I've missed doing these! Thanks Drazil.
1. Do you make a New Year’s resolution list every year? Do you meet those resolutions, forget about them or never meet them?
I am not a resolution girl. I haven't set one in years.
2. If you could delete all the songs from existence from a certain singer, who would it be?
Rod Stewart. I freaking HATE his voice. The song about whether or not I think he's sexy makes me want to vomit.
3. [Deleted]
Oh goodness. No comment. I just can't answer this one.
4. If it was free AND unlimited – would you choose to have a cook, chauffeur, or masseuse?
Cook! I would rather drive myself and massages are great, but if I had someone to take my picky eating into consideration and cook healthy meals for me, that would be amazing.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week – in real life and blogland.
It's been a mixed bag.
Christmas was GREAT. As we do every year, we spent the day with a couple of close friends. It was super mellow and fabulous.
Work was awful this week. Insanely busy and I had to be on call today until 2:00. I also had a little discussion with the boss person that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I had a customer today who was extremely mean and rude and yelled at me for 5 minutes straight. Ugh. I am not feeling good about some stuff there.
I'm very excited about the mini-BOOBs thing in Orlando this weekend.
Oh and I cooked some really good soup. I over seasoned/salted some skinless chicken thighs and grilled them. When we went to eat, I realized how horribly salty they were - I won't be using that marinade again. Instead of tossing them, I chopped them up into a half batch of southwestern veggie soup that I had made a few weeks ago and tossed in the freezer. I cooked it up today. It came out amazing and was a great way to use up chicken that was otherwise ruined.
Happy new year, everyone! Only 57 minutes of 2010 left here on the east coast.
Friday, December 31, 2010
BOOB Roadtrip and Ronnie's Survey
Tomorrow is the day I get to see BOOBs Heidi, Amy, and Maria and I am SO excited! Heidi is coming to pick me up in the afternoon and we're road-trippin' it up to Orlando. (Last chance, Florida people - we're doing one of the Disney parks on Sunday - let me know if you want to meet up with us!)
The only thing that would make it better would be if Stephanie and a few other could join us, but sadly, there wasn't a single weekend in January that all of us could make it. There will be other meet-ups soon though, I'm sure! And we have a super secret special blogger coming to visit in a couple of weeks, but I'll keep that quiet until I'm sure we can make that happen.
Ronnie from Ronnie's Bandumentary posted this survey and I figured I'd answer it...
When were you banded? March 1, 2010
How much weight have you lost? 67 pounds
How often do you weigh yourself? Every morning.
How many fills have you gotten? Three so far.
Do you have a good support system? Yes, I think so. My husband is amazing and supportive, I know I can always talk to my parents, and my fellow BOOBs are incredible!
How hands on is your surgeon in your journey? Not terribly hands on. He's a great guy and I really like him, but he's only in the local office one day a week, which sometimes makes it hard when I need an appointment.
Do you regret telling anyone about your band? If so, who and why? Nope. I'm an open book and I have no regrets. I wasn't planning on telling anyone but family but I'm glad I did. The support has been awesome, and when I wasn't telling, I felt too guilty keeping the info from the very overweight people who were asking me how I was losing the weight. Telling them, "Oh, just eating less and exercising," made me feel bad when I knew that I wasn't able to do it without my band.
What is your favorite band-friendly meal? I eat everything, but when I'm on mushies after a fill, I love lowfat refried beans with guacamole and salsa.
What foods have you given up since surgery? None, nada, zilch. I can eat anything - bread, pasta, pizza, chicken, lettuce...I have never PB'ed and never vomited. Reheated meat sometimes doesn't feel too good, and there are things I just don't like, but I haven't given anything up altogether.
The only thing that would make it better would be if Stephanie and a few other could join us, but sadly, there wasn't a single weekend in January that all of us could make it. There will be other meet-ups soon though, I'm sure! And we have a super secret special blogger coming to visit in a couple of weeks, but I'll keep that quiet until I'm sure we can make that happen.
Ronnie from Ronnie's Bandumentary posted this survey and I figured I'd answer it...
When were you banded? March 1, 2010
How much weight have you lost? 67 pounds
How often do you weigh yourself? Every morning.
How many fills have you gotten? Three so far.
Do you have a good support system? Yes, I think so. My husband is amazing and supportive, I know I can always talk to my parents, and my fellow BOOBs are incredible!
How hands on is your surgeon in your journey? Not terribly hands on. He's a great guy and I really like him, but he's only in the local office one day a week, which sometimes makes it hard when I need an appointment.
Do you regret telling anyone about your band? If so, who and why? Nope. I'm an open book and I have no regrets. I wasn't planning on telling anyone but family but I'm glad I did. The support has been awesome, and when I wasn't telling, I felt too guilty keeping the info from the very overweight people who were asking me how I was losing the weight. Telling them, "Oh, just eating less and exercising," made me feel bad when I knew that I wasn't able to do it without my band.
What is your favorite band-friendly meal? I eat everything, but when I'm on mushies after a fill, I love lowfat refried beans with guacamole and salsa.
What foods have you given up since surgery? None, nada, zilch. I can eat anything - bread, pasta, pizza, chicken, lettuce...I have never PB'ed and never vomited. Reheated meat sometimes doesn't feel too good, and there are things I just don't like, but I haven't given anything up altogether.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Scale
Regarding the fact that my scale showed an 8 pound loss in one day, Stephanie commented, "When I had fluctuations like that I would replace the batteries, because I have always found that to be the problem."
Sadly, she was right. I changed the battery and the scale is back to normal:
That's still a damn fine loss and I will take it! Thanks for the advice, Stephanie.
Sadly, she was right. I changed the battery and the scale is back to normal:
That's still a damn fine loss and I will take it! Thanks for the advice, Stephanie.
Monday, December 20, 2010
This is Impossible, Right?
(I am SO glad I have photographic evidence so y'all don't think I'm hallucinating.)
I took a photo for the final day of the challenge yesterday:
A perfectly respectable 216, considering that I was nearly 224 last week.
Then this morning, I stepped on the scale and saw this:
What the [bleep]? 207.2? Where did over 8 pounds go since yesterday? I stepped off and on about 8 times to see if it would change if I put my feet in different places or whatnot. Nope - 207.2 every time.
That's impossible, right? My scale has to be broken.
I wish I had some time to run by the surgeon's office and weigh this morning, but I have to be at work (45 minutes away) at 8:00 AM because I have an appointment this evening.
Thoughts?
I took a photo for the final day of the challenge yesterday:
A perfectly respectable 216, considering that I was nearly 224 last week.
Then this morning, I stepped on the scale and saw this:
What the [bleep]? 207.2? Where did over 8 pounds go since yesterday? I stepped off and on about 8 times to see if it would change if I put my feet in different places or whatnot. Nope - 207.2 every time.
That's impossible, right? My scale has to be broken.
I wish I had some time to run by the surgeon's office and weigh this morning, but I have to be at work (45 minutes away) at 8:00 AM because I have an appointment this evening.
Thoughts?
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Crossing Off the List
When I first got started on this journey, I made a list of 50 reasons I wanted to lose the weight...
42. So my husband has a hot wife.
This is the one that I really wanted to talk about today. Scott and I went to a party Saturday night, the same holiday party for the same group of friends that we've been attending for 10 years. A lot of these people I only see once a year at this party.
Normally, I would have worn jeans and a t-shirt. Like I said to Scott the other day, what was the point in trying to look good, really? At nearly 300 pounds I hated the way I looked and there just didn't seem to be much point.
This year...I did it up. Sexy dress, sexy bra, Spanx, makeup...the whole shebang. I got compliments ALL night.
One woman, the wife of a former co-worker, walked up to me and said, "I hope I'm not being rude by asking, but have you lost, like, a LOT of weight? You look totally different and I didn't recognize you at first."
We had a great conversation about my experience, she was super sweet, and then the best part...Scott walked over to give me a hug, and this woman turned to Scott and sad, "MAN, your wife is HOT. Seriously! She looks amazing." Scott had such pride in his eyes when he looked at me and said, "Oh trust me. I know."
Awwwww. I about melted into a puddle right there on the floor.
Just for fun, here are some pictures from the party. Keep in mind that I was the designated driver and completely sober, but my husband was very, very drunk.
42. So my husband has a hot wife.
This is the one that I really wanted to talk about today. Scott and I went to a party Saturday night, the same holiday party for the same group of friends that we've been attending for 10 years. A lot of these people I only see once a year at this party.
Normally, I would have worn jeans and a t-shirt. Like I said to Scott the other day, what was the point in trying to look good, really? At nearly 300 pounds I hated the way I looked and there just didn't seem to be much point.
This year...I did it up. Sexy dress, sexy bra, Spanx, makeup...the whole shebang. I got compliments ALL night.
One woman, the wife of a former co-worker, walked up to me and said, "I hope I'm not being rude by asking, but have you lost, like, a LOT of weight? You look totally different and I didn't recognize you at first."
We had a great conversation about my experience, she was super sweet, and then the best part...Scott walked over to give me a hug, and this woman turned to Scott and sad, "MAN, your wife is HOT. Seriously! She looks amazing." Scott had such pride in his eyes when he looked at me and said, "Oh trust me. I know."
Awwwww. I about melted into a puddle right there on the floor.
Just for fun, here are some pictures from the party. Keep in mind that I was the designated driver and completely sober, but my husband was very, very drunk.
Scott and me with the Grinch:
Me and my best friend Jen:
Buncha drunks:
Silly hats:
It's all over once the ladle of jello shots comes out (and I knitted the jello shot bib):
The Grinch had a rough night:
With the girls:
Scott playing guitar:
Awwww...
Me and my best friend Jen:
Buncha drunks:
Silly hats:
It's all over once the ladle of jello shots comes out (and I knitted the jello shot bib):
The Grinch had a rough night:
With the girls:
Scott playing guitar:
Awwww...
Friday, December 17, 2010
Double Digits Too!
Roo from A Brand New Roo posted about how she's in double digits in kilos (because she's in one of those countries where they do that sort of thing) and it made me wonder what I am in kilos...
216.6 pounds = 98.2481073 kilograms
So...woohoo! A milestone I didn't know I was trying to reach, but it's kind of awesome that I did.
To compare, I started out at:
281 pounds = 127.459456 kilograms
Nice.
I had a great dinner with Shrinking Mommy and her adorable daughter tonight. It was kind-of great to have a meal with someone who eats less than I do.
216.6 pounds = 98.2481073 kilograms
So...woohoo! A milestone I didn't know I was trying to reach, but it's kind of awesome that I did.
To compare, I started out at:
281 pounds = 127.459456 kilograms
Nice.
I had a great dinner with Shrinking Mommy and her adorable daughter tonight. It was kind-of great to have a meal with someone who eats less than I do.
I Think I know What Caused My Hives
The good news: I think I know what caused my massive allergic reaction.
The bad news: I did it to myself again yesterday and had a bit of a miserable afternoon.
I went into work yesterday feeling great. My splotches were clearing up, I'm not having the bad reactions I feared to the prednisone (so far...knock wood). I showed off my almost completely cleared up arms and neck to my co-workers, who agreed I looked so much better.
Then...my co-worker Jason and I decided to get Chinese food from the little place next door to the office for lunch.
I was still feeling wary about ordering seafood, even though the seafood allergy test came back negative, so I got beef & broccoli instead.
Less than an hour later, my head started hurting. Then my eyeballs started throbbing. Then I felt like I was going to be sick so I went to the ladies' room. As I was sitting in there with my head spinning, I looked down and my arms were covered in blotches again. I ran back to my desk and took Benadryl right away. Within another hour, my head started feeling better, and within a few hours the blotches started going down again.
I had Chinese food from the same place last week and the week before. I semi-blamed the shrimp the first time and didn't even make the connection the second time since it was more of an ongoing thing at that point.
Sounds like an MSG reaction, no? I will not be eating Chinese food anymore, unless it's from somewhere like Peiwei that I know for a fact they don't use MSG. I have never gotten a headache after Peiwei, PF Changs, or Stir Crazy, so if I need a Chinese food fix, that's where I'll go. (Plus, they post their nutritional info and I can know for sure that I'm getting something healthier. Bonus.)
Down to 216.6 today - another pound gone. That's about 8 pounds since Monday. Damn, I love fills!
On another note, my husband's company holiday party was last night. For the FIRST TIME, my thought at a party like that wasn't, "How do I taste EVERYTHING without looking like a total pig?" My thought process was more like, "Ok, what do I want to taste that will go down and not make me have my first PB in a fancy dress in front of all these people Scott works with?" I had a small piece of mahi mahi, a very thin slice of turkey, a spoonful of steamed veggies, a little salad, and a very small spoonful of pasta. I ate really slowly and carefully and left about half the food on my plate. They had a casino night, so we ended up playing poker for much of the night, which kept me away from the nibbles. When dessert came around I had a piece of pineapple and about 1/4 of a thin slice of chocolate cake. I didn't feel the need to sample everything. It was empowering.
On yet another note, I am having dinner with Shrinking Mommy tonight and I am super excited about it!!!
The bad news: I did it to myself again yesterday and had a bit of a miserable afternoon.
I went into work yesterday feeling great. My splotches were clearing up, I'm not having the bad reactions I feared to the prednisone (so far...knock wood). I showed off my almost completely cleared up arms and neck to my co-workers, who agreed I looked so much better.
Then...my co-worker Jason and I decided to get Chinese food from the little place next door to the office for lunch.
I was still feeling wary about ordering seafood, even though the seafood allergy test came back negative, so I got beef & broccoli instead.
Less than an hour later, my head started hurting. Then my eyeballs started throbbing. Then I felt like I was going to be sick so I went to the ladies' room. As I was sitting in there with my head spinning, I looked down and my arms were covered in blotches again. I ran back to my desk and took Benadryl right away. Within another hour, my head started feeling better, and within a few hours the blotches started going down again.
I had Chinese food from the same place last week and the week before. I semi-blamed the shrimp the first time and didn't even make the connection the second time since it was more of an ongoing thing at that point.
Sounds like an MSG reaction, no? I will not be eating Chinese food anymore, unless it's from somewhere like Peiwei that I know for a fact they don't use MSG. I have never gotten a headache after Peiwei, PF Changs, or Stir Crazy, so if I need a Chinese food fix, that's where I'll go. (Plus, they post their nutritional info and I can know for sure that I'm getting something healthier. Bonus.)
Down to 216.6 today - another pound gone. That's about 8 pounds since Monday. Damn, I love fills!
On another note, my husband's company holiday party was last night. For the FIRST TIME, my thought at a party like that wasn't, "How do I taste EVERYTHING without looking like a total pig?" My thought process was more like, "Ok, what do I want to taste that will go down and not make me have my first PB in a fancy dress in front of all these people Scott works with?" I had a small piece of mahi mahi, a very thin slice of turkey, a spoonful of steamed veggies, a little salad, and a very small spoonful of pasta. I ate really slowly and carefully and left about half the food on my plate. They had a casino night, so we ended up playing poker for much of the night, which kept me away from the nibbles. When dessert came around I had a piece of pineapple and about 1/4 of a thin slice of chocolate cake. I didn't feel the need to sample everything. It was empowering.
On yet another note, I am having dinner with Shrinking Mommy tonight and I am super excited about it!!!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New Blogger Alert
I have a brand new blogger to check out. Tiffany at "Don't Worry I'm With The Band" is being banded next Tuesday, much sooner than she expected due to a cancellation with her surgeon, and she needs a little bit of BOOBS love. Please pop over and say hi if you'd be so kind.
217.6!
Yay for fills! I'm 217.6 today. That's seven pounds down from where I was on Monday morning, just two days ago. I'm sure a lot of that is water weight, since I was on liquids and drinking water/tea/coffee like crazy the last few days, but who cares? This is my lowest adult weight ever and I couldn't be more thrilled today.
This fill feels great. Liquids slide right down, mushies are no problem, and I was able to slowly but easily eat a few fish sticks and baked carrot "fries" for dinner last night and was totally satisfied.
Now I just need to keep it up.
I'm off to take my American Government final exam and then I am freeeeeeee of school for the next 3 weeks. Woohoo!
This fill feels great. Liquids slide right down, mushies are no problem, and I was able to slowly but easily eat a few fish sticks and baked carrot "fries" for dinner last night and was totally satisfied.
Now I just need to keep it up.
I'm off to take my American Government final exam and then I am freeeeeeee of school for the next 3 weeks. Woohoo!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Steroids & Fill
My hives got way worse over the weekend, after showing some improvement on Friday after the steroid shot. I went back to the doctor this morning and they put me on prednisone. I am terrified about gaining a bunch of weight, which is possible on these meds (the doc said 3-4 pounds over the course of 2 week treatment is normal). Can I just tell you how thrilled I am about this? The choice is itchy and blotchy or puffy and bloated. Freaking fabulous.
Since my band doc is in the same building as my primary and I was supposed to get a fill next week, I went down and asked if they could squeeze me in today. Thank goodness for lovely nurse G, she got me right in. Today was fill #3 and I have 5 cc's in my 10 cc band now. I got a big girl fill of a full cc. Doc was not sure that wasn't too tight, but the water was trickling down slowly and I was able to take my first prednisone tablet with no problem, so I think it's ok. I hope that a couple of days of liquids will get rid of the bit I gained and stop the prednisone gain as well. I have my fingers crossed. I desperately want to be closer to Onederland by my birthday in a couple of weeks, and I have about 22 pounds to go.
Since my band doc is in the same building as my primary and I was supposed to get a fill next week, I went down and asked if they could squeeze me in today. Thank goodness for lovely nurse G, she got me right in. Today was fill #3 and I have 5 cc's in my 10 cc band now. I got a big girl fill of a full cc. Doc was not sure that wasn't too tight, but the water was trickling down slowly and I was able to take my first prednisone tablet with no problem, so I think it's ok. I hope that a couple of days of liquids will get rid of the bit I gained and stop the prednisone gain as well. I have my fingers crossed. I desperately want to be closer to Onederland by my birthday in a couple of weeks, and I have about 22 pounds to go.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
You Know What's Funny?
Because of all the treats in the office lately that I've been avoiding like the plague, I wanted to bring something in that I could enjoy too. Everyone in the office is always talking about wanting to lose weight/eat healthier but I don't think they mean it.
I went to the store and got a few boxes of hot cocoa mix to bring in and share. I got one box of no sugar added, one box of sugar free/fat free, and one box of regular hot cocoa. I also got a bag of marshmallows. Those vultures tore into the regular and demolished it within a couple of hours, I think I was the only one drinking the diet (20 calories per packet and totally hit the spot on a cold day) and the no sugar added was not even opened as of yesterday evening.
Amazing.
I went to the store and got a few boxes of hot cocoa mix to bring in and share. I got one box of no sugar added, one box of sugar free/fat free, and one box of regular hot cocoa. I also got a bag of marshmallows. Those vultures tore into the regular and demolished it within a couple of hours, I think I was the only one drinking the diet (20 calories per packet and totally hit the spot on a cold day) and the no sugar added was not even opened as of yesterday evening.
Amazing.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Off Topic and a Bit Gross
I know I said this semester might kill me, but I didn't know how serious I was being.
I am covered, covered, in a nasty rash. I have been to the doctor twice this week. I am on mega-antihistamines (Zyrtec during the day, Benadryl at night) and I had a steroid shot today. The doctor is convinced it is an allergy and I hope she's right. But I have no idea what the heck I could be allergic to. She tested me for a seafood allergy and thank goodness that's not what it is. I don't want to live in a world without shrimp. I'll probably need to go see an allergist.
I am miserable and itchy and my skin hurts. The worst is on my stomach, chest, and back.
This is going to sound so vain, but the worst of it is how ugly it is. I have three holiday parties coming up and for the first time, I want to wear a pretty dress and look nice. Does anyone have any ideas about how to quickly clear up hives? I don't have a bathtub so oatmeal baths are out.
Here are some pictures...
I am covered, covered, in a nasty rash. I have been to the doctor twice this week. I am on mega-antihistamines (Zyrtec during the day, Benadryl at night) and I had a steroid shot today. The doctor is convinced it is an allergy and I hope she's right. But I have no idea what the heck I could be allergic to. She tested me for a seafood allergy and thank goodness that's not what it is. I don't want to live in a world without shrimp. I'll probably need to go see an allergist.
I am miserable and itchy and my skin hurts. The worst is on my stomach, chest, and back.
This is going to sound so vain, but the worst of it is how ugly it is. I have three holiday parties coming up and for the first time, I want to wear a pretty dress and look nice. Does anyone have any ideas about how to quickly clear up hives? I don't have a bathtub so oatmeal baths are out.
Here are some pictures...
My chest/neck:
My stomach:
One side:
The other side:
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Our Very Own Lap Band Gal is Famous!
Check out this video of Lap Band Gal on the news...she was just fabulous!
And also, if you're not already following her, check out her blog too.
And also, if you're not already following her, check out her blog too.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Banding Video
I thought this video of a guy on his banding day was pretty interesting, and brought back a lot of memories!
NWWLS: A day in the life of a patient from Visual Anthem Studios on Vimeo.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Breakfast Idea
This is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts and I wanted to share it.
Ingredients:
1 frozen turkey sausage patty (65 calories, 6g protein)
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light spreadable cheese (35 calories, 2g protein)
1/4 cup Eggbeaters, any flavor (30 calories, 6g protein)
Microwave the sausage patty in a very small bowl for 20 seconds to thaw it a bit. Then spread the wedge of cheese thickly on the sausage patty.
Pour the Eggbeaters over the sausage and cheese:
Microwave in 15-30 second increments until egg is set (about 1 minute total):
YUM! A perfect bandster breakfast for 130 calories and 14 grams of protein.
If I'm in a giant hurry and don't have time to sit and eat, I'll toss the whole thing on a flat roll for 100 extra calories and eat it in the car on the way to school/work. It fills me up for longer that way too.
This is so yummy!
Ingredients:
1 frozen turkey sausage patty (65 calories, 6g protein)
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light spreadable cheese (35 calories, 2g protein)
1/4 cup Eggbeaters, any flavor (30 calories, 6g protein)
Microwave the sausage patty in a very small bowl for 20 seconds to thaw it a bit. Then spread the wedge of cheese thickly on the sausage patty.
Pour the Eggbeaters over the sausage and cheese:
Microwave in 15-30 second increments until egg is set (about 1 minute total):
YUM! A perfect bandster breakfast for 130 calories and 14 grams of protein.
If I'm in a giant hurry and don't have time to sit and eat, I'll toss the whole thing on a flat roll for 100 extra calories and eat it in the car on the way to school/work. It fills me up for longer that way too.
This is so yummy!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Exhausted
This semester may actually kill me.
I have 3 papers, a presentation, and 2 final exams due in the next 14 days. On top of it, I think I'm getting a cold. If I don't go completely insane and/or drop dead in the next 2 weeks, I promise that I will blog more often again.
In band news - there is no news. I have pretty much maintained my 60 pound loss and have weighted in somewhere between 219.4 and 221.0 for the last 2 weeks. Not gaining over Thanksgiving and the end of semester crunch time is great in my book, and I have a fill scheduled on December 20, so it will all work out.
I'm off to pass out. Hopefully I will make it all the way to the bed first. I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and will be back to regularly scheduled programming after December 15.
I have 3 papers, a presentation, and 2 final exams due in the next 14 days. On top of it, I think I'm getting a cold. If I don't go completely insane and/or drop dead in the next 2 weeks, I promise that I will blog more often again.
In band news - there is no news. I have pretty much maintained my 60 pound loss and have weighted in somewhere between 219.4 and 221.0 for the last 2 weeks. Not gaining over Thanksgiving and the end of semester crunch time is great in my book, and I have a fill scheduled on December 20, so it will all work out.
I'm off to pass out. Hopefully I will make it all the way to the bed first. I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and will be back to regularly scheduled programming after December 15.
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