MarySue33

Thanks...sounds like there is hope for me yet!

This, too, shall pass... The things that helped me the most were 1. Walking as much as possible 2. Heating pad 3. Warm vanilla flavored liquid Tylenol PM 4. Gas-X Strips Hang in there...it really will get better!

Rene makes some very good points. My mother is the one who seems to be most concerned about the fact that I am not losing my weight at RNY speed. It takes all I have not to ask her how much weight she has lost since October...AND...how much weight she has kept off from the last time she lost 30#. The answers to those questions are none and that she has gained back 50 of the 30 she lost the last time. But...I bite my tongue, smile, and tell her I am in this for the long haul and that it is not a race. As much as I would love to be one of those hard-working folks whose pounds are melting away, I am very pleased with my weight loss to date. (I am not going to say one of those 'lucky' folks, because I believe that they are probably working a whole lot harder at this in the exercising department than I am. No luck about it, it is hard work that is making the difference.) I did not go into this thinking it was going to be another short-term quick fix. I am looking at it for the long haul. If my weight loss is slow and steady -- so be it. I have always been able to lose the weight. I got my band to keep it off. I think your doctor's stats are a little off, though. I asked my surgeon, specifically, some of those same questions. You have to have the right motiviation for the band -- that part is true -- but I think 90% of us here like sweets -- that is part of how we got to this point in the first place. If you want to see stories of people who were not successful, just read the problems and 'life after lapband' posts. They are there. However, they are not the vast majority of folks here. Sending a hug to you...sounds like you could use one today!

Hi Pansy, I am a self-paying Marylander. I made the trip up to Harrisburg, PA to Dr. Currie. My surgery was $13,650 and I could not be more pleased with my decision. I drive about an hour and a half to get there, but it is well worth the trip. The office is pretty much a straight shot up I-83 from Baltimore and is an easy drive. He does fills and follow up appointments on Fridays and I often find that there are as many Marylanders in the waiting room as there are folks from PA. A few visits ago we were all discussing where we were from and most of the people in the waiting room drove an hour or more to get there. There are other doctors who are closer to home, but I have been extremely pleased with my choice.

I am only 5 months out and was really worried that I would miss eating my old way, but I do not miss it one little bit. The thing I miss the least is that awful out of control feeling I would get during a 'feeding frenzy' and the utter disgust I would feel with myself after the fact. I eat like a gourmet every day -- stuffed flounder with fire roasted vegetables for lunch, grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner. Having the band has broadened my tastebud horizons and this has spilled over to my family, as well. Since my surgery in October, my teenage son who always had a weight problem has really gotten into shape. We don't have 'crap' in the house anymore and he actually enjoys eating healthy, whole foods. We both have commented about just how much better we feel and how much more energy we have.

You're right...Britney and Howard K. Stern pale in comparison to what we will be seeing over the next 18 months. Not meaning to hijack this thread...but has anyone else noticed how much Howard K. Stern looks like Quagmire, the lecherous neighbor from "Family Guy"?

bitteroldhag and laurend -- Thank you for teaching your students that irresponsibility and lack of professional behavior both have consequences. As someone who hires these young people, I must say that we need more professors and instructors like you. They may think you are being harsh, but what you are teaching them are the life lessons that will serve them well for years to come.

Plus...I now know what physical hunger and satiety feel like. I don't think I ever knew anything but head hunger before, because I never went long enough between eating to know the feeling. Same thing on the fullness end...unless it was 'stuffed like a pig after Thanksgiving', I didn't stop. I love this thing!!!

I love the fact that I now eat to live instead of living to eat. (Plus all the rest of the stuff that has been posted so far...energy...wise choices..etc.)

I was the same way before surgery. I used to grab a 44 oz Diet Coke on my way to work, another 44 oz when I got there, 44 more oz at lunch, two 20-oz bottles from the machine at work during the afternoon, and a final 44 oz 'for the road' on my way home. When I met with the nutritionist and actually realized just how much Diet Coke I was drinking a day it boggled the mind. I used to joke that I drank a 'wastebasketful' of the stuff a day. No wonder I had trouble sleeping! I gave it up cold turkey the day before surgery. I remember having such a horrible headache in the hospital and telling the nurse about it. I thought it was surgery related, but she knew the cause right away -- caffeine withdrawals. The headaches lasted for the first three days after surgery,but I have not had a soda since October 8th. Every so often, I get a craving, but so far...I haven't given it and have only had Water, skim milk, Protein shakes, and the occasional glass of juice. My skin absolutely glows now. I have found a great water 'enhancer' for the times that I feel the need for a little flavor. Water Sensations are liquid flavor packets sweetened with Splenda. I like them better than the powder packets like Crystal Light. They offer a more subtle flavor and the water stays clear. You will be amazed at how differently you look at things that you used to think you could not live without once you get banded. I've only been banded for five months, but so many of those things -- even if they don't get stuck or hurt going down -- just aren't worth it anymore. You know that overused saying about how nothing tastes as good as being thin feels? Well, nowadays, to me, it is more 'nothing tastes as good as being HEALTHY feels'.

Oops...my mistake. Can I use my age as an excuse for my lousy memory? Thanks for clarifying! :girl_hug: 48, my voter registration card says: unaffiliated (fiscally slightly right of center, socially slightly left of center), banded

I told them that if I do die from mercury poisoning, at least I will fit in the casket this way!

Oh...those are definitely good, too! I have never enjoyed eating fish as much as I do now. My kids keep telling me I am going to get mercury poisoning because I eat so much of it!

I wondered if that might be the case. This speaks to what I am seeing with my new teachers. We have a program where we pay most of the cost of their master's degree (this is the program the runaround guy wanted to get into) and we run into so many problems with the teachers in this program. They 'forget' to register for classes, don't turn in assignments, show up late for class, etc. -- and then wonder why they are not going to be certified at the end of two years. They want to be spoonfed and handheld. I'm like you. I think that they need to be expected to behave like adults, because they always tell us that they want to be treated like adults. After all, we are paying them a professional salary to do a 'real' job. I do not think this is too high an expectation. When I give them the 'runaround' (i.e., tell them things they don't want to hear), they run to the teachers' union crying that they are not being treated fairly. Geez...

I agree with you on teaching them accountability and responsibility. I hire new grads for a living (teachers) and each year it seems that the percentage of folks who do not think rules and deadlines apply to them gets greater and greater. I had one complain that I was giving him the 'runaround' last year. I wasn't giving him the runaround -- I was giving him the straight facts, but it just so happened to be answers he did not want to hear. He was told to meet certain requirements by a particular deadline if he wanted to be considered for a cohort program. He did not meet the requirements -- in fact, did not even make an effort to do so -- just gave me lots of excuses about why he was so much more special and important than all of the rest of the hard working people who did meet the deadlines. I have no patiences for this sort of thing and think that, as professionals, they need to realize that there are consequences to their behaviors and that they are not college students anymore. I do have one question for you, though, Lauren -- why such a low average grade on the midterm? Is it that they are not putting for the effort? Or that the material is that difficult. I would be concerned as the instructor if my class was doing that poorly on a consistent basis.

I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat and I am still doing my homework on the various candidates, but if these are accurate, the thing I find more disturbing than the language is the attitude toward the targets of the alleged comments -- the very disrespectful treatment of the secret service agents and state troopers. It reminded me of the she held a flight on the tarmack because she was getting a trim when she was first lady. Anybody else remember that one? It has a Leona Helmsley-esque feel to it. That bothers me far more than the f-words. In fact, I suspect that the language itself is not uncommon among many of the male candidates, too. To me, it is the attitudes that are much more dangerous than the words.

Don't forget my personal favorite stupid diet...the hot dog diet... Day 1 - 9 bananas Day 2 - 9 eggs Day 3 - 9 all-beef hot dogs Day 4 -- 3 bananas, 3 eggs, 3 hot dogs -- in that order, of course! I just googled 'hot dog diet' and I found a ton of crazy websites with people swearing by this thing. My favorite of all, though, is this site that spoofs the diet. It's a hoot! http://www.watchmeeatahotdog.com/diet.php Make sure to click the links like ' the reason we are fat is because of the SUN' and the 'why it works' part. Too funny!

They are so good! I feel like I am having a mini gourmet meal every day at lunch. They are not going to be restaurant quality, but they are pretty darn good for cheap lunch food. They will be in the frozen fish aisle and there are a number of different choices. There is stuffed salmon -- a couple of different kinds. I am out of them right now, so I cannot remember the exact names, but any of the stuffed salmons are great. One is stuffed with a dill type stuffing. One of the others is stuffed with something else, but it is really good. I bought the seasoned turbot a couple of times and it is really good, too. I also love the stuffed flounder. I could eat that every single day. I tried the crab cakes once, but would probably not go with them again. Too much breading and not much crab, but for the price, it's not a big surprise that it was Most are individually packaged and they cost less than my old fast food drive through lunches used to cost in my pre-band days. The other really good thing about them is that when I make them in the toaster oven at work they do not smell fishy. Some of the ones that I have bought from the regular grocery stores are way too fishy for cooking at work. I smelled up the whole office with a non-Trader Joe's one the other day. Enjoy!

I agree 100% on the Trader's Joes fish. We have a little toaster oven at work and I eat mine at lunch time. In fact, the ladies at work were all getting envious of my gourmet meals every day! Plus, between that and my Protein shake, I get my 60 grams of protein in before I leave work and don't have to worry about it at night. I am definitely into the automated meal. For me, the whole structure of not having to decide what to eat helps a lot. Here is my typical day: Breakfast: Protein Shake Lunch: Trader Joe's fish broiled with a small amount of veggies Dinner: Either soup with a few oyster crackers, yogurt, tuna salad or more fish and veggies Bedtime snack: One more protein shake I was just thinking the other day that it is absolutely amazing that this is all I am eating and that I am satisfied by it. My kids and I went out to dinner the other night (the first time since my fill) and I brought home about 85% of my meal. In fact, I just finished the rest of it up tonight. I was able to make four very filling meals out of just a part of what I used to eat at one sitting -- plus, if I went out to eat, I never turned away dessert. It's a nice feeling to feel like I am starting to get some control over this...a very nice feeling, indeed!

We have those here, too. I had never seen them until I moved south of the Mason-Dixon. My kids and I have commented on them and my son said that he thought that maybe the new "in loving memory" car was purchased with the insurance money from the accident. It sounds crass, but I have started to think that he might be right. My daughter made a good point when she asked, "Mom...what about when this car is old and they get rid of it? What happens to their loving memory, then?" A good question, I thought. I often have wondered if the roadside shrines have ever caused additional accidents because of people taking their eyes off the road to look at them or if people pull over to look at them or to place flowers, balloons, etc. on them if they, too, might cause the potential for further accidents. I could see it happening.

It will be an interesting election, indeed. This is the first election in our lifetime without an incumbent in the race (unless any of you were around more than 80 years ago, of course) and the field is quite full at this point. It will an interesting one, to be sure. I am a registered independent, which means I don't get to vote in the primaries, but I still certainly like to keep track of who is lining up to run in each of the various parties. I was curious as to just how many official and potential candidates there are right now and here is how the field is starting to shape up. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008 Candidates who have filed with the FEC for the Democratic Party: Senator Joe Biden of Delaware (Campaign Site) Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York (Exploratory Committee) Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut (Campaign Site) Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina (Campaign Site) Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska (Campaign Site) Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio (Campaign Site) Senator Barack Obama of Illinois (Campaign Site) Candidates who have formed exploratory committees, but not yet filed with the FEC: Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico (Exploratory Committee)Individuals who have expressed serious interest: Retired General Wesley Clark of Arkansas (WesPAC) Rev. Al Sharpton of New York[3] Individuals frequently mentioned as possible candidates: Former Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee[4] Note: Although Al Gore has been widely discussed as a possible candidate, and has not categorically ruled out a possible candidacy, he has stated on a number of occasions that he is not interested: "I have no intention to run for president. I can't imagine in any circumstance to run for office again." Despite rumors that he would announce his candidacy during the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007, during an appearance on stage Gore acted as if he were about to do so, only to be "played off stage" as part of the joke.[5]. Note: Former Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa was a presidential candidate from November 30, 2006 to February 23, 2007, who withdrew due to a lack of funds.[6] [edit] Republican Party Main article: Official and potential 2008 United States presidential election Republican candidates Candidates who have filed with the FEC for the Republican Party: Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas (Campaign Site) John H. Cox of Illinois (Campaign Site) Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York (Exploratory Committee)[7] Representative Duncan Hunter of California (Campaign Site) Senator John McCain of Arizona (Campaign Site) Former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts (Campaign Site) Michael Charles Smith of Oregon (Campaign Site) Candidates who have formed exploratory committees, but not yet filed with the FEC: Former Governor Jim Gilmore of Virginia (Exploratory Committee) Former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas (Exploratory Committee) Representative Ron Paul of Texas (Exploratory Committee) Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado (Exploratory Committee) Former Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin (Exploratory Committee) Individuals who have expressed serious interest: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia (Winning the Future)[8] Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska (Sandhills PAC)[9] Radio talk show host Michael Savage of California (Paul Revere Society) [10] [edit] Third parties Main article: Official and potential 2008 United States presidential election third party candidates [edit] Constitution Party Actively pursuing or interested in candidacy for the Constitution Party (United States): James Gilchrist of California[11] [edit] Green Party Elaine Brown of Georgia[12] [edit] Libertarian Party Official candidates who have filed with the FEC for the Libertarian Party: Steve Kubby of California (Campaign Site) George Phillies of Massachusetts (Campaign Site) Christine Smith of Colorado (Campaign Site) Announced candidates: Doug Stanhope of Arizona (Campaign Site)Actively pursuing or interested in candidacy: Gene Chapman of Texas (Campaign Site) Barry Hess of Arizona[13] Dave Hollist of California (Campaign Site) Robert Milnes of New Jersey (Campaign Site) [edit] Reform Party Actively pursuing or interested in candidacy for the Reform Party (United States): Daniel Imperato of Florida (Campaign Site)[edit] Other parties and independent candidates Actively pursuing or interested in candidacy Steve Adams of Kentucky (Campaign Site) Gene Amondson of Washington for the Prohibition Party (Campaign Site) Bob W. Hargis of Oklahoma (Campaign Site) David A. Koch of Utah and Ken Goldstein of California (Campaign Site) Charles T. Maxham of New Jersey (Campaign Site) James H. McCall of Pennsylvania (Campaign Site)

TOM...you always make me laugh! Thank you!

Also, make sure you are comparing apples to apples and that the folks in the support group are lap banders and not gastric bypass patients. I know at the support group that is a part of my doctor's practice, most of the folks who attend are gastric bypass patients and not lap band patients. If you are comparing the pace of your weight loss to theirs, it is not wonder that you are losing less. We are not supposed to be losing as rapidly as they are.

Glad to hear that things are moving forward. Endings are always difficult, but this one will lead to a great new drama-free beginning for you and your children. Congratulations on the new job, too! Too magnetic? Eeks! You definitely made a wise move. Best wishes on your new life... MarySue

You're right...if he drops her for no reason, she cannot get COBRA...but I still do not think he can drop her without a qualifying event if it is not during open enrollment. I guess I was misunderstanding that he was going to reduce his hours so neither of them would qualify for benefits any longer. If that is the case, she would definitely be eligible for COBRA. I'm still not so sure he can drop her just because he feels like it, though. In the three states in which I have worked in HR and benefits, employees could not make changes to policies -- except for due to qualifying events -- outside of the open enrollment period. We ran into this sort of thing pretty routinely in two different companies where I worked; when finances would get tight and folks would try to delete coverage and we could not allow them to do so. I felt sorry for a lot of them, but our hands were tied. However, just because it was true in three states does not mean it is true in all states. At any rate...the best advice is that she probably check with her own policy provider or the benefits dept where he works. That way she will be getting accurate information for her own situation. If you are an HR pro in NJ, I do not envy you. I know that you guys (and CA) are a whole lot different from a lot of other states, so you might have different rules than the rest of us. I remember sitting in workshops with HR folks from NJ, PA, MD and DE and every time they would bring up a law, the presenter would have to qualify it by saying..."But not for you people in NJ..." because your HR laws and regs are so different than the other three states. By ten minutes into the seminar, the lady next to me leaned over to me and said, "Geez...I am sure glad I don't have to do HR in NJ!"