Gaining Weight....but it's Okay This Time

I was sitting in the parking lot of the blood draw lab this morning, waiting to get my 7 vials taken to test my vitamin levels, and it occurred to me that I should update this blog. A lot has happened since I last posted in November, namely that I've managed to gain about 4lbs but I'm not sweating it. Since I'm pregnant!

18 weeks pregnant at the moment, so yeah...I'm a little slow to update readers of this blog.

At 15 weeks. 

My OB and Bariatric doctor are both very happy with my health and timing on this. A long time ago the Bari doc had laid a hard date of 18 months post surgery. She said a woman should never get pregnant before then, and honestly I totally agree. I am able to eat reasonable portions now, about a salad plate or small cereal bowl of food at a time....and the major body shift and rapid loss had pretty much leveled out.

Still I wondered immediately how this pregnancy would feel different. It's been 8 and 6 years since I've done this, and my body has changed tremendously. Not to mention that with my second pregnancy I gained around 75lbs and for the most part had never lost it. Would I feel hungry, weak, nauseous this time?

So far, the ease of this one has shocked me. Minus some smell-induced nausea in the beginning, I have never had morning sickness and pretty much feel normal. I've noticed that I'm a bit hungrier in the second trimester but still not experiencing that 'starving all the time' sensation. My c-pap continues to bless me with amazing nights of sleep so my energy has been great.

I wonder if the tools in my box are actually making this pregnancy easier...more stable blood sugar, better sleep, and perhaps the ability to eat small bits at a time is what keeps nausea at bay.  What I thought might be more difficult seems....easier?

And yet there's a paranoia part of me that wonders if the baby is okay. Am I taking enough vitamins? I know for sure that on a given day, I'm not getting enough protein. Is it growing enough? Is a gain of only 4lbs enough, given that in my earlier pregnancies I probably would have picked up 20 by now?

So I will be happy for the big ultrasound in a couple of weeks, to hopefully put my fears to rest. And by the way, Doc says that 4lbs is just fine. Weight gain and baby health do not necessarily go together.

All was fine at my 12 wk ultrasound. 

Here's hoping the second half goes as smoothly as the first!

One Year Post Pilates

I'm about to come up on my anniversary of starting pilates classes, one year ago this November. Doing those classes has been one of the hardest parts of this whole journey because for a long time the pilates classes were CRAZY HARD for me. Much pain and soreness.


I'm still not a super pilates guru or super skinny yet, but I can do much much more in the classes then I could a year ago...and most of all I still really enjoy going. A move called 'leg changes', though...still my worst enemy.

November 2013- 77lbs lost

November 2014 (and 1 year of pilates) - 100 lbs lost

For extra comparison, Thanksgiving of 2012...

18 months later

100lbs lost and holding. 

(Second guessing my choice to wear a flowy shirt for this picture. You can't see my 6 pack. Kidding, kidding )

Pre-surgery. March 2013. 

I've been holding at 100 lbs for over two months now. I feel like there's more weight to lose but I'd *like* to think some of the weight comes from muscle gain. I've been going to pilates 3 times a week, most recently to a class that is both spinning and pilates together. I think they should just rename the class it OUCH!  And surprisingly...I can hold my own when spinning. I was expecting to pass out dead at the first class.

Life is so wonderfully busy right now. Our family is active and involved...in the community, our church, kid activities. I wonder what this season might have looked like if I didn't have the energy I do now. If I had never lost all the weight or learned to sleep. And honestly there some days where it seems so far behind me that I don't even remember.

Until I go to a restaurant and eat just an appetizer, or fully enjoy riding a roller coaster with my kids at the zoo. Then I remember.

The Illusive 100lb Disney Picture

Right before my family left our first ever trip to Disney World, I hit 99lb loss on the scales. So it was my goal to snap that awesome 100lb pic while we were on our trip...standing in front of Cinderella's castle or with Mickey some other awesome location.

The thing about a trip to Disney with kids though, of course, is that it's busy and hot and there are a million things happening all at once. So I forgot all about that 100lb picture.

But when filing through the thousands of pics on my phone and camera, I found one that I think will work.  Still not a skinny lady to be seen in this pic, and definitely one with some flappy arm skin issues...but there it is. 100lbs gone.

The best photo comparison I could find was from summer vacation 3 years ago at the Outer Banks.

The difference in these two vacations aside from the obvious difference in size, was stamina and energy. We planned our Disney days to be jam packed full so we could get the most seen and done and then take rest days off in between.  So it was go go go from ride to show to attraction to ride. We hardly ever stopped.

And I do believe that it was my husband and kids trying desperately to keep up with ME, not the other way around. I could not have accomplished that a few years ago. As much as I wanted to, no way.

Truth be told, I am no longer at 100 lbs because I gained about 4lbs on vacation...from eating mickey ice cream, chips in the car and having a glass of wine every single night. But I'm not sweating it. I'll get back there very soon.

The point it that I hit 100lbs, had an amazing trip and it indeed felt magical.

1 Year Progress Pictures

My one-year anniversary kind of came and went the other day without me much noticing. In fact I didn't even realize it until the following day. I guess that might be because it doesn't feel like my life revolves around it as much anymore. Sometimes I simply forget what life was like a year ago right now with the 2oz portions of instant mashed potatoes.

I can eat normal foods in small portions, do normal amounts of exercise and activities and well....I feel normal. I feel like the mom that I always thought I was inside my own head.

And no I'm not skinny yet but I'm still working on it and if I'm never truly 'skinny' again I don't really care. I feel no longer trapped by my own body at at the end of the day, that's all I really wanted.

 March 2014

89 lbs lost (dang I really wanted that 90 by the 1 year mark!)

March 2013

Mama's Protein Power Breakfast

I've been having the same breakfast almost every day for a while now and it's delicious, full of protein and totally dietician approved. Extra bonus...very portable and easy to eat in the car.

I fry up one egg, then toss in some cheese and turkey sausage crumbles (which were a recent addition as of this week, when I found this baggy of pre-cooked crumbles calling my name). While the egg is cooking I throw a taco-sized tortilla on the flame to heat up a bit.

Yummy looking scramble, rolled up into a taco. Then I wrap is up in foil.

While inside the foil something magic happens, the already warm tortilla softens a bit and becomes nice and chewy.

I wrap it in foil even when I'm eating it at home, and let it sit and steam itself for a couple of minutes.

Start to finish it takes 5 minutes to make. The rest of my family has started requesting these for breakfast as well, especially if hot sauce is involved.

This size is about max capacity for me so I feel very full after (and sometimes can't finish every bite). The protein gives me a nice morning and boost and well, it's yummy! 

A Year Difference

 Charley's 4th birthday.

Charley's 5th birthday, 82 lbs lighter.