Zoe

Well, Caramel, you may be learning a life lesson from your current BF, but if you don't like how it feels, you don't have to stay with the guy as if he were a difficult but required course at school! You say you love your BF. If that's enough, do what you need to work things out. But count me in with Jack as another one who's "far too old and weary" for petty arguments and insecurity. When I want drama, I go to the theater. Give yourself credit for recognizing that BF is doing what you did to other men; that's a huge, painful insight, and hard won. What do you want in your life? Whatever your next steps, good luck to you.

You are an inspiration to the sedentary set who are now ready to get a move on. I see a triathlon in your future!

You can do it, Jonathan! If next week doesn't bring the magic number, the following week surely will. Funny how these milestones mean so much. Going from, say, 256 to 253 didn't seem like a big deal, but 202 to 199 has me elated, and 304 to 299 will be a thrill for you. Congratulations Jamie, JQ, Debby, Paula, Jonathan, and all other recent losers -- you too, Crystal. Losing inches is even better!

Fantastic! Show off those legs, girl. You should add this photo to your before & after set.

Wow! Wonderful NSV! I hope some former MO athletes come out of the woodwork and share their secrets with you. Meanwhile, you're probably wise not to push yourself too much. But I bet you can go beyond 90 seconds next time. How exciting to be able to run at all -- and look at you, you've lost over 100 lbs.!

Lost three important pounds this week after a very long plateau. I'd like to put more distance between me and 200, but for now I'm happily 199.

Thanks, Gail. You are absolutely right about how easy it is to bypass the band. For ice cream lovers (like me), it's a real danger. I wrote my original post just a few weeks after surgery. It's been almost nine months now, and I'm down 65 lbs., occasionally frustrated by the band (PB after chewing a piece of salmon 50 times!) but generally loving it. Since this thread was started in 2004, many people have raised questions about whether or not to tell people about their bands. I thought your original post was so thoughtful, and the responses so interesting, that newbies should have a chance to read this thread.

At last -- 199! I haven't seen this side of 200 for years. Hope it wasn't just a scale malfunction.

Way to go, Teresa! You are an animal hero. Ordinary citizens call in complaints to the sheriff and ASPCA offices featured on "Animal Cops" and "Animal Precinct"; often, that's the only way authorities find out about abusive situations. Lives are saved by action. Somewhere a horse is dancing because of you!

Americans are weight-obsessed, so it's no surprise that people jump all over us with questions when they find out one of us is banded. For newbies, check out "My Secret Lapband" at http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3061. People posted preferences from totally secret to totally open, and everything in between. I'm more open about my band than when I wrote my first post in the "Secret" thread, but I still don't tell everyone. Most questions don't bother me, except for those that imply that the band is a magic cure that requires no work -- and even those questions are usually raised out of ignorance. As H.L. Mencken said, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Congratulations, Janie. Hope your next 12 months are wonderful.

Well, my sciatica has returned, so I've been a slug for the last few days. Yesterday the orthopod said I can get steroid injections into my spine instead of taking the oral meds that make me hungry. Off to the pain clinic next week. . . meanwhile, I'm stoned on Vicodin, and there is a silver lining: I don't have much appetite. Sorry, maggots. But I will get back on the trail as soon as I can!

I was on tramadol for a while during one of my many back pain bouts. I didn't care for it; I got sleepy and nauseated. I'm glad to hear you don't have a bone spur -- but sorry that the mystery remains unsolved. And the MRI people stink! I've worn those lovely gowns for spinal and gyne MRIs, but why did you have to wear one for your foot? To make sure you weren't wearing metal fasteners inside the machine? Hope you feel better soon, Penni. Keep us posted. I'm with Kathy: go see Dr. Jack!

My old Labrador loved Mexican food, even plain tortillas. She also had a thing for margaritas and Corona beer! Try chicken & peanut sauce from your favorite Thai place; all dogs seem to love it.

That depends on how long your stride is. For me (a long-legged but very slow 5'9") it's about three miles. Some pedometers, like my $15 Timex, will convert steps to miles at the touch of a button. Some have to be programmed with your exact stride length. Some won't make the calculation at all. Anyone is welcome to join the challenge at any time. Thanks for walking with me! I got home from class at 9:30 last night and walked for an hour because I fell behind on Monday. I'm so glad I got a move on -- I felt great afterward. Penni, how's your foot?

I'm glad you're headed home. How sad about old Astro, though. I'm sure he's had a wonderful, spoiled life, but it's hard on us to watch our old friends falter. Many of us have been through painful doggy goodbyes, so if/when the time comes, we'll be here for you. Meanwhile, give that pup a Porterhouse! (My mother's last Siberian Husky almost made it to his 16th birthday -- as rare for that breed as for Labs -- in part because he was eating Thai food and BBQ for the last few years of his life. After he hit 12, she was afraid he'd die at any minute, so she gave him whatever she was having for dinner.)

Yes, and he attacked his own daughter because she broke her curfew. The poor little friend just happened to be with her. A horrible, sad business.

Spaghetti squash is kind of like a courgette (that's zucchini to Yanks) but bigger. I'm not sure it's grown in England. I agree that you're doing great with your weight loss! But I can see why you're getting bored with your routine. I'm stuck in a yogurt rut too. When I don't feel like cooking (which is most of the time) I just heat up a frozen diet dinner or whip up some simple pasta: a few ravioli in a tomato sauce usually are enough to fill me up. Indian take-away is also good -- stick with the meat-based stuff like rogan josh and go light on the rice. I used to love chicken tandoori, but these days it makes me pb. As for vegetables, I'd rather have a salad than most cooked stuff. You might want to check the food forum here (see "Forum Jump" at lower right) for ideas.

Any second now! Good luck getting through the month. Waiting for the surgery date is one of the hardest parts of getting banded -- but not nearly as hard as making up your mind or waiting to GET a surgery date. Congratulations.

Hi Sandra. . . so how did your surgery go? Hope you're feeling OK. Most of us feel a lot better after the first three days. BTW, Yanks, it's autumn in Australia (and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere) now.

Well done, Teresa! You look great. You're almost at that century mark... just think what the next year will bring. Congratulations!

I'm down 1/2 lb to 202. Better than nothing, but jeez! I'm losing soooo slowly these past two months. I'm going to kick up the walking a notch and try to follow the good old bandster rules more carefully. Maybe I can slide to the other side of 200 before I have even more silver hair!

Try asking Dr. Roberto Rumbaut Diaz in Monterrey. I have no idea where he stands on the rebanding issue, but he's an excellent, experienced surgeon with a lot of American self-paying patients: see http://www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com/teammain.html

Happy bandiversary to you too, Teresa. Look at those impressive stats -- together you and Lisa have lost a whole person. It's so encouraging to all of us, especially newbies, to see successes like both of yours, especially in the face of serious obstacles.

I am very much a skeptic. But I have to relate a weird story about my great-aunt Eva, which no one has ever explained. Eva was born around 1915 and grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. She graduated from UW and studied no foreign language except Latin. I mention this because when she was about 40 she went to Paris on a vacation and for 24 hours she was able not only to understand everything everyone was saying but to speak fluent French. The next day, Eva woke up, and the gift was gone -- she was back to struggling over "Bonjour." My grandmother and another of their sisters swore this really happened. Their family was not French and they never heard the language growing up. Weird.