potstickers...

Apparently, the pot-stickers that went down just fine for dinner last night (yay for solid food!) do NOT go down just fine for breakfast.  :)

Thanksgiving was great!  I had my soup and a couple of bites of sweet potato souffle.  I even managed a few bites of pumpkin bread pudding!  The whole family knows about the band, but I was relieved that they didn't have to witness any "incidents."  

I've also had a much better time with solids the last few days.  It's still a crap shoot most days, but things are getting better.  As long as I stick to my smoothies for breakfast (no more left-over Chinese) and something light & mushy for lunch (soup, etc) I can usually manage a few bites of whatever Darrell is eating for dinner.

Still not losing--but, at least I'm feeling better. :)

Cheers!

My first Thanksgiving with the band...

We're hosting both families at our house for Thanksgiving...TONIGHT!  My FIL has to work on Thursday, so my family very generously agreed to celebrate a day early.  Plus, my dad's birthday is Thursday so now he doesn't have to share his special day. Funny how that works out, huh? :)

So, I've been cooking since Sunday.  It's not that I'm cooking a lot of food (we only have 10 people to feed), it's just that the things I am cooking have many, many components.  Here's the menu:

Turkey (brined & roasted a la Alton Brown)




Giblet gravy

Manee's cornbread dressing

Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes

Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Soup w/ smoked blue cheese & crumble bacon







Grandmama's Angel biscuits

Mom's sweet potato souffle w/ praline topping

Sauteed green beans w/ garlic & prosciutto

Cranberry sauce (home-made)

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Pumpkin Bread Pudding w/ creme anglaise & apple-caramel sauce



Out of all of that, the only thing I'll be eating is the soup since I still can't handle solid foods after my GARGANTUAN fill last month.  C'est la vie.

Cheers!

new doctor progress...

I called the new doctor's office today and started the ball rolling.  I sent them my surgical report and am now just waiting for them to call me back (the doctor wants to review the report before accepting me as a patient) to set up my first appointment.  It will probably be a couple of weeks since next week is Thanksgiving.  I'm okay with that.  It's just a relief to know that thinks are going to be changing soon.  They confirmed that fills can usually be scheduled within a week of calling (no more than 2 weeks, tops!).  And, while they generally do fills on MWF, they can always work someone in any day of the week for an emergency or special circumstance.  Fingers crossed!

PS  I'm not posting my "daily food log" like everyone else since my daily intake is so screwed up from being too tight.  Mostly, I'm can only keep down coffee, smoothies & soup.  Everything else causes problems (even the mozzarella cheese I was able to eat last week).  I'll post something once I get things straightened out.

I think I've finally come to the decision that my last fill was just a bit too much.  This morning, I'm having trouble with my smoothie.  It's not the first time.

It's also time for me to take the plunge and sign up with a new doctor.  You may remember in some of my previous posts that I'm not entirely happy with the after-care I've received.  Here's a recap:

• Appointments are a hassle.  It took over 2 months to get scheduled for my last fill!  During that time, I lost a whopping total of 1.5 lbs.  What a waste of time.
• My doctor is totally uninterested in my progress.  The only time he has asked any questions about my weight loss, how I'm feeling, etc. was to satisfy insurance requirements so that they could keep their "Center of Excellence" status.  He even apologized to me for asking all the questions!
• He was horrified when I told him about Chicago.  "Like a club?!?!?" he exclaimed with a look of disgust on his face.
• I can't call my doctor's office directly.  I have to call a Call Center and then they send a message to my doctor's secretary (usually they get the message wrong) who then calls me back (usually at least a week later).  
• The center tries to blame all of the delays on the insurance company.  However, I've talked to my insurance company and they always approve procedures within 48 hours of getting the request.  Somebody's fibbing.
• Overall, the aftercare is just completely disappointing....so, I'm gonna change doctors.

I have found a center in the metro-Atlanta area that seems to be what I'm looking for.  They have an office that does nothing but Lap-Band and they tell me that you can usually get a fill appointment within a week of calling (usually only a few days).  I have already requested my medical records from my current doctor and just need to make the call.

Another WTF? eating moment....this morning smoothies are a problem but bacon is okay. Wha??????  Oh, and apparently I've gained 4 pounds in the last 3 days.  How?--I haven't been able to eat anything.  This does NOT make sense.  I would call my doctor, but...(see bullet points above).

boot camp...

About a 2 months before my surgery, I bought a Groupon for 1-month Boot Camp.  The Groupon expires on Dec. 31.  I guess that means I'm going to Boot Camp next week.  Wish me luck!

Cheers!

i can eat...

...fresh mozzarella, but not tofu.  WTF?????

soooooo close...

I have been flirting with 30lbs down for over two months!--and today I'm 1/4 lb closer.  I swear I will get there before Thanksgiving!  I will, I will, I will.

My 3rd fill is definitely making a difference.  Although, I'm still not 100% convinced that it's not too tight.  I'm most certainly finding that there are foods I can't handle (crackers) at any time and that I should not try to eat solid food in the morning.  Oddly, steak seems to go down just fine, but I have trouble with eggs.  Go figure.

More later--just wanted to get a quickie in before heading out to the Botanical Gardens for volunteering.

Cheers!

sad because it's true...

My husband (who is an Atkins man) just announced to me, "I'm losing weight, but it coming off sooooo slowly.  I've lost 19 pounds, but it took 3 months."  To which I replied, "I've lost 19 pounds, too.  But, it took me 5 months...and you didn't have surgery!"

Granted, I lost 10 pounds before surgery, so it's 29 pounds total...but still.  Argh!

i have restriction, but i'm not sure i like it...

I had my first attempt at "real" food this morning after 4 days of liquids following my fill on Thursday.  Egg salad--two small bites--extreme nausea.  I don't feel "stuck" and I didn't experience any PB or sliming.  I just feel really full and really nauseated.  Maybe I'll go back to my morning smoothie and try again later.

Has anyone else experienced nausea after a fill?  Maybe this is something else and not related to the fill at all?  Keeping my fingers crossed for my 2nd attempt at "real" food this afternoon.

***UPDATE***
Looks like I might be one of those "tight in the morning" people.  Dinner last night went pretty well--2 oz. grilled ribeye & butter-braised Brussels sprouts.  This morning, I'm back to struggling with just a smoothie.  At least I'm not hungry! :)

Cheers!