Have Patience!

Well here I am again...two weeks in a row in fact. 

I've had a pretty damn good week, and it ended even better this morning with the awesome news that a friend of a friend had woken up from her two week coma.  She had been diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia and had to be intubated.  This past Tuesday, her family had been told that all hope was lost and she was not going to wake up, and her lungs were so necrosed from the infection.  Well lo and behold, this morning she opened her eyes and knew who everyone was and what was going on.  It's going to be a long haul of healing for her, but at least we know she will be fine.

I saw my lap band dietitian and surgeon on Friday.  I won't deny it, I was nervous and worried about how the whole thing was going to go down.  I chatted for a while with the dietitian and when I told her about what my therapist had told me she was quite disappointed with what I had been told.  We also agreed that I had not been coming in enough to get my fills - in other words, I had not been using my band to the fullest.  By the end of our meeting, we had made a deal that I was going to make regular monthly appointments to get my fills until I had hit my sweet spot and start losing regularly.  She was impressed with the fact that I had lost over 9 lbs in two weeks - but that I need to lean on them more and work my band the way it's supposed to.  My surgeon agreed with all of this and was really great with me.  When I told him I was considering getting my band removed, he replied with "You know Kristy, there is a reason you were chosen for this surgery.  You have the determination, and perseverance and discipline to do this, so I think you just need to have more patience and work the band like it's supposed to."  He gave me .4cc's and I have to say, it feels like it's the most restriction I have ever had.  I now have a total of 6.6 cc's in my 10 cc band.  Other than an episode with some peanut butter yesterday, I've been really cautious with what I put in my mouth and the amount I put in my mouth.  I only eat until I am no longer hungry and it feels good.  I hope this amount of restriction stays.

Another great thing to happen this week was that I deadlifted 215 lbs on Wednesday.  I wasn't sure if I could do it, but with Patrick and Brian pushing me and supporting me to get there, I did it.  It felt so good to get back to that point again.  My knees felt good aftewards and the only thing to bother me a bit was my right elbow - which is kind of weird but whatever.  I am hoping to up the weight by 5 lbs this week so we will see. 

Also, on Friday I when I stepped on the scale, I managed to lose 1.3 lbs.  That's 9.3 lbs in two weeks!  I have been so careful with what I've been eating lately.  I do admit, I have had a couple of minor oops's at work, but I've really tried hard to use my willpower skills :-)

This week is going to be even better...I can feel it!

Have a great week everyone!

Prove Them Wrong

I have to be honest here...I've been a bad blogger.  I haven't kept up to date with it - I used to blog every week, and I don't really know why I've stopped, but starting today, I'm going to really try to make the effort to blog more.  I find it therapeutic and it helps me with my weight loss efforts.

I've had a lot to think about as of late.  For a while, I couldn't get what my therapist told me out of my head the last time I saw her.  I was so angry with her.  She is supposed to be a person of trust and knowledge and support.  I felt none of that after I saw her.  I fact, I have felt the most alone in my journey than I have EVER.  Then my lap-band friend Angela sat me down and we had a good chat.  She too, was also taken aback with the therapist's comments.  We went over my food journals and had a good chat about everything.  Then she told me something that has been resonating in my head for weeks now.  "PROVE THEM WRONG."  "Prove to them Kristy that you can do this...that you have it in yourself to do this and get it done."  Thank you Angela...you have inspired me yet again to get back on track and work harder!  Your support means the world to me.

So I've done just that.  Yes it's taken me a few weeks to get over my pity party, but I'm doing it.  I lost EIGHT pounds last week alone.  How did I do this?  I went through my food journal and figured out I was eating WAY too many carbs...and I was over-eating on the weekends too.  Both of these I have managed to fix.  I have also increased my cardio and have added it into EVERY workout.  Also last week, I managed to sleep a heck of a lot better too.  I'm not quite sure how I managed that, but I did.  I also focused a lot more on saying NO to crap at work.  We had a celebration for a co-worker on Thursday and I allowed myself a piece of cake..but it was a SMALL piece.  Hey...you gotta start somewhere!

I had kind of a discouraging visit with my doctor on Wednesday.  My knees are so painful and swollen at the moment.  I asked him for a refill on my Arthrotec - to which he told me that he wanted me to cut down almost entirely on that and just take Extra Strength Tylenol!  He told me the Arthrotec could cause kidney, liver and stomach issues.  Then he told me to get a cane.  I almost laughed out loud -- thought he was kidding.  He wasn't.  He also gave me another prescription for Arthrotec - but only to be taken on my "Flare up" days...which is almost every day right now...and he also gave me and rx for a new type of ointment that is loaded with analgesics.  Then he got on me about my weight again.  I told him I was trying my best and he just told me it was EXTREMELY critical that I get this weight off.  His words have given me even more of an incentive to try harder to lose the weight and get my knees better.  I am not a surgical candidate either, so it is really time for me to buckle down and get this done.

So that is where I am at right now.  I am going to prove them (the lap band support group leaders) that I can do this MY way.  But most of all, I am going to prove it to myself that I am capable and strong enough to get this done.

That is all.  Stay tuned!