Lost again ... Happy Halloween

Last evening I got weighed at TOPS and we had a Halloween Party! I was very happy to see that I lost 5lbs ... that's now 39lbs I have lost and I am down to 325lbs!!!

 

Only 25 more pounds to lose before I hit a goal of mine for the past 5 years!!

 

This is a picture of some of the ladies from my TOPS group.  There were others there last evening as well, however, they didn't dress up so they took the pictures for us.  I'm kind of hidden on purpose because I don't want to take a full body picture until I have reached 40lbs lost.

When I got home last evening I had the large task of icing 60 cupcakes to bring to work today for my co-workers for Halloween .... Here are some pictures. It has been a really busy month for cakes but I love it!

Fun Times

Well this weekend I actually decided to go to a dance ... something I wouldn't voluntarily do normally. It wasn't just any dance either, it was a costume dance. I normally would shy away from anything and everything that would draw attention to myself but I really wanted to go to this dance. It was being put on by a few friends of mine and all the proceeds were going to ALS Nova Scotia. I have been helping them out with almost any fundraiser they have for this society but recently it means a lot more to me.  A very good friend/coworker of mine was diagnosed with ALS in May of this year and I know that anything we do will help him down the road.

So Friday after work Colin and I headed out to Valu Village to pick up a few supplies.  I knew I wouldn't be able to fit into 99.99% of the costumes they had yet but I was determined to try and do something. Colin and I had some hats we purchased last year in Disney during the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and so I figured we would use them. I was going to be Minnie Mouse and he was Goofy ... Next year if I'm Minnie I hope to have a cuter outfit to wear lol

I got my niece, Madeline, to do my hair and makeup for me ... I got dressed in black pants and a nice, slimming, black top ... got my hat on and off we went. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt for the first time in public in a long time.  I haven't lost that much yet but it was a different feeling for me.  I enjoyed myself immensely!! We went with another couple, our friend with ALS and his wife.  We met up with a number of other friends there as well and it was a great time.  Now I haven't lost that much weight that I feel comfortable dancing in front of people but I did some chair dancing, talked, listened to the music and enjoyed all the amazing costumes.

Feeling better ... and worse ... All at once

This past week has been a good one, adding in exercise, working on eating the proper foods etc. But I have also come down with a disgusting head cold that put me out of commission just as I was starting to get in the walking groove.

After my last post I realized that I had to stop making excuses for not getting out to walk. I work in a job that allows me a lot of lenience in my scheduling. So I bit the bullet and spoke to my supervisor about going for a walk during my lunch hour each day. In order to do that I had to make sure I had someone cover my phone, which I did, and then I just had to get out and do it. So starting last Thursday I walked at lunch. From my office up the highway and back again. A total of about 15 minutes covering 1.06Km something I wouldn't have been able to do in 45 minutes.

I have been feeling better and better since I starting walking until I got sick. Normally when I'm sick I don't take time off work, I don't need it. But yesterday was just not one of those days. By 11am I was cold to the bone but it wasn't cold in here. I was wearing my Seaside sweatshirt with my hood up when I realized it was time to go home.  I went home, found out my temp was up to 102 and just slept the rest of the day & night away. Today I feel great even though I sound like a dying seal when I cough and that a frog is stuck in my throat when I talk. Sadly it meant me missing 2 days of walking but I will be back at it tomorrow!!!

On the plus side I lost 2.2lbs at TOPS this week bringing my total weight loss to 34lbs. This is a weight I haven't seen in FOREVER and I am hoping to never see it again!

A Gain - But still a learning experience

Well I gained last evening.  Not much but still it was a gain. I weighed in 0.4lbs heavier than I was last week.  I wasn't really shocked but still a little sad.  I was, however, very comforted by the dietitian at the SWLC because she said "These values (the 0.2 loss last week and the 0.4 gain this week) were too small to be considered significant!" She said I could have been wearing heavier clothing, that I didn't pee, or I could have even retained water for one reason or another. Things that I know I should know but never think of at the time.  So to help in one way I am going to locate an outfit that is light weight and comfortable that I can change into before I go every week so I eliminate that as a difference in my weight.

As of last evening I was:
 

That still puts me down 32lbs so I have to keep that in mind and not get too discouraged!

Last evening when I went to weigh my protein for supper I noticed something (mainly because I turned an extra light on in the kitchen).  I had been weighing everything and thought the scale said 3.0oz when in fact it was in grams so therefore was only 30g (1.5oz). I have not been eating enough protein for any meal in about 2 weeks.  I couldn’t believe I made that mistake!!!

I guess its just another lesson learned for me!!

Always Learning

It has been a week of learning for me.  After only losing 0.2lbs last week I was sad/frustrated.  It took a few days for me to realize that I wasn't going to lose 4 - 6 lbs a week without putting in some major effort. After talking with the dietitian, Margeaux, from the Surgical Weight Loss Clinic I was reminded of a few things:

1. The band does NOT cause a person to lose weight any faster the a non-banded person
2. It is just a tool that will help me lose weight. It isn't a magic pill that will magically make me lose it, I have to put in a LOT of work before it will work for me.

I have been transitioning to solid foods. I am fully on solid food as of Wednesday.  That means I should not be consuming my calories in liquid form like smoothies, protein shakes etc. So it has been an experience trying to pick the proper food and quantities that fit within this new life style.

That is something else I learned/relearned ... this is a Life Style not a diet .  A diet is something that has a beginning and an end but this is not that.  This is a life style that I have to adapt to live healthy the rest of my life.

The only thing missing right now is I am having the hardest time trying to fit in exercise. I am so swamped with work, TOPS and other meetings that I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day.  On top of that I absolutely hate walking outside right now.  I hope it will change as I lose weight but I have a hard time walking where people can see me.  It might be self-centered of me to have this feeling but I always feel like someone is watching me, making fun of me while I walk.  I know I shouldn't think that because lets face it I'm not that important for some stranger even care. But that feeling is always there. So to solve it I have purchased a treadmill!!

I can not WAIT to get it. It won't be in until November 9th though. In the mean time I have been cleaning up a storm around the house burning calories as I go.

Off topic a bit ... I finally got my Halloween decorations up last evening ... I just wish I had more. I can never decide on the right decorations. I don't want to be too cheesy with them ... I will have to post pictures later this evening after I get weighed-in!

Down - even if it was only a little

I got weighed in at TOPS last evening and I only lost 0.2lbs. I was told this could happen when I started to introduce real food instead of the just my protein shakes.  Although I was a little upset last evening when the number popped up on the screen I thought about it a little.  I have been trying to figure out how to eat, how to get in enough nutrients/protein/etc but I really haven't added in much exercise at all.  I was too sore if I twisted some ways and although I did get a few small walks in they were not nearly enough.  So 0.2lbs loss is good ... at least its not a gain :D

Today Colin did some research for me and we purchased a Treadmill.  I am very excited because I do really rather walk inside ... especially in the cold months of the year.  We won't be able to pick it up until November 9th but that is ok. The weather is still nice enough for me to walk outside so we are making it a point to do so!!

I start "soft" food today, which is basically overcooked vegetables, fish, and some other items. But at least it is a change again.

Annoyed With Local Doctors

I went to the doctors this morning to get my incision looked at and the stitch removed.  I was given a letter from Doctor Cobourn to give to my own doctor so that is what I did. The doctor I saw this morning, however, didn't even really read the letter.  He asked what it was so I told him it was from my surgeon and he looked at the signature and said "He's no surgeon" I said I apologize but he is a surgeon, but he is from Mississauga. He said "OH"

He then asked again what the letter was for and I told him I had Lap-Band surgery on Sept 26th and I needed the knot cut on my stitches.  He said "Well I don't do that. Around here they tie the knots on both ends and we just pull them and the stitches are all fixed up." I said I'm sorry but that is not what the letter says.  My stitches are all under the skin and there is on knot on the right that you must cut below in order for the rest to dissolve"

The doctor proceeded to argue with me, still without reading the letter, that it just wasn't done that way.  I was getting so frustrated with him.  I finally pulled on the stitch said "see there's the knot, can you just cut below it for me please?" He said, "oh wow ok that is what needs to be done" I was so absolutely flustered with him. He finally went and got the scissors and cut the stitch and I was done.

He continued to ask about surgery, how long I was in the hospital (one or 2 days) and so on.  If he had just read the letter I would have been out in 2 minutes instead of the 20 it took to explain everything.

That is my rant for today!

Hit Some Personal Goals This Week

WOW I can't believe I have hit not one but two personal goals this week!

Firstly when heading to work on Tuesday morning I had to pull my seat up closer to the wheel in the van.  I was noticing the past week or so that I was having a hard time reaching the pedals so I finally pulled it up. It felt AMAZING. 

Secondly, I lost 6.8lbs this week and that brings me down 32lbs total. I hit my 30lb goal :-D sadly I forgot to take a picture of it but that puts me down to 332lbs .. something I haven't seen in almost 2 years I would say.

Today starts puree diet but I'm taking it very very slowly. I don't want to damage anything.  Eating is a whole new experience for me. It is a huge learning curve figuring out what I can eat, how much of it I can eat, and still getting all my nutrients in to sustain me.

Today also starts my exercise routine to the best of my ability. I have to learn to make time for it!