Another 3lbs down and an Exciting Few Days Ahead :)

Hooray! I believe I finally broke through my little "plateau" I was having as when I weighed myself this morning I weighed 274lbs, 3 pounds down from last week :) I am happy to say the least! I am six pounds away from hitting the 50lbs lost mark which feels so great. I am excited because I am off this whole week from my nanny job and am going camping at Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow with Keren, then going to see Bassnectar on Friday at Red Rocks! WOO... Very fun next few days ahead! It is pretty funny that I have lived in Colorado almost 6 years now and still haven't been to Rocky Mountain National Park... lol. We are planning on doing a fair amount of medium-hard and long hikes which will be challenging, but I know I can do it! I am very lucky that Keren is so patient with me and helps motivate me along (she is in great shape and hikes almost everyday).

I have an AWESOME sleeping bag at home in TX that I used back when I was a camp counselor, however my Dad has sort have claimed it as his own because he uses it when he goes on overnight bicycling trips... needless to say I wasn't getting it back anytime soon :) Therefore, I bought a new sleeping bag this last weekend because sports authority was having a big camping sale. It was pretty funny because I was literally "trying on" sleeping bags in the middle of the store to make sure I fit! I found one that is the perfect size AND purple which is pretty cool if you ask me.

I spent all day today deep cleaning my apartment and doing laundry and am exhausted, but at least now my apartment is nice and clean. I also booked my trip to see my Grandparents in Florida and visit my parents and sister in Texas in late June/early July which will be awesome. Well it is late and I am pooped, so I will write more when I get back from camping :) Goodnight!

Another Pound Down! And Fiber Gummies :)

Sorry for the late weight update/post, I have been a busy busy worker bee! Unfortunately, I only lost a pound last week :/ I was upset about this so I called my nutritionist for a bit and we came up with some reasons why this may be... First of all, I did not get in a lot of actual exercise last week (because I was nannying overnight all week) and even though I am on my feet waitressing, my body apparently adapts to this after a few weeks (which it has been) and I don't burn as many calories waiting tables as I did at first. Secondly, since I have recently hit the 40lb drop mark, I may be hitting a small plateau... She said to try changing up my workout routines like adding in weights a day or two a week and change up my calories more often (such as 1200 cals one day, 1400 the next, then back to 1000 etc...). Even though I am kinda bummed about only losing an additional pound this week, I am still pleased to see that the scale is moving in the right direction and I know that I am doing my best. I will push through this little hump by trying some of the things my nutritionist said and hopefully will lose more next week!

SOO I know this is a bit TMI, but I need to put it out there because this blog is not only for my friends and family, but for fellow lapbanders and those thinking about lapband in the future. Since I have had lapband, I have felt constantly "stopped up", only have a bowel movement every three days or so! I was drinking benefiber everyday, but didn't feel much of an improvement. FINALLY I found something that seems to be helping though! I found these fiber gummy supplements at Target and I am now having much more regular bowel movements (every other day). Thank goodness!

Anyway, I am enjoying the beautiful weather outside and eagerly anticipating the opening of the outdoor pool near my house. I love swimming indoors, but it is so much  better to be outside enjoying the sunshine :) I am working all weekend again but luckily have all next week off from nannying. Cody will graduate from 5th grade tomorrow (wow!) which is awesome... I am so proud of him. I am also really happy because his Mom is moving him to a public school next year for middle school! This will be great because he has been going to a charter school that has not been much help nor had the resources to help with some of his learning disabilities. I am so glad he will be able to get a fresh start and hopefully teachers that will make more of an effort to help him next year!

I worked at Mimi's today and am nannying right now, but will go to swim class tonight at 8 which I look forward to. Will post more later!!

AWESOME Weekend :)

What a whirlwind of a week/weekend! I was a busy bee working both jobs all week and nannying overnight, but all the hard work paid off :) I had a blast at the concert at Red Rocks with Keren on Friday night (even managed to get in a swim class before too!) and we danced our butts off for a solid four hours before calling it a night... My legs are still sore from it! It is the most amazing live music venue I have ever been to because it is outside literally embedded in beautiful ancient rocks, but it is quite a hike to get to the venue, your seat, and up and down to and from the bathroom etc... Great workout which was good because I didn't have much of a chance to go to swim classes all last week because of work.

Another high note is that my clothes are starting to NOT fit because they are too BIG!! It was exciting to go to Maurice's and buy a pair of jeans, shorts, and capris to tide me over for another twenty pounds. When I started my journey, I was on the larger side of a size 26 and now I am fitting into size 22. WOOHOO. I have been doing much better about tracking my protein intake etc... by using MyFitnessPal (a great online site to diet journal) and taking all my vitamins which feels good. I also recently bought Zumba Fitness 2 for the Wii and just tried it out the other night... it is basically a latin dance fitness game which is super fun and boy was I sweaty/worn out after twenty minutes! I am still terrible at the actual technicality of the dance moves, but am working on it :)

Sunday I was able to get my shift at Mimi's covered and got to go to the Rockies VS Mariners game and see my boyfriend's cousin Blake Beavan pitch which was awesome. We had amazing seats, row 5 in a section right above third base! I have never sat so close at a baseball game and I had a blast. Steve and I were hoping to get to talk to his cousin or visit for a bit, but all we got was a wave while he was warming up. Blake was the starting pitcher for the Mariners game and did amazing... they won too! Very exciting all around except for the horrible sunburn I got by carelessly forgetting to reapply sunscreen throughout the day :(

Anyway, it is off to bed for me because I work at Mimi's tomorrow morning at 7:30am! Gnite all :)

Another 2lbs Down :) 40lbs Total so Far!

YAAY! I am officially down 40 lbs from where I started and could not be happier :) I weighed myself a day early again because I am nannying overnight all week (and working at Mimi's)... I clocked in at 278. This weekend was nuts at Mimi's! Mother's Day is one of our busiest days of the year and I worked a 9 and a half hour shift where I made great tips, but was utterly exhausted and still haven't really recovered.

I finally found out about my birthright Israel trip and I was wait-listed :( I am really bummed but I guess they said that there were over 100 applicants for the July trip and that people ages 25 and 26 get first priority (because age 26 is the cutoff), then people who have been rejected 3 times or more, and so on and so on. I am going to apply again for the winter trips and 2013 summer trips, but am still super bummed because this is the second time I have been wait-listed/rejected. Oh well... I guess I can look at it as more time to lose weight and fit better on the long plane ride when I do go! I have a whole 3 weeks off from nannying in July (when I was hoping to go to Israel) so I think I will probably go visit my Grandparents in Florida!! I love the beach :) Maybe I can go home to visit my parents for a few days too which would be nice.

I have started using "My Fitness Pal" which is a really neat website where you can track your food/calories/protein/water as well as exercise. I have been using this instead of writing in my journal to hold myself accountable to protein etc... and so far so good. My boyfriend got great tickets by 3rd base to the Rockies game on Sunday so I am going to try to get my shift at Mimi's covered so I can go! They will be playing the Seattle Mariners which is cool because my boyfriend's cousin is a pitcher for them (Blake Beavon). This week is going to be rough because my nanny boss is out of town so I am with Cody 24/7 while he isn't in school as well as working at Mimi's when he is in school, but I am really looking forward to the weekend. I am going to a concert on Friday night at Red Rocks with my best friend and have Saturday off from both jobs :) Anyway, hope everyone is well!

Working Weekend

Hello everyone... hope you all had a good week :) I don't normally work Friday nights or Saturdays for my nanny job, but have to this weekend... this means lots of catching up on Cody's homework etc! I went to swim class last night and it was really cool because my teacher Deb incorporated some swim "kickboxing" and BOY was I tired/sweaty... it was a great workout! She is actually adding a whole class for swim kickboxing on wednesdays so I am definitely going to work it into my schedule. It has been really nice out for the most part, but today it is cold, rainy, and nasty... it is supposed to be this way all weekend, YUCK. I am working at Mimi's on Sunday (mother's day) which is going to be super crazy busy but hopefully people will be in good spirits/patient because of the holiday.

I had stopped writing in my journal (the one where I recorded EVERYTHING such as protein intake, liquid intake, calorie intake, exercise log, and feelings) because I had gotten so busy, but I feel like I need to start writing in it again. Even though I am still losing weight etc... I don't believe I am getting adequate protein or liquid in everyday and can never remember how much I have because I haven't been writing it down anymore! I busted out the journal today and am going to start using it everyday again for now.

I can also now "feel" the restriction in my band more than I could before... it is hard to describe but basically when I eat I now get this almost instant like BING DONE FULL feeling and immediately stop eating. It is really nice to be honest! And it will only get better with more saline. I am happy for my parents because they are going to Italy for a much deserved 2 and a half week trip to Italy, but to be honest I am a little bummed because it has been so nice to call my Dad every other day with my progress and to discuss my routine etc... He has really been a rock throughout my whole weight loss struggle (from years ago) and always supported and motivated me even when I have failed in the past... Oh well, there is still email!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a happy Mother's Day!

Another 3lbs Down!

WOW! Hard to believe I have lost almost 40 pounds already since I started my journey in March! Weighed in at 280 this morning which is great :) I am pooped from a long day and signing off early but wanted to spread the good news. More to come!

Is it Tuesday Already?!

Long weekend at Mimi's... worked Saturday, Sunday, and today. Very tired but I am making decent money so all is good :) ALSO I now fit alot more comfortably in my bathtub now that I have lost some weight so I took a nice long bubble bath after working so much which was great! My feet are still killing me at work and I am considering going back to my podiatrist and getting cortisone shots in my heels again to help... I did this a few years ago and had some success. I have only noticed a bit of a difference as far as being full very quickly now that I have had my first saline fill, but I am definitely not as hungry all the time which is awesome! Many people say they don't feel a difference at all until their second or third fill so I would say I am glad to feel some change. I am working tomorrow super early at Mimi's so I will weigh myself before work then blog my weight after my shift. Cody (the boy I nanny) has a baseball game tomorrow night that I am going to go watch... it is also his Mom's birthday (my boss) so we are going to finish making the "home made coupon" book for her. It is pretty cute I must say, and filled with things like "Cody will walk the dogs" or I will "babysit on a weekend night" etc... Anyway, I must get to bed early for work but will post my weigh in tomorrow afternoon! Goodnight all :)

Got My First Fill :)

Today I went to my doc and got my first fill of saline in my band... it really wasn't bad at all! I was super afraid of it hurting badly because it is a big scary looking needle, but surprisingly it didn't hurt a bit. It just felt super weird when my doc was poking around to find the port and then a weird pressure after the saline was injected. My doc put in 5cc of saline today and told me I was doing great... he said he doesn't expect patients to lose any weight before their first fill and was impressed by my success. He also told me all the weight I have lost up until now has been totally on my own, because the band wasn't doing anything yet. Makes me feel really good :) I am now on a liquid/pureed diet for today and tomorrow, then a soft diet for Saturday and Sunday, then back to normal on Monday. I don't really feel any different yet, but thats because I haven't ingested anything but a liquid protein shake since the fill. I am excited to see how the band will make a difference in curbing my hunger/making me feel full more quickly.

Keren and I didn't end up going to the museum before my appointment today because we didn't want to be rushed through the exhibit... we are going to go tomorrow instead. It is a gorgeous day out and I am nannying right now, then will be off to swim class at 8pm. Will be enjoying my day at the museum tomorrow because I work all weekend at Mimi's. Have a great Friday everyone!

First Fill Tomorrow

The day has finally come! I am going to my doc tomorrow at 1pm for my first saline fill... I am a bit nervous because they use a huge needle (and I HATE needles) but my best friend Keren is coming with me for moral support and to hold my hand if necessary lol. For the fill, I am on a liquid diet tomorrow and the next day, then soft foods, then back to normal by Sunday. I really hope this fill helps curb my hunger, but sometimes it takes a fill or two to really feel the restraint in my band, but we will see. I worked at Mimi's on tuesday and nannied, and today I nannied and went to swim class which was nice. I am super sleepy and having a lazy night in with my boyfriend about to watch a movie, so I will post more tomorrow after my first fill!