New goal I almost forgot to come up with...

OMG!!!

My family "Stay-Cation" is in SIX WEEKS!

Just to explain what this is...Every year come summer time we do a little trip around St. Louis, going to the various tourist traps around the city/suburbs. We do this since as two "starving" young parents (Me 28, Hubby 32) we don't have the money to go on an actual vacation somewhere else.

Anywho...I am AWESOME and my daughter looks forward to this EVERY year like it is the GREATEST thing EVER!

So this year we have the following items planned:

A Day at the Saint Louis Zoo,
A Day at the Transportation Museum,
A Day at the Magic House,
A Day at yet to be determined
...and....*Drum roll please*
A Day at Six Flags Saint Louis

OMG....the last time I was at Six Flags was in 2009. I was somewhere between 300 and 315. I was embarrassed to be in short but it was a bajillion degrees outside and the park is all black asphalt. The worst part of this whole day you ask???...I couldn't ride the Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast coaster. It wasn't that I was afraid...I couldn't get the bar to lock down in my lap...I was mortified. I had to get back off the coaster and walk past EVERYONE else on the ride to exit!

I have to admit it was the first time in my life that my weight or my size had held me back. I am one of those annoying fat girls who totally ROCKS it! (Most of it is a show, but don't tell any one...shhh!)

So this is my chance...I am going to bust my ass!

If I don't fit on that coaster this time it will be because it just wasn't meant to be and NOT because I didn't work hard enough!

Here is my goal...just for motivation!

Just some random thoughts....

1. - Still loving my new hair cut. I am excited to wash it tomorrow to see how it reacts to being curly. Nothing like a new hair cut to make you feel cute!

2. - CHILI NIGHT!!...My husband and I both wanted chili, but since the surgery I have a REALLY hard time with the HOT HOT HOTNESS of my husbands peppers. So we came up with the awesome solution of making two pots of chili. It turned out awesome! It ended up being 335 calories for 1 cup, 27 carbs, 11 fiber, and 23 grams of protein!

3. - Ice Cream Maker...I bought an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen aid mixer. That mixer is like the greatest wedding present that my husband and I ever got! Any who...I used the recipe off of this page as my inspiration. I used Nectar Double Stuffed Cookie and almond milk. It turned out great and was less then 100 calories for 1/2 cup (I love the idea of ice cream but I am not a big ice cream eater), 19 grams of protein and only 8 grams of carbohydrates.

4. - Guilty Pleasures - I have just discovered this horribly wonderful show called "Bridalplasty". It is a show about 12 horribly vapid women who are competing for their dream wedding and a TON of plastic surgery. I am NOT against plastic surgery in any way...In fact I intend on getting some when my weight loss journey, it might end up being a lot but that remains to be seen. Anyways, I love watching this show...it puts my crazy in perspective....These women are nuts and it is all for boob jobs, tummy tucks, and liposuction in a strive for perfection..."My wedding won't be perfect if I don't get veneers and a boob job!"....bwhahahaha!

Ok that is all I can think at the moment!...Night all!

New do...

My new hair cut!!!

I LOVE IT!!!

It is now super short and I think it looks awesome!

I came up with my a new reward for myself...When I have lost 50% of my excess weight (83 pounds) I am going to get highlights in my hair...Not just any highlights....PURPLE! That is motivation let me tell you...It shouldn't be too terribly long...lol....I only have 5 pounds to lose before I hit 25% of my excess weight...that is SUPER EXCITING!!!

Week 17 Weigh In

Beginning Weight (12/20/2012)- 330.6

Last Week’s Weight – 295.4

Today’s Weight – 294.0

Total Weight Loss – 36.6

I need to come up with a new title for these or this is going to get repetitive REAL fast...lol

Well I am down 1.4 pounds!

That is exciting!

Especially since I was pretty sure when I went to bed last night that I had gained this week or at best stayed the same.

Ever have one of those weeks where your calories are on point and you were fairly active (Not a normal "I am trying to lose weight" kind of active) but you just didn't feel like you had lost anything?

Well that is the week I had.

It didn't help that I got whatever crud my son had had on Tuesday...I was in bed for the entire day. It was nice to sleep all day but I felt...icky!

On too other news...

I finally bought new pants. I was getting tired of constantly pulling them back up!

I just bought some simple Faded Glory jeans and some JMS Bermuda capris.

When I started this journey I was wearing a 26W.

Two months ago I bought a pair of jeans that were size 24W. They were a bit tight but they fit. It hurt my hands to zip them up...but still they fit!

Today I bought a size 22W. I have the same zipper issue but I am pretty sure that it will only take a few weeks and that will be gone too.

The JMS Bermuda Capris are a 2X. That is an 18W/20W! They are a bit tight but I wanted to pick them up so that I would have pants that fit when I get smaller and in the summer!!!

I don't want to spend a whole bunch on clothes since they won't fit for long...but it is still nice! 

Conclusion to the Anniversary story

So yesterday was my 5 year wedding anniversary to my wonderful hubby and the father of my children!

So after the chaos that was this morning we went out to celebrate!

First stop was the driving range...It was so much fun!

I ended up taking lots of photos of the hubby hitting the ball but didn't think to have him take any of me...I will do that tomorrow!

After the driving range we went to Ya Yas! I once again got the fish special...it is SO dang good! Wood grilled fish steak, creamy polenta, sauteed brussels sprouts with bacon.....YUM! This time the fish was a blue marlin. Dinner was nice. The restaurant was a bit loud but over all enjoyable. We even had dessert! D got the chocolate soufflé...again. I got the Raspberry Lemon Trifle. It was over dessert that we FINALLY exchanged gifts!

I gave D his ring...pictured below!...It is engraved with the words "5 yrs since I do! 4-19-2013" I thought it was cute!

D gave me this!

It is a charm for my medical alert bracelet. I LOVE IT! It has actual sapphires on it and it is sooo pretty!

So after our desserts and gift exchange we went to a movie. We saw Oblivion...that has to be one of the best movies I have ever seen!!! I strongly advise you to check it out.

So on a random note that has very little do with my anniversary...which rocked....

When I got up this morning I had so many things to get done that I just wasn't feeling the whole getting dressed thing...So I started by staring at my pile of clothes trying to decide what would fit with how fat I was feeling today. I used to have this a lot before I got banded...Anywho...So there I was having a fat girl moment when I spied my ONLY pair of jeans. I let out an "ugh" at the thought of squeezing into the tight demin and dealing with the button digging into my belly was not appealing. 

I knew that I would eventually squeeze into them for my date night, but I wasn't ready for it...

So I slapped on my capri yoga pants that are a bit on the big side and went about my day with a purple tank top.

Later the time came to put on the dreaded demin contraption that I loathe. I looked down at them and began the process one leg at a time. I pulled them up and prepared for the moment when I would have to suck everything in order to get them buttoned and pull up the zipper. 

THEY BUTTONED AND ZIPPED WITH NO TROUBLE!

Not only was there no trouble...but they were loose...fresh out of the dryer and hadn't been worn since they went though the wash and they were LOOSE. This became more irritating as the day went on because ever few seconds I had to pull them up....Exciting! But irritating!

I also learned that I can remove them without unbuttoning them at all!

I might actually have to buy a new pair soon!

Ok that is enough for tonight...I am tired and giddy and want some sleep!

Ten Things Thursday

1) Had a Finance 3500 test today...Was UBER confident when I left the test and all afternoon. When I got home I randomly decided to check and see if my teacher had posted the grades...I didn't really thing she had but I checked anyways...I can be a bit obsessive about it...Anyways, I was B U M M E D!!! I got an 84%! While this is better then my last test which I bombed it wasn't any where near as good as the first test...I hold myself to a high standard and I just haven't been meeting it lately.

2) I LOVE STUFFED PASTAS!...Alas they do not love me. When ever I eat pasta in general I feel like someone smacked me with a pause button. I feel like crap. There is just something wonderful about things filled with ricotta cheese. I don't eat stuffed pastas EVER. I do however eat stuffed meatballs....I developed this recipe about a year ago to calm the craving I had for ricotta cheese stuffed wonderfulness. I made these for dinner tonight...They...are...awesome....Here is a pic!

4) My Mommy is coming to visit. I know it might be a bit odd that a married, 28 year old mother of two is excited about her mom, but I am....I haven't seen her since Christmas. I can't wait until she moves here and I can see her all the time!!!

5) Golf - I have recently taken up golf....well re-taken up is technically more accurate. I played with my dad when I was younger and up until September of last year I hadn't hit a ball in ten years. Recently my hubby and I got a membership at the local golf course. Well there are like 9000 local courses but this is the one is pretty, offers a membership, and is both on my hubby's way home from work and my way home from school! I know that going to the range isn't much of an exercise regimen but I did burn 300 calories while I was there...not too shabby for hitting 160 little round balls in 60 minutes!

6) My accounting teacher's daughter had her baby. This isn't really about me or has anything to do with me...but I am still excited!

7) UMSL is going to be the death of me...My schedule is dumb next semester. But that doesn't seem to be news to anyone who knows the school.

8) Blog-o-verse - I love love love all the blogs that I follow. I love all the people that follow mine. It is so nice to know that I am not alone in all of this. That there are others there to offer advice where my family and friends don't understand and can't quite help as much as they would like. I heart you all!!!

9) Sick/Responsible children- My poor little boy is sick. I took him to the doctor and was told that he has a virus. I HATE when I take them in and they tell me that. I wish I hadn't wasted my ten dollars on them telling me to keep doing what I was doing...

Really is sick...just a dang happy baby!

At least my daughter is feeling fine. Not that she would tell me. She is OVERLY responsible. I told her today that I was going to let her play hooky from school when Grandma came into town...and she FREAKED out. "No mommy, I don't want to miss school. I love Miss Glenn and I can't leave her alone!" So the idea of a ditch day from school might be dead in the water. Here is a photo of L doing her chores...she is very responsible!

10) Peace of Mind - I got pounced on by one of those door to door people. "We aren't selling anything we want to give you our stuff for free." Typically this statement is followed by an explanation of how much this FREE things is going to cost. Well this was slightly different. In exchange for putting their sign in my yard I got a free security system. I got two door sensors, a glass break sensor, and a heat/smoke sensor. I also got an app for my smart phone that allows me to control my system. I really wanted this in the horrible chance that something happens to Doug and I, the kids can call for help! $53 bucks a month isn't bad for a $2000 system.

Pretty touch screen operating system!

WOOT! Week 16

Beginning Weight (12/20/2012)- 330.6

Last Week’s Weight – 299.0

Today’s Weight – 295.4

Total Weight Loss - 35.2

I am so fricken excited!

I am down 3.6 pounds in one week. Ok, in the interest of staying honest with this whole situation...I have changed my weigh in procedure. I used to step on the scale first thing in the morning. Since I have two young children who like to get up before me I typically stood on it in my jammies. I changed this today. I swiped the scale and took it into my bedroom where I proceeded to strip down to my skivies and weigh in. I weighed in twice technically. Once with clothes (296.0) and once without (295.4). So the overall difference of my clothing is .6 pounds.

Just to explain the reason for my change....Post child life I wear jammies....My jammies are not a standard uniform. Some days they are long pants other days they are short shorts. I figure it doesn't really matter since it is just my family and me that see them...But it was brought to my attention that me wearing a camisole and short shorts might weigh different then when I wear my oversize pumpkin shirt (Most favoritest T-shirt ever...see below for the awesomeness!) and long jammy pants.

Me VERY VERY Pregnant (10 days before I gave birth to my son)

So today, I stripped for consistency.

I am loving the change in my band...I can't wait to see if this is just a fluke...Keep an eye out I will keep you posted!

Curse you Scrambled Eggs...

SCRAMBLED EGGS....

How I love thee...but alas we are not destined to meet in the future. I am sorry but it is over. It isn't me it is you!

Sincerely,

Pumpkin

I love those light and fluffy, sausage filled, cheese covered clouds that were the FIRST thing I ever learned how to cook...I can no longer eat them it seems. Since the first time I tried to eat them after having my Lap-Band surgery I have had problems...has this stopped me from trying? NO!....Why you might ask? Be cause I...am an idiot!

I made them this morning for my kids and decided that if I focused on chewing REALLY REALLY well then I would be fine. Well a long story short and my scrambled eggs were replaced by a protein shake and Greek yogurt...Both soft liquidy foods to soothe the pissed off skinny person currently bear hugging my stomach!

Well, other then scrambled eggs...I am doing better with my stupid wonderful band restriction. Don't get me wrong I love it...I am just not used to it...I will admit that developing a working knowledge of what you can and cannot eat is a bit painful and does entail a bit of panic when it comes time to eat. I am navigating the waters well and I am loving the results. I find myself not really wanting the things that I can't eat and most of the things that I can't eat are things that I shouldn't...so that is just an added bonus.

Ok well, I am off to make dinner for my two sick kids...Life hates me this week...lol!

OMG....OMG....

Ok...I got a fill on Wednesday...just a little reminder for those would might have missed my last post.

I had thought that I had experienced a "stuck" episode before....Boy was I wrong!

Thursday I was allowed soft foods...so I tried a bit of toast. It wasn't dry or anything and I only took a teeny bite....forty five minutes later I stopped feeling like my heart was going to explode and that I could actually take a breath without wanting to die. It was the second most painful thing I have ever experienced the first being when I woke up after having the damn band put in in the first place.

It hurt for the rest of the day!

I stuck to liquids and anything I could puree for 24 hours. Which isn't a rule my surgon gave me but seemed like a good idea none the less.

So along comes Friday night. Pizza night. We get these awesome thin crust pizzas and this week it was my husbands turn to pick what our toppings were...A complete shocker came when he picked the exact same pizza he always does. It is a great pizza. It has spinach, feta, chicken, herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Some where in the back of my mind was a little warning saying that I should pick off the sundried tomatoes...did I do it? N O!

Three bites into the first solid food I had eaten all day and I regretted it. This time I ended up having to do everything in my power to get the piece of tomato leather OUT! Nothing hurt, other then the being stuck part, so I wasn't worried about the whole slippage/prolapse/ stuff...but  OMG....SO this time I did liquids for two days...

I have learned that toast, waffle frys, sun dried tomatoes, and tortillas are no no foods....

Boy I wish I had learned the "Chew, chew, chew" rule earlier in this whole process...It might have saved me the pain of the last two days.....

On the bright side, I have restriction....So now I just need to learn to adjust and I will be good...lol

3rd Fill and fun stuff

So I went into my local Weight Loss Surgical Center clinic yesterday fully prepared for a fill.

Due to the fact that I had had a total weight loss of 10 pounds in the last month the Nurse Practitioner was a bit hesitant to give me one but relented in the end on account that I felt like I needed one.

So they took me into this TINY room with this HUGE fluoroscope and began the process. After some debate they decided to put in 1cc with the theory that they could back some out if it was too much. I was handed my cup of barium and watched as the liquid passed though my band like a speeding bullet.

They....were.....SHOCKED!

They added another 1cc. This brings me to 4.8cc in my 10cc band. This time the barium had a nice little pause before it slowly emptied into the lower part of my stomach!

I am excited...I just have this feeling that I am closer to my green zone and closer to getting this figured out and such...

Now onto other things....

I have few pictures to post and some GOOD reasons why

First, I have been craving Chinese food with a vengeance. To be specific, Sesame Chicken...yummm

My darling husband just won't let me order it...Says that it is too high is all the bad things. Which the logical side of my brain knows that he is right...but the illogical sesame chicken craving side doesn't want to hear that...So I came to a solution...

IT........IS.........AWESOME!!!!

I already can't wait to make it again! (The recipe is in the recipe page if you want it)

Second,

I am almost done with this current semester of school. Only two more and I will FINALLY have my BS in Accounting...

My biggest gripe lately is how I fit in the desks. Those tiny things WERE NOT made for big women...just saying....So I took a photo of how I fit in the desk...

Hopefully in five months I will be able to notice the difference...but this is a starting point!

Week 15 weigh in!

Beginning Weight (12/20/2012)- 330.6

Last Week’s Weight – 300.6

Today’s Weight – 299.0

Total Weight Loss - 31.6

FINALLY...I did it!

My weight officially starts with a TWO!!!!!!!

I am SO excited!

The other bestes part...I am on my time of the month AND I lost weight!

Thank god for Yasmin...lol

I have a fill this morning...so this is going to be a fun day!

Losing focus

Gahhh!

I am losing it I tell you!

I am exhausted!...I have no desire to do anything but sleep!...Well that isn't true, I WANT to do lots of things, but I have ZERO energy to do them! It feels like there is some energy vampire zapping me every time I try to do anything!

I feel/want/need/demand some time off from life!

For just a few days, I don't want to be a student, a mom, a Daisy troop leader, a wife, a post surgical lap-band patient.

A few glorious days of sleeping in, eating whatever I want, not having to worry about other people...

A lass, I am pretty sure that if that "vacation" from reality were to come I would be bored...and lonely...and I would regret EVERYTHING I ate for that entire time.

So I have made a decision...Well a few to be truthful...

1) I am going to MAKE myself follow the rules- According to a bunch of people WAY smarter then me, it takes two years to turn good eating habits into a part of who you are. Well that applies to habits in general, but I am talking about good habits!

2) I am going to cut myself a little slack - It has been pointed out to me more than once that I am WAY to hard on myself about EVERYTHING!!! I am not magical and the sooner I accept that the better off I will be...lol

3) Not be afraid to ask for help- I think that one is pretty self-explanatory!

So here goes!!!

Week 14 Weigh in

Beginning Weight (12/20/2012)- 330.6

Last Week’s Weight – 301.2

Today’s Weight – 300.6

Total Weight Loss - 30

AH MAN!!!!....So close yet so very far away!

I so badly wanted there to be a 2 at the beginning of my weight but a lass it was just not meant to be this week.

On the other hand...I have official lost 30 pounds since all of this started!!

I have to admit while this is not as cool as getting out of the 300's it is still A W E S O M E!!!!

Sorry for being so quiet the last week...I had this weird desire NOT to jinx my weight loss for the week!!