Bariatric Bad Girls Club

I am now officially 18 months post op.  That magic window that I have spoken of before is closing and closing fast.  I have always advocated that Weight Loss Surgery is not a quick bandaid approach to losing weight.  If you treat it as such - you will still lose the weight - but then you are at risk of putting it all right back on.  Because of the surgery - you will lose weight - and a lot of it.  But your body (I still marvel at our bodies and how they adjust to things - smaller stomach - missing organs, etc...) will adjust to a smaller stomach and re-routed intestines. You may stop dumping when you eat too much sugar or carbs - your little pouch may stretch a bit to accomodate more food - or you and your brain may figure out how to bypass the signals that your body is telling you you have eaten too much or the wrong things.  I mean - let's face it - I didn't get fat by accident people.  I ate - and ate - and ate.  And to be honest - there are days even now that I can get around the rules and eat quite a few things that I couldn't before - and eat all day if I time it right.  I still dump, but it takes more sugar for me to dump than it did before and I'm still unpredictable at it.  I can't eat a lot at one time, but if I time it right I could snack all day long and get in a ton of calories.

So the question becomes - what am I going to do about it?  I've lost about 115 pounds.  I would love to lose about 10 more.  I am down to a size 10 (I have even managed to squeeze into a few size 8's - but the extra skin makes it quite difficult).  I don't want to go back to the land of size 26 !  I don't even want to go back to size 12 or 14! I want this to stick - I want to take what I have learned over the past 18 months and make it work for me.

So that is where the Bariatric Bad Girls come in.  They are a group of wonderful women I have come to know (and quite honestly stalk!) who have are several years out from surgery.  They have lost the weight - and some of them have gained a little back - but they have lived to tell the story.  They do have the occassional slip in behavior - but they are committed to keeping the weight off.  These are the women I identify with - they don't sugar coat life.  In fact, they sometimes have sugar!!!  OH NO!  But then they get back on the band wagon - and they get back to the business of living the post bariatric surgery life.  I love it.  I am so with them.

The Obesity Action Coalition has been formed as a way to educate people about obesity and it's effects on our lives.  The Obesity Action Coalition is an IRS registered 501(c)3 National non profit organization dedicated to giving a voice to those affected by obesity. The OAC was formed to build a nationwide coalition of those affected to become active advocates and spread the important message of the need for obesity education. To increase obesity education, the OAC offers a wide variety of free educational resources on obesity, morbid obesity and childhood obesity, in addition to consequences and treatments of these conditions. The OAC also conducts a variety of advocacy efforts throughout the U.S. on both the National and state levels, and encourages individuals to become proactive advocates.

The Bariatric Bad Girls Club has come up with a way to donate some money for the OAC.  They have created a bracelet that you can purchase for just $5 and proudly display your membership in the BBGC!  Part of the procedes go to the OAC to help promote Obesity action and awareness.  I have a link for purchasing the bracelets on the right of my page.  Click on and join the cause to bring more awareness!  I know it can be a touchy subject - it was for me for many a year, but my sister reminded me of something recently when I had to have my kidney removed.  She said "Can you imagine having to do this 115 pounds ago?"  Yeah - kinda brings a lot into perspective for me.  :)