Questions and Answers... Coke Zero...

I got a lecture the other day about how bad Diet Coke and Coke Zero are for you.  Also that I should give it up.  So the question is Shrink are you going to give up your Diet Coke and Coke Zero?      Ummm let me think about it for a minute.......  NO!

I have given up so many other things I enjoy.  For now, I am drinking it and taking my chances.  It is my thing.  Someday I may give it up, but I don't see it in the near future.

Coke Zero makes me happy.  Especially served by this cute guy.  The hubby.

Yes another photo of my Hubby bringing me my Coke Zero.  I just have some type of obsession of taking photos of him surprising me.  He is soo happy!  How could I give up Coke Zero?  I wouldn't miss these little happy moments.

Questions and Answers: How do you feel?

One of the questions I am always asked is Shrink, how do you feel now that you have lost so much weight?

Answer:

Physically, I feel amazing, I can do things I couldn't do before.  I am currently tending to a garden in my back yard.  I work hard in the garden to keep the weeds out and no way would I be able to have done it in the shape I used to be.  I enjoy things like mowing the lawn, walking long walks, swimming with the kids, bike rides and much more.  Stuff I missed out of all those years being obese.  What about mentally?  Mentally, well that is a different story.  Honestly mentally I am a wreak.  I am miserable.  I miss eating what I want, when I want and how much I want.  I miss it so bad.  It has been a bit over 2 years now and I still haven't gotten over it yet.  Blahhhh!

Questions and Answers: Curb Your Cravings.....

Question:  Shrink, how do you curb your cravings?

Answer:  Mints!  I am in love with mints.  I have them in my church bag, in my car, and in my house.  I put them in my pocket, I don't have a purse, and pop one in my mouth all the time.  This is a great way to stop my cravings for 0 Weight Watchers Points Plus.  I especially love mints when I am at a party surrounded by chips, dips, nuts and M&M's.  It totally helps curb my cravings.

So far my very favorite mints are Eclipse!  Awe yeah!

Question: Clothes

Question:  Shrink what do you do when you keep going down in sizes?  I can't afford to buy new clothes every month.

Answer:  This is what I did...  I would just wear my clothes until they were baggie.  Simple as that.  But when you lose over 130lbs you can only get so baggie before you look like a clown.  So I would head over to Ross to get me two pairs of pants, but make sure they were tight, you know a bit uncomfortable.  That way I could wear them a lot longer before I got the clown look.  What about shirts?  Same thing, buy them a bit small and when they get too big.  Layer!  I have a lot of use out of my shirts by using undershirts.  Like this shirt that I am wearing today:

It started off small and then I lost weight and it ended up so big that my boobies showed.  What to do?  Add an undershirt and you are good to go for 20 more lbs.

Another solution is to find a friend who is also losing weight.  Perhaps they will donate their big clothes to you.  I was lucky to have my dear friend Roberta donate her clothes to me.  I am looking for someone to donate my clothes to.  I currently have sizes 18, 16 and 14 to give away.  If you know anyone who could use them, let me know! 

Question: How much weight did you lose before people notice?

Question:  Shrink, how much weight did you lose before people started noticing?
Answer:  60 lbs.  Yes 60 pounds my friends.

I have always had a rule throughout my years of yo yo dieting to never tell people I was dieting.  That way, when I would fail I wouldn't be embarrassed.  I would also avoid certain people watching me eat and questioning me about my eating.  So, when I started the HCG diet two years ago to this day, only my hubby, little people, Momma and Pappy, and my friend Peggy (who helped me get started) knew about it.    After several long months of dieting, people finally started noticing my weight loss and I remember the day it happened.  It was a Sunday and I wore a new dress in my new size (at the time)  to church and got a lot of people freaking out.  Thus the gastric bypass question. People would say to me it happened over night, but it didn't.  I wished!

Have you lost weight and no one notices?  Don't get discouraged, I know it is really frustrating.  Try wearing a smaller size that shows off you new curves.  That was the winning moment for me. 

This is me and the hubby on my birthday in that very same dress.

Question: Did I have Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Since my weight loss, I have had a lot of random questions from people.  So today I am going to answer one of them.

Question:  ShrinkaDink, did you have the gastric bypass?

Answer:  No! 

I desperately wanted to have the lap-band surgery.  I even visited the surgeon and had everything verbally approved by my insurance company.  When the surgeon's office went to get written approval from my insurance company so they could schedule my surgery, the insurance company did not approve it.  They stated that although Blue Cross Blue Shield normally covers the surgery, the particular policy that my husband's work had purchased excluded weight-loss surgeries.

The news completely devastated me.  I thought it was the end.  I would be a Fat Lady forever. Not to mention I was out a lot of money from visiting the doctor and getting tests done.

 

This is a photo of what the lap band surgery is.  That little tube is accessible from you skin, so the doctor can tighten it as needed.  I am so glad I didn't do it.  Crazy how something that devastated me turned out later to be a blessing.