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