Pool, Flu, and OFFICIALLY 50LBS DOWN!! :)

Hello there!

Like many other places in the country, it was raining cats and dogs for weeks here in Colorado. This was such a bummer because it was supposed to be the start of summer! Luckily, the rain gave in and the sunshine and warm weather came out 2 weeks ago like someone suddenly hit a light switch, and it was gorgeous, glorious summer. My gym opened their outdoor pool over memorial day, so I have been taking full advantage of it and swimming laps almost every day I can. Some days though, it will rain/thunderstorm towards the end of the day (when I end up getting there after work) and they will close down the pool which is a bummer because the indoor pool is currently closed for renovations. In these cases, I now just make sure to have alternate workout clothes and sneakers in my car so when this happens I can go lift weights or do the treadmill or elliptical. One night I showed up and there was a swim team using all the lap lanes so I waited around enjoying the sunshine figuring I would swim laps when they were done. However, I saw that a shallow water aerobics class was starting up so I decided to join that. I normally despise shallow water aerobics (I am a deep water aerobics girl!), but this teacher was amazing, had GREAT music, and I swear I have never had a water aerobics class that kept my heart rate up as much the entire class as this one. It was great and I am going to try to make attending it a habit! My tan lines are already crazy because I wear 3 different swimsuits so I am going to have to figure out how to even it all out before the wedding in my strapless wedding dress haha!

Outdoor pool finally open! Hooray!

On a less positive note, I am sick again :( This time, I tested positive for the freaking FLU! :( I can't tell you how frustrated I am that I get sick so often… especially because I eat pretty healthy these days, take a MILLION supplements (as we bariatric patients must), take emergen-c immune boost packets, am active, and wash my hands a million times a day! Granted I nanny for a 10 month old that gets sick pretty often (and the parents usually have me with him even when he is sick) so sometimes I get sick from him, but there have been quite a few other times this year (strep 3 times and now the flu) that have nothing to do with him :(. I feel like I have been hit by a bus… chills, sweats, horrible body aches, headaches, really bad cough and runny nose, and exhaustion. I got diagnosed and got tamiflu on sunday, but so far have not seen a lot of improvement. Heres to hoping I get better in a few days!

Lastly… drum roll…. I have officially lost 50lbs since January as of today :) I weighed in at 248.4lbs and I am thrilled. The weight is coming off a little slower than I had hoped, but nonetheless it is coming off and that makes me happy. I still struggle with head hunger, but know that will take time to conquer and just need to listen to my stomach and body and ignore my brain when it comes to food right now!

248.4lbs baby! 50 pounds down since January… BOO YA!

Hope you all have had a great start to summer and are enjoying the warmer weather. I am going to go back into my blanket fort and watch some netflix again before sleeping another 10 hours because I feel like death, but hope this damn flu goes away soon!

Warmly

Caroline

Stomach Virus, Hot Springs, and Weigh In

Hey there!
So last week I got a horrific stomach virus that put me out of commission for a few days (the baby I nanny for and the mother of the baby also got it). It was scary at first because I started vomiting (obviously huge no no with recent surgery) so I immediately got myself to urgent care and got a prescription for zofran to stop the vomiting. While this helped, I was still miserable, nauseous, and sick in um… other ways… for 3 and  half days. Not fun, but as my Dad jokingly quotes from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada", you are only one stomach virus away from your goal weight! haha! I did end up dropping 6 pounds from the ordeal, but put back on 2 because I think a lot of it was water weight.

On Saturday, I finally felt better and was able to go out to meet some grad school friends for another tea party at the Denver tea room which was fun. I got a new dress which I love and felt super cute in it :)

New dress!

On Sunday, my fiancé Steve and I decided to go celebrate my perfect 4.0 GPA for all of my graduate coursework with a trip to a nearby hot springs, Indian Hot Springs in Idaho Springs, CO. The place itself was pretty rundown, but the hot springs were nice and it was great to get away, be together, relax, and reconnect.

All grades finally in… perfect 4.0 for every class I have taken in my graduate career!

On our way to the hot springs :)

While I definitely know that the switch from the lap band to the sleeve was most certainly the right decision for my health, I was reminded of my frustrations at times when we were at the hot springs. We went out for dinner to a Mexican place and all I wanted to do was be able to eat 1 whole taco and have a light margarita… of course because of this surgery, I can't do either and it can be frustrating sometimes. I ordered a light margarita and drank about a quarter of it, but then had to stop because my meal came. After getting super full from half a taco, I couldn't even think about trying to finish margarita or would have to have waited at least 30 to 45 min so I wouldn't be sick. It ultimately went to waste... In fact, going out to eat at this point is basically pointless because I am left full after a few bites and just sit there awkwardly wishing I could finish at least half of my meal. On one hand, it is amazing that I can pretty much eat a little bit of whatever I want and have ultimate portion control, but on the other hand I feel so unsatisfied most of the time when I eat because it is so little and my head wants more. Obviously, I do not NEED more and will have to learn to deal with this. 

I did a weigh in this morning and am happy with the results as I clocked in at 253.0 lbs which means I am down 4 pounds from last week. Now that the wedding is literally around the corner (August 9th… I just sent out invitations! Eek!) I am literally more motivated than ever and have tried to be more active in all that I do (work, home, taking doggy for more walks, etc.) in addition to working out. My goal is to now swim laps for an hour at least 4 times a week and do some weights 2 to 3 days a week (my upper arms are so flabby at this point from weight loss and gain and loss and gain that I feel like I have bat wings!!!). 

Down 4 pounds from last week :)

It has been raining for weeks here and the sun finally came out today which was really nice and helps add to my motivation to be outside and be more active in general. Hope you all have had a good week so far, talk to you soon!

Warmly

Caroline

NAMI Walk, Tea Party, Honeymoon, Grades, and Weekly Weigh In

Hi there!
Hope you all had a great week. This past Saturday I participated in a walk for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) with some of my fellow graduate students to raise funds for this amazing organization. It is an organization that helps thousands of individuals with mental illness in many facets of life and helps families of loved ones with mental illness learn to cope and help. Our team raised $720 for the organization and had fun doing the walk. It was only a mile (which was rather disappointing), so my team walked the course twice.

Walking for NAMI!

Our NAMI walk team!

On Sunday, my friend Morgan had a graduation tea party which was a lot of fun, and I was able to fit back into a fancy party dress I have not worn in two years!! While I was finding the dress, I found all kinds of other summer clothes like shorts, skirts, dresses, and capris, and I fit back into EVERYTHING which is such a great feeling. And it was like going shopping again too because it had been so long since I have worn a lot of those things that I forgot I even owned them :). 

Tea party with my friend Morgan for her graduation

Pinkies up!

I weighed in this morning at 257.2lbs, which was a bit disappointing. This means I lost around a pound and a half over the last week, which although the scale is moving in the right direction, is not the number I had hoped for. It just goes to show how important exercise is in the grand scheme of everything for me. As I blogged last week, it was difficult to get decent exercise in because I was working two jobs and basically on the clock 24/7. The baby I nanny for no longer lives right near the nice lake which was 2.5 miles around that we used to walk, and it was rainy all week. We got some walks in at the mall, but not the same effect as power-walking outside or swimming laps. This is just a motivator to work harder this week and get some good exercise in!! 

About a pound and a half down from last week

Lastly, STEVE AND I ARE GOING ON A HONEYMOON!! I am so excited because we were not planning on going on a honeymoon for a while due to a lack of finances. We were utterly shocked and overwhelmed with joy when we got a call this Saturday that Steve's Aunt and Uncle bought us 4 nights 5 days and airfare to an all inclusive hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico right after the wedding! I am so excited and can't wait to snorkel, swim, relax, and be on the beach all day :) Even better, the resort is one that a few of my friends have been to before and loved it so much they have now been twice! Hooray!

I am waiting on one last grade to be officially published (although I know it is an A because have added up my points etc.), and I am excited and proud to announce that I have maintained a perfect 4.0 throughout my entire graduate coursework career. As long as I get an A in practicum and internship (graded based on improvement as a therapist etc.), I will graduate magna cum laude in the Spring of next year. Hooray!

Life is good :) Here's to working harder this week on exercise to get the numbers on the scale I am hoping for.

Warmly

Caroline 

The Protein Bar and Walking for NAMI

Hi there!
Hope everyone has been having a great week. I have been very busy going from my usual nanny job straight to spending the night with a kiddo I used to nanny for (who is now 14) while his Mom is out of town, and I am anxious to go home after work today at 3:30pm because I have not been home since tuesday!! I have been getting in good walks with the baby I nanny for all week which has been better than nothing (since I couldn't go to the gym with both gigs all week).

Yesterday, I found an awesome new place to eat on the go called "The Protein Bar"… they offer a ton of great high protein, reasonable calorie, fresh, healthy food options. I ordered their "Healthy Parm" which is a rainbow quinoa blend, their own marinara (very low cal), mozzarella cheese, and shredded chicken. The whole bowl has 390 calories and 36 grams of protein, and since I still get full after 2 to 4oz, it lasted me 3 meals!! Delicious and healthy option for on the go :)

Healthy Parm from the Protein Bar!

Delicious!

I am excited for this weekend because tomorrow I am participating in the NAMI walk with a few of my fellow graduate school peers. NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is an organization that supports thousands of people currently suffering with a mental illness and their families. I am participicating in this walk to raise money for the organization and have created this fundraising page because NAMI, and the work they do, is very important to me as a future therapist. My team has set out to raise $1000 for the organization through sponsoring our walk, and so far we have raised $670. If anyone has a couple extra bucks they could donate to this incredible organization, that would be amazing and help many. You can sponsor me (donate to organization) by clicking on the following link below! 

Sponsor My NAMI walk!

Have a great friday!

Warmly

Caroline 

Done with School, Found a Wedding Dress, and Weekly Weigh In!!

Hi everyone!
Sorry I haven't been on in over week… it was CRAZY swamped with all my final papers and projects for school. I had 6 major papers due in the last two weeks, and needless to say I had very little time to exercise other than taking my dog for a walk because still had to work full time, go to class, and get those papers done! I am proud to say that I am now completely done with graduate coursework and on to practicum in the fall (where I am a supervised therapist on campus for a semester) then internship in the spring (where I am a supervised therapist off-campus)!! This is so exciting because my graduate counseling program is longer than most (3 years) and I am finally down the first 2 years, and NO MORE HUGE PAPERS or COURSEWORK! While I absolutely LOVE my graduate program, it has been a huge source of stress over the last two years and been a big blockade to my fitness/weight loss progress… this is because I also had to work full time to support myself. I cannot tell you just how relieved and happy I am that I now have the time to focus on myself, losing weight, and exercising! I don't do practicum until the fall, so I have the summer off which is a first in a long time. I am just nannying this summer, wedding planning, swimming, walking, hiking, journaling, reading, and taking care of ME! Hooray!

Out celebrating the end of coursework and my best friend's birthday with my fiancé :)

I had a 6 week check in group appointment with my nutritionist last week, and it went really well. I wasn't thrilled at first about it being a "group" appointment, but actually was glad in the end because the other two women in the appointment had also switched from the lap band to the gastric sleeve and were also 6 weeks out. It was helpful to talk with the nutritionist and other women about what has been working well for each of us, what hasn't, how much we have been eating so far, etc. I have been getting a lot more "physically" hungry lately, and my nutritionist said I should stop drinking so many protein shakes and eating so much greek yogurt, and switch to high protein foods with more texture. This should keep me fuller longer. I was happy for the other two women there and the progress they have made, but the competitive person in me was glad to see that I had lost the most weight of the three of us. Of course, each of us started at a different weight, and are different people and have our own journeys etc., but nonetheless, it made me feel good. One of the women was a lot like me in the sense that with lap band she had lost about 100 pounds, but then put it back on and then some before switching to the sleeve. This once again reinforces that I am not alone in that I failed with the lap band, and am happy to be going through this journey with others. 

I have been super stoked about doing more wedding planning now that coursework is over, and I had sort of been dreading looking for a dress. I say this because most dresses need 6 to 12 weeks to come in, so I was going to have to buy one now and hope it fit by my wedding in August.  I went to David's Bridal yesterday with my maid of honor, cousins, and friend… and said YES to the dress!! I couldn't believe it… I had seriously had nightmares all week that the dresses wouldn't fit me or they wouldn't have my size, and I walked out with the most gorgeous dress. This is the dress that has been my favorite on the David's Bridal Website, but when I got to the shop, they told me it was a discontinued dress and that they did not have any more of them. I was bummed, but decided to go ahead and try on other dresses. After I tried on my first dress, the woman helping me rushed over and said that she had found one last dress of the kind I wanted… in a size 18! It was perfect! I tried it on, and it fit like a glove. She put a tiara and veil on me and I was so happy I cried. It is my perfect dress, and has a corset back so can be adjusted as I lose weight before the wedding/be taken in need be. It was on sale too as it was the last of its kind. Hooray!

I said yes to the dress!!

Crying and emotional after putting on a tiara and veil to go with the dress

My cousins, maid of honor, and friend!

Gorgeous tiara!

I woke up late today and was in a bit of a rush so did not take a picture of the scale as I normally do, but weighed in at 258.6 lbs this morning!! I am happy with this number, especially because I did not have/make the time in the last two weeks to seriously workout because finishing grad school papers and projects. In addition to my usual monday through friday nanny job, I am also spending the night at a kiddo who I used to nanny for's house for the week to watch him while his pilot mother is flying to Tel Aviv. This is challenging for working out, because if I want to workout or go to the gym he has to come with me (he is 14 years old and in trouble for having girls over already!) and he is hard to convince. This just means that I am going to try to get in a good solid walk with the baby during my day nanny job to get some exercise in!

Will get a picture of weigh in tomorrow morning.

Hope you all had a great mother's day and weekend!

Warmly

Caroline

Weekly Weigh In

Hooray! Did my weekly weigh in this morning and was delighted to see 262.6lbs on the scale :) The scale is finally moving along at a steady pace to match my efforts and it is a great feeling!

WOOHOO! 3 pounds down from last Wednesday

I have really wanted to go for a walk around Sloan's Lake (the 2 and a half mile loop I frequent at work) yesterday and today with the kiddo I nanny for, but he has a severe stomach virus so the parents have asked that I keep him at home. Been really frustrating to have to be at work when the baby is sick because I can't afford (time or money) to get sick again, but the parents are going through a lot of transitions with moving to a new house next week and the Mom switching jobs. Since I took two days off last week for strep, they really need me this week and have assured me that it is difficult to pass this virus from a baby to an adult, but regardless I have been super careful, washed my hands a million times, and avoided kisses and close snuggles. 

Unfortunately my day today is nuts (work from 8am to 1pm, then ENT doc appointment, then honor society meeting, then class until 930pm) so I will not be able to swim or walk today :(. I will have time tomorrow after work to go swim for an hour so look forward to that. 

Have a great week!

Warmly

Caroline

Tonsils from HELL, New Swimsuit, and Mid-Week Weigh In!

Hey there,
I apologize for being MIA most of last week, I had strep throat for the THIRD freaking time since January :( I have always had huge tonsils and have needed to get them removed for a number of years now, but with grad school have had a hard time finding the time to do so. I got strep on Monday night, then it continued to get worse because they gave a me a Z-pack antibiotic which I have apparently used so many times this year it was no longer effective :(. On thursday, I went back to the doc and got a steroid shot in the bum and and some penicillin and began to feel much better one day later. It was a rough week, but nurse doggy Lola took good care of me :).

Nurse Lola taking care of her human

I have an appointment with an ENT doctor on tuesday and will hopefully be able to schedule a tonsillectomy for this summer before the wedding so I don't have to deal with strep ever again!

I have loved being back in the pool, but as I mentioned in my last post, finding a comfortable athletic swimsuit that fit was a challenge (and I HATE ordering clothes/swimsuits online because you never know how they will fit). On Saturday I was feeling much better and decided to take a break from working on final papers for school to go check out some suits. I went to sports authority and to my chagrin, I found two beautiful size 16/18 TYR suits that fit me perfectly!! I have not been able to buy a speedo-esque "real" athletic suit without having to go to a specialty or plus size store since I was probably 19 years old… I was so happy I cried in the dressing room :) I chose this cool blue and tie-dye one and took it for a spin in the pool immediately after. I swam for 55 minutes and it was the most comfortable I have been swimming laps (without having to pull up my suit in the bust area or adjust it every lap or so) in forever. It was a pretty penny ($79!!), but totally worth it. 

Size 16/18 TYR!! LOVE IT!

Horrible picture of me because I was crying and a hot mess, but here is me in the suit!

I was also really pleased and surprised to see that Sports Authority now offers extended sizes in stores (1x through 4x) for all kinds of athletic stuff such as hiking clothes, yoga clothes, etc. This is a much needed and welcomed change because it can be so frustrating to have to specialty order these things online and guess sizing and pay more etc. Way to go Sports Authority!

I didn't get around to posting a weigh in last week because I was super sick with strep and tired/lazy (but STILL having to do schoolwork etc.), so here is my delayed weigh in from this last wednesday… 265.4lbs! Woohoo. I was definitely happy with that. 

Down 4lbs! Woohoo

I should have weighed myself this morning, but per my usual problem lately, I woke up late running out the door to work and did not have time. I am going to weigh in tomorrow morning which I look forward to because I did not have much of an appetite with strep last week and have been swimming and walking. 

I am truly feeling the grind (especially being sick all last week) and am counting down the days until the end of the semester in 2 weeks… I spent all day yesterday filming more family technique final sessions with my group from class then had to do/film myself conducting play therapy with a three year old which was fun, but I was gone on a sunday from 8am to 9pm which isn't much of a break or weekend! I have two papers due tomorrow at midnight, another due thursday at midnight, another two next monday by 6pm, and one last one next thursday by midnight. Needless to say I will be burning the candle at both ends and pulling my hair out until the end of next week. Wish me luck on all the papers and my weigh in tomorrow, I hope you all have a good start to your week!

Warmly

Caroline