mfryar

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Yep, I am still kicking! Life has been hectic but I am so happy to be doing as well as I am. I am working on my appetite control and am now down to 278 pounds and feeling really thrilled about that. I would still like to lose down to about 260 and then get back into maintance mode. I have been so busy bouncing between work, home and my mothers that I have to fight to make time for me...lol  I get on here to catch up some on the posts but rarely get time to post much. I am still so happy to be on this journey and each day I am so thankful for my blessings. Life has bee ngood to me and my cup of blessings runneth over!
Hugs to you all!
Marianne

Greetings all!
I have been so busy in life I have neglected my posting here. I am trying to be more accountable so here goes..... My father passed in late December and I have been on revolving table ever since. :-) My father was the strong one who really was doing alot for my mother and it was such a shock when he had a freak accident and fell and had a brain hemorrhage and was gone in less than 6 hours start to finish. Since the funeral I have bee n spending every weekend with Mom and am really loving my time with her. Mom is 85 and getting more frail and naturally aging. It is hard on my heartstrings seeing her miss Dad so much and when I am stressed and being at Mom's old habits have resurfaced...I tend to turn to cookies and chocolate for stress control. Well after 3 months of that ...I am at 292 pounds and that is more than I am willing to accept. lol I am still in my regular clothes (18/20) but....some fit a little snugger than I like! :-0 I went on depression medication a month ago to help me deal with all on my plate and that is a tremendous help. I started this week on an appetite suppressant called Adipex. I am amazed at how much it really keeps my hunger under control. I feel energized and positive and that is a great start. I am determined to let this appetite suppressant help get me back on track of not grazing and lose a few pounds and keep on the right path to maintain my weight in a comfortable range for me . Ideally i would be happy to stay in the 260's range where I was prior to my plastic surgery. I am glad I am taking measures to ensure my keeping the rewards of my surgery before it gets out of hand. For those of you researching WLS, understand that this surgery will help you lose the weight and you must keep a diligent eye on your maintenance to preserve what you have lost. I remember reading on the message boards of someone taking medicine after WLS and I thought ...WHY?? Well for most of us it is a lifelong battle and one that we have to focus on all the time.  So please don't get discouraged but rather remember to know when to take action and keep the benefits you have worked so hard for. I feel confident that this regrouping will really help me get back on track and reestablish a stronger lifestyle change for me. I wish you all positive and happy thoughts and remember wherever you are in your journey to keep blooming where you are planted!
Hugs!!
Marianne

Greetings All!
I am taking tomorrow as a Vacation day to spend with my Mom. Mt niece is having her 1st baby tomorrow so...My brother is bring Mom to my house for a couple of days as he will be out of town with his new grand baby on the way. I am thrilled to get Mom! Living 2 hours away I haven't gotten to have her much at my home and now I am hoping we can have her every month or 2 for a few days. I have been going to her place every weekend and would love to have some more time at home here too. She is doing well considering all this past month has brought with Dad passing and all. She is 85 and getting forgetful and more frail but still such a delight to me. She loves cats and we have 9 of them so.....she will be in her element here.  lol If the weather is not too bad here I am thinking of taking her tomorrow for a pedicure...she has never had one and I think she would love it! :o)  Other than  that just planning on making my favorite meatloaf, augratin potatoes and peas and maybe a peach cobbler for mom. Hope to just sit and gab and maybe watch a couple of movies together. I have been so blessed with great parents and I treasure every moment we share together.

I feel I am doing well with my weigh maintenance. I am far from perfect but I am living well, feeling good and still fitting in my clothes...lol I figured and I am 18 pounds heavier than I was the day of my plastic surgery so....for 19 months (after ps) I think that is good. Being tall and larger built the 18 pounds spreads kinda evenly and truthfully.....I like the more solid feel and look of my arms and legs. My middle torso looks great and I am working at toning now and still have a goal of getting these 18 pounds off but more gradual to keep my skin in line.  As I will be 3 years out next week from my RNY and I thrilled with the changes I have had. I think life is wonderful and my cup of blessings runneth over!

For all of you worrying and stressing over a few pounds...lift your head high and look yourself in the mirror and see that you are beautiful in the place you are today and be the best that you can be!! Each day is a gift and we need to be thrilled with that gift and enjoy it for all it is worth. so many times we find ourselves always striving to be better, thinner and run ourselves around to where we forget to enjoy the moment. I think it is soooooo important to also be a beacon & inspiration to others that where we are each day is special and to have the confidence to rest in peace and accept that day and look forward to each new day with a strong positive outlook. My motto for years has been "Bloom where you are planted" So ladies and Gents let your blossoms stand tall and beautiful and let all the world know that you are special today! Today I choose to be a Goddess! lol :o)

Have a Glorious Day!
Hugs!
Marianne

Where has the time gone? Labor Day here already! Wow....I am doing great and weighing in the range of 271~275. Still working on it but holding firm in this range for now.

No big plans for the weekend holiday just hoping to get more closets and pantries sorted, pitched and organized. I am on a huge kick to rid myself of excess...lol yea right! lol I am the queen of stuff and every time I read Brendas post saying she is ridding herself of stuff I chime in and say yea me too! lol Well I started in the spare room when Courtney moved into her new apartment so I am off to a great start and hopefully I will have lots to sell on ebay!  The big news in our family has been Jon getting a new job! Yippee! He has been out of work for a year and looking for the right one for him. It is tricky as he is on disability retirement and he cannot do certain work. This one looks perfect for him and I am thrilled that now we can get caught up and the pressure of our finances will be much better...that means that my chocolate days are soon over! lol I am a stress chocolate eater and it has been bad lately! I am amazed that my weight has not skyrocketed! God has blessed me and I am in a 10 pound range of where I was before my plastic surgery a year go. I am starting September off with a 4 month plan to drop 10 pounds by Christmas so keep me in your prayers! Thank goodness my jeans test is still working! You know that pair of tight jeans you pray to still be able to zip into? Well they fit ..a little snug at the waist but I am wearing them with a blazer today at work so Thank you Jesus! :o) life is good and every day is full of blessings! i always keep looking at where I have come from and look forward to where I am going. Even a few pounds can't diminish the joy of realizing my life is so much better now than a couple of years ago. For those of you struggling to maintain your weight loss a few years out, always keep in mind that you have come so far and be thankful for that and keep moving forward with the resolve that each day is a new day to start a new beginning. I  find we all tend to be so critical of ourselves and so ready to beat ourselves up accepting failure at every little pound gained and we need to focus on the the strength of where we have come from and keep focus on our new healthy self.
Hugs and Blessings to you all!
Keep Blooming!
Marianne

WOW! time has flown by since I have blogged here...I have been so busy time just gets away from me...am my late husband always said...no news is good news! lol

I am doing great and am very pleased with my weight. I am currently at 272 pounds and hoping to drop 15 by Christmas. I feel best at 257 and like to stay closer to that range. I am wearing a size 14~16 / 18~20 and loving it! Yesterday was my one year anniversary from my plastic surgery and I can barely see my scars at all! I would love to have my upper arms done but I will have to be patient until I can afford to pay for it. Even as my weight is up from my post surgery weight I like the way my middle has filled out nicely :o) I am thrilled with my plastics results and even as maintaining my weight is still a struggle this surgery has been awesome for me! I have become so aware of my food decisions and am eating healthier than I ever have.  I get tickeled at times when I stress over wanting to lose 15 pounds....well when have I ever just looked at 15 pounds to lose? Sheesh! I keep my nutrition in mind but I am living each day to the fullest and Blooming where I am planted ! Life is good and I am in a much better place than I have been for years!  Life has been tough with the economy and we have been dealing with alot of financial stress but you know the bottom line is God is taking care of us and I totally trust him to provide our needs. Just when it seems all hope is lost something comes along and we are blessed again. So thru it all I can honestly say my life is full and I am a blessed woman with joy in my heart!

I wish you all much joy and happiness to fill your hearts and souls! Always remember " Success is not found in what you have achieved, but rather who you have become!"

Thank you Jesus for helping me become a better and stronger person and hopefully a good reflection of my faith in God.

Hugs!

Marianne

Greetings Beautiful People! 
I am still alive and kicking but have been soooo busy I haven't even been able ot get on here much to even read let alone post! My father is having some health issues and suspected prostrate cancer and went in for some tests ...had a bad reaction with the dye and had to stay a week in the hospital. Home now but still praying for him. Then the first part of February my dear hubby fell and fractured his leg so...Mr Gimpy has been taken off home duties and I have picked them up! LOL To make it worse he had just found a part time job he was going to start training after 8 months out of work and now it is off for a few more months..... To add to the mix my daughter in law had an incident with her horse and also fractured her left leg so now we have 2 gimpys in the family. The saga continues...:o) My youngest daughter had an emotional breakdown and we jumped in to help her thru a tough time and now she is on medication and making some hard changes in her life. God has been so good to us and she is really responding to treatment already so this is a huge answer to prayer. I am still praying for her finances and know that God will get her thru to where he wants her to be. This daughter is my heart and has always been the happy child and so supportive for everone else but never considered her own happiness.... but now we are concentrating on her and making her put herself first. As for me, I am doing good. I put  a few pounds on over the holiday but with my height 7~8 pounds doesn't make alot of difference. :-) I am still within my 10 pound range so I am not stressing it . When ever in life have I ever worried about just 10 pounds?? lol Don't sweat the small stuff! :-) All in all life has been hectic but each night I just thank God for all my blessings and joys! I am taking it one day at a time and blooming each day! I keep you all in my thoughts and prayers and am so thankful for the love and support I have found here at OH. I can say in my life...My cup truly runneth over with blessings, love and joy. Hugs to you all and I will try to pop on here more!
((((HUGS)))))))
Marianne

As I sit here on New Years Eve ...thinking of all the changes I have had in the past 2 years it is hard to beleive all that has transpired. I am basically at goal weight and I alow myself to stay within a 10 pound range. I go up and down daily and that is normal for me so I am peaceful on that. This past holiday season I have been enjoying the sins of my past and have eaten many poor choixces but in small amounts so...I am grateful for the portion control :o) I look forward each year to the new year starting as it is a good time for reflection and goal making. I would like to get back in the groove of better food choices and get myself on the lower end of the 10 pound range by summer :o) I am thrilled with my new figure, especially since the plastic surgery. It is amazing what a boost it is to look in the mirror and see a body that is flat and smooth after so many years of "flab" :o) Mind you the thighs are still in the flab range but...they don't worry me so much. With my knee history I am just thankful to be walking better all the time. 
Now that I have basically focused on myself these past 2 years I feel the need to spend more tiem and concentration on the other loved ones around me. I find it difficult to watch my parents getting older and more frail. Myy Dad is doing awesome at age 88 and just had both knees replaced in the last 4 months. My Mom,  84 is getting more forgetful and it bothers her so much and it tugs at my heart so much to not be able to do anything about it for her. My brother is close in distance to my folks and I am so thankful for that. I plan on trying to go up to seethem every other weekend and take mom out for her Wal Mart and Kroger Shopping. we have a great time together and I love being with her.  i thank God daily for the love and support they have given me all my life. I was adopted at age 4 days and I know beyond a shadow of doubt that God has placed me with the most wonderful parents I could have ever had. Isn't it amazing that they have been married for  65 years this coming March?? I am so in awe of these wonderful people! I am so blessed!
The holiday season was really good and I loved seeing the kids all together. When Jon and I got married, only my youngest daughter was really behind us...the older 2 have come around beautifully and now we have become a really loving supportive family, I am a mother to a wonderful step son whose mother left the country and he only gets to see about once a year and my girls lost their father 8 years ago when I was widowed. It is amazing how time helps heal the pain and we grow stronger and learn what is important in life. I truly believe in Love, Laughter and Joy and it is my goal to try and increase them all in 2008.
For you all I extend my well swishes for an awesome 2008 and may much joy and prosparity find it's way to your door.
Hugs!
Marianne

Greetings Beautiful People!
I haven't had much time online here lately and have not been posting much. We are off to Vegas tomorrow morning for our fall vacation.  I am so excited! Vegas is a very special place for Jon and I and we both love it there so much. I love the relaxation and Jon loves the Poker! LOL My half sister lives there and they are taking Jon and I to a Rennisance (SP)Festival on Friday that should be alot of fun. I have several really hot tops that are backless and cannot be worn with a bra so.....I am thrilled to get to introduce the new "girls" lol I am so happy with my results from plastic surgery and each day I am more pleased than the day before. I never in my wildest dreams thought that at 51 I would be so happy with my figure. God has blessed me greatly and my cup runneth over with joy. So....if you all don't see me on for a few days....I will be thinking of you as I lounge by the pool getting caught up on my reading! :o) You all take care and be good to yourself!
Hugs!
Marianne
~*~*~*~Marianne~*~*~*~ 
397~249.5~250/Healthy Goddess!! 
"Bloom Where You Are Planted!"
RNY ~ 2/3/06  Plastics ~ TT/BL/BA/Saline Implants ~7/17/07

Happy Sunday All!
I am still muddeling thru my clothes! Sheesh! :o) I have so many wonderful things and such a small area to put them all in! I keep my off season things in tubs stored in the garage but even that doesn't seem to help! lol I am a clothes horse!! Now that I am getting a better idea of my new shape I find my taste is changing into more fitted clothing. It is early to be changing out my summer stuff so I think Ii will only put some of it away and do my final winter clothing switch later in the fall. I went thru thinking what all I might need to add for this winter and I came up with only 4 things lol so...of course I ordered them! :o) I am so excited this year as I finally found a pair of black leather boots in my size!!! It has been years since I  have had some and I mean years! 20+!! I wear a size 14 and they are slim to none to find!! I found them this year and ordered the black leather ones and if I like them the only thing on my Christmas list will be a brown pair! LOL In the past even if I could find them for the wide calf they weren't wide enough so now that my legs are slimmer I think these will be perfect. For all you gals out there with "little" feet count yourself lucky! It is so hard to find shoes that fit let alone ones that go with your outfits! :o) All in all I guess you can tell how thrilled I am with the results from my WLS and my Plastics! I never thought I would ever be this size and I am living my dreams out now! 
I hope you all have a fabulous day! These cool nights and warm sunny days are my favorites!! I love waking up to the smell of the fresh morning air coming in thru the windows! Ahhhh this is the life! Ain't life wonderful!!!
Have an awesome day!
Hugs!
Marianne

Happy Saturday All!
Well today I weighed and I am officially 1/2 pound below my goal weight!! I never thought this day would get here! lol Originally Dr. Huse and I decided 250 would be a good goal for me with my 6' large frame body. He said I would probably go below that goal but that would be a healthy goal for me. He always tells me that he is so glad I do not let the "book" tell me what weight I need to be. There are so many that go by the books and set their goals by them and for most that works. in my case, I will never be a small person and my goal has been to be healthy. I have found that after my plastic surgery it is almost like restarting after my RNY surgery. My hunger is not showing and my pouch capacity is smaller. I have always kept my limit at 6~8 oz per meal and just eat more often. My Nut and Dr. both agreed that this would be good for me. My fear and my research on weight gain after RNY has been that once the portion control is gone then the problems return. By keeping my pouch small, even if I try to eat something I shouldn't I can't eat much at one time. As long as I am getting my 75 grams of protein and 64 oz of fluids a day Doc says I am to keep at what I am doing. I know I am still swollen from Plastic surgery and they say in 6~12 months the final results from this surgery are seen...so...I am thrilled now I can't imagine how much better it can get! lol I am suprised that I have lost 17 pounds in the past 5 1/2 weeks since surgery. I haven't done any exercise but light walking so....when I get back into the groove next week returning to work and my normal activity...I may suprise myself and drop some more. I am 2 1/2 pounds from saying I have lost 150 pounds since surgery! :o) I feel so blessed! I just had to share! :o)
You all have a fabulous day and weekend!!
HUGS!
Marianne

397~249.5~250/healthy Goddess
Pre Surgery~Current~ Goal