Bad Blogger. Bad!

Okay. I admit. I've been really bad about blogging this summer. It's been a crazy summer. Got a new job. Moving to a new apartment. Broke up with my boyfriend. Basically changing the 3 things you're never supposed to change all at once. Bah!

My band was definitely loose over most of the summer. Basically, I had it tightened WAY too tight just before my trip to Mexico. I puked at every meal. Subsequently, I lost 8 lbs in about a week. Hahah...

I had 1cc removed. Was definitely more comfortable after that, but I grew accustomed to it very quickly and found I could eat quite a bit. Then, I switched jobs, didn't have insurance for about a month...and really didn't have the time I wanted to exercise.

Basically, I'm back to a tighter band. I'm hardly eating (which is GOOD!), I'm moving into the city (from Coney Island) so I can bike to work and have time to do things like go to the gym, see friends, etc. My new job practically got me a membership to Chelsea Piers... so I'm really happy about that.

I kept the 8 lbs off... so it's a real weightloss. Down a total of 30. People act so happy and shocked for me. But... I was hoping to lose more by now. I am easing into this band. It's really hard to eat slow. It's hard to avoid junk. The whole darn process is really hard.

But now I'm gonna buckle down. Try to knock off another 20 lbs by Xmas. I think I can do it...

I'm back, baby! Check the blog. I'm gonna ROCK this band!

Hiccup.

So, I got my first fill on Thursday. Was a very strange experience. I could feel it closing around my stomach. Felt a bit nauseous at first...but I was able to swallow a glass of water.

Weighed in... officially down 21 lbs! Woohoo!




Tonight, however, I barfed for the first time. I almost barfed at lunch...in a restaurant... but I managed to fight it off. Good thing too. The bathroom was NASTY.

Felt a tightness in my chest... ate too fast, I guess. Tried to wash it down with a bit of juice. Didn't work. Just made it worse. So, I barfed. Immediately felt better. Later, I made a smoothie for dinner. Gotta be more diligent about chewing. Noticed some only partially-chewed linguini in the toilette... (too much info?)

I find crunchy things are easier to eat than pasta. I can really pulverize the hell out of a bagel chip.

Anyway, off to Miami tomorrow for a big conference. Can't wait to hit the beach. YA!

Oh... and today, I bought myself a trip to Cozumel. June 20-26. I'm gonna snorkel the hell out of those reefs. Goooooodbye, stress!

Hungry Mungry.

I feel like I can really eat. Maybe I'm just comparing what I can eat now to what I was able to keep down post-surgery. Maybe I'm feeling weird after doing liquids for almost 4 weeks.

But... yesterday, I ate:

1/2 serving Cream of Wheat
2 light Breyers yogurts (8 oz each)
2 pieces of plantain
1/2 can refried beans w/little cheddar on top
Small microwavable "sweet potato" thing - about 2/3 cup (ick. never again.)
1/2 cup (or so) of skim ricotta with mozzarella, marinara sauce, and a dash of parmesan
2 ice pops (singles)

I think that's it. I mean, looking back on it, I guess it's not THAT much... especially compared to what I was eating before the surgery. I just feel like I have an oral fixation that can't be tamed... I want to be chewing at all times. Grrrr.

I hope I feel more full/less munchy after my first fill.

Heavy Drinker.

You know those little "on the go" packs from Crystal Light? Well, since I get free bottles of Aquafina at work, I've started drinking them like crazy.

I've got the Wild Strawberry kind from Crystal Light. It's got caffeine in it...which I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to have... but it's good nonetheless.

Wyler's also makes these to-go packets. I picked up some pink lemonade. Awesome, as well.

Then, last weekend, I found light fruit punch from 4C. Also really good.

What really amazed me was how many brands were jumping on the mini-to-go packet bandwagon. Country Time lemonade, Kool-Aid, Lipton Iced Teas... Everyone. I can't even imagine how much money this makes them, too. It's all in the packaging.

Kinda sickens me that I've fallen for their little packaging trick... but... I can't have soda. So sue me.

Pant, Pant, Pant.

So... because I got permission to take a little bike ride from the nurse practicioner, I decided to take a spin on the boardwalk this morning.

I don't know if it's because I'm totally out of shape, still not breathing regularly from surgery, or because I haven't really riden a bike in YEARS, (or a combo of all 3), but it was HARD.

I had to stop twice to do breathing exercises. I know I haven't really been expanding my lungs all the way since I got out of the hospital. I guess I naively thought that riding the bike would FORCE me to do it... but it just made me choke on my own breath.

Maybe I should try walking for a few weeks. Hold off on the bike until I feel 100%... because as it is now, I'm not 100%. More like... 83%. Or 83.4%.

First Check-Up

I had my first check-up with one of the Nurse Practicioners at NYU. My scars are healing nicely... can definitely still feel the port healing into place.

I was excited to jump on the scale. I wondered how much I'd lost on the liquid diet... Maybe 10 lbs? Turns out, I've lost a total of 13 lbs since starting! CRAZY! I'm so happy.




She said I could start riding my new bike, which I bought last week. Can't wait to get out onto the boardwalk. Might go home and take a sunset ride tonite if I can. Ever since going on liquids, I've had so much more energy. I really want to take advantage of it while I can.

Calorie CRAZY.

So, today I actually consumed a lot of calories. And it felt GREAT. I've been doing well under 1000 the past week...some days, just barely breaking 500-600.

Today I had:
2 slim-fast shakes (370)

2 Jamba Juice smoothies (750)

Cup of Roasted Cauliflower Puree Soup (no idea)

and water.

For all I know, I hit 1500 calories. Which is still waaaaay less than I'd ever eat on my normal diet before all this. But, if calories = energy, I am high on energy. For some reason, I'm totally awake right now. Yesterday, I was dead on my feet. I guess reasonable calorie consumption can actually make a body just... go.