My new Car !!!!!!

I was really worried when my van was pronounced nearly dead. My hubby bought me this 2006 Honda Civic! We went nearly 200 miles on a little more than a quarter of a tank! I love it!!!!!

Just got in from the gym, I am all sweaty. I REALLY didn't want to workout. I was seriously hating it. I was on the elliptical talking to myself, convincing myself that it had to be done. I am glad I am now just in the habit of going to the gym and then deciding how I feel while I am in the middle of it. Going is now just a habit, soon as I have an opening of time I go and do whatever that day is. Sunday, Tuesday and Friday are weight lifting & elliptical days. Saturday and Monday are water aerobics. Wednesday is elliptical alone or swimming. Only break is when I go to GA for 2 days and even then I squeeze something in. My brother's apartment complex has a nice gym so I could go do the elliptical when I am there too, no excuses. I usually don't workout too much then because the massage is a good workout in itself. I am so hooked!

Keep on keepin on

Just got in from Water aerobics, Joel and I are going to look for a new car, my minivan needs $3000 worth of repairs DO NOT BUY KIA VEHICLES!!!!!! anyways. I am feeling good, and I know the exercise is helping. If you are Pre-op, there is nothing like exercise to keep up energy. After surgery a lot of people get tired. I have been lucky so far.

Exercise!

Saw my trainer again. I am so proud of how well i am doing with the weight training. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical again. I listened to Punk rock and my heart rate raised 10-15 beats per mintues above what it usually is. I also did 2.82 miles versus 2.5 miles! Guess good fast music helps. I can feel the weight training helping. I have gone up on the weight I use and am feeling so strong and energetic. I have water aerobics in the morning. I have been getting 40 grams of protein in by noon by having 4 oz of milk first thing in the morning, then a protein shake around 9:30am and a string cheese for snack before lunch. Then I don't have to eat too much for lunch and dinner. Good stuff.

8 Weeks Post-Op

Working out!!!

Came home from My mother's place yesterday, got in at 7pm, changed clothes and went to the gym to do 30 minutes on the elliptical, and weight training. Then woke up early this morning and went and did water aerobics. Whew! I have done the lifting thing 3 times since the 21st, I think I am going to be getting in the habit of really getting a workout!

A Christmas Miracle!!!

All I want for Christmas....Part 2

I woke up this morning, got on the scale and I was 250.4 I only have to lose .8 to get to my goal of 50 pounds on Christmas day!!!! I think I can make it. I have lost 49.2 pounds. Christmas day is 2 days short of 8 weeks!!! January 1st is the 2 month mark.

All I want for Christmas.....

I've decided that for Christmas I want to be 50 pounds down. I need to lose 1.6 pounds in the next 2 days to wake up on Christmas 249.6 exactly 50 pounds lost since Christmas. My engineer husband has done all the calculations and says it is quite possible. I need to get off here and go to the gym and kick some butt. Hope Santa brings everybody what they want!

Feelin Pretty

Amelia's Super yummy Starbuck frappucino-like Protein shake!!!

Ok, I take 8 oz of skim milk ( I like lactaid cuz I am a bit lactose intolorant and it is sweeter than regular milk) I take 1 scoop EAS brand 100% whey protein vanilla powder (bought at Walmart 17.99) 1 teaspoon Tasters choice Brand instant coffee (They now have Hazelnut flavor!!! and it is cheapest at Walmart again LOL) Here is the fun part, I take 1 Tablespoon flavored creamer bought from the dairy section of the grocery store. I like pumpkin spice but you choose. It does have a little bit of sugar and you can skip the creamer if you want, it will still be super yummy anyway. I blend it very very well in my little blender I bought at walmart (LOL) then I put the shake in the fridge with the cover on the blender and let it sit at least half an hour or more. I make it first thing in the morning so it is ready when I am. Even if you drink it for lunch it will be fine to sit in the fridge all day. It will be the same consistency of the starbucks frappuccinos I used to drink from the bottle. Enjoy! Right now I am using regular instant coffee with a blueberry cobbler flavored creamer and it is heavenly. You can also use sugar free Davinci coffee syrups instead of flavored creamer to add a flavor. Just be creative!

7 Weeks Post-op

I started at 299.6 on my Day of gastric bypass surgery. It has been 7 weeks and 1 day and I have lost 47 pounds!!!

Another day with my sweet hubby. Went to to my personal trainer session and then swam. I am packing up to leave for georgia tonite. Tomorrow I have 2 massages to do then check into the hotel. I am excited to go to the aquarium Thursday! I woke up this morning and got on the scale as I always do, I was down again! I am 255.2 Pounds! I have lost 44.4 pounds now. I was losing VERY slowly the past 2 weeks and then boom! 2 pounds yesterday and 1 today. I am feeling very good in my skin right now. Even though I am obese I don't feel fat. I feel free

Vacation with Hubby begins...

Well today was cool. Kinda weird to have my hubby around all day on a Monday. We hung out, played Mario Party on my Game cube and just took it easy. We went grocery shopping, to the Chiropractor, and then to the gym. I did a water aerobics class. I am finally out of pain from that Body Pump class. I have a 11 am appointment with my personal trainer tomorrow. I get to built a weight lifting program. I am feeling great! I am going to Georgia to massage tomorrow. For the first time I am taking my hubby. We are gonna spend 1 night with my brother and the next night at a hotel in Atlanta. I want to see the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. We are gonna do that Thursday. It is the World's largest Aquarium, still pretty new. I am very excited! Well gotta get to bed hope everyone is doing ok!

Still Sore...

Woke up early to go to the gym and do Water aerobics. I am still very sore, super sore. I can barely walk. The water aerobics was good, the hot tub was good. But I was sore again once I cooled off. Joel and I spent the day hanging out playing Mario Party and later we watched "Pans Labrynth" it was an awesome movie and it made me cry. I got a gift certificate for Old navy and they had a crazy sale all these beautiful long sleeved shirts were 20 dollars were 5 dollars for today only. I got 8 shirts (1 was 10 dollars) for 47 dollars!! Was a good mellow day

40 Pound Before and after so far

Sore Thighs

Woke up with such sore thighs! That Body Pump class kicked my butt! I can't wait till my water aerobics class tommorrow morning. I hope it will help work out some of the stiffness. I had a pretty good day. Saw my chiropractor. I went to Steve and Barry's store. Normall everything is 20 dollars or less, but right now everything is 8.98 or less. The whole store. t-shirts, pants, jackets, sweat shirts and hoodies. Sarah Jessica Parker has a line of clothing there called "Bitten" also Amanda Bynes has a collection called "Dear" the clothes were so cute! I bought a pair of brown corderouy pants with tons of pockets that were size 18, a size too small for me right now. I only paid $9.42 with tax! My hubby got off work today and doesn't have to go back till Jan 3rd. He may pop into work for a few hours next week but that is it. I have never had so much time with him. Excited but also wonder... I like my solitude during the day. i get a lot done and I do what I want. I plan to still do my walks and exercise. Wish me luck!

6 Weeks Post-Op Video update

6 Weeks Post-Op

Today is exactly 6 weeks post-op, I have lost 40.2 pounds. I woke up early this morning and went to a basic body Pump class, where you lift weights. I have sore thighs. I am excited because tonite I am going to my husbands work Christmas Party. They are taking us to dinner at a fancy restaurant. I am gonna have filet mignon with shrimp. I will have plenty of leftovers!! I am excited to be doing so well since surgery. I feel very blessed.

Stuff I actually use Post-op

Lovely day

Ok, my mind is a buzz with all the stuff I want to do... I want to do a video of what I really DO use, a response to my Youtube video of what I bought to get ready for Gastric Bypass surgery. I also want to do some Gastric bypass cooking shows on Youtube, I get so many questions about what I am eating and I am pretty creative with my cooking.
I woke up this morning to my friend calling. it was 9:30, which for me is kinda late nowadays. I stayed up late talking to my buddy taniacee so I guess I slept in a little. I went to the chiropractor for the first time since the surgery. They were pretty shocked. That was fun. I then met up with my hubby at a Hibachi restaurant and had lunch. I always use the appetizer plate to put my food on to gauge how much i am eating. i took a pic of the plate because it was kinda pretty to me. I have 3 shrimp some zucchini and 1 teaspoon of rice. I ate all of it except the 3rd shrimp. See the pic above....

I also had a little egg drop soup just before the solid food. I can't have anything liquid after solid food, makes me sick, in pain or throw up
Then I went to my favorite park and did my 6-7 mile walk I love.
Another beautiful day.

Dental stuff

Had my teeth cleaned today at the dentist. I asked for the prescription toothpaste Prevident. I thought since I throw up from time to time I should up my dental protection. I read about it on a Gastric bypass info board. The dentist said to use it before bed because you shouldn't drink after using it. I also bought some Biotene mouthwash, it is for dry mouth and it has patented enzymes that dissolve plaque biofilm that can lead to tartar and gum disease. I just want to be protective of my teeth during this new phase of eating. I mailed my Christmas cards, and basically took it easy today. I cleaned the house up before Joel came home and made soft tacos for him and pintos, chicken and cheese for me.
God I need to get my cat fixed. She is in heat again and driving me mad.
Anyways I was 260.8 today, I can't wait to break into the 250's The girls at the dentist office were so impressed by how I looked. Everyone asks me how it is, if the food is tough to deal with. They are so surprised that I am cool with it and doing well. It is kinda nice, having that monkey off my back. Things are so simple now. I have definately found my rhythm with this new lifestyle.

Hibachi

Went to the gym this morning. I thought I would do 10 minutes on the elliptical, felt so good I did 25! I probably could have done 30 but wanted to see what hubby was up to. I also walked the indoor track. Then we went to our favorite hibachi restaurant. I had the clear onion soup, 1 steamed dumpling, 1 shrimp and 1 scallop. it was super yummy and the exact amount my pouch wanted. I knew to have the soup first because solids first then liquid is disaster. It is so weird watching people put away huge amounts of food. It is like my brain has caught up to my pouch and the shear gluttony of watching people shovel huge amounts of food in their mouth is odd. I cut my shrimp up into at least 10 pieces and I watched people pop them whole into their mouth and wondered if they enjoyed their food even a quarter as much as I did. I am not jealous at all when I watch people eat, that has kinda been a surprise. The knowledge that certain foods would make me very ill has changed my opinion on so many things. I used to LOVE rice, just live for it. I was able to watch dispassionately as people ate it today. So weird. I am satisfied by whatever I eat. If I don't get sick, then it was a success and I am happy. Just rambling but that has been such a change for me.

Beautiful Day

Got my minivan back last night 365 dollars for brakes and rotors. They really need to make it more obvious when you are out of brakes, mine didn't even squeal. Oh well. I also need to replace my drivers side seat belt buckle, a bargain at 265 dollars. Geez.

I took my hubby on the long walk I have been enjoying lately. We had a fight on the way to the walk because I told him how long it usually takes to make the walk. We got over it by the time we got to the park and we sweetly held hands most the day. We walked to downtown and ate at a swanky BBQ/ steak house. I had pulled pork, baked beans and a little bit of greens. I didn't get sick, just a little too full and was uneasy for a few hours. I think if I had a little less it would have been better. I dressed for cool weather and it got up to 69 degrees. I knew it would, but we left early and before i knew it I was sweating to death.

We made it back to the car and went home. Then took a nap. It was heaven. I love slow easy days without deadlines and stuff that has to be done. I love long walks, holding hands and decadent naps. What a wonderful world... Sigh

Friday December 7th

Dropped my minivan off to be worked on at the dealership, I always get a sinking feeling about that. I am ironing Joel's work clothes today. I like it because I get to really watch my shows that have gotten backed up on my DVR. I usually wait till he has about nothing left to wear to work, then I iron 3 weeks worth at once. Kinda calming. Thats all for now.

Week 5 Post-op

Cleaning house for company...

Woke up again early, had to clean house ALL DAY. My uncle is coming from florida to see me and meet my hubby. He also has never seen my house. I always go into crisis cleaning mode. mind you I already keep a pretty freakin clean house already. BUT nothing makes me scramble like visitors. I organized the drink fridge, cleaned my room and the kitchen top to bottom, sorted clutter off surfaces that sort of thing. Tons of laundry. Even took everything out of Joel's room and vacuumed it well. Busy busy. No time to hit the gym. I needed a break though, i was sore yesterday!

I'm a walkin....

Woke up early again this morning, went to water aerobics, then showered and blow dried my hair and went to the park. I walked about 7 miles. I did half, took an hour break to sip my protein shake and play my gameboy. I love playing tetris, and it is wi-fi enabled which means I can play against real people around the world. I did that for a while, shopped a little downtown and walked back to my car. I ran some errands and picked up some salmon from Whole foods and some bottles of "Honest Tea" It is SO good! I can have the whole bottle at only 10 grams of sugar for the whole thing. I am going to see "This Christmas" in the theatre tonite with my friend Donna. We watched "Why did I get married?" a while back and the one we are watching tonite is also a Tyler Perry movie. I love his movies. Anyways. Got to cook dinner for the hubby before he gets here. I was exactly 37 pounds down this morning. I was 262.6 down from 299.6 I lose more weight on the days I workout so I have been focusing on getting my butt in gear.

Living in the moment...

Woke up early this morning, felt like going to the gym again. I tried to do 30 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes was all I could do. Then I walked the track and then I swam. I was 263 this morning. I have been losing quicker this week. I think it is because I have been focusing on working out and not snacking as much. I feel so different. I was sitting in a chair today and just crossed my legs. mind you it wasn't a skinny person leg cross, but I don't normally do that. I find myself sitting differently. I just feel different. Just 1 month. It is surreal. It is so soon to be seeing such results. I don't expect it will always be this good, but I am loving it. Before the surgery there was this tension in my mind always feeling like I should be doing something, like I was not doing anything to improve my weight and health. But now i feel like everything is being handled and it is one less thing to worry about. Yes I am overweight, but i am doing something and that makes it ok for now. I am at least on the road to health. its kinda funny, I feel like a secret agent sometimes. Like if I am in a store with normal clothes I think to myself "no one here knows I will be small enough within the year to wear these clothes" it is like a smug secret I keep to myself. It cheers me up and makes me feel ok to be me right now in this moment. I am not living in tommorow, I am enjoying now for the first time. Before surgery my thoughts of the future consumed me, i thought of nothing else night and day, what being slim would feel like, look like, be like... But now being me is fun. And enough.

Woke up at 7 am this morning, wanted to sleep later but this new lighter body has so much energy, so I got up made a protein shake, packed it and my gym bag and got to the gym. Walked a mile then went to water aerobics. There was a new teacher and she was talking to us like we were in kindergarten. I have been doing water aerobics for 10 years, hate this attitude. But good workout. Since I got the go ahead to start lifting weighs at week 6 post -op (less than 2 weeks from now) I went ahead and scheduled my first and second personal trainer session. Very excited. I am 265.2 pounds today. Nearly 35 pounds down!! Today is also 1 month since surgery. It is Dec 1st and I had surgery Nov 1st. There is a Christmas Parade downtown tonite and we are going. Basically I feel great. hope everyone is doing well! Please comment ;)