Princess Leia. I did it!

I did it!  I did it!  I made and wore a Princess Leia costume in public!  And the one from Return of the Jedi, no less!  It took courage, but was very liberating. :)

New Pictures

Been a Long Time

I weigh 175 lbs.  That's pretty amazing.  Zac weighs 248 lbs.  We've come a long way.  Our new way of life is normal now.  Focus on protein and vegetables, and lots of water.  I'm sipping water all the time.  I can actually handle normal water now, instead of having to put salt and lemon in it.  That makes things easier.  We'll take pictures soon.

This road hasn't been an easy one, but it surely has added a lot of benefits to our lives.  Now I have to turn my attention to the next big challenge, new careers for the two of us.  Thank you for being loyal readers.  Good luck on your own journeys!

Asking for help!

 http://www.gofundme.com/8hpaw4

 Hi guys! I'm asking for help. I want to go to beauty school to become a nail technician. This is the school I want to go to. It's the most affordable one in my area with the best reputation. http://www.centraltexasbeautycollege.com/

 I need to jumpstart my life again, by doing something new. I've been out of work since last summer, and even though I send out 3 resumes and job applications each day, I haven't gotten any nibbles since January. I need to learn a new skill to get back into the workforce. This wasn't a random decision. I want to be a nail technician so that I can make people feel pretty, and happier about themselves. I want to help them cheer up after a rough week, or celebrate an event coming up, like a prom or wedding. I'm also very good at painting small things, like collectible dolls and gaming miniatures, so I think I have the chance to really show off my artistic side by painting really fun nails for people.

 Tuition is $3500.00 and the toolkit and books add up to $500.00. I'm only asking for what I need. Please consider helping me change my life for the better. Thank you!

Keeping Up Appearances

Things are looking up for me and Hubby.  It seems that while our weight loss stalled, we lost some inches around.  On a whim, we tried Old Navy, and for jeans I am hooked!  I was surprised to see that they carry 18s, and to my great pleasure, I fit in their 14s in the right cut!  They have 3 different jean types and mine is the sweetheart.  They look great and I even like the name.  Had a great fit for shorts too, but I'm not pleased enough with my legs yet to show them off.  I'll look for some capris.  Baby steps.

Hubby's had a victory too, he's down under the 40s now!

In spite of this weight-loss and size loss, I'm feeling pretty down about my appearance right now.  My sister's been bumming too, so we started practicing makeup every day.  I'm tackling eyeliner, because I've never had a steady hand.  We're also trying different colors.  We're even using the scary eyelash curler.  The biggest challenge for me is not picking at my nail polish.  I'm on day 3 and they still look okay.

The Mall is a Whole New World!

Today Hubby and I went to the mall.  It was miraculous.  We went to a ton of stores I'd never set foot in before.  Stores for skinnier people.  We stopped at 7 different stores, and learned about their size ranges.  Many were still too small, but now I like Rue21 and Body Central.  Rue21 has great prices.  I was very pleased.  Also, Hubby looked great in a kung fu outfit!  He didn't want to try clothes on, but he couldn't resist the kung fu outfit.

A day in the life of my tummy.

A lot has changed in my eating habits, daily schedule, and whatnot, so I think I should write it out here for future sleevers to get an idea of their fates.

I start my day around 11 AM with a cup of protein shake and a bunch of vitamins.  They're either chewable, or very small.  I take stuff like a big ol' multi, vitamin D, vitamin B12, Iron, things like that.  If I'm particularly hungry, I'll grab a slice or two of deli meat.  I like turkey the most.  I also fill my water bottle with filtered water, add a little lemon juice and salt, and some flavoring.  Dasani Drops are my favorite.  Then I go about my day.

February Review

February has been a very difficult month for me.  I'm still losing weight, but my hormones have been an absolute jumble and the dramatic change has made some of my other medications be too much.  Yay for losing weight.  Boo for having a hard time staying sane and awake.  It's been frustrating and upsetting.

I know I should be grateful for becoming thinner, and this is something other people dream of, but that doesn't make it an easy transition.  Oh, I did lose that pound I gained.  Turned out to be no big thing at all.

I still have my thyroid problem, no improvement there.  I'm also starting to feel my acid reflux problem again.  Might just be me freaking out that's causing it.  Might be that I've been adding a few carbs here and there.  Turned out I wasn't having as many as I should.  And I'm still struggling with under-eating.

I'm reviving my dolly blog.  If you're interested, you can find it here: http://jobeesdollies.blogspot.com/

1.5 lbs

I've gained some weight back.  I've been told that this is perfectly normal and happens to everybody.  I've been told not to worry about it and it will go back down.  Weightloss is not a perfect slope, but a natural hill with bumps and divots.

None of that changes the fact that I'm very worried about gaining some weight back.  What did I do wrong?  Am I eating too many carbs?  Do I need more vitamins?  Is it going to continue to get worse?  Did I stretch my stomach?  Am I going to go back to the weight I was?  This has me very freaked out.

Stuff for future-sleevers

Dumping syndrome is something that people say only gastric bypass patients can get, but it can happen to us too.  I had too many sugar-free puddings in a few minutes and experienced it myself.

If you don't follow the rules set by your doctor, nutritionist, surgeon, the professionals who help you; you will gain weight.  I've slacked on the rules a bit, eaten when I wasn't really hungry, had a few carbs, and I've gained a pound back.

Postpartum Depression with my Fat.

Yep, that's what I'm calling it.  I miss being fat.  I know that sounds crazy, but it's true.  I freak out a little every time I pass the bathroom mirror.  I have to stop and look at myself.  It bothers me so much, I've almost cried about it.  I listen to my theme songs to feel better.  Rupaul and Lady Gaga make me feel better.

Not Fat Anymore

I've come to the realization that I'm not fat anymore.  It's a very strange one, because I've been calling myself fat since 6th grade.  I wasn't back then, but I thought I was.  And now, here I am, at 185 lbs, and...  I'm not fat anymore.  I'm pear-shaped, which I like, and I could use some better supporting bras, but for the first time in a very long time, I looked in the mirror and didn't see myself as fat.

Too fast!

I can't break the habit of eating too fast!  Even though it's only a little food, I'll wolf it down, then it will hurt!  It hurts a lot and I'm so scared I'm gonna injure my stomach!  I wish I could stop.  Why can't I stop?  Why can't I just nibble?  WHY?  This is behavior I've known for as long as I've been alive.  It's so hard.  My poor little tummy is really pissed at my hands and my mouth right now.

I can't eat ever again.  I can only nibble.  I have to learn this.

January Review

Weekly reviews really weren't necessary for this month, because our lives are becoming more normal.  Not back to the old normal, but settling into our new normal.  We have 5 small meals a day.  We're losing weight slowly but surely.  Hubby's doing push-ups and I'm avoiding walking because it's cold out.  I know that's silly, but I'm still me.  One thing I forgot to mention, but realized the other day; Hubby is entirely off caffeine.  That's quite an accomplishment.  I'm proud of him.  Hubby's also back to work.  He was dreading it, but now that he's got the goals of becoming a police officer, he has a better outlook on life.  He feels that he can accomplish something again.  I'm cheering him on every step of the way.

As for myself...

Week 22, finally some pictures!

Here's what you've all been asking for, some pictures!

Large

No Xs there.  No numbers.  Just Large.  That's what it says on my clothing labels now.  Feels damn good to start the year off with that.

MEAT

Best day ever.  We had meat.  It was pulled pork destroyed into baby food texture, but it was delicious.  It tasted so good that it was really hard to eat slowly.  But yes, we got to eat the same food as the rest of the family, just a little more processed.

Week 21 Review

Things are doing okay.  Hubby's down about 50, I'm down about 40.  It's nice to be under 200 lbs again.  Kind of a milestone there.  We've become known as the soup couple at our local Panera Bread, because we go there so often and just order soup.

I'm reiterating my warning to future sleevers.  Not keeping your fluids up means PAIN!  In addition, rushing through all my morning pills was making me very nauseous, so I had to slow that down a lot.  Oh, and the company Celebrate, which makes nutritional supplements, has the most delicious calcium chews.  They're like tootsie rolls.  I love them!

Sorry I haven't posted pictures yet.  It's for a couple reasons.  I'm actually more self conscious about my appearance right now.  At my biggest, I was like "Heck yeah I'm a beautiful woman!" but now I feel weird in my own skin.  That and my clothes fit funny.  And I want to take the pictures outside like the "Before" pictures we took and it's too cold to do that right now.

Down 40 lbs!

Woo!  I hit the 40 lb mark.  This misery is worth it!

PAIN!

Word of the wise to future sleevers.  It will hurt like hell if you don't keep up with your water!  I had the worst pain ever earlier and I realized I forgot to get my water for the day.