Sweeping Cindy

A tale of two dresses

2012-02-05T10:29:00.006-05:00

Well one, really. One dress, two bodies.Most women I know long for the days when they were thin enough to fit into their wedding gowns. I am not one of those women.Oftentimes, that's when we look our absolute best. We diet and kill ourselves to fit into this tiny, white dress so we look perfect for 24 hours and have the photographs to prove it. Then the business of actually being married sets in

My 600-lb Life on TLC

2012-02-04T10:14:00.005-05:00

I am inspired by others' weight-loss success stories, so I often watch television shows featuring diet, exercise and healthy living. I've written extensively about my personal need for broadcast motivation. I see others succeeding and it makes me think I can do it, too.So I was very anxious to watch a new short-run series on TLC called "My 600-lb Life". It's a four-episode series that follows a

A thousand words

2012-01-29T09:45:00.004-05:00

When Erich and I first got married, I insisted that we begin a tradition of having yearly family portraits taken with my stepdaughter, Ericha. My family and friends were very far away and when I sent Christmas cards, I wanted a nice update to include along with it. Ericha's birthday is in early November so we would always schedule a session around that time in order to get a nice shot of her,

Coat tales

2012-01-26T20:56:00.005-05:00

Before I lost weight, I would "joke" that I had to be the biggest person in Canada. I couldn't find a single, solitary thing to wear in stores. Everyone - and I mean everyone - around was smaller than me; indeed, most people were a healthy, normal weight, but even those who were obese weren't as big as I was. The difference in the appearance of the population between my hometown in south-central

So you're considering bariatric surgery?

2012-01-22T10:13:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, a friend of mine recently had gastric bypass surgery at a nearby hospital. He came through everything just fine, as expected. There is no doubt in my mind he will be successful - because he totally rocks - and I am so excited to bear witness to the wonderful journey on which he has embarked.There are a few other friends of mine who are either considering surgery or

Cool clothes?

2012-01-17T21:42:00.002-05:00

Shallow blog alert:Clothes are weird. When people lose weight, you hear about them going nuts buying clothes because of the sudden abundance of choices. Now, of course I did that - the sheer joy of owning things I was never able to fit into was not lost on me. But now that I'm "settling" into maintenance I have noticed something: Clothes are still difficult to find.At first, I just wanted the

Making a list

2012-01-05T20:46:00.003-05:00

I came across an old forgotten list yesterday. No heading, but I can guess the topic:- Walk long distances- Buy any clothes I want- Not worry about width or strength of seats at concerts, movies, etc.- Sit in a booth- Cross my legs- Sit on Erich's lap- More energy- Have people easily pass by me at my workstation- Stand **UP** at concerts or just in general- Never be embarrassed to be seen againSo

In A Dream

2011-12-30T02:02:00.000-05:00

Several days ago, I had a dream which really can only be described as some sort of "Twilight Zone"-themed nightmare. It was also a wake-up call...literally.I wake up alone in my bedroom. My back hurts and I have a horrible headache. I feel awful, but I have to go to work so I attempt to haul myself from the bed. When I sit up, it is extremely difficult for some reason; I can't seem to make my

The whining women

2011-12-03T09:02:00.003-05:00

When you're a fat chick, the last thing you want to hear is women thinner than you bitching about their weight. It feels insulting and it pisses said fat chicks off. I know, because I was one of those fat chicks all my life. Well....I still AM a fat chick, but I digress. Few things ticked me off more than a size-four woman whining about how she reeeeeeally needed to lose 10 pounds.Notice I refer

Fat Flashbacks

2011-11-05T11:23:00.006-04:00

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of acid flashbacks. Well, I'm here to tell you I have FAT Flashbacks. The best thing I can compare it to is post traumatic stress disorder - almost like I've been through a war and sometimes a certain thing will trigger a memory where I'm right back in the trenches, feeling and experiencing everything I was going through before I lost weight.I've made no secret

MSNBC calling?

2011-10-17T17:31:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning to an email from what I thought had to be a prankster or a troll. Someone purporting to be health reporter Rita Rubin was asking to talk to me about a story she was writing for msnbc.com about families of gastric bypass patients.Suuurrreeee, I thought. Tell me another one! I almost didn't write back to her. Well, I'm glad I did because it was no joke and I ended up having a

Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride

2011-10-10T13:53:00.004-04:00

This past week has been challenging, health-wise. Again I must issue a disclaimer - female issue ahead!! Just sayin'.I mentioned my surgery on Sept. 9 for the removal of a uterine cyst and insertion of an IUD, which was supposed to help my psycho-cycle. It's normal to have some breakthrough bleeding/spotting for the first few months after IUD insertion and I have definitely been experiencing that

I Run For Life

2011-10-09T11:42:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday I participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure, which benefits the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. My original intention was to run what I could of the 5K and walk the rest. My knees are totally shot due to a lifetime of obesity. And while losing weight has lightened the load and therefore lessened the day-to-day pain I used to endure, it certainly is still present. I can run but not

Run for the Cure

2011-09-29T07:19:00.004-04:00

I have decided to participate in this Sunday's CIBC Run for the Cure, which benefits the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. There is a choice between a 1K and 5K run or walk; I have entered the 5K event.I would love to say I'd run it, but my knees just won't let me do that, not for 5K...I can run then walk, run then walk, etc. That's what I do normally when I exercise. If I run too much I

School must've been hell, right?

2011-09-25T11:48:00.004-04:00

I am often asked, in some variation of outright or implied - and often with a sympathetic voice - "School must've been hell for you, right?" The answer to that question might seem obvious. Indeed, the people who ask me always seem to assume my formative years were spent hiding in hallways from bullies. The short answer is no, my school years weren't hell. But the long answer is a bit more

Music saves the soul

2011-09-16T18:34:00.003-04:00

Music has been saving me lately, that's for sure!A couple of weeks ago, I went on a girls' road trip to Sharon, PA with my friend Paris to meet up with yet more friends to see Kris Bell. We all got to know Kris when he played in Bo Bice's band. It has been 4-1/2 years since I've seen Kris so I was pretty psyched. I think he'd seen new pictures of me on Facebook because he wasn't too surprised by

The Big Sexy Blog

2011-09-08T19:08:00.004-04:00

Last night was the second episode in the new series "Big Sexy" on TLC. Now, when I hear the phrase "Big Sexy", the first thing that comes to my mind is pro wrestler Kevin Nash.Yeah. *dreamy sigh*But the television show is pretty damn cool, too. I was skeptical when I first heard about it, I admit. How would this show present overweight women? The clown? The slut? The victim? Well, I was

Weren't you here a few years ago?

2011-07-16T18:33:00.006-04:00

Warning: Female blog ahead. Just an FYI to my male readers!Maybe you remember me talking about a gynecologist who was very rude to me a few years ago. I have persistent issues with my psycho-cycle and my family doctor referred me to him for a regular pap smear. She usually does that in her office, but opted to send me to a specialist because of my size. In Canada, a gynecologist is considered a "

Today I'm two

2011-07-07T07:17:00.002-04:00

Today is the second anniversary of my re-birth.It’s funny that I had the surgery on the 7th day of the 7th month because my actual birthday is also on the 7th. My stepdaughter’s birthday is also on the 7th; seven has been good to me. The number seems to seek me out in a lot of ways. It’s a stereotypical lucky number but for me it’s really true. July, as well as February, has been good for me in

Strong like bull!

2011-06-18T18:38:00.006-04:00

At some point, everyone needs to stretch themselves out of their comfort zone. Challenging yourself is important, especially when it comes to either achieving or maintaining weight-loss goals. If you get a little too comfy you can get bored and then it's just a hop, skip and a jump back to old habits....funny how I never got bored with sitting around on the sofa all night eating chips, huh?I quit

Dominican a-ha moments

2011-06-12T10:06:00.003-04:00

Erich and I recently went on a vacation that was 10 years overdue. For our 10th anniversary, we went to the Dominican Republic.Since we've been married, we take our time off work to go to Ohio. Twice a year, a week each time. At my job I don't have a lot of days off so after the Ohio trips are done, I'm past done with vacation time. Erich does have more, but usually stays home when he takes it...

Grocery cart judging

2011-05-17T22:05:00.004-04:00

Say you're in a checkout line and the chick in front of you is about 50 pounds (or more) overweight. As you wait for the teenage cashier to figure out how to break a $20 bill, you glance around and your eyes fall on the contents of said overweight woman's shopping cart. Frozen pizza, donuts, two cases of pop, maybe some Hamburger Helper. There's a kid beside her (also overweight) and you notice

The Journey

2011-04-24T11:27:00.004-04:00

On this Easter Sunday I am feeling nostalgic, looking back on what I see as my own journey to resurrection. Recently I was reminded of a poem I hadn't read for years by Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver called The Journey . Mary was interviewed in last month's edition of O Magazine by Maria Shriver. Yes, I often draw inspiration from Oprah Winfrey. If that makes some people roll their eyes, well

Sweet thing

2011-04-23T20:44:00.007-04:00

I know in the weight-loss-surgery world, sugar is a four-letter word. If we listened to some folks out there, you should avoid it - forever - at all costs. Well, I have a little secret to tell you. *whispering* That's not entirely/exactly true for everyone.In the first stages post-op, it definitely is important to cut out sugar as much as possible. Everyone's tolerance level is different, but for

On my own

2011-04-17T09:38:00.003-04:00

This will be short.Can we please dispense with this notion that people who lose weight somehow don't do it on their own? I've talked about this subject before, but I keep getting agitated by ads on tv with people who bemoan that they "couldn't do it on their own" so they needed the help of some program or the other. This morning, the commercial I saw was for a very popular program in Canada