Ho, Ho, Ho.

Just want to shout out "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to all of my blog land friends. Don't think I will get the chance to later, so I hope every one has a safe and happy holiday.
Cheers
Nikki
xx

End of Challenge

So I weighed in this morning at 79.7 kg (175.7 pounds). Woohoo, I'm finally under the 80 kg mark. I lost a total of 2.5 kg which really isn't that great but I'll take a loss any day. Over the 6 weeks I pretty much stayed the same for about 3 of them so I'm happy to have lost that weight. I know that it will never be regained and that is a truly wonderful feeling.
The biggest success I have achieved over these 6 weeks has not been the weight loss but has been the exercise. I now have a happy routine of doing classes and going walking. The motivation of the challenge helped me find a rhythm that I am determined to stick with.
Happy am I, going into the Christmas feasting season knowing that this will be the first year ever that I have not over eaten and that I will most likely lose weight this week :)
I Love My Band
xxx
PS: Merry Christmas Everyone

MIA - Sorry

Sorry I have not been on for 3 weeks. Life has been busy and not much in band-land has been going on. I'm pretty much the same weight as I was 3 weeks ago. 200gr down. I am now at 80.1 kg. I just can't seem to break the 80 kg mark. I've seen 80.1 now three times but keep bouncing up and then back to it again. It is starting to get a little frustrating but I know it is because of this crazy time of the year. My choices have not been great and my liquids have been up. So I guess I should be grateful to have lost 200 gr and not had a gain. There is 2 weeks till Christmas and I am determined to get below 80 by then.

My band has finally settled down and I am now able to eat most things again (minus bread & pasta) without PB'ing. This is such a great relief because I was thinking of getting an un-fill. I have noticed that it gets quite loose around TOM and after doing some reading I see this can be quite common.

It is really starting to heat right up here now. Last week we had a good few days over 40 (104). It is only gonna get hotter coming into January. I'm so happy to have a pool and the boys and I have been living in there.

Oh a NSV. I bought and fitted into my first size AU12 (US8) denim shorts in years. I am a firm size 14 (US10) in most things and all of my size 16 (US12) are now way to big. I started out this journey wearing tight 18 (US14) and now almost 5 months in I am fitting into 12's, that's 3 dress sizes. YAY!!! I've also had to throw out all my knickers and bras, much to my husbands glee. He much prefers my now lacy numbers ;-)

Well thanks for sticking around. I am going to try and get through some blogs today and catch up on everyone.

Cheers Nikki x

Week Two

Weigh in day after week two - 80.3 kg
Lost 1.2 kg or 2.65 pounds.
Woohoo, I am so ecstatic about this loss. I so hope to be under 80 kg by next week. I am currently only 4.3 kg off pre-pregnancy weight of 76 kg. I think I will try and make this my goal for the challenge. I'm sure if I up my exercise a little and cut out the drinking I will be able to achieve this. :=)

Ok, took a sneak peak but am confused??

So i kinda hopped on the scales this morning three days before weigh in. I was worried that I might have done some damage after having a couple of drinks for three nights straight, but no I had a a huge surprise. How is it possible I thought. All i can put it down to is the extra exercise I have aded into my routine for the last two weeks. So I did a little happy dance and sent my ass off to body balance. What a shock that was. I was expecting a cruisey class with stretching and meditation but NO I was sweating within 10 minutes and holding poses I never thought possible. Ouch. I can't wait to do it again!!!
I am amazed at what a difference a little bit of excercise can do. Not only do I feel stronger and healthier but i feel better within myself also.
Bring on the next four weeks I say. Not sure if I will be able to catch up to grace but I will sure as heck give it a try :)

Week One

Weigh in day after week one - 81.5 kg

Lost 700 gr or 1.54 pounds.

Very happy with this result :-)

I'm sure it is killing me!

The gym that is!

I started back at the gym on monday and have since done 2 pump classes, a body attack class and 45 minutes on the cardio machines. Not bad for 4 days.

I am really feeling it. I was struggling to walk the day after my first pump class but pushed through the pain, and am glad I did.

I am taking today off though cause I think I went a little hard yesterday in my attack class and now my ankle and heel are playing up. Will be back in the morning for another pump class (I love those).

And onto band related news, I am sure I am a little too tight. I have been PBing heaps but am managing to keep fluids down with no trouble. We are heading to Brisbane early December for a night or two and I'm thinking I might go in for the smallest unfill. There is a doc here in Mt Isa that does it but I'm just not sure if I trust him. I think I can battle through another couple of weeks.

I'm still enjoying the Holiday Challenge and have not cheated once. Yay! this would have to be a first for me. I'm looking forward to tonight though when I have allocated my self a glass of wine with dinner. :)

First Day of Challenge

I am super excited and motivated by this new 6 week challenge that starts today. We are still in the process of unpacking everything so I have yet to find my measuring tape to do my inches, but I did find my scales.

My stats are:

7 November : 82.2 kg or 181.22 pounds. BMI: 29.5

I joined the local gym here on Thursday. They have a great price for what you get and they have a kids club for a few hours each weekday morning, which I am totally going to utilise. I'm looking forward to doing some of the classes like Body Pump and Body Combat.

I'm joining a challenge that is being hosted over at Kristen's blog. I think it will be great to get into this leading into the new year and now that I am in Mount Isa. My place will be all set up by the start date of 7th Nov so I should be all steam ahead.

First Mini Goal Reached

Well I got back my scales from DH and weighed in this morning. Wowee did I get a huge shock.

I'm down to 83.3 kg. That is a whole 1.7 kg less than my first goal. Holy cow I totally skipped being 84 kg. This mini goal has also now made me OVERWEIGHT. Yes no longer am I obese. I have not been overweight for 5 years!

Might only weigh in every 2-3 weeks from now on, it seems to help.

I also got another .5 ml in my band on Monday, and that I am sure has put me on the edge of the red zone. I'm not pb'ing but I sure as hell am getting stuck on stuff so I'm just trying to learn all the rules as to what I can and can't eat now. I think this has helped a bit in the last few days.

Not at a point where I need to have an unfill, just where I need to keep an eye on things. ;-)

Changing my Ticker.

I've decided to follow in the footsteps of some fellow bloggers and change my ticker to reflect how much I have lost since I was at my highest, just after I had my twins when I weighed in at 108kg (238 pounds). It looks so much more impressive, and is such a good confidence booster to show how far I've come so far. Claim it Nikki, you deserve to. :-) The picture is of me just before I had my boys. Wow, how on earth did I manage?

YOU MUST WATCH MELI MELI. HAHAHAHAHA.

Meli Meli has posted such a funny video she put together. You must watch it. LOL.

http://lovemelimeli.blogspot.com/2010/10/heres-video.html

Love It

x

Why I had WLS.

I have been asked a few times lately why I had weight loss surgery, because to look at me I don’t look that overweight.

I am only in the obese category according to my BMI and my Doctor was a little reluctant to refer me to my Surgeon, but after a heap of blood tests and going through my dieting history it was decided that gastric banding was the best option. My blood tests revealed some very interesting results. It was found that I was borderline diabetic, I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and with my family having a history of heart disease I was heading down a very dangerous path. It was also found that the hormone (not sure of the technicalities here) that tells the brain that you are full was almost non-existant so I was having extreme difficulty loosing weight on my own, due to constant grazing and overeating.

I had tried many, many conventional methods to lose weight over the past 15 years. Some including, weight watchers, shakes, Jenny Craig, just to name a few.

I had tried prescription drugs, Reductil and Duromine. I had great success with Duromine and took it on and off (mostly on) for about 9 years right up until I found out I was pregnant with my twins 4 years ago. My Doctor offered to put me back on this but I flatly refused. I hated the side effects and was not keen to go back on them with two small kids around. When I was on them I got very moody and snappy and I just didn’t want that to affect my boys.

Then we found out that I had a huge Hiatus Hernia. I got this through my pregnancy with the twins. My Doctor said this is very common in multiple pregnancies. The surgery required to fix the hernia was almost the same as the WLS so my doctor said I could have them both at the same time, I thought “Yeah Why Not?” I am one of those rare cases that can have WLS for other reasons than being over a BMI of 40.

I am so very happy to have had the surgery and there were times during recovery when I thought, “What have I done? Surely I could have lost this excess weight on my own?” But I’ve come to realize that no I couldn’t. I still have a long way to go to get down to a healthy weight. I am looking forward to that time so I can get my blood work done again and compare to were I am now.

I needed to do this so I can watch my boys grow up and to enjoy a long and loving marriage with my wonderful husband. He is my rock and has stood by me through all of my crazy diets and drug taking. It was time that I finally took control of my health. For me the “Way I Look” is just a positive side effect to getting healthy on the inside, my main goal.

Another pic for Ash :)

Another one from Saturday night. It was a bit dark so I tried a little photoshop. Might need to take a class on this. Oh that's a size 12 jacket there also. Yay.

My First NSV

So my DH and I went out on Saturday night for dinner with some friends, we had a lovely evening. They drank champers, I drank one glass of wine (I can't handle the bubbles, damn it), they ate big steak, I ate small entree. It was just fantastic, how it should be. Well today I downloaded a picture taken of DH and I before we went out, and I must say even I am impressed. I can really see some changes in my shape in the last few weeks. I bought a new dress specially for the evening. It is a size 14 Aust (I think that is a 10 US / medium). I was so excited, I tried on so many dresses in the store, all size 14 and they all fit. I actually bought 2 dresses, but I haven't had a chance to wear the other one just yet.

Yay, on another topic, my DH said I can have the scales back. Now I just have to find them. He is away and won't be home till Monday and he won't tell me were they are. LOL. Will be interesting to see how I go come Tuesday morning.

Hello Lena

Just want to do a quick shout out to a new follower Lena. She is doing fantastic so far in her journey. Woot!!

Hideous Withdrawals

Well I feel as though I am having withdrawals.

My DH has taken my scales away and won't give them back.

The other night I was about to get on them to see how I had done through the day and DH decided I was becoming obsessed with what my scales say. He took them off me and threw out the batteries then hid my scales.

Yes I was indulging about 3 times a day, but he has forced me to go cold turkey and now I'm all nervous and jittery. It feels so wrong to not jump on my scales every morning.

He said I can't have them back until we get to Mount Isa, that is 4 weeks away!!!! He told me I have to measure my progress in other ways, clothes fitting, inches lost, ect... How the hell do I do this. My life has revolved around the numbers on the scales.

ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

I'm seriously thinking about buying another set and hiding them from him. Kinda like the closet food stash I used to keep. ;-)

My most Awesome Fill Ever

So I had my 3rd fill yesterday. I got another 1.5 ml (1.5cc) in my band bringing me up to 10.5 in my 14 ml band. I mostly settled for soft foods yesterday after the fill, but did get a little stuck at lunch on a small amount of bread, and went without dinner.

Today I have felt the best restriction since being banded (well after the first week anyway). I finally feel like I can only eat a small amount of food (about 2/3 cup of food) and have not had the urge at all to snack between meals.

This is what I have eaten today:

50gr of muesli with half a tub of yoghurt. I didn't manage to finish it.

A small skinny flat white coffee.

Half a piece of grilled fish (couldn't fit in the salad and got stuck on my first chip so ate no more chips, think they might be off the menu now)

Small glass of wine (can't see my self giving this up)

3 small meatballs in tomato pasta sauce, this was left over from two night ago (before my fill), I couldn't eat the pasta as it was hurting (another off the menu) and was pretty content after the meat. The other night I ate 5 meat balls with pasta and cheese and then had a muffin for dessert. Yep I think this one has worked, yippy yay!!!

You girls are AWESOME!

Thanks so much for all the encouraging responses to my last post. It has really made me realise that I'm not in this alone. I was worried that I might be self sabotaging a little too much (yes it is happening to some extent) but at least I can still see the feint light at the end of the tunnel.

Mary (aka: not your average gal) is almost in the same boat as I am. Have a fill, feel great for a week, then feel as though nothing ever happened.

I'm booked in for another fill on Tuesday and it can't come fast enough :)

Also, just for me, I've booked in for a 2.5 hour massage and body wrap on Saturday arvo at a lovely day spa near me. I'm going with my Mum, and I am sooooo looking forward to this little bit of me time. DH and Granddad will be looking after the two tear abouts while they watch the second AFL grand final. Hahaha, think I might have got the better deal here.

A Question??

So I have a question for all my blogging mates.

Can someone please tell me if it is possible to still be in bandster hell two months after surgery?

I have had 2 fills and have a total of 9ml (9cc) in a 14ml (14cc) band, but I am still getting hungry like all the time and I have only lost 1kg in 6 weeks. Yes I admit that I have had such a huge two months (2 x 40th birthdays, 2 x Weddings, 1 week holiday, 2 x weekends away, visitors for almost 2 weeks) and I feel like I haven't had five minutes for myself, my eating habits are crap and I've been drinking WAY too much wine. My exercise is almost nil and I am so bloody tired from lack of sleep.

So tell me is this still bandster hell or just my bloody life getting in the way of progress?

Oh and a shout out to my new follower - Not Your Average Gal. I don't have a blog for her but would love it if you let me know :)

2 new Followers - Welcome

Just want to shout a a warm welcome to Anniek, and Meli who I have just noticed are following me now. Thanks ladies :)

Finally a loss :)

I've just jumped on the scales and I'm so excited, I just have to tell you all. I just registered my first loss in about 4 weeks. I am now 300 gr (.66 pound) below my lowest registered weight, which means I lost about 700 gr (1.5 pounds) this week. Hopefully this means I have passed through my plateau. Yay!!!

Well that's not pleasant...

Just experienced my first stuck and PB. Came home from the movies with the boys (Despicable Me - funny one) and was starving cause I decided not to indulge in popcorn. Decided a dry, cold pork chop left over from dinner was a better option. Boy was I wrong!!! Tasted lovely and thought I chewed it up enough, but NO! after a couple of bites I could feel the burning pain in my chest, then BAM, up it came. Nothing like having a full on puke, but rather a controlled slow foamy vomit. It lasted about 20 minutes and I can still feel a little pain there. I was amazed at how much foam I could produce in such a short amount of time. Definitely not something I wish to repeat in the near future.

On a brighter note, at least I now know my band is working :)

Okay...Time to Confess...

... about just how bad I have been.

I am going in for my second fill tomorrow morning and I am not looking forward to getting on those scales. My last two weeks have undoubltly been two of the most party weeks I've had in years. The first week we had friends and family here for 5 nights for my older brother's 40th Birthday. That equals 5 nights of drinking wine and the occasional bad food choices. I've already posted that I gained that first week.

The day after everyone left I got a really bad tummy bug and was throwing up for about 6 hours and had terrible bowels (sorry TMI) for about 4 days. It helped with losing the extra few hundred grams I gained BUT then we headed off to the lovely Port Douglas for 4 days for my Sister in Law's wedding. Yep back on the drinking and eating train. I had WAY to many cocktails as I have now found they seem to go down quite well. I was a little worried that the vomiting episode had damaged my band as I am now able to eat a bit more than I should be. :(

I'm really not looking forward to fessing up to my indulgences tomorrow, but I have to face my demons and decide to start this next chapter in a better light.

I knew these past two weeks were going to be tough and I admit I have not made good choices. Humph....

Welcome Kristen

Just a shout out to Kristen, thanks for finding my blog and following along. In these early stages it is great to have support and all my followers are just wonderful.

I love you all. xx

Arrggghhh...I've put on

So I've had a huge weekend of partying and eating and drinking and the scales this morning has really showed it. I've had a gain of 1.1kg. Bummer. I'm hoping it is mostly fluid, guess we will see in a few days. Updated my ticker to make it real :(

On a brighter note I am feeling some restriction although I know I am not at the right spot yet. I have not had any trouble eating anything. Everything seems to be going down just fine, but I am still getting full faster. I still think I might be eating a little to much though. I'm still feeling like I'm running on will power and don't yet think the band is working at it's full capacity. I have another fill in a little over a week, so I hope this one gets me a lot closer to the sweet spot.

First Fill (or was it my second?)

So I had my first adjustment on Wednesday morning which was no were near as scary as I was expecting. I was with my surgeon for about 3 minutes. He put me up on his table and firstly took out the little stitch that was poking out (glad that's gone it was giving me the shits), then he asked me to lift my head then just a little pop as the needle was inserted through the skin and into my port. It was a strange feeling as he put in the saline, I could kinda feel my band tightening, which was simply fantastic.

Well as it turned out my Surgeon had put in 4ml (4cc) into my band on placement because it was a little loose around my stomach, then on Wednesday he put in 3ml (3cc) so now I have a total of 7 ml in my 14 ml band. Half full. I am booked back in on Wednesday 8th Sept (2 weeks) for my second adjustment. I have asked my surgeon to be rather aggressive with the fills as I would like to try and be in the green zone (sweet spot) quickly due to my DH getting a job back in Mount Isa, so we will be moving soon. He is quite happy to help me out there. Guess I am so lucky to have a Surgeon who is willing to change things up for each patient rather than just sticking to a schedule of 1 or 2 ml at a time every 4 weeks. He says I should reach the green zone at around 9 ml :)

I can really feel some restriction there now which I am loving. I'm not hungry all the time and I am feeling full after a small meal. I definitely feel as though I can't eat in the morning for a few hours. I haven't yet given it a try but I feel a little pressure in my chest first up so I am just assuming this to be the morning restriction that people talk about. I haven't had any stuck episodes yet or any pain when I eat, and it seems as though everything can go down with no problems. I ate sushi for dinner last night with no issues on the rice. I'm looking forward to my first steak. I think I might have one this weekend. Yummy.

Thanks for all the great comments everyone, they are so very encouraging. xx

Not much going on.

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days, there just hasn't been much going on.

We had some friends around for dinner on Saturday night and I got to eat my first steak in weeks. God it tasted like heaven. Figured I would have a small one before my fill on Wednesday as I might not get another opportunity. My friend made a wonderful mexican layer dip which was so fantastic and very yummy. I noticed Eggface has one up at the moment on her food website that I might try out.

Been walking everyday for the Go-Chica-Go challenge. I even got up early this morning to get my walk in before my DH went away for a couple of days.

Have my first fill in a couple of days. I'm looking forward to this but am a little apprehensive about the big needle. Also was taking a good look at my big scar last night and noticed I have a stitch poking out. I gave it a tug with some tweezers and got some of it out but think my Surgeon will have to take a look at the other one there. Was surprised to see it cause I didn't think I got stitches, just glue.

Got a very busy few weeks coming up, have visitors this weekend for my brother's 40th, then away next weekend up to Port Douglas for my SIL wedding. Not sure if I will get much posting in over that time but I will let you all know how my fill goes on Wednesday.

Take care x

Get me outta this HELL I'm in...PLEASE...

So I think I am officially in Bandster Hell. I knew it was coming but god this is crazy.

I'm hungry like all the time, but can still only fit in a small amount of food. I just want to eat all the time. Damn I hate this. This is when I would normally fall off the dieting wagon into a pit of deep fried shit and a bottle of bubbles.

Thank the gods above that I am getting my first fill in 6 days. I can't wait to get back to that feeling of satisfaction I had a week ago.

I also did not lose a single ounce this past week and although I'm not concerned about this at all I am a little disappointed. I'm not eating any were near as much food as I was before surgery and I upped my walking this week.

Oh well :( Move on Nikki.

Also welcome to Queen Bee - Miss Vickie. :)

Big Welcome to Drazil

I'm sure most of you know Draz by now. She is very inspiring and is hosting the Go-Chica-Go challenge with Joey. Welcome Draz to my blog :)

Draz & Joey's Fitness Challenge

So I've decided to put my hand up for this "Go-Chica-Go" challenge. I think it is a fantastic way to get my ass into gear and start doing some regular exercise. It starts on Friday and goes for 5 weeks. It will be good in helping me keep on track as I have 3 major events happening over those 5 weeks. A 40th birthday Party and 2 Weddings. Lots of opportunities to slack off and eat and drink way to much.

I have my first fill next Wednesday so I would really like to take this opportunity to set some healthy habits in place.

YAY BRING IT ON LADIES!!!

My Wonderful Weekend.

Wow I feel so normal :)

On Friday my DH got some good news from work so we decided to go out to celebrate. I know I had way to many liquid calories but in regard to food I had no problem finding something appropriate on the menu. My hubby and I shared a small serve of pate and then I had some fish pie. OMG it was so delicious. It was like a seafood chowder topped with potato and truffle foam. It wasn't something I would normally order but due to being on mushies I decided to give it a go. So worth it. It was funny though cause I could only eat a very small amount of it and when the waiter took my plate away he asked me if anything was wrong with it. I told him it was simply amazing but I couldn't fit it in, he looked a little sceptical. Guess I better get used to that :)

Next morning we packed up the kids and went up the coast for the night. Could only find yogurt for breakfast in the servo but it was fine and filled me up for a good few hours. Had the filling from a small quiche for lunch, then for dinner I ate a small piece of grilled barra and 2 scollops. I would have just loved to have eaten the salad that came with the fish but that does not quantify as a soft food.

We had a great time, The boys got in 2 swims in the hotels huge spa, we took a long walk on the beach looking at crab holes, took the kids to the Aquarium where they had the cutest seal who kept kissing the kids through the glass, then this morning we all went to the Ginger Factory.

After we arrived home at around 11 am we got invited over the neighbours for a late lunch. I had one rissole and about 1 tablespoon of potato salad. Have had some more yoghurt for dinner.

All in all I have had a fantastic weekend. Think I'm gonna sleep well tonight :)

Welcome Epiphany & V

I would like to welcome 2 new followers to my blog, Epiphany , and V.

2 Weeks Post-op

So I'm now 2 weeks down. I weighed in this morning at exactly 86 kg / 189.5 pounds. That is a loss of 800 grams / 1.7 pounds. With a total loss of 6 kg / 13.2 pounds in 3 weeks. I'll take that any day :) I'm only one kilo away now from my first goal of 85 kg.

Lost another 3 cm around my waist. Bringing that to a total loss of 11 cm in 3 weeks.

I love my band :)

I'm feeling really normal now. No more pain at the port site. I'm now able to sleep back on my tummy. Now that I'm on mushies I feel like I'm able to eat normal again (kinda). Had half a cup of slow cooked lamb casserole and one tablespoon of mash for dinner last night and still feel kinda full this morning, gotta love that. Also had a glass of wine last night with hubby. Took me about 30 minutes to drink it which I am NOT used to. Think I'm going to become a cheap date now. Small meals and only a glass or two of wine. LOL. Might have to start ordering the expensive stuff haha.

Also a big welcome to Roo. I have enjoyed reading your blog :)

An Extra Big Welcome Today

So I'd first like to welcome 2 new followers to my blog, Maree and Sarah. It's still kinda weird to think that people from around the globe are reading about my experiences. I really like that people are interested. So a big thank you to all of my followers. Without you I think I might feel a little lost in my journey.

And the Extra big welcome is to my Family.

Hehe, my Mum found out about my surgery and has been following my blog. She found me through my scrapire nights blog. I suspected that she might have known when I got a text from her on the morning of my surgery wishing me luck :) but today was the first time I talked with her about it.

I also have just told my Dad (who in turn will tell my step Mum - I hope hehe). I was a little apprehensive about telling everyone because I didn't want to feel judged during the time of surgery and recovery. I basically just wanted to concentrate on my self. Anyway I was totally worrying about nothing and everyone has been so wonderful and supportive.

I love my family to bits and I feel a little embarrassed now for not letting everyone know that I was having surgery. I feel kinda relieved now that everyone knows.

Big kisses xxxxx

Onto Mushies...YAY!

Well I spoke with my Dietition this afternoon and she was very happy with my progress so has decided it is now okay to move onto mushies. I never thought I would be so happy to be allowed to eat tin tuna.

I'm pretty much allowed to eat most things as long as they are mashed up. I can have spaghetti bolognese, savoury mince, Cottage Pie, any kind of casserole, you get the drift. She said to make a few up and freeze them in half cup portions, then I will have variety and won't be tempted to overeat and possibly stretch my small stomach.

I'm only allowed to have half a cup of food at one sitting and to try and take 15 minutes to eat it. I am not allowed to have any fluids with my food or for 10 mins before or after eating. I am to try and only have 3 meals a day for the first 3 days then I can introduce two snacks, one a dairy (yoghurt, custard, cottage cheese) and one a fruit (mashed banana, stewed fruits) if I am getting hungry.

I am no longer allowed to have protein shakes, she wants me to get my protein from food. I am more than happy with that. She said to keep my shakes for the 12 hours after each fill. I still need to keep taking my Multivitamin. I'm taking Sypradyn at the moment and when that runs out I can switch to Centrum.

Most importantly is to to "Eat Slowly & Chew Well".

Went to the Ekka :o)

For those that don't know, the Ekka is the Brisbane Royal show, held once a year. My DH and I took our little boys there today for a family day out. We all had heaps of fun, taking the kids for a ride on the bumper cars, buying show-bags (yes I got one too), and NOT eating, well I didn't any way. OMG it was so hard smelling all the wonderful Carnival foods and not being able to have any. They sure did smell a hell of a lot better than the cow sheds there. Peww....Got in heaps of exercise and I am so buggered now.

1 week Post-op

Well I'm one week down and holy WOW I've lost 3.2kg this week and 4.5cm around my waist. That's a total of 5.2 kg in two weeks and 8cm around my waist.

I LOVE MY BAND

I HATE PROTEIN SHAKES. LOL.

No hunger chest pains last night. Yay.

Also just want to welcome my new followers, Sara Beth Jones, Blossom, JCraft42003 (sorry don't have any blog details as yet).

Also want to shout out to Jocelyn, she has 3 months to go till surgery and is having some issues she is working through. Hop on over to her blog and give her the encouragement that I know really helps in this time. :)

6 Days in and a hic-up :(

So almost everything is going to plan. I'm sticking to liquids although I am hankering for a ham and cheese toasted sandwich.

My problem lies with hunger pains. They have been waking me up in the wee hours of the morning for the last 3 nights now. The past 2 nights I have gone to bed with a protein shake near the bed to sip on through the night. If I try to ignore it the pain in my chest is so intense that I want to cry out. Has any one else experienced this?

I had to go into my Surgeons office this morning to pay my final account. While I was there Dr Martin was chatting to his receptionist. He asked how I was doing and took a look at my incisions (which are healing well), I told him about the night hunger and he was a little concerned that it could be something a little more sinister than starving to death. He wanted me to go and get an ultrasound to make sure I am not developing Gall Stones. Oh bugger.... Anyways after waiting 2 hours in the x-ray department at the hospital I got in for my Ultrasound. The sonographer said she could not see anything so hopefully it is all okay.

Man I would kill for a sandwich right now.

Versatile Blogger Award

Woohoo, thanks so much Sam (http://banded4me.blogspot.com/) for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award.

This is my first ever blog award and I am stocked. I think it is wonderful that people can express their appreciation through something as simple as a blog award. It really makes my heart smile :)

Here are 7 things you don't know about me.

1. I'm totally addicted to reading blogs. I love hitting the "Next Blog" icon at the top of the page and just reading about some random persons blog. It really brings up some wonderful things and makes me think about the world in a different light.

2. As a kid my favourite movie was called Mannequin. I used to watch it over and over and over. I watched it for a laugh a few months back and could not get over how lame it was. I wonder what it was about that movie that kept on bringing me back.

3. I lived in a small place called Ghooli for a whole 16 years of my childhood. It was just a small place of 10 houses on the side of the highway where the water line used to run through from Perth to Kalgoorlie. We didn't have a store or anything. The closest place (Southern Cross) was 13km away and as kids we occasionally used to ride our bikes into town.

4. My poor mother accidentally poisoned our first puppy, Patch with rat bait when I was young. I still have dreams sometimes of him lying super still on the lawn near our grape vine. She cried for days.

5. I fantasise about getting a full back tattoo done of some burlesque pin up girls. LOL my husband would freak.

6. My favourite past-time is papercrafts. I have another blog where I post some of my stuff. I've only been doing it for 7 months and my craft room looks like I've been collecting stuff for years. Hmmm much money spent there!!!

7. I love my Dad more than words can ever say. He is my hero and without him I would never be the wonderful person that I am today.

Onto some nominations...um.

1. Michelle from http://bandsterjourney.blogspot.com/ - she is doing so well with the band and juggling this with raising 6 kids. Wow, what a wonder woman.

2. Sara Jones from http://julybandster.blogspot.com/ - my god she mad me laugh so hard with her comment about her pants. I almost wet mine. LOL.

3. Alyce from http://myrescueispossible.blogspot.com/ - This girl is simply stunning. She is going to go so well. She is currently battling her way through 4 weeks of optifast. Go girl**

I'm sure there is many more out there but just have to get around to them. Thanks again Sam.

Shoutout to Brie & Day 3

I just want to welcome Brie to my blog. Please let me know if you have a blog that I can follow.

So I am now 3 days out of surgery. I still have not had any gas/shoulder pain but I did get a fair bit of wind pain yesterday. It seems to have passed (mind the pun) now though. I'm not having any difficulty with the liquid diet and I've already lost 2kg since Thursday morning. WOW. My breath smells like a camel has been camping out in my mouth from the ketosis, so I've been brushing my teeth like 5 times a day.

I woke up this morning at 4am feeling starving hungry. I was actually getting tummy pains and my stomach was growling so loudly, so I got up and had a few sips of some protein shake I had in the fridge. It worked a treat.

I'm up and Running

I'm back home now. My darling hubby collected me from the hospital this morning.

The surgery went really well. The surgeon had to repair a Hiatus Hernia while he was inside, so that should cure the reflux I've been having since my pregnancy 3.5 years ago.

I'm not in too much pain thanks to the meds. I'm a little bit tender in the port site and I've been lucky to get away with no shoulder pain at all.

I'm not hungry at all although my tummy is rumbling. It is a strange feeling. :)

Stats day before Surgery

Well I have my bag packed ready to go to the hospital at 7am tomorrow morning. I thought I might just jot down my measurements before I go.

Weight: 89.4kg (lost 2.6kg on 1 week of Opti)

Waist: 100.5cm (loss 3.5)

Hips: 118cm (loss 6)

Chest: 109cm (loss 3)

Thigh: 73cm (loss 2)

Arms: 34cm (loss 1)

Total loss of 15.5cm. WOW. I'm wrapped.

Happy dance....

Also a quick welcome to Seeing in Colour, thanks for following and commenting :)

Welcome

Hi just want to say welcome Sam to my blog. I also hope I can get to sleep tonight. Fingers crossed. :o)

The hospital rang this arvo to confirm my admission on Thursday morning and to go through what will happen. All I heard was that I will have a three hour wait (WTF?) so bring a good book or some magazines, then they will prep me to go in for my surgery at 10.30. Why on earth do I have to be there 3 hours early god only knows.

Optifast not going great, think I'm going to have to fast tomorrow. :(

2 more sleeps

Well if that is what you can call it. I got hardly any sleep at all last night, my mind is racing at a thousands miles thinking about everything band related. I'm so damn excited about it all. I can't stop thinking about how my eating will change and how great I'm eventually gonna look, or how extremely lucky I am to get this opportunity to control my weight long term, with very little chance of failure. I just want to scream it from the roof tops and I'm busting a gut trying to keep it a secret. I'm so bloody worried about what anyone else might have to say. My hubby says "Stuff 'Em", just wish I could too. :o)

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and advice, you girls are great.

x

3 More Sleeps

Well I'm kinda over my little freak out and am now just looking forward to starting my journey. I'm totally over this Optifast diet. No wonder I never managed to stick to these shake diets before, they are complete bollocks.

On a lighter note I contacted my health insurance and it looks like they are going to cover almost everything. I do have a $250 excess that I will have to pay, which really is nothing compared to the cost of the surgery. I guess paying thousands in insurance for 20 years has finally paid off. :)

My husband is starting to get really excited for me. I'm sure he is getting sick of all my babbling about it though. Guess he better get used to it cause there is gonna be a heap more to come once I finally have the band. He did have one question that I couldn't answer though "Will I be able to drink beer?". We love to have a nice beer together on the weekends and I guess he is a little concerned he will lose his drinking buddy. LOL. I am also a little curious about this so anyone with an answer there would be great?

Thanks

Starting to get a little nervous.

Well this time next week I will have been banded for one day. I am starting to get a little nervous and anxious about the surgery. Not so much the recovery or the stay in hospital but the actual surgery, the time I will be under. I'm worried about not waking up, or the doc hitting a nerve or something and me waking up a paraplegic.

I know that the chances of these things happening are really rare, but I do not have the best of luck at most times. It seems to be a curse that runs in my Father's line. It is a bit of a joke in my family and my Husband is always pulling the piss out of me for it, so I'm just sitting here thinking a little to much and saying to myself "Well it would be just my luck if ... were to happen".

Arrgghh, maybe the lack of carbs are starting to play with my mind.

Just a little motto.

" Never give up what you want most, for what you want in the moment"

I have to live by this motto while on Optifast. I am finding it quite hard and have to keep looking at the big picture.

Pro-op Bikini Pictures

Arrggg....Well so many people over the years tell me I am not overweight and that I look healthy (I'm sure we have all heard this from time to time). Here is the proof that what they say is totally wrong.

I bought this bikini a few years back (maybe 5) when I was at my lowest weight. Although I can JUST fit into it, it is by no means flattering to see (no 80cm waist here). I hid away in my bedroom to take these pictures so no one would see me in this horrid swimsuit and here I go posting it all over the internet. I've decided to do this so that I can keep some type of visual record of my journey and felt it very important to showcase the start.

Pro-op diet is going okay. Had a bit of a blow out last night with dinner. Oh well.

Met with Surgeon

I met with my surgeon yesterday arvo for the first time. He said I only have to do 1 week of opt-fast. It was nice to be able to have some meat last night for dinner. I have decided though that I am going to stay on it from now till the 29th as I was feeling some benefits of it. I think it would be great to be able to drop a couple of pounds before hand also, which is a big plus.

My Surgeon is just the most loveliest man. He seems very confident that the lap-band will do wonders for me, which was encouraging to hear.

I am booked into the hospital at 7am on Thursday 29th July. It just can't seem to come around fast enough. I am loving reading everyone's blogs. It really helps ease any of the nerves and anxiety I might have. Thanks to everyone. x

Day 1 - Post-op Diet

Well I guess I've been kind of lucky. I have not found the vanilla optifast shake or the berry bar to be repulsive. In fact I kinda liked them.

I just finished a huge salad for lunch that had heaps of leaves, beetroot, tomatoes, mushies, spanish onion, snow peas in it. I also topped it with some grilled asparagus and squeezed a little lemon juice on top. It was delish. I followed this with half a punnet of strawbs. They are just coming into season and they are just the most tastiest little sweet morsels ever. Yummo.

Gonna make a big vege stir fry up for dinner with some soy and oyster sauce. Will also cook up some lamb chops for the kids and Nanny (who is staying with us and has no idea what I am doing. I have lied and told her I am having reflux issues that will be getting looked at).

Will then try one of the optifast choc desserts.

Yay 2 weeks today and I will be on the table.

Update and welcome.

Firstly I would like to welcome Alyce to my blog. It is encouraging to know that people are reading along.

Next, I had my Dietitian appointment today. I have been put on the Pre-op Optifast diet, starting tomorrow. I am a little worried about this as my diet will only consist of 3 optifast products, berries, veg/salad & diet jelly. I asked about other things like small portion of protien and was told that it works the best if you stick to the diet, so no. I'm not really all that bothered because I was expecting this pre-op diet after reading everyone's blogs. I'm just really excited to have everything moving along so quickly and smoothly.

The receptionist confirmed that I am booked in for surgery on Thursday 29th July, only 2 weeks away. Wow, I'm super duper excited. I have my first meeting with the surgeon on Friday and am wracking my brains trying to come up with a few questions for him but everyone's blogs are so very informative that I'm having a little trouble there.

I've read through Catherine's Chronicles from Band Land blog from start to finish. It took me a while but she is such an amazing inspiration for someone like me just starting out. She has given some wonderful tips, one being to write a pro's and con's list before surgery. I think I am going to take some time out this evening to think this through. I am finding it very hard to come up with any con's at the moment, so it must be a good thing.

Also I have taken a couple of before bikini shots, I'm a little nervous about putting those up but I'm sure they will make an appearance sooner or later. :o)

Cheers

Nikki

Welcome Cara & Band-Groupie

Just wanted to thank a couple of new followers. Cara, The Dash, from Perth, WA. Yay, I'm also a Sand-groper :o) & The Band-Groupie from The Sweet Spot.

Thanks girls for you support. I've read over both of your blogs and find you a great inspiration. I'm sure I will have plenty of questions in the future and everyone's help will become so valuable.

First Appointment with Nurse

So I just got back from my first appointment with my Surgeon's Nurse. She took my stats down (weighed in at 92kg on her scales), and wanted to have a long chat about where I was at. She was very positive that the band would be the right option for me. I was so excited to hear that she thinks that my Surgeon will be happy to treat me. Yay.

Anyway I now have an appointment with the Dietician for next Wednesday, 14th. The Nurse said I will most likely be placed on the pre-op diet then.

I then have an appointment with the Surgeon next Friday, 16th. He will just need to go through most of the same things the Nurse did and be sure that I am right for the procedure.

Then if all is going well I am booked in for Surgery on Thursday 29th July. Holy cow, so close. I'm super excited and just can't wait for this new chapter of my life to begin.

Oh almost forgot to add that she gave me a goal weight of 65kg. :o) Can't wait to be there.

Thanks to Carmen, Maria & Band-Babe

Just want to say welcome to Carmen, Maria & Band-Babe. It's great to know there is such a wonderful support network out there.

My starting Stats.

Height: 167 cm / 5'5"

Weight (first up): 91.3 kg / 201.3 pounds

BMI: 32.7

Healthy Weight Range Goal: 69 kg / 152 pounds

Measurements

Waist: 104 cm / 41"

Hips: 124 cm / 49"

Chest: 112 cm / 44"

Thigh: 75 cm / 29.5"

Arms: 35 cm / 13.75"

I have my first appointment tomorrow with the surgeons office (Dr Ian Martin, in Brisbane). I have to see the nurse first. I guess she will just take all my stats and possibly take blood. I'm not really sure what will happen. I am a little nervous that she might reject my request, although I don't think she can since I have a referral from my GP. My wonderful DH is going to come along for support. He is really all for this and would love to see me feeling confident and happy in myself again. I have not felt happy for many years now.

Welcome to my new followers

Just wanted to say thanks for following to Grace, Robin & Andrew. :o)

My first Followers

Wow, so I already have a couple of followers, Debi (Hawaii Bound Bandster) and Nerolid (Workinprogress), thanks so much for your support, I'm sure I'm going to need every little bit of it in the following weeks/months/years :).

I think blogspot might be playing up a bit cause sometimes you show in my followers bars and sometimes not. Rest assured though because you do always show in my Dashboard.

I will be doing a little post tomorrow with some of my stats.

Oh Happy 4th July to the American folks :)

Some Fat Pics.

Welcome everyone & Goodbye to my Ass!

Well it feels like forever since I started on my lifelong diet. In fact it was 20 years ago. My mother put me on my very first ever diet when I was 14. I was a little chubby but by no means overweight.
Since then I have yoyo dieted my way up to a BMI of just over 33 or 92kg. I have tried almost everything possible to get to a healthy weight and maintain it. The lowest I got down to was when I was 21. I was 62kg but I didn't get there the healthy way. I was well and truely addicted to Duromine. I then went on and off Duromine for a total of 9 years untill I fell pregnant with my twin boys. Since the birth 3.5 years ago I have tried heaps of stuff to shift the 25kg that I put on (got up to 108kg, with babies) including Weight Watchers x 3, Tony Ferguson, Celebrity slim, Biggest loser, Lite n' Easy, Curves diet, Acai & Colon cleanse, my doc even put me on Reductil (till it was pulled from the market) to try to lower my ever increasing blood sugar level and cholesterol.
So with great thought and support from my Darling Husband, I have decided to "Finally Lose It!". How do I plan to do this?, you may ask, well I'm getting a Lap Band...
Lap Band, yes a Lap Band. There I have said it.
I've only told 3 people, my Brother (who is also interested in the surgery), and my neighbours (and friends) who we socialise with a bit so I felt they would find out soon enough anyway.
I'm a little scared that people might judge me and say "I'm taking the easy way out" or "cheating", well I thought this a little also. It is hard to change a lifelong thought pattern of diet, diet, diet. Well the fact is that yes I am "cheating", I'm cheating an early death. I've come to realise that at the age of 34 after dieting for 20 years and still being Obese that it is time to step up to the plate and really get some help.
So why have I decided to post my surgery in the most public of ways, well I guess I like the thought of strangers knowing my inner feelings and thoughts. Yes strange but kind of appealing.