A New Year coming and some new Goals.

Welcome to the last day of the year. 2008 sure has been a year of change for me, Learning how to manage my new tum, having the stricture sorted, to moving towns, house and jobs.

In the past year I have made new friends, and started new things.....Lions club, Flag 500. There are also many things that I needed to do and I didn't, or I lost my way on. I am going to try to address these in the coming year. One of these was the Gym. I joined one of the local gyms here in Feilding when I moved here last April......how many times did I go.......TWICE!!!!!!!! So I have been paying $12 per week and my fitness certainly has not improved. Maybe I wasn't ready or just maybe I was being lazy and letting the 'tool' of Weight loss surgery be the only answer to losing this flab.

Things have to change on that, and luckily for me, the old gym has basically gone out of business, and they have transferred all membership to the more modern gym in town, and I have made an effort to transfer and met the new people and check out the gear. The gear is nice, and the gym is not as pretentious as I first thought......lots of different folk all at different stages with different needs. Just like me. So, since I signed up with them on Monday, I have been twice....once on Monday and once this morning. I don't have my assessment till the 12th Jan, so until then I am just working on cardio - mainly bike and treadmill. I obviously have a history with being all gung ho about going and then fail miserably, so I have told them that, and they will call me if I haven't been for 2 weeks. I am also taking a different approach to exercise and starting small and building on it, therefore I shouldn't go to hard out, find it tough and then quit.

Well, enough about that, a little now about our Christmas and our holiday. We had a lovely meal on Christmas Eve with my eldest brother and his family at Dad's house. We then headed off to Taupo to spend time with Si's parents, which was lovely, although the accommodation's bed was not so good for Si and we came home a day early. We also discovered we like more structure to a holiday, and are not the sit around and do nothing type of people. Unfortunately this year the budget did not allow for more. So, I am starting to save for next years Christmas now!!!!

The cat and the dog were pleased to see us, Not sure that they enjoyed the stay away, especially Riddick who has been really attentive since we got home and is constantly looking for a lap to sit on. While we were on holiday we bought Porsche a new harness/lead, so now I can actually walk her without her being 100% out of control. So far I have walked her to my dads place (only a 5 min walk) twice, and she has been pretty good, I think i will start taking her for more walks....start slow of course and build up time. There is a circuit I would like to build up to which is 3km long.

Simon's parents have joined us here in Feilding for a few days while they look for a house. They have now sold their house in Auckland and are struggling to find something that ticks all the boxes in their price range, style, size, location etc etc etc. It is kinda fun driving around looking at them, knowing that I don't have to spend a cent. His Dad is here till Saturday and his Mum is staying till the 12th.

I am back to work on the 5th Jan, so a few more days relaxing before then. Tonight we are heading to the Palmerston North RSA for a meal with Dad & Val, Si's Mum and Dad and several family friends. I doubt we will stay to see the New Year in.

So I guess down to the nitty gritty - Not resolutions as such, but certainly areas that I want/need to work on over the next year to achieve my health and fitness goals.

- Increase water intake- I am really bad at this and need to drink more water.
- Do at least 20 Min's of exercise per day – walk, aqua, gym etc.(need to start small and build up to increase both fitness and strength)
- Stop drinking when I eat.
- Plan my meals so I am not tempted with 'easy'(unwise)options.
- Watch the portion sizes
- Monitor the snacking, make sure if I do need to have something it is a health snack
- TAKE MY SUPPLEMENTS

I am really not sure where I would like my weight to be - eventually. I am still a size 18/20 up top and a 20/22 (mostly) on the bottom. My current weight is 105.5 kgs, and ideally I think I would like to be a 14/16 on both top and bottom, but I also can not ever remember being that, so I have no clue as to if it is achievable or what weight that will be, but if I can do the above I am sure that it will be as I will be stronger, and fitter and most importantly healthier.

Happy New Year to you all, and I hope you find all you are looking for in 2009.

Janine (PS- Have you figured out I love Tigger yet)

Merry Christmas

I am officially on Holiday and I love it. Was so great to finish work yesterday and get ready for the holiday. We did a quick grocery shop of the final bits and pieces and we have found the pet's passports for their little holiday to tte kennels and cattery. I also had 4 - yes 4 baskets of washing to fold, which is just stupid....I hate folding washing!!!

Then we got all packed and ready to go, headed out to see hte Christmas lights....there didn't seem to be as many as last year, although one of the local resthomes did a fabulous job of decorating. Si managed to get an okay shot of the main entrance.



We are off on a few days break and should be back on Sunday. Take care all, and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Look forward to sharing more of my journey through Weightloss Surgery and Life in general in 2009.

Love and Hugs

Janine and Sigh

Wet weekend

Well I am pleased that we managed to get rid of the colder wet weather before Christmas (fingers crossed). I was uncertain as to if my Motorcycle training would go ahead with the weather, but luckily the rain held off till afterwards. So after about 20 mins of putt putting around on this scooter thing, the instructor got me to do some tests and viola I have my basic skills handling certificate and I can now go to and sit for my learners motorcycle license.

Here is me on the little (very little) scooter.


Had a great time on Saturday afternoon catching up with Janene in Palmy and it was lovely to see Jo and Jenny there as well, all checking on on Janene's fabulous progress. Some of Janenes comments take me back to when I had just had my surgery and was learning how to use the tool. We were talking about some of the little things that come with this surgery such as not drinking when you eat. I am a bad one for doing this as I need a little lubrication otherwise I tend to retch......however I think my little lubrication has crepted up and I am going to try to knock that on the head.

Oh, the other thing I am working on, is breakfast. I am not sure that I am getting enough from my breakfast as I find that I am often wanting to snack about 1- 2 hours later. So Simon and I are trying protein shakes for breakfast. Now I have never been a shake person, and I find them boring.....but I will give it a go for at least all of January and see what happens. Actually over the last couple of days I have gone back to basics on a few things.....and am obviously the better off for it as the scales on my official Monday morning Weighin are 106.3 kgs - so I have lost 2 kgs over the last week. So that makes a total loss of 70.7 kgs since my heaviest and now a total of 6.4 kgs to lose before I am under 100 kgs.

Anywho, off to work for my last two days, I have taken Wednesday off as we want to head away not long after lunch, and lunch is a get together with my brother and family as well as Dad and Val. So we will do the semi christmas thing then and head off after dropping the animals at their holiday home(kennels and cattery). So if I don't manage to post before Christmas. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, safe driving for those who are and see you when we all return from our various celebrations.

Love

Janine

7 Sleeps till Santa……and 2 sleeps till my Motorcycle training.

I am so excited, I am like a kid at the moment, I am finally going to learn how to ride!!! Hopefully I do okay and I earn my basic skills handling….then I just need to do my theory and I will be licensed to ride, which means I will be on the hunt for a cheap 250 to learn on.

I have been kind of taking it easy over the last week and not done a lot. I had my last Avon delivery (before Christmas) this week and now I can take a little break from it till mid January. I really only do it so I can get stuff for myself cheaper, but realistically the price of the catalogues etc makes it not cost effective. Oh well – I kind of treat it like a hobby anyway.

Oh, I was going to take a pic of out house with the Christmas decorations etc – but the cat has pulled over the tree so many times and broken most of the ornaments……so the only thing I have to show you is my Christmas mantle display – which a friend made for me. It is really lovely!!



On the body image front – I am now starting to hate the loose skin, especially when it comes to trying to find a swimsuit. I am so little up-top that I have had to go with a tankini top and lycra shorts for the bottoms (hate the loose skin on my legs). Actually I hate my arms as well and I really think I would be better off with a wetsuit. But once again my bottom half is still to chunky to feel comfortable in one.

Body image is one of those weird things that I am not sure will ever come right. I was reading a post by Jaxx recently about things that you can do to feel more confident about yourself everyday……

Something we should all live by everyday....

1. When standing in front of a mirror and taking a look at what you think are "problem areas" (problem areas according to the media's beauty standards), focus on your dazzling smile, killer hair, and great cleavage instead of how you don't have great abs.
2. Take a good look at Rubens' nudes and Renoir's bathing beauties. You will find they are beautiful. If you look like that, you too are beautiful!
3. Apply make-up (but not in an amateur way; browse the 'net for information on techniques that will suit you). The high you get from seeing your face come to life is unbeatable.
4. Develop a fabulous strut. Try to walk swaying your hips a little. Don't be afraid to get in touch with your feminine side.
5. Highlight what you like about yourself by buying clothes that draw attention to these areas. Got a great cleavage? Show it off a little!
6. Believe you are beautiful. Think beautiful and live beautiful. Walk on the street and feel beautiful. Hold your head up high, toss your hair, and take a deep breath. If you don't believe you are beautiful, how will others see you as beautiful?
7. Smile, smile, smile. Nothing makes a woman seem more attractive than a friendly smile.
8. Avoid programs that show impossible beauty. Don't get caught up in the lie!
9. Don't be afraid of the mirror. Look at your body and bond with it. Feel those curves and be thankful you are healthy.
10. Understand that the most important part of beauty comes from within. Outer beauty fades through time, but inner beauty lasts throughout your whole life. Cultivate your spirit, read, soar, and don't spend so much time in front of that TV!
Now I know that I need to work on most of these things….although I am proud to admit that I have a fabulous strut!!!

I am going to work on these some more, and I am going to re-find my motivation. I would really like to lost the next 8.3 kgs and finally be under 100 kgs for the first time that I can remember. So, my next post will be about how I believe I will achieve this and the steps that I will take to make the most of the tool that my surgeon has given me.

14 sleeps to go…..14 sleeps to Santa

Yup – only 14 sleeps till presents. Now some of you asked if I really had a pressies cupboard…..and I do. At the moment most things are wrapped, although we did have to get some more wrapping paper last night, so a few more to go into it yet. I have got really good at buying gifts throughout the year and it helps that I sell Avon, so sometimes I get some really good deals.

So here are 2 shelves of our pressies cupboard. There are even presents in the pink bag!!!



Now Si is pretty sure he is not getting a present from me this year since I got him the bike, but I am trying to source him something he has been waiting for a while.
I have been asking him for a pic of the bike, but he hasn’t given me one yet, so I thought I would show you a pic from the internet. The only difference is our one has the sissy bar on the back so I don’t fall off.



Oh, as mentioned, I have been really busy with the wedding preparation, and all the invites have gone out and I am starting to get RSVP’s. It is quite exciting. I have scanned a copy of the invite for those to see, although they didn’t scan as well as what they look. The black is velvet flocking paper and the other is a shimmery paper which reflects the light really well.



Looking forward to this weekend, we are having friends over for a BBQ on Saturday evening and that is all we have to do……that and the NZ Christmas cards that I must get out soon.

I would love to hear what plans you have for Christmas….are you staying home, or heading away for a few days like me. I am off to Lake Taupo for 4 nights.

In Control

You know with all these Christmas functions I normally (pre surgery) would have pigged out at all of them and most like gained like 5kgs!

We I am really happy to advise that after 3 do’s in the weekend I remained exactly the same as that I have been over the last couple of weeks. Do I feel like I missed out at all? Not a bean, in fact I think I enjoyed myself more as I didn’t stress about what I was eating. I can have the odd scorched almond and not demolish the whole box in one sitting, and I can take or leave anything.

Last Christmas I found it much harder as everyone was watching what I was eating, because it was so recent that I had the surgery and some people were critical of how little I was eating or the choices I was making. This was before we realized that I had a stricture and that I was at times quite uncomfortable.

The work do on Sunday was brilliant, it was at Makoura Lodge. We had a blast there doing the golf driving and the pistol shooting, which I have to say is much harder than it looks. The bbq was devine and the whole team really relaxed. I hope to have some pics soon.

After the do we did our normal grocery shopping and then we had a powernap and were ready to tackle to pressie cupboard to see what we had stashed away over the year. We were pleasantly surprised with what we had in the cupboard and went off to the warehouse to fill the gaps. So all pressies are now bought and wrapped and back in the pressie cupboard ready to be handed out in a few weeks time.

Location Location Location & Festive fun

I think I have found a new calling!!! I really like Real Estate. Mind you I think the reason I like it, is that I get all the fun of looking at houses without the stress of having to pay for it!!!!

This week has been really interesting going around lots of open homes and houses for sale with Si's Mum and Dad. Some of the agents out there are utterly appaling, and don't listen to the buyers requests at all, and some bend over backwards to try and find the right property. Si's Mum and Dad told me I was made for real estate as I remebered what they were looking for and what they liked and disliked about every single house, even down to the floorplan!!! If only it provided a more stable income.

So it sure has been a busy week with looking at all those houses and we also had Si's new motorbike arriving......pics to come. It finally got here on Friday night at around 9pm after a mix up with the trucking company. Got the sissy bar installed yesterday morning and then headed of to the family christmas bbq out at my cousin Paul's place in Tangimoana. Was nice to see everyone, although I was a bit hot and my neck got a little burnt!!

Saw Si's Mum and Dad off on their way back to Auckland before racing off to the Lions Club christmas function last night. I was part of the organising committee, so I needed to be there early to do some of the decorations etc. We even had a visit from Santa and I ran a quiz about Christmas.

Today we have my work do out at Apiti, which is where I grew up on a farm. I would realy like to show Si around up there, so we might go up a little earlier so I can show him around a bit.

Now, one thing about my blog, I noticed that in the last week I had over 70 'Hits" or views, and only ONE comment left. I realise that some people don't know how to comment, or they are reading through google reader, and although I don't actually write my blog for anyone elses benefit but my own.....I feel a bit hurt sometimes that no one wants to leave a message. Which is stupid I know, as I am one of the worst offenders at popping into other poeples blogs and not commenting. So, I am changing that, and I will be commenting on other peoples more often!!!

For those of you who don't know how to comment or wish to do so privately, feel free to just drop me an email.

Phew - done and dusted

Well, what a month November has been!!! That had to have been the busiest time I have ever had!!!

Work - we have had a special project on during November so things have been really busy for me as I have had had 4 people in the Nelson area working and I have had to do all of their booking in and managing their workloads. Now for me this means constant phone calls to farmers scheduling their tb testing and then dealing with the fallout when on the day it suddenly isn't convenient. Also just the logistics of getting my 3 additional guys down there and keeping them happy. Thankfully the last one arrives home tonight!!! On top of all that we have had the Tender for the 2009 - 2013 Tb testing contract happening, and we had to pull all that together this week to be submitted Friday afternoon. Fingers crossed we get at least the same workload - otherwise I could be looking for a new job!!! Won't know will March though, so no point stressing about it.

Wedding - well the wedding of the century is taking place in our neck of the woods - for anyone who doesn't know, but Dad is getting remarried on the 6Th Feb next year and somehow I got nominated as the wedding coordinator!!!! This apparently means I get to organise everything, and make sure all the invites are done etc - and oh btw if November was busy enough- it all needed to be done then!!!!!!!!!!!

Weight - things are pretty stable there - I can pretty much eat anything now, although still heaps smaller portions that take longer to eat and my weight i guess kinda reflects that. I usually drop between 1- 2 kgs per month now, and honestly with the amount of excess skin that I will have I am actually really happy with that. So my current weight is 108.3 kgs. I am roughly a size 18 ontop and a size 20 - 22 on the the bottom (depends on brand). I think for me now my weight loss will have to come frome exercise and I still do not put a very high priority on it I have to say, although I do need to work on my fitness, as when I run (short spurts)I still get really puffed.

Birthday - Yup another year older. Turned 36 last Sunday - 23rd November, and had a lovely day with Si. Kept things very low key this year and just went out for lunch in Palmy and had a quick look at motorcycles as Si's one has spat the dummy.

House - Although since Leeloo died we have not been 100% happy with where we are living we have decided that the price is just too good and Riddick seems to have some good road sense and we can make this house our home.......at the moment it still feels like just a house!!! I think eventually we will move to Palmerston North but for now this is it, so we are going to try to make the most of it.

Motorcycle - Si's motorcycle has once again spat the dummy and this time looks as though it not worth fixing. Now with Si getting better with his back and now being able to do a little more - and of course his physio appts etc we needed another vehicle. So do we buy another car or another bike. Well Si hunted everywhere for a bike in a good price range that was not too old as we would have to finance it.
He couldn't - bt within 10 mins I had found one that was perfect for us, and our finance company agreed, so yay- Si has a new bike which will be here later this week (they are shipping it). It is a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard S50 - photos to come once it arrives.

Well I think that catchs everyone up till at least yesterday, and man what a day that was. Got up at 7:30 ish am and decided I needed to catch up on the housework as I had certainly let things lapse during my busy November. Was great to put some music on the stereo and enjoying housework. Once that was done, Si and I popped into town to get some christmas cards away and had a morning coffee/hot chocolate at the local coffee bar. Then headed home to work on the invitations, but got sidetracked by Si, who wanted help int he garage - as he needed to make room for the new toy (see above)
So about 90 mins later and a whole car full of boxes and rubbish and it was off to the rubbish tip, Man Feilding charges like a wounded bull for dumping rubbish - $25 for a small boot load, 40 for station wagon!!! Free for recycling!!!! So we were a little lucky and our boxes were considered recycling, so they only charged us the $25for the non recyclables. Much more expensive than what Wellington charges are.

Grabbed some lunch at the local cafe and then quickly raced to my old primary schools Gala Day. It was good - although I remember them being alot bigger and more organised when I was there. Maybe that is just me wearing 'rose coloured glasses'!!

Home to get the invitations for at least the people Dad and Val were going to be visiting on Sunday done so they could take them with them. The rest I will need to get done this morning. - All 50 ish of them!!! Went shopping for groceries and spent a little too much, but it seemed all the big stuff (like bags of dog food)were needed this week and with the day we had had, we ended up buying a cooked chicken for dinner and I didn't realise but it was $14.00 for a cooked chicken!!!!

Went to bed fairly shattered but for some reason I can't sleep so got up at 5am to write this, and so far it is 5:46 and I am still typing......My god I can't imagine what this is like to read!!

Si's Mum is arriving today for a week, they have managed to sell the house in Auckland, so she is coming to look at houses down here. It will be fantastic to have them closer and I am really looking forward to it. It also means that we will have another busy week ahead, with looking at houses etc with my mother in law, to the bike arriving, work and every Christmas party scheduled for next weekend. More on those later - can't have everything in one post.

I will try and update more often this week, although that might be a stretch - at lease a photo pot of the new bike.

PJ Party & massive update.

Okay so here goes for the mammoth task of updating. It has been so long since I did a decent post and so much has happened in the last month.

To start with, probably best to fill you in on the family events.......well as many of you know, my Mum died just over 3 years ago and my dad was really down for a bit there but then started going out and meeting new people. Well I am really pleased to finally be able to announce that my Dad and his lady Val are getting married.

They weren't going to announce the happy event until Val's birthday in February, but thankfully they have decided that the news was far to happy to keep a secret for that long and the happy event is now scheduled for Waitangi Day (6th Feb). I am apparently the coordinator for the event and so far my jobs are all the creative stuff which I am not so good at!!!!!

What else has been happening. Well Simon and I officially joined Lions International, and we have been busy with running the mini golf and going to the oratory contest. I am getting a real sense of community spirit by doing something that is giving back.

Okay so now to me. Well I have not been losing weight really - I seem to have stabalised for anow at 109 kgs. I am really happy with this as I have not really done any exercise although I am waking up earlier now and it doesn't seem like such a chore to go out and head off to the gym. Not sure if I really enjoy the actual gym though, I think curces was alot more fun and only 30 mins long.

On friday last week I met with my surgeon for my 1 year post op check up. It went really well, and he is really pleased with where I am at, although he did tell me off for not taking all of my supplements......actually I have been really naughty and not taken any for ages.

To celebrate our 1 year surgiversary, Annie myself and Michelle arranged to have a slumber party weekend, so I went down to Wellington on Thursday to spend some much needed quality time with the girls. I went down mid morning and met my brother for lunch on the Thursday and then popped over to my old job and caught up with the team there. I then popped out to Westfield shopping centre and caught up with Jo. Was fantastic to see her and I realised I had not seen her since March 2007.

After coffee with Jo I met Annie there, and she had an appointment with a salon so I decided to get my nails done. Money very well spent and I am constantly amazed at how something so small can affect your outlook on yourself.

We headed over to pick up Michelle and we had a dinner of chicken and salad wraps and then headed out to a tupperware party for one of Annies workmates. I ended up buying a lunch box type container which has 4 sections, which hopefully will make lunches a bit easier.

After the Tupperware party we went to Annies house in Upper Hutt, and pulled out the mountain of clothes that Michelle has shrunk out of. We had many laughs that night with all the trying on and catching up and it looked as though I would be spending a while heap of cash on new clothes as it seemed most of the either fit me or were too big.!!!!

We had a lazy morning the next morning and had lunch at subway before heading of to see Zola and David at Southern Cross hospital. Was just like in hospital - us three causing havoc nd laughing so much. We all looked stunning and as usual we forgot to take a pic.

That night was more laughing and chatting and I finally decided on what clothes I was going to buy. I made some really good choices and did not overdo it. I think I must have come home with about 30 new garments though and even some extra special ones.

Saturday morning came far too fast and it was time for me to head off around lunch time to spend the rest of the weekend with Si and of course to vote. As I mentioned we forgot to get pics of us in our gladrags, but since the time was meant to be a 1 year anniversary of when we all hung out I think we spent more time in our PJ's - here is a couple of pics of us in them amongst the mountain of clothes that we were trying on. Actually every sitting surface had clothes on it!!! Was fantastic.





The rest of the weekend was really relaxed. Got out and voted and then went to the A&P show which was at manfield park. Was really impressed with all the Alpaca's there and if I had some land I would be tempted to get one or two.

On Sunday we decided that we really want to put in a veggie garden (although I hate gardening)so we picked up the Rotary Hoe from dad's and are busy turning over the soil this week, getting ready to plant in the next couple. I will try to take some pics when we have it looking a bit nicer and fenced off from the dog andwhen it is ready for planting.

Where has time gone?

I can't beleive where time is going. thngs have been so busy for me at the moment at work and socialy. I have been working most nights and at least the Saturdays.

We have had a heap of social engagements and Lions Club is also keeping me really busy.

I promise I will do a proper update as I have alot to say, but for the meantime, everything is great just flat out.

I am heading to see my surgeon for my 1 year post op tomorrow, it is a couple of weeks early but near enough. I will be staying with Annie and Michelle, whom I had the surgery with at the same time, so should be a hoot.

Will get some pics and I will update when I get back - most likely Sunday as Saturday is looking a bit manic at this stage.

Byebye Leeloo

Well what a shitty week I have had this week. I have been so flat out at work this week that I have consistantly been leaving about 1 hr late everyday and today I have about 3 hours of work to do, which I will head into the office for shortly.

Then on Wednesday night, Simon and I went to play our game only to find that his game account had been hacked by some little bugger who either deleted or moved most of his characters and they had also stolen in game money from our "banks". This is really frustrating as these are characters that we have invested alot of time into. I know it is just a game and most people just won't understand. It is not actually that we have lost anything at all, and we can recreate it all if we needed to, but the feeling that someone could be a low life scum to hack into his account just for kicks sends the bejezzers up me.

Then last night, Si suggested going for a walk after our very late dinner, so after watching some telly, we decided to take Porsche for a walk (10:30pm) just around the small block. (something we are trying to get into the habit of. So off we went, and we got to say 30 metres from home when I saw our beautiful tabby lying on the road. I quickly took Porsche home and Si checked Leeloo out. She was dead.

She was always the very adventureous one of our two cats, she actually followed me to Dad's one day, and we have caught her out on the road many times, and kinda knew that this day would come eventually. I just had hoped that it would not have been so soon. She would have been 1 year old on Tuesday. Guess she used up her 9 lives.

Actually looking back on yesterday it was like she knew. She was very cuddly yesterday and she just kept lying around looking at us both. Both Riddck and Porsche are going to miss her alot. I will try and find the video of her and Porsche together when she was just 8 weeks old, bossing Porsche around on her first meeting with each other. I also think that something else must have been at work last night as we have never ever been out for a late night walk, and it was like we were meant to find her then - before she was too badly damaged. I will take her into work today and make the arrangements to get her cremated (for those who don't know - my office is based at a vet clinic)




Well here I am at work , and I have managed to find the video of her and Porsche. As you can see they thought the world of each other right fromt hat first meeting.

October Already

Where this year is flying to I have no idea. I have been really busy with work, alot happening and several work trips, another couple coming up over the next two weeks.

Okay, so I know you are all wanting to hear about my hair and if I shaved it off or not, well I did.....and most people who have actually seen it in Real life like it. (Apart from my Dad - but I believe you can never truly make Dad's happy.

Anyway so here it is. I couldn't get a really good shot of it, so it is only a mediocre one. Will get some better ones soon hopefully.



It has actually had two weeks growing since then, and I already have almost more regrowth than blonde. It is really interesting to see how my hair grows and which ways it sticks up!!!!

Oh, I have had a scale victory recently as well. I am now under 110kgs, Currently sitting at 109.5kgs. I had hoped to be under 100 kgs by the time I see my surgeon on Nov 7th, but I think I will revise that and say that by Christmas/New Years I would like to be under 100kgs.

Anyway - that is it for me for the time being. Will try to update more often, just that my life is pretty boring and routine, and I am sure you don't really want to hear that I got up, went to work, made calls, came home, ate dinner, played my game, went to a meeting, etc etc etc.

Oh dear

Why oh why did I let Si talk me in to taking my hair back blonde!!!!
I have a deal with him that if it went copper I could shave it off.....

this is the result of the dye job!!!!!




So was he true to his word?? Did he clipper it for me or could I learn to live with it.......???? Will update again soon

Kick Start for Spring

Thanks all for your lovely comments on how I am looking. I really wish I had done my hair and makeup,…..maybe next time. Things have been busy since I last posted. I had a another work trip to Nelson and also to Wanganui for a meeting.

We are in the process of retendering for our work as of next July, so things are kind of busy atm with that. Simon & I have also been along to the local Lions club, and we will probably get involved with that. My dad is a member and I used to be a Leo (junior lion) in my teens.

My weight loss the past few weeks has been pretty stagnant and I even jumped up a couple of kilos there for a little bit. I had a look at what I was eating, and I could pin point that I had let some bad habits creep back in. After talking to the nutritionist I figured out that I am not getting anywhere enough protein, and my carb intake has been a little on the high side. So for this week, I am doing a pretty strict no carb diet, similar to what I did on preop. It is making me re-establish some good habits and I am really enjoying it and the weightloss is looking good. I am really hoping to be close to 99.9kgs by the time I see the surgeon for my one year checkup in November.

The other area I needed to look at was exercise. And I can truly say I am not a gym person. I will still try to go at least once a week, but I decided I needed to do things I enjoy, so when the weather warms up a bit I will head back to the pool (will need a new swimsuit first) but in the meantime I am going to head out on the road on my new toy. I managed to find it second hand for $60 on trademe, and all I need now is a helmet and I will be away.




Hmm I wonder what I should name her?? Suggestions very welcome

Okay....you asked for it.

Well although i wasn't going to, i have relented and taken some pics. They have turned out a bit shocking and we have taken them from a new place in the house, so the angle is slightly different, but will give people an idea of where I am at.

I am wearing my at the moment fav black pinstriped pants, and a top I got from a second hand store today for $8. It is a size 18 and the pants are a size 26 (Kate Madison). The top is a little tight, but give it maybe another say 3-5 kgs and will be just perfect.

I finally bought a new bra today as well. I was pretty spot on with my estimation of my size, I am now an 18D cup, which is a little bit of a bugger as I can't really get nice coloured bras in that size, all flesh and black coloured. Oh well, who is going to see it anyway.

Okay here goes, here's the pics.

Ponderings

Things have been boring normal but fairly busy at the moment. I have been slack about my journal as I really don’t have much to talk about and it must be boring as hell as reading material goes.

I thought I had better get off my tush though as we just gave the link to the website to some family members so they will be wanting to know what is happening in our life right now. **Waves at any family reading**.

I thought I should look back at the last 9 months and reflect a little on where I have come from. Sure I seem to have stopped losing weight for the time being, but I know that I have achieved so much. People keep asking to I “feel” different, and the answer is not really……but then I don’t really feel any different to yesterday. Sure I have more energy and I can do things for longer, or in some cases I can just do things…….but it is not like a light switch that was “turned on” or it was some magical event…..it is still a long process.

So apart from the 61.6 kgs that I have lost in the last 9 months what else has changed??

I can now cross my legs, and pretty much do constantly.
I can now wear pantyhose, although still the + size
I am now a size 18/20 on my top half.
I can wear non stretch jeans (although still a size 24/26)
I can get into any car and not worry about the seatbelt
I can sit in the boardroom chairs at my old job and not have marks on my thighs when I stand up.
I am lighter than my husband
I can feel my collarbone.
I can now weigh in on regular scales
I no longer need a seatbelt extension on aero planes.
I no longer snore (which apparently Si found hard to start with)
I can ride on the back of Simon’s motorbike!!!!!!!!! (Biggest Achievement)

There is a whole heap of things that I have forgotten or that seem insignificant right now, and I still have heaps of goals that I want to achieve, but am I happy with where I am at……………….HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what have we been up to over the last couple of weeks. Well Si has started back to physio 3 times a week to try and get his legs/ back working properly. I have had a trip away for work and have another coming up at the end of the month as well as a couple in Sept. Work is really busy for me atm, and is going to be more so through till about December. Then I plan on having some time out over xmas/new year and then roar into it again next year.

Have been helping our friends out with the printing of the menus for their shop and I off course have been busy selling Avon. It is going well, although Si spends way too much money on stuff he “finds” in the catalog. Oh well as long as he doesn’t spend all my profits…….it is meant to be paying for Christmas.

Speaking of making money. I finally went through my entire wardrobe and have put all of the clothes into 3 piles. The still fits keep me pile, the no longer fits – give to charity pile, and the no longer fits – sell on trade me pile. Unfortunately the biggest pile is the charity pile, then the trade me pile……so I am rapidly running out of clothes. The ones I put on trade me I will then use the money to go shopping and buy some more.

Oh and btw - I see the counter going up...but no one commenting. Would love your feedback/comments - or just a friendly "Hi there"

A - Z - of me...thanks for the idea guys

A - Age: 35 – Almost 36

B - Bed size: Queen size, although next time I think it will be a King

C - Chores I hate: Folding laundry – always end up with huge piles

D - Dessert I love: Hmm, cheesecake, chocolate mudcake

E - Essential start to my day item: Alarm clock, radio on during the morning drive

F - Favourite actor(s): There are far too many to mention. I really like the guy Mathew Rhys from Brothers & Sisters atm.

G - Gold or Silver: White Gold

H - Height: 5 ft 9 inchs

I - Instruments I play: I dabbled in the saxophone when I was younger but realistically not a musical bone in my body.

J - Job title: Tb Administrator

K - Kids: None, although am leaning towards wanting them more

L - Living arrangements: Simon & Myself, with Porsche (the dog) and Leeloo & Riddick (cats)

M - My full name is: Janine Maria,

N - Nicknames: Nine (Neen) & Dru (from my game WOW)

O - Overnight hospital stay: 1 Hernia repair in 2006, 1 Gastric Bypass surgery in 2007, and a couple of minor things in my late teens/early 20’s

P- Pet Peeve: People who jump to conclusions

Q - Favourite quote: Don’t really have one.

R - Right or left handed: Right handed

S - Siblings: 2 Adopted Brothers (whom I grew up with) 3 half sisters, 1 half brother, and numerous foster brothers ( who I can’t remember)

T - Time you woke up today: 6:30am

U - Unique habit: I count as I walk……especially if I walk up stairs.

V - Vegetable I hate: Brussels Sprouts (mini cabbages) Broad Beans, Eggplant

W - Wish for: A Lotto win, good health, strong friendships, a couple of nice motorcycles and then maybe kids

X - X-rays I’ve had: Wrist, Chest, Ankle.

Y - Yummy food I make: Lasagna, Macaroni Cheese, pretty much any Roast.

Z - Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius – although only just and take some of my traits from Scorpio

So did ya learn anything new?

Oops - the highway came to an end

Well we went for a ride on Sunday – when we were supposed to have a storm. I was really keen to get out on the bike this weekend, well most weekends actually as I really like it. So we decided to go to Kimbolton to a local café for lunch, however as we were riding up there in the bitter cold, the bike started to play up.

Si had trouble starting it to come home and about 3 km from Kimbolton (which is about 20 mins from home) the bike completely stopped and Si could not restart it. This means we are stranded in the country with no cell phone, cos I forgot to take mine. Luckily for us a 16 year old boy racer (local) in his soupped up BMW stopped about 3 mins after we stopped and arranged for us to store the bike at the local farmers about 100 metres away from where we stopped and then he gave us a ride home – about 33 km.

When we got home I gave him some petrol money and I tell you, I was really impressed by this young guy’s attitude. It made me feel really old………like I was expecting “the youth of today” to be just like the stereotype………man, maybe I am just getting old.

So the bike has now been picked up by the bike shop and we are at odds as to if we spend much more money on it. We really like having a bike, but at what cost? Is it better for us to get out now, and just save a deposit for a couple of really good bikes ( one each of course) or so we just persevere with this one as it is going to be ages before we can afford the other option. We are both leaning towards keeping this one and doing some more work on it. Cos if we spend say another $500 bucks on it now it will hopefully last a couple more years.

Anyway, that was my first official run on the bike and we break down……something I will be able to tell future generations for a while yet.

Hey, I am really noticing now that people are commenting on my weightloss a lot more. Actually people who do not know that I have had the surgery saying, “My god, I didn’t recognize you, you have lost SO much weight.” It is kinda cool, although I have now stopped saying why I have or explaining it, I just say – “Thanks “ and smile sweetly.
I can tell sometimes people are dying to ask, but are scared to, incase I am sick with some terrible disease. But if they ask, I will tell them honestly.

Anyway, not feeling the best today, very nauseous, very cold, and apparently very pale. Don’t think it is anything to do with the op, just a bug maybe, or lack of sleep

Get ya motor running........get out on the highway!!!

Yup, I am now officially a biker chick!!!!!!! One of my big goals was to be able to feel comfortable being on the back of Si's motorbike. So on the weekend, we gave it a go. I have the gear as far as boots, helmet and jacket go, so it was pretty much okay. I was a bit scared to start with, just not sure if i should lean or not. as this was the first time ever on the back of a motorbike for me.

Anyway - we only went around town, and Si said we only got up to 60 kms, but it was neat, and we are going to go on a proper ride one weekend when it fines up a bit. I still think I would rather be "in control" though and I am definately going to have to save some money and get me a 250 cc and then learn to ride. Not much else has been happening, in fact that was probably the highlight of the weekend.

Oh, also got together with the other Palmy people who have had or are about to have Weightloss surgery. It was fantastic to catch up with everyone, and see the progress people are making. One of the things I really love about this group is the honesty that everyone brings to the table. The highs and lows of this decision. It is also interesting to hear what the people who are 2 years plus postop have to say and how they maintain their loss. I think part of it is actually the getting together and talking.

Hey Pali, you asked if the restaurant is turkish, and the answer is yes. It is owned by really good friends, and we actually ended up eating there 4 times last week. It takes me about 40 mins to eat about 3/4 of a small kebab and I am extremely full. The guys know the situation with my tummy, so they make sure that everything is low fat and low sugar.

Weighed in yesterday, and after all that Turkish I thought that I might be in for a gain, but I had lost 1.4 kgs taking me to 115.4 kgs, so if I just keep going I should be on track for my 1 year goal or if not then - the definately by Christmas.

Weekend Update

A bit late on the weekend update - but better than not posting at all.
Friday we had a busy schedule as Si had a worship workshop at the church on both Friday and Saturday. We went to dinenr at dad's place first which was also meant to have my brother, his wife and kids there, but they decided to come for lunch on Sunday instead.

The worship workshop was good, although as I am not musically inclined it was not quite up my ally. In fact i was not feeling so good at one point so I left and went home for a nana nap.

Saturday night we went to the movies to see Hancock, which I found really really good. It certainly was better than what the critics decribing.

Sunday rolled around and went to Dad's for lunch. Was really nice to catch up with them. Pretty much played our game after that.

Monday our friends here in Feilding re-opened their restaurant - Cafe Turkey. We popped along just after 5pm to see how they were doing, and then I went home and made their takeaway menus. They look fantastic!!!!!! Went back there with the proof and got dinner. I was really amazed. I managed to eat a whole small kebab over the space of about an hour. Was the yummiest thing I have had in ages.

This week is really busy at work as we have our annual conference and I am helping with some of the organisation. I am not going however as holding down the fort at the officeon Thursday & Friday.

Spot ya later.

J

Oops - AFK again.

I am really really sorry for not posting. I kinda have a reasonably boring life which entails going to work coming home, cooking diinenr, and play World of Warcraft with my hubby. I really wish there was more to write about, but that it pretty much it in a nutshell.

Here is a pic of my latest toon on WOW. Her name is Faithhealer and she is my priest in the game. She has kinda been taking up most of my spare time. Some of you who read will know here personally (those who play WOW)and the rest of you will just have to understand that yes I am addicted to this game!!!!



Other stuff that has been happening. Well I had to go to the doctors for a check up last week and to get a blood test request done. I have been having dizzy spells and my blood pressure is up so we thought it was about time we did them. So I had those results back yesterday and they are all extremely normal. So that is brill!!



I didn't really like the doctor that much. He is my new GP and I was very lucky to be able to get in. There are over 100 families in the area who cannot get into a GP as they are overcrowded. He gave me a bit of a hard time about not exercising enough, but man it is really hard to do at this time of the year. (middle of winter). Thinking back on it , he didn't actually give me any praise for losing 60kgs!!

I haven't been back to line dancing yet, although I will go as the lady who runs it (my workmate's Mum) said she will take me for a special class for the first 1/2 hour so I can try and get what feels like 3 left feet to work. So hopefully I will enjoy that more. At the moment I have a sore toenail (yes I cut it too low & now it hurts) which is driving me nuts to even wear shoes, so I am not sure how I will go with dancing.

OH, I weighed in this morning (have been slack this week) and I have lost a total of 60.2 kgs. Sitting at 116.8 kgs atm. SO YAY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, also had the pastor of the church we are going to come around on Tuesday which was nice to get to know her more and for her to hear our story. It was interesting, when she found out I was adopted she automatically assumed that I have rejection issues, which I find really funny as I have never once felt bad about my adoption. In fact I am really proud of it.

I am going to do a course called Women to Women, which is run by someone from the church. Apparently it provides healing, insight and strategies for change. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

Anyway - had better get some work done. Thank goodness it is Friday and that I actually do have some stuff happening over the weekend, which I am not going to tell you about (Will save it for another entry so my blog isn't boring)

Ciao

Dancing Queen?

I am a dancing queen? Well I thought that I would check out Line Dancing in Feilding since I used to love it so much. However I went last night and although I still love the concept, I do not learn very fast at all, and I really need a teacher that breaks it down almost step by step. Unfortunately the teacher goes through it once quite fast and I just did not enjoy myself at all.

But on the danicng front, Si and I are going to try ballroom dancing, if his back permits. Apparently there is a very good teacher here in Palmerston North, so I will check out the prices.

Weigh day was yesterday and I had a really nice loss of 1.2 kgs which takes me to 117.2 kgs, so I should hit the magical 60 kgs lost next week.

Workwise things are hectic being beginning of the month, but going well. This year just seems to be flying!!!!!

DING DONG AVON CALLING

Yup you guessed it. I am going back to selling Avon. Mostly to make a little extra money for Christmas this year. I used to sell it when I lived in Auckland, and I think I was in the 28% profit category, which isn't too bad really. It really just takes time as the product does sell itself. I am sure between my workmates, family church people and the ladies from cards as well as my "territory" I will be able to make a little before Christmas. The only scary part is New Zealands No 1 salesperson is in my town, so I will be 'Competing" with her.

Nothing else has been happening much. NO I have not yet made it back to the gym, and as for walking, it is has been bucketing down with rain that I would look like a drowned rat if I tried.

On the weight front though, things are going in the right direction and as of Monday I was 118.4 kgs, so that is a total loss of 58.6 kgs. Not far now till I have lost 60 kgs.

Anyway - back to work, and then we I get home I am going to work on getting my Avon stuff ready. I think I will make a little introduction phamplet to include so when I pop brochures into peoples mailboxes they will be more likely to indentify with me.

Anyhow, see ya later!!!

Your avon lady.
Janine

Where to from here?

Okay I need a game plan on how to reach my goal for my 1 year anniversary of this op. I have 22 weeks to achieve this goal. What goal you say? Well for my 1 year anniversary of my op I would like to be under 100kgs. Which means that I need to lose 20 kgs in 22 weeks!! How am I going to do this? I am not 100% sure atm.

I really don’t think I am doing enough moving. And part of that is due to it being so damn cold…….I know, it is nothing but an excuse, but I really am finding it way to hard to get out of bed in the mornings. Too much WOW,(game) and it being too cold in the mornings.

So, I am going to go to the gym on the way home twice a week. That means that I have no excuses. So come next Monday night, I am going to be on the treadmill at 5PM – and I will start with just 20 mins. Then I will go again on Wednesday. The other days I am going to start taking Porsche out for walks – probably only 10 mins to start with as she is really really hard to walk. But it means that she will hopefully be a little less bored and she will get used to the lead, which then means we can increase our distance and both enjoy it.

As it is so cold I am going to put aqua on hold, as I just get way to cold and the last thing I want is to get sick. I also thought about going to the line dancing class here as I do really enjoy it, but I think it is at a stupid time…I will look more into this.

I also need to keep and eye on what I am eating, as now that I am 7 months post op I find I can eat most things, although some of them are very limited.
I must also keep on top of my vitamins as I have definitely not been good with this.

So, keep watching, this girl is aiming to be 99.9 kgs or under by 19th November and the countdown has begun. Weighdays will be on Monday’s and I promise to update it often.

Hopefully as this will be significantly more that what I am currently doing it will help with the continued weight loss.

Two Awesome NSV's.......Oh and did ya know that I am hot!!!!

Well I can officially cross three things of my goal list in the past week.
Last friday I wore full length non stretch Jeans to work, and was comfortable all day!!!!!!!!! It was so nice just to fit in! Jeans and sneakers, rather than wearing just the same old same old.

Then yesterday I was going back down to my old job in Wellington, and I knew I would be able to try the boardroom chairs for comfort, these used to be really really tight on my thighs and I used to end up with red marks where they pressed into my thighs.......and now they don't!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, i just thought of another one, I spent most of the day withmy legs crossed - sitting on those very chairs.......oooohh and another one, I wore high heels all day - although I did almost get a blister from them!!!

And with those high heels, I wore......you guess it, stockings!!!!!! Not just knee hi's but real full length stockings.

Hehe - is was also fun seeing some of the reactions to my weightloss, although some of the people have seen me a few weeks ago, alot of them hadn't, and none of them had seen the new improved hairstyle.......which I will show you soon.

Anyway - while there, one of the IT guys who is really cute, told me that "I was HOT!!!" and that I looked fabulous......awww, ain't that sweet. Well, it must be true, cos today when I went to the local cafe for lunch, i took my wallet, but I forgot my money card, ( I had put it in a different place) so I was asking the women if she could hold the items and I would pop back......and the guy next in the queue, stopped her by saying that he would shout me lunch. Now, I know he was just being kind, but I kinda like to think that part of the reason he did this for a complete stranger was that I actaully to look HOT!!!!!!! I of course will pay the favour forward!!!

Okay well, here it is, the new hairstyle......really bad pic of me, cos I took it myself with my cellphone.

AWOL - Where have I been

Yup - I have certainly been absent without leave from my journal, but I have beenhaving a blast.

Pretty much I have been hanging out with friends in Azeroth (which is the world in my game). Here is a pic of me on my little dwarf preist hanging out with my friend Maryn overlooking the Nagrand region.



I know most of you will probably be going ....What is she on????? But this is what I do in my spare time, I hang out with Simon and a whole bunch of friends in an online world and we explore, laugh, cry and quest together.

Oh don't get me wrong it is not all I do, but this is pretty much my social and entertainment calender and with the winter months upon us, it is where you will usually find me.

Hair today - gone tomorrow!!!

Yup you guess it – almost 6 months post- op and my hair starts to fall out in clumps in the shower.Well probably not clumps but it is coming out at about 20 strands per tug!!!I strong suspect that it has a lot to do with me still not managing to take my supplements correctly. So from now on, I must take my pills!!!!!!!!!

Good news on the scales this week though – especially after trying to decide what scales to use. This morning I got on my home scales after my shower and I was dressed (except jumper and boots) and it was 122.9 kgs. So when I get to work I jump on the work scales and I was 125.1 kgs!!!!!!

I decided to take off my jumper and boots and check again, and damn it my boots and jumper weighed 1.9 kgs!!!So I am now officially down to 123.2 kgs!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means a loss of 2.1 kgs over the last couple of weeks. And now I must remember to weigh in wearing the same clothes each Monday!!!

Had a really quiet weekend, Si was not feeling the best, and for some reason no food tasted good yesterday, so I was a bit picky and I think I got up Si’s nose a bit, especially when I refused to eat the eggs he had cooked yesterday morning.

OH, another weird thing, I can eat a whole mini bag of butter popcorn. How weird is that???

Gratitude for Today

Have been doing a little bit of soul searching the last week or so. Things have felt a bit rough, not losing as much as I think I should be, and letting some bad habits get in the way as well. I also have not being doing as much exercise as this cold weather has put a damper on things.

Si is having some issues with his back and we have been to see his surgeon last week and will be off to see his surgeon again next week to see what the results of the CT scan look like.

One of my greatest resources at the moment is a website called Renewed Reflections. It is a site that provides information and support for Weightloss Surgery Patients, and although it is based in the US the information and support is great.
I get the weekly news letter and the following is from that.

If you’ve got happiness on hold until you get to the “destination”, you’re never going to have it. Happiness isn’t over there, because “there” continues to move. The key is to enjoy the little things that you see along the way and use their magic and beauty to divert you from the temptations that can lead you off the path. Enjoy nature, an original gift from a loving Father. Organize a weekly game night with friends. Take walks. Turn off the television and go putter in the garden. Look at the gifts that God has given you and turn your back on the Trojan horses of instant gratification the “world” offers up as temptations.

Learning to live a new life after weight loss surgery is all about awareness, awareness of your surroundings, and of yourself. By staying in the now and appreciating the small blessings of everyday life, you can experience an awesome sense of gratitude for the second chance that you’ve been given. Don’t beat yourself up if you occasionally slip and fall. You’re never going to be perfect, but you are going to grow wise. Keep moving forward, and enjoy the view from each new stepping stone in your life.

I really can relate to some of the above, although more so when I was living in Wellington – and I think that we all do it to a certain extent. ‘Putting Happiness on hold” is no way to live. So what am I going to do to ensure I am enjoying my life right now?

- Cards – I like going, not only do I spend time with Dad, I get to know some really cool older people, whom I know I can learn a lot from.
- Aqua Aerobics – Once a week class at aqua because I enjoy it
- Get out for dinner at least once a month.
- Go to the movies at least once a month.
- Go for weekend drives and explore the area we live in!!!!
- Show Simon where I grew up on the farm.
- Have people over for dinner more often.

I would love any suggestions that you can think of to just stop and inhale deeply, smell the roses, and enjoy the day!!!!!!!!!

Finally - the comparison shots

I am not really happy about these shots, as it really shows just how bad my arms are, and I am pretty sure that this is not going to get much better. But these shots are much better than the last ones I took a week ago.

One aspect I am liking about these is the collarbones. I can really see some definition there, and I am beginning to get a rounded bum instead of a bum shelf!!!!

The most recent at just a smidgeon over 5 months post op and a weight of 125.3kgs is the ones of the left. The middle was around 141kgs (2 months)and the left was 163.5 kgs. Total loss so far is 51.7 kgs.

Awww Thanks Jaxx

Jaxx has kindly awarded me with the following.



The only trouble I am having is actually figuring out who to pass this onto as most of the people i read are now private, on hold or have stopped completely. And all the others that are public already have one!!!!!!

So I am going to give it my friend Leetoo, who has a blog that he does not update often, but when he does it always makes me think!!

Oh and as for the pics, I had trouble uploading them and as I thought they were so hideous anyway I decided not to publish them and I promise I will take better ones tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mind you it worked in getting you to comment!!!! HAHA

Sorry - been really busy at work, life and everything

Things have been really really busy in a good way, lots of seeing family and heading out and about. I am also flying solo at work for the week so things are alot busier there.

Have hibernated a bit as the colder weather has started.

I was 5 months post op on Saturday and we went out. Tooks pics. don't like them at all. So i will take some better ones for the comparison shots. really need to stick with trousers and tops, and the closer fitting the better to give a more accurate picture of where I am at.

I am disappointed I am not losing more at the moment, but hell this is a lifetime journey and if it takes a while then it will make me appreciate it more

anyway here are some pics including one of me at our night out.

Am I conditioned to Lie??

Friday was another interesting day and certainly another day of growing within this journey. I had an appointment with my surgeon and nutricionist for my 6 month check up (I am however not quite 5 months post op). They were both really happy with where I am at, and David (the surgeon) said that I have lost the first 50kgs extremely quickly due to the stricture, which of course I was aware of. Well, he just wanted to make sure that I was aware of that.

He said he was disappointed that he did not get to meet Simon as he didn't get the chance when I had the surgery. He said he get's concerned about the partners as the weight falls of, because as he said, people are glowing when they lose the weight and they get more confidence and their personalities seem to shine. Apparently alot of relationships can go through some really rocky parts around now, due to all the "attention" you get as you lose weight. I told him he has nothing to worry about at all, and that Simon and I pretty much spend all our spare time together anyhow.

The very interesting thing he did bring up was that the medical profession has conditioned us to lie about how we feel, what we eat,etc. He says this openly as a doctor as he really feels that most of the profession ask a question, get an answer they don't like and proceed to tell the patient off rather than helping them find a solution. He is about solutions, and that is why his team provide not only his skills, but the counceller, the pychologist, the nutricionist and a nurse, all available for our use. So do most of his patients use them? Answer - no where near as much as they should, partially because of the location, but mainly he thinks because people actually lie to themselves about where they are at. I know i had full intentions of not telling the Nutricionst "everything" about how I am eating, but after seeing David, I realised I was lying to myself.

Oh, the other big thing David and I talked about was church. Simon and I have just started going back to church, although not the family one I grew up in, as that is a very traditional church which I am not sure I can handle anymore, let alone Si who is from a more praise and worship style church.

So with all these positives at the moment, I am feeling really happy about where things are at, and yes, there are a few "naughties" that creep into my diet and thoughts, but with the support and love of those around me and the awareness of my ability to sometimes lie to myslef, I can make this journey a real growing experience (or shrinking - LOL)

The other brilliant thing about Friday was seeing my two hospital buddies. Both Michelle and Annie are looking fabulous, and we can all see the changes in each other much more so that ourselves.

Way to go Wednesday

Well,

I have been a bit down over the last couple of days, I think some of it has to do with the change in clocks and that we are now darker in the evenings. Have settled into the house okay and things are looking good.

Here is a pic of the new house and also one of Porsche who is not the best again at the moment. She has hurt her back paw and has been licking.chewing at it, so she has a cone on her head to stop her from aggravating it.




Now, as for my weightloss. I have been feeling a bit blah about everything recently and I have not been having great losses at all. Not really since my surgery. I think osme of that is just the way it is, as in my weight loss is slowing down, but I think the biggest part of it is that I have allowed some naughty things to creep into my diet again (ie chippies)and I have not really focussed on any exercise. This all came to a head on Monday for me, when I got an email from the support group I am in and it pretty much switched a lightbulb on in my head. (Well, on Tuesday night it finally came on). I have included an exerpt of the email here.

Are you interested or committed?



"There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." -Ken Blanchard, co-author of more than 30 books, including the classic bestseller The One Minute Manager

When you chose to have weight loss surgery, you made a choice to establish firm physical boundaries about what you will eat. You weren't just interested in losing weight, you were committed to losing weight, no matter what it took. And, while you may not have been able to establish those boundaries out of sheer willpower, you were 100% committed to your weight loss journey, even if it meant having surgery to rearrange your digestive plumbing.

Now, you have the opportunity to see your commitment through. For many people, surgery alone is not enough. In the short-term, having a gastric bypass or lap band procedure will restrict your food intake and cause rapid weight loss. But, over time, you can "stretch" your stomach again and gain the weight back. You need to be 100% committed to your weight loss goal if you want to maintain your healthy new body for the long term.

How do you know if you're committed? Ask yourself...

- Will I exercise for 30 minutes a day, no matter what? Even if it's raining. Even if the kids are sick. Even if I'm on vacation. Even if I don't feel like it.
- Will I set boundaries around certain foods? For example, I will only have cake on the 1st of the month. I will therefore never, ever, ever eat cake any other day of the month. No matter the occasion. No matter the peer pressure. No matter if I'm at a fancy restaurant. No excuses.
- Will I attend a regular support group meeting once a week?
- Will I journal every day about my weight loss journey?

You may not want or need to do all of these things. But, you should pick at least one commitment that will help you maintain your healthy weight, and be 100% dedicated to that decision for the long term. To be successful, use the "no exceptions" rule. Choose to uphold your commitment, without exception, no matter what the circumstance.

You have come this far, and you are worth the long-term investment!


So the upshot of all of this was that on Tuesday after a slightly crappy day at work and also being inspired by my two surgery buddies (waves at Shell and Annie) I came home and told Si we were off to check out the gym, so we did and we signed up and I had my assessment this morning at 6AM!!!! I am going to be doing min 3 classes per week, 2 of those days will be cardio and circuit training and one day will be focussed mainly on cardio. All 3 days I will be working on my abs!!!

So after we signed up at the gym, we headed home and instead of going inside and blobbing down, I dropped Si off and went to aqua aerobics instead. 45 mins of bouncing and splashing in the water using resistance, great fun and really hard work. That is currently on twice a week, but i am not sure about the Thursday night class, as we have cards and it might be good to give my body a day off.

Oh, the other big news on my front, is that I weighed on Monday and had no change, and this morning with all that effort made at the pool and gym , I weighed this morning and I am now 126.4kgs, so it means I have lost 50.6 kgs since my heaviest.

I am really stoked that I have managed to do that before I see my surgeon for a check up on Friday. I think I will organise Si to take some more comparison shots on the 19th as that will be 5 months since my op.

Very Quick Update

Wow, well the move went well, not as smoothly as we would have liked, but reasonable.
Most of the unpacking ahs been done. ISP are being a pain in hte butt and we might not have internet for another week.

Washing machine shat itself, so we bought a new one which should be being delivered today. I relented and also bought Simon a 32 inch flat screen LCD telly, so now he can play his xbox games whilst we are waiting for the internet to get connected.

The kittens had their operation's yesterday (speying and castration) and they handled it pretty well as you can see.



Also have my Dad in hospital at the moment, so I am going round to his house to check emails, feed the cat and dog, clear the mailbox, take porsche round to play with dad's dog Maia. Dad should be out of hospital on Saturday, although he will be out of action for a little bit as he has had a hip replacement. Lucky we are only now 5 mins walk away from him.

Anyway, back to work, as I said A very quick update.

A Very Late Happy Easter!!

Man, where does time go when you are packing to move house.

Will be moving this coming Saturday so at the moment living in a pile of boxes.
Should be alot easier this time around, only a 25 min trip from house to house.

Easter was reasonably quiet and relaxed, got some of the packing done, and generally just had a quiet one.

Si's back is not the best again at the moment, and he is not sure where to from here. He has an appointment to see his surgeon again in May.

Weightloss wise, thing seem to have slowed right down for me. Not sure if that is due to a few naughty things creepy in, and the old snacking habit rearing it's head or if I have actually just slowed down.

Hoping to get sorted with a new gym/aqua aerobics routine once we move, and obviously with the area we are moving too, it will be easier to go out for walks in the evening.

One of the probs we have is that Si wants to work out together, but I actually need to do this separately as I tend to push myself harder.

We will see what happens with the weightloss after i get back into it.

Ciao for now

Janine

Great Weekend - even the bad stuff seemed easy

Had a fantastic weekend.

Started on friday night whenw e had a potluck dinner at my dad's to go to. What he does is he gets about 12 people together for dinner, and we all take something, and we usually end up with a great feed. I had a great time, ate a little, not too much and had pavlova for dessert. It was yummy, although I did get a little light headed from it.

Saturday morning I got woken up early by my Dad, asking him if I could open his shop for him. He has a model railway shop where he imports models from the US and we have a mail order business, although on a sat afternoon he is open at home, where people can try things out on his layout.

So i opened that up while Si played with Dad's dog, we then went to do the grocery shopping where we got the rudest service!!!! This is a town that is called "Friendly Feilding". Got my own back though, an offical complaint was made via cellphone later that day!!! Bugger thing though, we only just managed to pay for the groceries on Si's credit card, as for some reason Si's pay was reduced by $400 this week.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turns out his medical cert had expired, and for some reason they are not obliged to tell us this, and therefore they cut his support!!!!!!!!!! Should all be sorted today though, as he went to see the local doc, and hopefully we will get his pay before Easter. Thank goodness we live up here now, and Dad could help us out a bit, cos i certainly didn't have enough money for petrol.

Sat night just spent a quiet night in, and then on Sunday I had organised to get together with some others who have had or are thinking about Weight Loss Surgery. It was a great afternoon and certainly intersting to hear the differences between the surgeons and the procedeures. Pouch rules etc. We are going to have these get together's like once every 6 weeks, so it will be nice to see people changing with their progress.

Last night came home and played WOW, an online computer game that me and Si play. We have made some very good friends on their, mostly in the US *waves at leetoo* and I play most evenings and weekends. Well, sometimes it is a little hard to play as the pet's also demand attention. Last night was no exeption. i was busy with my character "Faithhealer" in a place called Tanaris, and they decided they wanted to sleep "ON MY DESK" - while I was playing. So I thought I would include a pic of them in the postion they expect me to play around.

Promised Picture Post.

Not very exciting, just a couple of shots, one of my desk as work and the other a picture of what I see most mornings when I back out of the driveway.

Did somebody say BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!

Man things have been hectic around here.Last week, weds & thurs my workmate and my boss were off down south for a couple of days at a meeting and I was left holding the fort and giving the monthly billing a go as well. First time I have ever done billing in my life, and I am flying solo!!!! GREAT.

To top all that off, I get a UTI which sees me racing off to the doctors on Thursday afternoon for some AB's. Seems to be all cleared up now though, and also funnily enough is probably part of the reason why I have not been loosing much weight over the past 4 weeks. It appears I was retaining fluid quiet successfully as when I weighed this morning (after a weekend of almost nonstop peeing). I discovered a loss of 3.9 kgs over the last week and my ankles are no longer looking a bit puffy.

On the non work front, things are going well, although I know that some people are aware,but we are going to have to move house again. Pretty much what has happened is that the lady(based in Wellington) that looks after the property management side of things for our landlord has decided that even though we have an agreement she would prefer not to have animals at the house and therefore will not allow us to put in a catdoor. Now we are not the type to leave our cats out all night and we do not want to live with a kitty litter tray. But that is not the main reason we willbe leaving. The main reason is that this women also does not think that the main two things we have asked to be fixed are a problem and she is refusing to fix them. Now one of these we consider a major health risk and the other is just plain and simple a fire risk.

To fill you in, in our kitchen under the sink, we discovered a split wall lining and out of that lining we grows mould and mushrooms. If you are in the kitchen cooking for more than say 15 mins at a time you gt quite nauceous (sp) and dizzy and we (me, si and our local property manager) feel that this is an extreme health risk and should be dealt with immediately. The other is that the fireplace door is dodgy and you cannot always open it and we are not sure that the chimney has been swept........which of course may cause a fire if we use it and it has not been. BUT no, the women in Wellington says to our local property manager that he is not allowed to spend any money on the place, and that the mould and mushrooms are not a health risk and we should use other heating instead of the fire.

SO our local property manager has found us a new place just around the corner from my dad, which is also 20 mins closer to work, so i will not be so grumpy with the drive etc....and it is a great little house that the landlord understands about our pets etc, and we are not being charged a letting fee because of the hassle with this place.

OOPS, just rememebered I was suppose to have a blood test this morning and I clean forgot. OH well, I will have it tomorrow I guess.

I should also be able to update with a whole heap more pics that I have been taking......I can't remember what they are of, but I will post them tomorrow.

Ciao

Janine