Non-Scale Victory (NSV) Alert!

Isn't is weird how we only hear what we want to hear sometimes?

I realized last night that my Jazzercise instructor has now said to me three times in the last few months that I should also become a Jazzercise instructor.

Why did I only really listen and hear her last night when she said it again?

Who knows.

But it's definitely a NSV in my book.  

Before I was banded, never in a bazillion years did I EVER expect to be healthy and fit enough for another human being to think that I could actually lead an exercise class, let alone an aerobics class.  

Seriously.

I will probably never teach Jazzercise, but I guess I should never say "never."  Crazier and more unbelievable things have happened since I've been banded (fitting into a size 4 dress!)

Who knows what the future holds?

What's in My Monday Bag?

I have a bag that I nicknamed long ago the...."Monday Bag." 

It's a bag that I take to work on Mondays that's full of food and other stuff other stuff that helps me stay on track with my food choices during the week. 

I usually pack the bag on Sunday night before going to bed or Monday morning at 'O dark thirty before I leave for work.  Did you know that I arrive at work usually around 6:30AM, and this is of my own choosing?  Yeah, I'm one of those crazy morning people.

Anyways, here's this morning's Monday bag.  Try to contain your jealousy of my office's tres chic wood panelling and pastel pink guest chairs which are AWE-SOME:

Here's what's in this morning's bag:

From left to right:

• Fage 2% plain yogurts
• Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chewy Bites
• Baby Arugula (LOVE!)
• Goat cheese crumbles (my crack)
• 3 oz. pre-portioned chopped chicken breast in tupperwares
• Hard boiled eggs

Other foods/items that are sometimes in the Monday bag, but not today?

• Splenda packets
• Crystal Light/Propel Zero packets
• 1/2 gallon 1% Milk
• String Cheese
• Salad dressing
• Diet Hot Cocoa packets (the 25 calorie ones)

Having all these healthy food choices ready to go helps me resist the temptations that can sometimes happen, especially when a coworker says, "Hey, I'm gonna hit up the Taco Bell drive-thru, want anything?"

Teeny Tiny Casseroles!

I received these 1 cup casserole stoneware dishes for my birthday. They are portion control perfected!


But I have a problem. I have no band-friendly casserole recipes. Do you? Help.

Thanks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Debbie Downer...Pity Party of One

Remember when I told you back in September about how non-scale victories can be taken away?

Well, let's add another one to that craptastic list.

My primary care doctor (who's a total hottie by the way; now you know how I choose doctors) says that my blood pressure numbers are still too high.

So guess what? Yep I am now taking ANOTHER medication for high blood pressure. Yep, and of course the first pill that I took yesterday morning, I promptly PB'd up.  I'll have to cut them in half or take them at night.

Anyways, what I still need to wrap my head around is this:

At the ripe old age 33 and with all that I do to improve my health every...damn...day, how can I still need medications for high blood pressure?

I guess I never realized how much genetics can affect my health.  I have always "owned" my obesity as my problem.  After all, I'm the one who shoved all those cookies down my pie hole all those years.

Dr. Hottie says that he thinks that genetics is the main reason for my high blood pressure.  I kinda agree, especially after consulting my family tree, it seems that almost every relative on both sides of the tree either has or had high blood pressure.  Yeah, I really won the genetic lottery.  Go me.

This also makes be beg the question about how much money I'm supposed to be saving with having lost over 111 lbs.  You know, that dog 'n pony show Lap Band seminar where they tell you all about the money that you're gonna save with losing weight? Hmmm... Those co-pays for the medications are now adding up.

As I've said before:

I choose to exercise five times a week  I usually do about 300+ minutes a week; us bandsters are encouraged to get at least 210 minutes a week (30 minutes each day).

I choose to eat healthy foods (most of the time).

I choose to constantly count and keep track in my head of calories and protein eaten.

But I cannot choose my genetics.

Weigh-in Day...and a New Banded Blogger Alert!

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 140.7 lbs

New Banded Blogger Alert! *** New Banded Blogger Alert! *** New Banded Blogger Alert!

Have you stopped by Heather's blog yet? Check it out: Choosin' to be Losin'

In her profile, Heather says that she has Shorkies.  At first I thought, huh? "Snorks"?

Yeah, not so much.  It turns out that this is shorkie, pretty damn cute if you ask me:

Why I Can Never Have Cereal In My House

Before I tell you about how cereal is the devil, what can say about yesterday's comments? Wow.

Thank you for your comments, feedback, and support on yesterday's blog post.  Isn't that what's so great about the blogging community? We get to have our opinions and voices heard.

Okay, onwards to some tasty breakfast cereal!

Cereal is one of my trigger foods.

Cereal is my crack.

I can't have it in the house.  Ever.

I'm sure that you can guess why.

I can't just have one little bowl and call it good.

In the pre-banded days, I could easily eat 3 or 4 large bowls of cereal in one sitting.  Then there's that wonderful experience of eating it straight out of the box...dry...while sitting on the couch watching TV.  Oh my.  There could be an entire episode of Intervention about the craziness that I would get myself into with cereal.

So, I was reminded yesterday of why cereal will always be my heroine.

Yep, I was minding my own business and pushing my cart down the aisles of the grocery store last night when I saw this....it wasn't even in the axis of evil cereal aisle (which I avoid like the plague).  It jumped out at me near the frozen foods.  Take a look at this NEW cereal:

Oh! REAL chocolate inside cereal? Yes, please.  And if that wasn't enough fun chocolate for me, next to it was it's evil twin:  DOUBLE chocolate!

I ran away from that cereal.  I ran fast.  Before it could jump into my cart and come home with me.

Am I Full of Sh*t?

Not literally.  'Cuz Miralax is my B.F.F. 

But figuratively speaking.

I got called out. 

Yep, I was called out by friend who says that I am, apparently, full of sh*t.  It was said in a joking way, but there's some truth there perhaps.

I think it's my food choices that I talk about here on the blog and Facebook page compared with what I do in real life.  She said it to me when I was gobbling down my fourth cheddar bay biscuit at Red Lobster.

Here's the thing: when I am out with friends (at their houses, at a restaurant, or bar), I'm usually a terrible bandster *hangs head in shame*  Promise not to tell anyone?  That will be our little secret, mmmmmkaaay?

Want some examples of the reee-diculousness that I get myself into?

• Mozzarella sticks? sure.
• Dairy Queen Blizzards? Yes, please.
• Fries and pizza? OK, why not.
• Margaritas, chips and guacamole? Abso-freakin'-lutely.

Sure, the portions are smaller than the pre-band days and since I make exercise my b*tch, the scale never reveals any of these food choices.

But I don't usually tell you about my occasional poor food choices. Do you know why? 

Because:

1. I know that most of you guys are in your losing phase and you don't want to be tempted by food porn.  I know that I personally would feel very discouraged if I kept reading about some skinny bitch strutting around in size 6 jeans while she stuffed her face with bread sticks at the Olive Garden.
2. I never, ever ate those foods when I was losing.  It was a LONG 14 months.  Whew!
3. When I am not hanging out with friends, I am pretty "hard core" with my eating and on track.  This is about 80% of the time.

I may be full of sh*t, but perhaps only 20% of the time?

Maybe this is what maintenance is all about?

Nothing Worthwhile is Ever Without Complications

Did you read that recent study that claimed that Gastric Bypass was more effective and a better surgery overall when compared with Lap Band?  If you missed it, go read "Gastric Bypass Destroys Lap Bands in Head-to-Head Study." 

WTF. 

I was kinda sad after reading that article.  Combine that with reading about Angela who is having her slipped band surgery this week, and I was not so excited about my prospects with this band.

As you may remember, I came THIS CLOSE to getting gastric bypass instead of the band.  I started to wonder if I made the right decision in getting a band.

I also skimmed through the Lap Band message boards and forums out there on the interwebs. 

It seems that I wasn't the only person who had read that Debbie Downer anti-band article. 

The boards were lighting up with "my surgery is better than your surgery" and "nanny nanny boo boo" nasty posts.  These train wreck posts reminded me of the hot mess of drama that can only be contained in all-day marathon 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'  Some people have way too much time on their hands these days.

Then, yesterday, the heavens opened up, the sun shone, the birds chirped...I had a smile on my face.  Yep, I read this ROCKSTAR blog post by bariatric surgeon Dr. Cobourn. 

Go read it.  Now.  Did you read it?  Good. High five.

Dr. Cobourn pretty much shoots down every claim that the original study outlines....and then some. 

The data in the original study was old.  Plain and simple.  There are new surgical techniques for installing bands and better made bands now that increase the long term success rates and reduce the complications with bands overall.

To me, it has never mattered what weight loss surgery someone has (Band, DS, RNY, Sleeve, etc) or if someone's following more traditional methods (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc).  We all have the same goal of improved health.  We just may have different paths to take to get there.

No matter the path one chooses, I just wish that people would realize that if there is no self-accountability, no change in food choices, and no increase in exercise, then it's all over before it began.  Why bother?

But do you know who does have buckets of accountability, keeps track of her food choices, exercises like a superstar, and has lost 122 lbs?  Yep, that would be Angela.

Oh My God! I'm Going On A Plane! Freak Out Mode Has Officially Begun!

Yep, those were the crazy thoughts going on in my head when I was getting ready to fly on a plane for the first time with my band.

Jump into the time travel machine and let me take you back in time... to Thanksgiving of 2009.

Yep, I first flew with my band when I was 5 weeks post op...all the way to Orlando, Florida.

Could I fly any farther away from Oregon and still be in the good ol' USA? There should be a language change and currency exchange with that much flying.  Seriously.

So...back to Thanksgiving 2009: to say that I was a little freaked out was an understatement. I am an experienced world traveler, but with the band, this would be a completely new experience.

I may have looked like this on the outside (always a smiling face), but I was a bundle of nerves on the inside.

(30 lbs lost, 5 weeks post-op)

Here are all the crazy thoughts that were swimming around in my head before my trip:

• I've only just started mushies and soft foods, what would I eat? Oh no! 
• Will there be anything in the airports to eat? drink?! Yikes!
• Would my band swell up to the size of Texas while I was in flight and then I wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything?
• Why won't those TSA people let me take a yogurt or a protein shake through security? They're a bunch of meanies.
• I haven't had a fill yet, is it possible to get an unfill this early? (I had 4.5ccs put in at surgery)
• Maybe there's a Lap Band doctor in Orlando that could do an unfill for me? I should google that.

This list could go on and on...

Of course, all of that freaking out was not necessary.

I was able to eat and drink...on and off the plane.

I've found that Starbucks is a bandsters best friend.  Their strawberry smoothies have about 250 cals and 20 proteins.  And we all know where there's an airport, there's usually at least one Starbucks.

I ate and drank all through the Orlando area and the Disney parks during that Thanksgiving weekend.  I noticed that I could always find something on the menu that would work for me.

I am so happy that I got all that anxiety over and done with on that first banded trip.

I just counted the number of flights that I've taken since being banded (I used all my fingers and toes to count...and Pemberley helped): 48 flights with no issues or problems at all.

And do you know what the biggest challenge is now when I fly?  Saying "no thank you" to the flight attendants when they tempt me with their lovely red shiny cans of Coke Classic and tasty oatmeal cookies.  Damn you Alaska Airlines and your crack cookies.  I still struggle with the idea that traveling means that I get to go off of my eating plan.

Anyways, now that I am headed to London next month, I have no worries about traveling and flying with my band.

But I do have one concern: bathrooms.

I drink tons of water now and I know how there are not many public bathrooms available in London.  I was not a water drinker during my last trips to London.  Any ideas?  Starbucks? McDonalds?

Help.

Two New Banded Bloggers!

There are two more ladies out there for you to say hello to and send some B.O.O.B.s love to:

"My Pork" emailed me yesterday with the following:

"I am a new blogger and just wanted to let you know that I was inspired to start blogging while reading ALL of your posts. It took me 2 days. I know my husband was tired of me talking about what you have been able to accomplish with your “tool”. I just wanted to say Hi. So, Hi."


"October 11" also just started blogging.  She was banded on October 11 (duh), but from reading her blog, I just can't figure out what year?  I think 2011?  Hmm... I will have to ask her about that.  My favorite post of hers so far is the day after surgery photo.  Me likey.


Please stop by and say "hi" to these lovely ladies!