Jann

Actually, Alberta (AHIP) does cover a portion lap band surgery if it's done out of province and you can also write it off under medical expenses with Rev Canada including airfare. You have to provide all receipts of course.

Leslie Sansone has some wonderful short walking exercise programs that are very easy to follow. Just slip in the DVD and follow along in the privacy of your own home. Google her for her website or look in Walmart if it's something that would interest you.

I totally love what you did with your hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice one!

My two cents for what it's worth. I work extensively with the police here and have for many, many years. I actually had a conversation with a Detective just last week about lapbands. Out of that conversation I learned that police officers particularly street level cannot have one due to the physical component of their job function. For example, if they were in hand to hand it would put them at great risk. Imagine taking a shot to the port by some crackhead! Instead every District has a gym in their own building and Officers can sign out one paid hour per shift to work out provided they are prepared to go back out to the street if they are called upon in emergency. The deceit issue comes into play because Officers are held to a higher standard than civilians and cops internally "Can forgive anything but a lie, even a lie by omission". They are duty bound to their integrity so it makes sense to me that there was backlash. In terms of the delegation of those funds I know locally that the decision is made by the Chief of Police and the President of the Police Union based upon the facts placed before them. Having said that I can see why this person felt the need to protect the secrecy of her band but there is clearly more to this story than has been published.

Welcome fellow Westerner! 'Gratz on your decision!

Mama Mia! What a difference, Lynz! WTG! You are stunning!

THAT ROCKS Kitty!!!!! A true NSV!!!!!!!!!!! YAY FOR YOU! I had a bite of my hubby's burger just to test the water and one onion ring. I wanted to see how my body would react. BLECHT! I think I'm degreased thoroughly because all I could taste was grease! My tongue felt like it was coated. I think I'm cured of my cheeseburger addiction. hehe

This is an awesome article and from the first WLS book I bought. I photocopied it and keep it on my fridge. Good book, easy read!

Welcome!! And congrats on your surgery!!

Look at you go! Congratulations!!! You've worked so hard and you deserve it!

I went to my mom-in-law's b'day this weekend past. It's the first time I've seen them since banding. When I walked in the room with all the family, 16 of them, they went quiet. It totally freaked me out. It only lasted for probably less than a minute but it felt like an eternity. We all sat for dinner and I quietly ate the way I do at home. I didn't want to draw attention to myself as previously I would have had a buffet style plate loaded. Had a tiny chicken breast, a tiny bit of salad, 1/2 a baked potato (that I didn't finish) and passed on everything else. When cake was served I asked for a small child's portion, had a bite (EW!) so I wouldn't be rude and discretely placed it on my hubby's plate. Throughout the evening I noticed people sneaking looks over and my mom-in-law was blatantly staring at me. Long story short, we were the first to leave as I had to get back to work. I've been so bogged down with cases that I haven't had much time to do anything else for the past couple weeks. MIL walked us to the door which she never does, gave me a huge hug, blurted out "YOU'RE GORGEOUS! What have you been doing with yourself?" I damned near died and hubby just looked shocked. (His mom is a very reserved lady not given to emotional display) She was determined to figure out how I did it so I shared with her the bandster lifestyle (omitting the part about banding because I just don't want to deal with that whole thing with them). Band or no band the reality is we still have to do the work! I broke it all out, portion sizes, order of eating, chew 20 times, eat slowly, don't drink when you eat, elimination of junk and liquid cals, the whole garbage in/garbage out mentality, importance of proteins, small plates, salad forks, multi-vitamins, liquid calcium. The whole nine. Long story short, his mom and his sister are now trying their hands at bandster living! Never let it be said that determination and an excellent band surgeon (Dr. Ortiz) aren't the answer. My band and I keep each other honest. hehe My first fill is at the end of the month. YAY!

Thanks all. I really liked that post as well! Thanks for the support in wl -- I can hardly believe it's 30 pounds already and I don't have my first fill until the end of the month. (Doctor's office called and switched the date today) -- I'm pretty sure I could eat like I used to but I don't test the theory. I just keep eating like a bandster and trying to follow all the rules. Twice I've drank water 15 mins after eating and slapped my own hand.

Awesome! I'm so glad to hear that. You sound reinvigorated! Dr. D. has a really good reputation around the city too and apparently he's very vested in his patients and banding. It will be good to finally meet him! J

Trina, I never drank 1/2 cup soup at a time. It was always a full soup mug that I drank from. I'm sure the liquids haven't affected your pouch as they tend to drain consistently unlike solids which just sit and drain over time. Hope that helps.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's just wrong on so many levels. We're lucky that we have four doctors locally that do accept Mexican Bandies. Only one won't as he's concerned about medical liability claims but he's doing the legal research to get past it.

OMG Anita, what a difference! GOOD FOR YOU!

I loved that! Thanks for the morning chuckle and good tips!

Hiya! How'd it go with the fill? You went to Decrouteaux didn't you? How are you feeling? I'm there on the 23rd. J

hehe! Thank ya!

Welcome to SparkPeople! Hopefully your program is off to a smooth start, and you’re happy with your progress so far. But for others who aren’t seeing results yet, it’s been a little more frustrating. Many dieters tend to make similar mistakes when trying to lose weight. But being aware of these mistakes—and making small physical and mental changes—will help you lose the weight and keep it off for good. Here’s how: Slower is Better The first mistake dieters make is having unrealistic weight loss expectations. The SparkPeople program is set up to help you safely lose between half a pound and two pounds per week. Studies show that individuals who rapidly lose weight are more likely to gain it back. So if you’ve lost a few pounds this month—excellent! Don’t discount that because you see someone on T.V. losing 15 pounds in two weeks. Everyone is Different While some people lose a lot of weight in the first few weeks, others might not lose any weight for a few weeks. Although this can be frustrating when you’re doing everything right, it’s not a reason to give up. Sometimes it just takes a little while longer to see the results of your hard work reflected on the scale. Remember, eating right and exercising regularly have positive impacts on your health in many other ways, such as more energy, less stress, better sleep, and reduced risk of many diseases. You’ll receive those benefits—regardless of the number on the scale. Weight Loss is Rarely Constant from Week to Week Many people lose a lot in the first few weeks, and then their weight loss slows down considerably. It’s totally normal to have weeks when you lose more than expected, and weeks when your weight remains the same despite your consistent efforts. Our bodies are very complicated and don’t always cooperate with the estimates of how much we should expect to lose. People rarely lose a consistent amount of weight each week. Measuring your weight loss on a monthly basis can be a more accurate gauge of how well you are doing. Weight Loss is Not Immediate Cutting calories today (through diet and exercise) will not necessarily show up on the scale at the end of the day or even by tomorrow. Your weight can fluctuate from day-to-day for reasons that have nothing to do with your diet and exercise program. Much of this fluctuation is due to water and food intake. While your scale may show changes throughout the day, fluctuations that could be due to food & water alone are not permanent weight losses or gains. Weighing yourself immediately after wearing a “sweat” suit, getting into a sauna, or finishing an intense workout might (or might not) show a loss on the scale. But that is temporary water loss that will come back after you rehydrate yourself by drinking. Remember—you’re trying to lose fat, not simply “weight” or water weight. This is a good reason to not weigh yourself more than once a week. The Fitness Resource Center has several articles that expand on this idea, including Body Composition Measures Results and Measure Progress Without the Scale. Setbacks Are Normal No one is perfect. You can expect to hit some bumps in the road, no matter how hard you’re trying. The important thing is not to let those bumps get you totally off track, but to learn from them and move forward. The article ”1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward”, located in the Motivation Resource Center, offers tips for dealing with setbacks, and Coach Dean’s message board post about staying motivated includes even more helpful advice. Eating Less Isn’t Always Better A lot of people assume that the less you eat, the faster you will lose. One of the biggest mistakes dieters make is not eating enough. Your calorie range is based on your current weight, goal weight, how aggressive your goal is (whether you want to lose weight quickly or slowly) and how much exercise you are doing. Your recommended calorie range might seem like a lot of food—especially if you are accustomed to fad, restrictive diets. But if your body is not getting enough nutrients and calories (especially if you eat less than your recommended calorie range), your metabolism will slow down. This is called “starvation mode” because your body thinks it is experiencing a famine, so it starts holding onto every calorie you give it, making weight loss much slower or impossible, and weight gain more likely. That's why it's so important to eat within your calorie range. If you aren’t, you could be doing more harm than good. Hopefully these tips will help you avoid many of the common pitfalls dieters face, and deal with the ups and downs of weight loss more easily. Hang in there! It’s not always easy, but you can do it! Ask anyone who has been struggling to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle. They’ll tell you that it's not an easy thing to do, mainly because there is a huge difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. There is no magic pill, no secret technique or approach that can solve this problem for you. It will take time, hard work and persistence to get yourself where you want to be. But there are several things you can do (and think) that can make all that hard work a little easier and greatly improve your chances of success.

A guest can read but not post whoever they may be.

I had your mom's name put on the prayer wall at the church. Hold good thoughts. My dad has prostrate cancer and my mom is dying of renal kidney failure and organ shut down, a long painful drawn out process. They're doing all they can. Have faith. I think I can say I understand how you feel safely.

OMG congratulations sexy grandma lady!

Guess I better check in with Andrew! No worries, hun. It'll work out at the end of the day. It always does. As for the rest, whatever... if they really wanted it over they would have just ignored the post and it would have died out. I went in the highest posted contentious thread and there were NINE people in there at the same time. Draw your own conclusion.

Uhm, no, I didn't. But having said that I haven't booked my fill yet. A written referral from whom? Before surgery I had an email dialogue with Andrew who ASSURED me that my after care was a non issue. What a day! Sheesh!