Ok...so I lied

I am NOT moving to Facebook.  Way too many restrictions as far as what I can post.  So I deleted that page...don't go looking for it because it ain't gonna be there! 

So anyway...I just had my 6th fill.  I am at just under 6 ccs. AND I AM IN THE GREEN ZONE BABY!  I am consistently eating 1/2 to 1 cup per meal and feeling satisfied.  And that satiety lasts for at least 4 hours.  And the best news??  I am down a total of 60 pounds.  I haven't weighed this "little" in over 8 years.  I am also going to take this opportunity to give myself a pat on the back...I have not had a drop of a carbonated beverage since January 8, 2011.  And let me tell you...It is HARD.  That is what I crave the most.  Just a Diet Coke...maybe with a little lime...but I fear I'm a bit like a crack addict and one sip will lead to another, will lead to another...you get the picture.  So what is your craving?  Do you ever give into it?  How do you avoid temptation?  Also - I am curious - does anyone still use a straw to drink?  I was told this was big no-no.  Strange how everything varies between surgeons!

Amanda

Please "LIKE" my Facebook Page

All - I am transitioning out of this blog and over to a Facebook "page".  I think I will have more sucess keeping up with Facebook than this blog...I have really, REALLY, (did I say really??) appreciated all your support and would LOVE it if you all would wander over to FB and do a simple search for "Band On The Run Amanda" and "like" my page!
Thanks and I will hopefully see all of you over there!!

Amanda

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.

Yes, I'm Alive

I've been a bad blogger.  I haven't blogged in FOREVER.  Sorry about that - life has been so busy.  Nothing too exciting, just BUSY.

I had another fill, but this time I only received .8 ccs.  The PA and I had a talk about not worrying about how much saline is in my band but rather if what I have is working for me.  I think I was getting too hung up on the number.  I have pretty good restriction now (it's been a week), but the restriction didn't come until one week after the fill.  Strange. 

I had a 3 month follow up appointment with my nutritionist this past Saturday.  It was actually a "class" with another "student".  The other lady in the class with me had Gastric Bypass 2 weeks after I had my lap band surgery.  And guess what?  We've both lost pretty much the same amount of weight.  I still am curious as to why some people choose Gastric Bypass.  It seems way more dangerous (the surgery, that is).  Anyway, I thought that was interesting and worth noting.  I know several people are reading this blog and trying to decide which route to take...So in this class, the nutritionist had us write a letter to ourselves, which she is going to mail to us in 5 weeks.  We sealed the envelope so hopefully she won't be reading them.  Mine said something like this "Dear Amanda - this is a stupid assignment.  Oh yeah, and exercise more.  Love, Me".  This "in touch with your feelings" crap is so not me.  We did learn some new exercise techniques, so at least I got something out of it.

The best news is I went shopping this weekend and bought sweater.  Wanna know what size it was??  Size LARGE.  That's right no Extra in front of that.  You know how long it has been since I wore a size Large??  Try forever.  Of course I had to document the occasion:

Updates

How's that for a witty blog title?

I'm struggling.  I'm frustrated.  My restriction is worse than the up and downs on a roller coaster. One day I can barely eat anything (meaning everything either has a hard time going down or as soon as it goes down, it gets stuck), the next, my restriction feels pretty normal.  Things I was able to eat a week ago, I can no longer eat...Is this normal (it's been 4 weeks since my last fill)?  I have an appointment for a fill on Thursday.

So here are some things on my "off-limit" list:

• bread (any kind unless toasted)
• rice
• leftover chicken or chicken that is not moist (by the way, moist is perhaps the worst word in the English language, don't you think?)
• steak
• skin on potatoes
• asparagus

Also - I was wondering about peanut butter.  This is one of my go-to snacks.  Just a spoonful right out of the jar.  It goes down easy and really satisfies.  But I noticed in lap band forums that other bandsters report this as being a "stuck food".  Does anyone have trouble with peanut butter?

I am also struggling with bite sizes - I think for the most part, the reasons I get stuck are because my bites are too big.  Any tips for this?  I did pretty good at Easter dinner yesterday - cut my ham into tiny "toddler" size pieces and ate my salad one leaf/vegetable at a time.  Definitely need to focus and get better at this.

On the up side, I've dropped 2 pants sizes and 3 shirt sizes.  Still trying to only buy a few things here and there.  I got this really cute cardigan from Banana Republic the other day:

 Normally $54 - on clearance for $9.99!  I love a good bargain!

You Would Cry Too If It Happened To You

I had chicken coming out my nose.  Yes you read that right.  I had MAJOR stuck episode today at Pei Wei.  Was it the rice?  Or the chicken?  I don't know, but I had to make my way to the bathroom after just 3 bites and up it came via normal routes and then it took a detour through my nose.  Never in my life have I had that happen.  Nor do I wish to experience it ever again.  Major YUCK. 

I am really struggling with what I can/can't eat...Previously I was able to eat the same thing at Pei Wei with no problems.  Now, not so much.  At first I thought it may be because of the size of bites I am taking, but even when I pay close attention, there are just some foods I was able to eat a couple of weeks ago that are no longer on the safe list.

That's all for now...just a quick update!

This Week in Band Land...

I have never been this busy in my life!  This new job is crazy (good crazy, but still crazy)!  By the time I get home from work, I am exhausted.  But I have been walking approximately 3 miles everyday and it is definitely showing on the scale.  I am down 43 pounds overall.  My restriction has been pretty good the last 2 weeks.  It has been a bit weird, though.  Like this past Sunday, I definitely had to pay attention to portions because I felt pretty hungry.  But on Monday?  Forget about it.  I could hardly get down a few bites of chicken at lunch and then for dinner I made a small frozen pizza (180 calories for the whole thing - I found them at Trader Joe's) and I could only manage to eat half the piece.  I only got in about 500 calories for the day - which I know is not good, but hey, what can you do? 

On an unrelated note, I thought I would just throw it out there that opinions are like bellybuttons (or other parts of the anatomy - trying to keep it family friendly here folks) - everyone has one.  But you know, they don't always need to be shared.  This comment is just a byproduct of the week I have had.  Totally not related to anyone who comments on my blog!                                                                                                                         

So...Here's Where I Am

MY FILL THAT I HAD A WEEK AGO? DEFINITELY WORKING...EVEN TOO MUCH ON SOME DAYS.  LAST THURSDAY I EXPERIENCED A TWO AND A HALF HOUR STUCK EPISODE, PART OF WHICH WENT ON THROUGH A MEETING A WORK.  LUCKILY THE LADY I HAD THE MEETING WITH WAS WELL AWARE OF MY SITUATION AND I COULD BE HONEST WITH HER.  THE CONVO KINDA WENT LIKE THIS - "I'M SORRY, I NEED TO EXCUSE MYSELF AND RUN TO THE BATHROOM.  AGAIN."  NEEDLESS TO SAY I WON'T BE EATING LEFTOVER FAJITAS FOR BREAKFAST ANY LONGER.  THAT WAS JUST PAINFUL.  THEN THERE WAS THE EPISODE AT IHOP ON SATURDAY.  NICE.  ALTHOUGH MY CLASSINESS PROBABLY FIT IN PRETTY WELL WITH THE REST OF THE CLIENTELE.  OTHER THAN THAT, MY RESTRICTION HAS BEEN ADEQUATE.

STILL TRYING TO GET IN MY EXERCISE EVERY DAY...DOING BETTER LATELY, JUST NEED TO KEEP IT UP.

BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH EVERYONE'S BLOGS -  I STILL READ ALL OF THEM!  I NEED TO MAKE TIME TO COMMENT TOO!

I HAVE TO DO SEVERAL INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK - THIS IS PART OF MY NEW POSITION AT WORK.  I'VE NEVER INTERVIEWED ANYONE BEFORE SO THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING...CAN I ASK IF THEY ARE DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN??  NO, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE SLIGHTLY INAPPROPRIATE (EVEN THOUGH I COULD PICK THE "WINNER" BASED ON THAT QUESTION ALONE).  WISH ME LUCK!

The Third Fill

Just got back to the office after my 3rd fill.  And guess what??  I got 2 ccs!!  The PA put 4 ccs in to begin with but when I drank the water it barely went down, so she kept backing the saline out until I felt ok.  So now I am at 3.4 ccs in my 10 cc band.

On a side note, do you ever feel like you can't believe things are working/going so well that something is bad is bound to happen?  My life right now is pretty much damn near perfect.  I love that I am finally losing weight, I am very excited about my new position here at work, my money situation is looking up, I am in a constant good mood...Maybe this is how "normal" people feel??  Anyway, whatever it is, it feels good to feel this way for a change! 

So, that's it.  Just a short post to report on my fill!

Off to listen to the new Britney CD.

This Week He's Moppin' Floors, Next Week It's The Fries

Sorry for the obscure title, but that is how my brain functions.  It's a line from "Gold Digger" by Kanye West and I thought it was apropos for this:

I finally received the job offer for a Team Leader position here at work - and I accepted.  Very excited to start down this new path!  The raise doesn't hurt either!  Gotta get bank for all those new clothes I intend to buy!

And tomorrow is FILL DAY!  Yay!  This will be my 3rd fill.  I can hardly believe it!  And it will be a test of how assertive I can be.  I will definitely be asking for a more aggressive fill this time.

My mom's neighborhood is having a community garage sale this Saturday, so I spent all day Sunday going through everything I own to pick out stuff to sell.  Came up with TONS of stuff, mostly clothes though.  So then I went to Office Max to get price tag stickers.  You can get a package of 350 stickers for $2.50, *and* they are pre-priced in denominations from $.10 to $20.  This is supposed to make it easy, right?  Then, OMG, what in the hell is wrong with me?  I had several items that the stickers wouldn't stick to.  So I got out my ribbon holder with its Martha Stewart ribbon and some paper and made my own price tags for these items.  Here I was sitting in the middle of the floor cutting paper, punching holes, tying ribbon on GARAGE SALE ITEMS.  When I was attempting to tie a tag on an item I was asking TEN CENTS for, I thought it might be time for a 12 step program for Organizing OCD.  Aunt Sue, do you have answer, because this is straight up Aunt Sue behavior! Oy...somebody help me. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday...I will report back after my "kick butt and take names later" fill approach.

Lots Goin' On...

WARNING!  This will be a post of complete randomness.  Don't say you weren't warned.

So my restricition?  Yep, that lasted 2 whole days. Then went right back into feeling NADA.  Oh well.  I go for my next fill in less than a week.  I will be having a nice little chat with my conservative surgeon - no tea and crumpets provided.

If you know anything about me, you know that A) I am not a patient person, B) I am impulsive, and C) I love my dog entirely too much.  Now C has nothing to do with this post, but when you are trying to make a point you have to have an A, B, and C.  All that to say, I AM DYING, well not literally dying, for some info here at work.  Can't say what yet, but in the name of Britney Jean Spears, someone better make a decision SOON.

Speaking of Britney Jean Spears...I heart her.  Excited for her new album to come out next week.  Should have some good work out tunes.

Oh, and I am down 35 pounds.  Yay.

New Food Find

Yummy goodness!  I got these at Target today (after I tried one from a co-worker):

I got the variety pack with White Chocolate Macadamia, Peanut Butter Cookie and Lemon Zest.  They also come in a variety pack with Nutz Over Chocolate, Caramel Nut Brownie and S'mores.  They are only 80 calories a piece and they have 4 grams of protien.

I also bought these:

These have have 12 grams of protien and 190 calories.

Ask And You Shall Receive

That fill that was doing absolutely nothing for me?  You know, the one I was just complaining about in the prior post?  Yeah, well, I must have really pissed it off because yesterday and today I have be T-I-G-H-T, tight!  Wowza!  Have been eating tortillas since I was banded with no problems - not anymore.  In fact I almost had a PB incident here at work during lunch.  I actually had to run into the bathroom.  And of course, me being me, I checked all the stalls and saw someone was in the last one so I went back in the hall and paced.  Didn't want to gross out the lone person in the bathroom, heaven forbid!  Noooo, I'd rather feel like a golf ball is stuck in my esophagus for an eternity.  Thankfully, I became unstuck and no longer had to worry about bathroom occupancy.  Bet that was more than you needed to know!  Oh the joys of being banded!

It remains to be seen if this restriction will last, but I must say it is nice to finally, truly, feel the band working!

To Fill Or Not To Fill???

So I bit the bullet and moved up my next fill from 4 weeks to 3 weeks.  Now I just have to remember to be a bit more assertive with whomever is giving me that fill!  Right now I can only eat about a cup of food at a time, but I get hungry about 2 hours later.  Today I had oatmeal with almonds and skim milk for breakfast and I couldn't even eat the full serving.  I had that at 7am and by 9am at work it felt like I hadn't eaten a thing!  So I had a banana.  Guess what?  I don't think I like bananas much.  Could only eat about half of that before it started tasting "funny"...For lunch I brought left over asparagus risotto and sliced peaches.  The risotto really seemed to fill me up yesterday so hopefully it will do the same today!

Hope everyone has a good Monday!  Looking forward to watching The Bachelor finale tonight...even though I already know the outcome (thanks Reality Steve).

Weekend Photo Essay

First, thanks to everyone who commented on my last post.  Your encouragement is much appreciated!  I know it takes a while to get restriction and I definitely need to work on my patience! 

I went to Trader Joe's today to do my grocery shopping.  Picked up a lot of different items (all between 90 and 250 calories per serving):


OATMEAL, ALMONDS & BROWN SUGAR



ASPARAGUS RISOTTO



CHEESE ENCHILADAS



POLENTA, SPINACH & PEAS



MINI BEEF TACOS



MY ESSENTIAL UNSWEETENED TEA AND SKIM MILK



PRE-SLICED CANTALOUPE AND WATERMELON





VEGGIE EGG ROLLS

I have also been walking more...the weather has been perfect.  Sunny and in the 70s. 

And finally here's my 2 month picture:

Are You There Restriction? It's Me, Amanda.

I keep calling and calling.  Still, no answer.  I read these blogs where people speak of "tightness" and I am jealous.  What does that feel like?  'Cause these 1.4 ccs are not cutting it.  I really feel that I am having to "diet" meaning my band isn't helping me as much as I think it should.  My PA said I can go back in 3 weeks for another fill and I think I am going to take her up on that offer, because this, quite frankly, SUCKS.  I am still losing, albeit s-l-o-w-l-y.  So that's good.  And I know I have to get better with the exercising...but still!  I feel if I ask the PA to be more "aggressive" she'll...I don't know...spank me??  Yell at me??  Yank my band out and say NO MORE???  Maybe I just need to be more agressive myself at my next appointment.

Anyway - onto the weekend.  Thank GOD!

Fill Number Two

Got my second fill today and you aren't going to believe how much they gave me!  Ready?  Wait for it...A WHOLE 0.4 CCs!!  Sweet Baby Jesus, was I disappointed.  I thought for sure I would at the very least get one whole cc bringing me to 2 ccs in total.  Nope.  So this was my experience (would love if other bandsters would chime in and let me know if this is typically how their fills go):

Water - ready to drink!

This is my "fill room"!

First, let me start off by saying that I apparently had 2 ccs in my band when I was originally banded (I had thought it was completely empty) - the nurse confirmed this when I asked again if I only had 1 cc put in during my last fill.  She said "they took 2 out and put 1 in".  Glad to know I am so on top of the fluids going into my body.

Anyway, the PA came in and found my port quite easily enough and removed the 1 cc I had in there and put in 3 ccs.  Then I drank the water and she asked if I could "feel the water trying to bubble back up in my esophagus"...???  I sort of could (I guess).  So she removed some saline.  Then I drank again.  I told her this time the water went down easier.  She told me she was going to take a bit more out since food is harder to get down than water.  And that's how I ended up with a whopping 1.4 ccs TOTAL in my band.  She did say I could come back in 3 weeks instead of 4 if I didn't feel good restriction.  So we shall see.  Today is back to liquids so the real test will come later this week.

Here's hoping to some good restriction!

Monday Ponderings

So I get my second fill tomorrow.  I am beyond excited.  I still am in search of that elusive restriction.  I am hoping this fill will be a bit more helpful than the last.

As we tend to do in blog land, I have been reading more and more blogs and I've run across an interesting phenomenon:  Band Vacations (having their bands completely deflated for a period of time).  This has me completely flummoxed.  Why would you want to take a vacation and thus set up possible failure??  To me, the best part of the band is if you want to "cheat" and have something lacking nutritional value, you can, but your band keeps you from over induldging.  I guess there are a few bandsters out there that miss eating in abundance?  I am not judging - I am merely reacting, as I can't imagine myself ever doing this.  I guess I looked at this journey as continuum.  I don't ever want to "go back" - if I never get to eat 4 pieces of pizza again, oh well.  I will gladly settle for one.

I'll report back after my fill tomorrow...until then...