Tag Archives: Weight Loss

1-Year Post Bariatric Surgery Update!

This is me as a happy girl today!! ;-)

This is me as a happy girl today!! πŸ˜‰

Good evening!

Yep! That’s right! As of today, it has been exactly one year since I had my gastric bypass surgery, and I thought it might be the perfect time to give you my weight loss update!

As of today, I have officially lost 99 point something pounds since April 2012, and 59 of those pounds have been since my gastric bypass surgery on September 4th, 2012. I say 99 point something, because I actually can’t remember the exact number that my surgeon said! All I remember hearing was 99 pounds. YEAH! ME!!! πŸ˜‰

I have been reminded by my nutritionist that I am still eating waaaaay to many carbs, and I am almost 40 grams of protein short every day. OUCH!!

I also know that getting in 64 ounces of liquid a day has been the bane of my existence, and I am not sure I have EVER been able to get that much water in since my surgery. When your stomach is the size of 2 or 3 ounces, and you can’t drink within 30 minutes of eating, it really limits how effectively you can get your fluids in!

I also really need to step up my exercise routine!! I just need to push myself harder, and spend less time sitting on my keister!! πŸ˜‰

SOOOOOO…

long story short, I have got A LOT of room for improvement!!

They also showed me a chart that proves that I am losing on the slooooooow track. and for some reason my physician thinks I am having a love affair with pizza – I really am not, but the last two times I had seen her, I had just happened to have pizza the previous evenings!! Which just also happens to be the only two times I have had pizza in the past three months! Sheesh!!

To say I left my appointment today feeling a bit defeated is an understatement, but I was reminded by my girl friends, and my sweetie that I have still come a LOOOOOONG way baby!! and I know it is true, but to put it out to the universe in writing, I decided to share a list that I had created months before surgery.

This is a list of all of the physical goals I had written to myself in May of 2012. Basically, this is the if-I-could-do-anything-after-weight-loss-surgery-this-would-be-my-dream-list:

  1. Jog a mile non-stop – DONE!
  2. Cross my legs – DONE!
  3. Touch my toes with knees unbent – DONE!
  4. Ride my bike for a half an hour straight
  5. Run up two flights of stairs without getting winded – DONE!
  6. Wear high heels without pain – DONE!
  7. Run a 5k – DONE!
  8. Fit into a bathtub – DONE!
  9. Sit Indian-style in a movie theatre seat – DONE!
  10. Be able to sit with my knees up against my chest – DONE!
  11. Be able to use the chair-tables in the auditorium – DONE!
  12. Be able to fit into a restaurant booth – DONE!
  13. Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls – DONE!
  14. Weigh less than when I first met Jason, when I was 18 – DONE!
  15. Slip into a size-14 again – DONE!
  16. Not be the first one tired on an all-day shopping excursion – DONE!
  17. Get rid of the dreaded C-pap machine – DONE!
  18. Be able to ride cowgirl-style in my favorite evening activity! πŸ˜‰ – DONE!

 

I actually hadn’t remember that I had written that list, but I have to tell you once I found it and realized that I have done EVERY SINGLE thing on this list except one (only because I haven’t tried it yet), and that was #4 Ride my bike for a half an hour straight, and I am sure at this point, I could TOTALLY do it!! πŸ™‚

So, I am going to consider this a success thus far!!

Starting tomorrow, I am back on the straight and narrow, and my goal is to lose 30 more pounds within the next 6 months! WOULDN’T THAT BE AWESOME???? But the reality is, that if I never lost another single ounce from today, my life and my future is ALREADY better than it would have been 100 pounds ago!!! πŸ˜‰ I have to keep in mind how good life is right this minute!! πŸ˜‰

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

A Weight Loss Progress Update!

???????????????????????????????Good evening!

I thought I would just stop rather quickly this evening and give you all an update on how my weight loss progress has been going!! Since April of 2012, I have lost a total of 105 pounds. For the past couple of months I have been fluctuating between a loss of 102 pounds and 106 pounds lost in total!! So….with that in mind, I take body measurements every week. I measure my neck, underbust, waist, hips, right thigh, right calf, right bicep, and right forearm, and so far I have lost 50 inches in total! To me, that is more astounding that the 105 pound loss, in all honesty!! πŸ™‚

My actual pounds lost is still going really slowly, but, and this a BIG BUT, my sweetie and I have started running most every morning!! We run a couple of loops in our neighborhood, one is very hilly and extremely difficult, and the other is hilly but a little more rolling hill in nature, AKA easier!! This has been really exciting to me, because what started out taking me 40 minutes to complete, now takes me about 32 minutes to complete. I can feel myself getting stronger and my recovery time is much faster than it has ever been. I am starting to get a taste of what being fit actually feels like – and let me tell you…all of the hard work is sooooo worth it!! πŸ˜‰

???????????????????????????????

Not only have we been running, but this past weekend my sweetie, and one of our nieces and nephews went on a 10 mile hike out at Silver Creek Falls, and let me tell you, that was NO SMALL FEAT!!! In all honesty, I was so surprised that I was able to do it that I almost cried when we got back to the car!! Who knew how much life I was actually missing being 330 pounds??? All I can keep saying is that life is so good. LIFE IS SOOOOO VERY VERY GOOD!!! πŸ˜‰

My sweetie was so inspired by our hike that even thought we were dog tired by the time we got home, my sweetie started looking for a 5k to get us signed up for, that very evening!! So, without my knowledge or consent, he has us signed up for a 5K run tomorrow evening!! LOL!! I say that jokingly because on one hand I was like, “hey, you wanna make sure I’m game before you go throwing my name in the ring???” but then again, I am pretty excited about running a 5K with him. I have run an unofficial 5K already, but I am going to do it again, because my sweetie doesn’t feel like he can cross this off of his life list until he has an official number from his run (you know the kind of number that you wear when in a race??) Well, that is what he wants, and so here we are!!

Life is good!! I know we are both feeling better than we have at any time in either our twenties or thirties (up to now), and I just couldn’t imagine ever going back to where we started from!!!

By the way, these pictures that I have posted this evening are just two of a plethora of pics I took while out on our hike! I will have a BUNCH more pictures from our hike posted hopefully in the next day or so! So stay tuned!! πŸ™‚

With that, here’s to a VERY FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Gaining a New Life with Gastric Bypass Surgery!

Me 2Good evening!

I have had so much going on the past week, that I really had no idea where to start. ..

So, to keep things simple, I have decided to share my weight loss update this evening!! But, I realized that since I changed from my old blog to this one, this is going to be a new story for most of you!! πŸ™‚

I have lived most of my adult life heavy…
and teen life…
and part of my childhood…
well, I think you get the idea!!

I did not have one single solitary day of my 20’s under 285 pounds, and by the time I hit 30 I was 300 plus pounds! One day, I woke up and realized that I was 36 years old, 330 pounds, unhappy, unhealthy, and seriously heading to a quickly approaching early grave! I realized I had wasted my 20’s and now that I was heading to 40 (AKA middle age AAAACK!!!!), I decided that I didn’t want to greet my 40’s on my way to 400 pounds! I just couldn’t do it! and seriously as bad as my health was getting I wasn’t sure I was going to make it even if I wanted to!

Me 1

By that time, I had sleep apnea… I snored like nobodies business, and I couldn’t sleep through the night without waking up with a horrendous blood pressure headache! Now, I realize I was literally starving for oxygen while I was trying to sleep! I was a breath away from diabetes, I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and had constant pain in my knees, ankles, feet, and back!! I knew I was in real trouble.

In April of 2012, I had made the decision, along with my awesomely loving husband, that we would both start the process to have gastric bypass surgery. Now mind you, this decision was not made lightly, and not without a lot of trying a whole lot of other ways to lose weight first, none of which worked for very long.

Fast forward to September 4, 2012, my husband had already had his gastric bypass surgery 6 weeks prior to mine, and he had already lost weight like gangbusters!!! As scared as I was going into the surgery preparation, I knew I was ready for this, and that this would be the start of my new life. There was no way in HELL I was going to waste this opportunity!! So, with my sweetie, and my two baby sisters at my side, the surgical team wheeled me away, and I got the chance to start my new life.

Today, and every Monday I go into the clinic for a weigh-in. This is my own personal way of holding myself accountable! My weight loss has been much slower than my husband’s, of course! Him being a man and all!! πŸ˜‰ But, I have slowly but surely been shrinking. So, tonight I will share with you my weight loss progress as of today!

Weight Loss Update

  • Total pounds lost from highest weight: 102.4
  • Total pounds lost since starting the Bariatric program in April 2012: 92.2
  • Total pounds lost since surgery: 56.5
  • Total inches lost (measuring my neck, underbust, waist, hips, thigh, calf, bicep, and forearm): 43.5

Life is good! I am not yet to where I want to be. My one year follow up appointment is in September, and my Surgeon’s goal for me is to lose another 40 pounds. She has told me, that since my weight is coming off so slowly, even with the weight loss surgery, that I am going to have to fight tooth and nail for every single pound that comes off from here on out, and I know she is right, but I also know that this life is worth it! I am worth it!!!

Me 3

If anyone one you know is interested in gastric bypass surgery, or if you are just curious and have questions, please feel free to either comment on this post, or you can e-mail me at thisartsylife [at] yahoo [dot] com. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!! πŸ™‚

In the meantime…

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! πŸ˜‰

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Chunky Dunker’s Night!

Good evening!

It is that time of week again, Chunky Dunker’s night!! A casual, but fun group for people from all walks of life to get together online to support one another in their health and fitness goals, whether it be to lose a few pounds, or to do one situp; I am very happy to welcome you here every Wednesday evening, where we β€œmeet” in the comments section to catch up, share hints, tips, and ideas and to just encourage each other as we go through our health &Β  fitness path together!!

I don’t really have too much to report this evening! This is officially my second weigh-in day since on Weight Watchers online. I have to admit I didn’t lose any weight this week, but I didn’t gain any either, so I am going to call it a good week!! I did have quite the splurge on Monday evening, going to a Chinese restaurant, and then making a beeline to Cold Stone Creamery. UGH!! It was yummy, and I would probably do it again, if I had the points for it, which I did! Dinner, I didn’t do so hot choice-wise, but instead of having my own ice cream at Cold Stone, my sweetie and I shared one, so it could have been much MUCH worse!! πŸ˜‰

Anyway, I got my camera back from the repair service place!! YEAH!! It took a couple of weeks to get back and I have just been going crazy waiting for it to get here! I am happy to report that it seems to be in working order, and I will be back to taking a ton of pictures of anything and everything starting tomorrow morning, I have even warned my co-workers!! MWA-HA-HAAAAAA!!! I have noticed that my blog posts have been looking a little sad without their pictures, so I will be fixing that SOON!! πŸ˜‰

Oh, and a slight explanation about tonight’s pic. This is how I look right now, as I post this evening. I am in my jammies, and ready for bed. I know I look tired in this pic, and that is because I AM!!! I have been keeping myself pretty busy!!!Β  I just love talking to all of you for as long as possible, but being someone who habitually goes to bed early, I thought tonight I would just beΒ  little proactive, and get all my ablutions done BEFORE I get online to to chat this evening!!! So, my apologies if my pic scared anyone!! LOL!! πŸ˜‰ Now you know what my sweetie gets to look forward to every night!!! I love you, Babe!! πŸ˜‰

Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all in the comments section!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! :-)

β€œIf you want to have a different life, live differently!”

Chunky Dunkers!

Good evening!

Tonight is Chunky Dunker night, an online fitness/weight loss support group. We are always happy to have visitors so please feel free to stop by the comments section and let us know how you are doing with you weight loss/fitness goals, and please feel free to share any hints/tips/ideas that you have found helpful in getting closer to your goals!! The more the merrier!!

I am very happy to report that I am finally losing weight, 8.4 pounds so far. It is coming off slowly but surely, but as long as it is coming off, I will take it!!! YEAH!! I am still not up to exercising too regularly yet, but I have been dealing with a minor health issue that has been leaving me feeling run down and not exactly like my normal self! However, I have been really trying to work around that and make a point to get more movement throughout my day!

Anyway, this week’s topic is: The Importance of Hydration

The following was borrowed from Golds Gym’s Newsletter:

You’ve heard the rule before: Drink eight glasses (or 64 ounces) of water each day. But when you work out, your body’s demand for fluids increases even more, especially if you’re exercising outdoors β€” or even warming up on the way to the gym β€” during warm summer months.

5 Easy Ways
To Stay Hydrated

  1. 1. Drink eight glasses of water every day.
  2. 2. Can’t remember the last time you had a glass of water? Go get one now.
  3. 3. Drink 8 ounces of water every 20 minutes during a workout.
  4. 4. Drink 12 to 24 ounces of water before and after your workout.
  5. 5. Grab a low-calorie sports drink at Gold’s Gym.

According to Dr. Sam J. Romeo, CEO of Romeo Medical Clinic, Inc., in Turlock, Calif., half the population is at least mildly dehydrated all the time. These people don’t even know what a day feels like when they’re fully hydrated. Drinking the right amount of water daily can lead to better decision-making skills and concentration, elevated moods and improved coordination. So just imagine how the benefits of proper hydration might affect your workout.

“Dehydration can decrease your strength, endurance and sports performance significantly,” says Romeo. “If we have inadequate fluid intake, every cell and organ system in our body has to work harder. We have less blood volume, so the cardiovascular system has to increase our heart rate.”

Plus, the more you sweat, the more fluid your body loses. To learn specifically how much water your body releases during a workout, weigh yourself without clothes before and after. Every half-pound of weight loss is equivalent to eight ounces of water lost, explains Romeo. Generally, to maintain a healthy hydration level it’s important to drink 12 to 24 ounces before and after as well as about eight ounces every 20 minutes during the workout.

For shorter workouts β€” those lasting less than one hour β€” sports drinks are not necessary says Romeo. Longer, more intense workouts, though, require a combination of water and sports drinks to replace lost electrolytes and provide sugar for energy. To avoid the added calories, pick up any of the low-calorie sports drinks offered at Gold’s Gym.

Don’t worry about drinking too much; it’s difficult for a healthy individual to over-hydrate. Those cramps that sometimes creep up during a workout are not generally caused by too much fluid consumption. In fact, they can sometimes be a sign of early dehydration, explains Mary Arnold, a USA Track & Field-certified running coach and two-time national qualifier in long-course triathlon. But most often the dreaded side stitch actually comes from undigested food or an irregular breathing pattern. “I have my athletes slow down or walk for 30 to 60 seconds to alleviate the cramp,” says Arnold. “Walking with your hands stretched over your head β€” to stretch your diaphragm β€” and breathing deeply will get rid of the side stitch.”

To beat the summer heat, maximize your workouts and get all the benefits of proper hydration on a daily basis. “Good hydration is not just a part of a workout: It is integral to a healthy lifestyle,” Arnold says. “If you can’t remember when you last had a glass of water, you should stop what you’re doing and get one.”

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

A Gorgeous Day!

Good evening!

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day here in Oregon. It was a bit on the toasty side today, but I just got back fromΒ  nice long swim in our chilly pool, which was absolutely refreshing, and we have air conditioning in our little place, so I think I should be able to nod off to sleep quite nicely this evening. It also probably helps that I am beyond tired, from having so much fun with my sister, Jennifer, while she is still in town.

Her and her husband, Austin, are only in town in until tomorrow, at which time they will return home! I have tried, for years to talk them into moving here, but Salem is just too big for them, which is ironic because it is just too small for us!! πŸ˜‰ Anyway, we have squeezed in some quality time after work this evening, going to their favorite place in Salem to eat, and that is at Mongolian Grill. They make it a point to eat there at least once during every visit, and this time was no different. πŸ˜‰

I must interject here, I have been part of a support group called Chunky Dunkers. This is basically a get healthy & fit support group that I started with the help of my sisters, Alex, Jennifer, oh, and I can’t forget my sweetie, Jason. Well, Alex has lost almost 60 pounds, and Jennifer has lost almost 40. I am soooo ABSOLUTELY PROUD OF BOTH OF THEM (and a little jealous, if truth be told), and it has caused me to have a feeling of a renewed sense of,

“Ok girl, you have got to get your butt into gear and make this happen for yourself!!”

So, I have eaten extra fruits and veggies today, avoided all calorie-laden drinks, and tracked all of my food that I have eaten, walked the stairs at work, and even got an extra half an hour of vigorous swimming in this evening! Whew!!! Only one day down, and possibly hundreds more to go, which is ok, seeing that it took me literally 16 years to get to the size that I am. I have never really been overly self-conscious of the weight, but I am noticing that the older I am getting the more aches and pains in my joints I am getting, and I am just TOO YOUNG to feel this DAMN OLD!! πŸ˜‰ So, instead of just pissing and moaning about it, I am going to step up to the plate and take some action – little, by little – baby steps!!

If any of you reading have any hints/tips/ideas/yummy recipe ideas, or even just some motivational support for me and my get fit actions, I would be more than happy to hear from you. Please leave me a message in the comment section above!

Thank you SOOOO MUCH, in advance!!

With that said, I am going to head off to bed for the evening!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! πŸ˜‰

P.S. These pictures were taken in my mom, Linda’s, garden. Aren’t they just lovely? Thanks, Mom!! πŸ˜‰

A Tired Tuesday Evening!

Good evening!

I think my body is still trying to recuperate from being so sick this last week, because for some reason I am really achy and if I were to close my eyes right now, I would be out like a light!! So, I am going to keep this short! πŸ˜‰

I wanted to make sure I posted my Kaizen activities for today:

  1. Got up on time
  2. Brushed my teeth
  3. Walked 2 blocks from parking lot to my office
  4. Walked up 3 flights of stairs
  5. Had a healthy breakfast
  6. Tracked my breakfast
  7. Walked down 5 flights of stairs
  8. Walked 2 blocks to lunch and then back again
  9. Had grilled chicken instead of beef at lunch
  10. Requested extra veggies with my lunch
  11. Walked 2 more blocks to get from office to parking lot
  12. Drank about 2 liters of water today
  13. Had some extra vegetables with dinner tonight
  14. Ate an orange for dessert
  15. Started reading a health/nutrition book this evening
  16. Doing kegals while blogging! πŸ˜‰
  17. Brushed my teeth again
  18. Flossed
  19. Will do a stress relieving meditation before bed
  20. Took some time to stretch before bed

Today was a day about hope, love and gratitude. There have been a lot of stressful things going on in my life, at both work and at home. Today was a day that I chose to change my perspective and focus on all of the blessings that come my way everyday!! There are a lot of things and changes going on at work right now that we are hoping will really help make our jobs more enjoyable, and less stressful. My home is clean, and my husband loves me like crazy, and I love him right back! We have every need taken care of, plus some for helping others with. We are blessed!

We are blessed! We are blessed!
and today, I am just soooo thankful!!!

Before I go for the evening, I wanted to remind you that tomorrow is our Chunky Dunker’s Club meeting!!! I will try and post by 6:30 tomorrow evening! Don’t forget to hop on so I can hear how everyone is doing!! I am excited to weigh in the morning and let you all know how I am doing too!! 20 pounds is the goal!!!! YEAH!! πŸ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! πŸ˜‰

Getting REAL!!

Good morning! IΒ  did my weigh in this morning and am up .2 pounds from yesterday, which is frustrating because the weight was falling off so quickly before, and now it seems to be inching up a little every day. UGH! I am not really sure what adjustments to make – I am counting every calorie, exercising more, stress level is down, and I am making sleep more of a priority – I am not sure what else to do. I pray for wisdom in this area, because I am a little stumped! I just don’t want to have weight loss surgery! I want to know that I did this without such invasive medical intervention!

Anyway, I am loving taking the time to tap into my creativity every day! It has really taken the edge off of my sometimes stressful life.

Also, I have started, along with my partner at work, Chris, walking through the Willamette University campus for about 45 minutes every day. Willamette University has such an electric and creative feeling atmosphere – that feeling is VERY CONTAGIOUS! When I was in both Junior and Senior high schools, I had always dreamed about going to Willamette. It has always been so prestigious and the grounds are both stunning and architecturally MAGNIFICENT! I just wanted, and maybe still do, to be a part of that school’s history! Well, for now, I will just have to be satisfied with my daily walks!

Can I confide in you? I am having a health issue and normally I would let it go, but this issues has really become a problem. The thing is, is that I am menstruating seemingly all the time, which can really make it difficult to feel normal, not to mention clean and absolutely un-GROSS! My mom had a total hysterectomy at 32, I think, and here I am at 35. My doctor suggests getting a DNC done, which she warns will be very painful! I have ALWAYS been a BIG BABY when it comes to pain! A DNC is basically where they go in and scrape out the lining of your uterus! SHUDDER!! That sounds HORRIBLE!!! I think my hesitation, besides the pain, is that I hear that it can make it more difficult to get pregnant; like we need ANYMORE issues in that area of our lives! My husband and I have been together for 16 years and we have NEVER even gotten pregnant. That is REALLY rough because I have always known that I was born to become a mom, and Jason would make a FABULOUS daddy!! It is really hard to not be constantly jealous of my friends and family who have kids; ESPECIALLY those people who you come across in life who either ignore, or take their children completely for granted – that has been REALLY ROUGH! Anyway, one way or the other, I am going to have to get myself to my physician and get this issue taken care of, OR I will have no other choice but to invest in Kotex – since I may be SINGLE HANDEDLY keeping that company in business!!! LOL! πŸ˜‰

Has anyone else ever had a DNC done? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments above! Is it really as painful as I am thinking it is? Were you able to have children after having one done? Anything to help fill me in on the details would be EXTREMELY appreciated – thanks!!! πŸ™‚

ON A SIDE NOTE: I hear that is supposed to be some kind of AMAZING show of shooting stars this evening! If the weather cooperates I will have to check it out!

Have a FABULOUS day!! πŸ˜‰