Vlogging again? And failing my brain test!

Vlogging again, and failing my WADA test, and more!

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Bad dreams and bouncing ships and real estate in Maine

Do you buy brand-names or generic?

Food journaling helps with weight loss

Food journaling helps with weight loss.

I'd agree.

Though I am not very good at the follow through, when I do follow through I do well!

• Join my accountability group on Facebook

 

 

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

I watched ABC's 20/20 on Friday night as I typically do, and I was half-inspired, refreshed to push forward in my own journey as I continue to press on nearing nine years post gastric bypass surgery and ever so slightly PISSED OFF.  Why?  Read that cover again.  "No SURGERY - No GIMMICKS!"

People Magazine does this every year, much to the chagrin to every surgically altered bariatric patient in the blog-o-sphere.  ABC.  People Magazine.  The show and the magazine, both -- FULL OF GIMMICKS, and quite possibly more than one surgery.  "No SURGERY - No GIMMICKS!"

 Except when they're touting Beachbody, "lost the weight Atkins" AND a gastric bypass?    

• Download NatalieJillGetEmiBook  <--- Page 46.   

Why is it celebrated to Lose Weight With Diet Plans like "Beachbody, Visalus and Atkins"   (All three were referred to in the program to at one point in the program ... were they sponsors?  Hello, RUBY GETTINGER IS HAWKING the 90-DAY VISALUS CHALLENGE?!?!) but life-saving bariatric

surgery or weight loss surgery --- is shunned in the same category?  Diets fail.  That's why they are so lucrative!  You go ON a diet so that you can fail a diet so that you can get on a diet so that you can fail a diet so you can go on a diet.  This is how people become morbidly obese and meet bariatric surgeons.

(Image from Roni's Weigh)

I get it.  Diet companies pay to be on the show and in the magazine.

 

However, those living with morbid obesity also need to see the opportunity for success, and showing them the success of those who have succeeded with bariatric surgery is not something to be ashamed of.  Clearly SHAME made the woman in the article hide.

It's time to stop calling weight loss surgery a quick-fix, a gimmick or a cheat and give it the respect and attention it deserves.  The individuals who most benefit from having a bariatric procedure can be exposed to it's benefits instead of a constant barrage of useless diet advertisements.

WLS is the ONLY "diet" that has allowed myself, my husband, my mother in law and my sister in law  to live within normal weight ranges for the last 7-9 years.  What say you about your diet?

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I'm a little choked up. YAY MICHELLE!

Bariatric surgery for diabetes tops innovation rankings

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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Hundreds of pro-anorexia websites urging young girls into competitive dieting

Pro ana? what is it really?

Review - Before & After, Second Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery

Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery: LIVE Video! Ooooooooh.

Oooooh, tasty!  Warning, super graphic video!  (Some of us like this stuff.  We're odd.)

NJ Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery: LIVE by Dr. Alexander Abkin from Alexander Abkin on Vimeo.

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?

Introducing WLS Lifestyles Magazine Premiere Digital Issue 2012

Introducing WLS Lifestyles Magazine Premiere Digital Issue 2012

WLS Lifestyles has gone "green" with a NEW, environmentally friendly digital format. 

On behalf of all of us here at WLS (Weight Loss Success) Lifestyles, we are delighted to provide you with this free premiere digital magazine.

CLICK HERE

To Listen, View & Read our inaugural digital edition. 

Feel free to share this complimentary magazine with friends, family & loved ones. 

We hope you enjoy our new 3-D format.  

Please note, this issue may be viewed on a PC or Mac, Netbooks, eReaders, iPads, iPhones, Android and other mobile devices.

Wishing you happiness & success throughout your personal journey to weight loss, better health & wellness.   

Sincerely, 

WLS Lifestyles magazine

wlslifestyles.com 

[email protected]

 

Defending my cupcake.

I know it's not required, you don't have to post back, "You don't have to explain yourself."   I know that people will misunderstand me, or things I post, at any point.  This is part of blogging.  It happens, boo-hoo.  It's also what happens more often than not with me, because I display a different view on many subjects about the post weight loss surgery life. 

"How could you//OMGWHATDOYOUMEANYOUDON'TDOTHAT/what do you mean eat a half-sandwich?"  

I'm used to being different.  I know that if changed my opinions to that of the bariatric majority <hack, hurl, gag!> I would be more mainstream and likely more "successful." (Whatever that means, because you keep asking me to Do Just That, "just change your opinions and be more positive.")

This is the reason why I am dumping the cupcake (pun absolutely intended) as part the Bariatric Bad Girls' logo.  I am in full understanding that we, as a group, cannot be taken seriously by a good part of the bariatric community if people are taking it LITERALLY.  (As in, totally literally, as if I were FORCE FEEDING THE WOMENS A CUPCAKE ON THE INTERNET.)  

Wait, WHAT?

Social Networking Influences Health Behaviors?

This is why we Facebook, Tweet and post on message boards about our medical issues!  It truly does help us along!  Very interesting stuff here:

Food Addictions, Weight Loss Surgery

This comes at a perfect time. Maryjo Rapini on Fox Houston - PERFECT.

"The cycle is what destroys you."

The Word - Control-Self-Delete

Surgically altering your appearance and getting rid of old friends will make you the ideal job candidate.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Control-Self-Delete
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

Where can I find bariatric foods and supplements in Massachusetts?

  

I get a lot of "where can I find ____ in _______, MA?" queries here.  Thing is, it can be difficult to find specific WLS-friendly products out there in the stores, impossible at big-box stores, and don't get me started about getting help at a G N C.

Someone today wanted "chewable calcium for WLS in Wareham, MA."  Well, there's Wal Mart, Target and GNC.  Whoop dee doo.

Wouldn't you love a local bariatric-themed shop?  (Yes. Please.)  But, if that doesn't exist, and you cannot find what you need in your area -- my suggestion is to shop online.  There are a billionty places to do so. Many of which are linked Right Here.  I know, there are folks out there who plain refuse to do so.  

Or -- you need to get personal with the product before you purchase?  Well, as much as you can with a bottle of vitamins. 

There are a few locations that I am aware of that have some WLS-friendly goods.

First, you know about GastricBypassSupplements.com, right?  They are a super-cool sponsor of MM.net, but they are also sortakindabutnotreally local to me.  You can visit their actual store, Faunce Corner Nutrition in North Dartmouth, MA.

Marc, the store's owner, and his staff are very helpful and personable, and totally worth the visit.

Find them at:

Faunce Corner Nutrition 
350 Faunce Corner Road 
North Dartmouth, MA 02747 
(508) 998-2155

Next, Cape Cod Nutrition, in Hyannis and Plymouth, MA.  I haven't been in to the Hyannis location, but they do carry a host of things we can use.  The Plymouth store has a limited selection of protein items, and some vites and supplements, but they do not carry bariatric-specific items.  (Though I have asked.) I've met two of the employees, one seemed awfully new and didn't know what I was talking about when I asked for a certain protein product, but they were both pleasant.

Find them at:

Cape Cod Nutrition Corner 
75 Iyannough Rd. Hyannis, MA 02601
221 Colony Place Plymouth, MA 02360
1-888-666-3058

Up north?  You can visit Nashua Nutrition -- which may be the only bariatric-only shop that I am aware of in our area.  I've been there, they've got a nice spread of WLS foods and supplements, I left with a big bag of goodies when we visited.

Find them at:

Nashua Nutrition 522 Amherst Street Suite 1 Nashua, NH 03063

Apparently North Dakota Doesn't Have The Interweb.

How cool is this? A time-lapse video of internet usage to the New York Times site over the course of the day, this day that Michael Jackson died.

The New York Times site traffic, US, June 25, 2009 from Nick Bilton on Vimeo.

"...the traffic to NYTimes.com on June 25, 2009, the day Michael Jackson died. The 24-hour period is compressed into a little over a minute and a half. The top video represents readers coming to the Web site from the United States. The second video shows a map of our global readers. The circles indicate two things. First, the yellow circles represent readers coming to the main Web site from desktop or laptop computers, and the orange circles indicate readers using mobile phones to access our mobile site. Second, the size of the circles represents the number of readers at that moment in time. You can see the corresponding time stamp in the upper left corner of the videos. Just watching these maps glow can be a mesmerizing experience, but there’s another fascinating piece of data within this particular day. At about 1 minute and 10 seconds into the video, at 5:20 p.m., you can see a huge pulse of readers coming to the Web site, both from mobile devices and personal computers. This huge traffic bump happened after TMZ.com broke the news of Mr. Jackson’s death. As the news started to filter across the Internet, traffic continued to ebb and flow throughout the evening. It’s also intriguing to see the heartbeat of reader visits throughout any particular day. You can see more mobile traffic in the mornings and afternoons, as readers commute to and from work, and a large pulse of readers coming to the site around lunchtime."

A blogger finds success by pretending to be a guy.

Just, wow. I wonder what would happen in the reverse?  Like, if a MM announced she was actually a Mr. MM?  

Salon -

Today, Men with Pens blogger James Chartrand revealed that "he" is actually a lady with a laptop. After working under her real name for years, Chartrand was still struggling to make it as a freelance writer. Not only was her income negligible, but "I was treated like crap, too. Bossed around, degraded, condescended to, with jibes made about my having to work from home. I quickly learned not to mention I had kids. I quickly learned not to mention I worked from my kitchen table." Out of desperation, she started submitting work under a male pseudonym, just to see if it made a difference. And boy, did it ever.

Instantly, jobs became easier to get.

There was no haggling. There were compliments, there was respect. Clients hired me quickly, and when they received their work, they liked it just as quickly. There were fewer requests for revisions -- often none at all.

I'm like a biiiird.

I love reading keyword searches.  I frequently share keyword searches that land on this blog on Facebook and Twitter.  I know, I know, you thought nobody ever saw that you looked for "how soon can I have anal sex after gastric bypass?"  But, somebody did.  GAG.  But some of them are too good NOT to share. 

Today's Query:  "wls how do you keep your arm flab from flapping"

Duct tape.

Deep Thoughts About My Job.

I am still thinking about it.  I think the Claritin is effecting my brain, which is currently falling out of my nostrils.

Getting to goal and weight maintenance as a job.

I slept on it.  Figuratively. 

I guess I could think about it this way:  If I had re-gained all my excess weight by now, at five and a half years post surgery, would I be blogging about my journey or about any other facet of weight loss surgery?

Probably not, probably not at ALL. 

Perhaps I would feel compelled to be completely anonymous and maybe if I DID blog about my situation, it would be entirely negative.  I am a pretty cynical person as is, but add to that a complete weight regain, this blog would be The! ANTI! WLS! page.

I know I am frequently glass is half-empty about surgical intervention, particularly roux en y gastric bypass, but that because from where I sit?  It feels that way.  It is difficult to be positive and promote something when it isn't working for you in every way.  I do find it funny when I am accused of Selling Surgery, or The Post Surgery Lifestyle.  o-O

So, yeah, the weight loss part?  THAT WORKED.  I have proved that I can maintain a certain level of success with obstacles being thrown at me.  All things considered, I should have failed. 

But, if I did not succeed or maintain any success, I don't think I would be blogging about any of this, it would be a lot harder.  I can't lie.  I am not a good liar, and I am not anonymous.  Yes, some days, I wish I had remained anonymous, and written from the anon standpoint, because it would be so much easier to spill the beans on many situations and such that make Such! Good! Content!  But, I can't go back now, and I have always written as if I knew my grandmother might read it - she's not offended.  ;)

The continual trial and error of maintaining some success has been directly impacted by this blog.  I wonder what my current state would be had I never started writing.  It would be much easier to give up and blend back into fat anonymity.  You betcha!   I keep a certain reign on myself knowing that I "have to" report back and be accountable to this blog.

I guess that means I have made it a "job" and the blog (aka the reader) is my "boss."  

My pay came first in the form of perseverance even when I could just give up.  I started blabbering here and there in 2004 about this experience.  That's a long time.

Much, much later, I earned actual income from partnerships with companies to promote their products because, I carried on.  Even when I don't want to, even when I have the urge to run for the penuche fudge, I stick with it, and even when I get duped, I come back, because, it's my job.

Please, stick around, I need to know it's my job, so I will continue to plug away every day and stay accountable to YOU.

HA.

I have a group on Linked In called Weight Issues Networking.   Typically I have been just adding folks that ask to join with a simple glance to their "application," so many of them are MLM's or spammy, I guess I should read more of them:

Subject: [Weight Issues Networking.] I would like to join Weight Issues Networking.

Advocate,mom,supporter of healthier choices.Free profit making healthy cool credit/debit card taking vending machines!H.U.M.A.N.HELPING UNITE MAN AND NUTRITION.Over 1000 choices of natural snacks and drinks,Proceeds go to location and charities relating to obesity and malnutrition.Hotels,,schools.,offices..,hospitals, fitness and wellness centers.These free machines bring healthy choices to all !

And this is supposed to impress me enough to add her to group, how?  I feel slightly better about being called stupid when I see things like this.

FYI

If you're here and things look a little loopy - do not fear - I did not have a moment.  The blog is getting some design love.  It will be back in normal disarray at some point.  :)

(I have a broken blog.)

Something is going weird here, bear with my blog. 

Feed fixed!

Thanks Andy!  My feed is no longer chopped!  You can subscribe to the feed and read the whole damn post on the run.  Now, go!  Sorry to have been cutting you off at 200 words.  :)