A highlight from the OH Conference.
Oct 19, 2012
A Highlight From The OH Conference In Atlanta - Living Thin Within!
http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2012/10/at-the-obesity-help-conference-in-atlanta-i-met-this-great-woman-jill-she-did-not-introduce-herself-as-anyone-of-importance.htmlRecently the Obesity Help Conference I met this great woman, Jill. Jill was to speak during the event, but I did not know that, nor did she introduce herself as anyone of importance.
And we just TALKED AS PEERS.
Let me tell you something -- I LOVE THAT.
I love when there is no pretense, no bull, no "Hey I Am Smarter More Important Than You Because I Have Six Degrees In This And Related Fields Already And You Boooooooooore Me" - she just spoke to me. This woman probably would have taken off to coffee and sat for hours to discuss things, because she seemed genuinely interested.
People often introduce themselves to me as Their Very Important Titles, "Sally Smith, Director of ______ , ADHD, MD, PT, OT, PhD, XYZ, etc...AND YOU ARE?" and then they subconsciously roll their eyes and look for ways out of the situation when they realize they are socially mismatched with an unemployed "disabled" college freshman = me. "Oh hi, I am still talking to you!" (Or not. That also happens. Thank you!)
Self-important cat is self-important.
*That said, she's trained to speak to Teh People Like Me so it may have been this as well? (Please don't say it. I get it, please note *subconscious eye-rollers, we (lay people) see it. Also, "Have you lost weight? Changed your hair? Lost a spouse? Stopped eating? You look better than the last time I saw you." Don't do that. It's really, not okay.)
This is what Jill had to say about the Obesity Help Event in her newsletter -
The OH Conference was amazing! Thank you OH, for organizing such a warm, caring, joyful event! So much celebrating of every ones WLS successes! I can't tell you how touched and elated I was to attend the OH fashion show, where so many conference participants got to strut their stuff down the cat walk, enjoying the fruits of their WLS successes while being cheered on as they publicly owned their new bodies! It was truly beautiful to witness so many men and women celebrating their own courage, progress, and hard work. There was also plenty of opportunity for learning and for talking about how the WLS industry can be improved.
There was a particularly lively discussion about what's missing for many of the post-op folks.
Beth S-B. (of Bariatric Bad Girls) and Courtney W. were two very courageous post-op women on a panel that spoke very honestly and directly about how the WLS industry needs to do a better job of standardizing care and helping post-op patients get access to the psychological aftercare services they need to address addiction and transfer addition issues that can plague the WLS community—before AND after the surgery.
Courtney + I at OH
Unfortunately, there is no "lap band" for our brain, so it's critical that the WLS industry recognize that the medical intervention of surgery is literally just the first step. The next, equally important step, is to get the kind of emotional and behavioral support necessary to develop healthy (non-addiction based) strategies to deal with day-to-day stress and the eventual return of hunger and cravings after the surge.
This additional step is critical to achieving sustainable, long-term success after weight loss surgery. Thank you Beth and Courtney for speaking to the prevalence of addiction in the WLS community, for wanting more for those who feel alone and ashamed because they suffer from addiction, and for being bold enough to demand aftercare that targets this silent, deadly (and not so secret) epidemic.
Friend Jill on Facebook
Thank you Jill. Really. THANK YOU.
10 Days To Go!
Oct 17, 2012
Our Team goal was $5000.00. I upped it. Because I am a little crazy.
Help us reach $6000.00 before Dallas? We got this. It's only $630ish to go. (A lot of eyeballs see this post. Donate your $2 coffee money today?)
- If your business would like to GET ON Team BBGC - yes, I said it - you can! Get us to goal or more -- throw some tee shirts/backpacks our way -- and we'll wear your swag during the Walk. Totally at my discretion, however. Thank you.
- Email me ASAP and get the stuff to my hotel. Email [email protected] like yesterday, now.
- Thank you!
- Donators -- You could win a great prize, while helping a great cause! The fundraising levels are: Raise $100 for a chance to win an iPod Nano, $500 for a chance to win a Wii Game System, $1,000 to receive an iPod Nano, or $2,500+ to receive an iPod Nano and Wii Game System. Remember also -- there's still CLICK, and Proteins I've yet to pick winners for.
- I'll be GIVING AWAY whatever prize I get, as usual. Thank you!
OMG, SHE EATS TEH FOODZ. GASP.
Oct 15, 2012
4 OCTOBER 2012
OMG, SHE EATS TEH FOODZ. GASP.
This morning we went out to breakfast and I post a photo of my meal on Facebook.
I sometimes do this, often to The Greater Distress Of The Internet.
I asked the waitress for a "Egg White Veggie Frittata" though she didn't ask me white kind of anything I wanted with it -- so it just CAME with white toast. I would have asked for extra MEAT on the side or whole grain toast. So, this is not my normal, I don't typically do white bread. That said, What You See Is What You Get. I Ate Teh Foodz. I also ate, not shown, two slices of bacon, after tossing aside the nasty-ass turkey bacon that was offered with this frittata.
The internet gets distressed when Weight Loss Surgery Patients Eat Teh Food. The SOLIDS. The Not A Shake.
We hear --
- "Did you really eat that?"
- "Can you eat that?"
- "Should you eat that?"
- "Can you really eat white bread? Eggs? Bacon? Vegetables? ______?"
- "Did you really use butter?"
- "OMG, COFFEE?"
- "Wait, you use CREAM?"
- "What, no PROTEIN SHAKE?"
- "Wait --- THOSE ARE CARBS!?!"
- "OMG TOAST?!?!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!??!?!"
- "I thought we could not have bread?"
- "But, I was told no TOAST?"
- "My surgeon told me no BREAD FOR LYYYFFFFEEEE!!!!"
- Etc, etc.. so forth, so on.
I have been getting these comments for as long as I have been blogging my intakes on the internets.
I had one person even offer the suggestion that my epilepsy (at the time, not diagnosed...) was Due To The Fact That I Ate Carbohydrates More Than She Was Suggested.
Here's a couple of random suggestions, y'all --
#1 - Bariatric Eating Plans Can Be DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.
#2 - Some of us are many years post op, and food happens. Ask around, do you know many 5-8-10 year post gastric-bypass patients that subside on meal replacements? Right. "Things change." And, even though you may be TOLD that you are going to 'live on 1/4 cup of solids three times a day,' uh... that doesn't happen. I am sorry.
I rarely share the reality of what actually goes in my gullet these days because for one -- it's so boring -- and because, wow, some of Y'all Are Judgy! You have to realize, at pushing nine years later -- it's back to food! It's normal life!
Tell me. What are you eating? Are you willing to SHARE? Let's start sharing.
OHATLANTA Spahhkly Giveaway!
Oct 09, 2012
Did you come to Obesity Help in Atlanta this past weekend? Do you want a shot at winning a wicked sparkly American Apparel Blinged-out Click shirt of your very own?
Go open up your swag-bag from the OH Event and find your sample of Click Espresso Protein!
DETAILS HERE - http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2012/10/ohatlanta2012-click-spahhhhkly-giveaway.html
#OHATLANTA2012 Wrap-Up!
Oct 08, 2012
Thanks once again to Obesity Help for putting on a terrific conference in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend! Even with a few miniature traumas (Toni Lee + a curb = broken toes, although that's the story we are making up...) all-in-all it was another great event and lots of lifelong memories were made.
“We don't heal in isolation, but in community.”
― S. Kelley Harrell
http://snd.sc/WJlgHF
I had a fantastic time speaking on the grads and pros panel, although I was a bit more than terrified and I might have cried. (You'll have to ask the BBGC.)
Pretending I knew what was going on on the grads and pros panel.And of COURSE I adored helping out my pals at Building Blocks Vitamins and CLICK Espresso Protein. Did you get you some? Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Getting the CLICK on the OH Event! Watch for a GIVEAWAY tomorrow! The BBGCCommunity Responsibility - Fat Shaming - Bullying
Oct 02, 2012
WAY TO GO!
Huffington Post -
"That man’s words mean nothing to me, but really angers me about this is is there are children who don’t know better — who get emails as critical as the one I received or in many cases, even worse, each and every day."
She said that bullying scared her as the mother of three daughters. "If you are at home and you are talking about the fat newslady, guess what?" she said. "Your children are probably going to go to school and call someone fat."
Livingston thanked the viewers, friends and colleagues who have stood up for her, and ended with these words:
“I leave you with this: To all of the children out there who feel lost, who are struggling with your weight, with the color of your skin, your sexual preference, your disability, even the acne on your face, listen to me right now. do not let your self-worth be defined by bullies. Learn from my experience — that the cruel words of one are nothing compared to the shouts of many.”
http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2012/10/community-responsibility-fat-shaming-bullying.html