Progress

I took some new measurements the other night, but all I could find to compare them to was some that I took in Sept 08 right after I had DD. So, in roughly 18 months, I've lost 25lbs of baby weight and then some, gained another 40lbs with baby #2, and lost all of that again. Wow. It's almost like I was yo-yo dieting again!

To sum up the changes in that time period, I've had a net loss of 20lbs, gone down 1 pant size, lost 2 inches from my bust, 2 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my hips, and 2.5 inches from my right thigh. Not too shabby!

I'm really hoping I can find some measurements from around the time I got banded -- it's probably on a scrap of paper somewhere. I wish I would've been better about keep records. I do, however, have some pictures that we took shortly after surgery. I had already lost 20 lbs, but so what. I'll try to get some of those together soon too.

Exercise Schmexercise

I have been so horrible in the exercise department lately, and things need to change!
I no longer have a gym membership (which really has me tweaked right now), so I've been doing some walking outside. I'm just mired in the age-old dilemma of not being able to find the time. I usually have 45-60 minutes when I get home from work before I have to leave to pick up the kids. I figured that would be plenty of time to workout. Ha. Lately, I have been catching up on chores and cutting the lawn (I guess that counts!) instead of walking or popping in a tape.

It's time to recommit! I will do something every day this week, even if it is taking one of the kids around the block in the stroller. I have a few tapes at my disposal, and as long as the babies are still at daycare, I can get in a longer walk. So, I'm thinking a walk with the kids today with my MIL, Jillian Michael's Thirty Day Shred on Tuesday and Thursday, and long walks on Wednesday and Friday. Let's see how that pans out.

Lots o' Stuff

Well, I kicked that goal in the patootie! My birthday goal that is. 224.5 this morning on the scale means I am back to pre-baby weight, and everything past here is new territory for me in this weight-loss journey. Pretty exciting, I think. And it's not even my birthday yet!

I don't know where I've been this week. I guess things were just busier than usual. I had to take my little guy (he's 5 months old) to the ER Wednesday night. He had a fever, which is no biggie, but I noticed his anterior fontanel bulging a little later in the day and I had a minor freak out. Luckily, his chest x-ray and urine were clear, and his fever was down, so they didn't feel they needed to do a lumbar puncture. I'm so glad -- I'm pretty sure that would've pushed me over the edge. Anywho, he's fine now.

This past week I've had three major episodes of stuckness, only one of which ended in an upchuck, thank God. I've been wondering if I am too tight, but really I think I just need to be even more careful about what I'm eating. Also, the weight continues to drop off, so I think I'll deal with it for a little while longer. The amount of food I'm eating at meals is remarkably less. For example, last night we had chicken kabobs and pasta salad for dinner: I ate 1 and a half cubes of chicken and maybe 1/4 cup a pasta salad. That's it. Still hard to get my head around that, even after all this time -- though maybe that's because I spent most of both pregnancies with an empty band, and believe me, I could really shovel it in!

So things are going well. Another 10 lbs and I'm going to need to buy new scrubs for work! I need to do some measurements too. I'll try to post those later this weekend.

The Stuckness

This afternoon I forgot about three very important things that affect my band:

1. The weather
2. My period
3. The fact that I wasn't actually hungry.

Hate it when that happens. Call it how to ruin a perfectly good caprese salad.

So, while I would looooove to go to bed right now, I'm deathly afraid of lying down. Must stay upright until it passes. I feel pretty confident that this is not going to end in a wretching episode -- usually I'd be much worse off by now. I actually made a cup of tea (I know, I know, don't put liquids on top of the stuckness!), and I think it's helping. Little tiny sips. Really little tiny sips. I've managed to get a few burps up. You know, those burps where you swear you can feel the food shift around as the air bubble works it's way out. So pleasant.

These last few days I have been so tired. And it's not like I'm that sleep deprived. I do think it has a lot to do with Aunt Flo. As an aside, I was just looking up euphemisms for that time of the month, and the most hilarious award goes to "Blow Job Season!" Must NOT use that in front of hubby so he doesn't get the wrong idea! Some others I need to add to my repertoire are "riding the cotton pony" and "punctuating"... get it?! Anyway, back to my tiredness. The last few days at work, I felt like I could've fallen asleep standing up. Have you ever been so tired that you actually slurred your words? I swear I did that this morning! And that is so bad, because I do inpatient testing, and these people are all like, 'I'm putting my life in your hands (exaggeration), and you're yawning? WTF lady?!" Seriously though, I wish I could tell you work stories, but I just can't. Now that I've totally c-blocked you on that... I shall bid you goodnight.

BYOC

I just fell asleep on the couch for 20 minutes. I should really go to bed, but I thought I'd post this first. Hopefully it makes sense.

1. If you had 3 wishes what would they be and why?

Oh... a fix for our economy, a cure for the big C, and whirled peas.

2. If you had all the money in the world and perfect circumstances - how many children would you have and what sex?

I have one of each right now. If I had started younger, I think I may have had one or two more. Ideally two of each gender. I just don't have the patience or energy for it anymore!

3. Have you ever faked it? (Because I need to laugh...feel free to skip this one if it's too personal.)

Once, with an old boyfriend, just to get it over with.

4. What movie character do you think you look like?

I don't think I've ever been told I look like anyone. Well, it's not a movie star, but back in my thinner days with my super short hair, I used to get a lot of Toni Braxton comments.

5. Repeat question. Which blog or comment spoke to you or stuck with you this week and why?

I gotta go with Drazil's depression post. Brought back a lot of memories, and made me realize how lucky I am.

My Sonic addiction

I. Love. Sonic. Love it. Two locations just opened up within 5 miles of my house: one conveniently on my way to work and one conveniently on my way home from the kids' daycare. Oh, the temptation! I have been slurping down cranberry lime-aids like there is no tomorrow. I love them, love them, love them. Since I have started losing again after the crazy birth of DS (a story for another time), I decided I should look up the caloric content of my beloved cranberry lime-aid. It really wasn't too bad -- nothing I couldn't justify if I cut it down to once a week or so. What really burst my bubble were the actual contents of this drink. Are you ready? Sprite, lime juice, and cranberry juice cocktail. Hmph! I know it's silly, but I had this drink all hyped up in my head being made with some mysterious concoction of awesomeness. Now I know I can make the damn thing at home -- and with Sprite Zero! The other thing that bothers me is the whole pop thing. I mean, I knew it had some carbonation in it, but it just never occurred to me that I was guzzling down cup after cup of POP. I have been religious about avoiding pop since I got banded (except when I was unfilled completely during pregnancy), so I am a little disappointed in myself for breaking that rule. I've been working on phasing them out of my life. Lime-aids, that is. Not rules. Well, maybe rules too!

Mirrors

I just realized last night that we don't have any full-length mirrors in our house. Even in the bathroom, the only mirror is on the door of the medicine cabinet above the sink. Then there's another small decorative one in the dining room, but that's it! We used to have one of those full-length mirrors that mounts to a door, but it was always just leaning against a wall somewhere. When we had DD, we moved it to the basement while we were rearranging, and we never brought it back out.

For a long time, I didn't really care, because I didn't exactly relish the thought of looking at myself. When I've had occasion to shower at my mom's house, I've always had a huge reality check undressing in front of her wall-size mirror. These days, though, I think I'd really appreciate seeing how I'm changing. Maybe I need to find that mirror and hang it up!

Mini goal: Check!

If you remember three weeks ago, I set a mini-goal to be sub 230 by today, my fill appointment day. Well, I did it! 229.5 this morning! This means I am a mere 4.5 lbs away from the 50lb mark and my pre-baby weight. Everything after that is new territory for me post-band.

I'm still feeling a little wishy-washy about getting a fill, but I think I'll ask for just a small one. I have a 4cc band, and I've never tolerated more than 2ccs in it. I'm at 1cc right now, with pretty good restriction, so perhaps 0.25 will give me that little bump I'm looking for. I spent four months of my first year banded too tight and living on chili and ice cream. Let me tell you, you don't lose weight that way! At least I can say I've learned from that mistake. How did I get that tight and stay there for so long you ask? Here's a little of my band history for you...

I had my surgery January 22, 2007. My doc was fairly conservative with fills, until that fall rolled around and she announced she was closing her practice and moving to Chicago. I happened to be going in for a fill, and she gave me a hefty one that put me at a little over 2ccs. At this point, I had lost about 25lbs (I'm a very slow loser compared to most others I read about). A few weeks later, she backed me off to 1.9 or so right before she left, and there I sat. Slider foods all the way. Then I got preggo with #1, and found myself a new fill doc. I'm really happy with him, as he is much more hands on in the fact that he'll give me a fill and then want to see me in six to eight weeks to keep up. My original doc would give me a fill, then just send me on my way. I don't want to make her sound absent, she was in fact extremely accessible. I just felt like I needed a little more hand-holding at first, and I didn't get that from her. I always wonder what happened to her -- we kept in touch at first, but it sort of tapered off.

Anyway, since I spent almost 2 of the last three years pregnant, it's not too much of a surprise that I haven't lost more weight. I have a lot of confidence though. Now that I'm done having kids and I have Dr. K behind me, I think I am going to finally get there!

Happy Sunday!

I hope all of you out there are having a good weekend. Hubs and I have gotten tons of chores done. This is the first weekend in a while where we didn't have any obligations. We even managed to get the kids napping at the same time twice!

We have set a giant goal for ourselves to pay off our last credit card within the next year. If we stick to the budget we set up, it should be easy. Unfortunately, we are both notorious impulse buyers and collectors, but I think the carrot at the end of this stick is big enough to keep us in line. It all comes down to getting out of our house. There's nothing wrong with it -- it's just feeling a bit small with 2 kids now, and we're on a main road, which has a whole host of annoyances. I'm dreaming of a house with a decent yard, on a nice quiet side street where I can leave my front door open without getting tons of road dirt blown in and hear the tv without having to strain over the traffic noise. Oh yeah, and enough room so that our office doesn't have to be in our bedroom. Someday...

So, I'm having an underwear dilemma. I noticed mine were getting a little loose -- they are 14/16 from good ol' Lane Bryant. It's the smallest they make, so now what? In my smaller days I used to wear buy my undies at Victoria's Secret, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. I tried buying a pack from Target, but the size I should be according to their chart was too big. I guess I'm going to have to go to Sears or Macy's or somewhere I can try them on. This is one of those good, but annoying NSVs. Good because it means I'm getting smaller, annoying because now I have to find new favorite underwear!

BYOC

Man, I have been lame about posting this week! I got a few idears in the works. Maybe I'll have five minutes to myself this weekend to get them out. In the meantime, here's some BYOC.

1. If you could be a cartoon character – who would you be and why?

I'm going to go with Wonder Woman here. Who doesn't want super powers? And let's face it, she's pretty hot in her little leotard get-up and golden wrist bands!

2. Who was your teenage heart throb? (Thanks Fiona for this one)

I had a brief fling with Danny Wood from NKOTB, but my real love was Evander Holyfield. I know, weird, right? I also had a thing for Michael Hutchence and LL Cool J.

3. Do you believe being overweight is about a mental obstacle or do you believe it’s simply about overeating/food?

I believe being overweight is an extremely complicated phenomenon. For each person, it has different facets. I think I could write three books about this.

4. What’s your all-time favorite song?

I'm going to cheat a little here and name my all-time favorite album. It is Twice Removed by Sloan. The whole thing reminds me a really fun and happy time in my life, and I never get tired of listening to it. One song in particular that I love is I Can Feel it. It's just really sweet, and it reminds me of falling in love with my hubster long before I even knew it.


5. Whose blog or comment spoke to you/stuck with you this week and why?

I've gotta go with Amy's progress pics. It just shows that amazing things are possible! Go, Amy!

Block

I'm having one of those weeks where I feel like I'm doing all I can just to keep my head above water. At work today, I looked at a coworker and said, "I can't believe it's only Tuesday." He agreed by faux-fainting nearly to the floor. At least the feelings are mutual.

I tried getting some exercise in yesterday, but that turned into a giant afternoon of fail. I got myself all ready, started warming up, then realized I had to take a dump. So, I sat on the pot for 20 minutes for NOTHING. Took some Miralax, did some laundry and some dishes, gave up and took a shower, and THEN I pooped. Don't you hate it when that happens? Also, I don't understand my digestive system. How does Miralax work on me in less than an hour? It must be some kind of placebo effect.

Isn't it annoying when you think something good just happened, but then it turns out bad? I hate to be so vague, but it has to do with work, so I can't talk about it (like Fight Club!). Suffice it to say, I've had enough drama for this week already.

And I can't even come up with an interesting Facebook status.

Enough negativity from me. How about some good stuff? I'm well on my way to meeting my mini-goal. I weighed in at 230.7 on Sunday morning! Getting there!

BYOC

BYOC Friday!

1. Do you have any nicknames?

I have a few nicknames. My family calls me MiMi, and a certain group of friends calls me Mia. My favorite nickname is one from high school, which was a variation of my maiden name.


2. What was your “last straw”? The incident/situation that made you decide to get a lap band or commit to losing weight via any plan this time?

I can't think of any one incident that was a last straw; it was more of a series of uncomfortable events. One in particular that I remember happened when I was working at Starbucks a few years ago. A customer called the store -- she had been in earlier. She was trying to figure out who had waited on her and couldn't remember the person's name. I asked her what the person looked like, and she said, "Brown hair, brown eyes..." At this point I know it's me, because I was the only one fitting the description. And then she follows up with, "You know, the heavy girl." I about died. It was all I could do to get through the the rest of the conversation. Consider that, at the time, I had just lost 30lbs and weighed about 205, so I had been feeling pretty good about myself. That just floored me, and on top of it, I felt it was so unfeeling of her to say that knowing it could be that person on the phone. I'm sure she didn't even think about it.



3. What’s your favorite joke or funny story?
This one has been around the net a million times, but it always makes me giggle:

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."

So next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after mass, he found the following note on the door:

1. Sip the Vodka, don't gulp.
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3. There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.
6. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
7. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as daddy, junior and the spook.
8. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him.
9. When David was hit by a rock and knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
10. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T."
11. When Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper he said,"Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me"
12. The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry,"
13. The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, yeah God.
14. Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St.Peter's, not a peter pulling contest at St.Taffy's.


4. If you could be a TV dinner – what flavor would you be?
Spaghetti and meatballs!


5. The question we do every week so everyone can be a little famous without having to do an official blog award….what blog or comment stuck with you or spoke to you the most this week and why?

I have to give a hand to Debi as she has given quite a few shout-outs this week to us new band bloggers. That is totally awesome - thanks Debi!

I got my ass kicked today...

and it was awesome! I went to a free session at a Crossfit gym, and I am hooked! We went through a bunch of fundamental moves like Olympic lifts and pushups (I suck at those). It was super fun. Now to scrape up some cashola so I can do more training there.

The trainer and I talked about what I had been doing (the running) and how it felt to my knees, he suggested giving it a rest and walk instead. He thought it would be a good idea to walk instead and go back to the running after I lose a few more pounds and build up my leg muscles. He completely validated how I've been feeling about it, so walk I shall.

Is it dumb that I feel like such a badass for doing push presses and squats? I'm such a weightlifting nerd!

And I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

A new look and other sleepy ramblings

Imagine that... I was sick of that background already. What really pushed me over the edge was seeing it on another monitor and realizing how awful the colors could be. Eesh.

I'm starting to think I'm overdoing it with the running. I know I should expect some aches and pains along the way, but my knees were hurting all day. Maybe keeping to a brisk walk would do for now. Am I giving up to easy? I don't know. Sometimes I just think about all that extra weight jarring my joints, and I worry I'll end up needing my knees replaced when I'm 40. No thanks.

My scrub pants are starting to fall off. This is annoying only because I just bought a new pair in that size. Now if only my boobs would shrink a little so I could wear my old tops.

I keep getting distracted by LOST. Maybe I should just pack it in for tonight.

Mini goal check-in

The scale surprised me this morning with 232.7! I just may make my goal to be sub 230 by the 17th!

I was beginning to get down about my slow progress again, but as I was updating my ticker for lapbandtalk, I realized I've lost 10 lbs over the past 6 weeks! How can I be upset about that?!?

Today's plan: liquids to heal my fussy tum, another round of C25k Week 2, and positive thoughts.

To fill or not to fill?

My band is such a fickle bitch. I've been practically salivating over my fill appointment coming up in two weeks, yet tonight I yakked up a mere slice of eggplant parm. Le sigh. I probably took too big of a bite at one point; I know I didn't overdo it on quantity. It's quite frustrating.

So, now I'm just not sure what to do about that appointment. Do I still get a little fill and just buckle down hard on small bites and chewing? Learn my lesson the hard way? I guess I'll have to see how these next two week go. At least I know I'll drop an extra pound with my liquid and mushy days this week.

One thing I've been talking about doing, and will implement this week, is eating from toddler bowls. I have a stack of them for my daughter, and it occurred to me the other day that they are the perfect size for me. I do usually eat off of salad plates instead of large dinner plates, but you can still fit a good amount of food on a salad plate. I think I get in trouble a lot by putting too much food on my plate, and subsequently eating too much. If I start with the little toddler bowl, at least I know I can get more if I'm still hungry, which I won't be in all likelihood.

Back to the grossness for a sec... Who ever came up with the term PB? I have never "burped" up food. That is much too gentle of a term for what happens to me. When I'm stuck, I know I'm in for a full out vom. PB, my ass.

On a lighter note, just watched two funny things tonight: Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion and Year One.

BYOC... from Drazil

1. What’s your favorite smell?

My kids. Especially when they were super tiny newborns. They just have this special little almost spicy smell. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it!

2. What is your all-time favorite movie and why?

This is so hard to pick because I watch a ton of movies. But, if I have to narrow it down... First, Empire of the Sun. There are so many little things about the movie I like. Great story, great characters. And a young Christian Bale!

Also, and I know you're going to laugh, I love Xanadu. I was a huge Olivia Newton John fan when I was a kid (my first two records!), and I just cannot get enough of this movie, as cheesy as it is. I bring it out at least once a year, and the soundtrack is in my car right now.

3. What’s your trigger food?

Candy. Any kind, any way. I am a junk-a-holic. I used to have a real problem in that whenever I went to the grocery store or drug store, I always grabbed a candy bar for myself. Every time. Sometimes I would even manufacture a reason to go, just so I had an excuse to grab one. When I feel the urge to do that now, I grab a drink instead, like a Diet Snapple or something that I normally wouldn't treat myself to.

4. When someone you love is going through a difficult time – what are your go-to words to make them feel better – in just a sentence or two?

I am so horrible at this kind of thing. I have a hard time expressing my feelings, so I usually just say something to the effect of, "I'm here if you need to talk, or if you just need a hug."

5. This one is always the same. Who is your nominee for the blog of the week for YOU? Which blog OR comment touched your heart, spoke to you, stuck with you all week?

I would have to say Beth. She had a couple posts that I totally related to, even the one about getting a Mucinex pill stuck. Boy, did that bring back some memories!