Hard to budge...

Well, I'm still trying to get those extra pounds off.  It doesn't help that Steve and I are out of town for weekend trips most weekends, or that I've been working long hours, including all day both days last weekend.  However, I have worked out the past four days in a row (one spin class, three yoga classes), so I do feel good about that.  This morning, the scale had moved only .2.... to 158.6.  Still, that's better than the 160 I saw again after last weekend.

It seems pretty clear to me that this gain is related to my unfill.  I had no trouble maintaining my goal weight until I did the unfill.  However, I do think that being rid of reflux and not worrying that I am damaging my stomach to the point that I could completely lose my band are worth being up 3.6 pounds.  Also, I am sure that if I just keep focused and watch what I eat, I'll be able to get that weight off and keep it off.

Darn it, this is annoying!!  Come back 155!!

Getting there....

OK!  I'm making some progress.  The scale has been at 158.8 for the past two days, which tells me that's a real number.  When I see 157, I'll feel a lot better because that's in my safety-bounce zone from my goal weight of 155.  That said, I'm not stopping until I'm back at 155.

To get back to goal, I've been doing a few things.  One of the most important changes I make when I'm trying to lose weight is that I stop doing carbs at breakfast.  That's right... no buttered roll from the donut cart guy.... which is a treat I might otherwise let myself have once a week.  Instead, I have one of these delicious lowfat Dannon yogurts.  I don't go nonfat because it doesn't taste as good and isn't as filling.  This isn't a hardship because I freaking love this yogurt, but admittedly, I'm generally famished by the time my lunch gets here.

Sorry Mr. Donut Cart!  No order for you!

For lunch and dinner, I've been staying away from meat and have mainly been eating fish.  I'm not doing that as much for calorie reasons as because I've noticed that I feel better (lighter, not sluggish) after I eat fish than I do after I eat pork or beef... and I don't really like chicken that much, especially post-band when dry chicken can be really hard to eat.

I'm ordering from the smug-healthy place again today.  I ordered chipotle glazed shrimp, braised Mediterranean style artichoke hearts and brown rice, with slow-cooked apples and pears for dessert.  I think we all know that I'm secretly hoping they put another Butterfinger in with my order....  :)

Snail-like progress...

I'm feeling a little better, since I've seen 159.8 on the scale for two days running.  I've been trying to be good about my food choices, and I also ate very light dinners both nights, which is helpful to me (especially since I got home from work after 9 both nights).

Yesterday, I ordered lunch from a really great, super-healthy spot.  I got a dish that combined grilled salmon, mango, radish, kale and brown rice ... Gwynneth would have approved....  And for a treat, I got slow-cooked apples, which were delicious.  The place I ordered from is of the type that advertises that its brownies are made with cage-free eggs...  you get the idea.  So, you can imagine that I was COMPLETELY SHOCKED (!!!) when my beautiful, smug-healthy-person lunch showed up and there was a freaking Butterfinger candy bar in the bag!!!  WTH?!?

Seriously?!?  Are the forces of nature working against me??  I have to believe that one of the workers at this spot accidentally dropped the candy bar in there (or maybe it's a prank to de-rail the smug-healthy eaters of this world??).  Needless to say, Butterfingers are my favorite candy bar, and I didn't even pretend to myself that I wasn't going to eat it.  In fact, I savored that thing and stretched out the treat the entire afternoon.  Hence the scale not moving this morning, despite that I barely ate any dinner.  Oh well.  Today is a new day, and I begin again...

Still Struggling...

I am having a hell of a time getting off this weight.  I'm sure that my recent unfill is part of the issue -- though it has reduced my reflux to pretty much zero, which is a very good thing, and I know that I needed to do it.  This morning, I was still at 161.4.  I keep bouncing around in this range.  That a small unfill can make a difference tells me that I might well be up the creek if I ever were to lose my band.

Now... am I REALLY having a hell of a time getting the weight off, or am I just annoyed that it hasn't come off despite that I've only made a few changes to my behavior?  OK... OK... I admit it!!  I haven't been watching what I eat as much as I need to to lose these pounds!  I know that I just have to be even more diligent about working out and focus on making the right food choices.  I've been reasonably good on the food end, but it's been hard to get to my workouts as much as I would like because I've been working longer hours this year.

Still, I'm weighing in every day and am determined not to let these few pounds turn into something more significant -- and to get them the heck off as quickly as I can.  I want to see my goal range on the scale every day again, and I'm determined to get there.