Angry Face!!

Hey everyone!!
Just a quick update. School is going great. I have an A in all my classes. Swim classes are going well too.

I just came from my bariatric doctor, Dr. Woodman. Have I mentioned that he is an a total ASS!!! Sorry for the language but this morning. He took me there, I pride myself on trying to be as positive as I can. I don't need stress or negativity in my life. Well Woodman gave me a fill, but not before trying to give me a lecture about not complying with the rules. Well let me tell you that I didn't let him go there without me saying a few words. Long story short, he said he WASN'T going to give me a fill. I said fine then you are wasting my time and I am about to be late for work. I was just about to ask for my co-pay back when he recanted and said that he would, but then started in on me. He told me my attitude was the reason why I haven't been successful and I proceeded to tell him that his attitude is the real problem as well as his delivery. He ended up giving me a fill, but not before I think everybody in the office heard our argument. I told him he wasn't helping anyone one with his harsh delivery and that he never gives anyone praise even when they do well. He said he would if I was successful. Oh I let him have it.

It was not pretty y'all. Just to let you know I have only gained 1.6lbs in 4 months and he was b!tching about that. When he leave I did cry, but it was because I was so angry. He didn't want to hear, although he asked, that I was working full time, a single mother, back in school taking 9 credit hours and a caregiver for my mom. He told me that he has patients that work and go to school and that they have been successful. I told him I'm sure and that I applaud them, something he never does. When I got ready to leave his staff, who are so wonderful by the way, asked if he gave me a fill and if I was okay. I told them I was and that they were saints to put up with that fool.

When I got to work, I called a friend of mine who also had the surgery through him and she talked me down. She told me that he has no personality, he is rude and that he must be an unhappy man to say the things he does. That made me feel better in that I was able with her help to put things into perspective. I refuse to let him and his negativity take me there again. I don't have the money to switch doctors and to be honest I wouldn't let him drive me away because he doesn't have any sense. My friend did tell me that she found out that the doctor had gastric bypass, which I found shocking. He was once FAT....hmmmmmm! So he is flawed after all.

Anyway, I am looking forward to Chicago! I want to say thank you again to all of you who read my blog and to all who have either forged a path for me or are walking it with me. Thank you just for being you.

♥♥♥
p.

Quick Post

Hey Everybody!!!

I just had to post quickly because I'm in the middle of studying for an exam. I am doing good and trying to kick the cookie habit. I think the spirit of Cookie Monster has taken over my body. I crave cookies. My co-worker slick sabotages me by bringing them in or someone else does. It is murder I tell ya!! Then I get home the other day and have a gift of freshly baked Oatmeal Raisin cookies. Ugggggh!!! WHYYYYYY!!! Anyway, I think I am battling it as best as I can.

I have though started taking swimming lessons. I never learned as a kid and decided that this would be a great form of exercise. My first lesson was this past Tuesday. I had so much fun. More fun that I thought I would. I learned to float, to kick and to blow bubbles and that's saying a lot for me because 1) I'm goofy, 2) as a child you could sprinkle water in my face and I would think I was drowning and 3) I almost drowned at 16 yrs. old. I have a private instructor at the rec center here at my job. She is mad cool and understands that it may take me a minute to get the hang of it. I'm taking them twice a week for six weeks. I hope to be a strong enough swimmer to do laps in the pool. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well. Can't wait until September, but right now I need to get back to studying. Isn't it great to have a job where you can do what you want and still get paid for it.

BYOC - Getting back to Blogging

1. What day of the week do you love and what day of the week do you hate?
I love Saturdays. That is my lazy day. I don't comb my hair and I just lay around the house. I don't care for Monday's at all.


2. What is your middle name and is there a meaning behind it?
My middle name is Elaine. It means LIGHT. Don't know why my mom picked, but I do know for a while during my childhood I struggled with it's spelling. I couldn't figure out if the i went before the a or not. I felt like a dunce.


3. Since Draz is dreaming of her next tattoo, do you have any tattoos? How many? If you don’t have one – what would you get if you did have one?
I don't have any tattoos, but I thought about getting one once, but decided against it.


4. On that same theme of dirty little secrets…how many piercings do you have? Any you wish you had?
I only have my ears pierced. I have never thought about getting pierced anywhere else cause I can't even imagine the pain. Especially folk who have their nether regions or nipples pierced....OUCH!!!


5. Repeat question: Summarize your life in blog land and in real life.

Blog Life has been off. Until Joey mentioned it I didn't realize that I would only blog when things are going good. I have to do better. I'm so glad that Stephanie contacted me on Facebook and let me know about BOOBS 2.0 cause I missed the first one, but I DO NOT plan on missing this one. I even have roommates, and I'm so excited!!!

Real Life is going good, I'm stressed, but it's a good stress. I'm in 3 classes and have good grades. I think that I'm obsessed with these classes. Things are getting interesting for one class as my professor is kinda nice looking and seemingly paying me some attention. Don't worry though I'm not going there cause to be honest I'm enjoying being single and I need to stay focused. I don't want to get all off gazing up into some dude's face when I should be studying.

Happy Friday!!!

All is Well

Hey guys!!!

I have to do a quick post and say HEYYYYY!!!

I am in school taking 3 classes (9 hrs) and am LOVING IT!!! It is amazing and scary at the same time. I am always on pins and needles to do well and I am doing very well in my classes. A colleague was shocked when I told her I was taking 9 hrs. She couldn't believe I was doing that and working full-time. I guess I go hard in the paint ;-).

Weightloss is going. I am at a plateau, but at least I haven't gained. After I finish my protein shake I am going to exercise and then get ahead on some reading & classwork since I am snowed in. YAY!!

I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Stephanie for alerting me to the BOOBS trip in September. On my way to the page now. Thanks again Step!!

Weird Shoulder Pain

I just had to make a quick post and ask this question.

I have noticed that when I don't eat I have this nagging dull ache in my left shoulder. I sometimes don't pay attention to my body, but I noticed yesterday while I was waiting on my son that my shoulder was hurting. I knew I hadn't eaten since about 5 (2 cookies) and it was now about 9:30. We were going to dinner so I didn't want to eat something and not be able to enjoy. As soon as I began to eat the pain decreased and soon went away. Same thing happened just now. I am having lunch with a colleague down the hall, but it won't be until 12:30. I haven't eaten anything since my protein drink this morning about 7:30. I have had water, but the pain goes away after the water stops being satisfies my thirst. I popped open a 2 oz can of tuna and mixed it w/mayo and have some wheat thin crackers and pain goes away.

Has anyone else had this problem? I call it weird because the shoulder pain I have heard people speak of with regard to having a band is when they have eaten to much. Mine is just the opposite.

Weight Loss Tips and running around....WHOOOO-HOOOOOO IT'S FRIDAY

Howdy Howdy!!!

Ok, I'm going to make a quick post, but had to stop in to say HEY *waving* to all my blog buddies out there. I gained only 1.5lbs over the holiday Whooo-hooo!! I celebrate because I thought it would be at least 10 they way I ate. I look back though and realize that I cooked my holiday fare with low fat substitutes. I hosted Christmas and New Years by the way. There were many dishes that I was afraid would pack on the pounds, but they didn't. I'm so happy.

Anywho, I ran across this article in fitbie that I adapted to fit my likes. I post it here in hopes that it will help someone else. Or read the article and adapt it to fit what you do. I didn't use every tip because a couple I do automatically, like the one about flax seed. I use fiber in all my dishes as well as protein. Check out below.

30 Second Weight Loss Tricks

1. When you get the urge to snack mindlessly give yourself a mini-manicure and pedicure. “Do a quick 30-second manicure in the evening,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “A coat of clear nail polish just makes it harder for you to stick your hand into a bag of chips.” By the time you are finished you may no longer want to snack.

2. Slice Your Food. Can good manners help you slim down? Exhibit A for why table manners ought to make a comeback: Cutting your food into smaller portions slows down your food intake, and it also visually tricks you to think that you’re eating more. Researchers from Japan’s National Food Research Institute found that people thought piles of sliced meats and veggies were 27 percent larger than when the food was kept in one piece. Satiety is affected by visual cues, so making your portions appear larger will help you feel satisfied with less.

3. Weigh Yourself Daily. Think you can guesstimate how well you’re losing weight? Study after study shows that regularly stepping on the scale can help you drop pounds. How much more weight? People who log weekly and daily weigh-ins lose about 12 to 18 pounds more than those who check less frequently, concludes a review study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

4. Dress Down. Take advantage of Casual Friday. A University of Wisconsin, La Crosse study found that people who wear jeans to work take 491 more steps a day than those in business wear. How many calories could you burn if you walked for 30 minutes a day?

5. Brush Immediately After Dinner. Tap into years of Pavlovian training (watch videos of Pavlov’s theories), and brush your teeth soon after you’ve finished supper. Traditionally, brushing your teeth is a signal to stop eating, explains Blatner, so you’re primed to resist after-hours snacking. The essence of peppermint has been reported to suppress appetite, and cleaning your chompers with strong-tasting toothpaste may help distract your taste buds from craving another flavor.

6. Eat before you go to a party. This will cut down on overeating and eating fatting foods from the party table.

7. Rather than eyeball portions, place a measuring cup in your pantry so that you’ll know exactly how much you’re doling out, recommends Blatner. Keep a serving of cereal to one cup, a portion of dry macaroni to ¼ cup.

8. Reach for the phone, not the potato skins, the next time you’re feeling blue. Emotional eating can spiral out of control really fast, so instead of turning towards food for a pick-me-up, dial a friend to vent or schedule some Frisbee to blow off some steam.

9. LASTLY: MAKE A CHOICE…..You have the ability to make the choice to be who you are or want to be. If healthy is what you aspire after then choose healthy. It’s that simple. You make the choice to eat that extra cookie or piece of cake. You make the choice to hit the snooze button for that extra 15 minutes and not get up to exercise. You make the choice. So what will you choose??

Here is a recipe that I found in a group I'm in on Facebook. Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR and NEW YOU!!!

Peanutty protein bars
by Fit on the Fly on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 4:32pm
Tired of paying all outdoors for the equivalent of "Snickers on Steroids"...me too!! We hope you enjoy this recipe hand-tailored especially for YOU! XOXO

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup peanut flour, dry (such as Trader Joe's)
1 cup (4 scoops) vanilla protein powder
1 cup water
2 T. calorie free caramel dip (such as Walden Farms - I find mine at Market Basket)

Mix first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until well combined; Add water and stir until mixture is well combined; Stir in caramel dip; Pour mixture into a square pan, lined with wax paper; Freeze for one hour, cut into desired size, and wrap individually; Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition information:

Snack size (cut bars into 8 portions)
Calories:190
Fat: 4
Carbs: 19
Fiber: 4
Protein: 23
Sodium: 30
Sugar: 3

Meal-replacement size (cut bars into 6 portions)
Calories:235
Fat: 5
Carbs: 25
Fiber: 5
Protein: 30
Sodium: 40
Sugar: 3

MERRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

I know it's been a while. I have been mad busy. No excuses for being a slack blogger, but hey it's all I got.

Before I get into all that has been going on I must first say a warm thank you to TessieRose. She gave me a holler on Facebook (it's easier to post little blips than to post a thought provoking blog and it takes less time too)to see if I was alright. I am so thankful for folk like Tessie thinking of me. I told her in a message that I was just thinking that no one would probably notice if I didn't blog. I guess I was wrong. I think we underestimate the value we have sometimes. I wasn't being down on myself it's just that I'm not superstar in the blog sphere like others. I will say that I don't underestimate the need to be here in this forum because as before I realize how much it helps to blog and keep a virtual diary of the successes as well as the slip ups. I will try not to stay away to long again. Thank you again TessieRose for thinking of me.

Ok it wouldn't be true to form or me unless I did this in scattered bullet points, so here goes.

•I will be starting classes Jan 13th. Yay me!!

•I have decided that after finishing up my bachelor degree, I am going to take some courses to become a Life Coach. This is something that I have been doing since I was 14, but never knew there was a name for it. I will then consider whether going for my Master's in Counseling will be best or not.

•My SUN is home!! YAY!!! He had a rough time this past semester and didn't do so hot in the grade department. I think he underestimated just how much time Marching Band and studying would pull on him. He told me (after he got home for Christmas break) that he almost went to the emergency room for exhaustion right before Thanksgiving. My heart started racing. What a thing to tell me AFTER THE FACT. I asked him why he didn't call me and he said with all the other things I was worrying about that he didn't want to add HIS health to it all. He had only slept 2 hours in a 78 hour span of time. Needless to say, I am asking him to set some priorities. Band isn't one of them in my opinion.

•I GOT MY HOUSE BACKKKKKKK!!!!! My baby sister and her 2.5 children finally got a place of their own. I love my family dearly, but my house is small so having two little ones underfoot all the time can wear on you. I had no privacy OR patience on many occasions. I was not only taking my niece & nephew to daycare, but taking my sister(who is pregnant again) to school and then I would get to work (late). I'm glad we don't clock in, but believe me my boss and the former Executive Director always made it a point to let me know I was late and that they didn't like it. Nevertheless, my sister and her children are happy and I am happy right now.

•Got a new person in the office who is an ANGEL!! I have been trying to train her as best I could with limited resources because the former Executive Director who left the position conveniently left no word on how to do her job. It has been stressful for me and the new person because she wants to do a good job. She wants to raise the morale around here and I for one am happy about that. We got together and threw a Christmas party for the division and everyone had a blast! SN: the former ED is still on contract and will be coming back in January to supposedly train the new person. I don't hold high hopes for her (new person) learning ANY-THING!!

•On the weight loss front, I have been eating like crap. I put on about 3 pounds but am confident I will loose it and more after the holidays. I'm not stressing over it because everyday someone brings in treats. It's hard as heck to resist, so I haven't.....*shrugs*. I bought the "400 Calorie Fix" by Liz Vaccariello cause it looked really good and so far so good. I just got it yesterday so I will let you know if it helps. I did copy Lap Band Gal and arranged a drawer with healthy stuff. I am still adding stuff, but here is a picture of it.


Ok that's enough of my rambling. I hope and pray that you all have a wonderfully blessed and memorable holiday season. May Christmas be filled with love, laughter and family and may the New Year bring new adventures and happiness your way.

MERRRRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!