Progress Pictures!

Can you believe it!!??  I finally had my husband take pictures of my progress.  I'm pretty embarrassed to post them, but I know it's part of the journey and that it needs to be done.  Ok, so here they are.....

             December 15, 2013                                       June 1, 2014

One of two...50%...Measurements but no pictures

I posted on the 15th that I was hoping to have pictures and measurements up by the 16th....well, it's the 31st  and I am just NOW posting measurements.  The measurements were actually taken on 5/23 but I am just barely remembering to post them.  I am struggling with this blog thing!!!

I went to another follow up appointment on the 27th.  We decided to take .25 CC's out because I was getting a lot of stuff stuck again.  I am now at 5 CC's.  I am getting really frustrated with the up and down of trying to figure out where the band needs to be.  I feel like I am the only person that has this much trouble getting to a good spot!  I know that I say it a lot, but I am trying really hard to not get frustrated.  My surgery was December 16, 2013 and I'm "only" down 25 pounds.  I say "only" because I understand that it is a good amount of weight, but I have a personal friend that has lost MUCH more since her surgery in September.  She has lost about 60 pounds and she was not as overweight at the time of her surgery.  She couldn't even get insurance coverage because her BMI was too low.  It makes it super hard to be ok with my progress.

I am still doing hot yoga, but due to schedule conflicts, I have only been able to go about 2 times a week.  I am looking into joining Curves.  Do any of my blog followers go to Curves?  If so, what do you think?  I'm looking for positive and negative feedback.

Are you guys ready for the measurements?  Ok, here they are....

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 38 inches --- Same  (3 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 36 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (4 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 43 inches --- -1/2 inch  (3 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 44 1/2 inches --- -1 inch (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 inches ---  -1/2 inch each (3 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 26 1/2 inches ----1 inch each (3 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 5 inches

Total Inches lost - 27 1/2 inches

Another Fill

I went to another follow up appointment on Tuesday.  I was doing alright with the .2 CC's that we put back in two weeks ago.  I have been getting things stuck but not nearly as much, and most of it is my fault.  I am still getting used to what I can and cannot eat.  Unfortunately, I was only down 1 pound at this appointment.

I talked to the nurse and asked her how big my bites should be and since it's even smaller than I have been eating, we decided to put in an additional .25 CC's with the idea that I need to eat smaller bites and be even more conscious about eating slowly and chewing.  The good news is that I have been able to eat AND I have lost 2 pounds in 2 days.  I am now down to 175.6.  I'm hoping that this continues and that I have FINALLY found that right spot for my band.

Guess what.... still no pictures.  I'm horrible.  I have officially put a reminder in my phone.  My goal is to have pictures and measurements posted tomorrow.

A MUCH needed update!

Oh my gosh!!!  I can't believe it's been since 4/9 since my last update!  I am sorry!  I have quite a bit to go over.  In my last post I mentioned that I had gotten .4 removed from my band because it was too full.  At the time, I felt like it was a good spot but I ended up getting almost everything I ate stuck.  It was not the best feeling to have every time I ate.  I tried really hard to make sure I was chewing my food thoroughly but things were still getting stuck.  I had my follow up appointment with my nurse the following week so I wasn't too worried about it.

On 4/15 I went to my follow up appointment.  My weight on that day was 178.6.  This was down another 1.4 in that week.  My total in 2 weeks was a loss of 6 pounds.  I was very excited about that part but I wasn't excited about not being able to eat.  After talking to my nurse about what I was eating and what things were getting stuck, we decided to take out another .2 CC's out.  The following 2 weeks were good when it came to eating.  I didn't have much getting stuck.

I had another follow up appointment on 4/29.  I didn't gain weight, but I wasn't down either.  I was still at 178.6.  This was a little frustrating because before I wasn't able to eat anything and now I could eat but wasn't having any weight loss.  I talked to my nurse about it and we both decided to try putting the .2 CC's back in that were taken out the prior visit.  Since then I have been working extra hard at taking small bites, chewing really well and eating slowly.  It seems to be much better this time around.  I am able to eat things but don't feel hungry very often.  I'm hoping that my next appointment will have a good loss and then I will feel like I finally have my band in a great spot.

I know that I said I was going to get pictures up, but I keep forgetting to have my husband take them!  I will make sure to have them by my next appointment!  I will also do better at updating every couple of weeks instead of once a month!

Measurements and Quick Check-In

So, last week I had mentioned that I might have gotten a little too much put in during my last fill.  Well, later that afternoon I was eating pudding and even that left me with the feeling of it getting "stuck" so I called text the nurse and she said to go back in.  I went back in that evening and she removed .4 CC's which makes my new total and even 5 CC's.  It feels much better and I FINALLY feel like I am at a great place.  I don't really need to keep track of calories because I don't have the urge to eat like I did before.  I get full and stay full.  It's great!  I am ready for even more success!

I forgot (surprise!) to take my measurements last week, but I took them this morning!  I also weighed in and I am at 180.2 - that's 4.4 down from last week!  Yay!  I was very excited!  I have also lost 2 inches since the last time I took my measurements.  It's not as much as I would like, but I am still struggling to add more cardio to my workout routine.  I love my yoga but I keep telling myself (and you guys) that I am going to add more cardio.  I just need to do it!

I will post next week after my next doctors appointment.  Next week will also mark the 4 month anniversary since my surgery so I might get brave and post some new pictures!  Now, let's get to the measurements.

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 38 inches --- -1 inch  (3 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 37 inches --- Same (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 43 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch  (2 1/2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 45 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 1/2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 1/2 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 2 inches

Total Inches lost - 22 1/2 inches

An Unwelcome Weigh-In

I weighed in today as well as went to my doctor for another fill.  I was up this week - I weighed in at 184.4 which is up 1.4 pounds from two weeks ago.  I haven't taken my measurements yet so I'm not sure if I have lost anything there.  

I have still be able to eat pretty much anything.  Last night for dinner I had a whole turkey sandwich along with some chips.  I wasn't hungry after the meal, but I was hungry just a couple of hours later.  Like hungry enough to eat another meal, not just a snack.  I am still keeping track of calories, which makes it even more frustrating that I gained a little bit this week.  

Since I am still able to eat "normal" meals, the nurse at my doctor's office added another .8 CC's.  This makes my total to 5.4 CC's.  I need to only have liquids today.  I have noticed that if I drink water or my protein shake too fast that it gets "stuck" a little bit.  Nothing like when food gets stuck, but it feels like it's not going down as quickly...which is good, right?  Tomorrow I get to eat mushy foods, so I will see if that goes ok.  If not, I might need to get a little bit taken out.  

I will take my measurements tomorrow and post those.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I see some loss there!  Thanks for reading!

Weight and Measurements

So, two weeks ago I said that I felt like my band was filled to a good point.  I was originally going to wait a month before I went to the doctor again but I ended up going yesterday.  I have been losing some weight because I've been counting calories but I have noticed that I don't ever get full.  I get to the point where I'm not starving after I eat, but I never feel full.  I talked to the nurse about it and she decided to put another .6 CC's in.  That makes my total now 4.6 CC's.  I'm hoping this makes the weight loss even easier.  

I'm still going to yoga 3-4 times a week.  I still really enjoy it, but I need to start adding in some cardio a couple of days a week.  I have quite a few workout DVD's that I have purchased over the years, I just need to pick something that I will actually do. 

Now let's get to the good stuff...the stats.

Weight - 183.0 --- -3 pounds (16.4 total)

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 39 inches --- -1/2 inch  (2 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 37 inches --- -1/2 inch (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 44 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 46 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch each (2 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- -1/2 inch each (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 3 inches

Total Inches lost - 20 1/2 inches