(Me in 2003 with baby Juli) That when I (and my husband) was going in to have my gastric bypass surgery, my kids were just little things or not even born yet. My daughter that's allowing me to share (we have two doing this) -- she was born in 2002 and I had surgery in 2004. She was just a toddler, in fact, I weaned her literally the day I went in for surgery. She went on vacation with the inlaws and allowed me to relax post op instead of worrying about picking up, putting down. Her entire childhood has... Continue reading

In her own words from her post with typos! (I will add my experiences of these processes as the Parent-Of-Patients soon. I HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY. It’s very hard to find time to write like I used to— I have been waiting for my smallest child to settle down and not find him on a ceiling fan. This is being posted from the bathroom, with him.) Anyway — her quick post from yesterday — Update: About four months ago I made a huge decision that is going impact the rest of my life; I started to take part in... Continue reading

Weight Loss Surgery Changes the Way Our Bodies Sense Food. Bariatric surgery alters patterns of digestion and absorption lower in the gut triggering production of higher levels of gut hormones, altering the way the gut senses food and nutrients. Continue reading

Gastric bypass surgery causes type 2 diabetes to go into remission in most patients. A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) has found that three quarters of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who were treated with obesity surgery known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) experienced diabetes remission within one year of treatment. Continue reading

Shopping for a prom dress is never fun. Nope. Never. No. At least that's the impression I have always had. I have been through three prom dress purchases with my own girls (and two of my own) -- and I'll tell you -- it would simply be a lot easier to slide into a size __ (...after trying on countless!) rather than having to dig through a vvveeerrrrrry limited number of plus-sized dresses and only getting to try on one or two. All the girls in the dressing room are picking up size zeroes and twos and fours and some... Continue reading

It appears you have to pay to keep your blog active. Hello. *tap tap, is this thing on?* Continue reading

Baby Shark does what? A post shared by MMBBGC (@mmbbgc) on Apr 12, 2018 at 3:17am PDT I will find you, BABY SHARK makers. This is the first child of mine with early knowledge of YouTube. This kid (like millions out there, is obsessed with toy unboxing videos, specifically dinosaurs if you wanted to know...) and it's all. on. YouTube. Thousands of toy unboxing videos, from around the globe, made ... badly. With the same background music. "Look at this VELOCIRAPTOR! LET'S CHECK OUT THE SET!" I did not even know This Was A Thing, and I used to Make... Continue reading

I didn't make a 12 or 13 year update? Really? It might be the distracted distraction: It occured to me that I don't have photos to share, partly because I have been sitting at the same. exact. weight. (within five or so pounds) for two-and-a-half years (*see distraction) and there's really nothing to update in that aspect. I started "this journey" more than 15 years ago. My highest weight was 320 pounds. I have reached a low weight of 145 lbs, once. I gained over 210 lbs. while pregnant in 2006 and 2015. I have spent the majority of the... Continue reading

There was a time, long long ago, where I'd buy a bag of glazed mini-donuts and They Were My Crack. That waxy chocolate covering -- and cakey interior -- a carby, sugary calorie death. This is not that product. That is what triggered me to PICK IT UP. These "Protein Cake Bites" look suspiciously like a carby-sweet product on the packaging, but I'm going to tell you IT IS A TRICK. What I found were miniature waxy glazed protein pucks. The outside is a white yogurt covering with sprinkles, leading to a thick and pasty protein center. (Not cake. Disappointment.)... Continue reading

IS THIS GOING TO CHANGE MY 23 & ME?! CHICAGO – As Roux-en-Y bariatric surgery changes eating habits and transforms a patient's gut, different levels of gene expression that emerge post-surgery may provide clues for new type 2 diabetes treatments, researchers suggested here. In preliminary findings, Margaret Stefater, MD, PhD, a fellow at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, reported that intestinal genetic fingerprinting using gene-chip microarray technology may predict clinical outcomes, with the degree of those outcomes tied to intestinal gene expression signatures. Stefater reported on 19 patients during a press conference at ENDO 2018, remarking that gene expression changes... Continue reading

So my big kids are off in college. (It's been a while since we chatted, internet?) My boy is seeking side photography jobs - and Instagram follows. Follow him and connect via: Finally got my new Zeiss 24mm f1.8! The next few posts will be from my shoot with @crosbyevan using the new lens. #inspirationcultmag #streetdreamsmag #urbanandstreet #streets_vision #streetleaks #citylimitless #thecreatorclass #photography #sony #instagood #fstoppers #killyourcity #citykillerz #illgramers #way2ill #agameoftones #urbex #createexplore #exploretocreate #streetactivityteam #streetdreamsmag #neverstopexploring #ig_masterpiece #ig_exquisite #ig_shotz #global_hotshotz #superhubs #main_vision #master_shots #exclusive_shots A post shared by Nolan Badore (@nolanbadore) on Mar 19, 2018 at 5:48am PDT Continue reading

A portion of the proceeds from this record will be going to the March For Our Lives Initiative. Donate now at https://marchforourlives.com/. Download/Stream: https://Atlantic.lnk.to/FoundTonightID Lin-Manuel Miranda & Ben Platt Found/Tonight Continue reading

And guess what. I refuse. Again. Resolutions fail. And we PAY PEOPLE to help us fail. Suck on that WEIGHT WATCHERS AND YOUR ZERO POINTS PLAN. (AIN'T NOBODY CAN EAT THAT MUCH CHICKEN OR FRUIT COCKTAIL AND NOT GAIN WEIGHT.) It's 2018. I have not blogged in for-ever. Here's something. I've maintained this exact weight for two years. (173 lbs since Elliott was born GOD DAMN IT) I keep saying that "...if I would just exercise again" I'd be at goal weight immediately. That is truth -- I have just spent the time peeling my most hyperactive child (of mine)... Continue reading

ONE IN FIVE. ONE. IN. FIVE. http://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(17)30152-1/fulltext One in five patients who undergo one of the most popular weight-loss surgical procedures is likely to develop problems with alcohol, with symptoms sometimes not appearing until years after their surgery, according to one of the largest, longest-running studies of adults who got weight-loss surgery. The finding -- reported online today in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, the journal of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery -- indicates that bariatric surgery patients should receive long-term clinical follow-up to monitor for and treat alcohol use disorder, which includes alcohol abuse and... Continue reading

I am in my third month of sciatica pain, the kind that makes you consider stomach ulcerations by taking All Of The Ibuprofen In The House over the course of the last twelve weeks. After two or three urgent care appointments and an orthopaedic doctor visit, I saw my primary care doctor and asked her what I could do. I am no longer able to walk normally, lay down or sit. It is a bit ridiculous how stupid this pain is, if I sit (like right his very moment) it takes me quite a long time to get out of... Continue reading

The Doctors welcome Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Frank Chae and his patient Cindy. “I have had an incredibly positive experience with my device,“ says Cindy. After her vBLOC was inserted, she lost 45 pounds in 11 months. Dr. Chae recommends the device for patients who are not only overweight but on verge of type 2 diabetes or suffering from hypertension or disease. Continue reading

Special Issues for Women After Bariatric Weight-Loss Surgery. Special Issues for Women After Bariatric Weight-Loss Surgery Diane E. Judge, APN/CNP Be prepared to prevent or delay pregnancy and maintain bone health. Bariatric surgery — operations such as gastric sleeve, gastric band, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass that change the digestive tract — has enabled many obese people to approach and maintain a healthy weight while controlling life-threatening obesity-related medical conditions like heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, and high blood pressure. More than half of those who have benefitted from bariatric surgery are women, mostly in their childbearing years. If you are... Continue reading

Mama June: From Not to Hot premieres Feb. 24 at 10 p.m. ET on WEtv. (Nice name.) Continue reading

Don't shoot the messenger, I'm sharing this for my blog's historical reference because it's AMAZING INFORMATION -- and even if you "don't agree," because it's not your experience, it's science! Via New York Times - https://nyti.ms/2kBVirc “Bariatric surgery is probably the most effective intervention we have in health care,” says Laurie K. Twells, a clinical epidemiologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She bases this bold claim on her experience with seriously obese patients and a detailed analysis of the best studies yet done showing weight-loss surgery’s ability to reverse the often devastating effects of being extremely overweight on health and... Continue reading

Bariatric Advantage Multi Chewy Bite Strawberry Watermelon I tore into this package IN PARTICULAR out of all the bags that came my way - and all I am going to say right now because I am sleep deprived and losing my mind is Y - E - S. These little foil-wrapped multivitamin chews may very well solve my problems and save the world. (Am I allowed to say that? I DON'T CARE. I AM TIRED.) Bariatric Advantage? Please create caffeine vitamins so that future reviews make sense. These little fruity-chew-Starburst-esque bites have nearly all the multivitamins a bariatric patient needs,... Continue reading

If you have been following me since Ye Olden Days Of WLS (I had roux en y gastric bypass in 2004, and I've blogged and been on social media since 2005), you will know this is my second go 'round with this product. (Or here is to hoping it is the same product I adored back in days of old.) Proti Wafers. I think I called them "Sugar Wafers, Only Better" in my very first review which I can no longer find. Sent to me from netrition, I have a box of Proti Wafers in my choice - vanilla. Netrition's... Continue reading

I've been food journaling. Here is the damage. That's about 1500 - 1700 calories a day, with nearly everything in my apathy diet included. I am remaining in the 170 - 173 pound spot. Obviously, this calorie range keeps me squarely in this weight range. (I have been here for a year and a half?) I go from 170 to 175. I get excited to see 1-6-9, and then, poof, right back into 170's. I have always shared (in my BBGC support group) that I believe in 10 - 12 calories per pound maintains my size. Which also means, if... Continue reading

I know I promised to write a bariatric approved product review. But first, this that showed up in my suggested Google links. Girl, what are you thinking? Why are we flopping our fupa all over the Instagram and sharing/errr selling it to The Sun UK? We know that shit is real. (Did she really make a single account for, um, skin?) For a moment I am tempted to pull out the skin I AM IN -- you know -- IN POST WEIGHT LOSS SOLIDARITY, after losing 170 pounds and having two babies and start a fupa social media campaign. But,... Continue reading

I signed on with a company to do a monthly product review of bariatric-approved products. My first product arrived this weekend, and in the spirit of full disclosure before I even start the review I have to tell you (...before I laugh, cry, or other?) that I hand-picked the first product because I know I like it. It's something I used to promote back in The Day of Blogging. (I do not know when the day ended, but it's no longer that day.) The reason I am oversharing with you -- is because -- when I sniffed around the blog... Continue reading

One of the first "rules" (....bahahahaha, rules?) of gastric bypass I learned early on - was not to add concentrated sources of extra calories where they were totally unnecessary. A food that qualifies the unnecessary category for me is - peanut butter and nuts. I don't like peanut butter, so I was not bothered by not enjoying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after weight loss surgery. However, one of the other things you learn later on is YOU NEED EXTRA FAT SOMETIMES. To, uh, make your body work, and to make your skin not fall off. (This is just... Continue reading