2 Year Anniversary!

It's hard for me to fathom that's it's been 2 years since I had my LapBand surgery in Mexico!  So much has happened since than weight-wise not to mention, life-wise.


I have had my band removed and revision surgery to VSG and all toll, I am down 97 lbs!  More important to me than how I look is how I feel and i feel like a million bucks....maybe even 2 million with inflation!  I look in the mirror some days and cannot believe how far I've come these past two years.  My only regret is that my Dad is not here to share  in my happiness.  I know he would be so happy and proud that I've accomplished all that I have.

Some pics:

The one person who truly deserves a medal is my sweet husband Steve.  He has been my rock since the day we've met.  He pushes me when I don't think I can do any more but mostly, he just holds me tight and let's me know that I have his support in everything I do!  Knowing I have him by my side and that he has my back, makes everything better! 


On that note, My goal weight was 150 and I am bouncing between 137 - 140 so I've officially changed my goal to 145 and that is the number I am using not to surpass.  


I was given the ok to start exercising again last week from my doc and let me just say I AM BACK!  I even started a two day a week weight training session with a personal trainer to complement my 4-5 times a week cardio program.  The cardio is going great but dear, sweet baby Jesus...I am frickin aching from the weights!  But, you know the saying..."what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".  I feel so much stronger already...at least thats what I keep saying every time I try to stand on my 'squat weakened thighs'.


On the life front.....we spent this past weekend visiting our friends on Hilton Head Island, SC.  We had a lovely time.  Ate too much, drank too much and laughed a lot!  Good times!  We drove home via Savannah, GA and had a nice lunch before continuing our drive home.  We will be back, y'all!


My sister and niece are heading down for a visit during their Easter break and I can't wait to see them.  Although I got to visit with my niece last month when she was here, I haven't seen my sister since mid-January.  I can't wait.  I never get enough of having my family visit with me....I feel like I am always disrupting their lives with my frequent trips up north, so being able to reciprocate is something I live for! 


I am in the process of planning a short 4 day getaway to Key West next month for Steve's birthday and I am really looking forward to that!  Any of you who have been there and have restaurant suggestion, please email them to me.  I plan on surprising Steve with a visit to a Drag Show one night!  Should be fun. I have already started shopping for new clothes to wear.  I will say that shopping for clothes is a gazillion times better than when I was 97 lbs heavier.  When I think of all the tears I cried while shopping in the past, I vow to myself that I will never disrespect myself like that again by gaining the weight back.  

Today is the last day of Bike Week 2012

Thank God!  As of last night, there were 7 bikers dead.  With the exception of 2 bikers, who lost control of their bikes and crashed, all the others were hit by cars who "didn't see them".  I came upon the remains of one of these fatal accidents Friday morning on my way to work.  Just seeing the crumpled motorcycle, I knew he didn't make it.  I was right.  Later that same day, Steve and I were heading to a favorite lunch spot on the beach and there were police, Sheriff and Troopers (not a good sign at all) all over the place as a car decided to do a u-turn and slammed right into a biker.  Dead!  Next year, instead of having signs that say "Look Twice, Save a Life"  I am suggesting we plaster these signs all over:

On a much nicer note, Steve and I enjoyed a gorgeous day yesterday out on the motorcycle enjoying the sights of Bike Week...and oh, the sights that were to be seen!  You truly have to see it with your own eyes.  

Main Street Daytona beach from the back of Steves Bike:

What a biker bitch I am!  You should have seen my T-Shirt....it had a little white puppy on it...I fit right in with the rest of the biker bitches I assure you!

The Famous Budweiser Clydesdales were in attendance too!  They are spectacular!

We had a really great day which even included an ice cream cone for me!  We got home safely, which is what I pray for every time we go out on the motorcycle and had a very nice Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner which was cooking while I was gone!  

Today we are meeting some friends for lunch and than just chillaxing the rest of the day!  Nice Weekend!

New Low, New doo

New low:  137!!!!  Unbelievable really as I am not actively trying to lose weight.  I'm thinking its a combination of not exercising (that will be rectified in a week or so) and continuing to eat 1200 or less cals a day.  Now that I am in maintenance, I should probably try to increase my calories but I am so afraid of gaining.  Maybe when I go back to the gym, I will add in another protein shake a day which will bring me to about 1400 calories a day.  

I am very comfortable at 140 so if the formula of multiplying your weight by 11 is correct to maintain that weight, 1540 calories a day is the number I would need to not go over in order to not gain weight.  Hopefully, when I start exercising again and start building up my muscles I will not be having this problem of losing and I will be able to maintain without adding too many calories.

I have been kicking around the idea of cutting my bangs and then my niece Elayna showed up with hers cut.....and I loved them!

Elayna, 2nd from right:

Than, Mallory got hers cut:

I got mine today!

And than it hit me.....we all look like my sister Sue now!!!!!

GO FIGURE!

What a week with my girls!

I have had quite the busy week!  Last week my niece Elayna was with me and on Friday, Elayna, Steve and I drove over to Disney to meet up with my daughter's Mallory & Jordan and son-in-law Kevin.  We were all there to chEAR Mallory on in the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon!  So exciting!  

We spent Saturday checking in to and registering for the race and then we headed over to Hollywood Studio's and Epcot.  We ended up having dinner in Italy at Via Napoli.  What a great restaurant if you ever get to Epcot.  Their wood oven fired pizza is the closest I've come to anything since eating it in Italy!  We had a great dinner and them Mallory, Kevin and I headed back to the hotel and Steve, Jordan and Elayna headed over to watch Illuminations at Epcot.  I knew that 3 a.m. would come too fast so I wanted to get to bed early!  The race started at 6 a.m. but with 19,000 runners and a gazillion spectators, the day started VERY EARLY!

We got to see Mallory run by at mile 5 and then we saw her again going through the finish line.  Words cannot express how proud I am that she accomplished this feat.  Up until last summer, my daughter was never a runner.  She made a decision that this was something she wanted to do and she trained for it.  She has another 1/2 marathon scheduled in October that she will be doing on Long Island with a few of her friends.  She says its addicting, I will just take her word for it because running has never been something I was drawn to do!

Princess Mallory

Honorary Princess Jordan and Princess Mallory at Hollywood Studio's

Elayna went home on Sunday and the rest of the crew came back to our house.  Unfortunately, they had to get back to work today so everyone left yesterday.  

So, in order to make me happy again, for at least a short while, my unbelievably loving husband is taking me shopping for a new Louis Vuitton bag that I just have to have.  I am truly the luckiest girl in the world to have found such a great guy!

And now, the most exciting news of the trip?  My daughter and son-in-law are actually talking about the possibility of moving to FL in the future!  OMG!!!!!!  This is definitely newsworthy as my children have told me repeatedly that I have to come home to Long Island....Florida is God's waiting room.  They are weighing all their options but it really looks like it would be financially better for them to live here as they want to buy a house and have children.  Homes and taxes on LI are much more expensive and so is the child care....they have me here and I am cheap!  My greatest hope is that this really happens and that once Mallory and Kevin are here........maybe Jordan will follow?

Stay tuned!

No longer flirting...

with the 130's!!!!  Today I weighed in at 139!  Sweet Baby Jesus!  It's incomprehensible really.  Two years ago I was at 220 lbs!  All I know is, I feel so much better both physically and mentally...everything else that goes with this weight loss is icing on the cake!

This is a very busy and exciting week for me.  My family is here (niece arrived over the weekend) and my daughters and son-in-law are coming Friday night!  I'm so excited.  We are meeting everyone over at Disney and will spend the weekend there to cheer Mallory on in the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon and than its back to my house for some more family time and festivities.  I am praying that our warm weather will continue...supposed to be in the 80's by the weekend.

Oh, and my ex brother-in-law and sister-in-law are also in town for the Daytona 500 and Steve and I have been spending time with them!  They are excited about seeing the girls as they live in Georgia and havent seen them in over a year.  Everyone is meeting up at our house Monday night for a big family dinner!  It should be fun!

Lots of eating going on this week but its all good....nothing that I can't handle with the help of my Sleeve!

Happy Friday!

Todays weigh-in was 140.4 lbs.  I cannot believe that I am flirting with the 130's!  2 years ago I wasn't flirting with anything.....I was running towards a whole host of health problems.  I am so thankful that I am where I am today, that is for sure.  I am so much healthier and active.  I no longer dread going to the doctors office and having to get on the scale, I no longer dread going shopping for clothes and I am just all around a much happier person!

We had company the other day.  Friends of ours from New York were here in Florida returning from a cruise and they came to stay with us for 2 days.  I had not seen them since July 2010.  To see the shock on their faces when they saw me was priceless!  Richie said if he was walking past me on the street, he would not have recognized me.  While I do not need the praise of others to be successful in my weight loss efforts, it sure doesn't hurt!  I was walking on cloud nine while they were here.  We went out to dinner that night and while i was the only one who didn't order an appetizer, I tasted theirs.  I ordered Veal Saltimbocca which came with oil and garlic sauteed spinach and gnocchi pan fried in a brown butter sauce.  I ate about 1/2 of one of the veal pieces and a few gnocchi and a forkful of spinach.  I was more than satisfied!  I was even more than satisfied the next day at lunch when I had some of the leftovers too.  Steve ate the rest for me or I probably would have had it for dinner the next night also.

My point is, my WLS has not made it so I am the outsider when eating with others.  I can order whatever I want and not have to worry about anything other than enjoying the company I am with.  More than this I couldn't ask for!

Heres to a great weekend everyone!

Question for iPad users

How come, when I write a post from my iPad, even though I type it with paragraphs, it deletes the paragraphs in the final format? I end up with one big blob of a post! I hate when I read blogs like this! So sorry. If you know why this happens, please share. If not, I will not be posing with my pad no more! This makes me nuts!