Losing Weight in the Summer is Hard

Okay, who am I kidding? For me, losing weight at any time of the year is hard. But I'm finding that when warm weather comes, so does lots of social occasions. And lots of drinking. I obviously need to come up with some less caloric beverage choices - I think my sweet tea vodka and lemonade is not a good choice.

This weekend, we had a neighborhood party on Saturday with lots of food (and lots of desserts!) and lots of drinks. And Sunday, it was a friend's 40th birthday. Her husband rented a limo to take us girls to a winery. It was soooo fun!

So - what's your favorite not so high in calories beverage of choice? I'd love to get some ideas!

First Weigh-in of Summer Challenge

I am ready for the challenge! I weighed myself yesterday (Tuesday) morning and here it is...



A bit depressing? Uh... yeah. AND I need a pedicure!

Summer Challenge 2010

I'm joining a summer weight loss challenge. This time, it's Summer Challenge 2010 at No more CHUNKY DUNKING, time to skinny dip!.

The sad part is at this time last year, I was at 197. And that is about 5 pounds lighter than I am now. So nothing has really changed in a year. Well, technically that's not true. I gained 16 pounds past that 197 and then lost 11 of that. Up and down... that's my life.

Yesterday I tried on a pair of capris that I bought a year or so ago. I've never worn them and there's been times I've tried them on and couldn't get them past my hips. Yesterday, I got them on, up and buttoned. They weren't pretty (I could not wear them in public with the way they looked). So that's my number 1 goal for the end of the summer... to be able to wear those pants and not be embarassed with the way they look. It would be extra nice if they were a little big.

My other goals:

1 - Walk a 5K before the end of the challenge

2 - Get down into the 100's and stay there. No more 200's!

3 - This doesn't have anything to do with weightloss, but have fun with my kids this summer. I'm already dreading the "I'm bored, Mom! There's nothing to do!" I need to put together a list of things to do - fun, cheap things : ).

For some reason, I can't post the challenge logo... I'll try again later.

Back again...

I hate that I have not kept up with this blog. I started it to help myself... to write my feelings... and I could have used it in the past couple of months.

Gall bladder is completely healed and I feel good about it. I mentioned to my husband today that it doesn't even feel real that it happened. It was just a blip in my life. I haven't had any problems, thank goodness.

My weight loss journey continues. Finally, this week I tracked my food. I have not tracked since my gall bladder attack back on March 5th. Shame, shame. But I'm at about the same weight as I was then, so at least I haven't gained it all back, which would have been very easy to do. And I'm ready to continue on my journey now and hopefully start to lose weight again.

Recovery

My gall bladder came out on Thursday. It was successful and easy as far as surgeries go. I'm in a lot more pain than I thought I would be. I can't even imagine how horrible it would be to get this thing out the way they used to. Having it done laparoscopicly was bad enough. It's getting better every day, but I'm getting anxious about feeling like this. I can't lift anything; I can't sleep normally. It sucks.

Sabotage

I don't know what it is - or why it is - but I am trying to self destruct. I have not tracked since my gall bladder attack nearly 2 weeks ago. I have been eating way too much cereal and cookies. And it shows. I weighed in last night. I was up THREE pounds. That's right... three (actually, a little over). I am appalled with myself. I am disgusted. I am ready to get back on the weight watcher train and lose this weight.

Now... why do I think I've been acting this way? Seriously, in the thing that I call my mind, I believe I am acting this way so that I don't lose weight too quickly. Being the hypochondriac that I am, losing weight too quickly may indicate that you are sick. I know, it makes no sense. But honestly, it does make a little sense to me in the little warped world that I live in.

But I've had enough. I am going to track like crazy this week. I am going to follow the plan to a tee. I am going to lose some of the three pounds that I gained this week.

On a side note, I saw a surgeon yesterday and will have my gall bladder out sometime in the next three weeks. I am terrified. Please send me some reassuring words.

Still Heading in the Right Direction

I was amazed yesterday at weigh in to find out I had lost. "Only" .2 pounds, but I really thought this was going to be my first gain week. I had so much against me this week. I've been trying to be good, but hadn't tracked (at least written) since my ER visit on Saturday morning. And I figured with the medication, that might put me over. .2 - I'll take it. That puts me down 14.2 pounds in nine weeks. Slow and steady.

My doctor put me on predizone this week. I have some inflammation in my SI joint (basically, the joint that holds your tailbone to your hip) and aleve wasn't cutting it. I haven't been jittery or moody, which is sometimes a side effect, but I have been very restless at night. It's driving me crazy. I love to sleep and can't stand it when I can't do it. Hopefully this will be short lived.

Pain Like No Other

Friday was a fun night. A bunch of friends from my neighborhood got together and went to dinner. We hung out, ate and drank a few beers. My family had to leave to go to my oldest's basketball game. We stopped by a neighbor's house on the way home and had a glass or two of wine. When we got home, my husband and I watched Survivor. Just a fun Friday night.

Until... I started having horrible pains in my chest at about 11pm. We went to bed and I figured the pain would go away (I know... not smart). I woke up at about 1am and the pain was still horrible. I woke my husband up and told him something was seriously wrong and he needed to take me to the ER. We called a friend to take the kids and headed over. When we walked in, I told them I was having some chest pains... that gets you seen very quickly. The nurse was asking me my symptoms and said that it sounded like my gall bladder. Hmmm... that's actually what I suspected. That's also what I suspected here, when my doctor diagnosed heartburn. And after experiencing what I did on Friday night, I can say that what I experienced in February 2009 was definitely the same thing. I also had it in December 2004 when I was pregnant with my daughter.

They took some blood, gave me a pain killer (which helped A LOT) and zofran for the nausea (zofran is a wonder drug - that's what I took when I was pregnant with my youngest when I threw up all the time) and did an ultrasound. And all of that confirmed... gall bladder disease. I'm going to make an appointment with a surgeon. The one I saw back in October. At that time, the tests I had had done did not point to anything wrong with my gall bladder, other than the stones I the ultrasound I had last spring showed. He told me that it was up to me whether to have it out or not. Back then, I told myself that I wouldn't do anything until I had an attack. I just never thought it would happen so quickly.

Cleanse Information

I had a comment asking which cleanse I am trying. I am doing the Women’s Renew® Internal Cleansing System. The website is http://www.yerba.com/storefront/item.asp?id=78. I bought it at my local grocery store (in the natural foods section near the vitamins) and it was quite a bit cheaper than on this web site.

I did ask my doctor about it the other day. She thinks that cleanses are a bit pointless and you can get the same effects with more water and more fiber. I think doctors sometimes are not big on recommending things that are a little out of the ordinary. And I think cleases may fall in that category. So I'm going to keep doing it, at least for a few more weeks. I have more energy and feel like I am getting some toxins out of my body that have been there for a long time.

Cleanse

Have you ever done an internal cleanse? After hearing a friend talk about it, I decided to do it. I bought the cleanse that she recommended and started it last Sunday. You take three to five fiber pills twice a day, plus two herbal pills twice a day. I feel better already. I have more energy and feel like I am getting rid of toxins that have been in my body for a long while. I also lost 2.8 pounds this week, so that's a huge bonus.