H1N1 Vaccine!!

Oh, forgot to mention and this has nothing to do with weight loss or banding, but I am such a paranoid person and I have my two little boys and we are going to Mexico for that cruise. Would you know I have been so stressed about the kids getting The Swine Flu. Then, I was trying to research the vaccine and you get so much conflicting information it's hard to make a choice as to do it or not. Anyway, we get the seasonal flu shot every year and I saw a show about the vaccine and decided we will do it. Anyway, no one has the shot, but I found a clinic in my neighborhood that had the vaccine in (the shot form, not the nasal form) and me and kids ran over after school on Wednesday. The clinic was going on from 1 -4 and we got there at 3:00 and had to wait 2 1/2 hours, but we all got the shot, even hubby!!! They only had 200 doses and we were like number 180 or something!! I feel so blessed and relieved!!

Just Checking In!!

I haven't blogged much lately because I really don't have anything new to share really. I didn't weigh in on Monday and I'm not sure why, but I think it's because I feel like the scale is going to move up and I just don't want the disappointment. I have been feeling fat and bloated lately, do you know what I mean? It's like I get used to myself at this weight and then I feel fat again. It must be my mind playing tricks with me because my clothes are feeling even looser and I happened to step on the scale in the afternoon yesterday, not my normal morning weigh in, and it said I was 166, but I feel like I've gained. I had to bake cookies for the kids class on Tuesday and had a bunch left over and have been munching on them. I think all the sugar has thrown my body out of sorts or something. The cookies are almost gone and I'm thrilled that the scale showed a loss yesterday. I just hope it still shows the loss on Monday. We'll see.

I've been feeling great and eating just fine with no extreme tightness or anything. I've actually been able to eat quite a lot compared to before. But I'm not overeating either. It feels great!!

I have noticed something and wonder if anyone else ever experiences this. I am sleeping fine and not waking up with acid reflux or anything, but almost every morning, I feel like I have stuff in my pouch, fluid or something and if I don't swallow really carefully and move ever so slowly, it will come up a bit. I think it has to do with laying in a flat position all night long because as soon as I'm up, I'm fine and the feeling is gone. Does anyone else experience this?

Well, I'm off for now. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. I hope I can handle all that sugar in my house following Halloween!!

My Band Level To Date

Hey all, well this new fill level is actually pretty good since my last unfill. My head thinks I can eat anything since I have had so much taken out, so I went a little wild yesterday (not too bad really, just the wrong things for my band) and my band yelled back a little last night. I met a friend for breakfast and we shared a plate of potatoes, eggs, a 1/2 slice of sourdough bread. I didn't finish everything. Then we shopped and before we knew it, it was lunch time and she said we could sit down and have a salad or something or we could have a pretzel and my head said "pretzel, yeah, I haven't had one in ages" so I had a pretzel with Jalapeno Cheese sauce. It was so yummy, I couldn't finish all of it, but 3/4 of it was finished. Anyway later that day at dinner time, I still wasn't hungry and feeling a little sore in the band area. Like my muscles around my band are just over worked (does anyone get this feeling??). Of course, when I cook for my family, I want to eat, so I had a little bit of Chicken Noodle Soup. I feel fine this morning and the sore muscle thing is almost gone. I think breads are just not in the cards for me and I love them so much, or maybe I just had a little too much of them yesterday. I think the pretzel over did it.

So the point of the title of my blog was to go back through my blog and figure out just how much of a fill I have in my band, so I did just that. I figured out I have about 5.5 to 6.0 cc in my band right now. The slight discrepancy is that at my first unfill, I should have had 9.5cc and when the doctor took it all out it showed 9.0cc and I'm not sure if some was left in or it was in the tubing from the port to the band or what, but I should be at about 5.5 to 6.0. I think this will be good so far and hope it doesn't tighten up. I thought I'll be sooo loose that I could eat everything and anything and I was going to have to really diet to not gain, but it's really not that loose. Quite right as long as it doesn't tighten up again. Every time I ask my doctor, he says the band responds to my emotions, he has no real explination. I say does that mean I'm a very emotional person? And he just smiles and says we can't control our emotions. I don't think of myself as an emotional person, but maybe I keep it inside and it just effects my band. Hmmmm? I will never know. Anyway, so weird that at one time my band was actually up to 8cc and I needed a fill because I could eat everything and anything and today I'm at 5.5/6.0 and still have a ton of restriction. I guess I'm just not the normal banster, but I still love my band and could have never done it without him/her.

Have a great weekend!!

Got Some Taken Out!!

So I had my appointment yesterday at the Dr. and told him my desire to have about .5cc taken out and that I was in about 6 weeks ago and had 1cc taken out and was fine for about a month and then that darn band tightened. By the way, my band had just started loosening up just a bit a day or two before my appointment, but it was still too tight and needed some taken out (I didn't tell him that). So, he took out .5cc and then I started to drink the water and it felt fine, but then again water doesn't give me a problem. I can feel the water kind of collect and then go down, like it's going into a funnel. Do you know what I mean?

Well, I explained this to the Dr. and told him that I thought this would be good and he explained that he thinks that water shouldn't collect, it should go right down and he convinced me to take another .5cc out for a full 1cc out of the band. If I wasn't going on a cruise, I don't think I would have done it, but in this situation, I decided to do it. So, we took out another 1cc. I don't even know how much is in there now!!

I was very nervous thinking I'd eat everything in site. I was definitely feeling more hungry last night and today. I drank my usual shake this morning, then at about 12:30 I was starving and had a bean and cheese burrito from El Pollo Loco and got full before I finished. Then for dinner tonight we went out to eat at Marie Calendars (didn't feel much like cooking all day evidently). I ordered 1/2 sandwich, cup soup and some fries. I ate about 1/2 of the 1/2 of sandwich, about 5 spoon fulls of soup and about 5 fries and was so stuffed, I couldn't eat another bite. Oh, I did start with a small slice of Corn Bread. So, all in all, I think I did well and my band is defiantly working!! But here's the best part, no pain, no uncomfortableness, no reflux, just fullness. This is the way it is supposed to be. I will cross my fingers I stay just like this and the cruise will be fine and I might not gain much weight either.

Down Another Pound!!!

I stepped on the Wii today and it showed 167 (actually 166. something), but I'm going to round to 167. I must say, I am feeling much better the last few days. No more super tight feeling, my monthly visitor is gone and I'm able to eat again. I am, however, still thinking I should get a slight unfill tomorrow to prepare for the cruise. I can't help but feel that this same thing is going to happen just before the cruise when my monthly visitor comes again. I would wait until it happens, but I can never get an appointment with the doctor. I think I'll ask him to take out .5 cc. I know I'll probably be complaining that I am hungry and can eat anything, but I'll take it just so I can feel good and enjoy this cruise.

Anyway, I'm going to update my weight loss to show my extra pound. Hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend.

Feeling Better...

You know how I've been extra tight lately??? Well, yesterday morning I woke up and felt a little better and for dinner I was able to eat a taco and a little rice without much discomfort. I was extremely full and probably shouldn't have eaten the whole thing, but it just tasted so darn good!! Anyway, today I felt looser again, I went to lunch with my mom and had a small piece of salmon (couldn't eat the whole thing) and some mashed potatoes, but no discomfort after eating anymore. Hmmmm.......... then low a behold, today my monthly visitor made an appearance. I still am not quite convinced that I tighten up before my period, because it didn't happen like that last time (I don't think) but quite a coincidence huh??

Well, I hope the tightness is on the down swing, but I still think I should get a slight unfill since I will be on the cruise in exactly 1 month and that will put me right about my time of the month yet again!!!

NSV

Here is a great NSV that occured the other day.

We went to a Halloween store to look for costumes for the kids and I think hubby and I are going to an adult party this year. Anyone ever have trouble finding a halloween costume??? I could never even think of fitting in a regular size and then when I would try the plus sizes, they never fit right either. I think that the people who make Halloween costumes have no clue of the real sizes of American Adults, they all run super small. Right???

Well, we are tying to be a matching couple, so hubby say what about me a Dr. and you a nurse. Well, there were two nurses costumes, slutty nurse and nurse that was like a Dr. Jacket made into a dress type thing. Anyway, hubby would have loved for me to be slutty nurse, but I draw the line. I did try it on and low and behold it zipped up!!! A regular large (not plus) fit me, very tight, but I think it was supposed to be. It zipped up. I would never, however, wear it anywhere. Way too slutty. The other costume fit fine, even a little big, but just ugly. A cheap overpriced costume, so the search continues. Also, we are not going to purchase anything until we know for sure we are going.

But the point of this long post is that fitting into packaged halloween costumes is definately a big NSV!!! Yeah!!!

FOUND IT!!!

The Wii remote that is!!! Yeah, it's been almost two weeks since I last weighed in on the wii and I reached my short term goal I had set on it. It shows me at 168 as I posted yesterday, so it wasn't a lie, although, my bathroom scale shows me at 167 today (- another pound), but we'll keep as is.

I made an appointment to see my doctor next Tuesday for an unfill. So, with a week of soft food and mushies, I'll hopfully be loosing steadily and maybe be at my goal of 165 by the cruise. That's only 3 pounds away and the cruise is exactly four weeks away from today!! Yeah. I'm going on an 8 day cruise, how much weight do you think I will gain on a 8 day cruise??? I'm hoping no more than 5 pounds and my hubby loves to work out at the gym when we go on cruises, so I'm going to try to do that with him to help with the excess calories I'll be eating.

New All Time Low!!!

So, I never found the Wii remote. Oh, well, I weighed myself on my regular bathroom scale and it shows 168, so I'm going to use the old bathroom scale until that damn remote is found or we buy a new one.

168, I met a new goal!! Yeah!!

I'm still pretty tight and not eating so much, but its good. I think I will schedule myself an appointment for an unfill. I will get a little taken out before the cruise. I find the gas really hard to deal with. Once I eat something, as it tries to get through the pouch, it's like the gas has no way to escape from my stomach and it causes a lot of discomfort for me, that is the only thing going on this time. I also find I have always gotten tighter at night and in the morning, so if I eat something too heavy in the evening, It seems to stay around and give me a little trouble while I'm sleeping. I don't have Acid Reflux, which is great. I'm not real hungry most the time.

Funny thing, yesterday we were out and about looking for Halloween Costumes and everyone was hungry, so we said let's go to In-and-Out. I love that place and I usually get the cheeseburger with grilled onions protein style (which means no bun but wrapped in lettuce). I've been eating it that way for a long time and loving it. Well, yesterday, it didn't taste good to me at all and after eating about 1/2 of the burger, I was getting full and decided to just stop eating since I wasn't even enjoying it. The fries tasted great still!!

Well, gotta go. I'm totally happy about the scale moving for me yeah!!

Hi

I haven't posted in a while and thought I'd check in and let you know what's going on with me. As you know, I had scheduled a fill for this past Tuesday, which I called to cancel (Thank Goodness) because I found my restriction and it got even tighter on me. I don't understand my band sometimes. I'm finding myself with a little discomfort after most meals that are not mushie or liquid. I think it's gas, so I take the gas-ex, but it doesn't seem to let the gas exit. I can drink fine, so I know it's not that I'm stuck or anything. I think I'm just super sensitive and am thinking if things don't improve in a week or so, I might go in for another slight unfill.

The thing that I can't figure out with my band is my last appointment was like a month ago and I had 1cc taken out (not sure how much is in there at this point) and he thought I'd be back in a week for a fill. I never went in because I felt fine where I was, so a month in, I tightened up. Weird isn't it??? I think the same thing happened the appointment before this. I think I had a slight fill and then a month in, it tightened up. This time, though, it tightened up a month after an unfill.

Anyway, like I said, no worries, I'm feeling fine, eating fine, just a little discomfort and I can defiantly feel that I have a lot of restriction right now.

I'm mostly thinking of the upcoming cruise and don't want to be too tight for that. With all the excitement and change of environment, my band is sure to do some strange things.

On the weight loss front. I still can't find that damn Wii remote, but my bathroom scale showed 169 yesterday and 170 today. I'm not sure how reliable that is, but that would put me at my next big goal!! I'm determined to find that remote this weekend so I can weigh in on Monday.

Frustrated....

I'm not really frustrated because the scale isn't moving.....I know it's because I've been exercising and I'm not frustrated because I'm sitting at around 170 and oh so close to being in the 160's and the scale is stuck. No, I'm not frustrated because of that.

I'm frustrated because today is my weigh in day and although I have a analog scale in my bathroom that I use regularly (it's not the most accurate but gives me an idea if I'm up or down) when I weigh in, It's always on the trusty wii Fit and the remotes have gone missing and nowhere to be found (I'm sure I can thank my two little boys) so I can not weigh in today. I'm hoping they get found soon so I can update my weigh in.

I have been keeping to my exercise commitment this week, I walked the mountain early on Sat and I'm going again this evening. I hope to do some sort of exercise everyday this week except maybe Friday. I'm also getting my kids in on the action, they are going to start walking the mountain with me on Mondays and then we will do some sort of family exercise on Thursdays and their school has a new exercise program in place where they are required to make the kids do 45 minutes of exercise three times a week, so this is sooo good for them and I'm glad they are getting in the physical exercise they need too.

Have a great Monday!!

I'm Not Going To Get A Fill!!

Okay, I decided I'm going to cancel my appointment for Tuesday and not get a fill. I'm too scared of screwing myself up before the cruise and having a miserable time and being sick like I was for my two Vegas Trips this summer.

I feel like I have decent restriction, could be slightly tighter, but I'll play with that after the cruise. On some days, I feel like I can eat a whole lot and other days, I get full pretty quickly, all normal stuff for us bandsters. I've been exercising and I'm 10 pounds away from my goal weight I set before surgery. I'm going to work really hard and would love to drop five more pounds before the cruise and I know I'm probably going to gain during the cruise. I'd like to give myself 5 pounds to gain and then go get a fill after the cruise and loose that last 10.

Anyway, today I was going to take a class at the gym, but I'm too sore, so we are going to go on a long bike ride as a family this evening instead.

I'm going to do a little shopping this morning......my favorite thing to do.