New Fill. New Pants.

2nd fill was Monday and there is just that slightly extra restriction I needed as I was feeling quite hungry between meals the previous week. With all of the pre-surgery research I did, somehow I didn't come across, or at least didn't notice that the optimum tightness of the lap band is so important and so tricky to achieve. I honestly feel that right now is perfect for me. I can still eat bread, fibrous vegetables, rice, dense meats, etc.(all foods that can potentially get "stuck" and come back up) with no issues. Calories range from 1500-2000 a day(keep in mind to maintain my weight I would have to eat 4000 plus). And yet in the past 2 and a half weeks I have dropped 14 pounds. Down 40 now! This time with real food....NOT pre-op and post-op liquid dieting. Have lost 4 inches in my waist and had to buy new pants and jeans yesterday. Still in huge sizes of course:) I'll be a Big & Tall shopper for a good year I would imagine. As emotional as I am I'll probably start crying the first time I can shop at Macy's or Dillard's. Can only imagine the looks I'll get! and I'll probably just keep on crying.

OK, so it isn't all sunshine and Ovaltine. One thing I do battle is not having food as a comfort during rough moments. My parents(as I've mentioned) are both very sick. We are hopeful that Mom can have many good years left, but that is always a huge concern and stress. Dad will not have many good years left, or that many years left period. The stress, worry and devastation of all of this could previously be "medicated" with 4 pieces of fried chicken, potatoes and gravy. Or an 18 ounce Ribeye with a baked potato the size of a toddler's head. 6 ounces of fish and a half piece of bread doesn't really cut it, in terms of comfort food.

All of that said, the whole idea of over indulgence as a comfort is a very unhealthy pattern. And true sustaining comfort will come from being much smaller and much healthier. I value this experience for more than just weigh loss. I value what it teaches me.

35 Pounds Down

Since my first fill a week ago today, I have dropped 9 pounds, with a total loss of 35. In no way am I as restricted as I will be. I can eat anything I want and in larger amounts than I will soon be able to. But I'm consuming roughly 1800 calories a day and that's a great weight loss zone for me. I honestly don't want the band to be so tight that half of what I eat comes right back up, but I also don't want to be quite as hungry as I am now. This little device in my body is quite the needy little thing, requiring constant care and altering. Thrilled to have it and will coddle this high maintenance device for the rest of my life.

So many good things on the horizon. 

Reunited With Exercise

So I noticed yesterday that my hunger had increased slightly from the day of the fill. Makes sense, since Karen(Nurse Practitioner) explained that it will likely be 3 fills before I feel optimum restriction for weight loss. That said, I'm eating much less again(around 1300 calories  a day the past 2 days) and have lost 5 lbs the past 2 days, equaling a total of 31 pounds now. This is sort of the cycle of the band. Lose a lot of weight, lose a little weight, lose no weight, gain a few pounds, get a fill. Repeat.

6 weeks since surgery and now it's Back to the Bowflex! Did a very light workout yesterday on this cool machine, then hopped on the exercise bike after. Felt great and did not feel any pain in my umbilical hernia. I think exercise is vitally important during this process and for the rest of my life, frankly. I was feeling so down yesterday morning, dealing with both parents struggling with severe health problems. After my workout the mind was stronger and the sadness at a manageable level anyway. Much more effective than 2 meals at McDonald's, then amounts of beer that I now find impossible to consume! Although I do see some wine in my near future:)

1st Fill Complete. Now the True Lap Band Weight Loss Begins.

Just got home from Dr. Malley's office and enjoying a few ounces of Muscle Milk following my first fill. I wondered if it would be painful, and honestly it wasn't. There was a slight sting from the needle that might be comparable to getting a shot, but it lasted for a second. I will say a slight throbbing/stinging sensation is still there, and maybe that's due to some remaining scar tissue from surgery. The fill itself was feelingless-my word, deal with it. This is a day that I have been impatiently waiting for for weeks as I have been very hungry and have had little to no restriction since about 2 weeks post surgery. Hopefully within a couple of weeks, I'll be back to 40 pounds down(currently 26). Until then, I'm still a little miffed at gaining 14 pounds back, even though I know it's entirely normal.

What a great entire staff at Malley's office. Today I met Nurse Practitioner Karen, who administered the fill. She was a great source of information, very kind and I'm gonna go ahead and say she did a great job because my belly is full after roughly 6 ounces of Muscle Milk!