tapshoes

Marathinner, You look fabulous!

B: 1 banana blended with 1cup milk and 1cup ice L: 2egg white cheese omlette 1/8 cup caesar salad (no crouton) S: !/2 chicken breast grilled !/8 cup pasta salad Crystal light - about 1 litre Water - about 1 litre (so far)

No parent, siblings, offspring, friends, and absolutely no co-workers! My coworkers (like many mentioned here) are a gossipy group who like to pass judgement on all matter of things. Only 1 co-worker has been brazen enough to question/comment on my weight loss...my response: "I can't believe you would ask such a personal question." Since then, no questions!

OUCH!!! Good shot!

It would seem that your friend has an issue - and it isn't with you, but with her perception of herself. She has low self-esteem, and by being with you, this made her feel good. This is very sad - for both of you. I would respond to her calls to have a chat - explain that you are hurt, and sad for her. That you valued your friendship but as she apparently was only interested in a relationship so that she could feel good about herself, it is unhealthy for you to remain friends. Give her the opportunity to apologize, to realize what she is doing and (if you both want) help her to adjust to the new reality. Otherwise, part ways. But try to do it leaving the door open for her to contact you if/when she matures. I am sorry you are going through it; I am saddened to think that others are as well.

I'm interested to know if any of you are planning to go to the Convention in Dallas in October? (See General Topics - Convention thread). I would love to think we would have the numbers and the interest to have a Canadian version, however the truth is there are more Americans to participate and therefore more drawing power for the well-known presenters etc. I am thinking of attending the conference; anyone else? Do you think we could have a Canadian one next year?:thumbup:

Hi Susieq My apologies, obviously as a new bandster I wasn't aware of previous years events. :thumbup: And by no means was I suggesting that I wanted to arrange one....I can barely keep myself organized, let alone others! I will though be interested in the splash-bash, so keep me/us posted. I am still interested to know if any Canadians were planning on attending the one being planned for Dallas though.

Your smile says it all! Congratulations. To echo many others, you are an inspirations...now if I could just have your voice in my head telling me to get off my arse and do it! It just isn't the same when it is me saying it!

So far there hasn't been anything I can't eat...I just go really slowly. REally really slowly.

Yes indeed, there are Ontario residents....lots of them. Go to the Canada support group and meet us all!

Hi everyone I was 49 years and 364 days old when I had the surgery, so I figure I can honestly be in the 50's and 40's. I was banded in Feb and so far I am 'on track' with a 1-2 pound loss/week. Of course, I wish it were more (and there are many who do achieve that), but my body is holding on firm to it's blanket of fat! I noticed a few comments about not sure how they felt about 40, etc...for my 40th I had the best party and loved the decade. 50s - so far their great - hey I'm going to be healthy and what better thing is there than that! Anyways, I shall be checking in on this thread regularly - that is if you let someone of the next decade in!

I was 49 years and 364 days old when I had the band put in. I had the op on a Friday at 12noon and was back to my desk job on Monday (3 days later).

I'm on plan today because I slipped, rather fell a long way off, yesterday. I have to regain my momentum and my self-respect. I can do this. I can do this. I HAVE to do this.

I too was a veteran of the diet wars...I usually won the battle, but never the war. The lost pounds kept returning, with their friends. And with each defeat I felt ...well, I felt I was a loser. Getting cold feet is natural. But ask yourself is your anxiety really about you being able to do this on your own, or whether really the anxiety is just that it is surgery? Both are understandable, but make your decision knowing what it really is that is making you feel this way. If the fear is surgery - again that is understandable. But balance that fear against the known health risks of both yo-yo dieting and obesity. Knowing yourself (and only you do), if it is likely you would regain without the surgery then by not having the surgery you are (in my opinion) risking more. Make your decision based on knowledge not fear. Good luck, and let us know what you decide. We'll support you no matter what.

Thanks everyone - have a Protein filled smoothie on me!! DH is going to read this thread tonight...although I can already hear him snorting that I created all of these persona. Such a sore loser he is! :thumbup:

If you are prepared for the wait, then obviously getting the surgery paid for is the better way...at least Alberta has this plan (other provinces do not). I agree with mommyof4 that sleep apnea as a reason to NOT be a candidate for surgery is well...perverse. It is my understanding that is one of the comorbidities that screening criteria consider to make you a candidate! The waitlist is variable between the clinics, so yes, check around. But the screening process will always be the most in need, first. As more and more people hear of the process and enroll, the more juggling of the waitlists will occur. Good luck on your journey; keep us posted on what happens and the processes you go through.

A year??? That is certainly different than my experience! 3 months (assuming that your surgery did not involve any transfusions of blood products) is what I had been informed. I would certainly call the blood donor clinic and ask before you venture out the door. And to all who have given blood in the past, thank you from the grateful recipients!

You guys are certainly more brave than I! I did not eat out until 2 months post-op, and even then I s-l-o-w-l-y ate a small bowl of soup. That's it. This was mostly out of fear - what if I had my very first PB in Public ??? For those that don't know PB - Productive Burp - your pouch says 'Nope' and tosses back the undigested food rather quickly. I have relaxed more since then, but still I am very conservative in what I select from the menu (both in portion size and texture). And although I enjoy good wine, haven't have any with my meal. Oddly enough, no one has noticed, or commented on this, and certainly I don't miss it as I thought I would.

Hi Kerryconner This forum is filled with the experiences of others - including surgery in Mexico, life immediately post banding and thereafter - read read read and ask questions. Just remember, for every question you ask, you will get different opinions on everything from recovery time, to post-op diet and the frequency of fills and everything in-between. Enjoy the journey and good luck.

Get the fill; enjoy your birthday as a celebration of a good life with the knowledge that you will enjoy many many more by doing this. The birthday doesn't have to be all about the food; the birthday should be about you, and you are more than the food you eat. I find it easier to gain than to lose, so gaining 1 lb a week would take me 2 times as long to lose it - and I want to make this part of the journey (the weight loss) as short as is healthily possible. Stop the cycle now.

OK my fellow Februarians...someone tell me WHY?? WHY did I slip (make that fall) tonight?? I have been fine (only minor slip a few weeks ago)...I am happy, things are going well, and tonight I sit with DH to watch a rare TV show. He's mowing down peanuts, I figure a few won''t hurt, they're in the shell - it will take me a while to shell them and i won't eat many. HAH! 1 hour later I have a bowl of shells, a sore gut, and absolute disgust with myself. I have NO way to know how many nuts I scarfed down, and to eat them for an hour??? If anyone can figure out a way to really knows what goes on in my head, let me know, because I obviously do not have a clue. I am disgusted. I am going to bed - I will have a good cry, beat myself up (psychologically) and hope to goodness I can resist tomorrow. :thumbup::cursing::biggrin::cursing:

Bon jour et bienvenue. We are ALL anxious to know about the costs and insurance coverage - too late for me though I went to TO and am on the way to a thinner happier healthier me. Drinking after a meal - most docs say from 30 - 60 minutes after. Have to be finished in 10 minutes??? Something really out of line there - believe me chewing some things until their mush feels like it takes 10 minutes! Again, I think most people here talk about being given a 30-45 minute meal period. Double triple quadruple check your info. Good luck

It is an amazing sense of empowerment - I can do this, rather than continual depression of failure. I was self-pay and the pain in the purse was minimal compared to the pain of carrying forever my extra weight and its corresponding negativity.

To answer the question, no. The adjustments are literally about 30 seconds from undoing my jeans to the time of completion. No pinching, prodding or poking and no pain.

I researched it a lot. Bottom line: 1. It is less invasive 2. It is reversible 3. It was less expensive (I am self-pay) 4. Recovery period is less