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ajtexas's Blog

A blog by ♕ajtexas♕ in General

  • Entries

    65

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    348

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    33,225

About this blog

ajtexas's Blog, a weight loss surgery blog by ♕ajtexas♕ on BariatricPal. 65 entries on surgery, recovery and progress.

Entries in this blog

Complications can happen to anyone!

I have not been around as much lately and several LBT friends have asked why……   I was banded in February of 2012, lost 80 pounds in 10 months and have maintained that weight until I had a tummy tuck on Halloween…   After the surgery I had 2 drains, they were removed after 2 weeks. Within 5 days, my tummy filled up with fluid and my doctor drained it (this is like drilling for oil with a really BIG needle….. not fun!). Within about 5 days my tummy was full again so my doctor put a drain back

Wls University

Remember starting a new school? Having to make new friends? Trying to find your way around? Everything was so different and you hated it….   Remember moving to a new town? Not knowing anyone? Having to leave all your friends behind? Everything was so different and you hated it….   Well here we are, starting a new school…..   Alex has built WLS University (BariatricPal) and within that university are the specialty colleges (Lapband, Sleeve, Bypass). It is all new and SCARY! We don’t know wh

I'm Thankful

Today I look at my life and I am thankful. I am thankful for my loving family. I am thankful for a good job and a steady income. I am thankful for my Lapband and for getting my life back.   I look at who I was 18 months ago, 250 pounds of misery. I didn’t care about myself or how I looked. I would wear potato sack clothes, I never wore make-up or jewelry, I looked like a tired old lady and I didn’t care. I couldn’t exercise, just walking up the 4 steps into my house would put me out of breath

Zucchini Mama!

This weekend brought an end to the preserving of my spring/summer garden (except for the okra which will produce thru September). It was a good year:   137 pounds of Zucchini (15 plants) 104 pounds of Yellow Squash (15 plants) 30 ½ pounds of Patty Pan Squash (5 plants) 43 ½ pounds of cucumbers (5 plants) 73 pounds of Tomatoes (10 plants) 4 bushels of pears (2 trees)   I spent the summer preserving all this every way I could: pickles, relishes, preserves, marmalades, minced meat, pie f

Family Reunion

My nephew Benjamin got married this weekend in California and I was able to fly out there. This was the first time I have flown with Yellow Rose (my band). Jonathon (another nephew) and I flew out Friday morning arriving in California around lunchtime. As we are exiting the plane Jonathon requested In & Out Burgers for lunch (the greasiest burgers in town!). We retrieved our rental car and headed south to my brother’s house (via In & Out). We collected burgers for all the kids. I had no

It?s okay to be hungry???

I was reading the forum today and read a reply to a post about snacking that said “It’s okay to be hungry.”   This got me thinking (I know scary, huh?!)   Do I really know what true physical hunger feels like? Hunger where you don’t know if or when you will eat again….. Pain and discomfort from malnutrition and dehydration.   I have never experienced true physical hunger.   But, I’m the first to say I am sooooo hungry. Why? Was it the way I was raised? Society? Or what?   Before my ba

What are the rules?

To having a Lapband….   Well there are Dr. O’Brien’s eight golden rules.   1, Eat three or less small meals per day 2. Do not eat anything between meals 3. Eat slowly and stop when no longer hungry 4. Focus on nutritious foods 5. Avoid calorie-containing liquids 6. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day 7. Be active throughout the day 8. Always keep in contact with your aftercare specialist   And there are the basic band eating rules.   1. Small bites 2. Chew until mus

Water Bottle

I bought myself a new water bottle this weekend. My previous bottles were inexpensive bottles. Never really liked any of them.   I have been looking for a water bottle that had a few features that seem to be hard to find.   1. No straw – a bottle that you pour the water out of (or sip into your mouth). 2. Double lined – I don’t like ice in my water but I like it cold. 3. Cap that doesn’t leak – I want to be able to put the bottle in a bag and not worry if it will tip over and leak over eve

Bit by bit... or is it Bite by bite?

They say we didn’t gain all our weight overnight and therefore we shouldn’t expect to lose all the weight overnight. And as we get closer to our goal it gets harder and harder. It becomes a very frustrating thing.   Then when we finally reach our idea weight, we have to maintain that weight FOR LIFE! No relaxing allowed. Because it will creep back on bit by bit.   That is where I am at, I let my eyes do my measuring and bit by bit the sizes kept getting bigger…..   Then I let myself make s

Tool Me Baby!

The band is a tool and will only work if used correctly, we know this and state it daily.   We have another very important tool, our doctor. He (or she) is the one we trusted to cut up our insides. But this tool doesn’t stop there, we pay them for our after care. I’m not talking just for the post op diets. I’m talking months and years of after care, whether it is fills or just checking in or complications we need this tool as much as we need our bands.   So why would we not use this tool? Wh

My Green Zone

Everyone has a different idea as to what the ‘Green Zone’ should be like, how it should feel. How tight do you need to be in order to be in the zone? Some like to be really tight where as other like their band a little looser.   I have experienced my band being ‘nice and tight’ so to speak. I never felt physical hunger, but there was food I couldn’t eat like chicken breasts and vegetables. I would cook a wonderful meal for the family and then find I couldn’t eat it. I also found that it would

My Barrier

I have thought about writing this blog all day long. Part of me says don’t write it, you are a success and you don’t want people thinking you slip up and fail. The other part of me says write this, maybe this will tell others that this journey is not easy and even after reaching goal & being declared a success you still struggle…   ‘The other part’ won, so here goes….   I have always been called strong, never showing my weakness or emotions. It is a skill I learned early in life, build a

Don?t wanna play anymore!

I am so sick of playing by the band rules; I just want to break one or two of them. Eat a big huge meal, take big bites, or wolf food down in ten minutes flat.   Wish I could have a break and not think about my food choices, my portion size, how I eat, my water intake, and exercise, ugh….   Calgon take me away!   Do you feel that way some days? I’m sure we all do. So how do we get past this?   There are some who have reached their goal and have been maintaining for years. They say they t

Standing Tall

Today at work I had to give a presentation to over 100 staff members, the majority being managers & directors.   Before I was banded I would get so nervous fearing all they would see was this talking whale….   Today, I felt confident in myself. I knew the subject matter, I was dressed professionally and I was ready. The presentation went off without any hicks and after it was over my coworker said to me, “Wow, you were so confident up there. How do you do that?”   It made me think. I a

LBT Friends

When I discovered LBT I was 4 months into my journey, like most I would read a lot of posts and on occasion I would post. I found myself following 2 ladies and the 3 of us struck up a wonderful friendship. We would goof around, take over threads, insult and love each other. One from Florida, one form North Carolina and myself from Texas we became the three musketeers of LBT.   We have never met face to face but to me our friendship is the most precious around. I love both these ladies like sis

A confession

Many of you know my story, banded February 2012, reached my goal weight in December 2012 and have been trying to maintain that weight since. Many of you say I’m a success and look to me for advice & guidance.   My biggest fear with this journey has been gaining my weight back once I reached my goal. I never feared the surgery or the weight loss; I knew I could do it. But, could I handle maintaining this weight for the rest of my life?   Tonight, I failed. I failed myself, I failed my ban

Alcohol & me

I was banded a little over a year ago, I've lost over 80 pounds and I am at my goal weight. I also drink wine every evening. I don’t hide this from anyone. I have posted such information several times and when I get PM’d about it I answer honestly.   I knew when I decided to get the band that I would have to change my life and I was more than willing to do just that. But, I was not willing to give up my wine. I enjoy wine, I like the taste. My husband & I often go wine tasting at some of

Monthly Check-in

Today was my monthly appointment at True Results. They always have the patients fill out a questionnaire prior to seeing the NP. It asks what your typical meals are, the size (1/2 cup, 1 cup, 1 ½ cups, etc), what exercise you are doing, and so forth. I answered the questions honestly. I am eating 1 to 1 ½ cups per meal and getting hungry between meals.   I am happy to say that I am maintaining my weight of 169 pounds. So I don’t know if it is the head or not.   When I met with the NP we dis

I am not a squirrel

Have you ever taken a bit of something and as you are chewing it you think “this is way too big of a bit” so you stuff half the bit in your cheek and swallow the other half? And a few seconds later you swallow the half in your cheek… How did that work out for you?   It has never worked out successfully for me. Usually within minutes I am at the sink or toilet watching the bits go down the drain… sorry if this is TMI.   I hate it when this happens and often it happens when I an overly hungry

Note to self: MOVE IT!!!!

Get your ass moving AJ! You have been slacking on this. The Fitbit doesn't lie. It shows that your daily steps are way down, no where near the 10,000 step per day goal. And what happened to taking the stairs at work???? Slacking there too!   Vacation is over! First tine tomorrow you will get moving. Tomorrow, hell, what is wrong with right now?   Stop typing and get moving! NOW!!!!   Will do, just as soon as this video is over. OK, as long as you dance during the video!!!  

Maintenance a walk in the park?

As you know I reached my goal a couple of months ago and am now in the maintenance stage of my journey. Simple, all I have to do is maintain my weight.   I still check in with my doctor every four weeks (my choice not his).   This last month has been full of ups and downs with a lot of changes, basically life has been happening. I had to battle the head hunger on more than one occasion.   Then about a week and a half ago I started noticing that my daily calorie intake was creeping up. 10

Everyone knows now

This article went out to all 3,000 employees at my state agency. Guess everyone knows now.     Surgical maneuver: Amanda changes course with weight loss surgery   Weight loss surgery is simply a cosmetic issue; it’s taking the easy way out. Amanda is witness to the fallacy of these notions. Candidates for surgery have exhausted other means of weight loss and are at risk of illnesses that can be life threatening. And treatment does not end with surgery. Success demands from patients a long-t

Wine Chocolate Fantasia

This weekend my husband & I went to Lubbock, Texas for the Wine Chocolate Fantasia at Llano Estacado Winery. This is an annual event and is both a fund raiser for the ACF Texas Panhandle Chefs de Cuisine and the West Texas Parkinsonism Society; as well as a chocolate competition. There are entries from amateurs, professionals and chefs. The evening includes many of Llano Estacado’s wines for sampling.   It was quite enjoyable hanging around barrels of aging wine, sampling some interesting

What a difference a year makes.

I was banded one year ago today and boy what a year it has been.   One year ago I weighed 250 pounds.   One year ago I wore a size 22.   One year ago I was pre-diabetic.   One year ago my blood pressure was out of control high ( I was taking 3 different meds trying to stabilize it).   One year ago I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air.   One year ago I hated myself.   Today I weigh 171 pounds. (lost 79 pounds)   Today I wear size 10.   Today my blood sug

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