Weigh-in Day

I've been way too busy to actually post here on the blog, so I'm pretty much doin' drive-by Facebook posts these days.

What I eat.

What I'm doing for fitness.

Really fabulous Non-Scale Victories (NSVs).

Ya know....just the usual daily stuff that I do to maintain my ~119 lbs weight loss.

Anywhoozle, onwards to this week's weigh-in:

Goal weight: 145 lbs

This week's weight: 140.6 lbs


Happy Friday!

After Turkey Day Weigh-in

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Last week's weight: 141.4 lbs

Today's weight:


Hope you had a fantastic turkey day!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Four Thanksgivings With a Lap-Band

Let's travel back in time and visit each Thanksgiving since I was banded in October 2009, shall we?

Here I am at approximately 5 weeks post-op at Walt Disney World in Florida. I remember being SO SUPER careful about my food choices and chewing. I wish I was still that careful - but I'm not.

Thanksgiving 2009
~ 225 lbs

Here I am in 2010 - serving pie.  Yep, that's my plate sitting there front and center.  A BIG ol' slice. Yum.

Thanksgiving 2010
~ 150 lbs

Here's last year's Thanksgiving - I pretty much went from Jazzercise that morning to throwing on my apron and cooking up a storm.

Thanksgiving 2011
~ 140 lbs

I am thankful for my Lap-Band.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Suck. It. In.

What's my plan to NOT overeat on Thanksgiving Day?

I'm going to wear my skinny jeans.

Muffin top and all.

...And not the stretchy kinda skinny jeans that feel like spandex.

I'm talkin' about those jeans that I never wear that are hanging in the waaaaaayyyyy back of the closet.

With minimal stretch to them.

The ones where I fold up my loose belly skin and stuff those skin folds into the waist band.

A tourniquet.

Good times.

Wish me luck.

Recipe Alert! Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These are super easy, low cal, and high in protein!

I posted this pic on Facebook this weekend and you guys asked for the recipe.

They aren't this yellow in real life.

Ask and you shall receive.

I've been making these pancakes since my surgeon OK'd me to move from the "mushies" to "soft foods" stage of the post-op diet. (at approximately 4 weeks post-op).

These pancakes can be made savory.

They can also be made sweet and cinnamony.

Here's that sweet version:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup (~114g) low fat cottage cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1 TBSP (~17g) white flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2-3 packets of Splenda
• Cooking Spray (I use Organic Olive Oil Spray)

Combine cottage cheese, egg, flour, cinnamon, and Splenda in a small bowl or measuring cup. 

Spray frying pan 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 top the pancakes with a 1/4 cup of sugar-free maple syrup which adds 20 cals.

I think I will try adding canned pumpkin to this recipe one day. That may kick it up a notch.

Adapted from this recipe: http://www.bariatriceating.com/2011/11/04/cottage-cheese-pancakes/

Weigh-in Day & Post-Move Assessment

Yep.

That's what she said.  A "post-move assessment."

Sounds like a phrase that would appear on a Bullsh*t Bingo card.

My faves are "synergy" and "touch-base." But really...there are so many good ones!

Anywhoozle.

Let's recap all that has gone down in my life in the last three months:

• I went through many, many job interviews...phone interviews, in-person interviews...even twelve in one day.  Seriously.

• I accepted a new job in California.

• I quit my job in Oregon.

• I hunted for a new place to live in California.

• I packed up my house in Oregon (ok, so maybe the movers kinda did this). Just so you know, supervising and delegating burn tons of calories. 

• I lived in a hotel room for about two weeks.  With a cat.

• I unpacked the entire contents of my house at my new place in California.

• I started my new job in California.

As they say, moving and changing jobs are among the top five stressful things that can happen in one's life.

Yep, lots of stress.

But it's all good stress...I suppose.

And lots of chances to turn to stress-eating. 

Of course, I did stress-eat on occasion, but more often than not, I stayed on track with my food choices.

I've also had lots of opportunities to not make exercise a priority. 

But I've been rockin' 4 or 5 Zumba and Zumba Toning classes each week. That's 240-300 mins of fitness each week.  

When I stood on the scale three months ago it read: 139.8 lbs

This week's weigh-in: 141.4 lbs

My weight has pretty much remained in the 138 lbs -- 142 lbs range for the last three months.

Still below by goal weight of 145 lbs.

Let's high-five, right?

Rainbows and butterflies and puffy sparkly hearts all around, right?

Ummm...OK...I guess that I should be happy about that accomplishment.

But in case you didn't know, it's not all about what the scale shows.

It's not always about my actual weight.

Without Jazzercise in my life, there is less strength-training and more cardio goin' on.

Therefore, my size 6 pants and jeans are fitting a little snugger and tighter than I would like.

So what's a girl to do?

Get back into more strength-training.

Anyone have the Jazzercise DVDs?  Are they any good?

Or maybe I'll explore the exercise classes options in the On Demand section of my cable TV.

I'm thinking that I should take measurements.  Just the hips and waist.

Ya know...the bits that I actually care about I guess.

As long as I make the process and game-plan as user-friendly as possible and find that I can meet my goals at the end of the day, then the bottom line is that my pants will fit much better.

B-I-N-G-O!

Ten Things Thursday

1.  Have you ever tried to put into words and describe what genuine "restriction" feels like with a Lap-Band?  Fullness in the chest... or maybe tightness right between the ta-ta's?  How would you describe "restriction"?

2.  My new fave TV show is 'The Mindy Project' - if you haven't seen it yet, go forth to your DVR now and record it.  There was even a Lap-Band reference in this week's episode.  You're welcome.

3 1/2.  I was recently asked how much food I now eat compared with how much I used to eat before banding.  When it's not the weekend (see # 5 below), I would say it's about 1/4 to 1/3 of the portions that I used to eat.  But I can always eat more, but rely on my food scale daily to keep my portions in check.  Example: Pre-band: I'd eat an entire box of Kraft Mac n' Cheese....easily. With a big sugary coke to wash it all down. Now? I could probably eat about 4-5 forkfuls before I would start to feel the need for protein.  I guess my food choices are much, much different also, not just the quantities.

5.  Lately, I've been eating sooooooooooooooo much sugar on the weekends.  Cake.  Cookies. Eating out.  Yuck. I think that I turn back into my inner fat girl every Friday night.  I need to reign this craziness in.  No more "fat girl weekends" for me.

2.74.  Pemberley's currently at her all time highest weight. I feel guilty. I've been giving her WAY too many treats, or as I like to call them "cookies." Here's Pemberley eating a cookie this weekend:

slurp.

7.  I can't wait to see "Anna Karenina."  Should be good! Unfortunately, it looks like it'll only be showing at the independent hippy-skippy theaters.  

8.  Less than 5 1/2 weeks until Christmas.

3.8.  I can't count....or do math.  I actually used my calculator today to multiply 8 x 9.

10.  Have you made a game plan yet on how not to overeat at Thanksgiving?  Me either.

Do Fat People Have Souls?

I just found this article written by a weight loss surgery patient.  

It's a MUST read.

It's called, "I Once Was Obese and Now I’m Not. Please Don’t Applaud Me For Losing the Weight" by Shannon Chamberlain.

Shannon has a blog too.  It's called, "Do Fat People Have Souls?"

Go check out the article and let me know what YOU think.

Weigh-in Day...

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 139.2 lbs

Here's the crooked, very early morning pic to prove it:

Happy Friday!

What Happens at a Zumba Class?

We stand in rows.

We chant.

Then we pray to the Zumba God.

Just kidding.

None of that stuff happens.

But it does seem cult-like at times.

What I do know is it's ALWAYS fun.

Because I shake my butt, roll my hips, and booty drop down to the floor.

Here's a pic from this weekend's Zumba class:

I discovered Zumba about three years ago.

I've Zumba'd in a lot of different places...Florida, Chicago, Oregon, etc.

I never know what to expect when I try out a new Zumba class.

What I have discovered recently is that one of thee best Zumba instructors pretty much EVER is teaching classes near me...here in the Wine Country of California.  This chick can jump too:

Here's my buddy, Gina, and I after Zumba class...completely sweaty and enjoying our post-Zumba glow!  

If you want to find a Zumba class near you, go HERE.  You won't be sorry.

Weigh-in Day...

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 139.8 lbs

Another week in the land of maintenance...

Happy Friday!

New Banded Blogger Alert!

Please go say "HI" to a very new blogger, "Weapon of Fat Destruction".

She could use all of your support and encouragement.

Tell her I sent ya!

PS: Weigh-in day tomorrow.  A post-Halloween weigh-in is always fun. Not.  Stay tuned...