BOOBs 2011 Fun Facts!

1. How did you pick your blog name? A friend had a blog called My Rollercoaster Life and I thought how much it referred to my dieting and weight loss tries over the years. My first post said the following:

How does one get off the weight loss rollercoaster after 45 years of dieting? Most of my life has been spent either dieting, thinking about dieting, refusing to go on another diet or just plain giving up. I am tired of the twists and turns ... So it's time to get off the ride for good.

 2. When did you start blogging? December 30, 2009.

3. Theme of blog (weight loss, family, circus clowns, sci-fi, erotica, fly fishing, doll collecting, star wars, etc) Weight loss and all the other stuff that sort of pops up in my life.

4. Did you go to BOOBs 2010? YES, I sucked up all my courage and decided to meet with a huge group of complete strangers and hoped they weren't axe murderers! And none of them are (although I have my doubts about this one particular one...).

5. When were you banded? February 10, 2010

6. How much have you lost? 40 pounds, from 210 to 170. I have high hopes for another 20 though.

7. What are you most looking forward to at BOOBs? Just reliving the amazing atmosphere that surrounded us last year.

8. What/who do you hope to find/see/accomplish at BOOBs 2011? Drink Long Island Iced Teas? Sing karaoke? I want to see everyone and hope they want to see me.

9. Children? Pets? My daughter is 28 and my son is 26. Pets? No but does my DH count?

10. Who is your roomie? I'm shacking up with Robin again this year.

11. What day do you arrive? Friday afternoon.

12. What airport/flight/time? Hard one. You see I'm driving. I need a defill and will stop at my clinic on the way down, visit with an old aunt (yup, she's 86) near where I grew up and then it's about a 4 hour drive to Chicago. But I have my GPS lady to keep me company.

13. What events are you signed up for? I didn't sign up for anything except the big ass full dinner with hunks of meat on skewers or swords. See #12 about the defill.

But I'm hoping to be able to go to the Sears Tower or the Friday afternoon walking tour (but only if I can get a ticket when I arrive and there is room on the tour). Just playing it by ear.

14. Hobbies? Digital Scrapbooking. Travel all over the world. God, I need a life.

15. Career? I've done lots of stuff. I started as a teacher and hated it. Became a Registered Nurse and saved people. Stayed home with my kiddies and was bored out of my mind. Retrained in computers and now I help develop applications for the government. Pays great. Only a few years left before I can retire, but I need a hobby first.

16. Single? Married? In a relationship? Married for 30 years this October. Which is one reason I am getting the defill. We are going to Europe for our anniversary at the end of October and flying makes my band shut tight and I want to be able to eat!

17. Your birthday month? March: Pisces

18. What do you want other BOOBs to know about you? I cry at almost anything. Some might think I'm just an old lady (ok, I'm 57) but I don't feel "old". I had the greatest time meeting complete strangers last year and have since internet-adopted multiple BOOBS. I call myself an internet-Mom (or iMom) with a whole bunch of iKids. I even have many many iSisters. And when one of them is hurting, I hurt too. So come cry with me, but only happy tears. Oh, and we can sing karaoke if you like.

My Buddy, the Band

I really am still alive and kicking but thanks for wondering how I'm doing. Gilly and Deb can attest that I am still dedicated to this band thingy and blogging.

I had hoped to have a fill last week, but alas there were no cancellations. I'm doing much better and those crappy few pounds disappeared which takes me back down to the low 170's, a place I have been for almost a year. If I didn't get the band, I know I would have gained all my weight back by now. And I wonder, like a few others if this is my final weight, my setpoint. Right now, I'm just content to just accept it for now and not worry.

Chicago is only a few weeks away so I decided not to get another fill before then. As I mentioned before, I will be going to Europe at the end of October, only 3 weeks after BOOBS so want a small defill at the end of September.

Crazy, maybe but flying affects the fluid in my band so bad that I don't want to risk not enjoying my trip with being stuck for three weeks. Anyway, the nurses at the clinic suggested I have a defill but not a complete unfill. I think I'll go back down to 3 cc (from 4.6) which is what I had at surgery. I plan to have the defill on my way down to Chicago.

So you know what that means? I ordered the big ass Full Meal with the big hunks of meat for the BOOBs dinner. Hopefully those pieces will be served by some hunks. I know, I'm old but I can still see (with my contacts in, that is).

My eating is under control and I have certainly slowed down my eating over the past few weeks. My last fill was the middle of July. Since then I have switched jobs to one that is much nicer, although a bit boring. I now write policy, processes and guidelines. I joke that the "b!tch is b@ck" because I get to tell all these people what they are supposed to do. No one listens anyway, but at least the contemptuous environment from the other job is slowly leaving my body. I have no pain from my gallbladder but will still have elective surgery to have it out. I think that too was causing stress on my body.

Dinnerland mentioned that in her post today. Never underestimate the power of stress on our weight loss attempts.

We really are a work in progress.

My Weekend

This is what I did this past weekend. I don't want to repeat, so...

Click here for mini boobs post by Deb

and here for mini boobs post by Gilly.

And cross my heart: I DID NOT drink the magical beers.

My glasses of beer were twice as big followed by a couple of Spicy Caesar's. They count as vegetables. I swear. Actually, beer is made from hops so I guess I had lots of veges.

Struggles are Part of Life

It seems a few of us are struggling with trying to get back on track with our weight loss. I'm here to say, I'm hitting the wall too. I'm up another few pounds, now sitting at 176 pounds. I seemed to have been stuck in the low 170's for so long that it came as a shock that the number had gone up.

And last night when I realized that I had started to gain, I freaked out and wondered if I was a complete failure with the band.

I have my excuses. Too much stress at work. Too much wine. Too many sweets. Too little exercise. Too little desire to actually lose more weight. My cholesterol drugs, my gallbladder attack, my uncomfortable old bed. 

But today was a good day. A positive day. Stephanie posted an amazing quote and one particular line said: "It's not how many times you get knocked down; it's how many times you get back up.” 

So I dusted off my backside and got back up. I called for another fill, although typing this right now, I am a bit stuck which hasn't happened for months. Probably because I am making myself eat more solid protein. I'm on a cancellation list for either Friday or Monday because I am heading down to Toronto to meet up with Gilly and Deborah (all the way from Chicago). Secretly I am hoping I don't get an appointment til Monday as we are going to an amazing restaurant with lots of food and I'll be able to easily overeat.

I know I am not at my sweet spot. Since my unfill in early March, I have been gradually getting tiny fills of only 0.1 cc. I am petrified of being overfilled. I think I now have 4.6 cc in my 10 cc band. I can eat almost anything but keep to the 1 cup serving. But I am so hungry only a couple of hours later and end up eating 4-5 times a day. Those calories add up and the pounds start to creep back.

The slowness is getting to me. But I need to be patient (my word for the year!). I have been the same weight for 12 months. I'll get that sweet spot back and then the pounds will start to drop again. I've had the spot where I don't even think about food, forget to eat and actually have no desire to eat. It is very hard to convince ourselves that the band is our tool but use it we must.

There have been many Superstars of the Band (SOB) who have reached their goal which gives us the inspiration that we too can do it.  We need to resurrect that blog again (Gen if you read this, I'll kindly take it over for you). I also saw the lovely lady who inspired me to get the band. She is 3 years post-band, down over a hundred pounds, slim, trim and gorgeous (love you S!). She did it and I know we all can.

Come along with me so we can all call ourselves S.O.B.'s. And never give up, just keep on trying.

New Haircut

I had my haircut earlier today which helped put me into a positive frame of mind.

Please forgive the grainy quality of the photo as my daughter borrowed my camera a month ago and has not yet returned it (did you hear that H?). I had to use the little video camera on my computer. I've decided I am just not a long hair type of gal. And also, I think I look pretty damn good at 57 years old!

In other news, my new bed is pretty sweet. I sleep like a baby.

I had a tiny fill last Monday (0.1 cc) and it doesn't seem to be helping at all. But I will keep to the small fills for now til I get the elusive sweet spot.

My gallbladder has settled down. No pain anymore. I have an appointment with the surgeon the week after Chicago so will probably decide to have it out in December or January. If it acts up again and I can't handle the pain, I will just go to the hospital and they will have to take it out. For now it's elective surgery and I'm not in any big rush to go under the knife again. I just hope it doesn't cause any problems on my trip to Europe. But I think all will be good.

And did I mention that Deborah from Provoking Practicality is coming to Toronto next week and Gilly and I are meeting up with her and we are going to have so much fun. Just wanted to build the excitement of a Pre-BOOBs meetup. I think there might be a couple of doggie bags from the restaurant we are going to. I'm told there are belly dancers but it wasn't clear if Gilly was one of them!

Pictures to follow.

I Laughed til I Cried

And it felt oh so good. I can't remember the last time that happened but it was so refreshing to realize that I am coming out of the funk I have sunk into over the past year because of a bad job situation.

But that is over, as I've started back at my old job and am seeing the sun come out.

All because of a good laugh. One of those belly laughs with tears streaming down my cheeks. I snorted. If I'd been drinking coffee, it would have blown out my nose. Or I would have pee'd my pants.

Here is what brought me back to a normal life. A life that needs fun and laughter in it. A post from someone who had a smashing weekend, who with her BFF decided she needed more than a foot massage and it involved a little Chinese lady straddling her bum and showing complete shock that she was wearing “NUSSING? NUSSING at all? Why you no has nussing?”

Click here if you missed it.

You guessed. It was Draz with her BFF Jen. And BTW, Jen, I too would have asked the same thing for the rest of the day. You rock.

But so does Draz. She my iChild. They both are.

Go laugh til you cry. It is the bestest feeling eva!

I'm a Statistic

The results are in. I have gall*stones and because I still have a bit of an ache on the upper right side, I'm being referred to a surgeon for elective surgery. I am hoping and praying it can be done soon, so I'm well on the mend for BOOBS at the end of September.

But I'm doing well. The pain started to really go away on the weekend. I was able to go into work on Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) and so far so good. I'm back at the place I worked last year and everyone seems so happy to see me back. Still haven't really figured out what I will be doing but I know it involves lots of policy, process and procedure writing. How fun. Gradually some of the stress from the last few months has been oozing out of my body and my brain is very happy about that.

It's now a fact. I am a statistic. Gallbladder problems happen a lot after weight loss but here are a few more statistics (not to scare you!). The medical term is C.h.o.l.e.c.y.s.t.i.t.i.s and having the gall bladder out is a c.h.o.l.e.c.y.s.t.e.c.t.o.m.y. (just trying to avoid the google searches). Click here to read the full article.

Rapid weight loss or cycling (dieting and then putting weight back on) further increases cholesterol production in the liver, with resulting supersaturation and risk for gallstones. A 2000 study suggested the following rates for gallstones related to extreme and rapid weight loss:

• The risk for gallstones is as high as 12% after 8 -16 weeks of restricted-calorie diets.
• The risk is more than 30% within 12 -18 months after gastric bypass surgery.

About one-third of gallstone cases in these situations are symptomatic. The risk for gallstones is highest in the following dieters:

• Those who lose more than 24% of their body weight.
• Those who lose more than 1.5 kg (3.3. lb.) a week.
• Those on very low-fat, low-calorie diets.

Weight cycling also puts people at risk for gallstones. For example, a 16-year study found that the risk for gallstone surgery was 68% higher for women who lost and then regained more than 20 pounds at least once, as compared with women whose weight remained stable.

As you know I haven't lost a whole lot of weight, nor was I a fast loser. But I did go on a pretty low-calorie diet. And I am now 18 months after surgery. And my weight has cycled up and down for most of the last 40 years.

I'm now a statistic. But I hope none of you ever become one.

I am so excited. I get my new bed on Saturday. Peacefull, comfy sleep. Can't wait.