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!