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Sharing Clothes

Posted by Katy on October 29, 2010 2 Comments

Nine years ago when Joanne and I first got together we would share sweaters and shirts. No many of them as we have vastly different styles. But I loved her sweaters that we slightly too big for her and perfect for me.

Winter was my favorite time so that I could wear her clothes.

But as time quickly passed us and I put on my “happy fat” sharing clothes stopped. She didn’t gain like did. Some, yes. But not like I did.

Last year when winter came upon us and neither of us had any long sleeve t-shirts I picked some up at Old Navy very cheap. We got identical shirts in different colors.

Mine were a 4x
Joanne’s were 2x

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Filed Under: Life After Surgery

Feeding the Sweet Tooth

Posted by Katy on October 28, 2010 7 Comments

Prior to surgery my weakest moment in the day was at night, after the kid had gone to bed.

Joanne and I would stay up late and catch up on some TV and in general spend time with each other. As most couples know, those moments after the kid goes to bed is the moment you actually get to have a conversation with your partner.

We would start our time together with something sweet. Before surgery that was a quick visit up the street to get a Sonic blast or a blizzard from Dairy Queen. This was something that happened several times per week. And the cause was mostly me. I love sweet stuff and I love to have something sweet as I unwind and watch TV.

I was well aware as surgery approached that I would have to change this behavior. And I took that challenge head on.

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Filed Under: Life After Surgery

Post-Op Lap-Band 20 Weeks

Posted by Katy on October 26, 2010 4 Comments

20 weeks have gone by quickly!

This last week has been a lot about recovery for me. Having my gallbladder removed was much more work and pain than I anticipated or had time to prepare for! But little by little I am getting better. And I’ve got my focus and mind back so I push for my cardio as best as I can through any pain I’m having. As long as I’m not doing damage, I’m in for it!

This Week’s Pictures:

Filed Under: Weekly Update

212 Pounds in 1 Year

Posted by Katy on October 25, 2010 Leave a Comment

That’s not unrealistic, right?

Don’t answer that.

I was just at an appointment and talking with my surgeon when he says to me… “you’re doing really good but remember the more you lose the slower you’ll lose.”

Ouch.

I mean I knew that but I didn’t want the reminder! I’m about to hit 80 lbs lost. And that dream of 100 lbs gone is about to become a reality. But I do NOT want my weight loss to slow down. This is a slow as I can take it.

So what? I’m aiming to lose 212 lbs by my 1 year surgery anniversary on June 8, 2011. Yes, I want to be at goal but it has to start simple.

If I lose 74 more lbs I’ll be 62 lbs away from goal. So my first aim is to lose another 74 lbs for a total of 150 lbs lost by my birthday on Feb. 20th.

Time to kick up the workout and run at it. I’m on it.

Filed Under: Life After Surgery

My Gazelle Story

Posted by Katy on October 25, 2010 Leave a Comment

Tony Little Gazelle

Roughly 2 years ago, before I attended my seminar for Lap-Band surgery, I bought a used Gazelle from Craigslist. I thought it’d be a good jump start to my weight loss kick and would see me through that supposed “diet” my insurance required.

I used it, as often as I could but had a problem. My hips hit the sides constantly and it became painful. Simply put, I was too big to workout with it and gave up.

When we later moved, it went to a storage unit. And when it was time to clean out the storage unit and get rid of it, I turned around and sold it on Craiglist.

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Filed Under: Rockin' the Workout

Gallbladder Surgery & My Mind

Posted by Katy on October 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

Friday night, immediately following my gallbladder surgery I came home from the hospital and stepped on the scale. Lack of food and water for more than 24 hours and 7 bags of saline had not be nice to my body. I was up 10 lbs looking at a number I thought I’d never see again… 320 lbs.

YUCK!

On the second day, when I made my gallbladder surgery video I was starting to think that my recovery would be a lot like it was after Lap-Band. I felt like crap but all things considering, I thought I was doing well.

With my Mother-in-Law here to help me with Zadey I got rest, played around on the computer, did some Googling about gallbladder surgery and took it easy. I didn’t attempt to eat as my stomach was feeling very, very upset. I tried liquids but I couldn’t really get those in either.

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Filed Under: The Mental Game

Pill Poppin’ Junkie

Posted by Katy on October 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

pills

I’m not a fan of any medications. I don’t remember to take pills on time. I’d rather suffer through a headache than grab some Tylenol.

If you see me reaching for any pain medications know that I’m in for it, I’m in serious pain. I have reached the point of wanting to be put to sleep so that I can have a moment’s break from pain.

Part of my reasoning behind this is that in my life few things have ever really worked for me. And if they do work, they put my butt to sleep and I wake up in pain anyway. I’ve concluded that pain medications “work” because they put me to sleep long enough to get a break from the pain… never relief.

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Filed Under: Life After Surgery

My Workout Pose

Posted by Katy on October 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

There are very few times that I can remember my sister having a problem with her weight. And right now she’s having the biggest problem she’s ever had.

She’s also struggling to keep her girls healthy, my nieces. They’re half Samoan and bigger girls. She wants to do the same thing every Mom does. Teach them to eat healthy and move more.

In July when my sister and her girls came for a visit, I couldn’t wait to show her how much I love my Leslie Sansone workouts. I mean, they’re awesome. But I also wanted to get her involved in them because when you’re starting out this heavy, there are few workouts that are comfortable.

But even more than that, these are workouts that the girls would have no problem doing. My oldest niece from Morgan is 9 years old. She can move it!

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Filed Under: Rockin' the Workout

Q & A: Supporting Your Spouse Post-Op

Posted by Katy on October 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

Q: How do I support my spouse after their Lap-Band surgery?

I LOVE this question…

With all the stories I have heard on weight loss forums and YouTube about un-supportive spouses, hearing the opposite is fantastic!

Because I’m the one with Lap-Band, it’s hard to know all the right things to say here. And it’s even more interesting since my spouse was ready to lose weight with me. We gained together (me more than her) and we were ready to change and eat better together.

So here’s a few things I can suggest:

Eat Healthy Together
Whatever your spouse is cooking up, eat it too. Why can’t you eat healthy as well? And even more so, why shouldn’t you eat healthy? Ditch fast food, junk, snacks, and go with the same healthy meals. And just make sure that you’re not picking up Burger King on the way home, pigging out in the car, and hiding it. That won’t lead to anywhere good.

Understand the Rules
There are rules to having a successful weight loss journey. And every surgeon is different in the rules they give their patients. Find out what those rules are and do what it takes to help that they are followed.

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Filed Under: You Ask, I Answer

Q & A: Eating the Same Thing

Posted by Katy on October 24, 2010 Leave a Comment

Q: How do you eat the same foods all the time?

It’s a funny thing that happens when you change your attitude about food. I no longer look at food as something I want or that I eat because it simply tastes good.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want food that tastes good. But it does mean that I no longer eat food based on how it tastes alone. Food is fuel for your body. If you’re giving your body the right fuel it will run better, work better, feel better. All things I so desperately want!

Dinner is often different in our house. From time to time I get on a recipe kick that will bring all sorts of new food into the house. And when I’m not in the mood to follow a recipe and do something new, I’ll go to my standbys that are always good, always nutritious, and always go over well with Joanne.

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Filed Under: You Ask, I Answer