Sharon Johnson

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I have had my one year check up today and I am officially down 119 lbs!!  Currently at 191 as of today.  Dr. Vierra says that I am doing a great job.  I showed him my Calorie Count Plus logs and analysis for each day and he took down the information so that he could check it out.  I am going to be headed over to the lab to get my blood work done (probably on Monday) to find out where all of my levels are at.  I also stopped by my regular doctors office because he hadn't seen me since I was at 245 lbs.  He couldn't believe the change either, the girls in the office didn't even know it was me until I took off my sunglasses. 
I don't have to go back for 6 months, and before we even talk about the plastics part I have to stabilize for 6 months.  Dr. Vierra says that it is very painful but we will dicuss it later.  For right now I am doing great and to keep it up.
I have 21 more lbs till I reach my own goal.

I have turned 1 year old.    

To celebrate I went out with my husband and did some much needed clothes shopping for shirts.  It is great being able to pick up a shirt and just buy it without having to try it on.  I also bought new shoes and a new purse.  

The things that I have learned in the past year:
1.  Drink plenty of liquids.
2.  Eat only what you have tried first at home.  Do not experiment outside the house, results may not be good. 
3.  Listen to my body, it will tell me what I need. 
4.  Get plenty of sleep. 
5.  Take all of my pills. 
6.  Liquid iron tastes really bad. 
7.  Get plenty of exercise. 

I made the best decision for myself when I decided to have the surgery, I was able to get my life back.  I can fit into any chair now and not worry about getting stuck.  Seatbelts actually do fit me now.  I can walk into any store and pick up stuff off of the rack and just buy it.  I can buy any type of shoe that strikes my fancy.  People that I have been working with for the past 6 years are actually calling me skinny!!

I can go anywhere I want to and people are not looking at me and judging me anymore.  If anything, I am holding my head higher and actually am able to look people in the eye and say "Hello" or "Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening".  Now there is something that I have not done in such a long time.  I feel good about myself and I am proud for all the hard work and effort that I have put into myself and getting my life back.  I am actually living life now!!  I have new pictures to post too but I won't be able to get to that till this weekend.  There is so much more to say and it is all good!!, I just wish that I had the time to list it all but I have to get ready for work.  

Have a great day everyone and rememeber to be good to yourself, 
Sharon J

Things are going pretty good.  My husband received a serverence (sp) pay check yesturday and we have heard from unemployment.  The check is going to come in handy and I have already paid bills for this next month.  I got his resume up on Caljobs yesturday and printed out two jobs for him to take a look at.  We are also looking into him going back to school for electrician.  He doesn't know how to operate a computer and only knows the basics about office work.  He has mostly always worked with his hands and done mainenance as well as laying carpet.  The severance check will push back the unemployment but we are to get the stimulus check in the first week of July, so we will be okay until at least the end of July if not the end of August.  I am not pushing him on getting to active in looking for a job, he really needs some time to get his head on straight and not be so mad.  He is actually more worried about me and how I am handling the situation because of my anxiety attacks, but suprisingly I am handling it okay. 
My daughter got a full time job that started last Sunday working graveyards at the local hotel, it will sure save on gas and they said that she could study too.  She is doing much better because now she is not worried about loosing her car.  She starts pharmacy tech school in July. 
We received my sons report card and at least he has a 3.22 gpa and he is retaking algebra for the summer to make up the credits for not passing algebra during the school year. 
All in all I can't complain. 

My husband did get his unemployeement paperwork in the mail yesturday, so we will be able to pay our bills, keep our cars (yes we have 2 car payments) and we will be able to eat..  My best friend told me "you don't have to worry about food, you can barely eat anything anyways!".  This may be true but what I can eat is expensive and I have to be able to afford it and 3 other people in my house who need to eat too.  Both me and Gary have been stressed out about this situation so receiving the paperwork in the mail was actually a blessing and a huge weight off of my shoulders.  On Monday he is going to start looking for a new job, the new help wanted adds come out on Sunday.  I have to get him signed up on the internet for job searches and also with the local search engine here.   Gary is 48 and will be out there with all of the new college grads competing for jobs.  I am worried about him though, he has been so quiet lately and my husband is anything but quiet.  At least with unemployment claim being good for a year, he can take his time and decide what he wants to do, something that will make him happy.
My daughter has a job interview this afternoon not crazy about the hours because it is graveyard but she does need something that will enable her to pay her insurance, car payment and her bills.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for her though.  She did get her scrubs for her pharmacy tech class that she is starting in July, it will take her till May 09 before she graduates but she will have life-time placement available to her.  She did have to take out a loan for school because we make to much money for her to qualify for any free money.  I hate to see her go into debt to be able to do what she wants, but that is the way that it is.

I have had my fair share of excitement this weekend.  Thursday was court and although it didn't go as expected (he received 16 months with time served for false imprisionment and contributing to minors) then he threated me in court along with my ex-best friend (his wife).  I have already spoke with the local police department and the officer has made an addendum to the report for the DA.  I am to call the police right a way if something happens to either me or my family.  There are just to many crazy people in this world.  She has also been approved for an apartment right across the street from mine, which I also told the officer about.  
Got my husband's unemployment paperwork done.  His is very quite these days, and that is not like him at all.  Now he has to wait for the paperwork to come in the mail which will be in the next 10 days, and then hopefully we will know the amount that he is entitled too.   The stimulus check is due to get here the first week in July so that will help until we get the unemployment. 
Other then that (which is enough to deal with) I also had the usual, grocerey shopping, laundry (8 loads), and the farmers market on Sunday.  On Sunday I went for a long walk, needed the time by myself and bought my strawberries, apples, cantelope, and tomatoes. 
Now I am back at work with so much to do I am overwhelmed, but I am thankful that I have a job and that it is union.  I have to get back to it. 
Have a great day everyone, and remember if things in your life get you down, look on the positive side !

New month a whole new set of obstacles to overcome.  My husband told me last night that he has been laid off from work.  Both of us are totally stunned, he had been working there for almost 10 years.  His ex-boss said that she wouldn't fight the unemployment, then handed him his last paycheck.  We were both very quit last night, he pretty much stayed in his work room and I was trying to figure out our budget.  I will have to make changes that is for sure and rearrange things.  A state of shock is definately not the work for it though, how about just overwhelming dread.

I am very releaved that the depression is getting better.  I wish that it was something that I could write down here but it is not, but I do write about it in my journal.  Suffice to say the situtation is improving greatly for one, and impacting another.  Enough said.
I absolutely recommend using the caloricount.about.com, this is saving me so much time and energy writing down what I eat and the amount of exercise that I am doing a day.  I just finished printing out the past three days logs and I will get a folder to put them in so when I see Dr. Vierra on my anniversary date I can show the logs to him so he can see esactly what I have been doing and that I have restarted (actually jumpstarted into high gear) my weight loss again.  Finally being under 200 lbs is such a blessing.  I feel so much better about myself and I have more confidence to.  I don't feel that I stick out in the crowd anymore but that I blend in and I even get looks sometimes, which is something that I am not used to at all, or the compliments.  Michelle, my co-worker, told me that she was so proud of me and the fact that I have been able to stick to it and not let the fact that Luz talks about food all the time at work make me snap.  "If I made a trail of m&m's would you follow????"  I have been turning up the music/news when she gets started.

It has been a long long long time since I have been on the boards.  The depression can be bad at times but I am working my way through it and coming out on the other side where I should be.  I have been doing a lot of journal writing and getting my feelings out that way which has helped a lot.
I have upped the time that I spend on the treadmill from 30 min. to 40-45 min. and am sticking with at least 5 days a week and sticking with it.  I am also using calorie count on the internet to keep track of how many calories I am tacking in a day.  Plus my son got my 10 speed up and running again so Sunday was my first bike ride in a long time.
I got on the scale this morning and I am finally down to 198 lbs.!!!!!!!!  I am so happy that I could jump out of my skin if I wasn't at work.  I have new pics to post but can't do that until I get home tonight. 

Have a fantastic day Everyone-I know I will!!!
All my love, Sharon

It has been a while again!  Work has kept me very busy, which in this economy right now is a good thing, also that I am Union helps a lot too.  I am almost done with the billing for the Spring Semester and the next semester is due for registration starting 4/9 so I will be finishing just in time.  Right now I am thankful just to have a job and a home to go home too.  There are so many out there who don't have either and although I feel for those people I have to be concerned with my own family first.  I guess that is just the accountant in me though, because I have always had to be carefull with our money situation. 
My weight has stalled yet again, can't seem to get passed 208 but at least that is still a loss on 102 lbs. so I can't complain.  When my body decides to quit fighting me then it will let the weight drop back off again.
Steven just turned 16  so it is hard to beleive that I am now the mother of a 16 year old and a 19 year old but I am.  I did get a great compliment rom a gall that I work with, she told me that since I have lost the weight and do my hair differenct now, that I look younger then I used too.  Plus the fact that I carry myself different now too.  Don't get me wrong, I still have some of my old insecurities, but they are not nearly as bad as they used to be.

It has been a while since I have posted anything new, it is just because I have been so busy with work and spring cleaning my house.  Now that I actually have the energy to do it I have been working on that ferverishly.  I have replanted my flower bed (paid for that with the back of the leg pain, at least it wasn't my back) I have bought new curtains for the kitchen, living room and dinning room.  I have cleaned out my dresser, closet, linen closet, pantry, tupperware, and pots and pans.  I even found my over the kichen sink shelf that I had been looking for.  Work has been keeping me realy busy to but I have that under control now.  
I have now lost 102 lbs and 67.25 inches and it is great.  I can go shopping now and actually buy cute things that I would have looked at before and just wished about being able to buy.  It is wonderful to be able to go and try on clothes that I haven't been able to try on for 20 years.  That is how long it has been since I was in a size 7 underware, 20 years...that is almost as old as my daughter.  
The issue that I am having now is that I have the munchies while I am at work.  I am constantly chewing gum, being very careful not to swollow it and it is sugarless, but I have this incredible urge to munch on everything!  Of course I know that I can't and it is frustrating, but it is something that I am working on.   My jaw gets very sore so I am now working on orange tea and raspberry tea.   I am trying out new recipies, found one for sugarfree hot chocolate and some for desserts that as long as I don't tell my family that it is sugarfree, they may even enjoy.