Crazy Mountain Adventures, Another Pound Down, and Fill Tomorrow!!

WHOO I have not been this physically exhausted in a LONG LONG time!! Today I did the Blue Lake Trail which was a 6 mile hike with my best friend and it was definitely challenging... it was raining off and on, it was relatively steep most of the way up, but BOY was it rewarding! I am so proud of myself that I did it and am so grateful to Keren for being patient with me (she is a super hiker and would normally hike much much faster). I have not felt this in shape in a really long time, and it feels wonderful. On the hike we saw marmots (giant rat/beaver like creatures?) which I had never seen before and many a chipmunk... Once we got to the top it was absolutely breathtaking and totally worth it. Blue Lake is certainly named that for a good reason! Though you cannot tell from the pictures below, it is the most crystal clear blue lake I have ever seen... it is the runoff straight from a glacier. I was convinced I would definitely want to swim in it after being so hot and tired, but could barely keep my hand in the water for more than ten seconds! It was the coldest water I have ever felt.. I think if one were to drink it they would probably get a major brain freeze! Everything about the hike was great until I totally fell down in a giant, slushy, gooey mud puddle on the way down :(... I was freezing and wet and grumpy and very muddy to say the least. BUT to my credit I was laughing hysterically when it happened because I was seriously covered in mud on one side, and at least I did not get hurt PHEW. If I am up to it, Keren and I might go up to the same area to hike again (on a different trail) because the $9 fee we paid to get in is good for 3 days :)

So I weighed myself this morning before the hike and I am down another pound (now weighing in at 258) which is great! I had hoped for more this week considering how much I have been hiking, but not every week can be stellar weight loss... what matters is that the scale is going in the right direction! So I am now officially 60 pounds down from where I started and it feels amazing... the more I lose the healthier I feel and more motivated I become!

I am still off of work (paid) for another week or so and have been actively looking for a second part time job for when the boy I nanny is in school... I had an interview at Le Peep (a breakfast place) to be a server, but they needed me full time immediately which I could not do because in another week I will be full time with Cody (the boy I nanny) until he goes back to school August 14 :/ However, I landed an interview at a pre-school to be a teaching assistant! My interview is on Friday morning and I would LOVE to get this job.... the hours are perfect with my schedule for when Cody is in school, and I love working with toddlers :) Wish me luck!

Lastly, I am going to my bariatric doc tomorrow to get another small saline fill in my band to restrict my food intake a bit more... hopefully he will be happy with the results I have had since my last fill, but I think I can still do better with a bit more saline! Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great week... I will write more later :)

Awesome Visit in TX, Now Back in CO, and Another 2 lbs Down!!

HOORAY! I was a bit weary about getting on the scale when I got home to Colorado on Thursday because my parent's scale messed with my head and told me I was 264! However, my Dad said this was probably because of water retention from flying/traveling etc... I guess he was right because as of this morning I weigh 259 pounds, which is a total of 59 pounds lost! YIPPEEE!

I had a great time in Florida visiting both my Grandpa in Naples then my Grandma in Boca Raton, then I made my way to Dallas to visit my parents, Uncle, and some friends :) It was really nice to spend alot of time with my parents because my Mom took some days off work and my Dad swam laps with me almost every day (when we could time it right). I also went to the Fort Worth Modern Museum of Art with them and saw a Lucian Freud exhibit which was interesting... I particularly liked his nudes and the fact that he painted people of all sizes. While in TX, I went to Forever 21's plus size section and actually bought two dresses which is awesome... I say this because even though they claim to have "plus sizes, their sizing system is crazy and not quite plus size at all! For example, a "1" at most plus sized stores is a size 14-16, where as at Forever 21, a plus size "1" is a size 10-12!!! Needless to say, their largest size is really a 18 (where most plus size places is a 26 or 28) so I have not fit into their clothing in a long time. Feels great! Here is one of the dresses :)

Although I loved my vacation, it is also really nice to be home in CO again with my kitties! Also, the pools in Florida and TX were super hot/not refreshing whatsoever (especially to swim laps in!), so it is nice to be in my cool, crisp, local pool again. I got home on Thursday, and have been a busy bee writing my essay for grad school, applying to find a second part time job, exercising, etc... Yesterday I went on a real hike for the first time since January and it felt AMAZING... Last time I hiked, I was in a lot of pain because of my slipped herniated disc in my back... however, I believe that all of the physical therapy I did a while back at the chiropractor, as well as all of the exercise I have been doing has done it wonders... my back doesn't hurt at all anymore when I hike!! I was able to do 4 miles and it was absolutely beautiful... I did a hike called "Eagle Wind Trail" which is on Rabbit Mountain about 15 minutes away from my house. It is a really cool hike for 2 reasons; 1. The trail is closed March 15- July 15 so that eagles can nest and have their babies... It had just reopened and there were eagles and other huge birds everywhere!! 2. From the hike, you can see both the Flatiron/Foothill mountains AND the Rocky Mountains and where they sort of "meet". It was a great hike and I actually felt physically comfortable doing it, though I was pooped later!! Here are two pics from my hike :)

Anyway, even though I am still doing very well with my weight loss, I think I am going to go back to my Doc and get one more fill of saline to make my band a bit tighter... if it turns out being too tight I can always have some taken out! I hope everyone is enjoying summer... I will write more soon!

3 Pounds Down AND Size 16 Swimsuit!!

I am SO STOKED! I was not going to weigh myself until I got to my parent's house, but I am now in Boca Raton at my Grandma's house and discovered that she has a very accurate/expensive glass scale... and I am 3 pounds down from last week :) WOOHOO!! My Grandma and I went shopping today and I found a new swimsuit that I totally love that just happens to be a size 16! I couldn't believe it... I am not a 16 in pants or anything yet, but the fact that I can fit into a size 16 swimsuit is pretty awesome in my book. Life is good! Anyway, Happy Fourth of July everyone... have fun and be safe!

Sun Kissed Bliss!

I arrived in Naples, FL to visit my Grandpa for a few days and have been having a total blast :) We have gone to the beach everyday which is awesome... I got spoiled last year because I found tons of cool creatures such as sting rays, crabs, etc... but this year there have been a few tropical storms so all I found were a few sea slugs in conch shells and a hermit crab or too. Today I went kayaking (BOY what a workout!!) and went through a section called "Clam Pass" which is surrounded by Mangrove trees which was really cool... I saw all kinds of birds and animals there! My Grandpa doesn't get in the ocean until its at least 90 degrees, but he has come in the pool everyday afterwards with me which has been great. Even though the pool temp says it is 91, he says he feels "chilled" when he gets in!! LOL

The first day I was here I swam laps for an hour in the pool, but the other days I have swam alot or kayaked so I have mostly done water aerobics in the pool. Needless to say I have been getting alot exercise which is great. I have also completely stuck to my calorie limit and got all of my protein in etc... which is awesome. We went out to dinner last night at this DELICIOUS Italian place called "Bravo!" and I had a fabulous meal... they don't normally do half portions of the chicken parmesan but made one special just for me. What a treat! I am excited to weigh myself when I go to TX next week because judging by how loose my pants are fitting, I think I have lost at least a pound and a half in the past few days. I would weigh myself here, but I really only trust my scale at home and the scale at my parents house because they are both incredibly accurate and digital (and expensive!).

My Grandpa is super generous and bought me a New Balance HRT slim watch which is something I have wanted for a very long time and I am excited to start using it. The watch measures how many calories I burn, my heart rate, steps, speed, distance, you name it! I am curious to see how many calories my watch says I will burn during my swimming versus what my estimates based on online calculators are.

I feel like I just got here and am sad to leave my Grandpa's tomorrow, but am also excited to get to spend some time with my Grandma in Boca Raton for a few days. Anyway, here is a picture of an awesome piece of coral I found swimming in the ocean yesterday... I am pretty tan from just a few days in Florida!! (BTW I have been using lots of sunblock at least SPF30 and if you are reading this Grandpa, I wish you would wear sunblock too!! *COUGH COUGH*)

Will write more later!! :) 

Another Pound Down, Florida Bound, Learning Curve, And the whole state of CO is on fire :(

Weighed in yesterday and am another pound day... yay. A little disappointing since I usually clock in at  least 2 pounds down a week, but as long as the scale is going in the right direction I am happy. At least I know that I am doing my best and swimming every day, so that is all I can do :) Anyway, last Friday night was a relatively new experience for me because it was the first time I truly "overate" for my band and felt very very sick for almost a day afterwards... I was lucky that I did not throw up or anything, but it was a good lesson in eating very slowly even when I am super hungry because if I eat too much (even just a bit) it is very very uncomfortable. Part of the learning curve and working on listening to my body as much as possible!

Tomorrow is my last day of nannying until August and I have the month of July off and PAID :) AWESOME! I am leaving on a red eye Thurs night to go to Florida to visit my Grandparents and am really excited to see them and hang out at the beach. My old swimsuit crapped out because I ripped a rather large hole in it going down the slide at the pool, but I luckily found a Speedo that fits and was on sale at Sports Authority for $50! Size 18! This is much smaller than a few months ago to say the least! After Florida for a week, I am going to TX to visit my parents and friends for 6 days which will be nice. I am going to swim laps with my Dad at the neighborhood pool like we used to do when I was a kid :) I always used to try to race him and never actually beat him... maybe someday!

On a sad note, the whole freaking state of Colorado is on fire and it is SUPER scary and sad... There are over 6 major fires going on all over the state and most are no where near contained. My Uncle lives in Colorado Springs and he was evacuated today because his house is only about a mile and a half from the fire :( I truly hope the fire misses his neighborhood. I have the utmost respect for all of the brave firefighters out there working around the clock to try to contain all of these fires and save people's homes from damage, especially when it is over 100 degrees every day! The conditions couldn't be worse... dry dry dry, HOT HOT HOT, and windy. A fire started in Boulder yesterday (I am SAFE, I actually live in Longmont which is 20 minutes away from Boulder) in the Flatiron Mountains from a lightening strike and I can literally see the smoke plume from my house. PLEASE send good thoughts and prayers Colorado's way because we need all we can get.

Anyway, I will post from Florida soon!

Another 2 Pounds Down :)

Alrrriggghttt! Today was weigh in day and I am another 2 pounds down from last week which is awesome. I have been swimming laps every day consistently for 10 days now which feels really great... I have also upped my swimming time to an hour of laps each day instead of 30-45 minutes :) It is amazing that a few months ago, I had a hard time swimming laps for 20 minutes straight!! I am still also swimming/splashing around with Cody at the pool almost everyday during work as well, so I am definitely not for lack of pool time. It has been RECORD high temperatures for my area in Colorado the past week, so what better way to cool off! 

Unfortunately there is a HUGE forest fire about an hour away from where I live that is still only 50 percent contained... this is so sad because the fire started June 9th! It has destroyed over 189 homes so far too :( I think I am going to drive up there are donate some of my older larger clothing to that area... maybe some of the evacuees/people who lost their homes need clothing. 

On a lighter note, I am now continuing to find clothes in my closet that I haven't fit into in almost 2 or 3 years that now fit again and it feels INCREDIBLE. I know I have a very long way to go, but I am proud of what I have achieved so far. I am excited to visit my grandparents in Florida and parents in TX in about a week and a half... I can't wait to hit the beach! I still need to find a second job, so will start looking intensely when I get back. Not much else is new for now, but I will write more soon :) 

Eventful Weekend, Another Pound Down, New Photos, and a Video of Me Diving!!

I had quite an interesting weekend! On Friday, I spent the whole day at the pool with Cody (the kiddo I nanny) which was really fun :) We created this sort of "racing" game which is really quite fun (and burns some calories too!) where we race from different points of the pool and back.

Luckily I had a great afternoon, because working later that night at Mimi's was HORRIBLE! I have been having some issues with the night manager... I have always been nothing but nice to her and she has always sort of picked on me/singled me out and made me feel like I didn't belong at Mimi's. I have never had any issues with the rest of the staff or managers and LOVED working at Mimi's in the morning, but ever since summer started and Cody has been out of school, I have had to work nights during the week which means I am stuck with the night manager :/ I was trying to ignore her antics/remarks/attitude, but Friday night she crossed an unacceptable line! I had been with Cody all day already (8am-5pm), and was only supposed to work at Mimi's 5:00pm to 8:30pm, but the night manager suddenly decided she wanted me to help close. This was a problem for me because I was scheduled to open the next day at Mimi's at 6:30 am and needed to go home and get some rest!! One of my co-workers graciously stepped in and said she would happily close because she did not have to work on Saturday and I thought I was off the hook until the night manager shot her down and said "No, I want Caroline to close". There was absolutely no reason for this!

Then she made me do all sorts of side work that is typically the ACTUAL closers' duties... I was working on it when one of the cooks asked me a question and the night manager decided to SCREAM at me for talking at all when my work wasn't "completely finished". I was appalled by her behavior (as were the customers at one of my tables!!) and could not believe the way she treated me... It is ironic as well because she ALWAYS has friends come visit her while she is working and treats them to free food and talks all night and never does anything. I laughed in her face, finished my side work, checked out, and started to head home at 11:00pm. I was still fuming and 20 minutes later the night manager called me and accused me of talking about her to other employees and not only cursed me out, but told me that everyone hates me at Mimi's. Real mature, huh?! I told her I quit and needless to say did not show up at Mimi's the next day. I was actually pretty surprised none of the other managers called me to find out where I was/why I didn't show up, but I am assuming the night manager already talked to them. I decided I am not going to let her behavior slide and am going in on Wednesday to talk to the general manager about her behavior and explain why I did not come in on Saturday. I am pretty sure I am done with Mimi's at this point, but if I could salvage my position and maybe just work weekends when the night manager is not there, maybe it could work. If not, I am not hearbroken... I refused to be treated like garbage! The extra money has been nice, but my happiness means WAY more than money ever will :)

Anyway, back to the good stuff! Saturday night Steve and I went down to Denver for the evening to celebrate my 50lb weight loss and see the movie "Moonrise Kingdom". I wore a skirt that has not fit me in almost 2 years, and it was a little BIG on me! Felt incredible :)

We ate at this awesome Mexican food place called "Bluebonnet Cafe" which was delicious, and I treated myself to a "skinny" margarita made of pure lime juice, tequila, water, and a hint of soda water. I was one happy gal! I can definitely feel more restriction with the recent fill which is nice and keeps me in control. I only ate about half a taco, but it was a delicious treat! 

We went to the movie afterwards and it was pretty good... it is a Wes Anderson film and is only playing at one theatre in the whole state of Colorado which is odd. I was hoping to possibly go camping Sunday night, but unfortunately a terrible wildfire started right in the area I was going to camp in (Cache La Poudre Canyon near Fort Collins) which still isn't contained I believe :( Very sad. I spent the day with Steve at the pool instead and he took a video of me doing a pike one and a half off the 3m (high dive) board! The quality is terrible, but you can still see me doing it :) All the little kids cheered afterwards which felt good!

Cody's Mom is flying to Paris this week so I am with him 24/7 until Thursday... it is kind of fun that it is summer though because we can hang out at the pool, catch a movie, go to the park, etc... because we don't have a schedule to keep! Since I won't be home, I weighed myself today and weighed in at 267 which makes 3 pounds since last week... yay! I didn't have to be at Cody's house until 6pm today so I spent most of it at the pool again splashing around and swimming laps... I love swimming outdoors SOO much better than swimming indoors... really makes it more fun! 

Here is a picture from the concert I went to with Keren June 1st that I finally snagged off of her phone 

Last thing I will leave everyone with is a comparison photo... The photo on the left is me at my heaviest weight ever (318lbs!!) in late January, and the photo on the right is from Saturday night (June 9th) 50lbs lighter at 268lbs. Hooray! I love seeing results... it just motivates me even more to stay on track and keep on working hard!