I've Been a Bad Blogger

Where do I start?

I have so many updates for you, especially if you don't follow my facebook page (as I seem to overshare over there on the Faceplace)

Anyways, our last catch up was back in January.

Yep. 6 months ago! Shame on me for not blogging.

When I am not checking in with you and blogging, it's never a good thing. Not blogging leads to weight gain.  Sigh, yes, there's more about that at the end of this post. Goodie Gumdrops.

But first, let's talk about what I've been up to since January...

A fun trip to Singapore and a cruise to Thailand and Vietnam. Our one year anniversary trip!

And right after our wonderful cruise and adventures in SE Asia, I ended up accepting a new job in Louisville, Kentucky. 2400 miles away from our home in California. Wha?! True that. Or as they say here in Louisville, "That's Right!" after every damn thing you say. all. the. time. seriously.


In March/April, there were interviews and house hunting trips between California and Louisville. Back and forth we went. And lucky us, we found our new home (a rental)...it lured us in with it's springtime front yard with bunnies and squirrels and cardinals and blue jays. What 1950s vintage charm. "Leave it to Beaver" and "Donna Reed" TV shows had to of been filmed in this house. That's Right!

We packed up the house and cars and road-tripped out to Louisville from California. 7 days on the road. Phew! I am tired still thinking about it.

We had tornados, flash flooding, and 6 hour detours due to freeway closures due to the flooding. But we made it and arrived in Louisville the week of the Kentucky Derby.

We've been Kentuckians for about two months now. What have we learned? This place is full of friendly and welcoming people everywhere. VERY different from what we are used to in California.

And we've learned that this is a FOODIE town. We had no idea. That's Right!

There are at least 6 Food Network and Travel Network shows about all the things you can eat in Louisville. And. It's All. True. AMAZING shrimp and grits, fried chicken and waffles, Hot Brown (a classic!), bourbon pie, Derby pie, bourbon slushies and every type of cocktail with bourbon in it...I could go on and on and on. You've been warned.

Here we are last weekend at a festival that was all about food trucks and craft beer:

We've settled in well here in Louisville and since the husband is job hunting as a "trailing spouse", he's been fantastic at cooking up healthy dinners for me each night when I get home from work. You can see his recipe creations here and here on the Faceplace. What a great husband!

We've been having fun exploring Kentucky and here's a pic from last weekend.  The pic kinda freaked me out. I looked at this pic and realized I was really gaining weight and it needed to stop. I needed to catch this freight train before it was too late.

My back and knees have been hurting lately and I was in super duper denial about it being related to my weight gain. 

I feel "fluffy" and sluggish and frumpy. It doesn't feel good. At. All.

Let's be super clear: my own food choices caused me to gain weight, not my Lap-Band "not working." 

Question: Am I eating because I am hungry and needing food and nutrition? No. I am eating because of wonderful lovely food that is in my environment and I choose to eat it and stuff it in my face. Yum.

I jumped on the scale on Monday, July 3. Took a pic of course. (don't you dig that retro tile in our bathroom?) Here's what I now weigh:

30 lbs above goal.

WTF.

I'm back to doing all those things that I did to lose weight back in the day:

• Tracking my food (calories and proteins) on a post-it note
• Drinking water
• Vitamins
• Exercise
• Accountability

After 3 days of being on plan with my food, guess what?

I am never hungry.

My Lap-Band is still there doing it's job. It's keeping my hunger volume low and mostly non-existent.

Could I go out and eat 3 pieces of pizza right now? Sure. But that's not my band's job to restrict my food, it's there to keep me not hungry. My job is to make good food choices. That's Right!

Weigh-ins will now be on Monday's so that I don't get stupid with my food choices over the weekends and have better accountability.

We also have a few trips coming up and I really don't want to haul this extra 30 lbs around with me up and down stairs, walking around, in/out of airplane seats, etc. Not. For. Me.

I hope you'll be there to cheer me on as I share my weekly weigh-ins and updates on Facebook..

Stay tuned for next Monday's weigh-in. 

That's Right!

Guess What Happened This Past Wednesday?

Before I tell you about Wednesday, I must first tell you about this morning's weigh-in.

'Cuz today is Friday.

That means it's weigh-in day.

Last Friday's weight: 166.2 lbs

Today's weight: 163.8 lbs.

This week's loss: 2.4 lbs.

And I made you a pretty little spreadsheet to show my progress:

How have I achieved this 5.8 lbs loss in two weeks?

• I have not been eating whatever the hell I want. Yep. Good times.
• I have been tracking my food choices and limiting calories to 1200 calories a day. And as much protein as possible. No limit on protein. 
• With my Lap-Band to control my physical hunger, it's a little easier to eat less.

And guess what happens when I watch my food choices and portions?

Here's the Captain Obvious moment...wait for it... I lose weight! Shocking. Indeed.

I am aiming for 145 lbs.

I am trying for a loss of 1-2 lbs per week.

I'll get there.

One week at a time.

Now we can talk about Wednesday.

I went to see my bariatric surgeon for an adjustment to my Lap-Band.

I asked for a baby teeny tiny fill of 0.1 ccs.

He wanted to put more 0.2 ccs, but I told him no thanks.

I like to slowly creep up on that proper fill level. There's no rush.

For me, even that 0.1 cc fill has reduced my hunger levels a bit more. It's amazing that a tiny little fill can do the trick.

Until next week my friends.

Onwards.

What Have I Been Up To?

Yep. It's been a hot minute since I last blogged.

So let's catch up, shall we?

It was end of August when I last checked in with you and here's the whirlwind that has happened in the last four months:

A fun romantic getaway to Sedona, AZ in September. We are still newlyweds after all!

A business trip Down Under to land of the koala bears: Sunrise in Sydney

A visit to the pumpkin patch here in gorgeous Northern California:

Halloween was a blast: Jackie O. ~ Vote for Kennedy!

 Thanksgiving in London: bike riding over the Thames

Christmas day hike:

What also happened during these past four months?

A 16+ pound gain.

Indeed.

I could show you how super tight my jeans are but instead, here's an end of the year weigh-in evidence:

 

How did I get here?

• I have not been doing weekly weigh-ins
• I've been eating pretty much whatever I want to (my Lap-Band does not stop me)

That's it.

My food choices and lack of accountability have led me to today. All the workouts that I do each day are not enough to undo all my poor eating choices.

Moving forward: what am I doing about this?

Getting back to doing weekly weigh-ins and not eating whatever the hell I want.

It's not rocket science.

Easier said than done, of course.

I've been tracking my food.

I've been eating all the foods that got me to goal in the first place.


One week later, here's today's Friday weigh-in: a loss of 3.4 lbs

I am still learning that the lifestyle of someone with obesity is that I can never just let it go on automatic pilot.

It's an every day kind of thing.

It's a life of daily/weekly small corrections and refocusing, because if I ignore it, it will snowball into 20+, 30+ pounds or more.  That's scary for me.

Until next week my friends.

Onwards.

PS: if you'd like to see all the details of what I eat (recipes, videos) and other daily updates, please check out my facebook page.

Q & A with Lap Band Gal Video!

It's That Day Already?!

These Friday weigh-ins help me stay on track, so a BIG thank you to you all for checking-in on me and encouraging me along the way.

Last week's weight: 154.8 lbs

This week's weight: 153.8 lbs

That's a loss of -1.0 lbs.

Sweet.

Until next week's weigh-in, I will see you over on my Facebook page.

Friday Weigh-In Day & Some Love

Last week's weight: 155.2 lbs

Today's weight: 154.8 lbs

This week's weight loss: -0.4 lbs

Captain Obvious Alert! I am learning that I can be more successful if I plan ahead of what I will eat before it becomes time to actually eat. This is especially crucial for eating out at restaurants and at events. Looking at online menus before I get to the restaurant is a habit I need to get into. Otherwise, I go on "fat girl automatic pilot" and make not-so-great food choices when that menu is handed to me by the waitress. Pasta? Biscuits with honey butter? Sure, why not!  Sigh.

I've been keeping up with my workouts of High-Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.). This is usually 30 mins of cardio mixed with push-ups, planks, jumping jacks, squats, lifting weights. It's usually one of Jillian's Free Videos or Jeff & Stu's Free Videos.

I keep track of my workouts on my wall calendar at my desk at work. I put an X if I workout that day. I may be slightly obsessed with those little pink X's

Before I run, here's a quick photo from Wednesday night. The Husband and I at a local winery event.

Until next week... I will see you over on my Facebook page.

Friday Weigh-In Day Results?

I've been super duper focused on my food choices, portion sizes (weighing food on my food scale), and of course tracking (writing down my calories and proteins) since August 1.

I began on August 1 at: 158.2 lbs
Friday weigh-in on August 5: 157.0 lbs
Friday weigh-in (today) on August 12: 155.2 lbs

That's a loss of 1.8 lbs this past week. Yay!

I am also updating my tracker at the top of this page as more accountability for myself.

That's all for now. Until next time, I'll see you all over on the facebook page.

Friday Weigh-in and Why Don't I Just Go Get a Lap-Band Adjustment?

Let's recap, shall we?

So, the sh*t got real and I weighed in this past Monday, Aug 1: 158.2 lbs.

Today, I weighed-in at 157.0 lbs.

That's a loss of -1.2 lbs. 

Sweet! I'll take it.

How did I make this weight loss happen?

• I wrote down my calories and proteins on a post-it note. Old school style. I stayed at about 1200 calories and 70+ proteins each day.
• I am using my food scale. I'm back in the habit of measuring my food more often.
• I am continuing to do all my usuals: Five HIIT workouts this week, taking my vitamins, drinking buckets of water, etc.

I will weigh-in next Friday and report back here. Friday weigh-ins are back!

Now let's talk about a question that I received from one of you on the Facebook page:

"If you've gained weight, why don't you just go get a fill?"

I dig this question.

A lot.

My answer:

My weight gain has nothing to do with my Lap-Band.

That weight gain was ME.

Me eating too much of the high calorie foods.

So, no fill for me. (Lap-Band adjustment).

My Lap-Band is not here to restrict my eating.

My Lap-Band is not here to say what I can or cannot eat.

What does my Lap-Band do: reduces the volume on my physical hunger signals.

Let's take a look at my physical hunger levels these past five days while eating 1200 calories each day:

Was I hungry? No.

I'm pretty much never hungry.

I eat about 2-3 oz protein and small portion of veggies at a meal AND I AM NOT HUNGRY for about 5 hours.

This lack of hunger helps me choose better food options and portion sizes.

From my own very subjective research of hearing lots of band patient stories and talking with Bariatric surgeons, the quickest way to lose my band would to have my Lap-Band too tight.

That freaks me out.

I paid $16,500 for my Lap-Band.

I am keeping this Lap-Band as long as possible.

I usually think long and hard about getting a fill.

Also, the first little touch of heartburn or discomfort with my Lap-Band, I am quick to get an UNfill appointment scheduled.

For me: The Lap-Band is not about restriction.


That's more than enough on that topic.

Lastly, you guys have been asking me lately for a video, so I will do a little Q&A video soon. You've been posting great questions for me on the Facebook page  Stay tuned...and Molly will probably want to say "hi" too. She's sassy like that:

Let's Get Really Clear Here For One Hot Minute

I've been kind of quiet here on the blog and using my facebook page for updates and shares.

Have you gone to Facebook to "like" my page yet? You'd see this pic there:

Fourth of July Weekend - Vegas!

I've been rockin' my intense workouts.

I've been taking my vitamins every day.

I've been drinking my buckets of water.

I've been going to support group meetings.

But what I have I not been doing?

Since about Christmas time, I have not been consistent with my weekly weigh-ins.

My weekly weigh-ins are my most helpful tool of how I lost weight and how I continue to maintain my weight loss.

Weekly weigh-ins are my accountability.

Somehow my brain got ridiculous.

I started thinking that I could track my success with how I felt and the scale wasn't as important as I had always made it out to be. Indeed. Ridiculous.

So I stopped weighing in every week.

I also have not been tracking my food choices and portions.

I've noticed that my pants and shirts are getting a little tight.

I've realized that my lower back is hurting a little bit.

My daily workouts are just a tad more difficult.

Why?

'Cuz I am carrying around EXTRA weight.


So I stepped on the scale this morning. I am officially 13lbs above my goal weight.

Here's proof (and accountability):

Sure, 13 lbs.  Big Whoop-dee-doo-da, right?  No biggie, right?

Do I still fit into my size 6/8 pants? Yeah, just barely.

But.

No.

IT. IS. A. BIG. DEAL.

This 13 lbs gain can turn into 15 lbs gain, that can then turn into 25 lbs gain, and then 35lbs gain, and then, and then. 

Yikes.

I am turning this freight train around.

This train is headed for 145lbs goal weight station.

I've been there before and I will be there again.

Not doing my weekly weigh-ins was my BIG MISTAKE and my biggest learning lesson so far in my journey.

I have been eating off plan.

Portions are too big.

Food choices are not healthy.

I am owning these choices I have made these 6+ months.

No matter how hard and often I workout, it will never make up for too many calories in my diet.

Sure, I could make all kinds of lovely excuses of why this happened, like: I have no money, no time, too much work stress, blah, blah, blah.

But no way Jose.  No excuses for me.

I made all of those food choices.

I am back to weekly weigh-ins and also tracking my food on old school post-it notes.

I'll be back on Friday for my weekly weigh-in.

 

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

Friday Weigh-in Day.

Last friday's weight: 148.8 lbs

Today's weight: 148.2 lbs

It's a loss. -0.6 lbs....and I'll take it! Onwards.

PS: for Christmas, the Husband gave me tickets to "Dirty Dancing The Musical" in San Francisco.
So this past weekend, the day had finally arrived of the big show.  OMG. I think I had way too much fun in front of that photo wall.

How I Lose Weight With My Lap-Band

Thank you for your extra love notes and encouragement here on the blog and also on Facebook after my last post about my weight gain.

Let's recap shall we?

What's been going on these past three months or so:

• I made craptastic food choices. No one chose these foods for me. I own these choices I made.
• I ate way too big of portions of those craptastic food choices. I chose these portions.
• I didn't do my weekly Friday weigh-ins for about 5 weeks (lost my accountability).
• I weighed in Monday 3/21/16 (five days ago) and the sh*t got real: 153.4 lbs.
• A weight gain of 8.4 lbs above my goal weight of 145 lbs.
• I am back on the accountability train with weekly weigh-ins and writing down my food choices each day (I track only calories and proteins). 
• I am staying accountable to my goal of getting back to 145 lbs.
• My daily goal is 1200 calories and at least 70 proteins. I eat real foods and chew a lot. It's been over a year since I've had a protein shake.

So it's my usual Friday weigh-in today.

The results?

Drum roll please.....

 

Bam.

There ya go.

A weight loss of 4.6 lbs!

I have always been someone who can lose and gain weight fast.

What have I  learned  REMINDED myself of these past 5 days?

If I do the work, I get the results.

If I track my food, I see the results on the scale.

Was I hungry this past week eating 1200 calories each day?

NO. Nope. Nada.

Thank you very much Lap-Band.  My band keeps my physical hunger under control so I can do the work of making food choices and portion sizes.

If you'd like to see what I am up to daily, go check out my Facebook page. I share what I am eating, recipes, workouts, etc.

Let's get real here for a hot minute

Those of you who follow me on Facebook may have noticed something.

I have not been keeping up with my weekly Friday weigh-ins.

My last Friday weigh-in on Facebook was February 5, 2016.   146.6 lbs.  Here's the official photo of that weigh-in:

I've been telling myself these tall tales in my head and thinking that I could do this weight loss maintenance thing without stepping on the scale.  

You know, that thing called "accountability."

I've been joking with myself into thinking I could do weight maintenance using the "how I feel" and "see how my clothes fit" methods.

But no.

No way, Jose.

I have learned these past few months that I cannot do that. 

Those non-scale methods of accountability do not work for me.

 

I could tell you that I have not been doing my weekly weigh-ins for all kind of  excuses  reasons.  

But it doesn't matter what those reasons are because here's what's gone down these past few months:

Food choices that were not always protein-focused. 

Food choices that were too large of portions.

Food choices that were ridiculous and it's time for me to slow my roll.

It is all about my food choices.

It ends here.

I am owning this.

So I stepped on the scale this morning.

Yep, 153.4 lbs.

That's 8.4 lbs above my goal weight of 145 lbs.

I am catching this slippery slope now.

Here's what I am doing to stop this ridiculous weight-gain:

Tracking my food choices by WRITING THEM DOWN

Stay tuned for Friday's weigh-in.

It'll be off the hook.

We said "I Do"!

Surprise!

Bonus Non-Scale Victory alert: the husband picked me up!

If you would like to see a video and photos from our wedding, click here.

We had a fun-in-the-sun honeymoon Caribbean cruise:

Love is Sweet

The fiance and I were so honored this weekend.

A BIG thank you goes out to my parents hosting such a fun engagement party for us!

It was a dessert bar with the theme: "Love is Sweet"

  

 

Mom, Sister, and I

Five Years at Goal Weight with My Lap-Band

It's been a crazy busy time for me lately.

Here are the places I've been to for business trips or for fun in the last three weeks:

• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Newark, NJ
• Scranton, PA
• Milwaukee, WI
• Green Bay, WI

Phew!

I've been keeping up with my workouts and mostly eating how I should while on the road. 

As you know, I share all those lovely little annoying details of the day-to-day living with my Lap-Band on my Facebook page. You're welcome.

I've been so busy that my Goal-iversary came and went and I didn't even notice! On December 17, 2010, I reached my goal weight.  I lost about 120 lbs in 14 months.  That was five years ago.

I've been holding steady around the 145 lbs mark for FIVE YEARS now.

It's a lot of work. No sugar coating here.

Did I say it's a lot of work? Indeed.

Here's a pic of the Fiance and I on Christmas morning. I posted it on Facebook, but alas, there are some of you who are not on Facebook! Gasp!

The presents were all unwrapped.

The holiday treats were all eaten.

The Fiance was heading out the door for a 6 mile run in the freezing cold. His usual.

I was about to get my sweat on with my favorite workout trainer, Jillian Michael's via her free online videos in the living room. My usual.

What is the biggest learning lesson from these past five years at my goal weight?

There is no finish line and no "done" on this road to health.

I Can't Figure Out My Recent Blood Test Results

The "why" behind why I do what I do each day.

The "why" behind why I make my careful food choices each day.

The "why" behind why I measure my food portions each day.

The "why" behind why I drink over 100 oz each day.

The "why" behind why I exercise and sweat each day.

What is the "why" I got my LapBand in the first place way back in 2009? MY HEALTH.

Sure, fitting into a certain clothing size is super fun.

Sure, being able to be active and present in my daily life is good. (And not napping at home and watching TV for hours, 'cuz that's what I used to do at 260 lbs. Missing out on life in general)

But for me, the main focus has always been my HEALTH.

Did you know that at 260 lbs, my doctor was talking to me about pre-diabetes and high cholesterol medications?

Every year since I got to my goal weight, I've been doing well with no signs of diabetes and all results at normal levels. Yay me.

So I was extremely surprised when last week I got the results of my annual blood test / lab work.

I really didn't think I could improve on anything from the year before.

Weight maintenance gets pretty boring.

Here are my results.

I have improved my cholesterol results dramatically this past year! Yellow highlights are my newest results from last week and hand written info is from last year's tests:

The only issue is...

I have NO IDEA how I did this.

I haven't changed my diet and food choices in the past few years.

I am doing the same exact type of workouts I've been doing for the past 3+ years.

The only thing that I could guess is that this is a LONG-TERM result of eating WAY less red meat and animal proteins (chicken, beef, pork, etc) over the last 3 years?  Sort of a long term affect of reduced meat eating?


Back story: Three years ago I began my a new job at a vegetarian foods company.

Since employees can buy these vegetarian food items at a reduced price and these vegetarian foods are pre-portioned/frozen/convenient, I have been eating them ALL THE TIME.

It is convenient and cheap for me. Tasty too. That's all.  No other reasons.

Therefore, I eat meat only 2 or 3 times a week in these past 3 years.  Not very often.

Could I now be seeing the long-term benefits of a reduced meat (semi-vegetarian) diet?

Here's what I do know: I am a cholesterol ROCK STAR.

Sad News and a Visit to the LapBand Surgeon

Pemberley passed away last week.

I've been sad, but remembering the fun times we had together is helping.

She will always be my favorite workout buddy!

June 2015:

4 days post-op. October 2009:

In other news, since about late July/early August, I noticed that I was getting hungry quickly after a small sensible protein meal.

So then I thought, oh well, my seasonal sinus allergies will be ramping up soon, let's see how it goes. That band will get tight again. Allergies always makes my band tighten up.

And I waited.

And the seasonal sinus allergies went crazy.  Boxes of tissues later...

I was still hungry!

So I thought, with a big vacation coming up to Italy, I figured there would be jet lag and travel stress/etc (stuff that usually tightens up my band), so let's wait and think about a fill when I returned.

That vacation came and went.

But I was still hungry!

Then Pemberley passed away.  So I thought, oh no, this is very stressful/emotional (stuff that always tightens up the band), I bet that band will tighten up. Let's wait and see.

Nope.

I was still hungry!

SO, long story short, I finally went to see my Lap-Band doctor last Friday 9/25/15 for a fill. He added 0.4 ccs to my Lap-Band.

My hunger is reduced and my thoughts of food and what my next meal will be are GONE.

I love that at almost SIX years post-op, I can still get my Lap-Band adjusted and have that same reduced hunger and full feeling as I did at the very beginning of my weight loss journey.

Italy is a dream...

...that keeps returning for the rest of your life."

Someone famous said that quote. 

And they were correct.

I'm back from two whole weeks in Italy.

There was Michelangelo's David:

 

Wine in Florence.

 

A climb up the many stairs to the top of the Duomo (Cathedral) in Florence.

There's always time for a cappuccino in the rain of Florence.

Tuscany countryside adventures:

 

Chillin' poolside.

 

Ummm. Yeah. More wine.

But I DID workout six times. Water bottles for hand weights with my usual Jillian Michael's videos from YouTube:

 

Day spa relaxing under the Tuscan sun.

 

Cocktails at sunset at the Forum in Rome:

Gelato in Rome:

Cooking class in Rome on our last night in Rome. Homemade ravioli and tiramisu!

And by the way.

One very important event happened on day 1 of our vacation. 

In case you missed the many, many hints in the previous photos.

The event happened before the wine.

Before the cappuccino.

Before the poolside relaxing.

The boyfriend got down on one knee at River Arno in Florence at sunset.

And proposed marriage.

Of course I said, "Yes!"

Fortunati Noi

 

(Italian for Lucky Us)