ObesityHelp

  Do the shoes match? lighter hair? darker hair? decisions... decisions... decisions

Asking your opinion while sharing snippets of my journey today celebrating that it is FRIDAY!!! YAY...

I woke up wayyyyyyy too early ... got knocked out by the Flexeril I had for my aches and pains following my bad fall last week due to hit and run by guy on bike and woke up with a yucky hangover feeling ... I hate taking certain meds for the same reason ... but but but ... IT IS FRIDAY ... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY AND MONDAY IS A HOLIDAY .... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY AND I AM NOT ON CALL YAYYYYYYYY YAYYYYYYYYYYY YAYYYYYYYYYY...

But back to  the purpose of my thread... yikes my wandering mind bare with me I am an old fart after all .... 

Later tonight we are going out with our friends from our oldies group (DH and I belong to a club Oldies Keeping the Flame Going)... Our club is a group of old farts like myself and some older and others much younger who have joined in the fun ... we decided to keep the flame of love going in our marriages/relationships/partnerships and once or twice a month we dress to impress and go to a gala event ... whether at a charity or at the Schubert or the theater or a fundraiser followed by an awesome dinner/dance we all look forward to our dance/party/dinner meetings...

This is the dress and shoes that I want to wear ... I really want to wear those bad boys ...they are tall and light like a feather the color is the same as the fabric of the dress and the texture too ... but the beads and that bow seem to clash ... 

Your opinion please: do these shoes color-wise work with this dress?
 

Last night friends said it would be good to see pics of me in the dress I plan so far on wearing tonight unless I change my mind ... and you know me for the picture AW that I am ... so why not? I love taking a picture a day anyway .. it keeps the pounds and the inches away ... and I love rocking clothes ..I did it at my heaviest weight oh yeah I loved to rock my hair and plus sizes just as much or more than I do now...

So I got the dress on and now I have the hair thang kicking in LOL..  so I started wondering light hair/darker hair with highlights ... longer hair vs. medium length hair ...vs naturally short nope ... that is out.. because I am going swimming after work and I cannot afford the time it takes to dry straighten or mousse my natural short mane .... 
Decisions decisions... in the life of an old fool... but I am enjoying every little moment of it ... after all I have today ... because I know tomorrow is not promised ... hey .. I had a very close call last Friday, remember??? hit and run in the crosswalk by a biker? jeez Louise that was a close call... 

Me in the dress and shoes ... with lighter hair...


With darker hair with light highlights...


closeup of darker do .. I think I am going with this...



... ooops it started getting late...no more farting around ... I grabbed a short bolero khaki jacket to throw over this and headed out the door... it is Friday YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ... looking forward to a long weekend....


I wore this dress way back at my lowest weight  in August of 2008 ... and rocking it for the same fit today... YIKES check my arms out ...that was prior to my modified brachioplasty...


I am maintaining for Life ... my life post WLS rocks ... it rocked before too except for the struggle with 5 co-morbidities and impaired mobility that I happily live without today ....With health and mobility I don't ever plan on going back ...that is my reality .,. my tool is as real as my husband's transplanted kidney ... to take care of for life!!!  

This is my empowerment collage today ... I am living life to the fullest and enjoying every minute of the day ... the good/the bad and the ugly all combined to make a stronger me....


I copied this off of a friend's FB page and I love it...


HAPPY FRIDAY TO EVERYONE!! IF YOU ARE A KICKASS WOMAN FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A HIGH FIVE BACK!!!

Thanks for allowing me to share snippets of my journey ... and for asking your opinion on my hair/shoe dilemma .... all done in fun and love...

Hmmmmmmmm I can fill my mind up instantly with umpteen things I could hate about Mondays but why not keep it on the upbeat and positive? just MAYBE it would turn my Monday around cause I need THIS MONDAY to turn around QUICK!!! after all I almost died on Friday when I got hit by a jerk on a bike while I was crossing the street a few blocks up from the workplace trying to get to the bank... so I MUST turn this around and make myself enjoy THIS present day... because I am alive and well today...

Okay ... here goes ... I am determined to love this Monday because I made it through last week and the weekend .... despite being hit by one that did not care enough to even look back and check after I fell on all fours with the contents of my pocketbook spilled in the middle of the street my knees all busted open as I grope frantically to pick my stuff up INCLUDING my lip-gloss as the lights change on both sides and now traffic is coming at me and some arse is blowing the horn as an elderly woman is trying to help me to my feet .. gotta love it... I am down.. I am hurt .. yet I was determined to gather my sh#t INCLUDING my lip-gloss ... my hit and run was long gone as I composed myself and walk the rest of the way to the bank and back to my car ... my knees stung but otherwise I was okay ... glad that nothing was broken...

On Saturday we went to Queens NY for my dearest uncle Memorial Service... by then it was all I could do to walk without a limp ... ahhhhhhhh VANITY ME.... but I managed ...it was not all that bad until SUNDAY ... and Today MONDAY ... OUCHHHHHHHHHH!!!! EVERYTHING hurts to sit HURTS ... STIFFNESS AND DISCOLORATION AND ACHES AND PAINS ALL OVER ... HECK I MISSED MY RUN ... YESTERDAY AND THIS MORNING ... I even forced myself to go to Zumba yesterday and had to sit down....and now my neck is stiff too... I need to get out of here and get a hot water bottle and some cold compresses and get my arse to bed ...but IT IS A CRAZY MONDAY.... 

I am determined to love THIS Monday .... for so many little things.... because I was able to open my eyes first thing in the morning ... alive and well despite the aches and pains... because I was able to reach into my closet and pick out another tiny outfit and hop on the scale as I do daily and am STILL maintaining with NO REGAIN ... woot! I am loving Monday... because I got off the phone with my beautiful sister back home and she is hanging in there and responding well to her treatment WOOT I am loving Monday... thank you Lord for soooooooooooooooo many miracles....

So I made an empowerment collage of me today and my weekend...

 

and because at 5 years post op I could reach into my closet and just slide into this tiny AK outfit and it fits just like it did before ... I am loving this Monday... 

 

I even rocked an XS 2 piece my DD gave me as a gift and I had not worn... well it was warm on yesterday and now there is a downpour.... 

 

I love love love this comfy top I am wearing today... 

 

Because my left side is stiff ... I have a crick in my neck... my arse hurts... my knees are scabbing over and sore and I have the biggest bruise on my arse ... but I am sitting here giving a shout-out to all my cyberfriends ... I AM LOVING MONDAY!!! 
Chillaxing over the weekend ....



My encouragement collage last week...



My week in pictures last week...
 

On my way to Queens NY for a celebration of my uncle's (RIP) life...



My first cousins (our dads are brothers) and I ... it was awesome meeting up with family members from across the globe ... we did not cry... we celebrated his passing with joy ... he sowed seeds of happiness for the 84 years that we were able to share him ... I remember him with a smile..



HAPPY MONDAY TO ALL!!!!! MAKE IT A HAPPY ONE ... WE ARE ALIVE AND WELL TODAY ... OTHERWISE WE WOULD NOT BE SITTING HERE READING/WRITING OR SOCIALIZING WITH EACH OTHER ... THERE ARE BLESSINGS... BIG AND SMALL EVERYWHERE ... I am taking mine in in small increments ... as long as I don't sulk and dwell too much on why Mondays are as manic as the song I will be A-okay....

My empowerment tool ... a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away!!.. it works for me ... I asked for HEALTH and MOBILITY ... and I got just that ... WOOT .... 5 co-morbidities in remission ... a mindset and a lifestyle change ... I am having fun and enjoying the ride of my life ... with all the ups and downs and go arounds...Thanks for allowing me to share...  

   ... we met as we usually do when she is in my workplace area....  I decided to cheer her up a bit ... with my hair madness nonetheless... did I tell you guys I love hair and I have a hair thang going on? 'Tis my business too ... aside from my regular job that is....

Well I had an awesome model this morning ... check out our lovely sista MSW rocking one of my very own hand made customized lace pieces .... hey I am still practicing along with my partner ... why just sell it when we can make it?

I think I turned MSW on to my madness LOL ... but judging by her smile I think she likes it... so I was thrilled she loved the two pieces I brought her ...

She sat and let me do her hair in less than a minute and we had a wonderful early morning breakfast afterward...

Martita and Liz (Marcia) early am and girls hair meet and greet...



Closeup of Liz rocking her awesome mane.... custom made by moi...



and our sista is looking AWESOME ... Holding her Feet to the Fire Indeed!!



I wore black and yellow polka dot ensemble ... go figure yesterday was gingham ...today was polka-dot ... lawdy what is this crazy old fool gonna do tomorrow? 



MSW snapped my pic ...



we had an awesome breakfast ... Marcia had tomato/feta cheese omelet and I had steak w/onions and over easy eggs ... we both got stuffed with half our plates .. had awesome chatter... exchanged pleasantries and feisty-tries and then I was off to work and she off to treatment and after treatment MSW is on the road driving all the way back to Georgia .... GODSPEED  on the road SIS!!!! Thanks for yet another awesome early morning meet!!!

  WISHING ALL MY OH FRIENDS A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ... ALL MOTHERS FROM REAL BABIES  TO  FURRY BABIES TO NURTURING AND CARING YOUNG OR OLD ... WE ARE MOTHERS ...ALL OF US .. WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE INDEED!!! 

   

How did you spend your Mother's day? I was off to Zumba at 10 a.m. at one center and then to a 3 hour Zumba-thon WOOT!!!!... and before that ... was I spoiled much??? $$$ and awesome cards from DH and DS and an AWESOME B-fast in bed prepped by the men of the house....  and my lovely DD carting me off to zumba with her and treating me later (after the Zumba-thon) to a late late lunch or early dinner but not before encouraging my shoe monster with an awesome Penny loves Kenny pair....



Spoiled much??? LOL I am loving these shoes ... high and COMFY... I could RUN in them... did I say I love heels?



WOOT... MY BREAKNECK HEELS FIT LIKE A GLOVE..  LOVE THEM!!!



I have an awesome dress to go with them that I will wear another day...  


  
After Zumba-thon we all went out and had an awesome dinner ... the whole family ... Seafood was on the menu and all calories and then some were paid forward ... I had a few bites of my surf and turf and was stuffed for the entire night ... WOOT ... totally invigorated and back to work today...

I AM ON THE JOURNEY FOR LIFE!!! LOVING... LIVING ... AND HAVING FUN ON THE JOURNEY ... WITH ALL LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS AND TURN AROUNDS ... I AM TAKING MY LEMONS AND MAKING LEMONADE .... IT IS ALL GOOD!

I SHALL NEVER WHY I AM ON THIS JOURNEY OR HOW FAR I HAVE COME ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME...

this was yesterday.. 5 years and 3 months prior to WLS....

 
and me on my way to work TODAY ....
 

5 years ago the only gingham I wore was when I made kitchen aprons with matching pot holders LOL ... today I rock stripes. plaids . gingham, braided, burlap bring it on... I am loving it... and I love love love my awesome Brother Project Runway sewing machine too... WOOT!

 
 
hmmmmmmm I love love love ferret kisses too ... me with my beautiful ferret Caspar ...

 

HAVE A HAPPY DAY EVERYONE .... CELEBRATE LIFE... CELEBRATE LOVE.... CELEBRATE SELF .... WHERE-EVER WE ARE .... WE HAVE TODAY ... 

NEVER ALLOW ANOTHER MAN'S PROJECTION TO BECOME OUR REFLECTION .... 

Thanks for allowing me to share....

EASY PEASY AND TO DIE FOR.... made in the blink of an eye.... want to have pancakes for b-fast or whenever steering away from the carb monster?

I made this for breakfast this morning ... easy peasy and TASTY   ... LOADED WITH PROTEIN AND BY MY CALCULATION LESS THAN 200 CALS FOR 28G OF PROTEIN .... 

IN A BOWL MIX 1 Scoop Vanilla or unflavored protein powder .. (banana flavored works well too... can get creative with any flavors really)..
Add one egg (can use egg whites only or eggbeater if preferred)
Add small amount of water ... about 1/8 or a cup or less keep mixture thick
Add cinnamon
Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Add pinch of baking powder
Add sweetener of choice MIX
Spray hot skillet

Pour mixture in portioned off to make 2-3 pancakes or 1 large pancake Brown on one side ... flip.. brown the next... (sometimes I cheat and stick skillet in top broiler to brown top a bit before flipping)

Top with SF syrup of choice or use no syrup at all ....

Mine was topped with blueberries the other day and this morning I topped it with fresh strawberries...

NOM NOM NOM .... TO DIE FOR ... hmmmmmmmmm hit the spot this morning and I am sooooooooooooooooooooo full still .. on one pancake out of 2 made.... DELISH!!!! will have another mid morning to get the full benefit of all the protein ... 

Enjoying my journey one.day.at a time.... This is me on my way to work this morning ...after enjoying my yummy breakfast .... soooooooooooo full my nose is running LOL...



I wore this to work on yesterday...



And rainy days call for frizzy hair ... I have a hair thang LOL ... 

 

With a bit of sadness this morning on the passing of my dad's youngest brother ... my uncle Humberto ... RIP tío ... you will be missed ..   

Sharing snippets from my journey ... one day at a time ... THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE!!!

TIME FLIES ... it seems like it was Friday and ZOOOOMMMM ... it is Monday... WHERE DOES THE WEEKEND GO AND WHO SPEEDS UP THE CLOCK OVER THE WEEKEND?   Time just flew on by .... I ALMOST and am on the final set of washes on a couple of canvases I am painting for friends I met on here .... I kept myself fit with exercise and I ate well and enjoyed healthy meals without even thinking about it .... I made an AWESOME vegetarian stir fry which was finger licking good which I will share further down.... I farted around with my fur babies my 8 beautiful ferrets ... weaved a couple of VIPs hair at my shop and made awesome tips and here I am back again ... like the weekend never happened ... at work and it is MONDAY.... YIKES ... times FLIES....   I am looking like this on my way to work this morning...



yesterday I took pictures in my very first tiny Levi's I wore that was given to me by our awesome former medical director ... a skinny gal from Texas who passed down her tiny jeans to moi at my lowest weight post WLS and I am still rocking them today ... same fit ...



I even took a collage of me in my Levi's and my BIG '203 pounds smaller' BUTT so glad it is not wrinkled and it does not sag either LOL... trust I hate my big butt but I am certainly not losing any sleep nor hating myself over it ...it is my genetically inherited piece... I am living HAPPY in my own skin ... who cares if it has a few scars and my thighs has waves and ripples and wrinkles and dimples? I don't ... I am holding on to my thighplasty money in a shaky economy I don't want to spend do I will continue to wear my hoses and when I wear my Legg's support hoses all the wrinkly bits magically disappear  WOOT!... it is not like I am strip teasing or prancing around like Eve on the beach neither am I out to impress anyone out there with my old carcass ...I have been in the battlefield of life for over 50+ years and I just love love love love to live and let live ....

Me and my BIG tinier butt...


  .....AND I JUST HAD TO DO MY LOVE IS picture.... for my journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away ....   LOVE IS ... HUGGING AN ARMFUL OF FERRETS...



ON SATURDAY HAD AN AWESOME WORKOUT WITH WEIGHTS ... ZUMBA TONING AT A COMMUNITY CLINIC ... MY DD THE INSTRUCTOR...   SUNDAY MORNING ... WENT ON A 5 AM RUN WITH MY FRIENDS FROM MY RUNNING CLUB CAME BACK HOPPED INTO THE SHOWED AND OFF TO ZUMBA FITNESS ....    CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY MY DD HAD US DOING BURPEES AT THE TUNE OF THE AWESOME MUSIC? AND MY OLD FART ARSE DID THEM ALL TOO....   OFF TO ZUMBA FITNESS YESTERDAY LOOKING LIKE A BUM...





AND MY SCRUMPTIOUS INVENTED VEGETARIAN STIR FRY ... THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO DELISH AND GOES A LONG WAY ... CAN YOU IMAGINE? tons of  PROTEIN and very little cals .... TO DIE FOR... (makes 4 servings)...   All that is needed ... 2 veggie burgers, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons petit pois, 1 tablespoon cooked brown rice (I used the boil in a bag Success brown rice), tablespoon of Goya Recaíto.. tsp of virgin olive oil, pinch of curry powder, pinch of goya sazon con culantro y achiote...   Break apart veggie burgers to ground beef-like appearance ...   Add oil to skillet add eggs scramble and fry ... add veggie burger to egg toss and brown in skillet ... sprinkle curry/sazon and recaíto and continue to stir ... add petit pois (sweet peas) and tablespoon of rice ... continue to stir fry... to DIE FOR .... BON APETIT!!!!   I added my avocado or awesome taste and natural oils too...


 
  ....after having soooooooooooooooo much fun ... IT IS BACK TO MONDAY ...SIGH.... break over...


   
  Thanks for allowing me to share!!!! another goofy thread ... Snippets of my Journey....5 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS POST RNY ..... LOVING IT TODAY LIKE IT JUST HAPPENED YESTERDAY....

  OH keeps me grounded ... it allows me to share with others and to benefit from the experiences of others ... all things come together .... the greatest, the great, the good, the bad and even the ugly ... it all works together to create such an awesome and diverse journey....in an awesome and diverse community.

There are a whole bunch of awesome people on the journey looking to achieve  better health and/or quality of life without present, past or future obesity related issues and I am one of those people .... 

I derive great benefits from all that is offered ...just as I derived great benefits from those who have moved on but left a host of information and experiences behind those I also miss.  I can apply some to my personal experiences and I can pass on others but overall I feel enriched by the sharing in a community where most of us have a common goal and that is why I log on to OH every morning ... whether I post or not I encourage myself and others (even if only in thoughts and faith and hope and not through written words) and either relate to or understand the experiences and situations and even reactions and point of view of others ... every little bit helps ... on my journey....

Despite highs and lows and differences of opinions and even me putting my big foot in my mouth at times OH overall has been a positive experience for me and meeting several OH members IRL has also always been a blessing....

I post not to be liked nor to be popular ... I post because I am just another sister on the journey ... trying to keep my eyes on the mark of health with 5 co-morbidities in remission and 203 pounds lost from my highest recorded weight .... going back to a life of obesity related diseases and impaired mobility at my age and at this stage of the game is not an option I want for myself ... I will use every tool available an at my disposition to keep the focus .... because health and mobility does feel good indeed.....

I even resigned myself that some things on me will remain big no matter what ... if anyone knows a trick for me to lose my caboose I would sure appreciate it .... cause it is there ... this appendage sticking out of my back .... I hate darting my waistbands ...

I have kept track of my journey in a digital empowerment journal that I named A Picture A Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away .... as I clean out my closets I am wearing the same clothing that I wore in years 2-3 post op at my lowest weight ... fitting me just the same today....

On my way to work this morning I don't know what else to do to lose my caboose...

 

and I found and stepped into my tiny clothes ...

 

and made a collage for my digital album ... a picture a day..... live is certainly not easy ... but it is most certainly worth living ... TO THE FULLEST ... BECAUSE AS LONG AS THERE IS LIFE ... THERE IS HOPE ... keeping the faith and believing God for a miracle for my sister this morning...

 

Me and my partially deaf/blind ferret Sebastian ... just found out after months of questioning that this little type has Waardenburg Syndrome ... along with pez neck found in most deaf ferrets...

 

Thanks for allowing me to share yet another goofy thread....

Keeping it moving ... that is for sure ... 

I have one big mess going on at home .... downsizing belongings and have not put a dent in one closet yet...

I wake up this morning bright and early ... tackle it a bit .. then go off to run a 20K two towns over with a friend....

I came back home after the race .. tackled the task at hand for a bit while searching for a 'white' gown to wear to a fundraiser dinner and gala tonight to support a group of awesome women in a humanitarian cause ... the theme is white ..we are all to wear gowns ... so I think I found this white gown I had purchased and just hung up somewhere in there ... and while doing that I decided that Spring and Summer were at hand and I wanted a rest from the darker hair/extensions/lace fronts whatever my fancy at the moment for my head is ... so I wound up with this...


 

 

and of course because I journal in my digital empowerment journal A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away I also did a before and after collage...

 

And of course my nosiest and cutest ferret my baby Finibeau checked me out and I think I have his approval or so I think ... 

 

After dinner we will come back home and meet up with our friends from our Oldies Keeping the Flame Going Group at a party celebrating one of the couples 30th anniversary party ... So I pulled this number out to slip into to go to the party...

 

No idea whether to wear hair up or down but right now I am about to do my nails ... crash for an hour and get a second wind .... I will tackle tomorrow when it gets here ... I love love love Spring ... will be enjoying what may be my last one here ... or next to last...

 

I am just having fun on the journey ... making lemonade with life's lemons and harvesting memories of help and kindness... Thanks for allowing me to share... ooops gotta do my nails ... my own self...

Thanks for allowing me to share snippets from my journey ... another goofy thread..  I had an awesome week ... and I wore some duds that I wore on my second year out ... everything is fitting perfect from lowest weight to maintenance weight ...


  


  

THE BULKY CLOTHING THAT IS.... OUT OF THE CLOSET IT GOES!!!!

if it is bulky ... it is out!
if it is woolly ... it is out!
if it is wintry ... it is out!
leather, suede, cashmere, faux fur .. it is out!
boots ..out!
all fall/winter .. OUT!!! and not for storage either ... 

It is a clean-up giveaway ... no costs no strings attached ... as plans are underway to relocate back home I am not anticipating another winter ... and if things don't work as planned and should we remain another winter I will just have fun shopping around again for new winter duds ...

It is all good ... getting rid of the bulk and cleaning out the closet ... for a clean-up giveaway...

While I was at it and only managing to attack a portion of one closet I found a few duds that I forgot I even had ...... one outfit I wore back in December of 2008 at my lowest weight post surgery ...where my face was looking drawn ...  I wore it yesterday rocking it for the same fit at my maintenance ideal weight  four years after ... and another that I wore in May of 2010 .. this outfit I have on today ... I rocked it at an early 5 am breakfast meeting with our OH sista from BAF MSW will not Settle ... for the same fit...

I have kept track of my journey in a digital empowerment journal that I named A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away .... it is a GOOFY TOOL THAT I MADE UP ... and guess what? it is working for me .... one.day.at.a.time ... a picture at a time .... and my DH has fun with my silliness and so does my family and ME ... it is all good...

I made a collage of the outfits I wore ... the are are here in my blog and in my empowerment journal ... from the day I was able to get up post RNY and my post op complication that had me down for the first three months and change I have taken a picture a day ... of me... my journey... my food... my pets ... whatever was in my lens' way LOL ...

This is my collage of the outfits worn in 2008, 2010, yesterday 4/16 and today 4/17/2012...
 
This is the collage I posted in my OH Photo area in May of 2010....
 

 This is me at work this morning in a Before and After Weight loss surgery collage wearing that very same outfit today ... same fit ... MAINTAINING FOR LIFE ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.... I love love love my empiric goofy tool ... it is fun...

 

When I am 95 years old I want to look at my journey pictures and say ... WOW Martita ... you were such a goofy old fool ... but look at you today ... 95 and running the trail WOOT!

Me yesterday wearing an outfit I wore 4 eyars ago at my lowest recorded weight post RNY ... As long as I have health and mobility I am happy as a lark and I am keeping the feeling ... being mindful of my choices and living my life to the fullest healthy and mobile... and with five co-morbidities in remision ....
 
Okay ... this was just a goofy good for nothing post ... just to encourage myself and maybe someone else on the journey ... it is not about looking good or wearing clothes ... it is all about getting healthy and staying healthy unless unforeseen circumstances .... it is all good ... when I went under the knife I asked for HEALTH AND MOBILITY .... and I got just what I asked for and I love the feel .... 

Wishing an awesome and wonderful day to ALL!!!

Today I am back to work after being gone for a week ... plastered my smile on and made up my mind to embrace joy and tackle each day as they come ... a gift to treasure...    I had my 5 year 2 month mark on 4/5 ... I was overseas with my family and taking in and trying to handle some issues and it was the last thing on my mind ... as a matter of fact did not even think about it ...I came back to my home here 2.5 pounds lighter than when I left...   I was about to fling my journal out the window by just deleting the entire digital account but decided against it ... it is my empowerment tool after all that I have neglected to use for over a week... and even today I was not feeling it but did it anyway ... ...   So here and now at work I took pics for my empowerment journal ...   This is me at work a few minutes ago...   Thinking hot pink would be a happy color to wear...



I decided to wear my rock the ring my DH gave me on our special day that has been resized so many times and is once again dancing a bit on my finger ... I decided there is no reason having this nice ring stuck in a jewelry box when I certainly wore it every.day when it was cutting my circulation on my then fatter fingers ... later for that ... I am wearing it... 



Life is too darn short and sometimes so friggin' unfair that right about now I am getting ticked off again but then I remember that my circumstances are not my destiny for I am blessed ... and I am okay again ... this is my entry in my journal A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away ... . 



 Holding and maintaining my weight for 5 years and 2 months ... no struggles ... no illnesses .. no adverse side effects ... I love my RNY! it works for me...

   HMMMMMMMM ..... NO! Not really .... I am having fun ... on my journey... What's my journey? It is my life and I am living it one.day.at.a.time .... with health and mobility ... with joy in my heart ... joy that by far compensate for all the tears I still shed and all the smiles that I embrace daily ... the later is much greater than the former indeed .... and my former was good...

From my journal a picture a day .... my personal conclusion:  IMO (and I speak ONLY for me) NO FORM/TYPE OF WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY WORKS AS A STANDALONE TOOL ... THE SHIT TAKES A LOT OF INPUT ... AS WELL AS OUTPUT ... THERE ARE RULES AND PROTOCOLS TO BE FOLLOWED IN ALL ... 

What I put into my PERSONAL weight loss journey ... (not only what I put into my mouth) but ALSO the effort I put into keeping my body fit and moving is just about the same effort my group of friends (of which the ONLY one with WLS is I) are putting into their wellness journey for life...   WHEN I GET MY ARSE UP TO RUN AT 4:00 AM OR TO DO A FITNESS ROMP IN THE PM OR ON A SUNDAY MORNING ... When I hit the pool to swim laps or go to Bikram for hot yoga body detox and mental relaxation because I WANT TO ...  I RESERvE 100% RIGHTS TO PICTURE WHORE ALL I WANT TO ... LOL... oooppsss.... ONLY UNTIL OH TELLS ME NOT TOO ...which I hope they don't as I try to encourage myself here or maybe ONE other sista or brother on the journey ....   IT IS MY JOURNEY AND I AM LOVING IT ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME .... ONE SWEAT AT A TIME .... One kick in the arse at a time to get up and get moving ... ONE GET A GRIP SPIEL AT A TIME when I know that one extra raisin is going to make me feel like shit ...   Should I fall (oh and life is all about taking falls and getting back up and not staying down)... I AM GETTING UP ... I WILL BE RUBBING MY GENETICALLY PLACED BIG BUTT THAT I STILL HAVE TODAY (any ideas how to lose it?)... AND STARTING OVA .... no matter how many times I try or how many times I fail....   From my WLS 2/5/07 to date.. I have tracked it all ... a picture a day...   

  

 

my bedroom is my palace ... very rarely I show any picture other than in from of my busted wall that I painted in my floor damaged basement... 

 

 

WOOT ... GOT MARRIED FAT AND REAFFIRMED MY VOWS THE YEAR AFTER MY SURGERY SLENDER... FROM 2008 TO 2011 STILL FIT THE SAME DRESS ... WHICH I WILL BE WEARING AGAIN A FEW MONTHS FROM NOW TO AGAIN REAFFIRM MY VOWS TO THAT SPECIAL MAN IN MY LIFE...

I WAS A FAT BRIDE AND I REAFFIRMED A SLENDER BRIDE ... I MET HIM WITH AN 'AFRO' ... THEN HE HAD A 'FRO' ... AND NOW HE HAS AN 'O' ... BUT I STILL LOVE HE AND HE LOVES WRINKLY DIMPLY ME LOL FAT OR SLENDER....


  

RUNNING FOR FITNESS EVERY 5-10 OR 20K I CAN RUN I RUN IT! AND I RUN JUST EVERY OTHER DAY TOO... 

  

HECK EVEN GOT THE WHOLE FAMILY (MINIS DH WHO PHYSICALLY CAN'T) RUNNING...   ME AND MY SON ... MY PRIDE... MY JOY AND MY BIGGEST PITA... 

  

AND KEPT TAKING A PICTURE A DAY.... RANDOMLY....   

 

  
  
 
  
  

GOOFY PICTURES DID NOT MATTER... 

  

I JUST KEEP IT MOVING AND DOING ME ... AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS MY JOURNEY AND I AM OWNING IT THE WAY I LIKE .... 

  

WOOT .. EVEN FIT INTO A SUITCASE ... AND CLOSED IT UP ... JUST BECAUSE lol... 

  

AND THIS IS MY WEEK IN PICTURES ... A PICTURE A DAY ... KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AWAY...   

  

Hey ... I am an OLD girly girl ... AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ... that is after I progressed from my childhood tomboy days ... hey was the best one climbing the trees and winning at games of marbles in the dirt with the boys ...    I LOVE TO READ... I LOVE TO  WORK... I LOVE TO DINE IN OR OUT AND MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES FOR ME... I LOVE TO EXERCISE (EVEN IF IT MEANS TAKING A MENTAL SHOT OF GERITOL OR KICKING MY ARSE INTO GEAR) BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE ... I LOVE HAIR AND CLOTHES AND GLITTER AND SHINE ....    WHAT A GOOFY POST ... AS GOOFY AS MY JUNK FOR FUN EARRINGS DRAWER ... I WON'T SHOW YOU MY BRACELET DRAWER ... I LOVE LOVE LOVE CHARM BRACELETS .. AND I HAVE FILLED HOW MANY PANDORAS? HMMMMMMMMM HAVE ONE IN REAL GOLD TOO... 



THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE ... ANOTHER GOOFY POST ... SNIPPETS FROM MY JOURNEY

 Snippets from my journey ... an empowerment tool that I made up to keep accountable and encouraged ...ONE DAY AT A TIME ... ONE STEP AT A TIME ... this works for me ... other measures work for others ... it is all good ... in the beginning I wanted to see it happening ... and now I want to see maintenance ... stability at preferred goal ... one step at a time ... one day at a time...

From after 4 months post-op (could not sooner because recovering from post-op complication on post-op Day 2) I have taken a picture a day ... of my food of my person ... and I have tracked it all in my digital journal... A Picture A Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches at Bay ... 

I am not boastful - I am grateful ... Grateful that today 5 years and almost 2 months after I am forever thankful and enjoying my WLS and maintenance journey each day as though it were a new day .. a new beginning ... I woke up this morning ... free of pain... free of stiffness... without shortness of breath .. no meds to be taken except my required vitamins and Pepcid and monthly B12 shot ... with 5 co-morbidities in full remission as long as I stay the course TO MAINTAINED HEALTH AND MOBILITY ... IT IS SO WORTH IT ...

I ENCOURAGE ALL TO EMBRACE HIS/HER JOURNEY AT WHATEVER STAGE WE ARE IN AND WITH WHATEVER FUNCTIONING TOOL THAT WE HAVE ... IT IS AWESOME TO HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF PHYSICAL LIFE WITHOUT CO-MORBIDITIES TO HINDER AND MAKE US ILL...

THESE ARE ENTRIES IN MY JOURNAL FOR THE PAST WEEK ...

 

 


 


 

 

 

AND MUCH MUCH MUCH TIME SPENT LOVING AND KISSING AND PETTING MY AWESOME LITTLE MUNCHKINS ... MY EIGHT BEAUTIFUL FERRETS THAT I ADORE ... I AM JUST GOING TO CRAWL UP AN DIE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO BE MY LITTLE FELLOWS ... EVEN AS MY BABY FINIBEAU WENT MESSING WITH A POLECAT OVER THE WEEKEND ... WHAT A MESS ...

 

FIVE YEARS AGO I COULD NOT EVEN SIT ON THE FLOOR ... SHOOT I HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OUT OF BED AND GETTING UP AND MOVING ... IT HAS BEEN A LONG WAY FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY ... I AM DEFINITELY KEEPING THE FLAME OF HEALTH AND MOBILITY GOING ... ONE DAY AT A TIME.. ON PICTURE AT A TIME ...

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE ... ALL IN ALL I AM STILL THE SAME PERSON IN A SMALLER FRAME ... 
 

BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR A WONDERFUL DAY ... SMILE MUCH... LOVE MUCH AND LIVE!!!! LIFE IS SO PRECIOUS ... SOMETIMES I DID NOT KNOW HOW PRECIOUS UNTIL THE MANY CLOSE CALLS .... YET I WILL NOT CURSE MY FIRE ... BECAUSE THERE IS VICTORY IN THE VALLEY ... my mom (RIP) always used to say that which does not kill you will make you strong ... and my goodness ... she was right...

  MAINTENANCE ..... IT IS A NEW DAY .... For me WLS was a DRASTIC step requiring DRASTIC measures .... that had to start with ME.... at least that is what I was told by both my surgeon and my internist ... they told me that I could balance it (moderation) and that I could change it (implement lifestyle changes) and enjoy it too.. . and I did and do...every.day... in spite of....

Why did it not work yesterday and seems to be working today? I can only answer for me ...  as a volume eater I needed a tool and I got one .. it was the best choice for me at the time ... it was a DRASTIC measure ... a measure for which I signed an informed consent and was fully aware of all the risks/alternatives and benefits to the procedure I underwent ... I knew my life was on the line when I lay on that table to have my innards re-arranged ... it was a DRASTIC measure that required a DRASTIC change in me...

At my age and having my mobility and health impaired with 5 co-morbidities something had to give ... Nothing has ever come easy for me and I have always had to work hard for whatever I set my heart on ... even with my surgery ... on the very next day (post-op day 2) my blood pressure bottomed out and all I can remember is being told by my surgeon that I had to be taken back to the OR and my son freaking out and yelling at the doctor in the room and I barely whispering 'please God, I don't want to die ... if I survive this I will take care of it' .. and then nothing ... till waking up days later with all kinds of tubes protruding from my body in SICU and wondering where/what the heck?

Recovery was lengthy ...I was out for over 3 months and upon returning to work had a syncopal episode that landed me back in the hospital for over another week ... wondering still WTF I had done to myself and how on earth I would handle this ... to top it off I had this horrible gross sensation/taste in my mouth and throat and what appeared to be everlasting phlegm that had me gagging while pushing liquids because I HAD to do it ... I survived drinking ENSURE which was so GROSS I don't want to ever taste one of those again ever ... until I no longer had to use the ileostomy bag and my gastrostomy site started to heal ... then each day I started getting a bit stronger ... my body started to balance itself ... I remember getting on the treadmill at 2.0 speed for less than 5 minutes and thinking I had walked a mile and was so exhausted I thought I would die ....

But I pressed on .... DRASTIC MEASURES TAKEN ... NEEDED DRASTIC ATTITUDE TO UNDERTAKE THEM .... I HAD TO DO THIS .... I could not give in or give up ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.... I survived ... I lived through those hard first few months ... I survived my first and second surgeries ... and I had made a promise ... a vow which I intend to keep ... for me first and for my loved ones....

It is not easy ... but it is worth it! IT CAN BE DONE ... with a PUSH and a PRESS and in me, a believer, a prayer and a praise ....as I persevere....  

I started to implement changes in me ...starting with knowing my diet pitfalls and making changes gradually... I began to balance my food choices and to either eliminate certain foods from my diet or to eat certain foods in moderation.... I embraced my decision and decided to have fun with it and live it to the fullest .... at my age MOBILITY AND HEALTH were gifts to myself worth treasuring .... and that is what I do...

As I ALWAYS enjoyed pictures/taking pictures with my family ... I decided once I was up and recovered from surgery .. to take a picture a day ... of my journey from this point forward ... and I have ... I decided to continue to enjoy dining out with family and friends and ordering from the regular menu and just eating a small portion and items of my meals that I found enjoyable and within my plan and either  doggie bagging the rest or just leaving it on my plate .... I love love love to go dancing with family and friends .... I love happy hour with my co-workers and friends ... I love love love living healthy and mobile and more than anything else I love love love my exercise plan although I have MANY days where I have to give myself a MENTAL KICK to get into gear and get moving when I start making excuses for myself....

Yup ... I tracked it all in my journal ... A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AT BAY .... I decided to have FUN with things that I ALWAYS enjoyed ... 

I stepped off the boat weighing 98 pounds wet a young adult and climbed to my highest weight of 327 pounds .... while a big woman I ALWAYS dressed and rocked my hair in any which style and while a more slender woman now I do the very same thing ... proportion does not matter as much as health and mobility does to me....

This is my week from Monday to today .... 
 

and this was just last week...
 

I love love love to go out and have fun and dance ... that was me over a year ago dancing beside the chic in the red dress...
 

And at me at the X-mas party 3 months ago enjoying an awesome glass of Chardonnay...
 

And me a couple years ago enjoying a nice Corona with my co-workers after an awesome meal at Texas Roadhouse restaurant ...
 

Me and my friend having enjoying Champaña at a wedding...
 

THE JOURNEY IS AWESOME .... FOOD IS NOT BAD ... TO BE ABLE TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE AND TO EAT AND TO ENJOY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND LIFE IN GENERAL WITH ALL ITS UPS AND DOWNS ....to be able to run briskly when prior to surgery mobility was so impaired I could not make it up the stairs to assist my daughter who had taken a fall .... to be able to provide for my family here and abroad without my health impaired ... to be able to run and swim and dance and look forward to another day where I wouldn't wheeze and be short of breath and be forever eating without feeling satiety which was my problem ... I find it was all worth it ...

I took a DRASTIC MEASURE ... and I am embracing it with ATTITUDE .... the difference in maintenance now vs. not being able to maintain before? I HAVE A TOOL ... that I risked my life for ... when I revisit my past and how horrible I felt physically even when I pushed myself to the max ... I don't want to go back ...

YESTERDAY...
 

TODAY...
 

These are snippets of my Journey post WLS ... I write to encourage myself and maybe someone else .... one.day.at.a.time ..... I know I did not come this far to let go .... I can't ... I am an old fart LOL....

THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE....

  For me today is just like it happened yesterday ... and since four months after that day ... when I could finally get up and move around after a post op complication I have been celebrating every single month ... the anniversary of my WLS ... embracing health and mobility and taking full credit for working my arse off at it too.... it is all good ... I will keep myself in remembrance ... 5 co-morbidities ago I celebrate each and month my monthly surgiversary ... 

It seems like it was just yesterday but today it is 5 years and 1 month ago... older/wiser/healthier and with energy to spare ... After a super busy weekend covering at our shop (we prayed for a rain of clients and got a flood instead my my my were we busy) ... my dawgs still hurt from standing all day and into the night yet I did not miss zumba nor my morning run ... and today Monday I hit the floor running and it was non-stop ... barely had time for a break... 
So over the weekend I rocked hair in several looks ..and I coiffed, weaved and dolled up many clients... I did so many heads my fingers were about to fall off.... and I never took my high heel shoes off nor did I make a mess either...

Five comorbidities in remission and 203 pounds ago from my highest recorded weight I am celebrating me today... on my monthly surgiversary...5 years -1 month in my digital journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away...
     

 

And I went to work in extended locks like this ... boy had I known it was going to be such a madhouse I would have been with my natural short ... my oh my ... what a crunch... 

   



Thanks for allowing me to share ... snippets for my journal A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away....

With a little imagination... a dab of creativity ...a dip of motivation and a daring desire.. resizing transformation can be oh so much fun....oh and being a dufus old fart like me helps a little too LOL...

With an awesome pair of old size 18-20s which I could oh so seamlessly now fit into just one leg ... imagine me ... at one point I was thinking WTF my 30s and 32s were fitting too tight what gives??? ... so on the stretcher I laid and into the OR I went 5 years ago to have my insides re-routed and my lifestyle transformed ... NO REGRETS ... 

Ever since recovering over a first 4 rocky months due to post op complication happening on post-op day 2 requiring a second surgical intervention I have been on the ride of my life which I am determined to never ever ever ever have it end ... I am embracing joy despite all the ups and downs and in betweens ... and I am tracking it all in my journal ... A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches at Bay .... I WILL NOT CURSE MY FIRE FOR THERE IS VICTORY IN THE VALLEY!

These are Snippets from my journey today as entered into my journal:
... RESIZING ... TIPS AND TUCKS AND TRANSFORMATION FUN....

I went into my closet a couple weekends ago and pulled a couple pair of slacks and realized they were ones of my left over BobbyJs from when I had gone down from a size 32 to a size 18-20 ... I had these two pair of pants hanging in there somehow forgotten when most of my clothing have been passed on except for a few pieces kept for comparison and remembrance sake.... 

I was feeling kind of down a little bit because DH was still recovering from his surgery at a health care facility and had been gone for a few weeks ... left on my own I decided to grab a pair of sheers and my dress form and re-size those old pants down to my current size ... with beaucoup fabric to spare and with tons of buttons in my sewing bin I made me a new pair of slacks from my old pair with a wide button up waistband and form fitting to my current size ... easy peasy ... well I have been sewing since for-ever the daughter of an awesome seamstress I had it made...

I decided to wear my home made slacks this morning and along with it I took the extra pair of Size 18-20 BobbyJs slacks and fit my body into one leg ... then I took my Size 1 Tristan & Iseut blazer and a red tank that I planned to wear to work and took my pictures and collages for my journal ... comparing then and now and sporting my nipped/cut/redone/re-sized slacks ... in a brand new look....

Like this...

Fitting in one leg ... and I just saw and awesome pin straight skirt ... I think I can get two skirts out of this left over pair of BobbyJs....
 
 My high waist pants made by moi...
 
 My comparison collage after finishing my look off with a Tristan & Iseut Blazer that is part of a skirt suit set .. but I wanted to wear a slack that matched and my home made dud was just perfect...

 
 
I even took a close up picture of my blazer ... 
 

And decided to share a few tips that I found online so I wouldn't have to recreate to help whoever is interested in resizing a few duds to create a new look ... it is all good... I can afford clothing but I love using my hands ... my awesome Project Runway Brother Sewing Machine ... and my imagination....

How to Alter Clothing By Michelle Powell-Smith, eHow Contributor

You can resize bigger clothes to fit your slimmer physique.  Weight loss success is certainly to be celebrated, but it can leave you swimming in your old size 18s when you're ready for a 12. If you're still losing weight, replacing clothing may not seem like an option just yet, but you do need your clothes to fit properly and show off your new, slimmer shape. If you can sew, you may be able to alter some of your favorite bigger clothes to a smaller size and more flattering shape.

Instructions  Things You'll Need

Sewing machine, Coordinating thread, Pinking shears, Iron and ironing board, Scissors, Pins, Fabric marking pen

1.  Choose the right garments to alter. Look for simple shapes and minimal seaming to allow for easy alteration. Opt for skirts, T-shirts, dresses and drawstring pants; they're easier to alter than tailored slacks and jackets.

2. Try on the garment inside out, so you can see not only the fit but the seams. Stand in front of a mirror and start pinning. Work from top to bottom on your garment, dividing the excess fabric evenly among the seams.

3. Turn your size 18 right-side out and try it on again to assess the fit of the pinned alterations. Expect to remove and replace sleeves and waistbands, but try to keep button plackets, collars, and zippers away from the alterations---it will make for an easier process.

4.  Set your sewing machine to a long stitch length and baste the changes into place. Pin to adjust the fit if necessary before you sew the alterations into place.

5.  Sew seams with a short stitch length. Cut away excess fabric using pinking shears or trim seam allowances and finish with a zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine.

Yesterday I came to work in a comfy dress after being up most of the night dealing with DS issues and then running back and forth between the ED and GI surgery with him ... I donned this dress and one of my awesome lacefronts (oh I love to rock hair to ... be it my own or the awesome wigs and lacefronts that we make or order at our very own shop) and came out looking like this.....
 

My packed knees and big loose skin filled thighs...
 

It is all good and better than before when my knees hurt so bad my mobility was impaired...
 

And while I was at it I rocked one of my best assets before and after ... my eyes that tell all my emotions ... that I can never hide from my eyes.... 

Blind as a bat Monovision lens prescriptions are working wonders imagine going from 5.25 in both eyes to 4.5 in the left and 3 in the right ... AWESOME  ... I have worn lenses from the time they were this little hard rock things and I was in 7th grade ... so I rock my eyes natural or in colors and yesterday AMETHYST was the color of my mood and my day....
 

THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE!!!!  I AM HAVING FUN ON THE JOURNEY!!! LIFE IS SHORT AND TIME IS PRECIOUS... and I am just a goofy old fool till the day I day ... was the same way when I was fat and remain the same now ... only difference is HEALTH AND MOBILITY ... and I AM LOVING IT!!!!

HAPPY DAY TO ALL!!!!! DON'T WORRY ... BE HAPPY!!!!

HUGS ...HUGS.... HUGS.... PRE AND POST WEIGHT LOSS HUGS .... HAVE YOU NOTICED A DIFFERENCE?

I certainly did ... I am a hugger by nature .. a kisser and a smoocher too ... and with weight loss I certainly noticed the change ... my hugs got bigger I can wrap my arms around others .... and others hugs got bigger ... they can wrap their arms around me ....

I am loving it! ESPECIALLY ON DAYS LIKE TODAY WHICH SHOULD BE CELEBRATED EVERYDAY ... LIFE IS ABOUT LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, UPS AND DOWNS AND UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVING ....

LOVE starts with self and projects outward ... 

HUGS start with self also ...  BIG HUG TO OURSELVES TODAY AND EVERY DAY.....

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ... LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVENESS ... IT IS AN EVERY DAY THING .... the formula its easy ... sometimes for it to work it is just a matter of saying I AM SORRY ... and really really really mean it!....


  


Snippets from my journal A Picture A Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away....

Me coming in to work heading to my locker to change my slacks after early morning Bikram ... feels good


 

YIKES NOT ONLY DID MY HUGS GET BIGGER ... GOT BIG NOSE AND BIG EARS TO GO WITH IT TOO .... geez ... age is really unforgiving LOL...

  

HUGS POST WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY ... THEY SURE FIT MORE ... LIKE ME HUGGING MY EIGHT FERRETS ...

 

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY DAY TO ALL .... SISTAS ON THE JOURNEY! ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME..

 ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....  

   Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .... with the loss of all this fat where did my internal thermostat go?? Right this minute I could really use a hot flash (NOT) but it is COLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!! in my neck of the woods and windshield factor is making it worse ....

How about you? How cold or how warm is it where you are right now?

I think I saw a snowflake when I went out on the deck ... but I think it is too cold for snow right now ... BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I used to be able to handle winter without even wearing a heavy coat ... boots were out of the question because of calf issues .. I hated sweaters not wanting to add to my girth ... but now... I don't mind bulking up and booting up ... even wearing thermals and flannel PJ's too ....

This week I was in my wool/sweater/knit section of the closet ... rocking the bulk and the boots ... staying warm was the name of my game ...

These are snippets from my empowerment journal ... a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away ... 5 YEARS POST-OP it is working for me ... journaling food ... journaling intake/output/inches/weight and taking a picture a day ... old and dufus and just a few fun years left before I croak I am living one day at a time ...sometimes up and sometimes down on life's merry-go-round ... I am embracing joy and making it happen to me ... 

On cold winter days and without my internal furnace of the past I am bulking up and booting up...

Me today and yesterday and before....

 

Loving the sweaters ... long, short, handmade, store made, loose, fitted .. just keep my warm please .. I will accessorize and rock the rest...

Loving my Moda International long pink sweater .....  My before and now comparison collage .. it has been 5 years and I am hoping to celebrate five more and beyond...

 

My week Bulking and Booting in photos...
 

I am loving my XS BCBG dress..
 

and my XS Moda International sweater is sooooooooooooo warm.... to think it was in my never to wear items ... who woulda thunk I put it on prompted by cold ... 

 


With my DH still away from home recovering from lower extremity surgery and my dearest sister ill I have been fretting and stressing and dropped a few pounds but I will get them back ... I have to press pass the throat lump and the stress to eat but I am doing it ... even the other day when I forgot my lunch at home and went digging for the next best thing I could have within the spread in the lunch room at work ....

 

So my plate looked like this ...A turkey frank (and I do not like doing processed foods but it was good and the sodium count was not all that high/tossed salad/and sliced cheese ... a cup of strawberries and blueberries topped with a bit of splenda ... I was good to go...  yup I journal my food in pictures too ... most of the time...

and I ate most of it ...
 

 I WILL CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE JOURNEY OF LIFE ... NO MATTER WHERE I AM IN IT! I HAVE TODAY ...TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED.... and I can only take it one.day.at.a.time.....

HAVE A HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!!!! THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE YET ANOTHER GOOFY THREAD ... WISHING ALL NOTHING BUT THE BEST OUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY FROM BEGINNING TO ALWAYS ... 

 I am going to be a total picture trollop because I WILL CELEBRATE ... 5 YEARS ...YES!!!! 5 YEARS ANNIVERSARY OF MY WLS... RNY 2-5-07 ... maintaining with lifestyle changes....   Hey it may seem insignificant to some but it means a heck of a lot to me ... not only will I be 5 YEARS POST WLS .... I am  ALSO 5 YEARS OLDER ...  I amd ALSO 5 YEARS WITHOUT CO-MORBIDITIES AND TOTALLY HEALTY .... 5 years without not one new wrinkle on my face other than the ones I already had yet with tons of wrinkles and dimples on my legs and thighs LOL... 5 years with a healthy heart ..and a healthier me ... WOOT WOOT ... I CAN'T WAIT TO CELEBRATE ... SO I AM STARTING NOW although I am so stressed I can crack it with a knife but I refuse to give in or give up ...    So while all hell is breaking loose around me I AM CELEBRATING in just TWO MORE DAYS ... MY 5TH YEAR SURGIVERSARY....   I PULLED A DRESS OUT OF MY CLOSET AND ROCKED IT YESTERDAY AND COMPARED IT TO THE SAME DRESS THAT I WORE IN 2008 ... CHECK THE LOOK... CHECK THE FIT.... and this is after a 12 pound rebound from my lowest weight reached that was wayyyyyyyyy too low for me...

and of course I took shots of my week in pictures... for my journal ... A picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away...

and I even did a comparison collage... my before and TODAY....

and took closeup of my fugly mug...

oh and this was yesterday ... 

that was after I decided to yank off my clip on lace ... LOL LOL ... and wear my own hair... I had too much on my mind to be flipping hair off my neck... oh and while I was at it I decided those were NOT the shoes... 
Okay now I have to go add another indulgence over on my private board LOL ... I SO LOVE LOVE LOVE HAIR AND SHOES...

So I switched it all up ... and left the house looking like this.. OH AND MY DS IS MY BARBER ... I have to bribe him sometimes though.

I had even managed a collage yesterday ... in my locks LOL..


Thanks for allowing me to share ... SNIPPETS FROM MY JOURNEY ... A picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away....

Because we may not be able to do so for a while ... he is scheduled for surgical procedure to the foot tomorrow .. soooooooooooo having had the day off and having had to go in for a couple hours this morning ... left out early and we had a lunch date ... Had an awesome time ... lunch was excellent but I was with limited appetite so I have awesome leftovers for dinner ... he enjoyed his lunch... all is packed and ready for tomorrow... depending on the outcome he can either come home with services or go to inpatient facility for PT and strengthening.   He is in good spirits as is his nature .... and I have his back as is my nature .... so I wore in the middle of the day ask me if I care a sky blue Ralph Lauren long sweater dress and I donned a matching bolero knit jacket ... DH wanted updated pics to load on his screensaver as he takes his laptop to the hospital with him ... and who better to his picture AW-ing dufus here to make that happen LOL....   This are the pics taken before heading out to lunch.... oh,,, I am still in chia pet mode... with my overnight long hair teeeeeeeeeeeeee heeeeeeeeeeeee...   This dress is comfy ... wore it once before about 1.5 years ago...  
Threw a bolero jacket over it ... it is coooooooooooollllllllllllllllllddddddddddd...

It is sooooooooooooooooo warm and cozy in here ...
 
Now I am home relaxing for the rest of the day ... looking like an old fool while keeping up with phone, ferrets, computer, art, kitchen and keeping DH upbeat for tomorrow.... I'mma kicking these boots off though... barefoot in the house for me... in my 'lil ole baby phat dress... 
 
SNIPPETS from my journal A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AWAY....

Two weeks away from my 5th year surgiversary I AM PACKING IT UP!!!! How? you may ask, or not ask or may not even care ... and that is all OK ... but for me and my maintenance I share snippets of my journey..... 4 years 11 months and 14 days ... I live it ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME ... with attitude... accountability and a prayer and a press ... I am only human and in the back of my mind I am always thinking .... we fall down ... but we get up ...so I try not to fall ... but if I do I KNOW that I will get back up again....

That was my mindset this morning ... as I enjoyed an awesome breakfast with my spouse who once again will depart for a few weeks while undergoing a surgical procedure on his lower extremity and will spend time in inpatient rehab for some time ... we know the drill .. we have been there... we fought and now it is time to proceed ... AGAIN .. on the used to be 'good' foot... we are braced and brave and ready...

He looked at me and my new Chia Pet look ... I have awesome long flowing black hair 'overnight' and he tells me how much he likes it this way and he asks me .... when last did you fit in your suitcase? HUH? I said it was in October ...right before taking off to the OH Conference ... why? he says ... get in it again... I will take your picture ... 

Now this is my most EMPIRIC Maintenance tool ... who would'a thunk? That almost 5 complete years after WLS

I was sitting in the den just farting around with my iPad this morning when DH says... okay .. lets see you fit in the suitcase again ... huh huh I know I turned a year older last month and he prolly thought my old fart arse would not be able too ... I am thinking LOL


 

So I stood for a standing picture this morning 1/14/2012

 

and stepped into and knelt in MY MOST AWESOME AND EMPIRIC MAINTENANCE TOOL HERE...
MY SUITCASE.....
 
I gingerly squat and laid on my side for a PERFECT FIT with room to spare...
 
He closed the lid....
 
and zipped me in ... FITTING PERFECTLY JUST AS I DID BACK IN OCTOBER RIGHT BEFORE THE OH LONG ISLAND CONFERENCE... 

 
I then went to Zumba Fitness .... and came back home... and am relaxing with two of my 8 ferrets ... my lovely gals Petunia and Chiquitita .... 
 

and I did it all POUND FOR POUND ... being or I should say TRYING MY BEST to be mindful ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME .... 

Obesity kills.... IT IS NOT ABOUT SIZE ... it is NOT ABOUT LOOKS ... I LOVED LOVED LOVED my big girl me ... but my obesity progressed to MORBID OBESITY... with 5 co-morbidities and now I have none ... where I could not climb stairs I now run every other morning with my running team at 4 am sun rain or snow ... BUT NOT ICE LOL ... I swim, Bikram, Pilates, weights, reformer I SWITCH IT UP ... some days I have to set a mental fire cracker under my arse to get into motion ... but once I am moving I am feeling better and loving it ... just like I loved me ... 5 years AGO... I LOVED ME but HATED my CO-MORBIDITIES ... MY DISEASE... 

I remember me ALWAYS because I am still this woman in a smaller frame ... her release is my deliverance and my deliverance is her release ....
 

I DRESSED BEAUTIFULLY AND FELT BEAUTIFUL AT EACH AND EVERY SIZE ... THE JOURNEY IS NOT ABOUT A NUMBER ON A SCALE OR ON A PIECE OF CLOTHING ... IT IS ABOUT SETTING LIVING MY LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND HEALTHIEST ... ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME...

I AM OPEN AND I AM HONEST ... SHARP AS A SERPENT AND HARMLESS AS A DOVE ...

Today I embrace phenomenal women ... we all are!!!! men included here too....

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

 Maya Angelou

  .......... NONE! AND 4 POUNDS DOWN WHEN I AM NOT TRYING TO LOSE AND OUNCE ......WOOT WOOT!
My awesome time was spent at home with family, friends and ferrets .... love, warmth, camaraderie, enthusiasm, goals, expectations, forgiveness, charity, support, hope and dreams and more were shared .... 

I met with friends from my running club early in the morning (4:00 a.m.) for an awesome run 5-6 miles along the beach and back home ... totally invigorated ... rested... fit and ready for another glorious day to make of it the best I can ....

I am loving the best decision I ever made in my life ... RIDDING MYSELF OF MORBID OBESITY, OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED DISEASES ...  I AM AT GOAL ... RUNNING BELOW MY OWN GOAL BUT KEEPING STEADFAST AND LOVING IT....

MAINTENANCE .... is is certainly not easy but I found a formula that works for me ... I look at the particular item that will bring me nothing but a few moments of satisfaction and I say to myself ... I am NOT eating you because I am NOT wearing you .... easy peasy ... I am so NOT wearing that bowl of ice cream on my butt that is genetically big as it is LOL ... I WILL HAVE AN ARCTIC ZERO ICE CREAM INSTEAD OR MAKE MY OWN ICE CREAM TO MY SPECS and eat it and love it and twiddle my toes .... hey, nothing wrong with having ice cream ... I REFUSE to dump needlessly ... so I stick to what is good for me....

Hopping on the scale this morning minus 4 pounds I am wearing a dress that I wore during the 2nd year post-op ... and now as I prepare to CELEBRATE my upcoming 5 YEARS surgiversary next month ... I am rocking the same frock and weighing slightly less than I want to..... maintaining for LIFE ... 
 

 

and this is what I wore the last day of LAST year ... it was a victory sort of keeping that high necked dress on all day ... you who have shared my journey on here on 2007 heard my history of being choked and my aversion to things around my neck even a necklace ... so I won't rehash that...
but on Friday ... I stood steadfast ...
 

I have come a long long way ... and intend to continue on the course ... IF having done all on my part taking FULL responsibility AND accountability of my weight loss journey I should encounter failure of any sort I WILL NOT hesitate to have a DS ... In the interim I am ROCKING my RNY and LOVING IT! it is working for me and I am one to keep all my things in MINT condition ... unless it is out of my hands....

I have come a long long way and I am indeed grateful ... Grateful for the space here to post my goofy threads in an attempt to encourage myself and one other person ... 

I will never forget my beginning ... my fat woman image lives with me in a positive way because I was loved and cherished at my highest weight ... I will NEVER diss her or hate on her ... we walk TOGETHER... her deliverance is my release and my release is her deliverance ... she encourages me to walk the course away from obesity and to stay the course ... today I have 0 co-morbidities ... no more sleep-apnea, no more hypertension, no more gastroesophageal reflux, no more diabetes, no more hyperlipidemia ... OFF ALL MEDS SINCE SURGERY DAY 2/5/2007 ...

  

 

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE... 

 ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....

  It is my fifth Christmas since WLS ... oh my ... and my 5th year surgery anniversary is not until February 5th, 2012 ... I had RNY on 2/5/07 and despite a major complication on post-op day #2 and a lengthy first 3-4 months recovery ... I have been having the best time of my life with health and mobility allowing me to carry out at 100% speed all the things the physical limitations of my morbid obesity slowed down significantly ...
Today I am running every 5 - 10 or 20K I can participate in.  I belong to a running club and I run 3-4 mornings a week 4-5 miles along the trail or to the beach and back ... I love it...

Exercise and nutrition are a plus and I love planning my daily fitness routine and my meals... 

Any regrets? None 
Do I love my RNY? Absolutely .. I love it and will take care of it and me as the tool that gave me a healthy new beginning. 
Would I have done anything differently? Yes. If I had the option or know as much as I do now about the DS thanks for awesome information gathered on here and links provided as well as research I would have certainly have a DS with no hesitation about it.

Before and after I remain me ... I walk side by side with my former fat self and I like to think that my deliverance is her release and her release is my deliverance.  When I look in the mirror I see me as well as the fat girl that still resides in me encouraging me to stay the course less I go back to 5 co-morbidities and impaired mobility.  We walk together as one ...my former fat self and I ... 

Except for life experiences that were at times challenging and difficult and sometimes downright painful (including but not limited to domestic violence with ex, rape, complete kidney shutdown, kidney transplant and amputations in current spouse, medical conditions of my children and a million and one life challenges and surprises) I had an awesome time in my former body totally loved by my husband of today and my children and peers and friends who all embraced and encouraged and still encourage me on my journey 

I can't believe this is my 5th Christmas since Weight Loss Surgery ... and I have tracked it all in my empowerment journal that I titled ... A picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away....

On this my 5th Christmas since WLS ... I am happy... I am loved ... and I embrace life/health and happiness for me and for all....

This morning I took pictures in the very WEIRD dress that my DD the prankster loves to give me as a dare ... to see if her otherwise crazy mom (me) would rock it .... and I did LOL ... Last night we celebrated 'NOCHE BUENA' (Christmas Eve) at home ... DH had just returned home from the hospital so we had friends over for the midnight supper as we celebrated El Niño Dios....

So I put on the goofy dress... CAN YOU BELIEVE I TURNED 54 two weeks ago? and I won the dare ... LOL I rocked it ... a crazy dress nonetheless ....
 

and I wore the AWESOME gift I got from my DH ... a lovely lovely Gray Coat by Donatella in a Size 0 ... can you imagine I used to be a size 4-5X and wondering why they were fitting tighter....
 
and of course I did a before and after collage for my empowerment digital journal a picture a day....keeps the pounds and the inches away .... I weigh in ... I fit in ... and I see it ... MAINTAINING FOR LIFE WITH NO REGAIN OVER MY GOAL WEIGHT... yet! I implemented lifestyle changes and will keep my before very present as I remain in my after ... for quality of life without co-morbidities or impaired mobility...
 
From my empowerment digital journal ... this is my 5th Xmas Post WLS and I tracked it all...

Christmas 2007 ... I lost all my weight by 7 months post op .. and at 10 months post op in Dec 2008 I looked like this...
 

For Xmas 2008... I sat at the workplace in awe at the lovely collection of gifts my co-workers gathered for me to bring to the outreach center where I volunteer... 
 
For Xmas 2009 I wore a Size 2 Laundry Dress to the Company's Xmas Party and rocked it with my DH
 

For Xmas 2010 I rocked a red backless dress made by me for me ... and I loved it... by then my DH had his forefoot amputation .. we did not cry we chose to cope thanking God for the miracle of not having the whole foot amputation and forever grateful that he is standing on both feet today ... despite prosthesis and a very slight limp ... WE ARE DANCING ON THE GOOD FOOT!
 

For Xmas 2011 I went to the Xmas party boldly sporting a fully sequined short red dress... another hoax I dare you to wear this gift from my DD on Mother's Day... I saved it for the occasion and rocked it...
 

and on Christmas EVE Morning I rocked my goofy dress ... then made myself comfy ..
 
and this morning I gave my furry babies their gifts..
 
Sat in my mess room where I do most of my painting with the busted wall in the background that I call my wall of pain because of its history ... I love to lie in my hammock or hang around with my ferrets as I enjoy quality time with my family... friends and loved ones even in cyberland here on OH.
 .
LOVE ... PEACE... GOODWILL TO ALL ... I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT LIKE CHARITY, LOVES STARTS WITHIN...

I am forever grateful for my awesome DH and DS and my beautiful DD who I took a picture with this morning... my beautiful daughter who a few months ago laid up with the most horrible lupus-like rash and CPKs in the 17,000 range and rising ... diagnosed with Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis and undergoing multiple biopsies and scans to rule out underlying cancerous conditions ... she is well in remission today ... OMG I am forever grateful ... TAKE ME FIRST LAWD PLEAAASE!!! not my loved ones...
 
and my beautiful ferrets ... 8 in all ... all beautiful and throughly loved by all of us....
 

I WILL NOT CURSE MY FIRE EVER ... THERE IS VICTORY IN THE VALLEY... OF PAIN, RIDICULE, CO MORBIDITIES.. LACK OF MOBILITY ..DOMESTIC VIOLENT ... I would love love love to think that between the cracks in the rough concrete ... a rose grew... it is all good ... I embrace it all ... in the name of DIVERSITY....

LOVE ... GOODWILL AND PEACE TO ALL ... THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE ...APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE IF I OFFEND ANYONE BY SHARING SNIPPETS OF MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY .... I CELEBRATE ... BECAUSE I CAME A LONG WAY ... WITH THE HELP OF MANY AS I HELPED MYSELF...

A picture a day ... from the highest weight to maintenance for LIFE today...
 
 
 
 

 Well I am calling it a hang forward because after partying until late last night at our company's Xmas party I got up bright and early and ran the Road Race and Toy Drive and immediately after went to the gym to get my old fart arse stretched and my abs worked on the Pilate's Reformer ... and instead of being tired I AM TOTALLY ENERGIZED.... go figure ... 
Considering the awesome time we had socializing, eating, sipping wine and dancing I still had energy for more ...and I could keep on going but I have to slow down .. tomorrow is Monday ... I need to crash and go to sleep ... but whoever can my body is still tingling from the run ..go figure .. I want to run some more ...

My DH was wondering why I was looking for his red tie ... until he got dressed and my DS snapped a shot of us on our way out ... errrrrrrrrr to match my dress? the one my DD gave me as a hoax Mother's Day thinking I would never wear it? but I did ... and you could of hung me right on the Xmas tree too LOL


Al and I walking in to Anthony's ...

We had an AWESOME time with our group of peers, co-workers and friends...


The food was awesome and so was the wine ... hmmmmmm I love that Chardonnay....


and in the semi darkness my crazy dress looked like a Xmas tree ornament LOL.. as well as my glass of wine...



On the way out we took pictures under the big Xmas tree ... this is me with my friend's DH

and this is me with my DH ... he had sooooooooooo much fun ...but then he has a sweet spirit and always does...


AND AFTER ALL THAT I WAS UP BRIGHT AND EARLY ... WORKED ON MY PROJECT FOR A BIT .. RAN A ROAD RACE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY OLD CARCASS WAS ON THE REFORMER (Pilate's) getting a complete workout ...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that felt sooooooooooo good...





THIS IS DEFINITELY HANGING FORWARD .... I HUNG OUT last night ... I did not get HUNG OVER ... and today I am HANGING FORWARD ... LOVING LIVING LIFE ... EATING HEALTHY AND EXERCISING ... IT IS ALL GOOD ..... 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY RNY ..it is the tool that I got 4 years and 10 months ago and I am working it for me ... should I need an upgrade or a do-over I will most definitely get the DS without hesitation. 

Thank you for allowing me to share snippets of my journey ... just a goofy old sista living out lifestyle changes one.day.at.a.time....

I always hold my before in remembrance to encourage my today ... life without co-morbidities or morbid obesity ...

 I guess we have to re-post because editing a thread it either hit or miss ... what a platform of confusion at times LOL....
I UPDATED MY THREAD TO ADD PICS I TOOK THIS MORNING AS I HAPPENED UPON A COUPLE OF DRESSES I MADE ONE BACK IN 2008 AT MY LOWEST WEIGHT AND ONE BACK IN 2010 A YEAR AND SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.... SO I GUESS I WILL RECOPY THE EDITED THREAD HERE...

And once again on the 5th day of the month like I have done for the past 4 years and 10 months today it is the monthly anniversary of my WLS.  I have been celebrating every.single.day since I was able to get up and move around without pain 3 months after my surgery date having had a major post op complication requiring a longer hospital stay, a longer recovery period and  a few interim re-hospitalizations ... once I stabilized  I picked my bed up and RAN with it...and today I am still running ... there is no stopping me now ... AND should anything ever out of my control backfire or goes bad I will get SWITCHED and keep it moving ... I am certainly not going back to the days of aches and pains and meds and shortness of breath...

 

On the eve of my 4 years 10 months post WLS ... I did the following:

 

1. Did Pilates Reformer on Saturday.

2. Ran a 10K early this morning... and I ran two 20Ks so far this year..

3. Came home and cleaned my furry kritters pens and cages and changed all their hammocks and replaced all toys with new toys..

4. Made an awesome pot of split pea soup with smoked turkey legs and carrots ...YUMMY

5. Drove up to Norwich with DH and friends for some Casino fun.

6. And of course I recorded it all in my digital journal ... a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches at bay...

 

Sweaty after running a 10K I hugged my guys ... hmmmmmmmmmmmm I love fur .. as long as it is alive and moving...

 

Caspar always heads for my neck ... up one arm around my neck and crawls down to repeat again and again ... I am holding Petunia and Sebastian... Caspar around my neck and down my arm...

 

and Maxwell and Petunia met me at the door...

 

I had a bowl of AWESOME DELICIOUS SPLIT PEA SOUP ... that I made myself from scratch as we hate soup in a can and we ALL enjoyed... with a slice of toasted wheat bread...

Then I undid my extensions down and redid my hairstyle and my DH snapped my pics right before we met up with friends to drive up to the sun for a quiet evening of Casino fun ... 

and because I am a picture AW I just had to strike a pose for the cameraman ... my DH

... I am surprised that today my arms are not puffy at all ... maybe my modified brachio is working almost 2 years after the fact? hmmmmmmm lets see ...or maybe the zumba toning work-out is doing wonders for my arms? who knows ... 

 

Its been a long way yet it is all still so new ... I am hoping for the best and whatever come I am prepared to tackle it ... I have options ...because  I intend to stay away from the things I do not miss...

 

No diabetes... in remission...

No hypertension...

No dyslipidemia...

No sleep apnea and no more CPAP

No more GERD

My joints are no longer achy and I can RUN RUN RUN RUN ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I could live my life just running ... 

No more shortness of breath on exertion

No more coughing on exertion

 

The best thing I ever did for ME .. Having Weight Loss Surgery on 2/5/07 and rocking it like it had just happened yesterday ...  TODAY IS ONCE AGAIN MY MONTHLY SURGIVERSARY AND I AM CELEBRATING ME SHAMELESSLY ... and I certainly do not miss the 203 total pounds I shed from beginning to maintenance ... and I CANT WAIT FOR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW TO CELEBRATE 5 YEARS ON THE JOURNEY FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR LIFE .. IT IS MY LIFE AND I AM LIVING IT!!!

I love the look and the feel and the lifestyle of health/wellness and exercise .. LOVE IT! because there is a great difference between before and after/now ... I have HEALTH AND MOBITLITY and to me it is all that matters....

 

 

 
I rocked outfits and dresses most of which I made .. some I bought .. others were gifts and some I purchased at my favorite spot in the whole wide world and the best thing about it is that 75% of all those clothes I have passed it on to friends right here on the journey ... Each year I kept a few pieces though ... like these two dresses that I made myself and I wore one in 2008 before my panniculectomy and modified brachioplasty and this morning I put that dress on and had my DH take a pic prior to coming to work ... I compared it with the picture in the same dress that I saved in my empowerment journal... a picture a day keeps the pounds away ... and YAYYYYYYYYY I am maintaining seamlessly ... lifestyle changes do pay off ... who would a thunk I am running just as well as I did on the track team back in school ... and in a couple weeks I have another big b-day coming up ... woot!

At my lowest weight post WLS in 2008 prior to panniculectomy and brachioplasty and the last picture is me wearing the same dress this morning today 2/5/2011...


This dress I wore in 2010 and again this morning I tried it on for same fit a year and several months after ... A picture a day ... and not buying bigger clothes but remaining in maintenance mode ... my choice ... it feels good ... and it makes me happy!




I am just a goofy old fool having fun on the journey of life ... I laugh, I cry, I am in control of my emotions and my intake ... only regret ... I should have done it sooner ... and if I had to do it again ... I would definitely go for a DS ... but I have my RNY and I am determined to love it and have it work for me .. in partnership with health/wellness and exercise choices it is doing just what I want it to do...

This morning before going to work I rocked these two dresses I found in my closet that I wore in 2008 and in 2008 ... they fit just like they did then... I guess I had time on my hands cause I ran a 10K yesterday so I did not run this morning but I got up early anyway ... and I went to bed late too because I was wired ... still am ... that run was the most invigorating ever although the terrain had one too many hills LOL...


THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE

 

   ... or how many do you get during the day?  I START MY DAY WITH 12 KISSES ... EVERY SINGLE DAY....

A kiss from my hubby, a kiss from my son, a kiss from my daughter, a kiss from each one of my 8 ferrets, and a kiss I blow in the mirror from me to me ... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

12 KISSES AT THE START OF THE DAY ... I JUST LOVE IT!!!

BTW ... I am too variable and I have to move hair ....and long hair sells... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY .... check a dufus sista out...

I left home to work barely pulled together looking like this ... 

I scooped my curly look up and tied it in a ribbon in a pony tail because I had no time to fart around after being up until 1 a.m. farting around... 



Loving a kiss from my feisty ferret Finiganbeau...



NOW I AM GOING TO ENJOY TONS OF KISSES I AM GOING TO GET DURING THE DAY ... 

WHAT A WAY TO START OR SPEND OR END THE DAY ...

KISSES .. THEY GO A LONG LONG LONG WAY..... oppppppsss just got one .. a hello kiss from a friend ... WOOT WOOT ...

HAVE A LOVELY DAY EVERYBODY ... THERE ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY AWESOME BLESSINGS IN EVERY LITTLE THING THROUGHOUT THE DAY ... IT CAN'T BE ALL GOOD AND IT CAN'T BE ALL BAD ... but if we pick out the little things that make us happy ... little by little we will see the bigger picture of how fortunate we all are ... we are alive today ... 

Two days ago my children lost their first cousin SUDDENLY ... just a few years older than my DD ... probably a stroke or an aneurysm we do not know for sure ...we do know though that this is the 5th of their FIRST cousins who have died SUDDENLY because of brain aneurysm BEFORE 40 .. late 20s and early 30s ... and their grandpa died at the age of 37 .. all on their biological dad's side.. I am encouraging them to keep themselves checked and I am as vigilant as a hawk and I am sure they think I am a pain in the arse mom at times...well they tell me I am most of the times anyway..

WISHING YOU ALL KISSES AND A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!

It has been a long long way 4 years 9 months post WLS ... living happily one.day.at.a.time


and I counted all my kisses ... before.. after..during..and in between ... now this is one goofy post with no purpose other than to encourage myself and maybe someone else .. thanks for allowing me to share...

I will NEVER EVER FORGET ME ... because I am ME before..during..after... and I am making it last ... if all else fails .. at least I know I have options ... 


BE ENCOURAGED ... LIFE IS NOT EASY ... BUT IT IS CERTAINLY WORTH LIVING!!!

R.I.P. T.H.
 

 AN AWESOME CONSIGNMENT STORE .... OR QUALITY THRIFT SHOPPING ... you just can't go bad ... of course I treat myself to awesome new stuff too ... but when the economy is shifty and mindful spending is the budget of the day ... and sizes are shifting as we lose the weight .. who is to complain by saving a few $$$$$$$$$$$
Soooooooooooooo today ... on my way to purchase more yarn for my project where we are knitting hats and scarves for the homeless, I just could not drive past my favorite spot without peeking in...

And with ONLY $33 dollars ...check what and what I got....

No words ... check the tag ... check the tag...check the tag ...



and this is me wearing it...WOOT a BCBG dress tags still on I guess the original buyer did not want it and decided to consign it so I could just scoop it up!...



and another view...


AND FOR IT I ONLY PAID DING DING DING $18.50 YES eighteen dollars and fifty cents ... YAYYYYY SCORE!

and the I heard this number calling my name on an adjacent rack ... a two piece corduroy type skirt and top ... and I checked it out... it had this tag ... for $14.50




WOOT ... and I added it to my treasure and I NEVER TRY ANYTHING ON ... if it does not fit I PASS IT ON ... AND IT FIT! WINNER...


SO I made my before and after collage ... with only $33 dollars .... 4 years 9 months and maintaining seamlessly ...




on Friday I took my still bruised arse from my fall to work ...patch and redid my broken nail myself in a nail wrap...


and right now I am crashing in the den ... with my knifty knitter and yarn on sale for $4.99 a pound at A.C. Moore which is what my business was this morning after Zumba at WOW .... but but but I went right by Consignment Originals in Orange CT and I HAD TO STOP ... that's my playpen and my only consignment store ever visited in the whole wide world ...

K, spending the night making hats and scarves for the homeless ... from now till Xmas week we have a task at hand.... this is awesome fun ... we did this a couple years ago and with the cold winter coming up we are doing it again...


the journey is as AWESOME as LIFE is awesome ... it is only a matter of embracing joy and making it happen to me! 

I CAME A LONG WAY ... FROM BEFORE TO AFTER AND MAINTAINING ONE DAY AT A TIME...


 

  Yup ... even for something as trivial as a costume I could not pick what I wanted for sure ... so I did the next best thing ....I chose two faves and had my DH snap my pics in them... then I texted my beautiful sista Finigan (who needs to get off the sewing machine and post something already (lol)  or allow me to share the ALL PRO COSTUME SHE MADE FOR LILY OMG WAIT TILL YOU SEE IT)...
So I texted Fini pics in both my costumes and had her help me pick because at first I was going to be Catwoman and then I wanted to be a cougar instead because at the first meet and greet in NY I had with some OH friends I went with my son and everyone thought he was my young boyfriend and I was a cougar robbing the craddle LOL that was funny and Heather and I reminissed about it at this conference ...

Anyhow both Fini and Hal and my Al liked the catwoman suit but when I tried the cougar and texted the pictures over we all liked the cougar best so that game me more confidence to wear the so over the top cougar costume on my old arse LOL and I had sooooooooo much fun with it....

These were my choices ...

Catwoman Martita



and I glad I chose the Cougar instead because I would have been in for some FIERCE competition with the AWESOME Catwoman sista who I met at the conference and can't remember her username...



So I decided on the cougar and my wear it again on Halloween night and the Catwoman did not go to waste ... I gave it to Marcia (MSW will not Settle) and she, like me, was having a boxing lesson not getting phobic under the one piece mask/hat/glasses ... I wanted to rib it off my face the minute I put it on LOL .... but Marcia had a plan ... that sista MADE a corset in zebra print and had a mane made in black and white yarn going down the back of it and she made hooves too as well as her headpiece with ears and worked up with black and white yarn too with an awesome zebra effect ...

We had tons of fun with it too...


Oh and check my nails out...I went totally cougar... I snapped a pic of my nails with my cell phone on the drive down and texted it to Fini LOL ... I was being totally goofy...


SO DID WE PICK RIGHT?CATWOMAN OR COUGAR? lol

Are you kidding me? after this AWESOME meet and greet and costume party... the excellent spread... the goodies added to our bags ,, the clothing exchange... the AWESOME speakers and EQUALLY AWESOME members and the list goes on and on and on ,,, if you are in the area or close enough DON'T MISS IT!!! WOW ... I HAD AWESOME FUN!!!!! 

CAN YOU IMAGINE? My OH friend Marcia (MSW will not Settle) and I drove to Long Island from Connecticut in 1 hour and 45 minute making excellent time ... we left a bit after mid day as Marcia had to have her chemo treatment for her MS and she was already here the day before having plasmapheresis ... so together we drove and TOGETHER WE ARE POSTING THIS.. Marcia took most of the pictures with my camera .. (disclaimer: I am not disclosing ANYTHING that Marcia is not telling me to write)... we made in a bit after check in and we settled ourselves ... we missed the last speech but we were able to register and I dropped off a suitcase of gowns/dresses and suits at the awesome clothing exchange.  Marcia got an awesome pair of silver sandals (heels) to wear to the closing tomorrow night ,,,they fit her like gloves....

Rested and refreshed we proceeded to don our costumes to go to the meet and greet that started at 7 pm where we met AWESOME PEEPS THAT WE HAVE MET ON HERE.....

Of course I, THE COUGAR and Marcia the Zebra snapped a few pics in our hotel room before meandering downstairs ....


We even sharpened our claws...


and we went downstairs and had nothing but tons of fun with the most awesome and friendly peeps all decked out in their costumes at the tables... others not in costume had equal amount of fun in this all inclusive event...

A few of TONS of pics taken...


Maria and I


Beautiful OH Sistas ..


Heather and her handsome fiance


Mr. & Mrs. Father Don


Mr. & Mrs. MM



Beautiful OH Sistas and AWESOME OH members and others having the best time...



I met this AWESOME sista who speaks FLUENT Spanish and we exchanged the most pleasant conversation



We took pics with OH sista username Hope and her son...


 Erin, Marcia and I


Beautiful Yvonne McCarthy and I


MaryEllen and I


There were sooooooooooo many awesome BEAUTIFUL sistas like this tiny beauty telling me how good I look... I told her how much more AWESOME she looks and she did too...

OMG OMG OMG WHO WOULDA THUNK? THERE WAS A COSTUME CONTEST .. THERE WERE THREE CATEGORIES AND OMG A COUPLE SISTAS SUGGESTED I COMPETE IN THE MOST SEXY CATEGORY TEE HEEE HEEEE MY OLD FART ARSE IS PUSHING 54 AND HERE I GO ... LIKE A COUGAR lol...

AND guess what???? Nope I did not win but better yet .... there was the line up... then five finalists were picked and guess what? surprise surprise I was one of them



my old fart arse was one of the five finalists LOL ... I was tickled pink ... and was not even bashful when we did the cat walk at the rhythm of applause ... so I grabbed my cougar tail and I sashayed




I even added a little shake of the tail ... LOL

and I clapped and rooted for the other finalists they were all awesome and beautiful everyone shone...and the beautiful sista dressed like a sailor won... there goes the beautiful winner in the center and I forgot her name ...


I am adding on to this thread as I go ... there are so many pics... I can't imaging being in the Fashion Show ... I did not plan on it .. .and encouraged by Fini and Yvonne and others I got to get in at the very last minute around 2 pm on Saturday when I went up to my room and pm'd my before and afters LOL ... and went fishing into my suitcase for the little black dress I bought for the dance afterwards ... and it worked ... here I go on the OH runway ... it was awesome and inspiring to see my before and afters on the big screen ...



Oh and I had soooooooooooooo much fun .. doing this ... at my age? AWESOME FEELING ...  an old fart on the OH runway LOL 



I shared this on my group Share-it! this morning... there are tons of pictures and too many to share ... so click on the link and if I have a picture that you want let me know...
 TOO MANY PICTURES TO PASTE ... IF YOU SEE A PIC OF YOU IF YOU LIKE YOU CAN COPY OR PM ME TO SHARE IT ...   THIS IS A SLIDESHOW WITH TONS OF CONFERENC PICTURES THAT I DID IN PHOTOBUCKET ... CLICK ON THE THUMBNAIL... IT SHOULD WORK ... THERE ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...




CLICK HERE...for direct link 
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh286/martitalinda/OH%20CONFERENCE%20OCTOBER%202011%20NY-%20LONG%20ISLAND/OH%20CONFERENCE%20OCTOBER%202011/?action=view¤t=f6f27e3a.pbw


Our SI sista BrownGathers (made her own belt and throw)


BrownGathers at the fashion show...


Awesome LIPO leaders..











 

He loves me to death ... he slurps my face and my hand and gives me the bestest kisses ... I love him ... wish I could  have him or one like him ...

loving his mohawk haircut too...

OHHHHHHHHH I sooooooooo want a doggie ... NOW... isn't he tooooo cute?
but I can't have him ... not with 8 little weasels ... one looking more like an otter each day ... I have my 8 beautiful ferrets and ankle nippers so I have a handful... and then some ... they are all house and potty trained so they are free to roam ... and get into tons of trouble.... 

Like being wayyyyyyyyy too quiet for too long ... I fell asleep in my hammock and heard someone hissing at me.  I thought for a minute I was back home walking down Avenida Central and was getting a few wolf whistles here and there LOL ... I jumped up in a daze and heard the pppppppssstttttttt pssssssssstttttttttt psssssssssst hissing again ... it was my 'lil guy Finibeau who got into the empty Cuisinart box and could not figure out how to come out....



He tried again and then 2 heads popped up...his and my albino ferret Caspar...


then another one ... my shy and sly ferret Slinky...


OMG I OPENED THE BOX AND THERE THEY ALL WERE ... MY PANDORA BOX FILLED WITH FERRETS .... MY LOVEY DUVEY 6 BOYS AND 2 GIRLS... 

Can you tell they are spoiled?


Because they are! as they are mine LOL...


Before and after I ALWAYS LOVED MY PETS!!!!


AND I ALWAYS LOVED ME!!!! LOVE, LIKE CHARITY STARTS AT HOME .... that does not mean that sometimes I did not 'like' me ... but the good thing about that is that with love, forgiveness and acceptance there are grounds for improvement ... one day at a time...

Today I am embracing Joy and make it happen to me ... because as my friend wrote to me once ... ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....

4 YEARS 8 MONTHS POST RNY GASTRIC BYPASS MAINTAINING SEAMLESSLY...
NO MORE GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX
NO MORE CPAP FOR SLEEP APNEA
NO MORE HYPERTENSION
NO MORE DIABETES
NO MORE DYSLIPIDEMIA

NO REGRETS AND LIVING EACH AND EVERY DAY TO THE FULLEST ... Hope to meet some of you and meet some again at the OH Conference in Long Island....

  Yikes .... one chore I hate... putting the lighter happier colored and patterned stuff away and bringing out the warmer/bulkier stuff in prep for fall/winter ... see if I were not that rushed in the A.M. I would not commute the clothes from my attic closet to downstairs for ease of access ... now I have to pack all this shiat or at least half of it cause I am certain to give away the other half and tote it up the stairs back to that attic closed and hang them then repeating the same process from upstairs to downstairs with the heavier/darker stuff... I am going to look for colorful winter/fall fabrics or garments ... I need color...
On a good day I can bribe my son the bum to do it for me ... but depending on his mood he may do an excellent job or a half arsed one ... who knows what foot he will get up on .. .the right or the left LOL ... BTW HE IS HAVING A B-DAY TODAY ... MY AWESOME DUFUS DS ... MAKING A MOMMA FEEL REALLY REALLY OLD lol ...

So we had a few warm days over the weekend preceded by colder raining days ... yesterday and today were just nice days ... just loving it ... not too hot not too cold ... just right and not humid...

I bought Dufus DH home from the hospital ... he will be seen outpatient why they fart around with his medication schedule/diet and such to figure out what/where the problems lies ... he has been through this before...

And I have been quite negligent in my journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away....

So this is me today ... AN OLD FART WITH AN ADULT SON WHO IS HAVING A B-DAY TODAY.. AND A DH DISCHARGED TO HOME THIS MORNING WOOT WOOT CELEBRATION TIME.... I really could go upside both their dufus heads ... 

Rocking my size 0-2 and loving it!!! To think I came to America a young adult weighting 98 pounds wet and wearing a size 5-6 then... so I guess that weighing more now at 120.4 this morning and in a sizing less than back then the sizing has changed indeed ... who cares? as long as I am healthy it is just a number ... after all my butt is big enough for me never to be thin ... my curse LOL

This is me and a pic of my tag ... oh the other day I farted around with highlights ... first time around I did not like so I rinsed it dark ... then tried again a couple weeks after ... now I am wanting my extensions ... yup ... I am old ... goofy and variable ... meet me in my happy place please... LOL


And this is my outfit.... off to work today on my son's b-day....YIKES I AM OLD!!! but feeling YOUNG and HEALTHY AND LOOKING IT TOO!!!



This was me on Friday ... when all HELL broke loose and had that rush of a scare with AL...


This was last week... it was rainy and damp... 


This is what I weighed on Saturday ...119.6 ... and I need a pedicure... not thinking about it over the weekend .. Candice is going to do a polish change for me she says ...



and after beefing up the protein for a bit ... nope I did not lose my appetite over Al this time... been there done that ... HE NEEDS TO LEARN HIS BODY SIGNALS .... I made and enjoyed protein ice cream in a bag on Saturday and Sunday...eeeeeeeekkkkkkk I look like a big head clown LOL...

and this is what I weighed this morning 120.4  My weight keeps hovering between those two number ... I would love to get back to my maintenance weight of 123-127 pounds which is ideal but I look no different and my clothes fit no different at this weight... only my clavicle protrudes more and my ribs ... my arse is as big as ever and I am convinced it is genetically placed and will never go away as much as I want it to....


Just sharing my journal entries in my digital journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away ... Oh and as my DH loves to take candid pictures and gets the most unseemly ones of me ... this is a comparison... I will never forget where I came from ... I don't want to...


Thank you for allowing me to share!!!!!

 In the face of adversity that is ... ... a kick arse attitude and a mindset to give it my best shot ... 
My DD and I .. tag teaming it for life ... me 4.5 years post RNY and mindful of my intake/output/labs/physicals and overall health and mobility and her mindful of diet and exercise and lifetime follow-up of her recent diagnosed condition ... Me with 5 co-morbidities in remission ... Her battling a recent diagnosis of dermatomyositis now in remission ...

We both have before and afters ... she was the one who encouraged me on my pursuit of WLS the day she took a bad fall over 4.5 years ago and I could not make it up the stairs to assist her my mobility impaired ... 

This is our yesterday... ME and my DAUGHTER ....


This is our NOW...



This is me today ... wearing the same outfit I wore over a year ago and had to take in twice since..

This is the same picture taken in May of 2010 and uploaded on that day in my OH photo section here....


and I tracked it all in a digital journal ... A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES  AWAY ... a tool that works for me .. because after ALL .. I CHOOSE NOT TO FORGET WHERE I CAME FROM ... that fat woman is very much me .. her deliverance is my release and my release is her deliverance ... I refuse to forget me ..I loved me then and I love me now .. but I BETTER LOVE HEALTH AND MOBILITY ... the very same things that my co-morbidities and girth impaired in my before ... I will not return to that state if I can help it ... the things that are in my control I will control ... the things that are out of my control I will address medically or in whatever best way there is and keep it moving ...

I embrace joy each and every day in spite of all hell breaking loose around me ... nobody told me that life was going to be easy ... but I have an mindset and a kick arse attitude today ... in the face of adversity I WILL GIVE IT MY BEST SHOT .... 

THIS IS MY JOURNAL ENTRY THIS WEEK...


My DHs foot was acting up this weekend and he was experiencing pain ... so while my DD celebrated her B-day in the Big Apple we stayed home and spent quality time with ourselves ...our 8 ferrets and me with my pallet..my brushes..my canvas and my sketch pad ... I had tons of fun finishing up paintings for my OH friends on my group Share-it! Living Pretty .. opened to all .. Link in my Siggy Line....

These are some of my weekend paintings packed and ready to ship (no costs nor strings attached ever)







Fashion sketches using Charcoal and Graphite....


...



I love love love making things ... painting and sewing and sketching are my most favorite hobbies of ALWAYS ... I have been painting/sketching since the age of 3-4 and I love love love to sketch/paint or draw people ... I have done pretty well with some animals and landscapes too but not my strength....

When I think about it and run through my checklist..
Improved Mobility 100% CHECK!
Diabetes in remission CHECK!
NO MORE GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX CHECK CHECK CHECK! Goodbye Nexium...
No HYPERTENSION CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!
No Dyslipidemia CHECK!
No more SLEEP APNEA...CHECK! CHECK CHECK!!! Good bye C-Pap...
NO Shortness of Breath CHECK!

I AM MORE DETERMINED NOT TO FORGET EVER! I HAVE FUN .. I HAVE MOBILITY .. I ENJOY MY 4 AM MORNING RUN WHICH BTW I RAN 12 MILES MONDAY MORNING PUMPING IT UP 7 MORE MILES FROM MY REGULAR 5 MILES AND CAME IN TO WORK INVIGORATED ... YUP!!! I AM LOVING IT!!!


Thanks for allowing me to share snippets from my journey.  

 ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....


 

 SHOULD YOU FIND ME IN THE HAPPY PLACE...... LEAVE ME BE!!!!
Forty years from now I will be 93 years old ... yes mam NINETY-THREE and with my genealogy I may very well live to 100.

My call is a call for MERCY... YES YOU!!! I ask for MERCY from the compassionate you ...the caring NIGHTINGALE... the you WHO NURSE BY VOCATION AND CALLING and NOT for the capitalistic need of a pay check .... the care giver YOU whether you are a nurse or not to take your NOSE out of the TEXTBOOK and show me some true KINDNESS AND COMPASSION AND HUMAN UNDERSTANDING SHOULD YOU MEET ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE....

MY HAPPY PLACE .... that place where I may well want to revert to in the late winter of my life where my rheumy eyes may very well be dim ... where those who I have known and shared well lived moments and experiences may very well be in my same predicament or may have crossed over before me .... where my sphincters have become too flaccid for me to control ... where my knobby knees and fingers tell the tale of years gone by... where my life savings and benefits are contributing to your pay ... I BEG YOU PLEASE ... LEAVE ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE....

WHEN I WALK DOWN THE CORRIDOR WITH MY ASSISTIVE DEVICE WITH ONE OF YOU GUIDING THE WAY IN THE FRONT AND ANOTHER HOLDING UP THE BACK ... WITH MY WRINKLED OLD ARSE STILL STANDING IN MY HIGH HEELED SLIPPERS AND DESIGNERS DEPENDS ... WHEN MY LIP LINER IS DRAWN WAYYYYYYYYYYYY ABOVE AND WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY BELOW MY LIP LINE BECAUSE IT IS THE STRAIGHTEST LINE MY SHAKY HANDS COULD DRAW ... AND MY RED LIPSTICK AND GLOSS IS PAINTED BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE LINE ... YOU MY COMPASSIONATE CARE GIVER ... TELL ME I AM BEAUTIFUL AND LEAVE ME IN THAT HAPPY PLACE...

YES YOU!!!! For I fully intend to be that sassy Nani a go-go sashaying down the corridor in high heels an designer depends AND DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THEY ARE NOT MY VICTORIA SECRETS THONGS OF YESTER-YEAR..and when you ask my name and I TELL YOU my name is CLEOPATRA JONES ... JUST LET ME BE!!! TAKE YOUR DAMNED NOSE OUT OF THE TEXTBOOK FOR A MINUTE ... I DO NOT NEED YOU TO ORIENT ME IN PERSON ... I AM IN MY HAPPY PLACE ... because I am remembering the last movie I watched with my grandpa when he held my hand and told me as I sat beside him ... a radical teen with my hair in a high AFRO defiant of my mom's orders .... grandpa told me ... look at you ... you dress and you look like my very own CLEOPATRA JONES ... SO LEAVE ME THERE ... FOR A MOMENT I AM HAPPY IN MY HAPPY PLACE ... LEAVE ME THERE WHERE I AM SECURE WITH GRAMPS HOLDING MY HANDS ... LEAVE ME BE... DON'T BRING ME BACK TO THE DRAB CORRIDORS WITH SENIORS IN WHEELCHAIRS ... DO NOT REMIND ME THAT YOU HAVE TO FEED ME AND CLEAN ME ... DO NOT REMIND ME THAT I AM NOT ABLE TO HOUSE AND CARE FOR MYSELF AND AM DEPENDENT UPON YOU ... FOR A MINUTE ... HAVE MERCY ... LEAVE ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE ...IT IS WHERE IN THIS MOMENT I WANT TO BE ... YES ... MY NAME IS CLEOPATRA JONES AND I AM ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS ... GET YOUR NOSE OUT OF THE TEXTBOOK ... FOR A MOMENT....

and and and ... IF MY MIND SHIFTS AGAIN .... ANOTHER DAY ... and you meet me while I am stuck in another piece of space in time while I brighten up the corridor with my done up hair and multi wrinkled face in my high heels and my designer depends while you sit me in a recliner and restrain me because you know good and well I am a flight risk and FULLY intend to be ...I AM A FREE SPIRIT YOUNG AND OLD YOU MAY RESTRAIN MY BODY BUT YOU CANNOT RESTRAIN THE INNER ME...

AND AND AND IF I ask you to bring me a chilled Merlot or maybe a Chardonnay because the girls are coming ova to chill by the deck by the pool ... take you f'ing head out of the textbook I SAY! Have some mercy and HUMOR ME ... because I AM IN MY HAPPY PLACE ... DO NOT ORIENT ME IN PLACE ... DON'T YOU KNOW IT? I DO NOT WANT TO BE HERE ... IN THIS DRAB PLACE THAT REMINDS ME OF THE APPROACHING GRAVE WHERE I INTEND TO REST ONE DAY AND BE OUT OF YOUR HAIR ... BUT FOR NOW... MEET ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE .... Ohhhhhh I KNOW it is your job to keep me oriented in person, place and time ... I read the textbooks too and took all the boards ... BUT TODAY ... RIGHT NOW ... IN THE LATE WINTER OF MY LIFE ... HAVE MERCY LAWD AND SEND ME A NIGHTINGALE or that compassionate person WHO WILL MEET ME IN THE HAPPY PLACE ...

When I ask for the chilled Merlot for my friends are coming ova to meet me at the deck by the pool SEND ME THAT COMPASSIONATE NURSE WHO WILL POUR ME A DRINK OF GRAPE JUICE AND TELL ME THAT MY MERLOT IS SERVED ..... and when I ask for the Chardonnay, send me that compassionate care giver who will serve me a glass of apple juice and ask me whether I want it chilled or on the rocks and tell me Chardonnay as you wish my dear .... BECAUSE I AM IN MY HAPPY PLACE .... 

OHHHHHHHHHHH how many times we walk through life with these textbook instructions never ever wanting to bend the rules .... when I am old ... and I am senile and I am crapping myself in my designer depends thinking they are my cute red VS thongs and strutting my wobbly body around in my high heeled shoes ... DON'T YOU TELL ME I AM NOT CLEOPATRA JONES ... BRING ME SOME GRAPE JUICE SERVED AS MERLOT ... AND MEET ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE....

AND SAVE THIS SHIT FOR THAT DAY ... QUOTE IT AS I WROTE IT ... FOR WHEN I CAN'T TYPE NOR SEEM TO REMEMBER ... AND IF SOMEBODY APPROACHES YOU AND TELLS YOU MARTITA'S MIND IS TRAVELING AND SHE IS DISORIENTED IN PERSON BECAUSE SHE BELIEVES HER NAME IS CLEOPATRA JONES ... YOU TELL THEM TO SHUT THE F UP AND GET THEIR NOSES OUTTA THE TEXT BOOK ... TELL THEM THAT FINE SISTA MARTITA IS A-OKAY ... BECAUSE SHE MET UP WITH HER GRANDPA IN HER HAPPY PLACE.....

HAVE MERCY SOMEBODY!!! MEET ME IN MY HAPPY PLACE ....

Post triggered by that senior I saw on yesterday and that nurse who told me the story of how she met her patient in her HAPPY PLACE ...  

Journal entries... my digital journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away .... saving it for my late winter years to ... another one of my happy places....




 

 WITH ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY COMING UP SOON ... AND ANOTHER REAFFIRMATION FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF TOGETHERNESS...

  I kept a few duds each year ..... and gave away the rest.... at my lowest weight post WLS at 110-111 pounds where my head was looking like a lollipop and I was beginning to wonder when would it stop ... I had not had my panni nor my brachioplasty yet ... I wore this dress that I put on again today 3 years after wearing it last to make sure it fit and to see the difference today ....  My arms are still swelling and puffy at end of the day ... it going on to 2 years post modified brachioplasty and I still have these issues ... I am scheduled for a revision and corrective surgery ... yet I keep putting it off ...  
This is me in June of 2008 at my lowest weight post WLS  and me today wearing the very same dress and weighing in at 120 pounds this morning.. ... 



While I was at it I remembered by most awesome collage ... the one of me and my DH taken 22 years ago when he married me, a fat bride,  and vowed to love me and my two children from my prior marriage... he is my soul mate ... In 2008 we re-affirmed/renewed our vows on our anniversary date and a month prior to my panniculectomy .... and I made my before and after bride collage ....


I left the house having made my vow renewal gown the night before woot woot and I made my own silk bouquet... and walk out my front door... without holding on to the rails on the stairs from the living room to the outer door... 

and we took a picture beside our pool ... together for as long as we both shall live was the vow we took ... this picture was taken in August of 2008 .. 18 months post WLS...

and this is me sitting by the same old pool on Saturday 7/28/2011 4 1/2 years post WLS with DH taking my pictures... 

 Maintaining for life with health and mobility ,,,. standing like a steel magnolia no matter how strong the winds blown my way/our way .... I can breath, I can run a marathon, I can swim in a triathlon ,,, ohhhhh my knees are no longer shot with DJD caused by my morbid obesity ... 5 co-morbidities are in remission ... and I have the strength of a gazelle in my achilles tendon .... and what it more I EMBRACE JOY AND MAKE IT HAPPEN TO ME .... hey ... ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE AROUND ME .... BUT I STILL EMBRACE JOY OVER MISERY ... I AM MORE THAN A SURVIVOR... I AM AN OVERCOMMER...  AND LIKE THE WINE ... THE OLDER THE BETTER ...cause this old lady is feeling ohhhh soooooooo good!!!!

My DD ... a steel magnolia herself is holding strong .... and coming along one day at a time she will again rise to her full physical potential ... she is surrounded with love and care and an excellent medical team ... this is my mini-me sporting true-blood tarte and lip gloss....

She is feeling better ... this is her feeding our dwarf ferret Chiquitita a treat...ohhhh I AM SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY .... THIS TOO SHALL PASS MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER.....



OHHHHHHHHHH THE LYRICS OF MARY MARY'S SONG ARE RINGING IN MY EARS STRONG TODAY...

"Can't Give Up Now" (Mary Mary)

There will be mountains that I will have to climb
And there will be battles that I will have to fight
But victory or defeat, it's up to me to decide
But how can I expect to win If I never try.

I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

Never said there wouldn't be trials
Never said I wouldn't fall
Never said that everything would go the way I want it to go
But when my back is against the wall
And i feel all hope is gone, 
I'll just lift my head up to the sky
And say help me to be strong

I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

[Hook:]
No you didn't bring me out here to leave me lonely
Even when I can't see clearly
I know that you are with me(so I can't)

I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me 

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE ... AND PLEASE EXCUSE THE PICTURE SHARE ... YOU SEE .. I HAVE TRACKED IT ALL ... IN MY DIGITAL JOURNAL A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AWAY .... IT WORKS FOR ME... 

THIS IS MY JOURNAL ENTRY TODAY... ohhhh IT IS TOOOOOOOO HOT FOR EXTENSIONS SO I AM BACK TO MY OWN CROPPED MANE...




 

  Yesterday I got thrown for a loop by an email sent to me by my beautiful daughter .. an otherwise very healthy athletic young woman recently diagnosed with dermatomyositis ... 
I freaked out when I got the email ... sent to me right after I left home for work yesterday ... my journal entry looked like this .. on yesterday morning...

DD JUST EMAILED ME THIS ... IT MADE MECRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY............ I NEED THE WAMBULANCE!!!!!!! she sent me the following e-mail with the picture of us attached ... a picture we had taken about a year ago .... or was it that long? I can't even remember ... the two of us ... right after her giving a zumba class ... and her subject line struck me ... hard ... when she says Oh How The Mighty Have fallen....and she attaches our year old picture.... oh my heart ached for her ... so strong and healthy and always joyous and still is today dealing with her diagnosis and treatment for dermatomyositis....

From: Candice XXXX 
To: "XXXXitalinda@XXX.com" 
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 8:28 AM
Subject: Oh How the Mighty Have fallen...

This was just a year ago....   

  

but but but but.... I TURNED THAT FEELING OF ACHE AND SADNESS AROUND REAL QUICK .... just yesterday she went to physical therapy and she posted on Facebook that "FEEL MY MUSCLES WAKING UP" .... YAYYYYYYYYYYY .....so I don't need the wambulance now ...OHHHHHHH SHE SAYS HER MUSCLES ARE WAKING UP!!! SHE CAN NOW FEEL THEM!!! OH  I AM NOT STRESSED ... I AM BLESSED .... SHE IS FEELING HER MUSCLES AGAIN.... SHE GOT INTO THE BATHROOM ALONE AGAIN.... THIS MORNING SHE GOT DRESSED MOSTLY BY HERSELF AGAIN .... SHE GOT UP FROM THE TOILET ALONE WITHOUT ASSISTANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS MORNING ... SHE WAS ABLE TO GET UP OUT OF BED ALONE THIS MORNING WITHOUT ASSISTANCE ...

YAYYYYYYYYYYY I DON'T NEED THE WAMBULANCE I AM SHOUTING AND PRAISING AND CELEBRATING... MY DAUGHTER IS MOVING ON HER OWN A LITTLE BIT MORE EACH AND EVERY DAY AGAIN .... I AM NOT STRESSED... I AM BLESSED!

I AM NOT STRESSED ...I AM BLESSED!
I AM NOT STRESSED... I AM BLESSED!

F@#@ THE WAMBULANCE ... I AM TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED WITH THE DEVIL'S MESS!!!!! 

MY DAUGHTER IS MOVING AGAIN!!!!

AND I REPLIED TO HER SAYING ... DON'T WORRY BABY ... YOU ARE NOT FALLEN!!!! YOU ARE MIGHTY STILL INDEED ... YOU WILL GET THERE AGAIN SOON ... IN THE INTERIM OCCUPY ... YOU ARE BLESSED!!!!

Her muscles are impaired by this disease of sudden onset ...  that I have been having to assist her in all her ADLs including her not being able to stand from a sitting position, raise her arms or flex/extend hands wrists without great challenges ... but she is doing it on her own again now ... little by little ... with love. care. and tons of TLC from family and friends .... she is getting back up on her own AGAIN ... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I AM SOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY I CELEBRATE!!!

As I celebrate my health and my mobility each and every day .... my husband is back in a cast with Charcot foot on one extremity and I am able to assist both DD and DH with help of my son and myself ... I would have been hard pressed to do that 4 years and 5 months ago with my mobility impaired by morbid obesity and 5 related co-morbidities ALL IN REMISSION TODAY...

My before and after ... the same woman in a smaller frame ... 

This is my journal entry in my empowerment journal a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches at away.....

I wore this yesterday afternoon ... sitting on my deck enjoying quality time with my family and my ferrets...

Over the weekend I stayed in ... the house was clean ... the laundry done ... We canceled our event where we were going out with our group of friends in our club Oldies Keeping the Flame Going ... DH foot was hurting and he was recently casted so we decided to say in...

I amused myself in our huge old house ... I spent quality time with my family,,, with my sewing machine ... with my ferrets an with my paintbrushes and my canvas ...

I painted a few canvases to send out to my OH friends .... and shared on my OH group Share-it! opened to all .... no sales pitch here ..my talent is a gift and thusly treated ... no prices or strings attached to it ever...

Iris at her Steampunk event...

Alapaula and her horse ...

I also did sketches during the week ... here is one of our beautiful OH sista Natonna..


My circumstances do not dictate my outcome... I am destined to be joyous and I am destined to be free ... I embrace joy and make it happen to me each and every day ... Joy is not a feeling and is not based on happy or sad... it is not based on material things ... and is not predicated upon the words of men .. as a believer I say the Joy of the Lord is my Strength .... my very dear friend embraces JOY as her inner strength and shared these wonderful words with me... I have them as my wallpaper and I painted a beautiful canvas of them to send on to her...

 ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....

Thanks for allowing me to share ... snippets of my journey ... 

You are invited to join us ... see link in signature line....
 

I POSTED ABOUT THIS BACK IN 2007 here on the MB and in my profile ... I got the idea from another poster who had mentioned it back then and my dear mom doing the same thing using two plastic bottles of different sizes and have us roll it towards each other in our patio back in Panama .. on a hot day ... TO DIE FOR...

This affords the flexibillity of an EXCELLENT outdoors or indoors activity for either and individual, family, children etc etc. 

I did this project at a block festival in our Outreach Community and people of ALL ages participated and LOVED IT ... the kids were Thrilled....

I TOTALLY TWEAKED IT TO MAKE IT WLS FRIENDLY BY ADDING A SCOOP OF PROTEIN AND USING SKIM MILK  AND OCCASSIONALLY USING FF HALF AND HALF BUT MORE THAN OFTEN I SKIP THIS....

CHECK IT OUT.... TRY IT ... If you don't have an ice cream maker or you want and outdoor activity at the beach or the park etc you can have this it makes 2-3 servings and its done in 10 -15 minutes.   EASY...

Have delicious homemade Ice Cream in less than 15 minutes..... There is nothing new under the sun.... it is all over the Internetz ... it is soooooooooooooo easy and such a fun activity for kids and the whole family enjoy... 
My DD just asked me to make her some cherry flavored low cal ice cream ... I am not farting around with the Ice cream maker right now ... so here it is.... TRY IT... on a hot day you WILL LOVE IT...I did this with the kids at our Outreach Ctr. Summer Camp program also they loved it!...

What you need:

Materials

• 1/2 cup milk or half and half  (WLS friendly use Skim milk or FF half and half)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy cream) (WLS SKIP or USE FF COOL WHIP)
• 1/4 cup sugar (WLS REPLACE WITH SPLENDA OR STEVIA OR SWEETENER TO TASTE)
• For WLS version add 1 scoop of Whey Vanilla protein or whatever flavor you are working with...
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla flavoring (vanillin)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup  table salt or rock salt (Table Salt is what I use)
• 2 cups ice
• 1-QUART Ziploc^TM bag
• 1-GALLON Ziploc^TM bag

Another version that is simpler....

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk (skim or FF for WLS friendly version)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar or splenda/stevia or sweetener of choice (or to taste)
• 6 tablespoons table salt....

Preparation: Put milk, vanilla and sugar (Splenda) and Whipping Cream into a pint or quart-sized freezer bag. Seal well.

Fill a large, gallon-sized freezer bag with ice. Add the salt. (Rock or table salt okay)

Put the smaller bag into the larger bag and seal.

Shake and mix until the ice cream thickens, about 10 minutes. You can also let the kids gently throw the bag back and forth to help mix the ice cream. The bag gets very cold, so you might want to use towels to hold it.  

Your kids or YOU or our family/friends will enjoy making, and eating, this ice cream made in a ziplock bag. Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes 

Another fun Internetz version:

What To Do

 

Step One:Fill one sandwich sized Ziplock bag with ½ cup of milk, ¼ cup of half and half, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Seal the bag securely, making sure to remove as much excess air as you can. Place that bag inside the second sandwich sized Ziplock bag and seal that bag as well.

Step Two:
Fill the gallon size Ziploc bag with 2 cups of ice and 6 tablespoon of salt. Place the smaller bag that has been filled with the milk mixture inside the larger bag and seal it firmly, getting as much air out of the bag as you can. 

Step Three:
Turn on some music and let your child shake themselves silly. Dance to the music and shake the bag of ice-cream mixture as hard as you can. Younger children may need some help if their arms get tired. Try switching off and taking turns. In 5-10 minutes you will have a delicious batch of homemade soft ice-cream. 

If you prefer harder ice-cream, place the bag of soft ice-cream in the freezer for 1-2 hours and then enjoy. 

Optional:
Add additional flavor to your Ziplock ice-cream by mixing in your favorite treats. Stir in some chocolate chips and chopped nuts for a crunchy treat. Add a few drops of peppermint oil and some chocolate chips for a mint flavored ice-cream. 

Be creative and experiment with different flavors. You may discover a new favorite ice-cream flavor. 

 

 

 

 

ADD CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, TORANI SYRUPS OR GET CREATIVE WITH WHATEVER FLAVOR YOU WANT ... JUST ADD ALL THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER EXCEPT FOR THE ICE AND THE SALT AND POUR INTO THE SMALLER ZIPLOC BAG OR FREEZER BAG AND MAKE SURE YOU SEAL TIGHTLY....

 

 

SERVE OR EAT OUT OT THE BAG...

HAVE FUN!!! HAPPY HAPPY SUNDAY TO ALL!!!
I for one am enjoying my weekend..... I put my own extensions back in curly and all..

Then I did not like it so I went to my very own shop and changed the tone... so now I am curly and mixed LOL... but I love it and my baby ferret Finibeau loves it too...

My beautiful IRL sista bought me this dress my first year out in Guadalajara Jalisco ... it is hand made by a Mexican designer... I call it my tiny big dress .... porque tiene mucho vuelo...

Each of the flowers on the dress is hand painted ... the dress has history... and I have these pieces too from the same designer
...

My dress was bought in Mexico by my sister when she participated in an international conference for pediatric surgeons held there ... It is hand made by a Mexican Designer in Guadalajara, Jal ... she owns LA PRENDA HECHA ARTE "CLOTHING MADE ART" and her name is Ana Rosa Lopez...

Check some of her designs: 

My dress I am wearing is one of HERS..... ThANK YOU ANA ROSA!!! check the dress out on her model...


I have this one too


and this one...

I love this one here .... my sister has it...




It is all done with fabric called manta sucia and henekén... the flowers are all hand painted.

I am having a planned lazy day with my family, friends dropping in after service and my now 8 ferrets ... I already started my sketched runway on my OH Group Share-it doors of which are opened to all with link in my siggy line....

My sketched runway and painted canvas looking like this with more to come on SI...

Maryellen R sketched on parchment gold paper  with charcoal and graphite 


2nd Chance Chick Herself ... sketched on parchment gold paper  with charcoal and graphite...


Sketch on parchment paper using charcoal and graphite....

because this sista has a hat on in her avie I looked at her photo area and saw a gorgeous picture of her sitting in a beach chair .... so I decided to sketch her again in this gown I will be sewing one day soon...

and of course I shared my adventure in the post before ... going to bed too early and waking up much too early .... but what better way to while the while away than with a paintbrush and my canvas as I painted Jacke's guns...

I am going to SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE IT TODAY TOO.... IT WORKS!
FOUR YEARS 4 MONTHS POST RNY AND MAINTAINING FOR LIFE!

In just one thread I am talking about a little bit of this and a little bit of that and also extending a warm invitation to ALL (see link on my siggy line) ......

Trust I am not too keen on chocolate but after a long day at work .... getting aggravated with traffic and coming home to a very moody DD who is so aggravated being ill and wants to get up and go as before but needs time to recover and 8 ferrets demanding quality time on the floor with them ... and getting up to a flaming hot flash lawdy this one really crept up on me ... to sit down and enjoy one of these was ohhhhhhhhhhhh sooooooooooo heavenly....and finger licking good....

The whole pint has 150 cals and about 14-16g of whey protein concentrate ... I only have a half a cup at a time ... it is delicious and filling and one spoonful over my fill line and I am bound for regurg so I keep it simple....

The flavor is delicious ... picture me saying that about chocolate ... I had the chocolate mint cookie and oh my it is FINGER LICKING GOOD .... TRY IT! YOU MAY LIKE IT!!! I love the Maple Vanilla BEST though....

MMMMMMMMMMMM DELICIOUS!!!

This is some information from their FAQ on their site ... copied and pasted... I know they are tooting the horn to their product ... but for the cals, the taste, the coolness and the protein value ... I found it tasting and feeling like just what the doctor ordered.... it was soooooooooooo good I twiddled my toes...  SINFUL PLEASURE indeed....

DISCLAIMER: The information below is copied and pasted from the FAQ question on the ArcticZero.com website ... I just copied and shared it as what the manufacturers are saying about their product ... I am not pushing any products nor encouraging usage of it... as a post WLS person I bought it... I tried it and I found it sinfully delicious on a hot day and no difference in taste than regular ice cream ... I loved the taste... the caloric value and the value added protein .. so for me WIN.WIN.WIN

Copied from the Artic Zero Website more of the benefits can be found on their website:
"Things worth noting:
• Arctic Zero^® is very low calorie--with only 150 calories per pint,--It was developed for you to enjoy guilt free
• Arctic Zero^® is all natural, low carb, fat free, gluten free, lactose intolerant-friendly, a great source of fiber (8 grams of fiber per pint), and high in whey protein concentrate
• As hard as it may be to believe, even with the benefits listed above, it tastes great!
Now let's start with the protein. 
We don't use the standard whey protein that you can simply buy in the stores. We use a high quality whey protein concentrate. It's more quickly assimilated by your muscles and Arctic Zero^® contains the essential amino acids your body needs."

I AM SOOOOOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE LONG WEEKEND ... I WILL BE RELAXING AT HOME WITH MY FAMILY AND WHILE DOING SO I WILL BE INDULGING IN MY FAVORITE PASS-TIME OF SKETCHING AND PAINTING .. 

I LOVE TO SKETCH PEOPLE AND PAINTING ON CANVAS ... BY EYEBALLING A PICTURE OR AN AVIE I PAINT IT USING ACRYLICS ON CANVAS ... or EVEN CLOSE MY EYES AND PAINT WHATS IN MY IMAGINATION... Will be doing a sketched summer runway and sewing the duds for the sisters who provide me with their measurements and showing how to or making patterns for others who are inclined do to their own sewing ... FUN.FUN.FUN ... if I could just draw and paint I would never ever leave home LOL...

I will be sketching and painting members with their permission or request 'free or any strings attached or any charges whatsoever' I have never ever once charged for my art .. my hands are gifted to draw and paint in my own way and I give my gift freely.  I will be sharing these on my OH group that is open to everyone ... we share everything from fashion to how-to's to arts and crafts and everyday living ... it is fun filled and interesting to see how many talented people are in our midst.... ... 

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN my OH Group Share-IT! Living Pretty ... LINK IS IN MY SIGGY LINE ... Come check us out ...  or just lurk or share or participate ... you are our honored guest...

This polka dot dress was shared by Stacey as wanting to have the 50's back in style ... I loved it ... I sketched one of the OH sista in it and I tweaked it to my liking and made one for me ..my version ... and I shared it last Sunday as I worked on a couple of summer maxi's for another beautiful sista on here ... 

Stacey shared this and her liking for this style ... and I sure do to


I immediately decided to sketch the dress on my beautiful OH sista ALAPAULA ... Paula loves to rock a dress too and I know she wouldn't mind ..she is doing an awesome job with her WLS shrinking right before our eyes.. here is my sketch of Paula in the dress...

... and I made MY OWN VERSION OF A POLKA DOT DRESS ... 

but then there is nothing new ... I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SEWING OR PAINTING ... or sharing pictures from my digital journal "A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and Inches at Bay" .... Moi.. a picture sharing fool LOL...

HOW AWESOME IS OH? for allowing a goofy old fool like me 4 years and 4 months post RNY sharing pics and canvas and all manner of shared info since my join date in 2007? AWESOME I SAY!!!! And more awesome are the wonderful people met on here some I met IRL at the OH Conferences where once again a number of us from my group will be meeting in NEW YORK LONG ISLAND CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER ... I can't wait!!!! I am taking the ferry across the Sound and I will the there .... I have been to several OH conferences and they are AWESOME ... lots to learn ... lots to see and participate in ... and an awesome opportunity to meet all the wonderful people we speak to on here ... another WIN. WIN. WIN.

Thanks for allowing me to share!!!

 And to think I left my new 'brother' sewing machine sitting in the box for a few weeks before even exploring it .. just because I was sold on my old singer ... you know that saying about old dogs and new tricks ... well this old dog is so totally receptive now ...  I did not want to part with that old Singer that was such a part of me ... that old clunker knew exactly what stitches and where I wanted to make them and his name was Rob .. yup my sewing machines are my guys ya know ... ... but since a couple weeks ago and I am still in discovery zone I have been using and totally loving this gift from my DD ... of course it came with strings attached LOL ... as I have been sewing her dresses too all along but this wonder machine that is light ...economic and just fantastic ... I am MADLY IN LOVE WITH .... meet BART ... my very own BROTHER Project Runway Sewing Machine... BART WAS INTRODUCED TO ME BY AN AWESOME OH SISTA RIGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME WHEN SHE PURCHASED HER VERY OWN MACHINE AND TOLD ME ALL ABOUT IT AND HOW AWESOME IT WAS ... SO AGAIN THANK YOU OH... FOR BRINGING TOGETHER AWESOME PEOPLE SHARING AWESOME INFO!!!! 
I have been toying around with him all weekend long .... I finished a maxi summer dress for and OH sista custom made to her measurements and when another OH sista shared her liking for this style on SI I went into sketch mode .... cause I love dat dress!!!

Stacey shared this and her liking for this style ... and I sure do to


I immediately decided to sketch the dress on my beautiful OH sista ALAPAULA ... Paula loves to rock a dress too and I know she wouldn't mind ..she is doing an awesome job with her WLS shrinking right before our eyes.. here is my sketch of Paula in the dress...


...and of course I got side tracked after sketching and wanting my very own polka dot dress ... so I and went to digging in my fabrics chest and cutting and fitting using my very own home made duct tape body form that we shared how to make on SI ... and I made MY OWN VERSION OF A POLKA DOT DRESS ... LAST NIGHT ... yes! I love it ... the zipper is still basted but I will finish it up in a minute.... check it out...


and of course while I was geared up and taking pictures this morning I also took pictures for my empowerment digital journal A Picture A Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches at Bay ...it has been working for me for 4 years and 4 months and still working ....  I love going back and taking a picture in a gown or dress that I wore the year before just to let myself know that my inches are still in the range where I want them to be ... gravity and age are working against me here LOL my dress is actually fitting bigger but that's okay .... I did not make this one but I can certainly fix it when or if I choose to...


I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SEWING ... the difference is that today I sew many more things for me than I did yesterday


I always loved to sew ... most of my clothing I make and a lot of others I buy... yup all my tips from my braiding salon I invest in my personal fun ... my 40 hour job is for bills and responsibilities ... I love taking pictures and I love a collage...


Or even a front and rear/side view ... I CAPTURE IT ALL IN MY DIGITAL JOURNAL 'A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AT BAY'....


PLEASE FEEL FREE TO IGNORE MY PHOTO SHARE ... I AM AFTER ALL A PICTURE SHARING FOOL ...but see ... life is short and I am choosing to live all my moment and capture them one day at a time ... ohhhhhhhh DID I SAY I AM MADLY IN LOVE WITH MY OW BROTHER PROJECT RUNWAY SEWING MACHINE???? I AM SOLD ON IT!!!!

K, thanks for allowing me to share ... I am going to be sewing another summer maxi for an OH sista



and when I am done I am going to be working on this very same dress for me that I sketched on Fini.... 

  We met for early breakfast with OH sista MSW with not Settle (those are the initials of her name BTW).... MSW's DD ... me and my DD ... for 5:00 a.m breakfast before Marcia heads off for her monthly treatments.  We had fun and a wonderful time together where we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.  MSW really helped my DD with some concerns she had regarding the treatment modalities that are quite similar and the side effects.  So far DD is recuperating at home and today we get to go to the rheumatologist hoping the results of her muscle biopsy are in and they can best determine what treatment modalities she is going to follow in addition to what she is currently on or in replacement of...
Here we go ... Did our daughter's not keep their baby faces? LOL I know mine will ALWAYS be my baby. 


Candice's  rash from the dermatomyositis has resolved a lot as well as her lower extremity weakness however she is still very weak in the upper extremities and neck ... so much so I have to assist her in getting dressed as she cannot raise her arms or pick her upper body up from a laying position.  She spilled her coffee at breakfast when she tried to pick up the cup and had a moment of weakness in the hand and dropped it ... mom to the rescue and no major damage.... hopefully we are in the final stretch to determine what agents are going to work best for her....

This is my journal entry today.... me and my beautiful DD at breakfast with our OH friends....


My journal entry last week... a picture a day keeps the pounds and the inches away...


I will embrace joy each day and make it happen to me ... I do not know if I will live to see tomorrow ... but I have today and I will live this day like it is the best day that was ever given to me ... ..  Thanks for allowing me to share. 

   My beautiful DD.... my daughter .. my friend .... my coach and personal trainer had her muscle biopsy today ... totally pampered by medical and nursing staff all peers and friends she went under for the first time ... they did not do Twilight .. they did General Anesthetic and here she goes LOOPY LOOP LOOP ... BUT SMILING AND WITH HER TABLET AND HER ANDROID SHE REQUESTED PICS TO SHARE WITH HER FRIENDS ... WHO WILL TELL THIS SWEET SPIRIT NO? NOT I SAID HER MOM..... 
Up in recovery and getting ready to leave ... she is loopy but she smiles ... first thing she asks for is that I bring her her victory necklace ... passed on from another beautiful sista on here... we will keep passing it on too.... isn't she beautiful my 30 year old loopy loo? LOL she will ALWAYS be MY very own PRINCESS ... she is clean cut .. a hard worker.. a honor student and an outstanding citizen ... I am proud of her and take no shame in seeing her paying it forward too...

The first time I ran a 5K it was this beautiful young woman of mine encouraging me ... taking me with her running coach on the track ... telling me I could do it ... and guess what? the very 5K I ran I ran all the way ... tag teaming with my beautiful DD...

The 5Ks turned into 10Ks and we ran and ran and ran... it got so contagious even DS started running .. the joker sprinted all the way to the finish line and came back and got us ....
and today we all are running 5-10 and 20Ks YESSS!!!! on 53 year old knees that were told needed to be replaced because of the damage caused by excessive weight ... but it is not so today ... I HAVE POWER IN MY ACHILLES AND IN MY KNEES AND IN MY JOINTS AND I CAN RUN WOOT WOOT and I LOVE IT!!! I was running my old arse off and enjoying every minute of it ... there I go and I was not holding up the rear either...

it got better and better and I joined a running club and I run every morning at 4 am and I seek all the races I can participate in I don't care whether they are 5-10 or 20K just because MY DD SAID 'MOM YOU CAN RUN!"

Today I am still running!!! AND I CAPTURED IT ALL IN A JOURNAL A PICTURE A DAY!!!

How can anyone resist this soft spoken ... kind.. teddy bear of a girl .. a friend to all her friends ... a helper to all she sees in need... she is always singled out ... even when she does not try ... maybe the benefits of being tall?

Here she goes with Sean T. the maker of INSANITY workout ... at an event with her sorors... his arm is around my DD...

and in Florida at the Zumba Fitness Instructors Convention ... Beto sat on stage and held her hand...

and when she visited Dallas she could not resist going to the Cowboys Stadium and splitting in from of the cheerleaders quarters

on sitting on the star...


 AND THE BEST NEWS IS..... SHE WILL BE ABLE TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS AGAIN IN A MATTER OF JUST A FEW WEEKS ... WOOT WOOT .... WE ARE B.A.D. BLESSED AND DELIVERED INDEED

SO IT IS A WEEKEND OF CELEBRATION..... YES....
I WILL BE FINISHING UP MY SATIN DRESS AND DD SAID SHE WANTED TO LEARN TO SEW SO I'LL BE TEACHING HER IN OUR BRAND SPANKING NEW PROJECT RUNWAY MACHINE THAT SHE GAVE ME ....

I love to rock a gown ... even if it is to take out the Rena Ware and dress the dining room table and light the candles and have a candle lit dinner with DH right in my own house ... who needs somewhere to go to wear a gown ... oh .. can someone say fun??? there goes my new machine and the dress I am working on...

It seems like I am for-ever sewing...
In my Before ... two years ago I made a gown to re-affirm my vows .

when my DH spent months in the hospital recovering for a partial amputation of his lower limb he my dear friend, loyal supporter and husband always looked forward to my pictures a day.... BTW he is the photographer who mostly snaps our pics...

So this is me today ... I wore the pink dress to work and to bring my DD to her scheduled muscle biopsy surgery ... and a couple days ago I wore the white embroidered outfit that I am going to TRY TO LEARN how to do on my embroidery machine ... woot I have lots to learn ...

And here I go with MINIFINI or FINIBEAU or BEAUFINI he responds to all three our itty bitty Finigan Beau who like is counterpart Chiquitita has the makings of an escape artist LOL


 thanks for allowing me to share another day in my journey A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AWAY....

APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE IF I OFFEND ANYONE ... PLEASE FEEL FREE TO IGNORE MY POSTING ... I AM NEITHER TRYING TO BE BOASTFUL .. NOR COQUETTISH ... I AM JUST PAYING FORWARD WITH THE WORDS OF MY TESTIMONY THANKING MY HIGHER POWER FOR GRACE AND MERCY AND FAVOR .... 

OH I WILL NOT CURSE MY FIRE ... I KNOW THERE IS VICTORY IN MY VALLEY AND I WILL PURSUE!!!!  I WILL EMBRACE JOY OVER MISERY AND I WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN TO ME ... I WILL TRAVAIL AND I WILL SHARE MY GOOD TIMES AND MY BAD TIMES .... IT IS WHAT I LOVE TO DO ....

OH... did I ever tell you that the idea for the journal a picture a day came about from me seeing my daughter's picture collages of her losing weight ... yup .. there is nothing new under the sun LOL ....


She even takes me dancing ... LOL .. this is us at an event sponsored by her sorors where they raised scholarship monies for students in need ...


THE BEST THING IS THAT SHE WILL BE DOING ALL THESE THINGS AGAIN .... SOON ... THERE IS NO STOPPING US .. WE ARE TOO BLESSED...

happy weekend everyone ... I will compile and share a video of 4 years and 4 months rocking an outfit each day down loser and maintenance lane ... yes I did it ... and how much money did I save wearing in fabric the money that I would have spent splurging on food ... my empowerment journal has kept me grounded... so have the pictures of my before ... I am that same woman in a smaller frame ... her deliverance is my release and my release is her deliverance.

 Down, down, down .... wayyyyyyy below my maintenance weight ... can we say stress? or making joy happen in spite of all the odds? Life certainly is not easy and neither is embracing joy over misery but perseverance, endurance and a little bit of help and love from our friends certainly carry one a long long way....
Last week ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE IN MY LIFE ... for real ... because when your child is rushed to the ER and immediately hospitalized on the nephrology floor to have her kidneys flushed with abnormal labs with CPKs running over 17,000 (no typo here) a rash in the shape of a mask on her face and arms and upper body, facial swelling and difficulty swallowing ... and is flushed with constant IV drips at 300 ml/hr, biopsies of her skin being done and I am being told she has either lupus or polymyositis ... high troponin levels which mean that whatever the disease is it is affecting her heart muscle ... 

My heart froze and the fingers of fear gripped my windpipe and the lump that I am too familiar with when I am in distress clogged my throat... yet I smile and maintained an exterior strength for the benefit of my beautiful daughter so as not to cause her undue panic which she was already on the verge of ...

We were in for one shock after another ... I had rushed her to the ER two months ago with the horrible swelling and rash that we attributed to an allergic reaction to something ... strange because she never had allergies .. and for two months she was being followed by dermatology and allergists who were baffled at the recurring rash in the absence of positive testing for allergens ... 

Her skin biopsy returned diagnostic per pathology for dermatomyositis ... which can be associated with underlying cancer and also increases the risk for cancer ... the C word that sends me into a panic each and every time.... My heart dropped and I died a million deaths when we were told a suspicious nodule/spot was seen on her lung .... I must have lost the first 5 pounds then and there after the first two stressful nights when her output did not match the IV input level and my dear daughter started further swelling right in front of my eyes ... like someone was blowing her up as a balloon ... now they are telling us she needs a CT Angio because of the dermatomyositis and the presence of this nodule ... ohhhhhhhhh I was so freaked out on the inside but looking strong on the outside ... I had to hold on tight because if I ever let go I felt there would be a point of no return .... I banked on my OH friend, a retired nurse who kept me uplifted on the phone along with many others ... I lived through the night as calm as possible, this friend even spoke with my daughter on the phone and was able to calm her down.... I thank God ahead of time for favor ... the CT angio returned unremarkable but because of the disease she will have to follow with pulmonology to watch this nodule closely.

That fear over she was scheduled for an esophagram ... they needed to assess damage to her esophagus caused by this disease as it affects the striated muscles ... and her swallowing mechanism was a bit impaired.... that just have been easy ... contrast and diagnosis right? Hell no... not here ... contrast was silently aspirated into the airway and the test had to be stopped STAT... but not before my DD managed to get contrast into her lungs causing a pneumonitis by the ingestion of bacteria from her throat ... she spiked a temp and was immediately treated with IV Unacyn ... follow-up chest x-ray cleared her for pneumonia...

All this in one week ... and I spent every waking hour at the hospital with her ... the recliner beside her bed was my bed ... yet I did not sleep ... I remained vigilant and I prayed ... I would have switched places with her any day... any time ... with the strong beautiful 6' 2.5" 30 year old young woman who is my daughter ... no one wants to hear that their child is sick....

So here we are ... she is diagnoses with a chronic illness with no cure however with treatment she can be in remission and live a normal life and she can return to her active life and exercise routine too ... She has five specialties in place and will be followed by all ... Rheumatology, Dermatology, Cardiology, Nephrology and Pulmonary.... She is going to be fine .... we have determined that her will to live and her will to live well surpasses any effects of the corticosteroidal treatments and the disease itself ...

My DD is one of us too ... she has never had any type of WLS because she was never a candidate having had a clean bill of health .. so at 300 pounds she managed to lose her weight through mindful eating and exercise and has maintained a 100 pound loss for over 7 years now just with this regime.  She maintains her weight between 195-200 pounds which is her normal ... at the end of her treatment and so many IV infusions she left the hospital totally swollen and weighing 257 pounds.

DD came home on Thursday .. where we have been nursing her back to health and strength... She has managed to lose 45 pounds of the fluid weight she gained over her hospital stay .... 

I am grateful for embracing joy over misery ... in-spite of all hell breaking loose ... a preacher lady once told me "don't curse your fire, there is victory in the valley" at a time when both my DH and I were about to throw in the towel on him ever getting a kidney ... and he got his kidney and lives because of it...

I remembered not to curse my fire this past week with my DD ... although it was so hard not to ... but I remembered ... and I prayed for whatever it was that was affecting her that it could be fixed ... and while it cannot be cured ... it can be fixed and brought into remission and I am grateful for that... 


Through her entire ordeal ... we kept smiling ... although I bet on the inside she was just as scared as I was ... I looked strong .. yet on the inside I was scared shitless ... so much so that I had to pump protein shakes from cans cause I could not eat ... I was besides myself with worry...

This is my daughter naturally her every day look...

This is what she looked like on admission add more swelling to that...

This is her arm swollen and with the rash typical of dermatomysitis and lupus .. I am glad she tested negative for lupus because it runs very strong in our family...



This is us at the hospital...

 
this is her with added swelling in thighs and arms ... the tissue paper bows were per Pat's suggestion we perk her up with bows in her hair ... I dressed her in pink and did her hair and we determined to think positive and hope for a discharge and outpatient follow up on the morning she was going for a second modified esophagram ... we were hoping for no aspiration and there was none ... we bought her home on Thursday...

On Friday night she was getting a bit depressed with the swelling and her appearance but she was voiding constantly and I told her that all that fluid was on the way out ... I diverted her attention by promising to make her summer maxi dresses that she wanted on the project runway sewing machine that she presented me just because .... I made her her dress on Friday night late and this was us yesterday morning ... mom and daughter ... WILLING TO LIVE ... AND EMBRACE JOY... AND MAKE IT HAPPEN ... OHHHHHH IT IS SO NOT EASY BUT IT IS DOABLE ... AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO DO IT ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.



I took my DD for follow-up appointment with her PCP yesterday ... I had to help her get dressed because she still can barely raise her arms much .. her upper body weakness is more pronounced that that of the lower body ... I took her to Olive Garden for lunch afterward and that was pretty much the first meal we really enjoyed after a whole week of one stress after another...

Me and my beautiful daughter ... those scars too will go away... and she will pay it forward and help and testify too as she has been doing with all the other volunteer programs she participates in...


She is determined not to allow the medications to control her weight ... she fully intends to be on top of that as she has been able to manage herself with mindful eating and exercise for the past 7 years ... this is her weight loss collage...


I almost forgot ... today is my 4 years and 4 months post RNY monthly surgiversary.... I was already running below my maintenance weight as shared before and I managed to leave 7 pounds behind at that hospital while I panicked and stressed over my DD .... thank lucky genes for a big butt ... because I think that is where they came off of .... now I need to really BOUNCE ... I am way UNDER my maintenance weight ... and my maintenance weight ranges between 122 and 125 pounds.

This is my before and after collage ... I lost a total of 203 pounds and am keeping it all off and then some ... This bounce was down .. down ...but I will slowly and mindfully build back up to where I am comfortable at.... for now I am enjoying my juicy couture jumpsuit...



Today I am going to a garden reception at 1:00 pm ... I am going to wear the green gown ... I made the blue one last night and I screwed it up royally so I will either give it away or just throw it out...


The rush to the hospital with my DD happened on the very day we were supposed to pick up our #8 ferret Finigan-Beau.  When my DD asked as she loves the ferrets I told her we had to skip this time and wait.... we just wanted to make our number of ferrets even to 8 instead of 7.  But Al just listens and says nothing ... until he called me downstairs from the hospital ... and there he was sitting with our ferret #8 Finibeau as we will call him for short or MiniFini ... he is adorable ... leave it to AL ... only difference is we were looking for a girl and Finibeau is a boy ... our fur circus is complete now ... that is the last ferret we will get.


I also made a beautiful black doll in a set of three ... one blonde.... one brunette... and one black ... and sent it off to the grandbaby of the beautiful sista who was so supportive to my DD and I during our ordeal not even revealing how upset she was over and event taking place in her life ... 

My doll is beautiful ... I have made thousands of dolls and have never sold one ... just like I have painted thousands of canvas and never sold one ... I give them away ... 

This is the doll I made ... and I named her Diversity...


Thanks for allowing me to share.  I am totally grateful for all who reached out to DD and I and our family through our recent ordeal...

To all I leave these words that were shared with me right here on OH and are very meaningful ... they are not only words ... Finigan wrote this ... she is a cancer survivor and an overcomer ... her story has yet to be told but I will leave that to her ... let no man judge... these two diverse sistas of different belief systems and even skin tones ... have been able to encourage and support each other across the cyberwave ... even reaching out to my DD and comforting her on the phone... her and others... I am forever grateful....

 ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....