Challenge Day 3

Wow, another post today!
Today, I went to a different 24 hour fitness.. I did NOT do the shadow boxing class, but I know I would totally love it. They had a bouncy Precor thing.. It is like a hybrid of an elliptical trainer, a treadmill, and a stair stepper. The movement on it was odd, and I didn't know how I'd like it.. so I did that for 10 minutes. I could have done it longer but it was weirding me out.. so, I moved back to my trusty old elliptical for my 38 minutes.. some of these new ones have the warm up and cool down added on. I'm used to the cool down, but not warm up! haha So, I have weird times lately! Then, I did some arm weights, some leg weights, and a few back machines. I want to work on my back a lot and make it nice and firm. When I was morbidly obese, i called my lower back my "upper butt" b/c my butt was so big, it just all rolled into one! haha I want to make sure I never have an upper butt again! I know, I'm strange!! :-P

I had a very strange day today... first, the whole meeting that got rescheduled.. Then I met Michelle at Subway before the gym. And what happens while we're in there talking? A car trying to park HITS MY CAR!! OMG! I freaked out. By looking at it, you can't see anything wrong with it, but I need to wash my car to see how bad the paint damage may be. It was only the back bumper, and it's not misshapen at all.. but the guy had a ton of black on his bumper, so it had to lose some paint! UGH!!! This car has been the worst luck for me.. GEEZ!! So, I'm going to have John look at it for me to see if there is any damage that I can't see. The guy was very nice and gave me his insurance info, and was very pleasant at least. I took a picture of his bumper that had my paint on it.. lol

Anyways... see, how I ramble? ha! After the gym, I went to Whole Foods to buy my Vitamin D gummies that I'm in love with. Amazingly enough, I only spent $45 dollars there. I always find a billion and 3 things I want to buy. I got 2 bottles of my Vitamin D, some tequila lime salmon burgers that looked divine, and a few other odds and ends.. I just love that store, among many others!! Any idea where one can get unlimited income without compromising morals and principles with only an associate's degree? If so, hook a girl up!!!

Challenge Day 2

Well, it's Day 3 of the challenge, but I post in the mornings so you get to hear about the night before! LOL

Last night, I worked until 8:30. It has been NUTS at work, and I don't see that improving anytime soon. All I have to say, is Hurray for Overtime!! Anyways, see how quickly I get off track? After I left work, I headed straight to the gym. I was already dreading my workout because all I wanted to do was cuddle with my dog and go to sleep. BUT, I changed my clothes in the locker room, and changed my attitude. I did 38 minutes (3 warmup, 30 workout, 5 cooldown) on the elliptical machine and then quickly proceeded to get my stuff and get the heck out of there lol.. My workout was easier than the Tuesday workout in a way, but harder in others. I felt myself overheating a lot, and I felt my heart beating in my ears.. I heard that's a blood pressure shift, but not sure. I didn't stop, but I slowed down a bit and kept drinking until it went away. All is good.. I didn't pass out, and I made it through my workout.

This morning I got to work at 7:45 because I had a meeting with some engineers at the City that I do billing for.. Well, no one let me know that my 9:00 am meeting was rescheduled to 11 am. OMG I was sooo pissed. I had to drive all the way past the Astrodome (30 minute drive, kind of shady area) to find out my meeting was rescheduled.. GRR!!! Anyways, I ended up not having to go to the meeting at all b/c they felt so bad about me heading out there.. haha! I didn't want to go anyways!

So today is my Everlast Shadowboxing (Description: Ever wonder how boxers get those great physiques? The trade secrets will be revealed in the Everlast Shadow Box workout! This total body conditioning class incorporates punches as well as athletic drills designed to get you ready for the ring. No plans on getting in a ring soon? No worries! Train like a boxer and you’ll be ready for whatever punches life throws your way!). I'm slightly nervous only because my body aches from exhaustion. Even the 5 flights of stairs in the parking garage made me gasp for air. I don't know if I should save this class for a day when I have a little more oompfh (is that how you spell it? LOL), or just suck it up and do it. I'm meeting Michelle and David at the gym, and regardless, I'm going to get some kind of exercise in.. just not sure which I should do today. I absolutely cannot wait for a good night's sleep and some energy!!!

30 for 30 Challenge Update

Well, as tired as I was yesterday, I did my 30 minutes of activity yesterday evening.. I left my house around 9:00 pm to go to the gym. Let me just say, it was a sucky ass work out! I had no energy, but I managed to make it through.
Oh, Heather! I forgot to tell you, I started it yesterday, but start it today or tomorrow or whenever, and I'll tack on a few days to the end so we can support each other throughout! :)

I am extremely ADD at times, especially at the gym. If my head is not into it, I'll fight myself the whole time and it turns into a hard workout. I'm going to try to remedy this by changing up my workouts a lot. Tomorrow, I am going to try a shadowboxing class at 24 Hour Fitness. I may even attempt a spinning class, which the thought of just scares the crap out of me! Fitness HAS to be fun to become a habit though, so I'm looking forward to having a variety of great activities over the next month and seeing what I like best.

I think in my previous life (aka pre-op), I thought if you owned exercise videos, you could lose weight. I have sooo many, and half aren't even opened. Here's a small list of the variety of DVDs I have that I can use for exercise:

• Billy Blank's Boot Camp
• Turbo Jam (about 10 different ones)
• Hip Hop Abs
• The Firm (with body bar and step)
• Bosu Ball workouts
• Yoga
• Windsor Pilates

Ha! Maybe one of these days I'll actually do all of these as well. I have done the Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs.. and they're actually quite fun! Maybe I'll use these for the days like last night - where I have to get my workout in, but the lack of energy and gusto is just overwhelming. At least I forced myself to do something!

Work still sucks completely. It's a challenge making it through the day without crying. But, I'm trying to be positive, and fake it till I make it!

Save 25% At Macy's + Free Shipping

Here is a code to save 25% and get FREE shipping with Macy's Friends and Family event.
Coupon Code: MACYSFF

Just wanted to share with you all.. I'm swimming in the bathing suit I wore last year, as I'm sure most of you are, so here's a good deal to find a new one! :)

Hope you're all having a great day!

Updates: Measurements!

No - that's definitely not my tummy in the pic above... if it were, you would have known a long time ago!! haha

I have one big regret - that is not taking my measurements pre-op. I didn't want to know at that time, but oh I wish I knew now!! I am still really bad about taking my measurements, but I did it tonight.

So, here is my progress from tracking on Sparkpeople:
My measurements in January 2008:

Weight: 249 lbs

Right Thigh: 29 inches

Right Arm: 16.5 Inches

Waist: 40 inches

Hips: 52.5 inches

Neck: (yeah, SP has you measure this! hah) 13.5 Inches

And now, April 28, 2009 - 15 months later

Weight: 158 pounds

Right Thigh: 21.5 Inches

Right Arm: 12 inches

Waist: 31 Inches

Hips: 39.5 Inches

Neck: 12.25 Inches

Not bad, eh? I'm thrilled that my arms are smaller than my neck.. haha I think that's how things are supposed to be, right? My arms are still my sore spot, as they keep waving long after I stopped moving them.. but, I am seeing improvements, so I will try not to complain too much!

Well, I am off to the gym for Day 1 of my 30 Day challenge mentioned earlier!!

WOO HOO!!!!

Rain Rain, GO AWAY! - AND, New Challenge!

Wow, this weather in Houston SUCKS right now. It's been flooding since last night, and of course, work doesn't get cancelled or even give us the option to come in late. GRRRR!!!!

So, I get here at 9:15, which is a little late, but better than never I guess. I'm just ready for the spring weather we're supposed to have this time of year!

Last night, I went to purchase the dress and shoes for my friend's wedding. On Saturday, when we tried it on, it was $150. When I went yesterday to purchase, it was on sale for $74.99. SCORE! It's a really pretty dress.. I like it a lot! I got the shoes too, so I'm all set for the wedding. I just need to work on trying to tan (which for me, is next to impossible!) Here's a pic with me and one of the other bridesmaids trying on our dress! :) Of course, the other two bridesmaids are a size 2! LOL

Oh, I've also accepted a challenge on another blog that I read - It's a 30 for 30 Challenge. Basically, a challenge to get 30 minutes of activity every day for 30 days. I'm up for it, and I start today. Anyone else in?

Wanted to Share!

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/music/popular-playlists/

How handy is this? Lots of song choices at your fingertips for making a great playlist for working out.
Don't blame me if you get your heartrate way up there because of the awesome beats! :) hehe

Happy Monday!!

You know that saying - "Fake it till you make it"? Well, that's what I'm doing today. Today I am a very CHEERFUL, NON STRESSED person!! WHOO HOO! LOL
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Mine, albeit way too short, as usual, was nice! Saturday I went dress shopping with my friend whose wedding I am in. We picked the first dress we tried on, and first pair of shoes we tried on.. how's that for luck? LOL It's a really pretty silvery silk dress, which I would definitely wear again! I'm excited! And, what's even better, I was going to take in a size 10 and 12 into the fitting room... and they were out of 12 so I started to panic. Well, the 10 was too big, and I ended up needing an 8! :) That was a nice suprise. I just have to make sure I gain absolutely no weight in the next 4 months.. It's not like I want to, but even a few pound gain could be bad, since this dress fits me PERFECTLY right now. After dress shopping (and self tanning cream shopping for my paleness), we went to a great restaurant, Restaurant Ronit.. WOW, it was divine.. I had beef stroganoff, and they have a Tapas menu, which i guess means small.. haha b/c it's the perfect size entree for us C&P girls. :) My friend took the picture of me above at the restaurant.. haha
Saturday night, John and I went out with Michelle and David.. we went to Cheesecake Factory, and it was so tasty. I love that place.
Sunday, we all went to the gym, and I tried to do my 45 minutes on the elliptical, but failed miserably.... Ladies and gents, a bite of cheesecake and 2 jerky nuggets does not fuel your body for a workout! LOL I made it 30, and did my crunches and a few other machines.. then I got back on for my last 15 minutes.. whew! So I did do it all, but had to break it up... I need to get better about fixing a good breakfast, that's for sure! haha Later on Sunday, John and I went up to Buffalo, TX which is halfway between Houston and Frisco, where my sister lives.. we exchanged my mom, as she was staying with my sister for a few weeks, and now she's back in Houston.
Well, that was my weekend in a nutshell. Today I am focusing on keeping a good attitude regardless of my work surroundings, not eating when I'm stressed, and making it to the gym this evening!
Looking forward to catching up on blogs as I eat lunch! :)

FRIDAY!!!

I thought this day would never come! Work has been completely hellacious for me this week. I think I've mentioned the slackers that we have/had at work. Well, 2 weeks ago, one got fired. And then they moved the other to a different department. Guess who gets to pick up the slack of everything that had not been done for the month, train the new person, and somehow magically get her own work done? If you guessed me, WOO HOO, you are correct!! I was already in overtime within 30 minutes of coming into work this morning. Today was supposed to be a half day, and I had my facial scheduled for 12:15 today. I'm working a full day, maybe longer, and no facial today. At least I'm getting overtime.. and I desperately need the money. It's just a pain in the butt still!

Sigh...

Anyways, I hope everyone is having a better day/week than I am. I will try to post a less negative blog later! :)

Hugs to all!

xoxo

Q&A Session

Good day all! I did get a question from my blog post yesterday, so here is my response. For all of you lovely ladies (and gents if there are any) that are post op, please feel free to pipe in with your 2 cents!

Question:
I'm almost done with my options class, then its WLS time, my biggest dilema is choosing a surgery. Lap band VS RNY. I feel afraid and have done research, but the more I read the more I freak out, I weigh 271 and I am 36 years old. I know the surgery will give my the quality of life to live my life with my family, i just feel afraid. any words of wisdom???

Choosing which surgery to have is a very personal decision, and there are lots of options to weigh.
I chose RNY Gastric Bypass for several reasons:

• It has been around longer - there are people many years out from RNY who are doing wonderfully. It just makes me feel better knowing that it's been around for longer.
• I have a bad gag reflex! I've read a lot about food getting stuck with Lap-Band much more frequently than gastric bypass. A complication of lap-band is band slippage, which is more common if you throw up frequently - the heaving can move the band.
• The success rate speaks for itself. You lose weight more rapidly than with Lap-Band, because of the malabsorption and restriction. With lap-band you only have restriction, and you can eat slider foods (ie. milkshakes, etc) and have no success.
• I felt it would be too easy to "cheat the system" if I were to have lap-band. I was actually considering lap band first, but decided against it.
• More insurance companies cover gastric bypass vs. lap band
• The idea of going in for fills annoyed me. And, the idea of having a foreign object in my body creeped me out a bit. lol
• On the OH boards, I have seen a lot of people who have had Lap Band get revisions to RNY Gastric bypass b/c of lack of success.

There are many more reasons I'm sure, but that's just a few. I would advise NOT going with RNY gastric bypass if you are terrible about taking vitamins. You MUST take your vitamins daily.

My only regret with surgery is not doing it sooner. I was 31 when I had surgery. I wish I had done it in my 20's so I could really start living sooner. My quality of life has dramatically improved since I have had my gastric bypass. I did have a complication with an intestinal hernia, and even with that, I would do it again 100 times over.

I know it is a scary decision, and definitely not one to take lightly. At the end of the day, you have to choose what you are comfortable with. Make sure you are comfortable with your surgeon, as you'll have follow-up care with him for at least the first year post op before you go to your PCP.

I hope this helps, and please, anyone else, chime in! :)

Hugs to all!
Laurie

Ugh, Part Deaux

Hmm, I wonder if I'm losing massive amounts of weight by blowing my nose every 2.35 seconds.. what do you think? I still think my issue is allergies, but OMG, they need to go away now! I think I sneezed no less than 130 times yesterday. I'm covering my bases though and taking cold and allergy medicine. Somethings gotta give, right?

Beyond my head feeling like it weighs a million pounds, I've been doing alright. Work has been really busy, which is good.. it makes the day go by faster, and I feel a lovely sense of accomplishment.. yay!

I really can't think of anything to write.... anyone have any questions for me? lol

Ugh!

My throat hurts like crazy today.. All weekend actually. I've been coughing up a storm, and besides that, I feel great. I'm just ready for this to be done with! At least it's most likely allergies, as I have no stuffy nose or body aches!

I hope everyone had a fantabulous weekend! Mine was nice, albeit way too short. Friday was the game night.. I was feeling quite anti-social, which is not at all like me. So, I basically watched the guys play Street Fighter IV all night.. lol It's a fun game, and normally the girls play board games or Wii while the boys play Street Fighter or another guy type game, but both Michelle and I weren't feeling social at all. Kinda sad, but I guess we all go through phases like that.

Saturday was Avenue Q in Austin.. We had terrible weather in Houston, so we were delayed a bit in getting to Austin. We had dinner at the Iguana Grill on Lake Travis. It was a beautiful view, but the food wasn't that wonderful.. Next time we'll try something else! :-) The show was wonderful though. I laughed my butt off between coughs... it's definitely adult oriented, but wow, hilarious!! LOL

Sunday we slept in a bit because we didn't get back from Austin until 1 am. John and I went to Costco to get his 24 Hour Fitness Membership ($299 for 2 years, only available through the end of April!), and then we went to the gym with Michelle and David. I somehow made it through my 45 minutes on the ellptical, 225 crunches, and stretching.. I didn't get much more done b/c we went to the sauna.. everyone else finished working out before me, but it's probably a good thing I didn't do much more b/c I have a tendency to overdo it!

Today I'm at work wishing I had more sick time, but my February hospital stay and recovery sucked all my sick time up!! I am exhausted and feeling like poo today!!

Woop! Happy Favorite Day!

I love Fridays.. especially when it's a week that I only have to work a half day. I'm skipping out a few minutes earlier so I can get my eyebrows waxed.. fun stuff! haha

After that, I'm headed to TJ Maxx to try to spend my $50 giftcard.. Oh, the possibilities! I really hope to find some cute tops. I have a few favorites that I wear a lot, but there are quite a few tops that just fit me weird now.. too big in some places, too small in others... And damn it, I want to be happy with ALL my clothes! :-)

This weekend we're going to Austin to see Avenue Q through Broadway Across America. I've heard it's hilarious.. I'm looking forward to comic relief! :) Also, tonight is game night.. it should be lots of fun, it always is! Sunday will hopefully be a lazy day.. we'll likely go to the gym and do nothing after that.. that sounds fun to me! :-)

Well, I have about 3 hours worth of work to fit into the next hour.. I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Weighing In

I haven't posted a weigh in lately, so I figured I should. I'm holding steady at 158. Yeah, I gained a few pounds over the past 2 months, but at the same time, I lost 10 pounds from surgery, so some of that came back. I'm not going to beat myself up over that.

I will beat myself up over something else. Mother Nature! Every time she rolls around, I get cravings for the stupidest shit... and act on it! This month? CORN DOGS! I don't even like hot dogs.. but corn dogs? I HAD to have one.. Sigh... that really sucked! Anyways, I indulged in 2 corn dogs this week, and now it's time to move on. I had broken up with Cheese Nips, and then my mom had to go buy some for me. I had the discussion that I am no longer friends with Cheese Nips. They are EVIL... evil in its purest, cheesiest form!! I brought the Cheese Nips to work so I could share the evilness with everyone else... and I did the same with the rest of the corn dogs. HA! lol

The picture above is from my birthday lunch at work last month, with one of my dear friends! :) We share our birthday month, so we shared the birthday lunch too.. at least we have the same taste in food! haha

I stayed at John's last night, and when I packed, I packed some jeans that I didn't realize should have been given away. So today, I am hiking up my jeans b/c they are 2 sizes too big. I may have to go retro 80s and roll up my jeans, a'la Jil from bowling last week! hehehe I think I'll be doing very little running around today. :-)

Ok, I'm a rambler today.. why is this? B/c I am indulging in yet another craving... a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks... and it's dayumm good! :)

I'll probably blog more again later.. just wanted to vent for now.. more positive things to come! :)

Happy Hump Day!

Well, i don't have much time to blog today, so I thought I'd share some pictures.... I found some holiday pictures on our corporate drive at work! lol

Here I am in all my old glory, Halloween 2005 I believe.. Probably around 275-290 at that point.

Me almost 2 months post op - November 2007.

John and me, 2 weeks ago. Almost 18 months post op.

Sorry for the short blog today.. super busy at work!

Happy Happy Monday..!!!

Oh Wait! It's Tuesday, even better, right?! LOL

I took a little four day weekend and it was lovely. :) I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, so far a little unsuccessfully!

At work, we had new carpeting put in, so we had to pack up our desks on Thursday before the holiday break. Now, I am spending the day unpacking, and trying to get everything where I want it. It's a good time to get reorganized, but a bad time when I have normal work to do!

Let's see.... My weekend started Thursday night, and I can't even remember what I did... I know I went to John's, but don't even remember if we went out or anything! lol Friday, we went to get his neice and nephew who are 5 and 3, and took them to the zoo and to the Aeros game that evening. It was a lot of fun, and it was great having kids around. They were great, and really enjoyed themselves! His brother and sister in law met us at the hockey game, and they really enjoyed the Aeros.. hurray! :) We have some new fans for our hockey team! lol

Saturday, I went to the gym and did my routine.. I burned over 550 calories on the elliptical machine, and I felt great!! Then we went to the Lo Cal cafe and got the protein soft serve.. YUMMY!!!!

Sunday, John and I went to his best friend's house, where his family gathers every year. It was nice meeting his best friend as well as a few more of his family members. :)

Monday was just a lazy day, which was much needed!!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, and I look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!! :-)

Busy busy busy!!

Wow, this week has flown by!!! I have had a really busy week at work, and I've also been pretty busy in the evenings.

I'll be pet sitting this weekend, so that's a good opportunity to help me get a little bit ahead with my finances... Hurray!

I'm taking Monday off, so in addition to Good Friday, I'll have a four day weekend. WOO HOO!!!!! :-)

Well, I'm sorry this is such a short little bloggy.. I just wanted to check in and say hello... I have just a short time left at work and still have to get a lot of stuff done. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Easter!

Hugs to all! :)

Happy Happy Monday

Today was a good day.. Work was really busy, and I got a lot done. Then after work, I went to the gym and burned 400 calories on the elliptical (45 minutes). Woo hoo! Then..... I got my monthly massage....sigh.. It was much needed and I feel soo much better now! :) Woo hoo!!

Oh yeah, my weekend update!

It was a relatively low key weekend. Friday night, I went over to John's as usual, and we just went to Barnes and Noble. Saturday, we went to Michelle's for the usual weekly workout. The boys went bike riding (Michelle is getting her boyfriend a bike soon so we can ALL ride together, but right now, someone is left out, so I choose to go with Michelle so the guys don't feel like they have to wait up for me! LOL) and Michelle and I went to the gym. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and burned 438 calories... then we went to the steam room and hot tub for a bit. There is a new restaurant in Katy called the LoCal Cafe, and they serve only healthy food.. OMG! They have a protein soft serve ice cream that is to die for. It's sugar free, fat free and 18 grams of protein. And, it was absolutely delicious. I live about 30 minutes from Katy with no traffic, and I almost wanted to drive back out there again today to go get some! LOL Anyways, that evening we went bowling with Michelle, David, Luke and Amber. I was not the worst bowler this time, even though I didn't break 100! WOO HOO! LOL

Sunday, John and I were going to go to the shooting range to work on my skills... but, every place around here is out of ammo.. so, we ended up going to IHOP. hahah I ended up with a headache later in the day so I headed home a little earlier than usual and crashed out... It was nothing a little Tylenol PM couldn't fix though! :)

See, I was so busy today at work I didn't even have time to blog! AHH!! Well, now it's time to give my dog a much needed bath.. I'll be catching up on blogs tomorrow.. Hope you all had a great weekend and a lovely week. It's a short one for me! Hurray! :)

Trends I Miss!

There's been a lot of talk about the current fashions on the blogs lately, and I just wanted to add my two cents.. lol

I miss... SLEEVES!!! Why is everything so short sleeved now, or even sleeveless? Give me a nice 3/4 sleeve top and I'm a happy camper.

I miss... mid rise jeans! The low rise ones look alright on me, but if I buy them to fit me properly, ie. not too baggy, then I get one of those muffin tops.... EWW! That's enough to have me take 2 steps back in my body image reform right there! lol

I miss... chunky heels. I'm not graceful.. never have been. And I can't wear those little tiny heels if i want to keep my ankles in their nice, not broken state. I've tried... I really have. But, I do too much walking, and I don't think they can keep me upright for very long!

Objects In Mirror Are Smaller Than They Appear?!

Well, I have a WOW Moment.. I haven't had one of those in awhile! So, while the scale isnt' moving, something is.

Currently, I am wearing a size 8! Yeah, it's probably dumb luck... and some 10s are tight. But, I will take it, and enjoy it! :) WOO HOO!

I forgot to blog yesterday. Well, I actually didn't forget, but I had a really busy day at work. I was on quite a roll there too! lol I may make up for it and post on a weekend.. WOW!

I haven't progressed anymore in the Beck Diet Solution Book.... But I have been reading my reasons to lose weight daily, so at least I'm keeping up with Day 1. I will progress soon, and post the details! :)

Sorry this is a short one, I have a really busy day at work today. I may blog later if time permits!

Hugs to all! :)