I'm In!

As I was blog hopping a bit this evening, I saw several people mention the upcoming Holiday Challenge being hosted by Kristen. I need something to help keep me interested, motivated, and active, so I've decided to join! My next fill is scheduled for Friday, 05 November, so the timing is just perfect. I am really excited about this, as I think it will be just the thing to keep me on point for a few weeks. I tend to do my best when I have something external to keep me motivated and accountable. I like rewards, so I'll set myself up some non-food/non-eating rewards for participating each week. Something like that usually helps keep me involved.

So, I'm eager for Sunday, 07 November to get here! I think this will be fun and motivating -- not just for me, but for lots of us! Thanks so much to Kristen for organizing this, and good luck to everyone who will be participating!

Happy Friday!

I have another couple of art fairs in November, so I should be painting. But one of my cats is asleep on the desk in my studio, taking up precious creative real estate, so I needed to find something else to do. Besides, I miss you guys and blogging! I can't believe how lax I've been, but given how busy I am, it's probably to be expected. I'm not being very good about posting on my art blog, either, so know that it's nothing personal.

I have an evaluation scheduled for Friday, 05 November, to see if I get another fill. I'm kind of hoping for one, because I'm still struggling with eating and not losing very well. But, I had such a hard time after the last one that I'm not looking forward to it! Hopefully, because I have begun to change my eating habits (slow down, smaller bites, chewing more thoroughly), I won't have the same rough time after the next one. My band is funny -- sometimes I'm so tight that I can barely finish a yogurt, and other times, I feel no restriction and can eat like I used to. Even though the doctor's office is encouraging me to step away from the protein shakes and RTDs (they prefer you to eat your calories as opposed to drinking them for greater satisfaction), I think I'll have to go back to shakes for breakfast after another fill, as I'm most tight in the mornings.

On the exercise front, I had taken a several day break from walk/jogging because my left knee felt as though it was going to give out when I just walked across the room -- no way was I going to jog on it! We also had our first rains of the season, and then temps have gotten pretty chilly in the evenings. Hubby and I started walking again (earlier in the day) a few days ago and it feels so good! We've even been doing a bit of jogging. I've really missed it, but I am a bit surprised at how quickly I lost ground. My hips and lower back feel as though I hadn't been exercising at all these past few months!

Well, I'm off to read blogs for a bit. It will be nice to catch up with all of you.

All is Well

I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged! I know I said that I was going to write a post three times a week, but I got busy preparing for my recent art/craft fair. I did okay. Not great, but I did sell a painting, so I was happy. I was really happy because it was much more of a craft fair than it was an art fair. There were only a couple of fine artists there, out of 70-some-odd booths! I have two more art fairs coming up in November -- and they are both art fairs. One I had to be juried into, so it's an honor just to be involved with that one. But, of course, I hope I do well enough to justify the committee's faith in me. This particular show is actually a fundraiser. Each year, the committee choses a local charity, and all participating artists donate 20% of their sales to that charity. I'm pleased to be participating.

So, after spending a week getting ready for the fair, I spent the next week recovering! It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of hard work. The subsequent fairs will be easier, for having done the first one.

On the lap band front, I'm cooping. I see the doctor's PA on Thursday, 04 November. I'm not really sure that I want another fill so soon. I'm not having any real trouble with my band anymore, but that first week after my fill was pretty rough. I don't think I threw up that much when I was bulimic (20 years ago). I didn't contact my surgeon's office, because I didn't feel as though it was a matter of my being too tight. It was simply a matter of my not learning my lessons well enough during recovery: I was eating to quickly, taking too big of bites and not chewing well. Yes, I know I should have been practicing those habits -- and I did! -- but it was so easy to eat by my old habits, since I had no restriction. I've always been one to learn something the hard way ...

Happy Week-End!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their week-end. I'm out of town until tomorrow night. I'm staying with my in-laws while I run some errands and take care of some business. I love them dearly and haven't seen them for a couple of weeks, so I'm happy to be here. Hubby is having some much deserved alone time -- and dealing with a cat in heat!

I'm pleased to say that my fill is working out better. Eating slowly and deliberately is the key. Of course, I knew this. It is, however, one thing to know something intellectually and another thing to experience it. I'm afraid that, because I could eat anything during Bandster Hell, that I didn't always practice healthy eating habits. I often ate just as quickly as I used to, taking just as big of bites. I've learned, this past week, that I need to eat differently. I really don't think that I'm too tight, with only 4ccs of fluid in my band. I think it's just poor eating habits on my part, but we shall see how this goes. If things aren't better by Tuesday I'll call the surgeon's office, but this couldn't be happening at a worse time. I am SUPER busy next week getting ready for an upcoming art/craft fair, but I'll do what I need to do to take care of myself, of course.

I have to confess something: Because I was on my feet all day, my knees are throbbing. I'm not walking this evening, nor did I do my dance exercises. I'll try to walk in the morning, and of course, Hubby and I will walk in the evening tomorrow and I'll get back on track then. I'm kind of disappointed that I won't be walk/jogging tonight. Whoever thought I'd feel that way about exercise? Not me!

Tomorrow, I'm going to a local art gallery to see a show that includes my work. The show ends tomorrow after the reception. I'm really looking forward to seeing the other five artists and connecting names to faces. I'm also going to run errands that will help me prepare for my art/craft fair next week-end. There is an unbelievable amount of work that goes into having a booth at these kinds of things. I never realized how much, until I signed up for my first one.

My knees are aching and my night-time meds are kicking in, so I'm off to bed. Sweet dreams, everyone, and have a GREAT week-end!

Belly Dance Update: Who Am I Kidding?

I just completed Day Three of my belly dance program. Before I talk about my progress, I just want to make sure everyone knows that there is NO belly dancing going on here! I can make it through the warm-up (general stretches) just fine, but the shoulder isolations about kill me! My arms, shoulders and upper back (and my shins!) can definitely feel the workout! 

I am using a DVD, and it seems to be very well done. I've taken belly dance lessons in the past, so I think I'll be pretty comfortable once we get into it. My former teacher, however, concentrated on hip moves; I learned almost none of the isolations for other body parts.  I can do some of the shoulder isolations with no problem and others are a real challenge. My body just doesn't seem to want to move that way.

Next are ribcage isolations. I think I'll start them next Monday and add an isolation area every week thereafter until I've learned them all. That means it will be several weeks before I'm actually dancing, but it will keep me from getting too sore (and thusly, burnt out) at one time. Slow and steady progress, right?

I'm still learning to live with my fill. Yesterday was just brutal. Almost everything I ate came back up. I don't think I'm too tight; I think I have been taking too big of bites or eating too quickly. Today has been much better, and I've been eating much more consciously.

I tried to practice good eating habits before my fill, but it was hit and miss. I'd practice them when I remembered to, because there was nothing keeping me on the straight and narrow. I could eat whatever I wanted in whatever quantities I wanted when I had no restriction, so I didn't always remember to eat slowly, take small bites, chew well, etc. I think that's making it extra difficult on me right now. I should have paid more attention during my healing process. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 vision. Blah blah blah.

Happy Monday!

It's still morning in SoCal -- so, good morning to you! We are having a beautiful -- albeit windy -- day in the High Desert Region. Hubby is sitting at my sewing desk studying for an upcoming exam and I am looking at my studio/office desk, wondering how it got to be such a mess. My stuff is multiplying exponentially and it's taking over!

Since I had a fill on Thursday, I'm still eating mushies today. That works for me, although it plays havoc with my blood sugars! Our little market doesn't have any sugar free puddings that I can find (and they're out of yogurt, if you can believe that!), so I'm eating lots of oatmeal and grits.

Tomorrow, I start back to some kind of plan. The surgeon's office wants me to cut out my protein shakes/drinks and concentrate on solid food more. I understand, completely, what they are saying, but I'm hesitant to give up my protein shakes and RTDs, because they ensure that I get enough protein each day without having to count the grams in everything I eat. I bought some unflavored protein powder right after my surgery; I guess it's time to use it!

I'm making a commitment to myself (and to you) to blog on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. It's too easy for me to get busy and say "I'll blog later" and then put it off until the next day. And the next. And the next. In fact, that's exactly what happened to me when I disappeared. I kept telling myself that I'd blog tomorrow, and tomorrow never came.

I hope everyone is heading into a wonderful week! Mine promises to be busy, but busy keeps me out of trouble. Catch you on the flip side!

A Terrible Realization ...

I just got home from walking, jogging, walk/jogging, wogging --whatever you want to call it. I can't go very far or terribly fast, but at least it's something. My goal is to work up to an hour of jog/running, but that's a long way off.

I've been walking since before my lapband surgery; I added jogging on Friday. I usually walk with my husband, but he was out of town Friday and Saturday nights, so it seemed a good time to attempt jogging. I loved it! It felt really good to push myself to do something I didn't think I could do. Even though I probably only jogged less than 50 feet total, it felt like progress. And, with my husband tonight, I jogged much more than I did the first night!

I could probably do even better but I realize I need a good sports bra. And a good sports panty! LOL! At slightly over 300 pounds, I have a bit of a saggy tummy that was flopping all around while I was jogging. I know my husband could probably hear it! At first I was embarrassed, then I decided "Fuck it! It's not like he doesn't know I'm fat." I decided not to let my self-consciousness keep me from improving myself.

Anyone have a suggestion for a good "sports panty"? I guess I'll look for some kind of firming underwear the next time I'm at Walmart.

Oh! I spent some time blog hoping this evening while I waited for Hubby to get home. I didn't make it to everyone's blog, but I enjoyed reading those that I did visit. I decided not to overwhelm myself by trying to catch up from where I last read; I just started with the posts that were showing up in my blog reader. I hope everyone is doing well. I want to thank you for not giving up on me during my absence.