As I'm talking with a friend today about the surgery I had, she asked me "what do you do at events?", "did you get depressed?". The answer to those questions: Yes, I did go through a period of depression. Food is a major part of our lives, whether we are eating healthy or not...especially in the South. We eat at every occasion - Weddings, Church, Funerals, Birthdays, Just Because....it's part of our culture. My husband and I love to eat! We love good BBQ and stew, we love good steaks and burgers. It is still hard to go out with my family, to my favorite places, and only eat two bites. It was hard today at the faculty meeting at school not to enjoy some of the yummy snacks that were available - I mean good grief! They had a fall table set with apple pie, sliced apples with caramel sauce and apple cider. Of course, the old Amanda would have had some of all of it! The new Amanda had a small cup of cider. And you know what?!?! I didn't miss the pie or the caramel sauce.
I now know when I am hungry, and I know how to make healthy choices. I also know that every once in a while, it's ok to have a small bite of something yummy and sweet. I shouldn't deprive myself totally - but I also don't CRAVE those things anymore and I'm so thankful for that!
I consider the few weeks after my surgery as my "detox" period. That was the hardest part - getting the bad stuff out of my system so I don't crave it anymore. And a friend who has actually gone through a drug rehab detox program, said that a lot of the things I experienced were very similar to what was experienced by them in rehab. It was tough, I wouldn't ever want to do it again, so I don't want to put the bad stuff in my body anymore.
Lesson learned - I'm not going back!
I stepped on the scale this morning and was amazed to see the number! I have lost 51 lbs since my surgery 2 months and 6 days ago! Here's a before & after pic.
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| Before: 294 lbs |
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| Now: 243 lbs |
So, months ago before I had my surgery I decided to sign the hubs and I up for a 5k in October. That was when I was still under the impression that my surgery and recovery would be a piece of cake and that student teaching would also be easy.
Now that I'm actually starting to feel OK again, and have realized that standing all day in a classroom is not that easy....I'm still exhausted and I'm thinking, "how in the heck am I going to manage to walk in a 5k...?" I went online and downloaded a Couch to 5k app for my phone...and now I need the motivation and energy to actually go outside in this wretched heat and start it. Thankfully the nausea I was dealing with has eased up, but I'm still so tired at the end of the day that the thought of training for a 5k is really daunting.
I know I can do this...(I think...) So, on October 5th, in Piedmont Park - we will be attempting the Fire Fly run, 5k. Wish us luck!
