Questions from a Stateside Brit

Errrrr ... Who can read but doesn't know how to wash their hands? I don't get it.

Also, I don't get Anti politician adverts. I have no opinion about US politicians verses any other but I've seen one several times about Romney and hands in people's pockets. It looks like its been filmed by some dodgy bloke on a camera phone. Seriously I am sure they can stretch to a real actors hand not a plastic one? Lol!

Having a blast here but miss you all loads! Xx

Flying

Ok maybe still some way before I can cross my legs in my seat but I'll take it.

Ten things Thursday ...

Thanks to our very own Katy Perry lookalike Laura we have our day of randomness known as 10 things Thursday.

1)    I go on holiday tomorrow. I am excited to see how tight the seat belt is on the plane. Will there be any room left?

2)   I love Disney. It is the big kid in me probably but my mum is just the same. It makes me more sad than I can describe that this may be our last holiday but I know I am very lucky to have this opportunity to spend time together and make special memories.

3)   We have some incredible reservations including breakfast/brunch at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle. I follow this blog which is all about food. I have no plans to stay on track while I am away. I know my band will stop me from doing huge amounts of damage if I follow the rest of the bandster rules.

4)   I've had semi permanent mascara put on for my holiday. It cost quite a bit because I had to have my lashes curled and tinted. From a distance (5 feet) my eyes look great. Up close it looks like I have used some cheap nasty clumpy mascara. I don't like clumpy mascara. I may have a word when I am in tomorrow. I took a before picture but because I am not completely happy, no after picture. I know I need to suck it up.

5)   Pedicure tomorrow!!!!! I need sexy sandal ready feet and because Britain has had rubbish weather from June onwards this year, I am well over due. She'll also touch up my nails and wax my eyebrows while I am there so I am all ready to go. Now if she can just fix this clumpy mascara, I'll be one happy girly.

6)   I did 3 exercise classes in the space of 24 hours!!!! Body conditioning (yes that one with steps and weights that make me want to die!) pilates (straight after body conditioning with the same sadistic instructor) and zumba this morning. That is it until after the holiday though. This trip is about quality time with my mummy.

7)   My friend was supposed to get married today. Her fiancee called off the wedding 12 weeks ago. She is devastated understandably. I have been thinking of her all day.

8)   So a certain friend of mine, who works in a local aquatics shop was supposed to be coming over tonight. See here for the back history. He was coming to help me put up my new kitchen blind. I bought the damned thing in April, collected it in May and can't get it up by myself. He couldn't make it :o( He posted something odd on facebook last week and I've been worried about him so when we were texting today, he was saying how stressed he was so I said not to worry if he couldn't make it, he's got lots on his plate and it is only a blind. He said he was going to get it all sorted once and for all.

9)   Is it very wrong to be hopeful that the thing he had to get sorted was breaking up with his girlfriend?

10)   This will probably be my last blog until after Disney although if I can work out the blogger ap I may appear briefly. I shall miss you all very much and be thinking of you as I tuck into my ribs, burgers, hot dogs, corn bread, clam chowder and cinnamon rolls. To get your own back you can think of me PBing in the bathroom of Cinderella's Castle.

Look who I bumped into ...

Me and Beth outside St Paul's Cathedral

Beth is in London for the Olympics and invited me to meet up with her on Tuesday. We met in the morning for breakfast and coffee before taking a tour of St Paul's Cathedral which I hadn't done since I was a little girl. Apparently BOOBs meet ups require some physical exercise so we climbed up the 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery at the bottom of the dome. This is an incredible architectural phenomena where if you whisper into the wall, the sound carries around. However it paled in comparison to the fact that I made it up those 257 steps without stopping!!!!! Unfortunately if photography is not permitted, jumping around and screaming I made it, I made it while high fiving a friend definitely would be so after a brief rest and admiring the whispering walls, we climbed the next 271 steps to the top. Narrower corridors and steps meant for slower going but again we made it to the top without stopping.

Me at the top of the dome.

The monument from above. It's actually 61 m (202 ft) tall. Looks tiny from up here though.

The London eye and the jubilee giant royal photograph.

Tower Bridge and the Olympic Rings.

It was an incredible morning. I loved taking the tour and seeing the views from the top. From there we had coffee and went for lunch in Covent Garden. We shared a pizza and still didn't manage to eat the whole thing whilst chatting and watching one of the many street entertainers do his circus skills act.

Covent Garden Mandeville

Covent Garden Wenlock

It was a really lovely day but Beth dashed off to see some diving and I raced the commuters home.

Beth, I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for inviting me to gate crash your holiday. Hopefully we can do it again one day.

So who's coming to meet me next?

In other news, guess who is coming over tomorrow ...

Diet coke.

Since my dietician said two weeks ago that fizzy drinks are ok, I refrained, scared maybe, from trying. Tonight I have had half a glass. The good fizzy stuff. My teeth are tingling and I have been gurgling away ever since. It's very odd. It was good but I don't love it anymore. It's been at least 9 1/2 months since my last carbonated soft drink and although I missed them and the convenience, I am not sure I'll be rushing back.
So you soda drinkers out there, what is it about these drinks that gets your juices going? Do you get this gurgling feeling too?

Another new low and an NSV

I'm still enjoying the Olympics and am incredibly proud of Team GB. Being currently third on the medal table with many medal hopes still to compete, we are immensely proud of every one of their achievements.

In other news, I am in a big big push to lose a few more pounds before I leave for my holiday next week so I was thrilled to wake up to a new low.

In stones

In pounds

 

 

In kilos

Also this morning I woke up to a massive NSV. I am thrilled and felt the need to make a little video about it.

Fingers crossed it works because, at times, I can be technologically challenged.

More new numbers and the value of criticism

Firstly ... whoop whoop!

In stones

In pounds

In kilos

That's a loss of another pound and a half. Only 8 days before I leave for Disney. How much more do you think I can get off before then?

Something has changed in blogland of late. Fellow bandsters have been criticised for their deviations from diet plans and at times lack of motivation. This drives me CRAZY!!!!!! What right does anybody have to chastise others on their journey. We are human beings, adults, capable of making our own decisions. Sometimes they may not be the right ones but nobody else along the way has the right to be critical to the point of nastiness. We need to support each other. Mocking, shouting, stamping feet and throwing a wobbly because someone does not follow your perceived notion of the rules does not count as support. At least not in my book.

I wrote to one of the culprits, in defense of a fellow blogger and tried to explain kindly (as I am of the you catch more wasps with honey camp) that unkindness does not make people more motivated. As a part of this I congratulated him on his own massive weight loss and asked him if his journey had been easy. I tried to make the point that understanding where people come from is important and you cannot make huge sweeping judgements. In his response he tried to imply that their decisions were akin to taking illegal class A drugs. I'm guessing he isn't a big believer in no food is bad for you if you eat it in moderation. HEROIN? SERIOUSLY? No friend of mine takes drugs of that level in any quantities and if they did, I wouldn't just say something, I would do something. However pizza, cookies, ice cream, alcohol even cigarettes are not illegal even if you think they should be. Someone slipping and eating or drinking some of these foods does not constitute a crime and I maintain that they need encouragement to keep trying and fighting tomorrow. I shall provide that. I shall tell my friends and fellow bloggers that yes they slipped, but get up and try again before it gets worse. I shall say that I love them and care about them, pray and cross my fingers for them to do better from now on. I shall remind them of how far they have come and the challenges they have faced because I have actually read about their battles and know what it takes for them to do this. None of us are perfect! Catherine has described her food and alcohol choices. Amy W. frequently tells us of the slips she has had and the battle to stay at her goal. Even Lap Band Gal told us how she ate chocolate peanut butter pie last weekend. I myself have detailed more than one battle with my own internal cookie monster. We (or at least I) chose the band in part so that I could choose to eat a little of these foods from time to time. I did not want to be made physically ill by a particular type of food. I have not read about his journey so I shall not make assumptions but he told me it was not easy and he still has a way to go. I would therefore like to refer him (if he is reading this) and you to the main point I made in my original message to him.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!

Team GB Dive Squad Training Session

Well sort of. I was reminded of this video in conversation about the Olympics tonight and I thought I would share it with those of you who like a little eye candy to brighten your day. Laura I am mostly thinking of you. xx

The last few days in pictures

At 7 am outside Eton Dorney.

I am not going to write a blog about my day at the Olympic rowing. It was fantastic as I am sure you can imagine and totally worth getting up at 4 am  but I am going to share a few photos to make you really jealous. xx

Competing nation flags along the top of a grandstand.

8 am. Me, my friend Louise and Wenlock. Check out the clear blue sky.

Sitting in the rings. We did some very British queuing for our chance to do this.

Official flags near the start line

Team GB girls smashing Women's Double Sculls race

Australia winning their Men's Coxless Four Heat

Team GB Men's Coxless Fours - look at that lead!!!!!!

Post races practising

Team USA - see I still thought of you all when I was being all patriotic.

Canada - I didn't forget you either

Me and Louise at the finish line.

 And after all the walking (I must have done a good 10K) a new low ...

In stones and pounds

In pounds

In kilos

Comment responses resolved!!!!

So I posted last Friday that I was having issues with blogger not allowing people to email me back when I comment on their blogs. (Email address comes up as noreply@blogger or something similar) I know this is something that blogger does allow because I email people back from my blog and have proper conversations with them!

Thank you for all your suggestions. I tried so many different things under the settings and my account and NOTHING worked. Finally I went into my profile (to edit my age of all things) and there was a little check box that said 'Show my email address' ... I have never seen anyone else with their actual email address on their profile so I thought just maybe and checked it. I did make sure my email wasn't just showing on my profile page before getting all optimistic. It wasn't. There was just a email button which I had on the main page anyway. Within half an hour, Barbie had emailed me a response to a comment on her blog. Yay for comment responses!

London 2012

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am and how proud I am to be British right now. Every single place I go is brimming with excitement, suspense and hope.

Did you watch the opening ceremony? I know it may not have meant a lot to people from other countries but I hope they could appreciate the show nevertheless. I loved it and cried actual floods of tears.

The forging of the rings - a tribute to the steel industry.

I think it celebrated some of the many things that makes Britain great (see what I did there ...)

The NHS - it may not be perfect but it is the best healthcare service in the world.

The child catcher - a tribute to British children's literature.

Her Majesty the Queen and James Bond

Passing the torch to the athletes of the future

The lighting of the Olympic Cauldron

Team GB has already had some disappointments and some real achievements. I have been a gymnastics fan for as long as I can remember. I watch the nationals every year and all the televised other competitions I can. Sadly that isn't many.

Louis Smith on the Pommel Horse

Beth Tweddle on Asymmetric bars

There are many other exciting events to come too over the next few days, including

Rebecca Adlington - 2 gold medals in Beijing

Tom Daley - World Champion 2012 diver

Tomorrow, I am getting up at silly o'clock. Picking up my friend Louise and driving round the M25 (which will hopefully not be in car park mode) to Windsor. From there, we will catch the shuttle bus to Eton Dorney, home of the Rowing events. I am too excited to describe. Rowing is a major sport for us Brits where we have won many a medal in the past. We aren't going to see a medal event but Team GB will be featuring in the heats and a few of the repechages.

Mens Coxless Fours

Are you enjoying them as much as I am?

New Research

You would think that in a lapband weight loss blog, band news would preside over laser hair removal but apparently not ...

So as a part of my dietician appointment on Tuesday, I was given a whole new set of rules and advice by my clinic. Sadly it's a hard copy but I am trying to get them to email it but all the people I need to speak to aren't in until next week. **Mari, I think they're giving them out so call and hassle your liaison person to get them to send you a copy**

Based on some new research done by Paul Burton of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education, the whole idea of how lap bands work has been rethought and rules adjusted. Then main rule now is 20, 20, 20 ...
20 chews for each bite
20 seconds to put your knife and fork down between bites
20 minutes eating only

The oesophagus plays a greater part in the satiety we all need more than originally thought. It is that the does the work squeezing food past the band into the stomach and stimulating the sensors in the top of the stomach to give that full feeling for longer. The pouch has a minimal holding effect because it's capacity is too small (just a couple of tablespoons).

The no drinking with meals and for x ... rule has been amended to leave at least a minute between eating and drinking and many surgeons now believe that fizzy drinks will not cause the pouch to dilate or stretch as it was previously believed. Good news for the soda junkies amongst us. My clinic have lifted the ban but did stress the importance of diet and sugar free drinks and drinking slowly. Still no change on the gum rule nobody else has though.

Please remember that I am a Primary School Teacher and patient not a certified medical professional, I am just sharing information I was given. If you have concerns or queries, the links are above if you want to share them with your medical experts.

7 hours and 20 minutes until the opening ceremony!!!! Yay for London 2012. Go Team GB!!!

Comments

For my 100th post, I am asking a really important question ... who knows how to change my settings so that the comments I make on other peoples blogs can be replied to. I have tried so many different settings since I realised I was a noreply@blogger person and nothing works. I reply to most of my comments and am fairly sure others must at times.

I have a comments sections of the settings and my address is entered there (correctly) but it also says
"You can enter up to ten email addresses, separated by commas. We will email these addresses when someone leaves a comment on your blog." but it is responses to my comments on other peoples blogs I am trying to fix.

Also did you know the Olympics are starting in less than 19 hours!! So excited. It only seems like 5 minutes ago when on 6th July 2005, the IOC announced London would hold the games and now they are here!!! EEEEEEEKKK! I can't wait to fill you in on all the exciting goings on. Go Team GB!!!!

Not so uptight

It's silly o'clock now but I just wanted to stop by and thank everyone for their hilarious responses to my hair removal stories. I am all recovered now and back to going to the toilet quite happily. I had a crazy day today and ate some naughty things but the 0.3 ml has helped hugely. I cannot remember the last time I had a not coffee drink for breakfast and didn't have to persuade it down. I had a lovely chicken salad with 1/2 pitta lunch and then came home and tried the recipes for my first pampered chef party tomorrow. If they weren't so damned tasty I definitely would have stayed on track better. D'oh.

Do you want to know what I did today ...

First things first, I am having trouble setting it up so I can be emailed back from comments I leave on other blogs. I have changed something else on my settings in the email and mobile settings bit and would love it if someone could let me know if it has worked.

Ok ... so I got up this morning and headed off to see the dietician. After filling her in on my antics of this weekend she was practically rolling on the floor laughing. I expected her to be mad but she wasn't. She gave me a little lecture on not eating naughty stuff just because I eat small portions. I really felt like yelling at her "What do you not eat cake and ice cream on your birthday?" but I had a sneaky suspicion it was more to do with the chips I got stuck on. I said I thought I needed a tiny bit out. I've been on the very tight side since the stuckisodes (thanks Michelle) and although I am confident it would settle down, I have a manic few weeks before Disney in 18 days!!!! and a little easing off to help the transition would be handy. I had 0.3 ml removed (which was put in last March) and I am much more comfortable and have only head hunger to deal with today. Yay. Fingers crossed it stays like this.

Then I drove back, past my house and on to Cockfosters, where I climbed aboard the tube ...

 
For the first time ever, it was deserted. I am guessing a combination of the beautiful weather we are having this week (it was 30*C ), the Olympic torch doing the rounds of London or the fact it was 1pm. I got to Kings Cross, did a little shopping at St Pancras International, had a coffee and then went off to get my lady-bits lasered!

Those of you with sensitive natures may stop reading now.

Yep, you read that right ... I hate pubes. I found a groupon and they are going ... for good ... all of them. Yes, again, I do mean ALL! I hate shaving almost as much as I hate pubes so I do it but it is just downright dangerous. And I know I can wax, but I don't like the stubbly grow back, so I saw my chance to get rid permanently and I grabbed. I went for the patch test on Friday, no problems, no pain to speak of so back I went. Well the lady who was performing said procedure warned me it would be a little different today because it would be a bigger area in each go. Holy crap, I was practically climbing the ceiling to get away from her. She had to reduce the level down 4 from the patch test because I couldn't take it. They tell you it is like being flicked with an elastic band but it's more like static shocks. Hundreds of them. All over your lady-bits. One after another after another. Each individually is over in a second, recovered in 10-15 but there is no break, no downtime, nada. Just a very nice, friendly woman with a sado-masachistic torture device pointed at your crotch. I haven't been to the toilet for the last 9 hours because I think, subconsciously, I am a little scared to take my knickers off again. In all fairness when I begged for a break she gave me a minute and then counted down the last few doses like a personal trainer counts down exercises for you. And it did hurt less than my eyebrow waxing ... but I have a deformed eyebrow and that makes me cry every 3 weeks so it's not saying a lot. There are 5 weeks before I have to go again. She said it will hurt less because I will have killed off some of the hair by then. I hope so.

A new beginning ...

Forgive me fellow bloggers, for I have been rubbish. Real world rubbish took over and I have barely had 2 seconds ... and then when I did, I wallowed in self pity.

My leaving do from work went well. I went to the venue early (4 pm) had a drink and was on my second by the time others started to arrive at 5 pm. My friend I went early with had to go at half 5 and I left about 15 - 20 minutes after she did. Thankfully the head had not arrived by then and I was just handed a nice little present and some cards. I cried a little but mostly kept it under control. I was gracious and polite but snuck off into the sunset like I wanted.

Thursday I had dinner out at Nandos with my friend Janet. She is the deputy head and for the last 4 years has stayed with me during the week. She is SUCH a good friend that I am really sad she has found a new home which is a commutable distance from work even though I am genuinely happy for her at the same time. I don't know if Nandos is as big in the US but basically it's a grilled chicken restaurant. It comes alone, in burger, pittas, wraps, with or without sides, with or without a variety of marinades. It is a great bandster meal. I had a 1/4 chicken (in mango and lime marinade) with coleslaw and a few fries. Twas seriously yummy.

Friday I worked out, had a protein shake, was busy all day (getting a match test in London - see tomorrow's blog) got chips for tea from the fish and chip shop and then, after 3 bites, proceeded to get the most stuck EVER!!! After 2 hours of being sick and laying on the bathroom floor, I knew I was going to have to be liquids only for a while. I made some soup about 9 pm. That came back with half a bucket of slime to boot.

Saturday was my birthday. I stayed in my house, in my pjs and wallowed in the misery of being 31, single, childless with a terminally ill mummy. I don't get desolate very often but I knew I would and had made arrangements to stay away from the world. I had bought a cinnamon swirl while I was in London specially to have for breakfast. Can you guess what happened next? Yes even more stuckness and crying on the bathroom floor. I walked to the supermarket (no credit here, it's a 5 minute walk) and bought myself a birthday cake. That went down just fine. Yes bad Sarah ... but it was my birthday!!!

Sunday, I spent sorting to, or beginning to sort, all the stuff I brought home from school when I left. I acquired an awful lot of stuff in the past 7 years. I also started organising the Pampered Chef stuff for my first party next week. Eeek so exciting but scary all at the same time.

Today I have caught up on blogs, emails and personal errands. It took a while and I didn't comment nearly as much as I should but the summer is here and for the next 6 weeks, I am going to be a bandster queen. With the possible exception of my Disney holiday because that is going to be HARD!!!

Tomorrow I am going to see my dietician and then I am back off to London. Look out for tomorrow's blog to find out what I've been up to.

I love my band but ...

 

Sometimes I just want to ...

drink something cold and fizzy

eat stir fries, preferably chicken with sweet chilli sauce.

eat a sandwich with fresh soft bread

eat a whole Sunday dinner.

eat out without fear of getting stuck.

not have to think about how much I am chewing a particular piece of food.

not have to spit out bits of food because they are too tough.

chew gum because mints don't give me that fresh breath feeling.

be able to wallow in self pity occasionally and eat crap all day.

And then I remember

I paid a **** load of money for this

because although I sometimes want to do those things,

I want something else even more.

Before the band, I had bad days more often.

They turned into bad weeks or even months.

I would turn it around again

but it was just such a constant battle.

The battles post band are different.

I still battle for good choices over bad.

I still battle to stay away from the naughties that I know will go down nicely.

 

Today I didn't win the battle

but I am going to win the war.

Thank you band for helping with the fight.

You are the difference between the failures of my past

and the success of my future.

I count on you to not let me do the things I want to sometimes.

Even if I appear ungrateful

Even if I test you sometimes

I love you more than you can ever realise.

Thank you.