The problem with eating...

Ok...so I've got a high class problem...

I don't want to eat. 

Like, at all.

I'm actually hungry right now but there is nothing in my house that has tempted me to take the time to cook...so maybe that is the real problem...I want good protein based food and I don't want to have to do anything to get it except open my fridge and pull it out. 

Like LapBand Eats New Orleans BBQ Shrimp recipe.  Go to the link and just look at that deliciousness and tell me you don't want it right now.

I cannot believe I'm complaining about not wanting to cook my food. 

I should be thankful I HAVE food.

But that never really makes me feel better and like I said...I know its a high class problem, but its been going on for a week and that means I've not been getting in enough calories or protein for any kind of sustainable activity...

...and I'm tired...my body is wearing down and I can tell if I don't take better care of it I'll get myself sick or be really crabby with my kids and that makes me feel bad which gets me down...

...you see the cycle I'm starting right now???  Not one I need.

Maybe its stress?  Its so close to seeing hubby for RnR...I am stressed and nervous about that...not about how I look...its just....well...unless you've had your spouse/partner away for extended time its hard to explain how it makes you nervous to have them come back into your life...even if you love them and have missed them like crazy.

Today I've had a cup of Bolthouse vanilla chai (SOOOO GOOD) - it was the last cup in the bottle or I might have had more of that today.

And I cut up apples for peanut butter took one bite of an apple and put it all away in the fridge.  Then I tried some yummy Columbian bean stew my neighbor made me and took one bite and put it all back...

I think I need a menu plan...and lots of recipes I can use a crockpot with so I dn't have to think about it.

Tell me to stop whining about this already.

I am SUCH a lapband diva today.

Fat Tuesday Weigh In

There it is...0.8 pounds since last Thursdays weigh in...keeping with my 1 pound a week loss quite nicely.  

April 24, 2013 - Start 264.4

Last weigh-in: 214

This week 213.2

I finally made it back to the gym...seems like my kids are on the mend...(fingers crssed)...and my last bit of news...

Only 19 days until I get to see my sweetheart!

Fat Thursday...6 months post-op

It's arrived...my 6 month "bandiversary" is finally here.  I'm thrilled to welcome it in and have bestowed the name "saggy era" to this 6 month post.  Even though I can see the sags are less than they were 6 months ago.  But, now that I've had a taste of what successful loss can be I'm pretty eager and motivated to keep pushing myself.  Yes, the sags are there, but they are shrinking and lifting as my body changes.  I'm loving seeing the difference in how things fit.  It's been too long....much too long since I've had such a positive outlook to continued exercise and eating right!

April 24, 2013 - Start 264.4

Last weigh-in: 217

This week 214

EXACTLY 50 pounds. (+/- 0.4)

That's awesome.

With my last fill (#4--6cc's total) I have reached my green zone.  I'm simply not hungry.  It's fabulous.  I cannot/do not eat any form of bread and very little pasta.  I love soups...lentil soup in particular and chili.  

The last 10 days I've sat on my butt doing very little, but my norm is exercising 5 days/week.  

Update photos!

I had to switch out the outfit.  The looser that swimsuit got the more obscene it became.  Definitely a "what was I thinking when I bought that?!" moment.  Now I'm in something more appropriate for demonstrating body changes and I don't fear falling out in front of the camera.  Hahaha.

I'm also extremely happy with the difference in how my clothes look and feel.  I can say that I no longer have anything in my closet from the "before" era...it's all simply too big.  YAY!  I've gone down 8 clothing sizes...from a 24 pant to a 16 pant and a 2X to an XL/L shirt.  Let me demonstrate in photos...

VS

If I had to go by measurements only I'd be supremely disappointed...for as much hard work as I've done it seems like a piddly amount to lose in this amount of time....

Measurements:  now/3 months/start

Hips:  49.5/50/52 = 3.5 inches

Waist:  43.5/45/45.5 = 2 inches

2" above waist:  44//46 = 2 inches

Underbust:  37//38 = 1 inch

Neck:  15.5/15.5/15 = 1/2 inch

Non scale victories:

I ran two 5k races

My lab work numbers are improving - my last BP was 114/70

I sit with my legs crossed

I voluntarily take photos of myself.  

I'm still close enough to my start dates that I remember the pain and agony of those first 2 months....would I do it again?

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

I'm here to tease and complain...

Yes....the title says it all...I'm here to tease...as in act coy and secretive since I didn't do a Fat Tuesday Weigh In this week...instead tomorrow I'm doing my 6 month photos/weigh in etc...probably measurements too.

Eeek! 

I had to step on the scale yesterday anyhow...I was not displeased...

But thats ALL I'm letting you know about that.

Such a tease.

And now for the complaints....

Yeah yeah...thats the line I'm standing in these days.  I'm just a big ol' grump. 

First...my kids are sick.  Again.  It feels like they've been sick since AUGUST.  Seriously.  I did find out my son is having a reaction from vaccines...he gets a mild case of whatever vaccine he gets...they think it was MEASLES this time.  Who does that happen to?

And then its allergies...or thats what they say...but allergies don't come with vomit and diarrhea, right?

Ugh.  I'm just exhausted from being so exhausted all the time.  ha ha...if that makes any sense at all.

Second...my work sitch is killing me.  I love my job, but the computer issues are making me crazy.  Our company just switched over to a new system and I've had nothing but trouble.  In fact...this post today is brought to you by "Waiting for tech support to call me back since I can't connect to my email or any of my drives."  Oh..."and the number 7 days that I've had this issue..."

Third.  Why do I have to make dinner EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

ha ha...such a first world problem, I know...but I eat so little and my poor sick kids eat so little...I make food and then its tossed because we never eat it.  I've got to figure out a better system.  I'm wasting money and food and I just hate that.  It makes me feel like a bad steward of all the things I've been blessed with.

Fourth.  This *&%##$% deployment cannot end fast enough.  Only 3 weeks until I see my husband after 9 months, but we are in that ebb that comes with deployments where we have a hard time communicating with each other so we're always grumping at each other or irritated or feelings are hurt.  UGH.  Three weeks...two weeks of together time...another 3 months.

I can do it.  Right?  Right.  I've done it before...I'll probably have to do it again.

Fifth...there really isn't anything more to complain about but 5 just rounds it out...so as of right now...my feet are really cold and I want to take a shower, but it will wake up my sick daughter sleeping in my bed.

Phooey on me.

Tomorrow I'll be in a much better mood....and it will be all rainbows and sunshine because the one thing that does keep going right is losing weight.

I heart my lapband.

Fat Tuesday Weigh in

Well another week...another Fat Tuesday and another pound!

April 24, 2013 - Start 264.4

Last weigh-in: 218.2

This week 217

I'm feeling smiley about that.  

In another 9 days I'll be doing body pics for my 6 months out post.  Eeeek.  I can lose a couple more pounds to hit 50 down, right?  That's my goal.  9 days, 2.6+ pounds and a look at an evolving me.

Oh my aching...

Somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain was the thought of "this might be a bad idea..." but hey...I feel like wonderwoman these days with how much energy I have gained because of how much weight I have lost.

So...I had been talked into signing up for an Army spouse Walk Out Stronger Crossfit competition.

The idea was your soldier did a set of run/exercises during a 25 minute timed period and then we spouses did the same/similar run/exercises for the same 25 minute time period and then they awarded prizes for the most awesome of all awesome crossfitters. 

So....I've never done crossfit.  Had heard alot about it...had heard great things...had heard it was a killer workout...and in my (pea) brain I thought...how hard can 25 minutes be?

Oh. My. H. E. double hockeysticks...

I did the modified version of the crossfit competition exercises...that would be an 800m run then 10 reps of each of the following three exercises over and over until our time ran out...Squats, Situps, Pullups.

Remember I did these modified, but even still...

I was so proud of myself at the end.  I freakin' did FIFTY FIVE situps.  FIFTY  pullups and FIFTY FIVE squats along with an 800m run all in 25 minutes.

And...I beat my soldier's score.  Woot!

This is me and my other ladies...it was only female spouses that signed up.  I didn't win a dang thing except a whole lot of awesomeness for actually doing it and kicking my own arse.

Oh!  but wait....then the next morning I got up and did a second color run. 

Yes...I did.

With my kids.

I am so sore and achy...its 7:43 and as soon as I finish this post I'm going to bed with two advil to try and miraculously heal my muscles tonight because I've got ZUMBA in the morning baby!  Woohoo!

Three Reasons I love Wendy's chili....

While hubster is deployed I treat myself and the kids to one night/week out to dinner....it keeps me from feeding them processed crap by the bucketfuls because it gives me a break from cooking...and as much as I'd like to appear as Martha Stewart...I can tell you that often I'm scrambling for something to eat for dinner that I can make in 20 min because lil' dude is hollering like he's going to starve to death.

So...most of the time dinner out is NOT fast food.  Its a restaurant where we eat well and someone else cleans up after me and my kids.  I love that.  But occasionally lil' dude is screaming like he's going to starve to death even on eat out nights and then we head to Wendys.  We love Wendys.  I love it because I love the chili.  I'd never even had the chili until I lapbanded and then a friend turned me onto it as a "fast food" option that won't bust my gut...The small value size is exactly one cup and its got bean and meat = protein.

180 calories

4 g fiber

13 g protein

Not bad for fast food.

So...tonight was a Wendy's chili night...and my kids wanted a cheeseburger and nuggets respectively and they got these in their kid's meals...I laughed and laughed and laughed.

So...good chili and two good laughs.  Can't beat that for $6 total!

Fat Tuesday Weigh in and Fill #4

I'm out of the 20's!

Yippeee!  Yahoo!  Wahooo!  Yowza!  I'm throwing myself a little party here.  I'm so thrilled I can hardly stand it. 

April 24, 2013 - Start 264.4
Last weigh-in: 221.2
This week 218.2

Remember I've been depressed and complaining about being stuck...well, I finally busted through that and I'm hoping to continue to see a downward trend. 

I have to say that I'm owing this largely in part to continuing to exercise.  I didn't slack off even though I felt like nothing I was doing was making any difference.  So if you are frustrated KEEP EXERCISING!

I also should probably credit my last fill for at least one of these pounds. 

Which, by the way...I'm finally...FINALLY feeling like I'm thinking I should be feeling with true restriction.  I've got 6cc's in the band now and the thought of trying to eat a piece of bread is a big no way for me.  At this point with other fills I could still stomach a lovely piece of pizza if i wanted. 

Could I finally have hit my "sweet spot???"  I would love that.  LOVE.  Its so motivating to finally see some progress.

Did I mention that the doc said, "Woah...you look great."  when he saw me last?  He said the numbers might not be going down, but my body is toning and there is a definite difference.  Yayayaya!  So...I took a picture of myself just to compare....

I LOVE MY LAPBAND!!!!!

About 11 months ago...check me out...YIKES! I'm in the middle of my pregnant sister and nephew...

11 months later...face is SO MUCH THINNER.  This was a no shower day so no judging the hair.  Besides...remember my thing about posting unflattering photos?  Yeah...it can only get better from here.  ha ha ha.

And I'm wearing the same shirt you see in the first photo.  I had my daughter stand on a chair and take this for me this morning.  ha ha ha.  Sorry about the kitchen/playroom background, but oh well...the point is the DIFFERENCE.  Even I can see that. 

PS...those are my size 14 pants I just bought.  EEEEEEEK!

10 Things Friday Night?

I've never really done a 10 things thursday, but I'm in the mood to blog today so hey!  Why not?!

**and now here it is Friday night and I'm just finishing it up...so...yay 10 things Friday Night!**

1.  I wish it would either be fall or summer....TN/KY can't seem to decide...so its hot sticky and humid out today and cold wet and cloudy yesterday.  That kind of crazy back and forth weather just means I'm going to get a cold.  I may have to open a can of whoopass on the weather...

2.  I'm on the outs with protein drinks.  I can't seem to stand them right now which is bad because its one of the ONLY ways I get in enough protein.  **forcing one down my gullet as I type.**. I can only stomach Atkins and Pure Protein right now...what kind do you use?

3.  FOURTY TWO DAYS.  Thats all thats left until I get to see my husband after 9 months of deployment.  Then we have another three to go...but I'm counting down...FOURTY TWO DAYS.

4.  When I see him in 42 days we are going here... Cozumel, Mexico...I am SO SO EXCITED.  It's my first time to Cozumel and I'm looking forward to beaches, sunshine, Mexican food and a little romance.

5.  I kicked my butt today again in exercise-land.  I did Tabata AND Zumba.  Ugh.  I'm so sore and tired.  Today's tabat moves were speed skater, plank walks, high knee tire run, and back lunges with a hop.  

6.  Today (Friday) was a fill day!  Yahoo.  I really needed one.  Doc says my labs look good...then tells me that my numbers (labs) are on par with a Gastric patient...meaning they improved much faster than expected.  WOOT!

7.  Now for the sad part...at least sad to me.  I'm only dropping an average of 1pound per week.  Doc says that is just my body's thing.  Whatever that means...essentially that my loss will be slow...and despite my efforts to the contrary that's just how it's going to be.

8.  If you haven't watched the "I Quit" video you should.  Clever clever....and if you go HERE you can watch the original video, the company's response, and a pretty great stay at home mom parody.

9.  I have now been exposed to the most horrific creepy crawlies in this house.  I just sucked up a giant house centipede.  I've never seen one before and now I'm all skeeved out...that thing ran FAST...I had to chase it with the vacuum.  Ugh.  I just want a bug free house...is that so much to ask?

10.  Uhm...FOURTY ONE DAYS.

That is all...

Tuh Bah Tuh

Tabata. 

Heard of it?  Most people say...Oh yeah...thats something they do on the Biggest Loser show...  I didn't realize that...even though I love watching biggest loser I'm terrible about weekly shows and prefer to watch an entire season after the fact.  I'm not patient enough for that weekly cliff hanger of who is going home next stuff. 

Anywho...back to Tabata...

I tried it today and Lordy Loo...it kicked my tush. 

I decided to try out a new exercise class for two reasons.

First, I couldn't find childcare during my normally scheduled Zumba hours today.  And second, this article HERE that give really interesting and good information about high intensity interval training...

The part of the article that struck me as the most interesting was that the author dropped 7% body fat by adding in twice weekly Tabata training.

Holy shnikes.  I want those results!

So essentially the idea is 4 different exercises that you do in succession for 20 seconds each.  You get 10 seconds at the end of each one to "rest" and get into position for the next exercise...let me tell you...those 10 seconds go by might fast.  You do each set of 4 exercises twice then you get 1 minute to get a drink and rest before starting all over again with 2 sets of the 4 exercises.  We did it a total of 4 times...and that took us 30 minutes. 

Can I just say woah...tushy kicking hard.  Way harder than 60-90 minutes of zumba.  I was so tired and my muscles ached.  Its the perfect addition to my cardio, I think.   

Today we did crab kicks

Burpees

lunges with side twists

And plank shuffles

I was so tired at the end of it...and I can feel my hamstrings aching just a little.  For the next month I'm doing Tabata every Tues/Thursday before my zumba class...i'm excited to see what kind of results I get from it.  This is a precursor to me starting some weight training...I'm doing great on cardio, but need to bump up the muscle mass I think.

My friend asked me if I had fun...I was like, "uh no.  But its a good workout."

So, I'm going to call it progress that despite my non enjoyment of doing burpees I SHOWED UP and did it!

And for a girl that used to hide from exercise at all costs...this is a major step forward.

PS.  Fat Tuesday will again be on Wednesday because I had a weird schedule this morning again....