BOOBS Survey...

First of all....I was so excited to see that I'm the BOOB of the day! Thank you so much for all the sweet wonderful things you guys said about me, you made my day!!!!

Hello bloggers!Can you believe it's only a month away? Time sure does fly! In an effort to get to know each other even mooooore we have a little questionnaire for you. If you are so inclined (c'mon - be inclined!) copy these questions onto your own blog to answer. Go crazy and steal the image above too!If you don't feel comfortable answering some questions like when your flight arrives because you have a stalker, don't worry your pretty little head about it. We only ask to help pair up people that would like to share a cab, a shuttle, a few laughs, etc. If you like, you can email your info to us at bandofoutrageousbabes@gmail.com and we can let you know if anyone else is traveling near your time too.Title: BOOBs 2011 Fun Facts!

1. How did you pick your blog name? I had been reading blogs and lurking, I decided to start mine and Britney Spears was playing on the radio when I was setting it up.. "Hit me Baby one more time!" I just started singing Band me baby one more time, and well...the rest is history!
2.When did you start blogging? 11-11-09
3. Theme of blog (weight loss, family, circus clowns, sci-fi, erotica, fly fishing, doll collecting, star wars, etc) Weight loss, being banded, and just my life in general.
4. Did you go to BOOBs 2010? Yes, it was fabulous!
5. When were you banded? March 25, 2010
6. How much have you lost? 61 pounds (90 from my heaviest) right now I'm up 2 pounds, but I'm not changing my ticker til it's down! Too much fluctuation.

7. What are you most looking forward to at BOOBs? Seeing old friends and making new ones and getting out of the Southern heat for a little while!
8.What/who do you hope to find/see/accomplish at BOOBs 2011? Some little tidbit of information that will magically help me reach my goal!
9.Children? Pets? 2 sons, 1 step son, 1 step daughter, 1 sweet dog, 1 evil dog!
10. Who is your roomie? Vickie and Jacquie
11. What day do you arrive? Thursday
12. What airport/flight/time? OH...1 or 1:30
13.What events are you signed up for? The walking tour and so far that's it.
14.Hobbies? Cooking, entertaining, theatre, painting
15. Career? My career/calling is motherhood. I'm the office manager for my family's trucking business, you can call me a Mother Trucker!
16. Single? Married? In a relationship? Married, to the sweetest, most patient man in the world.
17. Your birthday month? January ---Aquarius
18. What do you want other BOOBs to know about you? That I do love to Karaoke, but people need to understand, I don't have a pretty voice, I have a theatre voice, I can sell a song, I sing loud with great enthusiasm...so when we go Karaoke, don't be expecting Judy Garland....think Carol Channing, maybe Phyllis Diller....you have been warned!

I'm so excited! I hope you all have a great day!

Big Hugs!

T

Another weekend....

Happy Monday folks! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was nice. Friday night we just hung out a friends pool and had a few cocktails and pizza. Saturday, I got my housework done and had a skin care clinic at my house. It was a great success by the way. Then Sunday morning, we woke up to this....

Oh the joys of having teenagers! I'm sure that the culprits had a blast sneaking around and trashing our beautiful lawn. It was not fun to clean up though. However, it was pretty good exercise and the backs of my legs are pretty sore today from picking all that paper up, so that's the plus of it all. I'm really getting excited about Chicago, it's hotter than Hell down South, so the thought of some cooler weather and all of you great gals is so exciting! I didn't do great on my food plan this weekend, but I didn't do horrible either. I definitely need a fill though, I'm ready! I hope that all of you affected by Irene are okay! Take care!

Big Hugs,

T

BYOC

BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy – 5 little questions you can copy and paste to your own blog in an effort to get to know your fellow bloggers better and to give your blogging brain a break. Enjoy!
1. What is your blog theme and how did you pick your blog name? My blog theme is weight loss and living with a lap band. This is strange, but I had been lurking and reading blogs, when I decided to start my own, I was setting it up and Britney Spears "Hit me Baby one more time" came on the radio and I just started singing "Band me Baby!" Anyway...lame as it is, that's my blog name. I chose my blogger name Tessie Rose, because Tessie is my alter ego and stage name of the Lounge singer I play and Rose is my middle name.

2. Repeat question: I’m going to name a person not knowing anything about this person in your life or even if they exist and you need to try to describe them in five words/phrases.Female neighbor two homes/doors down to the
Mean
Bitchy
Widow
Angry
Selfish
Wow, that's terrible but it's true. I have lived near this woman for 11 years, she passes right by me and refuses to look in my direction, she has a pool and won't even let her grand children swim there. Our neighborhood was devastated by Hurricanes Rita and Ike, it brought out the very best in most of our neighbors, bringing us together through the tragedy and rebuilding...not her, she's just not a nice lady. I sometimes think, maybe she's just had a really sad life and no one has been nice to her, so when I go out for my morning walk, I bring her paper to her door, but I certainly don't think she appreciates it. I do like the rest of my neighbors though!

3. Which do you hate more? Spiders or snakes. Elliptical or treadmill. Hannah Montana or Lindsay Lohan. I don't really care much for spiders or snakes, but I see way more spiders in my day to day life than I do snakes, either one can cause you a world of trouble. I hate the treadmill, love the elliptical, it's so easy to get lost in the elliptical, you don't have to think about the next step and I don't worry about falling and hitting the wall when when I'm on the Elliptical. When Lindsay Lohan was little, (like in the Parent Trap) I thought that she was the cutest most talented child around...she's not so cute anymore. Hannah Montana = Fingernails on a chalk board to me!
4. Completely selfish question…I need a dress for Chicago…keep in mind I live in Podunk so the options of physically going into a vast array of stores is VERY limited. (thank God for the internet) When you need something fancy/a dress – what is your go to store and why?
I always have the best luck at Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls and a local store called S&M (get your minds out of the gutter)
5. Repeat question: How was your week in blog land and in real life? Blog world...well Earth quakes, Hurricanes, school starting...lots of folks are busy and I see I'm not the only one out there trying to get back on track. In real life, we made it through the first week of school. I've been in sort of a funk, I'm struggling with hunger and I have a fill schedule for Sept. 6!!! YaY!

That's about it, I'm so glad it's Friday!
Big Hugs!
T

Both varieties of victory!

Hey Guys! I hope everyone is doing well! I'm feeling pretty good today and have a couple of victories to report. First of all, today was my WW weigh in day. I actually lost a pound!! I'm still up 2.5 from my lowest, but any deficit on the scale is amazing to me, as I haven't lost in what feels like years! I hope the trend continues. I'm finally getting used to the new WW points plus system and although, I think I prefer to just count calories, I'm going to do it for 3 months. I have continued to exercise 5 days a week and I'm really proud of myself for sticking to it. This morning I did not want to get out of bed, but I did and I was really glad that I did.

Now onto my NSV, I told you guys that I am an Independent Consultant for Rodan & Fields Dermatologists, right? So, I started selling the stuff because it made such a difference for my skin, I have suffered with cystic acne since I was 25 and have tried everything. Before I started using R&F Unblemish, my dermatologist told me that nothing topical was going to help with cystic acne and that I needed to get on Acutane. I just didn't want to do it and I was so afraid to take anymore antibiotics because they are so strong and I was worried about my band and the issues that Sally had (eventually having to have her band removed.) So, long story...long, hey that's me... bear with me... I started using the stuff in December 2010, and started selling it in June, because I couldn't believe how good my skin was doing. I was at a little seminar on Saturday and one of the consultants had some before and after pictures of her skin since she started doing the Anti Age regimen, so today I decided to try to find some pictures to show how much better my acne was, I made a collage and...well, I'm so happy with my skin, but I was shocked at the difference in my face too. The picture on the left was taken right before BOOBS last year and the one on on the right was in June. I haven't lost much weight at all since Chicago, maybe 15 pounds. But the last 15 pounds have shown more than the first 45 pounds, at least that's when everyone started noticing that I'd lost weight. I feel so motivated right now, if 15 pounds can make that much of a difference, what am I waiting for?!

I want to get this last 30 to 40 pounds off, I say that because, I really don't know where I want to be weight wise. I guess I'll know when I get there! But at least 30! I think I need to have at least 1/2 of my old fill amount back in . I'm glad I got the unfill, but I'm struggling with hunger now, so I think it's time for an adjustment.

It's Wednesday though, so I'm looking forward to a little wine and relaxation tonight. I have a busy weekend ahead of me! You guys take care!
Big Hugs!
T

Recap...a good weekend with some bad choices.

Well here it is Monday morning again. It was a good weekend. Friday night my son had a football scrimmage, and John and I went, it was hotter than Hell, I'm talking HOT! In the shade it was at least 100 degrees! But it felt like 1000 degrees. Anyway, after that we went home and at Pizza Rolls and I drank some wine. I had the points left for it, but not your best choice, I was starving though and well, it is what it is...

Saturday, we went to the first party of the year for our Mardi Gras Krewe, it was fun, tons of food, I had a little bit of everything and a lot of wine, but that was not the worst of it. My son had a couple of friends over to spend the night. My sweet hubby got up Sunday morning and went to the store and got all the goods for a big breakfast. I ate a crap load of bacon yesterday. Seriously, I ate a lot of bacon, but...in my defense, it's bacon, I love bacon. Mmmmm, I wish I was eating bacon right now. So, I overate yesterday, but this morning I woke up and went for my walk, got my sweat on and I'm ready to be back on track. I was hungry, because,I ate badly yesterday and that always makes me hungry the next day! I'm scared for my weigh in on Wednesday, but the truth is, if I gain this week, at least I'll know I deserve it.

On Saturday, I went shopping for pants, oh the drama of it all! I'm between sizes right now. Some 16's are too big, some 14's are too small, and some of the 14's that fit me are cut for young women who don't mind a zipper that is only 2 inches long. So...I wore a pair of pants that I already have, but I got a cute shirt and it was on the clearance rack for $12. So, I guess it turned out ok.

I hope you all had a great weekend, I'm tired today, but I'm ready to face the challenges ahead I will try to salvage what's left of the WW week, no more extra points to play around with for sure! I'll leave you with a couple of pics from the weekend! Here's to healthier choices ...
Happy Monday!
Big Hugs!
T

Me and my sweet hubby!

This is the Captain, in the pink shirt and our Royal Court...

we remain Royalty until the night of the Ball next year!

Be careful what you wish for!

Hey folks! I hope you are having a great Friday Eve! I'm at work and hoping that 5 o'clock gets here sooner than later!

Okay, so since I had my de-fill, I've been struggling with very little restriction. I blogged yesterday about how I've been able to eat just about anything and haven't been stuck or PB'd in a couple of weeks. So, I guess I cursed myself. Last night, we had a few friends over and all was going well, I ate a couple pieces of sausage, some chips, drank some wine, no problem. Then my sister-in-law came by with this yummy chicken, pasta cheese dish, I had 2 bites and whoa...my band just slammed shut, I PB'd violently 3 times and then I'm okay.

This morning I get up, I had breakfast at work, 2 slices of bacon and an egg, everything was fine. For lunch, I had brought a chicken breast and some peas, I'm getting my lunch ready and take a bite of the chicken, I finish getting my plate together, sit down and realize it's a no go, so I put my stuff in the fridge and decide to wait it out. I ran to the grocery store and went home to put my stuff up, I PB'd twice and go back to the office, I PB'd again. I just have had water and at 4 o'clock I'm pretty darn hungry, so like a fool I tried to eat some peas, and PB like there's no tomorrow. So...the moral of the story is , be careful what you wish for! I don't understand how this thing works, this crazy band, but I did want some restriction again, and well...I got it!

Big Hugs!
T

How many times can you clean the slate and still have slate left to clean?

Yesterday I did pretty good food wise, I was feeling good, feeling much more in control. When I got home, my boys were doing the, night before the first day of school shuffle. Finishing up the Summer reading projects that they have successfully avoided for most of the Summer, getting things ready to go back to school, cleaning out the backpacks, and so forth. I am the first to admit that I'm a hovering mom, especially at pivotal moments like back to school freak outs. I was hovering, making sure they had a good supper the night before the first day and well, my sweet husband is giving me advice on how to not have this turn into a stressful evening...did I ever mention that I don't' like advice, unless of course I specifically ask you for it? And even then, I still don't usually like it. Anyway, we got in a tiny tiff, nothing major, just a word here and there, but enough of one that I immediately feel the need to overeat and to overeat on bad food! Why is that? So, even though I was done with my WW points for the day and wasn't hungry, I ate a Little Debbie Oatmeal cake and drank some milk. Now, if I break that down...that's 270 calories that I had over my planned day, not too bad, but if I do that half of the month, that's a pound here and a pound there. Today was my weigh in day and guess what? No loss again, I wonder why? So, today I woke up, got my sweat on, packed a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack and wiped that proverbial slate clean once again.

Speaking of clean slate, I just cleaned and resealed my slate shower (see pic above)

All a part of the weekend activities of cleaning like a mad woman and then rewarding myself with wine and bad food.

And, here are my boys this morning on the first day of school. The youngest is a Freshman, the oldest is a Junior. They look like I'm sending them off to Prison instead of school!

So...once again, I've not lost any weight, I'm still hovering above my low, that same 3.5-4 pounds I've been playing with since I started project accountability and had my de-fill. I have to say that although I can eat again, without pain (which is really nice) and I haven't PB'd or gotten stuck in at least 2 weeks (record for me), if I eat what I know I should, in the proper portions and do the things I'm supposed to do, like stay away from sliders and eat solid protein, I'm satisfied after eating a meal and I stay satisfied for a good 3-4 hours. I think I could probably use a fill, but then again, I think I'm not giving myself enough of a chance to acclimate to my new fill level. I know I need to practice patience and I need to make better choices. I had gotten in the habit of eating sliders, just because that's all I could eat. And, although I wasn't gaining weight, I wasn't losing any either. So, in answer to my question above, I don't know how many time the slate can be wiped clean, but I'm going for at least one more time!

Have a great day, it's Wednesday!

Big Hugs!

T

Dear Teacher, the weekend ate my accountability!

Yeah, pretty much all of my reserve went out the window this weekend. I ate and drank like it was job! Sigh! I'm in a rut. I got up this morning and exercised, but not without a huge fight with my self first. This weekend wasn't a total loss, I'm still eating way less than I used to, but I drank 2 bottles of wine over the weekend. I got plenty of exercise, on Saturday and Sunday...cleaning my house, I mean really cleaning, baseboards and all. Man are my legs sore! That should count for something. But, I know I didn't make good food choices and the sad thing is, I really didn't care about it. Well not until I got on the scale this morning. It would appear that the scale can only move in one direction and that is up!

Today is a new day. Clean slate! Read is on the accountability wagon too, so there's safety in numbers, right? Hey Read, I need directions for the 5 day pouch test! I have no choice but to do better. I want to do better. I want to reach my goal weight. I used to feel so sure that I could do it...now, I'm not so sure. But for today, I'm going to do better, I'm going to eat better and move more and I'm going to stop letting the scale make me feel like a failure. So, there!

Happy Monday y'all!
Big Hugs,
T

Crossroads...

I feel like I'm standing there, wondering which way to go. I'm really trying to be a big girl about my food and WW, I'm still tracking my points and exercising, and I'm trying not to weigh every single time I pass the scale! Well, I weighed again this morning and that 3.5 pounds is still hanging on. I had really just assumed it was because of the exercise or water gain or a thousand other things, but it is still there. I'm a slave to the scale, it deeply affects the way I feel about myself and I really hate that. I can be feeling on top of the world and hop on the scale and all of that changes with one little upswing. I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have gotten the unfill. I'm feeling good again, so I suppose I've forgotten how miserable I was when I couldn't eat anything healthy. I just have these moments when I get overwhelmed and I think that a healthy weight is something I'll never be able to achieve. I guess I'm hormonal, I keep randomly crying today. My youngest will be starting High School on Wednesday, and I guess I'm just having one of those days, I'm feeling old and fat. Time to go look at some blogs and see before pictures of my heroes like Amy W., Catherine and Stephanie, that always makes me feel better.

I'm staying the course til next Wednesday's weigh in, if I'm still up, I'm gonna pull my hair out!
Have a great weekend.
Big Hugs!
T

Project accountability, not what I expected...

I did it, I went one week on WW, I counted points, I exercised and I feel terrific. I feel empowered. I swear my pants fit better today than they did last week. Yesterday, I got on the scale and was still at the usual spot, but I was feeling pretty confident. Today is weigh in day, I get up this morning, pee and weigh...hmmmm. Much to my surprise, I was up 3.5 pounds! That, my friends is not what I was expecting! I went for my walk, I came home did some housework, drank my coffee, stripped down to get in the shower...same thing. I guess, I could panic, and get pissed, or I can just take an inventory of the situation and keep going. I mean, I feel really good, if I had not seen the scale this morning, I would definitely think I had logged a loss. So, the plan is still the same, I'm going to keep on with Project Accountability and hope that the loss I feel today will actually show up on the scale next week. Until then, I'll just keep on keeping on!
Have a great day!
Big Hugs,
T

This whole accountablility thing sucks!

I'm on day 6 of my accountability plan, exercise, counting WW points, writing down everything I eat. It has been eye opening. No wonder I haven't lost any weight in months. I have been eating poorly and drinking way too much wine. There....I said it....I own it. I think it is an epidemic in blog land right now, with some of us bandsters who have lost enough weight to feel pretty normal and we are struggling to stay motivated. I'm happy to report that I exercised 6 days out of last week and this morning I did it again, even though I really wanted to just sleep. I'm proud of myself for that. I'm hoping that on Wednesday when I weigh I will see some downward movement on the scale. I'm the only one who can get me over this hump, I'm the only thing standing in my way. That's a pretty scary thought.

The new WW plan is quite different. It encourages you to eat more fruits,vegetables and whole foods, by giving those foods a very low or zero points total. Other foods that used to be calculated just by calories are now calculated by carbs, fat, protein and fiber. I think it's a really good way for me to get better balance in my diet. I had been so tight that I just didn't even try to do veggies anymore. It's making me think differently about my food choices, for instance, really wanted something sweet on Friday, so I got a Three Musketeer truffle crisp bar, 2 bars are 170 calories, on the old plan it had a points value of 3, so 1.5 for half, not anymore, it's like 3 points for 1/2. I am much more aware of the nutritional value of foods and realize I had gotten pretty lax on trying to eat a well rounded diet. Better choices mean better nutrition and hopefully better movement on the scale. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

Have a great day! Big Hugs,
T

BYOC

B.Y.O.C. Bring Your Own Crazy!

Bring your own crazy are 5 little questions that we answer to get to know each other a little better. Copy and past to your blog and answer away...

1. Random person in your life (picked by Draz)- not knowing if you had a good or bad, existent or non-existent relationship with them- your mission is to pick five words or traits or thoughts that describe them?

Paternal Grandmother
Strong

Smart

Tough

Old

Gal (She died at 101, she had 9 children and outlived all but 2 of them)

2. What is your all time favorite color to paint your nails? and toes?

Ususally I don't paint my finger nails, when I do, it's nude or a French Manicure

My toes are never unpainted, usually Cajun Shrimp or Hooker Red!

3. Do you get along with your parents well?
I did and think I still would today! My parents were wonderful people. My Mom has been dead for 34 years and my Dad for 33 years.

4. Rank the rainbow colors in the order you prefer...
Green

Red

Violet

Orange

Indigo

Yellow

Blue

5. Repeat question... How was your week in blog land and in real life??

BLOG LAND- Great, you guys have been so supportive of me. I can't thank you enough for all of your kind words!
REAL LIFE- Busy! School is about to start for my kids, so it's crazy and it's HOT as HELL in Louisiana. I'm happy I've been eating well and exercising. I plan to continue and show a loss next week.!

Take care y'all! Have a great weekend.

Big Hugs!

T

Commitment and a handful of NSV's

Hello folks! How are you? I'm doing great! I just want to say thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement. We are so lucky to have this community of support, we really are! On Monday, I woke up and said to my self, "Self, some thing's gotta give, if you want to get this weight loss thing moving again, you're going to have to make a few changes!" I decided that I was going to put forth the effort it takes to get through this part of my journey. I did not come this far to just stop. When I decided to get a lap band it was not with the intention of losing just 60% of my excess weight, I signed up to lose 100% of my excess weight. I have been in a rut, a mental and physical rut. I have not been really trying to get to my goal. So when I had the talk with myself Monday, I decided to do WW for 3 months to try to break this mental plateau and try to bring some balance to my diet. I decided to exercise at least 3 days this week and work up to 5 times a week after that. So, I did great all day Monday, Monday night I didn't do so well. Tuesday was a little better and Wednesday a little better still and today, I feel a whole new level of commitment that I haven't had in a long time. I have exercised everyday this week, and I have tracked my food on line. I even tracked my wine last night and it feels really good to be accountable. I have a few NSV's to share too.

• I don't know when this happened, and I'm having trouble believing that it's true, but my thighs don't rub together anymore when I walk. Amazing!


• Barbara talked about this too....but it's true so I have to mention it, my shadow looks like a shadow, not a big hole in the ground.


• A picture was taken of me at rehearsal from the back and I was sitting in a chair, my ass is not hanging off each side of the chair by a mile and I didn't even know it was me when I first saw the picture.


• My feet don't hurt.


• My legs don't hurt.


• It felt great to get out and sweat and walk, I was amazed by the fact that even though I have successfully avoided any physical activity in the last year, I felt strong and in way better shape than last year at this time.

I have a great deal to be thankful for. I'm so glad I got my band, I'm glad that I feel like I got some MoJo back. I want desperately to get out of the 200's and lose at least 10 pounds before Chicago and before my 30th class reunion which is the weekend before BOOBS. I can do this, I just have to make it a priority. Thanks again for your sweet words. You always lift me up!

Big Hugs,

T

What to do?

I'm feeling all wishy washy! I think I had gotten really used to my band being super tight and being able to justify eating trash because that's all I could eat, and I'm seriously craving crap right now! When I got my unfill, it was such a relief, I was so happy to be able to eat and drink, and I was still feeling restriction. Today, I feel like could eat a horse....granted last week I was PMS'ing this week it's TOM, so even if I didn't have a slight unfill, I'd be in the same damn boat, hungry, cravey and able to eat way more than usual. But I'm feeling scared and unsure, feeling like a made a mistake getting some out. Logically I know I need to wait at least 6 weeks before I make the decision to get more fluid in the band. My restriction has always been very haphazard and I know that tomorrow the band could slam shut on me for two weeks. I'm secretly hoping so, although I guess it's not much of a secret since I just wrote it. I haven't gained any weight, other than the usual upswing with TOM. I have exercised two days this week, which is something I haven't done in ages, so that could be a factor in my hunger today too. I just feel like it's really important for me to listen to my body and feed it good food. My hubby was not for me getting and unfill, because he kept pointing out that sometimes I could eat... I don't want to give him the opportunity to say "I told you so," not that he would do that, that's more my style than his. I really want to get my weight loss started again, I'm tired of the holding pattern. I feel restless. Chicago is in 2 months, and so is my 30th class reunion, I just want to be at least 10 pounds down by then. I'm feeling sorry for myself and I need to snap out of it, because feeling sorry for myself only leads to eating. Okay, it's time to just get back to basics, I'll wait 4 more weeks and then I'll decide if I should get a fill or not. Wish me luck!
Big Hugs,
T

PS
Sorry I've been absent. I love reading all your surveys, good stuff! Maybe I can do it tomorrow.