Weigh in...and support.

Thank you to those who have commented so far on my morning post.  I am going to call shortly and see if I can get in for the week of the 29th.  That will be almost 5 weeks out.  I am guessing they might not do one Thanksgiving Week because they are pretty particular about wanting to be open after you get your fill so you don't end up in an ER with people who don't know what they are doing.  And they only do fills on Tues and Wed for that reason.  We'll see!!

I weighed in.  I ate some chili before I weighed in, even.  My boss was eating, my other eating partners were in a different meeting.  So I decided to just do it.  I don't think in 25 years of dieting that I have eaten right before a weigh in.  :)  Anyways....I was down 1.2!  Glad to see 260.2 - my lowest yet.  However, I am freaking tired of the 260s.  Sooo soo ready for the next decade.

I put together my meal plan for the next week while in my weight w@tchers meeting.  So, now to just follow along and do this. 

One day and one week at a time.

until later!

My next fill?

OK...so it's been a little over 2 weeks since my first fill.  I'm not feeling tons of restriction - at least not anything more than I felt when I had just had my surgery.  My weight loss is holding steady - not lost more than I had since the surgery.

At what point do I just call and get another fill?

Next Tuesday will be 2 months banded.  I think I set myself up to think that this whole process would be moving along faster.  I read other blogs and think - they are losing and doing this.  I see the post from Amy yesterday and think, yup, I'm going to be one of the ones this isn't going to work for.  I look at WHAT I am eating and think - the amount is certainly less, but the quality is certainly not 100% there.  I am walking - which I never did before.  But I'm not walking everyday or even every other day.  Somewhere around 2 -3 times a week.  I am not drinking enough water.

I need to kick it into gear.  I have had this great opportunity handed to me to get it together and do what needs to happen.  I read and saw and knew it wasn't the magic pill - but somehow hoped for a little longer honeymoon period.

I weigh in later at work.  I know - looking at my home scale - that I'm not down.  I might be able to flush a little more out, but doubtful in 3 hours.

Until my next weigh in next week, I'd like to focus on 3 things:

Walk at least 4 times between now and then.
Drink 80 oz of water a day.
Plan meals with good choices.

You've gotta have a plan, right??  Any butt kicking and accountability is welcome.  :)

I hope you are all doing well.

The Holiday Challenge!

So today starts the Challenge!  I'm so excited.  I definitely need this little push to get me going.  I think I'm just still in a little bandster hell - not feeling much restriction, although definitely eating less than I did onceuponaTIMEBEFORETHEband.  :)  I am hoping to up the exercise a little too.

Speaking of which - so last night DH and I had our anniversary celebration, staying at a local nice hotel, dinner, and a horse drawn carriage ride.  We went and checked in and then both went to the workout room.  I did the first day of Couch to 5k.  I actually ran!  For a minute!  With a minute and a half between each bit of running!  8 cycles!!  31 minutes of this!!  So excited.  The last time I tried this, I couldn't do one time.  Mostly because (I think) I could barely walk and even just the 20 pounds or so I've lost since the beginning have made the difference!  Anyway - good times!!  The rest of the night was wonderful   Just good to spend time with DH and relax and be away and do fun things together.  I didn't do too bad with food.  One Cosmo, 5oz fillet with a little blue cheese on it.  You know - up the protein.  Salad, with dressing on the side.  half of the side of mashed potatoes.  And dessert.  But overall, not bad for a good night out.

Back to the challenge!  I weighed in heavy today - 263.8.  Not sure how I feel about that - although I'm glad it's at the beginning.  I think I'm getting ready for a period - so I am anticipating a quick loss there.  We'll see. At very least, though, I am hoping to get back on track with basics.  No pop. More good protein.  More Water.  More exercise.

Can you believe it's November???

Crazy.

Challenges and The Challenge

I know - I've been missing from these parts.  Work has been crazy - life is a little crazy.  And well, this whole band thing has me challenged.

Good news about general stuff - tomorrow night DH and I are going to a hotel downtown to stay and celebrate our 2nd anniversary.  I am looking forward to just spending some time with him away from our house and things.  It will be nice to have a good dinner and I think I'm going to surprise him with a carriage ride afterward.  Then to stay in a place I didn't have to clean before or after we are there.  I love that part of hotels.  Monday night we have tickets for the football game.  This will be my first regular season game - so, I'm excited to go!  I guess I just gave away where I live to anyone who is a football fan....  ahh well.

DH also was offered a job this week.  He was laid off about a year and a half ago, but has been going to school.  I was fine with the lay off as long as he was going to school.  We did unemployment for a while and then he started doing some teaching work for his professor.  But I know he feels better about now getting to do some of the things he's been learning about on a regular basis.  I'm proud of him.  But, I know that things will get a little crazy around here and that I will be seeing less of him for a while, until school is over.

So, in band news - I gained this week.  Only .6, but if you have been around here much, I've been going up and down for about a month now.  I know I am not doing my best.  I am eating less than I ever have.  I went to breakfast with my mom and sister and niece and nephew this morning and had only 1/2 of my omelet and 1/2 of the hash browns and 2 pieces of toast.  Once upon a time, I wouldn't have left anything.  However, I kinda feel like that's more than I should have had.  I also know I'm not drinking enough water.  I am trying...but especially on my days away from work, I'm struggling with getting even a decent amount in.  I just need to get more aware - and really start carrying some with me everywhere I go.  I have been walking more.  I am trying to keep up with everyone at work and their progress.  Have I mentioned before that the woman who is leading us all has been AVERAGING over 30k steps a day!  A DAY!!!

It is not me in the lead.

In fact, I barely do 1/6 of her work in one day, unless I am really getting after it.

But some days I do great.

So...food - needs to get healthier and more protein filled.  Water needs to be consumed more.  Exercise needs to be up-ed.

I am also going to go ahead and get the fill scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving.  Plenty of time to adjust to a fill into the holidays.  And that will be 6 weeks after my last one.

So, I also joined in the challenge that Kristen is hosting.  Today is the last day to get in, if you want to be in!!  It's a great chance to motivate and win some moolah - both things that are completely bonuses!!  Plus, I am finding new people to follow.  I need a job where all day long I read blogs.  Just saying.

Speaking of blogs - I'm going to let you all in on a little secret here in my world.  I follow blogs that focus on - and have developed a pastime for - finding good deals, mostly at grocery stores.  For instance, today, I got some free lactose free milk (for DH) and free turkey bacon - 4 packages.  So excited.  Yesterday - cheap weight w@tchers frozen meals.  cheap enough that I don't care if I don't eat the whole package.  That makes me happy.

Now, I'm off to make some homemade applesauce - chunky kind - to use up some of the apples I've been a buying.

I hope you all are doing well!!!

until later!

Down 2.2!!

Woo hoo!!  I am finally down below my little gain from 3 weeks ago and hanging on barely to the 260s.  Honestly, I'm ready to kiss the 260s goodbye.  So, 250s - come out come out wherever you are!!!

first fill!!

ok...so I survived the first fill!  We had to be at the hospital at 10, you know so you could wait until they really call you back at 10:30.  Hate that.  Oh, and seriously, same hospital I just had band surgery 6 weeks prior, but I get the 1000 questions registration again.  Yes, husband is still unemployed, but thanks for reminding me.  :)  Actually, that doesn't bother me too much.  He is in school, so it's all good.  I was just annoyed a little.

Anyways - we get called back (4 of us) to have nutrition class - how to eat after a fill.  Umm...same as after the surgery.  Got it.  But this is a new nutritionist to me...and she wasn't quite in sync with what the others have said...but it's all good.

Then we wait to go back one by one to get the fill and drink the barium.  Fill - hurt more than I thought it would. Needles don't always bother me, this one did.  Barium - not as bad as I thought.  So, balanced out in the end.

I found out I have 3ccs in my LapBand brand band.  Say that a few times.

I have been doing liquids and mushies...had to have yogurt for lunch yesterday, right after.  I was growling hungry.  Then I had pintos and cheese for dinner.  This morning, a shake.  Lunch was a work meeting that I totally didn't plan for with lunch ordered in - pizza.  I ate the cheese.  It's mushy, isn't it?  And then beans and cheese again tonight.  Tomorrow, we'll ease into more food.

Let's talk water.  I think I had convinced myself preop that I drink more water than I do.  I fill my glasses with ice at work (we have a fab ice machine) but it never occurred to me how much ice displaced the amount of water.  Science wasn't my strong suit.  So....I need to work on upping the water.

So - what are your tricks and tips for adding more water into my day??

I love followers...

Thank you to all of you for your support.  We all know how much easier this makes everything - to go through it together.  I really appreciate all of your comments!!

My long week is over.  I can get back to focusing on me.  I did go to yoga class on Thursday.  I'm painfully aware that I am the heaviest there and can't bend in half - or even in most ways.  :)  But I'm trying to focus on me.  I was able to hold my leg behind me and opposite arm in front of me while on my hands and knees.  At one point though we were stretching our legs tot he left - so back on the floor head straight to the ceiling, legs to the side with goal of them being at your waist height but ankles on the floor.  right.  Fellow bandsters - be careful of this on the left side.  I felt some pulling and oddness that can only be associated in my head (of course) with completing dislodging my band.  I know I didn't - I have felt fine since, but gosh it was an odd feeling.  And a month plus out, I thought I was good to go with the stretching.  :)

I'm doing a lot of hanging low this weekend.  Catching up from the week that was.  I went for a walk last night and hope to do so again.  I hit almost 12000 steps at work alone on Thursday.  Trying to keep up my average for the with not giving myself a 2000 step day this weekend.

And countdown is still on for the fill on Tuesday!!  : )