Quick Update

Just a quick update, since I'm about the head out for lunch, shopping, and movie with a friend. Have y'all seen Austenland? It's adorable. In fact, it's so cute, I'm going to see it again. If you're a Pride and Prejudice fan, it's kind of a must.

My weight is still hovering around 186.2. I finally decided to switch to biweekly weigh-ins since the weight loss is slower and/or more sporadic the closer I get to goal. These 5lbs to my next mini goal are taking FOREVER. But I'm trying not to stress about it, because then I just get stuck or say "screw it, I'm having chips". Things around here are busy enough without that nonsense. Even if the scale isn't moving, my clothes are bigger all the time. It's probably time to buy new bras and underwear - again. And people who haven't seen me in even just a few weeks, exclaim about how much smaller I look. So maybe things are just shifting around, even if the number isn't technically dropping? But man, would I like to be down 100lbs by the end of the month.

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. We're meeting for lunch at Maggiano's Little Italy. Yes, Italian, that's what this diet needs. Oh well, it's not like I can eat all that much anyway.

Trying to catch up on all your blogs, and hoping you're all doing well. Even if I'm not blogging, or behind on your posts, I still think about you guys and hope you're happy and successful.

Thursday Weigh-In and My Least Favorite Photo

Starting weight: 281 lbs
Surgery day: 261 lbs

Thursday's weight: 186.2

-  1 lb loss

-74.8 lb loss since surgery
-94.8 lb loss overall

I do weigh in Thursday mornings, but I'm finding I'm too busy on Thursdays to actually post it. Good thing I'm the only one who cares about that.

This photo has been tormenting me on facebook for a year. My best friend posted it and even tagged me in it, because it's a picture of her oldest friend holding her new baby daughter. So I get it, but man, do those rolls kill me.

 

Last weekend, we celebrated her daughter's first birthday and I celebrate having fewer rolls to hate.

 

This is me yesterday, newly brunette and feeling sassy about it.

 

Thursday/Friday Weigh-In and a Recipe

Starting weight: 281 lbs
Surgery day: 261 lbs

Today's weight (er, Thursday's weight): 187.2

-  2.8 lb loss

-73.8 lbs loss since surgery
-93.8 lb loss overall

I have a confession to make. I've been weighing in on Thursdays. I've been recording my Thursday weight, but posting it on Fridays. Basically, I've been doing an experiment to see if I'm right, that Thursday is always my lowest weight of the week. I've been a walking fiend this week, and yesterday I only ate about 1000 calories, and this morning's weigh-in was STILL higher than yesterday morning's (by .4 lbs but STILL). I don't get it. But suffice it to say, I've switched to Thursday weigh-ins. Apparently, Friday is not my friend, even before I indulge in pizza and wine.

But hey! 2.8 lbs? Obviously, there's something to be said for a wine and queso detox.

This week, I went to a lap band appointment (no fill needed, per the NP), a dentist appointment, took care of two sickies (husband and kiddo on the same day!), had an Ikea shopping and lunch date with my mom, cleaned house, re-organized my son's room (which included  not one, but two trips to The Container Store), and did tons of shopping and errands. And people worried I would be bored after quitting my job? Um, I don't have time for Netflix, much less to be bored.

This week, I tried this chicken salad recipe I found on Pinterest. I made less than it called for (I only had two cups of chicken) but I'll be cutting it in half next time. It simply makes too much for a banded person (especially at the 1/2 cup servings I was eating). But it was YUM and super high in protein!

Skinny Chicken Salad

Yield: 6 servingsServing Size: 1 (3 oz)

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped grapes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat miracle whip (I subbed Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix chicken, celery, chopped grapes, and green onion.
2. In a small bowl, mix together miracle whip, salt, black pepper, and onion powder.
3. Cover chicken mixture with dressing and stir until well mixed.
4. Cover and chill chicken salad until ready to serve.

 

Now, I'm off to read about what you've all have been up to this week!

Friday Weigh-In and Thank God School Starts Tomorrow

Starting weight: 281 lbs
Surgery day: 261 lbs

Today's weight (er, Friday's weight): 190.0

-  .6 lb loss

-71 lbs loss since surgery
-91 lb loss overall

Hi! I'm alive! It has been a really busy month. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that school starts tomorrow and we can establish a better routine around here. My weigh-ins have sucked. I've been overdoing it with the liquid calories, especially the wine. And there have been far too many festive weekends with booze and chips and queso. Then I'm up a pound and spend the rest of the week losing it, so it can start all over again. It's time for a chips and queso detox!

I did attend my local lap band support group meeting last week, and was reminded again that the last 20 lbs tend to be the hardest. I'm just now 21 lbs shy of my goal weight. So that might explain a little bit about why I feel so plateaued. I definitely bear the responsibility, of course. I haven't been staying on track or making the best choices. I think part of it also has to do with having spent the last 14 months restricting myself the vast majority of the time, and weighing in, and weighing food, and counting calories, and drink drink drinking the water, etc. It kind of chafes after a while and I've been feeling rebellious.

But it's time to get back on track, making good choices during the week so that small amounts of fun (smaller than I've been having) are possible on the weekend without sending me careening off the tracks. I've got a mini goal in sight and 9 lbs left to get to it! Hoping school starting up means I'll have more time for blogging and catching up with everyone. I've missed you guys!

Mid-Week Update

Thanks for all the support on hitting my mini goal! I told my husand "Nobody has ever received so much positive reinforcement for being overweight." We had a great grown-up weekend (as you can see below) with far, far too much wine and yummy Mexican food. Still paying for it. Ugh.

Me and the Mister.

I have not yet figured out a good routine while I'm home with my kiddo now. I hope it won't have to wait until he goes back to school for me to figure out this stay-at-home mom thing. But I've been home for almost a week and haven't yet managed to clean anything besides clothes and dishes.

Hope your week is less discombobulated!

Friday Weigh-In and Mini Goal Achieved

Starting weight: 281 lbs
Surgery day: 261 lbs

Today's weight: 190.6

- 1.4 lb loss

-70.4 lbs loss since surgery
-90.4 lb loss overall

I've surpassed my mini goal of 191 lbs. The reason that weight was significant is because at 5'7, I am now in the 'overweight' BMI category. A year ago, I was 'morbidly obese'. That's pretty damned exciting. Now on to the next mini goal: 181 lbs for a 100 lb total loss!

Eleven years ago, when I dropped out of college for the second time, I needed a job pretty quick. A friend of mine said his company was hiring, and the starting salary was pretty good. I figured I'd take it until a I found something better. Then I spent the next 11 years aggregating and analyzing automotive data. It's just as thrilling as it sounds. Wednesday was my last day there. I think I'm going to like being a stay-at-home mom a little more. Let's just hope the money holds out, so I can do it for a while!

This weekend is my husband's birthday. The kiddo is going to stay with the grandparents, and we're staying at a cool hotel on South Congress (a fun shopping, dining, entertainment area in Austin) and getting some grown-up time. I won't even know what to do with two whole days of no one talking to me about Legos.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Saturday Weigh-In

Starting weight: 281 lbs
Surgery day: 261 lbs

Today's weight: 192

- 1.6 lb loss

-69 lbs loss since surgery
-89 lb loss overall

So for the last several weeks, I'll be weighing less all week (I weigh daily) but when it comes Friday morning (the only weight I record) I'll be up, sometimes by a couple of pounds. It's not even usually due to going out and drinking the night before (although this week it was - oops). So I've been toying with the idea of doing my official weigh-ins biweekly, just to alleviate some of the stress of thinking I've gained multiple pounds overnight (probably not an actual thing that happens) when I'm actually just retaining water.

Only one more pound to my next mini-goal!