Happy New Year

Gave my apartment a clean today to welcome in the New Year.

We will not be going out for New Years Eve (actually we never do)  - just a small family gathering, husband, me, daughter and grand daughter and grand son - I plan on having steak, baked potatoes, and some form of  veggie.  I found this great marinating recipe on line called "Best Steak Marinate Ever" so I thought I would try it and marinate them for 8 hours in the fridge.  I don't know if I'll be able to eat the steak but maybe if it is tender enough, Nakita will be ok with it.  Worse comes to worse, I can always melt some cheese on the potato and eat that !

Also bought some Blue Bunny Ice cream called "Banana Split" and my daughter made some peanut butter shortbread cookies to go with the ice cream (looking forward to that)!

I am excited about 2011 and all it entails!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE      -   See you next year !

Weigh in !

Had  my official weekly weigh in this morning -  lost 2.6 pounds - Yippee - I  now weigh 197.2 !!!! :) :)

Thank you "Nakita" for keeping me on the straight and narrow during this last week - I am amazed to say that I lost weight during the Christmas week - normally I would gain anywhere from 7 to 10 pounds.  this lap band is truly a "friend".

Not to say that I didn't have a few treats - like a pce of cheese cake, a handful of chocolate raisins and a mini  Blizzard - I enjoyed every bite, did not feel guilty at all !

 Now I'm off to read how everyone else did !

Christmas Celebrations

We had a wonderful time this Christmas

Went to Midnight Mass - it was packed with people - we got there are 10:10pm (Christmas carols from 10 to 10:30 and then Mass starts at 10:30 and gets over at midnight) and already there were only a few seats left - they ended up bringing in extra seating and some people still had to go thru the service standing up.  Anyway, it was a lovely Mass and the time went by so quickly - after Mass, there was a Christmas feast in the Church Hall but we didn't stay for that because we all wanted to get home to bed!  and besides eating that late at night tends to upset all our stomachs!

Faith (my granddaughter) called me at 8:00am on Christmas morning to come over and watch her open her presents (my grandson who is 15 was still asleep in bed) which is something that my husband and I do every Christmas - I love to watch the children opening their gifts and seeing the joy on their faces!

My table looked lovely - I decorated with reds and greens - the picture didn't come out too good but I had fun decorating .

We had my mother and father in law, my husbands Aunt and his two sisters plus us which was a total of 10 people to Christmas lunch.

We had  Ham, Turkey, peas and rice, potato salad, mac and cheese, cauliflower casserole, cranberry sauce, wine, and sodas.

For dessert my daughter made this fantastic cheese cake and gourmet shortbread cookies and with that we had coffee and tea.

The food was soooo good - I took a little bit of every thing but only managed to eat half of it - took me about an hour but I enjoyed it very much.

I saved my cheese cake for supper and took a very small piece but enjoyed every mouth full.

It was a novel experience eating with "Nakita" in control - she did me proud and I was proud of myself too  - we got along very well :)

Just 3 days before Christmas Day !

Finished doing my Christmas cleaning - did it over 3 days - rather than kill myself trying to get every thing done in one day - that was a good plan!

Thawing out my Christmas Ham in the fridge - will probably cook that on Friday and then just warm it up on the morning of the 25th.

I am suppose to be getting a gift of a "Dressed, deboned whole turkey" - I hope that I do get it on Christmas Eve cause I didn't bother to start defrosting the one I have in the freezer - my husband says, well if we don't get it, then he'll go get some chicken from KFC , lol ! Please keep your fingers crossed for me !

I would like to thank all my new friends for your kind words, and encouragement and advise since I started this blog - I can't begin to describe how great it feels  to have other ladies that understand what I am going though !

I wish you all a Blessed and Joyful Christmas !

Onederland

Just had to share this - even though I already posted for the day.

Just got back from my official weigh in and I now weight - 199.8   I am so happy and thrilled!

Eating out

My husband and I went out to eat at one of our favourite restaurants last night and it was a great experience.

I ordered the grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and green beans - I also asked them to bring me a small bottled water (I do not trust the glass of water) and I managed to drink about 6 ozs before the meal came.

As soon as I got my meal, I divided my plate up - I portioned 2 oz of fish, about 1/4 cup of the potato and about 1/4 of the green beans - and moved the remainder over on the plate to bring home with me (I asked the waitress to bring me a take out container at the end of the meal so that I could pack the food up to bring home - but next time I am going to bring a tupperware container (Like Jessica) and pack up the food right away).

Anyway I enjoyed every bite, chewed, chewed, chewed and when I had eaten my portion, I pushed the plate away and talked with hubby while he finished up his meal,

I was satisfied and happy with how I handled my first solid meal since having my band filled on Friday.  It was a good experience and "Nakita" was happy with me and I didn't have rumblings from her :)

Almost forgot to list some of my NSV's  -

Inches gone since I started the journey on September 29th/10

Bust  :       2 inches
Waist:       2 inches      (I actually have a waist now !!!!!)
Hips:        4 1/4 inches
Stomach:  5 inches

Total:        13 1/4"  gone forever  


Slack size:      20      Now    16      YEAH!!!!!

Able to cross my legs and be comfortable !!!!!

Life after your first fill

I still haven't been able to eat anything (since Thursday 12 noon) but at least I got down 20 oz water, 8 oz skim milk, 2 cups of coffee (my new favorite drink - couldn't stand it before - but it was comforting to drink it) also 3 pop cycles and a cup of chicken broth.  Just thinking of eating food was making me cringe (that has never happened before the lap band !!)

I am going to try to have 1/2 cup of cottage cheese this morning for breakfast but first I am going to drink 20 oz of water - I do not want to dry up, lol -  I am going to try to get at least 60 oz's in my end of the day -

Hope you all have a nice lazy Sunday!

First fill

At 3 pm I went to the hospital to get my first fill - the reason for doing it at the hospital was because Dr. D needed to use a florascope to make sure the lapband was in place and also to locate the port. - after this I think I will be going to his office.

I got up on the table to have the fill and about ten minutes later, it was complete.

I felt a very heavy feeling on my chest and my throat felt like I had food stuck in it - I sipped some water and I felt weird but when I spoke to Sam and Dr. D they said that was normal - I was not to panic because that would make it worse - to get up and walk around when I felt like I was going to throw up - and when I got home, to sip on a warm drink.

Anyway I drove myself home (thank the lord the traffic wasn't too bad) but on the way, the pressure got harder and I started to "slime" (know about this from your blogs!).  So I kept saying to myself , don't panic, breath deeply and just get home.

So when I got home, I made some herbal tea - and tried to sip some - I just kept feeling worse and worse so I finally called Sam and told her that I was feeling terrible and sliming all over the place.  She said "go back the the hospital and I will call Dr. D so he will be waiting for you and take out some of your fill."

My husband drove me back and on the way there I started to throw up - luckily my husband had a box of tissue in the car so I was able to throw up into that.

Got to the hospital, located Dr. D - he said to me you look fed up - I said not fed up just feeling really bad - so then he said go back to the same place and I'll meet you there.

A fellow bandster was there getting another fill so I told her that I had come back to take out some of the fill that I just had put in a couple of hours ago - Dr. D had given me a 7cc fill (my band is 10cc) - she said "oh, I have 5 now and was hoping to put 2cc in - maybe I shouldn't"  but  I told her everyone is different and since this was my first experience maybe it was effecting me different from her.

Anyway - Dr. D took out some of the fill - as he was doing it, I felt immediate relieve - I found out he had put in 8cc !  he took out 3 cc - so now I am at 5cc - I can feel the tightness but at a manageable level - he said in 4 weeks time we can look at putting more back in - but we would have to monitor it until then.

I have been sucking on a pop cycle and drinking sips of herbal tea !

I hope every thing goes well during the night and my stomach will be a little be better tomorrow.

Hope you all have a good night!

Ground Turkey Recipe

I made this for lunch today - it was really good - got it from www.lapband.com.  I invited my daughter to have lunch with me and she thought the burger was moist and tasty.  I put mine on a bed of lettuce and toasted two pieces of whole grain bread for my daughter - oh also I melted a 1/2 of  low fat cheese on the top of the burger and then added the onions and mushrooms - YUM!

Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup chunky applesauce
1 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

In a med. bowl, gently mix all ingredients together, Form into 3 patties
spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium
Cook burgers about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through
Serve immediately in a pita (if desired) and add favorite healthy burger toppings (I used onions and mushrooms)

3 Servings - calories 180, Protein 37 gms and fat 2gm

Preparing for a Lap Band Fill

I thought I would list the steps Sam gave me to follow to increase the likelihood of a good fill outcome - this may help someone who is reading my blog - its a good thing to go prepared and I am hoping this will help some one who is confused about what to do:-

Make sure you are properly hydrated on the day of your fill (you should be drinking water everyday, but especially important in the 2 to 3 days before your fill.


Do not eat a big, late night dinner before a fill (it sometimes takes 12 hours for all the food to move through the stomach pouch.


Do not eat any solid foods for at least 6 hours before the fill (the stomach pouch should be completely empty for a fill.


Avoid COLD fluids for an hour before the fill (cold can temporarily shrink the stomach).


Avoid getting a fill either during or a few days before your menstrual period (fluid retention affects fill level.)


If possible hang around the doctor's office for a few hours after a fill to make sure you feel okay with the adjustment.


After a fill limit eating to a full liquid diet for 24 hours, then to soft foods for a day, before resuming a solid food diet (to help the stomach rest and heal).


My fill will take place on Friday - it was suppose to be Thursday but Dr. D has a hectic schedule on Thursday and can better fit me in on Friday.


thats all for now :)

Official Weigh in Day :)

Went to Dr. D's off ice this morning to weigh in for my "official weight" and I was so thrilled to see that I now weigh 204.4 - a loss of 3.2 pounds since last week.  Can you color me "HAPPY" - only 4 1/2 pounds to go to get to "onederland".

I have an appointment to get my first fill on Thursday - I am excited but a tiny bit scared because then Nikita will have much more say in what I am eating - I just hope she will be kind to me but ......she will do her job and I will do mine !!!

Have a great day everyone :)

BYOC

BYOC

1.       It is negative degrees here. Today I drove 35 all the way to work because I followed a snowplow who was also salting the roads. It's too cold to even go sledding or ice skating. The weather is downright nasty. It's freaking Winter alright? Why then – may I ask – when driving home last night did I see not one, but two MEN – driving big "I'm a man with a small penis so I drive this HUGE truck with deer antlers on the front and playboy mud flaps and mufflers coming out of the box"  trucks with their windows OPEN? Why do men do that? 

Because their brain is in their penis and since its so small (the brain and the penis) they can’t think!

2. Is Richard Simmons gay? Is he straight?  Has he ever come out? Does he have a lover? 
Yes, he is gay – if he came out, it must have been to a very small circle of  friends – of course he has a lover!  

3. What's your favorite Cmas song?
The Little Drummer Boy,  Hark the Harold Angels Sing,  What Child is This

. 

4. What is your most favorite and your least favorite Cmas movie? 

Most Favorite:   It’s a Wonderful Life  and  The Christmas Carol

 
Least Favorite: Frosty the Snowman  -definitely

5. To all my corporate buddies out there….I have an important question. My brother is interviewing for jobs in the corporate world. He has an impeccable resume and good, long, stable job history with many impressive accomplishments. However – no bites after he interviews. He's convinced they are checking his credit record – which is not great. Now I've heard places do that…but really how common is it? I mean I work in a place where our work is completely for the government and classified and export-controlled and deals with citizenship and such and we do NOT check credit scores. How prevalent is this – especially when the jobs he's applying for are not even in the financial industry?

No company that  I know of here checks credit scores.  Just references from former employers.

smoothie recipe

I had a vegetarian lunch again today and decided to make a smoothie so that I could add my protein powder to it since the lunch  only had a tiny bit of protein.

This is what I came up with
                                                                                    Calories              gms Protein
5 oz apple with skin on (I blended this first)                       64                           0
1 cup frozen strawberries                                                  50                           1
4 oz plain Greek yogurt                                                     50                           7
1 Scoop unflavoured protein powder                               110                         21
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon fat free milk

Total                                                                               274                          29

I divided this into 2 servings so each serving was calories 167  and protein  14.5 gms.  Also this gives me two fruit servings in the total mixture.

You can also add sweetner to this - I didn't because I find I like the natural taste better. Also I left the skin on the apple for the fiber!

Also, I see that I have a 30th follower so I was to say Hi to Linda - can you let me have your blog address when I clicked on your name it didn't give me one.

Its wonderful to be eating solid foods again - everything tastes so good - but I find I am getting full very quickly (even without any fill in my band)  and that is great .

Hope everyone is having great day!
          

Protein

Thank you for the comments regarding the protein intake!

I got an answer from Sam (patient advocate) - she said on a 1,200 calorie intake you should eat 60 to 80 grams of protein a day and gave me three suggestions of how to make sure I get the right amount.

1.  Unflavored protein powder can be mixed in already heated spaghetti sauces and creamy soups.

2.  flavored protein powder (your preference) can be  added   to items like sugar free jello pudding, instant oatmeal and your favorite yogurt.  this will boost the protein in a snack.

3.  When eating is difficult because your band is tight - you can stock up on any brand of "protein shots" - they have 20-25 gms of protein per serving, taste good and you can drink it down pretty quickly.  You can buy these at any GNC type store.


I hope this will help any of you reading my blog in case you are in the dark about your protein intake each day.

  I purchased 2 lbs of unflavored protein today but I could not find the "Protein shots" but I only looked in one place so I will keep looking.

I had a scrumptious lunch today - it was a vegetarian meal - made from artichokes and cheese - yum !
on a bed of greens.

I am easing into solids since I seem to get full so quickly (even without the band having a fill in it)  - I'm down to about 1/3 of what I would normally have eaten - I guess its because I was on liquids for so long that I just don't have that urge to stuff myself !

Started my Christmas Shopping on Saturday - I am hoping to have it all done at least one week before Christmas - so that gives me 9 more days !

Talk to you later !

Is that all there is ?

Well, I have been dreaming about eating scrambled eggs for days now and this morning I finally had my chance to eat them.  and you know .... they were good..... but not like I have been fantasizing  about !  The good thing.... once finished I was satisfied.

I am getting in the habit as of today to chew, chew, chew and to take 30 minutes to eat the meal so that when I get my first fill on the 16th, I will hopefully already be doing it right - also I am watching when I finish the meal so that I can drink my water after one hour has gone by.

Can anyone tell me how many grams of protein we are suppose to eat on a 800 to 1,000 calorie plan? When I was on liquids - the minimum was 30 grams.  Which was no problem, since one protein shake was 24 grams of protein!

Official Weight

I am so happy ! - Just got back from the Dr's office and I now weigh 207.6  which is a loss of  2.8 pounds in a week!!

And the next best thing is that I only have one more day until I can start eating solid food - my first food is going to be scrambled eggs :) !

I also went to the grocery store on the way home and picked up a package of salmon and mahi mahi  - I love fish - my DH doesn't but from now on I will be making it a lot more for myself - and I will just make him another protein choice.

Its a wonderful world !

Sunday thoughts

Only two more days to go until I can start eating solids - a total of 28 days on liquids and pureed soups !

My official weigh in day is Monday so am hoping for a least 2 pounds gone - we shall see!

It is so beautiful out today - I love the winters here - the best months are November to April and then it gets so hot again!

Getting to Know You

·     Do you have any pets?    

·     No

·      

·     What was the last book you read?

·     Ceremony of the Innocent  by Taylor Caldwell – I have read and re-read this book more times than I can remember !

·      

·     Do you like to cook?

·     Not really

·      

·     What's your favorite food?

·     Salmon and baked potatoes

·      

·     Do you have brothers and sisters?

·     6 brothers and 2 sisters

·      

·     Which sport do you like?

·     To watch – ice skating and swimming

·      

·     Do you live alone?

·     Nope – with DH

·      

·     Do you live in a house or an apartment?

·     Apartment      

·      

·     Have you ever met a famous person?

·     No

·      

·     How do you spend your free time?

·     Read, blog, watch t.v.

·            

·     Tell me about a favorite event of your childhood.

·     Going to New York with a bunch of other students – it was so exciting to go to Grenache Village and walk down 5^th Avenue – so many people!

·      

·     What are your hobbies?

·     – I ‘ll have to think about that one for a while

·      

·     What countries have you visited?

·     I have visited the United States, Bahamas

·      

·     Which country are you from?

·     Canada

·      

·     What do you do on Sundays?

·     Go to Church, visit family, call my Mom and just veg out !

·      

·     What do you do? What's your job?

·     Semi – retired  - but still on call 24 hrs a day regarding office work, etc.,

·      

·     What is your motto in life?

·     Live and let live

·      

·     Which languages do you speak?

·     English and a few words of French – that’s from my school days – I would love to learn to speak  fluently  - that is something I will work towards!

First Day of December - time is flying

I can't believe how fast the days are flying by !

First - answering "Justawallflower" 's question regarding the vitamins, etc., - Dr D's office ordered them from

BariatricChoice.com

in case you want to go there and look - they have a lot of food items also for bariatric diets - and they look really, really good !

Secondly, I have been reading alot lately about being overfilled - its kind of scary -  can anyone tell me exactly just what it feels like - I know I don't even have my first fill yet .... but I kind of would like to have this information in case it ever happens to me.

Also doing really well these last few days - with the hunger - thank heavens - in control now and going strong :)

I guest I must have been moving too much or exercising too much or doing something because the largest cut ... just above and to the side of the bellybutton - started to bleed yesterday... not much..... but I decided to call Dr. D's office and his nurse told me that that sometimes happens ... so just to keep it dry and put a bandage on it with good pressure... so I went over the the drugstore and bought some large bandages and now I am covered up - she said to call tomorrow to let them know how it is.

Monday Weigh in

Went for my Monday official weigh in - now 210.4 - thats a total of 31.1 pounds - about 11 pounds to go to be in "onederland".

I picked up my multi-vitamins, Iron and Calcium chewables!  They are especially made for persons who have the gastric band, etc., - they taste really great.

I bought some "Cheese and Broccoli" soup from Quiznos today - 1 cup serving - I ate half at 11 am and the other half at 2pm.  That was the very best soup I have ever eaten :)  So I am feeling so much better today - also got some powdered protein which now makes me feel that I can make it through the next 8 days!

Good Night !

Middle of the Night !

Here I am at 2:30 am - woke up at 2 am and could not get back to sleep.:(

I had a really hard time with hunger on Sunday - finally went to bed at 9 pm - just to get away from food, lol !

Today will be day 13 on liquids - I don't know if  being able to eat creamy soups is a help or a hindrance.  I have day dreams about taking a piece of steak and pureeing  it :) and I haven't even thought about eating steak for over a year - shows how crazy I am feeling.

Anyway I guess I should go back to bed - the kitchen is way too close!

Today I go to officially weigh in -  Have a great day everyone !

Saturday wanderings

Went to my second support meeting today - a very small group of 5 - we are going to set up a schedule of once a month and hopefully more people will attend.

I brought some clothing to give away and I am pleased to say that all was taken and everyone was happy to get some each.  Only one of the ladies didn't take anything and that's because she is at her goal weight and slim and trim as can be.  She had her procedure done in 2006 and at that time she was 285 pounds - she looks fantastic !

The meeting flew by - I learned a couple of new things from these ladies - next time, I must take a notebook with me to jot down key points.  I want to be successful at this!

My daughter and granddaughter came and picked me up - we went to a "gourmet" deli that is our favourite place to go to for lunch and I had Pureed 3 bean soup (she did it especially for me) - Barbara had a veggie mushroom sandwich and Faith had a grilled cheese - "gourmet style" - my mouth was watering just looking at those two sandwiches !

We then went to the mall and I bought 2 small forks and 2 small spoons to use when I can start eating solid foods again (December 8th - can't wait ).

I have done very well with drinking plain water today - so far up to 56 ozs and am starting on my next 20 oz.

Oh, also bought some very nice Christmas place mats (6 red and 6 green) and also napkins and napkin holders to match.  The table will look nice this year - I will have to take a picture and post it here !

I go on Monday to officially weigh in - I am hoping for a good loss!

Trying on clothes

Yesterday I spent about two hours trying on clothes and was able to fit into a couple more outfits - I have clothes now from size 18 to 10 in my closet so will have a great time giving them away as I get smaller and smaller.

I have packed up my size 20's to give out tomorrow at my support meeting .

I finally cleaned my apartment today - did it slowly and sat down when I got too tired but eventually got it done - I feel so much better now - not that I cleaned as hard as I should have but I figure next week I will be able to start cleaning from top to bottom so that it will be spanking clean for when I put up the Christmas tree and decorations - I love how nice my apartment looks with all the decorations up  :)

Nikita - Secret Agent

  I have named my band - " Nikita" - she is going to be a "secret agent" who will search out and destroy any desire I may have to over eat !   My darling daughter came up with the name and it seemed to fit perfectly :)

I would like to say Hi and thank you to my newest follower " Amandakiska" :)  I will be heading over to your blog to get to know you !

Happy Thanksgiving - hope it will be a wonderful day for all of you !

Day 7 and creamy soup

Added creamy soup to my menu today - who would have thought I would get excited about having soup.... but I was !

I did 10 minutes on the treadmill today - on a low mileage  - just wanted to start a little exercise - I am feeling restless - my apartment is getting more and more messy and I just want to start cleaning like mad - I am not the best housekeeper in the world but I do like to see shiny floors and dustless furniture - where does all that darn dust come from anyway !!!

Biggest Looser is on tonight - the ones left are getting makeovers - I just love to see the changes in them -!

Have a great evening everyone :)

Bandages Off !!!

Went to see Dr. D this morning to get my bandages off  and to check my weight, etc.,.
He is such a lovely man - we gave each other a big hug and I thanked him for changing my life.
He was pleased with my progress and we set a date for my first fill - December 16th.

I am on a 21 day liquid diet - only clear liquids for the first 3 days and I started to add liquid yogurt to the menu on day 4 - today is day 6 and I added liquid protein - I need to take in 30 g of protein a day and tomorrow I get to add creamy soups to the menu and that will go on until day 22 when I can start eating solids.

I weighed this morning and the scale said 211.5 - that's about 9 pounds since November 15th - I am thrilled !  Of course I don't know what my scale would say since my daughter has that hidden for me but I may get it back on Sunday or not - I go every Sunday to my weight loss club and weigh in there so I guess that's enough weighing!

I have a support meeting to go to on Saturday and I am looking forward to that !

Now I need to catch up on the blogs as I have lost touch these last few days but I am back and feeling great !

4 days postop

Back in the land of the living !

I was up early on Wednesday (5 am) because I couldn't sleep !

My daughter drove me to the hospital and we got there at 9:10 am - I was set for surgery at 10 am.
Didn't get in at 10 because there were two emergency operations and I didn't get into the operating room until 2 pm (4 hours later).  I kept thinking what if they cancel and then I have to go thru all this again!

Dr. D said I had a very clean liver - how's that for a compliment :)  !

There was a bit of delay in the procedure(once I was in the operating room)  because when they opened up me and the kit - one of the pieces was missing so they had to go get another kit.

I have no memory of getting dressed or driving home - although I do remember that my husband and daughter both came for me around 6 pm. and I don't remember too much about the first night.

Day 2 - was kind of rough because I was very nauseous and threw up a few times, luckily my daughter called Jessica and told her what was happening and she told Barbara that was not a good thing to be doing so Barbara called Sam and she told her to get some liquid gravol and for me to take that every 4 hours - which did the trick and no more throwing up - thank the lord because it hurt my stomach!

Day 3 - was finally able to get a few cups of chicken broth and juices and a couple of pop cycles in me.  Took a sponge bath (can't bath until I get the bandages off on Monday) - felt much better at the end of the third day.

Day 4 - Feeling much better today - my stomach is sore around where the port is .... I think.... and my stomach is black and blue.   Drinking much better today - have graduated to liquid yogurt today - not really hungry but know I have to get something in me.

Everything tastes so sweet, yuck!  never thought I would cringe at sweet tasting things..... but I do !!!

The worst thing is that I have to crush up this big pill (for inflammation) and add to a little juice and swallow it - thank the lord that I just finished taking the last one - I pray I don't have to take it ever again !!!

So I am now a "Bandster"  - happy I did it !

Thank you for all your good wishes and prayers - it certainly helped me !  - now I have to think of a name for my band!

Have a great week end everyone :)

 

Last Day !

Ok Ladies - this is my final count down !

Tomorrow at this time (2 pm) I should be waking up in the recovery room.

I am happy, happy, HAPPY  :)

One more Day

I went for my last fitness training class today - did the bike, treadmill and some ab exercises - total about 1 hour.
I signed up for 12 sessions .... so have 4 left  which I will finish as soon as Dr. D lets me - probably  in  4 weeks time.

 I only have one more day (after today of course) and then on Wednesday I will have my procedure done - I can't believe that it is almost here and I am so ready for this to happen!


  

Sunday

Its a beautiful Sunday morning - getting ready  to go to church!

This is my second day of clear liquids - still feeling good
Bfk - 20 oz water
         8 oz apple juice
          1  frozen juice bar


Went to my first support meeting yesterday - just a few of of us there - but all of them in good spirits and I liked them all - I was the oldest (by one month) so that's another bonus to have someone who is my age there because lets face it as persons over 60, we have a few more issues (sagging parts, lol) !(although, I must say  she is in much better shape than me in that regard)

We are going to have another meeting in 2 weeks at which time there should be a lot more ladies there.

Only 3 more days - I can hardly believe it !

Clear Liquids

Today I started my clear liquids - I will be doing this for the next 4 days and then Wednesday, November 17th is    THE DAY    - Yeah!!

Woke up  had 20 oz water
Did 20 mins on stationary bike and 20 mins on elliptical l machine
Had a hot cup of turkey broth
Now sipping on a 12 oz bottle of Coconut Water - that is delicious - called  O. N. E

I am going to meet some other ladies this morning who already have the lapband or like me in the process of having it done - I am looking forward to meeting them and talking with them about their experiences.

Have a great day everyone !

Detoxing

I spoke to Dr. Pattie (my nutritionist) and explained how I was feeling and what was happening and she thinks that I was having a hard detoxing experience.  

Also, I have been drinking too much water and therefore was washing the electrolytes out of my system so she told me to reduce the amount of water I was drinking and to eat 4 oz of probiotic yogurt (plain) as a snack.

Also she thinks I was probably feeling anxious about the procedure - even though I am totally committed to doing this and happy to be doing it - and that does make sense - she said I should always try to analyze  why I am feeling the way I am feeling and not to ignore it....of course.... I always have been the type to bury my feelings and not think about them so it is something I have to start doing !

I had to go grocery shopping after work and while I was gone she called to find out how I was doing - wasn't that great of her to call - not many doctors do that - showed me that she cared about me - nice feeling :)

Also, as you can see from my tracker.... my BMI shows that I am no longer "Morbidly Obese"  just "regular Obese"  !

Woke up feeling nauseous

This morning I woke up around 5 am (my body still thinks its 6 am) and felt nauseous and have been to the bathroom about 5 times now - I don't know where it is all coming from - since I am on "Full Liquids"  now - I broke out in a cold sweat and felt a bit week on my legs and my heart was beating faster than usual - almost like a mild anxiety attack

I was thinking maybe my body doesn't like getting so much protein (about 117 grams per day)  - now it is about 11:am and I am feeling better but still not my usual self.

I called my nutritionist but she is out this morning and won't be back in office until this afternoon.

So have any of you ladies had a similar thing happen to you when you were on "Full Liquids" ????

Also, I decided to be brave and posted my picture in my profile - still not telling anyone other than DH, DD and Jessica that I am having this done - maybe down the line !

A quick hello to two new followers

Thank you Nikki and Miss Vickie for putting yourselves on my "Follower List" - I will be dropping by shortly to view your blogs.

Exercise is good for the body and the Soul :)

Had my 6th session with my fitness instructor this morning - started at 10:15 and ended at 12:00 - after only these few sessions I am already seeing and feeling the improvement in my body and energy level.

I started at level 3 on the exercise bike and today I was doing level 7 and doing 45 second sprints - amazing !

Then on to strength training - I am now actually able to balance on the exercise ball (first time, I kept falling off) ... also I am lifting weights up to 5 pounds (started at 2) and stepping and all kinds of  things!

I am on "Full Liquids"  as of this morning - that means two raw protein meal replacements and two snacks of raw protein added to a smoothie and for supper very liquefied soup :)  - it will still taste good ... no matter what it looks like.!

7 more days !!!!

A day of making payments

Today is my last day for soft/pureed foods - tomorrow starts full Liquids  - I have learned how to make smoothies which certainly helps to mask the taste of the raw protein.

Also this morning I went out to pay for my surgery - everyone wanted payment in full -so my pockets are empty now - darn insurance company... couldn't get them to pay a dime !  Oh well, this is an investment in my self and my health -

 I made some lentil soup last night - the recipe was on the tin - and I just added a few more things, like veggies and spices - it turned out really, really good - (oh yes, I blended it until it was completely smooth).  I will probably have the rest of it tonight.

8 more days !!!!!

Second day of pureed/soft foods

I did very well at the Fair yesterday - although the smell of  barbecued food had my mouth watering !
But I just kept telling myself, No, No, No - so made it thru without falling off the wagon.  I bought some books, some raffle tickets and played the punch board and had a good time. The weather was perfect!

I am now making smoothies to add the "raw protein" to and that certainly helps with the taste - that's 2 times a day and a meal replacement once a day  of "protein powder" which I add to water.... I really have to find something else other than water , I know I can add it to fresh squeezed fruit juice but as I have only started doing the meal replacement protein , I can still swallow it without too much difficulty ... I just keep saying to myself, this is only for a little while,.......... right ?????   I am looking forward to eating my soup for supper !

I am feeling good, otherwise, I feel as if I have more energy !

Well , I am off to read other blogs and get some inspiration from you all.

Post Operation Nutrition program

Wow, I have 23 followers - I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and will be  visiting your blogs within the next few days :)

I just finished my 5 weeks of "Solid Foods" .

Today I started "Pureed/Soft" Foods this will be for 4 days  Nov 6 thru Nov 9th

Next "Full Liquids" from Nov 10th thru Nov 12th (3 days)

Lastly "Clear Liquids" from Nov 13th thru Nov 16th (4 days)

Then  November 17th !!!!!!!  at 10 am   in the operating room I will be changing my life forever !

Made 2 cakes last night  for our church bake sale /Fair - was sore as heck from my workout routine that day - my caves and the backs of my thighs  were in agony but thank heavens for my wonderful daughter who helped me by making the frosting and decorating the cakes and washing up the dishes - couldn't ask for a better daughter :)

It will be a little bit hard to be at the fair because in past years, I would eat junk but this year I won't be able to so I will have to concentrate on "Non Food" booths!

A Long Day

First - thanks everyone for your good wishes on my surgery date.

I left home at 9:30 this morning to go for my physic evaluation - and it lasted until 1 pm - phew!
Wow, it was a very involved question and answer and talking session !  I will meet with her sometime next week for her to go over the results with me.  She did say, however,  that she could see no reason why I should not go ahead with the surgery as I had a very realistic idea of what this "change in my life" would involve and my commitment to making these changes.  So I am happy about that.

Then I had to go to my fitness training session  and  also to consult with my nutritionist,  Dr P,  to draw up my food plan for the next 12 days.

I finally got home at 6 pm .... so it was a very, very long day.

Only 12 more days - I am so excited.

Confirmed Surgery Date !!!!

Just got back from seeing Dr. D and he confirmed a surgery date of....... November 17th.............................-   I am so excited, happy, joyfull and a bit scared !

Now I have to go and make supper for DH and me.

Exercise, etc.

I went for my 2nd fitness training class yesterday - it feels so good to have someone watching you do the exercises and telling you how to do them right - you feel like you are accomplishing something !

I did not feel tired at all - like I did on Monday - the only thing a did different was that I drank a "Coconut Water" which replenishes your electrolytes big time - and it was really tasty, I was surprised - I must ask Dr P when I see her on Friday. (my third training class).  I am trying to get in at least 6 more classes before the surgery.

Which  reminds me (as if I needed reminding :)! ) I am going to see Dr. D tonight to get my confirmed surgery date - I am so excited!

I now have 18 followers - how great is that !!!!!

Massage - I am a convert !

This afternoon I went to have an adjustment and a massage.

I should say I was not a fan of massages because of the fact that you had to take off all your clothes and then have someones hands all over you.  Because of being overweight most of my adult life and having all kinds of rolls and rolls - I was ashamed to have someone handle all my flesh but...... I am here to say..... that I now love, love massages - at least with the person who gave me my massage today.

First off she was very nice and professional and I felt at ease with her right away - she had such a wonderful firm touch and at the end of the 30 minutes I felt like a new person.  I have decided to give my daughter a gift certificate of a "Spa Hour" with her - she loves massages so I want her to have the joy of this experience too.

Also my Chiropractor is  excellent - she takes her time and works on all my problems  - I would highly recommend her to anyone !

Two more days and I go to see Dr. D about a confirmed surgery date.  I am so excited !

Tired

I am so tired right now - I had my first fitness training today and although it went very well and I was feeling great afterwards .... right now I just ran out of gas.... I am going to bed very early tonight, for sure !  I am going to be hurting  tomorrow.

Ramblings

Had to work both Saturday and Sunday this week -end but when you own your own business and staff dosen't show up to work, you have to fill in ..... the joys of being an employer !

After work, I went to weigh in (I joined a weight loss club last year in August and have gone every week since . I was hoping that my insurance company would see that I was serious about loosing weight and they would cover the procedure but it was a no go! ) even though I am also following my Nutritionist's program  and weighing in with her every two weeks ... I gave my scale to my daughter to hide .... any way to make a long story short.... this scale said 225.6 - which is a  according to them a 3.4 loss - how great is that.... so I should change my ticker but I think I will wait until I  weigh in at Dr. P !... cause that's the weight I used to start my ticker.

I spent a couple of hours reading a new blog today .... The Weight Loss Rollercoaster.....  I really enjoyed reading it and also learned a couple of things I hadn't known before.  She's very funny and very open and alot of the things she says remind me of myself...... actually I find a lot of myself in all the blogs I am following ... I am amazed at how open everyone is and it is so motivating to a newbie - to belong to a group who really get you and feels your pain because its the same pain for them......thank you all so much. I hope someday to motivate other people with my blog too.

The next blog I am going to read is "Lap band girl" -

Thank you Jessica for telling me about these blogs in the first place!



  

Quiz

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
     My fathers ex girlfriend

 WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

      Yesterday

 DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes

 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey

 DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
One – a girl

 IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Depends, sometimes, maybe,  sure – why not !  

 DO YOU USE SARCASM ALOT?
Guilty  but not alot 

 DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes

 WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Never

 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Fiber 1

 DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
None of my shoes have laces – even my sneakers !


 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

    the question should be …. what flavour is not your favorite !

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Their eyes and smile

 RED OR PINK?
Red

 WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

      Snapping at my husband

      

WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Pink and white sneakers

 WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
apple

 IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

      cranberry

. FAVORITE SMELLS?

       choclate

 WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

       my husband

 MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Mountain hideaway

. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
ice skating and swimming

 HAIR COLOR? Silver

 EYE COLOR? BROWN

 DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
    No

 FAVORITE FOOD?
bread of any kind

 SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
       happy endings

. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
      The Hereafter

 WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black

 SUMMER OR WINTER?
                   Winter


  FAVORITE DESSERT?   cheesecake  

  STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
Cardio but have to start strength training

Physic exam/work/adjustments and massages

Received an email from Sam this morning confirming an appointment for Friday - only opening she had - with Dr H to have my physic exam done.  That's the day after I see my surgeon but I am sure he will still go ahead and confirm a surgery date even without that report - if she says I am crazy or something.... that won't matter, right :)

What with employee vacations and sickness - I end of having to work Saturday and Sunday  this weekend ... I am looking at it in a positive way ... at least I won't be thinking of food all day and being tempted to eat ... so every cloud has a "silver lining" - my darling daughter will come and relieve me for lunch both days ... so I will not faint from hunger, lol. 

I am going to treat myself with an adjustment and a massage on Tuesday (the massage is the treat)  - I'm looking forward to that .... because of my weight I tend to have lower back problems so need to get an adjustment every 2 or 3 months but this month I have decided to add a massage - she is having a special.... so I figured why not .  Because of my size, I am not really comfortable getting a massage.... all that fat hanging  out all over the place.... but I have to get over this self hating..... I figure, she has probably see worse!

Fitness Evaluation

I went to Dr. P to weigh in and get my fitness evaluation explained to me.

I have now lost 14 1/2 pounds since I started the 1,200 calorie plan - in four weeks - that's about 3 1/2 per week - I am very happy with that.

I now know what areas I have to work on extra hard - my push - up test and curl up test proved that I have marginal and very poor core strength - anyway, I have decided to do their 12 session training program so that I will know exactly how to do and how long to do each exercise - both arobic and muscular training.  You never know I might end up with a "beach body" lol -

Dr. P is going to get the report off to Dr. D saying that its a go from her regarding having the lapband for me.

I see Dr. D on the 4th and he should then confirm by surgury date and then I will see Dr,P on Friday and will gear up for that date.  Then all I have to do is find out what deposits I have to make and if they will give me a break (the hospital) since I am self paying - as my insurance company will not cover it at all.  Oh well, I'll deal with it - its an investment in my health !

The first time I was called fat

I was just thinking about how I have been dieting all my life and I was remembering the first time someone called me fat.

I was in grade 2 and these two girls who didn't like me for some reason ( I was a little mouse and never did or said anything to them) and they called me "fat slob" - which really hurt me .... well I guess it must have because here I am over 50 years later and I can still remember the incident like it was yesterday.  I also remember that same year .... when we use to play "Red Rover, Red Rover let so and so come over" - if they ever called my name which was seldom, they would immediately drop hands ... even before I could break thru.... children are really cruel .... some are just born mean!

Looking back at pictures of myself at that age, I can see that I was a little plump and then about a year and a half after that I got my "period"  - as I got older I read somewhere that you usually put on weight 1 to 2 years before your first period  ... they have a name for it, but I can't remember right now what it is called.

And so I got on the diet "Merry-Go-Round" and never got off but now I am going to get a second chance to finally get rid of the weight and keep it off with the help of my band and that little hurt girl inside me will finally smile.

One more step but almost missed it !!

Went for my physical this morning - I wasn't allowed to eat after 10pm yesterday (I never eat after 10 !) so that was no problem and the only thing I could take in the morning was my blood pressure pills and lots of water cause they wanted me to come with a full bladder - that wasn't any problem either because within 5 minutes of getting up every morning I have already downed 20 ozs of water  - the only problem was no eating,

So I left around 7:50am and drove to the clinic which is about 30 minutes away in good traffic and luckily there was only a couple of traffic tie ups and it took about 40 minutes.  So that made me happy !

Went in,  gave my name - to a very nice gentleman on the reception desk , sat down filled in the paper work and then about 15 minutes later  he came to me to say they did not have an appointment in the computer for me... so we talked a little while, I said yes I did, that the Patient care advocate had done it for me and called me last week with the times and date.  Anyway, a little while later the office Manager came to me and said that they could not fit me in as they had appointments booked back to back and I would have to come back as they would extend office hours and could put me in for 4 pm but I said no that wouldn't work - I had taken the day of work - left the other young lady all on her own and I needed to have the appointment today.
I asked if I could call my Patient Care Advocate and she could talk with them.... so I call and got Sam right away and told her what was happening and she said yes she had made the appointment with that same, very nice gentleman last week, so she spoke to him and after the conversation, he said he would see what they could do.  Anyway, the long and short of it was they did fit me in and got my physical with Dr. C and I really liked him, he explained everything about the tests and agreed that he thought getting the lapband was a good idea for me.

So now, Sam, is in the process of making an appointment for me to have the physic exam done - ..... I am getting closer !!!

What is BOOBs ???

Can someone tell me ... what is "Boobs" - I have seen it referred to in many blogs but no explanation of what it is.  I  googled "boobs" and it took me to a bunch of "porno" sites.... so.... I am sure that's not what it means !

My nutritionist does not want me to use any artificial sweeteners or eat any type of food  with artificial sweeteners in them .. now my habit was to make tea for myself and coffee for my husband each evening around 8 pm and I love my tea but I always added one packet of Splenda and 1 to 2 tsp of non dairy creamer.  So since I started following her rules I haven't had any tea because I don't like herbal tea and I can't drink unsweetened black tea.... but tonight I just had to have a cup of tea , the old way,  (as a treat) it was sooooo good!!  

Lazy Sunday

Its a beautiful day today and I have just been enjoying it and  relaxing -

I went to see the movie "The Hereafter" yesterday - it was good but it wasn't what I was expecting - I would have liked more "physic experiences" on the part of the main character !

You know I love the popcorn you get at the movies but haven't had any for over a year now cause there are far too many calories used up for a few minutes of pleasure.

I have two weaknesses - bread (of any kind) and seasonal candy - so right now going into stores and seeing and smelling (I can smell it, right through the wrappings and about three feet away - I swear !)  the Halloween candy is very tempting - I can't believe that I haven't actually given in and bought some... shows how committed  I am in sticking to eating healthy so that I can loose as much weight as possible to shrink the fat around my stomach and liver.

To Tell or Not to Tell

Through my reading the different blogs I see that some have come out and told others that they were getting banded while others only told just those close to them, like a husband/boyfriend, daughter/son , a best friend.. someone they felt would be a support to them.

Right now my feeling is that I will keep this to myself - other than my husband and daughter (of course Jessica) and all you ladies here but no one else.  My husband's family would not understand ( a lot of negative responses would come from them . they tend to be negative ... not all of them of course but....) and I won't tell my family because my mother would worry (she is a natural born worrier) and I just don't feel its necessary.  Maybe later on down the line.

I put on slacks today that I have not been able to wear for many, many months and they fit wonderfully - it keeps me motivated to stick to this reduced calorie food plan (1,200). I know that is a lot of calories for all of you who have been banded , but up to 4 weeks ago, I was eating 1,800  per day soooo.....600 calories less is a lot :)

 When I go to see Dr. P (Nutritionist)  on Thursday it will change, I'm sure !

Internet was down

Could not get on the internet earlier today - the modem got fried , somehow !  Was told no one could come until Monday and of course both my daughter, grandson and I couldn't have gone the whole week end without our internet. So my daughter and I went to the telephone company - took the burned out modem - and 2 hours later we had a new one.

Now we got back home and we still couldn't get the internet - luckily the young man who helped us put in our wireless/security system came and within a short time he discovered that the phone company did not configure the new modem correctly (can you believe it) so he was able to do it for us and finally we were on line - thank the lord !!

Had housework to do (forced myself to do it cause I knew if I got on my laptop... I would have done a thumbs down on the housework) - so here I am housework done and posting away.

I spoke to Sam (Patient Advocate) about scheduling a physical  - they were waiting to get the ok from the Nutritionist ... anyway she just called me back and I have been set up for Wednesday and then maybe later in the week to go and get my physiological exam - (thank heavens for the spell check cause I never would have spelled that word right).

So I'm a little closer to a confirmed surgery date - Yipee!

Again, a great big thank you to all of you have signed up as a follower - I am trying to go to all your blogs to get to know you but I am kind of slow at it because these last couple of  days have been so hectic that I haven't been able to get much time on my laptop. But I will :)