I hate exercise!

So, I just power walked on the treadmill for a whole 20 minutes....that is quite the accomplishment for me...since I never exercise.

How do you guys motivate yourselves to keep exercising every day? Do you like to exercise?

I have signed up for a 'Zumba' class that starts on January 12th. Melissa from Rockin with the Band convinced me to sign up for the class with her...have you Zumba'd before?

Product Review - DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portion Control Pizzas

New food find everyone!!!! Check out these new frozen pizzas from DiGiorno.

I tried the "Chicken with Peppers & Onions"...yummy and crispy (not doughy at all) Click HERE for the nutritional info -- 200 calories, 11 g of protein!

Here's what it looks like straight from the oven (not microwave) and sliced in 4 pieces (oops, I took a bite too). Perfect bandster size portions!

I found it on sale at Fred Meyer/Kroger for 2 for $5 (2 pizzas per box)

Merry Christmas & Weigh-in Day!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I hope you are all enjoying your holidays with family and friends.

Today is weigh-in day and I lost 3.5 lbs this past week! yay!

So I have hit and passed by my 40 lbs by Christmas goal and have lost a total of 42.5 lbs total!!!!

2 month Bandiversary!

Today is my 2 month bandiversary! To all you pre-ops and recent ops, every day does get easier! keep on keeping on!

The Mysterious Fill!

So, my fill finally kicked in...THANK GOODNESS. I cancelled my fill appt on Monday.

I have good restriction and I'm back on track with much better food choices today. My eating shenanigans of last night will show up on the scale soon enough...oh well...

So today was weigh in day and I'm down another 2.3lbs for a grand total of 39.3 lbs lost. yay!

My goal is to lose 40lbs by Christmas....I bet I can do it! :)

I'm a HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO!

I feel like my journey is little different than most of you bandsters....in regards to restriction that is....

I had GREAT restriction post op, I even passed up my first fill appt at 4 weeks as I just didn't need it. I had good restriction up until Tues AM. This is when my 2nd fill went wrong, VERY Wrong. I've been more HUNGRY than ever since, I wish I could go back in time and passed up that fill.

So I called the NP at my surgeons practice and she can fit me in on Monday 9AM for another fill. I am hoping for the best!

PS: eating has been bad today....1/2 a donut...8 saltines... *tsk* *tsk*

Do you know BandedWendy?

BandedWendy over on youtube is a fellow bandster who's 9+ months post op.

I highly recommend you check out her vlogs. She has lots of great info for all us bandsters!

Go see Banded Wendy!

PS: this fill still sucks! Starving! WTF!

What fill?

Just a quick post between leaving work and heading off to lapband support group tonight...

I got my 2nd fill today. .7cc for a grand total of 5.7cc in my 10cc band. Onwards to 24hrs liquids!

For about an hour after the fill I could feel good restriction. Then out of nowhere....I was hungry. Not just a little hungry, but more hungry than I have been since before surgery! whoa! What's up with that?

33% of excess weight...GONE!

I just realized today that I have officially lost 33% (1/3!) of my excess body weight...! I'm not yet 2 months post-op.

According to the Lap Band/Allergan company folks: good results are considered to be losing approximately 50% of excess body weight by 1 year post op....

I guess I am on the right track...

I Heart Taco Bell!

Have I ever told you how much I love Taco Bell?

It's cheap, tasty, and easy to find out the nutrition facts on their website HERE

Here's my usual order. I take it home or to work and mix it up in a bowl:

Chicken Soft Taco (minus tortilla)

Pintos n' cheese (minus red sauce)

Calories: 260

Fat: 13

Protein: 19

Price: $1.78

Open: 9am-4am

LOVE IT! I eat there about once or twice a week.

Weigh-In Day!

37lbs Down!

How Much Weight Have You Lost?

It's all about perspective! (stole this idea from the lapband forum at obesityhelp.com)
Your weight loss =

1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11½!)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’ 4½!)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony

For example, a loss of 128 pounds means you’ve lost almost a newborn giraffe, or:
(10) dozen large eggs
(4) dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
(2) Chihuahuas
(2) Guinea pigs
(1) elephant penis
(1) average 2-year-old
(1) human head
(1) rack baby back ribs

My weigh-in is tomorrow....here's hoping for a a mid-size microwave! LOL

Hello Restriction!

So I had my first 1 cc fill last Thursday and honestly I didn't feel any different...I could still eat 1.5 cups of food at each meal no problem and snacks too.

Fast forward to Sunday mid day when the restriction began....whoa...I feel like I did about 2 weeks post op. VERY restricted....and loving it.

Could it be due to this head cold? or maybe due to "Aunt Flo" visiting? or maybe the fill finally kicked in? hmmmmm....very mysterious.

Any ideas???

PS: I love this post/video, way to go Amy! Check it out :)

NSV from the trip to Disney World

I forgot to tell you guys....

Since I live in a small town, every time I fly my trip begins in a small commuter airplane...usually the CRJ700. It looks like this:

Anyways, when I flew in mid September, I noticed that the seat belt JUST fit around me at the biggest it would get (no extra bit of seat belt to pull tight). What a reality check!

So when I flew last week, I had about 4-5 inches of extra inches of seat belt to pull tight! wow!

Who knows...if I hadn't had lapband surgery in October...would I require a seat belt extender on my next trip?

Weigh in Day!

Today's weigh in: I am down 2.8lbs since last weigh in 2 weeks ago. Total of 33.9lbs lost! Yay!

First Fill and a Confession!

I got my first fill today. It turns out that I had 4 cc from surgery and I got 1cc today, for a total of 5cc. At about 7 weeks out from surgery, that sounds about right.

I was surprised that:

-- it didn't hurt

-- the NP hit my port on the first try

-- my next fill is scheduled for Dec 15....just 12 days away!

Ok, now my confession...I am having a tough time getting into the exercise routine....I have a brand new treadmill that I should be using but I just can't seem to get in gear. I get home from work in the evenings and just want to sit on the couch and watch TV. I admitted this to the NP today at my fill appt. So she gave me this prescription:

Enough Said.....

50 followers!

A BIG Hello to all my faithful followers!

Today I have 50 official followers! You guys are great, always commenting and giving me support. Let's see if I can get up to 100 followers....think it will happen? hope so!

Here's a funny for you guys:

Back from Thanksgiving travels...and a face comparison

I've just returned from a 5-day trip to visit family and Disney World. The good news is that I made (mostly) wise food choices in airports, on the plane, at restaurants, in the theme parks, etc. I weigh in on Friday, so we will have to see how I've been doing. Luckily there was lots of walking around at the parks which helped burn those calories!

So, here's a photo comparison for you....can you see a difference?

July '09

November '09

The BIG Three-Oh!

Today was my one month surgiversary and weigh in day!

I have officially lost 30.3 lbs since I began my journey at the end of September with the pre-op diet. Yay!

Funny on a Thursday

PS: It's weigh in day tomorrow!!

Support Group was great last night!

I attended my surgeon's once month support group for bandsters last night. The Nurse Practioner who does most of the fills at my surgeon's office attended too. So we got to ask her all kinds of questions!

Since I still haven't had my first fill, it was interesting to learn that the average cc's in the lap band patients that she see's at the time of their first fill is 4 to 5 cc's. This is before they put in the first fill....doesn't this seem like a lot? It does to me. hmmm...



PS: I am two days out from my one month surgiversary!!

No fill today and now on Soft Foods!

I had my 4 week follow up appt at the surgeons office today and was supposed to get my first fill.

Well, since I am never hungry (don't hate me) and losing weight at an appropriate pace, it was decided that I didn't need a fill. So, we will try again in 2 weeks on Dec 3.

Today also began my transition to soft foods! yay! I am enjoying a turkey and cheese roll up as I type this...and chewing chewing chewing!

First time eating out after banding!

So I have officially tackled something I was a bit scared about doing...eating out after being banded. What would I eat?

We ended up going to a seafood place, called McGraths. It's a little like Red Lobster, but way tastier. Anyways, since I am still on mushies, I ordered a side of cottage cheese and had 1/4 of a mashed red potato from a friends plate.

So, the waiter brings my cottage cheese, it's about 2 cups of cottage cheese! Whoa!

I ate about 1/3 of a cup of the cottage cheese and the mashed potato and that was about it. It turned out to be a pretty successful trip out to eat!

I am looking forward to my 4 week follow up appt with my surgeon on Tues and maybe I will get a fill....we'll see!

Weigh in Day!

Drumroll please...............

I lost 1.6lbs this past week. Yay! I'll take it!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Food Dreams

I have been having the craziest dreams lately...ALL ABOUT FOOD! Last night was Indian curries and Naan bread. The night before was ice cream....every night another yummy food dream. I just eat all this tasty food in my dreams.

I researched this a little today and it turns out that this is also a common phenomenon for those folks going through rehab for drugs/alcohol. Except they have dreams about using, drinking, etc. From what I could tell from my findings, this is pretty much par for the course...this food addiction is tough....

Will these food dreams stop happening once I start on soft foods?

Tomorrow's my weigh in day...here's hoping for a successful weigh in!

3 weeks post op

I am officially 3 weeks post op today. I'm just wondering when the infamous "bandster hell" is supposed to begin? I am definitely not hungry....ever.

For those of you who don't know what "bandster hell" is = once you are healed from surgery and don't have much restriction (before your first and sometimes second fill) and can pretty much eat everything in sight. This is when one's will power is especially tested a lot for most bandsters.

I have my first fill scheduled for one week from today on the 17th...I wonder if I will need it. I'll have to see how things go over the next week....

Other than that, I am feeling great and taking it one day at a time.

Calorie Counts are key

I had been struggling with getting enough calories for about 2 weeks post op...usually about 500-600 calories. However now I can get up to about 900-1000 each day (yes, I write down all that I eat/drink). All of a sudden the scale is moving downward much more quickly...hmmm....those extra calories really make a difference.

How about you bandsters...how many calories each day do you eat? What works for you?

PS: I always aim for 70 grams of protein each day....it's getting easier every day.

25 Pounds Down and a NSV!

Today was my weigh in day and I have officially lost 25 lbs!! I am very happy with that number. It's pretty good progress for 8 weeks out (since I started the pre-op diet). The jeans and work pants are getting loose too.

Also, my first NSV....two separate people today (who don't know about my band) asked if I have lost weight. People are starting to notice.....yay!

By the way, my BMI is now 39.5, so I am no longer "morbidly obese"...but rather "very obese". I'll take it!

A Funny on a Thursday

I am feeling better each and every day. yay! I had a bit of a rough start.

Anyways, tomorrow is my weigh in day....we will have to see how the start of the mushies has affected things...I will be sure to post a full update tomorrow.

Lastly, here's the promised funny for all of you...May 2008...me almost falling off a camel in Cairo, Egypt. LOL!

Let the Mushies begin!

I begin my mushies stage today! yay!

I have so many ideas...tuna salad, egg salad, mashed potatoes!!

Best of all, cottage cheese!

Food Porn?

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I'm feeling so much better these days. I think I really turned the corner on pain and feeling queezzy around day 9. So all you recent post ops out there, I promise, it does get better! :)

I am still doing the full liquid diet until Tuesday, then I start on Mushies...Cottage cheese here I come! Any other ideas/recipes for the mushies stage you can share with me?

Before being banded, I would avoid watching cooking TV shows (food porn) because they would make me hungry (head hunger of course), but now I LOVE to watch any and all TV cooking shows....especially the food network. Why is this? Perhaps if I can't eat it, at least I can watch it? hmmm....I'll have to think about this issue an figure it out more.

Here's a late Halloween photo of my kitty!

Back to Work!

8th Day Post Op

I went back to work today...and had a follow up appt with the surgeon.

I'm still struggling with getting enough calories and grams of protein....I can only tolerate about 1 or 2 protein shakes a day, 2 or 3 yogurts, and 1 soup. I am also sometimes queezzy/nauseous.

When I told my surgeon about this he said that during surgery he primed the band a bit more than usual and made it more "plushy" (his word, not mine) so that could explain my queezziness/nauseousness and not being able to eat as much. So I must be a bit overfull in my band. Either way, I have my first fill scheduled for 11/17. We will see if I even need it.

PS: I officially have lost 22 lbs!!!

Medical ID Bracelet Debate

6 day post op and feeling better....

I have seen quite a lot of debate over at lapbandtalk.com about whether gastric banders should have a medical ID bracelet or other jewelry that identifies a medical concern to professional medical personnel such as EMTs, ER DRs, etc.

Hmmm...what do you think?

Here's my bracelet (sterling silver):

Recipe Time!

Hey everyone,

I have an awesome recipe for you that counts towards my surgeon's full liquid diet (pre-op and post-op)...It's Vanilla Egg Custard!

I found it in one of my fave WLS books: Before and After, Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery Book. The book is more geared towards the RNY'ers, but still lots of great info!

These custards taste just like creme brulee, except with out the sugary crunchy topping....yum!

110 calories; 9 grams protein per 1/2 cup serving

~Vanilla Egg Custard~

4 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt
1 can evaporated low fat milk
1 cup skim milk
½ cup Splenda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 6 custard cups or ramekins in a large roasting pan and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, evaporated milk, Splenda, vanilla, and salt. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Divide evenly among the custard cups and grate a generous amount of nutmeg over each one. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, until the custard are just set in the center. Carefully remove the custards from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve chilled.

Click here (scroll down a bit on that page) for more details on the book and website!

Struggling on a Saturday...

Day 4 post op....

The symptoms/feelings have changed since day of surgery...the Queezies/Nausea came back today (from day post op day 1)...I notice that if I lay down, the nausea is stronger...and therefore have tried remained upright most of the day...anyone else have this nausea issue too?

The post op full liquid diet indicates that I must have 1200 calories and 50-70 grams of protein... That's a joke. I can barely get in 500 calories and about 45 grams protein....ugh...I will keep trying...

Here's a photo of my kitty Pemberley helping me rest yesterday. I hope to be in a better mood tomorrow...

Day 3 Post Op...

Feeling a bit better today...still on the liquid Loratab. I had one of the Alpine Punch Isopures 8oz for breakfast. That after taste is crazy wicked!! I had to brush my teeth after...ick.

The hospital gave me a "Bari Buddy" stuffed bear for coughing. It helps a lot. He has a very very hard body so when I need to cough, I place him against my tummy which makes things feel better.

Thanks for all your kind comments of encouragement and positive thoughts! You guys are great!

Post Op Day 2!

Got back from the hospital yesterday afternoon....stayed one night in the hospital. Wow, you guys who do the outpatient thing, you rock...I was lovin the morphine too much to leave LOL.

Here's a pic of my surgery scars...(Girls Gone Wild Plus Sized Edition!)

I'm doing lots of sippin, walkin, sleepin, medicatin, and repeatin'.

I will add my surgery story soon.

Surgery in the morning!

Excited, nervous, happy, etc! I will post soon as I can when I get back from the hospital!

What I've been eating this past week

Hello to all my new Followers!

Today is officially day 6 of the pre-op full liquid diet. Here's what I've been eating this week:

From left to right: Torani Sugar Free Syrup, The Magic Bullet blender (luv it! Key item for making those protein shakes!!), Yoplait Sugar Free Fat free Yogurts, Unjury Protein Powders (chocolate, vanilla, unflavored), and soups.

2 more sleeps until surgery!

PS: Thanks to all who have given me tips on their inspirations/motivations in their weightloss journeys!

Where do you get inspiration and motivation from?

Hello to all my new followers!

I have been checking out your blogs -- your tips and info are great for a newbie like me. I also get a lot of motivation and am inspired by your losses on the scale.

Today I saw this commercial on TV....Very inspirational!

Where do you get your inspiration and motivation from to keep yourself on track for exercise and eating correctly??

Wobbly Jello Legs...!

I had my second fitness appointment with Mike from my surgeon's office. Mike provides the exercise education and working out part of the weight loss journey.

Today was a rough workout for my poor flabby body. I am sooooooo out of shape! I will hurt tomorrow...but it will a good hurt. One day I will be super fit and do push ups like this (except with better hair) LOL :

Day 1 of Full Liquid Pre-op Diet

Today was rough...I started the pre-op liquid diet. I have had 3 protein shakes, 2 yogurts, 2 soups for abut 1150 calories. The headache I got about noon today was crazy wicked. But I'm going to stick with it as I know the diet will help get my body ready for surgery. Sigh...

Moving on...you should all know that I am a self-proclaimed crazy cat lady!!! Here's a funny for you...be sure to check out my cat's blog (link is on the right of this page):

First Post!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited that this is my first post and there will be many, many more posts to follow in my journey to a healthier me.

Some background on me: I can't remember a time that I wasn't overweight. I've been chubby since I was about 10yrs old....by the time I graduated from high school I was a size 24! That was my highest :(

So now I'm looking forward to my healthy future, I will have lap band surgery (Allergan Band) on October 20th. Just 8 days away. It's exciting and a bit scary all at the same time. I can't wait!

I started looking into this surgery in late August and since i am 'self-pay' (AKA: my insurance doesn't cover the surgery), my progress has been fast.

I start the pre-op full liquid diet tomorrow. I have already lost 8 lbs in the last 4 weeks on my surgeon's recommended low-calorie diet. I will keep the weight loss tracker/ticker updated at the top of this page.