Thanksgiving Update !

Well, here I am again!

A day late and a dollar short. Sorry about the lack of blog enteries lately. It's been really hectic around the O'Neal house. I'm just glad football is over. The downside to that is...I have 1 week to get all the DVD's and Calendars ready for the banquet. One of these days, I'm gonna learn to say NO!!!!!


We had a great day at my parents house on Thanksgiving. I really have to give my mom and dad a lot of credit! They have been my biggest cheerleaders during this weight loss journey. I truly believe we all need that!


It was also an oppurtunity to get together with my sister and brother and theor respective families! Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that my sister got married, and now she tells me she and Jim have been married for 27 years! What's up with that!


Anyway, when Beth, Melissa and I get together, we take a pic, just to journal the progress we have made. Below is a progression since last Christmas.














Oh yeah, in the first picture I was at 315 pounds (my highest was 365). In the last picture I am at 189 pounds! My lowest since about 4th grade!


I'll be posting more pictures later today. We are getting ready to g to Church, and then I'm taking RJ to the movies. This will give Beth a little time to herself. We are going to see "4 Christmases".


I will say this...next year at Thanksgiving, I'm going shopping! I have spent the last 3 days painting our living room! YUCK! More to come...

Turkey Day Strategies

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY
WITHOUT all the GUILTY FEELINGS

No need to beat yourself up; just follow these ideas for a healthy balance, and a guilt free day.

Burn extra calories beforehand

1)If you have a workout routine, add a few minutes of walking or other cardiovascular exercise to it between now and Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a workout routine, a simple daily walk is a great thing to start.
2)You can also burn extra calories during your daily routine. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk during lunch; park further away from the office or at the far end of the parking lot (usually a normal option this time of the year) when shopping; and walk in place, do crunches or lift hand weights while watching television.

Turkey Day eating strategies

We know this is a hard thing to do, but don’t come to Thanksgiving dinner with an empty stomach. Eat small meals earlier in the day so that you don't come to the Thanksgiving meal hungry.

Instead of trying to limit yourself to one serving, take a small serving so you can have seconds. Fill up on things like turkey, vegetables or other dishes that are lower in fats and calories.

Prioritize your desserts. Allow yourself to have dessert, but ask this: "What do I really like and where do I want to spend my calories?" Don’t just fill up the plate. If you like everything, take small (bite sized) portions of everything.

Finally, try to take a brief walk before Thanksgiving dinner and a short walk afterwords. It’ll keep your metabolism going.

Remember – don’t beat yourself up if you go a little overboard. Just work harder before and after the holiday! Remember this is not a good time to start a weight loss program.

The best idea is to simply work to maintain your current weight. If you manage that you are a winner.

Turkey Day Strategies

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY

WITHOUT all the GUILTY FEELINGS

No need to beat yourself up; just follow these ideas for a healthy balance, and a guilt free day.

Burn extra calories beforehand

1)If you have a workout routine, add a few minutes of walking or other cardiovascular exercise to it between now and Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a workout routine, a simple daily walk is a great thing to start.
2)You can also burn extra calories during your daily routine. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk during lunch; park further away from the office or at the far end of the parking lot (usually a normal option this time of the year) when shopping; and walk in place, do crunches or lift hand weights while watching television.

Turkey Day eating strategies

We know this is a hard thing to do, but don’t come to Thanksgiving dinner with an empty stomach. Eat small meals earlier in the day so that you don't come to the Thanksgiving meal hungry.

Instead of trying to limit yourself to one serving, take a small serving so you can have seconds. Fill up on things like turkey, vegetables or other dishes that are lower in fats and calories.

Prioritize your desserts. Allow yourself to have dessert, but ask this: "What do I really like and where do I want to spend my calories?" Don’t just fill up the plate. If you like everything, take small (bite sized) portions of everything.

Finally, try to take a brief walk before Thanksgiving dinner and a short walk afterwords. It’ll keep your metabolism going.

Remember – don’t beat yourself up if you go a little overboard. Just work harder before and after the holiday! Remember this is not a good time to start a weight loss program.

The best idea is to simply work to maintain your current weight. If you manage that you are a winner.

Gobble, Gobble!

Just a short update to wish each and everyone one of you a"Happy Thanksgiving Day"!

May this coming year be a BLESSED year full of happiness, compassion for your fellow man, and an overwhelming desire to live life to it's fullest!

Now, step away from the table before you eat to much!




"Happy Gobble Day!"

Bariatric TV: The new station is on!

I'll say it every week:

"You Freaks Rock!"

Hey Bald Is Beautiful readers (all 3 of you), if you have not seen BTV, you need to check it out! Toni & Lynda are awesome. They put the 411 out the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Wait a minute, I think they could make a movie by that name! Clint Eastwood could play a weight loss surgery patient. "Go ahead Protein, make my day!" Sorry, I couldn't resist.

If you don't see yourself in the way they define FREAKS, that's OK. I myself felt as if these 2 were spying on me it was so real!

Anyway, you need to hop over to their site and check out each of the episodes so far! Especially the definitions of FREAKS! There are only 4 so far. New ones come out each Friday.

www.bariatrictv.com

Toni & Lynda, keep up the good work!

Bald-Is-Beautiful loves ya!

Here are the links to episodes so far:

#1 What is BTV, Melting Mama and a protein drink recipe.

#2 Why am I a FREAK?

#3 Protein Protein, Protein

#4 Peer Support Baby

3 to 1 !

When I had my surgery, I was given the following rule of thumb:

"Eat your protein first, then if you have room for anything else, go for it (green beans, etc...)."

Then at a support group meeting one night I heard the ratio we should be following when loading our plates should be "80% protein, 20% other". Now both of these rules are really good and steadfast ways, but sometimes my math challenged brain gets in the way. I find it hard to discern how much of this, and how much of that!

While watching my new favorites in the world of WLS Video's (Bariatric TV: Lynda and Toni !) I learned a whole new process!

When eating, don't worry about bringing out the calculator to figure percentages. Eat 3 bites of protein for every one bite of good carbs! WOW, how simple is that!

An example would be:
3 bites of chicken - 1 bite of green beans
3 bites of fish - 1 bite of broccoli

I think you get the idea! So the next time you sit down to dinner, remember the rules that your Doc or Nut has set forth:
small bites, chew, set the fork down between bites, and the new one 3 to 1!

Have a good day!

2 New Websites

Morning All!

Yesterday while enjoying a day off, Veterans Day, I am a State employee! I played around on the web a while and found 2 relatively new websites. One was very inspirational and the other just down right amusing yet full of knowledge!

Inspirational: Weight Loss Surgery Channel
Really nice website that post a 90 video clip daily to inspire and help us in our Weight Loss journey.

Amusing: Bariatric TV
2 of the cutest and funniest people I have seen in a long time. Both have had WLS and use their knowledge and humor to keep us going! Check out episode #2 and tell me if you are a freak! I proudly proclaim I am!!!!! In fact, I am reveling in my Freakedness!

Have fun!