Week 10

41 pounds down.

I'll start out by saying that everyone, all along, has been remarking about the differences they see in my appearance.  That being said, this past week is the first time that I noticed a difference that I consider meaningful.  What?  Everyone who's anyone says "It's what YOU think that matters most."  Yes... I knew that my arms, legs, and face were getting smaller, but I felt like a bowling ball walking around with toothpicks for arms and legs and a golf ball for a head.  This week, that changed...  maybe from a bowling ball to a baseball.  It was nice to notice, for myself, a change to the section of my body that troubles me the most.

I noticed that the Aveeno lotion makes my hands feel considerably less dry.  I've been using a variety of lotions that seem to lose their effectiveness after 10 minutes or so.  Last night, I tried the Aveeno for the first time.  My hands felt soft and smooth for the rest of the evening.  I think I'll get a large bottle of it for use after showers and whatnot.  Probably, it seems trivial to talk about dry skin, but that is an anticipated side effect of bariatric surgery... dry skin.  I'm just glad I found something that helps.

Still not being very adventurous in the food department.  I tend to go with what's going to get me the most protein since that's what I need to focus on.  This weekend, I made pasta e fagioli soup for the family.  Before adding the pasta, I set aside a bunch for myself.  It's got ground beef and beans that will give the protein I need, plus, it's a nice, hearty soup, and there's little I love more than a nice soup in the winter time.

Pretty soon, I'm going to need to go shopping for some clothes.  That will be exciting.  I keep finding pants in my closet that fit now.  Some, I haven't worn for several years.  haha.  Eventually, though, they'll all need replaced.  Plus, I'll need new tops as well.  Hopefully, styles haven't changed dramatically.  While I'll be a much smaller me, I'll still be proportioned the same, so I'll need to be mindful of a thicker midsection and the perpetual muffin top (until I can afford my tummy tuck).  Even at 116 pounds, I was just built this way.

I've been pretty consistent with the exercise plan I committed to.  Except today.  Today, I woke up at 4:30 with raging cramps.  I'm not sure what the issue is, but man... it may be concidence, but weight loss and surgery have seemed to make Aunt Flo a total bitch.  I've never had cramps like this before.  I ended up taking some midol, which made the cramps go away, but made my stomach hurt a little bit.  I forgot they're chock full of caffeine.  I fell back to sleep, though, around 7 and slept through my exercise time.  Well, I'll have to be kind to myself over that.  I've always considered Aunt Flo's arrival a good excuse to take it easy and relax some.  There's always tomorrow.

This week, I had a few people tell me that I've inspired them into shooting for better habits food wise and in the way of exercise.  That feels good.  I love to make a difference.