anonemouse

I think you might need a slight fill. I wouldn't go too extreme, though. If you can still lose weight on a larger amount of food, why shouldn't you stay at that restriction?

I completely agree. I was turned off by the tone of Bird's posts, too. The simple fact is, we are all different. What works for one person will not work for another, if for not other reason than we all have different needs, wants, and hang-ups. I do best if I don't watch everything that I stick in my mouth. That doesn't mean I give myself complete permission to gorge myself on horrible foods, but I certainly don't deprive myself. Yes, I could lose weight faster if I did, but I'm happy with the rate I'm at right now. I got this band so that I could live like a normal person, not diet for the rest of my life. And yes, normal people treat themselves every once in a while. Instead of going to a fast food restaurant every single day, I may go once every week or two and get a small order of cheesesticks, even though I never finish them. It helps keep me honest. I have found MANY times in the past that if I deprive myself, I just make the cravings worse and then eventually break and gorge myself. Hell, my nutritionist even told me that if I get a craving for something, indulge it. There is NOTHING wrong with what the OP is doing, as long as she is still losing weight, is happy, and her surgeon and nutritionist are happy.

I bet I would LOVE your house. I really like ethnic art, so your house sounds very interesting.

You know, I may criticize someone's posts occasionally, but at least I don't imply that they are psychopaths or make not-so-veiled references to their character. I think that is going way beyond outrageous. You have the nerve to say that we go too far and that we are rude if we criticize someone's spelling and grammar (which rarely happens, btw), and then have the nerve to imply that we torture animals?

Lizrbit, you seem to have a very short memory of your own posts here. You've been guilty of the exact things you've accused others of. Do you hurt small animals? Does the attitude that you've shown in the above post and others leak into other areas of your life? Inquiring minds would like to know. I'm not saying the person themselves are fair game, but their posts are. I have every right to ask that the person I am debating make their posts in an understandable way. I don't care if they misspell something or don't use correct grammar, but I would like them to actually answer my questions when they post replies to me. When I ask someone why they believe the way they do, I expect to get a reason, not a list of subjects.

I'd be afraid of something getting caught on it. That would REALLY hurt. I think I'll stick with standard tattoos for body art.

That's interesting. I have to say that I am VERY careful now, just because I am terrified of PBing or vomiting, in case it would cause my band to slip. I take anti-nausea pills at the first sign of nausea (thankfully, only had to a couple of times), and I am completely neurotic about chewing. I've even told people in PMs lately that while it isn't a good idea to go faster than your post-op diet allows, it won't hurt anything to go slower than it requires, just to be on the safe side. I kick myself every day that I did what I did after surgery. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do at this point to fix it, all I can do is be careful.

That's interesting. I have to say that I am VERY careful now, just because I am terrified of PBing or vomiting, in case it would cause my band to slip. I take anti-nausea pills at the first sign of nausea (thankfully, only had to a couple of times), and I am completely neurotic about chewing. I've even told people in PMs lately that while it isn't a good idea to go faster than your post-op diet allows, it won't hurt anything to go slower than it requires, just to be on the safe side. I kick myself every day that I did what I did after surgery. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do at this point to fix it, all I can do is be careful.

Oh, and my ideal house would be a classic Craftsman bungalow, with all the characteristic wooden accents and built-ins. I like medium-toned to darkish wood, but still natural-looking. No reddish cherry or light maple or yellow pine for me. Beautiful, wide-plank wood floors, lots of authentic detail, that kind of thing. I want a modern kitchen, though, but not super-modern. I HATE extremely dark or light granite; I prefer tan/brown/gold granite. LOVE colored glass tile, especially in greens, aquas, and reds. I really want a professional stove and oven. Hell, I could EASILY spend $50k on a kitchen, if I got everything the exact way I want it. Seriously, though, I love color. Nothing bores me more than a house that is entirely neutral. A house NEEDS personality, and if it can't get it from the architecture, it needs to get it from color. Glass is a major fetish of mine, although I can't have much around with cats who seem to thrill themselves with intentionally knocking stuff off of shelves. If you ever want to see me practically have a public orgasm, take me to a Dale Chilhuly exhibit. I don't like wall-to-wall carpeting, but I love oriental or other old rugs on wood or stained concrete floors.

If you are in the mood for a bit of work, I'd try stripping and re-staining the fireplace. Or painting it, if you aren't in the mood for a bit of work. Your house sounds gorgeous. I'm not personally into chunky pine, but the rest sounds very interesting. Seriously, though, I would start with the fireplace, since it is the focal point. Nothing else will look right until you get that looking the way you want it to. Once you get that done, choose a paint color, and just go on from there. Do one thing at a time, until you are happy with the way the entire room looks.

You are very welcome!

You are very welcome!

Always! And here's an emoticon, because the message was too short! :clap2:

Always! And here's an emoticon, because the message was too short! :clap2:

If you are anywhere close to Memphis, Dr. McGrath-Weaver at St. Francis Hospital might take you. I don't know if she takes patients that were banded in Mexico, but I know she takes patients that were banded by other US surgeons, so it's a possibility that she might take you.

I did. It definitely doesn't help her image to yank your kids into all of this, and criticize your parenting skills. Good luck!

I agree. All of this goes for US doctors, too. I wish I had had this when I was first looking into surgeons. In my case, though, I didn't have a lot of choice of who to pick, because my insurance plan only covered two bariatric surgeons in the entire state of Tennessee. And I REALLY wish I had paid attention to the post-op diet posts before I had surgery. I was literally eating well-chewed soft solid food two days after I had surgery. (I love my surgeon to death, but she didn't place too much importance on the post-op diet, apparently, since she directed me to start eating solids as soon as I started feeling hungry.) At this point, all I can do is hope I didn't do any damage to my band.

I agree. All of this goes for US doctors, too. I wish I had had this when I was first looking into surgeons. In my case, though, I didn't have a lot of choice of who to pick, because my insurance plan only covered two bariatric surgeons in the entire state of Tennessee. And I REALLY wish I had paid attention to the post-op diet posts before I had surgery. I was literally eating well-chewed soft solid food two days after I had surgery. (I love my surgeon to death, but she didn't place too much importance on the post-op diet, apparently, since she directed me to start eating solids as soon as I started feeling hungry.) At this point, all I can do is hope I didn't do any damage to my band.

Yup. I think we've got someone here who thought it would be cool to mess with a weight-loss board.

Good for you! I'm rooting for you!

I'll ditto that preference. Sugar-free is NASTY. No sugar added is alright, depending on the type. Fudge-sicle or fruit pops are usually okay, anything else is generally icky.

Yeah, but you're a giant, too! :heh: Most women just aren't lucky enough to have your body type.

She should definitely get checked out for Cushing's syndrom/disease, IMO. I'm not saying that is what's wrong, but if she isn't losing weight and isn't taking in a lot of calories, that would be a place to start. It also sounds like she just isn't tolerating the band, period.

Bariatric Eating - Protein, Vitamins, Gastric Bypass & Lap Band Info, Post-op Recipes, and Help sells a protein drink/mix sampler that has a lot of different brands in it. They vary in quality and in how good they are, but it can give you a decent idea of what's available. There are two different versions available, one with a book and one without. I got the one without, since it was $20 less, and since the book was RNY-centered.

I got the Matrix chocolate, whey Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter, and nectar Fuzzy Navel ones at Netrition.com - The Internet's Premier Nutrition Superstore!. That place has the best prices that I've found, and they'll ship any amount of stuff for just $5 or $6. It's a little difficult to search, though. The Matrix and Nectar products are under the brand name Syntrax and the Whey Gourmet is under PVL. I got the IDS Multi-Pro Whey Vanilla-Cinnamon at AllStarHealth.com - Vitamins and Nutritional supplements at Discounted Prices (under the brand name IDS), since I couldn't find it at Netrition. They sell it in 5 gallon tubs, but you can also buy it from Bariatric Eating - Protein, Vitamins, Gastric Bypass & Lap Band Info, Post-op recipes, and Help in a smaller size.