cjbement

WOW! Those pics are fantastic! Another THANK YOU for posting. Just seeing them answers a lot of questions I have. Your skin tone is almost identical to mine so I can kinda see what to expect in another 80 lbs gone! Congrats, you look great already! CJ

LMAO! Now lets hope it sticks!

Dam, girl: Pass some of that Karma over this way! CJ :clap2:

Oh, the sanctimonious bypassers!

Thanks, same to you!! HA!

Thats ok, I can handle it! I just try not to strike first if I can help it. BTW, I am a female, but because of my name, quite often confused as a fella. No problem, and thanks for the welcome!

Religion gives Christianity a bad name sometimes! I ran away from religion, but eventually crawled back to God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. All the hoo-hah of some religions takes so much away from the big picture (not bashing on any particular religion and I do go to church) there is just much to be gained from spirituality that is not a part of organized fellowship with other people. My opinion only and not trying to get anyone to see it my way. :eek:

Thanks Laurend---Do you have any idea how long it took me to read this thread? I am supposed to be studying-SHAME ON ME! You guys have some great view points. I think I remember a beginning thread where you said you walked (ran?) away from "the church" at age 18? I totally related to that! I RAN away too! Funny how when you get a mind of your own you start to see things differently?? Thanks for the welcome! CJ

I hope I dont EVER get used to you, sometimes you take people for granted when you get used to them, and I would never want to do that!:eek:

I dunno, sometimes I'm just like that. CJ

Hello, CJ, Today's Token Christian, banded 12/14/7, down 35 lbs, etc etc etc. I am taking this opportunity, as a Christian, to apologize to all who have been offended by Ron and his enthusiastic tirades. My belief is that Jesus Christ came to earth as a man and interacted with whores, homosexuals, thieves, liars, morally corrupt and emotionallly damaged people from all walks of life. (Do not hear me saying in any way that I am morally superior to any of these people or anyone at all because I am a Christian!) He amazingly did this while loving and leading. If he'd had to depend on His superiority to make them feel stupid, bash their opinions and intelligence and generally dismiss them in every way they were different, Christianity would not be where it is today. It pretty much would have died on the vine 2000 years ago. Sharing Salvation is not about "LOOK HOW RIGHT I AM, HERE IS MY PEDIGREE AND HERE"S WHAT I KNOW AND HOW IGNORANT ARE YOU FOR NOT BELIEVING WHAT I BELIEVE." It is about accepting people, as Jesus did, right where they are, here and now, and living your life in a way that they want what you have and want to know how you have it. Things shoved down the throat are usually violently regurgitated. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" does not have a "but" or "except" after it. LOVE EVERYBODY! Thanks to all who shared their views and opinions, even Ron. CJ PS: Wheetsin-I am taking the liberty of playing off of your name. You are a very intelligent and vibrant lady and I think you're great! I applaud your consistenly quick wit and humor!

Carol, you obviously have an enormous amount of self-discipline and will power that most of us here do not. I applaud your ability to overcome the desire to eat with very little effort! Most of us arent that fortunate. CJ

Whats wrong with saying, "hey, that happened to me, too...AND when it DID, here's something that I found that worked for me..." Just spouting out rules and regs is not really support. It's not wrong, but if worked, would we all be here? Support is saying "me, too." and "I've experienced the same thing..." Sometimes it does makes you feel better to know you are not the only one. Because my eating is from an addiction, I may have a different viewpoint from other people. Most people who have an addiction can't glean much from people who have not walked in their shoes because if they haven't, their advice is just theory. Everyone has their opinion, but my main one is that this board is a great tool for everyone here and I appreciate everyone and their honest opinions. CJ

carol's right, i wont argue with someone who doesnt eat, but merely smears.... I mean that in jest, now. Cj

"The professionals" have probably never been on a two week liquid diet, and since the pre-op diets run the gamut between all of the many powers that be, I am not sure that even they know what is truly best. I have a friend who was banded at 450 lbs and she was on a liquid diet for ONE DAY before surgery. Her doc did not believe the fat around the liver concept. Well, my doc sure did, and I complied. I am merely pointing out that being realistic about this whole process is helpful and if the worst thing a person does is suck on a freaking chicken nugget and spit it out, she will probably be just fine.

Girlfriend, I had 14 days liquid diet pre-op and I can totally relate. Anybody who can sit here and tell you to exercise some self-discipline and control is not being realistic....uhmmmm, if you could do that would you really need SURGERY? If they could exercise discipline and self control over all things food related, would they need to be sliced open and have a foreign object placed in their person forever that restricts food intake? On the 11th day of my diet I was about ready to eat some cat food one morning. Praisealleuia for the people who stopped eating and never had another hunger pain or craving. I am not in that category. I will probably always be Jonesing for McD's and Popeye's, but now that I am banded, I can have the thought but not act on it. Don't feel bad about thinking about food. Addictive behavior is going to take some work to overcome and your body is really confused about what is going on. I cant say it gets better, but it gets easier. You can do it! CJ

The good thing about this is that at any time, a (his words, not mine) fat F is going to roll over him driving an F concrete truck and the last thing he is going to see is the fat F getting out from behind the wheel of the F concrete truck to see what is jammed underneath her car and there he will be, squashed for all of eternity with a lot of explaining to do at the pearly gates. The bad thing is that you wont be there to see it! Chin up! Unintelligent people are so stupid that they have to use the obvious to try to insult people they are intimidated by. He probably went home to a once gorgeous BBW who is now cowering in her recliner with chin hairs and curlers with the remote permanently glued to her hand while she watches QVC 24/7 and drinks beer. You on the other hand have a life! He'll get his! CJ

Oprah for president! Cant do any worse than George and she doesnt have beady little eyes! CJ

WOW! Women like your wife give us fat chicks a bad rap! I am probably going to raise some eyebrows, but it doesnt really seem like she has to do ANYTHING at all, so why should she? Ok, before I start getting flamed, I have been diagnosed and treated for depression, very successfully. I was in a similar situation with my ex-husband (he didnt work, sat on the couch and stared at the TV sorting through baseball cards, eating and creating messes.) There was NOTHING I could do to motivate him in any way. Beg, plead, get mad, pamper, coddle, give gifts, write letters, offer to take him on vacations, buy cars (hey, I was desperate.) Fortunately, we did not have any kids, so eventually I left. I was pretty sure he really did not even notice I was gone, but REMARKABLY, about 3 months later, he got out, got a job, started working out, lost 80 lbs., and got on with his life!! I guess that could have given me a complex, that the whole problem was ME, but I think my leaving shocked him into reality. He is very happy, well-adjusted, successful and a very different person. People who knew him when are amazed at the person he is now. There is a better way of life for both of you. Your wife is checked out, she needs some kind of an intervention (friends, family, you...etc.) One person is not a relationship. From what you have said, you both need professional help ( I dont mean that in a bad way, you need professional help to figure out the best way to help her, and she needs help to help herself.) Good luck to you both, you seem really, really desperate to make it better for both of you! I wish you the best! CJ

If the spitting/PB'ing isthe worst of it, I think we will be ok! I think as long as we learn new eating habits and ways to deal with food it will work for u. I know it wont happen overnight. This is a once in a lifetime chance for me. If I consider that I might not live another five years, I am ready to do it now. Let's stay in touch! Did I read in another thread you are going to Mexico? I have friend who had her surgery in Mexico and she did great. She has lost over 200 lbs! No problems at all. You will do great, too!

Hey to all: I have been lurking for a little while, I HAVE A DATE 12/14/06! Thrilled and scared. I am working with Dr. Michael Thomas with Surgical Specialists in Covington. Everyone there is great, especially Chris Nelson. I would love to talk to anyone in the New Orleans, Northshore, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, SE, United States....ok, anywhere! The info on this board is incredible and it is great to have people who have been there before giving valuable and real advice. THANKS! XOXO Cj

We share the same surgery date! Congrats on making such a great decision. I think you should be proud of yourself. You deserve to have a better quality of life and the tool that can give it to you. I don't think Dave Ramsey would argue with that. Besides, if you drop dead from a stroke, heart attack or other obesity related disease, how would that affect the financial well-being of your family? Besides, you cannot put a value on a person's life. The only negative responses I have had are from a few people who I now realize are trying to keep me as my fat self (for their own self-serving reasons.) IF YOU COULD REALLY DO IT, YOU WOULD HAVE ALREADY. Your parents will be gone some day--will you still be unhealthy and overweight then? I hope not. You are making the best decision for you. Hang on and do it!