Weigh-in yesterday showed I was down 0.2 pounds. As my father would say, "It's moving in the right direction..." Especially considering I haven't been able to move around much after surgery, and am still trying to get back into my normal routine. The last three nights I've gone to bed at 8:30. It's like being in 3rd grade again. Actually, considering leggings, giant belts, and white plastics sunglasses for guys are back in style, the world actually is like it was when I was in 3rd grade. Except now I can drive a car - and I no longer perm my hair.
I'm looking forward to being able to move around more freely again, and to lifting things over 10 pounds. It kills me when my niece launches herself at my knees and hugs me, and I can't pick her up. But I'm halfway through my recovery period, so it's all downhill from here!
I'm hopeful that I'll be back up to speed for the Minnesota Teen Challenge 10K on Oct. 16 - I'm walking with my friend Pati, and I may be walking very slowly. :) If you'd like to support me as I walk (at a moderate pace!) visit my fundraising page here. Teen Challenge is an amazing organization that helps people break free of chemical dependency, and this event is their first fundraising walk. I may have to investigate a hernia truss or something to get me through, but I'll be there! :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Holy cats, this stuff is working...
Morning weigh-in today showed a loss of 3.7 pounds since last week. No telling how much of that was scar tissue the surgeon took out last Tuesday, but I'll take it!
It made me giggle that I got a "you are losing weight too fast" notice from the Weight Watchers Web site when I entered my weight today. Now, I know that it is a danger to lose weight too fast in that it compromises muscle tissue and leads to other health problems. But, in light of the week I've had, it ain't a bad way to begin a Monday. :)
It made me giggle that I got a "you are losing weight too fast" notice from the Weight Watchers Web site when I entered my weight today. Now, I know that it is a danger to lose weight too fast in that it compromises muscle tissue and leads to other health problems. But, in light of the week I've had, it ain't a bad way to begin a Monday. :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday fail, Monday win, Tuesday trial...
So, it's been quite the week here in Ivy land. I started this post on Monday, and am just now able to sit upright long enough to finish it. Aaack.
Last Friday, my company hosted a tailgate party in honor of the upcoming Iowa-Iowa State bloodletting... ah, I mean, game. :) Sandwiches and cookies the size of my FACE were catered by QuikTrip, which is located at the end of our access road and I'm sure sees a ton of business from out employees. I chose the Chicken Cucumber Caesar Wrap, thinking with that many good things in the name it had to be relatively healthy, right? WRONG. I was halfway through it before I read the nutritional content and choked. How could there be 30 grams of fat in one wrap? And how could I finish the rest of it after reading that? But finish I did, as well as the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie the size of my face. FAIL. And the wrap wasn't even that great. (When I mentioned this to my friend Sarah, she said, "What? Ivy, are you saying that gas station food isn't of the highest quality?" Yeah, I know...)
But I redeemed myself on Monday, by posting a 2.8 pound loss for the week. YEAH, BABY! Take THAT, QT chicken wraps! :) But I didn't have long to savor my victory, as I had to get ready for the outpatient surgery I was having on Tuesday. And by "get ready" I mean "choke down two bottles of vile lemon-tasting cleanser that would send me running to the bathroom every 10 minutes for the rest of the night." Good times. But hey, nothing like a bowel cleanse to help with the weight loss efforts! Not that I'll be doing another one any time soon - like EVER.
Surgery Tuesday was OK - the doctor had to do a great deal more mucking around in my innards than she thought she would, which has made my recovery that much slower. Today (Saturday) is the first day I've been sitting upright more than I haven't, and my big accomplishment is that I can rise from a chair without grabbing for sturdy objects to use as I pull myself up. For a girl who this time last year was counting how many sit-ups she could do, not being able to actually sit up from bed without serious pain is quite an adjustment. This is the first time I can recall being seriously incapacitated, and I'm not a fan. Plus, the doctor found some things during surgery that lead her to believe that when Mr. Ivy Sprague *finally* shows up and we decide we want to have adorable redheaded babies, it may not be without some complications. That also threw me for a loop, and I'm still trying to deal with it. But I keep reminding myself that I serve a great big God, who could make little redheaded babies happen while I'm sitting at this laptop without medical or human intervention. And I fully believe He will when the time is right - and that He'll probably choose more conventional means. :)
All that being said, I'm drinking tons of water (especially now that it's easier to get up off the couch and make it to the bathroom!) and staying within my Points range for Weight Watchers all this week. My first post-surgery meal was old-fashioned oats with raisins and brown sugar, and it was one of the BEST things I've tasted in a long while. Beats gas station wraps all to heck. :)
Last Friday, my company hosted a tailgate party in honor of the upcoming Iowa-Iowa State bloodletting... ah, I mean, game. :) Sandwiches and cookies the size of my FACE were catered by QuikTrip, which is located at the end of our access road and I'm sure sees a ton of business from out employees. I chose the Chicken Cucumber Caesar Wrap, thinking with that many good things in the name it had to be relatively healthy, right? WRONG. I was halfway through it before I read the nutritional content and choked. How could there be 30 grams of fat in one wrap? And how could I finish the rest of it after reading that? But finish I did, as well as the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie the size of my face. FAIL. And the wrap wasn't even that great. (When I mentioned this to my friend Sarah, she said, "What? Ivy, are you saying that gas station food isn't of the highest quality?" Yeah, I know...)
But I redeemed myself on Monday, by posting a 2.8 pound loss for the week. YEAH, BABY! Take THAT, QT chicken wraps! :) But I didn't have long to savor my victory, as I had to get ready for the outpatient surgery I was having on Tuesday. And by "get ready" I mean "choke down two bottles of vile lemon-tasting cleanser that would send me running to the bathroom every 10 minutes for the rest of the night." Good times. But hey, nothing like a bowel cleanse to help with the weight loss efforts! Not that I'll be doing another one any time soon - like EVER.
Surgery Tuesday was OK - the doctor had to do a great deal more mucking around in my innards than she thought she would, which has made my recovery that much slower. Today (Saturday) is the first day I've been sitting upright more than I haven't, and my big accomplishment is that I can rise from a chair without grabbing for sturdy objects to use as I pull myself up. For a girl who this time last year was counting how many sit-ups she could do, not being able to actually sit up from bed without serious pain is quite an adjustment. This is the first time I can recall being seriously incapacitated, and I'm not a fan. Plus, the doctor found some things during surgery that lead her to believe that when Mr. Ivy Sprague *finally* shows up and we decide we want to have adorable redheaded babies, it may not be without some complications. That also threw me for a loop, and I'm still trying to deal with it. But I keep reminding myself that I serve a great big God, who could make little redheaded babies happen while I'm sitting at this laptop without medical or human intervention. And I fully believe He will when the time is right - and that He'll probably choose more conventional means. :)
All that being said, I'm drinking tons of water (especially now that it's easier to get up off the couch and make it to the bathroom!) and staying within my Points range for Weight Watchers all this week. My first post-surgery meal was old-fashioned oats with raisins and brown sugar, and it was one of the BEST things I've tasted in a long while. Beats gas station wraps all to heck. :)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Aloha, Interwebs...
Hey, friends. It's been a while since I posted, but that's because I've been so busy doing so AWESOME on Weight Watchers. :) Weigh-in yesterday morning showed a 1.5 pound loss, which was less than I was hoping for, but is still a loss nonetheless. I'll take it!
I've been finding all kinds of fantastic recipes on weightwatchers.com, including this one that I made last week (and just finished the leftovers for lunch today). Who would have thought that putting allspice and red pepper flakes on pork chops would make them so fantastic? And a pineapple salsa with apricots and cilantro - yum. That same night, I whipped up a pineapple angel food cake (super-tasty, and super-low-calorie) and felt the "aloha" all over the place. :) I even convinced Mom and Dad to try a turkey and mango creation, and they loved it. Dad was so funny, saying after he finished dinner, "Hey - let's remember this one. I'd like to see it again in a couple weeks..." I love it when Dad makes dinner entrees sound like blind date. :)
I'm still struggling with fitting in exercise. I've joined a workout challenge at the office, where we need to log at least four hours of activity every week. Doesn't matter what kind of activity, just as long as we get moving for four hours a week - and there are extra vacation days in the bargain if I can do it from now until Thanksgiving! There's a motivator!
I've been finding all kinds of fantastic recipes on weightwatchers.com, including this one that I made last week (and just finished the leftovers for lunch today). Who would have thought that putting allspice and red pepper flakes on pork chops would make them so fantastic? And a pineapple salsa with apricots and cilantro - yum. That same night, I whipped up a pineapple angel food cake (super-tasty, and super-low-calorie) and felt the "aloha" all over the place. :) I even convinced Mom and Dad to try a turkey and mango creation, and they loved it. Dad was so funny, saying after he finished dinner, "Hey - let's remember this one. I'd like to see it again in a couple weeks..." I love it when Dad makes dinner entrees sound like blind date. :)
I'm still struggling with fitting in exercise. I've joined a workout challenge at the office, where we need to log at least four hours of activity every week. Doesn't matter what kind of activity, just as long as we get moving for four hours a week - and there are extra vacation days in the bargain if I can do it from now until Thanksgiving! There's a motivator!
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