live2canoe

Yeah VinesQueen - Thank you so much for accepting the nomination!! We are your humble subjects to be guided by your wisdom CandySmooch - you're in Sister! Welcome. And you're right, none of those show -off race winnin' rabbit types here. Just us slow, dependable turtles! Dylansmom - you're good, too. WooHoo.!! I think we have the beginnings of a very powerful group! Now - everybody do what our leader vinesqueen said and go make your NSV list!

OK - Kimber Lilly, even though you don't exactly meet our criteria - we'll let you in (we're reasonable people, all of us slow losers). I'd be FREAKIN THRILLED with 68 pounds at this point. (you were banded 2 weeks before me and have lost twice the weight) Just remember, if you lose too fast, like all that weight before Christmas, we're going to have to cancel your membership! And Daisy, you're in, too! WooHoo! I didn't feel any restriction until I was 5 months out, and I thought I'd be a lot further along than I am, too. That's why I started the thread. (I'm not sure who appointed me the membership chairman - but I decided to fill the vacant post)

WooHoo DeLarla, I was just thinking that I really need some help with the whole dating thing. Let me see if I can give this "Single's Ad" thing a whirl: Just A Basic Straight White Single Mom Living in the 'burbs The headline just about says it all, but not quite. The boring stuff : 42 years old, financially and emotionally secure, yada yada yada, own my own home and business, and so on and so forth, have 1 16 year old sports fanatic who lives with me, etc. etc. Better stuff: Own 5 canoes and use them all regularly. Love to take 'rookies' on the river for long (3-4 day) trips. My garage looks like an REI warehouse. I would much rather go camping than go to a Hilton. Summer weekends are filled with baseball tournaments (my son's) and river trips (mine). What do I do in the 'off' season? I ski, I just learned to scuba dive (just what I need, another expensive, gear heavy sport!) I love to watch football (really! I even have a couple of fantasy teams) Usually take in a couple of plays downtown, dinner out, the usual. Looking for: Help with yard care and car maintenance. Maybe the occassional small plumbing project. No - Not really! I'm just looking for someone to have fun with. I'll be honest, I prefer 'husky' or 'big' guys (think John Goodman - not Arnold Schwarzenneger) preferably one with a job. Standing on the street corner with a sign, although more difficult than some 'real jobs', does not count! If you own your own car and don't live at home with your mother, you are ahead of the game - send me a line. So, there you go DeLarla, my love life is now resting firmly in your hands.... think you can help me out??

Sunny Kim - For heaven's sake, you're even farther off the mark than Road Queen! You've lost 50 pounds in TWO months! You are DEFINITELY NOT a slow loser. (Keep up the great job on your weight loss)

Road Queen - I am very sorry, but I do not believe you qualify for our secret little society You have lost 30 pounds in 4 months (wow!) and are clearly NOT a slow loser. You may reapply at a later date if you meet our very strict criteria. Keep up the great work!

Ham Police! Very funny. I'm very happy that the docs in Mexico don't put you on any type of special pre-op diet. I don't know if I would have made it! NO sugar and all liquid???? I'll bet you were miserable. Your husband is lucky he still has all his limbs ( I would've ripped one or two of them off if I had been there!)

OK Trish - We're all anxiously awaiting an update. Please come back and let us know how you're doing - gory details and all. If there were awards for worst PB of all time - I'd vote for you!!

I just found this recipe on a web site regarding how to cook after a hurricane and all you have is canned stuff in the house. It is surprisingly good Cream of pumpkin Soup 1 can of Pumpkin (the kind you use for pies) 1 can of evaporated milk 1 can of chicken broth 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp nutmeg salt and pepper to taste mix it all up in a pan and bring it to a slow simmer. I like mine a bit thicker, so I make a roux with 1 -2 TB of cornstarch and mix that in there, too. I was wondering what I was going to do with all those left over cans from last Thanksgiving :cheeky

Pictures Pictures Pictures!! We want pictures!

I Love the unjury powder www.unjury.com I buy the vanilla flavor, mix it with milk, a banana a few strawberries and some ice. 8 ounces of skim and a scoop of powder (90 calories) has 30 grams of Protein.

WooHoo!! A flat tummy???? I've NEVER had a flat tummy. Pictures! We want pictures! Congratulations.

Oil free eye make-up remover and a cotton ball worked like magic for me.

I've gone down a few sizes. I've taken some of my nicer, more expensive clothes to the tailor to be altered. It's more cost effective than buying new every time you lose weight, particularly if you're dropping sizes rapidly. I've been very pleased with the results.

I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time of it. If it makes you feel any better, I had NO restriction, and hence NO weight loss with a fill at 2.0 cc's. In fact, it took until I was at 2.6cc's to feel liek the band was working for me. The band is a tool, and the tool will only work right if it is 'tuned-up'. Most people need 3 -5 fills to feel any restriction. Those who are restricted and lose weight earlier than that are simply lucky and should count their blessings. Get a fill, and keep getting fills every 4 to 6 weeks until you feel that the band is working for you. If we could do this all with our heads, none of us would have needed the band.

Alex - I was at costco yesterday and they already have it. I couldn't believe it. I ordered mine from Amazon, but didn't pay the extra money to have it delivered Saturday. Who would have thought that Costco would have it so soon?

I am sorry to hear your band slipped - and particularly about the lung abcess - sounds terrible! But - thank you so much for telling your story. It's reinforcing to hear that it took you 6 months to lose any weight. I'm right there with ya! I feel like such a failure at times - 'why am I the only one not losing weight with the band' and 'I knew it wouldn't work' - thank you for reinforcing my commitment to the band. Now, you have me thinking about slippage and being over-filled. I can eat a donut for Breakfast, no problem. I just recently started having reflux at night. My doctor doesn't use flouro to give a fill, either. I wonder...... In any event - welcome, and thanks again for sharing your inspiring story.

I already live at 6,000 ft. Hmmmm does that mean at sea level I'd be wide open? Come to think of it - I have been to sea level a few times since being banded, and it did seem like I had less restriction. I'll have to take a trek up to Leadville (11,000 ft +) and see what happens.

I paid for my band by using credit cards. I'm still trying to pay them all off. I used the 'courtesy' checks they send. Be careful - some credit cards treat those like a cash advance and you get charged MUCH higher rates. Read the checks and your terms and conditions carefully.

I watch FAR too much TV, but the question is which shows do I watch which I am ashamed to admit .......... OK - Ok - quit hounding me! I'll confess! How Clean is Your House? (It makes me feel better about my own house and I love the 2 British hosts/Cleaning Experts) Showbiz Moms and Dads! Don't those people realize that the cameras are there to FILM THEM! I mean - you did sign a contract, and it's not exactly a hidden camera, Alan Funt thing

Yikes! I've only heard of a very few people with the lapband losing their hair. Hair loss is a common side effect of gastric bypass surgery. I hope this is something that your doctor can fix with a simple vitamin/mineral supplement , or by having you increase your Protein intake. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

No more food high, no more food hang overs, either. I know I find myself missing food for the guilty pleasure. You have to be careful when that urge hits to not sabotage the band. It's surprisingly easy to do - but the good news is when that's over, you still have your band and you get to start all over again.

I have allergies, too. When I sneeze, I don't just sneeze once, I sneeze several (3 to 5) times all at once in a row. I'll tell you, when I first got my band it hurt like hell to snneze. My port incision felt like it had a hot poker running through it and that my port was going to come bursting out of my belly. It was NOT fun. That pain lasted about a month and slowly subsided. I haven't had a problem since. All the sneezing I did didn't seem to affect the band or the port. Everything is OK now. Afetr surgery, carry a 'belly brace' with you - something to hold against your stomach when you sneeze or cough to support your abdominal muscles from the outside. Some people use a pillow or a couch cushion when they are home. If you're out in your car, carry a folded up sheet and press that against your belly when you sneeze. It helps. The sleeping on your stomach question will take care of itself. You will probably be far too sore to sleep on your stomach for several weeks ( I know I was). That too will pass and you should be able to sleep on your stomach after you heal.

These are all good questions. I was self-pay, too and when I found out about lap-band, I couldn't get it done soon enough. I'm 5'4" and weighed 225 the day of surgery. I was a total gym fanatic before the lapband. I was at the gym 4-5 days a week, doing cardio and weights. I had a personal trainer. I kept gaining weight (hey, after all that work at the gym, I was HUNGRY). Since the lap band, I've had to go back to work full time (to pay for the band) and that has cut in to my gym time drastically. I am probably the world's slowest loser with the lap band. It's been over 9 months, and I've only lost 30 pounds. Do I regret getting the lap band? It's not really a feeling of regret so much as it is a feeling of frustration that I'm not losing as fast as everyone else, or even keeping up with the slow end of the lap band weigth loss curve. I have these REALLY long plateaus of weeks which turn into months when I'm not losing anything at all. That's when I question all the money I spent, and is thing doing me any good or not? Now - all that said: I've lost 30 pounds. I don't feel like I have to worry about gaining it back - ever. The lap band with be with me forever, and if it means I lose a 1/2 lb a week, or even less, at least I'm losing and not going the other way. To answer some of your other questions - Yes - you will get to yummy food again. Maybe not as much of it as you would like, or feel you deserve sometimes. Neither the gym nor the band has a guaranteed weight loss to go along with it. I think I'm a prime example of both ways NOT to lose weight. However, my money is on the lap band (literally) to help produce life long results. I think this board is far better than a support group. You have the opinions of people from all over the country, who are all at different stages of their journey, who all had different surgeons. I can't think of any support group which could offer this type of experience and variety and over all expertise. I hope my ramblings help inform your decision - at least a little bit.

That's awesome! Couldn't ask for much better than that.

Yep - I went alone to Tijuana for my surgery with Dr. Kuri, other than being kind of bored, it was no big deal. You'll meet other people getting their bands the same day as you. You'll make new friends. A couple of words of advice - pack really lightly, bring a small rolling suitcase, you aren't going to need much and after surgery everything is REALLY heavy. Good Luck!!