the weird in-between phase...

Well, I have officially hit that point where I'm between plus sizes and regular sizes and...it's weird.  I went to the mall last week (gasp!) to pick up a birthday gift for Kelsey (who is 20 today...choke...gasp...cough) and I decided to roll the dice and try on some jeans in the misses department.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I was ready for disappointment and just decided to go ahead and give it a shot.  Lo and behold, I didn't even need the largest misses size, which shocked me no small amount (however, I must point out here that Spandex being in jeans fabric has probably played a  large role).  In my happiness, I bought jeans I don't really need, but hey, they are like 5 dress sizes smaller than before WLS and so I had to redefine "need".  Then today I went to Dress Barn and tried on some dresses (regular misses sizes) and though I didn't buy anything, I did discover that I don't really need to go to the store way out in Jenks anymore (the only one that carries plus sizes) and so that was another small victory.  Some of the stuff was a little tight, but it will probably fit comfortably within a month or two.

And speaking of that...weight loss total hit 90 pounds today, just 10 more to go until the century mark.  I still couldn't be happier with the entire process and I feel very fortunate that I am doing so well.  Even my 6-month labs came back with a great report, which thrilled me.  I am not anemic, which tends to be a big problem with gastric bypass patients, so that's good.  My labs are all on the low side, but none of them are abnormal or anything to raise a red flag, so I'm happy about that.  One strange side effect I am noticing is that I think I am finally turning into my father.  Those of you who know him understand that he is part lizard and believes 100 degrees with 80% humidity is perfect weather and should be the goal of every day of the year.  I won't go that far, but I am beginning to love the sunshine and I enjoy sitting outside, just soaking it up.  Of course, one must bear in mind that John likes our house thermostat to be at 67 year round, so that probably has something to do with it.  But I do have trouble staying warm more and more now, and when I'm inside, I'm usually in long pants, a t-shirt, sweatshirt or jacket, and super-thick, furry socks.  Or I just have a cat on me.  Both work great, but I do worry about what will happen when winter hits again.  I may have to start wearing a parka, or maybe 2 or 3 cats at a time.

~k

post-Vegas post :)

Just got home in the wee hours on Sunday morning from our trip to Vegas and happy to say it was a great time.  Las Vegas is not one of those places that I would choose to go normally, but it was basically a free trip so there you go.  It is still the freakshow that I remember, and I am convinced that there is no need to waste money on tickets to any show in Vegas because you can simply sit on the side of the strip and watch the people go by for free.  It's way more entertaining than anything I've ever seen, and you can gather freakshow material for nigh on eternity there.  My thoughts on the entire city can be summed up thus:  What happens in Vegas (or visits or lives there or whatever) should stay in Vegas and never, ever leave.  Please.

As of yesterday morning (missed the last Monday weigh-in because I forgot, if you can believe it!) I am down another few pounds for a total of 88.  But the best part is that I am officially in Onederland now and just happy the scale readout begins with a 1 instead of a 2. 

~k

bittersweet days....

I guess John and I are about to be empty-nesters with the graduation of our younger child (note that I didn't say "youngest" because that's one of my biggest pet peeves...if you only have 2 of something, you cannot ever, under any circumstances, use any adjective in the superlative form such as youngest, oldest, shortest, tallest, etc...you can only have a younger, older, taller, shorter, whatever-er...you must have 3 or more of something to use the superlative...if you've only got 2, it's comparative!!!  Okay, rant over for now.)  What seems most bittersweet about all this is that I can specifically remember those days when Kelsey was 4 and Spencer was 2 and I was home 24/7 with them (while also working from home in a field where one needs quiet) and thinking that those days were lasting forever and John would never get home and I would kill both children and end up doing 50 to life or getting the chair.  It won't come as any surprise to anyone who knows our kids, but...they are both a bit strong willed and extremely bright.  Let me tell you, raising those kinds of kids is the hardest job I've ever had to do.  It's exhausting, heart-breaking at times, frustrating most of the time...and also the greatest experience of my life.  To sit here today and realize that those days really did fly by and both children survived (as did I, in a manner of speaking), well, it's just amazing.  I won't consider our parenting a success yet, as the future is never completely certain, but I am hopeful that we gave them at least most of the tools they will need to make a good life for themselves, and that's all I really want as a parent anyway:  Kids that have the kind of life where they find happiness in whatever form that takes.  

So today I'm down only one more pound, putting the total at 83 so far.  But I'll take it and I'm happy with that.  It's funny to me that people look at me like I'm insane when I tell them I have about 40 pounds to go.  I think those people forget just how fat I became and where I started.  I'm not even trying to get back to high school weight, and I was never thin or even ideal weight at that age!  In fact, the weight I am shooting for is pretty liberal and will put my BMI in the "overweight" category instead of the "ideal" category.  But it's a weight I am fairly certain I can maintain and be happy with, as I don't feel the need to be thin any longer and for that I am thankful.  

So here we are with Spencer on the night of his commencement, May 13, 2011.  He'll be off to OSU in a couple of months and I am thrilled for him.  I think he will love college like I did and I couldn't be happier that he's attending my Alma Mater.  

I also made a collage containing both Kelsey's graduation and Spencer's.  It is also something of a weight-loss collage for me and helps me put into perspective exactly how far I've come since 2009.  

~k

Loving the sunshine for the first time in a long while...

I think most people who know me well understand that I really do love cold, rainy days.  I have always loved the rain, and most especially the kind that comes with a nice thunderstorm.  I doubt that will ever change, but now I seem to be loving the sunshine much more than I have before.  I remember loving summer in high school, when we would spend nearly every day at Big Splash, soaking up the sun for hours.  It's been decades since I enjoyed sunshine, but I think it's coming back to me now.  You will still find me indoors where there's air conditioning when summer hits around here because anything above 90 is just obscene to me.  But right now, when the days are in the 80s, I am liking being outside and I even bought a lounge chair so that I can sit in the sunshine for a little while and soak it up.  (I hope my Mom has smelling salts at her house because I know she just fainted when she read that last line...).  I will never be the sun worshipper that my parents are, but I am at least getting back outside now instead of hiding indoors all the time.  I guess it's another one of those little things that has happened that I never expected on this weight-loss journey.  Just goes to show that it's about so much more than pounds and inches.  It's about life and remembering how to live it.

But since this blog is about my WLS journey...my weight loss total now stands at 82 pounds as of May 9, 2011.  As much as it pains me to admit my weight, I have to say that I am really looking forward to being in the 100s soon.  I cannot remember the last time I was in Onderland (as it is universally called by weight-loss and diet sites) and I am hoping to make it there before we leave for Las Vegas at the end of this month.  It will be the biggest milestone for me thus far (although I do realize it is just another little goal among many) and I am excited to think it's just 5 pounds away.  

~k

6 months out :)

I don't know how it's possible, but it appears to be approximately 6 months after my surgery already!  Short update as my mind is otherwise occupied at the moment, but as of May 2, I've lost 80.5 pounds and about 3-4 dress sizes.  I'm feeling great and doing much better about getting all my vitamins in nowadays, though I've still gotta go for my six-month labs and so I won't know the real verdict until then.  But I'm hoping for good news :)

Pic update, taken today, 5/4/11...

~k

Happy Easter!

So it's been a few weeks since I blogged and I thought I'd check in.  Things are still going well and I feel great, still eating pretty much anything that sounds good.  I guess I am going to be one of those people who does not get "dumping syndrome" which is both a good and a bad thing.  Dumping syndrome is what happens to bariatric patients who consume too much carbohydrate or sugar at one sitting.  It usually means becoming sweaty, nauseated, and just generally feeling like you want to die.  Or at least this is what I've read and heard from many people.  But apparently I am among the few who will not experience this, and it's kinda funny because that's part of the reason I went with gastric bypass instead of the lap band, sleeve gastrectomy or duodenal switch procedures.  I wanted the dumping syndrome to be a threat of sorts; a kind of deterrent to eating the wrong stuff if I should ever be tempted.  But I can eat candy and sweets when the spirit moves me and I don't seem to suffer any ill effects whatsoever.

Since last Monday (4/18) I have lost just one more pound, bringing my total to 78 since surgery.  I am enjoying clothes and clothes shopping again, and I am happy to say that the table stacked with clothing is now gone from our room.  Woot!  I also got rid of at least 50 t-shirts and probably half that many pairs of pants and shorts that no longer fit, so the room and closet are getting better, little by little.

Most recent pic from 4/21/11...

Wishing everyone a wonderful week :)


~k

Monday again?? Time flies...

It seems like I was just posting here yesterday, but I guess it's been a whole week again and I don't know where it went.  In fact, I'm not sure what happened to the last 18 years, since my baby will be graduating in a matter of weeks and had his senior pictures taken a few days ago.  It fairly boggles my mind.  Next weekend we will be celebrating his 18th birthday and he is going skydiving, as it's something he's been begging us to let him do forever.  I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to go watch.  I'm not really sure my heart can take that kind of excitement and I'm sure I would come home completely gray-headed.  

Today the scale says another 2.5 are gone, which means I have lost 73 pounds and now have less than 50 to go.  (pic to follow shortly)  But it's Monday, so that means I am in the middle of several errands and this post will be short and sweet.  There is also the matter of Suki bringing me her mouse so that I can throw it over and over again and this short and sweet post has taken me much longer than it should have.  I am off to throw the mouse on my way out the door.  If anyone wants to come over here and throw a mouse for hours on end, I am happy to entertain any and all applications.  It's a full time job.  Oh, and it doesn't pay, either.

~k