Sorry I have not fulfilled my desire to post every day. I just haven't had time, and haven't had anything to say.
Right now, I am on the Mayo Clinic Diet. It's a pretty funky one, and Mayo Clinic does not claim to be the owner of the diet. In fact, there are alot of skeptics. But it has worked for me in the past, and I'm giving it another try. It's good for a quick start to get you going and motivated.
You can Google it and get all kinds of good and bad info, as well as the diet itself. Many people know this as the Grapefruit Diet.

I'm also using the Beck Diet Solution. This is the book that Northwest Weight Loss Surgery recommends to their patients, and I'm going to get down to work and follow it. It is a day by day tool to retrain your brain to think like a thin person.

So the scales are finally going in a downward direction, and I have set a temporary goal of 20 pounds. When I reach that point, I will set another goal, and so on.

Another Resolution

Ya know, this is so hard. When I started this blog, I thought it would be so easy. And when I got a lap band, I thought it would be so easy. It's been my life struggle, so how can anything make it easy?
My big downfall is grazing. You know, at parties where all this gorgeous delicious and fattening food is laid out so beautifully. One little taste of this, and one little taste of that. And three tastes of this, and 5 tastes of that. Oh my. And what do you get? A buildup of fat on your thighs and stomach. And I hate myself. That is the thing I need to overcome. Grazing and hating myself.

So, on to another year and my resolutions to lose these ten pounds AGAIN, so I can go on and lose some more. I am going to walk on nice days and dance on rainy days. I will walk in almost any temperature, but when it rains, I really hate my glasses getting wet and my clothes soaked. And dancing is more fun!

I went to Costco the other day and stocked up on vitamins and fiber and vitamin D, and I bought the ACAI 10 day cleanse. There has been so much hype over that stuff, what the heck, I thought I'd give it a try.

So, I'm going to try to post to this every day, even if there is nothing positive to write about.
Keep me accountable. Alot of resolutions here. Phew.

Week two

My first week of Starting Over is finished and I actually lost 5 pounds!! Shows you how much I was eating before, and I KNOW what I was indulging in.

My nurse at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery gave me a site to follow for support, and I thought I would share it with you. It has EVERYTHING you could possibly need. Diet options, a Weight Loss Cafe, and even a short, inspirational e-mail once a week to help you keep on track. It's Weight Loss Joy with Linda Spangle.

NWWLS has a forum that I used to follow, but it got so old and redundant. Always the same thing with the same self important achievers answering the questions. Drove me nuts. I think this site will really be helpful.

I found the journal I started when I had my Lap Band surgery, and kept until I'd lost 50 pounds. I can see when the gall bladder disease started by looking back. I was sick ALOT, but was always attributing it to the Band. So I let a serious condition become an emergency without knowing. Wow. What an insight.

Here's to a successful week.

Water

It seems water is the secret to all successful weight loss. I try to drink at least two 24oz. bottles of water a day, and add to that the various glasses I drink, I think I'm doing pretty well. What really bugs me is when you lose some weight and someone says "That's just water weight".
So? And your point is? Even the doctors say this. Well let me tell you something about water weight. It's enough to make your clothes feel tighter. It's enough to make your feet and ankles swell. So, if I lose three pounds of water weight, I feel pretty darn good! And on the scale, it says I've lost 3 pounds, and that is an achievement! Right? Of Course!
So, I've already lost 2 pounds of water weight, and I'm very happy and inspired to continue in this direction. I know, they say you should only weigh yourself once a week, but I am more successful when I weigh myself each morning. Makes me more determined.

So let's hear it for the Water!

Starting Over

Two years ago, I had Lap Band Surgery for weight loss. Having battled the bulge for so many years, I finally reached the point where I was miserable, my feet hurt all the time, and I couldn't perform my daily chores with ease. I was also very concerned about my health.

Lap Band surgery is not an easy fix, and I have had a very difficult time with this. I initially lost 60 pounds, and then came to a screaching halt. Then I developed Gall Bladder disease and had surgery for that. My entire body went through a change after that, and I was soon not able to keep any food down. When you can't keep solids down, you tend to eat more soft foods, which add up in calories. So, the pounds started piling on again.

I went in to have 1.5ccs of fluid drained from my band in mid September. It took about a week to heal. Then I was going to Peru, and didn't want to end up in trouble there, so I didn't get my band refilled. Today I got a fill of 1cc, which I'm told puts me to a typical fill for the type of band I have. So today I resolve to start over with my weight loss efforts. If I post to this blog once a week, I'd better have progress to report. I had two nurses see me today, and they told me the Gall Bladder disease probably prevented me from being as successful with my weight loss as I could have been. They said that they hear of my experiences happening quite frequently with Gall Bladder surgery. So, I am optimistic, and determined.

My blog is called "The Glow is Back" because that is what my husband told everyone when I lost my first 25 pounds. It was very true.

Join me if you wish, being a lapbander or not, you are welcome.