🎉 100 Pounds Down! 🎉

As of July 8, 2020 I have officially lost 100 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!

Before (left) was at my highest weight in December 2019.  After (right) was July 2020 at 100 lbs down!

I honestly can't believe it haha, but I'm so stinkin' proud of myself! To clarify, that's 100 lbs down from my highest weight, which was in December 2019.  I'm down 81 of those pounds since my surgery on February 6, 2020.  I get asked often how much more weight I'd like to lose? I think it would be great to get another 25-50 lbs off, which would let me hit my 80-100% excess weight loss goal.  However, I can say with confidence that I love the body I'm in right now and would be ok if I maintained this weight long term. I will be honest and say that I haven't lost any additional weight since July 8th, but I have sat steadily at that 100 lb lost mark.  This is the first stall I've really hit since surgery (other than a short one week stall around 3 months), and it's totally normal/to be expected.  My team has said after 6 months the final weight loss happens much more slowly (I'll be 6 months out on August 6th). The way to kick the loss back into gear is to up my protein, increase/maintain activity, and increase fluids.  I'm working on all three of those - more below on that - but I truly love this new body of mine!

One of the odd things about this surgery is that it's always kind of difficult to describe how much weight you've lost.  Even on our facebook support group, folks will show about 3-5 different numbers to give a better picture of their journey.  I'll often see people put highest weight, surgery weight, current weight, goal weight, etc.  I personally prefer to base my loss upon my highest weight, as it was truly right before this journey kicked into full gear.  I did technically lose 19 pounds prior to my surgery, but that was from the required liver shrinking diet.  And hey, anyone that has gone through that diet will agree that those pounds absolutely count!  So yay, 100 pounds down!!!!

Overall, I am doing really well. I joined a fitness program called Camp Gladiator about 4 weeks ago, and am absolutely loving the classes!  Right now I am going to a class every Monday and Wednesday, and occasionally sneak in a 3rd workout on Thursday's.  The classes are all outdoors, but they are in a group setting (about 20-25 people/class, socially distanced of course!) with a trainer leading the workout.  The workouts have kicked my butt each week in the best way possible! It's been really nice having strength training and additional cardio worked into my plan each week.  I think the best part of these workouts is learning what my body is now capable of.  Each week I have been able to run short distances, do pushups, complete leg and ab workouts I would have never dreamed of trying previously, and am continuously improving on each activity. Having the trainer there is also great as she plans all of the workouts in advance, guides my form, provides modifications where needed, and literally all I have to do is show up and put the work in.  It's honestly been such a huge blessing to find this group, especially while all of the gyms are closed. I actually loved the format and classes so much that I signed up for a one year paid membership and plan to keep going every week! If you're in the Raleigh area and want to come try the classes out let me know!

Sweaty post-workout selfie after Wednesday's class this week. 😅

As far as the diet/food portion of things goes...I'd say I've still got a little ways to go to hit my protein & nutrition goals, but I'm improving week by week.  Getting in 80-120g of protein per day, without drinking a protein shake, is very difficult. I've also noticed recently that the protein powder I've been using to supplement my diet has started to cause gas, which can be incredibly painful at times. I'm also trying to get more vegetables into each meal and not focus too heavily on carbs.  This is a lot easier said than done, as veggies are very dense and fill me up quickly, which means I only get very small portions each time.  I also know that I need to keep some carbs in my diet for energy, and to keep my bowel movements regular (TMI, I know, but it really does make a huge difference!), but I often can't get a protein, veggie, and carb all in one meal before I'm full so it's a juggling act between the veggies and carbs. I have another meeting with my dietician in a couple of weeks and I plan to go over all of this with her to see where I can make some better adjustments for the long term. 

One diet piece I have mastered though is hitting my 64 oz of hydrating fluid each day.  This part has actually been a lot easier due to the summer heat.  If for some reason I don't hit my goal during the day, I can tell almost immediately due to physical symptoms (headaches, heavy feeling, fatigue, etc), and as soon as I get more water in I always feel immediately better.  The only time I struggle with fluid goals is during meal times.  I've been instructed to avoid drinking during meals, and for at least 30 minutes after eating, as it can cause me to feel fuller than I really am, and can lead to dumping syndrome.  But, let me tell you that not drinking with a meal is SOOOOO hard!! I used to easily down 2-3 glasses of drink at every meal before surgery, and that is a hard habit to break.  I do still sneak some fluids in while I eat, but I drink maybe 1/3 - 1/2 of a glass of water with a meal now, and I try to wait until I'm done eating before I take any large sips.  But man, it's an adjustment for sure!

Other than that, life is pretty good!  Some quick highlights beyond my surgery journey:

• I'm still single lol.  I'm not rushing into anything, but I'm definitely ready to be back in a relationship and praying faithfully that God will lead me to the right man, in the right timing.  I would definitely appreciate your prayers over this as well!
• I joined a women's bible study group a few weeks ago and am loving that too! We are still meeting via Zoom due to COVID, but I look forward to actually getting to meet in person to build those new relationships even more. The ladies in the group have been a huge blessing to me and it's nice to have a place of fellowship and spiritual growth each week.
• New Hope (my church) is starting to slowly open and I am SOO looking forward to going to church on Sunday for one of the watch party events. It will be the first time in months that I've been to church and I cannot wait - I've missed worshipping with other people so much!
• I got to spend a wonderfully relaxing week with my family at the beach this month, and loved every second of it.
• My job with the realtor is still going really well.  We plan to move me to full time in August, which is a huge blessing and major prayer answered.  We are looking for more clients though, so if you, or some one you know is looking to buy/sell their home let me know!

Ok, I think that's about it.  Now for the fun part...some more before and after pictures to document hitting my 100lb goal!!

I still catch myself in the mirror sometimes in disbelief at how far I've come.  My brain still expects to see the body on the left, but it's so fun seeing my new self!

Face to face comparison - crazy how much longer and leaner my face looks now!

I've gone from a pant size of 22/24 (left) down to a 14 (right)!

The photo that started it all (left) to this week (right). Clearly I was loving this dress that day haha, but it truly feels so good to love the body I'm in now!

Thank you all for your continued support, encouraging words, and prayers. I truly could not do this without the love and support of everyone!