CherylJ.

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I got up this morning, and found myself not at ALL hungry.  Instead of ignoring my full-feeling belly and grabbing at least a Greek yogurt to kick-start my metabolism, I instead foolishly waited until I was hungry, and made an egg salad sandwich (homemade egg salad, with Smart Beat mayo on Pepperidge Farm Deli Delights flat bread) and also took a Chobani lemon yogurt.    I was either performing a random act of mindless eating, or I was just eating WAAAAYYYYYYY faster than I should have, because after about four bites, I began to feel it.  The dreaded "stuck" feeling.  And of course, I did the EXACT wrong thing.... took a couple of sips of my iced coffee, to try and make the feeling go away.  I know, I know... I can't even begin to tell you guys how many countless numbers of times the RN, the dietician and the psychologist reiterated over and over that if you begin feeling stuck, DO NOT drink anything, because it will make it worse.   I learned, first-hand, exactly what they meant.   I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to lie down in my bed.  I waited until the feeling pass, and then got up again (slowly), and CAREFULLY resumed eating.  I was able to finish the sandwich, and my yogurt, without any further problems.  That was too much of a close call for my comfort, though, and I never plan on feeling that way again.   Now, for the NSV.... the hubs and I kicked some booty and gave our house a thorough cleaning today.  We stopped in the middle, to talk for a minute, and he leaned over to give me a hug and a smooch.  As he wrapped his arms around me, he said, "You're definitely getting skinny... I can fit my arms all the way around you now."  He said I also got my cheekbones back, as well as the dimples in my cheeks.  Guess it's starting to show, at least a little! :)  

I decided this week was the week to begin working on my exercise routine again.  So, I dusted off my Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds one mile video, and my two pound weights, and went to work.  I thought it best to take it REALLY slow, so I don't hurt or strain anything.  I'm going to work out Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of January, and then bump it up to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in February, working in some two mile workouts by the end of the month.  My ultimate goal is to do some sort of physical activity five times a week, and I WILL get there!

Now, for the teeny NSV's.  While driving the little one to school yesterday morning, I noticed that there was much more of a gap between the bottom of the steering wheel and my stomach, even with my heavy winter coat on.  That certainly made me feel better!  Also, I'm wearing a shirt today that was definitely tight a few months back... to the point where I stopped wearing it!  Not only is it no longer tight, but it's a bit LOOSE on me!  And, the hubs told me the other night that my stomach looks a lot smaller, and he can notice the weight loss in my face.  Really made me feel good!

My ultimate goal for 2011 is to make it WAY better than 2010 was, and I'd say I'm off to a pretty good start!

I had my two week post-op visit with Dr. Brams today.  He said that everything seemed to be going well... my stitches are healing fine, and I've dropped 17 pounds since my surgery on the 23rd!   I asked him about this pesky rash, and he said it looked like I had an allergic reaction to the adhesive they used to make the steri strips even more sticky.  He said I shouldn't scratch them, if I can help it, and I told him, "Okay, you stop breathing, and I'll stop scratching!"  :)  He gave me a prescription for a topical steroid cream that should stop the trick and heal the rash within a few days.  I can only hope!

He also said something that kind of bothered me.  He mentioned "statistics" with the lap band, and statistically speaking, I will lose 50% of my excess body weight.  He gave me a target number of 180, which he said would be a "challenge", but I told him I wanted to get down to around 145 to 150.  He said that would be "extremely challenging."  Why???  Why would that be so  hard for me to do?  It's not completely unattainable... I've been that weight before.  I mean, if I went through all the trouble and effort to have MAJOR surgery so that a weight loss device could be permanently implanted inside my body, why would I not want to take the next step and go the distance to see how much weight I can lose???  It was kind of a downer for me, to be poo-pooed for such a "challenging" notion, and I told him I was going to prove him wrong.  I CAN do it, and I WILL do it! :)  I am woman, hear  me roar! :) :)

I keep getting on the scale every morning, hoping for even the slightest nudge downward, and for the past four days, I've seen the EXACT same number... 251.6.  I'm still following the diet protocol my doctor's office recommends, which is a whole mess of liquids.  Why am I so stuck??

The year 2010 was  strange, challenging, and intense in some respects, and incredibly wonderful in others. I'm happy to put it behind me, and see what 2011 will bring.

I'm looking forward to taking this Lap Band journey as far as it will go, and (hopefully) rockin' out in a sweet bathing suit on the beach this summer, and in a pretty party dress for my 30th high school reunion this fall.  The possibilities are endless!


Happy New Year, everyone!

Today is the first day of week 2 post-op, and although I'm still on soft foods (and miss chewing on something... ANYTHING), I'm delighted that I can now have skim milk added to the list of liquids I can ingest.  I don't mind black tea so much, but black coffee gives me the heebies, and I've missed my hazelnut iced coffee sooooo much! 

I'm starting out with a much smaller amount than usual, and sipping it slowly, and I have to confess, it's a small slice of heaven.  So was the yogurt I got to have for breakfast this morning.

It's amazing what simple indulgences can make me happy, when I haven't had them in so long!   I can only imagine what I'll be like when I can have my first piece of salmon in a month.... mmmmmmmmm!!!!  :)

Today's goal was to clean my house.  I'd let it slip since coming  home from surgery, mostly because I just couldn't maneuver my way around enough to be able to scrub, sweep, dust, and vacuum.  Today, my body felt up to the challenge, and I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity.

Little did I know that cleaning six days after lap band surgery would involve stages.  I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and had to sit down.  Then, I tackled sweeping the floors and vacuuming the rugs, and had to rest again.  I've got the dusting and mopping left, but I might just leave the dust lie, and ask the hubs to mop, instead.  Somehow, I think mopping wouldn't be such a bright idea, anyway.

It feels good to know that I'm mobile enough to be able to clean like that, but I can't wait until I have enough stamina to be able to do it all in one fell swoop.  It's coming soon, I know.

What's the other thing I can't wait for?  The soft and mushies.  If I never saw another bowl of sugar free Jell-o, it would be too soon.

I woke up feeling a bit restless and house-happy this morning.  I'm hoping that's a good sign!  I also weighed in again this morning, and was happy to see that the scale keeps moving downward.  So far, I've lost 33 pounds!  Woo hoo!  Guess that makes all of these liquids worth it! :)

I'm not sure if I'm going to venture outside today at all.  New England got whalloped with a major snowstorm, and I don't think it would be wise to slip and fall in the snow!  Maybe I'll work at a turtle's pace to try and straighten up some around here.  We'll see how well that goes.

After another not so great night's sleep, I got out of bed early to move and stretch a bit, and start my morning "meal" of liquids in various forms.  By about 11:00 a.m., I realized I was getting a little "owie", and didn't understand why... until I realized I hadn't taken anything for pain relief yet! :)  I took some liquid Tylenol, and feel a bit better now.  Oddly enough, my back is more the issue than my front... guess it's from walking/sleeping/moving cautiously.  I'm proud to say, though, that I've only had one-half dose of liquid Percocet since having the surgery! :)

I just got a bit bummed, when I realized I won't be able to eat solid foods for about a month.  Such is life of a newbie bandster, I guess.  I'll just keep doing my best to truck along, and let my body heal, though.  The reward of actually being able to CHEW my food will be wonderful!

 

Today is my oldest girlie's 12th birthday, and she's bummed that I can't have any of her birthday cake later on tonight.  I know I'm not... it's a strange thing to say, but I'm not even interested in having any!  Such a weird sensation!

I also went to the grocery store with the hubs today, and did a HUGE walk around the store (I even had to sit for a bit after awhile, 'cause the store is enourmous!).  We stopped at the bakery to get a cookie for our little, since she was so good and wanted a treat.  I wound up picking out a few things, and couldn't believe that the sight of all of those gooey, yummy pastries and Italian cookies didn't send me reeling!  I really wasn't interested in them at all. 

I woke up REALLY early this morning to go potty and had a tough time going back to sleep.  I sat up and watched TV for a bit, and then decided to try and roll over onto my left side (where my port was placed, and unfortunately, where I'm most comfortable sleeping), to see if I could do it.  I was so pleasantly surprised to see that it was actually comfortable! :)

Although I'm still feeling sore, and still have to take it easy, I'm amazed at how much better I feel than I expected to!