Old Friends

I had a blast at my high school reunion.  It was great to see friends who share similar memories of another time.  It's interesting to see who has changed and who has not.  Usually the girls are easily recognizable.  Most girls have their grown-up face by the time they graduate high school.  Guys, on the other hand, seem to change much more and many of the changes relate to hair (or lack thereof)  Some of us have aged better than others but mostly I could recognize the women without help.  The best part of the reunion for me was when my husband actually danced with me!  Oh, he'd do "slow" dances back in school but I could never get him to loosen up and boogie.  His technique needs work of course but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The good vibes from the weekend's events lasted most of Monday.  By Tuesday reality had thudded back into place.  At least the Virgin Health Miles is working out well.  I am averaging over 7000 steps per day which is the number we are supposed to be aiming for.  I am doing over 15,000 steps on gym days and usually around 4000 on non-gym days.  I have room for improvement on my off-gym days but when we have had those high ozone level heat index alert days I keep my outdoor activities minimal.  I could go to the mall and walk where it's cool though.  The trouble is when I go to the mall I want to buy stuff.

I find I still can't tolerate eating certain foods.  I had some rice tonight.  I didn't think I had too much but I became very uncomfortable and my old friend chuck showed up.  (Remember him?  "Up Chuck")  I was not able to relieve myself of all the offending rice and had to be patient as it moved along.  Anatomically speaking I don't know whether that means that it got stuck in the pouch or below it.  Anyway a little aversion therapy is a good reminder to pay more attention to portion control.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan.

It's Wicked Hot. Jungle Hot in NY!

I went to the gym today in spite of the heat wave.  The AC at Planet Fitness was great.  I didn't really sweat much more than I would have at home doing nothing!

 Tonight I will see friends from High School.  Our 40th reunion!  We have a BBQ tonight, banquet tomorrow night and a brunch on Sunday.  I'm skipping the brunch but I'll be there both nights.  When we had a 35th reunion I did not attend although I've been to the 10th, 20th and 30th.  At that time I was not doing much socializing.  I felt I was too big to see anyone.  Is that sad or what?  Anyway I'm feeling pretty good these days and I am pumped to see my old peeps.  Yeah, were getting up there.  We qualify for senior discounts and AARP insurance.  But we still ROCK!

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Sweating Without Even Moving!

Well the hot weather is finally here.  Right now at 9 PM the temperature INSIDE my house is 86.  No, I do not have air conditioning.  Our 85 year-old house needs wiring upgrades we can't afford.  So we have window fans and I eat lots of sugar-free popsicles.  While the heat and humidity can be brutal I have 155 lbs less of insulation this summer.  I can definitely feel the difference.  Fortunately the AC works great at Planet Fitness.    While riding a stationery bike is short on scenic views at least I don't have to worry about sunstroke (or being hit by a bus for that matter)

  As an ER nurse I've seen the results of over exertion during heat waves.I've seen even very fit people get severe hyperthermia while exercising in extreme heat.  It's very important to keep pushing fluid in this weather even if you're not exercising.  Senior citizens especially don't realize when they are dehydrated.

 Hopefully this heat wave will be a short one.  In the meantime I'll buy lots of my popsicles, drink lots of water and smoothies.  Stay cool!

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

My First Anniversary!

On June 28th I marked my anniversary of my bariatric surgery.  I had a Roux-N-Y gastric bypass.  Since that day I have lost 155 pounds!!!

 In that year I've had to change all my eating habits.  I no longer drink Diet Coke or any other carbonated beverage.  In fact I no longer drink during a meal at all.  I eat small portions and wait at least 30 minutes before drinking.  I eat nothing with sugar.  I eat mostly whole grains and make sure I get at least 75 grams of protein per day.  I take a multivitamin, B12, Calcium and vitamin D every day.  I document every morsel that goes into my mouth to keep track of my calories.

In that year I have made a habit of exercising.  I go to the gym three days per week.  I use the stationary bicycle for an hour and do about 22 miles on the cardio setting.  After the bike I do 10 minutes in the massage chair.  I have tried the elliptical trainer and also done some upper body strength training.  I make sure I do more walking during my daily activities.  I park farther away from stores and walk around in shopping malls.

All of the above has paid off in so many ways.  I feel great and have begun to live a new life. There is no part of my life that has not become easier without those 155 pounds of fat.

There have certainly been adjustments I've had to make.  My wedding rings are now so big that I'm afraid I will lose them.  To prevent that I wear an extra, smaller ring as a guard.  This will prevent me tossing them out when I pull off protective gloves at work. Last year I was not even wearing my engagement ring because both rings could not fit on my fingers.

I've also had to get rid of all my clothes and get new ones although I've  had some donations from a friend who has also done bariatric surgery.  I'm delighted to be able to buy inexpensive interim clothing at discount stores.  Previously I could only wear clothing from specialty stores because of my size.

If you visit my Photos-Progress is a Wonderful Thing page on this blog you can see pictures from from the night before surgery and several intervals since.

I'm so happy I made the decision to save my life.  That is not an exaggeration.  I was literally dying.  I can't remember ever feeling this healthy.  I hope,if you are following my story, that you will be inspired to make positive choices to improve whatever your own body needs.  We all can influence our own destiny.  At one time I could not imagine a whole year without sweets.  I took way too long to make the choice and the commitment.   I have doctors who took great care of me.  I couldn't be happier.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

My Heart Will Go On!

Today I had an appointment with my cardiologist and an echocardiogram.  (basically an ultrasound of my heart). He was delighted to tell me that I have completely reversed my left ventricular hypertrophy.  A year ago my heart was working extra hard because of all my excess weight.  This caused the walls of the left ventrical to increase in size because of all the extra effort required.  Additional symptoms were increasing heart rate with exertion and edema (swelling) of my ankles and lower legs.

Comparing a normal heart with one with LVD

cross section of heart with thickened walls of left ventricle.  

Its no wonder I feel so much better.  Dr. Jarrett told me he is very proud of me and that I should be proud of myself.  I just know I feel fantastic compared to one year ago.  Naturally the heart problems would have contributed to worsening symptoms and death.  There is no way to know how soon that would have happened but I know that I was literally dying last year.  We have no guarantees in life.  I could die tomorrow in a traffic accident.  I could get struck by a falling meteor or a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting.  One thing for sure is that I am no longer suffering from chronic congestive heart failure.  Live is wonderful and I'm enjoying my rebirth!

Love to all, 

Marlena of Mohegan

Nearing My First Anniversary

I am one week away from my first anniversary of one of the best things I've ever chosen to do.  On June 28th it will be one year since my bariatric surgery.  I have now lost a total of 150 pounds.  I still plan to lose at least 75 more lbs.  This picture of Oprah Winfrey was when she rolled out a wagon full of 67 lbs of fat that equaled her own weight loss some years ago.  If I had all I've lost in a wagon it would be nearly three times the amount in Oprah's wagon.  It is almost too amazing to be real!  To think that I carried all that weight every day and every where I went.  I was literally dying under the burden of my own doing.  Every step I take today  is a step of freedom.  I've embraced life with new enthusiasm.  Even the most mundane chores are thrilling to be able to accomplish without the sheer physical struggle of one year ago.  

Like Oprah, I've had ups and downs with weight all my life.  My battle with fat is not over.  I know I still make unwise choices at times.  Confronting the consequences quickly keeps me in control.  I find if I write down everything I've eaten it doesn't always add up to as much as I expected.  Knowledge is power.  Also it is easier to stop nibbling if I don't take the first bite.  I don't fool myself into thinking I can stop at one cookie. Last night in the supermarket I stood in front of the shelf of Glucerna Chocolate Peanut Snack Bars.  I wanted one to eat on the way home.  I knew if I bought that box I would have eaten at least two or three of those bars before the night was over.  I made myself walk away.

I need a current picture to show my progress.  I'll have that in the next post.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan.

A Day at the Zoo

On Wednesday I went with my daughter, Amanda and my grandson, Lorenzo to the zoo.  First let me say that the Bronx Zoo is HUGE.  I don't know how far we walked but we were all toasted by the time we got home.  It was a beautiful day about 85 degrees with a breeze and clear skies (not too humid).  For anyone who has never been to the Bronx Zoo you'll find that watching the people is as much fun as watching the animals.  You can hear every language imaginable and colorful clothing from around the world.  The children's smiling faces are all equally excited to see the sights.

My daughter Amanda was impressed that I was able to keep up with her and rarely needed to sit down.  I handled the walking much better than my trip to Manhattan last September.  Lorenzo kept us both busy as he did not always want to stay in his stroller.  When he was walking he kept trying to pick up stones that were embedded in the pavement.  When he did find a rock he could pick up he threw it immediately.  He found a few puddles to step in and kept awake all day till we were heading for the car.

Today normally would have been a gym day but I didn't need it today.  Only four more days of vacation and back to work.  I made wonderful bean soup on Tuesday.  It was nice to come home from our day at the zoo and just warm up some of the soup for dinner.  My recipe makes a big pot of soup.  Unfortunately not everyone in my house is a bean eater so I may have to put some in the freezer.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan