What a difference a day makes!

Quick update:
1.  got my first fill on 8/23.......and first un-fill on 8/30 (my 2 monthiversay of being banded.)  I was way to tight even though he only put in 4.5 cc.  I was in soooo much pain. 12 hours later and things are fine and dandy.  Dr. took out half of the saline and we will try and put a bit back in in 3 weeks.  I don't have any restriction but did I mention that I am not starving or in pain????  LOL
2.  Exceeded my exercise goal for August. Yipee!
3.  Now that I can eat again, I will be back to my 1500-1600 cals and will hopefully start losing again.  (it's weird that for the last few days when I was so tight i could barely consume 500-600 cals but I lost ZERO lbs.  I know now that my body will fight to the death to hold on to those few calories rather than let ;me starve to death.)  Hopefully I will be back on track.
4.  My Breast Cancer Fundraiser last night was a success
5.  Squeezing in quite a few more fun activities with the kiddos since we start school at week from TODAY.  boo hoo

Made goal with a day to spare!!

Yahoo!  Made my exercise goal this morning...I know, cutting it close since tomorrow is the end of the month.  (Actually, is that right??  I am still in vacation mode --10 days until school starts and I have to work again--not even sure what the date is but I think it's the 29th).

How is your exercise coming this month??

AH HA!!! Check out that ticker!

Happy Sunday evening! 

Been having a hard time sitting down to post on my own blog but ....I think I am now caught up on everyone's blogs.  Ok, the reason for the post and annoying title!!!  I set my exercise goal for part of August to be 1100 minutes. (Let's recap for a moment, shall we?   I had completed 1000  exercise minutes from July 23rd to Aug.7th so I added a bit more for the rest of Aug. to challenge myself. Please remember during that time frame tons of exercise and eating 1200-1400 calories and I lost ZERO pounds!!!!  Fun times)  Anywhoozle,  I cut back on the exercise a bit, starting eating MORE (like 1500-1600) calories....I know....a totally scary combo for a life-long dieter...and then had a fill.  So I have actually dropped a few pounds this week.  Yeah.

GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!!!  (I am actually yelling at myself! hmmmm)
 Ok the point is, since I wasn't going quite so crazy w/ the exercise, I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't meet my Aug. 30th goal.  BUT  I am gonna do it ....all thanks to training walk today.  My friend and I walked for FOUR HOURS........yes, 4 hours (about 15.5-16 miles) because we are preparing for the Susan G. Komen 3day for the Cure walk in November where we will walk 60 miles in 3 days.  The walk today was good, the conversation great, my hips were sore, but I got to add all of those lovely minutes to my exercise ticker.  Yipee!

60 more minutes tomorrow and I will make my goal!  

Need Advice!

Good morning.

I am looking for advice because I just got my first fill 2 days ago and I don't know what is "normal" with the band and what isn't.

1.  Is it normal to take 3-4 bites of something and then feel like a truck is sitting on your chest and back?
2.  Is it normal to actually feel tightness in your chest with a sip of water?
3.  Is it normal to eat 1/2 of an egg and a corner of toast and throw up?


I don't want to overreact and call the dr. just yet b/c I'm not sure what to expect.  I am trying to take tiny bites and chewing well.  I don't know what it feels like to get the "full signal" from my body.  Any advice would be appreciated.

So this is what restriction feels like...

I went to get my first fill yesterday.  (For those of you new to all this band talk....here's how I think it works.  When the band is inserted it only has a little bit of fluid in it to keep the port line filled. Once healed from surgery, many patients just feel like their normal self while eating.  I was one of those people who could eat anything, gulp my water at the gym, etc. You have to wait until you get the first "fill" to actually feel some restriction while eating.) 
Sooooooooo - Dr. P ended up putting in 4 cc.  While doing the swallow test in the office, I didn't feel anything.  I could drink normally.  He said we'd start with the 4cc total and then in 4 weeks adjust as needed.

This morning, I tried some watery malt-o-meal.  First bite swallowed and WHAM!  Tightness in my chest and back. So that's what it feels like if you take too big of a bite of even something soft.  Barely could eat 2 oz taking teeny, tiny bites.  Had a protein shake post-workout, and drank it with caution.  Watery mashed potatoes for lunch (with some Fage Greek Yogurt mixed in)... tightness again. 

We will see what things are like by tomorrow morning. 

Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down...

Well, I am up and I am down...mostly up.  What is going on?  Let me recap:

1.  was trying to eat between 1200-1400 calories a day while working out like a crazy person.  Cardio, strength training, walking for endurance, etc.

RESULT?  nothing.  stayed at the same weight for 2 weeks

2.  new strategy:  based on what a few of you suggested and everything I read on the internet, maybe I'm not eating enough calories???  Still exercising approximately 60 mins. a day 6 times a week.  Also started to do the food, exercise, & weight journal at fitday.com

RESULT? mixed.  I seemed to lose 2.5 lbs over a week but now I am right back where I was.

WHAT IS GOING ON???????

Bring Your Own Crazy...TGIF

BYOC...

It's FRIDAY so that means it's BYOC - Bring Your Own Crazy! Brought to you by the one and only Drazil! We answer a couple of questions in an effort to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break! Copy and paste and answer in your own blogs if you'd like!! ENJOY!! 


1. How much makeup do you wear daily, how long does it take you and are you loyal to certain brands?
  Most of the time I wear the whole kit & caboodle...foundation, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow, liner, mascara and lip stick---if I don't my teenagers at work as me "what's wrong?"   In the summer and sometimes on the weekends, I just put on some mascara and lip gloss.  I use Bare Minerals but am thinking about switching to a tinted moisturizer.  Have a really hard time trying to find lipstick and gloss....everything seems to change color on me.  Gonna try the Covergirl lipstain that JammyDancer at newtlesandwindings@blogspot.com was mentioning.

2. Repeat question: I’m going to pick a person not knowing your relationship with them (or even if there is one) and you try to describe this person in 5 words/short sentences.Your oldest paternal aunt
Kathy...but I haven't seen her in 30 years.  I think she might mentally unstable so that doesn't look so good for the ol' gene pool!


3.  Tell me about your first real kiss and how old you were.
gosh....i think in the seventh grade....must not have been memorable because I am not even sure who gave it to me.......hmm.  i'm old.

4. If I gave you $1000.00 and told you that you had to give it to a charity – which charity would you choose and why?

I would  give it to the Susan G. Komen 3Day Walk for the Cure....I am walking 60 miles this November and could use the donation for my team.

Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.
Blogland - I've posted here and there....kind of waiting for something to report.
Real life - Started food journal on-line,  went to the gym everyday, tap class on wednesday, beach club, lake, and other activities w/ kiddos, having a girls' night tonight at a friend's house.

HALFWAY to GOAL

Thirty-five pounds down!!  Only  -10 since surgery but I am half-way to my goal weight.  I get my first fill on Tuesday so hopefully that will help me get off the other 35 lbs by my band-a-versary June 30th.

Hoping your Friday is going as great as mine! 

When did General Mills start putting crack in Chex Mix?? (only kidding)

Ok, I am not proud that I picked "chex mix" as a snack today.  I am aware that there isn't ANY nutritional value.  I am not perfect nor trying to be --I am real. 

Well, my kids had the "cheddar" flavor with their lunches so I poured out an ounce onto my food scale (at least I was gonna journal it and be accountable) for me.  1/2 cup = 130 calories.....I only had an ounce.       

HOLY SMOKES!  Who knew chex mix could be so delicious???? 

just wondering........

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it. W.C. Fields

Well, I was looking for a quote about success ....this one just made me laugh even if it's not QUITE what I was planning to put in my post.

As a "baby bandster" I am doing lots of thinking about where I am in my life and WHY NOW is the time to make me a priority.  I constantly over-think everything..... and thinking about how to use the band and weightloss in general, is no exception.  The one thing though that I have decided is that this time, I choose to be successful.  I have had surgery...I have paid $13,000 out of pocket.....I have made a life decision to get my eating under control........I have chosen to be successful because there is no other option.  It may take me a year to get to my goal...or it may take 2 years....but, as long as I am not gaining and am in charge of my eating, I will be a success.

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." Mark Twain

Denial.  Kind of an ugly word isn't it?

I think I have been in denial the last two weeks.  Yep.  I haven't been very accurate with my food journal.  I kind of just guesstimate the calories of things that aren't packaged....clearly my guesses must be too low or I'd be losing weight.

Well, https://www.fitday.com/fitness/Login.html is going to help me be REAL with myself.

How do you track your food/calories and exercise?

Exercise Update

Well, today I went on the treadmill for 55 minutes and then worked on my "muscle machine"...that's what my kids call it.  (Technically it is off-brand of the Chuck Norris Total Body Gym.) Mine is by Weider see below.

I actually really like this piece of equipment.  Mine has NEVER seen the amount of incline noted in the picture of this workout warrior above but......it does help strengthen and tone my arms and back.  You work out against your own body weight.  I do have to say that it has really firmed up my legs too!!

I have been continuing to exercise (see my ticker) but not quite as much as I had been the previous two weeks. I am sticking with trying to eat about 1600 calories + cross your fingers that the extra calories convince my body to let go of some fat.  We will see if this new combination is working when  I report on my weight on Monday the 15th.

14 days & 1001 exercise minutes

I've got some good news and bad news. 

Good news:  I met my exercise goal for the month of August already!!! Yippee for me!  I have been working out like a fiend because it is summer and I have the time since I am off work.  I am also so newly banded that I just want to get the show on the road and jump start getting fit.

Bad news:   I haven't lost a single pound in those 14 days.  (Yep, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I type.) 

Where to go from here: well, I am going to try and eat a little more.  (It just seems counter-intuitive that I actually need to eat more calories than I am.  Duh..... eat less to lose weight....not the other way around.)  I have been trying to stay around 1200-1400 calories but several people have said that I need to eat more.  I looked this up on the internet and apparently for my current weight and activity level, I should be having approximately 1600 and then as I lose keep bringing the total number of calories down.  For my goal weight (130-135), it said to eat about 1400.  www.heathlyweightforum.org

Am I crazy??  Does this sound at all right?

BYOC!!

We answer a few questions in an effort to get to know each other better and

to give our blogging brains a break.  Thanks Draz!

Copy to your own blog and enjoy!

1.       I’m going to pick a person in your life – not knowing if you have a good or bad, existing or non-existent relationship with them – and your mission is to pick 5 words or traits or thoughts to describe them.
Your paternal grandmother.

I don't see her

Lives 1.5 hours away

strict

proper

wears red lipstick

2. What’s your all time favorite color to paint your nails? And your toes?

Nails – plum
Toes –matching color to polish on finger nails OR really bright toe polish w/ neutral on finger nails

3. Do you get along with your parents well?

Hmmm, I love my mom but she makes me crazy.  Haven't talked to dad in 15-18 years

 
4. Speaking of rainbows – rank the rainbow colors in the order you prefer.

purple

red

blue

orange

green

           5. Repeat question. How was your week in real life and in blog land this week?
            Real life:  great.  Here's why:  fun time at the beach with the kids, tap class, zumba 3 times this week + 2 strength training classes, FREE TIME while kids are with grandparents, massage, out to dinner with bro-in-law and mom-in-law, 14th wedding anniversary on tuesday.  (started experimenting with extreme couponing for normal people....not sure if it was a good or bad experiment.  jury is still out.)


           Blog life:  not so good.  I haven't posted since 7/31 because I haven't had anything to report.  I am still waiting for my first fill, exercising my ass off (literally!), and trying to practice eating as if I had restriction.  Decided that a consistent size 8 instead of a scale number will be my goal.