Time Marches On...

I can't believe it happened - again!  I've gone months and seemingly ignored this blog, although I haven't forgotten about it!  Honest!

Since I last posted, life has been rather hectic.

A couple of weeks after my last entry I drove myself 7-1/2 hours to Columbus, OH for Thirty-One's annual National Conference.  I was admittedly anxious.  It was a long drive alone and I'd never met anyone on my team (nor the women with whom I shared a room) in person.  This was a leap of faith on many levels.  I also wasn't sure what to expect with food, so went prepared with plenty of protein bars and I stocked up on healthy snacks so I didn't find myself getting overly hungry.  But the anxiety was real.  I will say that I am not a fan of bridges and tunnels and never gave any thought about needing to tackle both just to get through PA.  I also don't drive in cities.  I'll be honest.  I was scared.  The Lord has a sense of humor because as soon as I saw the first set of tunnels the songs from my playlist entitled "Breathe" came on.  All I could do was giggle...and breathe.  The songs served as a necessary reminder.  It was mostly smooth sailing until I neared the city of Columbus.  Now, living near Philly I didn't plan on Columbus being city driving - another example of me simply not thinking.  It is a city.  Period.  It's not Philly, but it's not Suburbia, either.  Once more, God moment when the skies opened up and an old Jars of Clay song, "Flood" played.  The rain turned out to be a good thing, though, because it slowed traffic and allowed me freedom to read street signs going slowly and merge into the lanes necessary.

As for eating and Conference... it was a challenge, but one I handled pretty well.  Our team did pizza one day but I stuck to my protein bar (as hard as that was!).  One night I met with a new group of friends and actually just snacked on peanuts and raisins - a childhood lunchbox staple, altogether forgetting to eat a meal!  I may have been lacking in my daily protein intake for those few days, but I didn't eat junk, so it's a fair trade-off.  Plus, while I can't stomach plain water anymore, and you can't take bottles into the arena, I took individual packets of Crystal Light and bought a bottle of water everyday.  It got the job done.

I did get back to work with my trainer after some significant time off following hand surgery.  I swear some weeks he's trying to kill me.  But seriously, I need the accountability so I keep going.

But then August hit.  I was in a rough place and Keith went and developed a couple of kidney stones - OUCH!  One of them was so large he required surgery for it to be blasted with a laser.  He spent 2 nights in the hospital.  A week later he had the stent removed.  That same day (early September), I was admitted to the hospital for 24 days.  Once again, food became an issue.  But I was armed with protein shakes and bars.  I actually lost weight while I was there!

After that "break," I was back with the trainer until we went on VACATION, leaving 2 days after our 22nd anniversary....the same date we'd left for our honeymoon!  We took a brief cruise to on Disney Cruise Line and then took several days at Disney World.  And for fun, hubby gave notice at his job as soon as we hit land.  It wasn't ideal; he would have much preferred to tell his boss in person, but out of respect, he wanted to give the full 2 weeks notice.  Anyway, it wasn't for fun because he had a great job offer on the table.  We got back from vacation 12/14 and his last day of work was 12/22.





One HUGE non-scale victory for me - not needing a seatbelt extender on the plane.  Even better, I just kept pulling the end tighter and tighter.  It was a great feeling!

I was incredibly concerned about food at Disney.  It's always been one of our favorite things about our Disney vacations (this was my 13th trip; it was our 9th trip together, including our "Disneymoon").  We got the text that our room was ready and it turns out we'd been upgraded to "Club" (aka: concierge) Level.  You know what that means?  Free food!  It also meant that we walked out onto our balcony the first night at the Wilderness Lodge after a long day at 2 different parks, and watched the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle.  We were downright giddy!  We'd also been eligible for the Free Dining promotion they offered.  We weren't going to pay for the dining plan; I simply don't eat that much, but it was free, so we grabbed on!  I tried some new foods and did well until the last day when I tried a few too many new things in one day and my sleeve rebelled (I vomited).  Other than that, I did quite well.  I even lost weight because of all the walking we do at Disney.  It was an extraordinary vacation!  We still enjoyed some great food, we had the upgrade, we were at our favorite place on Earth (the adult-exclusive beach, called Serenity Bay, at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay where we floated on mats in the clear ocean and just hung out talking - all the while our backs getting burnt, as we were laying on our stomachs), and we were on a phenomenal new ride, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, during the nighttime fireworks.  And those were just the highlights!

12/29 marked two years since I joined Thirty-One as an Independent Consultant.  What started off as a bit of a roller coaster has become a consistent and thriving business.  I love the company and what they stand for and the products can't be beat.  I know I'm partial, but I love what I do.  Since I'm not able to hold down a full-time traditional job and remain on disability, this is perfect.

12/30 was two years since my initial consultation with the bariatric surgeon.  It was the day my new life started, even if it wasn't my "surgiversary."  It was the day this portion of my journey began.  It was the day my eating changed and I slowly began to add exercise into my life.  It was the day I met the man who would give me a major tool for success in my weight loss.  It was the day I started the most difficult, and most rewarding thing I've done for myself.

I lost just over 26 pounds this year.  While I'm not at my goal just yet, I have fewer than 20 pounds to get there.  I have a consultation with a surgeon for skin removal surgery in a few weeks.  With hub's new job we have new insurance so I'm not sure what that will mean for payment.  Lots to investigate!

Yesterday I had an appointment with a surgeon regarding skin removal surgery.  I'm on the books for March 7, pending insurance approval.  Not to be overly graphic here, but with all of the sagging skin, I have a persistent rash which means that there is a good chance insurance will cover the procedure.  I'm anxious about it, but eager for the skin to be GONE!  It makes me appear far heavier than I am.  It's exciting!

I know I say this each time I write, but I really hope to post more often and want to be as open of a book as possible, so don't hesitate to ask questions and share this blog with someone you think may be interested - either considering surgery, had surgery, or is a support person for someone in either of those groups!  And please subscribe if you want to read the antics I'm certain are in store for this year!

Now I've been lax about taking regular photos, but here is a collage I put together.  It includes a slightly less-than-flattering picture from this past Saturday (with a sort of clingy shirt) but it's what I have and it's real, so I share it.  I apologize for the big gap in timing between pictures.  So I'll include an earlier collage with a couple of pictures not included with the most recent one.

Over and out, friends!

How Has a Month Passed?

Wowzers!  It's been more than a month since I've written.

Let's see....  I guess the biggest thing has been vacation to Ocean City, MD.  I won't sugar-coat it - it was HARD!  I took my Magic Bullet and protein powder with me, as well as protein bars.  I was clear with servers when I ordered that I was on a very strict diet and proceeded with my ordering (cooked "this" way and with "this" and without "that") and had very good experiences each time.  We were down the shore so the smells on the boardwalk were beyond temping.  I mean, funnel cake/fries, deep fried Oreos, caramel corn, salt water taffy, fudge... need I go on?  There are also some restaurants with amazing food and I was too limited to enjoy it.  Next year, that will be different, but I am just over 17 weeks out, so it's still early in the grand scheme of things.  Hubby was a trooper and didn't get any of the boardwalk junk food.  There was free breakfast at the hotel, but the only thing I could have was eggs and they didn't even have Egg Beaters; it wouldn't have been ideal to have a heart attack before we arrived back home.  I had taken stuff for protein shakes and I brought plenty of protein bars, so I made it work.  We went down to Assateague several times and had some mind-blowing wild pony "interactions" (there are warnings everywhere with reminders that these animals are wild and may bite, charge, etc).  Here are some of my favorite pictures - ponies and others:

The view from our room - pretty spectacular!

Our first day at Assateague.  Yes, the ponies were *that close*

More spectacular ponies on our first trip to Assateague.

Sunset on the bay.

Our final day at Assateague.

I saw both my surgeon and my PCP since I last wrote.  While numbers differ from scale to scale, I stick to those on my scale for the sake of consistency.  I am down over 100 lbs from my highest weight and 81 lbs from my first appointment with the surgeon.  As far as weight lost since surgery?  Well, that's at 42 lbs in 17 weeks!  I've had to get a lot of new clothes and it's amazing what a new bra will do ;)  While on vacation, I picked up a bunch of shirts from the clearance racks.  I've had a problem with jeans for the past several years.  While I'm 5'5" (or 5'6" depending on who you ask), even the petites are too long.  Well, there is a Christopher & Banks at the outlets.  I talked with one of the saleswomen and she pulled a bunch of styles and sizes (I was between sizes and really wanted to get an idea of length), I found ones that are a great length - if I wore shoes with some height.  I found a pair to wear for vacation and bought the next 3 sizes down at C&B!  Maybe stretching it a bit, but they were $19.99 and I couldn't pass it up!

I have had some issues with my back and hips for some times.  It's one of the many downfalls of obesity.  It was time for hubs and me to get a new bed.  Our old one was 18 years old -- an adult HAHA  We wound up with a Tempur-Pedic and it was delivered yesterday.  The head and foot raise independently and it's pretty cool.  Different is hard and different takes some getting used to.  The verdict is out, but if our "test ride" at the store is any indication, this is going to be one great bed!  We got the split one, so hubby and I can independently determine our own perfect settings.  It'll be great once we get it just right!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday the end of July and my Uncle's wife took this picture.
Not bad, huh?  Thanks, Lynn!

We had a second photo shoot done.

The first picture is from our original shoot; the middle is from a picture taken last September; the final is our most recent shoot, just over 225 pounds (thanks to Jeff Reeder Photography for doing some great shoots!).  You have to admit that Poly (on the right) is one curious, yet incredibly silly, pup!

I was going to water aerobics at the gym, but it's hard and I have to get up super early to get in a full meal or sleep a bit later and eat less protein and then come home and figure out what to do with the dogs while I shower.  I feel so guilty if Poly is in the kennel.  I'm not done with water aerobics, just taking a break for now.  I have a bike at home (as I've mentioned before) and with the TV, I've been able to do about 45 minutes and around 13 miles.

Another thing since surgery: I got a MedicAlert bracelet.  Anyone who has had bariatric surgery shouldn't have blind intubations done.  That, along with some other conditions seemed important for any emergency medical personnel to know.  Well, I have a dear friend who makes beautiful jewelry.  I was going to try to do it myself, since I have done some very elementary bracelet making.  I decided to contact Dezetta, of Dezetta's Dezigns, to put it all together.  When I ordered the bracelet, I had to make sure that it had clasps at either end so it could be switched out.  The least expensive one which fit that qualification had a very ugly, but I knew I would have some beautiful options.

See for yourself!  It's not the greatest picture, but gives you an idea.  The blue goes with just about everything, then there's a teal one and a coral colored one (which I'm wearing).  She took the black shiny beads and made something extra fancy for those big dates.
I LOVE them!

I've been able to stand more and walk further.  I've done some cooking and hubby has been more open than I expected to trying some of my bariatric recipes.  I've taken the dogs for a walk... yesterday was 1.3 miles - I had to get Casey out of the house while the bed was being delivered.  He was very happy, but very tired.... as was I!

I think that covers the basics for now.  Plugging along.....