My Lapband Journey

Frustration still

2009-12-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is a week before Xmas and I still haven't lost anymore weight since the last time I blogged. Ages ago now. I have been back to the doctors and he has put another 1ml into my band so now I have 6 mls and restriction is quite noticeable. I am having difficulty getting meat down so have to get my protein from nuts, eggs and cheese. My portions are tiny. I am full after 1/2 a cup but leave it for a little while and get the remainder of my cupful down as I feel I need it for nutrition. I am still working out in the pool quite often and even though I am NOT losing weight, I feel fitter and stronger. I really notice this when I am spending a long time on my feet or have to walk anywhere as I can do both now with ease.

Another blurb about me!

2009-07-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Its been 10 months and 25kgs have gone now! I have 5mls in a 10ml band. Good restriction! Doing Ok losing slowly but surely these days

Check in 6 months down the track!

2009-03-03T03:12:00.000-08:00

Its now 6 months since banding and the state of play so far is:::::::

21.4kg gone

22.6 to go

3 mls in first fill
1 ml in second fill.

Weight is still coming off slowly but I realised that I should get back to tracking and only eating when I am hungry. I just tracked what I had today and it is more than I should have had. 1650 cals. when I was losing weight well I was having between 1000 and 1250 calories.
Still exercising a couple of times a week in the pool and seceral times a week on the vibration plate. I am also doing weights on my arms.

Check in Sunday 25th January 2009

2009-01-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

Well its been ages since I last blogged my progress as everything was just cruising and I had nothing exciting to report. After 3 weeks of staying at the same weight and a slight increase in appetite I thought it was time for my 1st fill. I had lost almost half of what I needed to without a fill so I was very pleased with that. I had 3mls put in and had to go on a liquid diet for 24 hrs. No problem. When I had my first bit of real food after it got stuck and I spent the afternoon throwing up. My husband went and bought some coke and I took a good swallow and the fizz cleared the blockage in no time. Felt 100% better instantly. That evening I had a barbequed chicken kebab and This morning I have found I have lost 500gr in 24 hours. So it looks like things are on the move again. I have also bought a vibration plate machine which I use for 10 or 20 mins a day and it has made a huge difference to the strength in my calf muscles which has enabled me to walk at great speed. Previously, it was a struggle walking at all now I power away and my husband has a battle to keep up with me. It really showed how much I'd improved when I was having a holiday in a very hilly area and going up and down the hills was easy. On returning from my holiday I went to the doctor and she has removed my from all my medications. So a healthier girl is emerging. Thats it for today and the total I have lost now is 19.7 KG.

2008-11-29T15:28:00.000-08:00

Haven't blogged for awhile, my mum died and it set me in a spin but I am more focussed now. The week of mum's death I ate badly but not over ate, just wrong choices. Since then been tracking well and exercising well. Four mornings a week religiously. I have also ordered a vibration machine to complete my exercise program. Can't wait till it arrives as I have heard they are amazing for toning and working all your muscle groups in a short space of time. I still haven't had a fill and I still do not feel hungry. Well thats about it for today. I have lost 15.4KG now and gone down from size 24 to 18. Yippee

Check-in Sunday 9th November.

2008-11-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Had my first and I hope only sliming problem on MONDAY and a PB session on Thursday night. I must learn to eat slowly and to chew, chew, chew. This week I felt like macadamia nuts. OHHHHHH! Bad mistake. Tasted yummy but when I entered them into my database I found they were FULL of FAT. OMG I went over the fat quota quite a few days this week. I am lucky I managed to lose 400gms at that rate. I upped my exercise and managed to get 3 hours of pool work i through the week as well as a night of dancing to a Japanese blues band. Mum died yesterday so I will have a busy week ahead of me. I hope I can hold it all together and stick with my routine. That's all for this time. Bye.

Sunday check in 26.10.08

2008-10-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

Another 1.5 kg gone Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee! Not much else to report except I still have a cold and been having trouble with my sinuses all week. TOTAL gone 11.6kg or 25 1/2 lb I'm now fitting in size 20 jeans when I was in 24 -26 7 weeks ago.

Sunday 19th October 2008 Check-in

2008-10-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

1.4 kg loss this week, making that a big 10.1KG altogether Wow fantastic. Very pleased with myself.
Nothing much to report this week, except still got this rotten cold that I have been trying to shake off for a fortnight. I haven't been exercising in the pool while I have been couging and sniffling. I have discovered that I can't stand still anymore though. At school while my class does daily PE, I used to stand and watch them as the Aussie Sports Leaders took over the teaching. But now I find myself walking around the school yard in circles for 20 minutes each morning while I supervise the kids. Not feeling deprived of anything, or hungry, and hopefully will continue this way, as I am still not filled and like the loose band approach.

Check-in Sunday 12th October 2008

2008-10-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! My quest to be organised has backfired. The freezer full of prepared dinners are decidedly DULL AND BORING, TEXTURELESS AND BLAND! I have been finding myself avoiding them like the plague after tasting 1 Apricot chicken and 1 Mongolian Lamb. The only think I have any desire for is the Tuna Mornay and Potato & Cheese casserole. Its because I didn't blend this dish and I had some texture to play with. I never thought I was texture oriented girl as most of my life I have avoided salads, (too crisp) or vegetables or things of that nature, Happy with soft foods such as potato, casseroles etc etc. Anyway I have decided to have whatever my dear husband is having if its soft enough or go for an alternative like, eggs, or a savoury spread on cruskets (which go mushy when put in mouth. The savoury spead was a recipe that one of the girls from the lapband site told me about and it sounded nice. I will put it on here:

SAVOURY SPREAD
melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan
add 1 lge finely diced onion (i blitz it)
add 2 good sized finely chopped tomatoes (Blitx it too- i often used tinned tomatoe)
Couple cloves garlic

gently cook these
add lottsa cracked black pepper

then i add 40gms grated cheese
chopped parsley
good pinch of mixed herbs
1 slice bread blitzed into fresh crumbs

give a good stir and add 1 beaten egg

keep stirring and it thickens

let it get cold n then into a good container n keep in fridge

I have also bought some hummous as that s high in protein as an alternative on cruskets and I had a dream about having sardines on cruskets so will try that soon as well.

Very happy with my weight loss another kg gone for ever. making that a total of 9kg or 19.8lbs in 37 days. My clothes are starting to get loser and people had mentioned to me at school that they can see the weight coming off, so that makes me feel good.

Just onto a little weird thing, After my shower this morning I looked at the scar just under my left breast and it had been healed up but today it was popped open just the smallest amount, looked a little infected and as I dabbed it dry I noticed what looked like threads poking out. I didn't touch them incase I unraveled (LOL) . I put some Methylated Spirits on the opening to dry it out and covered it with a silver dressing. (supposed to be good for healing ) LETS HOPE SO! Oh! another thing, I have not exercised this week as I have had a dose of the flu. I had 2 days off work this week and its left me thick headed and weak. Lucky I had the flu shot or goodness knows how sick I might have been. Well will all the coughing, thats made my port area a little tender, considering it wasn't tender before that. Hope everything in there is where it should be and behaving itself. I have been very good at sticking to 1 cup of food per meal.
My breakfast is still Chocolate Protein Shakes with either, yoghurt, peanut butter, or banana added. Very satisying. I have that at 7.15 am and that lasts me without getting hungry till 12.40pm. Then Lunch time I usually have pureed unsweetened apple or jellied fruit or yoghurt. This lasts me till 4pm when I get home from school (used to be the dangerous time of day for me as I would buy junk like chips or chocolate on the way home) But now I have it nailed as I drink 1/2 leftover morning milkshake when I get home and that sees me through happily till 6pm. The meal at dinner time lasts me nicely through the night. I NEVER FEEL HUNGRY and I haven't had a fill yet. THIS IS THE EASIEST WEIGHTLOSS PLAN I HAVE EVER HAD!!!
OK enough waffle for this week, thanks for reading.

2008-10-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Its been a weird week this week. I have gone from liquids to mushies on Thursday dinner-time and craved scrambled eggs with onion bacon and cheese blended together before cooking. I thought a piece of toast would get mushie when I sat the eggs onto it and there it was, the much awaited 1st mushie meal. Well it was good, so good that I was shovelling it in, then came the pain. OMG I had forgotten rule number 1. eat slowly! The toast was having difficulty going down, der! now I remember why we toast bread..... to make it crunchier so it goes down easier. I ditched the soggy toast and waited 10 minutes and took it slowly and enjoyed it immensely.. The next 2 days dinners were mashed potato with garlic, a little pizza sauce and cheese. Wow was that good! Tasted just like the pizza I used to eat although it was in a mushie presentation. That was the night that my husband had pizza for dinner and I didn't crave his at all. I exercised 4 days in the pool for 45 minutes each session, and kept my calories at 1000 or less and YES it paid off. >>>>>I LOST 1.4KGS THIS WEEK, MAKING MY TOTAL 8KGS OR 18LBS SINCE SURGERY<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Sunday 28th September 2008

2008-09-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Little frustrated this week, after keeping my calories under 1000 per day and restarting my usual program of exercising 4 days of 45 mins per day, in the pool and I have put on .2kg. Please explain! Only 5 days to go till I begin mushies. Got cooking yesterday and now I have a freezer full of little 1 cup size packages of Mongolian Lamb, Beef Stew, Turkey Casserole, Apricot Chicken and Tuna Mornay. Spent this week living on my daily breakfasts of Chocolate Protein shakes, lunches of V8 vegie juice and dinners of home made soups. Oh well! I hope this raise in weight is only temporary and not a sign of an upward trend. Will see next Sunday! Bye for now

Sunday 21.9.08

2008-09-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

Well here we are again and its weigh in day! Lost 1kg this week making it a total of 7kg or almost 16lbs I am very pleased how things as going. My husband cooked himself lamb steaks the other day and they smelled divine so I took a piece off and sucked the juice out of it to get the flavour and did my usual trick of spitting it out again. I have also been sucking on cheese till it liquifies and goes down followed by a sip of water to help it along and Kraft light smooth peanut butter. I will begin work again tomorrow and that means up at 6am to do an hour in the pool. It will be interesting to see weight results after a week of using up calories in the pool. I will be playing it by ear to see how energetic I get depending on my physical state. Whether I am still weak or sore from surgery. Time will tell. Thats all for today, thanks for your support. Until next week.

Sunday Check-In 14th Sept 08

2008-09-13T18:23:00.001-07:00

Well its been weigh-in day today, I'm going to be doing it every Sunday. I am pleased to report that I have another 2 kgs bringing total lost to 6kgs or 13.2lbs (for those who understand that language) since banding. Whoohoo! During this week I have had a tiny battle with hunger but that only lasted to days until I got my protein levels sorted out. In fact I have discovered a great taste sensation. Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein shakes. I get the regular Choc protein shake and chuck in a tbs Cocoa as I like the real Chocolate flavour and put in a tbs Kraft Light Smooth Peanut Butter. It is yum and filling.
I have been coping really well with not wanting or craving real crunchy food but alas last night I have been having a battle and needed (my head did anyway) bacon. So I thought I would cook up some bacon and give it to my husband to eat then just swish my baked bean soup around in the pan to get the flavour. Well tasted OK but it seemed not the flavour I was after but the crunch so I noticed Hubby hadnt yet eaten the bacon so I popped it in my mouth and chewed bits to get that lovely crunch and flavour and then spat it out so the lumpy bits didn't go down. Was I naughty, probably but it was sooooo good. By the way, Baked Bean soup is made from a tiny can of baked beans being whizzed up with some tomato soup. It has more protein and fibre than ordinary tomato soup and was a good change. I removed the dressings today from my wounds to see a very colourful sight. Bruising aroung the port site and a couple of the other holes but overall not too bad. I have left the sterie strips on the port woung for a bit longer but the rest are A-OK. I will wait for the sterie stripps to come off before I begin my exercise program in the pool. (I am lucky to have a heated indoor pool here at home). Thats all for today check in again next week. Thanks for your comments, keep them coming. I love to read them. By the way, Starrcan I am on liquids for 4 weeks before the mushies come along. My doc's rules are different than any I have heard of. Anyway I will be following the the best I can. Thanks for being a follower of my blog.

1 week out Post Op

2008-09-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

Just checking in, 1 week out of surgery and I am fine, got the diet thing worked out getting in enough calories and protein a day to sustain myself ok. Through experimenting with the amount of protein I get I have got myself to a level where I don't feel hungry like I did a few days ago.

Before Pic

2008-09-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

This is me before surgery weighing in @ 110kg

I will endeavour to keep these pics updated as time goes on.

Few days Post-Op

2008-09-13T01:54:00.000-07:00

Three days out from Lapband surgery (it was the 4TH SEPT) and I am still very sore. Have been on a liquid diet consisting of soup, apple juice, milk, and water. Its important to remain hydrated but when your stomach is so swollen its difficult to get too much water in. Have been suffering gas pains and copping it in the left shoulder. Luckily I was already aware that this would be the case or I would have thought I was having a heart attack. Yesterday I walked for about 30 minutes around Salamanca Markets in Hobart. Will try to do more today although I have to go into my classroom and supervise my husband in moving the furniture so that the cleaners can come in and do the floors over the school holidays. LOST 4 kgs

Introduction - How did such a nice little girl become MORDBIDLY OBESE!

2008-09-13T01:53:00.000-07:00

Well to introduce myself, I'm a 54 year old teacher (hippie chic at heart). Mother of 2 grown daughters and married to the best guy. Grandmother to Zoe. Been overweight since I was having my kids 35 years ago. Began with just a few pounds overweight but when dieting I'd lose a bit only to put on more later. That has been the story of my life. I have tried, Hypnotherapy, twice 35 years between sessions. Weight Watchers 3 times. And various other popular diets, the Atkins, the Liver Cleansing Etc. All were never sustainable. Especially when I had a phobia of vegetables (to the point of not being able to bring a vegetable to my lips) which stemmed from having a nutritional Nazi as a parent who force fed me vegetables as a child, to the point of vomiting. But that was the ways of the world during the 50's era and unfortunately I had a parent that took it to the last degree. 32 years later I undertook Emotional Freedom Therapy which got me over my vegetable phobia. I could now put vegetables to my lips but after a lifetime of not eating them my tastebuds could not get accustomed to the flavours or textures which I particularly had an aversion to. Well enough was enough I was getting scared for my health's sake having already high blood pressure, and my joints were suffering from arthritis and I also had developed an anti-immune system disease called Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Finally I approached my doctor and she readily agreed to refer me to my surgeon. One 5 minute visit, after 2 hours waiting in his rooms and I was organised to be banded. I had decided on Sept 4th 2008 as my date so I could recover in the school holidays (I'm a teacher of early childhood)