Wheetsin

Ok, wait a minute. Now I'm really confused. You've not answered my questions so far, but please do consider addressing this one because I'm really kind of lost. I have "no value on human life" because I say there are gray areas, and you say it is black and white. You say: And then you say: So outlaw abortion, but you're ok with it sometimes. And apparently abortion is only wrong if the pregnancy is the result of consentual sex among people who are not related. You believe that (so it would appear) human life begins at conception, and that life has a soul. But abortion is ok sometimes, even though it's always murder. So are some humans/souls less valuable than others? Is a child conceived through consentual incest an inherently lesser person or devalued soul because of it? If it's wrong to "murder" a baby, period, no gray (per your words) -- then why is it ok to murder them sometimes? Seems you have a gray area here, and according to you, that means you have no value on human life.

Wow I really misspelled that! Had a few bad experiences in Frederikshaven, but by the port for the catamarans did find a very cute "American" style restaurant, that wasn't quite American. Glædelig Jul!

Thanks guys! I'm still waiting for this double chin to go away, but it's nice to not look like StayPuft. As for: No intrusion at all. And you know - I truly believe that. We have all kinds of "cognitive distortions" that make it OK for us to eat more than we need. Even after banding. I really believe that if people really paid more attention to what their body is telling them than how much food is left on their plate, or how much they've eaten in the past day, or whatever - we'd all behave a lot differently. I may take a plate of food, and feel compelled to finish it because it's just a little bit of food, or because I haven't eaten anything else all day. But whether it's 1 scoop or 6 on your plate, that's still "finish your plate" mentality. This is why I've said from day 1 that I think emotional eaters will have a much harder, longer journey ahead of them than behavioral eaters. Behaviors are relateively easy to change, at least when compared to emotional outlets.

There is absolute gray, and black, and white. A lot of it centers around when your definition (often defined through a religious proclamation) of life begins. And - wow - were we speaking of being judgmental? You are now qualified to say that I (or anyone else) has no value for human life, because I believe there are gray areas? What qualifies you to make that ruling, the fact that you're LDS?

Because not everyone believes in the soul. Keep in mind that as real as it may be to you, it's nonsense to someone else. When you get into the legality and science (medical and I guess legal) there are divergent definitions of "baby", and there are divergent definitions of "murder".

Several fills is the norm but I had restriction immediately after surgery. Hell, I PBed 3 days post-op. And for me, my appetite never came back... as in, still don't have one, and haven't had since a few days pre-op.

Edited for MAJOR tyos! Wow! Your body isn't in starvation mode - this is a common sort of urban legend. Starvation mode can happen, gradually, over a very long period of time, but you won't be there in one week. Not even close. Lots of things could be going on. For one - some broths are very high in fat/calories. For two, you could just be not losing weight. Sometimes we lose, sometimes we don't. If I understand correctly you're newly post-op, so your body is healing. You may or may not lose weight during this time. If you're "regularity" hasn't kicked in - that could be several pounds right there. Hang in there, it has just been a week. It will happen.

No need to measure, unless it's required by your surgeon. Your stomach & band really will tell you when you're done. If you need help with portions, just estimate. Or to be safe, go with what you know is a single serving, and don't feel obligated to eat more.

I ran before I got fat. Had to in order to stay conditioned for the sports I played. My advice - invest in a good pair of shoes. Regardless of cost. They will so completely & quickly pay for themselves that the cost will be irrelevant. And of course, start slow and build your stamina. Walking, walking briskly, slow jog, medium jog, interval running, etc. - always working bits of the next step in.

According to his website he's on Lamar. http://www.malleysurgical.com/

I always hated pictures at my high weight. For several reasons. One of which was my face - I couldn't stand that it disappeared into this puffy ball of fat. DH and I took some photos the other night and I realized - my face! It's starting to come back! Pre-op & post-op (just the other night):

I'm not Danish, but I've spent a lot of time in Scandinavia. Mostly Sweden, but several trips to Denmark. Even Fredriskhaven. :paranoid Not what you're looking for, but maybe better than nothing.

CRAP! I'm so forgetful. But there has also been a small twist - can elaborate when I see you guys next. I am NOT done shopping. Done with the in-laws and shipped their stuff off this afternoon (hello! $147 just to mail the gifts! and they're going to hate them anyway! that kills me). Thought I was done with shopping for DH, only to learn through a coincidental conversation we had today that he's no longer interested in - you guessed it - what I'd already bought for him. So it's back to the drawing board. Pretty much done with my father, not really started for my mother, just one thing so far... co-workers are done, misc friends & family remain. *sigh* The school semester ended TODAY, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up. I'll shoot you an email or smtg sometime. We need to get together (and i won't wear heels this time!)

Oh - words of wisdom - you already know what they are at this point in the thread. I can eat when I sit normal. I find then if I get stuck, leaning over on the kitchen island does wonders. Seems to be something about the position, though I'm not sure how that impacts the band or food.

I used to eat crooked, kind of. DH and I were/are big TV eaters... cook, bring out the tv trays, and have dinner in front of our favorite show or two. I usually sit at the edge of the couch on my side with my feet pulled up, the dog snoozing behind my knees. If I eat in this position - well, it's an angle, and a rotation. It didn't take me very many times to realize that it just caused me discomfort to eat that way, so I stopped. Several months ago. I don't know that I'd describe it as my band cinching, but definitely it contributed to some stickage.

According to my surgeon it's size of organ itself and size of fat pad around the organ. They're looking for a fit that fits, not one that gapes or squeezes.

IMO - the poster who shared their abortion story was probably not looking to have the scientific accuracy of the fetus' gender scrutinized.

I am in the US and did not require a referral...

Overpopulation is a worldwide concern, not a United States concern. You have to think in terms of everyone, and not just some. No one is saying it's only a problem if you place every living being on land, and if they don't have 2 feet of personal space. Land area isn't the entirety of "natural resources". The conversation has seemed to really focus in on land area, and there's just so much more to it than that. Could everyone on the planet have 2 feet of space if we started using the open land areas? Who cares. Is Wyoming crowded? Who cares. I think the point being made is more along the lines of, "If we can't find other ways to power our cars, clean up after ourselves, and maintain productivity - then it doesn't matter how wide open Texas is." But I could be wrong.

Yeah, that's tough. I've seen 3 different commercials in my immediate area, each with their own 800 number.

I'll put my answers in blue so they stand out. I’m not so worried about the early post-op time because that is when the doc & other support will be guiding me through this huge change. Those of you who are successful, what does an average day of food look like in the 6-months post-op range if you were to keep a food journal? I would consider myself successful, but please don't necessarily think you should model your intake after mine. I lost my appetite 2 days pre-op, and it never came back. Eating is now a chore for me, and unless I'm really hungry I have to do something to remind me to go get food (lately I've been putting reminders on my calendar at work). So for me 6 months post-op, a day's worth of eating would look something like this: Breakfast: don't eat it 99% of the time, but on the rare occasion I do, a half of an over hard egg, or a half container of low carb yogurt. Lunch: about 25 turkey pepperoni chips microwaved until crunchy w/ some garden vegetable cream cheese OR about 2 pieces of deli meat with a few spoons of cottage cheese OR a small lunchable (the ones that have 6 or 8 crackers, slices of meat, and cheese) OR 1/3 to 1/2 of a Chipotle bol with no rice and extra black Beans. Dinner: One or two chicken tenders and a spoon of vegetable OR a half a piece of fish and a small salad OR 2 fat free hot dogs w/ mustard OR two slices of prepared tofu. I'm normally not hungry enough to need Snacks, but when I need a little something I usually have a Protein shake made with low-carb 2% milk, powder, and flavoring - a scoop of Peanut Butter, a splash of SF DaVinci, etc. If I don't have a Protein Drink for snack, I will have a 100 calorie pack of Oreo or Chips Ahoy, or Nutter Butter. I should restate that a little. 95% of the time I have a double-scoop protein drink at least once a day, just to make sure I get the protein in, regardless of whether or not I snack. And what about in the year+ post-op stage? I keep hearing it’s an egg-worth of food per-meal in the early-filled stage. But what does that MEAN on a plate? And at some point down the line it becomes a cup of food…when is that, what is that? All of this "egg size", "cup size" -- you're taking it too literally. Everyone is able to eat different amounts of food. Generally I reach the point of "no longer hungry" after 2 or 3 bites, and could stop then & be satisifed. Sometimes I may eat half of my meal - though rarely. Will it always be Protein Powder shakes for Mommy or do healthy choices from average foods that I will continue to fix for my family become an option at some point? I opt for the Protein Shakes because I enjoy them and they become my "treat", but I know several people who haven't touched one since about 3 weeks post-op. If you're able to eat enough food to get your protein requirements, then go that route. You just have to make good choices. Fish is one of the best protein sources, especially when you compare nutrient ratios. And different fish have different amounts. Whitefish tends to have more than others. Regular tuna has more protein than the premium/albacore tuna. I eat the turkey pepperoni because it has massive amounts of protein, virtually no fat once I get it crunchy, goes down well, and is perfect when I'm jonesing for something crunchy. I can’t imagine eating ‘regular foods’ further down the line when the weight is nearly & then finally off. I can’t picture eating out, for example. And what did you EAT for Thanksgiving…?:hungry: I eat out all the time. Why can't you imagine it? Hubby is not one to share his entree, so when we go out I'll typically order a regular entree or an appetizer, depending on what sounds good. If I get a regular entree, I tell them to bring me a box when they bring me the food. When the food arrives I'll eyeball out my dinner portion, and then immediately box everything else up. This keeps me from "picking" at my food once I've eaten my meal. If it's something I won't be taking home, when I've eaten enough I'll press my napkin over/into the leftovers.

Quit talking about me.

Ok, I really can't say much because here I sit eating some tofu "egg salad" for Breakfast. Cate - that's awesome and you are doing a great job. As we know from Robyn's motto - this isn't a race. Plateaus are a great opportunity for reflection, planning, and honing our finer skills in patience! Looking forward to seeing your pictures in that fantastic dress! I'm thinking about scheduling a fill next week. As many of you know I've been going back and forth with it for a while now. On one hand, I have noticed myself getting hungrier (not in quantity, but in severity/frequency) but I'm still rarely hungry. I can also eat larger quantities before feeling not hungry than I could before, and my weightloss has all but stopped. ANd it's still impossible for me to "eat too much", insofar as my band stopping me. On the flip side, I really am concerned about puch dialation. *sigh* I think I want a tiny fill - I'm talking 1/4cc - and see how it goes.

The only time we use credit cards is when we get a discount for doing so, and we'll turn around and pay it off right after we make the purchase. Before we leave the store, in fact. There's one credit card I suggest some people keep, and that's Discover. Discover gives you a % of your spendings back in cash each year. If you pay your balance in full each month you don't pay anything extra - no interest, no annual fee, etc. Yet you get your cash back each year. DH and I did this once, during a year when we had some significant purchases, and got several hundreds of dollars at the end of the year. "For free" (for us). We were going to make the purchases anyway - paying cash - so we charged them instead, then turned around and paid the cost off - but the total still applied toward the cash back. If you do this, use the card for everything you would normally buy - groceries, entertainment, clothing, etc. Just make absolute certain you don't charge more than you can pay off in full every month.

Anything by David Sedaris. Laugh out loud funny.