200th Weekly Weigh-in

I've stood on that scale now for exactly 200 (TWO HUNDRED!) Fridays in a row.

Each and Friday I've told you my weight.

Whether that number on the scale was good or bad - I've kept myself accountable here on this blog.

When I began my pre-op diet prior to Lap-Band surgery, I weighed 258.8 lbs.

Did I ever think that I would get below my goal weight of 145 lbs and maintain that weight for almost two and half years?

Abso-freakin-lutely.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: The journey with the Lap-Band is 80% mental and 20% the Lap-Band. 

It's a mind game.

Even on that very first Friday weigh-in, I just knew that I would get to goal.

I had to believe it and believe in myself.

This journey has been for me.

No one else.

Does that make me selfish?

Sure it does.

But it's been one of my secrets to my success:  I had to lose the weight for me.

So here I am today, telling you my Friday weigh-in for the 200th time.

Three years and ten months since my very first Friday weigh-in. 

And what was today's weight?

Made using my new fave iPhone app: A Beautiful Mess

 

 

 

 Onwards.

What Happened on the Roadtrip to Oregon?

OK, here's the 411.

The scoop.

I'm back from a fantabulous weekend trip down memory lane.

Back to the land of no sales tax.

Back to see the many friends that I haven't seen in a very long time.

But I wasn't alone on this trip.

The Boyfriend came along for the ride:

Like my new hat? I'm ready to go Honky Tonk

On Friday morning, we loaded up the car and headed North towards the wilds of Oregon.

Friday night, we walked downtown for a fun-filled and alcohol-soaked night of reconnecting with friends.

I haven't seen these peeps for almost nine months! How I've missed them:

Guess what I did on Saturday morning, even though I was kinda nauseous after the night before's fun?

I woke up early and made my way to Jazzercise. 

Oh, and I had my worst stuck episode yet.

Stuck on a protein bar while driving to Jazzercise. 

I slimed up a storm in the parking lot. 

Spitting out strings of spit out the car door like the lady that I am.  

But that protein bar went down afterall. Phew! 

That slime is no joke. It reminds me of the slime from the booger-green ghost from Ghostbusters. Yum.

Even though I was feeling craptasticly barfy, there are no excuses not to bust out some sexy Jazz hands.

And I just had to catch up with all of my Jazzercise ladies. 

Of course, we also got down n' funky to some Britney Spears and Beyonce. We are bad-ass like that.

Onwards to Saturday afternoon...

We all cruised out to the river for some fantastic jet-boatin'.

Here are a few pics of us trying to be patient waiting for the boat to leave the dock:

We rode and splashed down the river.  

That jet boat spun around and around and around and around.

We all got soaking wet. Brrrrr! Kinda chilly.

We even saw some wild Oregon critters on the banks of that river.  

Good times.

I knew my favorite part of the jet-boat trip had begun when we arrived at the all-you-can-eat chicken and ribs dinner. I think that I may have ate my entire body weight in cornbread and honey butter.  But that'll be our little secret....right?

Now let's talk about Sunday.  What did we do on Sunday?

We hiked.

Up this mountain:

Table Rock, Oregon

View from the top.

 

Amazing hiking stats!

By the time Monday rolled around, it was time to make our way back down South to California.

I was sad to say good-bye to all of my friends but this weekend trip reassured me that they are all just a short car trip away.

Weigh in day

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Friday's weight: 139.8 lbs

Onwards. 

Crazy Ninja Spitting Skills At Costco

So ya know how us bandsters are supposed to chew all food to the consistency of applesauce?

We chew.

And then chew.

And then chew some more.

Yep, that's how we're supposed to roll.

I've learned over the years what foods that I can and cannot chew to the consistency of applesauce.

Actually, there's pretty much only one type of food I just can't chew all the way and I don't feel like I can swallow it:

Beef.  Hamburger.  Steak.  Pretty much all red meat.

Because if I swallow it, it might get stuck and then be followed by the dreaded "PB" or Productive Burp - those tasty morsels that were so good going down would come back up and say "hello" to me.  Again.

I have never experienced the dreaded PB.

At three and half years post-op, I feel like I'm missing out on being part of this secret PB club that most of you bandsters are in.  I swear that I will join you in your secret club one of these days.

Speaking of chewing, let's discuss what went down at Costco tonight.

I cruised around from one free sample table to the next free sample table.

The free sample ladies with their Laverne & Shirley hairnets were in full force...tempting me with their mini-food portions.

Would I like pizza? Yes. Please.

Would I like some chips and salsa? Of course.

Would I like some chicken and cheese quesadillas? Fo' Sho'.  Abso-freakin-lutely.

Would I like some BBQ Tri Tip? Sure, why not.

As I took a big bite of the Tri Tip, I realized immediately knew that I had made a tragic error.

I kinda forgot about my no red meat issue.

In true bandster style, I took LOTS of napkins. You never know when you may need napkins.

And I chewed.

And I chewed some more.

And chewed.

Walking around Costco and chewing.  Holding my napkins.

That tri tip wasn't going anywhere or getting swallowable any time soon.

Like chewing a really huge wad of old dehydrated gum.

Luckily I was near the camping tents section of the store.

Like the true lady that I am, I ducked behind a tent spit that mouthful of meat into the napkins and tossed the napkins into the nearest trash within 3 seconds flat.

Needing mad ninja spitting skills: Now that's something they never tell you in the informational weight loss surgery seminar.

What Were My Fears?

Did you know that I found my healthier, skinnier self in the middle of nowhere, Oregon?

Who knew that my inner skinny girl was hiding up there in Oregon for all that time?

Not sure, but I sure am happy that I moved to Oregon six years ago and that I found her.

I moved to Oregon with my car packed to the ceiling on Memorial Day weekend 2007.

And here we are with Memorial Day Weekend 2013 just four days away. I'm so excited to be headed back to Oregon for a visit with all my friends.

Did I ever tell you that I almost chose NOT to move back to California eight months ago because of fear?

There were many, many fears actually.

These fears were not related to career choice, income, housing, or anything that I suppose most people would be worried about with a job change and out of state move.

Nope. That was the easy stuff for me.

What were my fears?

• The fear of leaving my healthy routines and schedule. I love me some structure.
• The fear of leaving my support system of close friends who watched me transform into the skinny girl.
• The fear of leaving behind my Jazzercise and Zumba classes.
• The fear of leaving behind all the behaviors that made me successful in losing 120 lbs and maintaining that weight loss.
• And of course, the ultimate fear that most of us who have lost a large amount of weight:  

 THAT I WILL GAIN ALL OF THE WEIGHT BACK.

I can remember talking with my older sister on the phone about these fears when I was deciding whether I would move back to California.

And do you know what she said?

"Don't worry about it, you've got it all figured out" (or something like that, I'm paraphrasing)

Now that I look back on the past eight months, I have learned that she was correct.

But more importantly, I have also learned:

• Healthy routines can change - but still be just as effective at keeping the weight off.
• That Zumba and Jazzercise can be replaced with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD.
• That I can make new friends and a form new support systems.

I am looking forward to catching up with all my Oregon friends this weekend. We have lots of fun shenanigans and ridiculousness planned. I shall post pics!

I now realize that moving back to California was the best decision for me and my healthier future.

Weigh-in Day & What Gets My Knickers in a Twist?

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Last week's weight: 138.2 lbs

This week's weight: 138.2 lbs

*******************************

Now let's talk about my panties.

And what gets them all in a bunch.

Sorry if this comes off as a rant.

Here goes...

At Weight Loss Surgery Support Group this past weekend, I noticed a trend.

As peeps stood up to briefly talk about where they are in their weight loss surgery journey, they would often say, "I lost X pounds on my own and then I lost XX pounds since surgery."

Maybe they say "on my own" because they perceive that the pre-surgery weight loss was more difficult to achieve?

Or maybe it relates to the pre-op weight loss requirements that a lot of insurance companies require?

I personally see this as some people not owning their successes on the scale after weight loss surgery.

I'm not sure?

I personally have never once phrased my weight loss in this way.

Why?

Because whether I lost weight before or after getting the band:  I did do it on my own.

I did the work.

I still do the work.

Either way, I did it on my own.

The Lap-Band is not magic. (Captain Obvious alert!)

It takes work.

For me, the daily work that I do each and every day can be summed up as:

Saying "yes please" to exercise and saying "no thank you" to most foods.  

That's a lot of saying "yes please" each day to pushing Play on the DVD player and sweating it out with Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred.

And boatloads of repeatedly saying "no thank you" to foods:

"No thanks" to that coworker who bakes cookies every three freakin' days and brings them into the office.

"No thanks" to those free samples of new food products being developed at the office.

"No thanks" to those yummy egg rolls that were calling my name at Panda Express last night.

So what do I say when I stand up and share my journey at support group?

"Hi, I'm _(name)__.  I had Lap-Band surgery in October 2009. I lost about 120 lbs in about 14 months and have maintained my goal weight for two and half years."

That's it.

For me personally, there's nothing more to tell.

I suppose we all share our journeys with others in our own way.

What do you think?

Sugar Coating Not Included

Having to take high blood pressure pills since the ripe old age of 28 years old both in the morning and night was ridiculous.

The main reason that I had Lap-Band surgery in October 2009 was to get rid of my high blood pressure and the need to take high blood pressure medications. 

So I forked over $16,500 and got me a Lap-Band.

And I worked my band.

I ate right.

I exercised.

And the weight began to fall off.

Then that lovely day in April of 2010 (at 70 lbs lost), my primary care doctor officially took me off of all my high blood pressure medications.

Goal achieved.

The box on the "to-do" list was finally checked off.

The ultimate non-scale victory of all of the non-scale victories had happened.

I thought that there was a special rule in the wonderful land of weight loss that once I achieved a non-scale victory (NSV), that it was mine forever and ever.  You know, no take backs.

But I was WRONG.

In September of 2011 (at goal for 9 months), my blood pressure started to creep up again.

And I had to go back to taking one of those high blood pressure medications.

In January of 2012 (at goal for 13 months), my primary care doctor added another high blood pressure medication to the list.

And now guess what, in May of 2013 (at goal for 2.5 years), the blood pressure is creeping back up again.

Yesterday, my doctor DOUBLED my dosage of those damn high blood pressure medications.

And I still work my band.

I still eat right. (Most of the time.)

I still exercise. 

Here's a post-workout pic from the Facebook page last week. 

 

Perhaps I look healthy and fit?

The phrase that comes to my mind is: You can't judge a book by it's cover.

Who would guess that hypertension is lurking below the surface?

Genetics can be a bitch sometimes.

A Passionate Love

Why do I love my "before" photos or what I endearingly call my "fat" photos so much?

I wish that I could figure out the answer to that question.

I think that I love those before pics a little too much.

Here's some evidence:


EVIDENCE #1:

I realized this weekend that I've been carrying around my EXPIRED Oregon driver's license for about nine months now.

How useful it is to have an out of state and expired driver's license in my wallet now that I live in California. (note: sarcasm)

However, it's been chillin' in my wallet all this time.

It's now been cut up in to teeny tiny pieces and thrown into the trash.

Because that's not me anymore.

EVIDENCE #2:

This old and cancelled passport is on my coffee table in my living room.

Even though it didn't expire until the year 2018, I had to get a new one issued with a new photo on it because customs officials and airline staff would hassle me and say "this doesn't look like you."

I think that I will file it away with my other old passports.

Because that's not me anymore. 

  
EVIDENCE #3:

I have an entire folder of photos in my iPhone called "Before Photos". 

Approximately a dozen photos at the ready.

Just in case I need to whip out those photos at a moments notice should anyone ever want to see me as a Fatty.

Why would I keep FAT photos of myself?

Because that's not me anymore.
 
Right?


Maybe not.

I think I keep them around because that is me. 

When I close my eyes, I am her.

Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to the fatty that I used to be?

A Weigh-in Day Confession

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Last week's weight: 138.0 lbs


Today's weight: 138.2 lbs

Since I am in a confession type of mood: There was pizza and cocktails for dinner last night.

The night before weigh-in?!?

Crazytown.


But guess what?


Lucky me: It. Didn't. Show. On. The. Scale. This. Morning.

How different maintenance is for me compared to my losing phase. 

The rules have relaxed a little.

I need to work on accepting that.

But I suppose that the extra cardio workout last night helped balanced it all out too.

Why Am I Honest About My Lap-Band?

Why have I been so fearless to share with the entire world about my weight loss using this blog?

Why am I out and proud with my Lap-Band?

Someone asked me this exact question a few days ago:

Why did I choose to be open about my weight loss journey with the Lap-Band?

Aren't I afraid of what people will think of me?

Aren't I ashamed what people will think when they know that I couldn't achieve long term successful weight loss using the usual traditional methods?

Aren't I embarrassed to have a Lap-Band?

NOPE.

Wanna feel my port? I'll let ya. No biggie.

But seriously, when I started this blog, NONE of those questions crossed my mind....EVER.

Why should I worry about what others think of me?

I've had a bigger issue to worry about these past three and half  years:  MY HEALTH.

In my opinion, there are two main reasons why I started this blog.

Now that I think about it, two rather selfish reasons:

1. Accountability: weekly weigh-ins. Every Friday. There is no "done" in maintenance. There is no Finish Line.
   
2. Documenting my journey: I can look back on my 891 blog posts and see how far I've come.

I can genuinely say that if I hadn't been so open about my weight loss journey, I wouldn't have been as successful with my Lap-Band.

For example, I remember back in the Weight Watchers days, I would sign-up but not tell anyone that I joined WW.  Then,  if  when I wasn't successful in losing weight, it was no bid deal because no one knew that I was trying to lose weight.  No accountability. At all.

Discussing my band comes up in my everyday life too with people who ask the common questions "What's that medical ID bracelet for?" or "Don't you have a blog? What's that all about?"

Did you know that some of the most supportive people of my Lap-Band have come from the most unique and unexpected places?

An old boss.

A close friend's Mom.

The pharmacist behind the counter at Target.

That random guy at the gym.

Support is out there.

...and if I didn't talk about my journey, I never would have heard their stories.

I wouldn't have had those brief moments to share in their journeys of improved health.

To hear their honesty.

Now as I look back on almost four years of blogging, I realize that it's not really all about me. (Note: sarcasm)

This blog has become a way to share with those who are also affected by obesity. 

To let them know that there's another option and choice to achieve long term weight loss: weight loss surgery.

We're in this journey together.

...and I'm not going anywhere.

Onwards.

Weigh-in Day, Football, and Lap-Bands

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 138.0 lbs

Yep, still at goal.

**********************

Rex Ryan is a bandster.  Here's a before pic:

I guess he does something related to football for a living.

I'm an indoor girl, so I don't know these things.

Here's Rex NOW. He's maintained his 100+ lb weight loss for a year now:

Rex was on TV today talking about his band. Go Rex. You are a bad ass and workin' your band.

And did you know that Rex's brother, Rob (who's also does something "Football-ish" -- yes, that's a totally a word, 'cuz I made it up), also has a Lap-Band?

Left: Rex.                                                  Right: Rob

And then there's this football player Max Jean-Gilles who also has a Lap-Band:

I wish I could find a "NOW" pic of Max. I wonder how he's doing with his band?

 

 

Bandsters are everywhere.  

They're out there.

Famous and not so famous.  

They are among us.

A Stranger in a Strange Land

I don't do gyms.

Those big corporate gyms full of cardio and weight machines just don't do it for me.

All those zombie-like people on their treadmills and elliptical machines staring into space....staring at all the people walking by.

Surprisingly, I did actually belong to a gym about 6+ years ago.

I paid that membership fee each and every month.

And I never actually went through those gym doors for more than a few weeks though.

A new year's resolution gone bad I suppose.

So let's fast forward to last night.

Guess what I did?

I put on my big girl panties and marched myself into a big  scary  anonymous gym for a cardio kickboxing class.

I was tempted by the free 7-day trial membership.

The moment that I walked in the door, I felt this level of uneasiness.

Like I was in a place that was not for me.

I don't belong here, I thought to myself.

A fish out of water.

I get this same level of hesitation when I walk into a Victoria's Secret store.  Like one of the sales ladies will point at me and shout "she's an impostor!" She doesn't belong here, they'll think.

Welcome to Crazytown.  Population: 1.

As I was talking myself down off of the ledge and trying not to think, "what the hell am I doing here?", the kickboxing class began.

And wouldn't you know it, THAT. CLASS. WAS. FUN.

Like a Zumba class but with less dancing, more kickin' ass, and punching imaginary people in the face.

An amazing workout full of lots of booty-shakin' music too.

My plan is to ride out this 7 day free trial and check out the other classes that they offer.

Could this be a new beginning for me and my workouts?