A new beginning - again

So - I'm going to start blogging again a little more regularly. This time - with a definite purpose.

This is my "before" picture - 3 years ago.

This is my "after" picture about a year ago.

As you may or may not know, I had gastric bypass surgery, nearly 3 years ago to the day. After that surgery, I lost about 120#, give or take. Well - within the past year, I have gained about 30# back. There is always a "given" that you gain a little back - but certainly not 30#. So here I am again - facing the fact that I need to lose weight again but this time, without the benefit of gastric bypass. This time - I have to really dig deep and accomplish this on my own.

I'm not saying that losing the weight after gastric bypass was easy. It wasn't. I had to settle in to a new lifestyle and get used to a new way of eating. That holds true for now as well - but I've adjusted what I eat to things that I shouldn't be putting into my mouth. I may not be able to eat as much - but what I've been eating has been wrong.

I joined Weight Watchers 2 weeks ago and so far I've lost 6.6#. It is a very healthy lifestyle and the program is excellent of course. I've also gone back to the gym and have started going to water aerobics on Friday mornings. I am determined to regain what I've lost! Odd way to say that, isn't it!

This isn't easy for my ego. I loved where I was at a year ago. I felt awesome and I believe I was pretty close to where I wanted to be. Slowly, ever so slowly I regained those 30# and it just makes me angry that I let it happen. I had been so disciplined and I guess I ended up being careless. That 120# really came off quickly - and so I had the false assumption that it would stay off, no matter what I did.

It truly is not all about how I look. It is about my health and it is about the things that I can do. When it got hard for me to walk very far because I was out of breath, it really was a knock upside the head. What had I let happen?

Now I'm watching my points, drinking water, and exercising. Its not always easy. Some days are a breeze - but other days I fight with myself about something I want to eat. Something sweet usually. A treat. Well, it sure isn't much of a treat when it starts to pack on the pounds in a relatively short period of time.

So, I'm going to start blogging about my progress. It is a way for me to stay accountable. It's a way for me to put down my thoughts about where I'm at in this process. And I do plan on making progress. Forward progress.

Here I go!!!