30kg Down & I am Over the Moon....So Why Do I Still Feel Like a Fatty?

 Today, I am a woman of two minds...or maybe nine minds, I am not even sure anymore. I have so much to tell you in this post, so please do excuse me if I jump around or skim over a few things. I realise that you have better things to do than sitting on your phone, tablet, laptop or PC reading my many thoughts and experiences. Though saying that,  I totally see why you would love reading me blog ;)

 

Ok! So as you know I ran away from Perth and flew over to Melbourne last week. I had just under a week on the other side of Australia, visiting my friends, going to the Melbourne Cup, going to wine tasting festival in Geelong, shopping and drinking cocktails. It was a perfect week away and it started that way as I sat in my aeroplane seat prior to departure. Guess who fits in the chair with room to spare? Yep! I do! No longer do I have to place my jumper over my seatbelt so no one sees how tight the belt is around my belly. Now I have lots of extra room in seatbelt and the tray table does not rest on my thighs when I put it down to hold my cup. This may sound stupid, but can you imagine how excited you would feel if the airlines suddenly increased the size of seats on their flights? This is kind of how I felt, but alas no, it was all me!!!

 

While shopping in Melbourne I bought a little bit more than I was supposed to but in my defence it was mostly on sale (5 pairs of shoes, 3 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 handbags, fascinator, 2 flower headpieces, necklace, seaweed natural snacks, nori, salad oils, dukkahs, body cream and bath salts). The most exciting thing was that I was trying on size 14 dresses! Me! Yes! Size 14! Hilariously, my friend overheard me singing "I love you size 14, I love you size 14 so much, I love you", while I was twirling around in the change room area. It has been a very long time since I have work size 14 anything...this is the lightest I have been in almost ten years!

 

During my holiday, it did become more apparent that I may need to bring forward my six month blood tests and medical check-up with Dr Armstrong. I am not concerned about this as I am now 16 weeks post op, so I feel like the only significant change between now and in another two months will be on the scales. The main issues I am dealing with at the moment is that I have huge bruises all over my legs, but I can't recall ever hitting any furniture etc to cause them. Since speaking to a few pharmacists and checking online, I can see that this is likely a result of my iron levels being low. Luckily I  can supplement iron via a liquid that needs to taken multiple times a day, for a few weeks. I shall keep you posted on the progress of my legs! Of slightly more concern is that I fainted for the second time at Melbourne cup (first time was at an event about a month ago). Now before you start thinking that I drank too much alcohol and was intoxicated, this happened at the start of the day and I had not been drinking! All of a sudden, I feel woozy, my face goes white, my vision starts to blur significantly and I hear loud ringing in my ears. It is pretty terrible and I know I was lucky to have my friends with me when this happened. This episode lasts for about 20 minutes and then I slowly recover over the next 10 minutes. Again, research indicates that I am becoming hypogylsemic, which is very common after VSG surgery. As I have reduced the amount of food and sugar which I consume, my blood sugar level is dropping significantly at random times causing me to get faint. Unfortunately, there is nothing which I can consume to prevent this from happening, so I am going to have to ensure that I never miss a meal/snack and that I carry sugar cubes in my purse in case of emergencies. Let's see how I go with that ;)

 

So I have posted some pictures of my trip below for your amusement... before I start whinging.

 

 About To Go To Melbourne Cup! 

 

The Girls and I :)

 

Lauren and I Sipping Cocktails at Siglo Bar

 

Do I Really Need to Explain? ...Shopping!



Maryanne, Lauren and I at Toast to Coast Wine Festival

 

Yes! I Had a Kid's Serve of Ice-cream... Don't Judge Me ;)

 

Fast forward! I am back in Perth and have been catching up with more friends who haven't seen me in a while. It is actually the funniest thing to see people do a "double take" when they see me. I have been told that the photos I post on this blog don't really give a great indication of what I am looking like, but I suspect that is because I am in my gym clothes for the blog updates - Who knows! This also happened in Melbourne when my friend couldn't find where I was sitting while I waited to meet her. Although I had seen her the night before, she obviously was looking for a girl who was considerably bigger than I was. People not being able to recognise me...certainly a nice problem to have!

 

So as of today, I only have another 23.2kg to lose before I reach my goal weight of 67kg! Strangely, my desired goal is slowly dropping down....so I wouldn't mind losing another 26.2kg to get me down to 64kg. Don't you think 64kg has a nice ring to it? Let's be honest, I will be happy with another 10kg drop....but bring on 64kg!!! ;) The annoying thing is that for some reason people think it is totally acceptable to ask personal questions which would not be appropriate even at the best of times. Why is it considered ok to continually ask me "how my skin is going", "if my skin is sagging", or "if I think I will need to have surgery to remove excess skin".....seriously? Why do people think it is fine to ask me "what my heaviest weight and skinniest weight has been as an adult"...what the? Let's be clear, these people are not even my close friends, they are random colleagues at work or from other social groups which I am part of. These people don't even know that I have had a VSG, they have simply noticed that I have lost a significant amount of weight recently. Grrrrrr! These questions just constantly remind me that I am always going to be a "fatty" of some type. Even if I lose all my weight I am always going to have to deal with any saggy skin and the emotional damage which has been done from being overweight/obese all my life.  As much as my confidence has grown in this process, I realise my confidence is still pretty low. Not quite sure how I will figure this out, but if anyone has any good tips or advice.....let me know!

 

Anyway, lots more to whinge about but I think I need to calm down a bit before I keep writing.

 

Time for bed...goodnight everyone xx



Halfway there and I got the Front Page!

I know I have been slack and not posting updates over the last few weeks and I am soooo sorry. My only excuse is that I am packing so much fun into my "new life", that it is harder to find the time to sit down and write an update. So although it appears like I am being naughty I am actually being good. I am getting everything out of each day, which is exactly what I signed up for when I signed up to have a sleeve. I am certainly getting my money's worth out of this surgery :)

 

So after reading the title of this post it will come as no shock to you that I am now officially half the halfway point!!! Yay me! Today I weighed in at 92.7kg which means I only have to lose another 25.7 kg until I get to goal of being 67kg (only). Then all my energy will be spent trying to maintain the weight, toning up and possibly getting to 64kg which I feel has a nice ring to it. "Hi, my name is Theresa and I weigh 64kg!" ....yep I like the sound of that! Who knows, maybe if I do get to 64kg I would actually introduce myself that way....hehehehe

 

So these last few weeks I have been running around like a headless chicken. I have documented my activities over the last week to give you an idea of my routine. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to get into as much exercise this week as I had so many presentations to attend, but I still got in some and that is all that matters.

 

Thursday: 8.30-6pm Work. 6.30-7.30pm Personal Training. 8pm-9pm Shopping for undies that fit!

Friday: 8-5pm Work. 5.30-7.30pm Coffee Catchup. 7:30-9pm Shopping for birthday pressie

Saturday: 9.30-10.30am Zumba. 10.30-12pm Coffee Catchup. 12.30-4pm Mani/Pedi. 4-12pm Friends birthday and stand-up comedy.

Sunday: 10am walk. 1pm-4pm Raw cooking class. 4.30-9.30pm Zouk dancing on the beach

Monday: 8-5pm Work. 5-7pm Go to Architecture Presentation on Project Planning. 7-9pm Choir

Tuesday: 8.30-5.30pm Work. 6-7pm Zumba. 7-9.30pm Zumba Halloween party!

Wednesday: 8-5pm Work. 5-7pm Go to Architecture HVAC Presentation. 7-10pm Drinks/Dinner 

 

Surprisingly, I am managing to keep my energy levels up despite my reduced calorie intake, but I do believe it is generally because I am happier. I hit my bed like a sack of potatoes at the end of each day, but until that time comes I am running at full steam!

 

Did you notice the "I got the Front Page" part of this post's title? Let me explain....so last week I attended an Architecture week networking event at the WA Institute which turned out to be a nice event. Anyhow, they were taking photos on the night and asked for a photo of me and an another architect whom I was talking to. Obviously we said yes and gave the token cheesy smile for the photo, never expecting to see it anytime in the future. So imagine my surprise when a work colleague sent me a link to WAToday (an online news website which focuses on all things WA), asking me to find the architect. So who do you think was front cover of the album? .....yep, you guessed it!!!! So obviously I am no model but I am totally happy for any recruiters to call me if they are looking for another plus size model...hehehe. Check it out :)

 

Screen shot of the home page (I am the girl in blue at the bottom Right corner)

  

 

The actual image as saved from the album

 

In other news, I have decided to stop taking Elevit multivitamins as they make me ill each morning (literally). I know I still need vitamins so I will move back to the less nutritional but still good Mini's that I was taking for the first two months post-op. To help ensure that I am getting the best nutrition I possibly can and to help me through the next phase of my life,  I recently attended a Raw Food Workshop with a good friend of mine. The workshop was pretty good and got me thinking about the additional ways I can get fluids and nutrients into my meal plans. I will be attending another workshop in a bit over a month which will cover more foods but then I will back to google searches to get ideas. Let me know if you have any awesome recipes!

 

I think that it all I needed to update you all on for now. I am off to Melbourne tomorrow for the annual Melbourne Cup and a long overdue catch-up with some of my besties. I can't wait!!! Best of all, I am not afraid that I won't fit in the tiny tiger airways chairs. My butt is a lot smaller than it use to be, so yay me! Anyway, my next post will most likely be from Melbourne and will come with lots of pictures of what I have been up to. I better sign off now, but I will leave you with a few pictures of my new favourite way to start my week - Sunday afternoon's dancing Zouk/Bachata on the beach as the sun goes down! So much fun! ...so that is another two things to cross off my Bucket List ;)

 

 Me on the Right and a friend of mine

 

Dancing with my Zumba Instructor (Amazing dancer)

 

Dancing with my Zumba Instructor (Poser!)

 

 

 

 

Before vs Now :)

My sister recently asked me if I regret taking the surgery route as I will never really be able to eat so much again. She wanted to understand if I wished that I had just reduced my food intake myself. I didn't have to think about this for very long at all. The honest answer which I gave was that I have spent most of my 28 years trying to reduce my portions and calorie intake... it never worked for long and I never felt as full and satisfied. I have no regrets at all! Obviously this is a personal decision and is not for everyone, but I felt it was the best decision for me at the time.... and I still feel it was the best decision I have made in order to get my life on track.

 

Anyway... I wanted to compare what I looked like a few months ago, with what I look like now. I am pretty happy with the results :) There is no doubt that there is a long way to go, but I can see a difference and I certainly feel different - YAY LIFE!!!

THEN :(

 

NOW :)

That's a lot of Pool Salt!

 

Over the last two weeks I lost an additional 2.6kg and 1.3kg respectively, which takes my total weight loss to just under 25kg :) So this is me trying to carry the 25kg that I have lost over the last fourteen weeks (1 x 25kg bag of pool salt)... I could hardly pick it up and had to arch my back to try to support it with my tummy and arms!!! I think my dad had more fun taking photos of my trying to actually get the bag airborne than when I had finally lifted it...grrr! But all jokes aside, I am over the moon to have reached this goal and the only thing that makes it better is that people I have not seen in a while are noticing the difference in me when they finally see me. Apparently it is not just my looks that have changed, but also the "twinkle" in my eyes and my cheeky sense of humour which is getting a bit more cheeky....but only a bit ;)

 

So I have been pretty busy since I last updated the blog...but busy in a good way! With my new lease on life, I have joined another Zumba class (I now attend two weekly), committed to being part of a choir that I recently joined but had avoided paying the membership fee until the last minute (just in case I decided it wasn't for me), commenced attempting to flirt with men (I think this is a bit of a lost cause with me), been out to multiple lunches, booked a holiday to Melbourne to go to the races and catch-up with friends, and managed to check off another item off my Bucket List - see below for some photos of these things! 

 

One of the most exciting things has certainly been checking off Item 7 of 'My Weightloss Bucket List' - A long nice relaxing bath :) As my parents have been away for the last month I took the opportunity to check if I could super comfortably fit in the bath and I could! Within the week, I made sure I had found all my candles and bath salts and had a lovely evening watching TV from the hot bath. Yes, my parents bath is conveniently placed right in front of a TV :)

 

One thing that is very important to me is maintaining my old social habits while making them healthier where possible. I refuse to be one of those people who stops going out for lunches and dinners because it is uncomfortable, embarrassing or you have to ask for the rest of your meal to be packed up in a doggy bag! From as early as I could eat solid foods I was accepting dinner invitations and simply being a bit more selective on where I would be happy to eat. At the start I would just say I felt like Asian and have a sweet corn soup, but now I find it easy enough to pick a suitable meal from any food venue. I still take ages to pick what I want (I have always been a slow at picking off a menu), but I can do it! The next two photos are my attempts at a high tea and my favourite dimsum!

 

High Tea plate.... I couldn't really eat much so I left lots behind on my plate and sampled a bite of nearly each thing :)

 

There was a time when I could eat multiple plates worth of dimsum. I could fit in a large sample of steamed and fried dumplings and still have room for my favourite sago and coconut pudding. The side plate below was what I ate when I went with my work colleagues recently. One steamed prawn dumpling and a few green kalian leaves. I admit I did have one squid tentacle which was picked right of the shared plate and into my mouth - I didn't get a chance to photograph the little sucker :P

Finally and most importantly, I thought I should share a photo of the beautiful group of people I now see on a weekly basis for Zumba! You can find me second from the right in the green teal coloured tank shirt. Anyway, this group have accepted my friend and I into their social group whole heatedly and have made us feel so very welcome at their after Zumba "coffee and gossip" sessions, and boy is there lots to gossip about! For anyone who is trying to find a way to get fit and hates the idea of a gym, I recommend Zumba 100 times over!

Well that is enough for now. You would have noticed that my photographer is back now (thanks mum!), and so I have updated 'My Photographs' page with photos taken on Sunday morning just after my weigh-in.

 

I will post again soon!

xT

All 'bout That Bass...

"Yeah it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two
But I can shake it, shake it like I'm supposed to do
'Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase
All the right junk in all the right places
I see the magazines working that Photoshop
We know that shit ain't real
Come on now, make it stop
If you got beauty beauty just raise 'em up
'Cause every inch of you is perfect
From the bottom to the top
Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your size
She says, boys they like a little more booty to hold at night
You know I won't be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll,
So, if that's what's you're into
Then go ahead and move along.

 

Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass"

 

I seriously love Meghan Trainor's song "All 'bout That Bass". It is a woman's anthem to being comfortable with yourself. Now, don't start thinking I am a traitor or anything like that! I am not just a fat girl trying to be skinny like all the 'cool' kids. I just really want to be healthy, fit and confident. I want to be able to "shake it, shake it like I'm supposed to do". So please understand that I have no desire to lose my "bass" or my curves in general, but I do wish to have less curves. To quote a blog I have discussed on here previously.... I just want less dangerous curves.

Over the last two weeks, I have been working really hard to increase my calorie intake as recommended by the dietician and my personal trainer. It has not been easy, and I have not managed to do this every day, but I am generally up to 600-700 calories a day. The extra calories are being consumed by (1) protein shakes or bars which I always have handy, and (2) trying to increase my portion sizes to a half cup at each meal. At my initial metabolism test completed a few weeks ago, the results showed that my metabolism is less than half as fast as it should be. Although we hope that the next test will come back better, I know that I need to find other ways to increase my metabolism. I know the basics, eat more frequently, do weights, exercise etc, but I am already doing these things. If you have any ideas, please let me know!

This week, I am one step closer to my goal and I am over the moon! I am now officially out of the triple digits, as I weighed in at 99kg yesterday. It seems sad to think that I am genuinely excited and proud to no longer weigh over 100kg. I should have never been the size I was to begin with...but such is life. My measurements page has been updated to show my progress this last week, but again I have no full body shots to show you. They will be coming back in a few weeks once my photographer (mum), returns from her vacation.

I wouldn't say anything huge has changed recently, but it is undoubtedly clear that I am  much happier and more confident. This is something which appears to have been noticed by friends, family and people at work. I have to be honest and say that there is a chance that part of this change is due to a change in medication, but I sincerely doubt that it is the primary reason for this new found happiness. Looking at what has changed over the last few months, I guess it must be a combination of losing weight, getting fitter, new meds, making myself a priority instead of work, going out a lot more and getting involved in more group activities (Zumba and Choir)....the flattering comments I have been getting from people always go a long way too :)

Time for bed.

Goodnight xx



Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Please Sir, can I have some more?...such a famous quote but these are not words I am sure I will ever mutter again! As mentioned a few weeks ago, I have been surviving on around 400 calories a day (slowly increasing to 500). Apart from feeling exhausted in the afternoons, I have felt full and content from the healthy and small meals I have been eating. Great news hey! I thought so too... until my dietician and PT have stressed that I need to work up to 700-800 calories quickly. More???   How can I eat more? I tend to struggle getting in my fluids if I have afternoon tea, as I'm a slow sipper. Nevertheless, I have agreed that afternoon tea will be eaten daily now (no more excuses). A coffee for morning tea and either a protein bar, shake, nuts or yoghurt for afternoon tea. Let's hope I can do this!

The reason for not blogging a post update last week was generally because nothing much had changed. I was eating the same foods, the weight loss slowed down slightly (800g loss), and I was generally feeling the same content feeling. This week lots has changed (including losing 1.5kg!). See how I just threw that in there? :) Ok so I am now sitting at a total loss of 18.4kg - I am pretty ecstatic at this figure at the moment. No, I do not mean my actual figure...that still requires lots of improvement! The good news is that I am getting there....

Some exciting news is that I am approaching 1000 views on the Twentysix Bites blog! Only a week more and I should have reached the milestone. It is an amazing feeling to see people in Asia, America, Europe and the Emirates clicking on my page. I am not sure if you are regular visitors or just one time guests, but either way, Thank you!!! With the immanent milestone fast approaching I have been thinking about what I want to get out of the blog and where I would like it to go in the future. Since obesity and bariatric surgery has been in the limelight over the last few weeks, with WA registering as one of the most obese states in Australia and more Australian celebrities discussing their sleeve journeys (Kate DeAraugo), I would love to add to the discussion. One of the things I would absolutely love is to have a feature article in a local newspaper that continues to raise awareness  about the bariatric surgery option. I don't think this has to be a taboo topic, and I certainly don't feel that people should have to hide how they are losing weight (unless they want to). I have been very honest about my decision to have surgery, and that has worked for me. Sharing my personal life with people is the way I have lived my whole life, and it felt unnatural to try to close out this chapter. Anyway, back to my dream....I feel that my reminding people that being obese is a common (but sad) fact of many peoples lives, perhaps people will become more socially aware of how us "fatties" are feeling and what we go through. Better still, maybe my blog will change someone's life as reading Less Dangerous Curves changed mine.  It is nice to dream....

Another thing that happened this week is that my oldest sister (a big supporter of my journey), found an amazing website which literally models your goal weightloss! You input your height, start weight, goal weight, hair colour, preferred clothing etc, and tadaaaa!!!

The above image represents me at my before weight (18.4kg ago) and me at my goal weight. I can produce images with casual clothes or work attire etc. Personally, I think this is great as an inspiration piece and I am pretty tempted to print it out and stick it on my fridge. I have to be honest, even the image of the "bigger" me looks better than the "real" me as it does not show rolls etc....but it is a pretty good indicator of the difference the +50kg weightloss is going to make to my body! For anyone who wants to try it out on themselves, check out www.modelmydiet.com. Love it!

The best thing of all this week was that I started Zumba! It is a cardio killer and I am sure that I look like a fool, but I actually loved it more than anything. I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face no matter how tired I got. I have started this class on Saturday mornings with a close friend of mine and luckily she loves it too, so we have committed to keep going each week. The class is relatively small, but made up of a lovely group of women (and one man), who have had classes together for years. Some of the woman attend three classes a week, but I am going to stick to one! The best things about this class is that I get to mix exercise with being social and seeing my friend, they mix Zumba with salsa and bellydancing, the group is lovely and they all go for coffee next door after class!!!.....oh and I get fit and lose more weight etc etc :P

Anyway, I think I may become one of those annoying people who tries to convince everyone to join Zumba - be prepared!

I have updated 'My Measurements' page, but have not loaded any pics as my mother who is my dearest photographer is away on holiday. I will have to ask a friend to help me out next week, so I hopefully there is a big difference in what you see next time.

Have a great week everyone :)

That's A Lot Of Flour!

This week I lost an additional 1.7kg, which takes my total weight loss to 16.2kg :) So this is me trying to carry the 16kg that I have lost over the last two months (8 x 2kg bags of bakers flour)... it is not easy!!! Although I have lost this much weight before, I have never really appreciated how much weight that actually is. Trying to hold the 16kg of flower for just a minute in order for my mum to take this photo was actually a struggle. It is easy to forget that I walked around each day carrying this extra weight. Granted, the weight was not all being supported by my arms....but it was hard!

I am sure that it does not come as a surprise that I am over the moon with my progress to date. Better still, I am so very excited to see what I will look like by the end of the year. What size will I wear? Where will I shop for my clothes? How far will I be able to run and cycle for? It is hard to guess how much I will lose in the next four months, especially as the typical plateau I have usually experienced by now has not yet set in. I guess the best way of "guestimating"is to look at my average weight loss to date, reduce it by some, and then multiply it by the number of weeks left until the end of this year. So assuming I lose 1kg a week starting from next week, I will lose an additional 16kg (total of 32)...However, if I can lose 1.5kg a week, then I can lose an additional 24kg (total of 40) by the end of the year. I am going to aim for an additional 20kg. It is going to be hard, but I have to work hard to lose as much weight as I can within these first 6 months. All my research indicates that the weight loss slows down significantly after the first 6 months.

So the truth is that not much has changed this week.  I ended up gong to the physio another few times for my back, but I feel 100% again. I spent this week resting my back under orders from my personal trainer and physio. While I  couldn't work on my weights, I could spend time doing cardio. Although I didn't manage to get to the gym as much as usual, I did try! Even when I worked late I went to the gym for a quick cycle etc. Anyway, I am sure there are always going to be times where I don't get to exercise as much as I want to. This week I am going to make sure I get there at least five times again.

This week I finished the prescribed anti-acid/reflux medication that I have been on since the surgery. I was looking forward to coming off this medication as it meant one less tablet to swallow, but the truth is I am now desperate for another prescription. I have felt like their is acid burning my oesophagus constantly for days. Gaviscon helps relieve the discomfort for a half hour or so, but then it comes back. Apparently this is quite common, but I am not sure how long I need to put up with it until the Doctor decides I need more meds. Alas, I am going to see him tomorrow morning to ask for more!

One big thing did happen this week - I had my first few sips of alcohol! I only had about 5 tiny sips of the red wine, but I felt fine. The 5 sips is a long way off what I use to be able to drink, but I didn't want to risk feeling sick in public. A general rule of mine over the last month has been 'don't try any new foods out of the safety of home'. This may seem strange, but some foods just don't seem to sit well with me yet. I am getting better, but it is always a risk in these early days.

Anyway, it is time for bed. As always, you can checkout the updated 'My Measurements' and 'Progress Photograph' pages with this week's progress.

Goodnight!