They say confession is good for the soul !!

[tcasola]

Hello my LDL family,

As many of you DO know, I’ve been doing Let’s Do Lunch for about 2 years. I have had tremendous success with it. In fact, I lost close to 70 pounds doing it. I firmly believe in L.D.L., and still tell everyone about it.  After confiding in Roger, I’m letting you in on a little secret that most of you DON’T know.

Back in September my Doctor had a frank talk with me. She felt even though I was young enough and healthy NOW, in a year or two I could start to develop some serious health issues (family history of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.). While she noted the success I had with L.D.L, she also suggested that I do something more to help me loose weight. After some researching, and praying, I decided to have a Gastric Banding operation. I had the operation in January, and so far everything has been great.

In many meeting concerning the operation and eating lifestyle afterwards, the Doctors and Nutritionists would state “Avoid refined carbohydrates with low/no nutritional value … Avoid sugars .. Avoid high fat-foods … Eat lean protein … eat Fruits .. eat Vegetables …” They also suggested foods/meals that contained a lot of beans/legumes … (sounds familiar???) …. While others moaned and groaned, I knew I wouldn’t have any trouble with this.

After my 2 month checkup, I lost 48 MORE pounds. This amount of weight loss is quiet uncommon for banded patients (unlike gastric bypass patients). When the Doctor asked what I have been doing, I explained the L.D.L. method of eating. He was very fascinated with what I was doing, and told me to keep up the good work. I also spoke to the nutritionist about it, and she asked for more information. I sent her a brief summary of L.D.L's philosophy, and the suggested "shopping list" Roger created. She looked it over, and thought it was a very good (healthy) list. She also feels that I can continue eating the L.D.L. method and still loose weight while remaining healthy.

Please don’t think I have abandoned Let's Do Lunch. I have come to realize the Lord guided me to both LDL and the band operation for a reason. I believe that both don't need to be exclusive to one another. They can certainly be inclusive.  I know LDL helped me get healthy enough to HAVE the operation. And since the operation, I am still eating the LDL way, and I am continuing to loose weight and remain healthy.

After I emailed Roger, I expected him to say “Thanks for all your past help, and good luck to you”. On the contrary, his reply made me tear up. He was extremely understanding, and supportive. This only goes to show what a wonderful man he really is. He has such a loving heart, and is the epitome of what a Christian really is.

I hope you can understand why I did what I did. I truly feel L.D.L is an amazing lifestyle, and I continue to promote it. As I said, I know the Lord guided me to where I am. I do not doubt HIS wisdom. But I did have guilt to the entire L.D.L. family, and Roger. I have felt as if I have let you all down. On the one hand I thought: maybe if I was young enough, and had more time I would have been healthier doing only L.D.L. On the other hand, I say "who am I to question what and why the Lord has done for me"

[snowbirdie]

Tom,
      Praise the Lord Tom. May the good Lord continue to bless you everyday. You know the Lord works in mysterious ways His miracles to perform! Keep up the good work.
                      Judie

[DEBBIEWEBE]

Tom
Good for you buddy.  Whatever it takes we all have the same goal in mind.....better health.  Maybe God sent you that way cause you needed a more direct route to Skinnytown than the skinnytrain....lord knows Im on the scenic route but I am enjoying the ride.  Well now that youve come clean I'd love to hear more about your journey too.  For example what you eat in a day...are you exercising.....are you feeling healthier....are your clothes getting looser by the day?  You've been a rock for us here on the boards.....you deserve the opportunity to do whatever it is you need to that will help you achieve your goals.  I support you 100% and I am thankful you've found something thats working for you Bud!!!
Love and God Bless
Debbie

[niki]

i'm SO happy for you, tom...........i'm with you 100%, too.......niki

[BigBen]

Brother tom, U R A great guy!  U were nice to me a long time a go when I needed U 2 B there.  B here for us all now 2, right?  Do U wanna stomp grapes with me & Joe?

Ben

[niki]

i just HOPE you guys have big enough feet to stomp a LOT of grapes because i'm allergic to sulfites and can't drink wine....but, i CAN drink brandy which is concentrated wine which needs a LOT more grapes....BUT, not to worry...i have a bottle of metaxa(greek brandy)that i have for over 15 years and STILL haven't finished it............

[graceface66]

Hi Tom,
        I am so happy for you. Please continue to post your successes. G-d has a different path for each of us , let's enjoy the journey together ,o.k.?
                                    G-d bless you
                                                  Kris

[robnveronica]

Tom...I'm so glad you've finally brought this out in the open. You had a different path to take! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR PATH!!! It is what GOD has chosen for youi...You're still here supporting us. You're still the fun loving guy we've come to know and love. Maybe God sent you to LDL to be able to make the changes you needed to make to be able to stick with the "Diet plan" that you'd need once you got to a healthy enough point to have the surgery. Just understand that NO ONE HERE WILL JUDGE YOU! We LOVE you too much. Of course RT's response to you was understanding and supportive....that's just the way we are here at LDL!!

Loving you Brother of Another Mother!!
Veronica

[tcasola]

Question: How does one type a response with tears in his eyes?

Answer: It’s not easy!!

I know there is a certain special lady out there who I confided with this a while ago, and she told me to post what I did, is now saying “See. I told ya so!”.

I had doubts, and was afraid to tell you all what I needed to do. I thought I would be ostracized, so I decided not too. I should have realized the Lord brought her (and the rest of you) into my life for a reason. Mostly to be loved, and not to be criticized. The love and support you all continue to give me is too overwhelming. While I feel I don’t deserve it, I will be humble enough to accept it.

Thank you all !! You don’t know how much it means to me.

Love you all !!

Tom

[EnJae]

HaHaHa! Silly Tom. No one here is going to bite your head off! We love you!!!
NJ

[Race Fan]

Dear Tom,

Your postings really touched me ... my heart goes out to you!  How scared you must have been having the surgery and then feeling like you needed to keep it a secret.

You are in my prayers always for health and happiness.

SUPER BIG BEAR HUGS TO YOU,

Dawn
   

[patsyfay]

Tom,
I applaud your decision to help yourself in more ways than just LDL.  We all do that everyday, but we just can't put a name to it like you can.  All of us use the many tools we have to help us toward our goal.  I'm so proud of you.  As for your choice, "Is the pot supposed to say to the potter 'what are you doing'"?  God has a plan for your life and this is part of it. PLease continue to join us on this site and keep us laughing.  You are an inspiration to all of us.
Pat

[Queenie]

TO MY BROTHER OF ANOTHER MOTHER.....

Got me a big lips pursed smirkin' grin on my face, baby brother!!  I hope you've been having your picture taken along this journey.  If not, you should start now!

And so now I've got a bunch of stuff to tell you.....

1.  There is no way you would ever be ostracized.  For crying out loud!!!  You're FAMILY!!  You are you are YOU.  I don't know why you would think that... oh, wait a minute, yes I do.... Because I would probably feel that way.... So let's put the shoe on the other foot for a minute.  If the situation were reversed, would you ostracize ME?  I'm thinkin.... noooooo.... But would I think you would?  Probably.  So...... I'm not 100% sure, but I'm thinking that you've been worried that others might see the banding as "cheating".  Am I right?  Well, get that thought out of your head right now.  Take a look back at your progress from the time you started LDL until a few months ago.  You never came out and said how much you'd lost up till that time, but I can go back and read your progress reports and tell you that it was a lot.  It's not like you tried and failed, so you had the surgery.  And your weight loss SINCE the surgery supports that fact.  So don't make me come up there and slap you!!

2.  Criticism.     Uhhhhhh - See #1 above....  That's not what we're all about here, baby brother..... Have you ever read ANY criticism here?  Helpful suggestions, maybe, but again, that's not what we're all about here on this board.  So don't make me come up there and slap you!!

3.  You've felt like you let us down?   Nahhhh.  Not at all.  This wasn't a cop out - it was a profound struggle!  You've worked hard and CONTINUE to work hard.  How many times have you read on this board about people that have had, not the banding, but the bypass operation - and have gained their weight BACK?  A lot - I know because I've read those posts also.  The surgery was a hand UP, not a hand OUT.  There's a huge difference (no pun intended).  So don't make me come up there and slap you!!

4.  You don't think you deserve the love and support we give you?  Aw, c'mon.... why not?  Let's face it, you're a loveable guy!  You've got a heart the size of Texas and ALWAYS have kind words and support for EVERYONE.... it's only right that you not only receive the same, but possibly more.  You've helped more people on this board than you must realize, methinks.... If my memory serves me, weren't you working TWO jobs when you stepped up to the plate to help with the administration of this board?  Your time was at a premium, and yet you FOUND more time for the board.  This is just one example.... if you need more, I can list them, but I think you get where I'm going with this....  So don't make me come up there and slap you!! 

OK, I've teased you about coming up there and slapping you, so I want to make sure you know that I wasn't teasing you about the rest of that stuff....  You made the decision that was right for YOU, and that's the important thing.  I can safely say that I speak for everyone here when I say that I would rather you have had the surgery and BE HERE next year (and be healthy next year) instead of the very scary alternative.  We really do love you....

Boy, I'm glad THAT'S been cleared up... 

Love,
Carolyn

[patsyfay]

I just want to say "Amen" to everything that Carolyn said!!!

Pat

[niki]

  The surgery was a hand UP, not a hand OUT....There's a huge difference..So don't make me come up there and slap you!!

  EXACTLY right ...and ONE fact or viewpoint that TOM doesn't see..the proof of that are the many people that do lap band WITHOUT success...
  hey carolyn, you're SO violent...you're scarin me.......haha.......niki

ps...to all your greek relatives, Christos aneste(Christ is risen)....i'm working tomorrow but i'm going to my father's where my brother is roasting lamb..i made easter bread and koulourakia....this is going to be ANOTHER feast with his band invited and a jam session in the living room.....alethos aneste(truly, He is risen)..that's the response..................niki 

[Queenie]

ps...to all your greek relatives, Christos aneste(Christ is risen)....i'm working tomorrow but i'm going to my father's where my brother is roasting lamb..i made easter bread and koulourakia....this is going to be ANOTHER feast with his band invited and a jam session in the living room.....alethos aneste(truly, He is risen)..that's the response..................niki 

Ahhhhh - Thanks for the reminder - I'll be sure to send those wishes to them tomorrow.....  at the church I attended in Northern Virginia, the way we said it was, "Christos Voskres!"  (Christ is Risen!) - and then "Voistynu Voskres!" (Indeed He is Risen!)

    hey carolyn, you're SO violent...you're scarin me.......haha.......niki 

:D   hahahahahaha!!  Yeah......  and in real life, I'm a marshmallow! 

  EXACTLY right ...and ONE fact or viewpoint that TOM doesn't see..the proof of that are the many people that do lap band WITHOUT success...
 

See, Tom??  huh?  Huh?  I toldja so!!


Carolyn

[niki]

:D   hahahahahaha!!  Yeah......  and in real life, I'm a marshmallow! 

  me, too..............

[tcasola]

My sister of another mother,

It’s scary how you know your brother too well. You touched upon all my apprehensive feelings, as if you WERE me.

One of my biggest fears were some would have thought that I “took the easy way out” by having the banding operation. And of course that’s not the case. Niki is correct in stating many people who have these operations DO fail. It's a sad reality. Many who have had these operations (banding or bypass), and think it’s going to be a “cure all”. That’s because many think the operations is going to do the “work for them”, and they don’t need to give up their bad habits. But as the doctors and nutritionists’ state, these operations are only a “tool” - and the person still needs work at it by having a sensible eating lifestyle in order to be successful. ...... Didn't I hear that somewhere else?  ... It’s too bad (and sad) that those folks know the wonders of Let’s Do Lunch, and come to find how it can work for them. Even if they DID know about it, I am not sure if they would change.

Case in point: Three weeks ago my friend had the same operation as I did. ALREADY she’s eating .. errr .. tasting: pizza, chocolate, cake, coffee, etc. I don’t judge or comment, because I know it's hard. I just try to remain supportive and guide her. I also pray that eventually the Lord gives her the strength to avoid these pitfalls. She doesn’t understand how I have no cravings for these things, and how I am “so good” to stay on track. I told her it’s because of being in the L.D.L. mindset. For years I’ve tried to get her to try L.D.L, but she hasn’t. Even after seeing how successfully I was on it, and continue to be.

I certainly know that if it wasn’t for L.D.L, and the LOVING support I get from all of youse, I wouldn’t be where I am today. A lot of my “success” (if you want to call it that - I don’t want to sound conceited) IS because of ALL OF YOUSE who have constantly cared enough to help (and support) me through my struggles and pitfalls. I sometimes what to cry because how blessed I am to have all of youse in my life, and also how sad it is that everyone doesn’t have youse in their lives. If they did, this world would be a better place.

Thanks again to you all. I wish we were all on the ranch so I could give you all a hug and a kiss!!

Now please excuse me as I put ice on my face, from all the slapping