girlonamission
I met another goal!
Apr 25, 2011
Last week my family went a local theme park, and I was able to fit on all the rides, even the kiddie roller coaster with my 4-year-old! It was funny because I guess I still think of myself as being obese, so I was nervous about fitting into the seats, but I had no problem at all... it was nice not to worry about that. Now I can't wait to go back! Next up: riding a zip line!
I weighed this morning, and I am down to 158 lbs. Still can't believe that this is me. I am still having a hard time getting my brain to catch up to my body! The excess skin is annoying, but I still don't think that plastic surgery is for me. A friend of mine just had plastic surgery done a few weeks ago, and she is having a hard time recovering... she says it is lots harder to recover from than the gastric bypass surgery!
I do need to suck it up and start exercising regularly again - I have been slacking off in that regard, and am afraid that I am getting out of the habit. I feel better when I exercise, it is just so hard to get going!
0 comments
I weighed this morning, and I am down to 158 lbs. Still can't believe that this is me. I am still having a hard time getting my brain to catch up to my body! The excess skin is annoying, but I still don't think that plastic surgery is for me. A friend of mine just had plastic surgery done a few weeks ago, and she is having a hard time recovering... she says it is lots harder to recover from than the gastric bypass surgery!
I do need to suck it up and start exercising regularly again - I have been slacking off in that regard, and am afraid that I am getting out of the habit. I feel better when I exercise, it is just so hard to get going!
You've Already Won the Battle
Apr 05, 2011
I read the words written on old pages to an old nation as they crossed the desert into a new land.
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God will fight for you.
And I draw in a deep breath.
Because I need those words now.
Don't we all?
Oh, we may not go to war.
But we fight...
for relationships
for dreams
We battle...
against illness
against discouragement
I think of you staring at the screen, perhaps feeling your strength is small. Oh, yes, I know what that's like.
But victory isn't up to us.
And those words you sometimes hear? "You're not worth fighting for."
They're a lie.
Nothing more.
This is the truth from the heart of One who calls you His own:
You are loved.
You are worth fighting for.
You are even worth dying for.
So go into your day, strong friend, knowing that nothing can defeat you.
You've already won.
http://blog.dayspring.com/2011/04/youve-already-won.html
Hubby had his 2-month post-op appt yesterday...
Feb 22, 2011
He has lost 60 lbs since his last pre-op appt in October! I am SO proud of him. He is already feeling much better, just having problems with back pain since his center of gravity is shifting now. That herniated disc is causing him some trouble, but it should get better once he loses more weight and his muscles start getting stronger. We are planning on regularly hitting the gym together! That will be fun, too - time spent together, getting healthy.
10/21/10 - Final pre-op appt: 400 lbs
12/20/10 - Day of surgery: 380 lbs
01/04/11 - Two weeks post-op: 370 lbs
02/22/11 - Two months post-op: 340 lbs
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10/21/10 - Final pre-op appt: 400 lbs
12/20/10 - Day of surgery: 380 lbs
01/04/11 - Two weeks post-op: 370 lbs
02/22/11 - Two months post-op: 340 lbs
Are Carbs More Addictive Than Cocaine?
Feb 22, 2011
Your body is virtually defenseless against a dependency on carbohydrates—the substances that really make you fat—and it's time for an intervention.
By Paul John Scott
I'm sitting in a comfortable chair, in a tastefully lit, cheerfully decorated drug den, watching a steady line of people approach their dealer. After scoring, they shuffle off to their tables to quietly indulge in what for some could become (if it hasn't already) an addiction that screws up their lives. It's likely you have friends and family members who are suffering from this dependence—and you may be on the same path yourself. But this addiction is not usually apparent to the casual observer. It has no use for the drama and the carnage you associate with cocaine and alcohol. It's slower to show its hand, more socially acceptable—and way more insidious.
I'm in a Panera Bread outlet. The company is on Fortune's 2010 list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies and earned more than $1.3 billion in 2009, mainly from selling flour and sugar by the railcar. Last year, Zagat named it the most popular large chain in the United States and ranked it second in the Healthy Options category. The company responded by touting its "wholesome" food. Sure, Panera sells a few salads. But why do the scones, pastries, baguettes, and bear claws get all the good lighting? Why are the grab-and-go packs of cookies and brownies next to the register? What need is fulfilled by serving soup bowls made of bread, with a mound of bread for dipping, and then offering more bread on the side? How come it's noon and the couple behind me are eating bagels while the guy to my right is sawing into a cinnamon roll with a fork and a knife like it's a steak?
The answer is that fast-burning carbohydrates—just like cocaine—give you a rush. As with blow, this rush can lead to cravings in your brain and intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a fix. But unlike cocaine, this stuff does more than rewire your neurological system. It will short-circuit your body. Your metabolism normally stockpiles energy so you can use it as fuel later. A diet flush with carbohydrates will reprogram your metabolism, locking your food away as unburnable fat. When you get hungry again you won't crave anything but more of the same food that started you down the path to dependency. Think of this stuff as more than a drug—it's like a metabolic parasite, taking over your body and feeding itself.
You aren't supposed to talk this way about carbohydrates. According to USDA dietary recommendations, they are not only healthy but are supposed to make up the majority of the food we eat—45 to 65 percent of all calories. Carbs, which are classified as starches and sugars, make up the essence of bread, cereal, corn, potatoes, cookies, pasta, fruit, juice, candy, beer, and sweetened drinks—basically anything that isn't protein or fat. Our government's recommendations were established in the 1970s and have since been accompanied by an explosion of obesity and diabetes. The advice came about as early nutrition scientists rallied around a misguided maxim that remains embedded in the fabric of our attitudes toward food to this day: Eating too much fat makes you fat. But science never bore out this pre-Galilean view of nutrition. What is now clear is this: At the center of the obesity universe lie carbohydrates, not fat.
"You could live your whole life and never eat a single carbohydrate—other than what you get from mother's milk and the tiny amount that comes naturally in meat—and probably be just fine," says Gary Taubes, the award-winning author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, which is helping to reshape the conversation about what makes the American diet so fattening.
If all you knew about food is what you read in the USDA guidelines, you'd think our bodies conveniently come into the world seeking the one nutrient that is cheap and amenable to commercial mass production: carbohydrates. "Sugars and starches provide energy to the body in the form of glucose, which is the only source of energy for red blood cells and is the preferred energy source for the brain," says the latest edition of the guidelines. Wrong, says Taubes, who just released Why We Get Fat, a layman's version of his influential scientific tome. In the absence of carbs, your body will burn fatty acids for energy. It's how you sleep through the night without eating for eight hours. "The brain does indeed need carbohydrates for fuel," Taubes says, "but the body is perfectly happy to make those out of protein, leafy green vegetables, and the animal fat you're burning." As a pair of Harvard doctors (one an endocrinologist and one an epidemiologist) wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association last summer, carbohydrates are "a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement."
The Diets That Work
You wouldn't know it from reading the latest dietary headlines, but all of the popular diets—from Atkins to Dean Ornish (Bill Clinton's weight-loss plan) to the diet-of-the-moment, Paleo—are successful because the most important change they advise is the same: stop eating refined carbohydrates. This only reminds us of what had been the conventional wisdom in medicine for hundreds of years before the USDA stepped in: that sugar, flour, potatoes, and rice are what make a person fat, not meat and milk.
Forty years into the low-fat, high-carbohydrate way of eating—we can thank it for "diabesity," shorthand for the societal prevalence of type II diabetes paired with obesity—it seems clearer than ever that our problem lies not simply in carbohydrates, but in their fundamental addictiveness. They sidestep our defenses against overeating, activate brain pathways for pleasure, and make us simultaneously fat and malnourished. They keep us coming back for more, even as they induce physical decline and social rejection. They achieve this more effectively than the controlled substances that can get a guy thrown into jail. Maybe the question isn't whether carbohydrates are addictive, but whether they are the most addictive substance of all.
In 2007, researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, reported that when rats were allowed to choose between a calorie-free sweetener and intravenous cocaine, 94 percent preferred the sugar substitute. The researchers concluded that "intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward. . . . The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction." Nicole Avena, an expert in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has spent many hours analyzing the behavior of rats enticed into sucking up sugar. She says that feeding on sugar can, like snorting coke, lead to bingeing, withdrawal, and craving. It does this by lighting up the same circuitry within the brain triggered by cocaine and amphetamines, the dopamine center.
But a carbohydrate addiction is potentially more destructive than an 8-ball-a-day habit, because it hijacks your metabolism. If you eat a low-carb diet, you are able to remain satiated between meals, because the body will burn its fat stores. But eating carbs, especially refined varieties like sugar or flour, sweetened drinks, or starches, causes the body to release the hormone insulin. The body secretes insulin as a response to high blood sugar—a serious, even potentially lethal health risk over time. The hormone directs cells to extract sugar from the blood and store it as fat, and what's worse, in order to get sugar out of the blood as efficiently as possible, insulin makes it extremely difficult for the body to burn its fat stores. Over time, the presence of insulin in our carb-heavy diet causes diminishing returns. As our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, our bodies frequently release even more of it to compensate. The result is a blood-sugar vacuum: The body craves more of what the hormone feeds on and triggers our hunger mechanism, which works subconsciously, to direct us toward the nutrient causing all the problems in the first place—carbohydrates. You get fatter and your body craves even more carbs in order to maintain your increasing weight. Drug cartels can only dream of a narcotic with an addiction cycle this powerful.
Once hooked, can you quit your carb addiction? It's not like there's a carb-cessation program at Promises, after all. Taubes says it won't be easy, but given the alternatives, you simply have to try. And cold turkey is as good a method as any. "Anecdotal evidence suggests that the craving for carbs will go away after a while," he says, "although whether a while is a few weeks or a few years is hard to say." And frighteningly like an addict in recovery, you're unlikely ever to be totally cured, and you'll always be tempted to relapse when the opportunity arises. Be warned: The number of Panera Bread outlets is 1,421 and counting.
How You Get Hooked (Over Time)
1. When you take in carbs, like Gatorade or whole-wheat bread, you secrete the hormone insulin. Even thinking about carbs causes this to happen.
2. Refined carbs spike blood sugar, and this is a big problem. The first result is that your body immediately stops burning its existing fat stores.
3. Too much blood sugar is a dangerous situation, and in response, insulin, a hormone, rips it from your blood and tells the body to store the energy as fat (in men this first happens around the waist).
4. Normally your liver controls blood sugar, but because you eat so many carbs you have a constant supply of insulin circulating. This turns out to be bad—very bad. This causes you to become resistant to insulin.
5. Insulin resistance means your body pumps out more insulin to make up for the deficit. Now you're getting fat, but what's worse is that your body desires even more carbs as fodder for the excess insulin.
6. You get fatter and fatter and your body craves more carbs to feed your increasing girth. This destructive cycle is why Americans are so overweight (the process doesn't happen overnight).
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By Paul John Scott
I'm sitting in a comfortable chair, in a tastefully lit, cheerfully decorated drug den, watching a steady line of people approach their dealer. After scoring, they shuffle off to their tables to quietly indulge in what for some could become (if it hasn't already) an addiction that screws up their lives. It's likely you have friends and family members who are suffering from this dependence—and you may be on the same path yourself. But this addiction is not usually apparent to the casual observer. It has no use for the drama and the carnage you associate with cocaine and alcohol. It's slower to show its hand, more socially acceptable—and way more insidious.
I'm in a Panera Bread outlet. The company is on Fortune's 2010 list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies and earned more than $1.3 billion in 2009, mainly from selling flour and sugar by the railcar. Last year, Zagat named it the most popular large chain in the United States and ranked it second in the Healthy Options category. The company responded by touting its "wholesome" food. Sure, Panera sells a few salads. But why do the scones, pastries, baguettes, and bear claws get all the good lighting? Why are the grab-and-go packs of cookies and brownies next to the register? What need is fulfilled by serving soup bowls made of bread, with a mound of bread for dipping, and then offering more bread on the side? How come it's noon and the couple behind me are eating bagels while the guy to my right is sawing into a cinnamon roll with a fork and a knife like it's a steak?
The answer is that fast-burning carbohydrates—just like cocaine—give you a rush. As with blow, this rush can lead to cravings in your brain and intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a fix. But unlike cocaine, this stuff does more than rewire your neurological system. It will short-circuit your body. Your metabolism normally stockpiles energy so you can use it as fuel later. A diet flush with carbohydrates will reprogram your metabolism, locking your food away as unburnable fat. When you get hungry again you won't crave anything but more of the same food that started you down the path to dependency. Think of this stuff as more than a drug—it's like a metabolic parasite, taking over your body and feeding itself.
You aren't supposed to talk this way about carbohydrates. According to USDA dietary recommendations, they are not only healthy but are supposed to make up the majority of the food we eat—45 to 65 percent of all calories. Carbs, which are classified as starches and sugars, make up the essence of bread, cereal, corn, potatoes, cookies, pasta, fruit, juice, candy, beer, and sweetened drinks—basically anything that isn't protein or fat. Our government's recommendations were established in the 1970s and have since been accompanied by an explosion of obesity and diabetes. The advice came about as early nutrition scientists rallied around a misguided maxim that remains embedded in the fabric of our attitudes toward food to this day: Eating too much fat makes you fat. But science never bore out this pre-Galilean view of nutrition. What is now clear is this: At the center of the obesity universe lie carbohydrates, not fat.
"You could live your whole life and never eat a single carbohydrate—other than what you get from mother's milk and the tiny amount that comes naturally in meat—and probably be just fine," says Gary Taubes, the award-winning author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, which is helping to reshape the conversation about what makes the American diet so fattening.
If all you knew about food is what you read in the USDA guidelines, you'd think our bodies conveniently come into the world seeking the one nutrient that is cheap and amenable to commercial mass production: carbohydrates. "Sugars and starches provide energy to the body in the form of glucose, which is the only source of energy for red blood cells and is the preferred energy source for the brain," says the latest edition of the guidelines. Wrong, says Taubes, who just released Why We Get Fat, a layman's version of his influential scientific tome. In the absence of carbs, your body will burn fatty acids for energy. It's how you sleep through the night without eating for eight hours. "The brain does indeed need carbohydrates for fuel," Taubes says, "but the body is perfectly happy to make those out of protein, leafy green vegetables, and the animal fat you're burning." As a pair of Harvard doctors (one an endocrinologist and one an epidemiologist) wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association last summer, carbohydrates are "a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement."
The Diets That Work
You wouldn't know it from reading the latest dietary headlines, but all of the popular diets—from Atkins to Dean Ornish (Bill Clinton's weight-loss plan) to the diet-of-the-moment, Paleo—are successful because the most important change they advise is the same: stop eating refined carbohydrates. This only reminds us of what had been the conventional wisdom in medicine for hundreds of years before the USDA stepped in: that sugar, flour, potatoes, and rice are what make a person fat, not meat and milk.
Forty years into the low-fat, high-carbohydrate way of eating—we can thank it for "diabesity," shorthand for the societal prevalence of type II diabetes paired with obesity—it seems clearer than ever that our problem lies not simply in carbohydrates, but in their fundamental addictiveness. They sidestep our defenses against overeating, activate brain pathways for pleasure, and make us simultaneously fat and malnourished. They keep us coming back for more, even as they induce physical decline and social rejection. They achieve this more effectively than the controlled substances that can get a guy thrown into jail. Maybe the question isn't whether carbohydrates are addictive, but whether they are the most addictive substance of all.
In 2007, researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, reported that when rats were allowed to choose between a calorie-free sweetener and intravenous cocaine, 94 percent preferred the sugar substitute. The researchers concluded that "intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward. . . . The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction." Nicole Avena, an expert in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has spent many hours analyzing the behavior of rats enticed into sucking up sugar. She says that feeding on sugar can, like snorting coke, lead to bingeing, withdrawal, and craving. It does this by lighting up the same circuitry within the brain triggered by cocaine and amphetamines, the dopamine center.
But a carbohydrate addiction is potentially more destructive than an 8-ball-a-day habit, because it hijacks your metabolism. If you eat a low-carb diet, you are able to remain satiated between meals, because the body will burn its fat stores. But eating carbs, especially refined varieties like sugar or flour, sweetened drinks, or starches, causes the body to release the hormone insulin. The body secretes insulin as a response to high blood sugar—a serious, even potentially lethal health risk over time. The hormone directs cells to extract sugar from the blood and store it as fat, and what's worse, in order to get sugar out of the blood as efficiently as possible, insulin makes it extremely difficult for the body to burn its fat stores. Over time, the presence of insulin in our carb-heavy diet causes diminishing returns. As our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, our bodies frequently release even more of it to compensate. The result is a blood-sugar vacuum: The body craves more of what the hormone feeds on and triggers our hunger mechanism, which works subconsciously, to direct us toward the nutrient causing all the problems in the first place—carbohydrates. You get fatter and your body craves even more carbs in order to maintain your increasing weight. Drug cartels can only dream of a narcotic with an addiction cycle this powerful.
Once hooked, can you quit your carb addiction? It's not like there's a carb-cessation program at Promises, after all. Taubes says it won't be easy, but given the alternatives, you simply have to try. And cold turkey is as good a method as any. "Anecdotal evidence suggests that the craving for carbs will go away after a while," he says, "although whether a while is a few weeks or a few years is hard to say." And frighteningly like an addict in recovery, you're unlikely ever to be totally cured, and you'll always be tempted to relapse when the opportunity arises. Be warned: The number of Panera Bread outlets is 1,421 and counting.
How You Get Hooked (Over Time)
1. When you take in carbs, like Gatorade or whole-wheat bread, you secrete the hormone insulin. Even thinking about carbs causes this to happen.
2. Refined carbs spike blood sugar, and this is a big problem. The first result is that your body immediately stops burning its existing fat stores.
3. Too much blood sugar is a dangerous situation, and in response, insulin, a hormone, rips it from your blood and tells the body to store the energy as fat (in men this first happens around the waist).
4. Normally your liver controls blood sugar, but because you eat so many carbs you have a constant supply of insulin circulating. This turns out to be bad—very bad. This causes you to become resistant to insulin.
5. Insulin resistance means your body pumps out more insulin to make up for the deficit. Now you're getting fat, but what's worse is that your body desires even more carbs as fodder for the excess insulin.
6. You get fatter and fatter and your body craves more carbs to feed your increasing girth. This destructive cycle is why Americans are so overweight (the process doesn't happen overnight).
One year post-op... really?
Feb 21, 2011
Tomorrow I have my one-year follow up appointment with my surgeon's office. Seriously? It doesn't seem like it has been a year already. I had surgery on March 8, 2010... hubby had his on December 22, 2010, so since he has his 2-month follow up appointment, we just decided to go in together and keep each other company. Hopefully will save some time that way, too! I am excited to see how much weight he has lost, since he hasn't weighed in since his 2-week follow up appointment. I can tell a big difference in him, and other people can too, so I know it will be significant. I am curious to see what my "official" weight is at the office, since it is always different than my home scale. I still can't believe that I am on the other side of surgery, it has really flown by, and I am having a hard time seeing what I really look like in the mirror. I guess it will always be that way. But I know that I am fitting into size 12 jeans now, so it is real!
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Do You Know the Best Remedy for Regain?
Feb 07, 2011
EXCERPT
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach
Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery
www.nawls.com
When a food craving hits, there is no fast-acting, anti-hunger cream we can rub on. But, most of us employ various tactics to help us avoid eating on a whim. I've heard many: distracting yourself with a good book, putting a stop sign in your kitchen doorway between meal times, making a phone call, getting engaged in a hobby you enjoy... I could go on and on. These short-term tactics can help immensely, but getting rid of the source of the problem is much more challenging.
Some of my coaching clients have agreed to become scientists rather than critics. What I mean by that is instead of fighting the cravings, giving in, and beating themselves up -- over and over again, they have undertaken an effort to get a better understanding of themselves and their situations. The number one tool they used is a "Food/Hunger/Mood/Activity/Sleep Log." I know that some people hate to keep a log, but your beliefs about logs are worth challenging, especially considering the major benefits (Did you know studies show that keeping a food log practically doubles your weight loss?).
Honestly, when I started to regain, I decided I was willing to do anything to keep the weight off, and I embraced my log as the number one tool to help me. Through logging I discovered an association between my low-grade depression and certain foods I was eating (donuts). I also learned I am hungrier during my PMS week (chocolate). I realized I was snacking at the same time every day (popcorn or cheese, or both), when I wasn't hungry. I made a connection between a stressful day at work and a midnight snack (toast with peanut butter). I even noticed that I consistently craved certain foods at certain times of day, probably due to a daily pattern of feelings I was attempting to manage with food. While using my log, I took the role of a scientist observing herself, not a critic judging herself. Once I had a better understanding of my feelings and behavior I began to experiment with small changes and I saw the pounds I had regained begin to slip away.
I made the following changes, one at a time:
Seeing the scale go down gave me motivation to try some of the more difficult changes. Over time, I lost all the weight I regained. Now, at the first sign of weight gain, or of sliding into old unhealthy behavior, I take action. I get my log book out and observe, non-judgmentally, what's going on. Then, I experiment some more -- making the easiest changes first.
0 comments
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach
Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery
www.nawls.com
When a food craving hits, there is no fast-acting, anti-hunger cream we can rub on. But, most of us employ various tactics to help us avoid eating on a whim. I've heard many: distracting yourself with a good book, putting a stop sign in your kitchen doorway between meal times, making a phone call, getting engaged in a hobby you enjoy... I could go on and on. These short-term tactics can help immensely, but getting rid of the source of the problem is much more challenging.
Some of my coaching clients have agreed to become scientists rather than critics. What I mean by that is instead of fighting the cravings, giving in, and beating themselves up -- over and over again, they have undertaken an effort to get a better understanding of themselves and their situations. The number one tool they used is a "Food/Hunger/Mood/Activity/Sleep Log." I know that some people hate to keep a log, but your beliefs about logs are worth challenging, especially considering the major benefits (Did you know studies show that keeping a food log practically doubles your weight loss?).
Honestly, when I started to regain, I decided I was willing to do anything to keep the weight off, and I embraced my log as the number one tool to help me. Through logging I discovered an association between my low-grade depression and certain foods I was eating (donuts). I also learned I am hungrier during my PMS week (chocolate). I realized I was snacking at the same time every day (popcorn or cheese, or both), when I wasn't hungry. I made a connection between a stressful day at work and a midnight snack (toast with peanut butter). I even noticed that I consistently craved certain foods at certain times of day, probably due to a daily pattern of feelings I was attempting to manage with food. While using my log, I took the role of a scientist observing herself, not a critic judging herself. Once I had a better understanding of my feelings and behavior I began to experiment with small changes and I saw the pounds I had regained begin to slip away.
I made the following changes, one at a time:
- Go back to therapy with someone who understands eating and weight issues.
- Fill out my food log.
- Go to bed one hour earlier.
- Get trigger foods out of sight -- or out of the house altogether.
- Each morning, or the night before, plan and pack my food for the day.
- Eat dense protein first at each meal.
- Walk an extra 10 minutes per exercise session.
- Measure the foods I tend to overdo (cheese, fats, carbs).
- Try a new vegetable each week.
- Nap once a week.
- Sit still and breathe for 5 minutes every day.
- Limit my exposure to negative people and to bad news in the world.
- Stop using the telephone, TV, or internet one hour before bedtime and for one hour after awakening each morning (except when I use my yoga DVD).
Seeing the scale go down gave me motivation to try some of the more difficult changes. Over time, I lost all the weight I regained. Now, at the first sign of weight gain, or of sliding into old unhealthy behavior, I take action. I get my log book out and observe, non-judgmentally, what's going on. Then, I experiment some more -- making the easiest changes first.
I HAVE REACHED MY GOAL WEIGHT!
Jan 27, 2011
I got on the scale yesterday... I have reached my goal weight of 160 lbs! This is the goal that the surgeon's office set for me, back before I had surgery, and I thought it was too low. I thought that 180 lbs would be more reasonable for me, and NEVER thought that I would ever see 160 on the scale. I am currently a size 12, and have a "normal" BMI, and feel so amazing! So glad that I had this surgery - it has truly changed my life. My hubby is now 1 month out from surgery, and already seeing changes in how he looks and MORE IMPORTANTLY how he feels. I am still hesitant to recommend this surgery to anyone else, just because it is such an individual thing, but for me, it was the best decision I ever could have made.
2 comments
Merry Christmas to all!
Dec 25, 2010
Busy busy busy! What a crazy year this has been! On March 8, I had RNY gastric bypass surgery. I have since lost 100 lbs since day of surgery! Then just 5 short days ago, my hubby also had surgery! I am excited that both of us are starting off the new year with a new lease on life... 2011 is going to be great. Looking forward, there is so much potential, and I can't wait to see what the new year brings. Our 3-year-old son is staying with my parents (next door!) while hubby recuperates. We went over there this morning to open presents and hang out for a while, then came back home around 3PM to rest and get away from all the yummy food smells. I have had a good first Christmas post-op, all things considered! I just feel so blessed to have gained my health through this surgery, and so blessed that my sweet hubby came through surgery with flying colors, and now is doing so great, and not even a week out yet. Life is so good!
28 Dignified Ways to Impress Everyone Around You
Dec 22, 2010
From the blog "Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living"
http://www.marcandangel.com/
Far more often than any of us like to admit, our actions are driven by an inner
desire to impress other people. This desire is often reflected in the brand
name products we use, the bars and restaurants we frequent, the houses and cars
we buy and the careers we choose.
But are name brand products, fancy bars, houses and cars really that
impressive? What about a person who holds an elite position in a career field
they dislike? Some of these things might capture our attention for a minute or
two, but they won’t hold it for long.
Why? Because tangible possessions are not as impressive as intangible
qualities.
Consider the following questions:
* He drives a Porsche, but can he truly afford the car payment?
* He owns a big house, but is it a loving household?
* He makes a lot of money, but does he enjoy what he does for a living?
You get the idea. Whenever the answer to questions like these is ‘no,’ the
subject who initially appeared to be impressive no longer does.
Now take a moment and imagine a person who loves what he does for a living,
smiles frequently and bleeds passion in every breath he takes. Would he impress
you? Would it matter that he wasn’t a millionaire?
Here are 50 dignified ways to impress everyone around you. If you practice
these tips on a regular basis, they won’t just impress others, they’ll help you
become a better person too.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill
1. Be authentic. Be true to yourself. – Judy Garland once said, “Always be a
first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody
else.” Live by this statement. There is no such thing as living in someone
else’s shoes. The only shoes you can occupy are your own. If you aren’t being
yourself, you aren’t truly living – you’re merely existing. And ask yourself
this: If you don’t like who you really are, why should I like you?
2. Care about people. – If you don’t genuinely care about people, they won’t
care about you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.
Love and kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.
3. Make others feel good. – People will rarely remember what you did, but they
will always remember how you made them feel.
4. Be honest and take ownership of your actions. – Nobody likes a liar. In the
long-run, the truth always reveals itself anyway. Either you own up to your
actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
5. Smile often. – Everyone likes the sight of a genuine smile. Think about how
you feel when a complete stranger looks into your eyes and smiles. Suddenly
they don’t seem like a stranger anymore, do they?
6. Respect elders. Respect minors. Respect everyone. – There are no
boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be
respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your
grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby
brother. People will notice your kindness.
7. Address people by their name. – People love the sight and sound of their own
name. So make sure you learn to remember names. Use them courteously in both
oral and written communication.
8. Say “Please” and “Thank you.” – These two simple phrases make demands sound
like requests, and they inject a friendly tone into serious conversations.
Using them can mean the difference between sounding rude and sounding genuinely
grateful.
9. Excel at what you do. – I am impressed by great guitarists, writers,
bloggers, painters, motivational speakers, internet entrepreneurs, computer
engineers, mothers, fathers, athletes, etc. There is only one thing they all
have in common: They excel at what they do. There’s no point in doing something
if you aren’t going to do it right. Excel at your work and excel at your
hobbies. Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent
excellence.
10. Help others when you’re able. – In life, you get what you put in. When you
make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact
in your own life. Do something that’s greater than you – something that helps
someone else to be happy or to suffer less. Everyone values the gift of
unexpected assistance and those who supply it.
11. Put a small personal touch on everything you do. – Think of it as branding
your work. If you’re funny, add a little humor into it. If you’re an artist,
decorate it with illustrations. Whatever you do, customize it with a little
personal touch of ‘you.’
12. Over-deliver on all of your promises. – Some people habitually make
promises they are just barely able to fulfill. They promise perfection and
deliver mediocrity. If you want to boost your personal value in the eyes of
others, do the exact opposite. Slightly under-sell your capabilities so that
you’re always able to over-deliver. It will seem to others like you’re
habitually going above and beyond the call of duty.
13. Get organized. – How can you get anything accomplished if you aren’t
organized? You can’t. Make a regular habit of organizing your living space and
working space. For some practical organizational guidance, I recommend David
Allen’s Getting Things Done.
14. Do your research and ask clarifying questions. – Don’t be that clueless
dude in the room who just nods like he knows what’s going on. Prepare yourself
by doing research ahead of time. And if something still doesn’t make sense to
you, ask questions. The people involved will respect your desire to understand
the material.
15. Share knowledge and information with others. – When you can, be a resource
to those around you. If you have access to essential information, don’t hoard
it. Share it openly.
16. Be positive and focus on what’s right. – Everything that happens in life is
neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. And no matter how
it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should. Either you succeed or
you learn something. So stay positive, appreciate the pleasant outcomes, and
learn from the rest. Your positivity will rub off on everyone around you.
17. Listen intently to what others have to say. – Eyes focused, ears tuned,
mobile phone off. In a world that can’t move fast enough, someone who can find
time to listen to others is always appreciated.
18. Be faithful to your significant other. – Tiger Woods was everyone’s hero
until recently, wasn’t he? Sustained fidelity in a long-term intimate
relationship is not only impressive, it creates a healthy foundation for
everything else you do.
19. Learn to appreciate and love Mother Nature. – Those who truly appreciate
and love the natural world surrounding us typically exhibit the same high regard
for all humanity. It’s a positive way to live, and it’s something people
notice.
20. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. – When you invest in
yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of
your life. You are simply the product of what you know. The more time, energy
and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have
over your life and the more valuable you will be to everyone around you.
21. Perform random acts of kindness on a regular basis. – Pay for a stranger’s
coffee in line at Starbucks. Buy the office receptionist flowers just to say,
“Thank you.” Help an elderly lady with her groceries. There’s nothing more
rewarding than putting smiles on the faces around you.
22. Compliment people who deserve it. – Go out of your way to personally
acknowledge and complement the people who have gone out of their way to shine.
Everybody likes to hear that their efforts are appreciated.
23. Speak clearly and make eye contact. – Most people have a very low tolerance
for dealing with people they can’t understand. Mystery does not fuel strong
relationships and impressiveness. Also, there’s little doubt that eye contact
is one of the most captivating forms of personal communication. When executed
properly, eye contact injects closeness into human interaction.
24. Make yourself available and approachable. – If people cannot get a hold of
you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. Your general
availability and accessibility to others is extremely important to them. Always
maintain a positive, tolerant attitude and keep an open line of communication to
those around you.
25. Be self-sufficient. – Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is
the greatest freedom. And self-sufficiency is quite impressive too. In the
business world, it’s one of the primary dreams that inspire people to give-up
their day jobs to pursue entrepreneurship.
26. Exploit the resources you do have access to. – The average person is
usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs
of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state
be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have.
Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion
for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
27. Be a part of something you believe in. – This could be anything. Some
people take an active role in their local city council, some find refuge in
religious faith, some join social clubs supporting causes they believe in, and
others find passion in their careers. In each case the psychological outcome is
the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This
engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives. It’s hard not to be
impressed by someone who’s passionate about what they’re doing.
28. Stand up for your beliefs without flaunting them. – Yes, it is possible to
stand up for your beliefs without foisting them down someone else’s throat.
Discuss your personal beliefs when someone asks about them, but don’t spawn
offensive attacks of propaganda on unsuspecting victims. Stand firm by your
values and always keep an open mind to new information.
Of course, the coolest thing about this list is that everything you need to
impress everyone around you is already contained within you. So stop trying to
impress people with the possessions you own and start inspiring them with who
you are and how you live your life.
0 comments
http://www.marcandangel.com/
Far more often than any of us like to admit, our actions are driven by an inner
desire to impress other people. This desire is often reflected in the brand
name products we use, the bars and restaurants we frequent, the houses and cars
we buy and the careers we choose.
But are name brand products, fancy bars, houses and cars really that
impressive? What about a person who holds an elite position in a career field
they dislike? Some of these things might capture our attention for a minute or
two, but they won’t hold it for long.
Why? Because tangible possessions are not as impressive as intangible
qualities.
Consider the following questions:
* He drives a Porsche, but can he truly afford the car payment?
* He owns a big house, but is it a loving household?
* He makes a lot of money, but does he enjoy what he does for a living?
You get the idea. Whenever the answer to questions like these is ‘no,’ the
subject who initially appeared to be impressive no longer does.
Now take a moment and imagine a person who loves what he does for a living,
smiles frequently and bleeds passion in every breath he takes. Would he impress
you? Would it matter that he wasn’t a millionaire?
Here are 50 dignified ways to impress everyone around you. If you practice
these tips on a regular basis, they won’t just impress others, they’ll help you
become a better person too.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill
1. Be authentic. Be true to yourself. – Judy Garland once said, “Always be a
first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody
else.” Live by this statement. There is no such thing as living in someone
else’s shoes. The only shoes you can occupy are your own. If you aren’t being
yourself, you aren’t truly living – you’re merely existing. And ask yourself
this: If you don’t like who you really are, why should I like you?
2. Care about people. – If you don’t genuinely care about people, they won’t
care about you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.
Love and kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.
3. Make others feel good. – People will rarely remember what you did, but they
will always remember how you made them feel.
4. Be honest and take ownership of your actions. – Nobody likes a liar. In the
long-run, the truth always reveals itself anyway. Either you own up to your
actions or your actions will ultimately own you.
5. Smile often. – Everyone likes the sight of a genuine smile. Think about how
you feel when a complete stranger looks into your eyes and smiles. Suddenly
they don’t seem like a stranger anymore, do they?
6. Respect elders. Respect minors. Respect everyone. – There are no
boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be
respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your
grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby
brother. People will notice your kindness.
7. Address people by their name. – People love the sight and sound of their own
name. So make sure you learn to remember names. Use them courteously in both
oral and written communication.
8. Say “Please” and “Thank you.” – These two simple phrases make demands sound
like requests, and they inject a friendly tone into serious conversations.
Using them can mean the difference between sounding rude and sounding genuinely
grateful.
9. Excel at what you do. – I am impressed by great guitarists, writers,
bloggers, painters, motivational speakers, internet entrepreneurs, computer
engineers, mothers, fathers, athletes, etc. There is only one thing they all
have in common: They excel at what they do. There’s no point in doing something
if you aren’t going to do it right. Excel at your work and excel at your
hobbies. Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent
excellence.
10. Help others when you’re able. – In life, you get what you put in. When you
make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact
in your own life. Do something that’s greater than you – something that helps
someone else to be happy or to suffer less. Everyone values the gift of
unexpected assistance and those who supply it.
11. Put a small personal touch on everything you do. – Think of it as branding
your work. If you’re funny, add a little humor into it. If you’re an artist,
decorate it with illustrations. Whatever you do, customize it with a little
personal touch of ‘you.’
12. Over-deliver on all of your promises. – Some people habitually make
promises they are just barely able to fulfill. They promise perfection and
deliver mediocrity. If you want to boost your personal value in the eyes of
others, do the exact opposite. Slightly under-sell your capabilities so that
you’re always able to over-deliver. It will seem to others like you’re
habitually going above and beyond the call of duty.
13. Get organized. – How can you get anything accomplished if you aren’t
organized? You can’t. Make a regular habit of organizing your living space and
working space. For some practical organizational guidance, I recommend David
Allen’s Getting Things Done.
14. Do your research and ask clarifying questions. – Don’t be that clueless
dude in the room who just nods like he knows what’s going on. Prepare yourself
by doing research ahead of time. And if something still doesn’t make sense to
you, ask questions. The people involved will respect your desire to understand
the material.
15. Share knowledge and information with others. – When you can, be a resource
to those around you. If you have access to essential information, don’t hoard
it. Share it openly.
16. Be positive and focus on what’s right. – Everything that happens in life is
neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. And no matter how
it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should. Either you succeed or
you learn something. So stay positive, appreciate the pleasant outcomes, and
learn from the rest. Your positivity will rub off on everyone around you.
17. Listen intently to what others have to say. – Eyes focused, ears tuned,
mobile phone off. In a world that can’t move fast enough, someone who can find
time to listen to others is always appreciated.
18. Be faithful to your significant other. – Tiger Woods was everyone’s hero
until recently, wasn’t he? Sustained fidelity in a long-term intimate
relationship is not only impressive, it creates a healthy foundation for
everything else you do.
19. Learn to appreciate and love Mother Nature. – Those who truly appreciate
and love the natural world surrounding us typically exhibit the same high regard
for all humanity. It’s a positive way to live, and it’s something people
notice.
20. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. – When you invest in
yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of
your life. You are simply the product of what you know. The more time, energy
and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have
over your life and the more valuable you will be to everyone around you.
21. Perform random acts of kindness on a regular basis. – Pay for a stranger’s
coffee in line at Starbucks. Buy the office receptionist flowers just to say,
“Thank you.” Help an elderly lady with her groceries. There’s nothing more
rewarding than putting smiles on the faces around you.
22. Compliment people who deserve it. – Go out of your way to personally
acknowledge and complement the people who have gone out of their way to shine.
Everybody likes to hear that their efforts are appreciated.
23. Speak clearly and make eye contact. – Most people have a very low tolerance
for dealing with people they can’t understand. Mystery does not fuel strong
relationships and impressiveness. Also, there’s little doubt that eye contact
is one of the most captivating forms of personal communication. When executed
properly, eye contact injects closeness into human interaction.
24. Make yourself available and approachable. – If people cannot get a hold of
you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. Your general
availability and accessibility to others is extremely important to them. Always
maintain a positive, tolerant attitude and keep an open line of communication to
those around you.
25. Be self-sufficient. – Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is
the greatest freedom. And self-sufficiency is quite impressive too. In the
business world, it’s one of the primary dreams that inspire people to give-up
their day jobs to pursue entrepreneurship.
26. Exploit the resources you do have access to. – The average person is
usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs
of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state
be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have.
Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion
for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
27. Be a part of something you believe in. – This could be anything. Some
people take an active role in their local city council, some find refuge in
religious faith, some join social clubs supporting causes they believe in, and
others find passion in their careers. In each case the psychological outcome is
the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This
engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives. It’s hard not to be
impressed by someone who’s passionate about what they’re doing.
28. Stand up for your beliefs without flaunting them. – Yes, it is possible to
stand up for your beliefs without foisting them down someone else’s throat.
Discuss your personal beliefs when someone asks about them, but don’t spawn
offensive attacks of propaganda on unsuspecting victims. Stand firm by your
values and always keep an open mind to new information.
Of course, the coolest thing about this list is that everything you need to
impress everyone around you is already contained within you. So stop trying to
impress people with the possessions you own and start inspiring them with who
you are and how you live your life.
Hubby is recovering...
Dec 21, 2010
He is snoozing away right now! (Yay.) We didn't get much rest last night - you know how it is in a hospital - with vitals checks every so often, and blood work, and replacing IVs, and stuff like that. But we have had some great nurses, and they are definitely making it easier for us! His sats kept dropping every time he dozed off, so they put him on a venti oxygen mask to keep him better oxygenated... and he and I were able to rest easier without worrying about his sat dropping.
We went down to radiology this morning and he had his swallow test, and passed with flying colors! No leak! His pouch is little and cute and perfect. We are back up in the room now, just hanging out, and I think they are going to bring him some "lunch" in a few minutes. Probably broth, juice, and jello. YUM! Gourmet meal when you haven't had anything at all for a few days! He has had some trouble with generalized itching, so they gave him a dose of Benadryl to see if that helps. If not, then it may be an allergic reaction to the Morphine pump... will wait and see. Also, he has been really hot in here, so they finally were able to hunt down a little table-top fan for him! He is feeling much cooler and happier now.
The next big thing will be a shower! And tomorrow he can get the catheter out, then he will be a happy camper. All in all, things are going great! Just hoping that we can rest well today, and that his itching will be relieved, and that he can tolerate the clear liquids, so we can go home tomorrow. That would be awesome!!!
0 comments
We went down to radiology this morning and he had his swallow test, and passed with flying colors! No leak! His pouch is little and cute and perfect. We are back up in the room now, just hanging out, and I think they are going to bring him some "lunch" in a few minutes. Probably broth, juice, and jello. YUM! Gourmet meal when you haven't had anything at all for a few days! He has had some trouble with generalized itching, so they gave him a dose of Benadryl to see if that helps. If not, then it may be an allergic reaction to the Morphine pump... will wait and see. Also, he has been really hot in here, so they finally were able to hunt down a little table-top fan for him! He is feeling much cooler and happier now.
The next big thing will be a shower! And tomorrow he can get the catheter out, then he will be a happy camper. All in all, things are going great! Just hoping that we can rest well today, and that his itching will be relieved, and that he can tolerate the clear liquids, so we can go home tomorrow. That would be awesome!!!
