Weighing every day is good and bad. Our weight changes from day to day and water in the body can cause changes from hour to hour sometimes. I do weigh every day because I want to know what is going on. But for the past 2 days I was in the 230s - Monday it was 239.6 and yesterday it was 239.3 but today - my official weigh in day - the day that counts - it was at 240. AAARRRGGG!!! That is frustrating. But I have to count it at 240 or I am not being honest. The good news is that I hit my minimum loss target for January - I lost 7 pounds this month. The bummer is not exceeding it. But I still have 116 Pounds GONE FOREVER!!! And remembering that keeps my eye on the prize.

So, what happened this week? Well, I had to go swimsuit shopping. I need a new swimsuit for the cruise (leaving tomorrow with Stephanie for the Bahamas! Woot!!) because my old one is too big! Yea!! But with 90 pounds still to go, shopping for a new suit still sucks. When I was 356 pounds I used to be glad that my weight was really evenly distributed because I felt it made wearing clothes easier because even though I had a really huge waist, I still had a waist. Now that I have lost 116 lbs I wish I was more apple shaped because I have seen a lot of before and after pictures here on Obesity Help and the people who I have seen that started out apple shaped and are now at goal have FANTASTIC looking legs and their arms look pretty good too! I have horrible saggy awful thighs and horrible saggy upper arms and don't get me started on the boobs that are still a 38DDD and without a bra hang somewhere around my waist. And I know everything will get smaller as I lose the rest of my weight, but they will all also be even saggier. There is no way around the fact that I will need / want all the plastic / skin removal surgeries: thighs, arms, boobs, and tummy. I do not like pain and even though I am looking forward to the day when I am needing those plastics, I am also dreading it. Ya know? Anyway, Back to the suit. Why can't someone design a one piece suit that has a REAL bra in it for people who are in a 38DDD bra? I have never found one. So, in the end, I hated them all and bought the one I hated the least. Because I will be damned if I am going to let my stupid saggy skin keep me from snorkleing and getting a tan! At lease I got it at Marshalls so it was only $24. Ah, Marshalls - another store I could not shop in before losing weight. If there is a silver lining in the hell that is swimsuit shopping, that is it.

I am really looking forward to the Cruise and spending time with my sister and meeting a bunch of people from Obesity Help. Yesterday I bought a new Underwater Camera made by Sealife. It takes digital underwater photos, so I am ready to snorkel! Woo Hoo!!

Another week, and I continue in the right direction, and I pick up the pace! I lost 3 pounds this week! That is 115 Pounds GONE FOREVER!!! Woo Hoo!! I just can't believe it! My goal is to get to 160 by the end of the year. That is the goal I have set for myself. At 160 I will probably have about 10 - 15 pounds of extra skin on me and I will have a lot of muscle built up too from working out with my personal trainer. Why by the end of the year? Well, for the last 5 years I have been a member of a group called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). Once you reach your goal weight, you become a KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) and you graduate at the yearly Florida SRD (State Recognition Days) where everyone from all over the state of Florida gathers for a weekend conference. TOPS is an international organization and in 2009 IRD (International Recognition Days) is going to be held in Orlando. Anyone who makes KOPS in 2008 will get to graduate at IRD in 2009. How cool will that be? So - to reach 160 by the end of the year I have to lose 7 pounds a month. So far this month I have lost 6 pounds. And there are still 8 days left in the month! I have no doubt I will lose that 1 pounds and probably more before the end of the month! I would love to go 10 pounds a month and that is my stretch goal because it is good to give myself a cushion - especially since the closer I get to 160, the harder it will be to get the weight off. So, that is my plan for 2008. I am sure I will get there!

This past week was great. My sister had her 40th Birthday Bash at an art gallery loft downtown on Saturday night. When Troy and I got there, we saw that it was in the same location that used to be a bar called Janie Lane's Sunset Strip - the bar where Troy and I met 10 years ago! How cool!! And I wore a dress that is a size 16! Yeah!! It has been a while since I have been in a 16. Honestly though, it is a forgiving 16 and it was a little tight - but I was in it and I felt GREAT! We danced and had so much fun. Here is a picture of the dress:



 

And yes, that is a little Christmas tree in the backgrounds. Yes, it was still up on January 19th. But all the decorations came down on the following Monday since I was off work. So no laughing! Besides, the decorations went up 2 weeks late due to the China trip, so I just wanted to enjoy them a little longer.

In other news, last night I started with my personal trainer. His name is Jermain and he does not mess around! We started right in on a serious workout! I am feeling it today! But I am excited. I was so pumped up after the weight training that, after my 20 minutes on the treadmill, I did 15 minutes on the elliptical without stopping. I was stinky sweaty after that!

That is about all for this week. I have upped my water intake every day since last week and it is really helping. I also have gone back to weighing my food and found out that I was under estimating my 3 oz of protein at my meals and that is helping too.
 

ARG!!! One Freaking Pound!! After losing nothing last week, this week I lost one freaking pound. That is so frustrating. I know that the weight loss is said to slow down a bit after the first 6 months, but come on - this is ridiculous! And I am only 7 months out. Bah. Next week has got to be a better week. Still, 110 Pounds GONE FOREVER!! For that I am grateful.

Here are some recent photos from Christmas and China:

















This last photo is the art work that we bought outside the Great Wall that we loved so much. I left it somewhere in JFK. If anyone sees anything similar let me know because I will probably buy it. We are really trying to replace this. I just wish the person who found it at JFK had been HONEST and turned it in instead of keeping it. One day Karma will get them when they least expect it. 

Oh well. The following keeps things in perspective. My friend Missy posted this on  her blog and I just had to steal it. 

What Have You Lost?

Your weight loss =

1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human’s skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11”)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4”)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony

So I have lost more than a 2 month old Horse. Wow. Not bad. 
 

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I would have liked to start out my first weigh in with a nice big loss, but I am not. I stayed the exact same weight I was last week. Ugh. Oh well. I just have to keep on doing everything I am doing and the weight will come off. And still, 109 pounds Gone Forever! Can't beat that!

Dumping. I thought I didn't dump. I have eating a lot of different foods without any problems, so I thought dumping would not be an issue for me. Well, a few days ago I tried some LIGHT mint chocolate chip Haagen-Dazs ice cream and, well, lets just say I would go there again any time soon. Even though I measured out a half cup, I still had a dumping reaction to it. For those who do not know, dumping is not when food gets stuck and makes you throw up, it is not when you eat too fast and get the foamies either. It is when you eat too much sugar or fat at one time and it dumps into the intestines too quickly. For me this caused rapid heart rate and made me feel very nauseous. As soon as I felt it happening, I looked at Troy and said "Oh wow, I am having my first dumping experience right now." and he had a little freak out until I explained that it would not hurt me and that it would hopefully not last long. I told him I had read all about it and not to worry. The nausea did make me throw up and I felt suddenly tired and had to lie down for 1/2 hour until the feeling passed. I have found out since that ice cream, even light ice cream, can cause dumping in people that don't dump on solid foods that contain sugar or fat because it is liquid and gets to the intestines much quicker than solid food. So, lesson learned. Fortunately, I do not have that reaction to No Sugar Added ice cream, so that is what I will stick with from now on. We had my parents over for dinner last Sunday, and for dessert I made glazed pineapple chunks over no sugar added vanilla ice cream for dessert and had no problems what so ever. Yea! In reality, I am not much of an ice cream eater, so I am just fine leaving it behind. The no sugar added vanilla from last Sunday has not been touched by me since because I have not wanted any.

I am going to start personal training this month. I am going to do some Pilates and Yoga and Strength Training to build muscle. I am looking forward to it!

I am really looking forward to 2008 for a lot of reasons. I can't wait to reach goal. I want to be down to 150 by the time my birthday rolls around in September. I want to start looking into plastic surgery to get rid of all this hanging skin that I already see is going to be a big problem. I can't wait to start with the personal trainer and start becoming leaner and stronger. And, I would be remiss not to add that I am looking forward to November when we get to elect a new President. 2008 is the last year of Bush and for that I am very very grateful.

For all my friends, I hope 2008 brings you everything you hope for, everything you dream of and everything you need to be happy and healthy. I love you guys!!!

Till next week...