Losing Inches!!

Hey friends, it's been a while since I last posted anything - so it's time for an update. So far I am down 24 pounds and have been hovering right at 200 for the last week. My friend that had the same surgery is at a stand still in the weight loss too, so she contacted the nurse at Ft Worth Lap Band and she said it is normal at this stage and that we should be losing inches. I am definitely losing some inches, I am down to two pairs of work pants and one pair of capri's that fit - all the others fall off! I have removed more than half of everything in my closet b/c its too big. I am excited to get out there this weekend and find something that fits. I am also looking forward to stepping on the scale and it saying I am in the 100's.

September 17 James & I had our 16 year wedding anniversary! Before my surgery James had mentioned that he hoped I was feeling good by the time our anniversary came & I was. We actually went out with some friends for date night & had some sushi. I was able to eat a cup of soup, 3 pcs of sushi, & one crab rangoon. Then we went to see a movie and called it a night. James left for New York on our actual anniversary but we were glad we had the weekend together. The picture I posted is of us from about a year ago. I need to start taking more pictures so y'all can compare - kinda like a before & after.

This week I had to get back on two of my medications. I am not sure why in the fourth week it hit me all of the sudden, but I started having anxiety again - I would like to say its because work has been a little stressful for me but I had this before my surgery and it doesn't feel good. I am now on my anxiety medication, I am sure everyone around me is thankful for that. Also I have some seasonal allergies so I take one benedryl before bed and I feel much better. I have been forgetting my vitamins lately so I need to get on track with that too.

If you would have asked me in the first two weeks would I do this surgery again I would have said no. Now that I am recovered I feel good about my decision. It's like one of my friends said to me a while back - Its a love/hate relationship with the band. You love that you get restriction and have something stopping you from over eating, however it would be nice to gobble down a nice cheesy garlic biscuit from Red Lobster with all you can eat shrimp - but that is not going to happen ever again. Someone at my work opened a Dr. Pepper and poured it over some ice in front of me & I almost lost it, I really wanted that soda, but I just looked away and tried to recover from the smell of it - it was so sweet smelling and all bubbly. Oh well I don't need that anymore, it makes a person unhealthy!

Thanks for reading my blog! I will post more once I reach the 100's!! Kelly

My First Fill.....

This morning I went to Fort Worth Lap Band to get my first fill. I was definitely ready to get it done, I have been feeling alot more hunger and need that to go away. It takes about a minute to get it done. I went in, climbed up on the table, the Dr. located my port, and under x-ray he began to inject saline solution into my band, I took one little sip of barium and then I was finished. Next they had me sit in a waiting room drinking water to make sure they did not fill the band too tight. I felt okay enough to go ahead and leave. Glad that part of my day is over! I still have some stinging from where the needle was inserted, other than that not too bad.

After my visit I headed over to Central Market, lucky for me its not too far from the Dr.'s office. I purchased everything to make chicken noodle soup. The first day of a fill you cannot have anything to eat except clear liquids. Day two I can have full liquids. Day three soft foods. Day four its back to eating regular foods. Hopefully I can drop some more weight this week. I am looking forward to being under 200 pounds.

Every morning I am supposed to start my day with hot liquid. Since my surgery I have been drinking hot tea. I really would rather have coffee however I think the cream I use in my coffee makes me very nauseous. I keep trying to drink it and no luck so far! Makes me mad really because I love coffee. Maybe I should try to drink it later in the day???

The chicken soup turned out delicious. My mom came over and helped me finish it up. I drank about a half cup of the soup and could tell that I had more restriction. I still feel like I may be hungry but when I try to drink more broth it feels like I am full.  Well enough chatter for today, I will keep yall posted! Kelly

My Brother Larry

This is a picture of my brother Larry & I at a family reunion we went to a few years ago. Larry came down to visit with us for about three weeks while my dad trained him how to run his own starter & alternator business. We had fun while he was here. It had been over ten years since we had seen each other or really even talked. God had laid it on my heart to pray for the two of us to reconnect and a couple of months later Larry came down from Michigan. It was God's perfect timing. Exactly what our family needed. At the family reunion we had laughed and joked around so much our stomach's were aching, it was a good day!

Larry passed away September 28, 2011. He was 42 years old. My brother had heart problems since he was about 35 and every year it just seemed to get worse for him. Our family really misses him. We rented a 12 passenger van and ten of us drove to Michigan for the funeral. At the funeral there were a few people that stood up to tell stories about Larry and I can tell you that he was very loved - he was surrounded by loving and caring friends.

Since Larry's death I have not been very good at choosing to eat the correct foods or the right portion sizes. Having the weight loss surgery has restricted my eating but I seemed to have grazed on all sorts of foods that are not on the list for me to have. In Michigan where Larry lived my parents took us over to an Amish Bakery and James & I spent over $50 buying some of their homemade goodies. We bought local maple syrup, homemade noodles, strawberry rhubarb pie, pumpkin roll, chocolate & pumpkin whoopie pies, & granola. I tried a little of everything! It was so delicious and the Amish people there made everything from scratch. Here is a picture of the little Amish bakery.

There is always a way to cheat yourself, and that is exactly what I have done this past week. I ate till my stomach hurt and chose foods that I have no business eating. I really thought that I gained back some weight on our trip but I weighed in Friday and I was exactly the same weight as before our trip to Michigan. Very surprising! Today I got on the scale and I lost another pound bringing my total to 20 pounds lost! I need to lose another five pounds to be under 200, hopefully this week I can work hard to reach this goal. Monday I go in to get my first fill in my lapband. I know it will restrict my eating! I am looking forward to it.

Kelly