November 13th (129 lbs): Well, after an almost three month absence, I wanted to update and let everyone know that I have actually reached and gone lower than my goal weight. It hasn't been an easy road, and I've been in the hospital for the last 5 weeks. I've actually spent 10 weeks this year in the hospital, and everytime I was in I was either on clear liquid diet or nothing at all. Made for easy weight loss, but I wouldn't write a weight loss book recommending it to anyone. I want to emphasize that none of my hospitalizations are directly related to my weight loss surgery. Except for this last time, and it was my own fault because I let myself get too dehydrated and didn't get enough protein and it just screwed with my bloodwork. I had a blood pressure of 80/50 and a resting pulse rate of 110. It made me very weak and very dizzy and I passed out A LOT. The whole month of October is pretty much a blur to me. But, it's over and done and now I'm concentrating on getting HEALTHY. My weight may be 129, but my 10 year old is stronger than I am and the skin that is left by the loss of 171 lbs is really unattractive. So now I start the next phase that I've been kicking and fighting the entire time of my weight loss...EXERCISE. I must exercise or I will live the rest of my life as a weak skinny bag of bones with big saggy skin holding me in. I have not come this far in my journey to stop now.

I had to go shopping for some new clothes which I haven't done since I was an 18W. I'm walking around Target and I see these really cute tops so I grab a size XL and head to the dressing room. It was WAY too big. So I went and they didn't have a L so I grabbed a Medium and thought I'd give it a try. It fit beautifully. It was form fitting but not tight. I sat in the dressing room at Target for 10 minutes and bawled my eyes out because there was no XXX's on the tag. I haven't been able to do that since 1996.

I will post pictures this week. I'm so in love with the outfit that I bought that I'm going to make a point of taking pictures tonight because I'm going on a "date". A really good friend of mine is driving up from Austin and he's taking me to dinner. He's somewhat of a romantic interest, but he's in Austin and I'm in Dallas and that just makes it difficult.

Anyways...just wanted to let everyone know that I'm alive and somewhat well. I've definitely learned that there really isn't a magic "number" on the scale that I should have had as my goal. I've exceeded my goal already by getting down to 129 lbs. But I'm not as healthy as I want to be, so I have new goals to set. I'm not going to look at the numbers as closely.

December 19th (129 lbs): Just wanted to update to say that I am alive and well, just consumed by the holidays as most are. I did manage to take some new pictures, so as soon as this roll of film is up I will be scanning pictures of the finished product! ;) I must admit, it's a big difference losing 171 lbs. I look nothing like my other post surgery pictures.