Ode To Dunkin' Donuts Coffee

"There's no point to any of this. It's just a... a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a quarter-pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moments where your laughter becomes a cackle... and I, I sit back and smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt."

This quote from the movie "Reality Bites" is one of my favorites.  Only I would substitute the quarter pounder with a Dunkin' Donuts coffee.  Oh, and 86 the Camel Straights...yuck. 

For the last 2 weeks, everyday on my way to work I've stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to get the same thing:  a medium coffee, 2 Sweet n' Lows and extra cream.  All this yumminess for 90 calories.  And the absolute best part?  It totally curbs my appetite.  No wonder models exist on coffee and cigarettes.  Of course this is not all I have for breakfast (what kind of a bander do you take me for??).  I start the day with a protein bar around 8am. 

And one day, the guy in front of me even paid for my coffee!  Love random acts of kindness!  And as soon as I pay off my medical bills, I might be able to return the favor!

Sooo...This Is What It Is Like To Have The Lap-Band

I think I may have found my sweet spot.  My last fill was on June 6th.  The first 2 weeks, I didn't feel much, but now...I can only eat between 1/2- 1 cup at a time.  Oh, and by the way, I know this because I am continuing to measure all my meals.  I make sure my entire meal fits into two 1/2 cup containers.  I have also lost a total of 8.5 pounds since June 6th.

Lost: 8.5 pounds and frustration
Found: MOTIVATION

Have a great weekend everyone...oh and please pardon the look of the blog...I am "redecorating"!

I'm Back...

So I took a bit of a breather there.  Mostly because I was getting a bit frustrated and worried.  I was stuck in this fluctuation of 3-4 pounds for about a month.  I would gain a couple pounds then lose 3, gain 1 lose 1...then I got worried that my band wasn't working.  Was my esophogus dialated?  Did I stretch my pouch?  I had days where I swear I could eat a horse and then 2 days later could only eat what a bandster "should" be able to eat.  Then I had a fill 2 weeks ago...that got me worried again.  I went to a Mexican restaurant for my birthday lunch with friends from work and I was able to eat 2 whole brisket tacos with absolutely no problem.  Oy.  So fast forward to this past weekend and some enlightenment provided by Lap Band Gal.  She blogged that at any given time she could eat more than the regulated 1 cup of food, but she chooses to only eat 1 cup or less (paraphrasing of course).  Cue light bulb.  So with that info I have decided to start portioning out my food in 1 cup portions like this (tonights dinner: 2.5 oz chicken and 1/2 c of risotto.  Chicken = 115 cals, risotto = 85 cals.  Total protein = 17 grams):

And guess what?  This totally satisfied me.  I WILL GET IT THROUGH MY HEAD THAT THE POINT IS TO EAT TO WHERE YOU ARE SATISFIED, NOT EAT UNTIL THE BAND "STOPS" YOU.

I would love to hear from my fellow bloggers or followers if they have experienced any of this and what they have done about it.  Do you portion out all your meals?  What are your tips?

Oh and I have also learned something about fills.  The number of ccs you have in your band means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.  I currently have 5.7 ccs in my band after 5 fills.  I don't feel completely in that I am in that green zone or sweet spot yet, but I hope I am close to getting there.  I know some bandsters that only have 2 ccs in their bands and are in the green zone.  I also know some bandsters that didn't reach the green zone until they had 9 ccs in their 10 cc band.  If you are new and reading this, please do not get hung up on this number.  Just focus on what is working for you.  I personally like to know how many ccs are in my band because I am curious...not because it really means anything other than a number.  I didn't always think this way...it is hard not to think that this whole process would be easier if they threw 7 ccs in the band at the beginning, but we need to trust the process and recognize that the band is a tool, not a complete solution.

Ok, so that is it for now.  I vow to be more vigilant about blogging...it sure keeps me honest.