Happy New Year to me :-)

Okay so here are my New Years Stats -
In 2010 I've lost 69 lbs !!! I've lost a total of 31 1/4" from my body! I feel so AWESOME! I can now wear clothing anywhere from 2-4 sizes smaller than before!

I do have to say that the month of December has been SLOW in the loss department with only a 10 1/2 lb loss and 3 1/2" but this is to be expected and it's far better month than i've ever had a traditional diet so who can complain right? However i know that in the new year exercise is going to be key to me getting to my goal.

So, as much as i HATE New Year's resolutions I am going to set 1 goal and that is to UP my exercise to a minimum of 30 minutes at least 5 days out of the week. I'm not going to be hard on myself that it has to be one certain type of exercise, because if i get too regimented i'll hate it and not want to do it. So my plan is to do start off with walks (as weather permits), riding my indoor bike & doing some aerobic exercise. I will also try to get in some muscle training with light weight lifting.

Cholesterol - drum roll please

Okay last January my total cholesterol was 216....
Had some bloodwork last week and my total cholesterol level is now.....

128!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes you read that right 128!!! Now let's face it, it didn't go down from January through August, it started going down after surgery i'm sure.

So i have gone down 88 points! I honestly feel like i won some sort of "healthy" lottery or something - I've been grinning from ear to ear about this all day!

Merry Christmas 2010

Just some random thoughts as the holiday is quickly approaching! First of all I can't believe I am 67 lbs lighter than i was just a very few short months ago, what a Christmas gift that is in itself. It feels so good to get more accomplished each day than i was previously able too.
Some strange wows -
* still excited over the crossing of my legs - i keep doing it all the time now, it feels so AWESOME!
* I can bend over to cut my toenails w/out any trouble, i used to have to twist and bend, now i can do it so easily, maybe i'll even start painting them :-)
* I'm rarely actually hungry, what a great thing that is this time of year especially. But at the same time it's totally okay to indulge just a bit without having the guilt. I also can't overindulge, it's just physically impossible. LOVING IT
* actually hoping and wanting new clothing for Christmas, in the past i could care less what i wear, in fact most of the time if someone bought me something i'd return it cause inevitably it wouldn't fit or look right on me...now i'm wanting new clothes, mainly cause i'm sick of wearing my cinched up sweat pants
* I'm looking forward to parking myself right on the floor Christmas day with my awesome daughter and opening gifts, CAN'T WAIT!

65 lbs. Wow Just Wow

65 lbs since Sept, it's simply amazing! I am feeling so good! Even though I only lost 1/2 lb this week it's still a loss and being that i lost 6 last week it still evens out to around 3 lbs a week i am losing.

I really do need to get better about getting in some daily exercise. I tend to push that to the back burner with everything else going on and when i do think of it, i am simply lazy about it and don't do it. Once this busy holiday week is over, my goal is some kind of a daily exercise, even if it's just a few minutes on the bike or something. I gotta do it to keep the weight coming off :)

WOW...I can cross my legs & 2 years

and be comfortable, and look like a lady! HUGE WOW moment in practice this morning at church for the kid's Christmas play. I just crossed my legs, didn't even think about it, just did it. I hardly every sit down w/ my legs crossed, it was uncomfortable and looked stupid with my big belly and fat legs. Now i can do it! FELT AWESOME!

On a not so happy note, it's been 2 years today since my daddy died. I miss him so much, but i often feel his warmness shining down on me from heaven. I know he's watching over us and is proud of us. Doesn't make the hurt 100% better but it helps! MISS YOU DADDY!

3 month pictures

PRE OP

About 6 weeks out

TODAY (3 months)


Now i don't see a big difference between the 6ish week out ones and today's but my clothes are too big on me and I don't really have much that fits snug so that could have a lot to do with it.

3 months (a few days late)

60 lbs GONE FOREVER!
I am struggling lately to wrap my head around this weight loss. NEVER EVER in my forever history of dieting have i lost this much weight, nor ever kept any significant amount of weight off.
I was feeling so much "lighter" and really "feeling" the weight loss, but this last week i've been feeling "fat" and "unhealthy" again. Not sure what is prompting this feeling. I've read alot about the mental changes that significant weight loss can have, so i suspect that it's a "head thing". But each time i weigh myself and see another lb or 2 gone it just is starting to seem so unreal, like the number on the scale is lying.
John just looks at me kinda funny when i say i still feel just as fat as i did, and i know that he's right "i'm nuts" but i'm working through it and i'm sure i'll start to "feel it" again soon :)

I'm on target....almost :-)

I'd really like to acheive 50% EWL (extra weight loss) at 6 months out, in the "weight loss surgery" community that is a good indicator that you are doing awesome with your diet/exercise plan. It puts you on track to get to your target weight, which of course is the ultimate goal.
Now in general i am trying to not get too caught up in the "numbers", i'm just really happy with whatever weight loss i have and ultimately the healthier me i am "gaining". BUT it's a really good feeling to be "on track".
As of today i have another 14 weeks till I'm 6 months out from surgery. If i lose just 3 lbs per week average I will be at 47% EWL, that's pretty darn close to the 50% goal and I would be over the moon happy with that! 3 lbs a week is very acheivable as long as i keep doing what i am supposed to do :-)

12 weeks

Happy Thanksgiving!
So much to be thankful for this year. My family of course comes first, but also up there on the list is my thankfulness for this surgery that is literally saving my life.
As of today I am down 56 1/2 lbs! Unbelievable.
I am planning a very special dinner. I havn't changed up too much, but i did make a sugar free low carb pumpkin cheesecake, looks so good! I'm making my stuffing with low carb, whole wheat bread instead of white bread. And i'll say "no thanks" to the white rolls and sugar filled pies this year. But overall i'm expecting a nice "normal" holiday!
Enjoy all your blessings this holiday!

Still losing..

Not much to post lately. I am continuing to lose, it's slowed down now a bit but still coming off "quick" really. My goal is 3 lbs a week so that at 6 months out I'm close to 50% EWL (extra weight loss), but i won't freak if i don't stay at that rate. I'm already feeling so much better. I have no regrets at all about having the surgery. I don't really miss anything i no longer eat, i truely don't. I did have my first full fledged craving 2 nights ago. I just wanted some Reese's Puffs (cereal) so badly, it just sounded SO GOOD. So instead of trying to ignore it, or eat a bunch of stuff i didn't want to trying to satisfy the craving, i gave in. I used a tiny little baby bowl and ate maybe 1/2 a cup of it w/ some milk. It tasted good, it satisfied my "craving" and that was the end of it. I havn't craved them since, i didn't go on any kind of binge, i just ate a tiny bit to satisfy myself and I was done with it. WOW, how i've changed!!!!