Stop! Veggie Time!

As many of you know, I had gallbladder surgery just over a year ago. Once I had that, my tolerance of almost all vegetables has become almost non-existant. Every time I would eat vegetables, I would get intense stomach cramping and just pray for someone to knock me out. I talked to my doctor about this, and he told me that lots of people regardless of having WLS or gallbladder surgery have this issue, and he recommended that I take some Bean-0 before consuming veggies. Today, I had my first salad in quite some time, and wahoo, no stomach pains! Even with raw onions! Now, I'm pushing the envelope even further and having a V8!

I'm hoping that one of my reasons I'm completely lacking energy is that I'm not getting in my recommended veggies. Yes, I'm taking my vitamins daily, we all know that's not enough. I'm going to try new veggies every day along with my trusty Bean-o to see what I can tolerate and what I need to just give up on for awhile.

John is doing P90X workouts at home and is wanting to start eating healthier too, and I'm ALL ON BOARD for that. I've been enjoying cooking and am ready to make sure that everything is super healthy. I only wish I could tolerate chicken, as that's what he's wanting to eat. Chicken has been the thing I can not tolerate post-WLS. It is too dry, and feels like a brick in my stomach. I've had small shreds of it and am fine, but when that's the focus of my meal, I'm left with a big 'ole brick in there.. NOT FUN!!

Anyways.. on to new things!
As a way to make my blog new and improved (like I am trying to make myself), I am going to start featuring product reviews again, both for WLS friendly products, and just products in general that I love. I've gotten a few books from publishers that I'll be reviewing as well. I'm looking forward to breathing new life into my blog and into myself for that matter. Like I said in a previous post.. I live for spring. It's my time of rejuvenation and when I get that oomph back in my life!! Wahoo!!

Any suggestions for weekly themes/post ideas? I am completely open to any and all suggestions!

xoxox

Weekend Festivities... and Struggling!

Hello to one and all...
Our lovely Jil and her beau are officially married and are now on their honeymoon. It was a beautiful wedding for two beautiful people, and I am SOOOO incredibly happy for them. Guess who caught the bouquet? Hmm... well that would be me!! Muahaha! I certainly wouldn't object if I were next in the wedding festivities! :-)

I forgot my camera for the wedding, but I have all of the cameras that were placed on the tables at the reception. I'm going to develop them for Jil just so she has one less thing to do.. Plus, I got a picture of my man smiling in a picture (he NEVER smiles in pictures!)... I'll get doubles so I can snatch it! MUAHAH! I'm evil today. :)

I've been struggling a bit lately about quite a bit of things. Although I've had RNY gastric bypass surgery, that doesn't define me. Besides that, I don't have the same struggles anymore that I once had. I'm 2.5 years out now, and can consume an average amount of food. I can't eat a ton, which is a great thing, but I know I can eat a whole lot more than I used to. And sometimes I do. I've been finding that a lot of times I relate more to blogs that are in no way related to RNY. I still read and relate to all my RNY and Lap Band friends for certain, as I really feel a connection with all of them, and honestly they're probably feeling a lot of the same things I am. I guess the phase that I'm in now is just trying to find my own identity. Who am I now that I'm relatively at goal? And where do I go from here? I like to think of myself as someone who is always in transition, because being stagnant in life is just plain boring. I just don't know what I should be focusing my efforts on lately. I am sure I'm just rambling and not making much sense, but this is my "journal" so I get to vent even if it's just a bunch of blubbering words! hehe

I guess the biggest thing is that I'm lacking focus. I'm not sure what aspect of my life I want to focus on. I wonder if it's the weather that's making me freak out...!? It's been a long winter for Houston. It's normally spring time weather by now and it's still cold. I always feel rejuvenated in the spring, and now my spring has been delayed... BOO!

Anyway, I will stop venting for now... but just wanted to get some crap out of my head! :)
Love to you all!!!

March is Here!

Wow, time sure flies. February is proving to be a chaotic month in my life every year. I'm glad it's over!
I had a nice birthday weekend though. Friday night, John and I went to dinner with a couple of friends. Saturday, we went over to John's mom's house to celebrate his nephew's birthday. He just turned 4 and is absolutely adorable! Then, the festivities began for Jil and Jason's Bachelorette/Bachelor parties. The girls went to dinner at a yummy Mexican Restaurant and then we went back to my house and watched Mamma Mia with wine and cheese.. Actually, only Jil had wine, probably b/c she felt bad that I had like 7 bottles of wine and no one wanted any. I can't drink because of my ulcer, and everyone else was just drinking sodas.. lol. We had a good time though. I love getting time with my girlfriends! The boys went to a pub that had a cover band and they drank beer and played pool. They had a good time too.. Poor Jason had a little too much though, from what I've heard! LOL
Then on yesterday, John and I picked up my mom and we went to Benihana for my birthday dinner. If you have a Benihana in your area, sign up on their website, and you get a free birthday dinner up to $30! I had filet mignon and lobster, and it was only $6! Not bad, eh?

I'm still doing the resolution thing too.. February was kind of a bust.. b/c of my ulcer. I did lose my 5 pounds, but almost everything else just didn't happen for various reasons.. Especially my resolution about getting rid of my ulcer completely.. lol I am feeling better now though, but I'm still just trying to be good with my meds and not stress. Oh, I did get my medical bill paid too, which was the most important, and the most relieving!

So, rolling into March.....

• Have a blast at Jil's wedding... this weekend! WAHOO!!
• Try to be as healthy as possible... all pieces of the puzzle.. eating, exercising, destressing, etc.. :)
• Finish a Sudoku puzzle on the HARD setting on my DS...
• Try one new recipe per week.
• Organize my home office and pick out paint colors.

I'm being incredibly easy on myself this month because I want to. I need an easy month. :)

I hope all is well on everyone's side of the world. I will update soon and maybe even sneak some pictures on from Jil's wedding while she is on her honeymoon! :)

Turning Around... Wahoo

Well, I am finally feeling better. I am able to hold food down, and I am not in pain anymore. Thank heaven for small miracles! I'm still taking my medication until it runs out. I went to my gastroenterologist (that's a tough word to type out!) yesterday for my follow up appointment, and I go back in on April 13 to get another gastroscope to make sure the ulcer has completely healed. He freaked me out a bit yesterday saying it's possible I may need a revision on my RNY IF I keep getting recurring ulcers. The reason that is a possibility is that I could be getting low blood flow to that area of my intestine, so they may have to remove that part. Basically, snip it out and reattach my intestine back to my pouch. That doesn't sound fun.. but hopefully I won't get recurring ulcers. He told me to stay away from cigarettes, alcohol, and try to avoid high stress. The cigs and alcohol are absolutely no problem for me. I'm trying to unclench and not sweat the small things, but it's certainly easier said than done!

I haven't stepped on a scale in a week or so, but I think I'm still down about 5 pounds. I know I've gained around 3 lbs back at least just because I'm now able to eat and drink.

My birthday is Sunday... I'm very blah about it this year.. I'm getting older (duh!) and it's just not very exciting for me. We don't really have much planned, and I'm totally good with it. John did buy me an iPhone for my birthday a week early so I'd be able to play with it.. Wahoo!!! It is such a fun little phone. I actually am listening to Lady GaGa right now on it, just skipping a few of the crazily overplayed songs! hehe This will be a great playlist for the gym when I get back there... which will be soon! :)

Update - Sorry So Late!

Hi all - I'm really sorry that I haven't given you all an update!

I went to the gastroenterologist last Wednesday for my appointment. He agreed with Weinstein that it sounded like an ulcer, so he scheduled me for an upper GI scope Thursday morning. I do have a medium duodenal (intestinal) ulcer, and I just need to deal with it until it heals up. I've had trouble eating off and on every day since I started feeling bad, with this past Sunday being the worst. For some reason, whenever my ulcer starts hurting really bad (after eating most foods), I get accompanying back pain. The back pain is worse than anything.. I remember the pain post surgeries for every surgery I've had, and this was by far worse. I spent all of Valentine's Day crying. I felt TERRIBLE!! The good news is though, that I haven't had that degree of back pain since, and I am able to tolerate a few more foods. So, it sounds like I'm healing, slowly but surely. I have a follow up next Wednesday, and he wants to do another scope on me in 6 weeks to make sure the ulcer has healed.

Poor John.. We've been dating for a year and two months. This Valentine's Day, he had to deal with me being a wreck, not being able to sit, lay down, or get in any comfortable position without cringing in pain... Last Valentine's Day, I had my gallbladder/intestinal hernia.. At least he didn't have to spend a fortune on taking me out to eat, since I still really can't eat much! LOL He's going to take me to the Melting Pot as soon as I'm able to hold food down though. I would feel like I'm breaking every sort of law in the land if I went before then! LOL This is my absolute favorite restaurant in the world! I also get to go to Benihana soon, b/c I got an email from them for my birthday coming up, and I get a free meal! Wahoo!

I'm down to 154 lbs. That's "NORMAL" on the BMI scale. Wow! I know that the minute I am able to eat again, it'll bounce back up, but it's nice to see that weight if only for a moment. I also keep in mind that if/when I get my extra skin removed, I'd be in the low 140's, and I am close to being too thin. I think my comfortable weight is 154-160 lbs.

John and I went to see the Lightning Thief movie yesterday since I was too ill to see it on V-Day. I liked it a lot, but he hated it. The difference? He read the books, and I did not. LOL

I hope everyone is braving the crazy weather that Mother Nature has brought on.. All of you East Coasters, please bundle up! It's unseasonably cold here too, but we won't go there.. It'd just make you all pissed off! LOL

I've been enjoying catching up on TV a bit.. and watching the Olympics. I love all of the wonderful stories that all of the athletes have, and the Canadian who won the first Gold Medal for his country made me cry.. He was so sweet, and I am so glad that the no Gold drought was broken for Canada. I LOVE Canada.. I've been there once and I would love to go again.. such a beautiful country with so many beautiful people! :) I loved watching the speed skating and seeing Apolo Ohno win again too! Wahoo!!

Anyway - I'll end this now because I am obviously rambling!
Take care, all of you! I will write again soon!
xoxo

It's been rocky so far...

February has been one heck of a month for me so far. I'll share the good, the bad and the sadly terrible...
I'll get the worst over with first.
I have not been able to hold food down since Sunday evening. Well, I can hold waffles down, but that is ZERO nutritional value, and I can't just keep eating a waffle every few hours. That's just not right. I visited my doctor yesterday, and he said it sounded like it was my ulcers, or a bowel obstruction. I had an xray yesterday, and there is no obstruction visible, so we're rolling with the ulcers. I had been doing so good not letting things get to me, and trying not to stress, but obviously my efforts were fruitless. I go to the gastroenterologist today at 2:30 to see what to do from here. I'd love to not spend my time in the restroom throwing up. :( Along with the nausea, I've been getting really bad back pains, and sharp, shooting pains in my stomach. If you ever experience this, go to the doctor! My regular doctor wanted me to increase my meds until we find out for sure what is wrong with me. I will let you all know as soon as I know!

On the up side of not being able to hold food down, I've lost 8 pounds. So, mark that resolution off! HA! I'm sure once I can eat something, it will pile back on.. but I'll take a little victory where I can get it today!

I was asked yesterday if my surgery was worth it, even after all of my complications. To me, yes. My overall quality of life has improved dramatically. Yes, I've had some bumps and roadblocks, but before my life WAS a giant (literally) roadblock. So yes, I'd do it again.. it'd be nice to not have the complications, but they're better than the possible complications I'd be facing being super-morbidly obese.

Besides my health issues, life has been pretty decent. We had a nice little get together on Super Bowl Sunday.. I was in bed for most of it, but my friends came in to visit with me, and it was nice to see everyone. :)
I haven't spent a lot of time this week at work b/c of the above, but at least I'm not behind.. whew!

xoxo
Will update soon!

February Resolutions

Hello to all! Here's my January Resolution Recap, along with my February Resolutions!

January:

For January, I resolve to:

• Get back on track with vitamins. I've been a slackerface lately, and I know that needs to be corrected. I had glorious labs all of 2009, and I don't want to ruin 2010 lacking in vitamins! I have dramatically improved and am taking my vitamins on a daily basis.
• Get back on track with water... or should I say, get ON track with water.. I've always been terrible with it. I resolve to drink at least 40 oz of water a day in January... and then hopefully in Feb, I can up it to the proper 64. I'm not trying to be an underachiever, just realistic! Score! I've been drinking a lot more water, decaf tea, etc. I'm proud of myself, as this has always been an issue for me.
• No More Diet Cokes! As Chris H's blog is titled Diet Coke Rocks, oh, it truly does. But, it's my downfall, and I'm not even supposed to be drinking it. So, bye bye Diet Cokes. It's on to tea, Crystal Lite, and oh yeah, WATER! SCORE yet again! I've been Diet Coke free for 32 days now. I really don't miss it like I thought I would. Sometimes the fizz of someone pouring a drink over ice makes my mouth water a bit, but I move on, take a sip of my water, and know that I'm doing a good thing for myself!
• Get back on track with protein, go off track with the carbs! Are you sensing a pattern here? Why yes, Laurie has been a terrible post-op patient as of late! I resolve to focus on protein as my main source of nutrition again. The carb monster needs to be tamed.. bigtime! Improvements have definitely been made, but I still am working on taming the carb monster. I've been better with eating eggs for breakfast vs. a quick eggo waffle... Eggo waffles aren't high in protein even though the EGG is in the name.. don't let it fool ya! Especially if you're like me and prefer the chocolate chip ones! HA! I am definitely re-committing to this resolution.
• Be more active! I don't want to put a number of workouts per week or number of minutes, because if I don't make it the first week, I know I'd quit!! Negatory... I can't say I'll re-committ, but I will try again.
• Blog more. It keeps me accountable, and I miss it! I haven't been blogging as frequently as I'd like to, BUT I have been blogging more than I had been.. a hit and miss here.. but I'm working on it. :)

Now, for February. Happy February to you all. It's a nice short month, and I'm ready to tackle it! Here are my resolutions for February. Some are from the January cast of characters, and some are brand new!

• Be more active! Err.. be active! LOL 'Nuff said.
• Try to get rid of my ulcer completely by: a) not letting my stressful job get the best of me, b) taking my medications regularly, and c) trying to not let any stressful situations bother me.. I can not control others, nor do I want to. I need to let things slide off my back more easily.
• Continue to tame the carb monster. I got a good start to this today by going to the grocery store on my lunch break and getting some cheese to snack on instead of Cheese Nips. Huzzah!!
• STAY on track with vitamins. I have to go in on April 1 to get my bloodwork done again, and I want a glowing report!
• Be the best bridesmaid possible for Jil with her upcoming nuptials. I hope to help make the next month as stress-free as possible. We have her bridal shower and bachelorette party this month! :-)
• Lose 5 pounds by my birthday (Feb 28). I KNOW I can do this. I just need to set forth the effort, and follow all of my resolutions.
• Spend as little as possible and have $1,300 saved for a debt that has to be paid by 2/27. I know I can do it, but it will be quite challenging! .

I think that's good for now.. I don't want to keep my ulcer b/c I've made too many Feb. resolutions! HA!
Hope you all are doing great!!!

xoxo

SLAP!

Yep, I got my hand slapped.. My doctor walked into the room and said that my lab results had some pretty good things, and some really bad things. AHH!

The Good:

My Vitamin B

My Protein Levels

My Vitamin A

My Thyroid

Calcium

Etc.

The Ugly:

Vitamin K - which you get from green leafy vegetables, which give me a stomach ache from hell - so he instructed me to get a vitamin K supplement, and get some Bean-o! LOL

Vitamin D - My last reading was 53, which was residual summer time.. This reading was 20. I reminded him that I reflect the sun, and told him about some vitamins that I fell in love with.. but they were sugary and they were addicting so I stopped buying them. He told me he doesn't care if it's a lollipop rolled in sugar, I need to take more Vitamin D. He would let me know if it gets too high, but at this point he's not worried about that. It's not the lowest I've been at, but I think he's being harder on me b/c it was really good at one point.

Iron - My iron stores over the last 3 readings (including the one I'm getting in trouble for are 25, then 20... then 5. He said that this is a dangerous level... That if it gets worse, I could have to get iron transfusions or something like that, and they're not fun and can be painful.

So... I'm ordering more iron today.. drank some Vitamin D, and am becoming even more diligent with my vitamins. The lack of energy that I've been having could be from my lack of iron as well.

Maybe this was the kick in the ass I needed, right?

My weight stayed the same as my last visit, and my blood pressure was good. Wahoo!!

Ok, back to work for me, but wanted to keep you all posted! :)
xoxo

I think I'm in trouble!

Yesterday, I got a call from my doctor saying that I need to go in as soon as possible to discuss my labs. Today, I have an appointment at 4:15. Why does this freak me out? Normally, it takes a good week or two to get an appointment with my doctor. He's booked solid most of the time. As you saw, I haven't been wonderful with my vitamins.. My guess is that my Vitamin D is terrible and maybe my Iron. I just have 2 hours to go until I find out the actual issues vs. speculating, but I just wanted to vent a bit! Maybe this will be the swift kick in the ass I need to get my supplements back on track, right? :) One can only hope! I've been good in 2010, but I have to keep it up... 20 days won't make any permanent difference!

I'm ready for the weekend. It's been a rough week for me, and I'm wanting to decompress!

Sorry for the short note, but I have to leave work early today and get a few more things done. I will update tonight or tomorrow after my doctor's appt!

Its back.. damn!

My ulcers have reared their ugliness again. I've started taking carafate again, so hopefully they will leave me soon! For those of you who have had an ulcer, you know how icky they make you feel! It's miserable.. I'm ready to feel normal again! Yes, it's a complication from my gastric bypass surgery, as was my intestinal hernia and gallbladder removal... but, I don't regret my gastric bypass for an instant. Yes, all this crap is a pain in the butt, but my quality of life has improved so much, I really shouldn't even complain. I am alive, healthy, and half the size I used to be. WAHOO!!!

I will update you all on my resolutions.... Skip down if you don't care to read, but I want to hold myself accountable! :)

Diet cokes - I have not touched them.. the cravings have left my system, and I am learning to love tea again. I even bought a teaball so I can buy some neat leafy teas at Teavana. If you are a tea-lover and haven't been there before, it's neat. And if you aren't a tea-lover, you very well may be after you leave there. John bought me a gorgeous Fossil watch for Christmas, and I had to take it in to the mall to get some links taken out, and next door was Teavana. I am not exaggerating when I say that I walked by and got a sample 6 times during that mall visit. I took my jacket off 2 of the times so I wouldn't be so obvious! HA! At least it was something healthy, and they weren't cookie samples, right? LOL

Vitamins - I've definitely improved, but am still establishing my routine. I'm getting in my required vitamins every day, but I want a set schedule. There's a website called Memjog.net where you can set up daily/weekly/monthly/annual reminders and they text your phone. I had this set up at one point, but when I was being a bad kid and rebellious, I cancelled my reminders. Time to set those up again! :)

Water - If decaf tea counts as water, I'm all over it!

Activity - I'm a little less sloth-like, but this is what is lacking the most. I'm still in recovery mode from my 6 day, 60 hour work week last week, so I'm cutting myself some slack! Time to tighten up though and get firmer!

Life is good, though! Tomorrow I get my nice paycheck from my overtime week, and I'm going to get some bills paid down, cushion my savings account a bit more, and treat myself to a mani/pedi. My toes are horrendous right now, and having cute toes always makes me feel better! LOL I might even go get my eyebrows done... it's been way too long!! LOL

Saturday night, eight of us are going to meet for dinner and go to the Houston Aeros hockey game. John and I are season ticket holders with two of our dear friends, so we got some more tickets for others, and we're making it a party! Wahoo!!

Friday, I'm leaving work a little bit early to take Roxcee to the vet. It's time for her annual vaccinations, and from the experiences we've had in the past few months, I am making sure I'm keeping her up to date on absolutely EVERYTHING! I don't know what I'd do if I lost that little punk dog!!! She was my gift to myself when I got divorced because my ex husband wouldn't let me have a dog b/c of his stupid allergies.. lol We've been through a lot together... as punky as she is! I have no idea where she gets it from.. :oP

'til next time!
Laurie

2010!

Hello, New Year! So nice to see you!
I need to update you all on my January Resolutions... you all are my conscience... my place to vent... my place to confess.. and my place to celebrate!

Here we go..

For January, I resolve to:

• Get back on track with vitamins. I've been a slackerface lately, and I know that needs to be corrected. I had glorious labs all of 2009, and I don't want to ruin 2010 lacking in vitamins! Ok, so I have taken a vitamin or so almost every day... but that's not on track. I DID however, order more of my Bariatric Advantage Vitamins, and will take them to work, where they will stare me down and make me chew them!
• Get back on track with water... or should I say, get ON track with water.. I've always been terrible with it. I resolve to drink at least 40 oz of water a day in January... and then hopefully in Feb, I can up it to the proper 64. I'm not trying to be an underachiever, just realistic! I'm actually probably getting my 40 oz a day.. or 20.. maybe even 50 some days.. depends on the day, and the level of thirst!!! LOL
• No More Diet Cokes! As Chris H's blog is titled Diet Coke Rocks, oh, it truly does. But, it's my downfall, and I'm not even supposed to be drinking it. So, bye bye Diet Cokes. It's on to tea, Crystal Lite, and oh yeah, WATER! Wahoo! I have completely kept on track with this one. I had half a 2 liter at the house left on New Years Day. I poured the rest into the sink, wept a little and moved on. Do you all know one of my favorite sounds in the world is the fizz of a freshly opened soda? Sigh.. I need a life! LOL
• Get back on track with protein, go off track with the carbs! Are you sensing a pattern here? Why yes, Laurie has been a terrible post-op patient as of late! I resolve to focus on protein as my main source of nutrition again. The carb monster needs to be tamed.. bigtime! I think I'm doing a little better with this, but I am still eating carbs. I am being better though, and making smarter choices.
• Be more active! I don't want to put a number of workouts per week or number of minutes, because if I don't make it the first week, I know I'd quit!! Well, I got sick on January 2. And now I'm living at work until after Saturday, so we'll revisit this one soon... until then, negatory.. I've been a slackerface.. or a sick, overworked face... whichever you prefer. I did dust off the Wii Fit, and will be doing the Wii Active too! Wahoo!
• Blog more. It keeps me accountable, and I miss it! Well, I'm blogging, and it's been less than a week, so it's an improvement. :) Baby steps!!

As I stated above, I am sick AGAIN! I was just sick over Thanksgiving! What's up with that? I fell asleep on the couch watching GI Joe with John (it's a good movie, but i was tired and had already seen it!).. and when I woke up I couldn't breathe.. it just got steadily worse, and here I am finally able to breathe a little bit again, but have a sore throat. The Nyquil is kickin my arse, and I can't wake up in the mornings... AHH!!!

Well, it's 6:30 and I still have plenty of work so I better get back to it!!

Toodles! :-) Wow, I did say that!
Laurie :0)

Resolutions

I read on a friend's blog today that New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken.. Come on, how many have you kept? Instead, she is going to start making monthly resolutions. You can keep anything up for a month, right? Then there will be a day of reflection at the end of each month, in which you establish your resolutions for the following month. I really like this idea!

First, I'd like to think out loud.. er, digitally.. whatever you want to call it.. and reflect on my past year's accomplishments. There is nothing like tooting your own horn to start positivity into the new year, right?

Now, these aren't all necessarily goal driven accomplishments, but it's still significant to me, or I wouldn't bother listing!

• Maintained my weight loss for the entire year. I have bounced up and down within the same 3-5 pound range since March. I think I started 2009 at around 168 or so, and I've been staying between 157-162 since March.
• Keeping my sanity (for the most part). My job has been intensely stressful this year. And I'm still alive and relatively sane. And, a little better off financially because of the OT!
• Reduced my debt by about $4,000
• Moved in with my boyfriend in July. He's awesome! :)
• Established a savings account that actually has a little bit of $ in it!
• Broadened my horizons in the kitchen.. I've been experimenting with lots of new recipes and so far, so good! It's been a lot of fun for me!
• Read all 7 Harry Potter books (and enjoyed them all!).. This is an accomplishment for me because I haven't read too many books in the past few years.. and since reading the HP series, I've read another 7-10 books! Yay, me!!
• Purged lots of clutter... When I moved in with John, I gave away, sold and trashed a lot of things. As I've let go of the pounds, I've learned to let go of possessions too.

I'm sure there is more... but, my brain hurts from thinking too much, and I'm itching to share my JANUARY resolutions, not my New Year ones! :)

On with it...

For January, I resolve to:

• Get back on track with vitamins. I've been a slackerface lately, and I know that needs to be corrected. I had glorious labs all of 2009, and I don't want to ruin 2010 lacking in vitamins!
• Get back on track with water... or should I say, get ON track with water.. I've always been terrible with it. I resolve to drink at least 40 oz of water a day in January... and then hopefully in Feb, I can up it to the proper 64. I'm not trying to be an underachiever, just realistic!
• No More Diet Cokes! As Chris H's blog is titled Diet Coke Rocks, oh, it truly does. But, it's my downfall, and I'm not even supposed to be drinking it. So, bye bye Diet Cokes. It's on to tea, Crystal Lite, and oh yeah, WATER!
• Get back on track with protein, go off track with the carbs! Are you sensing a pattern here? Why yes, Laurie has been a terrible post-op patient as of late! I resolve to focus on protein as my main source of nutrition again. The carb monster needs to be tamed.. bigtime!
• Be more active! I don't want to put a number of workouts per week or number of minutes, because if I don't make it the first week, I know I'd quit!!
• Blog more. It keeps me accountable, and I miss it!

Yeah, my list is fairly simplistic, and should be easy. But, I know it won't be. Pre-oppers, post-oppers, and everyone in between... if you haven't yet tried something post op that you shouldn't.. Don't! You won't miss it. It's when you try it again that it's hard to stop. You don't need that diet coke, and you don't need those carbs or that sugar. The worst thing for me is that I don't get dumping syndrome easily enough. I think it's a curse. Thankfully, though, I seem to control myself since I'm staying in the same weight range. The sad thing though? I'd probably be completely at goal if I had just said NO! when offered my first diet coke or my first piece of non-sugar free candy!

Ahhh!!

Well, there you have it.. What are your January Resolutions? We can help each other with them all!

Happy New Year to you all!

Back to the Grind!

Well, the work holidays are almost over... I have Friday off, and then who knows when I'll have another day off! LOL I wish I could say that the week off that I had from work left me renewed and refreshed, but coming back to the massive pile of paperwork made me want to run home and hide under a blanket!!

How was everyone's Christmas? I hope wonderful.. I'm sure all of you were very good boys and girls! :-) My Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very nice. My sister's family came over on the Eve, and we made homemade pizzas and exchanged gifts. On Christmas Day, John's family came over and we had the whole traditional fare with all of the trimmings. It was nice getting to visit with everyone!

Bad news about our puppy. We had to put Emma down the day after Christmas. She just kept feeling worse and worse, and we couldn't keep any weight on her. The emergency clinic said that she had some combination of distemper, parvovirus and/or pneumonia. Poor little baby! She was such a sweet dog, and I wish she could have lived a happy, healthy life. I hate sounding like a broken record with puppies.. we aren't having much luck! When/if it is time to try to get another puppy, we will make sure we get an older one that has had several rounds of shots, as neither of us can handle the heartbreak anymore that comes with the young pups. The sad thing is that you rarely know where the puppies come from, and we tried two different avenues - an individual and the SPCA, both with bad results. :(

Anyway... I must change the topic now!
John and I went to see Avatar on Sunday. I didn't think I would like it, as it's not really my kind of thing... but I LOVED it. It was a great movie. I'm sure we'll see Sherlock Holmes one day this week, as that's another we'd both like to see.

I'll blog again later in the week about my New Year's Resolutions... and I'll give you a teaser that blogging more often is one of them! ;-)

Hope you all are doing well!

xoxo
Laurie

Checking In

Whew, these holidays sure have come up quickly... It's only 1 week until Christmas Eve! Have you all gotten your shopping done? Happy Hannukah to all of my Jewish readers! :)

Life has been really busy for me lately. I was sick over Thanksgiving and still have the remnants of a cough.. ugh! At least I have tomorrow off from work, and I only work next Monday. The rest of the week is FREE TIME! Wahhoo!!!!

I need all of you to cross your fingers and toes for me, and if you are a praying person, that would be appreciated too. You all know how we lost Mojo to distemper in November. We bought a new puppy last weekend on craigslist, as we wanted to go through a person instead of through a shelter again to try to protect ourselves. Well, Emma, our little puppy, is sick as well. It is possible she could have distemper, but we can't be certain of anything. She is infested with worms, and she has an upper respiratory infection, but distemper is still a possibility as well. It's so sad! I really hope she gets better. I feel terrible for John, as these are his first two experiences with puppies, and they obviously haven't been very good so far. She appeared to be healthy when we got her, or we wouldn't have gotten her. AHH! Anyway, I would appreciate any positive thoughts in our direction!

One of my goals is to start blogging much more often. It really is therapeutic for me, and it helps keep me focused. No blogging, no focus! NOT GOOD!!

Well, I will check in soon! I have to get back to work and finish things up before my day off tomorow!

Ciao!

It's Snowing! In HOUSTON!

What a lovely little surprise for us.. We get snow maybe once every 3 or 4 years, and we hare getting some now! Hurray! :) I hope it sticks to the ground, but as of now, it still isn't. Hopefully it will snow all day so I can play later! :-)

I hope everyone is doing well.. This is my crazy week at work, but after Monday, things will be pretty mellow for the rest of the year, at least at work!

Tomorrow, I'm going to meet Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I can't wait! I love her blog, and her recipes, and am looking forward to meeting her! If you haven't checked out her site, you're missing out! Yes, the recipes aren't exactly WLS friendly, but you can modify practically anything, right? :)

Well, I better get back to work, but wanted to share the snow with you all! :)

xoxo

Holidays

Good morning to you all! It's officially the holiday season, and it's my favorite time of year! It's also the hardest time of the year, both on the wallet and the waistline. What are you going to do to keep your wallet fat and your waistline trim?

Also - what are a few of your favorite Christmas songs? My absolute favorite is Wham!'s Last Christmas. I am in love with that song and I've already listed to it 2 times today.. A sickness, I know.. But it's a great song! Hopefully I'll get a few new favorites from you all! :)

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for so many things. My health, the health of my family and friends, having a job during these rough times, our new home, having a wonderful support system, and so much more!

Thank you!

Thanks to all of you for the kind words.. It is truly appreciated! Every day is getting a little easier unless I think about him too much. He was the sweetest puppy and I know he's in a much better place now.

It's been a very rough week!

R.I.P. Mojo

It is with great sadness that I write this. We've only had Mojo for a few short weeks, but today we had to put him down. He had been sick, and we were hoping it was only kennel cough, or something of the like, but it was distemper. In those few short weeks, he had the ability to make everyone around him fall completely in love with him. I know he's not suffering anymore, and that he's in little doggie heaven, but the humans he left behind are mourning him.

:0(

Cuteness!

November, already? Seriously?

Wow, once you hit November 1, the rest of the year just seems to fly by.. Where did this year go? It's been one of the best years of my life, and it's just flying by! LOL I also believe in that theory that the older you get, the faster time goes by.. hehe

I had a great weekend! The week ahead is going to be a struggle, as it's deadline week, but I have another great weekend to look forward to.. Huzzah!!

We had our Halloween party on Saturday, and it was great fun. Everyone had awesome costumes and it was great seeing everyone all dressed up. Jil did my makeup and I looked ultra creepy in my strange costume. I was told I looked like Morticia from Addam's Family, a vampiress, and at one point I was wearing a Viking hat, so I was a Viking gone totally wrong! LOL I will put up some pictures soon, promise! :-)

Once I get over my hell week at work, I fully attend to try to thwart the season of expanding by getting back to the gym on a somewhat regular basis. I admit, I have been to the gym maybe 3 times since I've moved.. that's pathetic! It's time to get those last few pounds off and not gain over the holiday season!

Although this next question will in no way help me with the holiday season, what is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving? And if it is a recipe you'd like to share, please do! :-)