Summer 2008 pictures

Here are 2 pictures that I showed in my talk last weekend... look at the change!!

Wow - I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted - sorry about that!! Things are going tremendously well!! I've had a few more bouts with stuck food - which really stinks while it's happening and for about 24 hours afterwards, but the way I look at it is, if this is the worst of it - I am golden!! I keep trying to remind myself that I need to really really chew my food. You all know I love to talk... so the whole eating and talking thing... I need to work on!! Let's see I am creeping closer and closer to the under 200 mark!! I have 18 pounds to go... aahhh!! That's sooo exciting for me!! I have been trying to only weigh myself once a week. I actually toyed with the idea of giving up the scale for Lent... but I just knew I would NEVER be able to keep that one!! So I'm trying to only weigh once a week (although I have weighed myself twice since coming home from VT this past weekend - whoops!) I was on retreat last weekend again with the other half of my 10th graders and I had a really cool, yet funny NSV (non scale victory for those of you who forgot what it stands for!) So I had 4 peer ministers with me (God Squad they like to be called!) I love all my peer ministers and have grown really close to them. Well, Connor, who's a hoot and a half was one of them this weekend. I gave a talk on Saturday night on receiving God's love and finding God in the good times and bad times. Well, I had pictures that I showed during my talk as I talked about my beautiful nephew Cameron! After my talk and some processing we transitioned into the saturday evening prayer. This year we did an Emmaus Walk (well really an Emmaus sit!) It was AWESOME and so powerful!! Connor asked to be my partner during the prayer experience. So we set off to find a quiet corner for prayer and as we went to sit down Connor says to me "Hey Kate, I'm not sure this will come out right, but wow - you're really slimming down!! I mean i've heard you say how much you've lost but I see you like a few times a week so I guess I haven't really payed much attention cause ya know I am a dude - but looking at the pictures you showed us.. WOW!!" Now, I haven't been too comfy lately with the attention and acknowledgement of my shrinking body... I am finding that I am becoming more and more self conscious the more I loose. But, Connor is actually the first teen to say anything to me. It was just really a heartwarming comment he said!

I am super excited for this Lent. In the last 4 years Lents been over and I've realized I've missed the entire season. So this year I am really focusing each day on Lent. I'm really excited and just feel it's going to a great one not only cause I am focusing so much on it, but also because i am on such a life changing journey right now. I've found myself going deeper in prayer even before lent began. I've had a lot of soul searching to do since surgery and i've relied heavily on God for helping me with my insecurities as well as to give me the strength to change lifestyle patterns and habits. Jesus has been my little running partner everyday!! (yes you read that correctly - RUNNING!) I LOVE to run now!! So much that I actually just signed up for the Groton Road Race (but I'll blog about running another day.) My daily run has become an awesome prayer experience for me. Each day Jesus and I go off for a little 2-3 mile jaunt in different places... lately a lot of running on the beach or through the mountains. (all imagery... i have a treadmill!) It's been VERY cool!!

I am happy and healthy and getting stronger and stronger each day. I am so excited to see what the future holds... it's still hard to not picture me as the fat 293 pound Kate that I once was... but in time I am sure I will...

Week 15

Today marks 15 weeks since surgery! All in all I am doing really well, minus the few little bumps in the road last week! My shorter hair is growing on me, my little pouch has healed nicely since my "stuck" moment, and things are getting slightly "softer" each week! lol!! (I am still having some issues there - but Miralax has helped some!) I accidentally took the entire week off last week from working out... whoops! But back on the band wagon today! Although the scale hasn't dropped too much this last week (only about 2 or 3 pounds) the inches are definitely melting away. I am even beginning to notice the changes (which I really hadn't noticed too much until now!) I have very little left in my closet to wear... and no money to buy new stuff... so I do laundry like every other day. I have 2 pairs of jeans that fit just right for the first wear or maybe 2, but anything more - they fall right off!! Anyone got some size 16's out there?? lol! I had such a fun night Saturday night - laughed a lot, danced some too! I've put some pics below of the fun night!! Paula was there which made it that much better too!! My top in the pictures is one that I bought like 2 years ago - and it NEVER fit... had the tags on them!! My pants kept falling down as I danced... my free hand often was holding the back of my pants so they didn't come right down during the evening!! Being pushed by Margo and Sue to go outside my comfort zone and join the support group and forum has been phenomenal!! I wish I had found them before surgery! Each Wednesday night at 9:30 PM I log on and spend the next 90 minutes in the live online support - there are great "speakers" (typers) each week on awesome topics like the importance of Vitamins, bariatric eating, and this week - our relationship with food! I've met some really nice supportive "friends" through this too! All in all, so far it's a been a great journey - not easy by any means, but it's been a good process for me! Here are some of the most recent pictures of me:

I had more - but it won't let me upload the others... so these will have to do for now!! lol!

Spoke too soon....

So it hasn't been the greatest of the past 10 days or so, and not looking up yet either. I have begun to loose a lot of hair (a side effect with rapid weight loss.) Some people loose lots, others none at all. I thought I was in the clear as it usually appears around month 2 and I am almost at month 4... but no such luck. About 2 weeks ago I began to notice a lot of hair loss after showers and then throughout the day. So when I was at the hair dresser today - Kellie (my stylist - she's been cutting my hair since High School) noticed that I was thinning on the top of my head even before I mentioned it to her. It has begun to really bug me... so she suggested going shorter and adding more layers to increase the volume to make the thinning less noticeable until my hair begins to grow back and thicken again (usually about 6-8 months post op.) So, my hair is up to my chin now with cute new layers - i like it - which is a bonus!! I am still suffering from my weekend "issue" which is sssslllloooowwwwllly getting better. Then today, why I haven't learned this lesson yet, I was sitting with some of my teens at youth group just chatting as everyone arrived. I had just warmed up some chicken and black beans for dinner and was pretty pumped about eating it! Well I was talking and laughing with the kids when I swallowed too much because I wasn't paying attention to chewing since I was talking. Well this "stuck" episode was WAAAYYY worse than my last one. I have officially now thrown up... not just once - but 4 times. Luckily - throwing up now - it's not too bad... it's more like baby spit up quantity and it doesn't really hurt (well the first 2 times... by the 4th time - my little pouchie poo wasn't liking it too much!) It made the pain of the stuck food go away much faster than before. But now my pouch is irritated and not liking really anything that I put into it - even just water. I hope after a nights sleep and resting it, I will feel better in the morning. And to top all this off - I have a cold, which I can't take anything for (no OTC meds at all anymore for colds, etc.. just Tylenol only and only if REALLY needed.) And aunt flo has arrived.... uugghh.. it's been a week..... thanks for letting me whine. However - I have crossed the 65 pounds lost mark! :)