Busy day ...

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, my voice is lovely and husky though!! I had already booked today off work as my car was being serviced so it was nice to have an extra day to recover - although I haven't been taking it easy!!!

I was up early as they were due to pick my car up between 9 and 11 and it is parked in the garage behind my house. My house is practically hidden from view on the main road, down a narrow lane, so at 8.45 I went to put it on my parents drive where it would be easier to find. Fortunately, as I got to the end of the lane they were just pulling up to collect it which was great timing!

Then a workman arrived to look at my garage door. It is an automatic roller one and for some reason had decided not to come down properly. The chap was lovely and did a brilliant job. All working fine again.

Then my Mum and I had agreed we would venture to the new shopping centre in Bristol - Cabot Circus. It was our first visit and we loved it. If anyone lives near Bristol and is going there I can highly recommend Carluccio's for lunch - the food is divine and the staff are excellent. They also have a deli which has the most amazing bread and cakes.

On the way home, we popped in to do some food shopping. I was in the dog food aisle when my boyfriend rang me, there was another woman in the aisle who only heard my side of the conversation and probably thinks I should be certified, it went like this:

"We've been to Cabot Circus this afternoon .... No, there weren't any clowns.... No, there weren't any tigers .... No, there weren't any elephants .... No, it isn't a very good circus"

She did give me a funny look!!!

My car was waiting for me when I got back and it had been cleaned inside and out - can't complain at that!!

I have stayed the same this week, weight-wise. This isn't too bad since for most of the week I was showing as having put on two pounds! I was chatting to my mum about it over lunch. There is a definite difference in what and how I eat now, for example we had bread and oil to start but I only had a little bit (waaaayyy to scared of bread these days!), I had lasagne for lunch and that was more than enough. Pre-band I would have wolfed down the bread and oil, scoffed my lasagne and felt cheated if I didn't have a pudding.

I'm toying with the idea of having another fill but I do have reasonably good restriction, I don't want it to go so tight that I can't eat anything and I know I can lose weight if I concentrate on what I'm eating. We agreed that I should leave it as it is for the time being and review it after Christmas. Then, if I want, I can have a fairly tight restriction for a few months and see how that goes.

I've really enjoyed my day today, back to work tomorrow but at least it's only for one day! Sounds like I hate my job - I don't, I'm just not feeling 100%!

Under the weather

I've succumbed to the nasty bug that seems to be doing the rounds at work - I've got a sore throat and feel pretty yuck! I went to work yesterday but didn't feel well and found it hard to concentrate. I didn't feel any better today so I decided to stay at home and I've mooched around the house all day. I've got tomorrow off so hopefully I'll be feeling fighting fit again on Friday.

Was it ever worth it??!!!!

Well, as I am coming to understand, the band always has the last laugh!!

After my naughtiness on Friday night, the band has more than reprimanded me! It is certainly the boss and is quite capable of letting me know in an almost brutal way! On Saturday, I eventually tried to eat a boiled egg (with soldiers - I love my mum, I'm 42 but I'll always be her baby!!!!!) but old bandie was having none of it, the soldiers were not going to go down so they had to be abandoned and I struggled to eat the egg - took me about quarter of an hour! I had this at about 1.30 and then managed to eat an M&S lasagne at about 8pm and that was all I got down all day! Then on Sunday I managed two weetabix at lunchtime and then we had Sunday roast (we eat at tea time on a Sunday), I put up a small plate of food for myself and couldn't manage all of that. Then this morning, I stood on the scales (I know, what can I say, I'm an addict!!!) and the bl**dy thing said I'd put on two pounds!!! It's having a laugh!!!

Today has been quite weird, I just haven't felt hungry at all. I didn't want breakfast, at lunchtime I had a jacket potato with tuna mayo and cheese. Normally, this would go down really easily but not today. I struggled big time and had to leave quite a bit as I started to feel the food sticking in the back of my throat - nice!!! I couldn't face dinner, still feeling like something is stuck in the back of my throat. All I've had since lunch is a packet of hula hoops - not healthy, I know, but I just fancied them and knew they would go down.

Much as I love my band, I do sometimes think he (and it must be a he - no offence guys!!!) is having a laugh at my expense!! It is almost as though he thinks, right lady you took the mickey yesterday so I'm gonna take the mickey today - just as well I have a sense of humour!!

A wee bit naughty!

This makes me laugh a bit because it tells me how much I've come since getting my band!

My idea of being a wee bit naughty now is that I shared a portion of fish and chips with my mum last night - I mean SHARED, that was never in my vocabularly in relation to food before! Actually, when I say shared, I wouldn't say I had half even. It was enough, it took me quite a while to get it down and if I am being totally honest it did make me feel a wee bit queasy later on so I might not be so keen to try it again in a hurry. It was tasty though!

This is what I love so much about the band - I can have treats like that now and again but I can't go mad and stuff my face with them. Actually, I can go mad and stuff my face but it takes considerably less food to feel that my face has been stuffed and so I can't do so much damage!!

Another good thing with the band is that we ate at about 7pm last night and I'm still not hungry again, I thought about eating something earlier and I just couldn't face it yet.

Whohoo!!!

Another 2lbs lost! It wobbled a bit and then settled on 2 so it might only be 1.5 but I am very chuffed, long may it continue!

Followers!

I've added this new gadget to the blog - it would be lovely to know who follows my ramblings, so please don't be shy!!

Surprised!

I'm not exactly sure what I am doing differently (if anything) but my band seems to have suddenly realised what it's there for and is doing it's stuff!

I am still amazed that I got away without putting on any weight on my holiday, I must confess that I actually expected it to catch up with me after a day or so and that I would put on 3lbs overnight!! As it goes, I seem to have lost some more - official weigh day tomorrow so fingers crossed!!

I am definitely finding I can't manage big portions but I can manage enough food to feel satisfied which is brilliant. For example, tonight I wasn't particularly hungry but knew I needed to eat something. So I cooked four fish fingers and had them with some tomato ketchup - yummy!! Pre-band I would have scoffed them down in a sandwich in the blink of an eye but I really struggled and have felt full all evening.

One thing I have noticed is that my food is taking me ages to eat and is often stone cold by the time I finish - which tends to put me off a bit!

My rollercoaster ride is certainly on the up at the moment - long may it last as I am loving this band right now!!!!

Busy, busy!!!!

Sorry for my absence, I ended up having a busier weekend than I expected!

I've done a lot of eating out since my last post so I am a bit worried about what the scales may say on Wednesday. Friday was my boyfriend's dad's birthday and I took a long lunch break so that I could meet up with them for lunch. I still ended up gulping my meal down and having to hotfoot it back to work afterwards. In the evening, we had dinner with some friend's of my boyfriend - I was still full from lunch so really struggled and felt a bit embarrassed at what I had to leave. I've then had lunch out with my parents today which was fab.

One thing I have noticed, which is really great, is that places are starting to offer 'smaller appetite' meals which are smaller versions of some of the menu choices. They had this in the restaurant on Friday and again at the pub today. At least that way you are not paying for food you know you can't eat and you are not embarrassed at having to leave an almost untouched plate of food!

We were supposed to go to a party last night but, after getting ready, neither of us really felt like going so we curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine and some nibbles instead - probably not a good idea but so comforting!!!

Sunny days!

Well, we had a lovely holiday in Kefalonia. The weather was fabulous, not a drop of rain and the temperature was in the mid to high twenties - it was actually too hot at times! The hotel we stayed in was very nice, although it was just outside Lixouri which was lovely but, if any of you know the island, this is on the peninsula so is rather isolated. The season ends on the island at the end of the month and our hotel is due to close on 19th so it and the surrounding tavernas were gradually closing down around us which was a bit of a shame because it narrowed your options rather! What was nice though was that there was no scrum for the sunbeds around the pool! You could wander down there at any time and have your pick of the beds! If you want a holiday on a beautiful island which is totally unspoilt and you enjoy being away from the crowds and the hustle and bustle, then I would thoroughly recommend it. If you do go, you must see the fishing port of Fiscardo, the beautiful Myrtos Beach and also the Melissani lakes.

We did experience a couple of earth tremors while we were there, which were quite exciting! One was very early in the morning and I woke up when my bed shook - my boyfriend managed to sleep through that, so he didn't even feel the earth move!

I have had some rather important morale boosters. The first one was when I was packing my suitcase, I looked in my wardrobe and found a linen blouse I bought back in April for work during the summer. When I brought it home it and tried it on in gaped dreadfully and I put it in the wardrobe and forgot all about it. When I found it, I tried it on not really expecting a change (I know I've lost a stone but it doesn't feel that different at the moment!). I was wrong!! The blouse fits perfectly and it was ideal on holiday. I also tried on a skirt that I last tried to wear when I was in Majorca (also in April!). When I put it on then, it was so tight I had to take it back off again as it looked dreadful. I'm sure you've guessed that it was fine and I got plenty of wear out of it on holiday.

The final morale booster was getting to my seat on the plane. When we went to Majorca, I felt crammed in to my seat, the seatbelt was at it's maximum capacity and I couldn't get the table down flat - I was mortified. This time I fitted in the seat comfortably, I had plenty of spare seatbelt and the table went down no problem. I know airlines differ and I know I have only lost a small fraction of my excess weight but I think my weight loss so far has had an impact (we flew with Thomas Cook to Majorca and Thomsonfly to Kefalonia).

It is funny how small achievements spur you on to do better - I am loving the band at the moment and feel very positive about my future with it! I also found it funny that I was so aware of my weight loss goal that I had convinced myself that I'd put on weight during the holiday - just goes to show how your perceptions change, I thought I'd pigged out but I couldn't have. Next time, I will be aiming to come back from holiday having lost weight - or am I just being silly now?!!!

I love my band!!!!!!

I will post a full update later on but I just wanted to officially say that I love my band - now I know I will probably be cursing it good and proper in a few weeks (even days) time but right now I absolutely LOVE it!!!!

I got back from holiday late last night, stood on the scales this morning and I weigh exactly the same as I did the morning I left for Greece - how fab is that?!!!!!! I wasn't an angel either, I ate more or less what I wanted (I had chips most days for goodness sake!), I had a pudding each evening and I drank plenty of wine and vodka (not together!!). So I'm not sure how it happened, but I've checked the scales twice and they are adamant I weigh the same!

I do believe that one of the biggest differences is no fizzy drinks. Normally I would enjoy a beer at lunch time (sometimes even two) or I might have a fanta (not diet of course!) but I only drank water during the day. Also, I avoided bread most of the time. I really think these things have made a difference and I am absolutely delighted - I think it is a first for me to go on holiday and stay the same!

See you soon!

As you can see from the time I am posting this, I am suffering from pre-holiday insomnia!

I seem to have so much to do and no time in which to do it. I am working tomorrow and we have a team day which is stretching on to a meal in the evening. I could do without it really because I haven't packed yet and we will need to leave fairly early on Tuesday morning. I think I might make my excuses and leave as soon as I am able. I am still trying to get some washing done and I can't pack until I get the smaller suitcase from my parents who only arrived back from Portugal at two and a half hours ago!!!

For our team day we have to take an object which reflects us to talk about ... where on earth do they get these ideas!!! I'd forgotten all about it until my friend sent me a text to remind me - I haven't a clue what to take, was gonna take my passport but I think I would be in severe danger of getting it flushed down the toilet as I've been winding them up all week!

Anyway, I don't think I will get much time to post later today so I'll sign off now until I return. I am back in the UK very late on 14th so probably won't get to post much before the 15th.

Have fun, keep safe and see you soon!

Have a little patience!!!

It appears that all I need at the moment is a little patience! My weight is coming down, albeit slowly, and I must just be patient.

I have now lost a stone - whohoo!!! I am getting quite good restriction, the last few days I haven't seemed to be able to finish any of the portions of food I prepare - time for a mind adjustment, I think!

I've been doing some thinking and realise that I am expecting overnight miracles which, frankly, just aren't going to happen! I have lost a stone in three months which isn't earth shattering but in a year that would equate to four stone. At the moment, I am happy with that. I can't promise that I won't get a bee in my bonnet again soon but for now I am going to stop mentally beating myself up over it!

I might even hide the scales - but let's not go too mad!

Still struggling!

I'm still struggling with the weight loss - I stayed the same this week which is not what I was hoping/expecting!

I seem to have good weight loss the week immediately after my fill and then it peters out. What I can't believe is that it is not coming off despite the fact that I am eating considerably less than I did before the band.

I've just had words with my boyfriend who was asking how it is going and then making me feel as though it is all my fault - I am trying to lose weight!!! He claims he is trying to be supportive but it just makes me feel worse than ever.

I'm going to see how things are when I get back from my holiday and if things are much the same, I will speak to the nurse at the clinic about getting another fill. I just don't want to get it full to the max too quickly - who said this was an easy option?!!