Friday, November 27, 2015

VSG & the Holidays...

It's my first holiday season with my tiny tummy.  I cooked a lot, and tasted a little bit of everything.  You can see a body shot of me so far kind of in the video.  Here are the highlights....

On Sunday, it will be officially 6 months Post Op VSG Surgery!  58 Pound Loss!

I got on the scale and still am at 223 lbs.  YAY!  It's not food calories that I am worried about so much, it's the alcohol calories.  Holiday cocktails go down WAY TOO EASY. I am not going to freak out if I gain a couple pounds, but I will get my ass out there and walk more to make up for the indulgences that befall my next month of good times. 

Eggnog Martini's!
I will not deprive myself during this season, but not over eat go crazy overboard either.  When I do try something high carb, I mark it down as my high carb day and then go back to low carb the next day.  This is something I can live with as a lifestyle. 

Last night at a party, one of my friends came up to me and said, "I looked great."  He said it in a sort of, "Wow your HOT kind of way."   It felt good to hear.  I feel good and I'm dressing a little nicer than I used too.  I'm wearing things that are a little more form fitting.  I guess my change is beginning to really show on the outside now.  It feels good.  

I have a long way to go still before 
I make my goal weight of 145 lbs.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Holy Crap! I have hip bones...

I worked 64 hours this week.  This is not something I am used to doing.  There was no time for lunch breaks or for exercise.  I still lost one more pound, yay!  The new discovery in my body changes are, I HAVE HIP BONES!  My fat is melting away and my hip bones are beginning to show.  FAROUT.

58 pounds lost so far!

My body is becoming more refined and lean, and it's starting to really show.  I still have a long way to go, but I can see and feel a huge change happening. 














Friday, November 13, 2015

57 pounds Lost so far!

I did it!  I broke my 4 week weight-loss stall!  FINALLY.  I weighed myself this morning and I am 224lbs. A loss of 57 lbs. total so far.  But I got to say, I feel much smaller now.  I have lost one more inch total. 1/2 on my hips and thighs.  I had my doctor check up this week and...

My blood pressure is normal 
for the first time in 20 years!

I'm doing some big cooking soon.  Thanksgiving I am Deep Frying a 17 lb. Turkey. For my birthday, I am throwing my own party and making dinner for 30 and Smoking a 22 lb. Prime Rib Roast, filming the crab horror movie sequel followed by an epic house MUSIC JAM PARTY, with some amazingly talented friends from La Honda, CA!

Christmas Eve, it's Pennsylvania Dutch & Polish appetizers and New Years Day - It's Cafe Du Monde Beignets, Cafe au Lait's & Champagne Cocktails.  I really love the holidays.  This will be my first one with a new tiny tummy.  As long as I stick to Protein first, Veggies second and Carbs 3rd, I am solid.

I remember looking at the calendar before I had this VSG surgery.  I asked myself, "How much weight will I lose before my birthday?"  "How will I feel if I am 60 pounds lighter by December 13, 2015?"  Well friends, I am 3 pounds from that goal, and it's only November 13th.  In one more month, I hope to be able to say I lost 60 pounds - my first goal achievement.   

I FEEL FANTASTIC!  It feels even better when I bump into people I haven't seen in years and they drop their jaw in amazement at my change.  It feels better then I imagined it would.  

I can't tell you the last time 
I felt this much JOY!

That is what weight-loss and getting my body back in balance again means to me.  Joy, Happiness and allowing myself to be free to do all the things I was too big or in pain to do in the past.  My weight-loss goal is REALLY about getting out there and doing things and seeing and exploring THE WORLD in all of it's beauty and richness!  Beside fitting on a roller-coaster ride, I want to SCUBA DIVE!  I was too fat to do that before.

Being able to open my heart and drink in all of the beauty and joy that each lucky moment I get to still have on the planet. Improving the quality of life EVERYDAY because I can now sleep again without Sleep Apnea.  I can walk up stairs without feeling like I am going to collapse.  

I feel lovable!  

This hard work and success is allowing me to forgive myself and let go of my past failures and move forward into a lighter and brighter future.  It's more than hope, it's LOVE and finally accepting myself. I am giving myself the nurturing and care I have needed and neglected for so very long.  I once felt like a lost cause.  WELL I AM NOT LOST ANYMORE. 

I have only 79 more to lose 
until my goal weight of 145 lbs.
I once had to lose 136 pounds.... that sounded daunting.  But 79 more?  
Just a little bit at a time consistently and I will be there soon.

 I'M HAPPY!
IF I CAN DO THIS, I CAN DO ANYTHING!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Feeling & looking good but still in STALL HELL.

Week 4 of the dreaded weightloss stall and the scale says I'm still stuck at 226 lbs. I'm walking 3 days a week, eating less than 1000 a day or less and my body weight is still stuck at the same place now for a month. THIS IS CRAZY TOWN.  I do however feel smaller all over.  I lost another inch on my hips and tummy and my arms. My face is becoming more slender and refined.  I feel more energy and less pain.  The Bio-identical Hormones have helped my girly problems so far and the doctor is watching me closely.

A size 18 woman's is becoming loose on me.  I'm almost into a size 16.  That means MORE MORE LANE GIANT!  No more big girl stores. When I get frustrated, I stop and acknowledge where I was compared to 23 weeks ago.  I was wearing a size 28, and a 3X.  That is a huge difference my friends.  I am still thick, but curvy and proportionate.  I'm even forming an actual "Waistline" again. Yay!

Shopping online for fun inexpensive things to wear has replaced my comfort and reward eating.  I am starting to wear COLOR!  Black was my signature color always, but I am adding color these days.  I have started a crazy wild shoe fetish.  So much so, I may have to design some shoes of my own. : )

Taking walks on the San Francisco Bay on my lunch hour has replaced my stress eating.  I am back on the Carb Cycling: The Turbo Cycle to help break this stall. Chris Powell has testing this on hundreds of his clients and it has proven to work.  Heidi (his wife) has some helpful tips here. What I am doing looks like this:

Carb Cycling: The Turbo Cycle
If you want to shed those extra pounds extra fast, the Turbo Cycle is for you. Of the four carb cycles, this cycle takes off weight the fastest. Unlike the Easy and Classic cycles, which alternate low and high-carb days, the Turbo Cycle pits two low-carb days against every high-carb day. That means you’ll burn fat two days in a row before your body’s furnace (metabolism) is re-stoked on your high-carb day, and you’ll lose weight really, really fast!

Even though the Turbo Cycle has an extra low-carb day as compared to the Easy and Classic cycles, it is not a severely calorie-restricted cycle that will crash your metabolism. As with the other cycles, women should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day, and men should not consume fewer than 1,500 calories a day. And since you’ll have two low-carb days in a row, you may feel less energetic on the second low-carb day. But this is okay. These low-carb days are powerful weight-loss accelerators!

Here’s what a Turbo Cycle week looks like:
    Monday: Low carb day
    Tuesday: Low carb day
    Wednesday: High carb day
    Thursday: Low carb day
    Friday: Low carb day
    Saturday: High carb day
    Sunday: Reward day

As with the other cycles, you can stay with the Turbo Cycle as long as you want, or you can change cycles. This program is tailor-made to you and you alone!

For more information on the Turbo Cycle or any other cycle, check out our book, Choose More, Lose More for Life.

My low carb days I keep my carbs under 20 carbs a day.  High carb days I eat up to 60 carbs per day.  It's actually easy to do this eating lifestyle because you eat high protein and veggies most of the time and you don't feel deprived because you eat carbs on the high carb days and get Sunday to eat a Reward food you may be craving.  Hope this works.

My biggest problem is drinking enough water.  I don't.  I need too.  It's like a chore and it doesn't feel good in my tiny tummy.  Drinking lots of water is uncomfortable because you can only do small gulps.  You have to take it slow and when you are working and super busy, remembering to drink water is not on your mind.  I am setting up timer reminders to take sips every 30 mins. throughout the day.  I will try ANYTHING to break this stall. I am patient.  The holidays are almost here and I am going to be the Bad Girl BBQ Chef this season.  I do a lot of cooking, but not much eating. :  )

I'll be Deep Frying the Turkey at my place this year!

My birthday is on December 13th, 
I hope I am  at least 219 lbs. by then.