Two Year Journey of Lifestyle change

I cannot believe it has been a year since I blogged about my weight journey, if you have followed my blog you will know I had lap band surgery in March of 2008, I understand this surgery is a tool to help you maintain and lose the weight you need to.  This has not been a easy journey for me. I have had so many changes in my life and my lifestyle.  Let me share some of them with you, I can now do so many things I could not do, I can sit in the floor with my grand babies and get out of the floor, I can stand on one foot and balance to tie my shoe or take a sock off, I can open my own bottled water, I can hop, I can jog, I can run, I can exercise, I can walk up or down steps straight forward as normal, not one foot then side ways with the other because my knees hurt so bad. I can feel my hip bones:) I can feel my leg bones:) I can tie my shoes, bend over and touch my toes, do a few push ups;) I can climb to the third floor at work and still be breathing normal:) I can not skip to good yet, or jump rope, I can not hop with both feet on a step, I moan and grown to get through boot camp, yes, I had got so out of shape I could not open a bottled water, thought it was my fibromyalgia but it was the fact I need some exercise.  I decided to make my self have some more discipline and began a boot camp program in Jan. 2010, it has helped me regain strength in my legs, arms, hands….it is changing me….it is also the hardest challenge I have ever had, I do not want to get up and go and at times I do not know if I can even do it, my Coach has made  such a difference for me, she has really helped me and pushed me to my limits. Once I have finished and get in my car I thank the Lord He got me through one more session!  My goal this year is to get the rest of my weight off and get my body in the best physical fit place I can, which means working out three to four times a week with no exception.  I watch what I eat, I try to eat high protein and low calorie foods, now do I mess up?  yes, i will still eat cheese dip, Mexican but I am limited to how much and I stop, with lap band some people do not lose weight, I have talked to many, but they eat high calorie foods and several meals a day, the key to weight loss is sm. meals and count your calories and work out to maintain you weight and health, no easy way to do it, no secrets, no frills!  I still have stressful times that I will just buy food, of course I do not eat it all, but I realized this is what I was doing when Steve’s sister passed away, it was a hard time and when we left the hospital we stopped at a store, all that was open, I got two soups, a container of different types of mixed nuts, cheetos and can not remember what else, I ate about two bites of each soup a few nuts and couple of cheetos, and thought I just wasted money on all this, Alicia said I was trying to meet my emotional needs because I use to eat for the stress, so I had my eyes open to it and have worked on that and can recognize that in me.  I do feel so much better and can not believe how large I had gotten, I see pics of me now and I do not recognize me now, I see people who do not recognize me, which I thought was weird till I looked at two year old pics:)  This is a year of me making me be obedient to my goals and seeking the Lords Grace to endure it:) I do have two new pairs of high heals shoes, little heals but still heals:) I went from size26/28 to 14/16, I can shop in any store:) not just Katherine's or Lane Bryant.  I am excited to see if I have gained the strength to pull my self up on skis this summer!! I was taking a bath the other day and realized I had muscles in my arms, I could not believe it, when I park I will jog to where I am going, such as the store, this is when I have on shoes that I can jog in, if not I walk fast. This is a whole new area of my life and it is exciting……..I feel I have gained several years of my life back with these changes.  I have had many people be my support in this, My friends the Mckimmey’s have walked beside me in the good and bad and have been there for me, they have so encouraged me, I know this would of never happened without them in my life and I thank them.  I thank you for your Atta girls and cheering me on, I needed it and will continue to need it to get to my goal……cannot wait to be there and be there and be there years from now, best thing about me, I now know how many calories are in different things and I ask is it worth it? I eat sm. bites and enjoy what I eat and enjoy the incredible flavors of the foods!!  I am here to cheer you on if you need it so always feel free to call or email me!! If your wanting some changes come do hip hop with me on Wed. nights or you could do boot camp with me:)  There is a scripture that says woe to a man who falls and does not have a friend for he will have no one to help him up, this is so true we need each other, I am there for you as you have been there for me!! Hugs!!