Weigh-in Day...

I Have a Face For Radio

Remember how I was interviewed on the radio back in June by the folks over at Fit & Flourishing?

Well, guess what?

In case you missed that radio interview, here's your chance to listen RIGHT NOW.

Lucky you.

Click on the links below for the podcasts.  

You know you want to.

Here's part one of the interview.

Here's part two of the interview.

PS: Don't forget to count how many times I say the word "absolutely!" Obviously this is a personal problem that I'm working on. Can you say 12-step program?

PSS: I'm teaming up with another podcaster soon so you'll get to hear me talk even more about all kinds of Lap-Band stuff.  Maybe I'll only say "absolutely!" forty-seven times.  You're welcome.

No Excuses. No Broken Promises.

It's not magic.

There are no unicorns.

There is no rainbow sparkle glitter involved.

I don't just put a perky smile on my face and skip my merry way to the DVD player to do my hard-core shred workouts with Jillian Michael's.

Each and every day, I can usually come up with at least 437 excuses why I "can't" exercise today.

Here's how it went down in my brain just this morning:

I have too much to do.

My email inbox is overflowing.

There are eleven meetings this week that I need to prepare for.

Aunt Flo is in town.

And she's brought her BFFs with her: Cramps and So-Damn-Tired.

I think that I forgot my workout socks at home.

I could just eat a lot less today.

Did I say that I'm tired? Sigh.

That spreadsheet is due by 2pm. Will I have time to get it done?


...but then I realize.

And I remember.

I remember the promise that I made to myself.

I remember what I signed up for almost four years ago.

A new way of life.

This way of life that doesn't include excuses.

Or broken promises.

I may have not have skipped my way to the DVD player on my lunch break today, but I did walk with purpose.

I knew what I had to do.

Weekly Weigh-in Day & Fat Brain Alert!

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Last week's weight: 143.2 lbs

Today's Weight: 141.8 lbs

 

The mental journey of changing from a fatty to a non-fatty takes WAY MORE TIME than I ever thought it would take.

The physical appearance may change.

Even today at almost four years post-op, the mental stuff always keeps me guessing.

For me, my "fat brain" occasionally takes over.

My "fat brain" will make me say something that makes me stop and think.

Let me set the scene for you...

The other night we were driving around in a parking structure downtown looking for a parking space.

We were cruising the 2nd level of the garage when I announced OUT LOUD: "Where are the elevators? We should park near the elevators."

Yep, Fat Brain alert!

My brain was saying: I still think that I need to park near the elevator so that I can ride that elevator down one level.

Me, who does sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and planks every damn day thinks that she needs an elevator to go down one level.

I hope that my Fat Brain is always there to remind me of what it was like to be fat.

Because for me, the remembering of what it was like to having pains in my knees, back, and feet so that I HAD to ride the elevator is what keeps me focused each and every day.

A True Sign That I'm in Maintenance

These garbage bags are filled with clothes to be donated to Goodwill.

They're taking up precious space in my hallway.

The bags are not filled with clothes that don't fit me.

The clothes still fit me.

Sizes small, 6, 8, XS, etc.

These clothes are either just no longer my style or are perhaps a little worn out.

Still perfectly good clothes.

When I was a fatty and had to get rid of clothes, it was usually because the clothes were too small.

As I lost my 115+ lbs, I shared with you about donating clothes that were too big for me: you can see one of those old blog posts here.

But to get rid of clothes that still fit?!

Welcome.

To.

Maintenance.

PS: Did you see that I moved all of my tickers up to the top of the page? Check it out.  That four year bandiversary is just around the corner.

Friday Weigh-in Day

Just in case you missed my weigh-in on the Facebook Page, here you go:

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 143.2 lbs

Still. At. Goal.

Are You a Runner?

That was the question asked of me today at my employer's health fair.

The nurse was checking my blood pressure and other vitals.

The nurse repeated, "Are you a runner?"

Then, I realized that she was talking to me.

Me?

A runner?

Only if something or someone is chasing me. Or maybe if there were a dozen freshly baked warm gooey donuts waiting for me at the finish line.

"Nope." I said to the nurse. "But I do workout pretty often"

The nurse replied with, "You have an athlete's resting heart rate. It's 57."

Now there's a word that I never thought in one gazillion years would ever be said about me: "athlete"?

Huh?

Me, athlete?

Me, who couldn't even lift myself up up from sitting on the ground to stand up three years ago? I'd have to find a table or chair to grab onto.

Me, who used to get out of breath and sweaty climbing up one flight of stairs? Those underarm sweat stains on my size 24W shirts were not-so-sexy.

Never.

Say.

Never.

I.

Suppose.

And it wouldn't be an awesome blog post from yours truly if I didn't offer you a bad-ass neato spreadsheet chart showing you the resting heart rates and their categories:

Non-Scale Victory (NSV) alert!

This Is What Happens When My...

...brain forgets that I have a Lap-Band.

On Sunday morning, we stopped in at the local diner for a late breakfast.

I really wanted pancakes.

And hash browns.

So that's exactly what I ordered.

And this is what the waitress brought:

I instantly thought: 

OOPS. 

That is waaaaaaaaayyy too much food. 

And I also thought: 

Damn. 

That's TWO plates of food.

I.

Am.

Ridiculous.

Even after three and half years with my band, I still sometimes forget.

Forget that I can't eat like I used to when I weighed 258 lbs.  Before I got the band.

But I still gave it a good try anyway and ate me some pancakes and hash browns.

And this was what was left after I was done eating:

Before the Lap-Band, I would have eaten it ALL.

But thankfully my band was there to remind me: "You're done now."

I can't be the only one who sometimes forget about their weight loss surgery. Do you?

What Happened Down At the Speakeasy?

The boyfriend and I attended a roaring 1920's themed birthday party over the weekend. It was the bee's knees!

Just in case you missed the pic on the Facebook page, I celebrated my Non-Scale Victory (NSV) of the evening...rockin' a size 6 dress:

You're the cat's meow!

Weigh-in Day & My Lap-Band Port

Let's get the digits out of the way for the week:

• Starting weight: 258.8 lbs
• Goal weight: 145 lbs
• Today's weight: 142.2 lbs

Still rockin' my goal weight now for about two years and eight months now.

OK, so I sometimes forget how some of you aren't on Facebook.

Gasp!

How can you not be on Facebook wasting buckets of time like me? 

All the cool kids are doing it.

Lately on Facebook, you've been asking me lots of fantabulous questions all about my Lap-Band port.

As you know, I am very open about my Lap-Band and the port.

That's why I will let anyone who asks (nicely) if they would like to feel my port.

There is this weird expectation that when I lift up my shirt, that they will be able to SEE the port - like the actual port and it's plastic sticking out.

But that's just not true.

Since I am the lucky recipient of lots of extra belly skin after my weight loss, my port gets kinda hidden most of the time.

But it's there.

Here is what my port looks like when I lie on my back with relaxed abs:

Here's my port when I do a mini-ab crunch. The port pops out a little:

Onwards to your questions:

Does my port hurt?

Nope. I don't usually feel my port. The rare occasions when I do feel it are:

• When I am carrying a bag of groceries or heavy box and the bag/box rubs against my port. Doesn't hurt, I just feel it.
• When I do the "superman" workout move which you can see here. Again, it doesn't hurt, I just feel it.
• Occasionally if a kitchen counter is at the same height as my port and I am leaning up against the counter, then I will feel my port. Example: when doing dishes at the sink. Again, it doesn't hurt, I just feel it.

Do Lap-Band adjustments (AKA "fills") hurt?

• In my opinion, a fill hurts less than a flu shot in the arm.
• It's a quick needle stick and over and done with pretty quickly.
• Pain levels are very subjective. We each have our own tolerance levels.
• One of the weirdest sensations is when I get an unfill adjustment.  The withdrawing of the saline for me feels a little like I can't catch my breath for a quick second. So very difficult to explain.

I am glad that I never let the silly concept of needles and whether fills would "hurt" hold me back from getting a Lap-Band.  A quick needle stick is a small price to pay for me to enjoy the benefits of having the ONLY weight loss surgery that is ADJUSTABLE.  

PS: Are you ready for what's coming up this weekend: A Lap-Band book giveaway and a review by yours truly. The author has been VERY generous with the number of copies of the book!

Weigh-in Day & Who Has Been Here Since the Beginning?

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 141.8 lbs

Still.

At. 

Goal.

I have been doing my Friday weigh-ins for exactly FOUR years now.

I began my weigh-ins when I started my surgeon's low-calorie (1200 cals) per day diet.

When I first stood on that scale it read 258.8 lbs.

And guess who was standing right beside me as I took a deep breath and stepped onto the scale that very first Friday weigh-in back in August 2009?

Who do you think comes running when she hears me opening a plain Greek yogurt (150 cals, 20 proteins) because she knows that she'll get to have a taste?

Who sits patiently next to me on the couch and wishes that I would share some of my string cheese (80 cals, 8 proteins)?

Who has seen me whip out that blue food scale every day to weigh my portions?

Who used to run and hide under the bed when she would hear the magic bullet blender crush  up ice to make my protein shakes in the morning? (190 cals, 29 proteins) That noise doesn't even phase her now.

Who has watched me do way too many Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred workouts and Zumba booty shakin' moves in the living room?

And who has stood there next to me every Friday morning with a very supportive look on her face watching me stand on that scale?

It's Pemberley.

She was there at the beginning of this journey.

She's been on this adventure with me each and every day.

And there she was this morning...

Bonus flashback Friday photo: Here I am with Pemberley on the day that I came home from the hospital after having Lap-Band surgery (October 2009):

Approximately 240 lbs