Aloha and Mahalo!

*** I uploaded these pics before writing, so had I realized the order in which I would show them, I probably would have formatted them differently! oops :P

Well, we're back from our honeymoon! It was an amazing trip and I am so grateful that we were able to go. I think Roger learned just how important it is to take time for US. No kids, no stress, just paradise. And I am also happy to report that he loves Hawaii as much as I do! Which in essence means that he will totally go for a return trip without me having to beg. Yeehaw!

This trip came exactly one year after my first Hawaiian vacation. It is amazing for me to think about how different this trip was from the last. First of all, this time I was on my honeymoon, which means that I had a partner for activities. Second, I had already done the majority of touristy stuff last time so I literally spent about 90% of the time lounging by the pool or in the pool on a floatie (as seen in the picture above!). And last but not least, I am about 95 lbs lighter this go round. And I will explain exactly what that means to me.

When I tell people "I've lost a lot of weight recently" I don't think they truly comprehend what that means. Even saying "I've lost about 100 lbs" doesn't resonate as much as it should. Heck, half the time even I don't understand how incredible that really is. But when I think of all of the differences AND see pictures, I am truly in shock. Heck, even Roger was in shock after seeing the picture below!

This was just one of MANY pictures from my trip that just so happened to be on our "little" camera that we only use for quick pics or vacation purposes. I see it and think that I look like someone took an air-hose and inflated me. But then I realize, "Wow, I really looked like that". It wasn't a "bad picture" because ALL of them from the trip have me this big. Roger's comment was "It is amazing to me because I see you now, and I think you look huge in that picture, but at the time I didn't realize how big you were". Which I think is very common. You see someone gain weight over time (even yourself) and yeah, you notice bumps and lumps here and there, but you have no concept of just how much bigger they really are unless something changes drastically. For me, the drastic something was surgery.

Just under 100 lbs also meant that my comfort level on this trip was 100x better than the last. First of all, I felt great in almost everything I wore (I felt good in a bikini, but not great... I'll explain later!), and was excited about the following:

• 
  I could wear short shorts. I specify short shorts because that is even better than long shorts... which to be honest I couldn't really wear before unless they were capri length. Why? Because before my thighs ate my shorts making it very uncomfortable, and I would have to stop every 3 seconds to yank them out of my crotch.




• There was not a pair of spanx in sight. I didn't feel like I needed to suck anything in. And most importantly, for big girls spanx do something even more important: They protect your inner thighs from rubbing holes in each other. No joke. Last trip I wore spanx EVERY time I was in a skirt or dress.




• Also, no baby powder in sight either. Again to prevent chafing, i would douse my legs in baby powder and even carried a travel bottle in my purse for emergency touch ups.




• I was brave enough to try a "sporty" excursion. I have always wanted to try kayaking but was honest to goodness afraid that I would sink the kayak or that there would be a weight limit that I would exceed. Well, we tandem kayaked from the beach on Kailua to a little island out in the Pacific. I was scared of being stranded like castaway, but I wasn't afraid of sinking the boat. And most importantly... I did it!





• I WORE A BIKINI!!!! Omg. And not only was it a bikini, it was a STRING bikini! I had tried on a more conservative mom bikini and Roger told me he thought the bright one I am wearing in these pictures looked better on me. I was hesitant, but after seeing the pictures, I do agree that it looks pretty good!

I see the picture above and I have a hard time believing that the girl in the picture is me. The reason being that I see it and think "wow she is skinny!"... and then I am talking about myself. I don't think that when I see myself in the mirror every day, that's for sure! And below for reference... here is a half body shot from last time!

I honestly think my upper arms were as big as my legs are now. Scary thought.

Now aside from laying by the pool, my second most important concern was of course food and beverage! We really did not go crazy on dining experiences other than the Royal Hawaiian Luau which, to date, even though it was ridiculously expensive, I am glad we experienced. Mostly we ate at chain restaurants and I think our highest bill was around $40 for dinner. Not bad. And towards the end of the week we started taking advantage of the happy hour at the Sheraton. Here's Roger with our very favorite happy hour selections: Edamame & Ribs.

Even for someone who is on a life long "diet" these food choices are not "bad" per se. Edamame has some carbs I am sure, but it's sort of a veggie, right? And beef ribs... it's protein so we are all good there. But it's that beautiful little sucker in Roger's hand that ultimately killed my chances of losing weight while on my honeymoon!

In "real life" I drink very very little since having surgery. I'll have a sip or two here or there, but I can't finish an entire drink. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to. There is no happy drunk feeling, so drinking a bunch of alcohol isn't appealing. HOWEVER.... the taste of those fruity, slushy drinks make me so very happy! It's like a fantabulous slurpee! On the trip I learned 2 things... well didn't learn, but was reminded of. The first is that I cannot consume high quantities of sugar and fat. I feel sick. And the second is that those fruity, slushee, slurpee cocktails are so high in sugar and calories that it is pretty much impossible to lose weight.

I had stayed away from the scale for the first half of our drip but on day 4 I stood on the scale and noticed that I had gained a pound. And that was depsite walking a few miles one day, not really eating much due to travel and pool time... I thought for sure I would lose. So once I saw that pound I stuck to a fairly strict no alcohol policy other than a sip or 2 from Roger's drink. It was only hard when I saw people enjoying pina coladas or daquiris at the pool. Otherwise, I could care less. Diet Pepsi is still my biggest vice.... definitely not alcohol!


Luckily the food in Hawaii tends to veer towards the light and fruity side. I ate a bunch of tuna (yay for protein!) and really the "crap" I ate was just at the airport coming and going. What I can say with certainty however is that without the sleeve, I would have DEFINITELY gained like 10lbs on the trip and spent a helluva lot more on food!

We are so thankful to all of our friends and family who gifted us with pieces of our honeymoon. We honestly could not have gone without these gifts (weddings are crazy expensive!), and it was our only trip EVER without the munchkins. We have since decided to make it an annual excursion.

So for now, I leave you with August 2010 v. August 2011. Can't wait to add 2012 to this timeline!