50 is Nifty

Goodbye 50 pounds.  I've waited a long time to see you go.  The journey isn't easy, but I'm forging ahead.

I Surrender!

Seriously.  Goodbye to crackers.  I've tried to eat them three times since my fill last Friday.  Although there was no vomiting, I kept burping (yesterday it was the hiccups after eating 8 crackers).  Note: I can eat a fiber muffin without an issue.....but crackers are crunchy and I thought they were supposed to be easier to eat?  Guess not...whatever....goodbye Wheat Thins...and goodbye rice crackers that I just bought today.  I don't have any soy cakes to see if they're out also, but I'm thinking they probably are.  Darn!!  Nice to have restriction...but I do miss the crackers.  I'll be over it in a few days....meanwhile, I'm in mourning.

Liebster Awards!

Liebster means ‘beloved’ or 'favorite' in German and it’s an honor to receive this award. The Liebster Blog Award is designed to bring additional recognition to those bloggers with less than 200 followers. If you receive the award, you should link back to the blogger that nominated you and nominate five more blogs. Also, don’t forget to let them know that you nominated them.


Thank you to Brenda for the nomination!  She just hit the -100 lbs mark! Go girl!
Here are my nominations, just click each name to visit to their blogs!
Kelli - recently banded and we had the same doc :)
Ronnie - she likes to thrift shop.....'nuff said!!  I am a Goodwill junkie myself.
Rachel - she's in Bandster Hell but surviving.  You know, those first weeks after surgery with no restriction!
Elizabeth- she also had the same doc, and our surgeries were only days apart! 
Terri - she's a go-getter!  Poor thing PB'd in a van full of people.  Yipes!


Thank you to these ladies and EVERYONE for the kind words and occasional kicks in the ass.  This whole journey is easier because of all of you!

Hiccup. Burp. Hiccup. Burp.

I had a fill on Friday...and wow....I guess there's a bunch more restriction.  Today I had 8 wheat thin type crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese...whoa.  I can't stop hiccuping and burping.  Not in discomfort, I've chewed 4 papaya enzymes...hope this doesn't last long.  I've heard a lot of people talk about hiccups as a "stop sign" - but wow....sure glad this is happening at home, because I sound ridiculous!  Time to walk around the house to see if I can get this resolved!  I can tell that if I drink water it will come right back up...wish me luck!  :}

Movie Theater Survival 101

I went to see The Help today.  Pretty good movie.  Buuuuttt...I had some good things happen today.  First, I fit into a 2x shirt.  It was snug on the sides, and the side flab rolls showed, but darnit, it actually fit on the top!  When I leaned over, I couldn't see all the way down my shirt.  Now, on to the movie. . .

Challenge #1:  Diet Coke.  My friend knows about my surgery, so it wasn't a huge deal.  I had my first taste of soda since pre-op.  I only took a small sip, just enough to get the taste in my mouth.  I swished it around like mouthwash.  Yum.  It was good, but life no longer includes soda, either regular or diet.  No biggie.  My friend asked, "Do you miss it?"  My response was no.  Good: Yes!  Required for me to live a happy life:  No!  Life goes on.

Challenge #2:  Popcorn. My friend got popcorn and I ate three kernels.  Yes, three.  I had a serving of BBQ flavored soy thingies during the movie.  It was stressful - I felt anxious - I was trying so hard not to smell all of the good movie theater smells.  I kept reminding myself why I had the surgery and how far I have come.

Challenge #3:  No liquids.  I guess I never realized that I drank water like some sort of freakazoid when socializing pre-band.  I always drank a big glass of water before meals (or tried at least).  Drinking water would help with any anxiety (and I'm not talking nervousness, but overexcited anxiety - because of the upcoming food). Strange, eh?  Well...now I don't have that crutch.  No liquids with meals, none for 1 hour after.  It was strange.  All I could do was sit there and focus on not knocking over my friend and shoving my face into the popcorn bag.

I guess I'm realizing that the Lap Band is really kind of a slap in the face.  A combination of "wake up you morbidly obese, depressed human being that will die early if you don't get your arse in gear" and "now you have to confront feelings that you always hid with food."

S.A.L, don't let me down now.
And Amy, don't let yourself down, either.

Send a note to a new bandster....

http://kellibelliband.blogspot.com/

Kelli had surgery at TR also, and just had her surgery yesterday.  Why not take a moment to send her a note of encouragement?  :)

I felt my port for the first time today!

Doctor's Office.  Couldn't think of a picture  that was exciting...

Got a .5cc fill this morning.  I've always tried to feel the port, but never could.  I pressed and pushed, but I was never able to feel it.  DUH!  Today when I was getting my fill, I asked about it and she told me to do a "crunch." She put my hand on my belly and when I did the crunch - WOW - I felt the bulge!  Pretty cool.  I never thought about doing the crunch to try to feel it.  She has me do the crunch at each fill.  Anyway, it was pretty interesting.

My mind is wandering today, but here are some brain bullets:

• the third person that didn't know about my surgery or weight loss told me, "You've lost weight, I can tell in your face."  Awesome!  He didn't mention the fact that my boobs are deflating, but I'll take what I can get!
• work has started on my Bob Ross Halloween costume!  So far I only have the afro wig.
• my newest food discovery:  powdered peanut butter + light Cool Whip.  Oh YUM.
• tomorrow is my first trip to the movies since surgery.  Resist.Popcorn.It.Is.Not.Band.Friendly.
• Aunt Flo is visiting.  I hope she makes her departure soon, I'm tired of retaining water like some sort of freakish sponge.

That's all for today - really trying to get back into blogging on a daily basis, but the emotional funk is still around.  Doing my best! :)   Thank you for reading and commenting, you guys are all a wonderful source of support!

Revenge of Satan's PopChips

As I've previously stated, I believe that PopChips were created by Satan himself.  They're horribly addictive and offer little nutritional value.  I can easily down a bag of BBQ like nobody's business.  While at the grocery store tonight, I saw a new flavor:  Jalapeno.  Holy Moses!  I guess I found the strategy to NOT eat a bag.  My eyes were watering!  No more for me, thanks.


The rest of this blog is all random stuff.  My mind is wandering in 10 different directions.


Still in a funk, but I'm chalking it up to so much change.  I'm working every day now - not for much money - but something is better than nothing.  I enjoy substituting a lot.  I still get to work with kids but take no work home!  It will work for a while.


The port incision is finally nearly healed.  Only took two months!  <sigh>  I had a .25cc fill but feel nothing different, so I'm headed back this week for another .5cc.  That'll have me at 5.75cc in a 10cc band.  The "sweet spot" is supposed to be between 5-7cc on average.  I'll just keep going up in small increments until I find it.  SAL, don't let me down!

Eeeek! Yellow!

Got 1/4 cc in the band today.  I've been yellow for a few days, overeating and making crappy choices. I didn't gain anything though.  I've also been in a funk lately so I was trying to sort all of that out.  I played it safe and only got 1/4 cc added today.  I love the fact that I can get fills whenever I want for the first year (all paid).  There's no rush.  Liquids for the rest of the day and mushies tomorrow, then back to regular foods.


2 month post op report:
45 pounds lost (including 16 on 1 week pre-op diet)
1.2 inches lost off neck
4.5 inches lost off of abdomen (measured around belly button)


Sorry, but nothing too exciting or funny today.  Just kind of feeling all around blahhhhhhh.

Bountiful Baskets (co-op produce!)

A friend told me about this and I just had to try it.  On Monday or Tuesday, you pay $15 online for an order that you pick up on the following Saturday.  Your order can be organic for an extra $10.  There are also "extras" that you can add on, based on what is available.  Nothing is sold at the site (a local park), you just show them your pre-paid ticket and load 'er up.  There are locations all over town.  My pickup location was about 5 miles away.  

50% of the basket is fruit and the other 50% is vegetables.  It was so nice to just drive up and pile this all in my car at once!  I paid an extra $8.50 for the "Mexican Pack."  One of my favorite new foods is Fruit Salsa.  I had no idea how delicious salsa and fruit were when mixed together!    See if there is a co-op in your area:  Bountifulbaskets.org.  There's no commitment, just order when you want some.  Mmmmmmm!!

The fruits - (found 3 more pears after I took this pic)
nectarines, plums, funky pears, nanners, mangos, grapes

The veggies - forgot the cauliflower when I took the pic
Corn, potatoes, spinach, celery, cauliflower, some other green stuff that I don't know....

The mexican pack - garlic, onions, peppers, limes, cilantro, tomatillos,  assorted peppers, avocados