Snack attacks!

Yeah, that would pretty much sum up my Sunday.  Luckily I had foreseen this happening (or I counted the calender dates and realized I would be PMS this week) and shopped for healthier options to my normal cravings.  I picked up some sugar free puddings and jello, turkey pepperoni, string cheese and well that was it.  The sad thing is that yesterday I had to keep myself from grazing all day.  Normally we are not home much even on weekends but my youngest son woke up on Sunday with a fever and so that meant we would have a day in.  That is always the beginning of the end for me.  I did manage to lift some weights and clean house along with folding a huge mountain of laundry and it helped keep my hands busy away from the kitchen.  Really, I am proud of myself, in the past I would have snacked all day, even going so far as to bake more things to eat.  I think after 4 months of eating better that it is finally starting to sink in. 

Weekly Weigh In

                                                                             303.6

As you can see, after my second fill last week, I not only smashed through the 40lbs mark but I am nearing my 50 lbs mark!  I am so excited about this because the 50 lbs mark will be two milestones for me.  It means I have lost 50 lbs and that I am below 300lbs!  I am so close I feel like I could taste it!!!!  Well, only if it is low calorie and carb free!  It has been amazing this week to actually feel the restriction in the band and know that my will power has a little bit of help.  I am still having to figure things out on the eating side but so far I am doing well.

Week's evaluation:

1.  I am doing ab workouts during my break and then working out at home.  I did have a little bit of an issue this week.  While doing some crunches I felt a pang in my port area.  That was a day ago but I am still a little sore in the area.  My husband is having me lay off crunches for a few days and then we will see what is up.  Have any of you had the same problem?

2.  I am barely eating!  It seems that about 1/2-1 cup of food is all I can handle at the moment.  I am not starving and feel pretty good.  I am having still getting hung up a lot but that is because this fat girl can not remember to chew and take her time.  Hopefully, I can get things figured out!

3.  Water intake- yeah I am missing the goal here.  Since the fill I can no longer just chug the water down and get it out of the way.  The problem with having to sip it is that I don't remember to get it done.  I am now keeping a bottle of water near me and trying to remember this important step.

4.  I tried on a shirt this week that I have not been able to wear in over a year and it fit!  I was so excited!  Now to just get into those new pants I just bought.

5.  OK. this one is TMI but I need to know.  I guess I am not eating enough fiber now that I have a second fill because my poop has stopped.  I am not in pain but I don't think it is normal to not poop for 4 days either.  And maybe that would be another pound off too!  Has anyone else had this issue?

I hope you all had a great week.  Even if that scale didn't move I hope you remember how far you have come and look at the NSVs too.  Have a great weekend!

Product of the week: Atkins Shakes

I know I have mentioned these in several past post (mostly pre op) but they really are a great tasting shake.  I have to keep things low carb with the whole PCOS thing so the fact that this only has 2 net carbs is great!  The fact that I think I am drinking something chocolate and creamy is GREAT!  Now that I am very tight in the morning I am going to start having these for breakfast again.  They do come in other flavors but I am a chocolate girl until the end.  I lost 30 pounds drinking these pre op and though it is not a long term diet choice it is a great supplement if you have had a fill and are one liquids or like me can't seem to eat solids in the morning.  Enjoy!

 http://www.atkins.com/Products/AvailableProducts3l3/Atkins-Advantage-Shakes.aspx

2nd Fill with Pic!

2nd fill: 1.5 cc added for a total of 5.5 cc

I had my second fill and I can really tell a difference!  At my first fill I had 4 cc put in because when the doctor tried to put 5 in nothing would pass through the band.  Well, when I showed up for my second fill 6 weeks later asking for more because I was not only not losing weight but also gaining a little he was hesitant to add more.  Lucky for me I have a great doctor that listens and also does fluoroscope with barium if needed.  He got the needle in me (see above picture) and took out the previous fill (btw 1 cc was missing) he then added 4.5 cc and stood me up for the barium.  I swallowed the barium and it slid right on through, he then added another .5cc and it slide through as well, he then added another .5cc for a total of 5.5cc and it stopped in the pouch and did the peculate thing.  He had me swallow a couple of times more just to make sure and I was good to go.  He warned me that I would feel a huge difference in restriction and to take it slow.

Boy was he right!  I am eating about a cup of food and if I don't cut it up into small bites and chew the crap out of it I get hung up.  I have already noticed that I am not going to be able to get away with certain foods like I was before.  I had a piece of toast last night and had major issues with it.  I am also realizing that I still have yet to learn how to eat slowly.  Why can I not put my fork down between bites and wait?  I guess that is my new goal.  The great news is that I have already lost 2 pounds since my fill (I couldn't help myself and weighed myself this morning instead of my scheduled one on Friday).  That means that I have lost 40 lbs and my BMI is officially under 50!!!!!!!!!!  Now to just lose 8 more pounds and get below 300lbs.  



+ Week



                                                                            311.3

I gained but at least it was less than a pound and not 3 pounds.  I am not going to stress about it too much because I have a fill tomorrow and I know that I am trying my hardest and hopefully my body will start to have pity on me.  I am also going to focus on the NSV moments that I mentioned yesterday and let those cheer me up.  I will let you know how my second fill goes and hopefully I will have more restriction and start to lose weight. 

Week Evaluation:

1.  The whole 10 oreos moment might have something to do with the extra ounces.

2.  I stepped up my work out a little more and I am starting to get into the groove of things.

3.  I have started having a knife with me for all meals and cut everything up.......everything!  I am really trying to get better at taking smaller bites and chewing a lot more on my food.  It is a lot harder than you would think but it is a part of being a banded woman and I need to gte better at it.

Wish me luck tomorrow and lets hope this fill will kick me into overdrive. 

NSV

It is time to take my own advice and look past the three pounds that keep kicking my butt and look at the Non Scale Victories that I have had recently. 

1.  I rocked in kickboxing last night.   I am a leader in my church for all young women age 12-18 and they are getting together with another unit every Wednesday for an hour before church to work out.  There is an instructor and everything.  I don't want to brag but this fat girl outlasted several of those young women!  I won't lie there were some touch and go moments that I thought I would have to punch myself in the face but I pushed past it and made it to the end.  It was great.  I do mostly elliptical, stair stepping and weight training so it was a great change of workout.  I can't wait for next week......BTW, I was not sore this morning which means my NSV is that my body is getting used to pushing itself hard!!!!!

2.  This may be TMI but all of my under garments are a bit large now.  My underwear falls off while walking and is starting to become a problem.  I will be getting new ones this weekend.  It is so funny to be walking down the hall and feel them start to slip and have to go back to my office to fix the problem......lucky for me it is not the pants too!

3.  This is the biggest one for me.  I am becoming comfortable enough with my body and my band that I am starting to be more open with others.  This might sound silly to those of you that are brave enough to tell the world about your band but I am not one of those people.  I kept it on a need to know basis for the past few months and have started telling those that I want to be in my support group.  It was hard but well worth it.  I sent one of my dearest friends an email last night with my blog link and she has been so supportive in her words that I know she is a blessing from God to give me the strength to trust others.  I am starting to see a pattern in telling others.  They don't make fun of me or look down at me.  Why in the world did I think that I was still in elementary school!?!?!  I hope that I can continue to start being open with others I know it will be a bit before I just yell it from the roof tops but I am going to start telling those that I know about the band and hopefully help educate people on what it is and that it is not an easy way out of being fat. 

These are my most recent NSVs and I have to say they make that 3 pounds a little trivial.  I hope I remember that when I weigh in tomorrow!

Product of the week- Planters NUT-rition

I love these nuts and use them for a mid afternoon snack if I need one.  These are actually popular at our house.  My husband and kids eat them too.  Much better than Cheetos!  The mix includes peanuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans and hazelnuts and they are lightly salted with sea salt.  One package has 4 carbs and 9g of protein.  Like I said I keep them in my desk at work so that if I get snacky and need something I am not tempted to walk down to the snack bar and pick up a little debbie cake.  Enjoy!

NUT-rition website!

Blast those Oreos!!!!!!

So, my daughter had a birthday party this weekend and I was really good.  I had a small piece of cake and was fine.  We also had some of her favorite food there too.  We had cheetos, oreos, punch, candy and that was about it.  However, the oreos were bought at sams club so we have about 5 billion of those little black disks of cream filled horrors still in my house.  Last night I figured 2 oreos would not hurt me......HA!  The first mistake was thinking I could eat 2 oreos, the second mistake was taking the sleeve with me instead of only the two cookies and the third mistake was eating almost an entire sleeve of oreos while watching TV last night and not even realizing it until I looked down at the sleeve.  I was shocked!  I put the rest away and tried not to think about the fact that I ate 10 oreoes.  That's right 10!  I am not proud of it but it happened and I am a big enough girl to admit my mistakes and move on.  So why am I posting it on here?  So that others on this journey can see just how easy it is to fall into old habits and that if you do just put away the cookies and start back on the right path.  Oh and don't buy oreos at sams club.

- week

310.7

It's that time of the week again. I lost this week, which is amazing since I was on my period, had two snow days at home to snack and only worked out twice.  I guess I would be more excited if this was not the same 3 pounds that I keep losing and gaining, over and over again.  This has been heavy on my mind so I called fill centers USA and scheduled a second fill for next weekend.  I am hoping that it will get me closer to that "sweet" spot and assist me in keeping this 3 pounds off for good.  Notice I said assisted, that is because the band is not some magic free pass on weight loss.  I still have to workout and eat right in order for it to work.  The band is a tool just like the dumbbells, physio ball and elliptical machine at my house are tools in my weight loss.  If I use them all correctly I will be able to lose weight, if not I will continue to be the fat girl on the outside.

1.  I am still drinking water but I could probably drink a bit more
2.  I missed a few workouts but I did get to play in the snow for a couple of days!
3.  My husband and I are trying to keep our meals and snacks on the healthy side of things.  ( kids are not thrilled)
4.  I have been able to email and PM a few of my blog followers and they helped motivate me by sharing their stories and letting me know that I am not in this by myself.   That really helped me not feel so down about my plateau.  Thanks!

Product of the week- Laughing Cow Wedges

I love this cheese!  It has been so helpful in my diet since day one.  I eat it will veggies, on crackers and even just on its own. Laughing Cow cheese wedges come in great flavors such as: original, creamy swiss, garlic and herb, french onion, blue cheese, mozzarella and sun-dried tomato and queso fresco and chipotle.  The favorite one at our house is the garlic and herb, it must be a town favorit too because our store never has it in stock.  We now buy it in bulk at sams club just to make sure we get our fix!  Each wedge has only 35 calories and 1 carb so it make a great snack or addition to a meal.  Here is the link for the wedges if you would like to know more.  http://www.thelaughingcow.com/products/the-laughing-cow-wedges/

+ Week

                                                                            313.7

Yeah, I gained this week.  I honestly don't even know why either.  I have some ideas but nothing worth 3 pounds!  I am very discouraged and feel a lot of negative emotions this morning.  I am giving myself today only to feel this way and then I will move on.  I would feel better if I had really messed up this week and had something to that told me why it happened.  I would love to get off this roller coaster of 3 pounds I keep losing and gaining.  I would love some positive comments if anyone is out there and would love to cheer me up.

Weeks Evaluation

1.  I started my exercise back up.  I got out of the routine during the 4 weeks after surgery and then that feel on the holidays so I kept making excuses (lame I know) but now I am back and have added weights to my program.  My 9 year old is working out with me too, it makes it so much more fun to have him or my husband beside me.

2.  Water intake- Almost up to the required amount.  I am shy about 10 oz from what I need but overall I am doing pretty well on this.  Nothing like having to get an IV of fluids to get you motivated to stay hydrated!

3.  Carbs- This is where things might be off.  After the band I decided that I would not be carb free anymore but would come up with a life eating plan that would limit them and that I could stick too long term.  I have taken bread out (I have a grilled cheese on wheat once in awhile) it doesn't set well and it is not worth the pain but I am still eating pasta and potatoes.  However, I eat smaller portions of both of these things.  In fact I ate less of them this week than on weeks that I have lost. 

Alright, I am done.  I will now log off and bask in my pity for the next 8 hours until I go home and do my lower body work out.  On the plus side, my arms were only a little sore after my upper body day!

Featured Product of the Week

I love, I mean, LOVE Great value brand drink mix.  It is just like crystal light but cheaper.  Why am I loving this?  It makes it easier to drink my daily water.  I know it is silly but for some reason I do not like drinking plain water all day long.  The drink mix allows me to feel like I am snacking between meals with the sweet and fruity taste.  It has 5 calories per serving and 0 carbs, I am willing to do an extra crunch to burn that off just for the taste alone.  My favorite flavors are orange, cran apple and fruit punch.  I like mine a little diluted so instead of adding one packet to 17 oz I add 1 packet to 24 oz.  I would highly recommend this product to anyone that has problems getting the full water intake each day.  As you can tell from the pic I am already almost done with the second round of the day!

Starting on weight training

I have done weight training before and loved it but as usual I got out of the routine of things and never picked it back up.  Well, my husband got us some weights so that I can start it back up.  My brother in law is a couch and a few years ago he was nice enough to teach me about weights and even come up with stuff I could do from home with dumbbells and even how to make it a cardio workout too.  I do low weight with high reps and I circuit the different muscles so that I can keep my heart rate up.  For those of you that don't know this yet lifting weights is not only great for toning your muscles but it also raises your metabolism and helps with weight loss.  I know!  It surprised me too but I like it and strangely enough I feel a little sexy when I am using weights.  Like I am some kind of amazon queen or something.  TMI I know but still what ever helps keep me lifting, right?

Since it has been awhile since doing this I am starting off slow and easy so that I don't hurt myself.  I also started on legs since that seemed to be the less overwhelming thing to do.  My oldest son got in on it too and would work on the move I just left.  It actually helped me having that energetic 9 year old doing squats and calf raises with me.  Oh, and I also got to use my new wii fit board 3" extension thing that makes it higher off the ground.  I have to say

Here is what I have for my lower body day.

LOWER BODY DAY

Squats (Free Weight, Smith Machine or Squat Machine) OR Leg Press

Straight Leg Dead Lifts

Calf Raises (Standing Machine or Seated Machine)

Glute Pilates move

Crunches (or Ab Movement of choice)

Stair stepping

I do 20 reps and 3 to 4 circuits.  I will add dumbells to most of these as I get stronger.   It is so funny because I did not think I was sore this morning until I started walking in from the parking lot to my office (pretty good walk)  and I felt the tightness in my hamstrings and calves.  It felt good though.  My BIL also came up with some physio ball circuit training that I might try this week too.

Back from one horrible week!!!!

Not for the reason you would think either.  I didn't have any problems with food temptations because I spent the holiday week with the stomach flu that ended up putting me in the hospital!  I guess God felt as though I could not be trusted around all the baked goods and sent a plague down to keep me honest. I have no idea!   Let me start from the beginning.

Christmas Eve- Low carb appetizers and great time with family.  We spent the whole day just having fun and getting the Christmas magic going for the little ones.  When we went to bed  I could not fall asleep.  For some reason ( I know why now) my body was just restless and uncomfortable.  I thought it was just from all the excitement, I did not know it was the beginning of a long week.

Christmas Day- Presents, snacks and a brisket dinner.  I kept trying to eat but everything I put in my mouth kept getting stuck so I did not get to eat a lot that day and I am wondering if it is connected to my flu.  Still, we had such a great day and when I hit the pillow I just knew that I was going to sleep until noon the next day.

Flu Day- No such luck.  Sunday morning started at 3am with me feeling like death.  I couldn't think of anything that I had ate that would be causing me to want to die.  I dozed on and off for the next 2 hours and then it hit me, I had a bug.  As I was in the bathroom dry heaving because nothing would come up I was starting to wonder if I had slipped my band because if I had a bug surely something would be coming up.  Not so.  Apparently my restriction is tighter in the morning and this also makes it harder for stuff to come up too.  I have since spoken with other banded people and they have the same problem.  Nothing will come up in the morning.  It hurt too.  I would dry heave so bad that I would loose my breath and feel like I was choking.  My husband rubbed my back and tried to help every time.  It really made it bare able for me. 

Anyways, I proceeded to have bowel and tummy issues the entire day.  As the day grew older bile started to come up until at 6pm my stomach was able to empty itself and that was the last time I puked.  I did lose a lot of liquid that day and ended up passing out over a dozen times until my husband forced me into the hospital.  They gave me 2 liters of fluids by IV and also found an infection and that my blood pressure was dropping out from the dehydration.  Remember when I posted last week about needing to drink more water,  that came back and bit me on the butt.  I am now drinking at least 60 oz of water a day and do not have plans of ever going through this again.

The rest of the week-  It took several days for the dizziness, poopiness and queasiness to wear off so that I could enjoy my week off of work.  By Wednesday I was almost normal but still had issues with my balance but by Friday I was good to go.  The worst part of this story is that after 3 days of water, Gatorade and soup I did not lose a dang thing.  My husband tried to make me feel better by talking about how my body went into starvation mode and held on to calories but I know it is just poking fun at me.  Dang scale.  I am now at 310.6  but I know that it is not forever and that I am slowly making my way down that number scale.  I hope all of you had a much better holiday week.