nina874

Hi Lisa, Welcome aboard!! I am in the UK also and I have found the people on this board to be a wealth of information, there doent seem to be anyone near me who has even heard of the band - let alone someone who has one! Good luck with your surgery, it is a piece of cake.....and we all know how easy that is!!! Nina x

Hard one to answer for me as I havent lost that much yet,but, when people have commented it makes me feel good,it is a kind of reaffamation (?) that I am headed in the right direction. How I would feel depends on the person who is saying it and the tone in which it is said. I am much more likely to take it as a compliment from someone that I dont have a negative history with. Nina x

Chickie, I think you look gorgeous I dont know why you take offense when I havent heard anyone say that you are too thin, having seen your piccies I think you look just right! Mary-Jane Olsen on the other hand has been admitted into rehab/hospital for treatment of anorexia, as has Nicole Ritchie,it has been estimated that both of them dipped under the 6 stone mark which is unhealthy for a grown woman. I haven't a clue who Star Jones is so I couldnt comment. On the other hand look at Kylie Minogue she is a tiny wee thing, I think she looks fantastic, I think it is more about appearance than weight in most cases. Chickie you look like you have got all your curves in the right places to me, I am sure that noone is refering to you when they talk about people being too thin, you should have faith in yourself, you worked your ass off to get where you are and you are in your BMI range and looking good and you know it Nina x

Hi Gentylwind, I am so sorry about the loss of your son, I cannot begin to imagine what that must have felt like ((hug)) You are going into this surgery with exactly the right attitude, I am sure that it will work really well for you. I on the other hand went on an all inclusive holiday 3 weeks before my band was put in - ehem - shall we say that it was a fond and lengthy farewell to all my favorite foods *blush* Baby - I hope that your band has loosened up a bit, I havent had a fill yet, but although not being able to eat is sure going to help that weight fly off, I should imagine it is a nightmare to go through! Is it normally tight just after for you? Dreik - Oooooh Ben and Jerrys, makes me goes all strange at the knees!! I am trying to avoid it like mad at the moment, but all the kids are on half term and the house is filled with goodies- its torture!! I have got to be at about 159 by christmas so hopefully we can keep an eye on each other Hi to everyone else and thanks for the advice you posted regarding carbs, they are soooooo my weakness!!! On the subject of carbs...Does anyone else have a problem when they cut down the protein a bit and start introducing carbs? I put on 2lbs with no higher calorie intake, just a greater proportion of carbs ( I am on soft stage and I was getting sick of omlette and fish *sigh*) I tried introducing pasta and when I got on the scales the day after I nearly passed out!!! Nina x

I havent had a fill yet -newly banded- but I just wanted to say how sorry that I am that your fills are such an ordeal ((hug)) Have you told the doc how much you bleed afterwards and that you are aware that it isnt the rule for most other people? Can he do them under x-ray supervision? I know that can cut down on the fiddling around to find the port site. I hope your next fill is a better experiance. Nina x

I am sorry that I cant give you any practical advice as I am based in the UK, I just wanted to say that there are loads of women on the site that have gone self-pay in the US, I am sure that they will set your mind at ease whichever route you decide to choose. Best of luck whatever you decide, the one thing that I am sure of is that you won't regret it wherever you go. Nina x

That is fantastic news!! It will be here before you know it! Start looking forwards to the new you, I have only been banded for just over 2 weeks and it is the best thing I ever did ( other then having my kids-but you know what I mean!!) Nina x

Glad that you are feeling better, you must feel so relieved!! Nina x

PMSL - Thats absolutly right, what a well reasoned and logical argument, if only Bush had been able to put you in front of the UN, they would have given him the green light without a seconds thought......

What about the horrors that are taking place on a daily basis in Zimbabwe? What about Tibet? What about all the countries all over the world where people are denied their basic human rights.China - who lets face it both Britain and America spend a lot of time buddying up to - have an APPALLING human rights record......and yet we do nothing....why is that do you think??? I have a good friend who is a Royal Marine Commando, decorated helicopter pilot, he has fought in the Falklands war, the first Desert Storm,Northern Ireland, in Afghnistan in fact all over the bl**dy world, wherever his country sent him..and now in Iraq. He has just put in his notice to quit, and do you know why, becuse he is sick of being lied to, he is sick of feeling like a gun for hire. In WWII the death toll estimates range from 40,000,000 to 71,000,000 how can you possibly compare that to what is happening in Iraq??? The whole of the free world had to take sides in WWII, of course people never complained, they were fighting to stop Hitler invading THEM, that is not the situation here. There are not Iraqi jets flying over London dropping bombs,there are not Iraqi troops on our streets - or anyone elses for that matter - so how can the two situations be comparable? Again I would like to say, I also have friends over there, and Lord do I want them home safely, I love our troops - thats why I dont want them involved in this sort of conflict!

I will never forget 9/11. I stood with the rest of the world in shock and horror and the deepest sympathy for the plight of NY and America, just as I am sure that you and your fellow Americans did with Britain when the IRA had their terror campaign against us. The FACT of the matter is that Saddam and Iraq had nothing to do with 911 so that comment isnt really relevant to whether or not we should have invaded them. Imagine this if you can.......... A group of far-right Christians bomb China's capital, and as a result of that, China ,who for there own reasons are p*ssed with America, decide to invade your country because you have weapons of mass destruction, you are all Christians and one of the terrorist recieved training in the hills of Virginia... Would you want the world to stand back and cheer them on? This isnt a war, it isnt recognised by the UN as a war, it is an act of revenge.

Hi Hope2B, You sound just like me!! I LOVE cooking, I have a big family and I feel good just getting the pans out to feed the tribe.I have huge problems saying 'no' to myself, I too crave chocolate and crisps . I chose the band because of this not in spite of it, I couldnt face the thought of never being able to eat Christmas dinner incase I dumped or got roaring runs, of not just choosing to avoid certain foods but NEVER being able to eat them again, dont kid yourself, if you have the bypass you will be on a very very restricted diet for the rest of your life. I know me, and I know that what I CANT have is normally the thing that I want most........us girls huh, go figure! Then I thought about how miserable that would make me, and really that was it for me. I am newly banded so I cant give you the reassurance that it will get you to goal, but since 10/01/07 ( highest weight ever) I have lost 25lb and I very rarely feel hungry. Good luck with your choice and let us know how you get on. Nina x

Lauren - You took the words right out of my mouth!!! Although you probably had a much wittier take on it than me!!ROFLMAO!!!

Please dont misinterpret what I was saying 2B, I have good friends who's DH's are out there at the moment too, another one is due back in Afghanistan in 2 weeks time, I wish them godspeed home too.

OMG Wheetsin!!!!! I laughed that much I nearly peed ( please god let that be another unfortunate side effect of the excess weight)

Hmmm define terrorist? Whats your take on say......the IRA Excuse me for my ignorance but did Iraq declare war on America and I missed it? The country goes to crap again??? Here was me thinking that before we invaded another member state of the UN ( in direct contravention of the UN's wishes) they still had running Water and power..........

I am interested!!! PMSL!! I was going to post my take on it, please go first!

Thanks Gadget for the advice I will try it in a bit and you cant laugh if I get it wrong! Staying on topic noone is going to make the 54% have an abortion if they dont want one are they it is a very different situation. Having as many kids as I have got I have changed my stance over the years and strangely enough become more pro-choice not less. If I were to get pregnant now ( not that I can) and a scan were to show an anecephalic baby or a similar magnitude disability, I would end the pregnancy, and I would do it mainly because of the enormous impact that it would have on my other kids. Looking after a severly disabled child is a full time job, there is very little room for anything else, and whilst I have the utmost respect and admiration for those that can cope with that situation, I know that I couldnt do it. The problem is that once you start going down the road of restricting abortions certain factions will push it further and further, and no argument ever is going to make me think that it is right to make an 11 year old victim of incest carry a child if they dont want to.

I am so sorry Kat that you are fighting the cancer beast again ((((hugs))) please let us know how you are. I hope that you batter it into submission soon. I will take my inspiration from you Kat, you arent just a band hero, you are a life hero. Nina x

I cannot comprehend the deciscion making process that lead them tothinking that it was the right thing to do?? Even when over 100,000 people marched through the streets of London in protest they still sent them out there. When I look at the atrocities that are happening all over the world, Zimbabwe, Seirra Leone, the monks in Tibet etc etc, I wonder what provoked the reaction to Saddam's regime.Was it a war on terror?Was it a lust for oil? Was it religious fundamentalism? ( and I mean in the sense of far right Christian) What do you guys think , Sue you have been out there whats your take on it? Kago - I am with you totally, I feel that the UK are suffering in the same way,as much as anything our troops are stretched to breaking point as Tony Blair over committed them in an effort to buddy up! Again I agree on the comments on Saddam, but all they have done now is create a huge power vaccum, just as they did to a degree in Afghanistan.They went in there tore it apart and now the War Lords are just laughing and sharing the spoils, there has been no improvement in the life of the afghans if anything they are worse off! What about India and Pakistan and their nuclear programs, 2 unbelievably unstable political powers, but yet they carry on..... Nina x

Ok gadget/sue/anyone how do I do a quote, it is driving me insane!! Sorry to be a nube but everytime I do it a mulch it somehow. Thanks

Lol sue, me too on both counts :boink:

I support our troops no matter where they are, cos they are our boys :boink: I just dont think that they should be out there.

We had a female prime minister in the UK , do none of you remember the Falklands war, when Argentina invaded the Falkland Isles, Maggie Thatcher was prime minister then and she was quite happy to go to war. Nina x

Are you in the UK? I thought that was the only place that still did daylight saving. I love it when the clocks go back, cos the first morning you get a lie-in, hate it when they go forwards again! I would vote against. Nina x