katie42582

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It's been a long time since I've posted...5 years to be precise. A lot has happened and most of it bad. I did indeed have a decision to RNY on July 26, 2011. In just over a year I lost 109 pounds going from a starting weight of 272 to 163. My recovery from surgery was not without incident. I had what turned out to be nerve pain in my abdomen and had to take different medication and also take two extra weeks off from work I didn't anticipate. I also discovered fairly early on that I don't dump.  For a self proclaimed sugar addict that's not good. But for the first year I did amazingly well. I also lost a lot of hair and it was very fine to begin with. I had been warned about this but nothing really prepares you for the clumps of hair that end up in your hands after you shampoo. Then there was the excess skin. It was really really bad. Had I stayed at 160ish I would have seriously contemplated plastic surgery on my tummy and my breasts. But as it turned out I didn't need it because as of today out 3 years and change, I've regained 50 pounds. 

The worst thing about the regain is I don't even really know how it happened--how it started. I think it was a series of little bad habits that just spiraled. My portions started getting larger and I stopped exercising as much and for a while that was OK I was still able to maintain. But then it started catching up with me. Things started getting in the way like work and my social life and healthy eating and exercise stopped becoming a priority. It took longer than I thought though to get to where I am now. I remember in January 2013 I was around 170/175. In December 2013 I hit roughly the 200 pound mark. And here I am now at 215. But....in addition to all that I also had issues with my shoulder that needed to be addressed...

Just prior to my surgery I was experiencing severe shoulder pain. It was so bad that at my pre-op appointment they sent me to the orthopaedist to take xrays because they were concerned that I wouldn't be able to maneuver around after surgery with a bum shoulder. I was diagnosed with calcific tendinitis of my shoulder. Basically my body was depositing calcium in my rotator cuff causing chemical and physical inflammation. I received a cortisone shot and got me through the surgery and the following year when I was at peak exercise level. But then the pain came back. In the fall of 2013 I had a second shot and it did nothing. Long story short on August 7, 2014 I had arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder to remove the calcium and repair my rotator cuff. At 6 weeks out I can't lift my arm on my own. I try bit it doesn't work. I have at least another 6 weeks of PT before I can progress to normal training again. On the plus side I have not gained any weight since the surgery which I feel is a huge milestone. But I am so limited in my activities that it's a huge setback. Especially since I feel like my head is in the right place when usually it's not. It's always something. 

 

So right now I'm trying to celebrate the little things and not gain any more weight and really make an effort when I'm all healed to get back on the wagon and lose maybe just 30 pounds...nothing crazy. 160 was almost too skinny for me...my skin fills out better a little heavier lol. 

 

Till next time;

 

 

 

So I went to see Dr. M last week and he was actually a little concerned...I had lost 11 pounds according to their scale since the last time I was there, which was only 4 or 5 weeks prior and he told me that is an unexpected amount of weight loss with the band and he is wondering if maybe it's too tight. I was like NNNNOOOOOOO!!!! (lol) hahahaha...I explained to him that not only did the recent minor weight gain I had give me a new resolve to step it up, but that I've been really going at it at the gym and really trying to push myself and my body and that it has paid off...I assured him that I CAN eat and that I'm not starving, and that as long as I follow the "rules" of chewing, eating slow, and small bites, I can eat anything I want.

So he said we would see how things go and I am supposed to see him as soon as I get back from my trip...we leave THURSDAY! I have SO much to do and no time to do it! Obviously with all the weight loss he wouldn't give me a fill but he wouldn't have anyway because of my trip.

I am very nervous about how I'm going to eat over there. Everything will be out of whack and I've been doing SO well lately and I feel comfortable with my routine foods...I don't want to eat stuff I'm not used to and I get the "stuck" thing a bit more now because I've become complacent with eating and not being as careful as I once was...And no gym for two weeks either??? That's gonna be really tough! Guess it's one more "test" to pass!


I went on two first dates this week too! The first one was better than the second but we'll see if anything transpires from it...I am even contemplating speed dating!!! Because the last date I went on was way too long! This way I can meet lots of people in a short period of time and quite frankly for me it's all about that initial chemistry...and if it ain't there, well...usually it just doesn't happen for me...So we'll see...maybe speed dating is in my future!

As 2009 draws to a close all I can say is it's been an AWESOME year!!! I have gotten my life back! I love exercising and being healthy and I can wear normal clothes just like everyone else, and participate in activities just like everyone else and it feels SO good! I feel like I have control of my life, not the other way around...It's absolutely FABULOUS!!!!

I don't really have time now, but I wanted to write about the party last night...It was AWESOME! The dress ROCKED! LOVED it! I also felt like I looked REALLY good too

Anyway, it was a fun night that's all I gotta say! I also lost another 2 pounds this week so all is well!!!!!!!

I lost another 2 pounds this week so I'm really hoping this is the beginning of another good few months of weight loss. The annual Christmas party @ work is on Dec 5th and I am leaving for a two-week trip overseas in mid Dec so I want to lose as much weight as possible by then! (Especially the party cuz I wanna be the HOTTEST chick there!!!). I went to Maurice's and bought new clothes for the first time since surgery!!! I had gotten a few things here and there, but now I'm finally getting into clothes and style and accessories and it's AWESOME! Before style had no bearing on whether or not I would buy something, I was lucky if it fit and if it did I had to get it out of necessity. But now I can be fashion forward and buy all the awesome, cute things everyone else buys and I love it!!!

In terms of eating and exercising I have not allowed myself nearly as many "treats," which I think helps A LOT, and I also limit the amount of trigger foods I have in my house. For instance, I love the little Russell Stover chocolate santas and I bought a couple packages yesterday. Then I made my way to the frozen foods section and saw those Mrs. Field's cookie dough bites and was like ooh I haven't had those in awhile...BUT I decided it was either the chocolate or the cookie dough--not both. So I only left with the chocolate. It works for me...I also realize now that I can eat things sparingly--that they're not gonna run away if I leave some for the next day, and the next day. So I don't feel like food has that control over me anymore.

I went to see a physical therapist last week about my knee and he gave me a whole laundry list of problems I have lol... 1)I have a high arche so when I do high impact sports like running my feet don't cushion the impact as much as they should 2) I have what he called "runner's knee" which basically means my knee caps move around too much and cause pain and irritation (explaining why I sometimes have pain on my knee caps) 3) When I stand and walk I hyperextend my knee causing added stress on the knee complex and 4) My thigh muscles are very weak and so they are not supporting the knee as much as they should be. The last one was the hardest to hear...I've been running 12 miles a week and I have weak leg muscles????!!!! WHAT??!!!!! But I started to look at it from another angle: How much worse it must have been BEFORE the weight loss! I wasn't having knee pain then but when I think back on it my feet and ankles would KILL me everyday. I could hardly stand without pain, so the running just brought my weak muscles to the forefront. I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to do aerobic activity but I was told no running for at least 2 weeks, but I could use the elliptical, rowing machine, bike, and especially the leg press. I was also given strengthening exercises to do at home. I went back a second time and had a different guy and I LOVED him!!! No ring, SUPER cute, funny, and nice. I think I need to find out if he's single hahaha. But anyway, he was awesome...can't wait to go back! They have not yet ruled out the possibility of a stress fracture, but I'm not even going to entertain the idea until I give this a shot and really work on strengthening my legs.

So the exercising has also gone well despite my knee issues. I did the elliptical three times last week and it seems to work just fine. I almost feel like my knee started hurting on purpose because I had gotten into such a routine and was too stubborn to change it that my body forced me to change it and now I'm challenging it again and the scale is moving down again...Because truth be told the running was a great workout, but my body was very used to it. Now that I'm doing the elliptical and the rowing machine and the bike etc.. I'm confusing it and challenging it again. So far, it seems to be working.

At 187 this is the lightest I've been since the year 2000 when I dropped a good 60 pounds my senior year of high school. I want to be down to 185 by the party and HOPEFULLY closer to 180 by the time Germany rolls around. Mentally I am definitely on my game and I think that's half (if not more) the battle!

So I saw Dr. M and he put another .1cc in my band and I am very pleased to say so far, so good. I am below 190!!! I had significant pain in my knee this past week and was only able to go running on Sunday the 8th and Tuesday the 10th. I was able to do a couple workout videos at home, but it's just not the same as running. Yesterday I went to the gym and did the rowing machine for 30 mins and the elliptical for another 25 minutes and it was a decent workout, but I've realized that in terms of cardio running is by far the best thing for me. I actually went running today and my knee is pretty good, but I'm still gonna keep my appointment at the physical therapist's office on Tuesday. If nothing else maybe they can give me stretching exercises and stuff like that to really strengthen my knee.

I'm going to really amp up the exercise and try really hard to eat well over the next few weeks because our annual holiday party is Dec. 5th and then on the 17th I leave for a two-week trip to Germany...It's gonna be tough but I have almost 3 full weeks before the party and would like to be at least another 5 pounds down, and then another couple weeks before Europe to lose even more. I also have another appointment scheduled for the 9th I think and if he puts in another .1cc that should help too...

A part of me never thought 160 was actually an attainable goal, but I'm less than 30 pounds away now and I can taste it! I am almost 100% sure I will reach my goal! I struggled for a month or so, but I'm back full throttle and nothing's gonna stop me now!!!!

So things have taken a different turn over the past several weeks. I did indeed make it under 191 but have since gained 6 POUNDS! I have scheduled an "emergency" meeting w/ Dr. M because I need to take care of this before I gain any more...Last week life got in the way and as unable to exercise AT ALL but come on!!??? So does that mean every week I can't workout I'm gonna gain 6 pounds???!!! I'm roughly 196 right now and NOT liking it.

My biggest fear is that Dr. M will tell me that this is as low as my body is willing to go...I set a personal goal to lose 100 pounds, something I desperately want to achieve. Granted I'm thrilled with my success thus far, but it feels unfinished to me. I am really hoping he can help me. Whether he gives me a fill or not who knows but I have tried to be REALLY good food wise this week and have worked out everyday so far this week and still haven't lost anything.....ugh!

When I lost a bunch of weight 2 years ago I was at this exact same weight and plateaued there for a couple months and finally said to hell with it and re-gained all the weight...That just CANNOT happen again...We'll see what happens tomorrow...I'm really frustrated at the moment...

So I lost almost 3 pounds this week, got below 191 which was my low weight back in 2007 when I tried to lose weight, AND I KILLED it at the race yesterday finishing with a time under 33 minutes!!! (That's less than an 11-minute mile!!!)....

So things are going VERY well...I also bought a brand new car today!!! a 2010 Subaru Impreza Sport! I LOVEEEE it!!!!! NEVER had a brand new car before...EVER! Never had a car payment either, lol but pish posh! lol hahaha

Well, at any rate, it was a great week! Now I have to stay focused and try for another loss this week....

So my "official" weigh-in day isn't until Sunday but I am already down almost 3 pounds for the week! I attribute this to my increased protein consumption over the past week. At the last support meeting I was encouraged to eat more protein. (I feel like I get an adequate amount 9 days out of 10 but they suggested REALLY watching it and eating even MORE to try to break through this plateau). So I have upped it to 70-80 grams a day and I am SOOO happy to say it's working! Sometimes that even means eating MORE than I usually would to get more in but that's ok. I was told at group (not like I don't already know but there's just something about someone ELSE telling you that makes you believe it more...lol...kinda like when you make a sandwich it's never as good as when someone else makes it for you hahaha) that I might not be eating ENOUGH and so my body is hanging onto everything. Well, whatever the reason I have increased my protein and it's working like a charm so YAY!

I would like to add that regardless of what surgery you've had it's SO important to go to support meetings on a regular basis. I was a little frustrated and was able to talk to others who know exactly what I'm dealing with because they have all been through it. And like I said, even when you know something to be true it just has a different ring to it when someone else tells you....So GO to support meetings! I am almost 7 months out and I still find them very beneficial and the camaraderie is nice too!!!

So we'll see what the next few days bring, but I'm thinking it's gonna be a good week!

And I have my final race for the season this weekend too...just a 5K this time (lol) so it should be pretty good...Although they are calling for snow showers this weekend! BOOOO!!!

So I lost almost a pound this week, however, I am not going to celebrate just yet because I have been stuck at 194 for almost a month and a couple other times I showed a loss early in the week only to be back up to 194 by weigh-in day...Hopefully I have broken through the plateau but you never know......I am happy to see a loss though and this will give me extra motivation to work hard this week to avoid seeing a 194 again next weekend...

So for the third consecutive week in a row I have plateaued and it's starting to make me mad! I had a .1cc fill last Wednesday and didn't notice a bit of difference. I know there will be stalls, but even plateauing for a week is frustrating isn't it? GGGRRRR

Anyway, I bought the Wii Active because my friend got it and started doing it and has lost almost 20lbs and she wasn't even the least bit chunky to start with. So maybe something different to shake up the routine will help.