From the Desk of Susan Maria…


Merry Christmas. That sounds odd as the last time I was paying attention, it was July! As I get older, the years actually pass by faster. Which means that I have to have a tighter and more detailed plan each year in order to accomplish my goals.

No matter where you are in your weight loss journey, career, or life, goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor. How do you know if you are moving forward if you haven’t mapped out a destination or a road for getting there?

Remember that goals that are not written down are just wishes.

I am fortunate that my mother and father were always in mine and my brother’s corner, constantly pushing us towards challenging our previous best. My little brother had the misfortune of following me by three years; I set a high bar, and my father never let him forget it. My only failure in life was with my weight and Dad never let me forget that; which is why losing half my body weight and maintaining health and happiness for seven years is the ultimate triumph.

My Christmas memories are bittersweet as they are of my beautiful mother – baking Christmas tree shaped spritz cookies, decorating our shiny silver tree that had a colored wheel that turned our living room red, blue, green and yellow in turn (circa 1965), the doll of the year that was always under the tree for me, seeing the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes chorus line kick when Daddy would take me to New York City every Christmas, the year my brother and I saw Santa and his reindeer in the sky and were scared to death we jinxed our bounty if he saw us (of course he saw us John… he’s SANTA!), mostly I have beautiful memories of how much we were loved.

Take time in this busy season to make some memories for your family. It isn’t all about the iPods, the Wii’s, the cameras, the wrapped presents; it’s the little things like the hour you spend baking cookies, the hot cocoa you serve with them, the tree trimming music, taking out the box of pictures and telling stories of the grandparents who are no longer here but are in our hearts.

We have weight loss surgery to get our life back… so make the most of every minute.

While you are reading this newsletter, Ty and I are relaxing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on our first non-motorcycle trip in over seven years! I am looking forward to the beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre mountains, incredible food, and shopping for silver jewelry. My orthopedic surgeon gave me okay to start walking on my broken leg. I guess technically it isn’t broken anymore! I no longer have a cast or boot; I have a limp and I walk very slowly, but life is good again. There’s a big old world out there, and I intend to see as much of it as I can squeeze into a lifetime!

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which as been opened for us."
Helen Adams Keller

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo

Skinny After Sixty
by Joanna Blair

Joanna is one of our newest contributors here at BElieve. She offers the unique perspective of an over-sixty post-op who wants to share her journey with us. After having her RNY in April 2006, she has lost 225 pounds, and has a lot of wisdom and insight to share!

At age 63, I’m called “Skinny.” I probably haven’t been skinny since the day I was born, when I weighed in at nearly six pounds.

Today, I love the new me. I walk three miles a day, make healthy homemade dog food, (a business I’ve contemplated), create healthy great-tasting meals for myself (and everyone I know!), shop for bargains in clothing, and enjoy life overall.


Although getting to this point was the biggest challenge of my life, I would do it all again to achieve the same result.

Sure, I’ve had moments of regret during this journey. It definitely wasn’t all “peaches and cream.” I’ve learned a lot about myself, as well as the things we tend to take for granted in life.

For two years I considered WLS and spent time searching for as much information as I could absorb. Once I decided I was emotionally and intellectually ready to move forward, I researched doctors and facilities in my area. I chose Pittsburgh-based surgeon Daniel J. Gagne, M.D.

At my age, I felt my options to lose enough weight to be healthy were decreasing. Despite being morbidly obese, I wasn’t plagued by high blood pressure, diabetes or any other medical problem associated with obesity. However, I knew it was only a matter of time for that to change.

Being healthy meant I would be around to watch my grandchildren grow up and be able to keep up with them. My six grandchildren range in age from 23 to 3.

During the pre-op process the potential risks were discussed repeatedly at every visit to the doctor. Never did I think I would fall into that one-percent category of complications. How many of us concentrate on the risks when we’re looking forward to having the surgery? Sure, it entered my mind that something could happen, but that thought didn’t linger long enough to cause concern.

Once my surgery was scheduled, I prepared for my return home. I made several kinds of broth, put them into one-serving containers, labeled the containers and placed them in the freezer. I bought sugar-free Popsicles and puddings for my consumption. I was actually excited about getting started on the weight loss. I felt I was ready.

The information given to me during pre-op indicated after surgery I would be on one of two floors: ICU if there were problems, or the ninth floor. Of course I just knew I would wake up on the ninth floor, and I did.

I have no clear memory of the subsequent events. I’m told I went from being excited about going home in a couple of days to respiratory failure, two more surgeries, and ICU for several weeks. I slept through those weeks.

I missed the opportunity to eat/drink the broth I had so carefully prepared. By the time I returned home--nearly three months after the surgery--I had already graduated to regular foods. I managed to use the broth for soups, though.

Sometimes I feel as though I’ve traveled a million miles in the last 19 months to get from point A to point B. My first memory after coming out of the coma was that I couldn’t talk and no one understood what I was trying to communicate. The great communicator couldn’t make anyone understand what was going through my mind. So many questions, so much fear.

It wasn’t long before I adjusted to my environment. I didn’t like that I could do nothing for myself, though. I struggled trying to get anyone to understand what I wanted to say and one day my doctor gave me paper and pencil. I wonder if he ever regretted that as I found I could write as fast as I used to be able to talk. I was definitely able to get my point across with those tools.

With a great deal of help and support from family and medical staff the road to recovery began for me. Next month, I will share the path down that road with you in my article, “Baby Steps.”




Cracking the Calcium Code
by Tammy Hayden

Tammy ‘Bikini Bella’, is a very important member of our Message Board community. Always a voice of reason and willing to share a wealth of knowledge, she is truly valued as both a contributor and friend. - SM

Through the ages, people have made many New Year Resolutions. While most of them have been worthwhile, how many of us are truly committed to those resolutions for the entire year? We start out with the best intentions, only to end up falling away in a matter of months if not days. Do you suppose a resolution would be easier if we worked together as a group? I think there is great power in numbers. So let us, as a group, pull together to make 2008 our year; the year that BEgins better bone health.

There are many things we can do to help ensure better bone health … Let’s start with our calcium supplements.

Calcium, calcium, calcium … such an important mineral. Most researchers agree that the human body needs calcium. Those that have had surgery that alters the digestive tract and thus alters the body’s ability to fully absorb some vitamins and minerals especially need supplementation.

The two most prominent forms of calcium are calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. And while there have been many debates over which of the two is better, the bottom line is that elemental calcium is the gold we are searching for. In light of the fact that the ASBS has declared calcium citrate as the preferred supplement for those with a malaborbtive surgery, this is where we will focus our attention.

So if it is elemental calcium in citrate form we are after, it should be as easy as reading the label, right? Wrong! The problem is that while labels are geared to offer us valuable information; they can be confusing. Even when we think we are doing the right thing, we might not be getting the amount we think we are. The key point to keep in mind when reading the label is just because it says 500 mg calcium citrate it does not necessarily mean it is 500 mg elemental calcium. Confused? I certainly was, so, let’s break it down

Since we are seeking elemental calcium, just assuring the label reads calcium citrate is not enough. Then how can we be assured we are getting the amount of elemental calcium we need? We need to understand the “super secret code” of calcium labeling. The “code” listing the calcium as 500 mg calcium citrate – states that this formulation is 500 mgs total. What this actually means is that of the 500mgs listed; only 21% is actually elemental calcium which equates to approximately 105mg elemental calcium. The remaining 395mg are calcium salts. Should we understand the “code” and take enough of the calcium to meet our requirement, then this could be a fine choice. However, too often we do not realize there is a “code” and are misled into believing we are taking 500mg of calcium and are meeting our needs. Only later do we find that we are deficient and have to live with the side effects of low calcium – butter bones and etc.

Is it all bad news? No way … If you know the “code” then you can also determine when 500 on a label means 500 elemental calcium. If a label declares that the calcium comes from calcium citrate, then it is purely our golden elemental calcium and we can expect that we are taking 500 mgs of pure elemental calcium. Examples are

500 mg calcium (calcium citrate) = 500 mg elemental calcium
500 mg calcium as calcium citrate = 500 mg elemental calcium
500 mg calcium from calcium citrate = 500 mg elemental calcium

However labeling stating;

500 mg calcium citrate = 105 mg elemental calcium

Let’s put what we have learned to the test with a couple of examples …

Building Blocks Calcium
Serving Size: 4 Tablets
Calcium (as calcium citrate) 1000 mg
From this we can see that the calcium listed is elemental calcium citrate (calcium citrate) and 4 chewable tablets will give us 1000 mg of elemental calcium. From this we can adjust the dose to our needed amount.

Popular warehouse store brand
Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 2 Tablets
Calcium 500 mg
While this may be great calcium, from the label we can not be certain. It does not tell us where the calcium comes from. However, on the front of the bottle it does say Calcium Citrate, so we can guess it is calcium citrate – but we can not be certain of the elemental amount. Should we be guessing when it comes to our health? I would not consider using a product with this label.

Small vitamin chain brand
Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 2 Tablets
Calcium Citrate 333 mg
From this label we can ascertain that the mg of the tablets are not from citrate but rather contain citrate – approximately 21% in fact. In other words, 2 tablets would give us about 70 mgs of elemental calcium. Quite a difference from what some may think they are consuming.

Bariatric Advantage Calcium
Serving size 2 tablets
Amount per 1 tablet
Calcium (from calcium citrate) 400 mg
We can put our detective skills to work here and see that even though a serving size is two tablets according to the label, the stats are listed per tablet. With that in mind, each tablet has 400 mgs of elemental calcium citrate.

If we want to do all we can to help prevent bone loss and ensure the appropriate amount of elemental calcium, just take care in reading the labels and remember if it is from calcium citrate, all is well. If it says it is calcium citrate (contains), look for another source or be sure to take into account that the preparation is 21% elemental and adjust your dose accordingly.

Now that was easy wasn’t it? You have cracked the “code” and have been promoted to Ace Calcium Detective. Wear your badge with honor and pay the information forward.

May your year be happy, healthy and spent building stronger bones!!!

Couple Talk
by Shelley Meyers

Shelley is active on the Before and After message boards. Shelley and her husband have had WLS; Shelley has decided to share their story as a WLS couple with us.

“And lead us not into temptation…” a timeless phrase that can apply to so many areas of our lives, especially when it comes to our relationships and our health. Let’s start with relationships.

For those of us who are married or in a committed relationship, the lure of temptation can be an all-too-real threat. When things are going well, we can assume a “that would never happen to me” attitude. We are soooo in love. The thought of doing anything inappropriate seems as likely as getting hit by lightning on a cloudless day. Now, when things aren’t going so well…the threat can lurk in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. How does it happen? There are so many ways. A seemingly innocent chat online. Stopping to talk to that kinda-cute co-worker for just a few extra minutes. Wearing THAT outfit on a night out without your partner, “just to see if anyone notices me.”

We live in a society of instant gratification and carnality. We are bombarded daily with sexual images and stories about “Who cheated on whom?” in Hollywood. How do we keep our relationships safe? To borrow a phrase from AA… “one day at a time.” Every day, we must commit to remain faithful in every way to our partner. This means that even if she was supposed to do the dishes, or he was supposed to take out the trash we are committed. We’re committed when he just doesn’t get it, or when she expects you to read her mind. No matter how we may feel at the moment, we make a conscious decision to remain faithful. We avoid scenarios that may put us in a compromising position, not because we don’t love our partner, but because we do.

Now, let’s talk about WLS and our health for a minute. We definitely need to protect ourselves from temptation there as well! Once again, things seem pretty easy when we feel good and life is going well. We take our vitamins, count our protein grams and get our exercise. When life throws us a curveball, it’s not quite so easy. How many of us are tempted to grab a cookie after a bad day? (Ok, I’ll admit…that was a personal example!) Maybe we just eat a couple extra bites of our favorite food. Or, when we feel particularly crummy, we plop in the recliner rather than hit the gym. How do we fight this kind of temptation? One day at a time! Every day, make a new commitment to make your health a top priority. Decide each day to make good choices. Log on to the board and tell us what you ate today. Pat yourself on the back when you have a good day. Tell us when you’re tempted to make the wrong choices, too, and we will lovingly kick you in the rear and help you make the right ones!

I hope that all of us will make a commitment to ourselves as well as to those we love. Let’s focus on our top priorities as we decide each day to protect both our relationships and our bodies from the effects of temptation. I look forward to having you join me!

ADD STRETCHING AND FLEXIBILITY TRAINING TO YOUR ROUTINE!
by Lisa Hall Certified Personal Trainer

Lisa, also known as 'LittleLisa' on our boards, continues to contribute to our newsletter with her monthly exercise article. Lisa is excited to announce that she has recently become a certified personal trainer! What a transformation—to go from once being morbidly obese to teaching people how to be healthy (she already has several full-time clients)—awesome, Lisa!

Most strength training and aerobic programs inherently cause your muscles to contract and flex. For equal balance, a longer and leaner look, injury prevention and greater flexibility, it is very important to stretch both before and after your workout routine.

Stretching has many benefits and is a powerful part of any exercise routine. Stretching increases and improves your range of motion of your joints. Having a good range of motion helps you have better balance and prevents falls. Stretching also improves circulation. Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles and good circulation can help speed recovery after an injury; it also promotes better posture and better posture causes us to stand taller and look thinner! It can also reduce stress. Stretching relaxes tense muscles that often accompany stress. If muscle joints are tight stretching can prevent injury during your workout routine.

There are proper ways to stretch, and you must be careful because stretching in an inappropriate fashion can cause injuries--including pulled muscles. When stretching, make sure you know the essential stretching guidelines. I believe the most important thing to remember is that you never want to stretch cold muscles. That means before your stretching routine, at the start of your workout, you should warm up your body a bit first. For a period of five minutes, walk slowly on the treadmill, march in place while pumping your arms, turn on some music and dance, take a slow ride on an exercise bike or even step up and down on a step for a few minutes; just make sure your muscles are warm and pliable.

Back in the 80s, in the era of leg warmers and aerobic classes, it was commonly thought that bouncing while stretching was the correct method to increase flexibility and warm up muscles. We now know that this method is dangerous. Never, ever bounce while stretching. Instead, stretch as deep as you can into a movement and hold for a period of 30-60 seconds. You may notice as you hold a stretch that you are able to lean into the stretch a little further as your muscle loosens up – lean into it further and hold it! For tighter muscles, lean into a stretch for 60 seconds and for muscles that are less tight a good 30-second stretch is all that you will need. Take time stretching; relax and enjoy this time. It can be both relaxing and peaceful.

Focus on a pain-free stretch. Stretching should allow you to feel tension, but if a stretch is painful you’ve gone too far. Pull that stretch back a bit to a point where you don’t feel any pain.

Remember, your muscles need oxygen. Don’t forget to breathe when you stretch! In fact, breathing deeply while you stretch can help you go deeper into your stretch and help build up your flexibility! Stretching and breathing deeply can also allow you to release stress and prepare you for a fantastic workout.

Remember to stretch all major muscle groups. I usually have my clients start with simple head rolls, work into shoulder rolls, stretch out neck, back, shoulders and arms and then I take them into a series of stretches for their legs. Remember to stretch all parts of the leg including ankles, calves, quads, hip flexors, and glutes. Depending on the exercise routine you will be doing and the muscles involved, you may wish to add in some other activity appropriate stretches.

I personally take my clients through a series of stretches both before and after our workout routine. Stretching after a workout allows for a nice cool-down period and also prevents muscles from becoming big and bulky. Stretching promotes long and lean muscle development. Stretching is an activity that just feels good. Feel free to stretch outside of your workout routine. I know that as I age stretching feels great first thing in the morning after rising from bed. It’s also a great thing to do during the middle of your workday and can just take a few minutes of your time. Doing this mid-day can prevent neck strain, shoulder strain and as a result may make you more productive!

Dolly's Star

Dolly's corner is written by BariatricEating's own Teresa White. Teresa is an amazing example of how WLS can truly change one's life in many ways. She has come a long way on her journey--losing 230 lbs. since her surgery on September 11, 2003, which was performed by Dr. Robert Shin.

This months star is one of our local Florida post ops. Honestly I was shocked and amazed to learn that he was a post op bypass patient. Isn’t that what we hope for – to get to goal and not look like a gastric bypass patient? Joey Ricca is 31 years old and 2 years ago he discovered that he had to do something to change the quality of his life. Joey had been overweight for his entire life.

One Saturday, I listened as Joey told his story which held me mesmerized. Joey shared a story of being a young boy in NY, passing by a place that made pizza. Not like Pizza Hut, he explained, but the real pizza that they make in the city. He said that he would work for the pizza man in the evening on the way home from school. At the end of his time, the pizza man would slice off fresh mozzarella for Joey to eat. He worked for food! He continued to do this after school each day, until he got caught by his mother.

As an adult Joey was classified as Super Morbidly Obese, however he still maintained a fulltime job for many years with the Legal Seafood restaurant. Working behind the bar was too difficult for Joey at his size, so it was impossible for him to advance to a manager’s position at the bar. He still continued to persevere and strive for a better life. He tried dieting and exercise only to eventually work his way up the scale to 392 pounds.

Joey had a medical emergency; an allergic reaction that threw his body into anaphylactic shock. The episode landed him in the hospital and on a respirator for 9 days. This was a grueling experience for a nearly 400 pound body, an experience that was difficult to recover from both physically and emotionally.

Joey began thinking more about the life saving bariatric surgery he knew of while at a Marlins game with his girlfriend. What should have been a joyous event turned into an eye opening experience. Barely being able to sit in his set, Joey noticed a father in the nearby seats with his children. The little boy’s shirts said “Our first opening day with Daddy”. Reading the shirt brought Joey to tears and made him think about how important having children was to his life. The grim reality was that if he was going to have children, he would need to be healthy to see them into adulthood. It wouldn’t work to play with children from a wheelchair, or even worse, not be there at all for them. He knew unless he did something about his weight, his life would not be a wonderful family story.

Joey made the decision to have weight loss surgery and on May 12, 2005 he took the step to change his life forever. At the hands of Dr. Raul Rosenthal of Cleveland Clinic Joey underwent a laparoscopic roux n y procedure to save his life; with a BMI of 53 he decided it was time to begin life and not merely exist.

Since his surgery Joey has made a complete lifestyle change. Now dedicated to reconstructing both his mind and body, Joey helps others who have had this surgery by talking about his experience and has even gone on to become a personal trainer.

His involvement in the Weight Loss Surgery community is what brought him to Susan Maria’s Before and After Support Board. Those of you who were able to attend the Live Your Best Life event in Fort Lauderdale will easily remember Joey. Those of you who did not get attend, look for Joey on the message board and look for his contributions to the Believe Newsletter as he be writing about his experiences from a guy’s perspective.

Joey is an active young man, now weighing in at a trim and fit 200 pounds, making up for the time he lost being Super Morbidly Obese. He lives life to the fullest, works out every day, and loves to make friends, and spread the word of how weight loss surgery can completely change your life. Congratulations Joey you are a Star in my eyes.

 

The Inner Life
by Janet Zemel

This month we introduce a new column to the newsletter, The Inner Life, written by Janet Zemel, a post-op in Los Angeles who had WLS on March 7, 2006. Janet lives and loves with her husband and their two rescued Chihuahuas. She has lost 100lbs to date.

My favorite time of year starts with the mad dash of Halloween and continues on until we come to a screeching halt at the New Year. I love the holidays with all the festivities, fun, beauty and joy. And yet, each year, I seem to be looking for ways to make it simpler, more streamlined, and less stressful for myself and my family. As an obese woman, there was a time I believed I had to do more, spend more, give more to make up for my “deficiency”. The belief permeated every area of my life. To break away from this limiting self-image, I started with a simple exercise of listening to my thoughts. When I pay attention to my own thoughts, and slow myself down long enough to hear them, I gain a wealth of information.

The inner life has a direct effect on the outer life. The way I ‘speak’ to myself can either lift me up or slam me down. No one would have dared to speak to me the way I used to. Understanding how this inner-angst was actually affecting my self-worth and my ability to live a fulfilling life, I knew something had to change.

Putting a lot of effort into hearing my own thoughts, I began to use the tool of positive reframing, one negative thought at a time. Now when I hear a harsh tone or angry voice in my head, I have learned to pay immediate attention. For example, the words, “That was really stupid” are hanging in the air like a glittering birthday banner strung across the room. Unchecked, this was a message likely to have sent me looking to food for comfort. By sitting still and following the message backwards, I usually find that it is someone else’s voice, not mine, ringing in my ears. It can be a long forgotten memory resurfacing, an uncomfortable moment relived, or an automatic programmed reaction to feeling embarrassment or shame. These are not my words; this is not the tone I want to take with myself, much less with any of my loved ones. What I want to hear is the sound of comfort, support, and compassion. The soothing voice of someone who likes me, believes in me, and is on my side. My own internal best friend.

Just like any learned behavior, it takes time to transform thoughts. Taking time to reframe, I actually apologize to myself and restate the message with positive words and encouragement. Facing the nearest mirror, I might say something like this to myself (out loud if no one else is there), “I’m sorry. That must have been embarrassing. Everyone makes mistakes, and next time you’ll know better.”

Using the positive reframing technique, I’ve learned to filter out my needs versus others’ expectations. Taking things one day at time, sometimes one thought at a time, I am able to ask myself what do I truly desire at holiday time? What consistently comes back to me is time with family and loved ones, shared experiences that enrich relationships, and of course, good food. I know this Thanksgiving, as we join the family table in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I will have much to be grateful for as I give thanks for my health, my family, and the moments of quiet peace inside my mind.

Water, Water Everywhere…
by Jean Apple

Jean Apple has been teaching water fitness since 1995, but began as a student in 1990 with a birthday gift from a friend. She is certified through the YMCA Water Fitness Instructor program and is also a Water Fitness Instructor Trainer for the YMCA-USA. She has held certification classes in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Jean is a two- year Lap-RNY post-op patient. Jean currently serves the BE board as Moderator for Body Wise—you probably know her as “Akwafit.”

People everywhere are finally discovering water exercise and how it can benefit their health and quality of life. Whether you are wanting to just shape up, improve overall fitness, excel at a sport, rehabilitate from an injury, ease the symptoms of arthritis (or any other medical condition), keep in shape during pregnancy, or just have fun, water exercise is the way to go!

No, you don’t need to know how to swim to take a water fitness class. In 90% of the classes that I teach, participants remain in a vertical (upright) position, with feet touching the pool bottom (the exception is a deep-water class…which I’ll explain later!) Water is twelve times denser than air and provides support and resistance when one exercises in it. Water exercise is low-impact and provides less pain than land-based activity. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against land exercises, but there are some people that can do an entire hour of water exercise that wouldn’t survive 10 minutes in a land-based class. Water is so forgiving, especially when you are hurting from head to toe.

There are also different types of water fitness classes from low impact aerobics to deep-water to arthritis classes. There’s definitely something for everyone!

Water is great for those that need to experience some resistance with little pressure of gravity. Weight loss and toning are at the top of the list in results from choosing this form of exercise. Low-to-moderate-intensity workouts are not only safer than that of a high intensity/high impact exercise, but are an excellent method for achieving many goals. Using the water’s resistance to movement can increase stress on muscle mass and encourage muscle growth, as well as provide from some great cardiovascular training. It is also a wonderful way to stretch and relax muscle groups that have been subjected to impact exercises and weight training exercises.

I tell my students to measure themselves at the beginning of a new class session, which is usually the beginning of the month, and date the paper and put it away to the next month. Then, I ask them to take that paper out and measure again at the new month and notice not only inches toned up and gone, but loose fitting clothing as a bonus to better health.

Some important things to remember to take to class with you are: WATER (to drink since you are sweating and don’t realize it in the pool), water shoes for better support in the pool, and water-appropriate equipment such as water weights, noodles, and paddles.

If you’re interested in participating in a water fitness course, just Google “Water Fitness” to find out about water exercise and where in your area classes can be found. Most YMCAs and YWCAs offer water fitness classes for a great price, along with many gyms throughout the country.

Just keep swimming!

Don’t Have a Blue Christmas
by Teresa White


Last time I looked it was the 4th of July, what do you mean it’s time to hang the mistletoe, and deck the halls. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year spent at my grandparent’s home in West Virginia. Even after my grandfather passed away, we kept that family tradition going strong. My Grandmother has always filled her house and her heart with love and she has generously shared both with her family.

This year I am discovering that with time sometimes our traditions and our circumstances change and some people find themselves away from their family and friends during the holiday season. Being alone does not have to mean being lonely. It is time to celebrate new traditions and new life.

Many times I find myself walking through the mall admiring the beautiful Christmas decorations, sipping on a warm sugar free caramel coffee from the coffee shop at Nordstroms. I still find it amazing that the flowers bloom all year long in Florida, and each day that I walk from my car to the store I enjoy the beautiful flowers growing outside.

Although holiday traditions a lot of times are about family, foods and gifts; traditions can always change. Spend the holiday focusing on good healthy foods. Drop that punch bowl and cake tradition and serve up a healthy sugar free pumpkin roll from the holiday recipe section. Relish in the time that you can spend with family and friends but don’t center that time on food. Give yourself the gift of love, and love yourself.

Lets all focus this holiday season on being good to ourselves. Let’s make sure we have the healthy foods we need for our diet needs. Let’s not get too focused on what we can do for everyone else and make sure we take time for ourselves and our needs as well. If we don’t love ourselves, who will?

5 Ways to Grab Your Doctor by the Lapels of His Lab Coat


“Physicians are extremely busy, so they tend to connect certain symptoms with certain problems,” says Cam Patterson, M.D., director of the cardiology division at the University of North Carolina. “You can break through those barriers by being concise and specific.” Wave these red flags to raise your physician’s suspicions.

(Use the word “new.”)
“I have a constant new pain…”
“A new pain, particularly one that’s frequent, can be a sign that something is seriously wrong,” says Dr. Patterson. “Stay focused on that issue. You don’t want to confuse matters by talking about more than one problem at a time.”

(Pinpoint the location.)
“…in the tip of my right pinky finger…”
The more precise you can be, the easier it will be for your doctor to make a diagnosis. “Giving the exact location is also important because it may indicate that you need to see a specialist,” says Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., orthopedic surgeon-in-chief for the University of Virginia Health System.

(Use strong adjectives.)
“…a stabbing pain, pretty severe…”
“Severe,” “blunt,” “numbing,” “stabbing”—these words will grab your doctor by the collar, says Dr. Patterson.

(Rate your symptoms.)
“…maybe a 6 out of 10…”
“Giving your pain a severity score provides your doctor with a concrete idea of how it feels,” says Dr. Laurencin. “Doing this also helps during follow-up visits, because it’ll make it easier for your doctor to judge whether different medications or therapies are working.”

(Tell him what you can’t do.)
“…and I’m having trouble picking my nose now.”
If you used to be able to type for hours and now you can’t because your vision is blurry, say so. Your doctor will immediately understand how debilitating your problem is—and you’ll reinforce the idea that something has changed recently. “If you’ve had to alter your lifestyle,” says Dr. Patterson, “knowing that will add to your physician’s urgency.”

Jim Continues His Journey…
by James Legan

Jim, also known as 'Noble' on our boards, keeps us up-to-date on a month-to-month basis on his progress. Jim had a lap RNY performed on July 10, 2007 by Dr. William O’Malley at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY. Jim is a great example of a dedicated post-op, and we look forward to continuing to follow his story.

So, here we are, four months post-op and 79 pounds lost! A lot has happened to me in the last several months. The only way I can explain these changes to someone who has not experienced it personally is life altering…and even that does not do it justice!

From a purely “How’s it going?” WLS perspective, I fully admit I have been blessed in the way of complications, weight loss thus far, ease of transition into this new lifestyle, etc…(Jim knocks on a very large piece of wood!). At 4 months out, I broke the 220-pound “barrier”. I am now officially 219 pounds, as funny of a thing that it is to say. I have not weighed 219lbs since before I was in high school. I am pretty much eating “regular” foods at this point (bariatric-friendly and appropriate, of course!). I have tried all of the meats I care to try. I have reintroduced vegetables and really enjoy eating these healthy foods. The vitamin regimen provided by Deb on the board a while back seems to have improved my energy levels, which were dogging there a little a few weeks back and I would have to say that I am at 183.2% of normal (sorry…a little nerdy humor!).

From a personal life perspective, well, I feel very blessed in that regard too. It isn’t that that life pre-WLS was not good—it was—but it has just been one good thing after another post-WLS. I got to spend 4 days with the most wonderful group of people in Fort Lauderdale that I could have hoped for. I made many friends for life and they will always have a special place in my heart. After the get-together, I spent seven days in West Palm Beach with the southern portion of my family. As much as I miss them when I am not here between visits, I am ready to get home. Yes, I miss my dogs and my house (and even work to a certain extent at this point!)…but, there is something I am missing much more. For those of you that got to know me when I first joined the board last New Year’s Eve will understand the gravity of me saying that I have fallen head over heels for a woman that is beautiful both inside and out. Carrie and I are now “officially” dating, something that we both came to the conclusion of when we realized how real these feelings were when we were separated for the last 10 days.

Well, I need to cut this short because I need to get some sleep for my trip back to Upstate NY tomorrow. Until next month, take care, be well and live life like it was meant to be lived.

~Jim
In Fort Lauderdale with BE’s Susan Maria, at our Meet & Greet party, and at the BE store.