slip slidin' away!

This morning I was bopping around cleaning up when I noted a Grey Honda at the top of my driveway, with a guy looking down, you know, checking things out, like:

"Is this the house?"

He pulls in, too fast and SLIIIIIIIIIIIDES.... hitting a patch of ice and gets stuck in the snow.  He would have hit the porch had he gone a little bit faster or further. 

This is the second time in 24 hours this has happened.  The water from the road pours down the drive and puddles, we obviously need drainage.

(Yesterday, luckily it was someone I knew, so I didn't feel weird helping, shoveling or pushing!)

This person did not seem very, um, whatever, and I did not feel comfortable getting out and helping him push or drive his car up my driveway.

WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP COMING HERE ANYWAY?  Do not answer that.  I know.  (If you don't know:  We bought a bank-owned property, I think it was a home-based "biz."  Strike that, It WAS.)

He comes to the door, looking down at his feet, and says, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just trying to turn around, and I got stuck.  Do you have anything..."   If you were turning around, you would have done so at the road.  One does not pull all the way in, to turn around. 

I show him my two empty buckets of salt, and my shovels, and cardboard boxes.  Have at it, kid.  (I would have sent Mr. MM out, but he's "got people" right now, re-doing his work.)

CAN I HAZ SPRING?  Or.  I love this house.  It's always going to be something, can you feel it?  Wait I take that back, it will be a mudslide in the spring, won't it?

Young mom of four in coma after complications from gastric bypass; benefit planned

WLS Complications Devastate Some Patients - With Video.

This woman seems as if she's given up.

(There's a video within the article that shows her distress.  Please watch it.)

SIGH.  Although, I get it.

The 2002 surgery led to chronic malnutrition and anemia. As the pounds melted away, so did her life.

With a sunken face and protruding collar bones, she is too weak to work and spends most afternoons on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

She has thoughts of giving up, but wants to be there for 12-year-old daughter Megan and 19-year-old son Dustin.

"It's not acceptable leaving me like this," said the 103-pound Krueger, who at 38 looks closer to 50. "I've gone to doctor after doctor and basically they don't help me."

So WHAT if Jessica Simpson was Rockin The MOM JEANS?!

 

She's still hotter than all y'all so lay the fck off.

Girls have boobs, hips and ass. 

She has all three.

Thank you.

SmartForme Bari-15 Snack Bars Peanut Butter Crisp

It's for the deets in the middle column.

Attributes
5g sugar or less Low-Fat Good Source Fiber Aspartame-Free Contains Soy Protein

The Bari-15 Snack Bar in Peanut Butter Crisp, is yet another bar that looks pretty out of the wrapper.  That's something about this line, they are all g o r g e o u s.  LOL.

Anyway. 

It's peanut butter.  It's crispy.  PB is not my favorite flavor - but I do prefer a crispy textured bar and that is what this is.  It's a sweet peanut butter flavor with soy crisps and it's chewy and crispy at the same time.  It's dipped in a peanut butter coating and drizzled with the same.  Overall, it's tasty, and if you are chewy peanut butter granola bar fan you will like this.

• Product - SmartForme Bari-15 Snack Bars Peanut Butter Crisp
• Via - SmartForme
• Pros - 130 calories each, 15 grams of protein
• Cons - At first glance, suuuuuugah.  But, they stopped at my limit of >15 carbs.  HA.
• Rating - Pouchworthy, ^MM

Other SmartForme Reviews:

• SmartForme Bari-15 Hot Chocolate
• Caramel Delight Protein Bar.
• Proti 15 Drink Mix Cranberry Fusion
• Bari-15 Ready-To-Drink Mocha Flavor
• RAVE! Bariatrix Proti-Squares

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

"And, that it contains MERCURY?"

"Oh."

"LOVE THOSE PANTS!"

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_74361.html

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.

In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS.

And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

Octuplets Mom Has 6 Other Kids. (Oh DEAR GAWD.)

Just when you think it's rough at your house.

You Read This:

"Octuplets Mom Has 6 Other Kids Acquaintance Tells CBS News She Also Has 4 Boys, 2 Girls; 2 Of The Others Are Twins."

I'm not laughing.  In fact.  My face is stone cold serious.  O M G.

"She is young," the acquaintance says, "fairly young. She has six children already. And in those six children, she has a set of twins."

Oh the drama.

I am sitting here avoiding something I need to do - after having cleaned up the trail'o'toddler  (she now not only colors on everything she can find, every time she finds a writing implement, she also strips, and opens the fridge and pours her OWN drinks) and I have to tell you what happened last night.

I think I realized part of the reason why this house was for sale - other than the whole It Was Bank Owned Part, because when it snows, and then it rains?  Really, really hard?  Yeah.

 

The water rushed to my eleven year old  daughters' door - and she saw it - freaked out - cried and screamed and came running for us. 

"THERE IS A FLOOD!"

My husband went to see - and the water was coming from the basement door where it had leaked in before, but  A Lot More than before.  All of a sudden the clues became clear as to why it looked like there Might Have Been Water in the basement.  We are on hands, knees, cleaning up, looking for a fan, anything, when my six year old is in my face and screams, "THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!  WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"   I do not take her seriously, because, no.  We can't have TWO DRAMAS AT ONCE KID.

"MAMA, THE HOUSE IS ON FIAAAAAAAAH!" 

And, then, I see the tears. 

She's absolutely serious. 

She is TERRIFIED. 

We ARE going to DIE.

My husband TEARS up the stairs - to find - smoke filling the kitchen.

COME TO MAMA.

From the NY Times:

The Bacon Explosion is a massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage. Jason Day, in foreground, and Aaron Chronister, looking on, came up with the concoction.  NYT.

OMG MEAT PORN HEAVEN.  Heart-thumping love.  Yes, I know.  I am fully aware.  Some of you "don't do fat."  I do.  Fat is my friend.

From the BBQ Addicts.  (The recipe is there.) 

YOU DON'T THINK I AM GOING TO TRY IT, DO YOU?!

MU HAHAHAHAHAHA!

This is Donna's fault.

She just shared that she can tap-dance. I just shared that it's the only exercise that I am willing to go back to, that I really enjoy. I haven't done it in a few years. I took a quick adult class in 2005. Here - have an adult quick lesson:

That's the way the cookie crumbles: Girl Scout Cookie Season, another reason NOT to.

The economy is hitting everyone hard, including the Girl Scouts:

Michelle Tompkins, a national Girl Scout spokeswoman, said that "the cost of baking a cookie today is significantly higher than it was even a year ago, and our bakers cannot continue to absorb these rising costs." She also said transportation costs have increased 30 to 40 percent from a year ago.

The combined cost increase prompted the organization to "lower the net weight of our cookie boxes slightly rather than ask our customers to pay a higher per-package price during these difficult times," Tompkins said in a written statement.

Expect to pay more - or find less in your box of cookies.  My suggestion, DONATE TO YOUR LOCAL GIRL SCOUTS - they need the money - you probably don't need the cookies.

Oh SH*T! Some of my protein bars were recalled.

Yeah, so we have been eating THESE.  Time to check the LOT NUMBERS.

These were ALSO RECALLED.

Peanut Plant Problems

This is just delicious news regarding the salmonella outbreak from the peanut butter:

The plant in Georgia that produced peanut butter tainted by salmonella has a history of sanitation lapses and was cited repeatedly in 2006 and 2007 for having dirty surfaces and grease residue and dirt buildup throughout the plant, according to health inspection reports. Inspection reports from 2008 found the plant repeatedly in violation of cleanliness standards.

While we were ALL eating the goods.  TASTY.

Inspections of the plant in Blakely, Ga., by the State Agriculture Department found areas of rust that could flake into food, gaps in warehouse doors large enough for rodents to get through, unmarked spray bottles and containers and numerous violations of other practices designed to prevent food contamination. The plant, owned by the Peanut Corporation of America of Lynchburg, Va., has been shut down.

A typical entry from an inspection report, dated Aug. 23, 2007, said: “The food-contact surfaces of re-work kettle in the butter room department were not properly cleaned and sanitized.” Additional entries noted: “The food-contact surfaces of the bulk oil roast transfer belt” in a particular room “were not properly cleaned and sanitized. The food-contact surfaces of pan without wheels in the blanching department were not properly cleaned and sanitized.”

A code violation in the same report observed “clean peanut butter buckets stored uncovered,” while another cited a “wiping cloth” to “cover crack on surge bin.” Tests on samples gathered on the day of that inspection were negative for salmonella.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27peanuts.html?partner=rss

Truvia gas? Maybe? Maybe not?

Truvia might make me "sick."  I might be one of the few it bothers.  Today, I ran out of Splenda.   (It's the only thing Mr. MM will use, so we have a TON of it, always.  The Truvia lasts a lot longer, it is sweeter and I can use a lot less.)

I used Truvia in my drink, (I believe twice, one coffee - one tea) and what followed, was was painful gas and then implosion.  If it is - in fact the cause of my distress - it's the erythritol.  I know that.  I had this reaction the similarly sweetened chocolate bars - but never really made the connection until later.  I did not have any protein bars or any other sugar alcohols today so there was nothing to blame this pain and OMG! on.

I REALLY DO NOT WANT THIS PRODUCT TO BOTHER MY INTERNALS!  It was supposed to be the replacement for the ass-ter-taste and the fact that I use so. much. sucralose.

I guess I am going to have to do a human lab rat experiment test with a day of Truvia sweetened goodness only and see if I have the same reaction.  I hope it doesn't, because I love it.

If only I didn't have such a SWEET tooth!

PS. DISCLAIMER-  I am going to repeat this, just to make sure, because I have to know.  This makes me very sad.  Seriously, you have NO idea.

I'm in #5! Woot!

Please vote!  After the contest winner is announced - I'll pick a winner for a basket of WLS friendly goodies!  Want to enter?  Leave a comment on this post.  Tell me something I don' t know about YOU.

Check it out - Wellsphere got bought by the HealthCentral Network. 

Pureed soft food diet after weight loss surgery

The approximate third stage of diet progression after gastric bypass is the "pureed" or smooth proteins stage.  Plans vary, but all have a same basic routine - MUSHY UNPALATABLE FOOD IN A BLENDER. 

Personally I skipped much of this, but I did enjoy a few things.  (Honestly, I ate mostly ready-to-eat food out of cans and wrappers.)

Any of the following, into the mini-chopper, were easily eaten, if they weren't ready to go in their original states:

Coffee Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

I have to laugh at myself on days like this, because I see myself as the little old lady WITH dementia. 

But, if coffee could HELP?!  BRING IT.

Marjo H. Eskelinen, Tiia Ngandu, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Hilkka Soininen, Miia Kivipelto
Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia:

A Population-Based CAIDE Study
Abstract: Caffeine stimulates central nervous system on a short term. However, the long-term impact of caffeine on cognition remains unclear. We aimed to study the association between coffee and/or tea consumption at midlife and dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in late-life. Participants of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study were randomly selected from the survivors of a population-based cohorts previously surveyed within the North Karelia Project and the FINMONICA study in 1972, 1977, 1982 or 1987 (midlife visit). After an average follow-up of 21 years, 1409 individuals (71%) aged 65 to 79 completed the re-examination in 1998. A total of 61 cases were identified as demented (48 with AD). Coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk of dementia and AD later in life compared with those drinking no or only little coffee adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and vascular factors, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and depressive symptoms. The lowest risk (65% decreased) was found in people who drank 3-5 cups per day. Tea drinking was relatively uncommon and was not associated with dementia/AD. Coffee drinking at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD later in life. This finding might open possibilities for prevention of dementia/AD.

Tuesday.

• Weight - 153 lbs.
  
• Lunch - Leftover steak, four smile french fries, too much, followed by dumping  (right after that video... I felt extra gross) and swoosh (subsequently I had a seizure)  GAAAAAAH.  I BLAME POTATOES.  I know, whatever, but it was exactly after the over-full dumping.
• Snack - ISS Oh Yeah Protein Wafer.
• Dinner -1 slice Papa Gino's Cheese Pizza (middle square), 1 Breadstick

Susan Powter on her radio show. :)

New Survey Results Show Huge Burden of Diabetes

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2009/niddk-26.htm

For Immediate Release Monday, January 26, 2009

Study Includes Sensitive Test of Blood Glucose Abnormalities

In the United States, nearly 13 percent of adults age 20 and older have diabetes, but 40 percent of them have not been diagnosed, according to epidemiologists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose study includes newly available data from an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Diabetes is especially common in the elderly: nearly one-third of those age 65 and older have the disease. An additional 30 percent of adults have pre-diabetes, a condition marked by elevated blood sugar that is not yet in the diabetic range. The researchers report these findings in the February 2009 issue of Diabetes Care, which posted a pre-print version of the article online at http://diabetes.org/diabetescare.

The study compared the results of two national surveys that included a fasting blood glucose (FBG) test and 2-hour glucose reading from an OGTT. The OGTT gives more information about blood glucose abnormalities than the FBG test, which measures blood glucose after an overnight fast. The FBG test is easier and less costly than the OGTT, but the 2-hour test is more sensitive in identifying diabetes and pre-diabetes, especially in older people. Two-hour glucose readings that are high but not yet diabetic indicate a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and of developing diabetes than a high, but not yet diabetic, fasting glucose level.

“We’re facing a diabetes epidemic that shows no signs of abating, judging from the number of individuals with pre-diabetes,” said lead author Catherine Cowie, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a part of the NIH. “For years, diabetes prevalence estimates have been based mainly on data that included a fasting glucose test but not an OGTT. The 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, is the first national survey in 15 years to include the OGTT. The addition of the OGTT gives us greater confidence that we’re seeing the true burden of diabetes and pre-diabetes in a representative sample of the U.S. population.”

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. It is the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in adults and a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Type 2 diabetes accounts for up to 95 percent of all diabetes cases and virtually all cases of undiagnosed diabetes. Pre-diabetes, which causes no symptoms, substantially raises the risk of a heart attack or stroke and of developing type 2 diabetes.

In its analysis, the team also found that:

• The rate of diagnosed diabetes increased between the surveys, but the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes remained relatively stable.
• Minority groups continue to bear a disproportionate burden. The prevalence of diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, in non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican- Americans is about 70 to 80 percent higher than that of non-Hispanic whites.
• Diabetes prevalence was virtually the same in men and women, as was the proportion of undiagnosed cases.
• Pre-diabetes is more common in men than in women (36 percent compared to 23 percent).
• Diabetes is rare in youth ages 12 to 19 years, but about 16 percent have pre-diabetes.