3 Month Video Update

Finally got my 3 month video update posted to YouTube! Although my video was 14 minutes 50 seconds and it says it can be 15 mins, for some reason when it uploads it changes it to 20 minutes and rejects it. Weird. So I had to split it into two parts again.

Hope you enjoy :) I talk about my dr's visit (3 month checkup), how it's going for myself and my hubby, lots of random stuff.

3 Month Progress

Hey everybody! Well here I am with my 3 month update! Sorry, no video today... I am actually going to wait and post my video after we have our 3 month doctor's visit on Tuesday. But I have pictures and stats and other fun stuff to share!

Firstly let's get right to the good stuff!!

I feel like in all 3 views, I can SEE a lot more change this month. There's a reason for that too... I lost 18 inches off my body this month!!! Wow!! I see less belly, less butt, a little less arm fat (especially from the back, above the elbow), less chin, and look at how my stance has changed!! Wow. When I compare to the beginning, it's really nuts. Amazing what 65 pounds can do.

Here are my current stats...

Current weight: 245 lbs
Pounds lost this month: 15 lbs
Total pounds lost: 65 lbs
Inches lost this month: 18 inches
Total inches lost now: 49 inches
I usually eat: 4-6 meals per day, 3-5 ounces (volume, not weight)
I usually exercise: 3-6 times per week, 30-60 mins
Typical consumption: 800-1,000 calories, 80+ grams protein

See specific body measurements and more on my stats page.


Thoughts at 3 Months....

Life is so good. This feels easy. Yes it takes work but it's work I am more than willing to do. I feel deprived of nothing...although I am pretty low carb, I don't miss the stuff like I thought I would. I have not had potato, pasta, etc since surgery. I eat some bread, usually flat or thin, and some crackers. I still don't eat very many fruits and veggies but I do get some. As my volume increases, I will add in more produce.

Upping my protein intake from around 65 grams a day to around 85-95 grams a day seems to have made a big difference. I dropped a lot of weight right away but then went back to being slow - however, I lost 3 TIMES as many inches this month as I did last month. I think the protein is really helping with that.

Energy levels have wavered. This month I have been a little lower energy, and therefore also slacked a bit on my workouts the middle 2 weeks of the month. Everything seems back to normal now and worked out 5 days this week including a 4 mile hike yesterday.

I will try to think of even more things to talk about and include them in my upcoming video :)

Now for some more fun comparisons. If you missed it, I posted some real life comparison photos last week in this post.

This week I bought a new rain jacket from Eddie Bauer in a women's 2x (regular 2x, not plus 2x). The first photo is in my MEN'S 2X rain jacket last year, weighing 60 pounds more. Not the best comparison since the 1st one isn't full body but it's the best I had.

And here is a face comparison. The one on the left taken on my honeymoon about 300 lbs (not even my highest.) The one on the right taken yesterday at 245 lbs.

3 Months

Today is my official 3 months post-op :) I won't be able to take photos, video, measurements etc until tomorrow though, and we are planning to go hiking all day... so it might be tomorrow night or even Sunday before I post all the official 3 month stuff! Just FYI :)

NSV today

Had some NSV's at the chiropractor's office today. I went in for a decompression treatment. I lay on this table... and first of all it is so much easier to get up on it now. Also, before surgery, I couldn't see the fish:

Now I can easily see them when I am laying there! Matt and I were talking about it (that's him in the background) and he had some nice things to say. Check out my video!

Tacos!

Another thing to add to the list of things I've been eating.... tonight we made soft tacos!!

We used these Soft Taco sized (6") carb balance tortillas (Click image for more info):

We used 93/7 beef which is very lean.

We also used a packet of Ortega taco seasoning, some diced onions, and some light sour cream.

Bonus, we had some of these tasty beans on hand:

Old El Paso seasoned black beans. These are really tasty. I put just a little bit of that on there too.

And - of course! - some shredded cheese.

Ian also added some salsa to his:

They look big in the picture but they are small 6" tortillas and we didn't stuff them very full at all. I think it was about a 4oz meal. Very full! And certainly healthier than any fast-food or restaurant tacos! In the future we would add lettuce or tomato or other fillers but at this point we still can't eat that much so still staying focused on the protein. :)

Seeing the Difference

Yesterday the hubby and I want to the Colorado Railroad Museum... we walked around outside for a few hours taking photos of all the old trains. And each other! I was really pleasantly surprised by the pics. He took a few of me and some were full body and I was able to really see the difference of how far I've come.

I've taken the liberty of putting some older pics next to the new ones as a comparison.

Note: I am 12 weeks post op.

And a recent face pic:

I am feeling so great about the changes I can see!

Now some for my hubby, who is at 10 weeks post op.

12 Weeks & First Coffee

As of yesterday, I am 12 weeks post-op! Most important thing about that is... I can have coffee again!! Whooo hoooo!! This is a pic of me enjoying a dark cherry mocha frap yesterday at Starbucks with my friend Christine. It was good! :)

I definitely noticed it was sweeter than things I am used to now, so next time I might go for a plain coffee frap, or just ask for less syrup. I am so glad I didn't get whipped cream, I think it would have killed me lol.

In other news, my official weigh in at 12 weeks is:

247 pounds. Yay! I am happy with this. Total loss of 63 pounds at 12 weeks!! So happy that I keep going down. That's an overall average of 5.25 pounds per week. However, the speed really varies. Things picked up when I started my protein shakes and I went down 12 lbs in 2 weeks. I weighed in at 251 on the 1st so I guess it's been 4 pounds the last 2 weeks. I don't even care! Haha I'm just so happy that it keeps going down and I'm really in no rush. Also I really have not worked out other than about 1-2 days a week the past two weeks... life has just been SO busy! I am going to be getting back on the wagon this coming week for sure... and I'm having another yard sale tomorrow which is a lot of work so that will be good exercise too :)

I do kind of hope to get to 240 by our 3 month doctor's appointment which will be August 24th. If not, that's okay too, because hey I am happy! I truly have until Sept 10th to reach 240 in regards to my original goal. When I had surgery I thought, I would like to be 240 again (my typical low weight) by the time I go to my friend Stacey's wedding on September 10th. When I set that goal, I thought it was pretty unrealistic! I mean 70 lbs lost in 3 1/2 months? But look, I am only 7 pounds away and almost a month left to go :) That just feels awesome!!

My official 3 months is coming up on August 20th and I hope to be able to put together a slideshow of comparison photos (not the official ones, but the real-life photos) for 3 months - and plan to do the same at 6 months, 9 months, and a year :)

Life is good y'all!

For those of you who know April - She called me from Mexico yesterday to say she is doing well, surgery went great, and she is feeling good except for gas pains up in her shoulders - ouch. I will be able to see her on Monday when she gets home!