Size 16 purple dress

So here I am, wearing a size 16 dress at the wedding of my friends Julie & Eric. I still can't believe it was a size 16. We got a full body shot of me, but since I am usually the photographer, I have no clue how to pose myself in pictures. And let's just say it is not flattering. I still have a goofy grin on my face in this one (I also can't smile normally in pics for some reason), I can live with sharing it. :)

Sweet 16...a different 16

You're not imagining things, I've posted this photo before, back when I had lost 16 pounds. As of today, I am now down 47 pounds! So close to the big 5-0! :) So why repost the Sweet 16 pic? Because I bought a dress for a wedding this weekend in a...get this...SIZE 16! I'm still in shock and convinced that because I bought it at Ross it was mismarked. But I tried on two more 16s and they fit too! Holy cow. I haven't worn a size 16 since I was 16 years old! I'm still wearing 18s and 20s during the week, but some of them are getting too big. Very exciting, but also hard to dress for work!

Another observation: people are nicer to me now that I've lost weight. I know some of this is just because they are happy for me and see my new confidence, but it's more than that. More on this later. I find it disturbing and don't want to concentrate on negative thoughts right now. I want to celebrate my size 16 dress! I'll post photos from the wedding.

42

Nope, it's not a dominoes game...it's the number of pounds I've lost in 10 weeks! Will blog more soon! Thanks for your support!

Not a Magic Pill

NPR did a story today on weight loss surgery, check it out: http://www.npr.org/2011/10/01/140803898/surgery-not-a-magic-pill-for-obese-patients?sc=fb&cc=fp.

Yep, this is what I've been saying. This surgery was not a magic pill. I still struggle and the journey hasn't always been easy. But I will say this. This morning I had to get up early and deliver flyers to a neighborhood for work. I walked for the better part of two hours. Before surgery, I would have been dripping with sweat and would have been COMPLETELY exhausted afterwards. Except for needing coffee, I was just fine after I finished my route today. And I probably mentioned this before, but my carpal tunnel seems to have disappeared, my knees and feet already feel better and I'm pretty sure my sleep apnea is disappearing too. I still snore, but apparently not as loudly. I know I'm sleeping better. Fortunately, I have not had any of the complications some of the folks in the story have and I hope that continues. My doctor told me that she has two sleeve patients who are always nauseous and getting sick and she thinks it's because they don't eat enough protein. I'm obsessed with protein. She thinks this is why I hardly ever get sick. I've really only gotten sick about 5 times or so...and it's usually because I ate one bite too many. I hope the good luck continues!

Weight loss update: 38 pounds down!

Smoke Signals

So for the last couple of weeks, I have been smelling/tasting "smoke" and couldn't figure out why. It's almost like I've been at a bar or tried to eat an ashtray at times. And I don't smoke or hang around people who smoke. It freaked me out at first because we're in an extreme drought in Central Texas and have had massive wildfires, so I walked around checking for fires for a few days.

Finally, I googled it...the most likely reasons are acid reflux and/or anemia. Apparently people who experience rapid weight loss experience this kind of reflux...instead of the usual reflux symptoms. Or they don't absorb nutrients as well and that causes a lack of iron, hence the anemia. I'll be asking my doctor about this for sure! There are also some scary things that people suggested, like brain tumors, MS, seizure disorders, stroke, migraine, etc. But then I found this post and decided I like this explanation the best:

Post Date: 3/17/10 4:57 am
Some American Indian tribes believe that when you smell smoke and nothing is burning it is because spirits from your family are close to you.  Sounds kind of comforting to me.

Maybe mom and dad are just sending me smoke signals, letting me know they're with me on this journey. The smoke smell had to be dad's idea. I do think of him every time I smell cigarette smoke. Good one, daddy.

bones

The following is a real text conversation I had with my sister tonight...
Me: I just rubbed my arm and felt bone. I can't stop rubbing it.
Jill: Ha ha ha ha
Me: There used to be fat there!
Jill: Your whole arm???
Me: No, just the bottom part near my hand. I can feel the line of the bone. Yay!
Jill: I think they call that a wrist! :)
Me: Omg, you're right! I'm laughing so hard right now. I seriously didn't know what to call it!

Speaking of wrists, my carpal tunnel is completely gone. No pain at all since surgery...and I was contemplating carpal tunnel surgery! I'm now at 36 pounds down! And I bought an XL t-shirt at the Journey concert in Dallas this weekend. Not a 2XL or  a 3XL, but an XL. And it fit...in fact, it might be too big soon.

XL

My sister just returned from a vacation to California where she bought me a t-shirt...one of those "girl cut," tight fitting t-shirts...and it's an XL. (Although I argue that you can call this tiny thing an XL, it looks like a 12 year old should wear it!) Before I could say anything, she said, "Don't worry, it'll fit you soon, I promise!" It'll be awhile and I still can't believe it will fit me, but I cannot wait to wear it. I took a photo of it next to one of my 3XL shirts I wear a lot. The green shirt was always big on me and not tight-fitting, but you can see what a big difference this will be when I get there. Wow, just wow.

Oh yeah! I've now lost 31 pounds since surgery!