Mother of the Bride

So I was at my daughters wedding in a size 16 dress, jacket etc and felt amazing. Before the surgery I could never imagine feeling proud of myself.

Feeling good

Bye for now

Something to look forward to

Morning all

I am so excited today as I’m travelling to Manchester to see a production of The Lion King.

Now that in itself is exciting as my daughter says the show is “out of this world”, but another thing to be excited about is that, for the first time in decades, I am not panicking about whether I can fit in the seat at the theatre; having to pass in front of people already in their seats and nearly knocking them over; taking up so much room that the person on the other side of me is cramped!!

This is something most ‘normal’? sized people never come across, the thought of not being able to sit in a seat in a public building/aircraft/funfair ride would never cross their minds.  But for us of the more ample bodies persuasion, it is a constant worry.  There really isn’t much to compare to the horror of not being able to fit into a seat, or squeezing yourself in so that you are in constant discomfort through the whole performance.

So for all of you pre-op, this is yet another BIG plus to having the operation and losing the weight.  Believe me, the plus sides far far outweigh the not so nice sides of having bariatric surgery (which aren’t that many).

So, much slimmer (Skinny Minnie as my partner calls me) is looking forward to getting to my seat and just sitting down.  No one (apart from Mark) will get the significance but it doesn’t matter ,.. I WILL 🙂

See you soon xx

Race for Life 2013

Morning all

I took the plunge this morning and signed up for the Race for Life on 9th June 2013.  I even ordered a T-shirt 🙂  The Race for Life is a fundraising event all over the country to raise money for Cancer Research UK.  I lost my dad to cancer in 1996 so I’m doing it in his memory.

As I’ve said before I did this race (walked it) about 5/6 years ago when I wasn’t at my biggest but definitely bigger than I am now.  It took me 59 minutes to walk the 5K and I was exhausted at the end of it.

I am hoping to walk/jog around this time and do it in a much lesser time.  This is something I wouldn’t have even contemplated 10 months ago before the op so you see what bariatric surgery can do for you.

For anyone who would like to sponsor me my page is:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/mandyainsworth2

For those who don’t wish to – that’s fine – but I hope you’ll look on here when I’ve done it and smile at the (hopefully) faster time I achieved the course completion.

See you soon x

Wanted by the doc!

Morning all

If you’ve been following my blog over the last couple of weeks you know I’ve been plagued with Cellulitis in my legs.  That has gone now but I’ve got quite bad water retention.   I went to the docs this Tuesday just gone and they want to give me another sick note so I can keep my legs up to reduce the swelling.

To add to this story I got a call from the doctor’s surgery yesterday afternoon, and one of the doctors (the wonderful man who fought for me to have this operation) wants to see me.  The lady didn’t give me any clue as to why, and it is rather unusual to get a call like this unless I’d had blood tests (which I haven’t).  So, Monday morning at 8:00 am I will ring and try to get in to see him to find out what it’s all about.  Oooh er a bit of intrigue 😦

Also got weighed yesterday – good news is I’ve not put weight on – bad news is, yet again, I haven’t lost 😦  I know my mobility has been impaired over January but this plateau is beginning to tick me off.  Ah well, once I’ve got the pain reduced in my legs I can hit the gym.

I’ve given myself a goal for June.  I’m going to do the Race For Life.  I did this 5km charity race about 5 years ago, I walked it and it took me 59 minutes.  I plan to walk and alternatively jog around this year and see what time it takes me.  Plus it’s for a good cause (cancer) and I get to hopefully improve on my last Personal Best time AND raise money.

I’ve downloaded an app to my i-phone called RunKeeper for when I’m back on the treadmill.  It will play my favourite music playlists and tell me what I should be doing eg walk briskly for 3 mins then jog for 1 min etc and build me up to do the race.

I’m still having the protein shakes as I struggle to get the recommended amount of protein into me 😦  I average about 30g when it should be 60 – 70 g.  Must do better !!

See you soon x

B12 injection

Hi all

What a difference the B12 injection makes!!

This last week or so I’ve been feeling really tired and run down, with little energy.  Some of it, I’m sure, is due to the amount of food I’m eating (energy) but a lot is down to the B12 injection.  I have one every 3 months and I was due one yesterday.

Within hours I could feel myself improving.  Great stuff.  Lets hope I remember towards the end of this injections’ life why I feel tired lol.

 

See you soon x

Clothes to get you through the sizes

Hi all The other day I found some black bin liners with clothes in that I’d put away (gifts from friends etc) because I remember holding them up and thinking “one day they might fit me” – well, that day has arrived. I now have a pair of jeans; cropped trousers and about 11 – 15 new tops plus 3 dresses!!! – my wardrobe has more than doubled. This is great news as otherwise I would be buying clothes but knowing that in a month or so they’ll be too big.

My advice to those of you who are waiting for the operation.  See if you have any friends who are getting rid of clothes and try and collect some of every size on your way down.  Or even pop into charity shops and buy some basic staple clothes for your post-op journey.  Put them away labelled clearly and keep checking on the sizes as you lose weight.  This means you don’t fork out on new clothes often and you can save for the day when your weight stabilises and you can treat yourself to a new wardrobe, knowing they will fit you for a long time.

See you soon x

weigh in

Hi all

not been measured today but weighed.  I’ve lost again and my grand total since April 16th is 21.7 kg which is 3 stone 6 pounds. Wahoo

hopefully will get measured tomorrow.

See you soon x

What to do when the weather is awful

Hi all

Many of you will know what the weather is like at the moment in bracing Yorkshire, UK.  The only creatures appreciating it are the fish and fowl.  In other words it is wet.  Torrential rain a good part of the day/night with the odd moments of dryness just to keep us hoping.  On the plus side the weather is around 20 C, which although not ideal July temperatures, it is better than in the single figures.

But this does kind of stop my walking around golf courses or actually wanting to go out at all. So – stepping up to the mark is my Wii Fit.  I do some yoga/balance exercises/aerobic stuff for as long as I want – usually 35 to 45 mins.

Also on the Wii I have some dance discs – the Broadway show tunes is my favourite and I dance along to songs from “The Lion King”, “Hair”, “Hairspray” etc.  It’s fun, I sing along as well as dancing and at the end of the disc I am flushed, slightly out of breath and feel as if I’ve had a good workout.

So…. if the weather is against you OR you just don’t want to go and do outside activities then dancing along to your favourite tunes or having the Wii Fit or equivalent could be the way forward – especially when you may not feel comfortable exercising with others around just yet, for whatever personal reasons.

See you soon x

Diabetic nurse

Hi all

I’ve been to see my diabetic nurse this afternoon.  He is over the moon with me and how things are going.  I’m reducing my night time insulin (Lantus) by 3% every other week to see how my sugars cope with it.

I’ve lost weight since the last time I was there and the dietician who last saw me pre-op was amazed at the transformation and commented on how happy I looked as compared to last time she saw me.

I’ve got to go back and see him at the beginning of September – but obviously I can contact him before then if I encounter any problems or have questions.

It’s nice to have follow up appointments, it keeps you on track and is confirmation that you are doing well and anything you experience is ‘normal’ post-op.

Did 30 mins on the Wii Fit today…… better than no exercise at all.  Aquacises tomorrow.

 

See you soon x

Last night

Hi all.

Last night was such an ego boost.  I went to the local club where I haven’t been for over a month.  The reaction from everyone was amazing.  One person didn’t recognise me and two friends were absolutely gobsmacked at my new bod!!!

Like I keep saying – times like this make it all worthwhile.  So remember, when you have down days; your tummy isn’t playing by the rules; your hair maybe going thin……….  it WILL be worth it as the slim, healthy you emerges like a butterfly from a chrysalis.

See you soon x