My MOM

I flew in from work on Christmas Eve at 1110pm and my mom picked me up.  I knew what she would have to say about my weight loss as this would be the first time she had seen me in person since my surgery.....and she didn't disappoint.  "You haven't been this small since high school.....I nearly cried sweet tears of joy and happiness.  She hugged me so tight I could tell she was proud of me and my loss.  The next day on christmas day I saw other relatives I hadn't seen in years.  We had a great time joking kidding and just being a family.  I hope everyone has had a great Christmas.  New Years is coming and I will treat this holiday just as I have all the other holidays since Halloween and dress in amazing smaller clothes than I am use to and eat & drink responsibly so that when I wake up on the first I am not starting my wonderful new year off with regret.

I encourage everyone to enjoy yourself just remember "Moderation not deprivation," as regret is a bad taste in the morning.

Skinny Santa Weigh In

Well here we are at the end of my first challenge.  I have been so busy with work and on an airplane more than on the ground that I haven't post in a while....shame on me I know.  So here goes...

Starting weight:

207 lbs

Today's weight:

197 lbs

Lose of :

10 lbs

I know I could have done better but am very happy with my numbers it being the holidays and all the traveling I have done.  

I fly home today to be with my family for the holidays and I can't wait.  I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Skinny Santa Weigh in

Official weigh in day.....last week was 201 and today 198 for a loss of three pounds.....unbelievable.

I want to thank everyone for the Congrats on reaching "Onederland"  You all are amazing people and I am so lucky to have you!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Please Call Me Alice.....

in "Onederland!"  Yep thats right friends I have officially done it I am in Onederland and man does it feel great!!!!  I am at 199 which is a loss of 81 pounds.

Thanks to all of my onederful friends and family who has supported me and continues to support me.

Skinny Santa Weigh in....

Last week I was 203 and this friday, today, this morning...... 201.  Thats a 2 pound loss....yes I will take it all the way to the bank.  Traveling and losing weight have not been my thing but I have made it my thing this week.  I just hope that I can keep it up as my next trip comes in on wed the 14th as I head back to Dallas for a christmas party.....yes a christmas party.  Which will be followed by see friends I haven't seen in a while which will in turn make me remember that I am losing weight here or at least trying to.  That monday after I will fly home to FL to see yet more friends and family that I haven't seen since Sept and some even longer.  More dinners out and yes you guessed it "parties".  What's a girl to do......put on the tight, to little, won't fit yet jeans and say "hello you are losing weight here".  Then on christmas eve I will drive six hours to Tampa to see my mom who will be cooking and yes there will be a "party"with, dare I say it, "food".  Needless to say the to little, won't fit yet jeans will be going to Tampa.....

I do love the holidays and I do love to lose weight....all I need to do now is combine them.....good luck to me.

Good Luck to us all over this holiday eating season.....

Oh did I forget to mention how close to "Onderland" I am?  Yep not far now......

The "Green Zone"....

I have heard this term many times, but I am still not sure what that would be for me or if I would even know if or when I were to get there.
I went to a doctor's appointment today to see my surgeon and be evaluated for a fill and he said "sounds like you are in your "green zone"".   I just looked at him and said "huh".  Lol I ask what would this mean for me if I were there, and he said that I would't feel hungry if I were eating three meals a day at the right portions.  I told him I am not sure I am in that zone yet but would trust his judgement about not getting a fill and so I didn't get a fill today.

When I left the office I was chatting with my friend about the conversation and said that if I had wanted to get a fill I could have lied and told the surge what he needed to hear to do the fill.  I just couldn't do that.  Knowing my luck I would have gotten the fill and not have been able to even swallow my own spit.  Funny, but true.

So my last doc appointment was Sept 9 and weighed 219 by their scale and today Nov 28 I weighed 200, again on their scale.  He was extremely happy about my progress and my drive to continue.

Skinny Santa Weigh In....

Wow wow wow....is all I can say.  Had an awesome Thanksgiving yesterday and missed out on nothing. I can't believe it.  No weight gain.  I so love my band.

My weight last week was 205 and today is 203....even after Thanksgiving.

One more note....if you ever cook a turkey, brine it first.  I have been brine turkeys for a few years now and this year we used orange and apple juice as the sweet part and wow it was so good.  Even better then past years.  Oh and one other note please remember to spray the pecan pie plate as it will stick.....lol.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Flying Home

I am here in the Salt Lake City airport flying to Dallas for Thanksgiving.  I intend to keep to my motto this week..."Moderation not Deprivation".  Will have a great time cooking for others and nibbling a little for myself.  Cant wait to spend some time with friends, but I still have a paper to write for class this week and readings to do as well, as I have not been able to do any school work this week.

Here is wishing a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Skinny Santa Weigh in Friday

Last weeks weight was 207 and todays weight is 205.  2 lbs in a week....I will take it.

More gym, less carbs, more protein, less calories, more water, less self doubt.....that is the plan for the week.

Just a few things....

Today I was invited to go out on San Francisco Bay to learn how to sail, by one of my coworkers.  we had an awesome time.  The wind, water and weather was PERFECT.  Picture later.

Confession time.....as I am not perfect.......yesterday work got very crazy and I was just done, so what did I do I craved a steak.  Not bad right?  Wrong.  I got to the restaurant and had two skinny margaritas, 4ozs of med filet with sautéed mushrooms and onions, garlic mash potatoes, and sautéed greens beens.  No desert....That I did have control over.  Every bite was amazing.  When I left I felt like a fat tick....and it only got worse.  I got home and crawled in the bed.  Now you ask how did I feel this morning?  I have to say, aside from feeling like a fat tick last night, I didn't feel bad at all this morning.  Why you ask?  Well I know I am not perfect and today is another day and I too can get through this.  If I allow this to get me down then I have lost the battle and I am not a loser.

I have read some posts today that have mentioned encouragement, reasons why we had surgery or lost weight, competition, failure, and health.  I guess this is the only thing I have to say about that.....My blogland family is a major support in my life and I do my best to give support and encouragement where I can.  My reason for surgery and my weight loss is very simple.....for me to be happy.  Now if me being happy comes from good health, or from my body looking the best it has in years and making me feel awesome about myself, then I am a very happy girl.  Easy? No its not.  Manageable? Yes very much so.  Controllable?  Oh yes!  Worth it?  Everyday of my skinny new life......

Cheers.....

It's Sunday.....

Not much to say other than I remembered my B12 injection today, which might I add is pretty amazing all in it's self.

I usually weigh in on Sundays, but since I am doing the Skinny Santa Challenge I will weigh in on Fridays like everyone else.  Maybe Friday will be my new weigh in as it does make more since to keep the weekend open, not that my weight loss or lack thereof has ever kept me from having a little extra, but never straying from my motto....Moderation not Depravation.

I did hit the gym today and wow how different that felt.  I don't think I have felt this out of shape since the beginning of my last softball season in high school.  Man do I miss playing, but so don't miss that first week.  I will work tomorrow and Tuesday, but come Wednesday I will be back and maybe even an Aqua class.  We shall see.

I do hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend.

Oh one more thing....If you are not following theworldaccordingtoeggface blog then you should.  Besides here awesome insight into weight loss and surgery and life thereafter, she has great recipes and suggestions.  Today I had her Starbucks Caramello, which is a skinny caramel latte with 2 shots of the new SF mocha.  It was yummy.

Picture....

Pictures from Napa Wine Train on Monday.....We had a great time.

The second one is my favorite one.....

Have a great weekend.

Skinny Santa Challenge Weigh In Week 1

Weigh in week 1 for SSC(Skinny Santa Challenge)

Current weight 207.0 this morning.  That is a small gain from last week, but it was a busy crazy week, and I am digging in and getting the weight off with this challenge.

My favorite places to shop:
Old Navy
Kohls
Macys
Lane Bryant....but I am thinking after this challenge everything I can buy there will be limited.
I know there is a fifth place, but it has slipped my mind.  Oh well maybe with this weight loss I will find a new favorite place to shop.

Good Luck to everyone and let the games begin.

What I have a passion for....

Thanks Ronnie for the thought for the day....My passion is not secret.  I love my job, my family and friends, cooking and traveling.  Wow that is a lot to love.  Traveling is such a great outlet for me and I get to learn new things.  Being a Labor and Delivery nurse has been my love for many years for the obvious reasons.  I like taking care of others and am a pleaser.  Cooking helps me to please the ones I love and make them happy.

Tomorrow I start the Skinny Santa Challenge and I can't wait......I so needed this motivation to get back into losing the weight.

Have a great night.

Meet Me on Mondays

I have been reading Robyn's blog again and really like the Meet Me on Mondays and this is what she wrote.....






Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet Idon't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other! 

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Questions:

1. Are you excited for the holidays or are you dreading them?
2. Do you hit the snooze button or get right up?
3. Do you still have your tonsils? 
4. What was the last piece of candy that you ate?
5. Do you shop at thrift stores?

Here are my answers....

1. Are you excited for the holidays or are you dreading them?

I have always LOVED the fall and winter holidays.  Sometimes my christmas joy is not always there due to one thing or another, this year's Joy will be pinched by my impending divorce.  I know the drama I will experience will be less than what most go through, but I do know this is the right thing and this to shall pass.  This christmas I will I will focus on staying healthy and keeping my friends and family as happy as I can manage.

 2. Do you hit the snooze button or get right up?

When I was in high school I hit the snooze as much as possible, but now I get right up.

3. Do you still have your tonsils? 

Yes I do.

4. What was the last piece of candy that you ate?

M&M peanut and I love them.

5. Do you shop at thrift stores?

I have not, but reading about the good things my blog friends have found I start looking.

I went on the Wine Train Tour in Napa today and it was beautiful and just a great time and awesome pictures, which I will post when I get them from my friend.

Enjoy.....

Skinny Santa Challenge

Ok so this is not my fourth post for Sunday as it is really after midnight.....

I was catching up on my Sunday blog reading when I ran across Robyn's blog and this is what she wrote....

Stace over at Ready To Realize is planning a Skinny Santa Challenge.  Here is what she has to say:

I know we have lots of things going on.... Secret Santa's, secret bandits, work stuff, family stuff, but hear me out and  see what you think.
Here is how it would go down:

- We would start the competition this Friday.
- You would post your Skinny Santa Weigh In. Include your goal too for good measure!
- Every Friday until Dec 23rd (6 weeks to lose weight) you would post and email me your Current Weight and
- On December 23rd everyone would email me their starting weight and ending weight and I will calculate % loss
- Whoever has the best change % loss will win!

And what will the winner get? 

Everyone who participates will send the winner a $10 gift card to the winner's fav place(s) to shop. Week 1, everyone will include 5 places they love to shop on their post, and then we will have the winner write a winner's post reminding us what places they love to shop!

If we can get 10 people to participate, we will do this....so email me at eatpinkcupcakes@hotmail.com or leave a comment.

I could certainly go for $100 worth of gift cards!!!! Anyone else???

So what do you think?  I love the idea and it will be my first challenge, so I am very excited.  Jump in and join.  Thanks Robyn!

One more today....

I guess I have more to say than I thought....just one more post.

I just found (thanks to Andrea) A fat wife's journey ( sorry I don't know how to do the link thing) and she is the one behind the Secret Bandit.  She is now doing a Secret Santa.  What a great idea.  Head on over to her blog and get in on it and check out her blog which is great.

Also I am feting up to my weight for my weigh in Sunday.

I am 205 today down from 280 at my beginning weight.  A size 16 and XL scrubs.

New picture....

With my best friend Nutty, in Fort Worth for Halloween!

Skinny Peppermint Mocha.....

Let me just start by saying yum.  I have not been a big mocha fan in the past as it doesn't taste like coffee at all but more like hot chocolate, wish I like, just not when I am looking for coffee.  I went into my local SB earlier this week and to my surprise there in my face was a new skinny drink.  I bought one and yum. The sugar free syrup is good and I really can't taste the SF part.  What a great treat.  I posted on Facebook that I had found this and I know SB around the country had a good day on their Skinny Peppermint Mochas.  lol.

Also I love the holidays and the christmas cups that are out now at SB just put me right in the mood.

HELP....

Can someone tell me about the Secret Bandit thing and when maybe or if I would be able to participate?  If not I suppose my time away from blogland was worse than I thought.

I am struggling to get back to my groove of the gym and eating right.  I am getting my 60-80 grams of protein a day and my water too, just not always the right calorie.  I know this will pass and I will be back on the wagon soon.

Have a great week.

My visit

My visit to Dallas this week sure has been a good one all for except my eating and hitting the gym, or the lack there of.....I thought I would have a better handle on the holidays, but it seems this dry run of a major holiday with Halloween has failed horribly.  What is my deal?  Ummmm oh yeah I know....no control.  Ok so I need to work on that and get back to my routine and keep a firm hold on my control when I come back to visit for Thanksgiving.  I am not discouraged, cause I know I can do this.

Gain of 3 pounds this week.  Work Work Work

B12 Sundays

As the title says....Sundays are my day to take my B12 shots.  Keeping myself on a schedule with vitamins, supplement, and meds all together ensures that I will remember to take them.  I have recently realized that my multivitamin didn't have iron in them.  Once I started researching iron supplementation I saw that no multivitamin had iron except prenatal vitamins.  I bought a small iron supplement and added it to my regimen.  Wow I sure noticed the addition as in my stool becoming discolored among other things.  I know only take the iron every other week.

These are the newest thing that I have seen and I will try soon with a $3 off coupon from last Sunday's paper.  

I guess I should add that I am not currently anemic, but as we all know things can and do change fast....

Til next time.

Halloween Costume

In the past years Halloween was not my favorite holiday simply due to not wanting to deal with having to find a costume that fits right.  This year all that has changed.  I actually got excited to go shopping for a costume.  So without further delay........PICTURES

My best friend Nuttygirl

I love this costume.

Once again the Lap Band has changed my life and I can't wait to see what is next!

Halloween Cupcakes

Last night I went to a neighbor's Halloween party and made Skinnytaste's mummy cupcakes, and some I put the low calorie pumpkin cream cheese icing and everyone loved them.  I have a friend that had the lap band and one that is a bypass patient, and another that is on WW.  All were at the party last night and so I needed some low cal snacks.  I made Eggface's pesto yogurt dip for some Special K baked chips.  All turned out very good.  Thanks Skinnytaste and Eggface.

Such A Long Time.....

I know I know....no excuse for not seeing about my blog family.  I am still working in northern Cali near Napa and San Fran and loads of hours.  On Sept 26th I started back to school to finish my BSN.  This was not an easy decision, but the right one for me.  I should finish this time next year.

My weight loss has slowed.  So I changed my diet and on I go.  I am four pounds from "Onederland" and I can't wait.  I am 203 and a size 16 that's in Levi's and Old Navy brands, and am now in a 40d bra.  Momma is a happy girl.  I just love watching my body melt away and have it fit into smaller sizes.  I have had the continued enjoyment of my NSVs.  The being able to bend at the waist without having a belly in the way, fitting into smaller clothes, crossing my legs like I was always meant to.  Life my friends is good.  My nails at one time were painlessly separating from the nail beds without injury or infection and neither of my doctors knew why.  I am happy to report my nails are doing much better.  My hair I am still losing but I am not bald yet so I am still working on making the hair loss better.

I couldn't be happier.  Things are moving along nicely and my favorite time of the year is coming....fall and Christmas.

I do promise to check in more and to post pictures soon.  Hope all is well with you and I will be catching up on your blogs too.

BTW I am in Dallas til Wed visiting friends.

Go Rangers and have a great weekend.

Me and My sister end of Sept at the beach.....I love it there.

More later......

Six Months.....

and a few weeks ago I had a surgery that saved and changed my life forever.  Everyday I see changes in my body, mind, and spirit.  I love all that I see ( yes even the saggy skin for one day I know it will be gone)!  I see those changes not only in myself, but in the faces and smiles of my family and friends.  I haven't pet up with the goal I have set for myself but I am not disappointed (even tho I thought I would be).  I am encouraged day by what I see hear and feel, and I can't wait to see more.

Oh no I haven't forgotten to mention my new family and friends here in blogland.....I have learned so much from you all.  Things I would have never of found on my own.    Your encouragement has and never will go unnoticed. To all of you........ THANK YOU so much!

To date I am 214.0 pounds, down from 280.  No measurements were taken...sorry.  Pictures soon.

Yes I am still alive....

I am here...I am here.  Wow what a busy month.  I do hope everyone had fun in Chicago at BOOBS and hate that I couldn't go.  I am back in Cali working and it seems I will be here til Dec 17th with trips home and to Dallas.

Sunday is weigh in day and I am at 214 which just means I have yo-yoing on my weight.  I am not discouraged.  I am still having issues getting into the gym, but have decided that this is important to further my weight loss.

I have started my first class in my journey to get my BSN and let me just say school isn't like it use to be.

On one of my trips home I stopped in to see my surgeon and he drew blood and it seems all of my labs are normal including the labs that show I have been getting enough protein, and my thyroid is fine.  I saw my NP while I was home in FL as well and she felt like 1000 calories a day are not enough, but my weight loss slows when I go above 1000 calories a day so for now I will try and add back some of the good fats like olive oil and avocados.  My hair loss continues in the same pattern, but I am not so worried any more.  My nails are no long separating painlessly from the nail beds which is a big relief.

Goals....

Work hard at getting school work finished on time.
The gym at least 3 times a week.
Stay with in my 1000 cals a day.
Get 60-80mg of protein a day.
Drop to a size 16 by Thanksgiving.
Remember to take my vit B12 every week.

Home Sweet Home, and weekly weigh in

Ahhhhh so good to be home in FL and on the beach.  I am home for a week and a half before I have to fly back to Nor Cal for work and I am gonna soak it all in.

So I had a fill On Friday and I am the one with the surgeon that wont tell me how much is in my band, so I decided to be a little sneaky and look.  He announced this time that he put in .5cc and it looked to be a total of under 3cc.  I am not concerned he knows what he is doing and it has been working so for, which brings me to weekly weigh in......I am 216 down two pounds this week.  I am still failing to return to the gym but this week I will be up and down the beach with friends and family and when I return to Cali I will get back to my routine.

Oh Wow....

Talk about being distracted.  I didn't even tell you that I made it to Dallas with no issues other than a bad headache and being sore all over today from it, nor did I tell you that I had a fill today.

My surgeon is awesome.  He fit me in today between two surgeries just so I could get a fill.  The fill went just fine and I did show him how three of my fingernails are separating away from the nail bed and I got a "oh wow" from him.  He agrees that we should do some blood work and that was done today.  No results til probably Tuesday.

Tomorrow I drive to Oklahoma City to see friends and to take one home with me to FL and the beach.  Sunday will be spent driving to FL which is a 15 hour drive....what fun that will be.

Well I am off to bed so that we can get up early to hit the farmers market here in Dallas before I head to OKC.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Yes more pictures....

Well just two.....

This was taken Feb 27 of this year, one month before my surgery.

BEFORE

AFTER

This was taken tonight,  five months and 63 pounds later......what a difference.

How do you know you need a fill?

When you can eat an entire CA roll and most of a spider roll, edamame, and grilled chicken....thats when. I haven't had sushi since before my surgery and have been holding off trying it due to the fact that I love it so much, I didn't want to see that I couldn't eat it.  Well tonight I did it.....and damn was it gooooood.  Oh and BTW, I neeeeed a fill.  lol.....good thing I have an appointment on Friday in Dallas.

Tomorrow is my last day of this contract and will fly to Dallas on Thursday.  Sat early I will drive to OKC to see friends and pick up my girlfriend and then on Sunday head for FL and the beach.....so can't wait.

Weekly Weigh in.....

So I am down 2 pounds this week which totals 62 pounds.....YAY!

You Asked For It.....

So here they are.......PICTURES.

These were taken while trying on clothes as you can see.  Today was the first time that I felt as skinny as the scale says....I know you all have felt this way and I know I am in good company.  I bought the first two tops and the skirt in the first one.....

ENJOY.

Another long day and no gym

I again worked late today and was unable to hit the gym, but on the bright side I am down 2 lbs for the week already.  Lets hope that keeps up.

We all know how we love pictures well I realized on Monday that I hadn't posted any of my recent pictures on Facebook so I posted a few from HI (the ones to the right on this blog) and wow the response was awesome......I have some of the best friends family and supporters any one person should be allowed.  I mean someone somewhere has to be missing great family and friends as I have mine and their share....I am very lucky!!!!

No gym today

So no gym today as I worked late again....I just can't bring myself to stay up later and go to the gym after working 16 hours, however that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty about it.  I am down another pound today and I will take that.

I do hope tomorrow is a better day for the gym.....however overtime is awesome.

New computer, weekly weigh in.....and so forth

I just bought a Macbook Pro and well it is pissing me off a bit but I think in time I will love it.

Weekly weigh in.......

I have lost 60 lbs and I can claim it.  I am now 220lbs.....

NSV

I went to Old Navy and thought I would give their size 20s a try as I am in LB's 18 and they didn't fit....how shocked was I.  What a good thing it was that I took a size 18 in with me cause baby they fit.  I think the sale lady was on the brink of calling security.  lol  I can't believe it!!!

Now for confessions

I haven't been to the gym in over a week and I have no excuse for it.  I have eaten in a manner that is unbecoming a good bander and I have spent way to much money this week.  I am 15lbs on my goals that I set for myself of ten lbs a month and I am ashamed, but in a good way.  Just better motivation.

Goals

Gym every night this week even if just for 30 mins.

Going to a full liquid diet to jumpstart things and get off the carbs.

No shopping at all this week.

I hope everyone has a great week.

I Can't Claim it Yet......

Well I did my weigh in on Sunday as usual and was down 60lbs on the scale since surgery....yay....I just love those numbers with zeros behind them.  But something told me that I wouldn't be able to "claim it" so I didn't and here I am with a gain of one pound on Monday and still today.  I know it will go, but man does a stall suck.  The gym is a stranger to me this past week, I do hope to change that soon.

Last week at my appointment my surgeon still didn't want to tell me how much was in my band so I asked if he would just tell me if the fill was less than 5cc, he looked in my chart and said yes less than 5ccs and I had plenty of room.  He is a bit strange, but I do like him.

One of the girls I work with here in Cali had the gastric sleeve today.  For the last two weeks she has been picking my brain and asking questions and I have been answering and giving the tips I have learned and I have also sent her to my blog and to look at other blogs that I follow as I wanted her to know what kind of support I have.  I do wish her all the best and cant wait to see her next week.  Good Luck Brookie....

I went shopping today and nothing I mean nothing fit.  I know things will fit, but ugh I hate leaving Ross empty handed.

"Doing Great"

Those were my surgeon's words yesterday at my appointment.  He loved the numbers and not just my weight, but my BMI and body fat %.  We chatted about my eating, hunger(or lack thereof), food choices, protein intake, exercise, my "strange" vomiting episode, and the fact that my hair is falling out in larger amounts recently.  After all the chatting he and I agreed that a fill right now wasn't needed.  His greatest concern was that he didn't want to get me to tight and me not be able to get my protein in and cause me to lose more hair.  He also suggested I start taking an Omega-3 supplement as he has had one patient(and he made sure I understood that it was only one patient) say that she had good results with adding it to her supplements.  We made an appointment for Sept 9th to do a fill. 

Weekly Weigh In.....

And the numbers are......

Three pounds down this week for a total of 57 pounds total.......I will take it.

Thats all.

BYOC

This weeks BYOC!

BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy – 5 questions you can copy and paste to your own blog if you so desire – in an effort to get to know your fellow bloggers better and to give your blog brain a break!

Enjoy!

1. (Originally from Draz's blog) I have to do some MAJOR cleaning tonight…which is prompting me to ask…what is the absolute worst thing you hate to clean or cleaning chore you hate the most? (vacuuming, dusting, laundry, toilets, floors, etc.)

When I get on my kick I don't mind cleaning most anything, but hate doing windows.

 

2. Brown or Black? Fly or Drive? Hot dog or Burger? Gold or Silver?

• Black and brown, cant ever decide between them.
• Fly every time.
• Burgers mostly, but do love a good hot dog at the ballpark.
• Gold use to be my thing all the way, but now I am a silver girl or white gold or platinum when I can afford it.

3. Repeat question: I’m going to pick a person not knowing your relationship with them or even if a relationships exists – and you then try to describe that person in 5 short sentences/words.

Maternal Grandmother

At some point in their life, my grandmother raised each of her grandchildren.

Was a worry wort.

Was married to my maternal grandfather for only two years and had her only daughter out of 8 kids.

Was married numerous times, but married to each of her children's fathers.

Her sweet spirit left us in Jan of 1995 and I miss her everyday as she was the single most important person in my life.

4. Even if you don’t have kids, how do you feel about kids in multiple sports during their school years? Were you in MULTIPLE sports all during school? Forced or by choice?

Only if the child shows an interest in what they do.  I went to a very small school so yes we all played multiple sports.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.

Hmmm my week well lets just say I survived and am looking forward to a better one next week.

You Gotta Be Bad, You Gotta Be Bold, You Gotta Be.....

I was catching up on blogs and visited JJ's blog from: http://momojj-myjourneytoanewme.blogspot.com/ and saw where she was asking about theme songs and if anyone had one.  That just reminded me that yes I do have a theme song and it has fit for everything that I have dealt with in my life, no matter what.... Having a natural father that was a mean controlling man, the death of my natural mother at age ten, my little brother who is just 11 months younger than me, hit by a car and changed forever when he was 11, being sent to a children's home to grow up, being any overweight teen, having a very difficult time in nursing school, not being able to get pregnant, a divorce, and now having a life changing surgery.  This song says it all.


Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
Herald what your mother said
Readin' the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my heh, hey
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
This time it's danger staring you in the face
Oh oh oh Remember
Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
My oh my heh, hey, hey
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
What keeps you going?

Well Everyone Else is Doing it.....

so I will too....talk about my upcoming fill appointment that is.....


I have a fill planned for the 18th in Dallas.  I know I want my fill, but not for the usual reasons...I am satisfied with a cup of food for well over four hours, I am sometimes just not interested in food at all(hence the worry that I have lost my foodieness), I do feel good restriction, and I am losing weight.  So what is my reason you ask?  Well it just feels right.  Now if I get there and my surgeon disagrees then I guess no fill for me and that will be fine too.

So I have heard that Coconut water is suppose to be good for you just after a workout due to it having a large amount of potassium in it and since you lose so much during a workout due to sweating, then it is good to replace it.  Well I had some today after my workout and not so yummy.....I mean tolerable but not tasty at all.

or maybe it is just the Naked brand.

A Strange Happening.....

But then again we are talking about me.....strange to the hilt here.



I was on contract in Eureka, CA and one night I woke up with bad stomach pains.  I laid there a little while thinking it would pass, but of course it didn't.  I went to the bathroom thinking if I went I would feel better.  I was wrong as a matter of fact I didn't go and I felt even worse.  I became extremely nauseated, sweaty, and very hot all of a sudden.  Now this is were I should tell you that I would rather rip my own leg off and beat myself with it than vomit, no matter what or how bad I felt.  So I fought vomiting.  In the end nothing worked and I threw up.  I cleaned up and instantly felt better except I was extremely hot and saw that I had no color in my lips or face and felt extremely weak.  I only vomited once but felt weak enough to seem like I had vomited all night.  I then laid down with AC turned up and fan on.  I soon feel asleep and the next morning I felt as if nothing happened the night before.  This has happened maybe once every 3-6 months since then.  Nothing related to food or activity.  This hasn't happened in months and I had actually forgotten about it happening.  Last night I woke up with belly pain and thought maybe just gas, but no it wasn't and just kept hurting.  I soon feel asleep.  At 230am I woke up to the same pain and now nausea and as usual I fought it.  At this point all I could think would be what would this do Gerty?  I became very scared.  I fought as long as I could but in the end my body had to vomit.  Let me just say this is the strange part.  I vomited nothing, absolutely nothing.  I made all the right sounds and did all the right actions and nothing.  What I did get was pain and at that moment I could tell you exactly where Gerty was sitting.  When I was finished I felt better except for soreness where Gerty sat.  I went to bed feeling hot weak and sweaty with no color in my face or lips.  I woke this morning feeling ok until I tried to drink my usual Click shake and I felt a little nauseated but it passed and I have felt better since. 

Not sure why my body does that, but I sure hope it doesn't happen very often, that is scary with a band.

Weigh In

Today's weight is 226.  Down 2lbs this week.

Haven't done that well this week with the gym, but I am a work in progress.....aren't we all?

Tonight's gym included 30 mins on elliptical, 25 min of couch to 5k, and worked arms and legs on weight machine with a total of 3 miles and 750 calories.....yay!  "I feel good.....uuuuh"  James Brown or something like what he said.

Have a great week.....

No motivation

I have had no motivation this week.  I have done good with my food this week and have lost weight, but no gym time.  I am gonna fix that and go the rest of the week...........

Hope everyone has had a great week and have a good weekend planned.

Sam posted this survey on her blog and I thought it was a fun idea!  I love getting to know people better.

1. What is your occupation right now ?
I am a travel nurse in Labor and Delivery

2.What color are your socks right now? 
No socks.  Just when I go to the gym.

3. What are you listening to right now? 
Watching TV right now but love 80s, 90s, and today.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? 
I am eating tilapia made with cherry heirloom tomatoes that I found at the farmers market today with a splash of white wine and topped with basil.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? 

I know how to but am not graceful at it so therefore I don't.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? 
My dear friend from OKC, Nuttygirl.  I miss her so.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? 
Yes!

8. How old are you today? 
 36

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? 
I love collage football, the Florida Gators of course.

10. What is your favorite drink? 
It used to be diet Pepsi, but now I am on water and tea.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? 
Not as often as I should.  As a matter of fact I need to right now.  My hair has been blonde and red and is right now light red, oh and gray.

12. Favorite food? 
Mexican and Italian

13. What is the last movie you watched? 
Harry Potter

14. Favorite day of the year? 
Any day that my scale says that I have lost weight!

15. How do you vent anger? 
Lol I usually talk to myself or a few choice friends.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? 
I had a doll that I remember most.

17. What is your favorite season? 
Fall

18. Cherries or Blueberries? 
Blueberries in baked goods and pancakes, but cherries when they are in season which they are now and are awesome.

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? 
oh yes

20. Where is you favorite place to escape?

The beach or any place where there is no one that wants to talk to me.

21. Favorite Tv Show?
Law and Order(all of them), Greys, the USA and TNT shows, and Dexter.

22. Living arrangements? 
Currently I am in a hotel for my contract.

23. When was the last time you cried? 
It has been a long time and I really want to keep it that way.

24. What is on the floor of your closet? 
My shoes.

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
My friend Theresa since high school.

26. What did you do last night? 
Laid in bed sore from the day.

27. What are you most afraid of? 
Losing myself.....

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? 
Cheese, spice, and bacon

29. Favorite dog breed? 
I love doggies, but I would have to say golden retrievers, although I don't own any animals.

30. Favorite day of the week? 
Again any day that the scales say I have lost weight.

31. How many states have you lived in? 
Well due to my job I have "lived" in many, but ones I have actually had DL in, FL,KY, and OH.

32. Diamonds or pearls? 
Diamonds but love Pearls too.

33. What is your favorite flower? 
Hydrasngeas right now.

Weigh in, Farmers Market, and Possible Dinner

Weigh in.....

OK so I cant seem to get a good picture of the scale so my say so will have to do.  The scale said 228 today which is a 2 pound loss for the month of July over all.  But a loss of five pounds for this week as I gained 3 pounds the first three weeks of July.  So now you see where I am at which is back on track and I am excited about that.

Farmers Market

I went and found some many great veggies, spices, flowers and they even were selling raw beef, chicken, and goat.....crazy.  I do have to say the north west does have the best farmers markets.  I cant wait to be able to go into San Fran for that one....so big and crazy.  At this one I went to today they had bread, and bread and bread....all fresh and smelled great.  No worries I did refrain from buying or even tasting.  This next picture is of the purple that grows from the artichoke plant.  So pretty.

Now for dinner I am gonna brown some tilapia and then add some cherry tomatoes that I bought today, some white wine, and then to top it some fresh basil I bought Friday at yet another farmers market in front of the hospital I am working at right now.....very cool.

Sore seat....

It seems that when I lose 30 lbs or so I lose it in my rear.  Sitting in a movie theater, driving for more than an hour, siting on the couch watching tv, sitting in a restaurant having dinner or breakfast, or sitting in the bed of my hotel room writing this blog and my tailbone gets sore and I am constantly changing position to get comfortable and sometimes the comfort doesn't come.  I will take it......just another NSV that is a little painful, but still means the same as any other NSV, I have lost weight and this is just another reward.  I know I am strange and maybe even sick....lol.  I will take it.

Ok so now on to more fun things..........

The Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA

Wow that's a lot of garlic.  Nice weather, good food, great sangria, and good exercise.  This is no small event either.  So many people, food, vender's, and of course garlic.  What I didn't have a lot of was water and not near as much food as I once would have had.  This brings me to my next topic....Have I lost my foodieness.....I know that prolly isn't a word but some of you know what I am meaning.  I wanted to taste many things, but I didn't want to stand in line to get a whole order of something that I knew I, one couldn't finish and two I didn't want to finish.  I can remember a time when neither of those reasons would have kept me from tasting something.  I know that these are good signs for my weight loss, but what about for my foodiesness.  Am I losing my love of food, and love of good food?  Or was I just tired and a little dehydrated, and really trying to keep a handle on what I am eating?  Ideas anyone?

This was cool...they were cooking calamari

Four Months.......

and one week ago I had the day that changed my life....for the better.  I had my new best friend placed inside me to help me straighten out my life and live again.  March 31, 2011 I had lap band surgery.  Gerty was placed and then after some tests I went home.  I haven't regretted a second of it.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Ok numbers
Start weight 280
Start clear liquid diet 3-21
Surgery date 3-31 weight is 265
4-20 weight 255
5-12 wt 245
6-22 wt 234
7-28 wt 228



So those numbers mean I hit the big 50lbs down and man I am happy about that. 


This is the charm from James Avery that I bought at my 3 month bandiversry and 50lb loss which is halfway to my main long term goal.

Lately I have been ask about my surgery and should they get surgery.  Well I of course never tell anyone that they should or shouldn't have surgery, but I do share with them why I chose surgery and what I have experienced since surgery.  I let them know that making this choice takes lots of research and big life changes and not just a diet. 



New Product......
Trader Joes Chicken Meatballs.  Yum

Ideas......

So many ideas for blog posts running through my mind.  I will catch them all and write on each of them I promise.

Well the weight loss continues and I am loving it.  I am keeping the carbs down and protein up.  Water and vitamins are in everyday too.  Missed the gym yesterday and Monday, but those are the only days this week.

More tomorrow.....

First Day....

First day at my new contract....not a bad day except for the fact that I forgot my protein powder today and all I had was a lean cuisine that turned out nasty.  Yuck.  I started downing the water and did ok.  I got home and had some chicken and fresh cherries....yum. 

I am down another pound of my vacation weight and am hoping to have lost the rest by the end of this week so I can get on with real weight loss.

Nothing more to report for now...night all.

New Blogger Alert.....

Go over and say hi to Bel at http://thefitmother.blogspot.com/
Show her some love and your encouragements.

What Did I Do Today

Well for starters I had nothing to eat except clear liquids.  Then I was really not wanting to go to the gym today, but since I had not had anything to eat but liquids to jump start some weight loss I thought maybe I should go.  So I did.  Thirty mins on the elliptical at a resistance of 8 the entire time and burned 100 cals every 10 mins, this is a new high for me.  Then I worked arms and legs with weight machines.  I then went to treadmill and for 30 mins I trained with the couch to 5K app on my phone.  Another 100 cals.  I finished in the wet sauna for 20 mins..... my new favorite thing.  I went to the wet bar and had a protein shake that has 230 cal and 30g protein and a big big water.
After the gym I hit Target and bought frozen individually wrapped tilapia filet's and boneless skinless chicken tenders.  I came home and baked up fish and chicken for dinner and lunch tomorrow.

Wow what a full day...lol.  Here's to my jump start.

What the.....

Ok so I have joined a gym out here in northern Cali and am noticing about 50% of the folks out here working out in hoodies, sweat shirts, jogging pants, long sleeve shirts and so forth.  Some even where hats or the hood of the hoodie while working out.  As if I don't sweat enough these folks are wearing winter gear.  Now I know that the temps are a bit cooler here, but not that much cooler.  I also know that if you sweat more the work out is better, come on give me a break....can someone else give some incite as to why a person wear winter gear would be in the gym working out in it?

My work out today was great.  I really enjoyed the wet sauna....my new favorite thing.