50 pounds down so far ~ Week 16!

Hi yall,

I missed posting last Friday, I was out of town.  Here are the latest photos of me. I'm in less pain.  I have more energy and people were really noticing the weight-loss.  You can start to really see it in my face.

The face is slimming down.

Grilled Breakfast Pizzas - Cowgirl Style!

PEOPLE CAN CHANGE! I am proof anyone can change themselves!

Yes folks, I'm still losing steadily.  I jumped on the scale this morning and it read 232lbs.  My surgery day weight was 281lbs. 15 weeks ago from today.  OMG, it's working!

I HAVE LOST EXACTLY 49 POUNDS SO FAR!

I am only 87 lbs. away from making my goal of 145lbs.  I am getting used to my new style of eating.  I do not deprive myself of anything.  I still cook lavish fun dinners, glamorously camp and BBQ wild fun food in impossible terrains with funny musical friends,  and still am a foodie that loves to entertain.  I still bake cakes and cookies and still drink (mostly Vodka w/Pomegranate juice, when I do) on the weekends, just very small amounts.  I can drink coffee again without it hurting my tummy, That is AWESOME.  I can really feel and see the difference in my size and body overall.

This is my big health change year.  I finally qualified for health insurance with my employment and found a local primary care doctor in my little seaside town.  I went in for a routine general medical exam and am getting my first Mammogram Screening, Lab work including - CBC, TSH, Free T4, Comp metabolic panel, Lipid Panel, HGBA1C, HSCRP, Vitamin D25OH, Vitamin B12, Mg, Estrogen, Progesterone and FSH tested.  I am also finally getting a Pelvic Ultrasound and a Colonoscopy. I'm getting a baseline for THE WORKS.  I want to get the real numbers as my body adjusts to the new body weight set point when I reach my goal and begin maintenance.

What I am noticing is the little things that are changing.  For overweight struggling others out there who may be reading this, imagine not getting winded as much walking up a flight of stairs.  I am no longer feeling the need to wear a jacket to hide my stomach and lack of waistline.  I have more energy and my mind is clearer.  I feel stronger.  I am thinking faster and quicker.  I can fit in a movie theater seat comfortably.  I stop eating when I am full, because I don't want to feel sick.  I literally can not overeat.  This is very comforting.  Things I wore before are WAY TOO BIG on me now.  I am enjoying shopping and trying new clothes on.  My feet don't ache at the end of the day like they used to.  I am noticing my attitude is better about myself.  I have a new sense of freedom of expression and acceptance.  This is giving me a natural sense of ambition to go for things I never would have considered before. I am making better decisions everyday.  I think my life direction is improving because of this.

It is amazing how just a couple of degrees of change along your path, can take you to an entirely new direction - FOR THE BETTER. WHO KNOWS WHAT'S NEXT?!

My life purpose is all about creating BEAUTY, FUN, COMMUNITY, AND FREEDOM, with Music, Food, Art and hopefully LOVE will be added to this mix somewhere down the road.

People can change.  PEOPLE REALLY CAN CHANGE THEMSELVES.  Let me be an example.  If I can do it, ANYONE CAN.

But for some of us SEEING THE SIZE OF YOUR ASS SHRINK makes a HUGE difference. :  )

 

14 weeks Post Op VSG...

Getting over a cold this week.  No changes to report.  I didn't walk at all.  Just taking it slow and trying to get rest.  No appetite that is for sure.  I'm looking forward to getting organized and have some fun over the Labor Day weekend.

Losing weight in my body is also making me want to get rid of other stuff too, - I'M BECOMING A MINIMALIST!  Or at least I want to be.  I feel freer not owning a bunch of stuff.  I am keeping the quality, and recycling and discarding the quantity.  I'm downsizing and preparing for a relocation in the near future.

Everything I own is in a 10' x 20' storage unit up the street.  There is stuff in there I haven't seen since 2008.  I need my own space to go through all this stuff, so I'm looking for new digs.  I love where I live, but the space is way too small.  I want to get a treadmill to workout at home in the evenings when the weather is yucky out.  I need a creative space to work on my art projects.  I must be able to park my vintage VW Bus Art Car in an enclosed safe, weather-free space.  

2016 is going to be a NEW YEAR BIG TIME!

Week 13... 45lbs. Total Loss so far!

I got on the scale this morning and I weigh 236lbs. 2 more pounds lost this week!  

That means I have lost a total of 45lbs total so far. I have been walking on my lunch hour, an average of 3 days a week. I love this free APP I downloaded in iTunes for my iPhone 6 -  it's called Pacer.  

It's a pedometer that works on your phone.  It monitors every step I take in a day.  You just need to make sure you keep your cell phone ON YOU so it will count your steps.  I put my goals into the program and it set up how many steps I would need to do a day to get to my 145 pound goal.  I need to walk 10,000 steps a day.  I went way over that yesterday.  Since I have started walking, I am losing more inches everywhere.  I have lost a total of 23 1/4 inches!

I miss coffee, especially when I get up for work daily at 5:30am.  I tried some this morning with extra milk in it, but no - my tummy got sour instantly.  I just thought I would give it another try.  I'll stick with CLICK Espresso Protein Drink's in the morning.  I put ice in it and it better than a Mocha Frappuccino and I get the caffeine I need to get my eyes open while I drive into the office and see the sunrise.

12 Weeks ~ 3 Month VSG Post Op - 43 pounds down!

So last week I went out of town and indulged a little and thought for sure I would have gained weight, but thankfully nope I didn't.  My brain has been focusing on the next goal weight, TO GET TO THE 239lbs.  This morning when I got on the scale I weigh 238lbs.!   

 That is a total of 43 pounds lost in 3 months!

People are starting to notice the weight loss and mention it to me now.  I guess you can really see it in my face. Here is the most recent photo of me taken this week:

BEER SCHOOLING: Helping a friend rack her first home brewed beer.
Photo taken by Paul Mc Gregor on 8-19-15

REALLY GOOD HOME BREWED BEER!
It's one of the many reasons I got so big!

My dear friends Patricia Mc Gregor (to the left with her Porter), and Lisa Doyle to the right with the gray hair and plastic container in her hand (who will be racking her Red Ale on Sunday) HOORAY TO NEW HOME BREWERS!  Even though I don't drink beer or anything carbonated right now, I still support the beer makers!

I have been walking on my lunch hour during the weekdays, and I think this is totally speeding up my weight loss.  It was very exciting to lose more than expected in one week!  I have only 93 more pounds to lose until I make my goal weight of 145lbs.  I've lost a couple more inches as well.  SLOW BUT STEADY!  I am not hungry most of the time.  Food is no longer ruling my life.  I feel free and healthier.  Instead of nurturing, comforting or rewarding myself with food, I have been shopping for fun new cheap things to wear online from Ebay, Etsy and Amazon.  Suddenly trying on clothes is a positive experience.

Update: Here is one more photo from the weekend.  

My face is looking thinner.

Photo taken by Paul Mc Gregor on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

Week 11 Post VSG... Mini Vacation ~ New Schedule ~ New Workout!

No change.  I went  on a mini vacation this week.  I went up to Harbin Hot Springs. in between contract jobs.  It was easy to be a Sleeve Girl on a vacation.

I'm still 243 lbs. and 38 pounds down!

...I ate duck pate, I ate a lot of fruit and greens. I ate 3 escargot.  I drank a martini, I soaked in the Calistoga hot springs day and night. I hiked naked in the woods, I finished another Eckart Tolle book.  I didn't gain any weight, but didn't lose any either.  I feel smaller, happy and rested.

I start my new contract on Monday.  New hours at 7am -4pm.  This allows me to take an hour to walk/run during the day.  I know it's the only way I will get regular exercise in daily.

This is the next step in my weight-loss journey

NEW EXERCISE ROUTINE DAILY. 

You know what motivates me?  Others who have succeeded at such a huge accomplishment of losing over 100 pounds.  When I get discouraged I look at before and after pictures.  These girls motivate me...

Week 10 and I lost 2 more pounds.

I laid in bed last night and felt my hips bones, they have been in hiding for years - kind of like the rest of me under this Diva Blubber.  I am down two pounds from last week and still losing.  I feel fabulous.

I weigh 243 lbs. 38 pounds gone!

I caught a man checking me out yesterday.  I guess my energy is changing in very positive ways too.  I have a LONG way to go still.  Wait until next year!  I'm losing about 2 pounds a week.  My goal was to hopefully lose 6 pounds a month over two years.  I am happy losing the weight slowly, I don't want excess skin. I have 98 more pounds to lose until I make my goal of 145 lbs.

I organized a Tiki Bar Crawl in San Francisco for tomorrow, but really am not drinking, so I am a designated driver.  All I want is to taste a couple of exotic cocktails to see what they are like.  I have always wanted to try the "Suffering Bastard" and sample a real "Flaming Scorpion Bowl" cocktail.  I will tomorrow.