Time flies....

Wednesday May 8, 2013

It's been a long time since I have updated this blog.  Part of the reason I stopped updating my blog regularly is because I felt that my weight loss was going so slow now.  Checking my last post it shows it was on January 13th and I was 223.5 pounds.  Three and a half months later I am now 199.5 pounds.  Yes, that isn't super fast but it a constant forward progress.  My goal has changed to a mere 5 pounds a month.  Last month I fell just shy with a 4.5 pound loss.  But this adds up.  If I were to accomplish this goal each month I could weigh 169 in 6 months.  I don't know if this is realistic but it is something to work towards.  And like my inspirational quote above states, no matter how slow I go I'm still lapping everybody on the couch!  Yay, me!!!!!

It is so fun to be part of life.  I knew being obese stopped me from particpating fully in life, but I didn't realize how restricted my old life was.  I have a lot more courage to jump in and just do.  The fear is still there but fades into the background.  I feel more confident and capable all the time.  Ron and I have been embracing our new bodies and trying to enjoy life to the fullest.

I've always been a bit of a clothes fiend, but now that I'm out of fat women stores it's released a whole new monster.  I LOVE shopping!  I actually own a lot of shoes now which I never have before.  I have an organized closet full of cute and fun clothes.  I love dressing up and accessorizing.  Who knew looking good could bring such a high.  I went from a size 28 to a current size 16 in pants and 14/16 top. 

As of now the only medical problem I have is thickening of the endometrial lining.  I take progesterone for 10 days once a month but just for 3 more months.  Other than that the only meds I take are vitamins and supplements.  My skin is starting to glow again.  My hair is growing in thicker.  I'm trying to grow it out and try new styles.  I acquired solar nails.  I'm becoming a real woman.  LOL

Saturday we took a trip to Crater Lake.  Here I've lived in Oregon most of my life and I'd never been there.  What a real treat.  From there we went to see Mount Shasta.  Gorgeous!  We drove 930 miles in 2 days and saw all the beauty Oregon had to offer.  When I was heavier being in the car that long would have killed me.  But I loved our road trip and can't wait to do it again, especially when the convertible gets here.  At the hotel we enjoyed the hot tub and swimming.  Wasn't happening when I was plus 300 pounds.  A lady sitting next to me was over 300 pounds and I shared with her my weight loss journey and I hoped I inspired her to check out gastric bypass.

For any one of my friends reading my blog who has co-morbidities and has a BMI over 36, I encourage you to run to Salem Bariatric Clinic and meet with the fantastic staff there.  I have a dear friend that just had her surgery a few weeks ago and another who is scheduled at the end of May.  I can testify this was the best thing that I have ever done and Ron would echo those sentiments.  My only regret is I didn't do this years ago and could have gained those lost years and replace them with healthier happier years.

I would like to take a moment and thank the people in my life that have been such an encouragement and support.  This has not been easy but it's been made easier by so many great family and friends.  I treasure each of you!

Almost 6 months!

Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
Lucretius

I felt this quote was so fitting for my journey the last month.  I have been on a plateau for several weeks but this week I saw almost a quarter pound a day loss for a 2 pound loss this week.  I honestly didn't think much of it, but even small things can turn out great results.  It's the consistency that counts.  I need to focus on the end results not the weekly scale.

It's been over a month since I last blogged.  I have had many triumphs and reached several milestones.  First off, I've lost over 100 pounds.  Second, I can now wear my size 16 jeans.  I feel a lot better and am noticing how much lighter I feel on my feet.  

A few weeks ago we went to see an off Broadway musical at the Keller Center.  We've been season ticket holders for a couple years now.  The chairs there are quite small and very uncomfortable.  I've always tried to sit on the end row so I didn't take too much of someone else's space.  This time, I set next to the other person and let Ron have the end spot.  I didn't crowd the person in the least.  And on top of that, we took the stairs for the parking and to the balcony seats and I was not totally sweaty for doing so.  I have come such a long way.  I almost feel normal now.

My husband Ron had the surgery on December 17th.  He is doing fabulous, been off his insulin for 6 weeks with no sign of blood sugar problems.  He's now into a 34 jean and looking fantastic.  He's ready to join a martial arts class because he feels he can physically fit in.  I'm so very proud of him.  He doesn't have much more to lose to be at his goal.

When I look in the mirror now I am shocked at what I see.  I know I have a lot more weight to lose but I have lost even more.  I don't feel like the obese person that people stare at.  I fit in booths at restaurants without any problem.  I can buy clothes at regular stores instead of just Plus Size shops.  In fact, I broke down and bought my first Spanx.  My skin is starting to sag and I figured until I can have it surgically removed I should probably wear some type of support.  I went to Catherine's my usual Plus Size store.  I tried on their smallest size and it was too big.  So they had to send me to Lane Bryant's which still has larger sizes but has smaller sizes as well.  That tickled me pink!  During Christmas we tried on rings at the jewelry store and I now can wear a 5 1/2 ring.  Wowza!  My feet have shrunk and I had to buy new shoes because my old ones kept falling off as I walked.  I am just a few pounds away from being able to buy a Victoria Secret's bra.  The list goes on and on and on.  There isn't anything I do now that hasn't become better from the weight loss.

For my friends that have been reading my blog and have weight to lose themselves, I urge you to look into bariatric surgery.  It has been a life saver to me.  My husband was totally opposed to it and look, he went and signed up to have it done himself after seeing how well I did and am still doing.  I will personally be your mentor and guide you through the process.  I try to share my experience with everyone I meet, as I have a strong testimony in the results and the great gift that I received the day I had the surgery.

I had my checkup with my surgeon right before Christmas.  My labs came back perfectly.  My cholesterol is in normal range, my vitamin levels, and it showed my risk for a heart attack is now in the normal range.  I no longer have any comorbidities.  I am a healthy adult with a long life to look forward to.  

I have a lot of photos to post and share.  First I want to share my side by side wearing the exact same shirt.  The picture on the left was at my highest which was 330 pounds.  The one on the right was 226.  104 pound loss!

 Here is this years family picture.  What a difference!

   12/9/12  232 pounds

12/16/12  229.5

12/23/12  226

12/30/12  226

1/6/13  225.5

1/13/13  223.5

Week 17- In control

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
       - Jim Rohn

 I have had great joys and sorrows this week.  Before I blog about my joys I want to take a moment to give honor to a great man who lost his battle with cancer.  His passing really rocked me because his wife and my dear friend Jennifer loved her Superman Doug with all her heart.  I see so much of my relationship with Ron in their relationship and the heartache she must be feeling is overwhelming for me.  I also feel for the children and all those who were lucky to know and love and be touched by Doug's influence.  He was a great, great man!

Now on to the positive and the joys.  This was Thanksgiving week and I am overjoyed by the new me.  I was so in control, ate small amounts, nothing bad, and I did lose.  I can't remember a Thanksgiving weekend where I have EVER lost.  I usually gave up and would say I will try after Thanksgiving is over.  But then Christmas would sneak up and I gained even more with all the candy and Holiday parties.  IThen January 1st rolled around and the usual New Year's resolution was to watch what I ate, exercise, and lose weight.  This year I had no real desire to overeat.  I didn't even cook.  We ordered our meal from Shari's.  It was very low-key and the festivities had very little to do with the eating.  Ron and I enjoyed a good movie next to a roaring fire.  It was a very pleasant day.

Though I did lose I only lost 1.5 pounds this week.  At first I was a little discouraged but I noticed clothes were hanging even more than usual.  Lost Sunday I tried on a pair of pants I had bought in a size 20.  (I started at a size 26/28).  These jeans were inches from being zipped up just a week ago.  However I thought what the heck, I'll try them on anyway.  They had no trouble zipping up and fit!  Now that was obviously not because of a 1.5 pound loss.  So I guess I need to realize it's not all about the scale.  I can have success with the size and in the long run isn't that more important?  People don't see the scale but they do see your size.

   

Friday I took the time to decorate the house for Christmas.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas and what a joy I got from making the new home look festive.  There were bumps along the way and I ultimately had to buy a new tree, but in the long run, it was perfect!  I could sit and stare at the tree all day and all night long.  

  Here is this weeks picture.  As a disclaimer this picture is taken after a very long, long day.  I left the house a little after 10 AM and I was doing church work until 5 PM.  I didn't even eat or drink until I got home at 5 PM.  I was beat.  So this was taken today, Sunday November 25th.  I am down 90.5 pounds and weigh 239.5.  Again it was just a 1.5 pound loss but it was a loss nonetheless and over Thanksgiving weekend.  I feel so in control and am thrilled by that fact.

Week 16, November 20, 2012

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many–not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
~Charles Dickens

Being Thursday is Thanksgiving I wanted to dedicate this week's blog to giving thanks.  I have much to be grateful for and I try hard not to take my blessings for granted but to acknowledge my Heavenly Father and His goodness and mercy.  Even though I have had many trials and afflictions I have for the most part lived a very blessed life.  Some of those choice blessings started with the loving home I was born and raised in.  I am so grateful for my family.  I was raised by and with incredible people who influenced me with good.  I have been blessed to live on this beautiful earth and given the appreciation of nature and all the wonders of it.  I have been blessed with a loving husband who is absolutely and unequivocally my best friend.  I have 4 amazing children, one loving daughter-in-law, 3 fantastic step-children and 3 fabulous grand children.  I have been blessed with an incredible home, the ability to work 2 jobs, my husband's employment and his wonderful benefits that blesses our family.  I have good health that is constantly getting better with every pound I drop.  The surgery has given me a new lease on life and I have a chance to take full benefits from this great blessing that was bestowed upon me.  And not lastly as there are too many blessings to list, but I am blessed with good friends that support and encourage and bless my life in more ways than they can ever understand.  My cup runneth over and I have more blessings than maybe I'm even deserving, but I am eternally grateful for them.

This last week was a fantastic week for weight loss.  I lost 5 pounds!  I am trying to get my exercise in more regularly.  Time is never my friend but I'm trying to make it happen nonetheless. The weight is a testament of what a good workout can do to help speed up the weight loss, not to mention the endorphins feel incredible after the workout.  

I finally reached a point where my old clothes were just not going to work any longer.  It was very necessary to go shopping.  My problem is that I don't want to spend much because my clothes will fit one week and not another.  So after Ron and I went to Breaking Dawn 2, (which I LOVED by the way) we went over to the Macy's Annex.  This is the discounted section of Macy's.  I found 7 sweaters for only $4.99 each.  Now the price was super exciting  but there was something even better than the cost.  I took in a whole bunch of sweaters to try on and I couldn't even begin to believe what I found.  I was no longer a 3x to 4x.  In fact I was not a 2x or a 1x.  I bought 4 sweaters that were an XL and 3 that were just a normal large.  And they fit!!!!!!!  I still can't believe it.  The one I'm wearing today is a large and it fits perfectly.  I think I was in my early 20's the last time I fit into a large top.  Woohoo!!!!!

I noticed wearing clothes that fit help to make me look smaller.  I have many more people noticing the loss now.  So I guess the moral of the story is, wear clothes that fit even throughout weight loss.  

As of Sunday I have lost 51 pounds since my surgery which was 16 weeks ago.  I have lost a total of 89 pounds from my highest weight which was in February 2012. 

This first picture was taken July 15, 2012 and I was at 305 pounds.  The second picture was taken November 18, 2012 and I am at 241.  So this depicts a 64 pound loss.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family.  May you each take time to count your many blessings.  I wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving with the ones you love.  Remember not to eat too much!

Week 15

It seems I never have enough time to get all the things I want to do done.  My blog is one of those items on my never ending lists of things I must update.  I'm sorry to my friends that keep asking me when a new post will be added.

Moving is never easy and after almost 20 years in my old home one can only imagine the accumulation of pure junk there is.  What is even more amazing to me is the filth I'm finding under heavy furniture that doesn't get moved very often.  The filth is thick and gross and it really makes me feel so dirty.  I can't believe I was living with it.

I can't help but to use the move as a metaphor for my weight loss journey.  I have been in my overweight body for even longer than the 20 years at my old address. I have accumulated more junk not only in the trunk but all over my body.  Being that my body was so heavy I didn't move it often to clean under it. Moving to the new address feels like a great new start.  And what's even better is it feels so clean and helps me be motivated to keep it this way.  Ron and I are both feeling like we want to stay as minimalistic as we can.  Isn't this a great way to treat our bodies as well?  I want to keep the junk out of my body and keep myself clean and healthy.  Moving my body and cleaning the cobwebs and dust away on a daily basis is the best way to keep my transformation on the right track.  Doing this makes me feel fantastic and I hope to always feel like this.

I have many friends that have had the surgery around the same time as myself.  One of the biggest dangers I keep facing is comparing my weight loss to theirs.  I don't lose quite as quickly and haven't for probably the last 5 years of my life; ever since I started perimenopause.  What I'm learning is I can't focus on their losses, but stay focused on my accomplishments no matter how big or small they are.  I am moving in the right direction and this is a lifelong commitment   It's okay to be the tortoise and not the hare.  I will never, never, never give up.  I AM creating myself!  I am confidently moving in the direction of my dreams and living the life that I've imagined.  I am very, very happy with how well I have done.

Sunday, Novemeber 11, 2012  246 pounds  (84 pounds lost)

 

A change is a coming...Week 12

I decided to devote today's blog to change.  I've always liked my life constant, the same, predictable, and very afraid of change.  But this time of my life is finding great change.  There are so many changes that I've had to decide, change can be good.  Without change I cannot realize my dreams, my potential, and ultimately success.

The first change I'm dealing with is I'm moving to a new home.  I've lived in my current home for 18+ years.  It's the only home my son Ian can remember.  A lot of life has happened between these walls.  There has been joy and there has been pain.  But it is time to say goodbye and start a new and better life in a new home.  I am very excited but again, very scared.  Moving has left me absolutely exhausted.  I have been finally picking up work with my second job which is good because the move is proving to be very expensive. Add in the second job and moving, well, needless to say Laura is getting very little sleep.

I'm so thankful to Ron for doing as much as he's been doing.  He has been moving items each night, assembling new items, and repairing the new house.  He's allowed me to keep on working while he works until he falls into bed bone tired.  Ian has also been a great help with the move.  He moved into the new house a week ago and comes over to the old house to make a load while Ron is at work.  We've had great teamwork, but I think this weekend is going to be the killer weekend.  We're hoping to get all we need so we can start staying at the new house by the end of this weekend.

The other big change has been what's been happening with my body.  I've lived in this overweight body for probably a good 25 years with the last 20 being the worst.  Though most may not think this is true, it is very scary to change what you've known for so long.  There is comfort and familiarity with all that flubber.  But as I'm finding out, change can be good.  No I take that back, change not only can be good, change IS good..  As I struggle to find clothes that aren't hanging on me I can smile for a job well done.  I still am feeling great.  I am having success.  I KNOW this change is going to stick.

Because of the time constraints with the moving and working the 2 jobs I have not been able to exercise like I need.  I'm not sure but this could be the reason my loss was smaller this week.  Well, that and I suspect stress plays into it too.  5 hours of sleep a night is not exactly what I would call optimal.  I feel like a walking zombie.  But this too shall pass and once I get settled I can get back to having normalcy and a well-oiled schedule back into my life.  Then I can settle into my changed environment and feel all safe and secure once again.  That is until the next big change I make.  And I do plan on making many more to come.

Since I have not blogged for a couple of weeks I have 2 pictures.  I find it humorous that even though I have lost from the first to the second that I actually look heavier in the latter.  As fashion stylists preach, clothes can add or subtract weight.  I'll worry about that later when I'm at a constant weight.  For now, I am just happy to fit into clothes I've never worn and have been sitting in my closet because I "planned" on losing weight one day.  I guess that plan came to fruition.  Now I can do that happy dance.

                                                    October 14, 2012 255 (75 pounds lost)

                                                               October 22, 2012  253

New Moon Rising...Week 9

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.   Aristotle

I wanted to add the quote above because as I settle into my normal daily routine the most important thing I can do to achieve excellence is repeatedly make good choices which then become habit!  I am settling into my new way of life very well and though I can't say it's easy, it's doable.

Beverly Beach, Oregon Coast  September 29, 2012

Friday was my 48th birthday and the way I celebrated was by making cupcakes for my daycare children, burning Scentsy "birthday cake" scent, and then going camping.  We had a great time at Beverly Beach campground.  So much so that I think this has become my new favorite.  The weather was fantastic and we had it all; trails that looked like the mountains and then of course the ocean/beach.  What more can you ask for? 

A little critter on one of the trails we walked at Beverly Beach

Saturday we walked a LOT!  We took every trail and walked every road just to see the campgrounds.  We then walked the beach and enjoyed the ocean.  Later that day we went to Mo's and got some clam chowder and garlic bread.  I did eat some chowder just not very much.  It's such a treat to eat old favorites but then be able to be satisfied with just a few bites.  

Sunset at Beverly Beach- Oregon Coast  September 20, 2012

Saturday evening we tried to walk back to the beach to see the sunset but Ron's leg was really aggravating him again.  I told him it seems bizarre that before it was me who always held back our physical outings, now it's him.  I was ready to walk forever.  I hope physical therapy helps him.  He tries so hard not to complain but it really hurts him.

While we were at the beach we went to Fred Meyer in Newport.  They were having their clearance of clothes and I decided since the 22 pants were getting big quickly even though I just bought them a week ago that I would buy 20's just to be ready.  So I bought one pair of 20's and the crazy thing was, they fit.  When I went grocery shopping Monday I bought a pair of 20 jeans but they are still too tight so I believe it's just because the first pair were a stretch material.  But the new jeans are not far off.  It's always a great treat to be looking forward to a new smaller size.

My goal for this week is to up my exercising and to be more consistent with it.  I want to make my exercising a habit of excellence.

I had a moment this evening that really made me step back to analyze my feeling on my weight loss.  The last few months I have felt so much lighter and almost skinny.  As the clothes and scale have been going down and down and down, all I have had is positive thoughts.  But then this evening I took a good look at where I really am and it was downright depressing.  I am NOT skinny.  I am very, very overweight still.  It was almost like I just discovered this fact.  Yes, I have lost over 71 pounds, but I have over a hundred more to lose.  That can put a damper on one's enthusiasm.  So to bring up my morale here's one more quote for me.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

October 2, 2012  259