Comparison Shot. . . 21 Months Post-Band

This compilation turned out pretty tiny! But. . if you click on it, it gets frighteningly big! I have to get another full-length photo of myself in jeans and a black top so that I can do a proper comparison. BTW, I wrote size 8 on my current photo. . but that dress is a 10. I was going by Gap jeans sizes (which I used in the other photos), not the actual size of that dress. :)

I logged on today planning to do a post for new bandsters. . . about something I wish I would have done before my surgery or even shortly afterwards. I really wish that I would have taken more before photos (instead of cropping the heck out of everything for years) and that I would have taken one photo of myself in the same spot, in a similar outfit, every month from start to present. I would really like to be able to see (and post) a flip-book-type montage of those photos to see how much I've really changed. I saw one that another bandster did once, and it was incredible. She actually GREW TALLER (!) as the weight came off her frame! It was amazing and inspiring.

So. . if you're just starting out, consider doing this! Also, do yourself a favor and take lots of before photos and make a chart with your measurements on it. I say that all the time (mostly on Lap Band Talk) because that's the best advice I can give you at the outset. It's really nice to be able to calm yourself during a plateau (especially the plateau that happens when you start exercising in earnest) by seeing that the inches are coming off. So, that's my PSA for the day! :)

Summer Vlog

I thought it was high time for me to do another vlog! Here goes. . .

And, here is a photo showing the new dress I was wearing when I recorded the vlog. It's so much trendier, shorter, more bare-armed and more colorful than anything I would have dared to wear pre-band!

Ch-ch-changes!

I mentioned in my last post that my scale had bounced up four pounds (now three) in the last two weeks. I'm not being crazy about weight or anything -- I'm still thrilled to be (just) under my goal weight. But, I can actually see the difference that four pounds and two weeks with no gym makes for my body. At this weight, four pounds is a lot different than it was when I started! It's not that big of a difference, but I do see it. And this isn't the "change" I had in mind when I titled this post!

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The change is this. . . in the past, that four pounds would have been fourteen before I even got on the scale to notice it. But now, I'm nipping that gain in the bud, before it has a chance to become anything more. Before I was banded, I used to be so afraid to get on the scale. I'd avoid it for weeks -- even months, then feel terrible to see how much I'd gained. Now I'm on that sucker once a day. First thing in the morning (post-loo, pre-shower), I do a little check in on it to see how I'm doing. Keeping aware of and on top of my weight is one of the most important things for me to do during this maintenance phase. It's such a simple, easy thing to do.

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I also signed up for a spin class tonight, another one on Sunday, and will hit yoga on Saturday. That should do the trick! :) I wonder why this wasn't as easy for the old me as it seems to be now. I have to believe it has a lot to do with the band and all the changes it has helped me make!

Mom Update & Fun on Fire Island

Wow -- the last week or so has gone by so quickly. I was out in Florida the weekend before last to see my mother and make sure she was OK. Long story short, she still has to have a procedure, but she is doing well and feeling good. I was glad that I was able to go out there to see her. She was actually released from the hospital on Saturday, so we were able to spend time together. In fact, she was doing so well that we thought she would go back to work on Tuesday, and I called my brother and told him not to come down on Sunday after all.

During the weekend, I helped my mom around the house, but then on Monday morning, I wound up having to take her to the Emergency Room because she was having chest pains/discomfort. That was really stressful, and I was very worried. Her heart rate was very low, but she seemed OK. The worst part for me was having to leave for the airport while my mom was still in the ER. I felt just terrible about it, and I was bawling as I left to the point that one of the orderlies gave me a hug, and my taxi driver (who thankfully gave me a stack of napkins) reached back to squeeze my hand. It's kind of wonderful to see how nice people can be in a situation like this. Thankfully, my mom seems to be doing really well now, and the prognosis on her procedure is very promising.

In other news, I went out to Fire Island with a few friends this weekend and had a great time. Unfortunately, I had to come back early today (Sunday) because I had to work all day, but we really made the most of the time out there.

Heading to the beach on Saturday, we saw this wounded deer hopping down the way. The park rangers take care of these animals, so I'm hopeful that he got some help!

Out and about on Saturday night.

My friends and I headed to Ocean Beach on Saturday to check it out and have dinner. It's a lot busier and more crowded than the part where we stay, but fun to check out for a night.

On the ferry to Ocean Beach with Marjorie. I loved how the light came into this shot!

Colorful bicycles in Ocean Beach.

When you get off the ferry in Ocean Beach, there is basically a "parking lot" for the wagons people use to cart in their groceries and other things. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and had to take a photo!

In band-related news, the emergency trip to Florida and the incredible amount of things I have going on at work right now are not helping me get to my aspirational goal. It was actually very hard for me to make good food choices in Florida, and it's been difficult for me to fit in my usual workouts. I was not surprised to see the scale up when I got back last week. It was up a whopping 4 pounds. . though only 3 as of Thursday. I have a hell of a week in store at work, but am going to try to at least get to the gym on Tuesday, and again on the weekend, assuming I will not be going to Florida then. That depends on whether my mom has her procedure on Friday or it gets pushed off to a later date. Fingers crossed for it to go extremely well whenever it goes forward. Also, I wanted to thank all of you for your nice comments. I really appreciated your concern, and I know my mom did as well.

Hospital Frustration

I spent the last several days in Florida with my mother, and returned to NYC last night. She was in the hospital for six days, the last three of which she spent waiting for her electrocardiologist to bother to show up . . . which he never did, despite that his office kept saying he would be by for rounds. It was very frustrating, to say the least, and we raised complaints about it that have gone up to the highest administrative levels of the hospital.

Finally, on Saturday, they just sent my mom home with two prescriptions and no surgery. Yesterday morning, we wound up back in the Emergency Room, since she was having a lot of pressure in her chest, and when we called her cardiologist, that is where he told us to go.This morning, my mom is supposed to be going in for a cardiac catheter (which will involve an angioplasty if needed). Unfortunately, I had to come back to New York yesterday. The plan had been that my brother would come in on Sunday and we'd overlap a day. But, once my mom was discharged from the hospital, we told him not to come because we thought my mother would be returning to work today. He will get there this afternoon, but I felt so badly leaving without him being there already, and with my mom on a bed, hooked up to tubes and machines in the Emergency Room.

A bright spot in all of this is that my mom worked in this hospital for about 20 years, so she knows almost everyone, and there is a constant stream of visitors and calls from friends and colleagues. So, at least she will not feel too alone until my brother gets there.

Thank you all for your nice messages, prayers and thoughts. I printed out my last blog with all of the posts and brought it to Florida with me so that my mom could read it. She was really touched and appreciated it very much. :)

Worried

I wasn't sure if I was going to post about this, but it's a big deal to me and I wanted you to know it was going on. When I was coming back from Austin on Monday, I noticed that I had two missed calls from my mom (not unusual -- we talk nearly every day) -- and two urgent "Please call me ASAP. Need to get in touch with you" texts from my brother. I called him immediately. It turns out that my mother had some heart problems (we thought heart attack, but it's not 100% clear if that's what it was) on Sunday night and was in the hospital. Actually, she is still there and will be for two more days.

By all accounts, my mom will be fine, but this is really upsetting to me. My mom and I are really close. Some of you will remember that she actually came to Mexico with me for my band surgery and slept on a sofa bed in my hospital room the night of my surgery so that I wouldn't be alone and she could be there if I needed anything. She's the kind of mom who would literally give me the shirt off of her back if I needed it (fortunately, these days, there is a chance it might fit..), and who has been one of my biggest and most constant supporters in life in general, and certainly through this process. So, the thought of anything happening to her is just extremely upsetting to me, and I'm so glad that she seems to be OK and receiving good care.

With my mom on our trip to New Mexico over Labor Day Weekend

My mom reads so many of your blogs (she especially loves Roo, Sarah, The New Me, Cara, Amy and Angie) and posts once in a while as "Kathy." I know that she follows a lot of bandster blogs (without being a signed-up follower) and is always happy to see how well everyone is doing. So, please keep her in your thoughts right now and send her your prayers, best wishes, good vibes, etc. for a speedy recovery. It can't hurt, and it's bound to help at least a little. :)

SEVENTY-NINE!!

I was not expecting to see the scale down this morning!! But there it is. I'm now 4.2 pounds below goal and 5.8 above my aspirational goal. Wow. I did not expect that after the weekend, despite that I didn't eat too much. We had enough wine calories that I figured that would make up the difference!

July 4th Weekend

I had a great 4th of July weekend in Austin, Texas, visiting with my best friend and her sister and brother-in-law (Christi & Mike, who are both friends of mine from college as well). This is the third year in a row that I've spent the 4th at Christi and Mike's house, and I really had a wonderful time! We basically spent the whole weekend floating in the pool, chatting, laughing and having some very nice wine!

Here is a link to my post from last year's 4th of July trip. I've only lost 31 pounds since this time last year, but it's really made a big difference. Here is a comparison shot:

What I love about the photo on the left is that, even though I have 30+ more pounds on me, I was still down almost 50 pounds then, and I felt fantastic. The bathing suit I was wearing is a 14 or a 16, and I liked it so much that I actually bought the exact same one (shown at right) in a size 10 this year! (It sits a bit too low without the straps on. . . but who wants strap lines?!)

I also made plans during this trip to catch up with my friend David, who was a good friend in high school and lives in Austin with his wife and small son. I felt ready to catch up with old friends last year (after avoiding this during the years when I was heaviest), but the timing didn't work with our other plans. It was great to see David and to find that he's still someone I would pick for a friend. It was interesting to find out that our interests had grown in similar areas (food, wine, travel) as we've gotten older and that we still have so much in common.

I hope you all had a great 4th!