Saturday, May 19, 2007

7kg gone!!!

Weighed in this morning and I'm now 101.6kg... Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! I finally feel like my weight loss is making a difference and I'm on the down hill slope to double digits. Especially since the last fill it has TOTALLY changed my portion sizes and rate of eating... It's like it's "hit the spot" which all your lap banders will know is that "sweet spot" that you try to find. Word of advice - if you still think you are eating too much, get another fill! I should of had this fill weeks ago...

I have my follow-up appointment with my doctor on Monday. this is the first time I would have seen him since my operation (other than for fills - which he does at the hospital). so I'll be able to sit down one on one with him and have a good chat about how I'm going. I'm not sure if he's going to be disappointed with my rate of weight loss.. I'm losing approx 500g / week and If I keep going the way I'm going I should lose another 15-20kg by the end of the year, possibly more..

I'm feeling great!

LBG xx

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

0.3mL, so tiny... yet so effective!

I now have 8.8mL in my band after visiting the doctor yesterday for another fill. I lost 2.2kg since I last had my fill, which was 5 weeks ago. The doctor was happy with my progress and said that he wants me to lose 500g /week which is what I'm doing right now... I still want it all to happen yesterday!!

So, I've got an additional 0.3mL in my band, and it's made a big difference. I was on liquids yesterday, and I made some potato and leek soup for dinner last night which took me aaaaaaaages to get through. Today is more of the same... perhaps I'll attempt some solids this afternoon... but for now, I'm happy and constantly full with small amounts of food. That's the whole point of the band right??

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Why do I blog my lap band story?

I'm not sure how many people actually read this, but I do know that there are a few random people that leave messages telling me that they appreciate an "honest" account of what it's like to have a lap band. Big Hello to DARREN who stopped by yesterday to have a read and leave a comment! :)

I like to blog because I find it's a great way for me to think things through, journal my feelings and experiences and to keep myself accountable throughout my weight loss journey. If I didn't have this blog, I could easily keep my banding/weight loss a secret and no-one would know about it. I guess by putting it on here, I remain honest and truthful about my weight loss and also to give those of you thinking of getting a lap band an idea of what "real life" with a lap band is all about. I found (as Darren said) that alot of the weight loss surgery sites gave me a real positive impression about lap band surgery... that it would be easy, the weight would fall off and I would be at goal in a matter of months. But this hasn't been the case. It hasn't been easy. My brain is not banded, I'm constantly thinking about food, not only from a weight loss point of view but also because I have to figure out what I can and can't eat. I struggle each week to lose weight, because it is still sooooo easy to eat that chocolate, those chips, lollies, fast food cos it goes down so much easier. I have to work at eating a healthy balanced diet, watch my calorie intake and keep up a high level of exercise.

Do I regret getting the lap band done? Not at all, but it has taken me a long time to realise that the lap band is merely a tool and it will still take motivation, willpower and dedication to lose the weight. I hope those of you who are thinking about getting one done realise this, your weight problems will not be solved once you get a lap band - it will just make it a little easier and you can still cheat!!

On that note, I hope that I'm helping people make the right decision in their own mind to go down the surgery road - because once you go there, you can't go back - well, not easily anyway.

Have a great weekend!

LBG xx

Friday, May 11, 2007

Going to get another fill..

I can eat too much. I had lunch with Kat (another bandit), she barely got through her soup and I finished off 2 cups of salad. So while my meal was healthy, I can eat too much. So I'm going to ring the clinic today and book myself in for a fill ASAP. I hope they can fit me in for Monday! (just rang the clinic - booked in for Tuesday at 8am! Yay!)

Down to 102.3kg today, so that's 6.3kg lost in total. I want it to be more, but I guess I can't complain. I'm so close to double digits!!!

Today I'm going to Yum Cha for lunch today with work. Will be interesting to see what I can and can't eat, but at least it won't look sus that I'm not eating much because it's the whole pick off plates thing. I find that when that happens, everyone is too caught up in what they're eating to notice that I'm not eating much!!

Have a lovely weekend!

Erica xx

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Back up to 103, but that's OK!

After a salt/pizza ladened weekend I expected to put on a kilo or so.. but it was only 100g, so I'm back up to 103.0kg and am aiming to go down this week. I keep remembering that my brain is not banded, so I need to constantly monitor what I'm eating (it's just like I wasn't banded!!!). I suppose I could do with another fill if I really wanted - but I find I've got enough restriction to eat a cup of food and feel full, sometimes I push the boundaries and force more in, which I know is totally wrong.. but I do pay for it sometimes. I continue to serve my meals on bread and butter plates which helps.

I am totally happy with my rate of weight loss at just under 500g/week. If I keep going the way I am going, I will reach goal by mid next year, which is totally ok with me.

Hope you are all doing well!

LBG xx

Friday, May 4, 2007

In the 102's!!!

Jumped on the scales to reveal 102.9kg... Go me!! That's 300g shy of 6kg I have lost since having the lap band operation. I've also worked out that I'm losing on average 500g/week which is what I wanted. Saturday is official weigh in, I would love to report 102.6kg tomorrow to make it an even 6kg lost in 12 weeks... wouldn't that be awesome??

Last night I ate some hot chips rather quickly... and needless to say my band didn't like it much... so I PB'd and was a little tender for the rest of the night. I had a delish smoked salmon salad (a small one!) and was full full full after that... It feels sooooooo good to be full. And I'm starting to get over the mental "getting upset when I can't finish a meal" thing... which is great.

Speak soon!

LBG xx

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

I've Cracked the 5kg mark!!! With 100g to spare!

Jumped on the scales this morning and I'm now on 103.5kg!!! That's 5.1kg down since the banding, and I'm now past my first goal of 5kg lost. It's taken a while but I'm happy with my progress so far.

My next goal is double digits - 99.9kg. Only 3.6kg to go!!

LBG xx