Onederland... Finally.

Hello! Just a long awaited update - for me at least! I finally, finally.... Finally. Made it to the 100's. Better known to the WLS community as "Onederland." Weighing in at 198lb currently, feels pretty damn good. I realized the other day that I haven't been under 200lb for a good 7 years! 

How did I bust through the several month plateau?? Basically... Atkins. I had to knock out carbs pretty much completely and I have to say - I kind of prefer it. I've found that I am really sensitive to sugar anyways and so eating less of it makes my energy level a lot more stable. 

Sometimes it's weird to think about how much more fat I'm eating (from cheese, meat, etc) and still losing weight. I do try to make healthy choices, however... Like turkey bacon instead of regular, egg whites). But if it works, it works! At least I know I'm getting my protein in. 

In other news, looks like we will be moving into a new house soon and I'm excited! Also, I notice that I am not dreading all the physical exertion that will be required as I have in years past. I can do it! "With Atkins... Now you can." Haha.

So close!

Good morning! Update: I had my 6 month follow up appointment recently and weighed in at 201lbs. Soooooo close! And I'm kicking myself because I probably would have made it to the 100s if I hadn't just got back from Disney World! Haha :) 

I'm now wearing large and medium tops, size 14-16 pants. Some 14s fit, some don't... Depending on the cut. My next goal is to be to 180lb by my cousins wedding in June! I feel like that is reasonable but it is going to require a lot more exercise. I'm actually going to start adding some jogging today... Looking at joining a running group too. So we'll see how that goes!

I have a ton of products to review, not necessarily related to WLS though. I'm kind of beauty product obsessed lately! My favorite though by far has been the Kiehl's restorative eye cream. It is so thick and moisturizing and perfect for my dry skin. I get really dry under my eyes so this stuff is great for under concealer/foundation or just as an under eye treatment overnight. 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

Vitamin and protein update: I recently had bloodwork and everything looked good - even though I hadn't been taking my vitamins. However, I did go out and get a new multivitamin and some biotin gummies. I feel like my hair loss has stopped and is growing better but I just want to help it along!

Protein-wise... I struggle. It's nearly impossible for me to eat anything in the morning. I just want to gag even thinking about it. I actually saw a post on Instagram this morning from a post-WLS blogger and she took a picture of her typical breakfast. It was a small egg (gag) omelet with crab (gag). Like I'm literally nauseous just typing that.

But I'm going to try to do more protein shakes and I recently discovered a good protein drink from Isopuke (I mean Isopure) called Cocotein. The fruit punch flavor is actually really good and there is little aftertaste. I mix it with a little seltzer... 20g of protein a bottle and I think it's 0 calories too. Drawback... $4+ a bottle! But 1 bottle lasts me awhile because like I said I mix it.

The rest of the day I generally eat okay... But it is still hard for me to stomach actual meat. I made some crock pot short ribs the other day that I thought would be perfect but I couldn't get down more than a few bites. Too fatty maybe? Idk. I find I eat a lot of nuts and granola/protein bars. Wish I could do "real" food but it is what it is right now!

Super excited that it supposed to be 80 degrees today - I have a new "cold shoulder" dress from Target I'm going to wear (size L). Day off wheeeee! Happy Easter!

Frustrations

Well, I still haven't gotten below 200. I am teetering currently between 205-206. Which is frustrating as hell! The good news is, I seem to be losing inches somehow because I am easily in size 16 pants and large tops, even size large underwear too. I actually got some jeggings last week that are 14s and fit really well. I haven't been in a 14 since my wedding (2008). Interestingly, I was about 180-185 lbs at that time? So wierd. 

Anyway, I need to bust through this plateau like ASAP. I'm going to Disney at the end of March and I want to wear some cute warm weather things! Also I think I've mentioned before that getting below 200lb is a really big deal for me. I just keep on thinking... When I get to 198lb I will have lost 50lb! That makes me feel accomplished haha...

One more thing that is really frustrating me right now is that I keep on getting sick (as in a cold). And I'm losing a lot of hair lately too. The hair thing I can accept because it is just part of WLS and hopefully it will grow back but this sickness thing is too annoying. Currently I'm a sniffling sneezing mess all hyped up on mucinex and emergency-c. No fun at all!

So the game plan is to take my vitamins, increase protein, and water. I think I do pretty good with exercise but I could always do more. And I really need to watch the sweets. I need like a Valentine's Day detox after all the sugar I had this weekend. But let's not fool ourselves here, I'm definitely a sugar addict year round!

Oh yeah one more thing is frustrating me and that is my foot. I had some Tendonitis last summer that resolved with a brace and orthotics but now I think I may have it again... Different part of the same foot. Which is a really bad thing when you need to exercise daily. And this time I truly have no idea what might be causing it (last time I think it was flip flops). So I might need to rock the brace again for a little while. 

Ok I think that is all for my vent tonight. Hope everyone is well and staying warm. We are having some snow/ice/sleet here in NC ⛄️

Wow!

So I got on the scale yesterday and I am down 5lb from the last blog post! So 208 now. I don't remember the last time I was this weight... I estimate a couple of years. 

And what this really means is, I've lost 5 lb since I changed jobs! I started my new job 1/2 and I've been able to walk daily so obv this is helping! Also I feel like I've been making better food choices and focusing on protein, not drinking liquids during meals, etc. basically - following the rules.

Brent had a big 30th birthday party last night and this is what I wore:

 

With my sparkle leggings and nude pumps. I got it from the Forever 21 plus size section. It says it's a 2x but it's Forever 21 so basically that translates to a regular large, right? Right guys? Lol

Anyway I felt like I looked good, a little self conscious about my "pooch" but what can you do. I feel like it's mostly loose skin right there so hopefully it will go away a little more as I lose more weight. Or I could just wear Spanx. 

So continued struggles include eating breakfast, and generally eating, period. I can't believe I am about to say this but sometimes I forget to eat. It's just weird now because I don't get the stomach grumbles I used to get when I was hungry. Which is nice in some ways...

Anyway that's the update! I shall continue on my crusade to be under 200lb by Valentines Day. As of now, I feel like this is attainable! 😛

New Year!

Hey guys, it's been awhile! But I figured New Year, new blog post :) 

Update: weight 213lb. I was trying to get down to 200lb by Christmas, but as you can see, I kind of missed the mark. My new goal is to be under 200 by Valentines Day! I think I can do that if I work my booty off... Literally.

So as you can see the weight loss has been slow over the past few months. I attribute this to several factors... Holidays, mostly. But also some stress and lack of exercise! Not making good food choices...the usual suspects.

Good news though, my clothing sizes have changed pretty dramatically. I now wear mostly size large tops and I am *almost* into my size 16 pants. I can wear size 16 skirts no problem. Even my underwear and bra size has decreased! 

So that is actually more exciting to me than the numbers on the scale.

I am getting ready to do a big closet purge to get rid of some of the stuff I can't wear anymore... I recently organized the closet and realized I won't have to buy jeans/pants until my 12's get too big! I organized by size. Check it out! 

You should have seen the "before." And here are some recent pics of me!

Hehe, just kidding. But isn't that bikini amazing!!?