Dear Christmas Cookies -

Dear Plate Of Christmas Cookies -

It's not you - it's me.  We cannot be together.

Our relationship was doomed from the start.  When you came into my life, I was on a roll!  I had been tracking my food intake for a full month (something that is very unlike me) I had just lost a few pounds and I was content to post my weight numbers online for accountability's sake.

Then, you arrived.  First there were a few assorted snacks from family, and then a plate of sugar-cookies (ie. straight-crack) which I cannot resist.  Plain old sugar cookies are my kryptonite.  

In nine years post-gastric bypass living, I know exactly how much sugar vs. carbohydrates vs. fat it takes to Not Get Sick or having dumping syndrome from eating - which leads to "food games."  That means - sugar cookies are one of the easiest (naughty) foods to eat and not die from.  Two won't make me die, but THE CALORIES ADD UP SO. VERY. FAST.  Which leads to Caloric Amnesia!  

"I don't remember eating two cookies this morning," and two later, and two later, and two later ... and soon you realize that you May Have Had a half-tube or half-bowl of dough worth of cookies over the course of the day in just "little bits" but because you haven't "written it down."

The cookies lead to "forgetting."  

Even though I took the steps to throw the cookies away (...and pretty damn immediately I should mention!) and stopped the madness before it got any worse -- I didn't get back into the habit of food journaling and I have missed every single day since at least Christmas Eve.  I have also conveniently "forgotten" to weigh-in since.  

I see how this works, how this cycle snowballs so very quickly for so many of us.  Moderation.  It doesn't always work.  

Join me -

• Facebook
• My bariatric support group
• My BRAND new support and accountability group for 2013!
•  Subscribe in a reader

 

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Hot Buns.

I just died inside.  You have to listen to the words.  I got nothing.

Ruby Gettinger Please to NO with the Visalus.

Ruby Gettinger is now promoting Visalus.   SUPER.  I can't wait for this to take over Facebook even more than it was, it's like a social media diet-STD.

"Do not miss our ph call...Part of a weekly online video series that will capture my...FOr more info, dates, times...http://tinyurl.com/c92sln4 I know we R sick & tired of being sick & tired. It is time for us to win. ♥ This is only 90 days of your life. Give it all you have. I WOULD NEVER DO JUST SHAKES OR DRINK!!! ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS I WOULD NEVER. Vi-Shape is a powder with high proteins, fibers, etc...U can make a shake or other recipes w/ Vi Shape... I am doing 2 recipes a day with Vi-shape & eating twice a day. With vitamins and things to help your success.

Why I went this way... BECAUSE THEY HAVE A 90 DAY CHALLENGE WE CAN DO TOGETHER. THEY FOUND A WAY Y'ALL CAN FOLLOW ME!!! THE SUPPORT TEAM IS INCREDIBLE...
The results from others speak volumes! They are #2 Weight loss company in North America behind only Weight Watchers... They have done this in 3 years!!!
People have lost a lot of weight and kept it off!!!"

Everyone cheer for multi-level marketing.

Why I went this way... BECAUSE THEY HAVE A 90 DAY CHALLENGE WE CAN DO TOGETHER. THEY FOUND A WAY Y'ALL CAN FOLLOW ME!!! THE SUPPORT TEAM IS INCREDIBLE...
The results from others speak volumes! They are #2 Weight loss company in North America behind only Weight Watchers... They have done this in 3 years!!!
People have lost a lot of weight and kept it off!!!

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Thank you and g'nite!

This is what we did last night.  I pressed record on my brand-new camera - and this came out.  

Also - a few of these:  

I have no idea what I am doing, and I really want to find a class.

THANK YOU SANTA CLAUS!  PS.  I told you NO. GIFTS. THIS. YEAR.  (As we eat Ramen Noodles until Easter.)

My 15 year old got a baby-Nikon from Santa, and we are going to attempt to send it back to Santa's elves to exchange for the equally-priced DSLR D3100 instead of this Ashton Kutcher branded J1. We Are Not Impressed.  At all.   It must be said that this child has had access to a D50, D80 and D300 -- so the J1 seems a little like a Sony Cybershot or a camera-phone.

My 13 year old is now the proud owner of a Yamaha electronic drumkit -- which works with a headset - to keep the sanity level at 'moderate' in our household while he can create future deafness and rhythms.

The 10 year old got a Kindle Fire HD and a TV, and my youngest was the most happy with a simple moon that lights up on her wall. We could have given her a box.  I've decided age six is the LAST year that holiday giving is easy. 

Though, remind me to tell you about how we Started Going To Church (Unitarian Universalist service, we don't celebrate.... anything....) this year - and my youngest lit her hair on fire?

Yay, holidays!

I hope you're well.

 

Feel + Look Slim in the New Year - with Confidence. <3

Slimpressions is offering site wide 40% off discount (No discount code required) which will expire on 12/27/12! Hurry!  Click the banner to shop now!

Thank you Slimpressions!

 

#20LITTLEHANDS

#20LITTLEHANDS 

Chilling. 

We'll see this sign up close very soon.

"Documented the painting of 20 little hands for Stop Handgun Violence on the largest horizontal billboard in the country. This project was to honor the 20 children that passed away in Newtown, Connecticut. 

This project was also covered by local Boston news.

Check the links below:
Boston.com
Channel7"

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30 Days

meltingmama has logged in for 30 days in a row!

That's a miracle.

I never follow through with a food journal  (we know this through past history) thirty days is a big freaking deal.

As much as I bitch, moan and complain about it, food journaling works.  

Journaling shows me immediately where the concern areas are -- and Where I Am Screwing Up.  It's glaringly, painfully obvious what needs to change and why I don't lose weight when I think I should.  Because I am Too Busy Grazing Bites Of Crackers - Cheese - Cheese - and How About That Cheese?  As soon as I make myself accountable to writing it down, at least 75-95% of the time - I do it so much better.  

I screw up constantly. 

I break rules.

I am a huge mess.

But. 

I can do this.

I have gone from 182 lbs to 165 lbs since my last OMGFREAKOUT weigh in.  It can work.  I'm not dieting.  I'm not really trying.  I am just checking in everyday and writing down my intake.

Join me if you want?

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Stress triggers eating problems - WHATSTRESS?!?!??!?!?!?

Freak the freak on.

Stress triggers eating problems - WHATSTRESS?!?!??!?!?!?

Huffington Post - 

While the holidays typically come with a great deal of celebration and joy, they can also bring up feelings of loss, regret or depression. And that's the problem: no matter the emotional response, an emotional eater will often turn back to food.

"Many people use eating as a way to cope with difficult emotions, not only bad ones, but also happiness, excitement and celebration, for example," says Alexis Cona, a clinical psychologist in private practice and a researcher at New York Obesity Research Center.

Researchers believe that many emotional eaters turn to food to numb emotions that are too painful or difficult to process. As Cona explains, it can be a mindless cycle in which an emotional eater suddenly finds himself in front of the fridge, not quite knowing how he got there.

Family time during the holidays can be a particular challenge, as many disordered eating habits begin with poor boundaries between family members, Cona says. Preparing oneself for difficult and triggering interactions might be an important aspect of getting ready for the holidays.

What's more, during this season, food is more plentiful. Many people have favorite, traditional treats that they only eat during this time of year.

"There are all sorts of memories associated with family favorites -- these foods are imbued with expectations," says Ellen Shuman, president of the Binge Eating Disorder Association and an emotional and binge eating recovery coach. "That feeling of deprivation can make an emotional eater feel like they have to eat their fill in that moment. They become forbidden foods -- and that brings out the rebel in many emotional eaters."

Instead, Shuman counsels patients not to have once-a-year foods. If they love a certain dish, they should make it occasionally all year long to avoid that panicked feeling of scarcity.

So what's someone with a history of stress-based eating to do as the holidays loom large?

First of all, work on mindfulness. Cona asks her patients to check in with themselves before they eat anything. Do you feel physiologically hungry? Rate your hunger on a scale. And if you aren't actually hungry, but you want to eat, think about what you might be feeling and what underlying desire is at the bottom of the impulse to eat.

Cona also recommends practicing kindness to oneself, especially in the aftermath of an overindulgence. "Trying to find acceptance can be challenging, especially in a society that condemns us for having eaten this way; especially if our bodies don't look the way society says they should. But it's important not beat ourselves up over it. If this happens, try to learn from it. Don't shame yourself."

But Shuman adds, you may not be the only person you need to forgive. Letting go of painful family history could help prevent the emotional eater's cycle. "Keep in mind that you don't have to spend the holidays with your history with Mom -- just with Mom in that moment."

 

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It's The End Of The World ...

Any Regrets?  

I can't say it hasn't been on my mind,  "Could the Mayans been juuuuuuuust a little bit right?" 

Because the world's gone MAD.

See you on the flip-side!

The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs according to which cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on 21 December 2012.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.^[7] Various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae have been proposed as pertaining to this date, though none have been accepted by mainstream scholarship.

 

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Obesity Larger Health Crisis Than World Hunger?

Myself + Mr. MM - September 1999 -  We're slightly different now.

Obesity is a larger health concern across the world -- moreso than hunger -- and is now THE LEADING CAUSE fof disabilites.

Thud. 

CNN- 

Obesity is a bigger health crisis globally than hunger, and the leading cause of disabilities around the world, according to a new report published Thursday in the British medical journal The Lancet.

Diet Pepsi Changes Sweeteners

Diet Pepsi is changing sweeteners.  Again.  Heh.

Oh noes.

Virtually Anorexic

Virtually Anorexic -

An alarming number of young women are using dangerous pro-anorexia websites that encourage users to "starve for perfection," according to a new study.

This - is even prevalent in the WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY COMMUNITY.  

Shocking?  No.  Not at all.    

You must realize that so many bariatric patients are ED patients in recovery (...or not!) and some many are seeking to be accepted and to get acceptance of their behaviors and ...

A LOT OF IT IS NOT OKAY.  

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Enough.

 

Regardless of the politics. Enough.

Chris Christie After Barbara Walters Interview - Is his size a DEBATABLE ISSUE?

Is size a debatable issue?

"The ladies of "The View" got into a heated debate on Thursday, after Barbara Walters recently put some rough questions about weight to New Jersey governor Chris Christie."

Hold me.  The topic of obesity and capability makes me twitch.

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What's a Food Industry to Do? Yoni Freedhoff gets UNINVITED from food industry conference

What's a Food Industry to Do?

• Doctor gets uninvited from food industry conference.   BECAUSE?  Of this video.
• Here's what he would have said http://huff.to/X7PBOx 
• Dr. Sharma writes --  " Yoni Freedhoff posted a short video on YouTube, which has since gone viral (congratulations my friend!).  The gist of the story (but please check it out for yourself), is that Big Food is preying on kids by promoting unquestionably unhealthy processed foods with deceptive (not to say nonsensical) health claims.  But, as he hastens to point out, this is not the fault of the food industry.  Rather he puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the politicians and regulators for not creating a level playing field for food producers, that sets clear boundaries to what they can and cannot do to promote their products (especially to kids!)."

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XXX Foods

Atkins Roast Turkey Tenders with Herb Pan Gravy

"Atkins, a US-based diet brand, has launched Atkins Frozen Meals that will be available across the nation from January 2013.  (They can be found in SOME WalMarts NOW...)

The new menu item includes Farmhouse-Style Sausage Scramble, Tex-Mex Scramble, Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo, Roast Turkey Tenders with Herb Pan Gravy, Beef Merlot, Crustless Chicken Pot Pie, Meatloaf with Portobello, Mushroom Gravy, Italian Sausage Primavera and Chile con Carne.

The items are prepared with whole food ingredients such as freshly-picked vegetables, real creams and sauces, and premium custom meats. They contain no added sugars or preservatives, offer 310-370 calories and also contain 7g of net carbs or less, said the company.

Atkins Nutritionals chief marketing officer Scott Parker said that the company's Frozen Meals line offers homemade food and fresh ingredients and provides a convenient solution to help facilitate weight loss.

The meals will have a MSRP of $4.49 for lunch and dinner variety. The breakfast variety will be available for $3.99."

For lunch I heated up Atkins Roast Turkey Tenders With Herb Pan Gravy -  9 ounces

Ingredients:  Turkey Tender Medallions (Turkey Tenders, Water, Less than 2% Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin, Salt, Turkey Stock, Flavor, Gum Arabic, Potato Starch, Canola Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural Flavorings, Paprika), Green Beans, Water, Turkey Fat, Red Bell Peppers, Cream Contains Less than 2% of the Following: Chicken Flavor Concentrate (Chicken Meat Including Chicken Juices, Chicken Fat, Yeast Extract, Potato Flour, Onion Powder, Sea Salt, Flavor, Carrot Powder), Canola Oil, Resistant Maltodextrin, Flavorings, Turkey Base (Turkey Meat Including Turkey Juices, Salt, Flavorings, Potato Starch, Carrot Powder), Modified Food Starch, Xanthan Gum, Caramel Color, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate.

And now you have a heart attack thinking a about all that fat, just note the lack of carbs and how perfect this is for a low-carb diet or if a person ate a portion of it at one time.  If you were following an otherwise low carb diet this falls right into it.

Heated up  - the turkey is nice and tender.  The gravy has a nice creamy, almost buttery texture to it, and the green beans are fresh and crisp and go nicely with the turkey.  

As a nearly nine year gastric bypass post op, I was able to eat the entire dish and it was filling -- 9 ounces for 360 calories/10 carbs/23 protein.   

I would suggest these dishes for someone following the Atkins plan COMPLETELY because they are very high in fat, and you shouldn't really over do it on them.    Two in one day would blow your fat grams through the roof.

• Product - Atkins Roast Turkey Tenders with Herb Pan Gravy 
• Via - WalMart
• Price $3.49 at WalMart 
• Coupon - https://www.facebook.com/AtkinsDiet/app_175238885954001
• Pros - Low-carb, high protein, easy to prepare, great texture, good taste... fits into my "diet..." 
• Cons - High fat, high sodium, could be too heavy for some... 
• Rating - Pouchworthy, ^MM

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Big Train Fit Frappe Skinny Chai Triple Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I have THREE to give away! Enter now!

Check out the latest gourmet flavor extension of Big Train's Fit Frappé ® protein drink mix line: Spiced Chai Latte.

With 21 grams of protein, just 2 grams of sugar and only 130 calories, Big Train's Fit Frappé Spiced Chai Latte drink mix tastes as delicious as it is easy to make.

Big Train's chai products are legendary and this new skinny chai option does not disappoint. Enjoy Fit Frappe Spiced Chai beverages three ways:  Hot, Iced or Blended.

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MOTOROLA S11-FLEX HD WIRELESS STEREO HEADPHONES

MOTOROLA S11-FLEX HD WIRELESS STEREO HEADPHONES

Thanks, Klout!  If you don't Klout - get you there.  I get stuff.   Join me.  

Recently, Klout sent these wireless blue-tooth headphones from Motorola

I  un boxed  them last night, and plugged them in to charge.

Weight Loss Surgery & dealing when other people have OPINIONS about it

25% Drink 16% Calories Via Alcohol Daily.

About 25% of you drink alcohol every day -- given the normal non-weight loss surgical population according to a new CDC study.  And about 16% of your daily calories come from alcohol.  

PS.  Give this study to bariatric patients -- I would say from my very non-professional standpoint that results would be higher vs. calorie intake given our higher rates of addictions to All The Things.  

That is some scary daily nutrition math.

Cheers.

CDC -

The U.S. population consumes an average of 100 calories a day from alcoholic beverages. Men, 150 calories; women, 53.

“If you are drinking an extra 150 calories more than you need a day, those extra calories could end up on your waist or your hips,” said Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor in the nutrition program at Boston University and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. â€œThose excess daily calories could cause you to put on a pound monthly and would add up to over 10 pounds in a year,” Blake said.

Specifically for a gastric bypass patient -- it can lead to all sorts of damage.  Play in the Google.  

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