New Year New Me!

It has been awhile since I posted here but I find that it really does help for me to blog on a regular basis, so that is a goal for me this year. Blog on a regular basis. I have been in a funk over the last few months. I think for one I was sick for about a month. I had an URI that would not go away and so I could not do my cardio and workouts like I normally would. Finally, that is gone and I am back doing what I really love to do.

I have been training for some runs coming up and am currently signed up for 3 trail runs. The first one I did last Saturday. It was a brisk 18 degrees outside...burrrr. There were 92 of us ready for rain, sleet, snow, hail, mud or whatever was to come our way! I did a 5k with a few little bumps in between. There was ice and a little bit of snow on the ground. But somehow I missed a couple of rocks and fell not only once but twice! The first fall I tried hard not to hit my head but that didn't work. I fell and actually hit my eye on a rock. It hurt but not terribly bad because I was pretty much frozen. I also banged up my knees and left two holes in my new pair of running tights. Right after that I fell again! So I pretty much walked the rest of the trail to the finish line. I crossed the finish line but was sore and tired.

I have got to get my eating back under control as well. Carbs are my enemy but my mind just does not know that. It fights me every step of the way. I'm really looking into eating a more vegetarian diet. I do enjoy a lot of recipes that I have tried and I think that will help me out a lot. Sometimes I feel as if I am going backwards. This is not a good feeling at all. I have to be the one to step up and not let this happen. I have to change my life and keep moving forward. There is no going back.

I have a lot planned for this year and am really excited about it all. Stay tuned for what lies ahead of me!

Finally

Rejoice!!! I've finally broke my 9 month plateau!! I lost exactly 100 pounds and have stayed there for 9 months. It became very frustrating and I turned back to my old triggers of emotional eating. When I went home on vacation last month I came home and gained 6 pounds. This morning hopping on the scale I have lost 8 pounds, which puts me a less weight...Yippee

I regained control of my whole eating now. I'm writing down everything that goes in my mouth, taking my vitamins, drinking my water. I'm getting all my protein in plus a bit more. Exercise is not a problem for me. I exercise on a regular basis.

I have already decided that I have to really watch myself over the holidays, as this is where my problems seemed to start last year. I've bought alternative sugar substitute that I can use in my baking so that I can still have some treats that are healthy.

Making protein the priority in my meal has helped out too. I make sure I eat that first so I can fill up fast. It seems to be working well.

Now if the last 35 pounds will come off, I'll be so excited!

My awesome month away from home!

The month of September was a bit of a new experience for me. Since having my WLS I'm an adventurous woman!! I do things that I have never done before out of fear or what people thought or because I was too fat, etc. Now, I just don't care. I'm living my life!

I know this may sound quite petty to some, but I have never really gone anywhere by myself (long distances). So my sister told me that she had a condo in the mountains (Winter Park, CO) and did I want to come spend the week? At first I said no. I already had a weekend trip planned to Idaho for a 5k at the end of the month and was looking into airline tickets. So, the more I thought about it the more I wanted to go. I decided to go ahead and drive up there myself. I also asked if she minded if I stayed a few more weeks and then fly out to Idaho from there. She didn't.

The drive from my house to hers was 12 hours. I have done it many times (as a passenger) over the years, so I was very familiar with the route and that made me more at ease. I made it just fine and felt great about it. Wow, I can actually do things by myself.

We had a great week up in the mountains. I would love to live in a log cabin and just breathe the fresh air daily. We got to go to the hot springs, which was so relaxing and made my skin nice and soft. I really did not get to do the exercising that I wanted while we were there though due to weather. It was pretty chilly for me and I was trying to adjust to the altitude.

When we came back to Denver I went on an 16 mile ride with the family around the reservoir. It was nice to finally get some exercise in and the scenery was nice too. I felt great and wanted more.

My brother and my sister and brother-n-law decided we would go do a 14er (climb a mountain 14,000 ft). I was ready for the challenge. We got up super early (5:30am) to leave for the mountain. It was exciting! I had shopped all week for the appropriate gear that I would need. We arrive at Mt. Bierstadt and the parking lot was already getting full. I couldn't believe how many people were out here this early doing this.

We started at 12,000 ft. The trail was nice and flat, but not for long at all. Soon we started climbing up a rocky trail. It had a ton of switchbacks. We took many "catch my breath" breaks along the way. We finally got to a point where I really could not see anymore of the mountain and we thought that we might of reached the top. NOT!! We made a right turn at the top and then the real challenge was just beginning. This was very challenging and you have to be pretty darn fit to do this. Guess what, I was!! I could not believe that I was actually that fit to continue on. I had my Garmin on and my heart rate stayed at about 156 the whole time. We climbed up very rocky straight up terrain.

When we finally could see the summit and were almost there, my sister said she could not go any farther. Under my breath I was disappointed, I wanted to make summit. So we sat and watched everybody start climbing the final leg. We sat for about 25 minutes waiting to see if our brother, who was ahead us and already on the summit, would come back down. Nope, we did not see him. A gentleman said that it was 15 minutes to the summit so we said we are doing this. We didn't come this far not to make it.

So, we were climbing up boulders and rocks to the top. It did take us about 15 minutes. It was amazing. You are literally on top of the world. The 360 degree views were stunning. We got to sign a register that we made it! I was so proud of myself. I did it!!!

The hike down was actually a lot harder than going up we decided. I ended with a couple of blisters on my toes from them hitting the top of my shoes. We ate our lunch and rejoiced in our accomplishment.

I confirmed to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. I can take on a challenge and be proud.

The next weekend me and my sister were off to Idaho for a Women's Fitness Challenge. We were to walk or run a 5k. I set another goal for myself to actually run the full 5k. I have never run one all the way. I run and then I walk and then I run and then I walk. So in my mind I kept saying, "slow and steady," and I made it! I ran my first 5k all the way!!

We also climbed a mountain while in Idaho as well. It was not as challenging at the 14er, but it was a great hike.

Above our my pictures of my 14er.

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My first sprint triathlon

Well, I did it!!! I finished my first sprint triathlon!!! It was quite the challenge. Me and my friend Connie made a pack that we would do this together. She stayed with me on my 400 meter swim. I was the last one in..yikes, but I completed it!! I did that in 22 minutes, which was within the time I had predicted for myself. Then we transitioned to the bike. We biked 12 miles with head wind the first 6 miles. Then we dumped our bikes and started on our 5k. We walked it as that was the deal. Connie has a hard time running and I have a hard time swimming. We came in last but that is okay with us! I still finished in my allotted time given to myself of 2 hours 10 minutes. We came in at 2 hours 8 minutes.

Here are some pictures took of me during the race. Now I can check this off my list of goals that I want to complete!

Never under estimate your power...you can do anything you put your mind to.

Here I am a year later

I just wanted to post some after pictures now.

One year Surgerverisary!!!!!

It is so hard to believe that one year ago I had my gastric bypass surgery. I really did not know how much my life was going to change, I could only imagine. As I look back on the past year it amazes me what I have accomplished. I truly think I have accomplished more this past year then in the last 10 years! My life is not the same, it is different. It is so much better. I like myself and whom I'm becoming. I feel like a human being and that people actually notice that I exist. People will look me in the face and smile and talk to me!! It also makes me very sad that I was treated so differently just by being overweight. I don't feel like my personality has changed so much that I have become more likable than before. Maybe I just have more confidence in myself and that radiates through my being and makes me more approachable?!

This journey is a lifelong journey. It has many ups and downs. I have to learn to adjust to them and keep moving forward. There is no going back. I had not lived my life and wasted many previous opportunities due to my weight and insecurities. I will not allow that to happen anymore. Like I have said before, there are no more excuses for me, I'm in total control of my life. I make the decisions on how I want to live my life.

I love sharing my gastric bypass story with others and I hope and pray that if you are stuck like I was, that I can inspire you to get your life back. Obesity took away so many important moments in my life. I don't know how many times I would not go watch my kids at school, or go to dinner where I knew they had booths or seats that I could not fit into, how many times I ate before going to a party so that I would not look like the pig, worried about what people were saying about me, would I be the fattest one there?, what am I going to wear?, I'm ugly, I'm not worth it. Gheez, the list can go on and on. I could not take a compliment without being Debbie Downer and saying something negative to the compliment.

Now, a year later, I'm confident, happy, loving, healthy, energetic, living my life. I've lost 102 pounds since my journey began a year ago. This has is not an easy journey. This is the by far the hardest things I've ever done for myself. Just the decision to have surgery is hard, then what comes after is even harder. The results are a true miracle. I love all my family and friends who have been so supportive of me. Thank you all.

I have a lot planned for this next year of my life. I'm excited to see what it brings.

Here are some photos of me through the years. Some people that I've met recently cannot believe I was ever that heavy, but I was. I battled my weight since high school, but more so as I became an adult.

Training for the sprint tri

I have been training on the swimming portion of the tri this week really hard. I have been swimming in the lake where the race will be. Last night I finally swam 300 meters. It took 26 minutes but with a couple breaks in between. It is quite challenging for me because I'm not a strong swimmer at all and not fond of the lake itself. Along with some anxiety about not being able to touch the bottom and swimming with the turtles, I've been able to overcome it and swim on!! I've also noticed the benefits of my hard work as well. The waistline is slimming down so more and a couple pounds are falling off again. I'm going to keep practicing. It feels so great!!