Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 29

TOM came to visit this month, so I wasn't expecting much of a loss..... and didn't get one.

Loss for the week: .2 lbs

Total loss so far: 65.8 lbs

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 27 and Week 28

Week 27

Weigh in Results: +.8lbs

Total Loss So Far:  63.8

 

Week 28

Weigh in results: -1.8

Total Loss So Far:  65.6

MORNING NAKED WEIGH IN: WEEK 26

Down 1.6 pounds this week.
Total loss so far: 64.6 pounds!

Morning Naked Weigh In: Week 23

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

Daily Weighing - Pros and Cons

I'm usually a Daily Weigh-er.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 17

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

NON SCALE VICTORY!!

Last night when I was getting dressed to go to the gym, I grabbed one of my old XL T-Shirts to try it on, just to see how close I am to being able to wear it again. Guess What!?  IT FIT!!!!
YES!!!  I was so excited!  Later, on the treadmill, when I started feeling self conscious in front of all the people there working out looking all cute in their workout gear, I reminded myself that I was wearing an XL T-Shirt!! And that is coming from a 3X!!  I may not look all cute in my work out clothes now, or even FIT into the cute workout clothes yet, but I'M ON MY WAY!!

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 14

 

This was not a great weight loss week. My weight this morning was 252.0 lbs.  I GAINED .4lbs.  I didn't work out at all this week.  I haven't been feeling well, and never made it to the gym.  I'm going to have to do better.  Earlier this week each morning the scale was up a little until I had gained 3 pounds for the week, but beginning Thursday the scale started going back down, ending the week at only a .4 lb gain. While I'm disappointed to have not had a loss this week, I'm relieved that it wasn't a 3 pound gain or more like it was showing earlier this week.  Going forward, I can NOT let myself derail my work out efforts.  It's too easy to find a reason or excuse not to go.  I need to be going to the gym regardless of how I feel unless I'm running fever or puking.

Morning Naked Weigh In: Week 13th

Kind of a low number this week, BUT still a loss, so I'm happy.
251.6
Loss for the week: 2.8 lbs

Total Loss so far: 48.4 lbs!

New Gym Found

Yesterday I joined a new gym.

This one is Local, Open 24 hours,

and is CHEAPER than what I'm paying

now for the gym through Work, which

has limited hours, and that I've been 

having trouble getting to. 

I joined the new gym yesterday, 

and will cancel my other gym membership 

tomorrow.

NO MORE EXCUSES!!

THIS WILL BE THE YEAR 

I FINALLY ACHIEVE MY 

GOALS OF WEIGHT LOSS

AND FITNESS!!

Feeling Super Positive today!

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 10

This was a disappointing week.

Monday after my official Weigh In

the scale was up to 262.0.  Tuesday

it was back down to 261.0,

Wednesday it was 261.2, Thursday 261.2, 

Friday it jumped to 262.4, remained there 

Saturday, and this morning it was 261.4. 

So I walk away this week with a .2lb gain.

UGH.

I thought for sure I would see better results

this week.  I took healthy protein rich lunches, 

I didn't snack in between meals, and I did 

better about getting my water intake in. 

Still not enough, but better than I had been doing.  

AND I got in a short workout on Thursday, 

and my husband and I walked our butts

off yesterday... I was even sore this morning from

it.  I know this is to be expected sometimes, but

it is still a little frustrating.

I Finally Made It To The Gym!!

I finally made it to the gym today

and worked out.

 I only lasted about 25 minutes, but I 

worked up a pretty good sweat. 

15 minutes on the Treadmill, then

10 minutes on the bike.  While on the 

bike I used a feature called Chest Press

where every few minutes, it has you 

you raise your feet onto these posts

and then use the arm handles to pull your 

arms back and forth while it applies pressure 

making it hard to pull.

 

I need to work up to to the point where I am

working out at least an hour, and I need to be

sure and utilize the weights they have there.

I can only hit the gym about 3 times a week,

so I think on those days I will start using the 

weights they have there, and on the days

I am not able to go to the gym, I will go

to the school track walk/run. 

Looking forward to getting FIT! 

Morning Naked Weigh In - Week 9 Results

This morning I was down 2.2lbs for the week.

Not a big loss this week, but still a LOSS. Yay!

Weigh In results this week: 261.2

Total loss so far: 38.8 lbs.

Friday, I dropped a check off at the gym

to start back up my membership, 

so next week I start working out.

Hoping to see better results from here on out.

Week 8 Weigh In Results

I didn't think I was going to lose anything

this week.  In fact, I was afraid I was 

going to end with a GAIN.

TOM (Time Of Month) came to visit this week,

and brought a long a couple of pounds. 

Yesterday I was looking at a .4 increase,

BUT........

I'm happy to say that this morning's 

Weigh In showed a 2.6 pound

LOSS!!!

WOOHOO!!!  

Total Loss this month: 8.8 lbs

Total Loss so far:  36.6 lbs

I was hoping to lose about 10 pounds month.

Maybe when I start working out this January

I will see better results. 

But a loss is a loss, and even if it is slower than

some..... I'll TAKE IT!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Today is Christmas Eve and I had
 to work today. Blah. It wasn't quite so bad,
since we were able to leave at 2:00. 

I'm about to start making some
Peppermint Popcorn Bark

to pass out to family as Christmas Gifts
 at our family Christmas tomorrow. 

I thought Valentines and Halloween
were the "SWEET" Months....

The first of December, we all brought
 in stockings and hung outside our offices
or in our cubicles and throughout the month,
 everyone has brought in goodies to stuff our 

stockings with.  I left today with a stocking
 full of candy, which I will pass on to my
children's stockings tonight. And then today,
a co-worker brought in fudge for
everyone, another brought Peppermint Bark
and our Director brought in her famous Bark.
I ate just a little bit of the Director's Bark
to see what all the hub hub was about,
(and it was good!)

I tried eating just a tiny piece of fudge 

since I haven't eaten fudge in over 15 years

and used to LOVE the stuff, but it was WAY too sweet. 

At the end of the day, one of my co-workers
told me that she was reallystarting to see a
difference in me.  She said that every week

she notices a change and said she just
wanted to let me know she was proud of me. 
She said she sees the healthy choices
I am makingand the sacrifices and wanted
to let me know she was proud.

It made me feel good. 

Weigh In Results - Week 7

I just finished my 7th week post RNY Gastric Bypass.

This week I was down -3.2lbs. 

Bringing my total loss so far to: 

34 POUNDS.

Yesterday was my son's birthday,

and last night I had a little bit of his Cake.

It was a Blue Bell Cookies and Cream

Ice Cream cake we found at the grocery store.

SO GOOD!!

I got a small piece, and only ate about half of it.

I should have only limited myself to a bite or

two of someone else's cake, because although

I didn't get sick, I did feel a little

nauseous afterwards.

I was worried that it might effect my weight loss

for the week as well, but my husband kept telling

me that I didn't eat enough of it to do anything. 

He made the comment: Just think of a few months ago.

You would have been able to eat two or three slices,

but tonight you had a few bites, and then you were done.

Luckily, he was right, and the scale was down a 

pound from the day before.  And it also made me

realize that where as before I had no self control 

when it came to things that I loved, such as sweets.

Now.... I can do without, and when I do indulge,

after just one or two bites I am satisfied.  

Just getting a taste is enough for me. 

Company Christmas Party

Yesterday we had our Christmas Party. 

We went over to Homewood Suites where

we had H'ors doeurves and drinks.

There was imported cheeses, fruit, meats, dips,

grilled vegetables, sliders, and chicken quesadillas.

To drink there was Wine, Water, and Beer. 

Oh, and Hot Apple Cider.

 

I made a small plate of some of the veggies,

some guacamole dip, spinach artichoke dip, and

one chicken quesadilla.   I ate a little of each dip 

and had about three bites of my quesadilla, and I was full.

I wish I could have had a glass of wine, but knew better.

Instead, since I do not like water, I got a cup of Apple Cider,

until I realized Cider has sugar in it, and I was afraid I would

get too much and get sick.  So I only took a few sips.

 

The party was fun, but I must admit I felt a little awkward.

Everyone was all dressed up, drinking, relaxed, 

and having a great time.  I've never been great in social situations

anyways, unless it is with close  friends. 

And while I have lost some weight, I still have A LONG

way to go! But I did have several people comment that 

I was looking great, and they had noticed I had lost weight.

I guess with the wine and beer flowing, they lost some of 

their inhibitions and felt free to comment.

That was nice....

I look forward to next year,

when I have lost much more weight,

and I can really get dressed up...

Post Op Visit

My Post Op Visit:

From my first initial consultation, I was down 27 pounds.

They removed my Staples and said everything looked good.

I had one incision that was leaking after the staple removal,

but the doctor said it was fine and sent me home with extra steri-strips.

I had been having a lot of trouble with nausea and diarrhea on a daily basis.

It was not due to over eating, eating too fast, or eating foods that are not allowed.

I hadn't been able to experiment with food yet, because I was always feeling sick.

All I drank was water, but that made me nauseous too, so was not getting

in all my water or Protein requirements. 

The doctor said sometimes after Gastric Bypass
it takes your body a while to get used to things and that is probably

what was going on, but said he wanted me to go back on liquids

and if my stomach issues were not better in a week or got worse,

to let them know and they would do an Endoscopy

to see if there is any restriction at the incision 

where my intestines meet my stomach.

The doctor said sometimes this can occur, 

and if so, he would use a balloon to widen the opening.

The doctor also said to keep trying different protein supplements

(the protein supplements that I was taking before the surgery

 were making me nauseous) until I found one that

 would sit well on my stomach.

He did release me to go back to work that Monday.

 

Even though the recovery period took longer than expected,

and was very hard on me,  I do not regret my decision.

It was all worth it.

Gastric Bypass - Complications and Recovery

Monday, October 28, 2013 I had my 

Roux-En-Y (RNY) Gastric Bypass Procedure done.

The doctor had said before surgery, there was  a possibility

that once he got in, depending on scar tissue, etc.

he might have to just remove the Lap Band 

and then let my stomach heal for a few months 

before performing the Gastric Bypass.

Another possibility, he said, was that if my lower intestine did

not cooperate, and would not move up to where he needed it

to, that he may have to perform the Gastric Sleeve instead.

Once he got in, The doctor found that

 I had a Hernia in my stomach.

THANK GOODNESS he was able to 

go ahead and remove the Hernia, remove the lap band, 

AND he was successfully able to perform the Gastric Bypass.

I woke in recovery HURTING.  

I don’t remember much about it, but I remember

asking about my heart. My chest was hurting, 

and it scared me because it reminded me of when I went in for 

Gall Bladder Surgery, and woke up in the ICU

with my Chest hurting, and found out my heart had stopped.

I don’t remember what they said about my Chest hurting, 

but all had gone well.

I think the hardest part about my first two days post surgery

 was not being able to drink anything.  NOT EVEN ICE CHIPS!!

I never knew your mouth and tongue could get THAT Dry.  

It was awful.

I didn’t get hungry or crave food.  

All I could think about was a glass of

ICE WATER!! 

...and I don’t even like water.  LOL.

When I was finally able to drink and eat ice chips  I was so relieved.

Unfortunately, however, I was limited to 30ml 

(or 1 ounce) every HOUR.

So… as far as getting my thirst quenched 

and my dry mouth solved?  Not so much.

I went home on Wednesday, October 30th.  

We waited all day to see if I was

going to be released, and finally shortly after 6pm, 

we got the news I could go home.

Knowing I was going to have trouble sleeping in our 

bed due to the pain in my abdomen,

my husband had gone to the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store

and purchased a recliner for $50.00. 

THANK GOODNESS he did!!

There is no way I would have been able to lay flat.

I spent all my recovery time in that recliner.

The day after I was released was Halloween.

A relative took the kids Trick Or Treating and my oldest

daughter stayed home to take care of me.

My husband was going to return to work 

the next day so had gone to bed.

Late that evening, after the kids returned home,

I began to hurt worse than I had before.

The pain medicine I was sent home with 

really wasn’t taking the pain away, either.

I had just finished doing the breathing exercise

 they instructed me to do with the aspirator 

they sent me home with, so thought maybe 

I had swallowed some air and it was gas making me hurt, 

so I took some gas medicine.

A little bit later, I started feeling very nauseous.  

I took my anti-nausea medicine but it didn’t help.  

My daughter kept wanting to wake my husband up,

but I told her to let him sleep, he had work the next day.

Around 9:00pm I started throwing up 

and finally told her to wake Dad.

He called my Surgeons office, 

and was given the doctor’s cell number.

But the doctor did not answer and wasn’t  returning the call.

My husband said he would wait 30 more minutes,

then he was taking me back to the hospital.

But 5 minutes later I was throwing up again. 

He said “alright, that's it, Let’s go”.

We went back to the same hospital I had the surgery in, 

thinking that they would be better equipped, 

having my records, etc.

When I got there, the ER Doctor didn’t have any knowledge of

Gastric Bypass, and kept asking the same questions over and over.

The hospital began calling the doctor as well, 

but he was not answering for them either.

The tried numerous times to reach him.

Luckily, the ER Nurse had worked in a critical care unit

years ago at a Bariatric Center, 

and was familiar with Gastric Bypass.

He thought I was experiencing the “Dumping Syndrome”.

I told him I had been very careful not to go over my

1 oz of liquid in the allotted time, 

but he said sometimes it happens anyway.

They gave me two different anti-nausea medicines, 

but it did not help.

FINALLY, the surgeon called back, and said to admit me,

take me off all fluids, (not even ice chips) again, 

and ordered a CT Scan.

Fat Girl Vs. The World

Once the decision was made to have Gastric Bypass,

I then had to inform my family and work.

  I have only told my immediate family, 

and everyone has been very supportive.

  As far as work goes, I’m lucky 

in that my immediate Supervisor 

had Gastric Bypass done years ago,

so she understands and is supportive and encouraging.

When I first told those at work my FORMER Supervisor,

asked why I was doing something so drastic.  

She said “your still young, why don’t you just diet and exercise?”

  I told her that I have, and this has been a 20yr long struggle with me.

She then proceeded to tell me how she has lost 34 pounds,

and although it has taken her a year, she is “getting there”.

She told me of the changes she has made at home cooking, etc.

(all of which I made long ago)

and how she got her whole family involved

(which I have done as well).

  I explained to her that my weight and health had gotten to a point,

that TWO doctors suggested the surgery,

and that when discussing with the doctors and my family,

we all felt it was what was the best thing for me.

I know that she meant well, and she was nice about it,

but the whole conversation was humiliating, and I felt

like I was having to DEFEND my decision.

It’s different talking with someone who 

understands and knows my journey,

than with those who don't really know me at all.

  My husband was furious when I told him about it,

but I told him, that this was something 

I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.

Those who have never struggled as much with weight issues

as the morbidly obese do, just don’t understand.

So many people out there have such strong 

adverse opinions on weight loss surgery.

They think it is an easy out.

I would love for them to actually read about the procedure

and see just how far from EASY it is.

 I know that no matter how healthy I eat or

how much I exercise, 

and no matter how hard the struggle is,

there will always be those out there

that will credit it all to the surgery.

The surgery is not a cure all, or an easy fix.

We don’t get the surgery so that we can eat 

whatever we want or as much as we want.

Quite the opposite.

One of the side effects that most people

 have from the surgery, is that they can no longer 

tolerate sugar or fattening foods.

  We HAVE to eat healthy or we could possibly get sick.

The surgery is just a tool. We have to put forth the work.

We have to make healthy eating choices.

We have to exercise and make sure we get in

our water, protein and vitamins.

  Imagine for a moment, never being able to eat Birthday

 cake on your child’s Birthday.

  Never being able to sit down to a large dinner,

or eat all the foods and sweets you grew up 

with at Thanksgiving.

Not just for a few months or a year 

while you are on your “diet”,

but for LIFE.

  It is a sacrifice that we have to be willing to make.

And I decided that my life is worth it.