10 Month Update!

10 months ago I was laying in recovery wondering "What the F*** have I done to myself?"  LOL  I was sore and the pain meds were not working very well.  I had to wear an oxygen mask because my sleep apnea and then the pain meds decreasing my breaths caused my oxygenation to dip into the 80s when I slept.  I was miserable, and then they wanted me to get up and walk.  Walking helps move the gas out of your system.  So walking I did.  Laps and laps around the ward and nurses station.  Endless laps!

Now I *know* "What the F*** I did to myself"... I got a new lease on life.  I got my energy back.  I got my health back. I got so many new levels of freedom that it is hard to even express!  So many Non Scale Victories too.  So many things that make my life 1000 times better than it was.  :)

Sometimes those NSVs are had to express but the pure numbers just don't lie!  As of today on my 10 months surgeversary:

I have lost 121 Pounds.
I have lost 19.8 BMI points
I have lost 2.25 Inches off my Neck
I have lost 2.5 Inches off my Upper Arm
I have lost 1/2 an Inch off my wrist
I have lost 9 Inches off my Bust
I have lost 10.25 Inches off my Waist
I have lost 11.25 Inches off my Hips
I have lost 7 Inches off my Thigh
I have lost 4 Inches off my Calf
I have lost 3/4 of an Inch off my ankle

Total Inches lost:  48.5 Inches!

I am super proud of my accomplishments and do not regret for one minute the surgery that changed my life for the better!!!

Working HARD for 3 pounds! 9 month update

My weight loss has slowed down.  I am still losing but it is at a much slower rate.  It is possible that the month of July is just harder for me to eat right since we have 4 birthdays to celebrate.... but really that is just an excuse.  I feel off the exercise wagon into a vat of potato chips!  LOL.  I have a feeling that this next month will be a bigger weight loss month for me.  But without further ado here are my numbers:



I started out at 338. This morning I weighed in at 225. Total loss of 113 pounds!

I started out at a BMI of 54.6. Today my BMI is 36.8. Total loss of 17.8 points!

I took all my measurements as well. Waist, Bust, Hip, Wrist, Neck, Upper Arm, Thigh, Calf & Ankle. The easiest way to illustrate the loss here is to add all the inches up and then show how many total inches I have lost.
I started at a total of inches 271.5. Today my total inches are 224.75 Total Loss of 46.75 inches!


I am amazed at those numbers.  It is unbelievable to me that there used to be 46 more inches of me...... where did I keep it?  113 pounds... how did I carry it?  UN- Believable!


I still have a ways to go.... My surgeon has set my "goal weight" at 175.  But as I have mentioned before that number leaves me in the "overweight" category on the BMI Charts.  That is just not acceptable to me.  I did not come this far to still be overweight.  I want to be at a normal BMI.  So MY GOAL is 150 pounds.  That puts me just under a healthy BMI number of 25.  Just under 12 BMI points left to lose.  That number seems less daunting than saying I have 75 pounds to lose.  :)  

This past weekend we went camping.  It is something that I have always loved to do with Tim and the kids.  Even though it was a whole lot of work and everything takes more effort... Oh you want a glass a milk... let me dig around to find a paper cup... then dig the milk out of the cooler, then pour the milk, and lastly make room in the cooler again for the milk now that the ice and water have taken up the space that the milk occupied just seconds ago. sigh.  It s exhausting writing and doing it!  LOL.  But I will tell you that being 113 pounds lighter and 46.75 inches smaller made the extra effort and hard work a little bit easier!  No.... a LOT easier!  I didn't get winded setting up camp.  I didn't sweat like a sinner in church all day long beng outside with no A/C.  I fit comfortably on the camp mattress with Tim and Harlie.  I was able to take a 2 mile bike ride with my family and Mason was the one who got too tired, instead of me.  We hiked up a hill that would have killed this former fat chick with ease to see Shadow Falls.  I was in all the pictures at the scenic views instead of waiting at the bottom of the hill.  :)  Amazing!  Amazing! Amazing!  


I have no regrets about surgery.  I only wish I would have done it sooner!

8 month update. 110 pounds GONE!

Just thought I would add my updated side by sides to show my progress.  110 pounds gone forever.  78 pounds to lose before I hit my goal.  Seems so far away today.

100 pounds

That is right, folks!!!!!  I hit a milestone in my weight loss journey.  I have FOREVER lost 100 pounds.  I don't ever want to find it. Ever.  It is forever gone.

100 pounds.

Hard to imagine right?!?!?  What does 100 pounds actually look like?  When you are losing weight it comes off gradually.  Well 6 1/2 months is pretty fast, but still... When I look in the mirror I still can't believe it.  When I shop for clothes I hold the size XL up and can not fathom that I can wear something so small.  But I can.  SO to help illustrate this HUGE milestone in my weight loss I tried to google what 100 pounds looks like.  I was surprised by what I found.  I was AMAZED actually!

This is what a 100 pound Pumpkin looks like.....

 Still too abstract?  

Ok..... how about 

a 100 pound baby Rhino?

Or a 100 pound baby Horse????

 I tried to find a 100 pound person, but to no avail.  So I had to make do with 2  50 pound people.  

Double Take Mason!

I get tired after giving Mason a Piggy back for only a few minutes.... how on earth did my body carry the equivalent of 2 Masons around all the time???????

Here is 100 pounds of silly putty.

Imagine all of that attached to my body!

Here is perhaps the most disturbing of all the pictures.... 

100 pounds of FAT!

I am proud of my accomplishment!  I will never again carry that extra weight.  It was holding me back in ways I did not even realize.  It has freed more that just my mobility... it has freed my confidence level, my self esteem and endless other ways.  <3

6 month Update

I can't believe it has been 6 months! It seems to fly by but that the same time... be standing still. I have been discouraged lately at how slowly the scale seems to be moving. It seems that I have been stuck on a sort of plateau. But also this past month I have been sick with a cold, had sick kids, spring break was in there, and we had houseguests. Not to mention we have replaced the flooring in our house. All of that adds up to not very much time to exercise. I have been slacking off. And the scale reflects that. So lets get to the numbers.....

I started out at 338. This morning I weighed in at 241. Total loss of 97 pounds!

I started out at a BMI of 54.6. Today my BMI is 40.1. Total loss of 14.5 points!

I took all my measurements as well. Waist, Bust, Hip, Wrist, Neck, Upper Arm, Thigh, Calf & Ankle. The easiest way to illustrate the loss here is to add all the inches up and then show how many total inches I have lost. (in my previous entry I did not include my neck measurements. In these measurements I include my neck measurements)

I started at a total of inches 271.5. Today my total inches are 231.5. Total Loss of 40 inches!

I also thought it might be useful to write how how quickly I am losing. This is more motivation for me then it is for anyone else....

Prior ro Surgery I weighed 338.

I lost 10 pounds on my own. on Sept 23 theday I started presurgery diet I weighed 328

The day of surgery 10/19/11 I was down 10 pounds and weighed 318

5 wks later on November 25 I was down 28 pounds to weigh 290

1 month later on Dec 25 I was down 12 pounds to weigh 278

1 month later on January 19th I was down 10 pounds to weigh 268

2 months later on March 19th I was down 20 pounds to weigh 248

1 month later (today) on April 19th I am down 7 pounds to weigh 241

So I guess that means I average about 10 pounds a month... other than the first month that I lost an amazing 28 pounds. Maybe my "plateau" is really NOT a plateau? LOL

This journey is a crazy one. Glad I took the first step! Now I just need to keep plugging along and get my ass back into the gym!!!

5 month update!

Yesterday was my 5 month anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery. I thought that you all would like to see some new progress pictures before I give my update.

Back view

Front View

Right side view

Left Side View

I have lost 90 pounds total. I lost 20 prior to surgery and then I have lost 70 since surgery in October. I have been on a plateau for the past month or so. My weight loss has slowed down, well... basically it has stalled. I have not changed a thing about my diet or exercise program at all. I reached out to my nutritionist about this issue and she was very reassuring that I am doing great and that this plateau is typical and to be expected. She also let me know that my 70 pound weight loss in 5 months is a bit faster that what they typically see. She thought that because of the fast weight loss that it might explain why I have been on this plateau. It will pass eventually and I will start losing again.

Our family has joined the YMCA. I am exercising more than I ever have in my life. I do some sort of cardio 3 times a week. I like to swim and walk the most, but I also use the elliptical and the stationary bike as well. And I also lift weights. I meet with a trainer at the Y a few weeks ago and he set me up on a weight training program. I try to get into the Y to lift at least 3 times a week. It is a constant challenge to find time to work out. But I do what I can and Tim has been super supportive. He watches the kids in the Y pool so that I can lift weights and swim laps. He is really a huge support to me. I can not say enough how blessed I am to have Tim as my husband. He is fantastic!

My food issues are basically none existent now. I can eat pretty much everything except really doughy bread. I haven't puked in weeks. It is awesome! I think it is a combination of me learning good habits (eating slowly, chewing really well, no fluids with meals) and my pouch just being more efficient at moving food through to the intestines. Whatever the reason I am thrilled that I can eat chicken and eggs again! I also can eat salad again. That is such a huge thing to me. Salad is so crisp and satisfies so many of my cravings because of the endless possibilities for add ins and ons. It is a great way to eat what the rest of the family is eating in a carb free way. Tonight Tim grilled chicken breast and they made chicken sandwiches with sauteed mushrooms, onions and cheese on hoagie rolls. I took the chicken and diced it, then threw it on my salad with the cheese and the sauteed veggies on the side. I tossed the salad with some balsamic vinaigrette and it was delish! It just makes life easier if we only have to cook 1 meal for the whole family.

I am still struggling to remember to take my vitamins. I have to take them in 3 doses. Basically my body can only absorb so much at a time and that is not enough to sustain me. So I have to absorb the vitamins and minerals 3 times a day spaced at least 2 hrs apart. Plus I take some prescription medicine for my thyroid that can not be taken within 2 hours of any vitamins or minerals. That means I have 4 separate times for doses throughout the day. With my kids, husband, household and volunteer responsibilities it seems to be easy to forget a dose here and there. But I am doing better than I was a month ago with remembering, so that is something. I am sure it will get better the longer I put effort into remembering!

I am getting closer to my weight loss goal. Well the goal itself is kinda hard to pin down. My surgeon wants to see me hit 175 pounds. He would consider me a success if I hit that weight and then maintained it. But when you look at the BMI charts for my height a weight of 175 would still leave me in the upper portion of the "overweight" category. I really want to be at a healthy BMI. The upper portion of "healthy" BMI is 150 pounds for my height. So I am not sure what I should use as my "goal weight". Also I know that I will have hanging skin when I am done losing. Whether or not I have surgery to remove the skin may have an impact on how close I can get to my goal of 150. At any rate I am 73 pounds from my Dr's goal of 175 and 98 pounds from my goal of 150.

This is where I need to remind myself of how far I have come and stop focusing on where I need to go!!!!

Thank you for your support and love. I never expected the outpouring of love from everyone! It feels like I have my own cheering squad in all my friends and family members! It really helps me stay motivated! Thank you so very much!

March Update

I missed my 4 month anniversary of my surgery. Life got busy and I did not even do pictures or take measurements on February 19. But today I took some time to take some measurements and weighed myself. So here is the update!

I started out at 338 pounds. Today I weigh 249 pounds. Total loss of 89 pounds

I started out at a 54.6 BMI. Today my BMI is 41.4. Total loss of 13.2 points.

I took all my measurements as well. Waist, Bust, Hip, Wrist, Neck, Upper Arm, Thigh, Calf & Ankle. The easiest way to illustrate the loss here is to add all the inches up and then show how many total inches I have lost. (in my previous entry I did not include my neck measurements. In these measurements I include my neck measurements)

I started at a total of inches 271.5. Today my total measurements are 232.5. Total loss of 39 inches!

The one picture I do have to share is of my face. I took the picture on the left the day I was discharged from the hospital after my Gastric Bypass Surgery. The picture on the right is of me a few weeks ago after I cut my hair. The difference is astounding!

I will do some new full body pictures on March 19th. I promise.