~Michelle~

I am probably going to open a whole new can worms here. I might regret opening later, but some of the topics being discussed really got me thinking about things. One of the things said that really kind of got me going on this was: Pattygreen: Christians (usually conservative republicans) for the most part try to live moral, virtuous, nonsinful lives. I am not a Christian and I live a moral, virtuous, and for the most part nonsinful life. I know several people who live the same, and are not Christian, and have conservative beliefs. Cleo's Mom: First of all, "conservative republican" is redundant, because they are all conservative. I don't think there are any moderate republicans left particularly among those elected to office. However, I just wonder if it is MORAL to mislead or outright lie, because listen to what these conservative republicans have said: Dana Perino said on Fox: We did not have a domestic attack during bush's administration. A month later Mary Matalin said: bush inherited 9/11 from Clinton. Yesterday, Rudy Giuliani said that we never had a domestic attack under bush but we had one under Obama. Now, I ask you - do these people think the American public is really that stupid? Apparently. Those on the right just make things up and keep repeating it. And when they repeat it often enough eventually some people begin to believe it. They reduce things to some emotional, hate filled sound bite: death panels, obamacare, socialism, hitler, nazi. This is because they are unable to engage in meaningful, intelligent, fact-based discussions. Maybe they don't want to do that because they don't have the facts on their side. First I am a moderate Republican. I do tend to lean a little more to the right, but on some issues I lean to the left. Some things I can lean pretty right, and others I lean pretty far left. It really depends on the issue. I'd like to think that would make me moderate. I know many people who are moderate Republicans also. So we are still out there. There are some politicians who are still moderate also. Second just because you are a Republican does not mean that you can not have a intelligent, meaningful, fact-based conversation. That is like saying liberals have their heads in clouds and live in fantasy nerf world filled with rainbows and butterflies. Both sides sling mud back and forth. Both sides have their hate filled idiots. Both sides have their good and bad points. Both sides LIE, LIE, and LIE some more. I get so sick and tired of hearing about how the Republicans have screwed everything up...I mean really they did it all alone.....no help from the left at all??? I personally feel that if you lean too far left or right you can't have a very grip on reality, and when our politicans lean too far left or right it's not good for our country either way. I hope someday too see more moderate politicans in office.

When I first got banded I weighed myself everyday sometimes 2x's a day. Now I am down to just every couple of days.

Sunday I had a stomach thing going on. I was dry heaving and then fianally threw up some. There was really nothing in my stomach, so it was just mostly stomach acid. Took some anti-nausea meds, and felt better. So today where my band is, is still sore. I can eat and drink and have no acid reflux, but it's really tender. I called my surgeon and he suggested I wait a little bit for it to all calm down, but that if I wanted to I could come in for an upper GI. I am kind of freaking out worried about slippage or that some kind of damage was done. Has anybody experienced this? Should I get the upper GI or wait it out a few days?

It does sound like you are filled too tight. I would go back and have some taken out.

I bought my bike at Wal-Mart, and have had no problems with it. I was around 260 when I got it.

Lora sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my FIL this past November, and fell back on some of my old eating habits. I haven't even been banded a whole year yet. Its been hard getting back on the wagon. I got down to a comfortable weight, so the motivation isn't there as much as it was when I was almost 300 lbs. It's not easy getting back on, but it sounds like your on the right track. Everyday I try just a little harder to stay on track. I try to remind myself that I am worth it, and in the end I will be happier and healthier. It's not easy though, if it was easy I wouldn't have the band. Good luck with everything, and I hope it gets easier for you.

From what I understand as long as it is not cosmetic surgery it is deductible. Lapband is not considered cosmetic, so I do believe it's deductible. At least I hope it is because my taxes are already done, and I used it as a deduction, and all my milage too.

Actually they did not give themselves that name. They started out by calling themselves tea partiers or tea party protesters. The media and others who oppose their agenda, or that were upset by some of the things crazy protesters did and said, gave them the term "teabagger". Some of the tea partiers decided to go with it instead of retaliating or playing along with the mud slinging. Besides when you say it, it is very apparent that you mean it in a derogatory way..please correct me if I am wrong. And my apologies if you do not mean it in a derogatory way. Really my only point to this is that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones..

And do you think using a term like "teabagger" makes you any better then the crazy women calling people Nazi's......

I really fell off the wagon, and I am having a hard time getting back on. It all started when my FIL passed away in a fire a few days before Thanksgiving. I have not gained any weight according to my scale, but my clothes feel tighter, hubby says its probably psychological, still I feel like I am growing out of all my new clothes. I weigh myself several times a day, and I am completely obessed with my weight in away I never have been before. At the same time I can't put down the damn gingerbread, or chocolate. My FIL's passing has been really hard on us emotionally and finnancially, and the holidays just plain sucked. I have been eating out, over eating, not exercising as much, not drinking enough Water, and I started smoking again. Now I am not anywhere near as bad as I was before the band, but still everytime I slip up I feel like a complete failure, and I am terrified of going back to my old habbits of never cooking dinner, never exercising, and constantly gorging myself on junk food. Thankfully all the Cookies and yummy breads are gone, and I have been making it to Curves at least once a week, but haven't been able to put the smokes down for more than a couple days.:tt1: I got a fill, but didn't seem to help much. I think I need another one, but I am worried about being too tight. I am 3.75 cc's, and both times that I got to 4 cc's I had to go in for an unfill, because I was too tight. At the same time I am worried I am going to gain my weight back. Right now I can eat a lot though for having a band. I am very dissapointed in myself right now, and really could use a kick in the ass, or some tips, or encouragment to get back on track. :eek:

According to BMI I am now just obese.:party: I am not sure why that sounds so much better to me, but it does. I have lost 40lbs now, and have dropped at least one size. My clothes are getting very loose, and some of my favorite things I can no longer wear. This is bitter sweet for me. Its ok if my casual clothes are loose, but my bartending clothes, and going out clothes need to fit right. I hate to spend more money on clothes right now, but I think I am goinng to have to. I also hate to give up some of the clothes I am going to ahve to give up, maybe I could find a seamstress or something. I doing great following my diet plan, except I have a hard time getting in all the water I need on the weekends. I have also started belly dancing which is really hard, but fun. I also bought a bike, and have been riding that starting out slow, and hopfully by the end of the summer I will be able to take it on trails. Thursday I get my first fill, and I am really nervous about it. I read so many posts where that seems to be where the trouble starts. I almost don't want to get the fill, because of that. I have had no problems at all, no vomiting, or PB'ing, no food intolerance, and I don't want that to change. :cursing:

I have heard Obama critics be called unpatriotic, and racist. Now I don't have a list of names, dates, times, and or places these remarks were made, but they have been made. Criticisim durring elections may be normal, but democrats went as far to say that McCain was unpatriotic because he did not salute. There is nothing for me to get over, I was not a huge fan of McCain either. If you are content living in a world where republicans are the bad guys and democrats are the good guys that's your choice, but I don't feel that's very realistic. It's exactly that type of close mindedness (republican or democrat) that has this country so divided, and will be the reason nothing ever gets resolved.

Democrats criticize/bash Bush all the time. Durring the elections Mccain was constantly under attack. I have been called a racist for criticizing Obama. Of course the Republicans want Obama to fail, just as much as the Democrats wanted Bush to fail. Each party preys on each others short commings and mistakes, because they want their party in office. This definately goes both ways.

I agree 100%...Exactly the point I was trying to make.

Oh...ok...I understand now.

Maybe I am missing something here, but I think a miscarraige and an abortion are two completely different things, and should not be compared. Usually a miscarriage is not a choice. I also think it is completely absurd to expect a women who has been raped, and ends up pregnant due to the rape, to keep the baby, or expect her to carry it for 9 months because it's "murder" not to. I was raped when I was 15 years old. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like to have ended up pregnant due to that, much less being told I had to keep it. I know several women who have had abortions, andas cold as it may sound, I think everyone including the baby was better off.

I would not like it taken away either. I would like to see reform, and I would like to see them fix the problems with the programs already in place before they go dropping more money into new programs, but realize that is just plain unrealistic. I would like to see people who are not disabled do something to pay back the community, I would like see drug testing, I would like to see time limitations on how long, and how much you can collect. I think the programs make it too easy for poeple as they are right now. This topic has gotten way off the original topic...good debate...and I think we can all agree that we don't like our government wasting our money. Some of us just have different beliefs of what is waste and what is not, and where our money should go and should should not go.

I work full time for my dad's HVAC company. I pretty much do everything from dispatching serivce calls to payroll. I also am full time wife, and step mom to one 11 year old girl, and a mom to my 3 furbabies. I also bartend part time.

Jason Ellis is one of DJ's that like to poke fun at fat people. I think it may have even been his show that said its more tragic when a hot chick dies...not for sure, but I think I heard it too on his show.

Don't think I ever said they live like fat cats, although they have better insurance then me. I chose not live off the government because I have a little thing called integrity. I don't mind my taxes going to roads or clean water. I mind my hard earned money going to someone who did not earn it. I would even feel better about it if they made the perfectly able ones earn it somehow by doing community service.

This happens, and it happens a lot more then most would like to admit. On top of it these people contribute absolutely nothing to society. So why should they reap benifits from those who do contribute to society. I am not referrring to ones who are truely disbaled, or the ones who may have lost their jobs and have fallen on hard times. The ones who have fallen on hard times are the ones who use it for what it is meant for, to get back on thier feet. They don't live on it, they don't abuse it. The disabled need it. I also don't have so much of problem with a single mother that works, but can't seem to make ends meet. I do think there should be limitations on how long you get benefits, because there are programs to help single mother's get back in school, so they can get a job that pays better. This doesn't happen though, and a lot of them just keep having babies. How does that become my responsiblity or the governments? These people have choices to make, they make bad ones, and I have to pay for it?????

I feel your previous post was a bit personal... How do you justify the money we spend on welfare programs? How can you justify taking from one person and giving it to another?? If these programs were really working wouldn't there be less people living on welfare? I have never tried to justify the money that is being spent in Iraq, although I am not 100% against the war. I do justify defense programs because we need defenses. I am sick and tired of working my ass off, and every pay period I see how much the government keeps of my money. Then I think about how much of my hard earned money goes to someone who does not work. They sit on their ass, get free food, free health care, reduced rent, milk for their babies, and so on. Then at the end of the year it's tax time, then I have to see how much I paid in taxes all year, I am lucky if I get back $200, and I am by far rich. Then there are the ones who get back more then they paid into all year because they fall into a low income tax bracket, and on top of it get food stamps, government funded health care, subsided rent, free child care, and so on. This for me is a much bigger issue then some of the others. I do not believe in taking from the rich, and not so rich, and giving it to the poor. I am not including people who are truely disabled.

And its genius that you complain about money being wasted on the war???? Its also genius to resort to a personal attack.

There are too many people taking advatage of the system plain and simple. There are far more people taking advantage, then there are people getting help. Something needs to be done about it. Creating more programs isn't going to help. It will just be another crutch for people who don't want to pull their own weight. How does that benefit American's as a whole. I do not believe it is any more benificial then all the money being spent on the war. I am not against helping people, I am against hand outs. I am agianst lazy people living out their lives on welfare. I am against single mothers getting grants for school, and then using it for other things. I am agianst women having one child after another and its ok because I will work to support your kids. I am against single parents getting tax money at the end of the year they did not earn, I earned and I paid for. We do need defense programs, I do believe that too much money is being wasted there also. I would rather see more money go to our troops and families then toilet seats.

I am pro choice as long as it is within the first trimester.