Turned 60...total lost 31 lbs, ending weight 285

The big 60 came and went...today is Thanksgiving Day and I'm in Oregon with Mom and Dad...we are expecting 5 other family members at 1 pm for turkey and all the fixings. My 60th was on Saturday, Nov 23 and it was fun to celebrate with family here in Oregon. My brother Norman, his wife Lori and her daughters/boyfriends/child were here for a big ham dinner. Mom ordered a cake that was decorated with 6 cats since that's how many I have at home...then, the lady put a little cat on the side of the cake and told Mom that one was waiting for me to come home to California...Lori decorated with balloons and ribbons  and a "Happy Birthday" banner...how fun....when the cake came baby Sharlie (age 16 months) "helped" me blow out candles...what fun!! They were the ones that threw out some sparklers and then relit and the look on her face was adorable.....great memories and a wonderful birthday celebration'

When I started this blog, I had wanted to be under 260 by my 60th birthday..which would have meant a 56 lb loss...I ended up losing 31 lbs and pretty much have stayed the same for the past couple months. Now that my trip to Oregon is coming to an end, I will step it up again and get some more weight off. My goal for December is to stay the same...then after the new year, really put my plan back in motion. 

So, I think I will end this blog now since it was focused on getting me through my 60th birthday..after the new year, I'll probably start a new one with new goals....it's been good for me to have a place to write and just let out some of the things that are going on so I will definitely start a new one once the New Year has come...

Monday weighin...October 14 2013...287 lbs no change...29.5 lbs lost Week 21

So no change this week but that's actually GOOD news considering I didn't even attempt to try this week!!! Don't get me wrong, I didn't go hog wild and pig out....just didn't make choices with losing weight in mind. Last weekend was the big Ontario CA. Scrapbook Expo at the Ontario Convention Center....and I totally over did....walked too much and wiped out all my physical reserves.....to the point that I slept for 18 hours on Saturday night....I went to bed at 11 pm and woke up once to go to the bathroom and didn't wake up til 7:30 pm Sunday. Yikes. I was shocked when I woke up and it was dark. And sadly, I felt like I could have slept longer...

So thanks to sleeping so late I stayed up from 7:30 pm Sunday til 5:30 pm Monday....then, gratefully slept well til about 9 am today...now hopefully I have recharged my battery a bit. Obviously, there are major issues going on. I've had this problem with my legs being weak for years. My doctor feels it's from my chronically low Vit D and iron levels. They have been low for over 2 years.despite treatment...I think I might have a pinched nerve in my low back. I know I had herniated discs there when I had an MRI over 10 years ago....so I need to step up my medical intervention...it seems that I just have a limited amount of physical energy and once spent, there's no more...and if I push through it like I did at Expo, I will pay the price. My legs are still tired today but at least I don't feel as wiped out....

I definitely haven't had any energy to cook or prep food....but that is getting better and hopefully I'm back on track. At least I'm starting again at the same place I was 6 weeks ago....and not with a big gain....

October 7, 2013 Monday weigh in...287 lbs total lost 29.5 lbs...week 20

I'm finally back...I've had a really rough couple of weeks since getting back from vacation. It was probably the best trip to Oregon in all of the years I've been going ...I just really enjoyed every minute with family. I also had so much fun scrapbooking and just relaxing...anyway, when I got home I started having problems....I've struggled with clinical depression my entire adult life....for me, it is an insidious thing that creeps up and paralyzes me. I don't "feel" depressed or sad or teary....just bit by bit I will stop functioning...It creeps up on me a bit at a time and it'll take me a few days to figure out what's going on....last week I was all messed up...I started staying up all night...literally going to bed at 6 am and sleeping til 4 pm...

I didn't even leave the house except to get mail and take out trash for a solid week...and then, I forced myself to get in the car and only went to Subway to buy lunch and bring it right back home. That was a week ago and I'm now turning it around. It's hard and I get tired of having to talk myself into just doing the basic things I need to do every day....it would be great to just be able to live my life without having to have a long mental conversation with myself just to function...but, it's what I have to do and eventually I get it together and start feeling better....

For the past couple of weeks I've been having trouble functioning and that included not eating right. But, fortunately, I didn't do much damage on the scale despite not eating right. I'm thankful that I haven't gained anything since getting home from Oregon...just have stayed the same pretty much within a pound or two so I'm in a good place to just start over again...Things are much better this week and I'm functioning better...sleeping a more normal schedule and getting out and doing the things I enjoy. I took a card making class and went to a workshop day at Michaels....and this week is Expo which I'm looking forward to. Each day I'm feeling a bit better so I'm sure I'll keep improving every day.

There are about 7 weeks til my birthday so I won't be making my goal of weighing 260 by then...if I work at it, I could probably do that before Christmas so that's my new goal...upward and onward!!

Monday morning back from vacation....287.5...up 2 lbs, total lost so far 28.5 lbs....week 18

I haven't fallen off the face of earth....went on vacation to Oregon on 9-4 and got back on 9-16....so this is my first Monday morning since getting back. I went to Oregon and spent almost 2 weeks with my Mom and Dad and sister Pam....it was probably one of the best trips ever....Pam and I went to a weekend long scrapbooking retreat and spent 3 days just creating things...it was like being in a bubble completely away from the real world. From Friday at 7 pm til Sunday at 5 pm all we did was scrapbook, eat and sleep!!!! What a treat...

Then a couple days at Mom and Dad's in Bend...followed by 3 nights/4 days at Yachats with Mom and Pam...our favorite place on earth...again, a weekend of scrapbooking, eating and just spending time together...we only left our unit once to make a quick run to the grocery store for ice....

Then, back to the real world. Most of the time, I was able to stay on my eating program. But I didn't "try" while I was gone....and really enjoyed eating Mom's cookies....but I didn't pig out and was rewarded by only gaining 2 lbs while I was gone.

Now it's about 8 weeks til my 60th birthday....and I'd have to lose 27.5 lbs to make my goal of being 260 by my 60th...obviously, that isn't going to happen....so a revised goal.....275 by my birthday which would mean losing about 12 lbs in 8 weeks...that's do-able...and then I can reset my "260" goal to achieve by Christmas...

August 26, 2013...Monday weigh in 285.5 lbs Week 14 total lost 30.5 lbs

Yeah...I made the 30 lb mark...slowly but surely...but over time the changes add up and all of a sudden, there's a 30 lb loss there....I'm proud of myself....it feels so good to actually be achieving my goals...not that it's been easy but I am just sticking to it and step by step I just keep plugging away.....

I'm going on vacation in just over a week and am getting excited...I will be able to continue to eat healthy while I'm away so shouldn't do a lot of damage to my weight loss.....I still have times when I want to just eat everything in sight and can usually identify some anxiety or stress that's the cause of my emotions....I'm making a lot of progress in becoming more self aware....about time....

Monday weighin....290.5 gained 2 lbs, week 13 total lost 26 lbs

Stupid scale...OK, OK, I screwed around a little this week but shouldn't have gained....I had Chinese food twice over the weekend so I'm sure that's the reason for the scale reading the way it does....interesting since this week I can really tell my clothes are fitting differently...mybras are too big in the cup which is weird...

A friend took a picture of me the other day and I sent it along to my mom and sister...I was surprised at how different my face looks....a lot of of the puffiness is gone....well, not those family trait bags under the eyes but I can actually see a little hollow in my cheeks.

I am going to enjoy eating fresh corn for a few days....it's the height of the season and was on sale 5 ears for $1....so I am going to make corn chowder and a corn casserole....so I'll be indulging in food I don't normally eat....but it's totally unrealistic to think of going all summer without having corn!!

Yesterday I made a big pot of brown/wild rice blend...I had run out of what was in the freezer...I like to put a cup of it in the small snack sized resealable bags and pop in the freezer....a perfect size serving ready after 5 minutes in the microwave...

It's been hot, close to 100, so I've just been sticking close to home. I'm taking care of a friend's cats while she's on vacation...she'll be back tomorrow...And I'm going to lunch with a friend on Wednesday to a Korean BBQ buffet which should be interesting...I don't know a lot about Korean food so am looking forward to learning something new....

Monday weigh in...288.5 lbs no change, 12 weeks, 28 lbs lost

Today, I'm fighting the "if-the-scale-doesn't-change-eat-it-all" demon!!! It's been a slow progression for a couple weeks...and I wasn't really "bad" last week....so this week, I'll buckle down ...I really want to see a couple pounds gone next week so I can say I've lost 30 lbs.....

I had a doctor's appt today....I'm scheduled  for a sleep study on 8-30...haven't had one is several years and I'm so tired all the time....I use my CPAP every night without fail but I think I may need a different mask...I have horrible sinus problems and nasal congestion which, I think, interferes with now well the CPAP can do it's thing. It seems I may need a "full face mask" which covers the nose and mouth and, most assuredly, is quite lovely and sexy.....he-he....hopefully, the sleep center can give me one of them to try when I'm there....I will be going on vacation a few days after the sleep study so won't have enough time to order one and get it before I leave town...

I also checked my weight history with the doctor's office....I had been going through my "life timeline" and have a partial weight history through the time I had surgery but wanted to see how my weight had fluctuated since then....in March of 2014 it will be 15 years since I had the bypass surgery and I was curious to see when my weight had gone up...trying to correlate some connection between life events and the weight changes throughout my life. Dr. Phil always says that when a relationship ends one should perform an "autopsy" to figure out what had gone wrong in order to understand and not make the same mistakes again. That seems like a good idea with regards to my weight history as well....especially since I am VERY ready to put it behind me and move on with my life without the burden of the weight on my body and soul....once I've analyzed it a bit more, I'll write here about what I've learned from my weight history "autopsy".

Dr. Starr has been my doctor for 25 years, although he's only a year older than I am....he's been my doctor that long because he respects my intelligence and doesn't harp on my weight problem with every medical issue I have...but, he's totally on board and very pleased with this initial loss. As I told him today, this is the first time in over 10 years that I've been under 300 and stayed there...a couple of times, I danced around the 300, maybe going down to 295 but always back up to the 310-315 range...so to be under 290 and heading lower is a very good thing. He also has the same philosophy as I do....not to overtreat and go crazy with every little medical issue. For example, a lot of doctors would have had me on antibiotics for months due to all the sinus crap but I've read enough to know that they don't really work any better than just giving your body time to let the immune system do it's thing.

My next visit with Dr. Starr will be on 9-17 which is right after I get back from my trip to Oregon...for which I leave in a bit over 3 weeks....My goal is to get down to a 35 lb loss before I leave...then I will try and just maintain while I'm gone as I intend to eat some of Mom's cookies!! I won't be going hog wild crazy while on vacation and it should be relatively easy to "be good" since both my Mom and sister are trying to eat healthy and we will be cooking our own food and not eating out while I'm there. I think I have the sugar demon in it's place and eating some of Mom's cookies will not be a major issue!!