Wheetsin

If you want reassurance that the band works, seriously, just go to the Before & After thread. What more reassurance could anyone give you? :smile:

I don't know, I pretty much never lay down right after I've eaten. "sometimes get sick" like -- what? Just malaise? There are some who experience reflux when they lie down. Is that what you're experiencing?

There is no actual definition or a certain number of days banded at which you are no longer a newbie. It's not our term, it's generic and universal. Try not to see it as something like a "diagnosis" - it's not that specific. Just try to see it as a general classification for people who are new to the band. In other words, it's shortier and easier to say that instead of "people recently banded or who are not yet familiar and accustomed to the experiences"... more so than "People who have been banded 57.8 days or fewer." People who are new to anything do a lot of things they probably shouldn't. WHen they feel comfortable with what they're doing, they're probably not newbies anymore.

There are more people interested in seeing what you're really asking, and/or reading the question, than there are actually able to provide an answer. I'm pregnant with #1 right now, so I can't tell you whether or not "everyone" has problems. Since very, very few things in the world ever affect "everyone" in a given population, I'd guess the answer is no.

Mine have, and most everyone (a significant time out/weight down) has reported some change when this same question has been asked in the past.

I don't think any of us were saying "race isn't an issue" or trying to stick our heads in the sand. Of course it's an issue. But in terms of the presidency, I don't see Barack as a BLACK candidate. Yes, I look at him and he's black (or mixed). I'd be blind if I didn't see that. I'm of the belief that "I only see one color" is a bunch of BS. But for me it doesn't factor in to his candidacy any more than Hillary being female does (both being political minorities). If Barack was any race, any gener or combination of genders, any whatever, if I felt he was the right candidate for me, that's all that would matter. Maybe I'm expressing myself in a way that reads "race isn't an issue" -- but that's not my intention at all. Race is not an issue in who I will vote for, nor do I think it's an issue in someone's ability to be competent in the presidency. If "my candidate" is black, so be it. If they're not, so be it. I understand there is lost identity, but do you really blame this country for that, exclusively? Historically you have to look at a very long progression of slavery... oh, probably around the time of the Arab conversion to Islam and the Moorish race sway to Arab. Aware of the Arab slave trade, the Spanish, Brittish, French (and most of glory-bound Europe) were the first "white" slave keepers, and initiated the human retail market. Slaves were Taken by the French and Portugese long before Americans. So how is it "this country" exclusively robbed the Black of their heritage? ETA - there may be some confusion between "black here" and my mention of foreign countries. But that population is also represented in the historical lineage of the blacks we have here today.

Google "virtual model" which is the trademarked brand for that application. My Virtual Model is the creator's site and I believe they have a list of customers -- you could probably access it either way (from a customer's site, or theirs). Keep in mind -- if I could look now, how my model looks 100 lbs heavier than my current weight, I'd go to maintenance. So take the likeness with a gigantic grain of salt. :smile:

Sometimes though (speaking from my personal experience) another fill is no longer the solution. Sometimes it's just a matter of realizing -- maybe this is my "sweet spot," and sometimes I'm going to have way more help than I want, and sometimes I'm doing to have to step up to the plate and do it solo. Before I accepted this as my sweet spot, I chased the perfect fill level, and bounced between no restriction and unable to swallow my own saliva with very, very tiny adjustments. You don't want to be blocked off in the morning & lunch, for the sake of getting full on 6 bites at dinner... you know?

Have you never had moments of "unexplained" tightness in the 4.5 years you've been banded? I seem to get them a few times a month. I got really tight, for a while, when I was (am) pg. :bolt:

Yep, I've been experiencing it for over two years. Sometimes in the morning I'm lucky to get Water down without pressure, but by dinner I'm relying on my own self control (and shrunken stomach) to limit my meal. Welcome to the band. :bolt:

Yeah how do you pronounce it? I would think "glow-chester" kind of like worcestershiresicreiheire sauce. I hate it when my reading of someone's online handle is too phonetic. It's kind of like trying to decipher vanity plates.

I've not yet gained any weight back. I've stalled, and weight loss has slowed down, but I've never gone back up. I'm still going down, just much more slowly than I did at first. I feel fine, love my band.

I'm not sure I can answer that. I don't care if our president is black, purple, yellow, or polka-dotted. I think we're ready for a good, competent president. If that person happens to be black, so be it.

I've given this issue some off and on thought, and part of it for me is that (IMO) a parents' religion is only the child's religion in so far as the parents say so. I know there are processes to bring someone in to a religion, and that can happen at a very early time in life, but that doesn't mean the infant understands what it means, had a choice in it, etc. I think children largely "subsribe" (in so much as they can) to a religion because it's what their parents tell them is right, or tell them to do, or because they grew up in it and don't know any different. (Really, the same reason kids have most significant belief systems). If the parents chose it for themselves, fine. But to "force their beliefs" (so to speak) on a child... I dunno. Even asking a child what they want isn't going to get you an answer that makes you feel comfrtoable the child truly understands the concepts involves, can apply judgment, can distinguish consequences, etc. That's some pretty high cognitive stuff that we're probably just not going to see on that level at such young ages. Until then, I think children are owned responsibilityfrom their parents, and ignoring a medical need in lieu of a fantastic solution is not fully IMO responsible Now - don't get me wrong, this isn't an "evils of regigion" post. But I do think that my above opinions are influencing what I think about this. If I am an adult, and can understand my religion, what it means, what it includes -- don't know the age for that but "18" seems to be when the government feels we're able to make sound decisions... and I choose not to seek medical help because of my beliefs, that's one thing. But if we're talking about parents of.... an infant, let's say... the parents are acting in their belief, on behalf of their child. I keep coming back to a "sanity of the choice" issue, which is all kinds of sticky. I tend to believe that someone with an extraordinarily ill child, who sees no use for doctors because "god" will fix the problem, is probably not packing a full lunchbox. But I can put myself into their shoes, and see how they might be perceiving the situation. *sigh* All of that to update you that I'm still on the fence, I guess. :bolt: In one sense, we probably intervene a little too much for our own (logistics) good, and maybe not enough for our (social) good. Sometimes we need to let people die, but far be it for me to have an answer to, "Who gets to live?"

Cravings: If I crave something, I have it. This is a big tenant in my success. Frustration: I don't know that I've ever had "band frustration". Life frustration, sure - lots and lots of it. But sitting here thinking I honestly can't think of one time I've been frustrated because of my band. Feelings of weakness: Not sure I have these either, but I understand where my weaknesses come from, and I also understand they're not something I should let get me down. I mean - I'm weak in those areas for a reason, and the most I can do is try to improve. (You can probably tell -- I'm not, nor was, much of an emotional eater)

Gosh, that could be anywhere, so many fish taco places. One of the more common ones I can think of was Wahoo's, but that cuisine is something you can find all over the place there. The greasiest I remember was one of the stands at the Del Mar Fair, but I don't remember the name of the place. Ok, here are my SoCal places I really miss (I know they're elsewhere, but not here): Del Taco. Mmmm. I loved their taco burgers as a kid, and always favored their quesadillas with the little pepper pieces in them. Naugles. Which I think was bought by Del Taco. THey made the biggest beef & cheese burritos, absolutely crammed full of both. Jack in the Box -- Breakfast Jack was the only ham I would eat. Carl's Jr (which I know is a Hardee's thing now, but it was different when it was still Carl's). I fondly remember the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, theur crinkly fries, and the *best* breakfast sandwiches. A steakhouse called Pinnacle Peak, don't remember if it was a chain or not. A nrighborhood place (maybe a chain, don't remember) called Gaetano's. BEST Italian. Doodle Burger. Oh, and a place called Souplantation. And Tio Leo's (instead of chips & salsa, you got chips w/ hot jalapenos/carrots/onions) Mmmm. And I was thin then...

Gaining weight does not equal gaining fat. Please don't panic because the scale moves one pound. Knee-jerk/irrational reactions like that do nothing but through your mental state out of whack. See this post: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/784949-post5.html

Most insurance-paid WLS require a psychologist, especially the more permanent options. Fixing the inside and outside are not mutually exclusive, and outside fixes are not always about vanity or superficial/exterior motives. And even when they are, I'd say it's as common with band recipients as with any other procedure. It doesn't much longevity here to clearly see a lot more driving "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" than "nothing tastes as good as healthy feels"... and a lot more "what size for what weight" questions than "what weight for what health improvement" ones. And don't forget the internal-external relationship... many times an inside fix (diabetes, HBP, cholesterol, etc.) comes from an outside fix (losing body fat). I don't know that I agree it's a matter of priorities being out of whack. Not everyone's priority is (or should be) behavioral change, relearning eating patterns, etc. Especially not up front. If my doctor told me, "You need to lose weight now or you will die" -- quick weightloss period, regardless of my in/ability to make behavioral changes, becomes my priority and an AGB becomes a very poor choice for me. If I don't have the cognitive/behavioral strength to commit to owning my choices, then something that ignores my choices is a much better option with the priority of staying alive. We may see it as abusing their tool because they are behaviors we can't do, and as such seem foreign or "wrong" to us. But when your chosen procedure allows those behaviors, then I don't see where there's even an issue. There are a handful of options out there, and the ebst we can do is pick the one that's right for us at a given time, and hope it stays right, or do something to make it different. If the option to eat at a buffet and still lose weight is right (and come on... let's be real for a moment... at one time or another mostof us would have given a lot for a "cure" that let us eat what we wanted while still losing weight) for someone, and it's the basis of the surgery they chose, what's wrong with that?

Are you on mushies -- I assume 15 days post-op? If so just call your surgeon or nutritionist or whomever made up your post-op plan and ask if they consider well-cooked noodles in liquid a mushy. At the point you're at, it's not so much what "bandsters" tolerate (you won't have a fill yet, may have some swelling still, but tolerances/intolerances shouldn't be much of an issue until you start getting fills), as it is sticking to your post-op diet.

Unless you eat like 40 sticks of butter for dinner, or are a medical anamoly, overnight weight gain is going to be Fluid fluctuations. Mushy foods tend to be high-carb foods. Liquids tend to be low-carb. On liquids you probably were in ketosis, eating the potatoes threw you out, and the result was a bit of fluid retention. You're only like 2 weeks out from surgery. Don't worry about losing weight at this point, just focus on meeting nutrion needs and resting so that you can finish healing. I don't know if your surgeon was clear about this, but weight lost between surgery and restriction is a bonus, not an expectation. Most people will lose a chunk after surgery because generally you don't want to eat or drink much, or are afraid to, but you can't expect that weight to stay 100% gone when you're doing things to alter the way your body treats its fluids, and when you're gradually getting back to a more "normal" diet. For hunger, do as many Proteins (not liquids if you can help it) as you can, as long as they fit into your food stage. Proteins make you feel full longer than carbs, fats, etc.

I was rear-ended late January. The other driver was 100% at fault. I finally got my car back at the beginning of the month, then they fixed something incorrectly and it had to go back in Friday. In the meantime, they tried to put me in a Ford Focus as a replacement. I drive an SUV. I'm a hair under 6 foot and DH is 6'5. Plus non-negotiable passengers. Fools. I was on medication therapy for the back/muscle issues but stopped due to pregnancy, so my Dr. prescribed physical therapy (which she was going to do anyway since she wasn't seeing as much progress as she wanted with just the relaxers/pain meds/etc.). That will start this week. Because of this accident, I'm out to the tune of about $8000 between missed work, medical bills (this one has a caveat, but for the sake of keeping it simple...), copays, etc. I just called to see about submitting my expenses and found out they pay in a single lump sum, so if I submit now, they will not cover physical therapy. And once they pay, they're allegedly "free and clear" of anything else that may come up. I'm not sure I buy this, nor am I sure they should be telling people who call. If my head falls off 3 weeks from now and 10 doctors can testify that it's because of this accident, I don't see how having processed payment for my bills removes their liability. I asked if they planned on paying the current interest rate on my $8000 since it would be accruing interest right now if I hadn't had to spend it, and she literally laughed at me. I really wasn't kidding. It makes me wonder -- if I was in a position where I didn't have the cash to spare, and had to use a credit card, would they pay the interest on the charges? When they told me, "Our goal is to keep you from experiencing a change in your standard of living" they didn't add, "...one year from now." That's soooo what's not happening. If my life is supposed to be as though the accident, where are teh gains I'm missing because my 8k is elsewhere? I've been no-fault in accidents before, and I know for a fact that things were paid as I went. I used the example with her, "So if I needed surgery and rehab, the surgery couldn't be booked for 4 months and then my rehab was 6 months, it would be 10 months before you even thought of paying anything, and I would have to foot those bils or at least pay copays, then my insurance company would have to go after you?" and she confirmed that was indeed the case. So, so, so messed up.

Saran Wrap insulates you while you exercise, basically dehydrating yourself. People use it as a very temporary spot treatment, e.g. on the upper arms before an evening in a strapless gown. You "sweat off inches" (as it's advertised at the spas that offer it for about $150 a pop), but drink a glass of water and those inches come right back. :biggrin:

Green, I somehow missed yuor unfortunate news until just now. I"ve yet not yet had a cancer diagnosis, though I certainlyw ouldn't be surprised by one... but I've been through my mom telling me her diagnosis is cancer 5 times now. There's nothing really to say that helps, and even it there were I wouldn't know what it is, but let me know if you need anything.

LaRose, many people here are more than 6 months out. I'm over two years, and I'm not even close to an "oldie." Just ask your questions, I'm sure you'll get feedback.

Don't assume the chocolates will be turned into fat. As long as you didn't exceed your daily caloric need, no problem. Even if you did, that doesn't mean a 1/2 lb of chocolate becomes a 1/2 lb of fat -- doesn't work that way.