Sisterhood corduroy pants...

I haven't been able to contribute much to the Sisterhood since most of my larger clothes were bought at places like Wal-Mart and just weren't high quality.  However, now I'm finally starting to shrink out of some of my newer clothes I will be able to offer some items up for grabs.  The first is this pair of Jones New York Signature Collection black stretch corduroy pants in size 16.  I have only worn them twice (once in Chicago) and they run a little big.  If you're currently in a size 18, these might work for you.

First one to email me (thistimenextyear *dot* lynda *at* gmail.com) gets them!

significant numbers...

I haven't really set any hard goals for myself--things like "I will weigh XX pounds by XX date."  But, there are a few numbers that have significance to me and that I will celebrate when I reach them.  One of those numbers is coming up...199.  As of this morning, I am only 6 lbs away from the 100's.  This is significant in and of itself since it will also put me in the under 35 BMI range.  However, it is more significant because for most of my life, 200 was the weight that I never reached.  I weighed in @ 198-199 a couple of times, but never went beyond.  Something happened in my mid-30's and I started gaining weight at an alarming rate.  Before I new it, I was @ 219...and I just gave up.  It wasn't long before I tipped the scales at my heaviest and stayed there for over a year.

Other significant numbers:

191.5--50 lb weight loss
170--no longer "obese"
165--weight when I went on my first "date" with my husband in 2004
155--realistic goal
145-dream goal
138--the lowest recorded weight of my post-college life

product endorsement...jeans!

I went shopping last week and discovered that I am well and truly ensconced in "regular" size 16's (no "W" after that one, baby!).  Alas, that means that I have to give up my beloved Levi's 580 Defined Waist Boot Cut Jeans--which I have owned in sizes 20W, 18W, and 16W.

However, I am uber-excited about my new love: Levi's 525 Perfect Waist!  If you are like me and have a "full" bottom with a smaller waist, then you know the horrors of "the gap." 

This picture is NOT me! (LOL)

  

Well, the Levi's 525 has a band of heavy-duty elastic on the inside of the waist-band that is super-comfortable and eliminates this gap!  If you heart just skipped a beat at reading "elastic" and "waist" in the same sentence, never fear.  The exterior is smooth like a regular jean waistband, it just stretches a bit.  Check it out...

Cheers!

Things my heart will do today...

Will beat 104,333 times, pump 1,530 gallons of blood, and push that blood nearly 14,720 miles throughout my body!
Created by MyFitnessPal.com

+1.6...

The doctor today put back in 1.6 of the 1.0cc's that he removed in January.  That's not a typo...I got .6cc's more than I had when I was too tight.  Am I scared?--you bet!  But, Dr. Steinburg had me swallow the barium mix 3 times and swore that it all looked "perfect."  So, I'll give it a shot.  At least I know I can get in to see him if things go wrong (unlike my previous doctor).

He says things look good and I should see him again in 6 weeks.  I'm on liquids for the next 2 days and soft foods for another 2 days after that.  He wants me to baby the band and make sure that there are no repercussions from my nausea & vomiting last week. 

So, I stocked up on Mix 1 protein drinks and Slim Fast.  I'm about to throw some sweet potatoes & butternut squash in the oven to make soup and I have a pot of home-made vegetable/beef soup simmering on the stove.

Back to basics, y'all!

fill day...

I have an appointment for a fill today @ 1pm.  I have no idea what to expect.  It's my first fill with the new band doctor and he's doing it under fluoroscopy.  Up until last week, I was eating anything and everything in sight--enough that I managed to gain 5 pounds in just 5 days in NYC (and we walked A LOT!).  But, the band seems to have clamped down a bit since my illness last weekend.  So, now I just don't know where I am.  Am I tight because I'm really tight, or is it just a temporary measure due to the irritation?

Fingers crossed!

are you paying attention...

...to my ticker?  If you are, you may have noticed the drastic fluctuations over the last few days.  Here's the explanation:

Last week, on Tuesday, I had to take my mom to the ER.  She's okay now, but in the process I caught some sort of bug (there were 3 people in the waiting room who were vomiting).  As a result, I lost 7lbs in two days--all of it liquid coming out of places that liquid is not supposed to come out.  I wound up in the ER myself getting two bags of IV fluids to rehydrate and some antibiotics for the bug.  That put me back up 4lbs--the first time in my life that I think I was relieved to see a gain on the scale!!!  But, today I'm back down again.  I haven't eaten much in several days and I'm sure that has something to do with it.  In fact, yesterday was the first time since Friday that I ate anything--a banana, a cup of kefir and 1/4 baked potato.  

I'm feeling much better today, but am a little scared to eat much of anything.  I'm thinking oatmeal or cream-of-wheat might do the trick.