I was featured on Yahoo

The Yahoo article I discussed in my last post titled “Good Lord!  Is that really me?” was posted online on November 2, 2016.  I’m including the link below although if you’ve read my blog, the article will be redundant.  I didn’t even see it when it was posted.  A friend contacted me to ask, “Did you know you’re on Yahoo?” 

Good Lord! Is that really me?

An interesting thing happened this week:  Yahoo sent me an email offering to feature me on their website as a success story!  Ironically, I almost deleted the email when I saw it in my inbox, thinking it was just a notice of their updated guidelines or perhaps an ad.  As luck would have it, I was at the gym waiting for Tunde, my trainer, to arrive and decided to read the email just to kill some time.

My blog turns 1 year old!

As I explained in "Why a blog?" I decided to heed my trainer's advice and write a blog in the hopes that my experience may help someone else lose weight, too.  Perhaps someone can learn from my mistakes and save themselves some grief, I thought, or perhaps someone can apply something I learned along the way that will help them succeed, too.

"Shopping for clothes must be so much fun now!"

The biggest "problem" I've encountered during my weight-loss journey (135 lbs. so far) has been keeping clothes.

More hilarious reactions…

­Today I rode my bike to my allergist's office to get my monthly shots.  I was wearing my standard get up these days:  activewear capris and a T-shirt.  I mention what I wore because it's more body hugging than, say, jeans and a shirt so people tend to notice my weight loss more.   

Another anniversary! (and my new toy)

Two years ago today, I met Flaminia ("Fla") after joining Total Woman, my gym.  As all gyms do with new clients, they assigned Fla, one of their trainers, to discuss with me the benefits of paying for training sessions, not to mention getting my measurements, weight, Body Mass Index ("BMI"), body fat percentage, and discussing goals.  Blah, blah, blah.  I've always found all of this really tedious and annoying.  I mean, after I stop going to the gym in a month or two, all of this becomes moot anyway, right? 

5th Anniversary of retirement­­­!!!

Five years ago today, on July 31, 2011, I drove away from my retirement luncheon and never looked back at the place where I had worked for almost 24 years.

Me and My Fla - briefly reunited!

If you've been reading my blog, you know just what an influence a young woman named Flaminia ("Fla"), my trainer, was to my current weight-loss success.  

Divorcing my scale!

Well, not actually divorcing so much as legally separating from my scale.  For months now my scale has been tormenting me by not going below 168 lbs.   

My new workout look

As I kept gaining weight through the years that would eventually lead to a long-term existence as a morbidly obese person and as my clothes kept getting bigger and bigger as a result, in my personal life I only wore baggy, stretchy pants and long, baggy T-shirts. 

Committed to a year of pampering

My gym, Total Woman ("TW"), offers a sauna, steam room, and whirlpool as part of the regular membership package.  When I joined TW in August 2014, I chose the basic month-to-month membership which would allow me to cancel at any time without having to pay a cancellation fee.  

Where I am today on my journey!

When I was writing my blog in July/August 2015, I had lost about 115 lbs. total by then which is what I wrote about.  By the time I clicked "publish," I had lost another 7 lbs., but no sooner did my blog go online than the universe started messing with me and I gained weight.  It took several weeks of struggling before I could get those pounds off again and could continue on my weight-loss path.

Be smart - listen to your body!

When I started working closely with my trainer, Flaminia ("Fla"), in late 2014, she put me on 1,500 calories a day plus allowed me (after some argument) an additional 200 calories because I was working out regularly.  She also turned me onto MyFitnessPal.com, a free website to track my calories and progress.   

Funny reactions

The strangest reaction to the "new" me is when people I've known for a while don't recognize me.  It's not until I start talking to them that they realize who I am and in some cases I have to introduce myself again by saying, "It's me…Vilma!"  and only then do I see recognition, usually followed by shock, on their faces.  But I've had some very funny reactions, too.

Me, a gym rat? WHAT???!!! You must be joking!

As I've stated many times throughout my blog, I've always HATED exercising.  Just hated it.  When I was much younger, I enjoyed playing tennis and racquetball, but anything else to be done for the sake of "working out" was a dreaded chore to me.  The idea of having to work out on a regular basis for the rest of my life was horrifying to me.  What a miserable life requirement!  So, of course, I never did it for long.

"I wish I could lose weight, too!"

As I've progressed through my journey, people who've known me for years are amazed about my transformation. 

The Biggest Loser - TV show

I don't watch many reality shows, but "The Biggest Loser" is one I've always enjoyed.  It's a show featuring morbidly obese people who are set up in a secluded ranch and they work with trainers to lose weight while competing with each other for the ultimate goal of winning $250,000. 

This week

Well, I had the endoscopy last week because of my recent bout of severe stomach pains a few weeks ago and it turns out I have an ulcer, but it's healing nicely. 

Two HUGE milestones today!

When I wrote this blog in late August 2015, I weighed 191 lbs. after having lost 115 lbs.  I was doing really well, and then the universe decided to start playing with me again. 

The doctor called...

In reference to my previous two posts, I had a CT scan last week to find out what caused my recent abdominal problems, and my doctor called with the results. 

Update on my stomach issues from last week

My previous post discussed how severe abdominal pain ruined my last week with Flaminia ("Fla") and nearly prevented me from seeing my trainer at all before she moved to New York.  Vilma luck struck with a vengeance!

My last week with Fla…and then Vilma luck hit with a vengeance

This was my trainer's last week in Los Angeles before she moves to New York tomorrow morning.  If you've been reading my blog, you know what Flaminia ("Fla") has meant to me this past year and what an incredible influence she's been to my successful weight-loss journey and the subsequent creation of the new me. 

A year of spinning as 2016 begins!

Yesterday I ended 2015 by attending a spin class in the morning, walking 3 miles to/from the gym, and training with Flaminia ("Fla") with boxing.