Should I get a fill?

Hello, fellow band-o's! I am so bad at blogging. I won't try to make a bunch of excuses because it doesn't really matter, but my original intent was to be a little more faithful to this. I guess we'll see if maybe I can make that happen this go-around.

I am here today because I'm wondering if you all might be able to give me some advice on whether I need another fill or not. I feel like I might need one because I am able to eat like any normal fat person again. Namely, this weekend, I was in Vegas (the DEVIL) and I ate all-you-can-eat sushi twice (and ate 2 rolls + some other sushi pieces) and ate enchilada combos twice (and again last night when I got home from work and didn't want to cook) (I like enchiladas a lot.) So, that's an example of the amount of food I have been able to eat. On the other hand, I have still had some problems getting stuck in certain situations (eating too fast). Eggs and chicken seem to be the main problems (which one got stuck first? hardy har har).

Anyway, is that enough info? What do you guys think? What have your experiences been like?

She's baaaaaa-aaaack!

What's up Lap Band Blog World? Sorry I've missed you.... or sorry I just plain haven't shown up. Life has been busy. Also, since I've had my band for almost 3 months now, I feel like I've started to get the hang of things and haven't been feeling myself drawn to the blog for support. I had to tell myself though that there is always more to learn and it's always a good thing to get on here for that extra little boost of confidence and some comradery.


Since I've been on here last, I had my second adjustment, and it's been pretty great! I've lost about 8 or 9 pounds since the fill (on April 13) and that was with minimal exercise. I've been doing some hiking with James and my friend from church but probably only 5 times at most. I'm pretty happy about it! I'm thankful for the band! I have had a few things that got stuck, with the last incident happening just this morning. Twice it was chicken (both times it was chicken breast--once baked, once canned), and the other time was some Triscuits. All three times, it's been because I wasn't paying attention to chewing well. Other than that, I've had pretty good restriction and have been satisfied by small portions. I think I could really rock it with maybe another .5cc. I don't even remember how much I have in now, but I know it's not much. I must have thick stomach walls or something (like that's any different than any other part of my body... haha)! 


Well, I am going to get to reading! Just wanted to say hi and update! I will try not to make it so long next time!


A little before and after action:

                                                    

Adjustment #2

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since my first fill... so I think it's about time for another. But really. I was doing great at first, eating little portions out of my little bowls and feeling satisfied. Then I went to Vegas for a few days... and realized my band wasn't doing any of the work. I guess it shows that I have good self-control when I think I need to. However, as soon as I noticed my band wasn't going to stop me from eating however much I wanted to in Vegas, I ate as much as I wanted. Mind you, I have gotten used to eating less, so I didn't go way off the deep end. I was still sharing meals with James. It was just a lot more food than I should have been able to eat with a good adjustment I think. Also, I gained 2 pounds. Blecchhh.


I had my 2nd adjustment scheduled for late May, but I called yesterday and made an appointment for tomorrow. I figure with all the money and time that I've spent on this band, I'm going to get all the adjustments I need. (My adjustments are free for the first year with the program fee I paid to my surgeon.)


That's pretty much it for now. Hope everyone is well!

Fill 'er Up!

I guess my fill went pretty well. It was a different experience. Kind of fun though because the surgeon was demonstrating the process for the nutritionist. There was a lot of port prodding going on. I got 1.5 cc's added, so I'm at 2.5cc's. It sounded low compared to what a lot of people get, but the surgeon said that it is different for everybody depending on individual anatomy, which makes sense. Maybe I have thick stomach walls. Anyway, I'm glad I got it done finally. I've been on liquids and puree the last couple days. The scale finally budged! I was stuck around 230 for so long and today I'm at about 227. Woohoo! 


I ate some scrambled eggs this morning. I made two and probably ate only one. I was trying to be careful and also I was typing an email to my brother in Iraq, so I was kind of distracted too. I didn't have any problems with the eggs, so that's good, because I love them!


Buuuut, that was a few hours ago and I'm hungry now, so I think I'm gonna have some refried beans! YUM! I eat these cheap Stater Bros. store brand fat free refried beans. They are amazing! They have good texture and come spiced with chili powder and garlic (probably to cover up the fat-free-ness and it works)!


Hope everybody has a great weekend!

New Appointment!

It was a warm, sunny, Monday afternoon and Sarah had just returned home from some exciting investigative work. As she emptied the contents of her purse, she noticed a notification on her cellphone. "One missed call from Dr. Bobby's office!" she exclaimed. "I better return the call!" She touched the screen of her phone and it roared to life as it returned the oh-so-important call. "Thank you for calling Dr. Bobby Bhasker-Rao's office. How may I help you?" the voice on the other end of the line asked.

"This is Sarah and I'm returning the call I missed."

"Oh yes. Sarah. Thank you for returning this oh-so-important call! You were originally scheduled for an appointment on Thursday afternoon. We're wondering, can you come on Wednesday afternoon instead?"

After a millisecond of careful thought and consideration, Sarah told her, "Yes." And the voice on the other end responded, "Thank you. I will put you in for that time." Sarah expressed her gratitude, gave her a closing greeting, and ended the call.

THE END.

Two things to take away from the above "story": 1) My fill is TOMORROW!!! and 2) I should never quit my job to try my luck at writing. haha

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I haven't kept a food log of any sort to this point, but this morning I did write down what I had for breakfast in my pretty Vera Bradley notebook I got from Barnes & Noble awhile ago. We'll see how long it lasts. Do any of you out there keep a log or did any of you keep a log in the beginning stages while you got used to the ways of the Lap Band? I have kept logs in diets before. One diet I tried was very calculated. I had to log calories, protein, carbs, and fats. Then I had to make sure I was eating the right percentages of p, c, and f. It was originally a body builder diet and was actually pretty good, but like every other diet, it fell by the wayside. Well, the calculation part at least. I tended to eat similar to the diet for awhile and it's pretty much a high protein deal, similar to Lap Band.

Welllllllll.... time to get to work. Hope everybody has a great day!

A Little Nervous

Until right before I had surgery, I wasn't aware of the period of time everybody lovingly refers to as "Bandster Hell". I was all psyched up for the pouch and the restriction and then I learned the fill didn't come until weeks later. As I was healing, I followed the diet prescribed by my surgeon and nutritionist. As I started eating soft and solid foods, I realized there was virtually NO restriction to be found. At first, I was used to eating very small portions and would be satisfied pretty quickly. But, over the past few weeks, it's almost like I never had surgery. I know I have already mentioned that, but I feel pretty bad about it right now, and I'm here to vent a little just like everybody else. I'm embarrassed to mention specifically what I've eaten in the past few days, so I will just say that I was eating like somebody that appeared not to care about her weight whatsoever. Now it's only 5 days until my fill and I am not mentally prepared at all! I tossed and turned in bed last night and, at one point, I just laid there thinking about the lap band and my fill and how it's going to be/feel. I just really hope I can start to use this tool to its full potential and get my money's worth! I don't plan on toting this supple silicone pal around in my abdomen for nothing, but I wouldn't blame anybody if they said that hadn't been apparent.


Did anybody else go through this? How did you prepare for your fill in the days leading up to it? Did the fill make things better? Please tell me it will... (if it will).


On a more positive note, I did go shopping today and got myself some summer clothes from Old Navy. I got some T-shirts (XL's that are a little fitted right now but will be last longer through the weight loss) and 2 pairs of capris (one size 18 [I had been in a 20!] that are not a perfect fit right now but will be in a few weeks, and since they were on sale and I really liked them, I also bought them in a size 16). I also went to Sunglass Hut and invested in a pair of girly sunglasses. I have a pair of Ray-Ban aviators that James bought me a few years ago before I started flight school and I love them, but they don't go with the dressy sorts of outfits. I have other sunglasses floating around but they are cheap and I don't "take care of them". The glasses I bought today will join my Ray-Bans as "glasses I actually care about" and I will keep them in their case when they aren't on my face. 


Retail therapy... gotta love it!


Well... one more thing. I wanted to post a picture from the past... the thinner past. I would LOVE to make it back to this weight even though my goal weight is 150. I was about 165/170 here. This is 4th of July weekend 2008:

Wish me luck!

Face Plant

Ugh! I just fell off the wagon face first into a box of Thin Mints! Although, I must say, I only ate 6 of them. I remember back in college when I could sit and eat half a box (one tube) of them without thinking about it... and I'd be waving at everybody on the wagon as it passed by. I think today I was a little stressed and there was nothing/nobody around to distract me from it. 


But, damn, those things tasted good!


A week from tomorrow I get my first fill! It's about time! I almost feel like I never had surgery. I know partially it's my fault for not always acting like I had surgery-- *cough cough* portion sizes *cough cough* thin mints *cough cough*-- but part of it is the fact that there's no restriction and I know I can get away with it. I don't doubt my ability nor willingness to comply once I get a fill. 


Speaking of compliance, has anybody ever heard of somebody's stomach exploding because they ate way too much and clogged the stoma? A lady at church who had the roux-n-y told me her friend's stomach exploded and she had to have emergency surgery. Crazy. ... I don't know how much of the explosion part I believe..


In other news, my pastor called me yesterday and asked me to be the second praise singer for church. There is one girl that usually sings the praise songs but she's not there all the time. In her absence, I will sing. I don't know when people decided I was a singer, because I most definitely am not. I'm so much better at flute, it isn't funny... PLAYING the flute. Don't get any weird American Pie ideas like everybody else does. :-P


Well, off to church choir I go! Excited to get back so I can make some salmon for dinner and then read your blogs!