life & progress & tears

December 15, 2013

Things have been going well lately!  It hasn't been that long since I updated and I am happy to say that the scale has gone down once more!

general
I've been feeling really great lately!  I have a lot of energy, going up and down stairs is easier, my knee doesn't hurt nearly as much as it used to and I feel that my overall health is in good condition.  I didn't have my three month checkup with my surgeon because, quite frankly, life has been busy.  Like, super busy.  I'm in school full time online and it takes up several hours of my time every night.  Don't get me wrong, I love it!  I'm so excited that I'm in classes that are Education based and not taking pilly-dilly pre-requisite classes.  Also, working full time and going to the gym take up a good bit of time.  I am happy, I'm loving life, I feel so healthy and happy!

progress
Working out with Gene The Personal Trainer has been going great!  Ben was out of town last week, it was my first week of major based classes (hence the busy schedule) and I didn't work out because I was feeling pretty under the weather.  I hadn't really thought about getting on the scale since I just did not too long ago, but something crazy  happened this morning.  I woke up, stretched, and I could feel my ribs.  Not just feel them, but they were jutting out and I could feel them.  It doesn't sound like much, but I just knew that I was smaller.  So I went to get on the scale and weigh myself:  minus 68.5.  I had to get off the scale and get back on just to make sure.


Looking at that, I almost can't believe my eyes myself.  I've been working hard and it's been paying off!  I still have such a long way to go, but hopefully by my birthday I will be into the one-hundred-something category and can start looking for wedding dresses!

tears
So many times I've heard the doctor and other gastric bypass patient's say that my hair will eventually start falling out, specifically around the 3-month mark.  Around 12 weeks I started noticing some shedding a little more than normal.  The past two weeks it has been coming out in clumps at an alarming rate.  I took a shower this morning and more hair came out in the shower than ever before.  Then, when I was blow drying my hair, I would have to stop and clean my brush every couple of minutes because it was just full of hair.  When I finished blow drying my hair, there was just hair EVERY where.  I started feeling my hair and my scalp and it felt so thin.  I've always had thick hair, so it was really upsetting!  I don't want to be so vain, but I started crying to Ben about how thin my hair felt.  He assured me that it looked and felt thick, ha!  So after we had lunch, we ventured out into the freezing (literally) cold weather so I could stock up on more vitamins.


Let me just tell you, those vitamins are BIG.  They suck, basically.  The chewables I had to take for the first three months after surgery were a million times worse, so I'm not really complaining.  But anyone who takes a multi-vitamin obviously knows that they are huge horse pills.  The calcium are also huge and have a funky taste to them.  By the way, I have to specifically take Calcium Citrate and it is like THE hardest thing to find in the stores.  I had to look on the vitamin shelf in CVS for almost 20 minutes.  Totally uncalled for.  I don't know what the difference is between Calcium (aka calcium carbonate) and Calcium Citrate, but they are in two completely opposite places in the vitamin section.  Totally stupid. And the Biotin, obviously, is for my crazy hair loss.

Overall, everything is great!  I'm looking forward to Christmas and NYE in Nashville!  But I'm sure I'll talk to y'all again before that.  If not, Merry Christmas!


SW:  311
CW:  242.5
-68.5 lbs

alive & well

December 6, 2013

Hey my friends!  Sorry I've been MIA lately-  things have been wonderfully crazy.  Okay, well, mostly wonderful.  I think I had made it to the -60 lb mark in my last post, but if not then YAY!  I made it to -60!  -61 now, to be exact.  I need to take my measurements again though because Gene The Personal Trainer does NOT mess around.  He's had me doing stuff on my own while he's out of town and holy moly, it is hard stuff!  But I feel great!

We've been wedding planning, working out and let me tell you... Thanksgiving was terrific but I just about carbed myself to death.  So now I am back on a strict protein heavy diet.  I am in NO way a fitness expert, but I've started following a lot of fitness people on Instagram to try and get tips.  With the wedding budget getting tighter at the beginning of the year (as far as saving as much as possible goes), I don't know that I will be able to continue with Gene after my three months are up.  Which makes me sad... BUT.  I've already learned so much.  So I will be in a better place to workout alone when that time comes.

Also, I noticed in the mirror the other day while lifting weights that my legs are significantly smaller but full of jelly, sort of like Santa's belly.  (har har har).   I need those bad boys to be TONED UP.  I don't even care if my arms have "bat wings" when I'm done, because I know they will look smaller.  But jelly legs are not going to be acceptable for bathing suit season OR for Ben to pull the garter off at the wedding reception.  We need nice and toned, so I need to tell Gene The Personal Trainer as soon as possible.

The other day I was working out alone and kept saying out loud, "wedding dress!  wedding dress!  wedding dress!"  I'm SURE the men around me working out thought I was bonkers nutso, but whatever dudes.  They don't understand.

With Christmas coming up, I've got to make sure I stay on my protein heavy diet.  There are a lot of fruits & veggies I've been eating that I had NO idea where chock FULL of carbs and zero protein.  Examples:  apples and carrots-  two of my favorites!  I need to go back to the book they gave me at my nutrition class and reference what they list as the best protein/food to eat.

Ok, I should probably get back to work now... I hope you all are doing GREAT!  I feel great and as soon as I take my measurements, I will post them!  


SW:  311
CW: 250
-61 lbs