Melting Mama

This time tomorrow, after the longest flights ever and at least two Ativans, Mr. MM and I will be at Bally's Las Vegas for the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America Meet and Greet! 

This is my third time visiting Las Vegas, as I have been fortunate to attend in 2010 for ASMBS with ObesityHelp.com and Celebrate Vitamins, and in 2011 to represent the Bariatric Bad Girls Club at the last WLSFA Event.  But this is the first time I have been able to bring a Mr. MM to Vegas, AND one of my VIP BBGs!   

Squee.

I will be helping Wellesse promote their line of premium liquid vitamin supplementation in the vendor area - as well as to love on all the vendors including lots of MM blog sponsors!  

Um, BECAUSE YAY VENDORS!  THEY ARE ALL IN ONE PLACE AND OMG OMG OMG, VEGAS AGAIN AND MORE BBGS and OMG YAY!  

Alright.  I'm better now.  Mostly.

Thank-you Wellesse for making it possible to go to Vegas and be with all my WLS pals, so that we can raise some SERIOUS CASH for the WLSFA.

Make sure you follow Wellesse on -

 

 

I just stumbled on a super old "what did you eat today"-type post of my own while looking for a protein bar review.  It shocks me to see how I ate at former stages of this journey.  I remember my thoughts back then, about how I thought I was eating too many calories.  Or even how random people would tell me how I was doing it wrong.

My first thought now is --

"If these same commenters knew how I am eating today, at eight years one month post surgery, they would really shit their pants."  

And that is honesty.  Those judgy commenters who found my eating offensive, out of control, not by the book, against the rules (!!) at one to three years post op, would certainly take issue with me now.  Oh hell, they would implode.

"Don't you think that you caused your seizures by eating carbs?"

I actually had someone suggest that, years ago, among other things.  Right.  Epilepsy due to a habit of eating half-servings of toast.   Bite me, and the hot buttered toast I enjoy.

"Oh, she's justifying her food choices!  LOOK!"

Nope.  My food does not cause GUILT.  I refuse to allow that.  If you feel guilt for me, that's your issue.  I do not feel compelled to run off my toast.  I am quite lazy.  Always have been.  WLS did not make me any more likely to run a marathon nor prove myself to you.  I am just being honest.

I noticed recently though, that people do not seem to poke a stick at long-long term post ops, it is almost like we get some bariatric-immunity after a cut-off date.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that we have proven ourselves if we Have Not Failed Entirely... Yet....Ever?

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I am just thinking out loud on paper here.  Just consider the harshness of early post op behaviors -- the judgy McJudgerson's, and the nit-picking of O.P.P.  (other people's proteins...) and how it is often overwhelming to newbies.  

But, for me -- it stopped.   AND I THANK YOU.

I would assume that some of those judgy types assumed I would be a statistic by now.  Truthfully, I should have failed.  Because I dared to eat solid food, ate carbs, did not track my food often, did not count my ounces of water, I SHOULD HAVE FAILED DAMN IT.

I agree with judgy people - I probably should have.  But I haven't.  I sit here with about 5-10 pounds regained, that I keep losing and regaining every 3-6-9 months.

And I really do not give a shit.

And nor should you.

I AM NORMAL NOW.

I eat allllllmost normal portions of food.  

I do NOT restrict myself, beyond foods that cause distress, I avoid those because I do not enjoy being sick or in pain.  

I do NOT partake in angry food hating hate.  I do not stress about food.  Ever.

I have ZERO FOOD GUILT.  

I weigh an average amount for a normal American woman.  

And that feels good.

For a frame of reference -- this is today's eats -- at eight years post op.

• Breakfast - 1 Jimmy Dean DeLights Egg/Sausage Bowl, added shredded cheddar cheese and cracked black pepper
• All morning - coffee, unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened soy milk, Splenda
• 12pm - Light wheat toast, butter
• 1:30 - Lettuce salad mix, sprinkle of romano cheese, feta cheese, Uncle Sam Cereal sprinkle...

 

 ...... will update

Wellesse B-12 Fast Absorbing Sublingual Liquid

 Wellesse B-12 Fast Absorbing Sublingual Liquid -

• 1000 mcg
• Calibrated Dropper, Easily Adjusted Dosage
• Natural Berry Flavor
• Naturally Sugar Free with Stevia
• Gluten Free

B12 is an essential B Vitamin that plays a role in the entire nervous system, promotes energy metabolism and supports healthy heart function. B12 is a key contributor to the body's proper use of iron. B12 becomes increasingly important with age with risk of decreased absorption which can lead to deficiencies in both B12 and Folic Acid.

The ASMBS  (2010) explains that after gastric bypass surgery vitamin B12 deficiency may result in consequence of food no longer coming in contact with gastric intrinsic factor. Vitamin D and calcium absorption may also be reduced since the duodenum and proximal jejunum, which are the preferential sites of absorption, are bypassed by this procedure. Also, life long supplements of multivitamins, vitamin B12 iron and calcium are mandatory following this procedure.

I'm not a professional, I'm just a patient, but I understand it as this:  The biggest problem is that gastric bypass patients no longer have the abilty to absorb the B12 from food due to the lack of acid in the new stomach pouch.  Our bodies have some B12 stored away, but it can run out and leave us with a deficiency.

B12 deficiency can cause pernicious anemia.  You don't want this, the effects of pernicious anemia can be life-long if you do not catch it in time.

 

 

Via - Bariatric Times, May 2010

You need to take your B12.  Surgeons and nutritionists often recommend a sublingual B12 product, because it's one of the best ways to get the vitamin into your system, and sometimes post-ops need injections of B12 if the oral route is not sufficient.

B12 is also known to give you energy -- it's found in energy drinks and other products to help give you a BOOST.  Or wings?

Wellesse's Sublingual B-12 comes in a  2 ounce bottle, with 60 doses of 1000 mcgs of B-12, or 16,667% of the good stuff.  The extra 16,567% is for good measure.

The product label -

I shook up the bottle, peeled off the outerwrapping, and sucked out a dose of the B12 with the attached dropper.  For the purposes of the review, I played with the product first, because that's what I do.  I sniff, play and take photos.  The liquid is bright red, clear and has a touch of thickness to it.   While the cover was off, I sniffed the product, which smells like a berry based fruit punch.

Perfect.  Unless you do what I just did to it.  "Mama, can I paint wis your vitamins now?"

 

• Product - Wellesse B-12 Fast Absorbing Sublingual Liquid
• Via - Wellesse
• Price -  $9.99 or .17 cents per dose for 60 days!
• Coupon - Click on the COUPON tab while you're there to find a $2.00 off coupon!
• Pros - 1000 mcg of B12 per ml, sugar-free, lightly sweetened with Stevia + Erythritol, simple to take, tastes great, relatively inexpensive...
• Cons -  The five year old wants to paint with it.  The 5th grader in me wants to crack inappropriate jokes.
• Rating - Pouchworthy, MM

• Join Wellesse on Facebook!
• Join Wellesse on Twitter!
• Please consider sharing this post

More about B12 at these links -

• http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12/
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001595/
• http://bariatrictimes.epubxpress.com/link/BT/2011/may/1?s=0
• http://www.anemia.org/professionals/feature-articles/content.php?contentid=438&sectionid=15

 

 

Related articles

• Bariatric Advantage Peppermint Sublingual B12 (meltingmama.net)
• Optimize Bone Health with Wellesse Calcium & Vitamin D3 Liquid (prweb.com)

Timely, as nearly one thousand of us descend upon Las Vegas today through the weekend for a weight loss surgery related event.

I am already seeing the alcohol posts on Facebook IN. THE. AIRPORTS.

Hello, my name is Beth, and I don't have a problem with alcohol (...and I thank my lucky stars every single day...) however, I AM SURROUNDED BY ALCOHOLICS AND OTHER ADDICTS POST WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

In full, from Medscape -

May 15, 2012 (Lyon, France) — Bariatric surgery is associated with an increased likelihood that patients will report and be diagnosed with problems related to alcohol consumption. Different levels of risk are associated with different gastric surgery procedures, Per-Arne Svensson, PhD, from the Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, reported here at the 19th European Congress on Obesity.

Continued -

The nonrandomized prospective Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) trial matched 2010 patients undergoing bariatric surgery in 25 surgical departments from 1987 to 2001 with 2037 contemporary control subjects. People who had alcohol problems at baseline or who consumed more than 34 g/day of pure alcohol (equivalent to 3 bottles of wine per week) were excluded from the study.

The treating surgeon determined the kind of surgery; 19% of patients underwent gastric banding, 68% underwent vertical banded gastroplasty, and 13% underwent gastric bypass surgery. At baseline, the mean ages in the 3 surgery groups and in the control group were 47.0 to 48.7 years (range, 37 to 60 years), and mean body mass indices were 40.1 to 43.9 kg/m². There were no differences in alcohol-related parameters in the groups.

Previous results from the SOS study showed that gastric bypass produced the greatest long-term weight loss, and that gastric banding and vertical banded gastroplasty produced similar degrees of weight loss. It has also shown that alcohol consumption decreases in the first 6 months after gastric bypass, but subsequently increases.

Dr. Svensson and colleagues assessed the long-term changes in alcohol consumption and abuse after bariatric surgery. Median follow-up time was 10 years. Alcohol consumption was self-reported for the previous 3 months, and alcohol problems were self-reported at progressively longer time intervals after surgery. Data on diagnosed alcohol abuse came from a national register, according to International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-9 and ICD-10).

The World Health Organization defines medium-risk alcohol consumption as 40 g/day for men and 20 g/day for women. Men and women in the control and bariatric surgery groups, as a whole, were well below these respective levels.

"During the first year, we actually see a reduction in alcohol consumption," which is similar to what has previously been reported, Dr. Svensson said. "But things change over time."

For men, median alcohol consumption in the gastric bypass group increased. However, because of individual variation in the groups, the researchers looked at the cumulative incidence of the alcohol-related parameters.

Medium-risk alcohol consumption was greatest with gastric bypass (about 14% at 10 years and 20 years for men and women combined, compared with about 5% in the control group). Self-reported alcohol problems and alcohol abuse diagnoses were also greatest with gastric bypass. For vertical banded gastroplasty, the incidence of medium-risk alcohol consumption fell between the gastric bypass and control groups. For gastric banding, the incidence did not differ significantly from that in the control group.

Adjusted Hazard Ratios, Compared With Control Group (95% Confidence Interval)*

Type of Surgery Medium-Risk Alcohol Consumption Self-Reported Alcohol Problems Diagnosed Alcohol Abuse Gastric bypass 5.91 (3.40–10.39) 2.69 (1.58–4.57) 4.97 (2.70–9.15) Vertical banded gastroplasty 1.52 (1.09–2.11) 2.30 (1.45–3.66) 2.23 (1.38–3.59) Gastric banding 1.22 1.44 1.57

*All values statistically significant at P < .05, except for gastric banding.

Possible mechanisms contributing to the alcohol abuse are the faster transport of alcohol to the small intestine and the reduced first-pass metabolism of ethanol by alcohol dehydrogenase in the stomach, leading to higher peak blood alcohol levels after gastric bypass surgery, and alterations in gastrointestinal hormones. Dr. Svensson speculated that there might also be "addiction transfer," in which alcohol addiction substitutes for food addiction.

He concluded that gastric bypass and vertical banded gastroplasty increased the risk for alcohol-related problems, with gastric bypass presenting the most risk. He suggested that healthcare professionals and patients be informed of these risks.

Luca Busetto, MD, from the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Padova in Italy, who was not involved in the trial, told Medscape Medical News that the potential for alcohol abuse after bariatric surgery has been known for many years, but that now we probably "have a more precise estimation of the numbers of the problem."

Dr. Busetto explained that in gastric bypass surgery, the pylorus is bypassed, "so the alcohol goes directly into the jejunum and is absorbed very rapidly. You may have a higher peak in alcoholemia after the same amount of wine," which can be a problem if someone is prone to alcohol addiction and experiences the effect of the consumed alcohol more rapidly. He said that studies have shown this faster absorption rate.

He noted that alcohol problems occur in a relatively small minority of patients. "It's a minor problem in comparison to the benefits [of surgery], but it's a problem that a doctor caring for patients with gastric bypass should be aware of," Dr. Busetto said.

In his experience, "in the first year after bariatric surgery, everything goes perfectly." Patients lose weight, are happy, attend all appointments, and follow the prescriptions — they are perfect patients. "After that, things change," he said. "So in bariatric surgery...you need to wait at least 5 years to have reliable results."

Commercial entities funding the study were Hoffmann La Roche, Cederroth, AstraZeneca, sanofi-aventis, and Ethicon Endosurgery. Dr. Svensson and Dr. Busetto have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

19th European Congress on Obesity (ECO): Abstract 155. Presented May 11, 2012

 

I have copied and pasted this article in full, because I think we need to see all the details of this story.  I have never heard of this issue before, "Urea Cycle Disorder" in gastric bypass patients.  Hilary Lane,  a young vibrant music teacher passed several years after her gastric bypass surgery due to this rare genetic disorder.

I do not post this to frighten anyone, it's just somethng that interests me greatly since I am also a medical mystery since my gastric bypass.

Tennessean -

A year after gastric bypass surgery, she was no longer a size 24 and was fast on her way to fitting into a slim 6.

But she never stopped losing weight.

The surgery she had in 2005 triggered a genetic mutation to take over her metabolism and prevent her body from processing proteins. The music teacher at Whitsitt Elementary School had wasted away to only 88 pounds by the time she died in April. She was 43.

While a gastric bypass can help severely obese people maintain a healthier weight and in some cases even cure diabetes, the surgery has its own set of risks. The death rate from the actual surgery is less than 1 percent, but complications can occur later, ranging from calcium malabsorption to the rare genetic disorder that killed Lane.

“I want people to understand the risks involved,” said her husband, Randy Lane, who had hoped to be celebrating his sixth wedding anniversary this month.

The surgery, which is performed on about 220,000 Americans a year, does more than restrict what someone can eat — it also changes how the digestive tract absorbs food. Patients have to maintain special diets, take supplements and be closely monitored.

Yet doctors really don’t have any other effective options for treating morbid obesity, generally defined as being 100 or more pounds overweight. Lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, are rarely successful for these patients without surgical intervention. Prescription drugs have been yanked off the market because of adverse — sometimes deadly — side effects. No new diet drug has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in more than a decade, although the agency’s recommending committee has endorsed two medicines, Qnexa and lorcaserin, that could become available later this year.

For Hilary Lane, gastric bypass surgery seemed to be the only option. No one knew then to warn her about a rare and difficult-to-detect genetic disorder called acquired urea cycle failure.

Her problems began about four years after the gastric bypass surgery. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were perplexed. No nutritional equation worked because her body was turning protein into ammonia and her liver was failing to convert it to urea. Her body could not excrete the toxin.

Cynthia Le Mons, the executive director of the National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation, believes the complication that led to Hilary Lane’s death is not as rare as doctors think. She knows of six women who have developed urea cycle failure after gastric bypass surgery since 2007. Five of the six died.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Le Mons said. “If we know about it, it’s just a microcosm of what is going on.”

The surgery requirements

Although almost a third of Tennessee’s adult population is obese, the number of state residents classified as morbidly obese who would qualify for gastric bypass surgery falls to between 5 percent and 8 percent, said Dr. Ronald H. Clements, Vanderbilt’s director of bariatric surgery.

Hilary Lane qualified. She weighed more than 300 pounds.

Although she was no couch potato, she had been heavy since elementary school, said her sister, Catherine Parks McAfee.

“She was the most active overweight person you have ever seen,” McAfee said. “She was never sedentary. She was diving coach of the Sequoia Swim Club for 25 years and a music teacher at a Metro elementary school, always going, doing choirs and private lessons for piano and all kinds of things.”

Hilary Lane met her husband on Match.com, and their first face-to-face encounter was at a Bellevue restaurant on a winter evening.

“She had a magic smile,” he said. “Her eyes were incredible.”

She had not had the surgery yet, but her weight didn’t keep him from asking her out again.

“I’m not really a vain person,” Randy Lane said. “Outward appearances don’t really affect me. I go more for personality, intellect. You have to be fun.”

The following summer, she told him about her plans to have the surgery. It took place the year before their wedding at Smiley Hollow, a family farm in Ridgetop that hosts special events.

“It was probably the best day of her life,” McAfee said. “I’d say she felt like a princess. She was where she had always wanted to be.”

The first years of the marriage were wonderful. Hilary Lane enjoyed planning weekend camping trips and being close to nature. The couple loved spending mornings on a bend of the Harpeth River near their Kingston Springs home.

“We would sit there in our chairs, drink coffee, read the paper and watch the river float by,” Randy Lane said.

The health complications

The first indication of a problem was the continued weight loss. Later, the ammonia spikes interfered with her thought processes and caused personality changes.

“At first they tested to see if maybe she was throwing up,” McAfee said. “They didn’t know. She had no signs of that. Every time she was in the hospital, there would be more and more questions — almost like we were the first case ever.”

Hilary Lane ended up in the intensive care unit at the Vanderbilt hospital a year and a half ago, but she recovered. Then she got sick again.

“Last fall, she just started deteriorating,” Randy Lane said. “It was a cruel, cruel disease. You can’t do anything about it. You just watched her get weaker and weaker. When her ammonia level would go up, things didn’t make sense to her. She hurt all the time from last September until she passed. She was in constant pain.”

The genetic disorder, which typically affects children, involves a deficiency of an enzyme that removes ammonia from the bloodstream. Eating protein causes ammonia spikes, but when people with the disorder don’t eat protein, their bodies begin breaking down lean muscle mass.

“We were in this dilemma,” he said. “She would take nutrients but her ammonia level would go up, and to get her ammonia level down, of course, she couldn’t take any nutrients. That’s the cycle she got into.”

The family did not learn until shortly before her death that she had acquired urea cycle failure.

The genetic disorder

There are few documented cases in medical literature about gastric bypass surgery triggering the genetic mutation into action, according to both Dr. Clements at Vanderbilt and Le Mons, who heads the foundation for the disorder.

Testing for the mutation before the surgery is a challenge because more than 300 mutations have been linked to the disorder, Le Mons said.

“Those are just the known ones,” she said. “We have kids and adults coming out of the woodwork with new mutations all the time.”

Every medical decision involves a risk-benefit analysis, Clements said, and patients are warned about complications from gastric bypass surgery. However, it has proven to work better than anything else to help morbidly obese people maintain a healthy weight, he said.

Even those who are able to lose 100 pounds without surgery often gain it back.

“I’ve had some patients lose 500 pounds over their lifetime, gaining and losing, gaining and losing that same 100 pounds or so,” he said. “Bariatic surgery is absolutely not the perfect fix-all, be-all, everything is going to be lovely afterward. That’s not true either. There are risks associated with the operation — absolutely no question about that.”

Clements said anyone who has the surgery requires long-term follow-up. Bone density is something doctors watch.

“When you do a gastric bypass, you decrease the absorption of fat,” he said. “Vitamin D has to be dissolved in fat before your body can absorb it. So when you cut down on fat absorption to be able to lose weight, you also cut down on the ability to absorb vitamin D. The area of the intestine that we bypass in the gastric bypass is also largely responsible for calcium absorption.”

But the benefits of the surgery far outweigh the risks, Clements said.

Randy Lane wants people to realize that those risks are real.

“I’m not mad at the surgeon that did it,” he said. “I’m not mad at Vanderbilt. I’m not mad at anybody. This is just something that happened. But there’s got to be a Ph.D. out there that can figure this out.”

Tennessean

I understand that feeling.  -MM

 

 

‎Dear Susan Maria Leach of Bariatric Eating.com, and Susan M. Leach.com 

 

It has been 30 days 7 hours and counting since my order was made! 

BariatricEating.com, where is my sh-t?

I paid $47.00 for EXPRESS TWO DAY SHIPPING, for a case of protein and a box of protein bars.

I could be STARVING TO DEATH by now woman!  Look at me, wasting away over here (obvious overt sarcasm, I am actually obese, please see previous post) waiting for your sh-t!  When I am in the hospital with malnutrition, I will send you updates.  Will you send a card?  Will that take a month plus, too?

 

Love and kisses, 

Melting Mama

PS.  Suppose I should earn back my monies hence the ads in this stupid post -

Amazon.com Widgets

 

Everyone is watching the documentary The Weight of The Nation.  It took over my Twitter stream, since it's full of RDs, dieticians, nutritionists, weight loss related Tweets who clearly are promoting it, and... OMG.

 I have yet to watch it, as I am afraid it will spawn 69268 angry blog posts.  However, clicking around their accompanying web site this morning (because you know I will watch it...) I am finding some nicely "written for everybody" information.

So here, let's start with this!  Am I fat?  Yep.  Aw, hell.  I am obese.

Height: 5 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 169 pounds 

Your BMI is 29.9, indicating your weight is in the Overweight category for adults of your height.  For your height, a normal weight range would be from 104 to 141 pounds.  (Um.  Kiss my fat ass?)

As an Adult, How Do I Know If I Am Overweight or Obese? 

Weight of The Nation -

• Weight and height are used to calculate a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). For most people, BMI is a good estimate of body fatness.
• A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.
• A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
• To find your BMI, try one of these BMI calculators:
  • BMI calculator 1
  • BMI calculator 2
  • BMI calculator 3

For example, if your height is 5' 9" and you weigh between 169-202 lbs., you are considered overweight; if you weigh over 202 pounds, you are considered obese.

The CDC  BMI Chart tells me that my... Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle!

And I stab my eyeballs out.

This is one of the longest-running dramas in the world of all things weight loss surgery - the thinking that,

"Since I don't eat much, I shouldn't have to pay much."  and the ever-answered question on message board forums, "Where do I get a restaurant card?!"

My opinion has always been,

"Please do not bring attention to yourself as a weight loss surgery patient by pulling out a discount card for your food at a restaurant.  It causes a most awkward situation, and I guarantee you will get the hairy eyeball, the up and down look and be told N-O."

Please understand that I am an eight year post op, married to an eight year post op, with two most WLS'ers in our immediate family, and if any of them whipped out a CARD AT DINNER I swear to you I would leave the table.  Or, at least snatch it away and tell the waiter to forget it.  OMFGDRAMA.

No.

Why?  Learning to live as a gastric bypass patient in a normal world is part of becoming normal again after surgery.  You have to learn to cope with situations you put yourself in.  

And, consider this:  If food is your addiction, WOULD YOU ASK FOR A DISCOUNT?

If you were an alcoholic, would you ask for a discount ON YOUR ALCOHOL?  "Because (you) don't really ...drink much?"  

Think about food in that way for a second.  Do you buy in bulk any more to fulfill a food addiction, expecting a discount?  "If I buy a 4-pack of Oreos, they're much cheaper!"

But, if you are insisting upon paying less for your food - move to this Brazilian town - please to forgive the Google translation from Portuguese to English -

A bill requiring restaurants and bars to offer 50% discount for people who have experienced some type of stomach surgery enters the second vote on Monday (7), the City Council of Campinas (SP). The proposal was authored by councilor Francisco Sellin (PMDB) and, accordingly, the position of the Board should prove favorable vote, but in the city, the project divides.

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According to Alderman, the proposal arose from experience with people who have had bariatric operations, reduction of the stomach."She [the person] is not enough to eat half, then it is not fair to pay full price," he says. If the law is passed, the establishments must offer a discount or half portion for customers who prove through a card-carrying medical certificate or have surgery. In addition, the restaurants will be forced to put posters in visible places, informing customers about the new law.

That there is special.

Via - G1

Pamela R Davis Bariatric Program Director of the Centennial Center for the Treatment of Obesity writes 

"I am completely disappointed, irritated and flat out disgusted at the so called "journalism" that went into this ABC 20/20 episode. They completely and totally missed the opportunity to focus on legitimate, successful medically [and surgically] appropriate treatment for obesity and severe obesity. Instead I felt like I was watching a rogue episode of Entertainment Tonight.

When I first heard they were pulling the segment with Dr. Robin Blackstone and Melting Mama, I thought it was so they could dedicate an entire episode to bariatric and metabolic surgery and how it is a life saving treatment for so many. Instead we got a 60 minute long sensationalistic expose on practices those of us who are healthcare professionals working diligently to help those with obesity and severe obesity would never support!

Not good ABC, not good-shame on you."

the full episode '20/20 5/11: Losing It: The Big Fat Trap' from ABC's 20/20 abc.go.com

Thank-you Pamela, you echo my feelings that I was not able to accurately share last night, and surely not before I saw the episode.

I watched it, I did.

This is what I got out of it... and I am full of the snark right now.  (I just started a new anti-seizure medication with a big fat black box warning, so hey!)

I learned a few things from the 20/20 episode!  

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• It's important to have cute boobs.  NUMBER ONE.
• And Charles Barkley's Vegabuls! 
• If you want to make some fast cash, get famous, really really famous?  Gain weight on purpose to get sponsored by a diet or supplement company.  Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money
• This works better if you are Jessica Simpson and have a beautiful frame to start with, because selling diet plans is about selling the IDEA THAT A DESPERATE DIETER MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK LIKE JESSICA SIMPSON *WILL LOOK LIKE IN ABOUT 9-12 MONTHS FROM THIS PHOTO-

• It does not work if you are a short balding man celebrity.  *See cute boobs.
• If you want to crash diet for $150 a day, get a NG tube and look super-sexy at work.  Then you can plan to regain and rebuy the diet.
• Diet pills are wicked awesome!  Take them!  Except they don't help you lose weight.  You are buying the idea.  You hope for a Kardashian badonkandonk, but there's about 0.0% chance you can actually do it.
• And, for the quickest weight loss, try the death method a la 1-800-Get-Thin, but they don't care, cause they be RICHER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.

And, when you are finished messing around with all of these weight loss methods and you are more desperate than you've ever been AND morbidly obese?

Come talk to me, talk to all of us, because then?  

...You will have a safe and effective weight loss procedure with a Reputable Bariatric Surgeon.

Don't say I didn't tell you so.

I just got home from eight days in the hospital for a brain surgery evaluation for my epilepsy.  "Fun."  (More on that later.)  

But even more "fun" was taking the phone call about the 20/20 Episode I Flew To NYC to be interviewed for -- while being unhooked from the EKG and EEG leads.  

My interview, the words of he President of the ASMBS, another post op patient that was followed by 20/20 for a YEAR, and the WLSFA were yanked to make room for a sensational story about... WAIT FOR IT...

1-800-Get-Thin.*  (Yes, the same 1-800-Get-Thin that sic'ed their lawyer on me to remove blog posts and images from my site!)

Are. you. kidding. me?

How is this a new story?!  We have been writing about these slime balls for YEARS. 

• Allergan halts Lap-Band sales to 1-800-GET-THIN (meltingmama.net)
• FDA Wants to Yank 1-800-Get-Thin Billboards. (meltingmama.net)
• 1-800-GET-THIN or 1-800-GET-DEAD? Weight Loss Clinic Causes 5 Deaths and Counting(blisstree.com)
• 1-800-GET-THIN Lap-band ads getting congressional scrutiny for "aggressive marketing"(daveibsen.typepad.com)
• No More Lap-Bands For You! (huffingtonpost.com)
• You: State launches Lap-Band investigation (latimes.com)
• FDA Takes Aim at 1-800-GET-THIN's Lap-Band Ads (adweek.com)

I'm a little more than disgusted, and that is saying a lot.  I am the girl who talks about WLS as a job and also preaches DO NOT SELL WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, and I am the one fearing that this episode is going to portray WLS in a negative light. 

I figured since I spammed you from every social media angle TO WATCH IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, I should repeat the same to let you know that it will not air.  Thank you, by the way.  I appreciate all that were going to!  That is, of course, if you were watching to see us!  Due to the 498104 comments and emails, I figure I had to regurgitate.

I apologize.

*PS.  And of course - the NG Tube Feeding Diet!  Because it's wicked hawt right now.

Here is some nicer verbiage - or - alternatively - what I should have simply posted - but since I'm a Bad Girl and all - you know...

"We just learned the ABC News 20/20 Deborah Roberts segment on bariatric surgery featuring successful bariatric patients and Dr. Blackstone will not be included in tonight’s program. The show on the weight loss industry, however, is still scheduled to air. We remain hopeful the program will provide balanced and accurate information about obesity and its treatment."

You have got to be kidding me. Where's my order? "Dear Beth, In eight years of online business, we have had a great reputation for quality and efficiency in filling your orders.  At present, we are undergoing great changes, a new web platform, processing system and phone system to mention just a few.  With this transition, we have experienced a few unexpected problems causing great delays in processing and shipping out orders.  Many of these delayed orders have recently been shipped and many more are going out on a daily basis.  I am truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and give my word that we will make good on your order via credit or shipment as soon as possible.  BariatricEating is only going to be bigger and better than ever before!  We appreciate and respect your loyalty."    - Susan Maria http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2012/04/bariatric-eating-sml-susan-maria-leach-scam.html

How Much Have You Spent on Diets?.
Make sure to watch 20/20 this Friday to see the results and, uh, me too.  Cringe.

I did it. I seized on demand. GO ME. No, really, this is huge. I have NEVER gotten a seizure on EEG. But this morning, around 5am, unbeknownst to ME -- I had a grand mal seizure. This has not happened in a very long time (that I am aware of, you remember that I do not recall seizures unless I mess things up and find evidence...) and is likely the result of going cold turkey on my anti-seizure meds. I am thrilled. Well, not in a happy way, but you have to understand this is huge for me because I have been living With Epilepsy for five years with zero answers. My neurologist will be pleased when he views the EEG and video feed. The neurologist on staff here in the unit said that it was very clear where the seizure activity began, right side near to my polymicrogyria (brain malformation)and I show other activity between seizures in the same area. I can't wait to see it. It's been so very long without any answers. Now what? I sit here going crazy, hoping that I don't have to stay the full ten days while they continue to monitor my brain activity. I am on camera and audio 24 hours a day, with zero privacy. STAB. Worse than that is the fact that I am a very daily shower-er. Not showering makes me apeshit. I have various body cleansing methods, but one cannot help but feel gross. I can't wait to get out of here. I know I am in for a good reason, and so pleased IT WORKED.

I am aware that I did not share the details of the interview with 20/20 this week in my previous post about the show.  I wasn't purposely keeping anything from you, in fact I wished I had documented the process as it happened, but I only had a phone and it happened so. very. fast.

 Ironically, the person interviewed after I was done, had theirs videotaped.  I wish I had done that.  Then again, she was a Person Of Importance, so they likely do that.  

I was picked up by a car service at my house, whisked off to the airport, and I took the Boston > LaGuardia Delta shuttle to NYC.  I was thrilled by HOW FAST the flight was and the whole process in LaGuardia and I will DO IT ANY TIME.  And, I have the whole plane fear, but this was not bad.  By the time my head dropped in sleep, we landed.  That works for me.  Very much so.  Typically, I am head bobbing in a plane for HOURS, jumping out of my skin.  

I was whisked from the airport to the Millennium Hotel in NYC, where I had room 1818.  Insert mini-review here:  And this is when I realized New York is weirdly inhospitable or I am just spoiled.  My other trips to NY have been in one boutique hotel with OAC, and two chain hotels with Obesity Help.com, all were nice.  I had a discussion with the bell-man later in the trip regarding the lack of amenities in this particular hotel that was not cheap (Thank you ABC, very very much...)  Two towels.  One tiny soap.  I didn't dare touch the internet access or room service.  

I walked to Duane Reed and bought water and crackers.  I found Starbucks.   "Yay!"  I found myself in a post flight coma for a while, watching TV, and then a local friend came to play.  We walked around NYC and got some food at a side street bar.  After she left past midnight, I forced myself to sleep and woke up every 5 minutes checking the time.  

I got up, ready,  and down to the hotel lobby to be whisked again, via cab to the shooting location.  For a moment my mind slipped into Law and Order mode as I was brought to a quite un-labeled warehouse.  Eek.  Of course it was just a loft -- with all of the production equipment -- but you'd never know from the outside.

After a quick cup of coffee from the spread, I met Deborah Roberts who came flying in from the rain and was rearing to go.  We chatted off camera about the topics for a while, an I wasn't so nervous until the cameras were rolling.  I told her that, that I would have been fine if they never mentioned the cameras GOING on.

I was somewhat aware of the things I would be asked on camera, but no lie, it was hard.  

I have a hard time referring to myself and using "I" statements and I think that's what they were digging for.  I often put myself on the fence about issues, and it's very difficult to say "I would, I do, I would have..." if I am not sure about something.  

I almost feel like they expected a more upsetting weight gain or regain story from me, about me, and I just did not have it to offer.  I left it open -  you know?  I am a never say never kind of girl, because it CAN happen, and DOES happen.  It's reality.  I do NOT feel that saying that CAUSES regain.  It's just being aware of the possibilities.  

As for possibilities --We didn't get into my health -- and I am sort of glad about that.  I don't need the outside drama of "Well, if you didn't eat toast, you wouldn't have epilepsy now!"  Thanks, but no thanks.  I do not know if the producers offer any insight into my history on the show, or if I am just shown as a post op who blogs about WLS because of her health, or not.  It's a bit of a circular conversation.

The interview itself was based mostly on the realities of going in to weight loss surgery with knowledge, did I feel like I got enough schooling, do others get enough education, what's missing from that part of the journey, and what it's really like as a post op, the honeymoon period, and the crash.  

What happens then?  

When asked about the most pressing issues in our weight loss surgery community, I shared my honest thoughts as they came to me.  I told them that the biggest issues I see are addictions and the lack of post op emotional and psychological follow up, care and help.  Because They Are.

You guys worried about your size six jeans and Does Your Butt Look Flat and OMG I ATE 600 calories today.  You make me use exclamation points!!!  EXCESSIVELY!!!!

WLS is for MORBID OBESITY WHICH CAUSES THE DEATH.  

Death is bad.  It's like, for-ever. 

Bariatric surgery is not indicated for use to get your smaller ass on a surgeon's billboard or into Louboutins.  

GET EDUCATED.

/end miniature rant

And, I think that stance is why I was contacted to be on the show.  I might have said this, in much nicer terms.

I think they might have been pleased intrigued... something.... if I had dropped some bombs or secrets about my own issues, but the most I could offer is that I never really lost touch with food (which I admit wholly) added massive amounts of coffee, blogging?  Having just had a quick discussion about Carnie Wilson with Deb Roberts about addiction: alcohol, (and baking cheesecakes!) my own answers were less than exciting.  Because, I'm just a regular person who never posed for Playboy!  

However, having been in this weight loss surgery community, watching with a bird's eye view sometimes, it's obvious and vastly ignored.

Many of us -- you -- are addicts.  To what?  That's your secret.   But it's the truth.

I have some fears about this show after it airs.  I am not sure how the whole thing will play out after it is edited and pieced together.  I realized that I was being captured as a buffer to the woman who has had weight loss surgery not long ago, and still in a honeymoon phase of the whole journey.  I don't think I portrayed the Angry Post Op, in fact, I think I might have downplayed it if I was.  

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I called myself a success, damn it.

While I was honest and open, I know that some people WILL jump on it and whine about how WLS Saved Their Lives and how I am some kind of ungrateful bitch.  I have received hate mail over MUCH less, so I know that going on National TV is going to cause an influx, even if I am saying the SAME THINGS I write here every single day.  

I am prepared for the onslaught of commenters who will give me their stories of post weight loss surgery perfection.  It is a given.  Again, it depends on the way the piece is edited, because I only told the truth, and if I am pieced together in sound-bites, it could be slanted good or bad.  Honestly, I think it's going to be a bit dramatic, or slightly less than.  They threw out the words, "Weighty Secrets" on Twitter, to describe the episode... which is also the title to my other blog.

So. There's that.

 http://twitter.com/#!/DebRobertsABC

Many of us have dealt with fat discrimination directly, and in bizarre way, it is why I ended up having weight loss surgery.  In a new study in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers gave study participants resumes with small photos of applicants attached, both before and after weight loss surgery. The researchers discovered that criteria like starting salary, leadership potential and the selection of the candidate for the job were all negatively affected for obese women.  I would suggest that this phenomena is similar for obese men.  Mr. had weight loss surgery after being harshly judged AT work.

Would you hire this woman - with an obese BMI? Or this one, at a "normal" BMI?

MNT 

"Participants viewed a series of resumes that had a small photo of the job applicant attached, and were asked to make ratings of the applicants suitability, starting salary, and employability," said Dr O'Brien. "We used pictures of women pre- and post-bariatric surgery, and varied whether participants saw either a resume, amongst many, that had a picture of an obese female (BMI 38-41) attached, or the same female but in a normal weight range (BMI 22-24) following bariatric surgery. 

Are we more hireable after losing weight?  Apparently so.

"We found that strong obesity discrimination was displayed across all job selection criteria, such as starting salary, leadership potential, and likelihood of selecting an obese candidate for the job." 

The higher a participant's score on the measure of anti-fat prejudice, the more likely they were to discriminate against obese candidates, while those with a more authoritarian personality also displayed discrimination. 

Dr O'Brien and co-authors Dr Janet Latner, from the University of Hawaii, and Dr Jackie Hunter, from Otago University, noted that one of the particularly interesting and new findings was that the participants' ratings of their own physical appearance (body image) and importance of physical appearance were also associated with obesity discrimination. 

"The higher participants rated their own physical attractiveness and the importance of physical appearance, the greater the prejudice and discrimination," said Dr O'Brien. "One interpretation of this finding might be that we feel better about our own bodies if we compare ourselves and discriminate against 'fat' people, but we need to test this experimentally.

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The more attractive you are -- the more you judge others?  This horrifies me.

This event looks A-MAZING.  Get there.

Details and links to follow from the Obesity Action Coalition -

 Registration is Now Open!

We are excited to open meeting registration for the OAC's Inaugural Your Weight Matters National Convention! Register soon to take advantage of special early-bird discount savings for OAC members! From now until August 31, Full Convention Registration is only $95 for OAC members! To learn more about how to register to attend the OAC's National Convention, please click here.>>>

Special Registration Promotion 

The first 100 people who register for the OAC's National Convention will be entered into a drawing for a FREE 3-night stay at the Hilton Anatole! You don't want to miss out on this great offer, so make sure you register soon! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email where you will be notified if you are one of the 100 entered into the raffle. Register to attend the OAC's InauguralYour Weight Matters National Convention now by clicking here.>>>

Convention Room Block Now Open: Reserve Your Room at the Hilton Anatole

The host hotel for our Inaugural Your Weight Matters National Convention is the beautiful Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. All educational sessions and social events will take place at the Hilton Anatole. Convention attendees who reserve their room in the OAC room block receive a great room rate of $129/night. Plan to reserve your room soon, because with a rate like this, we expect the room block to fill up fast! 

Reserve your room online now by clicking here.>>> To make your reservations by phone, please call (800) HILTONS (800-445-8667) and identify yourself as an OAC Convention attendee by using the group code “OAC.” You canlearn more about this Dallas landmark by visiting the Hilton Anatole's Web site byclicking here.>>>

 Travel Discounts

We hope you will plan to join us in Dallas for this historical OAC event! The OAC has secured airline and rental car travel discounts for Convention attendees. Convention attendees can receive a 5 percent discount off regular airfare when they book their flight with American Airlines by using the code: 24H2BW. Full details on how to book your flight using the OAC discount can be found byclicking here.>>>

Convention attendees can also enjoy a 5-25 percent discount when renting a car through Avis. To make your car rental reservations and take advantage of this discount, please contact Avis at (800) 331-1600 and provide the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) Number: D510868. You may also use this discount when making your reservations online by clicking here.>>>

Sign-up to Receive OAC Convention E-news Alerts!

Be the first to hear the latest Convention news as it breaks! Sign-up to receive OAC Convention E-news Alerts and you'll be one of the first in the know! OAC Convention E-news Alerts deliver the newest details on the OAC's Inaugural Your Weight Matters Convention right to your inbox! Sign-up for OAC Convention E-news Alerts now by clicking here.>>>

 

This is all I have right now. Will blog more later. OMG!

• ABC 20/20

I am in college studying for a degree in Marketing with the very-distracted-and-backwards method. My husband is earning his Bachelor's in Business Management and Finance.    Yes, we're adults, and yes we are a little late.  

I think that we are getting more of an education by watching businesses screw customers online. 

One of my earlier classes taught me about fraud.  And trickery.  And a little about schemes and scams!

So, I see this in my search terms -

Search Referral:

 www.google.com — florida bariatriceating.com investigation 

You read my post about the f-ckery that IS Bariatric Eating.com.  If you haven't, please to do so first.

Some customers are receiving notices that their paid orders  have been officially canceled -- with or without asking for them to be canceled.  I also got word that regardless of my order, I would likely "never get it anyway" so to watch for a refund on my American Express.  The refund was processed on 4/26/2012, supposedly.  

It has not hit, nor did I ask for a refund.  I was waiting out the allotted dispute time to simply dispute had I NOT received the products.  It wasn't about my $100.00, $47 of which was EXPRESS SHIPPING from two weeks ago.

Now they are to sit and wait on the funds to be returned.  Given that the orders took so long to process, and did not, how long should customers expect to wait before receiving their money back?

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The actual storefront is now closed, and has been for some time.

And, when they were asked directly - When will I be able to get my goods?

• "‎BariatricEating.com  When we have our new product lines in we will also have a new location!"

OMG I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!  

However, all means of "contact us (errr, you!)" fail the customer.  

If Macy's failed to respond to ME in the typical fashions -

• Customer service, in person - YOUR STORE IS CLOSED.  (Macy's is open.)
• Customer service, via telephone - THERE IS NO RESPONSE TO ANY PHONE LINE  (Macy's has 1-800 numbers.)
• Customer service via email - THERE IS NO OR VERY DELAYED RESPONSE (Macy's would likely not need to go that far, but might follow up this way.)

I would go straight to the top of the food chain.

That is, the highest I could get to GET A RESPONSE.  If it were Macy's?  And Macy's failed to respond to all normal communication methods?  

I would go straight to social media. This method of 2012 crowd source communication works.  The power of a group of consumers is sometimes the only way to get things done.

You pay for a product or service, 

The business fails to provide the product or service.

You complain through appropriate measures, and then you take it upstream.

And?

This is the ONE AND ONLY way that we have recieved ANY RESPONSE -- via Facebook -- from an employee of Bariatric Eating.com

This same employee has asked me to direct all comments,, questions or angry rants I recieve -- straight to her overflowing in box.  I actually feel bad doing so at this point, as I cannot imagine the level of angry some customers might have.  

So, Susan, you mean to say that you've been taking customer's money (including mine) for months on end, and not shipping countless paid orders since at least January 2012, not fulfilling auto-ships, but you had the cash to front New Product Lines, close your store and move? 

Time, keeps on slippin' slippin'...

Definition of 'Wire Fraud' --A situation where a person concocts a scheme to defraud or obtain money based on false representation or promises.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wirefraud.asp#ixzz1tTMZEy2l

Questions -

• Where is my order from TWO WEEKS AGO of IN STOCK PRODUCT?  (I have received several boxes of products from various US locations SINCE my order from your company.)
• Where are everyones orders?  
• Where are the refunds?
• Since the refunds are not immediately processed, where is the money?
• Why is the store closed?
• Why is your website broken, apparently also hacked (check your source code) yet the "order" URL functions perfectly?  (Nevermind. I figured it out.)
• Why do you have a NEW WEBSITE that is half-functioning, but self-branded?
• Does this have anything to do with your book slated for release later this year?
• Why are you still offering product that is NOT in stock?
• Why are you posting on social media and not responding to customer complaints and questions?
• Why can't you be reached via phone, email or said social media?

Amazingly after this post was up a few hours -- some "answers" trickled in on the Facebook Page -

• "BariatricEating.com The company had been running for 8 years on a platform that was not built to handle the volumes of people and data. We had to go in and have everything rebuilt rather than repaired. We are in between platforms right now because not everything goes smoothly no matter how simple they tell you it will be. So our old site is gone and the new one is still beta but usable. Here is the link"
• BariatricEating.com We are not happy about it either. We repackaged and recreated all of our lines and have not yet reintroduced them. We will announce dates soon along with even more flavors and choices.
  32 minutes ago

Update - My order was wholly CANCELED last night after this post went live.  I did not ask for the order to be canceled.

Please explain.  I have inquired via blog post, email, phone, Facebook, Twitter, American Express, Consumerist and Florida Attorney General.  

Thank you! 

PS.  Here is the first post about Bariatric Eating.com

It would not be the first time.  I kid, because I don't think I've ever flashed my Slimpressions on TV before.

I head to New York City tomorrow to meet with ABC's 20/20 for an interview regarding things somewhat unknown to me about All Things Weight Loss Surgery.  

Hold me.  

What does one do in situations like this?  I mean, I got the itinerary yesterday.  MM get in a car and go to the airport and meet your driver and OMG. WHAT DO I DO?    First!  RAISE $3900 for the OAC!  THEN!

SHOP.  I had about two minutes to find something to wear, and zero clue of how to dress for such an occasion.  

If you ever want to get advice from everyone -- mention that you might be on national TV.  

Add other people's idea of What Works On TV Because We Know these things to my own clothing quirks, and that rules out nearly everything you find in a store.  I had one afternoon (about two hours with two very tired and children, one who cried the whole time...) to find an outfit, and little funds.  

I stopped just short of crying in the middle of Macy's.  I DID GOOD, I didn't lose my composure!

You see, my local mall has very few shopping options, and I have many clothing quirks.  

This might turn out being part of the interview -- the trouble with EXCESS SKIN AND ALL THAT IS LEFT AND THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO LIVE IN YOUR SKIN, FOR-EVER.   Let it be known, not everybody gets to have plastic surgery.  Sometimes you have to keep your extra bits. This was only solidified in my afternoon shopping trip that left me with yet another black dress.  

Forgive me, fashionable women of the internets, I can't handle colors, short sleeves, short dresses or anything that allows the non-use of Slimpressions because I. will. be. wearing. them.  I will be wearing a black 3/4 length sleeved belted dress with a Slimpressions The-Have-Nots and Slimpressions bottoms with Spanx tights.  Because I can.  And, given the state of my post weight loss and post baby body at 8 years and 1 month post weight loss surgery, I need to.

And if the Slimpressions don't make me feel super, the shoes might help -

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://walkfromobesity.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;teamID=5307&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; _mce_href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://walkfromobesity.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;teamID=5307&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Make a Donation!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

She bumps the goal up.  Well, why NOT?  I have a whole WEEK LEFT!  One day left!

 

 

Thanks to a late-night donation, Team MM + BBGC reached my lofty $3000.00 goal for the Walk From Obesity in Natick, MA on April 28th, 2012.  Go us!

I received 49 donations totaling more than $2200.00, including $500 from Wellesse Vitamins, huge support from Washington State BBGC Barbara Beck,  Slimpressions and many MM and BBGC Members... THANK YOU!

The rest of my teammmates made up the remaining $800.00.  Which MEANS?  WE CAN DO MORE.  You know why?  Some team members haven't got a single donation yet!  

• Reaching $2500.00 earns me prizes from the OAC - which (as you know) I give away to a lucky few donators!  
• Reaching $3000.00 is wonderful!  Thank you!
• But, if we hit $5000.00 for a single 2012 Walk From Obesity, I might implode.  

In the years I have fundraised and walked (6-7 times now?) I have NEVER raised more than $3000.00 for a single event.

Let's blow that away.

"YOU can really make a difference in the lives of those touched by obesity. while advances have been made in the prevention and treatment of obesity, more remains to be done. It is estimated that nearly 93 million Americans are affected by obesity and that number is predicted to climb to 120 million in the next five years.

There is hardly a family anywhere that hasn't in some way been affected by obesity related illnesses. The Walk from Obesity combines an enjoyable event with the potential to raise significant sums for the fight against obesity."

Donate the cost of your morning coffee today?  That seems reasonable.  

To all of those who have already donated, I thank you.  Very, very much!

• Watch for future Walks!  http://www.facebook.com/walkfromobesity
• Get Involved! http://walkfromobesity.com/index.html

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Related articles

• Team BBGC Walks For Obesity 2012! Help Us! (meltingmama.net)
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