Fanny Adams

Oooh, sounds nummy! Recipe for the wasabi vinaigrette please!!

It looks like we're not the only ones who think that way. I'm tempted to post my Spinach & Mango salad recipe in that thread but it might be pushing my luck. What do you guys think?

Thanks Jachut. I'm a little worried that I might have overstepped the mark here, but I was outraged by the advice and could not let it go by without a comment. To Dr Vuong: Please reconsider the way you have worded your advice. It can very easily be interpreted as validation for avoiding ALL fresh vegetables, which cannot be healthy!

In honour of this, here's my favourite "Spinach & Mango Salad" recipe: 3-4 generous handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves 440g/1lb tin of mango pieces, drained & sliced 1/3 of a cucumber, sliced thin (peel only every 2nd half inch width, alternating stripes, for added visual appeal) 1 large carrot (peeled, sliced thinly on the diagonal) 1-2 celery stalks (sliced thinly on the diagonal) 1/2 punnet grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half) 1/2 large (or 1 small) red sweet bell pepper (sliced) 1/2 purple salad onion (sliced finely) 1-2 tablespoons of pine nuts *Serves 6-8 people Slice all the veges except the spinach and mangoes, and toss together with the pine nuts until well mixed. Add spinach and toss again gently (trying not to bruise the spinach). Add sliced mangoes and toss very gently. The mango juices will act as salad dressing but don't toss too much or you mush the pieces (which are NUMMY!!) and lose them. This makes the most wonderfully fresh-tasting and colourful salad ever... I could live on this every day! I think the visual appeal is as important as the taste - it is SO pretty!

It was all I could do to restrain myself from saying things like "irresponsible", "unprofessional" and "stupid"!! My doctor would be horrified at that advice, especially since it can be so easily taken as validation for never eating salad veges!!

The scales are moving again and I'm closing in on the target!! 7.5lb to go - this time I'm going to make it!!!

Oh oh... I just challenged one of the doctors on this site: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f197/why-you-shouldnt-eat-salad-93913/ I hope I don't get in trouble but his post made me hopping mad!! :thumbup:

I'm sorry, I know you are a doctor and all, but I have to vehemently disagree with your comments. I find salad to be the most band-friendly option I have and my doctor agrees with me entirely and recommends this to all of his patients. These are the reasons we find this to be true: * When well-chewed, salad sits in the pouch for longer than almost any other food type, maintaining the sensation of fullness and working WITH the band to help stop you overeating. Foods high in fibre should be the first choice of someone with a band. The fibre is the main reason why the band works! * Lettuce does not "define" a salad. A good, healthy garden salad includes such things as celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers (all colours), carrots and onions, all of which provide essential Vitamins and minerals and are part of a healthy balanced diet. If you substitute fresh baby spinach for the lettuce (as I do), you get even more nutrients per serve. * It is much easier to know when you have chewed salad thoroughly, as any oversized lumps are easily detectable in the mouth before swallowing, and you can be sure you have gotten it to "liquid" before it goes down. This results in far fewer "getting stuck" episodes. I have never gotten stuck on salad, yet I have managed to swallow other foods such as chicken without proper chewing, as big lumps still slip down easily and then get stuck. * High fat/oily salad dressings are NOT part of a good band diet but they are also NOT a required part of a salad. Salad vegetables can be easily served without using high fat/oily dressings. There are low fat/low sugar alternatives. My personal favourite is to use sliced tinned mangos - they mush up enough as you toss the salad to provide a sweet liquid coating for all the veges. * "Protein first" is an American affectation that is not part of the diet regime recommended by doctors in other countries. Australian doctors have many more years of experience of working with the Lapband and the large majority of our doctors recommend a balanced diet, not a high protein diet. Besides, salad doesn't HAVE to be served first. Again, that is a US habit. In other countries such as my own, salad is usually served WITH the main meal and is eaten at the same time (ie a bite of salad, a bite of meat, a bite of carb, etc). You have a point if your definition of a "salad" is lettuce covered in oily dressing but to make the bald statement (in capitals, no less) that SALAD IS NOT A BAND-FRIENDLY CHOICE" is just wrong. Even your own words go on to recommend more healthy alternatives to lettuce and ranch dressing. Perhaps instead of dismissing such a healthy and vital part of any balanced diet, you should consider stating "LETTUCE WITH RANCH DRESSING IS NOT A BAND-FRIENDLY CHOICE".

I feel the same about the in-laws. Our children don't just miss out on a father, they miss out on the whole extended family thing. My daughter has grandparents and an aunt and uncle she has never met, probably has cousins too.. You know, that's one thing I really admired about my grandmother. I have an uncle who got divorced when his son was only 5 or 6. His ex took the boy to the other side of the country to live, so none of us could keep up contact with him. The uncle sent his support money and kept us informed about major news, but no-one saw him again. At my grandmother's funeral, 2 years back, many of us noticed a man at the back of the church. I can remember asking someone "Who's that? I know him. I'm sure I've met him before!" Turns out it was Michael and no, we hadn't met (well not since he was 6 and I was 9) but he had the family features so strongly he just looked totally familiar. Granny had been sending him birthday cards and Christmas cards all this time, staying in touch with her grandson. In her memory, he braved the funeral to come and meet us all. He's a lovely man and living back on our side of the country, so stays in contact now.

There are far too many deadbeat dads in this world! My daughter's father is one of them too. We split up when she was about 18mths old and the last I knew of him was a couple of months later when he stole my single parent's benefit cheque out of the mail, forged my signature and used the money to pay for a bus ticket from Perth to Brisbane (similar journey as from LA to NY). I figured it was money well spent! Since then, not a card for birthday or Xmas, not a phone call, nothing. I never even tried to pursue child support (I knew where he lived - well where his parent's lived, which was a more likely way of finding him). He was a deadbeat when we were together and I knew he would continue to be one after we split, so was never going have the money to pay support. All it would be, was an added complication - I didn't want to give him the rights to contact that active supporr would provide. I could just see him being one of those rotten part time Dads who contiually let their kid(s) down and broke their hearts over and over by not showing up for visits, etc. I wasn't going to let that happen! Instead, I used the gov't support for a few short years while I rolled up my sleeves, when back to college and trained as a teacher, then went out to work (never been on welfare since!!). DD turns 28 this year and has never met him...and has no desire to do so.

I hope everyone comes through it safely!! How scary for you, waiting to hear the news... Best wishes from DownUnder!

:cool2::cursing::laugh: Rats rabbit stew (and a whole bunch of ruder words to that effect)!!!! I just got the news that the finance for the people who offered to buy my house has fallen through, when it was due to settle on May 15. Turns out that the lying Kiwi scumbags have TEN warrants out for them in New Zealand and obviously thought that Australian banks wouldn't check back to NZ. GRRR!!! *kicks inanimate objects* Back to the drawing board now, with another Home Open on Sunday... sigh. The only light at the end of this tunnel is that the Aus gov't is strongly predicted to change the terms of the First Home Buyers Grant as of 1 July, making it apply only to new homes being built, not existing homes, so there is likely to be a bit of panic buying over the next 7 weeks with people trying to get in before they become ineligible. :laugh::cursing::w00t:

Is it indicative of a certain frame of mind that I finally got off my not-so-fat-anymore-arse today and started formal divorce proceedings with my ex, that I split up with in Jan 1993 (16 years ago)?

I know!! I look forward to waking up and reading all the overnight posts (your daytime) with my breakfast coffee and this morning - NOTHING!! Waaaah!!! *cries* It's all Plain's fault!! How DARE he not work on weekends and not even post from home?!! The nerve!!

It has been quiet, hasn't it? Bah! You people are supposed to entertain me!! So make with the tapdancing and juggling acts already!! Else I shall have to taunt you all with more pics of Broome lifted from the net *grins*

I can't wait!!

Yay for more holiday time!! I finish up my current little contract at the Processing Plant at the end of May and go back to the Underground Project (which previously finished in March) in June, so I took the opportunity to slip in another little holiday. I have a bunch of frequent flyer points (that I was going to use to fly to the USA with, but that ain't on the cards anymore), so the airfares are free - which means I can spend the money on a 4-5 star hotel in Broome instead! YAY!! I just booked the flights and the room at the Bali Hai Resort on Cable Beach in Broome for June 2-7... paradise on earth I've gone for the smallest room option (Studio) but I think it will be more than adequate!! Sunsets on Cable Beach are like no others in all the world... This sig comes from a photo taken in 1985 on Cable Beach: We're going to hire a 4WD and go fishing, drive up the beach and find our own private spot for skinny dipping, do the camel rides at sunset... it's gonna be AWESOME!!!

You might need to be careful for a few weeks after surgery but once you're all healed up, nothing else should change. I found I had port pain for a lot longer than I had anticipated but eventually it came good and all options are open now

I hear you... I actually had more confidence when I was fat and am becoming more self-conscious as I lose the weight. When I was at my largest, I was into casual sex and I deliberately sought out guys who liked fat women. I figured if they didn't like the body, well bugger them and I never got paranoid about showing off my size. Now that I've lost the weight and I'm in a relationship with someone that I care about deeply, I'm finding that I REALLY REALLY care about his opinion and I'm very self-conscious about the sags and bags. He's wonderful at reassurance, but it's a strange headspace to be in... My suggestion: LINGERIE!! It hides a multitude of sins and can really help you to feel sexy! (Okay, I just love sexy lingerie and any excuse will do! )

This was absolutely true for me. When I started this journey, I wore a mix of sizes 22-26 (Aus sizes, 18-22 in US sizes), depending on the brand and how much I could stretch them (some were VERY stretched!). My first shopping expedition saw me moving into 18's (14's in US) and the difference was phenomonal. I've been a bit better since then, moving down into 16's and 14's (Aus, US 12/10) and am still spinning out over the "normal" looking person in the dressing room mirror.

Congrats to you all who've made it recently!! It's a wonderful feeling!! For those on the verge, hang in there - it IS attainable!

Captain Tripps is gonna get us all!! Mwuahahahahaha!!!

A super fund is our superannuation fund - retirement fund, basically. I think it is similar to your "401K" but I'm not entirely sure - mostly coz I don't really know what that is, other than what I've guessed through posts here and in other forums. Super has been compulsory in Aus for 20 years now, with employers required to pay 9% of the total wages/salary into a fund nominated by the employee, which can't be touched until retirement. Some large organisations (like the public service or hospitals, etc) offer their own superannuation funds but many people opt for completely private super funds held with insurance companies. I think it is very sensible - forces people to save for their retirement but gives them freedom of choice on how to do that. Employers MUST contribute - employees can choose to add their own contributions as well, and get tax breaks if they do so. On the other hand, our employers don't provide medical insurance as part of a salary package - our medical insurance is entirely separated from employment and I like it that way!! I've heard way too many US horror stories about losing coverage and other problems, simply because you've changed jobs. To me, that seems like a really whacky thing to tie together so closely.