10 Weeks + 4 days post banding

Well, I have just had my first meal after finishing liquids. I am rather EXACT when it comes to timing. He said I couldn't have any solids for 3 days, so exactly 3 days - to the hour - I had some food!

Today's food has been
a slimfast shake
a slimfast smoothie (nice, more sour than the sickly normal shakes)
Activia Kiwi x2
1 slice of toast and baked beans with some grated cheese.

I am full.

After one slice that's good. I didn't puke or have any other dodgy side effects.. no pain and water so far (you know, the pain in the chest and the saliva production pre vomiting that usually amounts to nothing).

So I am a happy girl.

I have to again take it easy. Chew VERY slowly, chew VERY well and try not to stress too much.

We had my Mum and Dad up today. They thought that the decorating looked very good. They also said how well I was looking, which was nice too. They are off to the Dom Rep next week, and then when they get back we go off to Sri Lanka, so it will b at least 6 or 7 weeks until we see them again. Hopefully they will notice some more difference in my weight loss by then.

I have noticed that I have 'bingo wings'.

I am pretty sure that I did not have them 10 weeks ago. Even 4 weeks ago I don't think I had them, so it looks like the fat is going from my arms... But its leaving horrible floppy arms. I am not very happy about this. I have so many stretch marks on my inner arms, right down to the crook of my elbow, that I know its not going to look pretty.

My Mum said it will probably tone up, and so have the other people I have shown it too, but I really don't think that's the case. Its too far gone. Its so stretch marked that they criss cross each other. I wasn't blessed with elastic skin, and even when I was slim as a teenager I had big time stretch marks on my bust, back of knees and hips. I am just one of those people. I am having horror nightmares about having a corrugated stomach, bum, legs and arms. this is just the most horrible thing that could happen. I also know that I could not go through with Plastic surgery. I just couldn't. I am already practically sick when I think of having it done. My Mum had a tummy tuck and she nearly died. ts not that that worries me. I know the risks, obviously , otherwise I would not have had any kind of operation in the first place. The operation is not the issue, its the sheer pain. I simply cannot go through any more pain.

I have never had an elective operation before my banding, and for me this is a whole different thing to a surgery that you need to have for medical reasons. I did need this surgery, but more for me than anything else. Unlike my other operations (of which I have had about 5 or 6 general anaesthetics) which were wholly medical and endangering my life had I not had them done.

I can justify that kind of operation in my head, but I dd find the pressure difficult seeing as I was putting myself into this position when having the band. I kind of felt like I deserved everything I got seeing as I had it done. Thankfully nothing went wrong, just the pain I was expecting... but it was weird knowing I had chosen to have that pain, rather than being told I had to have it by a doctor.

I don't know if I am making sense here or not. Its very hard to describe my mindset.

But, I know that I could not have any more elective surgery. I will just live with the body I get at the end of this banding experience. At any rate it will surely be a whole lot nicer than the fat suit I have been wearing for the past 10 years. If I can live with looking the way I did at 19 stone, then I can live with a little bit of skin. And what were sleeves made for anyway! :o)

Anyway, I feel really positive about this fill. I seem to have more restriction, certainly not too much which is good.

I will be posting another photo in about 10 days, my 3 month photo. So keep 'em peeled.

Weigh in tomorrow at slimmingworld and the chemist. I still have 4 more paid for sessions, so I might as well use them.

Nighty night

Oh, I just had a night time feast of a slice of cheese on toast with bbq sauce. MMM YUMMY

Wu Long Teas And Weight Loss

According to the American Obesity Association, obesity "is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese."These numbers are disturbing and continue to rise every year. There are more than 30 medical conditions associated with obesity including cardiovascular disease, diabetes,

10 weeks + 3 days

I hate being on fluids.

Today so far I have had a
Breakfast:
coffee and a slim fast
Lunch:
coffee followed by 3 activia yogurts.

Joyous.

I am feeling a little weak.

Ho Hum. I have still got 4 lessons to do today. I have done 3 already. I think I have another pupil who is going to give me grief. Today I went to the new peoples house and the Nanny said "Oh I forgot to ring you, its just J today as D is at scout camp."

Oh Ok. Yeah no problem. Did you not know that LAST WEEK???

So I am £12 short. However, I wont be, because I will be charging them for it.

Why do people treat me like this? Do I have 'MUG' written across my forehead?

Well I will be giving them a bill through their door to remind them that next week I will want paying £24 not just £12. The Nanny wasn't left with any money, so I also didn't get the £12 I was actually owed. Good eh?

Imagine turning up for your job. Your boss comes up to you and says, "Oh your desks being picked up in a while, so just to a bit of work and then go home. Oh and I forgot to get your wages for today, so you will just have to wait until next week. OK?"

I have a mortgage, a car to run, bills to pay. I bank on having that money. I need to nip this person in the bud. If I let them get away with just cancelling willy nilly they will do it for the whole of our working relationship, so to make sure that they 'remember' to call me I will be charging them the full price. Only fair I reckon.

If it didn't happen so much, I wouldn't bother, but I had 4 people do it to me this week already, and one of them actually said "Oh darling daughter is doing her exams now, so she wants to pick up again in September ok?"

"No! Its not flippin' OK!" I wish I had the guts to say that.

That means I have to keep a £12 slot open all through the rest of the year. Stuff that. I have people phoning up all the time asking for lessons, so if someone wants that slot, well they can have it. I mean, no warning, just dumped like that. I even have it on my forms that I require 4 weeks notice... Doesn't mean a thing.

I am too soft.

Anyway, I seem to be getting some spunk about me recently don't I! Maybe this is the new Me emerging. I don't think I am willing to take this crud any more to be honest. I need to be a bit more businesslike.

Anyway, I feel so bloated after eating those 3 yogurts that I am actually going to have to have a lie down!

I'll update later no doubt.

Update:
Well its dinner time. Work was rubbish. I was in a foul mood, and just could not get myself together enough really. One of my pupils in this afternoon is always a bit of a challenge, and I really couldn't be bothered. I have to coax piano out of him. Pull it with pliers. But today I said, "OK, this one has both thumbs on middle C..."
"A...? A...? Thumbs on middle C.... A?"

Sigh.

Resigned pause and I just sat there with his notebook on my lap. He looked at me all funny like..."Go on make me!"

So I just didn't make him. I sat there and he sat there. Then we sat there some more. This went on for about 10 minutes. Then I said "OK, I can't be bothered to teach you , go get your brother now..."

And all of a flash, he was like "NO... I want to show you what I have done!!" And then FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER he played his pieces of his own accord.

I remained calm and disinterested to be honest; firstly because I was. Secondly because I thought maybe the reverse psychology was working.... Maybe he doesn't want YAY Piano!! Whooop WHOOP! Clever Boy! WELLDONE! Maybe he needs a bit more of a challenge...
It certainly worked today. I expect that next week he will be better behaved.

I think maybe the lack of food is addling my brain. I feel a little bit fed up to be fair. I am on my own tonight as DH is doing a Karaoke in his Mums pub again. Yes, he really is!! After the whole fiasco of last time, he still yells "How High" when they say jump.

I flat out refused to go. Then it looked like I had no other option but to go, albeit grudgingly, and then a miracle happened!! :o) I had to work.

So tonight I am babysitting. I don't mind. I can have a nice chill out. I just hope it doesn't all kick off like last time. He has taken his mate Steve with him tonight so hopefully they will be on their best behaviour. DH has already rung me and asked me if the leads from the Karaoke are behind the filing cabinet (No) and then rung back to ask me to check again. (Um... still No! ) So it looks like ti will be a bit of a disaster anyway. I think we left them there to be honest, but it was such a blur and we left under such a storm cloud I can't really remember.

Right, I am off to eat my final slimfast of the day and I am definitely having a glass of wine or 4 later. Hey... its fluids!!

Lady Rose is 75 Pounds Closer to her Goal

Lady Rose is about to celebrate one full year of very successful weight loss. She's lost 75 pounds and now weighs 220. She feels so much healthier than she did one year ago. See her weekly progress numbers here.

Tomorrow is a big day on her website. It's the one year anniversary of her diet and exercise regime and she plans to do a few "a year in review" posts to compare how her diet has changed over the time and to talk about health issues. She is also going to record her measurements for the first time since she posted them one year ago.

Check out her Incredible Shrinking Ladies site and help her celebrate her success tomorrow.

An Emotional Eater Breaks the Cycle

Roberta Perry says she used to be an emotional eater who ate whenever she felt angry or depressed. But she has managed to get off that cycle. She has changed her lifestyle and has decided to focus on her cholesterol level rather than her weight.

Perry has lost 75 pounds. She has gone from morbidly obese to obese. She used to weigh 325 pounds and she is now down to 250. See her story here.

10 Weeks + 1 day post band - Fill no. 2!

Well fill number 2 went well.

The actual meeting was nice. He is a really nice chap and wasn't annoyed for any reason like last time. He asked me how things had been going, how was the eating, of which I have told you all before (oooh there was a big long burp right there!). Then he asked how the weight was going and I said that I have been losing a pound here, half a pound there and that this week I put on a little.

He said this was perfectly normal. The first fill is the coarsest fill and the next ones are the finer ones. He then said that there is a layer of fat around the stomach and as you lose fat, you lose it from there too, and the band then gets a little looser... hence the weight lose fades or you stagnate or even put on weight. He said that at the moment I should really not worry at all about the scales. he said its one of the hardest things for us to do - forget to think about weight. He said, all you need to do is eat normally and be careful with how you eat. Take my time and don't drink after meals etc. No problem there.

Then he weighed me. Now this is where the WEIRD bit starts...

Make of this what you will:

According to HIS scales

Last fill - 15th March 2007 - weight 17 stone 4 pounds (242lbs)

2nd fill - 26th April 2007 - weight 15 stone 6 pounds (216lbs)

HEH?????!!!!!!!!!!!!????????? I mean WHAT?

A loss of 26 pounds.

NO WAY JOSE

According to the scales at slimming world (and the chemists because I now know that they are exactly the same don't I)

Monday 12th March 2007 - weight 16 stone 13 pounds (237lbs)

Monday 23rd April 2007 - weight 16 stone 8 pounds (232lbs)

So a loss of 5 pounds.

Can you guess why I am freaked out a little????????????!!!!

Not much difference between 26 pounds and 5 is there!!!!!

So what the heck do I make of that. I nearly dropped dead from shock as you can probably imagine. I was flabbergasted! I said "You cannot be serious" but then I saw it with my own eyes. He even showed me the label where they had literally been calibrated last week!

So who do I go with. I simply cannot trust his scales. I mean I have gone to slimming world for 2 years and they MUST be right. I mean people are paying for them to be correct! I mean, you could totally sue if they weren't. the chemist has the same kind of problem. You have to pay, so they have to be accurate too, and the fact that they are the same as slimming worlds makes me think that the guy who checked Dr. C's scales might have been having a laugh. So I just have to go with the chemist and SW.

Anyway, back to the subject...

Normally (according to Dr. C) they put in about half a ml. to 3/4 ml. But I was given 1 whole ml. this was apparently because he didn't feel much restriction at half a ml. So I now have a total of 5mls in my 10 ml band. I am half full!

I drank the water after being filled up, and it went down fine.

I had a drink from McDonald's on the drive home and I have had a coffee and a slimfast since then. I even actually had a spoonful of fruit salad in my mouth before I remembered that I am now back on fluids for 4 days. No food till Monday teatime. BOOOOOoooo HOOOOoooo

I have noticed a difference already. About 2 weeks ago I was burping all the time after eating or drinking... little mini burps over and over again and then then I was only thinking today that all that had stopped recently.

Well I am burping again! good huh! So there must be a bit of restriction there now.

I am really amazed at the small quantity of fill. Its like a drop of water. 5 mls is literally a spoon of calpol. How can a spoon of calpol make me lose weight. Fascinating isn't it. Such small amounts make such a difference.

Anyway, I am gonna get off bum and do something like.... Oh I dunno.

What's in a Name?

Yesterday I was doing a media interview about life after WLS and the reporter asked me, "What should I call this surgery?" I didn't understand the question at first but he clarified, "Do I call it gastric bypass, lap-bad, weight loss surgery, bariatric surgery, obesity surgery, fat-loss surgery, stomach stapling or what?"Now, personally, I prefer to lump all of the procedures together under