Christmas is gone :( But 2nd fill tomorrow!!

So first things first!! I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! I know I did :) Personally I look forward to Christmas the entire year. And I think December 26th is the worst day of the year because Christmas is over. But God willing...there is always next year. I need to make a video or take pictures of some of my cool gifts. I knew most of what I was getting because I picked them out and told my mom or "Santa" exactly where to go to get them. A week or so before Christmas we went on a major shopping spree at Anthropologie but she made me put everything up until Christmas morning. I got a GPS system for my car...which was one of the things I didnt know I was getting. I got two perfumes and I am a total perfume snob! I got the new Juicy Couture perfume called Couture Couture and the new Victor and Rolf perfume called Flowerbomb which is my new favorite! My mom found me this amazing couture vogue fashion picture that I will probably put either on my wall in my room or my bathroom wall. I got some really awesome coffee table books, which I started collecting a few years ago. I got a Vogue book that shows the rooms inside of famous people's houses. Its so incredible to see all the fabulous mansions. I also got a Marilyn Monroe coffee table book, and if you didnt know Im obsessed with Marilyn. Lets see...I got two pair of fabulous boots that I have worn almost everyday since Christmas. I also got the typical girly gifts...makeup, jewelry, picture frames, gift cards. So thats a run down of my gifts. My boyfriend and I still havent done presents yet. I am flying out to Dallas January 3rd so we will do our presents then :) Its always nice to get some presents after Christmas...makes Christmas feel longer...like its not over yet.

What all did yall get for Christmas?! Lets all do a vlog to show everyone our Christmas presents!


In other news...I go tomorrow for my second fill and Im super excited! Lets be honest, my eating habits have gotten out of control. I feel like my restriction to bread isnt as strong as it used to be but I guess I havent been eating that much bread. I didnt eat toooo much during Christmas but more than normal post-surgery. I am still right at 231 pounds which is fine with me. I didnt lose any during Christmas but thank goodness I didnt gain. A month ago is when I had my first fill and on my doctor's scales it read 239 pounds....if I remember correctly. I had clothes on so it was probably more like 237 but Im hoping tomorrow it reads at like 233. I would be fine with a 6 pound weight lose especially after Christmas :)


Im on my break at work and unfortunately my hour is almost over! Lets all make christmas gift vlogs :) Everyone have a fabulous Tuesday night!!

Christmas Pictures!!

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Countdown to Christmas: 4 days!!!

Is it hard for anyone else to believe it is only 4 days until Christmas?!? Seriously where has the time gone?? The time is going by so fast I feel like I have no time to just sit and enjoy it all! I have stayed super busy with work and family and friends and wedding showers and work get-togethers and going out of town and it just seems like time is getting away from me! As far as Christmas shopping, I think I am pretty much finished thank goodness! The only other thing I have to get is something for my brother. I am finished shopping for my boyfriend, my mom, my dad, my friends and some of my closer family members. I will probably just end up getting my brother something from Urban Outfitters. He likes their clothes and because I work for Anthropologie, Urban's sister company, I get a discount there! Ok perfect, yeah I will get him something from Urban :)

So last Thursday night my cousin and I went to Atlanta for the Jingle Jam concert! I dont know if any of yall are familiar with that but every year they have this concert in Atlanta and there are about six bands that perform! This year they had Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Cobra Starship, Justin Bieber, The Fray and OwlCity :) They are were really good but my two favorite were probably Justin Bieber and Jordin Sparks! I actually had seen and met Jordin about two years ago when she won American Idol! She's my girl! My cousin and I went to the American Idol concert and got backstage passes after the show! We met the top 10 that year and had like sit down, one-on-one conversations with all of them. I could totally make a blog just on that experience...it was so much fun! But anyways, got a little side tracked...but the Jingle Jam was super fun!! We spent the night in Atlanta and went shopping all day Friday! Long story short, I spent way too much money especially right before Christmas, but we had a great time :)

Then last night I went to my cousin's ornament shower. My cousin Lindsay, who is pretty much like a sister to me, is getting married in March and all her showers have begun! She had one a few weeks ago with her fiancee's side of the family and last night the whole wedding party got together for an ornament shower :) There was tons of food, fellowship and fun! I felt like I didnt eat too much although I did try a little bit of everything! I will post some pictures for yall!

As for weight loss, I have been pretty steady around 231 pounds for the past week! I can tell that I have very little restriction. Bread still gives me some restriction so I try to stay away from thick bread. But other than that I feel like I can eat a horse at times! I go back for my second fill December 30th so I am looking forward to that! I feel like I am wanting to snack between my meals which I havent done since surgery but I am fighting the urge not to. I have been doing good about just drinking water and eating smaller portions but I definitely am needing more restriction to help me with this. I wanted to have lost 30 pounds by Christmas but I doubt I will be down 4 pounds in the next 3 days haha :)

So here are some pictures from last nights ornament shower! Hope you enjoy!!

Lindsay with all of her bridesmaids!!

Another one of the bride with the bridesmaids :)

Some of the wedding party!

Lindsay and Matt opening their presents :)

Eating some of the yummy food!

The adorable ornament cake our friend Megan made!

Taking pictures while waiting for the bride and groom-to-be to arrive!

Lauren and I, sister and cousin of the bride!

It's the most wonderful time of the year :)

Hey friends! Hope everyone had a fabulous Wednesday! This is going to be another picture post but I hit a pretty big goal this morning!! Drum roll please....I am down to 231 as of this morning!! Which is officially 25 pounds lost since my surgery!!! I have been waiting for about 2 weeks to hit this goal and it finally happened this morning so I have had a good day :) I have also been super busy the past few nights with friends and parties and Christmas festivities...I am absolutely loving every second of it! Sunday night (some pictures below) I went to my work's Christmas party which was at our manager's house. I love everyone I work with and we have all become the best of friends so I had a great time! Eating wise, I was good! I fixed a plate with one chicken finger and a few crackers with spinach dip. Now that I come to think of it, that may have been my dinner that night. Somehow I managed to not get hungry after the party. And then last night (pictures also below) my friend Abby who works with me, had this fabulous elegant dinner party and invited some of our friends from work! Abby lives in this fancy upscale neighborhood in the city where I live and just bought a house so she wanted to have us over. I wish I would have taken pictures of her house! It was just beautiful beyond words! If any of you are a fan of Anthropologie, which is where I work, her house looked like it had been completely furnished by Anthropologie. Antiques and one-of-a-kind furniture everywhere! But we had such a fun time just enjoying each other's company. That is all I have for now :) I hope to make another vlog very soon! Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

This is at the Christmas Party for work this past Sunday night. This is my friends Glenda and Samantha :)

Haha this is my good friend Maryanna and Helen being goofy!

A fabulous group picture of me and my girlfriends!

We are known as the threesome at work!! I love these girls!!

Maryanna wasn't ready! :)

Another girls picture!

These next few are from last night! My friend Abby, in the picture above, had a dinner party at her fabulous house!! We have the best time :)

My good friend Patrick!

Two of my favorite people, Maryanna and Adam!

This dinner party was one big love fest, as Patrick called it :)

Picture blog!!

Hey friends :) I have missed everyone! Sorry I havent posted in about a week or so but this lady has been crazy busy! I know I posted on December 1st and told everyone about my first fill. It went fine...no big deal! I figured out that I have an 11 cc band and the doctor decided to put 3 cc's in my band. I honestly can't feel much restriction...just like everyone told me. The doctor said I should do another fill 3-4 weeks from the first one so I'm looking at going back around the very beginning of January. So I am already looking forward to that! At about how many cc's should I start to feel major restriction?? I know it is different from everyone but maybe around 7 or 8 cc? As for weight loss, I am happy with where I am at. I am 6 weeks out from surgery and as of this morning, I have lost 23 pounds!! I am down to 234 and I couldnt be happier!! I would love to be down 30 pounds by the new year but that means losing 7 more pounds in 3 weeks. We will see!!

Anyways, my boyfriend finally had to go back to Dallas :( He came to visit me November 22 and was originally supposed to go back on December 1st. But he was having such a good time he decided to stay until December 6th! So we had a great time while he was here. We had Thanksgiving then the Iron Bowl (which if your from the south and especially from Alabama you know that is one of the biggest college football rivalries) then my high schools 6A championship game and lots of good times with my friends and family! So the blog is mainly to post a bunch of our pictures!! We took tons of pictures but I just wanted to post some of my favorites to share with you :) Hope you enjoy!

My boyfriend and I on the first night he was here!

Burch and I about to go eat with some of our good friends

Burch and I with our friends Kyndal and Kyle

Our friends Patrick and Adam had us over for dinner :)

My family on Thanksgiving :)
From left to right: My cousin Lauren, Lindsay's fiancee Matt, my cousin Lindsay, my cousin Leah, me, Burch and my brother Trey


Thanksgiving Day

My dad, my mom, me and my brother


Auburn vs. Alabama game!! Biggest game of the season!!

Been going to the Auburn games since I was a baby! I love it!


Burch and I at the high school state championship game! Go Hoover Bucs!!

My cousin Lauren and I at the game!

We had a great time!!

5 weeks out and my FIRST FILL!

Hey everyone! I don't have very much time to post but just thought I would let everyone know my first fill went great! I went to the doctor today around 3 pm and it didn't take long at all. The actually "fill" took much less time than I had expected...only like 3 minutes! I have the Realize Band C...which is supposedly the newest realize band and it holds 11 cc's. My doctor hadn't put anything in my band at the time of surgery and ended up putting 3 cc's of saline in my band today. He said with people that are experiencing restriction already he only likes to put in 1 or 2 cc's at the time of the first fill. But if someone is eating everything in sight, he has put up to 5 cc's in at the first fill. From what I told him and how I answered his questions, he decided to put in 3 cc's in my band and I am happy with it! I know it will probably take several fills to reach strong restriction but I am fine taking it slow.


And the good news is my doctor was super happy with my weight loss!! I was scared that the scales would say I was over 240 pounds since my 4 pound gain over Thanksgiving!! But the scale said 239 and that was WITH clothes on :) haha! So officially I have lost 17 pounds in 5 weeks!


Thank you everyone for your kind words! I cant wait get some pictures up for yall to see! My boyfriend, family, friends and I have taken tons of pictures and I will get those up soon :) Everyone have a great Wednesday!

I have been a blog slacker :)

Blog friends!!
Helloooo!! I have missed you all!!
I have been such a slacker and havent posted a blog in a while but Im still here :) I have been reading everyone else's but didn't seem to have a minute to post my own. But here I am!

So Thanksgiving came and went :( I hate that feeling! I get so anxious and excited about the holidays and then they just come and go. As for eating, I didn't think I did too bad. I definitely ate tons less than I normally would have. But in my defense for what I am about to say...I have heard people say that you shouldnt deprive yourself too much from eating during holidays and when you go on vacations. Do yall feel the same way because I think I agree with this! This leads me to some not so wonderful weight news. I actually GAINED 4 POUNDS during Thanksgiving!! AHHH!! The Sunday before Thanksgiving I weighed 236 and as of yesterday I weighed 240! I don't feel too bad and not to mention Aunt Flow decided to visit this week! Blah! Another factor is that my boyfriend is in town and I have been eating out more than normal. We had mexican food one night and then the next night we had Japanese food. I made myself take home half my food both nights but my food choices probably could have been better!

Last but not least, my first fill is tomorrow and Im excited and maybe just a tad bit nervous! I know what to expect from reading about everyone else's fills so Im definitely ready! Haha I know my doctor is going to think Im a slacker and this is why....At my one week appointment after my surgery I weight (with clothes on) 246 which was a 10 pound weight loss. But now 5 weeks out I weight 240 without clothes on. Im scared that Im going to get on the hospital scales tomorrow and with clothes on it will say something crazy like 245!! It will look like I havent done a thing in the past month! Oh well...to my defense it was that time of the month and we just had Thanksgiving festivities for pete's sake!! :)

So thanks for letting my blabber! I hope everyone had a fabulous Monday and I cant wait to post pictures from the holidays!! My boyfriend got here last Sunday and was supposed to leave tomorrow but has actually decided to stay until this coming Sunday!! As you may remember, he was laid off from his job in Texas so he isnt in a big hurry to get back to Dallas!! Yay!! 2 weeks of him here with me!! But talk to you all soon!! Take care :)

VLOG :)

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Surgery slideshow!

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Haven't posted in a while...but I'm back!!

Hello my fabulous bandster friends! My life has been crazy busy for the past week or so and I noticed I haven't posted a blog since November 6!! I finally have a day off so I am back and ready to blog again :) So much has been going on from work to boyfriend to family to friends so I will update everyone!

First of all, as many of yall are getting ready for the holidays at your work, so am I! I work at Anthropologie which is the best company I have ever worked for and the coolest retail place ever! If you have never shopped at an Anthropologie, you need to! Its such a fun experience! Visit the website if you havent before (www.Anthropologie.com)! But because our store is extremely crazy from the middle of November until New Years...I have been working my butt off! I work the normal 8 hour shifts and I am on my feet the entire time! There are no seats to sit and rest for a minute...no chairs behind the counter to take a break and sit down...nothing! Although post band I am thankful for this because I probably walk anywhere from 1-2 miles at work everyday no problem. I tell myself I am losing calories everytime my feet get tired.

Secondly, I have posted before that my boyfriend lives in Dallas. He is from Atlanta but moved to Dallas to be closer to his family. The entire time we have been dating he has lived in Dallas but we have made frequent trips (at least once a month) flying back and forth to see each other. It has been fun and exciting but at the same time hard and expensive. He has been wanting to move her for the past 6 months but hasnt been able to find a job here :( Unfortunately he found out last week he was going to be laid off. He was distraught and so shocked and a little angry. He has been such a great asset to the company but because the company isnt doing so well, more than half the company was laid off. The worst part about it was they told him last Tuesday that his last day would be Friday!! Isnt that awful!! Barely no warning or anything! But the good thing that is coming out of this is he is finally getting to move here! He decided it would be a waste of time to get another job in Dallas and that maybe this happened for a reason for him to be able to move here to be with me in Birmingham. He has been packing up all his stuff in Dallas and applying for jobs like crazy in Birmingham. I know its so hard on him but exciting on the other hand. The entire year and 5 months we have been together we have done the long distance thing so it will be so surreal to have him here all the time! I am grateful for him and hope this only strengthens our relationship in the end! More details on his situation to come....so stay posted :)


As for my band...things have been going really well!! I feel almost 100% back to normal with very little pain. The only pain I feel is when I strain my abs and my port site gets a little sore or aggravated. And amen to all of you who told me the first 6 weeks is the hardest because this couldnt be more true!! I have had my band for officially 3 weeks and 2 days!! The first two weeks weren't as hard as I thought it would be just because my stomach was swollen and I didnt feel like eating as much. But this last week or so has been rough! I have been wanting to eat everything in sight. I have a few food confessions to make and I need everyones opinion on if I messed up or if it is not as bad as I think. Last Saturday we had the family over to watch some football games and we ordered pizza! I seriously miss pizza so much :( I had only had soup and crackers for lunch so I figured I still had about 1000 calories to eat for dinner, right? So my confession is I had two pieces of pizza for dinner! I told myself I was only going to have one but I was so hungry I had two! AHH! So then the next day after lunch, which I ate healthy, I had a glazed donut for "desert"! Seriously?! What is my problem? I guess I figured because I had a healthy lunch I could treat myself with a donut! Goodness, I felt bad for that one! Anyways, those are the only mistakes I can think of for the moment but besides that I have been doing pretty well with the diet. I have found that I love salsa and baked scoops for a snack :) Pre surgery I was a huge snacky eater...like not so much I loved to snack but I loved snack foods like chips, cheese dip, cookies...etc. So salsa and baked chips is a perfect "snack" for me! I started this journey at 256 pounds (it was 257 at my doctors office and 256 on my scale) and I weighed this morning at 239. I have lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks and I am proud of this. The past week I have been anywhere from 237 to 241...but this morning I was right in the middle. I forgot to mention I went "working out" for the first time yesterday since my surgery. I went to the gym and walked 2 miles at a pretty steady pace. It took me right at 30 minutes so I was proud of that as well. I need to start walking more often outside of work...it makes you feel so good!

Lastly, I saw Mary had completed a bandster quiz and I thought it was fun and informative so I wanted to do it too!! Thanks Mary :) Hope you guys enjoy!

The Bandster Quiz....

How long have you been banded? 3 weeks and 2 days!


What was your highest pre-band weight? / Current weight now? / Total lost to date? 261 is my highest/ I am currently 239 / Total lost since surgery 17 pounds!


What is your best "go-to" food to get in your protein? I love Yoplait Yogurt and anything with chicken!


What is your favorite protein brand/shake? Well I havent found one I really love but the kind I have right now is Nectar and the flavor is Tropical Paradise


What food do you miss the most now being post-band? I love pizza and I miss it! I also miss eating every week at my favorite Japanese restaurant called Stix! It is ok to eat small portions there but nothing like eating it all the time like before!


What was your favorite "mushy" food? I would have to say chicken salad! I am obsessed with it and an currently trying to find the restaurant or brand that makes the healthiest kind

What was your worst PB experience? I havent really had an PB experiences yet thank goodness! I have had a few things get somewhat stuck though. Last week I got a flatbread sub from subway and the bread went down as slow as Christmas and kept getting stuck in my chest. Its such an odd feeling!


What has been the hardest part of this journey so far for you? SLOWING DOWN EATING! I get so hungry so I take a couple bites in a row to fast and I have to stop so it will go down.

What is your best NSV to date? Well I have only had the band for 3 weeks but one random thing I noticed is my fingers are getting smaller! I have worn as size 9 ring but a while but I just bought a size 8 ring a few weeks ago and its starting to get loose. A few days ago at Anthropologie we got in the most beautiful ring that is a size 7 and it fit on my ring finger!! I couldnt believe it! More NSV's to come in the future!


What is your top non-weight goal for your band? I agree with Mary on this one! Because I am such a huge fashion lover, I want to be able to go into any store or boutique and pick up something I love and it be able to fit! I dont want to have to worry with "do they carry my size" or "hope their clothes run big" or any of that! Just being able to shop wherever I want and not worry if things will fit me.

What is your goal weight or size? My goal weight is 160...17 pounds down and 79 pounds to go


What band "rule" do you live by (i.e. don't cheat on)? I have not had any soda or caffeinated drinks since October 21st so it has been about a month now! I dont plan on cheating either :)

What band "rule" do you not follow as much or aren't so good at? I agree with Mary again here...I don't pay as much attention as I need to when it comes to chewing. I really need to slow down and chew chew chew.

What is your goal "reward"? I want to go on a huge shopping spree and pack my closet out with the cutest clothes and shoes! I might just have to throw a vacation in there too...Ill go vacationing in my cute new clothes :)


In the spirit of Thanksgiving being right around the corner, what are you most thankful for, post-band? I am thankful for everyone who has been so supportive of me throughout this journey. I couldnt ask for a better family to be beside me the entire way through to help me and encourage me! Also my friends and co-workers have been super supportive and motivated me with hugs and kind words! I love them all!

2 weeks ago from today I was BANDED!

So sorry I haven't posted a blog in close to a week or so....so let me catch everyone up!

I wake up each morning and still can't believe I am banded! It has been two weeks and I am feeling so good! My pains are at a minimal and I feel like my body is getting stronger every day! As for my scars, 4 out of the 5 incisions on my stomach are almost nonexistent :) The larger incision near my port is still healing up nicely so far. Speaking of my port...I cant actually feel it now and it is the weirdest feeling!! AHH! I couldn't feel it underneath my skin until this past Tuesday!! I had gone to the doctor Monday and asked him why I couldn't feel it. He said it was probably because my stomach was still a little swollen inside but I would be able to feel it when the swelling goes down! The next morning and THERE IT IS! I can feel it...not necessarily something to jump up and down about but Im just glad I know it is there! haha!

As for my weight loss, I am down about 16 pounds. My pre-op weight was 257 and I weighed in this morning at 241 :) I am super happy about this weight loss considering it has only been 2 weeks! I personally can't tell a difference maybe except for my pants being a little looser on me. My body feels better and healthier but 16 pounds isn't really enough (in my opinion) to tell a difference yet. I have had several people at work tell me my face is starting to look thinner but I can't really tell yet! But hey, I will take the compliments any day :)

As for my diet, I have been eating the same things day in and day out! I need to incorporate some new things to eat into my day. For instance, I usually do a yogurt for breakfast. For lunch I have been eating either soups or chicken salad every single day with maybe a string cheese or a pudding. Then for dinner either more soup, more chicken salad or some combination of the two! I am obsessed with chicken salad...seriously! I feel like I can eat it every single day and I found a certain kind I like that is relatively low in calories. I either eat it with different kinds of crackers or by itself. I haven't tried the "chicken salad sandwich" yet...staying away from bread all together at the moment! But at the two week mark my doctor said I am allowed to start incorporating fruits, vegetables and meat into my diet so I need to branch out away from soups and chicken salad for the goodness sake! I went to Target the other day and bought the "Biggest Loser Family Cookbook" and most of the recipes look delicious! Anyways, all that to say...I need to venture out but still stay within the healthy boundaries!

I have a question for everyone who has had their first fills already! I made my appointment and my first fill is on December 1st :) I am super duper excited! I have heard that most people think the first six weeks are the hardest because you are doing the diet thing all on your own with no restriction helping you. So my question is...does the weight tend to come off faster once you get that restriction after the first fill? I know right after surgery the strict liquid diet and lack of solid foods is a huge help in losing the initial weight. But do you find that once you start getting your fills, your weight starts to come off easier? Any feedback is welcome :)

Yall have a wonderful Friday night!!

This full liquids diet is getting old!

It is always good to start out with some good news. So here is goes :) I am 5 days out from surgery and 13 pounds down as of this morning! I started out at 257 and this morning the scales read 244. I haven't weighed 244 since probably 2 years ago. I was stuck between 245 and 255 for a couple of years but that is changing fast! The gas pains are much much better! Like almost 100%. I still feel a little weak when I take deep breaths and it feels as if I have gas caught in my lungs and chest. I never experienced gas pains in my shoulders...mainly just in my stomach and chest. I go back to the doctor next Monday to get my staples out so I am excited about that!

Moving on. So today is day 6 (including surgery day) so I am currently in the "full liquids" portion of the diet. I am in this phase from day 4 until day 14. I am able to have things like cream soups, yogurt, all liquids, protein shakes...that is about it. No meat. No bread. No crackers. No cereal. No fruit. No veggies. I am getting so sick of soups that I feel as if I don't have an appetite for anything! Two nights ago I had broccoli and cheese soup. Last night I have creamy potato soup. Today for lunch I tried to heat up some leftover potato soup and I almost threw it up! The taste of soup is getting so old and repetitive...Im not sure what to do. Any suggestions? What new can I add into my diet that will still be acceptable? Anything? Any recipes you want to pass on? I will try anything!! I would love some recipes to try! My mom cooked the most delicious looking chicken casserole last night and my mouth was just salivating just looking at it! I didn't cheat and try it...it was hard but I told myself NO!

This brings me to another question...does anyone have a healthy chicken salad recipe that you love?! I am a huge chicken salad person and I know making it with tons of mayo isn't healthy. I have heard greek yogurt or just plain low fat yogurt are good substitutes. I have looked up healthy recipes on google but I want to try recipes that you have actually tried and love!

Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday :)

Update and Pictures from Surgery Day :)

First of all...thank you ALL for your comments! Everyone has such great advice and suggestions...I just love it! So thank you :)

Today I am feeling much much better!! The gas pains have decreased drastically and the incisions pains are getting better every day! Gosh, you know what hurts though?! When someone makes you laugh really hard! Several times today I started laughing uncontrollably and the incisions were killing me! Haha got to love it. I told my pain medicine one this morning and didn't need it the rest of the day so maybe I will be done with that!

So on to food stuff! I must admit...I do not think I am getting in enough protein. Actually I know I am not getting enough protein! Before surgery I bought two HUGE jugs of protein mix...Cookies and Creams and Tropical Paradise (tastes like Pina Colada)...and both of them are pretty gross. I have tried the Cookies and Creams with water, with milk and in a blender with milk and all three combinations were disguisting! HA! I dont know what else to do. The Tropical Paradise was gross with water but didn't taste too bad with milk. Long story short, I didn't drink any of those today. Today I was able to add in cream soups (YAH! No more chicken broth) and yogurt!

So here is what I eat all day:
-yoplait light yogurt for breakfast
-one glass of raspberry ice crystal light (about 8 oz)
-a bowl of potato soup for lunch
-a large bottle of ice water (about 32 oz)
-another yoplait light yogurt for a snack
-about 2 cups of broccoli and cheese soup for dinner
-a glass of orange flavored water (12 oz)

The End. Ok so lets see...I had a lot of soup today and a little bit of protein but not enough :( Are these soups ok? I made sure I waited until today to have any type of cream-based soups so I thought these would be fine. Neither of them were too high in calories...about 200 calories per cup for each. So that is about 600 calories. Eh not too bad I guess.

Today was the first day I noticed being slightly hungry. Friday (the day of surgery) I wasnt hungry one bit! Saturday and Sunday I wasnt hungry either. After I got my liquids down I was fine. But today after my potato soup for lunch, I was pretty hungry until I had my other soup for dinner. I made sure I was staying hydrated but I stayed hungry. Guess I will learn to deal with that feeling :) Felt kinda good actually...in a weird way. You know your probably losing weight when your eating healthy and your stomach is growling at you! I also went shopping and got out of the house for the first time today since surgery! My mom, my boyfriend and I went to Target and I probably walked around the entire store 3 or 4 times! Then we went to Kirkland's Home and Pier 1...so I definitely got my walking in for the day! It felt good :)

So last but not least...here are some pictures pre-surgery at the hospital and after surgery! Enjoy!

My boyfriend and I enjoying a movie the night before my surgery :) He made a special trip to be with me during my surgery!


Waiting at the hospital to be taken up to the holding area before surgery!!


Mom and Burch waiting with me!


My mom and dad were with me every step of the way!


My stomach Friday night...still with the bandages on


Saturday morning...still in the same clothes...after I took the bandages off :)


Day 3 after surgery...today!! The flowers my sweet family sent me!


Taking pictures with our fall decor...still hurts a little bit to sit and stand back up but it was all for the sake of a cute picture :)

Burch...such a natural!

Day 3...feeling much better :)

Everyone have a happy Monday night!!

Gas Pains are a KILLER!

So today is post-op day #2. My surgery was on Friday and I am still in my clear liquid diet stage but my next stage starts tomorrow. Friday and Saturday my incision pain was bothering me the most but this morning I woke up and my gas pains were almost unbearable. I still haven't felt the gas pains in my shoulders very much but the gas pains in my chest are terrible. When I take a deep breath I feel like I having a heart attack or something. It feels like very bad indigestion or heart burn. I have been taking my Gas-X strips and it helps for a short while but then the gas pains in my chest come back. Did any of you have these same pains? I can feel that gurgling feeling in my stomach but the gas pains are worse in my chest. Any suggestions? Advice? I also can't relieve myself of my gas pains when I go to the restroom so it is a little frustrating. That was a little TMI haha. Sorry :)

So on to some good news. The week before my surgery at my pre-op appointment I weighed in at 257. The day of surgery I was 255. I got on the scale this morning and I weigh 248 :) When you go from eating out two to three times a day to just drinking liquids, it makes sense that the weight is going to fall off right? I know the weight comes off faster in the first month but 7 pounds down in 2 days is pretty good for me :)

Does anyone have any good recipes for the mushie foods stage? I have been looking for some good protein drink recipes also. I tried my protein drink yesterday with water and it was absolutely disguisting. I am hoping it is better with skim milk! Anyways, yall have a good day! Im going to take my measurements later today and post them for everyone! Talk to you soon :)

I am officially a bander :)

Hey everybody! I AM OFFICIALLY BANDED!! Just wanted to update yall on how my surgery went. I got to the hospital yesterday around 7 am and went back to the operating room around 10 am. The procedure only took about 45 minutes. I was in recovery for about an hour and a half and got back to my room around noon. In the holding room, before I went back to the operating room, they gave me my IV and the medicine to make you calm. After this I dont remember much. I remember getting really drowsy and then they wheeled me back to the operating room. There were lights and cords everywhere and I remember it being freezing. After this, I dont remember a thing! I was out cold and I woke up about 2 hours later in recovery. I was extremely nauseated and sore. The nurse gave me as much nausea medicine as was allowed so I had to tough it out for a little bit. I finally went back to my room around 12:30 to find all my family and my boyfriend waiting on me. I wasn't in the best shape. The doctor told my parents that surgery went fine...I didnt have a hernia or any other complications and that I should recover just fine. I was able to get down about 8 oz. of liquids. Then they made me get up and walk...I was half way down the hall and I felt this terrible nauseated feeling. I knew my liquids weren't going to stay down and yep, it happened! I threw up everywhere! Everything I had just drank came up all at once! But no surprise, after that I felt a little better! I would say my incisions pain...on a scale from 1-10...was about an 8. I know some people say the incision pain is nothing and then some people say the opposite. But for me, they were pretty bad. The doctor made 5 incisions and the port incision hurts the most.

Lets see...what else has been going on. When I got home yesterday at like 4 pm, I slept most of the night. I tried to watch The Biggest Loser from last week that was still on my tivo but I kept falling asleep. I was still extremely groggy from the medicines and I didnt feel like eating. I was able to get down 8 oz of water while still at the hospital (after my throwing up accident), then when I got home yesterday I had about 8 oz of flavored water and one piece of hard candy to give me some flavor in my mouth. By the way, does anyone know if I am allowed to have a piece of hard candy? Either a breath mint or a lemon drop or any hard candy like that from time to time? I wasn't sure but I figured it was only like 5 calories and if I chewed it up well it would be ok. I haven't been very groggy today...just still really sore were my incisions are. I have been feeling very bloated and gasey but everytime I try to go to the restroom, nothing happens. I have also been taking Gas-X strips but I can't tell a huge difference with those.


Anyways, I just wanted to update everyone! I didn't feel like moving from my bed yesterday so this is my first time to get on the computer. Just out of curiousity, how long will I have incision pain? Like 3 or so days or more like weeks? I think thats the only thing really bothering me right now. I have been having headaches but didn't know if that was because of the lack of caffeine or somehow related to surgery. Am I allowed to take headache medicine or not? I wasn't sure!

I will be done for now but thank you all so much for your prayers and support! It means the world to me and I can't believe I actually have the BAND!! I need to give her a name :) I will also post pictures and measurements later! Talk to you all soon!!

2 days!!!!

2 days until my surgery!! Seriously...am I actually having surgery in 2 days?! I remember talking to my parents about 6 months ago about wanting to have lapband surgery. They knew how much it meant to me and have been super supportive since day one. Then I told my boyfriend who stills insists that I don't need weight loss surgery but understands that I am doing it for myself and no one else. He respects my decision and is behind me 100%. I have to remember no matter how much weight I lose, he was with me before my transformation and loves me no matter what. Next, I told the rest of my family who have continually been loving and offered nothing but kind words and prayers my way. Lastly I told all my friends and co-workers. I have been so blessed by all the support and hugs and concern everyone has been showing towards me in these last few weeks and days before my surgery. It almost brings me to tears just realizing how much they all truly care and want me to succeed in this journey I am about to go through. Even since day one of deciding I want to have surgery, I have never felt alone in this experience. I am blessed beyond words and it is such a warm and comforting feeling. It makes my heart smile in a way I can't describe with words.

So tonight I went to Wal-Mart to get all the medicines and "food" aka liquids and other things I am going to need for the next week or so. I meant to only spend about $50 but ended up spending $130! Opps! Like I said, I love shopping in any size, shape or kind :) I stocked up on water, juice, vitamin water, yogurt, freeze pops, chicken broth, etc. I accidentally left the grocery list my doctor gave me at home so I had to remember what to buy by memory. I have also read on other people's blogs that Gas-X really helps after surgery. I didn't know if I should get the chewable kind or the strips...so I just got both! And as funny as it may sound, I invested in a new razor so that I can have a good, clean shave before I go lay on that operating table in just a piece of paper that barely covers me up! Is there anything else I am forgetting that I may need to get from the grocery store? Anything else you ate/drank in the days following surgery? I stocked up pretty well so I hope I have most of what I need :)

I also had my "last supper" tonight with my parents at my absolute favorite japanese restaurant! It was so delicious! I ate all the chicken and fried rice I wanted and now I am regretting it! I am so stuffed! BLAH! Starting tomorrow...it is all liquids for me :) Let me know if there is anything else I should remember to do the day before surgery! I feel like there are some things I am forgetting but maybe it's just me being anxious and wanting to get this surgery on the road. Tomorrow I will be taking my "before" pictures, although I may not have the nerve to post them on my blog. I am also going to take all my body measurements as most of you have reminded me to do! Thank you all again so much for the kindness you have showed me! I truly appreciate all the advice and I take it to heart! Even though I have never met you all, I feel like we all know each other :)

Update!

A little update--
8 days until my boyfriend comes into town!! 9 days until my surgery!! I can't believe it is getting so close :)


The other night we went out for my mom's 50th birthday! She looked so beautiful :) She is the best mother anyone could ask for and my biggest supporter in my weight loss journey! I love you, Mom!

15 days!

My mom and I

My brother, Trey, and I

My dad and I

Taking a picture using my webcam!

Me with my little cousin, Dylan!

At the beach with my girlfriends :)

At the movies with my friend, Patrick!

Lauren and I headed to dinner :)

At one of the Anthropologie's in Dallas my boyfriend took me to visit!

My boyfriend and I during one of my Dallas trips :)

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So I just thought I would post some pictures from the last few months!

And onto some good news...Yesterday I talked to the surgeon's office and set my surgery date for Friday, October 23rd!! I am super excited! Only 15 more days! Does anyone have any last minute advice for me? Things you wish you would have known before surgery? Things you wish you would have done before surgery? Any and all responses are welcome :) Yall have a great night!!