coolcrystal

Me and my hubby are going to just share meals.. he usually takes half home for his lunch the next day anyway, so now he'll give me a small portion to share.. He'll eat anything but like pretty much the same stuff each time, so it will work out perfectly for us! My doctor did show me the meal card to give to me, but like others have said, kids menu items seem to be crapola food.

Yesterday, before picking up my hubby from work (we carpool to save gas), I went by Pei Wei and got a children's order of terryaki chicken and rice... I ate it on the way to pick him up and hid the bag in the back seat and put a piece of gum in my mouth so he couldn't smell it on me. We then went to go work out for an hour... I didn't inform him that I had something to eat already and then we went to Subway and got sandwhiches for dinner, technically, my second dinner. And no, I didn't get just a 6-incher, I had to get the 12-incher. I tried to tell myself in my head that I worked off the kid's meal, but who knows how many calories is in a cup of rice! and I'm sure that terryaki sauce didn't help... I'm so worried that I will screw up on this band. Why must food be so dang yummy.. If nothing had a taste at all, would I still be obese?? I am a carb-oholic and knowing that I have to cut all carbs out starting the 17th scares the shite out of me!! I know I will cry and probably get depressed over it. I don't know if I'm ready to say goodbye to the Outback's pumperknickel bread and Subways honey wheat hoagies... I will mourn these things immensely. But, I know once I get banded, I will have to let those things go and realize how much easier I'll be able to get around and fit into seats and stuff...

Thank you!!!! I"M NORMALLLLLLLL , well, as normal as can be... wahooooooo... I feel like I have butterflies in my belly all the time that are making me nauceous with nervousness over this surgery...... but... I'm NORMAL!! Ooh, I have a question... This morning when I woke up I was so hungry I felt like vomitting... when you get banded, does that hunger go away? I hope it does... When I get hungry it makes me feel like I'm going to lose it.

Jennibee, why would you be upset about eating 2 hershey kisses? I thought it's okay to still enjoy little things like this every now again with the band? I mean, if you completely cut out all the fun stuff, isn't that sort of depressing? Like it would make you want it even more. I guess I don't see what would be wrong with eating a hershey kiss every now and again... I'm not banded though and this is what I'm thinking now.. but I have two friends who were banded and they still enjoy little treats like this every now and again and have both lost over 100 pounds and are happy. Don't be sad sweetie... Big hugs!!

I just bought a really cool scale yesterday that measures body fat and water intake... I've already weighed myself three times. Once at night with clothes... was 299... took all clothes off.. was 294.... then in the morning after going potty was 292! wow! I've lost 7 pounds in one day.. HA HA. I bet when I get banded I'll be doing it at least every two days. :confused:

I also suffer with TMJ disorder. A few years ago I couldn't close or open my mouth all the way and the pain was so intense. At the suggestion of my doctor I went to Wallgreens and got one of those mouthguards. You boil them and mold them to your mouth. I slept with mine at night and until I could open and close my mouth again I kept it in during the day too, so that my mouth could relax. It can be a very painful thing. I clench and grind my teeth at night when I sleep which triggered mine. Chewing gum definitely aggrivates it. I would suggest sucking on mints or just sucking on the gum.. I've heard that having to chew your food up really well can also cause pain too... which is a concern for me since I'm not banded yet. One food to avoid if you can is beef jerkey. Turkey jerkey isn't as bad though, but the beef jerkey causes a lot of stress on your jaws when you have TMJ.

Reading what everyone is writing has really helped me to get even more excited about all this... I feel better about getting banded and know I can do this. As for the 12 inch sandwhich, I didn't eat the WHOLE thing.. I ate maybe 10 inches of it. HA HA.. yeah yeah, I know, it's still about 7 inches too much.. but dang it was good! Jack, I like what you said about "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels". I know what being thin feels like and you are right. When I was 125 pounds it was nice fitting into seats and putting on a crappy outfit and still looking good! I felt so healthy. For so long I've been saying there is nothing emotionally wrong with me.. that I just like food, but last night I realized something. When I was thin I was always sexually harassed by men and women hated me and treated me like crap because I was pretty. As I got bigger, women liked me more and men respected me finally. It felt good and safe. Maybe I'm scared to lose weight because I fear I will lose my female friends and I hate being harassed by men. This is the only thing I think it could be... I didn't get obese until my mid 20's and I was never raped or abused... Gee.. why am I rambling here about this personal stuff. LOL.. Anyway, I just thank all of you for your comments. You are all wonderful people.... even the ones that posted stuff I didn't want to hear! :-) I just appreciate that you care to respond.

Basically these group names are for the month you get banded. Since I'm getting banded in February there is a group (go to home, and towards the very bottom it has like support groups with month and year).. Whichever month you get banded you go to that month group and everybody gives suggestions for a name for that group and then you vote on the name. I voted for Fab-U-Less Febs, but that name didn't get picked.. urrggg, oh well.. anyway.. it's usually a name that is sort of uplifting and tied in with your month and losing weight.. that group of people sort of becomes like a family to you or a big support group. Now, there are folks who don't join their "banded month" group and that's fine too. We all support each other (mostly).

THat's what I"m talking about!! Thank you!! Didn't you know that when food cheaters like myself make confessions you are suppose to baby them on this forum?? Isn't there a manual or something?? LOL As for the odd warm front we had here for two days, it's suppose to be like 30 tonight... Texas has the oddest weather in the US I bet! One day wearing shorts, the next burqua's! Maybe subconsciously that's why I bought the food and knew I could hide it because in my head I was thinking "the windows will be opened and he'll never suspect a thing". The cold front will whip me back into shape... :confused: well, that and Ms. Debbie Downer :tt1:

Thank you so much!!! I was starting to regret my confession. LOL. But wanted to do it to get it off my chest! Thanks for making feel like I can do this! Thanks Fairy!! I will trust the band to help me with my journey and know it will kick my butt if I even attempt to eat a roll. LOL. I'll need that too! It's just something I know I'll need to sacrfice, but being at a healthy weight is more important to me!!

Wow, aren't you a nice one.. lol.... can't you just caudle me dammit? Anyway, I've been researching this for two years and have been on this forum for a while researching it every single day.... I'm actually not a "closet" eater.. this was actually my first time do it... and I think it mostly has to do with me knowing the surgery is coming and wanting to get in as much of my favorites as I can before I can't eat them anymore... which I'm sure EVERYBODY is guilty of, or at least 90% of banders are.. And it is easy to hide it from my hubby because I drove with the windows down (it was 80 degrees yesterday) and it was in a sealed plastic bag shoved behind the back seat.... He has his own car, we only car pool for work, so he never gets in my car except to ride to/from his work.

Here you go, hope this helps: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/abbreviations-what-they-mean-7959/ Crystal

Amen girl!! My doctor requires a visit every three months for the first year and said if ANYTHING like this happened he wanted to see me immediately. They should have talked with thier doctor. I couldn't have gone that long like that.

The only thing that sort of scared me was the part where he said that the band had dug into her stomach after 7 years and it took him a long time to get it out (alien comment).. Does the band do this with everyone?? It seems that if stuff like this was happening, perhaps the band was too small or too tight and they weren't going to their doctor.. My doctor requires follow ups and my friend used him and has never puked through her nose or any other way.. she's never had any issues with her band and has lost over 100 pounds now.. Perhaps the older bands were different... I dunno... I'm still getting my lap band.. It's a chance that's worth taking to me.

Great thread. i was curious about this too. I'm taking a cruise to Mexico in May and it will be my first cruise after being banded. I'm sort of sad, because man, the food on cruises is amazing!! but, I'll just have to deal. I'm not a big drinker, but there is this one excursion that I love doing.. it's sitting on a beach with 5 bars.. drink all you can in 5 hour deal with shopping. HA HA. I never got trashed till I was puking, but, I would like to get a little tipsy and walk around like a dork shopping and being forced into paying 5 bucks for a dollar item. Other than that, I usually only have champagne at Christmas and Thanksgiving. But, I would like to enjoy that one day in Meheeco!

I did the same thing.... Me and my boss are very close; he's like my second father and I have told him everything and all my friends too.. I've been very open and honest about it and wrote it in my 360 blog about it... I also conveyed to them that I don't want to be asked everyday how much I've lost. I conveyed many of my fears as well. I said I didnt' want any expectations put upon me.. stuff like that.. but, the support has been amazing. My skinnier friends tend to support me more than my obese friends. I don't know if they are jealous or what.. But, I have to think about my well being right now.. Also, you should ask your doc about the phase one of south beach diet instead of liquids. My doctor says that it does the same thing as the liquid diet does..... he said he use to put his patients on the liquid diet too, but that too many people cheated and at least the SB diet allows you to eat. Just cutting out all carbs is what does the trick... so, maybe you should ask him about it. I dont' get why there needs to be a pre-liquid diet if there is a diet out there that does the same thing but allows you to eat solid foods....

Yeah, it's so true though!! You look everywhere.. on TV, on shows like American Idol.. they'll put the sweet obese dude through, but the obese woman?? no... not unless she's african american obese woman because in our society that's more sociably acceptable. And no, I'm not being racist or anything, it's just how it is. An obese white female is less acceptable. Period. On shows.. in Hollywood... because there must be some big time emotional issue for a fat white woman... right? I can't just like food because it's good... I can't just like chips and salsa... and bread and butter... and chicken fried steak.. and chitlins too,.. right? Anyway, I'm just venting here...

Gratz!! Welcome back! Tell us how everything went when you are ready!! Do lots of walking.. I hear it helps with the gas... :-)

I'm so tired of shows saying that there must be something wrong with a person emotionally to be fat... I just don't believe it. Like on the Biggest Loser when Jillian was saying there is always an emotional reason as to why somebody is fat... it's BS. Had Oprah or Jillian or whoever asked me I would have simply said, "food is fun and yummy".. end of subject. I was a thin kid and very physically active up until I met a guy, and we went out to eat twice a day and I gained like 80 pounds in a year.. then I got a foot disorder and gained even more... I'm super happy in my life and always have been... I've never been raped, or abused or whatever they think fat people deal with. I just like food... and why does it seem like they treat fat women differently than fat men.. like, it's okay for there to be obese men... they dont' have emotional issues.. just obese women.. Give me a break!

Interesting, I wonder why the higher BMI'ers go first? I guess that's why I'm the first scheduled surgery of the day. LOL. Good luck everybody!! And make sure to come here and tell us all about it!

This is a very hard question to answer. Because to me, your starting weight was, what, 223? I thought I looked good at that weight and would have never thought about getting this surgery at that weight, but to you, you felt like you were overweight enough to get the surgery. Somebody at 175 might feel they should get the surgery too... it's all in our self image. heck, I thought I looked fine until I got over 250 and it wasn't how I looked that made me want to get this done, it was how I felt.. not fitting into seats, the pain of walking... stuff like that. So many people have distorted images of themselves... and I see it on this group a lot when people lose all their weight and reach goal and they still feel fat and they want to get all this surgery done... I've seen people on here get brachioplasty done on thier arms and their arms looked fabulous before they got it done and now they have this hideous scar. Now, I know there are people who do need the plastic surgery.. people who have pannus's hanging down over their crotch or arms so saggy that they can't fit them into their shirts.. I understand those.. but, I've seen some people who just have distorted images of themselves and insist on getting this surgery and plastic surgery when they clearly don't need it and it's very sad. My friend Dawn who got the band told me to be careful of doing this, because she was so concerned about that last 15 pounds she became belemic and anorexic... Then she got a slip... Even though her goal weight was 145, she wanted to get to 130.. because she still felt fat.

I don't get the whole liquid diet thing before the surgery. My doctor has us do the South Beach diet (phase 1) 10 days before the surgery. He says it does the same exact thing as the liquid diet does and doesn't think its fair to make people suffer when there is something else they can do that allows us to eat real food. It's basically a carb free diet, but you eat lots of chicken and veggies.. no fruit though.. I got a little South Beach diet book at half price books for like 3 bucks and it has all of the phases and a bunch of recipes and charts that are helpful.

I keep trying to add a blinkie for me, but it just says that i have too many lines... am i putting it in the wrong spot?

Cool, there are some other February bandsters in here! I know how you all feel. I have some of the same fears myself. Ditto to what all of you said and add in the fact that I'm scared how my fat friends will treat me if I do lose a lot of weight. I fear that they will get jealous and/or avoid me.. I'm scared to lose them. Being overweight has been my identity for so long.. If I'm not fat Crystal, who am I? I've been thin before and I hated how I got treated. I feel safer being obese, but now my body is so runned down that walking in a grocery store kills my back.. I just can't do it anymore..

I got approved yesterday and already made my pre-op appointment for 2/4 and the earliest they could get me in for surgery was 2/27. I'll start my south beach diet on the 17th to get my liver healthier for the surgery. (Some docs require a liquid diet, but mine doesn't). I think it depends on what area you live in, how many lap band doctors are around. I'm in the D/FW area and there are tons of lap band doctors around here, so I don't think the wait is as long probably. That's just a guess though.