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About this blog

A Central Canadian woman's rants and raves about joining the bandsters.

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21 Weeks post-Op: The Twisted Port, The Revision Debate and The Emo In Me

I weighed in at 189lbs today. Down .4 of a lb. The scale moved and in the right direction so I am game!   I made a vlog yesterday. My first one ever. Yesterday was just such a BAD day that I didn't know how to write a blog about it today and couldn't wait to vent either. I was really depressed for a while thanks to the TOM, Work Stress and the grey day. After a chat with the Mister and the Besties, a good sook over the traded workout for a bag of SMARTFOOD (I call BULLSHIT) popcorn, a TV marathon on the couch and a good night's sleep, I'm optimistic! I woke up at 6:00, had my usual good start with breakfast and got back on the elliptical. Back on the wagon. Nothing will stop me. Win the mental fight. I'm still not 100% sure of my decision but whatever it is, it will be the best for me! Here is my first VLOG!!! http://youtu.be/5bd78k06aPA TO CLARIFY, I DO NOT HAVE A LAP-BAND. I HAVE A REALIZE BAND P.S. A super big shout out to LapBandGal ( http://lapbandgalsjo...y.blogspot.com/) for her comment last week! You inspire and motivate me! Thank you for sharing!P.P.S Where my Besties? I love you betches, our framily and your Jazz Hands! Best Bday gift ever, you spoil me!   CHEERS!!  

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

20 Weeks Post-Op: Non-Scale Victories!

Happy Tuesday! I weighed in at 189.4lbs this week. Last week was 191.6lbs. 2.2lbs down! I'll take it! A grand total of 72.6lbs since the beginning and 34.6lbs since surgery. I am at about 40% of my excess weight lost!!!! 10 more lbs until I am no longer considered obese and just overweight. Wow!!! I feel great these days! I am exercising regularly, eating decently and have had some really great things going on in my life! I have been camping allot (even in the snow) with one last trip (filled with sunshine, fingers crossed) planned for this weekend. Then, back to spending weekends at work. BOO HISSSS!   I am a little lost for post content this week and with the slowed weight loss lately, I have been reminding myself of all the non-scale victories for a while. They are my motivation and I hope you all can relate and look forward to some of them yourselves!   1. I've mentioned this before but I am still in awe that I can cross my legs comfortably. I do this ALL of the time now. It's just how I sit. 2. I have a lap. A big enough lap that 2 dogs can sit on it. (see below) I can hold a plate on my lap while I eat and I can have my nephews sit on my lap without holding on to them for dear life! 3. I can wear a sleeveless shirt without being sooooooo self-conscious. I am self-conscious, don't get me wrong but before I was so unbelievably self-conscious about my stretch mark speckled, sun-starved arm-a-jello. (AKA - bat flaps, Oprah arms, bingo wings, Hi Helen's, ham hocks, flubbows... you name it!) Now, I can wear a sleeveless tank or workout top and feel okay... more than okay. Almost...comfortable. I will continue to work on this one! 4. Shopping in the "regular" sized racks. 2 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of capris in 14's!!! I was a Size 20-22 when I started. I still have yet to pick up any real hot trendy stuff. I look, I try on, I love, I come to my freaking senses. I am not a fashionista... I am a Canadian Tom Boy! 5. I can run.. I can walk... I actually like to do these things. I can kick ass on my elliptical, I can climb mountains, I can do anything! My confidence in myself has grown by 3 times!!! Maybe even 5!   I didn't know if I could do any of this when I started this journey. I didn't know if I would lose. If I did lose, could I keep it off? Would it always be as hard as it was in the beginning. If I failed, would I just give up?   I can do this. I am doing this and I will keep doing this. Things are not EASY now but they are not as hard as they were in the beginning. I hope things continue to go smoothly and that I continue to grow, challenge myself and love myself.   Don't be fooled folks, I do have bad days! I just don't share them because I feel like we all have enough of them! I want to share the successes and motivation that have helped me on my way! Baby steps!   I also want to take a second in this post to give a shout out to my followers. Family, Framily, Friends and Strangers, THANK YOU for your support! [/url] Cheers!                                                          

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

2 weeks post-op! Hello elliptical, on with the love/hate!

2 weeks today. WOW! Seems like yesterday but also seems like 6 months ago. The pain is minimal. Still a little tender here and there and definately burping allot more, but other than that I am back to the ups and downs of everyday reality.   10 lbs down since surgery and 50 LBS since I started all of this! SUPER STOKED!   I had only taken 6 days off of work and it seemed to be good timing for me. I finished my 2 weeks of pot-op liquid diet like a champ and am moving on to getting back to my 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.   Yesterday I cooked up some lowfat mac and cheese with 20g protien per serving AND some shepards pie with sweet potatoe crust. I baked them in muffin tins for me and bread pans for the hubby. When they were frozen, threw them in to a tupperware in the freezer. TAH DAH! Lunch and Suppers if I happen to have one of "those" days at work. I knew going in to this that being prepared would be my biggest weapon against my caving to cravings. I am constantly on the road for work and drive-thu windows are the easiest fix for this. Not the easiest fix however for the ever increasing size of my ass. I have been working on this specifically over the last year or so and do well most of the time but really had to bunker down for after surgery. I feel like I am ready to take on anything!   I have been walking, and walking and walking since surgery. Its a balmy -33 celcius today and has been since the weekend so took in a few laps at Ikea and the mall - not so good on the wallet. Today started out at -27. BORING!!!! Oh Canada - youre lucky you have the mountains (and free health care) out here or I would be GONE!   So, I called my nurse and got the green light to rekindle my love/hate relationship with my elliptical. I love that I can still work out when it is this cold but I hate that I am stuck in my basement moving yet going nowhere! I am dying to get moving again and was on a 40 mins 4 days a week schedule for the winter so far... start slow, take it easy and build it back up! Ive set my goal to be back to where I was by April. I can do this! Then summer, glorious summer. Dog Parks, Mountains, Camping, Hiking... sun, warmth.... CAN NOT WAIT!   Anyhoot - GOOD LUCK ALL!  

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

2 More Sleeps!

:xena_banana: I am so ready!!! I filled the pantry and fridge with everything on my dieticians shopping list, Ive got my box of kleenex, heat bag, Gas-X strips and blanky ready and waiting near the couch along with the FANTASTIC INFO for reading that was sent by TOMANDER. (My shout out!!) My laundry is done and the house is clean. Ive cleared my schedule of everything non-recoup related and I've got my bag packed for Tuesday morning to take to the hospital...... and still another 2 sleeps.   I am going to busy myself over the next 2 days by concentrating on my post-op diet and pre-op exercise regiem and making sure that I didnt forget to do that thing Ive already done but keep reminding myself over and over not to forget to do it! I'm psyched to get the hospital stay over with and probobly more worried about that part than anything else. I do not do sleepovers and the Mr. cant stay at all!     This too shall pass and soon enough I will be back at home, back to my kicking ass and taking names... 1st on the list is MUFFINTOP!   CHEERS and Good luck to those who share the 18th as thier BandBirthday! And to the rest of you all too!   Jen

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

19 Weeks Post-Op: An Ode to Grandparents.

This week I weighed in at 191.6 lbs. I've been camping the last 2 weekends with the next two planned for the same. This means THINKING about just how much grazing and drinking that I will allow myself to do! It's tough but being outside all day long makes me enjoy the exercise part of things quite a bit! I've dealt with the fact that the Birthday goal will not happen. 185lbs in 6 days.... nope, but that's okay! First weight goal I ever set, I never hit. Meh, moving along now. Back a few weeks ago I mentioned how the Mister and I went back to my hometown to celebrate my Grandparent's 64th anniversary. My Grandparents remind me of a few things that have been spinning around in my head these days, so I thought I would share... Turn on the sap machine! I love my Grandparents! My parents were divorced when I was 4. This had no effect on how much time I got to spend with my Grandparents. I have one Grandpa, one Grandad, one Grandma and one Nana. I was a lucky kid! My Nana passed away a few years ago and I miss her terribly but after a good chat and a few comments this last weekend, I am pleased to see that she lives on in each of us girls in the family. The men in our lives may contest that the statement is a positive thing but they better just shut thier mouths. [/url]     Brother, Sister and I with Nana.       My Nana was a fun yet stern woman. She play acted with us, let us make giant snow Easter Eggs and decorate them with food coloring all over her yard. We picked her crab apples for her and helped paint her fence allot but the funny thing about it is that it never seemed like work. Her husband, Grandad always lived in the bush. He was a hard working man. I never spent a whole lot of time with him as he constantly was working on something. I have a huge expectation about people and work ethic because of all of my Grandparents. I think that the ideal man image was set in my head back as a kid by my Grandad, my Grandpa, my Dad, My Step-Dad and my Uncle's. The perfect man to me is a combination of them all. Thank goodness that I found a perfect close match!     Sister and I with Grandad   My Grandparents are pretty religious and we spent allot of time at Church with them. They were older than Nana and Grandad and we were expected to be on our best behaviour or we would get the threat of the 3ft wooden spoon on her kitchen wall. It never actually tanned our asses but the threat of that giant spoon was enough to straighten out the worst of us. They used to take us to the lake, let us help plant and harvest the garden and although Grandma bought the sister and I matching dresses for every occasion and forced us to sit under the hair dryer with the pink foam curlers in before church, we still loved them. When my brother got married in Mexico last year my Grandpa sent these words of wisdom. "Be kind to one another, talk about everything and listening to each other is the most important thing." For a man who has been married 64 years and is 90 years old, he sure is relevant to today.     The Mister and I with Grandma and Grandpa.   I have such fond memories of my Grandparents and alas, time is slipping away. I want to see them more, I want to be there for them as thier health deteriorates and thier minds fail them. I know that they know just how much I love them and how much I admire them. I've got some great strong roots and a solid foundation for years to come. I've learnt many things from all 4 of these people and hope to be somewhat like all of them...when I grow up...one day.   I promise I won't write sappy posts often, I just really love these guys!   Now go hug your Grandpa, call your Grandma or if they are gone now too, remember fondly!         Cheers,      

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

18 Weeks Post-Op: Hummus Stuffed Chicken and Getting Back on The Wagon

Week 18?!?! I weighed in at 191lbs this morning. I told you it was the stress and once it was gone, so would the extra few pounds I have been carting around. Another day late blog this week. I may just change to Wednesdays every week! Last weekend the Mister and I joined my Dad and his girlfriend for a long-weekend of camping. First trip out of the year! We tried out our new to us 1969 tent trailer. She aint pretty but it was amazing to not have to lug all the camping gear back down to my basement when we got home! I walked 2 out of 3 days, minded the snackies the best that I could and indulged in a few beverages too!! I relaxed with Sparms and the Mister, played cards and caught up with my Dad and his girlfriend.... PERFECTION! Now back to life and what a busy week to try to jump back on the wagon!!!   In trying to jump back on the wagon, I have to get back to routine. My routine is as follows: Breakfast: 0630hrs: 3/4 sunnyboy cereal + 1/4c Blueberries + 3Tbsp soy milk. (When it is done cooking, I add skim milk powder and benefibre to it. I make a big batch on Sunday and put it in the fridge in individual containers. still and individually portion for the week.) 1030hrs: 1/4 cottage cheese + a few veggies OR 1/4 c greek yogurt + 1/4 c fruit puree unsweetened 1230-1300hrs: I used to eat spinach and veggie salad with a small can of tuna daily.. until I found what the suggested amount of tuna consumption is. SCARY! Now I take leftovers. Most chicken breasts are 5 or 6 ounces of meat. I usually save about half or so from dinner and take the salad, grains or beans that are leftover. 1500 hrs: I usually have a cheese string and a few pieces of broccoli or snap peas for the ride home. An apple, celery, carrots. Protein and fruit/veggie.   1800hrs: I like to make a good meal for dinner that the Mister and I can sit down together to enjoy. We do schedule Friday as out eat out night and that keeps me cooking during the week most of the time. I get home from work at 3 or 4, start dinner and get on the elliptical then off to the dog-park. I like to do the elliptical when Mister isn't home because I feel like when he is in the house, the time passes slower. I am wondering what he is doing upstairs and it just makes it difficult to get in my zone! Once I am in the house and done everything for the day, I want to relax. I can not put off exercise to this point. It will just NOT happen! After dinner, I do the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. This is the ideal schedule and routine for me. I thrive in it! I just wish I could master longer runs with it! It will never end... I may just have to accept that.   Here is a super easy and tasty chicken recipe. Hummus stuffed chicken.       2 skinless boneless chicken breasts   1/4 c hummus   1/4 c light feta   1/4 chopped kalamata olives   1 Tbsp pepper   2Tbsp chopped tomato   non-stick spray   tin foil       Butterfly chicken breasts and pound them out. Mix hummus, feta, olives and tomato.   Spread 1/2 mixture on each chicken breast. Roll up chicken breast, sprinkle with pepper, roll it tightly in the tin foil. I cooked these on the BBQ on medium heat for about 40 minutes turning every ten or fifteen minutes. I am crazy about chicken being SOOOOO done that I think you could get away with less time. I served the chicken with grilled curry cauliflower and roasted asparagus and yellow pepper pasta. TASTY!                   Take Care,      

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

17 Weeks Post-Op: 70lbs, 8km Hiked and A New Found Confidence.

FINALLY! The scale moved. I weighed in at a nice 192lbs this morning. 70lbs down from my heaviest and 32lbs since surgery. Things have slowed allot lately and I know exactly what is causing it! I found this post this morning when catching up and certainly can relate! lol. I am just 4 months out and i should be thinking this way still. I am not, and I still do not have restriction so.... I plow on! i-want-to-be-baby-bandster-again c/o my idol - LAP BAND GAL! This post of mine is not on a TUESDAY! GASP! I was too busy hiking up around huge biggish mountains with Sparms. We went out on Monday for a Tuesday morning work meeting. We hiked 4km on Monday afternoon and 4km yesterday on our way home. I thought about quitting once. Then I thought about how proud we would be of ourselves at the top. I thought about how there was no way either of us could have done this 2 years ago. I thought about my determination through all of this. I thought about how great my ass must look to Sparms as she climbed behind me and that finishing this climb would only make it even nicer. I also thought that there has to be an amazing view waiting for us up there because why else would people put thier bodies through this crazy crazy shit. It was a little scary. The 2 of us, alone, in the middle of bear and cougar (not us lady cougars, real ones who stalk people and pounce from nowhere to swallow you up after shredding your skin with one swipe of thier massive claws) territory.   Jasper National Park is HUGE! We are but specks in the landscape next to the giant lodgepoll pines, the long winding rivers, the peaks, the valleys... just so so small and insignificant. Not that day. We were not insignificant. We were two fat girls who have come a long way in the last two years. Such a long way that we climbed a mountain, as small as it may be in comparison to the great pyramid mountain, it is still a mountain that we conquered.   and the view was most certainly worth it all!   <P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator> [/url]   Back to reality today. This blog and work took up most of the morning and the forecast is very similar for the afternoon. Tomorrow I will clean house and pack for an awesome long weekend spent camping with my Mister and my Daddy! Who cares if there is a provincial fire ban on right now! Who needs a fire? Not the girl who is capable of climbing a mountain! I am sure I will make it work! I can do anything!   Cheers!          

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

16 Weeks Post-Op: Just When You Think You Are In Control

This morning I weighed in at 193lbs. Not a budge from last week. I am a little dissappointed I have to admit BUT I did not gain. I'll take it.... I guess. I'm hoping that I really did lose a few pounds but the stress is weighing me down. Stress gone = POOF - 3 lbs?!?!? Let's keep our fingers crossed.   I've been fighting the mental fight these days. My meal choices have been decent in most cases BUT I just seem to be hungry late at night allot lately. I am using my herbal tea and novelty water bottle to combat the late night troll that wants me to snack on the Mister's chips and snacks. I have been successful so far but I feel like I may cave at any moment! I keep telling myself that it isn't worth it. That my sunnyboy breakfast will be waiting for me in the morning. That I am not REALLY hungry. Thing is, I think that I am!   I purchased a soy based chocolate protien powder yesterday. I am hoping that, at 140 cal and 19g of protien per serving, that one of these bad boys might help me feel fuller through the evening. I have been struggling with my protien, especially on the road and the extra help couldn't hurt! Yesterday was my first crack at it but I worked until 10pm and couldn't tell you if hunger was one of the things swirling around in my brain! I will try again today and see how it goes. It seems that anytime that I think that I may be in control and getting the hang of this, the signs tell me that I need to work harder! More exercise, less waivering and this too shall pass... right?!   This week the sun is here and the temps will stay in the 20's !!! We are off to my hometown on Saturday to celebrate my Grandparent's 65th anniversary! Grandpa is 90 and Grams is only a year behind! Sunshine, Family and Country Roads!!! Next week, Sparms Bestie (we work together too) are on our way to Jasper for a meeting! HELLS YES! ROADTRIP to PARADISE!   [/url]             Take Care All,                  

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

15 Weeks Post-Op: 2nd Fill, Port Scare and Stuffed Peppers!

WEIGH IN: 193lbs, 31lbs since surgery. BOOO YAH!   So yesterday I went for my 2nd fill. I've mentioned before that I am becoming more and more aware of my port as time goes on. A while back, I felt like it was moving but chalked it up to my body changing. During my first fill, my surgeon's partner said that it was a little wiggly but nothing to be concerned about. I was concerned... because I tend to worry myself over all of this surgery/foreign body/port stuff. I was sure that his comment was to blame for the obsessing and paranoia over my port in the first place.   He pressed around ALLOT. I told him, "I may be crazy but I feel like my port is moving around and I am aware of it most of the time." I needed some kind of reassurance. He confirmed that it does indeed wiggle considerably but that it wasn't any worse then my first visit. After ALLOT MORE pushing, pinching and tapping, he attempted the fill. He missed the port. Poked pushed and prodded again and the second attempt...was a miss. I'm breathing, covering my face with my arm and laying there on the table... worried. My first fill I was stressed for and it turned out to be no big deal at all. In, out, no pain, see ya next month. He announced that he was going to pull my surgeon in to see me and then asked me if I could be available this Thursday for a port revision surgery. ???WTF???? I could have cried. He left the room for 2 seconds and flew back in with my surgeon, his partner and 2 med students. I was panicking. Dr. Birch greeted me and immediately I was at ease. I love that I have a great surgeon!   He poked, pushed and pulled before he figured it out. My port has flipped. He pushed it down and attempted a fill...FAIL and then pushed it up for the second try... SUCCESS. I now have 4cc's in my band. I got up off of the table and was in a cold sweat. It wasn't THAT bad... no worse then the dentist for sure. I left sore and a little worried. Dr. Birch said that it shouldn't be an issue because I am doing well and not aggressive with fills. I should only have to have one or two more until I am at the average "sweet spot" volume for my band. I Can't wait!   And now for another super duper easy recipe. This makes 4 servings with leftover stuffing for those of you who cook for non-bandsters or hungry men, like mine. I had 1 half pepper and 2 pieces of pork. It hit the spot perfectly. What is this??? RESTRICTION??? Could it be? I feel full longer but have no ques that I am fuller faster yet. I will wait! Patiently!   STUFFED PEPPERS 1c cooked rice 2 peppers (your choice on colour) 1tbsp butter 2 tbsp chili powder 1/2 c corn 4 cooked turkey sausages 1/2 diced onion 1/2 tomato diced 4Tbsp cheese (your choice) No stick cooking spray         [/url] Melt butter, add rice, chili powder, onion, sausage, tomato and stir fry. Cut peppers in half and hollow out seeds and innards. When mixture is done to your satisfaction, mix in the cheese. Spoon in to hollow peppers. Spray grill with no stick spray. Put pepper on medium grill for 10 minutes. VOILA! Super easy and super tasty! You can add whatever you like but the chili powder with the corn was delicious! I used a sprinkle of Parmesan on each pepper and it worked well! I served this with the super duper no recipe pork tenderloin as the protein in the peppers just wouldn't cut it alone! I wish I had a better picture but I was too impatient and hungry!   In non-band related news, ITS SPRING!!!!! For now anyway. The Mister and I took Libby for a good bike ride last night through the local ravine. I have bike riding callous (SUPER SORE ASS) today but the good thing is it only hurts after the first time. A full day of meetings did not help at all either!             Cheers,  

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

14 Weeks Post-Op: Standing Still Yet Moving So Quickly!

I've been on a ride these last few weeks. To me it feels like months but looking back on the facts, it's only weeks. I've been on the road like crazy, there's been occasion after occasion and I hit the road tomorrow again until Friday. Me, the open road and GAS STATION FOOD! I have a late meeting tonight and am not sure that I will get all of my snacks for the road together but I will try! I have fresh veggies waiting to be chopped, individual yogurt and cottage cheese cups to fill, turkey sausage to cook and eggs to boil. This is great road food and it keeps me away from the jerky, chocolate, chips, licorice and pastries that I used to love so much. My pretty new water bottle has proven to be worth its weight in novelty and this steers me clear of the road stop coffee that always has those great flavored creamers! Sounds like a great plan huh? Now to deliver it! Wish me luck! I weighed in this morning at 195.6lbs. Not a budge from last week. this can be directly attributed to the 3rd Annual Besties Trip to the Cabin!!! I don't mind! It was WELL worth it! 2 whole days with some of the most beautiful women in the world. Games, Fireworks, FOOD, DRINKS, Campfires, Giggles, Chats, a Hookah (Imagine Arnie Schwarzenegger (yes the last name was in spellcheck, wtf?!) saying that one, cracks me up) and the GLORIOUS SUNSHINE! It was hard to leave Sunday. I love these gals! They are my cheering section, my counsellors, my confidants and my BESTIES! I do have a great life!   [/url]   I've set some goals that I want to put out there to help with accountability. I've always shied away from a weight related goal because none of this has been about the scale for me. It's about health and lifestyle change. In spring cleaning mode recently, I checked a few other things off of my TO DO LIST. Set up a savings account for the 30th BDAY Besties Trip next year, cleaned out the closets, got the Mister to fix some things and started a new To Do list. Figures, right? GOALS: 1) Food Journal Again! I have never been good at this but I really want to be. I see the value and I will start again this morning. 2) Lift weights 3 out of the 5 cardio days. Baby Steps! 3) Get back into PodRunner interval training. 5 Weeks to 5K. I liked this allot and am excited to see how much easier this will be for me 40lbs lighter and a whole lot healthier and disciplined. 4) 185lbs for my Birthday in June. (10lbs in just under 6 weeks). Easy goals! A clear picture! Planting the sweet peas this morning and got lettuce in last night. The cucumbers are started in the house. I am ready summer, come stay for a while!     Last years sweet peas in early July . Cheers!      

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

13 Weeks Post-Op: I like to party, I like, I like to party!

This morning I weighed in at 195.6lbs. Up .2lbs. After the 3 meals out last week, 1 night at the bar (including dinner of nachos) with the Besties at the Donnie Dumphy concert, out again Saturday night for an old friends Bday (more drinks) and 3 missed workouts, I assumed that I would have gained more. NOPE! Thank the friggen stars! With all of the habits that I have changed, BOOZE is not going anywhere soon! I do miss beer and cider and gin and tonic but Ive replaced those relationships with gin and diet cran and red wine. I am a red wine WHORE! I love to drink, I love to socialize and I LOVE to have fun! I know, I know, some people would say that you don't need to drink to have fun..... I DO! I am 28 (for another month) and have no children. I want to live it up while I can! I know people talk about the "last supper" allot. This is how I feel about booze. I am going to drink all that I can before I get into MOM mode. The day after my 30th Birthday we will start trying for munchkins. Until then, I will continue to work my ass off, eat well and hope that this continues to balance off my love of liquor and the weight loss! A girl can dream right? Still happy that all I gained was .2lbs!!!! We shall see how this week goes. EASTER is here and that means the 3rd annual BESTIES trip to the cabin! I can not wait! [/url]       After the stressful last few weeks at work, I need this! I need an afternoon in the sunshine with my gals, walking around on the trails, blaring the tunes while having a few drinks and pretending like I never have to return to the city and to working for a living!       AND TO FOLLOW THE CROWD: the workout sweaty mess glow from yesterday. The elliptical kicked my ass after 2 days off and an upped by 10min program. I had sweat in places that I never knew could sweat!     Cheers!              

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

12 weeks - 28.6lbs gone since sugery.

I am down 2 more lbs this week. I weighed in at 195.4lbs this morning. Surger weight 224lbs. That's 28.6lbs since surgery and 66.6lbs from my start. I am still at 2cc's in my band, 2nd fill set for May 2nd. I had a weird dream the other night and ended up rubbing my port site in my sleep. I am so aware of it all the time. I hope it's a fleeting sense of awareness. The less fat I have around the site, the more I am aware. I hope I just get used to it. Anyone else out there experience this?   I posted some pictures last week of progress. I was left seeing difference but somehow they didn't encompass what I thought that 65lbs lost SHOULD look like. Expectations Jenny! Sheesh! So I have gone back into the old photo library and put together a Start to Today photo comparison. I feel much better about these ones! [/url]   TOP: 262lbs - January 2010 BOTTOM: 197.4lbs - April 2011   The short of it? I'm still losing... slowly. I'm just fine with it! Content as can be! Working hard at beating my head and old habits and enjoying spring and the dog parks!   And now for the delicious SUPER EASY bbq pork tenderloin recipe that's not really a recipe:           1 pork tenderloin 2Tbsp evoo 1Tsbp Pepper 1Tbsp Salt 2Tbsp minced garlic 3 large pieces of tinfoil Trim excess fat off of loin. Message 1Tbsp of evoo and half the spices on to each side. Press in half of the garlic on each side. The most difficult part: wrap loin with one sheet of foil. Roll like a sushi roll and twist closed both ends. Put the seam side of wrapped loin down on the centre of the tin foil and repeat. 2 wraps could do the job but I like to play it safe and repeat 3 times. BBQ on low for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Remove from grill. Let rest for 10 minutes. Open, cut, serve. Easy!!!   This meat was so juicy and tender! No mess, no fuss! I served with boiled cabbage. 1 small head of shredded cabbage. Boil for 5-7 minutes in veggie stock. Strain, save stock in freezer for soups, throw in to hot wok and saute with onions. I also served with green salad and chickpeas with an oil and vinegar dressing.   Have I mentioned how much I love produce in the spring and summer! Also, the BBQing so takes care of too many dishes to wash up. I could live off of meat, fruit and veggies over the summer months! The strawberries and pineapple are even starting to be good! The sunshine makes me feel younger. It renews my sense of dedication to my new lifestyle too! Ahh spring fever! No matter how old I get, I will still get wrapped up and carried away in your glorious rays. I will roll down my window at +4 degrees, sunglasses on, busting out a good sing along to Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon or even Salt & Peppa!   YEAH SUNSHINE! Happy Spring!    

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

11 Weeks post-op: Spring Fever Strengthens Will!

Good Morning. 197.4lbs smiled at me from between my toes on the scale this morning. I have had a good week. I walked or did the elliptical everyday, except for Saturday. I made good meal choices mostly too.I did catch myself in a few situations that could have been sabotage BUT, I talked myself down. Here is a prime example from lastnight. I got home from a meeting at 9:00pm. There was Mister, curled up on the couch... sharing a box of Girl Guide Cookies and a large bowl of Munchies with the mutt. Now in my old life, I would have sat down to join in and more than likely had a few cookies and a handful of munchies. What is a handful right? Well, lastnight I did NOT park my butt in front of the tv with the naughty snacks piled directly in the line of sight to the tv. I patted him on the head and went straight upstairs to get ready for bed. I did have dinner early because of the meeting and was hungry enough to pack the tummy before I packed it in for the night. But I did refrain. I told myself that if I was still hungry in 20 minutes, that there was greek yogurt in the fridge. It worked.... I fell asleep without the snack. That is a bigger success for me today then the 2 lbs! Old habits die hard and I am hoping that this is the demise of my caving to late night snacks! Celebrate the success!     Sparms Bestie and I decided to dig out the backyard and the firepit Friday afternoon. There is about 5 feet of snow. The weather has been fantastic at about 7 degrees celsius with sunshine all around! The hard work was worth it and we spent a few hours Friday night enjoying the fruits of our labours with a fabulous BBQ!           I CANT WAIT TO GO CAMPING!       Have a good week all! Jenny-JigglyBits@Blogspot  

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

 

10 Weeks Post-op: ONEDERLAND and the 63lbs left behind!

[/url]   HOLY SHIT! I can't even believe it! From 262lbs a year ago to 199.6. I am elated! I celebrated 50lbs, then 60lbs lost and now... 63lbs loss. With my slowed down loss lately, I was prepared to wait until summer for this day. I didn't want to but I know that all good things are worth the wait. Then, TAH DAH! A pleasant surprise over the 2lbs gained last week. So, this week a total loss of 2.4lbs. EASY! I had surgery at 224lbs. So in 10 weeks, I've lost 25lbs. Not THAT impressive compared to others I guess but FANFREAKINGTASTIC for me!   6 weeks, 9lbs and I feel a whole lot different. Not that the photos are that drastic but I see changes. Forgive my surly face this morning. The elliptical called early!         10 WEEKS 4 WEEKS       Sunday night I had a great evening with MamaG. We played with the boys, had an awesome dinner c/o What the Crock!? (www.manicmama.com) and settled in for one of those "Bestie" chats. A great talk. A talk about our stresses. Most importantly, a talk about how super duper uber lucky we are. Lucky and fortunate to live the lives we live.         I am fortunate and thankful to have the family and the "framily" that I have! I love my Mister and the home we have made together. I do actually loathe love my job and generally my entire life! I face struggles daily when it comes to my Bandster Lifestyle. These are nothing but mental struggles. I can control this. Some people can not control the health struggles that face them and thier children. People can not control mother nature or the economy. There are so many examples of ugly situations where people are helpless.   I can control this and I have to try to keep that mantra throughout these struggles.         Another good week all wrapped up. It feels good to be home and back in the swing of things. I am not feeling any restriction these days with that elusive 2ccs during my first fill a week ago. I am still in the habit of eating out of small bowls and plates with smaller utensils to slow down and limit my food intake. I am eating what a regular person should be though and have concentrated on making sure I get enough water during the day. I got myself a fancy new water bottle and the novelty of it is keeping me interested for now.         All 199lbs of me, signing off!            

EdmontonGal

EdmontonGal

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