Health Update!

Woo hoo!

I have lost over 20 lbs (22-23 to be exact) since having my gall bladder removed! I am so stoked! I spent about a year trying VERY HARD to lose some of the baby pounds and was discouraged that nothing I tried worked at all. I knew something was wrong and went to a Dr about it, but since it was not a thyroid problem he didn't know what to tell me and didn't seem to believe that there was something wrong. I guess that is understandable, I am not sure that it is actually something that can be explained medically. I wish I knew more about my body because I am so curios what caused this change that I can hardly stand it! It is like having massive gall stones (which were likely caused by either my pregnancy or losing about 60 lbs in 2005) threw off my whole body.Before the surgery I had not lost more than a pound in over a year, even with enormous effort. It was really discouraging, and it was also frustrating when everyone would give me their best dieting tip because I knew I was already doing everything right.

People like to argue that one must have made some change in their lifestyle when this sort of thing happens. I did make a few changes, I started eating more, and stopped eating corn syrup. It is probably good that I started eating more, and allowing myself to eat foods that had more protien like meat and cheese because I am pretty sure that my 1300-1500 calorie diet was quite unhealthy for the aproximately 15 hours of intense activity I do a week.

I still have a good 30+ pounds to lose to get back to my base weight, but I am starting to fit into some of my looser pre-baby clothes. It is awesome. Being able to wear old clothes is a little like getting a new wardrobe, which I desparately need since I almost refused to buy new clothes while I was struggling to lose weight.

I also started taking prozac recently, and I feel pretty awesome about that. I am not sure that the dosage couldnt be raised, but I will talk to my doctor about that next chance I get.

I also finally feel like I am making the improvement in my skating that I had expected to make over the course of last year.

I guess everything is coming up milhouse!

Xoxo

I've Lost 12 Lbs!

Since I had my gall bladder removed I have lost 12 pounds. I have no Idea what my gall bladder has to do with my metabolism. I have been working very hard to lose the 60lbs left of the 100 lbs I gained during my pregnancy for over a year and have had no real luck, so while 12 lbs is still 48lbs shy of my goal I am very happy to be making SOME progress since before this I had not lost or gained a single pound since my 6 week post-partum check-up. before the surgery I couldn't really eat for about 10 days, but the weight loss did not occur until a few weeks later. I can't see any lifestyle changes that would have caused the loss, I have been eating more calories than before the surgery, and I could not exercise for a little while after the surgery either. Now I am back to my regular activities, but I am so shocked and excited to have seen the scale steadily fall each time I go visit the Doctor.


It is also very confusing to me, since I didn't even lose A POUND when I was trying so hard to. Two other small changes occurred. I stopped drinking. I used to drink a glass of wine a night. I have been enjoying blue sky cherry vanilla creme soda more often, and that has way more calories than a glass of wine. I also do not eat anything with Corn Glucose (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup etc). That actually added calories to my diet as well. I didn't eat much that had corn syrup, but I was surprised what did have it. The problem with corn syrup is that it is even worse for you than sugar, especially if you are very active and need your calories to work for you. Sugar at least turns to energy before your body stores the unused calories. Corn syrup goes directly into fat storage. The reason so many products have corn syrup is because it is much cheaper than real sugar. So, as a result of my new aversion to corn syrup I no longer eat Special-K (or the store brand equivalent) and have switched to Kashi or "Mom's Best" shredded wheat. We only get the kashi if it is on sale. I also switched from yo plait light yogurt to the smiths brand yogurt. It has way more calories, but it tastes so much better and it is healthier because it doesn't have corn syrup or aspartame in it. I have also let myself eat pizza twice in the past month (it had been about 8 mo since I last had eaten pizza) and made my delicious but fatty green chili chicken enchiladas last week, and have been enjoying the shortbread cookies adam got me for valentines day.

Anyway... don't look a gift horse in the mouth I guess, I am happy for any progress, even if I can't explain it! Maybe whatever was wrong with my body has finally worked itself out!

YAY!

Here is a cute picture of Autumn after eating a chocolate sucker that I got her from See's Candy when I got candy for Adam For Valentines day:

It looks a little like she killed something and ate it's bloody carcas or had a massive bloody nose, but that is really just chocolate.
Xoxo
Erica

Thank goodness for netflix instant play!

Since I have been recovering from surgery I have spent a great deal of time resting. We don't have a TV so I have been very glad to have netflix.

I have watched the following movies recently(and they are still available on instant play):



I thought This movie was really adorable. Even Adam thought it was totally cute and better than he had expected. I can see it coming across as slightly sappy for some but I highly recommend this fantastical light romance. You probably know the premise, but if you don't, it is about a girl who is cursed with a pig nose and has to over come this and accept herself to live happily ever after.



I loved this movie, it was a little sad, as the main character never really allowed herself to be happy. She was played by Gene Tierney who was really just a stunning woman. The movie was about a woman who lost her husband and decided to leave her controlling in-laws and take care of herself. She finds a beautiful seaside house that she can afford, but it comes with the ghost of a sea captain.



This is surely one of my all time favorite movies. I loved this movie when I was a little girl and I was so excited when it was available to watch instantly that I watched it right away. I did not like the remake very much. As much as I like Johnny Depp, Gene Wilder was an amazing Willy Wonka. I also love Tim Burton, that is, I love Tim Burton WHEN I love Tim Burton, but I did not love his remake of this movie.

and at that, I will leave you with a favorite quote:
"If god had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates"-Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder)

Home sweet home!

I got back from the hospital late last night and am very tired and sore but I am feeling much better than yesterday. I spent about 10 days very sick, unable to hold down any food, and in a lot of pain before my sweet husband convinced me to go to the doctor. I have had problems with ulcers in the past and so I thought that I was just having problems with them again since the pain was in about the same area and was very similar.

On Tuesday I went in to urgent care. I went to an excellent facility called MD Urgent Care where everyone was very friendly and they saw me only a few minutes after we arrived. The Doctor then prescribed me some medication and scheduled an ultrasound for Thursday to look at my Gall Bladder.

On Thursday my ultrasound was over at about 10:45 and at about 1:00 I got a call from the Doctor about the ultrasound, which I was told not to expect until next Tuesday. I had several Very large gall stones, and it also appeared that my gall bladder was very infected so the doctor had me go in to the hospital that night. I ate a bowl of soup at about 2pm on Thursday or they would have operated that night, but they operated at about 10am Friday instead.




I was supposed to come home this morning instead of last night, but my baby was not allowed in to the hospital so they let me go early since everything went well.

I will probably not be able to play in the tournament at the end of February, but that is ok I guess.

I hope everyone is well, and thank you to those who sent me well wishes, it was greatly appreciated!

Xoxo
-Erica