Who helps you stay accountable?

Everyday I read several different weight loss blogs. Yesterday on Carbwire, they had a great article and video dealing with buddies or support groups. The main focus was on who is helping you succeed at weight loss?

Now they are not a WLS type of blog, but deal more with weight loss through low carb. I think the catch phrase is a good one, "Livin La Vida Low Carb" lifestyle. The blog itself has some great information on low carb products and recipes!

They discuss the aspect of on line support groups and physical support groups as well. Jimmy looked at the importance of blogging about your journey through a blog or videos. I really enjoyed their video that coincides with the article. I don't agree with all aspects of their discussion, but the focus of support and success was a very important one. So, who in your life is helping you succeed at weight loss? Is it your spouse, a special friend, or just some Jimmy Joe Sue bob you met on the street?

For me that special person is my wife and son! Reason being, she got a head start and is a great example. When I had my surgery, she was there for me. When I hit that roadblock or stall, she was and is there for me. Every time I ask or suggested that we try this or experiment with that, she is there for me! So who helps and supports me...my wife! RJ is a great motivating factor in my life. He supports, defends, and even is ready to help me exercise. I think he might go on to be a Drill Seargent! He's got the voice for it!

Who is that special group...Well duh! It's you guys! With the wealth of knowledge that you have, the compassion, the support. I will put this group on the Tennessee Forum up against anyone in the world. Simply because...YOU ROCK!

SO my question is this? Who helps you stay accountable?

Have a great day!

It's gonna be a wild ride!

Happy New Year friends! Well Christmas has come and gone, the New Year is here and it was snowing just a minute ago. Something tells me we are in for a wild year!

Christmas seems like a faded memory, something that happened a few months ago, never mind last week. I have just finished editing my photos from the holidaze, and have posted them on FLICKR. You can click here if you are interested in seeing what true chaos is. I was really proud of a few of them. The one below is of Beth, me and my sister Melissa. Beth is 6 months out from surgery, and both my sister and myself are less that 2 weeks out. Dad really put things in perspective when he said that between the 3 of us and RJ, we have lost over 300 lbs. this year alone. All I can say is…”WAIT TILL NEXT CHRISTMAS”.

Every thing is going well with my surgery. The pain pretty much does not exist at this point. I am learning to eat all over again. As of this post, I am on full liquids, but rapidly approaching the pureed stage. Let’s get a Hip Hip Hooray for mushy foods. I wonder what it will be like to actually chew food again. I have caught myself though. RJ came through the room with some Cheetos the other day. I grabbed one and then thought about it. Yes, the Cheeto went back and did not cross the lips of my liquid diet! Yeah for me!

Another aspect of the surgery I am dealing with is “head hunger”. This ugly monster rears its nasty head at the most inopportune moments. Such as when you are driving down the road and all the fast food restaurants are calling your name! You know what I mean! Burger King says you can have it your way. Mickey D’s screams you deserve a break today. And Dairy Queen, don’t even get me started about their Blizzards!

But guess what? I am going to make it! No, I am not Superman, nor have I found his energy. But I am going to make it. I have decided that I am going to be a Loser with a capital L. So stand back, move to the side, or jump on this guys train, because I am coming through!

Have a great week!

Party, Party, Party!

Well, that pretty much sums up this week! Beth, (my wife), has come to the conclusion the more weight you lose, the more active your social life becomes. Sorry, no true data to back up that hypothesis, but it sure feels like it’s true. At least this last week does!

Let’s see, where do we begin…..last Saturday (12/8). We started the day with R.J.’s football banquet at 11:00. A fantastic time was had by all at the Hendersonville Skating Rink. Even I put on a pair of skates. It was fun except for two different thoughts:

1) Big people should not have wheels attached to their feet. Wheels belong on automobiles.
2) The day after skating, you no longer feel 48. You wake up wondering if this is what an 88 year old feels like!

After skating, R.J. had children’s choir practice. They performed their Christmas program at church the next day. Sorry the pictures did not turn out. The lighting was very dim. He did a wonderful job! I’m very happy he feels good about attending New Life. From there, we prepared for our Weight Loss Surgery Christmas Party. I don’t know how many people were there, but we lost 2196 lbs. Over a ton lost. YEAH!!!!!

Now, that was just Saturday! I won’t go into the details, but it sure seems like everyday is just as busy! Is this due to weight loss? I don’t know. What I do know is this, As we lose weight, our energy level skyrockets! In the 12 years Beth and I have been together, I have never seen her so active. I think I like! Maybe I will be able to keep up with her after mine. Who know?

Well, I’m off to get ready for the next round of what ever. I guess I need to check my social calendar. Wow, I’ve never had one of those. Maybe Beth’s hypothesis is correct!

Have a great day!

Random thoughts while wondering what to do with turkey innards!

OMG (Oh My Goodness!) What a weekend!

We laughed, we cried, we threatened to hurt someone, we were cranky, we were tired, we ate, ate and ate! Then we hugged and said, “When can we do this again?” What a weekend!

We left Wed. morning for Phenix City, Al. (pop.:30,067). What normally would have been a 5 ½ hour drive, turned into a 9 hour drive! Water, water everywhere and nair a drop to drink! Yes folks, the rain followed us to Alabama. I was really proud of Beth and RJ though. Beth ended up doing most of the driving. If you know anything about my wife, you know that she will normally fall asleep during any long distance car rides. And as for RJ, he did great! He only waited 3 ½ hours before he uttered the words no parent wants to hear on a road trip…”ARE WE THERE YET?”. Other than an occasional I’m bored, we never heard that phrase again. The people who make duct tape need to be commended for their contribution to society! Me, I tried to sleep. The only thing that kept me awake though, was the rain!

We had a lot of fun spending time with Kris, Dave and the kids! Altogether, there were 10 humans, 4 dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree this weekend! The kids got along quite well. Between skate boards and video games, I don’t think the kids even knew we were there! I don’t think I have ever seen my SIL (Kris) and my niece (Michelle) laugh so much! The 3 of us played a music trivia game called “Song burst”. The object of the game is to complete the lyrics to a song, as one person reads a line from the song. Try it sometimes; it’s not as easy as it sounds. Oh yeah, it was music from the 70/80’s era. We decided that if it included music from 1910, Beth’s dad might have a chance! Sorry Bob!

Thanksgiving Day was an assortment of unbelievable fun, food and fellowship! Oh yeah, did I mention food? As a WLS (pre-op) candidate, I never knew how much food plays an important part of our lives? What I did not realize was the amount of food we consume at a gathering like this! Beth, once again did phenomenal! She tried a little of most stuff, including an olive stuffed with a habanera pepper! Uncle Bubba (Beth’s brother), accidentally gave her a very hot olive! Her stomach pouch (commonly called Alice, in reference to Alice doesn’t live here anymore) was not too happy! Yes friends, she did spit it out. I feel I did pretty well at dinner; it was desserts that became my downfall! Yes there were too many, and I had to sample all of them at least twice! In my mind I kept hearing my WLS friends saying “Bad Scott, Bad Scott” or something like an n obnoxious car alarm blaring, “Step away from the Pecan Pie, Green Jell-O…” I believe you get the message. Never say you will never do something! It always comes back and bites you! I said I would never participate in “Last Meal syndrome”. Guess what? I did. In my shallow mind I kept thinking this would be the last time I could have these good desserts. Now believe me, I know better! I just need to remind myself of the goal. Okay, enough about food, let’s talk about weight gain! Beth did not gain a pound, hooray for her! Me on the other hand, put on 7 pounds! Score: Last Meal Syndrome 7 – Scott 0.

Friday was an experience in itself! I have never participated in Black Friday on a scale of this proportion. We got up at 3:30 a.m. Nashville time, in order to arrive at the malls by 5:00! I will say this, it was enjoyable. I only ran into a few employees that were flustered and rude. The bad part, we did not find the one gift we were looking for, “Monopoly with the electronic banker”. Hopefully it will be back in stock before Christmas. Did you notice I did not say in time for Santa Claus? Yep, RJ has come to the conclusion that Santa does not exist. How do I feel about that? I don’t really know. I have been one of Santa’s helpers for 32 years. For my son to say he does not exist is kind of crushing. In reality, I know he’s growing up (way to fast), and it will be Okay! It’ll take time for me though! Beth walked the entire time we were in the shopping fray and did wonderful. To put here weight loss in perspective, I had her hold onto a 25 lb weight. Now multiply that by 5 and that is what she has lost.

What am I thankful for...FAMILY!

OMG!(Oh My Goodness!) What a weekend! My only comment is this…”When can we do it again?”

If you are interested; I have added the following recipes to my food blog. Just click on the recipe and follow the link.

Scary Sweet Sugar Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

It’s good to be home!
Have a great week!

Oh yeah! This is just for you Kris!

I couldn't resist! Thanks for having us this weekend!