3 Month Update

It has been exactly 3 months since my surgery & I thought I would give a little update to those who are interested. Recovery has been really good, I had an abscess stitch which needed to be removed & it took a lot longer for that opening to close up, but now I'm pretty much healed. The scars are still very red & I may have more stitches that pop up, but the nurse at the Dr's office is really good at seeing me & removing them. Your body sometimes does not absorb all your stitches & they can spit out of your body, you just need to pull them out, weird I know. I can sleep on my sides but I don't for very long as it still hurts somewhat. After 6 weeks recovery I'm cleared of everything, I can vacuum & lift weight over 5 lbs and also swim or bathe. I'm still leery of swimming or bathing, even though I'm all healed up I still fear I might get an infection. I am very glad that I had this done, I don't want to go through the surgery again but it was something that has helped me immensely. Immediately after surgery my back, neck & shoulders have had relief, I have hardly any headaches & I can stand up straight. About a week after surgery my friend saw me & said that I was hunched over, she said I could stand straight now, what a relief that has been. I've gone walking/running & before surgery I would always look at the ground, as I was hunched over but now I look at everything in front of me. In regards to clothing, it is amazing at how I can try on whatever top I like & if the style suits me it looks great. I still have not bought a bra, still in sports bras, I've been scared that the size will not be what I want, even though I know visibly & physically I look totally different & my old bras will never fit me again!!
In regards to weight I have managed to keep the 5olbs off for 3 months!! The lowest weight I have been is 53.2 lbs lost which is where I am today, I was this weight 2 months ago & have fluctuated up a few pounds & down a few but have maintained the 50 lb loss. I still hope to lose 7 - 10 more pounds, but I'm very happy that I've generally stayed the same weight throughout the 3 months. I hope to maintain during Christmas as well. I still have not bought my goal boots & plan to with some Christmas or birthday money that I receive. I'll be starting work in about 2 1/2 months so once back to work I'll be able to do a little more shopping!!
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year...

50 lbs Gone!!

I lost 4.2 lbs this past week, I'm sure 3 of those pounds were off my breasts!! I am very excited & happy that I have achieved my goal, it has not been easy. As much as I am very satisfied of the weight I have lost I am going to try and lose another 10 lbs & then I'll maintain, I would like to be a size 10!!

In regards to my surgery, it has been 1 week, I'm doing o.k, it is not a quick recovery in any way but I am absolutely amazed at how I look in clothing now & can't wait to go shopping, February can't come soon enough(which is when I go back to work & I'll have money!!). It is very important to me that I keep the weight off because if I do gain I have the risk of my breasts becoming what they were & I do not want to go through this again & I'll do everything possible not to!!

Today is the day!!

So first off I lost 1.8 lbs in the past 2 weeks, last week did not weigh in as I was on holidays. I am 3.8 lbs away from my goal weight, I was so close!! Today is surgery day & I'm hoping those 3.8 lbs will be removed today & I'm very excited about my upcoming surgery at 1:3o pm. I am still hoping to lose at least another 10 lbs but I am very excited that I have made it this far, I've worked very hard for myself & so this surgery will have the best possible outcome. I'll try & update as soon as I can...

5 weeks...

It's been several weeks since I've posted, thought it was time for an update! July has been an interesting month in regards to weight loss. During this month I've only lost about 3 pounds, I thought I would have lost 10 lbs this month according to the 2 lb a week rule, but not for me. I'm thinking that the less I start to weigh the harder it is I have to work to get it off, but I am very happy with a 3 lb loss. I've exercised a lot this month, I got a bike which I've ridden a few times & hope to ride more once the weather cooperates.

I started this weight loss journey in September 2006, I promptly lost 24 -26 pounds in 3 months & that weight has stayed off for the past 3 years. During the last 3 years I've lost & gained 10-15 lbs about 6 times. This is what scares me! I've lost 43.6 lbs total to date & I have only 6.4 lbs to go & I'm more scared that I'll gain it back. It is so easy to get comfortable & just put the weight back on. I don't want this to happen, I have worked really hard. My surgery that is coming up in 5 weeks (yikes!) has been my main motivation for getting the remaining of this weight off. I know once I have the surgery if I gain weight the surgery will have been a waste. I am hoping & praying that I can continue to lose more weight & then the hardest part of all, keeping it off!!

Losing this weight, I have gone down 2 sizes, I bought a size 11 skirt the other day, I can't even tell you the last time I wore a fitted skirt, probably before I was married which was 12 years ago. I need all new clothes, which is a good thing but is also very scary. I'm scared because of the whole gaining it back thing, if I buy all new clothes & then gain, I'll be VERY upset. But I do need clothes that fit!! There is a part of me that is very excited to finally be in a size that I want to be, but now I want to be a size 9/10 which I'm going to have to work very hard to get, but I'll get there. I even bought myself a takini, which will look amazing after my surgery, right now it is very tight on top!!

I know this post has been all over the place, I still have August left (4 weeks), hoping to lose more weight & to keep it up!! Only 5 weeks till surgery & only 6.4 lbs till 50 lbs gone (my goal) which I honestly never thought I would get to, but I kow I will get there & maybe even surpass it!!

8 weeks...

I stayed the same this week, didn't lose any weight. I think I need to kick things up a notch!! I hope to lose the last 3.6lbs of my "NEXT 10 LB CHALLENGE" by the end of July. Only 8 weeks till surgery!!

9 weeks...

First off I lost 2.2 lbs this past week!!! Very Excited about it, so I lost the .8lb gain from last week plus an additional 1.4lbs. If you look at my tickers I only have 9 lbs left until my goal!!! My favourite jeans are too big, as a matter of fact a lot of things are getting big even t-shirts. I put on a coat of mine that I could never close up, due to my large ( . )( . ), but I could do it up the other day, I never thought my breasts would get smaller as everyone always told me that's the first thing you lose when you lose weight, your breasts. We'll see in 9 weeks how big my breasts still are. Speaking of 9 weeks, I can't believe only 9 weeks until surgery...I can't wait!!

10 weeks...

This past week was a bit rough for me. I didn't exercise as much & ate some bad food choices. TOM(Time Of Month) also contributed to my bad food choices as well!! Anyways I only managed to gain .8lbs this week, so I'll have to get rid of that plus more this next week. This past week my motivation has not been good as well as I'm a little bit stressed due to personal reasons. I'm getting my mojo back & I am going to get off these last 10 lbs & hopefully a few more!! Only 10 weeks left till surgery, that in itself should keep me motivated!!

11 weeks...

First of all, I lost 2 lbs this past week, which I'm really happy about. My sister & I have been walking/running for the past week, hopefully next week I'll have some good results as well.

Now for the title, 11 weeks... what is happening in 11 weeks? I got my surgery date for Sept 2nd & I'm very excited about it, so in 11 weeks I hope to be at my goal weight if not lower. So I'll be counting down the weeks as well as updating my weight loss each week. If you check out my tickers at the top, I've only got 10.4lbs to go, AAAHH!!!

1 lb loss!!

I lost 1 lb this past week, I actually thought I didn't lose any weight as my weight has been up & down all week. So I'm very happy with losing a pound!! Hope to get more exercise in this next week, but I'm happy I'm losing weight & not gaining...I'll get to goal yet!!

The Next 10 lb Challenge..

I lost the final .8lbs for my last 10 pound challenge & lost 2 lbs already for my next 10 pound challenge. A total of 2.8lbs gone this week!!! I never lost anything last week as I stayed the same. I'm really excited about this next challenge & hope all goes well. I've gotten to exercise quite a few times this past week & hoping I can keep it up this week as my sister is away and I'll have to use Clifford(dog) as my exercise buddy. I'm hoping with the addition of exercise that I'll lose more weight during the week, aiming for 2lbs a week. Yeah I lost 2.8 lbs!!!

Breast Reduction

So I had a really good appointment with the surgeon. As the title states, I'm getting a breast reduction & I'm very excited about it!! The surgeon seems very down to earth & knowledgeable. I have a 3-5 month wait for the actual surgery, I was hoping for the fall anyways as the kid's will be back in school & I won't have to worry about it being during vacation, though it would be nice to have had the surgery done yesterday!! The Doctor mentioned taking 5-6 pounds off my chest, which had me shocked, do I actually lug around that much weight? & no wonder my back hurts!! The Doctor mentioned a C/D & I mentioned a C would be nice & I'll mention that again & again on the day of surgery. I'm very excited!! He also mentioned to loose as much weight as I can before the surgery as if I lose it after, my breasts may get smaller. My goal is to hopefully get to goal by the surgery, which is very possible. Then when I lose the 5-6 pounds from my breasts I'll be below goal!! The one thing the surgeon mentioned was liposuction on the sides which is not covered by insurance & the cost is $2100 - $2500. I struggled with the idea on should I get it done but came to the conclusion that I'm not. I've never noticed my sides before until he mentioned it & I don't think having lipo on the sides will make my breasts better. I figure if it's never bothered me before why would it now! This way I'll also save some money. I'm still going to try posting each week about my weight loss for the week & I've started Another 10 lb Challenge. I'm done my contract on Friday so I'll be able to walk/run with my sister again in the mornings which I know will help my weight loss along. Soon I'll have small boobs, I can't even imagine it, it seems unreal...

9.2 lbs GONE :)

Well, I'm calling my 10 lb challenge a success as I lost 9.2lbs since I started April 1st. I was short .8lbs and I'm very proud of myself, because it was harder this time & slower going as I basically lost it only by diet alone. I'm not done, as soon as I get to 10 lbs gone I'm going to start another 10 lb challenge until I finally reach goal. I will reach my goal. Tomorrow is my appointment with the surgeon & I'll write another post to let you all know what went on, I may even tell you what I'm hopefully getting done:)!!

2 weeks...

You are probably wondering where the third week went? I didn't lose any weight last week, but I stayed the same, I believe that it had a lot to do with my time of the month and retaining fluids. Anyways week 3 is done... As you can see I lost 1.2 lbs this week which I am very happy about. This weight is coming off slower than the last time, due to the fact that I'm not exercising each day with my sister as I'm so tired from work everyday. I have been walking home from work every day this week though!! So 2 weeks left until I see the surgeon & I still need to lose 2.6lbs which I'm hoping will be gone & then by the time I have surgery I hope to be at my goal!! Now onto a recent craft project that I made this past weekend.

Chalkboard




So what I did was bought a kitchen cupboard door at the Habitat Restore for $5, & then I sanded the inside & did a coat of primer. The primer does not need to be thick, 1 coat is plenty. Then I added 2 coats of chalkboard paint & voila, a beautiful chalkboard for in your kitchen or anywhere!! Best to paint the chalkboard paint outdoors as it is very smelly & to clean it off your HANDS or brush you will need turpentine. I'm going to make some for the girls room soon & I'll post pictures.

4 weeks...

4 weeks left until my appointment. I'm very happy with the loss, considering I ate out all weekend, I made really good choices & I'm proud of myself, I want to keep it up!! I'm walking home 3 out of the 5 days this week & will walk on the weekend with my sister hopefully, & if it's nice I'll get the family out for a walk as well. Only 4 weeks left...

Product Reviews

Just a few product reviews for you, if anyone is interested?

I went to Olive Garden the other day for supper & I tried one of their Garden Fare dishes. According to their website the Venetian Apricot Chicken:Grilled chicken breasts in an apricot citrus sauce. Served with broccoli, asparagus and diced tomatoes has 380 calories.



As you can see in the picture it has 2 thin chicken breasts, I only had 1 & I was totally satisfied. I did have a bowl of Minestrone soup to start which is 100 calories. It was a really good dinner for the calorie count, I highly recommend it when you go there!

Next is Chocolate little bites Mini Wheats which came from St.Louis, MO thanks to my mom. I've been reading about these little tasty bites, so I wanted to try them myself. They come in a teeny box and are 200 calories for 52 little mini's. I had them this morning for breakfast, I like them but they aren't as good as the reviews that I have read. If they come to Canada I'll buy them especially if they come in a bigger box!!


Update: In other news, the scale is going down, the 1.8lbs of cake & candy did not stick, hoping to post a great weight loss on Wednesday. So far eating out is going good, I'm hoping that this means I'm seriously focused on this weight loss. Next week I'll be walking home 4 out of the 5 days, so that should be good especially if the sun comes out like promised..I'll post on Wednesday hopefully (crossing fingers) with a great weight loss.

5 weeks...& too much cake & candy...

Well the title says it all! I gained 1.8 lbs this past week, & it's because I spent a day eating cake & candy, not a good choice I know, considering there is only 5 weeks left until I see the surgeon. It's a new week. My mom is coming to town, that means a bit more eating out, but I'll try my hardest to eat healthy, I need to lose this weight!! I did manage to walk with my sister 4 times in the past week, which I'm very happy about. I'm still hoping that this 1.8 lbs goes away, I really don't think I ate 1.8 lbs worth of cake & candy or did I...

6 weeks...

Well as you can see I lost 5lbs this past week. I'm very happy about it, & optimistic about keeping up this weight loss. I did walk home from work 3 days this past week, will keep it up next week. I love walking... Hopefully next week I'll have lost more to tell you all about, only 6 weeks left...

7 weeks...

So what is happening in 7 weeks...In 7 weeks I will be meeting with a surgeon for a surgery that I've been thinking of having for awhile...but...I need to lose more weight for this surgery to be beneficial to me & to keep the weight OFF!!! I've known about my appointment for awhile & finally decided that there are only 7 weeks until I see him, so I need to do something about this weight that somehow always decides to creep back on!! In October 2008 I took the trip of a lifetime and went to Disneyland in Orlando, FL & then a cruise in the Bahamas, & to get ready for my trip I got down to my lowest weight which was 40lbs gone. I was very happy about that & I did gain about 3lbs on my trip which was worth it & not that bad considering you can eat whatever you want all day and night!! But since I got back from my trip instead of continuing to lose the final weight that I want to lose, I've slowly been gaining it back by EATING whatever & not exercising. Since the new year I have tried to go back on the wagon several times only to binge eat and decide to try to lose weight again on Monday, which turned into April 1st. So I've been back on the wagon & hoping that I can maintain my healthy eating & start to get more exercise(it doesn't help that it has been snowing in April making it hard for me to walk). I have also known about this important Dr's appointment & have hopefully finally realized that if I want this surgery to work very well I have got to get down to my goal weight!! So I have 7 weeks to lose as much as I can but then need to continue on until I reach my goal & keep it off which I have learned through these 2 1/2 years that keeping it off is the hardest part. In the past 2 1/2 years I have gained & lost & gained & lost several times. Like I told my family Dr at my recent physical, I know what I have to do, doing it is the hard part. So once again I'm doing what I have to do and hopefully it'll stick this time... So I started back on this weight loss journey on April 1st, it has been 4 days & according to the scale I'm already down about 5lbs which I find amazing how four days ago I was 5 lbs heavier. Anyways hoping that it'll keep coming off. I'll be weighing in officially every Wednesday & will be trying to update you all on my progress every Wednesday, thus my 10 lb challenge ticker. I will be happy to be 10 lbs lighter when I see the surgeon, if I lose more I will take it!! This week I haven't bought anymore bus tickets, thus making me walk home 3 times this coming week. I don't have a problem with walking & I like to walk it's just all the water & ice on the sidewalks that makes the walk home not as fun!! But it'll be worth it all as I have only 7 weeks...

Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins

1 cup bran flakes (I used All Bran Honey Nut)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3 tbsp flax seeds (I did not add these)

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce unsweetened
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl, and your wet ingredients together in another. If you're adding chocolate chips or things like fruit, it's easiest to add them to the dry ingredients before you mix the wet and dry together- that way you'll be less likely to over mix the dough which would make your muffins feel more dense and heavy. Stir the two mixtures together until things are nicely blended, and then spoon into a muffin mix with muffin liners. Preheat oven to 350*F and bake for 15-20 minutes. (I check them sooner so not to over bake)

Nutritional Info for 12 muffins:
Calories 130.8
Fat 3.2g
Fibre 3.5g

I'm going to do this...

Wall Art
I'm the kinda person, that, if I see something and think I can make it I'll try to.
I saw this artwork in the Pottery Barn catalogue and knew I could easily make it with my scrapbooking stash. (I've since looked for the picture, but can't find it).

Anyway... all you'll need for this is a canvas and some paper. The original looked just like the Basic Grey solids, so I used those. (Two-three colors that are very similar if you want it monochromatic... which I did)

I trimmed my pattern paper to 1"x2" pieces and started gluing. As simple as that.
I used modpodge and a foam brush which happened to be the same size as the pieces I was gluing! After I had all the pieces on I sanded the edges and brushed another coat of glue on top to seal it. See... simple.

I have to glue a ribbon around the edge of the canvas yet (to cover the staples), but now I have a lovely piece of art hanging on a wall in my studio.

I got my MOJO back...

Well, as promised I'm writing another post. This week started off a little rough in the weight loss department. It took me until Wednesday to realize what I needed to be doing to reach my goal FINALLY... I got my mojo back. I've been trying to lose weight for several years, I know exactly what I need to do, I don't know why I thought that it would work for me to do nothing!! Anyways, I've been eating really healthy since Wednesday & even managed to start exercising on Wednesday. I ran 3.8 miles Wednesday, Thursday & Friday & hopefully today I'll manage to run again. My legs are very sore today & I started working my abs yesterday & they hurt today as well.. if it doesn't hurt that means it is not working right? My weigh in days are going to be every Saturday, but as I only got my mojo back on Wednesday I'm not counting this week, though I have managed to lose some this week...yeah me!!

As for my nose ring, it is haling well, I really like it, I will post a new picture of myself after I get my hair done, which is in 10 days, I'm counting down as I soooo need to get it done.

Here's to getting my mojo back...

I got my Birthday Present!! Ouch...

So I watched the video that my DH took, & the first thing I said when I saw it, was that I need a haircut!! I also do not like the color that I chose, I guess I shouldn't base my color choices on the name of the color "chocolate caramel", sounded good!!

So, I got my nose pierced, apparently I have thin blood, I'm a bleeder...I really like it, I just hope that it heals well. I also hope that I will be able to change it to the little diamond stud that my DH & the kids bought me for my birthday. I did it!! Now to lose the weight...


If you watch the video, notice my red splotchy skin as I worked myself up, I didn't know that I did that...
I do have another video which shows half my face covered in blood, but I'll spare you from that one...

The Last "20" Pounds...

I don't know if all of you have seen the show "The Last 10 pound Boot Camp", well I've watched it a lot and I'm titling this post the last 20 lbs because that is all I have left to lose. I've been trying to lose 50 lbs since Sept 2006, I've managed to lose 30 lbs in that time, I have lost more than that but that is for another post. I hope that this year I can achieve my goal of 50 lbs gone. I hope that I will have the willpower to do it. These past few years gaining and losing has been very frustrating. I work very hard to lose the weight and then take a few months off and the weight comes back on. I don't know how many times this will happen to me until I finally realize that this is for life. I have to eat well and exercise for LIFE!!! I'm hoping that this year I will be motivated enough to update you all about my journey to lose these last 20 lbs. My goal is to update this at least once a week, whether good or bad, which is a very hard thing to do especially when the week hasn't been so good. I've changed my weight loss ticker to reflect my current weight, even though I have already managed to lose 30 lbs. My sister-in-law told me that weight loss is about 80% what you eat and 20% exercise, the hardest most days for me is what I put in my mouth!!! But I know what I need to do & this is the year to do it FINALLY!!! Happy New Year!!