Eating, Measuring and Exercise Physiology

A couple of weeks have passed since my last post. I am finally recovering from the shock of the move and beginning to get into action mode. Big Daddy and his dad left on Thursday to move the truck and the boat up to Hot Springs. Bad news is they only made it as far as Temple, Tx and the truck broke down. Worse news is that the engine will need to be replaced. After an overnight stay, he rented a car and left the truck and boat behind. He'll go back on Wednesday making a round-trip drive to pick up the truck and boat. I know he'll be exhausted. Keep him in your prayers.

So, what's up with me, you ask? Well, it's not the weight! I'm down 42 pounds since my surgery! I saw the surgeon on Thursday for a one month (5 week) follow-up. He said my progress was phenomenal! He also said it looks like I'm on track to lose around 100 pounds by my 6 month anniversary date. Wow! I can't believe it! The weight loss will slow down after the 6 month mark. From what I've heard, I really need to make the most of the early stages and lose as much weight as I can before I hit the 6th month. Also at my appointment on Thursday I asked that the nurse measure me again. I was surprised at the measurements! I have lost SO much! It is amazing. When I look in the mirror the only place that I see the actual loss is in my face. I know I'm losing it, I just haven't gotten the old Christy out of the mirror yet. Not really comfortable revealing the measurements yet. Maybe I'll get some more courage and post them in a few days.

Eating habits are changing around here. I have found that there are different kinds of protein I can eat. I've really been enjoying seafood. For the most part it is easy to eat. I have also found that I need to chew better and eat slower. In the past few weeks I have on more than one occasion eaten too fast or not chewed good enough. Let me tell you, it hurts! Also by eating slower I feel satisfied without over-eating. Additionally, we aren't eating out as much. Not much of the fast foods sound very good, either. One thing I have found that I can get when we eat out is a grilled chicken breast from Chik-Fil-A. Did you know that if you order just the breast of chicken without the bun and stuff that it's only $2.80 vs. the $3.25 price for the sandwich? I kind of like that little "perk." Bad thing is that if you want to purchase a smaller portion (kid's meal) at most restaurants, all they offer are things I don't need to eat: grilled cheese, mac & cheese, pizza, etc. Guess I'll have to stick to grilled chicken and fish in doggie bags...but I'm not complaining!

Yesterday I saw the exercise physiologist. I had the "pleasure" of going through a test to measure my VO2 levels. I think what the test does is determines at what point my body stops burning fat and begins to burn muscle. Primarily it is designed to tell me what my optimal fat burning and fit zones are. I learned that the heart rate level I was working out at was helping me as far as fitness was concerned but not necessarily helping me burn more fat. ~Gonna have to dial it back a bit. She also set up a program to help me go back and forth between the fit and fat burning zones so I get the best of both worlds during my workout. I do have to tell you, as I neared the end of the test I thought I was going to fall off of the treadmill. She had it jacked up in the air and I was walking very fast...not quite a jog...and all I could think of was if I miss a step it's all going to be over and I'll slide down the treadmill embarrassing myself forever! Thankfully, I think the exercise physiologist was thinking the same thing and she slowed me down to end the test.

Other good news is that I did a little shopping last weekend. I've gone down from a size 26/28 pants to a size 20! Yee-Haw! I've also been busy cleaning my closets and chest of drawers out again. I have another large black trash bag full of clothes to give away. I need to take pictures of myself in my original clothes so I can see the change.

I've got a sick kiddo in the house today. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow. I'm dying to get out in the sun and enjoy the pool this weekend! Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

Moving...

Friday we found out that we will be transferring to Hot Springs, AR. Big Daddy is being transferred to Arkansas to take over an existing store. He has to report in a few weeks and I will relocate with the kids once school is out, we find a home and I find a job. ~Lots of changes in our near future and quite stressful for me. I'm worried about finding new doctors for me, the kids and Big Daddy. I am considering continuing to fly back and forth from Hot Springs to San Antonio to continue to see my doctor as I have already paid for a year's worth of follow-up visits after my surgery.

Good news is I'm down 5 more pounds or more.

Went to a friend's house last night for a birthday party. We had a wonderful time. Many of them had not seen me since around the time I started the weight loss journey. They were surprised at the changes I had made in the past 8 months. It was nice to see the expressions on their face when they saw me again. I also learned something last night. "Don't forget to chew, chew, chew!" I had a bit of a problem with a piece of brisket and didn't get it chewed well enough before I swallowed it. Boy, did it hurt! That will be an experience I don't ever want to forget!

Ups and Downs

Wow, I knew it had been awhile since I had blogged last, but didn't realize it had been this long. We have had a very bumpy past two weeks. My husband and I both lost our grandmothers within two days of each other. I won't bore you with the stress we've been through, however, just know things have been really crazy. Also during this time, I seemed to have hit a plateau. I wasn't really eating anything I wasn't supposed to, nor was I over eating...and I was still exercising. However, for some reason the scale just wouldn't take that last jump to leave the 300's behind. I asked a friend from another board about my stall and she told me to hang in there, that stress can also help you stall out.

Well, the good news is that not only am I still exercising on the elliptical machine everyday, I am finally below 300 pounds! Now, to map out how much weight I've actually lost this far, let's take a look at where I've come from:

Weight at my first appointment with the surgeon: 342
Presurgical appointment weight: 327
Post surgical weight (full of fluids): 335
Current weight: 295

Just so I can really see it, that means I've lost 47 pounds since I started the journey, or 32 pounds from presurgical weight, or 40 pounds since my release from the hospital! Yea ME!

I also want to add a new picture to the blog tonight. This was taken this past weekend while we were out of town...Me, finally out of the 300's!




I think it will be interesting as I continue to lose weight to look back on this picture and think "...and I thought that was a good picture of me...look at me now!" Hang in there pardners! We're in for a long ride. See ya in two shakes of a lamb's tail. ~Boss Lady