Torture...Day 2

Okay, I am supposed to be working with a bunch of highly intelligent adults that are specifically charged with educating our youth. So tell me WHY they would ask these questions during our training on the new phone system.

Q. It says to answer the phone that you can press the speaker button. What if I don't want everyone to hear my conversation.

A. Uhhhhhh...pick up the phone receiver. WHAT AN IDIOT!!!!

Q. SInce our laptops internet connection plugs into our phone does that mean that we still have to charge them with the plug in.

A. Yes. The phone line does not charge your lap top. That requires electricity.WHAT AN IDIOT!

Okay what makes this worse is that it was asked by 2 fellow science teachers. No wonder our country scores so poorly on science testing.

Yep...we will be here all week folks. Tune in for Karri's daily update on the worst week of school. Damn I miss the kids. They are the fun part of the job...most of the time!

MAKE IT STOP!

So this has NOTHING to do with weightloss, weight gain, lap band or running. So what do I want to stop.

MEETINGS!!!! When I signed on to be a teacher I apparently failed to realize the amount of MEETINGS that I would have to endure.

So what was on agenda today...

1. Breakfast of champions
a. Bagels (can't eat)
b. Muffins (can't and won't eat)
c. Doughnuts (haven't had one in over a year and not starting now!)
d. Bananas (healty but I can't eat them)
e. yogurt (thank goodness finally something that I can eat...though it doesn't keep you full very long!)

2. Rock, Paper, Scissors game. Sorry folks I can't make this stuff up... We played 2 different versions of this game for 20 minutes!

3. Introduction and welcome from administrative staff....At least I got a nap. Damn...missed out on buzz word bingo this year. Though if I had to guess I would say that COMMUNICATION, LISTENING AND COMMUNITY would have been the big three. But I didn't keep track considering that I was looking at the NEW standards that Oregon put out. Yippeee...I just got the old ones perfectly integrated.

4. Lunch - Healthier (salad, BBQ chicken, baked beans, potato salad). C'mon I didn't say UBER healthy...I just said healtier.

5. A recognition of those that have earned a degree in the last year....ummmm good for you, but what about those of us that ALREADY have master's degrees. Guess I graduated in the wrong year!

6. INSURANCE PRESENTATION!!!!! SNORE! Boy we have SHITTY insurance this year. It sucks for those of us that don't go to the doctor very often. We get hit with HUGE deductibles and copayments. I won't start on how much I HATE our union.

7. Are you ready for the most exciting part of the day!!! A 2.5 hour presentation on Sexual Harrassment Prevention. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So that was my day. 7 AM to 3 PM! Why is it that I teach again????

Effexor Sucks

Turns out my food problems ARE a reaction to the Effexor that I am on. Seems that it can cause people to become alcoholics or carboholics. Really I am not making this up. How cruel is it that a bariatric patient is given a medicine that has a side effect that makes them crave sugar.

These are no ordinary cravings though. I know how a recovering alcoholic must feel. Last night I ate sugar right out of the bag because the cravings were so bad that I had the shakes, the sweats, and did everything in my power not to throw up. 2 spoonfuls of sugar and BAM...they were gone.

After thinking back to the last time I was on this medication I realized these were the same symptoms I had before...I just didn't know it was the meds because I had such poor eating habits anyways! I just thought I was eating 5 candy bars a day because I was a fat slob. Turns out a lot of it is my medication.

So after speaking with the doc on the phone today I am going in tomorrow morning so that we can discuss where we go from here. Seriously...I would rather be throwing turkey sausages across the room than go through what I have been going through the last couple of weeks.

Food = Enemy

I think my meds are screwing me up. Why you ask?
1. I am always starving even when I am full to the point that it hurts to eat any more.
2. I am craving sweets and I am not a sweet eater.
3. My band is tighter than it ever has been and I am still constantly hungry.

So why do I attribute this to my anti-depressant/anxiety meds. Well because this is exactly how I felt during the year before I got banded when I was on it. During that year I packed on a HELL of a lot of pounds and I refuse to do that again.

Now we have to play a game though. I will be working 2 jobs for the first trimester of school (teaching at the high school and at a local university) so I will not have the time or the energy to be obssessed about the calories like I was. So I don't think that I can just go off the meds. But on the other hand I can live with those feelings while I CANNOT live with gaining weight. I have worked too damn hard to go back.

I have a doctor's appt on Friday to discuss this with her. My PCP is fantastic so I have little doubt that she will help me make an informed decision.

Right now that I just have to make sure that I don't eat everything in the house and then start on the exterior. Thank goodness I do have the band. At least the pain and the fear of hurting my band is preventing a lot of overeating.

On another note...does climbing up and down a ladder a minimum of 128 times at school count as taking "it easy on the exercise for the next 2 weeks"?!?!?!

Cooking Frenzy

Okay...I have got to get back into the groove with food. Things are spiraling out of control. Since gaining the 4-5 pounds after surgery I have been able to maintain but I am fighting huge battles.

So I went back to what worked. I cooked meals that will work for breakfast and lunch for the next week. Same foods that I ate when losing. I have to go back to the basics.

So quiche, chili and chicken meatloaf here I come!!!

I found new recipes for us to try for dinner that are healthy and reasonable. I have been eating "soft" foods that are just ignoring the fill in my band. I am eating too many carbs (which I don't need when I am not running!) and not enough of the proteins. It is funny how you can forget...protein, veggies then carbs...even though you have been eating just that way for a year. Funny how making me calorie binge after surgery can erase those memories so stinking fast.

But I plan on reGAINING those memories and LOSING these freaking 5 pounds!!!

Permission Granted

PS gave me permission to run in the all of the races as long as I promised not to run more than 1 mile per day and no more than 3 times per week for the next two weeks. I can SOOOO hold off running if it means that I can run in three races in the next year. SOOOOO excited!

To Run or Not to Run

So I made the HUGE a$$ mistake of looking at the Portland and Seattle marathon webpages last night. They are a reasonable distance out to participate in some aspect of the running weekend, but close enough that I would have to push myself.

Portland - 5 miler: October 5
Seattle - Half-marathon: November 30

Hmmmm....can I do it? Do I want to push myself that hard?

Answers in order: I don't know and HELL YES!

So I buttered up DH when I asked what he though. He feels confident that I would be ok for the Portland 5 miler but is not so down with the half marathon in Nov. He said he would support it if I got permission from my PS. So I have an appt today with her and I will be begging!!!

My bandiversary was August 9 and what did I do to celebrate??? I ran a 5K with a not to shabby time of 34:32. Not my fastest...not my slowest, but I felt freaking fantastic. I was a little sore that night but I don't know if it was from the running or the painting.

Alright, I will update you on the decision to run when I get back from my appt. Right now I am off to run 2 miles. That is the limit that has been placed on me by DH. He wasn't so happy with the 5K that I ran. He is so afraid that I am going to push myself too hard. Probably a good thing I have him around or I would already be in the throws of marathon training. He keeps me thinking straight.

Goin' home

Well my former home. I am headed up to see my bro this weekend. He said he took today and tomorrow off from work so that we could spend time together. Translation: Get up here so that you can help me paint my garage and fence.

Chat Monday night!

1 Month Post-op

EMPLOYMENT!

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....He got the job. I know some of you wanted to see a picture of DH...so here is my newly employed hubby! It is not a great picture but it will do. I also put one of our wedding pictures up here that is better.