Mandi_B

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I went and bought a new bathing suit this year and yes it took me DAYS to find one that fit just right and hid as much excess skin as possilbe.  By the way, Old Navy has swimsuits for $10 if your looking!  I've sadly decided that I will not be wearing shorts or a swimsuit in public this year.  Yuck!  Sagging excess skin.  The funny thing is that I care about what I look like more now than I ever did.  I'm also extremely critical of myself.  Anyway, I was thinking of some fun summer treats like ice cream, popsicles, etc.  Go figure I was thinking about food.  I found some new ice cream that is very doable for us surgery patients.  I know I've told you about the Edys Fat Free, No Sugar Added Vanilla Chocolate Swirl and it's available at Kroger.  The problem is that is the ONLY flavor available.  As  you all know, I work for Kroger if  you don't know, Kroger owns a brand called Turkey Hill.  The have great drinks and frozen treats.  I went to the Turkey Hill website and noticed that they make a no sugar added line.  I checked out all the nutritional facts and 4 out of 5 flavors are Fat Free, No Sugar Added.  Yeah!  Variety!  I went to my Kroger store (Hyde Park) and of course no Kroger store in Cincinnati carries this line.  You can call Turkey Hill and order it and soon you will be able to order online.  In the meantime I am putting up a fight to get it in our stores!  As a company, I believe that we should offer healthy options to our customers.  I know it's the easier choice to pick sales (profit) over health, but it's just 5 flavors!  Make Room!  If you all would like to help me get this product in our stores, please call 1-800-Krogers and make a product request!  Visit http://www.turkeyhill.com/products/no-sugar-added-ice-cream.aspx to see all of the no sugar added options.  Post your favorite summer treats!

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I posted.  I have been a busy girl working three jobs and I went back to college.  I guess I figured I would go back and finally finish my bachelors since I can now fit in the chairs and move easily around campus (steps!)  So, I decided to major in Food & Nutrition with a business minor in business.  I decided I want to be a part of this country's obesity solution.  I am totally amazed at what I see some of my friends feeding their kids and even eating themselves.  Now that I am just over year out from my surgery, I am starting to see some of those bad habits starting to creep back in.  That is so scary to me!  I am a "SNACKER"!  I catch myself wanting to snack for no reason.  I have finally faced the fact that I had and still have an addiction to food.  Food, the only addiction you can't quit cold turkey.  I am so grateful for my second chance that addiction or no addiction, I refuse to let the obesity creep back in.  Dr. K is right when he says that it's an incurable disease.  I have been struggling lately with being comfortable with myself, food, and exercise.  I've been at the same weight for about 2 months now and I am just not accepting this weight.  People think I'm crazy when I say that I would like to lose 30 more pounds.  Will it ever be enough?  I am, of course, my worst critic.  Food is my best friend and my worst enemy.  I try to tell myself everyday that I should eat to live, not live to eat.  A friend of mine told me that one time and I've never forgotten it.  Exercise!  Well, with being so busy my exercise has gone down the drain.  I'm still trying to get back on track.  I have challenged my husband to a "biggest loser" contest to help myself and him get on the right track.  Well, I hope everyone is doing well!  Feel free to email me anytime to chat!  I love chatting with my wls family.  It makes me feel better since you all are the only ones that understand.  My email is amanda.berschied@gmail.com.   

I apologize that it's been so long since I've posted anything.  The holidays, as usual, were crazy.  I discovered something this Christmas good and bad.  The good thing is that I can eat chocolate (bite size), the bad news is that I can eat chocolate.  As I'm approaching my one year surgiversary, I am discovering that I am able to tolerate more and more.  This is scaring the crap out of me!  I had to have a little chat with myself and I sat back and thought about 2009.  I have now discovered that Dr. K has given me a gift and now it is up to me to keep up with my new healthy lifestyle.  I have 40lbs to go until I reach my ultimate goal weight and I know I have to have patience.  It's not going to go as fast and it's not going to be as easy.  I started the year by making a few goals.  I like goals rather than resolutions.  I feel like I can reach a goal!  My two biggest goals are to of course lose the last 40lbs and to run my first 5K this year.  My personal training contract ends after 9 more sessions and I am sad.  I could sign up again, but I could really use that extra $200 per month.  I owe my life to Dr. K and my trainer Luke because if it wasn't for them I would have continued on my self destructive path.  I had a fantastic 2009 and hope to continue the great success and happiness in 2010.  I encourage all of you to set your long term and short term goals.  Make a list and accomplish them!  I hope you all have a fantastic year and hope that we all continue to keep in touch and helping each other through our life changes.

Mandi B.

So, my husband and I just spent the weekend in Paducah, KY for his family's yearly weekend Christmas.  It was challenging, but I did good and feel confident.  I even lost one pound while I was there.  Friday night was the hardest.  They do not do dinner on Friday night, but they do appetizers.  I'm talking a load of appetizers!  From dips to mini sandwhiches.  So, before we went there on Friday evening, we stopped at O'Charley's and I got a small steak so that I would not be hungry all night.  I did have a couple of Tostito Chips with salsa, a couple of crackers with some crab dip (mostly crab trying to avoid the cream cheese) and luckily they had some veggies and fruit.  Saturday I woke up early and went and worked out in the hotel's gym, then went out to lunch with the family.  I ordered grilled shrimp w/ no butter and a side of steamed veggies.  Well, they brought out the shrimp in a BOWL of Butter!  I told them that I said no butter and they took my shrimp back.  Just one minute later the brought me the shrimp out in a bowl without butter, but the shrimp was still dripping with butter.  Uuugghh!  So, I took my napkin and tried to soak up all of the butter to be able to eat the shrimp.  My goodness!  This is why we do not eat out!  You have no control what goes in or on your food.  The rest of the day was pretty good, Mike's aunt made dinner and I had some ham, lima beans and corn.  The next morning was so hard!  I made my protein drink before we went back to his aunt's house to say goodbye to everyone and they were all having Kringle.  For those of you who don't know Kringle is a dutch pastry from a dutch pastry shop in Racine, WI and it's phenominal!  I absolutely could not resist.  I cut the tiniest sliver I could and it was delectable.  The bad thing is that my father-in-law drives to Racine every year to pick up Kringle for everyone, so needless to say we have two full rings of Kringle in our freezer.  It's taunting me!  So, my first Christmas holiday went pretty good.  I had a few bites of items I probably wasn't supposed to have, but I think all in all it went pretty well.  I look forward to our holiday party on 12/15!

I have to say I am getting nervous because this is my first year of holidays after my Gastric Bypass.  We have Turkey day in two days, my husband's family Christmas weekend next weekend and then all of my family's holiday functions at the end of December.  I tell myself everyday it's all about calories in vs. calories out.  This last 46lbs is going to hell especially with the good food holidays coming.  Uggghhhh if only my mom was a bad cook!  :)  Well, does anyone have any holiday advice?

I wanted to share this article I found a while ago.  I'll post the topic on the discussion board.


The Elephant Complex

By OH Member Jaime Willis

When captive circus elephants are young, their trainers shackle one of their legs to a heavy iron stake pounded deep into the ground to ensure that no matter how hard or how defiantly the young elephant struggles, he will not be able to escape. Years later, when the elephant has grown into his full strength and power, the trainer still holds him captive, but not with chain and an iron stake. The trainer can use simple rope and a wooden stake half-heartedly pushed into soft soil, and still the elephant will not escape. Why? The elephant is trapped by his mind, where his past experience has ingrained in him the futility of freedom. Even when freedom lies handily in his grasp, the elephant cannot fathom it.

The elephant and I might as well be siblings, because our experiences in life are so similar. You see, being fat wasn’t just a description of my physical appearance, but a life-long mindset, one I first recall summoning at Kerry Moore’s third grade Luau birthday party, where I was ashamed to run around in my bathing suit and grass skirt (as all the other skinnier girls did) for fear of someone mocking my rounded belly. For a girl who has been “chubby,” “husky,” “stocky,” “bulky,” “tubby,” “full-figured,” “large-boned,” “flabby,” and “fat” variously since third grade, the state of being overweight defined me physically and mentally.

In the last ten months, I’ve lost more than 130 pounds (an entire supermodel!), and one of the most striking things I’ve noticed is how HARD it is to overcome the “elephant complex.”(And how appropriate that this can be named after the plight of the elephant, the animal synonymous with enormity). Can you relate? With a show of hands, how many people still get butterflies the first time they sit down in a fragile looking or rickety chair, silently praying to every god and goddess they believe in that the chair will hold their weight? How many people still can’t tuck in a shirt because they feel so uncomfortable and vulnerable exposing the (dwindling) expanse of tummy resting below the waistline of their pants? How many people still bow out of strenuous activities or athletic events, knowing that they would never be capable of competing with the “normal” people participating? And how many people still look in the mirror and “see” the same huge, misshapen body that they shed months (or years) ago?

At the beginning of my journey, my nutritionist told me that in order for this surgery to be successful, I was going to have to keep an open mind about ALL foods, as some foods I had loved before (can I get a what, what for chocolate?) will not agree with me post surgery, and some foods I hated (chicken!) would turn out to be a new favorite, if I opened myself up to the new possibilities. I know that advice was so critical to the healthy dietary choices that helped me lose the weight, and I think the same is true for our mindsets.

I have to encourage myself everyday to challenge my “elephant” mindset. Can I really exercise on the treadmill at the gym beyond walking speeds? Can I really accept a compliment about how pretty I look without immediately dismissing the complimentor as a delusional brown noser? Can I really walk out the door wearing a shirt that fits instead of one that bags around me covering my imperfections? (Yes, Yes, and Yes, although some days I ruin the effect by spending the whole day fidgeting with my shirt trying to make it seem less “revealing” of my body’s actual shape.)

One of the hardest things about shedding the elephant mindset is that the list of things that you “can’t” do keeps diminishing day by day. Two months ago, I could only keep up a swift walking pace on the treadmill; two weeks ago, I could run at a 4.4 pace for 15 minutes at a time; two days ago, I was able to run for a half hour straight at 4.8. I have to be careful when buying “tight” clothes—if I don’t keep trying them on (which was a futile and hopelessly depressing gesture just a year ago), the next thing I know, the outfit has gone from being too tight to loosy-goosy without me ever having clipped the tags off the darn thing.

Ripping ourselves free of the elephant mindset is a daily, hourly, minutely struggle. Every time you think “I can’t,” shying away from some activity you’ve always perceived as beyond you, you must consciously activate a stronger, louder voice that says “I CAN!” And be sure to follow it up with, “And if I can’t now, I have to keep trying, because I know I’ll be able to do it soon!”

For me, the biggest challenge is continually push myself out of my comfort zone, especially with exercise and activity. “I can’t do real push-ups because my arms aren’t strong enough to hold my weight,” I think, because for the past fourteen years of my life, it was true. Guess what? I CAN do real push-ups now, because I AM strong and sleek enough to make it happen. To help keep this can-do attitude at the front of my mind, I’ve written myself a note on my bathroom mirror that says, “I AM SMART. I AM STRONG. I AM SEXY. I CAN DO IT!” I use it as a daily reminder to break free of my mental shackles—because I am no elephant, and I refuse to act like one any longer.

I challenge everyone to be watchful of their own elephant mindset and to challenge it. Loudly. Daily. And unceasingly. Why?

Because you CAN.

I wanted to share this article with everyone.

The Elephant Complex

By OH Member Jaime Willis

When captive circus elephants are young, their trainers shackle one of their legs to a heavy iron stake pounded deep into the ground to ensure that no matter how hard or how defiantly the young elephant struggles, he will not be able to escape. Years later, when the elephant has grown into his full strength and power, the trainer still holds him captive, but not with chain and an iron stake. The trainer can use simple rope and a wooden stake half-heartedly pushed into soft soil, and still the elephant will not escape. Why? The elephant is trapped by his mind, where his past experience has ingrained in him the futility of freedom. Even when freedom lies handily in his grasp, the elephant cannot fathom it.

The elephant and I might as well be siblings, because our experiences in life are so similar. You see, being fat wasn’t just a description of my physical appearance, but a life-long mindset, one I first recall summoning at Kerry Moore’s third grade Luau birthday party, where I was ashamed to run around in my bathing suit and grass skirt (as all the other skinnier girls did) for fear of someone mocking my rounded belly. For a girl who has been “chubby,” “husky,” “stocky,” “bulky,” “tubby,” “full-figured,” “large-boned,” “flabby,” and “fat” variously since third grade, the state of being overweight defined me physically and mentally.

In the last ten months, I’ve lost more than 130 pounds (an entire supermodel!), and one of the most striking things I’ve noticed is how HARD it is to overcome the “elephant complex.”(And how appropriate that this can be named after the plight of the elephant, the animal synonymous with enormity). Can you relate? With a show of hands, how many people still get butterflies the first time they sit down in a fragile looking or rickety chair, silently praying to every god and goddess they believe in that the chair will hold their weight? How many people still can’t tuck in a shirt because they feel so uncomfortable and vulnerable exposing the (dwindling) expanse of tummy resting below the waistline of their pants? How many people still bow out of strenuous activities or athletic events, knowing that they would never be capable of competing with the “normal” people participating? And how many people still look in the mirror and “see” the same huge, misshapen body that they shed months (or years) ago?

At the beginning of my journey, my nutritionist told me that in order for this surgery to be successful, I was going to have to keep an open mind about ALL foods, as some foods I had loved before (can I get a what, what for chocolate?) will not agree with me post surgery, and some foods I hated (chicken!) would turn out to be a new favorite, if I opened myself up to the new possibilities. I know that advice was so critical to the healthy dietary choices that helped me lose the weight, and I think the same is true for our mindsets.

I have to encourage myself everyday to challenge my “elephant” mindset. Can I really exercise on the treadmill at the gym beyond walking speeds? Can I really accept a compliment about how pretty I look without immediately dismissing the complimentor as a delusional brown noser? Can I really walk out the door wearing a shirt that fits instead of one that bags around me covering my imperfections? (Yes, Yes, and Yes, although some days I ruin the effect by spending the whole day fidgeting with my shirt trying to make it seem less “revealing” of my body’s actual shape.)

One of the hardest things about shedding the elephant mindset is that the list of things that you “can’t” do keeps diminishing day by day. Two months ago, I could only keep up a swift walking pace on the treadmill; two weeks ago, I could run at a 4.4 pace for 15 minutes at a time; two days ago, I was able to run for a half hour straight at 4.8. I have to be careful when buying “tight” clothes—if I don’t keep trying them on (which was a futile and hopelessly depressing gesture just a year ago), the next thing I know, the outfit has gone from being too tight to loosy-goosy without me ever having clipped the tags off the darn thing.

Ripping ourselves free of the elephant mindset is a daily, hourly, minutely struggle. Every time you think “I can’t,” shying away from some activity you’ve always perceived as beyond you, you must consciously activate a stronger, louder voice that says “I CAN!” And be sure to follow it up with, “And if I can’t now, I have to keep trying, because I know I’ll be able to do it soon!”

For me, the biggest challenge is continually push myself out of my comfort zone, especially with exercise and activity. “I can’t do real push-ups because my arms aren’t strong enough to hold my weight,” I think, because for the past fourteen years of my life, it was true. Guess what? I CAN do real push-ups now, because I AM strong and sleek enough to make it happen. To help keep this can-do attitude at the front of my mind, I’ve written myself a note on my bathroom mirror that says, “I AM SMART. I AM STRONG. I AM SEXY. I CAN DO IT!” I use it as a daily reminder to break free of my mental shackles—because I am no elephant, and I refuse to act like one any longer.

I challenge everyone to be watchful of their own elephant mindset and to challenge it. Loudly. Daily. And unceasingly. Why?

Because you CAN.

I just wanted to put this out there.  Does anyone have trouble staying on track/routine on the weekends.  I have discovered that I have a set routine during the week when it comes to eating and drinking, but when the weekend hits all hell breaks loose.  I feel as if I run myself ragged on the weekends so much that I don't eat or drink as much as I should.  By Sunday night I am usually exhausted and can't wait to get back to my weekly routine.  I am wondering if anyone else shares this same problem.  I am also wondering if anyone has any tips?  My world feels like it just flips upside down on the weekends, granted the weekend is when I usually have most of my fun, but it is chaotic. 

I am very excited for our support group this Wednesday!  Don't forget to bring in old clothes to swap or donate.  Also don't forget your favorite "gastric friendly" holiday recipe! 

Hello everyone!  I decided to put our group online!  I have enjoyed this website for quite sometime and they always have new articles and a huge community to talk to.  I am hoping we can use this forum to chat and have discussions if one of us has an immediate concern or something on our mind.  I hope you all participate and enjoy this new forum for all of us.  Let me know if you have any ideas!