WestCoastFatGuy

I hope that I don't offend you in asking, but are you tracking your calories and nutrients? There are several websites that help you do so. I use a program called Dietpower (Diet Power Calorie Counter, Diet, and Weight Loss Program) that really helps me. It's surprisng how many calories that we can ingest without really knowing. I have read many posts where members had not been losing weight and had the food-logging suggestion made to them. They posted later that when they actually logged their food that they had been taking in a considerably higher number of calories than they thought they were.

I haven't yet heard of anyone being directed to wait 2 hours after eating. The most I've heard is 45 minutes to 1 hour. My surgeon says stop drinking 30 minutes before and weight at least 30 minutes after. I think at some point we all just have to use our own common sense and determine what's best for us after weighing all the available information.

Hey there, kiddo. I'm usually a 'shoot from the hip' 'suck-it-up-and-move-on' type of poster. But not this time. I honestly cannot imagine what state of mind I would be in if I were to go through what you did. To lose so many important people in your life all in such a short time? Your mind must be a non-stop swirl! The grief alone had to have been heart-stoppingly devastating. I want to congratulate you for not giving up on life and for forging ahead through what had to have been (and I'm sure still is) absolutely blinding emotional pain. I'm sure that having band complications of any sort must be exacerbated a hundred-fold, as a result. I do hope that getting the band removed, if that's what you wish, at least alleviates the painful physical symptoms so that you are able to focus on healing your wounded heart and mind. You have shown tremendous courage and strength in dealing with your losses. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers as you move ahead and are slowly able to put the grief behind you. If you decide to keep the band and need to whine and moan about the problems associated with it, you feel free to do so. We'll stick by you... we want you to be happy and healthy and to be able to get to the point where life is once again enjoyable. Hang in there, girl. You're going to win this battle!

I've had 3 or 4 ounces of wine once (maybe twice) per week for the last month. I have also had vodka (straight, no mixers), and found that it hits me really fast. As others have said, the calories can really mount up fast. When I do have alcohol I am sure to add those drink items into my daily food journal and still stay within my acceptable calorie range.

I mourned my loss of normal food (my version of normal food, at least) at first. I am a guy, for crying out loud! It is considered manly to brag about how much food a guy can consume (at least here, in the US). I've had a sh*tty couple of weeks with work and there have been times when I have wanted to pig out and drink Coca-Cola till the freakin' cows come home. Thank God that my band has helped keep me from doing so! I didn't have to feel ashamed of myself afterwards. I don't know what new coping mechanisms I'm going to rely on, yet. I'm happy but not happy all at the same time. I'm going through what is known as "bandster hell". Do you know the difference between what I'm going through now and what I gave into in the past? I'm going to get through all of it this time. I AM! I KNOW it beyond any benefit of doubt! I have lost weight and feel soooo much better. I sleep better, I move better. I hate that I have lost one of my best friends... food... but I would hate it much worse if I were to just go on getting fatter until I was nearly immobile and die, in embarrassment, from this dreaded affliction! If you want support, we're here to give it to you. We'll stand by you through thick and thin. We'll lift you up when the world has gone to sh*t around you. We will give you strength when you need it most. We are the world of fat. We are the world of the unseen and frowned upon. We are the reality of fat in the USA and Europe and Asia and anywhere else in the world. We're all either encountering or been through the same sh*t that you're going through. We, more than any skinny b*tch who has never had a weight problem in his or her life, know what pain you feel each and every day that you look in the mirror. We know how good you feel when you shovel nine bazillion calories into your pie-hole to quench the pain. We know how desperate and ashamed you feel afterwards. We know how unfair it seems that there are people who can eat anything that they want and never gain an ounce. We know how painful it is to gain weight on the scale even though we're watching and counting every bite that is going into our mouths. We are YOU, sweetheart! We are YOU! Please let us help you.. and you to help us. Together we CAN and WILL make a difference! If, however, you're bound and determined to have the band removed despite anything we say... go ahead and do it. Feel free. You're grown. You have don't have to answer to a freakin' nanny or a teacher or all of us fat *sses! You do, however, just like all of us, have to live with the consequences of overeating. I was 375 freaking' pounds for cryin' out loud. I was a cow! Not a calf, but a freakin' COW! These wonderful people here helped me to make a very difficult terrifying decision to face my demons and accept help via the band. I will never forget them for all they have done to make my life more liveable. I owe my incredible surgeon my life! While I have only lost just over 40 pounds, I already feel like a new person. I couldn't have done it without ALL of them... good experiences and bad. My lapband buddy, gilliebean, with whom I exchange private messages has been the godsend for whom I prayed! I only wish you well, with or without the band. Ultimately, you make the decision that's best for you... but please... plan for the worst and hope for the best. In the end, that's all any of us, as human beings, can really do.

I was a full calorie Coca-Cola-aholic before my surgery. I'm sticking by my doctor's orders not to try anything with carbonation until at least the 6-month point. It was killing me, I swear! The first three weeks were okay, but after that I would've taken out a church lady to wrap my hands around her icy can of coke. Surprisingly, I found that Crystal Lite Peach Iced-Tea flavor seems to take away my cravings for it. Every time I'm ready to cave and give it to my cravings for Coke I make a vow to drink some of the Crystal Lite first. So far (knock on wood) it has taken away my urge each time.

I've never seen fish of the quality for sashimi at Costco, although it may vary by region. Here in San Diego is Catalina Offshore Products ( How To Make Fresh Seafood Sushi Home kit, Raw Fish Sashimi ) which ships overnight. They have very high reviews from the locals here and their prices are pretty good. We eat sashimi fairly often here as one of my business partners is from Hawaii and is accustomed to having it on a regular basis. We get it from a local Japanese grocery. Alternatively, you may try Whole Foods (also known as Whole Paycheck). Bacterial infections from raw fish are not fun. I had one from sushi once, while living in San Francisco, and can't recommend it as good weekend entertainment.

I completely understand your concern but am happy to put your greatest fears to rest. I fly all the time for work and becaming increasingly fearful as my waist expanded and the seatbelts got tighter and tighter. I had actually gotten to the point of reclining my seat back slightly so that I could suck-in and force my seatbelt to fasten. I would then have to reach back with my left hand while I simultaneously used my right hand to engage the seat reclining lever. Finally, taking a deep breath and blowing it all out... I would yank the seat in one great heave to its upright position. In doing so, the fastened seatbelt would dig sharply into my thights and compress mightily. I was in mortal fear on long flights that I was cutting off the circulation to my legs enough that I would end up with deep vein thrombosis. I eventually was forced to face the inevitable when I boarded a plane that had seatbelts that were shorter than normal. It was fully 6 inches too short for me to fasten! I was distraught! I swear to God that if there was any way at all that I could have not made the trip and not have lost my client as a result that I would have de-planed and rescheduled my trip. Using every ounce of courage I could muster I , red-faced, asked my business partner who was flying with me and in the aisle seat if he could quietly ask the flight attendant for an extension. My heart was in my mouth as I saw the FA heading down the aisle toward us and I stopped breathing when she bent down to hear him as he asked for the belt in a low voice close to a whisper. When she looked over and made eye contact with me I wanted to DIE! Much to my relief, she was purely professional and completely empathetic. She nodded slightly, almost imperceptively, then turned around and retrieved an extender from the overhead bin several seats ahead of us. She palmed it and discreetly passed it to me. She later came by and smiled warmly when I mouthed "thank you" to her. She was the best! I've lost enough weight now so that I no longer have to use the extender, but I did end up asking for one at least 30 times or more before I reached this point. Each and every time the flight attendants were extremely courteous and thoughtful. I'll never forget their kindness to me for as long as I live. They made each potentially dreadful situation a complete "non-event." I'm sure that you will experience the same. I hope this helps to ease your fears and that you have a wonderful time on your trip!

Excellent Excellent response and example. IMHO there are too many people who are entrusted to protect kids who are woefully uninformed and under-educated. I know that it is not politically-correct to say and there are many who will "jump down my throat" for doing so... but the truth is the truth. The other truth is that we will never be able to get truly qualified individuals on a large-scale for these positions unless we begin to pay them enough to make it worth it. The high cost of education and the on-going study required to develop responsible educated social workers and teachers necessitates that we come up with means to adequately compensate them.

I cannot tell you how sorry I feel for all your grief. I've been down this lying road before and it's sooo hard when you realize that not only have you been lied to, but you seem to be paying as big or bigger price than the one who actually lied. The even more difficult thing here is having to presume that your dh is now telling you the truth, even though he didn't before. I'm sure it's gone through your head... "what if the other guy isn't lying?" I mean, you want and need to believe your dh... but the rational side of your brain says, "but can I believe him?" I genuinely hope he is now telling the truth and that this will end without even more damage to you, the innocent party. How do you go on with a dh that lies? I honestly don't have the answer. I've almost come to the conclusion that liars don't change... but that's when I'm being cynical. I've lived through this lying thing with someone close to me for so many years that I wouldn't believe him now if his tongue came notarized (as the judge from the People's Court would say). Your dh has a loooooonnnngggg way to go to try to make this right with you. His pathetic responses to your hard questioning so far have been only to try to garner your sympathy. Congratulations for not falling prey to them. I hope that he wakes up and realizes what a wonderful wife that you are and that he truly truly f*'d up beyond words.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with his middle name, but the only reason that it has become news is because it is being used by people vehemently opposed to him to try to instill discomfort with his name being 1) a common muslim name and 2) the first name of the former leader of Iraq. For anyone to deny that it is being done intentionally is to be disingenuous or purposefully obtuse. BTW, I did not vote for Obama in the primaries. My friends who went to high school with him also did not vote for him. We felt that another candidate was better prepared for the position that he is. With that said, if he does become the democratic nominee (doubtful that he won't, at this point) we will all choose him over the republican candidate. I've always had great respect for John McCain, but after his failed run again G.W., I feel that he has lost some of his former ability to stand up to the far right. He still does so, but not to the extent that I would like to see.

I love this.. I love this! The article posted by Gadget from DailyTech is sweeping the conservative web. I do, in fact, find the information really interesting and am looking forward to finding out what it all really means in light of the various theories regarding global warming. The part, though, that I'm really grooving on is that Rush Limbaugh is all over it! He is singing about it from the rooftops! He's got it all figured out, sewn up and put to bed (wow.. that's a lot of cliches for one sentence!). My favorite part (from The Manmade Global Warming Hoax Thrives on Faith, Not Facts)... "As we reported yesterday, more snow and ice cover the northern hemisphere than at any time since 1966. The 12-month-long drop -- now, get this, because this is crucial -- the drop in global temperatures this past year has wiped out one century of warming. We went up one degree Celsius, we think, in 100 years, in one century. In one year, it's been wiped out." Okay, let me see if I've got this right (because it's "crucial")... The last century of global warming (man-made or natural) has been "wiped out" in 12 months! I'm sooooo relieved. Whew! Everyone can relax because even if this cooling trend doesn't continue the warming that we have already experienced... has been "wiped out". Wait. That sounds like something I read about recently. Is "wiped out" the same as "erased"? Hmmm.. where did I read about that? Oh... I know! I know! In that article in the Daily Tech that used information compiled by Anthony Watts. What's that? Anthony Watts never said that the warming of the last century had been erased? Are you sure? Let me check his website. Oh wait a minute... I remember now... that Fat *ss from the Nutty Coast was muttering something about that in an earlier post. Yeah, yeah... he included that statement from Anthony Watts that said that while this cooling trend was anecdotal and does fit in with what others have said about global warming not being man-made that he did not say that one year of cooling had erased or "wiped out" a century of warming. Oh, and that the people at the Daily Tech would take care of that error. Hmmm... well FoxNews reported it in their online story and even mentioned that Mr. Watts had said it (FOXNews.com - Evidence of Global Cooling - Brit Hume | Special Report). And Rush Limbaugh felt that this information was "crucial". Whatever. Anyway... sorry for the silliness. As I've said, this cooling trend may well turn out to be exactly what we all needed to put the fears of man-made global warming to rest. It's a bit too early to know yet, but we will definitely find out within a few short years. It is a bit frustrating, however, when it is being reported erroneously (despite the named source denying it) that all our previous worries about the last century of warming are over. Maybe there are others who believe that it is so... but Fox News and Rush Limbaugh aren't referencing 'them' for their stories; they're referencing Anthony Watts. Oh, and just so you all know... I'm also still p*ssed that Al Gore used that picture of the polar bear on the ice flow that was taken during the summer.

I'm just curious... why 'Big Al'? Why not just 'Al'? Or 'Al Gore'? That type of reference always makes me wince. The same as when people say, "Bubba Clinton", "Teflon Bill", "Shillary", "Bushit", or other names when they don't agree with them or their policies. I guess it's probaby just me, but I don't understand why people find it amusing. I know... I need to get my sense of humor meter adjusted. Okay... Okay... :smile2:

This is very interesting and will likely cause lots more debate on the issue of whether or not man-made global-warming exists. One important note... this article is largely written from data compiled by Anthony Watts (Watts Up With That?). BTW, Mr. Watts is not a proponent of current global-warming theories. He recently posted the following update (colors, underlining/linking and bold references are from Mr. Watts): -------------------------------------------- UPDATE AND CAVEAT: The website DailyTech has an article citing this blog entry as a reference, and their story got picked up by the Drudge report, resulting in a wide distribution. In the DailyTech article there is a paragraph: “Anthony Watts compiled the results of all the sources. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C — a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year time. For all sources, it’s the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down.” I wish to state for the record, that this statement is not mine: “–a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years” There has been no “erasure”. This is an anomaly with a large magnitude, and it coincides with other anecdotal weather evidence. It is curious, it is unusual, it is large, it is unexpected, but it does not “erase” anything. I suggested a correction to DailyTech and they have graciously complied. ---------------------------------------- This does not, however, detract from the data itself... and I'm curious how the other side will respond. I have read that we're still in LaNina and it may account for some cooling. But to this extent? Only time will tell...

This doctor has been brought up many many times before. Search him name and you'll find lots of posts. In short, he has an agenda to disparage the lapband so that patients will get the mini gastric bypass from him. It should be noted that this is a procedure that is not well-regarded amongst bariatric surgeons. In fact, I think you'll even find a post from a surgeon somewhere around here that talks about that fact. Anyone that advertises on youtube and has such an incredibly awful website should give you a pretty good indication of what he's all about. Oh, BTW, the 'studies' that he references are not at all comprehensive and are extremely limited in their scope.

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to paste part of a response that I posted in another thread... as it sums up my view of what we all need to be aware of in the first few weeks with the band. The lapband is an incredibly wonderful tool. You'll read that over and over and over again in these forums. Just like any tool... unless you use it properly, it won't work. An important note with the lapband is that it may well be many weeks (or even months) from the time you have your surgery until the lapband becomes a fully-functioning tool. Again, those with lots of band experience say that finding their "sweet spot" of good restriction without negative effects can take many fills and/or adjustments (unfills). In fact, depending on your surgeon, your band may not have any fill whatsoever until several weeks after your surgery (allowing time for everything to heal). After the initial 2 or 3 weeks with the band, you may find that you have little or even no restriction. This can be very frustrating and many many people gain back weight that they lost during the pre-surgery diets. Some people who go into the surgery with unrealistic expectations even fall completely off the wagon and never recover. Others go on binges, but eventually get 'hold of themselves' again and go on to get fills and, ultimately, become successful. Those who go into the surgery with realistic expectations know that during the time of little or no fills that they may experience what has come to be known as "bandster hell". That is, they don't have a fully-functioning tool and are, essentially, doing nothing more than dieting... as they have dozens of times before in their lives. They may hit plateaus and the scale may not move at all. They may be hungry much or all of the day, even right after eating a meal. The difference for these people, however, is that they know and believe in their hearts and minds that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If they can only get past the tough times... that they will be rewarded with much better times ahead. They look at the success stories of those who have come before them and rely on their support and comfort to get them through the rough times. They know and realize that the band will not keep them from gaining weight or stop them from eating too much. The band cannot stop them from yo-yo'ing. The band cannot make them eat the right things. The band can and will, however, eventually (sooner for some.. later for others)... help provide restriction so that they feel full faster.. and stay full longer. It won't stop the 'head hunger' and cravings. It won't heal their inner child or help them get revenge on a cruel world that hates the obese. Thousands and thousands of people have been successful with the lapband. You'll find dozens and dozens who regularly post here on these boards. The things that you'll find in common with all of them here is that they 'used and continue to use their tool', but don't rely on it to do the hard work. They all worked through the difficult times when it felt like their bands weren't even there at all. They know that their fight with obesity may never truly be over. They know that maintaining weight loss is often as hard or harder than it was to lose the weight in the first place. And finally, they don't sugarcoat their experiences with the band. They are honest and upfront about the hard work that it took to be successful. Futurbander...You're going to make it through this. Make you your #1 priority. Make good food choices because YOU DESERVE IT and You are WORTH IT! You ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL!

That'll fix us meat eaters! Yeah, that's what the terrorists were doing... getting rid of the chicken torturers! He must have high praise for Osama Bin Laden. What a freakin' wack-job!

This whole mercury thing about compact fluorescents is definitely something to be aware of. I was a late bloomer in converting to them because the early ones I tried had awful light. They are much better now and we converted everything over just after Christmas. I'm really interested in this whole thing about the mercury. I noted in the article that the exposure was 100 times the federal limit for chronic exposure (or exposure repeatedly over longer periods of time). I read the actual study, though, and found that the exposure is still much higher than is recommended even for acute exposure (exposure over short periods of time) and found that very disturbing. I hope that there is eventually an alternative to these bulbs that is also energy efficient, as I find them very ugly and a pain in my rather ample *ss.

You are correct that there are environmentalists that support nuclear power. For the record, it's not Patrick Moore's change of view on nuclear power that disturbs me. It's his complete and unwavering support of any corporation (regardless of their negligence) that is willing to hire his firm to be their spin-machine (I've listed a few of them in a previous post); all the while proclaiming his badge of honor as being a co-founder of Greenpeace. I just find it difficult to swallow that every view that he previously held has changed so drastically. Then again, as they say... "money changes everything." Maybe he just got sick and tired of trying to change the world and not getting any financial rewards for doing so.

I apologize for an error I made while making my post. I should have put the parts of the sentence of being a "sell-out" in quotes. Those are the words used and the views of his former Greenpeace colleagues.. and I failed to make that clear. You are correct that I don't know Mr. Moore. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do a little research and learn about what now makes him tick. I would love to believe that he changed his views because he "did more research and that made him favor a different way." Unfortunately, the research and his current assertions don't seem to bear that out. In fact, he doesn't even say, himself, that that is the case. I thought for sure that if I researched enough that I would find evidence that he had changed his views as the result of x or y or z; that he had taken a larger view and was balancing the good against the bad. Nope. Not there. He now just writes copy and parrots the views of the corporations that he represents. BTW, I'm not belittling him because he chose to do so. It's his perrogative. He has the right to make money as a result of his past affiliations with Greenpeace, even if he now espouses views that are completely contrary to those he once did. And finally, telling me to respect him because his reserach led him in a different direction would be extremely well-taken by me if only he would provide it. I, personally, looked forward to finding out what he had to say about global-warming when I learned that he, as one of the co-founders of Greenpeace, thought it was all hogwash. I actually believed that someone of his past reputation would be providing hard evidence and science to back up his claims and that I would finally be able to chalk all this "man-made-global-warming" hoopla up to political correctness gone amok. I was sorely and sincerely disappointed to find out that that was not to be the case. He is, as I stated above, completely within his rights to do what he is doing. As a result, I am also completely within my rights to not respect him for doing so. I wouldn't call him a sell-out, personally. I'd call him an opportunist.

As for researching G.E.... There has been a huge uproar from shareholders and shareholder advocacy groups (including a proxy statement in the 2007 GE Annual report highlighting the need for a global warming report) because of fears that GE will lose money and adversely affect the shareholders and even the economy as a whole. It's not as cut-and-dried as some would make it appear.

I would call Patrick Moore a 'corporate consultant' with an agenda. He now owns a public relations firm that specializes in communications companies involved in mining, fossil fuels, logging and nuclear power. He has completely flip-flopped from his Greenpeace roots of being against nuclear power and now sits on a board that encourages it as the replacement for fossil fuels (not exactly the type of person conjured up in ones mind when thinking of him as a co-founder of Greenpeace). The Honolulu Advertiser quoted Mr. Moore: "In direct opposition to common environmentalist positions, Moore contended that global warming and the melting of glaciers is positive because it creates more arable land and the use of forest products drives up demand for wood and spurs the planting of more trees." The right wing loves to throw up Patrick Moore's background in Greenpeace so as to confuse people into believing that even though he shares the core beliefs of Greenpeace that he doesn't believe in man-made global warming. This is not only misleading, but downright dishonest. Mr. Moore makes his living by taking money for services from interests that he used to abhor. He is nothing more than a sell-out who learned that using his past alignments with Greenpeace could make him enormous amounts of money by joining his former enemies.

Your post is well-taken by me. I agree that advancing one view over others is frustrating and sometimes, downright dishonest. While I haven't taken a firm side one way or another, I have been surprised that the number of anti-global-warmists are miniscule compared to the number that believe in it and mans role in creating it. That doesn't, however, mean that it is true. There was once a "Red-Scare" in this country that nearly everyone believed in. Careers were destroyed, lives were ruined... and all for nothing. I'm glad that some people believe that it is "obvious.. that there may be many reasons and answers that apply." I'm just not one of them, yet. So far I've found it difficult to refute many of the global-warmists theories (although I may, indeed, one day be able to do so). It has not been difficult, however, to refute those of the anti-global-warmists. Somehow they never cover their tracks very well and expose their flaws rather quickly. Hopefully, if this global-warming belief is not to be believed... that someone will offer some real evidence to the contrary, as opposed to what they have so far. Again, I don't know the right answer. I believed vehemently in the war with Iraq when our government asserted that there were weapons of mass destruction to be found there. I was full-force in favor of invasion of the country and the take-down of Saddam Hussein. I was shocked that there were people who didn't believe what our government was saying. I thought, in fact, in light of the 9/11 tragedy that their views maybe even bordered on treason. What a difference a few years make. Wow! Was I ever wrong! I learned a lesson or two from that mistake. I consider my sources much more carefully, now. You may be absolutely correct in your belief against global-warming. You may turn out to be among those in the minority who had it right all along. I wish I had reviewed the anti-war people's positions more clearly. They knew what they were talking about. That's why I will continue to review carefully everything that you and others post. You (or they) may offer some convincing evidence that clearly refutes the current view of the majority.

Reread the article. The extensive remodeling was already going on at the time that he was 'exposed.' Please don't let your disdain for Al Gore override everything that you read. You don't have to like the man. Many many people don't. But also don't rely on misleading stories to fuel your disdain. I'm sure you can find many other true things about him that will fuel it just fine.

Again, the title of this thread is "When the truth is inconvenient." The article posted by L8BloomR is written by the Hudson Institute. The "Institute", which calls itself non-partisan is funded by major corporations including Eli Lilly, Monsanto, DuPont, Dow-Elanco, etc. It's members include a who's-who of neo-conservatives. The information in the article comes from Dennis Avery who has written, among many other questionable writings, one that claims that organic foods are more dangerous than those that are sprayed with pesticides. This particular global warming piece is compiled from information contained in Mr. Avery's book. The book, interestingly, only uses warming data up to 1985. Why? Because the data after 1985 muddies his waters considerably. His so-called 'explanations' for global warming don't account for the meteoric rise since 1985. (Another interesting note from Avery's book is that it is not warm enough in England to grow wine grapes. The owners of the 150+ vineyards that are located there would probably beg to differ.) I, personally, am still not decided on exactly how much of global warming is attributable to humans vs. nature. One thing is for sure, however. In making up my mind I am sure to closely evaluate the source of my material. Relying on research from a 'think tank' funded by the very corporations that would be most impacted by more rigid environmental regulations is not something I would consider doing. I also don't accept Al Gore's assertions at face value. I'm still researching his sources and will probably be doing so for quite some time. In the end, we may find out that all this to-do about man-made global warming is junk. Or, we may find out the opposite. I encourage everyone to do their own research on the subject before arriving on their settled opinion. Keep in mind, though, articles and books by either far-flung faction (right or left) probably aren't the best hooks on which to hang one's hat.