the best me

Soup for the masses! Karen, at least now you can DO something, rather than just w....a.....i.....t..... Git 'er dooooone!!!!!!!!!!! You go, girl!!

Try the library. There's a great book called "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. Excellent resource for any couple! There's also a version for finding out your kid's love languages. Anyhow, thought I'd throw that out there. I requested no flowers, no card, no money spent (the budget is waaaay too snug these days!) and got "I love You"s and "Happy Valentine's Day"s all day yesterday. And we put the kids to bed early My Love Language is Words of Affirmation. Hubby's is Physical Touch. We are both happy! Here are the 5 Languages: Quality Time Words of Affirmation Gifts Acts of Service Physical Touch. Intriguing stuff. Just in case anyone is interested. I'm sorry VDay has been a bummer for some of you. (((((HUGS)))))

I like the "change the channel" rule best. Many times I'll read, get the gist, and move on. Sometimes it's more intriguing than that! BUT, this is a large community with lots of folks with lots to say. If I don't care for it, I don't participate. Ignoring a thread is the ONLY way to send it to archive-land.

How ya doin' Diane? Just checking...

Hey! Welcome to LBT! Okay, Beer is carbonated, wine is better for the band but not good for weight loss. Empty liquid calories are not good, but you can work in a glass or two over the weekends and be fine, I'm sure. Cigs are not healthy, but I indulge...not much but regularly...and so far it hasn't been a problem. It's not good for surgery and anesthesia, so noone here is gonna say "oh, just smoke away, you'll be fine!" LBT has it's fair share of ciggy-diggers. I LOVE Mexican food and can eat it just fine banded. Now, rice in small quantities, mixed in with goopy other stuff. I substitute flour tortillas for Tostitos and it's fine. I can eat refrieds, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chips, chicken fajita meat, cut small, juices from the fajitas, the cooked onions and bell peppers, well-chewed, all of it. You have 2 gas discomforts post-surgery. One is the gas they use to blow up your abdomen. That settles with walking alot after surgery, heating pads on your shoulders and back. The other gas is in your bowels from having surgery, getting banded, messing with your stomach, constipation, although some get diarrhea, etc. Chewable Gas-X is helpful, and glycerin suppositories are handy. Time, sipping and walking are the great healers of the gas issues. Everyone gets it to some degree, and we all get through it somehow, so don't worry, just be prepared for it and it's alot less stressful when you know what's going on. Does that help? Banded life is very normal to me now. I'm not missing anything but large quantities of food and a good bit of excess weight. Happy banding!!!

Glycerin Suppositories. Get moving, baby! You'll feel sooo much better. Quit going from the top down...you have a newly placed band in the way. Go from the other end of your digestive tract. I like the enema idea, too. Also the 1/2 cup of coffee, but if you are having trouble with a sick stomach, it's very acidic and could cause swelling in the band area. Lay off the pain meds if you can. 3 loves is right about the constipation they can cause. Now's the time where you need to slow down your sips for a little while. Also, maybe lay off the V8 Splash? It might be too acidic. Keep it bland. broth, or try egg drop Soup. Hot. Yummy, easy on the tummy and full of protien. That stuff saved my life.

Who saw that movie "Seven"? Rememmber the psycho who kept that guy on death's door for years? They thought they found a dead body but it took a breath! The psycho gave him just enough IV fluids to keep him alive, but starved him enough for so many years that he had only enough brain function to beat his heart and take a breath. Sick Sick Sick That's how I feel with my Jade...like the psycho who only does enough to barely sustain it's pitiful little life. Only it isn't intentional! SIGH. I can't seem to just throw out the darn thing. Why can't I just let it go to Jade Heaven? Be done with it! I KNOW it isn't happy! I'm going with j.s. to Home Depot.

Sleep, dear Penni. I'll be praying for your Mom. Keep us posted.

Lie like a dog and don't look back. On the other hand, if you ever DO come out of the "band closet", be ready to apologize for fibbing, beg understanding from your boss, that it's hard enough to make this type of personal decision, and leave it at that. If I had the disposition, I wouldn't tell a soul. I know myself better, though, and knew I'd spill the Beans anyway, so I just came on out with it. But I didn't have to tell an employer...whole 'nuther scenario... take a big breath and know your story if you are going to stick to it. Otherwise, confess now and be done with it. Did I give you ANY advice in all that? See...I go on and on and on...sigh

YES! ROTFLMAO I'm so sorry. The color is right. That's why I was so shocked at the beautiful green plump leaves on Jessiebears Jade! Mine looks NOTHING like that. Yep...purple.

Jessebear, I know you can't see the bakers rack very well in the pic above, but on the top shelf is a "Pothos"? plant like the one you posted. I actually do very well with that one. The second shelf holds an ivy plant that came from a greenery basket someone sent to us at my grandmother's funeral over 10 years ago. It has sentimental value and does okay, but it's barely getting by. The stems are thin and leaves are small. It could be so much better. The bottom shelf holds the Aloe, and behind it, the evil Jade.

And here's the Baker's Rack in front of the French Door window where I keep these poor boogers...the best light I have in the house. I'm sunk.

Here's an Aloe Vera plant I'm presently killing...

Okay, here's the Jade (I'm so humiliated)

Wait Jenna, you haven't seen my pics. Jessiebear, your Jade looks wonderful compared to mine. At least your leaves are plump and green. I'm working on posting updated pics...gimme a sec. Well, the more time the better or Jenna will hyperventilate!

No kidding! Really?! Did he/his office say "Why"? Ah, geez, there goes the price. That more than doubles it! Crapola. Bad news for me. Do you know the price of flouro fills? Hey, what's r/s?

DD has a basketball game to cheer for at 11, so she has to be there. I'm brewing about this...maybe I can?...lemme think...

Karen, you have been so patient. I was kind of wondering when you'd decide to change docs. Kuwada sounds like a lovely person, but to have to wait so long for a date is so discouraging. I know you are anxious to get moving again. Good for you. He'll have a nice Lap Band practice when he gets it moving. But you need to get moving, too!! I'm sure we'll be hearing good news soon, and a DATE for you! Woooot!

Yay Diane! Keep pressing forward. Baby Steps! With your surgery approval, with your husband's hopeful blessing, with your family. You go, girl!!!!

Excellent news. Hang in there on the quitting smoking...do what ya gotta do to put them down for GOOD! Patches, whatever! Cold Turkey is the best though...get it behind you and fast! Good for you. I'm so happy to hear your good news!!!

NSAIDS=Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (Ibuprophen/Advil, Aleve, pretty sure aspirin in in there, too). Tylenol, especially liquid, is A-Okay. I don't know if that's answered BETTER, necessarily? LOL but hope it helps.

Phyllis, Thanks, my weight loss is slow, I hit lots of plateaus, but I can get it off! I think 160 might be a more realistic goal for me, but we'll see when I get there. After a fill, I do better having protien drinks (I like Boost and Carnation Instant Breakfast...not the most protien I could get but easy and drinkable!) and Egg Drop Soup. I'll do that for the rest of the day and all of the next. Then I'll move to mushies for a day or two...refried Beans, guacamole, pretty much anything without meat and mushy. Then I'll venture into salads, and on to regular foods. I keep thinking it might be time for another fill...I just don't know. I'd like increased restriction, but why?, if I know I CAN eat less than I do, and I need to be exercising more. It really is a head game. Anyhow, good luck! Looks like you have another Dr Lusco patient here... Cashley, try Egg Drop Soup, it's very filling but easy on the band. Don't move too fast to mushies when there are sooo many good Soups to try pureed. Be careful of the golfball in the chest. That's your band, not gas. Slow down friend!

John, do you mix it with water? Milk? Can you do it as meal replacement?

Okay, except for the 25 yers old part, our numbers are very similar. When I saw my doc and mentioned the Lap Band, her response wasn't "why would you do something so drastic, you aren't THAT fat!" it was, "why don't you just get the Gastric Bypass?" SIGH. So not only was I fat enough, she wasn't sold on banding. I saw her recently and she is very impressed with my weight loss, my lower blood pressure, and improved health. So there. Your band will help make it possible for you to reduce the amount of food you eat. It will not help you exercise more, it will not help you choose better (unless your band won't allow you to eat, say, breads or rice) and it will not help you lose weight unless you work it. Eat hard protiens first, then veggies, then carbs, if you have room. Exercise. Drink plenty of Water, but not with meals. If you are willing to do the work, the Band keeps you consistent, long-term, with a healthy lifestyle. It's possible! I'm amazed at people who seem to drop the weight like it's nothing. For me, it's hard! But I CAN do it, where I couldn't before. It's actually pretty easy to maintain my weight loss so far. It takes work to get more off. You may be one that drops it faster. If so, good for you! Just know, going in, that you need to do your part. I have NEVER been able to follow a healthy eating plan for more than a few weeks without totally losing it. Now my band keeps me in check, so the weight I lose is GONE, baby! Good luck. Hubby will come around. Show him the Before/After pictures thread. Uh huh, he'll get it.

This is a ballpark, but at 68 pounds in 95 weeks (guess?) that's .7 pounds per week. Yup, you qualify. Not the lowest loser, but still an official Turtle. Start that NSV list.