Wheetsin

You're not alone. We built our house about 8 years ago. We picked the location, in part, because it was in the middle of nowhere. We could get to the grocery store in about 10 minutes, but when you looked out the window you just saw a few other houses, farmland, and acreage. Now they've added plat after plat, neighborhood after neighborhood, 3 strip malls, several handfuls of large stores, etc. When we moved in we didn't have to close our blinds because there was no one around to see anything. Now we have to drive through about 6 minutes of residential development to make it to the main road.

Hey Sunta, a few thoughts. First, any chance that because you're so hungry and feel so compelled to eat, you're eating a lot faster & not chewing as well as you might when you eat under more normal conditions? The quick intake, or swallowing bigger bites, couldn't definitely play a role. I get something that sounds similar, only without the PB, but everything else including the pain & sliming. And I get some pretty uncomfortable paints to either side of my belly button when I eat, though not all the time. I asked my surgeon and his guess was that it's the stomach "gearing up" to receive food... it's way hungrier than I feel, so physiologically it's doing everything it can to be ready to start digesting the food. Wish I could offer better guesses.

Some part of me cringes every time I see "nazi" used so freely, to describe what - people with opinions? Activitsts? I'm 30 and this has happened in my lifetime. My mother used to be a big-wig with the American Cancer Society. Every now and then I would go in to work with her. I remember very clearly the hallway from the front door to the offices... walking down it. It was lined with acrylic-bound cross sections of diseased lungs. (Gee, wonder why I never smoked?) This was early - mid 80s, and people smoked in the office there. Love that big slice o' greasy irony.

I hate Wal-Mart, but I'm glad to see someone doing something (at this point regardless of reason) about the ridiculous state of pharmaceutical companies. This could be an entirely different R&R topic, but the state of patenting in order to preserve the profit from medical products is absurd (let's keep in mind that a lot of the basis for their products stem from federally funded projects). Absolutely absurd.

I get them all the time. People don't understand that the band opens, and them closes, like a bracelet. They think that the stomach is cut, the band is slipped on, and then the stomach is sewn back in place. I've had many people think that each fill will take another surgery, because they can't imagine any way to get the Fluid in the band otherwise. I've had people concerned that the band will absorb my body fluids, and get tigther (like a sponge).

ZI saw a show about them a few weeks ago. They were living in their new house and taking a motorhome to Disneyland for a family vacation. Seemed like nice kids, but you could definitely tell they were out of their element in any type of social setting.

Fresh out of surgery I ate with a baby spoon, and it took me a while to eat everything on it. I was afraid of what it would feel like. Now I pretty much eat normal bites. Not normal compared to before surgery, still much smaller than that, but regular bites. What I moderate now is how much I let myself swallow at one time. So I take a "normal" bite, chew the crap out of it, swallow a bit, swallow a bit, swallow a bit...

Forgive me for saying it like it is, but if you have to have cosmetic surgery for someone to accept you, that's the exact opposite of them accepting you. Does that make sense? You need to eat. Eating moderate meals is not going to cause you to gain weight. Can I recommend seeking a counselor or therapist?

As I said, I absolutely would not make that a blanket statement or apply that to "christians" in general. I should also say that for me, exchanging posts with someone doesn't constitute knowing them. With very few exceptions, the few lades I have met in person, everyone here is a stranger to me. That alone is demonstration that my comments weren't about anyone here (just in case anyone took it that way).

It's about the percentage of your weight you have to lose. It's the same reason why the first however many pounds come off so much more quickly than the rest. If you only need to lose ten pounds, then every pound represents 10% of the weight you need to lose. When your body only has 10 "extra" pounds, it's also a lot less willing to give them up than it is to give up 10 pounds when you are 200 pounds overweight.

I know that no one has made this claim, at least not that I've read or inferred, but just to clarify something before it has the chance to get murky. Atheist does not mean anti-Christian, or against Christians. Being asexual doesn't mean that you're against sex, just that you are without it. And being atypical doesn't mean that you're against what is typical, just that you're not it. Likewise - being atheist doesn't mean you're against theism, just that you're without it. Atheists and theists don't necessarily have to pit themselves into an "us v. them" relationship. But it seems to be such an automatic stance sometimes. There are angry atheists out there, and there are angry christians out there, but by and large - and this is my perspective - we all just "are". As for what christianity is all about - it has been interesting for me to read your opinions. I can say with absolute certainty, even after some period of reflection, that the most intensely religious people I know are also the most angry, vindictive, spiteful and hurtful. Am I saying that all christians are like this? Absolutely not, not even close to it. I'm just saying that of the people in my life, the ones who profess the closest theistic relationship and deepest theistic understanding are, plain and simple, nasty people. Those people, too, believe they are good christians.

I always just kind of knew that 1X = X-Large. I mean, "1X" means it has one "X", and "X-Large" has one X. Just like "2X" would be "XXL", "3X" "XXXL", etc. Am I wrong? I really want to know. Because this weekend, my mother and I disgreed about that (she believes "1X" is the same as "XXL") -- and THREE retail clothing clerks we involved in the discussion also agreed with her. Their premise is that S, M, L, and XL are "base" sizes. XXL begins "plus" sizes. Saying "1X" indicates "1 size into the plus sizes", which is XXL. :confused:

We're in similar boats, somewhat. I have 2.5 in my 4 and although I certainly know it if I eat too much at once or don't chew well enough, the band has yet to control my portions. It's hard to explain because I do get the full sensation with a relatively small amount of food, but if I wanted to I could keep eating... because when I've felt hungry I've certainly been able to eat more. In other words, I'm not yet to the point where there's anything mechanical that's truly controlling my portions, it's still me saying "Ok that's enough" and pushing the food away, or not getting any more of it. Fullness/lack of appetite could be the band's current level of restriction and I just need more fill to get to the point of the band really controlling portions... or it could not be. I lost my appetite 2 days before surgery, and it just never came back. A teeny tiny bit of fill can make all the difference. I know people who are fine at 5cc, but at 5.1cc are well restricted. Maybe you just need to bounce around between your current fill and the one that had you too tight and find that sweet spot.

Just like the pierced one said -- working out more = building more muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. It also helps you burn more calories. So you're metabolism is more active, and you should be shrinking, even though you aren't losing pounds. Keep in mind that fat does not equal weight. Your weight is everything - your skin & all the goodies bundled up inside of it. Fat is just a part of your weight.

Damn, the title of this thread really caught my eye until I realized it wasn't in the adults only section. An ice cube is about an ounce. I know that for beverage purposes, 8 oz Fluid + 4 ice cubes is considered 12 oz.

I love it Carlene, my mom has a small version of that on her mailbox post. Being in the new suburban development that we are, we don't actually get mailboxes, we get the community row of mail slots... or I would have one too. I also have the front door mat that reads, "GO AWAY". Even with that plaque on the door, we STILL get people coming up. Often they will say, "Oh, sorry - didn't see that thing on your door", but more often they completely ignore it. We've truly just stopped answering the door if we aren't expecting company. Too many solicitors of religion, magazine subscriptions, steak of the month, handy dandy super uber spray cleaner, etc.

Smoking/non-smoking restaurants... you get seated on the smoking side and - what - the smoke just kind of knows not to pass that bench over there? Yay! I get to ramble! I heard about the transfat ruling this morning on NPR this morning. When there's a choice involved, it's a slightly different situation, methinks. If Joe Smith wants to smoke in his office, that's fine - he doesn't need my business. If it's a place you would have to go to, my opinions would differ. If I have to be around it, something needs to be done. And let's be realistic. I can't stand it when smokers say (as they do at my work), "Well no one is forcing you to work here!" Do we HAVE to go to work? Technically no, there is no unstoppable force that somehow requires I be there. If someone told me my life would end if I went to work tomorrow, you'd find an empty chair at my desk, so there is some option. But for practical intents & purposes, yes - I need to be there. I hate the "well you DON'T have to be there!" Uh well - I probably "need" to be here a little more than you "need" to smoke that cigarette, you chowderhead. Both of my parents smoked for most of my life with them. With them as in under their roof. They had intermittent, temporary successes at breaking the habit - which is kind of the same thing as they failed. About 7 years ago they both stopped cold turkey, and haven't looked back since, except for the one cigar a year my dad has when he kicks of his fly fishing season. Yes smoke(rs) stinks! And I know there are some smokers out there who are saying, "Not me!" Yes, you too! It's not saying you're dirty - but having lived with it for something like 18 years I know that you can't avoid it. And I agree with you Laurend, they truly have no idea. I know my parents didn't, and I know I didn't - even though I never smoked, it still gets in your hair, skin, fabrics... The people with the worst breath never know it. That doesn't mean they don't have bad breath. The women who wear too much perfume never think it's that strong, but it doesn't make it more subtle. When I first moved out into my own apartment, I would still go to my parents' house to do my laundry. And I would hang it up to dry. And only living OUTSIDE of their house, and then coming back into it, did I realize how much it STANK. The first time I did that, the clothes hung in my closet for days and you could still smell the stink. So I rewashed everything, and had a talk with my parents because it had - just at that exact moment - made me realize that *I* smelled like that for my entire life. If I'm in a meeting and a smoker comes in and sits next to me, I will get up and move. I don't do it to be rude, but I cannot tolerate the smell. It literally makes me nauseous. So like I said, my parents quit smoking several years ago. And they began to realize certain things... like they coughed less, and had fewer sinus problems, and food was suddenly tastier, and their teeth had started getting whiter, and their complexion was better, and - their house really smelled bad! And their ceilings, and walls, and even their draperies that mom cleaned religiously were discolored, yellowed, streaked. And they came to me and said, "Why didn't you tell us we smelled so bad!"

Wow, talk about a reeling memory. I was just persuing some old posts, looking for something, and came across a post of mine where I couldn't wait to get to Twoterville, and quite possibly questioned whether or not I could do it. Times like this are when the big picture really hits you. Day by day my weightloss is not spectacular. Even month to month. It just kind of... is. But then you step back and see the forest and wow, there are a lot of trees in there! I'd like to be anywhere in the 250s by xmas. I'm weighing around 265 now so it's a possiblity, but not a probability. And this coming from someone who doesn't like to set goals. At least not with weightloss.

Oh, BTW. My surgeon, who also performs RNY, was asked, "If it was a member of your family, which surgery would you encourage them to have?" His answer, without hesitation, was the lap-band. Every doctor has their preferences. Don't let that dictate what's right for you. Weight the pros and cons of each, look at the lifestyle, and go with what you believe will give you the best odds for success. Feel free to post or PM me if you have any questions, about my RNY friends, my experiences, whatever.

My surgeon had a nice talk with me and he said on patients over 300 pounds, he prefers that they get gastric bypass instead of AGB. I have always wanted to get banded instead, but at 400 pounds, am I SOL? Hmm. I weighed 382 the day of surgery, about 9 months ago. That's about 130 pounds lost and I still have about 25% of my first year to go. Don't take that the wrong way, that's not "yay me" or "look how good I am" - has nothing to do with that. It's me, having been in your shoes, having to ask others if a 200 pound loss was even POSSBILE with the band, because in the research I did, it seemed like the average bandster had about 80 - 100 pounds to lose... and for someone as overweight as I was, surely the more drastic measures were all that could work. I certainly wouldn't say I'm SOL, so I certainly can't say you are either. I think he's worried about complying with the longer period of weight loss and says I won't lose all the weight I should. My father, a retired doc, says RYGB would be surer of weight loss. RNY could be a surer way to lose weight, but it's definitely not a more sure method, it's just a method that removes some elements of responsibility for behavior and decisions. I know a lot of people who have had RNY, and by a lot I'm talking about 20 - 25. Three of them are close friends. I can guarantee you from their experiences that RNY is not the golden ticket to weight loss. One of the three I know well is now heavier than when she had the RNY performed. One is 120# down - about 40# short of her goal but hasn't lost anything in over a year, and the other is within 5 lbs of her surgery weight. I can also tell you that only one is happy with her situation, the other is so full of regret she wishes she had stayed clear of WLS alltogether, and the third's words to me were, "I'm just now starting to see the long term effects of this thing. I wish I'd thought more seriously about the band." Opinions, thoughts, any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated! I need to decide soon, as all I'm waiting for is my PCP's letter. The band does require you to take ownership for your behaviors. You can eat ice cream all day, never PB, and never lose weight. And on RNY you can pack your pouch to the point that it stretches back out, and then what? It's not like you can just go in and get a fill. THAT'S when you're kind of SOL. Thanks in advance, Bill (Red wine lover)

DS = duodenal switch

There's no easy answer to the question of why, because who knows. It could be people doing it (yes, companies pay people to do that) for holiday money, or it could be that LBT is now showing up for crawlers in places that it never did before - which can happen just because a board grows, gets more hits, and shows up higher on the list. It's nothing we've changed. Any changes are coming from the outsid world.

DH & I love Rammstein, we saw them live - in Germany - and were hooked. DH in particular loves me trying to sing along (since I don't know a lick of German).

I'm not pregnant, though hopefully someday in the not too distant future, but have this information bookmarked for my own reference:

Number of fills is irrelevant. It's amount of fill that brings restriction. You could have had 30 fills, but if you're only getting .000001 cc at a time, it's not going to do you as much good as just one fill at 8cc. What amount of fill do you have, in what size band?