"that girl"

A strange thing happened to me tonight.  After a long day at work, I came home to a lovely dinner that my husband had made.  Not only did he make chicken breast with an orange bourbon reduction but he plated it with barbequed peaches and a spinach pecan salad.  The thing that was strange was that I didn't bat an eyelash at the small salad plate he so nicely arranged it on...in fact, I felt appreciative and loved his thoughtfulness.  Very, very strange change in food attitude.  It wasn't that long ago that a small plate of food  for dinner after a long day with no lunch would be unheard of...my gosh...I suddenly realized that I really am changing.  It's not just the physical changes and the numbers on the scale changing but it's really ME that's changing.  My relationship with food is changing in a way that only a year ago I would have never dreamed possible.  I am still in awe.  Could this really be true.  I think it is...I am becoming "that girl"...  I am so grateful to have found this path.  I feel like I am reclaiming my life. 

RIBS...MY UNDOING...

I LOVE RIBS...no, you don't understand...I love ribs so much I have been studying for my PhD in Ribology.  I even told my husband that I want to go on vacation to the big BBQ competition in Memphis so I can be a judge.  He thinks I'm nuts.  So why am I bringing up my healthy obscession with BBQ...well...a coworker told me about a  place that has all you can eat ribs once a month and somehow I blurted out that we should organize a work party there.  Everyone loved the idea and I now find myself going to an all you can eat rib night where I am going to suspiciously only eat a small portion at best.  Ugh...now that was brilliant Thumbelina...how on earth am I going to explain not being able to eat much.  I am fairly restricted right now and doubt I could eat much at all.  Maybe I could get all liquered up before I go (wine and beer help relax the band...right...) but won't they be suspicious of why I took public transit (I don't drink and drive) and showed up tipsy right after work.  They'll think I'm a lush.  Hmm...let's see.  I could pretend to eat a lot of ribs but when no one is looking shovel them into my purse.  Or...I could say  I forgot I have a cholesterol test the next morning and I have to be good.  I think I like the getting liquered up one...at least if I PB, it won't seem unlikely...lol.  I am just kidding about this plan, but I definitely should have thought this one out a bit before agreeing to an all you can eat affair.  I think I need a BBQ Intervention...

Need help from savvy bandster...

Help me...I'm drowing...I have been trying to figure out how to fix the problem with the word verification for commenting on my blog and I cannot find anywhere on blogger help or other sites where it tells you how to fix the fact that everyone has to tab several times before the word verification box comes up so one can leave a comment.  Aaarrrrggghhhh!  I wish I'd never messed with trying to pretty up my blog by trying a new template.  I don't know what to do.  I don't want to eliminate the word verification or I'll get comment span apparently.  Yikes...is there anyone out there who knows someone who knows someone who can tell me how to fix this problem.  I really love hearing from my bandster buddies...I miss you guys. 

Please comment

Hello Bandster Buddies,

I changed my template in the hopes that my comment section will work.  Would you please try leaving a comment and let me know if the verification part works okay.

Very much appreciated!

Is my comment section working?

Bandster buddies, is my comment section working?  Or do my posts really stink lately?  It's okay, you can be honest with me.  It seems as though ever since I tried changing my blog appearance a while back (only to find it didn't work that well), I haven't been getting many comments.  Is there something wrong when you try to comment?  Or do I need to get more sleep, drink a little less coffee and come up with much better post material?

As a side note, I had a very interesting day today.  My band was particularly tight.  I had a business meeting with a colleague I don't see very often and I am certain he went away thinking I had some kind of eating disorder as I could only down three or four forkfuls of my salad...lol.  The last time we had lunch together, I think I ate a  burger and caesar salad.  Before I worried people thought I ate too much, now I'm concerned they'll think I'm not eating enough...now that's funny!....lol.  I am definitely not complaining though...I complained enough these last three months waiting for something to start happening with this band.  No, definitely not complaining, dropping to my knees and thanking God restriction finally showed up yes, complaining no.  Ah...this journey with this crazy band is a most eventful one indeed.

My stats should look better...

...soon I hope.  I have to figure them out and share with y'all.  I am very hopeful now that my fill this past Tuesday seems to have taken me (finally!) to a good level of restriction, I will be able to post some respectable numbers.  Oh my God...talk about getting out of the gate late.  I feel really excited now that I can use my band in the way it was meant to be used.  Truly, without this level of restriction, it is hard to eat less and feel fine.  I now feel like I can eat a cup of food and be very satisfied without feeling hungry in an hour or so.  I know I read about this from my fellow, more experienced bandsters, but I didn't realize it would be this good.  No wonder they call it the Sweet Spot...it's better than a three scoop ice cream cone!  I am not even thinking about eating throughout the day...very weird...it wasn't that long ago that a lot of my thoughts were about food.  The band definitely affects your brain.  Though they don't fully understand it yet, there is definitely a pathway of communication between the degree of restriction (amount of expansion of the pseudo stomach pouch) and the hypothalamus in the brain where our satiety is registered.  I have a feeling, this cellular communication is quite a bit more complex than we know.  Hmm...I should apply for a research grant in this area...what do you think?...lol..  Okay, I got off track there for a bit....it's late and I'm exhausted.  All in all...I am loving every minute of this now.  Patience does pay off.  Yipee!!

So you wanna kick my a$$...

...well bring it on baby...I am soooo ready.  That's exactly what I would say to Bob and Jillian if they were at my gym tonight.  I am laying the smack down.  I'm am going the distance now so lookout...I'm going to knock you into the next postal code...lol.  Oh yeah...I did three miles today in under an hour on the track and I feel awesome.  After my little hiatus from the gym, it was a major victory to get out on that track and walk/jog without crying like a school girl.  Bring it on Bobby-Lou!  Now I'm willing to bet you're wondering where all this bravado has surfaced from...well...my fill today has taken me to where every woman (and man) bandster wants to go...the Sweet Spot Drive-In.  At least so far it's looking like this was the magic fill I needed to get good restriction.  Yes, it's a little early to judge but I can say this is the first time I have not felt hungry all day!  Woo, woo!  Oh thank you God! 

I had a grande skinny caramel latte for lunch today and a cup of pasta with tomato sauce for dinner.  I chewed the pasta until it was really a tomato soup puree.  I didn't know pasta tasted so good.  Having usually inhaled it in past, it was interesting to see that I could enjoy just a small amount and feel more than satisfied.  I chose not to eat soup for dinner as I don't really like prepared soups so why waste my daily calories on something I don't enjoy.  I am learning to eat for the rest of my lifetime not for some diet that will fall by the wayside like so many others.  Today, as I worked out at the gym, I felt truly grateful.  I am so grateful to have this opportunity and to be able to learn and share from all my fellow bandsters.  This blog community has made all the difference to me.  I am going forward now to lose my excess weight, get to goal and hopefully inspire a few people along the way.  

Tomorrow more mushies and then we'll really start to see how this fill (which has brought me to 8cc in a 14cc band...proof that everyone is very different in how much restriction they feel with different amounts in their band) works.  Finally...I finally feel like I am moving forward now.  It sure took a while to get here (4 months) but I think my patience is about to pay off!