We will arrive in London on July 6 and stay over for a few days. Does anyone want to meet up for coffee, lunch or dinner? Email me and I will be there.
I will also spend a few weeks in south Wales (Newport area) and a couple of days in Chelmsford.
I can't wait to meet some of you!
xxxooo
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.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Ouch!!
Today at work I was typing away with my leg crossed and hooked around the back (because it still gives me a thrill to be able to do that). I probably sat there for more than an hour in this position when nature called. I got up to go the the bathroom. I quickly unhooked my leg (it felt a little numb). I got up out of the office chair and my foot refused to hold me up. I went crashing to the floor in a skirt!!
My colleague said she got quite the view of my white cotton undies as I sprawled on the floor. I have never had this happen before and although it hurt a bit going down to the ground I know that it would have hurt a hell of a lot more had I still weighed 304. Once on the ground the pain in my ankle set in and I felt a little nauseous. I laid down to get my head below my heart (that is what your supposed to do right?). Ultimately I had to pee (what got me out of the chair in the first place) and hobbled to the bathroom. I was OK until I sat for another few hours at my desk and then walked across campus to my car and then drove home :)...turning purple. Cinda (my daughter in nursing school) made me lay down with it propped up and put ice on it. It did help the swelling go down a bit and feel better.
This evening I showered and went out with a friend to happy hour to sit and talk and celebrate the last day of school for the kids. while my foot dangled under the table it swelled up into huge proportions and hurts like a M#$%$ Now. I might actually have to go get an xray tomorrow.
ON a happy note...the conversation was good. They had peppermint schnapps and orange juice and the cheesy spinach dip was divine (not in that order).
xxxooo
My colleague said she got quite the view of my white cotton undies as I sprawled on the floor. I have never had this happen before and although it hurt a bit going down to the ground I know that it would have hurt a hell of a lot more had I still weighed 304. Once on the ground the pain in my ankle set in and I felt a little nauseous. I laid down to get my head below my heart (that is what your supposed to do right?). Ultimately I had to pee (what got me out of the chair in the first place) and hobbled to the bathroom. I was OK until I sat for another few hours at my desk and then walked across campus to my car and then drove home :)...turning purple. Cinda (my daughter in nursing school) made me lay down with it propped up and put ice on it. It did help the swelling go down a bit and feel better.
This evening I showered and went out with a friend to happy hour to sit and talk and celebrate the last day of school for the kids. while my foot dangled under the table it swelled up into huge proportions and hurts like a M#$%$ Now. I might actually have to go get an xray tomorrow.
ON a happy note...the conversation was good. They had peppermint schnapps and orange juice and the cheesy spinach dip was divine (not in that order).
xxxooo
Monday, June 13, 2011
Weekend In Review
The new clothing size victory could not have come at a better time as I had a houseful of people to celebrate my oldest daughters graduation. She completed her Master's Degree in Mathematics (yup I am proud).
In attendance were my parents, daughters, ex-husband and his sisters. What in the past would have been a pretty stressful event was relatively calm. David went above and beyond the call of duty and stayed home to do all of the cooking and arranging for the after graduation party. He barbecued salmon and hotdogs. He fried a chicken, cooked rosemary potatoes, made two cakes, a batch of home-made ice cream and bread. I only prepped the potatoes in foil and threw together a caprese pasta salad before I left for the graduation ceremony.
The only down-side to the day was the stupid rain! We were stuck indoors in our much smaller house. We did manage to seat everyone but it required all of our dining room chairs into the living room as well as our lawn chairs.
Nichole's picture was snapped by the official photographers (she is in the center of the picture with dark curly hair.
xxxooo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/portland_state_university/5826785964/sizes/o/in/photostream/
In attendance were my parents, daughters, ex-husband and his sisters. What in the past would have been a pretty stressful event was relatively calm. David went above and beyond the call of duty and stayed home to do all of the cooking and arranging for the after graduation party. He barbecued salmon and hotdogs. He fried a chicken, cooked rosemary potatoes, made two cakes, a batch of home-made ice cream and bread. I only prepped the potatoes in foil and threw together a caprese pasta salad before I left for the graduation ceremony.
The only down-side to the day was the stupid rain! We were stuck indoors in our much smaller house. We did manage to seat everyone but it required all of our dining room chairs into the living room as well as our lawn chairs.
Nichole's picture was snapped by the official photographers (she is in the center of the picture with dark curly hair.
xxxooo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/portland_state_university/5826785964/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Size 8!
I am back down at goal and have been just hovering at cracking back down to 163. I noticed that the jeans I have been wearing for the past few months have developed a small hole right in the middle of my backside. At REI I flicked through the sales rack and found a pair of zipper pants (long pants that can be be turned into shorts with the pull of a zipper around the legs. I took them out of the size large section and took them to the dressing room (I always wear at least one size bigger at REI). I tried them on they fit slightly snuggly but were short. Grace looked at the tag and said well mom they are size 8 petites..no wonder they are too short! I actually put on a size 8 petite and zipped it. So I went out and rifled through the rack and found a size 8 regular pair of pants and a cool skirt from the same company. Hell yes I bought them!!
Still on my size 8 high I went over to Macy's and tried on replacement jeans (the 10's were too big and I got another 8). plus several blouses in size 10 (I have worn 12 on top). and lovely pair of baggy linen pajama pants that I have always coveted and now own!
Oh...like is juts dandy :) and I am ready to pack my bags for Europe in a few short weeks.
xxxooo
Still on my size 8 high I went over to Macy's and tried on replacement jeans (the 10's were too big and I got another 8). plus several blouses in size 10 (I have worn 12 on top). and lovely pair of baggy linen pajama pants that I have always coveted and now own!
Oh...like is juts dandy :) and I am ready to pack my bags for Europe in a few short weeks.
xxxooo
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
My First Support Group Meeting
The hospital where I had my surgery done had a support group meeting today and for the first time ever I had/made the time to attend. As was an issue for me when I got my lapband surgery most of the attendees were rny patients. There was only one other lapband person. The topic today was how to avoid regain after bariatric surgery. The group leader was a dietitian but the session was pretty good.
Amazingly good despite sticking up my nose in the past about mingling with the rny patients (not because I am stuck up about it but the office seemed to think we needed exactly the same after care). Anyway I was by far the longest post surgery (followed by another guy who had had rny). I actually had quite a bit in common with the second longest since surgery guy. He had regained 20 pounds and felt that he needed strategies while travelling. I could relate quite a bit to some of the problems he had. He mentioned that he had trouble with the fact that he for so long could not eat so many things and then all of a sudden could eat anything and the boundaries were difficult to maintain. He also had trouble shifting from being unemployed to employed and traveling quite a bit.
Another interesting tidbit is that I had lost the most weight and was the only one at the normal bmi range goal. Some were quite early after surgery but most were already regaining some of their weight after hitting a plateau. This was especially interesting that the other lapband person was regaining and did not seem to understand that she could go get a fill. The dietitian said after I introduced myself and provided my stats- "wow that is a lot of weight for a lapband patient"...definitely some reduced expectations in that office for us lapbanders.
One of the activities the dietitian had us do was to brainstorm and write down some of the behaviors that helped us in our weightloss and then some of the behaviors that hindered it. Finally she had us pick three things that help to support our weightloss effort (the three legged stool thing). As a group it seemed that most of us agreed on exercise, eating mindfully and finding support.
The group was mostly good-with the odd strange person (it is funny isn't it how there are just some very strange people in the world).
I did leave valuing this blog community even more than I already do because we have the best support group right here online!!. I also left after thinking about what I need to do to keep this weight off and keep the bouncing range below goal instead of right at the top end of my tolerance levels. Speaking of which..those magical mood enhancing drugs are also having a magical effect on my restriction. The acid reflux has disappeared. My energy has returned and best of all I am not hungry. wahooo :). Long may it last.
xxxooo
Amazingly good despite sticking up my nose in the past about mingling with the rny patients (not because I am stuck up about it but the office seemed to think we needed exactly the same after care). Anyway I was by far the longest post surgery (followed by another guy who had had rny). I actually had quite a bit in common with the second longest since surgery guy. He had regained 20 pounds and felt that he needed strategies while travelling. I could relate quite a bit to some of the problems he had. He mentioned that he had trouble with the fact that he for so long could not eat so many things and then all of a sudden could eat anything and the boundaries were difficult to maintain. He also had trouble shifting from being unemployed to employed and traveling quite a bit.
Another interesting tidbit is that I had lost the most weight and was the only one at the normal bmi range goal. Some were quite early after surgery but most were already regaining some of their weight after hitting a plateau. This was especially interesting that the other lapband person was regaining and did not seem to understand that she could go get a fill. The dietitian said after I introduced myself and provided my stats- "wow that is a lot of weight for a lapband patient"...definitely some reduced expectations in that office for us lapbanders.
One of the activities the dietitian had us do was to brainstorm and write down some of the behaviors that helped us in our weightloss and then some of the behaviors that hindered it. Finally she had us pick three things that help to support our weightloss effort (the three legged stool thing). As a group it seemed that most of us agreed on exercise, eating mindfully and finding support.
The group was mostly good-with the odd strange person (it is funny isn't it how there are just some very strange people in the world).
I did leave valuing this blog community even more than I already do because we have the best support group right here online!!. I also left after thinking about what I need to do to keep this weight off and keep the bouncing range below goal instead of right at the top end of my tolerance levels. Speaking of which..those magical mood enhancing drugs are also having a magical effect on my restriction. The acid reflux has disappeared. My energy has returned and best of all I am not hungry. wahooo :). Long may it last.
xxxooo
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Being Skinny Solves All?
As you all know I have been down in the dumps..Ok really down. Medically down :). The meds are really kicking in now and I am feeling more like myself but I have been thinking and reading stuff that prompted this post.
First of all yesterday it was Chronicles from Band-Land's post. She wrote about how the lapband and losing weight has made her happy and does feel like a magic wand. I agree with this post to a point. I know that being a normal weight does make me happier with my weight. The world reacts to me in a much better way but has it solved all of my life's problem...no. I still have annoyances, bouts of depression and regular old stress that I had before. On top of this I no longer have the coping mechanism that I used to have to deal with it (feeding frenzies!). So I honestly feel that I, in the past, used food as a drug. Now that I cannot my recent stresssors sent me into a tail-spin. I am slowly trying to figure out how to do other stuff and address the issues head on (no counselor as yet but I will work on that one).
As far as the magic wand thing goes...I kind of agree. I failed miserably without the band and man oh man that circular wand around my stomach sure is magic. It managed to bring me back to goal despite my desires and urges to drown my sorrows in food. I think I could undo things a bit and of course I could create such issues that i would require an unfill but so far...fingers crossed. I have behaved despite my mental desires and listened to my band when she says..woah there.
Then today...Read has posted this . She is asking for advice. I am not sure I can really give it but what I can say is that at goal- away from goal- on our way to goal we all fuck up. It is a matter of degree and, I think, working out what triggers the things. Is it some life long brain groove of behavior? is in a food as drug effect? is it hormones? Even after you figure out what the trigger is you might not be able to stop it but at least you can work towards improvement. I think that our biggest challenge with the lapband and with weightloss in general is getting over the feeling that we have to be perfect at it..or even perfect for a time. It is all a learning process that we hopefully improve at but never perfect.
This is all where I am at today anyway :)
xxxooo
First of all yesterday it was Chronicles from Band-Land's post. She wrote about how the lapband and losing weight has made her happy and does feel like a magic wand. I agree with this post to a point. I know that being a normal weight does make me happier with my weight. The world reacts to me in a much better way but has it solved all of my life's problem...no. I still have annoyances, bouts of depression and regular old stress that I had before. On top of this I no longer have the coping mechanism that I used to have to deal with it (feeding frenzies!). So I honestly feel that I, in the past, used food as a drug. Now that I cannot my recent stresssors sent me into a tail-spin. I am slowly trying to figure out how to do other stuff and address the issues head on (no counselor as yet but I will work on that one).
As far as the magic wand thing goes...I kind of agree. I failed miserably without the band and man oh man that circular wand around my stomach sure is magic. It managed to bring me back to goal despite my desires and urges to drown my sorrows in food. I think I could undo things a bit and of course I could create such issues that i would require an unfill but so far...fingers crossed. I have behaved despite my mental desires and listened to my band when she says..woah there.
Then today...Read has posted this . She is asking for advice. I am not sure I can really give it but what I can say is that at goal- away from goal- on our way to goal we all fuck up. It is a matter of degree and, I think, working out what triggers the things. Is it some life long brain groove of behavior? is in a food as drug effect? is it hormones? Even after you figure out what the trigger is you might not be able to stop it but at least you can work towards improvement. I think that our biggest challenge with the lapband and with weightloss in general is getting over the feeling that we have to be perfect at it..or even perfect for a time. It is all a learning process that we hopefully improve at but never perfect.
This is all where I am at today anyway :)
xxxooo
Friday, June 3, 2011
BYOC
It’s FRIDAY – which means it’s BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy…around these parts. We answer a couple of questions to get to know each other better and to give our blog brains a break. Copy and paste to your own blog if you so desire…and ENJOY!!
1. If you could pick any name on Earth for yourself – would you change yours and what would it be?
I was supposed to be called Jesse but my parents changed it to Tina. I kind of like my name now and all of the Latin-ness in it. I have always wondered what life would have been like as Jesse. I love my middle name. Louise. My great, great aunt had it for a middle name as did my grandmother, mother, me and my oldest daughter. I like the roots and tradition.
2. If you’re a worker-outer…what time do you partake in such activities? There are SO many theories about when it’s best and not best to work out….like the morning is better since you have an empty stomach or the night is not good because you won’t be able to sleep…etc, etc. – so I’d like to hear your theories.
Whenever I can shift my arse. Most often it is after dinner. We have been taking a walk to get the mail and then do a loop around the neighborhood.
I have gotten back on my bike a time or two but that is usually right away in the morning.
3. If you drive a car – what kind is it and if you could drive any car – what would it be?
i drive a Mazda 5 (mom-like van thing). I like it but got to drive a small zippy car in California and quite enjoyed it as well. I guess if I could choose any car it would be a volkswagon bug or some other small Mazda brand car.
4. Can you be totally honest in answering this next question and tell me what you think of tattoos? More importantly – what do you think of the people who have tattoos – specifically women?
I have a tattoo on my foot and love it. Each of my adult daughters also has a tattoo on their foot. I think Tattoos are cool and quite like them. I prefer understated more than full on tat sleeves or anything too huge but hey..whatever floats ones boat. Our bodies are a sort of canvas and each person has the right to do what they want with it.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.
I have been crap this week in blogland (you all seem to be doing well but I am a bit crap). I am still not feeling fully up to par and want to sleep a lot. I have barely checked blogs, not commented, not written on mine since Saturday and been stressed out at work. I will probably up my med dose again. I am percolating on a post about things but not ready to write it yet.
Today there was a turn int he weather and the sun came out. I hope a few days of sitting in it will turn things around here. I am trying to read and did a scan of blogs tonight. No comments but I read.
1. If you could pick any name on Earth for yourself – would you change yours and what would it be?
I was supposed to be called Jesse but my parents changed it to Tina. I kind of like my name now and all of the Latin-ness in it. I have always wondered what life would have been like as Jesse. I love my middle name. Louise. My great, great aunt had it for a middle name as did my grandmother, mother, me and my oldest daughter. I like the roots and tradition.
2. If you’re a worker-outer…what time do you partake in such activities? There are SO many theories about when it’s best and not best to work out….like the morning is better since you have an empty stomach or the night is not good because you won’t be able to sleep…etc, etc. – so I’d like to hear your theories.
Whenever I can shift my arse. Most often it is after dinner. We have been taking a walk to get the mail and then do a loop around the neighborhood.
I have gotten back on my bike a time or two but that is usually right away in the morning.
3. If you drive a car – what kind is it and if you could drive any car – what would it be?
i drive a Mazda 5 (mom-like van thing). I like it but got to drive a small zippy car in California and quite enjoyed it as well. I guess if I could choose any car it would be a volkswagon bug or some other small Mazda brand car.
4. Can you be totally honest in answering this next question and tell me what you think of tattoos? More importantly – what do you think of the people who have tattoos – specifically women?
I have a tattoo on my foot and love it. Each of my adult daughters also has a tattoo on their foot. I think Tattoos are cool and quite like them. I prefer understated more than full on tat sleeves or anything too huge but hey..whatever floats ones boat. Our bodies are a sort of canvas and each person has the right to do what they want with it.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.
I have been crap this week in blogland (you all seem to be doing well but I am a bit crap). I am still not feeling fully up to par and want to sleep a lot. I have barely checked blogs, not commented, not written on mine since Saturday and been stressed out at work. I will probably up my med dose again. I am percolating on a post about things but not ready to write it yet.
Today there was a turn int he weather and the sun came out. I hope a few days of sitting in it will turn things around here. I am trying to read and did a scan of blogs tonight. No comments but I read.
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