Vacay Update!

I'm still mid-vacation...lucky me!

We were at the beach house last week and it was beautiful! No tar, no oil, no smell...it was fabulous! I'll share pics when I get back to NJ. I even went to a water park!

We came back to ATL yesterday and I went to my original surgeon's office. I spoke to the Nurse Practitioner and we talked about the problems I've had. She agreed that some fluid had to come out. So, she took out 2cc and that now leaves me at 3.9cc. Sooo, I'm pretty loose, but I think this is what my body needs to heal, especially from the reflux.

I'm at a new low, 192.8 (I left the ticker at 193 b/c I round up) so I finally passed that 70lb mark! 40lb more to go to my ULTIMATE goal. :)

I'll post more when I get back to NJ!

And I'm Off!!!

Hitting the road in just a few hours! I'll be making my way back to GA (for about 5 min) then on to PCB, FL! I'm stopping in S. VA for the night tonight and will finish my drive tomorrow.

2 whole weeks away from work! I can't wait!

I plan to spend as much time at the beach / in the ocean and take as many pictures as I can before the oil hits my beloved PCB. I have to enjoy it while I can.

Also, planning to eat lots of fish and shrimp (well, as much as my band will allow)!

I'll be reading while I'm gone, but prob. not updating too much.

In case I miss it, Happy 4th!!!

Followers...

Just a quick note to say that if you follow me, but I don't follow you, please leave a comment so I can be sure to start following you!

Decisions About the Future of My Band

I had my follow up with the NP at my new doctor's office. We got through all the formalities and she asked "How are you doing?" My answer? "Not so great." I went through the laundry list of issues from last post plus some (having difficulty drinking water, GERD, barely eating mushy food, constantly feeling my band, losing hair etc.) and I'm only at 5.9cc after having up to 6.2cc. I asked her "is it supposed to be this hard? should i be suffering with my band so much?" She said no, absolutely not.

I'll skip giving you the play by play of our conversation, but basically I told her what I was planning and she agreed. I'm leaving to go to our beach house in Panama City Beach on Friday (helloooo 19 hour drive) and after spending a week there, I'm staying in Atlanta for a week. The Monday of the week I'll be home I have an appt. scheduled at my original doctor's office. I'm getting at least 1cc taken out...maybe even 2cc. I just need my band / stomach / esophagus to get better. I'll be back in August and will possibly get some of the fluid added back, but prob. not all.

I'm preparing for a more difficult weight loss. I know it will be harder with a looser band, but I can't take eating like this anymore. I want vegetables, I want rotisserie chicken, I want lean ground hamburger. And, actually, the weight loss might be easier with a looser band. I'll have more energy, feel like working out, and feel like eating healthier / better quality foods than the slider foods I've been eating. I'm tired of being dehydrated. I'm tired of constantly thinking if a certain food will go down. I'm tired of being constantly worried of throwing up.

Ready to get this healing process show on the road.

New Food Ideas, Hair Loss, & GERD

I attempted to eat part of a burrito bowl from Chipotle today. Yeah, the 7/8ths that I didn't eat is still sitting right here next to me. Good news: I didn't PB and I was able to get some really quality bites of chicken. Bad news: Like I mentioned a sec ago, I barely ate 1/8th of it. $8.00 down the tube!

So, it got me thinking about food and how, lately, I've been eating slider foods b/c I'm terrified of PBing (which I often do). I was reading Lap Band Gal's blog and she listed a recipe for a pretty darn healthy custard (mmmm) and mentioned a website, Bariatric Eating, which has lots of great recipes! Now, realize that this website is geared more to the bypassers so you really need to do the nutritionals on the recipes (since they don't worry as much about fat), but a lot of the recipes are really great! What a wonderful resource!

What food can you eat that you don't have to worry about getting stuck / PBing that are nutritious? I'm thinking I'll make (not all at one time, mind you) some mashed "potatoes" aka cauliflower, a lean meat loaf (or maybe I'll make my dad make one when I'm home in two and a half weeks), rotisserie chicken, def. the custard, etc. What are veggies you can eat?

Also, I'm losing my hair. Bad. Clumps of it every time I touch my head and I really don't have a lot of hair to begin with. I know it means I'm protein deficient (hello! slider foods!) so I'm working on that, but meat really scares me for the PB factor.

Also, I've had the dreaded GERD ever since I was so tight this last time. I wake up in the middle of the night with a mouth full of acid and have to run to the sink to spit it out. It's disgusting. I started taking some Prilosec, but it's really not helping. I know I need to not eat or drink anything a few hours before bed, but this is when my band is loose(r) for the day and I can get in the liquids and calories I didn't earlier in the day.

Ugh. The price we pay.

Vacay and Oil Spill

Pretty much not related to the band.

I'm so excited! In a week and a half Manolo and I are driving back to ATL and immediately to my parents beach house in Panama City Beach, FL. My Lovie (niece) will even be there! Just me, mom, dad, and my Lovie (and Manolo, too). A week in FL and a week in ATL. That's two weeks of not dealing with my job and two weeks of being back in my beloved South.

I've been looking forward to this for MONTHS, but now it's different. Stupid oil spill. Stupid BP. Stupid stupid stupid (I'm boycotting BP, btw, and hope you are, too). I cry daily thinking of what we've done to the animals (dead oil-soaked dolphin, anyone?) and to the environment. I cry because I want to know why God would let this happen. I cry because I think of all the people who live 365 days a year at the beach and rely on tourism for their income. I cry b/c this affects my parents income. And, I cry b/c we've ruined my favorite place on Earth and it will take years and years to clean up and may still never be back to the way it was.

Enough rant.

I'm getting a new MacBook and a new iPhone.

There, I ended on a happy note.

Evidence

This is me in my new 14 jeans that I bought this afternoon! Never thought I'd be so happy to be a 14!

New NSV!

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have fitness class. Last night my trainer came up to me and said, "You look different!" and I said, "How do you mean?" He said, "You look like you've lost a bunch...have you?" and I only saw him last Wednesday. I said "YES! I have!"

It made me so excited!

One of my coworkers also commented on how much thinner I look and I see the guy every day...maybe I was having a skinny day yesterday ;)

Either way, I'll take it!

Fat Celebrities?

I was reading the NY Daily News this am, there was a link to a photo gallery of gorgeous celebs made to look fat.

Have a look here.

Is this not hilarious? Take the doctored photo of Megan Fox. Who has a chin like that yet still has their collar bones showing? Fat people aren't only heavy in the chin...it's all over. I find it so amusing to see how others see "fatness."

Happy Post-Memorial Day!

Usually, I would be very depressed on the first day of the work week, but not so this week! Only 4 day week!

Memorial Day weekend was fabulous (for living in a new place and not knowing anyone). I had a 4 day weekend so Friday I did some shopping (I love sales!) and got some great stuff from Ann Taylor Loft and H&M. I also sent out two HUGE boxes of sisterhood clothes to Suzi and Jen! I hope you guys like the stuff!

Saturday, even though the pool was officially open, it was a little chilly (mid 70s) so I did stuff around the house and watched tons of movies.

Sunday and Monday were pool days!!!!! It was so great to be laying in hot (for NJ) weather and dipping my feet in the pool. What a life.

I also managed to get in a workout on Friday and Sunday, which is such a feat b/c when I'm off work, I usually refuse to go to the gym. I am giving myself a pat on the back for slowly changing my poor habits.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends and HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!