Protein Powder. What kind?

Hello all! I'm thinking about protein today. What kind should I get? I'll be ordering or buying some this Friday (payday). My requirements are, it needs to be soy or whey isolate, have less than 6 grams of carbs and contain at least 20 grams of protein. I have found some stuff called Nectar. It's made by Syntrax. Kind of pricey, but I've heard it tastes DELICIOUS. No protein powdery taste at all. It comes in many flavors from fuzzy navel to lemonade to cappuccino. The best part is it has 23 grams of protein per scoop and ZERO carbs and only 90 calories. My liver will be shrinking in NO TIME! LOL!



I just hope it comes on time. Oh well, even if it doesn't I'll still use it post-op. Have you seen my ticker?? Only 26 days till surgery!!! That reminds me, my head has been feeling a little spacey and dizzy as if I'm getting a sinus infection or ear infection. I need to make a doctor's appointment. Wouldn't that be awful to get sick before surgery and have to postpone? UGH! I have a co-worker that was having GB and she got sick at the last minute so they pushed her surgery back and she ended up having to do FOUR weeks of pre-op diet (which in our case consists of water, broth, jello and protein powder) Poor lady.

Counting Down

I can't believe I only have two weeks before my pre-op diet starts!! YAY!! Let's get this show on the road! I've decided that for the next two weeks, I'm going to start cutting down a little bit on my carbs and stuff. My plan is, on my workdays, I'll eat salads, lean meats, and veggies. On the weekends, I do plan on indulging a little bit. I believe we're going to go to my favorite Chinese restaurant this Saturday or Sunday. I've been doing pretty good with drinking water. I've been getting down about 70 oz. Which isn't as much as I should be drinking, but it's a start.

I bought a new scale today. I was going to buy the Weight Watchers one from Amazon that I showed you last week, but then I saw a similar one at Walmart. It analyzes your body by sending a safe, small electrical current up through your feet into your body to measure your body fat, water, bone, BMI, etc. It's pretty cool.



You can't tell by this picture, but the middle white part is actually clear. It looks very nice. I like it. It stores info for up to four users, and believe it or not, it's pretty easy to use. Not a bit complicated.

Well, that's all for now.

Twidling my thumbs

So, I don't have much of a post for you today. I'm just waiting for the days to pass. I do have one thing to share though. I went to Walmart and I found these cute little plates. They were in the kiddie section, so they're kid sized and pretty heavy duty. I figured this would be a great tool for me at first to help control my portion sizes. Plus they're pink and I love pink!! lol!


I got one other thing and that is some 1 cup glass Pyrex bowls. They came in a package of 4 and cost about $10. I thought they would be great for bringing my lunch to work. I like that they're measured and I know exactly how much I'll be eating.


Well, that's all for now. TTYL.

Merry Lapband!!!

So lately, when I see something I want, for instance a new camera or Wii Fit, I've been saying to my husband, "o0o honey! you should get that for me for my Lapband!" Like it's a holiday and I deserve gifts. HAHAAA!! Like I'm giving birth to a baby and should be showered with presents or something. LMAO! Hey, I should throw myself a Lapband shower!! Where should I register? HAHA! jkjk. Let's see, I kinda want Wii Fit, I want a new camera (even though the one I have is just fine), I'd like to have a juicer, like the one you see on TV that that old guy advertises. You can just shove whole fruit in it and it takes care of the rest. Sounds super healthy to me!









Well, theres apparently three different kinds. Not sure yet which one I want. I like the look of the stainless steel, but not the pricetag lol!

Any of you have a juicer??

:-P

Hey guys! Well, I've been researching scales and I think I've found the one I'm going to get. I have a decent scale now, but I've had it for a long time and I think it's just time for a new one. I saw it for almost $60 at Wal-Mart but then found it $20 cheaper on Amazon. So I'm going to order it from there. Why pay more? Apparently it stores your starting weight, along with your last few weights and calculates how much you've lost and it does this for up to 4 people in your house. It also has great reviews and I think it looks cool too :-P




Well, Today my husband and I had to go into work and attend a meeting regarding neonatal resuscitation with a new product called the Neopuff. Pretty cool machine. Anyway, after getting out of there, we decided to go to Smokehouse BBQ. It's on my "Food Bucket List" LOL! It's one of my favorite places to eat. Now, I know I will be able to eat there again, I just won't be able to get my usual.



Totally YUMM-OOOO!! Fairwell Junior Smokehouse with delicious cole slaw on top and a side of the best beans in the world!

Pics

This is Mike and I in Jamaica Last December.


Me, the night of our Wedding. Standing in the lobby of Beaches Resort- Negril, Jamiaca


Playing a giant chess game :P


Getting my tan on






Boy it was hot that day!


Getting ready to parasail!


Our last sunset in Jamaica

Get to know me, bloggy style ;)

A
- Age: 27
- Annoyance: Liars, my boss, idiots, bad drivers, loud chewing
- Animal: Right now we have 2 cats and 3 dogs. JEEZ! That annoys me too! lol
- Actor: That one guy from The Hangover, with the sexy blue eyes, oo0o0oh ya!

B
- Beer: Bud Light I suppose
- Birthplace: Kansas City, MO
- Body Part on opposite sex: eyes
- Been in Love: Yes, still am
- Been bitched at: Once or twice ;)
- Believe in yourself?: Most of the time
- Believe in God: Yes
- Before weight: Well, I'll officially post it on March 1st, but it's 270-ish.

C
- Car: Ford Explorer
- Candy: Almond Joy, Cherry sour things with the juicy middles, yum!
- Color: Pink
- Cried in school: yep, I'm a cryer
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate
- Chinese/Mexican: Chinese
- Cake or pie: hmmmm tough choice. I'd have to say cherry pie
- Country to visit: Rome

D
- Day or Night: Night
- Do the splits?: I never quite could, almost though

E
- Eggs: yes please! with cheese!
- Eyes: green

F
- First crush: His name was Justin. It was around 4th grade I think.
- First thoughts waking up: Can I go back to sleep now?
- Food: Love/hate relationship

G
- Greatest Fear: Losing my husband
- Goals: To have children with my husband and live a long, healthy life together.
- Get along with your parents?: My mom, yes. My dad, no.
- Good luck charm: idk

H
- Hair Colour: Brown with blonde highlights
- Height: 5'5"
- Happy: currently, yes
- Holiday: Non of them are really that great really
- Health freak?: not really
- Hate: My job and my boss. Thankful I have a job though, it could be worse.

I
- Ice Cream: Pistachio Pistachio
- Instrument: I could play the piano as a kid, not so much anymore

J
- Jewelry: I love my big silver hoops and of coarse my wedding set.
- Job: Respiratory Therapist

K
- Kids: Hopefully next year
- Kickboxing or karate: neither
- Keep a journal? This blog

L
- Longest Car Ride: From Kansas City, MO to North Dakota
- Love: feels good
- Laughed so hard you cried: Yes, I love when that happens. I love to laugh!
- Love at first sight: nah

M
- Milk flavor: Good 'ol regular milk. Love it!
- Movie: Pulp Fiction, Color Purple
- Mooned anyone?: Never
- Marriage: Married 12/10/08
- Motion sickness? Nope.
- McD’s or BK: BK

N
- Number of Siblings: 1 sister, 19 -- 2 brothers, 17 and 14
- Number of Piercings: just my ears now. I used to have my nose and belly button, tongue, upper ears. I grew up.
- Number: ?

O
- One wish: To be super successful with the band!

P
- Place you’d like to live: FLORIDA!!
- Perfect Pizza: The Cowboy from Papa Murphy's
- Pepsi/Coke: Pepsi

Q
- Questionaires: sometimes

R
- Reason to cry: don't need a particular reason lol!
- Reality T.V.: LOVE IT! The Real world, Teen mom, Jersey Shore, all of em!
-Roll your tongue in a circle? Yes

S
- Song: Can't choose
- Shoe size: 9.5
- Salad Dressing: Hidden Vally Ranch
- Skipped school: yeah
- Smoking: Quit September 2008
- Sing well?: Not great, but not TERRIBLE
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries

T
- Time for bed: 8:00 AM
- Thunderstorms: Love em
- TV: watch WAY too much.

U
- Unpredictable: Sometimes

V
- Vegetable you hate:ONIONS! BLEK!
- Vegetable you love: All the others
- Vacation spot: Jamaica! ya mon!

W
- Weakness: I cry easily. Happy, sad, mad, glad, overwhelmed.
- When you grow up: I want me and my husbnad to have 2-3 children and live by the ocean.
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: none really
- Wanted to be a model?: sure
X
-X-Rays: radiation! bad.

Y
-Year it is now: 2010
-Yellow: My laundry room

Z
- Zoo: Haven't been for years!
- Zodiac sign: Sagg

Save The Date!!

So the lady finally called me back!! I was asleep when she called so I really hope I got all the information she gave me right. My date is 3/15/10!!! 35 days away! WOW, only 35 days away. Hard to believe. She said I need to come in on March 2nd for my pre-op appointment. I can't remember everything she said about it but it sound like it will be about how to eat after surgery and about the pre-op diet too. I'll be talking with the surgeon and learning about fills. Also I'll have some tests done, like and ekg and stuff. Since I was sleepy, I would like to call and verify my dates and times but I feel like I can't because this lady seems so put out by her job. For her to call me back just to schedule my surgery it took like 30 calls and 3 messages. Since I'm paying these people $18,000, $5000 of which is coming straight out of my pocket, I think they should have better customer service skills. Seriously.

Anyway, so I'm so excited to know when this wonderful event is going to take place so that I can start planning and requesting time off. How long did you guys take off of work? I was thinking a week would do. OMG, you know what I just realized??? There's only 28 days in February! I only have 20 days left to eat like a normal person, well, a fat normal person lol! I don't know about you guys, but I plan on eating at a few of my favorite restaurants before I start my pre-op diet. Chinese food being one, and Olive Garden being the other. Also, I've been told I should have a fairwell piece of pizza and anything with a bun that I enjoy. To a person who hasn't struggled with their weight, this might sound kind of sick, but food has been a big part of my life. It's been there for me when I'm sad, or happy and it's even kept me company when I was just lonely or bored. I've loved it, hated it, it's been my bestfriend and also my enemy. So those bad habits and food choices deserve a proper fairwell in my opinion. A fairwell to fat week!!! I've loved you, but now it's time to go! Buh bye now! lol!

quick question

Has anybody but me heard the term "skinny tastes better"? As you know it's the title of my blog. I just had a few people look over my shoulder here at work, and they didn't know what it meant. They thought it was a "sexual phrase" LOL! So if I'm the only one that knows what it means, I better change it. I don't want anyone thinking I'm a freak. In my experience, the saying means like...if you're on a diet and you go to eat a big piece of cake or something, you have to just think to yourself, "no, skinny tastes better" and put down the cake. Know what I mean?

Don't ya love late night infomercials?

So, my husband and I are sitting here watching tv and an infomercial comes on about Lapband. It's was by a local surgery group around here. There were 5 people on the show and they were talking about their experience and why they chose it and what they've been through. It really got me emotional. It made me think. I've been overweight since the 1st grade. I've struggled with weight all but 6 years of my life. I have memories of dieting when I was only 11 years old. I had a little Disney Aladdin diary back then and theres an entry from when I was 11 talking about a "new diet plan" that I had come up. Do you remember when you were a kid and you would take an orange slice and bite down on it and put you lips over it and act like a monkey? Well, my plan was to slice up oranges and have one in my mouth like that all the time, so I couldn't eat. I know that sounds super silly, but I was only 11. Makes me so sad. Poor kid. But what got me really emotional was thinking, "Wow, am I really going to get to be normal?" "Is my dream of being thin really going to come true?" I never thought I'd ever get the chance. I've tried and failed too many times before, it just can't be done. But I was wrong. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but now I have hope. Sometimes dreams DO come true.

I thought the wait and wonder game was over.....guess not.

Well, I spent all day calling my doctors office trying to get a hold of the lady that schedules the surgeries. I began calling at 8:30 this morning. I left 2 messages. After not hearing from her all day, I called the front desk. They said, "oh she leaves around noon" ugh!!! I was pissed. I wanted to leave a message saying, "Hi, apparently you don't answer your phone or call people back. Well, I expect a call from you FIRST thing Monday morning or else!!!" LOL! But I don't think that would help much, just maybe make me better for a second.

So I went to Walmart today. I bought some Centrum chewable vitamins, some chocolate calcium chews and some sub-lingual B-complex. I know my surgery is probably at least a month away but I was excited and wanted to buy SOMETHING! LOL! As my husband would say, I'm such a consumer. Also, they had this big section set up where there were racks and racks of clothes for $3 or $5. So I had to check it out. They were all summer clothes like cute little fitted t's and little shorts and whatnot. There were no plus sizes though. I saw a few XXL's but not many. I thought about buying some "goal" clothes, I even had a few things in my cart cuz who can pass up $3?? But I ended up putting it all back. I don't even have my surgery date yet, I didn't want to get too ahead of myself.

Well, I know I need to start getting into better habbits now that I know I'm approved for surgery. I'm not gonna jump on the dieting and working out wagon super fast and go all crazy right now. I'm going to take it slow. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to set a water goal and try and reach it. I've heard you're supposed to take your weight and cut it in half and that's how much water you need in a day. In my case that would be about 140 oz!! Does that sound right? Is that too much?? I'm gonna do a little research and check it out. Either way, I know I'll be drinking at lease 64 oz. I've always heard 64 oz. So, once I get that habit going, I think next week I'll start the treadmill, and just keep working things in as I go so I can have a nice routine going once I get banded.

Drum roll please.........................

I GOT APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, if only the surgery scheduler lady would answer her phone! I'm so0o0o0o0o0o happy and relieved. Thank you GOD!

Quick Thought

I can't wait to be able to wear a dress!!!!!!!!!!! I have never in my life, well, since I was a very small child, worn a dress (other than my wedding dress). My legs and butt and gut all stick out way too far for that. Maybe I should buy a cute little sun dress in say..a size 16 and hang it up to be my inspiration. We'll see.

Bored

Good Evening! I'm so excited to see that I have followers now! YAY! Thanks guys for taking the time to check out my blog. I know it's kind of boring but I'm still playing the waiting game. No word from Aetna yet. I plan on calling them once a week to check on the status of my claim. I'll be calling Friday. Maybe they'll surprise me with an answer. I think about how I'll feel when they say, "Why yes, we've made a decision. The answer is......I'll be on the brink of a heart attack I know that. I'm so scared to hear the word no. All I can think about lately is LAPBAND! I would just be devastated if I got denied. Anyway, that's not going to happen. There is no reason for me to be denied and I need to stop thinking about it.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot of blogs lately. I love to hear about other people's experiences. Some blogs are so fantastic it's like reading a good book. I wish I could be that entertaining. One blog in particular is Amy's Blog I found her blog a few days ago and she just has so much to say and she's such an inspiration. You should really check her out.

Well, I'd like to post some pics right now but my computer has decided to misbehave lately. First off, when I have it plugged in, it shocks me whenever I touch any of it's metal parts. That's been going on for awhile. Then my hard drive crashed. So we bought a new one and my husband installed it. BTW, hard drives are much cheaper than I thought they would be and very easy to install. It cost me $70 and you just slide it into the side. Super simple. Anyway, so once we did that, we decided to use a different operating system other than Windows. It's called Ubuntu. It worked great. But then it crashed again. I thought it was for sure fried this time, but apparently it just needed to have Ubuntu re-installed. But unfortunately, by this time I had already re-uploaded all my ba-jillion pictures that were lost the first time. So now I've lost them AGAIN. So I'm thinking I'm going to load them into Pacasa this time so I won't lose them. Thank goodness I had them all backed up on disks. Sometimes I'm a thinker ;) Speaking of Pacasa, did you know that all this Google stuff is linked together? Google Reader will keep track of all the blogs you follow and Picasa links to your Blogger account and keeps track of all your blog pics. Sooo cool! I know, everybody probably already knew that, but I'm new to the blog world. When I figured this out, I was like, "OMG! Honey, check this out!!" My husbands looked at me like I was crazy. I guess everybody knew about it but me lol.

Well, I better get off here. Time to watch the Teen Mom reunion show (I know, I'm a dork, but I love that show! lol) TTYL

They have it!

So I called Aetna again on Friday and they said that they had received my paperwork, yay!! But...that it was still pending approval. So, I'm super stoked that they have it. Should be 2-4 more weeks until I get my answer. Anyway, that's all I have for now. I know this blog is super boring so far, but I don't want to get too into it without knowing if I'm even going to get approved. So, I promise to try and spice it up once that happens ;) Well, bye for now..

So I called...

Well, I called my insurance company today. Of coarse they told me they hadn't received any of my paperwork yet. So I called my surgeon's office. The lady told me that just because they say they haven't received it, doesn't mean they didn't receive it. So I guess I just have to assume it's all going correctly. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! I'm am not a patient woman! This is so annoying to me lol!

Blah!

I feel like total crap. I have let myself go the last several months maybe even this whole last year, and I am totally paying for it. Also, I feel like I'm kind of using the prospect of getting the Lap Band as a crutch. Like, I can eat what I want now because in a few months I'll be getting the band. Well, what if I don't get approved? What would I do then? I guess I'd have to go on diet 2,492. UGH!!!! I'm going to call Aetna tomorrow and see if they've received my paperwork from the doctor's office yet. I pray they have. I'm ready for an answer.