Dedication to Manda!

Well I would like to dedicate this post to my friend Manda!  Manda and I became friends through our Weightloss Surgery Support Group.  She is celebrating 1 year since her surgery today.  And on this, her surgiversary, she ran/walked a 5K race here in Windsor.  WAY TO GO MANDA!!!  She has lost over 200 pounds and is thrilled with her new lease on life. She has been an inspiration to many of us and we are blessed to have her as a friend!  Manda, you rock!  Thank you for inspiring us!  We will miss you as you move away this week, but we will always be your phat sistas!

Well, as I said on my last post, I joined the gym this week.  On Friday I decided to do the Body Pump class.  Actually, I decided to just WATCH it, but while I was standing at the doorway watching everyone get ready, this really sweet lady told me to come in and try it.  I didn't really want to when I saw all the barbells people were carrying to their spot.  Looked VERY intimidating.  But she talked me into it.  And she said I could set up next to her.  So she got all the gear and then proceeded to bring me to the front of the class! YIKES!  If any of you have done a body pump class, you know it takes a lot of coordination and you have to kinda know the moves ahead of time.  Well, I did it and stuck it out for the whole hour.  It was HARD work!  But I felt so good after.  Can't say the same about yesterday though... I was aching in places I didn't know I had places!  But no pain, no gain!  I plan to go back... early.... to get at the back of the class this time! haha

A few of my friends and I went to the states to go shopping yesterday at second hand clothing stores.  We all buy used clothing because there's no point in buying full price clothes right now, as the weight comes off pretty quickly in the first year.  We hit some stores that had 5 for $5 sales.  It was awesome!  I bought a couple pairs of jeans that are a size smaller than what I take now because, seriously, for a dollar, how can you go wrong!!

To update you on the Biotin that I told you about a few weeks ago (a vitamin that's supposed to help with hairloss, which is common after any major surgery, especially the one I had)..... don't waste your money!  The doctor and dietician told me that there's no medical evidence to show it works.  PLUS, the best things for hair (re)growth is protein and water.  I know this to be true because I have been taking the vitamins regularly now for a number of weeks, but it has not stopped the hairloss.  I could make a wig with all the hair I'm losing!  So I decided this week to cut my hair off.  I was sick of seeing long hair everywhere.  It's a big change, but it's fun to do something different.  And it takes a lot less longer to do my hair in the morning now!  (see picture above with me beside Manda for the new-do!)

I realized this week that my wrists have gotten smaller.  It's funny how you don't realize that the whole body loses weight - not just the tummy or butt.  I tried to get my fingers around my wrist this week, something I haven't been able to do in... hmmmm... I don't know if I've EVER been able to do that.  So that was kinda cool!

Well, it's my weekly weightloss update.  The scale is being mean again this week, but it's all okay!  I know I'm still losing inches.  A top that I wore yesterday is way too big now and it was just right a few weeks ago.  So this week I lost 1lb.  And I'm TOTALLY okay with that!  It's probably a change in my body too since I started working out this week and doing a lot of weight-lifting and toning.  Either way, it's all good!  I had someone tell me in church today that I look great.  My response was "and I feel even better than I look!"  This journey is about health and feeling good in my own skin.  It's also learning more about my way of dealing with things in a healthy manner instead of eating for comfort.  A lady in my support group said this week that she encountered a frustrating situation and in the past she would have gone right to the fridge to eat.  But now she has learned to channel that frustration into something healthy, so she went out to rake some leaves and clean up her yard.  That was a HUGE accomplishment!  Weight gain is all mental.  I would say, oh, 99% of overweight people are that way because we use food as an escape from something or TO something.  I'm learning to not USE food as a crutch.  I still have days where I struggle.  But being healthy feels a lot better than a Reese Peanut Butter Cup tastes!

Psalm 121 

1  I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    He will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Total Loss: 89lbs