Marli *\o/*

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I know it has been forever since I updated. That is because nothing has changed. I am still swinging around the same weight. I know I need to buckle down and lose the rest... but I am so happy to have not re-gained a bunch of weight like so many others do. I am still wearing all the same clothes I bought when I reached this weight. I have taken up running and I love it. I guess I just need to cut the wine and I will lose the rest. lol.

Anyhow, here is the link to a video I made for my mom's birthday. There are some "before" puctures in there of me. I am so glad I won't look like that ever again!!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=44fcc656e64e99b95c2ad7&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

I am going through a lot at home. A lot. I will blog about it soon. But it is difficult to do so now. I hope you all understand.

My weight has a 8 pound swing from 201 to 209. I still work out three times a week. I still feel great. I still look great!

A few weeks ago my weight loss group - TOPS - had it's International Regcognition Days at Disney. I was awarded the Centry Club - meaning that I have lost over 100 pounds and kept it off for over a year. Here are some photos.







And we celebrated Diane's birthday at Howl at the Moon Saloon - it was a blast!



So, I will update soon. When I am ready to talk about what has been going on. I hope you all understand.

Well, HAPPY SURGIVERSARY TO ME!!!!

Two years ago today I decided to change my life. And change my life I did.

I have mixed emotions about this surgiversary. I thought for sure that I would be at goal right now. Or at least in Onderland. But for the past 6 months my weight has bounced around between 202 and 210 - it is like my bode likes being this weight. In my surgeon's eyes - and in the eyes of the WLS communityin general, I am a sussess because I have lost and kept off 75% of my excess weight - but it isn't good enough for me.

I am going through a really hard time right now at home. And it makes me sad a lot, and angry a lot and frustrated even more. But I will get through it. And althought I am really stressed out, I am NOT gaining wieght! That is AWESOME! I have a new goal - Onderland by my birthday! I know I can do that!

And look at eveything that I can do now. 

A few days ago I gave myself a pedicure. Because now I can bend down and  REACH MY TOES!

And yesterday I got a massage. And as I was lying on the table I was able to relax instead of freaking out that the masseuse was grossed out by my hugeness. In fact, it was rare that I got a massage when I was so fat.

I can drive in the car with my seatbelt fastened and my stomach doesn't even come close to touchin the steering wheel.

I go down the big water slide at my nephews birthday - because I can!

I run around with my nephews and play on the floor and lift them over my head - because I can!

I sit down in the small seats in the theatre with room to spar.

I cross my legs.

I wear high heels!

I am more self confident and more self reliant than I have been in my whole life. I love my life. I love my family - without whom none of this would be possible - and I love my friends. I am looking to the future with great hope and great anticipation!

Me - BEFORE - 356 pounds.



And Me NOW!!!! I will NEVER be that fat girl again!!!!

Putting things into perspective. 

A picture of me on our trip to Alaska in 2006. Here I am singing Karaoke on the cruise ship. Man, I was HUGE!!!



And me and my dad and my big huge PIE FACE!



And here are a few pictures from out trip to The Abacos last weekend. Damn, I LOVE my RNY!!!

Me and my dad. I like this picture so much better!!



Me and my sister at the top of the lighthouse in Hope Town. There were a TON of stairs to climb and I did it with EASE!!

We were in The Abacos last weekend and it was AWESOME! I did gain a pound this week - but STOP STRESSING MOM - I am quite sure it is because of all the sun I got - it makes you retain water big time. (And yes, I checkd that out - its true!)

Still, it was an active weekend filled with a lot of things that I never would have done without surgery.

Here is the plane we flew over on. Before surgery I never would have been able to fit in the seats! Yeah, the owner of the plane is a GATORS fan! Hence to colors. Wait until you see the boat - orange and blue and names the InstiGator!



Me on our mile long walk down the beach:



Connor Snorkeling:



Me Snorkeling - I LOVE to snorkel!!



Me at the top of the lighthouse in Hope Town. I climed all the staris with no problem and even fit through the tiny little door at the top!!





Ahhhhhhh - this is THE LIFE!!




The whole family at Nippers - drinking Frozen Nippers - a delightful rum drink!!



View from the balcony of the house where we stayed:



Me, my mom, Connor and Ethan:



Connor and Nelson on the beach:



It was SUCH a good time!!! I hope I get to go back real soon!!!

All the pictures can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marlibonjovi/sets/72157617935664609/

Happy Tax Day!

I am going to be honest here. Blogging when you are experiencing a major stall sucks. Unless something happens, expect me to blog every other Wednesday. I am up a half a pound this week from last week. I am also PMSing BAD, so I am sure that has something to do with it. But it is what it is.

Right now some aspects of my life are really really tumultuous, while others are quite fabulous! I am gonna focus on the good.

Like my job. It is picking up and I am going on more appointments and I am really loving it!

And my friends – I have some of the best in the world! Included in these friends is the WLS family I have found here on OH. I seriously would lose my mind without my WLS friends. So many of them are years out from their surgery. I heard from my friend Ann who is almost three years out and just hit Onderland a few months ago. She is the one that tells me this journey is not a sprint – it is a marathon. And as long as you don’t break the cardinal rule – DO NOT DRINK WITH YOUR MEALS – your pouch will always be with you and always stay small. Ann will never weigh in the 300’s again, and neither will I. Another friend, Rob – oh Rob, what would I do without you? – he is fresh out of surgery and reminds me all the time what it was like in the beginning and how to stay on track. And Steph – she is about 2 and a half years out – she talks me off the ledge all the time – I love you girl! And Jenny, who I met on the OH cruise in January 2007 – oh Jenny – I am blessed to have you in my life. Jenny started at upwards of 400 pounds and is looking so good at 2 years out. She keeps it real. She knows, like me, that she is not at goal yet, but she sure as hell isn’t gaining any weight back and that she will now live a long and healthy life and be there for the people that she loves. She is no longer busy dying, she is busy living and it is a wonderful thing! There is Melissa and Teri and Anna and PK and Jess who I also met on that cruise and I follow their process and they inspire me all the time. (Pictures of all of us in the Archives of January 2007) Teri just had her first round of plastics as did PK and they both look amazing! I SOOO can’t wait to get the skin removed from my upper arms and my boobs put back where they belong. LOL! And Natalie, who looks like she was never overweight a day in her life, started out over 325 pounds 5 years ago and has now had ALL her plastics (losing over 25 more pounds of skin in the process) reminds me that stalls and slowdowns can last 6 months but as long as you are not gaining you are on the right track. (You can see pictures of me with Natalie from my post in the February 2009 archives. There are also pictures there with Mikey.) There is Mikey who is going on two years out and drives a truck for a living so he doesn’t have a guy membership and he is still keeping off the weight he has lost. And Kristen - I so can't wait for you to move down here! Your words of encourgement help me every day and I just know that you are gonna get me running 5Ks with you! And last week I met Kimmy who just had her 4 year surgiversary and looks fantastic - inspiring! And of course my WLS friends that I have here in town. Diane – I never would have done this without your help and support and encouragement and even though we face struggles every day, you have kept off over 100 pounds of weight loss and three years later are still one of the most beautiful people I know. Pattilyn, Jill, Tami, Andrea, Amy and Tammy – the best support group ever! There are so many more who keep me on track and keep me going every day. I love all my WLS friends!  

So, if there are some of you out there that are worried… don’t be. I know it is hard for people who have not had this surgery to understand, but the pouch never goes away as long as you don’t break the Cardinal Rule – and I never do.  

So here are a few photos.  I said I met Kimmy this past week. She is awesome!  
  


And a few weeks ago I met Ed and Nicole and Shirl (well, Shirl I have met several times - she is pre-op). We had a blast! I love meeting people from the OH board!

  

And a few days ago I was in Ross and didn’t see anything I liked. But on the way out, I saw this skirt. It is a Large and it was $10.00! I bought it without trying it on! Wow! I never do that! And I got it home and it fit! I am wearing it today.



Here is Me, Gretchen, Scott and Tina from an Art Show we went to 2 weekends ago. It was a BLAST! I am wearing a new Michael Kors top! Woo Hoo!

  

And it was Easter! Happy Easter Everyone! I love my family so much. They have stood by me through thick and thin – through good times and bad. I could not ask for a more wonderful family.

  

And here are the nephews with the Easter Bunny.

  

And here is me with the Easter Bunny in my brand new Large top from Macy’s. Ummm, is it just me or is the bunny looking down my shirt? LOL!  



After brunch we went on a golf cart ride. Here is Ethan sitting on my lap so he can drive. What's that? Sitting on my what? Oh yeah, my LAP! I have one now!! Before surgery my stomach would have hit the steering wheel. This is awesome!

  

See you all in 2 weeks – unless something awesome happens. Just keep checking back on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Don’t worry, I won’t ever stop updating for good.

 

I am sorry that I have not updated. Things have been Crazy Crazy busy! Work is good. Really good. But REALLY stressful. The economy is hitting everyone and our business is no exception. So, my weight. I lost the half pound I gained. That is a good thing. But I have been stressing about it so all last week I logged everything I put in my mouth and all my excercise. My highest calorie day was around 1300 calories. Not a lot. Mostly I ws around 1000 calories a day. So, I talked to the doctor that is a member of our TOPS group about it. He made some good suggestions. He did tell me that the stress will cause your body to metabolize food diferently. And the fact that I am not sleeping enough will also cause your body to hold onto weight. He wants me to change up my routine. Insetad of my protein shake every morning, I am going to have solid food. And I am going to up my water to 100 oz a day and up my protein to 80 oz a day. We will see if that works.

But I am not gaining. And that is what matters to me the most.

So, what have I done these last few weeks? Well, I went to the Winter Park Arts Festival with my friends. We had a BLAST! Here are some pictures:



Scott, Nalie, Brittany, Tina, Me and Sean




Me and Tania. I am wearing my new Michael Kors T-shirt. Yeah, it is a Large! Woo Hoo!



Oh, and I colored my hair - I love this shade of red!

I have to be honest. It is tough to update this blog when there is no weight change or, as this week, a change in the wrong direction. But I am gonna post anyway. This week I gained a half pound. Am I freaked out about it? No. It is one tiny half pound. It will prolly be gone tomorrow. But I am so close to Onederland so I know it frustrates you guys that I am not there. No worries, I will get there.

Until then, I am LIVING LIFE!! This past weekend I went CAMPING! In a Tent. Yeah. Me. I know...

I have not done that since I was a kid camping out in mom and dad's back yard. I went with Steph, Joel and the three kids. It was Nelons's Cub Scouts camp out. It was a BLAST! I will so go again. This is something I never would have done at 356 pounds. Never. I would have had a hard time getting up and down off the ground. I would have been afraid to sit in the fold out camping chairs because I would break them. I would have been afraid to be around that many 7, 8 and 9 year olds because kids can be mean - even to adults - even when they don't mean to be. And I would not have wanted to embarrase Nelson in front of his friends by my giantness. Now, I don't worry about any of that. I am so glad I went. I so can't wait to go again.

Here are some pictures:

The Camp Site:



Pictures of the lake in the morning"







Nelson whittling a stick. He is getting really good at it:



Connor. Is he cute or what?



Speaking of Con-Man... At night, Stpeh and I walked over to the bathroom and Connor came with us. He wanted to hold the flashlight but he kept shining it in the trees instead of the ground so we could see. So Steph took it back and Connor ran ahead. Steph called out for him to stop, but too late. He ran into a chain link fence and went head over heels. I am so sorry, but it was damn funny. Steph and I were cracking up - until the tears started to come out of Connor. He busted up his chin pretty good and there was blood everywhere. And of course, he wails at the top of his lungs "See, you should have let me hold the FLASHLIGHT!!!!"

Here he is with his cut on his chin and blood on his shirt:



He cried and cried until I gave him my camera. He loves to take picture, but he is not very good at using my pink camera because of where the lense is he always gets his finger in the way... LOL





He is just fine now. Once we got back to the camp site he wanted to go to bed and he asked if his Aunt Marli could cuddle with him before he went to sleep. Awwwwwwww - so cute. It was awesome.

And here, the next morning. Steph made breakfast!



Ethan at breakfast:



And Connor wanted to take more pictures... so here is a pancake...



And we held out the camera and took a picture of us. This is the first and last no make up picture you guys get to see - but it was the only one of me (that wasn't blurry anyway) and I have to post it to prove that I was there! LOL!



So, even without getting to Onderland - I am having a blast! Having fun! Living Life!!

And I will get to Onderland. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Have a great week!

I know you all expect an update, but I am sick. And I still had too much work to do today to stay home. So as I was trying to get going this morning, I actually forgot to get on the scale! First time on a Wednesday since surgery. Yesterday I was at 202.3 which I should round up to 202.5 - but since I don't know what it was today - my official weigh in day - I am just gonna say that I stayed the same. Who knows, maybe my sickness will get wors and I will lose 3 pounds because of it! LOL!

More next week.

 
I know. I know. I am late. Oh Well. Sometimes it is hard to update when nothing has happened and you are still the same weight. And I am still the same weight. Holding at 202. It is what it is.

I will say that in this past 2 weeks I had the joy and pleasure to meet three people from the Obesity Help message boards. First I met Mike and Shirl! They are awesome!! Shirl is having surgery in a few months and Mike is coming up on 2 years. He has done so well. I learned a lot from him. I count them both as my friends and I am so happy to have spent time with them. Here is a picture of us!







I also met Natalie from the board. This is exciting to me because Natalie started at 325. She has had all her plastic surgery and to see the way she looks inspires me so much. She lost a total of 200 pounds, but 25 of that was skin removal from plastic surgery. She told me that her arms were as bad as mine and her stomach was as bad as mine and her thighs were as bad as mine. By looking at her, you would never ever know. She is beautiful on the inside and the outside. I just love her!! Here we are:





Good times! I am always happy when I get to meet other WLS patients.

Also, this past week was Dad's birthday! Here is me, mom and dad at Inerlachen Country Club!



Happy Happy Happy Birthday DAD!! I love you so much! Thank you for everything you have done for me. Mom and Dad, I love you both so much.