I May Be Slow, But I'm Doing It

I don't work out NEARLY enough.  It is a major downfall I have.  I always have good intentions, but the follow through doesn't always happen.  I know if I start working out more, the scale will move more, and right now.... I REALLY want that.  I miss having those 3-5 pound losses (or more) every week like I did in the beginning.  Now, I'm lucky if I get a 1 pound loss lately.  I had one good 4 pound loss a couple weeks ago, but other than that.... it's been very slow going.  I finally forced myself to go for a walk/run yesterday.  I found this app a while back called Map My Walk that uses GPS to track your mileage and time.  Looking through my (very short) work out history on the app, I realized that even though these workouts are spaced way far out, each time I go for a walk/run I get a little faster.  It's not much... but seeing that made me SO HAPPY!! And Motivated to do more!  And even better..... the scale was DOWN 1.6 pounds this morning! 

I used to HATE running.  I couldn't have run if my life depended on it.  If I were in a Zombie apocalypse, I might as well have just laid down and waited to be eaten.  When I first started trying to "run" it was more of just an awkward walk thingy where I lifted my knees a little higher and swung my arms a little more.  But now, I can actually jog.  I'm slower than a turtle walking through molasses and I don't "run" as far as I would like, but.... hey, I'm doing it.  And looking at the results above, I'm getting better.  If I keep it up, eventually, I might just be able to beat that turtle. 

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 34

WooHoo!! Finally a Good Loss!!

Total for the week: -4.4 pounds

Total Lost So Far: 73 Pounds

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 33

Weigh In Resutls - + .4 pounds

Total Loss so far: 68.6 pounds

 

This was not a good week for me,

BUT I was on my period for weigh in

and my feet and ankles have been swelling

a lot all week.  Hoping that is why such poor results.

Knowing When To Stop

One of the hardest things for me to learn since having my Gastric Bypass surgery has been WHEN TO STOP eating, ESPECIALLY if what I'm eating is very good. I think this issue is one of the leading causes to me being SO overweight.
I don't eat anywhere near the amount I used to eat, but I still catch myself saying "one more bite" especially if it's really yummy, usually regretting that decision immediately. Sometimes I'll eat until I'm full, and stop like a good girl, but as I sit at the table and everyone else is still eating I continue to "pick" at my food until everyone else is done, eating more than I originally intended.
This is such a dangerous habit that needs to be broken. By pushing the limit I know I can, and eventually will, stretch out my stomach, and I do NOT want that to happen. I must learn to slow waaay down and really pay attention and STOP at that "satisfied" moment EVERY time. I don't have to eat until I'm "full". I did NOT get this surgery and go through all that I've been through to wind up remaining over weight.
Change doesn't occur over night. I'm miles away from the person I used to be but a lifetime of bad habits doesn't just go away. But I'm aware of them. And I'm actively working on changing them.   When I think about how much my attitude towards food has changed JUST in the past 7 months, I'm amazed.  I'm not perfect and never will be.  I am so much better than I was, and I will become much better than I am now.

"Cookie Dough" Greek Yogurt

I Found this Recipe on Pinterest...

Add the following ingredients to a small

container of Greek Yogurt:

 1tbsp of creamy peanut butter (or PB2)

1tsp of Honey

1/4 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1tbsp of Miniature Chocolate Chips

Dash of Sea Salt

I forgot to grab Honey from the grocery store

so made mine without the honey. 

Even so, it was pretty good.  I'm NOT a fan

of Greek Yogurt but this was pretty good.
While this doesn't taste exactly like Cookie Dough,
it is a nice healthy alternative when you have a
sweet tooth and a great way to get in Protein for the day. 

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN - WEEK 30 AND WEEK 31

WEEK 30

Weekly Loss: 1.4lbs

Total Loss: 67.2lbs

WEEK 31

Weekly Loss:  1.4lbs

Total Loss: 68.6lbs

To Realize How Far We Have Come, We Must Remember Where We Have Been

 

Today I went clothes shopping for an outfit to wear 

to my daughter's Graduation, that would also work 

as a professional Interview Outfit.  

I walked away empty handed.

For once, the clothes FIT.  AND the top was a size 14/16!! 

Putting it on felt A-MAZING! 

Then I looked into the full length mirror....

It just didn't look good on me.

I left feeling disappointed.

I've lost 67 pounds, and yet, I still can't 

find anything that will look decent on me.

But then I remember back to being in that SAME 

dressing room, trying on size 26 clothes and

they were TOO TIGHT!! 

I may not be satisfied now, or able to find

clothes that look "cute" on me.....

But I'm definitely heading in the right direction.

I guess sometimes to realize how far we have come,

we have to remember where we have been...

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 23

Not a big loss this week, but still a loss:  -1.8 lbs.  I still haven't made it back into the gym, and until I do, I'm just not going to see any big numbers.  I was doing great for a while, but it seems once I stopped, it has been so hard to find that drive again.   So much has been going on lately... life is very hectic right now, but my gym is open 24/7 so there really is no excuse.  I know what needs to be done.  I just need to do it.

BEWARE OF THE SUGAR FREE "SWEET FREEDOM" ICE CREAM

 

Before weight loss surgery, I was a LOVER of Blue-Bell Ice-Cream.  If it was in the house, I could not stay away from it. After the surgery,  I could no longer have it.  I missed Ice Cream.  One day, I tried a few bites of my husband's Banana Split, and although I only had a few bites, it was a few bites too many and I started feeling sick.  I didn't go into a full blown dumping episode, (I didn't throw up and my heart didn't start racing,  I didn't eat THAT much of it) but I did feel very nauseous.  I learned my lesson.

Then one day, while grocery shopping, I found the  SWEET FREEDOM no sugar added Ice-Cream at the Grocery Store.  I checked the sugar content and it looked safe, only 5 grams in half a cup. So, I bought it! That night, we all dug into it.  I got a small 1/2 a coffee cup size serving.  It wasn't great tasting, not like the real stuff, but it was OK.... it was cold, it was creamy... it would do.  Until the Diarrhea struck.  Within 20-30 minutes of eating the ice cream, my stomach started to cramp up, and I had to race to the bathroom with a severe bout of diarrhea.  I haven't eaten any of it since.   It is evil.

DAILY WEIGHING

I'm usually a Daily Weigh-er.  

First thing in the morning, before getting into the shower, I jump on the scale and record my weight for the day.  I like weighing first thing in the morning, before I've had anything to eat or drink, butt-naked, because it takes a way a lot of the factors that can effect your weight, such as clothes and water retention. For me, Daily Weighing keeps me on track, I find I do better this way.  But I've heard of others that hide their scale during the week because they find themselves obsessing over the numbers.

Here is  a short list of PRO'S that I have found in DAILY WEIGHING.

1.  It gives me focus during the week, and is a daily reminder to eat right and exercise.  When I weighed only once a week, I found myself thinking "It's OK, I have the rest of the week to work it off". 

2.  I can see on any given day how the foods I ate and exercise I did (or did not do) that day effected me, such as water retention, etc. 

3.  When the scale is down, I am even MORE motivated that day to eat right and exercise.

4.  By keeping track all week, I have a pretty good idea of what my official weigh in will be on Sunday, so do not get that crushing feeling when it is not a good loss.  If it's been a bad week, I already know.

 And now for a short list of CON'S in DAILY WEIGHING

1.  It can lead to frustration at times because your weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week. 

2.  I've read other's say that they find themselves obsessing over the numbers on the scale, and would rather focus on inches lost. 

3.  Muscle weighs more than fat, so if working out a lot, the scale may be going up instead of down, even though you are losing inches. 

4.  When the scale goes UP despite eating right and staying on plan,  it may lead to frustration, and for some, make it easier to give into temptation.  At the same time, when the scale goes DOWN despite giving into temptation it may make it easier to go off plan, knowing last time you still come away with a loss. 

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 22

Well, After a very disappointing MONTH last month
(See my Morning Naked Weigh In Page)
I'm pretty happy with this week's Weigh In result. 
241.6 lbs.  That is a loss of 5.8 lbs for the Week!!
Total Loss so far:  58.4 lbs.

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 17

What a STRESSFUL Week!!  Between an Emergency trip to the hospital with my husband,  Him off work all week, Lay Off's at my work, and a meeting to discuss this "critical period" at work,  I have been one stressed out Momma!  The scale shows it too....... I GAINED 1.4lbs.   Gotta get busy and hit the gym this week to work it off!  Weigh In results: 248.6 pounds. 

Head Hunger

Tonight, I'm dealing with Head Hunger.  You know that feeling that you want to eat a snack?  Even though you've had dinner, you still just want ...."something" but can't figure out just what that "something" is.  Something sweet? Something Salty? Something Snacky.   I've got that now.  I know that it is head hunger and not actual hunger.   While I'm very tempted to start trying various things to fill that craving,  I will not let myself cave in.  I am strong.  I am determined.  I will find something else to do instead....  and as soon as my phone finishes charging,  I will go to the gym and distract myself.   It is finding and maintaining the power to make THESE kind of choices EVERYDAY that will see me to my GOAL WEIGHT and keep me there. 

NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT ALSO FOR THEM

This rings so true!  My children are a big reason why I ultimately decided on Weight Loss Surgery.  I can preach to them all day long about eating right and exercising, but if they see me making poor choices, not exercising, and always being unhappy with myself, who am I teaching them to become?

Welcome To OPERATION: GOAL WEIGHT

I've been on many diets throughout out my life time.  I've managed to lose weight before, but have always gained it right back plus some, winding up weighing more than before starting my diet.  My struggle with weight began when I was 19,  fresh out of high school, finally on my "own", and a newlywed.  I've been fat ever since.  I am now one year shy of 40.  The most weight I have ever managed to lose was 85 pounds, and that was on the Medifast diet.  I stayed on the diet for 8 months, and was able to maintain my weight for a few months, but eventually the weight started to creep back on, picking up speed over the past year and half, until I catapulted myself to my highest weight ever recorded:  300 pounds.   

Notice I stated, the highest weight EVER RECORDED?  That's because, I honestly do not know what my highest weight was.  I avoided scales like they were the freaking Plague.   In August of 2013 I made the decision to have Weight Loss Surgery (RNY Gastric Bypass).  At my initial consultation I weighed in at 297 pounds.   After that visit, and the two months leading up to my actual surgery, I went on an eating spree, eating all the things I knew I would be giving up, polishing off each night with a big 'ol bowl of ICE CREAM! I know without a doubt that I gained weight during that time.  Twice I attempted to weigh myself, just to see, but my digital scale would not settle on a weight, it was all over the place before giving me an error message.  Once I started my pre-op diet and was back to 300 pounds, it finally gave me a weight.  I realized then, the reason for the wonky scale and the error, was because 300 was the highest weight my scale could register.  I was getting weird results because I was too fat for my scale to read my weight!   So 300 pounds is the starting weight that I use for my Beginning weight, even though I KNOW it was higher.  

I had my Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery on October 28, 2013. So far, I have lost 48 pounds. I wish I had started blogging right away about all that I experienced.  I tried a few times in another blog, but was unhappy with the blog host.  I was unable to access the blog at all for a couple of weeks, and finally gave up on that site.   I had an old blog, www.shrinking-jeans.blogspot.com, and began blogging there again.  I'd been thinking about starting a fresh new blog to document my weight loss after having my surgery, and then found out recently there is another blog with a very similar name to my old blog, so I decided to start this one.  A fresh start to a new blog for the fresh start to a new me.   I hope you visit often and keep up with my progress.  I'll be very grateful for the support, and  accountability it will provide.  Please feel free to comment and message me anytime with any questions you may have.