The Formula

Captainsblog, Stardate: 63860.1

It's all contingent on a formula, this weight loss /  improved health thing. And here's the thing, it does NOT come in a pill... the super duper, new and improved weight loss fat burning formula product du jour... NOPE!  

The necessary components to the formula are all within YOU, all things over which YOU have influence: eating the right foods in the right amounts (duh), exercise (ditto), water consumption, and sleep.  If any one of those components is missing, or inadequate... weight loss.. yeah, aint gunna happen!  Let's look at these one at a time, shall we?  Now I am talking from my own post-bariatric perspective, keep that in mind.

• Food - must be the right KIND of food, for me, that means a whole LOT of protein.  Any non-protein food kind of robs me of protein, I've said it before, but I repeat this for MY benefit... I'm not perfect and I do want other stuff too, so this helps remind myself.  Also portion control is critical. Granted the surgery did a lot of that for me, but any post-op bariatric patient will tell you, you can eat too much - and it is unpleasant to say the least!  In my case, I also must supplement my food intake with vitamins, due to the malabsorptive nature of the procedure I had.  I am faithful about taking those.
• Exercise - I have found that if I am leveling off on my progress, exercise is probably the culprit.  Either not getting enough, or that I need to mix it up.  My body gets used to  whatever I am doing physically and I need to shake it up sometimes.  
• Water  Consumption - Sometimes I get bored with water... I want some FLAVOR... and I'm not a fan of many of the crystal lite flavors any more... I love TEA... so I drink a LOT of it (mostly decaf herbal teas).  I sometimes have to force myself to drink just... plain... water.  It messes with my progress, it messes with my body in so many ways... so yes WATER, WATER, WATER!
• Sleep - this is a tricky one for me.  I do have intermittent insomnia (not a surgical side effect, this has been with me a long time)... sometimes I just can't sleep, at other times I just don't go to bed soon enough, but wake up time is still the same. It is not uncommon for me to only get 4 or 5 hours sleep, and I KNOW that is not enough.  What I am finding out though is that if I deprive myself of sleep my progress slows/stops.  It's like my body is saying alright... we only have so many resources here kiddo, and if you're NOT going to recharge us, we're holding onto all resources... just... in... case!  

So these days I'm really TRYING to be mindful of the formula...  I came across the pic on the left recently and I think that was pretty close to my heaviest.  When I look at that, I am blown away at how far I have come.  I feel so much better, I have stamina, I look forward to physical activity and am enjoying life - manuganuh - it's all good!

Another Lesson Trying to Be Learned

Captainsblog, Stardate: 63824.3

It's all about the journey... right? So on the journey there's a LOT of scenery... valleys and mountains and even plateaus.  I made the mistake last week of saying I was on "the plateau from hell" to the wonderful person who is helping me sort some of my "stuff" out.  Her questions about why I would call it that... help me to examine my progress to this place where I am today.  Okay yes, I KNOW the erroneous height/weight charts are full of it... and down right evil.  I've lost... a LOT at this point (100 - 103 depending on the day).  My family, my friends, my counselor... tell me that even if I didn't lose another ounce, I am great.  Part of me is cool with that... part of me isn't.  I don't know if the notion of being labeled as "overweight" is what I'm hanging up on.  The evil H/W charts and even the blasted Wii... tell me that I am overweight.  And seriously... when in my recent history did I give a rat's ass about what other people think? That should apply to or a chart... or a piece of equipment conceived by people too! If I have leveled off... if I am going to be "stuck" at this weight... it that a huge problem?  

I am at at beautiful place... I am more active, I feel SO much better.  I am in control... not controlled BY food. So what could be the problem?  What do I have to do to convince MYself, that the charts are propagated by the insurance industry, and are indeed erroneous and evil?  I am not gaining back my weight... I have not "failed" I am not giving certain people the satisfaction of being right "everyone I ever knew who had that surgery gained it all back and then some" (biotch!).  I am doing just FINE!!!


I KNOW that a lesson is repeated until it is learned, so I'm trying like hell to figure this out...

See the picture... that is a BEAUTIFUL plateau in Australia called Uluru.. a place I hope to one day visit and feel the vibrations of the past.  I cannot imagine  more beautiful place... so why do I consider natural landform plateaus beautiful and my natural bodyform plateau not to be an equally beautiful place to be????

Time Flies...

Captainsblog, Stardate: 63802.3

Wow - today marks 11 months since surgery.  There have been so MANY changes, it's hard to know where to start!  

• Over the weekend I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  I walked it, I'm not a runner, but I had fun, I finished and I didn't feel like I was going to keel over. I actually walked slower than my norm, to stay with some of my team mates.  So the ability to be more physically active, and have increased stamina - big change
• Totally different wardrobe.  I have a few pieces I can't bring my self to send to Goodwill, but the clothes I wear, are all different
• New daily patterns of activity.  There is more cooking going on and much less use of processed/prepared foods... very little fast food so we have to make our own stuff, which is way healthier anyway... just takes time to do that.  Also there are more physical activities in the daily pattern... more exercise... more physical interaction with the world.
• Different patterns of mind regarding food... I see a dessert and think, oh that looks good, but I don't think "I'm going to have some of that I'll "be good" tomorrow. I no longer define myself as being good or bad in terms of food like I used to.   I KNOW that eating more than a bite or 2 of whatever the temptation du jour is... will make me sick.  I don't want that to happen, so I'll either have that bite or two, or more often... just pass.  But the funny thing is I don't feel all depressed about it... I feel empowered, it was MY choice... not because some "diet" says I can't have it. 
• New hair (you didn't seriously think I would not talk about the hair... didja?).  I got it cut short-short yesterday, the mid length was too much work, and I'm not all about fussin' with my hair.  LOVE the new do, but am a little sad that all of my hair accoutrements (and I have a TON... and some way cool ones) will just gather dust... sigh

Time flies when you are transforming your life!