8 months and 33 pounds later....

Not thrilled with the results or the pics...so I will
keep plugging away....I now see just how much harder
I have to work and how much further I have to go. So instead
of being discouraged...I am motivated!

7 months 30 pounds. Slow but sure.

Long time no post...months actually. I barely have time to check email let alone keep up with how everyone is doing. So today I will check in and check everyone out.  I finally reached the 30 pound mark at 7 months. This last fill has really made a difference. I am eating half as much as before. And my appetite is pretty slim. I am almost wondering if I don't need a bit of an un-fill. It has only been a week, so I will give it a chance and see how it goes. I will be taking some new pics soon to post and see the diffenence. Funny thing is, this loss has been so gradual that not many people are saying much about my weight loss. I expect people to notice, but no one is saying anything. Weird. Oh, well. 30 is 30 and I am pretty happy about it.

Help!!! Chicago??? PLEASE fill me in!

Hi...well I have not been on in over a month and it is my loss. I guess I have been in a funk with this band....still not losing much at all, and really discouraged. I go for my 3rd fill today, and hopefully this will help. I am losing about a 1/2 lb a week. VERY SLOWLY! 

But as I logged on today, I notice there is a trip to Chicago planned, that I have missed hearing about. Can someone tell me WHEN, WHERE, HOW, WHAT it is all about?  Detroit is very close, and I may be able to make it. Please fill me in and let me know WHO to contact!  Thanks, Linda

I can be emailed at: lca4162@yahoo.com too!

2nd Fill and hoping it makes more of a difference

I had my second fill yesterday. He put in .75cc which brings me to about 4.25cc in a 10cc band. I am hoping this one makes a difference! Met a bunch of bandsters in his office and at support group last night. Of the 4 people I met, all of who had been banded over a year and a half ago, there were two at 70+ pounds, one at 90 and one at only 30 pounds.  The one that only lost 30 in two years was in her 60's and that may have had something to do with it.

Let's hope this fill it the ticket! Or at least it will be closer to it! More news later...Cheers!

New Lane Bryant Bathing Suits

I have been away from blogging, both reading yours and writing mine for a few weeks now. I am still really busy with my Dad. Doing lots of back and fourth between the rehab-nursing center and hospital on a regular basis. Believe me it never ends. But he seems to be dealing with it all pretty well emotionally but not yet regaining much strength.

So to deal with the “stress” I have wanted to revert back to one of the things that has always made me feel better emotionally. Go shopping. Now I know our one of our goals is to say goodbye to Layne Bryant forever, but I am honestly not there yet, (still holding at 245 lbs, my next fill is in two weeks where I hope to see some changes soon after) Anyway, they have something new that I think is just a great idea and I had to go out and get one today. It’s a bathing suit with a built in under wire (plunge style) bra in actual bra sizes! Lane Bryant’s 'plunge style' is their answer to Victoria Secrets push up. There is nothing worse for me than wearing a regular bathing suit that flattens me out and gives me pancake boobs, and this top does not! It actually gives me cleavage holds the girls up nicely.
 This is the top and bottom I bought:

So, now I have this great bathing suit and have nowhere to wear it because Florida at this point isn’t looking like a real probability this spring. Not yet anyway. So, that would mean that the soonest I would wear it here is in June, 4 months away. A lot could change body wise in 4 months. So, I bought it tight, and I have the option to take it back within 60 days if I want. So I figure if I see a significant change in two months, I will return it and go one more size down.

So glad spring is around the corner!

A Week Away...but not on vacation

I got back on-line today with Blogger for the first time in over a week. It has been a long week or so dealing with my Dad and his health issues. He was in the hospital for 6 days and has since been transferred to a Nursing/Re-hab facility. So, I think things may be looking up for him. Not sure at this point. The body only bounces back so much at 89! But he is trying.

Needless to say, I have not been concentrating on “Linda” much at all the past 10 days. My weight is actually up two lbs and I am really pissed off at myself. I have been eating all the wrong stuff. Lot’s of carbs and fatty stuff. Comfort food to ease the anxiety I have about my Dad. It is very easy to “eat around the band”. The last two days, I am concentrating on protein, (mostly fish) and vegetables and cutting the carbs and fat from the diet to see if this helps. It is also my TOM so, that may have some bearing on my weight gain.

I was so thrilled to be nominated for a “Beautiful Blogger” award by Tracy from Metamorphic Journey. It really warmed my heart to be thought of and I will try to keep the chain of nominating going when I have a chance to sit down for more than 10 minutes at the computer! There are so many of you out there who are “beautiful bloggers” and Tracy is one of them. She is very inspiring and has done a great job losing weight in a short amount of time because she is very, very focused. Something I need to be more of! And I will be…soon. Thanks again Tracy!

Survived my first PB! Woo Hoo!

Just had my first PB and it was gross. Soooo I thought I would share it with you all, since this seems the place to do so! Not that you asked!!  If you read my last post you know  that my Dad is very ill, home bound and being a bit of a difficult P.I.T.A. He pretty much only eats when either my sister or me cook something for him and serve it to him. No problem. My pleasure. If that is what makes him happy at this point I am here to do it.  So I went to the deli and picked up some nice Honey Ham, Super Sharp Cheddar and some nice bakery style bread and decided to make him a grilled ham and cheese. So, I am standing there assembling the H & C sandwich and decide to pop a piece of ham in my mouth….chew once or twice then swallow. What could be more normal right? WRONG! Maybe pre band that would be normal but not now. So, I first felt the pain, then the slimy part (eww) and then it happened. (yes I made it to the bathroom) Up it came. Just when I thought that would be it, and I resumed my kitchen duties, here it came again. Twice. Ugh. Not fun. I felt horrible afterward. I am glad I was home and not at a restaurant.


So, I sit here on my Dad’s home computer circa 1998 and write this to you. He only ate about two bites of the sandwich. Poor guy.

Anyway, I am heading home soon to share the whole experience with my husband. He just got home today from a week long business trip and I am sure he will be thrilled to hear my PB story too!

Thanks for letting me share...cause you know what they say; Sharing is Caring!

Enough Restriction and my Dear Dad

Do I or don’t I have enough restriction? I keep asking myself that. Sometimes, I feel tight. Like in the morning or when I take my first bite of food at a meal. But then, the second, third, fourth bites go down much easier and I can actually over eat at times. I have to literally stop myself from over eating and I do so in fear that if I don’t I will PB, or hurt the band.

This is going very slowly for me. My second cousin who is the other bariatric surgeon at my hospital (he does not do lap band) says I am doing fine and thinks slow weight loss I is the way to go. I would like to see faster results. Especially when I see how fast some of you all are losing.

Stress is playing a big part on my concentration and weight loss at this point too. So I am not going to be too hard on myself. My dear, darling father is gravely ill. He is 89 and his health has declined drastically over the last 5 months. We are now trying to coordinate his care, whether it be at home with nursing, or in a nursing home. It is hell watching him go through this. I wish there was something I could do to make it all better.  This is a picture of us from a few years ago.

So, in the meantime, my priorities are with his care. And the goal for myself is to try to stay healthy so I can be there for him. Just last week I got a bad cold from being rundown.
I keep reading your blogs and love seeing what you are all up to. It is a nice relief from my reality if you know what I mean. I may not be able to post too often, but I am here.

Wine Induced Error in Judgement

Feeling big time guilty this morning gang. It seems like I have had decent restriction since my first fill and my portion sizes are much smaller and I have really been watching what I eat as well. I was even down two more pounds yesterday bringing me to 248 which is only 10 pounds s to my next goal of 238 or the 10% mark. Anyway, Dave and I had a nice dinner at home, turkey meatloaf, salad, small glass of wine before dinner and then decided to head out for the evening. We live in a really popular area just to the north of Detroit and were heading to our neighboring city of Ferndale to check out their "Blues Fest". We ended up at Como's which is a super popular Pizza place and hung out at the bar and listened a pretty good blues band. We met a very nice couple at the bar and started drinking and having a nice time talking with them.  Well, 3 glasses of wine later (BIG GLASSES) and quite a buzz, I was starving and needed some "filler" to soak up some of the wine, so what do I do? I order a Pizza! Cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms. And  I was "able" without any problem whatsoever to eat a two small slices!  I think what is bothering me more than the fact that I did it is that I "can" do it. I really hope this restriction gets me through to my next fill with some significant weight loss.

Anyway I  will  try not to dwell too much on my wine induced error in judgement and remember what Scarlet O' Hara said: "after all tomorrow is another day".

1st Solid Meal after Fill #1

Just finished dinner and did OK. I stopped before I felt full because I am so afraid of the dreaded PB! I hope I never experience it, but am afraid I will one of these days. I had 1/2 piece of baked Tilapia...maybe 3 ounces, some brown rice with sauteed mushrooms (1/2 cup),  some spagetti squash with grated cheese and a few slices of avacado. I ate it from a 9 inch salad plate and it was pretty full. I feel OK now. Not full but not hungry either. Although I do feel  pressure where the band is. Not sure if that is fullness or some sort of GERD pressure thing.

First Fill

First fill went well and was much easier than I thought it would be. A numbing prick, then the fill needle, where he removed what was in the band, (2cc that I never knew was there in the first place) and added 1.5 cc giving me a total of 3.5cc. So, we will see how this works for me. My next fill appointment isn’t until March 10, six weeks away so you know what that means? It means I am going to have to be very diligent and controlled if I am to lose some weight by my next appointment. The good news is, I did not gain any weight since surgery and am still at 250. I am really happy about that, because I thought I for sure gained a few pounds. (can't believe I just said I am happy about being 250!)


What is amazing is how easily I have fallen back into my old eating habits. My portion sizes have changed and are smaller, but I still eat the same stuff. I cook with EVOO and butter, still use ½ and ½ in my coffee, tarter sauce on my fish and ranch dressing on my salad. (and those are only a few of my bad habits) They are all high fat foods and all wrong. It is amazing my weight stayed the same.

So, it is time to strategize and get busy. And change what I am eating. It’s time to concentrate and make weight loss my priority. I didn’t have surgery or a contraption implanted in me to stay the same!

My goal for my next appointment is to be at least at 240. 10 lbs in 6 weeks is doable don’t you think? Actually, my next goal is 238 which is a 10% weight loss. So that is what I will strive for.

Excited about fill and thinking about Sally

Can't tell you how excited I am for my first fill tomorrow... I will fill you in on how it goes. I really hope I get a decent amount so I can feel "some" restriction. 

Also thinking about Sally Hammilton  (Sally's Blog)  and what she is going through with her medical tests. Saying a prayer that she will be OK.  She is very inspirational and helpful to a lot of us. Good Luck Sally...you have a lot of positive thoughts coming your way.

Countdown to 1st Fill...

  I am counting the days...6 to be exact, until my first fill! I feel like I have just been waiting in a holding pattern and doing nothing the last month and really need to get the band working to help me start the process of losing weight. It is very frustrating!

My eating habbits have somewhat changed, but honestly not enough.  I am relying on the "band" to help me make the changes and to keep me on plan.  It is very easy to fall back into old habbits and eat the way I used to especially without restriction. Sometimes I feel it is like I didn't even have surgery. I am a bit disappointed in myself for not having better "selfcontrol" and staying on a good eating plan now, but I honestly don't have it in me, and haven't for a long time....THAT IS WHY I GOT THE BAND...CAUSE I NEEDED HELP, RIGHT? So, I am going to give myself a chance here, get the band "working" for me with the proper fills and see where I go.  One thing is for sure, it is very encouraging reading about other's successes here in our little blogworld.

Lap Band Support Group

Went to my first post-op lap band support group meeting last night. There were only 3 of us there along with the psychologist Jackie, who runs the meetings. One lady was a year and a half out and the guy was only two weeks out. The lady has lost only about 70 pounds in the year and a half and still needs to lose more. She has had issues with GERD in a big way, and has had about 9 fills over that peroid. Jackie told us they actually have patients who have lost nothing after being banded. They go for one fill, don't lose, get discouraged, then never come back. Can you imagine? So, I mentioned I am worried about gaining some weight back during this period of no restriction, and Jackie then asked me "Well aren't you staying on the plan?" And I had to answer truthfully, that I am not. I am pretty much eating like I used to before surgery, with a few exceptions and of course my quantities are somewhat more limited.  So, today I am back on "plan" and paying attention to what I am eating again. I need to start writing what I eat down too. Do you guys do that and find it helpful?

Jackie did ask the other woman if she was happy with the band and on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best) how she would rate it. She said she would give it a 4, and knows she would have never lost the 70 lbs without it. 4 is good in my book, better than average.  So I am keeping the faith and looking forward to my first fill on Jan 27.

Restriction in the New Year

I need some restriction in my head and my band! It seems I am pretty much eating almost as much as I was pre-band the past few days. I have no restriction other than the band itself and as long as I chew things pretty well, everything seems to go through OK. And my portions are much larger. I did have a bad experience yesterday with a corn muffin. Came home and wanted to have a bite of something with some tea before getting ready to go out for NYE. The muffin was a bit dry even though I had butter and maple syrup on it and I (unconsciously) took a bite without chew, chew, chewing and it got stuck. Wow did it ever hurt. So, I stood up and moved around a bit and took a few sips of tea and it passed. But boy was that a reminder that I have to be fully aware and conscious of everything I put into my mouth from now on. That is the reason for being banded in the first place right? My first fill is scheduled the last week of January, so I am really concerned about how I am going to control my calories-portions from now until then. I am really stressed and sad about my darling Dad too. I see his health deteriorating so quickly and I am a stress eater so I am afraid I will sooth and comfort myself with food in the coming months. I have lost 15 pounds and don’t want to screw that up. I would even be happy if I could at least maintain it until my first fill. This is the New Year and a new way of life for me, so I am going to concentrate on goal setting and being being aware of what I am doing regarding food and what I chose to eat.
How did you guys get through this time? Any suggestions? Hope you are all well and wish everyone the best in the New Year!