Sunday Morning Weigh In (Post Halloween Edition)

This Week's Stats (lbs):
506.5: All time high 9/9/9 (WW start) - BMI = 63.3
492.4: Tufts Medical Center Program Start 9/20/10
462.5: Lap RNY Surgery day 2/7/11
334.6: Last Week 10/30/11
334.6: This Week 11/6/11 --> 0 Pounds Lost this week - BMI = 41.8
171.9: Total Weight Loss

Well, I am in a major league stall that is now going on near a month. I haven't gained a lick but am holding steady. At nine months this is way to early for the weight loss to be over. The scale is no longer my friend and I am dreading getting on it again. I feel and actually know that I have gotten smaller around my waist and my moobs have shrunk over the past month but the scale still has not moved. Man, do I need a big number for my psychie to remain in check next week. I think I need to do something to shake up my diet as I have been exercising like crazy and finished week 5 of my C25K.com program this week (more on that later). I have noticed that I can actually eat a little of most anything but have been fairly good about eating too much off program. I'm not going to lie to you, I did succumb to a few of those bit sized Halloween candies but only a few. Not the bags of them like in the past!! Which is a vast improvement over my pre WLS life!

I continue to train for a 5K and have been continuing with the treadmill version of the C25K.com program. I haven't missed a workout in the past 5 weeks and this past Friday I ran 20 minutes for the first time in my life and felt awesome!! I can remember back in high school (almost 30 years now) when we would have to do the President's Physical Fitness Test. I'm sure this brings back some bad memories for a few of us!! Well, part of it was running 1 mile. I could never make it and would end up walking most of it. Kind of gratifying to, for the first time in my life, be able to actually run. And I didn't struggle through the 1.7 or so miles that I ran Friday. I powered through them with ease and could have kept going. What an amazing feeling.

I have not only been training on the treadmill but have introduced a full upper body circuit training and abs training routine that I have been doing on my two off running days. Also been incorporating 20 mins of cardio on the elliptical on my weight training days to warm up. This is literally more exercise than I have ever had in my life.

I work on the 4th floor in my office and have begun taking the stairs up. The cafeteria for coffee and lunch is on the ground level so it makes for a good number of trips during the days on the stairs. The trip is something that nearly killed me an left me breathless last year. So much so that during one fire alarm I stayed on the first level for 20 minutes after the firemen left and waited until the elevators were turned back on. I know pretty pathetic but that's the truth.

Had a fantastic time at my 7 year old's father/daughter glow ball dance this past Friday night. It was the first time I have ever gone to one of these dances and tucked in my shirt without wearing a jacket or sweater over it. It felt great. A lot of the people there hadn't seen me in over a year and were amazed. I was looking at the pictures the next day and was like WTF dude, I am getting thin. I still don't comprehend that in my head but my body is definitely getting there rapidly! Great time and glad that I was able to really enjoy the dance with my daughter!

Well, that's about it for my trials and tribulations this week. Just taking one day at a time. I hope everyone has a great week!

P.S.
A Big Shout Out to All of You Veteran's Out There and Thanks for Your Service! It's because of you and your sacrifices that we can live in a Free and Democratic society! Thank You!

Here is a pic of me and my daughter at the Glow Ball Dance on 11/4/11 (Nine Months Out).  Good Stuff!

415: Highest
394: Start of my journey (7/15/11)
340: Day of Surgery (9/27/11)
312: Last week
307: This week

Another 5 pounds this week. Only 10 more pounds til i reach the half way point to my goal.

I am feeling good this morning for the first time in a week or so. I am finally getting over my head cold/sinus infection thanks to some antibiotics.

This week was a milestone of sorts for me. For the first time in a long time I didn't partake in the annual day after Halloween candy sale. i used to stock up on half price candy every year on Nov 1. I was a little sad, but not too much.

This coming week I can start eating more solid stuff according to my NUT's plan. I am looking forward to adding some different foods as I have been in a rut of eating the same things. I also can start more strenuous activities and plan on starting the C25K either this week or next.

331.0: All time high 3/10/08
321.0: Surgery day 4/7/08
184.0: GOAL!! 1/13/09
173.0: 1 yr Surgiversary 4/7/09 and at 18 months
171.5: 2 yr Surgiversary! (Dr. scales)
175.5: 3 rd Surgiversary (his scales in shorts and t-shirt)
171.2: Last week
172.6: This week (Mon)

Michael,

Looks like it is getting close to time to go by some new pants before you start sagging or inadvertently drop trou at some inopportune time!

Nothing on the weight front and you're not the only one to give in to the Haloween candy.  I had two mini Snickers at the lady friend's house.  Did not do much for me.

Did my good deed for the day/week/month/year yesterday.  When my father died 18 years ago the company he worked for put up a placque for him.  The company has since changed hands but the placque remains.  It will take more than one cleaning but a little Brasso and elbow grease did wonders.  Yesterday would have been my folks 56th anniversary.

 Believe it or not Don those are my "skinny" pants that are only about 4 weeks old!!  Yup, time to head back to JC Penney again!  Good Stuff.  Great to do things like you did for your dad's placque.  Each Memorial Day I visit 7 cemetaries and clean them up, add flowers and pay my respects.  Kind of grounds you in life and it is something I have been doing for about 35 years since I started tagging along with my grandfather as he did it when I was a kid...  Good stuff!!

Stats:
Highest weight: 315
Start weight: 1/2011 305
Tufts start weight May 2011: 285
Surgery weight-7/5/2011: 265
Weight last Sunday Weigh-in: 209
Current Weight: 206
Goal Weight: 170ish
Lbs. lost this week: 3

Before I begin, I just wanna say, Mike, you look awesome!!  A picture is worth a thousand words and seeing you smiling with your beautiful young daughter is a freakin' novel!  Despite your recent stall, look how far you have progressed in such a relative short time.  There are things that far "outweigh" a number on the scale. Your chances of watching your daughter grow up and  getting to visit your grandchildren some day have been increased exponentially. Hang in there, you're not done yet.

So, that being said, another step down for me this week. I wasn't able to hit the gym for upper resistance training but I did get a couple of long beach walks in this week. I have noticed when I am at work and busy I don't think about my next meal or whether or not I'm hungry. It causes me to have a protein bar for lunch instead of attempting a sit down meal. Kind of a good thing in a way, I think it's good to mix up the calorie intake a bit and trick my metabolism  into wondering what the hell is going on.  I don't want to be in starvation mode,  but I don't want to consistently over intake the calories. (which seems likely since I think my appetite is starting to come back.)

My birthday was Sunday and for the first time in a while I wasn't presented with an angelfood cake with cream cheese frosting. I also didn't get ****faced like I have in the past.  Speaking of which, I have had ****tails occasionally (ounce of orange vodka on the rocks) usually when dining out, but I can never finish the second one. No desire to either. That's where I'm at with that subject.

I have been seeing people for the first time in a while on a daily basis and have been fielding all the jaw dropping stares and the OMG you look so good, how did you do it? comments. 

I mistakenly attended a weight loss info seminar sponsored by Tufts on Thu. I thought it was a support group meeting. Whoops!  I decided to stay and wound up advocating for the bariatric team that was there and the surgeon commented that I should attend them regularly because I wouldn't get off my soapbox! But if I helpled another person get the help that I have received, it's worth the effort.

Well', that's my rant for this week, hope you all have a great one and stay in touch.

Tim T.

 Thanks Tim and you are absolutely right in putting this all in perspective.  I know that this is a stall and I'll get through it. Never in my life have I stuck to any program for this long.  If I count all the pre-surgery weight loss group I've been on this journey for almost 14 months now with no end to the physical activity and awareness in sight.  It has been a real eye opener and awakening and I thank God for giving me the encouragement to take that first step.

Anyway, enough about me.  Happy Belated Birthday!!  You must feel amazing.  Crazy how all of the food related things of the past keep coming back around to us.  I am getting ready for Thanksgiving day.  Funny how last year I was dieting and didn't overdo it on Thanksgiving but had a fear that I'd never be able to eat a big giant Thanksgiving meal again after Surgery.  What the hell was I thinking?  Why would I ever want to eat that much food at any one time?  Crazy how the entire approach to food has changed for us!

Funny that you went to that seminar at Tufts.  Did my friend Bill end up making it as well?  I thought that the support group was the 4th Thursday of the month and when he said he was going on the first Thursday I couldn't make it because I had made other plans.  Funny that you were their advocate.  I'm sure the Tufts folks loved you being there!! They should give you a commission!    I think Bill and I are going to go to HOWL in Boston on 11/21 and see if we can hook up with some folks from our original group just to catch up and see how everyone is doing before Turkey Day!

Keep up the good work as you are doing awesome and I'll talk soon.

353:  The high
340:  RNY 9-12-11
331:  09-18-11
292:  10-23-11
289:  10-30-11
284:  11-6-11

69 LBS Total

It was a great week this week.  I really paid attention to what I ate and only got sick one time. I had more energy too.  It has been cool going thru the closet and trying on shirts I haven't worn in years.  It's almost time to purchase some 44-30 pants and get out of these 48's.  My boys and I worked on snowmobiles this weekend in preparation for a great riding winter!!! It sure is weird how different it feels to sit on my snowmobile.  I have more room and flexibility. I don't think my 14 year old will beat me in a drag race this year!!!!

One funny thing happened on my birthday last week. A little background- I have 15 guys that work with me in the maintenance shop. I always make sure there is cake and ice cream for them on each of their birthdays. Its a nice way to break up the day and they all have appreciated this for several years. Well, they have always done the same for me, but this year, they made a pretty funny change. They went out and bought a 4" x 4" lemon cake and two of those push up popsicle things. They cut the cake into 16 equal pieces and each plate had a super thin slice of the push-up. It was pretty cool to see them all eating these little miniature pieces of cake and popsicle!! 

Mike, What an awesome picture of you with your daughter!! Now that my friend is "GOOD STUFF". Don't beat up on yourself too much with the numbers on the scale. You are doing the right things and it shows!!  And yes, I too stole a peanut butter cup from my youngest

Bill

 Hey Bill, great post about the snowmobiles.  It is amazing how much easier everything is these days and getting easier by the day.  Kind of crazy how hard life was with all that extra weight.  I loved the story about the mini cake and popsicles.  Good to know that your co-workers have your back!
Thanks for the kind words...  Yes, "GOOD STUFF"!  LOL about the peanut butter cups.  You're only human! 

Your compadres showing your WLS decision support by doing what they did reminds me of the stories I've heard of coworkers/friends shaving their heads to support someone with cancer.  to your compadres.