Meeting Mary, My Fill, and An NSV

This post is definitely long overdue! I had intended to put something up right after my meeting with Amy and Mary! First I want to say that Mary is very sweet and so pretty (love those eyes!). Amy (as mentioned before) is still just as witty and amazing in person as she is online. They both have had such great results with the band and are so beautiful (Mary, you are right about Amy's tan!). I am so lucky that we live close to one another. I can't wait to meet Lacey and Melly too so we can round out our little circle of Panhandle Bandsters. Let us know when you can get together, ladies!

Anyhow, we had some great convos including wedding talk and, of course, general band discussion. Mary and Amy both thought I needed more of a fill since while they were eating their respective soups, I was still chowing down on fried chicken tacos (sans the tortilla wraps) and could've kept going on the nachos had I been in a nacho mood. I also told them that I had a Whataburger chicken biscuit for breakfast and something else really big that day (that I can't recall now--that's why I need to blog as things occur) while they were having and being satisfied with small meals that day. The server even told me that I scraped as much as I could out of the tortillas--a little embarrassing especially considering that I was with bandster friends. But, sadly enough, it has gotten worse since! For instance, yesterday I had three hand-tossed pieces of pizza (with crust) in a row after a soup and then another piece about an hour later. That was definitely not all I ate yesterday. I came in at well over 2,000 calories. Argh!!! I know that these meal types I'm sharing aren't model bandster behavior, but I eat pretty well most of the time. I often have the ricotta/spaghetti sauce combo, soups, grits and eggs, grilled chicken breasts/fish/pork chops and Lean Cuisine Meals, but sometimes I just feel like I'm starving and get really ravenous.

Anyhow, that segue ways nicely into the next point. I got a fill today! I guess it is still Christmas in Nyeland (Nye is my doctor :) ). While he was either not giving me fills at all or giving me very small fills throughout the Fall, he has been super generous the last two visits. He gave me .5 today (and told me I looked good), which brings me up to 3.5. I've got to be getting close (I hope) since my band is somewhere between 4 and 5 cc's total. I guess I'll have a better idea of what's going to happen with this fill in a few weeks as that's when my fills usually settle in more. I am okay with more of a fill for (at least) three reasons: 1) I haven't seen my lowest weight since around Christmas (I'm a couple of pounds above so nothing terrible, but still); 2) I read on a blog that the band is supposed to make you a little uncomfortable--if it's not a little, then it's not doing it's job (this doesn't mean one can't drink water, of course, but just make us eat slower and remember the rules and such as a result); and 3) I think maybe my band has gotten looser since I've lost more and more weight--lost the 'fat pad' or whatever it's called that came with my excess weight--so now if I want to lose weight, I have to up the restriction. Maybe I'm getting to philosophical here, but this makes sense to me. :) As others have discussed, I would really like to get full and stay fuller longer. But with my year plus with my band, it doesn't seem like it always works this way. I have what I call 'Hungry Days' or will eat, feel full, but be hungry a little while later. This was something I did not anticipate when I was first banded, but I'd certainly rather be where I am today than where I was before.

As far as the NSV (per the title), I have a brown leather belt that I hadn't worn in forever that I tried on a couple of weeks ago. It did not fit at all immediately preceding banding, but evidently when I was wearing it back in the day, I was wearing it using one of the holes near the end (don't know if that makes sense, but essentially I was wearing it pretty loose). Now, it is too big at the tightest hole (though it is the best fit I have for a brown belt right now)! In other words, I am wearing it at its tightest, but it is too loose! Yea!!

Oh, and just so you all know I'm still reading everyone's blogs regularly even if I take some time between posts. :)