FINALLY!!!

One of my favorite artists is coming to town in July!!! Amos Lee will be in Louisville on July 23rd. It is the day I get back from Colombia, and my friend Michelle and I got tickets. I can't wait to see him in concert. He is such a phenomenal singer and songwriter.

New PCP

Well, I interviewed my new PCP, and she is an excellent choice. I was very impressed with her knowledge of my surgery and bloodwork needed for a DSer. I started in with my story to her, then began explaining my vitamin routine. She asked if I was a medical professional for work! I said that I was not, but I believe it is critical for every patient to know as much as they can about any condition that they have. She took EIGHT tubes of blood for testing. I go back to see her in the next month.

Last Post of the Morning!

There were four things I wanted to accomplish this summer. These were things that previously my weight would have been a severe hindrance or impossibility to do the task.

1. Skydiving (May 24, 2008) DONE
2. Horseback Riding (Scheduled for July 25, 2008)
3. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
4. Go Whitewater Rafting

I have got to get the last two things scheduled before the summer is over! This summer is about breaking out of boundaries that I have once been tied down to. :)

Tiny Motivators from Back in Skinny Jeans

I think we often spend more time planning, and not enough time doing. Then, when I actually start to do something, I get upset because it is not going perfectly like I had invisioned in my head. I need to go ahead and do things instead of waiting for some ideal circumstance or time.



With the mental struggles regarding my weight/body image, this quote really hits home to me. I need to find the balance between high standards, yet realize that I am never going to reach perfection. I remember a quote by Salvador Dali that said, "Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it." For some time that quote was on my scale as a reminder that a perfect life doesn't start when you reach a number on the scale.

Possibly New PCP

I'm going today to interview a new PCP. This lady came highly recommended as being one of the best at monitoring bloodwork. As a DSer, this is something that I really need. I am hoping that she knows of my surgery, etc as well. I am hoping this lady is a winner, but I truly do need to be very picky, as I have to be the one who is proactive about my health.

This morning I am going to work in my classroom. It is so slow right now, and it is hard to see progress. I know it will look the way I want it to, but getting it to that point is going to take some doing.



We had our KADS meeting yesterday. It was good to be with the group. I am posting a picture of Ken and I. It is so weird, because I look so thin and healthy, but yet I don't see myself that way.

Friday Night

Last night Ben and I went to see Shakespeare in the Park, Julius Caesar. I made us a picnic dinner, and fun was in. He is very affectionate with me, which I really like. We were going to take a walk down by the river, but the weather was looking like it might turn bad. Instead, we went back to his place, and he showed me his pictures from the Holy Lands. Those pictures really made me want to go even more so!

This morning, I drove him to the airport so he could go back home to see his new nephew. Since I had some time to spare, we sat and talked for about an hour and a half before he had to leave for his flight. We got a lady sitting nearby us to take our picture together. That is our first picture together. I will post it when he gets back from North Carolina, since he is using my camera to take pictures of his new nephew.

My friend Wendy loaned me Skinny B*tch. I have been meaning to read this book for some time to see what all the buzz is about. It looks to be a very quick read. I will be posting my thoughts on the book soon.

Just Because It is There...

I've gotten so much better at not eating things simply "because they are there." Today, though I ate a lemon bar. Do I even like lemon bars....um not so much? Why did I waste my carbs on something that I don't like? Ridiculous. Behavior. That. Must. Be. Stopped.

So, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "It's no big deal, it was just one lemon bar." Yeah, that is true, but if I don't watch things, this is a behavior I could easily resort back to, and I don't want to do that. It wasn't one thing that got me fat, it was a series of small stupid choices that I made repeatedly. If I let my mind fool me into thinking that this one thing doesn't matter, then I will think that gaining five pounds is acceptable, and going back up a size in jeans is fine too.

Ok, I'm officially off my soapbox and going to bed now.

Goodbye to Some Great Friends

It has been such a priviledge to work with Vicki, Donna, and Mary. They are so talented, and I have learned so much from them! Today was a sad day, since we will not be working together anymore. I am thankful they were a part of my life for a season.

Trying to Help Someone Who Was Hurting

I presented at a conference today. One of the coaches at a school I used to work at saw me, and congratulated me on my weight loss. She had lap-band three years prior. She asked what size I wore, and I told her 10. After lunch, she came up and asked to talk with me.

I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and it broke my heart. She started talking about how successful I had been with my surgery, and how at three years out, she still is twenty pounds from goal. I whipped out my calculator on my cell phone, and pointed out to her that she had lost 87.7% of her excess weight. Then I also mentioned how many lap-band patients gain a significant portion of their weight back, and here at three years out she had not. She said she had all these skin issues, so I pulled her in the bathroom before my session started and I showed her mine.

I think in the end, she walked away comforted, and feeling better about her accomplishments. This losing weight and maintaining weight is a tough, tough battle....lets be gentle towards one another guys.

15 Months Post Op

I think for the rest of my life I will always stop and reflect on the 26th of each month. That was the day that I had my DS. So much has changed in my life since I have had it. I will always be greatful for being able to have the DS, and regain LIFE in a way that I had never known it for 27 years.

This morning I weighed in at 167. I am down eight pounds for this month. This puts me at a 93% excess weight lost. I have lost a total percentage of 57.5% of my weight since the day of my surgery.

It is wild to think that I have lost almost 60% of my body in fifteen months. Although I found a picture of myself with my class when I was unpacking the other day, and boy was I ever huge. I wonder how I did anything in life being that size.

Something cool that happened this month was breaking into size 10! I have bought a skirt, dress, and a few pairs of pants in this size. What is amazing about this is that getting into a size 10 was back to school goal. By reaching this goal midway through summer, I hope to be universally in a size 10, and would love if I could possibly have broken into a few size 8's. (Wow...I would have never thought 15 months ago that I could possibly be on the brink of going into a SINGLE DIGIT clothing size.)

8 pounds until a normal BMI!

17 pounds until goal!!!