Weigh in - Week 3

I'm down 0.2 lbs. Not a big loss, but a loss nonetheless! I'll take it for now. I moved my first fill up from next Friday to this Friday, so I'm pretty excited. I want to get this ball rolling!! I'm now down a total of 13.2 lbs. 


You probably won't be seeing a lot of posts from me because I'm back in school now and boy is it going to be a rough semester!! The good thing is it takes my mind off eating & how much weight I'm losing, BUT it's hard work to become a RN and this is supposed to be hardest semester yet. Oh yay! So I apologize in advance if I become distant or you don't see me replying to your blogs. I try to glance at them every day, but if I really get going, I can spend hours just reading blogs and replying to comments & before I know it, no time for schoolwork!! 


Well, off to hit the books again. Have a great weight loss week everyone!!!!

Question about Hunger / Fullness

OK, so I'm on "soft" foods progressing to a normal diet. I'm 2 & 1/2 weeks post op. I never really feel HUNGRY, like with my tummy growling or anything, but I eat my meals like I'm supposed to. I eat the 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup as directed, but I never really feel FULL either. Does that make sense? It's like I'm not hungry, but I'm not full either..........is that what it's supposed to feel like? I'm not scheduled for my first fill until 9/9, so maybe it's a sign I'll be ready by then? I don't know how to read this!! This is really a tough learning curve!!


Unfortunately I have already veered from one of my goals for the week......I weighed myself. I haven't lost an ounce. But I'm OK with it. A lot can happen between now and Wednesday.

And just a little funny for the day.............

New Blogger Alert!!

Check out my new friend Kebs!! I found her a few days ago & she lives right here in Milwaukee, WI!! She is in the beginning stages of her  journey and needs all the support she can get, just like all you supported me from the beginning!

Post Dietician Visit

OK, so I saw the dietician for the first time post-op (besides in the hospital) and she was VERY happy with my progress. When she didn't see the same smile on my face as she had on hers when I stepped on the scale I had to tell her how disappointed I was with 1.4 lbs. this week. She immediately told me that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and 13 lbs. down since surgery is fabulous.........more than what they expect. So that made me feel better..........much better. Even though I have awesome support both in real life and in blog world, it feels good for a professional to tell me I'm on the right track. I also realize how important it is to get in all my protein in  (I've been slackin' in that area for a few days). I think it will be much easier now that I can eat some normal food!! I was burning out on 3 protein shakes a day!! 


So with all that being said, I've made a couple goals for myself this week:
1. Stay OFF the scale until next Wednesday! (This is a major one!!)
2. Get in 60g (minimum) of protein in per day. 
3. Drink more water

School starts up again next week, but I've already gotten "pre" assignments from instructors. Only nursing school!! So I have A LOT of reading to get done before school even STARTS!! Don't get me wrong, I'm a weirdo that LOVES school, so I'm not complaining, but nursing school is it's own little entity! I go back to work the day after Labor Day, so life will be back to "normal" again. Summer went way too fast!!! 

Weigh in - Week 2

This week I am down 1.4 lbs. I should be happy with a loss right, but I wish it were more. I guess I'm thinking since I eat SIGNIFICANTLY less than I did pre-band, I should have a huge loss.I'm just not a patient gal and I want it all to come off like it did the 1st week! I'm thinking about adding some kind of weight loss record to my blog so I can keep track of my losses and see them all added up, but I'm not sure how to add "tabs" to my blog yet. Guess I'll have to work on that later. 
I see the dietician for the first time post-op, so I should be able to move on to soft foods after seeing her this afternoon. Oh how I long for some tender chicken, tuna, or some scrambled eggs. I just want to chew something! 
Well, I guess that's all for now. I'll check back in later after I see the dietician. 

Eating Crackers & Feeling Guilty

So, as I mentioned a few days ago.....I'm HUNGRY! 
This is what I ate today:
Breakfast: Protein drink and a little bit later some applesauce (3 oz.)
Lunch: Pudding (3 oz.)
Dinner: Grits (3-4 oz.)
Snack: Saltines (I didn't count how many)


I obviously did not do good on my protein drinks or fluids today. About 3-4 hours after I ate the grits for dinner, I found myself wanting something solid. The PA at my surgeon's office said if I need something solid, eat some saltines. So I did........so why do I feel guilty? I'm literally eating 9-12 OUNCES of food a day and I felt like I overate today! 9-12 oz. used to be a fraction of ONE meal prior to getting banded, so why do I feel this way? Am I getting obsessed with food and the scale? Is this normal? I feel like my mind is out of control.......constantly thinking about eating, drinking fluids, getting in my protein drinks, and the worst of it ALL.......the SCALE! I can't stay off the b&#ch!!! It goes up and down so much during the day which in turn makes my confidence go up and down along with it. The PA even told me that I may see a gain before my 1st fill.......so why don't I listen to her and not go off into my own little warfare with myself and emotions? UUGH! I frustrate myself!!

Post Op Day 10 -- Getting Hungry

I can't believe I'm at post op day 10 and feeling absolutely normal (if there is such a thing)! It feels like I never even had surgery! I've been looking at other before/after pics and I just can't imagine myself having "after" pics.......is that crazy? It's just inconceivable in my mind at this point. I changed my blog background because I feel like the band will be my wings to this weight loss. I totally understand now why they say the band is just a "tool"......it's still hard work and takes alot of critical thinking to make wise decisions. So hopefully it will carry me along in this journey. 

Anyhoo, I'm starting to get hungry. At my 1st post-op visit, they said that's great, a sign of healing.......blah,blah,blah.........but I want a SOLID piece of food in my belly! This pureed crap is just not cutting it anymore! I talked my husband into giving me a teeny weeny piece of chicken yesterday (he was pretty hesitant, but the pouting worked) and it was SO good! I meet with the Dietician on Wednesday and then finally I can move on to "soft foods." I'm thrilled! That appointment can't come soon enough! Until then.......grits, refried beans, yogurt, applesauce, jello, pudding, and creamy soups! 

Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!!

BYOC Friday!!

It’s Friday so that means.......it’s time for BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy!


We answer just a few questions to get to know each other better and to give our blog brains a break!

Copy to your own blog if you wish and ENJOY!

1. How much makeup do you wear daily, how long does it take you and are you loyal to certain brands?

Since I've been off work, I haven't put any on besides to go to the doctor. Generally I wear makeup everyday but take a break on the weekends, unless I'm going somewhere. I don't wear alot.......Just some foundation, blush, eyeshadow (natural looking), and lip color. Usually people don't even think I have makeup on. It only takes me like 5 minutes to do it in the morning. I am a religious Mary Kay foundation wearer, but the other stuff.......whatever's on sale!!

2. Repeat question: I’m going to pick a person not knowing your relationship with them (or even if there is one) and you try to describe this person in 5 words/short sentences.

Your oldest paternal aunt
Unfortunately I don't know much about my paternal family. My dad spent alot of time in a foster home when he was a child. So can't really answer this one!

3. Tell me about your first real kiss and how old you were.
I was 14 on a date bowling. I totally knew it was coming that night too. I had discussed it with my friends who had spoken to my boyfriend (teenagers!!). So it was the end of the date and my sister and her boyfriend were picking me up. I was saying goodbye and he kissed me. It was so awkward!! And the most embarrasing part was my sister's boyfriend started honking the horn and yelling " YEAH, GO MISSY!! WOHOO!!" How embarrassing is that?!?


4. If I gave you $1000.00 and told you that you had to give it to a charity – which charity would you choose and why?

Definitely the MS Society because it is close to my heart. I have MS as well as my sister. I also have 3 friends from High School that have it, one passed away a few years ago from other complications. 


5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.


Blog land: Still trying to get into the swing of things. Learning a little about it here and there. I love when I have new followers and I love finding new people to follow!


Real life: Just like Blog land, learning and trying to get into the swing of things being only a week & 2 days out from surgery. I'm definitely feeling back to my old self & am back to my old activities besides work. I suppose I could go back to work if I wanted to.......but Dr. gave me until after Labor Day and I'm takin' it!! I'm also trying to get into study mode and prepare for my 3rd semester of RN school. 2 more semesters! 

My 1-week Bandiversary

OMG! I weighed myself this morning and I am down 11.6 pounds!! Is that even possible?!?!? I  know my losses won't continue to be that substantial, but DAMN! I'll take it right now!! That's like a Biggest Loser loss! Please tell me I'm normal to feel this ecstatic?!?!?

Post Op Day 5

Just thought I'd check in and say I'm doing good. It gets better each day. The biggest problem is all the gas/bloating. Uuugh! It's so uncomfortable, but the GasX is helping and it's not as bad today. 

I haven't been hungry at all. Even when I'm eating, I'm not hungry. I'm just eating to survive, but I'm kind of getting sick of pureed foods! One more week of this and then I can move on. I'm learning that my hunger is all in my head. As much as I'm not hungry, I'm dying to have a hamburger. Why? Why do I want to eat when I'm not hungry?!?

One problem --> I can't stay off the damn scale. It's horrible. I want to see a huge drop and it's just not there yet, but what can I expect with all this bloating and on top of it I got my period (lovely timing!). 

It's also hard to get all my water in each day. I'm so focused on not drinking 30 minutes before or after eating.......then I forget to drink. I hope some day this all becomes routine!!

Anyhoo, Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all have a great week!

My First BYOC!!

1. I have to do some MAJOR cleaning tonight…which is prompting me to ask…what is the absolute worst thing you hate to clean or cleaning chore you hate the most? (vacuuming, dusting, laundry, toilets, floors, etc.)

Not a fan of dusting, but I can handle it. The thing I hate the most is putting laundry away after it's washed and dried. Love doing laundry, HATE putting it away!!  

2. Brown or Black? Fly or Drive? Hot dog or Burger? Gold or Silver?
Brown I guess. Never really thought about it, but I'm a brown person. 
Fly or Drive: I guess it depends where I'm going. If it's more than a day's worth of driving, I guess I'd say flying makes sense. I have no patience, so if I can't get somewhere I want to be fast, forget it!

Burger definitely, but a good dog on the grill is great! Anything would be good now if it's not in pureed form!
I like gold and silver. My wedding set is gold, so I usually go with 2-toned jewelry.

3. Repeat question: I’m going to pick a person not knowing your relationship with them or even if a relationships exists – and you then try to describe that person in 5 short sentences/words.
Maternal Grandmother
Miss her dearly

Feisty & the best Grandma ever
Mother of 6 & Grandmother of many
Go to her for advice all the time, even after her passing
Loving and Loved by all

4. Even if you don’t have kids, how do you feel about kids in multiple sports during their school years?  Were you in MULTIPLE sports all during school?  Forced or by choice?
I don't have kids yet, but I wasn't in multiple sports and I turned out OK. I think it all depends on the child and the parents. If you love sports and can keep up your grades, go for it, but don't burn out at a young age.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.

It was a good week I guess. I worked Monday and Tuesday.......Wednesday was the big day of banding and now I'm on to healing and learning this new lifestyle. As for blog land, I don't know what I would do without it. It truly inspires me & helps me through these tough days after banding.

Post Op Day 2

First of all, is it horrible that I got on the scale this morning?? The disappointing part is that I'm exactly the same weight as I was the morning of surgery. I know I should have waited at least a week to jump on that thing. I guess I just figured that after 2 days of eating barely anything I would have lost SOMETHING! Oh well, I won't take it to heart.

Doing a lot better than yesterday I must say! I can actually bend over and put my own pants on without my husband helping me, bless his heart!! I seriously don't know what I'd do without that man! I'm still sore of course, but just as everyone is telling me, it IS getting more tolerable. Thank goodness, because for awhile I was thinking to myself "Is this really worth it?!?"
Still quite a bit of gas. I think maybe I'll have my hubby pick up some GasX strips for me after he gets off work. My arm is still achy.

Officially with Band - Post Op Day 1

Hi all! First of all, thanks for all the thoughts and prayers yesterday. I was reading them while in the pre-op room and they all really made me feel like I was doing the right thing. Surgery went well. It took about 2.5 hours because the surgeon fixed a hiatal hernia I had before placing the band. I had horrible shoulder pain in recovery, but nothing some Dilaudid couldn't take care of. I'm home now and have alot of discomfort in my left upper quadrant, but I'm assuming most of that is from the hernia repair. Every time I move I feel like one of my incisions is going to bust open. I really just want to let out a huge belch! I'm trying to walk as much as possible and get in my fluids, and of course do my incentive spirometer,but  t hurts like a bi&%h to cough and laugh! I'm also pretty tired still. It's impossible to rest in a hospital. 
Well, that's all I'm up to posting for now........I'll let you all know how tomorrow goes. Again, thanks for all the thoughts and well wishes!!

And I'm Off.............

Leaving in 10 minutes with my mom to pick up my niece and head over to the hospital. Surgery at 12:30pm. I'm actually quite mellow right now.......not really scared.....which is scary!! LOL! I had a dream last night that surgery was over, I was in the hospital walking the halls and I remember looking in a mirror and seeing all those little incisions. Maybe that's why I'm feeling pretty confident this morning. My weight this morning on my scale was 303.2 lbs. Utterly sickening. I am retaining alot of water in my left ankle / foot, but still. Still sickening. 
I guess it can only get better from here! I've got lots of prayers and thoughts coming my way today, so I'm feeling great!
Thanks for all your well wishes and I will update you all asap. 


I will return with band!

Getting Scared....HELP

So 3 days until surgery and I'm getting pretty nervous. Can someone please help me through this........? Words of wisdom, tips, etc.? Anything will be helpful at this point. I guess I'm just a nervous Nelly. 

Post op Advice Anyone?

I'm looking to all of you to help me stock my refrigerator for my 2 week pureed stage. I'm having my procedure next Wednesday and am trying to get prepared......if there is such a thing. HELP!