I'm in love!

I have a new love to share. It is Laurel's Short Caffe Mocha. :) Pour one pack of Hot Chocolate Mix into a coffee mug, add one or two packs of Splenda, pour your favorite coffee over and stir. 25 calories, as much calcium as a glass of milk, and STUPENDOUS. WAY cheaper than Starbucks, and really luscious! Hot and steamy caffeine fix in the mornings, and really satisfies me. Several times it has been my breakfast and keeps me satisfied until lunch.

Finally, FIFTY!!

After 6 weeks !!?!?! stuck at 48 pounds down, I finally hit 50 pound down! I am so happy! Now, if I can just keep this through the holidays... Happy Sunday to everyone. :)

Another Quiz!

1. How long have you been banded? 4 months

2.What was your highest pre-band weight?/ Current weight now? / Total loss to date? 230/182/48

3. What is your best go-to food to get in your protein? Cottage Cheese

4. What is your favorite protein brand/ shake? I haven't found any I like. I make shakes from frozen strawberries, skim milk and cottage cheese.

5. What do you miss the most now, post-band? So far, I can and do eat anything.

6. What is your favorite "mushy" food? Cream of Wheat

7. What was your worst PB experience? I haven't had a PB yet!

8. What has been the hardest part of this journey so far for you? Typing this quiz!! JK! I still have a lot of trouble with "grazing", especially on sweets.

9. What is your best NSV to date? I am no longer on high blood pressure medication!

10. What is your top non-weight goal for your band? I just want to be healthier...

11. What is your goal weight or size? I think 160 would be great! I may reevaluate when I reach that goal. :)

12.What band "rule" do you live by? (i.e. don't cheat on)? No liquid with meals and for one hour after. (and no carbonation)

13. What band "rule" do you not follow as much or aren't good at? No snacking between meals.

14. What is your goal "reward"? Being able to play with and enjoy my grandchildren for years to come.

15. In the spirit of Thanksgiving being right around the corner (US), what are you most thankful for, post-band? I am so thankful to be feeling better, healthier and happier after lapband!

5th Fill. I WILL get there!

I am kicking myself for my OCD compulsion tonight! I resolved to go VERY SLOWLY with the fill thing, with the result that after my 5th (!) fill I now have 5.3 CC in my band. I wanted 1/2 cc again, (I am very apprehensive of being over-filled) but the PA was encouraging 1 cc. I asked if she could give .75, so she said "How about .8 as a compromise?". So, I went for it! I'm such a chicken! Anyway, I will find out. So far, so good, but it's only been 3 hours. LOL By their scales, I have lost 1/2 pound in the last 2 weeks, at least still going in the right direction. I have lost 48.5 pounds now. I am SO hoping for 50 pounds down soon, but it may not be realistic until after Christmas. "My name is Laurel Nolan and I am a sweetoholic...." :)

What do I eat? 2

My favorite "mushy" meal is Cream of Wheat made with milk. So rich, so creamy, and it slides down warm and soothing Ahhhh... Oh, I'm sorry, I needed a minute there ;) My doctor just says 24 hours of mushies after a fill, so I always have Cream of Wheat when I get home. I understand a lot of people are on liquids after a fill, but I have been doing good with mushies.

I wish we could start another traveling post that would be your own personal "top 10" foods. I will work on it for a post in a few days, then hopefully my new friends in cyberspace will post their Go-to Top 10! I think it would help everyone and give them some new ideas to try.

What do I eat?

(The quick answer is TOO MUCH! LOL)

I just had a dinner that hit the spot for me and wanted to share. I had this veggie burger (120 cal) with some of this, A Land O Lakes snack' n go Co-Jack Reduced Fat Cheese Pack. I melted the cheese on the burger in the microwave, and just ate it slowly w/o bread. cutting it into tiny pieces. YUM! It was moist, ooey gooey and delicious. It was 180 calories and so easy. I will definitely keep some of these around for go-to meals in a rush!

Another Before Pic

I found another picture from my daughter's wedding, so you know this is as good as it gets! HAHA! As I hunt through the pictures I have hidden around the house, I will post a few more. I always love to see before and after pictures, and I hope mine will encourage people, too! It helps me to see them,as well. I still have a long way to go!

Before and After Pics

The "before" pictures were taken in July, as I played with my grandsons a couple of weeks before surgery. (You can tell I enjoyed the huge red "cover everything" polo top in both pictures, they were NOT taken the same day! lol) I had a BMI of 40, weighed 230 pounds, and I am 5ft.4in. tall. The pictures with the brown argyle were taken almost exactly three months after surgery, at 45 pounds down. These were taken at my house, and my DD is in one with me. I wish I had taken pictures as I read you all encourage people to before hand. I just did not want any more pictures made, I thought I had enough awful pictures to compare, but it isn't the same. I like your pictures from every angle in similar outfits in front of the same place. It really helps to be able to compare. Make note bandsters to be! You will be glad you take the "evidence" pictures from before, as you will NEVER be there again!!

Trying to figure out pictures

I have a picture on my profile, but I still have a sillhouette show up when I am a follower. Anyone have any advice? I am going to be experimenting for a while, so you may just see anything on this page! Advice is greatly appreciated!! I would like to post some before and during pics. These are definitely "befores" when I was running around shooting squirt guns with my grandsons the month before surgery, and with my grandson at a Fourth of July party 10 days before surgery. I don't know how to enlarge or delete pictures after they are posted, either!

4th Fill. Ouch!

I had my fourth fill on Monday afternoon, and have actually been having quite a bit of pain from the fill. GETTING the fill doesn’t really hurt, just a little pinch from the pain-killer, but for the next 24 hours, the injection site is swollen and hurts. I had a long day at work yesterday, and then up in the afternoon, I began to feel worse. I was glad to get home to rest. Today has been a good day, tho. How do your fills affect you? I haven’t read much about that.
I had a major “falling off the wagon” over Halloween, as did a lot of people!I haven’t noticed much difference in my eating since my fill, but I have been doing better because I took all the extra candy to school and gave it away. LOL I now have 4.5 ccs in a 10 cc band. I want to go VERY slowly with my fills, because I don’t want to overshoot my sweet spot. I think I want to get another .5 cc every two weeks until it is just right. But that means more fills and more bad days like yesterday. Anyway, I have never had a PB episode, so I am thinking to keep getting filled slowly until I do have an episode, then I will know that I am at the right spot, and that will make me quit eating before I get too full. That is my plan anyway, I hope it works!!