Monthly Archives: November 2013

Victory at the Movies

Posted on November 29, 2013 | 3 comments

Today marked a couple of NSVs for me.  We went to the movies this afternoon and two things happened that have not happened in quite some time:

  • I didn’t get popcorn.  This is a very big deal for me, because popcorn is one of my absolute favorite snack foods of all time.  I really had to fight Fat Girl on this one, because they were popping it fresh.  And as I approached the concession stand to buy a bottle of water, I kept eying the popcorn cascading out of the popper, and smelling it…it smelled SO GOOD!  But when asked if I could be helped, I simply asked for a large bottle of water, paid for it and WALKED AWAY.  Also?  I’d packed some jerky in my bag (shhh, don’t tell on me!) as a substitute so that made it slightly easier to walk away from the popcorn (but still difficult).
  • My husband and I could both put the armrests on the seats down and were not sitting in each other’s space.  This is also a big deal, because before, we always had to put the armrests up, and even then, it was still pretty uncomfortable.  Not any more!

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Posted in daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, la guerra, NSV's, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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In All These Things, I Give Thanks

Posted on November 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

I have much to be thankful for this year:

  • My health, which has improved greatly since June.  I am hopeful it will continue to do so.
  • My doctors and other health professionals, without whom I would not have been able to return to the healthy state I’m currently in.
  • My work, without which I am pretty sure I would not have purpose.  I am fortunate in that I love what I do, and I love where I do it.
  • My friends, without whom my life would be far less rich and a hell of a lot less fun.
  • My family, whose support of my decision to have WLS has meant so much, and without whom I would be truly lost.
  • Most of all, I am thankful for the unconditional love and support of my husband as we go through this path to better health hand in hand.

Even though I spent the better part of the day in bed feeling unwell (thanks, nature, you suck), I’ll call today a success.  Continue reading →

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Posted in being thankful, challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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Holiday Goals and Meals, Not Seasons

Posted on November 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

Tomorrow promises to be a fairly busy day, even though I am not really cooking for us.  This morning, we went out and bought what we will eat tomorrow for our Thanksgiving meals from the chef’s case at the grocery store to avoid leftovers and to avoid eating at someone else’s home.

Something someone on the OH VSG forum posted this morning, “Thanksgiving is a meal, not a season” has been rolling around in my head all day today.  How I view special events that revolve around food has changed, and this shift in thinking has influenced how I view eating on days deemed special occasions, like Thanksgiving.

I am planning to treat tomorrow as a one day event, not an excuse to eat whatever, whenever.  It’s how all of us should treat the holidays with regard to eating.  They should be singular events that do not give us free rein to eat just anything in any quantity for an extended period of time with the hollow promise that “oh, I’ll get back on track at New Year’s.”  Because you and I both know that never happens.

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Posted in being thankful, challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, la guerra, meal planning, oh behave!, planning, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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Planning for Holiday Eating and Perspective, Part 2

Posted on November 26, 2013 | 4 comments

Tomorrow morning, I’m getting up like I normally do for work (around 6:30 am) and hitting up the grocery store to get provisions for this year’s Thanksgiving meal for hubby and me.  It is our first big holiday post-op, and our first Thanksgiving at home in four years.

Normally, we are traveling during Thanksgiving week since our anniversary typically falls during the holiday week and we are both off work for the week.  This year that was not the case, and during the summer we’d decided that we’d stay home since we were unsure about what our financial situation would be after paying for two major surgeries back to back.

Since we were staying home, and fixing a large Thanksgiving spread was out of the question, we decided it best to simply head to the grocery store and let them do the cooking.  So tomorrow, we will head to Central Market and pick up the things we will eat for our Thanksgiving dinner.

What’s on the menu?  Have a look.

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Posted in daily bites, eating, head trips, la guerra, meal planning, oh behave!, planning, post-op, success, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!

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Just Move.

Posted on November 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’m off work this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, which is a sorely needed break for me. It has been a challenging semester, with a greatly increased workload and trying to learn a new lifestyle all at the same time.

Life is not on holiday, though, and maintenance of this new body and lifestyle isn’t either. I’m trying to get in a little more sleep each night by sleeping in until 9 each morning, and adhering to roughly the same eating schedule that I do during the week.

Movement is the key–getting it in each day.

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Posted in daily bites, eating, exercise, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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Post-Op Week 20 Progress Report

Posted on November 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

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This week’s loss was crazy good.  Six more pounds gone.  I’m starting to notice a pattern with my weight loss–I’ll have weeks where I lose 1-2 pounds, followed by a couple of weeks where I lose 5+ pounds.  Consequently, my weight loss pattern looks a bit like a gently descending hillside.  See?
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Posted in celebrations, goals, la guerra, post-op, progreso, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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Magic Shoes and Positive Self-Talk

Posted on November 23, 2013 | 1 comment

I bought these shoes when I hit one of my early weight loss goals:
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To quote Forrest Gump:  “Mama said they was my magic shoes.”

When I wear them, I feel like I can do pretty much anything involving exercise.  Like I’m invincible.

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Posted in daily bites, eating, exercise, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!

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Eight Years and The Best Laid Plans…

Posted on November 22, 2013 | 3 comments

Eight years ago today, my husband and I were married in Vegas. I’ll give y’all the Cliffs Notes version of our story after the jump.

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Posted in big things, celebrations, challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, frustrated fat, la guerra, NSV's, oh behave!, planning fail, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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The Importance of Planning

Posted on November 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

Tonight in our weekly support group meeting, we talked about what skill we had learned that has been instrumental in our success with weight loss so far.  Mine:  planning, no doubt about it.  Planning helps me to ease any anxiety about what I’m going to eat, how much I’m going to eat, and whether or not I’m going to be able to eat what is available.  Planning for physical activity also makes me feel good, and gets me up and moving, which I prefer to sitting still for long periods of time any more, because well, now I can get around so much better and I want to take advantage of that!

Here are some examples of ways that I use planning to succeed at this weight loss thing:

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Posted in daily bites, eating, oh behave!, planning, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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Backing Out and Subbing In

Posted on November 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve signed up for a run in a neighboring city–the Gobble Hobble. I’m excited about participating.

What I am NOT excited about is the weather forecast for Saturday:

f-ingweatherBiting cold (45 is the HIGH) and rain.  Neither of these are conditions I function well in.  I don’t do well in temps below 50 degrees–I get hives all over.  And that’s no joke.  The last fun run I did where the temp dipped below 50, I broke out in hives that took nearly an hour to disappear.  And the last time I sat out in weather that was cold and rainy, my feet and fingers were numb for a good hour afterward. Not something I care to relive.

The fact that it will also be raining makes this suck twice as much.  So I’ve made the executive decision to sit this one out, even though I’ve paid for my registration and all that jazz.  At least part of that money goes to a worthy charity that serves the community so I don’t feel bad about sitting it out.

Here is what I’m planning to do instead.

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Posted in challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, oh behave!, post-op, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery

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