Achievement unlocked: fitting into an airplane seat and not needing a seatbelt extender.
This is a big deal.
The last time I flew on a plane (American Airlines from SEA to DFW, BTW), I had to buy an extra seat, use a seatbelt extender, AND the seatbelt extender was just barely long enough to buckle me in. It made for a very, very uncomfortable flight in more ways than one. It was pretty much the worst travel experience of my whole life, which I’ll write about another time.
Posted in being thankful, big things, celebrations, head trips, la guerra, NSV's, post-op, reflections, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged achievement unlocked!, benefits of wls, big things, celebrations, fatgirlslimproblems, fighting the fat girl, head trip, la guerra, NSV's, post-op life, reflections, she's got skillz, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS, work that head game
It’s almost insulting that the very last photo of this yearlong series shows me posting a gain. But I have several things working against me this week: vacation eating and all its sodium; all the sitting done in the car yesterday in our vain attempt to make it to Gulf Shores (we did NOT); Ma Nature is due any day now, and my scale needs new batteries (it is weighing inconsistently–I weighed four different amounts in 4 different trips to the scale this morning). For all that I gained this week (which wasn’t much, all things considered), weight was the thing that was the least important.
Posted in being thankful, big things, challenges, fighting biology, frustrated fat, goals, la guerra, planning, post-op, progreso, reflections, self-image, success, the body is a funny thing, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged anniversary, being authentic, being real, challenges, choices, la guerra, mindfulness, portion creep, post-op, progreso, progress report, reflections, sleeve gastrectomy, the struggle is real, VSG, vsg realness, WLS
This week’s progress is good, considering I was traveling the last three days of the week. I am away from home so this week’s series of photos is at my mother-in-law’s, which made it challenging to know where to stand and all that. So there’s no good comparison between this week’s photo and last week’s. The stubborn pound and some that I’ve been struggling to get off finally took its leave, and the scale has headed down again.
Posted in being thankful, challenges, choices, eating, exercise, goals, habits, la guerra, meal planning, oh behave!, post-op, progreso, reflections, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged habits, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, progreso, progress report, reflections, sleeve gastrectomy, success, the struggle is real, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS
| Left (2010) | Right (2014) |
|---|---|
| Heaviest weight | 210 pounds lighter |
| Wearing a tight pair of jorts, size 32W | Wearing a well-fitting pair of khaki shorts in size 18W |
| Wearing a tight t-shirt, size 4x (30-32W) | Wearing a loose t-shirt, 1X (14-16W) |
| Hypertensive diabetic | Nope! |
| Aching lower back | Nope! |
| Crunchy knees | Nope! |
| Aching knees | Only when it’s humid out. |
| Resting HR: 96 bpm | Resting HR: 58 bpm |
| Stairs? What are those? | Stairs? No problem! |
| Run? Are you f’n kidding me? | Run? Ok, sure. But only if I feel like it, or I’m being chased. |
| Average recumbent bike ride: 5 minutes | Average recumbent bike ride: 45-50 minutes |
| Sat on lab stool to teach all day long. | Stands up nearly all day to teach classes. Sits only when tired. |
| Mindless eater. | Mindful eater. |
| Physically miserable. | Most days, physically good. Some days achy, but this is because weight is shifting around. |
| Self-critical and self-loathing. | Gentler, kinder to myself. More forgiving. Learning to love the me I have always been. 🙂 |
Posted in being thankful, celebrations, la guerra, post-op, reflections, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged #transformationtuesday, benefits of wls, la guerra, little celebrations, photo post, post-op life, progreso, reflections, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS
The year was 2006. I went to my first AP Reading at the University of Nebraska as a rookie reader. This was also the last year we read in Lincoln. I wanted a shirt as a souvenir and memento of my experience there so I bought this at the bookstore on campus. It was the biggest shirt they had–a 3X. It was tight and uncomfortable, and after I bought it I didn’t wear it for a long, long time.
Until recently.
Now it fits like a dress and I use it as a workout shirt because it’s too big to wear otherwise. When I go back to the AP Reading this year, you bet your ass I’ll be taking this shirt with me to work out in.
I am now down to an 18 in pants and a 14-18 in tops, depending on who makes them and whether or not they are button down or knit. I won’t lie, I still see a 440 pound woman, still feel like one most days, and still negotiate space like one. When will I get past this? I know Dr. A said that the brain takes so long to catch up to the body, but it’s nearly been a year and I’m still lagging behind mentally on my self-image.
I mixed up my cardio tonight: 15 minutes riding intervals on the recumbent bike, followed by 15 minutes on the elliptical, then 10 minutes on the dreadmill to cool down. I had never tried the elliptical before and thought I’d give it a try to give myself a change of pace. I dig it. I’ll be using it again, perhaps tomorrow evening. I need to drag my ass to the gym more and thankfully that things are starting to slow down at school, perhaps I can do that.
More later…prepping for teaching a workshop tomorrow and I need to finalize some last minute things.
Posted in being thankful, celebrations, exercise, la guerra, little things, NSV's, post-op, reflections, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged benefits of wls, exercise, I work out, la guerra, little celebrations, NSV's, post-op life, reflections, self-image, she's got skillz, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the incredible shrinking Mexican!, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, workin' on my fitness
Einstein said that, a really long time ago. I never really gave it much thought until today.
Today, I was presented with a fantastic opportunity and I decided to seize on it.
The opportunity involves a birthday gift to myself. Last year’s gift was pretty big, and I had been thinking about what I could give myself that was better than the gift I bought myself last year, because my sleeve is the gift that keeps on giving. And that’s no joke.
Posted in being thankful, exercise, goals, la guerra, oh behave!, planning, post-op, the body is a funny thing, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged being thankful, benefits of wls, dr. nicholson, exercise, fitness coaching, fitness goals, kori hendrix, la guerra, NSVs, opportunities!, post-op eating, post-op life, VSG, vsg realness, what's up doc?, WLS, workin' on my fitness
On the left: my old school ID badge, ca. 2006. On the right: me, last night.
Looking at my badge photo, I can’t believe I was actually that big.
Looking at my current photo, I can’t believe this is what I look like now.
Posted in being thankful, daily bites, eating, head trips, la guerra, post-op, self-image, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery
Tagged benefits of wls, daily bites, eating, head trip, photo post, planning for success, post-op eating, post-op life, reflections, self-image, the little things, the sleeve, VSG, vsg realness, WLS
One year ago today, I weighed around 400 pounds.
One year ago today, I attended a seminar to learn more about WLS and to meet a potential candidate to perform the surgery I’d already decided I would have during the summertime.
It was at that seminar that I met Dr. Nick Nicholson, my surgeon. Continue reading
Posted in being thankful, daily bites, eating, la guerra, post-op, reflections, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, what's up doc?
Tagged being thankful, daily bites, dining out, dr. nicholson, eating, exercise, la guerra, Nick Nicholson, omg I eat carbs!, post-op eating, post-op life, reflections, sleeve gastrectomy, stupid hormones, VSG, vsg realness, what's up doc?, WLS, workin' on my fitness
Today was a Saturdate with my husband. We went out for shawarma, mall walking, and a movie. Good times were had by all!
Posted in being thankful, celebrations, daily bites, eating, la guerra, little things, NSV's, post-op, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery
Tagged being thankful, benefits of wls, celebrations, daily bites, eating, la guerra, little celebrations, NSVs, post-op eating, post-op life, sorry for sleeve rocking, the little things, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, WLS
So often in this post-op WLS journey, we use before and after photos to document our progress and to celebrate our losses. I know that these types of photos are important to me because they serve as motivation for days when the scale doesn’t read the way I want it to. They help me remember that one day doesn’t define the entirety of my entire path, and that my hard work is not in vain.
There is another type of before and after photo I’d like to share with you.
Posted in being thankful, celebrations, daily bites, eating, la guerra, little things, NSV's, post-op, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged before and after, benefits of wls, daily bites, eating, little celebrations, NSVs, oh behave!, planning for success, plus-size fashion, post-op eating, post-op life, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS
La Guerra de La Gorda 