A failure? Or a victory?

Blah...here we go...

Pounds Lost This Week: 0 Pounds
Pounds Lost Since Surgery: 72 Pounds
Overall Weight Loss: 114 Pounds

So, no pounds lost this week. Again, I have to convince myself that this normal. I've read about the ups and downs rollercoaster that is weight loss surgery. When you stall or gain (which is only happened twice) it really is disappointing and disheartening. I honestly know and understand that 72 pounds lost in just 5 months is pretty freaking amazing!! 114 pounds is more than amazing! I shouldn't be down about this. It's a normal part of the process.

Could I have done better? Of course. I snacked. I chose not to go to the gym. Granted I didn't snack on chips or ice cream or cake, I snack on Weight Watchers cheese, beef jerky and Atkins candy (0 carbs, 0 sugar.) I honestly thought the 1 hour of vigirous moving during music class of VBS would be enough exercise to get me through the week. I was actually super wore out after the week of VBS. But no excuses. I should have done a little better.

So, my title "A failure? Or a victory?"... Let's talk about my failure. Remember a month, almost two, when I set the goal of being down another 20 pounds before July 4th??? Well, this week's weigh in made me short by 6 pounds. I am super bummed. I hit the first goal so easily!! Now, I'm struggling for seven weeks to lose these 20 pounds. I realize now I put the pen to the paper (or fingers to the keys) how overzealous that does sound. It's hard to slow down after losing 18 pounds the first week (remember those good ol days?!). I have 6 more pounds to go and it's only the first goal that I haven't met. I'm really trying to work on myself and this "meet or exceed expectations" mentality. While it is a wonderful quality that I have that I have the drive to do these things, but it's unhealthy to obsess over it and to continually beat myself up over a 6 pounds (or less). I should be proud of myself. I've come a very long way. I've overcome some huge goals and discovered that I have some amazing will power that I never knew existed. I'm proud of myself for these 72 pounds/114 pounds. It's not something to beat myself up over.

So my victory (besides the 72/114 pounds) is that I was able to fit into a size 16 pants!!! I honestly canNOT remember the last time I was able to squeeze into a size 16. And it wasn't just one pair of pants, it was two different brands that I was able to fit the 16s!!! Just for the record, this means that I am down 5 pant sizes! 5! That's the difference between a size 0 and a size 10 just so everyone is aware! This is a pretty big deal to me and honestly other plus size women. It also proves that my hard work is paying off. The pounds might not be flying off, but I'm obviously losing inches. It is most definitely a victory and deserves some celebrating!

What a perfect time to celebrate!! We leave for Galveston this week for some family fun. I love the beach. I love my family even more. I love these big trips of ours and we are in for a great time! We are going to go to the Pleasure Pier and ride some rides. We're gonna sit in a hot tub. We're gonna enjoy 7 hours one way in a vehicle and bonding time! I can't wait to share with you next week about our little adventures in Galveston! I'm pretty pumped about the Pleasure Pier because I'm not afraid to try to ride the rides. I've purposely avoided Six Flags because I've been afriad that I would be kicked off the rides for being too big, but now, I'm pretty confident I won't be kicked off the ride for my weight! Stay tuned for next week to get the inside scoop!!

So, prayer requests for this week include prayers for safe travels, pray that I can calm it on the beating myself up over the little things, and prayers for my patience! Again, thank you in advance for your prayers. They mean so very very very much to us!

Now, as promised, tonight I tried a new recipe. I think I might try to start to add a recipe on each blog for everyone to enjoy. That's one thing that most people I tell ask is what do you eat? Is it good? Do you just eat things that taste like cardboard. NO! I have a very very VERY flavorful diet. So, tonight, we had turkey burgers and parmesan zuchinni chips AND a new recipe that could be one of my new favs: Baked Parmesan Tomatoes. Try them and ENJOY!

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

2 Large Tomatoes
Parmesan
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Slice your tomatoes into three slices. I cut the tops and bottoms off to get three even slices.
3. Season your slices with the oregano, salt and pepper
4. Cover slices with parmesan cheese
5. Drizzle with EVOO
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden brown


Happy Reading!