"Let Them Eat Cake" but I'll have some wine please"...

The scale has not moved, I am still at a stall at 226 lbs., but I have lost 2 1/2 more inches since last week.  I had my VSG surgery 5 months ago yesterday and I have lost a total of 32 1/2 inches all over my body so far.  This is why it's good to measure yourself and not just rely on the scale.  I have been walking 2.5 miles on my lunch hour 3 days a week.  I think that is helping.  I started taking Turmeric supplements and I feel much better in my joints. I can seriously feel the difference when I don't take it.

For my fellow females out there, (Boys may want to click away for this part : o)  I must report that if you are over 40 and possibly approaching or are in Perimenopause, a large amount of weight-loss has been known to speed up menopause.  I am there and my body is doing it's "LAST FINALE" before my dusty uterus and ovaries take their last bow.  BLOODY HELL, are my girly parts in protest. 

This Halloween weekend, I am a vampires dream come true.  My cycle has been sporadic since I had VSG surgery and I was really hoping it would just go away for good.  I almost went to the ER yesterday because I thought I was bleeding to death. I lost so much blood in a 24 hour period (pun intended) that I was lightheaded and almost blacked out.  My doctor told me to take 800 mgs. of Motrin and if it got worse, she would prescribe something to help slow it down.  I had my hormones tested and had an Ultrasound on my uterus 2 weeks ago.  I'll get the results on Tuesday.  In the meantime, I'm fucking starting on Bio-Identical Progesterone tonight.

This is why alcohol was invented, for life phases like this.  Spod-Dee-O-Dee, Motrin & a Multi vitamin for me this entire weekend is on my agenda.  If I'm going to feel like shit, I am going to at least have a good reason.  Empty calories I know, but my mental and emotional health are important too.  Laughter and hanging with goofy friends dressed up like Gawd Knows What should fix what's ailing me.

I have a long list of Halloween parties to attend this fun weekend ahead.  I have a fabulous Marie Antoinette costume to wear, I'm baking some alcohol cakes.  Marie will, "LET EVERYONE EAT CAKE," but in my current state, maybe going as something scary would be more appropriate.

My "Bloody Mary" costume may be better.

The Fresh Celery Head Piece makes the outfit.

I'm still on track my friends.  Hoping to break this 
weight loss stall and get to 219 soon.

I ended up going as Marie Antoinette!

Halloween 2015 - "LET THEM EAT CAKE!" 

I baked a couple Rum cakes.

I almost lost my head.  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Holding on to the honeymoon....

I am in what they call my first "Weight-loss stall",  I do declare.  The past two weeks.  I am walking, eating right, eating small, sleeping well, attempting to drink more water and the scale ain't moving.  In fact I weighed myself several times over the past two weeks and it has gone up and down, but stuck at 226 lbs.

My fellow WLS friends warned me about this.  They said, enjoy the honeymoon phase while you are in it.  It's been 5 months and one week.  Most people make it to there weight-loss goal in two years.  That is my goal.  I don't want to lose it too fast and get excess skin.  Slow is good, but it can be frustrating.  I am not worried because I read great articles written by WLS veterans that give me hope.  Like this one: http://gastricbypasstruth.com/life-after-gastric-bypass/the-first-6-months-your-honeymoon-period/

The First 6 Months: 

Your Honeymoon Period

If the first month following your gastric bypass is Hell, then you’ll think the months that follow are Heaven.
It’s what’s commonly referred to as the Honeymoon Period. You have no appetite, and weight loss is the easiest it’s ever gonna be. In fact, it’s during this period that you’ll lose the bulk of all the pounds you do shed.
It may last longer than 6 months -maybe as much as 12 – if you have a lot of weight to lose, but however long it lasts expect it to pass almost in a blur. So many new experiences, “wow” moments, and shedding pounds begin to happen so quickly, that you almost have to wait until it’s over to catch your breath.
That being said, there is of course a wide range of experiences, and all of them are normal. When you’re in the moment, sometimes it feels like the scale is moving at an excruciatingly slow pace. But then you look up and realize that while you didn’t see it moving (or didn’t think you did) you’ve actually lost quite a chunk of weight.
It can feel kind of like being Alice in Wonderland. Reality seems a bit warped, and you’re not quite sure if you’re imagining things of not.

Oh My God – Is That My Hair?

Yep, it sure is — clogging up your drain as you take a shower. In piles at your feet in front of the mirror. And tangled in the teeth of your brush or comb.
Anywhere, it seems, but on your head where it belongs.
Hair loss is pretty much inevitable. Some lose more than others, but everyone loses some. It’s especially traumatic for those with shorter hair who’ve perhaps never seen a drain clogged with it.
For me, my hair is very long and I’m used to seeing strands of it everywhere. But when the time came that I could run my fingers through it and come out with a handful, it was still pretty scary.
It usually starts around 2-3 months out, and stops by the end of the first year. In fact, many people have already noticed it begin to regrow by their first anniversary. It often just appears thinner to you, but isn’t even noticible to others. Sometimes it’s a little more severe, and occasionally small bald spots happen. But nobody ever loses all their hair.
Some people swear that extra protein helps, and others insist on biotin. But really, it’s impossible to prove what “would have happened” if someone didn’t take biotin. So no one is really for sure if there’s anything you can do or not.
My suggestion? Take extra good care of your hair during this period. No perms or colors – both of which will damage it further and can make your problem worse. Use good, salon-quality shampoo and conditioner (yes, it really does make a difference to the overall health of your hair, and healthy hair will hide thinness better.) Take your vitamins. And try a good leave-in conditioner made for volumizing. Pretend it’s still the 80′s and style for body (just don’t get too crazy).
At 11 months out, with my hair wet, I can really tell that I’ve lost maybe 20% or more of my hair volume. But once it’s dry and styled, others have told me it looks like I haven’t lost any at all. It’s all in how you work with what you’ve got.

I Don’t Have Anything To Wear

This should be part of the fun of losing weight, but right now it’s actually kind of stressful. It’s stinking frustrating to look at a closet absolutely full of clothes and know that none of them fit you.
But at the same time, anything you buy now will be part of that “too big” pile in a matter of weeks. So unless you’re made of money, there’s no point in hitting the mall just yet.
Yard sales, consignment stores and Goodwill are your best friends right now. And if you must have something more formal (and you don’t happen to get lucky and find it used) you can often find dressier clothes for much less at places like TJ Maxx, Ross’, Marshalls, etc.
Here in the South we have a store called Cato’s. I don’t know if they’re all over the country or not, but they have the most incredible clearance rack you can imagine. I’ve gotten entire outfits for $10 or less – and we’re NOT talking Wal-Mart quality, either.
You’ll also need to figure out what to do with all of your bigger clothes. Perhaps you can hand them down to someone else (be careful – some people get very offended by being offered clothes you’re now too small for) or have a yard sale.
Whatever you do, be sure you keep at least one outfit from your heaviest weight. That way, when it seems the scale isn’t moving and your mind is playing those “I haven’t changed at all!” tricks on you, putting this outfit on will show you in no uncertain terms just how far you’ve come.

Who Is That Person In My Mirror?

During this time your body is changing faster than your mind can keep up with. A few people may take this in stride, but most of us go through some form of body dismorphia. That’s when the image you have of your body does not line up with reality. Anorexics often have this – they see fat on their bodies that doesn’t really exist.

It can be hard to get a handle on exactly how far you’ve come, and how far you still need or want to go. Some of us see ourselves as still morbidly obese. Others think we’re thinner than we are. Some think both at different times. Try to remember that it’s normal – you’re not going crazy, and you’re not developing some deep psychological problem. You’re just changing very rapidly and it’s going to take some time for your brain to catch up.
I still find myself comparing myself to other women and trying to decide if I’m bigger or smaller than them. At this point, it’s not that I want to be better or worse than them, I’m just trying to figure out where I am. What exactly do I really look like? I just want an accurate picture!
But I’m afraid that an actual accurate self-picture is going to have to wait until my weight stabilizes for a bit, then my brain can take inventory and settle on a self-image. So I think that for now, the best thing to do (since I can’t help looking) is to let it be a mild curiosity and nothing more. I’m still in a state of flux, so there’s no point forming a concrete self-image just yet.

I’m Not Done YET, Am I?

Plateaus are evil. I hate them. But they happen to everyone, even those who’ve had gastric bypass surgery.

By 6 months out, you’ll have had at least one, if not more, periods where your scale gets stuck. At first, this drove me absolutely ballistic and I’d do everything in my power to make that scale move again. I think if I’d had dynamite I would have tried it.
And there are a few things you can do to help shorten the time you spend up there on the plateau. They include:

• Increase your protein intake
• Drink more water
• Exercise more, or do something different
• Be sure you’re getting all your vitamins
• Increase your calcium

Notice that none of these things include eating less. Because you’re already eating next to nothing, which is one reason we have plateaus. Have you ever heard of “starvation mode?” Basically (and this is true of regular diets as well) when you cut back on calories, your body thinks you’re starving and will begin to hold on to reserves literally for dear life.
I have noticed that one way to break a stall is to eat more for a day or two. Reasonable food, mind you – stuff that it’s OK to eat anyway. Just more of it. And voila – within a few days, scale movement!
Mostly, however, I look at plateaus as my body gathering energy for the next great plunge. Because usually, when they end I lose a chunk of weight – like 5 pounds or so – overnight. It’s kind of like holding your breath before jumping off a diving board.
You also must must must realize that even when the scale doesn’t move, sometimes fat is still melting. That’s why you should do what I never did and measure yourself. Cuz it’s way cool when you realize that even though the scale still says 220, you’re now in an 18 instead of a 20. 
Looking at it that way has really helped me stop stressing over stalls. They happen. They’ll end. When they do, I need new clothes!

The Scariest Moment Of All

At around 6 months, a couple of things often happen that scare the living daylights out of you. And if they happen at the same time as a stall, then my God it’s like the world has ended and you’ve had surgery for nothing because you’re going to be a FAILURE!!!!!!

Well, that’s what you may think, anyway.
Sometime around 6 months you’ll have a very unwelcome visitor. Your appetite. He’ll be back and suddenly you’ll want to eat again. At the same time, your pouch will have healed up from surgery and will decide that more foods are welcome. And since the swelling will have gone down, pouchie will have a bit more room as well.
So out of the blue, you want to eat, you can eat lots of foods and you can eat more of them. The panic!
My husband actually noticed this before I did and commented on it. A few times. “You’re eating a lot all of a sudden – don’t hurt yourself!”
Fortunately, I knew this was coming and for once didn’t have a near nervous breakdown. Now you’ll know, too.

Making The Most Of Your Honeymoon

Like all good things, your honeymoon period will eventually come to an end. It starts with the return of your appetite, then you’ll notice weight loss begin to slow.
That doesn’t mean weight loss is over – you can continue to lose weight up to 18 months or even more after surgery. But it will be slower.
So you want to make the absolute most of your honeymoon period. Use the fact that you’re not hungry to deal with your food addictions. Forge a new relationship with food that’s based on necessity, not comfort or any other deep psychological need.
Spend this time working out the habits that will carry you through the rest of your weight loss period and into the maintenance phase that will last the rest of your life.
Now is also the time to get into the habit of regular exercise. If anyone told you that having a gastric bypass meant that you could lose all the weight you wanted without having to exercise, you have my permission to find them and slap them for lying to you. (Of course, you’re on your own for whatever happens next. Sorry.)
You will lose weight whether or not you exercise, but not as much as you will if you do. And the further out from surgery you get, the more exercise becomes vital if you want to keep the weight off.
You didn’t go through a life-threatening surgery and change so much just to put the weight right back on, did you? No. This is to be permanent. So get out there and get moving!
You only get one honeymoon period. Use it wisely!

GREAT ARTICLE!  
This is very much my experience so far, 
except I have not lost any hair.  
I got away from carb cycling, so 
I'm going to get back on that.
I'm taking her advise and see 
if I can get to my next 
mini goal of 219 lbs. soon.

Ready to dance & sing....

I did get on the scale this morning and nothing has changed.  I'm still at 226 lbs.  55 pounds down so far.  I ain't complaining.  I did something really stupid this week.  My cat is dead, I'm lonesome as hell, and found myself filling out a Match.com profile. What the hell?  I know, I didn't actually sign up or anything.  It was up for a few days.

My inbox was crazy packed full of guys winking at me and emailing me.  I felt flattered, but I totally chickened out and tried to take it down from the site, which I think is impossible.  Internet dating is worse than a serious job interview while waiting in line at the DMV and then having a root canal afterwards. 

For someone who has been known to glue 450 shiny toy pinwheels and 30 garden ornament squirrels to her car, you can imagine how great I come off on a first date with a stranger I met online.  How could someone as weird as me meet a guy online?   I may not be ready to go on a actual "Date" yet, but I am ready to dance me some blues with a cute boy.  Maybe tonight?

I'm going out to catch Suzanne & her Highwater Blues band show in North Beach tonight!

She got me up on stage to sing a few songs with her
at THE OLDEST BLUES HOUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO - The Saloon!

She had me singing the blues and we had the house dancing a boogie!
I have to get me a nice iPad set-up like she has here in the photo.

I WENT AND HAD A TOTAL BLAST!

Left to right we have Michael Lyons, Mark Yee, Me & the fabulous Suzanne Rose.

The Most Inspirational VSG EPIC SUCCESS Story EVER!

Dear World,

Walter B. Sleeved aka The Weight-loss Warrior has been a super huge inspiration to me from the very beginning of his journey.  In fact, it really was Walter that gave me the courage to make the decision to just go for it.  He is a total crack up. HE DID IT!!!!!!!!!

He just posted his EPIC 275lbs Gone Gastric Sleeve Saga Extravaganza!

CONGRATS MY FRIEND! 

I LOVE YOU MAN!

Week 19 VSG Post-Op Goodness...

Yo Peeps,

It's time for my Friday update and I have good news.  Mercury Retrograde in Libra ends today, I was not laid off during the re-org that was announced today, and my ass is two pounds lighter than last week.  HELLZ YEA!!!!  I'm plugging along getting lean and all my clothes are hella longer.  I am only 13 lbs. from my halfway point, 213 lbs. a 68 lb loss.  I have a ways to go to get to my goal weight of 145 pounds. So far it's working.

55 pounds lost so far!
30 INCHES LOST TOTAL TO DATE!

I also decided in memory of my sweet black kitty Diva (God rest her purring soul), that I would get my first tattoo.  I designed it and had my consultation with an awesome artist friend of mine, Matt Decker, who has his own bitchin Tattoo Shop PREMIUM TATTOO in Oakland, CA. (My old stomping grounds), it was nice to see my old neighborhood again. Check out some of his work here.

I wanted to get the tattoo for my birthday in December, but with the significant weight-loss I still am undergoing, we made a date for March 12th 2016. The Tattoo will go on most of my back-my upper back and the length of my spine.  By then I should be getting closer to my goal weight.

Think about it, I was wearing a shirt size of a 3X a little over four months ago.  I now am wearing an XL-1X t-shirt size.  By then I may be a medium or smaller.  It will be smarter to wait until next year.  I put down the deposit and it's going to be beautiful, sexy and bad-ass.

Yep, I'm gonna be one of those tiny sexy old broads with a huge Tattoo on her back and maybe have it continue to wrap around in the future to hide any other scars that happen after I heal up from a tummy tuck and a breast lift.  I can get a side job as a "Carni" and learn to spin plates with my teeth and a stick.  I have a great future ahead of me.

Matt is an outstanding tattoo artist and he digs my design.  I'll get a fun backless dress and we will take photos, I look forward to sharing it with you all.

What gets me through some days is just being thankful and grateful for my life.  What we appreciate about where we are and who we are lucky to share our lives with.  I keep focusing on what IS WORKING IN MY LIFE and KEEP MOVING FORWARD and let go of everything else.

Because all we really have in NOW.

Unless you are a time traveler, than THAT is a whole other subject.

Ugly duckling becoming a swan....

So I got on the scale this morning to give my weekly VSG Post-Op update.  I have not really exercised much since my kitty died. I was hesitant to get on the scale.  My hope was to have made it from the 230's at least to 229lbs.  Guess what?

4 months ago I weighed 281 lbs.
Today I weigh 228 lbs.!  

That is a total loss of 53 pounds so far!  

I feel way smaller in my clothes too.  I have lost a couple more inches.  See my measurements on the side bar.  I am almost to my halfway point to my goal weight.  I started this journey with 136 lbs to lose total.  68 lbs. is the half way point, and I'm only 15 lbs. away from that.

I know I need to start a serious work-out routine to get as much flab firmed up as possible.  Once I make my goal, I will most likely look into a boobie lift and possibly a tummy tuck, we will see.  The medical spa packages are affordable.

I want to also say something that I am noticing.  People are treating me very different than when I was fat.  Men are going out of there way to open doors for me, talk to me, flirt with me and also, woman are just plain nicer to me now.  People in general are more receptive to me.  I am noticing people in general are taking notice of me.  It's strange on some level because only 4 1/2 months ago, I was fat as hell and I looked pretty unhealthy, like I had just let myself go.  I HAD.

If you have never been over 100 pounds overweight, you should never give a fat person weight-loss advise.  Don't even try, unless you yourself have been there and had success long term.  You sound like a patronizing asshole no matter how sincere or kind you are.  Being REALLY overweight is overwhelming when it's a huge daunting number.  Fatties like me, who have tried every diet and weight-loss program can lose weight great, BUT KEEPING IT OFF WAS THE CHALLENGE.

I always gained it all back plus 20 lbs.  Over the years, it got so discouraging, I just had to stop the dieting madness.  Anytime I swallowed any food, I had anxiety.  People were mean.  If I didn't order salad while we all went out to lunch or dinner together, there was judgement and criticizing behind my back.  WELL FUCK YOU people who did that to me for the past 10 years - and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  Fat discrimination in our culture sucks in general, but when it is your family and friends - it's just plain mean and defeats the purpose. It makes it even worse.

My weight-loss success feels good on many levels.  I think I am entering into that place in my weight-loss that is transforming from the ugly duckling into a swan kind of feeling.  What beauty I had was being hidden before, is now beginning to show on my physical form.  I am beginning to feel in balance.  I am sure that when I do make my goal weight, people may not even recognize me.  Isn't it weird how much image and identity plays a part in our lives? 

My ego is still the same lame chattering thing it always was, but I am still that quiet soft kind spark of light animating this floppy skin suit around for a few more years. I gotta take care of this meat bag so the quality of life from here on out will be as good as I can make it. 

Being lighter on my feet feels much better overall physically and emotionally.

So if you are reading this and are as fat as hell and just can't take it anymore- VSG surgery is a great solution for BIG NUMBER weight-loss.   I figure once I make my goal of 145 lbs. (which actually may be to low for my size, we will see)  I will gain some back and my body will settle into it's new weight set point long term.  Having a tiny tummy has been the best tool for big time weight-loss and we will see how it goes long term.  I heard some people have gained their weight back, but most VSGers people do not. I am going to make sure I don't.  I can still be the bartender and "Glamorously Camp" and stay on plan.

 IT'S WORKING!