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Band_Groupie

LAP-BAND Patients
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  1. Band_Groupie

    11/24/08 Told You So

    By Band_Groupie,

    :driving:We had a good weekend back home with my family (once we got through the snow). It’s nice having my daughter home from college for the holiday.:confused: DH took my two oldest to the football game and I went shopping with the girls. We celebrated early Christmas Saturday night and it went very smoothly.
     
    My sister sent me some hilarious video’s of elves dancing to Christmas music with my families faces on the elves (you do them yourself at the Office Max website- “Elf Yourself” by JibJab) give it a try; they’re hysterical (and the elves are all skinny)!:huh2: Anyway I’d forwarded it to my sister-in-law (the true “foodie”; she can cook) and asked her yet AGAIN:sad: what I could bring for Thanksgiving (read blog "Why I won't be asked to bring dessert..."). Her response “Just bring yourselves on Turkey Day!”. :glare: I told you so:tt2:…:cool:
  2. Band_Groupie
    I got my first call from my “Healthwise” coach, Valerie today. (In case you haven’t read…it’s a third party co. that DH's company hires to coach those with “issues” like mine on the health survey form we have to fill out for insurance). I had to answer all those embarrassing questions first…height, weight,:willy_nilly:…after that it doesn’t matter right? Anyhoo…we start into diet and I tell her about the LB and the 6 mo. diet I’m on with my PCP. Didn’t say anything about the LB, but she loved the diet plan…start at 1600 cal. And step down 100 ea. month. She was so supportive and encouraging.:incazzato: Everything I said was immediately given positive reinforcement. I was feeling myself relax…like a day at the spa:sleep: (or what I imagine it to be like since I’ve never been to one). We talked a little about my exercise habits, etc., then we set some goals for next month’s call. She’s all about reinforcing what the PCP is doing with me. :cryin: I suggested adding 10 min. to my exercise routine, she suggested 5 min….it’s all about small changes she said and being able to easily make them. More supportive discussion…la, la, la…I’m feeling like I just got a massage :banghead:(or what I imagine a massage to be like, since I’ve never had one). We set a date for next month…la, la, la…OK, that wasn’t so bad!:cursing:
  3. Band_Groupie
    So I’m making my Christmas ornaments today. I know, I know, for all of you out there in the work world you’re saying “Rough Life BG!”.:willy_nilly: I worked for a long time, so I’m there with you…and yes, I do appreciate rare days like today…snowflakes falling…holiday music playing…and I’m hot gluing ornaments (Hey, I’ve got the dishwasher and laundry going and I could get BURNED by the glue gun…it’s tough work I tell you!). :cryin: (I should be packing us up for our two different trips to our families next week as Mr.SA is traveling all this week,:incazzato: but I'm not.)

    Actually, I copped out this year, big time…I’m using a kit :puke:(shhhh)…blasphemy for an ex Art Teacher…I just didn’t find any inspiration this year.:prrr: Understand, these ornaments/or decorations (exchange with family and my gifts for neighbors/friends) are a lot of pressure for me every year…it’s my “Martha Stewart” moment;:banghead: lots of pressure. I always create original ideas and go to great lengths to make something unique each year and now the bar is set very high for beautiful handmade gifts…antique bobbins made into a candle stick with ribbons braided through the holes and tin punched trees ontop with the candle; Hand painted plates with potpourri and candles; beautiful hanging “Kissing Balls” with mistletoe, fancy ribbons and bells; a set of wine charms with beads and different clay Christmas characters glazed and shining…:present:see, pressure. I ponder this all year and gather:driving: the perfect supplies…I’ve spent weeks on them some years, even finished making them in the summer sometimes…not this year…no time, :nonod:NO inspiration. Luckily I bought several ornament kits about 6 six years back and have kept them in my craft closet…just in case:nono:…NO WAY would I need them. But there I was last night digging them out of the closet. They are little clear round ornaments that are water filled and have different types of glitter (a snowglobe, you know). They actually have 2 halves and you twist them open and add 2 back-to-back photos:camera: and close them back up. I’m adding all kinds of ribbon and doodads to the top, but no way to disguise these as "not a kit":glare:…I know they’re lame…no Martha this year...I can feel the disappointment now. I was going through all my photos yesterday trying to find 2 photos (and the right size) of each person. I was struck by how few photos there are of me fat, but I also was struck by the ups and downs of my weight battle…160 lbs. (for the millionth time) just years ago…I remember I didn’t feel very skinny then at all…but there were the photos…no double chin…no belly. I have a hard time seeing myself as I am, at any weight, even now:blink:…I don’t feel like I look that fat, but I know I am.:yikes: So this year I found my inspiration in my skinny photos…inspiration for my journey here.:cursing: Too bad that doesn’t translate well into an ornament…but now I’m making one just for me…with my skinny photos...:dita:
  4. Band_Groupie
    I got this call and the lady explains it’s about the health surveys we had to fill out for our insurance about a year ago. :incazzato: I’m thinking, OK maybe me going to the info. seminar at the hospitals triggered something since I filled in insurance info. on their form? Then she goes on to tell me my health survey tells them “You’re at risk for several things” (very nebulous… :cursing:“things”) and “Would you like to sign up for our free program?” :sneaky:At this point I’m trying to confirm this is not some phone scam---free program:glare: (yeah right), but I don’t want to piss the woman off either…heck I don’t know if it’s someone who works and my DH-Mr.SA’s company even (I’m thinking do they have health people in HR there?). “Could you tell me more about what this program is exactly?” I ask. :prrr: After dancing back and forth a few times (now I’m really wondering if it’s a scam) she finally offers up some details “Someone will call you with regular phone appointments and they can help you with your issues….” ISSUES? I have ISSUES?? :ugh: I don’t respond as I’m thinking this and so after a long pause she timidly says “…things like exercise and diet”. The magic word DIET. She thinks I need to go on a DIET? :banghead: I’m insulted! :puke: My mind is racing… Who is this stranger telling me I need to go on a DIET? I don’t know what to do now…so again, I blurt…(I’m really stressing now—so spoken at 100 miles per hour…) “Well I’m working with my PCP and have started a diet and exercise program…I’m going to get the Lap Band…and I’m not sure how your diet and exercise would fit in with that?” :willy_nilly: I'm nice, but inside I’m so insulted. But wait…now it’s sinking in…I’m realizing it’s not a scam…if she wanted money, she certainly wouldn’t be insulting me like this, would she?!!! Uh, oh. She’s legit. :cryin: Better be nice. She says “Well, they can help you with things like stress even.” STRESS? :incazzato:WHAT STRESS?!!! She must have detected the stress in my voice…I’m thinking…Go to your happy place, :closedeyes:deep breath… “Uh, stress, OK, fine.” I say. “Someone will call you in a week to get started.” and she explains it's a service the co. pays for through insurance...we say our goodbyes. I hang up and I’m thinking why do I feel so insulted…then I realize:der:….NO ONE has ever told me I need to go on a diet…not in my entire life…it was always my idea to go on a diet...it was like someone calling me fat to my face for the first time ever! :dita: Wow! Reality check!! :blushing:OK, she didn't make up the numbers I put on the health questionaire...I welcome the help…diet, exercise, stress even…bring it on! I get it, I AM fat, I know that!...but I ask myself again...So why am I insulted?:yikes:
  5. Band_Groupie
    CLIFF NOTES: I started off to write a somewhat funny note about one of my teens who had a rant:incazzato: last night, and somehow ended up on the shrinks couch:couch2:below. I’ve been feeling kind of melancholy since my good news and happy day Thurs. and I couldn’t figure out why. Apparently, I’m feeling guilty for putting myself first by going through this process. Hey at least it saved me an hour at the pre-op psych visit…tee hee:biggrin:. Don’t bother reading unless you’re there too… (Back to myself now, thank you.:wub:) -BG (I'm saving the rest just to remind myself of this.)
    --------------------------------------
     

    It seems just yesterday I had a job I loved at a Fortune 500, and was on the fast track up the ladder with a very bright future ahead. But I was traveling all the time and my (2 then) kids were in daycare for LONG days. I could only involve them in things that were only on the weekends (try telling your 5 yr. old daughter she can’t take gymnastics classes on Tuesday’s after school with her friend). DH was gone many night’s working hard on his Master’s part-time for 8 years at night, and his job also required a little travel, so we were mainly a “Weekend Family”. It only got harder and harder as the kids got older (I thought they needed your time most as little kids-BIG “wrong”). I couldn’t find that elusive “Super Mom” balance between work and family and we needed a change (I so admire those of you who can do it all- some of my sisters included).
     
     
    I was pregnant with my third when DH was offered a promotion to a sales position back to my home town where a lot of my family still was. I didn’t hesitate one second…It was a happy change for us all. We moved and we were now able to afford it, so I stopped working. If I’m being honest it was a hard transition going from the “fast track” to “homemaker”. With a new baby, and DH now traveling I’d go days without seeing an adult. Also, it’s kind of like being fat…people stereotype you...and with the move, no one knew I had had a career…I found people suddenly treating me like I didn’t have a brain…the topics of conversation in my life suddenly changed. Even I was guilty of this at first …I’d been friends with neighbors for years before I’d asked anything other than about life as a Mom. There were lawyers, nurses, teachers, all kinds of “formers”. And yes, those who’d never had a job also had lives outside their families…wow I was guilty of not thinking homemakers have a brain too…there were volunteers for great organizations, those that had hobbies like mine, brilliant women! Anyway, I had to keep busy so I volunteered for everything; was the Girl Scout Leader, the “Homeroom Mom” for all three of them every year (for as long as they’d let me-about middle school), and I was a former art teacher, so the schools used my talents for all kinds of things and I was there with my youngest in tow most days. I helped start a “play group” in my neighborhood for Moms/little ones. I immediately signed my two older ones for so many things they’d been asking to do. We all appreciated our new life. That first summer, I counted 14 “legs” in the car one day with the baby zigzagging the older ones around town…not good either…
     
     
    We found a balance and the kid’s all were able to dabble in many thing and they each found their gifts/niche. We’ve since moved again (I designed our current home with the help of an architect software program, not a huge house, but it meets our family needs perfectly!) and the kids are now older; two teens and one is 21 (I can’t believe I’ll be down to one at home next year). I’ve certainly never been bored at home as I’ve always been busy. My youngest, 13, still needs the most time from Mom but my “job” at home has evolved more and more into time devoted to major home reno. projects; tiling, painting, sewing curtains, finished the basement/bath (I’ll never mud drywall again), built a pond with waterfall, designed and built a finished clubhouse for the kids, etc. (with help from DH & the kids). I love tackling learning something I’ve never done so I’m pretty handy, and I feel good that I’ve saved us tons of money doing all this myself (even my neighbor friends who are at home sometimes tell me I make them look bad). As a homemaker, I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that you can only get those pats on the back from your family mainly, and they get used to your capabilities, so the pats don’t always come as often. Gone are the work days when a job well done meant you had whole teams of people singing your praises…and forget getting a promotion!
     
     
    I haven’t regretted anything…but with my youngest turning 13 I’m suddenly finding I no longer have that little kid in the house who thinks you know everything and glows at every little thing you do…and you’re the hardest working mom on Earth. Getting through these teen years is just difficult some days, and I knew it would be. Some days they act like/tell me I have no clue. My sister gave me a magnet that says “Ask your Teenager now while they still know everything!”, and yep, I still have a brain. It’s funny, my kids hardly remember me working and they’re wonderful kids, hard workers, not spoiled, but as teens often do, they don’t always appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made in your life for them. They don't like it when I have to said “no” (I’m the disciplinarian and DH is the softie…he’s still working on it), but I know they love me and they do show it/say so. They unknowingly say hurtful things like “I wonder why you don’t have a job?” like their friend’s mom. There’s some days I want to scream “What do you mean I don’t have a job…who’s raising you? Don’t you know I gave up working for our happiness? Do they realize how different things would be for them even now if I was working?…Don’t they remember…” Of course they don’t. I’m happy with my life…I’ve got a wonderful family and a great life, and again, I don’t regret anything…but some days-TEENS! I get glimmers of hope that they’ll get this someday…my daughter’s about ready to graduate college and she’s coming out of that teen funk; she’s starting to ask me about things that let me know she gets it.
     
     
    Reading this over I’m sounding so negative, and that’s not me at all…I’m a giving person who gives out of love, not looking for appreciation; the typical nurturer – family first. *Lightbulb* I just realized this week when I saw this Lap Band thing was probably going to be a reality I was feeling guilty that I was putting myself before my family. I felt guilty I was taking time to do this just for me. That’s probably at least part of the reason I’ve let myself get to this state of health, never putting me first. Writing this was helpful for me to realize the whole family will benefit from seeing me work hard, and yes, just for me! (even if only my DH knows about the LB)…I realize the one thing I’ve yet to be able to balance in my life was sometimes putting myself first.
  6. Band_Groupie
    What a great day! I’m on cloud nine…or at least 8.75!!! I went to the third hospital's seminar this morning and it was great! I turned my first big corner in this process! It was a great seminar; whole section devoted to INSURANCE, with an actual INSURANCE EXPERT- can you believe they exist?…I thought it was an urban legend! It was like finding the holy grail! I talked to the insurance gal and she assured me I’ll get approved. Whoo Hoo!! She said my insurer is the best insurance to have for this here…and she said they have “Actual LIVE people on the other end of the phone.” I wonder what the other ones have “DEAD people”??…serves them right…insurance people…putting me through all this…oh, that’s right, my insurance peeps are still alive…good thing…they need to live long enough to give me that elusive final approval!!! Then we’ll getm’!
     
    My surgeon had a great presentation and was wonderful (even gave us a copy of the whole presentation, now there’s an idea!)! OK, now tell me if I’m going to die in surgery? Let me explain; he came with his little ducklings (4 interns) following. Poor guy couldn’t get his PowerPoint presentation to work at the beginning, so after about 5 min. of trying he turned working on it over to an intern while he talked to us. Two min. later Duckling no. 3 had it working….I couldn’t help myself…I blurted… “I want that guy for my surgery!” I’m hoping the Dr. didn’t hear me…but the sniggers around me didn’t help. If I die you’ll know why, and Doc, let me clarify my statement…I meant as an intern, not as my Dr.! My Doc rocks!
     
    My only regret today was my husband was traveling for business. He just got home and I was telling him about my day---he was so happy for me. We kept talking and I mentioned the diet/exercise plan...he said "6 months?!!! I thought it was 6 weeks??!!!" LOL...didn’t he just sit (or sleep) through the other two seminars with me?!!…he means well!
     
    So its been a (sing it with me........you know you want to) Supercalafragolisticexpialidocious Day!!
  7. Band_Groupie
    On to more pressing matters…I’m nervous about my last seminar tomorrow so I’m being lazy and spending most of the day on the computer. After lurking all over LBT today I’m now feeling the need to take my “Before” pictures or find some. I’m even thinking I might even attempt the insurmountable feat of creating an Avatar soon (isn’t that a Cartoon show?).:angry_smile: Heck, I’ve now got a Blog and I didn’t know what that was a week ago! And BTW what the heck is a Vlog people are mentioning “I love vlogging?”?? I’ll have to Google that one!
     
    I’ve found there are very few recent pics of me…I hide from the camera, shove my youngest in front of me, or it’s in my hand…I wonder why. This is a somewhat scary proposition. So…I’ve been perusing everyone’s Before/After pics (wow you all look so different! You know I’m talking about you! What an inspiration!:cursing:) …do I wear the jeans; nope…I’ll NEVER be able to get that pic where I’m standing in one pant leg!:cursing: I’ve got the jeans for 160# still hanging in my closet and they’re not ½ the size of my current ones...hard to believe I was there less than 8 years ago (for the umpteenth time!). Do I just do the face shot…nope; unfortunately I still have a very oval face with a double chin only when I smile. Let’s be real…It’s not my face carrying this weight…I’m a pear and the skinniest part is still at the top, my head. Do I dress myself in my finest (aka full camouflage of the weight)? Or do I let it all hang out (I saw one in her underwear belly fat roll in hand...I’ll cut her a break, maybe she doesn’t own a bikini; I know I don’t!:cursing: BTW not on LBT…we have standards here!) I think I’m opting for the middle ground. I like the ones that wear the same outfit so you can really see the differences…so I guess I’ll need to wear pants I might keep…oh, wait, I guess that only leaves my spandex sweats and a tank…not so pretty…that’s one step away from the underwear lady! But maybe that’s the motivation I need!:cursing: I don’t know about you but I know I don’t see myself the way others see me…while I’m disgusted by the site of me and what I’ve done to my body…I know I still don’t see myself as fat as I am…Why is that? And when I was 70# lighter when we moved to Pittsburgh, I remember being in my youngest sisters wedding and feeling SO fat…I hate my photos from that day. Maybe Technicolor photos will help me gain perspective. So I’m gathering my courage to have my DH photograph me…I’ll let you know how it goes.:cursing:
     
    Now I’ve just got to ask…WHAT’S UP with all those Avatars of people’s faces taken from above their heads? :cool:They are beautiful and interesting, but I started to ask myself why? Why no face pics from below…OK…looking up anyone’s nose wouldn’t be pretty! Above- Is it so no one can recognize you? Do they all have disfiguring goiters on their necks:eek:…I’m not making fun…I’m just curious. I’ve finally decided they all have double or triple chins (I’m a double) they’re hiding. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I finally figure out how to do an Avatar…I wonder how skinny I’d look from up above? But then I'd have to dye my gray roots! For now I’ll just work on the “Before”… :cursing:
  8. Band_Groupie
    OK- good news for the day:smile:. My oldest (daughter) was home from college for the night/day and we had a great, short visit. I felt badly that I had 3 lengthy phone calls with my family members (drama) while I should have been visitng with her though. My middle one (son), Senior in HS, is getting inducted into the National Honor Society tonight. I'm really proud of him...!:angry_smile:
  9. Band_Groupie
    First things first. I had no idea what a Blog was and now I'm writing mine...a "journal", I get it. My kids would be proud of this technological feat (maybe someday I'll figure out how to do those photos online-Avatar...isn't that a Cartoon?)...except at this point I've decided not to tell anyone about this "journey" except my skinny DH, whom I dearly love. Let's face it, if you've never fought obesity for more than a decade (OK, I'll give him the "college fatties" that he soon lost) you just don't get it. He's supportive in his own way (he just sat through two different information seminars with me), but I know him well... He married a 5'9" (I've lost an inch), 132# art teacher who also taught 8 aerobic exercise classes a week. He's watched me go up and down the scale drastically. It's hard, but I can lose major weight (up to 50)...My real problem is keeping it off. Heck, I was 80# lighter just 8 years ago when we moved here and I've been up and down 30 and then 45 pounds of that twice in the 8 years since. His reaction to Lap Band "It's so drastic. Can't you just do Atkins again and then we can get you a gym membership so you can keep it off?" (I wish). Now, I can hardly move around without hurting at almost 250#...I'm sure I LOOK lazy sitting in the recliner with the heating pad on my osteoarthritic back. Ahh...if only they knew how much more WORK it is to be fat...seriously, just think about it...how much time have I spent researching, doing, logging diets and exercise plans...how many minutes a day are spent just thinking about food/diets/self image/my obesity...I wish I could get all that time back to just Live Life! Will everyone I know be surprised if I lose a lot of weight...no, they've all seen me do it before...but they, and I, will be shocked if I can keep it off. That is my secret hope...I just want to feel healthy again...and getting back into those skinny jeans will just be a bonus!!!!
     
     
    I'll track my progress another time, but I'll tell you in my few months of researching this I've done a 180 on sharing this process, at least for now. I'm known as a "sharer", nothing is sacred...I had my hysterectomy and incontinence sling surgery...everyone knew (yeah, even the husbands in the neighborhood...I can't help that they were at the bus stop waiting for their kids while the Mom's were asking me about it...they couldn't have talked a little louder about "the game last night"?) and I shared whatever anyone wanted to know...if you've never been through incontinence "testing" you haven't lived (and the surgery failed, so I'm starting testing again...wee!...literally). I don't get embarressed by this stuff and I find a sense of support by sharing to whomever wants to know, but I've changed my mind for this process. After reading many others experiences both positive and negative with telling others about their Lap-Band, I've decided for once in my life to keep this under wraps. I think what's left of my self-esteem just can't handle any negativity about this. It's against my nature to not share this, and it's going to be harder on me, so I was glad to find an outlet here for sharing...even if no one ever reads anything.
     
     
    So HELLO "My Blog"! I'm not really keeping a secret if it's here for the world to read. This will be my place to vent, to plan, to track, and hopefully to celebrate, and maybe find some friendly support along the way! Thanks for listening Blog.
  10. Band_Groupie
    Hey peeps! I can't believe I've been away so long! The holidays were just SO busy this year and I was off enjoying every minute with my family (gained a couple of pounds, but still under goal, no worries, it's 'NORMAL' LOL). Hope you're all having a wonderful new year! Things are back to normal now, and I'm back to writing and finding ways to 'paying it forward' (like here). Here's the last few blogs (come visit me at my site and keep in touch!) -BG, (Lap) BAND GROUPIE http://bandgroupieth...t.blogspot.com/
     
    Headline News!
     
    Did you watch the Today Show today?
     
    No, I'm going to gloss right over the fact that Hostess has filed for bankruptcy.
     
    OK, Yes, I know what just flashed in your mind…How quickly can I get to my local grocery store before the run on the Hostess section leaves the shelves completely bare? Quickly followed by…What did they say the shelf-life of a Twinkie is? OK, My third thought was...I haven't even experience the Deep Fried Twinkie yet!!!
     
    Personally, in my early obesity years, I had a decade of addiction to these:

     
    Followed by these:

     
    Which one is your fav?
     
    OK, I know…Enough of the food porn! There are hungry people out here!
     
    All right, let me fix this…
     
    I'm not even sure Hostess makes food, do they? It doesn't look like food, does it? Would your great-grandma think so?

     
    Does a Twinkie even have a real food products in the ingredients?
     
    I once saw a science museum experiment where they placed a piece of homemade cake under a sealed glass dome, and under a second dome was a Twinkie. You could barely see the slimy remains of the cake through the mold covering the inside of the first glass dome. The Twinkie? Looked as good as the day it was born. Hey, I wonder if all those preservatives I ate will keep me 'well preserved'.
     
    Don't believe it? Here's an NPR story about a teacher who has a 30 year old Twinkie: "The Shelf Life of a Vintage Twinkie"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4780900
     
    And if you still don't believe that calorie restriction is the best way to control your weight, have you heard of the Twinkie Diet? A (not obese) nutrition professor lost 27 pounds in two months by eating a Hostess treat every three hours instead of meals and restricting his caloric intake from 2,600 to 1,800. He (and I) are not recommending this (you know how I feel about diets)!
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
     
    *shhh…and I didn't tell you this…Hostess promises that no matter who acquires the company, the Twinkie will live on*
     
    Now, back to the REAL headline segment.
     
    Today Show; Today's Consumer Segment, Elizabeth Mayhew, Editor-In-Chief, "Woman's Day Magazine"
     
    My overview:
     
    Due to consumer confidence last year was at an all time low, many items are coming down in price this year. 3D TV's, Tablet Computers, E-Readers, GPS Units, Sports Tickets, Cameras, Furniture, and one more item…
     
    Wine experts are calling this 'The year of the buyer.' People were not spending money on the $30+ last year bottles, so those prices are coming down. You'll see sales at merchants everywhere here. Look for Rhone wines/France, Tuscan wines/Italy, and Rioja wines/Spain. The only exception is Bordeaux (because there haven't been good vintages lately). In general, European wines (because of the Euro), and S. American wines as well.
     
    You can watch the segment here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/45970790#null
    Reminder...Everything in moderation.
     

     
    Stock up peeps (no, not on Twinkies!)!

     
    Unless they're these...

     
    You're welcome.
     

    ------------------------------------------------




    It's All How You Look At It 
    I was updating my WL/Maintenance spreadsheet/chart and not for the first time noticed that it looks like the Himalayas…it might scare more than a few people about maintenance, not to mention unfills. I was thinking about how regular slow and steady beginners ski jump my WL phase chart looks compared to it (well, not the 6 mo. Pre-op, but the post-surgery). Then I got curious as to how many weeks both of these spanned? How many weeks has it been since the first time I reached goal (my Maintenance Chart starts there)? I was surprised to see that my WL Chart covered 81 weeks, and My Maintenance Chart covered 83...interesting! I wonder what the Maintenance Chart would look like if I gave it the same horizontal/vertical axis range as my WL Chart?
     

     
    So, to compare them equally, I chopped the last two weeks off my Maintenance Chart and both horizontal axis are now 81 weeks. I then expanded the Maintenance vertical axis to cover a 105 pounds range, with gridline intervals every 5 pounds (the same as my WL Chart). Wow…now Maintenance isn't anything to fear!
     
    You can clearly see that I had a partial unfill just a few weeks after reaching goal…but after the long awaited refill and making my way back down…well, things are pretty darn steady! Maintenance is nothing to be afraid of!
     
    Losing the Band…yep, we can all be afraid of that, because it means not having the help we all desperately need to finally get/keep the weight off (just look at my instant march upward and then white knuckling the wait)…but another thing this shows me is that unfills are nothing to be totally afraid of either. Yeah, gaining and losing it again isn't any fun, but as long as a refill is coming and I'll have the help of the Band again, I'll now know I'll be fine (remind me I said that at the next unfill)!
     
    I wish that I'd expected to have unfills along the way…maybe it wouldn't have seemed so traumatic. I think the Doc's should actually tell us to expect them! Unfills are a result of our personal learning process with the Band/operator error (dry meat and not enough chewing in my case), the complicated process of getting to just the right level of restriction at the same time we're losing internal fat, our Doc's approach to fill levels, and let’s face it…a little luck, and a dose of 'fickle' factor thrown in.


     


    Maintenance, unfills,…it's all how you look at it!


     

  13. Band_Groupie

    Ketchup

    By Band_Groupie,

    ...or should I say Catsup...no, make that Catch Up...
     
    So much going on here that I didn't get a moment to even post my already completed posts...my Bandiversary, my scheduled visit to my Surgeon, my new projects...
     
    ...but those will come this week...
     
    ...let's catch up on the other important other stuff...life!
     
    It's the last day of Spring Break here for DS2, and DH took off a few days last week, so thus the busy week. He's got a crazy schedule the next two weeks, so we (OK, my 'honey-do list') needed to get lots of things done...he's got a late dinner today, off to Italy tomorrow with three guys from China, gets home late Saturday night and then has to catch a flight about 4 hours later out west for the week...ugh...I don't miss work travel. He's going to miss my Birthday and his this week *sigh*.
     
    DD spent the weekend with us, but DS1 had some big projects due and finals coming up, so unfortunately he couldn't get home from college.
     
    Saturday was our 29th Anniversary...we were supposed to go out Friday, but I had a stomach bug...and since DD was home Saturday night, we spent it with the kids and made a pact to do something big next year for our 30th.
     
    We had fun dying eggs...DS2's eggs...can you tell he loved the 'tie dye' kit best.

    We had a great time watching movies together and playing games...DD peed her pants laughing (she must have gotten my incontinence genes) when we played 'Just Dance 2' on the Wii and DH and I did a duet dance (DH has two left feet, but he beat me anyway because I was laughing so hard).
     
    DD and I did some girly things...painted our toenails...we dyed our hair in honor of Easter...mine turned purple...well a gray purple (I swear, wish I'd thought to take a pic), and not on purpose...and then we fixed it...and I let DD trim my hair for the first time for fun (it kept getting shorter and shorter...and I had to get out the scissors to even a few things up this morning). I gave DH's hair a trim for his trips (I started trimming people's hair in college, so you know I'm a professional LOL...besides, as he would say, there's not much left to trim LOL).
     
    Here are the kids...DS2 hamming it up after finding his hidden basket...

    DD opening her 81 eggs after the big hunt. Yes, we still hide an obnoxious amount of eggs for each kid (the older they got, the more we hid) in different rooms in the house...and yes, they still love the hunt...I'm sure we'll still be doing this until they have kids of their own.

    I made a great Easter brunch (OK, pick your chin up off the floor...yes...I cooked)...with a new recipe for a toasted crusty bread and savory egg casserole...YUM. We had the traditional Easter ham dinner, with some new appetizers (the Pittsburgh potatoe perogies were a little bland...I need to look up a sauce for next time).
     

     
    *Portion of Post Deleted For Lap Band Book
    Folllow me here: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/
  15. Band_Groupie
    It's in the 40's now and we had hail and snow this week, but we're supposed to see 80 degrees on Sunday for the first time this year...com'on spring! -Had a great visit with my middle sis, her DH, and her youngest (of four boys). Here are some pics from downtown one day; visited DD's apartment, ate, and took a trip up one of the inclines (steel mill workers used to ride these down the hills to work at the mills on the rivers).
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    'Martha Moment' of the week: helped my Sis sew four new pillows for her Living Room (and she helped me pick fabrics for DD's old room).
     
    *Portion of Post Deleted for Lap Band Book Weight: 154, down 2. Even though I was in line with meals, no, I don't deserve a good weight loss this week...did I mention that I bought the Costco 'big chocolate cake' and the 'cheesecake medley/variety pack' (and had a slice of both)? I sent the rest of the giant cake out the door with DD's BF and my nephew (chocolate = trigger food...and I don't even like cake).
     

    I'm going to send my daily meal list/amounts (OK, not this past week) in to Dr. Oz (*Note: Sent the show an email with specifics that they got wrong.). If you didn't see his show on LB (mainly regarding the new ruling for lower BMIers), videos are on his site HERE ...the LBers they had on were either lying or malnourished; 5 teaspoons of yogurt OR a cup of broth is a meal?!...and aren't both those sliders (this gal is a full 6 months out from surgery)? I was mostly angry with the bariatric Doc who didn't point out that their meals shown are NOT what is recommended and that none of them had enough protein. Thank G*d I didn't see this before my LB or that would have scared me off.
    Off to find my meds...head thumping, shaky, nauseous...I feel a migraine coming on...or maybe it's a sugar detox?
    Happy Weekend All!
     
    Come visit my blog and help me with the Lap Band book you talked me into writing
     
    http://bandgroupieth...t.blogspot.com/
  17. Band_Groupie
    Today's the big day! I've finally got a new Doc and I'm going in for my first 'visit'! Yes, I'm having deja vu too...almost exactly two years ago today I went in for my first visit with my surgeon and now I'm right back there again!
     
    Catching you up: first one Doc left my practice for another in town, then the second Doc (last one in a two Doc practice) left the state for another practice, then my hospital announced they had two Docs from a practice in town that would be coming, then they cancelled my fill appointment (for the second time) and announced that two other Docs from another hospital were coming soon...and then I waited...for them to call with the new appointment...like they promised...
     
    A month later (last week) I called. Since only one of the new Doc's is covering the 'LB Patients' and since he's still got his old practice at the other hospital, their first opening at my hospital was April 4...yes, that's right...I've been waiting for a fill since the beginning of October and they couldn't get me in until April 4.
     
     
    *Portion of post deleted for Lap Band Book
     
    P.S. DD made the Pittsburgh newspaper today...at an art opening this weekend with a date:
     
    P.S. DD made the Pittsburgh newspaper today...at an art opening this weekend with a date:
  18. Band_Groupie
    IT'S NOT JUST A TOOL!
     
    In the Thanksgiving hub-bub, I forgot to post this one here...and WTHeck happened to LBT while I was off cooking and stuffing myself (and the turkey)?!!
     
    You know I love change...I'm always shaking things up, but com'on! I'm already tech-challenged and now I have to relearn this...yikes. OK, problem already...can't find the 'cut' feature (as in cut and paste...come out come out wherever you are...I give up.
     
    Anywhoooo...Hope you all had a great turkey-day and enjoyed your families as much as I did! Enjoy...
     
    --------------------------------------------------------------
    WARNING- A thesis paper follows (if you thought the last one was long LOL), as I pulled some things from the book, and I probably won't leave this up long because of that. I'd appreciate your thoughts/questions,
     
     
    *Post Deleted For Lap Band Book
  19. Band_Groupie
    I've lost 2.5 pounds of the 4 lb. I gained in the two weeks gone. My stomach is pretty much back to normal (had a few burning issues yesterday, but I'm staying on the Nexium until I see the doc next week). We're off to Columbus again for a nephew's college graduation party (from OSU). Yay, college football starts again! Mom's cooking all weekend...help me! Have a great loooong weekend all!

    OK, here's my journal from the week before last when I was swamped with getting ready for the college move and then vacation the next day.
     
    8/18
    I just got a call from my sister-in law. My niece/goddaughter is off to PSU tomorrow for her senior year and they're packing the car. She's so excited our DS1 is starting at PSU this year and she's meeting us Friday to help with his move in. I'm 'nesting'. I've been spending days buying and returning items (when I find something better) to stores, checking things off lists and organizing it all. He'll be almost 4 hours from home and it helps me to know he'll have everything he needs.
     
    I'm a self-admittedly almost OCD organizer. I've got plastic bins all organized and labeled…I've written our last name in sharpie on most of his more expensive things…tiny, where no one will notice, but this totally irks DS1…it's not like I'm labeling his underwear or anything (although that isn't a bad idea LOL). I bought some more bins yesterday and I'm disappointed he doesn't seem to have anything to put in them…boys just need less than girls. We took the car and the van to move DD in her freshman year. I'm thinking we're going to get everything in the van…and probably without the roof-rack and car-top carrier.
     
    I spent half a day trying to find pics of his dorm room setup online (finally found a few on Flicker). PSU missed the boat on this one…no pics, just a drawing of the layout with mislabeled room sizes (one dimension says 12'15"…took me finding other sites to realize it's 12'5" and it was a typo, like I suspected). The furniture isn't even to scale on their drawings (yeah, I plugged the room info. into my architect computer program to see how his things would fit). These freshman dorm rooms are TINY and the furniture is all bolted down, so correct dimensions are important when you're trying to figure out if the rug you bought will fit in the room (I think I have an inch leeway on one side as long as the radiator isn't deeper than 12"…no dimensions given). Luckily, I also got a 'heads-up' on a few things from my niece…like you can request a Twin XL bed instead of the Twin given (big deal if you're over 6' like DS1 is) and that the beds have 6 legs and not 4 (important if you're buying bed riser feet in packs of 4 so you can put big bins of things under the bed).
     
    We've got 'extras' of several items…no way will we be standing in the 2 hour lines at Wal-Mart for more extension cords. I'm such a visual organizer that it helps me to feel that he's settled before we get there. I know where most things go and then when we're done placing it all I feel like the Momma bird who has feathered the nest and made it all cozy for her baby. Leaving your child at school for the first time is hard enough without feeling like you've left them without something they'll need. Do I get that he's a big-boy now and can certainly get to the store and buy things if he needs them…yep, of course I do, but it makes me feel better…and so I'm nesting…
    ----
    8/19
    Side note; we finished the art projects for his room (I may have told you about these already, so sorry if I'm repeating?). DH and DS1 made a batik for the big wall over his bed. DD and I did a decoupage tissue paper triptych for her first dorm room with all her room colors, so I was trying to find something that DH could do with DS1…DH can't draw a straight line to save his life, but I remembered seeing some batiks that he had made in HS. I helped DS1 draw out the Nittany Lion paw print logo on the white fabric we bought and then they painted the wax and dyed it the PSU blue. I ironed it out and hemmed the edges (It was my sneaky way of getting a little color in the room with all the black, black, gray, and black…and now blue! hee-hee). I also surprised DS1 with taking some indoor/outdoor lights (just round white bulbs) and painting some little paw prints on those too with some glass paint…yes, you can bake light-bulbs in the oven.
    ----
    8/21
    The move into college went well. We got permission to move in with the locals on Friday since we leave for vacation on Saturday morning. It was a super Looooong day....up and out by 5am, 4 hours there, unpack and lunch, 4 hours home, then repack the whole car for vacation. Everything for his move went really smoothly though. We arrived there 15 min. before the start of check-in time and thankfully they were already ready and unloading cars. PSU was very organized…we were sent right onto the grass parking for his dorm and students were there with dollies to take loads up to his room (we'd borrowed one from a neighbor also). Lucky for us I'm a little OCD about things as I'd looked and knew there was a good chance of rain in the morning and insisted we put everything not in plastic bins into plastic bags. It was drizzling when we arrived and then we had a hard shower while DH and DS1 were taking loads up as I unpacked the van. When they came back, they were happy that his giant pile of stuff on the sidewalk was protected from the rain as everyone around us was trying to hold umbrellas over their stuff.
     
    My niece/god-daughter (also at PSU) came to the room to help and she was great. After struggling to get the rug down and under both beds, the rest of the move went smoothly. We got his batik up on the wall and my niece put up the lights I made him up on the ceiling. The two body pillows fit well along the wall and made the bed into a nice 'couch' of sorts. My son had insisted that he didn't want a bed-skirt as anything with the word 'skirt' in it had to be bad and he feared getting made fun of…I tried 'dust-ruffle', but that was even worse LOL. I whispered for my niece to come over while he was busy and we took the 2 curtain panels I'd bought (for the 'bed-skirt'), folded them and hung them from the bed frame/springs to the floor and overlapped them in the middle. Looks much nicer than seeing the bed risers and the big bins of food and stuff that are under the bed. He was really pleased with how everything turned out…and I don't think he even noticed the bedSKIRT!
     
    *Pic 1 Attached: DS1 in the bed portion; note you can see part of the paw-print batik on the wall and the string of lights hanging (and see how you don't notice the bedskirt with all the other black?).
    *Pic 2 Attached: DS1 and I in the desk/closet portion; note I also got some more color (blue) in with some wrapping paper on the bulletin board.
    *Pic 3 Attached: Here's the lights up close with the little logos I painted, it's a 24 set (I made another set to send to my god-daughter as a surprise since she liked his so much).
  21. Band_Groupie
    We had a raucous good time partying with our neighbors last night in Pittsburgh.




    Captain Sidney Crosby hoists the Stanley Cup.

    Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin hoists the Conn Smythe Trophy after defeating the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final hockey series in Detroit, Michigan, June 12, 2009. REUTERS/Shaun Best
  23. Band_Groupie
    I was moving cars into the garage this morning to make room for the mountain of mulch (8 cubic yards...my back hurts just thinking about it) that will be arriving any minute and was reminded I keep forgetting to tell you that DD bought her first car. She could have had this:

    Or this lovely ‘green’ car:
     

    But Instead she bought a Toyota Corolla. It’s used, but is in pristine, mint condition, has very low mileage and gets over 40 mpg. It was honestly owned by a ‘little old lady” (my brother is in the Automotive industry).


    Before she saw it she was a little disappointed in the color (same as the one in the pic), but then it was love at first sight. I was reminded of my first car…my hatchback Plymouth Arrow…When I found the ad in the paper my first question on the phone was “What color is it?”. It was red and I thought I had the sexiest car around…I had to keep jumper cables next to me on the front seat at all times, but I loved that car.
    DH bought his first car in HS. It was a Mustang and he still talks about that car.

    First cars are like other important 'firsts' in your life; you never forget them. First cars are a rite of passage into the adult world. They give you the independence and freedom to go where you want, when you want, and they signal to the world that you’re now old enough...to have your own debt!

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