9-Month Surgiversary!

Today marks nine months since my VSG surgery, and oh how my life has changed in this time.  Nine months ago I was so hopeful, looking forward to this moment right here – when I’d lost enough to really notice a dramatic transformation.

• On the day of surgery I weighed in at 277; today I weighed in at 191. That’s a loss of 86 pounds in 9 months, and 124 pounds from my highest weight.
• 9 months ago I was wearing size 24 pants; today I wear size 14 from the “regular” side of the store, not plus.
• 9 months ago I was wearing tight-fitting 2x tops; today I’m wearing women’s size large.
• Since surgery I’ve lost 48.5 inches around my body.
• I can cross my legs.
• I can go up several flights of stairs without getting winded.
• I’ve run/walked a 5K.
• I’ve taken and LOVED a spin class.
• I can keep up with a Zumba class at full intensity – bouncing and jumping with the best of them, without being out of breath.
• I’ve started a toning program, and love the results I’m getting.
• I’ve purchased boyfriend sweats from Victoria’s Secret and now they’re two sizes too large for me.
• I no longer spill over the seat in the chairs at Starbucks, my car, etc.
• I’ve reached Onederland, and I’m almost in the 180’s!
• When I take my first plane ride in over 6 years to Hawaii in April, I’ll have no worries about infringing on my neighbor’s seat and I won’t need a seatbelt extender.

The way I move through the world is so different now.  I’ve always been a confident person, but I have an extra bit of pep in my step. I feel happy, content, and very, very proud.

Marking Progress

I’ve decided that to celebrate my surgiversary on a monthly basis, I’m going to start posting progress pics and measurements on the 20th of the month. I’m excited to start marking my progress more frequently.

Here’s a repost of my measurements:

	3/4/12	2/16/14	Change
Neck	14.5	13	-1.5 inches
Arms	16.25	12.5	-3.75 inches
Wrist	6.75	6.5	-0.25 inches
Bust	43	34	-9 inches
Waist	44.5	34	-10.5 inches
Hips	61	48	-13 inches
Thighs	35	28.25	-6.75 inches
Calf	18.5	15.75	-2.75 inches
Ankle	9.5	8.5	-1 inch

In total, I’ve lost 48 1/2 inches from around my body!! That’s four feet!!! I’m really excited with all of these changes, but especially the changes in my bust, waist, hips, and thighs.

And now some pictures.

This first comparison is from the day of surgery and today. 9 months and 86 pounds.

On a side note, today’s dress is one that I bought maybe seven or eight years ago at a Cabi party.  At the time the XL size was way out of reach, but today, the dress is too big on me.  That’s my sports bra showing underneath it.  The dress is reversible (colorful floral on one side, black and white on the other).  I really like it, so I may pay to get it altered; it needs to be taken in at the top and at the waist.

I’ve decided to start posing with just my sports bra and running pants on to really show the changes the toning and exercise are making to my body.  I’ve been really remiss about taking progress photos up to this point, so I decided to show photos from one year ago.  I weighed 293 in the “before” photos, and today I’m 191 – so -102 pounds between the photos.

Left: Feb 2013, Right: Feb 2014 (today)
Can you see that slight indention in my stomach? Is that the start of some sort of ab definition? Exciting!

Left: Feb 2013, Right: Feb 2014 (today)

Left: Feb 2013, Right: Feb 2014 (today)
Sorry for the crazy angle, but my sis wasn’t around to help me take the photos. Hopefully next month.

Thanks for letting me indulge in a bit of celebration today.  You can believe I’m all smiles. 🙂

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Thinking Out Loud #1

I first saw the Thinking Out Loud posts on A Merry Life, and I liked the concept so much that I decided I’m going to join in on the fun. Be sure to check out Amanda’s blog, Running with Spoons, to hear all the thoughts.

Here’s what I have milling around my mind this morning…

Today is my 9-month surgiversary, so my weight loss is definitely on my mind.  I’ve lost 124 pounds from my highest weight, and my life has completely changed.  I am so glad that I made the decision to get VSG and stuck with it through the 2 1/2 years it took me to lose the required pre-op weight. Some people think weigh-loss surgery is the easy way out, but I can vouch for the fact that it’s anything but.  It takes diligence, planning, and consistency.  The surgery has helped me tremendously in terms of portion control, but every single day I make the decisions about what I eat, how I’m going to workout, and whether or not I’m going to log it all into MyFitnessPal. The surgery is a dynamic tool, but I’m the one making sure I continue to lose weight.

I’m going to a Zumba Step class at 11am this morning, and I’m really looking forward to trying this new class.  I love Zumba, and I used to really love step classes, so this combo should be interesting.  It could also be a recipe for disaster – I can easily imagine tripping over the step as I try to samba to the beat.  LOL.  Look for a new AIF post soon, describing all the details.

I’ve been calling this week off my Fitness Staycation because I’ve taken advantage of the fact that I can hit the gym any time of day to take a bunch of classes that I’ve never done before.  I’ve always been a fan of getting lots of variety in my workouts, and I love taking fitness classes, but lately I’ve gotten out of the habit.  I’ve been so involved in my run/walks, and having the hybrid elliptical/recumbent bike at home makes it so convenient to just hop on it.  But there’s nothing like the jolt I get from taking a class at the gym.  I love the music, the energy, and the social aspect.  I’m going to aim to take a couple of classes a week at the gym from now on: definitely Spin, and then maybe an alternating pattern of Turbo Kick, Body Combat (depending on how that class goes tomorrow), and Zumba Step/Zumba.

Bathing suits have been on my mind a lot lately.  I’m going to Hawaii in early April, so I’ll definitely need a few for that trip, but I’ve also been missing swimming.  Since my gym has a pool, the only thing stopping me from swimming regularly is the fact that I don’t have a suit that fits me anymore. And this time the reason is that they’re all too big!!  My problem area has always been my thighs, so swimsuit shopping has always been a bit tricky.  In the past I went with a skirted swimsuit, but after all my weight loss, I’ve decided that my skirted swimsuit days are behind me.  But my thighs are super-jiggly, and no one needs to see all of that.

So I’m on the hunt for board shorts and a bikini top.  And not shorty shorts, but bermuda-style board shorts to cover everything I need covering.  Choosing the separates will be smart for me, because I’m still much bigger on the bottom than I am on top. I found these on Land’s End that might work well.  It’s weird to think that it’s late February, but I’m already looking at buying swimsuits.  Another example of the good changes around here.

Music really motivates me, whether I’m working out, cleaning the house, or grading papers (which I really should be doing right now instead of writing this blog post).  I’ve been having some issues with iTunes and getting my music on my iPhone lately, so I decided to upgrade to Spotify premium.  I love how easy it is to access so much new music, and so many sites and blogs I follow post new playlists there all the time.  What’s a playlist/album/song you think I should check out or follow?  Let me know in the comments.

And because she adds joy to my life daily, why not post a quick pic of Sofi? She’s such a cuddle bug this morning!

What are your thoughts this Thursday?  If you have a few to share, you should write up a quick post and link it up on Running with Spoons.

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