Chicken w/Pineapple Relish Recipe

I tried this recipe a couple days ago and it was a big hit.  I'm always looking for ways to make chicken more interesting as we eat a lot of it.  My kids even loved it and ate almost every bite.  A couple things I changed - I baked the chicken instead of grilling as my grill is currently out of service and I used 1/2 ginger and 1/2 nutmeg in lieu of the cardamom.  That is a SERIOUSLY expensive spice so I'd be interested if any of you try it with the actual cardamom.  I wonder what difference it brings to the dish.  Enjoy!

3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts halves
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium fresh pineapple - peeled, cored and chopped into bite size piece
1/2 medium red sweet pepper - finely chopped
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp sliced green onion
1 jalapeno chile pepper - seeded and finely chopped

1. In small bow, combine 1/2 tsp cardamom, salt & pepper.  Rub both sides of chicken with oil; sprinkle evenly with spice mixture
2. Grill chicken on rack of uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12-15 minutes
3. For relish, in medium bowl, combine pineapple, sweet pepper, cilantro, lime juice, green onion, jalapeno pepper and the remaining 1/2 tsp of cardamom.  Mix.
4. Serve chicken with relish

Nutritional Info:
228 cal, 5 g fat, 373 mg sodium, 12 g carb, 2 g fiber, 34 g protein (I don't see how the protein could be this high but I digress)

New Low & Training Walks

Well, now that the BOOBS are back in their respective hometowns, I suppose life can continue for the rest of us.  Just reading some of the posts and seeing the pictures, I can tell how special of a weekend it was.  I'm really hoping this becomes an annual conference of sorts so I can come to the next one.  Keep those pics coming!

In my little world, not much to report.  No lifestyle change this week as I'm struggling with the 5 I've already set forth.  Until I'm better with those, I don't want to add anything new to my plate.  On Sunday, I did a 5 mile training walk.  I'm trying to commit to doing at least one every week before the big walk in November.  This was the first one I had done since surgery so it's been quite awhile and, honestly, I was a little nervous that I had seriously backtracked.  Nope!  If anything, I felt really good.  I feel that not only could I have finished the 5 miles a little quicker but I could have gone a little further.  HUGE victory for me!  My legs were sore when it was all said and done but the more I walk, the better they feel so I think it's a good kind of sore.  So I'm doing a 7 mile walk this weekend to up the ante a bit and see how it goes from there.

So my oldest daughter and I caught some type of stomach bug.  I felt so awful I left work early yesterday (which I RARELY do).  I haven't thrown up since being banded and the idea of it absolutely terrifies me.  I was laying in bed yesterday just repeating "don't throw up. don't throw up," over and over in my head until I went to sleep.  I truly believe that the only reason I didn't vomit is because I willed myself not to.  That's some self discipline. LOL.  So let me ask you...have you gotten a stomach bug that included vomiting since being banded?  If so, everything ok?

I don't know if it was the 5 mile walk or the stomach bug, but the scale was kind enough to show me a new low today of 208.  That is exactly 20 lbs down since surgery.  I'm not marking it as official yet as I'm pretty sure it's more dehydration than actual weight loss and my official weigh in day is Monday.  Hopefully I'll be able to change my ticker next Monday.  For what it's worth, it was still nice to wake up to it this morning.  Hope y'all are having a decent week.

HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO!

Remember that game?  They still make it.  My girls got it for Christmas and they absolutely love it!  Anyway, back to the point.  I am freaking hungry!  I am starving, withering away to practically nothing.  OK.  That may have been an exaggeration but I am stomach growling, shaky hands hungry.  I still feel some restriction somewhat in that I can't eat as much in one sitting, but I'm hungry only an hour or two later.  At least that's how it's been today.  I know this is the beginning of bandster hell and I've been expecting it but I thought it'd be more gradual.  I suppose seeing how it's been 5 weeks, that IS gradual.  But I've gone from fine yesterday to ready to knock over a Wendy's and demand 8 spicy chicken combos.  Go figure.  So I'm muddling through.  I did face the music on Tuesday and I didn't gain any weight on my trip.  I weighed again today (because I'm a scale whore and that's how scale whores roll) and I've lost another pound.  18 lbs total so far.  Can't awhine about that.  I went to step class last night.  It was freakin' hard!  But I did it with several modifications during the hour long class but I did it.  I didn't just stop or give up so that's good.  It combines step with weights so my arms a touch sore but in a good way.  The one thing I just can't seem to do is stand on one foot and bend my knee while doing bicep curls.  Am I the only one who just can't balance like that???  Jeezaloo!  Even though I thought I was going to die midthrough, I lived to tell you about it today.  There was one girl in the class who is really good with all the moves and stuff.  She came up to me at the end and said the modifications I was doing were really good and that it gets easier the more you do it.  Thought that was really nice of her. 

That's about it for me.  Not incredibly exciting here this week.  It's not like I'm going to...oh...I don't know...CHICAGO...or anything.  Hope you ladies have a wonderful time!  Can't wait to see the pictures!

Lifestyle (maybe) Change #5

Happy Monday to one and all!

First, my trip to South Carolina.  Whew.  I am absolutely exhausted.  Instead of feeling like 3 days away, it felt like one really LONG day with several small naps in between events.  I went for my brother-in-law's surprise 40th birthday party.  He was definitely surprised and it meant a lot to him and my sister that I was there, so I guess it was all worth it.  Needless to say, it's taking quite a bit of caffeine to keep myself going this morning.  Really wishing I would've taken today off work to recuperate.  As for eating...well, I had lots of Carolina BBQ and even had some delicious seafood for lunch Saturday.  I think I kept my portions fairly well...I did experience my first "stuck" episode on a piece of tomato.  Clearly just a sign that I didn't chew well enough.  I also heard my "full" alarm loud and clear while eating some leftover BBQ.  I didn't make it through the whole plate before my band said, "One more bite and you're going to regret it."  Both of these incidents surprised me as I haven't had my first fill yet.  My doctor told me he put 3 cc's in at the time of surgery but I don't even know how big my band is so I figured it's merely a drop in the bucket.  I wasn't expecting to have any restriction yet and while I can still definitely eat more than I should, I am feeling signs that my band is there and working.  Also, I had a bagel this morning and was full after only 1 1/2 of it...an improvement over the old me.  I didn't weigh myself this morning as I don't want to be discouraged by a gain after my trip so I'll face the music tomorrow.  My daughter had her first soccer practice on Saturday.  She's 5 and has never played before.  Somehow she had it in her head that "soccer is for boys" so we signed her up really just to teach her that girls can do anything boys can do.  I missed it (and felt so bad about it) but Hubby took pictures and of course, said she was already better than a lot of the other kids there.  LOL.  He's obviously biased.  The good thing is she loved it and is now really excited about soccer. 

So on to Lifestyle Change #5.  #4 which involved taking the stairs at work went fairly well last week but not perfect.  I forgot twice and did not have time to go back and make up for it.  I'll keep working on that one.  This week, it's about measuring food.  I am not one to count calories or weigh/measure my food.  I've done these things in the past and lost weight doing it, but it drove me crazy documenting everything.  However, when I go for fills, my doctor wants to know how much I'm eating (by volume) and how long before I feel hungry again.  I'm so bad about remembering things like this so, for awhile anyway, I'm going to measure my food and document how long after I eat, I feel hungry.  This way, when I go to my doc for my first fill, he'll know where I'm at.  More importantly, I'LL know where I'm at. So...starting today...I had 1 1/2 a bagel and 1/2 a tall low fat pumpkin spice latte.  That was two hours ago and I'm not hungry yet.  So far so good, I think.

In other news...I am so incredibly bummed that I'm not going to Chicago.  It's hard to explain to people outside of the blogosphere about what BOOBS is all about and how you can actually feel like you know these people you're going to meet.  I know you all are going to have a fantastic time and I'll be horribly jealous but I can't wait to read all about it.

Oh!  I also found out that I'm receiving an award from work.  No monetary reward, just the recognition but I guess the exposure is a good thing.  I would much prefer a monetary bonus but I digress.  I've also been selected to participate in a focus group with an uppity up from the company which is a really big deal.  I'm already embarrassed that I have to attend the ceremony for the award and am nervous about the focus group but hopefully it'll help my argument for a raise come January. 

That's it for me.  Please pay Paige a visit.  She was just banded and is recovering...could probably use all the good advice y'all give.  Hope y'all are having a great Monday.

Award Time

Thanks to Amanda for this award....Here we go...

The rules are as follows:

1. Answer the question: If you had one chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

I was just commenting on someone's blog that I had finally come to grips with my regrets in life. I have moved past them, realizing that every choice I've made and every road I've taken has led me to where my life is today...which really isn't in such a bad place. However, I suppose there are a few things that I would change because I think I would still be where I am... the first is finishing up my degree when I had the chance. I should've just buckled down when I was younger and gotten it done. The second is I would've waited a year or two to have kids. I miss having my hubby all to myself.

2. Pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have been selected for the award.

Geez...I hate this part...I follow so many and so many are just so wonderful but alas! If I must, I must...

1. Joey
2. Angela
3. Jennifer
4. Kristin
5. Catherine
6. Katie

3. You have to thank the person (people) who gave you the award.

Thank you so much Amanda!


In other news...My weight seems to be holding steady right at 211 and has been for several days. I have lost 17 pounds in a little less than a month. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Then again, liquids and mushies for a month will do that to you. I am able to start real food today. I am going to South Carolina this weekend and I'm not going to worry about what I eat there. I'm going to enjoy the fact that I can eat and then start healthy and new on Monday. My BFF bought me a cookbook that she swears by. I'm looking forward to trying out the recipes. They're all healthy and I'm hoping pretty band friendly. If I find some good ones, I'll be sure to post them here for all to enjoy. Went to the gym yesterday and worked up quite a sweat. For the first time in awhile, I went home and my legs were actually sore. I take this to be a very good thing. I know I need to step up my workouts if I'm going to be able to do this walk in November so time to really get after it. I'm hoping to be able to incorporate some Zumba and step classes in the mix to take it to a different level. It's also nice to do something other than the treadmill and elliptical. Hope everyone's having a great week! Will probably check in after my trip!

Lifestyle Change #4, Families & TShirts

Lifestyle Change #3 (taking my daily vitamin) - has gone extremely well. I haven't missed a day yet thanks to my Outlook reminder and a pill splitter my hubby was kind enough to give me.  Vitamins are freakin' huge!  Anyhoo...onwards to Lifestyle Change #4...this one isn't original. In fact, I'm pretty sure I stole this one from Patrick too but I digress.  I'm going to start taking the stairs at work.  I only work one flight up from the main entrance so not a biggie there.  On top of that, I'm going to park one floor down in the parking garage.  So I'll take one flight up in the parking garage and another flight up when I get in the building.  It's a good start. 

The weekend was OK.  We went swimming at my parents' house and determined that this will be the last swim of the season.  The water turned cold very quickly this year.  We were in last weekend and it felt great...this weekend...not so much. 

Does anyone else ever feel that they are the worst parent ever???  I have friends and acquaintances who seem to relish in parenthood.  They love everything about their kids...from changing diapers to the terrible two's to the tyrannical 3's to the sassy 5's.  I always thought I'd be a great mom...one of those super understanding and patient ones.  Not necessarily the "cool" mom but the one that my kids could talk to about anything and know that even if I get mad, I'll still help them.  I really want to be that mom.  To be honest, though, I am not that mom.  I am a "i've-just-worked-8-hours-and-i-just-want-to-sit-here-for-five-minutes-without-being-asked-for-something mom".  I'm also the "if-you-argue-with-me-one-more-time-i-will-make-you-cry mom."  I don't have nearly enough patience with my girls.  They're good kids...really...they are.  They are high energy and somewhat clumsy which results in tons of crying over hit heads, hurt feet,etc. but they're wonderful little human beings.  I truly love them more than anything but sometimes...  I just can't seem to get into "mommy mode."  I just can't seem to connect with them the way I should.  There are some people that just aren't born with that "mommy" chip.  I'm not talking about the ones who abuse their kids or hurt them - those people are reprehensible.  But there are those who just don't "take" to the mommy thing.  Am I one of those people?  I think I might be.  For example, Maddie started kindergarten this year.  I pick her up in the afternoons and abhor the pick up line so I actually park and wait for her class to come out.  All these other kids come running to their parents open arms and squeal with delight.  Not my girl..she walks up very calmly, takes my hand and I ask her how her day was and she says fine.  Now we'll talk all the way to the car and on the way to pick up her sister but there's no real excitement to see me at the end of the day.  Is that normal?  Is it just her personality or does she think "Oh God.  Not her again," when she sees me coming?  Then you have my youngest.  Her preschool always says what a joy she is and how mild mannered and helpful.  At home, we get fits and crying and hitting, biting even sometimes.  Why does she only do this at home?  Have I invented some kind of environment that breeds this?  The worst part is I don't know how to parent in a different way.  The one change I know I can make is to quiet down.  I yell way too often.  I am aware of it, I've made promises to myself, to my hubby and to my kids to stop yelling so much but it's somehow become a habit that I'm finding it impossible to break.  But how do I really bond with my kids?  And should I have to ask?  Shouldn't this be somewhat natural by now?  Well...starting today...I'm back to working on the yelling.  Maybe this time, I can get it to stick. 

Moving on... the Susan G Komen 3 Day is only 2 months away!!  It's coming up fast and I've got a lot of work to do.  First, there's the walking part.  I'm committing to doing the treadmill at home or going to the gym 4 days a week and doing a training walk every Saturday (with the exception of this Saturday because I'm visiting my sister in South Carolina).  Two months isn't a lot of time to catch up on my training but I think I can do it.  I am lucky enough to have my BFF doing the walk with me and a lot of the training to boot.  She lost a heap of weight herself not too long ago (the all natural way) and so she can really relate to how tough it can be to get into shape.  So nice having that kind of support.  Anyhoo...we are making our own tshirts for the event since it's way cheaper to do that than buy customized tshirts and holy cow!  I had no idea how many tshirt making items Michael's carries!  So many options...do we do iron ons or stencils?  Do we use fabric paint or markers?  Some of you are so creative...could use a little help.  We're not looking for anything too fancy...just want to put maybe a slogan on the front and our team name on the back...maybe a pink ribbon.  Any suggestions, ideas or advice? 

So now I'm gearing up for another week.  Got a lot to do before I go to South Carolina.  It's not a long trip...just a couple days but I've got a house to clean, laundry to do and then deciding what to take with.  I'm going to a casual surprise party but still want to look good.  Hate finding things in my close these days.  Really need to declutter.  Hope everyone has a wonderful week. 

P.S. Thanks to Amanda for the award!  Will do my award post tomorrow!

Lifestyle Change #3

Happy Tuesday!  Aaaaahhhh...I live for short workweeks.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day.  We didn't do much...Saturdy and Sunday were spent cleaning the house and catching up on laundry.  Monday, we went to my parents' house for a bbq and swimming.  A fun time was had by all.

So to recap the last two lifestyle changes I've made.  #1: No more fast food - Check.  I am doing fairly well at this one.  Getting banded and going on liquids certainly made this one easier.  #3:  No more soda - Check.  Not a drop since the day I said I'd stop.  Now for #3:  Take a daily multi-vitamin.  My regular doctor, my OB/GYN and my nutritionist all say I should be taking a multivitamin.  I believe them.  I truly do but I am awful about actually taking them.  When I did my preband shopping, I went and bought a big bottle of vitamins.  And it sits...on my kitchen counter...unopened...untainted...waiting for the day I will break the safety seal and actually consume one.  I've always been bad about this.  Almost every diet I've done started with me buying vitamins.  My hubby finally got wise to the problem and would buy a unisex one so he could take them if I seemed to give up on it.  With my second child, it took REAL effort to take the prenatal vitamins and I confess...I still wasn't good about it.  Well...not this time.  This time I've got a plan.  Unlike my first two lifestyle changes, this one takes more effort because I have to remember to DO something as opposed to just talking myself out of doing things.  So...a plan is necessary.  I am brining my vitamins to work with me and I'm setting a daily reminder in my Outlook calendar to remind me to take my vitamin.  When that reminder goes off, I'll take it.  No if's, and's or but's.  Sounds good.  Will keep you posted.

A few side notes.  Inanimate.  That is a great word.  I love that word.  It means something "not alive."  Easy enough.  I've written this word before...probably not often but I knew I have.  However, Last night I learned that, not only, have I never uttered this word, but I cannot pronounce it to save my life.  I tried and tried and it just wouldn't come out right.  Sometimes things just don't sound right when you say it out loud.  I ended up in a fit of giggles in bed last night because I couldn't get over how I never knew I couldn't pronounce this word.  Amazing the things we learn about ourselves when we're sleep deprived.

Why am I sleep deprived, you ask?  Because there is something about the end of summer in Arizona that just makes it impossible to sleep.  Fall should be coming...the rest of the country is gearing up for falling leaves, crisp Autumn walks, pumpkin festivals, hot apple cider and Oktoberfest.  Here in AZ, we're just waiting for the heat to end.  Please.  Please end.  I am so sick of the heat.  I feel trapped in my house.  Aside from the night terrors which are back with a vengeance, the children who are waking up for no apparent reason at midnight and the waking up at 4 a.m. for this earlier schedule at work...my hubby and I are just not sleeping well... and I've decided my scapegoat is AZ Septembers that think it should still be July.  SIGH  There are some things I really miss about the midwest (I lived in Ohio for 2 short years)...Autumn definitely being one of them.

The mushies are coming!  The mushies are coming!!  Thank God Almight, the mushies are coming!  Yes, ladies and gentlemen (I think I have one or two following me), tomorrow I get to say goodbye to Liquidia and enter Mushytopia.  I have stocked up on potatoes (I will eat them baked, mashed, sauteed, however gets them good and mushy), canned fruit, oatmeal and veggies that can be cooked beyond being tasty.  And they all sound absolutely heavenly!  I cannot wait to eat real food.  I have one week of this mushy nonsense and then real, honest to god food can be consumed.  I am one excited camper. 

Gym news - not much to report.  I got 3 workouts in last week so felt good about that.  I'm going tonight to get my first one of the week in.  My youngest is getting the staple out of her head, thank God.  I'm not looking forward to how that's going to go but I'll be glad when she's stapleless.  I'm hoping she's not so freaked out that I can still take her to the Kids Klub at my gym.

I think that's probably enough randomness for today.  Hope y'all had a wonderful long weekend.

BYOC

Compliments of Drazil...here we go.

1. In the spirit of back to school time - what is your favorite school supply?

I like pens and pencils...especially different colored ones.  When I was in school, I used to use a different color pen every day for notes and then start over when I ran out of pens.  My notebooks were oh-so-colorful by the end of the year. 


2. Assume your house is on fire and the whole thing is going to burn to the ground and your loved ones are out and safe….and you have a few minutes to grab 5 things. Just five. What would they be?

1. Wedding album
2. Laptop
3. I have a fireproof box so in theory, I shouldn't have to grab it but if EVERYTHING's going to burn, I guess I'd grab that (all important documents - ssn's, birth certificates) but also the girls' first favorite stuffed animal and a baby blanket
4. The girls' little bear & mooey (they just can't live without them)
5. Purse - gotta have the money to rebuy everythign

3. In the spirit of my new found love on vacation – what is your favorite drink – alcoholic or not?

This is tough for me.  I truly believe sweet tea is the wine of the south...I love that stuff so I could go with that... or ANYTHING with rum in it! 

4. When is your birthday (if you want to say, no year needed) and what is your Zodiac sign. Does your sign match your personality?


June 27, 1981 - I'm not ashamed to be almost 30.  I am a Cancer - the crab, with the ruling planet being the moon which I always found stupid because the moon isn't a planet.

Traits
Adaptable - YES
Moody - Certainly YES
Loyal - Almost to a fault
Attached to Family - Eh.  I could probably take them or leave them...I love my girls but time away is usually welcome.  Although, I can't imagine living far from my mom.
Empathetic - Not so much
Sensitive - A bit
Emotional - YES
Indecisive at times - Only when it come to where to go to eat

5. A little spin on my repeat question. I usually ask which blog or comment stuck with you and why? You can answer that as usual or how about just giving a summary of your week or how you feel about blogland this past week or anything you noticed…does that make sense?

Summary of my week?  Boring - work and liquids.  This is what my life is consumed with right now.  Can't wait to EAT! One thing I seem to notice is that there are a lot of blogsters trying to get pregnant.  I can think of at least 4 of the top of my head.  We're going to have a lapband baby boom before long.  It also seems that there's a lot of stress and stress eating going on around here also.  I'm hoping next week brings brighter days for people. 

TAG - YOU'RE IT!

And so it is Thursday.  Ugh.  Why can't it be Friday?  I am grumpy and tired and people at work are REALLY irritating me.  I recognize it's not their fault I'm grumpy but they're just so annoying.  Two ladies in front of me haven't stopped talking since they got in the office at 6 a.m.  And about stupid things like how rappers and basketball players who rape and beat up women are just oh-so-dreamy.  Gag.  Anyhoo...Patrick was kind enough to hit me with a Happy 101 Award (Ironic that I'm grumpy and accepting a "Happy" award but I digress...). 

Don't those cupcakes look absolutely delicious?!?!?  Mmmmmmmmmmm...frosting is totally a liquid right?

OK so 10 things I like:

1.  The TV show Dexter - OK...It's completely demented and psycho but I love this show!  The guy who plays Dexter is just so good at being socially awkward, a little creepy but totally worth rooting for.
2. My gym - yes I said my gym.  Aside from it being way too busy, my gym rocks.  It has lots of classes but it was just renovated so all the equipment is brand new and there are TV's on everything - each treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc has it's own TV that you can hook your earbuds or even your Ipod to.  It rocks.
3. Baseball - I played softball as a kid and teenager and this is the closest to it on TV.  When I was 8, my grandparents took me to my first major league game...the Cubs.  I've loved going to games ever since.  Watchingon TV is good too...can nap in the middle, wake up and still see who wins.
4. Blogging - just so therapeutic and gives me something to while away the hours with at work (that's a lot of w's - say that 3 times fast)
5. News - I'm a news junkie...I admit it...CNN, USAToday...you name it.  Gotta know what's going on in the world
6. Baking - Love, love, love to bake (and of course, eat what I bake)
7. Andes Mints - did you know 8 Andes mints has 2g of protein?  I found out this little fun fact when I learned that they melt to a liquid.  I only had 1 so I got .25 g of protein.  Totally worth it.  LOL
8. South Carolina BBQ - that means pork (not beef brisket, not beef ribs - PORK and real bbq sauce - not ketchupy red goop), rice & hash and skin...drooling just thinking about it.  I will be on regular food and taking a trip to SC in 2 weeks and you can bet I'll be hitting that up!
9. AZ Sunsets & Sunrises - doesn't matter which one is is...Sun coming up or going down over the dessert floor and ducking behind (or coming up from) the mountains...Beautiful
10. Dogs - I'm a dog person.  Don't have any of my own yet (we rent - waiting to buy before we get a puppy) but I think they're just so sweet and ask very little of their human family except for love and treats

10 Fantastic Bloggers (hard to choose 10 but here we are):

1. Lynda
2. Jen
3. Mary
4. Lori
5. Amanda K.
6. Grace
7. Amanda M.
8. Jennifer
9. Kristin
10. Colleen

So there you have it.  Thanks again Patrick!  Still on liquids.  Still hating protein.  Tried 2 different kinds of greek yogurt...not good.  Not sure if it's the flavor or the brands.  May try it again.  We'll see. I told my sister about the lapband yesterday.  She was a little hurt that I didn't tell her earlier but she seemed to understand why I kept it to myself.  She was actually very supportive and said she'd probably do it too if her insurance covered it (she's battled her weight as well).  So it's all good! 

Went to the gym again yesterday.  I was able to do 20 minutes on the elliptical and 40 minutes on the treadmill.  Both at lower levels and speeds than before surgery but there was no pain so that's definitely progress.  I think I need another 2 weeks or so and then I'll be back to where I was.  Have a great day everybody!

First Workout & Telling

So yesterday was my first day back at the gym.  PITIFUL.  I knew it'd be a very light workout, being the first one since surgery, but jeezaloo!  I made it about 30 minutes on a treadmill at 2.5 before I got this pain on the left side of my abdomen.  Thinking it might be a cramp, I tried to walk through it but once it got a little worse, I stopped.  I didn't want to push too hard.  I am only 2 weeks from surgery so don't want to tear anything or do anything to mess stuff up (even though doc says exercise is fine at this point).  What I can't figure out is what the damn pain is.  There are no incisions there or anything.  Hmmmm...am going back tonight.  Hoping I can do a little better.  I only have 2 1/2 months until my big walk and I have A LOT of work today.

In other news, I've been debating telling my sister about the band.  I know we've all had the conversations, blogs, feedback about telling and how it's really up to the individual and what they feel comfortable with, yadda, yadda, yadda.  I knew I wasn't going to tell her before the surgery because she would be super judgmental and I wasn't looking for negativity while I was preparing for surgery.  That being said, I always figured I'd tell her after I had it done and she couldn't try to talk me out of it.  I figured if she wanted to get the negativity off her chest, she could talk to my mom since she already knows and didn't want me to do it either.  Now that I've actually had the surgery, I'm finding it difficult to tell my sister.  Not because of reaction but of a graceful way of turning the conversation towards the subject.  So the question for today is...

How did you tell someone about the band after you already had it done?

I'm sticking to the whole liquid thing pretty well.  So tired of it though.  I have one more week of this stuff.  My doc is a little more strict than others I think when it comes to this.  Next week I get to move on to mushies but I only have to do mushies for 1 week as opposed to 2 like some people.  I guess it all works out in the end...instead of 2 weeks liquids/2 weeks mushies, I get 3 weeks liquids/1 week mushies but whatever.  One more week won't kill me...maybe.  What I do find kinda annoying is that I haven't lost any weight in the last 3 days.  I don't know how this can be possible since I'm barely eating anything.  I know I'm not getting enough protein in.  I HATE protein shakes.  If they all don't taste awful right away, they all leave a nasty after taste in your mouth.  BLAH.  So that's probably part of the problem.  I also know that I shouldn't be worried about weight loss right now as it's all about healing, blah, blah, blah.  I'm not really worried about it but my curiosity gets the better of me and I want to know what's going on with the scale.  OK...I'm a scale whore and must get on it every day.  There...I admitted it.  Hope y'all are happy now. 

I guess that's about it.  Not too much going on one way or another.  Recovery is going swimmingly.  No pain at all unless I'm walking on the damn treadmill.  I hope everyone's week is going OK.  Can't believe it's September already.  This year is just flying by.  Happy Hump Day!