Karly Green

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One of my goals is to do Pole dancing classes and I just

purchased a month of Unlimited Pole Dancing! BRING IT!!!!!

A little nervous about the upper body strength needed, and the heels I have to do it in, but I'm up for the challange! Anyone in the Albany NY area want to do it with me? Come on baby!

Next set of dance classes is Salsaaaaaaa!

20 months out guys! Weight this morning = 126.6 (but I think that's because I've lost some muscle and cut back on carbs). I've been holding pretty steady at about 130 for quite a while now. That's a total loss of about -145 lbs. Can I just say that again ..... I've lost a whole me!

I've been thinking about things that I do now that I didn't really care for before surgery. I had quite a mental list going so I thought I'd blog about it.

Some things I love to do since WLS:

- Wear thongs! ... I love them and wear almost nothing butt (get it? Butt? Ha!)
- Dance! ... Now I'm no crazy party animal by any means but I do like to shake it now!
- Cross my legs! ... It feels so lady like
- Give myself pedicures! ... I can easily reach my feet now and that makes for a better time at pampering myself
- Yoga! ... No more straining through Down Dog poses just waiting to take a break. I've seen my flexibility improve in spades! I love it!
- Pilates! ... I've seen such improvement in my core muscles. Not physically by anymeans - I don't have a 6 pack ... But I can tell I'm stronger as a whole.
- Wear heels!! ... Granted, I still have the balance of a toddler, so I don't go too crazy with them. But boy howdy do I love me some heels and wedges.
- Cook healthy meals! ... I get such pride when I make a delicious healthy meal with whole, fresh ingredients.
- Be outdoors! ... I don't get winded or tired as easily. We're actually trying to plan a week long vacation in a cabin with friends to hike, kayak, raft, zipline, etc... YES PLEASE!
- SEX! ... Let's just face it - It's so much better when you don't have fat rolls in the way!

I find doing day to day things so much easier too. Shopping, cleaning, jogging, using the stairs, parking far in parking lots so I get a little extra walking in, etc ... All much much easier and more enjoyable now.

Now it's not all sunshine and moonbeams. I'm still ALWAYS cold!. I'm boney as hell. Saggy skin and breasts make for a sad Karly. My hair refuses to grow (GRRRRR!). But those all pale in comparison to how blessed my life is now.  

Besos,
Karly

 Went out over the weekend for a friends birthday. Danced the night away! Even had energy the next day with only 3 and a half hours of sleep!
I wore a short one shoulder tight purple dress. But being as self concious of my flabby legs as I am I had to wear something on them so I opted for nude colored fishnets and they worked perfect! Even pranced around in 4 1/2" heels!

 

My boobs make me so sad. I think they've gotten even more deflated recently. My size 36C bras seem big.
It makes me feel unfeminine and unattractive. Stupid, I know. But woman take pride in their breasts, and well.... Mine are so sad! lol
Hopefully one day I will be able to afford a nice, subtle pair of new shiny boobies.
Till then .... BOOOOOO!

Here is a picture of me in a dress I tried on without a bra. It's a halter top so the dress pulled the girls up a little. But I can tell how deflated and empty they are.

Came across this picture from ooooh....... Probably 2007 of me and my friend Crystal.
I went and visited her a week ago (she highlighted my hair) .... And we went out to dinner.

Here's the 2 pictures. First from 2007. Second from 2012
 

Here I sit, 19 months out from RNY thinking about my journey this far. Weight as of 3/5/12 = 128lb . Total weight loss = 144lb.

My dad passed away a few weeks ago so that's got me thinking about the preciousness of life, and how it can so quickly be taken from us.
We lived 3,000 miles away for the passed 6+ years so I haven't seen him in about 3 years. So he hasn't seen the skinny Karly, but that's ok. He's watching over me now and I'm sure he's proud :).

I have a friend that just had her Gastric Bypass about 3 weeks ago. She asks me questions about things newbies have concerns about. ..... And it got me thinking about how far I've come and how incredibly easy it is to forget what we went through.

I'll be the first person to admit I am by no means a model WLS patient. I forget my vitamins often, Don't get all my fluids in often, eat WAY TOO MANY CARBS often, don't always exercise regularly, consume alcohol, drink carbonated beverages, drink coffee daily, chew gum, eat sugar, drink out of straws, never weigh my food, don't always eat protein first, ...... BUT ...... With all that said ..... It's still the best decision I've ever made, and I would never, ever take it back in a million years.

It's a struggle daily to make concious healthy choices. Granted, it's not as difficult as it was before surgery. But.... Sometimes I'd rather have a slice of pizza then a piece of grilled chicken with a salad. Ya know? .... And in all honesty ... That's ok! I feel like as long as I don't make it a daily habit. Or as long as I don't revert back to "Old Karly" .... 1 slice of pizza here, or a soft serve icecream there is A-OK because you know why..... This is life now! And I'm not going to tell myself NO on everything. Otherwise I'll start hating my RNY and start resent that I can't eat the things I love. When in fact I can eat them! It just has to be in moderation!
Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love eating healthy. Our "go to dinner" in my house is grilled chicken, roasted broccoli, and a side salad. And that's AMAZING!!! So I'm not completely a lost cause ;)

And I've discovered a fabulous protein shake I love! :
1 scoop chocolate protein
1 banana
1 handful fresh blackberries (about 6-7)
1 handful ice (about 4-5 cubes)

Soooooo good y'all!

I haven't been exercising much lately at all and have lost about 2-3 lbs in the last 2 weeks and I'm almost positive it's from losing muscle mass. Which makes me sad. My arms and thighs feel extra flabbylately so I've gotta start toning again.

I'm still so pleased with my weight loss. I've had absolutely no complications with my surgery and am SO Thankful for that.

Here are a few pictures. The first is one of the last times I saw my dad in 2007 at my brothers wedding. And the following is at his service after he passed away on 2/25/12.
































































Me outside of Rubys. My Favorite "50s Diner". Went here for breakfast:




































And me with my older sister Kristy and her Daughter Isabella aka Chicken Face - At the beach.


 

Was looking through pictures the other day trying to find a good "before and after" one.
I came across a picture of my dinner plate I took one night to show my sister my delicious plate of Chicken Parm with breadsticks that I was having.

HOLY JESUS!!! I used to eat all that! And not even blink at it. That's white pasta too. And that's a full sized paper plate! YIKES! **shivers**

































We all where there at one point. Over eating at every meal.

Anyways...... I sent in to OH a few pictures to be put on the before and after gallery. We'll see if they approve them. Here's one of the selections I sent in.

Before - 272 lbs 2009






































After - 130 lbs 2/15/2012

Hi OH Fam -
The other day I was looking for the number for Dr. and in doing that I stumbled on my Bariatric folder that I had put away in a drawer about a year ago and haven't looked at since.

Boy am I glad I came across that! It was such a good reminder of how far I've come. Enclosed in this 1" white binder was me! My struggle. My journey. It held all my doctor appointments, and authorizations. My food journal I kept while on my 6 month diet (I was SO impressed with how well I did on that! Wow!). It had my Q&A with (my now passed away) Surgeon.
It contained my Measurements that I took on 5/22/10 which was about 2.5 months before surgery:

44DD Bra
Weight: 261
Bust: 49.4"
Waist: 44.4"
Hips: 52.6"
Thighs: 43"
Size - 22

Recent measurments are::

36C bra.
Top: Small
Pants: 4
Bust: 35.5"
Waist: 30"
Hips: 38"
Weight: 132

It's so eye opening to revisit those numbers. I've said it time and time again, but it's really easy to forget where we've come from. To forget that we're "different".
I can eat A LOT now. Like, no lie..... I can throw down when it comes to eating. And as long as the choices I've made are healthy I feel fine after wards. If I eat something heavy in carbs or heavy in fat or sugar I'll feel it and get burpy and tired and uncomfortable.

I looked through pictures today of the Day of Surgery. I remember that girl. So hopeful. So optimistic. SO EXCITED!
Here I am a year and a half later living a very different life. Making healthier choices (yet still indulging in things I love) and enjoying it. I said to my sister a few weeks ago that I loved braised cabbage and she was like, "I can't believe you like that! I can't believe how much you've changed. You would have never liked that before surgery". I guess she's right. I don't think I would have liked it before surgery. But my outlook on food is so different now. I'd take a plate of grilled chicken with braised cabbage and homemade roasted potatoes vs. fried chicken with cole slaw and french fries any day of the week. Hands down!

My name is Karly and I had Gastric Bypass! Sometimes I still can't believe I did it!

A couple pictures:

Watching the Giants play:




































Trying on my Merrell snow boots! Love that I don't have to worry about it fitting over my calfs anymore!




































Hugging my Christmas tree.

Last weekend we celebrated Halloween. I had a BLAST!
Shockingly I didn't eat ANY candy! I had a few cookies with a Hershey's kiss on top (A witch hat that we made) ... But other than that I was successful about not pigging on candy or sweets.

I did, however, get extremely intoxicated  .... It was fun, and I'm not concerned about hurting my pouch or my body since I don't do it often. 

It was nice being comfortable in my skin, with my pouch. We have a good relationship. I had a lot of fun. Miss my long hair though (the wig I wore re enforced that).

________

The baking extravaganza I mentioned in a previous post was amazing! Who knew doing everything from scratch was SO DANG EXHAUSTING!?
We made 11 pies (Pumpkin and apple), 4 loaves of cinnamon apple swirl wheat bread, caramel apples, and apple cider caramel candies. PHEEWWWWWW!
I'm pleased to say I only had one caramel, 1 slice of the apple cinnamon bread, and about 3-4 bites of pie.
We baked from 11am till 1am. Sooooooooo exhausting!!!

Here's a few pictures. 
 
The Halloween costumes! My BF and I were Adam and Eve. Then we have Madonna, Pocohontas, and a 70s creeper.




































The Witch Hats we made (so cute and yummy and effortless)





































And the finale to our baking day! With my fellow bakers!

October. October, October, October. Let me count the ways I love thee ....

You make me happy because I love light jackets and scarves.
I love you because the changing foliage is breathtaking in the North East.
It's that time of year where Apple picking and pie making are expected and so very welcomed.
The crisp, brisk fall air and the smell of fireplace is magical as you rush to-and-fro.
HALLOWEEN!


This year a couple friends and I are going to make pumpkin pie! From actual pumpkin flesh! What's more perfect in Fall than a fresh, home baked pie?!   (Pouch friendly of course).
I love getting home from work, lighting a Pumpkin Spice candle, putting on Pandora Adele station and making dinner while the smell of the food and the candle fill my cozy apartment.
Aaaaahhhhhh....... 

Oh October ..... Fall, Harvest, Autumn, .... Whatever you want to call it. You make me happy.

- - Also, on an unrelated side note:

With the passing of Steve Jobs a few days ago it really hit home how precious life and health are. He was a man with all the money in the world. Brilliant, and well liked. Yet he couldn't buy his health. I mourn his passing but I delight in all the gifts he had a hand in giving the world. And I thank him for helping remind me how I treasure my health.

Cheers all,
Kar