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My Green Zone

Everyone has a different idea as to what the ‘Green Zone’ should be like, how it should feel. How tight do you need to be in order to be in the zone? Some like to be really tight where as other like their band a little looser.   I have experienced my band being ‘nice and tight’ so to speak. I never felt physical hunger, but there was food I couldn’t eat like chicken breasts and vegetables. I would cook a wonderful meal for the family and then find I couldn’t eat it. I also found that it would take me over 30 minutes to eat. I hated meals; I would get frustrated and found myself turning to slider foods like cheese and crackers or peanuts. I struggled to maintain my weight from week to week and I was miserable.   This was not the lifestyle I wanted so I had my doctor take out half a cc of fluid from my band. The result is I can eat any and all foods without problems, I go 3-4 hours without feeling physical hunger and most important is being able to enjoy mealtime with my family. This is my ‘Green Zone’.   This experience makes me understand why so many posts say they are gaining weight and they might be too tight. It is very easy to gain weight when the foods you eat slides right down (they can be healthy foods too – mine was cheese & peanuts).   I cannot manage my band when it is too tight, I would rather manage my lifestyle and use my band to complement that style.   I am a loosey goosey! (Yep I made up a new term)
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

4
 

My Barrier

I have thought about writing this blog all day long. Part of me says don’t write it, you are a success and you don’t want people thinking you slip up and fail. The other part of me says write this, maybe this will tell others that this journey is not easy and even after reaching goal & being declared a success you still struggle…   ‘The other part’ won, so here goes….   I have always been called strong, never showing my weakness or emotions. It is a skill I learned early in life, build a protective barrier around you so no one can know how you feel or hurt you. The way I coped with this barrier was with food, it got me to 250 pounds…. When I started my weight loss journey I recognized this habit. That being said doesn’t mean that the habit went away or that it doesn’t get the best of me still. Over the last couple of weeks I have experienced events in my life that caused me to retreat to my protected barrier and to comfort myself with junk food (ice cream, etc…).   Now, those closest to me know me well enough to see through the barrier and last night my husband did just that. He asked what was going on and I caved, I told him everything that was causing my stress, my work, my friends, and the whole lot. I had a good cry and we talked about how I could try and cope with things. I also confessed the eating that I had done and do you know what he did? He said, “Well trash is picked up tomorrow morning” and went into the kitchen, threw away all the trigger foods that I had mentioned. When he came back in he said to me, “You are worth so much more than any of that junk food. From now on there will be no junk in this house.” God, I love this man. I am so lucky to have such great family support.   Then, this morning one of my most dear friends asked me what was up. And again I caved and told her everything. Know what she said? “Done now….back on track” and then she said, “It is what it is; pull up those panties, put on those heels and work it!” Thanks princess, I needed to hear that. I am so lucky to have such great friends supporting me.   I know I can do this and I will do this for the rest of my life. I will have days and times where I stumble and fall. But, I will get myself up, brush myself off and keep going. Because I WANT this!   I guess what I am trying to say is that even the success stories (the veterans) make mistakes, have bad days, and go backwards. The important thing is to identify the problem and find a solution. Then get your ass back on track.   Thant is exactly what I am doing.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

9
 

My Banded Brain Tool

My Lap-band is a great tool for my weight loss journey, if only I could band my head. How many times have we thought that? I read it on threads all the time. Well, we can band our head. In fact I have a Banded Brain Tool and it’s called SUPPORT. It comes in all different shapes and sizes. My Banded Brain Tool consists of five things: Cheerleaders – these are my family and friends who from the sidelines are cheering me on. It’s my hubby seeing me struggle and walking up to me whispering in my ear, “You are doing so incredible on this journey, I’m so proud of you.” Or my friends saying, “You look great!”
Support Group – My support group meets once a month. Seeing fellow bandster, exchanging stories and ideas gets me from month to month.
LapBandTalk – I log on every day, check in with my friends, help and support other bandsters as well as get help and support.
MyFItnessPal – Keeps me honest with my food intake and my friends offer help and ideas here too.
FitBit – My pedometer on steroids! I never though one little electronic devise would get me climbing stairs every day. It sends me emails when I earn a new badge (never forget the first day I climbed 50 flights – I was a dancing fool). I compete with my friends to see who can walk the most steps and we encourage each other one.
Between my Lap-band and Banded Brain Tool I have been able to succeed with my weight loss.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

4
 

Monthly Check-in

Today was my monthly appointment at True Results. They always have the patients fill out a questionnaire prior to seeing the NP. It asks what your typical meals are, the size (1/2 cup, 1 cup, 1 ½ cups, etc), what exercise you are doing, and so forth. I answered the questions honestly. I am eating 1 to 1 ½ cups per meal and getting hungry between meals.   I am happy to say that I am maintaining my weight of 169 pounds. So I don’t know if it is the head or not.   When I met with the NP we discussed this and she told me a story about how the head messes with us. She had a transfer patient come in (they always pull all the fluid out of the band to verify the amount on transfer patients). She pulls out the fluid and puts it right back in (doesn’t add or remove any of the fluid). Two days later the patient calls her saying “I don’t know what you did but I have not restriction.” She has the patient come back in (concerned of a leak), pulls out all the fluid out again (the amount was exactly as it was 2 days earlier) and puts it back (again not adding or removing any fluid). Two days later the patient calls her saying “I am so tight I can’t eat anything” Nothing changed as far as the amount of fluid in her band; it was all in the head. lol   I did get a small fill and instructions to get my timer back out and time my bits, put a dime next to my plate for a visual on the size of my bits, and most important, come to the support group on Thursday to help get a hold of this head game I got going on.   Maintains is not a walk in the park!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

5
 

Market Days

Yesterday my husband & I rented a craft booth at out town’s Market Days. We make several things (wood bowls & trays, bags, napkins, placemats & coasters) and we wanted to try selling them.   The day started early, we were up at 6:00am. As my husband loaded the truck I packed food for the day. We would be at our booth all day (9am to 4pm) so I needed both breakfast and lunch for both of us. Now my band had been tight the day before, probably due to stress and excitement for the upcoming event. So I wanted to bring smart food for myself…. I knew there would be lots of tempting food vendors there with not so healthy choices.   I made a protein shake to take with me for breakfast; I knew this would be safer than trying to eat something. For lunch I took 3ozs of chicken salad and a Greek yogurt, for a snack an apple cut into slices. I also packed a pre-made protein shake just in case I had problems eating and needed fuel….   I also packed 4 water bottles for myself so that I would get my water in for the day (course this meant I had to locate the closest bathroom, lol)   As it turned out our booth was downwind from the kettle popcorn vendor…..yep smelled popcorn ALL DAY LONG…. & watched people walking by with big bags of the stuff. My created husband started asking people, “Need a bowl for that popcorn?”   It was a great day. Business wise we sold a few things did some networking with the local vendors and made some good business connections. Personally it was a great success; I managed a challenging situation by planning ahead and sticking to my plan.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

7
 

Maintenance a walk in the park?

As you know I reached my goal a couple of months ago and am now in the maintenance stage of my journey. Simple, all I have to do is maintain my weight.   I still check in with my doctor every four weeks (my choice not his).   This last month has been full of ups and downs with a lot of changes, basically life has been happening. I had to battle the head hunger on more than one occasion.   Then about a week and a half ago I started noticing that my daily calorie intake was creeping up. 10 calories more, then 20, then 30, etc… I was starting to get hungry (physical hunger) in between breakfast and lunch, this hasn't happened since bandster hell.   That was the deciding factor for me, I needed a fill.   I went for my four week checkup today and to no surprise I was up two pounds. After discussing things with my doctor I got the fill I wanted (just a small one .2cc).   My point here is that once you reach your goal you’re not done. In fact, It’s harder to maintain your weight that to loose, in my opinion.   Guess I need to change my ticker now.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

3
 

Lunch anyone?

If my day is really busy I will eat lunch at my desk and continue to work. This was the case today.   My lunch was meat & cheese rolled up and baby carrots, had this many times. So I’m eating and working….about half way into lunch I get the soft stop feeling. Okay, I stop. I then get the heavy chest feeling, something is trying to go down. This feeling stayed with me most of the afternoon.   At 4pm I made myself a cup of hot tea, black tea with cream & splenda (It’s the English in me). I’m sipping my tea and I get the soft stop feeling….hummm, never got that with liquids before. I wait a few minutes and take another sip, get the soft stop feeling again. This time it’s followed up with saliva building in my mouth.   TO THE BATHROOM I GO!   Yep, I pb’d that tea right up along with carrots (sorry if TMI). Well, I guess I got stuck at lunch and finally got it out 4 hours later…..   My Yellow Rose (my band) started talking to me after that & this is what she said, “See what happens when you don’t chew your food enough. See what happens when you don’t pay attention to what you are eating. See what happens when you eat too fast.”   Wow, wasn’t expecting that. But, hay it happens. Sorry Yellow Rose, guess I won’t be eating that Mahi Mahi I planned for dinner. ..   “Nope, I want liquids. I’ll teach you not to chew your food!”   So, I am having a protein shake for dinner.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

5
 

LBT Friends

When I discovered LBT I was 4 months into my journey, like most I would read a lot of posts and on occasion I would post. I found myself following 2 ladies and the 3 of us struck up a wonderful friendship. We would goof around, take over threads, insult and love each other. One from Florida, one form North Carolina and myself from Texas we became the three musketeers of LBT.   We have never met face to face but to me our friendship is the most precious around. I love both these ladies like sisters. I don’t know what I would do without them.   This evening when I got home from work the mailman knocked on my door with a package for me from Florida?! The package was marked Fragile….I haven’t ordered anything on line lately. Who do I know in Florida??? I was puzzled. So I opened the package to find the most thoughtful birthday gift from one of my LBT friends. It was so thoughtful and personalized that I burst into tears.       I enjoy my wine and my hot tub, but we all know that wine glasses do not mix with hot tubs. So I got a personalized travel wine glass, it’s called ClearWater Gear and her daughter did the vinyl customizing. I will cherish this gift.   Thank you so very much!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

6
 

Lap Band Success

Love yourself again A cup of food per meal Protein first   Beginning of a healthy life Abide by your doctor’s orders No vomiting Don’t deprive yourself   Satisfied Unfill when too tight! Clothes are too big! Confidence increases Exercise regularly Stay in contact with your doctor Support from family and friends
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

3
 

It?s okay to be hungry???

I was reading the forum today and read a reply to a post about snacking that said “It’s okay to be hungry.”   This got me thinking (I know scary, huh?!)   Do I really know what true physical hunger feels like? Hunger where you don’t know if or when you will eat again….. Pain and discomfort from malnutrition and dehydration.   I have never experienced true physical hunger.   But, I’m the first to say I am sooooo hungry. Why? Was it the way I was raised? Society? Or what?   Before my band food was everything. I would plan every meal to the tee and as soon as the meal was over I was talking/planning the next meal. Breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, afternoon snacks/cocktails at 5pm and dinner at 7pm. My belly alarm would go off at each time and I would say I’m hungry. I was obsessed with my meals and eating. Food had all the control.   Fast forward 18 months and I have the control back (for the most part). Yes I still eat on the same schedule. This is a personality flaw for me, very organized and schedule oriented. It drives some people crazy. The difference is that I know this is a trigger for my head hunger and I don’t let that “I’m hungry” feeling take over. I know when I’m going to eat, I know how much I’m going to eat and I know what types of foods I’m going to eat.   So, yes it’s okay to be hungry. But, my head hunger will not control me, I will control it!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

1
 

Is Your Food Okay??

I took my husband to Longhorn Steakhouse today for his birthday. I knew exactly what I was going to order (plan ahead is the best advice for eating out). I ordered a 6oz Renegade Sirloin Steak with fresh veggies and a mix salad, raspberry vinaigrette on the side. I also knew I would be taking over ½ of it home with me (part of the plan).   Salad comes and I have 2 or 3 bites and stopped, I wanted my steak so I wasn’t going to get full on salad. Waiter comes up and says, “Is everything alright with your salad?”   “Yes, everything is fine.”   I push my salad aside (wouldn’t let them take it away…..my chickens would never forgive me if I did). My steak arrives; I eat about 2oz of the steak, 1 small crown of broccoli & 2 small carrot bites. I’m full.   The waiter comes up and says again, “Is everything alright with your steak?”   “Oh yes, it’s delicious.”   He walks away with the most confusing look on his face. Meanwhile my husband is sitting beside me trying to not laugh at this guy. I notice the smirk on my husband’s face and ask, “What?”   To which he replies, “You are enjoying this aren’t you?”   “I don’t know what you mean. I’m enjoying a nice steak here.”   The waiter returns and I ask for 2 to go boxes, one for our food and one for the food for my chickens (yes, I spoil them). He brings me 2 small boxes and I say “Do you have any bigger boxes; I have a lot of leftover food here?”   “I’m sorry, was there something wrong with the food, you didn’t eat very much?”   At this point my husband couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing. I replied, “The food was wonderful, I just can’t eat the volume you serve.”   “We do serve a lot of food here, but you would be surprised how many people can eat it all.”   He brought me the larger containers and we left, both happy with our meal.   Plus, my hubby gets steak and eggs for breakfast as well as a baked potato with everything on it (He ordered but didn’t touch) for lunch. To top it off my chickens were so very happy with their treat tonight!!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

2
 

Is It Worth It?

Yesterday my husband & I were at an extended family gathering and a few of the relatives commented on my weight loss (they had not seen me since my surgery).   I was sitting at a table with one of the cousins and she was asking me about it. I told her I had the Lap Band surgery and she said her daughter was thinking about doing that. Her daughter was also at the table and said either that or the sleeve. We started talking about WLS and I expressed that it didn’t matter which WLS a person does, they have to change their eating habits in order to be successful. They have to eat a lot of protein and veggies, no junk food, etc. She said oh I don’t know if weight loss is worth all that……. WHAT??????   Is losing almost 75 pounds in 9 months’ worth it? YES   Is going down 6 pant sizes worth it? YES   Is being off all prescription medicines for high blood pressure worth it? YES   Is not being pre-diabetic worth it? YES   Is being able to walk up the stairs to the 8th floor of my office building every morning worth it? YES   Is being able to push the lawn mower around my house worth it? YES   Is hearing friends & family say how wonderful I look worth it? YES   IS IT WORTH IT? HELL YES!!!!!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

5
 

I'm Thankful

Today I look at my life and I am thankful. I am thankful for my loving family. I am thankful for a good job and a steady income. I am thankful for my Lapband and for getting my life back.   I look at who I was 18 months ago, 250 pounds of misery. I didn’t care about myself or how I looked. I would wear potato sack clothes, I never wore make-up or jewelry, I looked like a tired old lady and I didn’t care. I couldn’t exercise, just walking up the 4 steps into my house would put me out of breath. I really hated myself!   Thankfully I did something about it. I got the Lapband and lost 80 pounds. I went from size 22 to size 10 and have never felt better. I take pride in the clothes I wear (no more potato sacks for me ~ I hate baggy clothes now, lol), I love to wear jewelry and make-up. I want to look good, my smile is from ear to ear. Life is so enjoyable now.   So many things have opened up to me since my band. My husband and I have doubled the amount of land we use for gardening because I can physically help manage it. We increased our flock of chickens to 30 birds because I can physically help manage them. I find myself always on the go, moving doing this & that because I can physically do it. I even got my concealed handgun license (Never shot a gun before 6 months ago).   All this because I decided to change. Yes, I changed everything….. No more fast food, soda, junk food, midnight bowls of cereal, or gallons of ice cream and no more sitting on my ass watching TV all day. Do I miss these things? Sometimes. But if I have cravings I have a small portion of whatever I’m craving. Day to day I don’t miss a thing.   Life is too precious to waste it away on pizza and greasy burgers or cake and candy. I am thankful for my rebirth on February 6, 2012 and I promise to live a health happy life. I deserve nothing less.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

3
 

I?M Allergic To Exercise?.

No really I am. I have to be otherwise I would enjoy it, right?   I truly hate exercising! I’ve never liked going to the gym, it’s boring. I don’t like getting all hot and sweaty, out of breath; heart beating like it will explode out of my chest. Hated PE in school, I was always the last kid picked for the team….   But one of the necessities for successful weight loss is exercise regularly. How do I accomplish this?   I started simple by: Parking at the back of the parking lots
Turning on some music and dancing around my house. (Dogs got a kick out of this; they thought it was play time.)
Took my dogs for walks around our property. (We live on acreage in the country.)
Then I bought an inexpensive exercise bike that folds up and sits in the corner of my living room (This way I see it every day). When I watch TV in the evenings I get on the bike and ride. I started doing 10 minutes and worked up to 30 minutes. Now I’m working on increasing the intensity (ride faster).   Next, I started moving more at work. I started using the bathroom on different floors (walking the stairs to the floors); and getting up from my desk a couple of times a day just to walk the stairs.   So here I am still don’t like exercising but I do move! I no longer use the elevator at work (and I’m on the 8th floor!) and I ride my bike 30 minutes 3-5 times a week.   It’s not a lot but as long as I’m doing something I’m seeing results.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

6
 

I love Hummus!

And it is very easy to make. Here is my favorite recipe   Roasted Red Pepper Hummus   1 Can chickpea/garbonza beans (15oz) 1/3 cup tahini (See note below) ¼ cup lemon juice 2 Tbs olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed ½ - ¾ cup roasted red peppers   In a food processor, combine beans, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add red peppers and garlic until desired consistency.   I calculated the nutritional information based on ¼ cup serving: Calories 154 Total Fat 11g Sodium 190mg Total Carbs 8.4g Dietary fiber 3.2g Sugars .9g Protein 5.1g   Tahini is sesame seed butter. I find it with the peanut butter or in the international isle of the grocery store.   Enjoy!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

7
 

I Can't

I can’t exercise at work. I can park in a parking structure that is a block from my building I can give the elevators the day off and climb the stairs (my office building has 11 floors, my office is on the 8th floor) I can go to the bathroom on the 11th floor instead of my floor (& take the stairs, of course) I can take a break & go for a walk (it’s amazing how refreshing it is to get away from my desk for 10 minutes)   I can’t drink that much water in a day. I can add lemon/lime wedges or crystal light mixes to the water for variety. I can carry a bottle of water with me everywhere I go. I can take a drink of water every 5 minutes.   I can’t stop snacking. I can stock my pantry with healthy snacks I can pre-portion my health snacks. I can drink 8 ozs of water before having the snack I think I want. I can go for a walk instead of having the snack I think I want.   As long as “I can” I will maintain my weight and I know I CAN!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

5
 

I am not a squirrel

Have you ever taken a bit of something and as you are chewing it you think “this is way too big of a bit” so you stuff half the bit in your cheek and swallow the other half? And a few seconds later you swallow the half in your cheek… How did that work out for you?   It has never worked out successfully for me. Usually within minutes I am at the sink or toilet watching the bits go down the drain… sorry if this is TMI.   I hate it when this happens and often it happens when I an overly hungry or the meal is really tasty. That makes it even worse because it ends the meal completely for me.   So, I have to remember to take small bits, even when it is really really good and chew them completely, otherwise my yellow rose will reject them and I will not enjoy my meal.   Lesson learned; I am not a squirrel!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

4
 

How To Preserve A Husband

Be careful in your selection do not choose too young and take only such as have been reared in a good moral atmosphere. Some wives insist on keeping husbands in a pickle, while others put them in hot water. This only makes them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter. Even poor varieties may be made sweet and good by garnishing them with patience, well-sweetened with smiles and flavored with kisses to taste. Keep warm in a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. When thus preserved, they will keep for years.   This is from Carla Emery’s book The Encyclopedia of Country Living.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

2
 

How To Become A Banded B*****

First you have to be willing to jump in anytime   Then take the thread completely off topic and talk about pretty nails, dragons & princesses .   And finally you have to kiss the pink princess’s butt.   Once you have been accepted by the princess you must protect the princess from all evil (especially VD).   Are you up for the job?  
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

6
 

How I exercise without exercising

I live on a good size piece of land in central Texas. Most of the land is zoned agricultural and therefore we have to make sure that land is used accordingly.   I have always loved gardening and since Texas has two growing seasons we have fresh veggies growing almost year round. We have an orchard with fruit trees (pears, plums, peaches, nectarines & pomegranates) and two years ago we got a flock of chickens. This next year we plan to expand into livestock with rabbits and goats.   Having all these agricultural items require a lot of maintains (chores). I have chores to do everyday whether it’s tending to the chickens, picking or planting veggies and let’s not forget the never ending task of pulling weeds. This is my exercise. When I get home from work I spend the first hour tending to these chores and the weekends are always filled with projects.   Just this last weekend my husband and I removed an old barbwire fence that ran along the front of the property. It was a full eight hour job. First we had to clear all the dead weeds from the fence, pull the barbwire down and then roll it up and finally pull up all the posts. I walked over 6 miles that day and found muscles in my shoulder and arms that I didn’t know I had.   Me rolling up the barbwire.   Me using our tractor to pull up the posts.     This is my exercise plan and it works for me!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

7
 

He Said I Glow With Happiness

I ran into my patient advocate, Paul, at True Results today. The patient advocate is the first person you meet with and they walk you through all the pre-op stuff. Once you have the surgery you don’t see the patient advocate. Anyway, I ran into Paul and he about fell over when he saw me. (btw, Paul has been banded for 7 years – lost 120lbs)   We sat down and chatted a bit. He said he remembers our first meeting and how I cried because I was so unhappy. And now I glow (his words). He said not only do I look great from the weight loss but my face glows with happiness. He said I was a walking Lap-band billboard. Me? Wow.   It was so cool hearing that. I just had to share it. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to get this big head through the doorway. lol
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

4
 

Food Stages

I see a lot of newbies asking what they can have during this or that stage of the pre/post op diet. Doctors give different diets to different patients; however the foods on the different stages are often very similar. Here are the 4 stages I had during my post op diet (straight from my post op paperwork):   Stage 1: Clear Liquids · Water · Broth or the clear liquid poured off of soup (strain out solids, no creamy soup) · Black coffee (may be sweetened with artificial sweetener; preferably decaf) · Clear juices (not OJ ~ it’s not clear); 100% juice (not from concentrate) · Crystal Light · Sugar-free Jello (with no solid fruit) · Sugar-free Popsicles · Gatorade/Powerade · Herbal teas (caffeine-free)   Stage 2: Liquids · All clear liquids · Protein shakes (low-fat, low-carb) · Fat-free milk · Orange Juice · Low-fat instant breakfast mixes · V8 juice   Stage 3: Full Liquids · All clear liquids · All liquids · Apple sauce · Oatmeal/cream of wheat (thinned) · Smoothies · Low-fat creamy soups (strained out solids) · Puréed soups/vegetables · Low-fat, low-sugar pudding · Low-fat, low-sugar yogurt · Puréed fruit · Low-fat ice cream/frozen yogurt   Stage 4: Soft food (aka Mushy) · All of the items on the liquid food list · Tuna/egg/chicken salad · Well-cooked mushy vegetables (no stalk or crunchy vegetable) · Thinned scrambled eggs (if tolerated) · Baby food · Soft, over-cooked pasta · Soft canned fruit (in natural juice) · Thinned mashed potatoes · Soft sweet potatoes/yams · Thinned oatmeal · Greek yogurt · Thinned low-fat refried beans · Low-fat cottage cheese · Soft/rip bananas   This is just what MY doctor had for ME. Your doctor will have different orders. I wanted to post this list to give an idea of some of the things on each list.   I hope this helps.
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

1
 

First To Sit Down?. Last To Finish

Thanksgiving is next week and with that is the all too famous family dinner…   I will have my band portion, 3-4oz of turkey, ½ green beans, sweet potatoes & carrots, ¼ cup stuffing. I will be first in line and first to sit down at the table (my family makes me go first cause it takes me longer to eat).   I will take my small bite and chew chew chew, then I’ll wait about a minute. In the mean time I’ll watch as my family members take bites the size of Mt Everest, chew 3 times and swallow while preparing the next bite…   “Did you taste that?” “Can you taste the juices in the turkey?” “What about the stuffing? Can you taste the pecans and bacon?” “Oh my, don’t forget to breathe…”   Wow, do people eat fast? My family sure does!   So, I eat and watch. Everyone is finished except me. I tell my mother to go ahead and serve dessert while I finish my meal. Again, they wolf it down. “Hey, savor the bites I spent hours in the kitchen making those pies. Enjoy them, please!”   I finally finish my dinner as my mother and niece finish clearing the table. The men make their way into the living room moaning and groaning about how full they are….. Me I am satisfied!   Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

2
 

Family Reunion

My nephew Benjamin got married this weekend in California and I was able to fly out there. This was the first time I have flown with Yellow Rose (my band). Jonathon (another nephew) and I flew out Friday morning arriving in California around lunchtime. As we are exiting the plane Jonathon requested In & Out Burgers for lunch (the greasiest burgers in town!). We retrieved our rental car and headed south to my brother’s house (via In & Out). We collected burgers for all the kids. I had no urge for a burger as Yellow Rose was letting me know she did not like flying….   Once we arrived, burgers delivered, my sister-in-law asked if I wanted anything for lunch (seeing that I didn’t have a burger). Yes, I was hungry but I knew that I couldn’t manage much more than mushy foods. I hesitated in answering and she quickly said “I have some greek yogurt or laughing cow cheese….” Ok how did she know?????   She had called my mom (who knows everything about my band) and asked if there was anything she could get for me. So after choking back tears and a big hug I settled for some greek yogurt.   The weekend was a blast! I saw family that I have not seen in 5 years and they were all very complimentary over how I looked. I heard “You look amazing” over & over and I loved every minute of it. I had some treats, like Trader Joes Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans but I also made good food choices (Ahi Tuna for lunch).   I am proud of myself as I managed a weekend away from home (comfort zone) full of family (can be stressful) and had a great time.   Oh and the best part was my hips DID NOT touch the sides of the seat on the planes. How cool is that?!!!!
♕ajtexas♕

♕ajtexas♕

8

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