Week 12 Weigh-In (-34 pounds)

Hi All,

I think I have been thrown off my weeks but after counting twice, this past week is week 12. I had my 2nd fill yesterday. I weighed in at 257 at the doctors office. Today I weighed in at 256. I am sure that is partly due to my having to be on liquids for a week. I did find out that my band only holds 4.75 so now I am up to three. I can tell that the restriction is kicking in because I went and bought a smoothie from smoothie king and I took one sip and up it came. I think I may have gulped it down instead of sipping slowly. After that episode I waited 10 minutes and tried again...MUCH slower this time and it was fine. I am so very happy to be able to report more on the loss front. I was truly getting very frustrated at the stand still. I did take some time to think about how far I have come and not to beat myself up so much. I was 290 lbs. only 3 months ago. Today I have on a suit that I could not have put on then back in November and had been sitting in my closet for a year. I notice that everything is shrinking and it feels great! I keep making short term goals for myself to keep myself motivated.

Let me share my list:

• DOExercise at least three times a week for 45 minutes or longer




• DO Reduce the sweet intake to once a week




• DO Always eat a protein breakfast




• Don't wait until I am starving to eat...(I always eat too fast).




• Remember to drink water




• Remember that weight is lost in inches AND pounds.




• DO lose 10 pounds at a time.




• DO Start taking measurements




• DO keep blogging....It is therapy.

One other thing I try to associate with losing weight is what I was doing at what weight, which I can miraculously remember. For instance, When I did my internship in D.C. I was 240 pounds. When I got married, I was 238 pounds. When I was Miss Spanish Club, I was 217 pounds. Don't laugh! This system works for me!!! LOL! So, after I reach 250 (which incidentally was my trigger weight to tell me to start losing weight!), my next goal will be INTERNSHIP STEPHANIE!

Thanks to Jennifer who keeps me on my toes and in good spirits.

Have a great week gang!

WEIGH-IN (-22 pounds) Week 4

Well folks....No big changes this week. Had a great time at my company holiday party....see left. I must say that I am struggling in bandster hell but I am keeping to the diet even though I can eat quite a bit more than I could before. I have to say I have limits but I have plenty of room in that little ol' belly. I did manage to get a fill scheduled for Janaury 12 th so two weeks sooner than before. Thank god for cancellations.

This week I have eaten quite a bit of fish. All kinds. Mahi-Mahi, Salmon, trout and snapper. Needless to say, I am sooo tired of fish. It seems to be easy going down though and good for me. I eat like this........fish (protein first), veggies then carbs. If I eat carbs at lunch, I skip the carbs (potatoes) at dinner. Still eating a protein shake or egg beater omelet though. I have had more sugar than I was before which might be slowing the whole weight loss process but I have eaten them in moderation.

I am increasing my exercise from 45 minutes to 60 minutes at least 4 times a week and I feel like I am really ready to start jogging. I am going to wait one more week though because I dont want to do any harm. My schedule is crazy though and I am really exercising 3 times a week solid. I do at least 60 and if I feel good, I do 15-30 minutes more.

I am so ready to lose more weight. My goodness. I can not wait for my next fill. I have goals to reach and I want to get below 250 in the next month. Not very lofty ideas. exactly 18 pounds away.

Anyway, that is my report this week. I feel good, I feel healthy, lets move on to the next stage!

(11/21/08) 290

(12/1/08) 273

(12/7/08) 268

(12/14/08) 270

12/21/08) 268

WEIGH-IN (-20 pounds) Week 3

Well, you read it right. I GAINED three pounds. I guess its because I don't feel as much restriction as I I have been. I actually feel like I can eat anything I want. My first fill is on January 21 and I wish it vwere tomorrow. I feel something like panic at having the ability to eat what I want and gaining 3 pounds. I am sticking to the plan however but had a minor slip up and ate some chocolate. I am still eating protein first, vegetables second and keeping my carbs down. I am also exercising 45 minutes at least 3 times a week. I am increasing that this week to 4 or 5 times since I now have a treadmill at home.

Since I travel alot, I found a fill doctor in Dallas Texas. He charges 200 a visit and each visit he uses flouro. Very happy about that. Will post his link later.

Not much to report. I will try very hard in the next few weeks to limit my food intake despite if I feel full or not and exercise more.

WEIGH-IN (-22 pounds)

So today is my weekly weigh-in and I am down 22 pounds since my surgery on 11/21/08. I am so washed today because it has been a busy busy weekend. Yesterday I was running around so much that I didnt eat or drink much. I feel like I don't drink enough water throughout the day at all. I fill up fast when I drink or eat and the rule is to not drink 45 minutes before you eat and 30 minute after. It seems that since I try to eat throughout the day I am in some vicious cycle. I am on my mushy stage so I am a little hestitant to try anything new. I did do fine this morning with an egg white omelet with ham and salmon last night. I am trying to take it slow so I don't have any horror stories to report. I am fascinated by how much more effort I put into thinking about what I put in my body these days. My thinking is that I don't get much so I try to make it count.

I have gotten some great recipe ideas from lapbandtalk.com I am going to try this ricotta bake soon. I did buy some deviled ham and chickent and tuna in a can. I just haven't concocted anything with it yet. I love chicken salad, so I might try that tonight and use my lonely food processor.

I also put on a dress that I bought a size smaller a few months ago and it fit perfectly. I am so pleased with my progress. It really does keep me going.

I feel good but need more calories. I get tired so fast. so I will work on that this week. I am keeping a staple to my morning breakfast and that is my protein drink. Only because I can get out of the door with it pretty quickly.

Til next week!
Start (11/21/08) 290
(12/1/08) 273
(12/7/08) 268

No Place Like Home...2 days AFTER

Well, I am back at home. I am so happy to be here. My experience with this doctor, the country and the hospital staff was great but there is no place like home. I am back at home finally and it has been a long day. I had to travel from Nashville to Dallas then to Monterrey and back. After such a long trip, I am very sore, very gassy and very tired.

The day after the surgery, I was so hungry I could scream. M y body and mind had to wrap around not eating the things I wanted to eat. I did not know that once you realize you cant have something you crave it even more! While travelling home, I automatically steered towards the starbucks before I realized that I couldnt have that for quite some time and that it probably isnt the best choice anyway. I realized too that I wasnt really hungry. I am on a liquid diet now and it seems crazy. I was tired of jello, broth and water immediately but I have decided to stick to it and commit before I got here. There is no going back. I look forward to a couple of months down the road when I can eat better tasting food that is healthier and still great. So, for two weeks I have bought broths and actual soups which I will strain, Special K protein water and powder, crystal light, pudding and fudgesicles all zero fat, zero sugar.

One of the biggest problems I feel now is expelling all the gas I have built up in my abdomen. It is so uncomfortable. I wish I could stick a hole in me and let it all out. Hopefully the feeling will subside soon. It is the worst the day of your surgery and gets better after that. Other than that, I feel pretty good. I think that the pain pills in Mexico dont come close to the pain pills we have here in the states so I cheated and took pain pills from a previous surgery and that helped out a lot.

If you plan on going to Monterrey, learn some passable Spanish. Most of the residents there don't speak English but Dr. Zapata's people take excellent care of you. They have a driver for you the whole time and make sure you understand every little detail of your treatment. The hotel they book you at is very nice and I still can not speak enough of the hospital. It felt more like a resort than an hospital facility. Everyone was also very nice even if the English-Spanish was a challenge. Dr. Zapata is a surgeon for the Mexican version of Extreme Makeover and after speaking to the COO of the hospital, I found that I was very lucky to get him.

So Thanksgiving is coming up and I am trying not to feel bad about not eating any of the delicious food BUT I will be able to enjoy some things at Christmas. I will report back each week with an update. See you next Sunday 11/30/2008.

Twas the night before.....and after...

I am here in Monterrey. My surgery is tomorrow at 11 a.m. I arrived at 12 and as promised my driver Santos was there to meet me and take me to eat and see my doctor. Dr. Zapata was an extremely nice and generous man and explained everything to me and allowed me to ask any questions I had to ask.



My patient coordinator Alma arrived at my hotel and explained what I should expect the next morning. It is now 8 a.m. and I am preparing to go to sleep and get some rest before the big day.



Today I weighed in at 287.

Its 10:30 p.m. and I am out of surgery safely. The hospital itself here in Monterrey is absolutely beautiful and I will include a shot from my hospital window when I get back home. The nurses doctors and staff are all great and treat me like a queen.

I have had to walk all day to get rid of the C02 that they pump into your stomach and even now, I am slightly uncomfortable. I had surgery at 11 and have been in my room since 2pm . The gas is the bigest pain and walking is supposed to disseminate the gas quicker. I have been going up and down these lavish halls all day to get a burp. They have taken great care of me here and I cant wait to put some pictures up of the trip.

My journey began when I walked in here.