Re-Found My Motivation for Weight Loss

It has been a while again since I posted. Today, I want to talk about my weight loss journey so far, how I plateaued, orthopedic issues and how I think I am bouncing back. Hopefully...

My peak weight in my life was 136.5 kg (301 lb.). That was terrible but, I never really looked in the mirror and dislike how I looked. I truly was in Peace with my body.

Every year, I had physicals and my results have never been bad till 2023. The test results were bad and the doctors gave a stern warning. This was in May 2023 but, I could not get my act together for a while after that. Then, as most of you know I found this young Korean Band I fell in love with and got inspired by them but, today, I am not going to talk about that. 

I had seen someone post about putting together a Weight Loss Buddy Team and without even thinking I said, I was in. This was end of August in 2023. We had formed this WhatsApp group and at first we were sharing all our menus for every meal and weighing in on Mondays. This group worked for a while but, then some people started not reporting, self-sabotaging themselves and discouraging the rest of us. So, 5 of us decided to form a new group and stick with it.

This group has helped tremendously because, I am competitive and also, I do not like to bee seen as a failure by others. I know, it is petty but, that's how I am wired. By the end of 2023 I had done really well, turned my health around and the doctors were pleased.

The group disintegrated by early January. The youngest lady in the group reached her target, I was the second best and the rest yoyoed due to personal issues.

When I was left to my own devices in 2024, I have lost about 14 pounds during the whole year. My mojo was nowhere to be found. Yet, I kept my eating in check, kept using the app to count calories most days and at least not gain weight. Plateau big time.

In November last year, I decided to start seeing a dietician but that was also the time when Uncle came to visit me for over a month so, I really could not keep myself in check very well. I went to see an orthopedist regarding my plantar fasciitis problems but, he found out that my knees were in bad shape. It turned out that I will need a knee replacement surgery in a few years. He gave me some exercises to strengthen my muscles. 

This devastated me for a couple of weeks. The fact that I was getting old hit me big time. I still want to travel, walk thousands of steps and see new places. How was I gonna do that? However, this also was a big wake up call to go back to being serious about weight loss.

I have decided to visualize my progress and that was the best decision. I will show you my Excel sheet below. The numbers are in kgs. This motivates me a ton, because I can clearly see how much I have accomplished and how much more I can push myself.

The light blue section is normal weight for me. Yellow signifies being overweight. The orange sections are levels of obesity. You can see that, I was morbidly obese when I started. However, now I am only three kgs. away from being just obese (Class I). This is about 7 more pounds. Seeing the huge dark orange section I was able to cross out is the best thing I look at every day.

I do not know how much more I can safely and realistically lose but, getting to even the lower end of Class I obesity will be huge. 

Just wanted to write about all this. Hope, everyone is doing fine. As the Spring approaches, let's get excited about what we would like to accomplish this year. Peace!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Wishing everyone a great 2025 with health, happiness, love and peace!

I have been MIA for a long time. I do not know if I will be back with regular posting but, here I am now.

Thanks to Farah, who reached out to me and wished me a Happy New Year. Since she said she missed my posts, I promised her to post what I have been up to and here it is.

In September my sister and I went to the US for a month to celebrate her retirement. She left her husband home since he didn't want to be too far from his dad, who is not doing so great. 

We rented a car at the airport and had it all through our trip. It was so convenient. SIS even took off on her own once to meet with an old friend of hers and several times to do shopping when I felt like not going. We did a lot of shopping needless to say. 

We stayed with my BFF mostly. We also went to visit some old friends who now live in South Carolina. They will be welcoming a grandson in February so, we brought some gifts for the baby. A friend of mine even sent them a handmade baby blanket and the cutest little cardigan ever. The funny thing is, my friends do not know each other at all. They never met. I am the only common denominator. It was such a kind gesture.

We saw my sister's favorite show Sunset Boulevard and it was truly amazing. We also saw the ballet, Coppelia which I love but, except for the two lead dancers, it was not that great. 

I had been to the One World Trade Center before, but, we went again so that SIS could see it too. 

All in all, it was an awesome visit.

My Stray Kids will be performing in NY in June and yes, I am going. I already bought my ticket. Asked SIS if she wanted to come along and she said yes to another US visit, no to the concert. That's OK. This time, I have a seat so, no standing crazy hours.

I have been studying Korean for a while now and I would like to visit Korea for about a month in the Fall. I also would like to go visit Japan while I am there. SIS initially wanted to go with me but then, decided not to. I guess she doesn't want to spend so much money on travel without her husband. I understand that.

So, my word this year is TRAVEL. I realized that, I am going to be 60 in a couple of years and I want to travel as much as possible while I still can. I have also noticed that time goes by faster than it used to. 

I also started seeing a dietician. I have lost a total of 55 lbs by myself but, I have been stuck for quiet a while and I need someone to keep me in check. Need to lose about 30 more lbs. Actually much more but, that, in my opinion is enough. 

Here is a cute Christmas song from my nephews I never had:

Hope you like it as much as I did. They have done great in 2024. They even broke a 69 year Billboard Record. According to Billboard "Stray Kids became the first act to debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with their first six chart entries". I am such a proud STAY. Lol!

London Was Wild, Awesome and Crazy!

I stayed in London for 10 days and attended the two concerts I have mentioned in my previous post. Stevie Nicks was great despite her age. Harry Styles joined her for the two last songs and it was a nice surprise. That concert was on the 12th and I was seriously concerned about the Stray Kids concert two days later, when I saw the crowd and had to stand at the same spot for hours. 

Stray Kids were supposed to get on the stage at 8:10 p.m. and people (read very young crazy STAYS, the fandom name) were talking about getting in line at 5 a.m. Say what?

I had a Diamond VIP ticket but that was a standing concert so, no assigned seats or no way of keeping your spot. I went at 1 p.m. and once I got in, I took a spot with a good view of the stage and stood there for 9 hours!? You read it right. Nine hours... I only sipped about a liter of water. No food, no bathroom break, not even sitting on the floor.

The crowd kept pushing and closing in on us who were at the front and it was a somewhat hot day for London. I was determined to see them as closely as possible, so, I did not leave my spot till the last three songs. Then I was ready to move back and sit down somewhere. There were 65,000 people there and it was absolutely the craziest thing I have ever done. Any regrets? None whatsoever. 

When I moved back, I ordered a burger and a coke and enjoyed the last three songs watching them on the big screens. My feet were burning by that time and every part of my body was screaming at me because, I had never abused myself like that before. Lol!

It took me a while to get back to the hotel and I was afraid I would not be able to sleep because my legs were hurting so much. I took a Tylenol and luckily fell into sleep right away and was able to rest well.

During my time in London, I walked like crazy averaging 15K steps each day. I treated myself to nice Korean and Italian restaurants and enjoyed every single moment of it.

Best gift I had ever given myself. Stray Kids are such crazy, fun and beautiful young men. They are my happy pills and sunshines.

Thanks to them, I was finally inspired to get a grip on my health and lost 50 pounds since September. Those young little kiddos saved me from myself. It is a loooong story and I am planning to share what I had to go through. They made me face my demons and healed me.

Here are some clips on YouTube made by fellow STAYs at Hyde Park: Oh, and yes I love this noisy, hype music. I included one clip where one of them thanks a guard and the other thanking the sign language interpreters. They are genuinely great kids. Kudos to their parents. 

I have fallen down the Stray Kids rabbit hole and am so glad I did. 

QUICK UPDATE

 Hello everyone! I'm alive and kicking. 

Today is my 57th birthday. Isn't time so fast? 

Anyway, I am taking good care of myself and filling my days with things I enjoy. Currently, I am at my uncle's in Antalya. It has become so hot this week that I will be escaping the heat next week. 

I have an upcoming concert, actually two concerts in Hyde Park, London, UK in July. One is Stevie Nicks and the other is Stray Kids. I know, an odd combo but, hey that's me. I like the oldies and also the youngsters. Here is their latest song:

Wishing everyone a peaceful and fun summer.

BLOG HIATUS

I am well and busy. Just lost my mojo to blog these days. However, I don't want to close my blog yet. I may want to go back to blogging.

I am still around and reading your blogs. Not on a daily basis though.

I have been focusing on my health lately and am busy with eating healthy and working out. 

My 2024 focus is "MYSELF"

Wishing you all the best while I am away. Live Long and Prosper!

All Good

I have been in the US since January 10th. I have been helping my friend and we are also having a good time. She was gonna be busy Monday and Tuesday so, I took the opportunity to go downtown both days. I walked and walked and walked. It was cold but, sunny so, I took the opportunity. I love New York City. Each time I'm there, I wonder if I will be able to back in the future and each time I do go back, I feel joy.

Not much to report so, here is another song by one of my Stray Kids for you to enjoy:

Getting Ready

I am flying to the US on Wednesday. The weather channel was predicting snow that day but, they revised the forecast today. The new airport is too far from me. I wanted to fly out of the one closer to me but, could not find a good ticket. Turkish Airlines have 3 direct flights to NY every day but, they do not have Premium Economy or Comfort Class. Business is too expensive. Therefore, I am flying British Airways. I have a 3 hour stopover at Heathrow which is fine. Gives me a break to stretch my legs.

I have packed one suitcase and I do not expect to shop a lot this time.  SIS, BIL and uncle are all set with everything they need. I still have enough to wear till I lose at least 20-25 pounds or so. After that, I will need a new wardrobe but by then, I will be able to find my then size here in Turkiye too. Will still be a plus size but, much better than what I have been all these years. I can't believe how I let myself go so badly. 

My bestie and I will be sorting tons of collections of coins, stamps, artwork and jewelry, getting them appraised and selling them. M is completely overwhelmed by it and she is taking a break till my arrival. Her late BIL had collected so much stuff. Her husband is now too old to deal with it so, this falls all on her. We need a system and a strategic plan to deal with all of them. We may not be able to finish everything before I leave by the end of February but, I hope we can make the biggest dent possible. 

Today, it is butt-freezing cold here and is going to be like this for the next 5 days. M says it is the same in NY too. 

Gotta go and check my packing list once more.

Stay warm and healthy...

Here is a sad/romantic song from Felix(23) of Stray Kids suitable for this cold and rainy day over here. He is one of the two Aussies in the group. His vocal range is unbelievable. One might think 3 different guys are singing this one but, it is just him.