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I haven't been to my blog in a while, and maybe I should come here more frequently! 

I am 16 months out, and holding. Not losing, not gaining, just maintaining.  I don't know that I can complain a lot, because I lost 80% of my excess weight by my 1 year surgiversary. However, I have been stuck at that same weight for over 4 months now. And I have about 40# to go to the surgeons, and my goal weight. 

The issues - I am not doing everything I need to do consistently.  I will exercise perfectly for a few weeks, but eat more carbs than I should. Or I will eat perfectly, but skip my walks, or not drink enough water.  I need to get it all synched up - eating right - they way I KNOW I have to eat, exercising daily, and getting all of the waters in!  Consistency is the key - I get all pumped up, get the journal out and going, and then each day it seems like I blow 1 piece of the puzzle.    I have to look at the silver-lining though, because I always do - and I am thrilled that I am maintaing.  I just want to get the scale moving down again, for about 40 more pounds. Never in my life have I ONLY had 40 pounds to lose! I should be all over this!  I LOVE wearing size 14 clothes, and medium or large tops off the rack!  But I want the size 10!  I want the belt that doesn't look like it could wrap around 3 people (because I do still see my belt as able to wrap around 3 people).  I know what I have to do, I always have known what I needed to do. I know that this tool, my RNY was a necessity to do so. Now I just need to do it!   So I am going to take this one day at a time and aim for GREAT days, each day---today I will eat within my nutritionist's plan, I will drink 3 of my 32 oz cups of water, I will skip the caffeinated coffee, I did my toning exercises this morning, and will walk for at least 45 minutes today. I will take all of my supplements. I will hit all of the elements today! I will succeed today, and then again tomorrow. One day at a time...until I am at goal, until I have accomplished the entire feat of the one thing I have consistently failed at until this point in my life.

And I will continue to get such great support and inspiration from OH and my friends here. 

Well, it is March 3, 2008. One year ago today I was 3 days pre-op. I was so excited, making sure I had all of the right liquids and powders in the house. Making sure I had a bag packed to go to the hospital.  Spent a great day playing with the kids. And here I am, 3 days before my 1 year surgiversary. Wow - what a ride it has been!  

I have lost 125# since last January (19 pre op). I have gone from size 32 in the plus department to buying "LARGE" off the rack in REGULAR stores!  While I have been stuck in a plateau since the beginning of November (I have lost and gained the same 2# about 18 times since the end of October), I can safely say I have lost 125 pounds!  I know the plateau will break - everyone says they hit the 3-4 month brick wall at around the 1 year mark...I guess this is it.  I just went outside and walked, and intend to do so again for my afternoon break since it is so pretty out. And I know as I up the exercise it will start coming off again. I have about 30# to go to my surgeons goal - which is a goal that surpasses my wildes dreams!  

I've had a couple of rocky moments in this venture - the blockage and 2nd surgery 2 weeks out, the gall bladder attack in December, but I can honestly say, from the bottom of my heart it is the most wonderful move I have ever made!  I love my support group. I love going back to Sinai and talking at the pre-op seminars. I love the friends I have made. And I love getting to know who I really am, not the me masked by insecurity and disgust in the form of 125# of fat.  

Life is Good.  Nothing is worth more than this day....

Still feeling absolutely amazing!   I just can't believe how this has gone!  Since my last blog entry on October 5, I have lost 10 more pounds and am feeling great! (I am down a total of 121# since January)  To be this far out and still losing 8 - 10 a month is just fantastic!  I have become a bit relaxed in some areas, and I think if I kicked them up a bit I'd be doing even better. First and foremost, I am not exercising like I need to be!  I have an elliptical at home, but average 1 x a week on it. And I have the tension bands and dumb bells at home too, and have NOT been doing my toning!  However, I have been trying to make my weekend activities more active (i.e. walking/parks/hiking). I am also finding that I push the time limits between meals and find myself painfully hungry. If I get past the 4 hour mark with no food (and sometimes the 3 1/2 hour mark) my pouch gets very achy.  I really need to watch the clock more. And I have learned how to listen to my body for signs that I am not drinking enough, but I need to be more pro-active in getting the oz. in to begin with.  So no  complaints on the progress, but still know ways I can make this tool work better for me!  

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I made it!  In only 7 months post op, I have lost 111.8 pounds and have entered ONEDERLAND! I never thought I would see it again! I got back on the scale after my shower to confirm! 

I got my elliptical assembled yesterday, and made it for 5 minutes (wow!), then my son got on and did 10 minutes - so that is the goal for tonight! I am ready to go on this last 40 or 50# - LOOK OUT!

Tomorrow is my 7 month surgiversary. I'd be writing this then, but I will be on the course taking the motorcycle safety class - yes, I have gotten a motorcycle and starting another new adventure in my life.  That will be followed by my 20th high school reunion!  And I am actually looking forward to it because I think I look better than when I graduated (yes, God help me, it was THAT bad then!   )    I am down 109.2 pounds since January and feel incredible!  The loss has slowed down a bit, as to be expected. But I also have not been exercising like I need to be. However, yet another new adventure for me will be assembling my new elliptical machine that was delivered Tuesday!  Once that is together and I am on it daily I think the pace may pick back up again. Even so, I can't complain about 9 or 10 pounds a month - that is still a dream come true!   Some WOW moments from this past month have been going to work in size 16 (NOT 16W, just 16) pants---and being able to sit and breathe; a size 14 blazer - that buttons; and a blouse that I got off the rack in a regular store that is an "L" - without any x's in front!   I found my belly button this week too - wasn't sure there was one down inside all the rolls and mush, but there is - and in about 30 more pounds I may even find out that I am an "outy" - I'm not sure, but maybe!   We had a fire drill yesterday at work, and when we came back in I walked up to the 5th floor - I was panting a good bit, but I didn't keel over or collapse!  And today I CHOSE to walk up when I got into the office this morning - because it wasn't all that bad!  And one of the most exciting things for me---I am less than 2 pounds away from ONEDERLAND!  Never thought I'd see that again in this lifetime, and I am going to soon!   Went to dinner 2 weeks ago with all of my siblings (there are 6 in my family) and their spouses.  One of my sisters didn't recognize me across the parking lot, and a little later in the evening I overheard her telling her husband that I was almost as thin as her and now she is going to have to diet!  (for the record, I am smaller than her now!)  Boy was she embarrassed that I over heard that!   What an amazing 7 months! 

When I was in middle school I used to dream of a way to lose 100# quickly (and then, I thought quickly was in less than a year).  I would literally dream of it, then spend all day in school day dreaming about this magical pill or operation or spell or any rational or irrational thing that could just make 100# go away.  And now, I am an adult, and I found a tool that exceeded my dream!   I will be 6 months out of surgery on Sept 6th, still a week away, and I have lost 100.8 pounds since January.  8 months - 100 pounds - wow!!!  It is so hard to believe!   I am buying size 16 clothes - and they fit!  And even more importantly, I am buying them knowing that they WON'T fit in a couple months because I'll be into 14's or 12's by then!  What a wonderful choice, and opportunity in having this surgery!  I am so thankful that I took this path! 

and I still don't get it! I've been bummed and stressing that the numbers aren't dropping fast enough - yet at the 5 month mark I have lost 93.2#!  When else in my life have I lost 10# a month, much less 93.2 in a total of 7 months (including 19 during the 2 month pre op period!

Practice what I preach - I have to relax, slow down, smell the roses, and be pretty dang excited at where I am!!!

I didn't make my 4 month post on time because I was enjoying my kids and Ocean City for an annual vacation.  So I am about a week late, but as of this morning, I have lost 83.6 pounds since January, 64.6 since surgery in March.  It is amazing!  I can't believe this is happening!   I have so much energy, and every day I pull some "new" old outfit from the back of the closet -and it fits!    I went to dinner last night in a local restaraunt and sat in a booth that I had sat in about 7 months ago.  I couldn't fit comfortably then, and last night I had to scootch forward and lean in to get to my soup spoon!  WOW !    I have been walking regularly, and doing toning exercises at home. But I am making an appointment with the Y this week to see the personal trainer.  They will program a routine for lifting/toning into their machines - once I add that 3 days a week I think the inches will just fly away!   And we had our first Carroll County Bariatric Surgery Support Group meeting on June 27th - and made the local Advocate paper today!   

So much accomplished in so little time! 

Today is the 3 month mark for me, and what a 3 months it has been!  I have gone from a speedy recovery that was short-lived, followed by a bit of a complication, with a little longer recovery. That was followed by a period that felt like 73 years of being the only fat person in the history of RNY to NOT lose any weight, then, all of a sudden I woke up 3 months later -  68.8 # lighter (including the 19 I lost in the 2 months pre-op), digging out size 18 -20 clothes from the back of my closet - BECAUSE THEY FIT, and feeling like a new woman!      At my appointment with Dr. Li today, I found out I am actually 'ahead of schedule' (statistically speaking) having lost 40% of my excess weight already.  It has been 3 months, but I can't believe it has ONLY been 3 months and I have come this far!  I have to say again, Dr Li, Nancy, my nutritionist (I wonder if she'd be offended if I shortened that to "Nancy the Nut" :)  , and all of the office staff have been wonderful through the entire journey so far. From office visits, scheduling, insurance issues, through my problem time, you name it, they have been patient, kind, knowledgeable, and efficient.   I have started working with Dave Gede from the MD board in forming a support group that will meet in Carroll County - and Dr. Li suggeested I take their facilitators class.  I will be doing so the next time it is offerred. I just hope that as wonderful as my journey has been, I can say or do something to help someone elses be a wonderful!

I woke up bright and early and rode to Sinai Hospital, more excited that I could imagine. The 11 weeks since have had some ups and downs, but wow, what a ride!  It seems SO long ago!  I can't believe what I have been through and accomplished in such a short period.  I have been on the site with multiple posts feeling as if I was failing, not losing weight, going to be the only person in the history of mankind to be heavier a year after surgery than when I started. But in 11 weeks I am back to cooking healthy meals for my family - only ONE meal - that I can eat small servings of, I am walking and exercising daily, and actually DOING it every day because my energy is through the roof, my work clothes are falling off of me, and for the first time in my life, I bought new slacks a size too small, KNOWING that they will fit within a couple of weeks!  I was worried about the scale not moving, but I have lost 61.4 pounds since January, 42.4 since surgery on March 6th.  It has not been constant losses, but it averages out to 3.8 pounds a week!  When in my life have I ever lost weight at that pace???  It hasn't happened until now!  I am taking measurements of my body and in a 2 week period I lost over 8" from my chest, waist, arm, and leg.  (that's not even meausuring both arms and both legs!)  What a great decision I made!  No regrets!  No doubt!