13 weeks 3 days

Howdy bloggers!

2 more sleeps to go until Christmas. So looking forward to xmas this year as we will be announcing our pregnancy to the world and finally everyone will know about it. It's been tough keeping it a secret and to be honest, I haven't been trying too hard! I love seeing people's faces when I tell them ... rather than doing a mass announcement on face book, so I've been telling people when I see them. But my sisters and brothers and grandfather find out on Christmas day. Can't wait to see their excitement!

As for me? I'm feeling pretty darn fabulous at the moment. I have very little nausea now, it does rear it's ugly head from time to time because I let myself get too hungry. Crackers generally do the trick and it settles itself down again. I'm still really quite tired, despite getting 8-9 hours sleep a night. I'm not looking forward to not being able to sleep on my tummy as this is my most favourite of sleeping positions!! And I'm back at the gym exercising and have started some swimming too as my back is getting a little stiff and sore.

Have told work about the pregnancy, so if all goes well my last day will be around 4th June. They took it well! :)

Have a great day!

LBG xx

12 weeks 5 days

1 more week until the official announcement goes out! So excited! We've got our christmas cards printed and they look so cute. A pic of me and hubby with an oval photo of Rupert wearing a christmas santa had super imposed on my belly. Our first family photo!!! Keeping one for the photo album.

Feeling a bit sickly today so just tucking in to some mango and strawberries. Loving the summer fruits available at the moment. Other than that, the tiredness is lifting and I'm feeling human again.

Have a great weekend!

LBG xx

12 weeks 1 day

My little munchkin.... I present you with Rupert!!

Yes he is very cute, even if I do say so myself!

Ultrasound went just great, and our risk of the baby having down's syndrome is 1:13,338 so we are extremely low risk. Big sigh of relief! Rupert was moving so much during the scan. at one point the sonographer kind of jiggled my uterus and he went nuts inside, moving his little arms and legs. So cute! Next scan isn't until the end of January when we find out if its a girl or a boy! How exciting!

thank you so much for everyone who reads and comments on my blog. I accidentally rejected all the comments made recently.

One question I had (from someone I forget their name - so so sorry!!!) - but the question was - do I think I would have been able to lose the weight without the band and the answer is most definitely NO. But it's more than that - it's the fact that I don't have to think about dieting anymore, I don't have the pressure on me that I did before to continuously struggle to lose each kilo. I can eat normally (normal for me now is to have mega small portions!! I feel weird if I have a big plate of food infront of me and I'm used to serving myself small portions on a side plate) and I know what foods I can and can't eat. I love my band. I haven't had any fill taken out for the pregnancy and as a result I've only gained 2kg in 12 weeks!

Mummy update: Yep I'm feeling 10 gazillion times better now that the first trimester is over! The morning sickness has lifted quite a bit and I'm not so tired in the evenings anymore. Was at the gym 3 times last week buring 600 cals per session and I felt fantastic afterwards. Very conscious of my heart rate when I exercise so I am wearing a monitor to ensure that it doesn't go above 150 beats per minute. I'm eating all sorts of fruits and salads (I heart summer!!) and I'm not having any problems with getting stuck or vomiting. But I'm still getting that amazing restriction. Love it! I can also slightly feel my uterus if I palpate above my pubic bone... it just feels really firm. I'm not showing yet, but my pants are tight now so hopefully not too long until I look pregnant and not just fat! *lol*

Hope everyone has a great week! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for leaving your comments! I love receiving them!

Love Love,

LBG xx

11 weeks 2 days

Hello everyone!

I am now 5 days off the 2nd trimester... time sure is flying. I'm also nearly 1/3 of the way through the pregnancy!!! *eek* Rupert will be here before you know it!

I had my doctors appointment last Thursday. Everything went well. Saw Rupert on the ultrasound which was just lovely. Little arms and legs thrashing about, did a big ol' stretch and turned to face the camera (perhaps he knew he was being watched?). My obgyn told me he would be happy if I didn't gain any more weight during the pregnancy. I weighed in at 97kg, which means I've gained 3kg since beginning of September. So, that's my aim - not to gain anymore weight. But I'm not going to go stupid and no eat or get more fill in my band. At the moment my band is still restricting me from eating large meals but I'm able to eat almost all types of foods (salads, veges, fruits in particular) with next to no problems which I am happy with. At the end of the day I'm going to do what is right for a happy and healthy pregnancy. The band is definitely NOT letting me eat for two - lets just put it that way!

Morning sickness has decreased even more over the past week and I'm now back at the gym and doing some nice lovely walks outside. Definitely coming out of the funk I was in and starting to feel like my old self. I'm starting to get a little bit of a bump, but it definitely just looks like I've gotten fatter rather than I'm pregnant! We're trying to keep it a secret until christmas day but it's getting harder and harder not to talk about it to people!

Next ultrasound is booked for 14th December. That's when we will do the Nuchal Transleucency Scan to test for downs syndrome - wish us luck!!! We also will get some photos to take away with us so I'll definitely post them up on my blog for you to see!

Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day!

LBG xx

1/4 of the way through!

Hey all!

Sorry I've been AWOL over the past 2 weeks. Busy at work, not so busy at home but just not wanting to get on the computer when I am home from work.
Not much has happened... I'm still pregnant, now at 9 weeks 6 days today. The Nausea settled down this week and because of that my band is a little less restrictive and I can eat more food. I'm just not all that hungry and when I think about food I feel sick. I'm hungry and nauseous at the same time, I didn't think it was possible!

Haven't been exercising over the past 2 weeks. Really haven't been feeling like it, so tired. Will get into it once I hit the second trimester in 2 weeks, cos thats when I'm meant to be feeling more energetic.

I have an obgyn appointment this thurdsay and I'm hoping I'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. and then in the next couple of weeks we'll get to go for an ultrasound and actually see a properly formed human on the screen! SO EXCITED! :)

I haven't put on much weight and the weight I have put on is more fluid than fat. My boobs have gone up a whole cup size and I'm in a D cup maternity bra now! *eek* The Mat bras are Sooooooooooooooooo much more comfortable than regular bras.. so glad I bought them.
my belly has expanded, although I still look like I've eaten a few too many doughnuts than I'm actually pregnant. None of my regular pants now fit and I seem to be wearing the same 2 pairs of pants for work each week! Looking forward until I am actually showing and look pregnant, rather than just fat... especially when I can't suck my guts in any more!!!

Hope everyone is well in blogland! Will post after my appt this week to let you know how I get on.

LBG xx

7 weeks 2 days!

Hello Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well in Blogland. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Nothing much has been going on other than me putting on weight.... so weird that I'm putting on weight, for the past 2 years I've been losing weight... but I think, it's for a good cause - but it still mucks with me mentally.

My nausea has been pretty constant now, sometimes I even wake up with it. Whoever called it Morning Sickness had no idea what they were talking about. Had my first pregnancy spew yesterday. Today I tried crackers and vegemite for lunch which totally worked. I think I'm just going to have to have light snacks throughout the day rather than trying to manage bigger meals. I start feeling better mid afternoon and need something to eat, but until then I struggle to get water down :(
Band is also pretty tight at the moment, not sure if that is Nausea related. But I think it's because I'm not "working it" by eating regularly.

I had my ultrasound last thursday to date the pregnancy. Was SO COOL to see little Ruperts tiny heart beating. So So cool! Looks like I was slightly out with my dates by around 2 days, so I'm two days closer to meeting my precious bundle!!

Next ultrasound won't be for a while (another 5 weeks or so), at the moment Rupert is just busy growing. he's already 1.3cm!!

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

Into the 6th Week!

Rupert celebrated being 5 weeks yesterday so I'm officially in my sixth week. Rupert is now the size of an orange seed. Starting to feel the nausea a little more and intense tireness. Imagine having a lunch full of carbs and having that crash mid afternoon - now, times that by 100 and that's what it feels like for me from around 10am until I go to bed. The nausea only happens in the morning at the moment and generally goes by mid morning, once I've had something to eat. I've been a little tight with my band over the past couple of days so haven't been able to eat much, so the nausea has lingered a little. Today I'm going to eat little and often and see how that goes.

Still petrified that I'm going to lose the little tiny thing thats growing inside of me. I've heard of so many people having miscarriages right up to week 12, I still have over half way to go until the end of the first trimester when the threat of miscarraiges drops by 98%!! Half of all miscarraiges happen before the woman even finds out she's pregnant, so fingers crossed this little guy (or girl) is stuck in their nice and good and is growing well.

Over the next few weeks is when most of it's organs grow, so it is extremely sensitive to toxins etc.. So I'm being extremely cautious about eating artificial sweetener and caffeine..

Hope everyone is well!

LBG xx

HCG Levels are Positive!

Had a blood test yesterday to test for the pregnancy and the results have come back saying that its positive! I still can't believe it, so surreal! according to the levels it puts me at between 4-5 weeks pregnant which is true as Rupert is now 4 weeks and 4 days old. Almost the size of a sesame seed now. My little bub is growing so fast!! hehe

I have to book in for a 6 week scan in a couple of weeks, that will hopefully show a heart beat. Then it's back to the doctors for another chat and a referral to an OBGYN. I've already selected who I am going to go with, a family friend of my dads who he used to work with. And I've already booked in with the hospital I want to give birth at.

We haven't told many people yet, and we are going to keep it private until Christmas. I'll be nearly 14 weeks then. We're going to let our families know on Christmas day... not sure how we're going to tell them but I don't know if I'll be able to keep the secret that long!!! Good thing is, is that we'll have a proper ultrasound pic which we can copy and give to everyone as chrissy presents! Maybe attach it to a "Keep this date free" card.

Lapband wise - everything is fine. I'm going getting any Morning Sickness yet, just really hungry. I've been trying to eat as healthy as possible although the snacks are getting in there a little. The restriction comes and goes... yesterday I ate 2 bread rolls!!! CRAZY! I'm also very very low in iron, so I've started taking iron supplements.

Have a great weekend :)

LBG xx

4 weeks 1 day

That's how old my little poppy seed sized embryo is right now. Well that's what I've estimated it to be. It's name is Rupert... such a cute name. DH says it reminds him of the cartoon teddy bear, a name we would never give a real child though... but cute for a tiny ball of cells :) This week Rupert is starting to form 3 layers which will eventually become a neural tube - this then develops into the brain and spinal cord. I'm diligently taking my folate and iodine to prevent any defects

I hardly slept a wink last night which didn't help that I was flying to Adelaide for the day today. I'm so tired. I have felt slightly sickly this morning, but nothing major. Also have felt more twinges down in my uterus... so I guess things are happening down there. I'm petrified that Rupert won't stick... so I'm trying not to take much notice of the twinges, but they are pretty constant now.

I rang my fertility specialist this morning and told her I was pregnant. She was thrilled. She said that my progesterone was really high for somebody who just ovulated, so she had an inkling I may have fallen pregnant but of course couldn't tell me that. So now I'm off to my local GP on Friday for a confirmatory blood test. Not sure how long that will take to come through... pray this weekend goes fast!!! Just to clarify, I didn't take ANY medications to help me with this pregnancy... this is o'naturale... but I was supposed to start ovulation stimulating medication this month!! Clomid was the name of the drug.

Band wise I'm doing OK. Just can't get full. Feeling the restriction, but always hungry. Am very conscious of what I can and can't eat now... so no soft cheeses... which I love :(

Thank you for all your beautiful comments. They mean so much! :)

I'll be keeping you all well informed of Ruperts progress :)

LBG xx

I'm Pregnant!!

I'm in SHOCK. Complete Shock. Here I was thinking that it was going to take months to get pregnant and 2 pregnancy tests have confirmed. Now I just have to get to the doctor to get a blood test done to confirm...

So pregnant with a lapband... this will be interesting! I'm due for a fill on 4th November, but now I don't think I should get one... especially if I've got morning sickness.

No symptoms so far... except for some funny feelings down there... kinda like twinges... but not uncomfortable.

Here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy!!!

I am 4 weeks pregnant! Due 29th June 2010 (according to my calculations... I could be wrong!)

LBG xx

So What's Next??

I saw my specialist today and was pleased with the session. With PCOS I have a strange FSH:LH ratio.. which is one of the symptoms. FSH and LH being two femal. The other symptom being irregular periods. Which I also have. I also had a glucose tolerance test which told me whether or not I am insulin resistant. Good news is that I have absolutely NORMAL GTT results, which means I am not at risk for diabetes. The other good news is that I potentially could have ovulated because my oestrogen levels were higher... actually at a level that meant I could have ovulated last week... YAY! So I had further blood tests done today to see what's happening with my hormone levels at this point in time to see if I've ovulated or not.

So where to now? Well, my specialist discussed ovarian stimulation - giving me medication (clomid) to stimulate ovulation and then having timed intercourse around the time of ovulation (hubby is pleased that we have to do the deed at least once every second day, but preferably every day around ovulation.. hehe). Then I have a blood test on day 21 to see what my hormone levels are like (to see if I've ovulated) and if I have, then it's fingers crossed to see if I'm pregnant... OR... if I haven't ovulated then the next cycle the clomid amount is increased... I will start my first cycle at the beginning of next month! :)

Seems simple right?

And on the lap band front, nothing much is happening. Bread is on the menu which is a no no, so I think when I go back to fill doctor I'm going to get more fill put in.. Am loving the extra veges and fruit and salad I'm getting in me, but I'm getting hungry in between meals... which isn't good. But I've almost had a mind switch where I want to eat well for a potential pregnancy... my specialist said that she didn't want me restricting my food intake too much... but I definitely still want to continue to try to lose weight in the meantime.

OK that's it from me for now... will keep you updated!

LBG xx

Trying to eat more carbs

I'm truely trying to eat more carbs, but I'm struggling. Even the wrap that I had for lunch didn't go down and I only ate half. I've got the other half here, which I'll try and attempt in a couple of hours time... managed to get an apple down though!

Will let you know how tomorrow goes!

LBG xx

Carbo Loading?

On Wednesday I have to go for blood tests and a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)... all to do with getting a better idea of what's going on with my and my PCOS. The laboratory where I am getting my bloods done has told me that I need to "Carbo Load" for 3 days prior to my GTT, I guess so that they can get a good idea of if I am insulin resistant (one of the symptoms of PCOS). So tell me, how does one with a LapBand Carbo Load? Seriously? I can't eat bread or pasta and I very rarely eat rice or potatoes... Those foods just don't like my band.. but I don't want to go and eat simple carbs such as sugar, biscuits, ice cream etc (well, I would, but I know that would be absolutely no good for my weight loss..).

I'm going to make a wrap tomorrow for lunch as I made a wrap for lunch today and it went down great, and tomorrow night I'm going to make fish and mashed potoato. I've also bought a crapload of fruit today - mango's, kiwi, watermelon, rockmelon, blueberries - so I'll try and get some fruit in me tomorrow as well. But other than that, that's all I can really think of!

Anyhoo, wish me luck for my tests. I find out the results next Thursday 15th October when I have my next visit to the specialist. I'm hoping that she'll talk more about my ovulating drug option - taking clomid to induce ovulation and hopefully pregnancy. Will keep you posted!

In other news, I've been severly jetlagged from my trip to Germany. it's 8pm and I'm completely wiped and I've been home two days already! I've just been too exhausted to get to the gym - but I will go tomorrow morning! Trip was great, but I totally got fat on European stodge... damn cheese and liverwurst! But, that's OK... I'm OK with it all. I'm now back, and my focus is on eating well for the possibility of falling pregnant in the next few months...

Actually, to tell you the truth, there is a slight (only a very very slight) possibility I could be pregnant now... I've never felt this tired before and I had some "twinges" down there... not sure what it all means, but lets just say that we haven't been careful over the past month... But trying not to read too much into it.. lets just see what the doctor says! :)

(it could just be jet lag and wishful thinking... )

LBG xx

Travelling and the Band

Siepie posted a comment about travelling and the band. How do I cope? what are my experiences?

Well first of all, I didn't get any fill out. I've had this band in long enough to know what I can and can't eat.

When I travel, especially overseas, I am usually lucky enough to travel business class because of work. This means that I get access to a lounge and nice comfy chairs on the flight. When I fly I never feel hungry at the right times so I generally try to eat regularly and I definitely try to drink loads and loads of water. I always have an aisle seat as I have had times where I have needed to PB because I am in a weird sitting position when I eat. Usually on my flights I get offered a 3 course meal. Generally I just have a few bites of each course and a baileys on the rocks to finish (which normally knocks me out cold and I get a bit of sleep!!).

I've had some good flying experiences when having the band. I thank god for my band when I'm in conferences for 5 days as they seem to want us to eat every 2 hours! The band really does help me limit my eating, especially because I LOVE trying new foods.

Hope this helps all you other travellers out there! Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

LBG xx

P.S Jet lag does suck. I was hungry at 3am so I got up and made myself some mashed potato!! Crazy!

Off to Germany!

Hello peoples!

Well it's that time again when I head off to places unknown... Germany! Flight is supposed to leave at 2:30pm today but there has been this most amazing dust storm in Sydney overnight and all flights are grounded, so not even sure if I'll be leaving today!!! Nightmare!!!

Appointment with specialist went well. Basically got to have more tests and a Glucose Tolerance Test in particular to see if I am insulin resistant. She also spoke about putting me on Clomid, which is a drug to help me ovulate. More about that when I get back!

Anyhoo, will try and blog from overseas, but that may not happen as I'm not taking my laptop with me. Will try to twitter and post some piccies from twitter, so follow me : LapBandGirl

And congratulations to TRACEY who gave birth to Kitty, a gorgeous healthy baby girl on 17th September... and she did it with a lap band!!!

LBG xx

WOW! THANK YOU!!

So many people have posted their support for me on my blog, I'm truely amazed. It gives me comfort knowing that I'm not alone with my PCOS. Thank you to everyone! your support means the world.

off to the specialist today to discuss my options for my fertility and treating my PCOS. I'm looking forward to it.

Will let you know how I go!

Meanwhile, I'm off to Germany tomorrow... YAY! Can't wait!

LBG xx

I have PCOS

PCOS = Polycystic Ovarian Sydrome

Basically this means I have many (poly) cysts in my ovaries. The symptoms include irregular periods, inability to lose weight and wacky hormone levels. I have all three - but apparently I have a mild case, and the fact that I've lost 30kg has gone to help it not being all that severe, which I guess is a good thing. It also explains why I haven't been able to lose weight.

I feel relieved that I finally have a reason as to why I have been stuck on this god aweful plateau for the past year. I mean, all you regular followers would know that I exercise like a mad woman 5 days a week and eat within my restriction with a few (but not all that many) treats here and there... now I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don't feel like I'm the one who has failed the band, that it's something that I truely can't control and that it's not my fault! Love it!

So what now? well, since PCOS can cause infertility, I'm going to see a specialist about it on Tuesday as hubby and I are trying to get pregnant. I want to know as much as possible about what I need to do and what needs to be done to give me the best chance at getting pregnant naturally.

So join me on this journey as I start it. I'm scared, but I feel armed and ready to face whatever comes my way.

LBG xx

Stories of hope would be greatly appreciated :)

Good Morning Sundays!

Just a quickie today... went to my favourite greek restaurant last night and the food as always was amazing. My band behaved itself.. perhaps a little too much and I was able to eat all of the food we ordered without any trouble.

This weeks goals:
1. Exercise 5 times
2. Drink at least 1 x 1.25 L bottle of water at work each day
3. Protein Shakes for Breakky on work days.
4. Dinners will be protein veg combos and I WILL stop when I'm full.


Hope you're enjoying my tweets too... I'm getting the hang of this twitter thing!

LBG xx

Hormone Troubles

Since coming off the pill in June 09 I haven't had a period. No, not pregnant, but not sure what the hell is going on. Had a blood test a couple of weeks ago and the result is that I have low Oestrogen and Progesteron levels (the two female hormones that fluctuate throughout the month and are required for a health pregnancy). I'm booked in to have an ultrasound next Tuesday to see what's going on with my insides. Basically they're going to look to see if I have any follicles (or eggs in waiting) in my ovaries, and also to see if I am able to develop naturally a lining in my uterus that could potentially support a growing egg should that egg eventually become fertilised. Confused yet?

Now, since I'm a medical type person (I earnt myself a Masters of Medical Science a couple of years ago and am working in Clinical Trials now).. I've been reading up and analysing what a low hormone means to me. Basically I freaked myself out - as I read that there is a chance that this low hormone combo means I might be in early menopause. Then again, if I have eggs in my ovaries (which the ultrasound should pick up if I do) then I can still get pregnant with a little help from the medical community or I could fall preggers naturally. But I still freaked myself out and am now feeling a little down about the whole thing (well worried mostly and not knowing doesn't help!).

The upside (if you can have an upside) is that my low oestrogen levels are actually preventing me from losing weight. Low oestrogen levels have been associated with weight gain (as you know women going through menopause have the problem with weight gain!)... so there could be an explination as to why I've plateaued so severely over the past year...

Like I said, it's early days... and I'm hoping that everything goes ok next tuesday for my ultrasound. I will discuss my results with my doctor on 21st September, so will let you know how it all goes.

Have a lovely Thursday!

LBG xx

Surprise! Fill time!

Yesterday I had an appointment with lovely Fill Doctor Tony and he gave me more fill. I was also there to review my barium swallow which was all fine. Apparently I'd had a mild pouch dialation earlier on and it's corrected itself - that's why I was having the horredous heartburn.. this I had no idea about - if I had known I probably would have freaked out.

Anyhoo, he put more fill in. 0.25mL in my pouch. Now I have no idea what my fill level is up to .. around 7.5mL or something? Felt it straight away and it felt good! But not too tight. Had a lovely entree salad for lunch yesterday (client lunch so very shi shi poo poo resteraunt down near the base of the harbour bridge in Sydney). Ate it slowly, chewed well, over 30 mins and it went down fine - yet felt the olives (well chewed of course!) sit in my pouch for a bit - so the band is still doings it's job.

Unfortunately, that un-fill I had 8 weeks ago saw me gain 4kg :(.

Devastated? Yep, absolutely. I did not think I'd put on that much weight. I'd also been continually exercising and didn't have any fatty fried foods at all (no maccas, hot chips etc even though I could have eaten all of that shit) yep, my portion levels were definitely higher (1.5-2 cups per serve) and I was hungry inbetween meals - but I did try to stick to high fibre, good carb, good quality snacks - fruits, eggs etc... I really didn't think I went on an 8 week binge and put on 4kg... the scales say otherwise - so lets suck it up and work out a plan for getting the weight off!

So Tony said that I have to stick to 1200cals per day PLUS the exercise that I am doing. So, essentially, when you take away the exercise calories I burn, I will have 700-800 cals a day. Do people survive on that little energy? I'm freaking out cos I don't think I can do it! I get so hungry when I exercise!

The Great Opti Challenge was a complete flop for me. Well, not a totally complete flop - I had a shake for breakky every morning without fail, but that was it. I still ate lunch and dinner and snacks inbetween. So big fail there. Opti isn't for me though... I'm not disiplined enough.

So where to from here peeps? It's all about portion control and timing of the food eating for me. What I did realise when I saw tony yesterday was that when I eat, I get the full feeling - then wait - the food goes down and I don't feel as full so I eat some more. What I should be doing is eat, feel full and then STOP!!! Don't put as much on my plate and as soon as I get that full feeling, don't wait for the food to slip through to make more room - get up and throw the rest away.

I'm also going to start tweeting (www.twitter.com) my food intake. So if you're on Twitter - follow me! User name is: LapBandGirl. The good thing about twitter is that I can upload the tweets straight from my iPhone so I can update from whereever I am, I don't need to be near a computer. I've added a new box on the left of my blog so you can see my daily intake of food. I want you to kick my butt or give me some good positive feedback/criticism on what I am eating. I will be accountable!!!

I really would love to lose 10kg by Christmas. I have 4 months to do this. 2.5kg a month, around 500g a week is DOABLE.

Oh yeah, my blood results didn't come back in time for my appointment with Tony yesterday, so I'm going back to my local GP on Tuesday to chat. Since coming off the contraceptive pill in June I haven't had a period, so I'm not sure what's going on there. I do strongly believe that my hormones are having alot to do with my inability to lose weight, perhaps my thyroid is on the fritz, or I've got PCOS and have insulin resistance? I'll find out on Tuesday and let you know!!

Hope you're having a fab weekend!

LBG xx

Delish Frittata - Here's the recipe

Ingredients:
1 Zucchini, grated
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup spring onions, chopped (I used around 4 sprigs to get this amount)
1 handful baby spinach
1 tablespoon coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon continental parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 cup low fat tasty cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees for fan forced oven.
Lightly spray baking dish with olive oil (optional).
Mix zucchini, mushrooms, onions, spinach, herbs and garlic in a bowl until well combined.
Mix/beat eggs, milk and garlic together. Season with salt/pepper as desired
Add vege mix to baking dish and pour add egg mixture over the top.
Top with cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes in oven or until egg mixture is solid and top is golden brown.
Enjoy!!

The Great Optifast Challenge

... well don't I just suck at it? I've tried so hard to stick to the shakes but I just can't do it! So I'm one shake a day and then protein salad or protein vege mix for lunch and dinner with fruit in between....

Still, I am feeling pretty awesome at the moment and since yesterday have already lost 200g! haha

Other than that, things are chugging along nicely. Wrist is coming good slowly and I'm exercising like a demon (but not as much as Em - 2 hour freak!)

I had a lovely vege frittata for dinner tonight - mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, onion, herbs, egg and some cream with cheese on top. I've got it for lunch tomorrow... Mmmmmmmmm so good and so filling! I only needed a cup and I was full full full. Just drinking some low joule cordial cos I've got some cravings for sugar..

Have a good week peoples!

LBG xx

P.S omg totally cool that I have 62 followers! Do people actually read my blog?!?!

Saturday Rambles..

Just waiting for my hair colour to cook and my face pack to go all crusty.. so I thought I'd get on the computer and catch up on a few things..

I just wanted to firstly say that I accidentaly deleted two people's comments... The Dash and Allie... so so sorry! I love getting your posts, so keep posting and I promise I won't delete the next ones!

I am an exercise machine at the moment! Was at the gym Monday - Friday this week so feeling very proud of myself. Last night I had 2 curry puffs and half a portion of pad see ew noodles with chicken and veg. Didn't finish all of the noodles.. but it was a perfect size! And I was chomping on Broccoli, beans and snow peas, not to mention the freshly stir fried chicken.. YUM! How good is Thai food?

Other than that... I'm off to Europe on 23rd September for a week and a half for work. Going to Berlin for 5 days for a meeting and then to the UK for a couple of days to catch up with some friends. Looking forward to that! Get back at the beginning of October.

Then... and this is pretty exciting stuff - Hubby and I are going to start trying for a baby! OMG freaking out - but in a good way! November is the start date... and then we'll see how we go! I doubt I'll fall preggers straight away, but it's nice to get excited about this... something I've definitely been thinking about since I got married... something hubby has been dreading since we got married - but he's getting used to the idea.

Actually, it's hubby's birthday today and I think him turning another year older has made him realise that we need to start thinking about the next stage of things...

Have a lovely weekend everyone and thanks for reading!!!

LBG xx

P.S. Opti Challenge starts on Monday! Thanks Bridget for the kick up the pants I needed :)

Back to Pump!

So this week is my first week back at Pump class (weight training class) since I broke my wrist. I am possibly on the lightest weights ever pumped in the history of pump, but omfg I am sore as fuck! My wrist held up against the different exercises - sorest most during the chest and bicep track. I Pumped on Monday and again today - I managed to push through the aches in my legs and chest and get to the gym for 50 mins cardio both Tuesday and Wednesday - and I honestly think that because I kept on moving and exercising when I really wanted to be in bed that my legs recovered more quickly and I was able to do pump this morning..

Finally feel like I'm back on the bandwagon with my exercise! My eating on the other hand has left alot to be desired. I had alot of rice yesterday evening for dinner... I felt like I needed a massive carb hit, was so so fatigued! I'm feeling it today though - very bloated! I definitely ate more than I should be eating for a bandit.. yet when I eat veges and fruit I feel the restriction quite quickly, which makes me think that I've got a good fill level in at the moment. I'll chat with Mr Fill doctor next week about it and see what he thinks.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Thursday... one more day until the weekend!!

LBG xx

Sis knows!

When we went I met my family for brunch on Sunday, me and lil sis had a quiet chat about it. I basically said "Have you talked to Tony yet?" and she said "What about?" and I said, "You know.." and she said "Yes".

We had a few words about it at Mum and Dad's. She even felt my port. She has not told a single soul, and I am so pleased. She said she had her own thoughts about me not telling the family and she understands why... Sis wants to come over to my place in the next couple of weeks to talk more about it. But for now, I'm real proud of how professionally and maturely she has taken it! I underestimated her! I'll keep you posted on what happens :)

On another note - a few comments have come through on my blog commenting on the amount of exercise I do. I truely don't do all that much - maybe 45 mins - 1 hour - 5 days a week... I do Spin twice a week, Cardio a couple of times and Pump class maybe one or two times a week. I wish I had time to do more! Like do a full hour of cardio and then an hour of upper or lower body weights. Or have the time to do a double class which I sometimes do on Saturday (as I have the time!!). I like spin because in 45 mins I burn 500 cals and I know that it's intense exercise in a short period of time. I like pump because I workout every part of my body with weights for an hour.

Perfect restriction at the moment - loving that I can eat most things and be full after half a sandwich chock full of salad greens and protein. Or some protein and loads of vege for dinner, feeling full and not going back in search of more food in the evening... or not enjoying my food because it's too hard to eat.

Doctors appointment on Monday for bloods and then back to fill doctor on September 4th for checkup.

Have a good day!

LBG xx

What a week!

I had a bitch of a week at work this week. It was just TOUGH. I had some really nice catch-ups with a couple of ex-work colleagues which made it a little easier. There is this one Doctor I'm dealing with at the moment (for my job) that is a right rude asshole. He thinks that because he's freaking doctor that he can treat me like shit... and while I was starting to get upset about the way he was treating me, by Friday I'd come to the realisation that I can only do my job, and as long as I keep my end of the workload then I am doing the best that I can.. end of the day, if he doesn't pull his weight and get his end of the work done it's on his shoulders, and I think he knows that... So I keep everything professional, don't let my frustrations or anger come through on e-mail or through my voice, even though I know he is pushing me to see how far I'll go before I snap... that's just not going to happen.

Exercising this week has definitely helped somewhat. I didn't do exactly what I said I'd do for exercise this week. I wasn't very confident with my wrist so I didn't go to pump. So here's what I did instead:

Monday 6am: Cardio 50 mins 550cal
Tuesday 6:15am: Spin 45 mins 500cal
Wednesday 6am: Cardio 50 mins 550cal
Thursday 6am: Cardio 50 mins 550cal
Friday: Break
Saturday 8:30am: Spin 45 mins 500cal
Sunday: will be going for a leisurely bike ride for a couple of hours or so.

So while I said I was going to exercise every day this week, I took friday off because I was starting to get a little fatigued and needed a rest day. And I don't feel too guilty about it!

Going out for breakky with my family tomorrow. My sister finally got a job as a solicitor and she's moving 3 hours north for the job, so it's time to celebrate - she's 28 and still living at home, so it's a pretty massive deal. Other sister, who knows about the band, but hasn't come to me about it yet, will also be there - so she'll probably be looking at everything I eat... Part of me wants her to come to me and talk to me about it... part of me doesn't. We'll see what happens!

Other than that, all is well with me. My barium swallow scans came back and all is fine. I have "mild to moderate" restriction which is perfect!

Hope you all have a lovely weeked!

LBG xx

Exercise - Just Do It!

That's going to be my mantra for this week. Now that the cast is off my arm and I'm feeling stronger again, I've got to start getting back to the gym and getting back to that level of fitness I was at before I broke my wrist.

Unfortunately, love it or hate it, exercise is just one of those things that you have to do for weight loss. Sometimes I love it, and some times I despise it. Yet I know that at the end of each exercise session I feel fan-fucking-tastic! My back hurts less, I sleep better, my skin is clearer, I have more energy and I feel more alert and awake during the day.

So this week I'm going to do exercise every day. I'm going to go back to Pump tomorrow morning (Monday) which should be interesting considering my wrist is still a little weak - I'm going to start on the lowest possible weights and see how I go. Tuesday and Thursday will be Spin Classes at 6:15am, Wednesday and Friday will be an afternoon cardio / weights session, Saturday will be my usual Spin/Pump combo and Sunday I'm going for a bike ride!

Went for a barium swallow on Friday - that was interesting. I got to see what the band did inside me. I'd never actually seen it before. It was COOL! The radiologist said that it looks to be working fine and not stretched or dialated, which I had feared considering my reflux prob I had. Doctors appointment for bloods on 31st August and then surgeon/fill doctor appointment on 4th September. I'm thinking I might need a touch of fill in... I'm feeling hungry between meals and I'm getting stomach growls occasionally. However, I do love the fact that I can eat veges and fruit so I'm in two minds at the moment..

Battery on the scales is out at the moment, so can't weigh myself... not sure if that's a good thing!!

Have a great Sunday!

LBG xx

Taking back the control

Yesterday I was going through some old random photos on the computer and I came across one of my feet on the scales saying "84.3kg" The lowest weight I have been since having the band. Sadly, over the past year I have put on 6kg and am now at around 90kg. I was thinking about what I was doing differently that I'm not doing now, and one thing I do remember doing is tracking what I was eating. It was making me aware of what I was putting into my mouth, how many calories everything had and what exercise I was doing to keep the weighloss going. So I'm going to start logging everything again on www.calorieking.com.au.

The scales have officially died, and need new batteries, so I don't know what I weigh at the moment, but all my clothes feel a tad looser.. which is a good thing as they were starting to feel a little snug there!

Gym tonight, just a cardio workout and perhaps a light weighs session to help strengthen my wrist and tomorrow morning I'll go for my usual 6:15am spin class! I'm not relishing the thought of getting up at 5:30am when I've just had 6 weeks of waking up at 6:30am! But, that's something I've just got to do if I want any hope of shifting this weight!

Just wanted to also make a quick shout out to all of the North Americans who seem to frequent my blog, I love seeing all the funky places everyone comes from on my blog roll! Keep on visiting! :)

Have a great monday!

LBG xx

Omlettey Goodness

Sunday Morning Omlette time! I love it when I have a lazy Sunday morning. Up at 10am after a good nights sleep, quick shower and then into the kitchen. Omlettes, I have to say, are perfect for Bandits. Especially when they're made with Avocado and cheese! My omlette had the following ingredients:

2 Eggs (with yolk)

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/4 avocado chopped

1/4 tomato chopped

1 slice of spanish onion chopped

1/2 cup low fat tasty cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste (I use garlic salt for a bit of extra kick)

So you mix the eggs and milk with the salt and pepper, heat up a non stick fry pan, add the egg mixture to the heated pan, cook for a minute or so and then add all the veges... Then sprinkle the cheese on top and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until egg is cooked and the mixture doesn't wobble if you shake the pan. Fold over and serve!

I could only eat half... here it is!

Soooooooo freaking good! Unfortunately it doesn't do well as leftovers... so no point putting the rest in gladwrap and heating it up later on.. .it goes all rubbery!

The best part is that I feel wonderfuly full! I love my band!

Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday!

LBG xx

I heart Thai Food!

So normally when i have Thai food I just get a bit of curry sauce and some rice... not much fun in that eh? Last night I thought I might try something a bit adventurous and get a Pad See Ew (flat rice noodles, chicken and stirfry vegetables with sauce). We got take away and the serving size was pretty massive, so I put myself a small bowl chocked full with stirfried veges (broccoli, carrot, snowpeas, bok choy etc), some noodles and a few pieces of chicken - about a cups worth of food I would guess looking at it. I didn't hold out much hope that I would get more than a couple of bites down...

Oh my effing God!! I'd forgotten how good crunchy stirfried vegetables tasted.. I was in FLAVOUR HEAVEN! 30 mins later and the bowl was empty and I was pleasantly full... the band is doing it's job!!

I love it when that happens!

Spin class this morning, loved it. Had oodles of energy. Gym last night as well for an hour. Slowly getting back on track!

Have a great weekend!

LBG xx

I heart food

I forgot how much I loved cooking and fresh good food. I cooked a spaghetti bolagnase tonight and had a bit of pasta which I managed to get down no problems. For a long time I wasn't putting the effort into cooking because I knew I wouldn't enjoy it or taste it a second time anyway!! No PB'ing since I got the fill taken out - not once! I definitely have more energy now and I'm eating loads of veges salads and protein. I've made a lovely salsa for lunch tomorrow which I'm going to have with Turkey breast... Mmm!

My sister still hasn't approached me regarding her new found knowledge. I'm not going to say anything and just carry on as normal. Weird thing is, is that she knows I know, and I know she knows... so not sure what's going to happen the next time we see each other!!

In other news.. my cast comes off tomorrow. So excited because it means I can step up the exercise again! YAY! No boxing though... :(

So all is well in my world! Hope all is well in yours!

LBG xx

P.S I've rebooked my barium swallow just to check that all is working correctly in there. 14th August. Bloods will be taken 31st August and I have my next appointment with my surgeon on 4th September. We'll decide then if I need more fill in or if I can stay as is. At the moment, my level of fill is pretty good... I really don't want to go any tighter.. The restriction level is perfect!

It's not a secret any more...

So first of all... YAY for my unfil. OMG I love my band surgeon. He is the loveliest guy on the face of this planet.. Took out 0.7mL and the difference is AMAZING. I drank a whole bottle of water on the way home... total 180 from this morning when I couldn't even drink more than half a cup of tea. YAY! Feeling sooooooooo much better already..

So, here is the story. My sister works at the Circle of Care in Baulkham hills where I got my surgery. She works in the clinical trials department and so technically doesn't really work with the lapbanding patients. Well, she found my clinic notes. So she knows...
I knew this was inevitable, since I introduced her to the clinic when I found out that they were looking for clinical research assistants, so I always knew that there was a good possibility that she would find out.. but it's finally happened. My wonderful surgeon is going to talk to my sister (being her boss he probably has some sort of influence!) about the issue of confidentiality..
I'll let you know if she ends up coming to me about it!!

Thanks everyone for your messages of support through my struggle. I have a feeling things will get better now. Even with more people knowing about the band, it might give me the freedom to eat the way I want to eat rather than trying to hide it.

*mwah*

LBG xx

Night Reflux

I had a crap night's sleep last night. I had to sleep propped up and kept on waking up choking on my own vomit... bleh. So I got around 3 hours sleep...

So unfil tomorrow... YAY! I don't think my band has slipped... but they will probably get me to have a barium swallow to check.

Check in with you all tomorrow!

LBG xx

Still pretty crap!

Heartburn is still going, it's continuous now... and I really can't eat much at all. Today I've had... let's see... 2 sips of a hot chocolate, half a cup of water, a small chai latte and swig of mylanta... I don't see anything solid there!
I've managed to get an appointment with the clinic on Friday 31st. So only 2.5 more days of this crap!

Hope all is well with everyone else :)

LBG xx

Heartburn and Struggles

Hi All,

Thanks for your comments! I've continued to struggle this week and now I'm waking up during the night with horrendous heartburn, so have booked a visit with the clinic for an unfill on Friday. I know it's becoming a problem when I can't even drink half a berocca and nurse an up and go in the morning for 2.5 hours! I'm only having one meal that is solid, but even then, it's a very slippery solid if you know what I mean:

BF - Up and go - usually that ends up in the toilet or drunk over 2-3 hours
L: half a cup of soup eaten over 30 mins (seriously, I can't eat anything else - not even half a sandwich or left overs etc)
AT: Chai latte or another hot drink - yesterday I didn't even finish half of it!
Dinner: Mini Quiche or 2 tbsp risotto or a can of baked beans or a cup of vege soup - eaten over 30-40 mins
Supper: A couple of biscuits or some chocolate or some ice cream (cos I know at least that's going to go down!!)

The problem is, is that I physically can't drink between meals, so I'm feeling so so dehydrated and to top it off, I'm now getting nightly bouts of heartburn where I'm waking up choking! Thank goodness for Mylanta!! I'm definitely not getting enough protein and there is absolutely NO fruit or vege in my diet at the moment.

This isn't what it was supposed to be like. I'm CRAVING salad and veges and fish and chicken... I look at menus and I just want a massive salad... My mouth is watering at the thought of a mixed green salad, with roasted pumpkin, pinenuts, feta and grilled chicken or smoked salmon... YUM!!

So it's off to the clinic for Friday... Im going to ask for some fill out.

Cast is still on, I get it off 10 days! Can't wait! Did a spin class last Saturday with my cast on. My arm did swell up a bit, but nothing too major, and felt great afterwards!

Hope you all have a lovely day! Thanks for reading.

LBG xx

Band Tightness

Fuck my band annoys me sometimes. I'm really struggling with food at the moment. I can't eat anything without adding something (like a sauce or mayo) to make it more "slippery" which is what I know I shouldn't be doing. I struggle with pureed fruits and yoghurt - it feels like it just sits there for what seems like forever. The pressure in my chest gets so uncomfortable. I've started having cup of soups for lunch because it's the only think I can eat "quickly" with my colleagues without raising eyebrows. When I go out for lunch I am literally limited to SOUP. If I can't order soup I make some excuse that I'm not hungry and just order coffee. I went out with my bestie for lunch yesterday - she had a lovely looking salad, and I had a cup of potato and leek soup. And even then a couple of times I thought I might of had to excuse myself to find a bathroom...

Yet my fill hasn't changed since January of this year! I'm going to talk to my fill doctor next month and ask if I should have some fill taken out or just leave it. I just feel like I'm missing out on all the good stuff.. all the healthy foods, salads, vege, proteins etc. And Im becoming more conscious of my diet now that I'm reading into conception and fertility. I am still taking Berocca performance every day, so I know my vit and min intake is well covered...

Im just a little jacked off with the whole thing. Not only can I not eat, I'm not losing weight on what I am eating!! (and I know it's because I get jack of trying to eat normal food that I go to icecream, chocolate and adding sauce to everything to try and get it down).

Rant Over.

LBG xx

TGIF!!

OMG what a week - horrendous! Ok so not that bad, I'm exaggerating slightly. Food wise I was as tight as a cats bum... when I say I can't eat, it really means that I am probably eating the correct portion sizes but fat me is thinking that Im not eating enough! I can eat around 1 cup of food at a time - perfect right? Mornings are still the worse time for me to eat. I just cant get much down at all. I was struggling with my Berocca this morning and sipping for a medium hot chocolate for 20 mins! I had half a bowl of soup and a cookie for lunch and some chocolate mid afternoon, thats it!

Oh yeah, and I've gone off the pill (in preparation for babies) and I know that my change in hormone levels would have something to do with it all. I must admit, I'm feeling alot less bloated since coming off the pill. Time will tell..

Nothing planned for this weekend. Just wondering what to have for take away friday night tonight. I'm thinking curry puffs, or some butter chicken and rice (a cup full, I can't eat more than that!).

Hope all is well in your world. promise to catch up with all of your blogs tomorrow!!

Love and Hugs

LBG xx

Still doing OK!!

I didn't realise that I'd posted Doing OK as my heading twice! Where is my head??!

Wrist is healing fine, got a fibreglass cast on Monday so able to exercise and swim!! WooHoo! Went to the gym monday night and went on the treadmill... felt GOOD!

Haven't been doing too well with foods recently. Have been SUPER tight. Have been HATING going out for meals (or even eating with friends/colleagues etc) as I just can't eat anything. People must think I'm so picky!

My aunties called mum once I got back from the UK concerned that I was an anorexic because I wasn't eating much while with them!! How terrible!

Anyhoo, things are well. nothing much to report... hope all is well in blogland!! Will catch up on blogs now.

Much love,

LBG xx

Doing OK!

Wrist is healing well, walking to and from the train station to work as I can't drive at the moment - so at least I'm getting some exercise. The walk home last weekend was lovely, I can't wait to do it again next saturday, hope the weather is nice.

Thanks for all your well wishes guys!

LBG xx

Doing OK!

Thanks for all your messages of support guys! Really means alot to me... I'm doing OK, feeling a little sorry for myself, but back at work and getting on with things. I'm busting to get some exercise in, so am thinking of going for a walk tomorrow morning... will take it real easy, but really want to get the blood flowing and just move!

LBG xx

I broked myself!

So I've got a broken wrist! How you might ask? I tripped and fell... landed on my wrist.. heard a crack.. simple as that! 6 weeks in a cast and possible surgery if the second x-ray shows a displacement. I'm in a splint at the moment - basically a plaster cast that hasn't been completely closed and wrapped with crepe bandage. Allows for any further swelling and can be taken off quickly if I get any further pain or swelling in my hand that cuts off blood circulation etc. What does that mean? 6 weeks no gym.. just walking once I get my fibre glass cast on next week.. and no boxing for up to 6 months!!! Devastated!!!

Postponed all my dr appointments and tests like the barium swallow until the cast comes off.. I can't drive to get to any of them.

Feeling the need for some serious comfort eating peoples!!

Keep you posted on any developments.. This one handed typing is so slow!!

Love LBG xx

Back to it!

So it's Wednesday and I am still suffering from that pump class I so eagerly attended on Monday morning. I haven't been able to walk properly - so no spin or boxing for me. I've also felt really run down (probably the last 2 weeks catching up with me) and have been resting up on the couch when getting home from work. probably what I need at the moment. I've also found that I've been really tight at the moment so haven't been eating all that much either.

Back on the protein bandwagon and trying to cut down on processed carbs which is harder than it looks considering that it's the protein/veg which are the "struggle" foods for me. I'd much prefer some mashed potato or soft sloppy rice than salad! Must remember how to eat.. chew chew chew!

Barium Swallow next Wednesday and bloods drawn on Thursday, then clinic visit on 10th July!

Love LBG xx

Jet Laaaaaaaaaaaaaag...

So tired today.. so very tired. Returned home yesterday morning, but couldn't hold it together enough to stay away so snoozed on and off on the couch for 5 hours yesterday! Managed to get a bit of sleep yesterday night, but was still awake in the wee hours of the morning. Fab trip though, looking forward to going back in September!

Weighed in today... not pretty. 91.4kg

Not to worry. Back on the wagon today. Even managed to get to 6am pump this morning!

Love Love,

LBG xx

Almost home..

Just hanging out at Hong Kong airport. I've got around 4 hours to kill and I'm dead tired from my overnight flight from Barcelona.

The trip was pretty damn amazing. First I was in Frankfurt for a couple of days for a meeting. While I didn't get to see much of Germany, I did love what I did see of Frankfurt. Then hopped on a plane (oh so easy!) to get to the UK where my relatives live. Loved every second spent with them, although man did they try to feed me! Didn't do too well food wise. The first day I was there my Aunt put the most massive english breakfast infront of me. I ate a couple of spoonfuls of the baked beans and a couple of mushrooms and had to apologise that I couldn't eat the rest. She felt so bad for not asking me how much I wanted, she just expected that I would have a healthy appetite.. then dinner was organised for that evening with all the family. Luckily it was serve yourself so I managed to deal myself a smaller portion and just eat what I could. Sunday I went for a pub lunch (bad bad bad place to go if you've got a band...). Luckily just as we were looking at the menu we got called over to a garden party that my cousins were at, so we skipped lunch and headed over where they had nibbles instead. On Monday I visited a friend in Bournemouth and then headed up to London in the afternoon arriving around 4pm. Caught the tube (an amazing experience!!) to Embankment station where I had dinner with one of my cousins. The resteraunt was called "Ping Pong" it was this amazing dumpling resteraunt. The problem was, there were three of us and the servings were 3 portions on a plate... and since the people i was with were starving they ordered 12 plates!!! I would of been happy with 1 portion from 3 plates... *sigh* so ended up visiting the bathroom a couple of times that evening... but the food was really amazing.
Next was on to Barcelona. Arrived Tuesday evening and went out to tea with some English colleagues I'd befriended on the ride from the airport to the hotel. I shared a Paella with one of the girls (which was great cos it was like risotto and way too much for even 2 people!!). Then at conference for 3 days where we just seemed to be constantly eating. Only a couple of times did I need to visit the bathroom, most of it was buffet food so I could put food on to small plates, have a bite and then get up and go for more food....
One Gem I did find while in Spain was Fanta Naranga (Orange Fanta). Not like our fanta that is sickly and sweet. This orange fanta was amazing, so refreshing with loads of ice... unfortunately it was quite high in Cals (around 100 cals / bottle). Left Barcelona yesterday (Friday evening) and did a 2 hour leg to Zurich and then a 11 hour leg to Hong Kong. Food on the plane was "meh". Wasn't really all that hungry to be honest. Had a couple of glasses of this gorgeous swiss red and watched a couple of movies before drifting off at around 2:30am...
Funnily enough I'm really hungry now, and am going to go off in search of this amazing soup place at HK airport where I've eaten before. I've got a craving...

13 hour to go until I'm back on home turf. This trip has defitely got my travel juices flowing... and I think I'll be talking to hubby about the possibility of a sea change to the UK while we're still young!!

LBG xx

Hungry at the weirdest times

So I'm in Germany right now for a meeting and am getting hungry at the weirdest times. Like 4am for example (which would be lunch time in Sydney). And then I'm so not hungry at lunch! Band has been playing nice. No PB's since I left Sydney. I have been enjoying Chocolate while over here ... but surprisingly I haven't been going nuts. I have eaten at Burger King since I've been here. I've found these most AMAZING chilli cheese nuggets which are so delicious. Imagine deep friend cheese, jalepenos and batter... and it's in a snack size so perfect for me!

Off to the UK this evening to spend 3 days with my relatives while I am in between meetings. Next Tuesday I fly down to Spain for a 3 daymeeting and then start the looooooooooooong 30 hour trip back to Sydney.

Off to Breakfast!

LBG xx

Happy Birthday Queeny!

Loving this June long weekend... celebrated my 1 year wedding anniversary yesterday.. Love the fact that it's Sunday today and I've got tomorrow off too! And I love even more that on Tuesday I'm flying out to Germany. WooHoo!

So... curious if I ate the curry puffs? Yep. I got them, and I got Pad Thai. And as I predicted, the curry puffs made me so full that I had maybe 1 small mouthful of Pad Thai and that was it. What a waste of money! Stupid brain with it's stupid cravings. Actually, the Pad Thai wasn't as good as I remember it.. but the curry puffs were! So next time I feel like Thai I'm going to just order the curry puffs and enjoy them.. I don't need anything else except the entree sized serving. I just keep forgetting that... 2.5 years in and I still keep forgetting!!!

Still travelling on the no chocolate train.. it's not hard.. truely it's not. And it's probably saved me from thousands of empty calories that I probably would have otherwise ingested. Yesterday when I went to the movies with hubby for our anniversary, he ordered a malteser frappe.. I would normally have "tried" it a couple of times.. he also bought some chocolate for the movie, I had some lollies and some crisps.

However, going away I'm starting to think that I postpone my chocolate challenge until I return. This trip will be amazing and I want to enjoy every part of it, including chocolate! I'm in two minds about it. I was thinking that when I leave Australian soil, all bets are off. C'mon peoples!! I'm travelling business on Swiss Air.. the country of excellent chocolate..

Exercise this week has been fabulous..

Monday - pump 450 cals
Tuesday - Spin 550 cals
Wednesday - Boxing 600 cals
Thursday - Pump 450 cals
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday - Spin 550 cals
Sunday - Walk at 2pm with KLM (1 hour I'll burn around 600 cals I reckon)

Tomorrow I'm going to do a step/pump combo, tuesday morning I'll go to an early morning spin class then I'm off for 2 weeks with no routine exercise. I plan to bring my trainers and some gym clothes with me, but I don't know what my chances are going to get in a workout.. but I will try.

Have a great long weekend all!!

LBG xx

Cravings!!!

So Friday night is take away night in my household. Hubby is out for dinner with some mates, so I'm just chilling at home. I have a massive CRAVING for Pad Thai.. and these curry puffs that you get from my local Thai take away... I can't stop thinking about this damn curry puffs.. it's making mouth water.

So what do I do? I know I'll get 2 bites in and be full... but I'm feeling the head hunger badly today. I think I just want the taste of it.. that's all.

Damn you curry puffs!!!

LBG xx

Chillaxing..

I took today off work. I really needed it. I'm just chilling with my hubby at home cos he's actually sick today. Looks like he's got sinusitus or something like that. Funny really, he's been sick twice in 3 weeks and I've been around him all that time and I haven't caught anything from him. My immune system must be rockin!

I'm coming up to TTOM and I always retain some fluid the week before. I'm at 90.4kg today but really do feel "thinner" than that.. I will be skipping my next visit with Aunt Flow as I'll be overseas during that time. I'll be out of my routine while I'm overseas so not sure how it's going to go while I'm away. I know that I don't eat properly while I'm away because the foods aren't band friendly but I won't be exercising like a mad person while I'm away. I hope to get a couple of hotel gym session in, but realistically I don't think that's going to happen.

I'm off to Germany, UK and Spain for work for 2 weeks leaving next Tuesday... Can't wait!!!

LBG xx

P.S. 2 weeks with no chocolate!!! WooHoo!!

Oh the pain!!

Fuck I am in AGONY today... the whole tops of my shoulders and the middle of my back is so SORE! Bloody PT session. She made me do boxing and alot of it at that. I had to do alot of hook reps and I can feel it today. I also was made to to tricep dips inbetween... great session, but fuck I'm sore today. I did however make it to Pump this morning. I don't think I'd complete woken up by the time I started the class and now I am starting to feel it.

Whinge over!!

Protein today will be in the form of:

Protein Porridge for Breakky - 35g protein
1 boiled egg - 7g protein
50g chicken breast - 8g protein
Yoghurt - 7g protein
Quiche - 10g

Weigh in this week was at 90.4kg. I put a skirt on this morning and it felt noticably looser.... I'm happy with that at the moment.. :)

Have a good week.

LBG xx

Protein Power!

I kept a food diary this week on the request of my personal trainer.. I am down on my protein intake every day. Way way down. Even when I have a protein shake in the morning, I'm still missing out on around 25-50% of the protein amount I should be having with the types of exercises I am doing. So this week it's going to be more of a focus around protein. So, I've made a list of the types of proteins that I'm going to try and consume this week:

1. Eggs - My PT has told me to have 2 eggs every day, but just the whites, not the yolks ...
2. Cottage Cheese - This one is hit and miss with me. I'll buy a small one and see how it goes but I really have to be in the mood for it
3. Protein Powder - just bought myself a big tub of the Protein Whey Isolate that I can mix with different things or just have as a protein shake on it's own. 30g of the powder is 25g pure protein and 100 cals. I added it to Porridge this morning and it's been 2 hours and I'm still really full.
4. 50g portions of chicken and ham. You can get these at the supermarket already prepackaged so all you have to do is snap one apart and you're good to go!
5. Fish - I'm loving Atlantic Salmon at the moment, so I'm going to have this baby at least once this week... a little pricey so I'll see how I go.. maybe twice.
6. Lentils - a good source of secondary proteins if I don't feel like any animal protein. I added lentils to my vege soup last night and it really bulked it up - and hubby didn't have a clue I put any in there !! hehe

My PT has said that because I'm doing 3 resistance training sessions and 3 tough cardio sessions a week I should be consuming way more protein that I am... So that's the aim for this week.

This week was a great exercise week:

Monday Pump 60 mins (450 cals)
Tuesday Spin 45 mins (550 cals)
Wednesday Boxing 60 mins (600 cals)
Thursday Pump 60 mins (400 cals)
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday Spin 45 mins (550 cals)
Sunday PT session 60 mins (620 cals)
Total time: 5 hours 30 mins
Total cals: 3170 cals

Next week I'm planning on the following exercise sessions:

Monday Pump 6am
Tuesday Spin 6:15am
Wednesday Boxing 6am and MAYBE 6:30pm pilates
Thursday Pump 6am
Friday Rest
Saturday Spin 8:30am
Sunday PT sessions 9am

OK, that's all from me this weekend. I'm off to read some blogs, then it's off to Bunnings!

LBG xx

No Chocolate - Week 1 !

I have not had chocolate in 1 week and 1 day... and it's been super easy.

TGIF!

LBG xx

Cracked the 80's!

All my hard work is paying off... 89.9kg flickered on the scales this morning! Very happy as my hard work is paying off!!

Today we're having a biggest morning tea at work... I've got 50g of ham and a tub of frut I'm going to have instead of what's on offer. I'm not going to let the 80's slip back through my fingers again!! It's been too long since I've seen that number!!!

Have a great day!

LBG xx

Conferences and the Band don't mix

I hate going to conferences... the food they have there is plentiful and amazing. Yesterday I was at a one day conference. I did a spin class in the morning, drank a protein shake on the train at around 7:30am... Conference started at 9am and morning tea wasn't until 11:15am. By that time I was hungry. There were mini quiches on offer, so I had one... but because I was hungry, my bite was too big, I didn't take the time to chew and it ended up in the toilet bowl. This PB made me a little sore and so I knew I had to be careful with my food intake. Lunch was an amazing buffet... but since I knew I'd have troubles with my band I stuck to rice and butter chicken sauce.. slippery and wet. No good... that ended up in the toilet also. I gave up on Lunch and had a cup of tea. Mid afternoon was just another cup of tea as muffins were the only thing on offer... I even had to skip out on our conference dinner and fake a headache because I couldn't be bothered trying to explain to people that I wasn't hungry and them asking me question after question. Even at lunch today I had one person comment that I was a "sparce eater". Drives me nuts! Why don't people comment on those people who eat TOO MUCH food. Like is it that weird that my portions resemble that of a 2 year old child? Maybe to the average person it does, but to me it's totally normal now.. very very frustrating!!!
So instead of dinner I made myself a strawberry milkshake with ice cream and had that instead.

I got a comment from KLM today saying that I looked like i'd lost more weight. Thanks buddy! However, I have not... I'm doing a crap load of exercise, started back on the weights.. but my weight is at 90.1kg.. I'm starting to think that maybe it's something else that is holding back my weight loss... so I'm having some blood tests done and will discuss these with my doctor in July. My mother had an inactive thyroid, and that's genetic.. so I'm starting to think that maybe it could be something like that where my Thyroid has packed it in and that's why my metabolism isn't as fired up as it should be. I mean, you should see me at the gym - I'm not one of these people who walk on the treadmill for half an hour reading a magazine... I go there and I sweat for 45-60mins and burn 500-700cals per session. I just think I should be seeing more results than what is happening to me now...

So I'm going to give it a good go with my exercise until my next appointment, keep tracking my food intake and go to the doctor with this information and see what else can be done..

Have a great hump day!

LBG xx

More about me..

A survey I borrowed from Melanie..

1. First thing you wash in the shower? My Hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?Brown
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes.
4. Do you plan outfits? Sometimes, but it always changes after I put it on..
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? A little fatigued
6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red? my jumper I'm wearing
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I didn't dream last night
8. Did you meet anybody new today? No
9. What are you craving right now? Sleep/Rest
10. Do you floss? No... but I know I should
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? the mouthfeel of it... bleh
12. Are you emotional? I keep things quiet and it slowly bubbles until I either forget about it or I explode..
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? No
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I eat it every way I possibly can..
15. Do you like your hair? I wish it was longer and thicker
16. Do you like yourself? Sometimes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Hell no, I wouldn't be able to get back those 2 hours of my life!
18. What are you listening to right now? Foxtel Radio
19. Are your parents strict? No, I have to admit they are pretty cool peeps!
20. Would you go sky diving? I would love to have the guts to go.. but I don't. I hear the experience is like nothing else..
21. Do you like cottage cheese? I have moments when I crave it and eat it out of the tub, and other times when a tub will sit in the fridge for weeks
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Not really..
23. Do you rent movies often? No. Foxtel
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? Just my wedding / engagement rings :)
25. How many countries have you visited? Loads.. but so many places I haven't been!
26. Have you made a prank phone call? No
27. Ever been on a train? Yes..
28. Brown or white eggs? bit of a, bit of b.. as long as they're not rotten!
29.Do you have a cell phone? Yes but in Australia we call is a "mobile"
30. Do you use chapstick? When I remember to... I admire people who seem to subconsciously put it on!
31. Do you own a gun? does a glue gun count?
33. Who are you going to be with tonight? My hubby!
34. Are you too forgiving? No, probably not forgiving enough!!
5. Ever been in love? Absolutely!
37. Ever have cream puffs? Yes, in japan.. they were freaking awesome! I can't eat them now.. thank god.. otherwise I would be a cream puff!!
38. Last time you cried? February 5th
39. What was the last question you asked? Can I get you anything?
40. Favorite time of the year? Winter
41. Do you have any tattoos? Yes... 3
42. Are you sarcastic? at times..
43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? Yes... it's a good movie too!
44. Have you ever walked into a wall? Perhaps when drunk I might have done something similar..
45. Favorite color? Turquoise
46. Have you ever slapped someone? Yep
47. Is your hair curly? No
48. What was the last CD you bought? Wayne Brady CD.. can't remember the name
49. Do looks matter? I hate to say it, but yes..
50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? Depends.. I think I could forgive, but never forget, which would probably be the undoing of us in the end..
51. Is your phone bill sky high? Nope
52. Do you like your life right now? Yes.. I'm in a good place right now..
53. Do you sleep with the TV on? Nope
54. Can you handle the truth? Most of the time..
56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? I'd have to say yes..
57. How often do you talk on the phone? Not too often
58. The last person you held hands with? Hubby
59. What are you wearing? PJ pants, grey top and red warm jacket.. so stylish!!!
60. What are your favorite top 3 animals? Rainbow Lorakeet, Beagle, Polar Bear
61. Where was your default picture taken? Home
62. Can you hula hoop? I can Wii Fit hula hoop! So much fun!!
63. Do you have a job? Yes - thank goodness!
64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Groceries
65. Have you ever crawled through a window? I can't say I have..

Have a fabulous weekend peoples!

LBG xx

No more chocolate!!!

I've really got to get my chocolate addiction under control. I once went for 6 months without so much as a sprinkle of chocolate powder on my cuppacino and now I'm eating it every day... I think that in my head I'm thinking that it's OK to have chocolate every day because I'm not eating nearly as many calories as I was before and so I shouldn't be doing any damage to my weight loss... WRONG... WRONG... WRONG!!!

Every afternoon at around 3pm (after having lunch at 12noon) I start to get a little hungry - I'm starting to recognise it more as "head - i need something sweet - hunger" and every afternoon I've gone down to the canteen and picked myself up a 300 cal chocolate bar and eaten it with a cup of tea. Goes down a dream... it really does... and I'm not hungry then until just before dinner time at around 6pm. And then after dinner (if it's in the house) I tend to sit on the couch, watch TV and absent-mindedly eat chocolate.

I've got to stop this habit... so starting from today I'm going to cut chocolate completely out of my diet... down to the chocolate powder on my cuppacino! This is how I'm going to do it:

1. Don't take coins to work - empty out my change every evening into our money tin
2. Get rid of all chocolate in the house - hubby won't like this one, but I've just got to do it!
3. Tell hubby not to bring chocolate into the house - if he wants it he can have it, but just not around me

Any other suggestions for keeping the chocolate monster out of my life would be greatly appreciated!!!

In other news, I had a bad PB yesterday evening when I had baked chicken and vege for dinner. The chicken was really dry and I ate a couple of really big bites without really thinking... violently heaved in the toilet and was sore afterwards...

Exercise has been fab this week:

Monday - Pump 60 mins - 450 cals burnt
Tuesday - Cardio 60 mins - 700 cals burnt
Wednesday - Boxing 55 mins and cardio 40 mins - 1000 cals burnt
Thursday - Cardio after work 60 mins - gym stuff is in the car - aim is to get 700 cals burnt
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - spin class 45 mins
Sunday - PT session 60 mins

I'm feeling really great about my exercise sessions at the moment. My body fat percentage is now at 37% down from over 50%. I'm going to get my bloods tested again to see what my cholesterol is doing. If it's still high I might request to go on meds as I have a family history of high cholesterol levels.

Ok, that's all from me today. Have a good one!

LBG xx

Lovely weekend!

I had a really nice weekend this one just passed. Saturday was a lovely sleep in, breakfast with hubby (1 boiled egg and 1 slice of toast). Then we went off for a 2 hour bike ride and got home at around 2:30pm.. Lunch was a toasted tuna, onion, tomato, mayo and cheese sandwich - I just ate the insides of them and left the crusts. And then a lovely evening at home, snuggling on the couch with Hubby. Dinner was a mini quiche and a tablespoon of veges.

Sunday was Mother's Day. KLM, myself and her mate RR went on the 8km mother's day classic fun walk. I must admit, I was busting to get a jog in, but ended up walking to whole way because KLM had a stitch! *lol* I think next year I might just do it by myself, get my Ipod and try and jog as much as possible of it. There was one larger lady that was jogging/walking with her 2 sons (I think they were her sons), you could hear her breathing really hard as she overtook us, but then we soon caught up to her as she had to slow down for a walk... she worked so freaking hard, and I was truely impressed!

Dinner was at Mum and Dad's. Bangers and Mash with Yorkshire pudding. Actually, my sister commented to me that for the longest time she thought I had a lapband... I nearly choked on my food. I quickly rebutted that I had a wedding to lose weight for and that I needed to do something drastic like cut my portions down and now I'm used to eating like this... crisis averted!!! However, after having a big bowl of chicken and vege soup for lunch and it going down like a dream, I was exceptionally tight for dinner and even though I chewed and chewed and chewed, and just ate the mash potato and some soft carrot with gravy, I was in the bathroom soon afterwards...

Weigh-in this weekend saw me at 90.2kg. A drop of 200g from last week. Not bad, but not good either... but it's still a loss!! :) Hopefully I'll be back in the 80's for next weigh-in.

Off to Brisbane tomorrow for work, back on Thursday evening. Visiting a bandit friend while I'm up there... am planning to take a protein shake tetra pack for breakky and a few snacks for during the day...

Right now I'm tight as a cats bum! I'm trying to drink some coffee and it's not doing much other than gurgling in my chest... yet yesterday for lunch I had the most scrumptious of salads with tomato, cucumber, fetta, baby spinach, mixed lettuce, ham, olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice... how crazy is that... one day I'm doing well with foods, the next I can barely get liquids down?!?!

And finally exercise has been great! This week my plans are:

Monday: Pump 6am - Done!
Tuesday: Spin 6:15am - Done!
Wednesday: Boxing 6am
Thursday: Rest (Brisbane)
Friday: Pump 5:30pm
Saturday: Spin 8:30am
Sunday: Cardio Session pm or a rest day as I'll be heading back from Canberra that day..

Have a great week!

LBG xx

It's way to early for this!

It should be illegal to catch a flight before 9am. Seriously.. I was up at 4:30am this morning... I was in bed by 9:30pm so I did get a good 7 hours shut eye, but nobody should have to get up at that time... nobody!

Down in Adelaide today. Only a quick day trip... I have to really prepare when I travel. I've got some yoghurt, pureed fruit, le snack and up and go in my bag so that at least I have something that I can eat during the day. I never know where my meals are going to come from, or what they're going to have in them... so I'd prefer to eat what I know is safe, rather than having to worry about where the nearest loo is or being stuck in a window seat and having to climb over 2 other people also eating breakfast to get to the loo in time. I've got travelling domestic down to a fine art when it comes to food... people think I'm weird that I eat my own food when I travel.. ah well.

Thanks for my birthday wishes! I had a lovely day yesterday.

LBG xx

Happy Birthday to me!

29 today! So old. Last year of my 20's... so depressing..

Band is tight this morning. I'm looking mornfully at my protein drink wishing I could drink it, but I'm up to pussy's bow at the moment... might finish the rest of it for morning tea.

It should be a rule that you can't be tight on your birthday! I want to eat cake!!

LBG xx

Weigh in - Sunday 3rd May

Hi to all of you out there in Bandit Land..

1 day late on my weigh in, but happy to report I'm now at 90.4kg, so lost 500g this week. Although, Wii Fit scales told me I was at 89.3kg...

An excellent week for fitness this week:

Monday: Rest - was feeling very very weak and dehydrated from my over fill so no exercise for me!
Tuesday: Spin Class 45 mins (550 cals)
Wednesday: Boxing Class 50 mins (600 cals)
Thursday: Cardio Session PM 40 mins (500 cals)
Friday: Cardio and weights 60 mins (500 cals)
Saturday: Spin Class 45 mins (550 cals)
Sunday: Walk 60 mins (500 cals)

Feeling like I've got a tonne of energy these days. I love that feeling.

Hope you all have an excellent weekend!

LBG xx

Another day..

Not much to report today in my lapband world. I was feeling very snacky today. Here is what I ate:

BF: Berocca, Hazelnut latte and Musashi P30 protein shake (400 cals)
MT: Nothing
L: 3 bites of my McCain twin pack chicken pasta, half an apple and 15 rice crackers (200 cals)
AT: Other half of my apple, 1 golburn valley apple puree and snack pack of paradise lite biscuits (250 cals)
D: 3/4 cup of vegetable frittata (400 cals)

Exercise: 550cals burnt over 45 mins in the gym.

A picture perfect day! And I've got enough frittata left over for tomorrow lunch AND dinner! YAY!

LBG xx

Normal eating? What exactly is this?

I don't know about the rest of you bandits out there, but I constantly struggle to define what normal eating is. But I think that as each of us are different, then what is considered "normal" should also be different!

Last night I had a mini quiche lorraine (about the size of my palm), I had half a chat potato (which are the mini potatos) and 3 florets of broccoli. I ate my meal within 30 mins, small mouthfuls (I'm talking the size of my thumb nail) and I felt pleasantly full afterwards. That's what I call a "normal" meal for someone with a band. At lunch I was able to eat half of a vegetable rissole (which was made from potato, corn, beans, carrot and other bits and pieces). The portion was about the size of the palm of my hand and just as thick. Had that at 12 noon and was full until 4pm. At 4pm I had 3 water crackers with 3 slices of cheese. Perfect! Breakky I just stuck to liquids, and then a cup of tea at morning tea. There was cake yesterday for a work celebration - I didn't even think about having any... so good to have that control!

Anyhoo, did a fab boxing class this morning. Feeling pumped. Hope you all have a great day!

LBG xx

The joy of the band..

Now I remember what it was like to have perfect restriction. Full after 1/2 - 1 cup of food, not hungry between meals.. love it!

Feeling much better today... hydrated and energised. Going to do a hardcore session at the gym to celebrate!

LBG xx

Un-Filled... the relief!!

I bit the bullet and went back to the center for an un-fill today. Had 0.25mL taken out. Oh my fucking god... the difference between that drop of water is absolutely amazing. I went from not even being able to swallow water to eating home made pumpkin and kumera soup for dinner tonight! Sooooooooooooooo good.

I knew I would need some fill taken out, don't wait too long!

LBG xx

Long may it last...

Ahh, the feeling of complete fullness.. I have it back after seeing my wonderful fill doctors at the centre. They basically said my head space was right, my eating was pretty good (except that I was eating too much) and that my exercise was spot on and that the band wasn't working for me because my fill level was down. 0.5mL back inside me... no dramas!

I did have a chat to them about my confidentiality and they have kept me assured. This person doesn't generally access the "banded" patients files and would only go looking if she had a reason. If she did find out, she would be under strict confidentiality laws not to say anything to me or any one else. I told the fill doctor that if she did find out about it and came to me, then I would ask her not to tell anyone... and that if she did, I would be notifying the staff at the centre that I had a breach of my confidentiality and privacy and they would deal with her appropriately.

So last night I had half a cup of velish soup.... couldn't finish it all. This morning I'm having my berocca and a protein shake for breakky, soup for lunch and probably soup for dinner too!! I'm on liquids for the whole weekend and then progress to mushies on Monday.

I'm also going to start an official weight loss day and post every Saturday. So today I weighed in at 90.9kg.

And finally, Lest We Forget - to our brave aussie and NZ heros who died for us... I'll be Cheers'ing my liquid weekend to you!!


LBG xx

Crazy hunger!

Yesterday throughout the whole day I was hungry! Like ravenous hungry... and I haven't been that way in a long long time.

I think it started with me no eating breakfast (because I wasn't hungry then!)... and then by 11am I was starting to get the rumbles so I had a cupa noodle soup and a couple of cups of diet cordial (before the soup of course!).

Lunch was a very unappetising Gourmet on the Go Tuna and Pasta meal (sorry folks, I take back what I said about this little number... the tuna one is nasty!)... so I had about 3 small bites of it and threw the rest in the bin... mistake number two.. no proper lunch.

When I got back to my desk I had a whole orange AND a whole nashi pear AND a packet of popcorn (around 1.5 cups) ... and then at 2pm I had 2 packets of the paradise lite mini chocolate chip cookies (120cals per packet) and a cup of coffee... and then on the way home from work at around 4:30pm I had my mainland on the go cheese and cracker snack (3 slices of cheese and 3 crackers)...

I had decided to do the 7:30pm boxing class so as soon as I got home from work I wacked dinner in the oven - a fillet of baked battered white fish, some home made potato wedges made from chat potoatos (so they're really mini wedges - so cute!) and some steamed beans and carrots....

.... crazy motherfucker band wouldn't let me eat 3 bites before I couldn't have any more..... like what the hell? I'd been eating like it was going out of fashion during the day, but as soon as I sit down to dinner my band clamps down... and I wasn't taking big bites, I was chew-chew-chewing those veges... sometimes I just don't get it!

Anyhoo, did 1.5 hours at the gym yesterday - burnt 1100 cals. Wrecked myself at the boxing class, it was madness, but so much fun. I was so sweaty afterwards my hair felt like I'd just stepped out of the shower! That's what I'm talking about!!

Fill tomorrow... but I'm definitely going to bring up my crazy band antics with my doctor...

LBG xx

No fill today...

Somebody I know works at the centre where I was banded, and they don't know about my operation... she works Monday, Tuesday and Thursday... so I asked if I could be booked in on Wednesday to avoid seeing her there. Unfortunately, she has decided to work on Wednesday so I had to get my fill appointment changed to Friday afternoon at 4:30pm... and it's not with the doctor that I like either (which will probably make it easier for me to go!!!). So not too bad. I was psyching myself up for the fill/visit today... but now it will have to wait until friday. You know the first thing I thought was?

Oh no! I won't be able to have take away on Friday Night!!!... how crazy! Look how demeted my thought process is!!! I will only be able to have liquids now at least for the first 24 hours after my fill.... so there will be NO take away on Friday night... I can see that my fat brain has come back a little now that I'm more hungry.. I think more about food these days and I want to go back to being full all the time... not just for the first hour after I eat.

Did a hard core session at the gym yesterday. Skipped spin because my legs were wrecked from Pump on Monday morning, but ended up doing over an hour walking, cross training and skiing and burnt 850cals! Go me!

Anyhoo... that's all from me today!

LBG xx

Mondays... don't ya just love em?

Sooooooooo didn't feel like getting up this morning... alarm going off at 5:20am, raining and cold outside and a lovely snuggly husband lying peacefully next to me. It was all I could do not to roll over and turn that alarm off for an extra half an hour of sleep. But no, not me... I dragged (and I mean DRAGGED) myself out of bed and, half asleep, got my butt to the gym only to have the gym staff sleep in and not open the doors until 10 past 6! I mean, how rude! So my pump class was cut 15 mins short...

but.. you know what?

I actually thought, in the back of my head, as I was squatting with 14kg on my back....

... I'm really glad I made the effort...

I love when I think like that!

Fill time in 2 more days... can't freaking wait!

Good luck to KLM today who get's her first fill..... now the fun really begins!

Oh, I've also entered in the 8km fun run mother's day classic.... very excited... first time I've done the 8km walk. It will be my 4th year in the event, but the first at 8km. I want to be able to run some of it, but I'll see how I go because my back still gets sore if I do too much high impact exercise.

Anyhoo, hope you all have a happy Monday!

LBG xx

Need a fill... baaaaaaaad!

Yep... it's definitely fill time for this little bandit. I'm booked in for Wednesday at 3:45pm... I'm not looking forward to seeing my fill doctor, but I know I just have to go in and be honest. I'm eating too much and I need fill in to make the band work for me again...

Exercise this week has been pretty good though:

Monday: Step Class and Pump Class (1200 cals)
Tuesday: Spin Class (550 cals)
Wednesday: Boxing Class (600 cals)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Cardio Session PM (700 cals)
Saturday: Spin Class and Pump Class (1000 cals)

I am feeling sooooooo amazingly fit at the moment... it feels so so good right now. I crave exercise, I love exercising and I'm so glad I'm in that exercise funk at the moment!

This week my plan for exercise is:
Monday: Pump Class 60 mins
Tuesday: Spin Class 45 mins
Wednesday: Boxing Class 60 mins
Thursday: Pump Class 60 mins
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Spin Class and Pump Class 1 hr 45 mins
Sunday: Afternoon Walk 60 mins

I can't wait for my fill... I'm looking forward to gaining some control back. Yesterday I went out for lunch and managed to eat hot chips... I could NEVER eat hot chips when I was properly filled. I've got some pureed fruits and cup-a-soups for my fill day and the next day when I'm supposed to stay on liquids. I also have some celebrity slim shakes and yoghurts as well.

Bring it on!

Have a good week everyone!

LBG xx

When you put your mind to it...

It's been less than a week and I'm already down nearly a kilo! Amazing what you can do with a bit of hard work and exercise.

I went to melbourne yesterday for work (a very quick day trip!). I got upgraded to Business class on the way down, which was COOL. I had brought some food with me for the day and so (very self-righteously) I ate my cut up orange and packet of vita wheat snacks while all around me were having this toasted cheese sandwich thing that smelled amazing. Then they brought out danishes... I declined and it felt goooooood. For lunch I had a vegemite sandwhich... I only had half, and had the other half during the taxi ride back to the airport. On the plane home, instead of the cheese and salami hot muffin thingy, I had half an apple. Go Me! I wanted to keep my food in check yesterday as I wasn't going to be exercising that day.. I had a small portion of butter chicken when I got home for my dinner, but even with that I didn't go over 1200 cals for the day which was great.

I've just calculated that if I want to be at 75kg, then my BMR (basal metabolic rate) is at around 1500 cals. Now (at 91.5kg) my BMR is at 1700cals. So, I've got to start eating like I'm already at my goal weight of 75kg. If I exercise then great! Extra calories to play with. I've also been reading that it's not a good idea to "save" any additional calories.. like you might think it's a good idea to only eat 1200 cals cos then you save 300 cals and lose wieght faster... but I think that your body goes into a starvation mode so eating what you have rightfully been allowed is a good thing.. I'm going to discuss this with my Fill doctor when I next see him.

I am a little tight today and concerned that I don't really need a fill. I've been drinking diet cordial and it just seems to be sitting on my band and not going through. Granted I have been sitting down most of the day today at work... I had a cup of noodle soup for lunch which took AGES to eat, and then I chewed through less than half a vegemite and cheese sandwich at my desk later on.. not sure what the go is... but at least I'm not feeling hungry!!!
I was looking forward to a Thai stir Fry tonight from the local take away shop cos I haven't had one of those in Oh So Long!! And I figured since I'm a little looser than normal I'd have it before I got filled again and couldn't eat all the delish crunchy vege.. but now I'm not so sure that I'll be able to eat it!!...

Happy Friday peoples!!

LBG xx

Fill time!

I did it! I called my Fill Doctor and am booked in for 3:45pm next Wednesday! I'm glad I did it... MYF said something very true that the doctors aren't there to judget you but to help you get back on track. So hopefully I'll get some timely advice and a kick up the backside from my fill doctor, get a half mL and be on my merry way!

Did a spin class tonight. It felt great! Got my heart rate up to 177bpm at one stage! I totally rocked it..

Food was pretty fabulous today - except for the head of a heritage rabbit I had for after dinner. Today I had:
BF: 1 tea, 1 berocca, 1 yoghurt
MT: Nothing
L: vegetable and pearl barley soup and some popcorn
AT: 1 small apple (3pm)
AT (2): mainland cheese and crackers (that snack pack with 3 crackers and 3 slices of cheese) - I needed it because I was starting to have a carb crash and was about to go into a spin class..
D: Half a veal cordon bleu and 2 tablespoons of steamed carrot, beans and corn
S: the head of a chocolate rabbit and a cup of coke zero

That's all from me for now. Thanks for your comments! Bring on next Wednesday! Let's see if I can lose at least a kilo before then!!!

LBG xx

Weight Gain Misery... time to bite the bullet!

What a fabulous long long weekend! Friday I was at the Easter Show all day and did some heavy duty walking. Saturday was a pump class in the morning and then some relaxing in the afternoon. Sunday I went for a walk with a friend in the afternoon and today saw me at the gym for 2 hours doing a step class and a pump class and burning 1184 cals and then in the afternoon hubby and I went to bunnings to pick up some paint to finish up our apartment.

Can't believe the weekend is already over!

So now to the serious stuff...

I weighed in at 92.4kg today. I am a little over it.. I must say. I exercised my butt off this week. Nearly 3000 cals burnt, 4 hours of exercise over 6 days.. I mixed it up, walking, spinning, boxing and weight lifting and I gain weight.. like WTF?!?! I am due for my period in the next couple of days so maybe that's it. I am definitely contemplating a fill.. but I'm soooooooo undecided. There have been meals where I have been really tight and haven't done well with food and other days when I can drink 15 mins after a meal and I don't feel full. I'm actually really scared of going back to my fill surgeon cos he's going to be so so mad at me for putting on weight since my last visit... *sigh*. I have to admit, I have been eating in a few norti foods... but my over all food intake is seriously soooooo much less than what I used to have.. I have been adding some condiments in like tartare sauce and mayonnaise... But compared to what I used to have, it's so so much less, so I don't understand why the weight gain.

It really confuses me, because if I want to maintain the 90 odd kg then I have to eat 2500 cals / day and NOT exercise. To maintain a weight of 75kg (goal weight) I have to eat 2000 cals and NOT exercise. I can't imagine that I am eating over 2500 calories every day... but I don't understand why I'm not losing weight. I know that my body loves this weight.. and I don't really know what it's like to be any lower than around 86kg..

I guess the worse thing is, is that last August my lowest weight was 83.4kg (after being over filled.. which wasn't fun either!!)... so tragically I've put on around 9kg in 8 months... that really really depresses me.. I didn't really think about it until today. Something needs to be done.. but what? A fill methinks!

To be honest, the reason why I haven't booked in for a fill is because I am so ashamed of my weight gain.. I'm not sure if I really need a fill, but I know one will definitely help. I should really bite the bullet and book on in.

I just want to say though (to make myself feel a tad better)... that I have kicked exercise butt these past few weeks. I am a machine and I feel myself getting stronger every day. I feel the best I have ever felt... ever.. that's got to count for something right?

Anyhoo, enough whining from me. I'm going to give it a good go this week with the food intake and exercise and see what the scales say next weekend... then I'll decide about the fill situation.

Thanks for Listening!!!

Happy Easter! :)

LBG xx