10 weeks After my LAP BAND SURGERY exactly

10 weeks.

10 weeks of not doing slimming world

10 weeks of getting slimmer

10 weeks of not (well... nearly) stressing about food

10 weeks of worrying if I can really afford it!!

Ooops Too Late!

But most importantly, 10 things I like about the new me:

1.) I am happy
2.) I wear my hair down and straighten it every time I wash it
3.) I don't wear glasses any more
4.) I am a dress size smaller
5.) I am 20 pounds lighter
6.) I am more confident in my career and every other aspect of my life at the moment
7.) I feel cleaner inside my body and soul
8.) I feel like people notice me for reasons other than my fatness
9.) I dont feel like a greedy pig when I eat my dinner
10.) I feel like ME for the first time in my life

I feel good.

I am looking forward to my fill with Dr. Clayson tomorrow. I wonder how much juice hes going to plug me with. Hopefully a LOT! Tee Hee. Well at £75 a throw, its the most expensive water in the world I think! I want a good few millilitres for my money.

My last fill cost me £18.75 per ml. That's got to be more expensive than precious perfumes!

I doubt I will get 4 mls this time. No way. But maybe 2... hope so.

I also hope it lasts longer that 6 weeks. I don't really want to be trekking all the way to Tamworth every 6 weeks or so. On the other hand I do want to get thin!

The Rock - ME - The Hard Place

Went out this morning with Rebs for half an hour. Then we came back and had coffee and cake with her hubby and DS in a little place that's probably a bar in the evenings, but during the day has WOW sofas to lounge around on and was really nice and airy and calm and quiet but classy - if you get my drift. It wasn't grotty like some places I've been in that are clubs or bars in the evening, but it was much more classy than say Costa Coffee, Starbucks or Pret... etc. The prices were, however, much more reasonable than those "cost a lot" coffee bars. It was somewhere where I really had never noticed before, and probably would never have gone into had I not been with them. It was a really nice surprise. I will definitely be frequenting the place again soon!
It was particularly lovely because her husband had a massive brain hemorrhage a couple of years back and is still quite damaged by it, but he has got so much better, and he leaned out of the car window and said to me "Hey, I have heard that there is a secret society in town." "Now, don't tell anyone, but this secret society have their meetings in this place I know, and they serve you..." sly peek about to check for listeners..."coffee... shhh and sometimes.. cakes! shhh."
It was so nice to see him having a laugh and a joke and inviting us too. A lot of people don't want to go out during the day with me because I always have DS with me and I think they get worried about what people think. Obviously I don't have a tongue in my head to explain why he is not in the government state training programme being force fed boring crud like all the other drones. Yeah. But I really do think that these particular ones prefer to have their adult time, and the school to them is like the best baby sitting service about! Its free!! Yay! I don't think everyone's like this... just these 'special people' I know.

Anyway, that's my view, and I keep it to myself most of the time. But I believe that kids are better off with their parents. I mean, I would not be home educating my child if I didn't would I! It would be a bit stupid of me to extol the virtues of the school system when I don't believe in them.

That's why I think its really brave when people say to me "I would love to, but I know I just couldn't do it."

Well done. Seriously. That's a straight up honest answer right there.

Its the people who say "I think its terrible, you child will be damaged socially and not learn anything" or words to that effect that I dont believe. I think they protest too much. Obviously if that was the case it would be at least un popular let alone illegal. Those people I believe are simply trying to affirm that that they did the right thing. Ostriches.

"Kids are going to be OK in school."
"Kids do well in school."
"Kids are happy in school."

If they say it enough times it might turn out to be true.

YAAAA totally of topic. But I don't rant about home ed at all.. in fact I don't think that I have mentioned it before on this blog. So now you all know.

I don't really care what other people do to be honest. What they choose to do with their children is their business. I just wish they wouldn't care so much about what I do. They didn't before when I ran with the river. Now everyone and his flaming dog has an opinion. I always find it odd.

The next time I meet someone and they don't have a child with them I will say...
"Wheres your child?"
and when they say "At school"
I will reply "Oh really? Wow. How normal. so how did you find their teacher?"
and when they reply "What? He just goes to the local school..."
I shall say "Oh right. That's a shame. How did you match their classmates?"
and when they say "What?"
I will ask them if they checked out the other children who were going to be mixing with their angels. When they have to say "No I just signed on the dotted of X schools register"
I will say "How spontaneous of you. So daring. Don't you think your child will suffer socially? I mean what about when it goes to senior school and mixes with all those druggies and smokers and gets beat up at break?"
"Oh well I don't worry about that kind of this because little johnny is a really good boy"
"But he doesn't have the chance to mix with any other kind of people other than the same age group..."
"err umm er umm"

Basically I get the reverse of this.... Practically every day.

I am sick of it.

I tell you what. I am GLAD my child will be socially challenged if that's what he has to put up with at school. Trouble is he's started to talk to people of all ages now he doesn't sit with a group of drones of the same age all day long. Is that a cause for concern?

I teach 20 kids music. They can't look you in the eye. they can't hold a conversation. They look at their boots. Their faces are dull and tired. And that is just a sample from our local area. maybe every other kid in the whole world is not like this... but I beg to differ.

People actually comment on how DS is with adults. How his manners are impeccable and how different he is from other children. Then in the other breath they are dismissing home education as rash and a disaster waiting to happen. Makes sense doesn't it.

grrrr. Can you tell I got on my high horse? Got off now. Its in the stable. I really don't want to open up a debate about home-ed v. schools. Home ed will win hands down in my book any day of the week.

Doesn't matter what anyone says. It shouldn't matter what I say either if you are convinced school is right for you kids. Get my drift?

Please no one take offence. I just never EVER get to view my side of things. I love blogging. No one can shout you down and you get to say everything all at once without people shutting off their minds.

Anyway, I am worn out typing that lot. I promise I will get back to fat fighting tomorrow. Especially as I will yet again be on LIQUIDS! AHHHRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!! NOOOOO!

Administrative Professionals' Day: Managing Energy

Today is the secular holiday celebrating the work of clerical employees such as administrative assistants, receptionists, paralegals and all office workers. I am one of those office workers and to that end spend much of my time at a desk. While I do enjoy my work the sedentary nature of it does not contribute to my healthy LAWLS lifestyle. So I'm always looking for ways to improve my energy and

Losing 160 Pounds by Walking

Mandy Muniz lost 167 pounds by walking. Mandy, age 29, is featured in the current issue of First Magazine. She's a teacher who was wearing size 24 pants not too long ago and one morning she couldn't zip them up. That's when she decided to start walking. She walked five days a week during her lunch hour. Eventually she lost all the weight and her 48" inch waist is now down to 27 inches.

9 Weeks + 6 Days post Lab Band

10 weeks ago I was right now eating my way through the most delicious meal I have ever had in my life, and probably the most expensive as well! I can remember it in exquisitely fine detail. I remember the beautiful lights of the square in Brugge and feeling like I was the luckiest person on earth right then. I was doing what I love best - eating- and I had my best mate in the whole world with me to support me on one of the biggest adventures of my life. How many people have a friend that you can ask to just drop everything for a week and come with you to help you while you have an operation. I can remember her face when I told her. It was definitely wondering what I was going to ask that's for sure! But she then did her "Ohhhhh!" that she does. It was like she was getting it done too. She was so excited.

I will never forget that. What a wonderful friend. I mean, this was no ordinary trip, she was agreeing to come with me, come to the hospital, be on her own all day, and then not have very much company for a few days because of me having the op etc. So it wasn't a pleasure trip for her at all. The more I think about it, the more I want to thank her, because without her I would not have this lap band you know? I could not have gone through with it on my own. My Mum had had her bunions done literally the week before I went into surgery and couldn't walk. My husband had to look after our son, so I would have been totally alone. There is no way I could have been alone doing that. She helped me so much after surgery... helping me out of bed, helping me on with clothes, helping me eat and fetching stuff and even carrying our cases.

So, THANK YOU Mate. Honestly. You are one in a million.

Soppy crap over with... I am sitting at the moment eating a bar of chocolate. I am pondering why I am doing this. I can't make up my mind if its last minute eating before my fill on Thursday, or I just want it, or what. But its going down a treat. I am not really a chocolate girl... but give me a bar and I will eat it for you no trouble.

I am looking forward to my fill with glee. I am in a very happy zone right now. I just hope that nothing bursts my bubble.

There are lots of people reading this blog by the way. I want to know who you all are. You all pour over pages and pages of my blog, but never leave your comments, and I would love to hear from you all. Even just to say Hi! So please reply to my blog and leave your comments.

Today was odd. I had a morning of beautification: Spa pedicure and nail polish and then another infill on my nails. I can't believe I have been having these nails for nearly a year now. Wow, doesn't time fly. No one does toes like my friends at the nail bar. They look good enough to eat when I come out of there. Today they look like little cherries. If I wasn't so fat I would bend over and nibble them!! HA HA. They are so yummy and shiny. Why doesn't it look like that when you do them at home in front of the telly???????!!!!! Its just not fair. Oh well. I thought I would do them a couple of times so that my feet look nice enough to let out in Sri Lanka...

Only 29 days to go!!!!!!!!

So beautification regime is in full swing. Since I have been banded I have been taking an awful lot more care in myself. I now have regular facials, pedicures and I have even shaved my legs this week, which is an utter miracle!! I am going to have my legs waxed before the holiday. I have no idea if it works, but thought I might as well have a go. I had it once about 5 years ago and it was rubbish. They kind of ripped the hairs of at the leg rather than pulling the whole thing out at the root, so they were all stubbly after 2 days. I never bothered again. But someone told me this should not have happened, and I should have gone back and told them.... Ho hum. I think its a bit too late now don't you?

So sun bed, waxing, pedicures and manicures and facials... Wow, its like I am a lady of leisure. No one would think I hold down a full time job, educate my son and also scrub the decks! No wonder I need my friends at wiltshire farm foods! And NO! I don't work for them, I just happen to think that they are amazing amazing amazing. They deliver all the food for the week and put it in your freezer and are amazingly lovely people. TRY IT!! Its great to just be able to walk through the door and bung the dinner on, have a quick coffee and then "Ping!" its done. Tonight's delight was roast lamb with roast and mashed potatoes, cauliflower and green beans. YUM.

Anyway, I cant be bothered to type any more

9 Weeks + 5 days post Lap Band

I just knew it.

I put on weight this week.

This is my first weight gain since being banded, and funnily enough I am not destroyed like I thought I would be, because I know exactly why I put on weight - quantity.

I need that fill.

I put on 1 and a half pounds. So I am still in my 'Low Zone' (i.e. the zone where I am below all slimmingworld losses).

So, yeah. Feel totally chill about it. I am just hungry. I am suprised at how quickly the need for more food comes on you. Strangely today I have not been that hungry. I have had cheese on toast and a WFF meal. Thats it. But then again when you think about it, if I have put on a little weight, then the band will be a little restricted again... albeit by really tiny amounts.

But I am booked in to see Dr. Clayson on thursday. I did ring up his secretary today and see if he had any cancellations, or if she could squeeze me in. I think she needs a holiday, or prozac, or both maybe.

Rather than the usual "Oh, I am so sorry, but Dr. Clayson is fully booked until next century - Maybe call back then?" I got "Well, I am VERY sorry, and I don't mean to be obstructive or anything, Huff, Puff, but I cannot POSSIBLY fit you in at such short notice. Huff. Puff. I mean, he is a very busy man and he is TOTALLY booked. You cant just get an appointment like that you know. Stress Huff Puff Stress!"

"Ok then, (sarcastic patronisation of harassed staff) don't you worry. Have a nice day though!"

Mmmm.

Note to self: Always book appointments at least 2 weeks in advance otherwise gives poor illiterate girl who works in an unimportant and banal office an aneurysm. (yes illiterate - she wrote me a letter a couple of weeks back that would have been hilarious except for the fact that these people are in control of my ... like... LIFE!)

GET OFF YOUR "MISS IMPORTANT" PEDESTAL - NO ONE BELIEVES YOU!

Oh, and ps... My Husband thinks that I should have put 'shave armpits' onto my list of things that I will be doing in 9 weeks. He forgets, obviously, that this is MY blog and I put everything that I wish to on it. Shaving armpits is not going to be happening anytime soon. Sorry darling!! HA HA

Whoopi Goldberg Does LA WeightLoss

As guest host on The View, Whoopi Goldberg announced that she's lost 43 pounds on the LA WeightLoss program in 23 weeks. The private weight loss counselling has helped her. She confessed that she cannot stand vegetables so the compromise was to drink low sodium V8 juice to get her vegetable nutrient equivalent. She says she has lost enough weight to fit into a size 8.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday and I’m getting to be the age when it’s girlishly uncomfortable to mention my years, the age when I need glasses to read and the age when my doctor utters those painful words during my annual exam, “Well, at your age you can expect to have aches and pains.” Ugh!! But – it’s a good day! I am happy in love, healthy and engaged in the pursuit of post-WLS living at its best. At