of people will erode. I know a woman who had surgical screws implanted in her broken ankle that eroded and had to be removed. The word "slippage" actually isn't when the band slides down, it's more that too much food crammed in the pouch forces the top part of the stomach up and over the band, which is something you can more than likely prevent by eating small bandster portions and not swallowing large chunks of food. But erosion isn't the worst thing in the world. People that have learned to eat like a normal person may as well have their bands removed since they have the fat demon beaten, right? So if you end up being one of the unlucky eroded ones, maybe you'll be among those who have changed their eating habits for good. Most people do NOT erode, and those of us who do still have the option of a bypass. When I weight the pros and cons, I decided that my old life of 317 pounds wasn't living at all, so I rolled the dice and hopped on the surgical table. Please pass the scalpel! I suffered port infections, port removals, erosion, band removal, yada yada yada. All that sucked. But I'm squeezed into a tight size 16 tall instead of my old size 38, and I'm on top of the world! Yes, I've gained back 10 pounds. Yes my old eating in the car bullshit is back. Yes I have esophagus problems... But I have a life now.

Who here started and runs their own business? I'm looking for any and all advice because my time is running out. When I was finishing college, I said I would be a paralegal for five years and then own my own business. Slumber Parties is the smartest thing and best business decision I have ever made in my life, and I have NO intentions of ever giving it up. However, I am not the owner of Slumber Parties. I have my own dreams and goals and have started to put a business plan together but I have to admit that I have very little experience - other than what Slumber has taught me. I've discussed this with my husband and father and am now seeking information from all sources. I ordered a couple books from Amazon, but who out there is willing to share knowledge with me? I'd be willing to pay long distance bills because I'm quitting my paralegal job in January. That just scared the pants off me actually writing it out loud, but I refuse to spend the rest of my life working for somebody else. I love Slumber Parties - the sisterhood, the training, the income, the laughter, teaching women (ask any Slumber distributor how amazing the company is) which is why I'll be a distributor forever. There's nothing on Earth like the feeling I get when I read the comment cards party guests fill out after one of my Slumber demonstrations - it's empowering. But I still want something to call my own as well. I already have a corporate name & dba, and I already know what kind of business it will be, however, I refuse to share any of that yet. Any and all information, books, websites, etc. are welcome and will be appreciated. Lisa Bones, CEO

I'm glad you "get it" now! High five to you for those non-scale victories that make it all worth while!

Uh, bras and motorcycles don't mix. I'm also not wearing a girdle because Chris says that's my sexy biker belly hanging over. It's all in the attitude, baby! If they made size 44 A maybe I'd wear a bra, but I can't find A cups in the big girl sizes... or they could put the cups on the sides to hold my back fat. Nice post, Lis.

Here's me hiding behind hubby (makes you look skinny) in Oatman, Arizona last weekend during the Laughlin River Run.

I cleaned out my kitchen long ago, but old habits don't die. Even though our old "goody drawers" are empty, I still yank them open every night hoping something got stuck in the back, or maybe hubby loaded them. But they're still empty.

John, I'm 100% convinced what you're saying is true. And it's SO nice to see you here!

When I was banded, my restriction was very fickle. Lots of things like weather, salt, PMS affected it.

http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/topic/major/hw268101/descrip.htm Check out that site. I guess I was lucky, because the only thing that happened to me was the part that made my nail crack and become thickened and unsightly, but mine was not discolored, discharging or infected-looking: "Fungal nail infections can cause a nail to crack or thicken, become discoloured, streaked, or spotted. As a fungal infection progresses, the nail can become unsightly."

Sorry, I remember the infection had a name, but I can't remember that far back. It caused the nail to be literally eaten away slowly. It took about a month before the whole nail was gone. But mine was only my thumb, so I assumed I picked up something creepy from a nail salon. It didn't look gross at all, just mangled till it was completely gone, then after the antibiotics it grew back. Do you have it on all your fingers? As far as your hair, tons of mine fell out when I first got banded and continued to fall out for months. But that eventually stopped, and I'm back to a full head of thick hair.

Thanks everyone for the ego boost! I'm up a few pounds, but hubby says that's just my sexy biker belly hanging over. Heck, I'll go with that!

This one gets blown up poster size for the Pipefitter's Union Hall since Bob is their Welding Instructor. Everyone's afraid of his hard ass except me. He almost beat me up a few times because he thinks "women should respect men, veterans and their elders." I laughed in his face. Since then he's grown to admire my fearless spirit, so we're great pals. The best part about the run is that my husband and Bobby generated a bunch of Slumber business for me. They use my cards to approach pretty girls to flirt by handing them business cards. Yep, I got biker dudes working for me now. How very DeLarla!

Don't I have a nice ass? HAHA I can't do a Memorial Day Run since I'm off to Arizona for a Slumber Party. I'm taking the show on the road! Here's another pic of me & Bob Nard. There's only one DeLarla, and there's only ONE Nard! One minute we're fighting, the next second hugging.

Round of applause to you! You must feel fab-u-lous!

When my nail cracked down the center there were zero signs of infection. One day I noticed a tiny crack in my thumb nail. Soon the crack was bigger. It eventually cracked down the entire center and the nail just disappeared little by little (like watching a puddle of water dry in slo-mo.) It was an infection, but here's the funny part: The Penicillin gave me my first ever yeast infection "down there." I was young and didn't know antibiotics taken orally could affect you vaginally, so I went absolutely psycho and nearly killed my boyfriend since I thought he gave me an STD. We went to the doc to find out it was only a yeast infection because when you take Penicillin, it kills all the bad AND good bugs that keep the vagina happy! Poor Gary!

Megan, I have no doubt you'll do great. Crappy food is overrated. It's like a drug that feels good going in then makes you feel like crap. Remember that. Enjoy the watermelon tho!