Bandiversary : A Year in Review

My 1 year Bandiversary is technically on July 1st, but my 1 year visit was today. I'm going to share a summary of what has happened in the last year.  Yes, I'm tooting my horn.  This is a way that I can collect information to go back to and read when I have difficult days.  It is also a way to show bandsters and folks considering the surgery what my experience has been like.  Later this week I'll blog a list of NSV's and new goals. 

Personal Stats
-Lost 105 lbs
-lost 2 1/2 inches off of my neck
-lost 10 1/2 inches off of my belly
-lowered LDL (bad cholesterol) from 146 to 116
-lowered BMI from 51.1 to 34
-normal blood pressure again!
-pant size decreased from 28 to 18 
-shirt size decreased from 3x to XL
-eliminated GERD and no more Prilosec! (took this for 11 years!)

The Lap Band
-had 14 Lap Band adjustments (I prefer very small adjustments)
-started with 4cc's in my 10cc band, now have 6.25cc's
-typical Lap Band patients lose 40-50% of their excess weight.  I'm at 63% and not stopping soon

My Blog
-had 8,824 visits to my blog
-have 69 blog followers (thanks!)
-have written 185 blogs
-681 comments on my blog posts
-the most popular blog was 4/26/12, Till Death Parts Us...Is The Lap Band Worth Risking Death?
-visitors to my blog were from the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, Australia, Brazil, UK, Malaysia, France (most to least)

Random
-joined a women's only gym and I actually GO!
-attended counseling to deal with self esteem issues that have arisen since losing weight
-purchased a used Wii Fit (and a bunch of accessories)

How a year has changed my favorite foods list!

Last year...my favorite food was pizza.  Well, really, anything with grease dripping off and attainable through a drive thru so I didn't have to move my lazy buns.  I know my way around Phoenix based on food joints.  Sad.


This year...my favorite foods are so different.  I mean, don't get me wrong, there are still days when I want to get fries at McDonald's and just suck on them for flavor.  I see a cake and want to slam my face down into it like some crazed lunatic.  How messed up is that?  <sigh>  


So here are some of my favorite foods (meals, snacks, etc)...not consumed on a daily basis, rather, replacements for foods that I overindulged in (in my pre-band life).

• Trader Joe's Chicken Apple Sausage
• Crockpot BBQ Beef w/Boneless Chuck Roast (don't forgot to add soda to moisten it!) 
• PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter - sounds funky, but damn good.  Mix this crack into chocolate pudding and you have yummy!  I also like it mixed with Cool Whip.  The least expensive place I've found is Netrition.com.  There are small jars and 1 lb bags.
• Baked Tostitos
• Jolly Time Healthy Pop (Crispy White Naturally Flavored) - I have to be careful because popcorn is a major slider food.  I could eat buckets of it.  Sometimes I sprinkle a little parm cheese on it.
• Clif Builder's Bar - mint chocolate.  20 g of protein and it tastes like a thin mint.  OMG.
• Morningstar Crumbles - alone, it tastes funky to me since I'm a carnivore, but mix 50/50 with lean ground beef, and you'd never know there was fake meat in there.  Promise.  I mix this stuff up and freeze it in 3 oz portions.  
• Cheese Sticks - any kind.  They're my "emergency" protein food.  I can keep one in my purse for hours.  
• Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage 

What are your "must haves?"  Whether they're daily staples or special treats, what great products have you discovered along your journey?

Word of the day: Adjustable

Why do I question myself?  Why do I consider a slight unfill to be some sort of failure?  If I'm uncomfortable with how things feel, I need to remember that I have an adjustable gastric band.  Adjustable, Amy.  ADJUSTABLE.  Adjust it and quit wondering.

I went in today and got .10 removed.  Doesn't sound like much, but I never do aggressive fills.  My last fill was .10, so let's see if this helps.  If I still feel too snug, I already have another appointment that was already scheduled for next week.

I might not be miserably uncomfortable, but I know my band.  Something had to change.  I was avoiding textured foods and eating foods that I knew would agree with SAL.  Those choices haven't been the wisest and that's why I went down this road in the first place....health.  

And I shall be healthy.  Soon.

Why is my band so tight? Heat?

Alrighty.  Something's up.  My last fill (.10) was a month ago.  Things were fine until last week.  I noticed that I couldn't eat as much at a time and I could actually feel food "bubbling" down.  No reflux or other slippage signs, just a tight band.  I called the doc today, thinking that maybe because the heat has really cranked up (like 113 degrees, specifically), that it would somehow effect the band.  I was told to make sure I was well hydrated, and that, no, heat shouldn't effect it.

I think that's a crock.  It HAS to be the heat.  A girl can only drink SO MUCH.  I mean, come on....half of my body weight is 106 oz per day (not taking into account that I live in the friggin desert).  I'm thinking like 150 oz or so is where I should be...and folks, I CANNOT DRINK THAT MUCH!!  Sip sip sip.  Sip sip sip.  All friggin day long.  I throw in a G2.  Sip sip sip.

I'm venting.  I need some support here.  Has anyone heard of the band becoming tighter with higher temperatures (or increases of say, 10 degrees in a week?).  I'm going to look around in the net, but in the meantime, someone please tell me that I'm not looney tunes here.  This is really my first "summer" with the band, as I was banded in July of last year.

I have an appointment next week and if this isn't better, I'm going to have some fluid removed.  Meanwhile, I'm writing down what is happening each day (PBing, burping after only 1 small bite, etc).  This thing is snugsville, and it sucks!  I know there aren't any issues (was just imaged a month ago), but dang.  Someone? Anyone?

Crockpot + Diet Soda + BBQ Sauce = Yum & Easy

My household: 1.  Yep.  Just me.  I don't cook meat very often, especially in large amounts...but...I had a big meat craving two weekends ago and just had to share.  It isn't rocket science, but just something I discovered and thought I'd pass along:


What I used:
2 1/2 lb chuck roast (trimmed all visible fat)
1/2 can diet cherry soda (you can use regular, too)
BBQ Seasoning (any generic mix)
1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
A couple squirts of ketchup
A TBS hot sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
crock pot
optional: liquid smoke (if you have it, but not necessary), 


Trim fat & season the meat the day before cooking with the dry rub and put it in a baggie overnight.  Mix all wet ingredients together.  Turn crockpot on low, pour in wet ingredients, then put in meat, cover, cook 7 hours.  Remove, use two forks to pull meat apart, then put it all back in the crockpot for another hour.   Let those yummy juices fully soak in.


Total cooking time, 8 hours.  Very good & easy enough for me.  Freezes well.  Note:  it will be very moist and more "liquidy" than regular pulled meat (the soda).


There you have it.  No real exact measurements, but damn tasty.  I used a small crockpot (oval, not the traditional circular one).  If yours is larger, you may need more liquid to keep it all moist during cooking.

The Power to Resist

Pre-band, one of my favorite foods was a hot pretzel and cheese dip (emphasis on the extra fatty and spicy Velveeta cheese dip).  Love, loved loved my hot pretzels.  I think I've tried them 2 times since I was banded - a no go each time.  I could chew it all day, but it is so dense that it just sits on top of the band until I eventually am able to yak it up.  Not cool.


Today I stopped by a Walmart near work and discovered that inside of the Walmart, there was a Wetzel's Pretzels.  OMG.  The entire store smelled of that delicious, yeasty, pretzely goodness.  You know that smell, right?  I wanted a pretzel like no one's business.  I felt my mouth moisten, my pulse quicken and actually felt lightheaded.  Dang.  I was so hungry but I resisted.  Let me say that again.  I RESISTED.   I have the power to resist.  The world didn't end, I didn't faint in the store, and no one was injured.


There aren't many foods that I've completely banned from my diet, but hot pretzels are #1.  They fall into the same category as untoasted bagels and other super dense breads.  It isn't worth it.  The band is pretty darn snug right now, and I haven't come this far to blow the whole thing over a frickin hot pretzel.


What about you?  Are there any foods that you know you absolutely cannot eat?  There's the "no no list" that Allergan puts out, but I can honestly eat quite a bit on there (popcorn, corn, etc).  I was just curious to see what personal experiences people have.  

10 Pound Countdown to Onederland

Current: 209.9.  My next goal is 199.9.  Yep, 10 pounds till Onederland.  Some weeks are very encouraging and some just plain suck.  I've been exercising more (it still burns like heck and I'm totally exhausted afterwards, but I press on).  I'm waiting for the magical day when it doesn't hurt and I suddenly have endless energy.  In the meantime....10 POUNDS TILL ONEDERLAND!  I can smell it.  Or is that the neighbor's BBQ?

Pfft: The Tooting Yoga Lady

We all do it.  Working out makes us do it more.  But still.  In a room of silence, attempting to discover my inner  peace, while focusing on not falling on my face, I smirked.  Yoga is all about relaxation and stretching, so I guess it just meant that she was very relaxed.

It didn't happen once or twice.  This lady was ripping 'em right and left.  Loudly.  "Oh, excuse me!" she'd say after each one. I felt bad for her.

If you've read my previous blogs about the gym, you'll remember that I give people mental nicknames.  It keeps me entertained when I'm working out.

• Pogo - goes crazy in spinning class, seriously, she must have sore lady parts the next day
• Daisy - named for her way-too-short jean shorts
• Thrifty - instead of purchasing a swim cap, she wears a Walmart bag on her head so her hair doesn't get wet

and now, I introduce......

• • Bubbles - the incredibly flatulent yoga lady

On a somewhat related note:  yesterday was my FOURTH consecutive day at the gym in a row.  That's a record.  I'm taking today off though....I've lost feeling in my arse and my legs feel like wet noodles!