What a strange coincidence that my post un-fill weight gain has affected my blogging! I seem not to want to document the weight going up quite as much as I wanted to document it going down. I wonder why?! I'm now hovering around the 14stone mark - somedays I see 13st 12lbs, and once last week I even saw 14st 2lbs. Ouch. It's very disappointing because if I take the average and say my weight is 14st (196lbs), then it has taken me just 3.5months to gain the amount of weight that it took me seven months to lose. I was very excited back on 19 February 2011 to report that I'd lost 66lbs and was down to 14st (196lbs); now I'm not at all excited to be reporting that I've gained 1st 8lbs (22lbs) from my lowest low of 12st 6lbs on 23 September 2011 to be back at 14st. So, it takes twice as long to lose weight as it does to gain it. That's a scientific fact, as proven by this experiment featuring me!
However, it's only just over one week til I make a return visit to my surgeon for another top-up. The 0.5mls I had put in last time (14 December) hasn't made much difference, so I think another 0.5mls (which will take me to 8mls in a 10ml band) is in order. When I went for my unfill I had 9mls in there, so I'm still going to be 1ml short of the amount that ended up causing me so much bother (ie hardly eating anything, acid reflux, etc) so hopefully this will see me back at my sweet spot. Fingers crossed.
Anyway, back to the title of this post - aches and pains. When I was making my descent down the slopes of Mt Weight I couldn't tell you at what point my back stopped aching or my knees stopped creaking when I walked up the stairs. But now that I have been making my not-so-slow ascent of Mt Weight, I can pinpoint the exact pound at which the aches and pains returned - 13st 10lbs (192lbs). Interesting, eh? At least now I know where I need to get to, to(hopefully) return to a backache free zone.
Did anyone else ever note/notice the weight at which certain ailments ceased to bother them? At my highest weight I think I just pretty much took for granted the daily backache, knee creaks, tiredness, lethargy. But now they are much more bothersome as I was so used to not having to deal with them. Here's looking forward to a fill which will hopefully help sort my band (and my head) and help a few of those pesky pounds disappear again.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Topping Out
I think that's a made-up phrase, or at least it is in this context. Today I weighed in at
13st 11lbs - 193lbs - BMI 32.1
(a total loss so far of 69lbs - 25lbs to go)
(a total loss so far of 69lbs - 25lbs to go)
Which pleases me no end and makes me hope that the figure I saw yesterday of 194lbs was my 'topping out' level, ie the highest I'll be getting to before plummeting back down to the safe haven of 12st-something in the near future.
Having said that, Christmas is looming very close on the horizon, my mum is arriving this afternoon for the holidays and there is an awful lot of food and drink in the fridge, the cupboards and even in the garage, and there are only four of us to eat/drink it all...
I need to talk to hubby about when I can scoot up to High Wycombe to see my surgeon for that extra tweek of a fill!
And just in case I don't post again before the weekend, I'd like to wish you all a very healthy and
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!
May the scales be kind to you all.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Refill Shmifill
I finally got round to having a top-up last Wednesday, nearly three months after my much-needed unfill in time for the B00BS meet-up in Chicago (which seems an age away now.) That unfill was a whopping 2mls, taking me down to 7mls in a 10ml band. I was so tight just prior to that unfil that I was suffering from heartburn almost constantly and was surviving on coffee and crackers (or at least it felt that way at the time!)
Obviously I was nervous of ending up back in that position by having too many mls put back in at this top-up, but I was also nervous of having too little put back in since I've been eating like a horse ever since the unfill and have managed to gain A LOT of weight. Should I play safe and ask for 0.5ml or go for broke and have 1ml? Well, the surgeon asked me that self same question and in the end we settled on 0.5ml to be on the safe side. I'll point out here that I actaully asked for 0.75mls but my surgeon only works in halves and wholes - a bit frustrating when I see so many other bandsters having tiny tweeks of as little as 0.1mls added/taken away. Anyway, there's not much I can do about it since I'm not really up to arguing with him. And he did say that if this 0.5mls turned out to be not enough, that he would waive his fee for my next appointment.
Anyway, it looks like my dear surgeon will be wielding his trusty syringe free and gratis next time as this top-up hasn't made much difference. I can definitely feel a little more restriction on certain things like bread, and I am getting fuller more quickly, however that feeling of fullness isn't lasting very long and I'm finding myself snacking between meals just as much as before. According to my surgeon, the buzzword in the banding world these days is: SATIETY, whereas previously it was RESTRICTION. This means that we should be concentrating not on how much/little we eat, but on how long we maintain the feeling of fullness after eating. Has anyone else been told this by their surgeon (or whoever it is who waves the syringe in your direction?) I know that the feeling of fullness can depend a lot on what you've eaten (bread, protein, etc versus crisps, chocolate, etc) but I'm just wondering what other bandsters think of this.
And, because I have to remain accountable, here are the (awful) numbers
That's a gain of 6lbs in less than a week. How is that possible?! I know it's the run up to Christmas and there are an awful lot of chocolates, biscuits and alcohol knocking around, but REALLY?! 6lbs in 6 days?!
Although, I would like to point out that my surgeon is still incredibly pleased with how much weight I've lost and was eager to point out that some of us are just genetically designed to be larger. He even went as far as to say that the last time he'd seen me (just before Chicago and weighing in at 12st 6lbs/174lbs) he thought I was looking a little drawn - does this mean I have permission to eat another biscuit?
Obviously I was nervous of ending up back in that position by having too many mls put back in at this top-up, but I was also nervous of having too little put back in since I've been eating like a horse ever since the unfill and have managed to gain A LOT of weight. Should I play safe and ask for 0.5ml or go for broke and have 1ml? Well, the surgeon asked me that self same question and in the end we settled on 0.5ml to be on the safe side. I'll point out here that I actaully asked for 0.75mls but my surgeon only works in halves and wholes - a bit frustrating when I see so many other bandsters having tiny tweeks of as little as 0.1mls added/taken away. Anyway, there's not much I can do about it since I'm not really up to arguing with him. And he did say that if this 0.5mls turned out to be not enough, that he would waive his fee for my next appointment.
Anyway, it looks like my dear surgeon will be wielding his trusty syringe free and gratis next time as this top-up hasn't made much difference. I can definitely feel a little more restriction on certain things like bread, and I am getting fuller more quickly, however that feeling of fullness isn't lasting very long and I'm finding myself snacking between meals just as much as before. According to my surgeon, the buzzword in the banding world these days is: SATIETY, whereas previously it was RESTRICTION. This means that we should be concentrating not on how much/little we eat, but on how long we maintain the feeling of fullness after eating. Has anyone else been told this by their surgeon (or whoever it is who waves the syringe in your direction?) I know that the feeling of fullness can depend a lot on what you've eaten (bread, protein, etc versus crisps, chocolate, etc) but I'm just wondering what other bandsters think of this.
And, because I have to remain accountable, here are the (awful) numbers
13st 12lbs - 194lbs - BMI 32.3
(a total loss so far of 68lbs - 26lbs to go)
That's a gain of 6lbs in less than a week. How is that possible?! I know it's the run up to Christmas and there are an awful lot of chocolates, biscuits and alcohol knocking around, but REALLY?! 6lbs in 6 days?!
Although, I would like to point out that my surgeon is still incredibly pleased with how much weight I've lost and was eager to point out that some of us are just genetically designed to be larger. He even went as far as to say that the last time he'd seen me (just before Chicago and weighing in at 12st 6lbs/174lbs) he thought I was looking a little drawn - does this mean I have permission to eat another biscuit?
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Re-fill on the Horizon
Thank goodness! Only two days to go til I see my surgeon and beg for a refill. Can't come soon enough, what with all the glorious Christmas food that's around, and will be around for a good couple of weeks more. I simply have no willpower, so I need the band to help where my brain fails. It's going to be odd going back to actually having 'proper' restriction. I do still have some - for instance, I struggle with sandwiches/bread, and I definitely can't eat as much as I could pre-band, but there's no doubting that I'm eating too much and getting hungry more quickly after I've eaten.
Now, it is TOTM, but I weighed a couple of days ago and had put on ANOTHER 1lb:
The last time I weighed this much was in May - so my unfill at the end of September has undone four months of hard work prior to that - what a bummer.
Dear band, I'm really looking forward to feeling you again!
Now, it is TOTM, but I weighed a couple of days ago and had put on ANOTHER 1lb:
13st 6lbs - 188lbs - BMI 31.3
(a total loss so far of 74lbs - 20lbs to go)
(a total loss so far of 74lbs - 20lbs to go)
The last time I weighed this much was in May - so my unfill at the end of September has undone four months of hard work prior to that - what a bummer.
Dear band, I'm really looking forward to feeling you again!
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Reality in numbers
After getting back on the blog wagon I bit the bullet this morning and jumped back on the scales. You know, for that bit of "accountability". Things weren't quite as bad as I thought they might be, considering how tight my trousers feel and how the lardy tyre round my middle section seems to be growing at an alarming rate. I held my breath while the numbers flashed, all the while thinking "I reckon it'll be 13st 10lbs"; turns out it was
13st 5lbs - 187lbs - BMI 31.1
(a total loss so far of 75lbs - 19lbs to go)
Obviously that's not good at all - it's a gain of 13lbs since I had my unfill on 28 September, which means I've managed to gain more than 1lb a week - impressive, non?! My BMI has jumped back over that magic '30' barrier, and from being within 6lbs of my first gial, I'm now 19lbs away from it. Uh-oh. But, salvation in the form of a top-up fill is on the horizon and with that will hopefully come a change in my attitude too. Well, I can hope, can't I?!
And while we're on the subject of numbers - I turned 40 last week. Ouch!
Monday, 5 December 2011
Blog Apathy?
Hmm, I've not blogged for a while. Well, that's not strictly true, I'm keeping my other blog vaguely up-to-date, but this one seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Is it coincidence that I stopped blogging just after I had an unfill? Is it coincidence that I've not blogged about how, since then, my weight has crept up and up and up? In fact I've not even got on the scales for a couple of weeks as I'm too nervous to see what sort of number is going to be looking back at me. I've definitely put on 10lbs, it make even be more like 15lbs now. The unfill has almost taken me back to the olden days of horrendous eating habits, although there is still some restriction - thank goodness. It's like I'm on holiday from the band and, knowing that it will be refilled soon (in 9 days and counting), my head and stomach are in cahoots to eat as much as possible while they still can. And it seems that there's nothing I can do to stop them. It doesn't help that all the lovely Christmas food and drink is surrounding me, and it also doesn't help that while the band may sort me out physically, it has done nothing whatsoever to make an impact on my brain! But I'm not complaining - I absolutely HAD to have an unfill due to the heartburn and the miniscule amounts of food I was just about able to eat beforehand. My surgeon took out 2mls and it was instant relief. In 9 days time I'm going to ask him to put 1ml back in - here's hoping half way between what I can eat now and what I could eat then will be my sweet spot!
Is it coincidence that I stopped blogging just after I had an unfill? Is it coincidence that I've not blogged about how, since then, my weight has crept up and up and up? In fact I've not even got on the scales for a couple of weeks as I'm too nervous to see what sort of number is going to be looking back at me. I've definitely put on 10lbs, it make even be more like 15lbs now. The unfill has almost taken me back to the olden days of horrendous eating habits, although there is still some restriction - thank goodness. It's like I'm on holiday from the band and, knowing that it will be refilled soon (in 9 days and counting), my head and stomach are in cahoots to eat as much as possible while they still can. And it seems that there's nothing I can do to stop them. It doesn't help that all the lovely Christmas food and drink is surrounding me, and it also doesn't help that while the band may sort me out physically, it has done nothing whatsoever to make an impact on my brain! But I'm not complaining - I absolutely HAD to have an unfill due to the heartburn and the miniscule amounts of food I was just about able to eat beforehand. My surgeon took out 2mls and it was instant relief. In 9 days time I'm going to ask him to put 1ml back in - here's hoping half way between what I can eat now and what I could eat then will be my sweet spot!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Resuming the Chicago Story...
Friday morning I awoke bright and early and snuck out without waking my two roomies. I headed out in the direction of the Mag. Mile once more, but ostensibly not for shopping; this time it was sightseeing. There are fabulous buildings a-plenty in Chicago, apparently due to the fact that the city all but burnt down in the late nineteenth century. 
One of the most famous is the Chicago Tribune building that has stones embedded in its walls from many monuments around the world - apparently the owner of the Tribune newspaper instructed his reporters to bring/send them back when they were overseas (not sure if this was done legally or whether they snuck up to edificies such as the Great Pyramid at Giza under cover of darkness with a chisel and mallet?!)
There's also an enormous and, dare I say, tacky statue of Marilyn Monroe in that 'infamous' pose which gives lots and lots and lots of people the chance to have their photo taken looking up her skirt.
I'm not sure why it's there since she was born and died in LA. Does anyone know the Chicago-Marilyn connection? Am I missing something really obvious?
My sightseeing continued over the other side of the river as I walked through the Loop district, heading for Macy's - a girl has to shop in between all the sightseeing. I was very excited to see the El trains trundling round the overhead tracks, it was just like a scene from ER! My Macy's pitstop lasted longer than I expected due, in most part, to the fact their Christmas Dept had just opened, and I LOVE me some Christmas. 
Obviously I had to buy a few deccies, including this mega tasteful one. 
After Macy's I headed for the Chicago Cultural Center to check out the world's largest Tiffany glass dome; it was lovely to see, but actually I thought some of the other parts of the building were just as stunning, if not more so.
After a quick stop to use the free internet in the center, it was over the road and into Millennium Park to see "The Bean" (aka the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor.) 
Apparently when first suggested, the idea wasn't very popular but since it was unveiled it has been admired and visited by tourists and locals alike. It makes for some great photos, with the city's buildings reflected and distorted in its surface. 
And you can take self portraits - look, there's me with the Macy's bag!
After all that walking (and shopping) it was time to head back to the hotel for a little bit of R&R, before I headed out to dinner at Pizzeria Uno, one of several pizzerias in the city that claims to have invented the Chicago pizza pie. I had a mushroom and spinach version
(please excuse dreadful photo - no flash on my iPhone) which I would probably have enjoyed a whole lot more if I hadn't eaten an entire side order of mozarella sticks before the pizza arrived... 
So I had them box it for me and I enjoyed the leftovers later! Can you tell I was making the most of that unfill I'd had just a couple of days before?!
And then it was time for the part we'd all be waiting for - the formal get-together! I must admit to being a little overwhelmed with the hugs and tears that were going on around me, but it was great to see so many blog faces in one room and to finally get to meet so many of the ladies about whose weightloss journey I have read/am still reading.
Here are our fabulous B00B organisers talking us through the weekend plans and what-not.
We were all presented with a fantastic B00Bs-branded tote bag, filled with great gifts from sponsors (apologies for photos being on their sides, I just can't get them to flip round - grr!) 
I'm still making my way through the protein bars, but finished off the Pirate's Booty and Jenny Craig 'crisps' while in NYC - they were good. 
I was also lucky enough to win a Hydros bottle and a few extras as part of a raffle.
Afterwards we headed out to a karaoke bar which was VERY popular and busy; some of us left after one drink in order to find somewhere quieter where we could sit and chat over a Baileys and ice. And that was the end of Friday.
Saturday I wasn't up quite so early, but still early enough as I'd arranged to meet Tina in Starbucks at 9.30am so we could enjoy a day of shopping and sightseeing together. We pretty much followed the same route I'd taken on the Friday, with a walk along the Mag. Mile, over the river and into Millennium Park, where this time I got my photo snapped in front of The Bean.
This time I also got to see the Crown Fountain which I'd missed the day before; this installation features two 50-foot high towers which project video images of Chicago citizens with water spouting from their "mouths".
After that it was across the road to the Art Institute of Chicago shop (not cultured enough to do the Institue itself!) and then on to the Chicago Artchitecture Foundation shop, is there a theme developing here? Then finally we found the place we had been headed for all along - a knitting shop - Loopy Yarns. 
I bought a great pattern book for knitting an Afghan blanket, which I might get round to opening one day...
After all that walking and shopping it was time for lunch - pulled pork sandwich with onion rings and fries (I couldn't/didn't eat the bun, nor many of the fries, so I knew my band was still in there somewhere!)
Shopping and eating, eating and shopping. Seems about all I did when I was in Chicago...
Oh, and then there was time for just one last shop which combined those twin loves of eating and shopping - the Hershey store; not for the Hershey chocolate which I think is foul, but for the Reeses's peanut butter confections.
OMG, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Reese's peanut butter cups, and even more than that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Reese's peanut butter chocolate bars. I bought three and I've got half of one left, even though I've tried to ration it. I really need to get back to the USA soon!
One of the most famous is the Chicago Tribune building that has stones embedded in its walls from many monuments around the world - apparently the owner of the Tribune newspaper instructed his reporters to bring/send them back when they were overseas (not sure if this was done legally or whether they snuck up to edificies such as the Great Pyramid at Giza under cover of darkness with a chisel and mallet?!)There's also an enormous and, dare I say, tacky statue of Marilyn Monroe in that 'infamous' pose which gives lots and lots and lots of people the chance to have their photo taken looking up her skirt. I'm not sure why it's there since she was born and died in LA. Does anyone know the Chicago-Marilyn connection? Am I missing something really obvious?My sightseeing continued over the other side of the river as I walked through the Loop district, heading for Macy's - a girl has to shop in between all the sightseeing. I was very excited to see the El trains trundling round the overhead tracks, it was just like a scene from ER! My Macy's pitstop lasted longer than I expected due, in most part, to the fact their Christmas Dept had just opened, and I LOVE me some Christmas. Obviously I had to buy a few deccies, including this mega tasteful one. After Macy's I headed for the Chicago Cultural Center to check out the world's largest Tiffany glass dome; it was lovely to see, but actually I thought some of the other parts of the building were just as stunning, if not more so.After a quick stop to use the free internet in the center, it was over the road and into Millennium Park to see "The Bean" (aka the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor.) Apparently when first suggested, the idea wasn't very popular but since it was unveiled it has been admired and visited by tourists and locals alike. It makes for some great photos, with the city's buildings reflected and distorted in its surface. And you can take self portraits - look, there's me with the Macy's bag!After all that walking (and shopping) it was time to head back to the hotel for a little bit of R&R, before I headed out to dinner at Pizzeria Uno, one of several pizzerias in the city that claims to have invented the Chicago pizza pie. I had a mushroom and spinach version
(please excuse dreadful photo - no flash on my iPhone) which I would probably have enjoyed a whole lot more if I hadn't eaten an entire side order of mozarella sticks before the pizza arrived... So I had them box it for me and I enjoyed the leftovers later! Can you tell I was making the most of that unfill I'd had just a couple of days before?!And then it was time for the part we'd all be waiting for - the formal get-together! I must admit to being a little overwhelmed with the hugs and tears that were going on around me, but it was great to see so many blog faces in one room and to finally get to meet so many of the ladies about whose weightloss journey I have read/am still reading.
Here are our fabulous B00B organisers talking us through the weekend plans and what-not.We were all presented with a fantastic B00Bs-branded tote bag, filled with great gifts from sponsors (apologies for photos being on their sides, I just can't get them to flip round - grr!) I'm still making my way through the protein bars, but finished off the Pirate's Booty and Jenny Craig 'crisps' while in NYC - they were good. I was also lucky enough to win a Hydros bottle and a few extras as part of a raffle.Afterwards we headed out to a karaoke bar which was VERY popular and busy; some of us left after one drink in order to find somewhere quieter where we could sit and chat over a Baileys and ice. And that was the end of Friday.
Saturday I wasn't up quite so early, but still early enough as I'd arranged to meet Tina in Starbucks at 9.30am so we could enjoy a day of shopping and sightseeing together. We pretty much followed the same route I'd taken on the Friday, with a walk along the Mag. Mile, over the river and into Millennium Park, where this time I got my photo snapped in front of The Bean.This time I also got to see the Crown Fountain which I'd missed the day before; this installation features two 50-foot high towers which project video images of Chicago citizens with water spouting from their "mouths".After that it was across the road to the Art Institute of Chicago shop (not cultured enough to do the Institue itself!) and then on to the Chicago Artchitecture Foundation shop, is there a theme developing here? Then finally we found the place we had been headed for all along - a knitting shop - Loopy Yarns. I bought a great pattern book for knitting an Afghan blanket, which I might get round to opening one day... After all that walking and shopping it was time for lunch - pulled pork sandwich with onion rings and fries (I couldn't/didn't eat the bun, nor many of the fries, so I knew my band was still in there somewhere!)Shopping and eating, eating and shopping. Seems about all I did when I was in Chicago...Oh, and then there was time for just one last shop which combined those twin loves of eating and shopping - the Hershey store; not for the Hershey chocolate which I think is foul, but for the Reeses's peanut butter confections.
OMG, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Reese's peanut butter cups, and even more than that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Reese's peanut butter chocolate bars. I bought three and I've got half of one left, even though I've tried to ration it. I really need to get back to the USA soon!In the evening it was time to head out for dinner to Texas de Brazil, a Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse). I'm not a big meat-eater, so I went for the all-you-can-eat salad bar option. (Did anyone else see the irony in a group of bandsters going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant?!) 
There was sooooo much to choose from (50+ dishes, apparently) and I'm kind of sad that I only visited the salad bar once. Look at my plate: there was chicken salad, bacon, artichoke hearts, potato salad, mozarella balls, asparagus spears, haloumi, sushi, prawns.
And when I checked my bag in at the airport for my flight to NYC, look what got attached to it.
I wonder why??!!
There was sooooo much to choose from (50+ dishes, apparently) and I'm kind of sad that I only visited the salad bar once. Look at my plate: there was chicken salad, bacon, artichoke hearts, potato salad, mozarella balls, asparagus spears, haloumi, sushi, prawns.Here's Tina and I looking happy about the food (although our mojitos were a bit ropey).
And here's a few shots of some general mingling and chatting that was going on before we sat down to eat.
Check out Draz's shoes!!
After dinner we headed back to the hotel lounge for a pyjama party - there are a lot more flavours of Ben & Jerry's available in the USA! And that was pretty much the end of my trip to Chicago.
And here's a few shots of some general mingling and chatting that was going on before we sat down to eat.Check out Draz's shoes!! After dinner we headed back to the hotel lounge for a pyjama party - there are a lot more flavours of Ben & Jerry's available in the USA! And that was pretty much the end of my trip to Chicago. And when I checked my bag in at the airport for my flight to NYC, look what got attached to it.I wonder why??!!
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