Wrinkled Ladies

Holy Cow!! To freakin funny!

My favorite line "Can't hide it so your gonna have to find peace with it"

Note: Having some trouble getting the video to show up completely. hmmmmm. I dunno?

BRA Size

Went and bought a "big girl" bra this week... had myself sized. At this rate, the "girls" are going to entirely disappear when my weight loss journey ends. SO SAD! At least they are looking perky now. LOL!

"big girl" definition - a bra that cost a pretty penny. ; )

Exercise Baby! OH YEAH!

A little Heather History: I love working out. (O.K. maybe not while I am actually doing the workout but I LOVE how I feel after wards.) I use to go to the gym all the time (5-6 days a week) but I never lost much weight because I was eating way to much.

I once heard:

If you want to lose weight it's 80% of what you are eating and 20% the amount of activity, that get's you success.
If you want to have a healthy heart it's 20% what you eat and 80% the amount of activity, that get's you success.

Now don't quote me... it's just something I heard.

Hope that makes sense? Before, when I worked out my body was just trying to get rid of any extra calories that I had eaten that day... now all my exercise efforts will hopefully go towards my butt. ; )

For the past 5 mornings I have gotten up at 6am and gone to the gym... I had to start slow and I really am not doing anything hard core but it feels so good to be back at it. : )

Here's what I am doing:
30 min of cardio (elliptical or bike)
10 min of weights

Nothing spectacular but it's something.

Feeling good... "weigh in day" is only 2 days away. Dying to know where I am at. : )

Ha, Ha, Ha!!

I just stumbled on to Jared Fogle's blog.. (the Subway guy) and this is what I read!!

4. CAUTION WITH THE KIDS MENU

Unless you are at Subway, the kid's menu is usually the least healthy section of the menu. I like to avoid it altogether. Many restaurants will allow you to choose 'half-orders' of dishes on the adult menu. If the restaurant doesn't do half-orders, consider splitting a dish with your child.

Ha! Ha! So, Bandsters/Friends... you better watch those children menus. (see post below) I actually think that you can do fine with a children's menu order (see below example) but just choose better options than a deep fried chicken crisper. lol.

Here's the link to Jared's blog:
http://jared245.com/

Chili's Resturant

Used my handy dandy Lap-Band Patient card at Chili's last night. Ordered off the children's menu... but should have asked for a nutrition guide before I ordered... sigh.


I had: (from the Children's Menu)

Little Chicken Crispers - 600 Calories
Side of Homestyle Fries - 250 Calories

FOR A TOTAL OF: 850 Calories
(not so good for someone trying to stay around a 1000 calories a day)

The adult version of this same meal:
Chicken Crispers - 1750 calories


A better choice would have been: (about any other item from the children's menu) lol.

Grilled Chicken Platter - 170 Calories
Side of Homestyle Fries - 250 Calories

Grand Total - 420 Calories

or even better...

Grilled Chicken Platter - 170 Calories
Side of Seasonal Veggies - 35 Calories

Grand Total - 205 Calories

Here's the link to Chili's Nutrition Guides (at bottom of page):
http://www.chilis.com/EN/menu/Pages/home.aspx

HOLY COW!

Did you know that 1 Tbl of butter is 100 calories??

I didn't!

Back on track!

Whew! Lost those extra 4 lbs that creeped back on me during my soft food stage. AND I started exercising today! YIP-EE!

I couldn't believe how low I had to go on some of the weights after such a long absence... sigh. Just give me a few weeks and I'll be back up there! ; )

Also, I have decided to weigh myself only once every week.... just so I don't get so "scale crazy". So Sunday's will be my weigh in day. I hope to have good news to report next Sunday!!!

Part of my weight loss plan is to keep a daily log of foods that I am eating... to be honest it's been years since I thought it was important to keep tabs of what I was "really" putting in my body, so this will be a good exercise for me.

So that's about it! Happy Monday!

OH MY, GOSH!!! Sushi not so good on the band....

If you have ever had Sushi you know that the best way to eat it is to put the whole thing in your mouth at once.... that's what I did but obviously, I did not chew it all that well.

Thinking back it was probably bad habits creeping back. (aka not chewing well enough)

It was just a few seconds after my first bite when it struck... the WORST feeling ever. I wasn't sure I was going to "lose" my lunch or if I would be able to hang on... I was panting like a dog, or a pregnant women giving birth. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I could feel it trying to get past my band I can't even explain the feeling but it was like a burning, tightening of my chest, gurgling all in one. Needless to say, I hope that it NEVER EVER happens again.

Note to self: I WILL CHEW MY FOOD BEFORE SWALLOWING!

First fill!

I had my 1st fill on Thursday... it wasn't my best appointment ever. (because I had my surgery out of state I had to find a different follow up doctor here in Utah) Let's just say the fill procedure went great but I am not to sure that I am going to stick with my current post op Dr here. (not the best patient relations going on)

Having a fill is weird stuff. They stick this needle filled with saline through my skin into my port that is attached under my skin. Which then fills my band with the saline giving me more restriction in what I can eat.

I have noticed that my band is tighter in the mornings and I can actually feel the food getting stopped at the band. Crazy Stuff!

On a positive note! I went out to dinner last night and had 3 dumplings/1/4 of a fish taco/ a couple bites of pie and I was stuffed. I didn't get hungry for 4 hours. So "rock on" that sounds pretty good to me.

Interesting...

I was reading the USA Weekend paper (from Sundays' paper) and I ran across this short article on Vanna White.

It asked the question: How does Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White keep herself looking so good?

She said that she works out six days a week for 45 minutes... and as for a diet, "I've learned to eat only when I'm hungry. That's a big one."

hmmmm.... interesting. That is actually a lot of what a Bandster is learning to do... sounds SO easy doesn't it?

Wasa Crackers - My favorite Things

YUMMY! If you haven't had a chance to taste these,
you should track these bad boys down! YUM!

Healthy
Yummy
Low Calorie

It's a win, win!

Here is a link for what to do with your Wasa Crackers.
http://us.wasa.com/health-recipes.aspx

Oh No!

Up 4 lbs this morning!!! SO SAADDDD!

I am SO glad that I get to start "real" food this week... and I have a fill on Thursday. I am ready to DO this thing. The last step will be exercising... that comes in a few weeks. I know the scale will go down here soon, I need to be a bit more mindful of what I am eating and of course the adjustments will help a ton!!

Even though this is bad/sad news... I had to share just to keep things "real".

Lap Band - How does it work?

I had a dear friend ask "What is a fill?" Which of course got me thinking, that some who read this blog may not know either so here is "MY VERSION"



This is a band.
(bottom left to top right)
1. The bottom left circle is the Access Port which is attached beneath my skin and can be accessed for my adjustments . 2. The next circle is a "pillow" that get's filled with a saline solution, it can be adjusted to be tighter or looser. 3. The band is wrapped around my upper stomach, allowing me to feel full faster than normal and when the pillow is inflated it slows hows quickly my food moves into the lower stomach. 4. The top right circle, is silicone tubing that transfers the fluid between the access port and the pillow. (for a longer explanation see: http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/device_how_it_works/)



How will I lose weight?

1. I have to have fills. (adjustments of the pillow)
My goal is to be adjusted enough, that I can eat three meals a day with out being hungry between those meals. If that pillow is to loose... I will be hungry, if that pillow is to tight I will not be able to get food down and will risk pain, discomfort and possible other really bad stuff. So having a band takes some getting use to. I will work with a Doctor to try to get my fill "perfect for me"

2. I will have to watch what I eat.
If I choose to eat unhealthy food, I will have no success with the band. (shakes/ice cream will have no resistance at all to the band and will slide on through the band and I will not get full) The good news is that if I eat correctly I will feel full and be able to maintain a successful weight loss.

3. I will only be able to eat small portions.
I will not be able to eat more than 1 1/2 cups of food at one time. If I do eat more than I will risk stretching out my upper stomach and risk throwing up which can lead to really bad things. (slippage)

4. I will need to exercise.
Just like all non bandster... I will need to maintain my diligence with a healthy life style.


Whew. Does that make sense?

Some might ask. Why not just do all of that and not get banded?
Ahhh... there it is... if I could have, I would have.

I couldn't do it on my own... those of you who know me, know my dedication in the past to exercise and I don't eat alot of junk food. But I still couldn't do it on my own. The Lap Band is a tool for me to do what I couldn't do for myself. Mostly help me feel full and help me stay full... so that I can limit the amount of food I take it.

So there you have it... MY VERSION of How Does It Work?

Eating Out.

Pilot and I took our son, Cuddlebug out on a Saturday afternoon date. We went to lunch at Golden Corral and we saw the movie, How to Train your Dragon. (which was a great movie... loved it!)

So now you are asking... How in the world did I make Golden Corral work?

Well, it was my first attempt at eating out since the surgery. (woops, I mean second, the 1st was 2 days after surgery... my inlaws took me to a restaurant where I order french onion soup without the bread/cheese topping) Anyways... Golden Corral was great! Golden Corral can be a really a great place for a Bandster to go. I just showed my handy dandy Lap-Band Card... and I got my meal for the 9-12 child rate.

I am still on mushy food so I loaded my plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, some calm chowder and a crab cake (which was really, really soft). It wasn't the most amazing meal I have ever had but it was pretty dang good for a mushy dieter. lol. I than topped it off with a couple bites of banana pudding. I liked that I had so many choices and I loved that I was able to pay a child's rate. (my frugal side)

I have to say... this was the 1st time that I have EVER gone to Golden Corral and ONLY had one plate of food. Of course, I couldn't even eat all that I had. It is amazing how very little I can eat at a time... even without a fill. Anyways, if you are a Bandster... make sure you get one of these cards, why pay for a full adult meal??

My Patient ID CARD - http://www.lapband.com/

Holding Steady

Haven't lost any further weight. Just holding steady.

Which is fine by me for the moment. I can't officially exercise until six weeks post op and my band doesn't have any fill yet. So I am hungry and probably taking in too many calories to lose any weight at the moment. (I was told to not worry about weight loss the 1st month it's all about healing right now) I am eating mushy foods for two more weeks and I have my first fill planned for April 22nd.

I think I am going to start walking in the mornings because frankly I'm not use to being so sedentary. (These won't be power walks but just a get up and move kind of walk.)

What I've been eating:
Protein shakes, sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, soft boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, applesauce. And I love having a warm cup of light chocolate soy milk. Yum!

Anyways... it beats straight liquids. I am much happier now! : )

My Favorite Things

Just call me Vanna White!

I just had to give a HUGE shout out for the Magic Bullet!! If you are a new Bandster, I would suggest borrowing or buying one of these puppies. It has been a God send to my post-op diet.

The last few days when my hunger has gotten out of hand and another Campbell's soup or Protein Drink just sounded impossible to get down... I ran out and got a bowl of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup, added a bit of milk, and blended it to a nice consistency... another favorite is Wendy's Chili... just blend it up and YUM!

Also, I LOVE that I can make a protein shake and if I can't eat it all at once I can put a handy dandy Magic Bullet lid on it and save it in the fridge for later.

Oh, and I can leave it on my counter and it doesn't take much space. But I guess mostly it's my favorite because it is SO easy to clean. I love it when I can find something that is practical and easy to use.

So, there you have it! I LOVE MY MAGIC BULLET!!!

Happy Easter

Me and the kiddos coloring eggs! (Cuddlebug and Explorer are the two next to me)

So does melted Chocolate Easter Eggs count as a form of liquid?

Just asking.....

O.K. so maybe I did have a couple very small pieces.......

BUT I WAS SO HUNGRY!!!!

O.K., O.K. so I know that Chocolate does nothing for my hunger... and I know I shouldn't have. Can we say... ADDICTION!!! sigh.

This week I can feel my appetite coming back with a vengeance. I am finding myself starting to graze on anything I can find that is partially a liquid. I really do have a mental problem when it comes to food. I know that as soon as I start getting fills that I need to be eating THREE meals PERIOD. NO snacking, NO grazing. In order to make this work for me... I need to dedicate more thought to what I put in my mouth.

Just working it all through my mind.... Happy Easter!!

Hungry

I am officially hungry now. Just in case you were wondering.

1 week 2 days Stats

313/293/180

Pre-Op Weight/Current Weight/Goal Weight

DOWN 20 lbs!!!!!!!!