Super Spring Weigh In: Week 46 Post-Op VSG

Spring has (almost) sprung! Which means that the weather is turning warmer, the days are getting longer, and fitting in outdoor activities is a whole lot easier. Spring is a time of renewal, and in the spring of 2014  I’m living my life in full bloom! Now that I’m in the home stretch of my weight loss journey, all the pounds I lose this spring are just like extra petals on a flower, making my life just a bit more beautiful. I want to enjoy each day of this season, soaking in the sunshine, blue skies, and happiness. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. My Sunday progress updates will be called Super Spring Weigh-Ins.

Week 46 was amazing – I was in Hawaii enjoying the sun, sand, and sights.  I’ve been writing separate posts about all of my adventures, from snorkeling in Hanauama Bay, hiking the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail, and hiking Diamond Head. The house in Kaneohe had gorgeous views, and I loved watching the sunrise every morning. I have a few more blog posts to write about my trip, which I plan on doing today.  The trip was everything I’d hoped it would be, and was definitely a reward for all my hard work this past year with my weight loss.  I loved my time in Hawaii, and the only thing I’d change next time would be having more people to hang out with…maybe even a romantic travel partner.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 185.0, which is a gain of 2 pounds this week, but a loss of 92 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 130 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 35 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. (So much for thinking I’d lost 3 pounds when I weighed myself on the scale in Hawaii the other day. It just goes to show how varied scales can be). While I never like seeing a gain, I’m not upset by this one.  Not only did I get my period this week, but I was traveling, and the plane ride alone is enough to add some water weight gain.  I know these pounds will drop off quickly this week once I settle back into my normal routines.

So, my plan for the week is to do just that, get back to what I’ve been doing because it works.  A huge part of feeling on track for me is being organized, so I spent the day yesterday unpacking, grocery shopping, and sprucing up the house.

I bought these placemats last year, and I love that they bring a bit of Hawaii into my dining area. Plus, they’re bright and springy. The mums add a pop of white that is crisp and happy.

These roses are from my garden in the backyard, and I absolutely love the color. They’re a bright pink/coral color, and I think they’re stunning.

Part of the groceries I bought yesterday were the makings for green smoothies.  I haven’t had a green smoothie since my surgery.  At first the greens would have been too harsh for my newly-sleeved stomach.  Then I just got into the routine of having my protein shake in the morning, and you know how it goes when you get into a routine.  But after seeing Bobbi‘s food diaries on MFP, I remembered how much I love green smoothies. I added 1 cup of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, 1 1/2 scoops of Isopure zero carb vanilla protein powder, about 2 cups of this great organic baby kale & chou frise mix I got on sale at Safeway, and 1/2 a cup of mango chunks, along with a packet of Truvia.  The result? An amazing green smoothie, the color of which just reminds me of spring.  It was fresh, delicious, and really filling.  Plus, I love that I can get an additional serving or two of greens at the beginning of my day. Because I have to pull out the blender and making the green smoothie involves a bit more time, I don’t think I’ll make a green smoothie every day this week, but I do plan to have them at least a few times, and I think it’s going to be a regular weekend selection.

Nutrition for this smoothie: 278 calories, 42g protein, 18g carbs, 4g fiber, 5g fat.

In terms of my workouts, the plan for this week is to make sure I fit in 5 Tone It Up workouts, along with cardio:
Sunday: long walk with Sofi at the LG Creek Trail
Monday: Lateral X elliptical + walk with Sofi / TIU: Santorini Bikini
Tuesday: flow yoga + walk with Sofi / TIU: Sunkissed Abs
Wednesday: early morning (4:45am!) hybrid elliptical / TIU: Bikini Booty Workout
Thursday: run/walk intervals + walk with Sofi / TIU: Set the Bar Routine (Beach Babe 2 DVD)
Friday: bike ride + walk with Sofi / TIU: Pura Vida Arms
Saturday: spinning + walk with Sofi

I have great meals planned this week, too:

• breakfasts:protein shakes or green smoothies
• lunches: salads w/ rotisserie chicken and veggies
• snacks: Greek yogurt, Boom Chicka Pop, hard boiled eggs, mini brie and rosemary raisin crackers, cashew/almond/mango trail mix
• dinners: sauteed spinach/kale mix with protein – mahi mahi burgers, ginger-marinated cod, chicken marinated with white wine & lemon

Plus, this week is going to be a fairly light one at work, which is nice after a week off.

I’m going to try to include more hobbies (besides working out and watching TV) into my weekly routine.  This week, I want to:

• read at least 30 minutes a day
• blog at least three times
• put together a photo book of my Hawwaii pictures on Shutterfly

I had an amazing time on my vacation, but I’m really glad to be back home with so much to look forward to in the week ahead. It’s going to be a great one!

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

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Super Spring Weigh In: Week 44 Post-Op VSG

Spring has (almost) sprung! Which means that the weather is turning warmer, the days are getting longer, and fitting in outdoor activities is a whole lot easier. Spring is a time of renewal, and in the spring of 2014  I’m living my life in full bloom! Now that I’m in the home stretch of my weight loss journey, all the pounds I lose this spring are just like extra petals on a flower, making my life just a bit more beautiful. I want to enjoy each day of this season, soaking in the sunshine, blue skies, and happiness. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. My Sunday progress updates will be called Super Spring Weigh-Ins.

Week 44 started off great because I spent hours on Sunday going through both closets in my house and going through every single item of clothing, deciding whether to donate or keep it.  My wardrobe is is organized and streamlined, which makes me feel so much better.  At work, I was able to complete all the grading that had piled up, which feels like a huge relief.  I ate well and logged everything. The one area that slipped a bit was in my workouts: I got some in, but didn’t do the Tone It Up strength sessions as often as I would’ve liked.  Now that everything is in order in the various areas of my life, the main thing I want to do is maintain it all.  Which means grading a bit at a time, keeping up with the housework/laundry, and setting aside the 1-1.5 hours a day to get my workouts in.  I know I can do it, I just need to set my mind to it.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 183.0, which is a loss of 1.6 pounds this week,and a loss of 94 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 132 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 33 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. I’m really happy with this week’s loss, especially because of the fact that I completed fewer workouts than I would’ve liked.  It really does go to show that weight loss is 70-80% food.  One thing that went really well for me this week was my water intake – I’ve found that making sure I have a water bottle or tumbler with me at all times makes all the difference.

One week from today I’ll have been in Hawaii for a day already!  I’m so excited about this trip, and I’m really looking at it as a reward for my hard work and determination.  It’s been over six years since I went on any sort of vacation.  Six years since I’ve been on a plane.  The last time I had to use a seatbelt extender, and that was when I was nowhere near my heaviest weight, in fact, I’d lost 50 pounds on that medically supervised fasting diet.  If I’m honest, I avoided any sort of vacation where I might need to fly because I didn’t want to have to deal with that scrunched-in feeling of spilling over into my neighbor’s seat. No to mention the look of dread on the seatmates’ faces when they saw me coming down the aisle.  I can’t wait to see how different it all is this time.

This week it’s all about making sure I have everything ready for Hawaii.  Yesterday I had a major shopping trip at Target, picking up travel sizes and a few more swim essentials.  Remember those Victoria Secrets bikini tops I’d bought?  They fit, and looked pretty good, but they were cut fairly small and showed more cleavage than I was comfortable with.  Especially for water sports like snorkeling or taking surf lessons.  I didn’t want to accidentally “pop out.”

See what I mean? I’ll definitely still wear it at the beach or walking around, but not when I’m doing something more physical.

So yesterday while I was at Target, I saw that they had swimwear on sale, and I found two other swim tops:

This black bikini top has a lot more coverage, even though you may not be able to tell it in the photo, and that makes me feel more comfortable.  The tankini also offers good coverage, although I’m not sure whether or not I’m going to tuck it in.  What do you guys think?

The plan for this week is to make sure I fit in 5 Tone It Up workouts, along with cardio:
Sunday: Arc Trainer + run/walk intervals
Monday: run/walk intervals
Tuesday: hybrid elliptical
Wednesday: Arc Trainer
Thursday: hybrid recumbent bike
Friday: run/walk intervals

{I’ll update the toning routines as soon as the new weekly workout is posted on Toneitup.com}

As I mentioned, next week I’ll be in Hawaii, so I won’t be posting a weigh-in update.  It’s going to be really weird not having a scale there and not weighing myself everyday.  But I know I’m going to make great choices (more on that in another post), and get in plenty of activity, so I’m not worried about my weight.  Plus, taking a break from the scale while I’m on vacay seems right.  I will write a Sunday Smiles post, though, because I’m sure I’ll already have lots to share.

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

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Sizzlin’ Summer Weigh-In: Week 6 Post Op VSG

Summer’s here! Which means that fun in the sun is a daily way of life. Getting outside and getting active is easy, and it’s on my agenda for each and every day this summer. Being on summer vacation means I don’t have any of the workaday responsibilities that can get in the way of my plans. Now that I’ve had the VSG surgery, achieving my weight loss goals is only a matter of time, and this summer is going to be HOT. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. I’m not on a diet, I’m establishing a lifestyle – my new life. My Sunday progress updates will be called Sizzlin’ Summer Weigh-Ins.

Week 6 was my first full week on Stage 4, and it was also my birthday week, which meant that I went out 3 nights, and then celebrated the 4th of July. That’s a lot of fun and festivities packed into one little week. This coming week is going to be a bit of a challenge. I’m heading up to Sacramento this afternoon for a 3 1/2-day teaching conference (for those of you who might be interested, I’m going to the AVID Summer Institute). But because I have my new lifestyle well in place, I’m not really too worried. It’s just going to take a bit of organization, but more on that in a minute.

So, how’s the scale looking?

I weighed in this morning at 252, which is a loss of 4.6 pounds this week, and a loss of 25 lbs since surgery!!! I’ve lost a total of 63 pounds from my highest weight. I am thrilled with this week’s loss!!! This is my biggest loss since my first week after surgery! Stage 4 is going fantastic, just like I knew it would be. I feel like I’m hitting my stride, and have finally reached the “sweet spot” that I’ve been hoping for. I mean, to go out to eat on three separate nights plus the 4th of July, including a bit of alcohol on three of those occasions, and to still have these results is amazing.

But it’s not all the sleeve. Yes, the sleeve is a tool that helps me tremendously with my portions, but it’s not the thing that had me going out at 7:30 or 8am each morning taking Sofi on 40-minute walks, plus other workouts. It’s not the thing that had me say no to bread and stick to higher protein foods. It’s not the thing that kept me drinking 8+ glasses of water a day. I did that. I’ve had this in me all along, and I’m so thankful that the sleeve is allowing this part of me to finally shine.

As I mentioned, the beginning of this week is going to be a huge change in my routine. I know I’ll be able to make good choices for lunch and dinner, but breakfast is always challenging. The continental breakfasts that they usually offer aren’t exactly protein-heavy, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands.

I’ve got my pre-measured protein powder and blender bottle for breakfasts each day.  My vitamins are also all organized (I’d purchased a really cute vitamin holder about a year ago, but unfortunately, with the size of the chewables, I can’t really use it anymore, so the baggies were a good option).  And I’m bringing a few Quest bars for late afternoon snacks (I sometimes eat half a bar in the afternoon to up my protein count).

I checked into it, and the gym at the hotel is open 24 hours, so I’m bringing my sneakers and workout clothes so that I can get a workout in between dinner and bedtime.  (The conference starts at 8am each day, so instead of getting up at 5am, I’d rather go to the gym in the evening).  What a change from even one year ago, when I would’ve just figured these days would have been “rest days.”

I’m so proud of my progress so far, especially the fact that I haven’t had one week where I haven’t lost weight.  Some weeks might have been light on the weight loss, but I haven’t hit a stall yet.  So, despite a new challenge, I’m ready to have another great week.

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

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HYC Update: Post-Thanksgiving Wrapup

I hope everyone had a fantastic, long weekend.  As you know, I was away for Thanksgiving visiting my uncle in Niles, MI and then off to a quick jaunt to Chicago.  I wrote a bit about my trip here, if you’d like more details.  I took over 200 photos, many of which turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself:

Thanksgiving 2009 – Michigan & Chicago

My eating & exercise while I was away?  Not too bad, but not great, either.  Some highlights:

• We didn’t eat 3 meals a day, but when we did eat, we had heavier meals.  I’m hoping that the net calories work out to about the same that I would’ve normally consumed, but we’ll see for sure on the scale tomorrow.
• I didn’t track any points, but I  tried to make wise choices whenever we ate.
• We got tons of exercise, especially in Chicago.  On Saturday alone we walked over 2 miles, which was great.

So, that’s about it, as far as the Thanksgiving report.  I’m so glad we went away, and I’ll definitely go back again as many times as I can.

Getting back on track for the week:

1. I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s on Sunday and got tons of great, healthy food.
2. Sunday I made the quick soup that I posted about, along with the HG crock pot chili that I love (I don’t think I’ve ever posted that recipe, so I’ll do that soon).  I felt so organized by making two dinners like this that I can have for lunch and dinner all week.
3. I’m going to ease back in to working out this week.  I still have some congestion in the mornings and at night, but during the day I’m feeling back to normal.  Baby steps on working out is the best plan, I think.  So this week, it’s all about the Wii – Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.  I contacted Jimmy and told him I was going to slowly work my way back to the gym, and would probably put off our training sessions until the first of the year.  I don’t want to go too fast with working out and wear myself out, so I think this is a good plan.
4. Track everything.  Scale Warfare and I are still emailing our food journals daily, which is such an awesome way for both of us to stay accountable to someone besides ourselves with our food intake.
5. Catch up on all of your blogs!  I really missed reading them while I was away, but I really didn’t have computer access on the trip (other than my iPhone), so I’m going through some withdrawal.  🙂

I hope everyone is doing well and embracing the holiday spirit that’s swirling in the air!

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