Back on track

I am back and feeling better than ever.  California was beautiful, warm and sunny.  I shopped, shopped and shopped some more and guess what...I had so many options to chose from now that I fit a size 18.  Unbelievable!  I even found the the fiercest Foxy Cleopatra pink sling back heels to wear to the family wedding.  The shoes were an amazing victory as I have not been able to fit into or wear a pair of heels comfortably in God knows how long.  Even my toes have lost weight...hee, hee. 

The trip was a God send.   I have had a lot of stress in my work life lately and I really felt burned out and in great need of a break.  Being away helped me put everything into perspective, refocus on myself and get back on the wonderful track I was on before all this "stuff" started derailing me.  I realized while I was away that I don't have to be everything to everyone.  I am a intelligent, hardworking, successful person and as a result people often turn to me for my help.  While I do my best to give everyone what I can, I cannot and should not spread myself so thin that I compromise my happiness, my health and my family.  My needs and those of my family are ultimately the most important.  It is remarkably easy to let down one's safeguard and compromise these precious assets.  I will not do this.  One day I will look back onto my life and I will say that I loved myself and my family so much, I always put them first.  It will have been a life well spent. 

With that thought in mind, I am excited once again to be focussed on this journey.  I have been feeling a bit more restriction and have been forgetful a couple of times and not chewed slowly...hence a few PB episodes.  I think that with my fourth fill next week, I should be right on the money and can start losing more.  I have thus far, pretty much maintained my weight loss of thirty pounds.  Considering the number of indulgences while I was on holiday, I consider this somewhat of a victory.  That's all in the past now and I have turned over a new leaf.  I am ready to go forward and lose ten pounds this next month!  Yipee!  I am so happy to be back to the old Elliana.  I

WANTED: Lucky Leprechaun

Dear Fellow Bandsters,

I am looking for a Lucky Leprechaun who will be able to help me sort out what is happening at this stage with my band.  You see, I have had 3 fills and am at 7.5 cc in a 14 cc band at almost 4 months out.  I have lost 29 lbs but most of it has been from early post surgery.  It has been an admittedly slow start.  After my third fill, it seemed I was at a pretty good restriction but after a week or so I started noticing I could eat more than a cup of food.  I don't think this is the right level of restriction yet.  I am not sure if I am working this band correctly.  I am able to eat a half of a whole grain bagel, stop, but shortly thereafter I am still hungry and can eat the rest of it.  I am still working at chewing my food thoroughly.  I find when I don't, it gets stuck and then I have to wait for it to pass.  If I had the correct restriction, it shouldn't pass that easily without PBing, should it?  One night, I was even able to eat an entire steak.  That shouldn't be possible I believe.  So after a promising start to this third fill, I think I am not yet at my proper level of restriction.  I think I need another fill.  So if you happen to see a  Lucky Leprechaun today, could you send him my way.  I think I need to rub his belly or something.

Summer is coming...ohhhh noooo....

Summer is coming, summer is coming...eeek...only three months before my brother's wedding and I have no clue what size I will be or what I am going to wear.  I will have to have a dress tailor made for me as it is next to impossible to find a great fitting dress when you are tall with curves.  I am going to make one last ditch effort to find a ready made dress in California and if that doesn't pan out, then it's off to find fabric, decide on a design, pick out shoes, make up, decide on a hairstyle...oh la, la...I am starting to get just a little excited.  I just wish I had reached my sweet spot now and could lose another thirty pounds before then.  Can I do it?  Judging by all you superstar bandsters, it can be done.  Oh my, oh my...it would be a major victory for me to have lost 60 lbs total by mid June.  Honestly...it would be beyond my wildest dreams to share my brother's happiest day while celebrating my own happy achievement.  I have got to come up with a game plan and fast.  I think I need another fill soon for a start.  Then what...oh my, oh my...I must get on this...time is running out...eeek! 

(The picture above is one of the hot new nail color trends for summer 2010)

Spring Fling "Challenge"

Spring is in air (or Fall for my Southern Hemisphere bandsters) and I want to put out a "challenge" to everyone.  I would like to "challenge" everyone to go to their closets and pull out one item they may still fit into, but never really liked because they bought it just to cover up the jiggly bits, and donate it.  Then, go out shopping and find a flattering, colorful item of clothing to replace it.  I really want to encourage everyone to celebrate and enjoy their journey now.  So often, we put off enjoying ourselves and treating ourselves until we've reached a certain weight, or a certain date.  How about celebrating the fact that we are doing something today to take care of ourselves.

Seeing candy and spiraling

Yipee! I'm back! It only took a week to figure out the problems with my blog, my computer, and my life...hee, hee...just kidding on the last one...that would take at least a week and a half. I must say, I have missed you all dearly and am now trying to catch up on every one's posts. More good news...my band is working! I lost 3.4lbs this past week. After my fill episode, I was happy to be feeling some restriction. Amazingly, just as some of you have shared has happened to you, about two weeks after my fill my band felt tighter...more restriction. Now I feel pretty darned awesome. It's taking my brain a bit to catch up that I can't eat as much as I did the first three months without any restriction, but I am starting to get what all you experienced bandsters were talking about.

I am learning, with few productive burping (known as PBing on the blogs) episodes, what it feels like to have the help of the band. Believe me baby bandsters...it is marvelous! When on earth did I ever have ice cream in the freezer and not even want to have a spoonful of it? The desire to eat for the sake of having something to eat is rapidly eroding. This has been a most amazing phenomenon to me. The one, most difficult thing for me to get control of in my life, is slipping away like sand through an hour glass. I want to kiss Mr. or Mrs. Band Inventor...even if they're old, grizzled and shriveled like a prune from too much sunbathing. What an amazing tool!

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't highlight the fact that the band is a tool and only a tool. It must be accompanied by other changes in lifestyle in order to contribute to one's overall success. It does tend to spiral out though. You start off small and as you use the band, the weight comes off a bit, then you're able to exercise more, you feel better, you don't have as strong a desire to eat to stuff your poor feelings, you start taking better care of yourself, you want more for yourself, you start dreaming big and it all spirals outwards and upwards....absolutely awesome!

Oh yes...the picture...I saw on the "crazy box" tonight how these are made and I thought to myself "Wow, it wasn't that long ago that I would have gone to the fridge to get a treat after seeing such a yummy looking treat." Instead, I saw them and thought "Now that's definitely a slider food". My husband laughed when I told him why I was giggling to myself. I can't help but smile at the changes that are happening. It's been a long wait but I am so happy I made this choice to turn my life around.

Access problems

Oh my goodness...I can't begin t0 tell you how much trouble I have been having trying to get onto my blog and to access other people's blogs to read them. I get messages saying "Forbidden" and "Access denied". I don't know what's going on. I have reset my password several times and finally, it seems as though things are working. I am going to log out now and will try and post tonight. If you don't hear from me, hang in there, I will get this fixed one way or another...hammer anyone?