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?

Making progress BEFORE the band!

I've had two appointments with the dietitian so far.  I really like her.  She's not actually in the same city as me - she's in Vancouver - so I have my appointments by Skype.  I've actually never Skyped before these appointments, and I don't mind it at all.

Anyway, there's been a lot of talk with the dietitian, with the nurse, and with my psychiatrist about changing habits and ways of doing things.  The dietitian has been careful to remind me that the band is a tool, not something that will automatically limit my intake, and that how well I do is really up to how well I learn to use this tool.  My dietitian believes that nothing is necessarily off-limits after the surgery (except for foods I don't tolerate, and foods during the healing phases).  Once I'm clear to eat a full diet, the choices are mine.

I've had a few moments over the last couple days where I realize my thoughts and behaviours about food are beginning to change - already!  My boyfriend's kids are at their mom's house for a few days, so we have been puttering about this weekend.  We were filling their Christmas stockings up, and I had 2 chocolate kisses.

2.  That's all.

In the past, I would have had at least a dozen, probably more.  But I had 2, and I didn't really need the second one, in hindsight.

I also baked cookies tonight, and I had one small one.  Not a half dozen plus a huge glump of cookie dough. No cookie dough, and just one small cookie.

I'm very proud of myself, and I feel like I'm really getting what life will be like with the Lap-Band.  I can have one chocolate kiss.  Not one chocolate kiss every hour, but one after dinner, once or twice a week.  I can have a small cookie.  I can have a few fries.  What I can't have are the massive portions I've been used to eating, and I am very okay with that!

Time to participate!

Wow.  I do a lot of blog lurking (is that called blurking?) but I haven't written in a long time.

So, after a too-fatty liver and some other health problems that delayed surgery, I am finally moving forward: I'm getting my Lap-Band on January 14, 2014, and I can honestly say I am crazy excited!  I start my pre-op diet on January 1.  What a way to start the new year!

So I've spent the last couple months doing research, having my dietitian appointments (I <3 my dietitian!), doing some meal planning, paying for the procedure (gulp!), and trying to lose a few pounds before January.

We are going away at Christmas.  The manfriend and kids and I are going to Disneyland, Legoland, and then a few days up in San Francisco. I'm going to try hard not to binge eat my final couple weeks of "freedom." We don't come home until the 5th of January, so I'm going to be taking a case of Boost Diabetic with me on the trip - lucky me!

In less than a month, I'll be banded and on my way!  Any advice for a soon-to-be new bandster?

Ten things!

Had another appointment on Friday - looks like my liver is well enough to go ahead with the Lap-Band surgery.  I should get my surgery date early next week.

I was in the bathtub this afternoon, soaking away a rather chilly morning spent outside for the smallest kidlet's 6th birthday party, and I started thinking about the things I look forward to once some of this weight is off of me.

1) First off, being able to be in the bathtub, and have more water volume in the tub than fat volume.  Imagine having water cover me, instead of my body poking out of a few inches of water?!?!

2) Not having to worry about whether airplane seatbelts will fit me (I've only had to ask for an extender once, on a very small plane, but the whole thought of it worries me.)

3) Being able to buy calf-high boots that I can actually zip up.

4) Being able to buy an athletic cut swimsuit again, instead of a frumpy one with no support for actual athletic endeavours.

5) Being able to buy sexy undies.

6) Not being too fat to go ziplining, or skydiving, or bungee jumping, or any other slightly crazy things.  (I did go parasailing a couple years ago, but I just squeaked under the weight limit).

7) Being able to buy a women's wetsuit, instead of my current men's 3XL.

8) Being able to fit in my whitewater kayak again.

9) Not having to huff and puff while hiking a few kilometres.

10) Feeling like myself again!

I find it interesting that a bunch of these relate to sports and other outdoor activities.  When I saw my doctor on Friday, he asked what my main motivation was for getting the Lap-Band.  My response was: "so that I can do all the activities and sports I once loved to do!"  Verbal-diarrhea-style, I started rambling "hiking, biking, backpacking, swimming, trail running, paddling, climbing, adventure races, dogsledding, snowshoeing, skiing."  He said that was the best motivation he ever heard, which makes me feel good.

Curious as to the things other people looked forward to!

Motivational Mondays

My motivation this week comes from my love of crocheting (and crafting in general).

Yarn is expensive.  I fly a lot for work, so I often crochet while waiting in airports and on flights.  Awhile ago, while working on a pair of socks, a lady commented on how much money I must save by crocheting my own socks.  I just about spit out my Jugo Juice smoothie (I'll save my love of Jugo Juice for another post). I smiled politely, and told her that the yarn for these particular socks was more than $20 for the skein.  That, combined with the 10 or so hours it was going to take me to finish them made for a very expensive pair of foot coverings.

Anyway, I digress.  It occurred to me today while yarn shopping that the weight I lose will result in direct savings in yarn costs.  The smaller the size I wear = the smaller the pattern = less yarn required.  This may seem trivial, but when you're buying 5 balls of yarn for a sweater, and each ball is upwards of $20 (hey, I like the fine things in life), saving one or two balls adds up to a lot.

Never mind the time savings!  Crocheting a medium vs. a XXL?  Crazy!  Plus there are infinitely more patterns for the regular sizes (small - large) than there are for plus sizes.

I think I've just hit a mental jackpot.  It's funny where motivation can come from!