dirttrackdiva

OK, so I'm sure you all are wondering what this is about. Well, mine and my husbands wedding anniversary was the first of this month and my father in law wanted to take us to dinner. So the boys picked IHOP, which is fine. I can eat eggs and actually called the doc and they said I could eat pancakes since I'm three weeks out as long I didn't put syrup on them or used sugar free. Well, I haven't eaten pancakes since I've been banded so I didn't think that would be a good idea. Don't want to eat something I haven't yet and find out, in public no less, that it was a bad idea. Quite embarrassing I can imagine, my aversion to vomit aside. :biggrin: So I order an omelet cuz I know I can eat those. Had one at home the other day, thought it would be a safe bet. They bring me this omelet the size of a PLATTER! This monstrous omelet also came with three pancakes, and hashbrowns. This thing was huge! And so I did what we're supposed to do, when I ordered I asked the waitress to bring me a to go box with my meal. Upon getting the box I immediately dumped half the omelet, half the hashbrowns and all of the pancakes in the box. I ate about 1/4 of the gigantic omelet I received, maybe not even that. I have a food a scale here at home to make sure I'm eating the right size portions (after my meltdown a few blogs ago, I went straight out and bought one, no more eating more than 1/2 cup for me by golly). I told my hubby on the way home I was going to weigh this thing on the food scale to see what it weighed. Moral of the story.......I get my to go box home with 3/4 of a gigantic omelet, a very healthy helping of hashbrowns and three pancakes and set that baby on the food scale. TWO POUNDS OF FOOD! Even after what I ate being absent of course. Scary thing is, before surgery I could have eaten all that and not batted an eye. No wonder I'm so fat. Wow, what a day, what a moment. As a side note, my dog didn't poop on the floor by the door (she does that when she's mad at us....lol) so she got one of the pancakes. And now the beagle thinks thinks I'm a God. :glare: Have a great day my bandster family.

YOU ABSOLUTELY ROCK! I'm with you on the discouraging moment......remember mine I posted to my blog just earlier this week. About being able to eat more than the 1/2 cup and feeling like a failure? I've seen pics of me before and my gosh they're not good. I look sad and fat.....which I was. I love your blog, it's so uplifting and makes it so much better to know that I have friends that understand. Hugs to you my dear. And you look absolutely great. Can't wait to see more. And piss on those before pictures.....who cares? Different life. Different person. That's why our bandiversaries are our new birthdays. Live it up girlfriend, you look awesome.

OK everyone, I'm needing some input here. Throw everything at me you've got. Are we allowed to eat more than half a cup of food before we get our first fill? I ask this because my hubby says that I'm doing this wrong. Because he FINALLY read the book of nutrition guidlines I was given in nutrition class almost a freaking month ago. I was banded on the 16th of this month and I've lost 25 pounds, so he says to me "think of how much more you would have lost if you were doing this right". Because the book says only half a cup of food. Now I'm not gorging myself. Not getting Thanksgiving full at every meal, but I know I'm eating more than half a cup. Since I was banded just a couple weeks ago, I haven't had a fill yet. Went a little overboard on the 4th, but didn't throw up. I'm eatin off of saucers. Usually a protein and a dairy at every meal. I can't eat vegetables till next week. Let me know all. I'll be checking back later tonight to see what you all said. Be honest, be brutal, be what you want. I need to know the truth and I'm asking for it. I feel like a complete and udder failure. I need to know what's going on and what I should be doing. Hope to hear from you all soon.

OK everyone, I'm needing some input here. Throw everything at me you've got. Are we allowed to eat more than half a cup of food before we get our first fill? I ask this because my hubby says that I'm doing this wrong. Because he FINALLY read the book of nutrition guidlines I was given in nutrition class almost a freaking month ago. I was banded on the 16th of this month and I've lost 25 pounds, so he says to me "think of how much more you would have lost if you were doing this right". Because the book says only half a cup of food. Now I'm not gorging myself. Not getting Thanksgiving full at every meal, but I know I'm eating more than half a cup. Since I was banded just a couple weeks ago, I haven't had a fill yet. Went a little overboard on the 4th, but didn't throw up. I'm eatin off of saucers. Usually a protein and a dairy at every meal. I can't eat vegetables till next week. Let me know all. I'll be checking back later tonight to see what you all said. Be honest, be brutal, be what you want. I need to know the truth and I'm asking for it. I feel like a complete and udder failure. I need to know what's going on and what I should be doing. Hope to hear from you all soon.

So I went back to work a couple days ago and my job still sucks. As you can all probably tell from my last post. The fourth of July was AWESOME! As it is every year. I have the pics, but they aren't ready to be posted yet. I can't wait for you all to see them. We usually have a really good fireworks display. This year it was a little small due to the economy and spending two weeks off work recently. Everyone spent about 100.00 and we still had plenty of stuff. Being as there were about 6 of us there all together. I ate too much last night. No PB'ing or sliming or throwing up but the scale showed 2 pounds more this morning than it did yesterday morning. I was grazing all day yesterday though. Fell off the wagon, today I got back on. Maybe it would have been better if those things had happened, then I would know not to do them again. I enjoyed the time with my family though. I've been approached by someone that is in charge of a local support group here in town and wants me to get involved and help him organize stuff. I think it would be so much fun. I told him I'd be more than happy to help. My hubby is getting much more supportive. Now that he's seeing how I'm losing and how much better I'm starting to feel about my self. And the "homework" is getting done a little more often now too. If you know what I mean. That's exciting too. When he tells me I'm a lot smaller than last time. Which was just two and half weeks ago a couple nights before surgery. Way cool. Well I guess that's all I have for now. Hope you all had a happy fourth of July and that it was safe and you didn't eat too much. Good night my bandster family and I'll talk to you soon.

So I went back to work a couple days ago and my job still sucks. As you can all probably tell from my last post. The fourth of July was AWESOME! As it is every year. I have the pics, but they aren't ready to be posted yet. I can't wait for you all to see them. We usually have a really good fireworks display. This year it was a little small due to the economy and spending two weeks off work recently. Everyone spent about 100.00 and we still had plenty of stuff. Being as there were about 6 of us there all together. I ate too much last night. No PB'ing or sliming or throwing up but the scale showed 2 pounds more this morning than it did yesterday morning. I was grazing all day yesterday though. Fell off the wagon, today I got back on. Maybe it would have been better if those things had happened, then I would know not to do them again. I enjoyed the time with my family though. I've been approached by someone that is in charge of a local support group here in town and wants me to get involved and help him organize stuff. I think it would be so much fun. I told him I'd be more than happy to help. My hubby is getting much more supportive. Now that he's seeing how I'm losing and how much better I'm starting to feel about my self. And the "homework" is getting done a little more often now too. If you know what I mean. That's exciting too. When he tells me I'm a lot smaller than last time. Which was just two and half weeks ago a couple nights before surgery. Way cool. Well I guess that's all I have for now. Hope you all had a happy fourth of July and that it was safe and you didn't eat too much. Good night my bandster family and I'll talk to you soon.

I just had this for dinner and thought it warranted another post. They were awesome. And, I cooked them myself. Salmon Burgers 1 14.5 oz can of chicken of the sea salmon 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion 1 tablespoon parsley 2 teaspoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons mayonaise 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional) spoon salmon mixture into patties on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 375. You can also fry them, I didn't, I liked baked fish better. I also didn't use the bread crumbs. If any of you try it, let me know how you liked it. Mine made four, medium sized patties. Enjoy all.

I just had this for dinner and thought it warranted another post. They were awesome. And, I cooked them myself. Salmon Burgers 1 14.5 oz can of chicken of the sea salmon 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion 1 tablespoon parsley 2 teaspoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons mayonaise 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional) spoon salmon mixture into patties on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 375. You can also fry them, I didn't, I liked baked fish better. I also didn't use the bread crumbs. If any of you try it, let me know how you liked it. Mine made four, medium sized patties. Enjoy all.

Warning: :rant: Well, yesterday was my first day back at work. Not much fun.......today wasn't either. It seems I'm at fault for everything that got screwed up beyond recognition while I was gone. Still haven't quite figured that out. :confused: And to put the icing on the cake, they screwed up my vacation pay, even though I requested it three weeks ago, so I won't be getting paid tomorrow. They're going to take it on to my next check IN TWO WEEKS! So now I have to call the landlord and tell him the rent is going to be late. At least this is only the second time in over two years it's been late. But still, it's the principle of the matter. On the upside, however, everyone noticed that I lost weight and said I looked really good. That made it all soooooo much better. <---it's a llama, too cute. lol I guess it was just my day in the barrel. Who knows. Other than that, not much going on in my world. I have, however, lost a total of 25 pounds. :success1: Figured out last night that I can't eat tunafish anymore. Hubby and I went to a sandwich shop last night and I got some tunafish (no bread, not really a fan of sandwiches anyway, but didn't want anything hot) and it was didn't go down well. The tuna was really stringy though. It didn't taste fresh. :ack2: Well, I guess that's all I have for today. Hope you all are well. And thankfully, I'm off tomorrow.

Warning: :thumbup: Well, yesterday was my first day back at work. Not much fun.......today wasn't either. It seems I'm at fault for everything that got screwed up beyond recognition while I was gone. Still haven't quite figured that out. :thumbup: And to put the icing on the cake, they screwed up my vacation pay, even though I requested it three weeks ago, so I won't be getting paid tomorrow. :blushing: They're going to take it on to my next check IN TWO WEEKS! So now I have to call the landlord and tell him the rent is going to be late. At least this is only the second time in over two years it's been late. But still, it's the principle of the matter. On the upside, however, everyone noticed that I lost weight and said I looked really good. That made it all soooooo much better. :crying: <---it's a llama, too cute. lol I guess it was just my day in the barrel. Who knows. Other than that, not much going on in my world. I have, however, lost a total of 25 pounds. :thumbup: Figured out last night that I can't eat tunafish anymore. Hubby and I went to a sandwich shop last night and I got some tunafish (no bread, not really a fan of sandwiches anyway, but didn't want anything hot) and it was didn't go down well. The tuna was really stringy though. It didn't taste fresh. Well, I guess that's all I have for today. Hope you all are well. And thankfully, I'm off tomorrow.

Today was certainly nothing major to write about. I did figure out however that I can't eat boiled eggs anymore. I made egg salad in my magic bullet for dinner and there were a couple hard boiled eggs left over. I gave one to hubby and was going to eat one myself. Figured it would give me a good shot of protein. I took a bite out of it and that's the closest I've come to throwing up food since I've been banded. Needless to say hubby ate that one too. Thankfully I haven't experience any PB's or sliming yet. I'm doing everything in my power to avoid that. I also have been really listening to my band and I can tell when I'm full. When it's time for me to the "stretch" that's when I'm done. We've all done the stretch. Before I was banded I would always feel full then stretch just so I can get that extra few bites in. Now I stop at the stretch. So far it's working pretty good for me. The cookbook is coming along ok I guess. Still slow but sure. My mom is on vacation for the next three weeks and I'm hoping to have it done when she comes home. We'll be able to eat about anything we want by then anyway. Hopefully it'll be our "first fill present", the cookbook. Well, that's all I've got for tonight. Talk to you all later.

Today was certainly nothing major to write about. I did figure out however that I can't eat boiled eggs anymore. I made egg salad in my magic bullet for dinner and there were a couple hard boiled eggs left over. I gave one to hubby and was going to eat one myself. Figured it would give me a good shot of protein. I took a bite out of it and that's the closest I've come to throwing up food since I've been banded. Needless to say hubby ate that one too. Thankfully I haven't experience any PB's or sliming yet. I'm doing everything in my power to avoid that. I also have been really listening to my band and I can tell when I'm full. When it's time for me to the "stretch" that's when I'm done. We've all done the stretch. Before I was banded I would always feel full then stretch just so I can get that extra few bites in. Now I stop at the stretch. So far it's working pretty good for me. The cookbook is coming along ok I guess. Still slow but sure. My mom is on vacation for the next three weeks and I'm hoping to have it done when she comes home. We'll be able to eat about anything we want by then anyway. Hopefully it'll be our "first fill present", the cookbook. Well, that's all I've got for tonight. Talk to you all later.

Today was my annual family reunion. Daddy's side of the family. We all get together the last Sunday of June every year and just talk about the past. Eat lots of food (except me this year) and watch the kids play at the park and swim. It's always a good chance to see people that I don't usually see and talk to them about how my life is going. This years crowd was very very small. I can remember when I was kid it was HUGE! So many people. We've sadly lost a few of course, but it was still really small, even putting that aside. My mom went up yesterday and told certain people about the surgery and they were excited for us. At least my mom told me they were. To heck with them if they weren't. This is my life and my health anyway, not theirs. One of my cousins told me that I was looking really good and she's glad I was taking care of myself. In other news, things are going really well. I enjoyed spending that time. Got a little sun and hopefully won't blister. I don't take to the sun very well. Just a thing I have. That's why I hope when I have babies they'll get their hispanic daddy's skintone so they tan instead of burn. I went out with my hubby and his dad last night to get fireworks, always a good time. As you remember from previous entries, 4th of July and Halloween are big events in our lives. You gotta live for something I guess. We don't party anymore and lately I don't even have food, so I've got to have something. :thumbup: Well, I guess that's all there is for today. Didn't get to eat of the always excellent fair at the family reunion, brought baby food, but it didn't do much for me, so I'm going to have some baked potato soup. Talk to you all later.

Today was my annual family reunion. Daddy's side of the family. We all get together the last Sunday of June every year and just talk about the past. Eat lots of food (except me this year) and watch the kids play at the park and swim. It's always a good chance to see people that I don't usually see and talk to them about how my life is going. This years crowd was very very small. I can remember when I was kid it was HUGE! So many people. We've sadly lost a few of course, but it was still really small, even putting that aside. My mom went up yesterday and told certain people about the surgery and they were excited for us. At least my mom told me they were. To heck with them if they weren't. This is my life and my health anyway, not theirs. One of my cousins told me that I was looking really good and she's glad I was taking care of myself. In other news, things are going really well. I enjoyed spending that time. Got a little sun and hopefully won't blister. I don't take to the sun very well. Just a thing I have. That's why I hope when I have babies they'll get their hispanic daddy's skintone so they tan instead of burn. I went out with my hubby and his dad last night to get fireworks, always a good time. As you remember from previous entries, 4th of July and Halloween are big events in our lives. You gotta live for something I guess. We don't party anymore and lately I don't even have food, so I've got to have something. :cool: Well, I guess that's all there is for today. Didn't get to eat of the always excellent fair at the family reunion, brought baby food, but it didn't do much for me, so I'm going to have some baked potato soup. Talk to you all later.

I so look forward to your blog when you post new stuff. You're looking great in your pictures by the way. I have a family reunion tomorrow, most of these people haven't seen me in a year and don't know I've been banded. We'll see how that goes. I'll post when I get home. Talk with you later. Have a great day.

i know the process can be long and almost seem not worth it. but congrats to you on getting approved and setting a date. i was banded on the 16th of june. like you, my hubby wasn't into the idea. he was still against it when i went to the seminar and even throughout most of the process. i think when he finally figured out it was going to happen with or without his support he bucked up and started supporting the idea. and now that i'm two weeks out and 20 pounds lighter he's seeing the difference it's made in me and he couldn't be happier. good luck to you and i hope your journey is a great and successful one.

Anyone who understands racing and the World of Outlaws will know what that means. For those of you that aren't race fans, or don't get it (which is ok. racing isn't everyones cup of tea). The World of Outlaws is a dirt track phenomenon. Here's how they work.....you take a car that has 800 horsepower, weighing 1800 pounds (with the diver in it and full of fuel), turn it loose on a 1/2 - 1 mile dirt oval and watch them go about 130 mph and turn left! WAY COOL! :thumbup: So that's where I spent my evening last night. With two of my favorite gentlemen, my daddy and my brother. It was great. So much dirt flying my skin felt gritty when the race was over. That's an excellent night at the races right there. On the Banding front, still holding steady at the 20 pounds lost. I'm on the mushies right now. I feel restriction with some things, others I don't. Pureed refried beans give me a lot of resriction, while other things like mashed potatoes or grits don't give me hardly any. I called the doctors office about that, they said that the fiber in the beans makes them more restrictive. Which makes perfect sense. I'm enjoying it though. When I was at the doctor for my checkup on Monday they set me up for the July fill clinic, which is the 20th. I'm going to start a work out regimen on Monday. Just some resistance band training and maybe some pilates. Not going back to boxing just yet. Although I wish I could. I loved it. Well, sorry for the long post, I guess that's all I have right now. Talk with you all later.

Anyone who understands racing and the World of Outlaws will know what that means. For those of you that aren't race fans, or don't get it (which is ok. racing isn't everyones cup of tea). The World of Outlaws is a dirt track phenomenon. Here's how they work.....you take a car that has 800 horsepower, weighing 1800 pounds (with the diver in it and full of fuel), turn it loose on a 1/2 - 1 mile dirt oval and watch them go about 130 mph and turn left! WAY COOL! :rolleyes2: So that's where I spent my evening last night. With two of my favorite gentlemen, my daddy and my brother. It was great. So much dirt flying my skin felt gritty when the race was over. :rolleyes2: That's an excellent night at the races right there. On the Banding front, still holding steady at the 20 pounds lost. I'm on the mushies right now. I feel restriction with some things, others I don't. Pureed refried beans give me a lot of resriction, while other things like mashed potatoes or grits don't give me hardly any. I called the doctors office about that, they said that the fiber in the beans makes them more restrictive. Which makes perfect sense. I'm enjoying it though. When I was at the doctor for my checkup on Monday they set me up for the July fill clinic, which is the 20th. I'm going to start a work out regimen on Monday. Just some resistance band training and maybe some pilates. Not going back to boxing just yet. Although I wish I could. I loved it. Well, sorry for the long post, I guess that's all I have right now. Talk with you all later.

Went in for my two week check up yesterday and I'm down 20 pounds from when I started. Part of it the was from the pre op diet, but 20 pounds is 20 pounds. I was so excited. My mom has lost 16 pounds. So we're neck and neck. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Lots and lots of driving yesterday. The docs office is three hours away from my house, so I drove to KC to pick up my mom, then drove to the docs office. Then back to drop my mom off and home. While I was at the docs office they checked my incisions, found my port, just cuz I was interested in where it was, then they set me up for next months fill clinic. Released me to go back to work and also cleared me to exercise. I haven't been doing that cuz my doc said he needed to clear me to do it first. And I also got a doctors excuse that says I can wear sweat pants to work. My saving grace. lol The coolest part though is the down 20 pounds. That's great. Had my first mushies last night. About 1/2 of pureed refried beans. And this morning I had grits for breakfast. One package. Felt some resistance with the beans but not with the grits. Different consistencies I guess. Oh well, just something I'm going to have to watch for and monitor. Didn't get sick on my first meal though. Which is good. I've heard a lot of people do after not "eating" for so long they over do it. Well, I guess that's all I have for today. Talk with you all soon.

Went in for my two week check up yesterday and I'm down 20 pounds from when I started. Part of it the was from the pre op diet, but 20 pounds is 20 pounds. I was so excited. My mom has lost 16 pounds. So we're neck and neck. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Lots and lots of driving yesterday. The docs office is three hours away from my house, so I drove to KC to pick up my mom, then drove to the docs office. Then back to drop my mom off and home. While I was at the docs office they checked my incisions, found my port, just cuz I was interested in where it was, then they set me up for next months fill clinic. Released me to go back to work and also cleared me to exercise. I haven't been doing that cuz my doc said he needed to clear me to do it first. And I also got a doctors excuse that says I can wear sweat pants to work. My saving grace. lol The coolest part though is the down 20 pounds. That's great. Had my first mushies last night. About 1/2 of pureed refried beans. And this morning I had grits for breakfast. One package. Felt some resistance with the beans but not with the grits. Different consistencies I guess. Oh well, just something I'm going to have to watch for and monitor. Didn't get sick on my first meal though. Which is good. I've heard a lot of people do after not "eating" for so long they over do it. Well, I guess that's all I have for today. Talk with you all soon.

One week ago today I was banded. As a matter of fact, I was getting up to my room about right now. Went to the grocery store today and got all of my stuff for my week two diet. The only thing I forgot was the baby food. Oh well. Stocked up on apple sauce, cottage cheese, and I got some stuff to make a few pureed things. Ventured out on my own today. Grocery store and got my nails done. Now I have to decide what to eat tonight since this is the first night of my second week. CHOICES CHOICES! Also got a food scale. Trying to avoid the overeating we all do. I want to be the first one that doesn't overeat and puke the first time I get real food. Got two inspirational things today. Two rings. One says "love live" on the outside and "be brave" on the inside. The other one says "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". Seems to fit where I am in my life right now. Still amazed at how much my life revolved around food before. Got my hubby's dinner while I was out. Two hungry man tv dinners. And I used to be able to eat the same! In one sitting! Kind of embarrassed to admit that actually. Never have claimed to be a wilting flower. Anything a man can do I can do better. And I mean anything. Well I'm very tired after all that running around today. Going to rest a while. Talk to you all soon.

One week ago today I was banded. As a matter of fact, I was getting up to my room about right now. Went to the grocery store today and got all of my stuff for my week two diet. The only thing I forgot was the baby food. Oh well. Stocked up on apple sauce, cottage cheese, and I got some stuff to make a few pureed things. Ventured out on my own today. Grocery store and got my nails done. Now I have to decide what to eat tonight since this is the first night of my second week. CHOICES CHOICES! Also got a food scale. Trying to avoid the overeating we all do. I want to be the first one that doesn't overeat and puke the first time I get real food. Got two inspirational things today. Two rings. One says "love live" on the outside and "be brave" on the inside. The other one says "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". Seems to fit where I am in my life right now. Still amazed at how much my life revolved around food before. Got my hubby's dinner while I was out. Two hungry man tv dinners. And I used to be able to eat the same! In one sitting! Kind of embarrassed to admit that actually. Never have claimed to be a wilting flower. Anything a man can do I can do better. And I mean anything. Well I'm very tired after all that running around today. Going to rest a while. Talk to you all soon.

thanx for all of your supportive comments guys. seems to be better today. i'll keep you all posted on what's going on.

your little slice of heaven indeed. how beautiful. i would love some herbs, but i've heard they don't ship well. lol i should try to grow some if they're easy. i have a black thumb though. worth a shot i guess. we'll see. can you grow then year round?