Road Bumps

Well, as of yesterday...I have lost almost 24lbs. Whoo hoo!

That should make me feel great...however, I'm struggling a little. Here's why?

Last Thursday (8 days ago), I weighed 187.2. I was pretty happy with that. On Sunday, I weighed again (even though I knew I shouldn't because enough time hadn't lapsed since my last weigh in)...and I was up to 189.2. I felt terrible. I tried to ignore the fact that I even checked that day. In my mind I totally disregarded Sundays weight. I was ok with that. Well, the following Thurs (which was yesterday), I was 187.2. I guess it's good that I was not the 189, but then it seems like I didn't lose any in the last week...since that's exactly what I was last Thursday.

I realize that the weight loss results I've seen so far won't continue all the time. Those first 20lbs were so easy...and now I feel like it's plateaued a little. I'm sure this is some type of karma thing. I said I was going to start exercising after the first of the year. Well, here we are 21 days into the new year, and I haven't done it yet. lol! Honestly, I'm not surprised. It's freezing (someone told me -11 out there, but not sure if that's true...but definitely one of the coldest days), there's ice/snow all over. Who wants to go out and walk in that? ok, ok, ok....there are people who do it....but not me. Between my crazy foot pain, the cold weather, the ice/snow, and the already lack-of-desire...it's just not happening.  I think reading in my nice warm house and rocking in my super comfy chair sounds like a lot more desirable. oh well!

I'm hoping that by next Thursday I've lost something. I'm afraid that a couple weeks with no weight loss could make me so discouraged, that I give up.

On the good side, I started testing my blood sugars (only about once a day), and they've all been good.

Starting to show?

"Starting to show?"....when I think about that comment, I think about being pregnant again. However, today...that means....other people starting to notice that I've lost weight. lol!

My uncle comes over regularly and he is aware of my weight loss attempt. He happened to be over when I did my last weigh-in. I overheard him say to my mom that he noticed in my face that I had lost some. Of course, that made me overjoyed. I'm actually looking like I'm losing weight????? WOW!

Then I heard the most disturbing thing in a LONG time....

My mom continues to say, "I can tell in her behind". I was mortified! Thanks mom for checking out my @ss!

Anyway...I have noticed that many of my clothes are beginning to be baggier. Not enough, yet, to require getting a smaller size....but just a little looser. I'm really trying to hold off buying new clothes. I'm pretty cheap and don't want to spend money on in-between sizes. I suppose I'll have to invest some money into those in-between sizes eventually so that I have clothes that I can wear. However, I'm not jumping the gun either. Maybe I have some old clothes that I can drag out of the back of my closet if needed. 

Made it through the holidays without too many struggles

Numbers, numbers.....On Christmas Eve (before the festivities), I decided to weigh myself. Well, I reached my first goal. I was 295.6lbs! I was below 300! Merry Christmas to me. I was so excited that I was jumping around singing.

So, how'd I do through the holidays, you ask? Well, not too bad and not as good as I would have liked. How's that for honesty? I had my fair share of cheats, I'll admit. I ate to my hearts content on Christmas Day. I found that it took a lot less to fill me up than it would have 6 weeks prior to my journey. I guess that's a good thing. It was extremely difficult because of the holidays. There was extra eating-out, a Blackhawks game in the skybox, and all those darn cookies (YUM!). However, I kept trying to maintain healthier choices most of the time. So, I finally weighed myself last night again (Jan. 2) and wasn't expecting to be down (and maybe wouldn't have been shocked to see I had gained)...but to my delight, I was down another 2+ lbs. Officially (as of last night), I am 293.0lbs!. (a total of 18lbs in about 6 weeks).  Whoo hoo!

My next mini-goal is to get to 290lbs. (totally arbitrary, but it was what I weighed when I got pregnant with Logan 6years ago).  Only 3 more to go before I reach goal #2. Hmmm...maybe I'll start thinking about what mini-goal #3 will be.....

1 month update

Well, it's been a month since seeing the RE and doing all the blood tests. It's been a very busy month. My dad's been in and out of the hospital 3 times, I had surgery, and everyone's attempting to get ready for Christmas. Do you know how difficult it is to start healthy eating habits right in the middle of the holiday season? VERY DIFFICULT!

The good news: From Nov. 18th (this will be the date I use as the start of this lifestyle change) until Dec. 20th, I lost 9lbs! I can hardly even believe that. I am only 2lbs away from reaching my first goal (which is to get below the big 3...you know...300lbs).

I feel like I'm settling in to this lifestyle change. I am not focusing on all the food I can't have anymore. It's like I think I broke the worst of the addiction/habit of fast food. I know when I do go (I have kids....of course we're going on occasion)...I'm going to get a salad and use a touch of dressing. I know it's not as healthy as eating at home...but still way better choices than what I had been accustomed to.

I finally went to the regular endocrinologist. He came highly recommended. I'm not sure I liked him. He was not warm and fuzzy...he was matter-of-fact. I guess I wish he'd have been a little more comforting. He basically said that since I failed the GTT (glucose tolerance test), that I was diabetic. Here I thought that since I barely failed it, maybe I wouldn't get the official diagnosis. He didn't really go into a lot of info about glucose testing or anything. He did however, put me on a drug called Victoza. I'm not sure I understand what it does...but it's supposed to help me lose weight. We'll see. I have my concerns because I've heard that there are some unknowns about this drug. It's fairly new and I've read that it's not usually a drug for initial diabetes treatment.

I guess the good news in all of this is...that 1. I don't think I've been diabetic that long (some people can go for years and never know they have it..and during this time bad things are happening to their bodies). and 2. I'm motivated to lose weight and get healthy.

As for the surgery (I know you didn't miss that up there in the first paragraph)...all went well. Biopsy results were normal, I feel good, and hopefully the issues I was having will not return.

So what have I been eating since my adventure started.

I can answer this question with one word: FOOD!

ok, ok, ok....more specifically?

My day usually goes like this: In red, I will put what I would eat prior to "the change"

breakfast: 1/2c. oatmeal with equal, cinnamon, and a tiny handful of raisins (I don't measure..maybe like a tablespoon) No breakfast.

snack: banana usually No snack...or maybe a handful of m&ms or coffee cake if I stopped by mom and dads.

lunch: green salad with a touch of dressing and a baked chicken breast with a touch of salt fast food of some kind...McDonalds. If not, then maybe some CheeseIts or pasta.

snack: On work days it's a fruit and nut granola bar. On non-work days, I don't usually snack. Usually no snack.

dinner: steamed veggies, baked potato (no butter or sour cream, usually a tiny bit of something for flavor), protein (chicken, ground beef, turkey...it varies).  Lots of whatever we were having: spaghetti, burgers, all slathered in cheese, dressing, sour cream and whatever other condiments I could find. 

snack: sunflower seeds M&Ms, brownies, chips, cookies...whatever junk we had. 

I love THIS doctor...permission to be fat???

In my first entry, I tell the story about asking my general doctor if it was ok to be fat. A few days after that appointment, I was coincidentally taking one of the boys to see their pediatrician. I was telling him what I had asked my doctor.

He laughed and said You go tell you're doctor that you're not too fat. I said so! Tell her that because of your attitude and outlook toward life, that you will live an additional 20years...that means more to longevity than weight. 


I could hardly believe my ears. An actual doctor (who I had known for years, because he was my pediatrician when I was a kid) telling me it's OK to be fat. I wanted to kiss him right then and there. He went on to say something else that I just must share:

You are not fat. You were just born at the wrong time. Throughout mankind up until very recently, someone like you was the epitome of beauty. Someone who was hearty and wealthy enough to eat. Someone who didn't have to do manual labor. Someone who was an icon of fertility, wealth, and health. 200 years in the future, there will be genetic engineering to alter your predisposition to being overweight. So, you're not fat...just born in the wrong century. 

Clothes and goals

Clothing and shopping for clothes. Even though I've been "big boned" for years and had to shop at Plus-sized stores for my clothing...it seems to have reached a new level. This is part of my motivation, as well.

Lane Bryant does not carry clothes large enough to fit me...at least not at my comfort level. I could probably get the items on, but they'd be tighter than I would like. 

I basically have to get my clothes at Fashion Bug. They have a pretty good plus dept. I like my tops big and baggy, so I usually wear a size 30/32. Not all styles come in this size. Once in awhile, I can find tops at Walmart, which I like for my every-day "play" clothes. With kids, I'm bound to get messy, so I don't really want expensive clothes. Catherine's is another store that carries clothing in my size, but I think it has an older demographic. Some of my dressier clothes do come from there. 

One of my early goals is to lose enough weight that I can buy clothes anywhere. In today's society, most regular department stores carry plus-sized clothing up to size 26/28. This is only one size below what I'm wearing now...so it's very attainable.

Actually, my reward for losing (and I haven't yet set the amount/size/etc) is going to be to purchase a pair of cute boots. It may sound crazy, but my calves are too fat to get into most boots....and I LOVE them.