It's 9 Days Till Lap Band Day!!

Hey Y'all,

Well, not much to report, except that it is only 9 days until D Day so to speak.  Today I am going to the local Hospital to get my Pre-Op Labs completed.  I hope it doesn't take more than half the day!  You know how it is, when it is first come first served!!  Since I am getting a later start than I had hoped, I am only hoping that the wait isn't all afternoon long.  LOL  I will report the experience after I return home.

Aloha My Friends  :)

The Dash Inspired Me!!

Hey Y'all,

Well, if you haven't read The Dash's blog today, you must!!  Her story is hilarious & embarrassing & yet she still found the courage to tell something really embarrassing to potentially thousands if not millions of people!!  Maybe not millions or thousands, but you get the drift I'm sure.  Well, since she told us her most embarrassing moment, I will tell you mine.  Unfortunately, I have not one, but 2 most embarrassing moments that deal with swimming pools!!

My first embarrassing moment, was while I was still in High School in So California.  At that time, I was in the best shape of my life (between 98-100 lbs)(thank GOD!!), but that still didn't help the embarrassment.  Every Friday, during our PE Class, we had open swim day.  I loved swimming & I looked forward to this every week.  I had my teeny weeny polka dot bikini on (no joke, red, white & blue at that).  I went to the lower of the three diving boards & dived in.

Unfortunately, I clipped the water just perfect.  As soon as I did, I realized that my bikini bottoms were pulled straight down.  The only thing that kept them from being pulled totally off my legs & down to the bottom of the 12-15 (I don't remember which it was) foot depth, was I closed my legs immediately & they stayed at my feet!!!  Let me tell you, I didn't come up until I had them pulled totally up.

When I came out of the water, any hope that no one had noticed was immediately destroyed when one of the young boys was right there hoping to help me out of the water!!  And everyone else watching as well.  Well, I can tell you that I NEVER dove in the pool there again!!  I stayed in the shallow pool instead!  LOL

My second most embarrassing time was probably the worst though.  It was summer & extremely hot that day.  I had went to visit my mom with my daughter to get out of our house that had no air conditioning.  They had friends, Nikko & Ina, visiting from Holland who wanted me to go swimming with them in my parents pool.  I didn't have my swim suit with me, but my mom lent me hers.  Well, even after pregnancy, my mom was more well endowed than I was, but it didn't fit tooo bad.

So I go out to the pool.  My Aunt was there as well & said, "why don't you dive in so Nikko could get you diving in with his video camera?".  So I said sure.  I dove in & swam all the way across the pool to the shallow end before coming up.  When I did, I was smiling & so was Nikko (who was still filming my exhibition)!!  My Aunt was standing behind him making funny faces & motions trying to get me to look down.  After a few seconds, when I finally did, I realized that one of my boobs had completely come out of the swimsuit!!

Now, as people from Europe, Nikko & his wife Ina, didn't think anything of nudity, but let me tell you, I turned around & swam all the way back to the deep end & stayed there as RED as I could be!!  I am not an exhibitionist.  The worst though, was a year later.  My parents went to Europe to visit with Nikko & Ina.  Nikko thought it would be nice to show his home movies.  You guessed it I am sure, I was in one of them & my dad was NOT happy!!  According to my mom, he was more embarrassed than I was!!

So, does anyone else have any embarrassing pool stories to tell?  LOL

Aloha My Friends  :)

It's Now 10 Days And Counting !!

Hey Y'all,

Well, it is now only 10 days until the big day, & I am still holding at 214.4 :(.  Now I am really just hoping to make it down to 210.0 before the big day!!  Please, please, let me lose at least another 4.4 lbs!!!  That would make my total loss from the initial consultation at 18.6 lbs.

Sorry, I don't have much to say today.  My friend Nadene, definitely decided to move back to Virginia.  She will be staying with us for the next 2 weekends until she leaves.  She will be leaving early (like 4 am, early) in the morning on Thanksgiving to start her drive East.  Since the weather has already produced massive amounts of snow in some areas that she would normally have to drive through, cutting straight across through Colorado, etc.  She is going to drive South first, then head East.  I will really miss by friend.

Anyhoo, I guess I should get off here, I need to continue pulling our tax information together.  Then I have to finish my Pre-Op Testing this week!!  I still need to go to our local Hospital & get the Blood Work & EKG done, then I am finished & waiting patiently (insert biting fingers to the bone) until the 19th!!  :)

Have a great day!!

Aloha My Friends  :)

Finally!! Lost again!! :)

Hey Y'all,

I stepped on the ole scales this morning & was excited to see that they finally moved down again!  I am now 214.2!!  Which means, I am down another 1.8 lbs for a total loss so far of 14.4, woo hoo!!  I still have another 12 days to lose more.  Hopefully, I will make that 20 lb mark????  Here's crossing my fingers. 

My friend Nadene is here for the weekend & we were all supposed to go see our friend Dan (he is the guy who sold us our Palm Trees & keeps them looking great for us) & his band play today at a small, local Vineyard for a couple of hours.  But I am not going, since I am still on the strict liquid diet.  There will be wine tasting, & appetizers I am sure, so I just don't want to put myself in that scenario right now.  So Walt will go with Nadene alone.

Then tonight, Walt's daughter Kat & her husband Elliott, Russ, Nadene, Walt & I will eat dinner here at our house.  Or should I say, everyone BUT me will be eating dinner tonight!  Walt is going to rotisserie some Chicken (yum).  Just the smell is going to drive me crazy.  This is one of my favorite meals.  Well, maybe I will have just one small piece of the meat! 

Kat wanted to be sure to see Nadene before she moved back to Virginia.  Which Nadene has decided that she is definitely going to move back & will start the drive back about 4 am on Thanksgiving Day!  Which means that she will not be able to partake in a great meal this year.  She is going to drive all the way to Flag Staff, Arizona (hopefully) in one day, where her mom is flying into.  Then they will drive the rest of the way to Virginia together, taking about 3-5 days to get there as they only want to drive during the daylight hours.  Can't say as I blame them there. 

Anyhoo, I guess I better get off for now.  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!  :)

Aloha My Friends  :)

I'm a big ol' copy cat.......too, Cara!! :)

Getting to Know You...

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ


A
- Age: 54 - eek!!

- Annoyance: NOT getting paid on time!! We are self employed & sometimes the checks don't come when they are supposed to!!

- Animal: Cats

- Actor: Mel Gibson, LOVE those pretty blue eyes

B
- Beer: Yuk!! Can't stand the taste or smell.

- Birthday/Birthplace: August 17, 1955, So. California

- Body Part on opposite sex: Eyes and smile

- Been in Love: Yes

- Been bitched at: Yes

- Believe in yourself?: Haven't for the longest time - but am starting to

- Believe in God: Not in the usual sense

- Before weight: 228.6 before my liquid diet - As of today, 214.2 - Lowest Weight Ever: 89 lbs - Goal Weight: 130-140 lbs

C
- Car: Metallic Light Blue Honda CRV

- Candy: See's Milk Chocolate Patties, yum, just milk chocolate & caramel

- Color: Pink (now), growing up (Blue)(I still like Blue too)

- Cried in school: No

- Chocolate/Vanilla: Vanilla

- Chinese/Mexican: Mexican baby!!

- Cake or pie: Cake! But Pie is good too

- Country to visit: Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Figi, etc.

- Countries Visited: Mexico, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Haiti (only a small tip of it), Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands

D
- Day or Night: Night

- Do the splits?: Used to - wouldn't dare try now, lol

E
- Eggs: Scrambled, Fried (over medium) or Omelet


- Eyes: Light Blue/Gray

F
- First crush: One of the Cowsill brothers (remember the band The Cowsill's, back in the late 60's, early 70's, that included their mom? The TV show The Partridge Family was loosely based on the life of the Cowsills!! One of their songs was HAIR (give me a head of hair, long beautiful hair, shining, gleaming, stringing, flaxen, waxen...Please don't tell me I'm so old that no one else remembers it?))

- First thoughts waking up: Just another hour, please???

- Food: No Fish, no Seafood, nor most Veggies-I'm a picky eater, get the picture????

G
- Greatest Fear: Fire (I always joke that I must have been burned at the stake in another life! It's one reason I never smoked, I can't lite up a match or lighter, my hand is too close to the flame)

- Goals: To lose this extra weight within a year

- Get along with your parents?: Yes

- Good luck charm: My family

H
- Hair Color: Blonde

- Height: 5'3"

- Happy: Yes! Most of the time

- Holiday: Christmas - I love all the lights & decorations

- Health freak?: No way Jose', but I am hoping to become much more conscious of the foods I eat from now on

- Hate: Rude drivers

I
- Ice Cream: Vanilla or, if it's Hagan Daas-Butter Pecan

- Instrument: I would like to learn to play the piano

J
- Jewelry: Diamonds are a girls best friend!!

- Job: Retired

K
- Kids: One daughter, Christa, One Step Daughter, Kat & One Step Son, Russ

- Kickboxing or karate: Neither

- Keep a journal? Only if you consider this blog a journal

L
- Longest Car Ride: 4 days driving from California to visit family in the South as a child in the very back of a station wagon with my brother!

- Love: The smell & sound of the Ocean, freshly mowed lawn, the sound & smell of a rainstorm/thunderstorm, etc...

- Laughed so hard you cried: Yes, many times

- Love at first sight: Lust perhaps - love...hm-mm verdicts not in yet

M
- Milk flavor: Chocolate

- Movie: Apocalypto

- Mooned anyone?: No

- Marriage: I'm a big believer - it helps that I have a great one

- Motion sickness? Once on a cruise with high seas for 24 hrs.

- McD’s or BK: McD's

N
- Number of Siblings: One brother & one sister (through my mom), one sister & two brothers (through my biological dad-whom I haven't seen in 29 yrs, except my dad, I saw about 4-5 yrs ago, don't ask, long story)

- Number of Piercings: 4, two in each ear

- Number of tattoos: 2, one across my lower back & one on my left calf

- Number: Lucky #13

O
- One wish: That my husband is able to actually retire in this economy & we can live somewhere beautiful & still be able to travel

P
- Place you’d like to live:  On or at least near the Coast somewhere

- Perfect Pizza: Pepperoni & Pineapple

- Pepsi/Coke: Diet Caffeine Free Coke!! But now it has changed to Sugar Free Cherry Kool Aid

Q
- Questionnaires: Love them, most of the time

R
- Reason to cry: Any reason is a good reason & at the drop of a hat

- Reality T.V.: Love it

-Roll your tongue in a circle?: Not quite

S
- Song: At Last

- Shoe size: 7

- Salad Dressing: Honey Mustard (love the sweet ones)

- Skipped school: Yes

- Smoking: Never

- Sing well?: A long time ago, in a land far, far, away

- Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries

T
- Time for bed: In bed by 1:00-3:00 am ish

- Thunderstorms: Love Them, so long as I am inside watching!!

- TV: Love it

U
- Unpredictable: Rarely

V
- Vegetable you hate: Most of them, too many to list

- Vegetable you love: Corn

- Vacation spot: Hawaii

W
- Weakness: Cake and Ice Cream, Candy

- When you grow up: Always wanted to be a dancer, now I can't dance

- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: Probably Kelly

- Wanted to be a model?: For about three seconds when I was a teenager

X
-X-Rays: Had many MRI's, CT Scans, and Mammograms

Y
-Year it is now: 2009, duh!!!

-Yellow: Part of the color of Sunset

Z
- Zoo: Great place to see animals

- Zodiac sign: Leo

Still Holding At 216 ??? :(

Hey Y'all,

I can't believe it, after a day of just liquids & some veggies, I am still holding at 216 lbs (WTH??).  So, what is this all about?  I thought if you drank your diet as given, & you didn't cheat & you were only at 1000 calories, you would lose.  So what is up with this?  Most of the blogs that I have read had them losing up to 20 lbs or more on the Pre-Op Liquid Diet phase.  So why not me?  Am I doing something wrong?  Other than NOT exercising?  Am I expecting too much too soon?  Please tell me so.  :(

Aloha My Friends  :)

216!!! Yea!! :)

Hey Y'all,

Woo hoo!!  I lost another pound yesterday!  And, today is the first day of my 2 week Liquid Diet for Surgery!  Luckily, the shakes still taste good.  But...I would really like to have some real food.

My friend, is coming down again for the weekend tomorrow, to get away from her ex-boyfriend.  So I will have to resort to some real will power to not eat when my DH, Step Son Russ & my friend are eating.  We told her that she could stay here as much as she wants, until she moves back to Virginia.  So this way, she has at least a couple of days without the tension of being around someone who is now seeing another woman, but who you still technically, live with!!  :(

Remember, she is still currently living with the asshole until she moves back to Virginia.  She has been working longer hours (on purpose), then keeping busy after work somewhere else for a while, then heading home about 9 pm, just in time to start winding down & going to bed (in order to not have to interact with the asshole anymore than necessary).  Luckily, they have a spare bedroom which she moved into.  She is planning on moving out at the end of the month.  So she still has about 3 weeks of this nonsense.

He is still whining...oh woo is me, you should feel sorry for me, because I am having a midlife crisis & I feel sooo bad about doing this to you....but please move out asap!!!  Asshole!!  Do you see a trend here about what I think of this guy???  :~(

Anyhoo, at least he showed his true colors before she married him!!!  And he seemed like such a nice guy & we thought he might be "The One" for her.  Well, if he was going to do this, I'm glad it was now, rather than later, after possibly marriage.  Well, I better go for now, I have lots to do & sooo little time to do it in!!

Aloha My Friends  :)

Do You Have To Deal With This Too???

Hey Y'all,

You are not going to believe what my DH just said to me!  Or maybe you will!!  LOL  He called out my name from the bathroom, asking me if we had anymore tooth paste.  I asked him if he had looked in the cabinet under the sinks.  He replied, "no, it isn't my job to look for things, just to use them up & whine until you eventually replace them"!!!  And he wonders why nothing seems to get done around here!!  LOL.  So I'm curious, any others have the same problem?

And, by the way, I am sorry that I have posted sooo many posts today!!  But things happen that I don't want to wait to write about, as I WILL FORGET IT!!

Aloha My Friends  :)

Early Pics Of Me!!

Hey Y'all,

I found some REALLY OLD pics of me starting from when I was 17.  They are really grainy but it is the best I can do since a couple of them were so old & washed out, I had to try to bring in some detail.  Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy them!  I wish I looked like these again!

I was seventeen here & in the best shape of my life & I was about 100 lbs here.  We were camping out at the Colorado River & boy was it hot!!!  My husband says that there is NO WAY he wants me to get this small again.

This photo was taken when I was 18 yrs old & about the same weight (100 lbs).  Not a care in the world, sitting on top of my boyfriends car (now my ex-husband).

This photo was taken at Disneyland & I made a giant foo pah of wearing a Knott's Berry Farm t-shirt!!  The character acted like they didn't want to take their picture with me!!  But of course, they did.  This is my daughter Christa in the picture with me.  She was about 6 or 7 in this photo, so I was about 23-24 yrs old & about 130 lbs.  Can you believe that my ex-husband told me I was OVERWEIGHT!  And needed to go on a diet???

This photo was taken while I was practicing my line dancing with a friend Little Richard.  This was taken in 1991, I was 36 yrs old & about 130-140 lbs.  I met my current husband shortly after this photo was taken.  And I have been battling my weight ever since we stopped dancing.  I just wish my Spine would let me dance again, it was my favorite thing to do!!!  Hopefully, after I lose weight, I can at least dance a couple of dances now & then.

Of course, I battled by weight off & on from the time my ex-husband & I got divorced (which was in 1979), until now.  But when I was dancing, I was able to keep it off!!  Well, that is it for this walk down memory lane.  I hope everyone is enjoying themselves.  Ta Ta for now.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Only 15 Days Till LB Day!! :)

Hey Y'all,

It's 15 days & counting!

Not much happening here except the Pre-Op diet & my pulling our tax information together.  The diet is going well, so long as my husband doesn't cook here at the house.  Then I smell it & want to eat too.  I have only lost another .6 lbs so far, but with the liquid portion of the diet to begin tomorrow & last through the last 2 wks, I am hoping that I will lose at least another 5 lbs by then!!

By the way, if anyone is reading this that is a Pre-Bander & hasn't started their Pre-Op Diet yet & wants to know of a good Protein Drink.  I have been drinking a great one.  It is called Premium Pro Rated, it has 26 grams of Protein, & is only 160 calories per serving, IF you use water.  I was using Non Fat Milk which made it 250 calories, but decided to cut it back to 1/2 c NF Milk & 1/2 c water, making it 205 calories per serving.  For the last 2 wks, I am planning to cut it down to 1/4 c Milk & 3/4 c Water making it 182.5 calories per serving to keep my calories below 1000 with the added veggies allowed (so long as the taste is still good). 

Anyhoo, I purchased this Drink at Costco for only $28.99 & it has 70 servings in it!!!  The Protein drink that the Surgeon is selling is over $50 per container & only has about 25 servings!  At the Steps 2 Success Class that we were required to attend, my husband asked the PA if he thought this drink from Costco was comparable to the drink they were selling, & after reading the label, he said yes, it would do fine!!  So, lets seeee, $50 for less than 30 servings (& nasty tasting as well) vs $28.99 for 70 servings (& great tasting), duh!!  OH & DID I MENTION THAT IT TASTES GOOD TOO???  Here are some not too great photos of the product that I took at Costco.  They thought I was nuts, taking photos of the bag there (it was before I actually bought it, so we could compare products, etc.).

This shows the website on it at the top if anyone wants to look up the company & product information.

Did I mention that this is a 6 lb bag?

Have you ever had someone who likes to come in while you are blogging & begin to read while you are still typing?  My husband just did it & he knows that it bothers the s--t out of me!!  I looked at him & asked him, couldn't he just wait to read it, after I am finished?  (he knows my blog address & reads it daily)  He said, "of course I could, I just like to come in & irritate you"!!  And he is sooo good at it!  But, he loves me more than I could hope for, so I put up with his idiosyncrasies.  LOL.  Well, I guess I better go for now, lots to do!!

Aloha My Friends  :) 

I Hate My Medical Supply Group!!! :(

Hey Y'all,

I just got off the phone from my Medical Supply Company that supplies my equipment, etc for my Bi Pap Machine.  I have a unique problem in that I am allergic to the standard masks.  I am allergic to the neoprene, plastics & rubber.  Anything that comes in direct contact with my face, breaks it out really bad.  Here are some (blurry) pictures to show how bad it gets.

This is what I looked like after sleeping with the standard mask for one night!

These two photos were taken after wearing the mask for two nights!

And these photos were taken after three nights.

And the last photo was taken one month later, after my reaction was gone & I wanted to try the mask again just to make sure that I truly had a reaction to the mask.  I did!  And it was after only one night!  The reaction not only looks bad, it was very painful as well.  At some point, I broke out in pustules.  Yes, I looked horrible when I had to go out of the house!  LOL.  People were looking at me like I was a monster, & I felt like one too!!

So we found out that I could use a Full Cloth mask (made just for people like me), to reduce the amount of reaction.  It works great, unfortunately, it is not covered as a standard mask under my Insurance, so my Medical Supply Company, doesn't want to provide the mask to me, unless I pay $130 out of pocket/up front.  Then, I am supposed to send in the bill to my Insurance for reimbursement.  This is totally ridiculous.  So I filed a complaint with my Insurance (Blue Cross) & they have been working with the Medical Supply Company for about a month to resolve this.

Finally, they came to an agreement.  I will pay $54.56 up front, then they will bill Blue Cross, & then Blue Cross will advise how much of a co-payment I have on the balance.  Which is $14.58.  For a total amount of $69.14.  Considering it would cost me $170 to purchase it directly through the company that manufactures it.  I figured this was the best I can get from them, & at least it was better than full price.  Then I asked the BIG QUESTION.  Is this from now on, or is this a one time deal (as I have to have the mask replaced about every 3 months)?  She said that she made an agreement for this ONE TIME ONLY & that we will see in the future, what, if anything they will do for me!!!  :(  GRR. 

But at least I have a new mask on the way, thank god as my current one is going downhill fast!  I cannot afford to not use it due to my medical condition.  If I only had Obstructive Sleep Apnea (the common form), then it wouldn't be such a big deal.  Unfortunately, I have to be one of the very few that also has Central Sleep Apnea (where the Brain periodically stops sending the signal to BREATH).  Meaning, if I don't wake up enough to gasp for breath, I could very well die or have a Stroke or Heart Attack!!  So this is a very big deal to me.

Oh well, I guess that we shall see what comes next time I need to replace the mask.  Well, I better go for now, got lots to do!

Aloha My Friends  :)

I Was A Bad Girl :( 17 Days & Counting :)

Hey Y'all,

It's 17 days until LB Day!!

I was a bad girl over the weekend!  As I said in my post yesterday.  My friend from Truckee was visiting us over the weekend.  She found out Friday, that her A$$ of a boyfriend, was seeing another woman.  A very young woman.  My friend is only in her 30's, but the new girlfriend, is 24 yrs old!  The really pissy thing, is that he apparently was seeing this girl for about 6 months!  Allowing my friend to help take care of his young son (they live together), cook & clean the house & pay half of the bills!!  :(( 

But now that he wants to see this new girlfriend more often, he finally comes clean & tells her that he was seeing someone else & he wants her to move out asap!!  The a$$hole!! (envision a pitchfork stabbing him right about now).  Sorry, I just can't stand someone who would do this to my friend.  So she has made the decision to move back to where she grew up & where her family still is.  I will miss her as she is one of my best friends.  But I do understand & I think that this is probably the best move for her at this time, as the only thing keeping her here at this point is her job (with no benefits) & us.

Anyway, I digress.  Over the weekend, since we had company, my husband Walt barbecued a great piece of meat with corn on the cob & asparagus.  I am supposed to be on this strict diet.  This week on the diet, I am allowed one meal of 300 calories or less.  So I ate 3 oz of the meat & 3 oz of the corn after cutting it off of the cob.  This in itself wasn't too bad.  BUT, I only drank one of the shakes yesterday, & ended up eating one of the 290 calorie frozen dinners & 2 pieces of fruit as well!!  I did still drink all of my water for the day though.  This morning I stepped on the scale & I had gained .4 lbs!

So today, I am back on the diet 100%.  I will not deviate from it now.  Unless, on the last day, the Surgeon gives the go ahead to eat a small meal.  I have read in a few blogs that the blogger had eaten on the last day/night before surgery.  How many of you that are reading this did eat a last meal the day before their surgery?  Did it cause any problems?  If you did eat, was it approved by your Surgeon?  These are questions I would really like answers to.  :)

Well, I better get off for now, till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Eighteen And Counting!! :)

Hey Y'all,

Just wanted to say hi & that it is now only 18 days until LB Day!  So far I am doing fine on the Pre-Op Diet, we'll see how it goes next week when I go to full liquids.

Right now I have been visiting with my other BFF.  I only have two & I don't get to see either one as often as I would like as they both live a distance away from me.  But she is here spending the weekend with us & that is great.  She has told me she is trying to decide if she wants to move back to where she grew up to be closer to her mom.  I hate to see her go, but, I do understand & I think that this may be the best thing for her right now.

Well, it is getting late, I should go to bed.  Hope everyone had a great Halloween!!
Aloha My Friends

Twenty Days & Counting!!

Hey Y'all,

Well, I woke up & weighted myself, hoping to have another huge weight change, but that didn't happen.  but I did have a small change of .8 lbs making my total weight loss from Aug 28th, 8 lbs!  So at least I am on my way!  I still need to lose at least another 3 lbs by Nov 19th & I am sure that can be done! 

Well, not much else to say except that I am getting ready to work my eyes & fingers to death!  I am getting ready to pull our tax information together, up to the current date.  We are self employed & our income has dropped this year (like a lot of other people).  This means that we may have already paid our tax obligation for our income this year.  So I need to figure out all of our Income/Expenses, etc so our CPA can advise us if we still need to make our 4th quarter tax payments, & if so, how much.  We are hoping that since our income has dropped, we won't need to make the last tax payment.   Cross your fingers for us!!  We could really use this break, especially since we have my Surgery costs this quarter!!  Well, I better get off here now, get started & stop procrastinating!

Aloha My Friends  :)

This Can't Be True !

Hey Y'all,

I just stepped on the ole scale, to see what my current weight is & I couldn't believe it!  It says 221.4!  At my first Consultation with the Surgeon on August 28th, I weighted 228.6, & at the Doctor's Office on Tuesday, I weighted 226.8 in their office.  Unfortunately, I didn't weight myself after I got home (silly me), to see if my scale is still reading close to theirs. 

Yesterday was the first day that I (kind of) started my diet, so I wasn't expecting to see much change.  I hope this is for real!!!  I had bought a new scale in August & at that time, it was reading about the same as the Doctor's, so I really hope this is for real!!  If it is, then I have lost 7.2 lbs since August 28th without really trying & possibly 5.4 lbs since Tuesday!  I hope the next 80-100 lbs goes as easily (it won't!).  Anyway, I'm sorry that I was rambling on like this, I am just sooo happy!

Today, I had my husband take my measurements for me.  So here they are (measurements are in inches for those of you who are checking in from out of the US).

Breast:
50
Measurement under Breasts:
43
Waist:
48
Hips:
50
Upper Arms:        
Rt: 17    Lt: 17 1/2
Forearms:             
Rt: 12    Lt: 11 1/2

Upper Thigh: 
Rt: 27 1/2    Lt: 26 1/2
Calf:                
Rt: 16 1/2   Lt: 16 1/2
Ankle:                           
Rt: 9   Lt: 10
Neck: 
18

Now for the scary pictures!  Here are my official Pre-Surgery photos.

The dreaded full frontal.

The even worse, side view!!  The Doctor said that I am a true apple shape, I carry most of my weight in my belly & chest.

My husband had something to say about my behind, but I better not post it!!  LOL.

Who needs wings with arms like these?

 

Well, I guess I will get off for now, except to say:

It's, 21 days until Surgery!!

Aloha My Friends

I Almost Forgot!!

Hey Y'all,

I almost forgot!  I spoke with my other BFF, Nadene today.  She is my friend that lives up in Truckee & I almost had to stay the night with her last night on my way back home from Reno.  It's a good thing that I didn't stay with her though.  According to Nadene, the storm worsened overnight & I would have had to drive home through the snow.  I am in my little car with no snow tires or chains, not our huge Dodge Diesel 4x4, that could have made it easily!!  So that made me happy that I had made the right decision.  I was sooo tempted just to stay there & have a good talk with her for the day.

But, the funny thing is.  She asked me when my Surgery was scheduled for, as she is going to be in Reno on Wednesday, November 18th for a work meeting.  When I told her we were driving up that day too, as my Pre-Surgery Doctor's visit was the 18th & my Surgery is scheduled for the 19th, she was thrilled!  She decided to stay the night there in Reno so she can have dinner with us.

Now I have a huge question for all you seasoned Bander's.  Since I am going to have lost all the Pre-Surgery weight I am going to lose by then, do you think it will be ok for me to have an early, lite dinner with them?  Or should I ask the Doctor?  I am supposed to be on a total liquid diet the last 2 wks, but the information they provided, says that on the last day before surgery, I am not to eat or drink after Midnight.

Has anyone else eaten an early, lite dinner the night before their surgery?  I know that at least 1 of the blogger's that I read, did.  But I am not sure how common this is.  So I would like to hear from those of you who have already been banded, your thoughts on this, please.

Aloha My Friends

My Bad!!

Hey Y'all,

My husband complimented me on the selection of photos that I put in my blog, but he wanted to make sure I corrected the information I gave regarding the Mayflower II.  I didn't realize that the ship was positioned where the Bow was facing the land.  I assumed that it was the Stern!  Now, I do know the difference between the Bow & the Stern, if only I had looked more closely! LOL.  Am I redder than normal?  Well, I should be at any rate!

Now, I am also going to say that my first day on the Pre-Op Diet wasn't my best.  I didn't even have my first drink until about 3pm when I made my first Protein Drink (& that was only after my husband got on to me about not eating or drinking correctly).  Luckily for me (as I do not do well with drinks that don't taste very good (think gagging & throwing up)), I remembered reading on one of the blogs I follow that she found a powdered Protein drink mix called Premium that you can purchase in Costco that actually tasted good. 

So I high tailed it to Costco & bought my first bag of mix.  It is a 6 lb bag, makes 70 servings & only costs $28.99 (about half the cost & made twice as much as the Protein Drink mix being sold by the Surgeons office)!!  I haven't tasted the Vanilla, but the Chocolate actually doesn't taste bad (of course, I mixed it with fat free milk instead of water to thicken it a bit)(we'll see how much I continue to like it after having to drink it for at least 3 wks!).  So, my day started out bad as far a dieting goes.  I obviously didn't follow it completely, I only had one of the 300 cal or less meals, & only 2 of the shakes with a string cheese, but at least my calorie count was within the correct range.   

I also forgot to make sure that I still had a pitcher, to make my sugar free Kool-Aid, for my water intake.  I wasn't able to find the pitcher, by the way.  Now, I don't drink coffee or tea.  The only thing I normally drink is Caffeine Free Diet Coke.  So I have to find a substitute for my water intake, hence the Kool-Aid.  I also don't drink water much, duh!  However, we will be putting in a water filtration so we can get some good tasting water, but until then, I HAVE to down my water with Kool-Aid for sure. 

So, I had to make a special run to our local CVS (Long's) Drug Store to purchase the stupid pitcher.  So, I know I was bad, bad, bad today, but I will start & follow my diet religiously beginning tomorrow.  I will also be taking photos, measurements & checking my weight tomorrow so I have a good idea of the changes I will be going through.  So until tomorrow.

Aloha My Friends

I'm Sorry In Advance!! :)

Hey Y'all,
 

Well, it's 22 days & counting till Surgery day!!


Now, I finally went through & picked about 56 photos of my trip to Cape Cod & New Hampshire that I hope you will like out of the hundreds of photos taken!!  Again, I apologize in advance for the amount of photos in one post. 

First day in Cape Cod, Walt had to go to the Harbor (Haabah) to get some clam chowder (or chowdah as they say).

This is the quaint Church where we stopped to take photos of a couple that just got married in Fallmouth.

This is a photo of the whole church.

Do you know how hard it is to get my Sweetheart to stop taking photos himself & just pose for me?

Chatham Lighthouse on Cape Cod.

View of Chatham Beach.

Still Chatham Beach.

Me at Chatham Beach.

My Sweetheart on the Harbor Cruise.

Wouldn't this be a great place to live?

More beautiful sites to see!

The Kennedy Compound.  You might think that it is the big white house with the collums, but you would be wrong!!  :)

Me & my Sweetheart on the Harbor Cruise.

The Plymouth Rock Memorial.  Impressive isn't it?

The Actual Plymouth Rock!  Really impressive isn't it?  Not really, but it is history!

Walt looking down on it, taking a photo of it himself.

The Plymouth Rock Monument is off my right shoulder & over my left is the Mayflower II.  It is small & held 102 passengers & 30 crew!  I walked on this thing.  I sure wouldn't have signed on for a trip of this magnitude in such a small ship!!

The Mayflower II

One of the Ships Mast/Crows Nest

Main deck area.

1 of 2 Bunks in Captains Cabin.  I don't know how he ever slept in it!  I am only 5' 3" & I couldn't fit without curling up my legs!!

The rear or Stern of the Ship in the Captains Cabin, one of the bunks is to the left in the photo.

The second bunk in the Captains Cabin looking to the door.

Looking to the Bow of the ship (front).  The white tarp is covering the stairs leading down into the hold of the ship where the passengers & supplies were kept.  It was in place as it had rained all that morning just prior to us arriving there.

Walt with the stern of the ship behind him.

Walt talking with one of the historians on the ship.

One of the woman Docents (someone who trains to represent someone of the time period, who might have been aboard the ship).  She interacted with you as her character would have.

Me freezing my a$$ on top of the Pilgrim Monument.  It is 252 ft high & there was a strong freezing wind blowing.  I was keeping guard on Walt's precious hat & his camera bag.  My turn came later for photos.  I knew I shouldn't have left my gloves in the car!!  Burr!!

A view from the top.

Check out the school with the grave yard in back.

Looking up the stair case inside the monument.  It had over 100 some odd stairs & 60 ramps.  This was supposed to make it easy to climb!!  I had people 65-70 yrs old passing me by!  It was only supposed to take about 15-20 mins to climb, (yea right) it took me somewhere between 30-45 mins!

Walt standing with the Monument behind him.

Driving through Massachusetts.

Now in New Hampshire.

A Lake near Keene, New Hampshire.

Some huge pumpkins lining the Main Street in Keene to set off the Pumpkin Festival.

More giant Pumpkins.  Can you say, "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown?"

Here she is...my BFF Kelly.  We caught up like we had only been apart for a few month, not 19 yrs!!

Here's Kelly's better half Rick & my better half, Walt.  Rick is an amazing artist.

1 of 2 giant Pumpkin Trees.  At night they were lit up.  Including all the pumpkins turned in.

This guy lives in Keene, New Hampshire & loves Horror Movies, especially the Halloween movies.  He dresses up as Michael Meyer's every year & stands at this intersection all day.

My BFF Kelly & I.

Kelly, her youngest son, David & myself.

Rick & Kelly, don't they look cute together?

Not only is Rick a talented artist painting in Oils, Acrylics & Watercolors, he also does Etchings on Grave Stones.  This is Piccolo Pete, one of Rick's Etchings.

This is another one of Rick's Etchings.

The boys walking up to the dam.

Looking down from the dam.

The Four Musketeer's!!

The painting to my right is one of Rick's latest.  He painted this one in only 2 sittings.  I would consider this finished & it would have taken me at least 15-20 sittings, but he is still working on it.  He actually did some work on it so I could watch his technique & I was amazed at how fast he works.

This is a photo (a bad one I know) of my left leg/ankle & foot to show how swollen it was.  I took this after we got home after 1am.  Every night, my legs & feet were at least this swollen!  Hopefully on this diet, I lose a lot of my swelling.

Showing how my right leg was swollen.

Well guys, I hope this didn't bore you too much.  I know there were a lot of photos, but like I said, I only input about 56 of the hundred's of photos.  If this is TMI, let me know & I will try to not show so many photos at a time.  LOL  :)  Am I forgiven?  Till Next Time.

Aloha My Friends  :)