So once again it’s been a while between WHMP blog posts so thought I would touch base and update the exciting things that have been happening. In my last post I did I was in the middle of attending well being and resilience training for work. It was an interesting couple of day but has made me reflect which I am doing very well and achieving some great things in my work at the moment I am very self-focused at the moment. Not in a self absorbed or selfish manner, just centred within myself to be the best version of myself I can possible be.
As a part of day 2 of the rest we all had to complete a self assessment to determine you “Character Strengths” through the VIA website https://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths/Science-Of-Character
My reported top 7 character strengths were an interesting reflection and somewhat revealing my current situation. And after reading them I couldn’t actually dispute what the outcome was and in fact it’s a pretty good assessment of me. It also showed that it’s more relevant to my weight loss journey therefore it being the focus in my life currently.
There were my results:
1 Kindness
You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favour. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you don’t know them well.
2 Hope
You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.
3 Honesty
You are a straightforward person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a “real” person.
4 Zest
You approach all experiences with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.
5 Social Intelligence
You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.
6 Humor
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.
7 Humility
You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.
These definitions have been directly copied and pasted from the VIA Institution on Character website from the Character Strengths using the results of my personal response to the Free VIA Survey.
http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths
This made me reflect that I am generally a good kind hearted person and I’m proud of who I am as a person.
I have also had my February body measurements taken since the last post in which I have lost a further 12cm from my 6 body measurements with the biggest loss being 5cm off my waist and for the first time in a long time I have lost some measurements off my calf. Both of these results would be why in the last month I have had an increasing number of comments in regards to how “tiny” my waist is looking – I still find it somewhat hilarious that anyone would use tiny as an adjective to describe a part of my body!! This would also explain why in the last month I have FINALLY found a part of my body that I not only like but I’m actually learning to LOVE!!!!
In the past week I have also, although probably still prematurely, had delved into the world of the next stage of my weight loss journey being the world of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Which I like to call my “relocation services” as I will have all my body part picked up and surgically reattached to where they are supposed to belong. Ideally I would be at goal weight before I would even consider having any form of surgery which would be completed over 2 different surgeries. Firstly the bottom half, full tummy tuck and legs done and secondly the boobs and arms tidied up. However given that I have lost just shy of 90kg, I am very physically active and I am having a copious amount of weight loss world problems because of the excess skin my surgeon has suggest we consider adding in an extra surgery before we do the two intended surgeries. He has suggested that once my weight loss starts to stabilise and I hit my first real plateau that we consider my having and apronectomy. This being basically just the removal of all the problematic excess skin in the apron area and once I have recovered will reduce the limitation, particularity when it comes to movement and exercise to help me get to the goal weight needed for the complete relocations procedures.
I go back in 3 months to see how I am travelling and where I am up to in my journey to see if we are ready to consider the apronectomy. To hear that this is even an option makes me beyond happy as it pain that the apron causes especially during exercise in the apron area as well as my lower back is not something that I enjoy at all. It has given me hope and focus that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am also so elated and comfortable with my choice of surgeons and I’m excited about the future and I know I am in excellent hands.
I have been a little bit stressed with all the miscommunication and social media coverage in regards to the forthcoming changes to BUPA private health insurance coverage so I decided to bite the bullet and go into BUPA and find out exactly what was going on as I discovered with the changes my cover would be impacted and without upgrading I would not actually be covered for plastic and reconstructive surgery, due to medical reasons. So I have not upgraded my cover and there will be no waiting periods in place as I have upgraded during the transition period so I have peace of mind that from a health insurance perspective I am covered and it’s ready to go when my body is ready.
After my successful and positive appointment during the day on Tuesday I had a lovely surprise on Tuesday night and got to catch up with a girlfriend and her youngest who I haven’t seen since before I had surgery as she now lives in Canberra. Needless to say she was somewhat gob-smacked with how I looked and at my transformation that I have made in a short period of time. She was also over the moon to try some of my delicious but healthy treats in the fridge and both her and her kids loved my new NutBerry Bars. It’s hard for me to see the progress as I see myself daily and it’s been a transitional thing for me, and also for Jamie. So it’s been a great reflection to have that feedback from someone I love with all my heart and respect beyond words that I haven’t seen in a long long time. I guess this is the transition that she has seen.
I also had my standard Wednesday weekly weigh in this week sitting at the same stable weight at the week before of 88.9kg lost.
Wednesday night I head off after work to the Ed Sheeran concert at the Adelaide Oval. It was such an usual feeling that I had being normal and feeling like I just easily blended in as just one of the 60,000 people in the crowd. I was not the eye sore anyone that everyone awkwardly gawked at feeling pity on or being disgusted at my size. I really enjoyed the concert and it was nice to be able to stand for 3 hours without being physically uncomfortable or distressed from carrying around the extra weight.
I did have a bit of a funny turn in the middle of the concert where I had a massive dizzy spell and the world starting to feel like I was about to go arse up. Luckliy my dear friend Fi, helped me to the group, I lent back and took in a few deep breathes and got a gust of fresh air amongst all the people and within a couple songs I came good again. I could only attribute this to over the day I simply did not eat enough. I forgot my lunchbox of Wednesday so ended up buying my lunch and dinner both being variations of soup which clearly wasn’t adequate in calories, carbs and protein for me to trek all over Adelaide and continue to function without passing out. Crisis averted and no pass out or first aid required in the middle of the concert.
I have also had my next round of appointments with my bariatric surgeons clinic. I had my next appointment with the bariatric GP and my amazing dietician. I have come to the conclusion that no matter how well I am actually doing I still get crazy nervous about any appointments at ABC. I get the feeling this is what it would be like being called to the principals office at school, however I can only imagine that is how it feels as realistically I was a goody two-shoes who didn’t get called to the principals office hahaha. I also have come to realise that I “dress up” when I go to these appointments not only finding the right clothes that are light weight and weigh the least but also clothes that actually visually impactful. This is what i decided on this appointment.
Of course when you get to your appointment you weigh in, the dreaded scales. Knowing that their scales are always higher than mine at home and I’m actually attired unlike my weigh ins at home, I was actually elated with the results being only 800g heavier than my scales at home (when previously it’s been 2.5kg heavier). This means by there scales I have lost exactly 88kg.
My first appointment was with Kiki, we had a chat and went through all the normal its and bits. We then did my waist measurements which came back that I have lost 67cm and my hips measurement which I have lost another 62cm since my first appointment with her a few weeks pre-op. I have also lost another 8kg in the 3 months since my last appointment so my average weekly weight loss is now sitting at around 700g which is great for 15 months post op. Two thumbs up from that appointment with the sign off that I’m doing amazing things and rocking my new style.
My second appointment was with Nick, we had a chat again going through my diet, my fluids, my multivitamins, discussing my hair loss stabilising and generally overall how I am travelling from a nutritional perspective. So food wise….I’m doing excellent, my portion control is good, my choices are great, my fluids are at an adequate level (but could be slightly improved if I am honest with myself). One area of concern is the 3pm flat lining that I have been experiencing of late which has resulting in me getting cranky, having dizzy spells and experiencing headaches. This has been attributed to my lack of carbs in my diet. So to combat these symptoms I am needing to add in an extra 20g of carbs in my daily intake which is due to my high impact, high intensity and high yield of calories that I am burning at the gym. I also need to have a think about potentially scaling back on my frequency of weights in the gym and focusing a little bit more on cardio as given my overall size I don’t want to built too much more muscle mass and need to focus more in reducing the excess fat still on my frame. We also adjusted my goal to be more realistic for my height and frame from 85kg to 90kg meaning that I actually only have less than 30kg to get to the end game.
We have also discovered that in the process I have missed my 12 month post op appointment with Lilian herself, so that has been scheduled for 3 months time. So in June I am back to ABC to see Lilian and the back to see Nick and Kiki in 6 months time.
I am honestly starting to feel like I am in a good place, actually strike that I’m in a great place with how I am travelling and I really feel like my brain is finally starting to catch up with the program even if my eyes still cant see the progress because I look like an ET shaped candle that is melting!!
