OK…back on track!! August 25, 2010

I went to see Dr. Zarif today. They took my blood pressure and it was pretty high. The only thing I can think of that would be making it high would be what I ate yesterday. 

 I tried a new recipe and the seasoning had a lot of sodium in it. I took a can of chic peas and patted them dry. Then put them in a baking pan and spray them with olive oil or cook oil, sprinkle them with your choice of seasoning. Then bake them for a good little bit. It could be a different amount of time each time depending on how big the chick peas are. I just kept checking on them and giving them a little shake in the pan.These little guys get crispy and crunchy almost like a peanut!! They were great! I need to find a great new seasoning that isnt full of sodium though!!

Anyway back to my doctors visit.. I have lost 6 pounds since the last time I was there a month ago. Dr. Zarif was happy with my lost pounds..I have to be honest..I was not happy. I mean yes I am happy it is a loss and not a gain, but I normally can lose 10 pounds in a month when I’m on track! I just figured with me exercising like a fiend and eating less food the results would be closer to 10 pounds. Anyway, I had 7 cc’s already in my realize band and had 1.5 added today bringing me to a grand total of 8.5 cc’s. Hopefully this will bring me to the long anticipated “green zone” This is when you can eat half to three-fourths of a cup of food and feel full and content for three to four hours.

My running is still going strong. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is my scheduled days to train, but for the last few days after my After work fitness class, we have added in a few times around the track. Don’t misunderstand I am not running the entire time. I’m still in the walk/run stage,but it’s improvement non the less.

To those of you who have had band surgery..how many cc’s did you have before you reached the green zone???

Happy Birthday Bethany!

I usually struggle more on the weekends than during the week, but this weekend has been worse! I think I am struggling to not COMPLETLY fall off the wagon! Even with all my good efforts I am falling short. It seems like temptation is meeting me (and hitting me over the head) at every corner.

My oldest daughter had a birthday this Wednesday and it seems like the celebrating has continued ever since! I always ask the girls on their birthday what they want for their birthday dinner. They can choose to go out or have me fix one of their favorite meals. This year Bethany wanted to go to one of my favorite pizza places. Lombardi’s (in my opinion) has the best pizza, the crust is thin and crispy…yummo!! I don’t think I did too bad, I ordered a side salad and ate half of that before the pizza got to the table. I wound up eating one slice of cheese pizza, but in all fairness their slices are pretty good size!! You may be saying…well that’s not to bad. But the truth is.. I had chines for lunch! Help!! I have NO self-control right now! I had my period this week and to be honest I was blaming some of my poor choices on that…but I have to face the facts…I’m screwing up!!

This has nothing to do with my surgery and everything to do with where my head is right now. I get my third fill on Wednesday and my doctor made me wait a full month before he would give me another fill. The first two weeks usually go really well. I lose a decent amount of weight and then by the third week my band is not tight and I have very little restriction, so I start to struggle. Believe me Wednesday cannot come fast enough!!

I will let you know what the doctor’s office says my weight loss is for the month after my appointment. The good news is I have been consistent with my exercise. I have people who will want to know where I am if I don’t show up, that helps me a ton. I know I would have fizzled out if it were not for them!!

I can’t end this post without saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY!!! You are the best, and I’m so happy to be your mom!!!

Do you struggle more during the week or on the weekend??

Past progress, Future goals!! July 25, 2010

I first began this journey in december when I found out my insurance FINALLY accepted my request to get Lapband surgery. My main goal was to lose as much weight as I could before my six month waiting period was over.When I went to my primary doctor to get the ball rolling I was not shocked at my weight. As a matter of fact it was by far not my highest weight.
Because I had always promised myself that if I was given the gift of getting the surgery I was going to use the tool to the best of my abilities…I went to work changing my eating habits during my six month waiting period. My nutritionist Amy was a god send!!! I would have never thought that a nutritionist would have been that much of a help to me,but she was a huge help!! During my waiting period I lost 48 pounds!! Yea me!!! Now I am almost seven weeks post-op and Have lost 12.8 pounds since my surgery day. Yea that’s right…a grand total of 60.8 pounds since December 2009!!!

After my first fill on the 12th of July I was doing great. Now I can tell a couple of things have changed;

• I’m hungry every 2 hours
• I can eat a lot more food then I should be able to eat  without feeling full

So I called Dr. Zarif’s office and told them what was going on, they moved my next fill appointment up by a week. (Thank God!!) Now I have to get through the next week controlling my hunger, knowing I could eat the backside of a barn if I let myself!! Having come so far I would love to say I’m not struggling..but I am. Not to the point that it would have been before the surgery but I’m ashamed to say I would love to indulge in tons of bad for me foods. I guess the surgery didn’t take the desire away. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have that happen?!?!

 Now that I’ve accomplished loosing 60 pounds, I need to set new goals so that I can stay motivated and keep losing weight and getting healthy.

Weight Loss goals:
1. To get to onederland!!! getting to the 100’s. I will be ecstatic to be 199.9!!!

Exercise goals:
1. Work out 5 times a week!!!
2. Run one mile (in the gym)  I will work up to this. Right now I am walking and running in between for a few seconds at a time

Eating goals:
1. Eat at least 3 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
2. Eat less processed food. Eat as much local produce as I can and support my local farmers

3. Eat vegetarian 2 times per week

4.Record everything that goes into my mouth everyday!!

I’m going to try really hard to stick to these goals. The hardest goal for me will be exercising 5 times a week, but I can do it!  Wish me luck!

Foaming at the mouth!? July 18, 2010

Yea it’s just what you thought it was going to be about when you read the title… throwing up, puking, up chucking what ever you want to call it, it’s no fun. So far since my first fill I have been sticking to pureed or soft foods like..yogurt, squash, soups or a combination of things that i blended. I was invited to spend the weekend with a friend and she had dinner ready for me when I got to her house. The smell was WONDERFUL! she had fixed one of my favorite dishes that she makes, we call it Orange Chicken (I’m sure there is a more common name for it,but that’s what we call it) Well I couldn’t resist the chicken, even though my gut was saying go slow!! I think I had about 2 bites in when..yep you guessed it..It got stuck! I sat up straiter, tried to breathe slower and relax my chest, I was swallowing hard, trying to burp, nothing was moving. I sat quietly and hoped it would work its way down. Suddenly it started to move!! Just not in the direction I was hoping for! I quickly excused myself from the table and made my way to the furthest bathroom in the house. It’s not quite the way you envision it..normally when you throw up it’s fast, quick and over with. This takes a while and it’s little by little. When everything that had went in, came out. I felt much better!

I won’t be taking on much meat that is not pureed or cut within inches of MY life!! Eating is a little of an adventure for me right now. I’m learning what i can tolerate and what I need to steer clear of for a while. A friend asked me if it was all worth it..I didn’t even have to think about it. YES!!! I would have the surgery again tomorrow and do it all again! It is not for everyone I’m sure, You have to want it with everything inside of you and I know there will be days that I will say to hell with the process and want to give up.The diffrence between before and now is that, I have learned that I will have bad day’s, and have meals that I feel like I’m going to explode after. The big deal is I’m not going to beat myself up and quit  the process!

Check out my Scale Victory Goals page. I need ideas and help!!!

How do you recover when you feel like you have blown it???

My first “fill” July 16, 2010

The first thing I have to say is.. All that worrying for nothing!!! I am VERY squeamish around needles. So the thought of a long needle coming towards my body was not comforting to my mind and spirit! Doctor Zarif told me the first time getting a fill was the most uncomfortable because they have to find the center of the port. The first attempt I could feel the needle rubbing on the port but it was not the center of it and it would not go in. The second time was the charm!! I could tell the needle went through..don’t ask me how I knew. It just felt different somehow. He added 5-cc’s to my 10-cc band.

I sat up and the nurse gave me some water to drink..I knew from other bloggers not to take big gulps or it could come back out. So the sips went down and Doctor Zarif asked me how it felt and the only way I could describe it was to say that it felt like my esophagus has tightened. I’m not sure that makes any sense at all but that was how it felt.

Since monday I was on my Liquid diet for two days and soft foods since..the good news is, as of today I have lost 5 pounds this week!!!

I’m thrilled with my band, so much so that I’m thinking of giving it a name. It’s a part of me now, so I think it should have a name.

Any suggestions for a name for my band?!?!