Fifty-three!

As of this morning, I'm down 53.6 pounds! I am getting excited about hitting 55! It's really amazing how much more quickly the scale has been moving since I made it through the first 6 weeks of Boot Camp. I guess it may be true that the extra muscle I built is helping me to burn more calories.

Sketch!

I had so much fun doing the cariacature of Erica for her shower and bachelorette invitations that, tonight, I decided to try to do one of myself. Here it is! Fun, right?!

I love Illustrator and my Wacom drawing tablet! It makes it so easy to make things like this!

The Rest of the Wedding Update. . .

Me with Erica's niece and nephew (they thought I looked, and I quote, "like the princess from Enchanted" so I super extra love them! I also love how their mom is looking on behind us with a big, warm smile.) :)

Other than me going up to PP to break the ice at the very beginning, I didn't really interact with him at the reception. It was weird -- the girl was gone (bathroom?) for like 30 minutes at one point, and he just stayed alone, sitting at the table by himself -- totally weird, given that all of his best guy friends were at the party and he knew a ton of people. A few people commented about that to me, and I had noticed it as well.


Toward the end of the night, he and his friend Kevin (who I know and like a lot) were standing talking by themselves, and I went up and talked with them for a minute (most of my other friends were dancing at that point). BIZARRELY, all of a sudden, PP says (as though a genius bulb went off in head. . but clearly that was not the case) "Hold on a Second!" and I look at Kevin like "WTF?"
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Then I turned my head back to PP and see that he is bringing that girl over to us. Then (FREAK!) he says "Catherine [last name], this is [first name, last name of girl]. [First name, last name of girl], this is Catherine [last name]." You should have seen my face -- I was looking at him with the most incredulous WTF?! expression. It was SO AWKWARD. She also looked mortified.

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I just extended my hand and said a very uncomfortable "Hello" and she replied "Hello" (equally uncomfortably). Then, they took a step or two closer to Kevin, and I stood frozen for a second, then said "REALLY?!" (as in "really?! Did you really just introduce me to your new girlfriend, you total loser?) probably loud enough for them to hear me. Then I walked away. Other than that, I was very well behaved, but that was just too much!! What an idiot.
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The wedding was OK though -- not as traumatizing as I thought, and I pretty much knew everyone there or got to know them during the weekend, so it was actually fun aside from the stress associated with PP and his social (and emotional) retardedness!
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I am so glad that event is past me. I feel a sense of freedom now that it no longer is hanging over my head!

Comparison Photos

Before I get back to the story, I wanted to put up some side-by-side comparisons from my pre- (or early) band days vs. last weekend.

Here is a photo of me from Halloween 2008 (my surgery date was 10/23/08) next to one of me at the wedding last weekend (I don't love this photo, but it's the only full length one I have).
Here is one of me at my friend Sharon's wedding in Tuscany in September 2007 (I cut PP out of the photo) :) -- next to the one of me at the rehearsal dinner last weekend. And, here is another one from Sharon's wedding, so that you can get the full idea of how I looked (since I was hiding behind my bouquet in the other one. . . ).

Me, Sharon, Nadia and Li (three of my closest friends)

What a difference 50 pounds makes. . . Not to mention that at Sharon's wedding, my feet were KILLING ME. . whereas I wore those heels all night at the rehearsal dinner and didn't even notice! NSV!

The Big Event. . .

Self-portrait with the bride and MOH (her sister) at the house before the ceremony. This took about 7 takes because they are both at least 4 inches taller than me!

The wedding was really beautiful, and the weather could not have been better. I got up in the morning, played an hour of tennis (loved it!) with a friend, then showered and sat pool-side for two or so hours with Becca (the MOH -- maid of honor) before we went over to Erica's house to get ready with her for the wedding.

Because PP didn't show up at rehearsal dinner after party, the first time I saw him was when I was driving up with Erica and Becca to the outdoor chapel where the ceremony took place. He and the new girlfriend were walking over the hill, down to the water where the guests were seated. My heart lurched, and I felt a little sick. I did my best not to react (other than to say that I could see him), since I didn't think it would be fair to Erica to take the focus off of the event that was about to happen.

When I walked down the aisle, I tried not to look at him, but I did catch a quick glimpse. For a few minutes, I thought that the new girlfriend was totally gorgeous (didn't have my glasses on and only saw her for a split second). Brace yourself. . . it's petty time. . . But, after I got a closer look, I saw that she was NOT that pretty and was, in fact, more than a bit horsey. I know. . . that's mean, it's not her fault, blah blah blah. . . but it did make me feel better that he didn't trade me in for a Ferrari. :)

At the reception (on a lawn overlooking the water). This girl is the friend who set me up on the blind date with the writer.

Adam, Erica and Adam's dad, doing a welcoming toast

We didn't do a receiving line after the ceremony, so there was no encounter there. It wasn't until we got to the reception that I felt really awkward. Fortunately, all of the girls were awesome backup, so when I had to walk past them to get my seating card, Emily went with me and we pretended to be engrossed in conversation. . .

Emily and Lauren

Then, a few minutes later, PP was standing talking to a guy who I know and like, so I decided to go up and say hello and just get it over with. It was a bit bittersweet. Clearly, we really care about each other and still have a great connection, but he just can't move forward in life for some reason. Anyway, he was definitely blown away by the change in my appearance, and told me how great he thought I looked several times. I thanked him, and told him that I was feeling incredible, much healthier and stronger than I've felt for as long as I can remember. After a few minutes, I excused myself and went to talk to other friends. It was a relief to have gotten the encounter out of the way.

I have more to write, but have got to leave for work! More soon.

I'm a Surviva!

So, I made it through the wedding weekend with my dignity intact! I did not karaoke Alanis Morisette's "You Oughtta Know" while wasted and glaring at Peter Pan! (A friend and I made a pre-event game of thinking up worst-case scenarios . . that came in Second Place, just after "showing up and seeing his new girlfriend with an obvious baby bump and a big engagement ring. . "!) Not to worry -- none of the worst case stuff happened!

I'm exhausted right now, but wanted to at least post a bit. I'll tell the ex-encounter story next time. For now, I wanted to at least say that (thank you, Band) I felt confident that I looked much better than when PP (Peter Pan) and I were together, and I really loved my dresses. Funny enough, my inexpensive Victoria's Secret dress for the rehearsal dinner made me feel even better than the very expensive Badgley Mischka dress I wore at the wedding.

The bride, MOH and me at the rehearsal dinner. . .

Major NSV. This is the first time (almost ever) where I saw a full-length photo of myself and was really happy with it! I didn't want to instantly delete it at all! On the contrary, it made me wish that PP would have shown up at the post-rehearsal dinner festivities because I know he would have loved this dress on me.

Unfortunately-ish, he didn't show up -- despite that his host (he stayed at the house of a mutual friend) texted him a few times to get him to go. I am absolutely sure that he did not come because of me, and that's OK. I just wish I would have known that so that I wouldn't have been a bundle of nerves, anxiously watching the door the whole time.

I wonder if his guy friends told him how I looked at the event. Most of them haven't seen me since the engagement party (about 20 pounds ago), or even earlier. One of them was like "Hi! You look great! Did you change your hair?" They were clearly not sure about whether it was OK to say anything about the weight loss, but it was nice to see that they noticed.

More to follow tomorrow!

Packed up and ready to go. . .

Dress. . check
Straightening Iron. . . check
Industrial-strength Spanx. . check

Looks like I'm ready to go! :) I'll definitely post about the wedding weekend (and how the ex-encounter goes) and put up photos when I get back.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sympathy Silliness

Last night, I went to Boot Camp, came home, showered and poured myself a glass of wine. Very civilized! I called up my mom, and we wound up talking for quite a while. One of her good friends had an accident -- she had slammed her pointer finger into a door, and partially severed part of the tip (they will be able to fix it).

Well, over the course of the conversation, I poured myself another glass of wine, and suddenly got an idea! Hey -- let's send her The Pointer Sisters' Greatest Hits . . . in honor of her pointer finger, of course! So, my mother and I ordered the CD shown below, and sent it to her with a card that says. .

Dear J,


We are very sorry to hear about your pointer, sister. We hope that this little gift will cheer you up during this difficult time.

With love and affection,

K and Catherine


My mother and I practically killed ourselves laughing at this silliness and thinking about how much J will crack up when she receives the gift tomorrow. Happily, she has just the sense of humor that she will find this really funny, too!! (Er . . at least, in the light of day, I am now hoping so!!) :)

Fifty-two!

Wow! I am down 52.2 as of this morning! Once I got past the hurdle of the sixth week of Boot Camp, I feel like my weight really started moving again! This is great. My 8 week session is over, so I signed on for 36 more sessions.

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Honestly, it's really doing the trick. Last night, I tried on the dress I bought to wear to my friends' rehearsal dinner (this Friday night. . . yes, the dreaded ex-encounter will finally be over by this time next week). Anyway, the dress really looked great -- it is flattering, fits perfectly, and my body (my formerly much thicker and heavier body that I never would have thought this about) looks great in it. Amazing -- thank you band!

Two NSVs This Weekend

I was walking through my old neighborhood (West Village) on Saturday with a friend, and stopped by my dry cleaner/laundry to say hi to the proprietor (I sent my laundry there for 5 years, so we had a lot of interaction). It hadn't struck me that she hasn't seen me since I was banded, so I was really surprised to see her do a double take when I came in. She is an adorable Asian woman, very warm and nice -- and gave me a big hug. She seemed so happy by my weight loss that she looked like she might tear up! She said that I look like a different person and much prettier (nothing like being direct. .), which I take in the positive way it was intended. It was a nice surprise to get such a big reaction!

Later that day, I saw a woman from my yoga class (I haven't been for months) and she said the same thing -- that I look like a completely different person. This is a funny reaction to me, I mean -- I still look like myself, just a thinner version. I guess that may be how people relate to big weight changes. Anyway, it was nice to get this positive feedback!

What a difference 15 pounds makes. . .

I thought it would be interesting to show the difference between me being 51 lbs down vs how I looked in April when I was 36 pounds down. It's only a 15 pound change, so it's still a bit subtle. But, fortunately for comparison's sake, I tend to wear the same outfit a zillion times if I like it, so both photos are in the same dress!

Here is a photo of me from Saturday at the High Line (BTW, this dress is from Garnet Hill -- it is so comfortable). This isn't the best photo ever, but it is a rare full-length one, so I thought I'd post it anyway:

And, here is me in the same dress in April (I wish I knew how to post them side-by-side. . does anyone know how to do that?):I really see a difference in my hips here. I guess that makes sense, since they are 2 inches smaller now than on the day that photo was taken (I am SO glad I have been taking my measurements! I like being able to figure out things like this). Also, my waist is 3.8 inches smaller now than in the April photo, and that seems to make a difference too. It's interesting for me to see this progress.

Funny though -- I still feel like this dress makes me look bigger than I think I am! Maybe it's not as flattering as I think it is after all!

Visiting The High Line

Yesterday, I had a really great day. I met a friend of mine at The High Line at around 11. The High Line is a new park that was created on the raised area where freight trains used to run in Manhattan (to keep them off the streets because they were dangerous). (See http://www.thehighline.org/ for more info.)

The park is just beautiful. It's a great mix of nature and urban beauty! Here are a few more photos.

After visiting The High Line, I had brunch with three friends, then spent the rest of the day with two of the three getting some sun on the terrace of my apartment building. When we came down, I had a message from a friend from high school who I really like, and we wound up meeting up with her for dinner. What a great day!

This area was really cool -- there are glass windows looking out on to the street, and the way it is staged makes you feel as though you are watching a movie of cars going by!

Watching the cars go by. . .

Motivated Mom!

I wanted to take a minute today to give major props to my mother! Not only has she done really well on her own diet (she lost 20 lbs), but she also quit smoking!! After smoking for most of her adult life, she has now been sans-smoke for what must be nearly 2 months now. I am so proud of her!!!

She also just got back from a trip to Egypt with her BF, which is also very cool! I am especially impressed and awed that she -- a person who is not that comfortable with big animals -- got up on a camel to take this awesome photo!

All of you who have read my blog from the beginning also know that my mom has been a huge supporter of my decision to get the band. Actually, everyone I have told in my family has been really wonderful. But, my mom does get special props for being not only a great source of encouragement, but also for coming to Mexico with me when I had my surgery and even sleeping in my hospital room when I had to stay overnight. Go mom!!! Thank you for all you do!!

I will add that she is a regular follower of a bunch of other bandster blogs. I know that she reads Sarah's (Losing Weight, Gaining Tons), Angie's, Cara's (The Dash) and many others. When I talked to her a few days ago, she was very empathetic about Lise's unfill situation and is always really happy to see how well everyone is doing.

More Data on My Rate-a

I did a little math yesterday to see how my rate of loss (in pounds per week) during the past 8 weeks of Boot Camp has compared to my overall rate from surgery through May 21st. I really wanted to see what building more muscle meant in terms of scale numbers, and thought others might be interested in this as well. So, here are the stats:

Up to May 21st, I was averaging 1.43 pounds per week. Then, during the first four weeks of boot camp (when I was building a ton of muscle), I only dropped 2.2 pounds -- and during that time, there was a 17 day stretch when I didn't lose an ounce! Then, during the last four weeks, I've dropped 5.4 pounds -- which puts me back around 1.35 pounds per week for the 8 week period. Here is how the weeks break down:

Weeks 1-4: .55 lbs/week (with zero lost for 17 days in a row during that time!)
Weeks 5-6: .5 lbs/week
Weeks 7-8: 2.2 lbs/week

So, it looks like I just had to get through about 4-6 weeks of muscle-building to get back to losing. And, it seems that with all that extra muscle, I may have amped up my metabolism a bit! Very encouraging!!

BTW, I saw the new Harry Potter movie last night. Loved it!

Fifty-One!

I didn't expect anything more from my scale this morning, after yesterday's wonderful news. But, it's down another pound already (51.4 in total)! That is fantastic!! :)

Wrapping My Brain Around It, Part II

As I did at 40 lbs, I thought it would be good for me to think about what 50 lbs really means, and try to conceptualize how much weight that is. I still have to go to the gym to pick up 50 lbs of barbells and walk around with them, but I'll do that soon.

With respect to my body, 50 lbs translates into just over 24 inches lost. . and six sizes! If we measured it out in sugar, this is what it would look like:

Measured in kayaks, it would be this blue one right here! (Can you imagine. . . before last October, I was basically carrying that kayak on my back (and hips. . and thighs. . . .) every day!!)

I can practically hear your question. . "But Catherine, what I really want to know is, how much weight is that in Sled Dogs??" Why funny that you should ask! I was effectively carrying Rover here around all day, every day. . .

And, for consistency's sake, we should really think about what 50 lbs means to a fish! This guy's arm looks like it's about to give out.

Bye bye and good riddance, fifty! I don't want to see you ever, ever again.

Nifty Fifty!

I am still on such a high from today's weigh-in! I basically floated through the whole day with a big smile on my face, and it was so great to see all of the nice messages that everyone posted!

Pretty much my expression for the entire day:

As special treat for hitting 50 down, I popped out to The Gap during lunch. We are having a wear-jeans-for-charity week at work, and a friend told me that the pair I had on were too baggy. Mind you, those jeans are a size 18 from The Gap -- and it was a such big milestone for me when I was finally able to fit into them again (on Superbowl Sunday)! It was unimaginable to me at this time last year that they soon would be way too big!

So. . . I get to The Gap and pull a bunch of jeans in size 16. And they were all TOO BIG! I then had someone pull a pair I liked in a 14, and they fit like a glove! WOW!! I totally skipped size 16 in jeans! That means that I'm down 6 jean sizes from when I started. I am just totally thrilled and so happy about this!!

FIFTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

I am so happy right now!!!! I literally have tears in my eyes because I am so thrilled to FINALLY have made it to 50 lbs down!! This is so major and so great, and even though I knew how amazing it would feel to see that number on the scale, it's even better than expected. :)

As of this morning, I am 50.6 lbs down. I have gone from a very unhealthy 37.2 BMI down to a 28.95 (still overweight, but not in the scary range)! And, I've lost a grand total (as of this morning) of 24.05 inches. Thank you, band!!

I have about 25 more pounds to go to my goal. This means I'm only 25 lbs heavier than I want to be!! As opposed to 75 lbs more, which is where I was last October.

I feel very lucky to have had so much support from family and friends (including everyone who follows this blog) and am excited to keep up the work I need to do to get to goal!

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY FIFTY!!! :) :)

Point two. . .

The scale this morning shows me as .2 down after the weekend. That means that I am now just 2/10ths of a pound away from being 50 lbs down. I really want to see that new 10 lb range this week.

Hey .2 -- get off of me!!! And take a friend or two with you!!

Home Sweet Hamptons. . .

The pool and pool shed. .

I have serious house envy after my weekend in the Hamptons! We had such a great time out there, played a bunch of tennis, soaked up the sun poolside, went out to dinner in East Hampton and just enjoyed lounging around generally!

"ChickenDog" makes a run for it!

My friend's brother had his new girlfriend visiting and her crazy --but very sweet-- dog. . . who was just cuckoo for tennis balls! We had to put him in the house while we were playing, since he would run across the court, trying to get all the balls! It was actually pretty cute.

I really noticed this weekend that Boot Camp and the band have made a HUGE difference in my overall fitness and endurance on the tennis court. I didn't get tired at all and was able to run as much as I wanted. What a great feeling!!

Here is a photo of a really fun sculpture of an elephant that was in the backyard -- you can move the head up and down, which was highly intriguing to the dog (um, OK, and to me, too)!

The place where we had dinner on Saturday night is right down the road from one of Billy Joel's houses (shown below). Weirdly, he just keeps his motorcycles and cars on the first floor -- you can see them if you look in the window. It was kind of bizarre -- I can't imagine why he would want to keep them there!

I ate reasonably this weekend, though I did have a wee bit of ice cream (not even a whole scoop) on Saturday night. Still, the scale seems to be stubbornly sticking. Darn! I was hoping to get to 50 this weekend!

Weekend, Tennis and Such!

I'm so excited that the weekend is finally here! I'm heading to the Hamptons with one of my friends. Her brother is an eye surgeon and has a very nice house out there, compete with a pool, tennis court and a nice gym. I am thrilled to have been invited!

One thing I haven't mentioned about myself yet is that I LOVE to play tennis! Seriously. LOVE! It's by far my favorite sport. So, I'm dusting off my tennis bag, packing my trusty raquet and my neglected tennis-specific shoes, and am getting ready to go! (We're driving out late to miss the traffic.) I haven't played for about a year and 1/2 -- long before my surgery, and am excited to see how it feels to run around the court now that I'm nearly 50 pounds thinner and in much better shape.

On the WL front, the scale keeps bouncing around (annoyingly). I still don't have that last .4 off to get me to the 50 lb mark, but I know it's just a matter of time. . .

Have a great weekend!

Shocking development. . .

Me at Casa C in Austin

Brace yourselves, people. I actually let one of my friends post a photo of me IN A BATHING SUIT on Facebook, and I didn't untag it or ask her to delete it. Well, I guess there is a first time for everything! :) I love the hat, but it's still hard to see a bathing suit photo of myself. That said, I recognize that this photo shows a lot of improvement from this time last year, so I need to relax and embrace it!

In the interest of full disclosure. . . I did untag at least two other bathing suit photos that were a lot less flattering. . . Guess I've got some more evolving to do! :)

Summer Celebration!

The hostesses

My friend Jennifer and I decided to invite all of our friends to meet up at the bar of The Park restaurant last night (great bar) for a summer celebration. It turned out to be a blast, everyone seemed to mingle with one another, and we wound up having about 30-40 people there. Lots of fun! Here are a few photos from the event.

I had really wanted to invite the cute guy from Boot Camp, but he's been MIA. Oh well!

Erica, Emily, and S

Erica, Jack & Catherine

Am I blue. . . (no, just kind of purple. . )

Um, ouchie!! Check out the big ole purple bruise on my thumb!

I've been doing a decent job of not getting so bruised in Boot Camp. HOWEVER, tonight, I totally whacked my thumb as I grabbed on to a hurdle that I was about to climb over. My thumb instantly got a big purple bruise on it and got really swollen! OUCH! My instructor confirmed that it wasn't broken and told me to suck it up and stop being a baby! Whatever . . Waaah!

I am icing it on a bag of frozen peas right now and all is well. But still! Ouchie!!

Time to cue up a soothing sympathy balad on the world's tiniest violin! :)

By the way, the cute guy hasn't been at Boot Camp for the past week and 1/2. Hopefully he is just on vacation and hasn't finished the program. Fingers crossed!

FORTY NINE!

As of this morning, I'm down 49.6 lbs. Woo-hoo!!! Come on fifty!!! Fifty-point-anything will put me into a new 10-lb range that I haven't seen for probably about six years. I am so excited so see that friendly old number on the scale!

NSVs and Last Dr. Appointment

I posted about the weekend, but never mentioned how my follow-up appointment went with Dr. Ren last Thursday. I didn't need a fill, but since I hadn't been in since March 12th, thought I'd check in and ask her some questions that I had.

She seemed really happy with my progress (I was down 20 lbs since my last visit) and it was reassuring to get her to confirm that it is totally OK that I wasn't losing as quickly now that I'm building muscle in Boot Camp. Actually, it was great to talk to her about this and how I am doing with the band in general. I told her about my crazy workout and got confirmation that I'm OK to climb the highest wall (I've been worried about hurting my port if I have to lean on it -- you can see the three walls at this link -- the third is substantially taller than I am - http://purepowerbootcamp.com/media/print/contem.html).

I also told Dr. Ren that my compartmental syndrome seems to be gone and that I've been able to run. Actually, I got completely choked up when I talked about this and teared up because I was feeling a little overwhelmed by how great this is, and how incredibly happy and grateful I feel to have been able to overcome that problem and to be doing so well in my struggle with my weight. Apparently, I'm not alone in having an emotional response to these things and, according to my Dr., that's why they have tissues all over the office!

The other NSV that I had recently relates to my Austin trip. I generally take all possible measures to make sure that I never have to sit in a middle seat on an airplane. It's not comfortable for anyone, but it's especially bad for the non-teeny! I always fit in my seat, thankfully, but sitting in the middle just sounded like torture to me. . . and I just imagined how much the people on either side would be hating me the whole flight. Anyway, during the shorter (1 hr.) leg of my flight to Austin, I got stuck in the middle seat because I hopped on to an earlier flight at the last minute.

I did not feel like this guy looks during my flight!

In the past, I would have foregone the earlier arrival time to be more comfortable. But I didn't do that this time, and I was completely fine. . and had plenty of room to spare. Major NSV!

A Very Happy 4th!

I just got back from my trip to Austin, and have to say that the only way it could have been better is if it was longer! I got to spend time with my best friend (Grace) and her sister and brother-in-law (C & M), who are long-time friends of mine as well! It was so nice to see everyone and to catch up with them in person. Also, I hadn't seen Grace, C or M since my surgery, and it was great to hear that they really noticed a big difference.

Me at lunch at North with C, prior to our fun shopping jaunt at The Domain, which is a fantastic shopping center in Austin.

No description of this trip would be complete if I did not tell you that C&M are masters in the art of being great hosts (seriously, I was taking notes!) and that staying at their home feels like staying at a very exclusive 5 star resort!

It was H-O-T this weekend!

We spent much of the day time in M&C's glorious pool, sipping bubbly and chatting in the sun. Honestly, it was like heaven! Getting to chill out like that with some of my very favorite people in the world was just fantastic, not to mention very relaxing and decadent! One of the many hosting tips I picked up this weekend is that it is extremely civilized and considerate to put a second, smaller cooler within reach from the pool! It is all the more civilized and considerate when stocked with very nice champagne and ice cold water. :)

Me, living the good life at Casa C!

M manned the grill and made all kinds of delicious food for our 4th of July lunch (and dinner), including that shown below. (No trouble eating a hotdog, and I also had two wings with no issue, though I had a hard time eating steak this weekend. I didn't get stuck, but it did not go down very easily, so I took a long time to eat it to make sure that I chewed it properly. Nonetheless, it was very yummy!)

Grilled hot dogs, an assortment of wings prepared with different marinades, mesquite chips and, of course, a bottle of Louis Roderer Brut Premier!

It was really a great weekend, and there were too many nice things (not to mention delicious meals) to tell about them all. I will add that I was on pins and needles today watching Roddick and Federer battle it out at Wimbledon -- what an amazing match! I am really glad that I got to see it.

I hope everyone had a great 4th!

Restaurant Reflections. . .

My very good friend, Christina, just sent me an e-mail with some great questions about eating with the band. I thought I'd post them here, along with my responses. . .

What do you eat when you go out?
It varies a lot. If my band is feeling tight, I try to order something like soup or something mushy that will be easy to get down. Fish also is a great option, since most varieties are relatively soft in texture and easy to chew.

When you posted about sushi, you said that you didn't eat the rice -- why is that?
I was thinking of the rice as empty calories, and I wanted to be able to eat more fish, so I saved room by not eating the rice as well. I did eat a bite or two of it though, and it went down just fine.

What would you order in an Italian restaurant?
I went to a very nice Italian restaurant on Sunday night . . . Babbo (it's one of Mario Battali's places). I split an arugula salad with Erika (I just had a few bites) and ordered a small plate of gnocci with braised oxtail. It was DELICIOUS!

What would you order in a French restaurant?
Hmm. . I haven't been out for French food recently, but fish is always good and is generally very easy to eat, so that would be one good option. I can actually eat most things, so there is never a problem finding something good on the menu.

How about Mexican?
I go to a Mexican restaurant for brunch most weekends. No problems there. I can have guacamole with a chip or two (not more because I get too full, plus, it's fattening) and usually get either a quesadilla or carnitas (tacos with grilled pork -- I only eat the pork and leave the tortilla).

Do you think you have already changed your eating habits?
Yes. Working with the band is not hard for me at this point -- it has just become what I do.

You wrote what you do for breakfast, but what about other meals?
For lunch at work, I either bring a soup or I order food for delivery. I usually wind up getting soup, but sometimes I do sushi (would do it more, but it's expensive), and I even get a salad once in a while. A few times, when I needed to get in more protein, I've ordered a tuna salad wrap and just ate the tuna. I keep my office door closed during lunch -- that way if I get stuck, no one else has to know about it. (I kept my door closed during lunch before the surgery as well -- that's pretty common in my office.

Dinner varies a lot. If I'm home, I might make a scrambled egg (one egg. . a bit of cheese and some spices) or even have a low-calorie microwaveable dinner. If I'm feeling more festive, I might poach a piece of fish or cook some scallops.

Babbo's gnocci with braised oxtail. I am drooling.

Do you ever fight against hunger?
No. I still get hungry when it's time to eat, but I get satisfied pretty quickly. I eat whenever I am hungry, which is usually 3 times a day. Also, unlike before I was banded, I can't really overeat anymore. I mean, I could, if I wanted to spend an hour or two trying to get down more food than I should have, but that's a big time investment! :) Before the band, I would often eat whatever was on my plate without stopping until I felt full (and by that point, I surely was overly full). Or I'd finish something because it was delicious, even though my hunger was totally satisfied. So, I was frequently overeating.

Do you think you really need the band to eat and live like that or is it mostly a mental help?
I do think that I need it to keep me on the straight and narrow. I think that if I did not have it, it would be very easy to slip into my old habits without really thinking about it. In some ways, the band is a mental help, but the biggest help is that it physically limits me from overeating and from eating whatever I want without thinking about it (how it will go down, whether it is what I want -- given that I only get to eat a small amount each day, etc.) first.

I thought these were great questions -- and hope it made for an interesting post!