WestCoastFatGuy

I thought, perhaps, you might enjoy an update from the topic of the original post of this thread. It's interesting to note that the original poster wanted the "truth" to be told. With politics involved, I'm not sure that will ever be possible. Even the article she posted (but not her fault, obviously) might not have been the 'whole truth'. It turns out that at the time Gore's detractors were 'exposing his hypocrisy' that the mansion was undergoing extensive remodeling that resulted in some pretty environmentally conscious changes. Who's telling the truth at any given time in the world of politics? Who the heck knows... I've just learned not to stick my neck out too far on a particular story... because there can always be something lurking in the details of which I am unaware (maybe even this one). With that in mind, enjoy the update... Gore makes Nashville home more 'green' CNN.com Fri October 12, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Al Gore, who was criticized for high electric bills at his Tennessee mansion, has completed a host of improvements to make the home more energy efficient, and a building-industry group has praised the house as one of the nation's most environmentally friendly. The former vice president has installed solar panels, a rainwater-collection system and geothermal heating. He also replaced all incandescent lights with compact fluorescent or light-emitting diode bulbs -- even on his Christmas tree. "Short of tearing it down and staring anew, I don't know how it could have been rated any higher," said Kim Shinn of the U.S. Green Building Council, which gave the house its second-highest rating for sustainable design. Gore's improvements cut the home's summer electrical consumption by 11 percent compared with a year ago, according to utility records reviewed by The Associated Press. Most Nashville homes used 20 percent to 30 percent more electricity during the same period because of a record heat wave. Shinn said Gore's renovations are impressive because his home, which is more than 80 years old, had to meet the same rigorous standards as new construction. "One of the things that is tremendously powerful about what the Gores have done is demonstrate that you can take a home that was a dog, an absolute energy pig, and do things to correct that," Shinn said. Gore bought the mansion in the Nashville suburb of Belle Meade in 2002 for $2.3 million. It houses his offices and those of his wife, Tipper, as well as a commercial kitchen for formal events. Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider declined to say how much the couple spent on the improvements. "The Gores decided to take a series of steps over time that might be logistically or financially out of reach for many Americans," she said. "But they were fortunate enough to have the ability to do so. "But everyone can get started, whether it's changing light bulbs or purchasing green power." In February, a conservative think tank criticized Gore for using an average of 16,000 kilowatt hours a month for an average monthly bill of $1,206 in 2006. The typical Nashville home uses about 1,300 kilowatt hours a month. Gore has said the criticism was unfair because the 10,000-square-foot mansion was undergoing extensive remodeling. He said this week that "global warming denier" groups were trying to discredit him because they don't like the attention he has given to climate change. "You're going to have people try to attack the messenger in order to get at the message. They have not been able to succeed," Gore told CNN from Norway, where he picked up the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work. "The only way to solve this crisis is for individuals to make changes in their own lives," he said. The Green Building Council's certification program has four levels, with platinum being the highest followed by gold. Gore's home was one of 14 to earn gold status and the only Tennessee home to earn any certification. Electricity usage at the home remains well above regional averages, but Gore's power consumption decreased by 6,890 kilowatt hours, or 11 percent, between June and August, despite the heat wave. Gore's electric use increased again after he had to take his solar panels off-line in August so his new geothermal system could be integrated into the system. But his natural gas use has dropped 93 percent in the three months since the geothermal pump was activated. When the Gores' heated pool is hooked up to the system later this month, their energy use is expected to decline more, his spokeswoman said. Gore has also said he invests in renewable energy such as solar and wind power to balance 100 percent of his electricity usage. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said the size of Gore's house limits how much he can cut his energy consumption. "We all need to evaluate what we legitimately need in square footage," he said. Still, another owner of the same house likely would not have been as dedicated as Gore to reducing energy consumption, said Smith, who also serves on the advisory committee for Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. "I promise you the energy use would be as high, if not higher," he said.

Hi Lauren, Congratulations on your decision to go forward with the lapband. With that said, I want to be very honest with you. I'm doing so, not to discourage you, but to give you a realistic view of what is in store for you the first few weeks... and I'm sure others will then be able to offer their experiences of life beyond that. 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. Again, I wish you the best of luck on your surgery and look forward to meeting you on the 'other side' of band land!

Congratulations! It feels soooo good to break through a plateau! You must feel light as air! Your comment about the flu made me laugh as I was reminded of one of the characters in "The Devil Wears Prada" who, when told how great and thin she looks, replies with zeal... "I'm one stomach flu away from my ideal weight!" Congrats again!

OMG! You TOTALLY made my day! What incredibly good news! I'm soooo sooooo proud of you! CONGRATULATIONS!

Hey there, short1! I am soooo proud of how you have taken your life back from those less-than-desireables! It's great that you're again on track to permanent change. Congratulations on your weight loss! Those were 4 pounds that were well-earned and deserved! Keep on keeping on! We're ALL behind you!

Did I stray... let's see... ummm. . YES! I was supposed to do liquids for 3 days and then move on to pureed/soft mushies. By day 4 I was eating regular foods... soft ones, not things that couldn't be chewed down to a very fine puree. When I went back for my 1 week follow-up the dietician looked surprised, but when I explained what I was doing... she felt that it was fine. I, obviously, stayed away from all the forbidden foods like Pasta, sticky rice, steak, bread, etc (as I still do).... but did not have any problems at all. Everyone is different, of course, but I knew from my surgeon that others had veered from the strict liquids and had not had problems. I suppose it all depends on how quickly you heal and how quickly you are able to get back to feeling normal. I went on a 5-hour road trip to Las Vegas on Day 6 because I felt so good. I don't advise anyone to do what I did unless they are confident that their surgeon is comfortable with such a choice. If I had learned at my 1-week follow-up that my surgeon was strictly against it, I think I probably would have reverted back to the liquids.

Perhaps you need to have a talk with HER boss about her social ineptitude. There is NO room for this in the workplace... especially in a medical setting. Alternatively, an open-handed slap in the mouth may be in order (although this idea may cause you to have a shorter than expected term of employment). :mad:

I was going to suggest saying "FU", but I suppose you get more flies with honey, eh?

I completely understand your frustration and anxiety. Since you already had the surgery and now are on to just fills... are you possibly able to afford to pay for the fills on your own from another surgeon? If so, this would put an end to this ridiculousness. The more you talk about this flake and his crummy staff the more I want to wring every one of their stinking necks. I'd rather have to use a credit card to pay for fills and pay it off over time than have to walk into that freaks office ever again! Alternatively, you said that this is the only surgeon covered by your insurance. Do you mean the only one covered that is close by you? Because it seems pretty far-fetched that the insurance is sooo restrictive as to only allow one surgeon that is within driving distance of you. I drive over two hours to my surgeon and their are several on these boards who go much farther so that they are able to have a surgeon that meets their required level of integrity. The time for feeling like a vicitm is over. It's time to get mad! Get mad and take action. This is about you and your success! Get creative. Call your insurance company again to see if any new surgeons have been added to their list. Don't be afraid to tell them why you are asking. It may prompt them to consider adding more doctors to their list.

OMG! Clearly you are a nut-job that needs to be locked up immediately. Do not pass go... Do not collect $200... check yourself into a psych facility immediately. How in the WORLD could you not have known you were so bad off? Thank God for the INFALLIBLE pscyh test to snap you into reality! What a load of nonsense. What a waste of time and money. Using those tests is the lazy inexpensive (but not for the patient) way to fulfill the psych requirement. Thank heavens you don't take these things seriously!

IMHO your doctor is smoking crack! Others may not agreee with me, but 1/3 cup of food or 3-6 baby spoons of food 3x per day (plus Protein drinks) is starving for a grown adult. It's no wonder your weight loss has slowed down. I would be seriously concerned about getting enough nutrition and SERIOUSLY concerned about the mental health of my doctor. Again, it's my opinion.. but I think that if you research the nutritional aspects enough you'll find that this is bad advice. If you were just coming out of the mushie stage, perhaps I could see it; but given that you're 5 months out... I don't. Also, doctors vary on fills... but I'm not sure how he comes up with you being "due for the first fill" SIX months out. There are people who don't get fills until then because they don't need them, but saying that you're not "scheduled" for the first fill until then seems very fishy to me. If I were you I would be looking for another doctor really quick and giving this one the view of my fat butt walking out of his office forever.

I'm so glad that it helped to take the edge off your hunger. Going 4 hours is great! BTW, the aftertaste will go away as you get accustomed to it.

I REALLY feel for you. I had originally chosen a different surgeon, as well. He was close to home and had tons of experience with the lapband. He had just transferred to my local hospital from a well-known midwest hospital a few months before. I considered myself very lucky. I went through the seminar, psych evaluation, pre-testing... everything up to requesting approval from the insurance company to schedule the date. That's when the office told me that they weren't a 'center of excellence', as required by my insurance. But, they offered to let me do the surgery self-pay for $15,000! I was FURIOUS! They knew all along what my insurance was (Blue Cross of California), yet they strung me along hoping that I would get deep enough into the process that I'd go along with the self-pay. I actually gave up at that point because I had already investigated all the surgeons within driving distance of me (I thought) and wasn't comfortable with going to any of them. After a month or so of cooling down I started searching again and found that I had overlooked an incredible surgeon who was only 1-1/2 hours from my home. I called his office and learned, like you, that I would HAVE to attend the seminar again. No exceptions. Angry Angry Angry, I was. Well... fast forward.. I attended the seminar (where I learned nothing more), but all my other pre-surgery testing (including the pysch evaluation) were accepted by the new surgeon. In the end, the only real inconvenience was the seminar. Whoever said that everything happens for a reason was soooo correct in this case. I'm very happy that I ended up with the surgeon that I did. In retrospect, I wouldn't change a thing in the process that I went through to get banded. I wish you the best of luck in your journey to bandland. It WILL happen!

I forgot to warn you about something with the Isopure. The taste is just slightly different from what you expect it to be. It's not bad.. it just takes some getting used to. For instance, the Grape Frost smells like grape... but the taste when you first are adjusting to it doesn't taste as grapey as it smells. The good news... after your first couple of bottles, your taste adjusts and it actually tastes pretty good. I must warn you, though, that the apple-melon is really really melony in a weird way. I still have 5 more bottles of that to cough down. Surprisingly, my favorite is the pineapple-orange. Oh, another tip.. drink it very very cold. It tastes best that way... and don't nurse it too long to let it warm up. There. I've made it sound probably far worse than it is. You'll probably open your first one and wonder what the heck is wrong with me. It really is a great way to get 40g of protein in one shot. Although, I wish for the money that I could get the same amount of protein in a martini! :smile2:

Protein drinks (ISOPURE from GNC) and sometimes a protein shake help me. The ISOPURE seems to work the best.. and also adds 40g of protein and 20 oz. of water to my day. It's kind of expensive, but often goes on sale. After a while (it can take 3 months or so for some people).. the feelings of hunger and needing to eat immediately are often replaced by just a nagging slight pain that isn't so associated with eating. I know that that is what I have started experiencing. I only have really really hungry days about once a week now, as opposed to 7 days a week pre-op.

If I were you I'd wait to have it done in Hawaii, as well. That way your fills can be done at the same place as your surgery. There is a wonderful surgeon at Castle Hospital that several members of these boards have used. I know the nurse practitioner who is the coordinator there for all gastric surgeries. I called her, in fact, to compare answers that I received from my own surgeon's office. She was amazingly helpful. Please PM me if you would like further information and I'd be happy to put you in touch with her to answer any questions about their lap band procedures.

I've heard wonderful things about Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco (Laparoscopic Associates - Weight-Loss Surgery San Francisco, Bariatric Surgery). I'm in Southern California, so didn't use them... but I do know of someone who used them for his gastric bypass and he can't say enough good things about them.

These are SUPPORT boards... Sometimes people are looking for a little kick-in-the-pants and a reality check when they are falling off their eating plans... but they pretty much say so in their posts. This is NOT one of those times. The original post asked a question that the poster was entitled to ask. Those that partake of the greenery posted their responses. If you don't smoke or are against it... start a thread about that... but don't get all high and mighty in this thread. BTW, I don't smoke pot... but it's none of my business to cast judgement on those who responsibly do. Just like it's not any of my business to cast judgement on overweight mothers or fathers who are too fat to be able to play with their children on the playground. I wouldn't cast judgement.. because if I had kids, I'd be one of them. That's why we fatties are here... to get support and lend support so fat can longer keep us from enjoying our lives to the fullest. For you herb lovers here... please enjoy responsibly and don't let the munchies screw you up with the band. If so, come here and b*tch about pot giving you the munchies and THEN all the anti-pot-smokers can justifiably kick-you-in-the-pants!

Way to goooo!!! Super-Incredible news! You are doing amazingly well! 67 pounds down! Bye-Bye 300's! Before you know it you'll be saying good-bye to the 200's, as well! Keep up the great great work!

I second guessed myself roughly 900 times the day/night before surgery. I was on a clear-liquid diet... and the two people who accompanied me (we had to stay in a hotel, as my surgeon's office is 2 hours from home.. and I had to be on the hospital at 5:30 a.m.. Oh, and I had to spend the day before doing the whole 'body flushing' thing, if you know what I mean.) had to eat... so I encouraged them to get a pizza. I have NEVER in my life wanted to eat soooo badly. I swear I SERIOUSLY considered throwing the whole surgery out the window just because I wanted that danged pizza soooo badly and I was bemoaning the fact that I wouldn't get to eat so many of the foods that I loved (that made me a fat cow in the first place). By about 10 pm., though, I was okay.. and was ready and eager to get to the hospital and get things going. The morning couldn't come soon enough. I was actually excited the morning of surgery and everything couldn't have gone smoother.

As a man, I HOPE to have your problem! I'm sick of carrying these things around!

BrandyK... After the nurse called your name to go back, I think you should have rolled up one of those magazines in the waiting area.. and 'cuffed them up-side the head'... and then just walked on as if nothing had happened. They're stupid ungrateful pathetic good-for-nothin' gravy-suckin losers. (or am I being too easy on them?)

It took less than a week from submission by my surgeon's office.

I was told that I could shower on the 3rd day after surgery. Also, due to my port incision (he really had to work to sew that sucker to my belly through all that fat), I had to cover my incision with plastic wrap for the first week to keep it from getting wet and causing complications

Thanks for your incredibly sane and well-thought-out response. Everyone considering surgery should have to read your post.