Posts Tagged ‘back to basics’

Mar
24/10

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 March 2010 07:30
Written by Melinda
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

“How long do I have to take vitamins and supplements?”

This is often a common question among people who are wanting weight loss surgery.

The answer? “The rest of your life.”

This morning as I walked from the parking garage to the time clock, I was thinking about my vitamin schedule. It changed this week. After adding a new SSRI, and having a few minor complications, it was necessary to change my “pill taking times”. I discussed it over with my pharmacist and he suggested taking everything starting at 5:30 am instead of my usual 8:30 – 9:00 am routine. It’s thrown everything off balance. I even went in to Google calendar on my telephone and reset my daily vitamin alerts. My phone bings at me and won’t let me do anything until I recognize the alert with accept or dismiss. This comes in quite handy. I also have it set up to where it lists what vitamins, medications that I take at that particular alert time.

As I was reflecting on the recent changes, my thoughts raced to this: “I grow weary when people have accused me of not taking my vitamins.” I read just yesterday that many wls patients do NOT take their vitamins as they should. While that may be true, there are those of us who are faithful and regimented in not missing a dose (like myself). I have planned my life around a few important things: meals every few hours and vitamins/pill taking.

My surgeon scared the bajeezus out of me pre-surgery by telling of all the problems that occur if we don’t take vitamins. I even wondered at one point, “I can’t take a daily vitamin now! How am I going to take all those pills after surgery?” It took quite a bit of soul searching before I could make that commitment. I hated medicine! I hated taking pills! But, my desire for health won out and I knew that it was a commitment I had to make. Since surgery, I have been VERY faithful with my vitamins.

There have been a few that I didn’t like the taste of… I endured. And then, just tried other products until I found some I really like. I keep a variety of types and flavors. Let’s use calcium as an example. I have five different types and swap them up daily. When I don’t want to actually taste the calcium, I use Celebrate’s calcium pill that can be swallowed. When I want the taste of candy, I use the Bariatric Advantage chewy bites in chocolate, lemon or rasberry. When I want a fruity flavor, I use Building Block Vitamins orange. When I want a real treat, I have a Lemon Calcet Creamy Bite. And, I have a few options when it comes to my multi-vitamin as well.

I made the commitment, and I am very proud of myself for sticking with it. I still have neuropathy from Lord only knows what… but one thing for certain, it was NOT a result of negligence on my part to take my doses of medication.

Tags: back to basics, vitamins | Posted under Blah, Blah, Blog | Comments

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Feb
17/10

Vegas or Bust

Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 February 2010 02:56
Written by Melinda
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

It’s 2:30 am and I can’t sleep. Perhaps its the fact that I took my anti-depressant too late, or maybe I just have too much swirling around in my mind. I’m going to Vegas Friday for the 1st Annual WLS Meet & Greet. There, I will be meeting online friends that I’ve spent hundreds of hours reading their posts, insights, struggles, and have never met “for real”. But Friday, we all come together to see what the real persons look, act and talk like! That in itself is just a little intimidating to this shy girl. (Tim swears I’m not shy, but I REALLY am.)

On with my post… There is one main reason I am going to this function. I need to be REFRESHED. I need rejuvenation. I need revival. Friend, can I just admit to you that these past few months have been difficult with health issues… and now that things are on the upswing and getting better, I face another issue. It’s called “SAME OLE, SAME OLE.” I have reached that place in my weight loss journey where things are boring. Things are routine. I’ve settled on my new way of living by incorporating good habits, lost all the weight expected of me by my surgeon PLUS more, and long gone are the NSV’s and WOW moments. People no longer identify me as “that lady who lost all the weight.” Now, I’m just identified as me: Melinda. Some folks don’t even know I was ever obese in the first place.

This is actually a good place to be. It means that I’ve adjusted quite well. I’ve embraced my new way of life and am walking it out every day. However, I LOVED it when life seemed all fresh and new! I enjoyed hearing compliments (oh come on now… don’t tell me you shrug off compliments of your weight loss!). I enjoyed changing clothing sizes every few weeks. It was exciting to go shopping for new wardrobes. Now, clothes are meaningless to me. They are boring. After several months of changing sizes because you have to, and then several years of changing styles because of trying to find “yourself”… eh. Shopping gets old. Yet, I still search for THAT PERFECT PAIR OF JEANS ~ the ones that will take away the searching for something….

Then there is the day after day after day of vitamins and supplements. How in the world can you add any spice and pizazz to that? There’s only so many flavors and brands of bariatric calcium, multi-vitamins, iron, B12, etc. After awhile, I just settled in with the swallowable bariatric friendly vitamins & calcium. Then, I just swallow it down and call it OVER until another few hours. All day… my routine consists of eating every few hours and taking pills. But… that didn’t stop me from trying to liven things up a bit. I bought a new pill organizer, created a new and improved routine of pill taking… and it helped get me through.

Do you see a pattern here? I do. It’s called GIMICKS. Oh yes, I have gotten so good at “gimicking” myself until I am now out of tricks from my bag. Life consists of finding the next best protein powder, new sugar free coffee syrups, sugar free products that are bariatric friendly, great low carb protein bars… oh on and on the list goes of things I’ve done these past few years just to “liven it up”, keep it fresh. Well… I’ve reached the point where the diamond has lost its luster ~ and so I am hoping and praying that when I go to Vegas and meet up with my online friends, it will encourage me.

Look at the Vegas picture above. It sure looks exciting to me! Bright lights! Big city! 24/7 fun and entertainment! I am going to spend time with my friends, take a day to celebrate our new bariatric lives (heck, I need some celebration… breathe some life into this dead corpse!) and then take in the sites of the city that never sleeps. SURELY…. Surely this will liven things up… But then again, maybe its just another one of my “gimicks”.

I close with this thought. With a church background, that’s how I often relate to things. I remember back in the day of Camp Meeting… half the church would pack up their bags, make reservations and fly to the most hopping church in order to get fired up for another year. We expected, ANTICIPATED, for something great to happen. It’s like the building of momentum inside your heart… and once you got to camp meeting, and the singing started… then people started to pray and get happy… it just did your heart good. I’m hoping for a WLS CAMP MEETING this weekend. I need it.

Tags: back to basics, everyday life, mundane, renewed commitment | Posted under Reality Check | Comments

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Jan
07/10

Whew! I’m Tired

Last Updated on Thursday, 7 January 2010 07:56
Written by Melinda
Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Ok. Here’s the deal. You all know by now, I’m not an exercise diva. I’ve been faithful over the past few months, however… so if you don’t mind if I toot my own horn for about 3 seconds. I got sick on New Year’s Eve with a cold, and have still had some congestion. That meant I couldn’t hardly breathe, so I didn’t exercise but one time this week (a few days ago). On that day, I just walked the treadmill, lifted my hand weights, and worked on the exercise ball. No jogging or running for me.

Tonight back on the treadmill (WHY: to get my 129.6 a permanent fixture!) I started jogging again. Whew! I am wore out! And for some reason, the exercise ball tonight has really worked the muscles in my stomach. It’s probably where I’ve not been as active. No more dilly dallying around… I’ve got to STAY on this right track!

Tags: back to basics, exercise, renewed commitment | Posted under Blah, Blah, Blog |

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Dec
31/09

Renew Again In 2010

Last Updated on Friday, 1 January 2009 01:44
Written by Melinda
Thursday, December 31st, 2009

I’ve come to a new motto for this coming year: Renew Again in 2010.

As the beginning of a new year approaches, I spent some time soul searching and pondering. I want 2010 to be a great year, not just for me but for my weight loss surgery friends too. I have watched many struggle this year and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the words: “I’m such a failure because (insert reason here).” When I look at their lives, I don’t see failures. I see folks who met some tremendous goals in their lives, and then started to live again… some for the very first time ever… actually loving life and having fun! But, they may have gained ten or fifteen or even 20 pounds. And, there is a guilt which overtakes them. The joys of success are gone, while guilt gnaws away at their conscience.

Now as January 1st approaches, we each have a fresh start, a clean slate, a brand new opportunity to renew the ways in which we know to live as successful post-ops. Now keep in mind that we have this chance every single day of our lives. We can wake up any day of the week and decide ”this is the day I will get back to basics.” But, there is just something very powerful about a person anticipating an arrival of something new, something fresh, an opportunity.

Renew means that you already HAVE or HAD something and want to continue owning or receiving it – - much like the magazine renewal card that you get a few months prior to your favorite magazine expires. If I may use an example: I subscribed to Allure and paid 2 years up front. Every month like clockwork, the magazine came in the mailbox. A few months prior to the subscription’s end, I received a card in the mail letting me know that it was about to expire. I had a chance to renew my order which would prevent a disruption of service. The opportunity was there, I just had to choose whether or not I wanted to keep the continuity of monthly deliveries.

If I don’t get the card stuck in the mail, I can count down the number of issues until there is no more! And, before time runs out, I must seize the opportunity to check “RENEW SUBSCRIPTION” on the card and slip it into the mailbox. This is quite a difference from the “New Year’s Resolution” concept as “renewal” is a continuement of an already repetitive action.

People who create “resolutions” usually choose things that are not already a part of their life (maybe they always had a desire to do it, or it was part of their past). One good example is exercise. When I lived in an apartment complex that had a fitness center, it was easy to find a place at the treadmill or stairmaster from May through December. But, as soon as January 1st arrived, the facility was packed out with folks who had made a RESOLUTION.

As the month grew on, many forsook their new commitment and returned to their previous routines. By the end of February or mid March, traffic had even further decreased. By May, it was back to the small faithful crowd that was in the gym during the UNBUSY month of December. Folks have good intentions (and actually there are some who DO make it!), but many set goals for themselves that are unattainable because they chose things which were not activities already incorporated into their daily routines. Resolution makers usually begin the new year as if they were in a race, and at the starting line… as soon as the gun goes off, they make mad dashes to win the race. However, soon their energy is spent, and exhaustion sets in. It’s not too long before they give up.

Let’s get honest for a minute. If you have been in weight loss surgery circles or communities long enough, you KNOW the rules – you owned or possessed the lifestyle as your own and it helped you get to your goal (or close to it)! You’ve hopefully gone through your surgeon’s nutritional program, or at least read enough on support forums to differentiate between good and bad choices. Just the fact that you’re here on the internet reading about weight loss and seeking support means that you have a desire for continued success. You own or possess what is necessary to make it! As we go into 2010, let’s vow to RENEW those good actions that keep us on the road of success. Let this year be a year of tenacity to faithfully continue good weight loss surgery lifestyle changes/habits.

Tags: back to basics, renewed commitment | Posted under Reality Check |

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