Why Candy Crush Saga is Like Life, or Why I Don't Have a Life Anymore

It all started with my Niece's husband saying "you don't play Candy Crush?  You really should - I'm on level 76".

Right...just another annoying Facebook game.  I went through my Bejeweled Blitz phase, my Words With Friends phase, and even (gulp) my Farmville phase.  I'm evolved, and only use Facebook to keep up with friends.

Yep.  Uh huh.

I'm on level 79 now, and here's why I think Candy Crush Saga is like life:

1. Sometimes it seems easy - too easy
2. Sometimes you want to shake your fist in the air with frustration because you can't seem to get anywhere
3. They both take some skill, and some luck too, to get through successfully
4. Sometimes things blow up in your face - and that can be a good thing
5. Moves in one direction can give unexpected results
6. They're both colorful and noisy
7. Sometimes you have to pay to get ahead of the competition
8. There's always someone on your friends list that has a better score (or makes more money, or has a nicer car, or looks better in clothes...)
9. You learn as you go - the more you learn, the better you do
10. If I actually had a life, I wouldn't be playing Candy Crush (or blogging about it)

Day 65 - Mini Goal Reached!

One of my mini-goals for weight loss was to get to the weight I was at for about 2 minutes two years ago.  I was really active that summer, and got down to 165.6.  This morning I was at 167 - so close!  So I went for my walk and came back to weigh again.  It's really surprising how much water weight you can shed when you're sweaty!  The scale this time said 165.6 on the dot.  I'll take it!

This is surprising to me, since I have no food restrictions any longer and have found that I can eat or drink anything - I just get full fast.  I'm on vacation this week, so the beer has been reintroduced, and I've only walked twice in 10 days.

With my lap band I could drink carbonated beverages, but sometimes annoying and painful burping would result.  With my sleeve no such problems - I feel NORMAL!  I ate out at a local Mexican restaurant and had fajitas - neither the chicken nor the tortilla gave me any problem, although I was uncomfortably full after two of them.

Sunrise, Dunton Locks

Wednesday I extended my normal walk to hike through the woods at Dunton Locks County Park.  The map said that the trail I took was "difficult".  It wasn't really - there were a couple of steep climbs, but not bad.  I do need to do better about remembering to put on bug spray - the skeeters were killers!  I love hiking in the woods; I always wonder what's just around the corner.  The only wildlife I saw was the wood tick that hitched a ride home with me.  Did I mention that I need to remember bug spray?

While on vacation this week I painted my deck (Cape Cod Gray), and painted some old wooden furniture that once belonged to my parents.  That I painted Molokai Blue (think bright turquoise), and bought a couple of retro style metal chairs in yellow to make a seating arrangement.

On the agricultural front, my sugar snap peas are about ready for harvest.  Maybe this year some will actually make it into the house without being eaten right from the bush!  The deer ate my cucumbers again, and the radishes bolted (I planted them much too late), but the kohlrabi and yellow squash are doing well.  My assorted heirloom tomatoes are started to bloom (they're all late producers), and my Meyer Lemon tree has lemons about 3 inches long, so I'll have fresh lemons this winter (yes, I do haul it back and forth between Texas and Minnesota).  The wild raspberries in my back yard should be ready soon - they're little, but just as sweet!  And I need to harvest some more rhubarb for the freezer - I enjoy that in Texas too!

Two Month Surgiversary and Rainbow Kisses

Exactly 2 months ago this morning I was wheeled into an operating room for my gastric sleeve surgery.  I have lost 28.4 pounds since that day, and 58 pounds total since I started this weight loss journey 7 years ago, when I had my lap band surgery.  More importantly, I'm more active than I've ever been, my mood seems stable (knock on wood, and I'm sure hormone replacement therapy has something to do with it), and life is, well, good!

Nearing the Finish Line - That's me, in the Middle

Last weekend I did my first ever 5K - the Run or Dye in Fargo.  They had more than 11,000 people turn out for this event; the 2nd biggest in Run or Dye history, and bigger even than the Fargo Marathon.  Because of the crowds and our fear of never finding each other, my sister-in-law and niece decided to walk it with me, even though they normally run.  That meant a lot to me - this was an important milestone for me, and I wanted to share it with people I love, not alone in a sea of strangers.

They convinced me to run through the "dye stations", and I did, with my arms up high and "whoo hoo'ing" the whole time.  At the finish line they had a dance party, culminated by all of us throwing our dye in the air at the same time.  I've never been in a dessert sand storm, but for awhile we couldn't see even our closest neighbor!

After the Dance Party

Triumphant Women!

My brother and great-niece watched us from the grandstands, and took lots of great pictures and videos of the event.  He wasn't so happy, though, when he discovered that we had forgotten to bring our towels to protect the seats in his truck on the way home!  His seats are covered with rainbow kisses probably even now.  It took 3 washings to get the dye out of my clothes (I finally had to use bleach).

We made the paper the next day - the only reason I recognized myself was because of the number on my shirt!

My friend asked me if now that I had done a 5K if I would sign up for more.  At first I told her "probably not", that it wasn't my thing.  When I thought about it for awhile, I realized that I'm still horribly insecure about my abilities - I know I can finish by walking, but I want to run damn it!

So today, for the first mile of my walk, I did just that.  I ran, then walked.  I can only run for 35 seconds at a time right now, but my knees don't hurt like the last time I tried.  So, we'll see - I'll keep building up my endurance, and maybe someday I'll sign up for another 5K.  Until then, rainbow kisses to you all, and Happy 4th of July!

Ugh, This is Hard. Day 52

You know those stories about the overweight people that have weight loss surgery and magically become thin overnight?  Yeah well, I'm here to tell you it's an urban myth!

The surgery removes an obstacle for you, but the rest is up to you.  If I didn't work the program I can stay at my previous weight or even gain weight.  There is nothing stopping me from doing that.

What are my struggles?  Exercise was a big one.  When I first started walking about 6 weeks ago I would huff and puff, my knees hurt, my thighs hurt, my ankles swelled, and well, it just wasn't fun.  Now I've built up enough endurance to walk 3.2 miles a day without stopping, at a very fast clip for one with such short legs (about 3.6 mph).  My thighs and knees still complain, but not as much.  My right hip makes funny noises and hurts a little, probably because my right knee is my bad one and I walk out of balance.

I have discovered sweating!  My entire life I would be the one that didn't sweat, even in 100 degree temps.  Now, I have to wear a headband, sweat still runs down my face, and the headband comes home dripping wet.  My guess is that for the first time in a very long time I'm fully hydrated!  I drink about 12 cups of water a day.  Okay, not all water - usually 2 cups of coffee in the morning, lots of water during the day, then 1 or 2 cups of herbal tea before bed.

Now that I can eat real food, I have to deal with the times (especially at night) where I'm bored and really, really, want something salty and crunchy.  Or sweet.  And I admit I've given in to that more than once.  It'll be a life long struggle for me I guess.  I have to keep forgiving myself so that I can move on and do better.

Surprisingly, to me, what's not hard is not drinking alcohol.  I've had a couple of glasses of wine twice, but didn't feel the need to continue.

Victories?  I've lost inches when I haven't lost pounds.  And I still have lost pounds - 26 since surgery!  I fit into that pair of size 10 jeans I bought as an incentive.  Barely, but I fit.  Two years ago I logged my weight at the lowest ever (for exactly one day), and I have exactly 3.8 pounds to lose to get there again.  I'm walking my very first 5k tomorrow (the Run or Dye) in Fargo.  I'll come home covered in a rainbow of colors.  And sweaty.  But victorious!

Day 42, or Six Week Update

Only a pound difference from my last update, so I guess the weight loss is slowing down a bit.  But still, 24 pounds in six weeks is quite an achievement in my book!  That's an average of 4 pounds per week.

My activity level has picked up too - I'm now consistently walking between 2.5 and 4.5 miles a day (on purpose), about 5 days a week.  I have a few routes - one takes me along the river to a County Park where sometimes I also hike the trails through the woods; another is onsite here at my campground walking through a large hilly meadow with a walking path (lots of hills and uneven ground).  The whole running thing has proved too difficult on my knee, at least for now.  My first 5K is scheduled for June 29 (it's not timed, but I'm training to average 16 and a half minutes per mile).  The 5K is called "Run or Dye" because at set intervals along the course you run/walk through a cloud of powdered dye.  At the end of the event you look like a rainbow!

My thighs hurt, but I can tell they're getting stronger.  You need strong thighs in order to support your knees apparently, so that's good.  I need to start working on my upper body and ab muscles - we have a fitness center here so I have no excuse!

Summer has finally arrived here in Minnesota, with temps in the mid 70's during the day, mid to low 50's at night.  My radishes, peas, beets, kohrabi, herbs, and tomatoes are all doing well - can't wait for harvest!

Day 33 and Flowers on a Rainy Day

Luckily the stall in my weight loss was short-lived.  As of this morning, I'm down 22 pounds and am proudly overweight!

Unfortunately, my knees, especially my right one, has been protesting the increase in activity.  The swelling and pain has been enough to keep me off of it for the most part for 3 days.  Guess I really need to take the gradual approach.

Our Association had its Annual Meeting yesterday, and I got to facilitate it.  There were some tense moments, but I think it went well.  The amount of work leading up to it was overwhelming, so today's rain has meant that I have a chance to rest.  I'm staying in my PJs all day watching old episodes of Doc Martin on  Netflix, picking up stuff occasionally.

This afternoon there was a knock on the door and a shy, pretty little girl stood outside and said "I got you flowers".  I asked her to repeat herself, since wasn't carrying anything.  She finally pointed to a Tupperware container on my deck that held a bunch of white flowers.  Then I saw her Mom on the golf cart, and she said "she wanted to bring you flowers"!  I was embarrassed because I couldn't even remember the little girl's name (Micah) when she apparently knew me.  Anyway, it made my day.

One of the bad things about being stuck inside all day is the boredom.  I've had several moments today when my cravings got really bad.  But, when I wanted a peanut butter cup, I had some Mandarin oranges instead.

Day 28

Although I've hit a plateau, I'm not complaining.  I haven't felt this good in a long time!  I'm down 19.4 pounds since surgery.  And only about a 1/2 pound more and I'll only be overweight instead of obese!

My knees are killing me though.  I signed up for a 5k at the end of the month so have been attempting to jog in addition to walking.  I bought new shoes that are very lightweight and flexible, but are using muscles I didn't know I had.  I've been warned to break in these shoes very gradually, so I guess I'll heed the warning and wear my other shoes most of the time.

In other news, my peas are up and doing well, the radishes have appeared, and my assorted lettuces are barely showing above the dirt.  My asparagus didn't come up at all (what's up with that?), but the rhubarb is big enough to harvest.  The chives are already blossoming, which means I need to harvest them, chop them up, and freeze.

New to my garden this year is yellow squash and kohlrabi.  The cucumbers are too small to plant outside yet, but I've got several tomatoes in containers.  I may have put them out too early though - the temps here are crazy, with highs in the low 60s and lows in the 40s.  And the rain!  Everything is really green, but we could use a couple days of sunshine to dry us out!