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Its MY birthday and the sweetest cheerleader ever, Terri R, and a bazillion others sent me well wishes. I was raised to always send thank you notes but Im feeling lazy today so here is a big ole group thank you :) For those who asked, wondered or hoped, I didnt do a darned thing today. I slept in until 11:30. I finished a couple of crafts. I chatted with Jenny R, Terri R, and Melissa. Had a pizza for lunch and then went for another 2.5 hour sleep. Now Im going to spend the night bossing my Pookey around, finishing a few chores and watching a little TV (on the 50" plasma).

I would like to take this occaision to thank my wonderful RNY surgery. Every special occaision makes me remember more what life used to be like comapred to my life now. I am a simple person with simple needs and dreams. I love a quiet life filled with snuggles and laughs from my mate and great company/companionship with a few friends and family. I had all of that pre op, what I didnt have is a body or mind to appreciate it. Now I can live life without sitting in a perpetual pitty pool soaked in mental tears. I didnt dream I would do so well with my surgery, it still amazes me and if I think about it too much I get scared waiting for the other shoe to drop (on my head).

Some people use their surgery as a chance to be the person they never were and maybe always wanted to be. I love that! Its a miracle to watch someone you know was practically chair bound and a shut in just months or years ago travelling all over the world, sprinting in 5k's or getting a new, better career. 

For people like me, quiet kitties, I think its important to see someone "do it" without being someone different. I didnt get SMO from being lazy. I like being moderately active and always was. I loved to decorate, clean, garden, shop and do girly things in general. Over the pounds gained I slowly lost the ability to do these hobbies. I simply ate too much and ate too much of the wrong foods. I have focused my post op RNY life soully on my diet because I like who I am/was physically. I didnt want to start exercising, fearing everyday I might quit it and gain all of my weight back. No exercise means not losing more weight than your expended cals. This cold have meant staying around 200 pounds for life, or so I had expected. It has actually meant losing to 159 pounds and still losing!!
 
2 years ago I over ate on my birthday. I dont remember it, I dont need to, I know what I was like. I probably ate a whole 12" pizza, half a 12" garlic cheese fingers, a donair and probably 2 or 3 pieces of cake over the evening, basically around 4500 cals. Tonight I will have a greek salad and cheese sticks for supper and milk & cereal for snack, basically 600 cals. I wont spend any more calories on activities than I did then, Im sure I did nothing then as Im likely to do nothing now, its all diet modification and I love it this way.

So I am celebrating great celebrations by NOT over eating and that is a bigger gift than anything I could have ever imagined!! So in case youre wondering, no Im not missing food at all. I didnt mourn the loss of my "best friend" because it was a terrible friend that always made life more dramatic, sad and painful than life without it. Its hard to be upset about anything when I feel so calm and at peace without the need for junk food directing my every action.

Special thank yous to Terry and also to those who replied to Terri's post:

Adelina1

Anna B (I LOVE the Hello Kitty card!!)

Southernbelle52 (My favorite belle!!)

Childofnite (My beautiful shrinking angelette)

Rahsheeda (Its always a special day with you guys here for me :)

Wanda (I totally am plump and proud of it Im just PlumpKitty sized like my nick and not plump whale sized like pre op ;)

Cshoen (Awww as long as you'll be my future I'll be your present anytime baby!!)

Lysaa_Ree

twins4meplus1 (eh ;)

Kelly C (***Blush!***)

Sally R

Amybethlander (Im feeling 20ish but I was a lazy crazy 20 year old ;)

smarties_girl91

Amy W

07TINK

Marli (I must be overly sentimental today cause it made me cry a lil)

Kristi J

Carissima

Martha M

Sandy Lu

Sweat Pea (rank you!!)

Shrinky Inky

B Girl

Tabetha A

Cy (wiggling back)

The family is on webcam if you want to watch!

Welcome all those that peeked :)
Happy Halloween!!!

HUGS
PK the angel

Just some cool craft ideas for next year (or maybe this :P)


What You Need:

• 24-inch grapevine wreath
• Black glossy spray paint
• Chenille stems in orange, silver, and black
• Round pencil
• Scissors
• White pony beads
• 1 yard of 2-inch-wide silver wire-edge ribbon

  Instructions:

1. Paint wreath. In a well-ventilated area, cover the work surface with newspapers. Lay the grapevine wreath on the newspapers and spray-paint one side of the wreath using black glossy paint. Let the paint dry. Turn the wreath over and spray-paint the back side. Let the paint dry.

2. Make coils. Shape several orange and silver chenille stems into coils or S-shapes as shown in the photograph. Arrange the coils and S-shapes on the wreath and secure by wrapping one end of each chenille stem around a vine on the wreath.

3. Make spirals. To make each long spiral, wrap an orange chenille stem around a pencil. Remove the spiral from the pencil and tuck it into the wreath where desired, securing under the vines. Make six or seven spirals and attach them to the wreath.

4. Add beads. Cut several 2-inch pieces from black chenille stems. Thread a white pony bead on each chenille stem piece. Twist each beaded chenille stem piece around the vine wreath. Continue adding beads between the chenille shapes until the desired look is achieved.

5. Add bow. Decide where the bow will be placed on the wreath. Slip the piece of ribbon under some of the vines where the bow is desired. Tie the ribbon into a bow. Trim the ribbon ends as needed.

Supplies

• Twig wreath form
• Mini pumpkins to cover the form
• Hot-glue gun
• Floral Wire
• Black Pipe Cleaner
• Black ribbon (grosgrain, satin, or raffia)
• Plastic Spiders

  Instructions

1. Start with an 18-inch twig wreath. You'll want to find one that has a fairly flat top section, so there's enough surface for the glue to secure the pumpkins. This size wreath took 13 pumpkins, but when you buy your materials at a craft store, be sure to lay out pumpkins around the wreath to see how many will fit.
2. Once your arrangement is set, start gluing each pumpkin in place and let it dry. We're gluing ours on so each one touches the next, but at the top we left about a 6-inch space for our bow.
3. Little plastic spiders are a fun addition as well. Just dot the legs with a bit of hot glue and set down on one of the pumpkins for a spooky Halloween touch.
4. Finally, you'll need a bow and I've got a great simple technique for that. You'll need to find wired ribbon in a 2 or 3 inch width. The wire helps you arrange the bow and the streamers easily and will help too, if you keep the bow from year to year -- you can just fluff it out as needed.
5. Lay a 24" strip of ribbon down on the table. Now, take about a 36" piece and leave a 15 inch streamer. Begin to loop the ribbon from side to side, beginning with smaller loops, gradually making the loops wider. End up with another 15 inch streamer. Lay down a black pipe cleaner or a 12" length of floral wire. Now you can pick up the ends of the 24" strip and knot it securely around all of the loops and the wire. There's your bow!
6. Use the wire to attach the bow to the wreath, or if you wish you can hot glue it onto the front. I know you -- and your guests -- will enjoy seeing this wreath. Happy Halloween!

Materials

• Tracing paper
• Permanent marker
• Clean empty tin cans
• Hammer and large nail
• Spray paint: orange and black
• Wire
• Tea-light candles

  Instructions

1. Using tracing paper, trace the pumpkin face or bat patterns (download below), or make your own design. Transfer the pattern of your choice to a clean tin can; go over the transferred pattern with a permanent marker. Fill the tin can with water; place it in the freezer. When the water in the can is frozen, remove the can from the freezer.
2. Use a hammer and nail to puncture the design in the can. Punch two holes in the rim of the can on opposite sides, centering the design between the two holes. Let the ice melt; allow the can to dry completely.
3. Cut a 16-inch length of wire. Insert one end of the wire into a hole in the rim; twist the end of the wire around the wire length. Insert the other wire end through the other hole in the rim, securing the wire in the same manner.
4. Spray paint the pumpkin can orange and the bat can black. Let the paint dry. Place a tea-light candle inside the can and hang securely from a branch or garden hook.

Halloween heralds the beginning of the holiday season and displaying a crafty Halloween tree shows you're in the scary spirit. Get the kids involved in creating and decorating a tree using Christmas ornaments.

Collect twigs and small branches from your yard or purchase some at a craft store. We used curly willow for our tree. Look for twisted, spooky-looking branches sturdy enough to hold your decorations and tall or short enough to fit the scale of your ornaments. You can use the twigs as-is or spray-paint them black on a tarp or newspapers outdoors.

While those dry, embellish the ornaments for the tree with a variety of peel-and-stick Halloween stickers. We decorated white Christmas glass balls for our tree but you can use any color and mix decorated balls with plain ones if you want.

Finish the ornaments by threading the tops with 9- or 10-inch lengths of narrow ribbon in black, orange, purple, or black-and-white dots. Knot it at the top so you can slip it over a branch of your tree.

To create the tree branches, simply arrange your painted twigs in Styrofoam or floral foam, being careful to stick the twigs in as far as they'll go. If you want a tree that will last year to year, secure the branches in plaster of Paris. To cover the foam, dot the top with hot glue and press a handful of Spanish moss over the top.

With your decorated ornaments dangling from its limbs, your Halloween tree is sure to give a friendly fright to anyone who sees it.


Forget about fancy faces and pumpkin patterns. Instead, go for a graphic look with easy-to-create drilled holes

1^st Mistake:  Not Taking Vitamins, Supplements, or Minerals

Every WLS patient has specific nutritional needs depending on the type of surgery you have had. Not only is it a good idea to ask your surgeon for guidelines, but also consult with an experienced WLS nutritionist. Understand there is not a standard practice that all surgeons and nutritionists follow in guiding WLS patients. So, it is important to do your own research, get your lab tests done regularly, and learn how to read the results.  Some conditions and symptoms that can occur when you are deficient in vitamins, supplements, or minerals include:

Osteoporosis; pernicious anemia; muscle spasms; high blood pressure; burning tongue; fatigue; loss of appetite; weakness; constipation and diarrhea; numbness and tingling in the hands and feet; being tired, lethargic, or dizzy; forgetfulness, and lowered immune functioning.

Keep in mind, too, that some conditions caused by not taking your vitamins, supplements, or minerals are irreversible.

2^nd Mistake:  Assuming You Have Been Cured of Your Obesity

A "pink cloud" or honeymoon experience is common following WLS. When you are feeling better than you have in years, and the weight is coming off easily, it's hard to imagine you will ever struggle again. But unfortunately, it is very common for WLS patients to not lose to their goal weight or to regain some of their weight back.

A small weight regain may be normal, but huge gains usually can be avoided with support, education, effort, and careful attention to living a healthy WLS lifestyle. For most WLSers, if you don't change what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten -- even after weight loss surgery.

3rd Mistake:  Drinking with Meals

Yes, it's hard for some people to avoid drinking with meals, but the tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long-term success. If you drink while you eat, your food washes out of your stomach much more quickly, you can eat more, you get hungry sooner, and you are at more risk for snacking. Being too hungry is much more likely to lead to poor food choices and/or overeating.

4^th Mistake:  Not Eating Right

Of course everyone should eat right, but in this society eating right is a challenge. You have to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Eat all your meals--don't skip. Don't keep unhealthy food in sight where it will call to you all the time. Try to feed yourself at regular intervals so that you aren't as tempted to make a poor choice.  And consider having a couple of absolutes: for example, avoid fried foods completely, avoid sugary foods, always use low-fat options, or only eat in a restaurant once a week. Choose your "absolutes" based on your trigger foods and your self knowledge about what foods and/or situations are problematic for you.

5^th Mistake:  Not Drinking Enough Water

Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day will help you avoid this risk. Adequate water intake will also help you flush out your system as you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. Drinking enough water helps with your weight loss, too.

6^th Mistake:  Grazing

Many people who have had WLS regret that they ever started grazing, which is nibbling small amounts here and there over the course of the day. It's one thing to eat the three to five small meals you and your doctor agree you need. It's something else altogether when you start to graze, eating any number of unplanned snacks. Grazing can easily make your weight creep up. Eating enough at meal time, and eating planned snacks when necessary, will help you resist grazing.   Make a plan for what you will do when you crave food, but are not truly hungry. For example, take up a hobby to keep your hands busy or call on someone in your support group for encouragement.

 7^th Mistake:  Not Exercising Regularly

Exercise is one of the best weapons a WLS patient has to fight weight regain. Not only does exercise boost your spirits, it is a great way to keep your metabolism running strong. When you exercise, you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even at rest!

 8^th Mistake:  Eating the Wrong Carbs (or Eating Too Much)

 Let's face it, refined carbohydrates are addictive. If you eat refined carbohydrates they will make you crave more refined carbohydrates. There are plenty of complex carbohydrates to choose from, which have beneficial vitamins. For example, if you can handle pastas, try whole grain Kamut pasta--in moderation, of course. (Kamut pasta doesn't have the flavor some people find unpleasant in the whole wheat pastas.) Try using your complex carbohydrates as "condiments," rather than as the center point of your meal. Try sprinkling a tablespoon of brown rice on your stir-fried meat and veggies.

9^th Mistake:  Going Back to Drinking Soda

Drinking soda is controversial in WLS circles. Some people claim soda stretches your stomach or pouch. What we know it does is keep you from getting the hydration your body requires after WLS--because when you're drinking soda, you're not drinking water! In addition, diet soda has been connected to weight gain in the general population. The best thing you can do is find other, healthier drinks to fall in love with. They are out there.

 10^th Mistake:  Drinking Alcohol

If you drank alcohol before surgery, you are likely to want to resume drinking alcohol following surgery. Most surgeons recommend waiting one year after surgery. And it is in your best interest to understand the consequences of drinking alcohol before you do it.

Alcohol is connected with weight regain, because alcohol has 7 calories per gram, while protein and vegetables have 4 calories per gram. Also, some people develop an addiction to alcohol after WLS, so be very cautious. Depending on your type of WLS, you may get drunker, quicker after surgery, which can cause health problems and put you in dangerous situations.

If you think you have a drinking problem, get help right away. Putting off stopping drinking doesn't make it any easier, and could make you a lot sicker.

1. I can stand, sit, walk, jog, run, jump, climb stairs, climb ladders, get in and out of small vehicles...
2. Pretty girly cool clothes (I worked HARD to NOT dress like a fat girl but sometimes it was hard!)
3. Loving food without needing to over eat it. Enjoying one individual small bite of food and actually tasting the flavour and feeling the texture,  instead of wolfing it down like Im at a hotdog eating contest at every meal.
4. My perception of myself, damn I am a hotty bo bottie compared to 1 year ago, even with the sags and wrinkles y'all have seen under my clothes, I dress up pretty good ;) Plus I lost a whole face along the way, can you say fat head??? NOT anymore :)
5. Other peoples perception of me. So many people are over weight her that even at 168 pounds EVERYONE calls me skinny minnie!
6. The fact that the changed lifestyle after RNY allows me to treat not only the physical aspect of obesity but the mental too. I am a junkie, but Im recovering one day at a time :)
7. The ability to eat in public without fear of people peeking to see what the fatty is eating
8. I have a lap!!!
9. I moved in April and none of my neighbours see me as the fat chick who lost weight, Im just the redhead now :)
10. Knowing that it wasnt willpower I lacked, it was the RNY I lacked The only thing I lack now is shame!

Im sitting here at the computer and I notice my cat acting odd. I watch her pace a little and then hop on taller furniture until she can stand on her back legs pawing at a flying bug. She looks so happy and so involved I think "wow to be so amused by batting a fly around." I smile realizing Im amused by just watching an animal doing something, which of us is the simple mind?

Its been wonderful month. I am so happy with my weight loss surgery decision. My official weight at the doctor yesterday is 184 pounds, 143 pounds down from my pre op highest weight and 7 pounds down for the month. Not quite the spectacular 18 pounds of last month but a great loss nonetheless.

 I have some major skin problems, my abdomen is still hanging with fat and overall I look bigger than I am. BUT I am now just "overweight" and I feel and look great!

Its been a fun month. My sister and her daughter came to visit me for a week and then I drove back to Quebec and Ontario with them along with my other nephew and we stayed for 2 weeks there. I went swimming for the first time in 10 years and it was wonderful! I think I may have to figure out a way to bring swimming back into my life regularly. We did the usual IKEA trek and shopping. Mostly I spent all of my money on my nephew (as usual.) I bought him a new wardrobe and a DS nintendo with games. I love spoiling the lil guy.

My current mini goal is to reach 167 pounds by September 19th. That would put me at the high end of my goal (150 - 170) and 160 pounds lost in just one year!!! So thats another 17 pounds in 2 months. Seems kinda high at this stage in the game but I like a challenge :P

I have been changing my calories a lot and not sticking to the rigid same calories everyday as I did initially. I ate as little as 600 and as much as 1400 calories a day this month. I hope to be at 1000+ calories everday by my 1 year aniversary with a daily average of 1200 calories. Currently I am averaging 1000.

My extra long periods (10 freaking days!!!) seem to have passed but now Im having them super regular. I started 3 weeks ago and again today! That is so weird I have never had a 21 day cycle before in my life. Yay for hormones, not!

Melissa and I exchanged diet food goodies this month and I cant wait to dive into her tastey treats. I need more groceries to go with them and since pookey is away I will have to wait until the weekend :)

Hugs to all and here's to another great month!
PK/T

yes I can honestly say I never once regretted my surgery. People in my situation only regret it if they would rather be dead. Other than being obese I have an amazing life. I have a wonderful, funny, intelligent, handsome hubby of 13 years, a family I take care of, a beautiful home and just about no real problems. I was going to lose all of that from my obesity and now I'm healthier than Ive been in 12 years and Im alive off of diabetic, PCOS, and blood pressure meds.

Just because I was ill, vomitting, fatigued, depressed and having troubles didnt mean I wanted it undone. I was HAPPY because all of that pain was proof I did it. Proof I had taken the right step to save my life. I have had quite a few serious operations in my life and this one was not the hardest or the easiest. It was one of the least painfull. I stopped pain killers after the second dose upon waking.

I do understand wanting to talk to people at the same point in your journey. It gets harder and harder to deal with newbies because life does get better and better. Some newbies spend so much of their time being negative it makes me wonder if they needed surgery or just wanted it. When you NEED your hip replaced you dont stand around wishing you had your old weak, pained, pathetic hip back. You deal with the pain and live while working your new bodypart. 

Our taste buds change for numerous reasons. The most obvious is the lack of sodium/chemicals in our diet. Even when we eat them we are eating such a small quantity that it doesn't desensitize our lil buds. MSG, another version of salt, makes a chemical change in your brain that lets you believe what you are eating tastes better than it actually does. If you were to make 2 identical dishes and add msg to only one, that one would taste better to most people. 

As a cook I know the easiest way to turn "ok" food into great food is to add butter, salt and sugar to everything. People eat a burger and fries in the restaurant vs at home and its ALWAYS better in the restaurant. 

Most of us obese people over ate foods high in these food enhancers WAY more than normal people so we found "diet" food especially boring. The great thing is the longer you go wihtout the crap food the better normal food tastes. This is one of the reasons I strongly advise people not to do the "moderation" plan with their old foods of choice. The extra flavour can make you discontent with your healthy meal plan.

My thing pre op.. I never understood when people said something was "too rich" I had never experienced this. Some sweety chrismas type square others could eat one of and feel a lil queasy if they tried another had zero effect on me. I would do 6 or 12 in a row and get high as a kite. Now I get "too rich" and I have to work VERY hard to stop there. I don't want to take my taste buds back to a place where they can handle anything.

On top of all of this one key factor is chewing. Chewing sends full signals to the brain. Most obese people are gobbling/swallowers and chew very little compared to what they eat. So now you only eat a 20th of the same amount of food and can feel "aaaaaah that was yummy" as in NOW its time to stop. Satisfaction in other words. Most people who follow their docs orders of chew chew chew and chew some more will say they are very satisfied with their diet even though previously they would have thought it awful and left them wanting to eat more.