I Can Cook?!?!

Yup.

I can cook.

Who woulda guessed?

As I've mentioned in another post, prior to my Lap Band surgery, I used to eat fast food twice a day, every day. I made up excuses like "I don't have time to cook" and blah blah blah, but for one whole year I was on a primarily fast food diet. Now, after surgery, fast food is no longer an option.

Beforehand, I liked to cook. I would make normal things like enchiladas and tacos (yeah, I live in south Texas, that's normal) and the occasional chicken fried steak. Those are not hard things to make, but they sure do have loads of carbs. So what my fat ass has been doing lately is browsing Allrecipes and looking up so new things to cook.

I freakin' love that place.

So, this week alone, I've already made Garlic-Lime Buffalo Shrimp and Coconut Shrimp. I even made a dipping sauce for the Coconut Shrimp! Yeah, it did have some carbs in it, but I pretty much starved myself on carbs until the end of the day so I could eat it.

Here's a picture of my buffalo shrimp.

Yum.

Right now I'm in the process of making Tuna Cakes. I pretty much used a Maryland Crab Cake recipe, and substituted the crab with tuna. I don't like crab cakes with all that filler, like peppers and onions, so this is just a basic recipe meant to bring out the seafood flavor. I can't wait until I'm done with them!

Oh yeah, did I mention I like seafood? :D

Tomorrow I need to make something that I can take to work with me, because this morning schedule is killing me! The cafeteria at work is open and all I wanna do is eat a hamburger every day, so I need something yummy to eat.

Well, what do you guys like to make now that you're Banded? It's be awesome to trade recipes, especially if they're Band friendly. :)

Thursday Weigh-In

Initial: 266
Last Week: ?
This Week: 252.2
Change: ?
Overall: 13.8


So, those are my numbers for this Thursday. I've been hovering around that 252 mark for too long. I think it's time for me to get this ball rolling!

So today I went to the gym with Z. It was great to meet her! We chatted the whole time, and it also made my workout go by super fast. I did two miles today, and since I was only walking the whole time, it took me about 45 minutes. My trainer instructed me to increase the incline of the treadmill all the way up to the maximum throughout the workout, and man, that nearly killed me. Let's just say I didn't stay there too long.

I've been constantly sore since Sunday. I'm starting to get used to the aches and pains, lol. I can't wait until they go away though, and this time it will be because I'm in shape. :)

Tomorrow is Friday, so I'm going to workout again with Z. Having a gym partner is phenomenal! Especially since we're both Bandsters. We have loads to talk about, and our goal is the same: participate in the Rock n Roll marathon in November. I'm so excited! This could be the beginning of a great joint success between us!

Also, I put some NSVs on the left side of this page. Check them out! Some of them are long term, others are relatively short term. Every time I cross one out, I want to replace it with something else until I achieve all that I ever wanted. There's no time like the present.

I think I'm going to call my doctor today and see if I can get a fill earlier than the 10th. I don't feel much restriction, and I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm to get the fill one week earlier. I guess the worst they can tell me is no, right?

Oh! From now on, if I can, I will respond to comments through e-mail. If for some reason I can't reply, I'll leave one on here. :D

Well, it's time for me to go to bed. This morning shift is killing me. I miss my three days off a week. :(

To say goodbye, here's a picture of my Vivi snuggling with my bra in my gymbag. :D

To Speak or Not to Speak?

Hey guys!

You know what I just realized I haven't been doing? Weighing in every week. Seriously, I'm such a slacker.

So, I guess I'll start doing my weigh-ins on Thursdays. Why not, right?

I wanted to bring up something that all Bandsters go through: should they tell their family/friends/peers that they are getting the Band?

That's a personal decision. I just want you guys to know that no matter what my opinion is, you should go by what makes you the most comfortable. There's no right or wrong answer.

Well, when it comes to me, I pretty much told everyone. I see no need to keep it a secret. The Band is a part of who I am now. I am not ashamed whatsoever. If anyone asks, I tell them. Hell, I bring it up in conversations with people I just met. I'm doing Business training at the bank, and she asked what I was eating for lunch today. I proceeded to tell her it was an Atkins bar (which is delicious but pricey), and then explained why it was an Atkins bar. I do not care what anyone thinks of my Band.

Now, what I do not tolerate is ignorance. I make sure I educate people about my Band, why I got it, and why it helps me. Why nothing in the past has worked, and why this is the best decision I have ever made. Sometimes, I have to condense all that down into two minutes 'cause we don't all have time for me to explain my story. Lol.

I don't see myself changing my mind about this anytime soon. I understand that people are allowed to their own opinions, but as long as they can understand my decision, then I have no qualms.

Oh! Today was my first official day with my trainer! His name is Joe Lee, and he's pretty bad ass. He's a marathon runner, so he knows exactly what I need to do to train for the Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon in November. He had me do a fit test today. I ran a mile (18:00 minutes, whoa!!), did push ups, crunches, squats, lunges, etc. He counted what I could do in a minute, and in two weeks I'll try again to see what my improvement is!

My "homework" until Tuesday, which is my next session: 5 miles!! I think I can do 6. ;)

Tomorrow is a gym day with Z! I'm so excited to meet a fellow Bandster!!

I think I need to set up some NSVs I want to achieve. I'm gonna put them up on the sideline and track the date I finally reach it! I saw it someone else's blog, and thought it was a great idea. :D

See you tomorrow with my first official weigh-in!

Oh Yeah or Uh Oh?

I just had to blog this.

I signed up for a personal trainer.

I am such a sucker for a deal. For someone who is in sales, I should be better prepared for this crap.

Now, I didn't get conned. No way. I just put a good chunk of change down for 16 sessions with a PT, plus 4 free ones. They honestly were a decent price, but er...I used my credit card... >_>

Ha! Oh well. I've already done it. And you know what? I bet I'm gonna be kick ass after those 20 sessions. Rock n Roll Marathon, I'm coming for you!!

ERM. MAH. GERD.

Oh man, I had my ass handed to me today.

I used to have a personal trainer about two years ago. While he was a pretty cool guy, he just wasn't as personal as I'd like him to me. He didn't listen to me, and it didn't seem like he tailored our sessions to my needs. Then, one day he got mad at me for not being able to lift a certain amount of weights, lectured me on how I should be working out more, aaaannnddd, that was the last time I saw him. I don't appreciate people who talk down to me instead of motivate me, especially when I pay them a buttload of cash to train me.

Anywhoozle.

So, I joined this gym called Blast Fitness. Bally's got bought out by Blast a couple of months ago, so I decided to check out what they have to offer. I used to be a part of the Bally's by my apartment, but stopped going because of the whole personal trainer shenanigan. Well, it's pretty much the same Bally's (funky smell and all), but it's cheaper and they're not open 24/7. That totally beats Planet Fitness, because PF closes early on Fridays and Saturdays. They're even supposed to make a "Women Only" area, which is pretty cool.

Since I joined up, I got a free personal training session. The trainer's name was Stacey, and she's the only female trainer at this location. She was pretty cool. She didn't go to school for kinesiology or anything, but she's a certified Basic trainer. I started off with a warm-up on the treadmill, where I amazed myself by jogging for two minutes straight. Yeah, don't laugh. That was about four times more than I thought I would be able to do.

She then took me into the studio room where she made me do some other things, like backwards pushups, lunges, squats, dumbbells, crunches, etc. I nearly died. When it comes to strength training, I have always failed horribly. I've never seen an improvement in my strength training in the past, but I suppose it takes time. I really appreciate the work of a personal trainer, because they will make you do things you would never think of doing. And they push you to your limit. I pretty much did everything to failure and then some today.

Needless to say, when I was done with the hour long session, my whole body felt like Jell-O. I had to sit in my car for 20 minutes before going to the grocery store so I could regain some energy!

I really want to consider getting another personal trainer. The price though...jeez, they sure are expensive. I'm going to go back tomorrow and see what their prices are, and determine if I can afford it or not.

So...pictures, anyone?

I'm a horrible picture taker and didn't get any good shots of San Diego or some other places I went to. Bummer, huh? Though, James Purefoy sure did make some sexy faces in the pictures I took of him. :D

My First Fill

Hey everyone!

It's been over a week since I last updated. I'm sorry for the long wait! After Comic Con and returning to work, I've been pretty busy. Today is Sunday, and usually I'm at work but I was informed on Thursday I'll be working a new schedule for the next four weeks. I'm being trained to open Business accounts, so I have to work an 8-4:30 schedule, Monday-Friday until the middle of August. The Business training aspect is good, since it gives me the opportunity to make a bigger bonus, but jeez I hate working in the morning. Plus, I'll miss my extra day off each week. :(

Anyhoozle...

So, I had this freakout moment when I came back from the Con. I weighed myself, since I was curious if  I gained anything from all the junk I ate in San Diego. I nearly screamed. The scale said I gained five pounds!! But, then I came back to reality and realized I had just eaten dinner and hadn't had a BM in about two days, so that couldn't be accurate. Hehe! I weighed myself again the next morning and I was back down to what I was before leaving to San Diego, which was 253. That means that since I've started solid foods, I've gained 2 pounds. No big deal, my doctor said it's normal. :)

I had my first fill done on Friday! It was an unusual experience, especially since I've come to the decision that my doctor is absolutely dreamy. Haha! He's tall and pretty well built, and that gets me all the time. So, when I'm standing on the big x-ray machine thingy, and my doc says, "Okay, lift up your shirt," I get a little giggle in when I think, at least buy me a drink first, hunky doctor. Ha!

Too bad his wife works there, too. Hehe! Just kidding, I love my Daniel, the bum that he is.

Anyway, so I don't know if I'm lucky, but at my doctor's office they use a big x-ray machine thingy to see my port and band when they give me a fill. From what I've seen, a lot of people with the band don't have on of these at their doctor's office, so they just get poked until someone finds the port and then they estimate how much saline fluid to put in. That's nuts. I don't know if I would have gone through with the Band if it weren't for this crazy machine that lets me see my Band.

So, I was standing there, baring my tummy to the world in front of this x-ray machine thingy, and my doc (Dr. Seger) tells the other lady in there (I think she was in training or something) to give me my fill. Now, she was nice and everything, but man, she got on my nerves. So, they're using the camera and can see my port on the big TV screen, and she still couldn't get the needle in there. The stick of the needle didn't really hurt, but feeling that needle grind along my port was a little weird feeling. After two minutes of poking around and finding nothing, Dr. Seger finally got fed up and told her to let him do it.

He asked her to find another doctor to navigate the camera, and when she left, she left the door open. So, I'm just baring my tummy to the entire hallway. Dr. Seger got mad, slammed the door with his foot, and then got mad at her when she came back for leaving the door open. Yay, my champion. Haha.

So, Dr. Seger got my port on the first try. Then, he proceeded to put 3.5ccs into the Band. On the cool camera machine TV thingy, they made me drink some pink stuff, and I could see it flow down my throat, into my pouch, and through my band. Neat-o!! 3.5ccs was too much, because he saw some reflux, so he took out .5ccs and left me with 3ccs. I was instructed to stay on liquids for 48 hours. He slapped a Band-Aid on my tummy, told me to come back in 3 weeks, and we were done!

So far, I haven't had any discomfort. Just for the first day, I felt like I had to burp all damn day and nothing would come up. That was a little annoying. I'm gonna test out some food here in a little bit and see if I have any restriction from before the fill.

Oh! I have a personal training session today at my new gym! I will totally update you guys about that later tonight, along with pictures from my trip to San Diego. ;)

My Mortality

Ugh. That's exactly how I feel right now. I've been in San Diego for two days now, and all I can say is that I have never had my own mortality shoved into my face so brutally before. My weight and lack of physical activity had put me in a state where if, God forbid, I have to run or go over any obstacles to save my life, I will fail horribly. The San Diego Convention Center is huge. I heard it was something like 13 football fields long (I'd say more like 6). I've been doing a lot of walking these last couple of days, but not nearly as much as I should be able to. By the end of the first day (I was only at the Con for about 3 hours), my ankles were swollen and I was about tod cry from the pain of standing. Today wasn't much better. I walked from one end of the convention center to the other, then walked anoter half mile to a grocery store, and then turned around and walked all the way back to the beginning. I was dying, and went back to my hotel room. I haven't left my hotel room since. I am severely disappointed in myself. How could I allow myself to get so out of shape? Something that a normal person could do with no sweat incapacitates me for the rest of the day. This feeling of disgust with myself is what drove me to get the Lap Band Surgery. Honestly, it's my own fault for not working out and trying to get into some sort of shape for this Con. I have no good excuse at all, besides my own fear and laziness. While I've been having the time of my life here, I've also been in some of the worst pain of my life, which is preventing me from enjoying everything to its fullest. This is my motivation. Good news is that when I get home, I will be stronger than when I left. Hopefully, this will make for a better transition into an active lifestyle. It's time I step up to the plate. Oh yeah. I ate pizza. Yeah, after sticking to protein and low carbs for the last few weeks, the sauce on that pizza, well... Yeah, no bueno. And one more thing... I just found out you guys don't get notified when I reply to your comments. I try to reply to everyone, so from now on, I'll try and send it to your email. If it won't let me, always know that there is a reply waiting for you here. :) Pictures will be up sometime next week. I'm still on the search for the Princess Leia with a beard I saw earlier today. :P

Happy Birthday to Meeeee!

Hey everyone!

First off, I want to thank Lap Band Gal for recommending me on her blog. I know I need all the support I can get, and I absolutely love meeting new people. I need some Band Buddies, both new and old, who can share my experiences with me and give me some advice when I'm stuck. Welcome everyone! And I hope that I can provide at least some inspiration to the people who keep up with my shenanigans.

Well, today is my birthday! I'm 22, and feel old! Lol, not really. I hope by my 23rd birthday, I'll be fit. Right? ;)

So, today I went shopping. I bought two new pairs of jeans. Despite my 15lb drop in weight, I have not gone down any dress sizes. That's a bummer, but hey, what could I expect? I need to work a little harder before my pants get smaller. Hopefully I can just have these new pairs altered whenever I lose weight (is that possible?).

I also got a pedicure and my nails done for my trip to San Diego! I'm so excited. This is not only my first time on a plane, but my first time outside of Texas! The thing I'm most excited for is high temperatures in the 70s!! That does not exist here in Texas in the middle of July. In fact, it was raining today and the temps are already in the 90s. Yup.

So, remember how I said I wanted to start putting pictures up? Yeah, I found my camera, but no charger. Soooo....I need to stop by Target before I leave and get me a USB cable to charge my camera. If not, I'll have to suffice with taking pictures on my phone, or (god forbid) my iPad.

As for the Lap Band...well, as of right now, I feel like I don't have one. I can pretty much inhale anything in front of me (even though I try not to), and that is no bueno. I seriously cannot wait for my first fill.

So, what's on the menu tonight for birthday dinner? Steak! A nice, juicy steak that I am going to gnaw into submission. This might be one of the only times I can scarf some steak down before my fills, because I really don't know what to expect in food limitations once the Band is tightened. I know, I know...I have to skip on the mashed potatoes to meet my carb limit. :( Oh well!

I see a few people who have started to follow me live here in San Antonio. That's great! If anyone wants a workout partner or a Band Buddy, don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail! I need all the support I can get, because I'm kinda working by myself here (boyfriend still eats everything in sight and doesn't work out). I really want to train for the Rock N Roll marathon in November, and I want to be in the Wogging (walking/jogging) category. If you're interested, let me know!

Well, I guess I'm done with my novel for today. The next time I post, I'll be in San Diego! Wheeeeee!

Week 1

I am a naughty girl.

So, this was my first week on solid foods.

I totally ate whatever the Hell I wanted.

Yup, that means I ate carbs.

However, compared to how I ate before surgery, I'm doing way better. I used to eat fast food twice a day, every day for the last year or so. Yeah, not anymore. I ate a Sonic hot dog the other day, but threw away the bun. Go me! :)

Yup, I'm starting to get back on track, though. Restricting my carbs to only 30g a day is hard. That's only two pieces of bread. :\

Some evil lady at work sold me a Snickers bar the other day. I took one bite, grimaced, and gave it to my boyfriend. I never thought there would be a day where I wouldn't devour a Snickers bar.

My weight hasn't changed. I'm still hovering around 250, which is expected because I'm eating normal sized portions now. I think my swelling is finally gone, so I really don't feel too much restriction anymore. However, I gave myself a nasty stomach ache today when I ate some BBQ (it was a BBQ for my birthday, which is one Tuesday!), and I ate too fast. While I still don't have restriction, I find I have to chew my food really well, still, or I get stomach pain and then all of a sudden I can't breathe. It's crazy. Taught me a lesson, though.

My vacation is next week! I'm so excited. I'm gonna need plenty of water and tons of protein to get me through the day. Not to mention a 5 Hour or two, 'cause I'm out of shape. But I'm still super excited!