Shrinking Pamelalala

My Husband the Cook

2011-10-20T14:43:00.001-05:00

Guest post from: Kent LaraMy husband has recently really gotten into cooking. I have always been a fan of the Food Network, as we have direct star TV. I will often try recipes that I have seen on that channel. As a stay at home mom, I do most of the cooking at our house. However, in recent months my husband has become more interested in trying to cook as well. About three months ago I went out of

Speaking of Wicked

2011-10-20T14:35:00.002-05:00

Talk about wicked (here's a nod to the previous guest post) I just discovered Popcorn Indiana. Maybe I've been under a rock but I just found it. I've always liked popcorn so I guess it's not a huge surprise.It comes in difference flavors. I swear the kettle corn tastes just like the stuff you get at a fair. And the cinnamon sugar is awesome. There's a drizzled cinnamon sugar but that would be

Embracing my inner witch for Wicked

2011-09-26T15:12:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Cynthia FentonI've always loved the movie the Wizard of Oz. I thought that it was just downright magical. I can't even think of how many times I watched it in the first 10 years of my life, much less during my entire life! So when I heard about the play and book Wicked, I wasn't so sure about it. I would just hate for someone to mess around with the source material of my

Surviving the Holiday with VSG

2011-05-29T13:47:00.004-05:00

It's been a great Memorial weekend so far and I'm still working my VSG. LOL We've had house guests since last weekend. The visitors changed over to a new group Friday, it's starting to feel a little like a hotel here.I was afraid all of this entertaining would put me off track with my new found resolve to use my VSG and lose weight again. However, now that I'm back in the habit I'm finding it

Birthday Hooplah

2011-05-25T09:26:00.004-05:00

Thanks for the post, Arthur LawrenceI'm one of those lucky or unlucky people, however you want to look at it, whose birthday falls on a national holiday. It's not Christmas, which would be the worst, but my birthday is March 17 which also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. In my opinion, it always works out well since St. Patrick's Day is such a big party day, and people are already looking to have

Gastric Sleeve and Staying Focused

2011-05-19T13:25:00.002-05:00

I admit it, I've been in denial over my gastric sleeve. I gained some weight back and I kept trying to pretend otherwise. And that I didn't know why. But I do know why. Eating isn't the problem. I still have a small little gastric sleeve and can't eat much at a time. I'm so used to seeing my food on a small dessert plate I'm shocked when I see a "regular" size plate of food. I usually eat around

VSG and Being Complacent

2011-05-17T08:48:00.002-05:00

After you've adjusted to life after VSG it's easy to become complacent. I know I did. And I think that is the reason for my recent weight gain.The time right after my VSG was exciting, I was focused on eating right and watching the pounds melt off. Once I was where I wanted to be I gradually moved away from thinking about how I was eating and got back to life. Moving on was a good thing. I always

The Gastric Sleeve Journey Continues

2011-05-14T09:27:00.002-05:00

I'm baaaack! After a long silence I've decided to come back to my gastric sleeve blog. There are primarily two things motivating me.I still receive comments here asking me for updates and to explain what life is like this far out after gastric sleeve surgery. I need some motivation!At a little over 3 1/2 years out from my weight loss surgery I find myself slipping. Don't panic, I haven't gained

Bowling for Health

2011-03-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

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Checking In 3 Years After VSG

2010-10-26T19:23:00.002-05:00

I've ignored this VSG weight loss surgery blog for a long time. And that's probably a good thing. It shows that I moved on with my life after my VSG and my weight is no longer a focal point of my life. What prompted me to pop back in was a recent comment someone left asking questions. I remember how it was to discover that a vertical sleeve gastrectomy was even possible. I remember being

Sleeve Gastrectomy and Stopping Weight Loss

2009-05-20T10:04:00.004-05:00

This post is in response to a reader's comment. She asked me if I was able to stop my weight loss after the gastric sleeve. Her concern is that she would loose too much weight and be unhealthy looking.I have not heard of anyone having a problem with stopping their weight loss after a sleeve gastrectomy unless they have a medical problem. I know of a person who was one of the rare people who had

Obesity Surgery in Mexico

2009-03-30T11:46:00.002-05:00

Obesity surgery is a proven method of improving lives and heath but a lot of insurance companies still deny coverage for it. When they do cover obesity surgery they often only cover gastric bypass and not other forms such as gastric sleeve.If you are in this situation and need to pay for weight loss surgery yourself, cost is a real factor. The good news is that obesity surgery in Mexico and other

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-02-06T11:48:00.002-06:00

A wave of Canadian air has been paying us a visit. I don't mind the snowbirds but please leave your arctic air at home! :) I can't seem to get warm and have been looking longingly at infrared suanas.Actually I was looking at an infrared sauna to see if it might help my husband's back. At this stage I will consider buying him anything that might help with the back pain from a herniated disk. There

Diet Food Delivery, Now That's Convenience

2009-02-05T10:11:00.007-06:00

I have said before that I am for any kind of diet or weight loss program that works for you, not just weight loss surgery. I was talking to a friend who is interested in one of the diet food delivery programs. One of her main problems is that she doesn't cook so she eats out a lot. She heard about these programs and thought that it would be a solution for her. She asked me to help her find a

Life after Gastric Sleeve

2009-02-05T09:28:00.004-06:00

I have gotten away from hanging out on the sleeve gastrectomy board on Obesity Help. It seems to be part of the progression after weight loss surgery. At first you need the support of fellow vsg people. You need others going through the same thing to compare experiences with. But as your gastric sleeve becomes a way of life and you get used to your new body you move on.We often call our surgery

It Happens at Any Age

2009-01-26T14:02:00.002-06:00

When I was a teenager, I thought only teenagers had acne and that it would magically go away as you got older. Boy was I wrong. I have a dear friend fighting it even now and she is in her late 20's.Fortunately, treatments have improved since I was a teenager. LOL Let's hope so! The murad acne complex is helping her. I hadn't heard of murad acne treatments before. But then, I'm not really up to

WLS Friendly Recipe

2009-01-08T15:38:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I posted a weight loss surgery friendly recipe. I don't really think of my recipes as gastric sleeve friendly any more, it is all kind of second nature to me now. I cook foods that I know I will be able to eat. For me that means moist meats. I still do not tolerate dry proteins like dry chicken or pork. But I don't really like them to begin with so why try to eat them and

Handling Stress After Weight Loss Surgery

2009-01-07T12:35:00.003-06:00

I had my vertical sleeve gastrectomy 16 months ago and I have successfully lost 100 pounds. I have been wondering lately how much I would currently weight if I had not had the surgery.It has been a difficult year. My husband had his second heart bypass in 11 months in November. The first one failed. I have felt a lot of emotions and dealt with a great deal of stress over the past year.Before my

I'm Experimenting, Look Away!!

2009-01-06T12:18:00.002-06:00

The blog is looking stale to me so I am experimenting with new templates. You may see some weird stuff going on so feel free to ignore it for a few days! LOL I look different since my weight loss so the blog should as well. Hopefully it will have a fresh new look when I get done with it. If not, then at least I tried!

Happy New Year Everyone

2009-01-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

I wish all of you a very Happy New Year. The economy may be in a nose dive but what the heck, we're skinny, right? LOL At least we are eating a lot less this year so the grocery bills aren't what they used to be. I don't want to get all serious here, but I do have some thoughts about how the sleeve gastrectomy has seen me through some difficult times. I promise to be back later to blog about it.

Merry Christmas Ya'll

2008-12-25T19:59:00.003-06:00

I know I've slowed down posting here. I needed a breather for a while, I think my husband's health problems took more of a toll on me than I expected. But not to worry, I am feeling better already after a little time off. I plan to pick things back up after the first of the hear.I wanted to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope your holiday is a happy one. Be sure to

Keeping Your New Years Resolutions

2008-12-21T10:43:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking about some New Year's resolutions for this year. I actually kept mine for 2008. I resolved to stick with my gastric sleeve eating plan, eat healthy and get to my goal weight this year. It feels good to have seen it through. Of course, having my vertical sleeve gastrectomy was the motivation for all of this.Whatever I finally decide upon for my resolution, I found a great place

Whatever Works For You

2008-12-16T14:41:00.004-06:00

Just because I had weight loss surgery does not mean that is the only form of weight loss that I support. I think that a person should do whatever works for them. A lot of people can't have gastric sleeve surgery due to other health issues or they are just not ready to take that step. If they are lucky they might even be looking for a way to lose weight before they are heavy enough to qualify for

Where's the Snow?

2008-12-14T14:36:00.001-06:00

I love living in Florida. I really do. Ask me any other month of the year and I will tell you that I am here because I don't like cold weather. I don't like being cold and now that I have lost weight I get cold even easier than before. I don't like wearing sweaters and coats even if I can wear cute ones now that I'm skinnier after weight loss surgery. But in December, just for Christmas, I would

It's Beautiful

2008-12-10T14:32:00.001-06:00

I always complain about it. I always dread doing it. But once the tree is up I love it. LOL It must be the kid in me but I love shinny things and lots of sparkle. I've been collecting hand blown glass ornaments for years and I am still amazed at how beautiful some of them are as I unwrap them.I started to go back to my brass ornament tree this year. I collected those before the glass one. Some of