NJ Weekend Family Fun

Last week, my dad and stepmom were in town for a visit. They spent three nights in the city with me, and then we all went to the beach in New Jersey to visit with my aunt, uncle and cousins who live there. Both parts of the trip were a lot of fun! They did sight-seeing during the day and at night, we either had dinner together or.. on one of the nights, went to see Cirque du Soleil, which was actually pretty incredible!

Steve had been out in Amagansett all week for a vacation arranged months ago, but he volunteered to give up the final weekend there so that he could get to meet and spend time with my dad and his wife -- so so nice. We all drove out to the beach together on Friday, and had a seriously fantastic time catching up with the family out there. Happily (and unsurprisingly), Steve hit it off really well with everyone! By the end of the weekend, he'd been invited to join my uncle and cousin in a sailboat race, and they and their team came in first place. :)

My adorable boyfriend.... I cut myself out of this photo because it was terrible of me... that's my hair on the left!

Here is my dad, enjoying a margarita at a waterside restaurantMy step-mom and aunt, having a little gossip session on the boat...
Sitting with Steve at the front of the boat

There were a few band-related things worth noting about the weekend. First, I hadn't seen my aunt, uncle and cousins since I got banded. So, I was down 80 or so pounds from my last visit, four years ago (I'm not sure what I weighed then, since I was in scale-avoidance mode). Thank goodness for Facebook... my cousin's wife had seen my photos through the last few years, and showed a few to the family before I got there, so it wasn't a big surprise to see how I looked. Actually, they didn't make a big deal about it at all. I think people just don't know what the right thing to say is, and would rather not say anything than risk saying the wrong thing.

Second, my uncle has a huge family, and several of his siblings and their children have homes in the area. They are a great bunch, and I've gotten to know them through the years. We actually ran into two of the uncles when we were at the beach. I was wearing my Lilly Pulitzer bikini and actually was feeling really embarassed to have so little on when I saw them for the first time. Not that I was inappropriately dressed (it was the beach, after all). It was more the feeling of showing up 80 pounds lighter, in a bikini. I just felt a little weird for the first 20 seconds, and then it was fine.

Third, I actually enjoyed going to the beach with the family and wasn't dreading having to be in a bathing suit! That really added to my fun and has been a constant bonus for the last two summers. :)

Mini-Bandster Reunion!

Last week, Sarah was in town with her adorable, very well-behaved, cutie pie daughter, Lucia! Jen and I were able to meet up with her, along with my friend Marjorie, for dinner before her return to D.C. The ladies are all doing very well and are looking good! :)

This just reminds me of how lucky I've been to meet such warm, nice, interesting and incredible people through my blog. I'm not sure that I'm going to make it to Chicago this year, but even if I don't, I'll look forward to more mini-reunions like this here in NYC and elsewhere.

Saratoga Springs Spectating

Last weekend, for the first time in my life, I went to a horse race! Steve and I went up to Saratoga Springs, NY, because a friend's cousin had a horse in one of the races this weekend. Saratoga is absolutely beautiful, and it was an incredible treat to be able to see the races through the eyes of friends who are in that business, and to get to watch a race that we felt some personal connection to, aside from the small bets we placed.

We were able to watch the races from our friend's private box in the clubhouse, and also got to have an incredible brunch at a private club near the track, where we hobnobbed with other horse owners and their guests. It was really a very different experience than I imagined going to the races would be, and I did manage to control myself from channeling Eliza Doolittle and yelling "Dover, move your bloomin' arse!!!!"

With Steve at our B&B in Saratoga before dinner on Friday night.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but I'm a huge bath-taker. I take baths as often as -- if not more than -- I take showers. I've just always loved them, ever since I was a kid. In our B&B, at the end of the hall, I saw an open door and... through it, saw this incredible bathroom with a ginormous tub. I was dying to get in there for a bath! In fact, we even asked the owners if I could use it, but it turned out to be part of another room and guests were about to check in to it. What a bummer! Also, we found out that the bath had been especially made for Lillian Russell, who had stayed at the house with Diamond Jim Brady in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Le tub!

Here we are at the races... I'm wearing a dress by Milly that I got from R--e-n-t t-h--e R-un--wa--y. That site is actually working out pretty well for me!

Shhh... Want to Know the Secret to Getting to Goal??

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... it's a big secret!!! Do you promise not to tell anyone?? Seriously? Like cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-the-eye serious? OK. I'll tell you. Brace yourself for the shocking revelation. . .

(If you think I look completely loca in this picture, you should have seen the rejects!! LOL!! )

OK. Here goes. . . .


GET YOUR CUTE A$$ INTO THE GYM!!!!!

OK... OK... so that's not really a secret. But it really IS the secret to getting to goal and staying there. And, it doesn't have to be a gym.. but you'd better get some type of exercise program in place if you want to go all the way with your band and stay there.

Let's talk numbers. On October 23, 2011 -- just three months from now -- I will hit my THIRD bandiversary. I hit goal more than a year ago, on April 5, 2010. Since then, I dropped nearly ten more pounds for an all-time low of 145.2. Guess what? It's hard for me to stay at that weight, so my scale tends to bounce between 148 and 151-point-something. This morning, I weighed -- within 2/10ths of a pound -- what I weighed on July 1, 2010. I feel really good about that. For the first time -- EVER -- I have some confidence that the clothes I bought for this summer are going to fit me next summer.

(Plus, if you work out, you get to wear cute gym outfits, like this Lululemon situation that I wore to my spin class earlier tonight. Yes, this is post-gym. But I did take out the ponytail especially for you...)

It hasn't felt like hard work through this past year to maintain my weight. Why do I say that? Well, even though I've been working out consistently, and I do pay attention to what I eat .. especially when the scale gives me a number in the 150s, all of this has become pretty normal to me. It's not hard anymore. I also have been very fortunate not to have any problems with my band, thank God. I still weigh myself every day, pre-shower and post-loo. It still keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I never thought I'd get to this point, but exercise has become a part of my life. If you want proof that this didn't come easily for me, flip back through my first six months of posts and see how many talk about how badly I feel that I can't seem to motivate to go to the gym. At some point, that changed, and I stick with it because it makes me feel good, the workouts I do are ton of fun (spinning at S-o-u-l-c-y--c-l--e and yoga, mainly), and I like how working out makes my body look.

I've been at goal for long enough that I sometimes wonder if people read my blog and think I was never fat, or never really struggled with my weight. That's not the case at all. I struggled with it every single day from as long as I can remember until I got my band. And, I started this process at 230 pounds, with a BMI of 37.

Here is a photo of me from September of 2007, just about a year before I got banded. And trust me, the fact that I didn't delete this photo or crop out everything but my face means it's a really flattering one. Check out my arm.

Here is a photo that I took of myself after my workout tonight. Check out my arm. ... And... Welcome to the Gun Show! If I can do it, you can do it. Heck, a bunch of you already have.

With this post, I am sending out lots of positive energy and some metaphysical kicks-in-the-butt to every bandster who is struggling with finding the motivation to workout. My advice is to start small -- but START. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself, like working out 5 times a week (Disclosure: I try for 4 and am happy if I get in 3). Maybe you need to start with 30 minute walks 3 times a week. But don't stop there indefinitely. Try new things -- the sheer number of bandsters who fell in love with Zumba speaks volumes for how much fun it is -- others, like me, tried out boot camps, yoga, spinning and more. Just find something -- anything -- that appeals to you and give it a chance.

If you live in NYC and need support, send me an e-mail or a blog comment. If we can work out logistics, I will go with you to your first class to make sure you don't have to go alone and feel like the awkward new kid.

The most important thing to remember is that you CAN do this. There are a lot of inspiring blogging bandsters out there who have overcome the exercise hurdle. I don't want to leave anyone out so I won't even try to name them all. But, I'm giving special shout outs to Amy, Jessica from Island Bandit, LapBandGal and Cindylew, all of whom keep me inspired and motivated on the exercise front with their own success and determination.

More Sisterhood Fun

I had a great day on Sunday! I woke up, hit my spin class, went for a 90 minute massage, and then had friend and fellow bandster, Nora, over to raid my closet! Though I've mailed out and given away in person countless items to many other bandsters, I'd been holding on to all of my higher end items... things like that $2,200 Tom & Linda Platt gown that's in one of the "before" photos I always use, two other cocktail dresses, and two really fun dresses .. including one from Neiman Marcus that I (agh.. the waste!!) never.. even... wore...

So, while I still can't bear to part with those pricey items, I decided to lend them to Nora. Although she lives in London, we have been able to get together several times and have a ball! We also have a lot in common... including our basic body shape, which makes trusting these precious pieces to her all the more worthwhile, since they are going to be smashing on her!

And, lest I post without a photo, here is one from last week. Steve and I were at a reception for the 9/11 M-e-mo-r-i-a - l. (I'm trying to avoid having Google Alert pick this up... hence the weird spelling.) It was a small reception, and Mayor B and the architect responsible for the memorial were there. We're standing on a balcony here, overlooking the site. The memorial looks great already, as do the many trees planted there. It was nice to see that, ten years later, it's finally almost done.

Lots of Parties, Not So Many Posts!

Hi there! I've been posting less lately, mainly because I've been so busy, between work and life in general. But, it's been a lot of fun!

It was Steve's birthday last week, so I organized a get together at a rooftop bar to celebrate. It was a gorgeous day and around 100 friends came out to celebrate. I arranged for some hors d'oeuvres and a yummy cake (yellow cake, chocolate icing), and the party went really well!

With two of my oldest and dearest friends, B and N

On the rooftop with E, B and Marjorie!

I actually wore a dress that I got from Rent the Runway. It's a Lela Rose dress that retails for about $1,200, and I was able to rent it for around $150. They let me have it in two sizes, and the 8 worked perfectly!

Unfortunately, at one point in the night, the heavens opened up, and we had a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR for about 15 minutes! We got absolutely soaked!! Even though there was a covered part of the roof, the rain was coming in sideways, by the bucket! Here is the birthday boy, dripping with water!

Happily, it didn't last too long and everyone got back to enjoying the terrace as soon as it ended!

On Friday, as a b-day treat, Steve and I went up to a bluegrass festival in the Catskill Mountains, then continued up to his parents' house in the Adirondacks for his dad's 70th b-day celebration. We got in some hiking, some tennis, and plenty of celebrating. I met much more of the extended family, and everyone was great.

Pre-party cocktails by the river.

Steve played guitar at the party with a friend.... just behind this hideous frog gnome that someone got his dad as a joke! All in all, life is really good. I'm so happy with Steve, and this summer has been a blast. I'm still having trouble juggling my schedule, and I've definitely been in less touch with my friends and family who live out of town than I'd prefer to be.

It's also been hard to get as much exercise as I usually do, since we're out of town every weekend. And... as of this morning, my scale is up 4.6 pounds from my maintenance norm of 148 (I'm still under my goal, but I'm closer to it than I'd like to be). So, I'm going to dial back the sweets and see what I can do to get an extra workout in. I'm actually going to stay in town this weekend (though Steve invited me out to the Hamptons) to get in some down time and my usual two workouts. I did not work this hard to get to my goal to screw it up now, especially since my band is working just fine.

Another weird thing I've noticed is that I developed an allergy or two during the last six months to a year. I seem to be allergic to my cat now, and to be allergic to a few other things. Basically, I wake up stuffed up every day. I'm wondering if this might be band-related. I had another bandster friend who (sorry.. hope you're not eating) said that she was a little phlegmy (squirm squirm...) post-band and that her doctor said it was likely band-related. I guess it doesn't go down the way it would have before? Have any of you experienced anything like this?

4th of July in the Adirondack Mountains

One of my goals for this year was to do a vacation that was athletic enough that I wouldn't have done it pre-band. I actually did that once already in February, and just did it again over the weekend of the 4th of July.

Steve and I went up to the Adirondack mountains with a group of three friends and had a great mix of outdoor sports (hiking, swimming in a lake, paddling out to far off spots in an Adirondack guide boat) and country club living (tennis, a nice dinner at the club, more tennis, lawn bowling, cocktails on the veranda)! It was a blast.

Here is the view at the top of the mountain we hiked! It was one heck of a climb. Four hours of decently hard cardio, especially on the way up. It was definitely challenging and, even though I thought I was in such fantastic shape that it would be a breeze, it was not easy, and I'm still sore! I found out about a few muscles I didn't know I had before on that hike! :)

Foot trail markers on the way...

On the way up...

Prepped out for the 4th of July dinner and fireworks display at the club... My hair was a bit of a frizz, since I forgot my conditioner... ag!

I laughed so hard when I was taking this photo. I was trying to get a snap of my cute new Lilly Pulitzer espadrilles.... and noticed that I still had mud on my leg from the hike that afternoon! I felt like a real nature girl.... :)

It was a fantastic weekend, and I'm so glad that I went. I also got to meet Steve's sister and her family for the first time, which was great (whew! I really liked them!). I would NEVER have agreed to do a trip like this at my start weight -- I just could not have handled it. Even after working out hard for 2 1/2 years, it was still challenging, so I can only imagine that I would have been completely miserable and have had to quit if I'd been doing this at 230 pounds. But instead, I enjoyed the challenge and had a great time. What a difference.

My Backup Plan for A$$-Kicking Continuity

I've mentioned a few times lately that I get concerned that I might have a problem with my band sometime down the road. Again, it's been smooth sailing for me for the past 2 years and 8 months, but I get concerned when I hear stories from other bandster friends who have had problems, and I know that there is always some risk that I'll have a problem too. This risk doesn't make me regret having my surgery. On the contrary, I am glad every single day to be able to live life feeling good about my weight.

What it does is make me hell-bent on figuring out a game plan, just in case I might need it later on. I did a game plan (my Post-Op Plan for Success) before I had my surgery, and it really helped me to stay focused, especially in the beginning. So, I thought that putting together another plan would give me a good ready-made road map of what to do if there is ever trouble in band paradise. Here it is.....

My Backup Plan for A$$ Kicking Continuity

1. I am NOT going to say F**K IT, this is my excuse to eat.

2. I will NOT stop working out regularly (unless my doctor forbids it).

3. I WILL pay attention to what I am eating and how many calories I'm taking in.

4. I WILL join WW or another plan if my weight is creeping up, and I will rock that plan to the best of my ability.

5. I WILL be proactive about my care, whether in getting my band repaired or in considering other options like the sleeve (footnote to the lovely Jacquie for bravely paving that road!).

6. I WILL blog through this process, no matter how sh*tty I feel or how hard it is.

That's all I can think of right now. What about you? Are there other things we should add to this list? Does anyone else have a backup plan?

Motivation and Compli-sults

Lap Band Gal recently posed the question on her blog: "Where does your motivation come from?" ... And because Blogger is the WORST, I couldn't post my comment.

For me, I get really motivated by how much more I like how my body looks now. I also know that if I hit the gym hard 3 times a week, I look better at the end of the week than I did at the start. I also like how I feel while I'm spinning or doing yoga (and how I feel about the fact that I do spin and yoga now), and that really keeps me going too. Plus, I like wearing my cute workout outfits. (I salaam to Lulu Lemon.)

Speaking of clothing, that's another huge source of motivation for me. I freaking LOVE (LOOOOVVVVE) being able to find beautiful clothing in my size! I love being able to wear pants without hosiery underneath .. and dresses without a body shaper (though sometimes they really do the trick.. I don't care how thin a girl is....) I have always really liked fashion, and living NYC was a bit like dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean, shopping-wise (OK, maybe a bit dramatic..). Even though I live in one of the best shopping cities in the world, I shopped nearly exclusively shopped on-line or through a personal shopper for years before I got banded. Trying to find clothing that fit me was just a miserable experience that just reminded me of how unhappy I was about my weight. Yet now it's actually fun! And I will be DAMNED before I let my new things look tight on me! So, that gets my butt in the gym, too.

Another one of the comments that *#@! Blogger wouldn't let me post yesterday was on Amy's blog. She wrote about the "such a pretty face" comment that so many of us have heard for years. I always hated that one. It always sounded like a backhanded insult about my body to me, no matter how it was intended. In fact, I have a word for things like this.... "Complisult." Part compliment, part insult! And, a great comeback if you're on the receiving end of one is to say "Wow! That's the best compli-sult I've gotten all day!" :D

Expect the Best.. Plan for the Worst?

I've posted before that my biggest worry about the band is the possibility that something could go wrong and prevent me from relying on it anymore. I don't have any particular reason for worrying about this. I haven't had any problems with my band at all, and I have been good about not keeping my band too tight (which can be a source of problems, according to my doctor).

Out with Steve on Friday night celebrating the engagement of my friends M&B

I've changed my life a lot in the past 2 years and 8 months since I was banded. Exercise has become an important part of my day-to-day life. (I actually hit spin the last three days in a row -- and looked forward to it each time! This would not have happened three years ago.) If I didn't have my band, as long as I could still work out, I am relatively sure that I wouldn't gain back all 80+ pounds that I've lost.

But, I would gain back some. You know why? Well, it's because I allow myself to eat a fair amount of cr@p now and, since I can only eat a little of it, it doesn't really impact my weight. But, without the band keeping me in check, I'm pretty sure that my portions would be bigger and that this would translate into more weight.

I'm going to try to make some more changes in my eating, and to make choices that will help me to keep the weight off if I ever do have a problem with my band. I started yesterday... by avoiding what has become a regular thing for me... a mid-afternoon cookie break. My thought is that it's not that hard to make these changes with the band, and if they become habit, I'll be in a much better position if anything ever does happen. And, if the band keeps working like a charm, I'll just be healthier and getting better nutrition. (Not that I'm totally giving up cookies.... or planning to change my wine intake or anything crazy like that.... I'm just going to make some small adjustments and see how it goes.) :)

Survived South Beach! :)

At the Loew's Hotel in South Beach on Sunday

My trip to Florida last weekend was all too short! But, I had a great time visiting with my mom, and we shopped 'til we dropped on Saturday! I was looking for a few new dresses to wear to work to get me through the summer, but didn't find any. Funny... I figured that I'd just magically find exactly what I neeed at the amazing Boca Raton mall now that I'm a size 8 or 10... apparently it's not that easy!

Mom and I, having brunch at the Emeril Lagasee restaurant at the Loew's Hotel

On Sunday, we drove out to Miami to visit Aunt X, and the visit went surprisingly well. She and my uncle were very complimentary about how I looked, but didn't make too much of a big deal about it. I'm probably only about 15 pounds thinner (though a lot leaner because of all the working out) than I was when they saw me in 2001. I'm not sure, but that may be the last time they saw me.
I keep thinking back on why I was so hurt by what my aunt said about my weight in the past. I don't think she ever said anything that wasn't true when she commented on my weight. And, it seems pretty obvious that her interest in others' weight surely had a lot to do with her own severe weight problem. I suppose the fact of the matter is that sometimes it is painful to hear the truth, and that it also is upsetting to feel so judged by family on your external appearance. It's also upsetting and annoying to hear painful truths about very personal things, particularly when you haven't asked for, and don't want to hear, the speaker's opinion.

Anyway, all of this was a long time ago, and I no longer feel the same way about my weight or myself. It's very empowering to finally have control over something that had such power about the way I felt about myself, and the way others saw me.

True Lies (And a New Comparison Photo)

Warning.. if you click on this, the photo will get bigger... :)

People try all the time to dispel supposed myths about being thin and about weight loss surgery. The funny thing is that, as I get farther along in this process, I realize that I don't 100% agree with the top two things I hear the most. Here they are:

1. "Being thin won't make you happy."

AND

2. "The band isn't a magic wand."

On no. 1, being thin actually will make you happy if -- like me -- the biggest thing bothering you in your life is the fact that you are overweight. I feel happier every single day because I finally feel good about that one huge issue. I no longer wake up to the thought of how disgusted I am with myself, thinking "Ugh. How did I let myself get so fat??" Also, when I was at my heaviest, my feet would hurt even right when I woke up. My heels cracked in colder weather, which was painful at times. I never have that anymore. Getting dressed wasn't fun, but now it is. Shopping was torture -- especially shopping with thin friends in stores where there was nothing I could try on because it was all too small. That has all completely changed.

So, as it turns out, being thin actually does make me happier. Obviously, it doesn't solve completely unrelated problems. But for me, weight was the one problem that I just couldn't solve on my own before, despite that I tried many times. Solving an issue that has made me feel badly for as long as I can remember has really been life changing, and has improved my overall happiness incredibly.

On no. 2, in some ways, I do think the band is like a magic wand. Clearly, it doesn't work if you don't work with it. But, it has made losing a significant amount of weight -- and maintaining the loss -- possible for me. In fact, it has made it so much easier than it would have been without my band's help, that I do think of my band as being a bit magical... or a miracle of modern science at any rate... :)

Ready to Stop Hiding

Me - June 2006. Two years pre-band.

Did any of you avoid people you hadn't seen for a while after you got really heavy? I know that I sure did. One of the main people I avoided is one of my aunts. This aunt (let's call her "Aunt X") can be quite a lot of fun to be around, but she has always been quick to make comments about my weight. Usually those comments were directed to my mother, who would then repeat them to me, not realizing how incredibly hurtful it was to me to hear them.

With my mother in Positano, Italy in June 2006. I was on Weight Watchers at the time, and fast approaching my heaviest weight.

For perspective, let me give you the background that Aunt X ranged from somewhere between 200 to well over 300 pounds during the years when these comments were made, and I was only about 20-30 pounds overweight at my absolute heaviest during that time. Cut to sometime around 2000, when Aunt X had gastric bypass surgery. She wound up being around a size 2 and had a full body lift, in addition to other surgery -- and she looks absolutely fantastic. I had no idea that she was so pretty before then, though she always carried herself well and dressed nicely.

At the Sirenuse Hotel in Positano, Italy - June 2006

Being heavy gave rise to my superpower photo cropping skills....

Anyway, I have completely avoided seeing her for the last 7 or 8 years because I didn't want her to see me so heavy, and I didn't want to hear anything she had to say about my weight. So, now that I'm where I want to be, weight-wise, I kind of want to see her. I'm willing to accept that this may be a bit disfunctional on my part, but I kind of want to just show up all thin and be like ... Hi! (What? I've looked like this every day since you saw me last!)

As it turns out, Aunt X is going to be in Florida when I'm there next month. And if truth be told, it's not completely a coincidence that I planned my trip to overlap with her stay. I guess I'm ready to show myself finally.

In Napa Valley with Steve - May 2011

Memorial Day on Fire Island!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Steve and I were out on Fire Island over the weekend with a few friends and got back last night. The weather was supposed to be pretty dodgy, but we lucked out and the sun came out for us a bit!

This weekend, I experienced a pretty huge NSV.... I wore my first -- ever -- string bikini. And, thanks in no small part to my adorable boyfriend, who pretty much didn't stop talking about how much he liked it from the time I put it on until the time I took it off, I felt pretty fantastic in it! (Er, not so fantastic that I didn't crop this photo so that my thighs wouldn't be on display on the Internet, but pretty darned fantastic anyway!)

She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny lime green Lily P bikini....

The cutest fire engine in the world...

Steve, playing guitar, and Marjorie sings along
It was a really wonderful weekend, and I enjoyed every minute. I also thought periodically through the weekend about what this weekend would have been like pre-band. It was so nice to be able to appreciate things like (1) being comfortable wearing a bathing suit (not to mention, a SKIMPY BIKINI!); (2) walking up to the water in my bathing suit and feeling good, not self-conscious; (3) not having my legs rub together!!!!! (This should be no. 1! OMG, I don't know at what point that stopped, but I am so glad it did... has completely changed my enjoyment of warm weather; (4) being able to enjoy an ice cream in public; (5) believing my boyfriend when he tells me that he loves how I look in my swimsuit; and (6) going on a bike ride with Steve for exercise and knowing that I'm going to enjoy it and not feel the least bit over-exerted (thank you, spin!). Wow. What a world of difference this whole process has made.

New Blog to Check Out!

One of my bandster friends is a fantastic girl named Nora, who I met through my blog and have had dinner and lunch with several times, since she gets to NYC fairly often. Nora lives in Europe (I'll leave it to her blog to reveal more details), is down about 60 pounds, and is roughly five months out from her surgery date. She is a very warm, fun, interesting and well-traveled person, and .... has just started a blog!

Hope it's OK, Nora... I took this one from your blog.... love the photo!

I hope you will all take a minute to check out her blog -- here is a LINK -- and welcome her to the bandster blogosphere! She is constantly traveling, so her journey with the band is sure to take her -- and it -- to lots of cool and interesting places. Am looking forward to reading all about it.

Wainscott Weekend

Last weekend, Steve and I went out to Wainscott with a group of friends to stay at one friend's house out there. Our friend has a really beautiful house with a pool (am so envious! Thank goodness he shares his house!). :) On Saturday, we wound up having a cocktail party to watch the Preakness, and a bunch of people came over to enjoy that with us -- I think we were about 15 or so people, then there were nine of us for dinner.

Post-Preakness Party...

For dinner, we grilled steak and swordfish steaks, had a gorgeous arugula salad, roasted tomatoes and asparagus. All of those foods (save for the steak, since once in a while, I get a bite that I can't chew enough and must ... er, discretely put in my napkin...) work just fine with the band. I can't eat that much of the salad, but can have enough to enjoy it and feel like I'm getting in some veggies. I really prefer family-style serving when I'm eating with people who don't know about my surgery (no one other than Steve knew among the Wainscott crew), since I can just take a small portion and eat most of what I put on my plate.

Prepping for dinner....

My band has been pretty easy to keep at a good fill level -- it's not so tight that I can't eat well, and not so loose that I eat too much. I've been lucky about that. I actually have a smaller balloon than most of you because I've got a 9.75 cc Inamed band (Inamed is now part of Allergan) with a 5 cc balloon. The Inamed band also is likely an older iteration of the band than most of our newer bandsters have. But it works really well for me, and I've been happy with it so far.

Cutting up the leftover roasted tomatoes to put in the eggs for breakfast... so delicious (just cut plum tomatoes in half length-wise, sprinkle some diced shallots, rosemary and a wee bit of sugar on them, and roast at 350 for around 30 minutes... so yummy.. and band friendly!)

Steve gets the eggs ready...

I loved Gen's comment on my last post about wearing white pants being a big NSV. I got my first pair -- ever -- last summer, and loved being able to wear them and feel good. This summer, my NSV is that I had to get a new pair because the ones from last year are too big! So, I am now wearing not only white pants... but white pants in a size 8! (OK, it's a Gap 8, but I'll take it!!) By the way, the Gap has the best white pants... with the bonus that they aren't that expensive, so you don't have to freak out when you spill something on them... like red wine... or sit on a raspberry that someone's gorgeous child accidentally left on your chair. (Both have happened to the new pair... thank God for Oxy! It gets out everything!) :)

Finally! Some Napa and San Fran Photos...

At last! I am finally getting to do this post. Seriously... my juggling act is out of control, and I've already been out of town again (to the Hamptons) since I was in Napa two weeks ago. But I digress... this is what I wanted to tell you about the trip.... :)

The weekend before last, I was out in San Francisco for some client meetings, and Steve joined me out there. My meetings only took up about four hours on Saturday and on Sunday morning, so we had the rest of the time to enjoy ourselves ... and to do a day-long trip out in Napa Valley!

Maybe I shouldn't have planned my Sunday morning meeting for a spot that overlooked the Bay to Breakers Race.... but then I would have missed seeing the costumes... including a totally naked guy wearing a Valkerie costume... (Downside: I didn't get a photo of him. Upside: you won't have to gouge out your eyes! LOL)

The Napa part of the trip was really pretty wonderful. Steve surprised me by getting a convertible for our trip, which added to the fun. We started out to St. Helena at the home of a good friend of his from a study abroad program, her husband and adorable daughter. They had a beautiful home -- tons of fresh flowers, beautiful garden, and served a very simple, elegant meal of two kinds of quiche, a gorgeous salad and fresh berries. Martha Stewart would have been proud! (Bandster note... I was served a bit too much, so I was worried that she thought I didn't enjoy the meal, which was amazing.... I just feigned "big breakfast," and all was well).

After that, we went out to a vineyard where we have a personal connection with the winemaker and they did a special tasting for us. It was really wonderful, interesting, fun and delicious!

Me, in front of the winery

Tasting wines with Steve.

This was one of the few times where I wished I didn't have a band so that I could overeat a bit! We had dinner at Bouchon and, after enjoying some pretty decadent appetizers (beer battered mussels... and escargot en croute with a cream sauce... hello, fattening!), changed our entree orders to go with something lighter. Of course, "lighter" for me was a salad of glazed pork belly with pickled cherries (which were amazing... I thought they were cranberries.. the flavor was so unique), and an egg yolk confit... in warm bacon vinaigrette....

My yummy "light" dinner.... er, at least it was a salad?Steve and I stayed in a really cute bed and breakfast in Yountville, just a short walk from Bouchon. I definitely recommend it. It's called the (spelling weirdly because of Google Alerts..) L-a-v-e-n-d-e-r I-n-n, and was seriously adorable, complete with an outdoor hot tub and a fireplace in the room. So wonderful. And one of the best things about the weekend was that Steve had brought me two cards, in which he wrote some very sweet things, and he hid each in my bag at a different point in the trip so that I would find them. Love!!

Back from San Francisco and Napa!

I got back from a very quick trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley last night! I was there for work meetings, but Steve came out with me and we made a fun weekend of it. The meetings went really well, I saw a few people who I hadn't seen since before my surgery (which is always a little weird... but so much better than running into people after a big gain, at least!), and Steve and I did a quick day and night in Napa for a bit of wine tasting and fun.

I'll post more, but wanted to share this photo with you, which is from a casino night benefit for an organization that trains guide dogs for the blind that we went to earlier this month. I just like how hugely we're smiling in this one! I hope all of you had a great weekend! Back in touch with a recap of the San Fran/Napa trip soon!

Picking Your Hose...

Last June, I posted about accidentally wearing some pre-weight loss undies.... and spending the day tugging them up, since they wanted to migrate southward.... with a vengeance! After that, I cleared out my undies drawer and got rid of anything that wasn't the right size.

Thing is.... I never went through my hosiery. So, occasionally, I'll wind up stuck with a pair of hose that are in a "Tall" ... which is at least a size bigger than I need. They bunch up, don't look particularly good, aren't very comfortable.... and have me saying the tag line from some TV ad I heard when I was little.... "That's [me].... the one with the baggy pantyhose!" I really need to clean out that drawer.....

In other news, I want to give a shout out to an anonymous newbie-ish bandster friend of mine who I had dinner with at Artisanal last night. She is down about 60 pounds and looks absolutely fantastic!! Woo-hoo!

La-La-Love Land And Related Thoughts...

I didn't realize that being in la-la-love land would turn me into a bad blogger! I miss it, but the juggling act still has not been tamed to the point where I find myself with enough down time to write as often as I'd like... but I'm working on it!

Here's an interesting band-related update for you. Since I started dating S, my scale bounced up around 6-7 pounds from my all-time low. However, I've refocused on getting in my workouts (after slacking a bit for a few weeks.. which is why I gained the weight), and I've gotten off about 4-5 of it, so that's good! I feel like such a good band citizen for nipping that gain in the bud... before it became 10 pounds.

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Another interesting thing? I had my bloodwork done during my last visit to my OBGYN, and my cholesterol is on the high side. I didn't fast before I went, so it's probably not completely accurate, and I'm going to go back so that she can re-do it. Still, my "good" cholesterol was really high (which is fine) and the bad was on the high side of OK (which is not ideal).
I'm attributing the cholesterol reading to the fact that I've been eating so much cheese.. and so many eggs.. over the past 2.5 years. They are just easy food to eat with the band, and I also find them easier to cook (or, where cheese is concerned, to grab as a snack) than other kinds of protein, like beef and chicken (plus, they stay good for longer in the fridge). Um, plus I love eggs and cheese... In fact, I made S a cheese souffle with a great salad for dinner on Sunday night ... Perhaps not the best choice I could have made...

The gruyere and parmesan souffle I made. It was delicious....

Is anyone else a little... er, focused... about not getting food posioning? I've been really cautious about it since I got banded, largely because I don't want to have to do that kind of throwing up. So, leftover protein that has been in the fridge for more than a day isn't generally something I'm going to eat. I really do waste a lot of food... I try not to on principle, but I can't avoid it -- and the risk of getting sick isn't worth it to me. Plus, I can only eat a certain amount every day, and I do try to generally choose things that I'm excited about eating.

On the la-la-love land front, things are GOOD! Steve and I have a ton of plans coming up through the next several months, and have even made plans to go to Sonoma with friends over New Year's. We just have such a great time together and really just like each other so much. I love being around him, and it's probably the first time that I've dated someone who I'm totally crazy about who makes it clear that he feels lucky to be able to go out with me. I feel really loved and appreciated, and that is an incredible feeling.

On that note, I wonder how much getting my weight where I always wished it could be impacts my ability to be so happy in a relationship. They say that you can't love someone else until you love yourself... and while I don't think that means you have to be all perfect before you can fall in love, I do see that me feeling good about myself makes me better in this relationship. I'm not as insecure, I walk around starkers (and believe S when he tells me how great he thinks I look), and I just feel really good -- and comfortable in my skin. Also, that cloud of self-loathing I always felt about my weight before I had my surgery seems to be gone for good, and so life is just better and more enjoyable than it was before I was banded.