Well, here I am....all alone....

Except for all of you!

I went to my doctor this week for my LAST FORMAL CHECK-UP!  How freaking scary is that?  It has been almost a year since my revision to Sleeve surgery.  He spent over 30 minutes with me....even though he had a waiting room full of patients.  He basically said that I have surpassed his expectations of where he thought I would settle as a final weight and he said that I should listen to my body and give myself a 5 lb window to fluctuate.  I'm ok with that. He had me crying and made me promise that even though I live 120 miles away, I would try to come back at yearly intervals.  He said not only would it give him a chance to admire his work (I love him), but it would also give me some form of accountability.  Really?  I'm thinking I need more than a "oh, a year is coming up and its time to see my doctor!  I better lose this weight I've gained! "

No. First and foremost, I need to be accountable to myself.  Thankfully, I have Steve and my family to help me with that!  Than,  I need to keep blogging and keep up all the friendships I've made around here with woman who have become so special to me.  Everyone is at different points on this thing we call a 'Weight Loss Journey'.  It helps to step back sometimes and retrace our steps with those who are not as far along.  It keeps me grounded, so to speak and helps me as much as I hope I help others.

I know I am not the only one who says "I'm not ever going to gain that weight back" but we all know how easy it is to slide with our weight and that is just a fact of life.  The way I explained it to my doctor is, I feel like after losing all this weight, the slate was wiped clean.  Getting the lapband and than the Sleeve basically gave me a chance for a "do over".  I am now at a weight that I am healthy and comfortable with.  I am in control of what I put into my mouth so I should be strong enough to respect myself enough not to gain it back!  That is my plan. One day at a time.  What an interesting concept, yes?

While I was at his office, he wanted to try out a new machine he has gotten since my last visit, the InBody520.  It measured my weight, lean body mass and body fat mass.  According to this sophisticated piece of modern machinery, I am at a 22 BMI (on a scale of 18.5 - 25 for normal) with a 30.6% of body fat (on a scale of 18.0 - 28 for normal).  This means that I would need to lose an additional 13.4 lbs of fat and gain 2.4 lbs of muscle mass.  At my current weight of 139 lbs, this would bring me to about 128 lbs!  We both looked at each other and agreed....it is what it is.  So much for $15,000+ machines!!!  I am comfortable at this weight and so far, I am able to maintain it without any extreme measures such as exercising 2 hrs a day 7 days a week!  There ain't no way this body is ever going to see a 1-2 before a number on a scale unless I am holding on to a towel bar!!!!!  And we dont want to go there anytime soon...believe you me!

Hello...from?

I can't even keep track of where I am lately! I was in Key West for my hubby's birthday in mid-april and than a week later I was in Palm Springs for a long girls weekend and then what was supposed to be a 4 day trip to New York for the anniversary of the death of my dad and brother-in-law, turned into a 9 day trip! Yikes!

My younger daughter Jordan signed a lease for her first apartment and what kind of momma would I be if I wasn't there to help her move in? Actually, she was moved in just fine when I arrived on may 4th! We spent a few days racing around Long Island purchasing things such as a futon, dinette set, misc. tables and kitchen stuff! As the saying goes "it was the best of times, it Was the worst of times!". I could not wait for Steve to arrive on May 10th! Mallory couldn't wait either as she was the unofficial referee between Jordan and I...a role she hates evidently! I'm told Jordan and I have the same personality and we can both be quite stubborn at times. Who knew? Oh well, no one got hurt and now, two days being home again, I can honestly say I miss my girls!

The really nice part of the trip was that I was able to spend Mothers DAY weekend with my mother and daughters. It has been 4 years since we were all together on that day!

I didn't get any exercise in during my 9 days in NY and as usual there was a lot of eating out. My son-in-law kevin looked forward to all the leftovers i brought him from my many lunches and dinners out. I thank God I have my Sleeve to keep me in check! I so much like cooking myself! Eating out is nice once or twice but after that I'm done. Mallory and Kevin are the only family members who do any home cooking lately so I did have a few very nice dinners while there.

I'm sad to say that my next trip isn't until late August! We are doing a family cruise to Bermuda. I'm so excited! I just don't know if I can wait that long to see the girls again! I just might have to sneak in a few days on LI in early July maybe. We will have to see how busy a season I'm having with my real estate business. I got quite a few referrals while I was away so hopefully, there will be some closings to cover the cost of any "extra travel".

I'm back to my routine with exercising and eating. I'm happy to say that I have been continuing to maintain my weight even with all the traveling. The scale fluctuates between 138-141 it seems. Regardless of what the scale says, the personal training I invested in is really starting to pay off. I can see so much more definition in my arms, shoulders and even stomach! Steve even commented that my arms looked really good!

That made my day!