Hollee's Weight Loss Success Story ((in progress))

It is seriously the bomb!! I'm so in love with this recipe. Enjoy!!

I went to target today on lunch---- was looking at scales. Definitely in need of a new one, as I'm -3 pounds down from last week and a total of 90.2 pounds lost.  [[WITH clothes/shoes on and after eating!]] 55 pounds to go.  I'm still a good ways away, but I'm almost 2/3 of the way there!

What's in your fridge?? I'm annoyed with my "weigh-in" (more on that later), so thought I'd highlight what I am doing well... The contents of my fridge:    Plain Greek Yogurt, Cottage cheese behind it, 13 individual greek yogurts, 1.5 dozen eggs A whole shelf of protein drinks (Vanilla Myoplex Lite and Strawberry Nutrilife)   Bottled water, 0 calorie sports drinks, laughing cow tomato basil cheese, horizons string cheese, half an onion, yellow bell pepper, and squash My freezer is completely empty aside from a box of coconut crusted chicken tenders and a bag of slamon filets. So... Where did that 2-6 pounds I've gained since LAST WEEK come from?  I have no f***ing Idea!  My scale would not give me a consistent weight this morning, I weighed myself at least 10 times this morning and never saw the same number twice.  WTF.  But at BEST, I've gained 2 pounds since last week.  Great. I honestly don't know where it ha...

1.  I forgot to weigh myself this morning.  I'm not sure if it was really "forgot" or if I just knew it wasn't going to be good so I didn't.  I will do it when I get home, or maybe in the morning. 2.  Next Week is July 4.  It was this week last year that I started contemplating surgery, called the office to set up a consultation.  Then I went to Miami with an ex-friend who was banded and decided on that trip, on July 4, that I would definitely be getting the band.  It is kind of ironic that I made this decision, knowing the 'friend' I was with was banded and had not been successful at all with her weight loss, but I knew I HAD  to change my life. 3.  Dating Update:  The Banker is gone.  I wouldn't have thought it would play out the way it has at all.  Robocop showed up on the exact day that the Banker started acting distant.  Banker said he was dealing with some depression related to missing his friends and family...

While I do think it was a good idea to skip my fill 2 weeks ago, I'm now ready for one. Yesterday, I ate a 6 piece grilled chicken nugget from Chic-fil-A and as soon as I finished I realized it hadn't done much for me.  That's how you know your band is too loose. Here's the problem... My surgeon doesn't have ANY openings until July 11! I'm going to be a hungry/hangry girl by then! Coffee becomes my friend during these times...hello caffeine/appetite suppressant!

LOOK AT ALL THOSE RUNNERS! Let me first start by saying, I never intend to run an off-road race again. I hated running on uneven/grassy ground.   Arran and Me   Me and Christy I'd like to congratulate Christy on her first 5k!  She did great and finished before me!   Arran, Kira, Me, and Nikki A huge Thank You to my cousin Nikki who was so supportive and stayed with me the whole time.  She ran the entire 5k but she ran at my walking pace during the times I was walking! She's awesome :) The most fun part about this was dousing my friends with color before-hand.  It was hard, and I probably only ran half, but the good news is, I have tons of room for improvement for the Electric Run in Charlotte next month!

1.It's official.  I'll be weighing in on Thursdays from now on.   That's -1.8 pounds from last Thursday and 87.2 pounds lost overall. 2.  Hanger is such a good word.  I get really hangry (hungry + angry) if I don't pay attention to what and when I eat.  Yesterday was one of those days.  The whole day I had less than 300 calories and I felt like a raging bitch before bed.  I think I'm still kind of feeling the effects, but recovering. 3.  One of my favorite quick meals is the Chocolate Vivanno Smoothie from Starbucks.  Love it.... 270 Calories and 18g protein. 4.  Loving my outfit today.  It's all recycled clothes. $4 shirt from consignment shopping last week Free Size 14 Old Navy Jeans Can you believe I started this in a size 26 jeans 9months ago!??!   5.  At work they've decided to put me in charge of one of the new studies.  I will be the acting Lead Data Manager a...

  Starting Weight: 344 Last Thursday's Weight: 259 Today's Weight: 258.6 That's -0.6 pounds since last week And 85.6 pounds lost at 9 months post-op. I'm going to weigh in again tomorrow, and if Thursday is AGAIN the better day, I may have to change my weekly weigh-ins to Thursday.  Tuesday nights tend to be date nights and Wednesday are run nights, so that could have something to do with the results of the following day's weigh-ins. I really thought my weigh in this week would be better, but I'm trying not to complain.  But at this rate, losing 1/2 pound every week, it's going to take me 2 years to get to my goal...ugh.

I love food! ...Healthy food! I'm not sure if loosening my band is going to help me lose weight, but it sure has helped with quality of life. I've been cooking non-stop. Here's yesterday's dinner: Taco Bake   Ground sirloin cooked with 1/2 onion-diced 1 can black beans Taco seasoning Plain Greek Yogurt Salsa Mexican cheese (2%) Served with fresh avacado DELICIOUS! With the avacado, yes it's a little high in fat, but otherwise, it's not so bad. I also cooked my dad father's day dinner on Saturday.  I didn't see him Sunday so we celebrated early.    I made crockpot barbeque chicken (sweet baby rays barbeque sauce, vinegar, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes) with green beans and mashed potatoes (made with greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and he never knew the difference!). Hopefully the scale Wednesday will reflect my happiness with my looser band and the fact that I've been making pretty good choices...

  First day of Standing Desk...and So far I love it! Obviously I'm really excited about this that it gets it's own post. Please excuse my messy hair, no makeup, and my old dress.  Weird thing, when I stand with my stomach up to the edge of the desk, I feel the tubing under my port.  I was careful to make sure the desk didn't hit at the same spot as my port at least!

1.  I'm starting to think I should change my weigh-in day to Thursday. That's -3.4 pounds since yesterday, and 1 pound down from last week's Thursday weight. I pretty much ALWAYS run on Wednesdays so maybe that's why my Thursday weigh-in looks better. 2.  My food choices yesterday were pretty good. I feel the need to explain my 'dinner' choice though.  I still cannot eat after running.  I thought since my band is DEFINITELY looser, I could for sure attempt food.  It took me about 45 minutes to finish that yogurt.  And at times, it hurt, almost feeling stuck.  I don't know why running makes this band feel so tight, but it definitely does. No PB'ing yesterday though.   3.  The Banker came running with me yesterday.  I did really poorly, but it made me realize how much I really do like him.  I was hot, sweaty, gross, and still smiling because I love being around him. 4. OMG...Loose skin. It has been REALL...

  +2.4 pounds since last Thursday I considered not weighing in today because I was so upset with myself, but in the interest of accountability, here I am anyway. What did I do wrong?  Well, Friday I went to the grocery store and bought a gallon of ice cream (1/2 gallon of birthday cake and 1/2 gallon of Thin Mint).  I ended up turning them upside down in the sink when I realized I couldn't stop myself, but I'd probably already gone too far.  I didn't even like the thin mint flavor (although it is my favorite girl scout cookie) but I kept eating it anyway.  Reminder of why I got the band. This will be a better week. I have officially canceled tomorrow's fill appointment and rescheduled for July 11.  This really could be a very long month.  I hope I've made the right choice.  Aside from my weekend ice cream, my food choices really have been very good.

8 weeks have gone by so fast! (Graduation Certificate) First, for anyone who wants to get more active and wants to run...I highly recommend downloading a C25K app to your phone or finding a C25K group in your area (try Fleet Feet or Meetup.com).  I only hope that if you run with a group, your group is as amazing and supportive as mine has been! That first day, I made it through 2 full sets of 60 seconds and then parts of each following set.  Although I am not quite to running a full 5k without stopping, I feel that this group has given me a great start and foundation for running.  I can currently run 2 sets of 20 minutes, but I haven't gotten to a place where I can continuously run it. I have the feeling this will only get easier as time goes on...as my muscles become stronger, and as I get closer to my goal weight.  I'm proud of myself for sticking this out, and I am SO proud of my fellow runners!  I also want to say a HUGE thank you to Jill and Joe...

After that depressing dating blog, I needed a Monday afternoon pick-me-up. So I decided to show you my journey in photos.  I also tried to pick photos that you all have not already seen :) September: Arran and Me, one week prior to surgery  October: Me and Wrangler on Halloween.  He was my little fire fighter. November: Me, Sarah, Bailey, and Paige before a UNC football game December: Me and my 3-year old nephew roasting marshmallows January: Arran, Me, and Kira having ladies' night February: Savannah and Me before a Shiny Toy Guns concert March: Me, Vanessa, and Jessica out for Jess' 24th Birthday  April: Me and Arran out at a strip club (I hate this picture, but I didn't take many in April)   May: Me before going out for dinner   Between each month, I don't see a huge difference, but between September and May, I am a different person.

I'm feeling really ick lately.  Sometimes I wish I had not shared my blog with several of my real life friends, because I'd feel more comfortable to be open about any/every thing if I didn't... Whatever. I'm going to write what I want anyway. Things with Mr. Banker have been going really well.  We had our first tiny "fight" last week.  It wasn't even really a fight, I just let him know that the fact he hadn't seen me in 10 days was a problem and I was not exactly happy about it.  We communicated through text and then after I thought things were resolved, he called to make sure we were fine, which I really respect.  It shows he is a good communicator.  So, even though I wasn't initially just smitten with him, he has really grown on me.  It's so strange because the more time I spend with him, the more attracted to him I feel.  I felt almost no physical attraction to him at first, but something has changed.  Not to mention, ...

I haven't done this in a while, so here goes... 1.  Tomorrow is my last day of C25K and I'm so glad it will be over.  I am tired of driving an hour and a half round trip to run three times a week, but I will definitely miss my group!  We are having a second group in a few weeks, so I'm sure I will stop in from time to time. Photo from yesterday's group: Lorie, Mia, Janet, Marti, me, Victoria, Kira, Jill, and George 2.  Better than yesterday: 3.  Work is really stressing me out.  The have officially let me know they will not be pursuing a promotion for me until the 2014 cycle, so it's time for me to hit the ground running with applying for other opportunities.  I have loved my company for 3 years, they're one of the top ten places to work in my city, but I feel that they are taking advantage of me. 4.  Mr. Banker really has good potential.  He is funny and doesn't have tons of extra baggage, my friends like him.  I...

Today's weight is 260.6....................... -0.4 loss since last week. It's a loss, but a small one. I really want to lose this last 60 pounds before 2014 and I came to the realization this morning that it isn't going to happen if I don't change something. I need to get my butt in gear! If I keep losing half a pound consistently every week, I will be lucky to lose another 20 before Christmas. I need to consistently lose close to 2 pounds every week to make it to my goal weight by 2014.  I'm still not sure it's going to happen, but I want it!  If I can do it, I will have lost 145 pounds in 14 months.  So here is the plan: 1. Try letting my band get a little looser to allow me to make different food choices. After going back through my blog, I realized my biggest losses have come as a surprise to me after a week of loose-band-syndrome, thinking I would've gained weight and then didn't.  So maybe you all are onto something and I am go...

What a lovely weekend I had! Friday night, after running group, I drove to my parents because I was attending a wedding in their town on Saturday.  My best friend's sister was getting married and I was her "date".  It was a beautiful wedding and gave me a little wedding-fever.  Unfortunately I don't have a potential groom, so I need to get off of that!   Savannah and Me at the wedding reception. Do you see all of those cupcakes behind us?!  Ugh...I had one...or two. The exciting thing about this picture is that we're almost the same size!  That hasn't happened in many many years. Savannah's family hadn't seen me since surgery, so it was definitely nice to hear all of the compliments from everyone.  That never gets old...  Also at the wedding I got a strange  "compliment" from one of the bridesmaids.  This gorgeous, fit, tan, perfect, barbie looking girl told me I have "beautiful breasts" as I was coming into the b...