Book of Mormon

Just saw the play on Broadway and it was hysterical!!! Highly recommend it if you don't mind profanity and don't get disturbed easily. My husband really enjoyed his birthday dinner at The Palm which was delicious. The only bad part of the night is taking the train home. So tired and won't get home until nearly midnight.

My overall net calories for the day after adjusting for my treadmill walk were about 1600. Not terrible for having dinner at The Palm including 2 glasses of wine and a few bites of dessert.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

When do you start to feel the fill? Now have 7.5 cc in 10 cc band

Got a fill yesterday and I am still not sure I feel any different.  I did eat my yogurt slower this morning.  Yesterday stuck to the liquids and today mushies.  I am really going to focus on not eating until I am full and seeing how long I stay satisfied.  It is so tough to separate the real hunger from the head hunger. 

Goal for today - 80 ounces of water, under 1200 calories, 30-40 minutes on the treadmill.  Off to walk. 
Have a great day! 

It had to be Lindsay Lohan at Dos Caminos! Tried to fool us!

Lindsay Lohan's Week of Partying in New York City

http://www.people.com/.  I don't believe there is someone who looks that much like her and Dos Caminos is totally a place she would go. 

Thanks for all the comments and support on my pictures!

It has taken me a while to post them.  I did pick the worst one of the before pictures but you can tell just how swollen and uncomfortable I was.  I truly look pregnant and weighed more than at my pregnancy high. 

Today was another good day.  Started off with Chobani yogurt then for lunch met two girlfriends at the Japanese restaurant.  I had 3 shumai and then ate 1/2 of my sea bass.  Was not in the mood for sushi.  I took the other half home but them did errands and didn't think it was wise to keep the fish :)  One of my girlfriends is just starting to go through a divorce so we were giving her support and just talking through everything.  It is hard but she really tried to fix things and now needs to do this. 

For snack had a 1 oz piece of Brie from Trader Joe's - my favorite cheese snack and actually for dinner I just had a protein shake because for some reason I was in the mood for one.  I will probably have another snack later.  Today is a 5-6 small meal day.  Have a bit of a headache and just not that hungry today.  Hope I am not coming down with something again.   

Not that much going on but I want to be a more consistent blogger.  Tomorrow and Thursday I have meetings in NYC so need to get some rest. . . 

xoxo  Susan

Good morning! The scale was my friend today - now down 38 lbs from high

Forty is so close and I can't even think about 50 -wow will that feel good.  Trying to stay on track and so far so good.  I am really not happy with how I look in that BOOBS picture.  For those of you who weren't there I am the one wearing purple on the right.  I know - get over it but if it keeps me motivated, then so be it!

Had a pretty good day yesterday.  Stayed right at 1200 calories.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love My Fitness Pal?  It makes it fun to put foods in and it keeps me accountable since I promised myself I would put down EVERYTHING no matter how bad.  On Sunday I even put in the 4 margaritas, chips, guac, fish tacos and I ended with about 1600 -1800 calories for the day which is something I would have been thrilled with prior to being banded. 

Crazy morning here so far - my 3 year old got his finger slammed in the door and it was so painful.  Luckily my husband was home so he took him right to the doctor and he is so much better at handling those things than I am.  He is calm and doesn't really freak out with the crying.  He is so great in stressful situtations and emergencies - but I can't for the life of me get him to take out the garbage consistently or turn the lights out when he leaves the room.  It must be his military training - he was in the Navy for 5 years before he went to college.  And his schooling -  he is a psychologist.  But it is when things like this happen that I get nervous if one of us isn't home and the boys are with the au pair or babysitter.  Next week we are planning to spend a night in the city for my husband's birthday - going to see the show from the creators of South Park - Book of Mormon.  I am not a big fan but it is his birthday. . . and its Broadway so I will enjoy either way.  Especially being more comfortable in my seat. 

I better get to work.  Have a great day! :)

 

Recent Picture - Feb 27, 2011 - Down almost 35 lbs

Here is a picture from last month when I was down almost 35. I definitely see the difference! :)
Now someone has to teach me how to do the side by side pictures.

There is a pretty big difference!

The date on this picture is wrong because I didn't adjust my camera.
This was taken the morning I went in for my lapband surgery on December 20, 2010.
I was laughing that I was actually posing for pictures like I was going into the hospital to give birth.
I look more than 9 months pregnant. I have to learn the whole side by side thing but will post a more recent photo soon.

Beyond My Goal - me at 130! In 1999 at 32 years old. . .

The first picture was in a limo in the Hampton's.  My bustier is LaPerla and I remember being so excited to wear it.  I think I still have it.  Notice the cigarette - I was only ever a social smoker and never anymore.  The second is with my niece - she was 2 and is now almost 14!

I don't think I will ever get down that low again. . . it was hard to maintain.  Got there through Phen-Fen.  How many of you tried that??!! 

FANTASTIC Time at the NYC BOOBS Brunch!

It was really great to meet so many people whose stories I read, loved, and was inspired by on their blogs.  However, I am not very happy looking at the pictures - I knew I should have worn my signature black instead of purple!  I look at the pictures and think to myself how awful I had to look 36 lbs heavier and how thankful I am that I began this journey. But it is also the kick in the a** I need to get restarted because I have barely lost anything this month.  I have been picking more - eating more chocolate - and yesterday at the brunch had way too much guac and too many margaritas.  I should have gone with my first instinct and ordered the ceviche - like Vanessa!  It was pretty hysterical how much food was left over at the table.  Also interesting to me to talk with people who said that the difference between 6 cc and 8 cc in a 10 cc band is huge.  I go for my next (3rd) fill on Monday and am excited to get to a new level of restriction.  Hopefully this will do the trick because I can basically eat anything. 

Came home after brunch to a very messy house and 3 rowdy boys.  Took my oldest to pick up some Chinese food so did a little more damage with Chicken and Broccoli but was back on the bandwagon today.  Protein shake for breakfast.  Piece of chicken for lunch.  Chobani and Zone bar as snacks and still have to eat dinner.  Going to post one of my favorite pictures of me back in 1999 when I weighed 130 lbs . . . .get ready girls - you won't recognize me from the girl you met yesterday (if you were there). 

Excited for my first Bandster Brunch in NYC tomorrow!!!

Just got back from the movies - we saw "Limitless" with Brad Cooper - he is very hot and I really enjoyed the movie.  Looking forward to meeting fellow bandster/bloggers tomorrow in NYC.  And can already taste the margarita I plan on having - I wonder if they have the "Skinny-Girl" version to keep the calories down.

I am feeling better but had a 24 hour nasty bug that kept me in the bathroom most of the night and pretty much all day today.  Sorry if TMI.  Luckily I was not throwing up.  Should be good for a loss on the scale tomorrow but I know that I will gain that right back!

Off to bed. . .xoxo

Scale moving again!

It feels great to be away for 2 days and come home and be lighter!  The scale was down this morning and so officially I am down 36.4 lbs!  Not that I am being precise or anything :)
Typically I would come home from business trips and the scale would always be up.  But now I make better choices (grilled salmon and veggies for lunch yesterday instead of even salad w/cheese and dressing) and am making sure to get the exercise in.  It also really makes a difference if I focus more on protein and not just calories. 

Home until next Wednesday and my goal is to STOP PICKING while in the house.  I can do it!!!! 

Addicted to my scale

And couldn't weigh myself this morning since I stayed over in NYC last night. I had almost a perfect day except I ate the warm nuts on the flight from Chicago to NYC and then also had some dinner - caesar salad and chicken breast so not terrible. But I have to start saying no when offered nuts. In my pre band life I would have had the nuts, a couple glasses of wine, bread, butter, the whole dinner and dessert. So I would say some good progress made.
This morning I went to the hotel gym and got in 30 minutes on the treadmill and burned 250 calories.
Sitting in my meeting now - the beauty of iPads with bluetooth keyboard :)

Goal for today - starting the week off right! What does the band mean to me?

And so far so good! I am in Chicago. I was thinking about the upcoming BOOBS in September in the taxi on the way to my hotel and how I hope I can swing the weekend away because it looked like so much fun last year! This is a great city -I have spent some fun times here in the past.

Today my meetings start at 12 so I technically could have come in this morning but didn't want to risk it. Who am I kidding. . . I love a night alone at the Ritz Carlton and will do it whenever I can :)

So this morning I was at the gym at 7:00 and did 40 minutes on the treadmill. Came back to my room and drank a lot of water and ate a delicious egg white frittata. Have to meet my boss in about an hour so I thought I would quickly blog.

A lot of people have been writing posts about what the band means to them. For me - being a relatively newbie - it is a tool that is allowing me to have control. It makes me hopeful that I can lose 100 lbs as so many of you have done. Without the band the thought of doing it on my own was just too overwhelming and felt hopeless. What I have learned almost 3 months in is that it does not take away your desire to eat (unless I sometime reach that sweet spot/green zone/G-Spot) that many of you have talked about and hopefully I will. But it does take away most of my hunger. I am not starving after eating just a small amount. It is not that difficult to stick to 1200 calories a day (easier if I burn 300 and eat 1500). And while my loss has slowed down - that is ok - it took me a long time to get here and I can put the time in and enjoy the way down.

You know I will need to look at this post when I am not in as hopeful a mood! I need to really refocus, stop snacking so that I can reach my weekly goal of 1-2 lbs instead of staying the same.

Have to run to go get ready. Hope everyone has a great week!

xoxo Susan

Been a bad blogger this week. . . but a pretty good NSV

And I didn't lose any weight - definite correlation between blogging and losing for me!  PICKING has been my problem.  I am picking on chocolate chips, pieces of brownie, hershey's kisses, pretzels and I need to stop.  No weight loss this week but thankfully no gain.  I spent Wednesday and Thursday in NYC at meetings.  Didn't stay over and took the train both days - I don't know how I ever did that everyday for 5 years.  (Well I did have 3 maternity leaves and likely never did it for 5 days in a row as I would sneak the work at home day in). 

So with the commuting I was only able to go on the treadmill for 3 days this week but will do today and tomorrow so that will help.  Tomorrow is my baby's 3rd birthday party.  He will be 3 on Friday but we are having the party a week early because of schedules.  I will be very happy when this party is over and then we don't start again until my middle son turns 5 in November. 

On to my NSV. . . on Wednesday I had an all day presentations skills workshop with one of my bosses where they filmed us giving presentations numerous times and then we watched together.  I was not thrilled with watching the video BUT I also did not majorly cringe and want to crawl into a hole which I consider an NSV.  All I kept thinking was "if this is what I look like after losing 35 lbs how did I ever walk around and go to meetings being 35 lbs heavier".  But no need to dwell or cringe about it because next time I do one of these I will be at least another 35 lbs lighter. 

Promise to blog more consistently but for now gotta go on the treadmill. . . Happy Weekend!

Pizza!!

Have been craving it and had to have it.  Relatively new place opened in the town next to mine that has a sister restaurant and been in business since 1935.  Thin crust - small pieces and I had not one, not two, but three - where the H*** is the restriction I talked about yesterday.  Although I am feeling quite full right now.  But it was just one of those things where I have been wanting for about a month and had to give in.  I am not going to beat myself up or use it as an excuse to eat more tonight - and tomorrow morning I will be right back on the treadmill. 

35 Down! Luggage Weight

Back from my trip and so happy to report I am now down 35 lbs from my high.  I am thrilled and feel great.  Yesterday at the airport I had a major revelation when they weighed my luggage.  I had been lugging this bag from the car and couldn't believe how heavy it was.  Turns out it was 36 lbs.  When I think about the fact that I have lost almost that and have more than that to go I am just astonished.  I often think when I lift my kids that I need to lose much more than they weigh but for some reason this luggage thing hit home.  Next time I feel like eating a lot - you can bet I will be thinking of how heavy that bag is! 

So far so good

I just can't believe how different the restriction is in this altitude. I have flown before and didn't feel like this. I went to the Hotel gym at 5:20 am - am so proud of myself. Walked rapidly for 40 minutes. Then had some breakfast - yogurt with some berries and granola but only ate half. Not having a problem with my coffee. We'll see how the day goes. Not going to try anything too difficult.

The Mile High City

I love it here. The mountains are calling me but I know it is not a good idea for me to ski when I am 75 lbs over from when I went the last time. So I will be back next year!
We have an early day tomorrow with meetings starting at 7. I am going to try to go to the gym from 5:30 to 6:00. We'll see. . .

Holy Restriction! I managed to eat a small piece of chicken on the plane and ever since them I am tighter than I have ever felt. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Hope everyone is doing well. I am really looking forward to the NYC Brunch.

Take care and have a good night!

Hello from Sunny Naples Florida! Need some help with posting pictures from iPhone using Blog Press

Hi Everyone! Last few days have been a bit crazy. Kids with stomach flu and getting ready for my Conference. I came down to Naples on Sunday morning and had a nice afternoon by the pool. The weather here has been gorgeous! Some NSV's - I fit better in the airplane seat (still room for improvement) and I didn't totally stress over packing because I had clothes that I liked that fit.

Getting dressed for dinner on Sunday night I felt good - like I used to. I even took pictures in the full length mirror and sent to my parents who wrote back I looked "fabulous" - a big compliment from them. I wish I knew how to post it - I have Blog Press and can't figure it out. If anyone can help please send me a message.
But the biggest one for me is that I was actually looking forward to coming down here. I have been attending this Conference since 1993 every year - I only missed one in 2008 because I was giving birth that month and couldn't travel. I am on the Board of the organization that sponsors it and I have run it in the past so I am very visible. And this year I didn't mind! It was like I used to be before I gained all the excess weight. A couple of people noticed and said nice things - not "you lost weight" but more - "you look great and happy". It also helps that I am really happy right now in my job and love what I am doing (although as we all know that could change) but for now I am enjoying it.

On the not so good side. . . my poor husband. Last night 2 of the boys were up throwing up. I just pray the stomach flu is gone by tomorrow night when I get home because I am petrified of catching it with the band.

Eating wise - I have been making good choices but clearly drinking more wine and not preparing my own food. Today I went to the gym and walked for 40 minutes at a rapid pace on the treadmill. This afternoon I am flying to Denver and with the 2 hour time difference I am hoping to get a workout in before my meetings tomorrow.

On Friday I am going to see Bethanny on tour. It will be a fun girls night out. I do think she is a bit full of herself but I like watching her.

Off the pack up and head to Miami for our flight to Denver.

Take care and hope everyone is well.

xoxo Susan