BYOC

I haven't done it in a few weeks, so I jump back in today.

1. What is your favorite genre of movies? (comedy/romance/horror/action)

I love old movies (esp. Hitchcock) and Merchant – Ivory type period pieces. I'm pretty open, don't like horror or extremely violent.

2. What do you order when you eat Chinese food?

Always Sweet & Sour soup the maybe garlic chicken or Gen Tso's chicken. I love a good spring roll.

3. Okay no one kill me for this one - and don't answer if you don't want to BUT I just saw some preview for Dr. Phil on swingers and I wondered - what's your take on swingers.....for it, against it, do it, would never do it, etc.?

It would not be for me because I'm the jealous type. I actually know of several people who do and that's cool, but it's got to work for you. My bff had a date take her to a swingers club on time without telling her – yea that was their last date.

4. Let's go back to a repeat question. Pick one thing you'll do one next week that is for your physical/mental health.

I did really great last week drinking water and have done crappy this week. So I'm just going to focus on drinking all my water.

5. Repeat question. Which blog or comment stuck with you the most this week and why?

Hmm – there were a lot of good one's. I'm going to take a pass and say kudos to everyone. Lame – I know.

Mental Changes

Do we lose focus as we lose weight or do we simply start living? I've been pondering this for a few days because of some observations I've had lately.

I've noticed that a lot of bloggers who were banded about the same time as me blog a little less lately and when they do it's more life based as opposed to here's what I ate, here's what I've lost. I don't think it's because we take the band for granted or success for granted, but at least for me I am less nervous about it working - it does (for me). I'm now focused on what life with the band can give me; fun stuff like clothes and shopping and great stuff like self confidence, pride, being comfortable in social situations (the list could go on). In the beginning, I blogged as a lifeline. As a way to get feedback, to have accountability, to see other people doing it and being successful because I was so scared I had done all of that work (to get the band) for nothing.

In the beginning, I would have beaten myself up for the oatmeal cookie I just ate, but I know it's OK and while it will slow me down it won't make me a failure. I am 100% accountable for what goes into my mouth and what goes on in my head and those two things get along a little better lately. I did not make up an excuse why I NEEDED a cookie, I just ate it and that's maybe kind of normal!?!

Anyway, I'm not really sure about where I was originally going with this post, but I think it was just to say it's OK not to 100% hardcore focused like maybe 6 or 8 months ago, because I know I'll get to goal and if I'm happy at the pace I'm going that cookie's no big deal, but if I'm in a hurry I can log my food and exercise more. Either way is fine.

I'm Here - With Random Thoughts

OK - I haven't blogged much lately and have no real excuse. We haven't been on vacation, we all have the same schedules, so it's really just me being uninteresting and lazy. I've been keeping up with everyone and trying to comment so hopefully you know I'm alive.

There's lots of stuff going on for BOOBS planning and it's exciting to think it's only two months away. It's weird because I've never spent the night away from Cate before (except for surgery - and I was so drugged I didn't worry about it), so I'm getting a little tug of guilt about it but it's good to get out and have fun on our own sometimes - God knows I could use it.

I've lost a few pounds over the last week so I'm at 186. I don't know when I've been here before - definitely in High School and for awhile in college, either way it's been A LONG time. My dream was to be at goal (160)by the end of September, but that's really unrealistic at this point, so I'm going to change it to I'd like to be in the 170's by then and see what I can do by the end of the year.

As important as my weight goal is I've decided that my real goal for the rest of the year is to find a new job. I've let myself stay at a place that makes me unhappy and feel shitty for way too long. In November I will have been here for 5 years(I'm almost embarrassed to type that)  - I really don't want to celebrate that. I just have days here where I feel like I exist, but only minimally. I do A LOT, but the minute my supervisor feels things are taken out of her control by me, she snatches things back (to do me a favor), I feel like I'm always having my hand smacked. I have good days and bad, but the good aren't that good. I don't feel like I've ever been myself here, I always feel on guard. I am super PMS'ing right now, so I know I'm being overly dramatic, but I know some of you understand.

I've been thinking a lot about the skin thing lately. I definitely have gross places (my arms and thighs), but right now my stomach is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I think it's because my stomach is holding on to this fat for dear life. Maybe I'll take some pics and get your opinions. I'm pretty sure if my stomach was more in proportion I'd be in a way smaller pant because my I lost my leg fat pretty fast.

Well, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying some weather that is not sweltering (if so you must not live on the East Coast).

Wine Rack

Who's going to buy this for Chicago?? I'll bring the wine.


http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2010/07/omfg-you-wont-believe-what-the.html

I might even be a rock star...

OK - that's a cheesy Hannah Montana song and if you knew that you obviously have a daughter under the age of 10.
I am still ho-hum about weight/food stuff this week, but I had a good NSV today. We had a carnival at work to kick off our United Way fund raising campaign. I worked the event because I'm on the committee and even though it's a fun event it can be a long day. Toward the end of my shift my friend said she wanted to do the Rock Band game again and asked if I wanted to do it with her. Without thinking I said yea, if I can sing. WTF!!
This is a work function full of many people I dislike and try to avoid, but I'm going to go sing karaoke in front of them? Sober?

Well I did it, with very few butterflies and I could feel people watching but I felt OK. I rocked out the One Way or Another (love Blondie) and when it was done I wasn't beet red or crying. I can honestly say that 91 pounds ago I would not have put myself out there for fear of being ridiculed. And while that's sad, it's great that I'm doing things now, even if it's as silly as Rock Band. Think of all the things we can start doing, bit by bit.
Rock on my friends!

Blah and a new blogger

Good things first  - I had a new follower today - LJ and she has a new blog. She's having surgery this week and I'm her only follower so go show her some love and support.
http://ljandthesunshineband.blogspot.com/ 

LJ - if you're reading this I couldn't figure out how to leave you a comment (and that's the best part) so check your settings and make sure you have comments turned on and good luck on Thursday!!

So to the blah part. I feel blah and fat and blah. All my extreme tightness from last week has eased up, but unfortunately I ate sliders, lots of sliders. I've seriously turned to sugar and junk and have to get back on track. I'm not even going to make a list of all the stuff I ate because that's not the point (I will say s'mores were involved) and since I make a no diet rule, I just need to get the junk out of my system.

I'm hoping if I plan my meals and get my head in the game I'll actually lose some weight this week because I haven't done too much of that lately.  Wish me luck!

Summer Time

So we're having a week of 100+ degree weather - Ugh. It was 105 here yesterday.

Last summer my band was new with no restriction so some of you more tenured bandsters need to tell me if super hot weather affects your band. Obviously I was super tight over the weekend from stress, but I would have thought that would have passed by now. I'm still pretty tight although I did eat solids with no pain yesterday (I know that sounds weird, but where some of you would have a PB'd when tight, I just hurt). So I'm thinking that the heat is making me swell all over and thus a tighter band. My engagement ring, which I had to take off last week for fear of loosing (it was so big) is now fairly snug on my finger. I'm assuming the same is going on as during my TOM.

 

Anyway, instead of complaining about the weather, I thought I'd be little Mary Sunshine and make a list of positives about the extreme heat.

 

• You can wear a ponytail to work and look cool and chic (and not like you didn't wash your hair this morning)
• Iced coffee is the best breakfast ever!!
• It's almost mandatory to incorporate ice cream into your diet (a McDonald's Vanilla Cone has 150 calories and 4 grams of protein – just saying)
• Our tomatoes are growing happily in the sunshine (I can't wait for the first one!)
• Bronzer and mascara is all you need
• You can wear sleeveless shirts with no shame (at least I can this summer)
• If you want, you can be grumpy and irritable and blame it on the heat
• It actually makes you want to get all your water in for the day
• There are more pros to cons about putting on a swimsuit (very rare)
• You can listen to "Summer Music"  - I tend to go for mellow like Jack Johnson

 

 

What would you add to the list? Stay Cool.

The nurse is real in....

Just a quickie that Rick got through surgery fine yesterday and got home this afternoon (the hospital we have it done at always keeps you overnight). He's sleeping like a baby on OC and I'm gearing up for a few days of nursing.

Just a side note that I guess I haven't been super stressed out to this point with the band until now because I can not eat anything I'm SO tight. I've given up today and I'm having a chocolate banana smoothie from Starbucks (it has 14g of protein) for dinner.

Have a good holiday weekend (to those in the US & Canada).

75% There - Scary!! and Before & During Pictures

So periodically I enter my weight on the Lap - Band site and today it told me I was over 75% of my weight loss goal - holy crap!!

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I had a few requests for some before/during pictures so here are a few (I have a tough time finding befores). It's a little rough to look at these, but it's good to do it sometimes.

December 2008 - Doing Insurance Stuff - 285

Same Time - 285

August 2009 - 2 months post op- 250

November 2009 -5 months post op - 238

February 2010 - 7 months post op - 214

Today - 13 months post op- 189

189

Things

Lots of thing going on. I have had a cold/whatever for a good week now. I'm stuffy and my throat is killing me. I'm beginning to think now it's allergies because it just won't go away. It's not affecting my band tightness like colds I've had in the past (unfortunately). Although last night I was eating some ice cream (for my poor throat..) and almost PB'd on it. It's a weird irony that my first ever PB would be on ice cream. It ended up working itself out, but so weird. So my ice cream binge ended up being about a 1/3 of a cup (love this band).

Thanks to everyone who hopped over to follow Rick's blog. He was so cute last night like "I have 8 followers - now I have 10!!" To answer your questions of whether he can hang with all the va jay jay talk and such - time will tell. I told him I'd point out some "beginner ones" to follow and he can work his way up to hardcore (Draz - I'm talking to you). I think maybe he'll follow brave Andrew's lead and comment on the weight/band stuff and remain stoically silent on the rest (or maybe not). Anyway, we're gearing up for band number 2 tomorrow. 

I'm not sure if this applies to anyone other than Dawn (with husband/wife banded with kids), but I know we all agonize about your kids having weight/food issues. Do you ever worry about how your kids will be affected by seeing you eat so little? I've started to think about it because both Rick and I will be eating little portions and Cate will have like twice what we eat. I try so hard not to give her food hang ups, so I worry. I'm thinking I might buy some medium size plates to use instead of salad plates I use now so it doesn't seem so drastic.

Have a good day everyone! Our heat wave finally broke here, so it's beautiful. Hope you all can say the same.