70 pounds

So yeah, as of at least a month ago, I've lost 70 pounds.  (From 211 to 141 lbs).  I lost about 30 before surgery and 40 after.  

As a matter of fact, I'm now 105 pounds lighter than when I was pregnant with my younger son.  The highest weight I ever saw was 246 lbs and I had a few weeks to go.  I remember feeling SO TERRIBLE and SO EXHAUSTED the last two months of pregnancy.  My body just ached all over.  And it's no wonder, really.  I think anybody would be exhausted hauling around 105 pounds of excess weight.  And you know I'm only 5 ft. 3, right?

This pic is what 70 lbs looks like!  My older son weighed 40 pounds at his 4 year well-child check up.  My  younger son weighs 30 lbs.  A few days ago, I picked up my little guy to carry him down the stairs.  Then my older son grabbed onto my back to hitch a ride.  Wow!  That's a lot of weight.  My knees definitely felt the strain!!





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Big 35

What a birthday I've had today.

First and foremost, I turned 35 and feel better than EVER!

I used to feel like my life was slipping away as a fat girl (especially on birthdays).  Finally, I feel GOOD on my birthday instead of hating how I look and feel.  I feel SO MUCH BETTER.  I think I had no clue how tired and ran down I felt before.

I even met my weight loss goal yesterday.

141 people!  I am officially "normal" on the BMI chart that I still HATE SO MUCH.  Normal!  I love normal.

(but oh, wouldn't the 130's be so nice? ------i know, i know, the skinny voice is hard to shut up.)

But there is more news.

We put an offer in on a house in Texas and it was accepted!  It is a beautiful house with a gorgeous kitchen.  

But that's not all.  There is more news on my 35th Valentine Birthday.

I have a JOB!  The hospital I interviewed at last week while in Texas called me today and made a good offer, so I accepted.  I'll be working in acute care (I'm an occupational therapist) which means I work in rehab.  Most of the patients I'll be working with will have orthopedic injuries like from car wrecks, gunshot wounds, freak accidents, that kind of thing.  OMG, I LOVE IT.  The comedies, the tragedies, the STORIES.  Just when you think you've seen it all, like someone surviving gliding their glider into a cliff wall (can't predict the wind sometimes) something even MORE ABSURD happens.  It's so fun getting to know these people, some are some real characters.  They make you laugh, sometimes they make you cry.  It's NEVER boring.  But, I will get some boring knee and hip replacements from time to time which is good because at least we can predict what will happen---and those people are great too.  Most wish they'd done surgery sooner----kind of like us WLS patients.

Believe it or not, I have even more news coming soon.  But that's gonna have to wait a few more weeks.  I can only announce so many exciting things in one day.

Here's some pics of the kitchen.  The only photos I took.  The top photo is the left side and the bottom photo is the right.  So, you have to use your imagination to piece the two together.  Why didn't I just back my ass up and turn the camera sideways?  I have no idea.  Sorry.  My younger son was sick that day and even puked about three steps into the doorway of this house!  Tile floors, thankfully.  His way of calling dibs?  

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Crazy

One of the best things about being smaller is that shopping is EASY. And painless.

Here is the new top I got, a size medium. Yes, I know I need a cami underneath, thank you. :) I knew I had one at home, in burgundy just like my bra! Forgive my ugly mom jeans that are at least a size too big, these aren't the jeans I'll wear this top with. ;) And at home I have a fabulous necklace and bracelet to go with.





Aaaaand, while I was in TX house hunting a few days ago, the hospital I'd applied to called me on a Monday and wanted to interview me the following day. I had nothing professional in my suitcase. After I agreed to the interview and hung up the phone, I started to panic, knowing I'd have to run out and find something quick.

But that was silly. I went into The mall and bought the first pair of trousers I tried on. In 8P. (sorry no pic of those). In and out in less than ten minutes. Anybody who has EVER had weight issues knows what a miracle that felt like.

And how crazy is THIS?! I can't wait to get home in a couple days so I can weigh myself. Omg. The world just might end.

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big news

I have some big news to share!

But first, let's talk about my weight.  It's steadily going down.  I'm at 146.  :)  My current goal is to be 142 by my birthday in about 3 weeks.  Once I hit 142, my BMI will be "normal," at 25, as opposed to "overweight," which is where I currently am, with a BMI of 25.9.   Even if I don't lose another pound, I'm so happy to be where I am.

This surgery has changed my life.  I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.  I can run around with  my kids.  I can run up and down the stairs as many times as I need to.  I can crouch down to button my 3 year old's pants.  I can crawl into the back of my SUV to buckle in kids.  I can MOVE so much easier.  I can do anything I want to do.

And all of this, without feeling like I'm starving and that if I eat as much as my tummy is telling me to, I'll gain it all back in five seconds.  It is SO HEAVENLY to go through my day without rabid hunger.

I kind of hate it when I see weight loss articles that say to "pay attention" to your hunger signals, and that if you just do that, you'll lose weight.  It kind of implies that it's impossible for your body to tell you the wrong thing.  When I ate as much as my body told me to, I got huge, despite the fact that 80% of the time, I was eating the "right" foods.  Even a banana has 100 calories!    It's decent advice for me NOW, now that I've had surgery.  

Now all I have to do is:
1.  Eat when I'm hungry.
2.  Make good choices 85% of the time.
3.  Eat protein first, then veggies, then fruits.
4.  Drink water.
5.  Stay away from carby snacks because my sleeve doesn't seem to stop me from eating things like cookies, crackers, etc.  I could easily overdo it on those items if I'm not careful.

Anywho!

Now for the big news.

Drumroll.... (is that one word or two?)

We are MOVING!

My husband got a job in Temple, TX and has a tentative start date of 3/26.

We will miss Pittsburgh TERRIBLY.  We've made good friends here and because of them Pittsburgh will always hold a special place in my heart.  Plus, this is where our boys were born.  We'll treasure all of the memories we made here.

There's a song with a lyric that says, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."  I can't remember who sings it, but that's the phrase that keeps running through my mind.

Temple is about an hour north of Austin so we have big plans once we move there.  We want to go to at least one Texas football game (Longhorns) per season.  We'll be about 2-3 hours from Houston so we want to take the boys to a few baseball games when the Pittsburgh Pirates are in town.  Right now the Pirates are as sorry as the Astros, so it should be an even match.  AND, My husband loves the Buffalo Bills so he's already planning on going to a game when they play the Dallas Cowboys.  Yep, big plans, I tell you.

The next few weeks will be busy.

We are going to D.C. this weekend because my cousin's baby is turning one.  My aunt, uncle, and other cousin and his family of 5 are coming too and we are ALL staying in a rental house together.  ELEVEN people!  Let's hope it's a mansion.  (I can dream, right?)

The following weekend, we are driving (yes DRIVING, I'm crazy, yes I know) to Texas to look for a house.  For those of you who are familiar with the Temple area we are hoping to find a house in Belton near the lake.  Not ON the lake, but within a few miles.  We've seen several on-line that we like so we're hopeful that we can find something to move into by mid-late March.

Once we get settled in, I'm hoping to go back to work (I'm an occupational therapist).  I'm hoping to find something part-time or PRN. I might even be able to set up an interview when I'm down there.  So much to do though!  I've got to get a license to practice in Texas, which is a bit of a paperwork nightmare.

So. Much. To. Do.

a new low

My only goal for the month of December was to see The 140's.  That wasn't terribly ambitious, given that on Dec. 1, I weighed 152.5 lbs.  And on Dec. 3, I hit 150.  

But I love Christmas and reserve the month of December for the ONLY time of year I can indulge in certain sweet treats.  Like White Chocolate Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks, fudge (omg, there is nothing better than licking the pan while the fudge is still warm), and Avalanche Bark.

I had only one holiday peppermint mocha, size small, and shared it with my husband.

I made one pan of fudge this year.  I will confess that it only lasted 3 days.

I made at least 4 or 5 batches of Avalanche Bark (a recipe I found on the internet after trying some at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory a few years ago).  It's ridiculously addictive.  It's white chocolate chips melted with peanut butter.  Then you stir THAT with cups of Rice Crispies.  Once that cools off, you stir in marshmallows and mini-chocolate chips.  OMG, yum!  I cut up and gave away every batch I made this year (minus the squares I took).

Also, I discovered a recipe for Congo Bars right here.  They were SO good.  I'll definitely be making these again next Christmas.  She didn't specify the oven temperature or the pan size.  I went with 350 degrees in a 9 x 13 pan and they were FABULOUS.

I have to say, those Congo Bars are the FIRST food (and so far only) to give me nausea after being sleeved.  I could eat one small square without feeling sick but any more (even one bite!) would make me feel nauseated for 1-2 hours.  Not even fudge did that to me.  

Despite my little indulgences, I managed to achieve my goal this month.  Here's the proof!!




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New Boots

Just a quickie post to show you my new boots. Not the greatest pic, with my pink pajama pants rolled clear up to my thighs (& trash everywhere) but it'll do.



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even my feet are smaller

Shoes were the only thing I enjoyed shopping for when I was fat.  Even if I found a cute outfit, I hated spending money, with the thought that I'd be "skinny soon" and it wouldn't fit.  (Which is a laugh considering how much time I spent being big).  But shoes, I thought, LIKE JEWELRY, would never leave my closet no matter how much I gained or lost.

Shoes were the only thing I enjoyed shopping for.  Oh and handbags & jewels.  They were never guilty of sending me home from a shopping trip in tears.

But now?  My feet have shrunk!!!

So ALL THE SHOES I bought over the last few years (guilt-free!) are falling OFF my feet!

How is this POSSIBLE?

I mean, my highest weight EVER was 246 (that I know of) when I was pregnant.  And by that stage of pregnancy my feet were swollen so huge I was literally "barefoot and pregnant."  In winter!

While pregnant with my first son, my shoe size increased a whole size, and after having him, my new bigger-sized shoes continued to fit.

Here was my theory---- I figured that all the extra weight on my feet, combined with the pregnancy hormones that cause joint laxity, had made my feet bigger permanently.  Like the bones had spread apart permanently.

Even when I went from 220 lbs to 180 lbs, my bigger shoes continued to fit just fine.

It is only now that I'm 150 (whoo HOO!) that I find shoes literally falling off my feet as I walk.  I've gone from a shoe size 9.5 to 8.5.

Yesterday, I walked into a store and my shoe literally went flying right off my left foot!  So embarrasing!

Some of my most favorite shoes no longer fit.  Sniff, sniff.

Then, this morning, I went up to the attic to look for something and saw a bag of shoes in the donation pile.  After having my first son, I had gathered up all of my too-small-shoes and donated them.  But a small bag somehow got separated from the others, and I found three pairs that never got donated.

Here they are:  red patent leather peep toe wedges.  Pewter colored peep toe wedges that are soo comfortable, like a tennis shoe.  AND one cute pair of turquoise slingbacks.

Too bad the weather will prevent me from wearing them anytime soon.

But hey, new shoes!

And a new low!  150 lbs.  OMG, I can't WAIT to see the 140's.  Being this close will help me get through the holidays without overindulging too much.  Unfortunately, the one thing this surgery won't do, is make you feel full from eating anything carby.  I could eat an unlimited amount of chips, crackers, cookies, and CRAP.  So I don't buy it (for the most part).  As long as I eat the foods I should be eating, I fill satisfied very fairly quickly and don't eat much.

I've now lost over 60 pounds.  About 30 lbs before surgery and 30 lbs after.  And I must confess---the weight I've lost after surgery was soooo much easier.  You know why?  Because I didn't feel deprived.  My tummy feels satisfied with normal portions now.  And I don't feel hunger or cravings (or whatever made me eat!) anymore.  Hunger and food used to consume so much space in my brain and it just doesn't anymore.  It feels kinda magical, in a way.

This surgery is the best thing ever.