Remember Mr. Big:?

Finally found the pics I've been looking for! Here's our Mr. Big (ok, ok, T&J's Mr. Big... semantics):

Handsome ole' dude, huh? He loved the parks as much as Spark does. Did I mention how big he is?

Just look at those legs! Just his legs are way taller than Spark - lol. He sure is a sweetie, though. And we've got to give Spark his air time, too:

It really was a lot of fun having Hersh visit us. When we did take them to the park, Special K would be way back where ever, because Spark walks soooo sllloooowww, whereas Hershey, with his long ole legs, would be way ahead. Then he would stop and we would have to go back to see where K & Spark was - it was really very cute how he always had to check on them. He was truly our protector that week. Very sweet.

I think it's time to go visit Hersh. And T&J, of course...

Eating out

I was just reading a co-workers blog (you'll find her link on the side over there, Lissa's Journey - go check it out; she's got some pretty insightful posts up) and her latest is about socializing and eating - how it's all intertwined, and she's right. And she's got some great alternatives up there (things to do in lieu of eating out), but there are times you've just got to (Father's Day, for example. My folks wanna eat - no walking around the lake for them; hell - my dad drives to the mailbox - it's like a short block away from their house; totally walkable - he cracks me up).

When I first contemplated having this surgery, I imagined that I'd never, ever enjoy eating out again, but I've found that there's always something on pretty much all menus that will not only satisfy my hunger, but that I will enjoy, as well. And I really thought that would never happen.

Last week, I had lunch with a co-worker; we went to a local bbq joint. It just smells so heavenly in there. My original plan was to just have the chili, but after the aroma, I knew I just had to have something meaty. But all the dishes were so huge! I told the waitress about my WLS and asked if I could order off the Buckaroo (kiddie) menu and she said sure, so I ordered the bbq baby-back ribs.

I thought I had died and gone to food heaven. I was able to eat a whole rib, and man, did that taste wonderful. Very flavorful. Didn't even need any Papaya pills. And surprisingly, the order was still huge - four ribs but very meaty, along with a coleslaw side. My friend was surpried, too - she said my meal would've been enough for her. And the best part - it was only $6 (and I took the remaining 3 ribs and brought them to Special K, who loved them, too).

Serving portions have gotten pretty ridiculous at most eateries (don't even get me started on Claim Jumpers, which I haven't been to in over a year and don't plan to anytime soon - their portions are monsterous!) Folks just have to realize it doesn't take all that much food to fill one up. But that's a whole 'nother subject.

Good to be able to eat pork again - I have missed it so!

"cation time

Well, our two-week road trip to Milwaukee got whittled down to a 4-day weekend to Twisp, WA (we're doing the Cascade Loop over State Hwy 20 - supposed to be very pretty). We found a lovely motel with cottages that take dogs (Yes, the Sparkster is coming - he does love to be with his people and he definitely loves his car rides) and - gasp - allows smoking in the room. Should be fun - looking very forward to it.

I had put in for a two-week vacation (over the 4th of July weekend, so 9 days) - it got denied. I'm in the hole with my PTO (those 10 days they made us take last December put me there; still digging out from under). So I tried 4 days - nope; denied. Only way to get any time off would be unpaid. We had already decided not to go to Milwaukee, as Special K's brother is still out of work and even though he's still throwing his annual party on the lake for the Big Bang (fireworks/4th celebration on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee), he can't afford to fly up (he lives in Arizona - pretty cool to throw this party annually for friends and family when half the time, he doesn't make it up himself). So since he can't go, we figured not to, either, since we won't get to see him. We then thought just to go to the Black Hills to see the fireworks at Mount Rushmore, and then swing by to see our friends who recently moved to Patterson, Ca. But we can't afford for me to take 4 days unpaid, so I'm taking just one and we're staying local.

Oh, well. Maybe next year. Then I'll have time built up again.

Not much happening on the "diet" front. Hanging steady at 169 (give or take a few pounds on any given day). Trying hard to up the water consumption; I think that alone would help, cuz I never did get very good at getting my 64 oz in daily. Just not thirsty most of the time, and I just don't think of it. I do drink a lot of coffee, but that's more so I won't eat :o) cuz I do seem to want to snack ALL THE TIME. Not sure what's up with that; I don't think I was this bad when I was heavy.

So, it's a short week. And the weather's been beautiful. I'm so grateful for our Washington weather; while other parts of the country are sweltering , we're comfortable.

This is one of the reasons why we put up with those nasty winters.

Two for one :o)

I find, over the past several months, that my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I find it very difficult to not eat when I'm obviously not hungry. It is a constant struggle, one I'm sure I'll be dealing with for the rest of my life. I suppose this what "normal" women go through - constantly having to monitor what they put in their mouths and what the scale says. Pre-surgery, I rarely worried about what I was eating or drinking.

I had, over the past few months, put back 6 pounds. I was 175 for quite a while. Very disappointing - mostly in myself that I haven't learned better self control. And it isn't as if I'm gorging on "bad stuff." It's probably the habit I've picked up of having a glass of wine every night. Empty calories. And chips. And cookies. I seem to still not be able to do a lot of foods, oftentimes foods that are healthy, but I have absolutely no problem getting cookies or chips down.

There are a lot of things I refuse to let myself have, such as boxed cereals (the Captain Crunch types) or boxed pastries (HoHos, Ding Dongs, Cupcakes). I find myself at the grocery store with these items in my hand, reminiscing how wonderful they taste, but I'm always able to talk myself out of buying processed sugar. If I have a cookie, it's from either the bakery or my own. Don't know if that matters much, except perhaps in quantity. If I bought a box of cookies, I'd eat a lot more than just one or two. It's as if I'm going to expend the calories on something I really shouldn't be having, it's got to be good; no crap. And I truly feel that if I can keep this in moderation, it'll be OK, since this is a life-long thing. I can't really expect myself never, ever to have a cookie again. That's unrealistic and unlivable.

But some good news (at least, for me): I've dropped those 6 pounds over the past week, and it's basically just having been too busy (and the first part of this week, too ill) to eat much of anything. So I'm telling myself to try and keep it going in this direction, since I do want to drop this last 20 pounds and call it good.

Cuz that size 10 is still calling out to me...

Through the years...

We were visiting my folks this past weekend, and my mother had cleaned out a dresser to make room for the big bro dude, who will be moving back in (out of work; lost his condo; same thing happening to 1000s of folks around the country). Poor bro dude - he was so proud of owning his own home. Poor folks - they shouldn't have to deal with a "kid" (he's 52) moving back in at this stage in their lives. Ah, well. It is what it is.

So, in cleaning out that dresser, she comes across a lot of items she thinks I might like, and she's right. She's always had lovely taste in clothing. One thing I noticed, though, is that sizes aren't what they used to be. She gave me several tops - all which fit, but all are mediums. I'm in larges now - mediums are generally still a bit tight, but these mediums fit like the larges do. Odd, huh? Just to clarify; these tops she's given me are from the 60s and the 70s. They're timeless; one wouldn't know they're that old, but it's obvious that over the years, the size table has changed towards smaller. That's probably because folks are more health conscious now.

I find this interesting. Wonder if anyone's done any research or studies on this. Another job for google.

She lives!

Hello! Man, I've missed being able to post here. I upgraded my IE browser to the latest 8.0 version and it seems it makes a difference.

This was taken at a hot dog roast my boss threw for our bldg a few weeks ago. On the left is another one of our gastric bypassers - Jenny, and in the middle is our captain of our Heart Walk team this year, Sam (I've been captain for the past 5 years; thought I wanted a break, though now I'm finding I'm missing it - go figure :o)

Sam has lost about 140 pounds, on her own. She's been seeing a nutritionist and sees her doctor regularly, but no surgery for her. I'm certainly not putting down surgery. For some of us, it was what we needed to get where we are, but if I could have lost this massive amount of weight without having altered my body, you bet I would have preferred that.

So our Heart Walk team this year is called "The Biggest Losers and our supporters." My Special K came up with that - pretty cool, huh? It's going to be hard this year; everyone's feeling the recession's pinch, but like I've been posting on the site and in my donation request e-mails, heart disease doesn't go away just because there's a recession. So I have to try. Click the HW logo to link to my page, if you have a spare $25 (or more!) to donate to such a worthy cause:

And we had a visitor a few weeks back. Good friends of ours took a trip to the East coast for a week and left their BIG canine companion with us. Bumming because I can't find the pictures I took of him - thought I had them here. Anyways, his name is Hershey and he's BIG. He's a sweetie - almost thinks he's a lap dog. Loves his lovin', loves his walks, loves his treats - BIG lovable galoot! Did I mention that he's BIG? Since we have little Sparky, anything else decent sized seems large, but damn, Hersh is BIG. Special K came up with "Mr. Big" just as the week was ending. What was so funny is that he is just like Sparky in that where ever you are, he needs to be. Where ever you're walking, he needs to be right in step with you. Going potty even - hey, he'll keep you company. Too funny. Sparky always sleeps on K's side of the bed - that's where his bed is, so of course, that's where Mr. Big wanted to sleep, too. One night K rolled over me to get out of bed to go the bathroom. Didn't want to step on DOG - OK to squish her honey instead - lol!

Then after the week was up, T&J came to pick up their Mr. Big and went home. All of a sudden, the house seemed a little empty. That Mr. Big? Welcome back here any time.