New Banded Bloggers Alert!

Please go say HELLO to these lovely ladies.

They've just started blogging about their Lap-Band journeys.

RxLapBandLady who is getting banded tomorrow! OMG. And...her Mom gets banded next week! I love that they will be on this weight loss journey together. She has a weight loss ticker for accountability at the top of her blog. That makes me smile.

Kat's Adventure 'N Weight Loss. She's soon to be banded and she's a Canadian. Eh? I dig her recent post where she talks about how the Canadian health care system can suck it. It doesn't cover Lap-Band surgery. That's lame, Canada. But luckily Canada still makes yummy Maple syrup, so there's a bonus.

Funny Girl.  Banded just two weeks ago on Aug. 27! She's also Canadian. I sometimes wish I was Canadian too. Can you please adopt me? I can learn to wear plaid. Check out her weight loss ticker at the top of her blog. She's rockin' it. 

I totally dig these ladies' blogs. Go say whaz' up and tell 'em Lap Band Gal sent ya.

Podcast Alert!

The day that I met Reeger, I was six days post-op and at my surgeon's office.

I remember her asking me to step up to sit on the exam table and lay back.

Within the first few minutes of our appointment together, she unceremoniously ripped off those steri-strips from each of my five brand newly-acquired laproscopic belly wounds.

And let me tell ya.  Each of those little rips hurt.  A lot.

I knew from that moment on, this woman meant business.

Reeger doesn't mess around.

I love that about her.

I've told you before and I'll say it again: one of the secrets to my success is the high-quality after-care that I received from nurse practitioner (Reeger) at my surgeon's office.

Reeger taught me many, many things about my Lap-Band.

She also listened to me.

All 26+ follow up care appointments that I had in the three years post-op were with Reeger.

Wouldn't you love for listen to some of that Reeger magic?

Here's your chance:

Reeger now has a podcast called, "Weightloss Surgery Podcast" on iTunes.

And episode number 007 is an interview with yours truly.  Yep, ME.

A whole hour-long coversation between Reeger and I.

Chatting all about my Lap-Band.

Please go check it out on iTunes.  You won't want to miss this.

Weigh-in Day & Where Am I Headed Next?

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Today's weight: 140.8 lbs

Still below goal.

I've been looking at my posts that I've shared with you over the last three to four years...

Exactly one year ago today on September 6, 2012, I announced to you that I was moving from Oregon to California. What an amazing year it has been living back here in California! You can read that post HERE.

Exactly two years ago today on September 6, 2011, I told you all about how my Lap-Band had somehow ended up in the dreaded red zone and was way too tight. Yikes! You can read that post HERE

Exactly three years ago today on September 6, 2010, I told you all about how I stuffed myself silly at a food and wine tasting event with my good friend Amy. Coincidentally, Amy was one of the brides from the wedding blog post earlier this week! You can read that post HERE.

I wonder what I will be telling you about one year from now on September 6, 2014?

What Does My Lap-Band Do For Me?

I'm keepin' it real people.

There is no sugar-coating today.

What my Lap-Band DOES NOT DO for me:

• My Lap-Band does not tell me to drink over 100+ ounces of water each day. It doesn't carry around the water bottle for me. It doesn't remind me to refill it at least four times a day. That's my job.

• My Lap-Band does not make me workout, exercise, sweat, and lift weights each and every day.  It doesn't make me change into my workout clothes and it especially doesn't remind me to make time to exercise. That's my job.

• My Lap-Band does not keep a running tally in my head of calories and proteins eaten during the day to make sure I don't go over my approximate 1300-1400 calories daily limit. It doesn't announce "OK, that's it. You've hit your calorie limit today." That's my job.

• My Lap-Band does not magically send me a telepathic signal to my brain that says, "You should go eat your vitamins, girlfriend." Nope. That's my job.

Here's what my Lap-Band DOES DO for me:

• My Lap-Band keeps me not hungry and not thinking about food for about 5-6 hours after a high protein meal. It's like someone has turned off the "hungry" switch in my brain.  What a relief that is.

• My Lap-Band slows my eating. Example: I sat down in front of a huge plate of chicken Alfredo pasta, Texas toast, Crispy Chicken strips, Bacon Cheese Fries, and another plate of french fries the other night at a restaurant. But what did I actually EAT? I ate the following in approximately 30 minutes: 1 chicken strip, about 8-10 fries, and three bites of pasta/chicken.  That's it.  I would have eaten WAY more than that before I got my Lap-Band.

Do I love my Lap-Band?

Absolutely.

Would I spend my hard-earned cash ($16,500) again for a Lap-Band and do it all over again?

You betcha.

What To Wear?

It the not so distant past, dressing up for parties and events was a HUGE chore for me.

It was not fun.

At all.

Why?

Because I usually didn't have anything that fit me at a size 22W/24W. 

All of my dresses hanging in my closet were usually too small.

If I had a party or professional event to go to, I would have to make a trip to Lane  Giant   Bryant because that's the only store that had decent clothes to fit my plus size body.

Now, let's fast forward to this past weekend.

We went to a wedding celebration.

And guess what?

I was overwhelmed with the dress choices that I had hanging in my closet.

I just couldn't decide what to wear to the party because all of the dresses I have are so cute!

Should I choose the blue flirty twirly dress?

Perhaps the red shift dress with a fab black belt?

What about the black and white dress with that amazing full skirt?

So many choices!

I ended up choosing this black and white dress in size 6 petite:

The Boyfriend and I

More pics from the fun-filled day at the wedding celebration!

The brides and each of their brothers.
Their shirts say "My sister got gay married and all I got was this unicorn t-shirt"
Ha ha. Too funny!

Catching up with old friends!

The happy couple! Congrats ladies!

Come To the Dark Side, We Have Tater Tots. Recipe Alert!

Lucky me! The Boyfriend treated me to his BBQ grilling skills on Friday night.

The recipe? Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kebabs courtesy of Skinnytaste.com

Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kebabs      

Serving Size: 1 kebab

Calories per serving: 74

Proteins per serving: 13 g

Ingredients:

• 32 jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (17.5 oz after peeled)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 24 slices (about 3) large limes, very thinly sliced into rounds (optional)
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour
• 1 lime cut into 8 wedges

Directions:
Heat the grill on medium heat and spray the grates with oil. Season the shrimp with garlic, cumin, salt and half of the cilantro in a medium bowl.

Beginning and ending with shrimp, thread the shrimp and folded lime slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total.

Grill the shrimp, turning occasionally, until shrimp is opaque throughout, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Top with remaining cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice before serving. Makes 8 kebabs.

Here are a few pics from Friday night:

Check out that steak!
It was a surf n' turf kind of night.
I ate the surf. The BF ate the turf.

Removing the the shrimp from the skewers. 

My plate.  Yum!

The BF's plate.

Now it's your turn. Go check out this recipe and lots of other fantabulous recipes over at skinnytaste.com.

Weigh-in Day...

I Have a Face For Radio

Remember how I was interviewed on the radio back in June by the folks over at Fit & Flourishing?

Well, guess what?

In case you missed that radio interview, here's your chance to listen RIGHT NOW.

Lucky you.

Click on the links below for the podcasts.  

You know you want to.

Here's part one of the interview.

Here's part two of the interview.

PS: Don't forget to count how many times I say the word "absolutely!" Obviously this is a personal problem that I'm working on. Can you say 12-step program?

PSS: I'm teaming up with another podcaster soon so you'll get to hear me talk even more about all kinds of Lap-Band stuff.  Maybe I'll only say "absolutely!" forty-seven times.  You're welcome.

No Excuses. No Broken Promises.

It's not magic.

There are no unicorns.

There is no rainbow sparkle glitter involved.

I don't just put a perky smile on my face and skip my merry way to the DVD player to do my hard-core shred workouts with Jillian Michael's.

Each and every day, I can usually come up with at least 437 excuses why I "can't" exercise today.

Here's how it went down in my brain just this morning:

I have too much to do.

My email inbox is overflowing.

There are eleven meetings this week that I need to prepare for.

Aunt Flo is in town.

And she's brought her BFFs with her: Cramps and So-Damn-Tired.

I think that I forgot my workout socks at home.

I could just eat a lot less today.

Did I say that I'm tired? Sigh.

That spreadsheet is due by 2pm. Will I have time to get it done?


...but then I realize.

And I remember.

I remember the promise that I made to myself.

I remember what I signed up for almost four years ago.

A new way of life.

This way of life that doesn't include excuses.

Or broken promises.

I may have not have skipped my way to the DVD player on my lunch break today, but I did walk with purpose.

I knew what I had to do.

Weekly Weigh-in Day & Fat Brain Alert!

Goal Weight: 145 lbs

Last week's weight: 143.2 lbs

Today's Weight: 141.8 lbs

 

The mental journey of changing from a fatty to a non-fatty takes WAY MORE TIME than I ever thought it would take.

The physical appearance may change.

Even today at almost four years post-op, the mental stuff always keeps me guessing.

For me, my "fat brain" occasionally takes over.

My "fat brain" will make me say something that makes me stop and think.

Let me set the scene for you...

The other night we were driving around in a parking structure downtown looking for a parking space.

We were cruising the 2nd level of the garage when I announced OUT LOUD: "Where are the elevators? We should park near the elevators."

Yep, Fat Brain alert!

My brain was saying: I still think that I need to park near the elevator so that I can ride that elevator down one level.

Me, who does sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and planks every damn day thinks that she needs an elevator to go down one level.

I hope that my Fat Brain is always there to remind me of what it was like to be fat.

Because for me, the remembering of what it was like to having pains in my knees, back, and feet so that I HAD to ride the elevator is what keeps me focused each and every day.