It's a New Year

So, what can I say. Yesterday I weighed in at 153 for a brief moment. LOL. Most people use the begininig of a new year to make exercise goals.

I am going to seriously reflect on things for this year....I want to list them to try to keep me honest. I truly believe that the people who blog are a bit more succesful.

One more things.....I MUST attend WLS meetings....that's my goal for this year...I will make an official list shortly.

It's New Years Eve 2009

Wow, what a difference a year make. This morning I weighed 154 lbs...so no difference from last year. This is good but I still want to lose 8 more pounds. My daughter and I will be joining the Y in January. Hopefully this will help me accomplish my goal.

You know I have read so many blogs about people getting married after they had WLS....well, I am not saying that I am getting married but I have started talking to someone who is from another State. I am so excited! God only knows how this will turn out but I am happy about the experience.

So as I reflect on 2009 I am talking to my new friend on the phone. I know that I am blessed and highly favored to have my family and friends who love me.

Tomorrow - August 4th

Tomorrow is my Birthday, I will be 44 years old. Tomorrow I will also be 20 months post op.

I weight 155 and m goal is 145. I wear size 8. I want more....

19 months out....

It's with a heavy heart that I must say that I am not doing well from a weight loss perspective....well, I say not well because I'm at a stand still. My weight fluctuates between 153 and 156. I'm so bummed by that.

Now let me say, I am not doing all that I can do and that's why I am writing today. I also want to attend group meeting tomorrow. I am trying to get back on track. I am still a size 8 and medium, but I feel I could reach my goal weight if I tried harder. I've met Dr. Smith's goal for me but I want more. I ask myself, "am I being greedy"? I may be but I want to go as low and I can so if I gain 5-10 percent back, I will end up where I am today.

Don't get me wrong, I get many compliments and I know I've come a long way but I want more.

I completed Pink Ribbon 8k on Saturday at Stone Mountain Park; it was great. I need more races. I found a new water aerobics class that I can pay as I go and I'm excited about that as well.

Hair issues are improving and I'm happy about that too. There's so much going on right now.

The last time I had my labs done, they were not complete. I need to have the re-done so Dr Smith will know if I have any deficiencies that need to be addressed.

Ramblings

It is so hot! On Saturday, we went to Stone Mountain Park to a picnic that one of my friends planned. It was really nice. I can't believe I sat outdoors for almost 8 hours. Things have definitely changed.

Last night was water aerobics with my daughter and it was a great class. I took my nephew too; he's older and he plays football but I think he really enjoyed it... He had never done anything like that before. He can swim but my daughter and I can not.

My little one is getting more and more comfortable in the water after just 2 classes. One of the parents has really taken her time to work with my daughter before and after class to help her float etc.

Sunday night, I took 3 teenage boys, my daughter and one of her friends to Acworth Beach...I was nervous about the girls going because they are so much younger and can't swim... but my nephews can swim and they are ages 13,15 and 16. We will probably do that again soon. It was so relaxing for me.. I sat on the beach watching the sun set while the kids played.

I am not sure if I've mentioned this before but I am a single parent. My daughter is adopted; she was 6 1/2 months when I become her foster mother and the adoption was final when she turned 4 years old. She doesn't know that she's adopted yet; my decision to adopt her has changed my life.

Parenting her is the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. She has a very strong personality. Quite frankly, she wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her perseverance...she's a blessing to me and I hope I am one to her. Sometimes, I feel so inadequate.

One of her friends parent invited her to go to Six Flags this week; she earned a free ticket by reading during the school year. I am hesitant to let her go, but I will pray about it. I rarely allow her out with other people. I'm just really careful about that especially because she can be so "head strong" sometimes. She's a bossy little smart girl. :)

My big concern about her going with other is the fact that she's a risk taker....that's totally opposite from my personality...Over-all she's a good kid, she's very creative and she can entertain herself. She never gives up which is a blessing and a curse... Well enough about her....

OK, just a little about my weight....I am stuck between 152-154...I am still considered overweight. I wear mostly a size 8's and some size 6's. In shirts/tops/blouses, I wear mostly small and some mediums. I never in my widest dreams thought I would like this size. I'm content but I would like to wear less than 145 so I can be considered normal size.

I just started exercising so I hope to get rid of the last 8+ lbs.

I've been working late for the last several weeks; I am off to take my daughter out...maybe to the park so she won't be so bored. Since I work from home she's stuck here in the house all day unless I plan an activity after work with her.

Anyway, until next time...

Water Aerobics Class

Tonight, my 7 year old has a water aerobics class...and I am able to participate too. I'm so excited. I absolutely love water aerobics. Again, choices for kids have a free water aerobics class on Mondays nights in the month of June.

My little one is so excited too; she's never done water aerobics before.... It should be interesting...

Today my 7 year old and I completed a 5k in Woodstock. Choicesforkids.com had a 5k to raise money for childhood obesity. This was my daughter's first 5k and she did a great job. Afterwards there were activities for the kids.

My daughter did WI Fit she really enjoyed it; she shot basketball hoops. She's really good at that...and one of the things I'm most proud of her for is the fact that she climbed a rock wall. It was very tall and she had to try 3 times before she went all the way to the top but she did it.... and I was so proud of her determination to complete the task.

Famous chef, Marvin Woods, cooked low fat jambalaya and other meals. He also answered questions about removing fat from common dishes. It was great.

Next week, there is another 5k that I want to participate in; I think this one benefits epilepsy. I don't plan on taking my 7 year old because I would like to complete this one quicker. I am planning to participate in a 1/2 marathon in September so I really need to step up my game and get to training.

I met someone who does boot camps for women. Now, this is something that I think would take me to the next fitness level. A new class begins next week, but I won't be able to participate in it. I can't afford it right now; but I wrote down my contact information and she will call me so I can participate in the next class.

She told me that she could see my excitement about the class as she described it to me. I pray that I will be able to participate the next go round.

My weight fluctuates between 151-153. I can't seem to get below 150 and stay there. My goal is 142-144 lbs.

Well, that's all for now; I really don't have much of a social life outside of church functions.

Idle thoughts

Today was an interesting day. I plan to add pictures soon. In a few days, I will be 18 months out and it's been a good ride.

I went into my office and people literally didn't know who I was; I was so afraid of letting my previous team mates see me, but it wasn't that bad. I've been working from home for the last 2 years, and I haven't seen these peoples.

I really need to work on not being concerned about what others think of me. I'm not there yet. I was really stressing about it.

No matter how much weight you lose, it doesn't fix everything. I am a work in progress.

We did it

So, Saturday morning, the kid and I headed to Kennesaw Mountain Park to walk up the mountain. As I previously stated, I was not necessarily looking forward to taking my daughter but it turned out well. It was drizzling rain on our way up and I prayed that the rain would hold off until we finish....and it did.

She did very well. I was so proud of her. We may do it again on Saturday. The city of Woodstock is having a choice4kids 5k to educate parents and kids on childhood obesity and I really want to take her to that...so we will see what happens.

Today is a day of relaxation for me. While my daughter is trying to get me to take her to the pool in our subdivision, I plan on taking a break and "chillin out".

Later this afternoon, we will go over to my sisters house for dinner, then back to work tomorrow.

Since I work from home and my kid is out of school; we will spend this week getting into our summer routine. Our children's ministry at church is having a pool party to kick off the summer; it's on Thursday afternoon. So, I've worked out a plan to take my daughter to the pool party and work also.

I would like her to attend basketball camp, but I'm apprehensive about the camps because I don't personally know the people involved...and the kids are grouped with older kids. I personally don't agree with 7 yr olds being grouped with 13 yrs old kids. So, I will keep looking.

One more thought, out bible class lesson yesterday was about "discipleship". This was a very sobering lesson that convicted me. If you recall me mentioning in my last post, that I didn't feel like I was participating in life...well, our lesson reintegrated that but for different reasons. I will continue to share my thoughts on this as I meditate on this.

Talking about Marathons

I am so looking forward to this 3 day weekend. My weekend seems to go by so quickly. There's so much to do. I plan to get a pedicure in the morning. That's "my time".

I had every intention of going to support group last night. Something always come up. I had to take my Dad to the womb center at Kennestone Hosp so I worked late to make up the time.

Today was the last day of school for my 7 year old and I think I'm more excited than she is about that. I don't have big plans for the summer. I have to keep expenses down. But I will work on something special for my daughter's birthday in July.

Before my surgery, I was training for a marathon and I had gotten up to 11-13 miles per week. Well, I haven't done much in that area since 2007. Today I decided to get started again.

I want to complete a 1/2 marathon before the end of this year. I know I can walk one but I want to run most of the race and that will require much training. So, tonight, I went to www.active.com and selected several 5k races to participate in and to get me started.

Prior to my surgery, I trained with www.getfitatlanta.com. It was a really good program, but they train on Saturday mornings in west cobb and it's not convenient for me. They have a team that trains in the Kennesaw area but they meet on Sundays and I can't make that commitment because I go to church on Sundays. It cost me $125.00 several years ago to join the training program; but, I'm not sure how much it cost now.

Maybe next year, I can train with them. I selected three 5k races. I need to add a couple of 10k races to get me ready for the Silver Comet 1/2 Marathon at the end of October.

I'm posting this to keep me honest. I have not done a good job of consistently exercising since my surgery.

I don't remember if I mentioned that I was diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of months ago and was told not to exercise until they found out what was going on. My lung doctor told me that it was OK to exercise if I felt like it....and I do feel like it. I went for a walk in my neighborhood yesterday with my daughter and dog. It was nice.

I'm thinking about walking up Kennesaw Mountain in the morning. I really need to take my 7 year old but it's not as relaxing with her because she complains and she wants to stop a lot; but I know I need to take her so she can learn to like it. We'll see how that goes...

I don't want to look back and regret not taking advantage of the time that I have. I read other people blogs and they seem to be living life to the fullest. I am not quite there yet but I have a desire to do so.

Another rainy blessed day

I just switched physicians at my doctors office. I made a great choice. I've been struggling with Pneumonia for 2 1/2 months and I didn't feel like I was getting what I needed. My new doctor referred me to a lung doctor and I go and see him tomorrow.

I also have to see a Gastrointestinal doctor as well. My new doctor is sending my test results to Dr. Smith. This is the first time this has happened in the 17 months post op.

Right now, I am resting. I decided not to go to church today because I haven't gotten the rest that I needed to get so I can get rid of this stuff. I feel okay, so I forget to take it easy.

We are having guest from church over later and I need to rest up for that too. Yesterday, my daughter and I took family portraits for our church directory. I think they came out good. I can't wait to get them back. Olan Mills need to get with the program; a lot of places print the pictures off and you receive them right away. I have to wait until these come in the mail.

Weight wise, I am holding steady at 150 lbs. I would love to weigh 142 and stabilize at that. We will see how it goes. I cant exercise right now and I haven't done much exercising in the past. (not consistently). I really miss it too.

well,I guess that's it for now. I hope all is doing well on their journey

It's May already - it's hard to believe

You know I didn't think anyone read this blog so I stopped writing. But, I got two comments so I will provide an update. I am at a plateau. I've weighted 151 for several months now. I'm ready to go below that, however, I can't exercise because I've had pneumonia for the last 8 weeks. I had a chest x-ray today and the doctor asked me to wait before exercising.

My liver enzymes are elevated so I had blood work done today. My lowest weight was 144 lbs becuase I was in the bed sick.

I would like to get to 140 so I will have some wiggle room. I wear small size tops, and mostly size 8 pants and dresses. I still do not think that I'm small though. So, as you can see I have some mental work to do. i don't think I'm fat either though.

Still have issues with my hair, I just thank God that I started with a lot of it. I truly believe it will come back though.

You know I read other blogs and they have a lot of interesting things to talk about.... I feel that I do though.

My goals for May are to attend support group meeting and begin exercising. I have never really consistently exercised through this entire process, but I really want to know. I miss water aerobics class that I attended prior to DS 17 months ago. Water aerobics is a sneaky way to build muscle mass, I absolutley love water aerobics.

It's almost the end of school and I'm glad. I have to find an economical way to entertain my 7 year old.

to be continued....

After the holidays

We had a wonderful holiday. It's great to spend time with family. We are a blessed family and I'm so thankful for the many blessings that we've received this year. I'm not referring to monetary and tangible gifts either.

Nothing new on the weight loss front. I weighed in this morning at 152. I would like to be below 150 by the end of the month but I doubt it. The weight is slowly melting off and I'm fine with that too. Next week, I will start walking at least 20 minutes in the mornings. I need the exercise and I need the sunlight to help with my Vit-D deficiency. My PCP called me in a prescription for potassium because she said my level was low. I need to goggle potassium to see what foods I can eat to help me in that area as well.

I year check-up

Monday I had my 1 year check-up. It went great. Dr. Smith said I've lost 91% of my excess body weight. He said that's better than expected. He thought I would lose approximately 80%. So, I am a happy camper and I'm not done yet.

I'm learning to deal with the fact that my hair is not thick like it use to be. Actually, if you didn't know me before DS you would not know that I have hair issues.

I think I have figured out the bathroom issues. You know you read about them prior to the procedure and I've talked to people who talk about them BUT until you experience it; you don't have a clue.

MY PCP did my labs so I don't have the results yet. I expect good results. At my six month check-up, my vitamin D was low which negatively impacted my calcium. I hope there is improvement in this area.

For the first time in my career at HP, I am scheduled off work for 2 1/2 weeks. Today I will work 1/2 day; then I am officially off until January 8th. I am excited about it. I will have a house full of family so i pray that it is a peaceful time.

My stats speaks for itself:

268/263/153/140
HW/SW/CW/GW

I year and 3 days out

Wow what a difference a year make. December 4th 2007 i made the decision to travel the ds road. I still have mixed feelings about it. I'm very pleased with the results but...I know I wouldn't weigh 154 lbs if not for the procedures. It's wonderful to shop in regular clothing stores. I definitely have more energy. I have exercised like I should and I will be working on improving in that area this week and the remainder of this year.

I'm so excited about the holiday and about having 2 weeks off from work. That definitely works for me.

My clothing size is medium and size 10. I look forward to stablizing and helping others who choose to travel this road. Dr Smith's goal for me was 160 lbs, but my personal goal is 145. I'm sure I will achieve it.

Anyway, I will come back later to finish this but I have to run right now....

It's almost 1 year out

So here I sit evaluating my first almost year. It's been an experience. I wonder how many people gain their weight back. I'm getting the impression that quite a few people gain their weight back. This is bit of a concern for me since I haven't exercised the way I really need to.

I want to do some weight training. I have a fear of getting an hernia if I overdo it. I don't want to go thru that; I'm not sure if that's a rational fear or just an excuse.

We are approaching the time of year where people are benevolent and considering the economy, I hope and pray that people in need are really blessed.

In the past couple of days, I've run into previous co-workers that I have not seen in years. The funny thing is that they see me and recognize me before I even see them. They are really impressed with my weight lost. Since I work from home, many of my co-workers have no clue what I look like.

I still can't believer that I wear medium size shirts/tops/sweaters and size 10 pants. I weight 152 lbs. I'm happy about that but I still am struggling to get all of my protein in. I HATE PROTEIN SHAKES. PERIOD. There are many who said they eat enough protein. I only need 67 grams a day; I should be able to eat that but I'm not quite there....well that's all for now.

I'll write again soon.

It's been a while

I truly don't think anyone reads this so I'm not that consistent in writing. But, I need to remind myself that this is as much for me as it is for anyone else. I'm 11 months post op and although I researched my choice for WLS for a couple of years, I still did not quite know what to expect until I started living it.

Easy way out, this is not. I haven't had any major complications but it is a lifestyle change. Coming up on my 1 year anniversary, I just want to share a few things that I don't particularly like about my DS.

1. the bathroom experience
2. my hair loss
3. my inability to consume enough protein

I can't think of anything else that I just don't like. I've manage to steadily lose weight. I'm down over 100 pounds and I look like a different person so everyone say. I am planning to take Christmas family pictures for the first time and I'm really excited about that.

I'm so excited that I will have two week off for Christmas vacation, it's mandatory and I'm so excited about the break. Yay!!

I wear a size 10 and mostly medium size shirts. I have purchased 2 coats and both of them are medium. I'm ready to be done losing weight. I need to build muscle mass. I use to be really muscular. I'm not that flabby...just in the most common places, arms, thighs and tummy. No plastics for me. BMI is still 26+ which means I'm still overweight, so I need lose another 10 lbs.

Happy Labor Day

This has been a great year. I am 3 days away from my 9 month anniversary. Things are going well. My 2 sisters and I went to Kennesaw Mountain this morning; we walked to the top and back down again. It was exhilarating. I always enjoy that walk even though it's challenging for me.

It's been a relaxing day and I've truly taken the holiday weekend off. I will probably sign into my office email in an hour or so to get ahead of my email before tomorrow but all-in-all I was able to rest, which is long over due.

Nothing new on the weight loss front. The weight has been slowly melting off. I'm a size 12 but not for long. I'm down 102 lbs from my highest weight. Only 6 lbs to go before I meet Dr. Smith's weight loss goal for me. But, that's not enough for me because I truly want to be considered a normal weight. Although, I look fine; according to the charts, I'm still considered to be overweight. When I would read this on other people's blog, I didn't quite understand it, but I understand it now.

Last night at a church dinner, someone cornered me about my weight loss. I haven't really told that many people at church because I don't want to discuss it with everyone and I think I don't want people discussing me. I guess I shouldn't care, but I do. Anyway, this woman was trying to make me tell her how I loss weight and I refused and she got mad at me. Here's what she said to me "I have to know what you are doing, you look so good that you can stop traffic". I laughed at her and told her the change couldn't be that drastic but she said "believe me it is". This is a lady that I consider to be "skinny" so I was totally shock to hear this from her.

I still can't help but think about how invisible I was prior to the procedure. It literally brings tears to my eyes at times. Now, I'm trying not to hide and that's still difficult for me, but having a 7 year old forces me out of my comfort zone.

I read another person's blog talking about making a difference everyday we wake up and that is truly my desire in life, but sometimes it's easier to just operate in reactive mode. I am striving to do better and to make sure I tell my friends and family how much I love and appreciate them. I don't want to take anyone or anything for granted.

I know my hair loss has decreased and I think it has stopped totally. I will continue to take Biotin 5000 mg and get protein conditioners for my hair. I can finally see improvement. Now, I need to tone up my body. Since, I've been losing weight so slowly I'm not really flabby, just a little flabby. My thighs and arms need the most work. I hope I can just exercise and not have to have plastics. I just prefer not to have to go under the knife again if I don't have to. It's not an issue for me right now since I'm only 8+ months out.

Two more non-weight loss challenges are work/life balance and my budget. I'm making strides to improve in both of these areas. However, I feel blessed in spite of the present challenges that I have now.

Enjoy your holiday!

It's Saturday

Well, I'm sitting here because a storm hit and we lost power: I'm using my laptop until the battery dies. I decided to write a brief update. My weight is down to 171 lbs. I'm almost in the century club, just 3 more lbs.

Last Saturday, my daughter and I went to six flags white water with one of my friends from work. I thought I would feel self conscious in my bathing suit, but I slowly got comfortable walking around. There were 2 favorite moments for me:

1. My daughter and I got on same donut on the water ride. While floating, I thanked God for the opportunity to be able to do this. I couldnt believe the whole thing.

2. My 7 year old daughter pulling towards the waves in the wave pool; the fact that she was able to pull me against the waves amazes me.

It's been a very busy week and we are preparing for back to school here in GA.

Monday is my birthday and I will be 43 years old. For the first time in 8 or 9 years, I'm not obese. I pray that it's a very relaxing day. I don't have much planned but a little pampering. One of my friends told me not to plan anything so I'm not sure what that means. Anyway, I"m blessed and truly grateful for DS.

The race bug has hit me again, I'm thinking about training for the 10k on Labor Day; back in the day when I did local races, this is one race I said I would never do, but I may. I will decide this week because I need to begin training specifically for the race. The race is primary uphill. My younger sister runs track and I asked her to do it with me but she's undecided.

So, we'll see. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now

A New Month

I'm down 94 lbs and I'm 7 months out. I'm so pleased. I've been evaluating my stress factors.

Work continues to be stressful. I've worked at a major computer company for 18 years. This was my first real job right out of college. Corporate America has changed so much since 1990. If you are in Corporate America, I'm sure you can relate to my next statement, "my company has continued to downsize and the work load for the remaining employees seems to increase daily. While I'm grateful not to be one of the ones laid off, there's a lot of pressure.


I'm working on my plan B. For the last 10 years, I've wanted to go to nursing school. Yesterday, I found a nursing program in my area for students who already have a Bachelors degree in another field. It's a 16 month program as long as the pre-requisites have been completed. I know it's a challenging program but it will be worth while if my time comes. I need to schedule some time with an academic counselor to see what I need to do to prepare for the program. I'm hoping and praying for at least 18 more months with my company, so I can pay my car off. I would like to have 20 years of service too.


Anyway, next week is my daughter's 7th birthday and I told her that she is not having a party this year. She usually has a party because she's an only child and it gives her something to do, but not this year. I am planning a special day for her and two of her friends, but I haven't decided what to do yet.

I have not been consistent with my exercise and I so want to do better in this area. It seems like I can eat almost anything now, so I really focus on portion control. I only eat off salad plates to make sure I don't eat more than I need to eat.


I still need to do a beter job of getting all of my supplements in. I'm still working on my hair issues which seems to be improving. I hope I'm done with that.


I'll chat later.