Julia_N

If insurance will be paying for your Lap Band, see who's on your plan. Saint Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino is a Center of Excellence, which is what my insurance (Aetna) requires. Dr. Krahn is very skilled with the band. I'm seeing him, but for gastric bypass.

I noticed it only has 7g of protein. That's a lot lower than what you're supposed to get, at least according to my surgeon. He wants 30-40g per breakfast and lunch. (He has the same requirements for bypass and band patients.)

I didn't get a chance to watch it on TV -- stupid work! -- but I did watch some online. I loved when Beyonce sang "At Last" while the Obamas danced. It was like America's Wedding Reception. (Where's my cake?)

Travel_anna, those are great books. I've read 3 of them, and I've got Time Travelers Wife somewhere around the house. ReadySteadyGo, have you read Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books? HBO used them for the True Blood series. They take place near Shreveport.

I've taken this for years, with no upset stomach at all. The only problem I've had with metformin is that sometimes it can give you diarrhea. When it gets bad, I take Imodium pills. I'm not sure if you can take that with the band, although they are tiny. Anyone know?

My seminar was heavily in favor of Lap Band, but when I had my one-on-one with the surgeon, he suggested the bypass because I have several co-morbidities including diabetes, lots of weight to lose, and I'm not real young. He said the bypass works better with diabetic patients. Good luck with your decision!

My doctor put me on 2 protein shakes and one small meal a day. I think I lost 20 pounds the first month. It's since slowed because I'm indulging in holiday treats. It's tough now, but I figure at least I won't be hungry after surgery, whenever that comes.

Unjury has a chicken broth flavored protein. You mix it with water no hotter than 130 degrees (you can get a thermometer from Unjury for $5). It's not bad. I like having something warm on a cold day.

I don't wash my clothes on a rock at the river, and I use a dishwasher to clean up after dinner. Would it be more virtuous to wash clothes and dishes "the hard way"? Bah! You can keep your dieting "the hard way." Just makes you madder when you gain it all back.

One of the tabloid magazines says Oprah's going to have gastric bypass, but those mags are wrong as often as they're right. I hate the attitude that by having WLS you're taking the easy way out, that you're not "earning" your weight loss. As if putting up with 100 extra pounds for 20 years isn't "earning" it. People who don't have obesity problems look at it like cosmetic surgery.

People on both sides of the issue tend to be vocal about their side. I started on one side and went over to the other. I went to the surgeon wanting lap band but am going to have RNY gastric bypass instead. I have lots of weight to lose and have several co-morbidities, plus I'm over 50. The malabsorption aspect actually helps if you're diabetic. Many RNY patients lose their need for diabetes medicine very soon after leaving the hospital. The risk of dying is only slightly higher with RNY. It helps if you have an experienced doctor and go to a Center of Excellence, which my insurance requires. The RNY is reversible, according to my doctor. You're much more likely to die without surgery than with it. Personally, I like the idea that after my surgery, I'm done with procedures and I don't have to get band fills. That's just my personal feelings. You need to choose what you're most comfortable with. Good luck! I wish you much success. :thumbup:

I think the band is made from silicone.

I like cottage cheese with just paprika on it. Very tasty. Haven't tried Greek yogurt yet. I believe you make yogurt cheese with it. Line a small sieve with a coffee filter, plop in the yogurt, set the sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator, and let it drain for 24 hours. A clear liquid drains out and the yogurt is thicker. This only works on plain yogurt with no gelatin added.

Everyone I've known on a diet who stuck to it in Vegas ended up losing weight. I drank lots of water and did a lot of walking.

I would imagine that after that many kids, she doesn't even go through labor. They just drop out. I also suppose that since she has had so many pregnancies, her fertility will last way into her 50s. She'll have grandkids older than her own kids.

Someone should tell the Duggars that a vagina is not a clown car.

I have gotten massages and if you're in a legitimate place, i.e., NOT a front for prostitution, the masseuse is not going to ask you if you want a happy ending. And a happy ending is definitely cheating. Any touching or emotional involvement is cheating in my book. My husband can look at all the porn he wants when I'm not around. He's got his collection and Web sites he goes to to look. It's just looking. We keep it away from our 15-year-old daughter. I bought him his Playboy subscription. Some of his co-workers (female) insisted to him that Playboy was porn. I don't care if the material is porn, vampire books (they can get VERY sexually explicit) or baseball cards -- no one has the right to destroy another adult's property without his/her permission. Might as well just consider your significant other a child.

My doctor recommended the bypass instead of the band because I am a little older and have several co-morbidities. He thought I would get healthier quicker with the bypass. After I thought about it, I decided on the bypass. I won't have to bother with the fills and waiting to hit the "sweet spot."

My husband doesn't like some of the vampire books I read. If he shredded them behind my back I would be angrier than hell. You destroyed his personal property. That's not right. My father brought home pictures from World War II, from when he helped liberate a concentration camp. He had some gruesome photos, but they need to be seen for history's sake. He lent them to his brother, and his brother's wife thought they were evil and burned them. With so many idiots denying the Holocaust took place, it sure would be good to have those photos around. I'm not equating the importance of remembering the Holocaust with someone's taste for pornography, but no one has the right to determine what someone else can read, especially if it's legal.

Under Bush, my husband and I both lost our jobs because the economy tanked. Last year my company let go people who had been there 15-25 years -- I had been there 23. Our retirement plans and savings shrank because the economy went to hell. Our condo value went down because a certain administration's economy let the mortgage industry go wild and a quarter of the country's in foreclosure. It's not a trickle-down theory, it's a trickle-on economy. With 43's dismal performance, I can't see where Obama can be any worse.

I got laid off a year ago August after working for the same company for 23 years. I was shocked for about 5 minutes, because I'm the family's sole breadwinner, and then really happy I was getting out of that crappy company in a declining industry. Within 4.5 months I had a better job at a better company and I'm much happier. Good luck to both of you!

I bought some at Vitamin Shoppe. A few of the flavors were strong and I mixed them with Crystal Light and they were OK. I'm on the preop diet and my doc wants me to get 30-40g per meal. I had the 50g size. Then I bought the 42g size in grape and was able to gulp it down in 4 swallows. I also bought some online, but I don't remember offhand where. I also second the Isopure Zero Carb drinks. They're 20 ounces, so they might be hard to get down after surgery. They have 40g of protein.

Check with your insurance and make sure it doesn't cover WLS. Even though others say it's crappy, find out for yourself. You might be surprised.

When I was pregnant 17 years ago, I was given a gift certificate for a diaper service. We used that until our daughter was ready to move to bigger-girl pants. I remember the price wasn't bad and they picked up dirties twice a week. We used disposables for traveling. I don't know if diaper services are even around anymore. I would not have used cloth without the service, because we have a dinky stack washer and I'd be washing all the time if I had to.

I'm reading "American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White: The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century" by Paula Uruburu. If anyone saw the movie "Ragtime," her character was played by Elizabeth McGovern. I usually don't read biographies, but when I read about the book, I was fascinated. I find the turn of the 20th century an interesting time. I'm no nonfiction snob. I've got Janet Evanovich's latest to read next. I just read Maryjanice Davidson's newest Undead book. Next up, some new paranormal series entries from C.E. Murphy and Lilith Saintcrow. I've read all of the Laurell K. Hamilton books except the last couple. I used to love both series, but she's replaced story development with group sex scenes, and all those body parts get boring after awhile. If that's your cup of tea, fine. That's why they publish so many books. :biggrin: I like Charlaine Harris' Sookie series much better.