transformer

I still say it's one thing for a person to individually choose to ruin their own health by indulging in their addiction, whether it be mainlining heroin, snorting cocaine, overeating, popping Percocet tablets, eating glue, etc. It's quite another thing for someone to purposefully spew toxic-filled smoke into the air that everyone has to breathe in a confined area (i.e. a bar, restaurant, hospital, etc.). A non-smoker can't choose to not inhale the air in a room...duh! Unless someone invents a fashion-forward gas mask, the butts need to stay outdoors. It's not so much a matter of taking away freedoms, it should serve as a positive reflection of our citizenry being much more educated about the proven harmful effects of smoking than people were in the "old" days.

The "New Zealand Hates Fat People" title was just to grab attention--I was just kidding. Apparently, it worked! I think it's interesting that NZ won't even let obese people in because of the potential cost of their health care, but people who are obese in our own country (like me!) can't even get help paying for surgery like the lapband that would cut the costs associated with their health care. Chrisann--Your idea of agreeing not to pay their way is an interesting one!

First of all--CONGRATULATIONS! You already lost 42 pounds! :clap2: I agree with Marimaru! You deserve to be as selfish as you want to be. There's still plenty of shopping time left anyway. If and when you feel like you're in the mood to shop, go shop! Or better yet, shop on-line! It might take folks a while to get used to the "new" you--tough luck if they don't like the fact you're focusing on what's good for you!

Hi! I don't have any personal experience with disc problems, but a woman I work with recently had surgery for that problem. The doctor inserted an artificial disc and she is feeling much better now. Another man I was in a college class with had neck surgery to fuse several vertebrae together because of a neck injury that damaged several discs. I've also heard a few other people talk about having physical therapy to help relieve their back pain. I think it's worth talking to a specialist instead of suffering if you don't have to! Back pain is no fun! Hope you feel better soon!

Hi ladies! I hope everyone is well! We know what VABandster and sweethot are up to for Thanksgiving (here's hoping sweethot's DH can stay put!). What's everyone else doing? nikki--glad to hear your DS is on the mend! Phew! We're partying big time at my house! I finally have heat!!! :whoo: The new system looks so nice compared to my old "frankenfurnace!" LOL It's actually a gaspack combined A/C and heating unit. I'm cooking a full spread for Thanksgiving. Even if I can't eat much of it, I still love to cook! :hungry: I'm a scientist, so cooking is fun! Believe it or not, my ex-hubby is coming over--do you think I get extra points for that when I get to the pearly gates?? :biggrin1: Neither of us have family in the area, so we're making do. At least we're still civil after 15 years of being divorced! LOL! My DS's attitude has done a complete 180 since I pulled him out of school (and so has mine--there's a big shocker!). We got the new English books I ordered from the correspondence school on-line and the lesson plans should arrive early next week. He's hoping he can motor on through the coursework at an accelerated rate so he can catch up on the credits he's lost this semester and the ones he lost in Algebra last year. He really needs to pass two years of math this year to get back on track. We have everything all set up--computer, desk, etc. I'll develop a schedule once I get the rest of the information next week. By the way, my weight went down to 221 (gasp!) briefly last week! Hooray! Of course, it's almost my TOM so it shot back up to 225. Boo! Hiss! I'm thinking about getting my "equipment" ripped out. I wonder if they could combine a "uterus extraction" with a "lower body lift"--do they have a "Buy One Get One Free" coupon? :car: On that note, I'd better go! Have a fantastic week! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys seeing family and friends!

Fried tree frog legs?? OMG!!! :faint:

Pickles in lemon yogurt?? I'm not so sure about that...I guess I shouldn't knock it before I try it, huh?

What would "A Christmas Story" be without the wacko Santa screaming "HO, HO, HO!" into Ralphie's little face before shoving him down the slide with his foot? Let Santa say whatever he wants!!!

I don't think any threads should be locked. I choose to read some posts and not others based on my preferences and I believe that new visitors to this site can do the same. Just like the television or the radio--if you don't like what you see/hear, turn it off! There's no need to censor everyone. :censored: If you don't like the thread--leave it! That's why a superior being invented the "Back" arrow. From what I've gathered, there's a reason why "old timers" are venting their frustrations by poking fun at some "newbies." It's difficult for me to believe, but some folks actually seem to have had a foreign object surgically implanted into their bodies on purpose (sometimes at their own expense!) without learning anything beforehand about how it works, what to eat, how fills are done, etc. Those of us who were fortunate enough to attend valuable pre-operative classes on nutrition, how the operation would be done, and what to eat and expect post-operatively at our doctor's offices could find it a bit disconcerting that "newbies" post things like "I was banded yesterday and I just ate a 16 ounce steak. Now I feel terrible. Do you think I hurt my band?" or "If I eat tuna before I eat ice cream will I still lose weight?" I exaggerate a bit, of course, but you get the idea. :faint: Of course, we should probably take exception with their doctors rather than the newly banded person themselves because it is the doctor's fault if they are not well educated about life as a banded person in the first place. You would think, though, that there was some psychological counseling done with these patients before surgery so they would realize that the whole point of the operation is to totally transform your eating habits and your lifestyle--not to continue eating the same fast-food crap, be a total couch potato, and still expect to lose weight rapidly. :doh: It's one thing to write in that you're going through a rough patch and need some support and quite another to write in listing everything you're doing that goes against medical advice and you can't imagine why things aren't going well for you! :violin: The one benefit of having a thread on Rants & Raves that calls attention to the questions that aggravate the experienced bandster is that it might make someone think twice before posting questions that have already been answered repeatedly under the support, complications, fills, food, or other threads. Newly banded people can find tons and tons of support on this site without ever having to visit the Rants & Raves thread. They can also read posts about the stupid things other people have done so they can avoid following in their misguided footsteps. Besides, if we can't whine about what bugs us on Rants & Raves, where can we?

Tree frogs are very cute!

I used to have the "see food" diet--you know, I see it and I eat it! I just needed the band to help me curb an insatiable hunger!

As a few others mentioned, I also lost my father at 51 to lung cancer (when I was 14), my stepfather to several forms of cancer, and then my mother at age 64 when her heart stopped. All of them were heavy smokers since their late teens. After being exposed to second-hand smoke for decades, I frequently get upper respiratory infections and have allergies. I hope I never develop lung cancer due to this exposure like Dana Reeve did recently (a life-long non-smoker). It still bothers me to this day that my dad never got to see me graduate from high school, be the first in the family to graduate from college, he wasn't at my wedding to walk me down the aisle, and he never got to meet my son. After watching my father and stepfather waste away to 130 pounds or so, I'll never understand why anyone would want to start smoking in the first place (if you're already addicted, that's one thing--it's hard to quit). IMO, if a person chooses to smoke, they can go ahead and smoke because it was their choice to puff away, but I shouldn't be forced to inhale their smoke since I have made a conscious decision not to smoke. That seems like a fair arrangement to me!

I love Project Runway because I can barely sew on a button! LOL I really admire the contestants' talent! What did all of you think of the girl who stuck the 50-foot ripped up train on her dress and left it there after she realized her model couldn't walk? She needs some granola to eat and flowers in her hair! Her "organic" method of sewing was interesting though! Santino was one of my favorite designers. I loved it when he started singing about Tim Gunn! I despised Wendy Pepper. She was so mean! I couldn't help wondering what her daughter thought of the way her mom was acting. Laura looked too "glam" to have given birth to all of those boys--how does she do it?? Angela and Jeffrey's battles were a riot to watch. My son thought she should stick a couple of her "signature" rosettes on her boobs to match the two on her butt! LOL! I'm looking forward to seeing what type of wacky challenges they'll be facing this year!

Touché! :rolleyes

OMG--I can't friggin' breathe! Gasp! This thread is too funny! I remember reading the post about the alcohol. I didn't get it then and I still don't get it now! Yikes! I've been passing some of the posts by as well. I get a sharp pain in the center of my head sometimes after I read them. I'm pretty sure the sharp pain isn't caused by my band...do you think I need to see my doctor? LOL

I think that the "politically correct" crusade is quite out of control as are recent "no tolerance" policies. Boys can't scrap in the schoolyard any more to settle a difference (not that I personally encourage people to fight, but that used to be part of a young man "coming of age" back in the "old days"). Obviously, we don't want people shooting each other in the streets, but if kids were allowed to defend themselves, they wouldn't be repeatedly bullied and decide to gun down their tormentors in school hallways. The tormentor would learn to knock it off the first time the nerdy kid wound up and clocked him with a right hook upside the head! Since the 1980s, we've been raising a bunch of pampered, namby-pamby weaklings that can't have the gumption to stand up for anything, can't sacrifice any modern conveniences (I saw that first hand after Hurricane Isabel hit my area), or lose at a game without falling apart. Subsequently, the kids never learn how to deal with hard times or how to handle disappointment. When tough times come along, the parents rescue them again and again. I'm in the schools, so I get to see this nonsense first hand. Many schools are not selecting valedictorians because it would hurt someone's feelings if they didn't win. :violin:Sports teams give trophies to everyone no matter what the outcome of the tournament. What's up with that? If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose. Duh! Deal with it! Sometimes you just have to say it like it is. Spit out the truth. For example, if you are wearing a very unflattering outfit that you mistakenly think is H-O-T, do you want someone to lie to spare your feelings and let you go out looking like an idiot or should they be tough and tell you the real deal? I'd rather know that I look like heck before heading out the door. I don't know if any of you happened to watch Ken Burns' recent series on "The War." It was fascinating to watch how people handled themselves during World War II. They were unbelievably tough. They went without so their share of goods could go toward the manufacture of weaponry, airplanes, and to feed and clothe the soldiers. About 300,000-400,000 sets of U.S. parents lost a soldier (it's difficult to fathom today how many households that war touched--thousands and thousands more soldiers were wounded). Thinking about all of that really put things in perspective for me. It frightens me a great deal that our citizens are so different today. I often hope that we aren't put in the position again where we have to really fight to save our country because I think we'll be going down in flames. Kiss your butt goodbye! I don't think our citizenry (except for our military personnel) is resilient enough to suck it up and get the job done anymore. How could they function without their Starbucks, after all? :biggrin1:

What one finds humorous, another may find offensive. Such is the upredictable nature of humor. Fat jokes come to mind about now for some unknown reason...:doh: Whether Derick's added comment is deemed funny or not, I have to say I got to chuckling when the point was made that Catholics aren't persecuted like Muslims. Are you sure that we're all living on the same planet or have some folks ventured off into a parallel universe? Check out these links if you need a brief history lesson on the persecution of Catholics and other Christians around the globe: Catholic Culture : Library : A Roman Holiday: Global Persecution of the Catholic Church America: Christians in the Middle East face persecution, pushed to the periphery - Catholic Online Persecution of Christians - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anti-Catholicism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Catholic Educator's Resource: Current Issues/Persecution of Christians Persecution of the Catholic Church Bolshevik Persecution of the Catholic Church Persecution of people of all religions occurs throughout the world--it's not a practice specially reserved for those of the Muslim faith unfortunately. Everyone in the world needs to learn to be tolerant of the religious beliefs of others. On the other hand, no one should be running around persecuting (or murdering) others just because they think their religion is "better" than another or that it is the only "right" belief system to have. That type of behavior is rather psychotic--you'd think studying religion would make someone act better, not worse! :faint: Doesn't anyone learn how to get along in kindergarten any more?

Boo Boo Kitty—That’s a VERY flattering hair color on you! I love it! Should I be disturbed that my suits from the ‘80s are coming back in style? Man, I’m getting frickin old! :think VABandster—I don’t think I’d do very well being at home near munchable food like you’ve been stuck doing. It would be very hard! :hungry: StephC—Congratulations on the weight loss! If you can wear a skirt from 10 years ago, I’m going to try to get back into those size 8 suits!!! :whoo: Nikki32—I’ve been having a hard time deciding if outfits are “suitable for public viewing” or not. I’m sure there are several outfits I’ve worn that other people probably wondered why on earth I was wearing them in public! I guess we have to focus on what makes us happy. :clap2: Sweethot143—Exercise won over chocolate? You are awesome! I can’t wait to fit into mediums, too! :bounce: Nathalie—It sounds like you are doing great! You’ll be sashaying around in size 14s in no time! :eek: On top of buying a whole new heating/AC system, I’ve gotten more bad news about my boy. The alternative school (for different learners, not behavior problems) will boot him out if the principal catches wind of one more incident (i.e. talking in class, etc.). He’s not a psychopath or a delinquent—he just isn’t engaged by the bland instruction in the classroom. It just kills me that he has wasted almost a year and a half of high school already and has very little learning to show for it. There aren’t any other placements available for him except for the regular high school. He’s already been to two out of five high schools in the city and they were an even bigger disaster. I think I’m going to have to home school him. I’ve already looked up on-line high school programs. The big bummer is that I’d have to pay for each course. Maybe having him home would at least give me peace of mind. No more classmates to instigate trouble and tease him, no more teachers who won’t differentiate their instruction, no more principals calling to complain…this is sounding better all the time! I just want him to be able to learn at his own pace and feel some success without having to jump through a bunch of stupid traditional-school hoops! I just noticed that my mouth has broken out in canker sores all of a sudden. Could I possibly be stressed out? Man, that hurts (I have braces, too!). Well, I guess I’ll try to figure out how to withdraw him from school tomorrow since I found out tonight that I don’t have to report to jury duty until the 20th. Hooray! Sorry this was so long--I'm just bummin' :phanvan

Welcome! Good luck with your surgery! I hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi there! I was also a self-payer. My insurance used to cover the surgery, but discontinued this practice a year or two ago. (Really stupid in my opinion; patients who lose large amounts of weight would reduce the cost of weight-related health issues such as diabetes, breathing problems, arthritis, etc.). I know--don't get me started! Grrr! In any case, you are most definitely not alone!!!

Welcome! I hope all goes well with your surgery! You must be getting so excited now! I was banded in December last year. I think it was a good thing to have it done at that time for two reasons. First, it matched up well with the time off I already had scheduled so I didn't need to use much sick time and having the surgery around the holidays kept me from gaining even more weight! Be sure to follow all of your doctor's instructions after surgery to make sure you heal well! Good luck!

Hi! As the swelling goes down, you will feel hungrier until your first fill. From what I've read on this site, it happens to most people who have been banded. Be sure to take in enough Protein every day. That will help you not feel quite as hungry. Good luck!

You have my deepest sympathies! I took my comps for my Ed.S. degree in July--6 hours of writing answers to essay questions! I had already completed the SLLA (School Leadership Licensure Assessment) exam in June--another 6 hours of writing answers to essay questions. What a living nightmare! Remember that a lot of the information you need to know really is stored up in your brain. The trick is to be able to access it under pressure. I made up stupid mnemonic devices to help me remember facts. For example, the sentence "The dumb boy stepped in lamb poo" reminded me of these legal terms: tort, duty, breach, standard of care, and in loco parentis. Once I had a series of sentences made up, I created another mnemonic device to remember the first letter of those sentences. I jotted those down on the scratch paper as soon as it hit my hot little hands. Hang in there--it won't be easy, but remember that this is the culmination of all of the learning you've already done. You can do this!!

Hi ladies! I got this e-mail today from my brother--thought you would enjoy it! Subject: Whose fault is it? In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Kreme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said," and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food." God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then he said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created HMOs. To be continued… Thought you could use a laugh! Have a great week! :bounce:

That I'm a stupid person because I need to lose weight! My brain is fine, but a 120-pound woman remains trapped inside this chubby body... I ate her! LOL