I'm a terrible blogger...

Wow...I'm a bad bad blogger...  I just realized that I haven't blogged in...OH...a month maybe???  Things have been going well, slow, but well.  I started Grad School this month.  So, needless to say, when I'm done with work and school, I really don't think of much else other than sleep.  I'm thinking I may have taken on more than I can handle at this point, but I'm here, and I'm gettin' things done. 

Weight loss has been slooooooooooooooow, but it's goin' down, so I am happy about that.  This past Monday I went in for my 3rd fill.  I'de still pretty much been in Bandster Hell up until that point.  So anyway, I only had 2ccs in a 10cc band and could eat anything...anything!  So I told her I'd like a pretty good fill; she gave me 2ccs.  So I get my regular Gladiator Protein shake from Smoothie King, and its kinna weird goin' down.  Not painful, but not comfortable if yaknowwhatImean.  So I write that off as me being swollen.  Then the next day...same thing, liquids are fine, not softies...okay I'm still swollen, right?  The day after that, same thing...tried some softies, and still no go.  Then Thursday, still can't do softies so I called my doc because I've never felt restriction before and I just wanted to see if this was normal.  They had me come in, do a barium swallow (eew) and they said I was way too tight.  So they unfilled me .5cc.  She also said I could be tight because I'm OTR (must I explain?).  Do you get tight when Aunt Flo comes around? Because shit, now that I'm not OTR, I'm back to easy eating.  Should I have just stuck with that extra .5cc?  Am I just not eating right?  It doesn't seem normal that mushies are painful.  I mean I was takin' teensy beensy bites and waitin' at least a minute. 

So what does being in the GREEN ZONE feel like to you? 

Hiatus

Hello Fraaaanns!  Sorry I haven't posted in about a week.  With Christmas, our vacation after Christmas, work and kids I've been a busy bee.  Even though I've been on a small hiatus in Blogland, doesn't mean I've taken a hiatus to my weight loss.  In fact, I had a bangin' week!  I was astonished when I saw the scale Friday mornin'.  I didn't walk, not even once, and I made some small bad food choices.  Not totally bad ones, but just a few here and there.  I still stayed within my calorie range and accounted everything I took in, but they weren't the most nutritional choices out there.  One of the things I wait for all year that is totally bad but I can't resist

Peppermint Bark....love this shit.  Good thing it's not around all year.  That would be BAD.

But come Friday....I WAS DOWN 4.8 LBS!!!!!! BAM.  Now given this week I was down so much but made not-so-good food choices, I'm not going to let my undeserved success persuade me to keep up the choices I made.  I KNOW, from experience, that it will eventually catch back up with me. 

What are your Christmas sweet evils?  Do you let yourself somewhat enjoy these vices during this time of year?

BYOC

HAPPY FRIDAY! Today was weigh-in day (I've kept my promise!) and I'm down 1.6lbs...YAY!  I'm so super happy that I've been able to get out of the funk I was stuck in forever it seems.  For the last 2 weeks, I've seen the scale move down.  Even during Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving Eve potlucks and work bdays we've had this week.  Yes, I had cake, a small peice, but I made real good choices all around.  I'm still stuck in my 18s, which is the same size I was at surgery (and biggest size ever), but they look like I told a big old shit in 'em.  16s are just not cuttin' it right now so I'm makin' do and bein' sure to pull those britches up!  >>insert smiley<<

 

I had my first fill on Tuesday.  The nurse should be shot.  Bitch hurt the hell outta me and I was so scared she was gonna dislodge the mothaf@#$&*.  Seriously, is it always that bad?  Hopefully the smaller my belly gets the less horrifying that will be.  But it's all good, I don't think I'm at great restriction but I'm finding myself less hungry in between meals.  Before this fill I was starving (not the head kind either, like burning stomach, growling kind) within about an hour or two of eating.  For this, I am thankful.

 

It's also FRIDAY so that means it's BYOC - Bring Your Own Crazy! Brought to you by the one and only Drazil! We answer a couple of questions in an effort to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break! Copy and paste and answer in your own blogs if you'd like!! ENJOY!!

1. Describe the structure you live in. (apartment, condo, house, mansion, cardboard box?)
   I live in a House.  It's one story, three bedrooms with a fenced in backyard that my furbabies love.  It's not big, but its enough for us. 
2. Describe the city you live in. (population, main attractions)
   I live in Katy, TX which is a smaller big town on the left side of Houston.  I lived in Houston for about 3 years and found out very quickly that I'm a small town girl.  I live off one of the major streets in Katy so everything I will almost ever need is right there and I haven't needed to go to Houston for anything since moving here.  Thank Gawd.  People here are so snooty.  :(
3. Why do you live in the town you live in? (job, to get away from a different town, family, schools?)
   Well, when I met my hubby I told him that when I graduated I was getting out of the small town I grew up in and he could either stay with me and come, or not and we'd go our separate ways.  Well he came with me and has a fabulous job and I've been pestering him ever since to move back home.  I've got a good job here too so that's why we are still here.
4. What’s the view like from your backyard?
   Nothing special, our backyard.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.
   In real life, things are going good with the weight loss.  It's been a busy week at work so I'm happy today is Friday.
   
   In blogland, I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like but I still read all yours! :)

Zuchinni Genius

Whoever came up with the idea of using zuchinni as pasta is pure genius.  Amazing.  If you've never tried it, do it.  If I haven't posted enough about zuchinni, I'm here to tell ya that I love it!  Its super low in calories and pretty much everything else and wonderful if seasoned right.  So this recipe that I mentioned in an earlier post about the Pesto, used zuchinni in the place of pasta.  I gobbled that shit up and loved every minute of it.  Here's the recipe:

Zuchinni Pasta

1- 2 large Zuchinni
1 tbsp of Pesto
Boiling water
Hot skillit

Cut Zuchinni in long spagetti like strips.  Put zuchinni in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to paper towel to soak up some of the water and then put in skillet with 1 tbsp of pesto.  Sautee for about 2 more minutes.  Enjoy!  :)

Nutrition Facts (makes 2 servings)

Fat              3g
Calories       65       
Carbs           1
Protein          5g

For the scallops - simply season with lemon pepper and sautee for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they have a carmelized color on their sides.

Easy Peasy :)

Pesto & Meet me on Monday

Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!
Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Java will add a linky so we can follow who participates and get to know them better!! Be sure to link the POST and not just your whole blog!!

Questions:

1. I really need to clean my _________? - My closet!  I avoid this task too often...

2. What food makes you think of Christmas? - TransSiberian Orchestra, I'm not an orchestra lover but LOVE LOVE LOVE them!  Their Christmas Cannon helped me choose the song I walked down the aisle to.  Of course not the Christmas version but the original in D.  Every time I hear it I get a lump in my throat.  Beautiful.

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be? Probably 24 - nothing special about that year or age but it seems to all go down hill, (and sag), from there LOL.

4. What was your first paying job? Subway!  It was fun, I'm going to leave out why it was so much fun, but for some reason the owners/managers let us 16yr old hoodlums practically run the joint...pun intended

5. Have you read the Twilight series? Oh yea, I love them.  I read them all before the hype though.  I had never read anything like it and didn't think I would but it's opened my fancy for the paranormal and fantasy like literature.  I just saw Breaking Dawn and after being somewhat disappointed with the first three, I really liked this one.  Maybe because it's been so long since I've read them, but I really can't wait for Part II.

                                                    

I've been doing reall well with food and I'm seeing my scale go down...THANK GAWD!  I lost .8 when I weighed in last Friday and I took my measurements today and I'm down 2 more inches in my waist.  So thankful that I'm starting to see some results.  I'm still pretty hungry, but I'm hanging in there and making it work by staying in my calorie range.  I go see the doc tomorrow and get my first fill which I'm super excited about.  Hopefully I'll feel the restriction I hear so much about. 

I love Pesto.  Pesto pasta, pizza, meats, veggies...you name it and I LOVE it.  So I found a recipe that I'd been dying to try (and will tonight, that's for another post) in Better Homes and Gardens magazine that called for Pesto.  This weekend it was rainy so I felt it was the perfect time to try to make some homemade Pesto.  The best thing about Pesto is that it's bursting with flavor and you don't have to use alot of it.  It can be high in calories because of the EVOO and nuts (I used Pumpkin Seeds instead of Pine nuts though), but I generally use a teaspoon, maybe two.  This recipe's nutrtion facts are based on the exact amount in the recipe but I scaled back and used a little less than what the recipe calls for. 

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

2cups of Fresh Basil leaves
1/2 cp of EVOO
1/2 cp of Parmesan (or Romano) cheese
1/3 cp of Pumpkin Seeds
1 Garlic Clove (I will probably up this to 2 or 3 next time)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in Food Processor and Pesto Chango!  :P

Nutrition Facts for 1 tsp (for 1 tbsp = x3)
Fat                  4g
Calories          46
Carbs              1
Protein            1g

Try this on veggies...it's wonderful!  :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!