Endings and Beginnings

So Friday was my last day at MyMediaWorks. I'd been there for almost 3 years, so even though I'm excited about my new position and moving ahead and learning more in my career, it's always a little sad and scary to leave the familiar.

My friends had a great going-away lunch for me and Susan (my official blog photog), who was also leaving that day to move to a new department in the company. There were like 12 or 13 people there, and it was at a great little place downtown called Room 3-9.



It's weird to think of not driving downtown every day and walking into the building, going up to the 6th floor, etc. I will definitely miss everybody. They gave me a gift certificate to Kohl's for some new (smaller!) clothes!

Oh, and last Monday my son Danny graduated from high school! I was so proud. Danny's my baby and it really hit me that both my boys are now out of school. Wow. I don't really feel old when I think about it, though. Just accomplished. I remember back when they were both in elementary school, thinking - God, please just let me get them through school!! And now I have. :) And of course I cried during the ceremony. Here's the whole family:


Okay, so time for an update:

Original pounds to lose: 140
Pounds lost so far: 42
Pounds left to lose: 98

Yay!!! Plus the 15 lbs. I lose before the surgery, so I've now lost 57 lbs. total.

Plus, down 3 pants sizes and 2 top sizes. I love how I feel in my clothes now. I've always been a confident person, but I can definitely feel my confidence increasing every day.

I really feel great. I think the vitamins really, really make a difference. I don't feel weak or tired or malnourished in any way. If anything, I feel stronger than ever.

Today was Memorial Day. Rudy and I went to Daytona Beach - my favorite beach, full of memories from my childhood - plus, it has the best people-watching of any beach, in my opinion. :) It was a beautiful day. When we first got there, Rudy went for a run, then when he got back I went for a 45 minute walk. It felt really good - I didn't used to be able to walk that long! My legs are a little sore tonight, but in a good way.

So towards the end of the day, I really, REALLY wanted a hamburger and/or hot dog. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat much of it, but I just wanted that flavor. It's Memorial Day - it's a tradition! So on the way home, we went to a burger place and Rudy bought me a small hamburger and a chili dog so I could have a taste of each. I pulled back the bun and bit into the burger and mmmmmm....it was so delicious!! I had 3 small bites of the burger and 2 bites of the hot dog (minus the bun) and I was full. And happy.

Wow, this is getting pretty easy. :)

Almost 6 wks Post-Surgery and Happy as a Clam!

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I last wrote and I feel SO much better about everything. I'm feeling stronger - probably because of all the vitamins I'm on, and even my nails seem stronger. That's probably due to the huge amounts of calcium I'm taking.

You know, I'm really not missing starches THAT much. I'm getting so full with the protein and the fruit or veggie that I'm can't even imagine eating starches. But that damn Domino's Brooklyn Style pizza commercial, where the lady folds it in half to take a bite ... that still makes me crazy every time. I definitely think pizza will be the first starch that I eat when my 6 months of no starches is up. :)

That, and I also really miss peanut butter, which for some reason you can't have for 6 months either. No pb, no nuts, and no beans. Those things are all so high in protein that seems strange to me, but who am I to question what they've finessed after all these successful patients they've treated? I'm just going to do what they say and hope for the best!

I joined Planet Fitness this week. I have a appointment with a personal trainer on Saturday morning so he can suggest a work-out plan for me. Jeez, I've worked out on and off for so many years that I know this stuff backwards and forward, and I think this young buck thinks he's going to tell me a whole bunch of things I've never heard before, but what the hell, it's a free consultation. Mostly I just need to learn how to work the machines because these are a little different than my last couple of gyms.

That's what's funny to me ... people always think fat people don't know how to eat right or work out ... when most of us know more about diet and nutrition and exercise than most people of normal weight. We have learned it OVER and OVER and OVER again, and done it OVER and OVER and OVER again.

We've done Atkins, the South Beach diet, the Cabbage Soup diet, Nutrisystems, Jenny Craig, Transformations, the Zone, the grapefruit diet, Slim-fast, Medifast, Dexatrim, low-fat, low-carb, low GI ... most of us have tried it all.

We've done cardio and walking and treadmills and ellipticals and strength training and free weights and Nautilus and Curves and Billy's Bootcamp and Jane Fonda workout tapes and Winsor Pilates until we want to drop.

And most of us have probably had more successful diets and lost more weight than most people of normal weight.

But whether it's genetics or a lack of consistency or what, we always gain it back. But we know this stuff. Like I know HOW to serve a tennis ball. Doesn't mean I can actually DO it.

So anyway, tomorrow I'm supposed to meet this little buff 20-something at 11 in the morning for him to show me what the magic workout formula will be for me. I did tell him that I just had gastric bypass and he said he's worked with gastric bypass patients before, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and he will give me some good tips. I just want to get back to getting some regular exercise beyond walking. And I'm really looking forward to the strength training. I always enjoyed that, and I'm concerned about keeping my arms as strong as possible to MAYBE avoid too much saggy-ness when I lose a lot more weight.

So......the new totals..... at 5 1/2 weeks post-surgery:

Original lbs. to lose: 140
Pounds lost so far: 35
Pounds left to lose: 105

I'm getting psyched because I'm really starting to feel it come off. My clothes seem to be getting looser every day and I'm loving it!!

I'm down 2 sizes in pants and skirts and 2 sizes in tops! I'm now in the smallest size top that Lane Bryant sells. :)

Oh, and last time when I was concerned about the plateau I reached when I had lost 25 lbs. ... well, I went to my regular appt. with the surgeon around that time and he read me some of my numbers ... even though I had been stuck at 25 lbs. for about a week, he pointed out that since my appointment only 2 weeks prior, my fat composition (the percentage of my body that is fat) went from 52% to 45%. AND, at the same time, the amount of weight that is muscle in my body went from 129 lbs. to 143 lbs. So I'm literally losing fat and gaining muscle! Isn't that awesome??! So that made me okay with the plateau for awhile.

I'm on my way!!!