Product Review - Odwalla Strawberry Protein Monster

I spotted the Odwalla Strawberry Protein Monster the other day at the grocery store.  It has a cute pink look to it with a little cow on the label and the nutrition facts looked promising:

• 20 grams of protein (from soy/dairy sources; I always try to look for whey protein isolate in my shakes)
• 240 calories
• Tons of vitamins.
• Unfortunately, it has a TON of sugar in it.

But the taste...oh my...the taste.  Sigh.  

It's pretty much like the taste of chewing on a multi-vitamin that isn't supposed to be chewed with a twist of Milk of Magnesia aftertaste.  Yuck.  I actually couldn't swallow it and spit it out in the sink.

There are other flavors available like vanilla, but I don't think that I'm brave enough to give it a try.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

As I've mentioned before, I'm a traveller.

I was shown from a very young age the love of traveling and experiencing the diverse cultures of the world.

Now as an adult, vacations are why I pinch my pennies for most of the year.  

But do you know what?  I didn't realize it at the time, but I missed out on some pretty fun stuff while traveling when I was a fatty.

I remember having to take afternoon naps in Athens, Greece.  While everyone else went out to experience the ancient Greek Gods and magnificent ruins, I stayed back at the hotel because I was tired.

I remember not climbing as far as the rest of them inside a pyramid in Egypt because I was just too hot and out of breath to continue the rest of the way up the cramped tunnel.  I didn't get to see the  tomb that was waiting for me at the end of the tunnel.  I still wonder to this day what it must have looked like in that tomb.

I remember a few months before I decided to have lap band surgery, I sat down in an airplane seat and realized that the seat belt was so tight that I would soon need a seat belt extender.  I knew in that instant that my fat would soon be even more of a barrier to what I could see and do in my life.

Fast forward to today, I am currently planning an upcoming trip in the new year to Southeast Asia.  

I know how hot and humid it can be in that part of the world.  And guess what? I know that the heat will not bother me as much now that I am much healthier.  I know that I will be able to explore ancient Indonesian temples with ease and not have to wonder where the closest place to sit down is.  Lastly, I know that I will be comfortable and fit easily in the airplane seat for that 14 hour flight.

This is just one of the reasons why I choose to fight the good fight each and every day for improved health...why I choose to exercise....why I choose to make good food choices.

Lastly, I'll leave you with some old travel photos...enjoy!

Spanish Wells, Eleuthera Bahamas (2006):

London (2005):

South Africa (2007):

Hong Kong (2007):

Weigh-in Day...and the Results Are...

Today's Weight: 136.2 lbs (lowest ever Friday weigh-in)

Lost this week: 3.6 lbs

Total lost: 119.8 lbs

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Do You Want to Hear About the Craziest Conversation Ever?!

You know that you do.  Admit it.

But first, yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon I got an unfill of .5 ccs.

Yep, took out more than last week's fill (.3 ccs).  That is why I pink puffy sparkly heart my nurse practitioner.  She trusts her patients to choose their fill and unfill amounts.  She also reads my blog before my fill appointments to get up to speed on what's up with me and my band.  Yep, she is an unofficial rockstar in my book.

That brings the fill level down to 7.3 ccs.

I am now on 72 hours (!) of full liquids to calm the stoma down. I'm looking forward to chewing something tasty on Saturday night.  Can't wait.

Onwards to the crazy conversation:

Since I am losing weight rather fast on full liquids I have been told to cut back on exercise for the next few days.  Wait, let me say that again: a medical professional told me to not exercise as much.  And get this....I was told to eat MORE calories.  Yep.  Welcome to my new normal.  I don't think that I have EVER had a conversation with a medical professional that recommended that I eat more and exercise less. And to stop losing weight. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one.

PS: Weigh-in day tomorrow!

I Want To Go to the Dark Side...They Have Cookies

Warning: This is a rant chock full of negativity.  You'll probably want to skip reading this post.


I've always said that the band does about 20% of the job of helping with my healthy lifestyle. The other 80% is up to me and my choices.

Well, at this level of restriction the band is doing about 60% of the work. Yep, this band does do something after all.  And do you know what? I really want to take back that control of doing the work.

As I am typing this, I'm sitting here choking down my morning calcium chews.  They've always been my morning treat along with my coffee, followed by my B12 sublingual.  My little morning routine.  You know how much I puffy heart some routine and structure in my life. It's my happy place.  Unfortunately, with this fill, these calcium chews are not going down as smoothly as usual.  Not stuck, but just kinda sitting there.  Bleh.

The scale reported an all time low this morning of 135 lbs.  WTF.  I've been rocking the full liquids since Sunday to calm the situation down.  Damn it I want to chew something.  I want to eat real food. 

This fill level would be AWESOME if I was in my losing phase.  But unfortunately, with Aunt Flo just around the corner (over share alert!), this restriction will only get worse.  I've been drinking high calorie drinks.  I've become even more of a Starbucks groupie these past few days.  Gatorade and protein shakes are my new normal. 

I want to go sit on the couch in my PJs and eat an entire batch of freshly baked sugar cookies while watching crappy reality TV.  Oh, and a bucket of Mt. Dew would be nice too.

OK, I'm done now.

The end.

Careful What You Ask For

I believe that I may have arrived in the Red Zone folks and I don't like it.

Thank you for commenting on my stuck/PB post here on the blog and on Facebook.  Your tips on carrying a Ziploc baggie and/or napkins are appreciated. I'm officially in the PB club now I guess.

It is so weird that a fill for me can often take up to a week to kick-in.  Anyone else have this experience?

After my fill on Thursday afternoon, my restriction felt the same as before the fill.  Therefore, I partied like a rock star (a fat girl rock star to be specific) and ate my way through Friday and Saturday with visits to Taco Bell and Dairy Queen (Tsk! Tsk!).  Then the show-stopper was the vitamin stuck/PB on Saturday night.

Water, protein shakes and ice cream were slow going down on Sunday and Monday.

Therefore, as a result, I saw an all time low on the scale this morning: 136.4 lbs.  That's too low (a crazy thought!) as I would rather be in between 140lbs and 145lbs.

The purpose of the band for me is to eat less of any type of food that is offered or available.  I have never wanted to be limited with my food choices.  Unfortunately, that is where I have taken my band.  I chose to get a fill. 

I am going to see how things go this week with this fill level.  I am going to focus on de-stressing at work and taking my allergy pill which both help loosen things up.  If that doesn't work, I will go get that unfill.

Wish me luck!

It Finally Happened! The Dreaded Stuck & PB Event

I have read so many of your first PB (Productive Burp) and stuck stories over the past two years.  I've always wondered what you guys were talking about.  Now I know.

My first PB/stuck episode happened last night.

I guess there really is a Lap Band in there after all and I guess that fill on Thursday did the trick.

It only took 22+ months post-op.  Here's how it went down:

I was taking my usual nightly vitamins which includes one large gel cap Omega 3 vitamin.  Yep, one of these bad boys.

As soon as I swallowed it, I knew it.  Instantly.  It was stuck.

It wasn't going down and it just sat there lodged in my chest.  The knife in the chest kind of feeling.  Then my mouth started to fill with saliva...yep...the sliming had begun.  Where does all that spit come from?  Seriously.

Then I started pacing around the room and lifted my arms above my head thinking that this would help.  Nope, it didn't help.

Then my eyes began to water and I knew that I better run over to the kitchen sink quickly as the bad boy was coming back up.  So I leaned over the sink and up it came along with a bunch of water.  But not just out of my mouth but up and out of the nose.  That stings and hurt.

I continued to slime a little more leaning over the sink.  Good times.

Then it was over.  The whole event lasted about 4-5 minutes.

I can't imagine going through this in public, like at a restaurant or at work.  This makes me wonder, what do you guys do to prepare for this? Carry a Ziploc baggie in your purse? Become good at running to the bathroom?

My stoma still feels a little irritated this morning so I'm taking it easy with full liquids today.

New Banded Blogger Alert!

I received a lovely email from Mari who's a new blogger that is looking into getting a Lap Band.

She revealed in her email that she recently read my blog from beginning to end.  Whenever people tell me that I don't know if I should apologize or congratulate them on the accomplishment.  Over 500+ posts...  That's a lot reading and a lot of cat pics.

Anywhoozle, her blog is called The Tale of a Band Called Beyonce.  What a cute blog name!

I never named my band, have you named your band?

Please stop by Mari's blog and say hello.  Thanks!

Weigh-in Day...and the Results Are...

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Today's Weight: 139.8 lbs

Happy Friday!

Exactly Two Years Ago Today...

I attended my surgeon's informational seminar on weight loss surgery.  Of course, their fancy name for this seminar is "Bariatric Symposium."  It's a really just a chance to hear about the different weight loss surgery options that a surgeon offers. 

I remember that night like it was yesterday.  It kinda went down something like this:

I arrived about 15 minutes early and checked in at the door.  I walked into the room full of people sitting and waiting for the seminar to begin.  I spotted my surgeon (Dr. Castillo) at the front of the room getting ready to do his talk.  I was so happy to see that he was the surgeon that was speaking that night because the practice has 4 (?) other surgeons.  I quickly walked up to him and introduced myself. 

I probably said something like this: "Hi! I'm ____ and I'm going to have gastric bypass surgery and you're the one I want to do it."  No need to beat around the bush, right?  I guess I can be a little too direct at times.  Is there a 12-step program or iPhone App for that?  Let me know.

I had already done my research and Dr. Castillo was the man for the job.  He's Jen and Chris' surgeon too.  We puffy heart him.  And while we're on the topic...he's kinda a hottie, right? In that nerdy/smart kinda way?  Just sayin'.

Anyways, I sat through the seminar while they used big scary words like rates of mortality, comorbidities, and diet.  Gasp!

Then, they passed around a few lap bands for everyone to hold and feel.  I didn't even look at the band and just passed it along to the fellow fatty sitting next to me....'cuz I was getting the gastric bypass.  Who knew that I would end up with one of those pieces of silicon inside my body.  Never say never people.

If you are looking into weight loss surgery and an in-person seminar is not how you roll, you have other options.

Perhaps you're worried that you'll run into a friend/coworker/acquaintance while you're at a seminar or maybe you're just a busy person.  Your solution? Most surgeons are now offering an online seminar that you can view at any time from the comfort of your own home.  My surgeon even offers this now.  Pretty cool, right?

PS: I'm doing the happy dance because I'm getting a fill today.  I'm not looking forward to the 24 hour full liquids after the fill...but that's all part of the game I guess. Oh! I almost forgot, I might also run into Sprinkles at the surgeon's office as her first post-op appointment is today.