Wheetsin

Have you ever had someone, known or stranger, tell you something so outlandish you think they're joking but they're actually very serious? This happened to me lastnight (and several other times). And a few others I've been told... Lastnight I was walking into a store, not paying attention, and tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. Nothing major, just a little hop. There was a guy walking behind me, in his 40s, dressed in a killer suit, looking like a pretty sharp guy. He asked me if I was ok, and told me he has a tendency to trip on nothing, too. Then he says, "It's too bad they can't do more about the ants." Completely confused I told him, "I'll trip over a lot of things, but an ant probably isn't one of them." He says, "No, no, I meant the cracks. That's how they get there, you know, the ants walk in the line for so many years that they wear out strips of the sidewalk concrete, that's what makes the cracks." I looked at him and waited for some sign that I was supposed to laugh, but it never came, so I played dumb and said, "Oh, I always thought it was from tree roots, or settling, or the contraction/expansion with the seasons." "Oh," he says, "All of that will contribute, but most of the problems come from the ants wearing down the concrete. On the roads too. That's why Missouri roads are so bad, we have too many ants." And he was dead serious. A few years ago I was at the grocery store trying to pick out a watermelon using the knock-on-it technique. A lady comes up to me and asks, "What're you doing?" I told her that I was trying to find a good watermelon - and she laughed at me. Then she tells me, "You see all these scars all over the watermelon? (pointing to the brown rind areas, the fruit version of stretch marks) "Yeah..." "Well you have to go for the watermelon that has a lot of brown strips like that if you want a good one." (Being a smartass again) - "Why, because that's where all the sugar is, like in a brown banana?" "Oh, no hon, because the bees only go for the really good ones." "I'm sorry - what?" "The bees. The use their stingers to suck out all the watermelon juice, that's what makes these brown spots on the watermelon. So if you find one with a lot of brown, you know a lot of bees drank from it and it's a good one." So again, being an antagonist, I asked her, "But if all the bees already drank from it -- why would I want to be a sucked up, dry watermelon?" She laughed at me again. "Oh, that's what the pollen is for. They collect the pollen in their stinger, and as they suck the juice out they also put the pollen in the watermelon, and that makes it get juicier." When I worked as a manager, one of my supervisors came to me, pretty panicked, asking if she could leave early. I told her sure, and that I hoped everything was OK, and to let me know if she needed anything. I assumed there was a family emergency or something serious because of the way she was acting/approaching me. She tells me, "Oh, no, it's really not a big deal, I just forgot to take down my hummingbird feeders." We *were* short staffed that day, so I asked her if that was something she needed to take care of now, or something that could wait another hour until she was off. She told me she really had to get home to do it now, she needed to have done it this morning but forgot. Then she tells me, "You see, it's pretty cold out today" (this was one of the first chilly days of late summer/early fall), "and I have to take down my hummingbird feeders so they won't stay at my house. If I keep feeding them they're going to want to stay, and they'll miss the geese." And she says this just like I should know what she's talking about. "What do you mean?" "They'll miss the geese." "I have no idea what you're talking about..." "So they can get a ride. That's why hummingbirds have such long beaks. They use them to clip onto the feathers under the geeses' wings and then ride on the geese south for the winter. There's no way they could fly that far by themselves, they're way too small." I didn't witness this but my parents did. Per their story, they were standing on a pier over a lake watching the carp swarm the surface for pieces of bread. Several of the carp had scars from rochs, boat props, whatever. A guy came over to them and told them they shouldn't be feeding these carp. My parents asked why, and the guy told them, "They're mutants and we don't want more of 'em. See all those extra gills they're growing?" (as he points to the scars on their backs, heads...)

I know from searching here that some of you use them, and I have a question for you. We'll have some candid girl talk... I bought some slacks yesterday and need them Monday so there's no chance I'll be able to have them altered in time. Kind of a good emergency - I bought a bunch of slacks a size too small a few weeks ago thinking I'd be good to go, but when I went to try them on they were already way too big... which means one of those last minute runs to the store again (big business trip next week, meeting with the CLO... can't really get away with my Saggy Baggy Elephant pants). Not being able to have them tailored means compromising on fit - I'm a bit high waisted, and at 5'10 right between the "average" and "tall" sizes. Point being, without having the time to get these altered, I get a bit of "my butt is eating my pants" syndrome. Not bad, but a little wedgie action, unless I wear the pants low on my hips, which is not it terribly comfortable to me, it gives me a bit too low of an inseam in front, and when I wear them low they're about an inch or two too long... just long enough that I can't disguise it with a pair of heels. But all of that is better than walking around with a minor crack attack. I was mentioning this to a co-worker this morning and she suggested Spanx. She said they'll hide panty lines, and keep your pants out of the places your pants shouldn't be. I saw them a week ago at LB ("power panties") and didn't give them a second thought because they just looked like really expensive panty hose. Is there more to them than hose? And for those of you who use them, will they fix my issue? They'll be well worth it if the answer is "Yes, and yes"...

From an extremely wealthy father, during the hearing for his contested child support payments for four children (he was contesting the order, felt it was too high of a payment): Why should I have to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars each month? Sally Struthers says on TV that you can feed a child for 32 cents a day!

The band is placed around you, but typically does not restrict the opening much. In other words, it's usually about as big around as you are. Think when you put a watch on, and tighten it just enough that it doesn't move around a bunch. That's kind of like your band, only it's secured in place by some stitches. It's not really squeezing you, but there isn't a lot of extra room either. The bands have "balloons" built on the inside. They are deflated originally, but fills "fill" the balloon with saline. As the balloon inflates, it makes the opening smaller and smaller. "Fills" are what fill up the little balloon areas you see in the pictures above. Having those filled up is what causes restriction -- the passageway between esophagus and stomach is "restricted" by the pressure the balloon puts on your organ... so now take that watch, and make the band as tight as you can get it. Your hand will start to turn red because the flow of blood is restricted. Bands do the same thing, but with food. Fills are done with a needle filled with saline. When your band is placed, they also place a port. Ports are self-closing, meaning they can be punctured, but will seal back up. The surgeon will insert the needle through your tissue into the fill and push saline into some tubing that eventually makes its way to the "balloon". Fills are usually given on an as-needed basis, with the first one often being 6 - 8 weeks post-op. What you can eat, or more specifically how much of it, before no longer feeling hungry, frequency of eating, etc. are all things your surgeon will use to gauge whether or not you're ready for another fill (that's a great question to ask your surgeon when you have your consultation -- what does he let drive whether or not to fill, and how aggressive is he with fills). In a way you know if you need a fill or not because if you're past your post-op recovery phase, and still eating just like you did before surgery, you probably don't have enough restriction. If you can't keep liquids down, you have too much and will need an unfill, where the surgeon inserts the same needle but pulls out Fluid instead of putting more in. Here is a visual I sent someone that I was trying to explain the band to: Hope this helps!

Greetinsd my super sized friends! I've been looking a bit like the Saggy Baggy Elephant in my droopy tops and pants that only stay up because I have them belted. But at the same time the average lifespan for new clothes is around 3 - 5 weeks before they're too big, so I've been hesitant to buy muchbut I broke down and went shopping yesterday and bought SIZE 24 with room to spare! And had to buy new shoes, too, because I've been walking out of my shoes at work. I was wearing a tight 32/34 when I had my surgery. And last week I had to fly Southwest (ugh) and know what? I actually had to tighten my seat belt! Let me tell you, I was so happy/proud, I was flopping that extra 4" of seatbelt around like it was a 5ct diamond, making sure everyone could see. :confused:

Haven't posted accountability in a while but I've been eating the same things. Lost my resolve to eat more, so for the last few days I've pretty much just eaten dinner and then a Protein drink later on. Although I'll eat lunch today because now I'm thinking about it. I baked some really amazing Cookies Monday that probably have about 100gm fat and 1200 calories each (the first ingredient is 2 sticks of butter, the last ingredient is a layering of melted milk choclate and crushed pecans/cashews/toffee bits), not to mention carbs, but I've let myself have 1 small one each day. They're too good not to enjoy. Still in stucksville, although the scale did show a little difference today of 0.6 lbs. That probably just means I'm dehydrated, and as soon as I take a drink it will bob right back up. I'm glad I started a log of my weighings, because when I feel like "this isn't working any more" I can look back and see the bigger picture of progress, but the flipside is that when you look back over the last 6 weeks and see the same pound coming and going... *sigh*

I don't think SG has any value to me. It's never been "my thing" - I'm a strong solo performer, but I made an exception in this case b/c I knew the value of finding a few others who would tell it like it is, and who could answer my questions. I kept going at first because it was the only way I had to keep in touch with you guys, but now that we're established here, I don't see where I'll get anything out of it. Plus I don't really see a lot of "support" coming out of it. There's support for the new guys, and the "good guys" -- but being pointed at and laughed at when you walk in a room, and told "we all have our addictions" isn't what I call "support". Next time I'm in a room full of sexual offenders, I'm going to toss my Prada bag down and say, "Oh, we all have our temptations, don't we?" Then I'm going to ask them if they feel supported.

I don't take pills but you should be able to crush or cut unless enteric coated. Call your doctor or pharmacist and ask if cutting/crushing the pills would be a problem. If so, ask their advice. Some things come in liquid form, others can be disolved then ingested. Best to let your doc make the call.

Just about any lean meat - fish, chicken, turkey, lamb, shellfish, etc. That's about 80% of what I eat. Tofu, turkey pepperoni, melba toast w/ hummus, etc.

I'm about 7 months out and there aren't any foods I *can't* eat, but there are some I've chosen not to eat. Some foods cause discomfort, I believe due to their texture - bananas, applesauce, scrambled eggs - mainly. Sometimes Peanut Butter but this is probably an issue of my swallowing too much at once. If I go slow, or have it whizzed up in smtg else, no problems at all. Some foods I've given up on because IMO it's too much work to chew it up well - most red meats, which I wasn't a big fan of anyway. I haven't tried rice yet. I can eat anything else - poultry of all kinds, salad/veggies, breads (hard breads like chips/pretzels, and soft breads like rolls), fish... I never expected the band to stop me from eating the bad foods. I expected, at best, that it would help me feel full quicker when I ate bad foods, so I'd eat a few bites vs. a few bags. That's been pretty true.

Suns, like the kind you hang on your wall. But I'm fairly picky, and only find one or two a year I really like. I prefer ones that are handmade by local (or local to plaes I visit) artists, and ones without faces. And a whole list of other criteria - no plastic, only natural media (clay, wood, pottery, hand-blown glass...). No bright colors, only earthen tones or bare wood/metal. Nothing stupid like when they cut the centers out and "boing" them like a spring. Etc. Unfortunately people go places, see a random sun, and think "It will be perfect!" for me. And perhaps they're not a true collection. I enjoy them and their warmth, and place them on some walls in the house. *shrug*

Robyn, how far out did you hit your stall? (either x weeks or x lbs, doesn't matter).

A while back at a restaurant DH orders a salad. The waitress asks him, "Do you want ranch or our Southwestern ranch?" He asks, "What's the difference?" She thought for a while, then answered, "Oh, it's different."

To a fault, I see both sides of the story, whether I want to or not. Yes, we were attacked and suffered tragic losses. Yes, their babies were crushed in the streets by tanks that had "Made in the USA" stamped on the side. I can understand why that would engender hostility. It doesn't excuse, defend, or justify anything. It doesn't mean the punishment matched the crime. I lost family on 9/11. I watched the buildings fall at my desk, rendered completely speechless. I remember thinking, "Nothing will ever be the same again." Nothing I say is meant as an excuse, for any party. It means nothing other than we (a political nation) are never 100% innocent. Offenses that manage to fit inside the scope of the moral majority aren't offenses, they're testaments.

One of the best places to start is by posting a sample menu. A lot of times people truly believe they're eating well, but perhaps not really seeing what they're eating. Exercise will add muscle, which will add weight. Remember that weight does not equal fat. If you're on liquids you're probably still in ketosis. Weightloss stalls in ketosis for a month or longer are not uncommon at all. Don't weigh yourself. Instead, take your measurements. I've lost about 3 lbs in the last 2 months, but I've lost a size and a half.

Just nod your head and smile, because they simply don't know what they're talking about. I can't imagine one single person who, upon suffering the pain of a stick, or the potential indignity of a PB, would ever say that lap-band is the easy way out. Just take it for what it is - uneducated people talking about something they know nothing about. It happens all the time. If you need their support, tell them that. Tell them the negativity is hurting you. Educate them about the band and how it works.

I wouldn't say this, but I think it can be a direct result of the weightloss that banding can cause (which makes it an indirect result of the banding). Everyone I know who has had RNY has noticed the exact same thing. I can't say, "All of my friends who have lost weight on diets" because I don't know any!! Personally I'm no colder than I used to be, but I was always cold, and I'm only down about 50 - 60% of my excess weight. I fully anticipate becoming increasingly cold as I become increasingly small.

I didn't feel like that at all, but it's certainly not uncommon for people to have a "What the #&!% did I just do?" phase. If you're now telling youself, "I should have eaten better" - what were you telling yourself before your surgery? Were you telling yourself the same things then?

A guy must: Be taller than me, so at least 6ft. DH is 6'4 and it's just about perfect. Have broad shoulders (no guys who look like a pyramid with a head stuck on top). Have a chin (don't care for weak chins), preferably not a cleft chin. Clean fingernails (because the condition of the hands can tell you a lot about the person's overall habits). No what I refer to as "Chicklet teeth"... where there are oversized gums and teeny, tiny little teeth. That kind of creeps me out. Not be skinny, like "bean pole" skinny. That's pretty much it for must-have physical traits. Aside from the above, hands & arms can make or break a guy's sexiness. Some women are butt women, some are bulge women, some are back women... I like hands & forearms.

I would rebut but I'm pretty much a living disagreement so there's nothing to rebut. Erm... I've heard it more times than I can count. "If you don't like it, leave." Uh, no. It has its flaws, but it is my home. I don't love everything about my house, but that doesn't mean it's on the market. After 9/11 I commented once on the false patriotism I saw everywhere. Not insinuating people didn't care and weren't hurt, but every house on every street was flying a flag, stores were selling out of everything they had in stock that happened to be red, white or blue. Be proud of your country if you have pride in it, but don't do it to be trendy. Don't do it because "you should". If you're proud enough to fly a flag today, why weren't you proud enough to fly one yesterday? Where are all those flags now? I digress. I have been called "unpatriotic" and "unAmerican" because I've said I disagreed with our current president. Does anyone really believe that "love it or leave it" is the only answer? Apparently. Maybe I'm just misunderestimating him. "As long as it isn't me" is the turn-your-cheek mentality that has allowed most of the evil things in our time to perpetuate. People think they're just 1 person, and what power does 1 person have? But everything we know to be good was, at some point, the result of just 1 person.

Tagging along. I had to quit taking hormone-based birth control b/c of the side effects I was having (superficial phlebitis). I looked into an IUD but when I asked if it hurt, and the doctor answered, "Well, yes to be honest. Several women will actually pass out when we open the cervix..." I pretty much checked out right then. But have lately been thinking about it again so I want to tag along and find out what you learn.

Yesterday I ate two packs of airline peanuts and a small glass of apple juice. At dinner I had a small cup of loaded baked potato Soup, and 2 chicken strip w/ ranch dressing. And 2 bites of a hot fudge brownie cake, but seriously just two bites! So far today I've had about 4 spoons of tortilla soup, a very, very small salad w/ goat cheese, toasted almonds, and wasabi peas mixed in, and blue cheese dressing. And about 4 bites of cottage cheese. Don't know yet where we're going for dinner (I'm pushing for the Bonefish Grill (the *best* key lime pie), co-worker is pushing for a seafood place on the bay, so either way looks like something marine for dinner!)

Greetings from Tampa Bay! My port never bothered me, so not feeling it did cause some alarm. Not worried about it though, the "smaller inside too" philosophy makes sense. I hadn't thought of that. As long as Dr. H can feel it if/when I get another fill, I'll be good. I'll also report that even though I spent 3 more hours in the sky yesterday than I originally planned, I had no problems at all eating lastnight or lunch today. That's a first! Usually even just the quick 50 min trip from KC to IL is enough to close me up.

Watch your water intakes. 64oz as a daily *minimum* for proper function. Dry body = dry skin. It can also impact acne (as can everything under the sun)

I used to be able to feel my port while standing up. It felt like a little button. If I layed down I could really feel it. I hadn't given it any thought in the last few months but I waslaying on my back this weekend and realized - I can't feel my port anywhere. I have no idea where it has wandered off to. Did your port go wandering?