Brooklyn732

Thank you all so much for the kind words. I really feel good about my decision and I can already tell that there is a lot of support on this site. Has anyone had experience with Dr. Morris Washington? He seems to really be really good and I was excited to go to his seminar. He says he's done 110 sleeves and only one leakage. Sounds good to me but i don't know if that is a lot of surgeries for a Dr or not. What do you guys think?

First of all, I am hoping to be a December bandster too so hoooray for us both! LOL. Secondly, I think its awesome that you are already visualizing a slimmer, sexier, healthier you and you're preparing for the potential loose skin. But like someone else said, at your age I think you will probably not have much of an issue with bouncing back. There may be some loose skin, but probably not a whole lot. And like someone else said, I'd rather be thin with loose skin, than fit in the amount of skin i got now!! lol Good luck!

WOW! Your sarcasm is really annoying!!:smile2: Her post was asking for advice because she didn't feel full. It wasn't anywhere near the bitching and moaning described in the other thread. But I guess you really need to prove a point and keep this "disagreement" going. Well you won. Hooray. :glare:Now let's focus on helping someone who asked for help!! Sorry gracierose for crashing your thread. My nutritionist has told me many times, if you eat the type of balanced meal you describe and you're still hungry and you absolutely "have to" eat, go for a little more protein.

I'm very sorry that you are going through this ordeal but I have to say something about a comment you made. The "band" doesn't make you hungry. You make you hungry. The addiction that we all have to food makes us hungry. As long as your body gets the right things in order to survive, everything else is extra. I know it's easy to say, especially since I'm not banded yet, but I struggle with food daily and I have no restriction either. But I am committed to losing weight and being healthy. Since August 2010 I've been doing liquid for Breakfast and lunch and then a sensible dinner (with some greek yogurts thrown in during the day). I have been satisfied and losing weight. I've lost 38lbs in these 2 months and I want to keep losing. Dude, don't give up. even without restriction, you can do it!!

PB2 is 45 cal. But I'll try anything once! lol. Maybe that's how I got this way! lol

Oops!! Sorry I missed one of your redheads! lol. But thanks again for the tip!! I love that stuff!!

Wait a minute...candy corn isn't made or corn?? LOL. Darn i thought I was going to get my serving of veggies for the day!! I am soooo weak for candy corn. My wife won't buy it because I'll eat the whole bag. I'm buying licorice for the trick or treaters. Eww. lol. But my kids usually have a contest to see who can bring home the most candy. And of course you have to "inspect" the candy before they can eat it. You wouldn't want anything to be hidden in the candy would you? lol. OK OK!! I'll be good. As long as there are no candy corns and kit kats I'll be just fine. lol.

YES there is help for you! lol. There is a powdered Peanut Butter called PB2. Its different from the other "alternatives" out there because it is actually real roasted peanuts that are pressed into powder. You can use milk or Water to reconstitute it and it tastes great. Or u can sprinkle the powder onto your food or into sauces and shakes. Its really tasty stuff! Thanks to Momof2redheads (sp?) for suggesting it to me. It only has 45 calories and it is VERY low in fat (5g I think). The company is called Bell Plantation or you can just google it. Try it. See if that works for you.

I am originally a New Yorker, but I live in NJ and I am hoping to get banded very soon. I don't have a date yet but I am hoping to make it happen before Halloween (don't know why just picked that date...lol). I am wondering if there are any Central Jersey support groups or people in Central Jersey who want to support/mentor? I always find it strange that no matter how educated and professionally successful I am, my battles with food and eating have always been out of my control. And I'm a control freak so that bothers me. LOL. I am from the Caribbean so I am used to very rich, flavorful (and plentiful) food. So a liquid diet is a foreign concept to me, though I have been sucessful at it so far. Anyway, I just joined this site yesterday and I would love to meet more people in the Central NJ area or anywhere in NJ for that matter. Please feel free to send me PMs just to say hi! Hope to hear from you.

Again...something that will ensure that he won't focus on your food intake!! LMAO. :thumbup: Ok SORRY. I'll stop now. I don't mean to be rude or belittle your date. It's very cool that you are going on a date and getting back into the dating world. But I'm trying to make jokes to lessen your nervousness. Have a great time. Don't focus on the food. Btw, does Chilli's have...chili? LOL. Sounds like a dumb question, but if they do, that could be a great alternative as well. Its hearty, high in Protein, and you could easily order a bowl of it and stop halfway through and say it filled you up. ENJOY!!! :laugh::thumbup:

Show lots of cleavage and talk about how much sex you want to have with him and he won't even notice what you're eating!! :thumbup: LOL (I'm a guy...what did you expect?!) Just kidding. Soup sounds good. Or get an appetizer as an entree. Have some great conversation and I bet he'll never notice. Good luck.

I think they meant Jello pudding, not the gelatin.

WELL SAID BTRIEGER!! No one said that positive, informational, constructive posts are annoying. And I love reading about different people's experiences because it gives me a lot of insight, especially as someone who hasn't been banded yet. So I don't understand the whole "blowing sunshine" comment because that is not the point of this at all!!

Mine is tentatively Dec 20th so it will be an early Christmas gift to myself!! And I can't wait to start the New Year as a new ME!! My wife is just as excited as I am about it. She is also more scared than me. I'm not telling anyone else but her.

As obese people, we are carrying way too much burden already. Why add the additional burden of a person who may or may not be counterproductive to our weight loss. If u lose a friend as a result of your journey, I say, "F*CK 'EM!!" If anyone resents me for my accomplishments, I don't want them as a friend, no matter what their hang ups are. When your friend decides they want to change their life and use you as an inspiration, then they can resume their role in your life. Until then, cut out the negative and focus on the positive. You are doing something great for yourself!! Congratulations and good luck!

You can order PB2 online from the Bell Plantation website. I just finished another amazing shake flavored with PB2. YUM. As many people here will tell you, there are PLENTY more great tasting Protein shakes other than the Carnation that are higher in protein. Also, I have stopped with regular milk altogether and now I only use Unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk. Its much less in calories than the 1% and it adds great flavor. Depending on the type of shake there are so many different things to add to them to make them taste sexy. And with the Syntha 6 shakes from GNC, I don't even need to add anything if I don't want to.

This probably isn't the place for it but I want to rant about something else... I'm tired of people posting the same questions over and over and over! How many different Protein shake threads are there going to be?? Just hit the search button!! And about the bitching and moaning...I can't begin to understand the pain because I still haven't been banded but I would be willing to bet that a large percentage of those bitching and moaning about being banded aren't doing so due to lack of comprehension or information. They're doing it because they want to eat and can't. Well guess what?? We all need to stop eating the way we have been and whether we have a band or not we owe it to ourselves to change. Without the band yet I've lost 39lbs. I'm proud of that. I want to keep losing and creating a sustainable lifestyle for myself so that band or no band, I am committed to losing. That's just my $.02!

PB2 is a subsitute for Peanut Butter. Its made from a process where they take real peanuts, roast them, then press them into a powder. This eliminates all the fat and oil and bad stuff. You can add it to your food as a powder or add Water (or milk or almond milk) to it to turn it into peanut butter and spread it. Its a great alternative to peanut butter in terms of caloriies and since it's actually peanuts, you get all the flavor. Just one more great thing I learned right here. I made a phenomenal shake with it today. And I am making a spicy Thai curry with it tomorrow for my chicken. And my wife and kids will eat it too.

Even better than 1% (and tastier in my opinion) is using unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It makes the shake taste great and its only 40 calories vs 100 in the 1%.

What did the surgeon say? Have you consulted someone who is educated in these things? This board is great for support and food ideas, but when you need professional advice, this isn't the place for it. Sorry to say it, but you're only gonna get opinions here.

DO a search in here for "protein shakes". There are plenty of great ideas and great creative ways of sexying up your shake. Good luck and happy hunting.

I am a big guy but I've never felt not normal. So I have this weird feeling about going to the support groups because I don't want "everyone else" to see me going to the "fat people meeting". I know that sounds terrible, but its all in my head. It's a weird denial of my obesity. I know I know. I sound crazy don't I?:biggrin:

This is the MEN's ROOM. Don't be a killjoy!! LOL. Let us be men in our mancave!

AMEN!!!! LOL. You are soooo right!!

That sounds really good!!:biggrin: