Who Else Wants to Step Out of Their Comfort Zone?

I heart my comfort zone. It's like putting on comfy flannel PJs when I get home from work at the end of a long day. It's expected.  It's well-known.  It's easy.  It's the path of least resistance.

However in the past few months, I'm noticing that I'm getting really good at stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I kinda like it. It's a bit scary at times, but it seems to always pay off in the end.  Fun things happen outside of my comfort zone:  Pole dancing? Sure!  Public Speaking? Why not!  Hiking? OK!

Guess what I'm doing this weekend for the first time ever? White-water Rafting...as in a river with dirt and bugs. For realz. This 'indoor girl' will probably wear a swimsuit...in public...gasp.

Here's another example...Do you think the fatty would have EVER worn a shirt like this? Talk about stepping out of the box!  (PS: get your mind out of the gutter.)

It's a lot easier for me try new things when I don't have to carry around those 115 extra pounds.

Now it's your turn!  Time to find something that you never would expect your old self to do and step out of your comfort zone.  I can guarantee you that some pretty magical things will happen.

Monday Check-in ~ Bullet Style

Happy Monday morning!  Don't you roll your eyes at me...

• How was your weekend?  Did your inner fat girl/boy eating behaviors creep back into your life?  What is it about the weekend that holds so much power over my food choices? Like it's a special time zone where calories don't count...ridiculous.  Other than the "sugar cookie incident" on Friday, my choices were pretty good.
• I have a serious Starbucks addiction developing. Those damn Treat Receipts that make me return after 2pm for my $2 fix doesn't help.  Is there a 12-step program for Starbucks? or maybe there's an app for that? Let me know.
• Does anyone else watch Big Brother? I love me a hot mess of a train wreck :)  Anybody else wonder if that Slop is band-friendly? I had a good think about that today.
• I heaved myself up a mountain yesterday on a 2+ hour hike. This mountain.  Yes, Floridians, a real live mountain:

I Puffy Heart The Garden of Olives

Can you think of any other restaurant that has all of the chair legs installed with little wheels? I wonder if this is so the servers can just conveniently wheel me out to my car when I stuff myself with exactly 37 garlicky bread sticks dunked in buckets of Alfredo sauce? Probably.

The Garden of Olives was always my absolute favorite place to eat when I was a fatty.

It was my go-to choice for birthday dinners and pretty much any other occasion I could invent to make an excuse to eat there.

Do you know what my standard order used to be?

Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken.  But don't forget the soup (2 servings), salad, and the bread sticks....yes...the bread sticks (usually at least 4)...drool.  AND I would eat it ALL.  No doggie bag for me.  I just checked out the nutrition facts for this meal and it is 2450 calories.  YIKES. That's the calories that I usually eat in TWO DAYS.

So, fast forward to last night at the Olive Garden.  I probably haven't eaten there in over a year. I had:

• 4-5 bites of Pasta Fagioli Soup: 60
• 2 calamari pieces: 50
• 1/3 of a Bread stick: 80
• 1-2 cheese raviolis, small piece of chicken with sauce: 300
• 2 Andes mints: 50
• Total: 540 calories (approximately)  

And let me tell ya, my band was talking to me...saying "stop eating...NOW."  My band doesn't usually do that, but I was happy it was there to tell me to step away from the feed trough.

The amount of food that I eat now compared with the good ol' days is amazing.  I still get to enjoy the same foods, just a lot less.

New Banded Blogger Alert!

Please stop by and say "hello" to Jackie over at Jazzing Up Jackie.  She could use some BOOBs love and support.

Her surgery is this week! How exciting!

Thanks!

"We are what we believe we are." ~ C.S. Lewis

The mental journey that has happened along with my massive weight loss still amazes me each and every day.  One aspect of this journey is my confidence and self-esteem.

I went from being a VERY, VERY confident fatty....to a rather insecure skinny girl...to just lately where I am experiencing my self-confidence coming back...FINALLY!

A lot of my original insecurities with being skinny was very much related to my INVISIBILITY CLOAK.  Remember this post? 

I do still wonder on occasion if there's a booger hanging out of my nose or if my fly is down when people look at me.  It's just that I'm not invisible anymore...that's all.

PS: I no longer am looking for my invisibility cloak. If you find it, please burn it.

Weigh-in Day...and the results are...

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 140.8 lbs

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!


- Posted from my iPhone

Why I Chose the Band

Lately, people have been asking me why I chose to get a Lap Band and not the gastric bypass like their friend, cousin, coworker, neighbor, etc.

I try to explain to them that when someone chooses to get weight loss surgery, it is a very personal reason of why and which type surgery is chosen.  No matter what weight loss method, plan, or surgery we choose, ultimately we're all trying to get to the same destination of improved health and weight loss.

One of the primary reasons that I chose to get a band was that I felt that it was a much safer surgery than other choices that were available to me at that time.

During my own decision making process, I remember thinking....

• Which surgery is right for me?
• Which surgery potentially carries more risk?
• Which procedure is permanent?
• Which procedure can be adjusted?
• What if medical science and technology change one day?
• Which surgeries are reversible?

But at the end of the day, safety was and still is very important to me.  Here's what I've learned:

• The Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure is less invasive than the sleeve or gastric bypass procedures because it involves no re-routing or partial removal of internal organs (1).
• Banding has a favorable long-term safety profile compared to gastric bypass (2).
• Banding has 3 times fewer total complications than the sleeve (3) procedure.
• Banding has 5 times fewer serious complications than the gastric bypass procedure (4).
• Banding has been shown to have a shorter operative time, shorter hospital stay and shorter time to return to work than gastric bypass (5).

I remember when I was pre-op, I was very overwhelmed trying to consider all the pros and cons of each surgery.

I always recommend that we, as patients, ask LOTS of questions during the pre-op process to determine the best surgery for each of us.  Each weight loss surgery is not "one size fits all" and we have to do our research.

References:

1. Needleman. Surg Clin N Am. 2008;88:991-1007. O’Brien. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg. 2003;13:265-270.
2. Parikh. J Am Coll Surg. 2006;202:252-261.
3. DeMaria EJ, Pate V, Warthen M, Winegar DA. Baseline data from American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery-designated Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence using the Bariatric Outcomes
4. DeMaria EJ, Pate V, Warthen M, Winegar DA. Baseline data from American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery-designated Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence using the Bariatric Outcomes

5. Chapman. Surgery. 2004;135:326-351, Fisher. Obes Surg. 2004;14:67-72, Parikh. J Am Coll Surg. 2006;202:252-261. HLTH/2947/11/APC61SC11

Need Some Motivation?

I'm Still the Same Me

It seems that the only living being that treats me the same now that I am skinny is my cat, Pemberley.

However, I am sure that she does notice all the extra room on the couch during our cuddle/TV watching time.  She's a big fan of the "Bachelorette" by the way.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

First of all, thank you all for your kind comments on my last "sad" post.  It seems that I may have the genetic cards stacked against me on this one.  Stay tuned.

Second, I think that I am FINALLY starting to see myself as "skinny."  FINALLY!  I've been a size 4/6 for over 7 months now...so it's taken awhile for my body image to catch up.

I may still feel like the fat girl on the inside, but I am happy to report that this photo from last night's Trailer Trash party has helped me see the light.