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Long overdue update

Well, after much work, I finally got insurance approval!!! I'm waiting on a surgery date, but I'm hoping for early December. I've been researching this thing to death and feel ready--nervous/excited/but ready. Here we go!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

life as usual

Well, I've been doing great since my fill. I think I've lost another 5-6 pounds, though I'm not supposed to be weighing myself every day. Weigh day is Tuesday (mental note to myself). Work is insanely busy, I'm supposed to help my sister with this research paper, I go to the gym every day after work, and to top it all off, I have a date on Wed. with a guy that I talked to for 2 hours on the phone today.   I'm so busy it's beginning to seem a bit chaotic, but at least I don't have time to eat out of boredom! The bad new is that it's almost midnight and I have to go to work tomorrow! I also haven't had time to eat anything other than protein shake before I went to Zumba at the gym today and a piece of Minibel light cheese. I'm looking in my fridge/pantry and so do not have the time to cook anything. Eating healthy is hard work! I need to go the grocery store and stock up on more healthy food. I literally don't have anything to eat in the house. I need to get 8 hours of sleep a night or I don't feel rested and am more likely to get sick again. This cold/flu bug seems to be everywhere and I don't have time to be sick.   I do have next Friday/Monday off work and I was thinking about going out of town, but now just a few days of relaxation is seeming better to me right now. I would also save money by staying in town and finances are still tight as I'm still paying off my hospital bills and the surgeon's office has not refunded me the $500 that they owe me...SO..I guess I'll decide later in the week. Oh and my internet connection sucks at home. I think I may need a new router. Something else I don't have time to shop for... For now, super super busy...
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

Leak?

So I've had a really bad cold for the past week, so I haven't been to the gym and I've also been really hungry lately. I don't have much restriction so I've been eating pretty badly. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either and I have yet to see 269 on the scale. I have another doctor appointment on Tuesday and I'm going to ask him if it's possible that I have a leak. I just don't get how I could barely eat any food at all three weeks ago and now I can eat anything (almost). It's also going to be one of the slower months for weight loss. I'm going to try and step it up this last week, but going from eating nothing to eating alot and not working out has not resulted in a large weight loss for the month. I'll be lucky to have lost 10 pounds, and I say lucky because it may be less. I'm going to count my blessings though and get back on it this week. I also am going to try for more restriction at the next appointment.   The guy I've been dating for the past month may know all my secrets including all the gory details of my lapband. My hard drive crashed and he helped me out by putting in the new one, but a few days later he "mentioned" that he was able to save my old hard drive--onto his computer!!! He said he didn't look through it, but I don't know that i believe him. It had before and after pictures, the letter I wrote to the insurance company to get the surgery, and a Video blog I took before I started this whole thing. It's not that I don't plan on telling him eventually if this works out, it's just that my computer had really personal stuff on it and I'm embarrassed by the fact that he may know it all now. But hindsight is 20/20 and I can't do anything about it now, so I'm going to try and not stress over it. If he did read it all, he's still talking to me but wow, I look really bad in some of those "before" pictures. I also would like to explain it in my own time rather than have someone reading through my personal journals, that are more personal than this journal by far! I'm trying not to stress over this! I'm hoping he didn't read through my hard drive!   I'm going out of town this weekend for my cousin's shower, so I'll be unable to go to the gym at my parent's house and of course they love to push food at me, but I'm determined to lose some more weight before the appointment on Tuesday. I'll keep updates on how it goes.
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

1
 

Lap Band Paperwork/PCP Appt.

Okay, so I went to my primary care doctor today, with all my paperwork. I was nervous to ask her for the letter of medical necessity so I talked about my foot first. Apparently I have heel spurs and she suggested orthopedic shoes. Uggh! I think I"m going to try a heel pad. She mentioned that it can come from excess weight. I think she was just about to suggest some kind of new diet....ugh..That was the perfect opportunity to bring up the fact that I wanted lap band surgery. She looked king of confused, then looked through my chart. Well, you do qualify, she said..and then pondered it. She said, well, what about RNY instead? It has more proven results. She's big on proven research. I asked her for Seasonale birth control a year ago and she said no because there wasn't enough research on the long term results. I told her that I felt that Lap Band was better for me and cited the reasons. She said she' d had two patients that it had failed on. I asked her what she meant by failed (ie. did they die or what?) She said they ate around the band and gained the weight back and you had to be very committed if the band was going to work. I told her that's me exactly. Because I am very committed. I pointed out that I lost 77 pounds two years ago on weight watchers and the gym I go to told me I'd gone to the gym more days that year than any other member. Then she seemed to get excited about it because she started typing (my letter, maybe?) and started piling up my justifications for surgery or my insurance (heel spurs now...back pain, joint pain, she said my blood pressure was borderline, I told her that my back hurt and she said, "Excellent!" She measured my waist, ordered a chest xray, ordered the Thyroid test, a diabetes/insulin test (not sure why) and a bunch of other blood tests. She wanted a stress test, but later decided they'd deny it, because of my lack of symptoms. Then she told me she wouldn't approve it unless I quit smoking. I told her I wanted to do that anyway. She said I had to quit at least 2 weeks before surgery. She told me she'd see me again before surgery and I had to quit before she'd give me clearance and not to lie about it. I agreed not to lie. I have issues with lying to a doctor who's in charge of my health and safety. I don't think I'd ever lie to my doc, what's the point? Anyway, I told her I probably needed help quitting and she suggested Chiabix? However, my insurance doesn't cover smoking cessation (i know, crazy) and i heard it's expensive, so I suggested Wellbutrin, because that's also an antidepressant, so I think they'll cover it. She prescribed that and Xanax because she said I'll be bitchy. No argument there. She made an appointment in a month and I have to have quit smoking by then and she'll give me clearance for the surgery. She's an insurance guru so I'm actually starting to believe this will happen. She also sent over a referral for a surgery consult with my lap band surgeon. WHOOO HOOOO!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

1
 

I finally have a date!!!!

December 1st!!!! I am a crazy mix of excited and nervous!! I start my pre-op diet on Monday. My surgery is in 16 days! I am hardly believe it!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

5
 

Hurray for 239!

I've been at 239 for the past two days. I'm really excited about being under 240. I don't even remember being in the 230's, that's how long ago it was. I was 240 after I dieted in college. I might have been around there when I started college. Everyone has been telling me how thin I look (It's relative, but still, I'll take it!) I'm in a good groove right now. My restriction has actually loosened up, but for me, that's actually been a good thing. I realize that when I'm too tight, I feel like I'm malnourished or that I need to be eating but I can't and it makes me eat crappy food. Right now, I can eat, but I'm not hungry alot and I get full quickly. I've been eating healthy and going to the gym. It's going great!   I found out that the job I'm applying for is between me and one other person. Now I've decided that I really want the job, so wish me luck! I should now something in about a week or two. It will mean more income and if I leave my current job, I'll get my leave paid out, so I'll finally be able to pay off all my hospital and doctor bills.   My boyfriend and I are getting along well and I'm looking forward to spending time with him this weekend. He usually works all weekend, but he has Saturday off, so we're going to a friend's cookout and doing some other fun stuff. I can't wait!:cursing:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

3
 

Happy Happy Birthday

Well, my birthday dinner went great. I got off work early, got ready and my "date" came by early to give me two presents which he wrapped himself and pick me up to take me to dinner. I got to dinner and all of my friends were there on time. It was so great to have everyone there together. Everyone seemed to get along great and have a great time. We ate japanese hibachi. I ordered filet mignon and lobster and it was wonderful. I got to see a couple of my friends that I haven't seen in a long time, and it made me miss spending more time with them and resolve to talk to them more. I received several really nice presents and one of my friends brought an ice cream cake. I was so full after dinner, but it was well worth it. I had an amazing time. I weighed myself the next morning and was down 2 pounds. I'm not sure how I gained a pound earlier in the week when I hadn't been eating much at all and then ate a lot at dinner Wed and lost weight, but hey, I'll take it. I'm now at 270. One pound away from my birthday goal. After dinner, I went by one of my friend's and saw her and her boyfriend's new house, which was really nice and my boyfriend and I hung out there for awhile and then went back to my place where we continued spending some quality time together and talking. I didn't get much sleep and woke up on Thursday with a massive cold. I've felt pretty sick with a bad cold ever since and my hard drive crashed. I've had the computer a little over a year and it just went out of warranty. I ended up buying a new hard drive today and I left my computer with my boyfriend, who was nice enough to agree to change out the hard drive and install everything again and make sure it is running on "optimal performance" (whatever that means!). I'm using my work laptop for now. I think my boyfriend and I have come to a better understanding and have bonded more. He was telling me the other night how in his past relationships he spent every waking second with the person for five years or more and then it didn't work out and that basically it makes him want to change how he behaves in a relationship. He actually started crying. I felt really bad for him, but it also made me think that I'm not sure how I feel about him at this point (it's only been a month), and I can't promise him that it won't be the same way with us. We left it with us both just seeing what happens and taking it one day at a time, but he has been much more attentive since then--calling every day and being much more involved in my life. I still haven't told him about the lapband. He's told me so many personal things about himself, I'm not sure why I haven't told him, but it takes me awhile to open up about things. I hide my stomach and he thinks that it's because I'm self-concious about my "belly" and tells me I'm being silly, but in reality, I don't want him to see my scars. I'm sure he'd be great about it if/when I tell him, but for now, I like keeping my secrets. I had off work Friday and I have Monday off too. It sucks that I'm sick for my mini vacation, but I took a bunch of cold medicine and am starting to feel better. Sunday is my actual birthday and my boyfriend is taking me to the gun range so we can go target shooting, which I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm really looking forward to it. My friend Melissa and her husband are getting oysters tomorrow (my absolute favorite food!) and cooking them on the grill. I can't wait! This weekend is going to go by way too quickly, I can tell already, but I'm going to enjoy every minute. Now if I can just drop that last pesky pound to my goal and get over this cold, everything would be perfect!:sneaky:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

3
 

Good fortune

You'll never guess what my fortune cookie said last night...I was working on my laptop, as usual, and I open my fortune, which said,   Put business matters aside for now and concentrate on your love life   I thought this was pretty funny and appropriate as well!!!   So, based on that, I'll be taking several months off work to travel and concentrate on my love life! Yeah, I wish!!!!   Okay, I'm kind of stalled for the past two weeks in my weight loss, losing and gaining the same 2-3 pounds. I'm giving myself some slack since I had a really bad cold/flu bug and I'm still trying to shake it, so I only went to the gym one time last week and ate more food because I didn't want to lack in nutrition when I'm trying to get over being sick. I ate zaxby's fried chicken fingers and french fries yesterday, and felt really bad about it, so I didnt eat anything else yesterday which put me at the right calorie level, but I should not be eating that crap. I know I need a fill if I can eat fried chicken fingers! Today I was a paragon of virtue and only ate: coffee w/ sf creamer, nonfat light keylime pie flavoried yogurt, Live Active Light cottage chese snack pack and a protein drink. I'm going to go the gym tonight as well and do weights and cardio.   On the dating front, I joined an online dating site to see what's out there and so far I've been propositioned by a married guy (supposedly separated, but you know how that goes) and a sexy croation guy (at least from the pictures) who lives with his parents and I don't think he has a car. Lucky in love as usual!!! LOL. And no, I'm not going to go out with either of them.   That crazy guy from the beach drunk dialed me last night and left three long messages about how much he missed me..um What? I haven't heard from you in three weeks??   I have a work conference Wed in Orlando so I'm leaving tomorrow night after work to stay at my parents house. I go to the training all day Wed and then I'm spending the rest of the week with my parents in Orlando. My dad's going to do my taxes so I can pay off at least a big chunk of my medical bills. They put me on a payment plan of $179 a month for a year, but I think I can pay it off in a few months. I think I have all the tax documents I need and I'm hoping on a decent size refund, not the $500 I got back last year (I paid $10,000 to the government in SS and fed income tax and only got back $500!).   I really need a fill, so I'm going to do the next week on pure will-power and good decision-making. I'll let you know how it goes. :cheatfree:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

Going well

Well, Things are going well. I got another fill a couple of weeks ago, and it is really tight. I've had heartburn for the first time I throw up if i eat too fast or the wrong kind of food. I'm actually considering a slight unfill at my next appt. I'm currently at 218 and keep receiving tons of compliments. My future sister in law says I look like I need to eat a cheeseburger! My boyfriends' mom, said I look super skinny and my boyfriend can't keep his hands off me. The only problem? No clothes that fit! I would kill for a pair of black pants that didn't hang off my butt and drag on the floor. I had an awesome time on Halloween. I was a vampire with a costume that I threw together at the last minute, but the teeth were awesome. I'll try and post some pics. Okay, it wouldn't let me upload them for some reason but if you're interested, go to http://trina4ufl.livejournal.com/
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

Full Speed Ahead!

So right now I'm in a good place. I'm eating between 700-1100 calories a day. I find myself forgetting to eat and then picking foods that have a high protein content so I meet my daily protein requirements. I also am consistently working out. I did cardio and strength training yesterday (sat) and today I did a Zumba class at the gym with my coworker. The Zumba class is a latin dance class. I find it hard to master dance steps and I don't remember them, but I feel like if I keep going to that class, I will start to be able to keep up with the moves. I didn't feel like I was going to die, like I have when I've gone to aerobic classes in the past. I did sweat and was able to complete the full hour, though my intensity wasn't as high as the others who knew the steps, because I found myself getting lost and having to watch other people to try and learn the moves. There were about 200 other people in the room, so it was pretty crowded. I want to find the same class at a time/place where it is less crowded. The gym I go to has three locations I can choose from, so I'm going to scout out the best time/place. I don't feel sore, but I'll know in a day or two if it's a good workout because by then I should be sore in some of my muscles that I don't use all the time if it's worthwhile. I also want to try some other classes. I like dancing, even though I'm obviously not good at it!   Also, I've pretty much given up any sweets at all. I'll sometimes eat a weight watchers cookie or snack, but for the most part, I'm totally off sweets. I find that if I eat them, I want them, but if I avoid them, I don't crave them.   I appear to be lucky because I have had no instances of vomiting, PBing or sliming. I've tried out different food and had no problems with anything. I do try to eat a very small amount and if it feels funny, I don't eat it anymore. I also stop eating before I'm full and then I'm not hungry for a long time. I don't drink during or after my meals, though I do drink before and have no issues with it. I don't eat as slow as I should, but I try to chew really well. I'm sure my good behavior won' t last forever, but I'm going to ride it out as long as I can   I actually forgot to eat today so I had a protein drink when I got home from the gym. My friend made this awesome chicken noodle soup that i ate the other night and I lost weight the day after I ate it (I know it doesn't necessarily work that way, but..) So now I'm planning on making it tonight. It should last all week. It tastes awesome and makes me feel full for a long time. It also has a lot of protein, not many carbs, and not too much fat. The recipe calls for whole wheat rotini pasta instead of noodles, and there isn't that much pasta in it. The flavor comes from all the veggies in it, the seasonings, and of course the chicken. I plugged all of the ingredients into sparkpeople and came up with 334 calories per serving (decent size serving). It seems like I haven't been getting in enough veggies, so I'm hoping this will help. Also,I find myself at a loss about what I want to eat for dinner most nights. Has anyone found that eating too few calories has affected them negatively? Some days, I just don't eat much at all. I have had plenty of energy, so I feel that I'm doing okay, but my nutritionist scared me by saying you could reset your calorie clock and make your body need less calories if you regularly consumed less than 1000 calories, but I'm finding I'm losing more weight the less calories I eat. I do make sure I get protein in as I don't want to lose muscle.   Also, I've pretty much given up any sweets at all. I'll sometimes eat a weight watchers cookie or snack, but for the most part, I'm totally off sweets. I find that if I eat them, I want them, but if I avoid them, I don't crave them. Also, any good ideas for healthy dinners either something that's not too time consuming to make or something that you buy somewhere would be greatly appreciated!!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

First Pre-Op Dr. Appt.

:thumbup:SO i had my first post-op doctor's appointment and it went well. No infection in the incisions, I'm feeling great, and I've lost 11.6 pounds since surgery. I've lost about 25 lbs since right before the pre-op diet. My blood pressure is pretty high--160/100 and has been for the past three visits. I've always had kind of low blood pressure, even when I was more overweight and I thought losing weight drops your BP? I thought it might be the Wellbutrin, so the doc said to stop taking it. He said I shouldn't have to wean off it because I've only been taking it for about 3 months. Also he prescribed a low dosage of some beta blocker , toporal? or something to get my BP down.   I'm on to a PUREED DIET!!!! I'm really excited about this because it means I get to chew something. I'm allowed soft cooked eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, mashed potatoes and anything pureed in a blender, as well as all the stuff on the liquid diet. I do this for 3-4 days and then I'm on to soft foods, which include soft veggies, toast and crackers, tuna, shrimp, fish, and finely ground meat. I do that for four days, and then I'm on a regular healthy diet as tolerated. That means normal food in about a week! I'm almost scared to eat normal food. I'm doing so well on the liquid diet, I don't want to mess it up. I refuse to gain these 11 pounds back or for that much, the 25 lbs since before pre-op.   I weighed 305 today. That means just over 5 pounds before I'm under 300! I also realized that my home scale is broken. I weighed yesterdy I went from 309 to 297 later in the day. I need to buy a new scale. I'm trying not to obsess over the scale, but it makes me feel good when it goes down, and also keeps me in check.   So far I'm really happy with this band thing. I'll see what happens when I start eating instead of drinking my meals...
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

3
 

First Goal--Done!

Well, I've been going to the gym and eating well and I'm down to 267 on my home scale!!! I've met my first goal!!! YAY!!! Now we'll just see how I weigh tomorrow at the doctor's office. It's usually a few pounds lower than my home scale, but we'll see. I think I've only lost about 8 pounds this month, maybe more, maybe less. I know I should be grateful since I lost over 18 pounds last month, but I'm so impatient! One thing though is I really don't have any clothes that filt me well. All my pants hang off my butt now. Even the ones I just bought last month. My friend who doesn't know I had the band told me last night that now that I'm losing weight you can really tell that i'd look much better with a breast reduction. I was mildly insulted by that, but I'm not sure why since I've told her that I wanted one. I guess it's just because I feel like the timing isn't right because I want to wait until I lose more so I don't "undo" it by losing alot more weight. I also want to see how I look because I really don't want to cut up my boobs for no reason. They are hanging too low though And they are still really big, though they have gotten alot smaller as well. They are just big proportionately. Though I think it would be cool to be skinny with big boobs. But not big boobs that hang to my knees! On the other hand, I know my insurance company would pay for a breast reduction now. I've read the policy and it says you have to have a certain amount taken out and I don't want to miss my window for them to pay for it, because they lift them too. I'm just scared of losing sensation and I've seen "after" pictures and I don't like most of them. I like the shape of my boobs, I just wish they were higher and of course smaller. I also hear that plastics is pretty painful and I'd have to take more time off work.. and have some explanation to the boyfriend and since it's a new relationship I have no idea how he would react to that..Well I have time to think about it. Any input would be great! I'm going to ask my doctor at my appointment tomorrow what he thinks and if he thinks I might have a leak and then ask for another fill. My next goal is to be below 250. Now that I'm eating healthy and exercising, I'm feeling better too. It's amazing how you just get back in the habit and it becomes much easier. But it's also easy to get in the habit of eating alot of carbs and fat and not working out! It'll be a challenge to stay motivated but I'm optimistic about it.:biggrin:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

3
 

First Fill--Ouch!!!

I went to my first fill today. I brought what I've eaten for the past seven days and talked to the nutritionist about it. She said I was doing very welll. She didn't even flinch at the King Crab Legs and Vodka I had on New Years!!! I was honest, I put on there that I'd eaten at Taco Bell two days and McDonald's another day, but those days I pretty much didn't eat anything else, and then most days I ate healthy food, so she said I was doing great.   Apparently I'm down another 5 pounds since the last doctor's appointment!!! That made me feel so much better. THe scale read 300.003!!! That's just one pound until I'm under 300! It actually flashed 299.9, but then went back up o 300. My home scale says 303. That's 30 pounds down from before my pre-op diet!   The surgeon said I was doing great, especially over the holidays to lose 5 pounds, so that perked my spirits up.   I was told to get on the chair and they reclined it all the way, but betadine on my stomach and numbed it with little needle pricks. Then he took a long needle and began to poke me to find the port. He couldn't find it. He could find the big round thing, but apparently there's a soft spot in the middle that the syringe goes through and he could not find that. He stuck me like 10 times and he hurt! (I'm a baby with pain by the way). Then he kept trying to find it. I was actually going to ask to take a break because I can't stand little sticking pain....He numbed the area again and poked me again, and then I said, "Ouch!" and he numbed it agaain. He finally found it well below where they (and I ) thought it was. He apologized for hurting me several times and said that next time they'll know right where it is. In hindsight, it wasn't really that bad.   I have a 10cc band and he put in 4.5 cc, which is a little more than usual, but I live close by, so I could get an unfill if I needed to. I drank a whole glass of water and it went down fine. I have another follow up appt. scheduled on Feb. 3rd. I'm supposed to drink liquids, then progress to mushies, then on to real food in the next two days.   I feel good and I'm hopeful that my weight loss will really jump start now!!:confused:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

5
 

Fill today--Down another 12

:thumbup:I went for a fill today and I've lost 12 pounds this month! I was really happy because I was sick for one week and had birthday stuff (lots of food) another week, so I really cracked down this past week before the appointment and it paid off. He also checked and he had put in 6.8 ccs last time and there was only about 5 ccs in there this time, so the fluid went somewhere! He said usually if you have a leak it is a fast leak and the restriction is gone by the time you get home, so he doesn't think it's a leak. Sometimes I guess it gets absorbed or something? But I can't complain, it just means that regular fills are what I need and that my instincts were right, there was less fluid in there. He put me up to 7.3ccs. I've only been drinking fluids, but I'll let you know how that goes.   I'm down 68 pounds!!!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

4
 

Dumped?

I'm trying not to overreaact, but I think I may have been dumped. Things were going great with the new guy and then suddenly he's been MIA for the past two days. I've been super busy so I didn't really notice, but I posted a note to him on Facebook and I'm pretty sure he deleted it. I swear I am cursed when it comes to luck with dating. It's only been a week or so, so I'm not really emotionally involved, but I did like him. He mentioned some ex girlfriend who lives out of town who had been contacting him trying to get back together with him. Maybe he took her up on her offer and didn't send me the memo? Or maybe he's just busy and accidentally deleted my comment? Who knows? I know I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't sleep with him or have drama or anything consequential enough to warrant a sudden change in attiude. He seemed really sincere, but maybe he was just trying to get laid and since I didn't accommodate, he moved on. I'm pretty much ready to give up on dating, period. The worst possible thing to me is dishonesty and every guy I seem to go out with turns out to be shady. I try not to sound jaded, but if I gave you a synopsis of all the guys I've dated, they have one common thread. And lately, my relationships seem to be getting shorter and shorter. This one barely lasted a week! I know I did get a little too caught up in the possibilities since he seemed really genuine and sensitive, etc. He was the one who kept talking about how he wanted to get married some day (not necessarily to me, just in general! ) Whatever it is, I really need to concentrate on me first. This was a wake up call no matter what the situation with him is. My focus needs to be on me and my weight loss, health and fitness. It just gets lonely since I live alone and alot of my friends live out of town. I guess I was hoping this was the start of something really great. I'm not going to let it get me down though. Everything else in my life is going really well.
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

4
 

Down another 9

I went for my fill/follow up yesterday and I am down another 9 pounds. I currently weigh 253. The doctor said I'm doing great and he gave me another fill, which was a breeze. I'm still on liquids today. I ate some yogurt and had to eat it very very very slowly and I wasn't sure it was going to go down. I just had a protein shake and water yesterday. I'm feeling great. I've been consistently going to the gym and I'm starting to run out of clothes that fit! I'm wearing an 18 in top and bottom, but it's a women's 18. I can't wait to wear regular clothes! I ended up not getting sick like I thought I was last week and this past weekend was amazing. We went to a comedy club, tubing down the river, an awesome barbeque and a gun show and dinner with my boyfriend's family on Sunday. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. His mom keeps sending cake home with me! I still haven't told him about the band. We've gotten much closer now, I guess I'll tell him when I'm ready. What's amazing is that it really is not noticeable that there is anything different except for the scars on my stomach and the few days right after a fill when I really can't eat anything. People have been telling me regularly how great I look and I feel like I'm starting to look much better. I'm almost to my under 250 goal, which I'm really looking forward to. The next goal will be 240. I remember weighing 255 back in college and going on a diet and getting to 240 and remembering how sexy I felt! We'll see if I feel that way this time. It's been a few years! My goals are to eat healthy, small portions, and exercise regularly, but I'm going to enjoy life along the way. I'm not going to beat myself up or stick to a strict diet all the time. I feel like I could have lost more weight last month, so I'm going to try harder this month, but I'm not going to kill myself. It's coming off, slowly but surely! All in all, I feel great!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

2
 

Down another 8

I went to the doctor for a follow up appointment and I'm down another 8 pounds. I weigh 246 now. I feel pretty good about how I'm starting to look except for my stomach. If I wear pants that fit, they push my spare tire up. I'm still carrying way too much weight in my stomach and chest, but I'm hoping after another 50 pounds or so, it'll flatten. The doctor said I'm either too tight or just right. He gave me the option of having some taken out, but I opted to try to work with this fill. I can't eat much at all during the day--some yogurt and coffee, and then dinner is hit or miss. If I have hot soup first, I'm usually good. He said that I can call him anytime if I feel I want to have some taken out, and scheduled my next appointment for 8 weeks since he says I'm doing great and don't need to come every month. I do need to work on the protein. I haven't been getting enough in. My hair loss has slowed, but my hair is all kind of broken and uggh. I bought 2 new pairs of jeans and 2 shirts. All in size 18 (still plus size). I feel better because I feel like a slob wearing all my old clothes because they are really baggy and don't look good. I'm feeling much better. Things with my boyfriend are going really well and I'm looking forward to having the whole week off work next week. Yay!!!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

1
 

Down another 7

I decided to only weigh myself once a week on Tuesdays because that is when my doctor's appointments usually are. This morning, I weighed myself and I am down 7 pounds from last Tuesday!!!!!!! I am really excited about that because I have lost 7 pounds in a week before when I started weight watchers, etc, but never that rate of weight loss after I'd already lost almost 30 pounds. If I didn't have the band, the best I could expect would be 1-2 pounds per week, maybe four if I was really diligent. My clothes are much looser and I feel good.   I should start looking decent (in m own mind at least) when I'm down to 260, so that's my short term goal right now. I want to accomplish that before my 30th birthday on March 22nd. When I reach that goal, I should be wearing all of my smallest sizes that I currently own (except for the one or two pieces I couldn't let go from high school). I should also be at a good fitness level where I can do pretty much anything without getting tired and even jog for periods of time (though my big breasts make that difficult!). I can't even visualize myself as smaller than that right now and the last time I was at that weight, I was not physcially in shape like I will be working out regularly. I can't wait!   The only thing not going that great is that I'm so tired when I wake up in the mornings. It seems like I can't get to sleep until midnight or later and then I am miserable, tired, grouchy in the AM. As the day goes by, my energy levels kick up and I'm fine, but the mornings are hell! Especially since it was freezing cold and raining this morning. It's going to be in the 30s at night all week :thumbup: So much for sunny FL weather..The high tomorrow is in the 50s and I do not have enough warm weather clothes. After getting rid of all the clothes that I don't like and that are too big, I still have lots of clothes, but very few warm clothes. It just doesn't get that cold in FL that often.   Everyone has been complimenting everyone else on how they look like they've lost weight and no has said that to me. My two coworkers who know about the band have told me that, but no one else. Which is cool because I don't want the questions that go along with it, but either, they can't tell or they don't want to say anything because they suspect WLS. It's not a big deal, just sometimes funny when I hear, Oh so and so you really look like you've lost weight, and they say, oh yeah, I've been going to the gym, and then I'm standing there, 30+++ pounds down saying, oh yeah, you look great... I wore a pair of cobalt blue slacks that were really tight on me and almost couldn't button two months ago and now they are literally sagging to the floor on me. They really sag in the butt, which is not attractive, but I'm running out of clothing options. Well, at least if there are rumors going on about me, I haven't heard them, so I can pretend they don't exist!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

6
 

Down another 7

I went for my 4 week apt. at the surgeon's office and have lost 7 pounds in four weeks, putting me at 217. It hasn't really been the best way to lose, as I've been too tight this month. I've had several vomiting episodes and bad heartburn. The doc took out all the fluid and let me drink some water so if some food at been stuck, it would wash down, then he filled me up to 8.0. I had been at 8.5. I feel a huge difference. No heartburn and I can actually eat without feeling like I need to throw up. I've really only eaten some soup (pho) so far, but so far I don't even feel much restriction, but I'm not pushing it. I hope this doesn't mean that I'll gain weight over the holidays, but for now, I feel so much better. I do have a bad head cold so I'm home from work today. I fell asleep at 7:30pm last night and didn't wake up until 7:30 am this morning, tried to get ready for work, and realized I felt dizzy and much too sick to go in. I'm very happy with my progress as Dec. 1st is my year anniversary and I've lost 113 pounds total, 99.7 pounds since surgery day. I'll take it! I'm very happy with my lapband. Now if I could get rid of this cold, I'd be feeling great!:biggrin:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

4
 

Down another 11

I went to my follow up doctor's appointment today. It's been two months since my last visit, and I've lost a little over 11 pounds since then. I currently weigh 235, so I've lost 95 pounds total in about 81/2 months. My doctor says I'm doing awesome. I did end up getting a fill because I've been hungry in between meals the last couple of weeks and sometimes I can eat way too much food. He only put .5 of a cc in, and it feels pretty tight. I'm hoping I can still eat most of the good protein and most food, but that I'm not as hungry and that I can't eat as much of it. It feels like my weight loss is slowing down, but the doc says I'm right on track. I have been feeling sluggish some days, so he ordered a blood test to check my B12 and iron levels. I did have issues with anemia when I was younger, so I want to make sure that I'm not lacking iron now, which would make me sluggish. All in all, I'm pretty excited and I know I could never have gotten here without the band and of course, my awesome surgeon who gives me great support. I'm scheduled for another visit in four weeks. I met with the nutritionist and she suggested making sure I eat something for breakfast every day, even if it's just protein powder in my coffee and doing free weights instead of the machines at the gym. She said that it will work better because it uses your stabilization muscles. She said only beginners should do the circuit lines and I've been doing them for 8 months, so it's time to move on to something new. My mood is great and I'm excited that I'm still losing consistently. Yay!!!!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

5
 

Down 7

I'm down 7 pounds since surgery and 21 pounds since I started the pre-op diet. I don't know if this is a fluke and I'm going to gain it all back when I get off liquids, but I'm loving this thing so far. I'm six days post-op and feel great!:thumbup:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

4
 

Down 100 pounds

My weight at my doctor's appt on Tuesday was 229. My start weight was 330. I have lost 100 pounds. That sounds so strange to say. I am really excited about it and my life has improved immeasurably. I still have a ways to go to get to my first goal, which is 175 but I'm very thankful with the amount of weight I've lost these past 9-10 months. My surgeon is extremely happy for me. My resting heart rate is 50, which he says is awesome. My BP is 125/67 and all my blood work came back in the normal range. All my clothes are way too big, even the ones I just bought a month ago and I have stamina and can do normal tasks, as well as work out for a long time at the gym without feeling tired. I don't feel awkward in social situations, like going into a room and wondering if I'll fit in the chair. When people see me, they usually ask how much weight I've lost or say that I look great. I can see the bones in my face, in a good way! I'm not skinny in any way, but who knew I had cheekbones under there? I have no more plantar fascitis or foot pain and my back doesn't hurt anymore. I don't get winded going up a flight of stairs or walking around the mall or taking my dog out or shaving my legs. I've gone from a 24/26 size clothes to an 18-maybe even smaller since my clothes are too big now! This has not been easy, but I guess I'm amazed. It's actually working! I guess I never really believed I would continue to see the scale move down. I still can't imagine being below 200 pounds. I haven't weighed this weight since my freshman year of college and I'm now 30 years old. That was 12 years ago!   Lap Band: 12/1/08 330/316/229/175 5'9" st.w/sw/cw/gw Ht. (my highest weight ever was 347) :thumbdown:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

9
 

Day 4--feeling great

Feel great today. No nausea, no pain. I'm a little sore in my stomach but no pain unless I bend. I'm not hungry at all. No hunger. None!!! I found out I shouldn't be crushing my wellbutrin because it's Sustained Release, so they told me I should be able to swallow it whole. I'm trying that tonight. If for some reason it gets stuck, I need to ease it down with warm liquids. My chewable centram orange taste pretty good. My only issues are not really surgery related. 1. I only told people at work that I was having surgery and didn't tell them why except for two people I'm close to. Other people have been speculating what kind of surgery I'm having and gossiping, which kind of makes me mad. They are guessing I had some kind of cosmetic surgery and even suggested lap band as a possibility. I don't really know why it bothers me because it's not a secret, I just didn't feel the need to tell everyone at work. I don't feel like it's their business. I'm off work for a month though due to my sick leave running into my christmas vacation, so I'm pretty sure i'm going to look different when I return, so I'm sure they will guess correctly that I had WLS. This bothers me, but only a little. I just feel that sometimes they are mean spirited in the way they gossip. I'm not embarrassed about the surgery, I just feel that I have the right to privacy about my health. 2. I randomly met a guy two days before my surgery and he keeps asking me if I'll go out with him and I keep putting him off. He wants to get dinner and I'm on liquids right now. I'm debating whether or not to tell him. I don't like to lie and I hate making up excuses that arent' true. But I do want to go out with him.   Those are my biggest problems, and as you can see, they are little inconsequential issues. I am very happy so far and I'm down 18 pounds from before I started the pre-op diet. My pants are looser and my butt looked better today. Day 4 is a good day.:thumbup:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

4
 

btw

By the way, My mom took some pictures at the hospital and I plan to post them as soon as I can get them uploaded.....I'm sure they look horrendous, but that will be even better when I compare them to my "after" pics in a few months!!:thumbup:
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

1
 

Background

Okay, here's some background on me. I'm a 29 year old single female. I've been overweight since I was about 10. I've had success with diets off and on through high school and college, but would keep gaining after I lost. I get sidetracked by life and it takes a lot of attention for me to lose weight or even maintain it. I have to go to the gym, eat much less than I want, and pick healthy foods. Sounds doable right? Well, after going to my sister's wedding and seeing most of my relatives who have lost the battle of the bulge, I finally realized that the odds were not stacked in my favor. I consider myself successful--I graduated college and obtained my master's degree while working full time. I have a good career and good friends. However, I just can't seem to succeed at losing weight. It has now gotten to the point where it will negatively impact my health and has definitely hurt my otherwise healthy self-esteem. I'm not dating anyone because I look in the mirror and I can't imagine anyone wanting to be with me. I've dated in the past quite a bit and been fine, but I guess now it has really hit me how overweight I've become. I feel sluggish and my feet hurt and I'm tired all the time. I want to have energy and enjoy life. I want to get dressed up and go out and feel sexy! But most of all, I don't want to look back at my life and feel that I wasted my youth being held back by the 100 and more extra pounds I'm carrying around! So, This is it. I'm hoping it will be! I'm an optimist by nature, so I am hoping and thinking that this will work, not by itself, but though hard work as well. I think that is what makes the lap band appeal to me. It won't work unless I work as well. I don't think I'd appreciate it as much if I didn't have to work for it. So, here I go! I'm scared that I will fail. I'm scared that something will go wrong and I will die. I'm scared that I won't be able to eat and I'll be miserable. But I won't let my fear hold me back. Because, most of all, I"m scared that I will do nothing and doing something to me is always better than doing nothing about a problem. I want to be that success story. I want to inspire others like many have inspired me. Let the journey begin...December 1st here I come!
trina4ufl

trina4ufl

5
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