Ciara Patrice

Thanks!

Thanks! I'm sure he thought I was slacking or something, which I admit I might've been, lol... So Pineapple juice works for stuck episodes? I thought they say that when you're stuck you shouldn't drink anything because it could make it worse... especially depending on how tight your band is...

Yea, I think he seemd kinda rude that day too! LoL! Meat tenderizer? I wonder how that tastes? The Papaya enzymes are tastey...

And I’m down to 256lbs… I’ve lost a total of 10 pounds since my last doctor’s appointment back in August and he was very happy with my progress thus far. I went in today (9/12/11) and weighed in, chatted with him about what exactly I was doing to progress my weight loss. I told him I cut out carbs and still am cutting out carbs as best I can. Most meals only contain meat (protein) and vegetables. Everything that is processed/packaged I look at the contents and if there’s carbs I put it down. I am so proud of me, I should make this an NSV! People, or I should say non-dieters, don’t realize how hard it is to nix carbs all together. Especially since it’s been a part of your daily food intake for years! But I’m doing it. I can say I don’t eat something carby here and there, but not nearly enough to cause me any issues. I was off work for fiver days recently and I did so well not eating carbs. I did enjoy a bowl of cereal over the weekend, but that was it! No bread, no pasta, no rice, no sweets! I’m committed to sticking to this no carb diet because if I drop lbs like I’ve done these past two weeks CONTINUOUSLY then I could possibly make my mini goal come November 6th. I’m 36lbs away and I have 58 days to do so, which is roughly 8 weeks plus a few extra days… but that’s like 4.5lbs a week. I know I didn’t get RNY, and that’s asking a lot to lose that much weekly, but this is what I’m aiming for; 220lbs by November 6th! I Can Do It! J Other than dieting, I’ve been taking two hour Zumba classes (when offered), I’ve been walking, doing jogging/power walking intervals for 30 minutes at a time while on my breaks at work; I’ve also been doing the sedentary bike for 30 minutes at a time while at home… I plan to do a little more toning… my arms are slimming down, but I don’t want the flab… I hate to say this but I definitely see a TT, Brachioplasty, and Breast Lift in my future (hopefully covered by insurance)! It’s not all bad, I mean I love lifting and pulling my rolls aside and seeing my TRUE body frame and shape that’s being hidden underneath. It’s like shaking a wrapped gift before opening it. I’ve been trying to guess what’s inside for the longest! J Overall I’m SOOOOO HAPPY with my progress. Today I re-read my journal entries that I started writing when I started my PreOp diet, and I’m happy that I’ve progressed so much since then… I’m 256! In one of my entries I was saying how happy I was to be 278 because that meant I weighed less than my Dad… but now I’ve progressed so much it just blows my mind! I’m almost -50lbs down… just 1 more pound to go! I’m sure I’ll drop that in a day or two! WooHoo!!! I’ve gone from 305lbs (my highest) to 256lbs!... I’m so proud…

<BR><BR>THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

<BR><BR><BR>THANK YOU SO MUCH!

THANKS SO MUCH! IT TOOK A WHILE TO "GET MY HEAD HERE" BUT I'M HERE NOW AND WORKING IT AS BEST I CAN!

Thanks for reading my craziness! Yes, I wish they created "half sizes" in clothes like they do in shoes! LoL... I even believe my foot fat is shrinking too! Thanks for the support and I hope I enjoy whatever I can while in ATL, cos as soon as I get back I'm getting that 2nd fill!

SUPER Late Update... Well, I'm super late with my post but that's life catching up with me! My weight is still coming off, slow and steady... I'm down from 271 to 266! I'm in the 260s!!!! Yay! I've set a mini-goal of 220 by at least October/November some time... So if my weight keeps falling off at this pace, I might even beat my mini goal... I celebrated my 25th birthday on June 25th and I had a BLAST! I had one cup of Coconut Ciroc and Pineapple juice, and since I couldn't get OVERLY drunk, I bought a bottle of Patron and made sure I handed out AT LEAST 25 shots to family and friends for my birthday! I wanted everyone drunk on my bday! LoL! I've been walking mostly to get my exercise in. I helped a friend of mine deliver phonebooks for a few days in a local neighborhood. So not only was I walking blocks, but I was also carrying heavy ass phone books! So besides being overly tired, I managed to get a great tan! (Yes, I know I'm "african-american", but I needed one!)... NSVs... Well, besides being in the 260s, I can comfortably cross my legs, I won't mark that off my to do list just yet though. I can only do the left leg, so when I get both down I mark it off, LoL! I also can fit into a size 20, and it actually has room... So I'm moving into the 18s slowy but surely! YAY! I actually tried on a pair of jean capri's my mom had. Now my mom weighs somewhere in the 250s and normally wears an 18/20... These jean capris were a 22W, but she couldn't fit them... I'm guessing they ran small or were some cheap brand, but I tried them on and I was able to button them nooo problem! She was jealous! There was some muffin top going on, but they fit! I also did some overtime on my old unit at the hospital that I work at. All of my old co-workers had my blushing because they were telling me how great I looked and they could definitely see my weight loss... I also decided to participate in the scrub sale they my job offers down in the cafeteria every now and then, well, I call myself being hopeful by buying 2x tops and bottoms... would you believe the bottoms are baggy on me?! They'll be falling off in a few months! I should've tried them on before buying... Fills... So, I still only have ONE fill for a grand total of 5.3cc in my 10cc band. I was supposed to go back July 11 for another fill/check-up, but I'll be out of town at a family reunion, so I had to reschedule for July 18th. I'm not sure if I'm upset about this or not... I'm ready for another fill, I haven't had any mishaps so far; no PBs, foamies, or stuck episodes... I have had times where I might have taken too big of a bite or maybe didn't chew enough and I had a tightness in my band or a sharp pain in my shoulder, but I slow down or stop eating for a few minutes and it goes away. I still feel like I can eat just not nearly as much. So, my fear of getting a fill before going out of state (ATL, Georgia) is that it might be TOO tight and I have a bad stuck episode somewhere where I can't get an unfill, or going without the 2nd fill and eating around my band. This IS a family reunion and there's an event planned around food EVERY day! LoL! So I hope to work out while out of town, my sister has agreed to do this with me, and I just need to not over do it while out of town... don't want to gain ANYTHING back. Misc.... So, other than that I think I've been doing great! I enjoyed a buffet style dinner at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino- Fresh Harvest restaurant for Father's Day... I didn't stuff myself, and I'm doing well with NOT drinking with my meals. Most of the time I just order water with lemon and it stays full until I leave... I'm sure the waiters wonder why I even ordered it cause it doesn't get touched. I have a picture I'm going to post from that day... I actually wore horizontal stripes! LoL!... I do think I've been having bouts of depression. I'm not sure if it's just in my mind because I'm expecting it with the weightloss, but there are days (my off days) where I just want to lay in bed and be lazy because I feel unhappy for some reason... I just tell myself it's the weightloss, but I dunno...Oh and I did get my period again this month(June)! I'm gonna kick my PCOS out soon! I'm also not happy that my bottom half is losing weight first... my boob fat is dwindling also... so to me I look funny as of right now... I dunno, if I could get rid of ANY thing first it would be my back fat, so I've been youtubing work out videos and googling workouts to help with the back area.... OVERALL, I'm happy with my progress and I hope I keep progressing!

Yes! I love trying on smaller clothes it feels great! Thank you!

<P> <BR><BR><BR>I know I'm responding WAAAY late, but I didn't even know people were actually READING my blog! LoL... I was just writting to keep myself accountable... but I'm on regular foods now, and doing excellent! I've had one fill with a total of 5.3cc in my 10cc band and I've had no PBs or stuck episodes... I go for another fill/checkup on July 18th, so I hope I will have lost more by then... Hope everything is going great for you!</P>

So I had my first Post Op appointment on Monday (5/2/11) and they weighed me in and just asked how everything was going basically. The surgeon pulled the rest of my steri-strips off which hurt like HELL! And he had the nerve to say, "At least you don't have a hairy stomach!" <--- Thank God for that!!! I'm scheduled for my first fill on June 6th! He didn't say how much he'd put in and I didn't remember to ask after my skin was ripped off! But he did say that by the time I came back I'd be back on real food, and he basically said anything soft was good. "No pizza, or subway subs..." was what he said, but I'm planning on doing a low carb/no carb diet anyway so whatever!... He just basically said to do another week or two of ful liquids (I'll be choosing to do just another week, LoL!) and then move on to soft, "remember to chew chew chew!" and if all else fails "chew some more" and they also reminded me to put my fork down in between bites, no drinking with meals, and to stop eating as soon as I become full... I'm down 21 pounds since first stepping foot in that doctor's office and a total of 30 pounds since my heighest weight. I've had a one or two people not really notice or say they don't see it, and everyone else is just all about how much thinner I look. I don't see it just yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if I lost 100lbs and still didn't see it, LoL! NonScaleVictories!!! Well, the last few times I've had my blood pressure checked, it's been within normal range! I think I'm the happiest about this! I'm TOO young to have high blood pressure, and I'm so glad that I won't have to take BP meds anytime soon! My favorite cargo skirt from Old Navy is falling OFF! Mind you when I first bought this a few years ago, I bought it at a size 24 because I don't like skirts fitting me tight around my hips... I think it makes me look funny because my midsection goes OUT inside of IN like a real "coca-cola" bottle shape, but anyway, it was still my fave skirt, and now it literally falls off of me while I'm walking... Also, a lot of my scrub bottoms are falling off now too! No matter how tight I tie them, they still slide off my butt... My "aunt" (my mom's best friend) told me my bust looked like it was getting smaller BOOOO! I then groped myself and they do feel a little lighter! I hope I don't end up with "tube socks"! Well I think that's all for now... OH, before I forget, don't want you guys to think I'm doing nothing! : I'm enjoying riding the sedentary bike for about 30 minutes a day... It's really hot down here in Florida and the sun and heat just dry all the energy up out of me, so I havent done any outside walking/jogging, but I've been planning to get some exercise in at the pool very soon! Okay that's definitely it for now!

It's officially been one month since I had surgery, and aside from the very light, barely existent scars I have on my abdomen, I can hardly tell I've had surgery. I've lost about a total of 34 pounds so far, from my highest known weight of 305lbs, I'm currently at 271lbs, I think. I don't eat nearly as much as I did prior to surgery. I don't have a fill as of yet. I get that at the beginning of June. If I eat a real heavy meal, I'm mostly good for the rest of the day; sipping on water throughout of course. I know I should be eating small meals, which I've tried, but being hungry still hurts, and my mouth waters to the point where it feels like I'll vomit if I don't eat something!!! So I tend to eat a good healthy meal and then snack on low calorie things throughout the rest of the day. Again, this is not ideal. I know! And I know I won't be able to eat as much (thought I feel I'm not eating alot) once I start getting fills. I've had some NSVs! There are two scrub tops that I have for work that I normally NEVER wear unless its laundry day because they fit so tight. Well, I've worn both this week, and they fit PERFECTLY! Not too big, not to tight! PERFECT. I am having issues with my pants being too loose though. It's like my stomach has gone down and now there's nothing to hold my pants up!! I do notice that by looking in the mirror my belly rolls aren't as "rolly polly"... if that's a good way to describe it. I know I've lost weight and can visibly see this because of how my scars have "moved". Granted I was probably swollen after surgery, but one scar was tucked under a belly roll, and now I can fully see that scar! It actually looks like it's sitting "ontop" of that roll now instead of under it... Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me I dunno, but I am happy at they way the scars are healing. I think I'll have more of an issue with loose skin and stretch marks than the actual scarring from surgery. I joined the YMCA ... as far as exercising goes. I go when I can, and I'm trying to make it a daily thing, as of right now, I've been going sporadically and I'd like to make it a permanent part of my daily life. Like brushing my teeth! I know this will help me get to goal so much faster. Though I'm not "moving" as I should, the weight is still coming off. Even starting solid foods, I thought there would be a stall in my weight loss or that I would gain since going from a liquid diet to a solid foods diet can do that, but I didn't stall, it's just not coming off in 5 pound chunks anymore... just a pound or two here and there, which is expected. Another NSV is that I got my period. This may not be an NSV for most, but since I suffer from PCOS and irregular/non-existent periods, this happens to be one for me. I had a period in March before surgery, and before then I don't remember, but I was on Metformin and Agyestin to help my periods come on monthly. I'm no longer taking either. I didn't menstruate in April, but I got a lovely gift from Mother Nature this month, and I actually HOPE that I see her again in June because though I hate my period this would mean, I'm almost normal, and that's my main goal! So, all in all, Michaelangelo and I are doing well, and hopefully when we go to the Dr on the 6th of June, we'll be doing even BETTER and on our way to the 260s!!!!

<BR><BR><BR>It's the best move to make! I hope you're surgery went well!

Thanks for commenting and good luck on your journey! I hope you're blessed with a date soon!

Thanks! I just bought new scrubs and they're TOO big! I was shocked.. LoL! I hope all is going well for you!

<BR><BR>Thanks! Good luck with your journey as well!

I’m officially one month, two weeks, and two days post op (6 weeks)!!! I got my first fill today (6/6/11). I had 1.8 cc worth of priming fluid in my standard AP 10cc band, the doctor added 3.5cc for an overall total of 5.3cc. This was done under fluoroscopy, so I got to see “Michelangelo” live and in person as I watched the contrast funnel through my pouch. I was advised to do two days of clear liquids, and two days of full liquids before moving back to solid foods. I thought I was special. I read a lot on the forums that a majority of people gained a few pounds back after starting back on solid foods, but I didn’t. I THOUGHT I was special. Well, today I went in and I gained a few pounds (3-4). Now, I’m also experiencing HORRIBLE constipation. I’m not sure if this is due to the band, because again I’ve read where lack of fiber and eating right can cause constipation for bandsters, but my bowels have been fine since surgery. The past couple days, I’ve had horrible pain in my lower abdomen and I can’t **** for NOTHING! Normally I get constipated right before my period comes on, and now that I think about it, we’re about four days away from when my period started last month, and my cycle could also account for the added weight… it could be water weight! So, if my cycle does decide to magically cycle again this month, it’ll be another NSV for me… a reoccurring menstrual! Yay! (who knew I’d be happy about this?!) I’ve been trying to work out, but I really hate working out alone, so I’ve recruited my God Sister to walk with me in the mornings, and we go exercise together. We both openly admitted that if it weren’t for the other, we wouldn’t be doing half as much exercising or for even 30 minutes. It’s easy to give up when no one is holding you accountable. I know some people can go and work out and do it everyday. I don’t know what it is, but I need someone to be there with me, not necessarily yelling in my ear, but it’s like we both motivate each other. It’s not a competition, and I’m not looking at her saying “Damn she’s going faster/slower than me” I’m looking at her and saying “Damnit, I’m not the only one tired and sweating! Let’s keep going!” A funny story: So, I tried to incorporate jumping jacks as a daily exercise by doing as many jumping jacks as you can do within 10 minutes. I THOUGHT my boobs had shrunk, and granted they have because my bras aren’t fitting me like they used to, but these babies are still HEAVY! I thought I was about to die doing jumping jacks… needless to say I didn’t get through 10 minutes… I have to admit it’s been harder than I thought sticking to a low carb/no carb diet. But I’m constantly looking up low carb meals and snacks. Now to put them to use!!!! I’ve solved my “clean-the-plate” syndrome a while back before surgery, but now my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I’ve been catching myself making plates like I used to or maybe not AS big but still bigger than I can stomach and I’m left with a half full plate, which is not a bad thing, but for some reason I feel like it is. So, I need to start using my baby plate that I bought a while back just so I can get used to smaller portion sizes. When I do then I can move on to putting those smaller portions on the big plates without over doing it. Well, I’m not sure if I have much more updating to do right now. I’m happy with my band. And I don’t see it yet (I feel it sometimes) but I know I’m losing weight. People are noticing and always commenting. My family and friends see it in my arms, neck, face, breasts. ALL OVER! So I can’t wait to see this for myself!

<BR>Thanks for the tip... I haven't suffered from constipation since then, but I'll keep that tea in mind when I do... but I really think it had something to do with my menstrual because I haven't had any problems since...