My first lap-band fill

I went for my weigh-in today at the Brigham with the good Dr. Robinson. I lost 7 more lbs…but in 2 months. That brings my grand total to 56 lbs in just under 6 months. I knew it was time for my first fill. I’ve been able to tell over the last couple of weeks that I am able to eat much much more than I first was. While, I’m not necessarily eating bad food, I’m just eating larger quantities. Dr. Robinson wasn’t convinced I needed a fill since I did loose another 7 lbs..but I felt that it really was time. I mean who gets lap-band surgery and never gets a fill?? So, I got it AND I have the video to show just how easy it really was…see below.

Week 22 Measurement check

Where does the time go? Every Tuesday I take my measurements and every Tuesday I’m supposed to check in here with my progress and yet, some how I haven’t gotten to do it in 3 weeks – but I have been taking my measurements. Some how the numbers are still going down..but I’m not quite sure how. I have been so bad with my eating. Mainly, because I have no food at the house – when I don’t get home until 9pm every night it’s difficult to get to the grocery story but then Austin made a good point last night, why don’t we get Peapod anymore?? It was such a valuable service for us and it helped us to eat healthy and save money by eating at home. I ate out three meals yesterday! Horrible!

So the last time I checked in with the measurements was Sep. 23. They were the following:

Bust 36

Waist 37

Hips 43

Thigh 24

Arm 12.5

As of Tuesday, October 13 they are:

Bust 35 (down 1)

Waist 36 (down 1)

Hips 42 (down 1)

Thigh 23 (down 1)

Arm 12 (down. 5)

That is a total of 4.5 inches in three weeks! I guess this is good. I’m still nervous about the scale. I go back to see Dr. Robinson on Nov. 4.

Week 18 & 19 measurement check

Sorry, forgot to post last week’s inches update probably because there wasn’t anything to update! Everything has been the same for three weeks Although I have fallen off the bandwagon a bit. Austin and I went to Sonic last night. Granted I had a grilled chicken wrap, I did have fries. I looked up the calories in the wrap only 380 – not to shabby.

I’ve also been feeling like I can eat a lot more than I should be able to. Maybe it’s time for my first fill – 5 months later! I think it’s because the good Dr. R screwed up my karma by making me come back in 8 weeks instead of 4. The scale will tell.

I did sign up to meet with a personal trainer at the YMCA – if someone would ever return my phone call! I’ll keep you posted on that!

Week 17 weigh in!!

So, I went to see the good Dr. Robinson yesterday, I won’t lie – I was scared. I had taken some liberties with a few pieces of wedding cake (at different weddings!), some ice cream, and a few other things. I would say I did have them in moderation..but I was still scared to get on the scale. But I got on and…I lost another 8 lbs!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in shock.

That brings my totals to: 49 lbs in 17 weeks!!! An average of 2.7 lbs per week. I can’t believe it. And the best part of all — I’m in the 100’s club which I think is amazing.I’m wearing a L for the first time in a long time and I’m in between a 14 & 16 in pants. The only thing I find very frustrating is sizing. When your a size 20 at least everything is a size 20 – across the board. It’s not different from store to store or designer to designer. When you are in lower sizes a 14 can fit from the Gap but at Macy’s you wear a 16. And I bought a size 12 dress the other day. So currently, I’m wearing sizes between a 12 and 16. Strange.

Here is my inches update:

Bust 36 ( no change)

Waist 37 (no change)

Hips 43 (down 1 inch)

Thigh 24 (no change)

Arm 12.5 (no change)

Medical ID Bracelets..what??

So, I’ve decided that my best ideas come to me when I’m sitting in the bathroom at my office..strange..I know..but I always leave there running back to my office so that I don’t forget my great idea. Hence how this post came about. From reading my favorite lapband resouce lapbandtalk.com, I learned that I should be wearing a medical ID bracelet. From what I read Dr.s want us banders to wear one for several reasons. First, because we are not supposed to have NSAID’s(read the WIKI for more info) and two the EMT’s (if I’m ever involved in an accident) need to know that I have a band, because if they insert a nasogastric tube into your body to administer meds or help you breath or whatever without knowing it could puncture my stomach pouch and oh boy would that be bad…

So, I started looking for one of these medical ID bracelets. If you know me, you know I hate silver and all types. I’m a 24K gold girl. This is the best I could find:

Are you kidding me?? Ewww. I’d rather get a tattoo on my wrist than wear that! I’m off in search of more options. So, next time you see me, if I’m wearing a hideous bracelet like the one pictured above on my wrist please be sure to complement me and tell me how pretty it is

Week 15..no change

Took the week 15 measurements..no change again. It’s so hard..but I have to keep things in perspective. I have lost a lot of weight (41 lbs) in a very short amount of time..3 months. I mean it had to taper off at some point right? The scale will tell when I go back on Sept. 8th! I haven’t felt all the great lately – however, that is probably a function of the fact that I haven’t been eating all the great lately either!

I did hit up the Gap for the first time in 4 years last weekend. I bought a dress that is a size 12 – how exciting is that?? Although, I have to keep in mind it was a dress..I’m still in a 16 in pants. Almost a 14 but not quite yet. But I guess that is pretty good from a size 20. I also went to Old Navy and TJ Maxx and bought some things – it was very exciting to be able to shop in the “regular people” sections!

The gym. I need to hit the gym. I know it. To keep this weight loss up I need to work out. There is just not enough time in the day to get there. I know what people say, “make time!” but it is so much harder than that. Try working two full-time jobs and we will see how easy it is to get to the gym. Last Saturday, I literally worked from 8:30am until 2:30am!

But, I’m still chugging along..trying to anyway.

Not much to report

Took the week 14 measurements..no change It has been getting harder that is for sure. Austin and I have quickly realized that eating out is not an option. It is so hard to resist nachos, waffle fries, new england clam chowder, I’m still fighting off bread baskets okay. However, the grocery store is also key. A lap-bander must have food in the house at all times or else all hell breaks loose.

Austin and I made the trip to Costco for the first time in awhile. They had a 12 pack of Chobani Yogurt for $8.99 (or something close to that). What a deal. That stuff is at least $1 a pop in the store.

Everyone keeps telling me I need to buy new clothes. I buy new clothes and two weeks later..they don’t fit. It’s a good problem I guess. But still frustrating. Nothing much really going on. Austin and I went to the beach for the first time in a few years. We went to Wingaersheek in Gloucester – we had a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go back.

A Few Weeks Behind on my measurement update..weeks 12 & 13

So sorry, I’m a week off in my measurements. Things are still going great. I did have a little dress incident over the weekend. So I’ve know for months about my co-worker, Michael’s wedding. However, it wouldn’t be me if I planned to far ahead. So the last Thursday, I got a dress out of my closet to wear to the joyus event and tried it on – when I had bought it two years ago it was a bit snug..needless to say..it hasn’t fit since then. Here is the dress:

So Saturday comes and I get all ready and have about 5 minutes to put my dress on before I have to leave. I put it on and OMG!! There are brown spots all over the front of it…not sure how this possibly could have happened. Frantic cursing and pacing ensues. What the eff am I going to wear. I go to another dress..and it’s so big you can see the entire front of my bra while standing. Go to dress option 3..put it on..it’s supposed to be fitted..it looks like a garbage bag but nothing is showing that’s not supposed to. I leave the house, get in the car start backing out of the driveway, look down and realize my entire bra is showing! My boobs! everything..wtf am I going to do now. I’m already 20 minutes late to pick up my co-worker..I keep driving..I’ll figure something out. I pick-up Angela and her firsts words are “OMG, what are we going to do? I brought duct tape, packing tape, pretty much anything I could find in my apt. We’ll fix you!” So we haul it to the ceremony to which we are running into the church with Angela screaming..”you know we are going to run into the front of the church and your boob is going to fall out!” It didn’t. We sneak into the back of the church and I have my pashmina covering me like a nun. Our bosses are like, “where the hell have you been??” We leave the church and are driving to the reception, Angela and I are discussing what exactly we are going to do and then I see a sign from god, The Wrentham Outlets. I dart across 3 lanes of traffic and we enter the mall. Both of us go dashing into Sak’s Fifth Avenue..we’re grabbing every dress we can find..or at least I was. I look over and Angela has jeans in her hand! I try on, try-on some more, and some more. Nothing. I couldn’t find anything. Angela and I decide to see where we can get with the duct tape in the parking lot of the Wrentham Outlets. After some McGuyver like skills from Angela, I’m taped up and ready to go! We survived! Austin and I have a personal wedding to go to this coming weekend and I said to him on Sunday we are going to buy a dress at my go-to store Nordstroms, of course! We went last night and I found something. I’ll post a pic next week.

Finally, the inches update for the last two weeks – I can’t remember where I left off so I’m just going to post the total inches lost for this week:
Bust 37 (down 7 inches total)
Waist 37 (down 9 inches total)
Hips 44 (down 9 inches toal)
Thigh 24.5 (down 7 inches total)
Arm 13 (down 2 inches total)

Making for a total of 34 inches lost in 13 weeks!

Week 12 weigh-in

So, I went to see the good Dr. Robinson this morning, barely. I over slept for my appt by about 45 minutes thus making me 45 minutes late for my appt. When I couldn’t get a hold of anyone I decided to go and see if I could still get in — and I did! I mainly wanted to go to get on the scale. Last night, I made up my protein shakes for the day in case I did get a fill and had to do the liquid diet today – I was prepared. I got on the scale and was down another 9 lbs! Making for a total of 41 lbs lost in 12 weeks!! Dr. Robinson was super excited and very impressed with my progress. I’m almost half way to my goal weight in just 3 months!

I didn’t end up getting a fill because I’m still losing. Dr. Robinson said he has had a few patients with the lap-band who never needed a fill. I didn’t make it to the 100’s yet…but I’m SO close. I know when I go back the first week of Sept, I’ll be ready for my 100’s party! I’ll post a pic soon!

Girls Weekend 09 and Visting with Madison

So, I just returned from another mini-vacation. I went back to Illinois (chicago to be exact) to visit with one of my bff’s Dawn and her 2 month old, Madison. What an enlighting experience! I learned so much about babies, how to hold them (because I had never really done that before), how to feed them (never did that before either), how to bath them (nope not that either) and all kinds of stuff! Dawn is super lucky because all Madison pretty much does is sleep. But I wonder if she will have the same course of action as a puppy? Sleep, sleep, sleep the first couple of months and then BAM! run all over the place chewing everything up! I doubt it. I did pretty good with my eating for the two days I was with Dawn. Stuck to the plan and felt great.

Decker then picked me up on Friday to make the trek to Michigan City, Indiana for the 3rd annual girls weekend. This is a reunion of the Beta Eta Bradley Gamma Phi girls that were in our clique. There were 15 of us in total and what a fun time! However, Michigan City is a place I would be content not visiting again. We went to some local bars, hit the Blue Chip casino where I lost all my money, and rented a pontoon boat for 1 hour because it was FREEZING! But I am so glad that I got to see my girls and have a little bit of fun! The eating was another story. I did okay. On Saturday, my stomach was wicked upset and I couldn’t figure out why so I wrote down everything that I had consumed that day and was WAY over. I’m supposed to have 3 starches, I had 6. I had two extra servings of protein and more. While I didn’t eat “bad” necessarily – I just ate too much.

Here is a pic of my girls, Laura, Decker, me and Kara.