Food Addiction

So I have a few different things I want to talk about in this post.....stay with me, it could be a lengthy one.

First off, I want to talk about my addiction with food. Let's face it, if we need to get weight loss surgery, we have an addiction and I personally don't think that a food addiction is any different from an addiction to drugs or alcohol. We abuse the substance and we are out of control. I am sorry I don't want to speak for other people, I am here blogging because I had to have the lap band surgery because I abused the substance and was out of control. *sigh* Finally that is off my chest. Not to be a downer in this blog, I just felt like someone had to say it. I don't think people who are not over weight see it as the same kind of addiction to alcohol and drugs, but I do and I always have. I have been really struggling lately with fighting the food "cravings" lol that is my sugar coated version of saying addiction. =) I just wanted you all to know because I need people out there to hold me accountable and ask me the tough questions, I think we all need that. I am really thankful for things like these blogs, they are so theraputic and get you in touch with so many wonderful people who are in your similar situation.

Ok on a lighter note (literally) lol I'm not sure this is like a common thing for every PHAT girl (and by PHAT I mean Pretty Hot And Thick) but do you all wash your clothes and then have to stretch them out and air dry them so that they still fit??? Well holy moly I have been doing that for years and I just wanted to share with all of you that I don't have to do that anymore! All my clothes get washed and dryed and it's awesome!!!! Also, I bought 3 pairs of pants last year that were "my size" at the time but somehow they didn't fit. Well I found them just the other day and put them on and not only do they fit, but they are a little loose! How flippin' cool!? Ooooo and I get my next fill this Wednesday!

Thanks for reading, can't wait to hear from you all!

I moved up my fill!!!

Ok I am so hungry this week I could eat my arm, it is 6:00pm right now and I have already had 1000 calories and I am so HUNGRY! I hate this! I called my docs office today and moved my fill to next Wednesday 9/2 (it was 9/9). I just could not wait. So this 3rd fill will be 2 1/2 weeks after my 2nd fill. The scale has not budged from 230lbs and I am dying to see 225lbs but with this hunger I might not ever get there! It's weird....my fills seem to be great the week after I get them, and then week 2 I seem to be getting more hungry eat time! BLAH I am hungry lol. Someone tell me they have had something similar happen to them!!!!!!!!!????????????? Thanks for reading!!

Water & Caloric Intake

So I feel like blogging but I don't know what I want to say...... Oh I know! I have been doing AWESOME this week with my water intake! I have been getting 60oz+ in each day and I feel great! Before there were somedays where I was not even drinking water and when I was trying I was getting maybe 35oz in, so this is a big step up! I am also back to counting my calories again because it seems when I don't I overdo it. I have decided to trick my body a little by changing the amount of calories I consume everyday. I heard one woman say that she had about 800-900 a day for a long time and it did help her loose and then it just stopped because your body gets to a point where it is like "Whoa shes not feeding me alot so I am going to hold onto this fat." That is what I don't want, so I am going to eat a different amount of calories everyday ranging between 800-1400. I am really curious, how many calories do you all eat?

Never thought this would make me so happy...

I was on LapBandTalk.com and realized that I hadn't updated my Bandster profile. It still said that I weighed 240lbs. Well when you type in your current weight it automatically calculates your BMI and it tells you what category you are in. Before when I started at 252lbs and even when I had gotten down to 240lbs I was categorized as EXTREMELY OBESE (how terrible does that sound?) However, today when I typed in 230lbs it changed to just plain old OBESE!!! YES!!!!! I am laughing right now because I find it so strange that I am excited about this lol. Man oh man and this is just the beginning!!!!

I am so thrilled that my week of double shifts at work is over because I have not had enough time to get my exercise on! I love to do some kind of cardio at the very least 4 time a week and I have just felt like a big bum this week! I have just about 2 weeks before my next fill and I really want to make it to 225lbs by then....lets see that is just 5lbs, that is possible! I am gonna make it happen! Let me know how you all are doing I am really curious! Thanks for reading!!!

Eye Opening Article

Check out this article titled "Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss"

5lbs Away from 1st Short Term Goal!!!

OK So today is 8/19 which is exactly 2 months since I have been banded. Wow has time flown, it feels like just last week! It's so weird though because I can't imagine my life without this band it has been so amazing. Anyone who is thinking about getting this, get it!!! I am down 22lbs as of today which has been an average loss of 2 3/4 lbs per week! That is incredible! They say the average is 1-2 per week so I'm way ahead of the game. Can I be completely honest for a second? I've lost 22lbs in 2 months and it has been with very minimal exercise. Some weeks I did nothing, some I have done something 3 times a week but I am not killing myself at all with exercise. Not that I am bragging or anything (I'm not really proud of it) but I just wanted you all to know that you can loose weight and not live at the gym! Just make good food choices!!! I am going to start upping my cardio though because I really want to try and average around 3lbs per week. I'm pulling double shifts this week so next week starts me going to the gym more!

Hmmm......So What Is Restriction Really??

I got my fill this past Friday (my 2nd fill) and I am not sure what I am feeling. Sometimes after I have taken a bite of something I feel this tightness in my chest and it takes a few minutes to go away, but that seems to be only with certain foods. At first I thought I was not chewing well enough but I ate the same thing again and chewed well and still had the same feeling. I am still finding myself to be hungry rather quickly after I have eaten, but I am getting a little bit of a tight feeling here and there, is that Restriction??? I'm not really sure!

My 2nd Fill & 8 Wks Post Op

So I just got home from Lahey, where I got my 2nd fill today. They added an additional 1 1/2 cc's to my band which gives me a total of 4cc's now in my 10cc band. Originally I was a little disappointed that it could not have been more but Corrine (my nurse practitioner) assured me that it is better to go slow with fills. She said that if you get too much in, that too tight restricted feeling will not go away until you have taken fluid out, but if you do it nice and slow and gradual you will build restriction which will not make you feel uncomfortable. So I am happy with that. I am on liquids today, but once I start eating tomorrow I will let you know if I feel anything. In all honesty I am not expecting to feel anything but hopefully at the very least I won't feel as hungry as I have been.

I think it's really important to keep in mind everyone, the band is like backwards when comparing it to the weight loss of a gastric bypass patient. Gastric patients loose a lot fast and then it slows down, Lap Band patients loose slowly and then as they get more fills they loose more and more. So think of it this way.....if you are loosing slowly, it will only get faster! Corrine said I am right on track as far as weight loss goes. She said that you are suppose to loose 1-2lbs per week and here I am at 8wks post op and and down almost 20lbs so I have lost more than 2lbs per week, which rocks so I am happy!!!

p.s. here is a pic of my incisions (8wks post op)
and if you click the pic it gets bigger

Goal

First off, I just have to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your responses to my "Is this Normal?" post. You guys made me feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER, I am not feeling like my band is broken now haha.

Anyway I was putting together this little chart the other day trying to figure out if I lost this much weight every week when could I hit my goal. So I figured on 3lbs every week (aim high right?) which is tough right now but might really be doable once I hit my sweet spot. So if I can loose anywhere from 2-3lbs per week I am hit my goal of 125lbs by like April or May of 2010. That is super exciting and motivating! Seriously, write your goal weight on a peice of paper and write a date next to it and then tape it up somewhere were you would see it everyday so that it will be motivation! haha I might have to write under mine "Now go get on that darn eliptical" haha.

Is this normal?

So I need to ask a question, I know I only have 2 1/2 cc's in my band, but I feel like if I wanted to I could eat everything and anything I wanted to just like before I had the band. Is this normal? Someone please tell me what you think!???

1 Week Till My 2nd Fill!!!

Well I have no clear direction as to what I want this post to be about. I just kind of feeling like typing so I guess I'll just give you an update! I am still 19lbs down yahooo!!!!! I am so excited. I have my 2nd fill one week from today and actually I made my appt for my 3rd fill, it's going to be on Sept. 11th, which is exactly 4 weeks after the 2nd one. After my second one though if I still don't feel much I will call and change the 3rd fill to 3 weeks instead of 4. I feel like I am able to eat way too much right now, but I hear a lot of people saying that so that kind of makes me feel a little better, perhaps I am right on track then! I am so close to my first goal of 225lbs I can't believe I will see that number on the scale soon! I really wanted to be 225 by the time I got my 2nd fill but I am just going to adjust that goal instead of getting upset that I probably won't make that. I mean come on I don't think it's very likely to loose 8lbs in a week so instead I am going to aim to loose 3lbs this week to bring me to 230lbs. I think I can do that. Well thanks for reading, I know it was just kind of a ramble of a post! Hope you all are doing well!!!

Flattery is Fabulous!

Ok so still no weight loss here, man o man. I was just reading someone's comment and they said they have 6cc's and still feel nothing oh my goodness I'm only at 2 1/2 and feel nothing. Next fill is next Friday though 8/14!!!

On the other hand, someone I work with happened to mention that I was looking good! It was really nice to have someone else notice I had lost 17lbs! I have totally felt it in all my clothes but no one has said anything! Although I did have someone tell me how beautiful I was at an Open House I held and that was nice, but it would have been better had they said I was skinny haha.

Dietician

Went and saw the dietician yesterday! Nothing all that exciting happened, we just went through what I ate like we always do. She even said that it doesn't do much good to come and see her until I've actually started feeling restriction so she can help me adjust to that. Good thing is, she said I am right on track with weight loss. I was really glad to hear that because I've been totally frustrated this last week. I got this fill and I feel nothing and I'm still hungry and the scale is moving like 2 points on the scale at a time. She said just to remember to be patient, the band requires patience, it is not like gastric where you loose your fat suit overnight practically. Well she didn't say that part, I added that in haha. I am just trying to remind myself all the time that it is good I am loosing slow, slow is the reason I chose the band. You see I only told my mom, dad, and hubby about the surgery, so if I lost fast I think it would be obvious to everyone I lost. So I am just trying to keep it positive!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone who is a good spirit lifter and wants to give me a little pep talk I am all for it!!! =)