Low weight loss week 111.9kgs on 21st October 2013

It was a low weight loss week this week. I have been using the gym more. Maybe I gained muscle. That is what I am going to believe anyway. I am feeling better though. The exercise is easier to do each day that I go. I set my phone alarm, get up and dressed, go to the gym for an hour then come home to start the housework. I get Mum up and the day goes on as usual. Some days we also go over to the shops to do the food shopping or go to the library. My wrist is too sore to knit so I am powering through my library books.

The weather has been nice the last few afternoon's so I am getting an early start on my tan. Our front patio is lovely to sit out on in the spring. We have lovely pot-plants full of flowers and vegetables. Mum had me shifting them around on Sunday so she could see the ones with more flowers in from her chair inside. We still have freesias blooming and the scent is beautiful. We are beating the birds to some of our strawberries. They get about 1 in 6. Shifting where they are confuses the bird for a couple of days. It is not too strenuous gardening but you have to de-bud old blooms, do the watering and shift pots as needed. Mum helps a bit and feels like she has done something positive. I bring the pots to her chair and she tidies them up. I get rid of the debris created. We both have fun and the whole complex knows us as the ladies with the nice flower garden.

I am walking further and faster than I used to. I had 3 month bloods to be done this week and I walked to the lab down the road. My brother has usually taken me by car but I decided to walk and it took me 25 minutes to walk there (mostly going slowly up-hill, an hour wait for the blood test then less than 20 minutes to get home. I took my water bottle with me and it was much easier for the lady to get the bloods this time (about 5 vials). My veins were visible with the combination of exercise, drinking enough water and less fat over the top of them. I am now almost 30 kgs lighter than I was at the beginning of May, and 15 kgs lighter than I was when I had the operation. It is going steadily and I think I am not losing too much muscle mass. My hair is not quite as glossy but it isn't too bad and it seems to be improving again. Once the results are in I have to see the nutritionist for the three month review.

I have a Halloween theme birthday party to go to this weekend. I have brought some glow in the dark skeletons and skulls that I am going to put on a ribbon and around my waist. I am working on the theme of becoming a skeleton of the person I used to be. I want to get a witch wig, possibly hat and am still tossing up whether  to do a face paint like a Sugar Skull, wear a mask or something else. Pinterest has been good for ideas, probably too many ideas as I can't decide yet what I really want to do. At the moment no matter what weight I am it is still less than what I have been for over 10- 20 years. I remember being 92 kgs in 1990.

 

One of my friends from Palmerston North phoned us the day before she went off to Melbourne , Australia, for a week. She had won a 2nd division Lotto with friends and had some smaller wins. Melbourne was a place she had always wanted to visit so she decided now was the time. She looked after her Mum for many years so it is nice to see her do something on her bucket list. She is the nicest lady to know. She works In a bakery which means she is getting up for work at 3 a.m. most days of the week. She took the day off before she flew out and slept in till 8 a.m. A very late awakening for her and she enjoyed it. She was working her way through a list of last minute things she needed to do then she was going to relax and enjoy herself.

 

 

Tonight we had a phone call from friends that lived opposite us in Chinderah , NSW, Australia. It was lovely to catch up with what has been happening to them and us. Got the proper email address as had lost it when I had problems with my previous email account. I gave him my brother's phone number as they were good mates as well.

 

Goals for the next week :

• be in the 110's
• keep to the gym at least 4 + times
• walk at least 4+ times
• eat more protein and vegetables
• make the 1500 mls of water daily more consistently

112.4 kgs on 14th October 2013.

I don't know why but I always weigh less on Monday than I do on Sunday. My Sundays are the day I take a break so I wonder why that is. Yesterday I was 113 kgs exactly. I have started using our gym more regularly. I am setting my phone to wake me up early enough to get an hour in at the gym before I get Mum up for the day. I am feeling better for it. My body is moving more freely without the extra weight. I use the treadmill and cycle each time and vary what else I do . I want to tighten my stomach muscles so am working on that, also my arm muscles. I don't want humongous arm wattles hanging down at the end of the initial weight loss journey.

I know this is a life long journey but they say that the first year of weight loss is the most important after the operation. I am really, only now that I have lost over 15 kgs since the operation itself, getting better with doing more regular and extensive exercise. I feel looser afterwards. My hips are swinging more freely on the treadmill and I can walk at 3.7 not 3.5 easily. I expect to be able to increase this speed as I go on. On the cycle I can do so at a higher intensity. It takes 10 minutes to reach the same level as I used to make in 20 minutes.The weight training is easier to do the reps and I shall put the actual weight up later in the week. Need the pool too so hope to get there this week.

Knitting tomorrow but I am not sure if I will be able to as have a flare up of carpal tunnel and tennis elbow with some nerve involvement that is making me numb at the base of my thumb. My right hand, of course, which is my dominant hand. My doctor has sent off a referral to the specialist as he thinks I will need an operation. My friend had the same one and I could be very limited in what I can do for 6 weeks maybe. Rather annoying. It is dependent on the weather as to whether we go as there has been horrendous weather down island that is supposed to be coming our way.

This top is more comfortable than it was even a month ago. I have a tape measure that you can check whether your are in the morbidly obese range, obese range or normal range . It is colour coded red, orange and green. I shall soon be in the orange which is a major change from being almost at the end of the red range. Improvement is slow but it is happening.

8th October 2013 113.4 kgs (249.48 lbs)

I did not do as many walks last week and it shows on my weight-loss amount. Easier to see the correlation between exercise and diet to weight lost. I was trying to finish a birthday gift for a friend (knitted of course) and fighting a flare up of Carpal Tunnel syndrome I think. My wrist is sore and DOES NOT like to be fully extended. It sends a shooting excruciating pain through my wrist and up my arm. I also have a patch of numbness at the base of my thumb. I have tried prednisone to take down the inflammation with a bit of difference but something more is needed. I do have a small lump in the wrist area too. I think it may require a doctor's visit.

I have got some banana flavoured Up and Go drinks that have extra protein and vitamins in to make sure my body has enough of both. They taste better than the vanilla or coffee. Just a matter of trying things out till you find something that suits your taste buds. I might have to check more fully into what the contents actually calculate out to. Knowing the companies that make these type of things it is probably going to be a lot of sugar and not much else and that would defeat the purpose.

I need to get a blood test done that checks my vitamins, etc, as I am coming up on my 3 month anniversary for the LSG and I have a visit with the Nutritionist to attend at this time. She needs the blood results in front of her as well. It is way to check if you are eating properly to keep your body working well.

 

I have been enjoying the sun and warmth over the last couple of days. In fact I must find up the sun block lotion as got a little pink on my arms yesterday. I was out on the cane lounge, on the front patio, doing some needlepoint on a tiger embroidery that has been 20 years, and six people, in the making. The end is now in sight with only a bit of grass, tree trunk and the last pieces of tiger left to do. It will go on my wall for a short while then down island to a friend of mine. Her husband will put it over stretchers and hang it on her wall for a short while as she did about 1/2 of it. She will then give it to the original owner to remind her of family and friends who have finally completed it. I shall photograph it and put it in the blog when it is completed. Doing something like this is a way of distracting you from whether or not you are eating as well. Doing something large you can show to friends is a way to document your journey of weight loss. as well. It is good to have something permanent that is done when you are going through a major change in your life. Make no mistake this is a MAJOR change.

 

We had dinner out with extended family that came up to see the show "Wicked" last week. The night before they went out we had a meal at our local bar/restaurant. I managed a 1/3 of a chicken/mushroom pot pie (none of the pastry top), three forks of mashed potato and peas and 1/2 of my drink. I was loving the taste of the pot pie but you quickly reach the limit of what your stomach will take. It gave me time to talk to them as it did not take long for me to eat what I could. The waiter was going to tease the chef that we didn't like his cooking so as we left I asked for my compliments to be passed on. We were close to the kitchen at the time so I hope he heard.

 

I went through my clothes from last summer. A lot of my favourites are TOO LARGE. Yay, but I will miss them. Some tops I had been wondering why I was keeping I can now put on and do up. Again, Yay. I will have to look at colours, types and possible combinations for useable outfits though. Today was the try and toss day, or try and hang up day. I will have to check with my eldest daughter to see if she wants me to keep some of the warmer gear as she is thinking of coming back to NZ to do studies. Coloured singlet's that can be used as tops seem to feature a lot. I will need to work my triceps and biceps with weights a lot more as there is some wobble going on there.

 

My singlet is getting longer and looser. I was previously severely straining the seems and it is now loose especially around the armholes. Some skirts I need to replace the elastic on as the style is one I like and it will remain useful with new elastic. I have to take hems up on some of the long pants as there is about 10-15 cms (4-6 inches) too much length on them now my thighs are no longer filling the spaces in the legs. A top that has pretty pastels flowers and wide lace on the neckline needs darts in the armholes to be comfortable. I must get my brother to bring back the sewing machine in the next few days so I can get the repairs done. I know I can buy new clothes and I will. Some favourites just need a little longer till I can release them to another user.