Sponsorship for BlogHer ’10
I found this post by Kaiser Mommy today and LOVE it! All of you who are considering going but are worried about money, this is your ticket! I’m going to start this week. Are you on board?
Filed under BlogHer '10 | Comments (2)Fun Fact Friday!
* I absolutely loathe wintergreen. Just the smell makes me sick. You’d be surprised how many toothpastes are wintergreen instead of mint. To be absolutely sure that I don’t accidentally purchase vomit-inducing wintergreen, I buy crazy toothpastes. The most recent is children’s strawberry with extra fluoride. It tastes like ass, but at least it doesn’t try to kill me with it’s wintergreenness. *shudder*
* Today is my last day of training at The Restaurant. Tomorrow I’ll be on my own and taking home my hard-earned tips instead of giving them all to my trainer. Gah. That makes me feel like a hooker turning over cash to her pimp.
* My kid wants to watch Thomas and Friends every waking moment of every day. We don’t, of course, but I end up seeing WAY more Thomas than I care to. I can’t get over what a douchebag Gordon is. I mean, really? You’re a fucking train. What’s there to be so stuck up about?
* I’ve tried really hard to like Kings of Leon but I just don’t. Maybe I’m not cool enough.
* Maddie likes for me to sing the Mail Song from Blue’s Clues every time we get the mail together. The ridiculous thing is that I sing it to myself when I’m ALONE and getting the mail.
* The horrible loose skin on my upper arms is bothering me more and more as each day passes. I’m *this close* to slathering on some Anbesol and hacking it off in the garage. DIY plastic surgery at it’s finest.
Filed under friday facts | Comments (12)One Year Post-Gastric Bypass
My one year “surgiversary” was July 21st. I was visiting Gerald’s family and then immediately set off for Chicago after that, hence the lateness of this post.
Let’s go back a year ago and get some stats, shall we?
I weighed about 300.4 lbs on the day of my pre-surgical consultation.
I wore a 26/28 in pants and a 3x in shirts. If it was a structured shirt, i.e., button down, I wore a 30/32.
My bra size was 46DDD.
My underwear size was a 9.
I am 5′ 6″ and my BMI was 48.4.
Wow. I cannot believe that I was that size just a mere year ago. Not only that, but I had been that size (or bigger) for so very long. I had no idea what was in store for me.
Stats as of now:
I weigh 170.
I wear a 14 in pants and a large or 12 in shirts.
My bra size is 36F
Underwear is a size 7
I’m still 5’6″ and my BMI is 27.4
(I’m not posting pictures, because I stopped asking Gerald to take them around month nine. It just didn’t matter to me anymore. However, feel free to scope out some recent pics here, here, and here.)
I’ve got 10 more pounds to lose to get to my pre-plastic surgery goal of 160. My surgeon thinks I’ll be happy with 140 as a permanent goal, but that’s only realistic after plastic surgery. No amount of fat loss will help the extra skin and he estimates I’ve got roughly 20 pounds of it.
I don’t remember what it felt like to be trapped in all that fat. Barely able to move, sore all the time, tired, sweaty… gross. That person isn’t me anymore and hasn’t been for a long time. I feel confident, cute and sometimes even sexy. I’m still unhappy with my body, but what woman isn’t? The loose and saggy skin isn’t pretty. My raisin boobs are hideous. But you know what? I look pretty damn fine in clothes.
I feel amazing. I run and jump and play with Maddie. I’m not embarrassed and nervous in situations where I have to meet new people. I flew to BlogHer and had room left over when I buckled my seat belt, for cry’n out loud! 
I went through some very rough months after the surgery. I stand by my philophy that the surgery only operates on your guts. When you wake up, your brain is exactly the same. It’s an extremely hard transition to go through and there’s definitely a mourning period. This surgery isn’t for everyone and it’s not a miracle cure. I have to make wise food decisions EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can choose to eat like shit (oh, and believe me, I do) or I can choose to give my body healthy fuel and stay thin. I can very easily slip back into bad habits and begin to gain weight back. However, I refuse to let that happen. I refuse to be held hostage in a morbidly obese body ever again.
I am so glad I did this.
Filed under WLS | Comments (17)Sickly
I am sick.
Please leave comments showering me with love and sympathy.
Thank you.
Filed under complaining | Comments (18)Potty Time & Tears
I think we’re about ready to try potty training boot camp again. Last time, we managed almost an entire day and then Maddie got upset after an accident. She started crying and saying she didn’t want to use the potty when we’d ask her to go. We backed off immediately and told her we’d try again later.
This morning she woke up and asked for underpants instead of a diaper. I told her that only big girls who use the potty all the time get to wear underpants. I asked if she wanted to use the potty and she replied that she did not. However, she still wanted underpants. I was firm in my “underpants for pottying girls only” stance and she got it.
So, I was thinking I need to try a new way this time around. One that’s less stressful for Maddie and for me. I mean, let’s face it, if I’m stressed about it, she’s going to be stressed about it. I saw The No-Cry Potty Training Solution by Elizabeth Pantley on Amazon and it looks really good. Here’s an excerpt that I really agree with:
“Go
Begin dressing your child in training pants or pull-up diapers.
Create a potty routine–have your child sit on the potty when she first wakes up, after meals, before getting in the car, and before bed.
If your child looks like she needs to go–tell, don’t ask! Say, “Let’s go to the potty.”
Boys and girls both can learn sitting down. Teach your son to hold his penis down. He can learn to stand when he’s tall enough to reach.
Your child must relax to go: read a book, tell a story, sing, or talk about the day.
Make hand washing a fun part of the routine. Keep a step stool by the sink, and have colorful, child-friendly soap available.
Praise her when she goes!
Expect accidents, and clean them up calmly.
Matter-of-factly use diapers or pull-ups for naps and bedtime.
Either cover the car seat or use pull-ups or diapers for car trips.
Visit new bathrooms frequently when away from home.
Be patient! It will take three to twelve months for your child to be an independent toileter.
Stop
If your child has temper tantrums or sheds tears over potty training, or if you find yourself getting angry, then stop training. Review your training plan and then try again, using a slightly different approach if necessary, in a month or two.”
Have any of you used any of Elizabeth Pantley’s books? If you did, what did you think of it? Did it help or was it stuff you pretty much already knew?
Filed under maddie, two is the new Hell | Comments (9)
