Can you believe it hasn't even been 4 months now and I've already lost 80 pounds! I pulled on a pair of size 20 pants today for the first time in years! I can't tell you how happy just the sound of the zipper easily sliding up made me this morning. Or the fact that my shirts are so big that I have to constantly pull the shoulders up in order to keep people from getting to see my bra strap all day.
I KNOW that I need to buy new clothes but I keep holding back because clothes are expensive and I still have 100 pounds to lose and I'm losing it so fast that who knows how long it'll be before I would need to go shopping again. At least it's cold enough in the building that I work in to make wearing a jacket necessary pretty much all the time which makes it easier to hide the fact that my clothes are falling off of me! :-P
The only downside to life right now is the continued struggle with eating food. Remember the rule, no carbs and no starchy vegetables...you know, the good foods. And while they've said that we can have the 97% lean ground beef (no other kind of red meats please) I've tried to stay away from it because of how ridiculously often that I used to eat cheeseburgers, hamburgers, meat and potatoes, meatloaf, etc.
I've been wondering recently if the rule includes pork too. I'm going to have to pull out my After Gastric Bypass Manual to check because I honestly can't remember if that's off limits too or not...I think I've been assuming that it is but it never hurts to double check.
The pork question came up over the weekend because I was finally so fed up with being fed up with the foods that I can eat that I decided to buy two Chinese Cookbooks. Why Chinese Cookbooks? Because that's one of my most favorite kinds of food and one that I've been sorely missing since the surgery! I know I can't eat rice right now :'( but there are still so many recipes in the books that I CAN eat even if you just focus on the poultry, fish, and vegetarian recipes...that is, as long as I'm not afraid to brave the wilds of our local Asian food store.
I decided when I sat down and thought about it, before buying the books, that my problem was that the recipes I had been making were just too boring. I needed SAUCES! Sauces to make my chicken more appetising! And since I used to be able to eat Chinese food 2 or 3 or 4 times a week that seemed like the best idea for me!
I never understood why people would think it odd to eat a certain type of food so consistently. All I can say is that usually when people get tired of something it's because they choose the same meal off the menu every time they eat it. I, on the other hand, want to taste EVERYTHING on the menu! One day I would order Shrimp Fried Rice, the next day I would order Lo Mien, the next day I might order Chicken and Mixed Vegetables or any number of other meals available. When I was looking at cookbooks though I resolved to find ones with more authentic Asian cuisine than the Americanised meals found in most Chinese Restaurants. This wasn't as easy as you might think, although I did find a couple that I definitely liked, but if anyone out there sees this and can suggest some great Chinese Cookbooks or just cooking tips then please leave me a comment. :-)
On a completely different note I walked out to the trash cans and found 2 baby raccoons sitting in the trash just staring up at me. Really wish I'd gotten a picture of that! I thought they might be stuck since they were so young so I tipped the trash can over on it's side, expecting them to scamper out and run off but nope they just stayed in the trash can. After work I'll have to check again tonight to see if they ever got out.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Back from vacation!
Oh boy, now I want to move to the beach! I'm telling you, 4 days was just not enough time! That was the most fun I've had on a vacation in years! ....and...I kept up with everyone!!!! I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to not be the one who stayed at the hotel 75% of the trip because all that walking was just too much! And happily I can share that the weight loss is at 80 pounds now! Just 20 more and I'll have lost 100 pounds! Right now I still have a 114 pounds to lose to get down to my goal weight of 150 but in a short time I'll be able to think, 'well, I have less than a hundred pounds to lose now!'
My face is thinner! How funny is that and completely wonderful! I have a neck now instead of rows of chins. I still have a ways to go but I'm feeling so great about everything right now! For the first time in years I didn't hide or grin and bear it but I smiled and enjoyed myself, camera or no camera!
My face is thinner! How funny is that and completely wonderful! I have a neck now instead of rows of chins. I still have a ways to go but I'm feeling so great about everything right now! For the first time in years I didn't hide or grin and bear it but I smiled and enjoyed myself, camera or no camera!
Monday, July 2, 2012
July 2nd, 2012- 69 Pounds down and still going strong!
Pre-Weight Watchers Weight(6 months before Surgery): 360 lbs
Beginning Weight:(Day of Gastric Bypass): 344 lbs.
Current Weight: 275 lbs.
Weight Loss(after Surgery): 69 lbs.
Total Weight Loss: 85 lbs.
***I wanted to take a second and go through all of the numbers, including the weight I was at the beginning of the whole weight loss journey, just so that everyone could see how far I've come in around 9 months.***
Can you imagine it? S-I-X-T-Y-N-I-N-E!!!! I felt so great when I saw that number this morning! It makes all the sacrifices worth it. The pain after the surgery, the food restrictions, everything! I have weighed over 300 pounds for so many years that it's unreal to me to be at 275 pounds. If I'm counting right this Wednesday will be week 13 after Gastric Bypass and I can't wait for the next few months to see the changes that my body will continue to go through. I have more energy, I'm more positive, I'm no longer afraid of looking at the number on the scale or grabbing a random pair of jeans in my closet and hoping they're not too tight. I no longer lie about my weight and I know that it's only going to get better.
The food is still restrictive and I still long for a turkey burger on a real bun with a side of mashed potatoes but I know that eventually I'll get there and in the meantime losing this weight more than makes up for it. I had a discussion with a friend over the weekend about the restrictions and pointed out to her during a point in the discussion that giving up soda was not nearly as hard as giving up carbs which is surprising to me because I was equally addicted to both, and it really is an addiction for those of us with this problem. For so many years I would hear that the difference between someone who's thin and someone who's overweight could be put down to one simple sentence. The difference between those who eat to live and those who live to eat. And it's true, my constant focus was on what I was eating or what I would be eating next. I would barely go a couple of hours between meals without thinking about food. I loved food, with a little more emphasis, loved loved loved food. It was my best friend, it was there whenever I was down, it never criticized me, it never called me names. It was delicious and comforting and always around when I needed it. Food is an addiction, I quit smoking 3 years ago but could never quit overeating. It took a drastic measure, gastric surgery, to finally make it possible for me to take a step back and really see the sickness that I had let food become. I am so grateful that I went though with the procedure, as scary as the thought of surgery was at the time, I knew that I had to make a change and if I couldn't do it myself then I would have to be willing to accept the help that my body needed to succeed in the form of gastric bypass.
I won't pretend that I haven't marked the day on my calendar when I can have that turkey burger and mashed potatoes, October 4th is the 6 month mark, but I also know that I will always have to watch what I eat to insure that I'll keep the weight off. No more 2 bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from McDonalds for breakfast, no more footlong Subway for lunch AND dinner. My sister would point out a multitude of times in the past that I was stuck on 2 of everything. 2 biscuits for breakfast, 2 sandwhiches all the time, 2 griled cheeses, 2 six inch subs, etc. and she was always right even though I always ignored her. I knew she was right at the time but I told myself that I didn't care. I'm determined not to fall back into this pattern and plan to join weight watchers again when I get to the point that I can start eating normally again so that I don't start overeating again. It really wa s a great program and I would recommend weight watchers to anyone. It just wasn't enough for the massive amount of weight loss I need, at least that's my opinion.
That's all for now, when I get some new outfits this weekend for the coming vacation I'll have to post an updated photo
Beginning Weight:(Day of Gastric Bypass): 344 lbs.
Current Weight: 275 lbs.
Weight Loss(after Surgery): 69 lbs.
Total Weight Loss: 85 lbs.
***I wanted to take a second and go through all of the numbers, including the weight I was at the beginning of the whole weight loss journey, just so that everyone could see how far I've come in around 9 months.***
Can you imagine it? S-I-X-T-Y-N-I-N-E!!!! I felt so great when I saw that number this morning! It makes all the sacrifices worth it. The pain after the surgery, the food restrictions, everything! I have weighed over 300 pounds for so many years that it's unreal to me to be at 275 pounds. If I'm counting right this Wednesday will be week 13 after Gastric Bypass and I can't wait for the next few months to see the changes that my body will continue to go through. I have more energy, I'm more positive, I'm no longer afraid of looking at the number on the scale or grabbing a random pair of jeans in my closet and hoping they're not too tight. I no longer lie about my weight and I know that it's only going to get better.
The food is still restrictive and I still long for a turkey burger on a real bun with a side of mashed potatoes but I know that eventually I'll get there and in the meantime losing this weight more than makes up for it. I had a discussion with a friend over the weekend about the restrictions and pointed out to her during a point in the discussion that giving up soda was not nearly as hard as giving up carbs which is surprising to me because I was equally addicted to both, and it really is an addiction for those of us with this problem. For so many years I would hear that the difference between someone who's thin and someone who's overweight could be put down to one simple sentence. The difference between those who eat to live and those who live to eat. And it's true, my constant focus was on what I was eating or what I would be eating next. I would barely go a couple of hours between meals without thinking about food. I loved food, with a little more emphasis, loved loved loved food. It was my best friend, it was there whenever I was down, it never criticized me, it never called me names. It was delicious and comforting and always around when I needed it. Food is an addiction, I quit smoking 3 years ago but could never quit overeating. It took a drastic measure, gastric surgery, to finally make it possible for me to take a step back and really see the sickness that I had let food become. I am so grateful that I went though with the procedure, as scary as the thought of surgery was at the time, I knew that I had to make a change and if I couldn't do it myself then I would have to be willing to accept the help that my body needed to succeed in the form of gastric bypass.
I won't pretend that I haven't marked the day on my calendar when I can have that turkey burger and mashed potatoes, October 4th is the 6 month mark, but I also know that I will always have to watch what I eat to insure that I'll keep the weight off. No more 2 bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from McDonalds for breakfast, no more footlong Subway for lunch AND dinner. My sister would point out a multitude of times in the past that I was stuck on 2 of everything. 2 biscuits for breakfast, 2 sandwhiches all the time, 2 griled cheeses, 2 six inch subs, etc. and she was always right even though I always ignored her. I knew she was right at the time but I told myself that I didn't care. I'm determined not to fall back into this pattern and plan to join weight watchers again when I get to the point that I can start eating normally again so that I don't start overeating again. It really wa s a great program and I would recommend weight watchers to anyone. It just wasn't enough for the massive amount of weight loss I need, at least that's my opinion.
That's all for now, when I get some new outfits this weekend for the coming vacation I'll have to post an updated photo
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