anonemouse

Good thing you didn't. Might have gotten accused of ganging up on her.

I actually think that's the best way to pick a goal weight. Just go with what you feel. If you get to a certain weight and think you still need to lose weight, go for it. If you decide that you would be perfectly happy at the weight you are at, that's wonderful. My goal is actually one that I chose randomly, mainly because it's the weight I remember when I got weighed in 7th grade gym. (Btw, this smilie shows exactly how I felt about that situation: Stupid policy of weighing people in front of their classmates!) If I don't get to that goal, I'll be perfectly happy, since I'll still be lighter than I have been in years.

Oy. That thread just made me shake my head. And the post about switching to red wine instead of drinking cocktails to avoid getting drunk was genious. Fact is, you can't help anyone who doesn't want help. They have to come to the realization that they are alcoholics or food addicts or (insert addiction here). Hell, why do people think we avoided having our picture taken and most of us didn't own full-length mirrors? It was because it was a heck of a lot easier to delude ourselves and avoid the knowledge that we were FAT if we couldn't SEE our fat.

I don't think anyone has said that they aren't valid. On the contrary, they are very valid. We would just prefer that people be honest about their reasons. Some people aren't, choosing instead to attack those people that have been able to reach low goal weights, essentially calling them "scrawny" and "ugly." If someone isn't sure that they would be able to maintain a normal weight, and so choose a goal weight that would make them overweight, they should be honest about that. This is a support group, after all. We won't attack anyone for being honest. It doesn't help or support anyone when they attack people who have managed, through very hard work, to reach a low goal weight and maintain. Tact would be nice, too. Instead of saying "that weight looks scrawny and ugly," they could say, "I wouldn't feel comfortable at that weight." That way, they aren't insulting the people who do weigh that much.

I really think that it is a height thing, though, for some people. For you, 160 pounds is a completely healthy weight. If you weighed 120 pounds, you'd have a BMI of somewhere around 17, which is considered to be significantly underweight. If I had a goal weight of 160 pounds, my BMI would be over 28. Which, at this point, would be nice, but it's still significantly overweight for my height. At 120 pounds, I would have a BMI of over 21, which is still squarely within my healthy weight range.

No, don't go back to lurking!

Yeah, I bitch and yell at them in the privacy of my car. I don't usually do anything else, like make rude gestures or honk at them or anything. Most of that is because I live in the middle of Redneck BFE, where everyone and their mothers own guns. Or, I'm driving in Memphis. And you just don't want to piss of the folks in Memphis.

Oh, yeah, it is an interesting topic. I was just making that comment about the people that are freaking out about it and wanting to ban the books. Don't they have anything better to freak out about?

Yep, check with your surgeon and nutritionist. They should be able to give you a list of the types of foods that you can have. But congrats!

I don't get what people are fussing about, honestly. It's a character in a book, for crying out loud. Some people are bigoted idiots, though, I guess.

If you like butterscotches, Dollar General sells a sugar-free one that is actually very good. Most sugar-free candies are too sweet or have a funky aftertaste, but not this one. It really tastes like the real thing.

I only had to do liquids the day before the surgery. It just depends on your surgeon (mine didn't require a pre-op diet for any BMI).

I used the high Protein Boost after surgery, but that was just because I hadn't bought any protein mixes yet. Even the high protein Boost, though, iss only about 14 or 15 grams of protein per drink, and that isn't a lot for 220 or so calories. Ideally, you should be going for something with lower calories and higher protein, but if that is all you can get at that point, just make sure that you definitely include it in your calorie count for the day. Like WASa said, Matrix chocolate is a good one, and so is whey Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter. If you want to try a bunch of samples, Bariatric Eating - Protein, Vitamins, Gastric Bypass & Lap Band Info, Post-op recipes, and Help sells a sampler pack.

I don't know. There isn't anything online (well, other than pop-ups) that irritates me more than seeing an entire post that is nothing more than IM-speak or one that doesn't contain any form of punctuation whatsoever. I know we've all seen them here. The way I deal with those is that I ignore them completely. I bet a lot of other people do too, judging from the other posts in Rants and Raves about pet peeves. So to me, that's a little bit like shooting yourself in the foot. On one hand, they are trying to post to a message board and get responses from people. On the other, they are making their posts in a way that is very difficult for many people to decipher, reducing their chances of getting responses. I just don't get it. And I really think that I haven't said anything online that I wouldn't say to a person in, well, person. I don't make unfounded or unnecessary attacks on someone. Anything I have ever said on this site, I would be willing to say to that person, if I ever met them. Yes, I think that people who willingly enter into debates in RnR are fair game. The whole point of a debate is to argue and converse with other members. If those other members can't read or understand your posts for love or money, you shouldn't be debating. I'm not talking about a few misspellings or grammar mistakes. Those are understandable and, in most cases, a person can read around them. I'm talking about whether or not someone can actually read the post. If a post in a debate makes literally no sense whatsoever, I don't see any reason to not tell the person that made the post. It's not rude, it's participating in a debate. But honestly? I still haven't said anything in this forum that I wouldn't say to someone in person. If I'm debating someone in person, and they give me a non-answer or an answer that doesn't make any sense, I let them know.

Believe me, I'm not complaining about it, I'm just glad I'm not having to force myself to stop eating. After this last fill, I have very little interest in food. It just doesn't sound or look good anymore, KWIM? I've had a serving of peas and a handful of pecans to eat today. That's it. I should be starving, but I'm not. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to get anywhere near the amount of calories I need, I'm going to have to force myself to eat certain amounts at regular intervals. It's completely shocking to me.

Honestly, what helps me is having decent restriction. It makes it very uncomfortable to eat the foods that I would usually crave (pizza, bread, etc.), so I don't even want to eat them anymore.

The Molina band was the original non-adjustable band. I think that's the one the OP is talking about. So yeah, definitely assure your husband that the Molina band is nothing like the ones they use today. Today's bands are completely adjustable and easily deflated or removed if anything should go wrong.

Holy.... A T-CUP? Her back must HATE her. I was a 20 at 222 pounds. And that was a tad snug, to be honest. Like you said, I don't see how a 250 pound person could POSSIBLY be a size 14. But yeah, the way people wear their fat really makes a difference in sizing. I carry my weight in my belly, for the most part, so I always have to look for larger sizes than a lot of people that carry their weight in their chest or hips.

I ditto that!

Can we also add "9. No posting in a manner that would lead the other members to believe you are A) high as a kite, idiotic, or C) drunk as a skunk, and if you do post in that manner, you can't get pissed at the other members for referring to your A) high as a kite, :eek: idiotic, or C) drunk as a skunk posts as such.

My parents nearly named me Lucy. And Katrina. And Sandra. And my brother REALLY wanted them to name me Priscilla (I think he cried when they didn't, from what they've said). I think I'm very lucky, as a whole, to have come away with Lauren.

You have the wonderful talent of making me spew various liquids and not-so-liquid stuff (like chili, that time) out of my nose. Of course, that is sometimes less appreciated than others, but in this case, I worship you. :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I am officially down a size from when I was banded. I am now fitting comfortably in a size 18!

Matrix Chocolate, Whey Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter, Nectar Fuzzy Navel, and IDS Multi-Pro Whey Vanilla-Cinnamon are my favorites.

The Quaker Granola Bites 100-calorie packs are yummy, and they are a pretty decent serving for a bandster.