Thankful...

... for my blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

NURSE: "Are you an athlete?" ME: "Yes... yes I am!"

WOW, I made you wait OVER A WEEK for results after my colonoscopy.  So, long story short...

*  I only lost 1.5 pounds!  SERIOUSLY ... after 48 hours of liquid diet and the "Gut Bomb," I now have scientific proof that I'm NOT full of shit...

*  Yes, the jet stream coming out my rear was very similar to the video posted on the previous entry...

*  I WOULDN'T HESITATE to have my next colonoscopy!!!  The fasting and clean out are uncomfortable, but the process as a whole was fine.  Knowing this process saved my husband's life, PRICELESS!!!

*  GREAT STORY!  I was in pre-op... I was starting to breathe again because the nurse just put in my IV line (which is what I was the most nervous about because I HATE NEEDLES)...  and she went about taking all of my vitals.  All of a sudden she said, "WOW! Are you an athlete?"  I got the BIGGEST smile on my face and replied, "YES... yes I am!"  I started giggling just a bit and asked the nurse why she was asking.  The nurse replied that she had just taken my resting heart rate (it was 54!!!) and that it was so low that either I was an athelete or there was a problem.  I quickly shared with her the journey I've been on... the weight I've lost... the training I've been doing.  And, I have to say that I WAS SOOOOOO TICKLED that SCIENCE PROVED that I have indeed been kicking my own butt!!!  I am still 30-40 pounds overweight... I'm still 2 sizes above my goal... BUT... MY... HEART... ALREADY... BEATS... LIKE... AN... ATHLETE...

WOW!

Ohhhh, my results.  They found and removed 2 polyps... at age 41... they are doing a biopsy, but expect everything is FINE!  Next colonoscopy... 10 years!

What did Jeff think about all this...?  I don't know what I did or said while I was still under those FANTASTIC drugs, but it must have been good, because I just remember Jeff smiling and laughing... I was either funny or he was so happy that I was OK... or, perhaps... a little of both...

I LOVE AND ADORE my sweet husband... enough said! :-)

It's all about the BUTT today... a special MUSIC DAY PLAYLIST for your colonoscopy prep pleasure...

OH, YEAH... I'm having FUN NOW!  As I sit here, I have just finished my first 8 ounce glass (of 4 litters) of what I would like to call "Butt Blast," since I know that it will be "blasting" out of my butt before I know it!  I've watched Jeff go through the colonoscopy prep 3 times, and I've spoken with enough family members and friends to know that THERE IS something more explosive that POP ROCKS and COKE... and it is already starting to gurgle in my tummy!

Sooooo... I've decided there are 2 ways to look at the "potty party" that I am about to endure...

... and it should be obvious that this necessary evil is going to be handled with as much laughter and bad butt jokes that I can muster!!!  So, let's jump right in, shall we...?

POTTY PARTY GAME #1:  Guess how much weight I will lose by the time the procedure is over.  YES, I know most of it will come right back on when I start eating again, but I thought this was an interesting question!  Here are the details:

  *  Yesterday was the "white diet."

  *  Today... clear liquids only and the Butt Blast concoction, Part 1.

  *  Tomorrow... 2nd half of the Butt Blast and clear liquids until 10AM.  Then NOTHING until my test is over... which is scheduled for 3:45PM... almost a whole 2nd day of a liquid diet!

My Guess:  8 pounds

Jeff's Guess:  6 pounds

Jessica's Guess:  10 pounds

POTTY PARTY GAME #2:  Share your best (or worst) Colonoscopy joke or video.  Here are a few of my favorites...

"Colonoscopies are no joke , but these comments during the exam were quite
humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments
made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their
colonoscopies:

1. "Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!

2. "Find Amelia Earhart yet?"

3. "Can you hear me NOW?"

4. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

5. "You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married."

6. "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?"

7. "You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out..."

8. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"

9. "If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!

10. "You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?"

And the best one of all...

11. "Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up
there?"

You MUST watch this video... comedian Billy Connolly, Colonoscopy

(tears start running around the 2nd minute!)

 

POTTY PARTY MUSIC PLAYLIST:  Of course, every great party has to have a playlist!  Here are some of the BEST BUTT SONGS of all time!!!  I DARE YOU to try not to dance to these!!!

Rump Shaker - Wreckx-n-Effect

Shoop - Salt n Pepa

Da Butt - EU (from the movie, "School Daze")

Wiggle It - Zina Room

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix Alot

Shake Your Rump - Beastie Boys

Boogie in your Butt - Eddie Murphy

My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen

OK... things are starting to "Rock and Roll" here, so I best sign off now.  Post your jokes, comments, stories, weight loss guesses or add more songs to our playlist.  Thanks for joining in and I'll let you know how it all goes on the flip side!!!

ANOTHER MILESTONE... and photos...

HA, HA, HA... Yes... I have hit another milestone, and it cracks me up because it is a good one... very embarrassing to admit... but a good one!

I... FINALLY... WEIGH... LESS... THAN... MY... HUSBAND!!!  Now, I must admit I thought I would have passed him up some time ago, but since I've been cooking better for the family and we have all been getting out and more active, Jeff has lost weight, too... so I've been chasing his numbers for awhile... but I FINALLY caught him!


199.0 pounds



196.2 pounds!!!





Now... these photos are making me scratch my head!  I lost almost 3 pounds, but the new photo looks much heavier to me!  Yes, my body continues to move weight around and change as I lose it, but I can't explain my tummy/upper leg area... hummm... we'll have to check on that again next week!

Off to search the internet for a blog music player... again... the last 2 I've had don't work anymore.  I can't wait to get music back on the blog and start my Music Day again!!!  Make it a GREAT day!

Photos... Week 40... Where did the time go?

It is hard to believe that I've been on this journey for 9 months now.  When I started, I had to constantly tell myself to stop thinking long term... just focus on the first goal... and after reaching the first goal, THEN think about the next goal.  Those negative thoughts in my head kept telling me it was going to take too long... it would be too hard... HOWEVER, I embraced this process and had to be honest with myself... SERIOUSLY... I didn't put all this weight on overnight... I didn't lose my self confidence overnight... and a long term change would only work if it happened... LONG... TERM.   


199.0 pounds



197.6 pounds







 

One choice at a time...

...One day at a time...

... and be happy, ALL the time!

(Yes, Dad... I went up 1.4 pounds...but it will be back down next week!)

(...and Mom, I REALLY need to be blonde again...)

(...Sweetheart, I'll see you tonight... )

Thinking about my sweet husband...

"If I had to choose between breathing
and
loving you,
I would use
my last breath to tell you
I love you..." author unknown

Photos... FINALLY, a big loss... but at a price?

Let's be honest here...

I've now lost a total of 52.4 pounds (3.4 pounds THIS WEEK!!!)... but struggle with constant plateaus...

... is it because I've lost so much weight my body is constantly "re-adjusting" to losing more and more weight...?

... or is it that I'm living a more "normal" life and not concentrating so much on my calories, water intake, etc...?

... OR, is it a combination of both?
 

197.6 pounds



201 pounds

 























I know this journey is about learning to live my life, eat right, and not GIVING UP on the good stuff... but I've also lost a bunch of weight.  At the end of the day, I think I am RIGHT ON TRACK and where I should be.  Could I lose more weight... and faster than I am right now.  YEP!  Do I want to "live on a diet?"  NO!  Slow weight loss... living my life... and getting stronger through my workouts is EXACTLY what I need to be doing!  SERIOUSLY... do you think that Jeff would rather have a "girlfriend" that is gaining confidence and looking great, slowly, week by week, OR a crabby girlfriend that is starving and strict and miserable...?  I think the answer is pretty obvious!!!

I... AM... ONE... SLOW LOSING... HAPPY... GAL!!!  Make it a FANTASTIC week!!!

Photos... they speak volumes!

Some photos speak louder than words!

No change in weight this week... but I have a special weekly photo...

201 pounds - and FIRST PLACE!

As my friend Jane said about my race 

(who checked up on me while on vacation in Rome!),

"You've set the bar pretty high, and I look forward to watching you sail right over it!"

The sky is the limit, Jane, the sky is the limit!!!

SET YOUR BAR, everyone...

AND FLY!!!

Make it a FANTASTIC day!

1st PLACE - Mission Bay Triathlon... Who said Big Girls CAN'T Race/WIN...?

HOLY COW!  I've hit another milestone that I knew would come someday... I just didn't realize that the day was NOW!  All of us are trying to better ourselves... improve our self confidence... get the spring back in our step... and with all that personal betterment, bring the smile... the special glance... the sexy back to our marriages. 



My journey is "Full Monty," right... I guess that
includes this photo in my wetsuit... Jessica and
Anna with me since 4:15 AM!

I have been obesly overweight, so my plan for the past 2 years was to lose weight by training for a few races each year... once a race was over, I would sign up for the next one.  As long as our hard earned money was committed to a race, I HAD to get up and get to the gym.  The training was great for my weight loss and helped me work toward a HUGE goal of mine... to SOMEDAY podium at a race!

I entered the Mission Bay Triathlon in the Athena category... reserved for those female competitors that weigh 160 pounds and above.  When I registered for the race, I was well above 200 pounds, so I figured this was the group for me, but I was still racing against gals that had a HUGE weight advantage on me... but it seems it didn't matter...

... I... TOOK... 1ST... PLACE... IN... MY... CATEGORY... AND , overall fastest Athena as the winner of the younger Athena category was 2 minutes behind me...

... I'll let the photos of the day tell the rest of the story...



Start of the race... I am right in the center of the photo... one of my legs kicking high in the water... and I'm
stretching long like Coach Elizabeth told me to... WHAT A WAY to start the day... sun rising on San Diego...



SERIOUSLY... I'M IN THE FRONT OF THE PACK!???  That's me...
in the front with my right arm taking the stroke...

Running to the 1st transition... rip off swim cap/goggles...
start stripping off wetsuit as you run...
Hummm... I don't look so bad from the back...

I'm soaked from the swim and getting ready for
the bike race... strip off the rest of the wetsuit... socks on...
clip shoes on... helmet and glasses on... BREATHE... grab
the bike and RUN... this is T1...

Almost to the line where I can get on my bike... WOOO HOOOO!

End of the bike... thinking about the next transition "T2"... take off helmet...
change to running shoes... R...U...N!!!

I...LOVE... THIS... PHOTO!  The start of the run...
behind me in the red tank, Paula... one of my YMCA Weight Loss
Challenge teammates... NOW A YMCA TRAINER... and Laura,
my original Weight Loss Coach... she has ALWAYS believed in me...
PUSHED me... and was now RUNNING WITH ME holding the
YMCA sign... I LOVE MY Palomar YMCA Tri Club and FAMILY!!!

 I'm curious... WHAT GYM has their trainers and Directors come to a race location
to support their members... THE PALOMAR YMCA!!!  That's who! 
Paula and me... REPRESENTING with our "Y" tattos!

Yes, I did a little silly dance when I received my FIRST PLACE MEDAL! 
Anna couldn't hold back... she ran up to be with me!

There is more to tell of this story... tomorrow with my weigh in photos! 

No matter WHAT YOUR GOAL...

YOU... CAN... DO... ANYTHING...

YOU... SET... YOUR... MIND... TO!

39 hours and counting...

"Life isn’t about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself."

                                                             - George Bernard Shaw