Just in case you were wondering....

When the laxative box says "Gentle release in 8-12 hours." what it really means is "Atomic explosion in 2-3 hours with only a 30 second window to get to the bathroom."  Just in case you were wondering...

Whaaaaat?!

As I said last week, I have decided to make Sunday my official weigh in day.  It made me think twice about my plans for the day... I needed to be on the front row of the nearest church for the rest of the day after some of the words that came out of my mouth.  320.1.  That's right... I gained FOUR POUNDS last week.  are you kidding me?!  Today, I'm back down a little to 319, but still... I blame this gain on my lack of "quality time" in the bathroom.  So.. I bought some laxatives today.  Pre-band,  laxative wasn't even in my vocabulary, much less my medicine cabinet.  We shall see how it goes.

On a brighter note, I have officially moved on to mushies, and found that I can still eat my favorite Mexican dish, the chile relleño!  It's basically ground beef and cheese with a little bit of poblano pepper.  You would think this would be a no-no, but the beef and pepper are mashed up until they are pretty much the consistency of refried beans, and poblanos are extremely mild.  I had it Saturday night, and oh!  It was GLORIOUS!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend... I know I did!  I have my 2 week check up appointment on Thursday, so I will let you all know how that goes.

Stuck! (In more ways than one...)

I was a little disappointed with my scale this morning.  I am still stuck at 316.6 - really?!  Down to the ounce the same weight as Sunday?! I have started eating mushy food this week, so this could be the cause for the pause... we'll see this Sunday how the official weigh in goes.  I have noticed that I have lost some inches, though!  Unfortunately I didn't take any measurement immediately before surgery (they did some in the doctors office back in October when I started the whole band process), but I can tell that my clothes are getting more roomy, even my SHOES are getting a little loose! =)

Today I decided to have a chicken nugget.  This was not planned out.  I went to McDonalds for their Yogurt Parfait thingy because I was tired of eating mashed potatoes for lunch.  Well... somehow, I ended up ordering nuggets.  The words just flew out of my mouth!  I had one, and apparently got a little to excited about my long lost friend, the chicken.  (Keep in mind that I am not supposed to be trying solid foods for another 2 weeks...) I got stuck.  There have been a few other times when I *thought* I was stuck, but wasn't sure.... but oh, I was sure this time.  So... my pre-band instinct kicks in and I take a sip of drink to wash it down.  No ma'am... wrong answer.  I could feel the drink just sitting there on top of the food...not budging.  Then my mouth started to water, making the situation even worse.  It only took about 3 minutes for me to work up burp.  Up came the water, and apparently it was enough movement to get the nugget going in the right direction, cause it went down.  I think it will be a while before I try solids again.  I guess that's what I get for trying to move at my own pace and not what the doctor told me... huh?

Hi Ho Hi Ho... It's off to work I go....

Today was my first day back to work.  Not too bad!  I'm a little sore just from the extra moving around, but overall... pretty happy with the day!  Maybe the extra moving around will burn a few extra calories =)

I feel like I need to do a little recap of the weekend.  Saturday, my best friend picked me up and took me to the ZOO!!!!  I decided against driving myself anywhere after Friday's fiasco...   Anyway, so this zoo... it's not the regular so you would think.. You drive through it!  When you come in, you buy a little bucket (or 10) of food, and you drive through the little path/roads.  The animals come up to the car and eat the food from the window =) It was a lot of fun!  I mean, there wasn't a crazy amount of animals, but some fun ones!  Giraffe, Zebra, Buffalo, Hippo... and some smaller ones like little piggies and Emu's.  I will post pix when I can get them from my friend =)

Now on to SUNDAY!  Official weigh-in day Sunday!  *Drum Roll Please*  316.6!!!  That's right!  Down 11.9 pounds since last Sunday!  I can't remember the last time I saw teens on the scale.  I very happy, but very much looking forward to "eating" something other than protein shake and Gatorade....

Out & About

Today I decided that I was tired of being at home.  After four days of making little laps around my living room, I needed to get out!  So... I decided to hit the town!  Okay, so I really just needed (ok... wanted very badly) a pedicure, and to run a few little errands.  About halfway through my oh-so-glorious pedi, I started feeling lightheaded.  I haven't been able to drink/"eat" as much as suggested in the past few days.  I have been nauseous  A LOT, and sleeping for the most part.  So... lack of nutrients + being shaken around by the massage chair = sick/dizzy Nathalie.  

I made it through the pedi, and my few little other pit stops, but I was SOOOO happy to pull back into my driveway.  I was only gone for about 2 hours, but I was exhausted!  I immediately came in and took a nap.  Now I feel better, and I am on an active mission to get as much (many?) fluids in my body as possible!

On a happier note,today  I wore a dress that a bought about 3 weeks ago.  I figured it would be most comfortable for walking around without being tight around my (still a little sore) belly.  When I bought it, it fit perfectly!  Actually, it was a little snug around the chest, but not enough to get the next size up (I was NOT getting that 28, damnit!).  Today... It was baggy!  I felt like I needed to stuff my bra to make it look good~haha.  This is both good and bad.  Good because I have obviously lost some inches... bad because I was hoping the inches around my chest would stay just where they were.  Oh well... such is life...

It's Official!

Yesterday was the official beginning of my journey.  I got to the hospital at 5am, was rolling into surgery at 6:30am, and rolling out to the car in a wheelchair at 2pm.  Talk about getting someone in and out! 

I mostly slept yesterday... a lot of soreness and discomfort from the gas they use to blow up your stomach during surgery.  Daniel has been sooo wonderful through this.  Poor thing, today is his birthday, and what did he have to do first thing this morning?  First, hold my head over the trash while I threw up, then had to give me my anti-nausea meds.... *down there*..... that's right, a suppository.  If we can make it through that, I have not fears about our upcoming marriage~haha.

I forgot to post my official weigh in on Sunday.  I was in Virginia visiting my family for my cousins college graduation!  I was down to 328.5 on Sunday, today I am at 324.9.  I may post some pictures later on, but for now, I think it's sleepy time again...

A Few Loose Ends.... All Tied Up!

Today I had a few doctors appointments.  My Pre/Post Op information class was this morning.  Daniel (my fiance) was gracious enough to go with me.  This is the first time that he's been in one of the classes with me.  It was nice to be able to show him the little model of the banded stomach that they always have sitting on the desk.  I don't think he really understood until today exactly what was going to happen.  Also, I met with my anesthesiologist for a few last minute things.  Honestly, I'm not sure WHY I had to meet with him.... we went over questions that I have answered 10 times in the last week, and they gave me some body wash for the morning before surgery.  But... if it keeps me on the road to surgery, I will do what they ask.

Monday I had my final pre-op meeting with my surgeon.  He said everything looked great, he was happy to see I was already losing weight, and glad to see that I have been so persistent in keeping things on track (insurance-wise).  Then, he approached me with a question.  He has started doing his LapBand procedures a little differently, but only since January.  The banding is the same as always, but after that, he now takes the portion of the stomach that is under the band, and kind of folds it in on itself... then sews it together.  He says that he has found that it significantly reduces the chances of band slippage because it creates kind of a ... speed bump below the band.  It also increases weight loss because there is less stomach down below the band, so you still say full even longer.  He said it was my choice whether I decided on this option, or just regular banding.... I'm still not sure what I think about it.  BUT... I only have 4 days to figure it out, so I better start thinkin'!

I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl!

Kinda reminds me of that Fiona Apple song... hmm

Anyway, today is day 6 of the liquid diet, and until now, I had been doing pretty darn good.  However, my overwhelming craving for NY Style Cheese pizza finally pulled me in today.  I gobbled it down like I hadn't eaten in.. well... 6 days haha!  But, there are brighter days ahead.  If I could do the weight loss thing on my own, I wouldn't be having a $30,000 surgery in a week.

Today is official weigh in day!  Down 8 pounds!!!  Well, technically 7.8, but I think I'm allowed to round up =)

I will put something out there that I don't think I have EVER said out loud to anyone besides my doctor.  When I started this whole surgery journey in August 2010 (you know, pre-op requirements and such)  I was at 352 pounds- my highest weight ever.  352?!  That is more than DOUBLE what my suggested body weight is.  Also, just to put it out there, I am 5'7 and I wear a size 26/28 (more on the 28 side if we're being honest) 46DD and size 10 or 11 shoe.  Today I weighed in at 328.7.  If I can get down 24 pounds all by myself (even if it DID take 9 months), imagine what is to come with the band!

Today I went walking... I did 3/4 a mile, and it actually wasn't too bad!  Egypt did not enjoy it as much... poor thing, she passed out panting in the kitchen floor.  Yesterday I got a little crazy and I cleaned the gutters on her house (yes, I climbed a ladder and everything!), picked up sticks from the yard, pulled some weeds, and spread fertilizer in the yard.  For me, this is unbelievable.  I do NOT go outside.  EVER.  Since being on this liquid diet, I have had an amazing amount of energy!  It's amazing what can happen to your body when you stop putting so much crap into it (ie:  Fast food everyday, soda, candy, etc etc).  

My pre-op appointment with my surgeon is tomorrow.  I'm excited to report my weight loss to him!  Only 8 more days til surgery!

Success!!!

Well, the Cookie Dough Cupcakes were a huge success!  I took a dozen to work, and they were gone before 12:00- haha.  That was nice to hear, especially since I wasn't able to taste them to make sure they were okay.  They smelled fabulous, though!

Day 3 of the liquid diet has actually been pretty smooth.  Daniel found this water flavored stuff called MIO- and let me tell you... soooo much better than Crystal Light or any of that, in my opinion.  I had the fruit punch kind, and noticed that I drank way more water today than my previous 2 days.  Needless to say, I made a LOT of trips to the bathroom.  I had about 60 ounces of just water today, not including the other things I "ate", and for me, that's a big victory!

I am trying to hold off until Sunday to weigh myself.  I don't want to get caught up in the number game.  After all, the decision to have surgery was based on my desire to live a longer, healthier life... no to hit a certain number on the scale, so I am trying to keep that in perspective.

Adventures in Cupcakes

This is day 2 of the liquid diet....  aside from the HORRIBLE headache I woke up with (caffeine withdrawal, I'm sure), everything has been going fine.  I am supposed to be "eating" 1000 calories/day and 60 grams of protein.  Believe it or not, it was very difficult to hit that 1000 calories on both days!  I mean, when your tummy is filled with liquid all day, you aren't really craving that next "meal".

Let me just say that I am NOT a soup eater.  I don't like my food to touch even on a plate, so soup is kind of torture, considering it's just a big bowl of different foods touching~haha.  However, I had Campbell's Soup at Hand for lunch today- the New England Clam Chowder one- and I actually really enjoyed it!  I will keep that one in mind the next time I head to the grocery store.

So... to explain my title (and the name of my blog, for that matter)... I am OBSESSED with cupcakes.  Not eating them, but making them... As a matter of fact I very seldom eat even one of the cupcakes I make, simply because by the time I cook 4 dozen in a week, I am sick of them!  I am trying to start up a little business on the side... and eventually own my very own bakery!  That will come with time.  My best friend volunteered to take some of my creations to her new job tomorrow.  Free advertising, if you will.  So, tonight I experimented and made a Cookie dough cupcake.  It's a chocolate chip cupcake with cookie dough frosting.  I found a recipe without eggs for the frosting, so it's safe to eat.  

I did a good job and I didn't cheat!  The down side to that is that I have no idea how the finished product tasted.  I guess we'll see after tomorrow, huh?

And it begins.....

Last night, Daniel (my fiance) and I went to my FAVORITE restaurant, Texas Roadhouse.  I got my usual, a "last supper" of sorts: a Caesar Salad and Chicken Critters (the best chicken tenders known to man, trust me!).  We had some leftovers, but I told Daniel that if we took them home, he HAD to eat them before I got home from work today, as today is the start of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with the band process... I will explain.  My surgeon requires that patients go on a liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery.  The purpose of the liquid diet is to reduce body fat around the stomach and liver, as well as to shrink the liver (if it's too large, they will have to postpone surgery!)

Well... when I opened the fridge today, there they were... staring me in the face!  I quickly closed the fridge, but they were calling my name from across the room!  I quickly pulled out a can of cream of chicken soup, as this was one of the recommendations on my food list.  I dumped it in a bowl, and decided to mix it with some milk.  Well, there's trip #2 into the fridge... I grabbed the milk, and the take out box (oh no!)  I decided I would take just one bite... but a bite turned into a whole chicken tender!  I quickly shoved the box back in the fridge and went on with preparing my soup.  I felt bad about cheating, but I did so well today that I couldn't be too disappointed in myself.  I mean, there's a REASON I'm having a Bariatric surgery.... I love (bad) food!

In the end, the soup was actually pretty good.  So far I have had 7 glasses of water today, and 2 protein shakes... so I am okay with myself... for now.

First Things First

So... this is my very first blog!  Tomorrow is the start of a life-long journey arm in arm with a gastric band.  Okay, let me explain.... On May 16th, I will be having LapBand surgery.  I have contemplated long and hard about this decision, and I truly feel that I am making the right decision for ME!  This blog will be my first hand account of this journey.  Tomorrow is the first day of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet... More details to come!