Jennie M.

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And that's on purpose. Feeling a little discouraged this week. I'm in a big stall... not gaining but not losing either. Scale showed 212 this a.m. and I was 211 about 10 days ago and in between? Up & down from 213 to 211.5 or so. Four weeks of bouncing up & down.  And I want to be mildly delusional, I can say my lowest this month is 211 so a loss of 3 lbs since Dec 12th? Um... not happy with that at all.

I can put on my rose coloured glasses and say "Wow - you lost weight over the holidays!" and yes, I can look and say yes - for the first time in just about forever, I am not up 4-5+ lbs for the same time period. But I've made some major breath throughs this past month - or I thought I had and I think that's whats messing with my head right now.

I discovered over the Christmas break that when I was feeling overwhelmed or stressed, I would (if possible) take a time out and I was running on my treadmill. And it felt good... and helped me cope and feel good without the need to eat/binge for hours after too. I ran on Dec 23 and 26th... and I went to Good Life on the 28th to find out about a trial membership. Used their treadmill and ran again... and then I found IT... Wed the 30th of December, I discovered Zumba and that was it - I was hooked. The exercise bug had bitten and bitten hard. Thursday the 31st, I went back to the gym and did another C25K run (and found it so much easier!) and I joined the gym. I took Friday the 1st off but was back Saturday to do another C25K run and on Sunday, I got up early and went to the gym for a NewBody class (aerobics with hand weights) for an hour.  Took the Monday off and I was back C25K'ing on Tuesday, did Zumba Wed night and then AGAIN on Thursday. Yep - it's an illness!  Took the Friday off as I had registered Saturday for a Zumba Fiesta - a 2 hr Zumba "class" raising funds for Heart & Stroke. (Enjoyed it tremendously but didn't finish the full 2 hrs... at 90 min, I felt a little light headed and retired to have a protein bar & more water....)

Rested Sunday. Monday was 30 min of strength training (Nautilus), Tues was a rest day, Wed was Zumba, I did W4D1 on Thursday and I've taken the weekend off as my knees & shins were feeling "tender". Back at it today for sure once Maggie goes to school. :)

So I'm finally getting into the exercise bug and my net calories had dropped on exercise days, esp. Zumba days (I had a net cal of 500 on the 2 hr Zumba day and I really upped my calories - almost 1500 gross calories which is waaaay more than I normally eat).

So I don't know if my body thinks it's in starvation mode again or the stress of the holidays plus getting through Andrew's eye surgery last week? Might be the stress too... but I'm booked to see Shauna (the dietician) and Rob (the trainer) at BMI this week to come up with some strategies to get things moving again.

I had hoped to get to One-Derland well before my 1 yr surgiversary but that's 11-12 lbs in 8 weeks? Right now, that doesn't feel doable and that's depressing.  

Wow!!  Can't believe it's been 9 months since my VSG (Sleeve) surgery and how much my life has changed for the better. I may not be at goal (I didn't expect to be yet!) and I still have 40-70 lbs to go (depending whose goal I use) but my goal is in spitting distance. So much so that I have finally changed my ticker from "how much I have lost" to "how much is left to go".

Major milestone was met today - I have lost an incredible 125 lbs in 9 months.  I had hoped to be in Onederland by New Years but that's going to be a big order to lose 14 lbs in 18 days (esp. with the holidays) so I'm going to not sweat the small stuff.  :D  

For the first time since I was in my very early 20's, I have a BMI of less than 35. I am now wearing size 16s again (usually 18s but I do have a 2 pairs of 16s that I'm into) and my tops are now 95% bought in regular sizes (xl and l). From a 28-30 last Christmas to these sizes is still hard to believe some days.

My waist has gone from 51" to 37". Hips from 64" to 46-49" (depending on whether I measure standing up and count the skin on my panni or lying down!). Chest has gone from 56 to 42.5" (ribcage from a 46 to 36 bra). And my thighs are now 23" vs 34" before. Not thrilled with all the extra skin but I'm working on it with exercise and such and I am knowing that I'm going to need plastics. Having a set of twins does a number on tummy skin on a "normal" woman but have twins when you are 250lbs to start with (and have 2 more full term pregnancies after that) so I will need some work. Am hoping OHIP will cover a reduction (I am still a G/H cup) but it's certainly mostly skin where it used to be a full G/H cup before.  I now call my boobs a DD long vs a G. LOL And my inner thighs are a mess - not enough that I will have surgery I think - it's not THAT bad in the grand scheme and my arms could certainly use some work but they'll be on my wish list vs. the tummy tuck or lower body lift and breast reduction which are going to be a necessity.  I have a plastics consult in early January to see what a surgeon thinks might be fixable and to get a better idea on how much money we'll need to sock away before I can have surgery (hopefully in the early fall 2010).  

I'm still aiming to get to MY goal of 175 lbs before plastics - it's going to be a push to get there by my 1 yr surgiversary but the push is on! So look out Onederland - I'm coming for you by mid-late January! You will be MINE!

Christmas 2008

 

Christmas 2009!!

 

HW: 339

1 mth post-op: 290 (-36 lbs)
2 mths post-op: 279 (-11 lbs)
3 mths post-op: 269 (-10 lbs)
4 mths post-op: 256 (-13 lbs)
5 mths post-op: 242 (-14 lbs)
6 mths post-op: 236 (-6 lbs)
7 mths post-op: 229 (-7 lbs)
8 mths post-op: 223 (-6 lbs)
9 mths post-op: 214 (-9 lbs)

TOTAL LOST TO DATE: 125 lbs!!

Timeline goals to aim for to see if I am on track to lose 100% EWL:

25% EWL by two months
50% EWL by six months
80% EWL by twelve months
100% EWL by eighteen months

Take surgery weight and subtract  goal weight. This will give the EWL%. Then divide the EWL by current weight to get the timelime goal.

surgery weight = 319
goal weight = 160
EWL = 159

25% EWL by two months = 40 (279 pounds) MET (277 lbs)
50% EWL by six months = 80 (239 pounds) MET (Sept 2 so ahead of my 6 mth surgiversary on 9/12)
80% EWL by twelve months = 140 (199 pounds) 15 lbs to get to this goal.

As of today, I have lost 74.3% of my EWL (and if you use my starting wt, I have lost 84% of my EWL!!

I so love my sleeve!!

  

Quick update as yesterday was my 8 month surgiversary.

HW: 339
SW: 328 (saw this in my surgeon's notes this past week)

1 mth post-op: 290 (-36 lbs)
2 mths post-op: 279 (-11 lbs)
3 mths post-op: 269 (-10 lbs)
4 mths post-op: 256 (-13 lbs)
5 mths post-op: 242 (-14 lbs)
6 mths post-op: 236 (-6 lbs)
7 mths post-op: 229 (-7 lbs)
8 mths post-op: 223 (-6 lbs)

TOTAL LOST TO DATE: 116 lbs!!

Feels like less this month but 6 lbs is still good!  It's an average of 1.5 lbs/week. Really can't complain about that!!

Saw my bariatric doc yesterday - kind of took the wind out of my sails a tad though. He commented that the loss had slowed since I'd seen him - and I agreed... said that it would slow again to more like 1 lb a week and with 50-60 lbs to go, I probably would get to 200 or so... maybe 185-190 if I was really motivated/exercising more. Well huh. Didn't like that much - I know he's not as familiar with the Sleeve and all but sheesh. That's only maybe another 23 lbs? I'll show him!!  :) 

Oh - and I'm at 73% of my EWL at 8 months out (using the number of 169 as my EWL to lose...) . I'm right on track with most RnY-ers at the same point with the same EWL!! 

Just back to add this from a previous post with updates:


Timeline goals to aim for to see if I am on track to lose 100% EWL:

25% EWL by two months
50% EWL by six months
80% EWL by twelve months
100% EWL by eighteen months

Take surgery weight and subtract  goal weight. This will give the EWL%. Then divide the EWL by the percentage to get the timelime goal.

surgery weight = 319
goal weight = 160
EWL = 159

25% EWL by two months = 40 (279 pounds) MET (277 lbs)
50% EWL by six months = 80 (239 pounds) MET (Sept 2 so ahead of my 6 mth surgiversary on 9/12)
80% EWL by twelve months = 127 (192 pounds) 31 lbs to get to this goal. So at 6-7 lbs a mth, I should reach this or be within spitting distance!!

Edited as my math is WAY off at the bottom!!

Well - it took a little while but even though I was 6 months post-op in mid-September, it took until 2 weeks ago for me to get in for the bloodwork.  I've been waiting patiently for the results, especially since I was wondering if I was slightly anemic as I've been feeling a little "off" of late. Could just be this cold that just won't quit - it's been off & on since Thanksgiving weekend (Oct 10th or so).

I got an email today from my doc saying everything was "normal" and to keep doing what I'm doing!  So I'm thrilled! At this time, I'm taking a multivitamin from Costco daily (about 5-6 days a week) and I started only about 6 wks ago. Yep - I know - but I'm now taking them. Missed the last week - had one go down or try to go down and it came right back up - couldn't even look at them without the gag reflex until today. ICKY!!   But today's went down ok so hopefully am back on track.

Wow - I saw some update posts this week and thought "why are they posting? Our surgiversary dates are similar..." and then realized that I missed my surgiversary last weekend. Life is getting closer to "normal" and I'm not obsessing about food and such all the time anymore.

So 7 months post-op, I am down 112 lbs and I feel wonderful! I can do just about anything I set my mind to these days - not more second thoughts at all. I am taking an adult tap class every Tuesday and loving it (I tried it last fall but my knees gave out after about 8 wks). I am actively involved with the Christmas production at church and am actually directing one number with 3 kids & I (doing drama). Last year - I hid in the choir.

I started in a size 30 pant and am now comfortably in 22s and some 20s (and 18s with my control undies/shorts on!!). I am on the verge of leaving plus size tops behind - I have purchased blouses and tops in regular stores of late in a XXL or XL depending on the cut. Still sort of gives me a perverted sense of "woo" when I realize I can look in the "regular" sized area of a store. Still feel like I'm trespassing... like the fat girl drooling at cupcakes through a window... nope - I can SHOP THERE now with pride!

Oh - my wedding and engagement rings are long put away. It's been a good 4-6 weeks since I put them away for safe keeping. I had on a "fake" ring that was a size smaller for a bit but it's now too big and I'm back in a ring that I wore in early university 20 years ago (when I was 190 or less).

One last NSV - I have made a consult appointment with a plastic surgeon for January 2010. The appt is 10 weeks from now. FAINT!  I am going to meet with the esteemed Dr. Silverman to get an idea what he thinks he can do - what he recommends based on my losses so far (ie. lower body lift vs tummy tuck) and to see if OHIP will cover a reduction. I am still a G/H cup and between the size of my boobage and my panni, exercise is challenging. I do it because I love it but my back is paying the price so lets see! (I also need to figure out how big my savings account is going to have to be).

I have also taken the plunge and started a new business venture with a company that has just (finally!) moved into Canada. It's fun being in on the ground floor with a business opportunity and I'm jumping at it. I'm hoping to use the money earned to put into my plastics fund. And I'd be willing to travel pretty much in the province if anyone is interested in being the first on the block to have a new style home party. You can learn more about it if you're keen at www.meltingmommy.com (Yep - it describes the business AND my new life!!)

So for the stats folks:

HW: 339
SW: 328 (saw this in my surgeon's notes this past week)

1 mth post-op: 290 (-36 lbs)
2 mths post-op: 279 (-11 lbs)
3 mths post-op: 269 (-10 lbs)
4 mths post-op: 256 (-13 lbs)
5 mths post-op: 242 (-14 lbs)
6 mths post-op: 236 (-6 lbs)
7 mths post-op: 229 (-7 lbs)
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS:  112 lbs (at of today)

Using MY GOAL (of 175 lbs), I still have 52 lbs to lose.  Anything beyond that for me is vanity poundage!!  

So to use all the doctor-speak, I have lost to date 68% of my EWL as of today. Considering the initial literature on the VSG showed the average loss for a VSG at a year or two out is 70%, I'm thrilled to be there at 7 months.  My weight loss has slowed and that is because I have not been watching my carbs as much as I should - I enjoyed the treats at Thanksgiving which I know slowed my losses but I'm ok with that! Even if I continue losing 6-8 lbs a month, I'll be at goal in/around my 1 yr surgiversary.  So it's back to tracking my intake for the next few weeks to see where I'm slacking and we'll go forward from there!

Oh... pics are in my profile. I cannot for the life of me get them in here.

As I posted earlier this week, I had my 6 month post-op visit with Dr. F here in Ottawa. Tried on 3 outfits - the weather warmed up considerably and I had stupidly given away most of my warmer weather clothes!! - and finally settled on one. I was so excited to show off my success that I got to BMI (the clinic is the BMI Medical Centre) almost 30 min early.

I decided I had time (and then some) to grab a latte but instead of drive thru, I parked behind the BMI offices and walked over - not a huge walk or anything but picture a big box mall and it was 3 big box stores or so over. Woo! Felt good to get some fresh air too - a tall skinny vanilla protein latte in hand, I decided it was time to go. 

While I was waiting (was still 10 min early or so), the NUT popped out to the waiting area and said hi but nothing more... the trainer popped out and didn't really say much... I was starting to get slightly concerned that my mirror was broken at home. I mean I hadn't seen the NUT since 6 wks post-op and I was still pushing 300 lbs... I saw the trainer at my local pharmacy at the end of May and I was still in the high 260's (right around the last time I saw the doc). So the apprehension was setting in and the self doubt was creeping back in.

Finally the doc came out and I didn't get quite the reaction I had hoped for but it was a good one. :)  One of the first things he was checking out was my hair - made me giggle!! Asked how my hair was doing!  So although I've lost some hair, esp from the crown and the front of my hair is a little damaged/brittle, there is TONNES of regrowth and even the doc noticed that part.  So his opinion was that I didn't have too much hair loss and that it's probably slowing and such which I agree with - there are days when it still feels like loads but overall, it has slowed dramatically. So for the record, it started falling out by the handfull right about the first wk of August and here we are the last week of Sept and it's pretty much done shedding in large amounts.  And to me, it was only slightly worse than post-partum hair loss... just.

So we talked about how life is going - a very casual visit. Then he asked about the skin... I held up my arm and he saw the wobble - admired the bicep but not the dangly underneath and said "well - we had discussed that plastics was probably going to need looking into before you started..."  So the conversation moved to plastics! Wasn't expecting that at all!  He said I can start calling around for consults - was trying to give me names and I knew them before he said them: Nodwell, Silverman, etc. I will see them both but I'm leaning towards Silverman as I will probably need a lower body life (LBL), a tummy tuck, possibly my arms and a breast reduction. Am hoping OHIP will cover the breast reduction at least. Said he wouldn't recommend doing the plastics until I've been a stable weight for 6 mths and as much as I hate to wait, I agree with him (and I'll be saving up my money for longer than that!). But he said if I called now, I would probably get consult dates around the holidays and I would be within 30-40 lbs of my goal by then which is about the right time. FAINT!!

Got my paperwork for my 6 mth bloodwork - said if it came back normal, he was going to reduce the number of tests he'd request next time for my 12 mth, etc. Woo!!  Said I looked great and sounded great.  So to the big number... 238 on his scale which to my memory is 101 lbs from the highest I ever saw on his scale (and it's 1.5 lbs more than my scale at home as I weighed myself in my clothes before I left home). So needless to say, he's pleased. I like that when I told him that if I didn't lose anymore, I would still be quite happy and he agreed. I'm healthy at this weight. Not that I won't be healthier if I continue to lose but compared to where I was 6-8 mths ago, I'm far healthier, I have much of my "life" back, etc. Don't need to see him for another 3-4 mths! Woo!!

Left there and headed off to the hair salon where I got all the NSV I could have needed yesterday. OMG it was fabulous! The owner of the salon did a double take and he asked how much I'd lost, etc and later one, he even asked how much more I wanted to lose... I told him a good 50 but up to 75 depending on how it goes. He said that I didn't need to lose that much - and I already looked hot! I haven't ever heard anyone refer to me as hot before. That was a new one. (Can you see me blushing from here?) All the stylists came over during the 2 hrs I was there to compliment me on my hard work and such. WOW! 

I still need to post my 6 month post-op thoughts and stuff but I wanted to post really quickly a few thoughts for today:

1.  I go back to my tap class tonight for the first time since I quit last November right around my consult (so in the 325 range). My knees just couldn't keep up with the class as we got moving more quickly, etc.  So I'm back in the Adult Advanced Tap class and I can't wait!!  Haven't seen anyone since that time but the owner of the dance school couldn't figure out who I was when I registered (for my DD's ballet class and my tap class) and she asked how advanced I was... and I told her I had taken the class last fall but had to quit... and she looked at me... and wasn't sure and then  WHAM it hit her.  Loved the reaction and I'm hoping that since I'm down another 10-15 since then I'll get something similar from others.  AND I can't to feel how much lighter I am on my taps!

2.  I see Dr. Freedhoff tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to wait until my 6 mth post-op labs were due and then I wanted to make sure I was really into the Century Club before I saw him (his scale shows me about 5 lbs heavier than my scale because I usually see him later in the day and dressed...). So I looked on my calendar to see how much I weighed last time I saw him - turns out it wasn't in July... it was June 4th and I was 270.  As of this a.m., I am 233 and I've really lost inches in those 3 mths. So I'm trying to pick an outfit that really shows off my "new" figure. LOL How silly/vain is that??  Such a new feeling.

I posted this on the Ontario board as a response to my request for the Century Club icon and I wanted to keep some of my thoughts as I reach this milestone (and I think I'll have another mini Century Club party at 219 as my surgery weight was 319!).

Thank you!! Sorry I haven't responded to all - the kids are back at school this week and I'm having bus issues and still have my son recuperating at home in his body cast so just popping the kids in the car to drive the one who was deemed a walker this year has required babysitters, patience, lots of phone calls to find out how to get said walker on the bus with his brother and sister, etc. So far I haven't been able to just enjoy the normal first day of school fun KWIM?

My daughter and I go to meet her Jr. K teacher tomorrow - my baby is starting school!! So it's been a busy week of big changes for all of us.

So my biggest goal has now been met - wanting to lose 100 lbs before my 6 mth surgiversary. I am now shooting for Onederland by Christmas and if I average 2-2.5 lbs a week I should get there.

Oh - and can I also now officially say goodbye to size 24 (pants/shorts) and any numbers on the scale that start with 24X. Size 24 shirts/tops have been gone for most of the summer already. I even found some old work clothes (I have been self-employed/work at home mom since my son Charlie was born in 2003) when I was cleaning out my closet. 2 gorgeous pencil skirts in size 20 that fit beautifully. FAINT I'm now smaller than I have ever been since before I met my hubby - I was probably this size (ie size 18-22) when I was in Sudbury from 1993-1997 (I met my DH in Ottawa in 1997). So for him, we're in uncharted territory! I told him he's gone a whole new woman in his hands. LOL

Yep - 239 on the scale this morning. FINALLY!!  Tried to snap a pic of it (after I zeroed the scale and reweighed 3x in a few minutes to make sure!!) and went to get my camer and when I came back, I kept reading 240.1 (intead of the 239.2 that I had seen 3x already this a.m.)

So I'll try for that elusive pic tomorrow a.m. but I'm going to call it 100 lbs today! WOO!

So since my last post, I got down to 240.9 on August 15th and I've lost nothing since then. And why do you ask is breaking into the 230's so important??  Because at 239, I will have lost 100 lbs from my peak early in 2009.

I know why the scale hasn't moved of late (or I think so). Aunt Flo arrived in the early hours of Aug 16th. I watched the scale all week and I was up & down between 242 and 240.9 so I was fully expecting to be below 240.9 by the 20th-21st of August. But it hasn't happened. I haven't been really watching my protein goals closely but I've still been working on eating protein first and I believe I've been getting in a good 50-55g/day. 

On Thursday Aug 20th, one of my sons had major orthopedic surgery and we spent the day in hospital waiting for news (it was a 6 hr operation). I ate in the caf there but I know i made good food choices - roasted chicken with snap pea pods (maybe 5-6 pea pods after about 1.5-2oz of chicken breast). I stayed with Andrew overnight at the hospital and I had a turkey wrap that night for dinner. (2oz max of turkey breast on a wrap with some light ranch dressing)  Did a lot of walking and stair climbing to pass the time, etc.

Friday, I had a boiled egg for breakfast (it came on his tray) with 2 pcs of bacon. I had the other half of my turkey wrap for lunch and we had BBQ chicken thighs for dinner that night at home (my husband was on night shift so I went home to be with my 3 other kids and my parents who are in town helping out) with half a cob of fresh corn.

Andrew was discharged today (he's in a hip spica cast for the next 6-8 wks) finally and we have him at a respite home for the next few days to transition to home so it will be lots of going back and forth still.  I don't know if the stress of all this is keeping me from dropping weight or what's going on. This morning was so disheartening to see 241.8 on the scale again (started at 242.6 but I zeroed and the next 3 weights were all the same at 241.8). *sigh* I know it will happen but I was sooooooooooooo excited to have hit my century club and now I'm just stuck.