Living with a Lap Band..

PCOS Update

2011-07-26T17:25:00.002+10:00

Hey all,

Lots has happened since the last time I posted.

My baby turned 1... OMG, he's getting so big. He is WALKING now, says simple words and is just a joy and a delightful little boy. I love being his mama! :)

I went to my doctor to discuss my options with my PCOS. He put me on metformin 1000mg. 2 days after my last post, Aunt Flo arrived.. So that cycle was 47 days long. I started another cycle on 17th June and started temperature charting. Very very interesting! I ovulated on CD 23 and my cycle shortened by 11 days to CD 36! Hooray!

Here is a link to my fertility friend chart if you're interested - here.

Most likely means the metformin is working. Also, I have lost 3kg, without doing anything different other than taking the metformin. WooHoo! My hunch was right, I am insulin resistant and the metformin is what I need to get my ovaries working again!

So, currently on CD3 of my next cycle. If my cycle is the same as last month, I should be ovulating mid-August. I reaaaaaaaaaally hope I do ovulate mid August (and fall PG) cos I would LOVE to surprise DH for father's day this year (4th September)... it would be perfect.

Other than that, my lapband is giving me the shits... big time. I REALLY don't want to go and get fill out, but I can't physically eat til after lunch and drinking is a struggle until lunchtime. Dinner time seems to be OK... but if I've had a bad day with food and lots of PB'ing then I'm stuffed for dinner. I don't know if it's TTOM but it's been particularly bad over the past couple of days. So bad that I PB'd in my sleep last night! (and I had soup for dinner... like.. WTF??). 4.5 years on and I am still struggling.

Anyhoo, thanks for reading. Sorry I don't post as often as I would like. I'm just so busy being a mummy and working and having a life that I neglet this little blog..

LBG xx

CD46 - Ugh!

2011-06-15T16:25:00.002+10:00

Cycle Day 46 and still no sign of Aunt Flo. So frustrated that my body doesn't do what it's supposed to do.. Yet, I carried a baby to term. Why did my body work when pregnant but doesn't work now?

and No, I'm not pregnant..

So what now? Visit to my doctor next week to get a hormone panel taken so we can see what my hormone levels are doing. Maybe another ultrasound to see if I have cysts on my ovaries and then we'll discuss the next steps... Metformin? Fertility Specialist for Clomid/Provera etc.

In other news, my baby boy turns 1 next week. OMG, seriously... he is going to be 1!!! I can't believe how time has flown. He is so close to walking it's not funny. He cruises all over the furniture but when he stands by himself he isn't confident enough to take any steps forward and just plonks on his butt. Super cute. He'll be walking in the next few weeks, I just know it!

He babbles and squeals... I wish I could bottle his giggles and laughter because they ALWAYS make me smile.

I am so lucky to be this little boy's mama. I am truely blessed.

Speaking of blessings - my very very good friend has found out she's having TWINS after thinking she'd miscarried. So so thrilled for her, and looking forward to seeing her belly and excitement grow. I would LOVE to have twins... that would be AMAZING.

LBG xx

Liver Rocks!

2011-06-08T11:40:00.003+10:00

Tried makeing this Chicken Liver Pate Recipe from Balanced Bites website today and it turned out AWESOME. The thought of eating any organ meat turns my stomach, but I pushed past it and gave it a go. OMG, so good. AND... PERFECT bandit food! It is so rich in nutrition it is AMAZING to think what this little organ has in it. Folate through the roof.. important for all your trying or already pregnant ladies!

Seriously, have it on crackers, dipped in with veges or as your "meat" part of your meal if you're having a particularly hard lapband day.

I substituted the wine for balsamic vinegar and it turned out just fine - sweet and sour... such a richness to it.

And the best part... 500g of chicken livers cost me $2... yep... SO CHEAP. I made probably 10 times the amount of pate that I would get if I store bought some for $5 and I swear it tastes a million times better. It took me 30mins to make..

I'm even gonna give it to my one year old for dinner tonight with some smooshed up broccoli.

I will never buy store bought pate again...

LBG x

Struggling..

2011-06-02T10:52:00.002+10:00

Howdy peeps!

So from the title of this blog post you might have guessed that that I have been struggling the past few weeks. Well, awesome guess.. you are correct! I'm struggling with a number of things at the moment:

1. My lapband is playing up. I can't even drink coffee in the morning most days... I struggle all day with food and then miraculously I'm fine for dinner. As a result, I snack during the day.. not bad stuff, but carby stuff cos it seems to be the only foods that will go down with a minimal amount of stuckage... so crackers, cheese, dip, eggs, cup-a-soups, biscuits etc. I know I'm not eating any more than 1500 cals per day, so my head is saying that I surely should be losing weight, but I'm not. it just does my head in!
2. I haven't exercised in around 2 months. So terrible. I am so ashamed about this. I can't use my baby, the move, work, winter etc as an excuse.. Now that I'm settled with the move, I've figured out where my closest gym is and I'm gonna start going more regularly.
3. My PCOS is still here - on cycle day 34 with no sign of AF at the moment. I know, CD 34 isn't an abnormal cycle, but if I want to start trying for number two I'd really like my cycles to be more regular.

I need to have an action plan to address my above "struggles"

1. Should I have more fill out? No, I need to make better food choices, eat slower, take smaller mouthfuls and when i'm full, stop eating. Basic bandit stuff here.

2. I'm gonna start going to the gym early in the morning again. Now that L is sleeping from 7pm-7am I have no excuse to get my work-out over and done with before he wakes so that DH doesn't get stuck with him in the morning with no help from me. Also, my travel for work has calmed down, so I have no excuse with work..

3. I'm going to visit my doctor at the end of this month to discuss an action plan regarding my PCOS. I've been researching the effect of metformin on PCOS and insulin resistance and the more I read the more I think this might be an option for me. I want to discuss this with my lovely GP and see what he says, if he thinks I should be managed by an Endocrinologist or by at fertility specialist (even though technically I'm not infertile I still have a fertility issue that could prevent another pregnancy) or just by him. I also need to discuss my ongoing heartburn issues. I'm popping zantac like they are tic tacs so going to ask if I need to go onto a prescription drug or something stronger. Also, I've started getting gall bladder pain during the night again. It gets super painful and I'm always afraid it's going to get to the stage that i'm going to end up in emergency. At the moment the pain wakes me up and keeps me away for around an hour then it fades and I go back to sleep, but each episode is a little more painful than the last.. it happens once every couple of weeks. I really need to get my gallbladder out - both my parents and both sets of grandparents had their GB out, so gall stones are hereidary in my family. It's only a matter of time and I'd prefer to have it out electively rather than wait until I end up in emergency, or worse, having a full blow GB attack while I'm away from home for work.

Other than that, things are going fine. My baby boy is turning 1 in 3 weeks time. I can't believe the time is going so fast and he will be one soon! I miss my squishy newborn but I am loving this stage of his life... he's my stubborn cheeky happy little explorer !

Peace out

LBG xx

I hate my scales

2011-05-14T11:47:00.003+10:00

My scales and I have never had a good relationship. We did.. once.. when I was 16kg lighter.. but my scales now taunt me by flashing the same number (or close to) every time I hop on. Sadly, my scales are dying.. I have the upper hand. Batteries! I was going to let my scales die (good riddance) but I like to know how my little monkey man is measuring each month, so the scales must stay (damn you scales!). I am, however, going to take a stand and NOT weigh myself. I'm so sick of my mood being determined by a little (or not so little) number. I don't weigh daily for that very reason.

I've been low carbing since 30th April, so now 2 weeks later. I feel really great, less bloated, more energetic, I don't get those spikes of extreme - I have to eat right now or I'm going to kill someone - hunger attacks and I am sure my body is loving all the protein I am having right now. I must admit, I do miss the sweet stuff, but I am getting used to splenda (hardly ever use it) and those sugar free lollies when I must have something sweet. I am still succumbing to the "mouthful of chips" here, and .. "a couple of easter eggs" there habit.. but that junk is all out of the house now, so I don't have that temptation any more!

PCOS update: thanks to my anonymous commenter who suggested that Endocrinologist in Sydney. I'm going to keep up this low carb high protein thing for a few months and see what happens with my cycles before I go down the medical route. Will be interesting to see if my cycle is 26 days as it was the last time. If it is, that will be 2 months in a row with a NORMAL cycle. Completely unheard of with me, fingers firmly crossed. If I do get another normal cycle I'm going to start temperature charting again to see if I can work out when I ovulate.

So, what am I eating? On a typical day, breakfast is general 2 boiled eggs, mashed with some full fat mayo, with a coffee (full cream milk, no sugar or sweetener). I'm totally full til lunch. Lunch is generally some vegetables of some kind (raw, roasted etc), with a low sugar high fat dressing (cue ceasar or ranch.. nom nom) and around 100g of protein (in the form of ham, turkey, chicken from the deli, or chicken breast). Mid afternoon snack will be a couple of slices of cheese, or half an avocado or some more veg with low sugar dressing to dip in or some nuts. Dinner is a 120g portion of protein and either a salad or some steamed or baked vegetables. I use a generous serving of olive oil on my pasta, or put a nob of butter on my vegetables. Dessert (after dinner is when I feel like something sweet) has been a low joule jelly with a generous dollop of heavy thick cream. I also enjoy low joule cordial or Coke Zero to curb those sweet cravings

My nutrient ratio has been around 60% fat (mostly mono and polyunsaturated fats), 35% protein and 5% carbohydrates. Perfect Atkins Induction ratios. However, there have been a few sneaky carbs that have worked there way in...

Exercise.. I'm working on it, really I am. I have a tonne of reason as to why I haven't been able to get to the gym... none of them mention the word "dying" "dead" "broken" or "hospital" so I really don't have an excuse..

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

Long time no post!

2011-05-11T17:40:00.004+10:00

I am such a slack blogger... !

Life, it gets in the way sometimes and you get busy... and, as I'm sure I've said before, my lapband isn't a huge part of my life anymore... it's just there.

So I'm going to take my blog in a slightly new direction.

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I didn't think I could conceive without help. I was wrong (thankfully... so thankfully..)

The research on diets for PCOS I've done so far suggests that the low carbohydrate and whole food diet is the way to go. PCOS is associated with insulin resistance. I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancy so I naturally am assuming that I have PCOS/obesity related insulin resistance.

So my blog will start to focus on my PCOS, following a low-carb, whole food life style, exercise (of course) and my journey to hopefully falling pregnant with baby number 2 by the end of the year.

I would love to be able to refresh my blog and make it look cool, but I don't know how to do that... any tips would be greatly appreciated.

And a little update on my monkey boy... he is now 10.5 months and has his first birthday next month!! OMG the time has just flown. He is a little cutie patootie.. and I love love love being his mama. My DH is an awesome daddy... he amazes me with the love he has for our son.

A photo of my monkey boy for your viewing pleasure!

LBG xx

The BIG picture..

2011-02-18T20:27:00.002+11:00

A few of my WLS blogging buddies are struggling with their lack of weight loss at the moment. I am hearing you loud and clear. I GAINED a kilo this week... WTF.. I got a fill and I gained? I didn't eat alot, I exercised 4 times during the week... and I gained.. fuckety fuck fuck.. I had chocolate tonight after dinner cos I was just thinking fuck the world, I might as well eat some fucking chocolate..

But I gotta keep reminding myself that there is a bigger picture. Yes, I would LOVE to be a size 12... but I'm not... Yes, I would love to be able to look at myself naked in the mirror and not cringe at what I see... but I don't...

The bigger picture for me:

1. I have an awesome loving husband, that doens't see me as fat.. he loves me for me.
2. I am a mummy to a wonderful little boy who continues to amaze me and melt my heart at every little thing he does.
3. I am still 20kg lighter than my heaviest weight
4. I exercise, and I exercise HARD. I love to sweat... I'm so glad exercise isn't a chore for me. because I exercise, I know I am improving how my body functions.
5. I eat well... I am slowing down or even stopping the chance of getting heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis. I will be around to see my grand babies grow up!

So yeah, big picture... when the scales aren't moving... look at the big picture. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me focused.

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

Fill Drama

2011-02-16T13:34:00.002+11:00

I went to get a fill on 4th February. My wonderful Dr put on 0.5ml as it had been over 18 months since my previous fill. Drank water with no problems. Actually, I did have a feeling that I probably should have asked for a little out there and then, but stubborn old me didn't, and I left the clinic with 0.5mL extra...

That night I had dinner with my bestie who was in town. I stuck to soup, which is what my Dr recommends for the first 24-48 hours after a fill. But, even that was not going through as easily as I would have liked. I had the short and sour soup from a chinese resteraunt... it was DELICIOUS, but I probably had 2 tablespoons over the whole 2 hours we were there! Not to mention the cocktail that I probably had 2 sips of and my bestie ended up finishing it off! She knows about the band, so she was cool with my lack of eating (thank goodness). I knew in my heart that I was overfilled. I bought a powerade on the way home and probably sipped about 50mLs total.

The next day the thermometer hit 46 degrees. I couldn't get fluid down by this stage, I think my stomach had swollen overnight. On the way home from mum and dad's my husband and I picked up a frozen coke each... that came back up and I made the executive decision to head on over to the emergency room and have them call my fill doctor.

I arrived at the ER at around 7:15pm.. my fill doctor was called but unfortunately he was at a bariatric surgery conference in the city. He asked if I was distressed (which I wasn't, just very thirsty!) and that if I was he would leave immediately. Bless.. I told him I was just fine, and was happy to wait. The nurse got me some ice chips of which I had about 5 and that was all I could have. I was so very thirsty!

He arrived at the hospital at 10:00pm that evening. I was tired, my iPhone was down to 10% battery and I was so thirsty.. I think the fact that it was a really really effing hot day just made it 100 times worse for me as well. I felt sorry for the other people in ER.. They had been waiting longer than me and I went in before them... and I didn't have to pay for it as my private health insurance covered me for hospital visits. YAY!

He took all the 0.5mL out.. and asked me to rebook for the following week to have more put in.

The sweet relief of being able to drink water... I was so thirsty I drank too fast and my Dr was telling me to slow down... liquids for the next 24 hours.

On the way home I polished off a 600mL bottle of powerade and bought myself some ice cream... what? Ice cream is a liquid!

The next Friday I was refilled with 0.2mL and that was a perfect fill amount. And I had lost 800g from the previous week!

Other than that everything is going fine. getting used to more restriction has had it's challenges. I forgot I can't eat sushi now and I bought some for lunch and it's all ended up in the toilet. So sad. Have made much more of an effort at the gym... and I'm really enjoying going too.

And my little boy, he amazes me every day. :)

Have an awesome day :)

LBG xx

Mummies Group BBQ today!

2011-01-30T08:46:00.002+11:00

Perfect day for a BBQ! Aussie summers are the best for a yummy BBQ and a swim in the pool and today we've been blessed with 30 degrees and sunny! Having around 5 mummies, their husbands and of course, our babies! Should be fun! Will post some pics soon!

Tomorrow is the start of the JFDI campaign... my legs aren't nearly as sore today, so I will be waking at 5:30am and hauling my butt to the gym for a pump class. JFDI JFDI JFDI!!!

Food wise, my aim for this week is to eat salad for lunch every day. They make great salads at work, a bit pricey, but if I get desparate I can always get a salad there... also there is a shopping centre down the road from work and I'm in desparate need of a leg wax, so might pop over there at lunch tomorrow and grab this amazing salad from sumo salad (pumpkin, feta and pinenut salad!! Y.U.M).

Also, drink more water!

Finally to breastfeeding. I have managed to exclusively BF my little boy for 4.5 months. With starting back at work and travelling, I had no choice but to supplement with formula when I was away. I had a small freezer stash from when I was on maternity leave, but that only lasted a little while. In hindsight I would probably have done some more pumping sessions while at home on Mat leave (god knows I had enough milk!!), and frozen more of it so that there was plenty on hand for when I returned to work... Now, I am nursing once a day (if that..). He's just not interested in the boob anymore... I'm going to continue my ad hoc nursing until he's 8 months then stop I think... I'm OK with that! :)

Peace Out

LBG xx

Sore.. so sore!

2011-01-28T20:53:00.002+11:00

Farken Pump Class making me Farken sore! I feel like a little old lady hobbling around today. Everytime I have to get up I grunt in pain and I can barely lift my 9kg little boy!

Really really really want to do spin and pump tomorrow morning, but I really don't think I'm going to be able to, my legs are still so sore! I know, my previous post was titled JFDI, but I would prefer to do something lighter tomorrow just to get everything moving.. so I *will* still go to the gym, but it will be a light workout..

I've had a few people who I know both IRL and through blogs give Birth over the past couple of weeks. One blogger was pregnant through IVF and just had her first baby on 18th January. Those kind of stories makes me so happy! My heart breaks for those people who I know who are trying to fall pregnant through IVF and I see it fail month after month.

I thank my lucky stars every day that I am a mummy to a beautiful baby boy. I know how lucky I am... I was up at 1:45am this morning nursing my little man because he was all snotty and blocked up from cold and I thought to myself, this is exactly where I want to be and I was so happy to be awake nursing my child.

OK, random blog post over! Have an awesome day!

LBG xx

Just Fucken Do It!

2011-01-26T18:32:00.004+11:00

Hi all,

Feeling much better today so I went to a pump class followed by a Zumba class today. I know I'm gonna hurt tomorrow.. I can feel it now. The class itself wasn't too bad, fun even, but I knew that with that first class back comes a huge amount of pain. There is no "good" day to take the class... I just had to suck it up and JFDI!

JFDI has become my mantra for exercising. Suck it up sunshine, it ain't gonna be a walk in the park. Yes, it's gonna hurt, yes you gonna get sweaty, yes you may possibly cry... but it will get you results.

So I went to pump and zumba today. Let me tell you, if you haven't done a zumba class, get your butt to one! It is one of the most funnest classes at the gym. All you do is dance and sweat for an hour. You shake your booty, shake your boobies have a laugh and come out burning 400 cals! I am doing it twice a week at the moment (as in, I've done it twice over the past week).

I've been thinking more about my exercise committments now that we are well and truely into the new year.

Monday: 6am Pump
Tuesday: 11:30am Body Jam
Wednesday: Probably pump but I need to check the timetable
Thursday: 6am Pump and 6:30am Zumba
Friday: Not sure but someting with cardio
Saturday: Depends... either 8:30 Spin and 9:30 Pump, or.. 4:00 Zumba and 5:00 pump
Sunday: Rest day or something cardio..

Anyhoo, baby is awake so best go see what he wants.

Ciao for now!

LBG xx

Sick Mama, sick baby

2011-01-24T18:11:00.003+11:00

Hi peeps!

Whats new in your world?

Me? I'm sick, baby is sick. I blame the kindergarten flu germs! Had to go and pick up my little munchkin from kindy today and take him home as he was grizzly and spiking a temp. I'm not feeling crash hot either. L spent the day sleeping (3 hours! He's usually a 45min napper) and I had a nap and did a bit of work from home. Once he'd woken up from his marathon sleep, we went to the shops and ran some errands.

I *was* supposed to start back at pump this morning... but I was in no shape to drag my sorry sick gluteus maximus out of bed this morning. I'm working from home tomorrow so will go for a long walk in the morning once DH and DS leave for work/kindy.

DH and I are buying a new car too! SO excited! We test drove the car we liked yesterday and both fell in love with the pearl white colour... and the best part is, that we will be fitting the baby seat into this new car, so guess who'll be driving it the most??? Me! That's who! The other good thing about having a 2nd car is that I'll have alot more freedom. If DH needs the car for baseball or golf on the weekends, then I still have a car to get out of the house!

As for the band...

... I'm in two minds about getting another fill. Part of me thinks I should, but part of me doesn't. I am pretty much at a good restriction throughout the day until dinner time. Then it's a free for all. I dont' want to get a fill so that I am just on liquids until 4pm and then can only get down a small meal for dinner. That's not how I roll. I've had this band long enough now to know what I can and can't do. I think I'm going to give 12wbt a good go this time round and if that doesn't see me shift at least 6kg in 12 weeks then I'm going to get fill. The crazy part is that I haven't had a fill since JUNE 2009!!! And I've still got good restriction!

Anyhoo, Master L is down for the night so I'm gonna make myself a decaf coffee and wait for DH to come home from his massage and then I'll think about making dinner for us both.

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

Want another photo of my monkey man?? Here you go!!

Life as a Mum.. 7 months on...

2011-01-21T20:33:00.003+11:00

Howdy Y'all,

I was reading back on some of the posts I had written since becoming a mum. I wished I'd blogged more over the past few months as I found it interesting to read about how I was feeling, what I was doing etc and of course, what was happening with my LO.

Well, Master L will be 7 months old on Sunday. I can't tell you how much I LOVE motherhood. I mean, I LOVE it. I could write a list a mile long about what I love about my baby boy...

I love..

.. the way his toes curl around my finger
.. his fat rolls on his thighs
.. his one freckle on his thigh
.. the way he tries no to laugh when I "nom nom" his thighs but then bursts out laughing
.. the big big smiles he gives me every time I pick him up from day care
.. the way he nuzzles into my neck when he's tired
.. his silky soft hair
.. how his gums squeak on the bath toys when he chews on them
.. the way he strokes me with his hand when he's nursing
.. the way he flails his arms and legs when he's lying on his tummy
.. his beautiful blue eyes and long dark eyelashes
.. the way he makes me feel towards my husband
.. how he gets really excited when he knows he's getting his dinner
.. how he says "mmmm" when he tastes custard (his favourite!)
.. that he said "mama" first
.. how he reaches out for me
.. his beautiful soft flawless skin

omg I could go on... :)

What's happening with Master L?

Sleeping? He sleeps through the night. 6:30pm - 6:00am. We wake him up at around 10pm for a bottle which he drinks and then falls quickly back to sleep. Then he's out for the count until early morning. Sometimes we hear him stirring a bit before 6am but we don't get him until our alarm goes off. From 6-12 weeks he was waking once sometimes twice for a feed. It was only since he was 3 months onwards that I could safely say I could get a good 8 hours out of him. Unfortunately sometimes that 8 hours was from 7pm - 3am... !! But it's all good now. He's a great sleeper! Slept in his own room from 10 days old and now he sleeps in a big cot. He is a tummy sleeper, but only started sleeping on his tummy from around 5 months old when he started rolling over. He used to get frustrated cos he could only roll one way but now that he's a little rolling machine, he's fine!

Movement? My son is a little fatso, tipping the scales at 8.9kg today. Consequently he finds it easier not to move... but he does get very frustrated that he hasn't quite mastered the art of crawling. Give it a couple more weeks and I'm sure he'll be on the move!

Daycare? Master L started daycare when he was 3.5months old for my sanity more than anything else. He loves the girls who care for him and they think he is just the cutest. One of the girls, Amy, says that he is her favourite! I always see her with him when I come to collect in the afternoon. So I know he's been well taken care of. The beauty of my daycare is that it is in the same building that I work in, so I was able to visit whenever I wanted to breastfeed in the early days. Now I go and visit for a cuddle from time to time. It's nice to know he's close. For the first 3 months he was there 3 days a week, and now he's there 4 days. I still get a day off on Friday which I love. We're doing swimming lessons, mummies groups etc.

Food 'n' Drink? He started solids at 4.5 months cos he was waking up during the night again wanting more boob. I also started weaning him onto formula at 5 months so that I didn't have to take my pump when I travelled for work. So now he's on 1 breastfeed a day usually at night and the rest formula. As for food? He is a guts.. favourite is custard so we only give that to him as a treat. There are some great organic baby food pouches out there and I try to cook my own when I have some time on the weekend and freeze for the week. But the baby food currently available on the market is quite good and convenient! He has just started on more chunkier food such as cheese, banana, avocado .. he enjoys yoghurt, different fruits and loads of veges!

How's mum doing? I am doing great.. Really I am! I have an AWESOME work life balance at the moment. I LOVE being at work.. and I LOVE when I have time with my baby boy. I'm slowly getting back to the gym, now that I can workout more intensely since I've virtually stopped breastfeeding now and I'm looking forward to the start of 12wbt next month. My relationship with my husband has been all over the place. Mostly good, but we have been snapping at each other alot because of our sleep deprivation. He also got diagnosed with mild depression just after L was born so that didn't help matters. Our sex life isn't where it was... because we're both so bloody tired, and because of DH's depression his libido isn't great but now that we're getting more sleep, it is on the improve... and it better be, because..

.... we're going to try for number #2 soon!!!! More on that later :)

OK, enough from me. Thanks for your comments. Good to see some of you are still reading my lil ol' blog.

LBG xx

Another Photo of my little man... for your viewing pleasure!

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

2011-01-18T20:23:00.004+11:00

Did ya miss me?

I needed a break... a break from blogging. The lap band wasn't (and still isn't) my focus at the moment. My baby boy is! Can you believe it? He is 7 months old now!!! Lots of things have happened since my last post.... mainly I went back to work and am super super super busy now I barely have time to blog anymore! I was contemplating closing my blog for good... but I realised that it was helping me stay focused when I needed it. But at the moment, as I said before, my band isn't my priority, and to be honest, losing weight isn't either. It will be, eventually... but life got in the way... and I am HAPPY!

I did the 12wbt challenge... half heartedly... it was hard with a 3 month old. I lost 5kg, but have regained most of that over Christmas. I am going to do round 1 2011... will be alot easier this time round.. why?

1. L will be older
2. we will FINALLY have 2 cars, so I can go to the gym without having to worry if DH needs the car
3. I'm not sleep deprived anymore!
4. I'm not breastfeeding as much so don't feel so drained.

But my main reason for wanting to get back on the band wagon? we want to have baby #2... YAY! more about that later.

Thanks for all your messages over the past few months! I hope you are all doing well.

A big shout out to Em who is up the duff and expecting a little girl in March!

Here is a pic of my little (or not so little) man. Look how he's grown!

Yeah, I know he's cute! But I'm biased :)

LBG xx

4 more sleeps!

2010-09-16T10:34:00.003+10:00

... until the 12 week body transformation begins.

will blog before it starts regarding my plans for each week... make me accountable for it. Super excited! But can't now cos baby is due to wake up for a feed and I'm still not dressed!! Ah Motherhood... blog or shower.. those are my priorities! hehehe

Thanks for your comments of support everyone! Means alot to me!

LBGxx

T minus 1 week!

2010-09-13T12:41:00.002+10:00

1 week to go until the 12 week body transformation begins. I'm starting to get psyched. Today I plan to go through my cupboards and chuck out the crap food. Not that I have alot of crap, but I have alot of "safe" foods.. that is, foods that I can eat when I'm having a disagreement with my lapband. I need to let go of this thinking... I need to stock my fridge and pantry with foods that I can munch on, that are lap band friendly and that aren't full of fat, salt and sugar. I'm talking mostly about crackers and biscuits that are easy for bandits to eat when nothing else will get down.

I've told DH that the pantry is being cleaned out, so he has asked if he can take some of the food to work.. I said no problem as long as it doesn't make it's way back to the pantry.

In other news, Motherhood is going amazingly well. I just love my little boy to death. He will be 12 weeks old in 2 days, I know... time sure does fly! He's getting a right little personality now and recognises his daddy and me and greets us with big smiles and happy squeals. We've got into a bit of a routine now with sleeping (yep, we've had a few sleeps through the night!! woohoo!!) and the breastfeeding is going just swimmingly. I will be going back to work in 3 weeks, part time. I'm excited but nervous. I'm worried my milk supply will run low because I'm not breastfeeding all the time, but my frozen supply isn't all that much - maybe 3 days worth? Oh well, I'm not going to beat myself up if my baby goes onto formula, I just had it in my head that I would breast feed til he was around 6 months old.

Back at the gym and feeling fabulous. It does remind me how unfit I've gotten. Did a step class today and couldn't hold a plank or do many pushups. before I fell pregnant I could hold the plank position for a minute on my toes and I could do 10 pushups on my toes...

I have some great restriction with my lapband at the moment so just trying to work with it. can't wait til the 12wbt starts. I know that the weight will just fall off me, what with breastfeeding, healthy eating, exercise and a lapband as well!!

OK, the little monkey has woken up so it must be lunch time! Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

12 week body transformation

2010-08-31T22:15:00.003+10:00

I've signed up for the 12wbt... www.12wbt.com run by Michelle Bridges (Australian Biggest loser personal trainer).

I really need this to get in the right head space again. My eating is out of wack and it's because I'm using breast feeding as an excuse to eat more than I should and be eating the wrong types of foods.

12wbt starts September 20th and finishes December 12th, just in time for Summer! I would love to lose 10kg... will be setting my goals for the program in the next couple of weeks. I don't want t set an unrealistic weight loss target, but I need a challenge to keep me motivated..

In other news, I did my first spin class in 11 months last Saturday and I swear to you I almost cried as I was exercising. It felt so AMAZING to exercise at that intensity again. I freaking LOVED it and was tempted to stay for a second class, except that I felt like I was going to pass out. I would love to get back to my 3 spin classes a week... but that will depend on the LO and his schedule, but at the moment saturday spin is back on baby!

Haven't weighed myself in a while. Not going to until September 20th. For the moment I'm just going to gear myself up for the big start, clean out my pantry and fridge, read up on the book "crunch time" by Michelle Bridges and improve my exercise intensity.

Thanks everyone for your comments on the photos of my LO. He is super cute and gets cuter by the day!

Stace asked if I had any problems with my port while I was pregnant, if I had any pain or if it was visible through my skin. Towards the end (last month or so!) I did get a little lump where the port was, but no pain at all. My mum who would feel my belly thought that my port was one of the baby's feet. Since she doesn't know about the band I had to go along with it! Ah well!

OK, I'm off to bed. LO is sleeping longer now so I'm able to stay up past 8pm these days!

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

A new photo!

2010-08-21T20:10:00.005+10:00

Hey all,

Just wanted to post another couple of photos of my little monkey for you all. Such a proud mum!

LBG xx

8 weeks on

2010-08-15T09:21:00.001+10:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been nearly 8 weeks since I had my baby! Still massively sleep deprived but my LO has started with the smiles and the "talking" so it makes the bags under my eyes well worth it.

Lapband wise, it's hit and miss at the moment. Some days I'm so tight I can barely get a protein shake down, other days, like last night, pasta was no problem. I don't understand why my band works like this. I don't think I ever will.
Checkup with the OBGYN was fine. I was 94kg which was a kilo or two lighter than the start of my pre-preg weight. The problem is that if I start dieting again then I run the risk of my milk supply getting low, which I don't want cos I am breastfeeding exclusively. And exercising too heavily (which I love to do with my spinclasses) also poses the same risk to my milk supply. So what to do? Definitely getting back to exercising, but not going to go as hard core as I would like to at the moment. I'm going to start back 1 spin class a week and the rest will be machine workouts and pump classes. This starts at the end of august when my gym membership kicks in again. As for the food and "diet" aspect. I'm starting my protein shakes in the morning. My main meal is generally at night cos that's when the band seems to behave itself the best. In between I'm going to concentrate on healthy snacks and lots of fluids.

Weigh in tomorrow!

Happy Sunday everyone! Thanks for reading.

LBG xx

Still Alive!

2010-07-31T14:07:00.004+10:00

Hello fellow bandits!

OMG motherhood is the craziest ride, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! My little monkey man is nearly 6 weeks old (would you believe it?). I'm really starting to get antsy about going back to the gym, walking around is just SO BORING! And I love my me time when I go to the gym, so hubby has said he'll watch the baby while I go in the evenings .... but I really like going in the mornings. Gym membership starts up again at the end of August, so I'm going to wait until then and then I'm back at it with VENGENCE!

I've realised that I like food, and I like eating... so the only way to ensure that I lose weight is to tack on some hard core exercise ... like spin classes etc into the mix to ensure I can still eat what I want and lose weight. See, I can eat what I want, bandit portions, but it's the exercise that really kicks the weight loss into gear and at the moment I'm not motivated to take the baby out in the stroller or the carrier especially when it's cold and rainy out. I only walked once this week, cos the rest of the week the weather was shite... not a good excuse I know, but I don't want the baby to come down with a cold because I took him out in the wet weather (I'm a good mummy I know! :))

So, what now? I haven't weighed since Monday, but I was 94.8kg so just maintaining at the moment. I'm really trying to cook meals from scratch and eat "natural" foods... for eg, making a guacamole dip from scratch - avocados, tomatos, onion, sour cream, lemon juice, salt pepper... rather than buying the dip from the supermarket premade. I've been roasting chicken with loads of herbs and spices (so freaking delicious!), making salads with homemade dressings, salad wraps with loads of goodies packed... but I know I can eat too much at the moment and really need a fill. BUT, I am breastfeeding so I know I should be eating slightly more... I'm eating loads of good healthy stuff, no doubt there, but just too much...

... and tim tams... I'm eating too many tim tams :(

Here's another pic of my monkey man!

LBG xx

My baby is 1 month old already!!

2010-07-23T14:36:00.001+10:00

...time sure does fly! Can't believe he's 1 month old already. Despite the 1am and 4am feedings, poopie nappies and projectile pee I fee so blessed to have this little guy in my life. :)

I dismally failed at my goals for this week. Only exercised twice this week, had fruit maybe once but I have been sticking to my bandit sized portions. I don't enjoy walking. I enjoy the gym and I can't wait to get back to my spin, step and pump classes again. 1 month to go until I can start back at the gym!!
Weigh-in on Monday was 94.1kg.

Just a short post today, monkey man is starting to wake up so it's time for a feed!

LBG xx

It was good while it lasted...

2010-07-16T19:29:00.005+10:00

... the free weight loss ride is well and truely over!

Weighed in on Monday at 93.4kg. Weighed in today at 93.6kg. That's a loss of 12.4kg since I gave birth. Not bad in 3 weeks. But my weight loss has stopped.. and I haven't stopped eating crap.. so now it's time I pull in the reigns and get my head in the right space for weigh loss and healthy eating. I also need to start walking. I have been meaning to get out once a day with Master L but it's been so cold and I've been quite busy with relatives coming and visiting every freaking day. They've left now so back to some sort of routine.

I have been LOVING sushi though and have had it 3 times this week. SO GOOD!

I still have quite good restriction and don't really need to go back and see the fill doctor at this point in time. So I'm going to wait another couple of months and see how I go. I'm still getting evening heartburn but it's nowhere near as bad as it was when I was pregnant. I've halved my heartburn medication and only taking it before bed so I'm happy with that.

So the plan for next week:

Have breakfast every day - easier said than done when you've got a baby feeding on demand every 2-3 hours. I try and get a shower in there as well and clean the apartment, do some laundry and catch up on e-mails and stuff... but I will have breakky every day, promise!

Have 2 pieces of fruit every day. I have been SO SLACK in the fruit department. I've got some mandarins and strawberries in the fridge, but being winter I don't really feel like fruit at the moment. Gotta change that attitude.

Bandit sized portions - enough said on that one.

30-1 hour walk every day - again, difficult with a baby but do-able, either in the pram or the baby carrier.

Going to have to leave it there as I can hear munchin start to wake and should go and feed him now.

LBG xx

Sleeeeeeeeep....

2010-07-10T12:02:00.003+10:00

I would sell my first born son for a solid 8 hours sleep...

... Just kidding!!

But seriously, I would kill for sleep that lasted longer than 2 hours.. I know I was complaining about getting up 5 times a night to pee, but I would take that over 2 hours sleep, 1 hour feeds, 2 hours sleep 1 hour feeds any day!! Ok, whinge over!

Sneaky jump on the scales today and I'm 93.2kg. Woo-freaking-hoo! I have yet to try on my pre-preggo jeans, they're in a box somewhere and DH has to get it down from the closet for me... It would be so cool if I could breastfeed my way to my goal weight! I think I'll probably have to start exercising to make that happen though... Breastfeeding will only do so much!

I am hardly eating at the moment. Probably 1 full meal (bandit sized full meal!) a day and that's usually dinner because my DH is home and he can take over the babysitting. Sometimes I manage a weight watchers meal in the middle of the day, but usually I get halfway through it and my boobie monster is up for a feed so it ends up going cold and bleh...

I'm snacking on cow cheese, nuts, rice crackers and corn chips. Very healthy I know... but so much easier for me to grab than to make a sandwich or a salad when you've got a second person attached to you and using up all your arms and hands (usually used for making said sandwich or salad!). I am drinking plenty of water though....

Tracey - I only had the head of 2 spears of asparagus so maybe that wasn't enough to cause any problems cos I didn't notice a change in my LO feeding habits. But I will keep that in mind for next time I feel like asparagus. I heard that we shouldn't be having things like onion, cabbage, broccolli and chocolate as well cos it can cause gas in the baby when feeding?

OK, enough from me for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

LBG xx

Monday Weekly Weigh-in

2010-07-05T11:53:00.003+10:00

I'm going to start my weekly weigh-in again and make myself more accountable again... It's been easy to hide my weight through the pregnancy cos it was OK to gain weight. But now thats all over with, my focus is on healthy eating and exercise.

Today I weighed in at 95.5kg. That's a 10.5kg loss in 12 days since giving birth. COOL. I'm sure this won't last though. I will get on at some point this week and update my actual stats on the side of my blog as they are heaps old!

I'm off to make chicken patties before Master L wakes up for a feed. Tonight we're having chicken patties with grilled asparagus and zucchini for dinner. YUM!

LBG xx

Almost human again...

2010-07-02T17:26:00.004+10:00

We've been back home for 5 days now and I have to say, it's amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep can do for you. Granted, the sleeping tends to be done in the middle of the day, it's still soooooooo good to not have people come in and interrupt you, weird noises and other things that happen in hospital.

DS seems to like to sleep mostly during the day, so I try to have a good 2-3 hour sleep in the afternoon. Then feed him around 4-5pm, make dinner and chillax with DH until DS wakes for a feed at 8-9pm. Then I go to bed and feed DS around 11pm, 2am and 5am. DS is sleeping well during the day... I have to wake him for feeds and so I'm trying to get his night/day sleep cycles sorted cos they are backwards at the moment.

On the weight loss front... I'm down to 97.1kg... that's a loss of 8.9kg!! Yes, I am thrilled. I feel really soft and squidgy at the moment so I'm sure that my clothes don't fit exactly right. But that's OK cos I'm still wearing my maternity pants. They are ALOT looser though. My boobs are HUGE at the moment. I am breastfeeding exclusively and have gone up a couple of cup sizes... having huge boobs does have it's upside... they make my waist look smaller! hehe

I'm really not trying at all with my diet. Still have restriction, but not watching the calories at all. Just making sure I am drinking heaps of water. I am also going to try and get out for walks in the morning, just waiting for some more healing downstairs... it's also so friggen COLD right now!

And just as I give birth to my Baby, I have to send out a big congratulations to EM who has just found out she is pregnant (and also has a lapband!). YAY EM!!! Here's to a happy and healthy 9 months!

Thanks for reading!

And here is a photo of my precious little angel:

LBG xx

I'm a MUMMY!

2010-06-29T19:16:00.001+10:00

Im blogging this from my iphone so i cant post any photos yet...

On June 23rd, 5 days early at 805pm weighing 8lb 4oz after 16 hours of labour... My little man made his grand entrance to the world!!

I will post up the birth story when I get a chance (sleep takes precedence at the moment!!!). But I am totally in love with my precious little guy and I'm doing just fine!

Weight on last day of pregnancy: 106kg
Weight today 29/June: 97.9kg

That's a loss of 8.1kg in 6 days!! 3.7kg of that was the baby :P

Once I get settled into the swing of things with little L I will get more serious about my weightloss! I would prefer to sleep than eat and I lost my appetite completely after the birth and while in hospital. And I am breastfeeding so that will help also.

LBG xx

39 weeks!! 1 more week to go!!

2010-06-20T18:38:00.002+10:00

Hard to believe that here we are 9 months later and on the last few days of the pregnancy. I am starting to have a bit of a freak out about the labour and birth. I mean, I know he's got to get out of there somehow.. and I REALLY want to do it without an epidural... but I just don't know what it's going to be like... I have NOTHING to compare it to.. and I think it's the unknown that is worrying me the most..

... and then once I have the baby, what then? I take him home and then what? Where's the instruction manual??? What did people do before the internet?!?!? I'm sure I'll be googling my way through motherhood *lol*

So this week will be pretty boring unless the baby decides to arrive early... I'm sticking close to home so alot of TV watching, napping and cleaning. I'm also enjoying the cooking side of things too.. and my hubby is reaping the rewards :) I have a large chain grocery store 5 mins walk from me, so if I need anything I can literally just pop over and get it.

I've completely lost my appetite... which has got to be a good thing for the waist line! (what waist line!!).

Finally, a BIG congratulations to Yvonne who gave birth to little Lucas on 12th June! Another PCOS lapband mumma who have me a smidge of hope when I first got diagnosed with PCOS.

LBG xx

38 weeks 5 days!

2010-06-18T12:27:00.002+10:00

Holy Braxton Hicks Batman!! I've been getting alot today.. and they are mighty uncomfortable. What's worse is that inbetween them I've got my little one kicking the crap out of me cos I think he's going "WTF was that Mum? I'm already cramped enough in here as it is... cut that out!!" and then I get a foot in my ribs... The only thing that helps is the stretch out on the couch... oh gee darn, I think I just might have to do that!! :)

I've had a couple of readers ask me questions. If you have questions, I would be more than happy to answer them - so please e-mail me on lapbandgirl_aus@yahoo.com.au. Thanks!

So, what's happening in the world of the lapband and being very very pregnant? Nothing much.. the restriction is really strange. Morning is liquids only, not only because of the restriction but because I'm feeling nauseous because of the high levels of hormones. I imagine the nausea will go away once the baby is here and the restriction will also diminish because the baby won't be pushing up on my stomach so much anymore. So will be interesting to see what I will and won't be able to eat once the baby is out. I imagine I'll be alot less restricted after the birth, which I am not worried about because I really want to eat well for the first couple of months after the birth for breast feeding the baby. There will still be some restriction.. but the physical pressure on my stomach at the moment is giving me alot more restriction. So, at the moment, because of that restriction, I'm being REALLY lazy with my food. This morning I had a Vanilla Milkshake drink... 1) because I'm craving vanilla milk and 2) because it's easy to get down, it's a good source of protein and gives me an energy hit. It's now 2.5 hours later and I'm not hungry at all... but I do have some leftover wraps from dinner last night so I'll have 2 mini chicken wraps with salad for lunch... That will take me around 30mins to eat, which is normal for bandits. Dinner tonight is slow cooked lamb with bacon, onion and carrots with rosemary infused dumplings and mini boiled potatos... Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. I've got the slow cooker going and the apartment smells AMAZING... The good thing is, is that the leftovers taste even better the next day... YUM!

Exercise has well and truely gone out the window. I've been walking to the shops each day and that has been enough to bring on a couple of contractions... so I can't even imagine what 30 mins of walking on a treadmill would do. I'm also waddling majorly now.. and my back is aching all the time, so I'm allowing myself to take the next few days off from the gym. I've put my membership on hold from 24June - End august... so I'm planning to do a whole lot of walking when the baby is here. It's such lovely weather at the moment that going for walks with the baby and hubby sound lovely... maybe not so lovely when it's raining or if I have a screaming baby... *lol*

OK, I've rambled enough for now.

Thanks for reading! 9 more sleeps to go until I have my little one in my arms :)

LBG xx

38 weeks 4 days!

2010-06-17T12:50:00.001+10:00

10 more sleeps!!! Time feels like it's standing still but it's not really. Can't wait to have my baby here..

What am I doing with myself these days?well I'm up by around 930-10am then I potter around making tea and breakfast and then I might hop on the computer for a bit or go out and get some groceries. Around 1230-1pm I get myself some lunch and then plop my waddly butt on the couch and watch some day time TV. 3pm i'll have a nap until around 4:30pm, then I'll watch the news and then start dinner for 6pm. I'm usually in bed by 9pm and will read until 10pm. What a life! Feeling very very slobby at the moment but I really am finding it difficult to do any real exercise. I would swim, but do you know how hard it is to get into your swimming costume and get your butt to the pool when it's cold out?? I've stopped my gym membership from 24th June til end august.

Right now I'm just Cherishing the feeling of my baby moving inside me. My nails and hair look fabulous cos of the hormones but the downside of the hormones is my skin has gone crazy and I've got a few more pimples than i would like. Imagine hormonal skin all the time, not just once a month. Trying not to wear too much makeup at the moment as my skin is sensitive too.

Ok that's all from me. Have a good Thursday everyone!!

LBG xx

38 weeks 1 day!

2010-06-14T17:52:00.001+10:00

It's hit me. The final two weeks of pregnancy have hit me like a tonne of bricks. I can't move properly, I need a hoist to get up, my lower belly aches, I'm waddling, my back is aching after standing for only minutes, I'm peeing every 30mins, I can't breathe properly, my hips are sore, constant heartburn and I'm so very tired. Wow! I was feeling pretty good before this week started and now I'm shattered. This baby can so arrive any time now.

...13 more sleeps and it will all be over.

LBG xx

37 weeks 5 days!

2010-06-11T19:08:00.002+10:00

So now we wait...

I just did the last of my official jobs for getting ready for baby - fitting the infant capsule to the car.. just got to repack my maternity bag - cos I can't remember what I packed (bloody placenta brain!!) and then we wait...

... so ready... so ready to be a mum and have my body back. I feel old, clumsy, tired and just not quite right. I hate not having the same spring in my step. I hate feeling achy in my tummy and back, I hate the heart burn. I hate feeling slow.. taking my time just to get off the freaking couch! My pregnancy aches and pains have been pretty good in comparison.. so I can't really complain! :)

Another question came up regarding pregnancy and my band. Ames asked if the pregnancy caused any problems with the position of the port:

Nope, no problems with my port and being pregnant.. It's definitely more prominant and I can feel it, but no pain or problems with stretching or anything.

I have nothing planned next week, except to sit and home and wait. I have a feeling I'm going to drive myself crazy waiting, so I hope he makes his appearance early... but I guess he'll come when he's ready.

OK that's all from me, quite a boring post today I'm sorry! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

LBG xx

37 weeks 4 days!

2010-06-10T10:22:00.002+10:00

Good morning all!

Day 4 of maternity leave and I have nothing planned except to wash a whole heap of cute little baby clothes. My heart melts when I look at them, they just look so small but the scary thing is, is that my little boy kicking away inside me can FIT them now!!! *eeep!!!* So today just chillaxing at home... will watch some TV, have a nap in the afternoon and do some baking for DH's international day tomorrow. He's Canadian so I'm going to make this special slice that comes from Vancouver which I googled the other day. But have to pop over to the shops to pick up the ingredients now.

Thanks heaps to everyone for their comments. I had a couple of questions which I will try to answer:

Ames
Congrats on taking the first steps to get a lap band. It's the best thing I ever did (besides marrying my DH and falling pregnant of course). I'm not sure what advice you want from me, so perhaps if you could be more specific I will be able to impart my "words of wisdom" about my experiences with my band. But, GOOD LUCK! It is so worth it!!

April
I didn't have any fluid/fill removed during the pregnancy. Infact, I haven't had any fill removed for a year now.. since before I fell pregnant. Actually I was due for another fill at the beginning of November because my weight was getting harder to maintain... but then I found out I was pregnant at the end of October and my lapband doctor advised me to just "see how I went" and to come and see him if things turned south and I found that I couldn't eat because of increased restriction OR that I was eating too much and putting on too much weight during the pregnancy. I've been in touch with my fill doctor during the pregnancy, and my OB knows about the band too. I've gained 8kg (around 20lb??) and have continued to exercise throughout. I have to admit, now that the baby is quite big and I have no room left, I've felt major restriction in the last couple of months - which has helped my weight stabilise and I've gained 4lb (around 2kg) in the last 3 months. Also, another thing with me (and I don't know if this is the same for other pregnant bandits) is that my hormones have an effect on the tightness of my band, and I used to notice this when I had my period as well before I was pregnant. Both my fill doctor and my OB have been happy with my weight progress while pregnant and have been evaluating me closely, but have no cause for concern. I'm not going to look at getting any fill put in until I've figured out the whole breast feeding thing... so maybe 2-3 months after the baby is born I'll book an appointment to see my fill doctor and go from there.

So lap band remains the same - liquids in the morning, then slowly introducing small snacks throughout the day mainly because of my heartburn. Dinner is still the best meal of the day for me, so trying to get a good amount of veges and protein during that meal. I'm thinking of making a chicken and vegetable pie for dinner... Mmmmmmmmmm!

Getting very very excited about becoming a Mummy now... he can come anytime now... I've sent an eviction notice so hopefully he gets the message and makes an appearance a couple of weeks early.

Happy Thursday everyone!

LBG xx

37 weeks 1 day - 20 more sleeps (or less!!)

2010-06-07T20:08:00.003+10:00

Hello!

First day of maternity leave was excellent. Had a hair appointment in the mornning and then came home for a nap mid afternoon. I could totally get used to being a lady of leisure but I know that this me time luxury will soon end once bubs arrives. Tomorrow I've got a waxing appointment to make sure all my bits are in good "condition" for the birth (sorry Brent, I know - TMI - heheh). Wednesday is coffee with some girlfriends who have already had babies, Thursday nothing and Friday I'm getting the car seat infant capsule fitted.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I love that I have 112 follows. Totally COOL that you actually are interested in what I have to say...

37 weeks 1 day - the heartburn was pretty sucky today and I was pretty restricted. Considering I haven't had fill put in the band in over a year, it's definitely got to be the hormones and physical pushing of the baby on my stomach that's lead me to increased restriction. I was able to eat a bit more for dinner, which is kind of normal - the band gets looser over the course of the day. The baby is moving every day and he is so strong now... feels like he's going to poke a foot through at any second. My husband laughs when he sees the alien movements in my belly. One of the things I will miss about being pregnant will be the movements - except at 4am when I'm tring to sleep.

Kat - you had a question regarding insurance but I'm probably not the best person to ask as I am from Australia and you (I'm assuming) are from the US? The way insurance works is probably totally different between countries... I'm sorry but I can't help you with your question, but good luck finding the answers you're looking for :)

OK, that's all from me today. Thanks for reading.

LBG xx

37 weeks!! Officially full term!

2010-06-06T09:43:00.001+10:00

So our little guy could come at any time now and everything would be ok! Can't believe we're finally at that point in the pregnancy. Seems like yesterday I was peeing on a stick and seeing 2 pink lines pop up clear as day. I'm still a little bit in denial about the whole labour and birth thing. I mean, I know he's got to come out somehow but I still don't feel like he's huge enough to cause me any pain.

I am definitely feeling slow and tired now. I finished work on Friday and am now going to take it easy until b-day. I did go to the gym yesterday and managed 30mins on the bike but it was tough going. I'm not sure if I'm going to get to the gym unless it's for swimming from now on cos I felt quite a few BH contractions while on the bike.

My band is now super tight as I enter the last few weeks of pregnancy. The morning is the worst. I drink water or tea and it sits there for half an hour. I either throw it up or try to let it go down. If I throw it up the band seems to loosen a bit but I can still only get porridge or coffee down until lunch. Lunch is a cup of soup and half a cheese sandwich mainly because the heartburn has kicked in and i need something fairly bland. Then I have some chocolate or something easy to get down in the afternoon like yoghurt or a glass or milk just to give me some energy. When I get home from work I grab myself a small bowl full of corn chips to munch on. Dinner is probably the only proper meal I can get down but it can take me up to an hour to eat. I make sure I have a good portion of vege at dinner. Then I have a glass of milk before bed. I'm supposed to be eating up to 2400 cals per day during this part of the pregnancy! Crazy. Looking forward to relieving the pressure of the baby on my stomach and lungs when he's out. My portions are tiny at the moment!! I guess on the flip side i'm maintaining my weight which is great considering this would be the time when most women gain the most weight cos bubs is putting on 30g of fat/day or around 250g per week!

Anyhoo, thanks for reading. Hope everyone has a great Sunday. I'll be sure to post a little more often now that I'm off work and will have more time on my hands (well until baby gets here)!!

LBG xx

36 weeks 3 days

2010-06-02T21:50:00.001+10:00

I have a 7lb 2oz baby in my belly with 3.5 weeks to go. It's going to be a 9lb'er or come early. I hope he comes early otherwise I'm in trouble!!!

Appetite has completely gone, nausea is back except that now I have monster reflux that just doesn't let up. Looking forward to getting my body back that's for sure. I've gained some weight now at 104.7kg but I'm feeling like I've been retaining alot more fluid recently which shows cos I can't wear my wedding rings any more.

Induction date has been set for 27th June. Doc won't let me go past 40 weeks so if anything I have a definite date and won't have this baby in July.

It's our 2 year anniversary on Sunday. Going out for lunch and a movie. And this Friday is my last day of work for 7 freaking months!!

It's all happening. There is definitely a light at the end of this tunnel. Can't believe it's gone so quick and yet so painfully slow. Can't wait to meet this little guy now. I'm totally ready :)

LBG xx

35 weeks 1 day

2010-05-24T17:16:00.001+10:00

Less than 2 more weeks and I'm done with work... Thank goodness! All I want to do is bludge at home for a bit and rest up before the big day. I am also suffering from placenta brain... To the EXTREME. I swear, pregnant women past 32 weeks should not be allowed to work in any job that requires her brain to be used.

So the the first week I have to muself I'm getting physically prepared for motherhood. How? I hear you ask. Well, Monday 7th June is hair appointment day, Tuesday is a major waxing session. Planning on getting a brazillian but I have a feeling it's going to be way too painful so just might have a tidy up. Wednesday will be a facial and pedicure and then Friday I'm getting the baby car seat fitted. Then I'm going to hibernate at home until I need to go to hospital to give birth, venturing out only to go to drs appointments.

Speaking of which, my next OB appointment I get another ultrasound! Yay! So excited to see my little man again before the birth. Hopefully I'll be able to put up another cool 3D scan on my blog.

And how's the lap band going? Pretty good! No weight gain at the moment. Steady at 103.5kg. Doctor is super happy as this is the time when preggo women gain the most weight. If I can stay the way I am I'll drop a good 8-10kg in the first couple of weeks after I give birth. The restriction is prefect. I'm sure once the baby is out there will be less restriction and I'll need to visit my fill doctor for a top up but for now I'm just grateful that I can eat most things but still have some awesome restriction.

That's it for now. Thanks for Reading :)

LBG xx

34 weeks 4 days

2010-05-20T08:22:00.001+10:00

Holy crap peoples... I am on the home stretch now. 38 sleeps to go. Getting slightly nervous now with the impending birth and labour. I think it's been amplified by the birthing classes I've been going to. To know I have the epidural as a backup is comforting but I don't like the though of having a needle in my back. That freaks me out too. Ah well, I'll stop thinking about it now.

Had my baby shower on sunday and it was just gorgeous. Had a lovely lovely day filled with friends food games an presents. I was so spoilt and so was Rupert :)

My band is playing up now and I am super super tight. I've gained a little weight this week, now at 104.1kg. Not sure why cos I'm definitely not eating much. I think it might be baby and fluid. Never mind. GD is still well controlled with diet which the doc is happy with. I've been getting quite a bit of heartburn but it's managable at the moment.

I swear my child is moving furniture in there. He has been so active recently I feel like a foot is going to pop out of my tummy at any time! Kinda cool but can get uncomfortable as well.

Ok that's all from me for now. Have a fabulous Thursday everyone!!

LBG xx

32 weeks 5 days

2010-05-07T18:33:00.001+10:00

Hey all!

I had my 32 week ob appointment yesterday and everything is great. Turns out that the new diet has seen me lose 1kg since my previous doctors appointment 4 weeks ago. Woohoo! The doc said that it was common for those diagnosed with GD to lose a bit of weight when they change their diet. Considering buns has gained 750g since the previous appointment I'm cheering. So now at 103.7kg.

Band has been particularly tight this week and my heartburn has flared up. It is quite painful and I'm trying to deal with it through taking some over the counter heartburn and indigestion tabs. They just aren't cutting it anymore so mum has offered to give me some nexium to try which is a prescription drug for heartburn. Will call my ob next week to ask if it's ok to take. As a result of the HB my band has become super tight. I'm going back to very small portions and more soft foods like soups and mashed potatoes and stuff. I have PBd twice this week due to the band being too tight which has probably caused some irritation. Not to worry :)

Am loving my 8 month bump now because I actually LOOK pregnant rather than fat. For the longest time people at work were saying that I didn't look pregnant which is code for 'you look fat'. Unfortunately because I had a tummy to begin with I never got the nice round tummy rather it looks like a B shape. But on the flip side, I haven't developed any new stretchmarks! :)

Well 7 weeks to go until he arrives. More importantly 4 weeks to go until work finishes! Wooohoooo!!

Thanks for reading :)

LBG xx

Next month!!

2010-05-01T09:03:00.001+10:00

Holy crap... Next month I'll be a mum! I'll be meeting my little boy...

8 weeks to go :)

I'm a little excited...

... Just quietly

31 weeks 3 days

2010-04-28T16:38:00.001+10:00

Hi all!

Just sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Brisbane so thought I might blog to you all. Have done 1 week of blood sugar level (BSL) monitoring and have been pretty much spot on with my levels except for 2 readings over 7.0mmol. Getting used to pricking my finger to get some blood. It hurts, every time.. I just have to keep doing this for another 60 days or 240 times! *LOL* I call it the Big Baby Test, because if I get a high reading then I could have a big baby! Mates at work have been really supportive. When I have to test my BSL they have a comp to see who can guess the closest to the actual number!!

I'm feeling quite fat at the moment, out of breath and tired. All normal preggo symptoms. Only 5 weeks 2 days until I finish work which I can't wait for. I can't even imaging how I'm going to feel at 37 or 38 weeks!!

Weight is going up again. Now 103.9kg. Baby is gaining around 150g/week now.

Ok well thanks for reading :) have a good rest of your day!

LBG xx

Dianosis: GD

2010-04-21T21:02:00.001+10:00

Yep. Looks like i've developed myself a case of gestational diabetes. I had a couple of risk factors for it:
1. I have PCOS
2. I'm overweight
3. I have a couple of family members that have type 2 diabetes

I'm a little disappointed I must admit. I thought I was doing some things right by eating small regular meals and taking in some exercise a few times a week. But nope, not enough. So what now? Well tomorrow I have a meeting with the diabetes educator and dietitian to talk about my diet. I wonder how many pregnant GD women with a lap band they see? Shall be interesting.

I also have to start monitoring my blood glucose levels after every meal. Yep, every meal. That's going to suck because I didn't want to tell many people at work and I'm going to have to do this at work.

And of couse will be back to my obstetritian for close follow up in 2 weeks and then every two weeks after then until I give birth.

Have made a commitment to do some form of exercise every day whether it be a short walk around the block or a 45 min swim or a 30 wii fit session. Apparently exercise helps control blood sugar levels.

Ok that's all from me. Enjoy the rest of your week

LBG xx

30 weeks 1 day

2010-04-19T08:57:00.001+10:00

I'm hanging out at the pathology collection place doing my 2 hour GTT (glucose tolerance test) to test if I have gestational diabetes. I've only been here 20mins and already the chair is making my back sore. I'm feeling slightly ill from the drink too. And my heartburn is really acting up today as well.

Visited the maternity ward yesterday where I'll be going to give birth. Talk about a total reality check. Trying not to think about giving birth and standing in the delivery suite with a few stains on the ground made it all hit home. Will go back to trying not to think about it until I absolutely have to. At the moment I'm just enjoying feeling my little man moving inside me with his massive kicks and stretches.

Anyway, that's it from me today. Happy Monday!!

LBG xx

My little man

2010-04-13T12:24:00.002+10:00

Isn't he just the cutest little thing ever? So well developed, it's amazing technology these days... I could stare at this photo for hours :)

Scan went well. I have 2 small lipoma's on my abdominal wall. They shouldn't cause me any problems for the pregnancy but may have to have them removed later on in life if they start causing me problems or get too big.

Other than that, Rupert was amazing to watch. He is just so big now... and wriggling all over the place. He did a big yawn for us during the scan, that just melted my heart... He is doing just perfect... and we did confirm again that he is definitely a HE! :)

Now for my GTT next Monday.

LBG xx

29 weeks 1 day

2010-04-12T18:36:00.002+10:00

Hello fellow bloggers!

I'm in the 30th week... almost on the home stretch now...

GTT
Just to explain about what a GTT is. GTT stands for Glucose Tolerance Test. It's a screening test for diabetes... or in my case, gestational diabetes which is diabetes that only happens during pregnancy. I took a one hour GTT (which is the typical screening test that all pregnant women have done at around week 28). I failed that... which means that my results came back too high. That is, the glucose levels in my blood were high because my pregnancy is masking the effects of insulin which is the hormone responsible for converting glucose in the blood to energy for my muscles. As a result, too much glucose in my blood means that there is too much glucose in my baby's blood as glucose can cross over to the baby through the placenta. High glucose levels (or gestational diabetes) can result in the baby growing too big. For the mum it means that she has a 30-50% higher chance of developing diabetes later in life. If the baby grows too big I'll need to deliver early .. perhaps 2 weeks earlier. There is also a risk that the baby will be jaundice (yellow), have funny blood glucose levels for the first few days of life and have some breathing difficulties due to the baby arriving early. Nothing too major to worry about, but if it can be prevented this is important too!

So, I failed my 1 hour GTT by "just a smidge" so I have to go back and do a longer GTT for 2 hours. I did this 2 hour GTT back in september and my results were perfect... so at the moment I'm not too worried.

Tomorrow I have another ultrasound which I am super excited about. It's actually to look at a small hernia / fibroid I've developed on my upper abdomen, near my port actually. Should be interesting as I'm sure the scan will pick up where my port location is but also the tubing connecting my port to my band. They will also have a look at the baby to see how he is developing. I am going to ask the tech to check the gender of the baby again, just to be 110% sure... and also see if the tech can get a good 3D shot of his face. We're so excited just to see him again. I can't wait.

Mummy Update
I'm doing fine, other than the lack of sleep. My back is starting to get a bit achey if I am on my feet for too long. I can't wait to be able to lie on my tummy again, oh how I miss it! I probably wake every hour now, to either change positions or pee... and I've still got 11 weeks of it to go... even more difficult as I am still working full time up until 37 weeks. It's going to kill me! Never underestimate the value of a mid-afternoon nap! :)
My lap band is still giving me some restriction which I love, but I'm still getting more hungry now. I'm focusing on smaller meals and snacks... fruit and yoghurt, small bowl of cereal with some mixed raw nuts and seeds, a salad and chicken sandwhich, some pretzels etc... The heartburn is pretty crap... but managable with mylanta..
Actually we have a fair amount of chocolate from Easter in our cupboards at the moment - and I'm not really fancying it... which is great! It does give me extra heartburn so I stay away from it. I'm enjoying my strawberry milk drinks just before bed which gives me a hit of carbs and a bit of protein as well so I don't get hungry overnight. I find that if I let myself get too hungry then I start to feel nauseous..

OK, that's all from me. Thanks for reading. I'll let you know how my scan goes and may even have a piccy or two to share tomorrow :)

LBG xx

Failed!

2010-04-08T11:40:00.001+10:00

Dammit! I failed my 1 hour GTT so I have to have a 2 hour GTT. The doc said not to be concerned as 9/10 women that fail their 1 hour test pass their 2 hour test. Also I have a small hernia below my left ribs so I have to go in for an ultrasound next week. So I'll get to see Rupert again which is good.

Brent - it's not a good idea to diet during pregnancy if you're already underweight. Being overweight my doc is encouraging me to lose weight or at least stay the same. The baby will get all that he needs from the mum no matter what the mum is eating.

Off to the gym tonight for a swim. Can't wait! Back is a bit stiff today.

Have a good Thursday everyone!

LBG xx

28 weeks 3 days

2010-04-07T08:10:00.001+10:00

Hey all

Just chilling at the blood collection place before I have to drink my sugar drink for my gestational diabetes test. Then off to the ob for a quick visit!
Glad to report I dropped 300g since yesterday and was 102.9kg on the scales this morning.
Rupert has been kicking loads over the past couple of weeks. He has definitely turned head down cos I can feel the stronger kicks up near my ribs and the twitches and littler movements down in my pelvis. I still love feeling him move although his kicks are becoming slightly uncomfortable when he gets me under my ribs!! I guess I've got more of that to come eh?
As for me, the heartburn is the worst of it everything else I can handle. I'm even coping with the change in my sleeping positions although my hubby still gets woken up 5 times a night by me either getting up to pee or to change positions.

I've just discovered an application on my
iPhone for mobile blogging, so cool! Now I can update more regularly!

Hope everyone had a great day!

LBG xx

28 weeks 2 days

2010-04-06T17:13:00.001+10:00

11 weeks and 5 days to go until I get to meet my baby boy. I can’t wait! I must admit, pregnancy is becoming a bit harder now, and I can only imagine what it will be like right at the end when I’m carrying a 3-4kg bub, not to mention the fluid retention, not being able to breath, 24/7 heartburn and lack of sleep… but it’s not forever and there is a very big prize at the end of it!

Hope everyone had a great Easter. I spent mine with my father-in-Law up north. It was painful but had to be done. I only had 1 easter egg (Cadbury crème egg) the entire weekend, but I still managed to gain 400g. Must have been the entire bag of Doritos I ate over the course of 2 days that did it!!

Off to see the OBGYN tomorrow. I’ve gained 1.2kg as of my previous visit 4 weeks ago – which is pretty bloody good considering that the baby has gained 500g in that time also. So if I can stick to 1kg every 4 weeks then I’ll only gain another 3kg. That will put me at 106kg – but if I lose all the pregnancy weight (average of 12-15kg weight gain for most women) then I’ll be back down to my pre-preg weight of 91kg. Which is an excellent place to start on my weight loss once the baby has arrived. Of course, I am going to try very hard to keep a stable weight from now on until the birth. The baby will gain another 2-3 kg in this time… and he can have all the fat he wants off me!!! Hehehe

I am getting heartburn with most meals now. But it’s still managable with Mylanta tablets. The nausea has come back a bit this week, so I’ve got to keep up with my small snacks in the morning. I’m trying to eat more fruit as well to keep up my fibre intake. The band has become tighter since my belly has grown. I’m not sure how much of an issue this is going to be, but I managed a vegemite and cheese sandwich for lunch today with no problems, and my apple is going down ok this afternoon, so I guess I’m not super tight yet!

I also have my gestational diabetes test tomorrow. It’s called a glucose tolerance test. You drink this vile sugar water and then wait for an hour to see what your blood glucose levels are. If your levels are over a certain number then you have to have another test that is two hours long. I had the GTT done just before I found out I was pregnant and it was perfect, so I’m hoping that it has remained the same!

Mum (who just happens to be a midwife) said that the baby was now measuring a week ahead of schedule. So either I’ll have a bigger baby to push out, or he’ll make his appearance a little early. I hope he comes early, I can’t wait to meet him.

Thanks for reading!! I can’t believe I have 105 followers! So cool that you actually are interested in my lil old blog and my somewhat boring life as a pregnant lapbandit!

Take care,

LBG xx

26 weeks 1 day

2010-03-22T10:05:00.002+11:00

6 days to go and I will officially be in the 3rd trimester! WooHoo!!

Have really noticed that I have slowed down this week. I went to the gym yesterday and could just walk at 5km/hour on the treadmill. I did 20 mins and still managed to get an average hr of 130bpm... then went on the crosstrainer which was alot more comfortable for me and even did 10 mins on the stepper as well. Will be swimming Tues, Wed and Thursday nights this week I think as I didn't go to the gym for a swim last week at all as I was travelling for work. Actually, the travelling really sucked the energy out of me as well last week. I was EXHAUSTED after a 1.5 hour flight from Brisbane back to Sydney on Thursday Evening. I'm not going to stop travelling until 14th May for work... and that seems like aaaaaaaaages away. I've got at least 2 more trips to melbourne and 1 more trip to Brisbane before then...

Can't wait to finish work. I finish up on 4th June which is 11 weeks away. Seems like such a long time to wait.. lucky there are a few public holidays in there!

The band is behaving itself and providing a good level of restriction. Still getting a moderate amount of heartburn which is settled with a mylanta chewable tablet. Can eat bread, but not too much. I made hamburgers last night for dinner and had a wholemeal roll, but ended off taking off the top of the roll and using the cheese as the other piece of "bread", and then ended up leaving half the bottom of the roll and just eating the meat, salad and cheese separately.

Am currently at 102.8kg. So have put on 800g in 2 weeks. I attribute that to my Yum Cha experience where I ate like I wasn't banded and the fact that I hadn't done much exercise at all last week. So this week I'm taking salad wraps to work, loads of fruit and small portions for dinner... and of course... exercise!

So I've put on 7.8kg since the start of the pregnancy. So I am still at the normal weight gain for pregnancy and my doc isn't worried, but I still HATE seeing the number on the scales go up... it freaks me out! The third tri is when most of the weight gain goes on too... *eek*

Ah well, enough obsessing.

Happy monday everyone!

LBG xx

25 weeks 2 days

2010-03-16T12:21:00.002+11:00

Only 1 week and 5 days to go until I'm in the 3rd (and final) trimester. How exciting! This week my weight has remained stable at 102kg. Started at around 95kg in September and put on the majority of my weight when I was in the first trimester and over christmas - when I wasn't watching the scales AND was eating crap (cos that's all I felt like). But no more! I'm making a real big effort to watch the scales and to keep the weight gain to an absolute minimum. I definitely don't need a fill at the moment (although Sunday's Yum Cha experience was a whole other story!). So the update on the weight gain front is pretty good at the moment and I'm happy with the progress. If I can stay under 105kg then I will be lighter after I give birth than before I got pregnant, which would be awesome and a great starting point for my weight loss to begin.

My band was acting so crazy over the weekend. Sunday I went out for Yum Cha with my sister and, as if by magic, I felt like I could eat like a normal person. There was ZERO... and I mean ZERO restriction. I felt FULL, like that deep stomach gut hurting full afterwards, and haven't felt that way since before the band. Yet yesterday I could barely eat 2 bites of lasagne before I was full.

Baby is doing great. Giving me some wonderful strong kicks, at regular times throughout the day. He loves it when I have a double espresso coffee mid morning :) He's quiet through the afternoon and perks up again after dinner and just before bed. I love lying in bed with my hubby and have him feeling and watching my belly move. He gets such a kick out of feeling our little one move and kick inside of me. I love watching my husband's face light up everytime he feels something. We're definitely bonding over the experience, and preparing to become parents. My husband has grown this amazing attitude of protectiveness and is totally acting like the man of the family, standing up to older brothers and demands of other relatives to put me and our childs needs first. It's so lovely to feel protected like I do.

Anyway... that's it from me..until next time. Hope you are all well in blog land!

LBG xx

24 weeks 4 days

2010-03-11T12:10:00.002+11:00

I know, it’s been a while. Things are great with bubs and I. I’m now in my 25th week and just starting to loose a little bit of energy. That spark I had early in the 2nd trimester has definitely started to fade a little as I get nearer to the 3rd trimester. Can’t believe I’ll actually be in the 3rd trimester in a little under 3 weeks!

I have had a wonderful time over the last few weeks just getting to feel my baby move more and more. He has definite periods of activity and sleeping and they are pretty much the same every day. Some days he’ll be more active than others. On Monday he threw a massive party and did some crazy somersaults. Now his head is up near my ribs and he’s River Dancing on my bladder and cervix – causing a few jumps from me when he decides to get going. I hope he flips again so his head is down low cos I enjoyed feeling him kick higher up, and also hubby could feel him more.

I had my ob appointment yesterday and have registered another 1kg gain in 4 weeks. My ob is happy with my weight gain so far, and is glad that I continue to swim and walk. My heartburn continues also, and is worse after some foods so I've been taking Mylanta for the really bad episodes, but at least I haven't had night reflux or anything. Hope that doesn't start happening!

12 more weeks of work left and it couldn't come soon enough. I am tired all the time, due to lack of good quality sleep but I'm coping OK at the moment.Don't know how I'm going to be when I'm 34 weeks pregnant though!

Thanks for reading. I'll trying to post more often, promise!

LBG xx

20 weeks 4 days

2010-02-11T11:34:00.001+11:00

Hello fellow bloggers!

20 weeks 4 days today! Can feel my little one rolling around inside of me, and it’s the coolest feeling ever! I’ve even had a couple of kicks which I could feel from the outside, although he seems to get a bit shy when my husband tries to feel for it as well. I had my check-up yesterday with my ob, and everything is perfect. I’m supposed to just sit back and enjoy this part of the pregnancy now before I get too fat to move.

I’ve gained 7kg since September 2009. This is a really hard thing for me to deal with as I’ve been losing weight without all that much effort for the past 3 years. Speaking of 3 years, Feb 2nd was my 3 year Bandiversary! Wow! Since then I’ve been Married and now expecting my first child, and lost 30kg in the process! But I digress, seeing the scales move up even though I’m eating normally (for a bandit) has been a real challenge for me to get around. Part of me wants to try and stop putting on any more weight, but the other part of me knows that all of it is fluid, baby and maternal fat weight which is completely normal! I must admit, I didn’t have a great diet during the 1st trimester, but I couldn’t believe how absolutely put off I was food in general. Just eating was an effort, so I didn’t think anything about having a bowl of 2 minute noodles for dinner (yes, not very healthy I know) or having crackers with iSnack Vegemite and cheese just to stop me from feeling nauseous (which, I must remind you, are a slider food, so easy to eat!). I also had a lot of sugary drinks (lemonade, ginger beer, juice) to help with my energy levels and Nausea, but have cut back on that now because I don’t get that nauseous anymore. Sticking to water, coke zero and diet cordial as my drinks of choice. Also, for some reason, the band got looser in the 1st trimester and since bubs has started crowding my organs and growing upwards, my band has tightened again and I’m getting some heartburn now. But I’m managing that with small regular meals/snacks.
So, just to give you an idea – this is what I am eating during the week while at work:

BF (8:00am): 30g Muesli and skim milk (200cal)
MT (10:30am): 4 premium crackers with 1 slice cheese and vegemite spread (300cal)
L (12noon): ½ ham, cheese and salad sandwhich – no mayo or butter, just wholegrain mustard for a spread, with pickles, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, onion ham and cheese (150 cal)
AT (2:30pm): the other ½ of the sandwich I had for lunch (150 cal)
AT (5pm): Small Apple or Frosty Fruit Iceblock – depending on how hungry/tight I am (100cal)
D: Normal “bandit” sized meal with meat, vege and carbs – sometimes, if I’m feeling a bit icky or tired I’ll have more carbs or if I’m feeling tight (300-500 cal)
S: Strawberry flavoured milk (250mL) and a frosty fruit (200 cal)

Total cals: 1300-1500 cal/day and exercising around 2-3 times a week (swimming and walking) I also walk to and from work each day 30 mins.

Does that look like too much food?

VictoriaLee posted a question: I'm considering getting a lapband, but my dad and cousin had the gasteric-bypass weight loss surgery and they vomit all the time. Do you know if this is normal for lapband too?

No, it’s not normal to vomit all the time. It is normal to vomit if you eat too much in one mouthful and don’t chew your food. That’s because the food gets stuck and can’t pass through your smaller stomach. You find out very quickly what you can and cannot tolerate. And it’s not really a proper vomit. I.e. you don’t have any acid with the vomit, it’s more just the food that is stuck surrounded by a whole lot of mucus. Your body makes the mucus in your stomach to try and help the food go through. Some people call it a “productive burp” or a “slime”. The tighter your band, the more food you won’t be able to eat. You don’t want to vomit all the time because there is a chance that your band could move, or your stomach could become swollen and cause more problems trying to get down food. The good thing about the band is that you’re told to gradually introduce solid foods into your diet after surgery so that you get used to the smaller portions, chewing more and smaller mouthfuls.

Banditblossum – I didn’t realise we were so close in timing with our pregnancies! I must admit I have been slack on catching up on other people’s blogs, but I’ve bookmarked yours so I can have a peek to see how you’re doing as we’re only 2 weeks apart! J

OK, that’s all from me for today.

Thanks for reading!

LBG xx

Can you believe I am almost half way???

2010-02-04T13:59:00.002+11:00

I'm 20 weeks on Sunday. Can't believe that I'm half way through already. It's seem like it's gone really slow but really quick all at the same time. I had an awesome ultrasound appointment and bubs is doing really really well.... definitely a wriggler!

Most exciting is....

It's a BOY!!!!

YAY! So excited to be having a baby boy. Jumped on ebay that evening and bought some baby boy clothes. Hubby is so thrilled as well. Now to choose a name! That will remain a surprise until bubs is born... so for now he will still be known as "Rupert".

I'm doing great! Have been feeling bubs more now which has just been magical. I'm feeling pretty good as well, still not looking pregnant, just like I've put on weight... hoping that goes soon as I'm feeling pretty self conscious at the moment... and feel like a whale!!

I've been suffering from a bit of heart burn this week. I'm on a conference so the rich food and the fact that we seem to be eating every 2-3 hours seems to be contributing. I've had a couple of PBs as well which hasn't been nice but I know why that is... I was eating too quick. Good to see that my band is still working! I think the reflux is only going to get worse now so I've got to figure out a way to manage it other wise I'll go back to fill doctor and get some fill taken out.

That's all from me for now.

LBG xx

17 weeks 5 days

2010-01-22T14:46:00.003+11:00

Wehey! Sorry guys, it has been way too long between posts! Christmas was super busy and I've been enjoying my summer holidays as well.

Christmas was so cool! Told the family that a baby was on the way and everyone was totally over the moon. It was so lovely to see all their faces as they opened our christmas card with the pic of the scan on it.

I've been feeling pretty good. Nausea on and off but managable. I've gained 2kg in 6 weeks since last visiting the OBGYN at week 10. I'm OK with that.

Still no proper bump, I guess all that working out at the gym is keeping my stomach muscles fairly tight. I am still going to the gym, but have stepped everything back to a slower pace and have taken up more swimming as it's easier on my back.

We have our 19 week morphology scan on 30th Jan when we get to find out if our baby is team blue or team pink. Still feeling the blue love at the moment, but I could be totally wrong. As long as it's happy and healthy I don't mind what colour it is wearing!

Have also started feeling some flutters which is totally cool! No definite kicks yet but some squirms in my belly every now and then. I love this feeling...

The band is behaving itself. I can eat, but not over eat which I love. I can eat most foods, bread included, but am still taking quite a while with my food so definitely not eating huge bites. Haven't had a PB in months... and have probably had 2 PB's during the entire pregnancy... which is great!

Hope all is well in blog land! I'm off to read some blogs.

LBG xx

13 weeks 3 days

2009-12-23T13:52:00.002+11:00

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

2009-12-18T10:08:00.002+11:00

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

2009-12-14T14:56:00.004+11:00

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

2009-12-08T13:40:00.002+11:00

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!

2009-11-28T15:55:00.002+11:00

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!

2009-11-10T16:53:00.002+11:00

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!

2009-10-28T07:54:00.002+11:00

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!

2009-10-24T10:28:00.001+11:00

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

2009-10-21T16:42:00.002+11:00

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!!

2009-10-20T20:13:00.000+11:00

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??

2009-10-15T18:22:00.003+11:00

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

2009-10-06T12:45:00.001+11:00

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?

2009-10-05T19:52:00.003+11:00

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

2009-10-04T04:59:00.003+11:00

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!

2009-09-23T09:09:00.002+10:00

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!!

2009-09-22T09:34:00.002+10:00

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

2009-09-19T18:02:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-09-13T10:07:00.002+10:00

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

2009-09-10T08:25:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-09-05T18:30:00.002+10:00

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

2009-09-02T13:11:00.001+10:00

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

2009-09-01T20:18:00.003+10:00

... 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..

2009-08-29T14:19:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-08-27T08:54:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-08-25T08:19:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-08-22T11:38:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-08-16T11:03:00.003+10:00

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

2009-08-10T08:33:00.002+10:00

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

2009-08-09T11:19:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-08-08T09:59:00.002+10:00

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

2009-08-06T20:46:00.003+10:00

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...

2009-07-31T13:53:00.002+10:00

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

2009-07-30T17:03:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-07-29T13:48:00.002+10:00

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

2009-07-28T09:14:00.002+10:00

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

2009-07-18T21:06:00.002+10:00

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!!

2009-07-17T17:56:00.002+10:00

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!!

2009-07-15T18:19:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-07-08T08:54:00.001+10:00

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!

2009-07-03T09:39:00.001+10:00

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!

2009-07-01T07:59:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-06-24T08:44:00.002+10:00

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...

2009-06-22T11:13:00.002+10:00

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..

2009-06-20T19:22:00.002+10:00

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

2009-06-12T14:46:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-06-07T12:04:00.003+10:00

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!!!

2009-06-05T17:42:00.002+10:00

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