Progress photos! :)

Ok. So I decided to take Sandy Lee's advice and post some progress photos. These range from before surgery to about a month ago. I have taken pictures every time I have done my measurements and I do them every month or two. So here goes nothing:

These were taken June 2009 for my birthday. Check out the giant cheesecake I devoured on that last one! :)

I thought this was a month post op but it's more like 2 weeks. I love how that shirt is see-through! Yuk!

These were from about a month ago.

Well that's it for my Friday post. I gotta run. Have a great weekend!

Fill Success

Ok. So I think this fill is pretty good this time. I have good restriction. YAY!!! So here's my menu for today:

Breakfast: Strawberry greek yogurt and about 6 almonds
Lunch: 1 slice of pepperjack cheese, 1/3 of a tomato, 2 thin slices of ham, 1 tbsp of mayo, 1/3 avocado and 2 pickled okras. Sounds like alot but really it was probably less than a cup
Snack: the remaining 1/2 cup of my lunch (couldn't eat all of it at lunch time!)
Dinner: Roast beef, baby carrots, and new potatos (more beef, less carbs hopefully)
Dessert: chocolate soy milk

***Also I have been getting in at least 6 bottles of water again.***


I didn't really stick to my menu last night of beef stew. I was EXTRA hungry from all the liquids I had all day and I was making breakfast for dinner for the hubby. So I decided to eat a tiny plate of that instead of the stew and I was full QUICK!
I had about 3 bites of Scrambled egg beaters with shredded cheddar cheese, about 3 bites of cubed red potato hash browns with ketchup, and 1 or 2 bites of a turkey sausage link and I was DONE! I didn't get "full" just satisfied. I have been working on putting the fork down when I get to the point that I am no longer hungry instead of eating until I am full. It worked today and I think it will save me tons of calories and keep me from stretching the band or wasting the fill.

P.S. Thanks for all your comments yesterday. I really hope this fill makes the difference too! So far, so good!
OH and BTW, I jumped on the scale this morning and I am already back down to 180.4 lbs! That's a 3.2lbs loss since my fill 2 days ago!!!!! Yipeee! 4oz and I will be back in the 170's.

Fill update!!!

So I saw the fill nurse yesterday and told her all the trouble I have been having and she agreed to give me a tiny fill of .2cc, which is totally fine. I figure it may be exactly what I need and I would rather have to go back for another fill than to have to go for an unfill because they gave me too much.

I told her how my band irritation fluctuates so randomly and yadda yadda and she thinks I have allergies and sinus drainage because she also has the band and has had the same issues in the past. She said she started taking a Claritin pill every morning and it helped alot. Something about mucus draining throughout the day and it can irritate the band when food lands on top of it all. So she said it's not necessarily stuck pain but the food is unable to pass because the hole is plugged with mucus (pretty freakin gross, I know!) So she told me to try drinking a warm liquid before each meal to help loosen it all up and get the drainage gone and then the usual, chew well, wait 1 minute between each bite, etc etc.

Then when I told her that I can only eat like oatmeal and grits for breakfast she scolded me (not in a mean way!) and told me that I should really focus on more protein and less carbs for optimum weight loss. But if protein shakes make me gag from the taste and protein bars, eggs, and any other solids make me stuck then what should I eat????? So I thought EUREKA, GOT IT! Greek yogurt has like 14g protein per 6 oz. So I think I am going to start eating greek yogurt and a handful of nuts for breakfast. Soft and goes down easy but still has protein!

I was starving after the fill from only drinking liquids all day so Mary and I stopped by the cafeteria at the hospital and got a cup of chili. I did add a lil bit of shredded cheese and a dollup of sour cream for taste and let it all melt and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! I felt like Tom Hanks in Cast Away when he made a fire and cooked a crab! haha It hit the spot just right and my severe hunger pangs stopped and I only ate half of the cup of chilli and saved the rest for dinner. So I do feel more restriction than before the fill. I just hope it lasts. I did skip the 2 days of clear liquids and went straight to thick/mushy liquids. But it's been fine and I have been chewing, chewing, and chewing some more. I am doing one more day of liquids today and tomorrow I am gonna go back to regular food. I feel that it will be ok. So today I had:

Breakfast: Pomegranate greek yogurt and hot chai green tea and 1 splenda
Snack: 6 oz of chai vanilla tea by Boultinghouse (has lots of soy protein in it and is to die for!!!)
Lunch: Mexican corn soup-homemade by a friend (had shredded chicken, corn, beans, and tomato) She gave me mostly the broth but I chewed all the chunks very well and it went fine.
Snack: Iced tea
Dinner: Beef soup
Dessert: Silk chocolate soy milk

I feel good about this. Now I just have to get back in the gym which I am planning on starting tomorrow.

Oh and BTW, thanks to you all who commented on my post from yesterday.
To LDSwims: I thought about your theory before too. Unfortunately I have myself to blame. Every time I have ever PB'd was because I didn't chew well AT ALL. The majority of my stuck pain is for the same reason. And now that I spoke to the nurse I am thinking the allergy theory could be right. So I am going to do what she says and see if that makes a difference.
To Kristen: I didn't realize you had such a high cc in your band! And yes, I saw you with Casey and was totally jealous. He is pretty, that's for sure. And I have his version of Jealous Guy on my itunes. I love him!!!
To you other ladies: Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it.

Time for another fill...

So, I am going to get a fill today. Probably a fairly small one since I am already at 7.5cc in my 10cc band. I haven't been for a fill in a couple of months so it's due time I think. I am hoping this is the boost I need to get off of this plateau I have been on for months.

I feel like I haven't made even close to the progress I thought I would have 6 months post-op. But it's my own fault for not changing and sticking to it. I didn't realize just how bad my head hunger and food addiction really is until now. It's like crack to me. I wish I was stronger mentally. Some of you have minds like a bull. You just say it and you do it. I, on the other hand, just go back and forth, back and forth. Constant cycle. Binge eating. Losing and gaining.What else?

I keep thinking what is gonna happen when I am filled to max capacity in my band and still haven't hit the sweet spot???? I doubt I should be able to eat a huge slice of lasagna (over 1 cup by itself) and 2...not 1, but 2 garlic cheese toast and have NO problem at 7.5cc's. I am seriously concerned that I have possibly stretched out my pouch. Although some days it's hard to eat lots of foods but I just suffer through the pain and keep eating. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough not to PB every time. In fact that has only happened a handful of times in the last 6 months. I did, however, try to eat a bite of sausage and some potato salad at the benefit on Saturday and after the second bite I was STUCK. I knew it. My mouth started watering and I was holding back PBing so I went to the bathroom quickly (thank goodness there was a bathroom) and stood over the toilet dry heaving about 3 times praying for relief from that awful pain and finally on the fourth try, up it all came. Instant relief. So I didn't attempt to eat until dinner time and guess what I ate? Nachos! Delicious nachos with spicy queso, sour cream, black beans, and ground beef and it was to die for! And yes, that went down just fine. Of course! ha!

Anyhoo....enough rambling! I will post tomorrow for my 6 month bandiversary and we shall see how this fill goes. ***Fingers Crossed***

Just stopping in..to say hello!

Hello! How are ya?  I think I have been away for so long, everyone has forgotten about me or something. My last 2 posts got a total of (drum roll please) 1 comment!!!! (Thanks, Carmen!)
That's a total shocker and I must admit I feel a little unloved now. But maybe if I get back in the scene here that will improve. I hope so. I have just been really busy at work and with everything else. But I plan on catching up AQAP.  I hope you all are doing well.

A quick DL on my weight loss journey. "HAHAHA!" That's about all I have to say about that right now! I am holding steady at 181lbs for the last couple of days. I am struggling on a daily basis still but I have an appointment for a fill next Tuesday hoping that I will finally hit my sweet spot and things will improve from there. It's crazy to think I haven't had a fill in like 2 months I think. Oh well, it's due time. I just hope it won't be too much cause I sure don't want to get an unfill! Ugh!

Just for kicks, my menu today:

Breakfast: maple-n-brown sugar oatmeal. Green tea with 1 splenda
Lunch: 1 pepperoni and cheese Lean Pocket (I know, I know)
Snack: smokehouse jalapeno almonds
Dinner: cubed steak in mixed steamed veggies, water chestnuts, and soy sauce (hopefully I won't change my mind and eat something damn awful by dinner time)

Tata for now, dearies!

Benefit for Mary's dad!

Ok. So as some of you know my BFF, Mary's dad has been in the hospital with critical heart problems. He has had multiple procedures done just to prolong life temporarily. We are having a Benefit for him, see details below. Any donations are very welcome if you are willing. These donations will be put towards his medical expenses and to help with some home repair that is desperately needed.

The Benefit will be held on August 21, 2010

Please mail all donations to the following address:

302 County Road 677

Dayton, TX 77535

Checks and money orders can be made payable to:

John F. Burns, Jr. Benefit

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to help! It is deeply appreciated!

New Hobbies and what not...

Aloha peeps! Well as I promised, I am bout to fill ya in on the the great stuff I did during my vacation. haha! Really, I didn't do much of anything at all. I sat around the house 95% of the time watching all of my shows and reading my Atkins diet book....for the fifth time in like 4 years! haha I will get to that later too!
First, I have always enjoyed arts and crafts. My granny always called me a jack of all trades because I have always been good at drawing, painting, singing, and writing and creating things. So I recently decided to start making jewelry. It has become my new favorite hobby. Some friends and I went to Houston to this kind of market street that has store after store to shop in for really cheap prices. We went to a jewelry store that sells beads, pendants, etc. for jewelry making and got enough to make a couple necklaces. Well I really enjoy this and I was thinking about making several different pieces and trying to sell them. Take a gander at what I have made so far and lemme know what you think. Because eventually I might sell some through my blog if all goes well.

I made this little keychain with some leftover beads.

 I hung it from my rearview mirrow and it's really cute!

Basic bluestone and silver necklace and bracelet set.

Black and gray stone with gray stone pendant

Green and black stone and a zebra stripe heart pendant (glass)

That's all so far. I have to buy some more supplies and I am going to make a bunch more. I figure this is a great hobby to make some extra money and to be able to give jewelry as gifts and I really enjoy doing it. I have also perfeced my clasps and learned how to make them look fancy. :)

Onto what you really wanna hear about....my weight loss adventures (yeah, right!). Well I was on a roll before my vacation. And I was also certain that that would be the last time I had to "get on the ball" because my world had changed (in my head) this time. That was it! I was changed for life! Well, to my dismay, that was, for the lack of a better word, BULLSHIT and I fell down the crapper again! Just Super! So once again I am back to square one struggling every day to find a reason to give a crap again. Why does it have to be so easy to not care? Ugh! So I was thinking about trying the Atkins diet for the 100th time. I never can seem to make it past like day 2 on that thing. (Way to go DRAZ!) I have been saying every day since last week "Well, I am starting the Atkins tomorrow." And apparently tomorrow never comes! Damnit!!!

What am I to do???? I know what ya'll are going to say. "Don't diet! It's a lifestyle change!" I am aware of that. But I just can't seem to find my niche in this place called life change. I am soooo fickle with everything. One day I wake up and decide I would like to be a "grazer". You know just take a bite here and there throughout the day of healthy little snacks. But then I am like no, that won't work because I need to have more food to get my nutrition. Then the next day I will think "the best way to jump start my weight loss is a super low carb plan like the Atkins" and then I will sabotage that by saying how much I hate the foods you CAN have on that. Just the thought of another piece of chicken or broccoli makes me wanna hurl my guts up. And I rely heavily on nuts and legumes for peace of mind and both of those foods aren't allowed during the first phase of Atkins. I just don't know. And yes, I have tried to whole "rely on portion control, that's what the band is for!" BUT I don't lose weight doing that. I just sit at a standstill even with exercise. I always have to take something away to see results. It freakin sucks! I am my own worst enemy. 

So yeah that's my life for the last week! Did ya miss me? :) hehe Well, I missed ya'll!

No, I am not dead!

Hello my lovely people! I am just dropping in for a short minute to let you all know that I am still alive. I know I have been missing for over a week! (eeek!) I was on my week vacation from work and since I do all of my blogging there I haven't been able to post anything nor have I read any other blogs so goodness gracious, great balls of shit, I am soooo far behind! It's gonna take me weeks to catch up now! Damn all you for being so interesting and luring me into your web of goodies! I am already off of work so I must leave you now! But I promise to return tomorrow and tell you the tales of my vacation week and the load of nothing that I did! hahaha

Until then....be well and prosper! :)