Lying to Be Perfect

As I was flipping through the TV channels, I came across the new made-for-tv movie "Lying to be Perfect" on Lifetime. (yes, AKA "The Tampon Channel") LOL

One of the characters decides to get banded and the way surgery is portrayed is actually pretty good, compared with some ways the band is shown in the media.

Anyways, check it out, time to set those tivos/dvrs! It's a great makeover movie with a bit of cinderella mixed in!

What to wear on upcoming cruise?

I am going on a cruise to Mexico at the end of February (yay!) and really don't want to buy any new dresses for the formal nights on the cruise. It just doesn't make sense since the new dress will most likely only fit me for this cruise.

Therefore, I have been scrounging in the back of my closet for anything that may possibly be appropriate for the formal nights on this cruise. I have cruised many times and I have a feeling that some of these are not fancy enough....

So I created a poll for you on the upper right of my blog. Please vote for your choice and let me know if any of these will work. Thanks!

Weigh-In Day!

Today's weigh-in revealed a loss of 3.2lbs! That's a total of 53.2lbs lost so far! yay!

Back from Support Group!

Tonight was support group. I saw Jen and Melissa there! yay!

They are doing great on their weight-loss journeys! Melissa will be posting a photo of us three on her blog.

How did I get here?

I have seen a few comments from my followers about how fast I have progressed to 50lbs lost at about 3 months post op. I don't think I have done anything too interesting or unique to achieve that goal. However, I thought that I would share what I have done to make it happen, especially for those newbie bandsters out there who may need a few tips in regards to eating. Warning: I'm an overly structured person who plans everything (in life and otherwise)...don't say I didn't warn you!

1> MEASURE and WEIGH!

I weigh pretty much everything I eat...down to the gram. On the nutrition facts label on all foods it will usually tell you how many grams makes up a serving. So you know exactly the number of calories, protein, etc you have eaten. Here's my trusty food scale...which I think cost $10 at target...a GREAT investment!

2> Small dishes/containers!

Here is the bottom shelf of one of my kitchen cabinets. See how all the dishes are tiny? They are anywhere from 1/3 Cup to 1 Cup sizes. I also use 1/2 Cup disposable containers with lids to take lunches to work.

When I serve myself food in these small containers and take the food to the kitchen table (not TV/couch!), I eat what's in the dish and no second helpings. This usually fills me up and I feel satisfied, but I never get to the point of being overly full...this was key to succeeding through the hunger of "bandster hell" (when the fills are not giving you good restriction yet). I found most of these small dishes at Target or Ross.

3> Small utensils!

See that middle row with the tiny forks and spoons? Those are "cocktail forks" or "appetizer forks". The spoons are "Espresso spoons". Perfect tools to remind me to eat small bites and eat slow. Most of these I found at Ross...cheap!

4> WRITE IT DOWN!

I write down what I eat so that I know how many calories and protein grams I have eaten. I only count Calories and Protein. Here's an example day from early January. I got this little notebook from the dollar store.

I would love to hear what tips and tools have made you a successful bandster.

My batteries are officially RECHARGED!

I just got back from my awesome spa day (reward for hitting the 50lb lost mark). It was so relaxing...

First I had a 85 minute massage, very de-stressing!

Then I had a steam bath in a huge soaker jacuzzi tub.

Then I had a scrub/wrap.

Ahhhhh..........

Doing the Happy Dance!!!!

Today is my weigh-in day. I stepped on the scale this morning and hoped that I had broken through my plateau.

And there it was.....50 pounds lost! That's a loss of 3.8 lbs from last week's weigh-in.

YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

I will go have my spa day tomorrow (my reward for hitting this goal) and I will report back soon on how it went.

PS: I have now lost 43.4% of my excess body weight.

I LOVE MY BAND.

Taboo!

No, I'm not talking about that awesome/fun board game where you try to get your team mates to say certain words....

I'm talking about that TV documentary series on the National Geographic Channel, "Taboo". They had a new episode tonight that was titled "Fat".

Check it out...very thought provoking on how larger than average people are portrayed and stereotyped in different cultures. Go set those Tivos!!!

3 Month Bandiversary and a very unscientific theory!

It has been exactly 3 months since my surgery on October 20. Wow, the time has really flown by.

Anyways, I have a theory about low barometric pressure and the band. Yes, I know, how silly....

Today I noticed the band was extra tight, no issues eating my usuals, just a bit snug. The tightness was so sudden that I racked my brain all day of my known tighteners of my band....stress...nope....time of the month...nope. I even rescheduled my fill I had scheduled for this Friday to two weeks later (early Feb).

Then my assistant at work announced this afternoon that today we hit a record low in barometric pressure in our town. (Random, I know, she's into the weather).

So that's my theory. Any local bandsters notice their band is tighter?

Low Barometric Pressure = Tighter Band ??

A Great Birthday!

Today is my 31st bday.

How different (and healthier!) I feel on this birthday than last year.

My dept at work did a surprise chocolate cake and sang happy bday today. How embarrassing...just like Office Space! hah! I did have a half of a sliver of cake...just a few tastes is all I needed. How weird....I remember having a big piece of last year's cake and taking the leftovers home....hmmm....food for thought.

I am so lucky to have received a Wii and Wii Fit plus from my family! yay! Thank you! I especially love the Tennis and the bike riding. What are your faves on the Wii? Any tips? My cat sure likes it!

PS: Off to Zumba tonight!

NSV!

I wanted say a quick hello to my new followers. My number of followers has jumped from 61 to 67 in just the last few days, so HELLO to you all!!!

I had a GREAT NSV (Non-Scale Victory) today. I went shopping at Ross and TJ Maxx for some tops to wear to work.

Is it just me or is there a missing size in women's clothes? The 1Xs are too big, yet some of the XLs in the ladies section are usually too small. Weird.

Anyway, I found a cute work top in size XL that fits! Not in the "big girls" section of the store. In the regular sizes. WOW! YAY! The last time I shopped in the regular sizes I think I was maybe 11 yrs old.

New Recipe! White Bean Burgers!

I saw this RECIPE on the NY Times website and decided to give it a try. It sounded kinda "hippy skippy" to me when I first saw it, but thought, hey, I'll try anything once.

Here are the modifications I did to the recipe:

• Substituted spray olive oil for the olive oil
• No carrot
• Halved the recipe (3 burgers total, each burger = 190 calories, 10 grams protein)
• Served the burger on a bed of lightly dressed Arugula (no bun!)

Next time I might kick it up a notch with extra garlic and/or add some diced red bell peppers.

Here's how mine turned out. YUM!

PLATEAU?!?!

Ack! I have been a steady looser ever since the pre-op diet.

So today (13 wks post-op), I jumped on the scale and it is exactly what I weighed last friday. EXACTLY THE SAME!

I had a really "on plan" week too. I did a Zumba class and a yoga class. Ate 1100-1200 calories a day (per usual), drank all my water, 60+ grams of protein each day. WTF! I am stuck at a loss of 46.2 lbs.

But I am not going to let this deter me -- I am going to push through this plateau do some extra walking this long weekend...!

Getting "stuck"

I am super scared of getting "stuck" or "PBing". Luckily it hasn't happened to me...yet. Knock on wood! I have read a few of your blogs about the "stuck experience" and "Sliming" -- you guys make it sound really painful.

I chew, chew, chew. And I eat super slow. I also haven't eaten bread, rice, or pasta since before surgery....known culprits for getting stuck.

Now that I have good restriction with 6cc's in my 10cc band, this is one of the random things I think about....and stress about.

PS: tomorrow is weigh-in day..

I Zumba'd!!

I just got home from my first Zumba class.

I was very worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up or do the moves correctly.

It turned out that I did OK and it was F-U-N!!!!!!! Who knew...exercise can actually be enjoyable. This is a very new concept for me.

So every Tuesday night for the next 8 weeks I will be Zumba-fied!!

Need some Motivation? How about some Inspiration?

Hello!

Sometimes I need a little motivation and inspiration to keep on keepin' on....you know how it is...

Here's a VIDEO on youtube that is very inspirational.

So, turn up your sound and make sure to watch to the end to see her before pictures!

Weigh-in Day!

Down another 2.1 lbs this week! yay!

PS: I can now hear "onederland" calling my name. Not quite there yet, but maybe in the next 3 or so weeks...hopefully.....

Pain in the Ass!

Perhaps this is just part of the journey.....my tailbone hurts when I sit longer than about an hour....in a chair!....ugh! No way I could sit on the floor....

Maybe there is less "padding" on my booty than before? Anyone else have this issue?

PS: Weigh in tomorrow!

Closet Clean-out!

I have gone through my entire closet and gathered up two BIG bags of 18-22 sized clothes that are too big!

I also determined two things:

1. About half of the clothes in my closet are too big! Time to go shopping!
2. I should buy stock in Lane Bryant's parent company: Charming Shoppes, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRS). I didn't realize that practically all of my clothes are from LB. With the increasing waistlines of the USA population, there will most likely be an increase in demand for the plus sizes.

I promised a friend/coworker that she could have first dibs on the clothes that no longer fit. She promised to donate the ones that she doesn't want to our employer's "employee assistance center" (for low-income families).

3rd Fill & photos!

I got my 3rd fill today.... The NP added .3cc to bring me up to 6cc total. So now I'm on 24hrs full liquids...I can definitely feel the restriction!

On a separate note, here's a photo comparison (left photo is Nov '09 and right photo is high school graduation '97 - probably at my heaviest):

I have chosen my "word"

I see that lots of you bandsters are choosing a word for 2010 that will help in the weight loss journey.

I have chosen the word CHOICE.

I have a CHOICE about when, where, and how often I exercise.

I have a CHOICE about whether I track my calories and protein intake.

I have a CHOICE on what foods I eat.

The band does not make CHOICES - I make the CHOICE to do what I have to do to be a success!

PS: on the exercise front: I walked 1.5 miles around my neighborhood today, yay!

Easy Cheesy Pancakes!

I have been working on developing these savory cottage cheese pancakes. They are super easy, low cal, and high in protein!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup (114g) low fat cottage cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup diced onions (I use the frozen pre-cut bagged kind)
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (from the jar)
• 1 1/2 TBSP (22g) white flour
• salt/pepper to taste
• Cooking Spray (I use the Pam Olive Oil)

Spray frying pan and sautee onions and garlic. While that's cooking, combine cottage cheese, egg, flour, and salt/pepper in a small bowl. Mix in onion/garlic mixture to bowl until batter is well mixed. Spray frying pan again and make 3-4 pancakes about 4" in diameter. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Makes 1 serving. 250 calories; 22 grams protein.

I am still experimenting with different sauces/toppings for these...

YUM!

Friday Weigh-in & a 50 lb reward chosen

Today's weigh-in revealed a loss of 1.6 lbs. yay! This brings me to a total of 44.1 lbs lost.

Also, I have chosen a reward for myself for when I hit the 50lb loss: a SPA DAY.

I cashed in some United Airlines frequent flier miles for a spafinder.com gift certificate so it didn't really cost me anything. I will probably go HERE since I also get a discount there through my work. Stretchin' those dollars! I think I will get a wrap/scrub, pedicure, and maybe a massage....I am looking forward to it!!!