I Got Boobs

So... I got boobs. How's that for the topic of my first post in forever!?

But it's true. In late July I had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation and I FREAKING love it. The boobs haven't completely "dropped" and may require a revision surgery in the future but I still love them. And the tummy tuck? Best decision EVER. I can run without tons of skin and some extra fat painfully flapping. It is seriously crazy.

As is pretty common and crappy, I have gained a little weight since the surgery. I'm in the low-mid 160's so I have gained 5+ lbs since then. My goal is somewhere in the 150's and then maintaining.

I would post before and after pictures but a certain lovely husband of mine won't honor my request to find and send me the before pictures.

Update

I suppose I should update since I haven't in FOREVER. Lately I have been bouncing around between 152 and 155, usually staying right around 153 lbs. I'm hoping to get to 145 lbs and then stay there. :) I have a gym membership which I try to utilize 3x/week but there was a solid 3 weeks in which I didn't go at all... I really need to work on some good eating habits. Namely, eating breakfast, NOT going out for lunch, and cutting out sweets... easier said than done though. Anyway, that's that. :)

Yay!

I stopped recording my weight for a little while and I had a kind of traumatic hysterectomy on August 15th (I'm two weeks post-op) so I haven't even been concerned with my weight at all, really. Nevertheless, I am 171.4! This means that I am 12.4 lbs away from a healthy BMI. I have lost 35 lbs since I re-started and 53.2 since my highest weight ever... yay!! You can't tell by looking at me (I'm still FAT looking), but it's all good. I'll tone up once I'm healed.

I have not restarted Spironolactone (which I NEED) or Metformin yet... I'm planning on doing that soon. I'm having bowel issues and concerned that there might be some scar tissue affecting my intestines, but I started taking some fiber so we'll see...

School is starting in September and there is a possible new job on the horizon, so wish me luck with continued success!

Plateau Busted

If you happen to look over at my most recent weight, I noted "I think" on it. I weighed in at 6:30 in the morning but in my rush to get ready for school, I didn't record it right away. I sent Devonn a text later in the morning telling him my weight (185.2) so that was probably it, but I could be a bit mistaken. I do know that it was 185 something. Since I restarted this lifestyle change and abandoned my unhealthy habits, I have lost 10.27% of my body weight. From my highest weight ever recorded, 224.8 (oh my stinking heck that was heavy... how did that even happen!?), I have lost 17.62% of my body weight. I am pretty happy. I don't know why I plateaued for a week previously but it definitely wasn't from consuming too many calories. It could have been from consuming too few (starvation mode), it could have been hormonal (my period tries to start then even though it's mid-cycle on my hormones), or any number of things. All I know is that I was thrilled with a 4 pound weight loss this week. That means I didn't lose any progress at all.

Devonn has been dieting and exercising for a couple weeks as well. In fact, we decided to do a little weekly competition. Whoever loses the biggest percentage of weight each week is the winner- the loser has to fold a bunch of laundry. ;) I have to admit that I'm a little worried because all he has to do to lose weight is fast a bit the evening before the weigh in and he loses several lbs. Oh that's another thing that could have contributed to my weight loss- Devonn and I fasted Saturday-Sunday (because he has a job interview coming up and we want to ace it) so I was probably still mildly dehydrated this morning when I weighed in.

In terms of my energy, I still have very little. I know that although I am eating way better, I am not getting the vitamins and nutrients I need- I am going to work on that this week. I also attribute the lack of energy to being completely swamped in school deadlines (6 week summer quarters bite), so I'm kind of just mentally exhausted, and then I probably could go to bed just a bit earlier. Oh and exercise- I walk 4 days a week but not strenuously. And maybe the heat too? It really makes me tired.

A couple fun things: I have lost 21.2 lbs since I restarted. I only have 26.2 lbs to lose to get to my initial goal of a healthy BMI (159 lbs). That is so doable! I have kind of decided that if I get to 145-ish and sustain it for a long time, I might explore plastic surgery options. I have hanging, gross skin on my belly (big time) someday maybe I'll post a picture? It makes me wear like 2 pant sizes bigger than I would and makes it very difficult to get clothes that fit appropriately. I just can't wait to go to the store and shop straight off the rack without spending hours in the dressing room agonizing over whether I should use Spanx or just get something baggy, etc. Of course I am going to strengthen my core as much as humanly possible between now and then to see what difference I can make (Although I know I will always have this skin because it has lost all of its elasticity and been damaged beyond repair due to babies and the ensuing stretch marks. Plus the c-section scar that everything hangs over). And then there is also the fact that I have one boob that is WAY smaller than the other. No joke. Like a couple cup sizes. As I lose weight it's getting worse... And on that note, time to do some homework, fix lunch, clean, grocery shop, etc.

Surgery...

First, my weight... I have completely plateaued at 189.2. I stopped taking my Metformin even though I wasn't supposed to. I will probably start taking it again soon? I really don't know... I'm torn because I can eat and not be sick and miserable when I'm off it. But, I also get cysts when I'm off... Either way, I am going to focus on eating 1200 calories per day this week and drinking all the water I need to. I have no idea how being on Metformin vs not affects my weight... Maybe I'll try this week without it and if I have a good enough weight loss (and no cyst symptoms) I'll stay off... UPDATE: I'm going to start taking it again. In fact, I took one today. I might start with one a day (Dr. said that was fine) and then work my way up to two... It helps with the way I respond to insulin and keeps cysts and other symptoms at bay and helps me lose weight... When I'm eating enough anyway. I just hope I get used to the side effects soon. 

Anyway, I had an appointment last week with my reproductive endocrinologist... the cysts were GONE from both ovaries. He was thrilled with how much weight I had lost as well. He got the surgery notes from Dr. Owens last time where my uterus was totally adhered to my abdomen, etc and he said that is likely a large culprit as far as the pain was concerned... So, I am scheduled for a hysterectomy (uterus only) on August 15th. He is a very skilled surgeon but there is still a chance that he will have to do another bikini line cut and there is a chance of puncturing my bladder, etc. But, I'm not super concerned.

I will probably be posting many more details as time progresses.

Weekly Update

Howdy y'all. Today I was 3.8 lbs lighter than last week. I am 190.6 lbs. I am thrilled with this; however, I have a feeling it is because I am quite dehydrated. I spent the whole night Friday night and part of Saturday morning running back and forth to and from the pit toilet (just imagine- pitch blackness, bugs, rodents, and SMELLY and dirty!) at our camping site because I was SICK. It was miserable. I should be adjusting to the Metformin any day now... I think part of my problem is that I haven't been consistently taking two doses every day... some days, when I can't eat a big enough meal I wait until the afternoon to take it and then I skip the evening dose. So then the next day when I take two, it makes me sick... As for the weekend, it could be that the meat Devonn prepared for dinner was too fatty. Today, I woke up feeling a bit sick and I have a presentation today so I either need to get it out of my system RIGHT NOW or it needs to just pass.

Since I'm sure it's dehydration/water weight and because I seem to be plateauing on a day to day basis, I'm not expecting much weight loss next week...I should also mention that I still can't eat nearly 1,200 calories, it's ridiculous.

Anyway, If I do continue to lose 2 lbs per week, I will be about 175 at the end of summer school!! And if I continued to lose 2 lbs per week beyond that, by the beginning of the Fall quarter I would be 162. And beyond that, I would be 143 at the end of the Fall quarter when I am done at CSUB. Woo-hoo!! 143 lbs is well into my healthy weight. Since I am sort of anticipating some plateauing and struggle, I won't beat myself up if I don't achieve those milestones. Plus, I have lost way more than 2lbs each week so far, so I'm already ahead of my initial goals. :)

Anyway, time to go practice for this presentation and get the munchkins ready.

PS- I am no longer considered obese, I am now overweight. :)

Another Week Down

I weighed in this morning and was 5.4 lbs lighter than last week. :) A couple days ago, however, I was around 191...(today's was 194.4) that light weight could have been a fluke, it could have been that I was severely dehydrated from all the intestinal issues, or it could be that only being able to eat around 600 calories a day is finally taking its toll and I'm holding on to all the weight I can...who knows.

All I know is that I am going to keep trying my very best to eat small meals throughout the day, try to eat 1200 calories, and try to drink all the water that I need.

This week is killer busy- I have a huge paper to write, a presentation to prepare, finals to study for, a church talk to write (and give, wah!!), a family camping trip to prepare for, etc. The most stressful part is that with the camping trip being all up in the middle of it all, I won't have enough time to prepare at all for either the talk or the presentation. But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

Oh yeah, I also have my follow up with my RE on Friday. I don't know what to tell him. My cramping has alleviated some but I think that's due in large part to lifestyle change... I don't want him to assume it was the antibiotics and now I'm fine... It seems to be worse after physical activity (of all sorts) so I guess I'll tell him that...

PS- My house is filthy- falling down around me filthy. I have either been too sick or too busy with other pressing priorities to clean it. I kept hoping I would get some sympathy (ie- some more help, but nope). To be fair, Devonn has been quite busy as well...

PPS- 1.5 weeks until the very end of the quarter... I should easily be in the low- 190s by then. Can't wait until I'm at a healthy weight (150s or so) so I can stop taking the Metformin, etc. but slow and steady wins the race!