My nine year old granddaughter tonight.

As we're in the pool and she's scrunching up my face between her hands to give me a kiss, she says:  

"I can't kiss your face like this, there's no more fat on it."  

Love that kid!  

 

From:  http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10387/25-things-happy-people- do-differently.html

 

We all experience moments of insecurity, frustration, stress and even depression, but for some of us, these moments last longer than others.

Like many people, I've gone through some major life changes over the past few years. I was stuck in depression tied to my corporate job. My breakdown turned into a breakthrough, which gave me clarity to follow my heart and change direction in my life. I moved across the country to live my soul's purpose: to be a travel writer, life coach and public speaker. 

One important step I took in my transition was to align myself with happy and successful people. I studied their behavior and learned that there's a clear system and pattern in place to tap into true happiness. Through difficult life changes, we can learn a lot about ourselves as we grow into the people we're meant to be.

I used to be sad, depressed, and insecure. Today my life is much different; I'm happy, healthy, fulfilled, and I love every second of my life. I attribute my newfound freedom to this magical list of habits of highly happy people.

Whenever I feel out of alignment, I return to this list and it gets me back on track. These are the steps of highly happy and successful people, but I reframed it to be in the present tense, so it becomes a go-to list to pull anyone into a happier state. Maybe it can help you through a tough time. 

1. Stop worrying, if it supposed to happen it will. 

2. Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent.

3. Don't let your happiness depend on anything outside of yourself.

4. Stay close to everything that makes you feel alive.

5. Listen to your body, it will lead you to unlimited health. 

6. Surround yourself with people who see your greatness.

7. Make peace with your past.

8. See all setbacks as growth and expansive opportunities.

9. Comparing yourself to others will hurt your health and steal your joy.

10. Don't give up, EVER.

11. You always have a choice.

12. Stop chasing what’s not working.

13. Believe wholeheartedly in miracles.

14. Don't postpone joy.

15. Trust the universe, there is a plan greater than yours.

16. Wake up every morning with a grateful heart.

17. Remember things take time.

18. Always trust your gut.

19. No need to change people; just love them for who they are. 

20. Don't resist change.

21. Forgive yourself.

22. Your life is a creative adventure.

23. Release expectations and enjoy the journey, there is no destination.

24. Just do you.

25. You're not broken or damaged. You are perfect just the way you are. 

 

Who *said* being consistent didn't pay off? 

From MyFitnessPa moments ago:

ChipmunkRoastingmmm has logged in for 205 days in a row!

Wheee!

I don't have a smart phone, so this means I have placed my diminishing ass in front of the laptop for 205 days in a row.  

In other circumstances, that would be a pitiful admission.  

Today?  I joyously celebrate my commitment to *ME*.  :)  

Happy, happy, joy, joy.  

 

Well, it took a week of not so good eating, i.e. the peanut problem, but I put one and one together and came up with two.

Halleluiah!

The peanut problem and the six month blog posting.   They are connected.  Uh huh, yep, they are.

At six months I was crowding the 220 pound barrier.  220.4 pounds.   I haven't been in the two teens in 30 years.  Is it a scary transition?  I didn't think so, but apparently some part of me did.

So what did I do, when I was about to break through that milestone?   I ate peanuts, several days in a row, guaranteeing that at my weigh-in on July 29, I was up in body weight due to salt and water retention and pushed that 220 marker a wee bit further away.

Sheesh!  I'm 64 ... it took me a bit to put the two events together.  The six month post-op post, the 220 marker, and peanuts.  They fit.

Peanuts are gone, I'm expecting, but not counting on, a water weight whoosh, sooner rather than later.   If it's later rather than sooner, that's okay, too, because I've had somewhat of an understanding of my motivations.

 

I had my calories under 1200 every day last week, except that for three of those days, I counted over 500 calories from peanuts.  Yep, a cup or more of peanuts.

Paid the price tonight at TOPS - a gain of 2.4 pounds.

Makes the point, clearly and precisely.  I've got head work to do.

*sigh*

mmm

According to CBC Ottawa:

"Ottawa is under a frostbite advisory and a windchill warning as an expected high of -22 C is the coldest in eight years, says CBC Ottawa climatologist Ian Black.  

"With the windchill, at times Wednesday it will feel like about -40 C. That sparked the wind chill warning from Environment Canada, which expected about 15 km/h winds.  

"Ottawa Public Health re-issued a frostbite warning Tuesday and health officials said when the windchill is -35 C or colder, exposed skin can freeze in less than ten minutes. They advise wearing layers."   And, oh yeah, at 9:30 a.m. I was comfortably post-op, in the recovery room at the Ottawa Civic.  

My latest list of non-victories (NSVs):  

10)  I can cross my legs, any time, any where (no, not a la Sharon Stone)  

9) I kind of like my hair a bit longer as it frames my smaller face in a way it hasn't since I was in my 20's

8) our Church directory was given to us last week, with photos we had taken in January.  I look completely different.  

7) Several NSVs from my visits this week and last to (a) endocrinologist and (b) family physician, such as:  

6) my latest HB A1C is 5.9 (a non-diabetic number)  

5) my endocrinologist doesn't want to see me until December (keep on taking two Metformin and one Onglyza a day)  

4) six weeks with no blood pressure medications as of yesterday - blood pressure was 100/78 (low!)  

3) endocrinologist says stop testing my blood sugars - unless I am unwell, three times a WEEK is sufficient (I currently test six to eight times a DAY)  

2) endocrinologist says no need for diabetes blood work before I next see her - she can "tell by my eyes", how I'm doing (cue Twilight Zone music, do do do do do do do do)  

and the number one NSV in the past ten days  

1)  endocrinologist saying "You know there are some days that make us doctors really happy, and this is one of mine" -- and she smiled a huge smile right at me.  

I am well, I am down 73 pounds, I've had no complications and I feel good.  I just logged in to My Fitness Pal and was greeted with Chipmunkroastingmmm has logged in for 180 days in a row.

Currently the temperature in Ottawa is 23 degrees and I can decently wear a pair of shorts.  

Life's good.

 

My eleven year old granddaughter is staying with me this week as she is attending a day camp program (Amazing Race adventure) near my apartment.  Rather than her parents driving across the city every morning, it's convenient (and fun!) for all of us that she stay with Grandma.

Her parents (my son, post WLS, down 200 pounds and maintaining for close to four years), have sent groceries and treats as they know my eating plan doesn't include a lot of the things that an eleven year old wants, likes and deserves. 

I'm not going to eat the very healthy banana bread, the very healthy home made lasagna, etc. that are now sitting in my refrigerator, freezer and cupboards, but I just want to put it out there that this could be a challenging week.   I am not going to eat it - you know it, I know it.  I live alone, so if I don't bring it in to the house, it doesn't get eaten.

So ... just my way of saying that I completely and totally admire and respect anyone who cooks meals, prepares food, for others with no WLS implications (and a special shout out to those on OptiFast who do that while taking their nourishment from those shakes).  You people face challenges I don't, and I salute you.

I didn't get to my pre-op weight by ignoring the siren calls from the freezer and cupboards.  RNY restriction is truly my friend, and I'm just not listening to those foods and those voices.   The food leaves on Friday. 

Oooooh!   Wonderful NSV to share (and focus on) -- I tried on jackets at the Bay on Friday -- a freakin' size 16!   I haven't been in a size 16 since I was 30 (and since Grandma is 64, you can do the math).

Cheers, all -- thanks for letting me tell you about this one manageable challenge.

  This is a gem from the unmoderated Rants and Raves forum from 2012.  As the title says, I love it.    

YMMV 

 

 

Rggie's VSG FAQ list for sarcastic people

  ruggie
on 4/30/12 6:22 am - Sacramento, CA VSG on 07/06/11 with Paul Cirangle (COE) Howdy fellow VSGers - 

It seems I can be quite polarizing, I'm told, and I figured, hey, why not give Frisco a run for his money?  So I've compiled a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions - but for sarcastic people like me!  Regular, sweet people probably won't appreciate this, so I'm warning you now before you read it that Ye Olde Sarcasm lies ahead!  None of the following are about any specific people or posts, just things I've seen while I've been here on OH.  I'm sure you'll either be entertained or offended.  One or the other!

Oh - random reminder - commiseration and support are not the same thing.  Something to think about.   Commiseration is just misery loving company.  Support is proving tools for advancement and success.

Thus begins the FAQ for sarcastic people:
=================================================

Yes, there is in fact something very wrong with you that you've only lost five pounds in your one week of post-op.  I think your surgeon has screwed up your surgery and removed your liver instead.  You should be losing at least twenty pounds per day.  Get a lawyer.

Ok, you're less than two weeks out but your surgeon said no carbonation - oh but you found a soda that has "less" carbonation?  Sure, go ahead and drink it.  Have a few!  He's just a big meanie anyway.  Soda is great for dieting after all.  

My goodance, you have generated so my pity in my heart that you cannot "tolerate" the taste of your chewable vitamins.  I certainly don't blame you for stoping eating them.  After all, we don't want to improve your health if the cost is 10 seconds of absolute taste torture - chewable vitamins are the worst tasting thing on the planet, after all.  I know I cried a million tears as a child each time I ate a Flintstone's vitamin.

I know it's challenging to get down to goal, and now that it's slowed down for you, instead of exercising more or cutting calories, I definitely think you should take that drug you read about that they sell in  Mexico that makes you lose weight with only a "mild" chance of heart attack.  Double up - you'll lose faster.  (You'll also be so much more productive since you won't need sleep either.)

You're two weeks after surgery and you don't know what to eat (somehow) and you ask a group of strangers what to eat, instead of asking the man you paid several thousand dollars to slice you up.  Did it occur to ask about how you might eat before the surgery?  Oh right, I was pretty busy too before my surgrey for such little details too.  I did finally finish out watching Lost on Netflix (boy, I want to get my time back for that...)  Well, I can tell you what you're going to have to eat now, but you might be in for a surprise.....

Yes, if you can physically blend it, then it's a puree food.  Just add enough water and the cheeseburger will puree - that bun sure does soak up a lot!  Cheeseburger puree goes great with the applesauce and mashed potatoes you're already eating.

So I see you've decided that if God "lets" you survive your surgery, you're just going to let him worry about getting the vitamins you need from food?  Interesting.  Does he make your life insurance policy choice as well?  Just curious how far this relationship goes.  Does he brush your teeth for you as well, or are cavities "his will" too?  

Oh yes, pizza is definitely an all-around approved WLS food since you're buying the thin crust pizza.  Boy, I was ready to yell at you thinking it was "regular crust" pizza, but you have clearly found a health food here and have shamed me with your forward thinking.  

(Also seen with pizza) You're right!  Pizza is an excellent source of protein during weight loss since it's made with high-fat cheese and fatty protein!  I can hear your heart squealing with the love you show it.

I guess you're right... there really is no possible way to "live a little" other than to eat bad food.  Who knew?  You've convinced me that life is an empty and miserable experience without bad food.

I did not, in fact, realize that one's soul could be nourished with food.  I thought food nourishes one's body, but I'm just a biochemist, what do I know?  Eat if your soul is hungry.  Eat, eat!

Let's be honest, the only thing that tastes worst than chewable vitamins is protein shakes.  I've found you can make them tolerable if you make them with whole milk and add a half-cup of peanut butter.... yum!!!!  Now I just have to figure out why I'm stalled.

Do I know an upstate VSG surgeon in New York that takes Podunk Insurance and doesn't require any blood work or psych consult?   In fact, I do have a list of 17 doctors here that fit that criteria.  For some reason.

Oh, you would like some ideas on why you're not losing my weight, but you have neglected to tell us your starting weight, current weight, surgery type, calorie intake, protein/carb info, exercise info, fluid intake info, etc.  Yeah, fortunately the cameras I have installed in your apartment informs me it's because you're eating chips and lots of them.

Yes, someone losing weight faster than you is proof that something is wrong with you.  Straight up.

No no, I should completely coddle you and tell you "it's ok, you poor thing", after you have hurt yourself by eating six chocolate chips cookies in 5 minutes.  It was wrong of me to ask "what were you thinking" or "did you realize that's twice the size of your stomach"?  I will learn to express only pity for those kinds of mistakes rather than question your expectations of reality - or three-dimensional space.

Oh, you're a DS patient, and you think that anyone who gets a VSG or RnY are idiots and everyone who does is eventually going to get a revision into a DS?  I better go ahead and book my revision now.  Funny though, I'm at goal and you're not, but I'll still get that revision.

No, of course you have to "live a little".  That's why you can eat calorie dense food and and cake on:  major holidays, minor holidays, your birthdays, family birthdays, coworker birthdays, major milestone events, minor milestone events, good days worth celebrating, bad days worth forgetting, when you need to 'live' a little and every Tuesday and Thursday.  Also, when food is free or brought in by someone.  Also when food is one sale.  It's the law to eat it then.  I mean, are you going to let food go to "waste" or your "waist"?  Get that cupcake in your mouth stat!

I'm pretty sure that if I put a scoop of unflavored protein into cookie dough mix you'd never taste it, but somehow you've turned into a bloodhound and now it's enough to make you wretch when added to your soup.  Ok.  I'm sure there's nothing mental going on here at all.

I don't know why you've been unable to get to goal either after being stalled for several months, but I agree with you that it's not because you don't exercise or keep a food log.  I mean, the people that lose all their excess weight don't exercise or log their food, right?  

Yes, just by reminding you that the average WLS patient only loses 70% of their excess weight in the long run, I am automatically being unsupportive and saying you will fail.  Clearly you will lose 120% excess weight.  Like the first man on the moon, you're gonna be the first WLS patient to get to goal by eating just smaller portions of fast food and junk food!  Why did I do it the hard way? Please, write a book!

========================================

Love ya all..... 

     

Heaviest weight:  310 pounds  (Male, 5'10")

This old gal has installed Google Chrome and I am able to post in my blog.   

Now to get caught up.  More to follow.   Let's see how this looks, first.