Forgive me bloggers for I’ve been missing….

It is 4 weeks since my last confession… I mean blog!
And what an amazing 4 weeks it’s been. First there was the 1 year Bandiversary…. And what a fantastic year - 25 kgs lighter than last year and feeling great. Getting closer to my goal weight and lapping up the compliments.
Then we went to the U2 360 concert last Thursday and it was fantastic. They are my favourite band in the world and their live concerts are amazing! Even better I had splashed out and bought 8 of the top priced seats and shared the event with my husband, my 2 sons, my niece and her boyfriend, and of course my wonderful sisters Maree and Susan. It was such a great night… sang and danced and worshipped along with 60,000 fans and we were soooo close. It was awesome!!

Then to top off a busy week, on Saturday I conquered my 40km relay leg of the cycle challenge around Lake Taupo. The whole event was a huge buzz… 10,000 people riding between 160km all the way round the Lake to 40km legs of the relay. It was a sunny and hot 30 degree day and the heat off the road was outrageous but we cycled our hearts out and DID NOT get off and walk - even up the 3km long hill climb even though there were plenty who did! It is such a thrill to set a challenge goal and achieve it. Next year I am going to do 80kms!!! You heard it here. And in the meantime there are some other cycle events my husband and friends are planning to enter.

On the band front, I had another 0.1ml fill last Monday (that now takes me to the total I tried all at once way back in early September when I had a horror overfilled week) and I finally seem to have some control over the hunger I’ve had for a long while. The combination of that and the calories I burnt off on the ride mean I have been able to post another 1kg loss! Yippee! Rocking the band – mine and U2!

Great concert and new dress

The U2 concert was fantastic - they were everything I hoped for and it was great to see them with family, including my two wonderful sisters.

The next morning I had some free time before I flew home so went shopping - was meant to be for Christmas presents but I ended up with a dress for me. Here I am in the toilets at work today (lovely background of the basins!):

And in other good news, despite the unfill, I had a new low on Saturday. All in all, a good week.

Hungry again after unfill

Well, the unfill I had last Friday has completely fixed the problems I developed last week with PBing and acid reflux BUT I am now hungry again after months of not being hungry (except if I'd gone a loooong time without eating). Amazing what a difference .3 mls can make. I have an appointment for Friday 3/12 for a fill but may see if I can get in earlier. I can't go this week as I'm going away tomorrow for a night to see U2 - so excited! I had a ticket to see them in 1989 and couldn't go (showing my age now!) so 21 years later I'll finally see them. Can't wait!

First unfill

Just back from seeing the nurse and having .3mls taken out of my band. I haven't had a fill for over 2 months but in the last couple of weeks I've had a "full" feeling at night as well as lots of gurgling with drinking. Yesterday I had a bad PB at lunchtime on a fairly innocuous meal (chicken frittata). Last night I woke at 1.30am coughing and with acid reflux - hideous experience. I got up for an hour then went back to bed and slept with my head up on pillows. First thing this morning I got an appointment for an unfill - we're trying .3mls - I live 5 minutes walk away so I'll see how I go with fluids today and go back this afternoon if I need more out. *Sigh* - this is my first "issue" so I hope I've got onto it quickly and the unfill and a day or two of fluids and mushies will get me back to "normal" (whatever that is with this band!). I've also got another appointment to see if I need a small fill in a couple of weeks.

Happy Bandiversary to us!!

A year today since Jenny and I were banded! It's been a fantastic year and I have no regrets at all about becoming a bandit - except that I didn't do it sooner! I'm at a new low again today, which is great, and only 3 kg (about 6.5 lbs) from goal. I've never lost for as long as this, and have never lost as much as this, in all my previous efforts. I'm now buying clothes in "normal" shops, not expensive fat ladies shops, and I don't have to pick the largest size and hope it fits. I don't think I have any secrets of how to succeed with the band - I haven't counted calories or protein but I have concentrated on protein at each meal and on reducing portion sizes - and I think it's the amount I eat, rather than what I eat, which has led to my weight loss. I don't ever want to diet again and so I still eat small quantities of the things I love - cheese, ice cream, chocolate, chips and cake - but as the quantities are small, and not every day, I've still been able to lose without feeling deprived and wanting to eat lots of those things. It's worked for me. I'm still learning about this band and how to work it but I look forward to getting to goal soon and staying there.

Rocking the band for a year!! Yay us!!

Work Schmirk!

I know I have been absent for a while... work just seems to be taking up so much of my time.... it is highly overrated as far as I am concerned. Of course I need the cash I get from my job but sometimes I just wish it was only for a couple of days a week and the rest of the time was mine! Actually a couple of days a month would be even better... oh well.. work schmirk!

On the band front - I can hardly believe it is almost a year since Maree and I joined "the bandits". This time last year was pre-op diet optifast time and I was in equal parts feeling starving and also excited that it was my last diet. I actually lost an incredible 8kgs during that 2 and a half weeks - which was a fantastic kick start to my goal. And the goal is getting closer.... I'm inching slowly down toward it.

I've had 2 tiny 0.1ml fills in the last 3 weeks following my fill/unfill disaster 6 weeks ago. So I'm now making progress again. And after 3 weeks of inactivity after surgery to strip a nasty varicose vein from my leg, I am back cycling training for my 40km ride on Nov 27th.

So next week is a big milestone week. It's been an amazing journey so far and it's great to have been able to share it with you all out there in blogland and hear from so many of you as well.
Bring on the celebrations!

Nearly one year on and still making mistakes

What was I thinking? I just went to the supermarket to get some lunch - didn't have a plan which is always a mistake for me. I ordered a toasted ham and cheese sandwich!! Really? What was I thinking?!? I can't eat bread (unless it is a thin piece of toast so crispy it's almost charcoal). But I thought I could eat just toasted, doughy white bread? Duh!

The good news is I got back to my office, took one look at that baby and reality set in. I knew I could never eat it, so I took out the ham and cheese and ate that in small bites and threw the bread away. A lucky escape from a very bad PB, I would say!

But where was my head? Did I forget I had a band? What an idiot.