Super Spring Weigh In: Week 43 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 43 was a bit overwhelming, if I’m honest.  Things are really busy at work, and I felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day.  I still managed to eat well and to get my cardio workouts in, but I did let a few toning workouts slip by.  This next week is going to be just as busy, so I’m going to do my best to set things up today so that I don’t feel like I have no time for everything I have to do. Feeling organized is huge for me – it make all the difference in the world.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 184.6, which is a loss of 1.4 pounds this week, and a loss of 92.4 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 130.4 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 34.6 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. I’m pleased with this week’s loss, especially considering I didn’t do many of the toning exercises that I’ve been doing 5 times a week for the past couple of months.  My eating has been great, though, and I did pretty well with my water intake, too.

More of the clothes I ordered for my Hawaiian vacation came in this week, and every single item looks as good or better than I’d hoped.  I don’t mean to sound conceited when I write that, but this is a whole new thing for me.  In the past when I ordered clothes online, it was always hit and miss as far as how the clothes would look.  Now it’s a whole different story because I have a whole different body.  It really is an amazing feeling.

Yesterday the high school I attended had an Alumnae Day of Service at a local charity, which fit in well with my volunteering for Lent.  One of my good friends attended, and I had a blast meeting a bunch of new friends.  There’s something about being an alumna from my school – we have an instant bond because of the shared experience of going to an all-girls Catholic school.  And not just because of wearing that plaid skirt; because of the values we were taught, the education we received, and the spirit of friendship that we formed.  It truly was an amazing experience, and I’m so grateful to my parents for sacrificing so much so that my sister and I could attend the school.

A shot of a new friend and me sorting apples.

A great group shot of all of the alums who volunteered. The lady in the sun hat is in charge of food sorting at the center, and was our supervisor for the day.

This week the enormous changes I’ve undergone have become more evident to me.  In looking at photos I’ve been in with groups of friends lately (last weekend, this Friday night, and again yesterday) I can see that I’m a completely different person.  I’m not worried about how my body is going to look in pictures, because I know how hard I’ve worked.  It’s so freeing to just smile and capture the moment, rather than worry so much about what angle the camera is being held at. I see myself and I am proud of the lady being reflected back at me. A new confidence is emerging, and I am loving it!

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 42 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 42 started with a 5K and ended with a Bay Area WLS meetup, with lost of busy days in between.  Even though so many of the workdays were long ones, I didn’t miss any of my workouts.  That fact alone is something I’m so proud of, and speaks to how much I’ve transformed my life.  In the past, long work days would have offered an easy excuse to skip workouts, but now they just give me a way to shake off a stressful day.  Just like that photo above, I really love working out and miss it when I have to take a rest day.

So, what did the scale show?!

When I weighed in this morning, I was 186.0, which is a loss of 2.6 pounds this week, and a loss of 91 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 129 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 36 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. I’m really happy with this week’s loss.  The first pound came off right away when I did my daily weigh-in on Monday; the other 1.6 came off a little at a time as the week continued.  I’ve been feeling really strong all week – not just in my weight loss, but in my whole attitude and demeanor – I’m loving life!

One fun thing that also served as an NSV this week was shopping for Hawaii.  I’ve picked up just about all the clothes I think I’ll need: bikini tops, board shorts, sundresses, capri pants, and late yesterday afternoon – tanks.  Shopping these days is obviously so much more fun than shopping in the past, and I can’t wait to see how little room all of my clothes take up in the suitcase!  In the past when I’d go on trips, my clothes would take up so much room because there was so much material.  I’m super excited that this time around I’ll be able to fit everything into one suitcase, with room.  Although, don’t get me wrong, I’m an over-packer, so I’ll still be filling that suitcase, but this time it will be because of all the outfits, not because of how big the clothes are.

Today my friend Di and I are heading to a local lake county park to volunteer at a cleanup.  This is part of my Lenten Sacrifice, and I’m looking forward to it.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here – 80 degrees and sunny – and today will be no exception.  Plus, it will be a great way to burn some calories as I’m giving back.

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

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Friday Five: Day Off to Organize

Friday Five

1.  I took today off to get myself organized around the house.  I’ve had busy weekends for the past month, and I feel like my house is in need of a deep cleaning.  For example, the other day I had to use a beach towel because I was in desperate need of doing laundry. Plus, as part of my Lenten Sacrifice, I need to spend some more time going through my closet and compiling clothes to donate.

2.  Speaking of clothes, I’ve been having a great time buying some clothes for Hawaii.  I wanted to buy a few sundresses, and found some great ones:

They’re all really light and will be perfect for Hawaii’s temps.  The maxi dress will definitely be too long for me, but I found a great tailor who hems dresses for really cheap, and since the dress itself was on clearance at $17, paying for the tailoring is worth it.  I’m a bit worried that the hi-low dress might be a bit too short in front, but hopefully it will hit me lower because I’m short.

Remember those bikini tops I bought from VS?  Well they arrived the other day, and they were a bit too small. (I am very happy to say that the bottoms I bought fit well). They fit, but they were cut really sexily, and I just didn’t think I’d feel very comfortable wearing them, and would be worried that I’d “pop out.” So I returned those and got these “perfect coverage” tops instead:

I think I’ll feel a lot more secure in these.  That third one was on sale at Kohl’s and I like that it has a tiny bit of aqua detail.  Plenty of tops for the beach for a week. I also finally bought the board shorts that I’d planned on:

  I haven’t received these yet,but I’m really hopeful that they’ll be long enough and fit well. A few comments on the site that I bought them from said that they wore them out and about on vacation, as well as on the beach, which I think is a great idea.  I don’t have any pants suitable for Hawaii (I think jeans will be too heavy), so I also bought a few pairs of capris:

The first ones are fleece crops from Victoria’s Secret, and because I really liked the fit of the boyfriend pants I bought from VS before, I thought I’d  give these a try.  The second are from Kohl’s and were only $15; they seem like good lounge pants.  And the last ones are also from Kohl’s – I really hope they fit well because I think they’re really cute.  The only things left to buy for the trip (and for my spring/summer wardrobe) are some tanks and a few tops.

3. I started this morning off with a great spin class!  I’d bought some new padded bicycle capri pants that worked really well; I didn’t feel any of that pelvic bone pain that I’d had the first time.  I definitely need to fit more spin classes into my normal routine, because I love how powerful I feel when I’m in the class, and I really like the huge calorie burn that comes with the 60 minute session.

4.  I thought I’d share a lunch that I’ve been loving.  I first saw it on Pinterest, and I’ve seen it a lot on Instagram, too.  It’s a twist on egg salad – instead of using mayonnaise I substitute guacamole.  It might look a little strange and green, but it’s really delicious and adds a nice kick. Today because I’d burned so many calories with spin class, my TIU workouts, and taking Sofi for a walk in the neighborhood, I put the egg salad on two slices of Dave’s Good Seed Thin-Sliced Bread.  But this egg salad is also great on spinach to keep it more low carb.  I know it seems odd, but just give it a try.

5. This weekend I have some fun plans! Tomorrow afternoon I’m heading to SF to meet up with VSGTanya, whose videos on YouTube and posts on FB have really helped me learn so much about this journey.  Plus, she’s just a cool lady! She lives near New Orleans, but will be here in my area for work, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet her while she’s here. I can’t wait to meet her after following her story on YT and FB for over a year and a half.  There will be quite a few other WLS -ers there, so it will be fun to meet new people.  Then on Sunday my friend Di and I are volunteering for 3 hours doing a cleanup day at a local lake county park.

Happy Friday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of fun and exciting adventures.

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What I’m doing for Lent

(I’ve been meaning to write this post since Ash Wednesday last week, but the time just got away from me).

In thinking about my Lenten sacrifice this year, I decided that rather than giving something up, I’m going to do something.  As my mom put it, “adults don’t give things up, children do.”  And since I feel like my diet and exercise are already on point, and I don’t have many other things I’m willing to forgo for 40 days, doing something positive that would impact someone else’s life seemed like a much better option.

So this year, I’m giving of myself – donating clothes and volunteering.  Each week I’m going to give back in some way:

• Last week: I barely conceived of this idea.
• This week: Going through my closet and donating all of the clothes that have gotten too big.  I already have 4 trash bags full, but I know there will be several more.
• 3/16: 3 hours volunteering at a county park lake cleanup
• 3/22: 6 hours volunteering with alumnae from my high school at Sacred Heart Community Service
• 3/26: 2 hours volunteering doing food sorting at the warehouse of Second Harvest Food Bank
• 3/29: 4 hours volunteering at Furry Friends dog adoption
• TBD: volunteering for a local Relay for Life chapter
• TBD: volunteering at a local small garden
• Donating a baby blanket that I crochet to the Linus Project

My goal is to do at least 20 hours of volunteer work during the season of Lent, and I think I’ll more than cover that with these things.

Do you do a Lenten sacrifice?  If so, what’s yours for this year?

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FMM: Creating Change

I absolutely love the idea and spirit behind this week’s FMM, so let’s get right to it.

FMM: Creating Change

This week Kenlie decided that instead of writing about ourselves, we should look to the world around us and make a positive impact –  create a change, if you will – which I think will show more about any of us than a cute survey (although I do love doing those quizzes!).

The Details: She’s  asking that you write a quick post today about your plans to donate food to a local food bank or church or charitable organization in your area during the month of September. (You can even copy this paragraph for your own post if you want to.)  Maybe you plan to donate 10 cans of beans or 5 packs of spaghetti or one jar of peanut butter.  Or maybe you’ll make a cash donation or volunteer.  You don’t have to get fancy or expensive.  Just give as much as you can, and be proud of yourself for making a difference.   Then, like usual, post a link here about your plans to donate for change.  And if someone leaves a comment on your blog about their plans to donate food or money to the hungry, leave another comment here at www.alltheweigh.com letting me know.  And when you’ve gathered your donation, you can e-mail a photo of yourself and your goods so you can be featured on my blog.

My Donation: Not only will I donate a grocery bag full of food to my local food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank , and I’ll also volunteer my time there, as well.  Every year I try to organize an evening with some of my students so that we can give back to our community. The 12th graders in my Journalism class and I had planned on going to volunteer one evening this fall, and this just gives me more of an impetus to do it.  They have an “active citizen” project for their government class, but beyond that, they are really sweet kids that were absolutely willing to go and do this when I mentioned it to them last week.  Plus it’s a really fun way for us to do something great for other people and bond as a class.  Win, win, win!!

Spending just a few dollars and donating it to a food bank is an easy thing for most of us to do and it makes a huge difference in the lives of people who may not know where their next meal is coming from.  I applaud Kenlie for coming up with this project, and I am more than willing to show my support.

What will YOU do?

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HYC Update – No More Food Waste!

This week has been pretty good, considering how ill I’ve been. I’ve tracked every single day and stayed within my points. This weekend I used a lot of flex points when I celebrated with CTLB and her husband, who were visiting from Boston, but that’s what they’re for. Plus, we had so much fun seeing each other.

Still no exercise because of the bronchitis. I’m feeling better, but going in for a full day of work on Monday was tough. Still only at 50% or so of normal. I’m anticipating the weigh in tomorrow. Not sure how my body will handle such lack of activity. We’ll see.

My main goal for the coming week is to go through (eat!) the food in my freezer in my attempt to waste less food. I read in the newspaper this weekend that on average, Americans throw out 15-40% of the food they buy. (If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend clicking the link to read the article; there are a lot of great tips on how to eat more healthily on a budget). Literally, money in the garbage! My journalism students and I are volunteering at a local food bank on Thursday evening as a way to give back and bond as a class. I am really hoping to help them (as well as the entire student body) take on Obama’s call for every American to become more active and volunteer, so volunteerism has been a focus of many of our articles this year. I’m happy we’ll be able to help out at the food bank, but when I think of all those hungry people who would love to have the food that I throw out, it makes me feel so guilty. I’m definitely inspired to do better. I’m challenging you to do the same.

A huge thank you to everyone for the well wishes of a speedy recovery. I am really going to do my best to get healthy!

I hope you all have a glorious week!!

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