Pinky Sees the Vet

I guess they are taking turns. This month it is Pinky who is sick; last month it was Chi-Chi. Wednesday she was perfectly fine. Thursday morning I set out their breakfasts and only Chi-Chi came to eat. Pinky wasn't coming. I called and called, but nothing. This is highly unusual behavior for Pinky. When I found her she was cowering in the bedroom. I bent down to pick her up and she cried out in pain. I put her in front of her food and she ate. I had to carry her down the stairs of the deck so that she could do her business out there.

It seemed to me that she could not look up. Pinched nerve. She has had this in the past, so I made an appointment and she went to the vet last night. Of course, she didn't cry out in pain when she was there, but when the vet was feeling her neck, Pinky tensed up. They gave her an anti-inflammatory shot and took home meds for her to take. It should clear up in a few days.

My dad is insisting that the dog food I am feeding Pinky is the tainted dog food that has been recalled. Even though I know it isn't, he is insisting it is. Pinky eats Hill's Prescription canned dog food that I buy at the vets. Hills Country is one of the brands recalled. It isn't the same brand or company. I had to ask the vet, and she confirmed that none of the food that they dispense is part of the recall. I knew it was a silly thing to ask because I checked the can and manufacturer etc, but when your dad is nagging you....well, you just gotta ask sometimes.

Compliments

Because my hair is getting much thinner on the top, I decided it was time for a new hairstyle. I figured it would look better shorter and layered. This is a pic I took of myself. I didn't use a flash and the photo is reflected off of the mirror. Kind of like the way it came out.

I also colored my hair so it is now a strawberry blond color which compliments my skin tone. I went to work and had to talk to the guy in the office next to mine. I walked in and just started talking and he was staring at me. He finally told me that when I first walked in he was wondering who this person was. He was confused because of the new hairstyle and said it took him a few moments to recognize it was me.

I had to go speak to someone in another department yesterday. When I walked in, the receptionist asked me if I changed my hair. I confirmed that I did and then she said that I looked great and she noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. I told her that I had the surgery blah, blah, blah. She told me that she didn't know it was me! It had been at least two months since she had seen me and she said I looked like a completely different person. That just made my day. I feel like a completely different person too.

Still Fat

Okay, so Chi-Chi is still fat. Everyone in the house is instructed to not give either dog any snacks. Pinky can't get a snack because Chi-Chi can't have any. I can't give to one and not the other, so they are both dieting. I weighed Chi-Chi one week after the no snack rule and she lost 6 ounces, which is a lot. However, since then she seems to have added on weight. I don't have the numbers in front of me at the moment, but I think she is back to 13.2 pounds.

Pinky has reacted oddly to the no snack rule. It has turned her into a chow hound. The second she hears any kind of bag crumbling, she is right there! She is begging like mad. I swear you would think that this dog never eats, but she is getting fed twice a day now. Chi-Chi doesn't come running when Pinky does. You would think la gorda would run for food, but she doesn't and she isn't begging either. A strange role reversal for sure.

Chi-Chi goes for her check up in May. They will weigh her and see if she has lost weight. If not, they will do blood work to see if she has a thyroid problem. Isn't that the oldest fat excuse in the book? I have an underactive thyroid...well, we shall see. The snow is melting so it will soon be time to take piglet on daily walks. That should help.
3/23/2007

4 Month Post-Op Update

Had my fourth month post-op visit with my surgeon, Doctor Bypass. I lost 57 official pounds and 63 unoffical pounds. Woo-Hoo! I am doing very well in terms of weight loss. In fact, I am ahead of the curve. What does that mean?

Well, first they tell you what you are supposed to weigh (yeah, I laughed my ass off at that number too). Then they subtract that from what you weigh now. They take that number and tell you that you will lose 70% of that from the surgery over 18 months. This is the prediction of your weight loss. In 4 months I have already lost 50% of the weight they are expecting me to lose. I will most likely lose more than the expectd 70%.

A lot of this has to do with the exercising that I am doing and I am doing a moderate amount. I joined a gym and I try to go three times a week, but I must admit that I usually only go twice a week. I am taking aerobic classes like kickboxing and body sculpting. Not easy classes and sometimes I can't last the whole hour, but I do what I can. I also lift weighs there and use the cross training machine.

On days that I don't go to the gym, I make the most out of my standing time. I make sure that I am always moving. When I am standing at the photo copier at work, I am moving my feet doing the "grapevine" move that we do at the gym. When I am home waiting for the dogs to come in from outside, I am doing kick backs with my legs. A few minutes here and there adds up over the course of a day. Try it!