2 Months Out

Well, it's been 2 months since I've had the lap band surgery. I couldn't be more pleased with it. I feel better. Not that I noticed I felt bad before the surgery, but I just feel better now that I've lost some weight. I have more energy, I'm ready to go, ready to do things, ready to get on with my life!

For the first time, I am not obsessing over food...how many fat grams, how many fiber grams, how many servings of milk, how many "free" veggies, how many points. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders (hahaha...get it??? weight off my shoulders???) I'm choosing to eat low fat meals that are high in protein, but no one is saying, "You MUST eat this." It's an incredibly freeing feeling! And I'm being successful at it!

According to my scale, I've lost 38 lbs!

Here are some pictures that Jacob took of me last week. I'm happy with the changes that I'm seeing! I tried to vary the pictures...I'm smiling and I placed one on top of the blog and the other at the bottom. I'm hoping no one mistakes them for mug shots! :)

Vacation

Hello Everyone!

We've been on vacation for the last 2-1/2 weeks. Jeff has been on block leave before he deploys to Iraq. We've been here and there, everywhere and back again! We spent some time in Iowa visiting the in laws, we took a trip to KC and stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge and then "camped" in the RV at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun for a few days. (I walked around for 2 days in public in my bathing suit!) We stayed at the lake for a few days, we took a 2 day, 800+ mile geocaching trip, we set 26 new geocaches in Junction City and hosted a geocaching event. Whew...I need a vacation from my vacation! Check out my other blog to read about our adventures of geocaching: http://www.diecast64.blogspot.com/. And http://www.geocaching.com/ to learn more about the obsession called geocaching!

So, how did being on vacation go while having my lap band? It went pretty well. I'm down another 4 lbs! :) And I feel great! Since we stayed in the RV some of the time, I was able to cook food and watch protein, fat and calories in everything I prepared. There were a few times that I didn't chew my food enough, or that I ate a bit too much...(see the steak post!) but I'm still getting used to eating "just the right amount" with the band. And "just the right amount" varies day by day. On our 2 day geocaching trek, we ate mostly fast food (so we could get back on the road in a hurry!) And, I did OK...I ate mostly chicken, but I followed the pouch rules and listened to my body and stopped eating when I was getting full!

Now that we're back to "normal" life (if that's what you call it!) I need to get back into an exercising routine. My goal for this week is to exercise 3 times before Sunday. I know once I start exercising regularly I will feel even better and will lose more weight.

So, I'm raising my water mug (with Real Lime) to celebrate vacations, good times and exercising!

A New Blog I Found

I love bags...totes, purses, make-up bags, change purses, whatever!

I have found a new blog and I just wanted to share it with you all! This site makes me drool!

http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/

There are beautiful tote bags on this site and even a contest to win one! Check it out and wipe the drool from your chin as you look around! :) Enjoy!

When Will I Learn???

When will I learn???? Grrrrr. I am so mad at myself!

We had an awesome supper tonight. Rib eye steaks on the grill, grilled potatoes in tin foil packets and grilled veggie shish-ka-bobs (zucchini, onion, and tomatoes.) Yummy. It smelled so good! I ate a few bites of the veggies, then took a bite of the steak. It was a normal bite. And the normal bite was too big! I took too big of a bite and didn't chew it up really well. I had slipped back into the way I used to eat without even realizing it. Then, to top it off, I took another regular bite of steak, along with a hunk of onion. All in quick succession. Big mistake! I had that burning, brick-like feeling in the center of my chest. I miserably sat there, watching Jeff and Jacob enjoy their meal. It got to the point that I couldn't even talk. I didn't want Jeff and Jacob to know anything was amiss, since it was my fault. But eventually I had to get up and walk with my arms above my head...kind of like you do when you've run a really hard race. But the only race I'd run was the one with my mouth! And once I got up, Jeff knew immediately that something was wrong. I hate having to admit defeat...especially when it's my fault. While I was walking around, Jacob told Jeff that they need to remind me to take smaller bites before we start to eat.

I think I'm going to write a little note and leave it at my seat at the table: Take smaller bites. Eat slowly. Listen to your body. Stop even if there is food left on your plate.

I'm hoping...no, I'm knowing my next meal will be better.

I Can Cross My Legs!

I realized today at my support group meeting that I can cross my legs! Granted, I don't have that "Mary Hart" leg cross down yet, but I will get there! I don't know when the last time I actually crossed them. Sometimes I tried to cross them...I'd pull one leg up on top of the other and hope that it would stay there for 5 minutes before it slid off. Most of the time, my top leg wouldn't really be crossed...it would kind of stick straight out. And it was never comfortable.

So tonight at the support group meeting, I tried it and it actually worked! I know this doesn't seem like much, but to me it is a huge thing! I crossed my legs! Really! :) It's the small things that make me realize that I am on the right path.

It has been 1 week since I had my first fill. It's been interesting...I feel much more limited on how much I can eat. I was on vacation during the week, so that made it all the more challenging. But I did OK. I am down 2 lbs since last Thursday.

I'm still learning how much food is too much and how much is just enough. As I was eating lunch today, I was almost done with what was on my plate...I had about 2-3 bites left and I realized I had eaten enough. I spit out the bite I was chewing and threw out the rest of the food. I know if I had eaten the rest of my lunch, I would have been overfull, and that's a feeling I want to avoid. That overfull feeling hurts...it feels like what I imagine a heart attack would feel like. It's a burning pain in the center of my chest. I get hot and sweaty and it's hard to get a full breath of air. I just need to pay attention to what my body is telling me...and LISTEN to it!

I think I'm going to cross my legs while I watch TV. Just because I can! :)

My First Fill at 6 Weeks

This morning I went in to see Dr. Hachem and I got my first fill! This means I had 2.5 cc's of saline injected into the port of the lap band. This tightens the band around my stomach, making the food slower to leave my stomach, which in turn will leave me feeling full longer.

Having the fill was the weirdest sensation...and it's not for the faint of heart! The needle that he used to inject the saline was about 5 inches long! Once it was in the port, he filled and deflated the band several times to make sure it didn't leak. I could feel a little tightness, then bubbles in my stomach when he did it! It was similar to feeling a baby kick. Anyways...while the needle was still sticking out of my abdomen, I had to sit up and drink some water. Once I felt the water "climbing up my throat," (and yeah, it really feels like that!) then Dr. Hachem let out some of the saline. I could feel the water move slowly down, like it was draining out. Again, it was so strange being able to feel this happen. None of it really hurt...just some pressure. The most uncomfortable part was having to lie down with a pillow under my back and my arms over my head.

I have to return in 6 weeks if all goes well, or 4 weeks if I haven't lost 3-6 pounds during the next 3 weeks.

Officially, I've lost 35 pounds and my BMI is down 5.3 points. (http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). My blood pressure was 110/68. So it was a great visit! :)