10 Days Out

That's right kids!  It's been 10 whole days since surgery.  Time is flying!  It's sad to think that I'm already 1/2 through my time off work... SOOO we'll stick to the positive things!  Lets look at some stats for instance.

6/18/13 248 lbs -Dr. visit to start the process to seek insurance approval again for revision
7/11/13 240 lbs -Began pre-op diet (it's usually only for 2 weeks but my nutritionist decided she wanted to torture me I guess
8/5/13 228 lbs -Surgery Day! (Seeing that the torture paid off)
8/14/13 218 lbs -First follow up appointment with Dr/Nutritionist

So there you have it folks...  I am officially down 30 lbs from 6/18/13.  And if we want to look wayyyy back to before I got my band starting my pre-op diet in 2011, I was 287 lbs.  (I was even more before that!).  So basically in all from band to post-revision I am down about 70 lbs.  I feel accomplished.  

Insurance Companies Suck the Life Out of Everything

I've been trying to get myself to blog for a week or so now.  I've been wrestling with the emotions that have come up since my insurance company denied my revision surgery.  That's right, you heard me correctly.  I will not be having revision surgery, at least not any time soon.  I have been denied.  At first I was denied because they said that my BMI did not meet the requirement of 40.  Mind you my BMI at the time of my last visit was 39.6.  3 lousy pounds more and I would be a 40.  I ate some ice cream.  Voila 40!  Then my surgeon had a peer to peer call with my company and they then denied me based on the fact that it hasn't not been 2 years since my lap band surgery.  That point is 9 months from now.  Even if I hit the 2 year mark, I would still need to have a BMI of 40 for revision and that would mean not losing a single pound from now till June.  WTF.  So even if I do wait, I have to try not to lose any weight lest I be too small to fix this device in me??  Needless to say I am frustrated.  I've gotten past the depression that initially came and after fits of trying to find alternate ways to deal with this (including self pay at $23,000, or going to Mexico for surgery a more modest $5,000~~which my boyfriend vehemently disapproved of), I have finally come up for air and am dealing with this with a clearer head. 

I decided to give the band yet ANOTHER shot to get me sick to give me restriction.  I have had numerous fills and unfills and at the present have a whopping 1cc in my band.  I'm going to have the doctor give me a TINY fill on the 20th.  I decided to proceed with my pre-op diet just as I would have if I were to have gone ahead with the surgery.  I figure this will give me a little kickstart in the downward direction of losing.  On monday I started the mostly liquid diet and am currently down 4.6 lbs in 5 days.  I haven't been SUPER strict with the diet, but have been following it pretty closely.  It's friday, and the weekends are usually a little tough for me, but I'm determined.  I am also going to join the YMCA this weekend with my man.  We made the decision to be healthier together.  I think it will be a good thing to have something health centered in our relationship too.  So here I go again.  Wish me luck.  Oh, and here's a pic of myself and the man-o-mine on the beach a couple weeks back.  My sexy beast over there.  Yeah, I still have a crush after all this time.

Big Changes

Yeah... That's pretty much how I feel (and quite possibly look too!).  The past couple months have been tense to say the least.  Lots of good, and some bad, and some just plain old changes.  I officially have a boyfriend these days!  I am so lucky to have this amazingly supportive guy in my life right now.  I can't ask for a better partner.  We met over a year ago, kept in touch long distance for about a year, then took the leap.  A GIANT leap! 

Kick My Pants!

I've been stalled out on my losing for a couple weeks.  Only losing about a pound a week.  I haven't been exercising nearly as much as I should.  I've had some added stress for the last few weeks as well.  At one point I was losing rather quickly and I had been very motivated.  I had set a goal for myself to lose 75 lbs by Thanksgiving (my birthday).  Well needless to say

Devil Inside...

Man o man have I been bad about updating.  I have been really pretty busy the past couple weeks.  I have a close friend going through a personal crisis, and as per usual, I extend myself to those in need around me (almost to a fault at times).  It has been an emotional couple weeks for him (and couple weeks to come for sure as well).  Though his woahs have nothing to do with me really, they definitely have been having an effect on me.  I am seeing that I need to use some of this pent up energy and get more exercise in.  Tonight I plan on

My Pitfalls...

I would like to introduce you to the two buddies that have been accompanying me on all my adventures in the past couple weeks...  First there is Mr. Corralejo.  Now Cory, as I like to call him, he's a simple guy.  Throw a few limes at this guy and he's a party in a bottle.  He'll have you dancing on stage at a hardcore rock show that you never remember agreeing to go to in the first place.  He'll even have you believing that you actually like the aforementioned hardcore rock band even though you have never in your past ever even liked hardcore music in the first place...  Thanks for the introduction Cory!

Then we have Maker's Mark.  Now Mark is a different kinda fellow.  He's more of a smooth lover.  He makes you all warm and cozy and relaxed inside.  And just when you're least expecting it, he pounces.  He has you feeling all sorts of cooky and wonky and ready to sleep...  right through your alarm clock the next morning.  He's the kinda guy that makes you want to skip work and stay in bed all the next day watching movies.

Now as much fun as I have with Mark and Cory, I need a little time apart from them.  I need to ask them to stop popping up when I'm hanging out or having dinner.  I love these guys, but they're def not helping my booty get any smaller.  So if you see them around, let em know to cut me some slack and to give me some much needed breathing room.  Thanks.

Side by Side??

 I am attempting to do a side by side comparison.  What should be on the left in the blue dress, just 6 days post-op.  I was still a bit swollen. And on the right is me just yesterday, 9 weeks post-op.  I don't know if I see much of

Ah... The Lovely Green Zone...

I will admit, I have been a bit lax on posting compared to usual.  I have been reading other blogs and what not, but being that I was feeling pretty badly, I have slacked up a bit.  I had my second fill of 1.5 on August 1st, bringing me to 4.5 mL.  At first I thought, well wow, this is different...

Daily Changes

This week I hit the one month mark after surgery.  As I am here having my Sunday morning coffee, I started to think about what is different now about my day to day from before I started this journey.  

• I drink tons of water.  I go out of my way to drink as much of it as possible.  Since my surgery, many people have commented that my skin looks so clear (was it not clear before??).  

Stuck!!

I have officially just experienced my first "stuck" moment. What was the cause you ask?? A bite of French Toast. I had one bite, then went back to my oh so healthy plate of poached eggs and as I was about to take a bite I had this sensation of ugh, then ouch, then thought "am I gonna puke?", I didn't feel like wrenching or anything just as though I had something... Well, stuck! I was trying to figure out what to do at this point as I hadn't even had a bite of my own plate. I knew if I tried to eat anything, tree was no chance I could swallow it down. So I figured I'd try and sip something warm. Coffee to the rescue. I sipped little sips and could feel things adjusting and after a minute or two the sensation passed. I was dreading te whole 'sliming' or 'PBing' that I have heard about. I desperately did NOT want to experience that. I'm glad that I have figured out so early that this is a "no" food for me. Buh-bye French toast. It was nice knowing you.

It's Friday... BYOC!

It’s Friday so that means it’s BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy! We answer questions today in an effort to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break. Copy and paste to your own blog if you so desire…and ENJOY!!  I've never done one of these but figured hell, why not.

1. Let’s do something crazy….I’m going to list the rainbow colors and you type the first FOOD item that pops into your head that symbolizes that color for you…..here’s mine:

Red – Strawberries
Orange – Navel Oranges
Yellow – Polenta
Green – Fatoush Salad (the peppers inside)
Blue – Blueberries (I'm freezing a bunch now that they are in season, great for smoothies!)
Purple – Pomegranate Juice
Brown – Chocolate Ice Cream
Black – Blackberries

2. What is on your kitchen table right now?My unused crockpot, some green placemats, mail, and a serving tray.  Don't eat at the table much.

3. What movie do you watch again and again and again? Not like what movie have you seen 5 times…but like what movie have you seen 30 times or more?
Grease.  I have been watching it since I was a little girl and will watch it every single time it's on TV.  That and Pretty Woman.  No idea why, I just watch it over and over and over.

4. If Satan had a last name – what would it be?Ketchup

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blogland and in real life.
Got my first fill and I'm adjusting to the feel of it.  I am trying to stay motivated with my exercising and not get discouraged that the scale seems to have gotten stuck recently (couldn't have anything to do with me right??).   I have been pretty good at blogging and learning to break up topics into multiple smaller posts.  Bite size pieces if you will.  

1 Month Bandiversary!

Ladies and Gentleman, I am proud to say I have survived an entire month of being banded!  Tah Dah!!!  It seems like just yesterday I was in tearful conversation with my sister-in-law discussing how I was feeling about my physician's suggestion to be banded.  It feels good to have taken the leap and gone for it.  I am proud to say that I have lost 25 pounds thus far on my journey and after yesterday's fill, I'm sure things will be picking up after a small lull.  Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive so far.  I appreciate you.  I appreciate the readers that have been so kind to comment and leave words of advice and feedback.  Thank you for helping me get this journey going with more support and confidence than I would have, had I decided not to blog.  You guys rock.  

Intimidation

Today I have a confession.  There are so many things that I avoid due to intimidation.  I know it's probably ridiculous, but I am intimidated by a lot of things.  People who know me and who are reading this are probably thinking "yeah right, Ivy intimidated?", but it is true.  My mother can tell you that in childhood, I was afraid of EVERYTHING.  

Jogging for the First Time!

So I've been back on that Brooklyn Bridge again.  Sunday I got up early, threw on my sneakers and hit the bridge and did 2.7 miles.  I had to explore a bit to find a place to park near there, but once I finally did, I was off and walking.  I have a NSV to report.  I actually JOGGED.  

BOOBS Challenge

Hey gang.  I'm creeping up towards my 1 month bandiversary!  For those of who don't know what BOOBS is, it is a group of Banded Bloggers who have formed a community on these here internets.  

Frustration

I'm going to just say it.  I'm frustrated.  I am at the same weight that I was 2 weeks ago.  I was down to 264 and now I'm up to 266.6.  Now I know for some people, they might say it's only 2 pounds!, but it's frustrating right now.  I had been on a steady path downward in weight and now after moving onto solid food, I'm gaining.  I have not been eating poorly.  I have kept my calorie intake between 1000-1300 calories.  I have had at least 60-80 grams of protein.  I keep my sugar and fat intake on the low side.  I could get more exercise.  Actually, I'm going to get off this computer and go get some more walking in.  Wish me luck.  I want to keep moving in the right direction and that is down, not up!

Counting Calories & Feeling Lonely

So many things to update.  I've been to the doctor for my first follow up.  I finally got my stitches removed.  Only one of my incisions had an actual stitch that needed removing, but it was right at my bra line and was making me crazy.  Thank goodness it's out!  I've also been to the nutritionist.  I'm off the purees and onto real food again!!!

My Scale is Stuck!! (2 Weeks Post-Op)

Tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since my surgery.  I have been on pureed food since the surgery, which for me has mostly been soup, yogurt, protein shakes, and smoothies.  It's been challenging to get in enough calories and proteins each day.  

Surgery Day Breakdown!

Well gang, I'm back to work!  I'm feeling pretty well and back in front of a computer.  I have done small updates from my phone, but honestly didn't feel like looking at a computer for the last week, so I didn't!  I'm back in action though and thought I would give an account of my experience.  So are we ready??  Ok.  Lets go.

So Hungry...

I survived day one of my liquid diet.  By the time dinner time rolled around, I wanted to eat my own arm.