Pounds up and pounds down...

How is it that a body can register a 6 pound gain or loss in a sinle day?  Luckily I only consider my weight first thing in the morning.  Yes its the lowest weight, but hey...who says I can't have my cake and eat it too?  (figuratively speaking)

My current struggles...eating less.  I'm not hunry, but having a more steady normal lifestyle with my hubby home and kids around and summer has left me munching on things I shouldn't be munching on.  And that means I've gotten stuck pretty frequently lately...and thats no bueno.  Mostly because I hate bein stuck.  Its yuck.

So...that bein said...I've been workin on remembering the rules...again....*sigh*  It really is a life long process for me.

1.  tiny pea sized bites of meat FIRST.

2.  20g protein each meal minimum

3.  Veggies next.

4.  Stay away from the carbs...

And the hardest one for me right now...

....Don't drink your calories.  Boo!  I wish that wasn't a rule.  C'e la vie....it is...so life goes on...without me drinking my calories.

Due for an Update!

Welllll...I really have no excuses.  I got the good news about being taken off insulin and I disappeared into happyland for a couple of months...

But I'm back...

And you are all due an update...

And what better day to update than the day I got my surgeon back from deployment?!

YAY...doc is back from Kosovo and I couldn't be happier.  He was all smiles and proud of me today...I felt awesome.  He gave me big pats on the back and lots of great compliments and it was great to get that reaction from him after 6 months deployed.

And even better...I got new labwork done and 2 months after being taken off all meds for cholesterol and diabetes...My bloodsugars are in the NORMAL range.  Better than they were when I was ON the meds.  And my cholesterol hasn't budged which is awesome because its good right now. 

Booyah.

I'm weighing in at 191 today.  I've got 51 pounds to lose in the next year.  Doc did give me a dose of reality...he said that its likely the lapband is done with being the catalyst and these last 50 lbs are going to be good choices, willpower and exercise.  I can do it. 

I've gotten back to zumba 2x week and I work out at home 3x week on my treadmill and with weights.  Except today.  I've got some serious shin splints impeding me from walking normally right now let alone running.  So, I'm taking it slow...I'll take a walk tonight when it cools down.

So...here's a problem I have that I love...my cardio fitness is doing so well right now that unless I'm walking and keeping my heartrate under 120 I'm not in the fat burn zone.  which is making that whole keep losing weight thing difficult...so I realized that my zumba is awesome, but I have to slow it down the other three days to actually burn the fat so I can keep dropping the pounds.

I'm definitely in the green zone still.  I haven't needed any saline fills since January.  I can eat at least a little of pretty much anything...bread is hard...I can max about 1 piece/day...same with pasta, but its made meals a little easier because I can now have at least a little.  So for example...last night I had a halibut fish taco..cooked up the fish...added some cheese, lettuce and tomato...ate it in one of those little mini tortillas and it was the perfect size. 

Makes me think back to the days I could have EASILY consumed 5 of those in one sitting...I'm constantly amazed at how little food I actually  need to keep my body working healthy and happy.

Now for the cons...my fast food nemesis is a taco bell gordita.  I love those things.  And I recently discovered I can eat one of them.  So...I guess you can say I'm at the stage of finally figuring out if I've learned anything from this long process that started with a lapband.  I can eat one...I don't have to eat 10 and I don't have to have them every day...or even every week.  I like feeling so much more control over my food addiction.  its refreshing.

Ok...update over...but I'll be back much more frequently now.  I need to keep up with this to keep up with my weight loss.  The accountability this blog and you, my friends, provide is what keeps me motivated! 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  

Good News Friday

Guess who's no longer an insulin dependant type 2 diabetic?

This Girl!

Doc gave me to go ahead to get off medication and try it on my own.  Cannot stop smiling.

Back to the Beginning

I recently had a long conversation with a good friend about why I chose to have the lapband surgery.  It's was the best thing that could have happened to me right now.  I've been struggling with staying on track.

If you are having the same trouble just tell someone why you chose this surgery.  Take yourself back to the beginning when your body always hurt, you couldn't walk far without gasping for air, you couldn't tie your shoes without taking a break.  Running down the beach was a distant dream, playing with your kids was a chore...you were sad, felt miserable and sick, hated doctor appointments and clothes shopping, hated photos...

My list could go on for miles.

And then take a look at where you are now.  

All of a sudden the things that were jacking up my dedication are sooo unimportant.  All of a sudden the reasons for my current trouble feel petty and unimportant compared to where I am going to be when I finally reach my goal.  It was a lightbulb moment when I realized there is nothing that will feel as good as getting off these last 50 pounds.

I needed this reminder.  I needed this pat on my back.  I needed to hear the longing in someone else to get to where I am right now.  I needed to remember WHY I did this in the first place.  So I've opened a can of whoopass on my bad habits that have crept back in and it feels GOOD.

I'm rejuvenated.

Try it.  If there is no one else...tell me why.  I want to hear it.  I want to keep reminding myself.

PS...I owe my 1 year photos on this blog.  They are coming soon!

1-Year Physical

Its not often you walk out of a doctor visit feeling like you want to sing and dance.  Today was my 1-year doctor physical.  My 1-year surgery date is on the 24th, but I met with my current substitute doctor today.  (Normal doctor is deployed in Afghanistan currently)

AND....

First, when I stepped on the scale, the nurse gave me a look and said..."You're in the 190's?  I never would have guessed that!  Girl, you are looking GOOD!"

Damn right!

Then doctor gives me my latest lab report numbers...

Cholesterol 115
BP 115/79
RHR 71

I need more folate, iron and vitamin D.

And...my diabetic A1C is FIVE POINT EIGHT.  5.8. 

I am BELOW the smiley face range!

Which means my level would be in this range...

Or if you prefer it more serious...I'm normal. 

Substitute doc called me a success story.  She congratulated me on being one of the "few" who succeed with lapband.  She asked me what I would call my secret to success was.  I told her I just followed the rules.  She laughed and told me that was actually a pretty powerful insight...and that it wasn't often they found people who followed the rules.

So...there you have it.  I'm on cloud 9 today with all the NSVs that happened and best of all...I'm down to yearly doctor appts unless I need a fill.

Life is good....

Do it.

I'm putting this out there for accountability.  I'm not eating right.  I'm not exercising like I need to.  I'm choosing slider foods.  I'm way too relaxed in making sure I get the right amount of proteins/carbs/vitamins.

Result...I will gain back weight and not be able to go off my Diabetes medications if I don't make the necessary changes and get back on track.

There.

Said it.

Now to do it.  Ryan will help me.  He's good inspiration.  :D

Food Glorious Food!

If you grew up the way I did you were allowed to watch very little TV and mostly survived on Saturday morning cartoons, Little House on the Prarie, Jaques Cousteaux and the Sunday night Disney movie.  That being said...if there is a musical out there that I haven't seen I'd be surprised.

Our house thrived on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Hello Dolly and, of course, Oliver.

Poor little hungry Oliver.

And its often that I get that song stuck in my head...Food, Glorious Food!

Food, Glorious food!
We're anxious to try it.
Three banquets a day --
Our favourite diet!

Just picture a great big steak --
Fried, roasted or stewed.
Oh, food,
Wonderful food,
Marvellous food,
Glorious food.
So, I hate to admit it, but I've been a little complacent in my eating and exercise lately.  That combined with a call from my doctor that my folic acid levels are low meant I needed to get back on track with both...but seriously...doing it all at once is pretty near impossible for me.  This learning curve of staying on track is not my thing. 

But...I did start with meal plans.  I've found that if I don't preplan my meals we end up eating fast food or crappy food that I can barely eat any of.  I'm still quite restricted.  Very little breads, zero pasta, only a cracker or two.  I stay away from rice and potatoes other than a spoonful or two.

Its pretty pitiful when I throw together a fast food meal (either from takeout or from the freezer) and I cook up things that I simply can't eat.

The bad part is that my body doesn't really get hungry much anymore...so instead of making a healthy contribution I just end up skipping food altogether or getting sick off of trying to force myself to eat something that I shouldn't.

**sigh**

Again...here is that lifestyle eating learning curve I still struggle with even after a year of being banded.

But for the last 2 weeks I had a meal plan.  Every night I knew exactly what we'd be making for dinner.  I LOVED IT.  So easy.  I shopped for what I needed in advance and each meal was planned around things that were thumbs up additions to my diet as well as food my kids will eat and healthy portions for my hubby.

Plus one of the biggest benefits I've found is my non-veggie liking kids are getting WAY more veggies that ever before.  I hide it in EVERYTHING...meatballs, meatloaf, hamburger, sauces, etc.

Never going back to the days of fast food frenzy. 

Plus, I found that my recipes almost always had leftovers which I froze for this nights when everyone is busy.  Yay!

So tonight I'm making shrimp and tortellini with onions and zucchini.  YUM. 

 Please sir, may I have some more?