I Am Thankful For.....

Got on the scale this morning and I was 213, that is 70 pounds down! I cannot believe I only have 48 left to get to goal, that seems entirely do-able. I also can't believe that I've lost 70 pounds in a little over four months. I started the pre-op diet on July 20th. I love this band!! I'm at the airport right now waiting for my flight to Phoenix. I am at the gate sitting next to  a 10'ish year old girl who is journaling, so I only thought it right that I blog to you all.


Some ladies have been asking me for tips, and while I intended to vlog them, I'm rambling on and on and my vlogs are turning out to be too huge to upload. So, I will share some of my thinking here.


When I first had my consult with Dr. Fielding, I asked him how much on average did his patients lose. He said that the average was about 100 pounds per year. I then asked him for those patients that were successful, what did they do right. He told me the following:

• They ate very slowly, setting their utensils down between each bite - I am big about this. I find when I get stuck it's usually because I'm not taking enough time between bites. 
• They chewed their food very well - I'm also really good about this, sometimes probably taking it a bit far. I chew things into a pulp before swallowing. I think this may be part of the reason why I don't stay full long enough because the food is likely going through my band faster, but I'm so afraid to swallow too big a chunk and get stuck!

Other things that I do:

• I try not to eat more than 1000 calories a day. Sometimes I eat 1200 (those days when I might go out to dinner and have some wine), some days I eat 900. But I try to average about 1000 a day.
• I wait for 30 minutes after I eat to drink anything. I break this one every once in a while when I go out to dinner and my food comes while I'm still drinking my cocktail or glass of wine. Then I sip throughout the meal - but try to do this rarely.
• I do not limit what I'm eating with the exception of those things that get me stuck. For example, I do not treat this like a diet - or at least I try not to. I try to eat in moderation. So, I have a goat cheese empanada as opposed to a salad, but I just eat 3/4 of it and don't have dessert. Or, I have a piece of fish and then have a couple of bites of dessert. I don't do low carbs necessarily, but the fact that I try to eat protein first and then get full probably means that I'm eating less carbs then in the past.
• WATER - I find it's more difficult after this last fill, but I try for close to 100 ounces a day. It does a body good!
• BLOGGING - seriously. Part of the reason I blog so often is because it keeps me accountable. I found when I lost the weight on weight watchers years ago, and I kept a diary, that writing about what I wanted to eat and the consequences of that decision oftentimes helped me change my mind about wanting it. Not all the time, but enough so that it made me THINK through my decision.

Things that I don't do well:

• Exercise. I need to start doing this more (especially since I'm the silly one that suggested we all do a 1/2 marathon)....I do think that because I'm not building muscle, I have been taking the weight off faster, but if I don't start doing some weight training I will be a big ball of flab in 48 pounds.
• Taking a vitamin. I do not take a multi-vitamin everyday. I have to be better about this. I wasn't good at it pre-band either.

I'm so excited to see my family. Turned up at the airport nearly two hours early this morning. I was concerned about holiday traffic, but it was a breeze.

I'm sure I'll blog before then, but if not Happy Thanksgiving for those in the states!!

xoxo