I'm Okay

Since the tummy incident I've been babying things a bit. I've also returned to my water aerobic class which is two nights per week. I forgot how strenuous that class is, though. Sheesh!

Was in an auto accident today while on my way to work. My car had to be towed due to the damage. It was not my fault as the other person totally blew through a stop sign. *sigh* These things just keep happening to me. *shrug* But I'm okay. I went to the ER to be checked out, after checking in at work and finding a ride home. They said I have muscle strain/sprain and to expect to be sore for the next 3-4 days. They gave me a shot or Toradol and a Valium at the ER. I fell asleep there for about 45 minutes. Discharged me with a script for Valium and Vicodin. Will have to wait until morning and pay day to get them, though. Until then, I'll make do with some Tylenol.

Other than that, life is what it is. My youngest daughter is going through some stuff and has made some poor decisions lately. She is dealing with the consequences. My oldest daughter isn't talking to me as she is angry. I gave her hell for harrassing her sister and she didn't take it well. They both need to grow up. They are parents and the choices they make affect so many more people than just themselves. Ah life goes on and everything will eventually work out.

As far as work goes, I'm adjusting. The hours are still a bit much from time to time. The girls in the home seem to have adjusted to my being there. They rely on me and trust me to make the fair decisions. The staff are another matter entirely. I'm finding they call off for any thing and are not very reliable. I really need to replace about half of them, at least. Slowly, I will weed out the ones who are useless. It's a process and I know it's going to be fine. I think I'm doing a good job and have had others tell me that they see a difference in the home so it must be okay.

More later. I'm going to go drop off the scripts so I can just pick up the meds first thing in the morning before heading into work.

I'm Around

I'm around but it's been busy lately. Work hours are so all over the place I find it hard to get online regularly. I'm working on it.

Went to the ER this morning. Ate a little bit of chili on top of a side salad at Wendy's on Tuesday night. An hour later I had bad stomach cramps. They lasted all night and kept me up. Went to the ER and they said there was no blockages. Said I am constipated. Don't know how I can be. I had two movements on Tuesday, one after the cramping started. Gave me a medication for the 'stomach spasms' which has seemed to help. Wanted me to drink magnesium citrate but made me gag. I did take a laxative, but so far, nothing. Haven't eaten much today. It makes my stomach hurt worse to eat or to drink. Will give it a couple more days and if it doesn't get better, will get referral from my PCP to see the surgeon. I honestly don't know what else to do. This hurts and I'm a big baby when it comes to pain.

My Apologies

I cannot believe it's been so long since I posted here. Life has been busy with the job change but that's really just an excuse. I haven't had much to share or to say lately. Today I did have an accomplishment, though.

I completed, for the first time in over four years, the entire one mile walk with Leslie Sandsone ... her Walk Away the Pounds DVD. I used to do it when I weighed 530 pounds but did it from a sitting down position. Today I wanted to go walk outside, but it's raining and I don't own rain garb so ... I popped in the DVD and started to walk. I completed the entire workout standing up and moving my body. By the time I got to the half mile point, I wanted to quit but wouldn't let myself. I knew I owed it to myself to keep going. My thighs were burning and my calves were aching but I did it; I made it to the end!

Weight is still just under the 300 lb mark. Not much happening on the scale but the inches must be moving as people keep saying I'm shrinking. I don't see it right now, but okay. My hair loss has slowed but I don't see much new re-growth yet. I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow for my six month follow-up. It's about a month late because of scheduling but that's okay. The skin is becoming an issue and I'm dreading summer because of what I know may come. I'll document any problems because I may need that info later on to get the skin removal approved by my insurance company.

Hopefully, it won't be so long before I post again!

Two Milestones in 24 Hours!

I had another milestone happen yesterday. At the end of the day I had walked 8349 steps. That is the most steps I've ever had recorded on my pedometer. According to the pedometer, that was the same as walking 2.37 miles. Of those steps, 1885 of them were aerobic steps over 20 minutes which means for at least 20 minutes yesterday, I was burning fat. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill at an average rate of 2.5 mph but did bursts of 3 mph when the instructor had others running. My knees were screaming but I made myself do it anyway. I can run but I choose not to right now. With my knees the way they are right now running just isn't smart for me. In time, I know I will be running with everyone else, but just not right now. I also did 20 minutes on the NuStep machine. After that, we did the 'Cupid Shuffle' and the 'Electric Slide' in our strength training class. It was fun and nice way to get us doing aerobics without it feeling like exercise. Do a Youtube search on that and you'll find out what it looks like. We first did a slower version and then one that was pretty fast later on. It was quite the workout. The song is catchy and I had a blast. Then we slowed it down doing a workout with a long band and then weights, ending with stretching on the fitness balls. I felt so good after that class but boy was I feeling it. Today I have sore muscles and am probably retaining some water but that's okay. I'll drink extra today so the muscles can repair themselves.

I also met another milestone that is even bigger, in my opinion. I am now down to under 300 pounds today! Yep, that's right. I no longer weigh over 300 pounds. Today's weight is 298.6 Woo hoo for me! I've left what I have fondly called the Tri Cities for what I call Twoterville. I've now lost 232 pounds since starting this process four years ago. Another ten pounds or so and I will have literally "lost my husband". Wow! I've lost 125 pounds over the last year. Gosh but I'm feeling so doggone proud of myself!

26 Weeks Post Op

This week I am officially 26 weeks post op. That means six months and down 83 lbs since surgery. I'm averaging just over three pounds per week so all is well. If I continue with that average, I should be at or near my goal weight come September.

I still feel great, though I have been sick this past week. Caught a cold bug from somewhere and have been struggling with it all week. On Benadryl now to at least keep the eyes from watering and the nose from dripping. I feel slightly better but have a ways to go before I'm back at 100% again. I'm tired of sneezing. I'm tired of weeping eyes. I'm tired of being tired!

Work has been interesting. I changed from being the Overnight Coordinator (campus wide supervisor for that shift) to being a Program Manager of one individual home. It's been an interesting week. First day I had to deal with figuring out how to get a client downtown Chicago when I had no staff to transport. Second day went fairly smoothly. Third day there was a big fight between two girls and one ended up with a broken finger! Third day wasn't too bad. By Thursday, the girls were starting to come to me for help in problem solving. Friday was long and there were home visits to get approved and a long meeting to get through. I did survive the first week though. Have to head back in there for a few hours this evening and then I'm off tomorrow. Looking forward to that. Hopefully, week two will settle down a bit more but I doubt it. It's going to get worse before it gets better. That's the law of working in group homes, changing rules, enforcing rules, and making things work!

New Profile Photo

The photo to the right is my newest photo. It was taken over the weekend by my hubby. I'm wearing my Sparkpeople t-shirt and my new blue jeans. I have to say I feel so "normal" wearing those darn jeans. Probably doesn't make sense to most, but that's the only way I can think to describe it.

Nothing much new on the weight loss front. Was losing at a good pace and then gained three pounds. It's the time of the month for that to happen and I know it will drop right back off but it's hard not to be discouraged nonetheless. Though I had surgery to help me in the weight loss arena, it is still hard work getting everything to work together.

Start the new job tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous about it even though I feel the Lord has led me in this direction. I KNOW I'll do a good job but there are so many things that are out of my personal control. I also still worry about the hubby and the effect this change is going to have on him. I did this change for me, though, and I know that it will be right.

Nothing else new to report. I just didn't want to disappoint my regular visitors with no updates. I try to get here and give you a little nugget at least once a week, anyway. LOL

I got the job!

I got the new job. I start on Monday so my last overnight shift will be tomorrow night (Thursday). I'm excited but scared too. It's a LOT of responsibility and will involve some challenges but I KNOW it is where the Lord wants me to be. One day at a time just like all the other changes I've made in my life.

For those who don't know, I will be a program manager in a group home. I will have eight new teen moms (most babies are newborns, oldest is four months old) and one pregnant teen in the home. I will supervise all shifts of staff and be involved in making policies and procedures and then enforcing them. I know it's going to be a lot of work but it's going to be so worth it. I want to make a difference in the lives of these young ladies and their babies.

I'm slowly approaching that milestone of being out of the 300s forever. As of today I'm now down to 305.6 which means in one year exactly from today I have lost 120 lbs. In total I've lost 225 lbs which is absolutely amazing to me!

I managed to buy my first pair of blue jeans in over 20 years today. Sure, they're stretch jean material. Sure they're still a size 26/28. Sure they have an elastic waistband, but doggone it, they're blue jeans! I'm looking forward to the day I can buy a pair of jeans with pockets, snaps or buttons, zipper, and belt loops. It's gonna come and I'm gonna enjoy that as much as my bargain today. Got them at my local Walmart on sale for $11. Woo hoo!

Hope everyone is having a great day. It's cloudy here in IL and supposed to snow or be icky later on. I have my nutrition support group tonight. I'm excited about going to that. Exercise classes are going well. A new six week session starts again next week. Between work and those classes I'm gonna be a busy lady but will still make time to get here and keep in touch with my friends.

I am free to run ...

I absolutely love a Christian song called "I am Free". It ran through my head this past week when I hit what for me was a major accomplishment. To the average person, this will not even be worth mentioning but for me it was HUGE!

The hubby and I had gone to the fitness center here at our apartment complex so I could walk on the treadmill and work out with weights. I didn't really feel like going but the hubby encouraged me as only he can. He knows that I'll be mad at myself if I don't go so ... At any rate, I went and got on and started my routine. I take a couple minutes at a pretty slow pace to warm up and then usually do the majority of the walk at about 2.8 mph. I've been working on building up to 3 mph and have gotten there but only maintain it for about five minutes right now before I start back down until I am barely walking for a cool down.

So I'm about ten minutes into my walk and I'm at 3.0 mph. I maintained that pace for five minutes and started to wonder how fast I would have to be going to run. I don't know what possessed me to think about running. I've never liked running; it's way too much like exercise! *chuckling* Anyway, before I know what I'm doing my finger is hovering over the increase speed button and then I push it. Up goes the speed ... 3.1, 3.2 Okay this is pretty fast, but it's more like I'm powerwalking now. (Remember when that was a big thing in the 80s?) The finger continues to hover and then I'm going 3.3, 3.4, and woo hoo! At 3.5 mph I was off and running. Oh my, I thought I was going to fall or die. My heart was pounding. The sweat was pouring off of me. My feet were pounding on the treadmill. My hands were sweating and I was holding on for dear life feeling like I was going to collapse. My knees and ankles were screaming. Fifteen seconds into it, I wanted to pull the emergency stop cord. But I could hear the trainers on Biggest Loser pushing the contestants to just do it. I remember Bob yelling at a girl named Joelle a few weeks back because she couldn't do a simple 30 seconds. So that became my goal. I ran like I don't think I've ever ran and I did it for 30 seconds. Instead of pulling the emergency stop cord, I then backed off to 3 mph. Wow, that didn't seem quite so quick anymore. I then backed off every few minutes a few more tenths of a mile and did my usual cool down routine.

I was amazed. But as I ran, that song just kept running through my head. "I am free to run! I am free to dance! I am free to live for You! I am free! Yes, I am free!" What a liberating experience it was! I'm so proud of myself. It may be a while before I try that again, but I know that I can and I will.

So, after a pretty crappy week of minimal loss showing on the scale, early on I even gained three pounds overnight and got a little freaked out (which isn't my normal reaction to a gain but three pounds; come on), I managed to push through it all. I am now down to 308.8 this morning. I started last week at 315 something. It was a good week, after all. The crap was just something to help me focus and push on through. I feel GREAT! Another two weeks, I'm hoping, and I will leave the 300s behind, tackling the 200s and heading further downward toward my goal. I'm no longer the "little engine who thinks she can". I'm the steam engine who KNOWS she can!

Have a great week, everyone.

Busy Week

This last week has a busy one and the one coming up promises to be even more challenging. Doctor appointments, heading back to water aerobics (since I promised the trainer I would return once it was above 32 and it's heading into the 40s next week), exercise classes, and a new marriage group we joined at church ... well our week is full!

Here is a tidbit I got from the internet about how many pounds I've lost and how many calories I've burned. I find it interesting and love to see how it changes. The link is

http://www.naturalphysiques.com/howmanypounds/

Enjoy! I tried to post the link as clickable but it did not work. Sorry.

You entered 217 pounds (99 kilograms).

217 pounds is the average weight of 1.23 30-year old men.

How Much Fuel Is That?

To lose that amount of fat would mean to burn 759,500 calories or 3,177,748 KiloJoules! That is the equivalent of 24.54 gallons of gasoline. Humans, however, are far more efficient than cars, getting about 912 "miles to the gallon". If you could dump this many calories into the tank of a Honda Civic, you would be able to drive it about 833 miles before running out of gas!

Let's see how your goal would convert to other forms of fuel. 759,500 calories is equivalent to:

* 24.54 gallons of gasoline, or
* 271.25 pounds of coal, or
* 376.75 pounds of oven-dried wood, or
* 33.24 gallons of propane

This amount of energy would ...

* Brew about 2,118 pots of coffee, or
* Light a 60-watt light bulb for 14,712 hours (613 days = 1.73 years)

Cutting 759,500 calories is the same as saying "no" to:

* 9,494 apples, or
* 7,595 bananas, or
* 44,676 cups of cabbage (whew!), or
* 5,238 baked potatoes, or
* 9,494 large eggs, or
* 6,329 cups of 2% milk, or
* 547 pounds of ground beef, or
* 8,730 glasses of wine, or
* 2,351 Snickers bars, or
* 3,165 Clif Bars (4,219 Luna Bars), or
* 5,464 cans of Coke, or
* 4,468 pints of Guinness beer, or
* 1,544 Big Macs, or
* 1,475 Quarter Pounders w/ Cheese, or
* 1,085 Whoppers, or
* 2,302 Subway 6" Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sandwiches, or
* 4,468 Taco Bell crunchy tacos, or
* 3,232 slices of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut

What it Takes to Burn 759,500 Calories

To burn 759,500 calories, a 190 pound male would have to:

* Backpack for 1,257 hours (52 days) nonstop, or
* Walk for 2,910 hours (121 days) at 3 mph straight, or
* Walk 8,730 miles (5,456 kilometers), or
* Bike for 2,201 hours (92 days) at 10 mph, or
* Bike 22,014 miles (13,759 kilometers), or
* Play basketball nonstop for 1,211 hours 50 days), or
* Play billiards for 3,516 hours (147 days), or
* Go bowling for 2,932 hours (122 days), or
* Stay on the golf course for 2,201 hours (92 days), or
* Spend 979 hours (41 days) playing competitive football, or
* Jump rope for 925 hours (39 days) straight!

You would have to walk the length of England about 14.54 times to burn 759,500 calories.

Totally amazing!

(Oh, and Cindy, I am 5'6 inches tall.)

Five Months Post-Op and Progress is Being Made

Next week will be five months since my surgery. I decided to change my dates for weight, measurements, photos, and progress updates to the first of the month for simplicity sake. Here is how things are today.

Start Weight in Jan. 2005: 530 lbs.
Pre Surgery Start Weight in Feb. 2008: 425 lbs.
Surgery Day Weight in Sept. 2008: 387 lbs.
Current Weight today: 315 lbs.

As you can see I've come a LONG way! I've lost 72 lbs. since surgery and 215 lbs. since embarking upon this journey. I am proud of my accomplishments and progress.

Inches gone since surgery are as follows:

Bust -6 inches
Waist -6.5 inches
Hips -8.25 inches
Bicep -3.25 inches
Thigh -1.5 inches
Neck -1.5 inches

Total inches gone are 23.75! I think is quite an accomplishment.

The hubby took new pictures of me today. I am literally melting away and there is a considerable difference in the photos. I lost a total of 15 pounds during the month of January. My average weight loss since surgery has been about 3.4 lbs. per week. Now I've had weeks, like this one just past, where I lost nothing. I've had at least one week recently where I lost five pounds. But it's the average that is important to me. Yes, it's slow going but I feel GREAT and am getting healthy and that's what it's all about for me!

I'm not be in Onderland, YET. I'm not even out of what I've fondly called the Tri-Cities. I haven't entered Twoterville, but I'm getting doggone close. Yes, I've come a LONG way. I still have a ways to go but I know that I'm going to get there. One day, one step, one meal at a time ... I am going to do this!

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!

I am so sick of winter!

First we were hit with the sub-zero temps. It was below zero for two days with windchills of 20-30 below zero. We lived through that only to now be hit with a freaking snowstorm. It started about 3:30 this morning and has been snowing since. I believe that there's likely six inches or more of that crap out there now. *sigh* I've shoveled our walk (from our door to the parking lot) three times already today. I know I'll have to wade through snow to get to the car to go to work tonight. If not for losing my holiday pay, I'd call in sick tonight. GRRRRR! I spent half an hour shoveling out my parking spot and I dare someone to park their happy ass in it after I go to work. I swear if they don't have a handicapped placard, they better not be there when I come home in the morning! I will definitely call the police and report them. I know that's bitchy of me but this place does next to nothing for snow removal and I'll be darned if I cleared that spot just so someone else could use it!

It's supposed to snow through the night. Lucky us, huh?! Actually, in the wee hours of the morning, this all may just change to freezing rain, sleet, rain ... what a lovely mix that will be. I so wanted to head off to visit my sister and my girls for the holiday but that won't happen if this weather keeps up. It's dangerous out there. I won't head out if there is ice tomorrow. I guess it's going to be a 'play it by ear kind of thing. FINALLY, I see there is someone outside with a little bobcat, working on clearing the parking lot. It's about time as I've been sitting here watching people skid around the corner all day. You'd think after paying what we do for rent they could at least clean the parking lot more than once a day when it snows all day long! And that's my rant for today.

I work tonight and then will be off until Sunday night. I hope that the weather clears and we can head out tomorrow morning. I'll grab a couple hours sleep and then be on the road. Next check in may be a few days away, depending on whether we go and how things are at my sister's.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Be well, be safe, and enjoy your family and loved ones. You never know when it may be your last day here on this earth. Make the most of it!

Three Month Follow-Up

I didn't get time to post yesterday but as of last evening I was down to 330 lbs which means I've lost a total of 200 lbs since starting my journey in Jan of 2005. It's been a long road and I still have about 130ish pounds to go to be where I think I'd like to be. I'm so proud of myself and feeling GREAT!

Saw my surgeon today. He said I'm progressing very well. I advised him I haven't had a menstrual cycle since surgery. He said that happens and one of these days it very likely will come back. RATS! I also asked about a bruise that is taking a LONG time to heal. He said it is a combo of being on the coumadin and now aspirin. He says it can even take up to a year for a bruise to clear. Wow! We discussed a bowel issue I'm having and directed to take fiber and drink more water. Lastly, he said eventually (after a minimum of 18 months) he can remove the loose skin from my tummy and has done it many many times over the last seven years. He said when he does it there are no "dog ear flaps" on the sides that sometimes plastic surgeons leave behind. Woo hoo! He can and will remove my panni one day and said the cost is usually $3000 which is a LOT better than the plastic surgeon quoted at $8000. The good news is I absolutely LOVE my surgeon and will go under his knife with confidence.

The snow is a bugger here. My exercise classes have been canceled for tonight. I'm glad cuz I was gonna ditch if not. I still have to go back out in this crap to get to work and then again to check on the staff through the night. It's times like this I wonder why I took this job. Probably the increase in money had something to do with it. *tongue in cheek*

Week from Hell!

Been so much drama at my house and in my life this past week. None of it is weight loss related. Just a week in the life.

Wednesday night as I was making the rounds at work I discovered one of my tires was going flat. *sigh* Tried to take care of it but air pumps weren't working at the local gas station. By the end of my shift it was completely flat. Thankfully, the maintenance guy had an air compressor and managed to reinflate it. So far it has held so not sure what the deal was. Maybe some jerk let the air out as a joke. Who knows?

Thursday spent the day in a "mandated by the state" training. It wasn't anything I haven't heard before. Bored out of my mind for eight hours and then messed up my whole work schedule resulting in my working half a shift on one of my days off.

Friday night I was sleeping before heading into work. My hubby woke me with "Karon you have to get up. Water is running into our apartment." I get up and sure enough, water is pouring from the ceiling near our bathroom. The smoke detectors are making strange noises, water is running from the door jamb into our bedroom, our bathroom is flooded, water is running down the wall in our bedroom, and spots are appearing in the ceiling all over the place.

I called maintenance and am told they will be here shortly. I ran upstairs to check and see if the tub is overflowing and the young girl up there says her toilet has been overflowing for three days. Three days! Why didn't she do something about it? No wonder we have a flood in our apartment!

Maintenance finally arrived about 40 mins later. He fixed the toilet. He took down one of our smoke detectors. He assessed the damage. He said someone would be out on Monday to clean the carpets and check the damage further. We have a LOT of places that are going to need work in the ceiling. Good news is the hubby no longer wants a condo. He's been in a "I want a place of our own mode" and had thought condo since they are generally a little less money. I never wanted one as I don't care for them. To me, and sorry to anyone who owns one, it is nothing but glorified apartment living. To have this happen because someone just doesn't think would totally tick me off!

So that's been my week. Flat tires, missed exercise, long work hours, and toilet overflow that wasn't even mine. Hmmm ... sure hope next week is better!

As far as weight loss goes ... I was down to 331 this morning. That's a total loss since starting the pre-op diet (which is what the surgeon's office is tracking) of 81 pounds. Since my surgery date, which was now 15 weeks ago Monday, I've lost 56 pounds. That's an average of almost 4 pounds per week and I'm good with that. At this rate, I really may be at my personal goal by Labor Day next year. That's something to think about, huh?

Have a great week, all!

3 Months Post Op

No weight change for me in the last few days. Yesterday was the three month anniversary of my surgery. (I tried to post this yesterday but Blogger had issues!) I am down a total of 52.5 pounds since the day of surgery. I am down 76 pounds since the end of July when I started the pre-op diet. Things are going well.

I did measurements and lost 4.75 inches off my waist since my last set. I also lost 1.5 inches from my hips. The other places I measure (bust, upper arm, thigh, neck) were minimal changes. My thigh measurement stayed the same. *sigh* In total since I started measuring I've lost 18 inches from my body over six of them from my waist and over four from my hips. Woo hoo!

Brief Update

Just an update of my weight this past week. Things are moving right along when I do my part. Yesterday was a bit of a high calorie, high carb kind of day. We were out and about and I just didn't think things through too well. Today is a new day and we'll see how it goes.

I really don't have much to say. It's cold here in IL and I'm tired of snow. The only good thing about it is that I got about 45 minutes of exercise yesterday shoveling. UGH! We live in an apartment complex and park in a handicapped spot for Tim. I went out and cleared the space we park in including the ones on either side with the lines. I dare someone who doesn't have proper authority to park in that spot! LOL I could have cleared more but then we had errands to run.

Watch for a photo update this coming week. Monday will be my three month surgiversary. I'll be weighing, taking measurements, and taking photos. Hoping to get time to post them this week but with exercise and work, things are a big crazy this week.

Have a good one, all.

What happened at the gym

I had a good time at the gym last night. I didn't do as well as I did last week but I did the best I felt I could. The cold is playing havoc with the ole knees. I lasted only ten mins on the treadmill (vs 15 last week). I did 13 mins (two more than last week) on the NuStep at a pace of 88-100 steps per min and a workload of 2. And I did only five minutes (vs 15 last week) on the recumbent bike. My knees were screaming!

Then we moved to the second part of the class. She started us out with regular aerobic exercise. Step touch, chain, etc. We did about 15 mins of that and I thought I was gonna drop. We moved on to a 15 min workout with weights. We finished up class with a "buns of steel" type workout on mats on the floor. It was then that I realized just how weak my left leg is after having that tumor removed. Hopefully, in time, it will improve.

Lastly, we did stretching on the mat which went fine. I found very little flexibility in my left leg but my right is doggone strong.

All in all, it was a good class. We had four in the group; two men (both are in my water aerobics class), another women (also in my class) and myself. I was comfortable for most of it but got a little embarrassed when doing crunches and such on the mats. There were quite a few of those exercises that I couldn't do and Phyllis (trainer) told me how to modify when she realized I was just lounging. Rats! LOL It will come with time and I'll be able to keep up with the best of them. Exercise is definitely becoming a way of life for me. It's back to the cold water for water aerobics tonight. *sigh* The sports center that the bariatric center uses has two pools. One is heated year round and is a smaller pool. It generally has children in it. The pool we use just isn't heated. I'm told the water will get much colder. I don't know. I may have to take the next six weeks off. I hate to do that but we'll see how it goes. I certainly don't want to get sick just to exercise!

And we have a snowstorm headed in. Did I mention I'm tired of snow already?!

It's too darn cold for me!

I'm not fond of winter but when we lived in Florida I missed it. Go figure! Who ever ordered this cold and snow can cancel it now. I'm tired of it already. I'm afraid this winter is going to be quite snowy. I really need to find a pair of boots so when I tromp through the snow at work, my feet stay dry. Gym shoes just aren't going to cut it!

Whew! Just finished the grocery shopping. It went quite well and I walked without complaining even once. Tim is amazed at how well I do. Heck, I'm amazed at how well I do myself. It feels good to go and walk in the store now, though. I really hated riding those carts and got quite dependent upon them. Now it doesn't matter if the store has them or not cuz I just don't need them anymore. Woo hoo!

Last night I had a hard time making myself go to water aerobics. It was only 24 outside and I knew the pool was going to be cold. It is not a headted pool. The "room" the pool is in is generally about 80 or so but the water is not heated. OMG I don't think ice cubes would have melted in that water it was so cold! I did warm up for a while but by the end I was chilled and it stayed with me. It took me until the wee hours of the morning at work to warm up and then I think the cup of hot tea I made helped. Sheesh! What was I thinking continuing that class thru the winter?

I kept telling myself last night that I'd burn more calories because of the cold water. Not sure it's true, but I made it through class, anyway. Then I hit the locker room and oh no. It was freezing in there. Getting chafed skin from not drying well, I guess. I thought I was but the chafing is there and that's the only reason I can come up with right now.

Tonight is my 'gym' night. I will be walking on the treadmill, using the NuStep, and riding the recumbent bike (if Laurel isn't there; it's her favorite piece of equip and I hear she parks on it for the night when she comes). I'm still too heavy to do the regular bike or the spin bikes. Got to be under 300 to do those so I'll be there in a couple months. Yea me!

I will also be doing whatever floor exercises she has us do. The trainers can choose from bands, hand held weights, balls, mats, and some other stuff. Hope we don't do steps as I'm not quite steady enough for those right now. I'm sure we'll do bands as the instructor tonight loves to use those. Other than that, no one would tell me what she does. The regular gal that I like (Laurie) won't be there tonight. We have Phyllis. I like her and she's great in the pool with telling me how to modify so I'm sure it will be fine. I'll let you all know how it goes when I next check in. Tomorrow night will be water aerobics once again and then a shorter class on Thursday.

Yes, Jamie ... I am literally working my butt off. Tim says I no longer have a butt. It's there but it's not if you know what I mean. LOL

Have a great week, all! Happy December.

Amazing Things

Some of this is repetitive of the post below but that one was boring! LOL

I had an AMAZING holiday! The hubby and I spent it with my sister and her family, for the most part. We enjoyed a fantastic "dinner" prepared by my sister who took into account that there are things I just cannot eat and also that the hubby is a diabetic. She made two pies (apple and cherry) and both were sugar free. How awesome is that? I confess I had a very small (about 3/4 inch) sliver of each and they were both GREAT! She gave me a huge plate which I put too much food onto and was wasteful. So when I heated up a left over plate late in the day, I used a smaller one and it was fine. No waste and none to my waist! LOL

We got to spend time with both of our daughters and their girls. It was nice to see them and play with the babies. I'll try to get time later in the week to post a couple photos of the grands. Everyone got along great and it was so pleasant, unlike a lot of times in the past. We also visited my older sister and my brother. It was just a family kind of weekend and one we enjoyed immensely.

We went shopping on Black Friday for the first time ever! My sister had us out and about at midnight on Friday and we didn't get home until after 10 AM. It was amazing. We avoided all the blitz sales but there were people everywhere. It was fun! My sister walked me all over and I ended the day with just over two miles on my pedometer that day. Woo hoo for me! We didn't spend much money. I got a new bathroom scale that calculates body fat and hydration percentages which also has a program for tracking weight lost and how much to get to goal which I thought was kind of neat.

Through it all, I ate what I wanted, cautiously. I was afraid a time or two that something might make me sick, but it didn't. I tracked the calories, fat, protein, and carbs. I must have done everything right because at the end of it all today I am down to 340.6 pounds! That means from Wednesday until this morning I lost just over two pounds. That feels amazing and unbelievable. In the past, I would have gorged myself, grazed through the day, and been miserable. It was nice to feel full and satisfied instead of bloated and in pain. I did come to realize that old habit die hard and a lot of my life has revolved around food. For instance, the cheese ball and crackers were calling me. I had a couple crackers with the cheese and then left the table and the kitchen (which is where everyone seems to sit when at my sister's for some reason). I told them I didn't want to be rude but I could not sit there with food in front of me and not eat it so they were good about it. They would either put stuff away or join me in the family room. Cool! I am very proud of how I handled this holiday and have no fears about getting through the next just as simply.

I got a lot of compliments on how great I look and the weight I've lost. It was nice to have others note my progress in such a positive way. Even someone who doesn't know me well saw me out and about and commented how great I look. That all made me feel so great! I'm doing this for me but it affects so many.

Now it's back to life. We'll head off to church in a little while where I will thank the Creator for all the many blessings bestowed upon me. It's back to work tonight where I know a huge pile will await me but I'm okay with it. I'll work on what I can and what I don't get done will wait for tomorrow. This week will be interesting. It will be my first week of moving the butt Monday thru Thursday. I may be a little tired but in the end, I know it's going to make a huge difference in how I look and feel.

God bless and have a wonderful week!

It's almost over

My long weekend is almost over. It was GREAT and we had a super time at my sister's house. She made an awesome Thanksgiving Day dinner. I didn't eat much, as my usual now, but I did eat what I wanted. I was fine. The best news is that I didn't gain any weight over the weekend. I actually managed to drop 1/2 pound. Woo hoo me!

I hate that the weekend is almost over. It's back to work for me tomorrow night! That sucks but it's okay. I'll do what I can and just keep plugging away.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I just wanted to pop in and do a quick post.

How much of ME will be lost?

I guess I've had a LOT to say lately. *chuckles* I posted this at Sparkpeople.com and in my MySpace blog as well. I share pretty much everything here so am posting it here as well. If you've read it in one of the other places, I apologize for the repition. I just want to see what others have to say and how others feel about this topic.

This entry is a strange one for me. I started this process so long ago (four years ago come January) and so much has changed for me. Those who have known me for so long know that my life was pretty much hell back then. I weighed 530 pounds or more. I didn't do anything that required exerting myself except to walk from the living room to the bathroom and back. I had to sit on a step stool to shower. I walked to the car and drove my hubby and daughter to the store, but never went in, sending them in to do the shopping. I couldn't put on my own socks or shoes and I'm ashamed to say for a time I couldn't even wipe my own bottom. Sorry if it's TMI but it's true. And it sucked and that's what got me started on this odyssey in the beginning. It fueled my anger that I had let myself get to that point. It fueled my determination to make a difference and take back my life; and I've done that! But something happened yesterday. I want to share that experience with you all and see what you think?

I got my hair cut yesterday. It looked pretty good and was one of the best cuts I've had in quite a while. The stylist took her time and made sure she understood exactly what I wanted. She was GREAT and next time I go back I'll be sure she's working and will wait however long it takes to have her cut my hair again. I'll probably post a picture later today so you can see the end result. I'm kind of tired of my current profile picture anyway. I will also post updated weight loss photos early in December so you'll see the whole body then.

Anyway, since I was flying high and feeling so darn good about myself and my day in the gym I decided to have Tim color my hair for me. He is my sytlist, you know? He's done this many times for me and usually does a good job. I had a bottle of color I got many months ago but never used so we got it and he went to work. He missed a few grey hairs at my temples. Then again, he almost always does. He is visually impaired and does the best he can. If I thought it was a real issue, I'd double check it before letting it sit but I don't mind a few stray greys. They'll grow back in grey anyway! It looks good but then I started to study myself in the mirror. I really shouldn't have done that.

I burst into tears and poor Tim was at a loss. He thought he had really messed up my hair or something. It wasn't that at all. I realized that I don't look like ME anymore! Isn't that crazy? My face is thin. My neck is wrinkled and I often refer to my neck as a "turkey neck". A plastic surgeon assured me that my body would do it's own liposuction and the skin will shrink back. He wouldn't give me a written guarantee, though! LOL I feel like I look like that guy in the movie "Beetlejuice" where his head shrinks down to being tiny and his body remains huge. That's me! With the new cut and the new color job, I just don't look like me anymore. I don't feel like me anymore either with my new found energy and liking exercise. What is going on? Is this normal? Am I losing my mind? And most importantly, how much more of me is going to be gone than just the fat? I think I'm now scared about this whole process and the end product. Maybe I need a shrink! HA, no pun intended.

So those of you who have been here and done this ... What do you think? Do you feel this way sometimes? Don't get me wrong. I love that I'm losing the weight. I love that I'm exercising and enjoying it. I'm glad to have had surgery to keep me going in the right direction but I guess I didn't expect the emotions to go so haywire.

As my mom would say, God rest her soul, "Chin up and eyes forward." I will focus on moving forward and see what happens. In the end, it's going to be okay but boy did I have some rough moments last night. I think I may avoid peering into the mirror today.

Adventures at the gym

I walked into the gym and there were quite a few people there. Lynda had told me that they are never busy but today they were. I put my things in the locker room and came out. Lynda was on a treadmill so I figured what the heck! She came over to help me get started cuz she knew it was my first time. I started and the pace was way too slow. I ended up walking about twelve minutes and the majority of it was at a pace of 1.6 miles per hour. Total distance walked was a quarter of a mile. Then I had to get off or risk falling off. My knees were starting to ache a bit.

I moseyed over to the recumbent bikes. They had other bikes there but I've been told the recumbent ones would be better for me to use right now. I attempted to climb onto one. I almost fell on my butt! I rearranged myself and finally managed to climb aboard. Next task was to get my feet into the stirrups. Oh my, but I must have been a sight and I'm sure I provided some amusement for someone! It took several tries and another readjustment before I finally hooked my feet into the pedals. Yes! I figure I can do this. I start to pedal and oh my. My poor knees were aching and within minutes they were screaming at me to stop. I told myself to push through the pain and keep going. I was determined I was going to ride at least a quarter mile. It took me ten minutes, but I finally managed to do it. I was quite proud of myself.

I climbed off the bike and wondered what in the world I should tackle next. I knew to avoid the elliptical for now. I tried one a while ago and lasted all of about one minute and the entire time the machine was telling me to "stride faster". I wasn't ready to try the stair climber and figure it will be quite a long while before I'm up to that one.

Lynda came over and offered to help me learn a few of the weight machines. I worked my triceps first but there was an issue with that machine. My hips and legs made it impossible for me to do the full range of motion. I did what I could as Lynda told me. I did three sets of eight and waited a couple minutes between sets. Then we moved to a machine that worked my biceps. At first it felt too light so I ended up doing 30 lb weights. Oh my goodness. After one set of those I moved it back to 15 lbs. Seemed awfully light but I was doing it.

We ended up by doing some basic stretching and parted ways. I lasted a full 40 minutes at the gym! I am so proud of myself for pushing through my fears, forgetting about everyone else, and just going for it. I came home excited and energized. I've been proud of myself all day. I may even go back and work out with Lynda again. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I had FUN!

No more rat poison for me!

I saw the cardiologist this morning. I no longer have to take the coumadin but I have to take 325 mg of enteric coated aspirin daily. He said it would do as well as the coumadin did and wouldn't have to be monitored. He said since I only have one risk factor (high blood pressure) for a stroke, and that one is getting less as my bp comes down with the weight loss, there just isn't a reason to justify keeping me on that rat poison. Yahoo! I am very happy.

I also went for blood work and will surely hear from my primary doc early next week about those results. At my last appointment he thought I'd be able to take a lower dose of my thyroid med so we'll see what the blood tests say.

I just registered for the aquasize class, circuit conditioning, and cardio equipment training classes. I have committed to working out four nights a week. My gawd, what is this world coming to?! I am surprising even myself these days. LOL

Answering Comment Questions from Yesterday

The url to my MySpace account is www.myspace.com/norakeno I tried to post that as a link but it just wouldn't show up. I dunno know but oh well. If you're interested, you'll find me.


Feel free to visit it but I'll have to add you as a friend as I keep it private. Too many fruitcakes out there. Mostly it's my family there but all are welcome. I pretty much post most of the same things there that I do here.

As for Facebook, I've heard it's much easier to use but I've never visited it. I really prefer my blog right here. Thing is, my family chooses not to read here so I have to at least keep something they will access. Many of them do have the MySpace accounts.

And yeah, Janet. I am the girl who two years ago had to do 100 steps to start moving while holding onto the kitchen counter. I've come a long way, baby! Life just keeps getting better and better, huh? I wonder what next year will hold for me ...

Downward Spiral Continues

The weight is still coming off. I'm now down to 344 today and am beginning to think I may make my 20 pound goal this month which right now means I need to lose about 9 more pounds before month's end. I think I can do this, especially since I'm going to start an exercise class next week that meets two nights a week and one night of strength training. I'll be exercising four nights a week with my water aerobics tossed in there as well so hopefully this will be a good thing. I'm also going to try to add exercise on Saturday mornings at a gym with a gal from my water class. That would leave me with Friday and Sunday as no exercise days. I'm perfectly okay with that! LOL This all means I have to get off my butt and get something appropriate that fits to wear to the gym. Right now I have nothing. I'm thinking a pair of capri pants I have with a drawstring and a t-shirt will work for a little while until I get something. Having nothing I thought would work allowed me to make an excuse not to go last week to the gym. I know if I pay for the bariatric exercise classes I'll go because I won't waste money. A gym membership may be in my future. It feels so strange to even be thinking that!

On another note, I have a MySpace page. I started one cuz my daughter has one and it was an easy way to track what's going on in her life. I opened a "bulletin" she posted thinking she was deleting her account but found myself having to repost the same bulletin. Her's said if I didn't my account would delete itself. Not sure if it's true but in the sake of it could happen, I did it. I hate that kind of crap!

Anyway ... just wanted to rant about one of the things that has me aggravated today!

More Progress

So today I am down to 345.5 and am quite happy with that. I have ten pounds to go to reach my goal of 20 pounds gone in the month of November. Not sure I'm going to make that but I'm slowly getting there. Only 15.5 more pounds and I'll have lost 200 lbs total since starting this journey way back in 2005. It's taking me a LOT longer than I initially expected and I've taken a more drastic approach, but it's working. I'm getting healthier and changing old habits and just improving so many things.

I'm looking forward to next week. Going to my baby sister's for the holiday. I'll also get to see all three of my granddaughters and both of my daughters. I can't wait for the family to see me as it's been early October since they last saw me. Wonder what they'll have to say about me now!

Nothing much going on

There hasn't been much of anything going on here lately. I'm still tracking and doing better on getting at least 60 grams of protein every day. Weight has stalled once again but it's also time for the monthly monster so that could be the issue. I'm not going to worry about it, really.

Had another Coumadin check and it was at 3.0 which is at the high end of the range they want me to be in. She had me decrease my medication by 5 mg one day only. How that's going to make a difference in the long run, I don't quite get but oh well.

Had the breasts smashed on Thursday. It really wasn't as painful as it used to be in "the old days". LOL Don't know exactly when I'll hear back from my doctor on them but I don't think there is anything to worry about. This was a follow-up to the one that was done back in February of this year. I had to have another for comparison, espeically important since there has been breast cancer in my immediate family.

Next week will be busy. Sunday I'm supposed to go to the gym to work out with some of the people I go to water aerobics with. I feel dumb going cuz I won't know the first thing about working out at the gym but they genuinely want me to go. I have support groups on Monday and Wednesday as well as my water aerobics class. On Thursday I'll go have lab work done to see where things are. This may mean a decrease in my thyroid medication and that may also change the rate at which I'm losing weight. We'll see about that! I also go for another coumadin check on Thursday. Friday I go to see the cardiologist. Hopefully, he will take me off this darn coumadin. To my knowledge, I've not had any other incidents of a-fib so I have my fingers crossed.

Been really concentrating when in my water class. My tummy muscles are not amused. I have had muscle pain since Monday. I know that's what it is because of where it is and how it aches. I was worrying myself for a while about it being something else, but I'm pretty sure it's muscles. Gee, I guess I've just been really using them finally. Woo hoo for me!

Will be thinking of my friend Jamie as she prepares for lap band sugery on Monday. Get plenty of rest and don't worry. Take some non-petroleum lip balm. Be ready to walk as it will really help the pain go away, especially the gas pain from the gases they use to inflate your tummy so they can work. It's all going to be just fine!

With that, I'll sign off until another day!

It worked

Tracking my protein has been a great way to get me back on track. Before last week I was just eating and hoping I was getting what I needed. After a couple days, I realized I wasn't getting the protein I should have been and started to diligently make sure that I get at least 60 grams per day. That still isn't where I need it as I'm supposed to consume 70-90 grams but it's a start and a lot of days I do get near 70 now. That said ...

Last week I managed to have my weight go down. I started a week ago this past Sunday at 355 pounds. As of today I am down to 349.5 pounds which is a loss of 5.5 pounds. Woo hoo! Yea for me and all that jazz. I can't even remember when the last time I weighed less than 350 pounds was. I would love to be under 325 by the end of the year. That's only 25 pounds and with the sugery's help, I may just get there. Wow! When I hit 330 I will have lost a total of 200 pounds since 2005. When I hit 295 I'll be only 100 pounds from my personal goal. I actually believe this is going to happen. I'm thrilled that I finally gave in and had this surgery. It hasn't been easy but it sure has been worth it!

Searching for a website

In days gone by, I used to have a website link that would tell me how much of something weighed the number of pounds I had lost. If anyone out there knows what I'm talking about, please let me know. I really enjoyed that site but cannot find it. I even went back and read a LOT of really old blog posts here in my blog because I know at one time I posted it here but couldn't find it. I HATE when that happens! LOL

Gravity, a Fall, and Lost Weight

Talk about a change in my center of gravity due to losing weight ... well it has changed but no one has really talked about it. Following is one of the ways I know, however, this was probably not due to the gravity except that everything must fall down!

I walked to the A and B homes on Friday morning about 1:30 AM. I went into the B home and talked a few minutes and grabbed their paperwork. As I went out the door and started down the steps, the porch light went off. It's some kind of darn light that comes on for a couple minutes then goes off for a couple and it does this throughout the night. The street lamp nearby does the same thing. I don't know why! Anyway ... I went down two steps and then the street lamp went out as well. I'm in total darkness. I thought I had just stepped off the last step and went to walk over to the A home. Low and behold, I had one more step to go. I fell and I fell hard! I swear I felt the jarring all the way from my poor knees that I landed on up through my hips and into my shoulders. I was stunned.

I was there kneeling on my knees and could only moan about how much it hurt. They didn't hear me yell in the house. I gathered up the papers that I had dropped and my bottle of water (I don't go anywhere without one in my hand now days) and hobbled to the A home. I examined my knees. The right one was red and looked like it would bruise. The left one was a little skinned up (but not enough to bleed) and bruising. I was worried because of that damn coumadin they have me on and the horror stories about internal bleeding. One of the staff gave me an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel and I iced it for about 20 mins before moving on.

I was able to finish my shift but dang I was in some pain. I got stiff and we don't keep liquid Tylenol on campus so I was basically SOL. I considered coming home but figured I wouldn't die from hurting. LOL I did type up the employee incident report and let my director know. I left a message on his voice mail and told him if I thought it necessary I would go to my PCP later in the day. He called and told me to get checked but I ended up not going. The bruising isn't as bad as I thought it might be. The pain is to be expected and nothing out of the ordinary but what you'd expect from a fall.

I seem to be fine today; just a little achey. Thought I'd share a little of my "fun" with you all.

And I managed to lose three pounds this past week. Yea! Back to 2-3 lbs per week to get where I'd like to be by Labor Day next year.

Oh and today is the 24th anniversary of the day Tim (the hubby) and I met. Woo hoo for us! We're going out to dinner with our church tonight, on them as a celebration for volunteering at the church. I ordered a chicken sandwich with fruit as a side. Will likely leave the bread behind.

Have a great weekend, all!

(Janet: I'm wearing a size 4X both tops and pants right now but am close to getting into 3X.)

At last, the scale has moved!

FINALLY, the scale moved today! In tracking since Sunday, I found I wasn't getting at least the protein I need. I'm supposed to be getting 70-90 grams post op. Once I adjusted that, the weight did come down 1.5 lbs overnight. Woo hoo! Now I'm just praying it continues.

Water aerobics was great last night! One of the men had surgery back in March and is down 100 lbs. I was complaining about the scale and he told me to keep myself off of it except to weigh once a week. I try, I really do but I just can't do it. I have to know daily what I weigh and have been like that since I found a scale that would weigh me back in 2005. I wonder if it's because for so long I had no clue how much I weighed. In retrospect, that was a good thing!

I do so love my class and am going to start the other exercise classes they have two nights a week (Tues and Thurs) when the next session starts which will be sometime near the end of the month. I'm excited about this and know it's going to help me build muscle and lose fat instead of lean muscle. One night they do strength training on the machines and with free weights. That is followed by some type of aerobics class. The other night is an aerobics class which can also be yoga, tai chi, etc. I look forward to starting later this month with that.

Some of the people at class said I was "melting away" and they could really see the difference; even those who saw me last week said they can see it more this week. I'll do measurements again next month when I'm 12 weeks out. Maybe I was losing inches instead of pounds these last two weeks. I had to retire three pair of pants because they just won't stay up anymore. LOL That's a good thing!

I also talked with the class instructor and she said maybe I have been losing a bit of lean muscle. That concerns me. She said I need to get busy doing strength training to keep that from happening. Until I can start class, when the next session starts, I'll have to make do with cans of veggies or something similar. Maybe I'll pick up a couple 3 lb weights to start with. I saw some at Walmart for about $4 each. I think I can eek that out of my lean budget! LOL

At any rate, things are progressing and I know I'm just not a patient person. The weight is coming off and it will in it's own time. I have to remember that!

Lastly, let me just say, "I feel good"!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

I've gone to two water aerobics classes now and enjoyed both of them so much. I have two different instructors and they each work us so differently. I LOVE that! I've been able to keep up and have even pushed myself to jog faster in the water. It's been kind of freeing.

I'm still doing my walking. I walk to two of the homes each night at work. A couple nights it was chilly and I was tempted to drive but it's such a sense of satisfaction to look at my pedometer and see those steps adding up! I'll walk until it's so cold my face freezes just to keep the energy flowing.

Not much else to report. The scale is just not budging. I'm not worrying about it too much. There are a lot of reasons that could be happening. I'm bouncing up and down between 355-357; for some odd reason my scale likes 357. It does make me a little nuts but I know I'm eating the way I'm supposed to be eating. I've also gone back to drinking at least one protein drink of Carnation with added protein per day in case that is the reason. I wonder if I'm getting enough calories. I think about the pre-op days and the whole "starvation mode" theory. I don't see the surgeon or nutritionist until December. I will attend the support groups in November and see what the others have to say. It's frustrating but I'm hanging in there.

Victories Abound

It's back to water aerobics for me tonight. I don't want to go cuz I know the water is going to be COLD. Add to that the dropping temps here in northern IL and it spells doom. The hubby will make me go though, so no worries.

I had a good non-scale victory today. Last summer before going to Alaska to see my dear friend and sister Teresa from right here on SP, I purchased a bra top for wearing to swim. I never wore it for a couple reasons, but was glad not to because it really didn't fit well. I tried it on this morning to see if I can wear it instead of a sports bra and t-shirt to class tonight and it fit! Woo hoo for me.

Also got some great comments at work last night from a couple people. It made me smile because so many have said nothing. One told me I was going to have to get new pants soon as the ones I had on were baggy. I told her those were my new ones. I just got them a couple weeks ago! Thank goodness they have drawstrings. I guess maybe I'm getting closer to a 3X than I thought.

Lastly, so many told me that my tastes would change following surgery. I didn't really believe them but it must be true. Before surgery, the thought of eating yogurt made me feel sick. Today I ate 3/4 of a light Yoplait yogurt. It was quite tasty. The flavor was raspberry cheesecake and I didn't mind it at all. I have three other flavors to try and am hoping that I will be able to tolerate them all. I know it's a good source of protein and a healthy snack or meal. Interesting side effect of weight loss surgery, changing taste buds. Who would have thunk it? LOL

Got appointments set for mammogram, cardiologist, and three month post-op surgeon appointment. Picked a date for lab work at the end of the month for CBC, complete metabolic panel, and tsh with free T4 tests. Now I just have to keep the appointments.

Have a great week, everyone!

Doctor Appointment Today

Starting weight was 530 lbs three years ago.



Morning of surgery. By my scale I weighed 387.5 lbs.



Just a photo Tim took yesterday. I weighed 355 by the scale at the doctor office today. I've come a LONG way, baby!

I went to my primary doc today. The nurse was amazed at how much weight I've lost. She asked the doctor if I had my surgery already and he said that I had. She said she could really see the weight loss. That was encouraging! The doc told me that I'm doing awesome and that people have the misconception that after gastric bypass surgery they will lose weight quicker but he said that isn't true. He said the reality is that people lose quite a bit the first month and then the weight loss slows for most to about 2-3 lbs per week but it's a steady weight loss. I did feel a little reassured after talking with him. I know that it's best to lose weight slow and steady for many reasons. He also reminded me that I want to be losing fat and not lean muscle and losing slowly is the best way to do that. He said if I continue to lose 2-3 lbs a week I could be at my personal goal of 199 by next Labor Day. Woo hoo! Oh and the doctor scales weighed me today. It wasn't that long ago that they wouldn't weigh me at all!

My Coumadin level was up to 1.7 which is almost in therapeutic range. They want it to be between 2 and 3. The nurse at the clinic increased my dose to 15 mg per day which my doc said is a little high but he agreed with her. He also referred me to cardiology for follow-up at the end of November. How long I stay on this medication is going to depend upon whether or not I have another incident of a-fib so I have to just wait and see.

I have an order for a repeat mammogram because they had nothing to compare the last one to. I have a referral to see the surgeon again, but that appointment isn't for another two months. And a lab order for bloodwork at the end of November to check a bunch of stuff including my thyroid as he said that medication can probably be decreased by then. So that's what happened at the doctor office.

Came home and got some rest. Then up and out to do the laundry. Not much else planned for the night. Going to just chill with Tim and enjoy my night off.

First Week Back at Work

So this has been my first week back at work. All in all, it's been okay. I mean, I have to work, right? And it isn't like the job is all that difficult. I just hate going in at night now. My sleep schedule is all out of whack and I feel like I sleep all the time. Here's what my schedule looks like starting with going into work.

11 PM - 7 AM Work I eat breakfast about 4 AM.
7:45 Am Home and get ready for bed
8 AM In bed and hopefully asleep by 8:30 but sometimes not before 9
1 PM Usually wide awake and ready to get up after being up and down 2-3 times while sleeping to go to the bathroom. Eat something.
6 PM Dinner and meds
7 - 10:15 PM Back to bed.
10:30 PM Leave the house to go back to work and start all over again.

There is just very little time in this schedule for me. I absolutely HATE it. They are opening a new program eventually and I am going to apply for the Program Manager job in that home. It would at least be a daytime position. If Tim doesn't take care of himself this time I'll kick his ass. I'm not staying on this overnight shift forever, no matter how much I love him!

That's my rant about work and husbands today.

Read the one below this one first ...

because I posted twice today.

For quite a while now, like over a year, I have bad days. Days where no matter what, the sun does not shine in my world. They are dark and desolate and I feel so alone. Sounds kind of silly saying that here, where I know I'm NEVER alone. I have so many who check in on me, motivate me, encourage me, and just plain out care about me and how I'm doing. But today is not a good day for me. I feel so lost and I don't know why.

I have walked every day since Tuesday this past week my quarter mile around the track. Today I know I need to go walk. My brain is telling me to walk I'll feel better. My heart just isn't in it today. "I don't want to!" screams my heart. So here I sit in front of the computer. I do know I'm going to the grocery store and today I will not allow myself to take the easy way out and ride on the electric cart. I will walk that store and be glad I did it. Tonight I will be walking from the administration building (where I do the majority of my work) to the homes (where I have to check in and make sure no one is sleeping). It will be a bit chilly here in IL in the middle of the night, but I am going to walk. I vow that right now. I'm not sure of the distance but I think in all it will be at least a quarter mile of walking. I'm also going to turn on the lights in the gym and about every two hours I'm going to get up and go do a lap of walking in the gym. No one else is there to know what I'm doing and I know I'm not going to be able to sit in front of the computer for eight hours so I may as well walk. I'm not feeling all that guilty about not walking today given all of this.

Yesterday I went out for lunch with the hubby. I made what I thought was a good choice. Grilled chicken breast with grilled veggies (green peppers and onions). I left off the potato and bread choices and only ate the above. I don't know if I ate too fast, didn't chew well enough, or something got stuck but man, when I was done (and I only really ate about four bites of the chicken) I had this pain in the middle of my chest. I knew I was in trouble. I've done enough reading to know that. By the time we got to the car, I knew I was in BIG trouble. As I bent down for something I felt like I was going to pass out. Then, it all came right back up. This was my first time vomiting since my gastric bypass surgery. I don't EVER want to repeat that again! (I'm guessing many will say that I will but it's not something I'd want.) Once it was all up and out, I felt fine and life went on as usual. I suppose one could say that was my first ever "dumping" experience. Blah!

I'm going to try to increase my walking to two trips around the path by Wednesday. That's my goal for the week. Oh ... my other goal is get down one more bottle of water per day since I've only been drinking two lately. I found my favorite Walmart brand 'crystal lite' flavor (Cherry Limeade) and that's gonna help since that counts as water. I'll check back to let you know how it goes.

Update

Several have asked in my comments section about my weight loss. I'm a little disappointed in the numbers, though I know I should not be. Having as much weight to lose as I do, I certainly thought it would come off quicker. That said, I do realize my protein isn't as high as it should be nor am I drinking the water I need to be drinking. Those two things are key to weight loss.

When I started this entire process back in July I weighed in at 407 pounds per my scale. On the day of surgery I weighed in at 387.5 pounds. Today I weigh 357 pounds. So I am down 50 pounds since beginning the process back in July; down 30.5 pounds since surgery which was six weeks ago tomorrow. That's an average of five pounds per week which most would be totally happy with. I just thought it would be more. Not beating myself up. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and the weight will come off. I will also note I did measurements today and compared them to surgery day and I've dropped ten inches from my body as well. Woo hoo!

I am still walking 1/4 mile on the track per day and with my other steps added in daily I'm walking between 1/2 and 3/4 mile per day. I hope to increase the walking at the track to 1/2 mile by the middle of the week. I'm also going to start water aerobics again next Monday. This week I'm going to attend the gastric bypass support group and the nutrition support group so I don't want to pay for a week I cannot use as those two groups meet on Mon and Wed which is the same as my water class. Increased activity can only improve my weight loss.

I'm feeling fine. I go back to re-test my Coumadin levels Tuesday afternoon. After an increase I'm hoping that things will be getting near where they want them. I want off this drug and am just waiting for them to say I no longer need it. It doesn't make me feel badly. I just know that bleeding is a serious side effect and in my line of work, when I may have to help restrain a kid at a moment's notice or dodge something flying at me, I cannot risk injury right now.

I go back to work tonight for the first time. I'm nervous about going and wondering how I'm going to make it through the night. I also have to figure out the whole how to eat on midnight shift again thing. *sigh* Why can't life be easy, just for once? LOL

CRAP!

Got a call from my primary today. The result of the PT-INR done yesterday was not good. I have dropped from 1.4 to 1.0 and they want me to be at 2.0-3.0. After some thinking I believe it dropped because of my bariatric vitamins. Vitamin K can affect the Coumadin levels and there is 120 mcg of vitamin K in my vitamins. UGH! He increased my Coumadin and I have to go to the clinic on Tuesday to have my level checked again. I just want OFF that stuff, period.

Did my quarter mile walk and the majority of it I was walking aerobic steps which means I was actually burning fat the entire time I was doing that. According to my pedometer that was for at least 11 mins. Wow! In addition to that track walk, I also walked another quarter mile plus today. Slowly but surely I will get there, where ever that is! LOL

I'm Doing Well

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing well. I feel great and am just focusing on getting ready to return to work. Was going to go back yesterday but extended my leave until Sunday. I will definitely go back on Sunday.

I went to the lab today. I was expecting to only have a finger stick to check my Coumadin level (PT-INR test) but the Coumadin clinic did not have an appointment and the lady there said the first test has to be a lab test. She'll call me tomorrow with the results and let me know when my next appointment is. From here on out, she said I should be able to do finger sticks. Thank goodness because my arms look like hell from all the sticks at the hospital.

I went and did my quarter mile walk this morning. It's nice and cool here in IL so I don't mind walking so much. I need to bump up and do half mile but for now the quarter mile is progress for me. I vow to keep that up.

Nothing much else to report but wanted to let everyone know I'm fine.

I'm Home Again

I am home from the hospital. This hospitalization had NOTHING to do with my weight loss surgery per the cardiologist and I'm thankful for that. I had surgery to increase my health, not to make more problems for me. I wasn't scared so much as pissed about having to be there. I went to the surgeon for a check up and end up admitted into the hospital. I had things to do, damn it! Mandi and family were here. We were supposed to go to Alpha at church that night. It was a royal pain in the butt!

I am thankful that the doctor reached for my wrist out of character. I am thankful that I'm going to be just fine. But ... those were the longest five days in my life!

I had three different roommates. Most were friendly but I was in no mood. I had a huge fight with the dietary people who thought I had to have everything chopped to ground hamburger mush and would not give me most of the things I wanted to eat. I eat all of them at home and they are okay for me to have but they wouldn't let me have them. It got ugly to the point I told them I was going on a hunger strike and not eating another meal at the hospital. I mean, come on now. I'm 46 years old and I think I know what I can eat and how to cut it and chew it thoroughly. Debbie talked to my nurse and she called the doctor and I thought it was resolved. Then I tried to order dinner and it was another nightmare. I'm so glad to be home where I can make my own food and eat what I want to eat!

The atrial fibrillation resolved itself. The cardiologist says it may have been caused by stress (which I've been under quite a bit of lately but not said a lot about) or even my sleep apnea, though that diagnosis pisses me off. I did snore a LOT at my sister's last weekend sleeping in her recliner so I suppose that's possible. Now they wait to see if it happens again.

The heparin drip they had me on did something to my blood and my platelet count dropped enough to be a concern. Once they stopped the drip, the count started to rise again.

I had three IVs and all of them eventually blew. The multiple sticks to draw blood have totally ruined the vein in my right elbow bend. The gal from lab told me that. I am bruised up from all the jabs.

I have to go to the coumadin clinic on Thursday to see if my level is where they want it. It was still low but the cardiologist said if I stayed in the hospital it may be another 4-5 days before it was where it needs to be. Good thing he released me because I was about to go stir crazy and was likely the patient from hell the last two days there. I didn't mean to be but everything just got to me. Thankfully, they can do that test for level with a finger stick instead of a blood draw. I'll be on the coumadin for at least 4-6 weeks and then they will re-evaluate and see where we need to go. Fun!

It took so long to discharge me that I ended up having to say something. It really shouldn't take three plus hours to discharge someone from the hospital, in my humble opinion. My nurse had only three patients and that included me. She came on shift at 7 and by 7:30 knew I was going home. She never even came in to see me and check my vitals until 9:30 and then told me it would be three more hours before I could leave. What the ...? I ended up talking to the charge nurse who agreed to help get me out of there. I swear I heard a cheer go up from that crew when I left. Don't get me wrong, most of the time I was there I had excellent care. But the 3-11 shift the night before and then the day shift my last day were just awful. Guess they save the suck crew for the weekend which is just as well. (My apologies to any nurse reading who may be offended. I did not have a good experience with less than a handful of the nursing staff. For the most part they were an attentive, caring, helpful staff who were there to take care of patients and get the job done.)

I go back to work on Wednesday night. I think I'm strong enough. I will work Wednesday and Thursday and then be off for the weekend. I'll give next week a shot and see how it goes. If it's too much, I'll have my doctor write me up a note to do half shifts for a week to ease me back into it. I have to get back to work. I've got bills to pay and a life to live.

I can return to water aerobics a week from today if I feel up to it. I figure I'll see how I feel. I should be able to get back to that now, too.

It's good to be home. I got to sleep in my own bed, on my tummy no less. I had to get up about 4:30 because my back was hurting due to not sleeping like that for so long but it felt good to be sleeping in my own bed on my tummy once again.

Pain and pulling in my abdomen is almost nil. My abdomenal muscles are tight from getting up and down in bed but that's a good thing. Soon, I guess things will be back to normal here, whatever the heck that is!

In the Hospital

The hospital found my clothes from when I had surgery. They had already sent me gift checks for $100 so I purchased me two pair of size 4X drawstring pants and two 4X tops. They had said I could keep the money for the inconvenience. I thought was quite generous.

Tuesday afternoon I went to see my surgeon for my four week follow-up. I had felt a little off kilter since Saturday. I thought I just needed an adjustment in my blood pressure meds. He reached out and took my pulse and it was erratic. He had them do an EKG and it was abnormal. He called my primary doc who said to send me to the ER. Got to the ER and they determined I was in atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and I ended up being admitted. I was put on different medications and as of two nights ago my heart rhythm is back to normal. I am still here because I was placed on Coumadin and they need me to be at a therapeutic level before they release me. Hopefully I'll be out of here tomorrow.

Other than that, I've been doing fine. Eating is going well. No issues per the surgeon. I got to add veggies but by the time I get my protein down, I'm full. Weight loss is 387 down to 359 though the surgeon said 51 pounds. I don't know what number they have as my start number but it must be different than mine.

Kids have gone home. My sister Debbie came back up to help with Tim. She has been a God send and I am so very thankful for her. Without her I don't know what we would do.

Thanks Barb, for letting my friends know what was going on.

I'm Still Searching

I am still searching for a liquid protein that I like. I did try something I got from vitalady.com finally. It was orange flavored. I made orange crystal lite and added half the packet of powder. It was tolerable but oh so sweet. Next time, I'll use the rest of the bag and add it to just water and see how it is.

I got some high protein ice cream recipes from a blog but haven't tried any of them yet. I got an ice cream maker but am still checking out protein powders. I think I'll get me a small bag (7 servings) of the EAS chocolate and see how I like it. I hated the EAS pre-made shake but am willing to give this a shot. Seems what powder tastes good varies from person to person and what we liked before surgery can change. This is a frustrating process to say the least.

I'm feeling pretty well. Almost no pain now. I do get a "stitch" in my left side from time to time I'll be asking the doctor about it on Tuesday when I go for my four week follow-up. And there is still some pulling on the right but it isn't uncomfortable, just annoying. The incisions have all healed except my belly button. That poor belly button now has "love handles" from where they stapled the incision closed. LOL It's the only one that still has scabs and the drain hole is scabbed as well. That one is getting loose on the edges so will likely come off soon. (I hear lap band patients go home with steri-strips.)

I'm walking 1/4 mile at least once a day right now. I know I should be walking more, but for planned exercise that is pretty good for me. I'm working on increasing it to 1/2 mile this next week. I'm also doing more incidental walking so all is good. Hopefully, I'll be able to return to my water aerobics classes in a couple more weeks.

The hospital finally located my clothes. They lost them when I had surgery and until yesterday they were nowhere to be found. They turned up yesterday. The hospital had already sent me $100 to replace them and the gal said I could keep the money. So ... I went online to Woman Within (formerly Lane Bryant) and got some pretty good deals. I ordered a blouse, a sweater, two pair of 4X drawstring pants (planning ahead), and a new pair of bike shorts for the pool as the ones I was wearing are difficult to keep up now. I still have a little money left over so will be getting new socks and probably another bra since my old ones are too baggy for me to wear anymore.

Only other issue is that I've not had a menstrual cycle since August. Should have been here by now and I think that's part of the reason that my weight loss has slowed way down. I've never been regular so I'm not worried. I KNOW there is no way I am pregnant!

I also know it's slow because of not getting enough protein. I've said from the get-go of my weight loss journey that protein is key. It's all going to fall into place, I just have to keep my nose to the grindstone and believe in me.

I'm heading south later this morning. We're going downstate to visit with both of our daughters and the grands. We're all going to go out for dinner together. My sister who was here to help out during surgery is going to join us as well. I'll be taking photos and will post some next week.

Saturday we're going to Newport, IN to an antique auto show. This little bitty town thrives on this event and it's held the first weekend in October for as long as I can remember. To see what all goes on, feel free to do a Google search for Newport Hill Climb. I'll definitely be getting lots of incidental walking there.

We'll be back home on Sunday evening before dark. Tim doesn't want me to drive after dark for some strange reason. I think it's because he doesn't see well himself at night but no biggie. My younger sister (where we'll be staying) has to work Sunday night and will need to rest anyway. And I have to get things ready for Mandi and family as they will be here Monday thru Friday next week. I can't wait!

Have a GREAT weekend, y'all!