vinesqueen

First of all, your BMI doesn't really mean squat. It's a tool to get your band, but It doesn't really mean anything else after that. According the the BMI tables, I should weigh the same exact amount as a woman from SE Asia, with a tiny little skeleton. The only way that could happen is if I had some wasting disease and lost 50 pounds of muscle mass. Not gonna happen. I will never be able to weigh what the BMI charts want me to weigh, nor should I want that. According to the BMI charts, all atheletes are considered overweight or Obese, and in some cases, they care considered MO.

Hi Nykee! You most defininately do not qualify as a Turtle or a slow loser in any way shape or form! Hurrah! You are a zoomer, a Rabbit! Losing 100 pounds is a big deal, no matter how long it takes you to do it. If you don't lose 100 pounds in a year, you will be no less special that you are right now. You are already an amazing success Nykee! Say it with me, "I am an amazing success!" Good, now, once more with Feeling! To qualify for the The Slow Losers, you must be losing less than the "1-2 pounds a week"

This is great fun! Of course, you do realize that this is wonderdul... you are not bound by what someone else says they are. You have the oportunity to define it for yourself. You could say that they were anything, you have the chacne to define them for yourself!

Poodles, honey, that's about where I stared. If it makes your feel better, my DH's BMI was over 80%

welcome to the Banded Gentry!

Hello Jini, welcome to LBT. I do not think it slows down your metabolism. I have not heard that. I think in some cases that it actaully can help speed up the metabolic rate for some people. I think this is why and how we see so many of our Rabbits, or those who lose quickly. These people are not losing like folks who have had the RNY or other malabsorption proceedures. It if slowed down the metaboic rate, then I would expect that there would be a "window" to lose, such as we see with some of the other procedures available. Yes, the pouch does hold on to the food, but this is a good thing. It keeps us feeling satisified for longer. For some of us, it might be the first time we've ever felt comfortably full, as opposed to stuffed and can't move. Some people can eat absolutely everthing they could eat before banding, including bread and sandwiches. Somepeople find that suddenly they cannot eat some foods like potatoes or bread or chicken or something else. I don't know that there is any way to figure out what life will be like for you after banding. For example, I can eat bread, but I seem to not be able to handle toast. My husand can't eat bread, but can eat toast. He can eat chicken, but I have to be very careful, and I can eat ground beef, but he can't. In fact, you want to avoid eating soup, since these can be considered "soft foods" and not hard protien. If you find yourself eating lots of Soups, you might want to ask your self if your fill is too tight or if you are "eating around the band" The best thing about my band is that I'm not dead, and that was looking like a real possibility. The worst thing about my band? hmmm. It's fickle. Sometimes, some days you are not able to eat what you could the day before. Some days you have restriction where you were not expecting it. Some people have a very difficult time with theri band because they can no longer engage in emotional eating. You sort of have to face issues you were able to avoid either because you were litterally stuffing your feelings down with food, or losing weight faces you to look at some of the issues that caused you to gain weight in the first place. I wish I had known I would be a Turtle, a slow loser. We hear so many wonderful stories of folks who have lost 100 pounds in their first year, or who lose 50 pounds in their first few months of being banded. But we don't hear too much about the Turtles, those who lose at a slower, more deliberate pace if you will. Oh, I knew that some poeple lost slowly, but I never thought I would be one of them. I was going to be the uber compliant bandster, the one who did everything according to the rules. Well, I was uber compliant, I was one who did everything according to the rules, and yet I'm still a turtle. Does this answer your questions?

yeah, I had to re-read Alex's message 4 times before it started to make any sense... then I looked at the post date! I was thinking whoa--that's some killer fill you got there... So Alex, you've been banded OVER TWO YEARS now, so, please share some of your before and your now. How you have adjusted to life now that you're no longer carring an additional average sized woman around in your skin? My son doesn't believe that it is the same person in your before and after pix. Not because he doesn't believe you didn't lose the weight, but that you also seemed to lose at least 15 years of careworn from your beautiful face. Please share with us some of the thing that you now take for granted, things that you thought you would never, ever be able to do. Someone bumped one of Zoe's old threads today, a thread that had to do with goals, and where she was personally with the goals. (It may have even been Zoe herself that bumped it... )

some psychics are right on the money. Some are ... well... not so gifted. I saw a very good one, I have her tape still. The best ones always provide a tape of the reading too. She told me that I would need more education to reach where I wanted go to. I'd just finished my second degree and wasn't very thrilled to hear that. She also said that I was one of the few people that have multiple soul mates, and that I would soon be meeting one of them. She said that he would be larger than life somehow. She kept wanting to say that he was really tall, but that he wasn't, that that wasn't quite it. There were some other things that also rang true as well. I have been a student of palmistry, and one reading I did was very interesting. (The book warned me, but I didn't listen.) I was reading one of the books in a mall coffee shop when this woman just stuck her hand in my face and demanded a reading. She just demanded it! So, I read her palm, then she got mad because everything I told her was true. She wanted to know how I'd been spying on her!

Doh! if they are two inches long, which is much, much smaller than I thought, I'd have to change my guess to bookmark. That or decorative facial piercing jewlery

Clash of titan reptiles leaves python, alligator dead in Florida's swampland http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1540&ncid=1540&e=1&u=/afp/20051005/sc_afp/usoffbeatsnake_051005192223 http://news.yahoo.com/photo/051005/photos_sc_afp/051005192223_s9z69fvm_photo0;_ylt=AoiscpHJMqf5NPr0hmCSCoLQOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3bGk2OHYzBHNlYwN0bXA- a python snake tried to heat an alligator with disasterous results ...

LoopyLou, please call your doctor today. I know, I know. There's not a whole lot of point to it right now. But that's part fo the insidious nature of depression. Usually by the time we realize how far into the pit we are, it doesn't matter, nothing matters, and there isn't really a point in doing anything, because, well, it just doesn't matter. Depression is so hard because it is a chemicial imballance, it's hard because other people don't understand and they just want us to "buck up little camper" to suck it up, to get over it. Please call your doctor. This is important. (((hugs))))

Part of the problem is that we don't have any frame of reference. We don't know the size of these things.

Yikes! that can't be good. And how frustrating for you! I'm sure you are stressed enough, I was a certifiable basket case the week before I was banded. Call the hospital again, call your doctor's office again, keep trying even though they are having difficulties. Make sure the service understands how important this is. Cheers and courage!

I think the movies are a good example of "habbit eating." I almost never get anything to eat at the movies, At most, I'll order the kid pack. My son used to get really anoyed that I wouldn't ever buy Snacks at the movies because everybody else is getting food and he feels deprived. My DH always gets the biggest popcorn and drink, which is why he still weighs over 400 pounds I suspect. I've been watching skinny people eat lately. Okay, I've been watching all sizes eat lately. It looks like the really really skinny people, the women who are size nothing eat nothing, but they are all so frail looking! So far I haven't been able to determine any sort of pattern between what people get at the caffeteria and what size they are. The last thing in the world I want is to look frail. I like being strong and robust. I just don't find the boney look sexy or attractive. When I see someone so thin that you can count their ribs or the vertebre in their back I just want to scoop them up in my arms and rush them home and feed them.

well that explains why the LB catalogue doens't look anything like what they sell in the shops, and why they use skinny models, given the whole "real woman" marketing strategy.

As always call your doctor for real medical questions. That said, Welcome to Bandlandia! I believe you are just goingto have to walk and wait for the bloating to subside. One of the side effects of being pumped full like a balloon. They make over the counter stool softeners to help. I would think that a harsh laxative would be a bad thing. Soon enough you will likely have diarea, but not to worry. liquids in, liquids out

I initially thought that they were "pot hangers." And no, no roach clips involved. I think they are clips for a table cloth for a pic nic table. oh no Kelly, those things can't be money clips... you would stab yourself the first time you moved.

10/9 244, gained 2 pounds underbust 41 waist 43 hips 48

Sorry, my period started a few days after my surgery, and didn't stop until I had 2 sperate surgeries to stop it.

I think, as least for me, I'm a proud loser because otherwise I would undoubtably give up and quit. I gained 2 pounds this week, up from the 4 I lost last week, so since May, I've lost 6 pounds. In the last 10 months, j. lynn, you have lost almost 90 pounds! that is amazing work and we are proud of you and Celebrate your rapid loss. But I don't know if you've been in our place, you could't have been because you've lost almost 90 pounds in 10 months. You''ve averaged 9 amazing pounds a month! I've lost 6 pounds in the last 4 months. I don't know if I've had good restriction or not. I have to assume that I do, because I averaged 1200 calories for months and months. For the last 10 days I've been very close to the 1000 calorie mark. I don't konw that I would be able to maintian that low calories without good restriction. today, I've had roughly 110 calories. I've decided that I'm going to call an see about getting another fill. I have about 2.5 ccs. I just want to lose weight. I know that this is not the only measurement of success. I know this, but I'm so frustrated. I want answers about why I'm not losing weight.

this is a real tough one. One the one hand, that is excellent news about your health. Just excellent. Heh, I know what you mean about the low blood pressure. I have normal BP, except for the first week or so that I'm back in ID.. the change in altitude from sea level to 4,000 feet plus takes me a lttle while to get used to. It's funny when a new person takes my BP... they always have to double check the results. So, I would advise that you start excersizing. No matter what happens with your band process, you will be in better health. The band is about changing your lifestyle--it's not an easy quick fix. It's about changing your eating habbits, it's about changing your mind set towards food and probably food too. It's about getting excersize 3x a week too. I have not lost 10 pounds in 3 months even being banded, in the last 4 months I've lost 8 pounds. But I suppose that is one of the reasons I'm the spokes model for the Turtles.

Yup, I'm sure, well pretty sure. When Jessie give a fill it takes maybe 10 seconds! Start to fill maybe 10 minutes, including getting weighed, walking around, drinking Water to make sure I"m not too tight. I was amazed when I got my last full here in ID, not done by Jessie. Talk about your production number! There was gowns involved, blue surgical drapes, a weird and anchient looking sci-fi real-time x-ray machine, numbing medication and plenty of bandaids. It took about an hour.... But I had a good level of restriction for a week....

1. What is your name? Crystal 2. What color shirt are you wearing? Lepoard print caftan 3. What are you listening to right now? Joan Jett & the Black Hearts 4. What was the last thing you ate? A handful of wheat thins last night 5. Do you wish on stars? Yes 6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I'd have to be one of those multi colored ones 7. How is the weather right now? sunny, but cool 8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? DH, last night 9. Favorite Sport? Baseball 10. Favorite drink? martini 11. hair color? brown/silver/pink/red & magenta 12. Eye color? dark brown 13. Siblings?2 sisters, 2 brothers 14. Favorite month? August 15. Favorite food? yes 16. What was the last movie you saw? The Fantasic 4 17. Favorite day of the year! Halloween 18. What do you do to vent anger? You are supposed to vent anger? 19. What was your favorite toy as a child? my pogo stick 20. Summer or winter? Winter 21. Hugs or Kisses? Kisses 22. Favorite ice cream flavor? Apple Pie 23. Restaurants or home cooking? yes 24. Will everyone care enough to respond? Sure 25. When was the last time you cried? Monday after my Calculus class 26. What is under your bed? In ID nothing, it's a platform bed. At home several storage boxes with antique & retro fabric 27. How long have you been a member of Lapband Talk? Dec 04 28. What did you do last night? went to the movies, went bowling, played WoW with Spudboy 29. What are you afraid of? being homeless 30. Favorite car? 67 Mercury Cougar 31. Favorite flower? bearded Iris and sweetpeas 32. How many keys on your ring? 9 and a nickel 33. How long have you been at your current job? 2 years, 2 months 34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday 35. What did you do on your birthday? played video games 36. How many states have you lived in? 3 37.How many cities/towns have you lived in? good question. 20? 38. What is your favorite form of exercise? dancing 39.Your favorite store for bargains? Target 40. Wasn't this fun? I wouldn't call it fun...

welcome to the Banded Gentry!

they haven't pulled out any of my fill. this isn't part of the protocol with Jessie. I suppose if I get another fill in the next little while and still don't feel restricted then I'll ask to be tested for a leak