Well, folks, it's official!
I got banded yesterday (aka had a Lap-Band inserted). I now join the ranks of the banded. I must say, I prefer "bandit" to "bandster," though I'm still picking up on the lingo.
Surgery went well yesterday, and I'm feeling good today. Lots of gas (who knew that they puffed you up with CO2 like a pufferfish in order to make it easier for the surgeon to navigate around in there?), but not a lot of pain.
Today looks like a day of rest for me. I'm going to keep up the Tylenol (I switched to the liquid kids stuff from T3s this morning because I was having a hard time with all the pills, and am really in pain) and the Ovol (gas reducer). I'm excited as I'm on "full liquids" now, so I can have some strained soup, applesauce, thinned yogurt, milk, etc. Little bits at a time, but it's nice to have some real foods instead of my Boost.
That's all for now! Have a super day, everyone!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Tomorrow's my band-day!
I join the ranks of bandsters everywhere tomorrow morning!
I am so excited to get going on this next portion of my journey. I've done the pre-surgery work, seen the specialists, finished the pre-op diet (and I'll say it again, YUCK!), and tomorrow I check in for surgery bright and early.
I'm prepared for the pain, I'm prepared for the changes, I'm prepared for the new life I'm going to live. And I'm very excited!
Wish me luck!
(Any last minute tips from the banded?)
I am so excited to get going on this next portion of my journey. I've done the pre-surgery work, seen the specialists, finished the pre-op diet (and I'll say it again, YUCK!), and tomorrow I check in for surgery bright and early.
I'm prepared for the pain, I'm prepared for the changes, I'm prepared for the new life I'm going to live. And I'm very excited!
Wish me luck!
(Any last minute tips from the banded?)
Friday, January 10, 2014
10 pounds of butter!
First of all, I've lost 10.6 pounds on my pre-op diet so far. That is crazy! I keep thinking to myself... "that's 10 pounds of butter!"
So basically, I've lost this from (my boyfriend says) around my middle:
Yay me!
I was thinking today that a lot of our success in life comes from how we frame things. Essentially, it's a glass half-full or half-empty thing, but I think there's more to it than that. We can acknowledge the negative, but use positive framing as we move forward. If we act as complete optimists, and never recognize that negative things can and do happen, I don't think we end up as being as strong in the positive.
Does that make sense?
I'm not an eternal optimist... in fact I've tended to be more of a pessimist, though I like to call myself a realist. I'm learning though, that life is easier if I accept the negative stuff, but find a shiny star to put on top of the thorn bushes.
"Damn, I have 120 more pounds to lose."
vs.
"Wow, I really did get fat... but I've already lost 10 pounds and I'm making strides to make sure the weight stays off."
"I feel like a loser starting my teaching career for the 4th time, and I'm in my 30s already??!?!"
vs.
"My age brings added experience, I know now this is what I want to do, and I still have a good 25 years to put in before retirement."
It makes life a lot easier, don't you think?
So basically, I've lost this from (my boyfriend says) around my middle:
Yay me!
I was thinking today that a lot of our success in life comes from how we frame things. Essentially, it's a glass half-full or half-empty thing, but I think there's more to it than that. We can acknowledge the negative, but use positive framing as we move forward. If we act as complete optimists, and never recognize that negative things can and do happen, I don't think we end up as being as strong in the positive.
Does that make sense?
I'm not an eternal optimist... in fact I've tended to be more of a pessimist, though I like to call myself a realist. I'm learning though, that life is easier if I accept the negative stuff, but find a shiny star to put on top of the thorn bushes.
"Damn, I have 120 more pounds to lose."
vs.
"Wow, I really did get fat... but I've already lost 10 pounds and I'm making strides to make sure the weight stays off."
"I feel like a loser starting my teaching career for the 4th time, and I'm in my 30s already??!?!"
vs.
"My age brings added experience, I know now this is what I want to do, and I still have a good 25 years to put in before retirement."
It makes life a lot easier, don't you think?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
I am HANGRY!
Excessive hunger leading to an angry mood = HANGER.
This pre-op diet is hard. I literally drool whenever anyone else in this house eats food. And this is even with a reprieve from my dietitian - in addition to my protein shakes I can have one serving of no-sugar-added Greek yogurt and one serving of cottage cheese.
But the sights and smells of real food have me salivating. And not even for the junk food that used to be my diet. A banana? Oh my god, heaven! A bowl of beef and barley soup? Exquisite! A glass of milk? Divine!
I know that the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink my liver so that the surgeon has easier access on banding day. I wonder, though, how much of the pre-op diet is to prepare us for life after the band. If we can make it two weeks on protein shakes and a cup of yogurt, then when we get real food, we'll be able to sustain good choices and small portions? Makes sense to me.
In the meantime, everyone around me knows that I'm grumpy and hangry. I am trying to be positive and cheerful, but the hanger is on the winning side.
Were you ever hangry on a diet?
This pre-op diet is hard. I literally drool whenever anyone else in this house eats food. And this is even with a reprieve from my dietitian - in addition to my protein shakes I can have one serving of no-sugar-added Greek yogurt and one serving of cottage cheese.
But the sights and smells of real food have me salivating. And not even for the junk food that used to be my diet. A banana? Oh my god, heaven! A bowl of beef and barley soup? Exquisite! A glass of milk? Divine!
I know that the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink my liver so that the surgeon has easier access on banding day. I wonder, though, how much of the pre-op diet is to prepare us for life after the band. If we can make it two weeks on protein shakes and a cup of yogurt, then when we get real food, we'll be able to sustain good choices and small portions? Makes sense to me.
In the meantime, everyone around me knows that I'm grumpy and hangry. I am trying to be positive and cheerful, but the hanger is on the winning side.
Were you ever hangry on a diet?
Monday, January 6, 2014
Motivational Mondays
Does anyone else have a MoMondays in their city? It's awesome motivational talks from real people! Check it out: http://momondays.com/
Since this is indeed a Monday, I thought I'd share some of my current motivation.
As you've learned, I'm very overweight. If we're being honest, my manfriend is also slightly overweight, but I think he's the hottest thing on two legs :) He loves me for who I am, not for how many (or few) extra pounds I have hanging on to my frame. Often, when I'm feeling low, I wonder how he could love someone who is as large as I am. I guess this speaks to my lack of self-love more than anything!
I want my manfriend to have a hot partner. I don't need to be super skinny, but under my (thick) layers there is a hot body waiting to come out. The manfriend has never seen me below about 260lbs. I'd ideally like to be almost 100 pounds lighter than that! I WANT him to show me off. I WANT to know that he thinks I'm sexy. I WANT to be able to fit on the back of his motorcycle.
So that's the current motivation. 99% of why I'm doing this is for me, but this little snippet is for him.
HAWT ;)
Since this is indeed a Monday, I thought I'd share some of my current motivation.
As you've learned, I'm very overweight. If we're being honest, my manfriend is also slightly overweight, but I think he's the hottest thing on two legs :) He loves me for who I am, not for how many (or few) extra pounds I have hanging on to my frame. Often, when I'm feeling low, I wonder how he could love someone who is as large as I am. I guess this speaks to my lack of self-love more than anything!
I want my manfriend to have a hot partner. I don't need to be super skinny, but under my (thick) layers there is a hot body waiting to come out. The manfriend has never seen me below about 260lbs. I'd ideally like to be almost 100 pounds lighter than that! I WANT him to show me off. I WANT to know that he thinks I'm sexy. I WANT to be able to fit on the back of his motorcycle.
So that's the current motivation. 99% of why I'm doing this is for me, but this little snippet is for him.
HAWT ;)
Sunday, January 5, 2014
How personal is too personal?
I'm contemplating sharing my blog with my "real" friends and family, instead of just on the Internet.
I'm partway through my pre-op diet. I will have my Lap-Band inserted on January 14, and I am in need of a shrunken liver. The required drinks/shakes are NASTY. N. A. S. T. Y. So for the next remaining 8 days, there isn't going to be a whole lot of socializing for this girl. It's hard enough watching the manfriend and kidlets eat, let alone being in social settings (pubs and coffee shops) with friends eating and drinking.
So this self-mandated hibernation leads me to the real focus of today's blog post. Do I have enough guts to let everyone in on this? A few friends know, my family, my boyfriend, some of my boyfriend's family, and that's it. None of my friends or family read (or know about) my blog. In the upcoming months, I'm going to shed some serious poundage, and people will notice.
My conundrum is this: how personal is too personal? Do I want my friends and acquaintances knowing that I have a saline-filled silicone band inserted around my stomach? How do I decide who to tell?
Now, I want as much support as possible. I firmly believe that my success will have a lot to do with the support I let in. In order to have support, I have to let people know. Which leads me back to my title question.
So, dear readers, how far did you share the news?
I'm partway through my pre-op diet. I will have my Lap-Band inserted on January 14, and I am in need of a shrunken liver. The required drinks/shakes are NASTY. N. A. S. T. Y. So for the next remaining 8 days, there isn't going to be a whole lot of socializing for this girl. It's hard enough watching the manfriend and kidlets eat, let alone being in social settings (pubs and coffee shops) with friends eating and drinking.
So this self-mandated hibernation leads me to the real focus of today's blog post. Do I have enough guts to let everyone in on this? A few friends know, my family, my boyfriend, some of my boyfriend's family, and that's it. None of my friends or family read (or know about) my blog. In the upcoming months, I'm going to shed some serious poundage, and people will notice.
My conundrum is this: how personal is too personal? Do I want my friends and acquaintances knowing that I have a saline-filled silicone band inserted around my stomach? How do I decide who to tell?
Now, I want as much support as possible. I firmly believe that my success will have a lot to do with the support I let in. In order to have support, I have to let people know. Which leads me back to my title question.
So, dear readers, how far did you share the news?
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