Thanksgiving down the hatch......

Whew....I totally survived Thanksgiving Week in so many fabulous ways!

1.  Kicked my nasty cold in time to actually enjoy a few days off from work! 
2.  Ate all the wonderful Thanksgiving foods and haven't gained any weight! (Portion control)
3.  Got to spend time with or at least have great long distance chats with all my immediately family!
4.  Watched the Alabama Crimson Tide finish off the regular football season by beating Auburn in the Iron Bowl......Roll Tide!

and......

5.  I have a great picture to share with everyone so they can see my progress!!  I am the chicky in the center of this pic (for my sweet followers who don't "know" me). 

 

Back to work in the morning and my first post-Thanksgiving Bootcamp class Monday evening.  That should be interesting but totally rewarding!  Pumped!

 

Sick.....but skinnier!!

I'm sick....like the winter crud everyone gets.  This is the first time I've been sick since surgery.   I've had a few stuffy/sinus moments but this is the first sickness I've had in almost 6 months.  Considering I work with little ones with disabilities who otherwise cannot take care of their own needs when they are sick, I am thrilled I haven't been sick sooner.  This was going to happen sooner or later.  I used to get sick so easy.  Would keep it forever.  My body wasn't strong enough or healthy enough to fight it I'm sure.  I'm not sick all the time now and will be interested to see how quickly I bounce back from this given that my insides are much stronger now.  For now,  I am misrable and sick!  But there is a first time for everything!

I did sit in the waiting room today about 3 hours!!  Sat back in the patient room another hour.  The waiting room was full of super cruddy people who had the same symptoms as me.  If I wasn't sick when I got there,  I was when I left.  I am AMAZED how many ADULTS do NOT cover their mouths when they cough.  They just cough and spew thier germs freely for all to indulge.  Given that I didn't feel so kind today,  it really took everything I had to not say something to these people.  Was disgusting!!  Those reading this that know me, know I would say something.  If my kindergarteners can cover....so can you!!

The GREAT news is that I am officially in the 170's!!  I lost another pound.  Total of 63 pounds.  The nurse that did my vitals today was like WOW when she saw the difference in my weight from last time I was there. Of course she asked me how.   I told her that I had weight loss surgery (WLS) to HELP me lose weight and how dedicated and hard working I had been since to truly lose the weight and change my lifestyle.  Of course she had to lecture me (as she sat there weighing close to 300 pounds) about people she knows who gained the weight back...blah blah blah and the people who died that had Gastric bypass...blah blah blah.  Well,  sister doesn't want to try to break out statistics on me.  I am more than educated regarding WLS than the average Joe.  I know my stuff better than most!  She and I can chat about the people who die all the time from obesity and the comorbid aliments that come with obesity and then we can compare the dangers of WLS.  I was a good WLS patient though.  I just told her that WLS is NOT a weight loss fix.  It is simply a tool and that the person MUST dedicate the rest of their life to making healthy changes etc.  I told her how much work I put into cooking, making my little lunchbox meals, and the exercise I am committed to.  Explained to her why most people gain the weight back etc.   Tis true.....if I sit here and basically do what I did before.....I'd have the same results as before.  WLS holds me accountable only!  I have had to wholeheartedly dedicate myself to change! Shed the old to make room for the new!

Now....I am off to take meds and rest!  I want to be well enough to enjoy my time off from work this week!!  Turkey and football time!

Survivor

Yes yes...I'm alive.  I didn't post for a few days after my Bootcamp experience and people were sending me messages to check on me.  I am GREAT!!  Fabulous (with a chest cold) but fabulous nonetheless!!

I didn't post a weight this week because TOM came Monday nite after Bootcamp so I was feeling all ycky, bloated and fat this week.  There was a moment I thought my body was dying a slow death after the Overdrive class on Monday nite.....ha ha.  I don't weigh when TOM is here. I was a little sore on Tuesday after the class on Monday nite but I was INSANELY sore on Wednesday.  I couldn't even sit down on the toilet without just falling back to sit.  Was sooooooo SORE SORE!! 

I did go back to Bootcamp on Wednesday nite and LOVED it even though I was so sore.  This was the acutal bootcamp class.  It was just as hard and intense as the Overdrive class I went to on Monday nite but at a much more realistic level for me.  There were several girls in the class and I was blessed enough to have the owner and his brother there to cheer me on.  Mike, the owner's brother and a former co-worker of mine, did the class too so it really helped having that extra support there.  They literally cheered me on and pushed me to work through the hard parts etc and that was fabulous!!  I left there feeling amazing emotionally and physically.

My favorite bootcamp activity for the nite was the Bungee Cords.  These are HUGE bungee style cordsbolted to the wall and attached to me with a harness.  We would run with the bungee on, staying low to the ground to keep from flying through the air like Superman.  You will fly through the air if you don't stay low. We did A LOT with the cords.  Ran forward, backward, around cones, putting disks on the cones, the cones kept moving further out etc.  I really liked it.  Great for strengthing the core and helped my legs warm up from being so tight and sore. 

I didn't go to the class Thursday nite because I attended the special premier of Twilight's Breaking Dawn 2 with girlfriends.  We all wore our PJs out for dinner and then walked over to the theater for the 10pm show.  We had a private theater with 100+ other friends.  Was so fun!

I've had a chest cold all weekend that finally put me down for the count Saturday nite.  This is the first time I have had any sickness since surgery.  That is amazing!  I had a sick student in the classroom all week who slimed me daily so was given that I'd get sick.  I slept almost all day today but I did get up long enough this morning to weigh and I have lost a pound.  Total of 62 pounds since June.  The inches coming off are INSANE though.  Clothes are shoes are too big!!

Had to clean the clothing drawers out this weekend.  ALL my workout clothes are too big.  I am also having to part with almost ALL of my cute college football shirts too.  Sad to see all these XL and XXL clothes GO but still sad because I do love all these clothes so much.  Cute stuff. 

As long as I am feeling better I'll be at Bootcamp tomorrow and Wednesday nite and Zumba Tuesday nite because.....Thanksgiving break is after that!!  Ready to eat some turkey!!

Boot Camp....in Overdrive!!

I have no doubt that there will be weight loss when I weigh in the morning.  I actually lost .5 over the weekend but that doesn't get me too excited so I don't make I big deal about it.  I am sure I should but I digress.......as I was saying,  there SHOULD be weight loss in the morning. 

However,  I may not be able to lift my foot from the floor up the little INCH to the scale. No, I am not kidding.  I started BOOTCAMP tonight at a local gym called Fitness Connection owned by some sweet friends. They have been begging me to come.  I had recently gotten very content coming home from work and sitting. Making those old empty promises to exercise in a minute, an hour, before bed or tomorrow. Old rocky road I have been on before.  Last week I made a deal with myself that I was going to find someone or something to get me back motivated and hold me accountable.  So.....when a Groupon type coupon was advertised last week for my friend's gym (12 bootcamp classes for $20) I knew it was a match made in heaven and my cue to get off my butt and get this body in gear!   I bought 3 of these babies....committment or a slow death.  Not sure yet!

Today is the celebrated Veteran's Day so I was off work.  Started my day with an hour massage (oh so wonderful by the way) then some shopping for cute dresses (I am ADDICTED to dresses right now) and some sushi and edemame.  If I had known how HARD that bootcamp class was going to be, I would have saved that massage. 

The class started out with some simple warmups across the floor such as lunges, squats, and lite sprints.  Then I hear the word BURPEE.  I was like....wha wha what???  I have heard that word before.  It is really like a 4 letter word in the exercise world.  I have friends who do Crossfit who whine and complain about burpees. Look up the Crossfit program if you don't know what it is because I assure you I will not be posting my attendance at Crossfit anytime soon. 

I did A LOT of burpees, squats, sprints, and other wonderfully engaging activities with a 12 pound medicine ball.  A LOT!!  The class was one hour by the way.  Only 3 of us total and I was waaaayyyyy out of my league.  About half way through I asked the instructor (who found me entertaining....sadly) if this was the beginning class.  He thought that was really funny and said yes....but one of the Olympic Decathalon athletes in my class tonight told me it was not.  I was in the DANG advanced class called "Overdrive".  That is NOT what the schedule said.  But I was not going to quit....even though the thought crossed my mind to walk out a few times.  I think the instructor yelling BREATHE at me the whole time kept me focused.....or alive for that matter. 

I looked up the class description when I got home and it said for ADVANCED athletes only.  Designed to burn 1000 calories per class.  Ummmmm....hello!  Well just so yall know,  I survived that whole class.  I did my best, held my own, didn't ever quit, and didn't puke!!

However, as I walked to the car I was already sore.  I am even sore to bend my elbows.  That was right after class.  My legs feel like lead weights.  I am SORE and it is only 3 hours after class.  Tomorrow morning should be interesting.  But this is the way I would want it.  I want to know I worked hard. I was to feel my progress and know that I worked those muscles.  I want to feel that burn baby!

All I know is that this was fabulous in a weird way.  I did it!!  My "I did it" moments mean as much to me as the weight loss, healthy choices, etc.  I have always been a "challenge" addict.  Love a good challenge and I know if I can keep doing these classes (the bootcamp class though) that I will get better and better and eventually be able to Burpee my way all the way to fabulosity "overdrive!!!  Until then....I need someone to tell me when the beginner class is please!!

If I can make it to the scale in the morning...I will post the new weight loss if there is one!!

Whining is worthy......

Ok so......clearly whining burns calories because I lost a pound.  All my whining the past few days about stalling and I lose.  So.....61 pounds it is!

I'm excited to wear my new "boutique" clothes tomorrow.  Will TRY to get pics!  I have yet to hold up my end of the bargain on the new pic deal.  My mother is here staying with me so will see if she can help take some pics of me. 

Here are pics of my Bariatric style Bento meals for the next 2 days.  Enjoy: (description below)

 I recently read on the blog of my Bariatric mentor Eggface that she MUST have dips to survive with her Bento box meals.  She makes all of hers with Greek Yogurt.  So, I made dips.  All of this is for my meals and snacks the next 2 days at work. 

Bento container on left:  small box= Ranch Dip (dry ranch dressing powder and greek yogurt; medium box=Carmel Dip (greek yogurt with carmel flavored sugar-free Torani syrup); large box=fresh strawberries, carrots and celery stix to...dip!!

Bento container on right: small box=homemade pickles from a local Herb shop; medium box=coleslaw; large box=2 low fat mozzerella cheese sticks and ham rollups.

Container in the back:  Greek Yogurt with fresh blueberries that have been marinating in Splenda for 2 days.  Yummy.  This will be my breakfast. 

Happy Day

Since my post yesterday was so doom and gloom because I am stressed about stalling again, I thought I'd share some really great news. 

It really doesn't matter how many times I read that stalling is normal and the weight loss will start again, I do forget that I also read to not focus on the scale but on other factors like how loose my clothes feel, the loss of inches,  etc etc.  I forget this and get all hurley whirly about being stuck at a 60 pound weight loss in 4 months...ha ha....as if that isn't something fabulous. 

So, this morning as I got ready to run some Saturday errands, I was reminded.  I slipped on a pair of my newer jeans and a cute women's cut Bama shirt.  Put the jeans on and they were super baggy.  These are a misses size 16 in a brand that runs small which means I am very close to a size 14...yay!  My shirt was baggy but looked cute on.  You could really see my curves...especially how small my waist is getting. 

One of the errands I had to run was to a super swanky, upscale and trendy boutique here in Birmingham.  It is called The Pink Tulip.  This is the kind of store us chubby girls do NOT even think about going in.  I would have been embarassed to go into a store like this 6 months ago.  I am postive there wouldn't be a single thing but a necklace that would fit me.  The reason I went there today is because I won a gift card on Facebook from them.  They choose me because of my comment about my weight loss.  I was TERRIFIED to go in there today.  (Anyone who has struggled with their weight totally understands this anxiety).  As much as I know I am sooooooo much smaller, I really didn't know what to expect in a boutique.  Boutique brand clothing is typically from Europe or Asia and runs super small.  Like their 1x is a medium in American standards.  Yes....I was nervous. 

I shopped in there today with confidence on the outside and serious anxiety on the inside.  I didn't want to pick out clothes, have the ladies wait on me hand and foot (and they did!!) just to hand everything back to them ashamed it didn't fit.  Well...that didn't happen.  Instead,  EVERYTHING fit and was sooooooo cute.  Everything was also soooooooo expensive.  I picked my 3 favorite items and went on my merry, chipper and skinnier way!!

I needed this boost today!!  I am losing inches like crazy.  The lack of movement on the scale means there is some muscle inside me too.  So......all is well!! 

I'm stuck and I can't get off.....

Back on the stall roller coaster.  AGAIN!! Annoyed but this too shall pass.  That is most exciting thing I have to say right now.  I am downing protein and veggies like crazy so my insides are healthy,  my mind is right, my body is taken care of.  Thankful for living right but DAMN.......I don't like stalling.  I teeter on sheer panic most of my days lately at the thought of working this hard, making the lifechanging decision to have weightloss surgery, and living my life right to only lose 60 pounds.  I am still overweight.  Not obsese anymore but still FAT.  Yes, beating myself up a bit.  I need a Bariatric hug. 

Fortunately, I am soooooo thankful for The World According to Eggface and some fabulous chicas that had surgery around the time I did because they have all reassurred me that this stall STUFF is normal.  Eggface and the chicas have reported 1 month+ stalls. 

Where I do take responsibility is....not exercising. Again!! Not eating enough sometimes....AGAIN! In my defense, my mother was in a bad car accident 2 weeks ago and has required my care due to not having a car, doctors appointments, and finally a surgery this on a broken wrist.  I am sitting soooooooo much that I literally feel like fat is just collecting all over me.  I do not like this feeling.  Relaxing is good.....feeling lazy and unmotivated is not.

I am determined that November is my month to take back my weight loss.  Stall or not, I am going to work harder, eat better, exercise more, and move forward.

PS...Stall you suck!!