The leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground. October is half over and I can't figure out where the time went. Just wanted to update, and let you all know that I am well, happy and still skinny. Yeah!
My weight got down to 120lbs at the beginning of the year, and I was really too skinny. Thank goodness I put some weight back on (NEVER thought I'd say those words!) and I have settled at around 129lbs for the past 5 months or so. I wear a 2 or 4 and that is about as small as I ever want to be. I feel great and have no health complaints. I eat well, even though the amounts are small, it's all about quality. I take my vitamins and I get my protein. I'm even taking a yoga class. Life is good.
I am working, and have been at my job for about 7 months. I had not been looking to return to work, but these economic times....well. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like my job, and I can say that I am very happy to have a good job that pays me ok, gives me and my family health insurance at a reasonable rate, and gives me paid holidays and vacation.
My biggest and best news is that I became a grandmother on August 26th. I have the sweetest grandson, Brody. I was able to see him for about a week right after he was born, but sadly I had to return to NC and he is in FL. Sigh. We will see him at Christmas, and we can't wait. His mother is my sweet daughter in love Robin. She too is an MGB'er, and I am just letting any of you young women know that she had a wonderful pregnancy and is still a skinny girl. I am so proud of her!
I hope that you are all having a great fall. If you are lucky enough to see colors changing, make sure you take an afternoon to just drive in the country and enjoy it. You will always have other things to do. Make time for special moments.
It's chilly, 39 this morning, and probably about that now. I'm gonna sign off, wishing you a beautiful fall.
Now, the most important thig
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
What a bad blogger I am!
I just realized the last time I blogged was New Years Day. Ouch! Well, my only excuse is that I got a job on 1/2/09, and it took up my free time. However, it was short lived, and I am job hunting once again, so I have a little time to write.
I think my weight loss has finally stopped....and that's a good thing. I average around 122lbs and wear a size 4. Never thought that I would be this small. Yesterday I saw the son of some of my friends that I hadn't seen in about a year. He's in his early 20's and I've known him pretty much his entire life. He said, "Wow! You really got skinny! You look great!" I appreciated the compliment!
For those of you who are doing your research and making decisions, I encourage you to talk to as many post ops as you can...join the message boards, email, whatever. I can't tell you that your experience will be just like mine, but you can get an idea of what is ahead of you by talking to many of us. I consider myself very blessed to have had the MGB, and to have lost all my excess weight. As I near the 2 year mark, I remind myself to eat healthy foods, take my supplements and vitamins and to try to get some regular exercise. I want to make sure that 10 years from now I am still wearing these size 4's.
I recently celebrated my 51st birthday, so I guess I am officially over 50. Not to mention that I will be a grandmother in August. Life sure does fly by! I am happy though, and look and feel better than ever.
Spring is just around the corner. The daffodils are poking their bright little heads up, and the willows are shooting out their bright green leaves. I love Springtime in the mountains. It will be nice to get some warm weather and get out and about and enjoy the outdoors.
I wish you all a Happy St. Patricks Day, and a spectacular Spring!
Enjoy life!
I think my weight loss has finally stopped....and that's a good thing. I average around 122lbs and wear a size 4. Never thought that I would be this small. Yesterday I saw the son of some of my friends that I hadn't seen in about a year. He's in his early 20's and I've known him pretty much his entire life. He said, "Wow! You really got skinny! You look great!" I appreciated the compliment!
For those of you who are doing your research and making decisions, I encourage you to talk to as many post ops as you can...join the message boards, email, whatever. I can't tell you that your experience will be just like mine, but you can get an idea of what is ahead of you by talking to many of us. I consider myself very blessed to have had the MGB, and to have lost all my excess weight. As I near the 2 year mark, I remind myself to eat healthy foods, take my supplements and vitamins and to try to get some regular exercise. I want to make sure that 10 years from now I am still wearing these size 4's.
I recently celebrated my 51st birthday, so I guess I am officially over 50. Not to mention that I will be a grandmother in August. Life sure does fly by! I am happy though, and look and feel better than ever.
Spring is just around the corner. The daffodils are poking their bright little heads up, and the willows are shooting out their bright green leaves. I love Springtime in the mountains. It will be nice to get some warm weather and get out and about and enjoy the outdoors.
I wish you all a Happy St. Patricks Day, and a spectacular Spring!
Enjoy life!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
It's gonna be fine in 2009!
Happy New Year. Well, this is officially the first year that I am not starting out overweight. What a thrill that is! I'm steady at about 125lbs - and that is somewhere I never thought I'd be. But I'm loving it!
I ran into a nice woman that I know this week. She used to be my doctor's receptionist, and we would discuss our weight issues. Well, she had a gastric bypass in September, and is already down 72lbs. She looks great and is so excited! I had gone by to see her some months ago, and she said that she was so amazed at how I looked, and continued her pursuit. It was so fun seeing her and comparing notes!
I have no idea what 2009 holds. I just know I won't be worried about my weight, and that is so freeing. But life is ever progressing and I know that there will be challenges, and lessons to learn and forks in the road. I look forward to what God has to teach me, and just hope that I'm a fast learner this year!
Blessings to you all! May you be the best that you can be in all that you do.
I ran into a nice woman that I know this week. She used to be my doctor's receptionist, and we would discuss our weight issues. Well, she had a gastric bypass in September, and is already down 72lbs. She looks great and is so excited! I had gone by to see her some months ago, and she said that she was so amazed at how I looked, and continued her pursuit. It was so fun seeing her and comparing notes!
I have no idea what 2009 holds. I just know I won't be worried about my weight, and that is so freeing. But life is ever progressing and I know that there will be challenges, and lessons to learn and forks in the road. I look forward to what God has to teach me, and just hope that I'm a fast learner this year!
Blessings to you all! May you be the best that you can be in all that you do.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Where has 2008 gone?!
2008 is almost over and I can't believe it's zoomed by! Seems like it was just beginning and now we're ready to head into 2009. I guess all that stuff about time speeding up as you get older is really true! My 12 year old son was just going nuts waiting for Christmas - he said that the days were dragging - but to me they were zippin' by!
We had a delightful Christmas! No snow, but warm memories to be sure. We went to our friends' , the McGrew's, for chili and sing a longs on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas day we had 15 friends over for dinner. I brined and roasted a turkey and let me tell you - this is the way to go! No basting, it cooks in less than 3 hours and it was fantastic. Moist, juicy and flavorful! Check out Alton Brown's recipe on FoodNetwork for details. I also made the traditional dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, corn pudding....all the good stuff. My girlfriends brought the deviled eggs, sweet tater casserole, pumpkin pie and cheese cake. I didn't eat much, but every bite was wonderful!
As far as my weight goes, I stay pretty steady at 125, although instead of gaining weight for Christmas - I lost 2 lbs, and was 123lbs this morning. My husband says I didn't lose it - I just transferred it to him!
This was our 20th Christmas together! Hard to believe....it seems like just yesterday we were posing in front of our first tree - back in 1988. Wow. We took a new picture to match one we have from back then, plus some fun shots. For the first time, Louie can pick me up - so I made sure we got some pics of him holding me in front of the Christmas tree. If you've been skinny forever you can't appreciate the thrill it is to be literally swept off your feet by the man you love - after 20 years! I told Louie I'm reinventing myself every 20 years - guess I'll have to think of something for 2028.
I wish you all a blessed and prosperous 2009. These are some crazy economic times, but we will get through them, and will be better people for it. Happiness doesn't come from what we have materially. It comes from the love of family and friends, and our wonderful Savior Jesus - the giver of all good things. I wish you that love - now and forever, world without end.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time for an update!
Well, it's Fall in the mountains, and it's been beautiful. We took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the leaves, an awesome sight, especially for this former lifelong Floridian. I love the changing seasons! We even had a dusting of snow Tuesday morning - SNOW - before Halloween is even here! I am always cold now, having lost my layer of insulation, and all my coats are too big. I've gotta hit the Goodwill and find some warm stuff to wear!
I'm officially half the girl I used to be, down to 128lbs, from 256lbs. Everyone says I'm too skinny now, but I don't think so! I think I'm pretty skinny, but I feel good, and my labwork all looks good, so there.
I've been very busy lately. I make handmade soap, balms and lipbalms. Since it's fall here in the mountains, it's Craft Show time! I've been selling my goods at the local craft shows and festivals, and it's been keeping me in a hectic state! Soap making through the week, selling on the week ends. But hey - it keeps me out of trouble!
Well, that's all I can think of for now....I posted new pics.
I'm officially half the girl I used to be, down to 128lbs, from 256lbs. Everyone says I'm too skinny now, but I don't think so! I think I'm pretty skinny, but I feel good, and my labwork all looks good, so there.
I've been very busy lately. I make handmade soap, balms and lipbalms. Since it's fall here in the mountains, it's Craft Show time! I've been selling my goods at the local craft shows and festivals, and it's been keeping me in a hectic state! Soap making through the week, selling on the week ends. But hey - it keeps me out of trouble!
Well, that's all I can think of for now....I posted new pics.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Chillin' through the summer
Well kids, it's August 19th and summer is almost over. Hard to believe! We have had a relatively cool summer this year. We had a couple of hot days several weeks ago, but then a cold front came through and it's been nice ever since. In fact, my house is anywhere from 65 to 69 degrees when I wake up in the morning. The nights here get down in the low 60's or high 50's, so I am usually cold! It's so different than when I weighed over 250lbs. I was always hot then!
We took our first trip to Dollywood last month. It was great fun. I rode all the rides - roller coasters, water rides, you name it - with my 11 year old. What a relief to slip right in the seat, not having to worry if I would fit! The funny part was that several of the rides required an actual weigh in! I would have died of embarrassment before.
As an update, I weighed in at 131.5 this morning. That's an all new low. I've been sitting anywhere from 132 to 134 for the past 3 weeks or so. I do think I'm about finished losing, but we'll just have to wait and see. The first 2 years are all about losing the weight, and then settling in and maintaining the weightloss. I'm excited about this! I have always faced the biggest challenge in maintaining whatever loss I had. I feel that I will succeed this time, as my body is 'plumbed for success' and this is not a diet that I will go off of.
Once again, I will say that I am very happy with my MGB and the resulting weight loss. I don't feel like I am on a diet. I feel like a normal person for the first time ever. My appetite no longer controls me. I eat whatever I want, but what I want is good for me!
As a final note, I'm addicted to the Olympics! It is amazing to see what the human body can accomplish! I'm inspired to focus on my own exercise regime and build up my muscles and my cardiovascular system. For those of you who are like me, 50 and over, losing muscle mass is a natural part of aging. So, we have to fight it by strength training. I'm gonna beef mine up, as I've been a little lax! I bought a new resistance band and hopefully that will help some. My older son swears by his. Of course he can do more with it than I can even dream of at this point - but I'm gonna build those muscles up!
Let's go for the gold!
We took our first trip to Dollywood last month. It was great fun. I rode all the rides - roller coasters, water rides, you name it - with my 11 year old. What a relief to slip right in the seat, not having to worry if I would fit! The funny part was that several of the rides required an actual weigh in! I would have died of embarrassment before.
As an update, I weighed in at 131.5 this morning. That's an all new low. I've been sitting anywhere from 132 to 134 for the past 3 weeks or so. I do think I'm about finished losing, but we'll just have to wait and see. The first 2 years are all about losing the weight, and then settling in and maintaining the weightloss. I'm excited about this! I have always faced the biggest challenge in maintaining whatever loss I had. I feel that I will succeed this time, as my body is 'plumbed for success' and this is not a diet that I will go off of.
Once again, I will say that I am very happy with my MGB and the resulting weight loss. I don't feel like I am on a diet. I feel like a normal person for the first time ever. My appetite no longer controls me. I eat whatever I want, but what I want is good for me!
As a final note, I'm addicted to the Olympics! It is amazing to see what the human body can accomplish! I'm inspired to focus on my own exercise regime and build up my muscles and my cardiovascular system. For those of you who are like me, 50 and over, losing muscle mass is a natural part of aging. So, we have to fight it by strength training. I'm gonna beef mine up, as I've been a little lax! I bought a new resistance band and hopefully that will help some. My older son swears by his. Of course he can do more with it than I can even dream of at this point - but I'm gonna build those muscles up!
Let's go for the gold!
Monday, July 7, 2008
One Year Anniversary
On Saturday, 7/5/08, I celebrated the one year anniversary of my Mini Gastric Bypass. What a whirlwind year it has been! I have lost 121 pounds, going from 256 to 135. I had set a personal goal of 136, and actually didn't think I would reach it by the one year mark, as I was stuck at 137 or 138 for about a month. I wasn't concerned, as I was completely happy at that point, even if I never lost another ounce! But low and behold, on 7/4 the scale showed 135...and has continued to show that (even 134.5 at times) since.
I have kept track of my measurements along the way, and today I added up the inches lost. Drumroll..... 112.25 inches!!! My gosh! I have really lost a whole person that I was carrying around all this time. Just to give you more info on where I was and where I am now, here are some before and after measurements:
Then Now
Waist: 44 in 29 in
Hip 51.5 in 35 in
Bust 45 in 37.75 in
Upr Arm 18.75 in 11 in
Thigh 26.5 in 16.75 in
Calf 19.5 in 14 in
I wore a Women's 22 and now wear a 4 or 6. Even my toes lost weight! My toe ring now slips off if I am not careful - if I wanted to take it off prior to surgery - I had to soap up the toe!
My friend was describing a woman we admire but had never met in person. She saw her at a convention, and told me, "She's much smaller than she looks on TV, she's as tiny as you!" Wow. I know that no one ever said those words to me before.
I am thrilled with the results of my surgery. I am healthy - no more diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea. I am strong, I feel great. I can climb the stairs - or a mountain, and not feel like I'm gonna keel over trying to catch my breath. I can mow the yard, carry the laundry, exercise, you name it. I can sit on my husband's lap. I can get up and down from the floor with ease. I no longer wonder if I'm the fattest woman in the room. I don't worry about my stomach sticking out, or my thighs rubbing together. I can tie my shoes without losing my breath. I can just be the me I always imagined I was. I'm just not carrying around an extra person with me.
Years ago, my husband and I had a little country store. Among the things we sold were those little signs with sayings. One of my favorites said: My body's really a size 6...I just cover it with fat so it won't get scratched! Well, I guess that's what I was doing all these years. One word of caution if you're doing that too - don't wait too long to uncover it, cause it may not get scratched, but it might get a bit wrinkled!
Life is good...eternal life is better!
I have kept track of my measurements along the way, and today I added up the inches lost. Drumroll..... 112.25 inches!!! My gosh! I have really lost a whole person that I was carrying around all this time. Just to give you more info on where I was and where I am now, here are some before and after measurements:
Then Now
Waist: 44 in 29 in
Hip 51.5 in 35 in
Bust 45 in 37.75 in
Upr Arm 18.75 in 11 in
Thigh 26.5 in 16.75 in
Calf 19.5 in 14 in
I wore a Women's 22 and now wear a 4 or 6. Even my toes lost weight! My toe ring now slips off if I am not careful - if I wanted to take it off prior to surgery - I had to soap up the toe!
My friend was describing a woman we admire but had never met in person. She saw her at a convention, and told me, "She's much smaller than she looks on TV, she's as tiny as you!" Wow. I know that no one ever said those words to me before.
I am thrilled with the results of my surgery. I am healthy - no more diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea. I am strong, I feel great. I can climb the stairs - or a mountain, and not feel like I'm gonna keel over trying to catch my breath. I can mow the yard, carry the laundry, exercise, you name it. I can sit on my husband's lap. I can get up and down from the floor with ease. I no longer wonder if I'm the fattest woman in the room. I don't worry about my stomach sticking out, or my thighs rubbing together. I can tie my shoes without losing my breath. I can just be the me I always imagined I was. I'm just not carrying around an extra person with me.
Years ago, my husband and I had a little country store. Among the things we sold were those little signs with sayings. One of my favorites said: My body's really a size 6...I just cover it with fat so it won't get scratched! Well, I guess that's what I was doing all these years. One word of caution if you're doing that too - don't wait too long to uncover it, cause it may not get scratched, but it might get a bit wrinkled!
Life is good...eternal life is better!
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