What did I hear?!?

I was watching TV and went into the kitchen when a commercial came on. I couldn't believe what I heard, so I went back. It was Burger King's commercial - 'Big Bucking Chicken'. I'm sure you can guess what I thought I heard without spelling it out. Can't say that I'm a big fan. I can picture all these young kids going around chanting it and saying, "But Mom, I heard it on TV. What's wrong with it?" Now that I think about it, that King that they use in the other commercials creeps me out too. Oh well, they lost my business anyway when I gave up fast food.

This week's progress

It's amazing what eating on plan can do! Results below:

Official weigh in stats:
Starting weight: 234lbs
Current weight: 186lbs (loss this week - 1 1/2 pound)
Overall loss: 48lbs
Lbs to goal: 37lbs

Template change

Due to feedback (OK complaints) from friends that all the black was too hard on the eyes, I switched my template. An advance warning that this is not the last change. I am messing with it myself which is highly unlikely to produce the results I want and looking for a reasonably priced designer to possibly take a stab at it. Know anyone?

Why the band?

Today I received the following comment:
only1 said...
Was there a reason you chose the band instead of the RNY surgery?

I don't think I ever wrote on this topic and it is an important one. For me it was a simple decision:

• All my 'guts' stay the way they were originally.
  
• There are no absorption issues.
  
• It is reversible.
  
• The long-term weightloss has been shown to be comparable.
  
• It is adjustable.
  

Everyone has his or her personal reasons for their choice of WLS. These were mine. For others RNY is the preferred choice and I respect everyone's choice regardless of what it is. For those of you that have had or are considering WLS, please chime in here, everyone's perspective is appreciated.

This just in!

Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream can still be eaten. Anyone that expects the band to stop junk food eating read this: almost all junk food such as, but not limited to, ice cream, chocolate, and many other yummy things - WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY THE BAND!

You still have to make good choices. Yes, you eat less (of most things), but 'crap' still gets through. I made a choice to have the ice cream...and mmmm, mmmm, that ice cream was good!

Note to self: I'd be losing more weight per week (see 1/2 pound below) if I chose not to eat ice cream.

Official weigh in stats:
Starting weight: 234lbs
Current weight: 187.5lbs (loss this week - 1/2 pound)
Overall loss: 46.5lbs
Lbs to goal: 38.5lbs

Hair club for women?

Yep, I am losing hair. I do not believe the 'you're not getting enough protein theory'. I know I am getting plenty and in fact when I was on a diet of protein shakes (very very high protein) I still lost a fair amount of hair.

Unfortunately, I have lost 50+ pounds of weight multiple times. If I lose it quickly, such as I am now, I have lost hair along with it. In fact, it has always been around the 4-5 month timeframe --- I'm over 4 months now. So I just keep reminding myself it will grow back (it always has before--fingers crossed it will again!) and try not to panic. Fortunately, I have a ton of hair, so I am the only one that notices. I keep asking my best friend if she can tell because she would be honest and tell me!

But how do I know for sure the root cause of my hair loss phenomena? Well I am a big goober and have spreadsheets for my 'diets'. Lots of them. In fact, if I would have had something other than 'being fat' as my issue when I got the band, I would have been all set for proving my attempts to my insurance company - this was not enough for how the policy is written. I tracked everything each time. The diet plan, what I ate, weight, how I felt, what happened, etc.

The bottom line: If I have to lose some hair to get to goal and finally lose this weight once and for all, that is fine with me!

Eating is work

Eating used to be a pleasurable experience. For me, the cold hard truth of having the lapband is that eating is now work. I have to think about what I am going to eat (make band-friendly choices) and think about eating consciously--chew, eat slowly, and listen to my body. It is not the mindless activity it was before. This is good and bad.

It's good because of the effort that is required, I just don't look forward to it. I think the emotional eating has seriously been tackled --- of course, this means that I keep candy and ice cream out of the house --- the band isn't going to help with that although I have found (contrary to what I have read other people saying) that I can't eat as much of it---I just get full.

It's bad because of the effort that is required, I just don't do it (sometimes). Or I just pick at my food. I am particularly challenged at lunch time at work. My job tends to be stressful. My experience is stress tightens my band. I recently learned not to force myself to eat if this is happening. Why? PB big time. If I am not sure, I will take a bite or two and see what happens. So what do I do instead? I will eat a protein bar very very slowly, have a latte, or some soup. Yes, except for the protein bar - soft food. But reality is that you can't squeeze food past a tight band and getting food down is important (for me) or else calories consumed for the day will not be enough.

In case anyone is thinking - hmmmm, you might be too tight. I know this isn't the case. The band is a strange little thing. You have to learn how your body deals and reacts to it. It is definitely not a science. Over time I have put together what happens with me. On days where stress is low/manageable - no issue (as long as I follow bandster rules) - so defintely not too tight. There are times during my cycle that I am tight as well, but I am getting a good sense of when this happens. It just takes time and patience (with some PBs thrown in) to figure it out.

In fact, I am still learning...

I love the 80's!

180's that is! The past two weeks I had held steady at 191.5. Although I hadn't exercised, my eating had been about 90% which should have translated into some sort of loss. Because of my 'lovely' job, I really wasn't sweating it (seriously) - plus there was TTOTM to factor in. Bottom line: 3.5lbs this week, so officially in the 180's.

The really cool part is that I had assigned myself a goal of 189 this week. I wasn't sure I was going to hit it and ended up pleasantly surprised.

Official weigh in stats:
Starting weight: 234lbs
Current weight: 188lbs
Overall loss: 46lbs
Lbs to goal: 39lbs

What a Week!

Where to start - it's TTOTM, I seriously hate my job, I haven't been going to the gym, nor have I been eating well. Overall I would describe this week as YUCKY! Weigh in was uneventful - I stayed the same. Why? Not eating well, not going to the gym, and TTOTM (oh, and I hate my job). No big surprises there. There is a lot of 'stuff' going around in my head, but I just can't seem to put it into words at the moment. Maybe in a couple days - or at least I will have some sort of dribble to post that someone might find entertaining.

Another Recipe: King Ranch Casserole

I am guessing many of you have had King Ranch Casserole - at least if you live in Texas. It is easy, yummy, and now proven to be band friendly. Although the standard disclaimer applies - just because it was band friendly for me, does not necessarily mean it will be for you, but I encourage you to try it! ;)

• 2 cups cooked diced chicken (I use the canned chicken breast - easy)
  
• 1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies)
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the Healthy Request to reduce calories)
  
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the Healthy Request to reduce calories)
  
• 1/2 can chicken broth (sometimes I use this and other times I don't. It is kind of optional)
  
• 1 package corn tortillas - cut in pieces (I cut them in half and then in strips)
  
• Cheddar cheese - Put as much or as little as you want (can dramatically impact calories)
  
• Olives - optional - if I have sliced olives around I will add these
  
• Onion - optional - again, if you have an onion around and feel like chopping it up into small pieces, you can put this in as well
  

Mix the Rotel, soups, and chicken broth together in a bowl. In a casserole dish (I think it is 13x9), layer half of the tortilla strips. Follow with half the chicken, then soup mixture, then olives, onion, and cheese (you can leave the cheese out of this layer if you want less calories). Repeat. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes - until it is all bubbly. Serve.

I estimate it at 350 calories for a 1 cup serving. Depends on a lot of variables though (olives, cheese, low-fat soup, etc.), but I am all about the rough estimates as I just can't eat a lot of food in one sitting.

Serving suggestion - throw some green beans in the microwave and you have a complete meal! The leftovers heat up really well in the microwave and make a great lunch.

PS - THANKS for all the comments on my previous post. I just LOVE comments. :) If you haven't checked out Jessica's - I encourage you to do so! She Googled the elevator conspiracy and left additional detail. Thanks Jessica!

Does it work?

The close door button on the elevator that is. Have you ever noticed that without a doubt the open door button works -- because you can hold the door open with it, but the close door button is a different story?

Here's my theory - you want the door to close and you push the button. The door doesn't close upon pressing it, so you press it again. In my case, I push the button continuously. If the button really worked, upon pressing it once the door would immediately close. Seriously people, I am not kidding you. The next time you are in an elevator try it. Does it really close right when you hit the button? (Please report your findings as I am limited to the same elevator every day.)

Here's the real scoop: It's there so people like me --- impatient people --- don't get pissed off that there isn't a button to close the door. It makes you 'feel' like the door is closing. Man, is this a stupid post or what! This is what I was thinking this morning...Oh yeah, one last thing - why does the open door button work then? It's a safety thing, so that has to work. In fact, now that I type this, the close door button could actually be a safety risk! Even more to ponder.

Today was my weigh in day. The surprise - I lost 1/2 pound. I'm surprised because I have not eaten well, had an evening of drinking, and didn't go to the gym. I am trying to focus on how much I 'could have' lost if I had been going to the gym in the hopes that it will get me back there.

A little note on the fickleness of the band - yesterday my band was loose. I ate 1/2 of a burrito from On the Border last night for dinner and some chips. No problem at all even though it was a tad more than I should have eaten. Today - I am tight as a drum. I attempted to eat lunch - salad and soup - no dice. I attempted to eat dinner - no dice. It truly is weird how much difference a day can make. (Hmmm, maybe my band is really smart? It knew I had more food than I should have yesterday, so it tightened up today to compensate? What is it with me and the conspiracies?)

Official weigh in stats:
Starting weight: 234lbs
Current weight: 191.5lbs
Overall loss: 42.5lbs **notice** exactly half way to goal :)
Lbs to goal: 42.5lbs