Breaking Up IS Hard to Do...

I broke up with Whit Saturday night.  There was no screaming, no crying (at least not then)...I just got dressed and left.  I'm dealing with it--hurting a little, but the truth is, his eldest "at-home" daughter has been hateful to me right along.  I'm sure she's celebrating the fact that I'm gone, and she would have done her best to break us up before too long, anyway.

I'm going to miss his youngest daughter--she was sweet and friendly and always kind to me.  She always greeted me with a hug and left me the same way.  Still, you can't stay in a relationship for a child--I found that out with James when I was so in love with Shannon.

While I'm going to miss Whit--and I will; he and I had fun together--I've really missed ME these past four months.  I haven't exercised as I should have; I haven't written as I should have; I just haven't spent time with myself as I should have--and I've MISSED it.  It's weird breaking up after surgery--I can't eat the way I might've in times past.  So I cried a bit.  And I'll be fine.  First I'll mourn a bit--and then I'll be fine.

It's Monday--hope yours is marvelous!!  I hope mine is SHORT...it's going to be a tough few days.

From Food-aholic to Fashionista?

I used to live to eat.  I did.  I loved food, and I thought it was my friend.  I ate when I was happy.  I ate when I was sad.  I ate when I was distressed, depressed or overjoyed.  Every occasion was an occasion to eat!  Food has lost most of its pleasure for me; generally speaking, I eat because I HAVE to.

I've discovered I like to shop, though!  It's fun to walk into a store, knowing that something will fit!  Last night, after my doctor's appointment, I went to World Market.  I love that store--they have a website if you don't have one near you.  It's filled with great imports--food, artwork, wine, kitchen and bathroom accessories, furniture and some clothing.  I've always loved their clothing, but they didn't sell anything in my size.  Well, that's all changed!

I bought an adorable blouse!  It's belted.  And a print.  Both "no-no"s before.  Additionally, it isn't stretchy! Ha, ha!  And the best part?  It was $26.99.  I had a $10 gift certificate from their loyalty program AND a coupon for $10 off $30.  The blouse cost me $6.99!  And it's pretty and I feel pretty in it!  I'll get someone to take a photo so I can post it!

Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!  Tomorrow through Friday, I'll be gone to DC with the seniors, so I probably won't post again until Saturday!  Enjoy the week!

Every Woman's Terror!

I bought a bathing suit!  It's gorgeous--black splashed with turquoise and greenish flowers in a "Hawaiian" print.  I bought it at Sam's Club, so I couldn't try it on at the store. I bought a size 16--and probably could have gotten away with a 14, because it fits very well NOW, and I'm just going to continue to lose weight!  Still, a size 16!  I cannot even remember when I last wore a size 16!

And I'm feeling better.  I still have slight abdominal pain--but nothing as bad as it was last week!  I hate the taste of Carafate--it's so chalky, but either it or the Nexium is really helping, so I'll continue to take it.

It's Sunday--have a super day!

Ulcer...Ugh.

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better on the Nexium and Carafate (which is the most vile, chalky liquid--ugh).  I have an appointment with the gastroenterologist on Monday afternoon, so I should know more soon...and hopefully surgery won't be necessary.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Whit isn't feeling well, so I'm not sure what the weekend holds other than me spending some time cleaning my house!!

Have a fabulous Friday!!

Good News...and Bad News...

The good news is that I've lost 109 pounds since May, 2011.  Pretty amazing, right?  The bad news is that the pain I have is potentially a real problem.  Dr. Enochs believes that I have an ulcer.  This can threaten the connection between my little stomach pouch and the intestine.  I have to see a gastroenterologist this week sometime (it was 6:30pm by the time I left the doctor's office; they're supposed to call me sometime today) so that I can get an endoscopy scheduled.  

I am feeling lousy so am going to call it a night.  Will let you know how things progress...

A Problem...

I'm having terrible abdominal pain, so I'm going to the doctor Tuesday after school.  (It was the soonest I could get in.)

I'll keep you posted, but if you're looking for a scary story, Google "Stomach pain after bariatric surgery".  It's scared me further.

Have a good Tuesday--I'll let you know what the doctor says.

Saturday!

It's Saturday, and I'm supposed to be spending the afternoon (1pm-6pm) at NC Wesleyan College, where I'll be a judge or something for a "Student Teacher Boot Camp".  It may be fun, but I'm a little reluctant to spend my afternoon there because I haven't been feeling well.

I've had stomach pain for nearly a week.  And it's a terrible pain--to the point where I called and made an appointment with my surgeon.  I've not complained about this pain before because it's never been this intense nor has it lasted this long.  But this has been really tough to deal with. 

I haven't had much of an appetite at all--not that I have a large one regularly, but I've had to force myself to eat!  The doctor's appointment is Tuesday--I guess I'll just have to take it easy between now and then.

Have a super Saturday; I'm hoping I will.

Wonderful Wednesday!

There's something magical about Wednesdays.  Maybe it's because they're smack in the middle of the work week...two days down and two to go.  Maybe it's because at my school, our kids go home at 2:30pm, and I get to leave by 4:00pm.  (I usually work until 5 every day, so getting out at 4:00 is a treat!)

Tuesday I left school at 5 and drove the hour to Whit's house.  He had texted me at 4:00 and asked about going to dinner.  When we couldn't decide on a restaurant, he offered to cook for me!  He made "grandma's chicken" (oven "fried" with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter--decadent and wonderful, it was MY grandma's recipe and I told him how to make it).  He also made me peas, which tasted SO good to me and potatoes and onions.  It was delicious, and I ate well!  

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful guy in my life!  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday--I know I will!

 

That New York State of Mind...

I love going to New York to see my mom and friends, even if I hate the 10-hour drive.  And the trip wasn't terrible this time--yes, it rained for the final three hours of my trip north, but it was sunny and beautiful for my return trip yesterday.  Because it was Easter, the traffic was fairly light, which made for a good trip as well.

While I was in NY, I lost three pounds!!  No surprise if you knew how I spent my Saturday...(hint: it wasn't pleasant).  I had tonsillitis before I left, and that 5-day course of azithromycin is apparently hard on a new little stomach like mine.  I still feel "under the weather" but at least the bathroom blues are over--for the time being.

It's funny how much of my trips north have been about food during past visits.  Of course, food used to be the center of my universe--now, not so much!  Still, I managed to get to Little Venice (for the best chicken parmigiana in the world!) twice.  Of course, I had the LUNCH portion, of which I could eat only about half the chicken (and no spaghetti), but it was delicious, nonetheless.  I also ate pizza while I was there--one small slice but still!  Brozetti's is a local place that makes a rectangular pie the size of a small laptop, and then cuts the pizza into ten rectangles approximately the size of my iPhone.  Previously, I would have eaten three or four slices easily--but this time, I stopped at ONE.  My mom surprised me by eating three herself!

I've now lost 105 pounds.  Amazing, huh?  When she first saw me, my mom pointed to my face and said, "This...is...awful!"  I said, "I look awful?"  And she laughed and said, "No.  I didn't finish.  I meant, it's an awful shock!"  My face IS quite a lot thinner; I look at old pics in amazement, so I understand her reaction.

My friend Thao has lost 27 pounds!  I'm so proud of her, but let me tell you the difference between being a 54-yr old living on her own and a 26-yr old living with her parents: for my 100-pound mark, I bought myself the turquoise necklace.  It was $49.00.  Thao also rewarded herself for her 27-pound loss--with a PURSE from MICHAEL KORS!  I buy a $49 necklace; she gets a $300 purse!  Am I jealous?  Oh, yeah!! LOL

What I'm especially proud of Thao about is her recognizing her accomplishments AND rewarding them accordingly.  I think it's great that she realizes that losing weight is hard work--and the fact that she's rewarding herself for that work with something NOT food related shows me how great she's doing!

Back to the grind...I really need a vacation to recover from my vacation!  Have a MARVELOUS Monday!

I'm Baaack!

Back from my week at my mom's; glad to be home but missing her!  I'll post tomorrow about the trip; thank you for sticking with me!

On the Road Again!

Getting round this morning to get on the road to NY, I wanted to take a few minutes to write about three things on my mind.

The first thing is the ease of bending.  Have you ever been driving when you dropped something at your feet?  Recovering the dropped item--change, mascara, whatever--was nearly impossible 100 pounds ago.  Yesterday, I was struck by how easy it was to pick up the change I dropped at the pharmacy drive-up window!  Just another one of those "aha" moments!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought the top that I wear in the newest photo on the side of this blog.  It was inexpensive, and I love the colors.  Well, I've seen it almost six times on other women, so they apparently felt the same way about it.  What I find remarkable is that I keep looking at it on other women and saying, "Nah, it looks better on me!"  Wow, huh?  I had no idea I was such an egomaniac.  Well, as it turns out, I don't think it's egomania that's the reason behind my statement.  For the first time EVER, I'm wearing the SMALLEST size available in an item.  (It's a "plus" size, so the 16 is the smallest).  So of course it looks better on me, I'm SMALLER!

And the last thing--I will NEVER go as long without protein as I did this week.  It's horrible having a sore throat--you know you can't taste anything, and you really don't want to eat anything, either.  Well, yesterday Whit and I were shopping for a few things for me to take to my mom, and I almost passed out.  Truly.  I was sweating, my heart was pounding, I was shaky--about to crash.  We bought a "Snickers Marathon" bar--it has a LOT of sugar in it, but 21 grams of protein in the entire thing, and I only nibbled on about a fifth of it, but it helped a lot. (18 grams of sugars, but unlike some protein bars, it wasn't super "vitaminy".

I'll be at my mom's by 8pm tonight, and I'm looking so forward to seeing her and my friends!  Have a super Sunday, and I'll write when I can!