My Life, by Me

I have found that I like running. I like jogging. I like cycling. I like rollerblading. But I can't do those every single day. Running hurts my knees if I do it more than twice a week. Jogging I can do almost every day but have to take a day off because my feet will hurt. Cycling can be difficult in Huntsville due to the lack of sidewalks/paths. Rollerblading... just isn't realistic.

WALKING is amazing! I had no idea that walking has better benefits than all of those things! It melts belly fat, can ward off depression, good for bones, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, easy on joints, and so so so much more!

I was in line at Publix (the grocery store chain in FL) and saw a small magazine titled "Walk it Off" and so I picked it up and began reading. Long story short, I bought it.

The magazine is FILLED with amazing walking workouts and toning routines that are easy to do! At first I thought walking workouts were lame.. I felt puny saying that I went walking versus saying that I went for a run. But really and truly, I am getting the same benefits, and without any joint pain. I've only been doing it for two weeks, about two days a week (it's been raining a lot) and I can already see a difference!

I really need to step it up if I want to look bikini ready by the time I go back to Texas, which is a month away. Now, I'm not setting unrealistic goals, but I am going to try to shed/tone as much as I can before heading back, and by using a routine that I know for a fact I can continue when back at school.

The trick to it: Walking Workouts sound like all you do is walk leisurely for an hour or two.. but it is so much more! Think intervals.. I was more out of breath and had more sweat from a walking workout than I did the last time I went jogging.

I am so happy and excited about it that I wanted to share it with all of you!

The website that goes along with the magazine is: bestyouhealth.com/walk

I am still watching what I eat and going to the gym too, but on days that I don't feel like doing either of those things it is very reassuring to know that I can go for a walk and still make progress towards being healthier.

That's all I got for today!

-m.

Things are good.

The weather has been great here in FL.

My weightloss is consistant, which makes me happy. There will be a few days that I don't gain or lose any and then I'll lose some. My main focus is to not gain. That would not be good.

I'm sad that I only hae a month left here in FL with my family. Last week I was ready to go back to TX but it seems as though days are going by so fast.. I still have a lot of things to cross off a list of mine before I go back ot TX and I'm scared I wont.

My days consist of:

Sleeping in until 9am.

Working out.

Watching TV.

Working out.

Playing with Josie.

Cooking dinner.

Watch a movie with my brother.

Sleep.

I feel sooo lame! But at the same time it is relaxing.

No need to dress up for anything, just wear pajamas/workout clothes all day.. don't need to wear make-up or do my hair. It's great.

But there are days that I feel trapt. Those days suck.

Hopefully I'll meet my weightloss goal before going back to school.

That's at the top of my list of things to cross off.

The other thing is I am looking for internships for next summer.. weird to think I'll be graduating college soon. I feel like I just got out of high school.

That's all for now.

-m.

It actually started last night. I never get into arguments or tiff's or fights with friends on purpose, it's mostly from misunderstandings. Well, last night there was a HUGE misunderstanding. People need to chill and not jump to conclusions so fast. It would save a lot of heartache, effort, emotional-drainage, time, etc.

My wonderful brother tried to play my hero and text the friend that was involved in the misunderstanding to settle things and it only made it worse. Good intentions, bad results.

I am happy to report that the misunderstanding is in the past and everything is fine. It only took three hours of phone calls and tears on one end, yelling on the other, apologies and understandings. I am so emotionally drained right now.

On top of all of that my brother bought me a coke because I was down (I associate cokes with feeling better, a habit that needs to be broken) and I SPILLED it half of it ALL over the couch and myself. Then it started bubbling over and EXPLODED everywhere. Not good. He bought me another coke. I had to wash the couch cushion and my clothes and my face. Then I tried to clean up the house before my dad came back from picking my mom up from work and he came home sooner than I thought so the house was in disarray.. he got mad. During the cleaning I made a few trips up and down the stairs and somehow knocked a picture of me from my senior prom down, thankfully without breaking it. THEN out of the blue the whole fam is in the TV room/kitchen area and my dad says how I am fat and have a big tummy. Not cool. I'm obviously trying to lose weight, everyone and their mother knows it, so there is no need to say rude comments. I got upset and went on a walk with my mom.

I am getting myself into now trouble because I don't put up with crap. I can handle it if he's being rude to me, but my brother was showing us on the TV all of his pictures and videos from visiting his college in New Mexico and dad was telling him how all the pictures were out of focus and the videos were shaky and how there was a bad reflection in the pictures, etc.. and of course me and my loud mouth voiced very loudly how WONDERFUL all my brothers documentations of his trip were. So I got sent out of the room. And now I am blogging.

Who knows why my dad is being rude today, but it needs to stop. This is why I am nice 90% of the time, because when people are rude it ruins EVERYONES day. Hmph.

I hope everyone else's day has been wonderful. Wish me luck for a better day tomorrow.

The scars were pretty red on Tuesday but have gone down in color a lot. Monday I get my anti-scar medicine to put on. I will be using that religiously!!

Today was the first day since my surgery that I exercised. And let me tell you, I'm exhausted!! I didn't even do much, I walked a mile with my dad, took a two hour break, then did 30 min of slowrobics (slow aerobics) two hour break, then walked a mile with my little sister. I had planned on going on my regular 5mile bike ride which is was I was doing before the surgery but my dad wouldn't let me. He thought that was too much too soon after having surgery less than two weeks ago. He was right. I feel like such a wimp. I want to be walking more and riding my bike and going to the Y but I just can't yet. Arg.

My dad and I both need to lose right at 40 pounds each, so we are trying to help each other out. He went and bought us each a pedometer, so we're putting that to good use.

Tomorrow I plan on walking at least 5 miles, which is how much I need to walk to reach 10,000 steps. Then on Saturday I'm going to try to walk 11,000, steadily increasing by 1,000 steps a day. Hopefully next week I can do my bike rides.

The thing I definitely do not want to happen is go back to school weighing the same that I do now. Part of the reason I got the reduction was to make losing weight easier and being able to work out painfree, so hopefully the doc will let me work out next week.

Oh, and the reason I haven't posted any picture on my posts like i was, is because I want what I look like to be a surprise! :)

That about sums everything all up.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have yet to look at my breasts in the mirror so I haven't seen what they look like front on. I was scared to. Mom say's they look great, but that's a mom's point of view, they're always biast. Tomorrow will be different.

Mom took me bra shopping yesterday. It was really exciting. I haven't been able to buy a bra from Victorias Secret since my sophomore year in high school. Even then it was hard to find one that fit. Buuut, now I can wear any style!!

My brother took me to one of the malls today. We walked around all the stores I like and it was just so neat to know that I'll be able to actually wear different styles of shirts that I couldn't before. I've never wanted to own a tube top shirt, but now that I can wear a strapless bra I'm going to buy one. :-)

Now that the boobs are smaller I'm going to be able to jog longer, and faster, and do a lot of things with ease that I used to have trouble doing. My doctor keeps telling me how losing weight is going to be soo much easier for me to do now that my breasts are smaller. Seeing clothes that I want to wear and being able to actually wear only one sports bra instead of 1-3 to workout is a lot of motivation for me to lose the weight fast. (I've lost another pound since my last update)

Tomorrow mom and Topher leave for New Mexico to visit his college. I wish I could go with them, but I'm staying home with dad and Josie.

That's about it. I'll probably update again tomorrow, letting you know how I'm healing and how the stitch removal went.

This is how it went:

I get to the hospital at 5:30am to check in and all that jazz.

At 6am I went to the surgery unit to get hooked up to an IV. That's pretty much the easiest part of the surgery process, but my veins never like to have needles stuck in them and hide far far away. My surgery almost got scrubbed because they almost didn't get and IV in. They literally stuck me ten times trying to get the IV in. I look like a junkie.

They managed to get the IV in using the smallest IV after an hour of trying. After I went under the anesthesia they put the IV in my other hand but left the hookup in my first hand as a backup. It was kind of funny..

Back to the surgery,

It lasted about four and a half hours. I am a full size C and super symmetrical. He lifted them and attached them to my pec muscles.

Not to get too graphic but my boobs are so perky. It's weird. But a good weird. I would have no pain at all if it wasn't for my cough. I'm on a liquid diet to help promote better circulation and to minimize scarring. I had my first post-op appointment today and they changed the bandages. They said that I am healing beautifully and that everything went great. I get my stitches out next Tuesday.

Yesterday I took things slow. Primarily stayed on the couch. Today I've been up and walking around, changed myself, lifting things myself (not over 5lbs) but I can't open pill bottles. The pressure is just too much.

Overall, the surgery went great. I'm very pleased and excited.

I'd type more but I'm exhausted and heading to bed.

^Nikki and Me^

I have been diagnosed with Gigantomastia (which means big boobies).

I am getting a Reduction Mammaplasty (Breast reduction).

The only thing that sucks about having the surgery next Tuesday is that is the day that Nikki leaves to go back to Texas.  Tuesday is going to be a tearfest.  

I feel pretty confident about the surgery.  

My Dr. is very straightforward and nice. He flat out gave me two options: Deal with back pain/migraines/numbness in my shoulders with big boobs that have no scars. OR Get the reduction, relieve all the pain and numbness and have a <50%>