EdmontonGal

I had a morning like this after a terrible yesterday! Back in the saddle! HIGH FIVES!

I went in for my 3rd fill today. 5 months post-op. My last fill was in May and we discovered then that the port had "twisted". My surgeon pushed the bottom up and BINGO - after 5 tries, he got the needle in to the port and was successful with the fill. Today, well that is another story. 10 attempts, No fill, still no restriction! I am going back on July 11th to try again and discuss booking a revision surgery. I am bummed and sore to boot but hope this is only a blip in the radar! My surgeon mentioned today that he has been doing this for a long time and has never seen this before. He has over 500 band surgeries completed with 85% of patients continuing to see him for follow-up on a regular basis. Did anyone else seem to be REALLY aware of thier port all the time? Is that normal? Since day 1, I have been very aware of it at all times. If i rub up against anything or have pants touching the site. Also, I can not lay on my stomach comfortably since the surgery. Anyone have the same thing?

Thanks Ladies!

Happy Tuesday! I weighed in at 189.4lbs this week. Last week was 191.6lbs. 2.2lbs down! I'll take it! A grand total of 72.6lbs since the beginning and 34.6lbs since surgery. I am at about 40% of my excess weight lost!!!! 10 more lbs until I am no longer considered obese and just overweight. Wow!!! I feel great these days! I am exercising regularly, eating decently and have had some really great things going on in my life! I have been camping allot (even in the snow) with one last trip (filled with sunshine, fingers crossed) planned for this weekend. Then, back to spending weekends at work. BOO HISSSS! I am a little lost for post content this week and with the slowed weight loss lately, I have been reminding myself of all the non-scale victories for a while. They are my motivation and I hope you all can relate and look forward to some of them yourselves! 1. I've mentioned this before but I am still in awe that I can cross my legs comfortably. I do this ALL of the time now. It's just how I sit. 2. I have a lap. A big enough lap that 2 dogs can sit on it. (see below) I can hold a plate on my lap while I eat and I can have my nephews sit on my lap without holding on to them for dear life! 3. I can wear a sleeveless shirt without being sooooooo self-conscious. I am self-conscious, don't get me wrong but before I was so unbelievably self-conscious about my stretch mark speckled, sun-starved arm-a-jello. (AKA - bat flaps, Oprah arms, bingo wings, Hi Helen's, ham hocks, flubbows... you name it!) Now, I can wear a sleeveless tank or workout top and feel okay... more than okay. Almost...comfortable. I will continue to work on this one! 4. Shopping in the "regular" sized racks. 2 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of capris in 14's!!! I was a Size 20-22 when I started. I still have yet to pick up any real hot trendy stuff. I look, I try on, I love, I come to my freaking senses. I am not a fashionista... I am a Canadian Tom Boy! 5. I can run.. I can walk... I actually like to do these things. I can kick ass on my elliptical, I can climb mountains, I can do anything! My confidence in myself has grown by 3 times!!! Maybe even 5! I didn't know if I could do any of this when I started this journey. I didn't know if I would lose. If I did lose, could I keep it off? Would it always be as hard as it was in the beginning. If I failed, would I just give up? I can do this. I am doing this and I will keep doing this. Things are not EASY now but they are not as hard as they were in the beginning. I hope things continue to go smoothly and that I continue to grow, challenge myself and love myself. Don't be fooled folks, I do have bad days! I just don't share them because I feel like we all have enough of them! I want to share the successes and motivation that have helped me on my way! Baby steps! I also want to take a second in this post to give a shout out to my followers. Family, Framily, Friends and Strangers, THANK YOU for your support! [/url] Cheers!

Hi Young; I have never had restriction. I am 5 months out. I traded in my old dishes for smaller ones along with the utensils too. This doesnt make me any fuller BUT I force myself to eat slowly, chew allot and dont punish myself if by the time I am done a teeny bowl of dinner, I am still hungry for more. This may sound silly but regardless of what size of serving, your brain says to you "seconds, you will be full after this" and something kicks in when you have to keep going back to fill your plate. I eat allot of things in individual portions now because for me, this has worked! I also get them to pack up half of whatever I happen to eat out (way less often now) before they serve it to me. I only get a crack at half because the rest is behind the counter, waiting to take home. Eat at a dinner table and not in front of the tv... and duh... keep moving! Motivation comes and goes for all of us! You are not in this alone and you can do it!

I am 5 months out and working really hard at the belly fat. The battle seems useless! I keep on trucking though and I really have convinced myself that there is a 6pack under this loose saggy skin and pudge! I do sit ups, planks, squats, leg lifts while sitting in a chair. Sit on the edge of the chair, back straight and knees together. Fold your arms on your lap. Lift both feet off of the ground while sucking in the tummy. Hold feet up for as long as you can. This one feels like its doing something anyway! Good Luck!

Good Luck Scout Mama! You can do this! You are in control. Nothing is happening TO you. You are making it happen! I am at the end of the treadmill race, cheering and high-fiving! We all are!

congrats! Keep it up!

This week I weighed in at 191.6 lbs. I've been camping the last 2 weekends with the next two planned for the same. This means THINKING about just how much grazing and drinking that I will allow myself to do! It's tough but being outside all day long makes me enjoy the exercise part of things quite a bit! I've dealt with the fact that the Birthday goal will not happen. 185lbs in 6 days.... nope, but that's okay! First weight goal I ever set, I never hit. Meh, moving along now. Back a few weeks ago I mentioned how the Mister and I went back to my hometown to celebrate my Grandparent's 64th anniversary. My Grandparents remind me of a few things that have been spinning around in my head these days, so I thought I would share... Turn on the sap machine! I love my Grandparents! My parents were divorced when I was 4. This had no effect on how much time I got to spend with my Grandparents. I have one Grandpa, one Grandad, one Grandma and one Nana. I was a lucky kid! My Nana passed away a few years ago and I miss her terribly but after a good chat and a few comments this last weekend, I am pleased to see that she lives on in each of us girls in the family. The men in our lives may contest that the statement is a positive thing but they better just shut thier mouths. [/url] Brother, Sister and I with Nana. My Nana was a fun yet stern woman. She play acted with us, let us make giant snow Easter Eggs and decorate them with food coloring all over her yard. We picked her crab apples for her and helped paint her fence allot but the funny thing about it is that it never seemed like work. Her husband, Grandad always lived in the bush. He was a hard working man. I never spent a whole lot of time with him as he constantly was working on something. I have a huge expectation about people and work ethic because of all of my Grandparents. I think that the ideal man image was set in my head back as a kid by my Grandad, my Grandpa, my Dad, My Step-Dad and my Uncle's. The perfect man to me is a combination of them all. Thank goodness that I found a perfect close match! Sister and I with Grandad My Grandparents are pretty religious and we spent allot of time at Church with them. They were older than Nana and Grandad and we were expected to be on our best behaviour or we would get the threat of the 3ft wooden spoon on her kitchen wall. It never actually tanned our asses but the threat of that giant spoon was enough to straighten out the worst of us. They used to take us to the lake, let us help plant and harvest the garden and although Grandma bought the sister and I matching dresses for every occasion and forced us to sit under the hair dryer with the pink foam curlers in before church, we still loved them. When my brother got married in Mexico last year my Grandpa sent these words of wisdom. "Be kind to one another, talk about everything and listening to each other is the most important thing." For a man who has been married 64 years and is 90 years old, he sure is relevant to today. The Mister and I with Grandma and Grandpa. I have such fond memories of my Grandparents and alas, time is slipping away. I want to see them more, I want to be there for them as thier health deteriorates and thier minds fail them. I know that they know just how much I love them and how much I admire them. I've got some great strong roots and a solid foundation for years to come. I've learnt many things from all 4 of these people and hope to be somewhat like all of them...when I grow up...one day. I promise I won't write sappy posts often, I just really love these guys! Now go hug your Grandpa, call your Grandma or if they are gone now too, remember fondly! Cheers,

Week 18?!?! I weighed in at 191lbs this morning. I told you it was the stress and once it was gone, so would the extra few pounds I have been carting around. Another day late blog this week. I may just change to Wednesdays every week! Last weekend the Mister and I joined my Dad and his girlfriend for a long-weekend of camping. First trip out of the year! We tried out our new to us 1969 tent trailer. She aint pretty but it was amazing to not have to lug all the camping gear back down to my basement when we got home! I walked 2 out of 3 days, minded the snackies the best that I could and indulged in a few beverages too!! I relaxed with Sparms and the Mister, played cards and caught up with my Dad and his girlfriend.... PERFECTION! Now back to life and what a busy week to try to jump back on the wagon!!! In trying to jump back on the wagon, I have to get back to routine. My routine is as follows: Breakfast: 0630hrs: 3/4 sunnyboy cereal + 1/4c Blueberries + 3Tbsp soy milk. (When it is done cooking, I add skim milk powder and benefibre to it. I make a big batch on Sunday and put it in the fridge in individual containers. still and individually portion for the week.) 1030hrs: 1/4 cottage cheese + a few veggies OR 1/4 c greek yogurt + 1/4 c fruit puree unsweetened 1230-1300hrs: I used to eat spinach and veggie salad with a small can of tuna daily.. until I found what the suggested amount of tuna consumption is. SCARY! Now I take leftovers. Most chicken breasts are 5 or 6 ounces of meat. I usually save about half or so from dinner and take the salad, grains or beans that are leftover. 1500 hrs: I usually have a cheese string and a few pieces of broccoli or snap peas for the ride home. An apple, celery, carrots. Protein and fruit/veggie. 1800hrs: I like to make a good meal for dinner that the Mister and I can sit down together to enjoy. We do schedule Friday as out eat out night and that keeps me cooking during the week most of the time. I get home from work at 3 or 4, start dinner and get on the elliptical then off to the dog-park. I like to do the elliptical when Mister isn't home because I feel like when he is in the house, the time passes slower. I am wondering what he is doing upstairs and it just makes it difficult to get in my zone! Once I am in the house and done everything for the day, I want to relax. I can not put off exercise to this point. It will just NOT happen! After dinner, I do the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. This is the ideal schedule and routine for me. I thrive in it! I just wish I could master longer runs with it! It will never end... I may just have to accept that. Here is a super easy and tasty chicken recipe. Hummus stuffed chicken. 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts 1/4 c hummus 1/4 c light feta 1/4 chopped kalamata olives 1 Tbsp pepper 2Tbsp chopped tomato non-stick spray tin foil Butterfly chicken breasts and pound them out. Mix hummus, feta, olives and tomato. Spread 1/2 mixture on each chicken breast. Roll up chicken breast, sprinkle with pepper, roll it tightly in the tin foil. I cooked these on the BBQ on medium heat for about 40 minutes turning every ten or fifteen minutes. I am crazy about chicken being SOOOOO done that I think you could get away with less time. I served the chicken with grilled curry cauliflower and roasted asparagus and yellow pepper pasta. TASTY! Take Care,

FINALLY! The scale moved. I weighed in at a nice 192lbs this morning. 70lbs down from my heaviest and 32lbs since surgery. Things have slowed allot lately and I know exactly what is causing it! I found this post this morning when catching up and certainly can relate! lol. I am just 4 months out and i should be thinking this way still. I am not, and I still do not have restriction so.... I plow on! i-want-to-be-baby-bandster-again c/o my idol - LAP BAND GAL! This post of mine is not on a TUESDAY! GASP! I was too busy hiking up around huge biggish mountains with Sparms. We went out on Monday for a Tuesday morning work meeting. We hiked 4km on Monday afternoon and 4km yesterday on our way home. I thought about quitting once. Then I thought about how proud we would be of ourselves at the top. I thought about how there was no way either of us could have done this 2 years ago. I thought about my determination through all of this. I thought about how great my ass must look to Sparms as she climbed behind me and that finishing this climb would only make it even nicer. I also thought that there has to be an amazing view waiting for us up there because why else would people put thier bodies through this crazy crazy shit. It was a little scary. The 2 of us, alone, in the middle of bear and cougar (not us lady cougars, real ones who stalk people and pounce from nowhere to swallow you up after shredding your skin with one swipe of thier massive claws) territory. Jasper National Park is HUGE! We are but specks in the landscape next to the giant lodgepoll pines, the long winding rivers, the peaks, the valleys... just so so small and insignificant. Not that day. We were not insignificant. We were two fat girls who have come a long way in the last two years. Such a long way that we climbed a mountain, as small as it may be in comparison to the great pyramid mountain, it is still a mountain that we conquered. and the view was most certainly worth it all! <P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator> [/url] Back to reality today. This blog and work took up most of the morning and the forecast is very similar for the afternoon. Tomorrow I will clean house and pack for an awesome long weekend spent camping with my Mister and my Daddy! Who cares if there is a provincial fire ban on right now! Who needs a fire? Not the girl who is capable of climbing a mountain! I am sure I will make it work! I can do anything! Cheers!

This morning I weighed in at 193lbs. Not a budge from last week. I am a little dissappointed I have to admit BUT I did not gain. I'll take it.... I guess. I'm hoping that I really did lose a few pounds but the stress is weighing me down. Stress gone = POOF - 3 lbs?!?!? Let's keep our fingers crossed. I've been fighting the mental fight these days. My meal choices have been decent in most cases BUT I just seem to be hungry late at night allot lately. I am using my herbal tea and novelty water bottle to combat the late night troll that wants me to snack on the Mister's chips and snacks. I have been successful so far but I feel like I may cave at any moment! I keep telling myself that it isn't worth it. That my sunnyboy breakfast will be waiting for me in the morning. That I am not REALLY hungry. Thing is, I think that I am! I purchased a soy based chocolate protien powder yesterday. I am hoping that, at 140 cal and 19g of protien per serving, that one of these bad boys might help me feel fuller through the evening. I have been struggling with my protien, especially on the road and the extra help couldn't hurt! Yesterday was my first crack at it but I worked until 10pm and couldn't tell you if hunger was one of the things swirling around in my brain! I will try again today and see how it goes. It seems that anytime that I think that I may be in control and getting the hang of this, the signs tell me that I need to work harder! More exercise, less waivering and this too shall pass... right?! This week the sun is here and the temps will stay in the 20's !!! We are off to my hometown on Saturday to celebrate my Grandparent's 65th anniversary! Grandpa is 90 and Grams is only a year behind! Sunshine, Family and Country Roads!!! Next week, Sparms Bestie (we work together too) are on our way to Jasper for a meeting! HELLS YES! ROADTRIP to PARADISE! [/url] Take Care All,

Hi Hopefully! Thanks for stopping by! Yup, I just spray the bottom of a pan with no stick and rub them in it on the way out to the grill. They only take about 5 minutes! They are delicious and you can really stuff them with whatever you like. I've used quinoa before too - just as great! Hang in there! Keep up the good fight! Jenny

WEIGH IN: 193lbs, 31lbs since surgery. BOOO YAH! So yesterday I went for my 2nd fill. I've mentioned before that I am becoming more and more aware of my port as time goes on. A while back, I felt like it was moving but chalked it up to my body changing. During my first fill, my surgeon's partner said that it was a little wiggly but nothing to be concerned about. I was concerned... because I tend to worry myself over all of this surgery/foreign body/port stuff. I was sure that his comment was to blame for the obsessing and paranoia over my port in the first place. He pressed around ALLOT. I told him, "I may be crazy but I feel like my port is moving around and I am aware of it most of the time." I needed some kind of reassurance. He confirmed that it does indeed wiggle considerably but that it wasn't any worse then my first visit. After ALLOT MORE pushing, pinching and tapping, he attempted the fill. He missed the port. Poked pushed and prodded again and the second attempt...was a miss. I'm breathing, covering my face with my arm and laying there on the table... worried. My first fill I was stressed for and it turned out to be no big deal at all. In, out, no pain, see ya next month. He announced that he was going to pull my surgeon in to see me and then asked me if I could be available this Thursday for a port revision surgery. ???WTF???? I could have cried. He left the room for 2 seconds and flew back in with my surgeon, his partner and 2 med students. I was panicking. Dr. Birch greeted me and immediately I was at ease. I love that I have a great surgeon! He poked, pushed and pulled before he figured it out. My port has flipped. He pushed it down and attempted a fill...FAIL and then pushed it up for the second try... SUCCESS. I now have 4cc's in my band. I got up off of the table and was in a cold sweat. It wasn't THAT bad... no worse then the dentist for sure. I left sore and a little worried. Dr. Birch said that it shouldn't be an issue because I am doing well and not aggressive with fills. I should only have to have one or two more until I am at the average "sweet spot" volume for my band. I Can't wait! And now for another super duper easy recipe. This makes 4 servings with leftover stuffing for those of you who cook for non-bandsters or hungry men, like mine. I had 1 half pepper and 2 pieces of pork. It hit the spot perfectly. What is this??? RESTRICTION??? Could it be? I feel full longer but have no ques that I am fuller faster yet. I will wait! Patiently! STUFFED PEPPERS 1c cooked rice 2 peppers (your choice on colour) 1tbsp butter 2 tbsp chili powder 1/2 c corn 4 cooked turkey sausages 1/2 diced onion 1/2 tomato diced 4Tbsp cheese (your choice) No stick cooking spray [/url] Melt butter, add rice, chili powder, onion, sausage, tomato and stir fry. Cut peppers in half and hollow out seeds and innards. When mixture is done to your satisfaction, mix in the cheese. Spoon in to hollow peppers. Spray grill with no stick spray. Put pepper on medium grill for 10 minutes. VOILA! Super easy and super tasty! You can add whatever you like but the chili powder with the corn was delicious! I used a sprinkle of Parmesan on each pepper and it worked well! I served this with the super duper no recipe pork tenderloin as the protein in the peppers just wouldn't cut it alone! I wish I had a better picture but I was too impatient and hungry! In non-band related news, ITS SPRING!!!!! For now anyway. The Mister and I took Libby for a good bike ride last night through the local ravine. I have bike riding callous (SUPER SORE ASS) today but the good thing is it only hurts after the first time. A full day of meetings did not help at all either! Cheers,

I couldn't agree more! 70% mental, maybe even 80% for me. I also missed out on my measurments for some reason. I kept thinking about it but kept putting it off too! Thanks for posting/blogging/sharing and smiling. You are an inspiration to allot of us! Congrats on the positive momentum with your blog that you have going on now too! Jenny

I had my first fill 9 weeks out. My second is scheduled for tomorrow at 15 weeks. I have no restriction AT ALL. I find that I make better choices and concentrate on better portions though. I started this after surgery. i measure everything out, use smaller plates, bowl and utensils and I exercise 4 or 5 days a weeks. I feel like I didn't go through major surgery to get back to my old habits! I often wonder if the band was really for me because so far, it hasn't done anything.... except completely change the mental aspect to all of this!!!! I think its what I needed most! If that's all that I ever get from this band, IT IS ENOUGH! GOOD LUCK! Hang in there! This too shall pass! Jenny

I've been on a ride these last few weeks. To me it feels like months but looking back on the facts, it's only weeks. I've been on the road like crazy, there's been occasion after occasion and I hit the road tomorrow again until Friday. Me, the open road and GAS STATION FOOD! I have a late meeting tonight and am not sure that I will get all of my snacks for the road together but I will try! I have fresh veggies waiting to be chopped, individual yogurt and cottage cheese cups to fill, turkey sausage to cook and eggs to boil. This is great road food and it keeps me away from the jerky, chocolate, chips, licorice and pastries that I used to love so much. My pretty new water bottle has proven to be worth its weight in novelty and this steers me clear of the road stop coffee that always has those great flavored creamers! Sounds like a great plan huh? Now to deliver it! Wish me luck! I weighed in this morning at 195.6lbs. Not a budge from last week. this can be directly attributed to the 3rd Annual Besties Trip to the Cabin!!! I don't mind! It was WELL worth it! 2 whole days with some of the most beautiful women in the world. Games, Fireworks, FOOD, DRINKS, Campfires, Giggles, Chats, a Hookah (Imagine Arnie Schwarzenegger (yes the last name was in spellcheck, wtf?!) saying that one, cracks me up) and the GLORIOUS SUNSHINE! It was hard to leave Sunday. I love these gals! They are my cheering section, my counsellors, my confidants and my BESTIES! I do have a great life! [/url] I've set some goals that I want to put out there to help with accountability. I've always shied away from a weight related goal because none of this has been about the scale for me. It's about health and lifestyle change. In spring cleaning mode recently, I checked a few other things off of my TO DO LIST. Set up a savings account for the 30th BDAY Besties Trip next year, cleaned out the closets, got the Mister to fix some things and started a new To Do list. Figures, right? GOALS: 1) Food Journal Again! I have never been good at this but I really want to be. I see the value and I will start again this morning. 2) Lift weights 3 out of the 5 cardio days. Baby Steps! 3) Get back into PodRunner interval training. 5 Weeks to 5K. I liked this allot and am excited to see how much easier this will be for me 40lbs lighter and a whole lot healthier and disciplined. 4) 185lbs for my Birthday in June. (10lbs in just under 6 weeks). Easy goals! A clear picture! Planting the sweet peas this morning and got lettuce in last night. The cucumbers are started in the house. I am ready summer, come stay for a while! Last years sweet peas in early July . Cheers!

Eloisa - My gas pain lasted a full week! The last episode was the worst of all. It was about 15 minutes of TERRIBLE pain. I almost decided to go in to the hospital. I was in tears. 15 minutes later - POOF - gone for good! Hang in there girl!

I am 14 weeks out, 1 fill in, 2nd fill next week and I dont feel anything either. I often wonder if I ever will BUT in the meantime I have been controlling my portions to be what they expect me to eat when I get there and I am doing fine. 20lbs in a month is fabulous! You are doing something right! It all takes time and the more you set your ways without the band, the better you will succeed! The band will only be a back up! Keep up the hard work! Jenny

I second the awesome by PJ!!! What a great motivator AND a nice day dream to chase on the treadmill! Keep it up!

This morning I weighed in at 195.6lbs. Up .2lbs. After the 3 meals out last week, 1 night at the bar (including dinner of nachos) with the Besties at the Donnie Dumphy concert, out again Saturday night for an old friends Bday (more drinks) and 3 missed workouts, I assumed that I would have gained more. NOPE! Thank the friggen stars! With all of the habits that I have changed, BOOZE is not going anywhere soon! I do miss beer and cider and gin and tonic but Ive replaced those relationships with gin and diet cran and red wine. I am a red wine WHORE! I love to drink, I love to socialize and I LOVE to have fun! I know, I know, some people would say that you don't need to drink to have fun..... I DO! I am 28 (for another month) and have no children. I want to live it up while I can! I know people talk about the "last supper" allot. This is how I feel about booze. I am going to drink all that I can before I get into MOM mode. The day after my 30th Birthday we will start trying for munchkins. Until then, I will continue to work my ass off, eat well and hope that this continues to balance off my love of liquor and the weight loss! A girl can dream right? Still happy that all I gained was .2lbs!!!! We shall see how this week goes. EASTER is here and that means the 3rd annual BESTIES trip to the cabin! I can not wait! [/url] After the stressful last few weeks at work, I need this! I need an afternoon in the sunshine with my gals, walking around on the trails, blaring the tunes while having a few drinks and pretending like I never have to return to the city and to working for a living! AND TO FOLLOW THE CROWD: the workout sweaty mess glow from yesterday. The elliptical kicked my ass after 2 days off and an upped by 10min program. I had sweat in places that I never knew could sweat! Cheers!