Nathalie

laurend - I wouldn't have told that snotty lil hoe a damn thing. She can wait and get her grade like all the rest of them. AND I would have responded as such: "Student. I don't appreciate your tone. You'll know your grade with the rest of the class. Instructor." Screw her and her snotty entitled attitude. I have the opposite problem with my staff. They sneak around me to do what they want. They leave work in the middle of the day without notifying me and get frustrated when I ask them to clear it with me first. I'm the new manager and "accountability" is lacking at the job. WTF? I can't leave w/out clearing it with my manager, why do they think it's okay? They call out of work with co-workers, not with me. I think that's funny. I don't care, I just want to clock their time appropriately. Our secretary is one rude woman. She's called me on several occasions and talked to me as if she's scolding a child. The last time she called, she started the conversation by saying "Nathalie, this is Kathy. I want you to know I am very disappointed that you didn't tell us about Patrick's heart attack. We have worked with Patrick for many years, he's like family to us. We should have known immediately -" I said to her, "Kathy, I'm going to have to stop you right there. If Patrick wanted you to know about his heart attack, he would have called you himself. And I would appreciate it if you changed your tone of voice. Don't you ever talk to me like that again." We did continue our conversation - in a different manor. That woman is out of her flipping mind. She's been there for 30 years and thinks she's everyone's boss. I hung up on a vendor when he told me I could have had the courtesy of calling him back. LOL I told him it wasn't my responsibility to call him back and hung up. THEN I called his boss and told his boss that guy better not EVER call me again, if they wanted our business, they would assign me a different sales person. People are a trip. It is my pleasure to push back. Shit runs down hill, but it won't be dripping on me.

She sounds like, at the very least, she had a hard day. I admit to having those feelings toward my infant when I was a new Mom. I never screamed hateful things at him, but I felt that way. I hope it was an exception and not the rule for the mom. Otherwise, I agree - the daughter is going to have some twisted idea of acceptable ways of being treated.

GeezerSue - gotdamn, I believe you and I see eye to eye on this one. *laugh* I agree wholeheartedly with you. I never whine about being fat, I suck it up and keep on pushing. I don't expect for people to give me anything because I'm fat - not sympathy, not empathy, not pity. I've also never had to pay extra for an airline seat (amen, and thank ya Jeebus). If I did, my ass would be chapped, but it's not anyone's fault but mines. And Duncan Hines. (ha!) HOWEVER. When people are out and out hateful toward a person of size, it's wrong. There are no ways to make it right. A stewardess can quietly say "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to pay for a second seat" and help a large person maintain his/her dignity. To say loudly "Your extra wide load has slopped onto the seat beside you, waddle your chunk to the cashier and pay for a second seat to accommodate your extra nasty fatness" in order to embarrass you in front of other passengers is a whole different issue. I think the "whole different issue" is the subject of this thread. It's solveable over time - lose weight. However, in the face of it, what are they to do about it when it happens? (LOL @ "they"...)

Devana -- I remember that episode. I also remember laughing at it. You just made me feel bad. I never even though about how the chubby boy must have felt. I just remember Cos hamming it up, and the boy laughing. he was the silent kid who used to run out of the house, right? heheheh I don't know if I've ever been weight discriminated against. I probably have, especially when it comes to personal preference (dates). I'm confident, outspoken, intelligent, successful, beautiful and have a great personality. I've never been denied a job or failed to get what I wanted (even men) because I'm fat. I was embarrassed getting on a ride at Six Flags, because they had to get 2 men to muscle the cage shut due to my big ass. I haven't been back. That is one of my goals for next summer - get on that ride and snap the latch without needing assistance from 2 brawny guys. But even then it was embarrassing, but not cripplingly so. I have always been outspoken, I have always been one to stand up for myself. I call people out on their bullshit. To the woman whose uncle said "Well she is." I would have said, "And you're an idiot" or something equally biting. (e.g., "And you're an alcoholic," "Your wife is a whore," "Suck my dick") I don't take it - maybe that makes me an angry fat woman, but I am quick to remind people that they are no better than anyone else. I don't internalize put downs, and I don't take them lying down either. I never understood why so many fat people are voiceless and feel worthless because of their size. Stop thinking that way! Speak up for yourselves. Don't accept that second-hand treatment. Fight back. We may be heavy, but we're just as good, just as smart, just as worthy, and have just as much right to be as anyone else. To believe otherwise is practicing weight discrimination on yourself.

beversman - can you chew sugar free gum? That may help with the chewing. I know this sounds gross, but I had a friend who would go on diets, and chew up food, then spit it out. She got the flavor and the chewing, but didn't swallow it. OR you can be a total warrior and just fight through the discomfort. ***HUGS*** I know it's hard. StephC - thanks for the encouragement. Momma needs it today for real. DonC - there are some really great ideas in the food forum. I read in there after I made that suggestion. I got some good ideas for post banding. I am looking for this recipe for reduced fat mashed potatoes. It's actually cauliflower, not potatoes, but once the cheese and onions and whatnot are mixed in, you can't tell the difference. I think I read it in O magazine, but I can't remember. I suck. I have been meaning to try it, but it sounds perfect for when I graduate to soft foods. I hate Cauliflower, but I'm willing to give it a try. When I find the recipe I'll post it. Going to get my little man up and dressed, then start cleaning. Man, it's going to be a looooooooooong day! Nathalie

Hi Ladies! CAROL! Oh goodness girlie. You came through with flying colors, didn't you? Gas pains. I hope I don't have them. I am determined to stay in the hospital overnight after surgery just in case I have complications. Plus my STD kicks in on Friday if I have an overnight stay. I'm amazed your doc is letting you eat already. Mine has me on 4 weeks of liquids/soft foods. I expect to drop a small child post surgery. Steph. 2 days. Can you stand it? By tomorrow you won't be sleeping! hahah And I'm 5 days. I'm not nervous now, but come Tuesday I'll be BUZZING. I need to get on the good foot and clean my house. My best gf is coming into town on Tuesday for a week to help me prepare and take care of my boy immediately after surgery. I need to clean the house before she gets here. lol nesting? No, it's a matter of survival at this point. ahhaha I also want to put up our tree this weekend. KayDotRn - way to go controlling your points! I'm glad you're being sensible about your eating in spite of not having a pre-op diet. Have fun tonight at dinner. I love that you're planning ahead. I know lots of people binge eat prior to surgery and gain weight. My doctor said if I gain weight the surgery is off. I'm disappointed that my weight isn't coming off as I had hoped with this pre-op diet. I think it's because I had lost 8 pounds prior to starting it. I have only lost 5 or 6 pounds on it so far. That's good, but I needed to lose 10 - 15 total. (really 12 - 17) If I don't make that goal I am going to be literally CRUSHED if they don't do the surgery. I would flip my shit. I haven't eaten off my pre-op plan not once. Last night was *really* close though - I don't know what triggered it, but I almost succumbed a whopper w/cheese. I ended up eating an extra hot chocolate and some sf Jello. And 1 teaspoon of brown sugar splenda. Then I barricaded myself in the bedroom and double dog dared my fat ass to go back out to the kitchen. LOL I still don't know what caused those feelings of wanting to eat. Maybe contact w/my son's father. He makes me anxious. I need to go and weigh right now. My ass better have dropped at least 1/2 a pound. Today I'm pounding Water, exercising, moving furniture, cleaning and making my junky house into a home of peace and love. ((laugh)) Tomorrow I do laundry. ACTUALLY I need to collect all of my dirty clothes and take them to the fluff and fold so someone else can do my laundry. I have a small, stackable washer/dryer and about 14 loads of clothes. It's a chore... I'm sure I'll check in later. Stay strong ladies! Hey, has anyone been over to the food forum? I read all 9 pages of this diet soup thread. They were cracking me up. I think I may make some of that soup and puree it during my soft foods stage. I'd add Protein powder to it though. Nathalie

I just read this whole thread. You guys are nutsy coo-coo! I did the cabbage soup diet before and dumped about 30 pounds in 3-4 weeks. That was college. I remember farting up my dormroom from that blasted cabbage! I'm not banded yet, but had I known about this thread a month ago, I would have done it prior to getting on this pre-op diet. I am going to swirl up a pot for post banding. I know it's going to be delish! What a great idea to put protein powder in it. I imagine the protein powder in the soup pushed through the magic bullet would be a nice lunch for the soft phase. Is anyone else still on the soup diet - even on and off? What were the long term results? Did anyone regain when she started eating again?

Work it, Sheilamj1fan! I'm so happy for you! Good job on your weight loss, too - you are on the right track. Your little avatar picture reminds me of Toni Braxton for some reason.

Yay Don! Way to be a trooper! I think there is a recipe forum here. And if not, try the link that beversman provided earlier. There are some shake and soft food recipes on there. I am struggling tonight. I "cheated" on my diet today. In the strictest sense it's cheating. I had an extra cup of hot chocolate this evening. I also had 1 tsp. of brown sugar splenda. I was having a SWEET TOOTH and I figured it was better to have the extra hot chocolate instead of noshing on the baby's sweetish food. I feel kind of guilty. I know, I'm tripping - ESPECIALLY since the hot chocolate I had today was left over from yesterday's points. I'm disappointed because I don't think I'm going to lose much by Tuesday. I will be really glad if I'm 12 - 15 pounds down, but I don't think I'm going to make it. I weighed today after work and "gained" 4 pounds. WTF. I drank a ton of water today, too. My body makes me sick. That's why I'm going to bed right now. I feel defeated, but it could just be fatigue... 5 days until my surgery! (I feel like StephC!) Sweet dreams, all!

I take Cascara Sagrada. It's all natural. If I'm really stuck, I double up with that and a fiber laxative, but you have to drink a ton of water with the fiber lax. CS is the shit! ((laughing))

lol @ "no wonder I'm fat." I have that lil voice in my head. I was looking on that site, beversman, and I totally started to order up a bunch of shit. HAHAH I mean I was clicking and adding to my basket. I realized I AM HUNGRY. So I closed down and I'm munching on some of these soy nuts. SOme of those sugar free things and the protein things sound really really good. I know exactly where her store is - I used to live in Pompano Beach. I was going to go for Christmas, but it's so close to my surgery date, I'm not sure if I should risk a complication by going out of town. Plus I'm broke. I have to go and see my vampire today. My final appointment with the surgeon is Tuesday and they want my labs for review. If they say my iron levels have dropped again (I'm not taking the same kind of iron as before) I am going to be PISSED! I was my own chocolate fantasy this morning. Driving into work I passed the bakery and remembered some of my "fat bitch throw-down" moments. It was happy and sad at the same time. I started rubbing my belly and telling myself "that's why you are fat!" ahahah The twit at work apologized for screwing us up. I feel better. I'm leaving at 3 today. Shame, cuz I dind't get here til 10. heh... TGIF!

beversman - what a great site! Are those cat pictures for real?

uterine fibroid tumors athesma (especially if weather or exercised induced) Vitamin deficencies foot/knee/heel/hip pains very heavy periods and menstrual pain Can't think of others that aren't listed already.

That is one gorgeous little girl! Welcome to the boards and good luck getting that baby weight off! I'm 17 months postpartum and am still struggling. (Banded 12/14). Nathalie

I have GOT to stop stepping on that scale. I have not cheated once on this dumbazz diet and I gained weight yesterday. 1 whole pound! WTF IS THAT ABOUT???! Maybe I didn't drink enough water. Crap. KariWI - have a great time on your trip! We'll be thinking about you on Monday. Check in with us when you're feeling up to it! thininde - Congrats on your successful banding! Were you in the hospital overnight? So glad to hear you're on the road to success. Take it slow, and enjoy your tasty liquids. Kay - I just love you. You are TOTALLY rockin! I don't have strenth of mind to bake goodies and not at least taste them as I'm cooking. Keep up the good work - and CONGRATS on the 20 pound loss! I wish I had started my weight loss prior to my pre-op diet. Shoulda, woulda, coulda - it doesn't matter anymore, does it? bandiva - keep up the good work! Don't starve yourself either though! ahaha I did that last week, all day I only ate a bar and some hot chocolate. DUH When I got home I bit the spoon I was eating so hard and fast. beversman - you're like the glue that keeps us together. How are you doing? Are you doing anything special for your pre-op? StephC - you still with us? 3 days, girl! THREE DAYS! Guess I better get dressed for work now. KNOWING I don't wanna go. *sigh* Nathalie

StephC: I was just thinking about you and can't remember... how many days before your banding? HA! 4 days - you go girl! I can tell you are all geeked out about it! I have 7 days for mine. One week away. This time next week I will be recouperating in my bigazz hospital bed, preparing for a night of rest and relaxation. YAHOOOOOOOOO! I got home not too long ago. What a great trip. The guy wasn't as cute as I remembered, but he kept telling me I look like a movie star, and said I look like Princess Leah (what's her real name?). THEN said the girl from the Exorcist. WTF. But it was a nice gift to my ego. I am so proud for sticking on this diet. On the way home I was so hungry I felt like I was going to eat my shoe. My food was in the bag, but I didn't feel like digging it out. So I am home and still have 3 things to eat before 6pm, which is when I typically try to stop eating. I got a snitty email from a dork from work. He told me I was wasting his time and that I was frustrating him. If he knew how to do his job, he wouldn't be so frustrated with my repeated requests to fix our accounts. They worked right until he started monkeying around in the administration. dummy I just fixed food for my boy, and drank crystal light so I wouldn't "sample." I totally feel like I am kicking serious BUTT on this pre diet. I started on the 2nd and I've lost 7 pounds already. I'm going to get on the elliptical tonight to try and burn about 300 calories (or more) after my boy goes to bed. Has anyone heard from Carol? I saw she posted that she was sore and slurping jello. For 19 days after my banding I am on the post-op liquids, provided by the surgeon's office. Once I get clearance, I graduate to soft foods for 2 weeks. Then I can eat. I am anxious to get this party started! Hope you're all doing well! Nathalie

1 gram per pound? Dayum! That's a lotta Protein for most of us newbies! How in the world would I get in 285 grams of protein per day? My doc recommended 60 - 80. Most people shoot for 100 or so. I'd be happy with that.

Terrilen - Your post made me laugh (you know why). I never used Xenical because of the oily greasy loose runny poops. (laugh) Can you look on the website for a picture of the Xenical pill to make sure you got the right thing? Meridia is what my doctor prescribed for me. It made me anxious, but when I'm banded I'm going to ask for a prescription for the first month or two until my restriction is right. Insurance doesn't cover it either - $125/month. BUT if you look at the website, they sometimes offer coupons for scripts that most insurance carriers don't cover. HTH, Nathalie

Hi Band Sisters! I'm in Washington for the week, and am totally ROCKING on my pre-op diet. I have not cheated one single time. I totally feel like I rule! I brought my pre-packaged meals, and have been drinking soup and hot chocolate during the meetings, nibbling my bars and soy nuts for snacks. I'm pounding water, and even declined drinks and dinner invitations. I am devoted to success. I fully expect that when I get home I will be another 3-4 pounds lighter. I also met a nice man at the airport who is *ahem* on his way over to socialize for a while. I feel so loose in the caboose, but I'm single, and pretty, and crazysexycool. So where's the harm in it? Of course I've given his contact info to my girlfriend in case I end up missing (hahah, that won't happen). Thought I'd check in and share my NSVs with you. Hope you're all doing well! I'll be home tomorrow. Nathalie

Could be, Jack. Could be. I'm not thinking so much about the food, but it could be purging of other kinds of feelings. I'm seeing a therapist to help overcome my psychological need to be obese. Maybe that has attributed to my mood as of late.

get crackin, laurend. LapBandTalk isn't going to help you get your work finished. turn us off and do what you must do. We'll be here ready to play when you're all finished working. Of course, I'm writing this from my job.

Carlene -- To be honest, I don't even know how we got to where we are. I was initially upset because you said I called you a racist; I didn't. I don't know you to make such a claim. I don't beileve you are a racist, but I found some of your comments to be distasteful. I also never said I was offended by what you wrote - I said it was close to being offensive. There is a difference. I'm not looking for "something to bitch about," but I thought at some point, we were having a civil conversation that somewhere took a really wrong turn. In the beginning of this thread I was trying to understand what you meant by certain things you wrote. I don't like to draw conclusions about what others write; it is so easy to have miscommunications over the Internet. I also don't like it when people put words in my mouth or make generalizations about what I say/think. I just tried to clarify my thoughts, and each time we descended further and further into disagreement. In trying to understand what you meant I think I stepped on your toes. I even apologized for that, it was not my intent to make you feel defensive. Regardless, at the heart of our discussion we agree. As a man, OJ is a disgusting example of a human being. I hope there are no hard feelings. And again, if you ever believed I was attacking your character I wasn't. I apologize.

I have read all the posts, which is more than I can say for you. You're just full of sarcasm and non sequiturs, aren't you, Carlene. It's easier for you to make broad statements and put words in my mouth instead of answering the genuine questions I posed to you earlier. And I understand. This is not a comfortable conversation for you to have. Like I said, this discourse is pointless. I did not call you a racist. You called yourself a racist. I did not say you insulted the entire black race. Re-read and show me the post number where I did say those things if you don't believe me. When I reposted your comments, you accused me of trickery. Those were your words Carlene. Your beliefs. To say that a person is a credit/debit to his or her race means that this one person either brings the race up or down based on his/her actions. Where is the logic in that? Do you believe that ALL people are either a credit or a debit to a certain race? Or just minorities? Have you ever told a white person that he/she is a credit to the race? It's neither right or wrong to think it, but it is inappropriate. Do you really believe that people represent their race? Are there people who transcend race? Are there "good" blacks and "bad" blacks? Help me understand. On second hand, don't. As a white woman, have you ever felt the need to distance yourself from other whites who are guilty of crimes? Did you feel the need to let the world know that all whites are not like Jeffrey Dahmer or Susan Smith? I didn't. The thought never crossed my mind. So why should black people feel the need to distance themselves from OJ just because he's black? Does his act, the act of one black man, make all black people suspects? I didn't understand the statement that if you were black you wouldn't "claim" him. What kind of logical sense does that even make? You said if you were black you wouldn't want him grouped together with you. Again, where is the logical sense? All blacks are grouped together in your mind? And then you said something to the effect that OJ is only black in the broadest sense of the word. From your posts, I think that you've got a built-in notion about what it means to be black. You think Bill Cosby is a credit to the race. What about Oprah? Barak Obama? If you met them would you tell them that? And if you did tell a black person that they are a "credit" to the race, how would you expect them to react? Do you imagine they would be pleased that they're representing their race in a positive light? I have black friends, and I guarantee it would be seen as a back handed compliment at best. To say that a black is a credit to his/her race implies that he is better or different than all the others - AND that all the others are not as good as, say... whites. Otherwise why single them out? Whether there is something more behind your distatesful comments is for someone other than me to decide. I honestly don't care one way or another if you're a racist, a bigot, a klansman or a supremicist. I am grateful to have a more Enlightened, educated, accepting group of friends with whom to interact. In my opinion you are debit to our race, and I'm ashamed to have to claim you.

No, it made me realize that there is no sense arguing a point like this one because racial biases and racial condescention is ingrained. Repost it if you want. I stand by what I believe, I just felt that there was no sense in going further with this discussion since neither of us are going to change our minds. I believe you are racially biased. Whether you are a racist or not, only you can make that claim. But to say that a certain black person is either a credit or a debit to the race is a notion caught in a time long passed. As MY grandmother used to say, you can't reason with a pig.

I appreicate the hard work of the mods, etc. to keep the board up and running. This is an incredibly useful and supportive place. I also know change is essential to survival. However, in my opinion, the new Top10 lists present too much information on the homepage. It's too overwhelming a visual to take in and be useful at first glance. I liked having the top 5 recent posts and the newest joiners. But to see the top 10 posters and the top 10 thread starters is too much information. People come here to read the threads. With the stats at the top, it makes it appear that this place is stats driven instead of information driven. It also stretches my screen. As these pieces of information are interesting, perhaps you can move them to the bottom of the screen with the list of people currently online. That way if people want to see them, they can scroll to the bottom to view them. Or maybe you can have that info customizable by user? Or in an expandable view so each person can click the subject to view the related statistics. I know that no one asked lil ole Nathalie her opinion, but I thought I'd share it anyhow. :uwelcome: I design marketing materials, and part of my job is to make webpages, brochures and marketing collateral pleasing to the eye. I couldn't help but provide a bit of feedback on the recent changes to the site. Take it, of course, for what it is: one person's opinion. Nathalie