Happy New Year!!! Welcome 2012!!

I pray you all had a fun and safe time ringing in the new year. I did so in bed :-) We were visiting family in AZ and were so pooped by 10:00 p.m. that I headed to bed. My husband came right along with me because unfortunately he got sick during the visit. I snored my way into 2012. Woot!

2011 was a great year but man did it go fast!! I don't know if it is because I was so busy, or because so many things happened, but it seems like it was only 6 months long. I am not one for making resolutions because, to be completely honest, I wouldn't keep them! However, I did a LOT of reflecting on the past year and I see why it went by so fast. I was very busy with work and my business, we were waiting for 9 months for the inevitable to happen with regards to my husband being discharged from the Air Force, we had many people we love who lost loved ones and lost 2 grandparents ourselves, I had my surgery, my son started high school, and probably the biggest thing was our decision to leave Las Vegas and move to the mountains of Arizona and all of the planning that goes along with that.

I am looking very much for what 2012 brings us. A new career for my husband, a new home for our family, a new community to move to, a new school for our son, a new group a friends to be made, a new opportunity to expand my business in a new area and new adventures for all of us!!
I will say that I am making a concerted effort with my husband to get to the gym at least 3 times a week. I also want to try something new at least once a month (like Zumba, Body Pump, swimming classes, etc) because I get bored with workouts. That may be challenging with, #1 staying at my mom's house 2 nights a week, #2 the fact that we like to go to the gym super early, and #3 the gym will be PACKED with all those folks who have losing weight on their resolution list, so it will suck getting there in the evenings when classes take place for at least 2 months. I am considering buying a Zumba DVD that I can just do at home, so if you have one that you recommend, please let me know!

I will also try to post on a more regular basis on my blog. It was terribly difficult with the holidays and everything that you have to do during that time. But now we are done with all of that and we can focus on the future!

Holiday Eating

Dude. I am getting out of control. I work in a law office so we have a lot of clients and other businesses that we work with who bring in goodies for us. Thank heavens it only happens once a year!! The past week is when allllllll of the holiday baskets and various other sinfully yummy treats have been coming in. Now, mind you I am at a point that I cannot eat bread, cake or soft mushy pastries, but cookies go down juuuust fine :-/ I baked over the weekend so this I know. What else have I discovered I can eat? Taffy, peanut brittle, cookies, cookies, cookies.

The scale has reflected my poor eating and lack of gym the past 2 weeks. Now my body is a bit crazy and can fluctuate day to day by as much as 5 lbs depending on various factors, but I am up 3 lbs in the past 2 weeks and I know it is because of my bad decisions when it comes to eating. I'm not hungry but I will graze. Big big NO NO!! I really do need to get back to where I was a few months back when I was losing like crazy and behaving myself. I would like a big heaping of self discipline for Christmas please!!

On a positive note, I am fitting into my smaller clothing that I bought at the beginning of the month. I am rocking my size 15/16 jeans and feel really good about myself when in them. Imagine how excited I will be when I go down to size 14! That is what I was wearing when I was at my smallest 7-8 yrs ago after losing 75 lbs (weighing 180ish). On Sunday after getting dressed, I was literally able to pull of my size 18's without unbuttoning them. My husband enjoyed that display. Little perv. LOL

Not sure if I will get on here again before Christmas, so I will take this time to wish a Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all of you....may you have a blessed holiday!!!

Can You Tell Which Of These People Has Had Weight Loss Surgery?

Look very closely....which one looks like she took the "easy" way out?

Think you know? Well it was both of us. Meet my friend Patsi. She underwent weight loss surgery 22 months ago and has lost 140 lbs. Now she had a different procedure than I did (gastric sleeve) but she is HALF the person she was before her surgery. HALF!!! I tried to slouch down enough so I didn't look like a giant next to her, but it was no use with the 2 inch heels my boots had on them. Patsi was a huge supporter of mine when I thought about having surgery. She didn't judge, she didn't wonder why, she was simply a friend who listened and gave me her opinion. Now I had to post the comment about us taking the easy way out of things because we were discussing yesterday how this has been one of the hardest things we have gone through. Last night was our Las Vegas Slumber Parties Christmas party and what goes along with Christmas parties? FOOD! And lots of it. We do potluck style and there was a ton of it. Patsi and I are limited to the amount of food we can eat so obviously things like that can be a bummer. I find myself looking around at other people's plates now wherever I am. I am not judging, I am just looking. Would I have loved to pile up food on my plate like others were able to? Uh, yeah. Could I? Uh, no. Did I overdo it a little bit? Yup. Even taking a little bit of everything doesn't work for me because when there is a large variety of food around, that little bit adds up to way too much. But it was fun.

We always do a gift exchange at our party but do the cut throat version where you can steal anything up to 3 times. It is more challenging that way. LOL. Anyway, I am ALWAYS first or second and get screwed over multiple times so I was super excited when I drew the last number. Hahahahahaaaa. Finally vengeance would be mine! I got to watch everyone open up gifts and only 1 thing was not available for theft. Well I stole from one of the girls but she stole from her mom and then her mom stole her item back. Bitches. ;-) So I was scanning the room for what I could steal when I was persuaded to open the last gift that was available. I did and opened up this
I LOVE it. And it just so happened to be the gift that Patsi brought. It was meant to be :-)

Dare I Say It?

Since I am nervous to say it out loud I will whisper. *I think I hit my sweet spot* Shhhhh.

Now for the non-bandster, what does that mean? The fill I got last week created the ideal amount of restriction that I need to have. I am satisfied at 3 oz of food again. I am filling up by drinking my protein shake in the morning and/or evening. It is amazing. It is exciting. It is liberating. ;-). I can't believe how invigorating it is to NOT want to eat so much. I am no longer a slave to food. I will repeat that every single day. I will shout it from the rooftop!!! YAY!!!!! Now if only I can get out of bed in the morning to go to the gym again......

More From Trash The Dress

I have had these for a few weeks and forgot to post them, since I know some of you wanted to see more. These are unedited, but I think my mom's boyfriend did a terrific job! We went to Nelson's Landing which is just 25 min south of Las Vegas (on the way to Laughlin). Definitely a must see when you are in Vegas! It was really a great time...who knew walking around a ghost town in my wedding dress would be so much fun! It was a wonderful way to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary :-) (They uploaded backwards, but I am too tired to fix them tonight)

28 Weeks (With Pictures)

Yesterday I learned something about my band....it is a LOT more full than I thought it was. I must have misunderstood what I was told during my 2nd fill because I thought I was at 3cc after my 2nd fill (meaning she put in 1cc). No. She put in 3cc so I was actually at 5cc in my band. Holy shit! No wonder I was getting stuck all the time! So when I went in because of the issues I was having, she took out 1cc so I was at 4cc. Last month I got .6cc and yesterday .4cc so I am back up to 5cc in my 10cc band. However, he doesn't expect that I will have the issues I did before because I am 25 lbs lighter, so I have less fat around my stomach.

I weighed in this morning at UNDER 215 so I am super excited that I have officially lost 60 lbs. Sweet!! Only 50 more to go! ;-)

Here are my comparison pictures...sorry again that last month's were so dark!! My tummy looks funny because of the drawstring on my pants and I think I look lumpy, but other than that, I'm happy with this month's results :-)

Barefoot Blue Jean Night

I have had this song in my head all day because I have heard it at least 4 times today. So catchy you can't help but sing it. Plus it is the topic of today's blog :-)

Yesterday was my 35th birthday and we had a good day. Started it at the DMV since I forgot that my drivers license expired on my birthday, but fortunately I have a terrific contact at the DMV and it makes everything much easier, so we were in and out in about 20 min. Sweet! We had a great lunch at P.F. Changs (their chicken lettuce wraps are to die for!) and today I had a nice surprise on the scale. 217. So close to 60 lbs lost for good! My P.I.C. and I decided we are going to do a "liquid diet" next week because of how many treats are going to be coming into the office...they have already started. We both need a kick in the pants with our weight loss and I know that I can do liquids. For me that means 2-3 shakes or soup plus one meal. I also have a fill on Tuesday and will be on liquids for that 24 hr period, might as well extend it to push me past my 60 lb mark.

The NFR (Nat'l Finals Rodeo) is always this time of year and it is fun to see all of the cowboys in town. I am still hoping to be able to score some tickets to the rodeo because it is awesome to watch! Today we went to the Cowboy Christmas at the convention center and it was a blast. I haven't been to it in years and spent a little over 3 hrs there with my family. I plan on having a "rustic" themed living room and got some great ideas and contacts for my decor. My mom and I stopped in one of the clothing booths and tried on lots of super cute jeans. Blingy butt jeans as I call them. I haven't ever had a pair because I never wanted to draw attn to my rear end. My mom bought a couple cute pair and she looks awesome in them. I am determined to end up with a butt as cute as hers by the end of my journey...she is pretty damn hot for a 58 yr old! :-) I bought 2 pair myself because of the deal they had on them and because I feel comfortable enough to now flaunt a bedazzled booty. Check them out....and the size I was able to buy!!

YAY!!! Happy Birthday to Me!! For someone who started this in a size 22W, this is beyond exciting!

They are a bit tight, as are the other size 16's I bought, but another 10 lbs gone and they will be perfect...so I have faith that I will be in them comfortably by the new year. My "muffin top" is already less noticeable in the 15/16's I bought today than it was in the 16's I tried on on Black Friday. Very motivating! I have also scored some really good deals at Kohls the past week. All items in a large and/or size 16. I am losing at a slow and steady pace so I don't worry about "stocking up" on items. Between sales, discounts, Kohls cash and a birthday gift card I have gotten 1 sweater, 3 tops, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of dress slacks and a skirt for only $40. SUHWEET!! It helps to have awesome deals when you are trying to restock your wardrobe. I have given several items away but I think I am going to start posting various pieces of clothing that I have available on here, so that will be something I start in the next few weeks. I know others can benefit from my old clothes, and then my husband won't be mad when I bring home new items ;-)

Hope you all have a great week!!