Plodding along this week. I ate more veggies this week, and liked how I felt afterward so I decided to go veggie heavy this week. I think the extra fiber will also be good for me–hell, I know it will be. I’m learning to listen more to what my body feels like having, and this week it really wanted more veggies.
Posted in challenges, choices, cooking, eating, exercise, frustrated fat, habits, la guerra, meal planning, oh behave!, planning, post-op, post-op life, progreso, progress report, the body is a funny thing, the little things, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery
Tagged challenges, choices, Dr. Garth Davis, eating, exercise, fighting the fat girl, la guerra, planning for success, post-op life, progreso, progress report, reflections, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, the body is a funny thing, the little things, the sleeve, veggies!, VSG, vsg realness, WLS, workin' on my fitness
This week saw me lose most of the gain I had last week. How, I don’t know. This was a good week for the most part, though.
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Posted in celebrations, challenges, choices, exercise, goals, head trips, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, progreso, progress report, reflections, self-image, success, the little things, the sleeve, therapy, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged being average, being real, benefits of wls, big things, body image, celebrations, challenges, choices, clothes, exercise, fitness goals, head trip, I work out, la guerra, little celebrations, milestones, my trainer G, NSV's, photo post, post-op life, progreso, progress report, reflections, self-image, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, stress, stress eating, stress management, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, time management, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS, work that head game, workin' on my fitness
This happened today:
Last week, I’d put out a call to my peeps online asking where to buy a winter coat. I knew that I would need one, as the two winter coats I currently have in my possession are 4 and 6 sizes too big for me, respectively. My requirements for a winter coat were that it had to have a hood, a zip out liner, be long enough to cover my butt, and be water repellent if possible (this was not an absolute necessity).
So today we had gone to the mall so that I could drop off my recyclables at Kiehl’s (and pick up some more body butter; theirs is awesome). At this particular mall, it is easiest to go through Nordstrom to get to the Kiehl’s, so we did. I stopped to browse in the women’s section because I just wanted to look around. I picked out a couple of long-sleeved blouses to try on, which fit and looked great so I decided to get them since it was triple points day (!!!!). Then I saw The Coat.
I was not expecting to buy a coat today. I wasn’t expecting this one to fit. It was a misses size large, and I’ve been wearing extra large in my shirts and sweaters because that is what fits. I looked through all the coats on the rack and no extra large was to be found, so I was a bit disappointed. I kept looking at the coat thinking the shoulders would not be wide enough for me.
My husband, ever helpful and optimistic, said, “Try it on.”
I said, “I don’t think the shoulders will fit.”
He nudged gently and said, “Just try it.”
Posted in big things, celebrations, goals, la guerra, NSV's, post-op, reflections, self-image, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged celebrations, fighting the fat girl, head trip, la guerra, little celebrations, milestones, NSV's, photo post, post-op life, reflections, self-image, she's got skillz, sleeve gastrectomy, so many questions, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the little things, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS, work that head game
And finally…you know you’ve lost a lot of weight when:
Hopefully by then I’ll have at least another 10 pounds off and be inching my way down to my goal. I’m already at 70% EWL and aiming for 90%. To get to 90%, I need to lose 50 more pounds, which puts me squarely in my desired weight range.
Summer is coming, and this will be the summer of kicking ass.
Posted in celebrations, head trips, la guerra, little things, NSV's, post-op, reflections, success, the little things, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!, what's up doc?
Tagged 70% EWL, benefits of wls, EWL, head trip, la guerra, little celebrations, NSV's, photo post, post-op life, reactions to WLS, reflections, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, what's up doc?, WLS, work that head game
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
This week’s progress was unexpectedly great. I dropped a huge amount of weight, which I was not expecting to do given that I was retaining water all week long. I skipped the gym this week, which happened because I wasn’t feelin’ it, and had a lot going on at work. Instead, I did a lot of sitting on the balance ball while watching tv/working at my desk here at home. Basically, if I was going to sit for more than 30 minutes, I made myself sit on the ball and try to stay on in an upright position. It must have worked! I am now only 13 pounds from my surgeon’s goal, which I am positive I can hit before school is out in June. I am amazed that I am within striking distance of Dr. Nicholson’s expectation. By the time my one-year follow-up appointment in July happens, I fully expect to have exceeded his expectation for my weight loss.
It should also be noted that in this picture, I am wearing smaller shorts and a smaller shirt.
Posted in celebrations, choices, exercise, expectations, fellow WLS bloggers, goals, la guerra, little things, NSV's, post-op, progreso, reflections, self-image, success, support, the body is a funny thing, the little things, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged accountability, being authentic, being average, being real, benefits of wls, boot camp, exceeding expectations, exercise, fashion, fellow WLS bloggers, fitness goals, goals, I am a smoove mofo, la guerra, little celebrations, my tiny tank, NSV's, positive self-talk, reflections, self-image, she's got skillz, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, the body is a funny thing, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, Tracy Stevenson, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, what's up doc?, WLS
This week saw a slight uptick in the scale, but I’m not worried about it. I ate a bit more salt yesterday than I normally do, and I also increased my carb intake this week to prep for yesterday’s race. I’m pretty sure that the glycogen I stored is binding some of the water I’m holding on to. Also, as one of my MFP friends pointed out, it’s possible that the workout I did yesterday caused my muscles to be holding on to some fluid as well. Regardless of what it was that caused the slight gain, this week I’m cutting back to my usual 50 grams or less of carbs, and keeping my protein intake high as usual.
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Posted in celebrations, challenges, cooking, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, success, support, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged aspiring runner, benefits of wls, challenges, cooking, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, la guerra, little celebrations, meal planning, NSV's, planning for success, post-op eating, post-op life, progreso, progress report, reflections, runner wannabe, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the body is a funny thing, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, WLS, workin' on my fitness
I did it!
I finished my first 5k!
I wasn’t alone–I had a small group of friends join me.
I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life who support and encourage me.
I am proud of myself!
Next race: July, to commemorate my one-year surgery anniversary.
Posted in big things, challenges, exercise, goals, la guerra, post-op, success, support, the sleeve, vsg, werk!
Tagged aspiring runner, benefits of wls, challenges, exercise, Firefly Run, goals, I work out, la guerra, little celebrations, NSV's, post-op life, runner wannabe, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, success, the little things, the sleeve, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, WLS, workin' on my fitness
I’ve slacked off in writing this week without really meaning to.
Since I was off all week long, I’d intended to write every day–I really did! But I found myself doing more than just staying inside and writing.
This week, I:
Posted in celebrations, challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, head trips, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, reflections, self-image, success, the body is a funny thing, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery, werk!
Tagged AP reading, benefits of wls, challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, fighting the fat girl, I work out, la guerra, little celebrations, NSV's, oh behave!, omg I eat carbs!, planning for success, post-op eating, post-op life, reflections, self-image, she's got skillz, shit is hard, sleeve gastrectomy, the little things, the struggle is real, things of win and awesome, traveling, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS, work that head game, workin' on my fitness
This week’s progress was a surprise. I lost what I’d gained last week due to water retention, and then a little extra. I will note that I am still retaining water (stupid hormones; it’ll stop this week thank goodness), as my ankles are a little puffy and parts of me are still swollen.
As I move forward through my 8th month of post-op life into my 9th, I’ve decided it’s time to tweak things again to make this tool work to my advantage. I have 73 pounds left to lose to get to my goal and 23 to get to my surgeon’s goal.
Posted in challenges, choices, daily bites, eating, exercise, goals, head trips, la guerra, oh behave!, post-op, progreso, reflections, self-image, success, the sleeve, vsg, weight loss surgery
Tagged aspiring runner, challenges, daily bites, eating, exercise, fitness, goals, I am NOT perfect, I work out, measurements, NSV's, omg I eat carbs!, planning for success, post-op eating, post-op life, progreso, progress report, self-image, she's got skillz, sleeve gastrectomy, sorry for sleeve rocking, stupid hormones, success, the body is a funny thing, the little things, things of win and awesome, VSG, vsg realness, werk!, WLS, work in progress, workin' on my fitness
La Guerra de La Gorda 