2 year update

Life with the sleeve is so normal, I don't even think about it most weeks. I rarely get any side effects, and while I have a lot of restriction still, I am still able to enjoy food and go out for meals if I want to.
I am sitting around 73kg which seems to be my comfortable weight. While I loved how I looked at 70kg, I basically have to exercise most days to achieve that, which isn't realistic with my lifestyle.

Time for some pictures!

At a recent wedding

With my sister in law at a wedding

At a new #parkrun that just started up

In some daggy clothes to play with the dogs - they are having pupcakes!

At my uni graduation - I can even make a black sack look okay!

I love how I look, I feel healthy, and I am really happy with the decision I made.

Photo from the weekend

Me at a friends wedding this past weekend. Wearing a Ginger and Smart dress, size 14.

 

Running up a storm

My weight likes to fluctuate between a range of 69 and 71.5, depending on what I have eaten and how much exercise I have done. I'm not weighing myself very often as I can gauge how I am doing my energy levels rather than a number on the scale.

I realised that I haven't documented my measurements since the end of January so grabbed the measuring tape out to see if I had lost any centimetres in the last two months. I've lost an extra 1cm on both my waist and hips which is progress - at least it's in the right direction. I think my measurements are a little hard to do now thanks to all the excess skin I have. 

I have also brought my 5km running time down by a minute to 32:25 which I am very happy with. Only two weeks now until the fun run in Bunbury. I ran 10km non-stop last weekend so at least I know that I can do it! I am aiming to do the 10k run in under 80 minutes. 

Taking Charlie for a run

Hubby, me, and our two dog-children

Running this morning - Personal Best time!

Reviewing my pre-surgery goals

At the beginning of this process, I wrote a post titled 'Things I want to do when I lose weight'. 

I wanted to revisit this list and see how I had progressed.

Parasailing – Weight limits have always kept me away from this, it looks like amazing fun

Nope - haven't gotten that far yet - but only because I can't find anywhere in Perth that does it!

Go rock climbing – similar reasons to parasailing, I think it would be so much fun yet my weight has held me back

Not yet but this is a great reminder - I will have to book in and give this a go! There are a couple of indoor rock climbing places in Perth and I think it would be great fun and an awesome workout as well! Consider my butt kicked and I will try and get to this in the coming month.

Take some dance classes – I love dancing but as I’ve put on more and more weight, I don’t do it anymore because I feel like a fat whale flopping about. I love hiphop dancing, but flamenco sounds pretty awesome as well.

I haven't taken up any dance classes yet, simply because I haven't had the time to do it. This is something that I might give a chance later in the year once I have finished uni classes.

Finish the couch to 5k program – I always start the C2K program but by week 3 my feet and body are so sore that I just give in and head back to the couch with an ‘it’s all too hard’ attitude. I want to be able to run 5km’s and be able to do it on a regular basis.

I now run regularly at least once a week, but sometimes more often. 5k is my regular distance and I actually enjoy the process of going running! This is probably my biggest transformation.

Shop at normal clothing stores – I love the look of clothes in Portmans, Cue, Sportgirl, Tokito but I’ve never been able to wear them. I’ve been a size 18 for most of my adult life, and recently expanded to a 20/22/24 pant size, which as you can imagine is very limiting to the clothes I can buy. I’d love to be able to walk into one of these stores and be able to try on a dress knowing that there will be something there that fits.

 Yep - I do this now! I love walking into every store and perusing through the beautiful clothes. I love that I can buy what I want now, rather than whatever is available that fits

Wear a bikini – Do you know I have never worn a bikini? Not as a child or teenager or young adult. I’m 26 and I’ve been ashamed of my body for most of my life. I know my body isn’t going to be perfect after this operation, and I know that my self-image isn’t going to miraculously fix itself, but I want to be proud of myself, and one day where a bikini. Not necessarily in public, at the beach or pool, but at least around friends or family in a backyard pool. 

I bought my first bikini! Sure, I haven't worn it out in public, but even trying it on was a huge achievement for me. 

Breaking the 70 mark

As of Saturday, I am down to 69.5kg. It's a pretty big achievement for me to finally be in the 60's. I'm not sure if I will stay there or not, my body is pretty fickle when it comes to what it wants to do, but right now I'm pleased as punch.

This past month, my husband and I have made an effort to make lunch to take to work, and cooking healthy dinners each night. Murray has been using MyFitnessPal to track his food intake which has helped him with accountability on what he is eating. On top of that, I bought him a FitBit One to help him stay focused on how much he is moving. This has made a huge difference to his mindset. He wont go to bed unless he has reached his 10,000 steps each day. If he has a bit to go, he will take the dogs out for a long walk before bed, and he makes smart decisions around parking further away from where he needs to go so that he can walk part of the way.

All of this put together has lead to him losing 8.1 kilos in the month of February! That's an incredible result for four weeks of effort. There was no missing out on food or having a heavily restricted diet. He stick to 2000 calories, and 10,000 steps a day, and if he exercised extra, he could eat back those calories if he wanted to.

We made all sorts of things for dinner: Spaghetti Bolognaise with extra zucchini and carrot, San Choy Bao, Mountain bread rolls with spinach, chicken, feta and salad, and I have learnt how to make the most amazing beetroot chorizo and spinach salad ever! Really easy food but so delicious and much healthier than hubby's go-to takeaway foods.

This first month I did all the cooking of lunch and dinners to be supportive, but it has wiped me out a bit. To help me out a bit, we are going to be getting a cleaner in once a fortnight to help me spend less time cleaning and more time doing cooking which I enjoy. Murray is also going to step up and do more of the cooking, now that he knows what healthy options are available, and how easy they are to prepare.

Progress

All the running I've been doing appears to be paying off! As of this morning, I am down to 70.5kg - so close to being in the 60's!

My latest measurements as of 25.01.14

Bust - 97.5cm
Waist - 98cm
Hips - 102cm
Thigh - 55.5cm

Looking back

I spent a little while this past weekend looking through some old photos of myself, and then my photos from just before the surgery, and I couldn't help but to cry.

This was my 'before' photo. The photo that I took in anticipation of all the progress ahead, the promise of things to come. At the time I knew it was bad, but it is only now that I am looking back, that I see clearly how big I was.

Part of me never wants to show this photo, and of course it's the internet, it could go anywhere. But I am sharing it because someone might be out there and is struggling with making this decision. It is one of the hardest things I have done. But by far, it has also been the best thing that i have done for myself.

This was me 28/08/12

I didn't know I was that big.

Now I look like this.

19/02/14

I'm not a supermodel. I'm not skinny. But I am healthy, fit and strong. I like buying and wearing clothes. I am happy. I thank God that I was able to have the surgery and live the life that I now lead.

January 2014

I'm currently sitting at 71.5kg, so my weight has definitely stabilised at this point, and I'm really happy with where I am. I am generally a size 14, with my first size 12 tops bought from Portmans just before Christmas - a very exciting moment!

My husband and I have been talking and I am going to do some research on tummy tucks and breast lifts. I am happy with what I have been able to achieve, but I do have some excess skin which I would love to get rid of. I'm not too concerned right now about it, but something to think about for the future.

In other news, I am currently training for a 10km race in April! Me, the girl who couldn't run to the end of her street, is going to run in a 10km race! Madness I tell you! I am running several times a week, and my PB for my regular 5k run is 33:35, which is a huge improvement on my starting time of 40 minutes last June. Seriously, if I can do this, ANYONE can do it!

Running

More running

One of my size 12 tops

My birthday gift from my husband - these beautiful Isola bathers!

The bathers from the back (also my tattoo all healed up)

Relaxing at Christmas in Indonesia

Lovely weather meant lots of shorts and singlets

Enjoying dinner outdoors in a little summer dress

Singapore Zoo - going casual