Get down, Get down

So I am down the 4 I was up, plus another 2 for a total of 67. Right on! 3 more away from 70! Also, my BMI (body mass index) is now down 10 points! Tonight I am going to the gym with Steph and Carolyn - finally! I'm hoping D will join us if she's feeling up to it too.

XO

Thanksfattening

I have learned that even with my shiny new lap band, I am not immune to gaining weight over the holidays. ;O) I was up 4 lbs today! I had been so busy cooking and entertaining, that I had not entered my daily calories into fitday.com. I caught up on the past few days this morning, and I was averaging 1900 calories the past few days. Normally, if I did not have a lap band, that would be on the low end of what an adult female should eat in one day, so it's not a huge amount. However, when you compare that to the usual 1100 calories per day I had been eating (almost always unable to reach the 1500-1600 I'm supposed to), it's quite a spike!

At first I wondered how that was even possible, since on normal days, I have to struggle to even get to 1300, but I realized I didn't eat more food than usual, I just ate food that wasn't as healthy. I normally cook everything light, and for Thanksgiving, I didn't. So just eating the meal on Thanksgiving, and then leftovers all day yesterday, even in small quantities brought me to the high calorie realm and into a gain. I also think the gain is due to bloating, since I have had a lot more salt/sodium these past few days then I am used to.

I am not discouraged, and I am sure a few days of being back on track will not only allow me to drop these 4 lbs, but hopefully more as well!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

KC

A hop, skip and a drop

Today I was down 3 lbs from 2 days ago, to make a total of 65. Normally, I only lose one lb at a time, but 3 at once was a treat! :) 5 lbs until 70!

This should be an interesting week with Thanksgiving and all... I'm making about five different desserts, and it's a good thing I don't like desserts because I'm a good cook!

Actually, I am a good cook, but I'm not the worlds best baker, so this will be tedious work for me. With cooking, you can estimate and make it up as you go. Baking is a science, and I am an artist, and we do not get along. Baked goods do not react well to my added flair. I pity them, and their conformist nature. ;-)

I have tomorrow off, and I will spend the whole day baking and preparing for Thursday. Why do I spend so much time on something I do not like to do and I do not like to eat? Because you gotta give the people what they want! Wish me luck with this endeavor.

KC

And another one...

Today I was down a total of sixty two pounds. I'm eight pounds away from 70, and for some reason, that sounds like a LOT to me. Anything 70 or over sounds like so much more than the amounts I have already lost. I'm not sure why that is, but it's definitely going to be a milestone. (Technically - prize wise - my next "milestone" is 75, and that's now just 13 lbs away!)

I still haven't been doing as well as I should with the calories. Friday I had 1200 and yesterday 920. I am much hungrier in the morning and first half of the day than the second half, so I need to try to eat more from morning to mid afternoon and just have a light dinner.

I made a very succulent port butt yesterday. I massaged onion powder and garlic salt into it, and then seared it and cooked it in the crock pot with pearl onions, potatoes and beef and chicken bouillon all day. The meat just fell right off the bone, and it was SO tender. Yum - try it! So easy and SO good.

XO

KC

Chipping away

I'm down 61 lbs today. The past 3 weeks, I've been on the track of losing 3-4 lbs each week, which is double what I am supposed to be doing. (I'm not complaining!)

I am still struggling getting enough calories in. Yesterday I was at 1000, and the day before 1375. I'll keep plugging away!

I haven't been to the gym all week: Monday was a holiday, Tuesday I didn't get home until 9, Wednesday I was exhausted because I had a hard time sleeping on Tuesday night, but Thursday is a new day, and I'm ready to hit the gym tonight!

Steph and Carolyn: you said you were joining this week! Where are you???

That's all for now; have a great day!

KC

977

Yesterday I had 977 calories. I had the day off and I was out and about and Christmas shopping and running errands, and I just ate when I was hungry, and I landed at 977. Getting to 1500-1600 per day is going to be a big struggle it seems. Who would have thought that I would ever say that?!

Today I am going to try harder to reach 1500. It would probably be a lot easier to do if I didn't make my food so healthy. ;-/ Yesterday I bought myself a new crock pot, and I made corned beef, which I looooooove, though I know it's disgusting. I had two choices: one cut was 19 fat grams per serving, and the other was 5. I knew that for corned beef to only have 5 grams of fat in it, it was going to be some kind of shoe leather, but I chose that one, and I was right. It still has (kind of) that corned beef taste, but it's dry and tough. If I picked the fattier one, I probably would have been closer to my goal of 1500 calories yesterday, and I may have even lost weight in addition to actually enjoying my meal. :)

Now I know that I should not reach my calorie goal by eating unhealthy foods...I'm just saying it would be easier to get there because I can eat smaller volume and get there sooner. With healthy foods, it takes a lot!

Wish me luck today!

KC

60 lbs gone forever!

I like that I can say that because when I dieted in the past, I always knew deep down that I would probably regain the weight, even though I really hoped I wouldn't. With this band, it's a new chapter in my life, and the weight I lose is weight I lose forever.

Yesterday I ate 1539 calories, and today I was not only down the water weight I was up yesterday, but I was also down an additional 2 lbs, to make a total of 60!

It's funny that eating more makes me lose weight, but I get it because my body must have been in starvation mode. I just don't want to get used to eating this much, and then feel deprived when I get down to 1200, but I'm sure I'll be just fine. I'll be smaller then anyway.

Today is a holiday, so I have it off. The boat ride was a blast yesterday, and I'm hoping I will use today to finish my house cleaning and do some more Christmas shopping, but I kind of want to do something fun too. We shall see...

75 lbs is my next milestone goal (when I get myself a prize), and I wonder when I'll hit it.

So far, I lost 35 lbs before surgery, 22 in the month after the surgery, and 3 in the week following. I'm really only supposed to lose 2 lbs each week, so at that rate, it would be around the end of the year. That would be great!

Have a great day!

KC

Calories per day

As I mentioned, I started tracking my calories per day on fitday.com, in an effort to reach the 1500-1600 calories per day I am supposed to be consuming. Yesterday I reached 1250, and it was an effort. Today I will try harder, if I can. This morning, I was up a few lbs on the scale. I know it's just water weight, and that happens from time to time, and I'm always fine the next day, but I can't say that I like it. I realize, if I increase my daily intake from 600-800 to 1500-1600, it will be natural to gain a few lbs before I start losing again, but again, I don't have to like it!

Today we are going on the last boat ride of the season. I am really looking forward to that! We set sail at noon, so I want to finish cleaning the house and get to the gym (if there's time) first.

I added a new recipe to lowphatcooking.blogspot.com - it is yummy and vegilicious! Check it out! Thank you, BS, for inspiring this creation!

I think that's it for now. Have a wonderful day!

KC

Smart Ones

Now that I have started to eat soft foods, I am noticing I am getting full faster than I was before my fill. I realize this could change soon, since I am not really supposed to feel the effects from one fill, but it's interesting! I feel like I have a preview of my future when I finally get to the right restriction point.

I had a smart ones weight watcher meal for lunch. I used to think those things were the biggest joke. Of course you can eat whatever you want if it's the size of a thimble! When I was dieting, if I had a Lean Cuisine or a Smart Ones for lunch, I always had to have snacks with it to try to get full. I probably could have eaten 10 of them at a time if I wasn't concerned with the calories.

Today, I couldn't finish my meal! I tried, and I got SO full. I had to eat it in two sittings. It is going to be tough getting to 1500-1600 calories per day if I get full this fast, but again, I don't think my appetite will stay like this. If it did, I probably wouldn't need any more fills!

In an effort to consciously raise my daily caloric intake, I have registered on fitday.com - it's cool - it tracks everything you eat! It also tracks your exercise and your weight loss, etc... I recommend it.

It's time to go to the grocery store! I look forward to planning meals with real food for this coming week!

KC

Oh yeah

And I'm still down 58 lbs. I know these next two are going to be tough because it always takes longer when I'm close to a big number! To cheer myself up, I have included a picture of Bessie (to your right) to show you what 58 lbs looks like.

Not a bad loss!

;-)

Mush it good

Today I am on mushies!

Technically, I was supposed to wait until lunch time today, but I figured breakfast was close enough. I had scrambled eggs.

I am taking my nutritionists advice and having four small meals each day. At 10:15 I had my first lunch, which was a small serving of the chicken casserole I made. I know it's not mashed potatoes, but trust me - it's mushy! At 12:30, I had lunch # 2, same thing, and I am full! I think it's possible I may have started to feel some restriction, but I'm not going to start dancing in the streets quite yet.

It is probably just a result of my new fill, and within a few days, I will probably be back to normal. For now, however, I will enjoy it.

I went to the gym twice yesterday. Once by myself for cardio and tanning, and then later to Hampshire Hills with the girls. We played basketball (I was painfully terrible last night), and then I did laps in the pool. I love doing laps. I can't believe how much more of a cardio work out it is for me than the bike!

I am hoping to hit the gym for a bit this evening as well.

2 days of mushies and then I'm back to normal. Mushies rock compared to liquids, though. Let me tell you... !

:)

Enjoy your day!

KC

Not lovin' the liquids

I have to tell you, after a full month of a liquid diet (with a few delightful exceptions), and then another 2 weeks after surgery, going back to this liquid diet after my first fill is not really fun for me. I didn't mind the diet prior to surgery because I was so focused on being as healthy as possible for surgery, and I didn't mind the diet after surgery because I could hardly get anything down, but after my first fill, I don't really feel any restriction, so I'm sure I could eat something if I wanted to. If I have 5 instant breakfast shakes per day, as I am supposed to, that's 900 calories. I'd rather eat 600 calories of real food! Oh well, I know that in the future, when I do feel restriction, this liquid diet will be necessary. It's not hard for me to do or anything like that, because it's old hat for me, but it's just boring.

Enough of the whining...jeez... you're not reading this to hear me whine!

I'm down another lb to 58 lbs. 2 more lbs and I'll be at 60!

My nutritionist told me yesterday not to freak out when I change my diet to 1500-1600 calories per day, because I will probably go a few weeks without a loss since I've been eating so little, but in the end, it will help me lose faster and healthier. I know that's true, but it's going to be hard!

I think I'll work out even harder and longer to make up for it. We'll see.

Tonight we are going to Hampshire Hills with Steph and Carolyn, so that will be fun! I didn't get to work out yesterday, so I need to get to the gym today!

Have a great day, all!

KC

Fill 'er up

I had my first saline fill last night. It wasn't anything like what I had read about. It was not bad at all. It took a little bit for my MD to find the right spot to inject the saline, but I am tough with that stuff...

I feel no difference at all. My MD said I probably won't feel much of a difference from the first 1-2 fills. Of course, I'm on liquids for the next three days, so it's hard to gauge what I'm comfortable taking in since I'm not eating real food.

My MD said I looked great, and that I was doing a fantastic job! That made me feel good. :)

Today I met with the nutritionist, and she said I should be eating 1500-1600 calories per day at this point. Wow! I had no idea. I've been keeping it to 600-800 calories per day. She told me that for my height and my muscle mass and the amount I'm working out, I really need to take in about double or more what I have been consuming.

I was surprised to hear that. She said that as I lose weight and as the band gets filled, they will reduce the amount I eat bit by bit. It's all part of the process, and I won't lose weight as well if I'm not eating enough at this stage. She wants me to eat four meals each day to get to the 1500-1600.

I was probably eating 3000 calories per day before I started this process, so it's not like it's going to be a huge amount of food for me, but it will be a big adjustment, since I have been eating so much less than that for the past 2 months.

This should be interesting! I will keep you posted.

Have a wonderful day.

KC

Back by popular demand

I don't have as many changes and updates, so I haven't been updating my blog as frequently as I was before. However, the people have spoken! You want to hear from me often, and I can't say I blame you!

Here I am.

D and I went to Hampshire Hills yesterday, and it was sooooo great to work out again. I did 7 miles on the bike, but my foot kept going numb (totally annoying), so I stopped at 7, and then I did free weights and some nautilus and worked on arms/shoulders.

After that, I did laps in the pool, but probably only for about 15 minutes. Talk about a cardiovascular work out! It was harder for me to catch my breath than when I'm on the bike! By far!

After that, we went in the roman tub which felt wonderful and then we just floated in the pool for a while. It was great.

We had a great time at Billy's yesterday afternoon, and a few people mentioned what a difference they can see in me already, and that was very nice. :)

I have not been getting in as many fruits and veggies as I should lately, and that's because I desperately need to go food shopping. I had a salad with my lunch today, which was delicious.

I should have something good for dinner, since I'm back on liquids tomorrow, but we'll see. I made a casserole that I really liked, and it was very easy. I will post the recipe on lowphatcooking.blogspot.com

I think I'll just have that for dinner.

Talk to you soon!
KC

One Month Out

Yesterday was not only a special day because it was my dear father's birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!!!), it was also the one month anniversary of me and my band. We have grown very close this past month, and I'm looking forward to her getting filled on Tuesday!

I didn't have a chance to weigh myself yesterday, but as of today, I'm down 57 lbs. That's 35 in the 4 weeks pre-surgery, and 22 in the month post surgery. My BMI (body mass index) has gone down 8.5 points total as well.

I don't know what to expect for a loss in the months to come, so I guess we will just see. I want to lose in a healthy way, and that is my top priority.

I haven't worked out in a week, and I miss it! I was sick for much of last week, and I didn't want to push it, but today we are headed back to the gym! We will be working out at Hampshire Hills today. I want to do it all: cardio, weights, basketball, tennis, swimming - you name it. I have really missed it. I kind of even missed doing cardio. I'm sure I'll kick myself for saying that 30 seconds into the exercise bike today, though.

Hopefully D will get up soon, because I want to work out now, so that we are back in time to do some housework and then relax for the Pats V Colts game at 2!

GO PATS!!!!

KC

Protein Bars

I know I'm not supposed to overuse protein bars in place of meals because "real" food is better for me, but they are just so convenient. I have been eating the Zone bars, which I think are fine, even though Alison thinks they taste like compressed saw dust, and she does have a point, but I decided to try the South Beach Diet bars.



I bought the Chocolate Crisp. It has 210 calories, 19g of protein, 5g of fiber, and a ton of vitamins and minerals. I could only get through half of the bar in one sitting - they are filling! The taste isn't phenomenal, but it's not terrible either.



What I don't understand is why protein bars have to be so dry or just so wrong in consistency. Power bars are like melted tootsie roles that are half way back to solid. You can't take a normal bit of them, you have to bite and tear. Cliff bars are kind of okay, but they are still a bit weird and they aren't as good for you as some of the others. Special K protein bars are more of the same...just like the Slim Fast bars and the Atkins bars. I never realized how many protein bars I've tried in my life until just now.



I guess my point is this: is it really food if it's so hard for them to make it taste and feel like food? What in the world is in protein bars? In the South Beach Diet bars, it's a bunch of different soy products, fish gelatin, milk, a few different oils, and the rest is just a bunch of blended up vitamins and minerals.



I suppose I understand why my nutritionist wants me to get my nutrients from real foods that are high in nutrients, rather than some lab room cocktail of stuff that is supposed to be good for me. I do like getting all that protein in just 210 calories, though...



I will keep you posted if I find a magical protein bar.



Today I'm down one more lb to a total of 56. Keep it comin'!



KC

MIA

Good Morning,

I was missing in action for a few days due to a busy weekend, and then a bit of the flu. I am feeling better today, and I'm down another 2 lbs to a total of 55! Unfortunately, it wasn't a stomach flu, or that number would be even bigger! ;-)

A few more days...a few more lbs...I'll take it. Today is four weeks out from my day of surgery, and I've lost 20 lbs. Not bad. This Saturday (and my Dad's birthday!) will be one month out, and maybe I'll be down a bit more by then.

My appetite continues to grow, but still no where near where it was before I started the liquid diet. I probably have the appetite of a thin girl right now. When I observe what they eat, that's about where I am. Next week when I get my fill, I'm hoping to notice a difference. Keeping my appetite as small as I have has been a result of self control, and not physical limitations at this point.

I'm glad I have had the self control, but it will be even nicer to have a physical tool to help me - that is the whole point of this band. I know it takes many people 3 to even 5 fills to really feel a good amount of restriction, and that's okay - I can be patient. Even a little bit of restriction will be a great start.

For the first few days after my fill, each time, I have to go on the liquid diet, and then a day or two of soft foods. I think four weeks on the liquid diet was great for me psychologically because it really helped me to see food in terms of nutrition and health rather than pleasure. Now that I am back eating without restrictions, I get pleasure from food again, but something changed during those four weeks and I just don't see food the same way. The thought of going back on the liquid diet is really no problem for me.

I guess that is all for now. Happy Halloween! I have about 5 huge buckets of candy leftover from the Halloween Party we had Sunday afternoon. Thank God I'm not tempted with sweets!

KC

KC minus 53

I'm down 53 as of today. That was a nice surprise!

I was just thinking, when I was at the gym yesterday, how much more enjoyable the cardio would be if I had a recent loss. That is how I justify doing something I hate so much. I don't know why I love strength training and hate cardio. I love sports, and I don't mind a cardio work out that comes as a result of playing sports. I just hate the mindless peddling or walking/jogging/running or stair stepping...all of it...HATE it! I think I hate it because it's so boring. I also don't like the way it feels.

I love the way it feels when I'm lifting weights and my muscles are shaking because I've overdone it a little bit. I love the pain that comes from lifting a little more than I have or as a result of many reps. I do not like the pain that comes from cardio...the burning in my legs when I'm on too high of a level of the bike for too long... I don't like burning legs.

It's just not my bag. I knooooow it's important and that I will lose weight slower if I don't do it, so I do it, but probably not as much as I should. Since I have added strength training to my work out, I only do 20-25 minutes of cardio each day. In my defense, however, I'm still working my way into a routine, and I still get tired at the gym far sooner than I should.

I need to download music to my iPod - that will help a lot. I also need to get some new movies for my DVD player. I haven't brought that in a while because I ran out of things to watch, and that definitely made cardio less torturous. It did make me bike slower, though, so that's something I need to be mindful of going forward.

I have today off to get a jump start on getting the house ready for the Halloween Party on Sunday. If you saw the blanket of leaves in my yard, you would see my cardio workout has already been laid out for me. Between all that raking and mowing the lawn and running around cleaning, I will definitely have a homemade work out today, but I will at least go to the gym for strength training in addition (and tanning!).

I just started strength training one week ago, but I can already feel a little difference in my muscles. I love it!

Have a great fall day!

KC

Singing in the rain

We made it to choir practice last night, rain and all! It was a great time. Darcy hasn't been in a chorus since she was 9, so she was a little shocked and amused by the warm up exercises involved. It certainly does feel silly to the newcomer.

It was great to sing! I need to move my piano to NH so that we can practice. This session started two months ago, and we need to catch up learning our parts in the songs.

I can't believe I missed the first half of the game last night, but what a game it was! GO SOX!

I made it to the gym yesterday, but only for 45 minutes because I had to rush up to Portsmouth right after. I'm still glad I went. I did legs and about 2 miles on the bike. Today I will have more time to do a proper session. I will do upper body and cardio.

I'm really enjoying my more active lifestyle. I have always had a busy lifestyle, but focusing on getting healthy not only affects my physical health, but my overall health as a person as well.

On the scale front, I weighed myself today, and I haven't lost anything substantial since last week when I hit 50. I know I'm doing the things I am supposed to: eating healthy foods in small portions, drinking lots of water and working out, so there's nothing else I could do at this point.

I know that when you start working out - especially strength training - there is an adjustment period when the muscles you are building weigh more than the weight you are losing, and I think that's what is happening with me. I am getting smaller, and smaller clothes are fitting me better and better, so I'm not worried, but I will keep you posted!

I continue to notice that I can eat more and more. Yesterday I ate 1/4 of a grilled chicken wrap for breakfast, a small serving of chicken with snow peas for lunch, an additional 1/4 of a grilled chicken wrap around 3, as I was hungry again, and a small salad with grilled chicken for dinner at 6:30. By 8 or 9 I was hungry again, but I just ignored it.

My nutritionist said I should be eating and extra 200-300 calories per day if I'm working out. I'm not sure how many calories I am supposed to be eating per day now, but I believe it is 1200. I just added up my calories for yesterday, and it totaled just under 800, so perhaps the problem is that once again I'm not eating enough.

This is a challenge because I don't want to overeat and cause my appetite to grow, but I also want to make sure I'm consuming enough calories to be healthy.

I see my nutritionist in two weeks, so that will be helpful!

KC

Warning: TMI

(That means too much information, Mom.) :)

Last night I made a lasagna full of protein. It is so important for us to get in high amounts of protein each day, but not being able to eat large quantities of food presents a problem. My plan was to pack as much protein in as small of a package as possible. Truly, I made a meatsagna.

It was delicious. You can check out the recipe at: http://www.lowphatcooking.blogspot.com/

I know that most people who have the lap band are not able to eat pasta unless it is cooked very well. I have had pasta in soup with no trouble, so I thought I would be okay.

I had a half of a small piece of lasagna, and I felt fine. A bit full, but fine. A few hours later, I went to bed, and I woke up at 11 with some discomfort, but I fell back asleep. At midnight, I woke up again with more discomfort and pretty bad nausea. I thought I had come down with a stomach bug.

I had severe gas pain in my chest that I would have thought was a heart attack if I hadn't read about the phenomenon I was experiencing in all of my prior research. Food was stuck and air was trapped in my chest, and my stomach was producing mucus in an attempt to free the trapped food.

Again, you may want to skip these next parts, but I want to include it all for those of you considering getting the lap band. If you just read my blog because you think it's interesting and sometimes even humorous, you can skip the below.

I ended up vomiting quite a bit of mucus, and finally a tiny piece of pasta came up that had been stuck around my band. It was the item causing so much trauma. An hour and a half later, I was all set.

The worst part in all of this is that I made a giant meatsagna to freeze into individual pieces to take with me to work for a nice high protein lunch, and now it is going to waste.

Oh well, you live and learn!

This was the first time I could even tell I had a band, so at least I know it is there and my experiences are similar to the experiences of others.

I will be much more sensitive when I get my first fill in two weeks, so I will be winding down on the non lap band friendly foods that I have been able to eat in preparation for that.

Have a wonderful day!

KC

Me strong like bull

D and I did some great strength training yesterday. I am glad I am finally healed enough to work out my muscles because that is my favorite part of working out. I hate cardio.

I just did my legs and my back yesterday, so I will do my arms today.

We had my aunt and my cousin over for lunch, which was very nice!, and after that we went to Hampshire Hills to soak our old bones in a hot tub and go for a swim. It was fantastic!

I can't wait until Darce sets up the hot tub here. (hint, hint!)

We had a very full weekend, and we accomplished a lot! My energy level has definitely increased significantly, and I can't imagine what I'll be like at goal if this is what I'm like now.

Watch out!

The hometown phatties really came through for us this weekend in a BIG way!

Next stop: WORLD SERIES!!!

The pants that I was so excited to fit into about 3-4 weeks ago are now starting to slip off of me. I haven't weighed myself since last week, and I'm not sure when I'm going to again.

Feeling my clothes get bigger and working out and eating healthy small portions is working for me. If I were to get on the scale and see that I hadn't lost any weight, I may be unnecessarily discouraged. We'll see.

Have a great day!

KC

Outfit

I decided to shop at Old Navy, so that I wouldn't spend a ton of money on clothes that (hopefully) won't fit me for too long.

Rather than buying an outfit, I bought 8 items...but they were CHEAP! Truly, I just got a pair of jeans, and a bunch of things I am going to need for life on the river in the winter.

Every weekend is snowmobiling, ice skating, cross country skiing and sitting around dangerously large (jk Mom) bon fires. I need some proper redneck attire, and that is precisely what I bought: 3 different long underwear tops, a corduroy winter jacket with Sherpa lining, a camouflage puffy vest and such.

I want to be active and outside this year; I have heard the winter can be a blast around here. Last year, D and I would have people over and we would literally watch all the neighbors outside from the comfort of our living room. We called it the Goffstown show. They would be outside ALL day...in the NH winter! Apparently, I underestimated the heat that is thrown from their fires...but seriously, these people never sit. No wonder they are all so thin!

So this year, I will join in the fun.

At least I'm going to try.

:)

KC

Pants

I made it into my designated next pair of goal pants today. By "made it into," I mean I fought them and won... (You have all seen sausage made, right? It was kind of like that, but I still did it, and I'm still glad!) I certainly won't be wearing them socially for another week or so, but I got them on and that is what counts. They are 5 sizes smaller than the pants I was wearing 6 weeks ago.

Everyone keeps asking me what prize I'm going to get myself for the big five o accomplishment, and I'm going to get an outfit. Determining the size should be the challenge. I can get something that fits me nicely right now, but then I'll only be able to wear it for a month (hopefully). I am thinking of getting an outfit that's just a little too small... something that will fit in another 10-15 lbs. That way I can look forward to wearing it, but not for too long that it goes out of style, and it can be my next goal outfit too!

Brilliant.

Last night I had sushi, and it was fabulous. I wasn't able to eat much, but what I did have was delicious.

Today appears to be a rainy overcast day. I think we are going to switch out the vanities in the house in MA today. Fuuuun. After that, I'm going to go get my outfit.

The other day when I went to the gym, I went swimming after and my shirt was wet as I was leaving. Karen and I were going to go to Chili's after, and I didn't want to go in with a wet shirt, so I stopped by Marshalls and I bought a really obnoxious sweatshirt that has Japanese writing and pictures of sushi all over it and I wore that to Chili's.

Later that night, we went over Krissy and Bruno's to watch the Sox game, and I had my sushi sweatshirt on. 7-1 later, our friends are now convinced that the turning tides for the Sox was a result of my sweatshirt, and now they are insisting that I wear it to every game moving forward.

Tonight, sushi sweatshirt and all, we will be cheering on our Hometown Phatties (are we still considering baseball a sport?), as they move their chubby little bodies from base to base.

GO SOX!

KC

Serving Size Info

I found this very helpful information regarding serving sizes on the AARP web site!

What one serving size should look like
Grain Products
1 cup of cereal flakes___________________The size of a fist
1 pancake__________________________ A compact disc
½ cup of cooked rice, pasta, or potato________½ of a baseball
1 slice of bread________________________A cassette tape

Fruits and Veggies
1 cup of salad greens____________________A baseball
1 medium fruit________________________A baseball
½ cup of raisins_______________________A large egg

Dairy and Cheese
1 ½ oz. cheese________________________4 stacked dice
½ cup of ice cream_____________________½ baseball
1 cup serving of milk, yogurt, or fresh greens___The size of a fist

Meats and Alternatives
3 oz. meat, fish, and poultry_______________Deck of cards
3 oz. grilled/baked fish___________________Checkbook
2 Tbsp. peanut butter___________________Ping pong ball

Fats
1 teaspoon of oil________________________The size of your thumb tip

I miss you...

...my scale...

I had Darcy hide it from me because it's really not necessary for me to weight myself 2-10 times per day. I tend to obsess...

I want to wait until Monday to weight myself since I finally hit 50, but it's just not a morning without being able to step on the scale and check in. I looked everywhere to find it, but I had no luck. I thought of calling her to talk her into telling me where it was, but I decided I was being cookoo, and I moved on.

I had a late dinner (2 hard boiled eggs) last night because I was engrossed with the game (GO SOX!), so I woke up full this morning. I still had my breakfast (2 scrambled eggs), but it was tough to eat.

Don't worry, Mom, I'm not eating too much cholesterol. At this point, I am supposed to get in as much protein from animals as I can. Eggs are a great source of protein, and they don't make me feel too full. I'll be fine.

Yesterday I biked 7 miles at level 5, and I worked up a really good sweat! I guess that is gross and oversharing, but I was really happy about it. I don't normally get that sweaty, so I guess I haven't been working out hard enough. Normally I have been biking at level 1 and 2 because I'm still working my way back into working out, but I'm clearly ready for more.

I also started strength training yesterday. I used 12 lb free weights and did some exercises with my arms. I was trying to take it easy, and I clearly took it too easy because I don't feel ANYTHING in my arms today. That is pathetic. I'm going back tonight, and hopefully I'll make more of an impact.

We are going to dinner at China Sky with TJ and M tonight. They have been saying how great this place is for a year now, so I'm excited to try it. I am sure there will be a healthy option I can find on the menu...there always is.

Have a great day!

KC

The Big Five Ohhhhh!!!!

FINALLY.

I hit fifty today. I'm not that excited that I have only lost a few oz. in the past 6 days, but whatever! I'm just glad I'm finally at fifty!

Now I can buy myself a prize, and return to weighing myself weekly.

Yay!

KC

Mmmm...mmmm....good

Isn't that their slogan?

I had a Campbell's Chunky Healthy Request 98% fat free Classic Chicken Noodle for lunch today, and I am full! It had 14 grams of protein! Very nice.

I still can't believe the things that make me full...even though my appetite is bigger than it was last week...it's still very small.

I had an extra protein slim fast for breakfast, so I'm up to 29 grams of protein for today. Since I have choir practice in Portsmouth that I will be driving to from Boston, I'm imagining I will have dinner on the go tonight. Thankfully, I have zone protein bars in the car.

Last night we had our support group, and it was great. I learned a lot of new tips, such as buying a new Greek yogurt called Fage and using it to make dip for my veggies. Yum. Can't wait to try it!

XO

KC

Movies!

Last night we went to the movies. I hadn't had dinner, and I decided to have some movie theater popcorn. Once I get my first saline fill, I may not be able to have popcorn again, and I didn't have an opportunity to have any before my liquid diet, so why not!

I bought a small, and I couldn't even make my way through half of it, BUT, I am still full this morning. I felt bloated, but not too bad, and pretty full, but not painful full, but I don't know when this feeling of full is going to leave! It is certainly an interesting thing.

We saw Good Luck Chuck. It was marginally humerous at best, but that is all I expected. It was the only movie playing when we showed up, so it made the selection process easy.

I think I am all set with movie theater popcorn. I don't want to waste all that room on non-protein anyway, but it was nice to have one last hoorah. ;>)

I am reading the accounts of people who have had this procedure around the time I did, and many of them are commenting that their appetite has not shrunk yet, and that they are getting discouraged. Truly, your appetite doesn't shrink as a result of the band until you get your first fill. Actually, it often takes 3-5 fills to really feel that restriction that makes you full quickly.

The reason I have experienced such a decreased appetite is partly because of the (mainly) liquid diet I was on for five weeks, and partly because I am still healing from surgery. I know that if I wanted to stretch my appetite to what it was before surgery, at this point, I could. Obviously, I don't want to do that, but I think that is something that happens to a lot of people who have this procedure. It is so important to know what is going on at each step, or you can get discouraged.

My first saline fill is four weeks from today: November 6th. I have heard that the MD won't fill you if you are still losing weight because you don't need a fill unless you aren't, but I hope that's not the case for me. Even if I don't have a restriction in my appetite by then, I will be watching what I eat very carefully, and I don't want to be penalized for losing weight on my own.

I'm not going to worry about that right now. :)

Have a great day - it is a beautiful one!

Kristen.

Busy Bee

What a weekend! If the 3.5 hr work out on Saturday wasn't enough to wear me out, the home improvement project did the trick! I had no idea that replacing a vanity in a bathroom was such a project. Thank goodness for the Darce. She handled the whole project. I just did the painting. I have included some pictures, but I don't think they do it justice.

I'm very pleased with the end result.

I am continuing my plateau at 49.whatever lbs down. Yesterday I ate steak. It was delicious. I can only eat 2-3 oz per meal, but that is just right! I know several people have had trouble eating steak after the lap band, but so far so good for me.

Today I am going to just drink low-cal/low-fat protein drinks for a day to see if changing up my routine will help me over my plateau. I know it's only been a few days since I have lost anything, but I wouldn't even be checking every day if it weren't for the fact that I just want to hit the big FIVE OH!, and then I can weight myself weekly. Tomorrow, I meet with the nutritionist again, so perhaps she will have some guidance.

She will probably tell me that after having a big loss, such as 14 lbs in one week, it is very common for the body to not lose the following week. Little does she know, I prefer to be uncommon.

My energy level increases with every day. I feel fantastic. There are no residual affects of surgery at this point, except for the fact that I don't have quite as much energy for working out. I am still rebuilding my strength, but it is coming.

I am finding that I have more time and money, and the D and I are thinking of joining a women's chorus group in Portsmouth. We will be attending our first practice this Wednesday night to see if it is for us. I'm looking forward to it!

Enjoy your Monday!

KC

Mini Plateau

I know it's only because I want to hit fifty, and then take a break from the scale... I was off by 2 oz. LOL. 2!

Anyway, I don't feel that bad...I read on my yahoo group that one bandster has been hovering over the 100 mark for a week now, with a 99.5 lb loss. How nerve wracking!

I think this is because I started working out again. That is the same thing that happened during the liquid diet. I was taking in so few calories, as soon as I started working out, my body shut down and stopped losing weight.

I *want* to work out. I want to be firm and healthy. I enjoy exercise. I don't know how to take in more calories at this point, but I will try and see if that helps. I think I'm ready to eat chicken and veggies now. I know it's a few days early, but everyone is different. I healed much faster than most too.

I don't want to eat mashed potatoes and eggs each meal. That's not even very healthy! I want to start eating well balanced meals so that I have the energy and nutrients I need to finish healing and to get in shape.

I'm going to try having tuna fish today. That will be a good mushy transition. (Ew!)

We are off to Hampshire Hills this morning with Steph and Carolyn, if they ever get here. Kidding! They are late, but that is par for their course.

When we get back from the club, I have a nice home improvement project to work on, so I should be a busy bee today.

Make it a good one!

KC