I did it!!!

So today is a special two for one day!  I posted earlier and spoke about how I just was not motivated and how I needed to get some "sun" in my life and get out of this rut.  Well as I typed that post I kept thinking how when I go to work out how I feel so much better.  So on my way to the gym I decided I was going to really push myself today and so something I had never done....I was going to do a 5K on the treadmill.  So 3.11 miles.  My goal was to do it in less than an hour and to still be alive afterwards.  Well I dug deep a couple of times and I pushed myself more today than I ever have.  I averaged about a 15.32 mile I think with a total time of 49.22   so less than an hour with time to spare.  I even answered an important call during this fast paced walk.  I have not gotten comfortable jogging on the treadmill so it is a speed walk!  I am SOOOOO PROUD of myself!  This was something that I can write down as one of my milestones.  I am even more confident in doing a 5K walk in July. Just wanted to share this exciting event with you!  Who would have thought 7 months ago I would have done a 5K on the treadmill and still be alive to tell about it!  If I can do it so can you!!!

The Rain has to stop!!!

This rain really has had me in a funk this past week.  I am ready to get outside and work in the yard, go for a walk or bike ride.  Like most people when it is grey and gloomy out I want to lay on my couch!  Well the sun is shining and that makes me smile for the moment.  I can only hope the sun stays around for a while.  I need some motivation!!  Do you have any to share?  I just feel like my scale is stuck and I am just not motivated to head to the gym.  I keep looking at all the great things that are going on in my life and trying not to dwell on the stuck scale and my ultra busy schedule.  As I sit her typing I am thinking.....why am I sitting in and typing when I could be at the gym having some me time on the treadmill and getting excited about this new me. 

Easter was a great occasion for many reasons.  I fixed a wonderful meal for my family, my dad, sister and my mother in law.  We all feasted on ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, scalloped corn and strawberry pretzel salad.  I actually made a cheese cake and I have not had any.  I am pleased to announce that I truly enjoyed my meal and my band also enjoyed eating at a nice moderate pace and not trying to over do it.  One thing that I am a bit disappointed about is that the Easter Bunny did not really leave any candy in my basket.  We had a little talk and I said....please don't tempt me to be bad but gosh I could have gotten a few little treats!  LOL 

I continue to receive compliments on how I look and that really inspires me especially since the scale just bounces around a little about 3 pounds of water I presume.  My clothes seem to be getting to big again and I feel just as good if not better so I guess like most people do at some point, I need to quit weighing all the time and just go by how I feel and look. 

Life is wonderful here and I am so proud of my kids.  All three are going to play baseball/softball/t-ball this summer so I will be one busy mom!  Seth is finishing up his track season and Kenna is going to run her first 5K this may with a friend.  I am one of the chair people for the event so I am not participating but I think my next goal is to walk the Rantoul 4th of July 5K anyone want to join me? 

Well I really think I may go to the gym.  I feel a bit motivated so I guess I should take this motivation and do something with it!  Have a great day!  Jane

Welcome to my journey!!!

I would like to say welcome to my new readers!  I was asked to contribute an article for the Chambanamoms.com website to talk about the challenges of weight loss for moms especially.  As you know on October 19th 2010 I had the Lap Band Procedure done my Dr. Sidney Rohrscheib in Champaign IL.  Weight loss surgery is not for everyone but since I was looking down at the scale weighing 324 and had battled obesity all my life I knew I HAD to make a change!  I have learned many things in the last 6 months.  I have learned that I am a very strong, determined and beautiful person inside in out.  I learned that weight loss has given me so much more energy and self pride.  Up until the last few years I had not had any self image problems but as I began to become larger I became more insecure and less willing to try new activities and wear things that brought attention to me.  Weight loss has brought a lot of emotions up in the last 6 months; scared, excited, determined, frustrated, happy, sad and at times overwhelmed.  I eat and exercise much different than I ever have.  I am a very open person and since this is my blog I well tell it how it is!  I am very dedicated to my family and they mean the world to me.  Without my husband, kids and other family this past year may not have been possible.  I have a lot of long time and new friends who have supported me during this journey.  I encourage you to read my blog from start to finish and please feel free to comment or email me with any questions or anything.  I am a firm believer in "passing it forward" and if I can help encourage someone to do something for themselves especially in regards to their health I feel like I made a difference.  I talk about a wide range of topics because I have found that your weight does effect alot in our lives.  I feel like the Lord has blessed me with a "new" life, one filled with energy, promise and hopefully a long life.  Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments!  Have a great day my friend!  Jane

jsprandel@hotmail.com

Customer Relations

Not sure if you caught my post from Sunday but I wrote about the Top 10 Things about Food and my Lap Band.  One of them was that Ryan's the Restaurant does not allow you to use your Lap-Band Card.....

(Number 7:  It is not allowed to use my Lap Band card at Ryan's so that I can pay for a smaller portion. I nicely explained to the manager that I eat like a 1 year old and she nicely stated that to many people were printing weight loss cards off the Internet and they getting 10 plates of food.  To bad a few jerks ruined it for people who honestly need some accommodations.  So eating at Ryan's for dinner on Seth's birthday will probably not happen again.  (I have a cute credit card sized card that asks a restaurant to allow me to have a child's portion since I have had weight loss surgery.  Sort of a cool card.  Also if I am ever hurt and unconscious it is  stated on there  that I have the Lap Band, when and by whom with their 800 number.  Let me know if you ever want to see it or if I am passed out you can get it out of my wallet for the EMT)  LOL)

So last night I decided that I was going to send them a nice note and let them know I was a little frustrated with their policy of not allow individuals to use a permanent card to get a reduced price at their establishment.  I was very nice and professional and today this is the email I got back from them that sort of frustrated me. 

Dear Ms. Jane Sprandel,

Thank you for taking the time to email us. We appreciate hearing from our guests. Your input helps us continue to improve and ensure we are providing the best dining experience possible to our guests.

Thank you for inquiring about discounts for Gastric Bypass or Lap Band patients at our restaurants. We can certainly understand and empathize with your request for a discount because of your situation. We try to be fair to all of our other adult guests by charging one price that we feel is a great value for the dining experience that we offer. We receive many requests for discounts and while we would love to honor them all, we are a business and we have to provide programs that treat all of our guests fairly and equally. You can be assured that we continue to focus on offering our guests a value-priced meal every day which includes a wide variety of entrees, side dishes, salads and desserts.

You are a valued guest and we hope you will give us the opportunity to exceed your expectations the next time you dine with us. Again, thank you for taking the time to email; your honest feedback is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Guest Relations
Case # 311821

You know this response has just made me more upset!  You do not treat your customers fairly.....I do not get a senior citizen discount as an adult.  I understand that people were abusing the cards and that is a shame but to say you treat everyone equal.  I want my senior discount then next time I go!  If we are all equal then I should be allowed to have a discount too!  I know why do I let stupid things bother me????  Well there will not be another opportunity for them to meet my expectations.  I told Tony today that he and the kids and go or even go with my dad and sister but I do not feel like I get anywhere close to my moneys worth.  At least when I go to a regular restaurant I can get a to go box. 

I am done venting for now.  Do you think I should be a little crabby over this "form letter" response?  Have a great day!  Jane

Top 10 Things about my Lap-Band and Food

So a few weeks ago I seen a YouTube video made by another Lap Band person talking about facts about her Lap Band so I decided today I was going to make a Top Ten Things about my Lap Band and Food post! 

Number 10:  I still do not allow my self to have any carbonated beverages.  I think the last time I had a Diet Coke was around the Weekend of Oct 16th.  Only water, and crystal light.  Rarely do I allow myself to have even a regular lemonade due to the sugar. 

Number 9:  I have started branching out to eating things other than soup for breakfast.  Soup, water melon, a little bit of scrambled egg.  Not a huge list but trying a few new things.  Sometimes some potatoes or potato salad at work but that is not always a good idea.

Number 8:  Eating in a loud environment does not work well for me.  When my stomach is bothering me I need it really quiet. 

Number 7:  It is not allowed to use my Lap Band card at Ryan's so that I can pay for a smaller portion. I nicely explained to the manager that I eat like a 1 year old and she nicely stated that to many people were printing weight loss cards off the Internet and they getting 10 plates of food.  To bad a few jerks ruined it for people who honestly need some accommodations.  So eating at Ryan's for dinner on Seth's birthday will probably not happen again.  (I have a cute credit card sized card that asks a restaurant to allow me to have a child's portion since I have had weight loss surgery.  Sort of a cool card.  Also if I am ever hurt and unconscious it is  stated on there  that I have the Lap Band, when and by whom with their 800 number.  Let me know if you ever want to see it or if I am passed out you can get it out of my wallet for the EMT)  LOL

Number 6 :  Just learned the other day that field greens are tolerated far better than regular lettuce so I guess I am changing my salad prep stuff.

Number 5:  Everything is better with sauce of some sort.  I try not to use a lot of sauce and stuff but things do go down better if they have a liquid base on them.  Ketchup, gravy, cocktail sauce, tarter sauce, ect.

Number 4:  Pasta.....Well if it is fresh spaghetti or lasagna I am usual okay but left overs or thicker noodles forget it!

Number 3: Breads, rolls, rice, some cakes and cookies ect usually do not do well for me.  So I only take a nibble of bread products if I need to satisfy a craving.

Number 2:  I have learned that I can not eat in a moving vehicle.  So my days of trying to eat a little burger or fries on the way are over.  I think I am more upset that I can not really tolerate Fries anymore.  Actually pretty much anything fried is not a positive any more.

Number 1 thing about my Lap Band and Food.......There is no rhyme or reason to anything.  What I can eat today I may not be able to eat tomorrow! 



I am starting to learn more and more about my band but I learned a long time ago that the Band is the boss and I am just here to follow what it wants.  I try to satisfy my craving with just a little taste of things.  Some days I want something and I know that I will probably regret that decision such as I wanted KFC fried chicken the other day.....big mistake but the few bites I ate tasted great!

I hope you enjoyed today's top 10 list.  They are sort of in order.  I may have to do another top 10 list of something else about my Lap Band any suggestions??  Have a great day!  Jane

Still Chugging along!

Well I feel like the weight loss train has slowed down a little.  They like to call this a plateau I prefer to call it frustration!  As a recap a few weeks ago I went off of my medications for diabetes and blood pressure.  This was awesome!  What came next frustrated me a little.  I started retaining water for the next week.  I started a new potassium pill that I was suppose to have picked up after my appointment and did not till the following week so once I took that for about a week I am now back to normal.  So I am still at the 235 mark or 89 pounds lost total.  It seems that I have been fluctuating back and forth on the last two pounds a little.  This is why my Tony always reminds me to stop weighing myself everyday.  I do it to help me stay more accountable and evaluate what I may have done to lose or gain.  This last week I did do some working out but not as much as I would have liked.  I liked when we had those nice days so I am ready for them to come back since I found myself outside doing stuff.  Bring on the warm weather! 

Kenna and I went and did a little shopping this morning and I can not express how exciting it is when I can buy a shirt that is an 18/20 when I had a few that were 30/32 in October.  It is these small victories that keep me going and the constant compliments that I get.  Even this week when the scale was not moving as fast as I would have liked I got several comments from people.  It is funny when people say they did not recognize me at first.  I seen my old Ob/Gyn the other day and you could tell she was confused and of course I shared my journey with her.  When your patient looks 90 pounds lighter no wonder she looked a little puzzled.  Eating has been a mixed bag this week.  I did find out that mixed greens is the secret for me in regards to eating salads.  Tony and I went out the other night and I had a salad with mixed greens and I ate it ALL.  I have not eaten all of anything in like forever.....of course I had already ordered the half salad but I was surprised that it went so well. 

Next week will be a busy week at work and with the family.  I also have a school board meeting this week so I will be a busy mom/wife/employee/volunteer.  I have been helping plan a 5K Run/Walk/Kids Run on May 21st in Thomasboro to help benefit our athletic department.  If you are interested in the event or you know someone who might be email me at jsprandel@hotmail.com and I will send you a registration sheet!  Have a great weekend and I am also hoping that my big surprise of my journey will be able to be revealed this week!  My story is going to reach a larger audience and I can not wait till it happens! 

Does Weight Loss change every thing?

I will warn you I do not know what  this post will turn out to be so be forewarned since I am feeling a bit reflective and thankful for my faith today!  I think as a society we have come to be accustomed to thin is beautiful  and well you would be such a pretty girl if you could loose some weight.  I had never believed that.  I know of some pretty ugly average/thin people.  What makes someone beautiful is who they ARE!  I have always thought of myself as a beautiful person in regards to how I treat others, my overall positive attitude, my work ethic, my love for God, family and Country.  But as the last 6 months have nearly flown by along with 90 plus pounds I have found out something, weight does change everything!!!

I do get a lot more positive attention these days.  The best comment which always makes me laugh is, "you are getting so thin!"  Well I feel like I am a long ways from being thin, but thank you for noticing my hard work!  I think changing your lifestyle is contagious.  Everyone asks me if Tony, my husband, is getting fit too.  Well the simple answer is, I think he is close to saying, Enough is Enough for him.  I am so proud of him, he has given up pop which was a large amount of his caloric intake, he seems to be making wiser choices and is talking about getting "sexy buff" again.  Those are my words not his!  LOL   If you have learned anything about my journey  I hope one thing is that until the person is ready  friends, family, and doctors can say things till they are in the blue in the face, but it is not until the PERSON is ready  that a lifelong change can happen.  We all can loose weight but you have to change your life to make it permanent.    So I am so glad that my journey has caused others to make changes in their lifestyle.  I am especially proud of my husband for realizing that he needs to do this first for HIMSELF and then his family!  Baby steps are still forward steps in my book!

Another way that weight loss can change everything is possibly, by changing your dreams or maybe just redirecting them.  As many of you know I am a mom to two wonderful kids that I gained the day I said "I Do"  After our wedding Tony and I became the parents of another child.  I love all three of my kids as my own and raise them as my own.  Many do not realize that I only have given birth to Raegyn.  After a few years of loving our family of 5 we decided that we wanted to chase our  dream and have another baby.  Well we tried for 3 years with no success.  As I think of some of those dark days it makes me very sad.  We had limits as to how far we would go in the infertility carousal.  We had been blessed with 3 healthy children and thought maybe God had a plan for us so we  decided it was time to do something for ME and that is why the Lap Band thing seemed like a good dream to chase.  With the Lap Band you can have more children but they do suggest that you wait at least 1 year before trying to conceive.  As the weight came off Tony and I had a really hard talk one night.  Many a nights we sat on the couch while I cried about the baby I would not have.  A few months after my surgery Tony brought up the fact that I was weighing less now than when I got pregnant with Raegyn.  Should we look into some birth control?  Well I am sure their were some tears about my "lost dream"  I know the day I took my first Depo shot I was very sad that I was probably exstinguising a dream.  Well today I feel like I made a decision that has totally confirmed that we will always be the Sprandel 5.  Today as I went into get an IUD inserted I seen girls coming in asking for the morning after pill and others giggly because they think they are pregnant.  Call me old fashioned but they all look like they could be  high school and none of them had a wedding band on.  I could only sit there as I waited for my appointment asking God, "How is that you know that this is the plan for the Sprandel's?"  There is a reason why those 3 years we did not have any success, probably my weight was a big reason but in the overall grand scheme of things it was God's plan for us to not have any more kids and for me to realize that I needed to focus on me, not babies.  Sure I can have my IUD removed anytime in the next 5 years but face it folks, I am 35 and Tony is 38.  This is God's plan for us, he wants us to get healthy and enjoy the gift of 3 wonderful lives he has given us. 

I could go on and on how loosing weight changes things for you but I am going to end it with a little clue to a Facebook post I made last week.  I have never looked at myself as a writer and when I started this blog I never thought anyone would read it let alone be inspired by it.  My clue to last weeks post that I had big news that I could not share till this week  has to due with.........I have been given the opportunity to share my story with a larger audience.  That is a big enough clue for now!  I know I am a tease!! 

I am hoping any day I can share the new avenue I have been given to share my journey.  I am amazed with all the things that have changed in the past 6 months for me, obviously my weight, new hair cut, new glasses, a higher self esteem, I feel wonderful, I work out, I eat healthy, I do not drink any carbonated beverages, the list goes on and on.  All of them are positive.  As I shared my loss of a possibly dream I know that the Lord has a plan for me and that plan for now seems for me to be the best mom and wife I can be to my family of 5!  I pray that this nice weather has inspired you to go for a walk, a bike ride, plant some flowers or at least get out in the fresh air!  I pray all is well with you!  Until next time, Take Care! 

What the heck??

So I am freaking out a little!  I will admit it.  I am not use to the scale not listening to me when I yell at it!  Seriously does it think it is one of my kids?????  So last week when I went to the doctor he took me off of my diabetes medication and my blood pressure pill.  Awesome I have to say but then the whole floor caved in.  I know I am exaggerating a little!  So Sunday when I weighed there was a little gain, then on Tue and again on Wed.  I am not happy about this.  So we have already talked about how maybe I should not weigh everyday because the female body fluctuates so much on a daily basis, I also realize that I may be retaining some water since I am not taking the blood pressure medication, also I think it is just that time that all of us women look forward to, since  our body likes to be mean to us and make us look as bloated as possible.  So I am trying to be very positive that I have lost over 90 pounds up to this point and this is just a temporary setback and it has happened before and then I have have quick losses so I am hoping that is what happens again!!  My clothes seem to fit the same and I actually got another compliment yesterday so this to shall pass and I will look back and laugh that I was getting ready to send my scale to its room for being disrespectful!  Well hope you have a great day and I will do the same!  Take care!