Monday, November 30, 2009

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 :)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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!



Friday, November 6, 2009

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!!