Fabulous February Weigh-In: Week 39 Post-Op VSG

February – love is in the air, and this month is going to be all about loving myself enough to continue making 2014 my year to shine. I’m vowing here and now that I will reach my goal weight in 2014. What an amazing accomplishment it will be! To achieve my goals, I’m going to focus on the basics – eating well, drinking lots of water, taking my vitamins and getting in 5 cardio workouts a week. I’ve started strength training with #ToneItUp and their #LoveYourBody series is helping see just how strong I am as I change my body. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend. This month is going to be all about loving all the little things that make life special. My Sunday progress updates will be called Fabulous February Weigh-Ins.

Week 39 was nothing short of amazing!  I had the entire week off, got to spend time with a few different friends, planned to try a bunch of new fitness classes at the gym, like Spin and Zumba Step, and it was also my 9-month surgiversary.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 189.6, which is a loss of 4.2 pounds this week, and a loss of 87.4 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 125.4 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 39.6 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. What an amazing week!!  I’m in the 180s!!!!!  I haven’t seen a loss this big in quite some time, and I can only attribute it to the fact that I didn’t have any stress, could spend the days working out and drinking plenty of water, and cooked delicious, healthy meals for myself.

This week someone told me I was lucky to have lost so much weight since surgery.  I responded that luck had nothing to do with it, that it was a lot of hard work.  And it has been.  I haven’t just sat back and let the weight loss happen.  I’ve put in the effort of planning, shopping, cooking, and logging each meal.  I’ve spent the time in the gym, on the track, and on the hybrid.  I’ve chosen to make the most out of these first 9 months after surgery because I know it’s when the maximum weight loss happens.  I’ve changed my life.  And that has made all the difference. That’s why I know I’ll reach every single goal I set for myself.

I had a lot of time this week off to celebrate my successes.  I was able to write lots of blog posts, and reflecting like that really helps me put things into perspective.  I am in completely new territory in terms of my weight, and I don’t want to forget any of these moments.  For so long I dreamed of arriving at this moment, and I don’t want to take a second of it for granted.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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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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Fabulous February Weigh-In: Week 38 Post-Op VSG

February – love is in the air, and this month is going to be all about loving myself enough to continue making 2014 my year to shine. I’m vowing here and now that I will reach my goal weight in 2014. What an amazing accomplishment it will be! To achieve my goals, I’m going to focus on the basics – eating well, drinking lots of water, taking my vitamins and getting in 5 cardio workouts a week. I’ve started strength training with #ToneItUp and their #LoveYourBody series is helping see just how strong I am as I change my body. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend. This month is going to be all about loving all the little things that make life special. My Sunday progress updates will be called Fabulous February Weigh-Ins.

Week 38 was stressful and challenging, but I’m happy to say I made it through better off than I began.  It wasn’t a terrible week, just one where everything seemed to be running at a fever-pitch.  I did get my workouts in, and I’m noticing some great changes in my body.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 193.8, which is a loss of 0.8 pounds this week, and a loss of 83.2 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 121.2 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 43.8 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. I’m really thankful for a loss this week, because of my poor choices on Friday.  Let’s be honest, it was one meal, and I still stayed under my calories for the day.  I made good choices the rest of the time, but with the challenges of the week, I’m happy to see a loss at all.  Plus, last week I had a big loss, and that’s usually followed by a smaller one.

One of the things that struck me this week were the changes I’m noticing in my body.  When I’m laying flat on my back about to do some ab work, I can really see and feel my ribs, and my hip bones are becoming apparent.  When I look at myself from a side-view standing at the mirror, I can see the start of definition in my stomach, and I’m definitely seeing a very slim profile. All of these changes are the result of my weight loss, sure, but I do think it’s because of the toning I’ve been doing with the #ToneItUp program.  I started four weeks ago, and I really wish I would’ve taken measurements at that time, but I didn’t.  Today the ToneItUp trainers will be sending a new set of workouts to get ready for spring, and I’m going to make sure to take measurements and photos for comparison at the end of the 6-week plan.

On a side note, I’m really upset that I haven’t been taking measurements all along since my surgery.  I meant to, but one thing or another would distract me and then I never did.  I do have some measurements from way back pre-op, March 2012, when I weighed 297 lbs or so. I just went back on this blog and I noticed that I wasn’t weighing in regularly at that time, probably because I was having such a hard time losing weight and regular weigh-ins were stressing me out.  Plus, there was more than a bit of denial there – if I  wasn’t seeing that the scale wasn’t moving, I wasn’t having to admit to my failings.  Regardless, when I take my measurements later today, I’m going to do a major comparison just for fun. My plan is to start taking measurements every Sunday, along with progress photos, so that I can start recording the changes in my body, and post about the progress once a month or so.

This week I have the entire week off, and since I didn’t end up going to Tahoe (I decided to save the money I would’ve spent and put it towards my Hawaiian vacation in April), I’m going to spend the week trying out a bunch of fitness classes that I can’t normally attend.  Here’s my cardio plan for the week (I’ll add in the toning once I get the week of workouts from ToneItUp):

• Sunday: Run/walk with Di. She and I have been meeting up every Sunday morning, and I really look forward to this time to catch up and then get our sweat on.
• Monday: Pilates. I tried Pilates a long time ago, and liked it for the first 10 minutes, but my almost-300 pound frame just couldn’t do most of the moves, so I left the class early. I can’t wait to see how much more I’m able to do now.
• Tuesday: Spin. This is the class I’ve been dying to try, but was also completely intimidated at the same time.  Not because I didn’t think I could keep up, because even at my heaviest weight, I had so much strength in my legs/thighs, but because of my girth and the close proximity of the bikes to one another in the spin room.  The bikes are literally on top of each other, and when I was at my heaviest, I felt like I’d be overflowing into my neighbor’s space, and that just wasn’t something I wanted to deal with.  So I’ve avoided the class for all this time.  I have a feeling I’m going to love spin and it’s going to become one of my regular things.
• Wednesday: Warm Yoga Flow. This is a vinyasa yoga class done in a room heated to about 90 degrees.  I love taking heated yoga because you feel so much better afterward.  In the past I avoided any sort of vinyasa or flow class because the poses moved too quickly for me to keep up with, but I think I’ll be able to keep pace much better now.
• Thursday: Zumba Step. I love Zumba and haven’t been a class in a really long time.  I somehow got out of the Saturday morning routine of going.  I think the fact that one of my favorite teachers stopped teaching at my location also had something to do with it.  When I heard that 24 Hour Fitness was featuring this new class, which includes a step, I thought it sounded like a fun thing to try. Right now the Zumba Step class is only offered in the middle of the day during the week, so this is a rare opportunity for me to try it.  If I like it, I’ll definitely seek it out once summer starts.
• Friday: Body Combat. This is a Les Mills class and the description taken straight from their website says, “This fiercely energetic program is inspired by mixed martial arts and draws from a wide array of disciplines such as karate, boxing, taekwondo, tai chi and muay thai. During this ultimate warrior workout, you’ll strike, punch, kick and kata your way through calories to superior cardio fitness.” I’m not sure if I’m physically ready for the class, but I figured it doesn’t hurt to try.

All of these classes are brand new to me, and I’m excited to try them.  You guys know how much I love variety in my workouts, so this is something that I’m really looking forward to.  A few of the classes, like Spin and Body Combat, are offered several times a week at the gym, so if I like them I can take them regularly. Warm Yoga Flow is offered a few times throughout the week at the yoga studio I like to go to, but I only have a limited number of classes that I’ve paid for, so I’ll need to space those classes out a bit if I like it.  Pilates and Zumba Step are only offered in the morning during the week, so I’ll have to wait for summer if I really like those.

I really can’t wait to see how I perform in these classes, and I think each of them will offer a challenge, but one that I can achieve. So many times in the past, I had the desire to take classes like these, but physically I just wasn’t up to the task.  Not to mention that feeling of “other” that I got whenever I looked around a room and saw that I was, by far, the biggest person in there.  What a different experience it will be this time! Just another way that this weight loss has transformed (and is transforming) my life.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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Friday 5: Mid-Summer Happiness

I have about a month of summer vacation left, and I plan to eek all the excitement out of these last weeks as possible. I haven’t been to the pool in over a week, and I miss it, so I plan on doing much more swimming while I still have the time.  In fact, I really want to focus on trying one new fitness activity per week: using a spinning app I bought to get on a spin bike at the gym and give it a whirl, going to a Zumba class for the first time since surgery, getting back into Hot Hula in August, trying one of the weight training classes (like BodyPump), and maybe even Body Combat, if I’m feeling really adventurous.

I know this is supposed to be about summer, but today I had a meeting with some of the administrators from school, and I was able to see my schedule for next year.  I’m happy to report that I once again have a 3rd period prep, which means that I have the last period of my “A” day off.  Just like last year, I plan on leaving early enough so that I can get to the gym before the masses.

Tomorrow my sister and I are headed to SeaScape Resort with the doggies.  I love going there, because it’s a semi-private beach that allows dogs to go off leash.  Plus, it’s absolutely gorgeous there.  I’m looking forward to a long walk in the sand with the waves lapping my feet.  I also love watching the dogs run far ahead and then come back; they get so tired by the time we’re through.  It should be a fun day.

I just started watching Friday Night Lights, and I’m in the middle of quite a marathon.  I love this show!  I’ve always loved football, and of course I enjoy the whole high school aspect, plus I love the sense of school pride the show displays.  I’m just beginning Season 2, and I’m enjoying the character development.

I recently started reading the behemoth 11/23/63 by Stephen King.  It’s 849 pages, which is really daunting because I have it in it’s full, heavy hardcover glory.  I’ve never been a huge fan of Stephen King’s horror, but I love his other fiction, like Shawshank Redemption and The Body, which is the novella that Stand By Me is based on.  I’m enjoying the writing, and I’m really intrigued by the topic.  I’ll keep you posted.

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