Just a little update

Home from a crazy few days of work and long days.  Managed to keep up the protein and my vitamins and my exercise this week and dropped a couple of pounds.

Off to the lake this weekend - it is going to be 107 - which means lots of time in the water which is great exercise and will feel good on the body.  Love being in the water.

Summer is flying by - soon will be taking my DD to college and my DS will be starting 8th grade - where does the time go???

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.

Thanks for being an inspiration in your posts.  I may not post a lot on mine but I do read all of you!

Ten Things Thursday

It's Thursday and in my quest to blog more and track my journey here we go:

1 - Went to sushi last night new place that just opened in the neighborhood - I love sushi - enjoyed it without all the rice and extra "stuff" and ate less and felt great about it.  Wasn't afraid to ask for substitutions or changes to the menu - first for me - i usually just take what they serve...

2 - These delta breezes are amazing today - love that the windows are open and the breeze is heading in - no AC this morning!

3 - DD had a great orientation for college - so proud of her and her new adventures that will start soon.

4 - No further stuck issues - chew, chew, chew.

5 - I have discovered chaika (sp?) protein shakes that have caffeine and taste like a latte - yum!  Now i do my regular cup of coffee and instead of a second cup i have this - now getting in more protein.

6 - Turning 41 on monday - need to change my about me in my blog.

7 - Will be taking some progress photos today and start building out a page of progress.

8 - Found some new blogs to follow of bandsters just starting out - love my veterans and all they post but looking forward to seeing how people do on similar paces as me.  Thanks to those that post about new bandsters!

9 - I have been tracking my food.

10 - Gym or exercise today!

Found this pic from my vacation - reminds me of how nice it was by the pool.  Would love to be there right now :-)  Alas sitting behind the computer working away :-)

OMG - Worst night of this journey so far

This post is going to be a little yuck - warning, warning!

Last night had to have been the WORST night in this journey so far.  I ate too fast, didn't chew enough, and was stuck and sliming and PB'ing for about 2 hours...I never threw up as no bile taste in my mouth but OMG, i have never experienced something so uncomfortable and disgusting in my life.  Thankfully, I was home all alone and worked it through without an audience but here is what i learned:

1 - Chew, chew, chew - and if you think you chewed enough go another few chews - read on a board last night that someone says the abc's while they chew...great idea!!!

2 - Don't eat mindlessly - many of you have gotten stuck when you aren't paying attention to what you are eating - exactly what happened last night!!!  UGH!

3 - Water on top of stuck is not a good idea.

4 - Pineapple juice helped a little but also came back up.

5 - You can really tell when it has either all come up or it has passed through your band - I am so learning how to listen to my body.

So today - liquids and mushies to be kind to my band and the way I feel today which is not fabulous...

Learning, it is a learning process, i have to keep telling myself that. And last night's lesson, I could have skipped but honestly now I know...and it has stopped in my tracks - don't ever want to do that again...and especially since my job takes me into public eating situations...don't ever want to go through that while at a work function...

So to end on a positive - two good things came out of last nights experience:

1 - I learned more about what this journey is.
2 - I dropped some weight - not the right way to drop the weight and I am sure it will come right back but i did like the number this morning.

Been awhile

It's been awhile but I am back into my old routine after 10 days in Vegas, a crazy graduation of my daughter (cancelled graduation because of heat - some of you may have seen it in the national news - crazy we made national news) and then ~20 days of vacation (much needed...)

In spite of being gone I am happy to say that through the work dinners, the too good mai tai's, the yummy lava flows, too much tuna poke, a band with zero restriction, I am down two pounds.  So on my docs scale - down 22, on my own scale, down 26 - woo hoo - I will take it...so down 26 since i made the decision to get the band March 3 and down 22 since my band date, April 25.  I was hoping to be down a little more but i will take the 22 or 26 :-).

I had a fill appt on July 2nd - 4 cc's to start.  What a strange feeling to get the fill - not painful but it took my doc a few mins to find the port...that wasn't so awesome :-)  But all went well.  

So how are things going now?  Pretty good - very tight in the morning, gurgling when i drink my coffee in the morning. So I don't start my day with food.

And yes, I got back into some bad old habits the last month:

1 - Alcohol, mostly wine, but there has been beer - so bubbles - I actually didn't have any issues with the beer but the empty calories I know are my undoing and my lack of loss.

2 - Drinking while eating - this is one of those cardinal rules I wasn't following - so now I am back on track and following that again.

3 - When I am on vacation and out of my routine, I give myself way too much license to do lots of bad eating, mostly mindless and snacking, and salty foods, not healthy foods - not good.  

4 - Eating too fast equals feeling stuck...need to remember to slow down.

5 - Drinking from a straw - another thing that shouldn't be done but i didn't have any issues.

All of the above things i am sure is because I was healed and had no restriction.

I feel as if I am losing my hair...I know that many of you have experienced that too so I am really going to start focusing on my protein intake and do some homework on best supplements to take to help with this.  

So in all, the band stuff is positive, summer is usually a time for too much eating and drinking and gaining weight - but not this summer - I am maintaining and now on track to losing.  Back to the gym this week.

Family life - not that great - DS and I are not getting along great, yesterday in an argument he said four times - I can't take this anymore - I didn't ask what "this" was - he will figure it out and tell me - but honestly the door is always an option - don't do me any favors - if you don't want to be here - you have options.  Don't make my life or others here in this house miserable.

Sorry to close on a downer.

Goals for this week:

1 - No drinking while eating

2 - Find a supplement for hair loss

3 - Go to the gym three times

4 - Have at least one protein shake a day

5 - Take vitamins every day

6 - Log my food and exercise