It's Coming!!!

So, it's two days away...the 5K is this Saturday. I picked up my T-shirt, bib, and electronic chip thingy to put in my shoe to keep track of my time. Am I excited? Strangely, yes! Am I nervous? Oh, yeah. Especially since it's apparently supposed to rain. I didn't think about the elements affecting me reaching my goal. I'm sure I'll finish, and I'm not too worried about the length, but it's going to be hard. The first leg of it is a pretty steep hill, which I've been trying in vain to train for with some incline on the treadmill...but I'm sure it'll still kick my trash. As long as I do my best, that's all that can be expected, right? I'll post an update after the race, for sure!

In other news: looks like the weight loss plateau might be broken. Weighed in at 207 today! I don't know how that happened. I mean, I'm sure the scale at the gym isn't the most reliable thing, but still. It's weird to think that I'm only seven pounds away from "onederland"...pinch me, I must be dreaming!

I found an app for my phone that has really come in handy with my eating. It's from myfitnesspal.com, and it's really cool! You put in your height, weight, activity level, how much weight you want to lose and how quickly (1 pound a week, etc--be realistic!), and other information, and then it will tell you how many calories you should eat per day to reach that goal. Then, you can log every single thing you eat--like a food diary, but cooler because it already has a database of almost every food you can imagine, complete with the caloric total, fat content, protein, etc. You can even put in your exercise, and the app adds those calories that you burned to your total calories for the day, so you can eat more (if you want). Seriously, try it out!

It's actually really brought my attention to a few things I've been meaning to address. I wouldn't be completely honest here if I didn't admit to eating things that are FAR from appropriate for a post-bariatric surgery patient. I've been eating ice cream, chips, Cheetos, donuts, pop tarts...I mean, that's not ALL I eat, but I've been letting myself indulge a lot more than I really should. Granted, I can't gorge myself on these things, but having two pop tarts for breakfast is not nearly as good as some Greek yogurt and a banana, you know? So keeping track of these things on My Fitness Pal has helped me see that, while I'm not really having a problem staying under my caloric goal, the fat and/or sugar content of what I've been eating could--and should!--be better.  Of course, I have good days and bad days, as do we all. But it's helping me resolve to be better.

Oh, and I put on some pants for work yesterday morning, pants that I bought in October and already had my mom take in on the sides over Christmas break, and...yeah, they're totally too big. The crotch was hanging down about mid-thigh. I think my weight has been redistributing itself, even though my weight hasn't changed a ton over the past couple months. I'll take it :)

Run today

Just an update on my goal that I posted yesterday.

I had to take an extra-long lunch today due to office time constraints, so I decided to do a full 5K and see how long it took me. That way, I would know how much work I have to do in order to beat my 2005 time :)

I am pleased to say that I did the full 5K in just under 39 minutes (38:57 or 8, to be exact)!

Granted, that was on a treadmill, so I didn't have the difficulty of elevation changes added in, but I think that's pretty stinkin' good. That time included a warm-up of 6 minutes at 4.0 mph, then alternating periods of 5 minutes at 5.5 mph followed by 3 minutes at 4.0 mph (so running for 5 minutes, walking for 3). I'm sure that I'll finish up with a good run/sprint at the end of the actual 5K--or at least, that's what I'm planning to do. I think I can shave off 2 minutes in the next three weeks, don't you? :)

The Latest

I'm sure people get tired of hearing about what's going on with my weight loss, but you know, this blog is more for me than anybody else, so I'm not stopping anytime soon. I need this blog to look at where I've been, and I need to post pictures so I can truly appreciate how far I've come. Now that I put that out there, here's the latest in my life.

I'm still right around 212 as far as weight goes. I think I may have hit a weight-loss plateau, which honestly is all right with me. The weight is redistributing itself due to my exercise, I'm almost positive, because...guess what? I bought SIZE 12 PANTS. They were on clearance at Kohl's, and they fit great. Here's a couple of pictures of my outfit today:

And that's a size L top that I also got on clearance. If I didn't have such a saggy midsection and therefore prefer a little baggier of a shirt, I may have even gotten an M. That is just WEIRD.

Do I like running yet? Nope. I mean, I feel good when I'm done with it, but I still have a hard time getting through the whole workout. My right hip has been hurting a little bit after each run (I do it 2-3 times a week), so I wonder if my running gait needs correcting. I should go to a running shoe store and see if they can help.

Up until now, my goal as it relates to the 5K has been to finish in less than 40 minutes. Actually, you know what? I did a 5K back in 2005. I was 23 years old and in some of the best shape of my life back then. I just looked up my time for that race, and it was 37:14. New goal? Beat that time. I want to finish this 5K in 37 minutes or less. I can do it.

Side note: I went with my family to a Brazilian Steakhouse on Monday, can you believe it? It's an all-you-can-eat buffet with loads and loads of some of the tastiest meat you will ever eat. They let me pay the child's price and I had everything from garlic sirloin to linguiça to filet mignon to pao de queijo. It was SO GOOD. And I didn't even overeat. I knew my limits and I kept to them. It sure felt good, though. I love me some Brazilian meats.

Another "Anniversary"

I know lately all I've been posting about is how "it's been a year since such-and-such happened," so please forgive me if I do one more. This is an anniversary that I really don't want to commemorate, but yet I can't help but look back. It was a year ago today that I was lying in bed, going through some of the absolute worst pain of my LIFE (and that includes childbirth). Little did I know that I'd be having another surgery the next day and stay in the hospital for another week. I just re-read my post about that experience, and it brought back a flood of memories about that whole ordeal. My goodness. 

Now, here it is, one year later. I was 365 the day I had surgery, and today I'm about 212. I can eat a lot of things now--portions are still small, of course, and I'm still sensitive to certain foods, but I am so much better off than I was back then. I was one sick woman that day. Now? I'm in a little bit of pain today because of my workout regimen (running is HARD!), but it's a good pain. I almost feel like I can take on the world. What a difference. 

Oh, and I also wanted to post this little picture of flowers, a teddy bear, and chocolates that my husband sent me for Valentines Day yesterday. He even made sure to get me a small box of chocolates because he knows my limits, but yet I can still (slightly) indulge. We had a nice, quiet little evening last night, and we made sure to avoid Café Rio, which was what we had last Valentines Day (and may have contributed to the whole ordeal--I guess we'll never know). Anyway. Yeah.

Exercise!

I'm still training for that 5K! I'm doing this Couch-to-5K plan my sister found online, and it's going pretty well. I discovered today that having a good playlist helps a LOT when it comes to running. If I don't have music in which I can lose myself, I find myself watching the clock and it's so hard to keep moving. Today I ran for 90 seconds, walked 90, ran for 3 minutes, then walked 3 minutes, and I did that cycle twice. Really broke a sweat, which was lovely for the rest of my work day, right? 

Some pictures: 

Look look look! See those baby hairs? That's my hair growing back! As annoying as it is to have these little hairs all over my scalp, I am SO EXCITED to have my thick hair back :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my pseudo-birthday today. One year ago at almost this exact time, I was slowly coming out of anesthesia and waking up in a recovery room, after having had my initial Roux-en-Y surgery. It's been a crazy year since then, but one that has made me who I am today. I've had another surgery, a week-long hospital stay, two endoscopies, lost over 200 pounds, gotten a new job, and discovered a whole new perspective on life.  I honestly don't know that I would change a thing.

One Year Ago...

This day last year was a really hard day for me...it was the day I was originally supposed to have my surgery, but it got postponed. What emotions ran through me that day! How little did I know of what I would look like and who I would be just one year later!

I did it, guys. I have officially lost over HALF my body weight. I weighed in at 217 at the doctor's office today, so I'm down a total of 220 pounds from my highest ever (Nov 2010). I'm guessing you want to see a picture...

 Yes, I think I need new jeans.

I had my annual check-up with my surgeon today, even though it's a little early since my actual surgery date. I'm no longer obese! I'm now officially simply "overweight." I don't think I've ever been happier to be called overweight. The doctor asked me what my goal weight was, and I said around 190. He said that's a good goal, that I should be able to get there if I continue the way I'm going. I'm only 27 pounds away! I can do that, right? Blood levels were good, BP was normal...I can't even believe it. I don't recognize myself in pictures. I really don't. It's weird.

The doctor also asked me today about skin removal. Not that he was encouraging it, but just letting me know that it's an option if I want it. I will spare you a picture of my saggy tummy, but here's a lovely picture of my arms right now:

I don't think they're that bad...I'm going to keep doing some strength training and see how much I can tone them up. Maybe in a few years.

My sister and I have decided to run a 5K in March. It's going to be awesome. I don't love running and I'm not sure that I ever will, but I do have a life goal to run a marathon someday (hey, Biggest Loser people can do it, so why not me?), and this is one step closer to it. Wish me luck!

Thanks for your support, everyone!