Bullies Called Him Pork Chop. He Took That Pain With Him And Then Cooked It Into This.

And tears.

I was Cabbage Patch Kid.

My kids are Badonkadonks.  (Thanks, BTW.)

It never ends.

Oh advertising - (@) (@)

If this is the kind of advertising that they can utilize in France for push-up bras, I can only imagine what might work for plastic surgery.

Valege Lingerie - Click to Enlarge

My mind.  It races, the, um... options?

The US is so backwards sometimes.

Potentially NSFW -  Thanks AdWeek

Related articles

People Magazine - Half Their Size - No Surgery! No Gimmicks - A Rant from a Bariatric Patient.

UK Lays out KICK ASS Advertising Codes for Weight + Diet Products

So maybe being pear-shaped is not such a good thing?

We have heard for years that being pear-shaped was preferable to other body-shapes, that carrying excess body-fat in the hips, thighs, legs and rear was 'healthier' than the belly.  That 'pears' were a preferable body-shape to have than 'apples.'  This is not necessarily so.

Chicago Tribune - via Journal of Clinical Endocrinology

If you're pear-shaped and smug, a new study's findings may take you down a peg: For those at slightly increased risk of developing diabetes, fat stored in the buttocks pumps out abnormal levels of two proteins associated with inflammation and insulin resistance. (And that's not good.)

The new research casts some doubt on an emerging conventional wisdom: that when it comes to cardiovascular and diabetes risk, those of us who carry some excess fat in our hips, thighs and bottoms ("pear-shaped" people) are in far better shape than those who carry most of their excess weight around the middle ("apples").

The new study was posted online this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, and it focuses on a number of proteins, with names such as chemerin, resistin, visfatin and omentin-1, that could one day be used to distinguish between obese people headed for medical trouble and those whose obesity is less immediately dangerous.

The subjects in the study were all people with "nascent" metabolic syndrome — meaning patients who already have at least three risk factors for developing diabetes (large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high triglcerides, low HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and high fasting blood sugar) but no cardiovascular disease or diabetes complications yet.

The researchers found these subjects' "gluteal adipose tissue" — fat in and around the buttocks — pumped out unusually high levels of chemerin, a protein that has been linked to high blood pressure, elevated levels of C-reactive protein, triglycerides and insulin resistance, and low levels of good cholesterol. The blood and subcutaneous fat drawn from gluteal tissue also contained unusually low levels of omentin-1, a protein that, when low, is linked to high triglycerides, high circulating glucose levels and low levels of good cholesterol.

"Fat in the abdomen has long been considered the most detrimental to health, and gluteal fat was thought to protect against diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome," said Ishwarlal Jialal, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of internal medicine at UC Davis and lead author of the study. "But our research helps to dispel the myth that gluteal fat is innocent," he added.

Related articles

Ruby Gettinger Please to NO with the Visalus.

Pear Shapes' Risk for Heart Disease, Diabetes May Be Equal to Apple Shapes

Big Train Fit Frappe Skinny Chai Triple Giveaway!

Study Questions Notion That Bodies That Are Pear-Shaped Are Healthier Than Apple-Shaped

Excess skin is always fun.

This video about my upper-arm excess skin is from more than three years ago, but it made me laugh out loud this morning with Tristan who is now more than six years old and finds her "baby-self" quite adorable.  I am now nearly nine-years post gastric bypass, and I never had any plastic surgery to reconstruct my skin.  It still looks awful.  Someday, I will!  I know I started the original "Melting Mama" blog to save money to have a tummy tuck back in 2005.  That, um, never happened.  

Related articles

Community Responsibility - Fat Shaming - Bullying

Body image MYTHS - DEBUNKED! WLS will CURE MY BODY IMAGE WOES!

Weight Loss Surgery Doesn't Cure Diabetes, forever - Sorry.

Living on borrowed time - Health Benefits of Gastric Bypass Surgery Persist for Six Years

Things Girls Lie About

"No, right?"*stomps off*

"You'd NEVER."

"Like, EVER.

 

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Fitbloggin' 2012 and the balls of other women that I do not have. Thank you!

Body image MYTHS - DEBUNKED! WLS will CURE MY BODY IMAGE WOES!

David B. Sarwer, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry and Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as well as Director of Clinical Services at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. He received his B.A. in 1990 from Tulane University, his M.A. in 1992 from Loyola University Chicago and his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1995 from Loyola University Chicago.

Clinically, Dr. Sarwer is the Director of the Stunkard Weight Management Program and is actively involved in the Bariatric Surgery Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He conducts behavioral/psychological evaluations of patients prior to surgery. He also treats individuals with eating or other psychological concerns after bariatric surgery. Dr. Sarwer provides psychotherapeutic treatment to persons who have body dysmorphic disorder or other appearance concerns -

Dr. Sarwer needs to immerse himself in our WLS community forever thankyouplease, or not, because we have the BODY DYSEVERYTHING -

Because, this? No.

Here are some question and answers via Jean Fain L.I.C.S.W,, M.S. on Huffington Post - they are AMAZING little chunks of AMAZING -  

 

Body Image Researcher David Sarwer Debunks Hollywood Myths http://huff.to/RHjGnH 

Myth 1: The fatter you are, the worse your body image.

Q. People assume that weight gain and bad body image go hand in hand, and yet, that assumption doesn't reflect the truth. What's the truth about weight gain and body image?

A. There's typically very little relationship between someone's objective appearance and their subjective body image. Individuals who are the most objectively attractive will sometimes have very negative body images, and individuals who are less attractive will sometimes show relatively little body image distress. [That said,] as the American population has gotten heavier, we are perhaps a little more accepting of full-figured body presentations in public. Ten to 15 years ago when we talked about the body image of overweight individuals, the focus was: "Isn't it unfortunate that people who are overweight feel like they need to camouflage their appearance in big, baggy clothing." Now, the discussion has gone 180 degrees in the other direction: "Why are overweight individuals wearing inappropriately form-fitting and revealing clothing?"

Myth 2: Losing weight is the best way to boost body image.

Q. You've written that weight reduction is the most popular form of body image therapy. But is it the best way to boost body image? What do you have to say about that?

A. A number of studies have shown that as individuals lose weight, even very modest amounts of weight, they show improvements in body image. At the same time, a lot of people after weight loss, including the more dramatic weight loss we see with bariatric surgery, still have a good degree of residual body dissatisfaction. There are limitations to how much weight you can physically lose. Perhaps the best way to address this [residual] dissatisfaction is learning how to think and behave differently. 

Myth 3: Gastric bypass surgery cures body image woes.

Q. Clearly, bariatric surgery decreases weight-related health problems, but what about body-image woes? Is it reasonable to expect gastric bypass, among other surgical weight-loss procedures, to boost body image?

A. With all bariatric surgery procedures (gastric bypass, the sleeve, the banding procedure), the average weight loss is somewhere between 25 and 35 percent of an individual's initial body weight. Individuals typically reach those weight losses within the first 18 to 24 months after of surgery. With those weight losses, there are typically significant improvements in things like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease within the first year or two after surgery. But before patients reach the largest percentage of weight loss, they report significant improvements in body image. As patients are losing weight within the first three to six months after surgery, they report significant improvements in body image. The caveat: after they've lost weight, some patients complain about the loose, hanging skin. That's probably a big reason why more than 50,000 Americans every year turn to plastic surgery after massive weight loss.

Myth 4: Liposuction, tummy tucks and other shape-altering surgeries transform body image.

Q. The hope is that liposuction, tummy tucks and other shape-altering surgeries will transform body image, but is this hope well-founded? Do these popular procedures actually boost body image, or do they leave people feeling just as bad, if not worse?

A. After cosmetic surgical procedures, patients do experience improvements in body image.[1] The primary catalyst for a cosmetic procedure is dissatisfaction with a part of their appearance -- with their nose in the case of rhinoplasty, their love handles in the case of liposuction, or their breasts in the case of breast augmentation. After surgery, the vast majority report improvements in their physical appearance and their body image. In some cases, however, patients may be dissatisfied because of complications or scarring. In other cases, it may be they had unrealistic expectations about what the surgery was going to do. Somewhere between 5 and 15 percent of patients suffer from body dysmorphic disorder. They're preoccupied with a relatively slight defect in their appearance. Those patients typically don't report improvements in their body image after undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Myth 5: Breast implants boost body image.

Q. One of the most surprising things I've learned from your writing is that there's an increased suicide risk among women who get breast implants for cosmetic purposes. I know you're not saying the surgery causes suicide, but what have you concluded about body image and breast implants?

A. Seven studies throughout the world have shown an increased rate of suicide two to three times greater among women who have undergone cosmetic breast augmentation. (These studies were looking at women who get breast implants for cosmetic purposes, not for cancer.) The reasons are not particularly well-articulated, but it's likely that these women have preexisting [mental illness] that is not picked up by the plastic surgeon or not even recognized by the patient herself. One of the strongest predictors of a subsequent suicide is a history of psychiatric hospitalization. These women already have a history of significant mental illness that is returning some time within years after the cosmetic procedure.

Jean Fain is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist specializing in eating issues, and the author of "The Self-Compassion Diet." For more information, see www.jeanfain.com.

 

 

Thank you!

Michelle Vicari and I were honored to receive awards at the Obesity Action Coalition's Inaugural Event last weekend.

I received the OAC's Award for Advocate of the Year -- and Michelle for Membership Recruitment.

Thank you OAC, and thanks to those who nominated us!

 

Community Responsibility - Fat Shaming - Bullying

WAY TO GO!

Huffington Post -

"That man’s words mean nothing to me, but really angers me about this is is there are children who don’t know better — who get emails as critical as the one I received or in many cases, even worse, each and every day."

She said that bullying scared her as the mother of three daughters. "If you are at home and you are talking about the fat newslady, guess what?" she said. "Your children are probably going to go to school and call someone fat."

Livingston thanked the viewers, friends and colleagues who have stood up for her, and ended with these words:

“I leave you with this: To all of the children out there who feel lost, who are struggling with your weight, with the color of your skin, your sexual preference, your disability, even the acne on your face, listen to me right now. do not let your self-worth be defined by bullies. Learn from my experience — that the cruel words of one are nothing compared to the shouts of many.”

Photography Project Explores The Dark Side of Weight Loss - LOVE!

Yes, this!  Realistic!  

Jezebel - 

Julia Kozerski is a photographer who explores themes of beauty, body-image, and identity. As you can see in the image above, she makes photographs that are starkly beautiful and brutally honest; pictures that can make the viewer feel painfully uncomfortable. Here, a fleshy woman lies naked on a bed in a gray room, her gaze turned toward letters on the wall. It is daytime. She is alone. The sheets are rumpled. The word is "LOVE." The title of the work is "Hunger." And that is Julia Kozerski, in the photograph. She is her own subject.

In a project titled Half, Kozerski documents the results of dramatic weight loss. The photographs are stunning, in the true sense of the word: Causing or capable of causing emotional shock. We are flooded with media messages and images about losing weight: PSA campaigns, sneaker ads, reality shows, before and after commercials, in which celebs beam with joy in photos proving that they've slimmed down. They're often perfectly toned, in a bikini, grinning ear to ear.

NSFW Photo after the jump -  

Christina Aguilera - Your Body - And Christina - yours is not FAT.

As the internet collectively calls her in one big troll comment, "fat." STFU.

She's amazing, and so WHAT if she no longer has the body of a 16 year old?

And can I have rainbow hair?

Fitbloggin' 2012 and the balls of other women that I do not have. Thank you!

I spent last weekend at fitbloggin' 2012.  

Michelle + I at fitbloggin 2012

I have yet to write about the event in full, however I just caught this mini-clip on line of the Zumba group instruction.

I was there in this group - yet you will note that yours truly was not dressed for the occasion and sat out. I may have boogied a bit, but stood on the sidelines and simply photographed.

I stood in AWE of these women -- these two on stage who I do not know until this event -- both of whom are at stages of my prior size who OWN THEIR SHIT.

I was a little more than moved by them.  I might have been a little... sigh.  That's all I got.

Michelle and I watched the entire class a while and both sort of slinked back to the back of the room and became wallflowers.  I asked Michelle, "Where do we go to buy that kind of confidence?"  

I have never had CONFIDENCE of any sort to That Level -- and I have a certain Level Of It (I have, some, more than many people, but not that much?) she even has Some in more ways than I do!  Even the two of us combined that THAT ROOM could not do what these women were doing.  

It was clear that #1 - IT IS NOT ABOUT BODY SHAPE or SIZE AT ALL.  

Confidence is a very different animal, unrelated to your body/shape or a number on a scale.  Weight loss doesn't necessarily change that.  It's inside you.  

-Skinny Emmie and Mrs. Fat Ass

I applaud Roni and fitbloggin' for making THAT apparent -- because the curvy girls were in force this year.  Rock on.  *RAWR*

PS.  Next year, fitbloggin' 2013 - PORTLAND!

Lady Gaga responds to weight critics nearly nude pics #bodyrevolution2013

The singer’s blog, titled “A Body Revolution 2013,” invites fans to “be brave and celebrate with us your ‘perceived flaws,’ as society tells us,” by posting their own photos.

“May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous,” Gaga wrote.

I Have The Regain.

I have a case of the regain.   Oh noes.  I have been clear about it, and I do not hide the fact that I have regained weight and I do not hide from the camera.  Evidence: Facebook. That said, I don't make a big deal about the number I see on the scale, because I do not allow the number to define me.  I am very much over allowing a NUMBER tell me WHO I am and HOW I am going to feel on any given day -- and I rarely weigh myself.  Several months ago, I was started on a new anti-epilepsy medication that often causes weight gain and it did, and my weight slowly crept up to That Place Where I Freak The Eff Out. Since then, it's come back down to a reasonable place to where I can manage it, and I am within ten pounds of my low-normal-average. But here is the weird thing - it's SO VERY OBVIOUS.

 

One year ago - I hit a low in the summer July/August of 2011. I had life drama and things went awry for a while.  I might have dropped a bit lower - this photo was taken in early September 2011 - 

This past weekend, at 174 lbs. 

 I actually saw a few pounds higher many weeks ago and NO NO NO NO NO this will NOT HAPPEN and put the kabosh on some bad habits - 

"Hey, let's have one two three pieces of toast with gallons of butter on it?!  WHO DOES THAT?!"    

Obviously, Beth does.  "OMG, say it isn't so!"  It is.  It can be.  I am pushing nine years post op, and three or even four pieces of 35 calorie bread breaks down to nada ounces in your pouch -- and really -- is nothing.  So.  Hushyomoufabouteatingtoomuch.

But.

I stopped that bullshit.  

Because I am smart enough to know better because I refuse to purchase size 14W, mmkay?  

I know better.  I have demons, they appear in the form of buttery carbs, hence they Do Not Belong In My Area.

I am already down several pounds, but, I am still remaining apathetic about it because the pounds do not define me, I DO.

The reason I mention it at all -- the regain -- is that someone else asked me how much I had gained since I saw them last!  I was taken aback a bit, considering I thought I was pretty damn upfront about my size, and I did not realize I had been ... watched so closely.  

I suppose I expect a certain amount of it -- considering that I blog about weight loss surgery, I expect that there is a certain subsection of people waiting for long-termers like me to Fail, Publicly and Like a Trainwreck.  But, I also have complex issues making my long-term-WLS-life more sticky than they might like to read about -- which is why I rarely write about MYSELF AT ALL.

Because it scares people.

I did not really respond to the well-meaning-regain-question-asker with anything other than, "Well, I am taking a lot of neuro meds."  True.  I am up to a couple thousand milligrams of AEDs a day, and in pre-operative testing for brain surgery.

This person said that she noted that I was noticeably bigger than the last time she saw me, and she assumed from a purely medical standpoint (she meant no harm...) that I simply must be taking medication to cause gain, that it was not something I was doing -- like -- toast eating.  It's the truth, so it really did not bother me since I was already aware, you know?  I live in this body, I know when I can't zip up my OWN PANTS!  

In the big picture -- it's still only ten pounds.  Ten apathetic pounds.  

Eggy on the Ricki Lake Show - the emotional struggle after weight loss

My pal Michelle Vicari of the World According To Eggface will be on the season premiere of the The Ricki Lake Show today! Squee! ♥

Are YOU ready for the premiere of The Ricki Lake Show?

Find out where-to-watch by zip code here-> http://bit.ly/QuD4WB

Oh. Yes. She. Did.

Hold the Press Releases, Suz!  

How do you go from not paying your taxes, failure to ship orders since 2011, closing your store, foreclosure, shutting down all communication to... THIS?

Beautiful as I am ...

Beautiful as I am May Faith Photography - Click for FULL SIZE

Leslie Carpenter, owner of May Faith Photography in Vancouver, WA, created this powerful photo on Saturday, August 11th. Carpenter said, "I did this from my heart. I did this so every woman, every girl will know it is OK to BE YOURSELF. Be beautiful as you are." Her photo has gone viral in only 3 short days, with the goal of having the original image shared 10,000 times. 

"Will you stand up against bullying?"

Read more: http://www.wild1075portland.com/pages/kristina.html?article=10343745&fb_comment_id=fbc_10150987259776230_22403889_10150988286866230&comment_id=22403889#f31b4a765faf588#ixzz23i9ygFFV

 

If only...

I love this. If only we all had the confidence to pull it off.

First, do no harm to our community. Thank you.

Messages can harm.  Do not give advice if you are not a professional.  Thank you, Nanette!

Your Body is Beautiful - RAWR.

I heart this.  I loathe body image issues.  I loathe that other WLS'ers judge other WLS'ers.

Just get over yourselves.

She is my size.

Except she has bewbies.

RAWR.  Rock on.

MM Interview for 20/20 today

This is all I have right now. Will blog more later. OMG!

• ABC 20/20