I hate exercising!

So if you don't already know, I despise going to the gym! I just don't want to go to a stinky place full of stinky people to wait for a treadmill and then have someone stand behind me the whole time waiting for me to be done. It's just not my cup of tea it rack's my nerves.  But exercise is important to keep your body healthy and to aid weight loss, so I am searching out alternative exercise practices. I guess I could get some workout machines and make my own little gym at home but honestly who wants those ugly things laying around the house? Not me! Plus none of those things are fun. So on to fun exercise! I hula hoop and boy oh boy is that a work out and now I am going to try to roller skate.

I am old school and not a fan of roller-bladding (sp?) so I got me some quad skates (there easier to stand in). Besides how on earth do you use brakes if they are in the back I am use to the front brake. Everything I do has to have an end goal, my hooping led me to hoop walk a half marathon and my skating is hopefully going to get me in to Roller Derby. I thought about being a Derby Girl but realized I bruise like a peach so I decided that I could be a referee. Being a ref will get me into Derby and that will get me up and moving more often since they have practice like 5 days a week.

So I guess we will see how it goes, I will keep you updated on my skating and if I find any other fun ways to get my exercise in :-)

Hair Loss

Recently I got a comment from a reader concerned about hair loss after surgery (Hi Tammy!). Hair loss can certainly be a side effect of any surgery, it can caused by many different variables i.e.: anesthesia, hormone levels, stress, nutrition and the list goes on. The good news is it most often a temporary side effect. It could be anywhere from a minimal to extreme. Personally I have really thick hair, i was loosing chunks of hair daily (totally clogged my tub drain) nobody could visually tell I was loosing my hair but it took it's toll on me mentally. It is hard when you are use to having long thick hair and it is thinning right before your eyes even if no one else notices.

After talking with my doctor about the issue he reassured me that it was common and the problem will correct itself after I hit my 6 month mark. He was right I am 9 months out from surgery and my hair loss has slowed and it is starting to grow back.

The bad news is there isn't much you can do to prevent it since a lot of it has to do with hormone levels and your body readjusting to your new diet. To keep loss to a minimum I would suggest strictly sticking to your doctors recommended diet and vitamin regimen.

It made me feel better to have my hair cut, I mean I cut it short! It also helped me not notice how much of my hair was falling out (until I swept the floor or cleaned the drain, haha).

So I hate to say it but there isn't much you can do to prevent the loss but it only lasts a couple months then you look forward to new healthy hair. My nails are growing like crazy now too!

I hope this helped answer some questions, I wish I had better advice on how to prevent it but I guess somethings are out of our control but again not everyone experiences hair loss so who knows you might be a lucky one. And if all else fails go buy some wigs and enjoy having a new hairstyle everyday and not having to comb your hair :-)

Crazy Hormones

My body is still all out of whack. My monthly schedule is all messed up which in turn makes my emotions like a roller coaster ride (and not the fun kind). The doctor says that everything should level out now that I have passed the 6 month mark. I hope it goes back to normal soon. I am thinking I should probably make an appointment with my psychologist to make sure I am still on the right dose of my meds since my body has gone through all these changes.

Another side effect of the rapid weight loss is hair loss. Thank goodness I had thick hair to begin with because I have lost a ton of hair! I keep cutting it shorter and shorter because I can not stand the feel of thin hair. Nobody can tell that I have lost hair but I know and so I try and keep it styled so I don't get down about it being thinner. Again the doctor says I should start to get my hair back now.

It is hard to believe all this craziness is caused by a hormone change. On the plus side as of today I have lost 118 pounds! I only have 32 more pounds till I'm at my goal and then I get to start thinking about reconstruction, if I need any. Which right now I don't think I will need any but only time will tell.

What I would do for a 7Up!!!!

I am craving 7Up like crazy! This is not my first random craving, for awhile I wanted Cracker Jacks so bad I actually went and got some (not a good idea) I learned my lesson there, you would never imagine how many empty calories are in those things! Anyway I tried carbonated beverages once before and it was not good, it feels like fireworks going off in your stomach, but again lesson learned!

So as much as I want a 7Up I am trying my hardest to resist the urge, I hope my will power holds up!!!!

6 Month Check up.

I had my 6 month check up! Everything was great I am at my doctor's goal weight for me. I was so excited. I still have 50 pounds to loose to be at my personal goal but I on the right track, WOOHOO!

I participated in the Music City 1/2 marathon in April. That was a lot of fun, but I realized that marathons are not my thing. I enjoyed doing it once but I seriously doubt I will do it again. Since then I have been keeping up my hula hooping, it is the only exercise I have found that I truly enjoy.

Right now I am in a stall pattern with my weight loss. I try and not get discouraged because I know it is what is best for my body. The good thing about plateauing for awhile is it gives my skin a chance to keep up. I have been very lucky so far and I don't have much loose skin. I do a lot of "Off Body" hooping to keep my arms toned.


Now that it is summer it is so nice to be able to wear a bathing suit and not be self conscious. I have been doing many things that I didn't before, like boating! Also I went to Denver last week and I was so excited that the seat-belt on the airplane fit me! It buckled with no problem and I had extra slack in it. Before I use to struggle with getting them fastened and was so embarrassed when I had to ask for an extender. It's the little things that make a difference :-)




Here is the most recent picture of me, it is like night and day from where I started!!!

Feeling fat again :-(

I am feeling so fat the past couple of days! I was out of town for work and was eating out every meal. I tried to be healthy but sometimes it wasn't so easy. I had way to many carbs and am now feeling so yucky. I weighed in today (I do it every Sunday) and have not gained any weight. I am happy about what the scale says but I am still feeling fat. I did a 10 mile hoop-walk today so hopefully I will get back to feeling good soon. Now that I am home I am getting back into my routine and getting back into my healthy food.

I have my 6 month check up at the end of April so I am excited to see what the Dr. Boyce has to say about my progress! I have to do blood work at this appointment, boo, I hate having to give blood. But hopefully all will be well, I am mostly concerned about my iron count. Iron is a big deal especially because if I need infusion's it will be BAD iron infusion's make me SO sick, all iron makes me sick but I can not become anemic that is really bad. So fingers crossed all will be well, I have been taking my iron pills and multi-vitamins (which all make me not feel so good because of the iron) so I am sure all will be well.

Time to get back to eating better and working out. It's amazing how far off track you can get when you are out of your comfort zone. But I did enjoy those dessert's I had :-) I guess a treat every now and then isn't too bad as long as you don't take it too far and know when to say when. Will power is key.

Hooping fun!

Had a great time teaching people how to hoop and showing off my skills :-) This is how I have been exercising it has really helped me get active!

Thank you to Amanda for the great pictures!

Picture updates :-)

Me 4.5 months after surgery!

I'm such a slacker.... Sorry!

Hey everyone, sorry it has been so long since I have written I am the worst! But I am trying to get better! Well the good news is I am not such a slacker with my weight loss :-) As of today I am down 90 pounds! I am still training for the Country Music Half Marathon, we are about 6 weeks away from the event. We will be doing 8 miles this week, YIKES! 8 miles of hula hooping might just kill me, haha, but I guess I better get to it since the event will be 13.1 mile of hooping!

I am struggling a bit with crazy cravings right now. Like Cracker Jacks, I want them so bad I can't stand it! I do treat myself to them every once in a great while but I know better than to make it a habit. Do you know how hard it is to find cracker jacks now-a-days? VERY which is good for me it keeps temptation away. I am also a bit disappointed that they don't come in boxes anymore and they don't put enough peanuts in them (peanuts are my favorite part)!

I have been trying to avoid buying clothes since I am dropping sizes so quick but I think I am gonna have to break down and go get some new pants, mine are barely staying up, lol. My mom tells me everyday "Those pants need to be taken to Goodwill" so I guess when I go to donate all my old stuff I'll pick up some new sizes :-) It feels so good for my clothes to be baggy and not so tight I can't breath.

The weird thing is even though I have lost 90 pounds I don't see myself any different. I mean don't get me wrong I feel great physically but I don't feel that I have changed on the inside which is good. I am happy and getting to do things I never thought I would before, like hooping a half marathon!!!!

I guess I better get off here and get myself to the store before my pants fall off again and I moon the world, lol!

4 pounds to half way!

Thats right as of today I only have 4 pounds to loose to be at my half way mark! I am so excited to have gotten here so fast! I have been training for my marathon and it is amazing how much better I feel now that I am exercising on a regular basis. I have never been the athletic type (really I have avoided exercise like the plague) but now that I am thinner and it is easier to do I am enjoying myself.

I walked 3 miles today and am planning to do the same again tomorrow. It is not regular walking though I am hoop-walking (walking and hula hooping at the same time). I love hooping and it is such a great work out. I did a lot of off body hooping today, which consists of swinging the hoop around in circles either over my head or to my side. It is wonderful for strengthening and toning arms. I really need that right now because I am getting some sagging skin on my upper arms, BOO! The rest of my skin is keeping up pretty well with the weight-loss which I am extremely thankful for!

I will keep you all updated on my hooping marathon training and of course my weight-loss, only 79 pounds left to loose!!!!!

Also here is a link to my Bio for the Hooping the Half Marathon, hope you enjoy! It is hard to write about yourself!

New Year, New Me!

I made it through the holidays with no problems! The food temptation was great but I over powered it and came through the last of the year with a 60 pound loss! I really thought it would be hard with all the temptation but I set my mind to succeed and came trough with flying colors.

New for this year is I am starting to train to Hoop a half marathon! I am very excited to be apart of this wonderful group of women. The charity is called Hooping for Hope and they provide exercise classes and hula hoops for breast cancer survivor's. It's a great cause to help survivor's get back into exercise and feel good in their body's again! This charity is close to my heart because a close family member is a recent survivor and it is hard to find charity's that focus on the after care and well being of survivor's so I find this to be a amazing program to have and contribute to! We will be hula hooping the Music City Marathon on April 24th here in Nashville.

THis is gonna be a major challenge for me for several reasons but I am excited to be a part of this group and it will help me with my weight-loss goal. I am hoping to be at my goal weight in April so that will be another great milestone, one finishing a marathon and two loosing 150 pounds!

Healthy here I come!!!!! It's gonna be a great 2010!!!!!!

(Also if you would like to make a donation to sponsor my race feel free to contact me, we appreciate all the help we can get, and it's tax deductible!)