Doctor's Appt Follow Up

Met with Dr. W yesterday.. all was well, except Vitamin D still low. Next time I go in for labwork, I only have to get my Vitamin D tested... I'm done with the rest... woo hoo!
He prescribed me xanax for my "anxiety" that my therapist says I have... we'll see if it makes me stress less.
Anyone in the houston area have any ideas for a good therapist? Mine is weird. lol

Kim - I gave Dr. W your message and he said, That's Great!

Jil - I told Dr. W you missed him but you're healthy so you haven't needed to see him. I think he understands and will start the healing process soon.

well, I am leaving early today and I have a lot to do, so I will write again soon!

Peace out! hehehe

WOW!

'Nuff Said!

December

Wow, how lame am I? This is my very first post for December. I've been busy. Work is crazy... My sinuses hate me right now.. and It's Christmas time! Am I all done with my shopping? Not even close.
I've been stuck at the same weight again for a few weeks... 169.6... Too close to 170 for me to feel comfortable with at this point, but we shall see. I have been a slacker, and not working out. I've also been making stupid food choices, so I guess I should be grateful for 169.6! lol

I go see Dr. W tomorrow to follow up on my labs and to inform him of all of my adventures in life.. ie. therapy, hormone problems, etc. It should be an interesting little visit! :-) His goal for me is 160 and I wanted to be there by the next time I saw him, but unless there is a miracle, I seriously doubt I will be dropping 9 lbs in 24 hours. heheh

Well, I will try to post again tomorrow to let you all know how my appointment went! :)

Ciao!

Fun lil Name Quiz!

I got this from one of the blogs I read faithfully, and I figured I'd play too!
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names)Ann Charles

NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad )Alfred Seymour

STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name) Salaur (wow i sound like a dinosaur)

DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color, fav animal) Orange Chimpanzee (ask me again in a week and my first name will change!)

SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live) Ann Houston

SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav alcoholic drink, add "THE" to the beginning) The Pink Pomegranate Martini! I sound delicious!

FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name) Laer (WTF is a FLY name?)

ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet's name, current street name) I'm using the street I grew up on instead of the current one, cuz I can (I'm with ya girl!) Roxcee Viking

PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on) Cinnamon Cheshire

A Breakup Letter

Dear Evil Scale,
I am sick of you running my life and basing my self worth on what you tell me each morning, afternoon and evening. I will no longer let you decide how I feel about myself. Our relationship must end, and although I need you in my life, you will not control my life. I will visit you once a week instead of three times per day until I can get over my obsession with you.
I hope you understand that this MUST be done for my own sanity, along with the sanity of my friends who have to tolerate hearing about how poorly you treat me every day! Our love/hate relationship has been an interesting one over the past 13 months, but now it's time to live life on MY terms. I will make the right choices in life and THAT'S WHAT MATTERS!
Love/hate always,
L

Weekend Update

Well, it's Monday again... ::sigh::
I had a nice weekend though with the exception of a few bumps in the road!
Jil came over Friday night and we had a little slumber party.. woo hoo! We went to return a few things and ended up going to sleep pretty early b/c of the OH Conference..
Then Saturday, we went to the OH Conference with our friend Rosanne. I had a great time, got to meet a lot of great people, and left feeling motivated to get this last 20+ pounds off of me. It made me realize how much I need a support group, especially now that this weight is becoming more and more stubborn about falling off of me. There were some fantastic speakers there, and if the OH conference ever comes to your area, GO! You will leave feeling like a new person.
We didn't stay for the casino night and dance afterwards, and went pickle shopping and clothes shopping as well. There are the most awesome pickles at Droubi's Market on Hillcroft. I must say, amazing.. and I'm not a pickle person.. well, now I am, but it's because of these damn pickles! Then we went to the Cypress Outlet mall.. It's nice trying on clothes and liking how they look on me.. huzzah! Soon after though, I lost my wallet. I had all my credit/debit cards in there, as well as my license and social security card.. I know you're not supposed to keep your social with you, but I had it, and now I have to replace it.. UGH! I had cash too, but it was only about $30-35, so not too terrible. I did get all my cards cancelled before they were used, so that's great news! :)
Sunday I woke up with a nasty headache, but I took a Maxalt and all was good within an hour or so.. I got a lot of work done for my garage sale this weekend, so I'm grateful for that. And thanks to Jil for helping me so much.. you rock! WOO HOO!
Wow, I'm rambling... I bet it's the coffee! lol
Well, I better get back to work for now...
Til next time! :)
L

I love coffee! OH Conference Tomorrow.. YEAH!

Yeah, I know we're not supposed to have much caffeine.. But, everyone has to have a vice, and mine has been chosen. HEB has this Almond Joy coffee and OMG it's so delicious. Caffeine effects me like it never has before.. I am bouncy and talkative and my mouth moves faster than my brain. My poor co-worker next to me.. good thing she loves me! haha

Anyways.. I'm going to the OH Conference tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm getting to the point where losing an ounce is a struggle. I can eat like a "normal" person and making the best choices aren't as easy as they used to be. I'm optimistic that I will be leaving the conference tomorrow with fresh ammo to make it through and have a renewed spirit when it comes to this journey I'm on. I hope to meet some new people that I've seen on the message boards on OH and match faces to the names! :) It will be great!

I started my new meds for my PCOS on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning was tough... and Wednesday afternoon was even worse. I have been exhausted and I'm finally starting to feel a little more awake now.. But again, that's probably the coffee. It's probably not a good week to start the meds b/c I have mother nature visiting, just got over a 60 hour work week, new meds, garage sale prep stress, etc. It's a lot going on for me, and adding on side effects probably isn't the smartest thing! LOL Oh well, I'll get all the crap over with at once!

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. Last Thanksgiving I was on soft foods, and it was kind of torturous. This year, I can enjoy my turkey that I am in love with! Hurray! :)

Well, I should probably get back to work... I hope to see some of you at the OH conference this weekend!
Hugs to all!

169!

I finally got out of the 170s... After 3 months of being there, my stubborn body broke out of the 170s.. granted, I may not be done seeing them, as we all know the scale can be very cruel to us.. but I have been in the 169.0-.8 range for 3 days now, so I think it's finally done with the 170s.. now, to try to get to the 150s... My original goal was to weigh 150 by January 15th, but I don't think that's going to happen with the slowness of my weight loss. I know it's possible, but it will be very tough to get there!

I went to my doctor's appointment on Monday to find out about my hormone hell. Apparently my prolactin (the hormone that produces milk) is twice as high as it should be, so my body thinks it is pregnant.. wtf!? Anyways, my birth control pill has been switched for a different one, and I'm on Parlodel to help with the prolactin. My testosterone was also high, but that will change with the birth control pill change. So, once I find Prince Charming and decide I want to have babies, I will likely need fertility medicine for that... Sigh..

I got my labwork done for Dr. W, so I just need to schedule him in.. I will probably try to go Thanksgiving week, or maybe the week after.

Well, I better get back to work! I just wanted to check in and update you all on my weight and my crazy hormones!
Till next time! :)

Yeah, I know I'm a slacker

I have the best intentions when it comes to blogging, but sometimes it just doesn't happen for me. Maybe I should make that one of my New Years Resolutions.. to blog daily! It's very therapeutic and I feel like I get a lot out of it. So why don't I do it as often as I should? B/c I suck, that's why!
Hmm, what's new with me...
Well, I broke up with my boyfriend last month. It was for the best. I'm in a self discovery stage in life right now, and I really feel like I wasn't in the right place for a relationship. So, I'm single again! WOO HOO! lol
I am STILL in the 170s. They are never going to go away are they? I was 170.8 this morning when I hopped on my scale. Maybe I should get on my Wii fit.. that's on carpet, and it's very nice to me with my weight. lol My Mii character on there looks like Mr. T.. Am I cool or what? hahah
I got bad news from the endocrynologist at my ob/gyn office. My hormones are still completely whacked out. Everything else has fixed itself but this. I have an appointment on November 10 to get more details about this, but I do know that I still have PCOS, and I also know that I have EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) which is chronic fatigue syndrome. It all makes sense now! Apparently about 90% of Americans have the virus, but it lies dormant in most. Well, we all know I'm not like most... It's super hyper active in me! No wonder I have no freakin energy lately. So, I'll find out what to do about all this crap on Nov. 10. Then, I go see Dr. W sometime in November after I get my labs done. Aye! Hopefully he will have words of wisdom for me as well.
I started going to therapy too. My second session is this Saturday morning. I left my first session feeling really enlightened and feeling like I know myself a little better. The therapist told me that I was very intelligent (duh! haha) and that I seemed to have great insight into myself, just not knowing how to fix certain things.. She thinks the root of a lot of my issues may be self doubt. That makes sense.. or does it? There I go doubting myself again! ::sigh::
Work sucks.. I'm still there actually.. I already have over 30 hours this week and I still have 2 days to go. I am ready to have normal hours. Thank heavens for OT though!
Well, I'm sure there is much more going on in this lil brain of mine, but I will save it for another blog!
Toodles! 'Til next time!

Size 12!!!

Thanks to my dear friend Jil, I now know that I can fit into a size 12. I've been wearing size 16 Levis b/c they were comfy, but I tried on three different brands of size 12 jeans at TJ Maxx on Saturday, and I was able to squeeze my squishy thighs and toosh all the way in and close em up! LOL I was actually shocked that I am in a size that is officially not plus size at any store.. I think I may have been in 2nd grade the last time I was not a plus size girl. And I was then too, but I was able to wear junior girls clothes and the like instead of being in the "husky" section.
Anyways, I wanted to share my joys with you all!

I had a great time this weekend.. Friday night I hung out with my friend Rosanne.. we went to the gym and out to have a healthy dinner. Saturday morning, Jil came over for awhile.. we went to pick up our pottery at Young at Art, drove around taking pictures of VW bugs, and went to Luby's for lunch. Then, I managed to spend almost $200 at TJ Maxx. It would have been more if I hadn't put back half of what I wanted! LOL Saturday evening we went to Scream World, a haunted house in north Houston. Wow, that was fun! My friend gave us free passes, so I think it was more fun not having to pay $35 each for a 20 minute screamfest! Then on Sunday, I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival. (See above pic with two barbarian beauhunks! woo hoo!) I had never been before, and wow! If you love to people watch, this is certainly your place!

I need to weigh and measure again, but I did not eat well at the RenFest, and mother nature is mean to me this week.. So I will post an update on that again soon. For now, knowing I can wear a 12 is good enough for me! :P Oh yeah, I fit into a size M top as well! woo hoo!! Unforunately, I may be in a training bra again by the time I am done losing weight.. ugh!

Ok,I'm off for now!
xoxo to all! :)
Laurie

The Difference A Year Makes

Well, today it has been officially one year since my life changing surgery. I have gone from 312 pounds to 171 lbs.. From a tight 28 to sometimes 30 jeans, to a loose size 14.. From 4X shirts to M or L... It's just amazing.

I'm nowhere near the end of my journey, but I'm definitely at a milestone! I hope to continue to lose weight.. not really sure how much more, but I will know when I'm more comfortable. I'm not sure if plastics are in my future or not, as I'm not sure how long it would take me to afford anything, and nothing is bothering me too bad yet.. so, we shall see what the next year brings.

October

Shame on me! I completely skipped over September in my blogging. Good excuses though, I suppose. Hurricane Ike came through Houston, work has been hectic, and I went on vacation for a little over a week.
Not much has changed in my world. My last weigh in was 176.8. I won't reach my goal by my 1 year surgiversary, which is October 15. Instead of beating myself up, I need to be proud. I'm not 310 lbs anymore like I was a year ago! That is a remarkable feat!

I will write more later.. just wanted to check in and let everyone know I'm still around! :)
Hugs to all!

179.8

That's where i am now.. I finally, after well over a month and a half, made it out of the 180's. Granted, next time I drink or eat something, I may be back in the low 180's, but at least I saw it once so far! :-)
Sorry my blogging has been spotty at best.. Just haven't had much to say I guess.
I either have an enemy or there are some total thugs in my neighborhood, or both! My car was broken into Sunday night, and my radio was stolen. My shoes were removed from my car and thrown into a neighbors yard, and my glovebox and center console were open and gone through. How frustrating! :( I have also had my car keyed on two separate occasions. I can not wait to move! It is extremely ridiculous..
Anyway, that's all that's been going on in my neck of the woods as of late.. I'll try to be a little more interesting so I have more to write about! lol :)

My Doctor's Appt

I had my appointment with Dr. W yesterday. Everything went well. My labs were great except for Vitamin D (was at a low 11 on my first lab, and now it's at 28 - if that means nothing to you like it does me, it's supposed to be between 32-100). I'm not anemic, and my protein levels are good, but closer to the low side so I want to focus on that. My liver function was high last time (likely from getting a massage or lifting weights, according to Dr.W), and that was fine this time around.
My official weigh in on his evil scale was 181, so it wasn't as evil as it used to be! :) I'm 3 days shy of 10 months, so my average lost per month is 12.9 lbs. Not too shabby! I really need to kick it up a notch or four now though - I really want to hit my goal by January!
Other observations from Dr. W - my resting heart rate was in the upper 80s in the beginning - now it's in the upper 50s-low 60s. My heart isn't working so hard just to live anymore! My blood pressure was 110/61. On a good day pre-op it was 150/90.
I have absoluetely NO regrets having gastric bypass, besides of course not having it sooner. I feel so much better about myself, have so much more energy, and am just in better health!

Slowing Down..

Last week was incredibly busy for me at work, hence no blogging from me! The first week of every month, I have to get all the billing done for the previous month and we have some pretty tight deadlines. I am always sure to make my deadlines, but I did manage to have to work about 7 hours worth of overtime during the week. That's ok though, I need it! The check that I get the overtime in is the check that my car note comes out of, so it's nice to have a little extra padding that week! hehe This week has slowed down a bit though, so hopefully I'll get back into my blogging. I really feel that it is therapeutic for me! :)

Today I have my checkup with Dr. Weinstein. I'm kind of disappointed in my weight loss since my last checkup. The last one in April I was 213, and now I'm 185. That comes down to a little less than 9 lbs a month (since I'm a little late on my checkup). I was hoping to stay above 10 lbs a month - I know it slows down, but damn it, not this soon! LOL I hope to be to my goal by January 15 of next year - that's 15 months. Only time will tell, right?

My weekend was uneventful for the most part. The busy week left me exhausted, and on Saturday I cleaned quite a bit and played World of Warcraft. Ugh - my friend had been trying to get my to play this game for over a year, and I finally gave in, and it's addicting. On Sunday, my sister came into town with my nephews. We all had dinner, and watched the boys play guitar hero on Wii. They put me to shame. BIGTIME! My boyfriend came over and got to meet some more of my family. :)

Someone at my work started selling this product called Monavie - it's an Acai juice that gives you your 8 servings of fruits and veggies in 2 oz. It is actually pretty tasty and they have an active blend that has glucosamine in it. Since I have arthritis in my knees, I got that kind. I did notice that my knees didn't creak going down the 5 flights of stairs this morning from the parking garage. I hope it helps with that! I will probably become a distributor as well - I already have a few friends wanting some, so why not, right?

The Weekend Has Arrived! Huzzahh!!

Well, this week has been very long a tortuous. Not for any reason really - I'm just burned out at work, not getting quality sleep, and just overall a blob. Doesn't that sound fun!?
Tonight I'm going to an Astros game with Jay.. they're playing the Mets! Every Friday at the Astros games, there are fireworks after the game. I really like watching that.. it's not a cheap production at all! Then after the fireworks, I'm going to Barnes and Noble's release party at midnight to get the final book in the Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn. This is the fourth book, and I'm in the middle of the third one. I have been reading it slowly because I know I'll want to start reading the final book immediately! My friend Michelle turned me on to these books. They're actually Young Adult books, as she was a 6th grade reading teacher before moving to social studies. I really really love the books though, and it's not about what I would typically want to read.. maybe that's why I had her copy of Twilight for 4 months before I even started reading it! LOL But, once I started, I couldn't put it down, and had to go buy all 3 of the current books, as well as the author's first adult book (not adult in that sense, just a book written for adults), The Host. I'll let you know how that is when I get to it! :)
Other than tonight, and church on Sunday, I don't have much planned. Personally, this is a great thing! My computer should be arriving today sometime, so maybe I can get that set up. When I left for NYC in June, I turned my computer off. I rebooted it when I got home from vacation, and it turned on, then I got a white screen, and nothing ever happened with it again! Hmm.. who knows what the deal is! I found a good scratch n dent one from dell.com and am awaiting it's arrival. It has Blu-Ray on it, and a media bay for the SD cards.. I'm kind of excited about that! :)
Ok, I've been rambling on and on today for no reason... so I will be off... I hope all of you have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
GG

The difference in 10 months...

Anytime I get frustrated with my slowing weight loss (which is on a daily basis nowadays), I try to think of the changes in my life in the past 10 months since my RNY surgery.

• No more high blood pressure
• No more sleep apnea
• Normal cholesterol
• Went from Super Morbidly Obese to Morbidly Obese to Obese - just 6 lbs from being "overweight"
• Went from size 28 or 30 jeans to size 14.. and if all my weight weren't in my ass and thighs, I'd be a 12.
• Went from a 4x top to size L
• I can ride comfortably in an airplane seat
• I can ride any rollercoaster I want
• Chairs with arms don't stay attached to my ass when I stand up anymore
• All booths are comfy
• I can cross my legs
• I get attention from the opposite sex
• People see me as an inspiration (yeah, I don't get it either!)
• I'm not the biggest girl everywhere I go anymore
• I'm more assertive... I don't hide behind my weight anymore
• I am comfortable doing any number of activities that my size would have hindered before.
• I have energy now
• I am learning more about nutrition and health than I ever thought I could know

Yes, I have a ways to go to reach my "ideal" weight. But, my journey is far from over. This is just the beginning!

Xoxo to all!

Obesity Help Convention

OOooh, I just found out today that there will be an OH Convention right here in Houston. It is November 15-16 at a hotel in SW Houston. I absolutely cannot wait to attend! At this point I will be 13 months out and struggling even more to lose weight, so this could not come at a better time for me personally. :)
I hope to see you all there! The tickets are $60, but I think that is very reasonable for a 2 day convention. The support is priceless in my opinion, and seeing SOOOO many people who have gone through the same things will be wonderful!

Monday!

Well, here we go with another lovely Monday. I wish weekends were at least 3 days long.. I would love that so much! I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?
I had a really nice weekend. Friday was my Girls Night.. We had a great time at Oklahoma! That little theater was so cute, and the cast did a great job. I look forward to going there again soon! We went to Skeeters for dinner before the play, and wowsas, their shish kabobs are soo tasty!
Saturday, I had to go to my labwork for Dr. W. I was a little late on that, but I doubt it's a big deal. TEN vials of blood... and they took it in the dark... they've never done that before! ODD! I also had to switch out my cable modem with Comcast, as mine was completely dead at home! Later in the day, my boyfriend picked me up and we drove down to Galveston. We walked along the seawall a little bit, then stopped for dinner at Luigi's on the Strand. That place is sooo good! I had lobster ravioli. Mmmm tasty! After that, we drove up to Kemah. I had never been to Kemah, and it is sooo cute! We walked around a lot and explored the place. We didn't ride the wooden roller coaster because it was closed already. I was a little bummed, but there's a reason to go again! :) I think I was still too full to ride it anyways.. may not have been pretty!
Sunday, I picked Jil up and we rode to church together. It was a great message yesterday! Then, we went to a BBQ place for lunch, and I had a sliced beef sandwich without the bread. It was quite tasty! :)
I FINALLY broke out the Wii Fit this weekend.. and let me tell you.. I am OLD! I am 50 years old.. well, 48 now after my second test. I have no sense of balance whatsoever, and it shows in my "age"! The games are fun though, and I look forward to seeing my age drop, and more importantly, seeing my balance improved. I've always known I'm a little unbalanced, but geez!
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! :)
xoxo

Girl's Night Out!

Recently, a new tradition has been formed. Three of my closest dearest friends and I go out on a girl's night out.. the goal is at least once a month, but we try for more often. It's great company, therapeutic, and very important to me. Another great thing about it is that we are all post op, so we don't have to worry about food pushers, disagreeing with everyone on where to go eat because of the lack of healthy choices, and just general issues that we have to think about that no one else needs to give a second thought to.

Our first one was to go see the movie Sex and the City. That was tons of fun.. great movie, and great friends. We all pretty much agree that we'd be either Carrie or Charlotte.. I took the quiz online once, and I was Carrie.. lol

Next, a few weeks later, we went to The Mad Potter. It's a great place where you pick out a piece of pottery and paint it. Then, you just leave it there, and they fire it and glaze it.. and VOILA! In my case, I got a glossy little piggy bank that a 4 year old could have done better at! LOL

Tonight - we're going to see the play Oklahoma! at a little theater in west Houston. I'm looking forward to it! My visit to New York got me very interested in the theater. I already have season tickets to Broadway Across America in Austin for next year.

I love my time with my girls! :)

What happened on your birthday?

I saw this fun little game on another blog. Just look up your birthday on Wikipedia, and list 4 facts, 3 famous birthays and 3 deaths that happened on your birthday. (Don't look up the year, just the birth day).
Here's mine:
February 28
1784 - John Wesley charters the Methodist Church.
1861 - Colorado is organized as a United States territory.
1983 - The final episode of M*A*S*H is broadcast in the USA, becoming the most watched television episode in history, with 106–125 million viewers in the U.S. (estimate varies by source).
1991 - The first Gulf War ends.

Birthdays:
1970 - Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket
1976 - Ali Larter, American actress and model (Same Year as me too!)
1985 - Fefe Dobson, Canadian singer (really like a few of her songs!)

Deaths:
1525 - Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler
1916 - Henry James, American writer (b. 1843)
1985 - David Byron, English singer (Uriah Heep) (b. 1947)

Quite interesting, eh?

Hello, Dolly!

While it sucks that a hurricane has hit the coast of southern Texas, it sure is nice to get some rain. I'm on the 10th floor of the building where I work and have a nice view of the storms blowing through. I love when it rains sideways as long as I'm not standing or driving in it! People seem to forget how to drive when it rains.. it's ridiculous! This weather makes me want to curl up in bed, cuddle with my little Roxcee and read a good book or take a nice little nap...
But no, I'm at work! *sigh*
I have a whole lot of nothing to say.. but figured I would just say that I'm enjoying the weather and glad the grass will survive another week or two :)
Hope all is well with everyone!
xoxo

RSS Hugger

Through one of my fellow bloggers, http://greentshirt.blogspot.com/, I stumbled across a great site called RSS Hugger. It's basically a service to help you promote your blog and get more exposure. I figured it would be a great way for me to spread my wings throughout the world and share my story. Check out the site when you have a moment! http://www.rsshugger.com/. Hopefully it will be a great way to get trafffic and spread the word about weight loss surgery!

Love to you all! :)

In a Funk and Other Stuff

I've noticed that since I have had WLS, I've gone through a rainbow of emotions. Most days I am in a great mood, with a completely sunshiney positive outlook on the world that may make other people nauseated. (Hi Jil!) Other days, I feel like an insensitive jerk. Other days, I'm very moody and bitchy. It's annoying! I don't know if it's hormones, since my body is freaking out and doesn't know what to do with itself anymore.. Or maybe my fat covered up that I was always sometimes an insensitive jerky bitchy girl sometimes.. Who knows? As they say, this too, shall pass!

My mom is doing well. She has her first follow up appointment today with her surgeon. I did go fill her pain medication prescription yesterday. She was feeling bloated and it was making her feel like her incisions were going to pop. The pain medicine they sent her home with helped, so she had me fill it up. I'm glad she's doing so well. She's off all of her medications already, and her sugar and bp levels are doing great. Her bp is better than mine even! :)

I've been feeling like crap for the past few days as well. I think I was so focused on making sure my mom was ok, that I wasn't eating well (not enough) and I know I wasn't drinking enough. So, leave it to me to get dehydrated and just feel horrible overall. Also, I forgot to take my birth control pills 3 days in a row, so I started again... That always makes me get a headache! So... here we are Day 4 with a headache.

My goal rewards I set for myself were massages. I was due for another one when I got under 200 lbs that I haven't redeemed yet. Maybe it's time for that! Unfortunately, my wallet doesn't allow for that right now. Hopefully within a week or two.. I have had incredible amounts of tension lately!

Ok, this bitch session is over for now.. hehe

Love and hugs to you all!
xoxo

Update on My Mom!

My mom had her surgery today. It went without a hitch... the surgeon said she did great and to keep up the good work. She was walking around this evening like she owned the hallways... better than I did, that's for sure! When they brought her into the room out of recovery, she was smiling and joking around. HUH!? LOL She claims it's because she's old and just had a good nap. :o)
See, I come by my craziness honestly!
Anyways, she's doing well. Thirsty, but feeling great otherwise. Tomorrow she has her swallow test and then she can start the sip sip sip process that we all know and love.
Just wanted to post a quick update! :)
xoxo to you all!

Laurie

The Move Is Complete...

Well, I've been trying to play with my blog on wordpress, and I am starting to believe that wordpress is not for novices. Everything seems so much harder! So, instead of spending the time to learn how to do things, I figured I'd move my blog to a place that I understand and can easily make look how I want! :) So here I am at blogger.
I'm keeping the old one but not adding more to it... I hope this one is easier for all to navigate! It is certainly easier for me to use!
xoxo

Sparkpeople

Does anyone else out there use Sparkpeople? It’s a free site that has recipes, exercises, motivational articles, food and exercise logs, and more! If you haven’t used it before and are interested, I will forewarn you that you get lots of email. I switched off of my main email address and added a different one, just to avoid the whole influx on my main account. I do actually read the emails and find them inspiring and helpful! If you are a member, please add me as a friend! My user ID is LAURIE9797. If you haven’t looked, please use me as a referral!
Let me know what you think. Is it lacking in any areas compared to other sites? The message boards aren’t great in my opinion, but I go to Obesity Help for the message boards.
I’ve been trying to update my site and make it prettier, but I will have to do it from home. So many little things are blocked through work, so anything can add to my frustration levels!
I’m bitchy today! I got to sleep around 12:30 or so, and the quality of sleep sucked! My friend rides with me in the morning and I finally got OUT of bed, when she was on her way to my house! I took my dog out, and noticed someone had written on my windows of my car with some shaving cream or something.. WTF? I’m 32 years old, I know none of my friends do that kind of thing anymore.. Stupid Kids! LOL I washed that off, and got ready faster than ever have before! :) I am ready for a nice long nap though!
Wow, 2 blogs in 2 days.. Maybe I’ll get back into the swing of this!
xoxo to all!

Bad Blogger!

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately. I have so much running through my head ALL the time, but just haven’t put it into words for the world to see. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing. You’d be bored to tears I’m sure!Hmm, what is new with me? My mom is having her RNY this Thursday. I am so thankful that she was approved, and so hopeful that it will help make her healthier. She has had Type II Diabetes for quite some time, so long, we’re not sure how long. We found out she had it through a foot infection which turned into a partial amputation. So, being able to overcome diabetes is the primary reason she is having the surgery. That along with sleep apnea, hypertension, heart disease, you name it! I know she is in good hands both spiritually and through her surgeon! Please though, if you are a spiritual person, pray for my mom this week! I’d greatly appreciate it!
As far as my weight goes, I’m stuck again. This time, at 188.2 I believe. I weigh less than I did when I met my ex husband, which was my first personal goal. Back then I think my highest ever weight was 230 and I was on Meridia and made it down to 201.. then met him and started going out to eat, doing the whole dating thing, and ballooned up to 270 by the time we got married. Well, I got rid of the excess weight in both senses.. him, and the weight on my body, and I don’t miss either! hehe
As far as personal life goes - I’m dating a great guy, spending lots of time with my awesome friends, and just loving life in general! I put a deposit down on my mini season with the Houston Aeros, and next year I have a season ticket to Broadway Across America for Austin.. hey, the shows are better! I’ll get to see Rent, Legally Blonde, Avenue Q, Spamalot, and Wicked! Great lineup! :) The one I’m really interested in for Houston is Spring Awakening! My visit to New York made me fall in love with the theater and going to see all of these great shows! If I had more time and money in New York, I would have gone to see a show every night!
I am also going to a great church now, that I found through my boyfriend. It is a very spirit led church, and I feel at home there. So, I think my search is over for a new church!
Well, it’s almost time to leave work, so I guess I should get back to it for awhile!
Hope all is well with you!Hugs to all!Laurie

To The Bloggers I Read

I visit a lot of blogs on a daily basis - and my work prevents me from visiting a lot of sites, or posting on them.. So, I’m sorry I can’t leave comments.. I try and they are blocked from me submitting, or just don’t work. I have full intention of leaving comments when I get home - but my desktop is dead and my laptop is temperamental. Once I pay down another hundred or so on my Dell account, I may take advantage of their 1 year no interest, but we shall see.. I should just make due with a laptop.
Ok.. bye for real now!

Post Vacationitis!

Well, I had a fabulous time in NYC. We did as many of the touristy things that you can possibly do in just 4 short days. I mastered the subway system, and my legs and butt are unforgiving for all of the stairs that I put them through. There are stairs EVERYWHERE in NYC. We stayed with my friend’s cousin, and guess what? He lived on the 3rd floor of his building. So, I definitely got a lot of walking and stairs in. My body was so sore, but now I actually miss it! I retired from stairs for a few days, and now the elevator in our parking garage is broken, so I get 10 flights in round trip. WOO HOO! Wow, I’m rambling today.. lol
I got back to Houston on Tuesday morning with full intentions of going to work right afterwards.. that did NOT happen. I had to get some sleep! So, I had a nice 2.5 day week last week, and a 3 day week this week.. NICE! :)
Over this past weekend, my boyfriend took me to the Hill Country.. Wow, it was beautiful. We stayed at a little bed and breakfast called Little Goose Lakehaus, at Canyon Lake and it was soo nice! We went out and explored the hill country, got some tasty Fredericksburg peaches, visted Luckenbach, and just had a nice, relaxing time! He’s from NYC and he ended up buying a cowboy hat! YAY a new convert!
Ok, that was the good stuff… The bad - I stepped on the scale and I was at 198… So about 3 lbs gained.. I would love to think its from my new stair muscles, but I know I didn’t eat as healthily as I could have on either vacation. So, it’s back to visit Carter tonight, and start dating him 3 nights a week as well. For those of you who don’t know Carter - that’s my elliptical machine, named after the gorgeous Carter Oosterhouse. A girl needs motivation to go to the gym, right? What’s better than going on a hot date 3 nights a week! hehe
I’m seriously on my getting back on track mode. I’m tracking my meals on Sparkpeople again, and will be getting super serious about getting my ass back to the gym, and using my videos and wii fit. Yes, the Wii Fit is still in the box… I started dating my boyfriend right after I bought it, and I’ve actually been getting out of the house a lot! Time to take care of me now though - I have been losing weight a lot slower lately, and now it’s time where I have to step it up a notch or three!
Ok, I can go all day, so I better stop here.. Another goal is to blog more often - how can i be held accountable if I don’t post a thing, right? I’ll be catching up on blogs as well - I miss keeping track of my wls sisters and brothers!

Vacation Time!

Tomorrow evening, I am headed to NYC with two of my dear friends. We’re going to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway on Thursday, visit Yankee Stadium during the last season there and catch a game on Friday, and fill our time exploring and taking in the city the rest of the time! I know we’re planning on going to Coney Island, Central Park, etc. I want to go to Tiffany’s and H&M, even if I don’t buy a thing! :) We’re also going to spend a day in Boston, as that’s where we’re flying in and out of to meet our friend.I am so excited! I’m overdue for a vacation, just as we all are, and this will be very refreshing. I love big cities, and you can’t get bigger than NYC, at least in the US!
As far as weight loss goes, I’ll be getting more exercise there than I’ve gotten in awhile. We’re not going to be driving, but taking the subway and walking instead. I’m not going to be hard on myself if I have a drink or two, but I will NOT have any sodas. For me, and my personality, soda is far more addictive and bad for me than any amount of booze! That’s somewhere where I don’t plan to go. One of my friends that is going has also had gastric bypass, so we can share meals! YAY!
I will take lots of pictures and post some of my favorites. See you all when I get back!

Finally!! It's HERE!!

I am finally in the 100’s… My scale decided to stop being so evil and sadistic and finally dropped. I really think it used to laugh at me and taunt me. But now, I’m officially 196.8!
Besides my scale tormenting me, life has been good, but incredibly busy! I worked about 50 hours last week, so that will be a nice check, just in time for my trip to New York City next week!
I have my Wii and my Wii Fit, but haven’t had a chance to play. I can’t wait to!
I’m going to see Sex and the City tonight with 4 of my girlfriends.. can’t wait! :) It will be a great little treat!
Hope all is well with everyone.. I will update more later.. still pretty busy at work!
xoxoLaurie

Food Boredom

If you’re like me, you get sick of foods very quickly and easily. One thing about me though, is that if I find something I like, I want it over and over again until I get sick of it, which is usually a few meals.. then, I run out of ideas! I’ve found a few meals that I an handle having every so often, and can change up enough to not get super sick of it.
Spinach Salad - I LOVE spinach salad, and I finally felt like I was eating a normal meal when I had it. Here’s a few ways I make it: Raw baby spinach, cold cubed chicken breast (I HATE hot chicken on salad, it ruins the leaves!), Kraft Mediterranean Crumbles (cheese crumbles with Feta, Provolone, and Mozzerella I believe, but don’t hold me to it!), Mandarin oranges packed in water (or even better if you slice fresh oranges, but I’m a creature of convenience!), and spray Raspberry Viniagrette dressing. Other options, adding ham, turkey, nuts, salad toppers, strawberries, etc.) I don’t know about you, but I’ve been missing my salads.
Tortilla Pizzas - You can be as creative as you want here. I preheat my oven to 350 degrees and then start my creation. I get the Mission Low Carb tortillas (the smaller ones), fat free mozzerella cheese, pizza sauce, and then top with a variety of things, whatever is leftover from previous meals. Canadian Bacon, Red Onion, Mushrooms, Pineapple, Crumbled Hamburger Meat, whatever, you name it! I just keep it in the oven long enough to melt the cheese really good. Usually about 8 minutes. Warning - this will not be a crispy slice of heaven if you add lots of sauce or cheese - but we get our protein in the cheese - and I can deal with it not being so crispy, although I LOVE crispy pizza! If you look at Eggface’s blog - she has an unbelievable amount of great ideas for all sorts of pizzas! Food porn included! The link is on my page in the right hand column.
Macaroni and Cheese - Miss macaroni and cheese? You don’t have to! My friend found this website on sparkpeople, and she edited it to make it healthier. 1 Box of Dreamfields Low Carb Pasta, One small low fat velveeta package, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of tuna or chicken, one cup of milk.. Make Pasta, drain, add everything else, let the cheese melt, and enjoy! How easy is that!? You can change this up to add different items as well… Maybe some ultra lean ground beef or turkey?
Those are a few ideas for today… I’ve gotten lots of great ideas from people and I’m happy to share to help anyone else avoid food boredom. As I know from the past, I eat when I’m bored.. so let’s just avoid that altogether!

Getting Closer.. But DENIED!!!

Well, I still haven’t made it to the 100’s yet… I’m 201.8 as of this morning.. I’ll probably be 203-205 tomorrow morning.. My body loves to bounce back and forth, back and forth on me!
Does anyone else have a case of the blahs? I have for about a month now, and I can’t get rid of it.. It’s crazy! I’m usually such a cheerful person, but I’ve just been so bitchy lately.
Ok, back to work for now…. I may post again later about grocery shopping!
If not, tomorrow it is!

So Close... Yet So Far!

Yep.. I’m stuck again.. I’m at 207.. just 8 lbs from being in the 100s and I just feel like those 8 pounds will want to stick to me forever and never let go. I’m really noticing the weight slowly creep off now so I need to get back into my gym routine.. I was doing so great for awhile, but of course, I have slipped. Maybe going to Dallas this weekend and seeing my Size 8 sister will help inspire me to work out more and help this weight melt off a little bit sooner!
Ok this bitch session is complete for now!

Two Blogs for the Price of One!

Today I met with Dr. W for my 6 month follow up appointment. My labs were good for the most part - my Vitamin D was still a little low, but much improved over last time. My liver functions were on the high side, which he said is likely from working out the day before. He sent me over to Labcorp today to check those levels one more time. My blood pressure was perfect.. everything was great!
Then, I asked him about my knee xray that I had in January - I never got the results for it. Come to find out, I have arthritis in both knees! That totally sucks! He said that losing weight may help it, and just keep working out.. when it hurts, lighten up! I can also take liquid Tylenol before my workouts to help with pain.
He said that my progress was “remarkable”, so I’m excited for that. I guess i should stop getting frustrated so easily!
Ok - just wanted to give you all an update!
Till next time,
Laurie

Monday!

Well another weekend came and left.. Friday I had a half day at work, and I went out to Katy and moved out of my storage unit.. What a relief! Now I’ll save $105 a month which will likely go to my clothing fund.. It took until about 6:45 to finish unloading everything, and thanks to Michelle’s help (Hooray!), I’m still alive to tell the tale! :) Now my phase II is getting rid of a lot of things either through my upcoming garage sale, or one of the reusing programs (Freecycle or Re-Use-It).. I’ve been trying to be a more thoughtful of the environment lately!
Here are some of my finds lately - some of you may find very interesting!
1) TJ Maxx has the shopping bags for only $0.79 - cheaper than Wal-Mart - and these bags are easier to carry than plastic bags.. no more spinning and cutting off the circulation of your fingers… or is that just me that happens to!? hehe
2) Avenue is having a great sale now! They have a $4.99 sale going on. My jeans that I’ve been wearing since post op are now only $4.99. There was only one pair I could buy though. But, I bought 5 pairs of jeans total - spending about $80. I got 2 in size 16 and 3 in size 14.. then I will have to bid farewell to Avenue. YAY!
3) When grocery shopping, I found Hormel Compleats - they are little complete meals in the boxed food section. I got the Beef Steak and Peppers - it only has 4 sugars for the whole meal, 20 g of protein, and 210 calories. Not bad, eh? I’ve gotten a few Weight Watchers meals and can’t eat the whole thing, but it’s a good way for variety and I always make sure I eat all the protein… just watch those suckers for sodium content!
I got to see my stepdaughter this weekend.. she stayed the night with me Saturday night and I took her back to her mom on Sunday. We had a great time! I really think she’s more mature than me, but she told me I’m a little bit more mature.. not a lot though! haha
Well…… I’m done with my lunch so I better get back to work!! :) I hope everyone is doing well, and I’ll be sure to post my garage sale info here for you locals! I know Jil is interested.. I hope I have some goodies!
Love to you all!
Laurie

Accountability Day = Late! EEK

Ok I finally got my measurements done… it’s about damn time, isn’t it?
Last measurements on 3/3/08
Waist 38
Hips 48.5
Neck 13.5
Right Thigh: 29
Right arm: 15.5
Today:
Weight: 209
Waist: 37
Hips: 46.5
Neck: 13.25
Right Thigh: 26.5
Right Arm: 15
Here’s a pic taken last weekend… it’s gross.. sorry!

A Mini Goal Reached

Over the weekend, I hit 100 lbs lost, just shy of my 6th month post op! I’m so very excited! :) I have pictures taken but I still need to get them off my camera, and hope to do that soon! I also need to do my measurements again! I’m so bad about remembering to do those pesky things.. I think it’s been about 2 months now though.. I reckon it’s time!
My shopping addiction has been bad. I spent about $120 this weekend on clothing and a wallet. So, I’m grounded from anywhere that takes Visa, Mastercard or Debit Cards! I must keep myself away!!! I do have plenty of clothes now with the exception of jeans. All my jeans except one pair are too big, but I can get away with wearing them a bit longer, so I will do that!
Ok, I’m just blabbering so I will stop it for now! I’ll post again soon - hopefully with a picture and measurements!

Slacker!

I’ve been really bad at posting lately.. Work has been on the busy side, and I’ve just been overtired lately. I’m still teetering around the same weight, but hopefully I’ll drop again soon. I did my labwork over the weekend and I go in to see Weinstein on the 28th for my checkup. I hope my lab reports are wonderful! Last time I just had a vitamin D deficiency.. hopefully that gets better!
Oh, good news! I’ve noticed that my hair loss isn’t as bad as it has been.. I still lose some, but it’s not coming out in clumps anymore.. So YAY! And I never noticed the loss by looking in the mirror. Hopefully it’s not just slowing down to start going out like crazy again, but it seems to be getting better for about a week now.. I’ll keep you all posted!
Have a lovely day!

Accountability Day

Wow, I remembered on my day, but I of course still need to do measurements. *sends email home to remind myself to do that tonight* This morning my weight was 216.8. My total loss so far is 93.2 pounds.Upcoming Milestones:100 lbs lost in 6.8 lbsI’ll be in the 100’s in 16.9 lbs
The aspect of those happening are super exciting, but it still feels like it will never get here! GRR!Rosanne joined the gym, so I am making it there more often again. I don’t think I went at all last week, and I felt terribly guilty and lazy for not going. I went yesterday and did 30 minutes on Carter (I name my elliptical machine after Carter Oosterhouse from Carter Can!.. I know, I’m weird. He is just perfect to me though! Woo hoo! I thought naming a piece of gym equipment after perfection would make me go more often.. hehe) - and then I did 80 crunches, several arm and leg machines.. and I totally feel it today. Today will just be cardio. My body was screaming at me last night and this morning. I’m glad I love the smell of Icy Hot!
Anyways - I’ll try to remember to do measurements.. I’m pretty curious myself!

A Case of the Mondays

I don’t really have a case of the Mondays, but I just liked giving my blog that title!
My weekend was quite lazy and boring, but I think I’ve needed one of those weekends for quite some time.
I hopped on my best friend and worst enemy - the scale! - this morning, and I was at 216.6. So it budged a little! Just 7 more pounds and I’ll be at 100 pounds lost! Then, my next goal will to be in the 100’s!! Wow, I haven’t seen the 100’s since my very early 20s..
Has anyone started losing their hair yet? Mine is coming out like crazy! I can’t tell when I look in the mirror yet, but OH MY, I sure can tell when I shower, or look at my clothes. I have a pet lint brush at work to get all the hair off my clothes. I ran my fingers through my hair, and probably 20 strands came out! I’m ready for this part to end.. QUICKLY! I have thin/fine hair as it is, so this scares me!
If I ever remember, I’ll post some before/so far pictures. They can’t be called before/after just yet!
Hope everyone is having a great day!

To Kim Hawkins

I can’t even comment on your blogs while at work anymore because the image verification is blocked… GRR!!I wish you luck on your interview and hope you are feeling better!

Momentary Lapse of Reason?

As in a previous post, I’ve noted that I’ve been weird lately.. Well, I’ve always been weird, but extra weird I guess.. haha I realized this morning that I didn’t weigh myself at all yesterday. And today, I didn’t weigh first thing after I woke up like I usually do.. I realized that I didn’t weigh myself after I was clothed, so I went ahead and weighed with my clothes.. Maybe I’ve finally unclenched and am loosening up a little bit? Hmm.. I highly doubt that. I guess this little funk I’m in just has me caring about nothing. It may be a good thing for me actually. Losing a little bit of my obsessiveness can be a good thing.My blogging friends haven’t been blogging as much lately.. What’s going on everyone?If I care enough this weekend to put some makeup on, maybe I’ll post some recent pics!Ok… I’ll touch base soon.. xoxox to all!

Ugh!

I’ve been weird the past few days. I have absolutely NO interest in food, people are getting on my nerves easily, and I’m just over all grumpy. No, it’s not PMS. Has anyone else gone through this?
I’m forcing myself to eat just b/c I know I need to get my protein in… But if I didn’t need that, I probably wouldn’t have had anything in the past 2 days. I hate getting irritable.. I’m usually such a happy person.. Maybe I just need to take more naps! haha

Hoppy Easter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I had a very lazy day yesterday… it was actually quite nice! :) My sister and her family came into town this weekend too, so it was really nice to see them.
T-Minus 9 pounds to the 100 pound mark! I am so excited!
Rosanne and I went to visit Jil on Friday - we went for a walk and chatted for a bit.. It was great to see her and I’m so glad that she’s doing well and in good spirits!
Sorry for the short blog for now - I’ll try to blog some more later. Hope everyone is doing well!

Belated Accountability Day

Yesterday I took the day off. I’ve been divorced for over a year and a half, and I FINALLY got my last name back yesterday. I got my social security, drivers license, bank, and all my credit cards switched over finally. It’s quite freeing!
I did weigh in yesterday (multiple times as usual!), and my weight was at 219.4! So, I have surpassed the 90 pound mark! WOO HOO! Just 10 more to go and I will be thrilled! I go in for my lab work in a week or two, and then visit Dr. Weinstein again a week or two after that. Hopefully I will hit the 100 lbs by then.. That would be wonderful!
Yes - I need to do my measurements again.. I’ll post those as soon as I do them.. It’s been a crazy week! Am I the only one working on Good Friday?
I am going to get a massage at noon though.. That’s how I reward myself.. I don’t want to buy more clothes just yet.
Hope you all have a happy Easter and great weekend

Update on Jil

Hello, readers! :) Jil had her surgery yesterday and came through just fine. I’m going to visit her today at the hospital so I’ll have more news then. Rosanne visited her yesterday but I wasn’t able to, unfortunately.
I’ll post again tonight after giving her a visit.

It Broke!

Finally… the plateau has busted… hopefully it will stay that way.. I’m now at 222.2.. in 2.2 more pounds, I will be at 90! and 12.2… ONE HUNDRED pounds lost! I would love to lose 12 lbs before my next appointment with Weinstein.. that would rock!
I went to the gym yesterday and I am hurting today.. Even my armpits are sore! I did 3 reps of 12 on several different arm and leg machines.. and that damn stomach crunchy thing..
Word to the wise.. don’t take a gulp of water and proceed to do stomach crunches.. I almost lost my cookies!! Had to sit up a few minutes and just close my eyes for the nauseated feeling to pass.
Hope you all had a great weekend!

My World

My work installed some web blocking service…. No longer do I have access to a lot of my favorite sites… Meebo… Ebay… *sobs uncontrollably* Those that message me on meebo during the day - sorry, I can’t access it anymore… I’ll be on it when I’m home on evenings and weekends though.
Oh, how I miss ebay.. On a brighter note, maybe my paychecks will last me a little longer..
Till Next time… maybe I’ll be blogging 1400 times a day now… hehe

Accountability Day

Since one of the main reasons for me to create this blog was to hold myself accountable for my actions, I’ve decided to declare Thursday my Accountability Day! It will be like a holiday.. especially if it’s a good weigh in! I’ll update later with my measurements since I’m at work right now, but my weigh in this morning was… drum roll…. 224.4! I’ve been teetering back between 224 and 227 so I’m not too excited yet. If 224 sticks, my total weight loss in 5 months is 85.6 pounds.I feel like the biggest tool for not taking my measurements pre-op. Pre-op I weighed 310 pounds, wore size 28 or 30.Currently, in tops I wear a 16 or 18, and size 18 or 20 in jeans. My feet have gone from size 8 1/2 to size 8.

My Vitamin Intake

Lacy asked that I blog about the vitamins I take. From right after surgery to last week, I was taking Flintstones 2X a day, Twinlabs Calcium Carbonate, and Biotion, and a monthly Vitamin D supplement. My 3 month labs showed that I was very low in Vitamin D so my doctor got a custom supplement made from a compounding pharmacy.. I had never heard of that before!
So here’s my breakdown1X a month (around the 15th, but that doesn’t matter! hehe) - 50,000IU of Vitamin D.. I open the capsule and drop in a teaspoon of applesauce. Thank the lord it’s just once a month!Morning and Evening - Bariatric Advantage Multi Vitamin in Passion Fruit - 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM
10AM ish, Noonish, and 2PMish - Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Cinnamon Lozenges - 1 at each time.
Daily - 1000mcg of Biotin - Nature’s Way sublingual. This doesn’t taste too bad, but not too good either.. very tolerable! I take this for hair and nails. My hair is very fine and I am definitely going through the hairloss portion of the journey. It scares me to bits! So, anything I can do to help that, I will do.
One thing I need to start taking is an Iron supplement. The Flintstones had plenty of iron in them, but the Bariatric Advantage multi-vitamins do not. I will be ordering those from BA very soon.
My doctor told me that people who take the BA vitamins generally have excellent labwork. That’s what I want to hear! :)
Now, if they’ll just put protein in those yummy cinnamon lozenges!

Guess what time it is? REVIEW TIME! Calcium Citrate

Ok boys and girls… today’s little review will be about our vitamin friend, Calcium Citrate. We know we need it, and they’re generally available as horse pills only. For gastric bypass patients, that’s just not an option. I’ve been on a journey to find the perfect (for me) calcium citrate supplement, and by George, I think I’ve found it! First, though, I will tell you about the ones that did not make the list for me.
First, on the recommendation of my surgeon, were the Citracal Creamy Bites. I got some samples in the hospital, and wow, they were really tasty. They came in chocolate and caramel, and were like eating Valentine’s chocolates. Good news, right? Yes! But, they were hard to find, and now discontinued. I did buy 2 boxes though. The thing is, your tastebuds change with gastric bypass. Once a delicious treat, I eventually had to start choking these things down. The three that we were supposed to take again also added over 100 calories to my daily diet, filled my pouch when I was trying so desperately to get my water in, and were just too sweet after all! Next!
I went to the Vitamin Shoppe to see which supplement would be my next victim… wait, I think I’m the victim here! I found Twinlab’s Citracal Calcium Citrate Chewables. They were the only chewable ones, so I bought them for about $11.00. I should have read better… I had to eat 4 of these in a day - they’re the size of a quarter and 4x the thickness. They were very sweet too, but not nearly as bad as the Citracal chews. I went through 2 of these bottles before deciding that it was time to move on again…. NEXT!!
Lo and behold, I think I have it! My dear friend was placing an order at Bariatric Advantage, so I figured I would try their calcium citrate. They have several flavors, and I decided to try the cinammon. WOW! These actually are really good! They have a light cinnamon flavor and do not taste vitaminey (new word I made up!) at all. I actually caught myself having an extra one or two yesterday because they were so good. I will definitely be ordering these again. They also have other flavors - I know of chocolate, but not sure what the others are.
There you have it.. as you may find yourself, it’s just a bunch of trial and error. What tastes good to me may be disgusting to you, or vice versa.. but this is my blog! haha

The Dreaded Plateau

I’ve been stuck for about a week and a half.. again.. I’m so ready to get into the teens of the 200s…. it’s a mental thing.. It will be even better to get to the 100’s, but I’m not greedy.. yet! I know everyone goes through plateaus, and they do eventually end.. but I also know how freaking frustrating it is to all who go through them.
Wow, I’m using my blog for venting more than anything! LOL

Stress Eating

Ugh - I hate deadlines! Every month at work, we have a deadline day, which is very stressful. I’m finding myself craving foods I haven’t craved since before surgery.. Chocolate, candy, etc. I haven’t caved into that, but I have caved into eating. I am having some sharp 1.5% cheddar cheese. I hate that I let myself become a victim of stress again, but I am glad that my choices are better. I had been so proud until now that I really had a grip on food. I fear that I may slip into bad habits if I don’t do something about it. It’s really crazy how this surgery makes you plan.. We probably wouldn’t have needed the surgery if we had smart snack choices vs. vending machines and soda machines. Ok, I think I’m done venting for now!

Product Review - Bell Plantation PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter

OMG I love this stuff. Bell Plantation, based out of Georgia, has created a peanut butter that you mix yourself. Yes, it sounds strange, but it is very tasty! All you do is use 2 parts peanut butter powder to 1 part water, mix, and voila! Creamy peanut butter! Why do this? Let’s compare:
PB2 Peanut Butter - 54 calories per serving - Has 1g of sugar, 4.3g of protein, and 2.8g of fat
Jif REDUCED Fat Creamy Peanut Butter - 190 calories per serving - Has 4g of sugar, 8g of protein, and 12g of fat
Jif Peanut Butter - 190 calories per serving - Has 3g of sugar, 8g of protein, and 16g of fat.
Besides making peanut butter to spread on fruit, I add this stuff to my protein shakes - makes them nice and creamy.
Visit Bell Plantation’s Website at http://www.bellplantation.com. There are lots of product ideas, and they do sell more than that. If you do make a purchase, please use me as your referral - laurie9797@yahoo.com.
Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Protein Powder Review - Optipro M Rich Cocoa

I spent $34.99 at Whole Foods on this protein powder. It’s loaded with whey protein, low in calories, and has added nutrition (Flaxseed Meal, L-Glutamine). But, as all WLSers have to deal with… how does it taste? I’m not impressed. It’s a mix of soy and whey protein, so when you blend it, the little foamies form on top of the shake (the whey is what causes this). That is a huge turnoff for me - I can’t stand to drink that. It is drinkable though. It has 40g of protein in one scoop. I add a tablespoon or two of Bell Plantation’s PB2 to give it a chocolate peanut butter taste. It’s definitely not my favorite protein powder though, and I will not buy again.
I’ll go ahead and review PB2 in the next post - It’s a Godsend for this surgery.

Dating Post Op

I’ve been divorced for a few years, and just recently started dating again.. Let me tell you, it’s interesting to say the least. Do I tell everyone I had gastric bypass surgery? Avoid the subject completely? So far I’ve told everyone. The main reason being that they usually take me out for dinner, and I eat very little still. Then I notice that they just stare, and wonder if that’s ALL I’m going to eat… haha Oh joy!Being in the transition of losing weight doesn’t make it easy to date either. I’m far from goal, and unfortunately this society has always preferred slender women. My fear is that the guys who are interested in me now, may not be later.. or that they just will not be interested at all until I lose weight. I know, it’s a bad mindset, but it’s something I’m battling right now.Any others have any adventures in dating post-op? I’d love to hear some stories and maybe get my mind out of the negative thinking. I’m usually such a positive person, but lately I’m finding negativity lurking… Not fun!Till Next Time!Gastric Girl!

Hello to All

Hello to all!
I got this page about 8 months ago when I was considering getting gastric bypass surgery.
Now, here I am 4.5 months post op, 85 pounds down, and loving life! I have gone from size 28-30 to 18 or 20 currently. My goal is to be 145 pounds, and I’m over halfway to my goal in less than 5 months.
I created this blog to hold myself accountable for my actions, to air my thoughts and frustrations, and hopefully get to know others going through the same thing!
Cheers!Laurie