A New Milestone - Jeans

 Let me start by saying it has bean over twenty years since I last wore a pair of real jeans. I wear stretchy (elastic band) jean shorts and capris now, but true pull-up-zip-and-button jeans? Yeah, it's been a hot minute since that happened! The current pants I have try to fall down when I put anything in my pockets (phone, keys, etc.) now that I have lost a bit of weight. They are a 26W. 

So today, I got a wild hair to go to Walmart and try on some jeans. I KNEW they wouldn't fit/zip, but I thought, "Why not?!" So I went! I got there and I went to the women's section. The biggest size they had was a pair of 26 so I picked those up and put them in my cart. In case you haven't caught on yet, (I have little to no confidence in myself.) For kicks and giggles, I also picked up a pair of 24 and 22. I just knew I would be crying when this trip was over, but I marched on. I have been stealing John's t-shirts for a while so lately when I try on new shirts I have been trying on/wearing men's sizes. So I went to the men's section. I picked up a size 2x and a 1x. Off to the dressing room I went. 

The first thing I tried on was the 1x shirt. It fit. It was snugger than I like, but it fit! In about ten more pounds I think it will fit the way I want it to. Then I went to the jeans. I tried on the 26 pair. It went on with no problem. It zipped and buttoned just fine. I wanted to cry! I almost stopped there, but I would have missed a great blessing if I had. As I was taking this pair off, they slid off without unbuttoning them. So I thought, "Ok, let's try on the size 24." I put them on, zipped and buttoned them, and they FIT! I couldn't stop there so I tried on the last pair - the 22s. They were a bit snug but they zipped and buttoned just fine! I left the store without buying them, but THEY FIT!!! It made my day! I am so stickin' proud of myself! 

Six Miles

 I gained two pounds this past week so I made the decision to up my walking. I am now up to two hours a day. I also increased my speed over a couple days. I am now walking 3 MPH. It is hard, but I feel so good emotionally when I get done. According to myfitnesspal I am also burning 640 calories with each two hour walk so I am happy with that. Hopefully, this week will show better progress and I will still meet my (personal) weight loss goal this month. 

The Voice of God

 As a Christian I will admit that I have struggled with my relationship with God. I was saved at the age of eleven. In the beginning and through my teen/early adulthood years my relationship with Him was pretty good. Since my mom passed, though I have really struggled to hear His voice. Today, I heard Him speak to me for the first time in a long time. I am so grateful for this! 

November Weigh-Ins

 November Weigh-Ins

    1 -209.6

    8 - 208.9

    15 - 204.3 

    22 - 

    29 - 

Honeymoon Phase or Not?

 I have blogged a bit about how things have been going with the Phentermine, but I thought some stuff deserved it's own space so here we go. 

Since starting this medication I have had a brighter outlook on life. I am on antidepressants, but my dosage hasn't changed so I do not think that is it. I feel so much better mentally, physically and emotionally. Sleep has been an issue with the medication, but I can deal with that (so far).

I am still having pretty good appetite control. I am eating smaller portions. I am exercising most days. A couple days some things came up that couldn't be avoided that prevented me from walking, but otherwise I have been on the walking pad every day this week. 

As if news couldn't get better than all of this - I went to log my weight for this week. I was down 6.6 pounds!! I cannot tell you when I have done that ever! I don't think I have lost that in a month's time since I started my surgical weight loss journey! I am so excited! I am proud of myself and thankful to God for this progress! 

Phentermine - Day 2

 The morning started very, very early today. I only slept about 4.5ish hours last night. By 5 AM I was up for the day. I haven't even been able to take a nap. I definitely feel more energy than usual. My appetite control is good. I feel good physically. I did an hour on the walking pad. I did strength training again today also. Emotionally, I feel good too. The only down side, I lost less than half a pound today. I don't know why but I expected more. I have weight loss goals for this month and I am afraid I will not make those goals. Of course these are self-imposed goals. The clinic didn't set goals for me for this month. All in all it has been a good day and it's not over yet. I have therapy tomorrow. Hopefully, that will go well. 

Day 1 - Phentermine

 Today, I got up and took my first dose of Phentermine. I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I react like last time (very hyper, barely able to eat, etc) or would it do nothing for me? First of all, it did give me more energy, but I wouldn't say I was hyper. 

My appetite wasn't GONE, but it was pretty well controlled. For breakfast I had a protein shake. For lunch I made heart of palm spaghetti. I was only able to eat about half of my portion. Normally, I would eat it all. Dinner was burgers and fried potatoes. Normally I can eat half a burger. Tonight was no different. Normally, I have Quest chips with it, but I had two bites of potatoes and was full. I could've done without those two bites. By 8'clock, I was hungry so I had the rest of my heart of palm spaghetti. Now, I am done for the day. 

I walked on the walking pad for an hour tonight. Then, I did weights with Isaiah. Not a lot of weights, but it is a start. 

Overall, today was a good great day. I feel so good physically and mentally. I am so grateful to God for a good day. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good or even better! 

ETA: It is now 3:11AM. I slept about three hours. I have been up over two hours with no more sleep in sight. I am sure it is the Phentermine. Although, I do have trouble sleeping. It isn't usually this bad. It is well worth it if this helps the weight loss, though. 

October Bariatric Appointment - Phentermine

 Today I had what has become my monthly appointment with my bariatric doctor. I met with the PA. She didn't even tell me what I had lost this month, but if my calculations were correct, I believe it was about two pounds. I have brought up the subject of weight loss drugs before several times, but the answer has always been no so I didn't bother this month. Ironically, the first thing she did when she walked in the room was recommend weight loss medication.

Together we made the decision to put me on Phentermine for six months and see if that helps. She said I could only take it for six months so hopefully it helps A LOT and QUICKLY. I am not sure why she said only six months, though. I guess it is just their policy, because I talked with the pharmacist when I picked up my prescription and she said I could take it as long as I needed to. If my bariatric doctor won't prescribe it after the six months and I still need it then I guess we will look into other options. It wasn't covered by my insurance, but thankfully the pharmacy applied a discount code so it was pretty cheap. 

I am pretty excited about this. I have taken it before. If you have been around a while, when I lost the seventy-something pounds before, it was in-part, thanks to Phentermine. I am trying to be cautiously hopeful that this will help me lose the rest of the weight I need to lose. 

Today I weighed in at 215.2...

October Weigh-Ins

 October Weigh-Ins

    4 - 215.4

    11- 217

    18 - 210.4

    25 - 212.2