Friday Weigh-in Day AND a Big Girl Fill

Here's another post to document my stats and help me remember the numbers.

It's been 5 years, 7 months since my Lap-Band surgery in October 2009 when I began at 260 lbs.

I've been at/below my goal weight of 145 lbs since December 2010.

Where am I today?

I had another adjustment last Friday, May 29, 2015: the doc added 0.8cc's. Whoa, big girl fill alert!

Therefore, here's the history of fills/adjustments since the January WTF freakout of when I thought I broke my band (I didn't):

1/1/15: 7.3ccs current level
1/5/15: -3.5ccs
3/26/15: +1.5ccs
5/29/15: +0.8ccs
TOTAL in my band now: 6.1 ccs

How do I feel today?

• NO. HUNGER. AT. ALL.
• Small portions keep me satisfied for about 3-4 hours.

I've also lost about 2 lbs in the last week.

This is mainly due to me doing the liquid diet for 4 of the last 7 days. My choice. My doc doesn't require this. I just know from past experience this is helpful for me to ease into a new band adjustment. 

Also worth noting I suppose, the last time I had food come back up (a PB) was in January.  6 months ago.  Having food come back up has been a rare occurrence for me in general for me in my Lap-Band journey.

In my very subjective opinion, I keep my band on the looser side of the spectrum.

I can eat anything I want, no food choices limit me. For example: I ate a small slice of thick crust pizza for dinner last night. Doughy. Cheesy. Took me about 25 mins to eat it, but no problems.

It's interesting how different a 2 lb loss on my 143lb body is compared with a 2 lb loss on my previous 260lb body.

• 2lbs loss now is 1.3% loss of body weight: I feel it immediately in my pants fitting better and less tummy rolls. It's so weird yet amazing!
• 2lbs loss when I was at 260lbs was .07% loss of body weight: didn't even notice it at all in how I felt.

Maintaining my weight is an every day challenge for me. 

What I have learned is that it never gets any easier.

Maintaining my weight is just as difficult as losing weight. 

But it was difficult being 260lbs too.

Here's Friday weigh-ins for the last two weeks.

Onwards.

An Amazing Read! Great Tips for Lap-Band Success!

Did you see it?

Did you read it yet?

Did you know that there are Lap-Band patients out there who are over ten years post-op who are maintaining their goal weight?!?

Indeed.

Meet Karen Gillman:

 

In 2004, Karen had gastric band (Lap-Band®) surgery which ultimately helped her combat her obesity, shed and maintain a weight loss of 145 pounds and bring her BMI from a staggering 45.3 to a maintaining a normal weight BMI of 23.

Go Karen!

Lucky for us, Karen is very open about her life before and after surgery.

This lady is representin' on the interwebs:

She's got a BLOG.

She's got a fancy Facebook.

She even has a BOOK.  That's what she said.  A book! It's called, "It's Never Too Late. A Ten Year Journey with Weight Loss Surgery."

I was lucky enough to receive a complimentary from Karen and here's the scoop:

I read it cover to cover.

Twice.

It's a super quick and easy read.

Lots of pics.

And.

It.

Is.

Awesome.

Sauce.

But, wait.

Who is this especially great for?  Anyone considering any type of weight loss surgery.

My favorite parts of this book?

-- She lists her items she keeps in her kitchen.  Who knew that there was a special type of grater and chopper that makes portion sizes easy? 
-- She shares her top must have items to be a successful Lap-Band patient. I love her recommendations of her fave shapewear that she wears underneath her clothes. (gasp!)
--She tells you about her new level of happiness and energy now that she has lost her excess weight.

You can find her book HERE.

Go.

Order.

It.

Now.

You're welcome.

Did I Break My Lap-Band?

Let's rewind.

Back to that time when I seriously thought that I had broke my Lap-Band.

I had been cruising along for over a year with 7.3 ccs in my Lap-Band.

I could eat anything.

Bread. Yep.

Pasta. Yep.

Anything.

Just not in huge quantities.

My hunger was under control.

It. Was. Awesome.

Food would get stuck or "PB" (food coming back up) maybe once every 2 or 3 months.

Then my food choices got STUPID over the holidays: Cookies, cake, treats, etc.

Then came new years day 2015.

And EVERYTHING changed.

My honey and I went on a weekend getaway to San Francisco: Ice skating, Shopping, Theater Shows, Food, etc!

Here's what went down:

Jan 1  -- We started the weekend by going to the Trampoline park in SF. We jumped and jumped and jumped.  Great exercise and so fun! Nifty socks included.

Jan 2  -- Major PB lunch. Again a bad PB at Dinner. Bad food choices by me. Liquids going down fine though. There was a constant middle of my back pain and the really bad heartburn began. This was such a NEW experience for me. My Lap-Band had never caused me such pain. My constant thought: Did I break my Lap-Band by jumping on the trampolines? Seriously. WTF.

Jan 3 --Our fun weekend was over and we headed home. I called my surgeon for an emergency unfill that week.

Jan 5 -- Major unfill of my Lap-Band at bariatric surgeon's office: 3.5 ccs!  Now there was less fill in my band than when my band was put in at surgery in October 2009. 
 
Jan 5 onwards - heartburn and some pain with most all food choices.  Liquids going down fine.

Jan 21 -- Barium swallow.  The barium swallow doctor and the tech assistant guy in the room kept saying "Looks good" and "be careful, you'll gain weight with a band that loose"  They even had me swallow a barium pill (HUGE PILL!) And that pill went down no problem.

Jan 28 -- Appointment with Bariatric surgeon for the official verdict on the barium swallow.  He said it looked OK.  I did not want a fill.  He didn't want to do a fill. Still having slight pain and some heartburn occasionally.  He said some scary words to me: "You don't want to lose your band" and we ended the appointment with "Let's see how it goes at this fill level".

March 5 -- The last time I had heartburn.

March 5 onwards -- No pain when eating. No heartburn for awhile now. Uh oh! I can now eat more.  I am getting hungry after about 2 hours with my usual small portions.  The scale is going up. I'm HUNGRY!  Called bariatric surgeon for fill appointment.

March 26 -- Appointment with bariatric surgeon.  1.5 cc fill.

March 26 onwards -- Hunger is GONE.  Scale has gone down a few pounds.  Still no pain. Still no heartburn.

So here we are: April 4. Today.

These past three months have taught me:

• I can't take my band for granted. I need to make good food choices.
• If and when my Lap-Band is removed (a silicone device has a limited lifespan) I hope the good folks over at Apollo Endosurgery are still manufacturing Lap-Bands so I can get a band replacement. I don't think I could ever revise to a bypass or sleeve. Not my thing.
• Hunger is still scary.
• And NO, I didn't jump my band broken.

I remember during my fill appointment with my bariatric surgeon on March 26.  I joked with him when laying back on the table and said "Look! I'm winning today. I don't have to undo my pants for the fill. These pants are loose!"

He then smiled calmly down at me and replied with,"You've already won."

That brings me to my last learning lesson: Perspective

One of My HUGE secrets to my Success

What's the big secret to my success? Weekly weigh-ins.  EVERY Friday.

I've been consistently weighing in every Friday since August 2009.

My starting weight: 260.0 lbs

Today's weight: 144.8 lbs

Goal weight: 145.0 lbs

I've been at my goal weight since December 17, 2010.

Onwards.

What If I Fall?

I tried something new.

For the for the very first time.

Yesterday.

Was the BIG day.

The most physically challenging Non-Scale Victory (NSV) to date.

I swung on my my hands.

And dangled from my knees.

I was upside down.

And I flew through the air.

...on a TRAPEZE

At a trapeze class, to be quite specific.

And guess what?

I survived to tell you the tale.

Right here.

Right now.

Climbing up the metal ladder was the most difficult for me. 

 Swinging from the platform was a leap of faith...could I hold on and support my body weight?

 I learned to get my legs up and hang from my knees!

 I even learned that I could let go and have someone catch me!

Check out the video of me flying through the air HERE.

Today, the day after, my muscles are the most sore they have ever been since I had Lap-Band surgery in October 2009.

My abs hurt.

My arms hurt.

My calves hurt.

It hurts to sit down.

It hurts to laugh.

Did I mention that my abs hurt?

Oh my.  Like a thousand sit-ups.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely.

The.

Most.

FUN.

Ever.

Weigh-in Day & Do You Remember the Secret Power of the Pink Tutu?

Friday weigh in day!

I've been weighing-in every Friday for over FIVE and HALF years. 

Weekly weigh-ins are one of the secrets to my success. 

Accountability is KEY.

I'm still below my goal weight of 145 lbs!

 

Do you remember this post about my Mom and her pink tutu and completing her first 5k race? Go back and read it. She's awesome-sauce. 

Last weekend I went to my Mom's interval circuit workout class at her gym. What an intense workout. It reminded me of my Jillian Michael's Shred workouts: planks, push-ups, etc!

Mom's been keeping up with her daily visits to her gym and personal trainer for over a year now. I am so proud of her!

Left: At the 5k race                                                Right: at Mom's gym last weekend

Friday Weigh-In Day & the Holidays are Here!

Can you believe that I have officially been at/below by goal weight of 145 lbs for FOUR years now?  I got to my goal weight on December 17, 2010.

That's about 120lbs lost. And I've kept it off.

This is a HUGE accomplishment for me.

Why?

For me, this weight loss journey is about KEEPING the weight off.

Not just losing the weight.

Here's today's weigh-in pic:

As you can see from today's weigh-in, the holidays are here. 

I am up a few pounds from last week, but still below my goal weight. 

I have been enjoying all of those cookies and treats that get passed around the office and parties this time of year.  I am not too worried about it. The 2-3 pounds up and down the scale don't phase me any more.  This process is all about what happens in "maintenance." 

Now how about a few updates on what I've been up to for the holidays:

I got my crafty-ness on with the kittehs and made Christmas paw print ornaments:

 

My Sweetie and I got busy making and decorating Ninja-Bread cookies. They're bad-ass.

We cruised around in our own backyard and went olive oil tasting in the Wine Country. Here's the official "let's-play-tourist-and-stand-in-the-vineyards" photo from that day:

As you can see, life goes on.

I still do all the things I need to do be healthy:

--I make correct food choices and portion sizes.
--I still EXERCISE most days of the week.

Lastly, I will leave you with this thought:

Merry Christmas!

I've Had My Lap-Band for Five Years!

Can you believe it?

It's been officially five years since my Lap-Band surgery: October 20, 2009.

Let's recap, shall we?

I began my journey at 260 lbs.

Jeans size 24W. Bra size 42DD.

I lost 120 lbs in 14 months and got to my goal weight of 145 lbs on December 17, 2010.

Now I'm a size 6.  Bra size 36D.

You may be wondering: does it seem like five years since my surgery?

Yes.

Has all the hard work that I've done and continue to to been worth it?

Absolutely.

Have you been here reading since the beginning?

Hope so.

If not, checkout all of my old posts that date back to October 2009:  The good, the bad, the ugly.

It's all here for your reading pleasure. Use the search box on the left of the page. It's great.

I will now share with you what I have learned these past five years. I will also now be very direct and to-the-point. It's how I roll.

The Lap-Band does ONE thing for me:

My Lap-Band turns down the volume on my hunger. I am almost NEVER hungry. This is AWESOME. Thank you Lap-Band.

I can eat all foods.

Bread? Yes.

Pasta? Yes.

Rice? Yes.

All foods? Yes.

I can also eat as much as I want. Give me some time (45+ mins) and watch me down an entire container of Ben & Jerry's or three slices of pizza, but these are rare moments for me.

Here's the difference: I choose not to eat these types of foods most of the time.

Now let's stroll down memory lane. What have the last five years been like?

Year 1: LOSING PHASE: All about learning the rules of my new weight loss surgery tool:

• Learning that I need to count calories and proteins
• Learning that I HAD to exercise.
• Learning that the food that I brought into my kitchen could not be tempting or a trigger food.
• Learning portion control, portion control, portion control.  My Lap-Band has never limited HOW MUCH or WHAT I can eat. I learned early that portion control was UP to ME.
• Weekly weigh-ins - checkout my weight loss ticker at the top of the page.

Year 2: GOAL! Getting to my goal weight and learning a new thing called MAINTENANCE:

• Learning that maintenance is pretty much the same as my losing phase (everything listed above), except with about an extra 200 calories a day to eat. Not that much.
• Learning to still count calories and proteins
• Learning that I HAD to exercise.  Still.
• Weekly weigh-ins 
  

Year 3: Maintenance never ends - There is NO "DONE":

• Learning how to handle a job change and a move from Oregon to California and still stay on track with my food choices and making exercise a priority.
• AND: 
• Learning that I STILL need to count calories and proteins
• Learning that I STILL HAD to exercise.
• Learning to keep an eye on the food that I brought into my kitchen could not be tempting or a trigger food.
• Learning to keep on my portion control, portion control, portion control.  
• Weekly weigh-ins 

Year 4: Maintenance never ends - There is NO "DONE": Do you see a theme here?

• Same as above. Still.
• Always keeping up with my weekly weigh-ins

Year 5: Maintenance never ends - There is NO "DONE": Do you see a theme here?

•  Same as above. Still.
• Always keeping up with my weekly weigh-ins

Honestly, this five year milestone is a somewhat of a non-event for me.

I didn't even realize that October 20th was coming up on the calendar until yesterday.  Surprise. There it was on the calendar.

I've been told that the longer that I stay at my goal weight, the longer that my long term success and weight loss will be.

We will see.

I hope so.

I think that the jury is still out.

I know that if I do the work that I need to do and Lap-Band helps me with hunger, then I can continue to be successful at maintaining my goal weight.

Do you have a Magic 8 ball that I could borrow? I would love to have a peek into my future.

PS: if you want to see what I'm up to on a daily basis, then checkout my Facebook page.  I post pics, updates, and the occasional TMI over-share for you.  You're welcome.

Can You Guess How Many Weigh-ins I've Shared With You?

I began my weight loss journey back in August 2009 with my very first weigh-in at 258lbs.

Today is my 260th Friday weekly weigh-in.

That's a lot of weeks.

Each and every Friday.

Yep, almost FIVE years of weigh-ins posted here on the interwebs for your viewing pleasure.

That's what I call accountability.

Today's weight: 141.8 lbs. 

Still below my goal weight of 145 lbs.

Accountability is one of the secrets to my success with the Lap-Band.

Maybe I should do a blog post with a list of my ultimate top five secrets to my success with my Lap-Band? 

I will totally share my success secrets with you...'cuz we're BFFs...right?

Have You Seen My Disguise?

Yep.

You have.

I've been wearing my "skinny girl" disguise for almost 4 years now.

Here's a pic from last summer.  It's the same disguise that I still wear today.

There are people in my life (friends, coworkers, etc) who never knew me as the Fatty.

My fatty days: when I weighed 258+ lbs.

I was a fatty for my entire adult life up until I was 31 years old.

Especially since I moved to California over a year ago, I have been wearing my disguise of the skinny girl quite easily.

And today...

It happened.

I was reminded of how much people really do see me in my disguise.

I forget about my disguise.

I'm still a fatty in my brain.

"You're so lucky. You don't have to watch your weight. You're naturally thin."

Those exact words were said to me as I walked into the ladies bathroom at work today.

Two coworkers were standing at the sinks, talking about their dieting and exercise. Right as I had walked into the room.

Perfect timing.

I smiled.

A compliment indeed.

And of course, I had to set the record straight.

I said, "Thank you, but that's not true, I used to weigh 258 lbs. I count calories, exercise almost every day, and I have a Lap-Band. It's A LOT of work, but totally worth it."