Saturday, July 23, 2016

Saturday, July 23, 2016: Operations Re-Start: The Final Week

Weight:  152.0

Well this is it.  I have one week left of The 12 Week Challenge; Operation Re-Start.  I am going to make the most of it!

I am a little heavier this morning than I was yesterday morning for some inexplicable reason.  Of course, I don't usually fret over minor fluctuations in the scale, they happen, but with one week to go it is a little harder not to fret.  Perhaps I didn't drink enough water.  Perhaps I had too much salt. Perhaps I ate a little too much.  Perhaps I did everything perfectly and it is just my body's natural rhythm of things.  It doesn't really matter.  I'll stop fretting.  In fact, I just stopped fretting.  It is what it is.  All I can do is control what I do moving forward.  I will weigh 150.0 on Friday, July 29th, or I won't.  Either way, this challenge has been a huge success.

I know I have not been posting pictures recently.  This is because I have been traveling without my photographer on the weekends and have not had the opportunity to take pictures on Saturdays.  I have no idea if Jack will be able to take a picture for me today, since his arm is in a splint.  We'll give it a try. I'd like to get progress photos posted. No matter what, we will get pictures taken and posted before we leave on vacation on Friday, July 29.

This challenge has been a huge success because, even with 1 week left to go, I have achieved the ultimate goal that I set out to achieve, I feel good in my own skin.  No, let me rephrase that, I feel great in my own skin.  This is the first time in my adult life that I can remember being truly comfortable with my body.  The surgery helped.  I am thrilled to have the excess skin from my tummy and breasts removed.  I am so much more comfortable.  My bra size isn't that much smaller, I just went down a cup size (from a 34 or 36DD to a 34D), but instead of shoving my breasts into the cups and doing my best to cover bulges, my bra fits nicely over my breasts and is just there.  My bra used to be a combination of bungee cords, sling and hammock, holding everything up and compressing a bunch of loose flesh to my chest so that I didn't hang all over the place.  By the end of the day I couldn't wait to get it off.  Now, I am just as comfortable in my bra as out of it.  In fact, I find that I like sleeping in a bra.  The breast lift has made a huge difference in how I feel about myself.  The tummy tuck is a big deal, too.  Pants and shirts fit differently.  I am not a smaller size. The clothes that fit at 150 pounds before my surgery fit now, but they fit differently.  The waist bands of pants are just there.  They don't dig into my flesh.  I can wear tops that fit, because I'm not hiding rolls of skin, both above and below my belly button.  Yes, I am quite pleased with the results of the surgery.

During the first 11 weeks of the challenge I lost the little bit of weight that I gained after surgery, but more importantly, I am solidly back into my exercise habit.  My body feels strong, toned and young.  I am happy with the way I feel and the way I look.  I can do the things that I want to do.  I can wear the clothes that I want to wear.  I can manage my weight with a reasonable diet and exercise program.  I have a formula that is healthy and that I can maintain for life.  I am comfortable with the idea of being on program most (probably about 95%) of the time, but allowing myself to be off program now and then.  I am happy that our program keeps Jack and I both healthy and happy.  It works for us.  We are going to keep eating good, healthy food and we are going to stay active.  We'll try to avoid serious injuries in the future, but things happen.  All in all, no matter what the scale says a week from now, this challenge has been a success and I am pleased with the results.

Jack had a decent day, yesterday.  His pain is manageable with medication.  He did better once the nerve block wore off and he had control of his arm.  He's able to manage much better on his own.  I think today will be better yet.  He is working from home next week because I don't think he'll be able to drive a stick shift with his arm in a splint.  Also, he'll still be on his pain meds and he shouldn't be driving when medicated.  I think by the time we leave on vacation, he'll be doing fine.  I hope so!

I have a lot to do today, so I'll sign off.  Have a good day, everyone!!

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