Meeting follow up

Last night at the WLS support group meeting, we had a return visit from a counselor who has a way of putting thoughts into words better than most people, including me.
She was able to help me and others to organize their feelings and dispense with the negative stuff, so that the positive stuff became dominant.
So, as a result, i am going to try something I hadn't thought of before. I am going to try to organize a type of scrapbook using thoughts, pictures and feelings, so that I can come back to them when I need a refresher.
You see, it seems we tend to forget how hard this weight loss program was to do. We (meaning me) get lazy and may slip a bit from time to time.
The scrapbook helps us to see where we were and where we are.
Some of the pictures I have in this blog, and most of the words are reminders to me of those rougher times, but it's too long for me to go back and read. So, I am going to shorten things up a bit.
You'll see it right here when I'm finished.

Dumping!

I think I just found out another way to dump.
I went to visit my Daughter and grandson yesterday in Maryland.
I could have prepared my own food, but I wanted to try my hand at improvising.
So, when we went to eat, I went along with my Daughter's suggestion to go to Chick Fillet (spelling?). Oh yeah, that's Fil-A, I think.
I ordered a wrap with no dressing since they usually put nothing but sugar or corn syrup in it anyway. I also ordered a sugar free lemonade for later since the meal was cheaper than buying everything Ala cart.
They were nice and used a Styrofoam container for the lemonade, and I watered it down just in case it really did have sugar.
I ate half the wrap. I am still Celiac sensitive, but ate the whole wheat tortilla anyway. A little bit once in awhile is OK.
Well, this morning, I spent most of it in the bathroom. I think I lost more weight than in the previous two weeks! Our sewage bill might go up!
I feel much better now, but my morning was a wash out. I did manage to cut the lawn this afternoon, and I did some food shopping too.
I guess it took all night for the body to complain about what I put into it yesterday. Oh yeah, I had those greasy french fries too. I think that's what put me over the edge.
I weighed in tonight at 207, so I did lose some weight, but I don't think it was just from the dumping.
Live and learn.

more photos

Poor baby! The back is stretched in such an un natural position because of my belly! If this isn't incentive to lose weight, I don't know what is!

This is fairly new. I am just over 220 here, and dropping.

Last year, I was able to give the grandkids rides on my scooter. I sold it a few months ago. This is a fairly new shot, maybe a few months old? Maybe 235?

I remember being proud that I lost a total of 63 pounds using a combination of the Subway diet, followed by the Atkins diet plan. I started gaining weight right after this shot.

In all my glory, my favorite place back then.

Push the grandkid, go sit down for 5 minutes to recover. Always pick a playground with a bench nearby, and never ever sit on the ground if you want to stand up again!

My safe Michael Jackson pose. Don't drop the grandkid!

This is a little better. I am down to 212 here, and am able to actually hold the grandkid against my chest, not my belly. I had been standing for 5 minutes here without any problems. I stood for about 20 minutes after that. What a great feeling to be able to pass the kid back to his mom and know that I didn't have to change a diaper!

My first photo after my surgery that really showed the difference. Notice, again, I was standing!

Back to the picnic. I was walking downhill.

A great balancing tool, that fat belly!

Incredible journey!

These 4 pictures, are the ones that made me realize I needed help. I was 305 pounds, as is stated in my first blog entry way back when.
Every year, we had several picnics at my sister's house. I was always looking forward to it, but I was also always on some kind of diet, and couldn't eat what I wanted.
Well, my picture was taken and here they are.
This is the last time my Father's picture was taken at the picnic. He died last year after fighting Alzheimer's disease. I am sure he knew who we were and what was happening here, although I will never know for sure. He sure did perk up with the great grandkids in his arms.


This is Lilly, my daughter and son in law's kid. I was balancing her on my belly, not holding her in my arms. Pretty sad.

One of my friends suggested I get more pictures on my blog. So, this particular posting will have some pictures thrown in. They are not in any order, and I will be spreading them out throughout the blog as well as organizing them chronologically, but for now, here they are.
Oh, and there should be more. I have taken thousands of shots from behind the camera. I only have a few of me in front. I should have more later today.