Milestones

What can I do now that I couldn't do before?

*For the past month, I have been able to go into a restaurant and sit at a booth.
To many, that may sound silly, but if you are obese/fat, it ain't!

* I can put my shoes on without contorting and getting out of breath.

* I can tuck my shirt into my pants, instead of letting it hang out.

* I can eat food slower than I have ever done before.

* I can now tell when I am full and can stop eating before the food is all gone from the plate.

* The people in Europe aren't starving anymore, because I am shipping my leftovers to them.

* I can actually tolerate broccoli for one or two bites.

* I like oatmeal.
My personality has changed. I am testing myself everyday.

*I am much more sure of myself now.

* My mood has balanced out. I haven't gotten really mad in quite some time, DAMMIT! Phew, that felt good.

* I am now living without taking any pills. No drugs, legal or otherwise.

* I am actually thinking about trying a parachute jump from an airplane........well, maybe not.
Are you still reading this?
Ok, then why do we park on the driveway, but drive on the parkway?

LINKS!!!!!

I will be collecting and posting links as soon as I can. These links will be to places where you can buy things, or just get information about weight loss, and Bariatric in general.
If you have nay links, please let me know, and I'll post them.
Also, I am a scooter enthusiast. I own two of them.
Anyone interested in scootin, feel free to look around at the google blogs. There is a "scootin' Fool" out there posting here and he is very interesting to read. Do a search to find him because I can't figure out how to post the links yet.
I will figure this out........someday.
Look here:

http://scootinfool.blogspot.com/

Adsense

Can anyone help me make sense out of adsense?
I am to the point in computers, where it just doesn't make sense. I can't put the stuff where I want without a lot of useless fooling around.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at the Google search thingy just below the table of contents. It's in the wrong place and I either have to delete it or play with it again.
ArrrGGGGHHHH!
BTW, if you do a search using it, I will get a fraction of a penny so I can start a real live website someday soon. I have someone ready to design it for me, and the ads I have listed on here and there will help pay for it. I don't pay anything for this blog, but it is time consuming.

Were you there?

If you were at the meeting last night, let us know what you think. Post it here, or start your own blog.
The support from Lancaster General Bariatrics is amazing! Who would have thought that a Doctor would be able to actually be personable as well as competent?
Dr. Brader has put together a great team, and they all contribute 100%!
Greg met some of us for a pre meeting walk around the Health Campus, and we had fun watching the people watching us walk around, again and again. Up and down the stairs, and around and around.
Wendy is the big boss and introduced the speakers and gave us an indication of what was to come.
Kristin spoke last night about the holidays and her talk was pure GOLD! Thanks, Kristin!
The lady that spoke after Kristin made up cardboard cutouts that reminded me of elementary school. Joni was great! She is a recovery room nurse, and from my home county (Bucks) and she brought her mother with her who is also a post bariatric. They had their surgery done when Dr. Brader was working in Bucks County a few years ago. She had some great handouts and gave away some door prizes. Thanks Joni!
We broke up into 3 groups last night after the talks.
Pre-surgery
Post-surgery
Family and friends support
I was able to help out with the pre surgery folks, and I got to ham it up a bit for them and answer some of their questions.
This is very helpful to me as well since it helps me put my own thoughts out there so I can think about them. I learn something every time and enjoy doing it.
Next month, I will talk to the crowd about my "Milestones" concept. I wrote about it a bit in this blog and will probably add to it as I go.

Thursday night

Just a reminder for everyone that the meeting for the Lancaster General Bariatric group is this thursday night (tomorrow) from 6 to 8:30pm.
Walkers meet at Dr Brader's office at around 5.
Anyone not wanting to go, please contact me and I'll be glad to meet with you or just email back and forth.
Their goal is to help you beat the fat. I am doing that now, and I know others are there too if you need some more info, or just support.
I am not a doctor or a shrink, but I am shrinking!

Celiac/Bariatric Oatmeal! Yummy!

In the morning, I used to love to eat cereal. Then, Celiac came along and killed that idea.
Now, I eat Oatmeal. Every morning, I eat Oatmeal. I need the fiber, and it even has protein in it! I add fruits for the extra fiber, especially fruits with seeds, such as, bananas, strawberries, raspberries.
I am including the recipe here for you to think about and maybe try. If you come up with any variations, please let me know.

I use Quaker Oats "weight control" brand because it has extra fiber in it. I am not sure, but I think it has Metamucil in it. You can't tell. They have 3 great flavors:
Cinnamon
Banana bread
Maple and brown sugar

The cinnamon has wheat in it, but at this point, I don't care. The small amount is not going to kill me.

Oatmeal
One half cup of coffee.
One packet of sugar substitute. I like to live dangerously, so I use sweet and low.
3 Strawberries, or one sliced banana

Measure the coffee and if it is cold, put it into the microwave for 1 minute on high.
Pour into one packet of oatmeal.
Add sugar substitute
Add fruit.

I add coffee to the mix because I am not allowed to drink anything with my meal and I never get up in time to make a cup of coffee and then wait to eat my oatmeal. It tastes great since oatmeal by itself isn't that great.

Enjoy!

What does "It's my turn" mean?

For me, it's the time I never got to spend getting to know myself.
Who am I?
I don't know.
That's what I'm trying to find out.
So now, after raising two great kids, and with 3 grandkids, and another on the way, it's my turn.
I made sure everyone was out of the house before I made the decision to pray and follow the Answer. I had no idea it would lead to this.
Every day of this quest to become lighter and more fit, I learn something new about myself.
My wife thinks I've lost my mind. Maybe so, but.....It's my turn!
Who knows where I will be this time next year. I know I'll be at my goal weight, and I have a list of things to do during this period of time.
I continue to pray and thank God for everything good, bad or otherwise that has happened to me.
I am being selfish which is something I haven't been for at least 30 years now. I am now first on my list. My wife is doing fine, so now,......It's my turn!
Does anyone out there know what I mean?

Happy Halloween!

I am receiving emails from people about the blog and I am so glad to be able to talk about Bariatric from someone who has gone through it.
I am trying to get the people to share their experiences because the need for others to get the word from different viewpoints is good. I am also learning that I am not alone.
I would eventually like to expand this into a website with a BB so people can openly talk and share ideas.
So, look forward to getting more input and maybe some interesting stories about the trials and tribulations of Pre and Post bariatric people.
Talking about trials, I handed out the Halloween treats last night, and I didn't even eat any! I had no trouble doing that, and that is one more miracle witnessed by yours truly!
My next big trial should be for Thanksgiving.
My weight loss has been steady, up until now. I am at my first plateau, but I am also exercising more, so I may be building muscle which would explain the leveling out.
I have done more in the past month than I have in the year before my surgery, so I will continue to be optimistic that I am going to reach my goal.