Yvonne McCarthy
Streams of consciousness
Apr 19, 2007
I'm going to do this more often. It will only help me and it might help someone else. I have so many things on my mind and so little time.
I'm reading
I'm doing a bit of research about OA. Overeater's Anonymous. It occurred to me that after I did my bit on food addiction, what do we have available? We have after care if you’re fortunate and support groups like OH. Thankful, grateful for that. I want to help those that can’t stay with their program. I need to know how…better than I’ve done up to now. So I’m thinking (dangerous indeed) and I wonder how we might best work on our addiction. We’ve had the surgery, the pipes are fixed but the operating system has some serious bugs. Some Mac/PC humor would probably be appropriate here but I’ll leave that to the commercials. By the way…I’ll step out and tell you I’m on a PC and happy to be here. Don't hate me because I'm PC based!
So I was researching the OA website and saw some cute stuff.
H.O.P.E. Happy our program exists
R.E.L.A.P.S.E. Recovery exits life and program seems empty
S.L.I.P. Sobriety losing its priority (our sobriety is not over eating)
F.E.A.R. False evidence appearing real
D.E.N.I.A.L. Don’t even notice I am lying
A.C.T.I.O.N. Any change to improve our nature
F.I.N.E. (I’m fine!) frustrated insecure neurotic
emotions
There were a few more. I picked some I liked.
I believe we are addicts and until we fix that, we will continue to struggle. People in these programs like AA would call it “bare knuckles”…trying to do it by yourself with no support. I have family in AA. I’ve known about it for years. I just didn’t now I could apply some of it to me. Then I realized OA is out there. I talked to a big name OA’er on the phone before the conference and he told me something very interesting. He said that they look at us (WLS people) as thinking we have a medical problem. Yep, that’s what he said. “They think they have a medical problem that can be solved by surgery”. That hurt.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that if I’d known and understood it all when I was in the 4th grade, I could have done something. But I didn't know it. I didn’t even know any of this until recently as a post-op. It seems that due to my lack of after care, I created my own rules… borrowed some here, some there and so much of it runs parallel with 12 steppers. I want to learn the Spanish phrase that Jackie said. It means that “it’s not for me”. Wow do we miss out on some stuff sometimes when tons of people do something that works and we say "not for me". Sorta like obese people that are losing their lives little by little every day but the surgery is not for them.
I don’t know where this is going, this research, but I do know that I feel deeply that there is a connection with all of it and I’m going to go to a OA meeting and ask questions. I want to know one thing in particular. Has there ever been a post-op come to their program?????????? I’ll bet not…or maybe not many. I’ll report back.
Have a beautiful day. Think grateful…
Remember where you came from. Pay it forward. Failure sucks….some of Ramon’s rules.
Hugs, Y
Back from ObesityHelp.com California 2007 National
Apr 16, 2007
I'm trying not to get too long winded...or emotional. That's why I waited until this morning to post. I didn't get home until late yesterday.
Jackie Guerra where have you been all my life? WOW
Ramon and Debra went with me and took care of everything I needed. They were a huge support and helped me communicate the message that I wanted to give.
Eric Klein and the OH staff. What can I say again? To see the staff from 2004 that were still there... Eric, Tammy, Bruce and Bo. I really appreciate those that stuck around with OH...I really appreciate it.
I was given permission to post more pictures so that I could share this event with you and a past one. I am working on that today and promise to have it up soon....as well as some changes to my website.
I got to see Kim Lockwood again after meeting him at a Dallas event a few months ago.
If you don't know the story of Ramon Lopez, you should check it out. You can go to www.yvonnemccarthy.com and click on his name to see his profile.
I mentored Ramon and he never ceases to amaze me...never. When I give to Ramon, he gives right back and you just never see it coming. Two thirds of my team (Ramon and Debra) had to leave on Sunday early so I'm sitting in the last part of the conference and Jackie thanks me for my participation and gives me some of her jewelry...something I wanted so badly because I make stuff all the time and I couldn't think of anything better! I believe that when someone puts love into their art and then gives it away, part of that love goes with it. I was crying...couldn't believe that Jackie would be so kind to take time to do that....
All of a sudden Ramon is on the big screen thanking me! I am overwhelmed...how did he do this? Who did he talk to get this done? Why am I surprised? That's so Ramon.
When I pick 'em, I pick 'em. This is what it's all about. I believe that we need to mentor the people that will take what you give them and pay it forward. If they do not...refocus on someone that will use your gift for the better. I call Ramon my feral cat. (long story) He opens doors out of shear determination and I am humbled at his abilities. All he needed was a small chance.
And then all the new OH staff....such a powerful group of people. They all went above and beyond the call of duty.
Talked at length for the first time with Melissa Mermaid and Dr. Marcy, my co-breakout session participants.
I met a great bunch of California people. I will go to the California board and thank them properly. Check this out...I met a lady (named Sheryl) ....we both had our surgery in March but the big thing was that we were born on the exact same day and year!
So Miss Jackie...I slept in my earrings. I would have slept in the necklace but I didn't want to hurt it. I had hoped for someone like you but if I had custom ordered you, I would have cheated myself. Thank you, thank you, thank you.... you are unbelieveable and fantastic. Your heart and soul are on fire and you said everything I've been wanting someone to say for such a long time. I will sleep much better now.
Thanks to everyone for everything. I will get around to all that I need to in time.
forever changed, Y
California!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 09, 2007
It's gonna be California in April!
Mar 21, 2007
I'm speaking at the California OH event and I'm excited! What will I talk about?
Here’s the list:
1. Simplify choices, reduce stress and live your life!
2. Avoid goal-destructive behavior, put your program first in your life
3. Mentoring and how important it is
4. Redirect focus on food, stop the insanity
5. Moving as a thin person…what’s different?
6. Unrealistic expectations…NOT! Dream big and get big dreams.
7. Method of exercise. Easier way to do what you need and love it at the same time.
8. Why people are unkind when you are successful I hope if you’re attending you’ll get a chance to hear what I’ve got to say and will come and contribute as well.
AND on Saturday night we’ll be dancing in our 80’s outfits. I guess I have to admit that I actually have some vintage clothes that I wore…in the 80’s…wow, I never thought I’d get to relive that time again. This time I’m a much happier, thinner person and I’m looking forward to dancing the night away with anyone that will dance with me!
Century Club Card
Feb 12, 2007
Talking about what OH has meant to me.
Feb 12, 2007
SEE THE VIDEO!
http://yvonne.neptune.com/index.html?selectedalbum=yvonne299991
OK, if you can't see it on the link above, try youtube below. It's not as high quality but it works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpQqpPdkJGA
Stream of consciousness
Feb 11, 2007
Stream of consciousness. (term I’m borrowing from a very smart person) I am calling it that so you’ll know when I’m just talking about things. Not updating stuff about me… but talking about serious stuff. Things that concern me. Stuff like what I believe is a change in our community…something happened along the way and I think we’ve veered off the path. I think some of our old fear, anger and resentful feelings are driving the bus.
I had obesity at different stages for 30 years. If you count back to when I wasn’t thin (overweight) it would be 43 years (minus 2 skinny years in college). I starved myself like an anorexic in college. I ate cottage cheese, tomatoes and crackers. It was the only way I could be thin. I wanted it so badly that I did it above all else. I got a two year “get out of obesity jail card”. Of course it was impossible to keep up so I slipped back into invisible girl.
After attending a seminar in
My first order of business is to try to help a lady named
Busy busy busy!
Feb 10, 2007
I am dreaming of a future...a future where we can live without being judged for how we look. Before or after surgery.
Oh fun...kitty stuff
Feb 02, 2007
Yvonne's Site
OK, I'm having too much fun with the kitties.
I had an epiphany today. I realized that the reason I learned to do so many things (music, photography and whatever little tricks I do) was because I was fat. I tried so hard to fix the fat but I couldn't so I
learned a bunch of tricks. 
I couldn't control
the weight. More to follow as I think this one through.
Why I lost an additional 10-15 pounds after almost 6 years out
Jan 29, 2007
I read about bio-identical hormones and knew that was the answer for me but I let some people talk me out of it. It's a simple SIMPLE idea. When we go through menopause we quit making hormones. In the past doctors did and do give you synthetic hormone replacement. That was the hormone scare a couple of years ago. The reason most doctors give you synthetic hormones is because you cannot patent a natural hormone. You can't go pull grass out of the ground and patent it. Some women take Premarin. It is pregnant mare urine. That's not exactly balanced with what we need. It's long and sort of complicated and there's a book that is very small that you can read in a day. It's called Natural Hormone Replacement by Jonathan Wright. You can find in on amazon. Even new it's only about $9.00. I won't go into the scientific parts, the book explains it all, but I will relate to you what has happened to me. In the back of the book there is information on how to locate the necessary doctors and find the compounding pharmacies.
I was in a fog...so thick that I would walk in a room and forget why I was there. I'd look for a long time and couldn't remember what I needed. I'd give up then later I would remember. I would go back to the room and I'd forget again! I had all kinds of stuff going on. Dry skin, dry everything. No sex drive, one eye would run with tears, eyelashes and hair thinning out. Fatigue, so many many things.
I tried to talk to my OB-GYN and was telling him I didn't feel good. I had read a book about bio-identical hormones and decided with the last sane brain cell I had... that I would do it. You DO go to a doctor. You DO get them from a compounding pharmacy. It's real medicine but cutting edge. Women live longer now and they really don't know what to do with us.
The short story is that I started the therapy. Within a week I was coming out of the fog. Also menopause causes most women to pick up weight right in their stomach. I immediately lost 10-15 pounds. My eyelashes started growing back. They explain that by my replacing my hormones with the EXACT same hormones I lost, that I am throwing my body back into thinking it is in child bearing years. I don't know if it will always be this way but I am still able to eat much more than before. I am actually on the thin side for the first time and I'm taking it easy and I will eat back to where I need to be but I'm taking my time!
It works out well for WLS patients too because part of your medicine is in a cream that is absorbed through the skin. Do not confuse this with hormones that were found to cause cancer. It was actually because of the bio-identical hormones that the study was done and they found out all the bad stuff about the synthetics.
Who knows if this works for everyone but it worked for me. Menopause is starting in women younger and younger every year. It's easy to be tested. Let me add just one more really important thing. My body became even more muscular and lean and I guess I don't need to tell you that the sex drive went back to.....maybe better than ever. Check out the book, there are many books about bio-identical hormones, but this one is short and to the point.
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
