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Some light reading

I think I wrote in my first post that I was considering having surgery in Mexico. Dr. Ortiz is on the top of my list right now. I've had a few conversations with some of his people, and now I've got to sit down and write the questions I want to ask, so I don't forget everything.   Seems like I have to lose some weight before surgery. To get to an acceptable BMI, I need to pare down 35 or so pounds. Gulp.   My husband asked me what would happen if I got to the OCC on the day before surgery, and I hadn't lost all the weight I'm supposed to. A valid question. I've always struggled with losing weight. I told him that I wasn't planning on finding out what would happen. How gutsy is that?   I think I can count on losing at least 10 pounds on the pre-op three weeks of 2 protein shakes and one Lean Cuisine per day regimen. Is that reasonable?   That leaves me with 25 pounds to lose between now and mid-November. I see lots of time on the treadmill and many aquafit sessions in my immediate future!   I also consider this period an opportunity to prove to myself and to my husband that I'm serious about this. Not getting into a weight loss/making better choices/exercising more mindset before surgery sets me up for quite a shock if I expect to deal with cravings AND ramping up exercises AND a pre- or post-op diet AND the surgery. I think it's too much all at the same time.   So over the past week I tried to work out an eating plan that would work for me while I'm on the road. I was away on business last week, and over the weekend we made a business/fun trip to BC's Interior. Lots of restaurant food.   I'm batting about 50%. One day I do very, very well, and the next, no so well. But there are two distinct differences from other attempts to lose weight. A slipup in the morning doesn't mean that I have a license to overindulge all day. And a slipup one day doesn't mean I can't start over the next day. I'm working a lot on the negative talk that I think most overweight (but I prefer the term 'fluffy') people are experts at.   In order to make this journey successful, I'm going to need some counselling. I need to get more awareness and understanding of emotional eating, and as I lose weight, to not sabotage my results. Over the next week I'll be looking for a therapist who specializes in food and relationship issues.   And since I'll be getting banded no earlier than December, I want to do some more reading. I've already searched many posts for recommended books and I've got the beginnings of a very interesting reading list, but if any of my fellow blog writers/readers have any books you think I should read (and maybe post a review on), or some that I should avoid, I welcome your recommendations!   Have a great day, all. :cool:
JoanneD

JoanneD

3
 

Fire and Ice

Thank you for your lovely welcome messages! More and more I realize that part of the success of this journey will depend on those who I choose to have surround me. And I think that this group of people, at this forum, is one of the keys to my future success.   *****   Last night I flew home from my latest business trip. I'd been in Northern BC for a few days. From Prince George to Vancouver, we had a great vantage point from which to see the forest fires burning in the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley. There must have been a half-dozen small fires, and one doozie. That was probably the one near Lilooet, or maybe it was the Kelowna fire.   We've had a very dry summer, the third driest July on record in some areas. So the summer ban on campfires is in place as of noon today. Completely understandable, but it's too bad because camping without a campfire is just not the same. Luckily we have a small propane fire thingie at the trailer, and we can pretend it's a real wood fire. It can be a challenge roasting marshmallows on it, though.   I've travelled by air so much through the years that I've gotten over the shame of asking for an extender for my seat belt. Now I just automatically ask for it as I enter the plane. And the vast majority of the crew is gracious about it, and they give it to me discreetly. Now sometimes you've got someone with the sensitivity of a two-by-four, and they make a show out of giving the extender. I try not to let it get to me, and leave it to their karma to deal with them.   I look forward to the day where I won't need to ask for an extender, and where I won't have to pretend I don't see people's look of dismay when they see that they're sitting next to me on the plane. Or the look of relief when they realize that they're NOT sitting with me. That's probably why I sit in the back row. They're the last seats to fill up, and I can more easily avoid those looks.   Funny how we can be so resourceful in finding ways to protect ourselves from rejection and judgment.   In preparation for the surgery, I've started changing what I eat and how I eat it. I've started taking smaller bites, and chewing my food more completely (but now that I think of it, I scarfed my toast with peanut butter down pretty fast this morning). I'm also trying to listen to the signals my body is giving me. Am I getting full? Am I really hungry or just thirsty? Is this emotional or physical hunger?   Yesterday was a very good day, choice-wise. The day before, not so much. One of my biggest challenges is not overeating when I'm on the road. I'm in restaurants, sometimes I'm bored and lonely, and I've often turned to food for comfort. And that's what I did on Tuesday. I won't go into the gory details.   But the good news is that I picked myself up and started over yesterday, and had a good day. And so far, today's been a good day as well.   If I can't eat something, I still like having something to keep my mouth busy. So in my hotel room, and on the plane, I like ice cubes. Hell on my teeth, but it's no calorie, it fills me up, and it helps me drink my water.   But I wonder if ice is a no-no when you're banded? Just one of eleventy hundred questions I'm sure to have as the weeks progress.   Have a great day, all.
JoanneD

JoanneD

1
 

The preface... or is it prologue?

Well, with these words begins my Lap Band weight loss journey.   I promised myself to start journalling, to help me with this big task ahead of me (no pun intended, I think). And despite being a pretty private person, what better way to be accountable, than to cast the words out there in cybespace? So my journal won't belong just to me. It'll be living out there.   So who am I? My name is Joanne. I live in Canada, in Vancouver (or close enough that it doesn't matter), with my husband, our 10-year-old son Munchkin, and our neurotic dog, whom I'll call The Pill. Not his name, but his pseud, so I can protect the innocent, and all that stuff.   Where am I at? I've tried other weight loss methods, mostly Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem 20-odd years ago. I've tried it on my own, without following a program as well. In grade school I was put on a diet by the school nurse, and that was a memorable experience. She posted my weight tracker in her office, where if students got sick they could go lie down. So EVERYONE knew how much I weighed. Sigh.   I've got a few co-morbidities (don't you just LOVE that word?), namely Type II diabetes and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). I've been overweight all my life. I don't remember a single moment being at a normal weight.   I have a loving husband who is the gentlest soul ever, and who has never spoken of my weight in less than supportive terms. And who, every time I'd mention wanting to do something about it would become my biggest cheerleader. I have a great support system behind me.   Since in Canada lap band surgery, or any weight loss surgery, is not paid for by insurance, we will be paying for it ourselves. We're in the midst of renovating our house right now, so we're investing the 'renovating the bedrooms' money in my health.   Because the cost is so prohibitive in Canada (about $12 to $14 thousand) I'll likely be going to Mexico for the surgery. My GP is the one who first steered me that way. The first time I told him I was considering banding, he mentioned Mexico to me. Before then, I had been fretting about how to finance the more expensive surgery. So now we can get this done without sacrificing the kitchen renos, and without waiting much longer.   If all goes well, I should be going to be banded in early December.   Oh, one thing I didn't say earlier. I travel a lot for work, and right now I'm in an airport lounge, on my way home. And they've just called my flight. So I have to skedaddle. More updates soon!   Joanne
JoanneD

JoanneD

5
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