OK we did it....we got on our bikes at 9:08 am and rode our little hearts out for 16 miles. We went up a gentle hill, around a lake and down a little hill and then along lots of flat stuff until the end of the Cottage Grove trail. I got off my bike and on wobbly legs wiggle waggles to the picnic bench where I needed to sit, drink water and stretch my sore shoulders and tight hips (the thighs were like jello but didn't hurt). After I had taxed the ability of the two guys (husband and a my old work colleague who got me started on this bike deal in the first place) to sit still we got back on our bikes..then i stopped them again to have them adjust the seat that Henry (work colleague) said was wrong. It made a HUGE difference to have my seat higher and tilted slightly back. I then cranked along for the long haul back to the truck. We rode..and rode and road. About 4 miles from the truck I got that feeling you get when you have been on a plane, train or bus for too long..you know that feeling that makes you feel like that if you have to stay on the vehicle for another few minutes you are going to lose it and tear the door off the hinges just to get out...well I felt that way about the $#$%@## bike. Henry gave me a pep talk for the last miles telling me that it was these last few hard miles that were giving me the most benefit and helping me to grow my endurance. I still wanted off the @#$!#$ bike but...we did it. At 12:20 and 32 miles total we rode back up to our truck and loaded up the bikes. I found out later that David who pulled ahead of us for that last few miles was feeling the same way only his was all butt pain and he figured if he went fast he could get off the bike faster.
in the end I am super pumped that we did it. That we decided that take our 10 year anniversary trip on something that was about being physically active instead of lounging (we seriously debated going to Hawaii and opted for this instead)...it was a load of fun and I am hoping that I will lose a little of weight, and come out much fitter because of it.
Here is a description of the trail and great pictures of the scenery.
Living with a lapband after seeing goal is just as much work as getting there. This blog chronicles my journey to qualify for band surgery, my work to goal weight and now living with the band long term. Weight will always be an issue but there is a whole lot of living to be done.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wow-probably the most profound post I have ever read
Go read it....I found it here: . Sandy found it at Jack Sh*t Gettin Fit.
Although my weight has bobbed back to 175 this weekend was a very physically active one. I know that before this weightloss I would not have been able to do any of it. From leading a horse around, shoveling stalls, running library books across the street, delivering newspapers to 54 houses and riding 15 miles on my bike (tomorrow we are pushing the limits to 30 miles). Each and every time I finish these activities I recognize and am thankful for the new me. Now I am not a religious girl but...I send up a thank you band, thank you science, thank you Dr. Wolfe....none of this would be possible without my friendly bandy.
Although my weight has bobbed back to 175 this weekend was a very physically active one. I know that before this weightloss I would not have been able to do any of it. From leading a horse around, shoveling stalls, running library books across the street, delivering newspapers to 54 houses and riding 15 miles on my bike (tomorrow we are pushing the limits to 30 miles). Each and every time I finish these activities I recognize and am thankful for the new me. Now I am not a religious girl but...I send up a thank you band, thank you science, thank you Dr. Wolfe....none of this would be possible without my friendly bandy.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Mid-Range Goal Setting
My weakness has always been mid-range planning. I am compelled to plan in the long term (like where do I want to work, go to school..home remodeling projects) I can do short term decision-making like what do I want to eat right now. How do i plan routes from place to place what do we need to buy etc. It is the mid-range stuff that I have always found difficult if not impossible. How much food should I eat now in order to not eat too much during the day, If I want to get papers finished how do I plan out incremental steps so that I am not working 12 hours or more a day to get them done just before the deadline, or saving money for larger items. This middle ground working away at long term projects is vital to success but I have just never been good at it.
This weakness means that I always struggled with dieting. I was either full on and perfect or off and making minute to minute decisions based on what I wanted or felt I needed in the moment. The band has really slammed mid-range goal setting up in my face. It is more difficult to eat effectively (or keep food down sometimes) If I do not think about what I can and cannot eat. We cannot just go running to a fast food place because I will end up in the bathroom ralphing mid-way through the meal. I cannot skip water between meals because I won't be able to after I eat food. The realization that I was a crappy mid-range planner and the lessons I have learned during this now two year long weight-loss journey has really bled over into other parts of my life.
At the New Year I set some goals for the first time that I am continuing to be mindful of and work on. Now am I perfect?...hell no...I struggle to stop from slipping back into my old habits all the time (take that damnable carrot cake yesterday). As I start really working at my two jobs (plus the on the side math tutoring) I really need to get a handle on mid-range planning and time organization. This morning I took yet another trip out to the store to buy a weekly planner to hang in the kitchen. I also bought a small calendar to carry around and a cool journal-thingy that was touted as a project planner. I am hoping that this time (can you tell I have tried this go buy organizy stuff to prompt real organization before??)..This time I am testing the limits of my changed mid-range planning skills developed in part with the band's help. Now I just have to consistently use the things.
This weakness means that I always struggled with dieting. I was either full on and perfect or off and making minute to minute decisions based on what I wanted or felt I needed in the moment. The band has really slammed mid-range goal setting up in my face. It is more difficult to eat effectively (or keep food down sometimes) If I do not think about what I can and cannot eat. We cannot just go running to a fast food place because I will end up in the bathroom ralphing mid-way through the meal. I cannot skip water between meals because I won't be able to after I eat food. The realization that I was a crappy mid-range planner and the lessons I have learned during this now two year long weight-loss journey has really bled over into other parts of my life.
At the New Year I set some goals for the first time that I am continuing to be mindful of and work on. Now am I perfect?...hell no...I struggle to stop from slipping back into my old habits all the time (take that damnable carrot cake yesterday). As I start really working at my two jobs (plus the on the side math tutoring) I really need to get a handle on mid-range planning and time organization. This morning I took yet another trip out to the store to buy a weekly planner to hang in the kitchen. I also bought a small calendar to carry around and a cool journal-thingy that was touted as a project planner. I am hoping that this time (can you tell I have tried this go buy organizy stuff to prompt real organization before??)..This time I am testing the limits of my changed mid-range planning skills developed in part with the band's help. Now I just have to consistently use the things.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
does Carrot Cake Count?
They had a slice of carrot cake at Safeway for 99 cents....that is just a crime against humanity. I have one. I am eating it...3 bites so far. It is good.
I have more to write about but I think the carrot cake thing has some poetry to it don't you? I guess that is why people like twitter. I will save my other thoughts for later.
I have more to write about but I think the carrot cake thing has some poetry to it don't you? I guess that is why people like twitter. I will save my other thoughts for later.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Not Perfect but Better-
Exercise-I did a good job with exercise today even if my workout choices were odd ones. I went out and weeded and watered my garden for 1 hour and then while Grace was taking her horseback riding lesson I cleaned out 3 horse stalls. The gardening was really not too strenuous but I did manage to work up a sweat because it was hot outside. Cleaning out the horse stalls was more on target with a work out.
The riding teacher owns three horses. While Grace was on one I cleaned out the first stall. Then when grace had finished her lesson she took out the old retired horse for a walk around and brush while I cleaned up his stall. Finally the third horse went out for a lesson and I cleaned out that one. I even have a blister on my hand!! Cleaning out stalls is not back breaking work because after all grassy horse poop is really quite light. There was, however, a lot of it in those three stalls. It took almost two ours of scooping, pulling the cart out to the poop pile, dumping and then reloading with fresh sawdust into the now clean stall.
On the food front I ate OK but I need to start doing a better job of eating actual meals. I have fallen into a snacky habit. My meals are after all so small now that grabbing a few crackers and cheese is easy but it does not really pack a protein and vegetable wallop like I need. For dinner I had to go out to a newspaper editorial meeting and again...grabbed for the cheese instead of sitting down to a proper dinner. When I came home David had prepared the most delicious beets on the barbecue (see recipe below)
This recipe was inspired by my aunt Sally who gave me the beets fresh from her garden. She told me to do the following and then put the vegetables in a roasting pan in the oven. David was doing sausages on the barbecue tonight so I adapted it for that:
Peel some beets. Throw the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. drizzle olive oil and a few cloves of garlic (chopped roughly). close the foil up and put on the barbecue next to whatever you are cooking. The beets are tender and tasty in about 30 minutes. Sally says she does the above with all kinds of vegetables (but roasts them) and it makes them taste extra good. I ate some when I got home from my meeting and they were delicious!
The riding teacher owns three horses. While Grace was on one I cleaned out the first stall. Then when grace had finished her lesson she took out the old retired horse for a walk around and brush while I cleaned up his stall. Finally the third horse went out for a lesson and I cleaned out that one. I even have a blister on my hand!! Cleaning out stalls is not back breaking work because after all grassy horse poop is really quite light. There was, however, a lot of it in those three stalls. It took almost two ours of scooping, pulling the cart out to the poop pile, dumping and then reloading with fresh sawdust into the now clean stall.
On the food front I ate OK but I need to start doing a better job of eating actual meals. I have fallen into a snacky habit. My meals are after all so small now that grabbing a few crackers and cheese is easy but it does not really pack a protein and vegetable wallop like I need. For dinner I had to go out to a newspaper editorial meeting and again...grabbed for the cheese instead of sitting down to a proper dinner. When I came home David had prepared the most delicious beets on the barbecue (see recipe below)
This recipe was inspired by my aunt Sally who gave me the beets fresh from her garden. She told me to do the following and then put the vegetables in a roasting pan in the oven. David was doing sausages on the barbecue tonight so I adapted it for that:
Peel some beets. Throw the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. drizzle olive oil and a few cloves of garlic (chopped roughly). close the foil up and put on the barbecue next to whatever you are cooking. The beets are tender and tasty in about 30 minutes. Sally says she does the above with all kinds of vegetables (but roasts them) and it makes them taste extra good. I ate some when I got home from my meeting and they were delicious!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
EEK-Lost the Plot?
For some unknown reason my restriction left the building and I have had a very hungry few days and have felt compelled to belly flop into one unhealthy snack after another.
On Sunday Grace and I packed up our bikes and took off to my mom's for a quick weekend before I am landlocked at home again. My work schedule for fall term is on Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's---thus no family weekends or days to take off to visit my parents. This trip culminated my headlong pitch away from exercise and back into food. I do not know what is going on but I have been starving hungry and craving dessert things like a heat seeking missile. While at my moms I got on her scale and thought to myself--well her scale is wrong (way too heavy)...um not ...I got home and it read one pound heavier. I have put on 7 pounds in a week!
Please cross all of your fingers and toes..knock on all things wooden that this is a water thing and not actual fat--even though I have a small spare tire that has appeared back on my waist as of this morning.
I vow to go back on the straight and arrow immediately by getting on my bike daily and focusing on eating when and what I am supposed to. I will also change my two year appointment (haven't done it yet) to another day and perhaps get that little pinch of a fill.
On Sunday Grace and I packed up our bikes and took off to my mom's for a quick weekend before I am landlocked at home again. My work schedule for fall term is on Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's---thus no family weekends or days to take off to visit my parents. This trip culminated my headlong pitch away from exercise and back into food. I do not know what is going on but I have been starving hungry and craving dessert things like a heat seeking missile. While at my moms I got on her scale and thought to myself--well her scale is wrong (way too heavy)...um not ...I got home and it read one pound heavier. I have put on 7 pounds in a week!
Please cross all of your fingers and toes..knock on all things wooden that this is a water thing and not actual fat--even though I have a small spare tire that has appeared back on my waist as of this morning.
I vow to go back on the straight and arrow immediately by getting on my bike daily and focusing on eating when and what I am supposed to. I will also change my two year appointment (haven't done it yet) to another day and perhaps get that little pinch of a fill.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A Bit of a Fun Station Break
So the weightloss has stopped...right before hitting the 170 that I crave but as an entertaining diversion I had a great day at work (meeting with all kinds of fun workshop planning which I love). I gave the term final exam to my math class. Made two year bandiversary appointments for next Thursday at my surgeons office (a bit of a moan about that in a bit). Put the August paper to bed that I write for (volunteer) and finally...attended a coolarific neighborhood luau.
Work-I have finally signed a contract and now on the payroll at our local (and only a 15 minute drive away) university. It is a part time gig planning, collecting data for and doing some research on a grant project the department has gotten. Another part of the job is to assist in program planning and act as an adviser for graduate students. I love good collaboration and we had a program planning meeting on Tuesday that was really inspiring and fun to participate in.
My other job this summer has been to teach a half online half Saturday pre-calculus class at my local community college. Today was the final (Yippeee)..I managed to get all of the papers graded and grades calculated this afternoon and just need ot upload them tomorrow. Next term I am slotted to teach the course again and teach mathematics for elementary school teachers (I love this class so am looking forward to it).
The Doctors Appointment-On Thursday I attempted to make my two year anniversary appointment but failed to penetrate the receptionist force fields of the front desk. Instead of an appointment with my surgeon I got a fill appointment with a nurse practitioner. Instead of pre-arranging another deposit of data for the research study that I thought I was a part of...I got a n0 reply to my phone message and a survey in the mail asking me how my participation and information given by those conducting the study have been. I am not giving them high reviews. I am soo irritated and worked up now that I am going to call on Monday and cancel the appointment and demand to see my proper doctor and not some pass off last minute pinch hitter of a medical person.
The Newspaper-A few months ago I volunteered to write for our neighborhood newspaper. I really don't know what I was thinking as I barely got anything written for my old job but for some reason a good bit of journalism has caused my literary juices to flow and I have cranked out an article on the local July 4th festivities, three articles on the homeowners association arguments and goings on. and one on our neighborhood yearly night-out barbecues. It has been kind of fun to run around the neighborhood meeting people who I have lived near for 10 years and not really talked to before. I get to take pictures for my stories and collaborate with the other volunteer newspaper crew in planning stories, editing etc. Again another fun collaboration. We put our August issue to bed last night and will begin the September issue in a few days.
The Luau-For ten years the neighborhood I live in has offered a variety of fun activities of which I could have taken part...I didn't really. Grace did swim team and I sat and watched last year. For 10 years I showed up at the 4th of July firework show, watched the parade and even judged the floats a time or two but this year I have taken a much more active role in things. I walked the parade with the swim team, spend two hours serving up snow cones at the recreation center festivities, attended a jazz concert and spent many a warm day sitting poolside with my knitting while Grace swam. Tonight they held a luau. For 10 dollars we showed up at the recreation center for pulled pork, sweet and sour meatballs, macaroni salad, cole slaw, fruit preceded by wine (we carried our own) and were entertained by a full troop of Hawaiian dancers and even a fire dancer.
Finally for those of you who have waited with baited breath for someone to notice the weightloss...I had two people say it looked like i had lost weight. Uh..yeah duh just a little :) it is funny but still nice anyway.
Work-I have finally signed a contract and now on the payroll at our local (and only a 15 minute drive away) university. It is a part time gig planning, collecting data for and doing some research on a grant project the department has gotten. Another part of the job is to assist in program planning and act as an adviser for graduate students. I love good collaboration and we had a program planning meeting on Tuesday that was really inspiring and fun to participate in.
My other job this summer has been to teach a half online half Saturday pre-calculus class at my local community college. Today was the final (Yippeee)..I managed to get all of the papers graded and grades calculated this afternoon and just need ot upload them tomorrow. Next term I am slotted to teach the course again and teach mathematics for elementary school teachers (I love this class so am looking forward to it).
The Doctors Appointment-On Thursday I attempted to make my two year anniversary appointment but failed to penetrate the receptionist force fields of the front desk. Instead of an appointment with my surgeon I got a fill appointment with a nurse practitioner. Instead of pre-arranging another deposit of data for the research study that I thought I was a part of...I got a n0 reply to my phone message and a survey in the mail asking me how my participation and information given by those conducting the study have been. I am not giving them high reviews. I am soo irritated and worked up now that I am going to call on Monday and cancel the appointment and demand to see my proper doctor and not some pass off last minute pinch hitter of a medical person.
The Newspaper-A few months ago I volunteered to write for our neighborhood newspaper. I really don't know what I was thinking as I barely got anything written for my old job but for some reason a good bit of journalism has caused my literary juices to flow and I have cranked out an article on the local July 4th festivities, three articles on the homeowners association arguments and goings on. and one on our neighborhood yearly night-out barbecues. It has been kind of fun to run around the neighborhood meeting people who I have lived near for 10 years and not really talked to before. I get to take pictures for my stories and collaborate with the other volunteer newspaper crew in planning stories, editing etc. Again another fun collaboration. We put our August issue to bed last night and will begin the September issue in a few days.
The Luau-For ten years the neighborhood I live in has offered a variety of fun activities of which I could have taken part...I didn't really. Grace did swim team and I sat and watched last year. For 10 years I showed up at the 4th of July firework show, watched the parade and even judged the floats a time or two but this year I have taken a much more active role in things. I walked the parade with the swim team, spend two hours serving up snow cones at the recreation center festivities, attended a jazz concert and spent many a warm day sitting poolside with my knitting while Grace swam. Tonight they held a luau. For 10 dollars we showed up at the recreation center for pulled pork, sweet and sour meatballs, macaroni salad, cole slaw, fruit preceded by wine (we carried our own) and were entertained by a full troop of Hawaiian dancers and even a fire dancer.
Finally for those of you who have waited with baited breath for someone to notice the weightloss...I had two people say it looked like i had lost weight. Uh..yeah duh just a little :) it is funny but still nice anyway.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Dancing In the Streets :) ...wahoooo
Ok this volatile weightloss roller coaster thing is crazy but pretty much in a good way. The weight rebound on yesterday has come off again (in 24 hours flat) and I am now down to an all time low of 171.
I should have had a clue that something was up when I had a starving day yesterday--one long grazing session that ended in a chocolate fest while I played bunco. I think I ingested enough minty m & m's to caffeinate a small island nation. This morning the weight fairy visited and the scale showed 171 wahooooo...Only one pound away from what I weighed in high school....I need to go dig out my high school pictures now I think.
The weird thing is that I am now one size smaller than I was in high school. I wore a size 14 (and sometimes 16)...a few years ago they shifted the size scale one size but now I am wearing size 10/12. I am assuming I have less muscle mass? all the saggy skin is south of where my clothes fit? :)...or they really shifted the sized down by two to make us all feel better than reality?
Tina
I should have had a clue that something was up when I had a starving day yesterday--one long grazing session that ended in a chocolate fest while I played bunco. I think I ingested enough minty m & m's to caffeinate a small island nation. This morning the weight fairy visited and the scale showed 171 wahooooo...Only one pound away from what I weighed in high school....I need to go dig out my high school pictures now I think.
The weird thing is that I am now one size smaller than I was in high school. I wore a size 14 (and sometimes 16)...a few years ago they shifted the size scale one size but now I am wearing size 10/12. I am assuming I have less muscle mass? all the saggy skin is south of where my clothes fit? :)...or they really shifted the sized down by two to make us all feel better than reality?
Tina
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Hot Hot Hot...Again
We are having a heat wave here at the moment. Saturday-today has had temperatures in the high 90's and 100's. The weather is not nearly as bothersome as it used to be but I am still experiencing a little heat related puffy water retention. I can really feel it in my left ankle. It is funny really because of all of the things that I thought the weight gain would solve for me it was my left leg edema. Don't get me wrong the problem has improved drastically but I still get a bit of swelling and bruising on my left ankle when I travel and like now when the temperatures soar along with the humidity.
Yesterday I bounced back up two pounds to 174 but today I wore my size 10 capri pants. I am doing my best to control the little negative voice in my head that says...ohh you didn't really lose those extra two pounds they are back....and fight back with my other more positive self that says....yes, yest I did lose those two pounds and this is just heat related water weight gain.
I think I have figured out my dizzy problem--caffeine. The week after I got back from Sunriver and had my tremendous weight loss drop I drastically reduced the amount of caffeine I was drinking. The drop in my weight I suspect was due to the huge increase in exercise during our week of vacation. I am going to ramp up the exercise next week again and see if I can get another big drop in two weeks. Stay tuned for the experimental results.
Yesterday I bounced back up two pounds to 174 but today I wore my size 10 capri pants. I am doing my best to control the little negative voice in my head that says...ohh you didn't really lose those extra two pounds they are back....and fight back with my other more positive self that says....yes, yest I did lose those two pounds and this is just heat related water weight gain.
I think I have figured out my dizzy problem--caffeine. The week after I got back from Sunriver and had my tremendous weight loss drop I drastically reduced the amount of caffeine I was drinking. The drop in my weight I suspect was due to the huge increase in exercise during our week of vacation. I am going to ramp up the exercise next week again and see if I can get another big drop in two weeks. Stay tuned for the experimental results.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Another Day Another Pound
I am at a weird but somewhat cool band tightness spot right now. I do think eventually I will need to go in for a little unfill but right now I feel like I am in a perfect zen location. The weight is coming off quickly. I am not eating a lot but am getting in the right things at each meal. I am not getting stuck or even over eating. I feel satisfied quickly but am not feeling any urge whatsoever to snack or eat just one more bite beyond satisfied. The remaining 8 pounds to goal is so close I can taste it.
I do not know if this place is actually a physical one and all due to the band or if it is sort of a perfect band/mental space that I have stumbled upon. I will continue to ponder on it and let you know if I come up with an answer :)
todays food: Breakfast: one grande skim peppermint mocha frappacino.
Lunch: 3/4 cup of broccoli cheese soup. Two bites of a pickle.
Dinner:1 glass of white wine, 1 two inch round of dry sour dough bread, 3 oz of crab/cheese/risotto croquettes and about an oz of wild salmon.
nightime: Tonight I had my vitamin D in 1 cup of orange juice.
To top it all off we spent most of today shopping. I did a clothing try on at Target and actually purchased a pair of size 10 capris and two size medium dresses!!!! Overall a totally satisfying day.
On a final note-Nichole let me have a picture that was taken two years ago when I flew up with Grace to Alaska right after my grandson was born (May 2008). We went to this totally Alaska roadside bar and grill for lunch and the owners took our picture. Here is that picture---I probably weighed 298 and was attempting to use Grace as a shield (she was obviously too small to do the job). Funnily enough Grace and Grant are the only two people in the picture who have gotten bigger. Nichole has lost about 40 pounds since then and he boyfriend, Dave, has lost about 20. together we have lost almost 190 pounds. Cinda (daughter number 3) had in her hidden possession a contraband picture of me in a swimsuit before the band....I am saving that one for when I hit goal. I will do a before and after swimsuit photo (prepare to see the melted candle look!!)
I do not know if this place is actually a physical one and all due to the band or if it is sort of a perfect band/mental space that I have stumbled upon. I will continue to ponder on it and let you know if I come up with an answer :)
todays food: Breakfast: one grande skim peppermint mocha frappacino.
Lunch: 3/4 cup of broccoli cheese soup. Two bites of a pickle.
Dinner:1 glass of white wine, 1 two inch round of dry sour dough bread, 3 oz of crab/cheese/risotto croquettes and about an oz of wild salmon.
nightime: Tonight I had my vitamin D in 1 cup of orange juice.
To top it all off we spent most of today shopping. I did a clothing try on at Target and actually purchased a pair of size 10 capris and two size medium dresses!!!! Overall a totally satisfying day.
On a final note-Nichole let me have a picture that was taken two years ago when I flew up with Grace to Alaska right after my grandson was born (May 2008). We went to this totally Alaska roadside bar and grill for lunch and the owners took our picture. Here is that picture---I probably weighed 298 and was attempting to use Grace as a shield (she was obviously too small to do the job). Funnily enough Grace and Grant are the only two people in the picture who have gotten bigger. Nichole has lost about 40 pounds since then and he boyfriend, Dave, has lost about 20. together we have lost almost 190 pounds. Cinda (daughter number 3) had in her hidden possession a contraband picture of me in a swimsuit before the band....I am saving that one for when I hit goal. I will do a before and after swimsuit photo (prepare to see the melted candle look!!)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Random Worrying Thought-
We had people for dinner tonight. With the heat and stress of getting ready my band seemed to slam shut. I had a difficult time drinking the peppermint iced tea I concocted (nope..No vodka for me tonight this one was alcohol free). I actually had a dinner party where I did not eat any dinner. It was odd and it didn't bother me at all (the not eating part) but it is freaking me out a little bit.
While at my doctors office last week the doctor mentioned that she had heard of some WLS patients who end up head long in either bulimia or anorexia because they get so worried about gaining their weight back. I would never let the weight come back. This life at this weight is so freaking awesome that I never ever want to be the out of shape person I once was.
so the freaking out part is...I didn't want to eat because I wanted to avoid having an embarrassing stuck episode in front of every one. I did not eat because i wasn't hungry. I did not eat because I could tell I was totally tight. but then...this is really the first time that I totally skipped a meal because of it. It was somehow easier to just skip the food and drink my iced tea than it was to deal with the food. I hope that because i recognize this...that I wont fall into some sort of a social eating food avoidance thing.
Just so you know--I am one of those people that when I have one of those really big zits start bubbling under the surface I do an internet search and end up spending 2 days worrying that it is some form of rare cancer...it runs in my family :)..over active illness imagination I mean..not the cancer. :)
While at my doctors office last week the doctor mentioned that she had heard of some WLS patients who end up head long in either bulimia or anorexia because they get so worried about gaining their weight back. I would never let the weight come back. This life at this weight is so freaking awesome that I never ever want to be the out of shape person I once was.
so the freaking out part is...I didn't want to eat because I wanted to avoid having an embarrassing stuck episode in front of every one. I did not eat because i wasn't hungry. I did not eat because I could tell I was totally tight. but then...this is really the first time that I totally skipped a meal because of it. It was somehow easier to just skip the food and drink my iced tea than it was to deal with the food. I hope that because i recognize this...that I wont fall into some sort of a social eating food avoidance thing.
Just so you know--I am one of those people that when I have one of those really big zits start bubbling under the surface I do an internet search and end up spending 2 days worrying that it is some form of rare cancer...it runs in my family :)..over active illness imagination I mean..not the cancer. :)
holy cow....another pound down and Vitamin D?
I lost yet another flipping pound today. I do not think I have lost this quickly since the first week I was banded and on liquids. Obviously some fat God somewhere has seen fit to release me from the plateau I was apparently on after hitting the 180's. Whatever the reason I am one happy camper right now.
We took another trip to Costco yesterday and I found yet another gem item. At our annual physical exams David and I were both told that our vitamin D levels were low. Apparently everyone who lives in the northwest U.S. suffers from it. I would imagine most people in sun deprived areas have trouble with D. I know that mine has been low for years. I am not a good vitamin taker (thankfully my other nutritional data is fine) but since David is not in tip top physical condition (I will inform you more about that when he finishes his battery of tests) I got us both a bottle of liquid D. The doctor told us to take 3000 units a day so all we have to do with this stuff is take 1 tablespoon. I took mine and mixed it with 1 cup of orange juice and it tasted fine. I have not tried it straight up to see if it is good or not.
We took another trip to Costco yesterday and I found yet another gem item. At our annual physical exams David and I were both told that our vitamin D levels were low. Apparently everyone who lives in the northwest U.S. suffers from it. I would imagine most people in sun deprived areas have trouble with D. I know that mine has been low for years. I am not a good vitamin taker (thankfully my other nutritional data is fine) but since David is not in tip top physical condition (I will inform you more about that when he finishes his battery of tests) I got us both a bottle of liquid D. The doctor told us to take 3000 units a day so all we have to do with this stuff is take 1 tablespoon. I took mine and mixed it with 1 cup of orange juice and it tasted fine. I have not tried it straight up to see if it is good or not.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Check-up and 10 pounds to go
I had my annual physical on Thursday. Because I had gone in the week before with my dizzy issues my blood work was already back and the doctor referenced that as we talked about my overall health. She said that my blood work was great. She has agreed to write me a letter stating that asking for my insurance to permit my plastic surgery payment to come from our health spending account and all of the other parts of an annual physical.
While I was there we discussed (in a general sense) her other patients who had had gastric bypass and lapband. At one point she stated that she was concerned that one of her Gastric bypass patients could only eat 6 ounces at a time and she stated she felt like she should be able to eat more. I stated my piece and said that I could only eat 4-6 oz of food at a time but obviously since it took that in order for me to lose weight that I must just have the metabolism that requires it. She said that if I had signs of malnutrition my blood work would show it and it did not.
I think we all just get so caught up in what we think we are supposed to eat in quantity that we forget that everyone is different and eating very small amounts of food may or may not be needed depending on the individual. I think we also forget how much food we are served in restaurants and in packaged foods and have forgotten what a reasonable serving of food is. I know it took quite a bit of readjusting over the past two years to come to terms with the meal sizes I eat now. I am grateful that with the band I was allowed to gradually decrease my meal sizes in order to re accustom myself to the new size. Even now when I am with David and he orders a burger and fries or we are out eating and the enormous portions come I am surprised and how much I used to eat.
I lost another pound today and have hit 130 pounds lost. I will need to get a few bits of new clothes as I think I may have finally popped fully into size 12 (fingers crossed). I now have just 10 left to 'normal' bmi land. My two year Bandiversary is August 21 (the day after my wedding anniversary). I am loving the revised weight-loss run :) I hope I can coast it home to 164.5
While I was there we discussed (in a general sense) her other patients who had had gastric bypass and lapband. At one point she stated that she was concerned that one of her Gastric bypass patients could only eat 6 ounces at a time and she stated she felt like she should be able to eat more. I stated my piece and said that I could only eat 4-6 oz of food at a time but obviously since it took that in order for me to lose weight that I must just have the metabolism that requires it. She said that if I had signs of malnutrition my blood work would show it and it did not.
I think we all just get so caught up in what we think we are supposed to eat in quantity that we forget that everyone is different and eating very small amounts of food may or may not be needed depending on the individual. I think we also forget how much food we are served in restaurants and in packaged foods and have forgotten what a reasonable serving of food is. I know it took quite a bit of readjusting over the past two years to come to terms with the meal sizes I eat now. I am grateful that with the band I was allowed to gradually decrease my meal sizes in order to re accustom myself to the new size. Even now when I am with David and he orders a burger and fries or we are out eating and the enormous portions come I am surprised and how much I used to eat.
I lost another pound today and have hit 130 pounds lost. I will need to get a few bits of new clothes as I think I may have finally popped fully into size 12 (fingers crossed). I now have just 10 left to 'normal' bmi land. My two year Bandiversary is August 21 (the day after my wedding anniversary). I am loving the revised weight-loss run :) I hope I can coast it home to 164.5
Monday, August 9, 2010
Product Plug
On Sunday we went to Costco for new tires on my car and while there We had a shop and a meal of samples (it is awesome to get full on store samples!!). Very rarely is a sample good enough to make me actually buy the product they are hawking. I actually tasted, read the label on this one and bought a case immediately...
Chobani Greek yogurt is the perfect storm of tasty desserty goodness, no work standing at the blender. The right balance of low calories and high protein and I think that pretty makes up a lovely guilt free snack item for my evening munchies. I got a 12 pack of blueberry, strawberry and peach. There is no sour yogurt taste and it is really creamy for a skim milk product. 18 grams of protein and 140 calories....Oh yeah...I am a happy camper right now munching on peachy goodness.
Chobani Greek yogurt is the perfect storm of tasty desserty goodness, no work standing at the blender. The right balance of low calories and high protein and I think that pretty makes up a lovely guilt free snack item for my evening munchies. I got a 12 pack of blueberry, strawberry and peach. There is no sour yogurt taste and it is really creamy for a skim milk product. 18 grams of protein and 140 calories....Oh yeah...I am a happy camper right now munching on peachy goodness.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Yeah Baby!!!
Another post vacation pound disappeared today.
Was this a plateau? I cannot fathom how I can go weeks and weeks with barely a shift on the scale (or at least only wobbles up and down around the same two pounds)and then whammo I go a week and lose four pounds with little effort and lots of vacation eating out.
Things that were different:
More activity/exercise
more water
More food and more dessert than normal
So was it the interruption in my routine? was it the exercise? was it the food? was it the water? Was it just time? Even now after two years and what I would consider success I have not worked out the magic formula. Is that why the world has such a difficult time losing weight?
Was this a plateau? I cannot fathom how I can go weeks and weeks with barely a shift on the scale (or at least only wobbles up and down around the same two pounds)and then whammo I go a week and lose four pounds with little effort and lots of vacation eating out.
Things that were different:
More activity/exercise
more water
More food and more dessert than normal
So was it the interruption in my routine? was it the exercise? was it the food? was it the water? Was it just time? Even now after two years and what I would consider success I have not worked out the magic formula. Is that why the world has such a difficult time losing weight?
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Scale Moved
How cool is it that with the band and copious amounts of exercise that we can actually lose weight on a vacation!!! The vacation is now officially over (we arrived back home last night in time for me to prepare for class and teach this morning).
The stats from the vacation are: I was tight and had to eat carefully. I had a few bits of candy, two small bowls of ice cream and 4 bites of cheesecake during the five days. I had one failed meal attempt and one pb episode. The rest was fairly smooth. each day had at least one active period. Most were very active. We spent two days on our bikes (8 and 10 miles), one day was a 3 mile walk. One day we went rafting and I paddled and on the 4th we shopped and walked around the fairgrounds. Yesterday was a butt in the car and then couch day.
The total official weightloss this morning for the week was 2 pounds. I now have lost a grand total of 127 pounds, gone from obese to overweight. I am 13.5 pounds and 2 bmi points left to be of a normal BMI range.
I am at this minute very hungry. A little voice in my head is whispering...go get a fill quick go get a fill. Another voice is saying...leave it a tad loose and try eating more healthily but with larger volume. Foodwise this morning has not been stellar but it was also kind of hectic. I cannot even call for an appointment until Monday so will see how the rest of today and tomorrow goes and then make up my mind.
The stats from the vacation are: I was tight and had to eat carefully. I had a few bits of candy, two small bowls of ice cream and 4 bites of cheesecake during the five days. I had one failed meal attempt and one pb episode. The rest was fairly smooth. each day had at least one active period. Most were very active. We spent two days on our bikes (8 and 10 miles), one day was a 3 mile walk. One day we went rafting and I paddled and on the 4th we shopped and walked around the fairgrounds. Yesterday was a butt in the car and then couch day.
The total official weightloss this morning for the week was 2 pounds. I now have lost a grand total of 127 pounds, gone from obese to overweight. I am 13.5 pounds and 2 bmi points left to be of a normal BMI range.
I am at this minute very hungry. A little voice in my head is whispering...go get a fill quick go get a fill. Another voice is saying...leave it a tad loose and try eating more healthily but with larger volume. Foodwise this morning has not been stellar but it was also kind of hectic. I cannot even call for an appointment until Monday so will see how the rest of today and tomorrow goes and then make up my mind.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Pre-TOM Tightening and Better Now
Yesterday i stuck to a very careful menu of soft food. Breakfast was a peppermint mocha. Lunch was a bowl of cold pea soup with crab. I had a bit of candy as a snack and a Starbucks peppermint mocha frappachino (my first in what seem like forever). For dinner we tried to go to a local brew pub but when they were full we crossed over to a somewhat scary looking seafood place. It had the BEST food I have ever had. I had thai green curry soup with white fish. In the evening I had a couple of pieces of cheese and popcorn. The food went down fine.
Today I made yet another eating mistake and attempted a couple of breakfast sausages and then later 5 mini rice cakes. The sausages seemed to go OK but the rice cakes did a bit of fighting back but was OK in the end. I skipped lunch. Dinner was a piece of chicken, a bite of my husbands burger (Goodness it was tasty) two rows of corn on the cob, 1 tablespoon of potato salad. A piece of tomato, celery and 2 oz of cheese. Midway through the day I had a slushie and this evening I had a bit of vanilla ice cream with a tablespoon of gooseberry jam (my oh my so tasty).
I figure the out of the blue sticking when I haven't had a problem in ages was probably due to my impending TOM and band tightening. (no this is not an excuse to keep on drinking! :))
So now to the action-Yesterday we did a bit of shopping in Bend (Oregon) and then went on a river rafting trip. It was a whole lot of fun!
Today we biked 10 miles around the resort doing a geocache puzzle with clues. The puzzle maker and cache were very well hidden and written. The only down side is we had to let the ultimate cache stay where it was hidden because of the swarm of mosquitoes swarming around the area. We had all drenched ourselves in deet and I still ended up with 5 bites by the things. 4/5 were on my butt through my bike shorts!!!
There is a scale hidden in one of the closets in the rental house. I got on it and did lose 5 pounds since I got here but...But....BUT...I am not going to count on anything until I get home. This one is an old fashioned spring one not a fancy digital like at home. I did have a thrill when I got on the scale and didn't have the numbers roll up past the highest point. I also did not feel compelled to hang onto whatever surface I could to make myself a little lighter.
:)
Today I made yet another eating mistake and attempted a couple of breakfast sausages and then later 5 mini rice cakes. The sausages seemed to go OK but the rice cakes did a bit of fighting back but was OK in the end. I skipped lunch. Dinner was a piece of chicken, a bite of my husbands burger (Goodness it was tasty) two rows of corn on the cob, 1 tablespoon of potato salad. A piece of tomato, celery and 2 oz of cheese. Midway through the day I had a slushie and this evening I had a bit of vanilla ice cream with a tablespoon of gooseberry jam (my oh my so tasty).
I figure the out of the blue sticking when I haven't had a problem in ages was probably due to my impending TOM and band tightening. (no this is not an excuse to keep on drinking! :))
So now to the action-Yesterday we did a bit of shopping in Bend (Oregon) and then went on a river rafting trip. It was a whole lot of fun!
Today we biked 10 miles around the resort doing a geocache puzzle with clues. The puzzle maker and cache were very well hidden and written. The only down side is we had to let the ultimate cache stay where it was hidden because of the swarm of mosquitoes swarming around the area. We had all drenched ourselves in deet and I still ended up with 5 bites by the things. 4/5 were on my butt through my bike shorts!!!
There is a scale hidden in one of the closets in the rental house. I got on it and did lose 5 pounds since I got here but...But....BUT...I am not going to count on anything until I get home. This one is an old fashioned spring one not a fancy digital like at home. I did have a thrill when I got on the scale and didn't have the numbers roll up past the highest point. I also did not feel compelled to hang onto whatever surface I could to make myself a little lighter.
:)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Never Drink and Eat
Man o man....I did it again. I made some home-made reisling and orange juice and had a large glass of it. Yup--it was that tasty. Very much like sangria.
I drank my pre-dinner drink while sitting on the back deck and watching 4 deer munch on various bushes and just sit in the shade for a rest.
So then there was dinner. We barbecued steaks. I made potato salad. There were beets and, tomatoes and cucumbers. Well that was my plan. I ate a small piece of steak (it seemed to go down fine). I ate a beet..it went down fine. I ate two tablespoons of potato salad. They all seemed to be fine. Fine that is until the pain started. I @#$@#$# forgot to chew something well enough. I am going to blame it on the wine. I then spent the next 20 minutes writhing in agony in my room trying to eject whatever item I failed to chew out. I ejected all of the food I ate and then some.
Ultimately I have now managed to have a cup of tea with milk for dinner. :(..I might try a yogurt later I guess.
I drank my pre-dinner drink while sitting on the back deck and watching 4 deer munch on various bushes and just sit in the shade for a rest.
So then there was dinner. We barbecued steaks. I made potato salad. There were beets and, tomatoes and cucumbers. Well that was my plan. I ate a small piece of steak (it seemed to go down fine). I ate a beet..it went down fine. I ate two tablespoons of potato salad. They all seemed to be fine. Fine that is until the pain started. I @#$@#$# forgot to chew something well enough. I am going to blame it on the wine. I then spent the next 20 minutes writhing in agony in my room trying to eject whatever item I failed to chew out. I ejected all of the food I ate and then some.
Ultimately I have now managed to have a cup of tea with milk for dinner. :(..I might try a yogurt later I guess.
What a Difference a Year Makes
So our vacation this year is quite different than ever before. We are sharing a house with friends in a sort of vacation area that by summer is filled with paths, parks, horseback riding, a river etc. Yesterday we rode our bikes for 8 miles, shopped around a little area shopping mall and then went horseback riding. For dinner we drove into the nearby town and had a lovely dinner and then came back home and crashed.
Both of our families was able to keep up and it was absolutely awesome. We are all a bit sore today but a vacation like this was not even in the realm of my thinking a year ago.
Eating has been fine. I did not get a super slammed shut band yesterday but it seems to be on the perfect side. Eating home is much easier than attempting to eat out. We have been eating breakfast in and lunch in so far but dinner we had out both nights. Last night we went out to a yummy swanky place.
I have been craving steak so i ordered a flat iron steak for dinner with a sweet potato and steamed green beans. I had a yummy pre-dinner drink with orange juice and reisling wine with a couple of blackberries floating in it. I skipped the bread (as that before dinner treat has caused me trouble more than once). The steak was SCARY. It was chewy and had quite a bit of connective tissue. I had 4 bites and did my best to chew the crud out of it but the fear got to me so I handed it over to my friend (we were sharing). I had three green beans and about 3 bites of my sweet potato. The kids ordered dessert and I had three bites of the most delicious cheesecake.
Today after a good nights sleep we left the house again and took a long walk (at least 3 miles) and found two geocaches nearby and are now eating lunch in again. Our afternoon plans are to go hike in to a cave and check out a local nature/history museum. I will get some pictures today and upload them.
Both of our families was able to keep up and it was absolutely awesome. We are all a bit sore today but a vacation like this was not even in the realm of my thinking a year ago.
Eating has been fine. I did not get a super slammed shut band yesterday but it seems to be on the perfect side. Eating home is much easier than attempting to eat out. We have been eating breakfast in and lunch in so far but dinner we had out both nights. Last night we went out to a yummy swanky place.
I have been craving steak so i ordered a flat iron steak for dinner with a sweet potato and steamed green beans. I had a yummy pre-dinner drink with orange juice and reisling wine with a couple of blackberries floating in it. I skipped the bread (as that before dinner treat has caused me trouble more than once). The steak was SCARY. It was chewy and had quite a bit of connective tissue. I had 4 bites and did my best to chew the crud out of it but the fear got to me so I handed it over to my friend (we were sharing). I had three green beans and about 3 bites of my sweet potato. The kids ordered dessert and I had three bites of the most delicious cheesecake.
Today after a good nights sleep we left the house again and took a long walk (at least 3 miles) and found two geocaches nearby and are now eating lunch in again. Our afternoon plans are to go hike in to a cave and check out a local nature/history museum. I will get some pictures today and upload them.
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