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Monday, November 29, 2010

Post Holiday Confessions

Good Afternoon Readers!




So how did you all do with the holiday this past weekend? I did not do as well as I had hoped I would. I know my eyes are bigger then my stomach so I tried to keep the amounts on my plate small, but I still ended up cleaning my plate. I know I probably shouldn’t have had those last few bites of stuffing and I definitely should not have had the piece of pumpkin pie (even if it was small). I had about an hour or so between dinner and dessert but I still shouldn’t have eaten it. After I was done I realized that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I used to and I felt a little sick. I was disappointed in myself but I guess it could have been worse. I choose to have a little salad, turkey, and stuffing. Now at my house we actually had two kinds of stuffing along with sweet potatoes, cranberries, and bread. So at least I only ate my favorites and left the things that I didn’t care about as much off my plate to avoid eating more then I should. I also did not finish my salad so I guess I didn’t really clean my plate. I also only had one small glass of wine, which was not what I expected to happen. I figured that the way my family is sometimes that they would drive me to drink. But not this year, no real drama started which is good. It also made for a boring evening but boring is better then drama so I’ll take it.

I was bad this whole weekend though. I snacked more then I usually do, partially from hunger and partially from boredom, and I just didn’t make great choices. I also only got to the gym once last week. I think I need to get my scale fixed or buy a new one. Once I am weighing myself twice a week I’ll probably get my good habits back. I also drank too much this weekend. Wow, do any of you feel like my priest in the confessional right now? I really am spilling my sins for all of you. But I guess that is part of the change in attitudes that comes with the surgery. In the past I would hide my slip ups and not want to let people know my mistakes. Now I wear them right out in front like a scarlet letter in order to avoid repeating them. Shouting them from the rooftops makes me feel more accountable and encourages me to straighten up and act right.

A few weeks ago my brothers and I had portraits taken as a Christmas present for my mom. She said that she hasn’t had any new, professional pictures of us since we were in high school and that was what she wanted for Christmas. So we trotted down to the studio and had our pictures taken. I was a little disappointed. I was hoping to look at the pictures and say “Wow, I look so much better” but instead I saw that I am still very unproportioned. I noticed where my shirt caught at my stomach and felt like my ass was big enough to have a name, like Mount blubber butt or something. I guess that just tells me that I have more to lose. Which I already knew but after losing almost 70lbs you are so ecstatic by how good you feel sometimes you forget that the battle isn’t over yet. I also need to make my lazy butt get to the gym. It wasn’t just my schedule this week keeping me away and I know it. I am planning to try to go to a spin class this week. I tried spin last year around this time and it was an unholy nightmare. I didn’t have the energy or the stamina for it. The room was so hot I felt like I was dying and I ended up with a very black and blue butt. I didn’t even make it through the second class I went to because it hurt so much just to sit on those horrible seats. That might still be a problem, but I’m betting that being 70lbs lighter will make it a little bit easier on me. If I could add one class in a week it would probably go a long way towards getting rid of that Mount Blubber Butt ass of mine. I hold most of my weight in my butt and thighs so getting them moving more will probably help. I can’t really run because I have a bad knee so I need to keep to low impact stuff.

So I guess that is the plan, get my calories back on track, drink less, go to the gym more, and try spinning again. Wish me luck!

Friday, November 19, 2010

6 Month Sleevaversary!!!!!!!

Hello readers!




I know it’s been a little while since I’ve written. Today is my six month sleevaversary! Six months ago today I was in the hospital getting my new tiny tummy. Wow it’s gone by fast. I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t lost as much as I had wanted to by this time. But still I’ve lost almost 70lbs and that’s not too shabby. My original goal was to be down to my goal weight by Christmas. That’s not going to happen now but I am hoping to be there by the end of February.

My doctor is very happy with my progress. He says I’m doing just right. At this point I tend to take in somewhere between 600-700 calories a day on average. I do my best to never go over 800 calories. I am trying to increase my protein intake though. I thought I had found a correlation between the amount of protein I took in and the amount of weight I lost. But now it’s looking like I was wrong. But I still think it’s a good idea to take in a little more.

I work out three days a week with Coach. Right now my routine has become 15 minutes on the elliptical and then an hour on the bike. I have a bad knee so I have to do things that are low impact. I originally was lifting weights but then my doctor told me not to. He said that weights will increase my muscle and so I will be heavier. For right now while I am still trying to get to my goal weight he just wants me to do the cardio. Once I hit my goal weight I’ll start adding the weights back in. I want to increase my workouts to four days a week but it’s really hard to find the time. I work full time and I have a part time job that I do on nights and weekends so that makes my free time a little sparse.

I have developed a weird pattern to loosing. I will go for one or two weeks without losing anything and then I will just drop two or three pounds. Then I’ll go another two weeks without losing again. My doctor said that is fine. He said as long as I’m still losing its ok. My body is just fighting to keep the weight. It doesn’t want to lose. He said that if I start going for longer periods without losing he will have me shock my system by doing one week on the pre-op diet and then three on the normal 800 calorie diet, then back to one week on the pre-op diet. You get the picture.

One thing that is concerning me a little bit is that my three month blood work came back a little strange. My doctor told me at my 6 month appointment that my copper levels were high. This is something that he never sees happen as a result of the surgery. I am due to go back for more blood work at the beginning of December. At that time, if my copper levels are high again he wants me to go see a specialist. If they are normal then the first reading was just a fluke. But if they are high it could be indicating a problem. I looked it up and apparently high copper is caused by something called Wilson’s disease. It is a genetic disease that means your body doesn’t filter copper out of your system like it is supposed to. If it is not discovered and treated the copper builds up and causes liver failure, neurological problems, tumors and all kinds of fun stuff. But it is treatable with medication to remove the copper. This WAS NOT caused by the surgery. If I have it, it will be a blessing that I had the surgery because if I hadn’t, no one would have checked my copper levels until I started experiencing symptoms. And it’s still possible that it was a fluke and that everything is fine. It’s making me a little nervous but I’m trying to be positive and just wait until the results come in.

I’m also a little worried that I have stretched out my sleeve a little. When I first had surgery I could barely eat 4 oz of soup and when I bought salad at the salad bar at work, it usually came out to 2.50$ (they charge you by the weight of the salad) and I could not always finish that. Now I have found that I can eat all four ounces and sometimes I can eat 6, or even 8 of soup. I have also found that my salads are now costing closer to 3.50$ and I usually do eat it all. I read that your stomach is swollen at first and that after the swelling goes down we would be able to eat more but my doctor said “stop it, you are stretching it” so I’m not sure. I’m trying to watch and be careful about how much I’m eating. I realized that I have not gotten sick after eating since sometime in September. Which I thought was a good thing. I thought I was adjusting to eating the right amounts. I didn’t get sick after I ate often (maybe once a week, or maybe twice) and not always because I ate too much, sometimes I ate too fast or didn’t chew well enough. I was also getting sick a lot less then the Aunt. She said she felt bulimic she was throwing up so much. So I thought I was just learning to eat the right amount. Now I’m a little worried that I just stretched my sleeve. I REALLY don’t want to stretch my sleeve!!!!!!! So I’m trying to be much more careful of how much I eat and to slow down a bit too.



So this is my status at my six month sleevaversary. Here are my stats



-67lbs

-8 inches at my hips

-7 inches at my waist

Size 16, bordering on 14 I think.



I want to lose another 30-40lbs. I’ll be happy with 30 because then I will be at the adult weight I maintained the longest but if I can lose 40 I’ll be at my lowest adult weight again. I’d also like to get back into a size 10 or 8 pant. I used to wear either size depending on the style. If I could get into a 6 I would be ecstatic because that is what I used to be up top and if I could actually be proportional for a change I would be in heaven. So those are my goals. I think I can get to my goal by March 1st. What do you all think?

Just in case anyone out there reading is new to the sleeve or my story I will tell you that I would not trade a minute of the last six months. Even on those bad tummy days when I was stuck with my head in the toilet or right surgery when the gas pain kept me up all night. It was all worth it! I would do it all again if I had to make the choice knowing what I know now. I feel so much better! I feel healthier and more energized, I feel more self confident and happy. Food doesn’t rule my life or haunt my nightmares. It was the best decision I ever made!