EricaLyn

I just have to say that I'm pretty sick and tired of the complainers on here. I'm frustrated that so many don't know what to expect once they have their band. Didn't they attend a weight loss surgery seminar? Didn't they meet with their doctor, nutritionist, do the psych evaluation and do some type of pre-op diet? I'm confused as to why there are so many posts of, "I've been banded for three days! When can I gulp Water?!" or "I'm so hungry! I can't do this liquid diet. I went to McDonald's today! Have I damaged my band?" SERIOUSLY, folks?! I researched the hell out of lapband for three years prior to surgery. I researched numerous weight loss surgery doctors in my area, went to two different seminars and met with my doctor three times, nutritionist four times, counselor twice and my PCP about a million times. I spoke to my insurance provider so many times I lost count, I went to the store and stocked up on SF foods, Crystal Light, Soups and bought the damn blender. I posted the pre and post op diet on my frig as a reminder to myself and to my husband. My doctor actually gave me three copies of these diets - I was overloaded with information!! I find it incredibly hard to believe that people go all the way to get banded and then come on here and ask, "When can I eat real food" or "When can I exercise?" or "It hurts. Waaaa." I'm just sick of it all. I think I'm better off staying away from this site. There is so much that is negative and the same things are talked about time and time again. Maybe I don't have the patience for those who are clueless and who seem to take a stance of ignorance when it comes to their health and well-being. Do some of you just go to your doctor with ear plugs in? They give you all the information you'll ever need - and then some! My pre-op diet was hard, but I did it! I lost 17 pounds before surgery. I had an excellent surgery and spent one night in the hospital. I had no pain medications once I got home. Was it tough - kinda - but I did it. I followed the program - full liquids to blended to mushies to regular food. I'm not filled yet and is it hard? YES! No whining though. Before I went into this program I knew I'd be hungry. I didn't believe I'd stay full 24/7 and always feel satisfied. Not until I'm filled at least. These posts of, "I'm not filled yet and I'm so hungry! I thought this band was supposed to make me feel full!!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I KNOW your doctor told you that you wouldn't feel restriction until you were filled. So why come on here and fein ignorance? I swear people whine for the sake of whining. This isn't rocket science. Do the pre-op diet, get your head straight, your facts straight, prepare, exercise, do the post-op diet, go to your appointments, continue to exercise and live it. Own it. Don't look for reasons to fail. Walk into this with your eyes and ears wide open. Don't look for reasons to eat. You've obviously tried to diet before and you're overweight now. Do what it takes to get better. Now I know what Nike meant when they said, "Just do it!" Ugh. I need a break from this site.

I never said I didn't have an addiction. Don't assume I don't have an addiction.

I was just banded May 13th of this year. I'm not even filled yet. It hasn't been a long time and I've forgotten nothing.

What's with the F bombs and "bullshit"? What's with the swearing? Let's bring it out of the gutter folks or is that where liberals are used to fighting? They're so good at slinging mud.

Excuse me all to hell but this is the Rant / Off Topic Area, correct? Am I not entitled to have my say? I'm not responding to anyone in particular, I'm just posting my feelings. Good grief.

Oh I see. Fox News is THE ONLY biased news organization. Oh okay. Isn't it ironic that liberals can have their voice, but a conservative better shut the hell up. Why is that? I thought liberals were all for freedom of speech. Does that right only apply to them? Conservatives aren't allowed to have a voice? Nope. We have to just keep our opinions to ourselves because how dare we voice an opinion!! The liberal media is everywhere - ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Headline News and yes, gasp, even Fox (there is a Colmes to the Hannity side). So there is a news network, Fox, that leans to the right. SO FRIGGIN' WHAT?! In my opinion, liberals rants about Fox so much because they can't STAND the fact that people are listening to Fox News. It's not enough that there is a plethora of liberal news reporting agencies, ohhhh noooo, Fox must be destroyed! Keith Olbermann spends most of his air time ranting against Fox. It's hysterical. He practically foams at the mouth with rantings against Fox. Hey, here's a thought. If Fox is so wrong, if they're so lacking in integrity and spewing lies out of the pit of hell, then WHO CARES? Doesn't that make them irrelevant? They shouldn't be a concern to the liberals, now should they? It's the liberal media that gives Fox News its biggest voice! DUH! I know. I know. You're going to say that Fox News lies, etc. Blah blah blah. I forgot - CNN, MSNBC, Headline News - they're all purveyors of truth. Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, Chris Matthews and all the rest - they're not biased. They don't lean one way or the other. They are the epitome of fair reporting. Always seeing both sides. Equally hard on the liberals and conservatives. Right?! Right?! Not. Yeah, I didn't think so. You can continue being delusional. I'm not going to even bother arguing this point any longer. As my Grandpa always said, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."

I use Splenda in my hot tea and I eat SF Snacks - Jell-O, pudding, popsicles. The fake sugar doesn't make me overeat or give me cravings. I think we can convince ourselves of something and then we run with it. I don't get the rant on fake sweeteners. If it works for you, great. If not, try something else. Everyone is different.

Hi Suzi - I'm sorry that you don't feel support from your husband or your Mom. I know it has to be a very difficult road for you right now. I'm not in your shoes, but if I may, here's what I would do (two options): 1. Continue to keep it to yourself. This is your personal choice and your life. Continue on the path you're on, exercising and eating right and let the nay-sayers and critics blather on. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and you are to yours. Just keep living your life and as hard as it may be at times, just keep your eye on the prize (your health!) and ignore them. 2. Fess up. Tell your Mom about your lap band surgery. "Mom, I have something important to tell you. I need your support. If you feel you can't support me in my decision, then please keep it to yourself. I won't stand for ridicule or anger, I won't tolerate judgement or anything less than love and support. If you feel you can't support me in this, that's fine, but please don't destroy the hope that I have in the lap band. I want to live a long, healthy life and your support would be wonderful, but it's not necessary. Your choice, Mom." Sometimes we have to just be bold in sticking up for ourselves. If that's option 1 or 2, then fine. Whatever works best FOR YOU. Congratulations on your courage, your determination and will power. Keep the faith!

Where did my post refer to the Weekly World News? I didn't quote the Weekly World News. My post referenced the World Net Daily and Arcadeathome.com. Funny how some only hear and read what they want to, LaraD.

400 calories a day is ridiculous. Who can do that? If you're on Survivor maybe. Ever since I started eating more soft foods - getting some chicken and salad in me - I've steadily been losing weight. This starving ourselves routine is for the birds. I'm still staying away from simple carbs and the weight is coming off. I haven't had Cereal, bread, Pasta or rice in about six weeks. The exercise I'm doing every day is really helping too. It's all just common sense.

My TO DO list once at goal: 1. Respond to a hostess/host, "A booth will be fine, thank you." 2. Not be the biggest person in the room. 3. Regular sizes have so many options. I just want to wander the Misses department at a store for a few hours. 4. Middle airplane seat? No problem. I'll sit there! 5. Wear regular jeans. 6. Banish elastic pants from my wardrobe forever. 7. No more double chin. Sigh. 8. Be okay with my picture being taken. 9. Not hide in the last row when pictures are being taken. 10. Not put my hand up in front of my face when pictures are being taken. 11. Tuck my blouse in. 12. Wear a belt. 13. Wear those pretty bra's, not the industrial strength ones. So ugly. 14. Ride amusement park rides and not hype out about the safetly bar fitting (you know that moment of - oh god, will it or won't it lock?!) 15. Wear a tank top on a hot summer day. I'm so tired of covering up. 16. Be my husband's hot wife.

First of all, am I the only one who finds it ironic how the dems and liberals, oh and let's not forget the media, have turned on the precious Clinton's? I remember during Clinton's reign how they were the fair-haired, chosen ones. What the hell happened? Now they're being ripped a new one every time I turn around. I find it hysterical. I guess it's true that liberals and dems really do eat their own. As for your comment, Green, about "Don't you Americans want to see yourself as a people in your President - someone who is young, caring, hip, hardworking, very smart, neither white nor black but both and goodlooking as a bonus." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THOSE are the qualifications that we want in a President? Young? Good looking? Hip? I'm laughing so hard here I can't really type. Obama's hippness factor is certainly not factoring in on my decision for president. I'm still laughing at that post. :biggrin:

I chose mine because it's what I have on my license!! LOL

Unfortunately you may just have high blood pressure. Sometimes our weight has nothing to do with it. My grandmother was very small and not overweight and she had HBP. So did my aunt and she wasn't overweight. Same goes for both grandpa's and my dad. Just my lot in life to have HBP. I lost 100 lbs about 10 years ago and my blood pressure didn't budge. Sometimes that's just how our bodies roll. For those who are on high blood pressure medications please don't self medicate. If you take something like Metoporol and come off of it suddenly, you can cause a great deal of damage to your body. This is our heart we're dealing with. The doctor knows best. I've had extremely high blood pressure since I was 15 years old (220/120 unmedicated - that's stroke level folks) and I know our blood pressure is something that should be closely monitored. My hope is to one day be off of my meds, but due to my family history, sigh, I may never get off of them. That's okay though. Getting the extra weight off my body is good for me in other ways. We all have a cross to carry, right? :biggrin:

I was banded May 13th and won't get a fill until June 26th. We all have to go through this. Our stomach needs time to heal. At first we can eat very little and feel quite full rather quickly. The more we progress the hungrier we start to feel (without a fill). I'm eating more now than I did right after surgery, but that's okay. I know I'm not filled yet and there will be restriction coming my way. Continue to eat healthy - stay away from the no-no foods and you'll be fine. I'm still losing weight. Actually I'm losing more weight now than I did eating very little. I say just relax, enjoy this time reconnecting with your body, listen to what it wants, explore what satisfies you, exercise and be patient. You didn't spend this kind of money and have major surgery to get tangled up in bandster hell. Restriction will come - just roll with it until that time.

I think we're ready for a black president. I don't care about the color of your skin. What I do care about is if you're open, honest, full of integrity, a patriot, defender of our great nation, proud of our country and its accomplishments and not at the ready to raise my taxes. As for Obama being a Muslim, I don't know for certain if he was or is, but this information is interesting. Obama's Not Exactly's: 1.) Selma Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google 'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.) 2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government. 3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had. 4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more. Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth. 5) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man. 6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama. Barack Hussein Obama is not half black If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to..... Arcade@Home - NewsBoy Breaking News: Barack Hussein Obama - Arab-American, only 6.25% African 7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.< BR>4-3-08 Article "Obama was 'quite religious in islam'" Obama was 'quite religious in Islam' 8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book). February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset." This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says "Obama's narr ative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts." 9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language. 10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons. 11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies. 12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in hi gh school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine. 13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist. 14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist. 15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first. 16.) Voting "Present" is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES. 17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote. 18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE. 19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE. 20.) Without Me, Th ere Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it, or create it. 21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish. 22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came. 23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within. 24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books. 25.) M y Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill. 26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part. 27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office. 28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Candian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them. 29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel. 30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide. 31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time. 32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself. 33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you. 34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it. 35.) I don't Have Lobbysists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting. 36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon. 37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time. 38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it.

Are you exercising? Exercising does wonders for weight loss. I didn't start moving that scale until I exercised.

Your boss may just be a tool, plain and simple. Sorry for the pay cut. That stinks. Maybe a new job is in your future? I know once I get around my goal, I'm going to look for a new job. Just because I can. It'll be interesting to see if there are changes in how I'm interviewed, spoken to, etc. It's exciting!

I can understand not wanting to miss out at the holidays; I just went through Memorial Weekend with all the BBQ's and a wedding thrown in with awesome wedding cake to boot! I didn't splurge - I did my lapband diet thing and I felt better for it. Tell yourself this - "This 4th of July isn't your last 4th of July and you can do this. Next 4th of July you'll be able to eat (within reason). This 4th of July will just be for celebrating with family and friends." That's how I get through not eating tuna fish sandwiches, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pizza - all the good stuff. I just tell myself, "This isn't the last _______ on the planet. I can skip it this once." Hang in there!

Wow - you're on mushies already? My doctor won't let me go on mushies until June 8th and I was banded May 13th! You're lucky! Anyway, my nutrionist said to mix baby veggies and baby Protein together. Add some salt and pepper and other seasonings and that helps a lot. Personally, I won't eat the baby foods. I've stood in the baby food aisle and just walked away grossed out. My plan for mushies is to eat ground beef, refried Beans, spaghetti sauce (over that ground beef), etc. You don't have to eat baby food. I realize you don't have time to cook, but can you take an hour or so and prepare a couple of meals to put into the frig? Heat up some low fat refried beans. Add some salsa and low-fat sour cream and non-fat shredded cheese. That stores up nicely. Get some high protein soups (those with meat) and blend those up in the blender. Store those in a container for a quick, on the go meal. Yogurt is high in protein and quite good. Slim Fast, EAS and Atkins shakes are high in protein and are good. I bought a mini-blender - the kind you mix the ingredients in, blend and then drink out of (it was like $9.99 at Wal-mart). Keep the ingredients at work and you can make a great Protein shake. Here's a recipe I use: 1 scoop of Slim Fast Protein chocolate powder 8 ounces of Non-Fat milk 1 small banana 2 Tbsp organic Peanut Butter Ice Blend and you have the most awesome shake! It's high in protein too. Baby foods aren't your only option - it just takes a little bit of planning and you're good to go!

You sound like you're doing great! Four pounds in one month is great! They say to expect 1-3 pounds and my doctor says 1 pound per week is the most probable. And you lost three inches - wahooo! Congratulations! My mom breaks down the pounds this way - you don't think one pound is a lot? Go grab a pound of butter and hold that up to your: face, arm, stomach, butt, thigh - that's a lot of weight!! Also, do you have a low BMI? Are you at a lower weight? Heavier people lose weight faster (at first). I think taking it off slowly is the best way - that way it stays off! Also, you're exercising a lot so you're building muscle and muscle is heavier than fat. You're doing great!

I believe discriminating against an over weight person is the last acceptable form of discrimination. It's disgusting and horrifying, but nonetheless, takes place in almost every office (to some degree). No one at my office has said one word about my weightloss. Kind of a bummer, but oh well. No one knows that I had WLS, but you can still tell I've lost weight. Actually it's weird. I've only lost 41 pounds (since November 2007 to date), but my body has really slimmed down. My sister, who knows what I weigh, told me yesterday that I looked like I was 170 pounds. She couldn't believe how small I looked (I still weigh so heavy though!! But I always have. I say it's my big bones that weigh so much! LOL), so I know others notice, but no one says a word. I have noticed that the guys in the office are paying more attention. Double takes, more eye contact, etc. I'm a pretty outgoing person so I've never been a wallflower or easy to ignore, but I'm noticing it more now that just the guys are treating me with more recognition. I know this is something I'll need to deal with - not the extra attention, but the pissed off feeling that I'm sure to feel when I start getting treated better than I used to be. We have some self-proclaimed 'hotties' in the office and they're treated very well - high pay for no work - and everyone just accepts it. I'm curious to see how this is going to play out. I'm paid a decent wage and I work very hard (and a lot), so I'm curious to know if expectations of me will change when my body is thinner and dare I say, hotter? LOL Every now and again I ask my husband what he's going to do when he has a smokin' hot wife and he always responds with, "I already have one". I love that man.

Lanejane, I think our bodies go into freak out mode after surgery and when we put it on a diet. You've lost four pounds in two weeks? That's awesome. We can expect a weight loss of 1-3 pounds per week after being filled. You've lost four pounds before being filled!! Sometimes we're also not eating enough calories. Our bodies go into starvation mode. Mix up your diet. Mix up your exercising. I do that when I'm at a standstill and it seems to work.

I agree about the fat. I've tried to keep a healthy balance of fat in my diet and I'm not losing any hair. I wash my hair every other day, but my hair is chemically treated and I curl it every day (I can't live without my curling iron!), so I know I put my hair through its paces! My hair dresser has me using Nioxin and that seems to help as well. Like I said I only wash it every other day so I know that helps fight the hair loss as well. My hair dresser said most people can go three days without washing their hair, but due to the products that most put in their hair (I love hair spray - I have big hair!) washing our hair every other day is typically good enough. Anyway, I agree on the fat issue. Healthy fat is essential.