Starting Weight: 298.2 pounds
Last Week’s Weight: 259.8 pounds
Today’s Weight: 257.4 pounds
2.4 pounds lost this week. Don’t even ask me how that happened; I was prepared for a gain.
So, this last day of 2009 brings me to 40.8 pounds lost thus far on my journey. That’s awesome!
I should be almost to Colorado right now. Because of snow and ice covered roads, however, I had to stay in Phoenix for the new year. I’m having a sad day.
I took some time off to ask myself the following: Why am I blogging?
I started this blog for two reasons. First, I wanted to chronicle my lap-band journey. Second, I wanted to help people who were in the same boat as me.
My journey has been mostly fraught with frustration–difficult fills, slow loss, and an inability to exercise due to asthma. I was so hopeful six months ago. I just knew that I was going to be at least 50 pounds down by now, but it’s just not happening. Why? Why why why why why? (I think it’s my beautiful polycystic ovaries, but that’s a discussion for another time.)
I wanted to help people. I wanted to be someone others could look to. But I don’t have many readers. I can’t even find my blog on Google when I type in relevant search terms. “It takes time,” the Boy says when I lament my unpopularity. But then I read blogs of people who have been banded for less than half the time I have who regularly get 20 or more comments on every post they write. I barely get 20 visitors a week.
There’s just something about me that people don’t respond to. I’m not compelling or vivacious or something. I don’t know what it is, but it’s always been like this and my lack of popularity in the blogosphere is bringing forth some pretty deep-seeded issues.
Maybe it’s because I’m negative and angst-ridden (sorry, guys).
In any event, I am at a crossroads. Should I continue blogging here or should I just keep my personal logs? I really don’t know.
So, I’m going home on Thursday to spend some time with my mom, provided the roads to southwest Colorado aren’t too icy. I’ve got a lot of time to think as I drive, and this will be on my mind.
Your thoughts are welcome, as always.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
I wish you joy and happiness today (and every day), whether you celebrate the day or not!
Website: www.drinkclick.com
My rating4/5
I kept hearing about CLICK from my weight loss surgery comrades on Twitter–how yummy it was, how people were suffering from withdrawal when they ran out, and what they were mixing it with. When I got some extra money, I decided that it was high time to order a canister from Amazon, here.
I wasn’t impressed with my first few samplings of CLICK, which I made with 12 ounces of water per the canister’s instructions. I tried it with sugar-free Torani syrup mixed in (I hate hate hate artificial sweeteners and the double whammy of Sucralose from both the syrup and powder was too much). I tried it with regular DaVinci, which made it much more bearable.
I finally decided to substitute half of the water with milk to see if the flavor improved. Thank God I had that brain wave. The Sucralose flavor in my drink is no longer overwhelming and the texture is rich and creamy.
I’m now one of the CLICK converts! I have it on recurring order from Amazon and added to my food budget to replace both my breakfast and coffee each morning. It’s really much less expensive than lattes from the Coffee Bean, tastes almost as good, and has fewer calories (around 200 for one serving of powder, a cup of milk, and some water).
I have yet to try the drink cold and probably won’t try it, since the warmth also helps open my band before lunch so I can eat!
The only thing that bothers me is the residue that the CLICK leaves behind. It coats my mug and spoon, as you can see in the picture below. Washing it out is inconvenient and requires some scrubbing, but I don’t mind it that much.
If you like coffee, try CLICK. Make it with at least some milk to help it out. Overall, it’s a great product.
All pictures but the one of my coffee mug were taken by the Boy. Cat appears courtesy of her curiosity, which has yet to kill her.
Starting Weight: 298.2 pounds
Last Week’s Weight: 260.4 pounds
Today’s Weight: 259.8 pounds
.6 pounds down, which is a gain from a few days ago when the scale said 259.4. I’m not shocked by the development (I’ve kind of been eating whatever and not paying much attention). I’m hoping to feel better soon so I start caring again :)
It is, however, now time to celebrate. I now officially have fewer than 100 pounds to lose!!!! How awesome is that? I’ll be over here celebrating with my Click (which I still need to review)!
Woe is me!
Sorry everyone. I am the proud owner of a cold, which is turning into a constant asthmatic presence, which is exhausting. The cold (for Phoenix) weather isn’t helping at all.
So I offer my apologies and a promise for a Click review tomorrow.
I hate the gap in my teeth :(
Starting Weight: 298.2 pounds
Last Week’s Weight: 261.4 pounds
Today’s Weight: 260.4 pounds
A pound is a pound is a pound and I will absolutely take it! I really wanted to get to 259.9 or lower so that I could report that I officially have less than 100 pounds to lose, but I’ll hopefully get there next week :)
My throat is really sore, so I’m popping pills to make it go away away away. I can’t spend the New Year with mi madre if I’m sick.
Hope all is well with you guys. I’m planning on posting a review on Click protein powder this weekend in addition to a new blog recommendation. In addition to house hunting and getting my car serviced. I’m tired just thinking about all of it :)
It amazes me when I go to band-specific message boards and read (essentially) the same post over and over and over and over again. For instance:
“I’m four weeks post-op. I haven’t had a fill yet. I’m always hungry. What’s wrong with me?????!? I thought I wasn’t supposed to feel hungry! Oh, and I just ate a horse. It was a small one, though!” (Welcome to the illustrious “Bandster Hell.” All the food you want, no restriction. Eat as much as you desire and lament that you can’t lose weight!)
“I had surgery two days ago. What’s with all of this shoulder pain and how do I make it go away?” (It’s irritation from surgery combined with gas pains. Walk a lot and, if your surgeon approves, use Gas-X strips.)
“The band isn’t working for me. I can only eat a few bites of solid food before getting stuck so I’m consuming a lot of mushies and liquids. I know my band is too tight. Why am I not I losing weight?” (Get a slight unfill and stop eating high-calorie slider food. You’re failing your band.)
I even saw a post tonight that said something like, “I got banded a few days ago, but I don’t understand how the band works. Will someone explain it to me?” Really? Really? You went through all of the pre-operative requirements. You had tests done. You had SURGERY. SURGERY. And you don’t get what you did to your body? (This, combined with the previously mentioned “I’m too tight and eating crap that’s packed with calories and the band is bad because it’s not working” really set me off tonight. Apparently.)
DO YOUR RESEARCH. Be willing to accept the consequences of your surgery. Be able to answer most basic questions. The information I’m ranting about is readily available via a ton of sources (blogs, LapBandTalk, ObesityHelp, your surgeon, books, etc.)! Be informed! Don’t go into any of this blind. Do not pick a type of weight loss surgery out of a hat.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s awesome to ask questions and sometimes other people can see what we can’t. But often I see the same person asking basic questions one after the other AFTER their bands were placed. This is all stuff you should be ready for before you lay on that operating table.
One final thought to those considering weight loss surgery: RESEARCH!
This might be considered NSFW and shouldn’t be viewed if you’re squeamish about seeing people insides being snipped at.