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One of my favorite Mexican foods. I've been eating this stuff for about 4 weeks straight. I got all the ingredients at Walmart. It cost about $4 for 2 days worth of meals (4 - 6 meals in my case). It's very filling and sticks with me. 1 lb of chicken breast. 1 pkg of Taco Bell Taco seasoning. (I tried other name brand taco mixes and the store brands, Taco Bell tastes the best and is just as cheap. There is a Taco Bell chipolte version as well, but I liked the regular version the best. ) 1 can of gebhardt refried beans w/fat. (I tried the non-fat version and I like the fat version better. It only has 2grams of fat per serving.) Salsa or Picante or Taco sauce to taste 1 pkg of your favorite shredded cheese. I grill the chicken breast and run it through my food processor. Mix the taco seasoning with about 1/2 cup of water and mix it thoroughly. I mix it in my protein shake shaker. Toss the chicken into a pot or pan and add the taco seasoning. Bring it up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Mix the chicken and beans in a bowl. Add some salsa if it's too thick for your taste. Spoon some of the mixture into a bowl and top with cheese and salsa.

Hey all... Well, I am home safe and sound and SLEEVED!!! I promised all of you a detailed update of how everything went for me in Mexico. From as much as I can tell, everything is going great. I am progressing normally for post surgery and am working through all the crazy feelings and thoughts..lol So to start off I chose to schedule my surgery with Dr Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center in Tijuana Mexico. I got to meet Dr Ortiz before my surgery and he was very nice. He spoke to me allot of what dietary changes I would be making post op and he talked to me about what to eat to have long term success with the surgery. Because as all of us know it is a tool to use to help us achieve our goal. Its not going to do it for us PS. This is going to be kinda long, I have a few friends who wanted to know EVERYTHING that happened. I flew in a day early (on Sunday) because I didn't want to deal with travel and surgery all in one day. When we got to the airport I got a text from my driver Joel (very nice guy). He told me where to wait for him, that he was driving a gold colored van and that my name was in the window. He unfortunately was running a little late because the boarder was backed up (which is understandable) but he would be there soon. After he picked me and my sister up we drove around to pick up another lady. Loren (Ren) my new bestie and her husband Tom were waiting at another airline. We were all driven to the border together and had a great time talking to each other about ourselves and our goals for after surgery. At the border we had to get out of the van and walk through customs. Piece of cake... They didn't even want to see our passports. Just X-ray the bags and we were through (not sure if this is how it is all the time but it was really easy for us) Once we walked out the door on the other side our driver was waiting for us and drove us the rest of the way to our hotel. Apparently they don't care who comes into Mexico, just who leaves...lol We had a nice night just relaxing by the pool, having dinner in the restaurant. Yes... I had soup, but I did splurge and have the last piece of bread I will probably have for quite a while... Monday morning we were up by 5:30am. Showered, dressed and fasting for a 6:40am pick up. We drove to the hospital and were there by 7am. There were a total of 5 people having surgery that day and we all just waited in the waiting room. One by one we were brought back to start our pre op testing. I unfortunately got to go last... yay! Oh well... Pre op testing included; blood work, ekg, dental check up (not kidding... i even got a tooth fixed before surgery! awesome!) and a interview with the nutritionist Dr. Miranda (who is supper nice! ). I went in for surgery at about 3:30pm The different thing about the OCC is that you walk into surgery yourself and lay down on the table. Kinda strange and just a little scary, but I was knocked out pretty quick after that. I woke up in my hospital bed with my sisters there. Between 4pm-6pm all visitors have to leave and go back to the hotel for the night,. The night nurse was really great and got me extra pillows and more pain meds when ever I needed them. I did have a rather unnerving drain hanging from my side when I woke up. I hear that it is quite common. Its dose not hurt at all, its just really disturbing to think about..lol.. I was up and down all night not sleeping very well, but I guess its good to keep walking. It helps move the gas around and out. I didn't have any bad gas pain till day 3. Tuesday morning we were up and discharged by 9am. We got some prescriptions to take with us. I would suggest bringing some extra pain pills like extra strength Tylenol or something stronger if you have it, just for back up. We were driven back to the hotel for the day. I laid out by the pool for just about an hour and got the perfect sun burn. (You know, the kind that looks bad and red but never hurts and turns into a good tan Then at dinner time I had a couple ounces of chicken broth. The hotel makes if fresh, but it seemed to be really strong (salty) so i diluted it in half with water. I think I might have had about 2 oz and was done. I drank the rest an hour later... The hotel also has something called "green juice" its so great! It is fresh juiced fruit and veggies and tastes great! Wednesday; We were all picked up again at about 9am and taken back to the hospital for a check up. We again waited in the lobby till they were ready for each of us. Loren and I both hopped that they would take out the drain but no luck. That was for tomorrow. When I was called back in for my check up. The nurse weighed me, I had gained 7lbs after surgery because of all the fluids they pump into you during surgery. I think its a good thing too because you really don't drink allot the first couple days. She took me and checked all my incisions changed the bandage around my drain tube, emptied out what had collected in the drain (SO GROSS!) and took my blood pressure. After my appointment I took a short nap and felt good enough to take a walk so my sisters and I went shopping. We took a cab over to Revolution Ave and got some cool things to take home. After that I was exhausted and went back to the hotel. Later that night a friend of mine Kasey (from the forum) had just gotten back from her surgery and was ready for a visit, so we spent the evening chatting in her room till we were both to tired to keep talking... Love you Kasey Thursday morning I was back to the hospital again about 9am for my last check up. They took out the drain (which didn't hurt, it just felt like something moving inside me for a moment, totally nasty) Changed my bandage again and took my vitals. After that I was on my way. We (Me my sisters, Loren and her husband) were picked up and drove to the border where we had to get out again to walk across. The only difference is on this side of the border, there are like 1000-2000 people in line waiting to get into the states. It takes hours! So our very smart driver pulled out a wheal chair and said... One of you in the chair and look very sick. The rest of you go with and help push and carry the bags. You can go all the way to the front of the line and get through stay together!. Well apparently this worked EVERY time, except for us. We somehow got Mr Ass Hat patrol guard who who was on some power testosterone trip and made us split up and only Me (i was in the chair) and one person pushing me was allowed to go through... He was a major jerk! Well, once we were on the other side we were able to find a higher ranking guard and he was very kind and helped us get everyone else across. From there it was smooth sailing to the airport and home! I really hope this helps some of you. I know that another lady laid out all the details for me before I left and it helped me so much!!! Thank you Shelley And I wanted to pass it on for those of you who were going after me. You are welcome to ask me any questions. I would be happy to share anything else that I may have left out. Also, I am proud to say that 5 days out I have lost all the water weight from surgery and am down 1lb from pre surgery weight! Oh ya... I am on my way Love you guys! Best of luck to you all on your journey. Remember! You deserve it!

I was going to wait on making a blog entry until next month as April 16 is my one year mark of my surgery. Today I stepped on the scale and I was 321. I had a sudden realization of how thing have changed in just a short month and a half. I'll explain shortly. Since I was banded in April of 2012 I always had this thought that weight would slide off seeing that I was so big and typically big people lose quicker. As time went on I realize that is not how it works and I begun to accept that. Even though I understood slow and gradual movements on the scale I never seemed quite pleased. Now before you scoff or judge me because yes I have lost a ton of weight in a short time it still didn't seem quite right. It seemed I would lose two pounds then the scale wouldn't budge sometimes for like 3 weeks. Sometimes even longer. I often times got really frustrated in the beginning but slowly I adjusted to it. So going back to today. Today I weighed in at 321 and when I got my last fill on Jan 29 I was 341. I have lost 20lbs since my January appointment. My food intake changed drastically as did my attitude. Eating a cup of food is more of a chore then ever as of late. I thought before this latest fill I was in the green zone but as I crept closer to January not so much. Now since this last .5cc I am actually there and for the first time I am seeing the weight move like I originally expected. I am hoping it keeps up for a little while but I know the more I lose the slower it will become. So take it from someone who is someday hoping to become an actual veteran bandster that the green zone can be very allusive but once you find it...WOW. Missy (Mis73) told me time and time again that .5, yes a just half of cc can make a whole world of difference. She wasn't kidding!! I hope the downward trend continues and I hope you're all losers....just like me. Have a wonderful healthy day and weekend! -Jim

So last night my hubby and I stayed up watching sleevers on YouTube and it got me excited, scared, but excited I bought a bunch of 'goodies' on Thursday. It's amazing how 'goodies' have changed I bought fresh sweet Kale, protein powder, coconut milk, greek yogurt and ground flaxseed. My hubby bought me the Ninja for Christmas in preparation of the is day coming so I thought no time like the present I put two leaves of Kale, 4 fresh strawberries, 1/2 banana, three spoonfuls of greek yogurt, one scoop protein powder, a handful of blueberries, some coconut milk and ice cubes. All I can say is YUCK!!!!!!!! I don't know if it's the whey powder, the Kale or let's be honest just the whole thing but it SUCKED!!! I'll try a new one on Monday

So, I had my 1 month follow up appointment today with my doctor. It wasn't a good visit, in my opinion. He didn't understand why I haven't lost any weight since my last visit 3 weeks ago. I told him that I had the same concern. I explained that I had in fact gained weight and just lost that weight this last week. It was really a depressing visit and I just wanted to cry while talking to him. I know he didn't mean to, but he really made me feel like I'm failing at this. I'm trying my hardest. I still can't eat more than 600 to 700 calories a day, I don't snack more than once or twice a day, and I get most of my protein in. I try to get all my fluids in, but it's been hard. I have even given up coffee (which has been really hard for me) because I know that if I drink coffee, I won't drink water as I tend to sip my coffee most of the day. Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy the way I read every damn nutrition label making sure that I don't eat something that has too much of the wrong things in it and choose something that has all of the right things. He kept talking about liquid calories and I just wanted to yell and tell him to shut up about that because the only liquid I even drink is water. I miss juices and I can't stand adding those crystal light flavors to my water because of the after taste I get from them. I know he wasn't trying to be cruel, but after this visit, I just felt so defeated. I had to fight my own thoughts. I kept thinking about going out and buying the most unhealthy, greasy, fattening thing I could from a fast food restaurant on the way home, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Of course, the one thing I have always had my entire life is wheel power of not eating what I know I shouldn't be eating, so I didn't stop. I just went straight home and started working again. I'm just really worried that the weight won't come off.

No I didn't misspell! I am my own experiment and I am sharing with you my experience. Today is day 4 post-op. Odd day? Yes, but I am attempting to go back to work tomorrow and I do not count my surgery day in that. So presurgery I had a low carb diet in which I didn't lose a darn pound because I had been dieting for 6 months prior out of want not necessity. Day of Surgery I was down overall since my first surgical visit to 201.5. For low BMI people there is discrimination from everyone on why you chose this procedure and I know I do not have to explain myself, but for purposes of this blog I will bullet a list of reasons why I chose this surgery. The nurse who did my shot of heparin knew I had been overweight and lost a significant amount due to my panni and my stretch marks, but I've gotten good at hiding it to the naked eye by not being naked Why I had this surgery: **** 2 years ago my back surgeon approached me after I had 2 back surgeries and looking at a fusion and said... "You have two options you can get a bi-level fusion which I cannot guarantee OR you can lose a SIGNIFICANT amount of weight." That took me back a little, I knew I was overweight, that I struggled with yo-yo dieting. I asked one simple question, how much is a "SIGNIFICANT" amount of weight. He said at least 60 lbs, but in addition you will need to maintain it for the rest of your life and strengthen your core to do the job your spine is trying to do alone. I have several other reasons like osteoarthritis, my children, diabetes prevention (family history), heart disease, etc. but the above was the main reason I looked to WLS. Hence my experiement, can I avoid a back fusion, type II diabetes, and improve my osteoarthritis?? Time will tell Now fast forward to 2 weeks prior to my surgery. I have two boys 11 & 18. My son was there when I got my approval letter and I was crying with joy, he was crying because he was scared of changes in me and surgery itself. He also had a nightmare of me dying so I chose not to tell him when the surgery was scheduled. Because of this I went to the hospital alone, went through the surgery alone and was alone until discharge. My ex-husband and son picked me up and I was ok with that. The emotional grieveing with food I did mostly pre-op, I expect some post op...but not as bad, only time will tell. I forgot my side effect from anesthesia and morphine is not being able to read for days so bringing my tablet, ipod and phone was pointless. Drove me crazy I couldn't read text messages The night of surgery was the hardest not being able to drink anything. Kudos to those who recommended chapstick! I was very nauseous and went for my upper GI the following morning. Before my upper GI I saw my surgeon who was joking with me because I wrote SLEEVE across my belly with a smiley face which he left in tact. He is a general surgeon who does alot of lapbands so I wanted to make sure he didn't confuse me with someone else My surgeon informed me that I had a "huge" hiatal hernia, bigger than what he even expected and that the surgery went well. He gave me a photo of the hernia and of my stomach which is really cool. I slept mostly Friday the 8th, Saturday the 9th and walked when I could and often. On Sunday the 10th I got out of the house and walked and did some shopping, got a chocolate fudge cake for my sons birthday. Didn't even think twice about eating it. Monday the 11th was my sons golden birthday he just turned 11 yesterday. I ended up ordering 2 pizzas for his friend and my neighbors came over and we had the cake. I was not tempted, it was the strangest thing. Its like looking into an old friends eyes and saying we just weren't meant to be friends anymore but I respect you and that you are wanted by others...lol! I did overdo it last night and was laughing and getting up without protecting my muscles so I was swollen and in alot of pain. Late last night and all this morning I am in bed trying to recoup so I can go in and work tomorrow. I'm sure I can, but if not I'll just do a half day. Weight the day after surgery... 205 (gained 3 from fluids/gas) Weght today day 4...196 Oh and gas pains are worse day 3&4 for me. Gas X is my friend! Good luck everyone and I'll follow up in a week or so!

After the shopping Friday, I cleaned my closet out Saturday. I got rid of a lot of clothes that I could no longer fit or sew to fit. I gave a lot away to ones who needed them. But man do I have so much more room in my closet, but enough shopping for now since I plan on losing another 50+ pounds. I'm excited about where I am today. And excited about where I will be in 4 months on my surgiversary in July. A Month before surgery 8 Months Post-Op

Reality has set back in. For the first seven days after my last adjustment (first one in 6 months) I was in paradise. Scale kept dropping close to a lb per day. Yay! Thanks, Santa, that's just what I always wanted! Then there was the aberration of a 1 lb gain that I knew had to be bs, so I ignored it, checked my food log, and chalked it down to sodium. Since it was almost all off the next day, that's still my story and I'm sticking to it. Today, the scale just stayed still, so I'm exerting a lot of energy reminding myself that as long as I AVERAGE 1-2 lbs per week down, it's all good. I'm good. Everything is fine. Can y'all hear me chanting, "Ohhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm?" I know I can't expect any weight loss to be smooth and perfect and steady downward every time I get near a scale (but, oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?), but it's tough to remember that when my inner toddler is whining, "Are we there yet?" every five minutes. It also doesn't help when my inner b***h can't stop pointing out that if I hadn't taken all those months off and regained, I wouldn't now be facing the extreme frustration of trying to lose 10 lbs I had already lost. She's so annoying sometimes. Still, I am what and who I am and where I am, and I can't change that by looking backward, only by moving forward. Went shopping today to stock up on lean protein and make sure I had enough variety in the house to keep from getting bored and cranky, which makes me want to break rules. No rule breaking here, just good healthy food and lots of protein (good thing I love chicken). I know I can do this, especially since I have another appointment coming up in 5 days with the promise of another fill if I need it (oh, I do, I do, I swear I do!). I can no question hold out until then. And after that fill, I will be able to hold out until the next one. If I weren't strong enough for that, I wouldn't have come back with my tail between my legs a week ago. I'm here, I can do this, and I'm too danged stubborn and cussed to give up now. So there!

So, I had another very successful shopping trip to Goodwill this weekend. I got a pair of capri's, a pair of shorts, and 3 summer blouses for under $20. I also delivered another huge bag of clothes for donation. Its strange to be picking through through the clothes on the rack and see things you recognize from your closet, but in a good way! Sometimes you think, why did I hold onto this so long? Did that ACTUALLY fit me at one point? or the most common - what was I thinking? lol But anyway... its nice to donate your old clothes to a worthwhile cause, and fill your closet back up with really cute items, and a great price, I really recommend you consider this as you lose weight, don't spend too much money on clothes you won't be in for very long, and DO NOT HOLD ONTO YOUR OLD CLOTHES that are too big... not only does it take up valuable closet space, but don't give yourself an excuse to get back into them again.. stay on track and make your goal to get to or stay at a healthy weight! OK... getting off my soapbox for a moment, I realized something today as I was getting dressed. When I was heavier (aka Fat - a word i disdain!) I always felt the need to compensate for my bigger self. Just because I was fat, I refused to be frumpy. I spent a lot of time accessorizing, or more time on my hair, or just being more "put together" - because I didn't want people to think that just because I was overweight, I was lazy, or that I didn't care about my appearance, so I tried really hard to look very pulled together. As I got dressed today (its supposed to be 80ish here today) I pulled on a pair of capri's and one of my "new" summer shirts (ok... hawaiian, but that's not a bad thing, its really cute and yellow with soft blue flowers and palm frawns on it - shaddup!) I realized, I am perfectly confident to go out in just a pair of capri's, a sunny shirt, and flip flops. I even pulled my bangs away from my face and clipped them back - because I don't have to hide behind anything anymore (except my faux tan - I will be clutching my St Tropez faux tan with my dying breath - because I am an irish girl and "fish belly white" without it.) But... I do hope you see my point. I'm not hiding... i'm not disguising myself. Are you still hiding and/or disguising yourself because you aren't happy with your weight? So I ask you why the weight? Why the wait? Why did I wait so long? I love my sleeve, even more then I loved my band! If I were starting over from today, first time weight loss surgery patient, I would not pass go, would not collect my $200 and would go STRAIGHT to the sleeve, I love it, have no complaints, and zero regrets (except the waiting part!) What are you waiting for? here's a link to my original blog post with my contact information with all my other blog entries... feel free to reach out and get in touch with me lori at obesitycontrolcenter dot com

So... my daughter got married last month. It was a beautiful, intimate, very romantic and meaningful wedding. We had it at church in our smaller sanctuary - about 75 guests, we all sat at the reception tables for the wedding. My dad said a prayer. We had dancing and a dessert bar and a lovely cake baked by our friend and beautiful decorations (anybody want tips about a wedding on a budget... ask me!). Our brilliant photographer donated her time to us because she loves my daughter so much... let's just say blessings abounded... everywhere you looked and even when you weren't looking... a very joyous day. One of the things I didn't have to worry about was camera angles. You all know what I'm talking about. When you aren't at your ideal weight (or are very far from it as I'd been for so long) the camera is not your friend. You try to find ways to hide behind other people, try to figure out the right angle... or just plain hide all together - you are a bobbing head from behind a group of people. That is not the case for me anymore, and I'm so thankful for my sleeve. I loved every picture, kept looking at myself like... hey - i look pretty good! I wasn't holding my breath as I scrolled through the pictures, afraid of what may be next. Now i'm not saying every picture is a keeper... they never are, but I wasn't embarrassed or ready to put any through the shredder... that's a first If you aren't where you want to be for 2013 and are ready to make a change for the better and get back on track to a healthier you... you can email me at lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com or call 1-866-376-7849 ext. 81. Whether its a first time weight loss surgery or a rescue/revision surgery - we can help! Make 2013 the year when you don't hide anymore!