Doing awesome!

I'm at a great place in my journey. I'll have to come back and do a longer post about it later, but I'm really happy with how things are going and the things I am learning and doing. I'm almost down 40 lbs from my highest post-baby weight. It's been a lot of work, but I'm in it for the long haul.

Spring

I'm still plugging along! I'm doing pretty well. The scale hasn't been moving as fast and so it's not as exciting to come and post about my progress, but I'm feeling really good. I've been running again. My running buddy and I have been running longer and longer. We usually do a total of 3 miles, broken up with some walking in between. Lately we've just been running out of time to get the whole thing in.

It has warmed up enough that we're running outside. It is a nice change. I'm liking Spring. It was a long winter!

I have learned that a couple of my fellow band sisters, banded by the same doctor as me have had their bands erode into their stomachs. Basically, the band wears a hole in your stomach and ends up inside it, either partially, or in one of their cases, the entire band was in her stomach. This is very serious and has resulted in the removal of those bands and other stomach repairs. The one I talked to about it has gastroparesis and has trouble eating and is in a lot of pain.

I haven't had any obvious signs of problems with my band. I am very grateful for that. I will certainly follow up with my doctor and get some tests done to verify that it's still in place, and not eroding etc. The band erosions can be caused by the way the bad was done, so it is significant that my surgeon's patients are experiencing problems.

Please understand that getting a Lapband is a huge decision. There are many who never have problems, but there are many who do have problems, some of them quite serious. When I researched the Lapband, I really had rose colored glasses on when looking for information. Because there is certainly a lot of negative info out there as well.

What I am learning is that the band won't fix you. It might help you get it. But you still have to get it. You still have to make hard food choices. You still have to choose to exercise and eat right. You still have to make the change from doing those things that make and keep you fat to doing those things that will lead to a leaner and healthier body. I'm not perfect, but I'm getting better all the time. I'm doing these things that will lead to a healthier body and at this point, it has nothing to do with my Lapband.

Time for an update

I know I've said in the past that if I'm not posting I am probably struggling. Well, for once, that's not the case! I'm happy to say that I am continuing to make progress and get healthier.

My weight has continued moving downward, albeit slowly. I'm almost at 25 pounds lost since beginning the Game on! in December. I have every intention of continuing with it until I am at my goal weight.

I've realized I need to make some tweaks to it to speed things up. Currently the way I'm using the free day is causing me to lose too much ground to really be losing much weight. So I am working on some modifications.

I'm also getting back into the swing of running. I have been blessed with an amazing, good friend who invited me to be her workout partner and we've progressed from walking, to running a little, to running a good amount. We're working on doing a 5K in April. Just bought some new running shoes, so I'm committed. Those puppies are not cheap!

I have to be honest because this is a blog about my Lapband. I don't feel that my band is doing anything for me at this point in my journey. I'm at a medium restriction, and most of the time it doesn't affect how much I eat, only the length of time it takes me to eat.

Even though I have a Lapband, I don't believe that the ultimate state of losing weight involves extreme portion control. I have always believed that eating healthy foods in a reasonable portion size is the way we were meant to eat and is the optimum way to lose weight. Thankfully, I have gotten to a place that my band isn't controlling what I eat. I am. I actually feel so comfortable with where I am at right now, if I could, I would have my fluid removed.

I don't for a second think I would have been better off not getting a Lapband. The whole process of the surgery and lifestyle changes has been life altering for me. It wasn't until I began this process that I was able to finally see myself as someone who could sustain a healthy life and not be a fatty the rest of my life.

But the problem was pretty obvious once the effects of the band were gone with the removal of my fluid at the beginning of my pregnancy more than a year ago. Without that help, I gained weight and I gained it fast. Since having the baby, seeing that getting my band filled back up wasn't making much difference for me has really made me take a hard look at my habits and my attitude toward food.

I feel so blessed to be in a better place again. I'm making consistently good food choices and my body is responding.

Thanks for reading. Sorry my posting is so sporadic. :)

Starting round three

We have started the third month of Game on! I lost 20.6 by the end of the second round. I am really loving having some loss finally! I feel great and hopeful that this is completely sustainable.

Still working hard

These last two weeks have continued to be successful while playing the Game On! I am down 15.6 pounds total since December 1st. Feeling so glad to be doing this.

Holding steady

Well, I'm a little disappointed that the second half of the month didn't yield better results, but I ended out the four-week challenge at the same 9 pounds down. Still, losing 9 pounds in December is a lot better than I have been doing. On to January!

9 pounds

9 pounds. In December. I'm only halfway done with this month. Wow.

Progress

Usually I gain weight during the holidays. Not this time. Playing this Game On! diet has been just the thing I've needed to get my mindset right and get my behaviors back in line and where they need to be. I've lost 6 pounds so far in December and plan to lose at least 10 by the month's end. I'm feeling so great.

The basics of this game are to eat 5 meals no closer than 2 and no further than 4 hours apart. They have to be of approved foods and consist of a healthy carb the size of your fist, a healthy protein the size of your palm and a healthy fat the size of your thumb. You also get 100 free calories a day, one meal off per week and one completely free day. I think that is helping me keep my sanity and have a little indulgence without completely feeling like I've blown it.

There are also points for changing a bad habit and developing a good one, drinking enough water, exercising, getting enough sleep and communicating with your teammates and opposing team members.

Something about the set up of this competition is really effective and it seems like nearly everyone is having success.

A good week

I'm hopeful. I had a really good week. I started this Game On! challenge with some family members, mostly step family members. I've been able to follow the rules really well. I weigh in tomorrow to see how I've done for the first week weight loss total, but I think I'll have a good weight loss. I'm feeling stronger and more in control.

A month almost?

Sheesh! Has it already been almost a month since I posted that? Wow.

Like I said before, if I'm not posting, it's not because I'm doing well. At this point it's because I'm still struggling to make any progress. Up and down and up and down and up the scale. It's been rough. I'm back to the same weight I was when I got my last fill. Or at least that's where I was before Thanksgiving. I haven't weighed myself in a few days.

As of December 1st, I'm going to be part of a group health challenge. It's based on the Game on! Diet book. It's similar to the one I did a year and a half ago, but it's more structured and strict. I think this will be just the thing to help me get back into the swing of things. It will be great, too to have it go through this month of holidays and birthdays and anniversaries. It can be a dangerous month indeed!

Scale Tales

I think I'm making myself a little crazy with daily weigh ins. Still, it seems the best way to keep focused on what I'm doing.

I see fluctuations of as much as 7 pounds from one day to the next. I have had really great eating for the last two days. The morning after the first day my weight went up a few pounds. No worries. I know I'm doing the right things for my body, so I just keep going. This morning, my weight was down 7 pounds from that weight, for a total of 6 pounds lost since my fill. Hopefully I can keep things going in a downward trend.

It's working!

Down 4 pounds now, since my fill. Yay!!

The wonderful thing is that I think I can maintain this level of eating. It feels normal with effort made to make good choices.

:)

I did so well today! I'm really happy. I was able to not snack much between lunch and dinner.

I also had a victory of sorts with sweets. My girls are out of school today and wanted a snack. I decided to make them some no-bake cookies. I had two of them and then took a nap. I asked my oldest daughter to have them put away in a container somewhere hidden when I woke up so I wouldn't eat any more. It worked. I was totally in control of what I ate of those.

We also went for a walk as a family today. The weather was absolutely perfect. I've really been enjoying this beautiful fall here.

Doing well!

Things are going well since this last fill. I'm able to make better food choices and get full faster. I love it.

One area I need to work on is afternoon, between lunch and dinner. That's probably where I get the most calories of the day. If I can distract myself during this time, I think I'll be able to get fewer calories in.

I've lost one pound since the fill. Here's hoping for many more of those.

Still here!

You can pretty much count on the fact that if I'm not posting much it's because I am struggling. This last year has been so hard. It was about a year ago that I found out I was pregnant. Because of my choices and circumstances I have lost so much ground on the weight battle. I thought I could get the weight off fairly easily after Aaron was born, but not so. I have struggled and struggled and the weight I lost right after he was born is coming back on, slowly but surely.

I'm not going to say that I can't do this weight loss thing without the help of the Lapband, but the truth is, I haven't. I haven't, in my adult life, been successful at losing weight or let's be honest, even maintaining my weight without the band. So I'm going to stop being stubborn and wishing that I am the same as everyone else and just take advantage of the band and the knowledge I have gained from having it.

I have had two fills over the last few weeks. The band holds 10 ccs of saline. The first fill I got was 2 ccs. I had a little bit of restriction, but not much. This second one I was able to get 3 ccs of fluid in. (She suggested 1cc, but I asked for 3 and she agreed.) I have had one day of regular eating since this fill. I'm able to tell a significant difference.

I am not nearly as restricted as I was pre-pregnancy, but I'm at a good level. I can eat without a lot of trouble, but I do get full quicker and stay satisfied longer. I feel a great relief to some of the struggle.

I need to be careful about my food choices, or this won't make a lick of difference. I think I'm going to write out a food plan for the week. I'm going to plan my meals in advance so that I'm not standing in front of the fridge wondering what I should eat. That tends to lead to poor choices.

I have become lax on a few band guidelines over the last year. I'm going to recommit to following them better:

Not drinking with meals. I was so good at this before. I need to get back to it.

Focusing on protein. My food needs to be protein dense for the most part.

I made a yummy protein packed treat tonight. I blended a cup of 1% milk fat cottage cheese till it was smooth and then added it to 1 package of Sugar Free Pistachio Pudding and 1 cup of 1% milk. I divided it up into four servings. Each serving had nine grams of protein. It was like pudding, but thicker and creamier. I topped it off with a little light spray whipped cream.

My exercise lately has been mostly the basic T-tapp workout. I think I am going to add some walking videos to it. It's getting colder and it's hard to get outside with the kids. I've also had some ankle pain that has kept me from walking much. I hurt it about a month ago and it's still not 100% better.

I anticipate that I will be doing better than I have been, so I'm likely to post more often. Stay tuned!

Moving along

Well, after three different sets of family visiting, having a wonderful time with them and enjoying way too much yummy food, I'm almost back to the weight I was before the visits. It is crazy to me how fast I gain weight. Though, this time, as soon as I got back on track it has come off fast as well.

I'm still hoping to reach my first weight goal by September 1st. I've also exercised 4 days in a row, successfully. I can feel my stamina and my strength returning. Yay!

10 %

I just read a great article that I'm sure I read a while back. It says to break down your weight-loss goals into more manageable chunks. Start with setting a goal to lose 10% of your body weight. Then once you're there, do it again, only this time your 10% will be a smaller number. Keep it up in these small steps until you're at goal.

Here is the article.

I like this approach. I'm needing something to help me feel more successful on this journey.

I seem to have a 2 week cycle. I can do pretty well on my eating for about two weeks and by the end of my second week I'm back to square one. Unfortunately, my weight seems to follow right along with me.

I haven't made any real progress with my weight loss or fitness. I keep coming back to my bad habits. I have come to realize I cannot eat that way and not expect to gain weight. I have to stay vigilant or I will not be successful.

My baby is seven weeks old. It seems like such a short time, but at the same time, I am ready to be back on track and making progress. It is time.

Next step is exercise--Exercise, what's that? It seems so daunting at this point. My sister is coming to visit me next week. I asked her to help me get back on track exercising while she's here. She is amazing. She's running a half-marathon on Sunday. I walk around my house or maybe the grocery store on occasion. I need to move more in her direction. :) I still have the goal to run a 5K on or around Thanksgiving this year. That's run, not walk! I will do it. No excuses.

Pretty good

I'd say things are going pretty good. Not great. Not poorly. Just pretty good. I've been able to stay out of sweets a lot better than I had thought I might. I've got to make some more changes though, because my weight isn't responding as quickly as I thought.

I've been down six pounds so far, but my weight is really bouncy! It fluctuates quite a bit. Right now it's inexplicably back up to higher than I started. It's not because I'm eating poorly, so I'm not really worried about it, but still, it should be going down faster and more consistently. That means I'm probably eating too much of not good-enough food.

I do pretty well at getting my fruits and veggies in. I know I'm still eating too many refined carbs; crackers, bread, pasta, rice, etc. I'm a rock star at getting my water in. I'm consistently getting 80 oz of water a day, often more.

So I'm going to try tracking my calories for a few days to get a feel for how many I am eating and where I need to make changes to get things moving faster.

I've done a handful of exercise sessions. I'm surprised at how out of shape my body is. Walking is still hard for me. T-tapp was hard, but I feel like it's about the level I'm at right now.

My official weigh-in day is Monday, so we'll see how I'm doing by then.

Ready

Well, I'm back. I'm ready to get this weight off and get back to my pre-baby size. So here we go!

As of right now I have no fill in my band. The nearest fill-doctor is over four hours away, so as of right now, I'm going to see what I can do on my own without having it filled. If I get stuck and can't lose any more, then I will look into getting fluid put back in my band.

Honestly, I don't miss the restrictions of the band as far as having to eat slowly and some foods that I can't tolerate. If I can do this without having to get that restriction, I think I will enjoy the eating aspect of my life much more.

So as I posted before, I gained way more weight with this pregnancy than I had ever intended to. It ended up being about 75 lbs. So, right now, in order to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I have 50 pounds left to lose. Yay for already being 25 pounds down from my baby's birth three weeks ago!

I have tried to exercise a couple of times since baby was born, but both times I ended up in pain and really worn out. I think I was jumping the gun just a bit. I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I didn't make it more than about half a mile either time. My abdominal muscles were very weak and sore throughout. I will try again soon and see if I'm ready yet.

My biggest problems that have caused my weight gain are not exercising and eating too many sweets. So this week, I started back on not eating sweets. I will allow myself one occasion of sweet-eating per week. (Like a party, or movie, etc.) I'm on day three of no desserts and down four pounds so far. Not bad results. It really shows me that sweets make a huge difference in my weight.

So I will be posting much more regularly to keep myself accountable and update you on my progress. Stay tuned!

Baby Boy is here!

Our baby was born this last week. Feeling very happy and blessed.