That Fat Chick » Other Content

Stuck in the middle.

That Fat Chick — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:49:13 +0000

At my current weight (198.4 lbs as of this morning, yeah baby!), I am still too big for about 95% of the “standard” junior clothing out there (at least for pants; I’m pretty much okay with shirts), and am also too small for about 95% of plus size clothing out there. Numbers-wise, in pants I’m somewhere between a 12 – 14 or 13-15, depending on the brand and the fit. This? Is me being irritated. At least at 331 lbs. I could pretty much rely on certain brands and sizes! Now I have to try on EVERYTHING, and more often than not it doesn’t fit — or at least, it doesn’t fit in the right spots. Currently I still have thunder thighs, but not much of a butt. So I have that dreaded waist gapping. Ugh.

Some things are still easy to shop for, thankfully. Shoes, whether they’re Nike shoes or a pair of no-brand-name from Payless, still fit. Underwear are also a given. Right now I’m checking out clothing-and-accessories.become.com, and they’ve got a lot of neat stuff, including women’s cashmere sweaters and Christian Dior Sunglasses. But I currently have three pairs of jeans that fit (one is starting to bag a bit), three pairs of capris, and a dozen or so tops and tank tops. That’s more than enough to see me through the rest of August and the beginning of fall. Then I have two pairs of jeans that don’t quite fit yet — I’m looking forward to wiggling into them soon! I have a few long-sleeved tops left over from last year, but I’m not sure how well they’ll fit, considering I’m going to be about 50 lbs. lighter this year than I was last year! But I’ll make do, I suppose — or just go shop for more!a

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Thanks a lot, DEB, for making me feel like a cow

The sweetest place on earth

Nutrition is more important than ever

That Fat Chick — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:13:48 +0000

What a lot of people don’t stop to think about when they consider gastric bypass surgery or even the lap band is that not only will the procedure deprive them of the ability to consume so much food and subsequently so many calories, it will also deprive them of the ability to take in — and in the case of gastric bypass surgery, absorb — essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

As of August 18th, 2010 I will be nine months post-op, and keeping my protein intake up is still a struggle. I keep my vitamin and mineral levels satisfactory by using gummi multiple vitamins, but I still have to take supplements for Vitamin B12 and calcium.

The side effects of not having the proper nutrition are not only crappy, they’re scary. Inadequate protein can lead to fatigue, lack of energy, hair loss, and muscle wasting. Inadequate B12 has been linked to neurological problems. Calcium deficiencies can weaken bones, and in turn weaken teeth as the body leeches calcium from them to feed the bones. And being deficient in vitamins and minerals and general is never a good thing.

For long-term health, it’s essential to make sure you maintain the proper amounts of protein, vitamins, and nutrients!

Things “they” don’t tell you about gastric bypass

I bruise easily

Support during weight loss is very important

Feel free to ignore this

That Fat Chick — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:41:33 +0000

This is a post that is intended for Technorati. H33QQDSENQP6

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That Fat Chick — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:55:04 +0000

The biggest change with losing all this weight is having so many more options for clothing. Not only that, but I can go more places to purchase it! Target has plenty of junior plus size that fits quite nicely and is stylish (unlike their standard plus size line, blech), so I’m sure I’ll continue to keep Target in mind for my clothing needs. I still check out Fashion Bug from time to time, but to be honest their pricing overhaul has resulted in their clothing line taking a hit; while the quality of clothing is still there, the style of it is most definitely not! If you like the Frumpy Old Lady look, you’re in luck. If not, well, you’re just S.O.L.

I like the idea of being able to shop online for funny tshirts without having to worry much about the sizing being off or just not big enough. If I want Eclipse merchandise, I can have it, since I can wear a juniors XXL now. Most importantly, most women’s fashion trends are available to me!

Speaking of clothing sizes, here’s a before/after of my sizes. On the left, the size I was when I was 331 lbs. On the right, the size I am now.

Pants: 28 / 16 (YES!!!)
Tops: 30-32 / 18
Panties: 28 / XL
Bras: 46DDD / 40DD

Even my shoes seem looser! It’s crazy! But good crazy!

Thanks a lot, DEB, for making me feel like a cow

Stuck in the middle.

$3800

That Fat Chick — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:39:51 +0000

I haven’t checked the final statements to be sure, but my gastric bypass surgery cost me roughly $3800. That figure doesn’t include the out-of-pocket expenses for the psych eval ($125), the exercise evaluation ($75), and the co-pays at my doctor’s office for a physical and blood work, and the co-pays at the nutritionist’s office for those visits.

But it was all so damn worth it. I’m nearly six months out from surgery, and I couldn’t be happier. Well okay, I take that back — I could be. That $3800 could have been handy for Dallas auto repair, or a new-to-us-but-used Chevrolet Silverado. Fortunately, both of our cars are in good working order and just had car inspections complete with brakes being replaced (you watch, now that I said that they’ll BOTH break down next week), so a brake job isn’t something we’ll need to worry about anytime soon!

So if you had $3800 to spare, what would you spend it on?

Why are supplements so expensive?

That Fat Chick — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:19:15 +0000

My one peeve post-op is the high cost of protein supplements. The manufacturers and companies that supply them argue that you’re not “spending”, you’re “investing”, and I can’t help but to feel that they take advantage of the simple fact that us post-ops can’t take in enough nutrition normally, can’t eat certain foods, etc. Take, for example, bariatriceating.com. A week’s supply (fourteen scoops, which will make two drinks per day) of flavored protein powder is over $20! Now, I know the stuff is of decent quality, but still… ergh. But then I think of how much money I am saving by not having to buy as much food as I did before, and I have to grudgingly concede that they’re right, and I’m not really being ripped off.

In any case, I try to make up for that high cost by doing what I can to save money in other ways. I never go shopping without coupons, for example. And if I’m going to be making a specialized online purchase, you better believe I look for coupons or discount codes to use first! savings.com is one of the sources I use for coupons, and they don’t disappoint. From a handy Orbitz promotion code that will be perfect for travel use, or the standard Sears coupons and Kohls coupons, I’ve got almost all of my online shopping covered!

What sites do you use for coupon codes? Do you know of any coupon codes that can specifically be used towards protein supplements and the like?

Support during weight loss is very important

That Fat Chick — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:49:23 +0000

Obviously, losing weight is not easy. If it were, Weight Watchers wouldn’t be such a profitable company, the lap band and gastric bypass procedures wouldn’t be quite so mainstream, and this domain would most likely not be in existence. So, we can definitely establish that losing weight is hard. It can be hard to change years or even an entire lifetime of eating habits, and incorporating physical activity and dedicated exercise regimes is not always easy. There are many factors that make eating healthy and being physically active not the easy solutions one might think they would be, including money, time and health issues.

Another factor that will really influence the ultimate success a person has with losing weight is a support system. I am fortunate that my family is rallying around me and showing me their 110% support and enthusiasm for my weight loss and how I am going about doing it. But unfortunately, there are many people who can’t find that support at home or even within their communities. for these individuals, a weight loss consultant or even an online weight loss support group or system would definitely be a valuable and crucial tool for their success. When it come to weight loss support, not having that support can mean the difference between success and failure.

Susan Brodnax runs journeydownthescale.info, and she knows all too well how important having a support system is. She herself was overweight and unhappy with herself, and with motivation and support was able to lose 80 lbs. in under a year’s time and has been able to keep it off successfully. Susan offers weight loss support on her blog. Her weight loss consultation service includes online weight loss support, and tips and tricks for eating healthier and getting more physically active. She can work with you and your personal needs, and will develop a customized plan and back it up with the support and encouragement you need in order to watch those numbers on the scale decrease.

For more information, check out journeydownthescale.info. By the way, if you do decide to purchase a plan from Susan Brodnax at journeydownthescale.info, be sure to use coupon code tfcblog during the checkout process, and save $10.00 instantly!

What weight loss surgery has done for me

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