I have been bitten by the SUP Bug!!!

  

There I am!!! On my SUP! We had the most fantastic day!❤️ We tried all kinds of boards and finally decided that we like the Original YOLO board and the YOLO Angler Board as they offer the most stability and awesome ride. The original board (pictured above) is 12′ long and around 31.5″ wide. It is SO pretty with a sea turtle painted on a bamboo overlay. Sadly, she cost a whopping $1,495😳 This means it will be a minute or two before I jump out there and purchase one. The carbon fiber paddle runs about $325. The reason we liked the YOLO Angler is because it is a HUGE 35″ wide and is set up to carry more weight as well as offers stability. Great for packing your fishing gear and spending the day reeling in the fish. I’m not really a fisherman… But the hubs loves it. I liked the board because I could really squat and get a great upper body workout with power strokes. Needless to say… We want one of each so we can interchange and share the boards. We really had a blast. I’m  really thankful for my sweet husband. He always goes out of his way to give me anything I want. What girl could ask for more?

In other news… I weight this morning and I’m down THREE pounds since Friday morning! Apparently beach life works for me!😍 This brings my total to 69 pounds and I haven’t hit my three month mark yet. WOOT! Hope your summer is shaping up as nicely as mine! Everyone needs to go to the beach!!!🐬🐚☀️

I have the BEST husband EVER!❤️

 So I was talking to my husband the other day about how my life has changed since the surgery and losing almost 70 pounds. I was going on about how food was such a joy and comfort for me… I mean just pleasurable… like close your eyes and make happy noises when you eat kinda happy. Of course not ALWAYS like that… But food was huge in my life. It was a time filler, a good buddy, a celebratory hug, a mindless activity while working… etc. But since surgery, I’ve lost that. Food is work for me. I eat to have nourishment not pleasure. Even when food is really, really delicious… It is far too fleeting to gain any true pleasure. I’m hoping that this sounds familiar to some of you… Or I’m just flippin’ nutso!😂😂😂 Point is, food left a big void in my life and I’m trying to fill it up with other things. Lately, it’s been gardening and growing veggies… working in the yard… exercising, etc. I have been telling my husband for months and months that I want to learn Stand Up Paddle Boarding. I think that would be a great way to be active, burn calories, and develop some muscle tone as well. Traditionally, it is a beach activity but it has grown so much in recent years that you can do it on just about any water. Now… My desire is to move to Pensacola Beach one day. It’s my favorite place ever! So what does my hubby do?!? He tells me this morning… Call Coastal Paddle Boards and schedule a lesson for Saturday. We will drive down Friday after work, spend the night, have a lesson, spend the day at the beach, and drive home. WHAT?!? ❤️ Marcus says he wants me to find new joys and pleasures… so why not start now? Isn’t he amazing? So sweet and supportive! I am truly blessed!!! I can’t wait to get there tomorrow! I’ll keep you posted on how well I do!

   
 It just seems like the most amazing way to burn calories😊

So, I’m a little late…

Good Morning Y’all! I am a little past late trying to get my month two stats posted… but it has been a busy, busy weekend! My boys were at camp for two weeks and we went t0 pick them up. The drive is only about 8 hours; however, Marcus didn’t get off work until late so we didn’t get to Knoxville until about 2am. We spent the night at my parents house and then made the last two hours on Friday morning. The boys were STINKY when we got there to pick them up. We took them to the hotel to let them shower and sleep while we took ALL their clothes to the Laundromat. The word funky doesn’t even cover it! LOL! We finally got back to the room and they were dead out! We had a wonderful weekend in Black Mountain and the Asheville area. We went to Tupelo Honey, explored the various vendors along the streets, shopped at Grove Arcade, spent hours at the Mast General Store, and watched fireworks. It was a fun weekend. The drive home was LONG! My husband is never in a hurry to get home… so we stop at every nook and cranny you can come to! We got home late on Sunday. I spent most of Monday at my mother’s house (no you aren’t confused… they have a house here and live in Knoxville). She and my dad are wanting to redo their kitchen and all the bathrooms… so I was with her while talking to the contractor and designer. I hope I have that kind of cash flow when I am her age. Gee. Anyway… here is what you want to know…

• Starting weight May 5, 2015: 300
• May 18, 2015: 270 (-30)
• Month ONE – June 5, 2015: 260 (-40)
• Month TWO – July 8, 2015: 239 (-61)

So basically, I lost 40 pounds in month one and 21 pounds in month two. You can see that the weigh loss has slowed down by about half… but I am OK with the results! I have gone from about a 24 to an 18. Matter of fact… I have to go shopping for a dress today because I have a wedding to go to this weekend. Let me get out of here so I’m ready when my mama gets here.

OH! As far as eating goes… I pretty much eat protein first and then take a nibble or two of veggies or fruit. My capacity is still pretty small. Never more than about 2-3 ounces (depending on the dryness of the meat). I eat slow and pay attention to how my stomach feels. When I think I am almost done. I stop. If I take another bite… you know, to get to the “done” point… it never feels good. So, when I think I am ALMOST done… I cut it off. It has worked really well for me.

Week Seven and I’m STILL in Heaven

Well, here I am at week seven weigh-in and I’m still feeling pretty snazzy. I am continuing to need a protein shake to get all my protein in for the day… and sometimes, I forget to get that part in. Mostly it is due to the fact that it is summer and my schedule is pretty much whatever I want it to be. Yippeeee! But I need to stay focused on my protein.

We moved into our house almost a year and a half ago. Thanksgiving week. I do not recommend this to anyone. BAD idea. Anyway… needless to say, not everything got unpacked. I was sort of stored/shoved into the den and dining room areas. No pictures or artwork hung and generally a state of disarray. I work for the school district as a behavior specialist and my husband works for FedEx. The spring semester is really busy for both of us so it sorta just sat there even longer. THEN, I got the great idea to go back to school for my administration license… soooooo last summer (when I was going to tackle the unpacking) I spent everyday in class. The class spilled over into an internship (40 hours per week plus my regular duties) so NOTHING was accomplished at all this past school year. Which leads me to now. It is summer and I am not in school. We took the boys to camp last weekend for their annual two week stay. This week has totally been devoted to unpacking and putting things in the right place as well as hanging photos and artwork. The living room and dining room are finished! WOOT! I have now zeroed in on the den. This is where all my husband’s crap stuff is stashed. UGH! It will be completed TODAY! I promised myself it would be. After all this unpacking is done… I will have the pleasure of cleaning everything. Yay me!

My weight loss has been moving along. Not in the sonic boom speed that it was initially, but that’s fine with me. I would rather it be slow and steady. Maybe then I won’t look like a deflated balloon when it’s all over with. I mean, I know for a fact I will have jiggly, wiggly skin… but no need to aggravate the process. I eat about two ounces of protein at my meal time and usually that is all I can comfortably get in… but if I have room, I will take a bite of whatever veggies I cooked for everyone else. I did get a few bites of fruit in the other day… that was delicious! OH! I did discover a sprouted 7-grain bread at Trader Joe’s the other day. One slice has 5 grams of protein and only 7 carbs. That’s the best that I have ever seen. I made an open-faced turkey sandwich on it and was able to eat all of it except one or two bites. It isn’t something I will eat everyday (because it takes up space and bread is a trigger food… or at least it used to be) but, when you are wanting a sandwich… this hits the spot. It really took care of that desire for me. Funny… no angels sang or anything… I was totally expecting that. LOL. Interesting how your brain builds up the desire for something SO much and then it is sort of a let down. I like that, I guess. It has really made me see that food isn’t the wonderful, comforting, satisfying “thing” that I used to believe it was. I am moving on to filling that craving with gardening, l decorating, and porn. HAAAAA! Don’t choke. I totally mean food porn… aka, the Food Network. I watch food shows all the time now. My husband teases me about it. But guess who’s right in there with me watching it… That’s right. He has a slight addiction too!

Well, on to my stats. That’s what you really want to know…

• Starting weight May 5, 2015: 300
• May 18, 2015: 270 (-30)
• Month ONE – June 5, 2015: 260 (-40)
• June 12, 2015: 250.9 (-49.1)
• June 26, 2015: 246 (-54)

Next week will be my two month weigh in… I would LOVE to hit 60 pounds gone; however, I don’t know that I can do that in a week. That would require some wild workouts. It’s summer and I am into relaxing…. EXCEPT today! I WILL FINISH THE DEN! Love you guys! Keep rockin’ whatcha got!

What a difference a month and a week make!!!

That’s right! It has been five weeks since my surgery. A month and a week. It seems like time has flown by and crawled all at the same time. I suppose it is time for my weigh in… so here it goes:

• Starting weight May 5, 2015: 300
• May 18, 2015: 270 (-30)
• Month ONE – June 5, 2015: 260 (-40)
• June 12, 2015: 250.9 (-49.1)

TaDaaaaaaa… I am .9 pounds away from FIFTY pounds! Woot! That totally excites me! I have 100 more to go and then the very hard and scary part of maintenance begins. One day at a time girls and guys! ONE DAY AT A TIME! I have to say… no regrets ever. Some people talk about being depressed that they can’t eat like they used to. Well, yes, there are times I wish I could chug a whole bottle of cold ass water to quench my thirst… but that’s about it. I really DO miss that. But engulfing a whole slice of pizza or sucking down a deliciously cheesy burger… well, the thoughts are there; however, the actual physical desire is not. I mean, I have to tell my husband some evenings… “Hey babe, please remind me that I need to eat a greek yogurt about 8 o’clock tonight. I need some more protein. OK?” And he literally has to remind me. WTH?!?! I love my sleeved life. It rocks!!! If you think all the crap you have to go through to get here is too much… IT IS NOT! Get the show on the road! Come join me! The living is fine!

REMINDER!!!! We all lose weight at different rates. 50 pounds in 5 weeks is not typical of everyone. PLEASE do not compare your progress with anyone else’s. Stay true to your surgeon’s plan for you and you will get there.

Keep on keeping on!!!

Be Adventurous!

 
This weekend I wanted to get some more lean cuts of protein into my tiny tummy. So I gave my sweet hubby his Father’s Day gift early… A beautiful gas grill. 😊 He cooked me a beautiful filet mignon on Saturday night. I ate two ounces of my steak and two pieces of asparagus along with a nibble or two of salad. It was deeeeeelicious! I still have leftovers in the fridge to eat later. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Sunday night we decided to cook buffalo burgers. No, I do not mean hamburgers with buffalo sauce… I mean ground buffalo meat. 😳 Take a look at two ounces…

 
I know you can get more protein in other places… But when you need a yummy burger, buffalo is a leaner cut of meat (unless you do venison). I made me a tiny 2 ounce patty and put it on a piece of my homemade cloud bread (no carbs and added protein). My tastebuds were happy. I ate all but one bite and stopped when I was satisfied. Score! It’s good to venture out and try things. It is SUPER easy to get stuck in the same routine everyday… that’s a sure fire way to become tempted. Boredom. I weighed this morning… Trying NOT to be a slave to the numbers but damn it’s fun watching them tick off! A month and three days since surgery… 43 pounds GONE! 😊 

Keep up the hard work folks and try to be adventurous in some way every day!👍🏼

One Month Surgiversary… AKA Cinco de Junio😆

So the great thing about having your sleeve done on Cinco de Mayo… You’ll always remember the date! LOL😂

As you can probably already tell by the picture posted above, it was a great month for me. Here are my stats.

• Beginning Weight: 300
• Month One: 260
• Total Loss: 40

What?!? I am totally amazed, thrilled, and freakin’ happy!😍 This has been the best and greatest decision of my life… My husband has been incredibly supportive so that has been amazing. I have to tell you though, he has not pushed me to lose weight. He has only been in support of ME. A perfect example… The morning of my surgery, we were driving to the hospital and I voiced some worry about the surgery and life after the fact. My sweet husband said, “Babe, if you want to go home right now, we will! If you never lose another pound… I will always love you! You are beautiful and everything I want just as you are.” What a man. I love him so. Needless to say, my desire to be healthy was stronger than my worry and here I am one month later… 40 pounds gone.😃

So, what have I learned. I still have a lot of head desire for food but when it comes to actually eating it… I really don’t have the “want to.” If I didn’t eat all day, it wouldn’t bother me. I eat because I want to maintain muscle mass and retain my hair. Food is just “ok” these days. I feel so much better than I did a month ago. I have more energy and my aches and pains are pretty much gone. I have to still be mindful of my fluids and make sure I am getting them in daily. I can drink more at a time but still cannot chug a drink when I’m really thirsty. Chewing, chewing, chewing is SO dang important. Some foods work well with my tiny tummy and some foods… NOPE! Even with great, pulverizing chews.

Let me say this… Everyone loses weight at a different pace. I had a freakishly amazing month. Please do not compare yourself to me. It’s not fair to either of us. Shoot, I can’t even compare my second month to my first. It doesn’t work that way. Remember to be good to yourself and stay focused on the plan. It works.

 

I’ll keep you posted. Gotta go get my youngest son ready for his week long vacation with Big and Nana. Each summer, my parents take one grandkids on a week long vacation and it’s Jackson’s turn. He is doing a Florida tour. Starting at St. Augustine and worming their way south to end at Tampa. Gotta see a ballgame on every vacation! Ha!

Love you guys!!!

Learning Everyday…

Everyday seems to be a little learning session for me. Here are things that I have learned so far…

Originally, the thought of eating yogurt after surgery was NOT appealing at all. I mean, I ate the stuff before surgery… but somehow after surgery it just didn’t seem to float my boat. Sweet stuff has not been my go to flavor at all. I finally bit the bullet and ate some on Sunday. It was good, went down easily, and didn’t make me sad. LOL. Things make my tiny tummy sad from time to time. Not like angry sad… as in, “Damn, what did you just eat?!?!” But just sad as in, “Awwww… that wasn’t thrilling at all.” The point is… just because you didn’t like it yesterday (or didn’t think you liked it) try it again a few times… Your tastes will change like your panties. I promise!

Popsicles will calm my tummy when feeling blue. This could be if I “think” I am hungry or if I ate something that didn’t sit too well… the cooling of the popsicle seems to feel good these days.

I can take in more fluids when I drink… but it is still better to monitor myself so I don’t forget and guzzle. Especially if I let myself get thirsty. That’s never good.

Stay away from temptations. They are in the strangest places. I baked some salted caramel brownies for my husband yesterday. No big deal. Didn’t even want to eat one. BUT… had a saltine cracker in my hand the day before… I SO wanted to eat that sucker! Really? A stupid cracker? I didn’t eat it… but I can still see how I could easily toss back some empty calories if I were to let myself.

Your weight is going to fluctuate. Get over it. Do not be a slave to your scale. Be a believer in the plan. Stick to it. The weight will follow.

You are YOU and no one else. I may lose a billion pounds and you may lose two (or vice versa). Everyone’s body is different. We lose at our own pace. But, I promise… your body is not defective. You cannot remain the same weight forever if you follow plan. Just ain’t happening.

Exercise is key. It helps to keep you regular. It keeps your from losing all your muscle mass. It is necessary if you want to be successful long term. Exercise is for the rest of your life NOT just for the length of your diet.

Which brings me to my last nugget of glorious knowledge… this is NOT a temporary diet to help you lose “X” number of pounds. This is a permanent change. You will have to remain faithful to your plan if you want lifetime success. So, if you are looking at this as, “This time next year, I can eat this or that…” then you will be sadly disappointed with your regain.

I hope this doesn’t hit anyone the wrong way…. it is really a motivation for myself.

STAY FOCUSED… it is SO worth it!

Me, procrastinate? NEVER!😆

 Well, it’s Memorial Day weekend and I have this HUGE list of stuff to get done. We have lived in our home for a year and a half now… and we still have boxes in the den area. Please note, when I say “we” I totally mean my husband.😘 He is an amazing man. But he keeps everything and will “go through it later” to decide what he wants to keep. I am a purger. I toss crap every time we move. I figure, if I really want it, I’ll buy a new one later… but I ain’t packing and moving it! LOL!

Basically, I wanted to deep clean my house and get every tiny little item put away and every picture/painting hung. Weeeeeeeeell… I’ve mowed the yard (we have several acres to mow), weeded the flower beds, trimmed trees, gone to the store for dish detergent (and spent $27 on crap I didn’t need), and cooked my hubs all kinds of food. Haven’t cleaned the first item. 😞 Oh well.

Yesterday I was so terribly busy avoiding the house work that I forgot to eat. I probably got about 16 grams of protein in for the day. Oops! I am trying to do much better today. I was worried I was going to stall out this week… But I weighed today and I’m down another 2.4 pounds. Baby steps are good!

I did cook some ricotta and zucchini fritters last night. They were so creamy and yummy! I like experimenting! Now I have them for a week though! LOL! Tiny Tummy doesn’t take much! 

Have a beautiful rest of the weekend!❤️

 

Two Week Dr. Visit!

 
Alrighty!!! So I went to see Dr. Pinson for my two week post-op visit. I had to see the nutritionist also to get “approved” for the next dietary stage. 

April and I met first. She asked all about my vitamins, supplements, water, protein shakes, exercise, bowel habits, and pretty much anything that diet could effect. She is always so sweet. I’ve been having bowel movements everyday (despite thin consistency) until about three or four days ago. She told me to add in some benefiber or something similar if it made me feel better; however, most things will work themselves out when adding purée. I will add the fiber in because I don’t want to become constipated. Anyway… She gave me the green light for puréed foods. Yippeeee!

Next I moved in to see the nurse. She checked my weight and vitals. Everything looks awesome. I’ve officially lost 30 pounds since surgery (34ish in all). So I am totally stoked! Dr. Pinson was super proud and was practically fist pumping in the air!😀 

My first food…. Refried Beans with mealies cheese and a dash of sour cream. I started the half cup around 2:30 today and it’s 4:30 and I still have more to eat. Now, I realize I can’t eat a half cup of beans at one sitting… It just helps me count my protein if I measure it out and then go from there. I’m sure I’ll have to supplement with protein shakes for a while! Damnit! But hey!!! I can live with that! I can’t tell you how great I feel! I’m more and more human everyday! I still have to sit and take a breather if I get hot. It makes me queasy still…. But other than that. I am gold!❤️

If you’re still in the bench about surgery… If you think it’s too expensive…. If you think it may not work for you… I say, rethink it! This is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. No regrets, ever!