Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Down to 245lbs, 25lbs to my next goal. It's so close.

Well, it's been a couple weeks. Last week Tuesday I weighed in and only lost 1lb. It seems as though that is my pattern. It was my "monthly gift" week and for the last 2 months, I seem to only lose 1lb during that week. Which, I shouldn't really complain. It's still a loss. But when you are used to seeing a 3-4lbs loss on the scale, 1 just seems so small. During that week, I also didn't eat as well. And it's very evident to me. But, I am happy that it tends to only be that one week and I get right back on track, like I have this week. This passed Tuesday I was down 2 more pounds bringing me to a weight of 245lbs. FANTASTIC! I'm so pumped. I use My Fitness Pal to log in my calories and exercise, etc. When I updated my weight to say 245lbs, it told me I had lost 70lbs total. OMG! 70lbs! That's the size of a child, a large child! Keep in mind, that's 70lbs since I was at my heaviest weight of 315lbs, pregnant with my daughter. Which was exactly 3 years ago. Wow. As for loss from when I started this journey, I'm down a total of 47lbs since August 28th.

This current weight also puts me closer to my next goal of 220lbs. The weight I was when I met my ex-husband 10 years ago. I am already feeling so much better about myself physically and emotionally in regards to my weight and I'm finally feeling like I'm in a good place emotionally in regards to my split from my ex. I truly feel that once I hit that 220lb mark, I will really feel like I can start over. Like those passed 10 years of being unhappy with myself and my body can be wiped away. I'm only 25lbs away. So close it's ridiculous.

A couple of things I've noticed about myself over the last few weeks that I want to document. They are such little victories but victories that help me realize how far I've come. I may have mentioned this one before, but I am now able to sit cross legged. Which I was not able to do at my heaviest. I am also able to sit cross legged without having to lean against a wall for support. Which I had to do when I started losing weight after I had my daughter. And finally, I can now sit cross legged without my legs immediately falling asleep. I love it.

Next, is something that I think a lot of people take for granted, and that's the ability to clip your toenails. haha. Sounds so simple. Yet when you have a huge belly in your way, it becomes incredibly difficult. Don't get me wrong, I still have the belly, but it's not nearly as big anymore and I can actually clip my toenails without struggling.

I've also noticed that I don't sweat nearly as much anymore doing the simpliest things. I've always been a sweater, so is my dad, it's in my genes. But, I'd always use it as an excuse. So what if I sweat walking up the stairs or playing with my daughter or my dogs, or doing dishes, or cooking or folding laundry, I'm a sweater, it's just me. But, over these last few weeks, I've really noticed how little I sweat now (little for me is probably still a lot for "normal" people! haha) and it's so much nicer. I used to avoid wearing my glasses because they would fog up all the time when I sweat. Well, I got new glasses and I can show them off a lot more now because I don't sweat nearly as much!

We have some chairs at the cottage that my butt did not fit into in the summer. It would actually hurt for me to sit in them because the metal arm rest would push on my hips. Well, I went to the cottage this passed weekend and voila! I fit in the chair without a problem! It felt awesome not having the bruises from the chair!

I work in a lab so I am always wearing gloves. I never thought you could lose weight in your hands...but you can! I am now a small size glove! WHAT?! Yup! The mediums are too loose and I've had to switch! I also lost weight in my feet. I can tell because the dressy shoes I wore last year, that would cut off the circulation in my feet and my feet would ache for days after, fit perfectly now. I can dance in them for hours and my feet don't hurt at all. :)

At bootcamp yesterday morning, my instructor asked me to try doing my walking lunges as low as possible. To try and get my knee as close to the ground as possible. I could barely even bend my legs before and yesterday, my knee literally tapped the ground with each lunge. It felt awesome. It was friggen hard as heck, but I did it. And I'm paying for it today :)

My parents are taking my sister and I to Vegas at the end of May next year. I am so excited for this I have no words. My girlfriend gave me a bunch of clothes that she no longer wanted, size XL. I'm so pumped and motivated to fit into these clothes for this trip. I have 6 months, I know I will get there.

I've been looking at myself  in the mirror a lot. I know a lot of people have a hard time when they lose weight not seeing the fat person they were all the time. I still see the fat person, but I'm not completely disgusted with my reflection anymore. I can see that the fat person is getting smaller, getting happier, and feeling so much better about herself. And it feels great.

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

OMG!! I FINALLY DID IT!!! (9 weeks post surgery)

OMG, I finally did it. I reached my first big milestone. This passed Tuesday, I weighed in at 248lbs! I broke into the 240's! I'm now in the first half of the 200's!! Never to see 250 on the scale AGAIN! I'm so pumped it's ridiculous. Like I said in my last post, I do nothing but smile. I'm so excited about this. 248lbs.....248lbs.......ridiculous. 

Here are some updated pics....2 weeks before surgery, 4 weeks, and 9 weeks post surgery.




 

 
 
 

 



 
 
 
And the final batch, where I can see the most difference.....I need a new bra! haha!
 

 
 
 
Anyway, I'll stop gloating now :) This week has been going really good. The pain and "stuck" feeling of the food going down has slowed down a lot. I'm way more conscious of how much I'm eating and how fast. I still have some heartburn and not sure why. It's also slowed down significantly, but it's still there. I'm not too worried anymore though. As for eating, I've gotten back on track. Trying to eat protein with every meal and eating it first, trying to have veggies with every meal and eating it second, and saving the carb for last. I'm eating off smaller plates and that little trick actually does work. Because the little plate looks so full, you don't feel like your eating such a small amount. I am having a mad craving for pop though. I really miss the bubbles. Never thought THAT would be the thing I miss the most. I haven't had a pop in 11 weeks. I was a 1 pop a day gal, minimum. They were the Coke Zero's or Pepsi Max drinks, never full calorie, but still. I miss it. I'm worried that if I give in and have a little taste, that it will make me want/crave more. And I can't do that. Not only is pop bad for you regardless of whether it's diet or not, the bubbles aren't good for the band. I have to keep telling myself that. I know a little bit here and there won't hurt, but I'm thinking it will turn into an every day love affair again and I can't risk the health of the band for that.....it's really hard.

I got in a really good workout on Tuesday morning at bootcamp. My quads are so incredibly painful that it hurts to go down stairs, sit on the toilet, and even touch them! haha! I haven't felt this sore since I first started bootcamp almost 2 years ago! But, in my defence, I did 102 weighted walking lunges, 36 squats and 40 Mountain climbers. My legs were toast! It sucked being away for so long!

I've really wanted to start doing cardio on my non bootcamp days. So tonight, my sister and I worked out for about 45 minutes. She did the eliptical and some weights and I walked/jogged on the treadmill. (Yes. I said jog. WTF?! HAHA) I would walk for a few minutes, than jog for a minute and a half, than walk, than jog. I jogged for a total of 10 minutes in that 35 minute session. It was awesome. Then we finished it off with an ab set. I thought that would loosen up the legs and make them less stiff....WRONG! haha! They are soooo stiff. But I LOVE IT!

Anyway, that's it for today. Big big milestone achieved and I am so happy. I can't wait to get to my next goal (220lbs). It doesn't seem so far away now :) Only 28 more lbs to go!



 

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Wow! Already 8 weeks post surgery!

Well, here I am. 8 weeks and 2 days post surgery. I have to say, I'm feeling pretty damn fantastic :) I have been getting more and more compliments these days. Actually, just a few days ago, I had 4 different people tell me how much they can see the weight loss in my face. All I can do is say thank you and smile. Deep down I want to jump up and down and hug each one of em! I seriously makes me beam with excitement.

I had my first fill back on the 26th of October. That was an interesting experience. My nurse and I chatted for about 20 minutes about how things have been going for me, how I've been eating, etc. And things were/are going great. Haven't had many instances where I felt like choking/vomittin, haven't had any heartburn, etc. I was down to 257.6lbs according to my scale that previous Tuesday and when I got on her scale, it said the exact same thing. So, I was officially down 34.4lbs that week. Awesome! Terri said I was "kicking this!" That felt fantastic! haha! So, based on what I was telling her and how I was feeling, Terri was convinced that I already had a good 2-3mls in my band so she decided to only add 1 more ml. I laid on the bed, and she asked if I wanted a little numbing cream. Nah I said, it's just a little poke. So, I laid there while she felt around my largest incision to find the access port. I had to elevate my head slightly to flex my muscle to pop it up. And voila! There it was. She commented to me twice that I had really good muscle (that made me feel awesome!). So, she placed her fingers on my skin, at either edge of the port and put the needle in. That was actually no problem, felt like any other needle you might get when you need to give blood. But then, she had to make sure she was in so she had to fish around for a little bit. Sounds worse than it actually was. She talked to me the whole time and told me everything she was doing. Then, she was in the right spot and she injected the 1ml. No problem. But then, she withdraws on the plunger of the syringe to see how much fluid total was now in the band. As she was pulling back, that was the weirdest feeling ever. I could almost feel my stomach relaxing. So weird. When she got all the fluid into the syringe, it confirmed what she had thought. I already had 3mls in there, now with this additional ml, I now have 4mls in my band. Then she had to remove the needle. That by far was the most uncomfortable part of the whole process. It hurt. Quite a bit. But then it was done. I held some gauze on the little wee hole and sat up. No problem. We went back to the office and she showed me the model of the band and the port and she actually let me pretend to inject into it. It is much harder than that of say an IV port on IV fluids. No wonder it hurt coming out. You have to use a lot of force! I was to stay on liquids for the next 12 hours, than slowly work my way back to solids over the next 48 hours.

Since my appointment was at 4:30pm that night, I got home and didn't need to eat anything. I drank some water throughout the evening but that was it. Then, Saturday rolled around and I was out and about all day, barely had time to eat anyway. I think I had something small, that was a solid food, and it seemed to go down fine. Woo hoo! Success! That evening, I went to a Halloween social and drank vodka and light cranberry juice and water. It was very very tasty, and I got a little drunk. Ok, a lot drunk. haha. But I had a fantastic time dancing the night away. I really felt good about myself that night, I felt I looked really good in my costume too. The next day when all the pictures came out, I got nothing but compliments on how good I looked. I felt good, really really good.

By the Sunday I was back to solids but I was (and still) having a hard time remembering to take small bites and chew, chew, chew my food. Over the next week and a half until today, I have had numerous episodes where I've taken on too big a piece of food and haven't chewed it well enough and it has gotten stuck. Not a cool feeling. I'm still working on it. I've also had quite a bit of heartburn over the last week and a half. I think it's from ingesting too much food. You wouldn't think an extra ml of fluid would have such a big impact, but it sure does! So, I'm reminded often to slow down, take small bites, chew my food to mush, and eat small amounts. I'm going to give it another 2 weeks to see if I can get used to it. If I can't, and I'm still struggling, I might have to ask to take some of it out. I don't want to do that, but I may have to if I can't get a hold of this. The perfect band fluid amount should cause no pain, pressure or discomfort when eating. And I sometimes have all 3 of these. So, I need to work on it. Is it just me, or is it too much? I have to figure this out.

As for weight loss, last week, October 30th, I weighed in at 252.6! That was a loss of 5lbs from the week before! Woo hoo! Wholy crap!

This week, however was a bit of a different story, I weighed in on November 6th with a weight of 251.8, a loss of only 0.8lbs. But, it's still a loss! I am now officially down 40.2lbs in the last 10 weeks!

I know last week I wasn't doing good. I wasn't eating appropriately (ie: protein with every meal, protein first, etc). So, I've smartened up and am hoping to have a good number on that scale this coming Tuesday. I can't wait to be in the 240's! That was one of my first goals. To be under 250, in the bottom half of the 200's! So pumped! I got on the scale this morning, cheatin because weigh in day isn't until Tuesday, and the scale said 249.6. OMG! I may make it there with this week's weigh in!


Oh, more news! I started bootcamp this passed Tuesday (finally! I was so sick the week before and couldn't start when I wanted too.). I can definitely tell I've been away from it for a while, but the next day, I loved that feeling of sore muscles! I can't wait to go again. However, it won't be this week (bootcamp is Tuesdays and Fridays). I got 2 new tattoos on Tuesday! Woo hoo! So, it is recommended to stay away from working out for at least 1 week. So, back at er on Tuesday!

My tattoos rock! I got my daughter's name on my forearm "Rylee" and my sister and I got matching script saying "Always my Sister, Forever my Friend". Mine on my foot, and hers on her forearm. They are awesome. The foot hurt like nobody's business!

These days I've been feeling really good about myself and I seem to be more confident and happy. And I like it :) I like it a lot.

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

6 weeks Post Surgery

Whoa, whoa, whoa!! So I missed last week....got a little busy! Whoops! Definitely time for an update! Let's start with this. I'm down a total of  34.4lbs in these last 8 weeks. That's an average of 4.3lbs a week!! I did the math, and if I continue on this streak, I will be 219 by Christmas!! OMG! That is my first really big goal, 220lbs. It's the weight I was when I met my husband (ex) 10 years ago. I'm super pumped. My clothes are getting so loose and baggy. I actually bought a hoody sweater this past week, and it was a LARGE! I have not fit into a large anything in years! It's a very generous mens fit, but still, a LARGE! I did a little happy dance in the store. It was an incredible feeling. I definitely have to do some shopping!! I don't want to spend too much cash though as my size is going to continue to go down, but I don't want to look frumpy either. So, a shopping trip is definitely in order. I'm goin to try to hit up some thrift stores and see if I can save a buck or two.

My sister and I also went out shopping for Halloween costumes last week. I tried on a couple plus size costumes, which, as many people know, are not really true plus sizes. Apparently, a 2X is a size 14-18 (yah right!) and a 3X is an 18-20 (yah right again!). However, I am proud to say, that I fit the 3X (size 18-20)! I am heading out to a Halloween social dressed as a "sexy wolf".  First time in my life I'm heading out as a sexy anything! haha! I feel great in the costume, and it fits perfectly. Have a look!


My sister is going as Little Red Riding Hood so we are a theme. It's hard to see, but I have ears on the hood and a tail and fluffy cuffs. It's gonna be so fun! Another fun note, I bought some tights to wear with this costume as you can see. (I feel good, but not good enough to go bare legged yet! haha!) I went to walmart and actually fit into their brand of workout gear. I have never been able to fit their gear! These tights fit perfectly, like they are supposed too! Again, super pumped!

As for my recovery from surgery, I have to say I am 90% healed. I've played volleyball for the last 2 Sunday's and felt fantastic! After the first game, I was very sore, especially my abs, but they recovered pretty quick. It felt great to be back on the court. The next session of bootcamp at my work starts next week and I'm so excited to get back into that too. Can't wait to firm up!

This past weekend, I have to say I did feel like a bottomless pit in regards to eating. Saturday evening was a night filled with not so good for you food like pizza (first time having real pizza in at least 2 months), kolbassa, cheese, pickles, spring rolls, steak kabobs, and nachos. Over the course of about 7 hours, I ate 2 slices of pizza, at least 8-10 pieces of kolbassa, cheese, and pickles, probably about 5 spring rolls, a steak kabob, and a hunk of nachos. All in all I guess it wasn't all that much food for the 7 hours, but it was not "healthy" food by any means. I didn't feel like I had a signal to tell me I was full. And I didn't like that. But, Sunday night, I realized why I felt that way. I began my monthly gift (whoopie!). I spoke to someone else who had this surgery and they said they feel the same way around the same time each month. Fantastic. Thank goodness it was short lived! By Monday, I was back to normal. Well, my new normal :) 

This Friday I get my first fill. So this hunger I've been feeling over the last few weeks should subside. It's still very much a mental game. Having to use your brains to choose good food over bad food. The advantage I have now though, is that I can't physically eat as much food, even if I do choose the bad food. So far things have been going good (other than this weekend) and I can see the progress on the scale. Every time I get on the scale, I smile. I must admit, after this weekend, I was prepared for no loss on the scale. But, I stepped on with my eyes closed, and when I opened them, I was still down 2 lbs. So excited.

My therapist and I "broke up" this passed Friday. We talked about my progress in regards to my weight and how good I've been feeling about me. We also talked about my issues in regards to my ex. I've been doing fantastic in all aspects. Right now, my focus is on trying to forgive. Sometimes I feel like I'm there, but yet I still have those days where I want to punch him. haha. It will still take some time, but I must admit, I've been feeling really good about things. I realized that this passed weekend was the first weekend I didn't think about him or his girlfriend, and I had a great weekend because of it :)

All in all, these last 2 weeks have seen some great progress in all aspects. I think I am becoming a happier person as each day passes. Back to the Happy Go Lucky person that I've always been. I am now looking forward to my future with excitement and not sadness. I can't wait to see what happens :)

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

My mistake....

As my sister pointed out, I actually went skydiving in 2003!! Thats 9 years ago that I remember being 260lbs! Wow! I don't even ever remember being 250, 240....I've erased those weights from my memory. Now, I can't wait to reach them again! Total weight lost so far, 28.6lbs.

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

4 Weeks Post Surgery

Time for an update! It's been 4 weeks since my surgery and I'm feeling really good! My shoulder pain is virtually gone (I probably get it once every couple of days) and I'm so excited about that! It was  such a horrible feeling! Work has been great and accomodating to all my needs, which has been fantastic. In 5 days I will be back on the volleyball court and I am so excited! I love volleyball and can't wait to be able to play again! I also cannot wait for the next session of bootcamp at my work. I want to start working out again and try to prevent as much flab as possible. I know I will have some, but if I can control even a small part of it, I'm in! And, now that I'm in the 4th week post op, I can start anytime!

I've moved myself on to regular foods for the most part. So far I haven't really had any negative effects. Although I did eat 2 strawberries, and I guess I didn't chew them well enough because I did almost throw them up. I had to really concentrate on not doing so. They did eventually go down, but it wasn't fun. Just a little friendly reminder to chew, chew, chew!

I went out a few times this past weekend. I enjoyed some alcohlic beverages as well as some food. All in all, I think I did well. Tried to pick lower cal, low carb options. Had a great time and really didn't miss the greasy food! That was huge for me. I still really need to research food items for when I go out to be sure I am eating what's best, instead of trying to figure it out on a whim. I also had to deal with Thanksgiving dinner. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything and when I mean a little bit, it was a small teaspoon to a tablespoon full. I ate super slow and chewed everything into mush. It all went down ok, but I did over do it as I felt nauseous afterward. No throwin up though, thank goodness. Now I have 2 months til I have to deal with Christmas dinner! haha!

My stress level with my marriage has come down quite a few notches, at times. I'm still hurt, jealous, and angry (usually when I have to see him) but I get over it a lot faster. I feel like I am taking 2 steps forward, then 1 step back. But at least I'm moving forward. I'm actually really happy that I got this surgery when I did cuz I'm pretty sure I would have gained 50 more lbs because of the stress!

I stepped on the scale this morning with some fantastic results. Down another 2 lbs this week, I am now weighing in at 263.4lbs! I honestly don't even remember the last time I was lower than 265lbs. I know my sister and I went skydiving in 2005 and I was 260lbs (I remember it specifically because you needed to be 250lbs, I lied cuz I was super embarassed and really wanted to go! What a time to lie!) I am excited every time I step on the scale to see what weight I will NEVER be at again. And this week, it's 263lbs. :)

I'm attaching some pictures to show my progress so far. SO EXCITING!   


6 wks ago
Today



 

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

21 Days Post Surgery

Hello all!!!

Well, here I am, 21 days post surgery. I am feeling pretty good actually! I only have the shoulder pain maybe once per day now which is definitely tolerable! The scars on my belly are minimal. I still have some swelling but it has gone down significantly. I will take some more pics in the next few days and post them. Being back at work, I definitely feel it. On the super busy days (which there have been a few), I can really feel it in my abs. But I just rest and its all good again.

I weighed in this morning and the scale read 265.4lbs! That is a total loss of 26.6lbs in the last 5 weeks! 14.6 of which was lost in these last 3 weeks. I am beyond pleased with my progress and look forward to more and more weight dropping off. Every time I step on the scale, there is a huge smile on my face and I feel great! It's such a motivator! I went out Saturday night and got all "prettied" up and my friggen tight shoes from last year fit fantastically! I texted my sister right away to tell her and she laughed at me! But it was so exciting! haha! I felt really good about myself that night. And loved having the night out. I am already making plans to head out and party it up this Friday night! Can't wait!

I started to get hungry over these last handful of days. I am staying with the plan though and trying to eat my protein first, then veggies, then carbs when I can. I can only eat about 1.5oz of meat and a half cup to a cup of veggies at one time. It's truly amazing to me that I eat such a little amount of food and I am full. It's really awesome actually. I have moved myself onto the smooth foods phase which includes meats, toast, eggs, etc. So far so good. I haven't had any negative reactions to anything I've eaten. I've made a concious effort to be sure to chew my food to mush and wait a good 30 sec to a minute between forkfuls. I am super dedicated as I want nothing but good results. So far so good :)

I've had another bad couple of days emotionally but I've managed to stay away from Binge eating. Yesterday I went out with some of my old high school buddies. We weren't together for very long, but I had a great time just getting out and chatting with them. I'm super busy this week too seeing a bunch of people I haven't seen in a long time so I'm making sure to keep myself busy. I honestly can't wait to be fully healed to be able to get on that volleyball court. As I discovered earlier, chatting with friends, laughing and playing sports is what keeps me happy and helps me through stressful times, so I cannot wait to get out there. I am so pumped for this season. Brand new team and a brand new me.