Leaderboard

At least for a little while. Went out to breakfast with a friend, ordered off of the menu with no substitutions (scrambled eggs with veggies and feta), enjoyed a nice conversation, took small bites, ate slowly, sipped my coffee a couple of times and when I was no longer hungry piled my plates up and pushed them away. I ate about 2/3 of my eggs, 1/4 of my potatoes and half a slice of dry toast. AND I WAS FINE WITH THAT! Now, that wasn't say that the head hunger voices weren't screaming in the background about wasting food, about how good it tasted, about taking just one more bite. They weren't as loud as they usually are, I just checked and made sure that I wasn't hungry (Satiated), and dismissed them. There is hope...

...the kind in the old saying: swimming serenely on the surface and paddling like a lunatic underneath. Actually, I've been doing fairly well ever since I got back on board with my band (3/8). The additional fills have made a difference and at 9.25cc, I've decided to consider myself I the green zone. I stay not hungry for about 4 hrs after a meal. I never experience stuck episodes or PBs, thank goodness, but I am a pretty conscientious chewer, which is good because my bite size varies depending on the texture of the food I'm eating. I make sure to get my minimum 50g of protein per day and I keep track of my calories, but other than that I don't stress abut counting anything else (fat or carbs). I still eat "bad" foods occasionally (like chips) but only in moderation, in premeasured servings, and I always count the calories and try to make sure that at the end of the week I average out around 1200 calories per day. I can eat bread, rice, pasta, asparagus, steak ... there is nothing I have ever tried to eat that I was unable to eat. I also don't ever feel like my band "stops" me from eating. My portions are usually 1 cup at a time, sometimes 1.5 cups, but I never feel stuffed after eating or that my band is telling me to stop. My mind tells me to stop because it remembers the rules given to me by my doctor. In reality, I'm learning to be okay with that. Part of me wonders if I'm missing some vital part of the bandster experience by not having a band that bosses me around, but I think this way is honestly probably less painful. I also hope that it is teaching me more than if I had a vocal band. This way, I know that what I'm doing is a choice and since I'm going to have to do this for the rest of my life if I want to lose and maintain a loss, getting into the habit of choosing right is probably a good thing in the long term. Sure, there are times when I wish I was one of those people whose band made them forget about food completely. When I read about someone who never has cravings any more, or who forgets to eat, or who loses interest in food--even really yummy food--after a few bites, I wish that were me, but I'm doing okay with the me I've got, so I get over it. The bottom line is that I am losing weight. Not huge quantities and not as fast as I would like, but since I would LIKE to be losing 10lbs per week, I'm focusing on being realistic instead. My 1-2 lb per week loss (really does usually fall around 1.5!) is exactly on track. All I need to do is to remember to stay the course and I will get where I want to be eventually. Better to get there slowly than to stay where I am. So, like the duck, I just keep paddling.

To get my calories up, I added healthy fats like avocado and hemp seeds. I stopped buying low fat cheese (except string cheese and babybel- prefer lowfat there). I also added more fiber rich foods like carb balance tortillas, fruit and veggies. My carbs are up but they are healthy carbs. I did add one food that could be considered a slider but it is healthy, dry roasted edamame, 1/4c is 130 calories and 14 grams of protein. I can eat 1/2c of those buggers. I would try for 800 cals for a couple of weeks and then 1000 after that.

Congratulations!!! 100 lbs is amazing!!! Im sure everyone loses at different rates...dont let anyone get you down or make you feel discouraged. You should be so proud of yourself!!!

Yesterday was my pre-op visit. 7:30am - 4:00pm. What a long day!! Met with my patient advisor, paid my deductible, met with the exercise physiologist (can't spell at all -sorry), finally met with my surgeon! Had a 3 hour seminar with the nutritionist. That was informative but there were a few people in the class that kept asking the same questions over & over. Damn, I hate that! But there's always one or two in every group! Maybe if they were paying attention... The office gave me Calcium supplements, Iron & Vitamin C and Multivitamins plus a sample of their protein powder. The protein powder was decent so I bought some more. Lord knows I'm going to be drinking a lot of it post op! My dr's orders are: clear liquids only day of surgery then day 2 after the barium scan, just liquids for the next week. Week 2 we're onto purreed foods. Yum yum... I'm much less nervous about what I'm going to go through now. I'm not liking the 5:30am arrival time for the hospital on Monday, but oh well. Better to be first than last, I guess

My reality check came when I had to decide to be happy and proud of my progress TODAY! I can't look at how much more weight I need to lose. That could be "forever" from now. I have to be proud of where I am right now. Because it's a long way from where I began. And when I started this, I didn't think I could lose 5 pounds and keep it off.... Congrats on where you are today! And the progress you have made on the journey!