I vow to do better today and take in more balanced food. Off for cereal now. The good stuff, not the frosted stuff. Updating coming up.
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cereal from wellness center with 1/2 C low fat milk - 280

I have brought yogurt, orange and apple with me for daytime food. No eating out.

It's 11:15 and I just returned from Dr. Canale, gastroenterologist. What a nice, nice man. Very reassuring and calming. I will be having a colonoscopy AND a gastroscopy. One is rectal, the other is scoped through the mouth to examine the stomach. Prep time is not as unpleasant as other preps. More about that as the time approaches. So, July 31st is the date. It also happens to be Dr. C's birthday. I'm going to bring him a card to give him when I go to the surgery center.

More uppdates for today to come.

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It's 3:45. Finally got around to eating again. Having some yogurt

Greek Pomegranate 230 cals.

Subtotal 510 cals
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I also had a Starbucks green tea lemonade. A grande has 453 cals. I substitute one packet of Splenda and save myself a wopping 116 cals. so, the grande w/splenda is 337 cals. If I get a tall green tea lemonade that's 350 cals. less 88 cals replaced by splenda. Grand total for that would be 262 cals.

I really like the Green Tea Lemonade so I think from now one I will get a Tall with Splenda.

So, new subtotal - 510 cals + 337 cals = 847. I will cheerfully cut that down to a Tall and save more calories and still have the pleasure of the GRL.
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Dinner was 3 oz burger sandwich. Lettuce on with mustard and ketchup.

Subtotal -847
Burger - 440
TOTAL 1287 calories for the day

Tuesday is day 2. I'm filled with strength and hope. I looked into the pantry this morning and all I found for cereal was Don's sugar coated stuff. I decided on a serving of frosted mini-wheat and 1/2 cup of milk (estimate - 235 calories) Also had coffee with cream (estimate 50 calories)

BREAKFAST
Cereal and milk - 235
Coffee w/creme - 50 TOTAL 285

updates to come
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I did not get out for lunch today. This isn't good. I need regular meals or by this weekend I'm going to be overeating like mad.

Dinner was a grilled cheese and eggs sandwich and pomegranate yogurt.
2 slices whole grain bread - 140
2 eggs - 140
2 oz cheddar cheese - 220

That sandwich was 500 cal.

Oops - a margerine would be another 100. Jeeze this adds up.

Sandwich - 600 cals.
Yogurt - 230 cals.

Total for the day - 1115 calories.

I am NOT getting enough food.

Oh! p.s. - went to Border's last night and before leaving, Elaine and I walked to Safeway and back. Not a long walk but I got winded. That will improve.

Big changes

I've been vacationing for a couple of weeks and am now back for the summer. I learned before we went to Placerville this past week that I tested positive for blood in the stool smears I sent off. This means a colonoscopy. No surprise about the colonoscopy but was surprised about the presence of blood.

I also talked to the RN contact for the lapband plan and have learned this:

Clinic in Fresno is my destination
Will be working with Weightloss for Life through Doctor Medical Center in Modesto
My first requirement is to lose 27 lbs (10% of my body weight)
Labs etc to follow.

Today is ground zero for the 27 lbs. Will keep you updated on that. Will be starting with Weightloss for Life as soon as I hear from them.

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FOOD
Had lots of water and two coffees W/cream today. (70 cals.)
Finished the posole at lunch (250 cals) and
had one slice of whole wheat bread (100 cals) and o
ne slice of swiss cheese (95 cals)

SUBTOTAL through lunch - 515 calories

Dinner tonight was one serving of sloppy joes and a serving of coleslaw with pineapple chunks added. Calories estimates are:

Sloppy Joe - 340 (estimate)
coleslaw w/pineapple - 210

TOTAL through dinner - estimate
1,065

What a couple of days I have had. Saturday I took care of some errands and then ended up at Borders for coffee, a couple of books for the road, and a quiet reading place. While there I was reminded that Borders has my all time favorite carrot cake. I successfully resist in for months at a time and considering how many times I visit Borders in just ONE month, that is a lot of resistance. However, yesterday was different. Yesterday I realized that I would need to say good-bye to the luscious treat.

Getting a slice of cake post-surgery would be like buying an entire cake now and then consuming it over a period of several days. I don't see cake as a gone item but I do know that for the foreseeable future, it will be absent. And, when it appears again, it will be one or two bites only. I know I have a lot to learn yet and actual experience is only an idea at this point but I sure did enjoy saying good-bye to my favorite carrot cake yesterday.

At 4:00 Don and I met up at Starbucks. I was coffee'd out from Borders but it was nice sitting there for an hour just visiting outside and away from the house. After about an hour, the noise level really cranked up and that was our signal to go home.

Today Elaine and I headed to the mall for the much looked forward to shopping expedition. Since clothes shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, having a friend along made it easier. And not only was it easier, it was more successful. Not only did E not pull any punches on what not to wear (thank you Stacy and Clint) but she forced me to try on a pair of WHITE carpi's - something that I would not have dreamed of doing since I'm such a dirt magnet. Anyway, it was a great success. I have two complete looks and a few things in the wardrobe already that will fill things out.

Later we went to JoAnne's Fabrics and we were maximally disappointed. Bummer. But it was a truly successful day. Food wasn't crazy and going out and about having fun with a friend definitely keeps one's mind off of food.

Have a busy day ahead of me. Just had coffee black and a bowl of cereal. Getting cleaned up and head to the mall and the pharmacy. Lots of prep for my travel to Oregon on Monday. Need to contact Jone and Marilyn and make final arrangements for meet-up on Wednesday next. Running for now. More later.

Here's A Thought

I try to post to this blog every day or so and a lot of it is a sort of rambling stream of consciousness - sort of like my eating style. stream of consciousness is good for writing but not good for food. Discipline and faith in myself need to take front and center.

Did more lapband reading. so much to absorb (if you will forgive the terrible pun). Has a piece of spinach/feta cheese quiche at HOJ. also coffee with cream. Have a lot to think about. I'm going out in about a 40 minutes to walk around the amphitheatre (right outside my office door). I saw someone walking the walks yesterday and it reminded me that it is actually a really good place to walk.

Later

Well, I didn't walk the amphitheatre but Bogi came by and we walked to the cafeteria for coffee and then walked back. Was swamped at work again today and since it is my last day before vacation starts (one week. YEAH), I never got out to lunch and barely left my desk again. Deb (the boss) brought me a sandwich and then I worked until six. Came home to a surprise.

Krista informed her dad that today is First International Sushi Day. So - what do you think we had for dinner. Yup. Went to the Sushi Garden. Good as usual but as I write this I am thinking, "Jeeze, life just seems to revolved around food." Coffee at HOJ. Lunch wherever. Dinner here, there, home. Planning food, trying to control it. Be active. Not active enough.

Unbelievable how difficult it is and it's only going to get worse. The good news though is that I have the bariatric notebook. I can make a plan. I'll be saving money because eating out will not be so much anymore for a long time.

So - my day is ending. I'll continue writing a lot here. Going to Oregon on Monday so I may not have so much time to post daily but will write it all down and will have lots of non-food things to write about at my main blog.

Day is done.