This is a quick entry because I don’t have much time.  I weighted in at 205.  That’s one pound down.  Every lost pound counts!  Last year at this time, I was probably gaining weight!  Anyway, I’d love to lose six pounds and be in Onderland by the end of the year.  We’ll see what happens.  I’ll get there eventually, so I’m not going to stress out about it.  That’s all for today. 

303/205/135

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We all have much to be thankful for – our life, our family, our great country, each other… So, take some time and just thank our wonderful Creator for all the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

I weighed in at 206 today.  I was 205 yesterday, but I wasn’t wearing sneakers when I weighed yesterday, so that might account for the one-pound difference.  Anyway, I’m just thrilled to still be losing.  I always expect to be on a plateau and I’m always surprised to step on the scale and see it moving down.  God is so good!

I did a dumb thing yesterday.  I haven’t had pretzels since surgery and I while I was in class last night, I ate some.  I didn’t think it would be bad since it was only a few and since they were fat free.  Boy did I pay for it later.  I had a horrible stomachache all evening.  My stomach is STILL upset this morning.  No starchy stuff today.  None.  I’m having ½ a protein bar and 4 ounces of carb control yogurt for breakfast, 3 or 4 ounces of vegetarian chili for lunch and a salad with some salmon for dinner.  If I feel hungry and need a small snack, I’ll have an ounce of cheese.   No crackers, no melba toast, no triscuits - at least not today. I am allowed whole grains in moderation. ;)

Exercise is still going strong.  It is such an important part of my life right now.  I shudder to think what I would look like if I weren’t working out and toning up so much.  I can feel muscles in my legs, thighs, and buttocks, and I can see nice muscle tone in my arms and shoulders.  Once I get to goal and have some of my excess skin chopped off, I’ll really be able to appreciate the muscle tone.

I was doing some cleaning around the house the other day and it hit me like a ton of bricks how fast I was able to work and how much I was able to get done so quickly.  Last year at this time, it took me 90 minutes or more to clean my living room, bedroom and bathroom.  I was lumbering around so slowly, it was a struggle to get up and down the stairs and getting on my hands and knees to dust under things was quite an ordeal.  This weekend, I dusted and vacuumed my living room, the stairway, the second floor hall, my bedroom and I wiped down everything in the bathroom and I was done in about 45 minutes.  I never got out of breath, carrying the vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs was a non-issue, and getting on my hands and knees to dust under the coffee table and end tables was second nature.  What a fabulous blessing!  In addition, I went out on Sunday after church to do some Christmas and grocery shopping.  I was out for about four hours and I went to four or five different stores and when I got home I still had a ton of energy.  My back wasn’t hurting like it used to hurt and my feet weren’t hurting like they did before I lost the weight.  In fact, I got home put the groceries away, wrapped the gifts I bought then went for a three-mile power walk and did upper-body weight lifting after that. 

I guess this is my “official” six-month post.  God has blessed me beyond description!  Ninety-seven pounds down, four clothing sizes down, two shoe sizes down.  It blows my mind to think how far He has brought me and how much He has blessed my health.  I will not squander this blessing.  For me to goof off and overeat and stop exercising and not take my vitamins and do all the wrong things would be like ripping up the blessings God has given me and throwing them back in His face.  I owe it to Him as well as to myself to work this wonderful tool.  And I mean WORK it! 

Speaking of work, I’d better get back to it.  I hope anyone reading this has a wonderful Thanksgiving.  God bless you and your family.  As always, don’t forget that Jesus loves you and wants to be your savior today!

303/206/135

I was off of work last week, which is why I didn’t post.  But I’m back so here goes… 

I’m down to 209!  That’s five pounds in the past two weeks!  Not too shabby.  Actually, it’s pretty dang good!  Everything is going well.  I have to be honest and say that I have been snacking more often and that is not a good thing.  I try to make more healthful choices in my snacking, such as “low fat” tortilla chips rather than regular ones, but I feel like I am beginning to snack far too often.  I think we should all have an occasional treat, but I do not think that having chips everyday is a good thing.  A couple of times per week, yes, but everyday, no.  To try to get control of my head hunger, I have begun chewing sugar free gum and drinking more hot herbal tea (orange tea is de-lish!).  These are non-caloric ways to give my mouth something to do.  Also, I bought some of those “Heavenly Delight” meringue cookies – sugar free, fat free, 4 calories each, pretty tasty, and they go very well with tea.

Exercise is still going strong.  I worked out seven days straight last week – no breaks, and I plan on doing the same thing this week.  Speaking of strong, I feel so much stronger since I have been weight training.  The other night, I was carrying a very heavy load of laundry from my basement laundry room to my second-floor bedroom.  When I went to pick up the clothes, I thought to myself that it would be too heavy to carry, but I when picked them up with no problem, I could feel that I had much more strength in my arms.  Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, I’m so happy with being down 94 pounds.  My six-month anniversary is on Thanksgiving Day.  That is very appropriate because God has blessed me beyond belief and I will thank Him forever for blessing me to have this surgery.  

Until next time…