checking in

My weight is staying constant but my appetite is coming back a little more; guess it is a good thing I have a fill scheduled for Monday. I wonder how much he will put in.  I have 4cc right now, even though I don't think the doctor has been real aggressive he said he was going to slow it down a little.  He said that he is estimating my green zone to be somewhere between 4 and 6.  I hope he gives me a whole cc but we will see.

so that is Monday, Wednesday is the fake wedding photo shoot.  I ended up buying a dress at salvation army for $149.  It isn't my style or what I would pick for my real wedding but the dress is very pretty.  I think my family is having a hard time believing it isn't real.  Yes I know it is a little strange but D and I are probably the least stressed out 'bride and groom' ever. One of my friends is literally driving me nuts trying to find a black dress....I thought that would be super easy to find. Not really happy with how I look in the dress but it could have been worse.

On  a related note, dress shopping could have been very depressing if I would have let it.  They do not make those dresses in the standard size.  I decided to not pay attention to the size, more than likely the dress has been altered anyway.  My size 12 AE jeans made it all better. 

I haven't been in the gym this week.  My sinuses are kicking my butt and I just didn't have the energy to do it. I hope to get  a run in tomorrow after I get home from my latest work trip and at least getting a good weight workout Sunday before I go see Dr. Atkins Monday.  I always see a small dip on the scale the day after a good workout.  I will be back before the end of the week.  I just feel so much better when I work out.

exciting things

I am in need of a size 12/14 wedding dress stat!!  One of my friends is in a bridal photography class and asked D and I to be "the" couple.  Since I have never been a bride and had no immediate plans to become one this is kind of exciting.  I get the pretty pictures, cake, flowers, all the fun stuff and none of the stress.  They gave me a size 10 dress to try on (yeah right) and even though I got it to zip over my hips it was about an inch from closing over my rib cage.  I have never used spanx but I might try.  Me and my sister are going to go thrift store shopping saturday.  I have looked all over the internet for a rental place and couldn't find anything in town. 

OK on to band related issues.  I am eating more than I was able to a week ago but I am working out pretty hard 5/6 days a week.  I ate almost an entire burrito at lunch.  I haven't noticed an increase in the scale.   Maybe I am just learning to eat slower?  I don't know but I am scheduled for a fill Oct. 3 and for the first time since my last fill I think I need it.

I love the band

Today, for the first time in a very long time I almost cried tears of joy when I stepped on the scale.  Dispite the stress at work, working overtime, and travel the scale is still going down.

Back yet again

I want to add that I am not able to comment on anyone's blogs for some odd reason but I am keeping up with ya'll.  Thanks Amy for the blog award nomination!!  I hope that I will be able to comment from my home computer....not that I am blogging from work or anything.

I really don't mean to keep pulling a disappearing act.  My work schedule is insane this time of year on a normal year (October is the first of our FY so we are working on closeout) but I was the lucky recipient of a brand spanking new project with high visibility and an impossible deadline.  No worries, I have been known to pull a rabbit out of hat a time or two but it leaves little time for real life.

I am reaching a point in my weight loss were people are actually starting to notice.  My hair stylist and a friend at the gym both comment on it.  I did measurements at the gym on Sunday and I am down about 12 inches and 4% body fat, which puts me in the normal range!!  That made me so freaking happy.  Even eating out I am down.  My weight may not be moving very fast but I am happy that the inches and the fat are going bye-bye!!

So this weekend I went into a store that I never thought I would go into, American Eagle, and bought a pair of jeans.  More importantly not in the biggest size they carry!!  I have been getting comments from friends that I was starting to look like the little wanna be gangster boys with the pants hanging half way to their knees, couldn't have that.

Eating is really strange now.  I am at that point that when I eat out I get the looks and comments from the waitstaff wanting to make sure my food was ok.  I went out to eat last night and since I had burned 600 calories at the gym earlier that day I wanted to make sure and eat very slow and take in more food than I normally would.  It took me a little over an hour to eat probably 3/4 of a taco and enchilada (thank you a la cart menu).  I go back for a fill Oct. 3.  I haven't had any PB experiences and the weight isn't falling off but I know I can't get much more of a fill and eat the amount of protein that I need to eat.  Of course things can change drastically in two weeks, we will see.

Hope everyone had a great weekend...

15 pounds gone

I realize it has taken me longer than most people who have had lap band surgery but I have finally made it to 15 pounds lost!!  It has taken me two months to do it but it is enough to keep me from throwing in the tall and calling the whole thing a waste of time and money!! 

Since my fill Tuesday I have really noticed the restriction.  I ate cream of wheat for breakfast this morning and really had to eat slow to keep from getting that pre-stuck feeling.  I ate about half of it before I just didn't want it anymore, it was getting cold before I could even eat it.  I am pretty sure this is how this bastard is supposed to work.

I bought myself a little 15 pounds lost present, a little gift from me to me.  They were on sale and there was only one pair of black boots left in my size.  I can't wait until boot weather!!

I am confident that within a week I will be in the 150's and I am so excited about that I can hardly stand it.

Holy restriction Batman!

So this is what restriction is supposed to feel like!!  What a difference 2cc's make!!  I had a Jamba Juice smoothie with protein for lunch yesterday after my fill and noticed it took me a long time to drink it, but I thought they just made it extra thick. I had CIB for breakfast and was full but I have never been a big breakfast person.  I was starving at lunch, and even though I technically am supposed to be on liquids for 48 hours I was too hungry to deal and decided to try turkey deli meat and cheese.  I tried the first couple of bites with a little bread and decided that wasn't going to work, so I took the break off and took a couple of more bites and I was done, thanksgiving dinner done.

I am a little nervous that my head hunger will get the best of me this afternoon and I will go off to find something to snack on but I will cross that bridge when/if it comes to it.  I really need to go to the store and get some healthy work snacks. 

I have so much catching up to do on everyone's blogs, three weeks is a lifetime in the blogosphere!!

starting over, so soon

Wow, it has been a really long time!!  Hopefully I am back in full force now.

I am walking proof that the band will not work if you don't put in the effort.  I had my second fill today and I was up 2 pounds....well 1.7 to be exact but seriously WTF!!  Of course I knew things wouldn't be easy but being sent out of town for 3 weeks working 10-12 hour days made it impossible.  It was pretty much work, eat, sleep.  The work was so monotonous that eating was the only thing we had to look forward to.  I had really hoped those days were behind me.  My appetite was almost back to normal, I only had 2cc in my band so there wasn't a lot of restriction there to begin with. I am not making excuses, I could have made better choices and forced myself to wake up (not a morning person here) early and do at least some exercise, I didn't and I am paying the price.

BUT, I am back now, the weather is beautiful and it is re-commitment  time.  I had another 2cc put in my band today so I am up to 4cc.  The doctor said I should really start to feel some restriction at between 4 and 6.  He said I would have to pay more attention to chewing and the types of food I am eating because play time is over.

On the exercise front I am getting back into the habit.  I had a nice hour and a half workout on Sunday, the plan was to ride the bike yesterday but there was a lot of smoke in the air from all the dang wildfires.  I am going to go home and either walk, run or a combination of the two as soon as I get there.  I need to call and get the rest of my groupon pilates reformer classes set up too but it has been too nice to think about.  I need to move my dang body or this weight will never come off.

I am going to have to go out of town again for at least a week the end of this month but at least I get to go by myself.  I will be able to make better food choices and hopefully I can work some from my room so I can take 30 minutes to exercise after I get back to the hotel.  I will make it work somehow.