Waning Woman

Go Girl at home personal training review for Bariatric Foodie

2018-01-12T16:35:00.001-06:00

If you are looking for at home, personal training, both group and 1 on 1, check this out!

https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/product-review-gogirl-resolve-online-fitness-program/

Go Girl Fitness Review for Bariatric Foodie

2018-01-12T07:09:00.001-06:00

Check out this cool review. If your looking for at home personal training, both group and 1 on 1,

https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/product-review-gogirl-resolve-online-fitness-program/

Ramadan After Weight Loss Surgery

2016-06-13T12:02:00.000-05:00

I'm revisiting this topic again this tear because I've received a lot of questions about my fasting for Ramadan this year.

Just me

First off, I am not Muslim, but as a spiritual person I respect Muhammad as a true prophet of God. The way that I see it, it is exactly the same as a non-Catholic giving p something for Lent.
In every major religion, fasting is a required tenet. It is a time to refocus your mind and reset your body. For these reasons, I choose to fast and I have been fasting for Ramadan since well before my gastric sleeve surgery in 2010. However because I am a weight loss surgery post op, I choose to make modification and accommodations in order for me to be healthy during the month long fast.

Did I already tell you that I was a VSGer? I sure I mentioned that fact at least a couple of times. I'm already starting with a much smaller stomach capacity, so take that fact and couple it with the super stomach shrinking power of Ramadan fasting, and by the end of the first week and can get in more than a small bit of food. I'm able to eat I can have a cup of soup and be full for what seems like hours. There is just NO room for food and water at iftar, the meal eaten after sunset. Because of this fact, I allow myself liquids during the day.
I make this accommodation because the goal of Ramadan is not to end up in the hospital needing an IV.

I ate one enchilada. That's the equivalent of a corn tortilla with a sprinkle of cheese inside.

This year is the longest and hardest Ramadan fast because it occurs over summer solstice. If I can't eat until the sun takes a nap, that makes for extremely long, extremely trying days. Sundown today is at 8:36pm. Starting dinner at that time is not an option for somebody with acid reflux. This year, I've made an additional modification and I elect to end my fast at 7:00. By doing so, I allow myself at least a two hour window before bed and I minimize the risk of waking up gagging and choking when my food comes back up from because I ate too close to bed time.
I make this accommodation because the goal of Ramadan is not to end up in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia.

Take what I do as just a guide. I allow myself these modifications because I beleive that my intentions are true and my heart is in the right place. Having liquids doesn't mean that I get to have a milkshake or imbibe mimosas. My goal is to stay true to the spirit of Ramadan, patience, understanding, empathy, and compassion while honoring the unique needs of my own body.

PHA Summit and Health Advocacy

2016-05-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

So I've stepped from behind the keyboard and I am front and center stage. A national stage no less.

Dr. Scott Kahan, Patty Nece, Me, and ted Kyle

I was invited to the Partnership for a Healthier America summit to speak on the opening panel about my personal experience with obesity.

I spoke on the same stage as the Surgeon General and Michelle Obama.

Just like the Jefferson's, I'm moving on up.

The experience was so incredibly profound that I'm actually still trying to process it almost a full week later. I told my story and in return many more people opened their hearts and shared their own. It sounds like a line, but I left with my vessel overflowing and I'm ready for it to spill over and water the seeds that we are beginning to sow.
To Patty Nece, Dr.Scott Kahan, Ted Kyle, and every single person there at that summit, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

6 year surgiversary

2016-02-19T09:22:00.001-06:00

So, on my surgiversary I'm out shopping for jeans, and 6 years later, I can squeeze these Tyrannosaurus Rex legs into a 12. Life ain't bad.

I don't have any grand proclamations or sweeping sentimental statements. Life is life.

Surgery doesn't guarantee love, happiness, riches or wealth.

But navigating life 150 lbs down is much much easier.

Not worrying about fitting into places...not worrying about getting winded just walking the store...not worrying about a seat belt fitting.....I can live with those Nots.

Right now, the only thing I'm worried about is buying one pair of jeans or two as I walk around Target with my favorite guy in the world.

Happy Surgiversary to me.

My article on Obesity Help.

2016-01-21T07:23:00.001-06:00

Just a little fyi letting you know to hop on over to ObesityHelp.com and check out my article here.

Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter and FB.

Guess who's back back back

2016-01-06T15:11:00.002-06:00

*in my Eminem voice

I was slipping last year. My blog game got totally pushed to the side so that I could handle real life shit. I had to pull out my big girl draws and everythang. Family, relationships, jobs being handed to me and then snatched away....yeah, it was one of those years that defines your life.

If you've been with me at all before, in typical Waning Woman style, I don't wax poetic about the dramatic changes in my life.

I will tell you........My son is great, I have a fantastic full time job at which I perform at level WIZARD, I have a car, a house, I'm keeping of most of my weight, and I still have most of the friends that I had last time you heard from me. All in all, I'm not doing tooooo shabby. I'm definitively better off than *****************SPOILER ALERT******************Han Solo.

Just dipping my feet back into the water to let you know I've been working on some full fat recipes for all you those of you winning at life, some lower fat recipes for you just skating by, and a vegan recipe or two for you sad, sad, souls. I kid! I kid! You know I love everybody and all of the different foods.
I'm teaming up with ObesityHelp.com ( damn, that's a blast from the past. I practically lived on that site in 2010) to bring you some new content. So keep your ears opened and your eyes peeled. I opened up with a little Marshall. Let me close up with a little Morgan.

the-not-so-secret secrets of my success

2014-10-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

I received an email that said this the other day...

"Dear Ms. Waning Woman,
While searching for the most wonderfullest, educatedest, best lookingest bloggers on the World Wide Web, we found you! We would like for you to write a blog post about the ancient Chinese secrets that give you unlimited awesomeness. We'll pay you in cupcakes and glitter heels."

Sincerely,
Andrea at Oscar Insurance"

OK, so it didn't happen quiiiite like that, but you know me and my fits of fancy (cue Iggy Azalea song right here). It was more along the lines of, " We're reaching out to a few bloggers and we want to see the ways that they stay healthy." Since I'm almost 5 years post op and still making Sleevie Wonder work for me, I figured that this would be a great time to blog about how I'm doing in maintenance.

Look at me with Michelle of The World According to Eggface.

I'm doing great! I'm not gonna mince words or play it down. No modesty here for, ya girl. I'm rocking this maintenance thing like a sold out Aerosmith concert.

I'm pretty loose with the rules, and in fact, I don't like following any rules at all. I thought that I didn't have any hard and fast rules, but after sitting up and thinking about it, I actually do. These things work for me, so your mileage may vary.

1. One thing I hardly ever do, almost never, is drink my calories.
When I do have a soda, it's Coke Zero, Topo Chico, or other no-cal/low-cal drink. I'm actually getting away from artificial sweeteners so I'm very partial to LaCroix, Topo Chico, or other sparkling waters.

I enjoy having a grown folks drink as much as the next person, but you'll never see me chugging down a sugar laden mixed drink. My go to is vodka and club soda with a twist of lime or a dirty martini. Very low carb and low cal as far as libations go.

2. I'm low carb 85% of the time.
For lunch, I'll usually pack my Thermos with protein, have a few grape tomatoes on the side and that will be it. On the days that I don't pack my lunch, I'll hit up the Mexican grocery store and get carne guisda or something sufficiently delicious and meat only. Full fat errhthang is the only thing that works for me.
On weekends I'm more liberal and those are the days that I'll have something delicious like homemade risotto or cupcakes. Mmmm. Hurry up and get here, Saturday!

3. I have breakfast everyday.
This is one I actually thought I didn't do because I don't eat my breakfast, I drink my breakfast. I'll whip up a shake with cashew milk, protein powder and drink it on my way work. On the 3-snooze-button-wash-my-underarms-over-the-sink-mornings, I keep ready to drink shakes on hand so that I always have something.

4. I'm a food snob.
If something doesn't make me happy, I don't eat it. I learned the hard way that doing that means you'll just eat and eat and eat because you're trying to satiate that craving. I skip all of that, and just get what I want. In a society where women are often conditioned to just go with the flow and make people happy, it's not always easy to tell the waitress, " I'm not eating this because I don't like it." You can come off as stuck up, selfish, all kinds of negatives. But you know what? I don't compromise on this anymore because I have to live with me and my body. So because I know what I like and what makes me happy, I eat that. I don't eat to live, I live to eat. I love full fat cheeses, roasted veggies, marbled steaks, good olive oil, crusty breads, olives and I don't apologize.

This isn't everything, but these few things are a big part of the reason that I'm a success. Until I started penning this post, I didn't actually realize that I have my "things". Hmph. Now you can have them too, if you promise to holler "Waning Woman.com" every single time somebody tells you that you look good. Also, if you're in the markers for health insurance in the New York, New Jersey area, check out Oscar, "The New Kid That May Change Health Insurance," according to Forbes magazine.
Remember to like that FB fan page!

Who keeps you healthy?

2014-03-28T09:25:00.001-05:00

About a week ago I received an invitation from the American Recall Center to participate in their

"Who Keeps You Healthy?"

campaign.

Without a doubt, it is the friends that I have made, those on a parallel path towards finding their own healthy, that have kept me in check. Big puffy heart!

The people in my support group, After the Cut, are the true definition of support. I could call any one of them, one any given day, at any given time and they would be right there to lend an ear, a shoulder, a couple of dollars, or even a crowbar and bat!

Sisterhood of the pedicure! Which one am I?

We just came back from a weekend in Austin and I love those women even more now than I did when we went. We went to a fashion show with Dawn Brooks, karaoked it up Dawn Brooks and Zsalynn Whitworth, and had a private yoga session at the house of THE Abby Lentz. I came back to Dallas on Sunday feeling like Stella, groove back and intact minus the man part. My spirit was renewed just with the power of sisterhood.

The beautiful Abby Lentz and the wonderful breakfast spread she prepared for us!

Shana and Kaitlin lookin purdy!

So thank you Shana, Shawna, Michelle, Michele, Kaitlin, Saundra, Sharon, Patty, Pandora, Michael, Carlos Jeteral, Amelia, Shawn, Fee, Tammy, Brian. You have all been a part of this success in one way or another.
I big puffy heart with glitter and sprinkles love you guys.

Losing 10

2014-02-28T11:24:00.000-06:00

So, I guess I took a hiatus from blogging cause I figured that you just might not be interested in what maintenance is. It's trying to stay the same weight, going up a few pounds, trying to lose those few pounds, sometimes losing those few pounds, wash, rinse, repeat.
Maintenance, doesn't make the best blog material.

I remember at one point, I was going to tell you all about my fantastic burst of gymthusiasm and how I was hitting the weights like I was a pimp and them bitches owed me money.......
But then I got a full time job.

And then I was going to blog about the job and how happy I was to be doing what I was doing....
But then they hired somebody else to do what I was doing and I found out with the "We appreciate everything you do" email.

And you guys have been with me long enough to know that when shit is going sour, I don't really like to talk about it. Remember the Thing of Which I Will Not Speak? I don't know, not that everybody who does it it seeking attention, I just don't like being the center of attention in that way.

I like being the center of attention is this dress though!!! #nospanx

So here we are and I actually think I have some stuff to talk about.

TEN POUNDS

I was afraid to say that I need to lose ten pounds. First of all, I've been told I'm crazy for wanting to lose. Secondly, why can't I accept myself ten pounds heavier? Is something wrong with me? It's easy to preach self love, but when ten pounds rears its ugly head.....

I'm not the woman who needs to lose ten more ALL THE TIME. I want to lose to get back into the zone in which I feel most comfortable in my body. As of today though I only have 5 pounds to go. I've truly committed to a high protein, low carb way of eating.
I passed up cake. I don't need to say anything more.

Well, I'm just letting you know, that we will be seeing a little bit more of me. What would you like me blog about? Food choices, exercise routine, product reviews, what the hell is going on in my life, progress photos? Let me know.

I'm out like Jheri curls and bobby socks.

4 years after the sleeve

2014-02-20T13:24:00.002-06:00

Damn, how in the hell did I miss my surgiversary yesterday?!?! I looked up at the calendar today and was completely aghast that I could forget such a big event in my life.

I guess that's because life just....is.
My stomach is no longer Sleevie Wonder because it is not a separate thing from me. It finally feels like it is part of me.
Now that I'm not actively losing weight and fighting these 10 lbs of regain like every red blooded woman on the planet, I don't feel extraordinarily special. Nothing to see here folks!

The shine has worn off, the glitter is in an ever fading trail behind me. It's not exciting.

All of the things that I did to lose weight are now the things that I have to do just to maintain my weight. It is very easy to stay motivated when I seeing smaller numbers and newer sizes. It is a lot less easy to maintain that enthusiasm when my ass is stagnant. And according to some famous person, isn't that the definition of insanity?! Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Reaching goal and maintaing is actually kind of meh.

This is not to say that I am unhappy with where I am. I feel fantastic, most day actually think I look fantastic, and throughout all of this I've managed to pick up some fantastic friends along the way.
Part of the reason that I have been so successful is my real life, Dallas area support group, After the Cut. There are others that are trying to get a handle on serious regain, while I have just ten pounds. I can still wear all of the clothes in my closet. Perspective is everything.

From this vantage point I see a life that is mine for the taking because I'm not trapped in a body afflicted by obesity.
I'll cry, feel unpretty, feel fearless, feel sad, feel old, feel young, feel wore out, but most importantly there will be days where the shine hasn't gone anywhere and the glitter will be thick as a red carpet and I'll be walking on that.

Thank you for sharing these 4 years with me.

Holiday Giveaway

2013-12-13T16:59:00.000-06:00

Hi guys,
This is a short and sweet post to let you know that I will be hosting a giveaway. My good friend, Amelia, of DIY Amelia on Etsy has offered up an absolutely adorable cupcake charm for you to win. This one of a kind, handcrafted charm will be dangling from a 20 inch chain, but I suggest that you tuck it inside your shirt as ~~Waning Woman~~ a known cupcake bandit is on the loose! Watch out there now!!!!!

You can enter on rafflecopter and there are several ways to earn entries. Minimally, all you have to do is comment and you're entered 10 times, but there are multiple options including extra entries for those of you that follow me on twitter, fan page, etc. Check out my Facebook fanpage this week for a few more chances to enter.

Make sure that you stop by Amelia's Etsy shop and her FB page to see more of her handiwork.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Boots, Botas, Bottes

2013-10-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday.

Finding boots that zip up your big legs is an nsv for sure.

Wordless Wednesday: Cool new food finds at Sprouts

2013-09-18T16:08:00.000-05:00

These aren't new, just pretty. I heart plums

Witch Finger grapes!

They DO taste like cotton candy.

Never seen a dragonfruit or horned melon in person.

looks artichokesque

and finally, Broke Ass Wines!!

Phoenix, Queens, and Ameriwell Bariatrics

2013-09-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

Long time no see!
Phoenix was a blizzast! I had so much fun I was ready to leave and whining like a stressed out 3yo in need of a sippy cup, a quiet corner, AND a spanking the last night I was there. Y'all know I do not know how to act. My stunt queen swag was on full attack. I never thought that I would be funned out, though.

I went and got mahself a lotta edgeumacation in the general and breakout sessions. One of my absolute favorite sessions was with Gary Foster, Weighing Success Beyond the Scale: Identifying and Maintaining a Healthy Weight. he addressed a ton of great points in his discussion and I said that he may have been the best "motivation" speaker there. I use quotes because he wasn't there in that capacity, he is doctor.
This is one point that he touched on: Often you hear people say, "Well, I want to weight what I weighed when I was in college/got married/graduated/before I had my kids ~~when I was stripping"~~ etc.
I have a newsflash for you! You may not necessarily be able to weigh what you weighed then because chances are your life is radically different than it was back in the day.
ding, ding, ding, ding! Bells should be ringing, lights should be going off, and you should be well into your Oprah "aha moment" experience.
You could weight what you weighed then because you didn't have kids, a husband, a wife, a mortgage, a real job, pets, a 401k, crazy in laws, soccer parent duties, etc. You might have been finer than frog hair split three ways your senior year in college and you're STRUGGLING to see that weight again 10-20 years after the fact. Don't feel bad about not being able to attain that. I'm here to tell you that it is ok to be as fine as frog hair (not split) or even just a big toe hair. Me? I'm as fine as am octopus hair and I got the pics to prove it.

Doncha wish yo eyebrows was hot like mine

I told you I had pics to prove it. Although it has been a few years since I channeled my inner queen with such fervent ferocity, the good samaritans at the OAC gave me a venue to blow the dust off of my makeup sticks and my can of aquanet to bring you the timeless beauty you see above. Talk about fishy realness.
Hastag fabulous!
Hashtag werk!
Hashtag FWM!
Hastag ###!
When Maleficent looks in the mirror and asks who is the fairest of them all, the mirror looks at her and just flashes a picture of my awesome. #KillYoself I'm totally mashing up my Disney movies right now. Anywhoo.
Seriously though, my Ursula the Sea Witch costume.....wait, I do it a disservice my calling it a costume. Let me try again...ahem
Seriously though. the Ursula the Sea Witch experience I was serving up was so "turnt up" that I actually won a registration to next years conference in Orlando. I am officially the first person registered for #ymw2014! I'd like to officially thank the academy, drag queens everywhere, and Black hair stores run my Asians.

While in Phoenix, I got to connect with one of my favorite vendors, Ameriwell Bariatrics. They have two really cool products, an effervescent calcium and a gelatin multivitamin. They make taking your vitamins fun! My friend Shana, Lady Gaga in the picture above, said of the calcium "It is like a parade of bubbly lemonheads in my mouth"

And you can try some yourself because they have generously offered up a prize box packed with goodies for fans and readers!

I'm using RaffleCopter so that you have a NUMBER of chances to enter. The only one that is mandatory, is leaving a blog comment. Also, keep your eyes peeled for extra chances to win by commenting on official entry threads on my Facebook Fan Page. RaffleCopter will be there too. Look for the new tab.

Have fun and be safe you cool kids.
I'm out like Miley's ass.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All of Me- A documentary

2013-08-10T09:43:00.002-05:00

If you're in the Dallas area first of all I'd like to invite you to my support group meeting this morning from 10:30 to 12:00 at Wilshire Baptist Church, 4316 Abrams Rd, Dallas, TX. The church allows us to use the facilities free of charge and that is why the meetings are held there. I promise you, believers, atheists, pantheists, agnostics, heathen, pagan, even crazy Church of Christ people are ALL welcome to attend.
There will be Ethiopian food after.

This evening, from 6-9, is the event that I am super, super, excited about. I mean "Waning Woman in a cupcake store with a blank check when its not Ramadan" excited. The first ever, weight loss support group screening of the groundbreaking documentary

All of Me

This description is taken right from their Facebook fan page.

The “Girls” have been friends—and morbidly obese—for years. Their bond goes deep and wide, literally and figuratively. They are smart, intuitive, complex, warm, and compelling and speak openly about their inner lives. The Girls met via the Austin chapter of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance and partied together among Austin’s Big Beautiful Women community. Meanwhile, they tried every diet and every pill. Now they’re going through the life-changing process of weight-loss surgery in an effort to lose hundreds of pounds. The experience presents a host of issues and consequences—some they knew they were in for, some they feared, and some they never could have imagined.

In attendance will be one of the stars of the documentary, Dawn. How cool is that?

Check out these links to read what others have to say about this film.

Shana Hardin via her blog ShanaSparkles

The LA Times

Check out a link to snippet of the film on Youtube

Once again, the screening is today, August 10th from 6-9 at Hitt Auditorium, 1441 N. Beckley Ave, Dallas, TX.

Hope to see you there.

Judgement

2013-07-29T13:51:00.000-05:00

I didn't go to my first post-surgical support group until more than a year after my vertical sleeve gastrectomy. In all honesty though, I don't necessarily know if you need to have an extensive support network when the weight loss is easy. I know I didn't, but now that I think about it, I have a totally different experience than a lot of others, and that may explain my own personal need. Your mileage may vary. This blog post is totally going somewhere else than my original intention of talking about support groups and it is starting now.

I wasn't fat my whole life. My weight problems started with my son't pregnancy and they just spiraled out of control after that. I was fat for a few years, but even that was just too much for me
After bariatric surgery, were no sudden adjustments to seeing myself as I never did before. The size that I am now, I've been this size before.
There was no sudden adjustment to people treating me differently ( opening doors or offering to buy ~~cars~~ drinks, etc). I have dealt with all of this before. It wasn't uncomfortable.
Catty stares?....... That's nothing
"Oh she thinks she's all of that."......Try better
Getting "hated" on.......I keep my hater blockers in my pocket. That don't faze me!

I'm on the phone with my hater breaking crew, wearing my hater repellent flower in my hair, and hater blocker shades that I hope would make Morgan Fairchild proud.

On the contrary, the extra weight I was carrying was foreign to me. Being trapped in a body which had formerly granted me the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted was depressing. I never wanted to leave the house.
Being invisible, a nobody, a nothing is painful, but not being seen is better than being judged.

Once I had weight loss surgery, I was the new "old me". Back to being exactly who I was.

But if a weight loss surgery patient has been fat most of their life there is no new "old" me to go back to. It isn't familiar territory.
Just new "new" me.

I cannot imagine what that must be like and I cannot imagine doing that on my own. It's probably as dramatic as being Black your while life and then walking out of the hospital as White. I'm not kidding when I say I think it is that dramatic. I would need a lot of hand holding, a lot of shoulders to cry on, and a lot of people telling me that it would be ok.

I can see myself wanting to go back to the old me, because that's all I would know. Damn, this blog post is really making me understand other's motivations, thoughts, reasons. Right up until this very moment, I never understood self sabotaging behaviors.
It is better to be smaller, isn't it? Why would anybody want to go back to being fat?

They would want to go back to being fat, because I would want to go back to being Black.

I can't judge her anymore than she can judge me.
I can't judge the woman who goes back to her abusive husband.
I am no better than anybody else. I've said it my whole life, but understanding it, having the fucking light bulb light up and come crashing down on your head, it is emotional.
I can't judge and if it has ever felt like I have. I apologize to you.
I apologize for the people who have judged you.
Let's just hold one another up.

I have a wonderful group of people who do exactly that for me. My Dallas area support group, After the Cut. We don't just focus on life after weight loss surgery, but life in and of itself. We are doing 5ks, Rangers games, boxing classes, and delicious Opian foods lunches. Find time on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month to come out and join us. I would love to see you there.

#nojudgement

Wordless Wednesday: SHOES!

2013-07-17T18:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I am OFFICIALLY going to the OAC (Obesity Action Coalition) conference in Phoenix next month.

AAAAAND, you know I can't go anywhere without bringing the shebang.....cause ya girl, she bangs!

I figured I'd do a WWWW (Waning Woman Wordless Wednesday) post and show you some of the shoes that I picked up today from Fredericks of Hollywood for next to nothing.

Oh yeah, I'm back in Onderland.. Ramadan 2013 in effect. I'll blog about that really soon.

Your Weight Matters: 2013 Obesity Action Coalition Conference

2013-06-14T08:58:00.001-05:00

The OAC, Obesity Action Committee, had their inaugural event in Dallas last year and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I've been to a few conferences before but the experiences are as varied as the agenda of the different organizations, are there are a lot of different organizations. Coming into the community you see quite a few letters thrown around and it can be confusing as all hell. I had thought I had an idea what the OAC was about (Fighting Obesity, duh?!) but it wasn't until I was there that I really understood.

I know that this sounds corny, but the OAC is right there on the front lines.
We are trying to change the way that obesity/obesity related stigma is dealt with on a sweeping level from municipal to federal.
We're infiltrating The Hill, your State Representatives' offices, even your Senators'
We are the people that you DON'T see.

I bet you didn't know that the OAC is behind getting Medicare coverage for the Sleeve, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Did you know that the OAC is petitioning our elected leaders to establish a Congressional Treat Obesity Caucus? Like most people, you probably didn't even realize there was a need for one because the need seems obvious. They have them for salmon and even algae, but not obesity? With a few simple clicks you can even send a letter/email to your representative and get them on board by inputting little more than your name and zip code.

Have you heard about those wellness plans many companies are initiating with their group health coverage? Insurance rates are soaring and there is the thought that incentivizing (eg. weight loss) or penalizing (eg weight gain) certain standards can help with overall costs. Sounds good right? They are just encouraging us to be healthy.
The truth is shaming and bribery don't work and you are a fool if you think this is anything but that.
In some instances, they will ~~penalize~~ shame you for having a BMI over 30 but then turn right around and not even offer any sort of health coverage to help you shed the weight.

The OAC is tirelessly advocating and acting to stop many discriminatory policies like these. Action is our middle name.

You can join the OAC too and go to the conference in Phoenix this year. Be a part of the "We"

I want to be a part of the "We" but I will need your help to get there. The OAC is sponsoring a blogger recruitment contest and all I need is for ten of you to put my name in the referral spot. It's that simple. Then I will have a chance to attend the conference for free. Go register. You know you want to be a part of this.

If you have already registered, send an email to convention@obesityaction.org and tell them to put Waning Woman/Kesha in the referral spot. The recruitment contest ends July 15 so get those registrations in.

Spread the word about this incredible event. #YWM2013

You wanna be there. Trust me.

So I got a colonic the other day...

2013-06-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

This is me on the table

I've been on Groupon like crazy lately so when I saw a "INFRARED WRAP LOSE A MILLION POUNDS IN JUST 45 MINUTES PLUS A SESSION OF COLON HYDROTHERAPY FOR JUST 29.99" I had to try it. I know better of course but curiosity is a mother!

Let me tell you about the wrap first.
I arrived at the office filled out a few forms and I went into a room where I changed into sweatpants and long sleeve shirt. After donning the exquisitely fashinable garb, I went into the room where they put on some Enya-esque music and old me to lay on a table. The wrap isn't really a mummy like wrap so much as it is a big ass electric blanket. So they burritoed me, and before I knew it, my ass was being woken up 45 minutes later soaked from head to toe. That was it. The heat put me right to sleep and I woke up needing a change of clothes. Not unlike a the last time I went to Cancun...... but instead of heat it was mezcal and instead of a change of clothes it was a new identity, but that's a whole other story. Anyhoo I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5. I'd do it again if somebody else was paying for it. In all seriousness though even after I rehydrated I've been down a pound and a half. Who knows.

Just a little over a week later, I returned to the same place for my colonic. My brother told me that he'd had one and that afterwards he felt as light as Hugh Jackman on Broadway in a leotard and pointe shoes. Sounds magical right?
Anyway I was whisked into this small room with the LIBBE contraption, TV, candles, and most important on the list- a toilet. The practitioner came into the room, shot the shit with me, talked a little about homeopathic and non traditional medicine, and then left me in the room to get ready.

I stripped from the waist down, put on a t shirt and laid on the table. The good thing about the LIBBE system in that you get to put the nozzle into your own butt. After I was comfortably on the table with tube and my butt and draped for modesty the practitioner came back in, popped in a DVD and instructed me to turn on the machine.

The nozzle that goes in your butt.

He told me not to bear down, but the first couple of times it was hard not to. The water filled up my lower bowel and I was kinda scared to release because I it felt like the nozzle was going to fly right out of my butt. Luckily it didn't this time and out of me came a dirty tinged, speckled fluid.

After I released I didn't feel relief and I kinda tensed up at the anticipation of the next fill. My toes curled up a little bit as the liquid ascended higher into my colon and I felt the distenstion of my abdomen. In a brief moment of "OMG WTF" panic I almost hopped my Black ass down off of the table after I envisioned the water coursing through my ENTIRE digestive system, through Sleevie, up and out of my esophagus, and down trachea drowning me right there on the table. I didn't die, but with that release I felt beads of sweat pop up on my forehead.

After that point, there really weren't anymore voluntary releases. My sufficiently pissed off colon went into peristalsis and I experienced what I can only describe as throwing up out of my butt.

The time passed by super slowly and then the practitioner came in to check on me and give me a massager to use on my abdomen to break up the pieces. He was a really nice guy, but it seemed like it was taking him forever to plug in the damned thing and I just wanted him to get the hell out of there so I could butt chuck in relative peace. Taking a poo, even a medically induced one, while somebody is talking to you and you're in a supine position is just really, really, really, weird.

After he left I took the massager placed in on the areas of my abdomen where there was cramping to help the hardened material come loose. I think it just pissed off my colon more.

By then, the sweating, fuzzy feeling, fatique...it was just too much so I turned off the machine a little before my 45 minutes were up. He came in finished me up by turning the machine to cold to tighten me back up and as soon as he left I jumped up off of the table so that I could let that final fill out on the toilet. I'm going to say this again. Letting your bowels go while laying down just feels wrong. I felt better sitting on familiar territory. Once my insides stopped quivering and pulsating, I washed down and got dressed.

In summary there was nothing magical about it. There was no lego from toddlerhood that showed up in the viewtube, no gum from 4th grade, in fact there was nothing that came out that was extraordinary or remarkable.I also didn't magically lose 5 pounds.

I was wore out. Instead of Hugh Jackman in pointe shoes I felt like Huge Jackman, porn star extraordinaire after a world record attempt...in desperate need of a hosedown, a good ass nap and a contract to self promising not to put nothing in my butt for the next 6 months.

I give this 1.5 stars out of 5. I am about a pound lighter but I wouldn't do it again if YOU paid for it.

Note to self: Just use Miralax next time. Same effect and much cheaper

Image Source

Two VERY popular beliefs especially in the WLS community

2013-05-21T11:26:00.001-05:00

I went to The Vitamin Shoppe to get a few things to put into the FAN APPRECIATION BOX GIVEAWAY and at the register they handed me a complimentary
copy of their magazine, Amazing Wellness.

Click me for a link to the article!

I don't normally read these magazines because I think that more often than not its the same recycled reduced, and reused drivel that you see everywhere else. As I flipped through and came to the article "Weight Loss Myths Debunked" I sure as hell wasn't expecting to see anything that resonated with me. I was expecting to see asinine myths like...

"A pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat"

"Once you start dieting you can never eat out!"

"Grapefruit makes you lose more weight than other foods"

Instead I saw this...

Myth Number 2: Rapid weight loss is associated with poorer long term weight loss outcomes.

Myth Number 3: You have to be ready.

I'm going to start with Number 3 "You have to be ready"

I'm a moderator on a a Gastric Sleeve Support group on Facebook and the question that pops up the most is "What do I need to do to get ready for surgery?"

You know what I tell people? EAT!!!

Enjoy your whole stomach because you will never be able to eat the same again. Sure life is better and easier to tackle smaller, but there are days even 3 years out where I will put down my fork pissed off that Sleevie is so full I can't even swallow the food that I'm currently chewing and I have to spit it out. Honestly, there are times that I miss being able to eat the way that I used to. I don't miss anything else about being fat. It's akin to missing an old lover. Sure he may have been unreliable and moody with poor credit, living in his mama's basement surrounded by sit he called "art" and you know you're better off without, but dam he sure could ________. Fill in your own blank. No relationship is all good or all bad. Even the one with food.

I've been accused of encouraging the wrong type of behavior and that as I leader I should encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices. BUT having surgery is a healthy lifestyle choice and it will kick your ass into gear. If you want to go an austere eating plan before surgery, I will NEVER discourage you. If you ask me what I think, that's another story.

Getting ready for bariatric surgery means researching ALL available options, making sure that you have a competent board certified surgeon, and following the presurgery eating plan that your surgeon advises.

This is verbatim what the article says.

"...researchers point to convincing data showing that when “readiness” is evaluated among folks who sign up for behavioral programs or undergo obesity surgery, where someone falls on a “readiness scale” used to determine motivation does not predict how closely someone will stick to a program or the amount of weight that will be lost..."

There you have it. The thoughts I've had in my head all along are finally supported by research in black and white.

On to Myth Number 2 "Rapid weight loss is associated with poorer long term weight loss outcomes."

I've lost weight fast and I've lost weight slow. I did not keep if off better losing it fast. In fact losing less than a pound a week was a DISASTER for me and I ended up just throwing it all out of the windows..and doors, too and went on a bender! I know that there are those who will tell me that living and eating healthy is its own reward, but I'm sorry, I need to see my efforts. Fuck that! I'm a human, not an android. They think that eating well leads to weight loss but I find that for myself weight loss leads to eating well. If I can drop a couple of pounds in a couple of days, that is major encouragement for me to keep the momentum going and give up CUPCAKES for key lime protein shakes. And before you even go there I'm not talking about extended Master Cleanses or any other bullshit like that. We ALL know that stuff like that isn't sustainable. A few days of protein shakes, followed by a few days of soft foods, etc...that is reasonable.

This ties back into the point in the earlier paragraph about "getting ready". The initial weight loss after bariatric surgery is so rapid and exciting you wanna do what you are supposed to do to keep it up. You're ready when that weight starts falling off.

So, why don't you check out that article for yourself and tell me what you think in the comments.

The Winner of the Powerful Hunger Giveaway is

2013-05-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

Purple_moonflower123!!!

Please send Dagny an email with your contact information so that you can be the proud owner of your very own electronic copy of the book.

Thanks to ALL who entered.

FYI I'm currently having a fan appreciation giveaway on the Waning Woman Facebook Page. It is STILL open so look for your chance to enter today. The box has a lot of great items including a pair of cupcake earrings!!!!!!

So scoot on over to facebook.

Ten Things You Should Know About Losing Weight

2013-04-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

I just watched the most. (overuse of "amazing" in 5....4....3...2...1)

UH-MAZING

His life was just changed. That's no sun, that's a lightbulb going off

documentary on KERA about weight loss. It's not one of those stupid, condescending, eat-less-move-more, kind of shows. There is real bonafide science behind this here thang!

While it is not about weight loss surgery, it actually explains a few key points in post op eating.

1. Protein first

2. No water with meals

Skip to about minute 25 for reasearch that explains why we shouldn't eat and drink at the same time.

Watch 10 Things You Need To Know About Losing Weight on PBS. See more from KPBS Presents.

Watch this thing from beginning to end. I beg you!

Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gaining Weight

2013-04-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, hell.

Alice isn't in Wonderland anymore.

I am today, but I wasn't yesterday or the day before that. I had to text my friend Shana yesterday and tell her that I was thisclose to falling out on the floor and having a world class, kindergartner in the corner, "Bitch, don't do me!" kind of meltdown. Not a screaming fit....a guttural wail, no-bones-in-my-body, melt and collapse onto the floor like a good Victorian woman, meltdown......."Jeeves, bring the smelling salts and the vapours!"

This was after two days of careful tracking and watching my intake and my weight went up, so I thought I'd earned a right to have that moment. Shana took that away from me when she gave me the "Back away from the edge" encouragement that needed. I'll never forgive her for that.

I just don't have a lot of wiggle room to work with. Other than my fasting times, I am ALWAYS less than 10 lbs away from kissing onderland goodbye. That is a precarious place to be. It's sooo easy to say that "it's just a number" but how many of you live in this zone AND don't have more weight to lose. For most of you, this is a transitional zone and you wave goodbye to it as you as happily skip to the 180's, 170's, 160's and so on and so forth. I'm not that lucky.

Save the censure and reprobation for something else and don't tell me that it's just a number and that it's in my head.
It may be just a number, but the psychology of numbers is very well understood.

"Retailers almost never round up because of psychological pricing, the old marketing rule that dictates that consumers are more easily swayed by prices that end with ".99" because they seem substantially cheaper." source

I want to be substantially cheaper! Is that too much to ask?

Is this the normal "bounceback" weight that comes after I reach your nadir or lowest point?
Is this regain?
At what point does it turn into regain?
What's the magic formula? EWL/BMI + shoe size * (GW+CW+NSV)
Is this because I haven't been to the gym in a while?

Hopefully, I'll get this figured out because honestly I don't like the way that I feel in my clothes and I see it. This is not a case of lyzing.

Question:
Do you think that you HAVE to accept some weight gain after the honeymoon period is over?

Powerful Hunger: Inspiration and Provocation. Giveaway

2013-03-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

It's dogeared and not really that pretty, but it's the inside that counts

Dagny Kight sent me a copy of her book Powerful Hunger and to say I devoured it is not much of an overstatement. The first day I received it, I sat down by the lake until nightfall reading it. When the sun went down taking the heat and the light with it, I carried it into the house and didn't stop until I was done just about an hour later. Yeah, it's that's good. This is NOT a book about weight loss surgery. Its tools and fundamental ideas are applicable no matter which side of the cut you're on.

I found out earlier this week that both Dagny and her book are nominated for Best Author and Best Book in the Backstage WLS Awards. I thought that this would be a great time to kind of go over a point or two and give my thoughts about some things in the book.

Here's the disclaimer though: Dagny and her style of writing are neither cuddly nor soft. If you're looking for justification for you obesity or a "root cause" you won't find it here.You won't be showered with overly saccharine quotes. This book isn't therapy. It's self help. Maybe even a tiny bit inspirational. But don't you dare tell her I said that.

Moderation:

One point that Dagny touches on in her book is the idea that all things can be eaten in moderation. She gives this idea a resounding "Hell to the no!" Makes you think doesn't it?

She states "We use this word ourselves when we are not ready to break the connection to the foods that drive addictive behavior. We turn to the concept of "moderation" when we want to find a way to continue eating those foods, persisting in the belief that we are immune to the value that they hold over our lives"

And while you guys know that I am the Queen Regnant of Cupcakistan, I have to reluctantly agree. I think that a lot of us, after reaching a normal size want to think that we are normal. We want to eat like someone who has never had a weight problem. The person who has been 120 lbs all of their adult life can eat whatever they want. You have been 120 lbs for the past year. The truth is our outsides don't match our insides and losing weight doesn't not change these hardwired addictive pathways.
One prevailing argument is that while you can abstain from coke/meth/alcohol because you don't need them to live, you can't do the same with food. It is true. You don't need hyperpalatable, scientifically engineered food to live, though. Cupcakes are another story.....for me anyway. This leads me to another key point in her book.

Eating cleanly:

Keeping a very simple diet of mostly whole foods is one of the lanes on the pathway to long term success. She is a cheerleader for steel cut oats, whole eggs, cruciferous vegetables, and whole grains like amaranth. A few other non food items that star in her kitchen are essential to her lifestyle are the George Foreman grill, a wok, a steamer, and the good ole trusty slow cooker.

I want to tell you more, but I don't want this to end up being a synopsis of her book. I'm just going to briefly list a few quotes that resonated with me.

"Attempting to decipher the past will not change it"
"What needs to be done now?!"
"In a society where thinness is currency, the weight loss surgery patient is viewed as having stolen something of great value"

I really like the last one. As a matter of fact I really enjoyed the book as a whole and it is no surprise that she was nominated.

Anyway, she has so generously offered up either an electronic version or hard copy of the book to one of you lucky readers.

In order to enter the contest:
~~1. Like the Powerful Hunger FB Fan Page and say "Hi"~~
2. Leave a comment on this blog post indicating which version you would like if you won.

Edited 4/2: Someone emailed me about privacy concerns on FACEBOOK. Liking either page is NOT mandatory. If you do, you will just get an extra entry. Just comment on this post and you are entered.

For extra entries

Like the Waning Woman FB fan page, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Basically, you get one point for following me on any of my other social media outlets. Just let me know when you comment how many chances you get.

Follow Powerful Hunger on Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. Same applies here. Just let me know.

I'm not your mama and I don't have time to follow up behind you, so let's just use the honor system. If you win the book and you haven't done what you said you did, I can't guarantee that you won't wake up one night with Dagny menacingly holding a kettlebell in the corner of your bedroom.
I. Just. Cant.

Closes 4/8/2012

Edited 4/2: Someone emailed me about privacy concerns on FACEBOOK. Liking either page is NOT mandatory. If you do, you will just get an extra entry. Just comment on this post and you are entered.