Terry Poperszky

I was just happy to see you.

At least for a little while. Went out to breakfast with a friend, ordered off of the menu with no substitutions (scrambled eggs with veggies and feta), enjoyed a nice conversation, took small bites, ate slowly, sipped my coffee a couple of times and when I was no longer hungry piled my plates up and pushed them away. I ate about 2/3 of my eggs, 1/4 of my potatoes and half a slice of dry toast. AND I WAS FINE WITH THAT! Now, that wasn't say that the head hunger voices weren't screaming in the background about wasting food, about how good it tasted, about taking just one more bite. They weren't as loud as they usually are, I just checked and made sure that I wasn't hungry (Satiated), and dismissed them. There is hope...

We are all different, I passed on my last fill because while I am not as tight as some on the board, and pretty much plateaued for the last month, I am in a good place and happy with my progress. Thanks for the blog.

Now, this is an obvious generalization, so please bear with me. There are two types of people on this forum, Moms and Dads...And it has nothing to do with gender. Moms are the empaths, sympathizing with the hurts and bruises of the people here, taking into account their feelings when they give their advice. Patting them on the back as they are bent over the toilet puking their guts out because they tried to test their band. Dads are the authoritarians, telling people who ate a cheeseburger and fries on the way home from post-op "WTF did you do that for, are you stupid?" and "I was able to work my band, what the hell is wrong with you"? The friction I see on the site comes many times from the Moms and Dads fighting over the best way to help the kids, when in reality, both types of advice and help are necessary for the people who come here. We need to stop beating each other up, and start realizing that we NEED both types of people. So, in the words of that great wise man Rodney King, "Why can't we all just get along"? BTW, as I said at the start this is a generalization and the reality is not quite so clear, I personally relate more to the "Dads" on the board, but my heart also weeps for those who are struggling getting the band to work for them, especially when it has been so easy for me.

Nope, looks like an interesting event. This is the ride that I want to do in the near future http://www.skinnytireevents.com/page.cfm?pageid=20058

Yea, you can get a deal on one by waiting until the off season, but they still can be expensive. A decent aluminum with a carbon fork (What I have) for can be had for 1500.00, for a decent carbon Fiber bike expect to spend 3-5. That isn't top end, that is entry for those levels. On the other hand, the review on my bike stated that it was stable at 50+ mph, and yes on a good downhill, if I were stupid enough it will easily hit 50+. I bought a Giant Defy 1, which is a aluminum/carbon high end entry, it was the previous years model and I got a great discount because I bought it going into winter. With care, it will probably last me a lifetime. Then there are the weight weenies, who will spend 10-12 for a bike that weighs 11 pounds.

Different people are different, I was back to normal in about 7-10 days

KY, keep up with your PT on the knee replacement. I have had both done and PT is the key, work through the pain. They really gave me back my life.

Yup, perfectly normal. It will pass, but will be back and back and back and back. I'm a little over three months and normally don't have a problem, but last night it was all I could do not to stuff everything I could find down my throat. I gave in (a little) counted the calories and moved on. Besides, if you think you are emotional now, wait until you see the scale go up instead of down because you ate garbage.

Never heard of bean chips, but a store not too far from here sells them, I'll give them a try, thanks

I just got back off of vacation, since it was vacation and we were traveling I bought a big bag of Screaming Hot Cheetos for myself and BBQ chips for my daughters, I figured by now and with the help of my band I could do portion control and I was right, for the first day. Second day not so good. Third day I finished both bags. The band is around my stomach, not my mind. The hunger in my mind is what got me fat in the first place. So, your question of "can you eat chips", I don't know, can you? I found out I can't and it doesn't have anything to do with my band.

Tell him the effectiveness of the band is directly related to how many foot massages you receive.

Don't hold your breath, the human race doesn't have a track record of common sense. The best you can do is change your life, and influence the lives of those we have close contact with. I was raised with "clean your plate", my girls are being raised with "If you aren't hungry, don't eat any more, I don't care how much is left on your plate".

My word Alex, you do frequent some unusual forums.

Two things to try: 1. don't drink all your shake at any one meal. Trying drinking half, then the other half a couple of hours later. 2. Are you allowed SF popsicles? If so, stock up on those, so many times the have kept me from cheating.

I'm sorry, those are three words I never expected to see together. During my pureed stage, I pureed Soups and refried Beans. the thought of eating carrots through a straw would have sent me running for the bathroom.

Nope, tried this several times very little difference, evidently the water retention is offset by the dirt removal

Every day here, but I have gotten past being bothered by fluctuations. The scale is my accountability partner.

Please fill in your profile, it is hard to give suggestions when we have no idea where you are starting from.

First off, your husband is a D**k! I don't care if you agree, but you support your spouse's decisions. Secondly what you are experiencing is normal, stop focusing on what might happen, and focus on why you want the surgery. Yes, you are going to be uncomfortable, yes, you are going to experience pain, yes you have a long journey ahead of you. Best wishes.

OMW, this is a phrase that I wouldn't expect to hear outside of the great state of Utah, or have the polygamy shows made it more common.

Best wishes to you, I will be praying for you.

Mike, I have been fat all my life, I struggled to stay under the 230 weight limit for wrestling heavy weight as a freshman in High School. I would lose weight, the gain it back, lose weight than gain it back. The diet is not as hard as you may think, the hard part is dealing with the head hunger. None of us got where we are by only eating when we were physically hungry, you are going to have to do something that most of us have found very hard, when you eat, you are going to have to start examining why you want to eat. There is a saying, "If physical hunger is not the question, than food is not the answer" You are going to have to find other answers. This forum is a wonderful resource and support group, but ultimately, you are going to be the one who does the heavy hauling. BTW, There are risks and complications inherent with any surgery, the band has far fewer than other forms of WLS, but it also has a correspondingly lower average excess weight loss result. I am 58 years old, and wish the surgery had been around when I was younger, but I'm happy it is here now. Good luck on your research.

IMHO it is simply to work the craving into your normal eating pattern, have a small portion and getting on with your life. If I am really craving chocolate, I will buy a piece of high quality chocolate, enjoy that piece and make sure the rest are under lock and key with my wife. On the whole, I have chosen to try and substitute something else for the actual craving, if I can't limit the portion size like that since most of my cravings are also trigger foods for me.