Third Fill

May 06, 2008

I can't believe that I'm already on my third fill.  I am definitely close if not at my sweet spot.  I am able to eat comfortably.  Can eat almost anything I want just much less of it.  I got my fill last Friday (May 3rd) and at that appt, according to my dr scales I was 217.  Today (Wednesday the 7th) I am 213.5.  I would have probably been lower but I had this run in with an old friend over the weekend (a 5" icing covered sugar cookie that my daughter made).  It had been four months since I had a full blown sugar binge and I decided to indulge the voracious craving I have had lately and get it out of my system.  I did so, it was wonderful and I got back on track immediately.

I'm getting to the point now where I enjoy watching the scale go down more than I enjoy the momentary satisfaction that a particular food might.  I now look at something and determine if it's really worth it.  Most of the time it isn't and I push it away.  (The cookie was definitely an exception!)  However, I know that if I do choose to indulge a particular craving that I have the ability and the tool to get back on program rapidly.  Such is the case this week as after I had that monstrous cookie I gained a pound, but immediately lost it and more.  It used to be the other way around! 

I love my band and I'm ready to work with it as far as it will take me.  According to my FitDay program I have 43.5 more lbs to goal.  I am 13.5 lbs from Onederland (that will be a great day) and on the track I'm on should get there in about a month.  I should be ten lbs from goal in about three months (end of July).  So I am definitely on track to make my goal of 170 by the end of the year with room to spare.

My next fill is set for June 3rd, we will see if I need it or not.  In the meantime we are going to the mountain on the bikes for Memorial Day weekend so that should be a good challenge for me as far as trying to stay on task.


Realization

Apr 22, 2008

Tonight we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant (been doing that a lot lately!)  I ordered chicken parmesean which came with pasta (which I didn't eat) and a salad (which I had a little of with balsamic dressing).  The serving size of the chicken was quite large, probably two chicken breasts and I ate about three quarters of it!  The thing is, I began to get my full signs about 1/4 to half way through but it tasted so good I ignored them and kept eating.  I didn't PB or anything.  Just ate until I was "stuffed". I was able to eat quite a bit (obviously) as long as I chewed well.  My main sign that I'm full is I get the sniffles.  I really should have quit then but like I said, it just tasted too darn good to quit.  This has me worried that I'm going to be over eating and cause myself damage.  

My realization is that I need to understand that I can stop eating when I first begin to experience my soft stop signs, pack up my food and take it home to maybe have later or the next day and enjoy it again.  I don't have to try and finish it right then and there.  This is definitely one of the battles that I fought in the past with prior weight loss attempts and something that I need to come to terms with now if I'm going to be successful.  The other battle is complacency (being happy with my weight loss thus far and becoming lax), but that's another post for another day.  I just wanted to write this out in order to "verbalize" it to myself and to maybe get other's feedback and ideas as to how to deal with this particular hurdle.

2nd fill!!!

Apr 04, 2008

Got my second fill today.  Dr. Cywes says he put 4cc's in for a total of 6.5.  He said I would be rather tight.  I feel a little difference but not a whole lot really.  Just had a protein shake and it went down quite easily.  The past month I have been doing very well.  I have lost a total of 52 lbs from my highest weight back in October and 45 lbs from my first appt with Dr. Cywes so I'm at about the halfway mark figuring from my highest weight.. I average 26 carbs a day and between 600-700 calories.  I get hungry but not horribly so and can usually curb my hunger with fluids.  I am actually feeling that this can work.  Oddly enough I'm almost nervous about getting down below 200 lbs.  It's been so long I can hardly remember being that size.  I'm excited though and the part of me that's excited is eager for the scale to keep going down.  I have more energy and am enjoying working out in the yard more.  My foot doesn't hurt quite as bad as it did before.  I am in a size 20 jeans and even they are starting to get loose.  Another 10 lbs and I should be in an 18.  That would also be the weight I got down to when I was on the Three Hour Diet.  I was looking good at that point but wanted to look better before I fell of the wagon.  This time I will get past that point.

So far so good!  Everything is going the way it should and I'm very happy with my band!


First Fill!!

Mar 11, 2008

Got my first fill today!  Just 2cc's in my large AP Band (my dr says it will hold 14cc's).  I think he had me up to 3cc's but backed off a bit because the water just wasn't going down very well.  I was gurgling quite a bit! LOL  It didn't hurt in the least!  In fact, at one point he said, "okay this is going to hurt a lot!"  I was like, "WHAT????"  He laughed and said, "just kidding!"  UGH! LOL

He wants me back in three weeks!  He was extremely pleased with my progress, he reiterated how big my hiatal hernia was!  He seemed really impressed with it. LOL  No wonder it took so long to heal!  He said I may still feel pain in my left shoulder if I eat too much from the hernia repair.

I had to laugh at him today.  I confessed about eating too many carbs on Sunday during brunch and I told him that I didn't beat myself up too badly and just got back on track.  He looked at me at said, "No, that's my job!"  I love that though, I need someone who's going to keep me on track and he seems to be just the person to do it!

Wow!!!

Mar 09, 2008

Okay, things are definitely moving for me now!  This morning I am down to 235!!!  That's seven lbs in a week after not losing anything for two!  Thank you mother nature or whatever stimulated my body to start losing again!  I have begun to set mini goals.  My first mini goal is the 50 lbs lost which would mark my halfway point.  I would be 220 at that point and I am 15 lbs away from that right now.  I would love to reach that by the end of April.  My next mini goal would be onederland, so that would be another 20 lbs.  Maybe by end of June/July?  From that point I would have another 30 lbs to get to goal.  I wanted to be able to reach goal by the end of this year and right now I think that is entirely possible.  100 lbs in 11 months.  We will see!! 

I was really fretting the scale today because of how badly I ate yesterday.  We went to brunch at Village Inn and I ended up eating almost two eggs, half an order of hash browns, a small pancake with maple syrup and two strips of bacon.  Oh and I also picked at the chocolate icing that was on my son's piece of truffle pie!  After that the only thing I ate was a small order of Wendy's Chili and that was rather late at night.  It will probably show up tomorrow.  However, I am going in for my fill appt tomorrow and I definitely think I need one.  I don't think I should be able to eat that much.  Maybe along with the weight loss I have lost some fat around my stomach or something but I am definitely able to eat more than I should.

I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes!!!!



Hooray!

Mar 07, 2008

I busted through my plateau!  About damn time!  Geez!  I have been hovering between 241 and 242 for weeks now.  I stepped on the scale this morning and was 238.5!  Hallelujah!  A lot of it may have been due to that time of the month, it could also have been my body compacting, it could also have been attributed to not getting enough calories.  I've been experimenting the past few days and, while not completely being horrible, not being so stringent with myself.  I've even had some (gasp) carbs!  I had some mashed potatoes last night and I had some hash browns with my breakfast yesterday morning.  Not whole helping's mind you, probably just a few ounces, and I concentrated mostly on my protein.  I still have decent restriction even without a fill and can only eat about a cup to a cup and a half of food.  My fill appt is next Tuesday so we will see what they think I need.

03/03/08 - 3-1/2 weeks post op

Mar 03, 2008

Well today was sort of interesting.  I called first thing this morning and got an appt to see the doctor about the pain I've been having.  I saw Dr. Babtista this time, and I think he thought I was there for my first fill.  He was having me drink water to see how long it took to pass through my band, etc.  I eventually figured this out and told him that I was there because of the severe pain I was having, primarily when I burp.  Once we got that figured out, then he agreed with me that it was probably from my hiatal hernia repair and suggested that I get some ibuprofen and take it three times a day with food in order to relieve the inflammation.  So I guess I will do that for the next week and see how I am next Tuesday when I am scheduled to go in for my first fill.  All I know is that if I had gone in there today expecting to get a fill I would have been disappointed.  He had me drink some water down real fast until I felt pressure, then tell him when I felt the pressure get relieved.  It took quite a while so he felt that I still had good restriction and didn't need a feel.  I guess if I hadn't have had good restriction he might have gone ahead and given me a fill today!  We will have to see if that changes if I can get the inflammation down.  By this time next week I may be starving!! I'm almost hoping that will be the case as that would also mean that my pain might have gone away as well!

My grandfather is still in the hospital.  He is better than he was a couple of days ago but they are still having to give him blood.  But he is up and around and using a walker to go up and down the halls so that is a big improvement.  He may not be done yet!

I'm going to be heading back down to Daytona tomorrow morning for the women's MDA ride from the speedway over to the Ocean Center.  That should be an experience.  Me and 500 other women riding through the streets of Daytona during bike week.  That reminds me, I better take my camera!  It's supposed to rain tomorrow but not until tomorrow afternoon/evening so hopefully I can get back home before it starts coming down.  Wish me luck!


01/27/08

Feb 27, 2008

I finally got tired of the pain I have been having when I burp and called the doctor today.  His nurse called me back and asked me if I had gotten anything stuck recently and I told her that I had gotten some food stuck last week but that I was experiencing pain before that, how it had gotten worse since.  They think I may have irritated either my pouch or esophagus, especially since I had a large hiatal hernia repair, and want me to go back on liquids for two days and if I'm not better by Monday then they want me to come in.  Oh well, maybe I will lose some more weight on the liquids!  Other than that discomfort I am feeling perfectly normal 3 weeks post op.  Hopefully I can get this figured out and whatever it is will heal.

My grandfather is still in the hospital.  They discovered a blood clot in his left leg behind the knee yesterday.  If he didn't have that I would say he is doing better.  I went to see him yesterday and he wasn't wheezing very bad and he was complaining which is always a good sign.  He is just in such a precarious situation being 93.  Anything like this is always life threatening at his age.  So we are still waiting and praying.


01/25/08

Feb 25, 2008

Had a very off day today mentally.  Lethargic, depressed, and slept most of the day.  Don't know why.  Am I missing the way I used to eat?  Is the fact that I am eating so much less and the scale isn't moving bothering me?  Is it a sort of post banding depression like post partum? (Said half seriously)  I dunno.  I hope it doesn't continue.  My Mom called this afternoon to tell me that they had to put my 93 year old grandfather in the hospital with pneumonia today.  Maybe I am sensing something?  I hope not.  He has had pneumonia before, only a few years ago and he almost didn't get through that.  He's getting too old to fight off these types of infection.

Whatever is causing this feeling I hope it goes away.



My weekend

Feb 24, 2008

Okay, well now that I'm done with my weekend I can report on it. 

Friday night we went to Kan-ki which is a Japanese Steakhouse.  I did really well I think.  Ordered the Filet Mignon, no rice, extra veggies.  I ate some of the soup they bring (it's clear), none of the salad (wanted to save my space for protein) and I had a glass of wine.  I ate most of the meat (probably about 6 oz?) and some of my veggies and was stuffed!  Considering I usually order the filet AND shrimp, plus fried rice and veggies and eat all my soup and salad that was a big improvement.

Saturday morning we got up early.  It had stormed the night before and was still drizzling outside, but we donned our leather and headed across the river to Orange Park to meet fellow HOG members for a short ride to a Lutheran Church for a blessing of the bikes.  After that we joined a couple of other couples at Chili's for lunch.  Ordered Monterey Chicken (grilled and topped with BBQ sauce, bacon and cheese), and it came with veggies and mashed potatoes and gravy.  I ate maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the chicken, none of the bacon, ate the cheese, and some of the veggies and two very small bites of the potatoes.

Came home and had to get ready to throw my daughter a sweet 16 rave party for her and her high school buddies complete with snacks and a huge red velvet birthday cake.  The party went well and everyone seemed to have a good time dancing to techno music and swinging glow sticks around and stuff, then heading out to the pool and jacuzzi.  I decided that I would give myself a little treat and had some of the cake.  I can tell right now that it is not something I am going to be able to have once I begin getting fills.  I took probably about 5 or 6 small bites and immediately got this lump feeling in the middle of my chest.  I handed the rest to my son and told him to finish it, that I couldn't.

This morning I definitely was feeling the after effects of eating so much sugar.  I was lethargic, irritable, tired and was craving bread like nobodies business!!!!  I had a protein shake first thing in the morning and then several hours later after snoozing on the couch for a while decided I would get something to munch on so I had a couple of string cheese wrapped in roast beef with a dab of mayo on them.  Well, I was hungry and things had been going down really easy, and I basically forgot myself and took regular size bites and didn't chew them very well.  I WON'T be doing that again!  Oh man the stuck feeling was horrible!!!!!!  And then I also forgot another golden rule and tried to wash it down with some Crystal Light!  That DID NOT help!!! I thought it was going to come back up and I considered making it come back up but instead walked around and stretched and it eventually went through.  But man oh man you can bet that I will ALWAYS make sure to chew and take small bites from now on!!!!!

After that, it was such a beautiful day we decided to go out for a ride.  We went down to St. Augustine and took A1A to Crescent Beach, then back up U.S. 1 back to A1A north across the Intracoastal to Vilano Beach and headed back north up to Ponte Vedra Beach.  Just a glorious afternoon.

We are now laying around watching The Mummy on TV and relaxing while waiting for pizza to come.  I will probably just eat the cheese off the top and play it safe.

I feel like I've been eating a lot but I've been tracking my intake on FitDay and I've actually been doing pretty good.  I've been trying to increase my caloric intake as I've been stalled for almost a week now and I think my calories are too low! Only been doing between 600-800 and from what I hear it is better to lose weight around the 1000-1200 calorie mark.  Also been watching my carbs closely as usual.  Wasn't too good yesterday and today but not horrible by any means.  I'm usually always between 20-30 a day.

So that's it from me!!!!  Bet you didn't expect a novel! LOL


About Me
Ponte Vedra, FL
Location
30.1
BMI
Surgery
Jan 14, 2008
Member Since

Friends 17

Latest Blog 25
Third Fill
Realization
2nd fill!!!
First Fill!!
Wow!!!
Hooray!
03/03/08 - 3-1/2 weeks post op
01/27/08
01/25/08
My weekend

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