6 Months Post Op

OK, I need to talk... I know I've been MIA lately, and I really do apologize... Jenny, yes, fun has been exactly what I have been having. From the time I got home from the beach till now I have been doing nothing but what I wanted to do. With the exception of going to work every day that is.  However, apparently now I need to get back to the work at hand in Bandland/Onederland.

Here I am... almost 6 months post op... had a surgeon appointment today and we had a real nice little discussion about my weight loss... Or should I say the lack there of, in the last 2 months since I had my last fill/unfill. It's not bad... I only gained 3 pounds in 2 1/2 months so I'm OK with that. BUT, when I am within 25 pounds of my initial "Happy" goal, it really kinda hurt to hear Dr. G. say... "What do you think you are doing wrong?" ...All I could say was "I dunno?"

Turns out I am NOT doing ANYTHING wrong. I'm eating smaller meals, lots of protein in those meals, and I am going to the gym at least 3 times a week to do the toning and cardio... seems that he feels that I must be maintaining and gaining muscle mass. So again, No more fill for me today. Not yet he says. then he says get some cardio classes in when you are at the gym and we will see you in 4 weeks and see if you need a fill then... I mean can it really be possible that I am at my green spot with only 3 CC's in? Everyone I know that has a band has more than 3 in and they are still "getting there".

So now, I get to go to the gym on Wednesday and sign up for a cardio class or 2, woo hoo! If you really knew me, you would know how much I really hate exercising. treadmills, bikes OK. But please don't make me have to work for this! :-) I need my sisters in Bandland support here... encouraging words will be highly welcome.

MIA - Again!

So over 20 days ago I said I was done being busy and would be blogging more now. I really did say that didn't I? :-( I'm so sorry band people! My sweet band people! why does time fly so fast when you are having fun! I must apologize I will try to be better I promise.

Sunday Babbles

Another busy week it has been for me. It seems that the older I get the faster the time goes by so I apologize right now if it seems like I have been MIA alot lately. Anyway, the last concert of the season last night, is now behind me and there will be no real commitments that I must adhere to in that area for a few months. Summer is a time of rest and only fun practices for that area of my life. So I should be able to concentrate more on my eating habits and losing this extra 50 pounds that I still want to lose! I really, really want to be closer to goal by my brothers wedding in October. (he is the ONLY person in my family besides DH, that knows about my journey with Eileen {band}& Filene {port}) He and his fiance' have asked me to sing at the wedding and this also means that my 2 older sisters (along with many other family members that haven't seen me in a long time) will be here and I just want to surprise the crap out of them. I have always been the "fat little sister"! I am the youngest of 5 and what will they think when I am not over 200 lbs any more... Wait, I'm under 200 pounds NOW! :-)

I have 2 things happening tomorrow that I am anxiously awaiting. Number 1 is a appointment at a new Gym to start my 3 month free membership that I won at the "Race for a Cure". I am excited yet nervous to start going to a "normal" persons gym instead of the Hospital "Rehab" Gym where only cardiac or bariatric surgery patients can go. Number 2 is yet another appointment for a fill at the surgeons office. I am a little nervous about that as every time I have tried to get this 3rd fill I've ended up having it taken out because it was just to much.I want to get a little more restriction, but I don't want to have to end up going back in a few days because I can't get a normal food to go thru or stay down. I know it is all a learning process and I sometimes think that I pressure myself into thinking that something isn't going to go down. So it doesn't! AHHH the mental tricks one can play on oneself! There is a support group meeting tomorrow night as well so I may just have to talk to someone there about their fill experiences! I know what I do (or don't do) I just need to remember it all the time instead of only part of the time. How do you mentally get it? How do/did YOU remember to eat very small meals and chew till it's mush. And not to let the rapid eating of everyone else at the table pressure you into eating faster to "keep up" so they aren't waiting for you to finish?

I Cleaned out some of my old "fat" clothes this week. I gave (let borrow) a size 18 & a size 16 bathing suit some 2X sweatshirts and a size 18 scooter to a friend of mine. She is taking a vacation and needed some specific items for certain adventures. It felt good to be able to say you can have that but, ya know that "mental trick" I just mentioned... Well, as she was walking out my door with the clothes, I said, "Now don't get rid of them after the trip because I might need them back if I gain this weight back" Then, I turned around and thought to myself... What am I thinking? I have Eileen to help me now. I won't need those clothes back! But damn, I really, really like those bathing suits!!! :-)

Anyway I need to catch up on my blog reading... So I'll keep this short, (I can hear you all now... Yeah right I've heard that before). LOL. I just have one more question. And I think I've asked it before but, what can I say I'm a "dirty" blond. (More dirty than blond, but at this time I am more blond than dirty... hehehe) can someone please tell remind me what NSV stands for?

Scribbles of today

June 1st... WOW. I got home from our little mini vacation last night at about 10:30 pm. I did the normal stuff after getting home... unpacking etc. then crawled into bed at midnight! A late night for me, BUT today I am off work to get the laundry done and normal things that need to be done the day after vacation. DH went to work and I have been sitting here getting caught up on the e-mails and things that have been neglected since last Thursday.

An update... I did not tell my friend of my surgery. I decided that it wasn't needed to be a topic of discussion just yet. I had a grand time and didn't have any sliming or sticking episodes. I didn't get stuck at all and I really didn't have any eating issues. We were so busy and eating was a "back burner" thing for all of us (except my poor DH, that is) He is so used to eating and eating and eating whenever we go away, and I think he may have felt a little like an outcast when we didn't make the 20 sandwiches and didn't buy all the bags of chips and bottles of soda before heading to the beach. Instead, we made a ton of skinless broiled wings one night and put them in baggies in the cooler. We got a huge watermelon and cut it into bite size pieces and also put them in baggies in the cooler. We didn't buy all the chips and junk that we would normally pack but in place of them had low fat cheese chunks and string cheese. Oh and of course we had lots and lots of water. When we did go out for dinner, I chose salads... I had a chef salad, a taco salad, and a tuna salad plate. My only down fall was one night we went to "Coldstone Creamery" and OMG... I love ice cream, but I was good. I only got a small and I think my tastes must be changing a little, because ice cream is one of my biggest diet sabotaging foods. This time it was different, it was just OK to me. It wasn't the biggest deal. And I was happy with the small. Didn't want more, I was sweetly satisfied!

I did have a small problem last night at dinner on our way home butI know what I did! I THOUGHT I was hungrier than I was and I felt that I wasn't eating fast enough for everyone else. They were all almost done and I only had 1/3 of my plate gone so I started eating fast and didn't chew enough. Yup, I got a piece of chicken sausage stuck and had to go to the rest room to "Burp" (or from a lapbanders point of view) Slime it up. Got that done, and then finished my strawberries and said I was Full. I really was too. I just felt a little odd not being able to finish all my food. That again is a learning curve I am still driving on, taking the smaller portions and not the 3 or 4 spoonfuls!

Today has been a good day. I got on the scale this morning and have not gained any weight since I left for Maryland. I didn't lose any either but I am very happy I didn't gain! I will get back on the elliptical after almost a week off and I will be very careful what I am eating the rest of this week. I go back to the Dr's office on Monday the 7th for another try at a fill, (or not). Right now I am feeling good enough that I think the sweet spot may be mine. I will discuss it all with Dr G on Monday and see what he thinks our course of action should be from here. I can't wait to talk to him.