lucymann

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Well it is a new year and I was reading a couple of stories from people on here who had their surgery 3-5 years ago and have kept it updated and I appreciated reading about how their lives are going currently so much I have resolved to try to update mine every January at least! :-)

Not much has changed since my last post in November of last year except that I had surgery to remove some really bad vericose veins in my legs. That surgery went very well - 24 little cuts on each leg - thus 24 scars on each leg. The importance of having this done was to make hiking more comfortable for me. The veins would fill with blood and my legs would feel heavy and tired. I am looking forward to getting back into hiking and having my legs feel better.

Speaking of that we took a hike a few weeks ago after a big snowfall here in Seattle. The trees were covered with snow and it was at least 2 feet deep. It was beautiful but slippery and we only went 3 miles.

This last Saturday was bright and sunny and about 32 degrees out and we hiked the same trail and there was basically no snow! It had all melted. We hiked 5 1/2 miles and I carried a pack for the first time since last September. My legs felt pretty good but I did have a lttle soreness because I haven't been hiking or exercising since the surgery.

I started back to Curves this week and I can sure tell that I did not go for 6 weeks! It is amazing how much muscle tone you can lose in a short time. I am glad to be back at it.

The other bright spot in my life is the addition of a baby dachshund. She is 4 months old and weighs 3.6 lbs. She plays and plays with her "brother" who is 3 years old. I am so glad that I gave her to myself for Christmas. So now I have a chocalate and tan miniature dachshund and a black and tan miniature dachshund. A boy and a girl. A perfect family!

I hope that all who read this will have a wonderful new year and the best of health.

It has been a long time since I have updated my profile. I guess when you are busy and happy and weight is no longer a big issue in your life it is easy to forget that others might be reading and wanting to hear about successes!

I have maintained my weight loss for the past 1 1/2 years and feel wonderful. I am so glad that I had a lap band and would do it again in a heartbeat!

That doesn't mean that I don't have problems and don't have to work at it because I do. I have problems eating meat (which is what you are supposed to eat the most of with a lap band) and sometimes get something stuck because I don't chew it up good enough. I also sometimes just have a terrible reaction to a food and throw it up for no reason that I know of. But most of the time I do just fine.

I am very active - go to Curves 4 - 5 days a week and try to hike every weekend from 5 - 16 miles, weather permitting. That has been the most awesome payoff for losing weight. Look at my "before" picture and you will understand how difficult it was to hike at that size. But now it is just the "normal" person's hard work!

I still drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water every day and drink my protein drinks. I have had my blood work done on a regular basis and I am "perfect" in that department.  I am very careful to take all of my vitamins just as they were prescribed every day. I think that is such an important thing to ensure good health.

I am healthy and happy and look and feel better at 61 than I ever felt at 51!

Well! The weather has really improved enough that we have been hiking in the lower hills and walking almost everyday. Riley (the miniature dachshund) and I walked 30 miles in one week! It keeps him trim and I am finally losing again. I am down to 153 on my scale and I never felt better! I did a 4 mile hike with about 1200 feet of elevation yesterday in two hours flat! That is amazing for me. I realize that people who are fit and trim can do much better but I am proud of where I am today - especially when I compare it to where I was three or four years ago. Back then a short walk of maybe 300 feet exhausted me!. It pays to just keep it up and to gradually add more and more distance.

The weather has improved some here and I have managed to walk a total of 22 miles so far this week. On the weekend we did a 3 mile and then a 5 mile hike in snow on a mountain road/trail. It was awesome to get out in the fresh air and really push the old bod! Our little miniature dachshund walked most of the way with us but when the snow got too deep we put him in a backpack lined with soft blankets. He basically insisted on standing up in it so he could look over my husband's shoulder at where we were going. So cute! I feel so much better for having had this much exercise. I also keep up going to Curves 4 - 5 times per week and I can really tell that it helps - to be honest my "girls" have never looked better! The muscles underneath are tightening up and so they aren't sagging unduly for my age :-)

The sun is shining and it should warm up later so I am looking forward to another vigorous walk. Now if this exercise would only show on the scale! Not 1 pound! But I did tighten my belt another notch  -  I may be losing inches even though the scale is not moving.

I will start using this section for my updates. My story ends with the 12/18/2006 entry.

I had my bloodwork done in December and saw the doctor on 12/27/06 and everything was fine. i guess I was hoping he would say I could cut back on some things but it was not to be - keep on keeping on I guess.

I have been at a standstill with my weight loss - I didn't get a fill because for the most part I am tight - have trouble getting my protein drink down in the morning and have to be very careful not to eat too fast and to chew really really well. But I haven't lost any weight either. I have not been able to get in my three mile walk everyday because the weather here has been terrible most days. Wind, rain, snow and ice! We usually have pretty mild winters so this is really different. I still go to Curves four - five times per week but no weight loss for awhile. I guess I should be happy I did not gain over the holidays but I just want the excess weight gone!