MWAH! MWAH! MWAH! **THANK YOU, AMY!**

Kisses to all my blogger friends. (This is what I do to amuse myself while my son is at swim practice. I know, my head is huge. Can't do anything about it.) But especially, kisses to Amy in the Land of Cheese and Sunkist! I got the bathing suit, it's totally gorg and I can't wait to wear it. I'm not sure I'll ever get the nerve to post swimsuit pictures of myself, but I promise to think of you every time I wear it. Thank you!!

WE HAVE INTERNET ACCESS!!!!!! Also, my mom's health issues appear to be somewhat serious but manageable (not cancer, at least as far as we know). She had bladder cancer about 16 years ago, so I think we're always a little on edge about her. Which is ironic since she's the vegetarian/exerciser/healthy living guru in the family, and always has been.

I really wish my band would be tightest on the days I am hungriest. Wouldn't that be nice? And so efficient! Nooooo, though, that's not how it's going here. Today was a big eating day. I ate more bread (flatbread and then pita triangles) than I have in one day in ages. The scale was up two pounds and my fingers were swollen. One of those days. I'm trying to track all this on my daily weigh-in spreadsheet to spot trends. I'll let you know if I find any.

Like I may have mentioned, I'm ready for a fill. We're going to a dinner party on Saturday and then Passover at my in-laws' house on Monday, so I'm hoping I can hold steady.

Jennifer, I got fitted today for my Dynasplint. I'll let you know how it goes, but my foot is already better after two acupuncture sessions. I was skeptical about acupuncture, but I've been in pain since August so I gave it a try. Much to my surprise, it seems to be helping.

Here's hoping for a better eating day tomorrow.

In this picture, I realized my glasses are crooked.


So I took them off. Now I look like I have a lazy eye. Ford Models, see what you're missing?

Upcoming Fill - How Much?

We still don't have internet service, so I'm only checking blogs intermittently. I hope you're all well.

The shower was a success! The only problem was limited parking, so I valet parked a few guests' cars. I'm counting the running back and forth in nice shoes as exercise.

The food was decadent, and I tried to keep my intake to a minimum but I wouldn't say it was a low-calorie day. The appetizers were so good that I skipped the main course altogether. But I did have cake for dessert.

Here's the problem: I ended up bringing some of the cake home. And I ate it.

Two surprises here: I was able to eat more than I thought I should of the truffle mac & cheese, and the cake went down just fine. (I know, a little willpower goes a long way. My willpower was MIA on Saturday.)

On Saturday morning I weighed in at 232, down 34 pounds! I'm expecting that will bounce around a little after all my indiscretions. But a new low is a new low.

I definitely will be ready for my fill on the 31st. I'm at 5.5 cc's now, not sure how much I should ask my surgeon to add. What do you think?

Shower Day and Power Update

We have power! Unfortunately, no email or internet (I'm at the in-laws' picking some things up).

We're having the shower at the Plan B location, which I think should work out fine since I was still Cloroxing parts of the freezer at 10 pm last night.

WIsh me luck today...

The Sun Shines!

The automated update from Connecticut Light & Power says we may have electricity by 6 pm TODAY! Not a moment too soon, either, things are getting ugly in the laundry department. The in-laws' generator keeps the TV going but not the washing machine. Hmmmm.

Last night's dinner consisted of pretzel crisps and some spinach dip. The dip wasn't as healthy as it could have been, but I didn't have the energy to make an omelet or something better.

I haven't been back to our house yet this morning so no weigh-in. We'll see...

Today is a new day. Let the sun shine!

New Mini Goal, and a Blessing

I was so distracted by the no-power-bridal-shower drama this morning I didn't even change my ticker.

I weighed in at 232.5 pounds, which means I've officially lost 33.5 pounds. This is my first new low in about a month. Yayyy!

My new mini-goal is 225, which is what I weighed the summer I did three triathlons and got pregnant with my second baby. I'll be very happy to bust through that number.

Today's eating was slightly better, I was so busy I didn't have time to think about it much. We took the kids to the zoo this morning and got some exercise walking around for about 90 minutes. It wasn't aerobic, but at least I was moving.

Here's the quick update on the post-storm stuff: The power company told me this evening that we likely won't have power restored until sometime Saturday. School is canceled for the entire week.

We're staying at my in-laws' house, which is one street over from ours. Their electricity is out too, but they have a generator. It powers some of the kitchen, family room, one bedroom and a bathroom -- all we need, really. (Although it would be lovely to be able to do laundry.) And the wifi works!! The in-laws themselves are still in Utah, so it's just us.

A friend saved me by finding an alternate venue for the bridal shower, so we'll need to get in touch with all the guests but at least they won't be coming to a cold, dark house with no hot water on Saturday.

My mom sees the hematologist tomorrow. I'm so glad she'll be able to see him rather than having to worry all weekend about it.

Thanks for all your comments and support. It's amazing to me how much they buoy my spirits on tough days.

Today's been kind of a doozy. In addition to the logistical problems and my mom's health issues, my great-aunt Mary died this morning. She was crazy funny and we'll miss her.

Aunt Mary was a good Irish woman, and in that spirit here is my favorite Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Stress Eating

Really trying to avoid it. Not going all that well.

* Still no power.
* Supposed to host a bridal shower on Saturday; power company says power should be back sometime between now and Sunday.
* My mom just called to let me know her plastic surgeon (don't ask) has referred her to a hematologist at an oncology practice because she's got some clotting/platelet issue with her blood.

If I read the scale correctly in the dim bathroom this morning, looks like I lost two pounds during our trip. Yay for that.

Yesterday wasn't so good. I devoured no fewer than a dozen cookies last night. Seriously. Must rein myself in.

Heading Home

We're packing up now and heading to the airport in Salt Lake City. As far as I know, we still don't have power at home and school is canceled again today, so I'm not sure we'll be able to stay at our house tonight. We'll see.

We went out again for dinner last night and I wasn't quite the angel this time. I still resisted dessert (go me) but ate some unhealthy appetizers, plus two glasses of wine. I did order black cod with bok choy, so it wasn't a total disaster. But I snacked on Jordan almonds through much of the day, which are pretty packed with calories.

I really didn't feel my band at all on this trip, so I know I'll be ready for a fill when I see my surgeon on the 31st. I'm trying to get an earlier appointment but they're pretty booked.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY to all of you! ERIN GO BRAGH!

Socially Acceptable Prejudice

When I was 24 I lost about 75 pounds. I had been overweight to one degree or another since puberty so had no experience as a normal-looking adult.

I was absolutely shocked by how much nicer people were to me when I was thinner. I'm a friendly person and usually found that people were kind to me, but once I lost a lot of weight I noticed doors being held (by men and women) a lot more often. People were more likely to look me in the eye or start a conversation. Some of that could have been from my increased confidence, but I really believe most of it was weight-related. I think many of us who've had lap-band surgery have had similar experiences at one point or another.

The New York Times published an essay on the topic yesterday: For Obese People, Prejudice in Plain Sight.

**SIDE NOTE: I love that one of the doctors quoted in the essay is named Dr. Bacon.**

I'm not sure which is sadder, the article or the reader comments on the NYT Well blog.

Here's one of the comments: Judging obese people for being obese, if it is purely the result of a lifestyle choice, is not discrimination. These people willfully choose to live in an unhealthy, unsafe way and I don’t feel bad at all for discriminating against them. Last year I lost 45 pounds. For the first time in my life, I’m in shape. I have no sympathy for anyone who simply chooses to live in such a way. ~ Roger

Victorious at Dinner!

We went out to Grub Steak last night, which is one of my favorite restaurants here. It has a great salad bar, it's kid-friendly, and the food is pretty good. I wasn't up for testing my band with steak, even a tender filet. So I had a spinach and mushroom salad with light warm bacon dressing, 1/3 of a potato skin and about half of my halibut, maybe 3 ounces. I took about four small bites of mashed potatoes.

But get this - everyone was dying for dessert so they ordered mud pies and ice cream sundaes and whatnot. And I did not have a single bite.

This wasn't any great show of willpower on my part, I just really didn't want any. Remember, I had the Cadbury Creme egg earlier in the day, so I'm not up for sainthood or anything.

That's a good NSV for me.

In other news, at home the power is still out, school is canceled for today and tomorrow at least, trees are still falling because they've gotten so waterlogged from the rain. Can't wait to open the fridge and freezer when we get back. Blech.

There's no scale in the house here, so I have no idea what's happening weight-wise. I can't decide if I should weigh myself when we get home or wait a couple days to make sure all the flight-related fluid has moved along.

The View

This is the view from our living-room window. The skies are still pretty gray, but it's beautiful nonetheless.