2 Year Check-Up

Had my two year check up today.  Hard to believe it has been two years since I went in for Gastric Bypass Surgery.  The time has sure flown by and I hardly remember what it felt like to have all that weight on me.  I haven’t been in to see my surgeon in a year and according to them I have lost another pounds in that year.  They put me at having lost 85% of my extra body fat and I have an excellent BMI now.  I discussed with them my worry though about having put on 5-6 pounds since the reconstructive surgery and everyone I spoke to there agreed that that could have been a temporary weight loss from the surgery.  Also...if I am gaining muscle from the gym that could contribute as well.  They also said that maintaining this weight would be ideal for me and that I look great.  Losing a bit more weight would be fine too if I choose to but I certainly do not need to.  I felt happy with all that they said but it is hard to wrap my mind around being happy with this current number on the scale when I have already seen a lower number and can’t help but want to see it again.

I guess it is just one of those things where even though the surgery does help me lose weight, it sure doesn't help with the mentality I have towards how I look, eating, and just simple bad habits.  I continue to work hard though and monitor everything I eat with the app on my phone.  (My Fitness Pal)  James is of course incredibly supportive and is always willing to help me when he thinks that I am snacking on something that I shouldn't.  Even if it means me giving him a dirty look.  lol  I can’t imagine not having a support system.  How people go through this kind of dramatic change alone is beyond me.  I feel like everyday is a struggle of trying to not eat the things that just taste good and eating them because I want to….trying to eat things for the actual health of it is hard.  Even harder….sticking with the exercise!

Still doing good though attending the gym three days a week.   I attend with my friend and neighbor and after her 1 year contract is up at our gym we are going to attempt to save money by quitting the gym and doing our workouts here at my house.  We will do workout videos, use her treadmill in my basement, and do our weight training and other things too.  We are going to try this for a month or two and see if we can stick with it.  If we can’t we will find a cheaper gym than the one we are currently attending...and if we can we will save money and keep doing it here.  I hope we can stick with it because doing it at home would be nice.  Not to mention less time consuming with the drive back and forth.  So basically though all is well...I will continue to keep you updated as to my progress as usual.   :)

Going Strong

Doing really well still.  I am at 147.0 pounds which is down by two pounds since I last weighed myself.  I am keeping my fat intake really low to help get to my goal weight of 143 pounds.  Honestly though, I would be happy with 145 pounds.  Maintaining that weight is all good.  Still avoiding buying those food items that cause over snacking.  One of the snacks I should have added to the list before was ANY of the sugar free candies….they sell them at many places, yummy mint patties, caramel chocolates, all kinds.  They are SUPER yummy and I have a very hard time not having a lot of them.   The worst part is that for most of these small candies 3 of them is 10 grams of fat.  YIKES!!  No thank you.  

LOTS of fluids though is helping greatly.  Water with some crystal lite in it (generic brand) and also lots of milk (1%).  Keeps my tummy full through the times when I can’t have a snack handy too.  James is being very supportive and is trying to remind me when he sees me getting ready to eat something not as healthy as it could be to grab a better meal option.  He is also trying to lose weight btw….he started at 213 pounds and is now at 205.   Good job James!!  He is just eating smaller portions...way smaller.  It’s a slow process but he is doing really good.  

The holidays are fast approaching as we all know.  I don’t think I will have any problems but to be on the safe side I won’t be buying any treats or goodies until it’s time for the dinners.  It will be good for us all that way I think.  :)

Banned Items!

I am discovering that there are some foods that I simply should not buy.  When I buy them I can’t help but eat them instead of a nice healthy meal.  I end up eating things that are not necessarily healthy, but just taste good.  Not that they have high fat in them even...but they just are empty useless foods.  So...which foods am I talking about?  

1.)  Cheeze It’s - I LOVE them so much….so so much….I buy the reduced fat ones but even still I could eat the whole box throughout entire day if I have them….I DO NOT buy those anymore.

2.)  Pure Protein Bars - I buy these still because I need them to hit my protein mark for the day but I only buy what I need for the day.  This of course makes for more trips to the store but that is good because I swear these things are like candy to me...I f’n LOVE them.

3.)  Rice Cakes - Talk about empty calories….these are 50 calories a pop, have virtually no nutritional value, and I could eat these all day.  They are for sure my snack of choice when I want something that is kinda sweet but isn’t too sweet.  

4.)  Mini Chimichangas - Oh these things are delicious.  I dip them in a little bit of sour cream and I end up wishing I was still able to stuff myself...because if I could stuff myself, I would do it with these.  BUT, I can not buy these anymore because they are 8 grams of fat for the two I eat and when you add in the sour cream, it is just too much.  NO MORE!!

I am sure there are many more items, I just can’t remember them right now.  The point is that it’s nice to know that I can at least recognize these things and put a stop to it before I get out of control.  I haven’t bought some of these items for a long time and the rice cakes are a recent discovery of the “no more buying” category so I will no longer be purchasing those.  I have instead been discovering new healthier items to buy….like salad mix that I can add some great ingredients too, or Dannons Light and Fit yogurt.  I will figure it out and continue to be a healthier me….this whole process is a exactly that….a process...and I am learning and changing my habits to keep myself on a good path.

Hopeful

I had another appointment with Dr. Dinick on Saturday morning.  He confirmed that everything is still healing well on my chest but there is one last tweak that needs to be done.  My right breast is still not sitting correctly and the nipple is a bit off center.  It of course hurts slightly too when I am in different positions because the implant is not sitting right.  So….right now I am just waiting to hear back from his assistant because they technically don’t have any openings to do my procedure before the end of this year.  BUT, I have to have it done this year because our insurance deductible has been met and so any surgery I have this year will be fully covered.  So if it happens in 2014, it won’t be.  SO…..they are going to try to squeeze me in since they only need 2 hours for the procedure.  I am just waiting for the phone call...that’s all I can do.  Otherwise I may have to wait until the end of next year….which isn’t the end of the world, but it would be annoying.  

In other news I am doing excellent when it comes to tracking my fat intake and protein.  I am currently weighing 148 pounds...which is fine...but I would rather be back at 143 pounds.   BUT, as long as I am doing what I am supposed to be doing I can’t complain.  If this is the weight my body likes then I will have to be ok with it.  HOWEVER….I gained those 5 pounds because I had a couple bad weeks of eating more fat than I should have been so I am hoping that if I stick to my plan….THE plan….the way I am SUPPOSED to be eating ALL THE TIME….then I can only assume that the weight will go back down to where it was.  We shall see.  I will of course keep you updated.  Whoever all of you are. lol