Getting Skinny in Texas

Please ad my new blog on your list .... So i can follow you too !

2010-05-23T11:52:00.001-05:00

So i can delete this blog and ad your blog.
If you are currently a follower of my blog please ad
http://tryingtostayskinnyintexas.blogspot.com/
my new blog so i can ad your blog on my new blog . LOL
Its too much of a pain to switch back and forth to add everyone.
Im going to delete this blog and the old email address in the next week or so . But i want to make sure I keep the blogs I follow !

Thanks
Mindy

I AM TRANSFERING MY BLOG

2010-05-18T13:39:00.003-05:00

I figured out how to do it , But i have to change my name !
http://tryingtostayskinnyintexas.blogspot.com/

PLEASE COME JOIN ME OVER HERE !!!!

I will wait a week or so then delete this blog
Thanks ALL !!!

Transfering my Blog ?

2010-05-18T13:22:00.001-05:00

I may need to start a new blog , unless someone more experienced can help me.
A while ago someone stole my email address. ( the one this blog is registered under )
I changed the pass word etc and started a new email account. However, today I got an email from the old account ( I have emails forwarded to me ) that someone is using that account still.
So im not comfortable having it . I want to delete it . The problem is , i cant figure out how to get my new email address attached to my blog.
SO I may need to copy all my info and start a new blog .
IF I do i will let everyone know i hope everyone follows me over .
If anyone know's a better way to do this please let me know
Mindy

Oprah's at it again !

2010-05-12T16:45:00.017-05:00

I just cant watch her anymore. She gets my blood pressure boiling.
I think she waits until she see's a book go to #1 on the New York Times Best
sellers list then acts like she had something to do with it or she discovered
them and has them on her show and does nothing but act like she
invented the shit ! I really just cant take her anymore.
Today's show was about a book " Women , Food and God
" The title for the show "

Why Oprah Says She'll Never Diet Again!

If you're sick and tired of being fat and miserable, this is the

show for you! Oprah just knows it's going to ignite a revolution.

Why you never have to diet again.

OF COURSE its going to ignite a freaking revolution cause

Oprah says it will and cause she says SHE WILL
Never diet again . As a former fatty forgive me but
" I dont think she's done any dieting by the

looks of her ! I get so sick of Oprah going on TV and ranting about

"The next new thing in diets , when everyone including her know's
they dont freaking work ! She promotes the shit out of it , then goes
on explaining why " well that didnt work " until she finds another one .

She does this and has to do this because for the last 10 years she's
done nothing but BASH weight loss surgery so , well shit for
her she cant have it now ! She had never had a positive
show about WLS on .

She has Carney Wilson on who as someone I once met whoo know's
her calls her is a " WLS Whore " (Love that by the way )
and will go on and say anything about WLS or Gastric Bypass if it gets her on TV but wont have good stories on from people who are success stories !
Ok i'll step down off my soap box. The shoes not even over yet
and i had to turn it off !

Over eating , depression ,fills what to do ?

2010-04-21T13:40:00.002-05:00

I am going through some pretty serious, heavy personal stuff right now that's causing me a great deal of stress. Obviously like most of us I want to and tend to over eat , or some times go the other way and dont eat at all.
Right now I am on the track of eating too much , too late at night. I am stressed during the day so I dont eat, cant sleep at night so I eat to keep my mind off things.
My problem is if I get a fill to control to eating , I might get too tight. My band tenses up when I get stressed. Im going to talk to my doc about this . But I am not really sure what to do .
I feel I need the fill to control the over eating at night. With what is going on I could EASILY put on the pounds VERY quickly !

Yeah RIGHT !

2010-04-21T13:36:00.002-05:00

This image was in my inbox today with the title " Victoria's Secret " Short Sale"
Someone needs to tell these people these are NOT SHORTS they are UNDERWEAR for 75-95% of the adult population ! Seriously ? You can SEE the girls g string in one pic !

At my thinnest I wouldn't/ couldn't wear these !

Why is weight loss w/ out surgery so " inspirational" ?

2010-04-20T09:23:00.002-05:00

I was watching one of the morning show's today and they had a lady on that lost over 500 lbs. Inspirational how ever she did it . But the intro to her story was this " Next we have so and so who lost over 500 lbs WITH OUT Any surgery she did it the "Natural " Way , so inspirational " !
I have seen this before on other shows. Why is it that those of us who have had surgery are discounted , made out that we took the "easy" way out because we had surgery ?
So is my 125 pound weight loss any less " inspirational " than someone who did it w/ diet and exercise ? It just really ticks me off that the media portrays it that way . Its no wonder people treat WLS patients as taking the "Easy Way " out .

For years I have always thought WLS should NOT have to be a last resort. Why should you have to wait until you have tried everything under the sun, gained and lost , gained and lost ( Which BTW is harder on your body and worse for your body that just being fat ) to do something about it ?
Diets done work , they have proven that . So why does Weight Loss Surgery have to be last ? Why do people have to be so damn desperate , be on the verge of death , on the verge of getting diseases , deadly diseases to do something about it ?

Someone I know told me last week her daughter was considering the lap band. She is in her early 30's and over 200 pounds. Another Weight loss surgery patient told her " If i were you I would wait until your OLDER to do it " WTF are you talking about ? WAIT , Why ? so you get fatter, you cant do more things w/ your kids , you are more miserable for a longer period of times and you have a better chance of getting a disease like diabetes, high blood pressure etc ? I told her that was the dumbest shit I have ever heard !

So for everyone who thinks I took the easy way out i have this to say ! If going under the knife for over an hour , recovering from surgery , not being able to eat solid foods for 6 weeks, having to totally change not only what I eat but HOW I eat is the "easy" way out well then I guess that's what I did. If having surgery BEFORE I had a stroke, before I got a life changing disease, before I could not longer get my ass up to play with my children , go to their graduation , go to their football games and most of all be around to see them grow up is the easy way out . Ok I took the easy way out . Just because you THINK I or anyone else did not work as hard to lose my weight does not mean we did not ! So If that's easy , then I did it the easy way !!!!

They say it takes 2 weeks .....

2010-04-07T15:31:00.002-05:00

Of working out everyday to make it a habit . So Im on day 2 !
Day 1. 30 minutes of walking/running on the treadmill and about 10 minutes of weights
Day 2. 20 minutes of walking/running on treadmill and 10 on the elliptical and only a few minutes of weights . I did not have much time today , but i knew if i did not go even for a little bit i wouldn't go at all.
My goal is to go for an hour by the end of the week.

Something kind of negative triggered this "working out " thing w/ me .
Well a few things . The first is I cant afford to go get a fill for another few weeks. So I figured If I start working out ( I know something i should have started 2 years ago ) I can at least MAYBE head off any more weight gain .
Second. My best friend of many years was telling me about another friend of her's she ran into that had lap band surgery and she was going on and on about how great she looked and how " she had no hanging skin , and looked so great cause SHE worked out from day one ." she then said " Well she hasnt had kids or anything yet but still she looks great !
NOW mind you she tells me or use to how great I look . But it kind of hit a nerve w/ me , like it was a dig at me that I dont work out .
Maybe its just my guilt at knowing I need to work out . SO that's why I started it .
I still need my fill badly . I cant hardly control my hunger at night . I could go work out all day and come home at night and eat 4 dinners . So I need the control. So hopefully i can get a fill soon !

2010-03-29T15:26:00.002-05:00

My new favorite thing to eat !! Yes its "processed" I guess, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE morning star products. Not all of them are my favorite, but almost all of them i have had are good.
This one tastes like REAL lasagna ! Nothing nasty about it . It tastes fresh , and healthy.
I hate , and i mean HATE frozen dinners or food. They taste nasty to me and never taste like "real " food. But this one is GOOOD . No , no one is paying me for this ( I wish LOL) but i wanted to let ya'll know about it .

So if you try the Lasagna let me know what you think !
They also have a new Chinese Sweet and Sour meal out too . Let me know if you try that one !

Blog Help

2010-03-16T13:04:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know how i can do this ? OK let me see if i can explain ...
My old email account I had to stop using , someone "stole" it .
So i had to create my new one . However, blogger is under my old account.
How can i transfer blogger to my new email address ? Or put my new email address under blogger ? As of now i have to still sign in under the old address to get into my blogger account .
I want to be able to sign in under my new one ? Does that make sense ?
Any thoughts on how i can transfer ? Or Am I going to have to transfer everything over ?
And start over ?
Mindy

Shopping my "new way" on a buget

2010-03-15T22:14:00.002-05:00

Has proven to be challenging . I went Sunday to the grocery store and followed my new rules. First off chicken , natural chicken NOT happening . Its $6.00 a pound ! WTF ? So im going to have to try something else. There was another brand at my store that says 100% natural that's abotu the same price as "regular" chicken i went ahead and got, but im going to have to see what the difference is . Need to do more research.
There are a few "Natural" food stores in town that have prices close to the regular store prices on produce and meat , again need to check them out . I am in the home town or the birth place of Whole Foods. But they are expensive i know that.

I did try Chocolate Almond Milk . And its not bad ! I have been using it to take my meds with in the morning . It has a after taste, not a bad one , not sure what the taste is , but its there.

My normal weekly grocery bill is around $150 , it was about $175 this week , so that's not bad. Im also going to go back to clipping coupons, something i use to do religiously and got away from. So that should help as well.

This way of shopping, thinking and eating is going to take some more planning .

Eating Right Again but a little different

2010-03-15T01:49:00.002-05:00

So after watching Oprah the other day I have decided to try to eat right again . Something I was going to do anyway. But im going to try something different. The "next level" if you will.
As some of you might remember I have chronic migraines . One of the best things to do for migraines is to eat fresh, non processed foods. The less preservatives the better. So after watching Oprah and the episode of "food 101 " Im going to try my own version of what was said in the episode. Which is :

1. Eat Food , Mostly Plants ( greens, veggies )

2. Naturally raised beef and chicken and pork when I can find it , if i cant find it or afford it I wont buy it .

3. Pasteurized Milk, Milk from Grass fed cows ( NOT cheap by the way)
I will substitute this some for Rice and Almond Milk

4.Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
I found some products today , natural pasta side dishes, that fit into this.. Meaning they had 3 or 4 simple ingredients .

5. Whole Wheat Breads and Pastas.

6. Eat only foods that will eventually rot. (This will be modified a bit due to the kids foods. But for MY foods it will apply ! )

7. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. ( I think this is a GREAT Rule ! )

8. While shopping i will stay on the outer isles of the store the best i can . Fresher , healthier foods are there . !

That pretty much sums it up i think.

I went shopping today my bill was not TOO much more than my normal either which was great.

CONFESSION

2010-03-03T11:37:00.002-06:00

Ok so you know the feeling when you gain weight and you feel like its out of control ?
WELL Im there now ! Im up to 155 pounds ! ok i said it ! SHIT !
Im off to work out now . I either need to try to work off 15 or 20 pounds or get a fill. Im still a little worried to get a fill in fear of slipping my band. But I still need to work out .
Something I must confess I have rarely done since being banded. We have a work out room in my new apartments so might as well use it huh ?

I will probably still get a fill next week when i can afford it just to make sure i dont gain more.
But a small one to help control hunger.

IM SO scared to gain more weight. I MUST do something about it now !

An Update

2010-03-01T12:09:00.002-06:00

I have not been on here in FOREVER ! Im not sure if anyone noticed or not LOL
Just a quick update and I would like to , need to start blogging again.
We FINALLY moved out of my parents house ! YEAH ! We have an apartment now. We decided on an apartment because it was so cheap to move in to. $400 as opposed to $4000! I spoke to some people around here about getting into houses and they said w/ the economy the way it is , if you have bad credit land lords are wanting 2 or 3 or more months rent UP FRONT. Who the hell can do that ? So for the first year we are in an apartment . Its nice, i like it , plus it will be easier to not deal with a yard and stuff as much as my husband works out of town .

NOW my weight ! My parents did not eat or cook the way I do and since i have been totally unfilled this whole time ive gained about 25 pounds ! Im a little scared quite honestly to go get a fill, im afraid my band will slip again . SO I plan on going next week to get a very small fill , just enough ( I hope ) to control my hunger . Plus im hoping living on our own again , eating the way I normally eat will help get the weight off.

Being self concious after 125 pounds and 10 years of Marriage

2009-11-30T22:14:00.004-06:00

So lately , for what ever reason I have been very self conscious . Well OK its for a few reasons.
Its started with A face book " issue" that came up with my husband ( Nothing major ) that I was uncomfortable with and it made me really stop and think about a lot of things , and ended up making me self conscious. I have gained a few pounds ( 10 to be exact ) and I'm feeling fat again .

When i was 250 pounds I was self conscious yes. However I did not care either. I did not care about my marriage, did not care about myself, i could have cared less if my husband cheated on me . I know that sounds horrible , but hell who would have blamed him, did you SEE what i looked like ? At least that's how I looked at it.

SO after feeling paranoid that my husband might want to leave me NOW we did a lot of talking this weekend and I did a lot of thinking . What he said was " If I was going to leave you or cheat on you i would have done it when you were 250 pounds and MISERABLE therefore making ME miserable ( Lets face it I was and he was ) NOT now when you are happier than you have been and I am happy because you are happy , don't be silly, your stuck w/ me and I'm stuck with you "
But it got me thinking , after 10 years of marriage there are things that I use to do for him to make sure , keep him happy , ( not just in bed either you dirty minded people LOL ) .
But as the years move on , you get in a routine the little things you use to do for each other fall to the waste side. The little things like giving each other a kiss for now reason , calling and saying " how was your day " or " I love you " for no reason . We just don't do that anymore.Or even making SURE your partner is happy , and doing things JUST to make them happy or feel good stops.So we both decided we are going to work on doing that again . We will be married 10 years in February. I am really happier than ever w/ myself( besides this issue ) . I just need to do those little things to have him feel good every now and then again . So does he.

Its funny how at 140ish pounds and 125 pounds lost being self conscious now sets in ? I worry now " Is my hanging stomach too gross for him , are my 2 wet tube socks I call boobs too nasty for him to look at " ? Maybe he would be happier w/ someone who did not have that.
He reassures me that's not the case. So maybe these little things here and there will make me feel better as well..

Does this make sense ? I hope someone else can relate to this too . Maybe I'm just nuts and I'm the only one !

Momentary Lapse of Mental Capacity !

2009-10-09T13:08:00.002-05:00

So something happened last night that freaked me out a little bit. To the point that I am probably going to see a doc about it .
I take Topamax for my migraines, to prevent them, its a strong neurological drug. It can have some strong side affects, one of which is short term memory loss or issues. Which I have , however I deal with it because off the meds I have migraines 5 or more times a week. So I deal.
Its a running joke with me that i cant remember shit !
Last night at my son's football game I got to the field, i was early , but when the team started to warm up I thought " are they in their practice jersies they dont look right " . So i asked one of the parents " what team is that " they said " A team " I said " WHAT A Team " She said " Freshman" Ok so im thinking, my son's team is suppose to me next . Why is Freshman warming up ?
So then i looked at my schedule in my purse ( by which i LIVE By if i lose it im lost ) it says "red team is here and Blue team is there " At that momemt I could NOT remember, or process what team my son was on , therefore had NO IDEA where i was suppose to be . I asked another parent, Where is Red playing, it was AWAY AWAY over an hour away from where i was.
NO WAY I could make it. So i finally get the idea to call my son ... "where are you " He says " Im in Elgin ( Where I was ) i said ' are you SURE " he laughs " YES MOM " I asked what time his game was , he said 7:30 ! OK There was the issue. They changed the damn time of the game !!
So anyway .. I am bothered by the fact I could not process information for a short period of time. I am SURE the other parents think im a NUT JOB ! . Last year I was at the Home Field and they were playing away ! My husband says its because i have too much going on ?

I need to look into this. Granted some of it is the meds, some if it might now be ?

Getting "stuck" For those who do it often Please read

2009-10-07T12:30:00.003-05:00

I have been reading blogs lately and reading comments on blogs and have read ALOT of people talking about getting stuck 3 or more times a WEEK .
Let me put this bluntly , rudely , what ever you want to call it .
You can sit there and rationalize it all you want , "im not chewing well enough , im not doing what i should etc." But if your getting STUCK 3 or 4 times a week , sure you need to evaluate how your eating and all , but if your getting stuck that often you need to get an unfill !

STOP , i repeat STOP putting your bands at risk for the sake of a few pounds. OK your saying dumb ass isnt that the point of the band , to lose weight. YES , BUT what the hell good is the band if you DONT HAVE IT ? Take it from someone who feels like at EVERY Stuck episode now I might lose my band . Its NOT A good feeling. The first year and a half I followed the rules of my band to a T . HOWEVER, i did not realize that getting stuck and having that " one last bite " come back up IS BAD. ITS THROWING UP . ITS PUTTING YOUR BAND AT RISK . SO STOP IT !
Stop PBing a few times a week .

Bottom line, You should be able to eat SOLID foods comfortably with OUT getting stuck. Listen to your body. SLOW weight loss is better than NONE !

I cant stress this enough !

Back to the Basics

2009-10-05T20:35:00.002-05:00

So I am turning over a new leaf. I am going back to the basics ! Back to what I know , back to what allowed me to lose 125 pounds . Back to practicing what I preach .
I know what I need to do , granted its a little different in a way , my band is totally unfilled , however i do have portion control w/ the little restriction i have. So if i can find some control over my hunger I might be ok with the band the way it is. The trick to the hunger might just be the basics. It might not , i might still need a small fill to help control it . But I wan to try eating more protein , veggies, cutting out the crap. Since i have moved in w/ my parents i have ate more crap in 4 months than i have in the last 2 years. I am ok if i need a very small fill. Before I had this last total unfill i was maintaining for months with only .50cc's in my band. That tells me I just need a very small fill to control my hunger.

So im back to the basics, back to blogging, making myself accountable to the world. Back to asking and giving support ! I dont have as much time for that as i use to but i'll give and get what i have !

So IM HERE !

Update: Back from the doc

2009-10-05T18:20:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the doc. He came in and said " well i think you know what is next , there is no reason to even do a flouro , we talked about this last time, if you were having problems again after the unfill then what is the next step ? " I said " Surgery" He said " Yes, what happened though ? " So i told him what happened.
He said he wanted to check my band under flouro ( Xray)
He looked and said " YOUR BAND IS FINE " Huh ? WTF ? Seriously ? "Yep your band is fine, look goes right through , perfect placement" So after talking to him and thinking myself , i need to get back to bascis. Even though i am totally unfilled i STILL need to follow bandster rules, I need to get back to the basics. Since living w/ my parents its been hard to eat the way i normally do .
SO back to the basics for me it is . So the good news is no surgery !
Thank you all for your kind words and encourgement !

My Band : This is not good ya'll

2009-10-05T04:48:00.003-05:00

So I am going to the doc tomorrow ( Or today ) and yesterday I am eating and I get STUCK . WTF? Im totally unfilled how can i get stuck ? So I throw up . Not good . Why is this happening ? What the hell is going on ?
The other day I SWEAR I felt my port FLIP ? I have no idea if that is what happened but that's what it FELT like. It might have been my port "stuck" between my fat in my stomach and just got " pinched" but it felt like it flipped.
Im going to call my doc today , see if he wants to see me today . But I have to tell ya'll, I dont think I will escape surgery for much longer if at all .
The mear thought of possibly losing my band is scaring me to death . I am already hearing from my husband " Just take the damn thing out , all you have to do is eat and exercise " my mom says " Just dont eat so much Crap Mindy " NICE thanks for the f***ing support guys . That got me so far before didnt it ? I have a feeling i'll call the doc and he'll say come in today .
My husband is working out of state now . He will be home starting Wednesday for about a week before he starts the next job . SO IF I do have to have surgery it would not be a bad time to do it. I just DONT WANT TO LOSE MY BAND !
I will keep ya'll updated !

FINALLY Lets try this again

2009-09-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

I have an appt scheduled on Tuesday or next week for a fill ! I dont even know how much ive gained because i wont get on the scale anymore.
I need to get this taken care of no matter what , this wieght is not going anywhere on its own . So i need the fill. Im ok on my portion controls its just the HUNGER is uncontrollable. Its horrible !

Vitamin Give Away

2009-09-15T00:04:00.001-05:00

Go check it out . I actually use these vitamins and they are really good. I like that they are not liquids , or something you have to choke down .
www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com and www.bbvitamins.com

FINALLY some good news

2009-09-12T22:52:00.002-05:00

My husband has a "regular " Job now . That's the good news. He starts Monday . The bad news. We live in Texas and the job is in Oklahoma ! So he'll be in OK 4 days a week and home 3.
Which is "ok" we have been doing the out of town thing for almost a year now . At least now , we have money coming in every week and I KNOW when he'll be home !
Its a good paying job w/ a good company . So i get to move out of my parents house in about a month , gotta get some money saved up and some bills paid off first.

NOW the other update. I still have not made it to the doc. And Im up to nearly 150 pounds ( 146 as of this am ) I had to go buy size 8 jeans because none of my clothes fit me.
Im TOTALLY Pissed . Im hungry all the time and the eating is out of control ! For me at least.
The bad thing is , i just need to get down to San Antonio , I have 2 free fills waiting for me .
Im hoping maybe Friday of this week or next week when hubby's in town to get my little one !
I dont think i can wait much longer !
Thanks for everyone's encouragement !

Love ya'll

Still NO doc appt

2009-09-03T09:19:00.003-05:00

I still have not made a docs appt. Well , I made it but could not MAKE it there.
My youngest son had the flu this week. So the appt i had on Monday i had to cancel again ! HOPEFULLY I will try to make it this coming up week ! I am up to 140 pounds and FREAKING OUT !

Seriously ... BITE ME !!

2009-08-27T13:23:00.002-05:00

Ok pissy mood right now . But im tired of this ..
My band has been unfilled for about amonth now . I have gained close to 15 pounds AGAIN ! For people who dont have the band or have never had it totally unfilled I have 1 thing to say to you . BITE ME ! No not really . But peopel do NOT understand how this feels. Im hungry ALL THE TIME !! Its just not normal to eat chili that has 20 grams of protein in it and 20 mintues later be able , feel like you can eat MORE ! This is just horrible ya'll. I go to the doc Monday and see if he will fill me . I dont know that he will until we see more about the band . But if he does not im liable to grab him by the collar and say " LISTEN HERE DOC " !!!
Im getting very unhapyp with the amount of weight i have gained. My clothes are not fitting me ! UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sorry i just had to vent !!

EAT EAT EAT !!

2009-08-25T22:35:00.002-05:00

I had to reschedule my appt i had on Monday to go see my doc. And MY GAWD did i hate to do that ! I swear ya'll ALL I want to do is eat eat eat.
I NEED to lose at least 5 lbs so my clothes will fit me. SERIOUSLY This sucks BADLY !
Hopefully i can make it there Monday !

Doc appt on Monday

2009-08-22T15:29:00.001-05:00

Im going to see my doc on Monday . I am hoping my band is "ok" its been fine since the last time i was there. However I am HUNGRIER than HELL !!! I am hungry all the time and Im gaining a little weight. SO I HOPE He gives me a fill !!!
Last time i was there i did not realize I only had .50 cc's in my band.
So that tells me I just need a LITTLE bit of a fill to control the hunger. BUT at this point i need to lose ANOTHER 10 pounds AGAIN !!! So we will see how things go.

I have not been able to be around (Online) Much lately because of school starting and work and booster club stuff.
But If i dont get a fill soon im going to be miserable !!!

Update on my Son .

2009-08-14T23:51:00.002-05:00

My son went to the Neruo surgeon today and he told us that he can PLAY FOOTBALL !!!
The stenosis is barely enough to even call it "Stenosis" its very little narrowing of the spinal column if at all . He said he's at no more of a risk playing than anyone else . He told us that once he has been free of concussion symptoms for 14 days he can start playing again !!! So he's very happy as am I this was nothing serious !

UGHHHH What ELSE !!!

2009-08-08T23:32:00.002-05:00

Ok So here is my week ... As you read on Monday my son scared the Shit out of my with the CT Scan . Ok over that next.
Today im at work and the trainer from the school calls. ( yes they practice on Saturdays )He says" Tyler came into the training room , disoriented, blurred vision, confused, acting odd and dizzy, he said that he has gotten hit on several occasions pretty hard to day with direct helmet to helmet contact and he has all the tell tale signs and symptoms of a concussion " Ok I tell him i will be right there. So i tell him what went on Monday ( he already knew from the docs notes ) and he says I should take Tyler to the ER and have him checked out . By time i got there Tyler was acting Ok but was still a little out of it.
ER: take him in , soon as they find out possible head and neck injury ( Tyler said on the way to the hospital his neck was hurting him ) they run out and put a neck brace on him and rush him to the back and lie him flat on his back. The doc comes in pretty quick. Tells me they are going to do a CT scan of the head and neck. Ok i expected that.
They come back with the results and tell me he does have a concussion , mild one BUT the CT Scan showed something else. That he has Mild Congenital Spinal Stenosis. OR in normal terms the narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck. He has had it since birth but its not hereditary .

So im a little concerned now . The doc tells me that he does not know enough about it and the long term affects to say weather or not Tyler can continue to play football. So until we see a specialist no football.
There is a possibility ( from what i have read ) he could possibly never play again . Although the doc said this in front of him at the ER he did not remember it , i had to tell him again when we got home. So he got upset TWICE about possibly never playing football again .
But in a way this was a blessing in disguise. If he had gotten hurt in a different way , it could have left him paralyzed anywhere from temporarily to permanently. So this was something we NEEDED To know about . Im not sure if precautions can be taken so he can play ? I dont know . We'll find out on Monday I hope . Oh yeah .. This all happened while my husband was out of town working ! His phone was not even working , he did not even know this happened until it was all over. UGHHHH .

Short update on my day ... and my band . ...

2009-08-03T19:14:00.001-05:00

Ok so here is how my day went ... My oldest son woke has had a bad headache for a few days. he texted me last night at 3 am and said his head hurt so bad he could not move it. So made him a docs appt for today BEFORE my appt. Go to the doc for him the doc says " I think we need to do a CT SCAN Of his BRAIN to make sure he does not have a BRAIN BLEED " Umm Excuse me !! So Jason and I are BOTH Freaking ...
We get the CT Scan .. The lady says ' the Doc would like to see you in his OFFICE for the results " WTF NOW we are REALLY Freaking out " So we wait .. and the doc says ' Everything is fine , we think hes' got a really bad headache or possibly migraines " OMG Are you kidding me !! talk about freaking out . !!!
SO Mean while IM Suppose to be at my appt. I call MY doc tell him what is going on . he tells me " As long as your keeping liquids down your ok. lets try to move on to mushy foods and see how that goes for a few more days . As long as this si working lets not mess with it for now " SO NO surgery for ME for now ! He wants to see me in a few more weeks to see how things are going and to talk about the bands long run.

CHEYENNE BAUER FUND

2009-07-31T18:33:00.001-05:00

CHEYENNE BAUER FUND

Shared via AddThis

For Anyone who can help Please do ! Cancer !

2009-07-30T23:58:00.004-05:00

The past few weeks we have gotten some very sad news. Not 1 but 2 of our very dear friends CHILDREN have come down with awful diseases.

First one of my husbands best friends son Tucker (2yrs old) was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia . The little guy is doing really well . But he has a long road of Chemo in front of him. Amy and Russell have insurance however, they have to pay the 10% left of the insurance does not pay . Each of his Chemo visits are $200 until the $2000 deductible they have is reached. As you can imagine in this economy on a budget this is very hard on them. So if anyone can help give a little please do .. this is all I can do .
A friend has set up "Team Tucker" koozies . They are $5.00 and all proceeds go to the Smiths . If you would like one contact tiffanywilkes@aggienetwork.com ( Tiffany) .
Or they have a savings account you can donate to as well, I can get the info if you would like.

Secondly but not lastly , our other very dear friend Josh, his daughter Cheyenne was diagnosed with a very rare form of Cancer, This is from her Father Josh :

"For those of you who don't know yet Cheyenne was diagnosed Friday 7-24-09 with a rare cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma.She went to the hospital last week for back pain and here we are.

She is in an advanced stage(level 4) and while there is currently no known cure,we are looking forward to being the first!!!"
If you can help Cheyenne please give to .

Community Resource Credit Union
PO Box 3181
Baytown, TX 77522-3181
CHEYENNE BAUER FUND
ACCT # 38660

IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CREDIT UNION AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION, YOU CAN MAKE IT ONLINE IF YOU HAVE YOUR ACCOUNT SET UP WITH HOME BANKING. JUST LOG IN THEN GO TO TRANSFER FUNDS. IN THE DROP DOWN BOX YOU WILL PICK LAST OPTION, TRANSFER TO ANOTHER ACCOUNT, THEN YOU WILL ENTER ACCOUNT NUMBER---38660-- AND THEN ACCOUNT SUFFIX 10 THEN CLICK TRANSFER FUNDS.

If you are NOT a member of community resource credit union you may MAIL a check to the PO Box above or stop by any location and drop it off. If your bank offers online banking or bill pay you may set it up and tranfer that way. Just list community resource credit union and the account number and that will work too.

Anything will help both of these families. I dont normally do this kind of thing. But both of these families are near and dear to my husband and I .
Thanks to all

Love
Mindy
PS I dont have their pictures up because i dont think its right for me to put someone elses kids pictures on the internet . I can direct you to their facebook pages if you would like .

Im So Damn HUNGRY I could eat ANYTHING

2009-07-30T17:10:00.002-05:00

Im so damn hungry ya'll. I cant even tell you. I have been through this before. I know but this SUCKS really this time , i wont lie. For some reason in the past liquids have not been that big of a deal. Maybe becuase im totally unfilled this time. But im STARVING. OF the 10 pounds I lost 4 i gained back in 2 days ( How do you do that anyway ) from all the damn milk shakes im eating. But its the only thing half way satifsiying. I just went and got some more potoatoe soup ( Im about tired of that ) and some tomoatoe bisque soup , FAT FREE Ice cream and some bolthouse. I HOPE that tieds me over until Monday . But OMG !! My husband better be glad he's not around me right now and my kids are keeping busy . LMAO HELLLPPPP !!!!

Here we go again ... Possibly surgery , My band is slipped

2009-07-29T14:48:00.002-05:00

This time i dont think im going to be so lucky to get out of it w/ out surgery .
A little background ... Friday night I got SEVERE Stomach pain . At first ( sorry TMI) I thought it was constipation . It did not go away . Saturday same thing, stomach pains, cramping , aching. Just BAD. I was not really eating hardly anything or drinking anything cause it hurt too bad . So after everyone bugging me to go to the ER I decided I did not want to do that in CASE it was band related ( which I honestly did not think it was at all ) I did not want anyone but MY doc touching my band.
SO i called my doc on Sunday (I was starting to get nasueased ) and was afraid I would throw up . He called me in some phergan and it did not help . He said if i was not better to get to his office Monday .
So i did.
Get in there drink the barrium and he says " uhh ohh that's not good" It sitting there. NOTHING is moving through my band . Which was a little odd cause i COULD drink stuff but it seemed like once it hit my stomach it came back up .
SO he totally unfills my band. NOTHING. Its not moving.
So i wait a while , he comes back in and takes another X ray and the barium has gone though a LITTLE but not much at all. By now , however i can drink water fine.
So he thinks that either my band never completely healed on its own or i have what he calls a "Chronic" Slip. Either way , he does not think it will get better OR for that matter that it WILL Keep happening with out surgery . SO I have to go in on Monday to get checked and then decide about surgery . AT this point im prepared for it. HOwever im TERRIFIED Of losing my band. People do not understand. They say " OH well you are at your goal weight ( Which BTW I lost 10 pounds in 3 days ) what do you have to worry about now , JUST eat Less " OK DUMB ASSES If it were that EASY I would not have needed the band to begin with . The THOUGHT Of losing 125 pounds and it slowly coming back on is almost more than i can bare ! So that's what's going on .

I just realized .. Its been 2 YEARS since my surgery

2009-07-17T16:19:00.005-05:00

I just realized yesterday was my 2 year bandavisary !
WOW I cant believe its been that long. It seems like just yesterday i had the surgery !
My how things change when you get your life back. I have been so busy that the day just passed me right by .
So lets see... This person ....

This person was sad, lazy , depressed, totally unhappy , never wanted to go anywhere or do anything . Miserable in her marriage ( because i was miserable with myself )
Probably not that much fun to be around in general . OH lets not forget FAT . To sum it up , just not a happy person .

This person ...

Is active, happy , happy in her marriage. Thinks having this surgery was the best thing in my life i could have done for ME ! Loves to be doing things , loves to be out running around. Is probably the happiest I have been in general ( besides every day life stuff ) that i have ever been in my life.

My life has changed so much because of this surgery .
Im so glad i had it done !!!

Hey !! Some good News for a change..

2009-07-14T11:35:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone ! Hope everyone is doing well. I have been SO Busy .
My son is finally done with 7 on 7 football. They ended up going to the state finals and they played SO good. But lost . They played 3 games the first day , they won the first game , lost the second by ONE point , and that team was the team they were suppose to LOSE BADLY to. Then they lost the third game pretty badly . To be honest I think they were tired and wanted to get out of the 106 degree heat they were playing in . Hell who can blame them .
The second day they were playing in the "consulation" bracket. It was a win or go home deal, single elimination . They lost by 2 Points. It was SO Heart breaking too. Because they lost because of the ref's. I hate to say that about a game. But in this case it was true. There were some HORRIBLE HORRIBLE calls, the refs were letting the other team point out stuff to them and then they would throw flags. You cant let the other team dictate the game. It was awful .
So we went home.

On a good note... I have A JOB !!! The part time job working for Hallmark. My mom's friend works for them and she's leaving to move to Dallas. She told her boss about me , i really did not have to even interview. My first "official" Day is today .
So that's good.
Trying to catch up on everyone . Hope all is good.

The heat is on .. And I say BRING IT !!

2009-06-30T10:48:00.002-05:00

What the hell does that mean ? Well its been WELL over 100 degree's here the last few weeks. Heat and I dont get along for a few reasons , mainly it brings on my migraines. Heat and I did not use to get along becuase , well lets face it at 250 plus pounds who the hell wants to be out in that ? Lugging all that extra weight around ?
2 yrs ago I was a shut in basically . I would barely leave the house. But for SURE during the summer time, it took an act of congress to get me to leave the house in the heat of the day .
I went to the grocery store at night , IF I had to do something I was inside. I never took my kids to the pool , for out door activities, if we were invited to a party most of the time my husband would take the kids and i would stay at home.
Vacations, or out of town trips FORGET IT . My ass was NOT going.

NOW.. 2 years, 115 pounds and a lap band later ! The difference I cant even hardly explain . My son has been playing in a select touch football league ( Its a HUGE deal here in Texas ) Its called 7 on 7 . He has games every Tuesday and tourments on Saturdays. Just to give you an example of how my life has changed. This saturday they had the last qualifing tourment for state. They played 5 HOURS , thats right HOURS of football , 5 games . No big deal huh ? Except it was 112 degree's here !!
I was IN THE SHADE and STILL managed to get sun burnt!
But I was THERE . Loving every mintue of it. The team qualified to go to state.
That means they go next weekend ( the weekend after this one ) to College Station to play in the state tournment . Im SO looking forward to it. It WILL be in the heat , but I dont care. I'll be there. 2 Years ago .. I am not so sure i would have. IF I would have i would have been MISERABLE the whole time . I was sitting at a birthday party this weekend AFTER the 5 hour football marathon thinking MY GAWD how did i carry all that weight around in that heat living in Texas all those years ?
I thank goodness I had my surgery that's for sure !!
So im preparing for our trip to Aggie Land as we say here in Texas !!!

Eating : From one extreme to another I dont know who is " luckier"

2009-06-29T08:47:00.002-05:00

I spoke before about my SIL on here who is anorexic and would not get help.
I took the posts down because I did not want to leave them up .
Well things have gotten worse with her. My brother came home this weekend and found her nearly dead on the floor . When I say nearly dead I mean NEARLY Dead . Her body temperature was 70 , her glucose was not even registering, she had no pulse and very little breath sounds. He called 911 when EMS got there they could barely get a pulse and finally found her "breaths" .
They think what happened was her blood sugars got so low she fell and hit her head . She had been laying there for at least 6 hours. ( my brother had not been living there for a few weeks he just happen to go home to get something and found her ) She is in the ICU now and is alert and awake. But needless to say it was CLOSE.
Im very worried about my brother as well as her. That this wont kick in how serious her condition is.

This got me to thinking though. Most of us who are over weight , or became over weight to some extent have or had an eating disorder . Or over eating problem , what ever you want to call it or how ever you want to say it .
But what is "worse" over eating , not being able to control or stop your eating Or NOT wanting to eat at all ?
Food is the one thing we need, have to have in order to live ( and water ) and its the one addiction that's SO Hard to kick.
I guess in a way we are "lucky" we have a solution , lap band, RNY ect. What solution does she have ? If she does not get help she will die.
Her "issues" are in her head. She looks at herself and see's fat. Who cant relate to that ? I know i can . But instead of doing what I for instance did , burring her feelings in food , she does the opposite and just wont eat. Its a vicious cycle.
I hope she can get out of before its too late.

Where oh Where have my boobies gone ?

2009-06-19T21:16:00.003-05:00

My sister and I had a long day of shopping. First we hit the Victoria Secret OUTLET ( that's right OUTLET ) close to our house. LOVE it . I got some much needed new panties since mine were falling off of me. Ya know underwear is just one of those things you let go until you have to buy them. At least I do .
Anyway, the outlet did not have any bra's that i liked or fit really . OF Course not since they are $9.99 there. I got a few other things i needed.
So my sister and i decided to go to the "real" VS store in the mall since they were having their Semi Annual Sale.
I got the size I wear now .. 36C .. Yeah NOT going to work ! I asked the lady .. could you please find me A PADDED PUSH UP Bra in a size 34 B ! That's right B AS in BOY I have no BOOBS Left !! WTF !! Those damn things are gone !! GONE I TELL YA LADIES ! I have been wearing a C MOLDED cup for so long it gave me the illusion of having boobs ! NO more magic tricks here ladies !!! My ass is not the only thing getting smaller in Texas !!!

My future ?

2009-06-18T22:34:00.003-05:00

I dont know what to do about my future. I am in limbo i feel like.
As i wrote in a previous blog I was and still am considering going back to school to be a nutritionist , then using that degree in some way to help weight loss patients , more specifically weight loss surgery patients with the weight loss.
The only problem with that is it takes a couple years. Our financial situation needs some help NOW .
So after taking to some friends someone said " why dont you go to cosmetology school, you can get through it in less than a year and start making money right away "
I have been looking into it and its sort of a "recession proof" career.
But do i want to "waste" sort of speak a year going to school and $13,000 doing something i dont REALLY want to do or spend that time and money and go another year and be doing something I would really like to do . Now granted im a creative person , so i probably would like being a stylist .

But Im not sure what to do ?
Any thoughts on this ?

Eating, grocery shopping ...

2009-06-18T17:10:00.002-05:00

Is a struggle these days. Not because of any issues with my band but because of how my father cooks and shops. He goes to the grocery store EVERY DAY . Who does that ?
First off its MORE expensive and it just is not practical. The first few weeks he was working a lot so it was pretty well for me because i was doing the cooking.
Now its kind of " who ever asks first " does it.
He tries to please everyone in the family , i will give him that.
But Its REALLY hard to NOT eat crap when there is a BUNCH Of crap in this house.
I dont buy soda's at ALL . My kids have not had soda's except an occasional root beer here and there in nearly 2 yrs. We move in here and there is soda's every where. My oldest really does not drink them much but he has started drinking them again because they are so "available" .

Its just not how i like to or want to cook for my family or shop for them .

But I guess im stuck with it for another few months.

Things are going pretty good. My parents are being very nice .

Hubby has had my youngest in Houston all this week. So i have had some "down" time !
Its been NIIIICCCCEE !! REAL nice LOL

Anyway ... Had to give a little vent i guess today .
Thanks for listening .

Clothes Shopping Yesterday WTF ?

2009-06-14T08:47:00.003-05:00

Fatskinnygirls post inspired me to post this about my shopping experience yesterday . I have one pair of shorts that fit me right now . The rest are either too big or too small. These last 10 pounds i need to get off to be where i need to be.
Anyway , I went to a couple places and everyone i guess thinks that everyone can wear shorts that come up the crack of your ass for one . They are SO SHORT.
So i went to target. Found some capri's I liked. I right now am in a 5/6 I grabbed a pair that size and one the next size up just in case. TOO SMALL ??? ( Scratching my head ) Ok I know its that TOM But ok.. So i grabbed a 8 TOO SMALL . WTF ???
FINALLY a 10 Fit me .. MY DEAD ASS will i put on a size 10 again !! STOP dont give me no shit about " I wish i was in a 10 " that's like those of you being in a 14 now putting on a 20 ! " Imgaine ! Of i your in a 20 wearing a 24 "
ITS NOT HAPPENING im telling ya !! So be forewarned Targets sizes are JACKED UP !! LMAO

Swim Suit Season Stinks

2009-06-10T22:53:00.003-05:00

I dont care what size i am , get to , become I wont like summer for one reason ... SWIM SUIT SEASON !!
Let this be a lesson to anyone out there that thinks " Your not "big" anymore be happy! Let me tell ya something... I was 110 pounds and was not comfortable with myself in a swim suite. I need a lap band for my head ! Because the weight might be off, but the apron around my stomach is still there and my wet tube socks I have for boobs are hanging around my shoulders still and I do not feel comfortable in a swim suite.
But here is my aggravation . Maybe its mean , not PC ... I dont know . I met a women in my new area who is larger. We were talking about my surgery . We went to the pool the other day . Because of my saggy thighs I had on board shorts with my swim suit top . Her response was " OH gawd take that off " or " You look great what do you have to worry about " Just because I am thinner now that I was a year ago MEANS i am comfortable with my body , comfortable in a swim suite .
But why do people assume that ? There are people at 250 pounds who are perfectly comfortable in a swim suite . And I think that is AWESOME . But guess what ?? That was NOT me .. There are people like ME who would not be caught at a pool for 3 yrs at 250 pounds because they were not comfortable with them selves at 250 pounds.

My point I guess. No matter what weight you are, you get to , you become keep in mind that there just might be someone who is uncomfortable !. Dont assume people are happy ( about their bodies) JUST BECAUSE they lost the weight.

Dont get me wrong.. I am happy with myself . But being happy with myself and putting on a swim suit in public are 2 totally different things !!!

100 Truths

2009-06-08T22:18:00.002-05:00

Here ya go April :
100 Truths!
This was fun! Repost and come back and tell me where to find it so I can read up on all your juicy secrets.

1. Last beverage → Lemonade Vitamin Water

2. Last phone call → To my husband

3. Last text message → To my Husband LOL

4. Last song you listened to → Some Hip Hop Song on the Radio

5. Last time you cried → This weekend I think ? I was pissed off and stressed out about something .. money I am sure .

SIX HAVE YOU EVER:

1. Dated someone twice? → Yes

2. Been cheated on? → Yes MANY times actually , scum bag men ! lol

3. Kissed someone? → Yes.

4. Lost someone special? → Yes

5. Been depressed? → Yes. That's what antidepressants are for LOL

6. Been drunk and threw up? → OH Gawd yes . TOO many times to count

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:

1. Pink

2. White

3. Black

4. Blue

HAVE YOU:
1. Made new friends → Cha! Yeah!

2. Fallen out of love → Yes. Im sad to say with my husband BUT i fell back in love with him !

3. Laughed until you cried → Yes!

4. Met someone who changed you → Sure

5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes.

6. Found out someone was talking about you → Yeah and NOT in just 8th grade LOL Some times people need to grow up and go BACK to 8th grade lol

7. Kissed anyone on your Facebook friend's list → Oh .. Shit I would have to think about that one . Oh wait YES my husband is on there so YES LOL

8. How many people on your Facebook friends list do you know in real life → I would say about half

9. How many kids do you want to have → I have 2 and I am DONE

10. Do you have any pets → 2 Cats

11. Do you want to change your name → Yeah not real crazy about my married name prefer my maiden name

13. What time did you wake up today → WELL with it being summer time I would LIKE to wake up late. But its not working out that way yet. So the usual about 6 or 7 .

14. What were you doing at midnight last night → Sleeping

15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → To have money again !

16. Last time you saw your father → About 10 minutes ago .

17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → I wish I could have kids like RIGHT NOW! But I can be patient…I think.

18. What are you listening to right now → Some Commercial on the TV

19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Yep

23. What's getting on your nerves right now? → My kids not listening to me and arguing with each other.

24. Most visited webpage → My gmail.

1. What's your name? → Mindy

3. Relationship Status → married

4. Zodiac sign → Virgo

5. Male or female or transgendered → female

6. Primary School → OMG I dont remember LMAO OH wait i got it .Cunningham

7. Middle School → Covington Middle School

8. High school → Bowie High School

10. Hair color → Light Brown/ Blonde

11. Long or short → Short

16. Height → 5'4"

17. Do you have a crush on someone? → Dale Earnhart Jr LOL

18: What do you like about yourself? → Im a good mom .

19. Piercings → My ears…

20. Tattoos → 3 one on my right ankle , one on my back and one on the top of my left foot.

21. Righty or lefty → Righty.

FIRSTS :

22. First surgery → gallbladder in 01

23. First piercing → Ears, age 7.

24. First best friends → Misty age 11 still friends

26. First sport you joined → Gymnastics

27. First pet → No clue

28. First vacation → real one with Jason to Disney world on our honey moon with our son !

29. First concert → Ratt and Poison !!

30. First crush → Not sure.

RIGHT NOW:

49. Eating → Typing this long ass thing out .

50. Drinking → Vitamin water

52. I'm about to → go to bed

53. Listening to → Magic tricks reveled LOL

55. Waiting for → Hubby to come hoem from out of town .

YOUR FUTURE :

58. Want kids? No

59. Want to get married? Done!

60. Careers in mind? I am considering going to school to be a nutritionist

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?

68. Lips or eyes → Both.

69. Hugs or kisses → Kissies always.

70. Shorter or taller → Taller.

71. Older or Younger → Older.

72. Romantic or spontaneous → Romantically spontaneous.(ditto)

73. Nice stomach or nice arms → Arms.Do shoulders count as arms ?LOL

74. Sensitive or loud → Both.

75. Hook-up or relationship → relationship

77. Trouble maker or hesitant →I would say Jason's a trouble maker !

HAVE YOU EVER :

78. Kissed a stranger → I plead the 5th on this one

79. Drank hard liquor → …a long time ago.

80. Lost glasses/contacts → no

81. Sex on first date → …See answer to 78

82. Broken someone's heart → Yeah.

83. Had your own heart broken → Yep.

85. Been arrested → Yes

86. Turned someone down → Yes

87. Cried when someone died → Yes

88. Liked a friend that is a girl? → Humm define "LIKE"

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

89. Yourself → Yes

90. Miracles → Sure

91. Love at first sight → Probably!

92. Heaven → No

93. Santa Clause → Yes – in the form of my husband dressed up when we have kids!

95. Kiss on the first date? → Probably.

96. Angels → …I guess!

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Not really. I like alone time sometimes!

98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → Yeah LOL

99. Posting this as 100 Truths? → Sure.

100. There wasn't one -

This biggest difference between being 250 and 140ish...

2009-06-08T16:51:00.003-05:00

Living in Texas and the summers !! OMG The heat ya'll . At 250 I was such a shut in and literally waited until the sun went down to go to the store or to do just about anything. It was so hot as it is , but adding an extra 100 plus pounds to lug around on top of that ! NOW with that weight off... I dont mind being out side if I need to . Its still hotter than all get out . BUT Its do able.
I can go to the store and not float in my car like a pool from the sweat when im done ! Its do able. My migraines I THINK are a little better too since my weight has come off. Granted im on meds for them as well. But the weight has helped in the summer no doubt !
Less strain on blood vessels i think ?
So what is your " Big difference between your starting weight and now "

Does not matter what weight your at ..

RePost: FOLLOW Docs Orders

2009-06-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

Let me start by saying this orginally was posted from reading something on a message board. So please dont tell me i was being bitchy . LOL well ok i was . BUT This CANT Be more important of an issue to me NOW after slipping my band ! If i had not waited to see my doc ( Followed his advice and my own It would never have happened ) . So shame on me ! LOL

This is a bit of a hot button issue for me. Since i believe that following docs orders is Essential in the success of your band .
There are a few things that I think are THE MOST Important things you can do to ensure the safety and longevity of your band .
#1 on that list of MINE ( remember just my opinon based on what i have done and what has gotten me this far to this point)
Following your docs advice during the 6 week post op diet !!!
what does that mean to me ?
It means
1. Do NOT Advance your diet with OUT speaking to your doc first.
Look we all KNOW how hard it is to go for weeks at at time w/ liquids, especially those who were on liquid diets pre op . BUT The pre op diet is there for a reason . that reason ?
The reason your docs do not want you to eat for a certain amount of time (NOT MY OPINION this is fact ) is to allow your stomach to heal, form scar tissue around the band in order for your band to anchor itself . There for allowing the best possible life and longevity of your band. = A better chance you will not slip !!

I hear " Im listening to my body and its telling me to eat !OF COURSE it is .
If you are listening to your body and its telling you to eat, your feeling ill what ever and you FEEL you HAVE TO eat something, move to protein shakes, CALL YOUR DOC . MOST docs will allow you to move on to something else or add something to your diet. BUT GET THEIR PERMISSION FIRST . I think this is important for 2 reasons.
A. So that the docs KNOWS you advanced the diet
B. If your having any issues the docs knows about that , and if issues come up down the road the doc knows the diet was advanced and has that info on hand .

I also hear " Well I advanced my diet early you will be fine " Or " Just chew chew chew "
REALLY !! Again there is a reason for the diet, its to make sure your stomach does not start "working" too soon . And giving someone else permission , validation , reason to do the same because someone else "Cheated" Is wrong just wrong.

Ive been accused of being mean, rude, tough love because of how strongly i feel about this .
SORRY Its just how i feel. I Believe POST OP DIET ( meaning during the first 6 wk healing phase after surgery ) Should NOT be advanced on your own !! PERIOD !!

NOW THAT being said. AFTER your on solids per your doc instructions does that mean I dont eat stuff i should not ? Well that depends on how you look at things !
I eat what i want when i want. I am not on a diet now nor will i ever be again . That's why i got the band to start with .
95 % of the time I eat VERY Healthy . TONS Of Veggies , Lots of protein , still probably need to work on getting more water. That being said. When I want something sweet , i eat it .
BUT I do not eat sweets often . a few times a month at most.
Do I feel guilty for it when i do . ABSOLUTELY NOT . DO i realize not everyone can do this . YES My point . After you have healed I do not even consider it "cheating" its just a slip , we all slip , move past it move on , and the next hour is a new day .
But do not look for much sympathy from me if your cheating on your post op diet, . Will I continue to give ANYONE who needs support support. YOU BET !! I am not perfect, do not claim to be , do not want to be.
I am on message boards like www.lapbandtalk.com to help , pay it forward if you will.
Those who were banded before me helped me in my times of need ( Still do ) And i would like to do the same.
But my philosophy with my friends , online or off is this :
IT DOES NO GOOD TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR , I WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR !!! real friends in my opinion will do that .
Do i say things the wrong way sometimes ? YES , Im sure i do . I do not mean to . I do .
Anyway that's my issue for the day !!!

LOVE EVERYONE !!!

RePost: Fills, Unfills and Total Unfills

2009-06-08T10:20:00.001-05:00

Fills, unfills and total unfills

Fills: Fills are a BREEZE !! Nothing to it . My doc does not even numb me w/ numbing meds .
I no longer have them done under flouroscopy ( XRay ) because he can feel my port under my skin well enough that i do them in the office now . When I was heavier he did them under Flouro to make sure he hit the port. Some people do not like that much , but I do , Its like a mini check up for your band every fill .

Unfills: I have had probably about the same amount of unfills as i have fills. Why ?
I am VERY Sensitive to fills. I am very sensitive to everything apparantly .
If i PB too "hard" I swell quite a bit , it takes longer for me to heal than "normal" and i usually end up w/ a slight unfill.
The upside to this is I also am VERY Sensitive to fills. So a very small fills affects me a lot .
We think this has to do w/ yrs of throwing up from migraines.
But unfills do not have to be feared. Unfills generally put you back to where you "Should have been" to start w/ at your fill level .
So do not stay tight too long you risk your band slipping or causing damage.
I do not like to stay tight and wont stay tight long.

TOTAL UNFILL: I had a total unfill on 6-10-08 due to PBing really bad one time and getting very swollen , I ending up not being able to keep liquids down . So doc wanted me to heal so he totally unfilled me .
Let me give ya'll some advice .. If you have to get a TOTAL unfill do NOT do what my dumb ass has done and eat like HELL . I have gained 8lbs since my unfill LESS Than 2 months ago and MAN is it not a good feeling. I have done it to myself . I could have gotten filled nearly a month before I did , because i was going on vacation I decided to stay unfilled while on vacation so i could eat what ever the hell i wanted.
NOT SMART !!!
So the moral of the story if you have to get totally unfilled be smart about what you eat , dont go nuts like i did . Now instead of 25 or so pounds to goal im nearly 35 !!!
UGHHH . SMART Mindy REAL FREAKING SMART! I have my fill on Thursday THANK GOD . Because what people do not know is when you get TOTALLY Unfilled. YOu can eat like you do not have a band anymore.
At least I can and THAT MY FRIENDS is a SCARY FEELING !!!

RePost: Expectations of Surgery !

2009-06-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

When I started looking into WLS and Lap Band Surgery I was also talking to my OB about the PCOS . I had a major concern that the PCOS would keep me from losing weight . I mean it made sense right ? I could not lose weight with OUT the band why would it be possible to lose it WITH the band ? The PCOS is still there . One of the things that my OB told me is , " you will lose weight with the band but you will most likely lose it SLOWLY because of the PCOS " . Ok I was cool w/ that . It took me years to get the weight on im good if it takes years to get it off.

I Have since had some friends who have had WLS , made friends who have had WLS ect since I had surgery and I notice them getting frustrated when the weight is not coming off "fast" enough or Soon enough . This was something that never happened to me . I know your thinking "SURE because you lost fast Bitch " LOL But honestly , I was not expecting anything going into this other than to JUST LOSE.

So I think the #1 thing I would tell ANYONE going into any WLS is to not expect ANYTHING !
Do not expect to lose weight at a certain pace, do not expect to lose like someone you know, Someone else who had surgery the same day as you ect. It does nothing but set you up for frustration , failure and upset. So there is no point !!
Why do that to yourself ? I think its just better to take things as they come . Be content w/ who you are and how your weight comes off. Make some mini goals for yourself and achieve those one at a time !!

Important Points to Remind us all Of ?

2009-06-08T10:14:00.002-05:00

I think after we all have our band for a while 6months to a year we tend to forget a few things. I see some frustration going on in some people's bloggs as I have been catching up . And in myself in all honesty too. So I thought maybe I would re post some older posts and it might help some , my self included to knock some sense into us and remind us of a few things .

1. Why we started this journey .
2. This is a martathon not a sprint.
3. Look how far we have all come. Regardless of how long we have had our bands.
4. MOST IMPORTANT ... FOLLOW YOUR DOCTORS ORDERS ! Remember the RULES ! Dont get lazy with them !!! Getting lazy causes stupid shit to happen like slipped bands !! ( trust me i know LOL )

Tip of the Day : Eating Well For Less

2009-06-08T08:47:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since i have done one of these . LOL
So one thing ya'll might know about me is I am the CHEAPEST person in the world.
If i dont have to pay full price for something I wont. I will do what ever it takes to figure out a way to NOT pay full price.
One of my guilty pleasures since losing weight is designer jeans. However I will not pay $200 and up for them . Second hand stores are my FAVORITE for this ...
Which leads me to the tip of the day .
With the economy the way it is eating well can be a challange. Lets face it eating healthy is expensive. So my trick the BIGGEST One ...
COUPONS ! I am a COUPON Fanatic. Someone told me once " I dont have time for coupons' My response to them was " Then you dont have time to save money "
I spend 30 mintues a Sunday clipping them and organizing them and that's it.
And can save as much as $50-100 at the grocery store. Not to mention the FREE stuff i get.
This is one of my favorite sites. She has a really good explianation of how to orgainzie coupons, how to utilize CVS's extra care bucks to get stuff for free ( which i do every week )
Its great !
http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/

Also another tip .. Stay on the outer isles of the grocery store. The produce , meat, dairy sections are the healthiest places to shop. The least you buy on the inner isles the better.
Hope that is helpful !

Ok So what's been going on . The Short of it is ..

2009-06-08T08:36:00.003-05:00

As i said we finally got moved in . Its been stressful .
Its stressful living with my parents. Let me let you get a mental picture of this set up of an "Apartment" LOL . ( Actually i will probably take a picture later ) Above their garage they have a room , it has enough room for a queen size bed, computer desk, futon and a chair. THAT is where I am living with my youngest son . My oledest son is staying down stairs in their extra room. So my younests and I have to come down stairs for the bathroom and to eat.
When Jason is in town ( hubby) he's up stairs with us too.
Now my dad loves to cook, and normally is home early from work or works when he wants ( he has his own company ) But because of the job he has going on he's working 12 hour shifts. Im not the biggest fan of his cooking. He does not use hardly any fresh veggies , just does not cook the way I do .
SO I told my mom , can I cook if you know dad wont be home. Was not sure if he would appreciate that or not. All last week dinner was ready when both of them got home from work. Not only did mom like it ( she's trying to lose weight so she likes my healthy cooking ) dad seemed to really appreciate it .
My mom would rather have my whole wheat pastas, breads, ect.
So things SO FAR are ok.
My dad has a bad habit of bringing home crap to eat. Donuts, cakes, ect.
So im having to watch it. Im still been able to maintain 140 pretty easily . But I am not comfortable with 140 as a "goal" , "final" , Im done number for me. I would be much happier with 130 I think. Someone who found my blog is suppose to have surgery with my surgergeon next week I believe , after that I get 2 free fills for a referal . So I will go get a slight fill and try to lose these last 10 pounds AGAIN !I swear these last 10 pounds are the death of me.

Im also thinking MAYBE i just need to get off my ass and just start walking, working out , doing something and I can get these last 10 pounds off like that and maintain it . I like the way I am eating now. Its not a lot , its a little more than "usual" but its good. So we'll see what i decide.
Cant tell ya'll how good it is to be back and be able to spend time on here and catch up on everyone's bloggs !

Thank GAWD

2009-06-07T22:36:00.001-05:00

Im ALIVE !! I now have internet access all my own !! My mom and I drilled a whole in the walls today to give me internet access up in my apartment at my moms ! So im connected again ya'll !!
SO excited ! I am not sure what to do with myself !

WHEWWW

2009-06-02T09:23:00.002-05:00

Ok I am done with the never ending FREAKING MOVE !! MY GAWD ! This move I swear was never going to end ! It took FOREVER it seemed like. Now I have to figure out how to fit all my CRAP in basically 2 rooms at my mom's house ! Yeah that's FUN !!! NOT !
BUT at least I have INTERNET NOW ! Im telling ya'll. Take my cable, Take my phone ( Ok maybe not the phone ) take what ever BUT NOT THE NET !! LOL
Im still barely maintaining at 140 I stepped on my mom's scale the other day and it went to 150 for a SECOND and I about shit ! Seriously about robbed somemone for fill money !! My mom said she thought i was going to have a heart attack ! I told her " 140 IM Good with not great but good. I go over that ITS Panic time ya'll " !
So a few more weeks i should be able to go get a fill to get these last 5 or 10 pounds off AGAIN !! I have 2 pairs of shorts that fit me that i keep wearing over and over again . So need to get some weight off. Well then i wont have ANYTHING to wear LOL
Anyway , will up date later !! Thanks for all your support. I look forward to catching up on everyone now !

I have not fallen off the face of Texas

2009-05-18T12:44:00.003-05:00

Howdy ! I am still around , still trying to not gain weight LOL.
We are moving into my parents house this weekend . (basically my boys and I are since my husband works out of town ) . We are hoping it will only be for the summer .
I HOPE cause I dont know how long i can stand living with my parents at age 33 (in September ) So we will see how this works.
My band is good. I am easily maintaining 140 ( Fairly easily ) but want to get 10 pds back off. I can go for a fill after June 12th when a person who saw my blog contacted me about my doc has her surgery . After she has her surgery I get a free fill from my doc ! YEAH . That is SO HELPFUL. I might have another patient for him so i am figuring if she had surgery with him that's a total of 4 fills. That SHOULD last me for quite some time ( barring any issues ) IF I can lose the 10 pounds and just maintain ! . So that's my story for now . When i get settled in here i will have internet again !! YEAH !!!
Thanks for ya'lls support i miss you all terribly !

Hello and Update

2009-04-22T09:23:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone . Just wanted to give ya'll an update. I went to my doc appt last week and my band is fine. Its stayed in place and he even gave me a slight fill which I was not expecting. So as of today i am on mushies after nearly a month on liquids. things are going down fine, no issues. He actually gave me a larger fill than I have now and after waiting around the office i realized it was too much so i had him take some out.
So I am doing well. Another couple weeks I should need another fill. I have to get these 11 pounds off i gained in the nearly 3 weeks I had been totally unfilled.
Needless to say Dr R was not too happy about that weight gain !!!

Thanks for all the comments on my question on what i should do about school.
I actually applied today for a job at a WLS clinic I really hope i get it.
I am going tomorrow up to the community college to talk to them about my options.
Although i need something quickly for work/money . I am going to see what options i have for nutrition , maybe i can get a certificate of some kind , begin to work in the field and continue to go to school ? So I will see what they have to say , see what my options are.

My financial situation is not better yet. My optimistic husband keeps insisting its going to get better soon . So we will see. Still no internet which at this point it is what it is and i guess I am just use to it now .
So that's all. I miss everyone terribly !!!

Opinions Please

2009-04-14T12:54:00.002-05:00

I would like some fellow lap band surgery patients opinions of something I am considering kicking around.
I am thinking of going back to school to be a nutritionist . I would LOVE To solely work with WLS patients. SO here is my question ...

Would you pay someone for advice as a nutritionist who has been through this process ?
Or i guess my question would be , would you be MORE willing to pay for services of a nutritionist being they have been through this process ? NOW granted , I can go to work in a surgeons office and I would be happy with that. I was also thinking about doing "Free Lance" working. If someone needs some help with food they could come to me for advice for a small fee i could give it to them ?
What do you think ?

Yes
No

Either way i think im going to go back to school for this . But on a WLS side wanted your opinions.

Howdy , A few Things

2009-04-12T15:20:00.003-05:00

Hi All, Hope everyone is doing well. I try to read what i can on everyone's blog.
Still working on the affording the internet . I really hate this ! Not being able to blog and read everyone's blog is getting to me. We are moving in June and I am going to try to go through my house this week, see what we have and see if i cant get enough money to pay off my internet bill to turn it back on , horrible isnt it that's a priority to me lol.
I go to the doc this Thursday for a check up on my band. Still on liquids . Im doing okay . I get hungry and I drink something or get some soup.
I have had to lay off the milk shakes , i have managed to gain some weight.

My grand parents are here , they are the only people in the world who dont know about my surgery . My parents told me before they got here " You need to tell them about your surgery since you cant eat, they will think you are like your SIL and are anorexic now " I told them " FINE I never was hiding my surgery from them , you were the ones that thought they were too stupid to understand it "SO I get to my mom's and they have already told them . My grandma tells me " SURE HOPE YOU dont get anorexic now " THEN After I told her i was having some issues and could not eat anything but liquids she ( I KID YOU NOT ) Pulls out a damn DONUT puts it under my nose and says ' LOOK MINDY YOU WANT IT " . I looked at her and with a go to hell look and said " NO I Dont want it NOR CAN I HAVE IT WITH OUT IT POSSIBLY HURTING ME RIGHT NOW " She chuckled. WTF ? I just walked away .

So anyway . I am still alive and kicking ya'll. Just a little aggervated after nearly 3 weeks of no food i guess LMAO

Talk to ya'll soon !
Miss ya !

hi

2009-04-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

Hey all .just wanted to say hi . I stole my sons iPhone to update LOL I. Going to try to get Internet this week it us driving me nuts not having it !!
As for my band , I have a follow up appoitment on the 19th ,so I have to stay on liquids until then . Some how I have managed to gain 3 pounds . I think It might be the 3 milk shakes a day . Any way I miss yall

What casued it ?

2009-04-02T15:02:00.003-05:00

I was in a big hurry the other day typing about my band situation so I dont think i explained myself well. So let me try again .
First off let me say again thank you again for all your kind words !!!

NOW ... What caused my slip ? ME i caused my slip . Why ? One of the WORST thing you can do for your bands is throw up or PB !( as well as keep your band too tight which causes the prior mentioned things ) Everytime you do that your risking a slip . Slips happen from the bottom part of your stomach coming up threw the band. When you throw up your forcing that action . So EVERY TIME you throw up or PB ( PB throwing up same thing ) your causing a mini slip basically . SO When i had refulx for the last 2 weeks , the last week nearly every day several times a day i was throwing up from the reflux.
I KNEW Better than that !!!! If you read in my blog and all over the place that I yell at everyone " DONT KEEP YOUR BAND TOO TIGHT DONT THROW UP " ! That is why . Because your band will slip. It might not do it the first time , the second time but at some point your gonna slip your band. CASE IN POINT ME ! I follow the rules better than most ... and the one time i dont look what happens ! So what caused my slip ? I caused it from throwing up !!!
Does that explain things a little better ?
Moral of the story :
1. Dont throw up
2. Dont keep your band too tight
3. IF you throw up go to your doc and tell them right away !
4. If you know you have problems go to the doc no matter what, money is no reason to stay away . If you have a good doc it wont matter you cant pay right then , he'll see you anyway !

BAD NEWS !!! My band .....

2009-03-31T19:52:00.002-05:00

First i just want to thank everyone for their great comments on reaching my goal !!!
I went to the doc yesterday after having refulx for a week or more ( FYI If you get refulx go to the doc RIGHT AWAY ) the past week i have been throwing up quite a bit but like i said did not have the money to go to the doc.

WELL, I went in yesterday after not being able to keep liquids down . And one look in the XRay and MY BAND HAD SLIPPED !!! Not only had it slipped but i was about an hour away from having to have surgery ! I was severly dyhradated as well.
The doc after totally unfilling me told me to wait and we'll do another X ray . We did and the band had not "Un done " Its self. ( It was also flipped , you know when you look at the band in flouro you can see the outer rim ? MINE you could see the INSIDE part that your stomach goes through ) So he said to wait until he was done seeing patients , In the mean time he was calling the hospital to make arrangements for surgery . $4000 !! Is what it was going to cost me.
He saw the rest of his patients and we did another x ray and BAM my band moved on its own !!! NO SURGERY . My doc told me " You are VERY LUCKY " he was not happy with me for waiting to come in !!!

SO NOW ... I have to be on liquids for 2 weeks , go back get it checked , if its still not moved or anything then i might be able to do mushies at that point. But he told me at this point to prepare for 4 weeks of liquids !!!!!

So that's my deal !!!!
Thanks again to everyone. I will up date again when i can !

I AM SKINNY IN TEXAS

2009-03-30T11:58:00.003-05:00

That's right BIOTCHES !!! ( Kidding) After nearly 2 yrs and 6 months of trying to get the last damn 20 pounds off I AM AT GOAL !!! 125 POUNDS and I lost 125 pounds ! That's a whole one of me !!!!! IM SHOUTING FROM THE ROOF TOPS !!

I have however had some issues the last few weeks. Refulx like a SOB ! Cant eat much ( Hence the weight loss but i'll take it how i can ) SO im going to the doc at 3 today . Im a bit worried my band has slipped . BUT I have thought that before and it has not .
SO we'll see.
Im going to tell him im done , no more weight loss. NOW I might freak out a TINY BIT if he totally unfills me !! I will just have to watch it the best i can .

I would like to think everyone for your support lately . Things have not been very good here, still are not really .
But with out all of my cyber friends I would not have ever been able to do this journey !! THANK YOU ALL !!! And anyone who says " I cant do it " SHUT YOUR MOUTH !!! If i can ANYONE CAN !!!

Your too skinny , Stop losing weight ! SHUT THE UC UP

2009-03-20T22:02:00.002-05:00

NOW my vent. MY MOTHER is pissing me off. Let me tell everyone right now , If you know some one who's losing weight( which is probably everyone reading this now ) dont tell them " You need to stop losing weight" UNLESS you think they are in danger of being anorexic or something. Every damn time i see my mother now she tells me " You dont need to lose more weight , You need to stop losing weight " her BEST ONE " If you lose more weight your FACE is going to be SAGGIER "
NOW Im not opposed to someone saying " Are you at goal yet you look great " and if someone says " No i have 5 more pds to lose someone saying " Well I think you look great the way you are " That's Fine for me . But DONT TELL Me " Your TOO Skinny You need to stop losing weight when im not even at my damn goal yet !! I have 5 more pds to lose to get to my MEDICALLY Supervised SET Weight loss goal . GET OFF MY ASS !!
I just think its aggravating to hear it every time i see her now .
I personally dont see skinny , let alone too skinny , and will never see WAY Too skinny but I realize that I dont see what other see. SO I AM and will stop at my goal weight. Sorry i had to vent !

Update , Saying Hi

2009-03-20T21:58:00.003-05:00

Hi ya'll. Im in Houston seeing my hubby and going to his gma's 75th surprise birthday tomorrow so I am back in cyber land for now ! LOL
Wanted to say hi to everyone and thanks so much for everyone's kind words of support.
My weight loss for what ever reason has decided to kick its self in again .
I am down another pd or so . Down to 130-131 . I think i'll faint when i make it into the 120's finally .
I just went and bought some much needed tops in SMALL !!! . The party tomorrow should be interesting. I Have not seen most of dh's family in 7 yrs . So they have not seen me thin. Im thinner now than when we got married. Which is the time before last i saw them. So should be funny .

Checking in

2009-03-17T13:27:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, Just wanted to say Hi.
I am seeing your comments and encouraging words.
I still do not have internet and at this point am not sure when I will get it back up.
Money is still tough , we are going through a really rough time right now .
On a positive note , i am down to 131 !!!! Which means I am must 6 pounds from goal !

So that's a plus i guess. I will keep ya'll posted. We might be moving in the next few weeks into a cheaper house I am not sure ?

Thanks for your kind words !

No Internet

2009-03-13T15:57:00.001-05:00

Hi all. I do not have internet right now. Its been turned off , i cant afford it right now . So I use it at my mom's when i can.
I will update ya'll when I can .
Thank you everyone for your kind words on my recent picture posting. Your SO SWEET
Will write when i can
Mindy

NOT SINCE HIGH SCHOOL

2009-03-09T14:38:00.002-05:00

Have I been a size 3/4 !! That's right a size 3/4 !!!!
I had to go buy new shorts, mine are all HUGE from last summer. The ones I had on in the store I had to hold up . SO i tried on 5/6's and they fit but i had room in them still. My best friend said" try on a 3/4 " I told her YOUR CRAZY .
HERE THEY ARE !!! OH and the shirt is a SMALL and it was my 17 yr old sisters !!!

WOW

2009-03-09T07:02:00.003-05:00

I am not sure what I did this week but I lost 5 pds this week . Not typical for me to lose that much nor "healthy" But i have been bouncing these last 10 pds back and forth since last July really .
I am now at 133 and 8 POUNDS FROM GOAL !!! And get this ... Its that TOM right now !!
Go figure !!! I cant believe I could be at goal in a couple weeks ??? Is that possible ? WOW Im just speechless, i honestly did not think i would get or could get past 140 I had been there that long .

Favorite New Product : Rockin Refuel

2009-03-08T23:36:00.003-05:00

If you have read my blog for any amount of time you will know i cant/dont do but one protein drink because of my migraines.
Well i went to my local grocery store this weekend and they had a coupon , if you buy a box of cereal you get a free 3 pack of those horizon organic chocolate milks. I thought I'll give those a try see how my son likes them .
Well they were out . So they let me exchange them for these Protein fortified chocolate milks, There are 20 grams of protein per bottle.
I dont drink a lot of milk anymore. And i thought these have the potential to be REALLY freaking NASTY !!!
But guess what ? They are AWESOME. They taste JUST LIKE Chocolate milk. NO Nasty or funky after taste , JUST MiLK. Here is what they are !

http://www.shamrockfarms.net/rockinrefuel.asp

My oldest son wants me to get these for him to help him bulk up he drank the other 2 I had. They are a bit high in calories. But if you drank half of one it would be good. Or add half of one to a milk shake ?

Anyway i thought I would share with ya !

Tips for Adding More Fiber to your Diet

2009-03-06T23:48:00.002-06:00

I got this from http://www.mambosprouts.com/mambo-articles/food-nutrition/10-creative-ways-to-incorporate-fiber-into-your-diet/

I have IBS and my mom was hospitalized a few yrs ago and nearly died from an upper and lower bowel obstruction that was caused in part by IBS. My doc has told me to get more fiber in my diet. BUT with the band its a little harder now .
He told me if i do not i run the risk of the same thing happening as my mother AND he will put me on meds for my IBS. So this is helpful, thought someone else could use it .
Here ya go :

Special thanks to everyone who entered our SuperSeed product giveaway by answering our question: How are you and your family incorporating fiber into your diet?

We received so many great answers – we just wanted to share some of your best ideas! (Due to the number of responses, we could not share all of your great comments. Please check out the original and complete user comments on the original article here)
1. Eat lots of raw whole foods

“We eat lots of raw whole foods with their skins on. Lots of whole grains, minimally processed breads, crackers, cereals, rice etc. I add flax seed to my homemade pancakes, banana bread and waffles. My son loves cinnamon so I have pre-made mixture that i sprinkle on his waffles (rather than syrup or powdered sugar) that is 1/2 cinnamon, 1/4 raw turbinado and 1/4 milled flax seed. yummy its great is oatmeal too!”
- Submitted by Lisa
2. Sneak veggies into your meals

“I have to sneak veggies into my meals…so I pull out the food processor and finely chop onions, celery, carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. This mixture goes into my spaghetti sauce, chili, meatballs, turkey burgers, meatloafs…anything made with ground meat. It not only add the needed fiber/veggies but it’s tastier, moister and more tender too!”
- Submitted by Kathie S

3. Make sure you get your fiber

“I’m all about making sure I get my fiber. The day typically starts w/ old-fashioned oatmeal w/ Berries (strawberries or blueberries). Spinach salad for lunch w/ some diced raw celery or carrots in it + lean protein. A GREAT snack are the sunsweet individually wrapped prunes, always have ‘em in my desk drawer to ward off the afternoon sweet tooth! And din-din is fish or chix w/ broccoli & cauliflower mix. And we (my fiance and I ) are both heavy TV Snackers so it’s Hummus+sugar snap peas or avacado mashed w/ a touch of salsa to top some baked organic whole grain chips.”
-Submitted by Stacy S.
4. Get rid of “white” food

We have gotten rid of every white food in the house. We went with the rule “White is not right” So we now eat brown rice, whole wheat breads and pastas, even the sugar is now raw and….you guessed it, brown.
-Submitted by Kelly Sullivan
5. Try flavored powder mixes

Provided the many sources of fiber, it isn’t as hard to have your recommended dose of fiber! For the younger generation (including myself), there are sugar-free Fiber-One flavored powder mixes (Raspberry Tea, Kiwi Strawberry, or plain) that comes in individual packets. Just mix the packets in a bottle of water, drink 3x a day, and there’s nearly 40% of your daily fiber.
-Submitted by Eliz
6. A morning smoothie recipe

“I, like many others, am incorporating fiber into my diet by the use of fiber rich Mila Seed as well as morning fruit smoothies consisting of:

* Two scoops of Ruth’s Hemp Foods Certified Organic Hemp Protein Power with Sprouted Flax and Maca
* 1 pint blueberries
* handful strawberries
* 2 scoops plain yogurt
* half a cup Pomegranate & Acai juice
* 1 packet of frozen Acerola Cherry
* 1 fresh lemon”

-Submitted by Casandra
7. Diet for Gluten Sensitivity

“We have always eaten a high fiber diet. However, being recently diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, I am having to make some changes. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, beans, lentils and brown rice. Amaranth has become our morning meal, sprinkled with chia, sesame seeds, walnuts and some maple syrup. YUM! Quinoa vegetable soup is a new favorite. Roasted sweet potatoes with tofu and homemade teriyaki glaze sprinkled with sesame seeds is a supper favorite. Black Rice coconut pudding is a simple, tasty high fiber dessert. Experiment a little!”
-Submitted by Jamie C
8. Juice it!

“We recently bought a juicer so we can incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet. Our daughter isn’t much of a fan of spinach, but when it’s juiced with apples it’s her favorite drink.”
-Submitted by Melissa
9. Salad Ideas

“We have been grinding up flax seed and putting it on salads & cereal. We are eating more salads, a favorite of which has been spinach salad with grated raw beets & carrots with orange slices & walnuts. I’ve been sprouting wheat berries and putting them in our homemade whole grain bread.”
-Submitted by Cheryl
10. Pretty Jars

“Basically, I put pretty jars on the counter each with something healthy in them ie sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds - and try to add something from a jar to every meal. Even a small amount of seeds in a smoothie or on cereal can make a difference, pumpkin seeds on whole wheat bread w/ almond butter, a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit. By keeping the jars on the counter in easy reach (and the ‘junk food’ tucked away in a harder to reach spot) - we tend to go for what’s easier most of the time and have the ‘junk food’ rarely as a snack/treat.”
-Submitted by Susan

2 Wet Tube Socks Hanging Over My Shoulder are Sliding Out

2009-03-06T23:36:00.005-06:00

SERIOUSLY can not believe I am about to post this . But what the hell ! I need new boobs ! I have lost ALL and I am not kidding ALL the breast tissue in my boobs.
There is none left. The only thing giving me shape is the formed cup in my bra.
Lately my bra has been uncomfortable , It took me a while to figure it out.
Its because my BOOBS ARE SLIDING UNDER NEATH MY BRA and WIGGLING OUT !! WHAT THE FUCK. I know I just dropped an F bomb I dont care. But SERIOUSLY . Who's Boobs slide out from UNDER NEATH their bra ??? With out a bra , they seriously look like 2 wet tube socks over my shoulder.
I could not have my tummy tuck and be "Ok "with that , but THIS ... cant go on much longer. Its sick it really is. There is no way in hell my husband is turned on to this. When your laying in bed ( GET READY TMI ) and your husband has to PICK YOUR BOOB UP OFF THE BED TO PLAY WITH IT , THAT is an issue !!!! Im going to TRY a new bra see if that helps , but i dont think so .
See people think " OH Your a size 4/6 lost 100lbs what the hell do you have to complain about ? " Let me tell ya 2 WET TUBE SOCKS HANGING OVER MY SHOULDER SLIDING OUT ! THATS WHAT !!!

Listen up:Insurance: Before and After Lap Band Surgery

2009-03-03T17:49:00.004-06:00

This has been something I have been meaning to talk about for some time. But kept forgetting ( damn topamax ) its been an issue for me again so i'll talk about it now.
First a little back ground. When we owned our own company we needed to get private health insurance. So I called the agent, went over everything with him and he called me in his office to go over everything. Keep in mind I was still 250 pounds at the time. In the office was him, the owner of the company and some other dip shit woman.
I guess they thought they would woo me because I owned this little company and they thought they could get more business out of us. They proceed to tell me the cost of the boys insurance as well as my husbands . Ok fine , (BTW Cost of private health insurance is NOT that expensive ) Then the dip shit woman looks at me and says " We cant insure you " I said " WHAT " She said " YOUR UNINSUREABLE " I said " why cause of my migraines again " She said " You cant and wont get coverage because your too Obese!"
NOW I was FURIOUS. First off You do NOT SAY to a WOMAN in front of a room full of people " SORRY YOUR TOO FAT you cant get insurance . She should have warned me ahead of time that that MIGHT BE AN ISSUE with the insurance . Not to BLAST it out . I was HUMILIATED . Then she says " SO you want to go ahead and sign here for the boys and your husband " I said " NOPE I WILL NOT " They looked at me like i was crazy . That's when i looked at stupid woman and said " First off as a WOMAN you should have more sympathy for another woman to know you dont tell them " SORRY you cant get insurance cause your too FAT in front of other people let alone men , you should have taken me aside . Second off you all new my height and weight , you do this daily you knew damn well when i spoke to you on the phone i could have possibly gotten denied due to my weight . So a LITTLE Heads up on that would have been nice" .
That was one reason I got the surgery .

Now fast forward a few yrs to post surgery . I asked someone after getting surgery about getting insurance. They took my info ( BTW my BMI was normal at this time)
and when they called me back the agent told me . I am sorry but we cant find anyone to insure you your " Uninsureable" WTF ? For what NOW , Im normal weight, no longer Obese ? Why now ? The reason ... THE BAND.. Because I have the band , its considered a forigen object in my body NO ONE and I mean NO ONE will insure me . They wont even put a ryder on the policy that excludes anything to do with the band.

NOW I will say I have Two options . One option and not the best . But it is one is::
Most states have what's called a high risk health pool . For people who can not get insurance ANYWHERE else , were denied , the risk pool insurance will cover you . The catch . For JUST ME its nearly $600 a month . Its a pretty good policy . Like i said though its expensive .

For FYI here is a list of other states that have risk pool plans.

The second option . A group plan . IF I could ever find a job , group plans cant deny you for preexisting conditions, SO i have been told.
So once i find a job , once i get benefits i should be ok.

Why am i telling you this ? To scare the hell out of you if you dont have insurance and tell you not to get the band ? NO NOT AT ALL.
Im telling you so your aware. So you can have a plan in place.
If your someone who works in a work place that has group plans, its not an issue.
If you have private insurance and you get the surgery , to be honest im not sure what happens ? If they can drop you or not ?
I would think no ? But im not 100% sure on that.
My point , just be aware. That if you have to you might have to get on a risk pool insurance if you have other conditions that warrant long term care.

Just thought i would share !!!

Tip of the Day : 5 Healthy Foods for under $3.00

2009-03-02T22:41:00.003-06:00

http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:y_featured:145972d4ebbfe9e57123d0bcdf5c3f8b;_ylt=AucAEAgLcwn24X3sDjiupCwazJV4

Check it out !!!
Good ideas !

Mindy

Tip of the Day :9 Foods to Avoid for your kids

2009-03-01T21:41:00.003-06:00

I have to tell you Im a bit shocked at some of these.
I have been trying to get my 8 yr old to eat better. He loves things like pan cakes and waffles . So I switched those for whole wheat and such.
But this list surprised me .

1. Kid Cuisine All Star Chicken Breast Nuggets

This frozen dinner's colorful box claims that the chicken, corn and pasta inside are a good source of five vitamins and minerals. Look more closely at the nutrition label, however, and you'll see that the sodium content is nearly 200 mg more than the recommended maximum for a full mea

Click on article to find the rest of the list !

Which one are you

2009-03-01T00:00:00.004-06:00

A little some thing fun i stole off facebook ! This is going around.
Which One are you ?

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

I am "One who swears "
Or "The One with Bad Memory "

My Son ROCKS

2009-02-28T19:28:00.001-06:00

My 16 yr old had his first Varsity Track meet today .
His coach told him he could be on JV and Dominate or Be on Varisty and BE dominated !
They did not have very many kids to be on varsity . So My son said I would like to try Varsity , he's a sophomore.
SO today it was WINNNDYYY as HELL . 30 MPH winds.
My kid gets out there and takes 3rd out of about 20 kids !!!
The coach hears his name announced over the PA as taking 3rd and he goes up to my son and said " DID YOU TAKE 3rd !!! " My boy says " YEP Sure did , SO MUCH for being DOMINATED HUH Coach " The coach says " I'll be damned , Good job Boy " LOL

I thought that was cute !! He did REALLY Well. He normally throws over 130 ft. His throw that got him 3rd was 104 !

Damn wind !! Thought i would share though !

Holy Crap Wow Holy Crap Wow

2009-02-25T10:06:00.002-06:00

Last night i was working the concession stand at a basket ball torny at the high school. While i was there 2 of my sons old wrestling coaches walked in .
They had not seen me in about 4 yrs. I said" Hey do you remember me " I could tell by the look on their faces they did not " I said" Tyler's mom from wrestling"
And i could see the wheels tourning and one of them said " Oh yeah , OH YEAH OMG Your.. your ... " I said" Thinner " He said " OMG Holy crap , WOW holy crap " LOL
The other one said " OH CRAP I do remember you now wow you look amazing where is the rest of you " So we sat there and I showed them pictures of my son and ever now and then one of them would just go " WOW , CRAP " ROFLMAO it was THE FUNNIEST THING !!!!
They walked off and one said to the other " that is THE MOST AMAZING transformation"

Gotta love it !

Chest Pains ?

2009-02-24T15:34:00.001-06:00

DONT FREAK !! I am not sure if i am having anxiety attacks or what is going on . This has happened to me twice in the last month or so . Keep in mind I am under an UN GAWDLY amount of stress right now .
But I have been having some kind fo chest pains or pressure.
Both times happened when I did not get "StucK" but like it was just enough to say That's it your done eating.
Today I ate some egg noodles. Sometimes i can tolerate them sometimes i cant. So now Im having those pains again .
It hurts when I take a deep breathe sometimes.
I will go get this checked if it keeps up and when i have the money , just curious if anyone else experiences this ?

Some Good News : Mom Stuff

2009-02-23T23:06:00.003-06:00

I am going to brag a little bit here. My son found out that he was put on Varsity today for Track . He throws Discus and shot put .
Its kind of a funny story , the coach put a towel out on the field and said anyone who can throw past this towel would be able to make it on the Varsity Team.
So my son was trying and hit the towel once and could not do it . So coach said " JV for you "
So after practice he got a little pissy and said screw it and went out to the field and was throwing. He made it past the towel a few times and kept throwing and throwing past the towel. He turned around and was shocked to see the coach there. My son said " how long have you been standing there " Coach said " Long enough to see your on varsity what size shoes do you need " LOL
So he's happy ! He's only a sophomore !

Maybe I still need a fill ?

2009-02-17T00:05:00.002-06:00

Maybe I still need to get a slight tweek ?
I went to Houston this weekend to visit DH and we had a great visit.
He's been driving back and forth so much lately I decided to give him a break since it was his bday weekend and all.
But my hunger at night is really bothering me . Most of it is probably because i stay up later than I should.
But during the day I do pretty good. But at night i want to eat and eat and eat.
Im Sure im due for a fill soon , gotta be ?
But we'll see how it goes over the next week or so ?
See how my weight goes.

Was this bitchy ?

2009-02-12T23:53:00.003-06:00

Ok so my friend ... we have been friends since high school , i'll call her Casey.
Casey is seperated from her husband , i believe he's physically abusive to her at the very least he is verbally abusive to her. So she kicked his cheating a$$ out for now .
But for the last 10 yrs she's had not life. He has been her life. I have never even met anyone before who ALWAYS has something wrong with her. Shes in her mid 30s like myself and you will call and EVERY TIME you say " how are you " her response" Oh im so tired, i had to feed the dogs ( she has no kids ) cook dinner i worked all day , im constipated (I SHIT YOU NOT she tells me this ) blah blah " There is ALWAYS something wrong with her or she's ALWAYS tired. NOW Me looking on the outside i see 50% of this is probably depression . This has gone on for 10 yrs , in the last probably yr or so its REALLY gotten to me , I mean when the WHINNING Is NON Fing STOP about what's wrong EVERY FREAKING Time you talk to someone come on !!
But I love her dearly . I have not said anything about it UNTIL TODAY !!
She called me 10 mintues before the party was to start , i did not answer the phone , i actually did not hear it . But my mom asked me is "Casey" coming and I said she is suppose to when it was obsvious she was not her and my friend said " Wonder what is wrong with her this time " SO she sends me an email stating she tried to call ( 10 mintues before she was due to be there ) and that she was so sick she just could not make it .
Im honestly wondering what the deal is ? Depression ? Attention ? Both ?
She has seen a doctor ( she's a RN by the way ) and her doc told her to go see a SHRINK !!!
So here is the email i sent her today ... Tell me if this was bitchy ? I was not in the best frame of mind when i sent it but i think it was time i told her to start LIVING !! The email :

Im at my mom's cleaning ( I hate that ) so im checking my email.
Things are rough right now for me and I am not in a very good frame of mind.
Im extremely depressed right now . I volunteered myself to be the track coordinator for the high school and to help organize the wiener dog race booth just so i have something to do . I cant find a job to save my life !
I have emailed Tonya twice about that one and she has not emailed me back so i guess that's a no or they have found someone else or something ?
As for Colton's party , I understand you were probably sick , and I love you dearly , and I hope you take this for what it is , which is me trying to help you . But you have been sick for the last 10 yrs . I dont mean that in a mean way , i mean that in a way that there always seems to be something wrong that prevents you from "living" . When other people who dont know you as well as i do comment on it you know its an issue. I was waiting for more people to come to the party and my mom asked who else is coming I said " Casey said she would try to come " Theresa and my mom at the same time both said " She wont something will be wrong with her "
If anyone understands about migraines not feeling well , ect its me . But I think you have allowed XXXX to depress you and hold you back for so long you can honestly no longer "function"
You function in the way you go to work , you do that stuff but your "LIFE" is your house and your mom and that's it. You do not do anything w/ your friends, you dont go anywhere , you dont do anything but that . And again im not saying this to be mean , i am saying this because i love you and honestly I have felt this way for several yrs now .
I am probably not one to talk right now about this , But I was a little upset you didnt come to C's party . As I was Misty did not come . she had an excuse about having to get ready for her MIL coming. BUt she does not do well w/ C's parties anyway .
You and i have grown a part since you have been married, and probably since i have been married.
And i dont like that. But I want it to change. I hope your not mad at me for saying this to you . But I want you to be happy , and i dont think you are . Even with XXX gone your still sitting around waiting it seems.
Stop putting your life on hold and live it again !!!!
I love you . Call my cell if you dont hate me later tonight. !
Mindy

So that was it ? was that a bitchy email ??
Input my peeps ?

The 411 and all that Jazz since I have been gone !

2009-02-12T23:16:00.002-06:00

Ok so I am back in cyber space thank GAWD ! Trying to check my emails from my razor NOT Fun ! Those were the times i wish i had not traded in my black berry and wished my SON was not the one with the iPhone !

So here is what's going on .... The birthday sleep over/party . Party went well.
Had about 6 boys here which was a good number. Just my parents and 1 good friend and my son's girlfriend and her mom was here ( Her mom and i have become friends HA gotta love that ). I'll tell more on a friend who did not come to the party later .
So the "party" ends and the sleep over begins , a couple boys left and there were 4 kids that were spending the night.
Okkkkk. I dont drink , but A NICE STIFF drink was in order. I have NEVER in my life wanted to beat someone else's child in my life the way I wanted to one that was here. And to make it even lovelier it was my neighbor's kid !
The other 2 boys are great, nice polite kids , just great kids. The 3 of the boys would have been WONDERFUL ! But this one kid is one of those who is RIGHT ALL THE TIME, KNOW"S EVERYTHING and is just SO GOOD AT EVERYTHING BETTER THAN YOU ARE !
They could not do Any Thing with out him starting an argument . His parents were at a funtion otherwise i would have sent his ass home . He was bullying the other children , taking things from them , throwing them up in the tree's. i got these glow sticks so the kids could play in the back yard and run around w/ them and have fun at night. He kept taking them and throwing them in the tree's.
Now this kids parents is one of those " my kids SO freaking smart kids " and I Know 50% of how he acts is thanks to them.
He's in the gifted and talented program at school, she said something to me the other night a bout him spending 3 HOURS doing home work. (He's in 3rd grade !!! ) i told her " ya know if he's spending 3 hours doing home work something is very wrong , district guidelines state they should only spend 10 minutes per grade level , i think maybe you should speak to someone about that, maybe his work is too hard " She right off" OH NO He's in GT its not too hard he's just lazy " I told her " WELL I thought that about my son too and found out he was dyslexic ! My point, no child needs to sit and TRY To do homework for 3 hours period a note would be sent to the teacher saying " SORRY NOT happening " She did not listen to me . SO anyway to my point. She comes to pick him up from the party the next am and says " SO was he good"
Humm how do I answer that ? I just said " OH YEAH Besides waking everyone else up in the house at 530 AM he was fine " DH got mad at me and said " YOU should have told her her son is a BULLY , argues with you , is disrespectful and cant play with other children " I said WELL that did not come to my mind at that moment. So I am not sure if i should say anything now or not ?

So that's that. NOW I have been trying really hard to get out of my depression I am in . Its all related to money , or the lack of it . I still cant find a job . But it is what it is. We'll make it one way or another im sure.
So I got an email from one of the booster club mom's at my son's high school. It said they needed a new Track Coordinator and someone to help with a festival coming up. Because of my weight over the yrs my son's freshman yr i did NOTHING to get involved w/ the sports program or the other moms to help do stuff.
So before football season i decided i was not going to sit back and be a spectator parent this yr. SO I went to the booster club meeting and volunteered to be the new Track and Field Coordinator . And to help with the Annual Wiener Dog Race Booth.
That is right the wiener dog race booth ! LOL
So im hoping that will help keep me busy , give me something to do and motivate me to get out of my funk .

On to my weight loss . My band got SO damn tight, i had to go off my wellbutrin for a week or so and i think that had a lot to do with it . If i had the money to go in back then I would have probably gone in for a slight unfill.
BUT Im glad i did not now. It has loosened up a bit and now its a pretty darn good fill. I dont think i know anyone else who can go since 11/06 was my last fill then got a slight unfill a month later and NOW still not need a fill because my band has seemingly filled itself LOL or that's what it feels like LOL
My band is something else that's for sure.
So im down about 136-137 now . So that's a good 3-5 pd weight loss. So Im happy with that.

I think that's about it i wont bore you with any more .
Thanks for listening !!! I have missed ya'll ~

Howdeeeee

2009-02-12T15:18:00.002-06:00

Im back !!! My internet is fixed !! Yippie !!!!
Will catch up as soon as I can with everyone !

Still No Damn Internet

2009-02-12T13:29:00.002-06:00

Hey ya'll, still no damn internet and its a pain in the butt to try to blogg from my phone !
So Im not ignoring my messages or comments !!
I am still losing weight on the up side ! So that's good .
Anyway , while i was at my mom's just wanted to let ya'll know im still around !
Hopefully be back online next week !

Love
Mindy
PS No news from the plastic surgeons office on the job ! or any other for that matter.
MISS YA"LL!

Ughh NO Internet

2009-02-09T13:18:00.001-06:00

I do not have internet at my house right now . So I will be away for a day or so , im at my parents house now. So i'll pop in when I can .

Mindy

Cleavage for FREE ? Cross your fingers

2009-02-08T22:07:00.001-06:00

Its just a resume sent in but CROSS YOUR FINGERS I GET THIS JOB !
I have been WAITING For a job at a plastic surgeons office to come open !
And i saw one today on craigs list . SO LADIES And If there are any gents. CROSS YOUR DAMN FINGERS I GET THIS ONE !!! It would mean PLASTICS AT A VERY LOW PRICE FOR ME IF I GET IT !!! Its quite a ways away from me but I DONT GIVE A SHIT ! I WANT IT ! SO cross your fingers !!!

Juicy Couture Cup Cake Earring Give Away at Zen Cup Cake

2009-02-06T13:35:00.001-06:00

Check out Zen Cup Cake for the Juicy Couture Cup Cake Earring give away .
http://www.zencupcake.com/2009/02/win-juicy-couture-cupcake-earrings-at.html

Very Cute !
I never ever win anything but i love these blog give aways !

Mom Stuff , Are you picking on MY Kid ?

2009-02-05T23:23:00.002-06:00

So my little one comes home yesterday ( he's 8 as of yesterday ) and tells me there is this kid at school who has been picking on him. Now let me give you a little back ground about my 2 boys.
My oldest is the jock, he was in 2 fights in Elementary and 1 in middle school . Both times he was defending someone else . Once a boy was smacking a girl on top of the head and my boy said " Hey stop " the other kid said " what are YOU going to do about it " MY Son said" Do it again and I'll lay your a$$ out ( he was 9 at the time LOL) the kid did it again and my kid laid his ass out " LOL
The other 2 times someone was picking on a handicapped child and my son , well took care of it.
In any case all 3 cases he did NOT get into trouble I made sure of it.
My youngest son is the "Brain" of the bunch , hell he's probably smarter than I am . He's going into the 3rd grade next yr and reads at a 6th grade level. He's just now getting into sports , but he has a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve.

So back to today now. Over the last few weeks C has come home and said someone has been picking on him. First it was name calling "your not nice, your not my friend" then it was sand was being thrown at him" . So I did the "usual" tell him to ignore the kid , tell the teacher ect.
Its not helping, the kids still picking on him . SO yesterday I took Subway up to C's school for his birthday , he shows me the kid who's been picking on him , he's actually sitting across from me. So as im watching this kid , he proceeds to put his hand around a kids neck TWICE . I had to tell him to stop. He's VERY agressive and very "hyper" just obnoxious !
So today C comes home and tells me he's pushing him and shoving him and telling him " OH its just a game dumbing you better not tell" SO I have had it . C has told the teachers now he feels like nothing is being done about it .

This is the email I sent before i found out about today :
Mrs. XXX , C has been coming home the last few days complaining that a child named Bully has been picking on him , pushing him down , kicking him, and bullying him during recess .
He said this has been going on for quite some time and he does not feel like anything is being done about it.
I was wondering if you knew what was going on ?
Thank you --

I got this response : also his teacher is pretty nice but a little on the "meager side " if that makes sense ?

I know that at the end of the day C was in tears because another child told him he was the "worst friend ever." My student teacher (who has been picking the class up from lunch) told me that over the past few days C has been saying the same child has told him the same kinds of things.
From my understanding, it's mostly happening at lunch recess, which unfortunately I don't supervise. Because I was made aware of everything at the end of the day, I didn't get a chance to speak to C or the other child at length. I plan to do so tomorrow. I will tell C this, but you can
also pass on to him that we will put a plan in place where all he needs to do is let myself or my student teacher know what is happening and action will be taken. My student teacher told me that today C was telling her the other child was pushing him, but the other child was saying "Shh, shh,
it's just a game." So I definitely don't want C to think he can't come to us.

I'll keep you posted.

Here is my response back :

I was sitting next to this child yesterday at lunch and he's very aggressive with other children from what i saw , I could see that from just being around him for an hour, my husband did too, I had to tell him twice to get his hands off the another child's neck at the lunch table. C has had issues with him for quite some time from what he's said and he feels like nothing has been being done about it.
I think he's just had things built up inside for a while and that's why he feels like nothing is being done . I dont want you to think I think you are not doing anything but,
C has said he's been pushing him , throwing sand on him and calling him names, basically bulling him for quite some time now.
I will pass on what you have told me to him and I will make sure he know's to let you know as soon as something happens. I do not want Colton to feel stressed at school and he's been worried abotu going lately .
C admittedly can be a little emotional sometimes , wears his heart on his sleeve, but after seeing how this child acted yesterday I dont think its approrpiate and think C's feelings are warranted .
I hope you do not think im over reacting,
I just want to make sure C is safe and feels safe at school .
I told C to do his best to just stay away from the person picking on him and if he does to come straight to ya'll. Please let me know how things go
Thanks for your help
Mindy

OK im a little agitated at her response for a few reasons. and tell me if this is just me over reacting.
1. I feel her response to she's not out on the play ground is like " OH well sorry Im not out there oh well " ( which those teachers do not watch those kids at play time they sit and talk to each other, i have seen them !
2. Second this is HER Class if one of HER kids in HER class is being Bullied SHE needs to take the time to supervise HER kids and make sure its not going on .

we have always taught our kids , you NEVER Through the first punch but if you get hit you BETTER Hit back . SO as a last resort tonight I told C , if that kid pushes you tomorrow you go tell the teacher, if he does it AGAIN you had BETTER Push him back !!!
I Will NOT TOLERATE my son becoming a "victim" because a teacher is sitting on her ass and wont take care of a pain in the ass bully !!!
I'll teach my son to kick his ass before that happen ! Others might have the take on this but I dont really care ! NO Kid deserves to be afraid to go to school and its these damn teachers being too freaking lazy to take care or call these others kids parents now a days that get kids like mine HURT. So we'll see what happens. But i'll be damned if MY Kid will get in trouble for defending himself !

Any thoughts !!! Im a making too much of this ?? ?

No Habla SPANISH DAMN IT !

2009-02-04T23:24:00.003-06:00

Ok I dont normally bitch and moan about "non " weight loss issues on here . But this has my ass so chapped ( That's a Texas saying by the way ) that I have got to say this.
Ok so its not secret DH and I are struggling financially . I have been trying to find a job to help out with that for a few months now . I cant find one .
I have over 10 yrs of health care experience as a CA , I am not a CNA Certified Nurses Assistant I am a Clinical Assistant. HOWEVER I have 10 YEARS experience and have more experience and clinical hands on experience than most CNA's dream of. That's not being cocky that's just fact. I use to work with an AWESOME bunch of nurses who taught me everything !
So anyway . Im looking for jobs. I find one sounds GREAT , Perfect, everything looks great WHAM... " MUST SPEAK SPANISH " NOT prefer for you to speak Spanish" MUST ! WTF
(NOW dont write me and tell me im racist or some shit like that ) Do I live in the US ? Last i checked I spoke English and if you did not understand we would TRY TO accomadate you .
NOT ONLY THAT I live in TEXAS where MOST people speak Spanish Anyway , So chances ARE SOMEONE somewhere around WILL Speak spanish anyway but to REQUIRE it for a position is PURE DO HORSE SHIT !!!!

IM FURIOUS !!! SO I NOW cant get a job cause im a ENGLISH SPEAKING WHITE GIRL ?
WTF ? Im not saying its anyone BUT The people who are writing these jobs out . What are they THINKING !!!
AGAIN Im not racist, SO if you think i am and write to me about it DONT Cause i'll tell you this right now SCREW OFF !! LOL Seriously What is this about ???? I am in Just that kind of mood. And NO MY hAPPY pills have not kicked in !!

Busy , busy , busy

2009-02-03T23:09:00.003-06:00

I wont be around much i dont think the next few days. Lots going on and I have not times !!!
Tomorrow my little boy will be 8 ! So tonight , lord help me I made 24 cup cakes AND a cake .
Thursday is DH and I's 9th wedding anniversary , yes that's right I was IN The hospital on our one yr anniversary . LOL We did not wait long for the baby !!
The 13th is DH's birthday and then the 14th is that stupid heart holiday !
So between birthday parties at school, home and all that goes I dont have much time.
OH Yeah my disaster of a house needs clean !!
SO If im slacking sorry i'll see ya when i see ya ! OH WAIT one more thing, im down 3lbs and IM BACK ON MY MEDS !!!! SO maybe when im back i'll be HAPPY MINDY !!!!

YOU ate that ?

2009-02-02T14:13:00.002-06:00

OK so i bought these a long time ago and though maybe i will try them some day . They look GOOD on the package. My band is REALLY tight right now . Between stress , not being on my wellbutrin and the cold weather its not a good combo. I frankly am tired of not eating solids. ( I am not sure if you would call this a solid though LOL)
BUT I needed some protein in . Im giving my band another week if it does not losen up im going to go get a slight unfill , but i think it will, im getting back on my meds today !!
So What is it ? Meatless RIBS !! That's right , Meat less RIBS !!
But ya know what ? As NASTY as they look , they are pretty darn good .
The BBQ Sauce is EXCELLENT and I know i live in Texas Damn it !!!
Seriously ,,, 18 grams of protein you cant beat that .
So drum roll on what they look like for REAL !!! ( And Dont make me slap ya'll , that IS MY Spider man fork !!! )

Tip of The Day : Worlds Healthiest Foods

2009-02-02T10:17:00.001-06:00

I stumbled across this site on someone Else's blog. I admit I have not looked through the entire site yet, But I plan on it. I found this list helpful though .
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Hope you enjoy it !

Weight In Day and Time for New Goals

2009-02-02T07:05:00.002-06:00

Its a new month time for new goals ! Go over to the weight loss Weight in Blog and post your new goals for February ! I did not meet mine !
But I at least did not gain TOO Much I guess ?
So dont forget to comment or email me your goals.
If you are not a follower do not forget to become a follower if you want to "Join" the blog

http://mindyntexas-wlsweeklyweightins.blogspot.com/

Tip of the Day: Healthy Super Bowl Party Recipes

2009-02-01T12:05:00.002-06:00

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOOTTTBALL!!!!
Here are some healthy super bowl party recipes. Ok I should have posted them a day or 2 ago but you have pleanty of time to run out to the store ! SO hut, hut, hike ...... (Click on link for more recipes )

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/super_bowl_1.html

Healthy Super Bowl Recipes and Menus

Featured Recipes: Southwestern Layered Bean Dip, Swirled Cheesecake Brownies, Chile Con Queso, Boneless Buffalo Wings

25 Super Bowl recipes to make your game-day party delicious and healthier.

We all know that Super Bowl Sunday is not just about the game—it’s about the food. But pass on the store-bought snacks and take-out food —they’re loaded with fat and sodium.Try our easy Super Bowl recipes for healthier homemade chips and dips, like Chile Con Queso and Chile-Lime Tortilla Chips, which pack less than half the calories and fat of traditional versions of Super Bowl favorites. Or try our healthier Boneless Buffalo Wings, chili recipes and desserts so you can still enjoy all your favorite Super Bowl party recipes. Regardless of who wins the game, you’ll score points among your fellow fans with these healthy Super Bowl recipes.

Tip of the Day: Protein Pudding YUMMY

2009-01-30T12:57:00.001-06:00

THIS IS AWESOME and filling You will LOVE LOVE THIS ~This makes a GREAT Snack, if you are like me and do not like the taste of protein powder, you will totally love this i promise.
This is my friend Vicks Recipe and its to die for . I suggest putting this in little 1 cup servings .
So you can just grab one serving at a time. I top mine with a dap of FF Cool Whip its yummy ! ENJOY !!!

Protein Pudding
1 small box s/f pudding (chocolate or vanilla)
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 scoops protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
3/4 cup lite sugar free Cool Whip

Mix together and stir until starts to thicken.
5--1/2 cup servings
100 calories
20 grams of protein

New Thing: Tip of the Day

2009-01-29T21:27:00.003-06:00

So im going to try to do a Tip of the day . Something related to weight loss , life, ect.
I always find interesting things that I think others can relate to . So I will start sharing them and make them my tip of the day .

Todays Tip of the day I found on a new Blog Called Sugar Savvy. Amazing Blog, has all kinds of interesting Tips .
Tip of the day : ( Ok its actually 10 )
1o Tips for Saving Money on Groceries
http://www.savvysugar.com/2728452

Check this Out

2009-01-29T14:55:00.005-06:00

Thanks April Showers for showing this to me .
She found this at Wordle.net.
These are the words that are most used in my blog !! GO FIGURE Protein !!! To funny !
thanks April .

For Shaggs and Other Newbies : Your most Valuable Tip

2009-01-28T22:39:00.001-06:00

Shaggs is on Day 3 of pre op optifast.
So I thought for her and any other newbies reading this we could give her each a tip or 2 for either post op or pre op that helped get us through ...
So either email them to me or post them on comments ..

Here are mine :
1. THE best advice I can give to ANYONE newbie or not is to follow your doctors orders to a T .
2. If you have any questions, concerns ect call your doc that's what your paying them for .
3. Protein is the key pre op and post op for hunger to ward it off. Eat plenty of protein and you wont get too hungry !

Everyone else please give a tip or 2 !!!

Want to know the nutritional l info on your favorite dish or restrurant ?

2009-01-28T10:15:00.002-06:00

Do you want to know the nutritional info on your favorite dish, resturant or drink ?
Email me your request, i'll look it up for you and post it on my blog.
I think some things you might be surprised about . Those "Salads" and healhty alternatives are not so healthy sometimes.

So ask away !

More Nutrional Info on Food to Go

2009-01-28T09:45:00.002-06:00

For Wanting to be thin
Macaroni Grill Chicken Scalappine

Calories 1010
Fat 64 g
Saturated Fat 28g
Sodium 2650mg ( HOLY COW)
Carbs 65g
Protein 35 g

Here is Chipolte's
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/search2.php?searchpro=chipotle&search_type=foods&grp_id=&manu=&s_order=&spell=1

Here is Pick up Stix
http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/pick-up-stix

El Pollo Loco
http://caloriecount.about.com/el-pollo-loco-nutrition-m172
Mindy

Options for eating on the run

2009-01-28T08:45:00.001-06:00

Finding some good articles on Spark People today :
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=you_can_eat_fast_food

Food on the Run: Wendy's and McDonald's

By: Tanya Jolliffe : 1/19/2009 5:45:13 AM : 160 comments

Sometimes you have to eat on the run.
Sometimes you just want to eat away from home.
What can you eat while maintaining a healthy diet?

Here are two of the most famous fast food restaurant chains and the healthy options you can find when you have to eat away from home.

Most of these options are below 250 calories and 10 grams of fat and can be included in a health diet once in a while.

Wendy's

Jr. Hamburger
Calories - 220
Fat- 8 grams
Protein - 13 grams

Mandarin Chicken Salad (skip the almond, noodles and substitute the dressing)
Calories - 180
Fat - 2 grams
Protein - 24 grams

Chicken Caesar Salad (skip the croutons and substitute the dressing)
Calories - 180
Fat - 4 grams
Protein - 28 grams

Side Salad
Calories - 35
Fat - 0 grams
Protein - 1 gram

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Calories - 90
Fat- 6 grams
Protein - 0 grams

Fat Free French Dressing
Calories - 70
Fat - 0 grams
Protein - 0 grams

Small Chili
Calories - 190
Fat - 6 grams
Protein - 14 grams

Strawberry Yogurt Squeezerz
Calories - 70
Fat - .5 grams
Protein - 2 grams

Mandarin Orange Cup
Calories - 80
Fat - 0 grams
Protein - 1 gram

Low Fat Milk
Calories - 100 (white) 170 (chocolate)
Fat - 2.5 grams
Protein - 8 grams

McDonald's

Hamburger
Calories - 250
Fat - 9 grams
Protein - 12 grams

Grilled Snack Wraps
Calories - 260 (Chipotle BBQ or Honey Mustard) or 270 (Ranch)
Fat - 9 grams
Protein - 18 grams

Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
Calories - 220
Fat - 6 grams
Protein - 30 grams

Side Salad
Calories - 20
Fat - 0 grams
Protein - 1 gram

Snack Size Fruit & Walnut Salad
Calories - 210
Fat - 8 grams
Protein - 4 grams

Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette
Calories - 40
Fat - 3 grams
Protein - 0 grams

Newman's Own Low Fat Family Recipe Italian Dressing
Calories - 60
Fat - 2.5
Protein - 1 gram

Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
Calories - 90
Fat - 2.5 grams
Protein - 1 gram

Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait
Calories - 160 (130 without granola)
Fat - 2 grams
Protein - 4 grams

Apple Dippers
Calories - 35 (additional 70 with caramel dip)
Fat - 0 grams (.5 with caramel dip)
Protein - 0 grams

Low Fat Milk
Calories - 100 (white) / 170 (chocolate)
Fat - 2.5 grams (white) / 3 (chocolate)
Protein - 8 grams

Now that you have all these options, the fun is putting together a meal that best meets your nutrient needs. Here are two meals that I would put together.

Wendy's Jr. Hamburger
Side Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Mandarin Oranges
Water
Total = 445 calories; 14 grams fat; 15 grams protein

McDonald's Snack Size Fruit & Walnut Salad
Side Salad with Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette
White Milk
Total = 370 calories; 13.5 grams fat; 13 grams protein

I will share other restaurant and meal ideas in the future. Let me know if you have a specific chain you would like to learn more about.

Share your meal combination ideas. Will you keep any of these ideas in mind next time you find yourself needing to eat out?

You will earn 3 SparkPoints