Becoming Thin… And Staying That Way

Just wanted to give a quick update. Had an awesome week followed by a not awesome one. I’m down to 166 this morning & determined to give a good progress report next week. Till then…

So it’s been one week. I’m down to 168.4. That’s only a .4 loss. Normally I would dwell on that. I mean, it is only .4 for a reason. I was a perfect angel for three days then slowly slipped into poor eating that climaxed last night at a Super Bowl party.

Instead of fixating on that, I’d like to pat myself on the back for the things I did right. For starters, I walked my 10,000 steps everyday except yesterday. I seem to have found a routine that works. Now the key will be continuing that not only until May, but for the rest of my life. After a few days I even noticed that when I faced an emotional challenge, my first instinct was to go for a walk rather than reach for food or beverage.

I also conquered several food challenges. I resisted Girl Scout cookies several times both at work & at home. Friday I went to lunch with a friend at a Mexican restaurant. I did have chips & salsa, but ordered a single chicken soft taco. That was a good choice. When I got back to work, I craved a candy bar as my afternoon snack. I even put the change in my pocket & walked to the breakroom with the intent of purchasing something. By the time I got there I had convinced myself to eat an apple instead! I was very proud of that. To top that off, my boss’s wife brought a box full of fresh baked cookies from a bakery up to the office. Even with much taunting from my male coworkers, I managed to completely resist! Yea me! Then, at a basketball game with my kids & parents on Saturday, instead of ordering a coke & nachos, I ordered a BBQ turkey sandwich & water. Speaking of water… I did an excellent job during the work week of making sure I drank 64 oz. So I just need to continue making these good choices to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Because honestly I feel so good about myself when I do and quite frankly they taste better too.

Last but not least, I did write down everything I ate, good bad or ugly, and that really helped my counselor to help me.

So I’m heading into this week with a positive attitude and I know I’ll see good results by next week. Until then… I figure it’s been a long time since I’ve posted a picture of myself. So here’s one of me with my kidlets at the basketball game this weekend.

This worked for me once before (losing baby weight after my youngest was born & before I had reconstructive surgery)… I know it can work again. I weighed 168.8 this morning. I’m renewing my commitment to a healthy lifestyle through Jenny Craig. I want to reach my goal weight of 140 by my 16th wedding anniversary on May 8th.

As I type right now, I am on the treadmill at work. I think walking over to the building that has the gym & doing 1 mile, then walking back to eat my lunch will really help me attain that goal of 10,000 steps a day. I also walk my son to school every morning & if I’m not near my steps goal by the time I get home I take the dog on a walk. 10,000 steps should roughly equate to 5 miles.

I am also going to stay accountable for EVERYTHING I consume & turn that into my Jenny counselor each Sunday. I can have splurges, but I need to make sure I earn them by balancing with either other sacrifices or exercise. I know I can do it!!!

I wasn’t successful at sticking to my self pledge.  That disappoints me.  I hate being disappointed in myself.  I fell short of my walking goal of 70,000 steps in the last week by 10,608 steps.  Basically a little over 1 day short.  I also only worked out at the gym for one one-hour session.  I will attempt to make up those 2 short-comings this week.  I did meet my goal of drinking 64 oz of water every single day.

The bad news is that I gained weight.  +1.8 lbs to be exact.  Poo. 

I’m thinking I need to add a goal regarding food consumption… so here are my goals for this week:

1. I will make-up 10,608 steps I missed last week.
2. I will make-up one 1-hour session at the gym from last week.
3. I will walk 10,000 steps EVERY DAY this week.
4. I will workout at the gym two 1-hour sessions this week.
5. I will drink 64 ounces of water every day this week.
6. I will not consume food past 9pm at night.

Wish me luck!

So earlier in the week I pledged to myself (and to all of the internet) three things I would do this week.  I really don’t think they would be overwhelming tasks to achieve.  In fact, it has turned out to be even more beneficial than just helping me reconnect with a healthy lifestyle.  By wanting to hit my 10,000 steps per day goal, I have also spent more time with the dog… training him on walks at night.  This is awesome as I was really lacking in the department of helping my husband train our dog.  Also, since my husband got me a bluetooth device, I have started calling friends while I walk.  So I’ve been able to keep up my “friend payments.” 

But what if it turns out to be at the expense of something else in my life?  Like what if my husband ends up putting the kids to bed every night?  What if I walk after the kids go to bed and I miss out on spending quality time with my husband?  What if those around me start to feel neglected or it seems to them that I am too focused on myself?

At what expense should I be willing to keep a pledge to myself?  This is a very difficult question for me to answer.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

I’ve gained weight.  

The post people dread most.  In the last 2 years I went from my lowest of 136 pounds (after having reconstructive surgery… more on that at a later date), to my current weight of 165.8

The insanity stops here.  I vowed to myself all those years ago that I would never go back to being morbidly obese.  I must stop the weight gain while it is a doable task. This is why I revived my website.  I need to be there to support others and to have people around me to support me as well.

Starting today, I pledge to do 3 things to help attain my goal of being 138 pounds:

1. I will walk 10,000 steps EVERY DAY this week.
2. I will workout at the gym two 1-hour sessions this week.
3. I will drink 64 ounces of water every day this week.

I think these are very attainable and realistic goals.  I hope to lose 2.8 pounds in this first week.  I will keep this site updated.  And I also vow to answer comments and questions submitted to this site.

Good luck to everyone out there striving to stay healthy!

06.29.2006
(-114 pounds in 59 months)

06.13.2006
(-113 pounds in 58 months)

I just wanted to update this page to let everyone know that I currently post updates to our family website. You can check those out at www.errett.com.

Thanks,
Shannon Errett
252 / 145 / 155 / 135
(highest / lowest / current / goal)
-107 pounds… 29 gained w/ pregnancy…
20 already lost… 20 to goal…

I woke up today thinking it the same as any other day… until I saw the date. Wow. It was one year ago today that I had my RNY Gastric Bypass surgery.

I remember wondering on that day what the next year would have in store for me. It has been all I had hoped and so much more. Since that very first day post-op, my severe acid reflux had been 100% GONE. I’ve lost 107 pounds… I went from wearing a size 30/32 and 3X to wearing a size 10 and MEDIUM. And my dream beyond all dreams came true this year. After suffering 7 years of infertility… going through treatments up to and including in-vitro fertilization that did not work… we are now 11 weeks 4 days pregnant! What a miracle! And it happened NATURALLY!!!

I really could not have asked for a better result. I am thrilled with the outcome. I was determined to make it work, and I succeeded. I wish for all of you the same joys I have experienced in this last year. And I thank all of you for supporting me through it!

If I had one piece of advice to give to those wanting to have this surgery, it would be “DON’T GIVE UP.” If you know this surgery is the option for you, and you qualify for it, don’t put it off for any reason. Don’t let anyone else tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t do it. If you are at least 100 pounds overweight, then you qualify. Don’t let it be like all the diets you went on where you said to yourself, “I’ll start tomorrow.” Start right now!

My advice to those who have just had the surgery… “FOLLOW WHAT YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU!!!” I’ve seen way too many who test the boundaries of their pouches way too soon after surgery. Do not sabotage this miracle you’ve been given. Remember how you felt when you first found out about this surgery and wanted so desparately to have it?? Don’t forget that. With every bite you put in your mouth, imagine your surgeon sitting across from you. What would he or she think about what you are eating or how much you are eating? I know I’m lecturing, but I want you to succeed!

Lastly, I would like to say to all of you who e-mail me with questions and support. I try very hard to respond to each mail I receive. I’m very far behind right now. Since I started back at work I have not had as much time as I wish I did have to write my WLS pen-pals. I currently have 544 mails in my in-box and I promise I will work to get to each and every one of them. Please be patient with me. You are all my lifeline and I don’t know what I would do without you. Because of this surgery, this site and the support of you all, I have become the healthy, energetic (and fertile) woman I’ve always longed to be.

Follow your dream. It can come true!

Hugs to all,
Shannon Errett
Lap. RNY 07.31.01
252 / 145 / 135 (maybe after the baby’s born)
-107 pounds… and 11w4d pregnant…