BJean

Poodles: What do you have against Bell? I would honestly like to know.

If the comments in this thread are representative of the general population, I predict Perry's re-election.

Ok. I'm gonna fess up: B: 2 poached eggs, 1/2 slice wheat toast, few bites of hash browns. L: Mexican! 2 corn tortillas w/ melted cheese & green chilis, about 6 bites of meat & chicken from the fajitas w/ a couple of bites of onion and peppers on a corn tortilla, about 5 chips & salsa, approx. 1/2 c. quacamole and one margarita. D: You're not gonna believe it... 1 large s'more, which included 2 graham crackers, 3 toasted marshmallows & a fairly good sized chunk of chocolate, all prepared around a family outdoor fire. Fun, but worth it? Probably not. S: 1 f/f, low sugar fudgesicle. If it weren't for lunch, I'd have been ok. Oops, except for the s'mores. I have a sneaking suspicion that I didn't get in all my protein. I'm glad I wrote this down. It's making me realize what a really lousy day I had nutritionally. And that's not even taking the calories into account. Learn a lesson from me, ya'll. Don't let this happen to you. I am going to get back on track tomorrow! That's a promise.:speechles

want2lose: Thank you very much. That's about what I had been having before my first fill. And I was doing well with weight loss. Since the fill I have been unrestricted and for some dang reason eating more than I need. I'm going to look at your meal plan for the day and try to get re-inspired!

ItsGottaGo: Tell me about it! Everyone I've told is watching me like a hawk to see the lbs. roll off before their very eyes. I have explained that this is not gastric bypass surgery and that it is a 2 year plan. It is getting old sounding like I'm making excuses for not having lost 100 lbs. since 9/11! I'm really glad I didn't tell more people! I even told my husband's family (who are all skinny as a rail) about the hiatal hernia instead of the band. Just my kids and one friend and of course the DH know. That's enough for me. I think that the suggestion, above, that we post an example of what we eat each day is a good one. I think that might inspire me and make me realize how off the path I've gotten.

I wish I could help you Sandranoelle but I've lost all the restriction and that total resolve that I had the first few weeks post-op. I even pretty much kept it together until my first fill last week. Since then I have been really disappointed that my appetite is stronger and my restriction is less. I am really tired of my DH telling me I shouldn't have such an appetite. He's also commented about how much food I can eat now. I've explained until I'm blue in the face that the band doesn't take your appetite away, it just causes you to eat less food in one sitting. He just doesn't get it. This afternoon I had a margarita and Mexican food at a really fun outdoor Mexican Restaurant here. I haven't eaten that much since before banding. And it is the first alcohol drink that I've had too. I feel heavy and bloated and tired. I am not sure how I'm going to get my head back on straight and keep my determination to lose 25 lbs. by Christmas, but if anyone else has any clues, please share them. :paranoid

ItsGottaGo: I am feeling like I need to confess tonight. I went to the movies with my DH and it's a theatre that has really great food. I wound up having a steak sandwich with fries. Good Lord, what came over me?? When I first looked at the menu, I planned to order the pecan crusted trout. When the waiter came I lost it and ordered what I would have ordered before LB. I know I will pay for this. My DH couldn't believe I would be able to eat it. I split the sandwich with him and had some of his salad, but I'll tell you I need another fill or two! Just not enough restriction!!

ItsGottaGo: My heart goes out to you. But I'll tell you that I was really worried too that I had gained according to my doctor's scale. But when I went for my fill, I had lost 4 lbs. since the last time I was there. The nurse was surprised. She acted like she expected me to gain. So I don't know how you've been doing, but you might be surprised. I hope so. And I hope they treat you well. Good luck!

I noticed that Bell got some important coverage on one of the local channels the other night. The commentator remarked about how no one knows him. Unfortunately I didn't get to sit down and watch. But as far as I'm concerned, Bell is the only candidate that I can vote for in this election.

wantlapband: It all sounds great. I think I may not be focusing enough on getting all the Water I need. I talked to a guy at a LB meeting the other night and he said that he didn't change pants sizes until he had lost 50 lbs! Gosh I hope it isn't that long for me. I'm not exercising much either. I'm really trying, but I have bad knees and it sure limits me. It's great that you're losing so well. I sure hope your first fill is as uneventful as mine was. The only thing that stung was the injection for numbing. It was short and sweet. They made me drink about 2 oz. of peach tea before I left. No problem. Thanks for getting back to me. You're inspiring!

I just read this entire thread and I would like to agree wholeheartedly with T.O.M. about prison not being the answer to stopping pedophiles. Prison does separate pedophiles from the general population and that is good. But it does not help them and it only takes them out of society for a specified period of time. Like so many others here have also said, they are historically repeat offenders. That's why we make such a big deal out of showing their photos in newspapers and posting their names and addresses at a website for all to see. When I was young I was the legal secretary for a brilliant attorney in Oklahoma. He was a criminal defense attorney. He took the case of a 55 yr. old man who was a multiple convictioned pedophile. His latest crime against a 6 year old boy happened within days of his release from prison. I was the person who typed all the legal documents - including a step by step account of his latest offense. It was heart wrenching. The brilliant attorney decided that for this man, and most other pedophiles, prison was a revolving door. They commit the crime, they get caught, they go through a trial, they get convicted, they do their time, they get out, they repeat their crime. Unless a law is passed that they can never get out, prison will bear those results. This attorney recognized how ineffective our society's handling of pedophiles was and petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States so that he could argue for a better way to deal with pedophiles. Surprisingly enough, the Supreme Court decided to hear his case. It was a very exciting time for all of us - most attorneys never have a case before the Supreme Court during their entire career. His argument begged for our government to stop prosecuting pedophiles as pure criminals, but rather as the sick people that they are. They would not be turned loose, once convicted, but instead would be hospitalized 24/7 for an unspecified period of time to be treated for their mental and/or physical illness (because pedophilia may be attributed to physical issues). Once they were able to demonstrate to the attending physicians who are treating them, that they can function again in society without committing crimes, then, and only then, would they be able to petition to be released from the pedophile treatment facility. The Supreme Court ruled against my boss and decided that pedophiles should indeed be treated as criminals and that our courts should continue to treat them the way we had been in the past. Several of the justices noted that the attorney's argument was valid and that he was right about the revolving prison doors for these sick people, however they believed that society would never accept our treating them as anything but criminals. I wish I could show you step by step how it all unfolded for the pedophile in this case, but of course I can't. But when you understand that putting them in prison doesn't work and allowing them to choose whether or not they should participate in a rehabilitation program doesn't work, I don't know how you can agree that the way we are handling pedophiles in this country is correct. If simple castration worked that might be a reasonable answer. But as was pointed out in an earlier post, that doesn't really ensure anything. Makes us feel better, maybe, but doesn't necessarily solve the problem. It seems to me that Oprah and others are at least trying to bring more information to the public now than back when my exposure to pedophilia happened (1970s). But I still don't see our society coming close to an effective answer. Although I haven't addressed JQPublic's original plea for support, this is a very emotional and thought provoking issue and one that I believe deserves a lot of discussion. Obviously JQPublic must decide for himself how he feels about his pedophile friend and whether he should agree to testify in his defense.

wantlapband: You are kicking this weight thing in the butt! Any secrets you want to share?? I had my first fill and don't feel restricted hardly at all. I can eat just a little less than normal. I'm still trying to be a good girl though, but I wish I had as much restriction as I did right after surgery. :phanvan

Congrats to all of you who are noticing a difference in your clothes. I am noticing decent weight loss on the scales, but not in my clothes. I'm wearing the same jeans that I was before surgery!! Same bras, etc. I am very disappointed that I'm not having to buy anything yet. Not that I want to spend the money on interim results, but I would have thought that 27 lbs. would show more!!! Wah.:cry

Carlene: That's what is troubling to me. All the talk here is about Carol Strayhorn and Kinky. They defnitely can split the vote (Repbulican or Democrat) and mess up a good solid win for Bell. Why aren't a lot of people realizing that instead of voting for people who normally can't win an election like this? Are they just voting to express their feelings and not really concerned about who will actually win? If they want to get rid of Rick Perry because he's the rat they say he is, why aren't they rising up behind a candidate that can really win? Are they just disgruntled Republicans who can't stand the idea of a Demo in Austin?

Thanks Pete. Good to know.

So far I haven't had the experience of dining out with friends. Probably would be embarrassing to use my toddler ware there, so I might get myself in trouble too. The surgical assistant to my doc noticed my weight loss and acted like maybe I wasn't ready to have the fill either. But I assured her that I was definitely having trouble staying on the LB eating plan. So we went ahead with the fill. I don't actually understand their thinking on that. Do you?

I'm new to this state. I knew I didn't like Rick Perry, but why isn't anyone discussing the pros and cons of Bell? It seems to me that electing Kinky will make Texas a bit of a joke to the other states. Even if the guy has a few popular sound bytes to toss out, he's hardly the statesman I'd like to see representing this state. And as for Carol Strayhorn, I understand her stance on education, but is she really as strong on other issues? I don't understand why everyone is so against the idea of a Democratic Governor in Texas. Anyone want to clue me in?

Gonnabe: Doc said that he gave me the baby spoon to actually use - not just as a reminder to take small bites. He says that one day I will get in a hurry and take a bite and not chew and have the mid-sternum pain you discribed. He said it takes time for it to work itself out and that drinking something is probably the worst thing you can do. I have only had the problem once and it passed quickly but scared me enough that I'm trying to be very careful. I got my first fill on Tues. I feel just a tiny bit of restriction. Nothing like I felt when I had the swelling from surgery restriction. I am still hungry but not quite as hungry as before the fill - or is it that I'm afraid to eat too much? I put myself on a soft diet for the past couple of days. He only told me I should take it easy and didn't tell me specifically what not to eat. The lidocaine shot hurt more than I thought it would, but didn't last long and my insides gurgled a lot when he was locating the "sweet spot" in my port. But it all only took about 3 minutes and was totally bearable. I was a little sore last night and felt tired, but today has been just fine. I am a little disappointed that I don't feel more restriction. Guess I will be looking forward to the next one before long. He didn't tell me how long between fills. When do you get your first fill?

dovie6523: You've gotten great advice here. And it sounds like you're taking it to heart. If I eat too few calories, I stop losing also. There's a nice balance that I think I'm finally onto. It is a pain to have to do the planning and preparation of real food, but my doc said (like lifelongband's did) that once you're past the first weeks post-op, we should not be having shakes. They want us to eat and process real food with real fiber. We have to stay healthy if we want the band to do its' job. If you do your grocery shopping with 3 good meals a day and s/f, f/f snacks in mind, it will be much easier. At least it has been for me. Good luck - you can get the hang of it and when you do, you'll get the results you're looking for.

MOM: Great post. We really appreciate you too! It must be nerve wracking keeping up with all these numbers. Hope everyone has a successful week! A net loss of 67 lbs for last week is great! Watch your carbs and drink your water! This is gonna work!

RitaAnn: Thanks for the M. O. Magnesia advice. Things seem to have righted themselves in that department for me, finally. I am really getting nervous about tomorrow though. I have been off-line because my kids from CA have been here (just left) since Friday AM, and I just read several posts about peoples' first fills. They all said it hurt. I asked my doc's nurse if it hurts and she said, not at all. Diet wise, I was a really good girl at first while the kids were here. Yesterday though, I lost it. Now my really good weight loss for the week is down to 1 lb. I do go for my first fill tomorrow though. Any advice on the fill experience? M.O.M. I lost 1 lb. so I'm now at 191. Bet I do better next week!

Definitely, Green. You must be brighter and less greedy that many of the older folks in the U.S. of A. Although it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

tgjones: Who does? Just jump in. Believe me, if you step on any toes you'll know right away. Otherwise, everything is pretty much fair game!

The son's point is, T.O.M. that just because something is labeled "organic" doesn't necessarily mean that it was grown without toxic chemicals. If it is without toxic chemicals (assuming that all chemicals are toxic) it will say so on the label. I mean for someone who nitpicks, I'm surprised you were willing to generalize on this one. I just can't seem to join in this game successfully. joke. Hurrah for fags (cigarettes), swiffer dusters and swiffer mops. I don't smoke anymore but would love to, very much. Cigarettes and other... sigh. no joke.

There's a Bond issue proposal here in my 'hood in the next election. It is for repairs of schools and some new schools. Most people who don't have children attending schools, say they sure don't want to pay for a bond when our property taxes are so high. Actually our tax rate isn't higher than anyone else's and a little lower than some. What they don't seem to care about is that if our schools continue to deteriorate, their property values will as well. Owning a home is one of the most important investments that most people have and we should make sure that we protect it. Personally I keep wondering about all that lotto income and where it's going. I remember in Florida when they wanted us to vote in the lotto they told us that a large percent of it would go to the schools. Yeah, it did. But instead of it being in addition to the money that schools already got, they cut the piece of the property taxes that had been going to schools before the lotto. It was a very dirty trick and that may have happened here in Texas. I wasn't here when they voted it in. Florida patterned their ad campaign for the lotto after one that Colorado used. Very deceptive and a lousy deal! And it goes to the argument about language usage and "spin" that has been going on in another LBT thread.