Band Progress

How are you all doing on you Band Journey?? Any major disappointments? Huge success stories?

I'd like to hear them!

Weight Watchers to the rescue!

Hello all!! I am 9 pounds down since 2/28/12. Yeah Boi! I joined Weightwaters a couple of weeks ago and lost a total of 10 pounds as of Friday. All I can say is that I realize more than ever that this band is a "tool" and not a quick fix.

I joined Weight Watchers because I found that I needed help knowing how good or bad things were that I was eating. The points calculator has saved me tremendously while grocery shopping. I now tend to eat alot of zero point foods like vegies. I see now that I can eat alot of high protein and fiber foods and they end up being very low in points. I am understanding the way food works alot better with WeightWatchers. Since January of 2011 I am down 39 pounds which is still good since I had a baby 5 months ago. As long as I keep losing this weight, I am on track.

I just wanted to give an update.

I'm Baaaaaaack!.....And with a BABY!

It has been an year since I logged on and blogged. Alot has happened in that year.. Umm, I had a BABY! Yes, shortly after my surgery I guess I got pregnant. I hear that its common to become more fertile after losing alot of weight and I am proof that it could happen. NUTZ!! I know. Her name is Quedance (pronounced Cadence) and she is now 3 1/2 months old. March of 2011 I found out I was expecting.. It was a huge shocker! I went in to have my 7 CCs removed. I was a little bummed because I really wanted to lose alot of weight and to become healthier. I had a rough pregnancy, however, because I had pre-eclampsia the last couple months of my pregnancy. I didn't gain much at all, however! I only gained 4 pounds my entire pregnancy. I ended up having to have a C-section 2 weeks before my due date. Boy was she small. She was born at 6 pounds 7 oz. She was so small that she had to wear preemie clothes, She will be a short little girl, she will take after my husbands side of the family. My son on the other hand was born at 10 pounds 2 oz and he was 1 week early, He is a monster. LOL.

Anyway, after about 3 weeks of having my baby I started getting fills again. I looked so great. Then, I got comfortable.. I started eatingalot again..more and more. I gained a whopping 10 pounds AFTER having my baby! Pure nonsense.

As of this past week, I have really focused on eating right and losing weight. I have lost 8 pounds since 1 and a half weeks, AWESOME! I am only half a pound heavier then I was this time last year. Thats not bad at all!

I am back to hopefully get support and encouragment to keep doing better. I hope to hear from some of my old OBH buddies. I miss you guys.

Tee

Hello, hello! What an eventful week!

I lost another 3.8 pounds! Who hoo! Here's what's interesting. I have been eating more than I am supposed to. I didn't know I was until I showed someone who had a band what I ate for lunch.  I have have no complications at all which is great.  I spoke to someone who has 6 CCs in their band and they have had their band for 2 years. I have 5 ccs and I had surgery in January.  I am grateful to have my 5ccs but I don't have restriction. I start a new job next week for sure and I will have a hard time getting a fill due to the training schedule. I am praying the Surgeon makes a special appt just for me to get it done b/c I want to stay on track.  I have been getting on the eliptical every other day as well as weight lifting.  A friend suggested this site..My FitnessPal. It tells you how much calories you should be eating on a daily basis. You can log your meals and exercises. It's kinda like Facebook.  I like it.  I love what my body is starting to look like.  I love that I can slip right into a size 20.  I was a size 22/24.  I can also put on some 18s!~ YAY! 

The only thing about my body I'm not crazy about is my inner thighs. What exercises should I do to minimize the fat there?

TTFN

On a nice get-a-way..

Hola and Good Morning!!

This week has been incredibly busy.  My mom was hospitalized for the last 2 days so I was very pre-occupied.  She went home yesterday and is doin' great.  My hubby decided to have a mini-getaway for a me and my son for the weekend.  It was way overdue.  The pants I wore to dinner yesterday were too big and I literally had to keep pulling them up! They were my favorite pants!  That was a complete shocker because of course I know I lost weight but how loose they were was just ridiculous!  Freakin' thumbs up to me!  I hit the Elliptical today and lifted weights.  I also joined the Y and will be taking group fitness classes. 

This week was my 2nd fill and I haven't had any issues at all! YAY! I feel a little restriction but all is good! No vomiting or anything.  I just wanted to check in and let you guys know that all went well after my last fill. 
Have a great day and TTFN.

Hey Now!

Today, I had my second fill! YAY!! I had 2 more CCs for a total of 5CC's. I spoke to a family friend who has the band and she said she had 5-7 CCs before she felt restriction. That makes me happy to have 5CCs. Now, I also feel nervous about it at the same time cuz I actually feel restriction. I drank with no problems today so we'll see how eating goes tomorrow. BTW, I came into work today and a co-worker just saw my face (I was sitting down) and she said, "Holy Cow! I can see you lost a lot!" That made me feel wonderful!! My current weight is 285.6. My first fill was 2-15-11 and I weighed 289.2 then. My doc said to keep up the good work which also made me feel awesome! TTFN!!

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Exercise for 2-28-11

Elyptical: 20 Minute Workout Miles: 1.6 Calories Burned: 141 ---------- Free weights used: 8 LBS Bicep Curls: 40 Reps Single Press: 40 Reps Shoulder Press: 40 Reps Bench Press: 40 Reps NuStep Machine: 8 minutes Workload 1-10: 7 Treadmill: 10 minutes on 3.5 speed ---------- *Attempted to use the Yoga Ball and sat on it and my butt darn near hit the ground while on the BALL! No lie! The ball was definately a No-Go.!!

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The Weekend...

Well this weekend was.... let's say interesting. I could have made better choices with the foods I ate. I had a crazy candy craving and I ate a handful of spice drops, you know..the sugar coated jelly candie things? They were tasty but not worth it however. I know I'll make mistakes along this journey so I'm not being too hard on myself. Tomorrow I'm getting my second fill. Yay! I'm a little nervous b/c I have been eating Orowheat Flatbreads which are high in fiber (5g) and only 100 calories. I eat that with roasted turkey, swiss cheese and Kraft Olive Oil Mayo. I love that meal! I wonder at what point with my fills will bread begin to bother me?? Well off to hit the treadmill and possibly the Elyptical. TTFN!

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Dizziness...

The last 2 days I've been getting a little lightheaded. Kind of like everything would be normal then I'd get a little dizzy. I wonder if my iron is low. I have not been using vitamins. Maybe this is the problem...

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A shake I made today...

Good Morning,
I made an awesome shake today.  I put 4 oz. of Kefir Strawberry Banana Probiotic smoothie in a blender along with 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder (26 grams of protein), 3 ice cubes and 3 frozen strawberries. I blended that bad boy up in my Bullet Bender knock-off and it came out a consistency of a shake.  It was very good! The reason why I used a little bit of probiotic smoothie in it was to help me stay regular. The Kefir probiotic works quickly; within 24 hours for me. I put the vanilla protein in it to add some extra protein to my morning diet.  This will help me stay satisfied longer.  As for my pics, I haven't posted any yet because me trying to get my 5 year old take my pic didn't work out.  I don't have to work tomorrow so I'll have my hubby take them. TTFN!

Good Morning!

Weight check.  I lost an additional 1.6 pounds since last week. My goal was 2.5 pounds weekly but I'm happy I lost something...I got in late last night so pics yet.  Oh, how I wish my 5 year old could take my pic..Wait....You know, I might just try to teach him to take mommy's pic..LOL!

I had Flax cereal and a banana for breakfast.  It had 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. It was good but maybe I should have had my iced protein drink with dab of instant coffee crystals.   Oh, well maybe I'll make it later today...Have an awesome day! TTFN!

Goooood Morning!

Hello all! Lately I have had a couple of things on my mind about my band.  So far, I am completely happy with it.  I don't have trouble keeping things down, I am never nauseated. I know everyone if different, I but I have heard people say they feel this and we have just the same amount of CC's in our bands.  This is very puzzeling to me, however, I am grateful I am not having complications......so far. 

I haven't taken any new pictures of myself because I needed new batteries for my camera. I went and got sum today so later I will try to post pics of myself on Obesityhelp.com.  I am feeling very confident as I keep losing weight.  I cannot wait to weigh myself today (currently I'm not at home).  I need to step my game up as far as exercising so I plan on taking some classes at the local YMCA.  My main problem areas are my legs, arms and stomach...heck my whole body has problem areas..LOL.  Anyhow, Friday evening I found myself standing in line for Famous Dave's.  I just wanted to order a little sandwich and eat some supple BBQ.  I looked at my mom and was like..."Should I?"  We walked outta there with no sandwich in hand, or in my stomach.   I then went to Walgreen's and got sum Wasabi n' Soy Sauce Blue Diamond Almonds which were the bomb diggety.  But that's what I get for not packin' snacks to take with me, I'll want to eat things I shouldn't.  Not that BBQ is bad, it's fast food BBQ.

I bought a little insulated lunch pail that evening for 99 cents.  It's a small compact thing and of course it's pink and colorful.  That's me!!! I will be putting snacks in it and taking it with me from now on.  I love the feeling of putting on clothes that were too tight that now feel loose.  I don't want to mess that feeling up so I need to watch what I put into my mouth.  I find myself dancing in the mirror and shakin' my tush....LOL!  What can I say, it feels really good losin' weight. We'll I gotta go and get ready for the day.. BTW, Feed my fishies in the upper left hand corner of my blog........ TTFN!

Another Awesome Find....

I have been drinking these for about 2 weeks now. I have one can daily. I happened to come across them in the healthy food section at Hy-Vee Food Store and they were on sale 4 for $5.  They are usually $2.99 a can.  The story behind the product goes...

"It all began with health scientists trying to create a product to provide sustained energy for chemotherapy patients.  They discovered Quercetin (pronounced kwur-si-tin), a powerful all natural antioxidant and combined it with Green Tea Catechins.  Their patented formula was called FRS, and it quickly became the "secret weapon" for many elite athletes." -Quoted from the back of the can.

I only buy the Low Cal ones.  They don't taste bad at all.  They have only 25 calories per 11.5 FL OZ can and only 4 Carbs.  Make it "protein-y" and put flavorless protein powder in it. Yummy...
*Photo credit http://www.frs.com/

Eating after my fill

Since having my fill Tuesday, I am feeling no different. This is great.  I was able to eat with no problem. Speaking of food.... My favorite breakfast food is Fit&Active Maple Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal. Yumm-o! Here is info on it for 1 packet:

• Calories: 160 / Total Fat: 3g / Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 290mg / Potassium: 150mg / Carbs: 29g
• Fiber: 6g / Protein: 7g

This fills me up and gets me going until lunch. If you haven't tried it yet, get some. I have other things I use daily that I will try to post later. Gotta jet....TTFN!

First Fill Down....

Well today I had my first fill.  Man, talk about somebody being nervous! ......And when he whipped that needle out..Woooo! My heart jumped!  My mom went with me and she video taped the whole procedure.  She had to wear an X-Ray tech jacket while the doc did his thang. So he told me to stand in between this big machine and line my port up with a box on the side of the machine. The first needle came and he said that I'd feel a slight pinch, it was a numbing agent.  I actually didn't feel anything. Then the second needle came and it was for the fill. He told me to take a gulp of the barium. I took a sissy gulp. LOL! We could see the barium going down my stomach on the monitor they had there. I could see where my band was. Man, technology is insane! He told me to take another gulp of the barium..once again I took a sissy gulp. Why was I taking sissy gulps? I don't know...I was a first timer..maybe it was my nerves. I have no clue.  Then again he told me to take another big gulp and this time he told me my other gulps were sissy gulps.  Well....I couldn't get mad because he was tellin' the truth! LOL


The whole procedure was done within minutes. He added 3CCs to my band.  I left with a little band-aid on my belly.  No biggie! I was told to only drink liquids for the rest of the day b/c my stomach may be a little swollen due to the fill. I can begin soft/mushy foods tomorrow.  I didn't feel any different all day.  I will admit that I'm nervous about actually eating tomorrow. I just don't want anything to come back up. It probably won't but the thought of it happening makes me uneasy.  Once again, I'm probably worrying for nothing. 


Good news! I am exactly 9 pounds down since my surgery date, 1/24/2011! To me, that is a huge deal because I lost 15 lbs. during the all liquids before surgery and 9 lbs after. That's a total of 24 pounds off of my body! I really feel good and proud of myself for getting this far. I hope to lose about 3.5 more pounds by 1/24/2011, my 1 month post-op date.  We'll see! Well time to hit the sack. I am beat!


TTFN!

1st Fill Today

Today I have my first fill appointment. It's exactly in 1 hour. I am extremely nervous, yet excited. I don't know what else to blog about it...I'm just NERVOUS! Like the surgery, once it's done, I'll feel way better. TTFN!

Holy Canoli, Batman!

Whaaaaaaaaat? Okay!! Whhhhaaaaat?? HUH???YAYYYYYY!  I am 291.4 LBS! I was bummed cuz I gained 1.5 pounds last week! Everyone said the gain was muscle since I've been hitting the gym. I didn't care. I wanted to see the numbers FALL! My hubby walked in the door with a digital scale....lo and behold...down 6.1 pounds! Woooooooooooooooo! Yeah, BABY!
That's what I wanna see! This is so motivating! And the best part.....I don't even have a fill! My first one is Tuesday! Insane, insane, insane!

Gooooood Morning! 21 Days Post Op!

Good Morning! In 2 days I get my first fill...and my Dr. does it under fluro! YAY! I hear this helps prevent leakage.  So yesterday I was running around all day and forgot to pack my lunch.  I found myself starving and had to be at an appt in 30 mins. I went to Arby's and got a little Arby Roast beef sandwich, ate the roast beef and tossed the bread. It made me feel a lot better.  I definitely need to pack my lunch and snacks when I know I'm going to have a hectic day. Any fast food really isn't that good for you.  So today I plan on getting in some exercise.  Also, I found some drinks that helps me with energy, is very healthy, no carbonation and is ONLY 35 CALORIES! I will try to post info about it tonight.

My last post I was cravin' for POP or a sip of Moscato.  I kinda got over it.  Pop isn't good for you but yet it tastes so good.  Pop is what helped get me get heavy.  So why did I want it so bad? Old habits.  I need to stop them altogether. Everyday is a work in progress. I will always have cravings, I just need to deal with it when I have them. I just visited a forum where someone lost 100 pounds with the band in 9 months.  That is so commendable! I need to focus on why I got weight loss surgery and make this a success!

Have a wonderful day!

It's been a while....

Well its been 5 days since I blogged..MY BAD!  Okay, let's see if I can sum everything up that has happened so far.  Last Sunday was the Super Bowl and I went over my in-laws.  My mom-in-law had Jimmy John's sandwiches there.  I brought my own food...my favorite since being banded....Tuna salad...YUM! A little later I began to get hungry so I ate turkey, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese.  Now, there were cookies, chips and POP.  I really, really wanted sum of that stuff. I just wanted to nibble just a bit of a cookie and eat just one chip ....bet I couldn't eat just one! I totally stayed away from it but I was a little "pouty" within. I hated that I couldn't just eat freely like I once could before! I knew that this was something I'm just gonna have to get over and live with...the crazy temptations and all.  Anyway, I consider Sunday a huge success because I behaved. 

Monday I went hard in the gym....then I left gasping for air and breathing hard.  Why can't I determine when enough is enough?  Why must I have to feel like I'm gonna die when I go so hard?  I should be pushing myself, right? My mistake...Not having my Advair.  The rest of the week was very busy. Kind of a blur!

Wednesday I weighed in...DRUM ROLLLLLL....Gained 1.5 pounds! WHAT??  Everyone is saying that it must be muscle because CLEARLY my clothes are loose on me! When I go to scratch my lower back, I feel less thickness and more smoothness. I got to say.. I LOVE IT!  I have to admit though, the 1.5 pound gain is toally bummin' me out.  Even tho it may be muscle, I want to see the scale go down!!!  It's a mind thing honestly.  I cannot wait to start droppin' weight like its nobody's bizness.  I want to make this a success! 

I have been slacking preparing my food as well as I did last week.  I find myself making a smoothie then waiting too long to eat my next meal which makes me want to eat here and there.  I have gotten more familiar with my band. When I wait too long to eat, I get this crazy hunger pang which feels odd vibrating on my band. It's an "upset stomach" feeling.  Once I put food in my mouth, it's like the little monster inside is satisfied. Then my body feels great.  When I'm on the floor on my knees and my stomach is pressed against my bed or couch, I get the upset stomach feeling again....Like I cannot have pressure on my band. It get up and it feels better. I am more aware of how thoroughly I chew my food.  I like that I am forced to slow down eating.  I can't just eat any and everything anymore. 

POP......I swear..My hubby brought a 2- Litre home and I opened the top..Smelled the sweetness..BTW, it was lemon-lime....  I smelled the sweetness, I put my lips on the opening and closed my eyes and imagined the taste..I did not turn it up..Just put my lips on the opening.  I know, PATHETIC! I miss the carbonation! I miss the fizzy goodness. I miss that insane belch after taking a big swig...  TWO positives..My skin is clearer and no more empty calories.

MOSCATO...I miss it after a hard days work! I actually want to call my Doc to ask if I can have just one drink because my fill is next Tuesday so technically I have no pouch for the carbonated liquid to sit in. It'll go right down.  On the other hand I'm afraid to ask..  I think he's gonna look at me in disgust... Umm, embarrassing.  I'm gonna ask anyway...I'll take the stink face.

Well that's all that's been happening with me..

Until later,
Peace out.

Productive Burping

I found out what I did this morning after swallowing eggs not fully chewed was "productive burping". All I know is that was hell and NEVER AGAIN.