51!

Happy Friday everyone.

Just a quick post to report that I'm now down 51 pounds!! A great way to start off a Friday and this weekend will be a long weekend for us Canadians an even better way to kick it off.

Comparison pics are coming soon.  Hope everyone is having a great day!

A few of my favourite things...

I really don't have much to report so I thought I would do a series of posts on some of my favourite things. I went through a phase around the age of 9 or 10 where I would watch The Sound of Music almost every weekend.  I definitely know the words to all of the songs and probably the rest of the script too.

My favourite flower is the peony, just love it. When M and I move into our forever house (haven't found it yet) I will have to make sure that there is lots of outdoor space for planting rows and rows of these.

4 Months post surgery

Yesterday was exactly 4 months post surgery for me. I had set a target of 50 pounds down by that date but missed it by 1.5 pounds. I'm not upset about it because I know I will lose that pound and a half, it's just a matter of time.

So, what have I learned? How are things different from four months ago?

• Last year I was miserable, just really unhappy with myself and my inability to control my weight. I felt like I was spiralling out of control.  Now, I feel much more optimistic and in control. I've learned that food is not my enemy; I enjoy it and it nourishes my body.
• I'm learning to be kind to myself. No negative self-talk when I look in the mirror.
• This is still work in progress - the number on the scale will not dictate how I feel about myself. I've found that I lose steadily for a couple of weeks and then nothing for a week or two before I hit a new low. Prior to surgery, during my many weight loss attempts if the scale didn't register a loss or moved up I would become really frustrated and use it as license to eat whatever I wanted. Of course this always took me back to where I started pre-diet plus a few additional pounds for good measure.
• I am now making the effort to get out more and get together with friends. As my weight crept up I would find any excuse to decline invitations.
• I had forgotten that I like exercise. It does great things for my head and heart and of course the endorphins are pretty good too. In a few short days I will run my first 5K, something I never thought I would be able to do.
• I may not make the best food choices all of the time but I aim for good choices 90% of the time. It's not about perfection and I'm not on a diet.

Patience my pretty

Patience isn't my strong suit. Once I've made the decision that I want to do something I just forge ahead; it's not always the best way,  but I'm a work in progress. After a great drop on the scale last week there's been no movement this week. I'm still 2.5 pounds away from hitting the 50 pound mark at 4 months, May 14th. I'm coming around to the fact that I may not hit the goal and that's ok. I know I will get there, I'll just keep trudging along.

I'm on to week 8 of couch to 5k next week. Getting close to my running goal!

Where does the weight actually go?

Came across this neat video, thought it was interesting.

Week 7 - Take 2

I moved on to week 7 of the couch to 5k program last week - 3, 25 minute or 4km of running workouts. I couldn't quite finish 2 of the 3; workout 2 I stopped at 19 mins and workout 3 at 22 mins. I was fighting a low grade cold and combined with a fill probably wasn't getting enough food in to fuel my runs. So this week I'm back at it. I'm determined to get through those 2 sessions and move on to week 8. Just a couple of more weeks before I hit the 5K mark. I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that I can actually run 4km/or a couple of miles. Don't let your mind convince you that you can't do something, it all starts with trying.

Have a great week.

Third fill update

Update - I had my 3rd fill and finally feel some good restriction. I now have 5.25 ccs in my 10cc band. Stepped on the scale this morning and I'm now only 2.5 pounds!! away from the 50 pound goal that I set for myself by May 14th. Although I've dropped a few sizes and the scale indicates I've lost weight, I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror, not one ounce.

I've avoided the camera for the last few years so I don't have any photos at my heaviest, fortunately the clinic took a couple of photos the morning of surgery. Still sticking to the goal of posting pics with my 50 pound/4 month post-surgery post. I'll have to dust off the camera soon and take the plunge.