Help From Bandsters Please!

HELP!

OK...So I'm having a couple issues and I'm not sure if they are band-related or not.  So...I need some advice from all you bandsters out there.  My first issue is shoulder pain.  A few weeks ago, I had pain that seemed to start on the left side of my neck and then stretch to my shoulder (into my shoulder blade) and down my arm.  I'm 6 months out of surgery so this isn't like residual gas pain and I don't know that it's even band related at all.  It's just odd that the pain seems to come out of nowhere.  The first time I got it was just after my last fill.  Then it went away and now it started yesterday (no fill).  Any thoughts?  Or have you heard of something like this being band related?  I haven't seen a doctor about it yet (mostly because I don't like going to the doctor) but am seriously considering it at this point.

The second issue I'm having (and I apologize to my 3 guy followers now...you can skip this paragraph) is an abnormally long period.  I'm on birth control so my periods have always been pretty easy to predict.  Since I had my last daughter 3 years ago, they're very heavy but still only last a few days.  However, this one has lasted 3 weeks.  One week was like a normal one and the last two weeks have been lighter but still there and it seems to come and go (???).  Lots of clots and stuff like that.  Ewww..I'm grossing myself out just talking about it.  Anyway, has anyone heard of this?  I just had my annual exam last month and the pap and blood work came back normal.  I'm looking into permanent birth control options so the doc ordered a sonogram as pre-op testing but I haven't gotten it yet.  Needless to say that this isn't only annoying but seriously starting to get in the way of my life.  Not only am I dealing with the physical thing, but my hubby is probably sick of me being in a perpetual state of PMS.  Again, any experience with this would be helpful.

OK...rounding it back out to normal things.  I did my workout yesterday but because of the shoulder pain, it was terrible... I only made it 2 miles.  Then it dawned on me, I just said "I only made it 2 miles."  In a 1/2 hour.  Only 2 miles?!?!  This is someone who was seriously winded after just a 1 mile not too long ago and here I am almost jogging an entire 2 miles in a 1/2 hour and I'm complaining about that?!?!  Who am I?  It made me feel kinda awesome that I'm beginning to feel so much stronger and fit and that I'm bummed when I can't get my full 3 miles in.  Total NSV there. 

Food question:  Anyone know how long it takes fish to thaw?  We took out 2 cod fillets yesterday to thaw in the fridge and they were still frozen solid when I went to bed last night.  Crazy!

So those are my issues for today.  Again, I don't know what I would do without all of you!

Tuesday Ramblings

I did my 5k training last night and shaved 15 seconds off my time.  3.1 miles in 48:25.  It's a small improvement but I'll take it.  I find that trashy reality TV helps immensely with the whole running thing.  I don't focus on the time nearly as much.  So what am I going to do when I actually have to start training outside??  Hmmm....

So as I was getting out of the shower yesterday, I was checking myself out in the mirror and I gotta tell ya...I wasn't impressed.  For losing 40+ lbs, I just don't see it.  I don't think this is body dysmorphic disorder or anything like that.  I really just think the way I carry my weight is annoying.  I've always said that I don't think I LOOKED as heavy as I WAS.  Now I look exactly as heavy as I am which is virtually the same as I looked before.  I've lost weight in my fingers (seriously?  who cares?), my feet, a little in my legs but I still have this giant gut.  It's driving me absolutely crazy.  I'm convinced it was the childbirth that did this to me.  Unfortunately, now I'm having thoughts like "Why bother continuing to lose weight if you're still going to look like a pot bellied pig when it's all said and done?"  I've got serious apron type belly thing going on and it SUCKS.  This is what's keeping me from buying new clothes at this point also.   Like all good fatties, a good amount of my wardrobe is elastic based, meaning I can still wear pretty much everything I own.  Does it look baggy?  Absolutely.  Will I fit in a size smaller?  I honestly don't know and I'm too scared to go look.  Even if pants fit in the legs, will I be able to get it up over this ridiculously saggy belly?  OK, OK...I know we all say we're losing weight to be healthier and live longer and be around for our kids, blah, blah, blah.  But I think we're all lying if we say vanity doesn't have ANYTHING to do with it.  Do I want to lose weight to avoid having heart disease and diabetes like my dad?  Of course.  Do I also want to turn into a hot mommy goddess in the process?  DUH!  Of course!  OK...enough of that.

So why is it that right when your kid are starting to seem healthy, they get something else that causes a trip to the doctor and the corresponding co-pay?  Both my girls have a skin irritation that won't go away.  My youngest has had one on her leg for over a month.  Before you give me the "bad mommy" speech for not taking her to the doctor earlier.  At first, it seemed like a bite and then right when I was ready to take her to the doctor, it would look like it was improving.  Back and forth it went.  Now my oldest has something similar on her eyelid and that appears to be getting worse.  So that's what we get to do this afternoon.  Oh joy. 

Otherwise, a pretty normal kind of week.  Having some body image issues...pushing through it for working out's sake...watching the Charlie Sheen train wreck because I just can't help myself... you know... the same ol', same ol'.  Hope everything is going well out there in Blogland.

Weigh In 2/28/11, NSV & Stuck Support

Weigh In: 187.0.  -1.5 lbs down for the week.  Not too shabby.  I'm pretty happy with this.  It seems whenever I get myself back to gym, my weight loss stalls but it didn't this week.  I made it to the gym 4 times - 3 for jogging and 1 zumba class.  Hopefully I can keep it up.

NSV's:

1. I did 3.1 miles (a 5k) on the treadmill in 48:40.  I jogged for 18 minutes straight...that was my longest streak without walking.  My shortest was 5 minutes and I never walked for more than 2 1/2 minutes at a time.  Overall, I'm very proud of me.  Keep in mind...my pace is pretty slow but I think that's bound to improve over time.
2. A sports bra that has never fit me snapped in the back just fine.  On the one hand, that means my ladies are getting smaller.  On the other hand, it also means the length around my chest is smaller too and I'm losing some of my back fat.  Shrinking, no matter where it is, is gonna have to be a good thing.





Best Supporting Actor in  Stuck Situation:

In honor of the Oscars last night, I'd like to give an award of my own.  The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in a Stuck Situation goes to...my hubby.  We were visiting with some friends of his on Saturday.  We took our girls and their girls to this indoor amusement place and then went to their house for the rest of the evening.  Something to note here:  none of his friends know I'm banded and while there are some I wouldn't mind if they knew, these aren't those people.  The wives of this group are extremely catty and judgmental.  They also do a lot of talking behind the other women's backs so I REALLY don't want them to know about the band.  We got some fast food for dinner which for me consisted of a tuna melt and fries.  3 bites into the tuna melt and I was sufficiently stuck and had to dash to the bathroom to deal with it.  This bathroom shares a wall with the eat in kitchen.  While in there, I realized if I can hear them...what if they can hear me?  Uh oh.  Luckily, I had my hubby who caught on fairly quickly to what was going on.  He started rambling on to them about a vacation we took, never letting a moment of silence set in.  If that wasn't awesome enough, later his friend made a comment about how I wasn't eating much and kept asking if I didn't like it, my hubby jumped in and said "It always takes her forever to eat and she doesn't really eat much all at once."  His friend seemed to accept this just fine and even said "They say that's better for your system."  Whew...thanks honey.  And this leads me to why it's so important to have a good support system if you decide to get banded.  Yes, it's good to have the emotional support and someone to lean on through the rough times, blah, blah, blah.  But sometimes you just need someone who can think on their feet and make stuff up to take the attention off of you.  So kudos for my hubby on helping me out this weekend. 

Who has been your best supporting player throughout your weight loss efforts?

So there you have it.  My weekend in a nutshell.  Things are moving right along.  Today starts my first official day of my new budget.  I have to go pay the rent and take out the money for our "eating out" cash for the month.  I'm so excited about trying to lead a more fiscally responsible lifestyle.  LOL.  I know that seems weird.  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  Happy Monday!