Lucy

I need more cowbell!!!

Not really into soda here, but I LOVE pelligrino and beer. I cut both of them out a few weeks ago to prepare for surgery (6/7). So far it hasn't been a big deal. By having the lapband installed, I don't feel like I'm giving anything up. I am embracing a whole new life and that feels better than anything I could ever eat or drink. I also don't have any plans to throw away the $15,000 lapband loan I just took out on a few pints of beer (or soda, or whatever).

Thanks to everyone for mentioning fitday.com. I had never heard of it until I read this post and I think it's a great resource. Calorie counting is very important in weight loss, with or without the band.

Kiehl's makes a good cuticle cream. They also usually have sample packets of all of their products and are pretty nice about giving them to you if you ask. *FYI, I really don't work for Kiehl's, I just happen to love them and use or have used all of their products at one point or another.

I do have some concerns about ingesting too much soy protein. And all the commercial whey proteins are full of things I have never herad of/can't pronounce, which I usually avoid putting in my body. But isn't soy good for you in small amounts? I've been using the Whole Foods brand soy protein powder, but maybe I should incorporate other types of protein in my diet so it's not soy soy soy all the time.... (Which, by the way, that kills me. I have so many skinny friends who live on trans fat- and chemical- filled junk food. And then here we are -- vegans and organic eaters and we are fat. I mean, yeah, the organic tortilla chips are really great, but I happen to eat pretty well most of the time!)

I completely agree with you, Evilah. A landing strip is a necessity. I would never have it all taken away. But good landscaping is key.

Rachel Ray...don't get me started on that topic. She drives me crazy! "How good does THAT look?"

Ooh, ooh, I have to jump in here, too! Bikini Waxing -- I get waxed pretty regularly. Hey, I live in Miami and I really don't like my pubic hair (of course, I've never heard anyone say "I looooove my pubic hair!"). Anyway, rule number one of waxing is RESEARCH. Make sure you are going to the best waxer you can find. Ask around and get a referral from someone who has gone there. I once had a horrible, inexperienced waxer who gave me awful ingrowns and it hurt and looked likse something out of a horror film for over a month. The best places to get waxes are usually wax-only salons -- in other words, not a hair salon/nail salon that also does some waxing. Find a specialist. It also shouldn't cost more than $40 (or less if you aren't in a big city). Also, it really doesn't hurt as much as you think it will. It's not a good feeling, but it's not nearly as bad as you will expect. If you have an experienced waxer, they should be fast and gentle. I mean, yeah, they are ripping out your hair, it's not going to be painless, but it's not like you are getting amputated. Actually, I found leg waxing (which I've only had once) to be FAR more painful than bikini waxing. That was medieval. *shudder* My favorite beauty products: 1. Kiehl's tinted moisturizer with SPF 15 -- evens out the skintone without caking on like foundation and it protects from the sun 2. Kiehl's Blue Herbal Spot Treatment -- gets rid of zits fast 3. Chanel nail polish -- yes, it's really $20 a bottle. But it lasts (on the nails and in the bottle) ten times longer than the crap they sell at Wallgreens. It goes on smoother than any other nail polish I've tried 4. MAC lipstick -- it lasts all day. Amazing. 5. Lush Ocean Salt -- makes my face feel like a baby's bottom! In a good way, of course... 6. Eyelash curlers -- freakiest looking, best device ever. 7. Finally, I love that they've started selling make-up remover and nail polish remover in little wipes so you can travel with them without bringing the whole bottle or getting stopped by TSA for having a liquid in your carry on. Woo hoo!

OMG that makes me foam at the mouth! Everyone here (Miami) thinks that they are more important than you -- they will actually drive down the shoulder to pass you! I REFUSE to let people cut in front of me when I've been waiting forever and they try to cut in. Yeah, I'm in a Jeep 4WD and you are in an automatic transmission, gold, convertible, Mercedes two-seater. Just TRY and cut me off. My bumper is at the exact height of your neck. And now I'm gonna give you the finger.

Anytime, Green. Anytime.

Hi Everyone! Welcome, Nina! Congrats on your date, BrandyK! Janine -- I don't have any kids, but my husband knows about the surgery. I've decided not to tell anyone else, at least for now. Eventually I may tell my parents, but I don't really have the desire to share it with anyone else. Especially before the surgery -- I'm using this pre-op time to be positive and focus on my goal and I don't want anyone else to contribute any unnecessary negative input. Accountability -- Ugh. I was doing well all day and then my husband and I went out to dinner at a German restaurant. Worst. Idea. Ever. I think that my body has actually gotten used to my pre-op diet of high Protein and smaller portions so when I ate sausage, potatoes, and beer, my stomach wanted to kill me. It still wants to kill me! I think I learned my lesson tonight...

The only "bad gay" I know is Richard Simmons. I think you are fine, Ms Dad. Hi Juli, Pamela, and Yenken.

1. George Bush. 2. TVS that are on and no one is watching them -- in restaurants, in waiting rooms, at the airport. They now have them at my bank. I dislike most TV programs to begin with, but when it's blasting in public and I have to sit through it and no one is even watching it, that just kills me! 3. The fact that every good classic rock and punk song is now utilized in a car commercial -- Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Beatles, Deep Purple, Sweet, The Who, The Rolling Stones -- Argh!!! F-ing sell-outs!

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Nice song! Hey Metalband, I love your name! Very original.

THIS is a Flowbee: http://www.flowbee.com/ It's a vacuum-activated hair cutting device. It sucks the hair up and then cuts it.

Sunburst? Or is it a Starburst? I haven't had one in so long I can't even remember the name...

Hello Junettes (since there don't seem to be any men here yet)! I hope you are all doing well and sticking to your diets! Is anyone else feeling like their date will never come? I'm so impatient... Momma, the group therapy really didn't do it for me -- this forum is WAY more supporetive and informative than the 40 GBers that I met with. But it's really not a big deal. Accountability: I stuck to my diet today. I even turned down a Sunburst that someone offered to me! I didn't get to the gym, but my husband and I went for a walk on the beach this evening, so I think that's better than nothing! And welcome to all the newbies!!!

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Marilynn, I think the list you are talking about is something you can find under FAQs -- Post Op list of suggested things to have on hand. I haven't started making my list yet, I'll probably wait until the week before to get everything. I have started drinking Protein shakes and today I picked up an assortment of chewable Vitamins. There definitely seems to be a lot of us getting banded on the 7th. It's good to know I'm not going to be alone! I went to my first group therapy session today. I know that it can be beneficial for many people, but it's just not for me. I'm a very private person and sitting in a group of strangers to talk about my feelings isn't my thing. But it's a pre-op requirement, so I went and tried to have an open mind. It was actually very informative, but most of the attendees were gastric bypass pre-ops or post-ops, so a lot of it didn't really relate to me. But hell, I'll do whatever it takes to get that much closer to being banded. Accountability: I stuck to my diet today! I didn't go to the gym, but I did yoga and did a lot of walking while running errands, so I think that counts.

Deanna, I PMed you...

Whoa -- something got weird in editing mode -- sorry about the huge gaps in there...

<p>Sorry about your postponement, Lynette -- I, too, would be really upset! Hopefully all of our dates will arrive quickly!</p> <p> </p> <p>Hi Missy, welcome to our thread! Let us know how you like the various Protein drinks you are sampling. I also have an assortment of packets that I'm trying now -- I want to find the ones that I don't like now so that I won't have any surprises after surgery!</p> <p> </p> <p>Congrats Momma on the 4 lbs! That's great.</p> <p> </p> <p>As for me, I stuck to my diet wholeheartedly today. I wanted to go the gym this evening, but I had to work late to meet a deadline and I have a terrible headache...I know, excuses, excuses, but it's true! I have no idea if I've lost any weight over the last week because I actually don't own a scale. But I ordered one online last week, so it should arrive soon.</p> <p> </p> <p>Stay strong everyone!</p>

I stuck to my diet today and walked on the treadmill for 35 minutes. I haven't been to the gym in so long that my back hurts. I need to get back to being consistent! T, my doc didn't give me a strict diet per se, but he said that I should be eating lots of Protein and vegetables. Minimal carbs, lots of Water, etc. I've also been experimenting with different protein powders/drinks so that I can find something I like NOW and not sample everything after the fact. There is safety in numbers -- I agree that if we stick together we can support each other along the way.

I have some of the bottled Isopure drinks. They taste like kool aid, which isn't my favorite, but it could certainly be worse. I've just been cutting them with water -- it reduces the intense taste and then I'm not drinking all the protein at once.

That's encouraging. I hope I like it because I'm so sick of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Or should I say "chocolate", "vanilla", and "strawberry"?