Nothing much to say

I honestly don't have much to say. I'm tired of the cold. I'm tired of snow. I want warmth and sunshine and am out of luck on both. Mood is a bit down today. Not sure what's up with that but think it's hormonal. Nuf said!




Above is my current weight ticker. I think the start weight I used was my pre-op weight. Of course I've lost a LOT more weight than that but that's what I was tracking. Gonna be another lazy day until time to go to work tonight. I have zero motivation right now.

Blessed

I'm having a blessed day. Down in weight to 317.2 lbs. today. I cannot remember exactly when I was this thin. I know it's been over 20 years for sure. I'll likely post updated photos shortly after February 8th which will be the five month mark of my surgery.

I have my nutrition support group tonight. I went to exercise class last night. I went to the fitness center here at the apartment complex first. Walked on the treadmill a total of 30 minutes yesterday with 27 of those minutes being aerobic steps. It felt good but I think I may have pushed a little too much. I also did 20 minutes on the NuStep machine which was a new goal for me. After the equipment class, we did a weight workout on the fitness ball. We did a band routine. We tossed some medicine balls around. Then we stretched. I got a little dizzy on the ball and thought I was going to pass out. From then on, I was a little spooked so took things easy until class ended. I did alert the trainer just in case.

On a final note, I got the results from my bloodwork back. All was good except my protein levels were down slightly. Only direction was to increase my protein so I have to find a protein drink I can tolerate. Got a couple samples at a seminar last week I'll give a shot and we'll see how it goes. It's tough to eat 80-100 mg of protein and stay under 100 calories. At least it is for me.

More Exercise News

I am progressing in the exercise arena, obviously. Today the hubby and I went to the fitness center here at our apartment complex. I managed to walk on the treadmill for 18 minutes. I was shooting for 20 but then decided at the last minute to increase from 2.6 to 3.0 mph near the end of the walk. Oh my! My heart was pounding. My breathing got very labored. The sweat was pouring. I did the 3.0 for a total of one minute but it was a HUGE accomplishment for me. Now I know I can do it. The entire minute I was chanting "I can do this. Yes, I CAN!" I was very happy to make it to the one minute mark and slow back down to 2.6 mph. After the 3.0 mph, the slower pace almost felt too slow. Imagine that!

Another plus about those minutes on the treadmill is the fact that my pedometer registered 17 out of the 18 minutes as aerobic steps. I set a new personal record for number of aerobic steps during my walk. I have to admit that I'm pretty doggone proud of myself.

I also did a ten minute strength training workout with weights. It felt great and I'm finding that I can actually inspire myself to move my body lately. That's a BIG deal for me, a former couch potato who weighed over 530 pounds. As of today, I'm down to 320.4 lbs. I feel so great ... about my progress, my courage, my inspiration, my motivation, and just about life in general. Thanks for reading!

Non-Scale Victories Last Week

So, I forgot to tell everyone about two significant NSVs (non-scale victories) I achieved last week. That tells you how frustrating a week I had, that I forgot to share these things. Then again, it gives me something to share today. LOL

First was hitting just under 7000 steps on my pedometer Tuesday. The most I'd ever hit before that was just over 6000. Woo hoo! I couldn't believe that I walked that many steps in one day. I remember a time when I lamented that I couldn't even hit 1500 per day and felt like the biggest loser (and not in a positive sense) because everyone else I knew was doing so much better.

The second NSV happened as an accident, so to speak, on Friday. I need to go do laundry. We generally go to a laundromat because it takes all day here at the apartment complex and sometimes someone sneaks a load in on you and then it takes even longer. I HATE community laundry. So ... we take it out and have it all done, including folding in under two hours.

Anyway, I had no pants to wear. All of my usual pants were dirty and most could not be worn again, even to go do laundry. I was searching in my drawers and came across a pair of pants a friend (Greyhounder here at SP) sent me a few months ago. At the time, they were a little tight so I just put them away thinking yeah, maybe one day I'll fit into them. They are a size 3X. I think by now, you all know where this is headed. Yep, I cam across them and figured what the heck! I'll try them on. Can't hurt, right? Well, it was way cool that they fit! I am so happy. I am now into size 3X in tops and pants. It's amazing to me. For so long I'd been wearing 5X and in a matter of five months I am down to 3X in most things. There are some pants that are still too tight, but I'm getting there. I cannot believe it, really.

So there you have it. Been doing my own thing. Eating has been good. I think my hair loss is starting to slow down a bit. At least, there seemed less hair on my hands in the shower today. I'm not sure about new hair growth. I probably should look for it but I figure in all due time it's going to be okay. It's just one of those things that happens to many who've had gastric bypass surgery and everyone has lived to tell about it.

I'm feeling great and that's what matters most. I'm off to church shortly. Then it's "incidental exercise" via grocery shopping and laundry detail. Back to work tonight. It's all good. At least the temps are back up to a more tolerable range. Have a great week, everyone!

Chugging Along

I'm still here and chugging along. I've been going to the fitness center in our apartment complex to walk on the treadmill and work out with free weights. I go to classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This past week my abs have been screaming since class. Who knew I even had them? LOL

Went last night to a health fair sponsored by the hospital where I had surgery and the bariatric center. It was nice. I had my body fat measured. Oh boy! I found out that my body fat is 47.5%. My fat weighs a whopping 152 lbs. My lean weight (fat-free) is 169 lbs. Those numbers are WAY too close, huh! I'm also still a little less hydrated than I should be. The good news is the more I exercise, the less fat I should have, the more muscle I should build, and the better I feel. At least I know I'm on the right track.

They had a raffle and I really wanted to win the Wii and Wii Fit. Unfortunately, Tim won a one hour massage and I won fitness bands and a workout on the ball DVD. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the bands and DVD but I really wanted that game system and game. Guess one of these days I'll break down and buy it but it's going to be a while.

It's been very cold here in northern Illinois. I'm really tired of snow and even more tired of below zero reading with really below wind chills. I'm so ready for spring and winter has only just begun. *whining*

Incidental Exercise

My sister came up yesterday and we went to a good sized flea market here in Chicagoland. According to my pedometer, we walked over a mile just there. I did very well with all the walking. At one point I could have sat down and rested but there was no place to do that so I trudged on through. My knees were screaming near the end but I never complained. I just kept going. I will say that not only my knees, but my ankles as well are letting me know that they were pushed to their limits yesterday.

Other parts of my body are aching today, too. I shoveled snow through the day for a total of just over an hour. We got twelve inches of that white junk and I shoveled multiple times to keep on top of it. It works for me and it keeps me from having to do one big shovel job that is way too heavy. I honestly don't mind shoveling anymore. I see it as one more way to get in natural, incidental exercise. My hubby thinks I'm NUTS!

Today will be a day on what I call incidental exercise. We'll go to church this morning where I will sing to praise and worship and I will be dancing around as I do so. This afternoon means a trip to the grocery store for our early week shop. We'll go again on Thursday or Friday so this will not be a complete shop, however, since I choose to walk every aisle of the store no matter what, it will still be beneficial as far as exercise goes. After that, I'm going to rest and veg in front of the television watching stuff I recorded last week but haven't had the opportunity to watch yet.

The weight continues to come off. I lost five pounds last week. I'm encouraged by all my progress. I was going to go back yesterday to the fitness center in my apartment complex but with all the walking and shoveling I did, I chose not to go. Maybe Monday will be my next trip. I choose not to do any formal exercise on Sundays. It is my one day of the week that I make the conscious decision to only get incidental exercise. Everyone needs a day to rest, in my opinion!

Have a great week, everyone!!!

Anonymous ... I had surgery at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. They have a wonderful bariatric program with awesome follow-up care including support groups, nutriton groups, and exercise stuff. My surgeon is Dr. Van Vallina. I have Blue Cross Insurance. They do lapband as well as gastric bypass surgery. A good reference book I found very informative and helpful was "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" which I purchased through amazon.com for less than $15. I can honestly say I've not had one regret since surgery, though I wondered a time or two if I had done the right thing in the beginning. Feel free to email me privately if you want to talk further or want more information. I'm always happy to share and try to help others in their battle with the weight. My email is norakeno@yahoo.com

Working it out

I'm pretty proud of myself today. I went to the fitness center at our apartment complex and walked on the treadmill. It was a spur of the moment, while I was out and about decision. I forgot my water bottle or I would have walked a little longer. At least I did it, though!

I also did a free weight routine I learned last night at my strength training class. I usually use three pound weights but they didn't have those so I used five pounds today. Bet I feel that tomorrow! LOL

I'm still going to my exercise classes (equipment training and aerobics) two nights a week. I've stopped going to the water aerobics because of the cold water for now. I still pay for it (or consider a freebie cuz you pay for three classes thru where I go and get the rest free) so I have the option to start up again as soon as I feel it's warm enough.

I'm going to join a local gym. It's only $8 to join and $20 month. They have a good amount of equipment there and a lot of centers I can choose to go to. One is actually right on my way home from work so I can stop there at least three out of five days and get a workout before heading home and to bed. I'm going to give a try and see what happens. If I don't use it, in a couple months I can cancel it with no penalties. It is month to month and no hassles.

Other than that, weight is still coming off. As of today I'm down to 325 pounds. I cannot remember when I last weighed this little. Tim and I did some figuring and it has to have been at least 20 years ago. I'm still amazed that I've lost 200 lbs and continuing to lose. Yeah, I know I had the surgery last fall but dang, it seems I've been trying to lose weight my whole life! Finally, it's working.

Brief Update

Should have read my last post here but I'll just post this anyway. LOL

I managed to gain about three pounds over the Christmas holiday. I think it was the extra sodium that got me. Well, that and the two Hershey kisses per day as well as grazing instead of eating my normal three days and one to two snacks if I got hungry. I know what happened and have since lost those extra pounds so it's all good. Life continues.

I feel great and am looking forward to getting back to working out this week. Most of my classes were cancelled two weeks ago due to inclement weather and last week no classes due to the holiday. I'm definitely ready to get back into the swing of things.

That's it for now. Not much to say so I'll just quietly go on over to Facebook and play a game or two there. Recently discovered the site and have been enjoying some of the games they offer. Also been connecting with some old friends there.

Have a great week and hopefully I'll be back to posting more often now. I don't believe in resolutions but I do need to set some goals and when I'm ready, I'll share them here.

Happy New Year

It's a little late but I wanted to wish all my friends here a happy new year. So much changed for me last year and this is the year I should be able to make it to my weight loss goal. I certainly have all the tools available and now just need to use them properly.

I don't have much to say. Christmas was great. Had a wonderful time with my sister and her boys, playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero. It was a blast and I can't wait to go back to visit and play some more.

I'm doing well. Gained about three pounds but have dropped them again so it's all good. I grazed and the darn potato chips got me! Back on track and moving forward. Haven't been to exercise class for two weeks due to the holidays and bad weather. All will start again next week and we'll see how it goes.

Have to run and do some errands before going to bed. I'm off work tonight, woo hoo!