Taking Control…Again

Enjoying my 85.5 pound weight loss with a run at one of my favorite running spots!

Week 33 of my gastric sleeve surgery journey is here and I have lost a total of 85.5 pounds! I am thrilled, but I must admit I didn’t blog last week because I gained weight. I was a bit freaked out, OK a lot freaked out, over the half pound weight gain I had during Week 32. Common sense says this is normal, but I have plateaued, but not gained since my surgery. I was depressed, worried and scared. I lost one and a half pounds this week so I calmed down and took the time to think about what caused my weight gain.

Of course the weight gain could have just been water gain or just a blip in the weight loss road, but I think it was more than that. I took an honest look at my food consumption and finally admitted I bought the Cheez-Its for me, not my children. I wasn’t eating as many vegetables and fruits as I have in the past. I took control of my food choices this week and fixed my eating habits. I prepared a lot of vegetables to keep in the fridge for easy meals and snacks. I also brought the crock pot back out and I’m making healthy meals like turkey chili that the whole family enjoys.

One of the reasons I choose my surgery is that my smaller stomach keeps me from eating large quantities of food. It also keeps me from eating some “bad” foods like fried foods. Some foods are still easy for me to eat like crackers, pudding and wine so I have to keep quantities and how often I eat them in check. I know that keeping a food journal will help, but I’m saving that for another weight gain or a plateau. I honestly hate keeping a food journal. I find it tedious and boring after a while. I’ve counted points, calories and fat grams throughout the years of dieting. I will journal if I have to, but I hope to make eating the proper amounts and types of food part of my normal life. I am in control of my eating habits, no one else.

I took control of my exercise program again, too. I wasn’t making it a priority and this week I did. I planned out my running days and kept to them. I also changed my running locations. Changing my routine really helped! I ran today in one of my favorite spots in the city and it was invigorating! It inspired me to keep on track and make exercising a real priority in my busy schedule.

I am, and always will be, working on controlling my anxiety and stress levels. Some days I feel completely overwhelmed with the day-to-day activities my husband, children and I have to attend. While some things like school and work can’t be ignored, I feel like the other activities we commit to take away from our time together as a family. I am not sure what the answer is to this stress, but we did take a day this weekend just for our family. We went to Point Reyes National Seashore for the day and it was perfect. We had spectacular weather, amazing views, interesting wildlife to view, great walking paths, but more importantly no cellphone service! No phone calls, no texts and no alerts to interrupt our family day. My stress levels dropped considerably and I felt closer to my family. While we can’t run away from our responsibilities, it’s time to spend more time as a family.

Taking control of my weight loss is an ongoing process and I expect there will be more bumps in the road. Hopefully by taking control of my eating and exercising habits will help my weight loss to continue.   And I do know that spending more time doing fun activities with my family will help, too. I’m looking forward to going Down the Scale even more now!