Happy New Year one and all!   We had a wonderful holiday and I hope yours was happy, healthy, and blessed.    I was able to use up the rest of my vacation time for a full two weeks off from work from Dec. 18th to Jan. 3.  We visited with family and friends and overall it was a very relaxing and fun two weeks.

My energy level over the holidays was so much better then it has been.  We even went to New York for a concert (Paul Winter’s 30th Anniversary of his annual Winter Solstice concert)  and I had to walk a lot in a blizzard.  I was thrilled that I was able to do it.  I was a little tired the next day and a little bit sore – but nothing like I would have been before the weight loss.  A trip like that before would have had me exhausted and whimpering with joint pain for a days unable to do anything at all.  But now I was able to enjoy the concert, and still ahd energy to do stuff around the house and preparations for Christmas.

Food wise I wasn’t even tempted and manged to make it through the holidays without a problem and continued to lose weight.  There were a few times I was a bit concerned ahead of time – but I made a plan and I stuck with it.  Christmas dinner was at my sisters – we provided the food and she provided the space.  I skipped all appetizers and for the meal had only a small slice of turkey with a tablespoon of potatoes and tablespoon of stuffing on the side.  When I went to see my best friend for our xmas visit, we brought a ham, lots of snacks, a three salads from the local deli (which is famous in our area for the best salads) and a baked dessert my daughter made.  For brunch that day I had only 180 calories of low fat cottage cheese.  Of course I skipped all snacks and dessert.  When it came time to eat dinner at my friend’s house I had 1 small slice of ham on a small roll, with a few pieces of raw veggies, and 1 tablespoon of each of the salads (macroni, potato, and cole slaw) on the side.  I ate slowly and took very very tiny bites.  It was a lot of food but I had decided to not feel guilty about it. 

Here are my weighins for the past few weeks:

1/2/10 Week 43 206.5 lbs (starting off the New Year, 100 lbs lighter since I started with the pre-op program Feb. 28, 2009)
12/26/09 Week 42 207 lbs
12/19/09 Week 41 208.5 lbs
12/15/09 Office weighin – office scale 212 lbs (total of 8 lbs lost since previous visit a month ago, and 96 lbs all together
12/12/09 Week 40 210.5 lbs
12/5/09 Week 39 211 lbs

My New Year’s resolutions for this year I am keeping simple and realistic.  I plan on focusing on organizing my home – this is a goal I’ve had for decades.  Rather then set myself up for failure like I have done in the past by setting the goal of getting the whole house done, this year my resolution is get one thing organized a month (i.e. one small room, one big cabinet, or one dresser, one closet, etc.).  Health-wise my resolution is I am going to continue taking all my chewable vitamins and eating healthy and very, very small amounts.  I am not going to set up a goal of a specific amount of weight to lose in a specific amount of time.  Instead I am going to focus on continuing to improve my energy and my health overall.

I’m getting close to what I call “The Wall” – the weight I hit just under 200 lbs and my body refuses to drop even an ounce more.  I have lost around 100 lbs over and over and over again, and each and every time I’d hit “the wall” – the scale would read a weight around 197 or 199, and within a day or two it would jump to 203 or 205 for no reason.  I’d eat less, sometimes even fast for a day or two but the scale would continue to creep up and up until I finally couldn’t stand starving any more and still gaining so I’d give in and have a little something.  I’d eat a half of sandwich and gain 3 lbs.  I’d get angry and have a little potato with my skinless chicken and gain 2 lbs.  And on and on, until I just gave up and within about two months I would gain back all the weight that took me about two years to lose, and on top of that I usually gained back even more.

I don’t know if I will hit “the wall” this time.  But I plan on sticking with my healthy eating plan no matter what.   The difference this time is I won’t be starving.   With the gastric bypass surgery I really have very little interest in food and very small amounts make me very, very full.  I stay away from any foods that have sugar in them (to avoid “dumping”).  I also avoid any and all foods that I know I truly love and therefore could trigger cravings (like pizza). 

This time it doesn’t matter what the scale says.  It doesn’t matter if I never get past “the wall” and the scale refues to budge under 200 lbs.   With the gastric bypass surgery, I have a tool that keeps me focused on my goal of eating healthy.

Health and Happiness to all, Cynthia

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