The week in review, the ups and the downs

Well, it has been an interesting week band-speaking. It started Monday with a follow up visit and a fill. It was a small one at .5cc. Every thing was good. I had restriction. The bad. Each night I would get stuck eating dinner and each night it was a little worse than the night before. I was a little stuck each day at breakfast but that has always been that way. Lunch was never a problem. Before this week, neither was dinner.
Wednesday night I was working until 8pm like usual and got hungry around 7pm, so I fixed the food I brought for dinner. It got stuck. I paced, walked up and down the halls and finally had no choice since I was sliming, it had to come back up. I know this may sound gross but it wasn't throwing up. That comes from the pit of your stomach. Sliming for me usually results in expelling from the throat. It usually clears up what ever was stuck and I feel instantly better. Last night not so. I took one bite of dinner which was a bean burrito and it got stuck. Painfully stuck! Sliming began and well it got expelled. Over and over from 8:30pm until 2am. By that time it was stomach acid. I could even sip water. It got stuck. I called my doctor's office around midnight and was told I was probably too tight and to not eat or drink anything and call my doctor's office in the morning. Like I was going to try eating or drinking anything, seriously! Finally at 4 am I was able to lay down and go to sleep, only to wake up at 5am and start my day. YIPPEE!!
I called my doctor's office and they aren't in Louisville on Fridays so I would have to go to another city about an hour away. I opted to wait until Monday. The nurse, which is the one I usually see told me to sip hot liquids, as hot as I can stand, before meals. It will relax the esophagus. Apparently when food gets stuck, your esophagus spasms. Hot liquids relaxes that but cold or room temperature liquids causes it to restrict. So, I am on a hot liquid before meals diet this weekend and if no better by Monday I will call my doctor again. My nurse, Melissa, said there's a good chance it will pass and I won't need to get an unfill. Fingers crossed.
Now, back to this week. I didn't completely stick to my plan as far as eating home-cooked meals for lunch all week. I did every day except Thursday. I had a baked potato topped with grilled chicken, cheese, sour cream and a salad. I got the Picadilly's lunch that day. I had no problems eating that but dinner that night...well I already told you about that.

Some good news. I sifted through my clothes bin that I have with clothes that were too small but something I would wear if I could. I found a plain v-neck black t-shirt. I bought this about 2 years ago. Yes 2 years. I wore it once but it was so tight, I couldn't stretch it enough to wear comfortably so I never wore it again. This is why the shirt is still black like new, no fading. Looked brand new. I not only wore it yesterday but it was big on me. SO EXCITED!! It's like shopping in my own closet.

Well, that's it for this week. Just a recap really. I need to get past this set back and set my sights on next week and keeping to my plan.

Out with the Old, In with the New...well new-er

I have made many changes in my life lately, both physical and mental. Some of the changes are obvious to me and any one that is observant. Other changes are under the surface; ones that only I can "see", appreciate and understand.

This past 5 months, starting with my intake visit 2 months before surgery, has been one heck of a ride. So many choices to make and changes to oversee. Now, I am at a point where I need to re-evaluate where I am in this journey. I feel I am starting to fall back into some old habits that could ultimately sabotage all my efforts. I have come too far to let that happen.

What changes has gone by the wayside? First is my "golden rule" to always bring my lunch to work. Picadilly's restaurant caters lunch twice a week for $5. That's a steal in today's economy. For instance, my favorite lunch was Thursday. It consisted of swiss steak(with gravy not tomato sauce), mashed potatoes w/gravy, glazed cararots, roll and salad bar. All for $5. I got it all and ate it all. No restriction at all that day. No feeling of being full. It was a little disturbing but the sad part was I was enjoying it so much that I didn't notice until I was done and realized I had eaten it all! Then I was mad at myself. The guilt set in. When I first started this journey after surgery, I would have cut the swiss steak in half and halved all the other food and put it on a separate plate and put it in the fridge. I would limits myself to the just half. Not so anymore. I still bring my lunch most days. That particular day I didn't because I knew I was getting the swiss steak. I find I have stopped putting my servings or what I feel should be my servings in separate containers. I put it one big container and bring the whole thing. Well, no surprise I end up eating the whole thing. Not good. My once good habits are long gone. Time to get it back and get a reality check. It was a pain to put everything in small containers and it takes up a lot of room in the fridge so I got lazy and stopped doing it thinking I could still control my eating because of the band.
How wrong I was. I believe there is no way I am still in the "Green Zone" with how much I have been eating lately. I haven't lost anymore weight since I hit the 50lb mark. Thankfully I haven't gained but no loss. I have even been swelling a little while tells me I am getting too much sodium. I really need a fill. I am really hoping Monday they will give it to me but there is a chance they won't since I am not hungry between meals for anywhere between 4-6 hours. I just eat a lot more than the salad plate size portions.

New outlook coming up. I resolved today to get my habits in check again. I was doing so well, turning down lunch offers at work, turning down offers of cake and candy at work and now I am indulging in it all.

I have brought out some recipes and dusted them off. They are normally my fall/winter soup recipes however lately it has been butt-ass cold at work so I figure some hearty hot soup would hit the spot. I added them to my recipe collection. I think by far the heartiest is the vegetable-rice soup. There is so much going on in the soup that it is filling but yet it is vegetables so I will be hungry a lot sooner.

I am going to the grocery today to get food for me and I am sticking to plan this week. I also plan on declining the Picadilly's lunch service this week. I can't keep eating that way and expect to lose weight. Thankfully I haven't started drinking soft drinks again. If I did, I would be back at square one.

Here's hoping for the fill on Monday. Here's hoping I can stick to my plan.

Next is exercise or lack thereof. It is so easy to be lazy when you are being pulled in so many directions. I have stopped doing most anything. Not a good thing. I honestly hadn't noticed I had stopped until I was walking my daughter to the bus stop this week and was winded after only walking uphill past two houses. I shouldn't feel that way.

So goal number two is to get back into exercise mode. Wish me luck!