I'm really not exciting.

I'm still at 215.x. My 3rd fill was once again ALMOST perfect. If the dr was local I'd pop in for a touch up, but that 7 hour drive round trip definitely talks me out of that. I guess I just need to eat smarter. LOL.

I'm actually pretty damn happy with everything, even though I haven't lost for a while. I eat whatever I want, until I'm full, and I'm down 40 pounds. Hard to complain! I'd have easily gained the 40 back by now any other way, and it has made a HUGE difference in my life. I feel better, look better, clothes fit better, I get around better, etc. Frankly, even if I never lose another pound, the surgery was worth the price! Of course, I am going to lose more. :) I'd actually gained back 5 or so before this last fill, which are all gone now, so I see I'm on the downward trend again.

I can't really eat much texture for breakfast or lunch. I can eat a big ass bowl of cereal, but like biscuits or bacon or something would definitely not happen. Dinner I can generally eat pretty freely, but I puked up my pasta the other night, which was NOT a good time. Don't want to do that again, ever. I didn't even bother trying to eat a hamburger last night. Memory of the pasta still too fresh.

My soccer team seems to not need me anymore, which makes me :(. I need to find a new something to do to count as exercise. I get bored at red lights, so just running on a treadmill or whatever is definitely OUT. Maybe just being out and about in the summer will help, who knows.

No real reason for this post other than the fact that I haven't posted in a long time. :)

I did it!

I did it!!! And it was AWESOME!

I showed up tonight figuring on telling them I'd try it for a few minutes to see how I do. It's a co-ed team and some of those guys are really big and GOOD.

However, it didn't work out that way. They play 4 girls and 4 guys on the field and at game start there were only 4 girls there, including me. So I had to START. EEEK! I played about 25 minutes before someone came and subbed me out.

Out of 80 minutes, I probably ended up playing about 70 of them. Running almost the entire time, up and down up and down. I do NOT run. I have not run in YEARS. Like... 20 of them!! I'm as stubborn and competitive as I am out of shape, though, so I think it all worked out. I didn't do anything remarkably good, but I didn't do anything atrociously bad, either. And I didn't die of a heart attack, have an asthma attack, break a bone, or die. So I consider it a success. LOL

I will DEFINITELY be doing it again! It was soo fun!!! I highly recommend it. There were girls out there (not on my team but on the other) way bigger than me, so that made me feel a little better, too. :)

I'm going to be SORE tomorrow though! LOL

Filled!

Ok whoa, that last fill tapered off in a HURRY! I even managed to gain back 5 pounds. Yikes. Hoping those fall right off. I'm sure that will happen. ;)

She says this fill will be good for about 3 months, so that's mildly encouraging.

They had a new nurse doing the fill. I could have done without her telling him "don't use those needles, always use the bigger one" right in front of me. In fact, I suggested out loud that perhaps they might consider a different language as I was RIGHT THERE HELLO? Anyway, he did get it first poke, so I won't complain about that. Then coming out he dripped a little and got a stern reminder to keep the plunger down so that it all goes in. Wth did I get ripped off? I want my extra drop!!!

Other than the 7 hour drive there and back yesterday, not much to report.

I was down 6lbs on their scale from the last visit 6 weeks earlier. They were happy with my 1lb a week average, I was just pissed about the 5 others I would have been down if I wasn't a cow.

2 months til vacation.
5 months til 20 year reunion.

Anyone know the cut off point for rollercoasters? I feel like I'm close and I really want to take the boys, but I'll be pissed/sad/really just a major bitch if I pay $180 or whatever for the 3 of us to get in and then I can't even ride!

Nothing is exciting. :P

Laura was yelling at me for not updating, but really the reason I'm not updating is because there's nothing to say.

I haven't really lost anything for the last couple weeks - my fill has started to taper off. Some days I can eat quite a bit, other days not as much. Last night I was only able to eat one slice of pizza (not the top crust). Last time we had pizza I had 3. Oops!

I get another fill next Wednesday and although I acknowledge that I need one, I'm super nervous about it. This one was just almost perfect, I hope the next one doesn't put me over the edge. I've basically been able to eat whatever I want, just less of it. I haven't gotten stuck to the point that I can't walk it off, but there have been some pretty intense reminders that I'm banded. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be saying goodbye to much of what I've been eating after this next fill. I haven't had to worry too much about getting enough protein or veggies or whatever yet since I've been able to eat quite a bit. Not sure what will happen after Wednesday.

I sent all my fat clothes off to Goodwill yesterday. Now all I have are my semi-fat clothes, and I don't have very many of them. My closet is looking very very empty. LOL. I have been accumulating more clothes in this size than I anticipated, only because I can shop in the regular sizes now (even though I'm the BIGGEST size in that department). Fun!

I still haven't done any running. I was big on planning that and very low on execution. LOL. I did, however, talk to a guy about playing over 30 soccer, so maybe that will pan out.

In unrelated news, Lauren and Noah tore my van side door right off the track this morning. How, I don't know. But I might kill them seriously. Do not have time to deal with body shop, do not want to deal with body shop, should not have to deal with body shop when my van is only 2 months old. Not happy.

Well...

59 seems easier than 100.

But still a long way to go.

AND, I feel super fat today. This is the smallest I've been since 2003, so I realize it's illogical, but there it is.

And a pic!

Ok so it's a headshot and kinda pointless, but...

Was dinking around with other photographers this weekend so I thought I'd get me a new avatar. Here's a bigger version of it. :)

Can I just get one more freakin pound please?

I feel like I've been reaching for that 40lb mark for 3 months. I know it hasn't been that long, but damn.

I ate a LOT of junk food this week, so I of course have no one to blame for not hitting the mark but myself. =P

In other news, yesterday dh and I went for a walk around the lake and block and I didn't even get winded. It's nice to be omgwillIeverhit 40lbs lighter.

A List

What I've learned / What has changed since surgery.

* Frozen blueberries, which I ate every morning for 4 months last time I did WW, are no longer a viable breakfast option. The hulls and I don't agree on things.

* 1 of the $1.99 margaritas at Don Tequila's is more than enough now.

* I really don't need to try to eat Wheat Thins a 4th time. I get now that they don't go down easily.

* Now that I have a scar on my belly, I can't wear a 2 piece bathing suit. Nevermind, I was never going to do that anyway. I have enough stretch marks to map the Appalachian Mountains.

* I bounce around the same 2 pounds for a week, then go down 1. Then I bounce around those 2 pounds for another week. It's annoying. But at least going down.

* Chicken and french fries, which I was convinced would be a problem, aren't.

* It's almost grilling season and I'm a little upset that I might not be able to eat a hamburger. But happy about the Carribean Jerk Chicken Skewers we always make.

* While this is the easiest time I've had losing weight, I'm not sure I'd call it "the easy way out" or "cheating" as I've heard.

I bought a bike.

What exactly is the weight limit on those cheapie bikes at Wal-Mart. I'm not going to be impressed when I'm sitting on the ground and pieces are flying everywhere while the wheels roll down the street in opposite directions.

I bought a cheapie figuring I could just give it to Lauren when I a) admit I never ride it or b) ride it enough that I decide to get a nice one. I got a fatty recommended seat for it, and a mileage calculator. I live in hilly NE Ohio, so if I could get off my ass and ride, it would be nice and peaceful. Lord knows my life could use some peaceful (my child is currently running around the house singing at the top of his lungs - completely naked).

Now that the scale is finally moving again after that month long LULL, I'm motivated to help it along. I probably should have been motivated to exercise when the scale wasn't moving, to get it going, but I guess I was more of a "why bother, it's not moving anyway" kind of girl. I've got 1.6 pounds go to in order to hit the 40lb mark. 40lbs is the most I've ever lost at once in my life (of course, that also put me at goal - sigh), so that's an obstacle I'm looking forward to overcoming. Next goal, I guess, is to get past the halfway point, and then under 200. I'm 217.6 as of this morning, halfway is 206. So, a ways to go for that one, but then the 199 is right around the corner from that.

Could someone send us some better weather so I can go break my bike? It was sunny and 70s all week, I bought a bike and now it's cold and rainy. Grr.

Hi

Update!

Not really much to update, but I feel like I've been slacking on updating.

This last fill seems to have done the trick appetite wise. I'm SUPER tight in the morning, lucky to even get oatmeal down. By lunch it's a little looser, so I can eat a little more. I can eat quite a bit by dinner, but I'm trying not to freak about that since I hardly ate all day.

The other night we went to dinner and I had 1/4 of my club sandwich and a few fries and had to run to the bathroom because I thought it was coming back up. I ended up just spitting up some saliva and all was well, but man. Of course I was all "that was the coolest thing ever!" and dh was not impressed. It's just nice to know this thing is working, ya know?

I was finally down another pound this morning, thought I'd never get past 219. I've been waffling between 219.4 and 220.4 and 222.6 for the past 3 weeks. This morning I was 218.4. Woo hoo.

And today I'm wearing my previously favorite Tommy Hilfiger crop jeans... except these ones are 2 sizes smaller than the ones I had before! I had to scour eBay, but I finally found the identical ones. Now I can wear them and walk fast at the same time. The other ones would have been on the floor.

Speaking of walking.. yeah. The weather has been a bit nicer around here, so I've been walking up to get Noah from daycare. It's not far or anything, but it's exercise! Yay for good weather.

Now I need to start thinking about that running thing again. ;)

183 days til my 20 year reunion!

Here's the ticker, in case you care.

Hey, this thing works!

Hooray for my 2nd fill!

This morning, I couldn't finish my egg and toast. One egg.

For lunch I had a small chili from Wendys.

For dinner I had about 1c of rigatoni.

I've been full all day, no hunger at all.

Of course, I ate a big handful of chocolate, but we won't talk about that. LOL

Current Ticker

Yeah I'm Running..

in the philosophical sense, or something.

I haven't been back on the treadmill and I suck I know. I did, however, singlehandedly lay a vinyl floor in my kitchen ALONE. And it's a big kitchen. I could barely move for 2 days. That's gotta count for something!!

I got my 2nd fill today, 1 more cc. He said this one will taper off more slowly and to come back in 6 weeks. I hope he's right, I HATE that drive. I am way too ADD to spend 6 hours total driving. I wanted to read a book or something. Not ideal.

A Glitch

When I made my elaborate plans for running on the treadmill, I forgot to take into account the fact that 5 kids live here. Kids that are now on Easter break. Forget going anywhere near the treadmill - or they'll follow and drive me insane.

So I'll be trying again Tuesday. ;)

On the upside(s) - yesterday I wore my size 18 pants all day! Usually I can get them on in the morning but my noon I'm turning blue and have to take them off. I can officially say I wear an 18 now! I even went out yesterday and bought 2 new pair just cuz. They'll have to last til I hit 16s, at which point I will buy 2 more. Or 5.

I went to WW this morning (skipped last week) and was down 4.4lbs. I haven't really been losing on my home scale, just bouncing around the same 2 numbers. So, it was encouraging to realize that I AM losing, just doesn't seem that way when I weigh in twice a day. LOL

Unrelatedly, my daughter is grounded from outside/friends and video games for missing homework assignments. This is more of a punishment for me than her. That is all.

Couch to 5k 1/27

Whew, first one done.

As I really am starting from the couch, I took it easyish. My walking was 3.0 mph and my jogging was a neck-breaking 4.0 mph. But, I ran when it said run, so I feel good about that.

Must.Buy.Sports.Bra.

Distance covered, an amazing 1.2 miles.

Still 2/3 Fat

Just checking in! The loss has been slow (after a hideous 2 week plateau, I'm on the way down again!). I'm actually ok with that considering what I've been eating! I have a little restriction from the first fill, but not nearly enough. I'd say I'm eating about 1/3 what I normally would. Need to cut that down to 1/4th or maybe 1/8th. ;)

The other day I had a salad from Panera and ate about half of it. I used to eat the whole thing AND a sandwich. At the mexican place I ate about 1/3 of my meal, and only about 6 or 8 chips. Big improvement over the entire meal plus 1/2 basket of chips (or more!). As you can see, I'm making healthy choices. LOL. I'm really eating whatever the heck I want, just less of it. Which is why it isn't bothering me that the scale is moving at a snail's pace. The fact that I'm eating whatever I want and still losing is just amazing to me! Once I get to real restriction, I'm going to have to start making better choices, I think. I still need to get my protein in and such, and if I'm having to do that on half the food I'm eating NOW, I might need to be more clever about it. At any rate, no complaints from me! Thrilled with the band so far (5 weeks out!).

In other news, I've always said if I lost this weight, I'd run a marathon. So, it might be time to start getting ready to put my money where my mouth is. I found one in February in Myrtle Beach, I might aim for that one. Considering I can't even WALK for 30 minutes without wishing I was dead, this is going to be quite a feat!!! I poked around the internet and found some different training programs for different stages of the game, and think I have put together a good 45 week training plan (the race is in 48 weeks, I think... this way if I get sick or need to repeat a week of the first part because it gets to hard, I can). I have a feeling all that planning isn't quite enough, though. I might actually have to do the running. Oh well, an excuse to buy expensive shoes is always appreciated.

This week: Week 1 of the Couch to 5k program.

The first 6 weeks it alternates running and walking, slowly building you to all running by week 7. That'll take me to May and by then it'll be perfect Ohio weather for outside running. I look forward to that, so that will be my first short-term goal.

In the meantime, I'll be alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking. And looking for a good sports bra so I don't end up dead.

Stuff and Things

I got my first fill yesterday! 3cc in my 10cc band. The fill was a non-event. I drove for 3.5 hrs each way and was in and out. That was a little more quality time than I wanted to spend with myself in the car, but I expect it will be worth it.

So, yesterday I was on clear liquids, which pretty much sucked. Today I move on to pureed. I was sitting here surfing the web eating a yogurt mindlessly, as fat people like do it, when I realized I was disgustingly full. Like, Thanksgiving full. I look down and I've only eaten 2/3 of the cup. Cool. This might work!

The scale hasn't budged in about a week, but ALL of my size 18 pants now officially fit. Like, without pain or shortness of breath. That's pretty exciting, although they're all hideous. Apparently I've been hanging on to them a little too long. Today I'm off to buy a pair or 2 of cheapie 18 jeans to carry me onto the next size.

I'm hoping my 3 day post-fill diet here will kick start that stall I'm experiencing on the scale.

Next week, Sean starts going to daycare on Tue and Thurs mornings, so I'm going to resist the temptation to spend that time at home alone going "ahhhh" and use it to go to the gym and work out a little. I not only need some exercise because ohmygod am I out of shape, but I need that time to focus on myself without the internet distracting me until all my free time is gone. Plus I like their hot tub better than mine. ;)

WFD 3/6

Nothing new to report, so here's a WFD.

I think I'm going to make baked potatoes with this.

Moist Herbed Pork Chops
Light & Tasty

1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
4 bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 7 ounces each)


In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour 1-1/2 cups into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.

If grilling, coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. Grill pork, covered, over medium heat or broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Yield: 4 servings.

5 WW points per serving
31g protein / 5g carbohydrates

WFD 3/5

I suck at this, don't I?

We are having this Slow Cooker Sirloin from Light and Tasty with mashed potatoes. I'll pick up some dinner rolls for them, but I won't be having one of those. Pre-band I would have made bread, but I'm not strong enough mentally for homemade bread to be in my house at this point. ;)

Slow-Cooked Sirloin
Compliments of Light&Tasty

1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1-1/2 pounds)
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown beef on both sides. Place onion and green pepper in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Top with beef. Combine the broth, Worcestershire sauce, dill, thyme, pepper and pepper flakes; pour over beef. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until meat reaches desired doneness and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Remove beef and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook about 30 minutes longer or until slightly thickened. Return beef to the slow cooker; heat through. Yield: 6 servings.

Uncle

Fat pants back on. Exhaled for first time today. Almost passed out.

Ok. *Wheeze*

They're on. The next size down pants are on. *pant* *wheeze*

I have a muffin top like you've never seen before, and I'm pretty sure no blood flow to my legs, but I'm wearing the next size down.

Technically, these are 16s, but they always fit the same as all of my 18s, so I'm not gonna pretend I'm a 16 when *gasp* *faint* clearly I'm not.

Weight this morning: 222.4

WFD March 3rd

*Edit - Next time I will add some salt and dried parsley to the dumplings*

I actually cooked Tues-Sat last week, which I haven't done in at least a year. I should have posted those WFDs to, but I didn't.

But, here's what we're having tonight. I have a coupon for a free pizza, I might have to use that, because the odds of my kids eating this are slim to none. Normally I just have a "take it or leave it" kind of attitude, but sometimes I feel guilty when I make something I know they won't eat. Not that this is offensive in anyway, they're just assy. ;)

Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Courtesy of Light&Tasty

3 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1-2/3 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
2/3 cup fat-free milk

In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, saute celery and carrots for 5 minutes.
Stir in the broth, poultry seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat;
simmer, uncovered. Add the chicken. For dumplings, combine biscuit mix and
milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering broth. Cover and simmer for 10-15
minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean (do not
lift cover while simmering).

Yield: 6 servings.
6 WW points, for those keeping score.
28g protein / 29g carbs for those keeping the other score.

Incidentally...

Here's the picture my (NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER, CLEARLY) son took right before I lost the first 20lbs at WW. Since then I regained 10 of that, lost it again, and then added 13 to it. So today, I'm 33lbs less than this.

Day 20 Post Op

Wow, 20 days ago already!! It's hard to believe I've been doing these restricted diets for 5 weeks and have really only cheated once or twice, and even then not REALLY, just mildly. In 8 days I get my first fill, and I'm starting to look forward to it, as my appetite is returning with each extra day of healing. Last night I was able to eat about a cup of moo goo gai pan, plus 2 crab rangoons. It was pushing it, though, I was pretty uncomfortable afterward. Not in PAIN, just very aware that I was full. ;)

So, basically, I just want to not gain for the next 8 days. Then I'll get the fill and won't be able to eat nearly as much. Post fill, I'm on 1 day of liquids, 1 day of puree, 1 day of soft, then for the first time since starting pre-op, REGULAR diet. Not sure if I'm excited about that or not. I'm still afraid that I'm doing to do something wrong and make the band fall off. Fear is a great motivator when you're dieting!!!

I hit 223.4 about 3 days ago, then woke up BLOATED as hell the next day and the day after that. This morning I was back to 223.6, so I guess I peed it out yesterday. If I could get to the 210s before my fill I'd be happy as hell, but honestly I'll just be happy not to gain between now and then.

Here's a picture I took the other day of my new honey brown contacts. Now, granted, this is taken at the best possible angle for face fat, but even looking dead on in the mirror I notice fewer chins already. Woo hoo!

WFD Feb 28th

Figured I'd post this as this is the first time in months I've cooked 3 days in a row. Old standby recipe we've been having for years. We actually haven't had it in a while because it no longer made enough to feed the 7 of us, but now that I can only eat 1/3 of one, I think it'll be ok again.

7 points per enchilada without the sour cream, in case you wondered. :)

Enjoy!

Fiesta Enchiladas

8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
2 c tomato juice
1½ c shredded iceberg lettuce
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 c seeded, chopped tomato
1/2 lb ground chuck
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 16oz can fat free refried beans
2 c low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Combine tomato juice, oil and seasoning mix. Stir well. Brown ground chuck in skillet; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup tomato juice mixture and beans. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until heated. Stir occasionally; remove from heat. Place about 1/4 cup meat mixture and 2½ tbs cheese down center of tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam down in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over casserole. Cover and bake for 35 minutes or until heated. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle lettuce, tomato and avocado over enchiladas; serve with sour cream.

Day Whatever it is.

16 post op?

No real update, just feel like I'm not being a good blogger.

I'm onto the "soft" foods now, which is mostly just anything that isn't crunchy. I'm still eating mostly the same lunches because I'm not that creative. But, for breakfast I have been having an egg and a slice of whole wheat toast. That first piece of toast after no bread for weeks was like a party. The funny thing is, the ONE egg and ONE toast fills me up for like 3 hours. I used to be eat 2 eggs and 2 toast and then was like "k where's the rest of breakfast?"

Then I have dinner with the family, which is another something I haven't really done for a month! I still ate at the same time, but I had my salad, or soup broth, or whatever thing I was allowed at the time. Last night I made a delicious pork tenderloin from The Biggest Loser cookbook (recipe below), roasted red potatoes and green beans. I had 2 slices of the pork, half a potato and about 8 beans and was almost TOO full.

I feel pretty lucky that I'm still filling up this easily as I haven't yet had a fill (March 11th!), so at this point, my band is empty. Yay that I'm still getting restriction from it. I probably won't even really NEED a fill if it stays this tight, so we'll see. I haven't had anything get stuck, but I've been super careful. The fear of it slipping/falling off/eroding/etc is a good motivator to stick to my diet. ;)

Tomorrow I guess I will start my exercise regime. Blah. :)

Weight this morning: 224.6
Pounds to go: 4,000


Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground chipolte chile pepper
1 pork tenderloin (1.25 lbs) trimmed of visible fat
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp minced garlic
1.5 tsp hot-pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly mist a small roasting pan or oven proof skillet with olive oil spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, and chipolte chile pepper. Rub the pork evenly with the olive oil. Then rub evenly with the spice mixture until coated. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a sm. bowl, combine honey, garlic, and hot pepper sauce. Whisk to mix. Set aside.

Set a lg nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot enought for a spritz of water to sizzle on it. With an oven mitt, briefly remove the pan from the heat to lightly mist with olive oil spray. Place the pork in the pan. Cook for 1 minute per side, or until browned on all sides. Transfer to the prepared pan. With a basting brush, evenly coat the pork with the reserved honey mixture.

Roast the tenderloin in the oven for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a thermonmeter inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven. Cover the pork loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Holding a knife at a 45 degree angle, cut into thin slices. Serve immediately.

The Tale of the Jeans

One would think hope pray that after one has lost 30 pounds, one could go down a size in jeans.

As my lovely size 20s are getting rather baggy, and the crotch is drooping seemingly to my knees, I thought perhaps my time had come. I went to the "maybe someday I'll get back into these" shelf of the closet (C has one too, hee hee!). I found 2 or 12 pairs of 18s just there waiting for me.

Grabbed the top pair - jeans as it were, and tried them on. Got them pulled up, with a little wiggling. Got them buttoned with a lot more, and some gasping and I think I pulled a muscle in my arm. But, they were buttoned! As long as I didn't inhale. Or exhale. Or have a pulse. Now to zip... The zipper got stuck halfway up. I pulled and pulled and nada. Finally decided to give up and take them off. Imagine my horror when the zipper wouldn't go DOWN, either.

So, uh, I think I'll stick to the 20s for another 5 or 40 pounds.

225.8 this morning. Slug Slug Slug. Can't wait for that first fill in 2 weeks!

Day 10 Post Op

Puree continues. Did I ever explain exactly what I'm allowed to eat? It ain't pretty, but it's better than just Medifast, so I'm trying not to complain. Basically, I can have anything with no texture whatsoever. I'm eating a lot of Cream of Wheat and instant Oatmeal (have to blend that one). I can't finish the whole package of either. For breakfast I usually have a Medifast Latte or Cappucino, then the oatmeal for lunch or dinner. I'm also eating a LOT of soup. Luckily, I love soup! I've even been eating the Cambell's fat free cream soups. I thought those were only for using in recipes. ;)

Tuesday I start on "mushy" foods. So I can start having a little pasta, meat, etc. For breakfast I get to have an egg and a piece of toast, and I'm damn near about to cry just thinking about it!

Of course, my fear is, once I start back on real-ish food, I will either stop losing, or gain some back, at least until I go for the first fill (2.5 more weeks). Hate to do that now that I'm rolling along so nicely!

My original goal was to be in the 100s for our beach trip in late July. Wasn't sure if that was possible from the 240s, but now that I'm in the 220s, maybe! Looks possible now. Maybe I should aim higher? ;)

Keep on Rockin!

Today's weight: 227.0

If only it would keep going down this fast. I have one more week of pureed food, and I suspect when I move to mushy, it'll either slow or rebound.

Well HELLO!

** 228.4 **

Good riddance to the 230s, and to the 70+ being left to go!

68 seems so much more doable than 96.

Life on the Flip Side

Yesterday was my first "dining out" experience post band. A little scary, definitely, especially since I'm still on pureed foods!

It was my oldest's birthday, and he chose the mexican place.

The chips were tempting, I really wanted those, but I refrained.

I ended up eating the refried beans off of his plate, and I ordered a cup of soup and just ate the broth. I was totally full and satisfied. Wouldn't have minded a bite of that pollo loco, but in time.

When we came home we had dessert, which was even more scary! I had to wait a couple hours because I was still full from dinner, but I ended up having a tiny sliver of cheesecake (not the crust or topping) and about 1/3 scoop of ice cream. Filled me right up! Love it!

Pre-band I'm pretty sure we would have finished that cheesecake right off. ;)

4 Days Post Op

I guess you could say it's getting a little better each day. I haven't been doing much of anything, other than occasionally chasing Sean around, but that's a challenge in itself. Yesterday I had some whopper shoulder/gas pain. Worse than the surgery, really. Hope that's behind me. (Oh that was funny... get it? gas/behind me? I'm so hilarious)

Today I plan to take it super easy and hopefully by tomorrow I'll be getting around like normal. Yesterday I walked on the treadmill for 2 minutes, realized it was making a strange sound, and then spent 5 minutes crouched down trying to fish all the toys out from under the belt. By then I was sore and tired.

Down 1 more today to 230.4, a weight I saw the first week of the preop diet before my 7 pound regain. Hopefully this is the last time I'll see it, I'm ready for the 220s, for the first time in probably about 4 years.

As of Today

This includes the WW weight I lost before Thanksgiving, but I'm still pretty stinkin' happy about that 25. :)

About my band.

I have the new(er) Allergan AP Bands, 10cc. Here's what I've dug up about this band.


Allergan/Inamed has a new band in the US called the AP band.
AP stands for Advanced Platform.

There are a couple of differences in this band and the previous ones:

1. Cuff - the cuff on the AP band is 360 degrees around, as opposed to about 300 degrees on the prior bands (there was no cuff around the buckle on the old ones)
2. Cuff length - the cuff on the AP band is 18mm longer/taller than on the previous bands, so the surface area in contact with the stomach is much greater, hopefully increasing the speed of weight loss and maybe reducing the risk of slips
3. Cuff volume - the AP small holds 10cc, the AP large holds 14cc
Note that we do not believe that AP patients will lose MORE weight, just possibly faster. So those of you with the older models, it would definitely not be to your benefit to think about having your band swapped out!
· They are either APS (small, 10cc) or APL (large, 14cc).
· They are considered by some to be "the next generation in AGBs".
· They are considered less likely to cause blockage or obstruction than other AGP types.
· They are considered less likely to slip than other AGP types.
· They are considered to be less likely to cause band erosion than other AGP types.
· Like the VG band it is "Omniform" technology - i.e. the balloon has ribs or baffles and the band itself is curved.
· The AP has more of a 360 inflation around the stomach as opposed to the 10cm or 9.75cm (4cc) bands, which have more like 260 or 280 degrees inflation (the rest being the buckle), and the VG which has more like 280 or 300. It is understood that this was simply an upgrade to the existing band to make it easier and less traumatic to remove.
· The silicone material is much softer than other AGP types.
· They are more concentric (rounded) when inflated than other AGB types.
· The balloon is pleated to 'grip' the stomach better.
· The balloon goes all the way around the inner surface of the band, rather than missing a piece at the locking mechanism.
· The balloon is wider.
· They have an easier release mechanism to remove the band if need be.
· They have the locking mechanism isolated from the stomach.
· AP type bands have been FDA approved for the US, but will not be available until the summer at the earliest.
· We understand that there are NO plans at this time to discontinue any of the bands Allergan already makes. They still plan to manufacture and offer the 10cm and the 9.75cm (the 4cc) bands as well as the VG band.

The Road to Recovery

Is a bit bumpy, but not intolerable. I'm having trouble sleeping, but that's only because I'm a tummy sleeper, and at this point, that is totally out of the question.

I'm mostly just taking my pain meds and lounging around in my PJs, which is not such a bad life.

I've only eaten a tiny tiny bit since the surgery, at this point I'm just trying to keep hydrated because I'm not hungry at all. Yesterday I had about 1/3 cup of soup broth, 4 bites of yogurt, and half a bowl of cream of wheat. We were out of milk, so that wasn't the best. Haha.

This morning I'm having one of my Medifast Chai Lattes. I can't have caffeine, so it was this or decaf. Figured this was much better for me. :)

Every day is a little better than the rest, so I expect to be bouncing around in a couple days. As soon as Sean goes for his nap, I'm going to curl up with my book and start trying to get it read in time for the book club meeting for a change.

Just FYI

Carb & Sugar control yogurt tastes like ass.

Or at least what I'd imagine ass would taste like, as I haven't actually had any.

I lived!

I'm here in my hotel room, newly banded!

I went in yesterday - my surgery was scheduled for 10, but the dr was running quite a bit behind, so I didn't get done til around noon.

He told my husband the surgery was "extremely routine" and that everything went well.

When I woke up I was pretty sore, but felt ok. They were getting ready to get me up and moving so I could be released, but when they gave me the pain meds, it really knocked me on my ass. I ended up not getting out til almost 7. Got back to the hotel, still very uncomfortable, couldn't find a good position in bed, and really wanted to kick myself for getting surgery. This morning, though, I'm feeling MUCH better. Like a totally different person from yesterday. Whew.

I've only been taking 1/3 dose of the pain meds, because I do NOT want to go through what I went through yesterday again EVER. 1/3 seems to be plenty for me, so I'm going with it.

My husband is here in the hotel with me, he's going to do a couple hours of work while I lounge around in bed with my laptop, then we are going to make the 3 hour trek home in crappy weather.

Sunday before surgery!

I leave tomorrow! Hopefully my sister shows up tomorrow to babysit, otherwise this might get unfun.

I think to make myself feel better, and to make it look more dramatic, I'm going to use my starting WW weight at my "start" rather than where I was when I decided on surgery. I worked hard for those 20 lbs, and then hard again to re-lose them. Haha.

Soooo, my new starting weight: 256

Today I was 234.4, which was up a bit from yesterday, and still 4 pounds of my water/rebound/god punishing me for eating one shitty slice of pizza. But, still down almost 22 pounds from where I started, which is a good good thing.

May or may not post tomorrow, so if not... See you on the flip side!

Sheri Said So

Sheri said if I just make a to do list, I'll be able to stay on task. I don't think she appreciates the severity of my ADD. I'll be putting laundry away and then see dust on the baseboard, so I'll reach over the get it, then I'll realize how badly the baseboards need painted. And if I'm going to paint the baseboards, I might as well paint the walls to, so I better get started on taking down that wallpaper. You see where I'm going.

But, I do as I'm told, so I'll try!

Kitchen:
Check lazy susan cans for expireds and organize
Organize food cupboards
Clean top oven
wipe down front and top of stove
scrub sink
clear top of microwave
wipe down bench
organize closet shelves
vacuum inside closet

Living Room
Take stickers off armoire
Empty armoire drawers into appropriate places
Empty 2nd coffee table drawer into appropriate places
Empty end table drawer into appropriate places
Move couch and vacuum under
Windows

Den
Desks
Floor
Vacuum
Fill water jugs

Our Room:
Laundry away
wash bedding
clear dresser
vacuum
take shirts to cleaner

Sean's Room
Organize closet
Vacuum

Other Kids Rooms
Just DO something.

Basement
reassemble
organize tall shelf
organize all toy bins
vacuum
dust
Move couch and clean/vacuum under
take off couch cushions and clean/vacuum under

Laundry room
put all laundry away
throw away empty detergent bottles
sort laundry
vacuum

Scrap Room
clear off desk
clear off printer
vacuum

Kids Bathroom
Laundry down chute
Counter/Sinks
Tub
Toilet

Run to Target and GNC for post-op stuffs

There, that should only take the rest of my life.

No, I haven't fallen off the wagon..

or the earth, or the turnip truck.

Everything is chugging along. I re-found my diuretic weight one day when I was up 7lbs overnight (WTF?). I'm back down 2 of those. Of course, that makes my whopping grand total 4lbs in the last 10 days which hardly seems fair as I'm only eating 700 calories a day. But, whatever. I see the light at the end of the tunnel now, with surgery being on Tuesday. Just 3 more days of assy Medifast soup to go! I've grown so weary of most of the flavors that I have, that today I only did the shakes and chai. I even bought MORE chai. Need to get some of the cocoa, and see how that is. It has enough protein to fill me up, so I'm not hungry, but it's nice to chew once in a while, too.

We will head down to Cincy on Monday. Hopefully just the 2 of us, but if my sister doesn't show up, it might just be all 7. That could suck a lot. LOL

Day 7 and 7 Days to Go

Well, here we are! This is the start of day 7 of my pre-op diet. Also, it's 7 days until surgery! In 7 days and 13 minutes, I'll be arriving at the hospital. Yikes! I've wanted to do this for over a year, but now that I started the ball rolling, it happened FAST!

But, that's good. I have plenty of reasons to lose this weight sooner rather than later.

Anywayyyy...

Yesterday I had a late breakfast and first snack, then I got busy doing such important things as scrapbooking and getting a pedicure, and didn't eat again until 5. As I'm supposed to have 6 "meals" a day, you can see I wasn't going to make it.

For dinner we ordered pizza, and I had my green salad. When we finished dinner, I was only at 460 calories for the day. I thought about whether I should have another MF chai, or a piece of pizza. I decided to have the pizza, which still left me at only 690 calories for the day. But, I gotta say, it really wasn't worth it. It wasn't that good and I felt guilty even so. Now if it had extra cheese, green pepper and mushrooms, it would have been worth it. ;)

I was down 1.2 pounds this morning at 230.2. SO CLOSE! Was hoping to see those 220s this morning. But, I can hardly complain about the 9 pounds I lost in 6 days!

See you tomorrow! I might walk 100 miles to get below 230. Or 10 feet, which is probably as far as I'll make it.

Day 6 begins!

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a big fat cheater. Instead of my 6 MF meals, I've been eating 5 and then 1 salad (with no croutons or tomatoes, or anything else carby). This is an actual Medifast plan called the 5 and 1, it's just not the one I am SUPPOSED to be following.

Having said all that...

Last night I wasn't hungry in the evening, so I didn't eat my bar. Since that accounts for 170 of my daily calories, I ended up only eating 570 for the day. Holy smokes! I'd have NEVER thought I could survive on 570 calories! That's like 12 points if you're doing WW. I wasn't hungry, and I was actually quite perky. Crazy!

This morning I was down 2 pounds. Woo hoo!

Today's Weight: 231.4
Total Lost: 8

Not bad for 5 days work. Wish I could lose that every 5 days. lol

25 weeks til our beach vacation. My goal is to be out of the 200s by then. And in shape. ;) I'd love to take an early morning run or 2 along the beach, but I'd be happy with not getting winded climbing over the dune to get to it.

Weight Loss Blinkies to share!

Special thanks to Atomic Cupcake for the label generator. :)

I'll make more next time I get bored, this was as many as my ADD could handle at one sitting.





























Are you blind yet?

Am I Dying?

Day 3 weigh in: 233.4
Down 5.8 for those of you who are keeping track.

I know what they're doing wrong on The Biggest Loser when they only lose a pound.

Less eating and exercise, more Medifast and diuretic.

My bp seems to be almost normal, too. Last night I got a reading of 130/97. That bottom number hasn't been under 100 in a long long time.

Friday

Snow (Ice, really) day today. Good thing Sean woke up at 6:30 anyway. Grr.

Weight this morning: 235.2
Down 4

Hmm. ;)

Fine. I admit it.

I suck. I have been starving since last night! My whopping 700 calories yesterday, I suspect.

Tonight instead of my Medifast meal I ate a side salad. Turkey, lettuce and italian dressing spritzer. I think it was all of 50 calories TOTAL, but holy crap do I feel better.

Also, all I freakin do is pee. LOL

Day 2/13

I didn't die during the night! ;) Thought I might for a while there, been a long time since I've gone to bed hungry. Or even BEEN hungry.

Scale this morning: 237.4

So, down 1.8 since yesterday. I could keep that pace for a while and not complain!

Soup Follow Up

Had the chicken and wild rice soup this evening... I'm a fan! I would definitely order that again. :)

Wish it were 11.5x bigger and chunkier, though.

Medifast - Day 1

In preparation for surgery, I have been put on a 2 week Medifast diet. The idea is to shrink the liver before surgery. Probably just giving up wine for 2 weeks would make my liver shrivel up and die, but they say I gotta do this.

I feel like I'm getting away with something as I'm really only going to be doing Medifast for 12 days rather than 14. I don't think I'll miss those extra 2 days, let me tell you.

FYI - The shakes are total ass. The oatmeal smells like death, but I guess is edible. The beef stew wasn't bad.

For the most part, the day has gone ok. Now that it's 5:50, though, I'm starving and might eat my desk. I get one more meal and one more snack. That will be a package of soup and a bar.

Oh, also, they put me on a diuretic for my outrageously high blood pressure. Between the peeing and the total lack of food, I damn well better lose some weight this week!

Starting weight on my scale (which I'll use as I have access to it more, rather than the dr's scale that is 3.5 hours away. Plus, I'm several pounds heavier on his!) this morning: 239.2

I need to lose just under 80 pounds. 90 would be even better. I'd be over the moon with 50.

Holla.

First Post!

I'm writing this fully fat. My hope is that I will never weigh THIS much again. My surgery is scheduled for Feb 12th.