168-- advanced banding for weight loss

Yep, my fill is really, really working.

I am eating much less, barely hungry, and the weight is coming off.
Yeah baby!!

Here's the thing:
For me at least, this is ADVANCED banding.  I'm not advocating this for anyone--but for me, I am ready to handle this level of adjustment to facilitate my weight loss getting going again.

I could not have handled this tight adjustment well until this point.  I had to learn everything I know how to manage it and NOT eat around it up until now.  Perhaps my motivation had to be in the right place as well.

I am really very tight right now.  Like, sipping water carefully tight- but water is easy enough, I just am careful.
*NOTE: If you can't drink water-- you must return to your practice stat and get loosened!!

 Tiny bites of food tight.  Don't feel like eating a protein bar b/c I don't want to bother with the chewing involved tight.
Having mostly protein drinks and soups tight.

Yup. That tight.

Is this the way I intend to live the rest of my days? Nah.

But provided I am drinking all of my water, getting in my protein and vegetables (I do need some more fruit in there- but there are fruit smoothies in my future!)-- I'm taking this baby for a ride for at least until  the appointment I made to follow up in late February.  It's working.  I'm slimming down and I could not be more elated (sorry to brag, but  anyone who has read this blog has suffered my ups and downs and efforts so it's nice to lose some weight rapidly for a change!!!!)

At this rate, I should hope to be down (can I hope this much???) at least 4 pounds-- perhaps as many as 8 pounds by the end of February.

The point is that the band is totally helping me with my hunger and allowing me to eat very little- I mean, making it possible for me to eat little without suffering hunger pangs and also not permitting me to eat much as well.  I need to be careful, I need to plan.  I have to keep drinking my water though the day and keep from getting my stomach so empty that I want to gorge on something-- only to have trouble getting it down.

I am carefully trying to get my proteins in and keeping my band calm and quiet with the easiest things that I can eat/ drink.  Advanced banding also comes in my sudden and dumb realization that I really need to crush any pills I take.  (DUH.)  I realize that this same advice has come at me 600 times from my practice-- but more like a whisper and not a yell.
So any time I've been tightly adjusted in the past, I've always gone about my business, suffered the pill swallowing and probably aggravated myself every time I took a pill… making it more and more difficult to tolerate a high degree of tightness.
Now I'm smarter: crushing those pills to a powder and taking with greek yogurt or something else to assure I don't irritate myself sending those down my gullet.

The truth is that I actually can eat solids, but I don't feel like it-- it's a lot of effort right now.  LOTS of chewing, lots of waiting between bites.  Feh.  I'd just rather have a nice bowl of black bean soup or one of my homemade veggie soups and be done with it.  Don't care that much.

Oh- and I am having chocolate every day.  Because I deserve it!
More to follow-- but I am really happy to say that I think you can continue to come back here and watch me shrink!

171.4- got some mojo back!

It's like a brand new band day for me!
Yipee.
I am closing in on those 160's again-- I think I am finally getting back there after a LONG time.  Oh, I am very hopeful.

Here's the thing: the band is the tool to help-- for anyone out there who scratches their head or thinks of these things.
I've read a zillion blog posts and made my own over the years as well-- and what works is … eating less, a LOT less. BOTTOM LINE.

I guess the right adjustment is all about where you are at in that particular moment in your life and what you're willing to do.
Right now, I'm adjusted more tightly-- so the way I am eating less works like this: I am being extremely careful about portion sizes and food textures.
I'm focusing on getting my water in first and foremost (dehydration is bad! and it makes you hungry!!!) and my protein as well.
This is simply resulting in eating a whole lot less (I mean, it has been 2 days… but I'm just saying) and should continue this way.

The great news: I'm not suffering hunger or cravings.
Love me my band nowadays,  I'm working towards continued success.

173 and fill tomorrow

Yep, 173-- and I wish I were more jumping for joy-- but it's been a stomach bug that has kept me off of eating for the past several days.
I'm going in to the practice tomorrow to get a slight adjustment that I hope will take me to the next step… my last fill was in August and that arrested any further weight GAIN, but I didn't really lose much more, despite the fact that I have been exercising my butt off.

It's all good, but I still have dreams of 165 and lower still…

A funny thing happened on the way to the dessert menu

Last night, my hubs and I went out for a nice meal- we got babysitting, which we haven't done for a while, and dinner was great.  I'll get to that in a second.

I have to say,  that 4 years later: I am still learning/ relearning/ rehabituating- even if I change nothing with my band-- my band changes and then I have to change.

This week, I've been busy at work, taken advantage of my band, and eaten very small amounts during the day - very purposely.
Maybe my band responded and is a bit more tuned up? I'm tuned up???
Is it the vacation I've just planned?

Back to dinner: I did my jog/ run yesterday and ate pretty lightly through the day.

At 7 pm, I'm sitting with hubs in this really great restaurant, I had this dilemma: I think that if I order an appetizer PLUS an entree-- that's WAY too much.  I even said so to hubs, but he said, don't worry about it- you can bring it home.
Should have listened to my instincts.

1 glass of wine
Appetizer-- ate 2/3rd
Dinner-- maybe 3 bites AND got stuck (hasn't happened in a while- and had to excuse myself to spit out several bites. Sorry gross sounding, but VERY quick and then over- just annoyed with myself.)

Dessert menu comes-- read it through-- chocolate cakes etc etc.  NO THANKS to the dessert menu!
I've certainly said 'no' to the dessert menu in the past- but I don't recall 'not feeling like having dessert' in that way in I don't really remember…
On some level, I think that's how the band is supposed to work-- NOT a struggle, just really not being tempted by being satisfied otherwise.

Interesting.
That is all for now.
(My weight remains at 174.2 this morning-- I am glad I am back to daily weighing. My hopeful expectation would be try for .5 a pound per week with lifestyle adjustments-- for real… eating less, continued increasing exercise.)

We shall see.

3.25 miles today (mostly jogged)- and weight

Weight is at 174.2

Thinking of a February fill… just planned a Jamaican vacation for April and I just want to back out of the 170's by then.

My exercise actually seems to be paying off more now that I am focusing on eating better-- that means, in upside down band-land, protein shake or smoothie for breakfast, small protein lunch, home in the evening for a very small snack/ dinner. Obviously- the smoothie figures big, b/c I can get fruit and veg in that way.

The reason my eating is going this way is that I'm just mega major overwhelmed at work right now with many projects-- that works to my advantage.  So if I can't, with 6 days of exercise per week and less food take off about 5 to 6 pounds, I think I'll need to go the slight adjustment with a bit more in the band to take me to a little more restriction.

I actually feel some good hunger control- and if I listen to my body (like today)-- I eat a lot less.
It's a lot of mental work-- but NEVER give up, never surrender!!

And my exercise is AMAZING and I am proud.  Been consistently exercising 5 to 6 days per week on the treadmill or in classes since OCTOBER.  Go me.

So, I guess I'm saying, I'd like to get to 168 pounds or less by April 1st.
That's not so much to ask at all… let's see what happens.

Happy 2014! Still blogging…

I believe today is my 4th 'bandiversary'-- in 2010 in January (I think the 4th, I'll have to look back), I had my band placed.  My highest ever weight seen on the scale was 203 and now I am in the 170's… trying so hard to get back to the 160's and even below.

Well: trying so hard would be trying hard if I were really pushing on my eating habits, but I haven't entirely been doing that, let's be fair.

What I have been doing is exercising! Go me.
I walk/ jog and do other treadmill activities 6 days per week, first thing in the morning.
I see myself adding more mileage gradually… I'm putting anywhere from 30 to 65 minute sessions-- running limited to 2 times per week so that I don't over do it and hurt myself.
I do hills, I walk sideways, backwards, I use weights and get in my bi's and tri's… I'm doing it and keeping a record of it too.

I am also working to begin each day with a protein/ veg/ fruit smoothie-- I intended '30 days of smoothie starts' - but I skipped yesterday. Whoops.  But the newer and less perfection driven me said, brush off and continue with smoothies!
So this morning, with my son sitting with me in the kitchen, I made a 'peanut butter and jelly smoothie' for us:
Almond milk
3 Tbs Fage 2%
4 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter (PB2)
Several handfuls of spinach
1/4 of pasteurized egg whites
2/3rds cup mixed berries
2 packets splenda (b/c I wanted my son to drink this smoothie- and he said it was 'bitter' when he tried it, I usually don't sweet my smoothies except with fruit)

It was good!

Anyhow: I'd ideally like to get back to more blogging, but work is crazy (still at the same job for more than 3.5 years, crazy) and life is super busy.

I'll keep writing when I can… but I'd like to really work towards getting my weight down to the 160's in the next months… that's be the goal relative to weight.
As for exercise: I'm gently continuing to avoid injury and assure daily fitness. It feels great to exercise every morning-- I am totally addicted!