Weigh-In

Finally, the scale is moving! 213.2 this morning, thanks to leaving my cousin's grad party yesterday before dessert and arriving at last night's 50th birthday part after appetizers and missing the cake too.

Hallelujah!

MAGIC MIRROR!!

I was in Target today with my boys and glanced over at my reflection in a mirror. It was miraculous! I had grown a good five inches and dropped another 50 pounds! I looked AWESOME. So much so that I had to take a photo to show you.

It was a pleasure to see that hot version of myself, and kudos to Target for making everyone feel better-looking in Target merch. For comparison purposes, I had my 7-year-old snap a picture of reality. Please excuse the wet hair.

The differences are subtle, but boy do they add up.

In other news, I was down a pound today. Fingers crossed for weigh-in tomorrow. NSV: I wore heels tonight without feeling that my feet might explode.

Does This Happen to You?

I've had this problem for a couple years now: I get lots of tiny holes in my shirts, right where the shirts hit the button and zipper on my pants. I assume this is because my belly is so freakin' big (and it never did this before, so I may have some leeway to blame it on pregnancies). I WANT IT TO STOP. Perfectly good shirts have been ruined by this, and it's irritating. Plus, my 4-year-old is always saying, "Mom, why does your shirt have holes?" because it's right at eye level for him.

Anyone else run into this? It's better if I wear a camisole under my shirt, but it's summer and I'm not interested in layering.

We're road-tripping tonight and tomorrow to see family in PA and NJ, then rushing home tomorrow night for my husband's partner's 50th birthday party. I'm sure I'll be a barrel of laughs by the time we hit that shindig. However, the guy is a total wine lover, so I imagine the wine calories I've been saving all week will be well spent there.

The scale this morning showed 216.4. Not a lot of movement going on here. I don't think I need a fill because I'm really tight in the morning and at lunchtime I'm still not able to eat a whole lot of solids (hence the black bean soup I have most days). I haven't eaten steak since before my surgery, I've had hamburger meat a couple of times when it's really crumbled, and I occasionally have chicken salad, although that hasn't gone down smoothly all the time.

I'm getting a little more into exercise and trying to drink more, which is easier in the summer anyway. Trying to ditch calories from alcohol because they're unnecessary. I'm probably snacking too much, and I haven't given up chocolate.

Any suggestions?

ZOOOOOOOMBA

So I finally got around to taking a zumba class today. I can't dance for shit so I checked with the instructor ahead of time because it was held at a dance studio. She assured me I didn't need experience, and she was right. So were all of you guys: It was SO MUCH FUN. Small class, just five of us and the instructor. I loved it, I really did enjoy it enough that I didn't feel like I was working too hard. My right foot and right knee felt it, though, so I'll have to be careful. But I will definitely go back.

I am (mostly) over my snit about the tight band and PB yesterday. Thanks for the sympathy and compassion. I had a Zone bar for breakfast and some soup for lunch and all is going down fine. I'm having an artichoke tonight, come hell or high water, so I'm being really careful before then. We're supposed to be having Chinese at my mother-in-law's house tonight because some cousins are visiting from Houston, but I'm planning to have a little soup and wait till I get home to enjoy my delectable artichoke.

I just finished a great book, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. It's a memoir by a formerly fat Mormon girl who's trying to launch a performing career and find the love of her life while remaining a virgin in New York City. It was great, partly because I moved to New York after losing a boatload of weight and some of our experiences were similar (minus the preserving virginity part). The books spends a lot of time talking about how Elna's life changed as she lost weight, how the world treated her differently and changed the way she saw other people. Anyway, I totally enjoyed it and wanted to pass it on.

Public Service Announcement (For Women Only)

It's been said before but I'll say it again: My band is tighter during my period. For some reason, I forget that every month and then - BAM! - have some unpleasantness.

Off to warm up my soup...

Perspective

Well, hi there. Yes, I know I'm still on the left (GAINED) side of the Summer Meltdown Challenge weight-loss graph, thanks for the reminder. My period is due any day and I'm sure that will be followed by a precipitous drop. For sure.

We had the Hubs' extended family here yesterday for Father's Day brunch, which was fun. For the first time in a while, it really bothered me that I couldn't eat a bagel. I really, really would have liked one.

Later, we were sitting outside and the kids were playing and my husband looked at me and said, "This is the life. Our children are healthy, we're healthy and all four of our parents are healthy. We will look back on these days as the best we ever had." He's totally right. It doesn't get better than this. That reminder put missing out on a bagel into pretty good perspective for me.

Meltdown Update

Well, a few days ago I said I was going to stick with my old scale during the challenge but I think I'm going to reverse that decision and use the new scale.

1. There is a discrepancy between old and new scales (this morning 215 old/ 216.4 new) but it's not in my favor so I won't be cheating for the challenge.
2. I really like having a more accurate and precise reading. Old scale goes in half-pound increments; new scale goes in two-tenths of a pound.
3. I've been waiting to transition to a new scale, waiting to find a time when I wouldn't be mentally anguished by "giving up" a pound or two in exchange for more accuracy. I'm there now - going "up" to 216 doesn't bug me. Much.

I hope you've all had a good Father's Day. I've been thinking especially of Jacquie and her family today, and sending my warmest wishes to all of you.

Melting Before My Eyes

On the heels of the horrid stuck/vomiting episode on Wednesday, yesterday the Hubs and I finally caught the kids' stomach virus. By the end of the day I had a few saltines, a package of Cup O'Soup and a glass of flat Coke. My surgeon doesn't do the anti-nausea meds, apparently, but "prescribed" the Coke. Super.

The good news is, I weighed in this morning at 214.6. Yay for that. Feeling much better today, although not entirely back to normal.

Have a good weekend, everyone. I'm taking my little men to see Toy Story 3 this afternoon. I love me some Buzz Lightyear.

DISASTER

I am so embarrassed to even post this, after my rah-rah, I'm going to the gym posts, this morning and yesterday. I considered just slinking away for a few days till my next gym appointment on Friday, but decided to come clean.

I grabbed some tortilla chips and some American cheese on my way out the door to the gym, and had a **horrible** stuck and throwing up episode. As in, into a plastic bag while I drove, pulled over for more, finally got to the gym and went inside, only to turn around and get outside to do it alll over again in the car. And then again at home.

F-ing nightmare. All I said to the trainer was that I had gotten sick. I said I'd be back for my Friday appointment.

Last night I had a bad stuck episode (no vomiting) and I guess I was still swollen. Didn't take the all-liquids rule to heart today.

My throat has been on fire. Just sat down with some soup now. 24 more hours of liquids.

So no gym today. Mortifying.

PHOTOS!

I've got two pictures for you - one "during" shot and one "before" shot. Both taken on the same day.

Hmmm. Sounds like a case for Encyclopedia Brown, no?

This is my during weight loss photo. Please note my hair remains in a ponytail because I HATE doing my hair. If someone gave me money for a completely frivolous expenditure and forbade me from using it for anything useful to myself or others, I would totally have someone come to my house every morning and blow my hair out for me.

Here's me, 50 pounds down:

Can you believe how short my legs are? I mention it every time, I know. But it never ceases to amaze me. It's like God doesn't love me or something.

BUT! NSV: Those white pants are pants I bought in 2007 after my sister's wedding. I took them to be hemmed and by the time I picked them up from the tailor, I already couldn't wear them anymore. Yesterday, I put them on, and with thanks and praise to almighty Spanx, they fit.

And here's the before shot, of the aforementioned criminally awful upper arms:

I know, right? I know. The good news is, any improvement will be major. At noon I will have a heart-to-heart with my trainer and tell him that even though I *look* like a person who could use a whole-body makeover, what I really want to focus on is getting Michelle Obama arms.