MOcatmom

Tomorrow's my surgery day.  God, I hope I can eat the right way and permanently lose this weight.

Haven't been on in a while. Started at 355 now at 215.

Yesterday was 3 months post-op. I have lost 35 lbs since my surgery and 82 lbs since August of last year. I am so happy that I decided to do this for myself. I am healthier than I have been in years and I feel amazing.
I was eating a low carb diet since December of last year and recently decided to transition to a whole foods plant based diet after reading the book Proteinaholic and  doing my own research. I have an incredible support system for this change as my circle of friends from church are all vegans/vegetarians. At this point my daily carb consumption has gone from 30g to about 55-70g and my protein has dropped from 80-85 down to 50-55. My blood sugar control has remained perfect despite the increase in complex carbs. I continue to avoid sugar, white flour, bread, white rice, and pasta. 
My weight loss has actually picked up this past week, but this may just be a coincidence. I feel really good. The only slight negative I can note is am a little more drained after a run and have been unable to run my long distance of 3 miles yet. I have been sticking to 2-2.5 miles for now. I think my body is still adjusting to the change. 
I am going to post my photo because a couple of people have requested before and after pics.  It is hard looking back, but it does help show us just how far we have come and what a difference a year can make.
 

3 pounds from a "normal" BMI and 7 pounds from goal!!  It can be done!!

Ok so tomorrow its time to say goodbye to my Lap Band. I feel kinda sad.  I remember how excited I was to get it.  How driven I was. I just couldn't get the hang of it.  Everything was always getting stuck. Couldn't eat yogurt, salad, or cereal. Toward the end even water was coming back up. Sleeve on November 13th! Can't wait to start my new journey. 

Feeling ecstatic about the doors the sleeve has opened for me! I'm (slowly) losing weight and getting more active. This last week I climbed a 60 foot tall rock wall and went zip lining! A few months ago, I never thought I'd do either of those things lol

Wishing I was losing faster, but my surgeon and nut have me eating 900-1200 calories a day with all the exercise I'm doing.

Six months post-op and 90 pounds lost! I'm so happy with the weight loss, but I still can't help wishing it was 100 pounds instead.  I still need to find time to do my measurements and take some photos though - I'm leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow morning, so am pretty busy cleaning and packing before I go.

I don't know what is going on, but I am dropping weight like crazy since I broke that last stall. 
8/7- 181
8/10- 177.4
8/11- 176
8/13- 174
8/14- 173.5
Is it a coincidence that I was eating mainly plant based on my week long camping trip, (we don't serve meat on any church activities), and decided to go fully whole foods plant based a few days after returning? I am really beginning to believe my body is telling me something here. I guess time will tell. I am starting to look ahead to maintenance as I think it is closer than I thought. I am now thinking that 150 may be to too low for me. when I hit 160 I will re-evaluate my goal. One thing I have noticed about eating this way is that I get fuller faster. It doesn't seem like that would be true, but it is. Maybe it is just because the foods are less calorie dense, but I have to eat more often to get the same amount of calories in as before and I feel fuller faster.
Anyway, so far so good. I feel really good and I am confident that I found the best diet that will be sustainable long term. 

Finally have gotten my surgery scheduled for August 28th.  Very excited but also stressed about the amount of things I need to get in order beforehand! 

YAHOO. Just got cleared like minutes ago, to take the Lakewood classes in Colorado. Next 6 weeks, here I come!!!

My surgery was March 29th 2017. Yesterday was 18.5 weeks since surgery and the first time I went shopping. I live life on a budget, so I have been really stretching my clothes through using a belt and wearing some of my mom's clothes so I haven't needed to try on anything new. Honestly, I had no intentions on buying anything, I just wanted to know what size jeans I wore. I used to wear size 17, sometimes even higher depending on the brand. I've been fitting into my size 11's lately but they were getting a little big so I decided I would try on a 10. THEY WERE TOO BIG TOO! I told my best friend to grab me some 8s and I didn't even have to suck it in to fit into them!!! I'm in single digits for the first time since like 6th grade!!! I am so delighted, you guys have no idea. Also, I fit into a Micheal Kors size M work shirt so I just had to buy it! I'm sure even if I hit my goal, I'll be a M, so it was worth spending the money. Plus, it was on sale! HOW EXCITING! I felt so good buttoning those pants. I could have cried. <333 

Feeling really good 3 months post op and halfway to the finish line. I have been hitting the gym pretty consistently at 5:30am  usually dragging myself in yawing like a fool. I try to get exercise in about 3-4 days a week. I make sure I do a lot of walking on the treadmill as well as lifting weights. This journey isn't over and I am still pushing hard.

Sooo...I decided to keep a pair of brand new dress pants that I've never worn from the past two years (that I could also never wear due to them being way too small) for when I need a pair to wear. I decided to try them on this morning (for an important appointment this week) and they are now too big! Lol. 

This is a first!
I just got back from a 3 week vacation and I lost 5.5 lbs. I don't think I have ever lost weight while on vacation.
I eat more carbs than I usually do, I was less active than I usually am, and I didn't track what I eat, just made sure I got enough protein.
Today it's back to business, tracking and eating clean. Sunday it was 5 months since I started my 2 week pre-op diet, and I'm down over 78 lbs. A few years ago it took me a whole year of diet and working out 6 days a week to drop 67 lbs. Insane.

I had my first post op appointment on 07-31. I lost 26 pounds in 12 days. That was hard to believe! So far, I am feeling well. I am off my cholesterol and diabetes medication since the morning of Surgery. I'm still on the liquid diet for a couple more days. Can't wait to switch things up a bit. I'm a little tired of all the shakes. lol

My clothes have been hanging off and baggy. I decided to just suck it up and buy a few shirts and two pairs of jeans today. I fit into a size 16 jeans. I was a size 22!!! I fit into a size Medium shirt. A MEDIUM!!! From a 2XL - 3XL to Medium. OMG!!! YES. 
 
 

Read something that resonated with me..."You believed in Santa for 8 years.  You can believe in yourself for 10 seconds."  I need to remember that.

My doggy is now back home in his cute little splint and cone. He is soo adorable and annoyingly smart. He figured out how to push the cone back so he can bite at the splint. He also is running on 3 legs but walks on all 4 (Except in the dirt lol). 
My stall is finally over. I moved 1 lb on the scale on Sunday. I finally moved. I have been bouncing between 203 - 205 lbs for the longest. I am finally 202 lbs. I think its over. I have been sticking to my Keto and meal prepping. I cannot believe that I look like this. I feel amazing. I look amazing and although I have a long way to go, I am soo proud of the progress that I have made. I am almost to my second goal of being under 200 lbs. I have made the decision that I want to bring in the New Year at 155 lbs. That is an average of 9 lbs over the next 5 months. I can handle that. I have already prepared my Keto weeks and the grocery lists. I just want to reach that third goal by the end of the year and I believe that I can. 
My ex-bf has been texting me and calling me a lot. Honestly, I really do miss the fool. I just do not want his insecurities destroying my progress. I am highly conflicted. I know he is a great person and I truly love him a lot. I just do not understand why he has any insecurities. The man workouts and is built. He is very handsome and extremely intelligent. As of now, he is being supportive. Sending me work out routines to try, new recipes and even went as far as to get me a class doing Aerial Silks (Something I have showed extreme interest in). I really need to have a one on one with myself regarding our relationship.

I just updated my profile picture, a month shy of 5 yrs post op.  149 lbs.

Read something that resonated with me..."You believed in Santa for 8 years.  You can believe in yourself for 10 seconds."  I need to remember that.

Read something that resonated with me..."You believed in Santa for 8 years.  You can believe in yourself for 10 seconds."  I need to remember that.

I'm so excited!!  Got approved through insurance and surgery date set. I can't wait!

I was behind my mom in the weekly Fitbit challenge so I went to the gym tonight and pulled out 5k+ steps to beat her! I'm more competitive than I thought!