Confessions of a Sugarholic

Hello there! It's been six months since my last blog post, so I suppose it's time to let you all know what I've been up to. My goals I set for myself are still steady, and I hope by the end of the year that I've accomplished them. I'm pretty confident that I can reach them although I've been sidelined for a bit, and I haven't had the opportunity to work out as I'd like. Let me explain. As most of you know, I've been on a weight loss journey of the ages. My highest recorded weight was 361 pound circa 2006 - around the time I was in grad school. Things were quite bleak, stressful and lonely. Not to mention all the health issues I had. So I lost weight on a doctor supervised Protein Sparing Modified Fast - now popularly called Ketogenetic diet - it worked, and I got down to 220's, but it didn't stick unfortunately. At that point, I pursued weight loss surgery, and my insurance approved me for a gastric by-pass, but I wasn't sure a...

Good job, Matilda. Well done. Happy Monday everyone. I know it's been a few weeks, but I figured I'd fill you all in after Thanksgiving. I was also struggling with a health issue prior to my vacation, and I'm happy to report I got that addressed prior to leaving. So, let's start there. I reported before that my doctor is working on adjusting my blood pressure medication. I was on too much medication and was experiencing dizziness so he told me to stop taking one of them. Well, the pill I stopped taking also had a diuretic in it. After the first week off the pill, my body started to retain water in large amounts. My ankles swelled and I wasn't urinating no matter how much water I drank. I ended up almost gaining 10 pounds. I spoke with my doctor, and he told me to discontinue the one bp med, and switch to my other med with the diuretic. He mentioned we may need to play with these meds until my bp stabilizes, and we find what...

Hello everyone! I'm heading into week 16... Wow! I'm still trying to wrap my head around how quickly the time is passing. When I was in the pre-surgical program, I was grateful for the time I had to prepare myself for life after surgery. Now that I'm in the thick of it, I'm happy with my progress so far. Matilda and I are getting along great. Sure, she makes weird noises often, but I appreciate every noise, every twitch, every warning. I listen to her when she's telling me she's had enough or she doesn't like something... And especially when she loves something. It's hard to stop eating when you're enjoying your food, but I do. I do stop. I think that's what make me so content. I feel like I am doing well managing my portions and impulses. This past week, I had another NSV or Non-scale Victory. On Friday, I checked in with my Primary Doctor for a blood pressure check. My blood pressure has been on the low side, and I told him that I've be...

"Girl! Do yo thang! I gotchu!" -Matilda Hello again! Matilda sends her regards. She's going quite well five weeks out. Time is certainly flying by, and it's also time to advance my diet to stage 3 - Soft foods, and it's just like it's described. Foods soft in texture. Avoid fruits and vegetables with skin along with raw vegetables.  Today I'm planning on having some salmon and broccoli. Wow, sounds exciting right? Well, I'm totally pumped because I haven't had anything but liquids and pureed foods for about 6 weeks so we are definitely ready. Matilda and I certainly has quite an eventful week. We went to a Bruno Mars concert - which I was a bit nervous about. We also went out to dinner with family and did a 3K walk. So, lets debrief. I've been waiting for this concert since January when I got the tickets. I went with my hubby and my parents - my mom is a quite a fan as well. I was a bit apprehensive because the last time I was enjoying ...

Wow! It's been four weeks since surgery. Time has really flown. I was also release to go back to work today. I'm very fortunate to work from home, and my employer is very supportive and gave me the time I needed to heal. I'm actually back two weeks earlier than scheduled.  It was a good day! I really took it easy this week per Doctor's orders. I mainly cleaned up around the house and started cooking again. I really enjoy cooking - especially trying new recipes. I use Pinterest religiously, and I was happy to pull out one of my favorite recipes to bring to a deck party with some friends. They love Almond Butter Cups and cornbread so I made both. I hadn't made items like this in a while, and I'm a huge fan of cooking from scratch since that's how I was raised, and I feel it's a wonderful, healthy option. When I had lost a good amount of weight earlier in the blog, I made so many good meals. I was flirting with clean eating. I completed a Whole30, and f...

It's been a very long time, well over two years, and  and a lot has happened in that time.  First, the most amazing thing...I got married to the most wonderful man on 2/3/2016. We are still going strong. He is my best friend, my biggest support and my rock. My life is so much better with him. We got married in Las Vegas, which was perfect for us since that was the first trip we took together as a couple. Happiest day of my life! As you can also see in this picture, I gained a significant amount of weight that I lost over 5+ years ago when I started this blog. It's definitely disappointing. If you have ever gone through significant weight loss only to regain, it's very difficult and demoralizing, and I've gone through this TWICE! I was so ready to get rid of all those "BIG CLOTHES" in my closet when I shed weight. Then, when I started gaining, I couldn't fit anything. So, I ran back to those stores I swore I'd never shop at again just to buy just...

Finish line... early before the race. Hey readers!  I'm actually surprised I'm doing this right now.  I thought I wouldn't have the energy to hold my head up, but it seems I've caught my second wind so I might as well get my thoughts down while they are still fresh in my head. Today was a big day for me.  A day that I thought would never come for me - considering where I was about a year and a half ago.  I did something I thought I'd never be able to do.  I completed a half marathon. I'm honestly having trouble putting words to my feelings right now.  I knew this day was coming.  I remember back on January 11th, when my trainer and workout partner convinced me to change my race registration from the 10K to the half.  At that time, I wasn't sure I would be able to do it.  Then, when I started training in February, I had the idea that I'd be able to finish under 2 hours 50 minutes.  Today, my goal was to finish under 3 hours. ...

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had a happy safe New Year.  I had a great time enjoying some great food.  I didn't feel guilty either.  I realize that I've come a long way from almost a year ago where I was sometimes afraid to eat anything that may have a larger calorie content.  I was concerned that anything that feel in that category would send me spiraling back to gaining weight, being unhealthy, and living a miserable life.  Now, I fully understand that food can be enjoyable, but when it's all said and done, food is fuel.  And that fuel must be used.  Check out my dress!   It was pretty cool dressing up and going out.  I hope I have more opportunities for dressing up in the future. Now that 2013 is here, I've been quite pensive.  I have lots on my mind.  I also know that my official one year anniversary is only two weeks away, and that is weighting on me too - but not in a negative way.  Just being thoug...

Hey all!  Another week has come and gone.  We are quickly approaching the end of 2012, and it certainly has me in a pensive mood.  I've been through so many changes this year - changes that I feel are for the better.  Makes me wonder what's in store for 2013.  I'm definitely not making any predictions because that's not the kind of person I am, and I'm not a person who makes New Year Resolutions either.  If I was, I would have lost weight a long time ago because I secretly make that resolution every year and to no avail...until this year. Funny that it was really a move to save money that kind of spearheaded my journey.  At this point, I'm grateful for anything that got my ass moving into action. And as soon as I saw positive results, my entire being just changed and I got behind this endeavor 100%.  I remember getting on that scale back on 1/28 and seeing that 15 pounds gone.  That was a huge motivator for me.  But...

Happy Fall Everyone!  I have to admit I'm supercharged this morning, and there are several reasons why.  First, we are entering my favorite season of the year. I love Fall.  I love the colors.  My favorite holidays are in fall (Halloween and Thanksgiving).  I love the cool temperatures and the clothes.  I love all the fun activities.  Fall is just a time for getting comfy.  To celebrate fall, I've decided to have a spot of tea while writing the blog.  I'm all in the spirit today.  Got London on the mind hence the tea.  It's not Earl Grey or Twinnings, but it'll do. As for the other reason... I've hit a rather important milestone today.  It's been on my heals teasing me for well over a month, and we've been dancing around each other like we're partners in the Tango.  Well, I finally tackled it this week, and believe me, it was a pain-infested, brutal, no-holds bared battle to the finish, and I won!  That's right....

 Good day Blog Readers!  I'm happy to say that week 10 went a hell of a lot better than week 9.  Work is still very busy, but I like it that way.  It keeps me busy, and it makes the day past quickly.  This week resulted in my fastest 3K walk-run.  I'm made it up to 3.3 miles in 60 minutes so each week I'm going to push for a 0.1 mile increase in an hour.  So, by the end of next week I should be at 3.4 miles.  I was also able to run for 2 minutes straight.  I also feel that my running posture is getting better.  I'm paying attention to how I place my feet when I walk and run, making sure that I lead with my heel and keep my head elevated.  It really makes a difference and harbors less stress on the body.  So, have you noticed my moodies?  They are pretty good at visually describing how I've been feeling.  My mood for this week is very optimistic.  In fact, I'd say my glass is over ...

This dude has endless energy! Happy Saint Patrick's Day Blog Readers!  I'm up and at 'em early today.  I got my workout in early today too.  No more of that loafing on Saturday for me.  Last Saturday I decided to take a break and not work out, and I felt out of sorts the entire day...even guilty at one point.  If that isn't a sign that I've made my workouts a priority in my day, then I don't know what else would be. I did another interval walk-run this week on Wednesday, and let me tell you that my legs are rebelling.  After my inaugural run on Monday,  I did my normal elliptical workout on Tuesday. That was the hardest workout I've had in a while.  My legs were exhausted.  I always thought that walking was the most boring form of exercise.  I don't like it.  I've said that before.  My rationale is that I walk everyday to go places and do things.  Why on earth would I do that as a form of exercise?  Now...

Calll  me Jack Jack! Cause I'm crazy like that. Whoo!  Hey blog readers.  Week #5 has come and gone, and it was tough one.  I felt like I hadn't lost weight all week, and that was partly my fault that I was buggin' all week about it because I weighed  myself a few times during the week, and I really shouldn't do that.  I should stick to my Saturday weigh ins.  I'm going to try to do that this week.  I just like the feedback I get from the scale, and that really isn't the best feedback tool to use. I did have other signs that I was on the right track this week.  The scale hadn't moved, but I was able to pull my favorite pair of jeans on and off without unbuttoning and unzipping them.  My favorite t-shirt is more lose.  AND...today I was able use a belt that was too tight before.  That was really great because I need said belt to keep my pants from falling down. :)  I definitely don't want to moon anybody...