First Fill Today!

Today was my first fill! That was a interesting experience. I laid on the table and Dr. Ganta felt around on my belly for my port. I had no idea where my port was. I never really wanted to go poking around looking for it. I thought it was more on my left side. But instead, it is to the upper left of my belly button (from my view). He made me lift my legs up in the air a few times while he pushed around on my port. That was the part that was a little uncomfortable. Then he gave me a local to deaden the area. Then, thank God I can't see over my boobs to see what he was doing, he commenced to giving me my fill. I wasn't really interested in how or what he was doing. I just wanted it over with. But all in all, it didn't really hurt.

I asked him what size my band was and how much saline he had injected. He said that it was a standard 10 cc band and he had put 2 ccs in it at the time of surgery. He then added two more ccs today. So, I have a total of 4 ccs in a 10 cc band. I'm hoping that this will be pretty good as far as restriction goes. I guess I will find out when I am able to eat real food tomorrow!

On another note... as some of you may know, I work in downtown Austin. We see some strange people in Austin and it's just a usual occurrence. We have a transgender man who walks around in a thong and also ran for mayor. I have also seen a man dressed in a cow costume riding a bike. Today I saw a shirtless man on a bike with a cat on his shoulder. It makes you wonder what might happen if he had to stop suddenly or swerve! ...Only in Austin. That guy was definitely keeping Austin weird.

One Month Pictures

It's been over a month since I was banded, so I'm a bit late on sharing pictures. But, better late than never. The picture on the left is my before picture, taken in early March, before my surgery. The picture on the right is my current picture, taken this morning. The scale was being crazy this morning, fluctuating all over the place, so I'm thinking that I've lost about 34-36 pounds since the beginning of March.

Can you see a difference? I can see a little difference in the pictures but I have also noticed a change in my clothes. They are either a little loose or too loose to wear. That is such a great feeling!

I have more pictures from front, back and both sides, but I'm still learning how to upload multiple pictures side by side. Perhaps next month you can see all three pictures side by side. I should get the hang of it by then!

One Fill... Coming Up

I'm a few days away from my first fill and I can't wait. Well, I'm not excited about being stuck with a needle, but I know that's what I signed up for. Despite being hungry I have still been eating crazy small meals and taking my time eating. I'm trying to prepare myself for life from here on out.

I've been doing pretty well. I exercised quite a bit on Tuesday but then my back has been hurting ever since then. I have no idea what I could have done to make it hurt so bad. Despite the back pain I've lost a total of 34 pounds. Woo hoo!

I'm watching an episode of Intervention right now that I had recorded earlier in the week. It's about this girl that is anorexic and bulemic. She consumes about 24,000 calories a day! 24,000 calories! ...And then she purges. She weighs 92 pounds! Obviously, as an overweight person I have never understood bulemia. Of course I love the eating part, but there is no way that I could throw it all up. I hate throwing up.

Anywho, enought about that. Until next time...

Lap-Band 101

For my friends and family who don't quite understand how the Lap-Band works, this post is for you. First of all, the name Lap-Band is kind of like how we say Kleenex or Xerox. It is a brand name. Not all bands are called Lap-Bands. You may have seen commercials on TV for the Realize Band. That is a different band and Realize is the brand name. The actual term for the surgery and the device is called Adjustable Gastric Band. But since most surgeons use the Lap-Band, most people just call it Lap-Band. Mine is a Lap-Band.

So, as to how it works... the Lap Band System Animation video at the top of this page describes it best.

And for those of you who don't know, I am scheduled for my first fill next week, on the 28th. After that I should be given the green light to move on to solid foods. Hallelujah!

Heart Rate Monitor Watch

I bought the coolest thing the other day. It is a heart rate monitor watch but it can do damn near everything except make my coffee in the morning! Here are all of the things it can do-



• tell time (duh!)
• monitor heart rate
• keep track of laps and the total time spent doing laps
• count calories burned
• count fat burned
• calculate moving time (how long you have been up and about on your feet)
• determine average speed
• calculate distance
• track steps

This is perfect for when I exercise.

I haven't quite figured out how to use all of the features yet, but I will soon. In the meantime I just like pressing my two fingers on it to get my heart rate.

Here's a great website about target heart rates - American Heart Association.

Pants on the Ground

A wonderful thing has been happening lately. My pants have gotten too big! The pants I have been wearing to work as well as jeans are now probably a size too big. The tipping point was the other day when I went to the bathroom and realized that I could pull my pants on and off without unbuttoning them. Yea! Now it's starting to feel like something is really happening. I'm sure I'll still wear them for a little bit longer unless I find that I have the next lower size in my closet. I can't wear them for too long because then I really will be looking like a fool with my pants on the ground!

I am so looking forward to buying new, smaller clothes. I'm also hoping I can get some cool clothes in a clothing swap too. I'm checking out my options as far as clothes swapping goes. If you know of any, please let me know!

I Love Cheese

I was looking on this cool low carb website and found some good recipes that I can eat (once I start eating real food). Technically I am supposed to be on soft foods and liquids, not really solid foods. However, I am getting tired of eating this stuff and have ventured out a little. So far I have had a few fishsticks and a few meatballs (at separate times). They have gone down pretty easily with lots and lots of chewing. Anywho, I saw this recipe and decided to try it. Deb, from work also told me that a friend of hers did this too. All it is is some shredded cheese melted to a crisp on a plate (sprayed with cooking spray). I mean what can be better than melted, crispy cheese?

So, I threw some shredded cheese on a small plate and microwaved it until it looked crisp (a couple of minutes). The funny thing is that it came out heart shaped. I think it was a sign from God saying that cheese is good and that I would love this recipe. He was right! Check out my heart shaped cheese crisp-

Cherry Fage

I have never liked yogurt. It is too tart and just plain old weird. But, in the spirit of changing my lifestyle, I am trying new things. I kept hearing about the wonders of Greek yogurt. So, I decided to give it a try. I thought I would like one that was sweeter so I tried some that were honey flavored. Nah, not a huge fan. Then I saw that they made some with cherries on the side. I thought "I like cherries. I suppose I should give it a whirl." So I did. And you know what? I like it. Of course my favorite part is the cherries, but it helps me get down the yogurt part. And it is really good for me considering it has 10 grams of protein, which I so desperately need. Anywho, if you're in the grocery store and want to see what I'm talking about, grab a container. It's pretty tasty. Here's what to look for -






You have to make sure to get the Fage (pronounced fah-yeh) brand. They also make some with strawberries, peaches, and honey. And if you go to the Fage website you can download a coupon for $.50 off.

There is a downside though. It's not exactly cheap. One container (one serving) is $2.19. I just spent $20 at H.E.B. yesterday to stock up. I think that I may get to the point where I will buy the big tub of the plain flavor and make my own cherry sauce. That might be better (and cheaper).

Update

Things are going pretty well around here. I am just the tiniest bit sore now. I am able to wash myself without tongs, get out of bed by myself without slinking out of bed like a snake, and able to walk faster than a crawl. My incisions are almost completely healed. Well, the little ones are but the one big one is still working on it.

I went walking yesterday evening and felt pretty good. I walked a lot farther than I had intended. When I got home I mapped it and found out that it was almost 2 miles! And I didn't collapse!

Oh, and my baby, Bruno is back home! Yea! And no, he did not forget how to walk while at Granny's house. Somehow his muscles remembered what to do. He has yet to Riverdance on me. But in an effort to thwart any future Riverdancing, I now sleep with a pillow over my tummy. Look how excited he is to be home...

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I have discovered a new love - Chicken Enchilada Soup from Chili's. My bestest friend, Erika turned me on to it late last week and now I am hooked. That was even my Easter meal. It tastes just like a chicken enchilada. It has chunks of chicken in it so I had to attack it with the boat motor (immersion blender) and shred the chicken. Here's what it looked like after the boatmotor -



Yum!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all my peeps!