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Blog 49252

A blog by voiceomt2002 in General

  • Entries

    121

  • Comments

    412

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    18261

About this blog

A weight loss surgery blog by voiceomt2002 on BariatricPal. 121 entries on surgery, recovery and progress.

Entries in this blog

A New Life

Wow, has it really been eight months since I last posted here? So much has changed since then...   On December 12, 2010, my DH and I went to the storage shed out back and pulled out the holiday lights to decorate the house. Unknown to us, a certain mold entered my DH's lungs because he was a lifelong smoker. Aspergillosis has a 95% mortality rate. It took my poor darling until January 2, 2011 to die in ICU. Thanks to the outpouring of love and support from my family and friends, I was able to

Confessions of a Stress Eater

I used to be a stress eater. I'd suck down anything in my path like a Hoover whenever stress struck.   Only a month and a half after my surgery, my DH lost his job. For six months, we struggled while he desperately searched for work. Finally, for six months we thought he had a good job, but the economy hit us in the face again, and he lost that job too. My DH now has a "long term temp" job. It's something.   During all that stress, I had to keep working. I'm a writer, and that means I work

One-der-Land Revisits

Boy, this is no time to get cocky! I'm in One-der-land, but I have to admit I was overly confident and stopped watching my carbs. OUCH!! One week of that, and I was 201 lbs!   Yep, I raced back to my food journal and started keeping track, measuring, and being a good little bandster. Whew!! Back in One-der-Land and moving toward that goal in the distance.   This ain't easy! I'd allowed myself too many carbs, and now my body craves them again. I am a carb addict, and I will always be a carb

Alice in One-der-land, Episode One

Once there was a woman named Alice who fell down a spiraling hole of guilt and shame while following an elusive White Rabbit of Beauty. She discovered a magical place called One-der-land, though at first it seemed a place of madness and horror. I'll occasionally recount (not in chronological order because this is a place of madness, after all, at least to Alice) some of her adventures.     Alice landed at the bottom of the Shame Spiral in tears, her body shattered by so many years of a

Need Low Carb Diet Opinions Please!

I'm guessing my bariatric surgeon, Dr. Michael Baptista, is getting more and more successful. He's moved from his partnership with another doctor and into his own spiffy new office MUCH more conveniently located for me, in Arlington right off 9A and Monument in the Brooks Rehab Building.   Now, I'm not saying his former partner was a bad doctor-- not with that many awards-- but I didn't like the other doctor and that's the honest truth. I'm allowed my opinions, and my two experiences wit

Moving My Blog

Well, I'm not Band Groupie, but I am having trouble keeping up here on LBT, especially my blog. So, I've moved to an old blog I kept while preparing for surgery and now it serves as my Bandster Cookbook.   http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com   Please come join me there. I'll still post here now and then, but mostly there.   Lena

January 22, 2010 A Happy Scale Whore

As anyone in our sisterhood of Scale Whores Anonymous (SWA) knows, I'm the nut case who keeps track of her weight by writing it down on the bathroom mirror with a wipe-off board pen.   I have an antiquated bathroom scale that looks like it belongs in the Art Deco Revival era several decades ago, and I love it because of that beauty. I know it's not accurate, but I step on it anyway every day. (That's why there's an SWA-- we're compulsive about it.)   Last month, just before Christmas, when

January 19, 2010 One Year Later

My bandiversary was January 2. One year, 75 lbs lighter. I'm no longer a size 26, but a svelte (for me) size 18. According to my doctor, I have another 50-70 lbs left to go. Is he insane? Okay, I'll play along. After all, he's not been wrong yet.   Funny thing is, I'm still a size 26 in my head. I still slink through the lingerie section, expecting to be chased out by the sales clerks and sent to Lane Bryant.   I'm still shocked when some man ignores my wedding ring and (gasp) flirts with

My Doctor Wants Me to Post This

Many folks have a fear of flying, or arachnophobia, etc. Common phobias. Other than a fear of heights, I considered myself fairly fear-free.   Then I lost 75 pounds. That's only halfway to my goal weight, but with everything in my closet falling off me and not enough time to tailor anything but my favorites, my daughter said, "Enough is enough, Mom! You can't make a bra, okay? Time to shop!"   I sighed and gave in. Until we came to the threshold of the lingerie department. My feet wouldn't

Scared of the Holidays

Oh, dear. It's my kind of nightmare. If worrying about overeating and PBing at family gatherings wasn't bad enough...   I just received an invitation to a (gulp) formal New Year's party. Yeah, the kind where the women put up their hair and wear fancy gowns. The kind that sends a clothes horse like me running to the closet to see if anything she has is "good enough."   My one fancy gown literally fell off me when I tried it on. Yes, I really mean that. I tried to button the neck thingy, los

Stop Dressing Like a Fat Woman?

“Lena, stop dressing like a fat woman!” Those were the words of my co-workers and fellow teachers at JoAnn’s Fabrics this past weekend. My only pair of new size 18 jeans were dirty, so I’d thrown on my old size 24 black jeans, a nice shirt, and my favorite black butterfly brocade jacket. I thought I looked pretty snazzy, even if my jeans were held up by my belt. Apparently, I was wrong. The two sewing instructors insisted on giving me a detailed analysis of how I need to cut down my clo

What a Difference a Year Makes

On Saturday, Dante, my DD Susan, and I went to the Jacksonville Zoo. Not that big of a deal, right? It was for me. One year ago, I couldn't have hauled my badly overweight carcass around a grocery store, much less acres of walking trails. I would have been humiliated and restricted to one of those expensive rented electric carts, unable to ride the train or get "up close and personal" with the exhibits. I'd have been in my black stretchy knits, hoping no one noticed how sweaty I was. My swollen

The Last NSV?

I've just returned from my monthly visit with Dr. Baptista, whom I still adore. However, I finally realized I don't care what my weight is anymore. I'm losing weight, though it comes off in about 5 lb increments.   I'm wearing size 18, down from size 26, jeans. I'm wearing a 38B bra. I mowed our 3/4 acre lawn a couple weeks ago. I've not gone to the beach yet, but that's in my future when warm weather returns.   The biggest change is in my head. I'm no longer obsessed with food, or my diet

A Sigh of Relief

This morning, DH drove off to his new job. It's been a long, horrible six months of unemployment. We haven't lost the house yet, and if the promises are even close to accurate, we won't.   Ironically, we don't want to celebrate. While not trying to sound pessimistic, this is still technically a temporary job. DH must prove himself. I know he can do the job, and he knows what's at stake.   Meanwhile, I have a novel to finish and a guild meeting to attend. Now to find some clothes that don't

Dancing in the Rain

I found a quote yesterday that I've made my own in this time of hardship for my family.   "Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."   Since my banding last January, we've had a horrible time with my DH losing his job in March, the threat of foreclosure, a cancer scare, more medical issues, and even a death of an infant recently.   Through it all, we've tried hard to keep our chins up. It hasn't been easy, and we've been forced to use pil

My Sweet Spot At Last

For someone who's scared to death of needles, I have to say I almost enjoy my fills. This last, however, was perhaps the most challenging. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy! I've already dropped a few more pounds since my doctor visit two weeks ago. This has produced some interesting clothing mishaps.   However, I'm still wary of attending the upcoming holiday events with my loving family. Bless them all, they don't understand and can't seem to "get" that I can't have ANY carbs-- no pasta, no

My Replacement for Stress Eating

This is my cure for stress to replace eating-- crafts! I'm very proud of this wall hanging, because it's not just a small quilt. It's a wall safe. On the back are pockets where you can hide small valuables and money. Not a lot, but enough to keep your most precious things safe but ready to use.   Yes, that's an applique of a red dragon in the center. Now I just have to decide whether to sell it on the internet or give it as Yule gift.

Working it all out

Well, DH still is out of work, and we almost went into foreclosure, but a friend rescued us. Now if they start foreclosure, it'll be at Christmas. If DH doesn't have a job by then, well, we have a contingency plan.   Nice thing is, I'm still dropping weight. It's coming off more slowly lately, but I actually don't mind so much. I have a chance to adjust my clothes instead of finding out at the last minute that the pants bag or fall right back down to my ankles. (That was a shock the first tim

Avoiding Mindless Eating

We all do it. However, for a bandster, the results can be very uncomfortable.   The reason it can be difficult to eat healthily is that "hidden persuaders" can lead you into bad eating habits, says new research. Try these tips to avoid mindless eating: Be aware of the size and shape of containers. It's the amount of food that counts, not what it looks like. Use smaller plates and bowls. Empty plates and bowls, even those of a smaller size, cue some people to stop eating. Read nutri

Pinwheel Appetizers

Was I skeptical when I saw rice in this recipe? You betcha! However, this is wild rice, and you're talking a little bit of rice spread on 36 appetizers. When you need a fast, cool, and cheap appetizer, this wins hands down.   Since I can't get the image to resize smaller, here's the URL: http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u323/voiceomt2002/Recipes/Recipes--%20Appetizers%20and%20Party%20Foods/LCPinwheelAppetizers.jpg   See if you agree with me.

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf

I may have posted this before. If I haven't, I'm sorry. This may be the ultimate bandster food-- ground meat, cheese, and tasty enough to keep feelings of deprivation as a distant memory. Now, I have to admit I've skipped buying different kinds of ground meat and stuck to 2 lbs of ground beef. Sorry, it's cheap!   Also, to "dice" the bacon, I cheat and use my kitchen shears. Someone told me to only partially defrost the bacon and chop it then, but I'm not too bright in the morning and handing

Bandster Slow Poke Jambalaya

This recipe originated at SavingDinner.com. However, I had to alter some portions of it to make it reasonable for bandsters. I personally encourage the use of the Body Clutter Menus from SavingDinner.com. With minor alterations, most can be used by bandsters.     Bandster Slow Poke Jambalaya     Serves 6 (If they eat tiny portions. For hungry adults, double this recipe)     1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped onion 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato 1 cup chopped celery (or i

The Sweet Spot of Success

While my personal life is still a bit of a mess with DH still out of work, I finally stopped stress eating. My daughter has provided all the buddy system I needed, and I've begun to drop weight again.   It's been funny. The jeans I loved and carefully altered to fit me at my top weight     dropped off my butt a month ago. LOL! They now reside on my sewing table, sans the added material, waiting for tailoring to my new size. As of this morning, I weight 228 lbs, a size I've not seen in o

New Motivational Force-- One Daughter

My daughter (DD3) has moved in with us. She's 24, and hadn't been able to find work in her field in Denver. Hence a desperation flight to us filled with hope. Since she works in the same fields as my DH, we have hope they'll motivate each other.   DD3 has another motivational point in her favor. Like me, she tends to be overweight. She's 5'10" and weighed a couple of pounds more than I did when she arrived.   Immediately, she saw the benefits of dieting with me on the buddy system. We've ea

Recipe --The Lasagna Solution

Next week is one of those weeks that will test me and my band. Two of my daughters and two of my grandchildren will live here with DH, Dante, and myself. Our grocery bill just doubled. Thank goodness, it's only temporary.   However, in the meantime, I must return to dollar-stretching meals like casseroles, shepherd's pie, pot pies, lasagna, chili, and stews.   Fortunately, there are low-carb and band-friendly solutions to these problem recipes. I'll start with the one everyone quite rightly

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