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100lbs Lost!
As of today, July 2nd 2014, I have lost 100 lbs. I can not tell you how this makes me feel. So happy, excited and proud. I am now able to run half a mile (be it a quarter mile at a time). In the mornings I walk dogs at the local animal shelter as a volunteer. Then I tend to go to the track to walk and run (very slowly). And am started up so strength training with hand weights and bands. Oh and I am down from a size 26W to a size 14 too. Wow!
Half Way There!!!!!
Yes if you notice my ticker just above, I have lost 62 pounds and have 61 pounds to go. I can not believe it. Half way to my goal. This is the best I have ever done. Of course the surgery has helped but promise you I have been working on this. I lost 30 pounds before surgery. And I have been exercising all along, still doing so. Even with surgery I watch every bite I eat. No extra fat or sugar either. Promise. Also watching every lil carb too. Have not had any potatoes, rice, bread or the such even. I am being as strict as I can so that I can have the very best results possible. But to tell the truth I am proud of the progress I have made thus far.
My Second Childhood?
Yes, that is baby food. Yes I am eating it. Needed salt and pepper though. But it is easier to digest. Now if I can just get this 2.5 ounces down.
I Win So You Win
Hello everyone! I am just 10 days out of surgery and doing great. So much so that after having my first check up I have already been released. Yes, my Doctor said there was not a reason to come back unless I became ill. I am working hard on my own to heal, become healthier and learn what I need to do each step of the way.
I have to say it feels great for my surgeon to have told me he never had a more perfect surgery and my doctor to tell me I have this down perfect. It makes me feel that all the preparation before hand was well worth it. I made a strong effort to lose weight first, exercise regular, learn how to eat better (thanks Weight Watchers) and keep a great mental attitude about it. I also studied about the surgery and my diet afterwards.
So with all this said how is it going? Fine is what I tell everyone. I am walking 2.5 miles a day. Losing well (as to be expected for the beginning) while watching how I can increase my protein. I am currently off ALL my medications too! My doctor agrees that we should see how things are going. We will add in anything as I need it but currently agree that we will not start any of my old medication until then. Now this is stopping medication for my arthritis, bladder control, mental health and fibromyalgia. Until I see signs of needing any help things are going great.
The other day I posted a review about my personal motto "There is always time to . . . DANCE!" going up on my walls thanks to WiseDecor. Well to celebrate how great things are going they are offering you a chance to get your own personal quote for your wall. What would you put up on your walls? Do you wish to pick from their premade quotes? Or is there something that makes your own heart sing? Well here is your chance to shout it to your roof top and enjoy your own inspiration. Just enter on the rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Breaking It Down
Okay this is really just for my own benefit. Trying to really keep this in my mind. I started trying to lose this weight last June 2013. Started at my heaviest of 268. Scared the tar out of me. I weighed 220 when I married Dear Hubby 10 years ago. I was adding and adding and thought I would be 300 in no time. I lost some and then started WW in September. During this time I had started looking into and following up for the Gastric Sleeve surgery to be actually a fact. The week of Christmas I stopped doing WW and started my 2 week protein shake liquid diet before surgery. And January 6th I actually had the surgery.
Here is a break down of my weight loss.
*June 2013 Start 268 lost 16 before WW.
*September 2013 Start WW at 252 lost lost 8 before Protein shakes.
*December 2013 Start Protein shakes at 244 lost 8 again before surgery.
*January 2014 had Surgery start at 236 (thus I personally took off 32 before surgery)
*Now today after surgery I am at 223 lost 13 lbs in a week! Wow! I still have 3 lbs to go to just get to the weight I was when I married my Dear Hubby. The weight I had been from 24 to 40 years old.
Total loss from beginning so far.... 45 lbs
Goal weight is 145. Only 78 lbs to go.
I am thankful for each step I have taken. The education I am getting along the way. Especially WW for it will become a way of life after I am at my goal weight. I know this is tons to put on here but like I said it really is for me to see and realize.
Change
This is happening at a rapid rate for me. And to tell the truth I was not expecting it so fast. I came home from the hospital 4 days ago. I was pretty tired and sore from the 200 mile trip. Thus I rested most of the first day home. The second day I got up and walked a mile and a half which is half of my normal routine. The gas that was happening became less uncomfortable but I am unable to put much in yet. That I did expect. Now this morning I have weighed in and am shocked. I did weigh in when I returned home too. I am down 10 lbs this week alone! Yes, you read that right. I talked to my girlfriend who had this surgery and she said she lost 14 lbs her first week so I am okay with the numbers. I just did not expect so much so fast. I know it will slow down but it is a big jump very quick. This does go to show me I have to exercise to make sure I will get toned up too. So currently I am down 41 lbs from my heaviest weight. With 79 more lbs to get to my goal weight of 145. Think this is going to be an amazing journey.
1st Day Home
Well I have been sipping water all day, but still only have managed half a liter. And my "meals" was a total of 96 calories from 5 ounces of clear liquids. EEEK!
But I am not hungry. Also in plenty of discomfort from gas. You see, they had to fill me with air so they could have room to work around inside of me. So now I have let my body get rid of the air on it's own. Quite uncomfortable.
My First Meal!
It was great to have something to 'eat'. There is an orange sugar free popsicle, orange jello, chicken broth and weak tea.
And yes I ate it all. Feeling very full and bloated. Maybe I should have slowed down when eating this meal.
Today was my gastric sleeve operation. I came through fine and am at the hospital. Up and running, well walking the halls that is. Not too much ever gets me down.
So two thumbs up and I should be back home tomorrow night.
Been a long time, I know. Busy as you are too I am sure. But....here is what is going on and what is fixing to happen.
I have been preparing for my Gastric Sleeve weight loss surgery. I am just a lil over a week away. This week has been all protein shakes and non calorie drinks as will next week. On the 6th of January I will finally get to have this surgery done.
I do want to take this moment here to personally thank Shaklee for providing me the protein shakes I am having to drink. They did this in a program I did with them a little while back. Shaklee did not know why I asked for the Cinch at that time but it was in my plans for this preparation. This is not endorsed, paid for or even known to the company.
This is something that I have been fighting for my whole life. Also it is a surgery that I have given a lot of thought into. As a matter of fact I have been preparing for this particular surgery for 3 years. And it is not a quick whim for me at all.
At 19 when I went on birth control I gained 60 lbs in 6 months. It was horrible and I could not get it off. Now at 19 I was a very active woman and did not eat a lot. My husband (at the time) and I had a group of friends that we went dancing with every Friday and Saturday night. Now being young we did not have much money so we would go before 9 p.m. (no cover charge) and drink water. So it was not for lack of activity. I also worked a full 40 hour week along with my daily chores. It was not a sit on the couch and do nothing life for me.
Fast forward 31 years and it has not really changed. My weight in the last 10 years has kept inching up and up putting another 20+ lbs on me. But I am still fairly active. I can overeat as I think all of us can at times but I do not make a practice of it. Nor do I eat much fried foods. Of course I will admit to a love of bread. I am not saying I have nothing to do with this but it is not all from over eating and not trying.
I have been on every diet out there, used all kinds of pills and did the exercise programs that I could. Yes, I am a Weight Watchers, Curves, Alli loving fool. And personally I love each of these programs. They did help in many ways. But it would not help me get the weight off where I need to be. Not even close. I have never ever been able to lose even down below 220 lbs in all these years. Thus I am now going to do the only thing I feel is left to me.
Now why do I want to do this? Well it is for my health. I am not currently horrible. I do have rheumatoid arthritis which plays hell with my joints especially my knees. I am bi-polar and it should not be effected by my weight but who knows. If I can move better and more I should also be creating endorphins that should make my moods improve. I am already having some of that horrid age bladder leakage and hopefully with the weight off it will improve too. But mostly I am trying my best to keep away from having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes that is so common with overweight and age combined. My highest weight was 268 lbs and it was last recorded on June 2013 (yes this last summer!) I am currently at 239 lbs. This is a combined effort of Weight Watchers, exercise and now also the liquid protein pre-op diet. I have dropped 29 lbs in the last 6 months. I have also lost and gained 10 of those lbs back and forth during that time too. My BMI (body mass index) is now at 39.8. It was over 40 before my pre-op liquid protein diet which is listed as morbid obesity. Normal weight BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 which equals out for me to a weight of 145 lbs at the top. That is another 94 lb drop I have to go. A total of 123 lbs of weight loss from my heaviest weight. Yes, a whole person. As a matter of fact this is just about the size of my daughter at 26 years old. (Photo below of her.)
Now here is the hardest part and you may wish to stop right here. I am going to be brutally honest about what I look like. No I am not bashing myself. I am serious in that I want to have documented proof of where I am at so I can see as I (pray) lose this weight. I need to know what changes are happening. So I am posting my before weight photos. These were taken the first day of my 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Really you don't have to look.
25 lbs gone!
Yes, I am down by 25 lbs. I feel good about that. I can walk a little easier now but having a hard time riding my bike still. Just can not make it up any hill no matter the incline. I do have a treadmill now in my living room. I have to walk to watch TV but the sad part is I watch very little TV. I am still walking around town quite a bit. So that is the positive. I will be meeting with a new surgeon on December 5th. The last one would not meet with me at all due to my disability of mental illness. Now saying that I have passed my nutrition class and my psych evaluation with flying colors.
7 lbs down for the week!
Yes I am down 7 more pounds. That makes me very proud. Also if you look at the ticker above for the very first time that I can ever remember I am under the 100 pound mark of how much I have to lose! That is very very signifiant to me. I have be more than 100 pounds overweight for longer than I can remember. So that helps me see a lil tiny light at the end of the tunnel.
Beside doing weight watchers, I am also using Map My Walk as an app for my exercise. Today I started at 4 pm and headed toward my husbands work. I knew no matter how far I made it in an hour I would have a ride home. So I just kept walking toward his work. I made it 3 miles and could see the company down the road. Did not make it there but was close. 3 miles in 1 hour is really good for me. True I was limping as my heel spur is not gone away. Still I am working hard at moving as much as I can. That walk also burned up over 600 calories!
At weight watchers I am having to make sure to get my points in and keep my tracker more level. This last week was a very up and down thing. This is going to come in time with me learning more and more each time. Even though I am not denying myself foods I really really want. Honestly this last week I had donuts, white wine, fried catfish and pizza. No not at one time and still within limits but nothing was told I could not have it. Just had to count it and chart it. I did use up all of my extra points too. So my goal this week is to not use the extra points all up and add in more with my exercise.
Next monday is my first appointment with the gastric surgeon. Fingers crossed!
WW for PP
Today is my first day to start Weight Watchers. Yes, it is time to join a group. I can not do this alone. Not at all. Thankfully two of the ladies I housesit for are members. So I have that extra support too. Now you understand why I looking for healthier ways of eating and better choices.
I know that I am looking to have surgery. In doing so I need to know how to eat regular meals. Also how to measure my food and to make good food choices. I think that Weight Watchers will be a great tool to help me learn just how to do this. They started me off with a journal to put my food choices in. It will help me to look at what I am eating and when I am eating. Each item is assigned points plus and that is how I count what I have taken in and what I still need to eat that day.
I am such a yo-yo eater. From one day of not eating much of anything at all. To another day of over eating. One day I can make great low fat choices and then the next day I am attacking carbs. I hope that by looking at my journal I can learn to balance. Also to learn that I can eat all kinds of food and not have to over do it every time.
It is a learning curve. And I am ready to learn. This is all part of my weight loss goals. None of this is for review or pay. Just my travels and choices.
One Year Difference
Yes today is my one year anniversary from my surgery.
I have gone from 268 lbs to 155 lbs, which is from a size 26W to a size 12.
Here is a picture from a blog review before.
I have gone from 268 lbs to 155 lbs, which is from a size 26W to a size 12.
Here is a picture from a blog review before.
And now with the very same coat on.
YES! SCORE!
100lbs Lost!
 |
| today @ 168 lbs |
 |
| before @ 268 lbs |
As of today, July 2nd 2014, I have lost 100 lbs. I can not tell you how this makes me feel. So happy, excited and proud. I am now able to run half a mile (be it a quarter mile at a time). In the mornings I walk dogs at the local animal shelter as a volunteer. Then I tend to go to the track to walk and run (very slowly). And am started up so strength training with hand weights and bands. Oh and I am down from a size 26W to a size 14 too. Wow!
Half Way There!!!!!
Yes if you notice my ticker just above, I have lost 62 pounds and have 61 pounds to go. I can not believe it. Half way to my goal. This is the best I have ever done. Of course the surgery has helped but promise you I have been working on this. I lost 30 pounds before surgery. And I have been exercising all along, still doing so. Even with surgery I watch every bite I eat. No extra fat or sugar either. Promise. Also watching every lil carb too. Have not had any potatoes, rice, bread or the such even. I am being as strict as I can so that I can have the very best results possible. But to tell the truth I am proud of the progress I have made thus far.
My Second Childhood?
Yes, that is baby food. Yes I am eating it. Needed salt and pepper though. But it is easier to digest. Now if I can just get this 2.5 ounces down.
I Win So You Win
Hello everyone! I am just 10 days out of surgery and doing great. So much so that after having my first check up I have already been released. Yes, my Doctor said there was not a reason to come back unless I became ill. I am working hard on my own to heal, become healthier and learn what I need to do each step of the way.
I have to say it feels great for my surgeon to have told me he never had a more perfect surgery and my doctor to tell me I have this down perfect. It makes me feel that all the preparation before hand was well worth it. I made a strong effort to lose weight first, exercise regular, learn how to eat better (thanks Weight Watchers) and keep a great mental attitude about it. I also studied about the surgery and my diet afterwards.
So with all this said how is it going? Fine is what I tell everyone. I am walking 2.5 miles a day. Losing well (as to be expected for the beginning) while watching how I can increase my protein. I am currently off ALL my medications too! My doctor agrees that we should see how things are going. We will add in anything as I need it but currently agree that we will not start any of my old medication until then. Now this is stopping medication for my arthritis, bladder control, mental health and fibromyalgia. Until I see signs of needing any help things are going great.
Breaking It Down
Okay this is really just for my own benefit. Trying to really keep this in my mind. I started trying to lose this weight last June 2013. Started at my heaviest of 268. Scared the tar out of me. I weighed 220 when I married Dear Hubby 10 years ago. I was adding and adding and thought I would be 300 in no time. I lost some and then started WW in September. During this time I had started looking into and following up for the Gastric Sleeve surgery to be actually a fact. The week of Christmas I stopped doing WW and started my 2 week protein shake liquid diet before surgery. And January 6th I actually had the surgery.
Here is a break down of my weight loss.
*June 2013 Start 268 lost 16 before WW.
*September 2013 Start WW at 252 lost lost 8 before Protein shakes.
*December 2013 Start Protein shakes at 244 lost 8 again before surgery.
*January 2014 had Surgery start at 236 (thus I personally took off 32 before surgery)
*Now today after surgery I am at 223 lost 13 lbs in a week! Wow! I still have 3 lbs to go to just get to the weight I was when I married my Dear Hubby. The weight I had been from 24 to 40 years old.
Total loss from beginning so far.... 45 lbs
Goal weight is 145. Only 78 lbs to go.
I am thankful for each step I have taken. The education I am getting along the way. Especially WW for it will become a way of life after I am at my goal weight. I know this is tons to put on here but like I said it really is for me to see and realize.
Change
This is happening at a rapid rate for me. And to tell the truth I was not expecting it so fast. I came home from the hospital 4 days ago. I was pretty tired and sore from the 200 mile trip. Thus I rested most of the first day home. The second day I got up and walked a mile and a half which is half of my normal routine. The gas that was happening became less uncomfortable but I am unable to put much in yet. That I did expect. Now this morning I have weighed in and am shocked. I did weigh in when I returned home too. I am down 10 lbs this week alone! Yes, you read that right. I talked to my girlfriend who had this surgery and she said she lost 14 lbs her first week so I am okay with the numbers. I just did not expect so much so fast. I know it will slow down but it is a big jump very quick. This does go to show me I have to exercise to make sure I will get toned up too. So currently I am down 41 lbs from my heaviest weight. With 79 more lbs to get to my goal weight of 145. Think this is going to be an amazing journey.
1st Day Home
Well I have been sipping water all day, but still only have managed half a liter. And my "meals" was a total of 96 calories from 5 ounces of clear liquids. EEEK!
But I am not hungry. Also in plenty of discomfort from gas. You see, they had to fill me with air so they could have room to work around inside of me. So now I have let my body get rid of the air on it's own. Quite uncomfortable.
My First Meal!
And yes I ate it all. Feeling very full and bloated. Maybe I should have slowed down when eating this meal.
Doing Great
Just a quick post to tell y'all I am doing great.
Today was my gastric sleeve operation. I came through fine and am at the hospital. Up and running, well walking the halls that is. Not too much ever gets me down.
So two thumbs up and I should be back home tomorrow night.
What happens during the surgery? (Taken from the Obesity and Bariatric Surgery website)
- An incision is made in the stomach, and through this operation, the size of the stomach is considerably reduced.
- The stomach is stapled laparoscopically, meaning that a number of small incisions are made as opposed to one large incision.
- The majority of the stomach is removed. The remaining part is left shaped like a sleeve; it is sealed with surgical staples.
According to Complete Obesity Surgery Guide, a website dedicated to educating people about surgical procedures for obesity, people who have undergone a gastric sleeve operation have lost about 30-50 percent of their excess body fat (on average) within one year.
This is something that I have been fighting for my whole life. Also it is a surgery that I have given a lot of thought into. As a matter of fact I have been preparing for this particular surgery for 3 years. And it is not a quick whim for me at all.
At 19 when I went on birth control I gained 60 lbs in 6 months. It was horrible and I could not get it off. Now at 19 I was a very active woman and did not eat a lot. My husband (at the time) and I had a group of friends that we went dancing with every Friday and Saturday night. Now being young we did not have much money so we would go before 9 p.m. (no cover charge) and drink water. So it was not for lack of activity. I also worked a full 40 hour week along with my daily chores. It was not a sit on the couch and do nothing life for me.
Fast forward 31 years and it has not really changed. My weight in the last 10 years has kept inching up and up putting another 20+ lbs on me. But I am still fairly active. I can overeat as I think all of us can at times but I do not make a practice of it. Nor do I eat much fried foods. Of course I will admit to a love of bread. I am not saying I have nothing to do with this but it is not all from over eating and not trying.
Now why do I want to do this? Well it is for my health. I am not currently horrible. I do have rheumatoid arthritis which plays hell with my joints especially my knees. I am bi-polar and it should not be effected by my weight but who knows. If I can move better and more I should also be creating endorphins that should make my moods improve. I am already having some of that horrid age bladder leakage and hopefully with the weight off it will improve too. But mostly I am trying my best to keep away from having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes that is so common with overweight and age combined. My highest weight was 268 lbs and it was last recorded on June 2013 (yes this last summer!) I am currently at 239 lbs. This is a combined effort of Weight Watchers, exercise and now also the liquid protein pre-op diet. I have dropped 29 lbs in the last 6 months. I have also lost and gained 10 of those lbs back and forth during that time too. My BMI (body mass index) is now at 39.8. It was over 40 before my pre-op liquid protein diet which is listed as morbid obesity. Normal weight BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 which equals out for me to a weight of 145 lbs at the top. That is another 94 lb drop I have to go. A total of 123 lbs of weight loss from my heaviest weight. Yes, a whole person. As a matter of fact this is just about the size of my daughter at 26 years old. (Photo below of her.)
 |
| This really puts it in perspective. |
Now here is the hardest part and you may wish to stop right here. I am going to be brutally honest about what I look like. No I am not bashing myself. I am serious in that I want to have documented proof of where I am at so I can see as I (pray) lose this weight. I need to know what changes are happening. So I am posting my before weight photos. These were taken the first day of my 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Really you don't have to look.
Here I am at my heaviest of 268 pounds.
Okay here I am CLOTHED!
Weighing in at 245 lbs.
I have to say from the front and with my The Girls pants on it helps hide some of my weight.
But all the damage is there on the side view.
Okay that is the worse of it. I am praying that as time goes by it will just get better and better. So what else do you want to know? I am sure this has been way too much information already but I am making sure I see the steps I am taking.
Well, I just wanted to update you. Scared yet? No....good, I am not either!
Oh and no one has paid me or endorsed any of this. I just wanted to share what I used, where I have been helped and what is coming up next.
25 lbs gone!
Yes, I am down by 25 lbs. I feel good about that. I can walk a little easier now but having a hard time riding my bike still. Just can not make it up any hill no matter the incline. I do have a treadmill now in my living room. I have to walk to watch TV but the sad part is I watch very little TV. I am still walking around town quite a bit. So that is the positive. I will be meeting with a new surgeon on December 5th. The last one would not meet with me at all due to my disability of mental illness. Now saying that I have passed my nutrition class and my psych evaluation with flying colors.
7 lbs down for the week!
Yes I am down 7 more pounds. That makes me very proud. Also if you look at the ticker above for the very first time that I can ever remember I am under the 100 pound mark of how much I have to lose! That is very very signifiant to me. I have be more than 100 pounds overweight for longer than I can remember. So that helps me see a lil tiny light at the end of the tunnel.
Beside doing weight watchers, I am also using Map My Walk as an app for my exercise. Today I started at 4 pm and headed toward my husbands work. I knew no matter how far I made it in an hour I would have a ride home. So I just kept walking toward his work. I made it 3 miles and could see the company down the road. Did not make it there but was close. 3 miles in 1 hour is really good for me. True I was limping as my heel spur is not gone away. Still I am working hard at moving as much as I can. That walk also burned up over 600 calories!
At weight watchers I am having to make sure to get my points in and keep my tracker more level. This last week was a very up and down thing. This is going to come in time with me learning more and more each time. Even though I am not denying myself foods I really really want. Honestly this last week I had donuts, white wine, fried catfish and pizza. No not at one time and still within limits but nothing was told I could not have it. Just had to count it and chart it. I did use up all of my extra points too. So my goal this week is to not use the extra points all up and add in more with my exercise.
Next monday is my first appointment with the gastric surgeon. Fingers crossed!
WW for PP
Today is my first day to start Weight Watchers. Yes, it is time to join a group. I can not do this alone. Not at all. Thankfully two of the ladies I housesit for are members. So I have that extra support too. Now you understand why I looking for healthier ways of eating and better choices.
I am such a yo-yo eater. From one day of not eating much of anything at all. To another day of over eating. One day I can make great low fat choices and then the next day I am attacking carbs. I hope that by looking at my journal I can learn to balance. Also to learn that I can eat all kinds of food and not have to over do it every time.
It is a learning curve. And I am ready to learn. This is all part of my weight loss goals. None of this is for review or pay. Just my travels and choices.
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