istytehcrawk

Had to do a makeshift repair on my capris today, using paperclips, because the hem of one leg came undone on my way to work. That's what I get for wearing these for the first time in two-ish years, I guess (they're a 30 but run small because they are the same size as a similar pair I own that are 26s).
Don't mind my super-pale leg. I'd blame it on this being the first time this year that I haven't worn long pants, but the truth is that I'm almost always that pale, except for the forearm that hangs out the window while I drive in the summer, which burns and then gets a brief, faint tan.  

Why isn't there a way to block people on this site? I'm sick of scaremongering and would rather not see it.

Hit 90 lbs down today... so close to my first 100 lbs down!

Three minor disappointments today:
My favorite shirt is officially too big to wear, because it sits awkwardly on my shoulders and doesn't stay put. My good-occasion bra is ALSO too big in the cups. Like, to a startling degree, considering my other bras still fit fine. For the first time since surgery, I've gained a pound, though I *think* that's due to digestive delays.

When I got dressed this morning, I realized I was wrong about the size of the jeans I got at Walmart the other day. They're not 26/28s; they're 24/26s! Which is even better, but also ridiculous because a pair of size 26 pants from the same brand were too small. The jeans have stretch, though, and the pants did not.

My surgery is in one week and I've been really trying to get below 300 before then. I set my goal this past week to lose 2.4 pounds and I actually lost 3.8 pounds. However, that still leaves me at 307.6. Not sure that I can drop 7.6 pounds within the next week, but I'll sure try. Also, it was my goal to get my blood glucose average below 200 and for the last week I've been able to do that too! Plus, I've upped my walking. I'm FINALLY getting in the right mindset

Tonight's experiment: wonton wrapper lasagna (made with ground turkey and a Greek yogurt cream cheese/mozzarella/cheddar/spices mix instead of ricotta, which I don't like) and tacos (made with taco meat pilfered from my sister's supper). In the oven now!

My jeans were literally starting to fall off me, so I caved today and bought a pair of 26/28s to hold me over until capri weather hits, hopefully in the next few weeks.
The important part, though, is that I bought them at WALMART! I haven't been able to buy pants there in YEARS because they didn't go to my size. Unfortunately, I still had to pay $17 (so much better than the $60ish at Catherine's though), because the 26s that were on clearance for $9 were still too small to be comfortable. SOON, though!

My jeans were literally starting to fall off me, so I caved today and bought a pair of 26/28s to hold me over until capri weather hits, hopefully in the next few weeks.
The important part, though, is that I bought them at WALMART! I haven't been able to buy pants there in YEARS because they didn't go to my size. Unfortunately, I still had to pay $17 (so much better than the $60ish at Catherine's though), because the 26s that were on clearance for $9 were still too small to be comfortable. SOON, though!

Just made Eggface's mini chocolate protein muffins, minus the chocolate topping. They're pretty tasty, albeit a little bit dry; I think when I reheat them I'll spray them with a tiny bit of butter spray to help with that. Not bad, considering they help satisfy the sweet tooth for roughly 30 calories and 2 grams of protein (my mix made 14 instead of the 12 hers did).

Went to the store tonight and stocked up on some items that will help me make healthy meals, so I'll actually make new things instead of relying on the old stand-bys that are getting repetitive. 
I got:
bag of chopped broccoli/cauliflower (currently roasting in the oven with some baby carrots) two Roma tomatoes Laughing Cow light Swiss wonton wrappers turkey pepperoni 90% lean ground beef Greek yogurt cream cheese mozzarella cheese sticks (like string cheese, not the breaded kind) Canadian bacon regular bacon a squeeze bottle of ginger skim milk EVOO pizza sauce a bag of clementines small cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes a can of chickpeas (to try @AshAsh1's roasted chickpeas -- I've never had chickpeas, only hummus) pineapple tidbits in juice The ham, pizza sauce, pineapple, and some shredded mozzarella we already had are in the oven with the veggies, becoming crustless Hawaiian pizzas based on this recipe: https://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/no-crust-pizza-bites/
I also plan on making these mini cheeseburger meatloaf muffins, though not tonight: http://www.hungry-girl.com/ask-hg-q-and-a/seven-healthy-protein-packed-recipes

I went to the gym this morning feeling surprisingly strong. I think it must be the 100 something grams of protein intake a day. I was aiming for 15 minutes of cardio and blew that goal out of the water. By the time I looked at the clock it was at 28 minutes and I am like, "Okay, 2 minutes and I am done." So I hopped off the elliptical at 30 minutes feeling really good. I don't want to overdo it because I want to make the gym a daily habit. Still this is every reason to feel good!

It's taken two miserable days of Miralax, stool softeners, and reverting back to a liquid diet, but I am about 95% sure I've managed to stop a would-be bowel obstruction in its tracks.

My last insurance claim was just processed, so I did the math and figured out that I only have to pay $1,351.60 out of $63,966.50, or roughly 2.11 percent of the overall cost, and my portion includes the $1,000 deductible. I can handle that.
(I just made a whole post breaking it down in the Insurance & Financing forum if you're interested.)

My last insurance claim was just processed, so I did the math and figured out that I only have to pay $1,351.60 out of $63,966.50, or roughly 2.11 percent of the overall cost, and my portion includes the $1,000 deductible. I can handle that.
(I just made a whole post breaking it down in the Insurance & Financing forum if you're interested.)

Went through the five trash bags of too-small clothes I have accumulated (some are mine from when I was a little smaller, some were my mom's, some a friend's, some yard sale finds, some bought at store closeout/clearance sales). One bag ended up being a bag of to-donate items that had gotten mixed in with the others inadvertently, so I don't have as much as I expected. But it's now separated into two bags of pants and two bags of shirts, organized by size. 

Went through the five trash bags of too-small clothes I have accumulated (some are mine from when I was a little smaller, some were my mom's, some a friend's, some yard sale finds, some bought at store closeout/clearance sales). One bag ended up being a bag of to-donate items that had gotten mixed in with the others inadvertently, so I don't have as much as I expected. But it's now separated into two bags of pants and two bags of shirts, organized by size. 

Exhaustion finally got the better of me and I took a long nap. Only problem with being that tired was I had a very lucid nightmare. The basic theme was all of my setbacks and failures over the past 15 years in brief and vivid snapshots. The most vivid of these snapshots was of my ex-girlfriend, the one I thought I would marry. We were doing karaoke night on a cruise and she sang Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl while looking right at me with an unforgettable sparkle in her eye.
Well, I woke up feeling predictably like garbage and then I vaguely remembered a few people posting about how fast weight loss can release hormones stored in fat. I don't know what prompted me to step on the scale but I did and lo and behold, I am down 6 pounds in only 5 days (maybe more because it is best to weigh at the beginning of the day.) This was a faster rate than I had ever lost before. Ironically, this did not make me feel any better. My hazy mind just said, "Okay, now time to shower and clean the incisions" Jaysus! I don't cry easily but the damn burst once the hot water hit me. A good cry is an underrated experience for feeling better. So I am now well along my journey and down 26 pounds from my heaviest last September.

A little annoyed that I'm up about two pounds since yesterday (weighed yesterday because it was my one-month anniversary and today before an appointment with my PCP so I could compare the difference between my scale and theirs), but my doctor says it is likely water retention because I've been spotting the last few days (I don't get true periods anymore because of the Nexplanon implant). I just hope it passes soon.

My surgery lasted six hours because I developed a leak before they closed me up. Surgery was on a Thursday (Feb. 15, 2018) and I went home on that Saturday (Feb. 17). I had five incisions, plus a JP drain, which I went home with. I also had some sort of allergic reaction to the hospital's no-slip socks, which apparently runs in the family. 
Notable: So far, I have not had any nausea/vomiting. Sometimes I get air bubbles in my chest after taking a drink, no matter how small; usually they just feel weird, but sometimes can be painful. Attempted to drink from a water fountain three weeks post-op; that was a BAD idea because even with a tiny sip I took in way too much air, and it gave me a very painful air bubble, though it went away within a couple minutes.
Some post-surgery highlights:
Feb. 18: bought a new mattress because my old one was so worn out it was too hard for me to get out of without help Feb. 22: post-op appointment; down 9.6 pounds (all weights per home scale for consistency); got drain out; started puree diet Feb. 23: switched from Norco to Tylenol, which helped more with the pain Feb. 24: slept on side for the first time Feb. 25: discontinued Tylenol; down 18.2 pounds Feb. 27: attempted to chew gum (OK per surgeon), but it gave me LOTS of air bubbles March 1: down 25.4 pounds; drove for first time since surgery March 4: was able to bend enough to get tennis shoes and socks on March 5: slept on stomach for the first time; scabs started to fall off incisions March 6: down 30 pounds; had hiccups for extended periods three times over the day March 8: started soft foods; tested (steep) steps up to my office at work (success); down 31.4 pounds

My surgery lasted six hours because I developed a leak before they closed me up. Surgery was on a Thursday (Feb. 15, 2018) and I went home on that Saturday (Feb. 17). I had five incisions, plus a JP drain, which I went home with. I also had some sort of allergic reaction to the hospital's no-slip socks, which apparently runs in the family. 
Notable: So far, I have not had any nausea/vomiting. Sometimes I get air bubbles in my chest after taking a drink, no matter how small; usually they just feel weird, but sometimes can be painful. Attempted to drink from a water fountain three weeks post-op; that was a BAD idea because even with a tiny sip I took in way too much air, and it gave me a very painful air bubble, though it went away within a couple minutes.
Some post-surgery highlights:
Feb. 18: bought a new mattress because my old one was so worn out it was too hard for me to get out of without help Feb. 22: post-op appointment; down 9.6 pounds (all weights per home scale for consistency); got drain out; started puree diet Feb. 23: switched from Norco to Tylenol, which helped more with the pain Feb. 24: slept on side for the first time Feb. 25: discontinued Tylenol; down 18.2 pounds Feb. 27: attempted to chew gum (OK per surgeon), but it gave me LOTS of air bubbles March 1: down 25.4 pounds; drove for first time since surgery March 4: was able to bend enough to get tennis shoes and socks on March 5: slept on stomach for the first time; scabs started to fall off incisions March 6: down 30 pounds; had hiccups for extended periods three times over the day March 8: started soft foods; tested (steep) steps up to my office at work (success); down 31.4 pounds