82 little (BIG) fat ones...

It has been a bit since I updated this blog...

I had my 4 month post-surgery check up today and it is official...

I have lost 82 pounds!

PRAISE THE LORD! After the clinic visit, I sat in my car and suddenly started shaking uncontrollably and emotion overwhelmed me. I realized that this is the happiest moment in 20 years for me. Not from external influences, but my deep inside, core happiness.

God is good to me.

That also put me slightly ahead of the curve, I still have 2 months to loose 18 pounds to reach my original 100 pounds in 6 months goal. Better start cracking.

Had some blood work done again, to see where my levels stand. Will be interesting to see where they stand after my increase in Iron, testosterone cream and twice weekly B-12 shots.

There is a zing in my step these days! (smile)

Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

I have this new fear of weighing in... What if I did not loose anything. Irrational as it sounds like... lately I have been able to eat better and more stuff. As long as I eat slow and pace it out. I even have been able to do more spicy stuff!

See, I miss food! GOOD FOOD. Not quantity as such, but the explosion of taste every bite of good food brings. So I have went out on a limb and got me some Louisiana rub chicken wings! I have been able to eat 3 wings... A HUGE amount of food for me lately. AND, most importantly, it stayed down.

A friend sent me the video below as encouragement...

Brené Brown's extremely personal talk explores the uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability, and how those who dare to be vulnerable are generally happier and feel more deserving of love...

Great!

Now I have something else to overcome!

If you cannot see the video below, click HERE!

Oh man card...

Man card earned and then promptly returned... sigh. Was power washing my office building amid a manly rumble of the "machine", feeling sure my testosterone cream is doing its job, when the thingy pipe, leading from the thingy to the thingy came loose and I had no idea where it should go... 

I looked everywhere where it could possible wedge in or onto but nada. 

Sigh. 

Hey, but at least my side of the building is done!!

A Losing Game

Okay, I have been a bit lax in updating this blog and I apologize.

It has been a rough couple of weeks and after some tests, my ever efficient GP found out I am anemic and have low testosterone. I immediately looked on my Martha Stewart website what that meant! Haha, no, but now I am even more creams and pills. It is like having aged 40 years. My mornings and evening are now regimented by handful of pills.

I am drawing the line at having a pill sorter!

So, yesterday after swimming (flailing) in the pool a bit, I sat in the sun to dry off and absentmindedly started poking my flabby bits. I realized that they are flabbier than normal. Curiosity got the better of me and I weight myself.

Total down....

I am happy with that! Invigorated I sorted out my clothes and had a HUGE pile of now too big clothes. I spotted a nice suit jacket that I love but rarely wore as it was too tight and I could never button it. Yep, I can now button it and still have enough space to sneak a burrito in somewhere if so inclined! :-)

I think I am feeling happier. Definitely more energetic and more joyful!

Peace out!

Counting them cells...

So, after numerous complaints of tiredness, dizzy spells and lust general lack of oomph, my trusty guardian angel/healthcare provider had some blood-work done on me.

Good news is that my blood pressure is OK, cholesterol is fine, blood sugar is fine and I am not dehydrated. Bad news is that I am anemic. Still waiting for the testosterone results. Ha ha, finally I can say:

Being anemic, irony isn’t my strong point!

Anemia (/əˈniːmiə/; also spelled anaemia and anæmia; from Ancient Greek: ἀναιμία anaimia, meaning lack of blood, from ἀν- an-, "not" + αἷμα haima, "blood") is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin deficiency. Because hemoglobin normally carries oxygen from the lungs to the capillaries, anemia leads to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in organs. Since all human cells depend on oxygen for survival, varying degrees of anemia can have a wide range of clinical consequences. Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood.

So to fight it I am now on  a twice daily dose of iron tabs. Vitamin C aids in the body's ability to absorb iron, so taking oral iron supplements with orange juice is of benefit. Yay, I love orange juice! Have been staying away from it due to the sugar... at least I don't have to walk around licking anything iron!

I also went to weigh myself yesterday and turns out I read the scale wrong last time and now I am on 57 pounds lost. Oh well, at least I did not gain anything!

Making Waves...

Okay, so yesterday while I was walking my laps in the pool, this kept playing in my mind... Yeah, I cannot wait to loose more pounds! :-)

If you cannot see the video, click HERE

The Importance of Learning Your Lessons!

So, when your new stomach is the shape and size of an average banana, you don't eat much. About a quarter to half a cup. Not much.

The important bit is, it is all supposed to be protein. As a high a protein as you can find.

Protein turns out to be an essential nutrient found in animal products, nuts, and beans. The big clue to me should have been in the name protein, as it comes from the Greek word protos, which means “first.” Your body uses proteins in your diet to build new cells, maintain tissues, and synthesize new proteins that make it possible for you to perform basic bodily functions.

So yeah, idiot over here have not been getting enough protein by eating yoghurt and cheese only thinking he has the protein bits covered. Since Wednesday I have been plagued by constant nosebleeds that just did not stop. Not heavy, rush off to ER nosebleeds just a constant trickle that irritates and stop/starts the whole day.

About half the dietary protein that you consume each day goes into making enzymes, which are specialized worker proteins that do specific jobs, such as digest food and assemble or divide molecules to make new cells and chemical substances. To perform these functions, enzymes often need specific vitamins and minerals. Wonder how I know so much about proteins, so suddenly? Turns out there is a For Dummies guide to it!

With allergy season in high gear where I live, the tissue and membranes in my right nostril were the first to go.

Thank the Lord for my ever vigilant heath care provider who knew exactly what was going on and put a stop to it. And I got yet another stern talking to. Sigh.

Anyway, she did get me to eat some of Rudy's BBQ Turkey, now I am hooked! 1/5 of a pound is only 85 calories. It is moist and tender white meat. I dipped it in Walden Farms ZERO calories Sesame Ginger dressing. Instant Happiness!

So needless to say after some vigorous antibiotic ointment on a cotton swab inside the nostril goings on and moistening said nostrils with a saline spray, the nose bleeds have stopped.

Thank the Lord, as I am running out of clean shirts.