Sweet Pee

Hold on tight. Mine went south. Happy to say they are pointing north again!!!

Yes! I want to hold on to my boobs...Now if my husband would just let go first.....; )- ha no seriously I'm with ya! And if they make a disappearing act I will just replace them with Two younger models! Boom! Done!

I am extremely happy with my results. I used Dr. Victor Gutierrez in Tijuana Mexico. I never met a doctor as caring, dedicated and knowledgeable.

I enjoy all sizes.

I love how you made an appointment with a counselor to get help because you noticed you were slipping into old habits.
You are "Bold and Beautiful" just like your snazzy Red Purse.

Day 1: I had the pre-made green smoothie from the store.
Day 2: I made my own. - Prune juice, flax seeds, Protein Powder, kale, cucumber, orange, and apple. - SO yummy!

I have accepted the 31 Day "Fitter not Fatter" Challenge for the month of December. (Green smoothie Girl) I have challenged myself to drinking at least 1 Green smoothie a day for this month. Please sign up with me. I would love to have everyone's support. You can even get a little fitter and a bit healthier as well.
The link below will explain how to join.
http://greensmoothiegirl.com/31-days/
(Day 1). I went to Krogers Grocery store this morning and bought a green smoothie already made. I did not have time to blend this morning. I plan on drinking this and eating my normal meals through out the day.
Happy blending!!!!!

I hope all went well with your surgery:-)

In case anyone has already decided, on this site there is a "Cyber Monday" special of $3,299 for dr. Jesus Lopez.

It sucks to make yourself get up and do it when you hurt. And I can only guess that you do. I certainly did almost 100 pounds ago. At some point, I had to decide what I wanted more... To be one with my sheets, or to get off my @ss and move! I have congenital hip displasia. Pain since my 20's so I'm fairly limited in WHAT I can do without causing more damage. I finally ended up purchasing a high end exercise bike. It sits in my living room in front of my big screen. In the beginning, I motivated myself by starting a new fairly addictive Netflix series and only allowing myself to watch it from the bike. Believe it or not, Breaking Bad helped me break my bad habit of inactivity! I HAD to know what happened next!
Today, with several more series I wanted to see behind me, I get up at 4:30 am and spend 45-60 min pedaling away enjoying some TV. My motivation now is how it makes me feel when I DO vs when I DON'T. My day is just not right if I don't start it by sweating. I feel heavy and lethargic, my brain seems "slower" and have to watch what I eat much closer as I don't have the extra 400ish calories to play with. And I DON'T like to live like I'm on a diet! At some point you have to stop wishing for what you want and TAKE IT! It's there for you, you just have to decide how badly you want it!

Greetings! Don't worry about "working out" right now. Just think about adding some movement. Baby steps if you will. It will all help. Sit up in bed, and do arm raises over your head, arm circles out to the side. add a little weight when you can to make it a little harder. Sit on the side of your bed and go from sitting to standing as many times as you can during commercial breaks. It all counts. Every little bit counts. As the weight comes off you will be able to do more and more. You can do this!

I think you have received great advice.
I equate TV watching with "mind numbing". It is a way to not face the world. For me, obesity and over eating did that too. Somehow, I experienced the world a little more dull, a little less intensely on a full (over full) stomach. one of the huge adjustments for me over the last 3 years has been getting used to "feeling" EVERYTHING. It is calming down a lot now, but i tell you I had no idea how strong the pull of "numbing" things were for me (TV, movies, internet, computer games, reading way too many books etc.)
I theorize you don't lack motivation, but rather your emotional state feels a lot safer in bed hiding behind your TV.
Even after being at goal for a while, living a very active lifestyle, every once in a while i have a day where i crawl in bed after work with my kindle and bury myself in netflix, Facebook and other mindless activities. I feel blessed that is the minority of the time, not the majority.
As a practical matter, have you considered disconnecting cable? Or at least moving the TV out of the bedroom. That might encourage behavior change.
Good luck - I really don't think this is about your "lack of motivation". I suspect there is more going on here. It has been my experience that obese people have LOTS of motivation and willpower, they just aren't always successful at how they use it/deploy it.

Have you been evaluated for depression and/or thyroid issues? When my thyroid levels are off, I struggle with getting out of bed. Depression can also make it really hard to motivate yourself.

Motivation doesn't come for many of us until we start seeing some reward for our actions. Our actions don't come until we see that motivation. It's a vicious cycle that only YOU can break.

Give yourself permission to lay in bed. Give yourself permission to watch TV. Give yourself permission to do the things you think you want to do instead of moving your body. Make those your rewards, though, instead of your alternatives.

There is nothing I enjoy more than settling into the corner of my couch with the fireplace on reading a trashy novel. I could and would do it all day easily. I have a business to run, kids to feed, a house to clean, a husband to nag, too, though. When I am feeling really overwhelmed and low (which I am quite sure you are feeling right now), it's almost impossible to do anything but lay in that comfy corner.

My solution? The timer on my phone. I set it for 15 minutes and in that time, I have to mark at least one thing off my to-do list. It might be cleaning, it might be a power walk around the block with the dog, or it might be prepping dinner. When the timer on my phone sounds, I give myself 15 minutes or so back on the couch, and repeat. Most of the time I am able to push myself to get more than one thing done and work a little longer than the 15. If I can't, I can't and I give myself permission to "reward" myself as long as I get up again when the buzzer goes off. It sounds simplistic, but it's a very easy system that I have trained myself to go by when I need to.

One hundred plus pounds less of me, I find that I rarely need to use this system any more.
I won't say it's easy, but I will say it's worth it.

Here's a little secret: it's not motivation that makes us take action, it's actually the reverse.
If you act--in this case, do some movement, even 30 seconds--the motivation will kick in.
For years I thought that I had to find my motivation in order to start in on movement or diet. I had to "gear up" to my next weight loss program...get in the mood, wait for that "click" in my brain, before I embarked on that diet.
After my band, I realized that the motivation happens AFTER I just start moving around.
So don't wait until you hear motivation knocking. It doesn't work that way for most of us. Just act, do, move. Force yourself to get out and walk, even if it just one block. You'll see...that will kickstart your motivation.

Good morning. I have been there before and it's a terrible feeling. Sadly while you are in that frame of mind not one person around you really gets it either. The only one who can help you is you. You should put in bold big writing some positive affirmations on paper and tape to the wall directly where you would look while laying in bed as well as other places. Such as; YOU CAN DO THIS, GET MOVING, YOU NEED THIS, I WANT TO LIVE, FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, I LOVE MYSELF, YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL etc. These are just some examples. Just make sure there all around you where ever you go in your house and say them outloud as you read them everytime you look at one. The idea is to eventually believe it so you can put it into your actions. Even if right now you don't feel that way but its all about changing your perception of yourself and your situation. Also it's all about baby steps to start. When you think that way at least sit up or stand up and walk to another part of house. You dont have to start with 30 minutes. Start with one or three minutes and just increase by minutes every other day and before you know it you WILL be doing 30 or more minutes eventually. It all starts in your mind. Also try watching motivational things on tv while laying down. Shows of a positive nature. I hope this helps you and I pray you find the strength to dig deep inside and change you into who you want to be. YOUR WORTH IT AND DESERVE TO FEEL HAPPY. God bless you.

OK ... I did it. I joined. Now ... I just have to get used to kale.

O.O

Please keep us updated on this. This sounds like a great thing.

gotta figure in Protein to make it happen. Thanks. joined up with you!!!

Week one recipes:
After you join you will also get this email sent to you. (Link Below)
This email was sent to me last night. These recipes include adding Protein. Although I do not currently have that particular brand of Protein powder on these recipes, I do plan on using my own brand that I already have on hand.
http://greensmoothiegirl.com/31-days/recipes/week-1/
Happy blending!!!

I have accepted the 31 Day "Fitter not Fatter" Challenge for the month of December. (Green smoothie Girl) I have challenged myself to drinking at least 1 Green smoothie a day for this month. Please sign up with me. I would love to have everyone's support. You can even get a little fitter and a bit healthier as well.
The link below will explain how to join.
http://greensmoothiegirl.com/31-days/
(Day 1). I went to Krogers Grocery store this morning and bought a green smoothie already made. I did not have time to blend this morning. I plan on drinking this and eating my normal meals through out the day.
Happy blending!!!!!

I accepted too Sweet Pea! This is just what i needed to help get through the holidays!

There is a significant amount of variability as to how much weight people lose following weight loss surgery. Research indicates that up to 20% of patients fail to lose the expected amount of weight following surgery. While there are surely surgical and medical explanations for this outcome, patient behavior has also been shown to play a role. Therefore, it is important for anyone having surgery to anticipate and understand factors under their control to improve outcome.


I often tell patients, “The surgery does what the surgery does.” What I mean by this is that weight loss surgery almost certainly will affect how much food you can eat, but may do little to change what you eat. Weight loss surgery does not make you suddenly crave healthier and less caloric food. You have to make those choices for yourself. Additionally, while losing weight may make it easier for you to adopt a more active lifestyle, surgery itself will not make you suddenly fall in love with exercise. So making health behavior changes in addition to having surgery remains critical. So what specific health behavior changes have been shown to improve outcome?
1. Document what you eat – Many people strongly dislike writing down what they eat but there is evidence that this helps people after weight loss surgery as it does with non-surgical approaches. The reason is likely that documenting what you eat gives you valuable information about your behavior and allows you to make changes when necessary. Consider that your actual weight is the end product of what you eat, so weighing yourself gives you the results, but not the information necessary to make changes. For many, weighing themselves is a pass-fail exam. Either I’m a good boy or a bad boy. Consider that you can’t actually change your weight…you change what you eat and/or exercise, and that is what helps change your weight.
Many people seem to have little or no objection to weighing themselves so why do so many people despise writing down what they eat? Writing down what you eat is the truth teller. It forces you to acknowledge what you are doing. To avoid seeing the truth, you can either change what you eat or stop writing it down. Unfortunately, many people choose the latter. The good news is that in the smartphone era, there are literally dozens of apps and other technological devices that can make documenting your food and activity level extremely easy. If you do a little research you can find one that is right for you.
2. Exercise – You probably saw this one coming as well because it makes sense. Regular exercise is a way of burning calories and losing weight that does not involve changing what you eat. Given how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off, it would be silly not to take advantage of one of the few methods known to work. Ironically, it might not work the way you would expect. Many people who lose weight through exercise notice that it helps them not just by burning off calories, but also by affecting their food choices. In other words, when you discover how difficult it is to burn off 250 calories on a treadmill, you may think twice before having that chocolate bar afterwards. Not everyone finds this effect, but for those who do, it can make a big difference.
When deciding what form of exercise to do, consider that you don’t need to become an Olympiad or a marathon runner. Many of the positive effects of exercise have been documented with just walking 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. If rigorous exercise is enjoyable for you, that’s great. But any time spent engaged in activity is beneficial...especially if you would otherwise be sitting on the couch watching all of those tempting food advertisements on television!
3. Stress Reduction – An increasing amount of research has documented a relationship between stress and weight gain. The obvious connection is that many people use food as a means of comforting themselves from distress, commonly called “emotional eating.” An interesting new discovery is that is that some people who report high levels of stress gain weight even when their calorie intake is unchanged. How is that possible? There is the suggestion that stress hormones and other chemicals may affect how our body metabolizes food and stores food. So even if you’re eating the same foods and the same number of calories, what your body does with those calories can vary.
If you’re going to be successful in reducing stress, you need to begin by discovering what “pushes your buttons” and take steps to change. One first step could be to document the things that you find to be stressful. Sometimes just writing down your problems makes them less frightening now that they’re just words on a page. For other people, writing their sources of stress naturally leads them to write what they might do about them. Another good idea is to investigate some simple stress management techniques. Many refer to them as relaxation or meditation exercises. As discussed earlier, there are a number of excellent smartphone apps and other technology-based methods of relaxation that you can explore. No one is better than the rest so just find one that works for you and begin to incorporate relaxation/meditation into your daily routine. If reducing your stress requires more than practicing relaxation techniques, consider speaking to a psychologist or other mental health professional to get the help you need.
4. Get some sleep – Here’s another suggestion that you’ve probably seen in the media recently. There is growing consensus of an obesity-sleep connection. Like exercise, the benefits of sleep are more than meets the eye. The obvious connection is that if you’re up longer, you become hungrier and are likely to eat late at night. This interpretation is not wrong, however, new research suggests that people who get 7 or more hours of sleep tend to maintain lower weights even when people with fewer hours of sleep consume the same amount of calories. How is that possible? Again, it’s not just how many calories we eat…but what our bodies do with those calories. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are so busy between their work and social lives (not to mention all those tempting television shows) that sleep is not a priority. Just know that making sleep the last priority comes at a cost.
Consider how we train children to sleep. We create a nighttime ritual to ease kids to bed. There’s dinner, wind down time, then bath time, maybe reading a story or two in bed, and then lights out. Many adults however have a terrible routine. Eat a big dinner at 9pm, catch up on emails and pay bills, watch television for an hour or so and then fall asleep on the couch and stumble into bed at 2AM only to have to wake up three or four hours later. Try to change your sleep habits by changing your nighttime ritual. Eat an earlier dinner. Try to pay bills and check your emails at another time. Use the evening as wind down time. Rather than fall asleep on the couch, watch a set amount of television or Internet time and then turn it off and “put yourself to bed.” Begin by trying to go into bed a half-hour early every night for a week and see how you feel. If you notice some improvements in your level of energy, mood, appetite or other factors, see if you can make it permanent.
5. Join a Support Group – Some research has demonstrated that patients who participate in support groups lose and maintain more weight than those who don’t. Of course it may depend on the content of the group and who attends, but adding a social element to your weight loss and weight maintenance goals seems to help. This may relate to the accountability factor discussed earlier. If “we’re all in it together,” there may be more of a commitment to stick to your goals to help out the group. Or perhaps it motivates you not to be the one group member who is falling behind. Either way, participating in support groups seems to have benefits both in terms of weight loss as well as emotional well being after surgery.
There are other suggestions of course, such as improving your diet by reducing carbohydrates in favor of lean Protein and a more plant-based diet. However, for many people, changing their diet can push all of those emotional “diet” buttons; so before you make those changes (or in addition to making those changes), strongly consider some of the changes recommended above. There is evidence that the benefits are additive. For example, many people find that when they exercise, they sleep better and in turn these changes help them manage stress better. The key is to acknowledge whether or not some of the factors above are problem areas for you and to begin making small changes. Sometimes small changes can lead to big results!

Most of the time the cost of plastic surgery in Tijuana, Mexico is going to be very reasonable and competitive, because many plastic surgeons charge about the same give or take 1- 4 thousand dollars. (I could be wrong, but that is just from my own personal research when I was shopping around depending on the procedure and any medical problems). After I found this information out, cost was not such a big deal. I focused on finding the Best plastic surgeon in the Tijuana, because my results were more important than saving a few thousand dollars.
My advice is to search for the best plastic surgeon with the best consistent results.

Israel is also a place that has the best plastic surgeons and medical training. My surgeon is Dr Victor Gutierrez and he received his plastic surgery training there, and now practices surgery in Tijuana Mexico. It makes a huge difference where the plastic surgeon received his training as well. Incisions and sutures does make a huge difference in skin healing. I had all internal sutures and my results are unbelieveable. I guess it is something you have to experience inorder to believe.
Brazilian women have pigment in their skin and beautiful shapely bodies naturally due to their mixes african hearitage that happened hundreds of years ago due to the slave trade. Due to this fact, I am sure plastic surgeons has to be very careful with incisions and sutures because of pigmentation. Plus they know how a women with curves should look. I encourage you to keep searching there. Choose well and I bet you will have wonderful results.