Lucy

Hey everyone! I'm gone for a few days and there are pages of posts! It's so amazing to see everyone here. I've been traveling for work and it's been difficult to exercise and stick to my pre-op diet. I spent the weekend with a client who kept offering me food and drinks...I tried to eat healthy, but it still wasn't the best food for my body...sigh...I hope that I can spend the next week and few days getting it back together. I see my surgeon tomorrow for my last visit before surgery, so I'm hoping he will only have positive things to say. It's hard to believe June is so close! Best of luck to everyone.

By that same reasoning, one could easily turn around and ask you, how can you support anyone deciding who gets to die at all? Because someone commited a crime, that makes them deserving of the death penalty? Only the "innocent" ones get to live?

I don't take it alone, but I do keep in the fridge. If you add it to your protein shake you won't taste it at all.

These are some of the best workout songs from my iPod gym playlists: Bitch -- Rolling Stones Lose Yourself -- Eminem How We Do -- Mt Sims Editions of You -- Roxy Music Anarchy in The UK -- Sex Pistols I Feel You -- Depeche Mode Once Again -- Handsome Boy Modeling School Killing in the Name -- Rage Against the Machine Slip it In -- Henry Rollins The Seed -- The Roots Orgasm Addict -- Ther Buzzcocks Glass -- Joy Division Good Head -- Turbonegro Hairdresser on Fire -- Morrissey Breaking the Law -- Judas Priest Southern Man -- Neil Young Debaser -- Pixies Hypnotize -- The White Stripes Sex Dwarf -- Soft Cell

Do whatever you want and your friends will be happy to come to any event you have to celebrate your wedding no matter how many years it has been since your civil ceremony. And if they have a problem with it, then they probably aren't really your friends to begin with.

Most of his work is unwearable -- he's an architect.

I always wear something, but not a lot all at once. The pieces I have are simple and modern. My wedding band/engagement rings are titanium with tiny diamonds inset into them. Most of my jewelry is from TeNo and Boccia, who specialize in beautiful modern stainless steel and titanium jewelry. Even though I'm not a huge Frank Gehry fan, I love some of the pieces he did for Tiffany's.

I've been aiming for 60. There's nothing scientific about my answer, but the nutritionist that works at my surgeon's office said that was what we should get. Maybe she meant as "a bare minimum" What do you know about flaxseed oil? I've been putting that in my Breakfast smoothie for the past few months since it's full of omege 3 fatty acids and is supposed to help with weight loss.

This is definitely the best thread on here. What, Stevee, this isn't enough of my face for you? I'm just a little shy... You are brave to head back to work so quickly, Eddie. I'm taking more than 2 weeks off. I have my own company and I work out of the house, so I don't have to deal with bosses/coworkers/etc., but I have clients. I'm not telling anyone that I'm having the surgery, but I've told all my clients that I need to dedicate those 2 weeks to another client's project, and they are all cool with that. And, frankly, it's the truth. I am the client and my lapband is my project.

Hi everyone, It's great to see so many names on the calendar! Becky, re: your difficulty with the liquids, I haven't tried this, but I've seen other people post about it -- it's a protein powder called "any whey" and it's unflavored so you can add it to anything. I'm sure it will have some flavor, but it's not like adding chocolate protein powder to your chicken broth. One thing you could do is buy some regular soup, like minestrone or something with a semi-clear base and strain out the sold part of the soup -- this might give you some variety beyond just broth. I've been thinking a lot about this because I have a salty tooth, not a sugar one, so I'm going to be feeling your pain soon, myself. More than anything, the best thing you can do is remind yourself as much as you need to that this band is better than anything you could ever eat. And that being thin and healthy is the best thing you can do for your body. I know that's easier said than done, but if you keep your goal in mind at all times, maybe it will help you through your struggles a bit.

I haven't been here in 24 hours and I'm glad to see all the Canucks who back me up. I looked into moving to Toronto at one point and I love Neil Young, so I feel a little camraderie here. Eh? Anyway, as many others have pointed out, there are ways to condone law-breaking without partaking. I am not interested in becoming a prostitute and weed is not my thing. There happen to be many laws that I don't agree with that do not directly affect my life. So I am pretty law-abiding, but I don't have a problem with others who choose to disobey some of them. I am with the previous posters who mentioned hypothetical situations about what if abortion was illegal or what if I was drafted. My point is that I don't think we should all go out and break the law Judas-Priest-style, but I believe in certain things that do not align with all of the laws this puritanically based government has created. In certain instances I belive it is important to stand up for your beliefs and not do what the government wants you to. I have morals and ethics and standards -- the laws that I agree with correspond with my worldview. For example, I think the "do not murder" law is a pretty good one and I would not condone anyone breaking that. So lest anyone take my previous statements to an extreme and say things like "so if you are for breaking the law, does that mean we should all go out and steal and kill and rape?". Because that's not what I'm saying and I think I've made myself pretty clear. Now, back to Canada, has anyone ever been to Grano on Younge St. in Toronto? That is my favorite restaurant in the world....

I will admit that I am wary of trying to hemp powder because I think it's going to taste like straw. It's not hard for me to "give up" junk food because I never really ate much of it anyway. The hard thing is finding a palatable Protein source. At the end of the day, we need protein no matter what, so I guess we will have to find it somewhere... Is your hemp Protein Powder flavored (chocolate or whatever)? I was looking at some of that at the store the other day, but it only had 14g of protein per serving. I thought maybe the taste wouldn't be that bad, but I'd have to drink a LOT of it to get the protein needed.

Thanks, Gayle, that's a good idea.

I ordered a big container of this off the internet and I didn't like it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't for me. As I am one who doesn't want to waste things, I am offering to give this away free to anyone who wants it. Yes, the container is open and I've had one scoop of the powder, but it's not contaminated or anything. I just feel bad throwing it away. Thanks.

Understood. I would like to respond to what you said about not understanding how someone can be for something that is illegal -- in my view, just because the government has decreed something "legal" doesn't mean I am going to agree with it. "Legal" does not equal "moral" or "ethical" or even "in everyone's best interest". Thanks to Capitalism and the general corrruption of politics, most of our laws have been enacted to work in the favor of the rich and those who are in office. Guns are legal in this country, I do not agree with that. I think marijuana and prostitution should be legalized. The existence of the death penalty offends me. Everyone should be able to marry, regardless of sexual orientation. I am a progressive radical (I don't even consider myself to be a democrat) and I don't agree wtih many laws. That doesn't mean that I break them, but it does mean that I have a point of view that is different than our government's (and anyone, obviously, who has a different opinion). You are welcome to debate me if you want. I'm not looking for a fight (although I'm sure there will be people who read this and say "you want to legalize prostitution?!?!?!?!?). I am interested to hear what other people think. Being on this forum has shown me that most of the people I surround myself with in life have a simiar perspective as me, so it's refreshing to come here and meet people who have very different ideas on life than I do.

oops. editing problems in this post. see below.

Fine. No one wants it, so I'm throwing it away. I tried.

It has always bothered me that the censors go crazy over nudity, but all the violence slides through. I don't care if my (hypothetical) children see some boobs, but I am concerned about their overexposure to violence.

This is my baby and I LOVE her: a 2007 Black Jeep Wrangler

I simply think your initial statement of opposing illegal immigrants because one of them urinated on your neighbor's lawn is a hyperbolic, sweeping generalization with poor reasoning. You stated that you were "not sure if they're illegal or not", followed by an explanation of your anti-illegal immigrant reasoning, using this badly-mannered sod (a point that we DO agree on) as an example. Your inquiry of "Lucy, Are you okay with men urinating in public?" is just as absurd as my inquiry. But I'm sure you threw that in as a reciprocal dig. Obviously I don't support public urination. But I also do not support generalizations of an extreme kind (with wishy-washy examples). We obviously have differing opinions on immigration, but I think the bottom line is that we agree that public urination and other ill-mannered behaviour is undesirable, particularly that of the illegal nature. I wasn't trying to be hurtful, I was simply making a point.

Bubblebutt, we've had quite a few conversations and I respect you because you are clearly an intelligent, thoughtful woman. We are not going to agree and I'm not here to change anyone's opinion. This is the rants and raves section for a reason. I do not agree with you, but I respect you as a person and you are free to state what you believe (not that you need my validation). There are, however, others who have made sweeping statements about keeping out the terrorists, etc.: It's this kind of thinking that makes me feel like I need to insert my few cents here. Lastly, there is quite a difference between opening our doors wide open and building a wall and shooting any illegal alien that we see. I don't agree with super-strict anti-immigration laws, but I also don't think we should put out the welcome mat to everyone. I said it before and I'll say it again: there needs to be a balance. It doesn't have to be one way or the other.

"Anyway, one of them stood in my lawn and unzipped his pants and peed on my tree last fall. And that's the time I saw him, I wonder how many times one of them did that and no one complained. You don't just go to someone else's house and expose yourself and pee on their lawn in public, on the corner of two intersecting streets in broad daylight! It's the law for god's sake. I'm sure he didn't know it's the law. Just another reason why I'm totally against illegal immigrants being here (or in any country for that matter), people NEED to be acquainted with the laws before livng here (or whatever country they want to immigrate to)" Really? Which foreign country, exactly, are you speaking of that encourages public urination? I've seen plenty of born-and-raised Americans urinate in public. Do you think we are the only country with manners? Ever wonder how many things you have done in a foreign country that would be considered rude to them?

Go live in a third world country for a few years and you might feel differently about how you view illegal immigrants. All of you clearly have no idea what it's like. Say what you will about "law-abiding citizens" and make your incredibly offensive and racist "fruit-picking" comments, but every illegal immigrant that I have known (and I live in Miami, which is one of the US alien capitals) has a stronger work ethic, a fgrateful attitude, and more respect for the US government than any born-and-bred North American. As for all of you who seem to think that terrorists all come from other countries, I think you need to re-read your history books. Timothy McVeigh? Ted Kazynsky? Columbine? John Walker Lindh? And let's not forget the biggest terrorist of them all, George W. Bush. Most of us wouldn't be here if the Native Americans had instituted the anti-immigration laws that this government is trying to impose. What makes you think you are so special that you can turn around and shove everyone else out? What are you so afraid of? Oh no! Maybe your childern will learn a second language! I'm so sick of Americans and their hoity-toity behaviour and their arrogant proprietary attitudes. In case you are wondering, I was born and raised in this country. But I am married to a foreigner and he was raised in a VERY different environment with a facist government. If our immigration laws were stronger, I might not have met him. Yes, he went through hell to get his citizenship, but it's hell for everyone. I'm not saying that we should open our doors and let the whole world come in. But this wall-building sh*t and the obsessive anti-immigrant laws are so excessive. There has to be a balance. How can we spread democracy and freedom if we shut ourselves in and refuse to lead by example? Oh yeah, I forgot -- by blowing up major cities and innocent civilians with the premise of searching for imaginary WMDs.

I don't know anything about RVs, but I've always wanted to take a long roadtrip in a decked out Winnebago...but maybe I'll wait until the gas prices go down. It's bad enough with my Jeep Wrangler!

Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well! I have been (mostly) sticking to my pre-op diet, but I find it's very hard to reduce my carbs. I'm not eating pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, etc., but I've been eating a lot of fruit and (according to fitday.com) that ups my carb intake a lot. Any suggestions as to how to decrease my carbs and still eat healthy? I can't eat meat all day long just to keep my protein level up! I wanted to respond to MusicalMomma about your difficulty with friends/family members. I have chosen to not tell anyone at all, only my husband. And he is sworn to secrecy. Maybe someday I will tell my parents or a few close friends, but for now I'm not telling anyone. From reading other posts on this thread, it sounds like almost everyone has had difficulty with the opinions of others. I think even those who care about us most don't always understand what we are going though. All of us are here because we've done the research and taken the classes and we know this is the best decision for us. I don't want to tell my mom because I know she will worry like crazy and probably wouldn't get it. I also don't want people coming up to me every day and asking me how much weight I've lost. I'm a very private person and I don't need people prying into my personal life. If you have decided to share your surgery with others, I respect that and I think those you have told need to respect it, as well. You need to be comfortable with telling people to respect you as an intelligent individual, that you know what is best for your body, and that you have chosen to share something very private with them. They wouldn't have a problem with you if you were having surgery to repair a broken limb or replace your liver. Why is this any different. OK! I'm off to cook a healthy dinner. Take care everyone.