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I finally went to Lane Bryant to get fitted for bra's. I"m so sad that the girls are disappearing! UGH! one effect i didnt want. well anyway she helped my find my right size and she asked how i was losing weight and i gladly shared with her about my lap band. She thought it was great. She asked me what size i wore now and i said 12's/ she told me you are too small for anything in our store! I COULD HAVE KISSED HER! never in a million years would i ever think someone would say this to me. And normally i woiuld reward myself with food, but this totally motivated me to hit the gym as soon as i left the store! WOW that felt sooo good!!!

HA! I have vanquished my evil foe, Ye Olde Insurance Company and it quivers under the might of my Sword of Righteousness! We have parleyed and it has given over approval for my surgery! Huzzah, I tell you! Huzzah and Woot! That's right, boys and girls, Lyra is going under the knife on April 25! Ladies and Gents, there will be a new Sheriff in town! My stomach, who will soon be called "The Sheriff" is gonna be a spur-and-chaps wearin', six shooter tottin', topped with a ten-gallon cowboy hat fighter of fat! Together we shall eradicate my engorged lipid cells to the far reaches of the planet, never to be seen or heard from again! And now, I am off to watch some Monty Python: The Search for the Holy Grail! Or perhaps a giant, mutant alligator going crazy and attacking townspeople movie! Thank you to all and to all a kick-ass night!

Just thought I would post in the blog. Haven't posted in a while. Today I weighed and I am down 60 pounds! Very pleased considering I had failed at every diet out there. I will say the band is not an easy way out, it definitely requires a mindset change and lots of committment. I will say though that having support from family is the best thing ever too. However, I don't think I have support from my dad. He's never really been around and when I do talk to him on the phone it was always a lecture about my weight. Well I talked to him the other night and he says to me..."you havent given up have you??...I'm like on what? And he says to me "on losing weight". He says he hasn't seen a picture of me for a couple of weeks and so he was checking to see if I have given up. Are you serious? A couple weeks he hasn't seen a picture of me and he thinks that??? Needless to say I was a little crushed by his comment. I wanted to scream to the heavens...I have lost almost 60 pounds in 3 and half months for goodness sake! Some people are never happy I guess! Well enough about him even though it did take me a few days to get over his comment because then I would just look at myself and begin the doubting part. But today I am better, the scales moved again downward of course and I couldn't be happier. This journey so far has been incredible and I don't regret the band one bit. Well, that's enough rattling on for me for now. Hope everyone has a great day and good luck to all of you as well!

This weeks weigh-in: 172.2lbs - HELLS YES - 90lbs down! I've been away for a few weeks so this is going to be a long one! SORRY ahead of time. I had a realization about my band Saturday morning. The besties and I were headed out for a day of bridesmaid dress hunting (yes I know, less than a month away) after a late St. Patrick's Day night. I rolled out of bed and figured that we would hit up a drive-thru on the way since I felt kind of like death. I am a coffee fanatic! I neeeeed a cup of joe in the morning before I even open my eyes. My regular routine is to have a few sips before my shower and getting dressed and then I eat the same oatmeal type concoction every morning. Same time, same portion, same everything. I never have problems in the morning. Since my last fill, I have had a few issues when I am on the road. Twice now, the Mr. and I have checked out of a hotel without coffee or breakfast and stopped in at McDonalds or Tim Hortons on the way since it is such a long drive home. We are in a hurry!!! Because I do not drink and eat with the bad, I have made the mistake of trying to eat first without the coffee. Things that would never get stuck, do. I couldn't figure it out and thought that it may be my band reacting to alcohol (for shame Jennifer, for shame). Well, this Saturday - BING!!! the light bulb came on after throwing up into a take out bag in the front seat of Sparms' new car while Mama G sat unfazed in the backseat. Totally embarrassing. They are both totally supportive and have really taken this journey with me but it sucked making them pull over to ditch my bag of slime. Then, it came to me - COFFEE LOOSENS MY BAND! I should not be eating anything solid in the morning until I have had a warmish liquid in there first. I have heard and read about this with many bandsters but never thought that it applied to me. Well, now I know. Over a year out of surgery and I am still learning and adapting to my ever-changing band! Work is nuts!!! Wedding stuff is even more nuts and life seems to be whizzing by! We leave in 12 more sleeps. Both of our suitcases are packed, the passports are locked and loaded and my dry whiter-than-snow skin is just dying for some sunshine and some humidity! I get my hair done today too! I've never had my hair done by a real professional. I stop by at the local strip mall for a chop here and there and because I have curly hair, no one can ever tell that it is a shitty job. Not today friends. I am hitting up a real professional! I am going to wait to put up this post so that I can include a pic. I'm hoping for something natural looking.UPDATE- The trip to the salon was worth the head message alone! Really liking how soft it feels. He even straightened it too! I felt like a special lady all afternoon. Over the last few weeks, the wedding odds and ends are being tied up. Saturday night, Sparms Bestie and I went to my Mom's house. Mom is a scrap-booker, card maker and crafter extraordinaire. We made gift tags for these gorgeous little ditties that we are sending home with guests: (this is not my photo, nor our guestbook). Collectively, the tag dream was materialised! They turned out better than I ever expected. This proven by the fact that we used none of the things that I purchased specifically for them! Thanks Mom and Sparms! Mama G Bestie braved make-up and underwear shopping with me. I have to admit, stores like that were really intimidating for me before. I don't wear make-up often at all. Partially because I have always purchased crap that I don't use more than once or twice. Mama G took me in to Seph*ra and wrangled a shop girl to test a bunch of powders on me.(Who wants sweat lip shiny wedding shots?) I would never insist on this alone. I would do my best to pick the one that I thought matched my colour and be done. After that trial, I know that I am completely clueless. I would assume that my skin was pink, not yellowish. What the hell do I know? Obviously nothing! Left the store with some great stuff and a little bit of an interest in make-up. I always believed that I would never be able to buy something from "V*ctoria's S#cret". Pssh, who cares? That place is STOOPID anyway! HMPH. Well, I hate to say it... I couldn't have been more wrong. These bras are like little silk memory foam pillows for the girls! The straps are made out of some kind of anti-slip material that feels like money on my skin! I was floored. I wanted one of everything! Mama G stood beside me and was my courage. We had so much fun chatting and browsing that all anxiety went out the window. I flipped through the drawers looking for a white strapless for under my wedding dress. They didn't have it in white at the one location but I found the style that I wanted and they held it for me at another location. The next day, the Mister and I went to pick it up. The Mister totally enjoyed the store more than he would ever care to admit and he bought the bra and a bottle of a perfume that I had been raving about. It's called "BOMBSHELL". *cough* *cough* HELLS YEAH I AM! I am also a very lucky girl! I love my friends and family... and they love me too... most of the time. lol.

Didn't sleep but 3 hours last night, so after DH went to work, I took myself right back to bed! Slept about another 2 then just got up. When I weighed this morning, it showed I had lose 15lbs since my pre-op liquid diet! I will start the "mushy/pureed" diet on Friday, and then from that point I will only weigh on Fridays. Don't want to become too obsessed with the scale just now. The Surgeon hasn't set a weight goal for me, but the NUT did ask me, when I went to see her, how much weight did I want to lose. I told her that I didn't really have a good idea yet of where I wanted to be. I want to focus more on my over all health, and not just a number given to me by a square piece of metal that I stand on. I'm thinking I'll set a goal weight in about 3 months -- we'll see. My follow-up with the Surgeon went great! They removed my drain (just burned a little), removed all my bandages, said the incisions looked great. They were really amazed at how well I'm feeling. Told me I had 2 more weeks before I could begin to resume my "usual duties" - riding mower, gardening, and all the other things I do around here on our little homestead. So, starting tomorrow, I am going to focus on smaller goals: 1) Get as much protein, liquids, etc that I can each day, and sticking with the Post-Op eating plan; 2) Learning better/healthier ways to cook - being from the South, if it ain't fried, smothered in gravy, or slathered in butter, we just don't cook it -- going to search online for some great cooking classes (via DVD's). 3) Work on increasing my activity and working out sessions. For my 50th BDay, my girls got me the Zumba fitness DVD's, and a beginner's Yoga DVD - that's that I told them I wanted. So I can start the Yoga now, but the Zumba has to wait at least 2 more weeks. I'm still struggling with eating enough, as I am not ever hungry - not even head-hunger pains. It's a really strange feeling, but I know that as my tummy heals, those things will start coming back.

Just yapping about the changes I've noticed since being sleeved. Some NSVs, some new revelations. My relationship with food is more enhanced. Since my portions have decreased so much, I really have to savor and enjoy the food that I’m eating. I used to scarf my food down like I was afraid someone was gonna take it away from me. Now I actually TASTE and appreciate the food I’m eating. I used to taste it before too, but dining is now an experience for me where as before it was a task. Does that make sense to you? For example, I’ve been making Spinach Lasagna for my family for years, and they all rant and rave about how good it is. Before I didn’t really eat it, but this past New Years, I had a spoonful, and actually tasted all the herbs and different flavors of the cheeses. That was a great EXPERIENCE for me and my tastebuds. I LOVE going to the gym. A year ago you couldn’t even pay me to step foot in a gym! I guess with the weight loss and the boost of confidence, I’m no longer worried about looking like a fat person trying to lose weight. I get to Planet Fitness, plug my headphones in and I become one with that treadmill, or bike, or ellipticall machine. I have never been this amped and motivated to get in shape. I think getting in shape is the key to this – I’m not focusing on losing weight because that is happening any way. I’m focusing on toning my body and getting my endurance up and seeing that progress makes going to the gym a very enjoyable experience. I don’t know how to shop for clothing anymore! It’s like I’m a stylist trying to give someone a makeover! I’m not complaining because it’s fun! I’m trying on clothes that I would never have considered in my pre-sleeved life. I got so accustomed to going right into Lane Bryant and the other big girl stores and settling for all the oversized blouses and tent like dresses they offer us. I’m not necessarily ready to shop in a skinny girl store for all my clothing yet, but it’s nice to be able to walk into a “regular” store and have the option to wear some of their clothing and not just the jewelry. I loved to shop before, but now that my options for stores to shop in have doubled, I’m in heaven!!! On another note, my ass and boobs have left the building. I wasn’t a Dolly Parton Kardashian candidate before, but now my profile looks like that of a door. You gotta see how I’m going after that glute machine in that gym. SMH. Been looking for “booty pop panties” on EBay and Amazon. New adventures in grocery shopping too! I was never a label reader up until about 2 years ago. Even then I was really only focusing on finding foods that had aspartame in them because I’m trying to stay away from it as much as I can. I would also glance at fiber content, as I like to know that my fam is eating foods rich in fiber. Now I find myself comparing everything to see what has the most protein in it. I am losing my hair. It’s coming out at the root. It’s my fault though because I’ve been neglecting my vitamin regimen as usual. I know, I know. Gotta get my vitamins in, it's essential to my well being. I can see my pubes. My stomach hung so low before that it covered my lady parts. I have gotten comfortable with telling people that I’ve changed my eating habits when they say “What are you doing to lose the weight?”. I tell them that my portions have gotten way smaller, and I’m more aware of what I’m putting in my mouth. I tell them that I’m also going to the gym, trying to get to a healthier place. Who says I have to mention the part about being sleeved? I sat in the movie theatre with my sons to watch the Chipmunks movie the other day. The seat was comfortable. Its usually to snug and I end up having to scooch my self forward to get out of the seat without bruising my hips. Now, no problem. Will definitely be going to the movies a lot more from now on. I have to brush my teeth several times a day. I guess since we have to chew our food so much that we’re more susceptible to plaque. I just know that I hate that feeling – the cheesy film that you feel when you run your tongue across your teeth. Instead of twice a day, I’m up to 4 to 5 times for toothbrushing. Flossing is becoming more frequent too. I have to get my wedding rings sized. They look like hula hoops when I put them on my finger now. Everytime I see someone who is obese I want to run and tell them about the sleeve. I’m realizing that since I’ve gotten more accustomed to my sleeve, the less I get on to VST and the less I have to vlog about on Youtube. I now understand why so many people are all in for months at a time, and then they just disappear and return a year later to announce their “surgiversary.” Once life with your sleeve becomes normal, there isn’t much to report.