Endurance

Tonight, I made my debut as a "motivational" speaker. I was the guest presenter at my local support group.

The Topic? Exercise. Exercise and the Bariatric Patient. A topic I know well. It was a small group tonight, but I think the presentation went well. Was hoping to get it done in about 30 minutes, ran to 45. Typical of me, run a little longer than I planned. Get it? :-)

Got some bad news today though. The Bariatric Coordinator at our hospital is retiring. Wondering what happens to the group next. We shall see.

Also got a reminder how difficult the post bariatric surgery transition can be. And how our lives can be turned upside down. A friend of mine (yes, Beth, I consider you a friend) announced to the world that she and her husband are divorcing.

http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2011/06/baby-steps.html

Beth, I worry about you, I wish you comfort, I hope things in your life turn out for the best.

And she is not alone. I know of at least 2 others people in the bariatric community that are on the verge of the same thing. (They shall remain nameless at this time.) According to John Pilcher, MD, FACS, “Bariatric surgery patients find themselves having to deal with the sea change that happens in their life as they lose half of their weight, or half of themselves,” says Pilcher. “Their whole relationship with food changes, as do their relationships with spouses or partners, their
family, and their coworkers.”

In the first year after surgery, Pilcher says, patients often find themselves “trying to figure out who this new and different person is that they see in the mirror. Adjusting their self-image is not easy. They know they’re wearing different clothes, and the number on the scale is different but, if they close their eyes, patients tell us that they still picture themselves as fat.”

The divorce rate after weight-loss surgery is extremely high, according to Pilcher. So is the rate of job change.

That’s not always a bad thing. Morbidly obese people, subject to a lifetime of discrimination, often come to feel helpless and accept situations others would not, says Pilcher. “Many patients, through the weight loss, become empowered to get themselves out of situations—work or marriage—that were bad,” he says.

Not everyone is affected in the same way, however. “If a patient in a long-term marriage was a normal weight when the marriage began,” Pilcher says, “that marriage is probably in pretty good shape to withstand the changes following surgery. If the patient was heavy at the time the marriage or the relationship began, however, there’s an 80% to 85% chance that that relationship is going to break up within two years of surgery. (http://rfl.com/Portals/3/PDF/Counseling%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20Patients.pdf)

Makes me glad to think my relationship with Jina is strong. Do we fight? Yeah... who doesn't. But we make it through. Heck, who knows, one day she might even get the bling.

A Day of Mostly Up

So, I am still basking in the glow of the Regional Championship brought home by my Fightin' Texas Aggie Baseball Team yesterday with a 3-0 win over Arizona.

A nice thank you from the team at Starbucks and a welcome back. Been out of my morning Bux routine with travel and getting back in the groove at work.

Then work happens. Got some really good news this morning as I walked back with my daily egg white omlete from the cafeteria. Was stopped by one of the managers and she informed be that good things were really right around the corner. More to be posted on that later. But at the same time, HR was holding things up with a question about my time in role. Oh well, it will get resolved. Stay tuned.

1:45 hits... and it's off to visit a couple of doctors. First stop is Austin Gastroenterology. Thanks to Jina for getting me in to see the doctor in only 1 day. Not really easy to do with a large practice like that. Nice nurse, PA, and a good doc. Taking a wait and see attitude to my little issue. But, we might still have to place a camera in a very unpleasant place in a couple of weeks.

Last stop of the day is the optometrist. Thanks to Kim Slaughter for working so hard to help me find the right pair of contacts. We still don't have a final answer, but its getting closer. Yes, my eyes are that fucked up. But I already knew that. Trying a pair of soft lenses now. might go to a SynergEyes or Gas Perm lense though.

After all that, it was going to be after 6PM when I got home. Cook that late? No thanks. Off to Rio Grande in Pflugerville for a little Carne Asada. Sorry, no pics again tonight.

But what is the most important news of the day? Drum roll please... You can now follow me on Twitter at @TokenFoodie! Come find me and follow.

Speed work tomorrow morning at 6AM. See you then!

Ever have one of those days?

Well, we all know Mondays suck. Today sucked on ice. A day full of conference calls, many of them not so pleasant. Still waiting (impatiently) to hear the results of the interviews.

Then I decided I really didn't want to cook. So no cool pics of food tonight. Sorry to disappoint. Perhaps tomorrow night something tasty will come out of my mind. Tonight it was a leftover stuffed bell pepper and a roasted beet salad with goat cheese.

Hopefully tonight I will get some good news... as my fighting Texas Aggies take on the Arizona Wildcats in Regional Final action. Gig 'Em. Hit 'em where they ain't. Let's have a dog pile tonight boys!

***Update. Game rained out. First Pitch is now 12:35PM Tuesday.***

Self Advocacy

One of the greatest joys of the last 20 months has been the relationships I have formed, the friends I have made, the mentor/mentee interactions I have made.

12 months ago, I interviewed for a new role at work. I didn't know too much about the people interviewing me. The day after my interview, one of the managers sought me out in the hall at work. I was, to say the least, perplexed because I hadn't ever really talked to her in my 4 years at work.

She mentioned that she had noticed my weight loss successes to date, and was investigating WLS herself. A few months later, tons of questions, a lot of investigation on her part, she had a VSG and chose the surgeon I had (the best in town IMHO...) Of course, she set her up for success as well and has followed her eating program quite well. And as soon as allowed, she added in the exercise program.

So, this morning, at 6:30AM, I rolled out of the house on my Felt to ride down to Decker Lake to watch Lori Nunez compete in her first Danskin Triathlon. Of course, I can't make anything easy. 3 miles out, I flatted my back tire. And then broke two tire tools trying to change it. Thanks to Jina for coming to pick me up, and then I headed down to the Travis County Expo Center for the race. I did get some exercise in because I had to park a mile and a half from the transition zone (no kidding, 20 minute walk each way...)

But this isn't about me... this is about Lori. The Danskin is an all woman's tri... so, I had to find Lori out of about 1600 women. Funny thing, I spend all my time at these things checking out the cool Cervelo's and Fuji's... and looking for my friends. Lori his the T1 and looked great. A smile on her face, and bounce in her step. And 12 miles of riding to go.

I missed her at T2, so i headed down to the finish line. Hooked up with her training group, Tri Zones. LOTS cheering, cowbells, and triathletes... and here comes Lori.

She can now say she has done something I haven't... a triathlon.

Congrats Lori! You RAWK!!! Remember, after everything, you have to advocate for yourself, and accomplish YOUR goals! Way to go, so proud of you.

The Best Part of Waking Up

Is Folgers in your cup...

Or so I thought... and then I went to Hawai'i. And discovered Kona Coffee.

OMG. The other stuff is just swill.

So, crawled out of bed, let the dog out to do his business...and its time to make some magic.

Break out the Brita. Gotta use filtered water for this. No nasty Pflugerville tap water.

Grind my own beans.

Hit the brew button.

10 minutes later? OH YEAH!!! Delicious hot KONA!!!

Friends for Dinner

No, I don't mean I ate friends for dinner. I mean we hosted friends for a little dinner.

One of the things I like most of all is hosting friends for dinner. I get to showcase a little of my cooking abilities, and we get to have a nice dinner together.

Tonight, Jina and I had our wonderful friend Tiffany Pressly and her boyfriend Mike over for dinner. I decided to do a nice Seared Mahi Mahi with Mango Sauce and Saffron Risotto.

A quick little trip to the HEB and the necessaries were collected. I realized my box from Farmhouse Delivery (www.farmhousedelivery.com) was coming in today, but I completely forgot what was in it... guess I got some good surprises.

Got home and collected my box from the front porch.

Picked up some new potatoes. fresh squash, corn, fresh Fredericksburg Peaches, cherry tomatoes and 1015 Onions.

A few farm fresh eggs.

Raw milk Feta.

Crimini and Shitake mushrooms, shallots, local blueberries, bunch basil, key limes and more squash.

Finally, carrots, beets, sugar peas, and okra.

Time to cook some dinner. Break out the risotto.

Fresh Mahi-Mahi with salt, pepper, EVOO.

Add a few pantry staples...

And.. voila!

A toast to great friends...

A very nice little dinner...

Finish off with what is quickly becoming a favorite dessert... fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and fresh whip cream. This time, added some of those lovely Fredericksburg peaches. Lovely.

Thaanks again to Jina for helping me cook and clean tonight.

So glad to have Tiffany and Mike over... look forward to it again soon...

To Run or Not Run?

So, today is National Running Day. I am a runner. Did I run? Hell no.

I decided it was a good day to ride in to work. 6:30AM, break out the Felt. Hit the asphalt. Its only 5 miles to work. Flat. Quick ride. No issues.

Then I realize, as I am showering at the gym at work... CRAP... I have to ride home too. Its gonna be ninety five freaking degrees. Guess I better suck it up and get it done.

The ride home wasn't too bad. A little breezier than this morning... well, a lot breezier. But manageable. Only caught a couple of lights. The dreaded heat wasn't that bad. Glad I did it.

What else did I learn today? That Power Bar Protein Plus Dulce de Leche has a ton of protein. 30 grams per bar. A great add on to the diet, right? WRONG. Immediate gut bomb. Wish it wasn't, as the bar tasted great. But my surgically altered freakish guts did not like it at all. Guess I won't be buying those any more.

Decided on an easy dinner tonight. Don't want to cook that much. Grab a pound of our Medina County Venison pan sausage. Saute up some carrots and red onions. Brown off the sausage, mix in with the veggies. Throw in a little Austin's Own BBQ sauce and Parmesean cheese. Stuff it in some fresh green bell peppers. 400 degrees, 45 minutes... VOILA! Stuffed bell peppers.

What for desert? How about some fresh organic berries and light whipped cream? Yeah, sounds good.

Oh well, off to watch a little Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives... then bed. Speed work tomorrow morning.

Peace.