108.5kgs on 28th November 2013

I am going to the gym most days now and it is showing up on the scales. Today I was 108.5kgs (238.7 lb). I am inching closer to my next goal of 99.9kgs. I would love to be there by Christmas. Daily gym work and more walking combined with proper diet should do the trick.

I am doing treadmill, cycling and a variety of weight machines and free weight exercises. I am doing the weights to help shape my body and hopefully bring the loose skin from my weight loss in. I also love the feel of tight muscles. Not just a tight bodied man you lust over in magazines but your own body with definition from muscles, not fat. It means I am regaining my personal strength -physically and emotionally. My self confidence is improving and that is an unexpected bonus from the weight loss journey I am on.

My clothes continue to loosen and most weeks there are clothes I have to remove from use as they are no longer comfortable because they are too LOOSE not too TIGHT. Woohoo. That is such a fabulous feeling to have. For too many years to count it was difficult to find clothes or underclothes that fitted comfortably. Larger clothes were either very expensive for fashionable clothing or the cheaper clothing did not have much style nor was it fashionable really. I spent time yesterday looking in mid range clothing stores I have not bothered to go into for years. I have a wedding to go to at the end of January and I wanted to see the size and cost I would be looking at. I need to be a NZ size 16 - 18 and I will be able to wear something really nice. Cost would be between $60-130. When I buy it I will photograph it for this blog (2 months time).

I am about to start putting up the Xmas decorations. I have already put a small hanging on our front door and put our first 2 cards up on the wall with Blue-tack. The Christmas tree and lights are the next big Jobs. I do a bit each day and it is soon done. Our Xmas presents for family in Australia were sent yesterday. With 2 cards to USA it was $NZ68. Ouch. It is for my children and grandchildren though. Later today we are going tour local shopping centre (Mall) -Botany Town Centre - if it is not raining, to listen to and sing carols in the Market Square.

I wonder if it is mirror that makes me look bigger at times. Recently we were at my brother's city flat and I swear his door mirror made me look lighter than my dresser one. We had a lovely sit down in his courtyard area but also did some gardening and sweeping up of the area. He looked around and realised there was no BBQ for the summer and now there is one for the residents to use. He is a person who notices what needs to be done and does it. I can be the person who notices but I tend to pass it off to some-one else to do.

20th November 2013 109.7kgs today

I am slowing down on my weight loss but I have a plan to increase it again. I had lollies last week so this week I am keeping myself busy in a room further way from them. I am also working harder at the gym and going for walks as well. I am doing Nanowrimo and am behind on my word count so will spend more time on it till the end of the month (and keep my hand out of the lolly jar). I am going to set my time early on the alarm so I have longer at the gym. I have more strength and endurance now so when the alarm goes off for home time I don't want to. I have to though as I do it first thing in the morning and have to go to get my mother started on her day.

It may be weighing heavier as muscle is heavier than fat. That does not worry me too much as I can see the visible difference in fat folds disappearing off my body. I can see a waist forming again and my back/shoulders are straightening out. The arm wattle is improving. It is not worth losing weight just to replace it with large folds of loose skin so I am doing my bit to lessen that possibility. There is only so much that can be done as my skin has been stretched to the largest size for a long time. The shapewear available today will help under a dress though.

Craft wise I am keeping myself busy needlepointing a Xmas present for my brother of a sailing ship on the high seas so am putting in time each day. I have started knitting an Advent calendar as well. An other brother took me to Spotlight (a store that has a large craft section) and I got the new needlepoint, cottons for the new one and the tiger one, and some Xmas fabric (fat 1/4) to finish International Santa's I cross stitched many years ago and never finished into ornaments. All this hand-craft should keep my hands off food and help my weight loss journey.

Night meals have salads with them now. My bloods for the nutrition visit were good. I have managed to keep my proteins up cutting muscle loss and only 2 vitamins need a slightly larger help. The weather is warming up now. I have swapped my winter duvet for a summer weight one and taken the extra blanket off. I did the spring cleaning of the front and back areas of our place so about 1/2 through the spring cleaning I like to do before Xmas. I'll soon be into early baking. My Xmas cake is cooked. Within the next week it will be iced and out  on its new cake stand. Mum likes to offer it to visitors from the beginning of December onwards. I like the icing more than the cake as I have never been a fan of Fruit cake.

The last 2 photos are Mum and Myself at the KIP Xmas party and  the last one is a general view of the others there.

5 November 2013 Guy Fawkes Night in New Zealand 110.6 kgs today

Guy Fawkes Night in New Zealand is like the 4th of July fireworks displays. It commemorates a failed attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up the House of Parliament in England in the 1600's. We are part of the British Commonwealth so it is a night that we let off fireworks (successfully usually). We used to make Guys (stuffed newspapers into old clothes) that we would throw on bonfires when I was a child. You could set one on a trolley and ask for a "Penny for the Guy". That doesn't really happen now. Fireworks are mostly done at big public displays but we can still buy our own fireworks to have our own parties. Some people are trying to get them banned for personal sale as there are always a few idiots who cause fires or hurt themselves by misusing their fireworks. I think we should remain entitled to our personal fireworks but have an age limit for the sales (enforceable) and make adults liable for keeping them safe from young idiots.

I MADE 110.9 kgs so another 10kg milestone in my weight-loss journey. Tomorrow I am buying me some silver earrings shaped like angel wings to commemorate it. My next goal is 100kgs, then 90, 80, and 70. I will then decide if I want to try for 65 kgs as an end weight. I will yell out loud when I hit 99.9kgs as I will be in the doubles then instead of the triples. It is getting closer and closer.

 



The gym is seeing me more frequently now. I am enjoying going as it is tightening up my abdominal and arm muscles. My legs are looking better and my ankles are becoming trimmer. My neck is thinner and that age wattle you can get is shrinking. I am happier looking into the mirror even now. When I get back from the gym I move more freely and get through my housework faster as I am energized already. I added another Kilo of weight on the machine today as it was feeling too easy. On the treadmill I can walk at 3.8kph more easily. I don't feel like I am going to slip off the back now.

 

As a woman I up the repetitions before I up the weights. I want strength without the bulk. Tightening muscles that have become lazy and floppy over the last couple of years is my aim. The day starts with the gym as I set my alarm, get up, dressed and off to the gym. When I get back an hour later it is time to get mum up and start the day. My back is moving more freely due to the exercise as well. I walk to the shops at least 3 times a week to take library books back or do the shopping. We do a big walk around the full shopping area at least once a week that means at least 7000 steps done then. Every bit helps.

 

I went to my niece's birthday party on the 26th October. It was her 30th birthday. She put on a fabulously decorated house, good food, good guests and good music. Food wise I had a spoonful of chicken, beef and potato salad. A few lollies snuck in but not many. 1 Southern Comfort and LP kept me sipping for the night. I did have a shot glass of Baileys Irish Cream. A few minutes later had a mild case of dumping, so no, I can't drink Baileys as it is probably too fatty. You learn something new every day. it is just a matter of trying something if you are not sure. A bad response means its off your list now. There was good air guitar action happening and you would be amazed who was dancing to death metal (the oldies as it had a good rhythm). Bohemian Rhapsody had everyone there singing lustily. Black light had parts of my costume glowing well. With black clothing and G-I-T-D skeletons and heads I was a Skeleton of my former self. A long black and white witches wig completed my outfit.

 

skeleton of my former self

niece and her PAPA-rat- azzi

111.6kgs last week



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.



29th September 2013 114.2 kgs today

I was hoping to be in the 113 kg range but not quite, probably tomorrow. I have walked most days this week. I tried to win Lotto but only 3 numbers max. A  person in Ponsonby won 2nd division and $33+ million. Bad luck for me good luck for them. I would love to win enough to get my kids homes of their own, and help out family and friends. Most people have a list of things they would do if they have a big lottery win I think.

I feel as though I have won the Lottery since having the LGS. I am losing weight and feeling much better. I am becoming more confident again. I went into a clothes shop that I have not bothered with as the sizes were too small. I saw some nice outfits and with about another 10 kilos off I should be able to start fitting them. It will expand my clothing options exponentially. At the moment Mum and I are the same weight. Next week I shall weigh less than her. This is not something I have done for many years.

We got out in our patio garden yesterday; did some tidying and re-potting. The lettuces I put in earlier in the week have disappeared. I think the birds may have got hungry or maybe snails are hiding somewhere close. Yams are in, some bulbs for Xmas time in  and begonias in a hanging basket as they did so well last year. I went back and forth watering with a watering can that had fertilizer in the water. The plants love having "Thrive"  and grow very well when we use it. Doing that counted as part of my walking for the day then I went over to the shops for the losing Lotto tickets.

I have just moved my rings one finger further up towards my thumb as when I have them in their usual places they are turning around on my hand and the front is ending up at the back. My fingers are getting too slim to hold them. More things I shall have to re-new. I love buying jewellery. It won't be a hardship to have to replace them as I love my bling. At least earrings only have one size so they will be keepers.

We did not get to the swimming pool this week as the weather was too wet and cold for Mum to be out in but it is spring so the weather is slowly improving and we will get there more often. The school holidays have started and go for 2 weeks. Daylight Saving started for us last night also. It is not something I like as my body does not accept the change well. I do like the longer daylight evenings though. 3 months left till Xmas so any gift making better start now. I have cross stitch ornaments to finally put backing fabric on as I did them many years ago. I have started knitting a lovely cable infinity scarf. It is supposed to be a cowl pattern but the wool and needles I have available are smaller so I shall use the name infinity scarf when people ask me about it.

I took photos the other day to show the difference in my stomach from 1 January 2013 till now.

They  show the difference that is occurring. they are also telling me to get to the gym and do some exercises that will tighten my stomach muscles up again. Swimming helps there also. I wish very large people would get over their hang-ups about getting into a pool as you can exercise without pressure on your joints and against the resistance of the water. It tightens the abdominal muscles , strengthens the back muscles and leg muscles but also loosens and lengthens any tight muscles you may have. You can ask the people in the pool office when there is a quiet time and go then. Only wankers make nasty comments about your weight and there are not too many around as they don't usually exercise. They are usually in their cars with the stereo pumping away, they would not know how to exercise other than walk inside and play computer games.

 



This does not show how I have lost weight this week all that much but it is sitting better on me and I can see the difference when I look in the mirror. I feel better in it and that is what we are all aiming for: good health and fitting our clothes better. Liking ourselves has got to be better mentally than forever looking into the mirror and saying to yourself "How could you let yourself get so big. You look ugly. No-one will love you, you can't even love yourself." No matter how much we deny to other that we think that on bad days we all do.

 

I LOVE MYSELF AND I AM WILLING TO DO THIS TO SHOW OTHERS I MEAN IT TRULY