Kat W.

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Who'd have figured that it would be cause for celebration, but I'm getting very close to leaving obesity behind and being merely overweight.  As of this morning I'm at 194, with 3 pounds to go to a BMI under 30.  I'm mostly at a size 14 these days, depending on where I'm shopping.

We're just back from a Mexico cruise.  Once again I was able to lose weight on vacation.  Amazing.  Probably all the extra walking.  I really must get my head wrapped around regular exercise.  Especially since weight loss has been at a crawl since the first of the year.

Dang, those last 2 pounds took a long time to shed!  I was starting to wonder if I was going to end up with 201 as my best effort and a size 12 wouldn't happen.  Interestingly, I just invested in a number of pretty summer dresses in size 16.  Oh well, that's why it's good to have a sewing machine for alterations.  I do think I'll ease up on the shopping spree for a little while though.

We're cruising again next month and I'm really looking forward to the getaway.  Mexican gold coast this time.  I'm definitely getting nice photos done this time.  Last time we cruised I refused the photos because I looked like Jabba the Hut.  Now I definitely have a jaw line and a waist and can't wait to capture it on film!

Life is good!

Things have been a bit hectic lately, but all in all rather good.  I'm down 80 lbs, although have paused for a while since changing to a blood pressure med that doesn't include a diuretic.  Hopefully by the end of the month I'll start decreasing the dosage too.  If successful, I will reach my goal of life without meds for cholestrol and blood pressure. 

Recently I started shopping in the misses dept. and am thrilled to be wearing a size 16.  My waist is down a whole 10 inches!!!!  Wendell has a BIG smile on his face since I'm back to the size I was when he married me.  With patience and persistance I'll soon get back to the size I was when I met him.  It's interesting--on the way up I was pretty dissatisfied with how I looked at this weight.  Now I'm thrilled.  Go figure.

I had a first experience with dumping last week.  It's every bit as ghastly as they say.  It wasn't sugar that got me, I think it was too much fat.  Unfortunately I discovered over the holidays that not much would happen if I ate a small portion of sugared food.  I'm still pretty paranoid about my sweet tooth going down hill, so I'm working hard to stay on the wagon.  I wasn't being as careful with fat though.  I tried a recipe for chocolate ice cream that was made with some half and half (and splenda). That was what made me sick with full blown barf, headache and body weakness.   YUCK and very memorable.

14 pounds to go to get to merely overweight.  Maybe by then I'll be in a size 14.  Life is GOOD!

Today is the day I start the African adventure with my friends Clare and Linda.  And to make it even sweeter, I have reached the 60 lb. goal I had set for this trip.  SWEET!!!  I haven't seen Linda since before surgery, so I'm really looking forward to her reaction.  I must dash off because of course I've got laundry in the washer and I haven't packed yet.  Some things never change.

Life is just so darn good!  I'm down 56 pounds and still feeling fabulous.  I can actually climb stairs now without needing a recovery period.  Wahoo!  My waist is down 7 whole inches.  One of the distinct advantages of this shrinkage is that I can now properly embrace my husband, if you know what I mean!

I'm off to Tanzania and Zambia next week.  Since there are no scales available there it will be fun to see what kind of loss occurs over 2 weeks.  Last week when I was in St. Louis I came home with a 4 pound loss.  Since I normally average 2 per week, this was pretty cool.

Blood work results later this week.  I'm feeling good, so hopefully the numbers reflect this.

Amazing!  I'm actually down 50 pounds.  I've never in my life lost more than 40 lbs., so this is a banner day.  I feel great!!!  

Earlier this week,  someone other than people I have told about my situation finally commented on how I look like I lost weight.  I should say so!  My waist is down by 6 inches and I don't look pregnant any more.  There is still plenty of me here, but I'm starting to get my shape back.  Still too early to say what the extra skin situation will be.  So far it's loose, but not flapping.  I'll probably have loose arms, but I don't think I'll have a belly flap.  That would be nice.

Off to Africa in just over 1 month.  I'll finally be able to fit in the airline seat without raising the arm.  I think it's just in time, as I'm reading about airlines requiring 2nd tickets for folks that take up too much room.  Glad to have ducked that mortification bullet.

Life is good!

Oh happy day, my staples were removed today!  I'm still rashy and itchy, but at least I won't be rubbing the staples any more.  Dr. says my rash looks like a medication allergy, but the only way to know is to stop or change each, one at a time, for about a week and see if the rash goes away.  I'll start with switching the brand of the B-12.  Other than that and the biotin, everything I'm taking is pretty familiar.

I am thrilled that I still haven't needed to go back to taking Celebrex.  I sure don't understand why, but I'm not having any joint or tendon issues.  Maybe there really is something in the advice from holistic practitioners that says that certain foods contribute to inflamation.  Hopefully the pains don't return as I'm introducing wider food choices.

I did measurements last night; all of the big ones have gone down 1.5 inches, thighs down 1 inch and neck, arms, calves are down .5.  My feet and ankles actually are looking well defined.  I'm wearing my ankle bracelet again which always makes me feel sexy.  Time for a pedicure!

I saw Valerie, my roomate at the hospital, at the doctor's office today.  Some people are such magnets for joy!  I was glad to hear that her recovery has been as uneventul as mine. 

Now that the bruises are definitely fading, I've noticed large red circular areas around 2 of my incisions.  They're slightly warm to the touch, but I'm not running a fever.  I called the doctor's office and was told maybe an allergic reaction or possible infection.  I'm supposed to watch it and call if it gets worse before my appointment on Thursday morning.  And use a heating pad and take Benadryl.  To feel better I'll post a message and see if anyone else had a similar situation.  I'm also rashy and itchy.

266 this morning.  Way cool!

I feel like I've really turned the corner on my recovery today and am starting to feel like a human being again.  I also heard from my friend Cherri today and that was a great comfort.  Life is good!

It is so good to be home after Monday's surgery.  Hard to beat the comfort of your own bed and pillow.  So far so good with managing liquids.  Pain management is good enough with Percocet.  I could probably take more, but then I wouldn't be good for anything but sleep.  Wendell and I walked at the mall for 20 minutes this afternoon.  Since I was managing 20 minutes of hall laps several times a day at the hospital, I figured it was worth a try.  I'm also walking back and forth in the house.  It's too hot outside to be walking the neighborhood.

I was really impressed with the hospital staff.  None of the irritability I've seen in past hospital stays.  And I really hit a winner with my roommate.  It was like doing a spa weekend with a girlfriend.

I'll be glad when the Percocet isn't needed--it really makes it hard to put coherent thoughts together!