Snow Day!

Nashville has been blessed (or cursed, depending how you see things) with its first snow fall of the 2010 - 2011 school year. I was actually really hoping we'd have school today as my class has been looking forward to this day for a long time.

See, we were scheduled to attend a viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader today. We read the book last year and have been waiting for today since we finished it. Now we have to wait until after Christmas break to see it. The good news is that I'm confident the movie will continue to be at the theater three weeks from now; the bad news is we have to wait that long.

In the meantime, Halen is having fun with the snow...well, for about the 10 minutes she was able to stand the cold.

After we tried (and failed) to build a snowman, we came in for some hot chocolate. Funny how that makes everything better!

Enjoy the snow...and the hot chocolate!

It's so cliche`...

...but I'm going to say it anyway: what a difference a year makes!!

This was me one year ago:


See the date stamp? Oct 7th, 2009. More importantly, see how I didn't even have a lap to set that pumpkin on? I had to rest it on my belly to work on it. Sad when you think about it.

And here is a picture I asked Halen to take of me two days ago, Oct 7th, 2010.

So it bears repeating: what a difference a year makes!

Now for some really cool news; at least I'm excited about it. Next Wednesday, which will be my actual 1 year "surgiversary", I am having a friend take some photos of me. We're going to do it like a real photo shoot with me wearing a couple of different outfits and taking the pictures outside while having some fun. I can't wait; I even bought a new dress!


I also want to share my new stats from the body analyzer with you.


Weight: 142.0
BMI: 26.0 <---- OMG!!
Fat%: 28.5% (desireable range = 21 - 33%)
Fat mass: 40.5 lbs (desireable range = 27 - 50 lbs)
Fat free mass: 101.5 lbs (this is everything in my body that is NOT fatty tissues)


And, as I've done before, here are my beginning stats for comparison:


Weight: 288.0
BMI: 51.8
Fat %: 53.0
Fat Mass: 150 lbs
FFM: 133 lbs


Everything has gone great and the surgeon was very pleased, which makes me very pleased! My 1-year post op appointment was a success--as am I!! =)

September Pictures

Gosh, time goes by so fast...I just realized that I didn't put up any Septemeber pictures.

The picture of me sitting down at the bottom of this page is from August, so even though I didn't do the three pictures like I have in the past, you can see me from August.

I'm down 140 lbs, weighing in at 148 in these pictures. I've stayed the same weight for about a month now, so I've been focusing on learning how to stabalize and then maintain my new weight. Anyway, here are my 11 month post op pictures:

Also, just for fun I thought I'd post pictures of me from this past week. We had Homecoming week at LHS and I dressed up for our spirit days. Here I am on Favorite Team Day:

GO BUCKS!!

Since next month is going to mark 1 year since surgery, I'm asking a photographer friend to take some "real" pictures of me. I can't wait to get them made and show them to y'all!

I'm such a chicken!

You know, I've never been one to experiment in the kitchen but post-op I've had to get to used to that a bit more. But I'm still afraid. I'm afraid that I'll make a mess or screw something up (hey, this is the girl that once made spaghetti soup--tell ya about that another time); mostly I'm afraid that I'll dump something that doesn't agree with me.

But I've been dying to try these sugar free syrups for stuff: Torani. And here's my chance. The coolest post-op cook that I know is giving some away and I WANNA WIN because I really want to try them out and make some new stuff.

The Saga Continues....

....though very slowly.

Well, not VERY slowly I guess but much slower than before. I'm still losing--both weight and inches-- but it's slowed down quite a bit these last few months. Right after surgery I was losing upwards of 40 lbs a month, which then slowed to 20 lbs a month, and then 10 each month. But now it's taken me almost 2 months to lose 10 lbs.

I'm not complaining, I swear! In fact, I'm about to where I want to be so it's time to start thinking about stabilizing and learning how to maintain my weight. I am guessing that will be the major topic of conversation at my 1 year post-op doctor appointment on October 7th.

In the meantime I have an appointment on Aug. 24th with the general surgeon that helped to spur this whole thing. I plan to have her evaluate how the tumors in my abdomen are doing and see if we should still wait a year before we take them out. And see if she even thinks we *should* still take them out. I'll be sure to let y'all know. :)

Month 10 Stats:

Weight - 150
Bust - 36.75"
Waist - 33"
Hips - 42.5"
Thigh - 20"
Arm - 10.75"

Just showing off....

I had to take a minute and show off my new wedding/anniversary ring. After losing all of this weight, my original wedding ring from 15 years ago was 4+ sizes too big so it was time to get a new one. Plus it is a congratulatory gift for losing weight and getting my Master's degree, a birthday gift, and a 15th anniversary gift.

Matt and I chose a 3-stonte style with an emerald in the center to represent Halen (she was born May 6).

A huge thank you to Daniel (a former student) at American Jewelry Company in Mt. Juliet for helping us construct the perfect ring!

From 14 to 3

I thought I would share with y'all the goals that I have achieved so far. There are 11 of them; only 3 to go!

To be smaller around than I am tall
Look down and see my feet
walk into Victoria's Secret and feel like it's okay
Be able to shop in Misses section instead of the Plus Size section
TO SIT IN A AIRPLANE SEAT AND NOT HAVE TO USE AN EXTENSION
Fit comfortably in any seat I choose (lawnchair, movie theater, airplane etc.)
to fit in the auditorium seats at school
Cross my legs
to have a lap for my daughter to sit on
pick something up off the floor while I'm still sitting
To wear panties with a single digit size!

The 3 that I'd still like to achieve are:

to wear a real "little black dress"
to join a dance class
to sit on my husband's lap

Not gonna give up 'til these three happen!

It's time, it's time!

Here are the new measurements and pictures from the 13th.

Weight - 156

Bust - 36.75" - a loss of 9.75"

Waist - 33.25" - a loss of 9.75"

Hips - 43" - a loss of 23" <------ GO ME!! =)

Thigh - 20.75" - a loss of 8.25"

Arm - 11" - a loss of 6.5"

If you add up the total inches that I've lost it's 57.25". Isn't that amazing? To think that I've lost almost 60" - that's almost my height!

And check this out: did a little shopping the other day. Some clothes are size 12, some are size 10 and two tops are even a small. A SMALL!!! Can you believe it?!!?

Okay, picture time!

Let's backup

In order to really have this hit home, I need to back up a bit and give you some backstory.

My heaviest weight was 350. It was during the couple of years after finishing college and I just ballooned up. I have no idea why, but it happened. This is what I looked like then:

Not long after that, I realized that I needed to do something about all this weight, so I started working out in our basement. At the time, I weighed 308. Matt helped me set some rewards for every 50 lbs that I lost: a night at a B&B for 258, Disney World for 208, and a cruise for 158. And then Daddy got leukemia and I put some of the weight back on. By the time his funeral rolled around, I was back up to over 280.

A couple of months after the school year started that fall (2001), I went to LA Weight Loss and signed up for thier year-long program. I did a great job on LAWL, losing 100 lbs in 41 weeks. I weighed 181 and I felt wonderful! I was only 25 lbs away from my goal of 158.

I was cute....and I got pregnant. During my pregnancy with Halen, I managed to put 80 lbs back on by eating ice cream every day between school and my homebound student. By the time I gave birth (via a c-section), I weighed 260 again.

Six years later, here I sit FINALLY weighing 158!

I can't believe it's actually happened. Better yet, I'm not finished losing weight so what I thought was my ultimate goal has become another stepping stone. When I am finished, I will weigh between 130 and 140 lbs. My smallest ever!

Car 54 where are you?

Okay so I know this has nothing to do with a car, but it does have to do with 54....cause that's how many inches I've lost so far! Hehehe, I'm so funny. =)

Here are the new stats and pictures.

BEFORE NOW

weight 288 163

bust 46.5" 37"

waist 43" 34"

hips 66" 45" (GOAL MET!)

thigh 29" 21" (GOAL BEAT!)

arm 17.5" 11"

BMI 52.7 29.8 (see previous post)

As you can see, I have met two "inches" goals that I set for myself pre-surgery. I lack 4" to meet my waist goal and only 1" to meet my bust goal.

And now the pictures; enjoy!

And now for something really cool. We took these pictures of me in my best black dress just a couple of months after surgery. Now that I have a new black dress (and since Halen wanted me to use that for my picture this month), I did a side-by-side comparison. It will blow you away!

What'd I tell ya!?

Double post alert!

Sorry about the double post but this is SO WORTH IT!! I just plugged my new weight into the BMI calculator over at obesityhelp.com and this is what it said:

You have a BMI of 29.8.This shows that you are moderately overweight.
Your BMI is not high enough to qualify you for bariatric surgery.

When I started on this journey my BMI was 52.6.

WOW Y'ALL!!!!

Cool things!

Weighed in today - 163!! This weekend marks 8 months so be on the lookout for new pictures and measurements.

I had three very cool things happen in the last few days; two of them at a wedding last weekend and one yesterday. Okay, the last one isn't as cool as the others but it is a realization I've come to. But first thing's first...

The wedding we went to was held at Two Rivers Mansion here in Nashville. It's a gorgeous old home with high ceilings and the like. One of the rooms had a huge mirror in it; I'm talking at least 15 feet tall. When I walked by, I surprised myself myself. Not because I didn't know it was a mirror but rather because I didn't know it was me. That's when I realized that I'm thinner than I thought. So that's cool thing #1.

Number 2 - Halen was able to wrap her legs around me for the first time ever! Told ya it was cool!! We were on the dance floor at the wedding and she wrapped her legs around me above the waist. She wasn't able to cross them at the ankle or anything like that, but her feet did touch eachother while they were back there. We just looked at eachother and she had this WOW look on her face. Yes, friends, very cool!

So now for the realization. People keep asking me "Are you serious?" when I tell them that I can't just look down and see the weight loss. Finally it hit me - my view hasn't changed. From the top down I look the same as I always have. Now if I look to the side at my shoulders or in a mirror then I can see it. But just looking down, I still see what I've seen for 20 years now. I just thought it was neat that I figured this out. =)

Alright, see you in a couple of days with new pictures and measurements!

I've lost a Shareeda!

Now before you go asking, "What's a Shareeda?" allow me to tell you.

This is Shareeda:

She is a good friend and she weighs 123 lbs. It's been a joke between us for some time now that I couldn't wait to lose as much as she weighs. Well, it's happened! I have lost a Shareeda! We are hoping to take pictures of us together soon.

New Weight

I weighed in this morning at 167, which is 121 pounds lost! Woot!!

More importantly, that puts me only 9 lbs away from my long-standing goal of 158. Of course, now that I'm this close I want to get under 150 and never go back, but I still can't wait to hit that 158 number that I've been after for so long.

Wish me luck!

Forgot again!

I forgot to post my new measurements and weight last week when I hit the 7 month mark. So, even though they are a week late, here is the information.

Weight - 172
Bust - 38.25"
Waist - 35.25"
Hips - 47"
Thigh - 22.75"
Arm - 11"

And since I haven't added things up in a few months, here's where I started:

Weight - 288
Bust - 46.50"
Waist - 43"
Hips - 66"
Thigh - 29"
Arm - 17.50"


Are you ready for me to tell you how many inches I've lost in the past 7 months?

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.

.

.

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47.75" !!! How amazing is that? Almost 50" worth of unwanted fat, GONE!
And here are the pictures to prove it!

GOAL ACHIEVED!!

I know it's been a while since the last posting, sorry about that. As busy as this week is going to be, I had to get on and let you know that I have achieved one of my weight loss goals. You might be thinking, "But Marcie, you've achieved LOTS of goals already." While this is true, today is the first time that I have hit a weight mark by the day that I wanted to. When I went back to Dr. Lynch on April 8th, I wanted to weigh 180 but I missed it by 3 lbs. Today I'm actually ahead!

I wanted to weigh 175 by the time prom/graduating with my Master's came along. Both of these events will occur this coming Saturday, May 8th. Well, I hit 174 today! Not only am I ecstatic about lost 114 lbs in the past 7 months, but I'm super happy about hitting this goal.

Also, while I have your attention, let me show off some of Halen's b-day pictures. My baby girl is turning 6 in just two more days. I hope you enjoy her pictures!

Guess what day it is?!!?

That's right - it's the 13th! New picture time!! This time, Halen wanted to take them outside so that's what we did.

We also took new measurements like always. Here's the new info:

Bust - 38 1/2"

Waist - 35 1/4"

Hips - 50"

Thigh - 23"

Arm - 12"

Stats

So, check this out. Every time that a patient weighs in with the surgeon's office, we get a print out. The print out comes from a fancy schmancy scale that is called a body composition analyzer.

Here's all the stuff it lists:

body type, gender, age and height
weight, BMI, and BMR
impedance, fat %, fat mass
FFM and TBW

Then it goes to say what the desirable range of fat % and fat mass is, which for me is 21 - 33% and 30.5 - 56.5 respectively.

So here is what my printout says from today's (6 months out) visit:

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 183.0 (WOOHOO!)
BMI: 33.5
Fat %: 37.3 (almost there)
Fat Mass: 68.5 lbs (13 lbs of fat to go!)
FFM (fat free mass): 114.5 lbs
TBW (total body water): 84.0 lbs

As a point of reference, here are the numbers from my first print0ut from Aug. 2009

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 288
BMI: 51.8
Fat %: 53.0
Fat Mass: 150 lbs (Whoa!)
FFM: 133 lbs
TBW: 97.5 lbs

As you can tell, my appointment today went great and I'm down a total of 105 lbs! Look for new pictures next Tuesday!

New Pictures!

I know, I know, today isn't the 13th but we took some Easter pictures this morning and I wanted to share them with you.

Enjoy! =)

BINGO!!

It has finally happened! I have hit 100 lbs with my weight loss. And I hit it right on the nose! I weighed in on Thursday at 188, which is exactly 100 lbs from my pre-surgery weight.

Let me also tell you that I went to a Zumba class yesterday. This is a fitness "craze" that has been sweeping the nation and it has finally come to Lebanon, TN. It was so much fun! If you don't know what Zumba is (and if you don't want to click above), it's a fitness class, usually one hour in length, that uses latin dancing to help tone the body. It's all about having fun; in fact, our instructor kept saying, "If you aren't having fun, it isn't Zumba!" Their tag line is "Ditch the workout, Join the Party!" Who doesn't love a tag line like that?!?!

Just a short ten days from now will be my six-month anniversary (what some people call surgiversary), so look for more pictures to be coming then. In the meantime, I have my official 6 month post-op appointment with Dr. Lynch next Thursday the 8th.

Things....

So I realized the other day that I hadn't posted anything in a while, but that's because there isn't much to tell you, really.

As of last week I weigh 191 but I'm weiging in again in the morning so I'll have a new weight then. I should hit 100 lbs this week and I'm very excited about that! What is it about that nice, round number that means so much more than 98 or 99 lbs? Something to think about...

My class had Special Olympics today, which was fun. I was able to see a few people that I hadn't seen since in-services this past summer; it's always neat to see people's reactions to my weight loss. It makes me happy. =)

I plan to make a post tomorrow night after I weigh in. Wish me luck!

My favorite day of the month!

As promised, here are the pictures that were taken this morning.

And rather than post my new measurements I thought I'd share how much I've lost in each area.

Bust: 7.25"
Waist: 7"
Hips: 15.75"
Thigh: 6"
Upper Arm: 4.5"

That's a total of 40 and a half inches! WHAT?!?!?!

That's more inches than Halen is tall!

My BMI has dropped from 52.5 to 35.5, which puts me in the regular obese category instead of the morbidly obese category. When I get to a BMI of 25, I'll be only overweight instead of obese. Sweet!

Okay, first thing's first: my new weight is 194! I have lost 94 lbs so far, meaning I need to lose only 6 more before going back to Dr. Lynch on April 8th.

I'm so there!

I also wanted to share some of my goals with you guys. I've written them in my journal and now I'm going to tell y'all.

188 by March 20th
180 by April 8th
175 by May 8th

So there you have it. By the time I graduate with my Master's Degree on May 8th, I want to weigh 175. If I can do it then that'll be 113 lbs lost in 7 months, which exceeds any pre-surgery expectations that I had.

By the way, did you know that your feet shrink when you lose weight? It's true! I've gone down over a full size in my shoes since the surgery. I now wear a size 7 shoe. I'm also down to an 18 pant/skirt, and an XL top - sometimes even a L.

Before I go, just a reminder that this Saturday is the 13th, which is picture and measurement day. Keep on the lookout for that info to be posted on Saturday!

I Made It!!

It has finally happened - I hit 198 at this morning's weigh-in!

I am so proud of myself to have dropped below 200 once again. This time, though, it's for good. I will never see 200 again. In fact, I plan to get below 150 and then never see that number again.

Going through this process has taught me so much. One of these many things is that I can help to control my weight by what I eat and how much I exercise. So, I know that once I'm below 150, I can keep it there by my actions. If I start creeping back up to 148 or something like that, then I will need to adjust my habits to bring that number back down. It's all up to me and the choices that I make.

Keep an eye out for new pictures coming on 3/13, which will mark 5 months since my surgery.

So Close!

I am so close to weighing under 200 lbs that it is killing me! Well, not actually of course but it is helping to motivate me so that I can see that 1 in front when I weigh in this coming Thursday.

Last week I weighed 202, so I know that to weight at least 199 is in sight. I can't wait!!

The 13th

Since my surgery was on October 13th (making today 4 months), we take my picture and do measurements each month on the same day. Today I decided to be brave and I'm going to post my measurements here on the blog. Some might think I'm nuts, but I'm just very proud of myself and happy with the results. I have listed the before measurement first, with the after following it.

Bust 46.5" 39.5"

Waist 43" 36.5"

Hips 66" 53"

Thigh 29" 26.5"

Arms 17" 13.5"

These new measurements give me a total loss of 33" overall! That's almost as tall as my daughter, Halen. So here I sit, 80 lbs and 33" gone - forever!

Here are the new pictures from today!

24 lbs to go!

I happily weigh 212 right now, which is 76 lbs lost putting me at only 24 lbs to go before I hit 100 lbs. I have a goal to hit 100 lbs by the time I go back to the surgeon on April 8th. I can do this! Wish me luck!!

On a side note, I went to a convention last weekend and met some great new friends. Here are some pictures!

Weigh down

Went to the doctor today for some blood work and a weigh-in. I'm down another 4 lbs from the post I did last week. Here's where I stand:

<---------pre-op weight: 288
current weight: 220 ---------->

That's a total loss of 68 lbs since the beginning of October! I'm so pleased with the way everything has gone. Not to say that there haven't been some times where I didn't think "What have I done?", but those moments have not come as often as I thought they might. People ask me all the time if I miss eating candy and things of that nature. Again, it's not that I don't miss it...it's not that I don't WANT some but it's not worth it anymore. Getting sick, having to be in the bathroom for several hours straight, being nauseous...it's just not worth it to me.

They say 90% of anything is a mind set and for now, I'm set on eating what I should, staying away from what I shouldn't, and learning about a new way to live.

EAT TO LIVE, not LIVE TO EAT!!

two years?!?!

So I created this blog back in March 2008 when I began LA Weight Loss for the 3rd time. That didn't go so well so I never even did a first post. But I'm here now and better than ever.

Gonna warn you now, this is gonna be a long one.

It seems like this journey started so long ago, and yet it didn't take much time for it all come together. Back when Halen was born - actually when she was two weeks old - we discovered that I had blood clots in my left leg. Part of the treatment for blood clots (or DVTs as they are known in the medical world) is to give Lovanox shots in the abdomen. These shots caused severe brusing - I'm talking black and dark purple - from hip to hip, but I had to give myself two shots every 12 hours to help the blood clot stabalize.

I remember the day that I did one of the shots and it stung; normally there is no pain because the needles are so small. And it wasn't long before there was a small knot forming where I had the stinging. Matt and I kept an eye on it for a while and it seemed that the knot was getting bigger. We spoke to one of my doctors about it and he agreed that the Lovanox had caused something to form and it was calcifying.

Over the next couple of years, a few more tumors developed and in the meantime I had a CT scan done to make sure that they were just calcified fat. The CT scan showed that they were lipomas (like we thought) and they weren't really causing any medical issues. Still, I wanted to see if a surgeon would be able to convince the insurance company to cover the removal of these things. Of course, they said no because it would be cosmetic.

Flash forward to July 2009. I'm getting my annual physical done and ask the doctor who delivered Halen if she thinks these things are bigger than they were last year. She says that she is certain they are bigger and recommends a general surgeon (as opposed to a plastic surgeon) here in town. When I went to see her she did a physical and said we basically have three options.

#1 - tumor removal which would even out the two sides of my abdomen but that's all

#2 - do a paniculectomy (to remove the entire fatty belly apron) but that's what they denied last time so it would probably be denied again

#3 - do a weight loss surgery and then she would remove the tumors (and extra skin) in a couple of years

Well if you are reading this, it's no surprise which one I chose: option #3. I'll put more details about the immediate process before surgery and the surgery itself in a future post. For now, I'm 3 months post op and down 64 lbs. I proudly weigh 224 instead of the 288 that I started at!