Orchids&Dragons

Got my haircut today and its always amazing how much better i feel afterwards.
i have always considered it an odd thing that i enjoy a haircut so much.
The smell of the barbershop (no salons allowed) and the whole scissors and clippers feel and sound is so relaxing.
I have had the same barber since 1987 and i am not sure how i will handle it if that guy ever dares to die on me. I am pretty sure that the magazines on the bottom of the stack are the same ones from my first visit.
just started Ron Powers -Mark Twain Biography- enjoying it
 

had to stop in and read some NSV.  I hope everyone is doing well.
not much to update.  Weight is stable and labs are good.  always seem to be low on Vit. D but that seems to be the new it thing.
It's a weddings and Funerals kind of week and not something i enjoy so i needed the pick me up from the NSV page.  Keep posting there it really is little things that make this all worth it and reading about your small victories along the way helps more than you will ever know.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and give those close to you a hug

At my Primary Physician appt, the Doc said you know you lost a whole person. When you started seeing me you were 265lbs now you're 148lbs.
She's right... I lost the fun me 😂 Joking Joking Joking. It's amazing who keeps track when you don't like insurance and browsers feeds

https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30504-2?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1550413119305042%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

👏🙌💛🔔💪 Ab Challenge 💪🔔💛🙌👏
 

Feeling cute had to!

At my Surgeons office prospective patients are confused when I walk in, they don't believe I had surgery. I was told that I look naturally thin 😍

Yesterday I "officially" eclipsed the 100 lb mark.  I'm sure if you're in any other country than the US, the 45.3 kg mark doesn't sound as much of a milestone, but it's very cathartic for me to post that I hit it. 
I recently read back through both my BP status updates and my private journal and hitting this milestone makes all the things I "worried" about seem stupid, but I know they're not stupid because they were very real at the time.  Also, I think if I didn't give these fears my full attention, I may not have been as successful as I have been to date.
I'm about 50 more pounds off my end goal and I know that will not be the end, I will continue to strive for bettering myself in both physical and emotional ways.  I have to hunker down and get this done. 
I'm noticing if I don't exercise every day, the weight loss stalls quite a bit.  I'm not really into the 80/20 theory with diet and exercise, I think there's a genetic modifier that needs to be applied and it's different for everyone, just my opinion... don't hold it against me.

Yup, I did it! I RAN my SECOND continuous 5K ever this morning! There is an option to do a 10K Sunday morning and I'm going to give it a try. It's basically the 5K twice. Even though this is a girls' trip, I kinda wish Mr. was here so he could witness my awesomeness.
@FluffyChix, no it wasn't on the beach nor was I wearing a bikini, but I think I should get bonus points anyway, just for doing it a second time 😎

08/20/18 - weight 165.5 / bmi 25.9 / bmr 1602 kcals / fat% 17.4% / fat mass 29 lbs
08/16/19 - weight 149.5 /  bmi 23.5 / bmr 1500 kcals / fat% 16.7% / fat mass 25 lbs
desired range fat % 11-22 / fat mass 17-38.5 lbs
just got back from my 2 year check up and wanted to post.  The kcal drop has me worried and thinking i need to up the weights and trim back the cardio. Never saw myself as a person who cared for bulky muscles but the increased calorie burn from more muscle mass certainly wont hurt. 
New goal for the next year i guess.

So today was my monthly Costco run and i am trying a new protein drink.
plant based (Peas) instead of whey based.  I really really hate peas so i was worried but it is not bad.  Not as "smooth" i guess is the term i am searching for. The whey based was very creamy and smooth and the Pea based one not to the same degree.
I will use the whole 18 pak over the next few weeks and see if i just get used to the new mouth feel.

Um...so all this time I thought I had a lumpy lower abdomen due to stubborn fat deposits or uneven fat loss.  Turns out two of those lumps are my hip bones.

I just took another flight for work on a non-american airline (fun fact, their seat belts are shorter) and i had to take a pic I was so proud.  I'm only 4 months post-op and I'm down almost 100lbs from the first surgeon consult later year in September.
The whole trip while away I worked out on the eliptical for a full hour every night.  It felt great to be able to sustain for that long.
Pic attached

3 days post op and I want to go to the movies to see The Lion King... #slowdown

I just looked through all my old pants after my pre-op pants started getting to big. Keep in mind that I wear men's pants (usually cargos) because I am so tall 5'10"/5'11" ish. I also find that men's baggies tend to fit me better.
I started out at a 44 in waist pant and quickly found that I was back down to my 42's. So even when thise got to be too big, I had to start pulling old clothes out of storage. After finding my 38's, I thought that these would not yet fit, but when I tried them on, they fit perfectly. I also found some older pants that now fit better than I remembered. What a relief! It's not like I can pop down to the store like I could do in the US and the styles here in Sweden are all skinnt jeans which I cant stand. I also found some 36's, but I'm not mentally ready to try those on yet. The biggest challenge will be buying women's clothing again. 

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(19)30834-4
this one is interesting but a tough slog to get thru
this review is easier to understand
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/07/weight-loss-rage-proteins/594073/

slow and steady wins the race.  don't get discouraged and just keep at it. Let your sleeve do its job and try not to stress yourself out.
hope you are all having a great summer and enjoying what your sleeve has given you.
just got back from a wedding in OR. and man am i afraid to get on the scale  

https://www.bmj.com/content/366/bmj.l2408
bad news for fruit juice drinkers - sugar is just sugar -source doesn't matter

Worst. Dumping. Ever. Last. Night.
So I thought I would throw caution to the wind and sample some of the fruit salad that my mom brought over for the fam. I dutifully portioned out 1/8 cup of the stuff.  I figured the sugar in the fruit may be in issue, but come on, 1/8 cup?  Barely a couple bites, should be fine.
Before I could finish it, my heart started to feel like it was beating out of my chest.
*** TMI Alert: continue reading at your own risk ***
Ended up in the washroom barfing. And while I was barfing, I had to .  I was literally alternating ends to face the toilet until it felt like there was nothing left in my insides.  I swear more came out of me that I even put in it over the last 3 days.
I laid down with my forehead on the cold bathroom floor tile for like 20 minutes afterwards to recuperate.  Then Mr. (my hero ) carried me to the shower and helped me crawl into bed.
So yeah, I'm feeling pretty shitty this AM.
 
 

I am officially under my ultimate goal weight...holy cow! Just wanted to share an update on my progress. I didn't take a whole lot of progress pics. The before is the oldest one I have and its 2.5 months post op and the right photo is of me today! Thrilled with my progress. Hoping everyone is happy, healthy and doing great!