Weigh In and Exercise Talk

Haven't posted a weigh in for a while since nothing much changed. Saw a new number this week so thought I would post it. I believe this weigh in was from Tuesday.

That's a loss of 101.4 lbs now. Things are creeping very slowly these days, but at least they aren't completely stopped. I've "only" lost 5 lbs in the last 2 months, but at least it's something and shows my lifestyle supports maintaining and even losing, instead of gaining. So I consider that a very good thing.

Last week I made an effort to get things moving by trying some classes at my gym. A water aerobics class and a step aerobics class. The water aerobics was not the low impact I was expecting - there was a lot of sprinting in the water, which I'm afraid is the reason my plantar fasciitis has flared up. I had NO foot pain the last SEVERAL months, and now it's back. My knee is also worse, which I think is due to the step aerobics.

I find this incredibly frustrating. My body and my spirit want to do these things. I am capable of them. But now I'm in so much more pain that this entire week I haven't done any workouts because I feel my body needs to recover.

So I guess next week it's back to Leslie Sansone videos, and I will start using the gym for regular swimming and for the ARC trainer again, as well as some weights and stretching. I was really excited about the classes - something new and different, keep my body guessing, lose more weight, thought it would be fun. But losing 100 lbs hasn't given me back a body that doesn't hurt, ya know? I guess I have to face that I can't always do what other people my weight would be able to do. I have things that are damaged and that damage is still there.

A little discouraging... but... I know I can do this. I just have to find things that work for me, even if they aren't necessarily new fun exciting things. :)

OMG

I went to a step aerobics class at my gym today. I thought it was geared toward beginners. I don't mean the intensity, but the level of how complicated the moves/combos are. It was SO tricky... I felt like an uncoordinated buffoon. It was also super hard for me cardio-wise... but if the moves had been a little easier I could have made it all the way through I think. I just got too tired to keep trying to figure it out, LOL!

I made it through 40 mins of the 1 hour class. I then spent 10 mins on the treadmill to cool down, gradually decreasing my speed, and then spent 10 mins stretching.

All in all it was definitely a fantastic workout!! That's my 3rd great workout this week and I plan to get in two more.

My Day in Pictures

After my morning workout (a Leslie Sansone video) I headed to my aunt's house and picked up frappucinos on the way :) Caramel brulee for me, peppermint Java Chip for her. Because I was asked on my other blog I'll just go ahead and specify that I drink a tall, yes I do finish it :) I can finish a larger one too, but i never order them. I have been given a grande by accident twice and can't stop myself from finishing it, so I always order a tall (which is the smallest). I drink them 2-4 times a week. They usually take place of a meal for me and I love them so it's something i won't give up :)

I went to my aunt's to see her completed Egypt & Jordan scrapbook. We spent long hours working on this the past few weeks. It came out GREAT!! She had it printed at Shutterfly and I think it's fantastic quality. I am definitely going to print my Alaska book this same way.

Things I've Been Eating

I haven't done one of these in a while! So here I am to share a few things I've been eating lately.

I've gotten really into Chobani greek yogurts. I love pretty much all the flavors. At 15 grams of protein, it is a great choice. I add some high protein granola for some crunch which also makes it more filling. Sometimes I throw some fresh fruit on top. LOVE these for breakfast.

This is the type of granola I use:

Here's another recent breakfast:

Egg beaters with onion and pepper, a thin slice of cheddar and half a whole wheat sandwich thin.

Yet another breakfast:

Peanut butter, banana and some of the same granola on a whole wheat sandwich thin.

Um apparently I take a lot of breakfast photos, cuz here's another one:

On egg over medium on 1/2 a sandwich thin plus a morningstar farms vegetarian sausage (which has 10g protein on its own). A 16g protein breakfast.

I still eat a lot of the Starbucks snack plates when I am out and about. The other day I was out and didn't have food with me, so I ended up going to Einstein's and got this:

It's a Tasty Turkey, which normally comes on an asiago bagel (I used to LOVE that, but I still haven't eaten a bagel post op)... I ordered it as a wrap and without all the veggies except the cucumber. I wanted room for more protein. I ate 1/2 of this as one meal and the other 1/2 about 3 hours later.

I want to make these at home. I have tortillas and turkey, as well as a cucumber I bought and sliced up:

I am planning to go buy their onion and chive cream cheese soon and then I'll be able to make these and they will be awesome :)

I've been eating a LOT of tuna lately, chili, and starting to eat some salads but keeping them very high protein. Putting tons of chicken, sometimes a hard boiled egg or some cheese, sometimes ham or turkey, and keeping the lettuce portion fairly small.

I'm almost 9 months post op. I still eat 5-6 meals per day and around 6-8 ounces. Sometimes less if it's solid protein only. I still do not drink with meals or for one hour after. I have still not touched soda. :)

The Arm Issue and Shopping

Losing 100 pounds has done a lot of awesome things for my body. But one NOT so awesome thing - my arms. I actually think they looked better when I was my heaviest LOL. I had no qualms about wearing tank tops when I was big. I had a 'get over it' attitude about things like that. But.... now? They are empty and saggy and wrinkly....and they don't match the rest of me. They don't go with my clothing size. The just don't look right.

They look totally fine when I hold my arm up and look from the side (lol):

And when I put them down, still not too bad. Bigger, but I could live with it:

But then there is the back view when they aren't against my body:

And the front view when they aren't against my body:

It's just not pretty. Some day, I deifnitely want plastics to correct this problem. I mean, I was happy in tank tops before and now I've lost 100 lbs and I'm not. It's not fair! When I get to my goal weight, I am definitely going to pursue plastics, at least for my arms. It's visible and I want to be able to wear summer clothing.

However, that is a long ways away. I will have to get through this summer with the arms I've got, and possibly another summer too. So I am starting to buy lightweight pieces I can wear on top of tank tops. It's a look I can make work for me, especially with the cute scarves I've been buying up lately.

Oh and if you're wondering, yes I know it isn't summer yet. But we had a string of 60 degree days this week that got me in the mood :)

Last week I bought this cream colored piece. It's very lightweight and so far looks great with everything. Doesn't hurt it looks like it could be crocheted, too :)

Today I got thise rose colored tank top, and I tried it on with the same piece. Quite happy with the combo.

I also found a cream colored cardigan today I fell in love with, and I already turned it into a bunch of outfits. This is the first one, a navy tank top with the cardigan and a scarf that has navy, cream, aqua and light blue.

I wore the cardigan and also brought all my new scarves in my purse when I went to Kohl's. I found a purple top and tried it on with my cardigan and another scarf and made this outfit:

Also have lots more outfits I made with the cardigan and scarves but those are all the ones I have photos of.

The other type of clothing i"m going for this time of year are very lightweight tops but with longer sleeves. Since I'm cooler now they should work for me even in the summer:

I am usually an advocate of "love your body the way it is"... so I have to admit I feel a little like a sellout for falling into the "I need to hide my arms" camp. But I feel it is justified with all the saggyness I am experiencing now. I will continue to do everyhting I can to tone up, and i know time will help as well, and possibly plastics someday. But for now I feel more comfortable if I hide them, and I think that's what is important. I want to feel confident and FEEL like I've lost as much weight as I have... and when my arms show I just feel self conscious. That's not what I deserve to feel with what I have accomplished. So, here's to new clothes that help me feel confident :)

My Day in Pictures

Breakfast :) Banana, peanut butter and granola on 1/2 a sandwich thin.

Worked on my Single Rib crochet square for my sampler blanket while I hung out with my mom.

Got this cute outfit at Old Navy! I got a bunch of cute scarves that I'm excited about.

Had coffee with my dad at Starbucks :)

Went into Kohl's and brought my cardigan and scarves in with me. Found a couple more cute tops to go with some of the scarves!

 

This is what I've decided to do so that you guys don't have to worry about following my other blog. I'll keep it going there like I have been, updating it on the go throughout my day and then combine everything here for y'all ;)

Girls Gone Snowshoeing

The weekend before last I went snowshoeing for the first time with my friends Sarah, Amber and Brandy. It was SUCH a blast!!! You can watch the entire slideshow below or you can visit the album yourself on Flickr by clicking here.

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.