melting mama

In which she decided to forgo The Rockstar Light For Good?

I'm not blaming the "Rockstar Roasted Light" for my seizure disorder, in fact, I just started sipping those very very recently.

But, reading this is enough ammo to make me stop.

You also recall that the first grand mal seizure occurred within 90 minutes of drinking a low-carb energy drink? Well, it did, I had ingested a 16 ounce can of a sugar-free energy drink that morning in the car on the way to my appointment, and I dropped into a seizure on the floor of the plastic surgeon's clinic.

1: Epilepsy Behav. 2007 May;10(3):504-8. Epub 2007 Mar 8. Links
New-onset seizures in adults: possible association with consumption of popular energy drinks.

Iyadurai SJ, Chung SS.
Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 58013, USA. Stanley.Iyadurai@chw.edu

Energy drinks contain a mixture of compounds, of which caffeine, guarana, and herbal supplements such as ginkgo and ginseng are major components.

Survey of popular literature reveals anecdotal observations of adverse events associated with consumption of energy drinks. However, there are no reported cases in the published literature. We report a series of four patients who had discrete seizures on multiple occasions, following heavy consumption of energy drinks.

Once the patients were abstinent from the energy drinks, no recurrent seizures were reported. We propose that the large consumption of energy drinks rich in caffeine, taurine, and guarana seed extract could have provoked these seizures.

Poll: Should morbidly obese people be required to pay extra for taking up extra space on a plane?

Should morbidly obese people be required to pay extra for taking up extra space on a plane? 

Here is the Parade Poll.

This controversial policy pits the commercial interests of the airline against the dignity of overweight fliers and raises the issue of whether anti-discrimination laws should be applied to obese people. For Southwest, a plane ticket is like real estate: You get only the space you pay for. (Passengers must buy an extra ticket if their girth prevents them from lowering the armrest that divides the seats. If the flight is not full, they qualify for a refund.) Southwest representative Ashley Rogers says the airline instituted the policy because of complaints from adjoining passengers. “We want to give everybody the room they need,” she says. “People should be able to breathe a little without their neighbor encroaching.”

Part of me SCREAMS OUT that this is UNFAIR, DISGUSTING AND UNJUST!   Write a letter!  Hold a sign!  Hell no we won't, fly! 

(I don't anyway.  But,  I totally WOULD, if given a free ticket to BlogHer and a Xanax so that I could handle sitting ON a plane next to anyone. Totally sit next to me, your butt can encroach on my business, I won't complain, especially if I get a free ride, thanks. )

But, then, the other half of me says, it's business, and if you need a certain size pair of say, PANTS you buy them and move on.  And you know what?  Those fucking pants?  They cost more than your average size pants.  They always have. 

I am very sensitive to my own needs, and if I needed a extra seat because I was still that big - I would buy it.  I want to be COMFORTABLE for myself.  Screw what other people need.  I really don't enjoy being that close to other people anyway.   If I couldn't afford it - I just wouldn't go.  If that's harsh, I guess it's just too bad. 

WLS for Teens

My bad.

Rule number one?

Don't post before you drink your caffeine kicks in, and your brain is not functioning at it's typical non-functional capacity. 

I listened to an interview this morning with a Bariatric Surgeon (because I was reading HIS website to sort of pre-review his "Full-Bars"...) and what I heard in the interview was this, "a 95% failure rate," at five years out for weight loss surgery, and I came here and posted it immediately.  But, "what I heard," what just that, because I was half-asleep.  This was a stat from a NIH study from years ago.

Oops.

Baby Borrowers.

Wow.

Where was this show in the 12th grade?

Wednesday.

Weight - 158 lbs.

• 1 scoop Click Espresso Protein in Soy Cappuccino
• 2 ounces shredded pork in BBQ
• Rockstar Roasted Light
• Guts of three mozzarella sticks, and a few fried onion rings, with a taste of tartar sauce.
• One bite penuche fudge.
• 1 slice provolone cheese
• 2 scoops Click Espresso Protein in Shake
• Very Veggie Salad, Walden Farms Blue Cheese Dressing

Exercise

• 1 hour walking outdoors on my own, plus about a half hour casual walking with family

Another post RNY seizure patient.

We're adding up, I am telling you, this is not normal.  Yeah, the doctors will say it is, but, whatever.

Yet another roux-en-y gastric bypass patient has emailed me stating she's had grand mal seizure and just had her license revoked this past Friday.

Remember when I told you this protein was overpriced?

Back in March, I tried a sample of Chike Protein  and I liked it, because it was made of sunshine and love and pure cash dollahs, because it cost $70+ a container, and, it tasted. really. really. good, and it's been touched by an angel or something  (have a look at the website, you'll see) but - I complained.

It has nothing to do with my whining, but, the price of Chike has dropped dramatically.  It's now $45.  Is it no longer made of pure heaven?  I don't know, but it's cheaper, and that's a good thing, because we need all the money we can get to go in our gas tanks.

Thank you, Chike.

Tuesday.

Beach day today, sort of. We went for a couple hours, parking fees be damned.

• Unsweetened soy cappuccino + 1/2 serving Click Protein
• 1/2 crunchy granola bar
• 1/2 turkey sandwich
• 1 Atkins Advantage Caramel Brownie Protein Bar
• 3 ounce ground beef patty, 1 slice american cheese
• 1 ounce shredded pork in BBQ
• Unsweetened soy cappuccino + 1/2 serving Click Protein

Exercise -

• 1+ hour walking outdoors, not pushing a brat.

Ain't worth the gas.

Girls always enjoy a little pampering.

Last night we took a quick ride to the beach, my thought was, going really late would save us the parking cost!  No deal.  Pulling in, the woman in a bikini informs us that,

"It's ten dollars to park, regardless of what time you get here, and you can come in but you are risking a ticket."

 

I see her turn around, and realize she is radio'ed *directly to the police* and WOULD immediately have us ticketed if we parked even for five minutes.  So, I say to her (because it was the truth, we were just at the garden shop, and left because their credit machine was down, and I couldn't buy my damn herbs that I wanted, and they didn't have an ATM nearby...)

"We have no cash, I thought you didn't have to pay after 5 or 6pm, and we aren't swimming, we were going to comb for rocks and take some pictures, (I gesture at the kids in the back seat), and it's after 6pm, you mean to tell me I have to pay ten bucks to park my car in an empty lot for one hour to walk the beach and leave?"

"Feel free to drive in, but you will get a ticket." (I know she probably hears this shit all day long.)

Biznitch, meant in the nicest way.  I am sure she had been in the sun for hours and was fried.

So, Bob pulled in and we pulled out.  We went down further to an area that has a "two hour" free on street parking where you have to walk to the beach and drag all your crap, but since we weren't going to swim it was no big deal. 

Okay, maybe one of us got a little wet.

I mean, I am sure we created ten dollars worth of damage to Massachusetts' coastline in 45 minutes yesterday.

I did this, I'm very sorry.

GRAFFITI!  Arrest me now.

In fact, in forty-five minutes, we found ONE SHELL, and TOOK IT HOME.

Maybe we even pooped on the beach?

Power Crunch Bars for $4.50 a box

Cheap, cheap money, very short dates, cinnamon flavor only, NOT AN AD, thanks to "A Smaller Target" for the tip.  But, you know what?  Don't we all put these in the freezer anyway?  This is 82% off.

Monday.

• Click Espresso Protein in my Unsweetened Soy Cappuccino.
• Dole Fresh Discoveries Salad Mix, Walden Farms Zero Calorie Dressing, Grated Cheese.
• Too many dark chocolate almonds. (This was all day long, hand in the container, probably two servings.)
• Two Wendy's Chicken Nuggets and four bites of a 1/4 single.

My two chubby baby boys.

, originally uploaded by bethography - melting mama.

My boy called home. He's fine.

But, it's warm there.

He enjoys the free food.

And, he's having fun.

Something "clicked."

I am sort of a high-maintenance low budget girl.  I require certain things to keep me running.  I know that a certain coffee chain "Keeps America Running," but do you think the donuts really keep anybody "running?" 

Heh.  No.

I require quality coffee everyday, and low sugar high cocoa content chocolate as much as humanly possible.

When I found myself sidelined with a health condition that kept me from even just going out for a "cup of coffee, " (because I can't drive right now) my husband bought me the nicest espresso machine he could find.   While it's wonderful, I'm drinking a million cappuccinos, and that's not always what I need.

I found this product.

Click.   No  pun intended.  But, click it.

It has what I require. 

Espresso, chocolate, and, PROTEIN, 15 grams in one serving.  It can be made hot or cold, I tried it both ways about eight times now, and I love it.  (You know I don't just throw that out there, I am a tough cookie.)   

For the sake of a simple review, I tasted it AS THE PACKAGE DIRECTED and it was just perfect. 

I prepared it cold, and look, I sucked this down, and then I cleaned the bathroom in a single bound, I did!

As a hot drink, it's also delightful - you literally just mix it as you would any hot powdered drink like a cocoa.  I highly suggest a whisk, and do it well, and you get the best results.  This mix really has a smooth mocha flavor.

I've been drinking it hot in my morning cappuccino - I whisk one or two scoop into some hot water to mix, then a shot of espresso and then top it off with steamed unsweetened soy milk, and it makes an AMAZING morning cup.

I've already thrown it into protein shake concoctions in the blender, and it's OMG!? DELICIOUS with blended ice and additional flavors.  (THINK ABOUT THE OPTIONS HERE PEOPLE!)

The nutrition:

• 2 scoops contain:
• 120 calories
• 1.5 grams of fat
• 115 mg sodium
• 290 mg potassium
• 12 carbohydrate
• 1 fiber
• 7 sugar (fructose)
• 15 protein

Overall, I am very impressed with Click Protein.  There is NO telltale protein-y taste, you that icky tongue-feel and after taste you might get with other protein products?   I don't know how it's possible, but it's true - you cannot tell that this is a protein drink by any stretch. 

Add that to the fact that it contains my two main food groups, espresso and chocolate?  It's a clear winner, and my new thing.

It just clicked.  Click.

• Product:  CLICK Espresso Protein Drink
• Purchased:   Freebie from Click for the purpose of this review.
  
• Price:  $19.99 per canister.
• Pros:  Two major food groups!  Espresso & Chocolate.  I could probably live on it.  :x
• Cons:  I probably shouldn't live on it.
• Rating:  YES.  NOW.  More.  Please?  Oh, what was I supposed to say?  Pouchworthy.  Thing is, some  people don't do caffeine post gastric bypass, so I shouldn't say pouch-worthy.  I HATE DISCLAIMERS.  Go drink water.

Update from the CEO of Click, I think I confused some of you with my review yesterday, I get really excited when I like something.  But, she's got a promotional code for you here:

"One of your forum members referred me to you CLICK product review.

We have had some inquires about free samples.  We do not have samples.  The canister you received is a 10 serving canister that retails anywhere between $19.99 and $24.99.  Plus, there are several fitness centers and bakeries/bread stores dispensing CLICK by the glass for $3.25 - $3.50 per serving.  CLICK does not use inexpensive coffee rather we use high quality espresso coffee which is why the taste is so unusually delicious.  Also, any drink with protein will cost more and protein (just like meat) is expensive.  The benefit of our protein is that it is long lasting.  Since it curbs your appetite and gives you that great energy lift we have had hundreds of people lose weight drinking CLICK.  Your forum may be interested to know that CLICK has all the components of a meal replacement.  The only reason we cannot call it a meal replacement is because CLICK is so low in calories!

For your website and forum members, I would like to extend a special introductory offer.  Simply enter RnRCLICKOn in the promotional code field and the price is reduced from $19.99 for a 10 serving canister to $17.99. Plus, if they purchase 2 canisters they receive FREE shipping.  Pass it on as this promotion will not last long! "

And another update.  :)

A few more questions have been sent to customer service on how to obtain the special introductory offer!    On the home page of www.drinkclick.com there is a big pink button on the left side

 

 

You need to “click” the button to call up a page to enter the code “RnRCLICKOn” to get the special introductory offer!  Please extend my apologies for not making the steps more clear. 

Not that I want to make it habit.

But apparently I am not good at eating when he is home.  Red flag, send him back to work.  Now, if I could just drive, things would be so much easier.

• 1/2 Cookie (Breakfast of champions, no?  Don't ask who may have been at a bakery yesterday and bought a dozen while I was at the Apple Store with the computer, that isn't obvious?  It's not like I sat down and at a freaking cookie either.  I was picking at the suckers ALL MORNING LONG.)
• 1/2 Cookie (Lunch of champions?  Perhaps!)
• Dinner was out at a Mexican Restaurant.  I can't even tell you how many calories it was.  I didn't eat much, but I ate till I was full, and I ordered a "Vegetarian Combo,"  I ate a pile of plain black beans first, then a few bites of a cheese thing, a spinach-filled delicious-ness, and a few bites of a chile filled with fatty cheese.  (I have NEVER had one of those, OMG!?)  I did not dump.  Had I eaten any more, I would have.  My blood sugar did crash though.  I didn't test, I felt it.  I was pacing.  It wasn't a real low one -  but I was pacing and looking for more food within an hour.

Just so you know - Bob had a low sugar after this meal too - he had a bunch of carbs - he ate tortilla chips and salsa, which I don't, and he was trying to do his homework and cracked out and lost his brain about an hour and a half into it.  It happens to both of us, specifically after high-carb meals, of course, which I never really eat, but if we both indulge, forget about it, we're goners.  It makes me wonder sometimes if his drive for the simple carbs might have anything to do with the blood sugar cycling just like mine.  It is possible, I mean, I make fun of him, because, he ate like crap BEFORE the RNY, and he just does it on a miniature version now, but what if it is the damn pancreas pushing him, too?

Could be.

Hyperventilating.

It's 7:30am on a Sunday, we've been up an hour already, and we're dancing and spinning to this.  (Go on, turn your speakers up and try not to shake your bum.)  You should see Tristan right now.  She's spinning backwards in a circle, bouncing, her hands up.

You ask why we are up so early on a Sunday - the Day Of Rest?  Well, it ain't no Day Of Rest in our house.  Sunday is generally the only day to get shit done.  Why?  Well, typically, Mr. MM works Tuesday - Saturday and takes Sunday and Monday off, and we use Sunday for any and all errands, and Monday is any and all doctor visits or things that can only be done on business days since I cannot drive and we are stuck DOING ALL OF IT TAG TEAM STYLE.

But, this Sunday, he's driving my poor boy to his demise first shot at overnight camp. 

They were up and out of here at 6am - to drive out to drop the boy off for a week of sleepover camp.  (This isn't "in the woods camping."  He can do that.  We've done that.  He likes dirt, and can keep occupied in the dirt and bugs and fish for hours.  In fact, HE loves real camping, give him a pole and worms.  Just don't ask me to help.)

He's going to FOOTBALL CAMP PEOPLE.  FOOTBALL CAMP.  I can only safely say that THANK DOG that his father is also on vacation this week (which he also did because he volunteered to be a camp parent, and not chosen, maybe they Googled the geek and saw that he's a former fatty that has never even played organized sports because people made fun of him, discrimination I say sarcastically!) because he is SO going to have to go pick my boy up after a sniffling phone call within 48 hours.

My boy is a delicate flower.  Much like his DAD.

There are two scenarios. 

1. He will either totally rock this camp, and be perfectly fine, and play the clown and make like 1,000 friends, which is what he does in many social situations when he is away from everyone else that can judge him like his sisters or extended family.  (Just the truth, if he feels the slightest bit of judgment, it's SO OVER.)
2. OR - he will lose his shit and call home the moment he has to do something out of his comfort zone like, a communal shower or something. 

   "OMG!  COME HERE NOW AND BRING ME HOME.  I HATE FOOTBALL CAMP, AND YOU DID THIS TO ME AND I AM SCARRED FOR LIFE AND I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.  And if you think I am even putting that jockstrap on again and going to football,  you have another think coming.  When I am going to therapy?"

Some children probably jump at the chance at camp like this - it's a Big Deal - and maybe he'll feel entirely different about it when it gets back - and we saw 100% positive effects of FOOTBALL in the boy last summer - so I am glad he went.  I kid, I really do - it's just OMG, it's kinda scary, because, my boy is a flower.

A flower who happens to be like 95 lbs, and a beast.

I refuse to call it a BAD food day.

But, it was a shitty food day.  It's not much - just REALLY "crappy" in comparison to how I have been eating, mostly because we were out of the house all day long and I wasn't prepared for it.

Weight - 157 lbs.

(And, just for the sake of writing things down because my memory is CRAP, that intermittent pain is still around.  I think I may have a weird uterus or something?  It's not a fetus, it's not a bowling ball poop - we ruled those things out.   So - we'll keep it in mind, the phantom pain of lower left colon/uterus/ovary or bladder.  I can feel it RIGHT NOW.  It's a weird stabbing pain.  I can point, RIGHT HERE, see?   Would an ultrasound or another test show more than an x-ray, or am I wasting my time and money again?)

• (In the car,  my day started off sour because I brought a protein shake with me, but it went horribly wrong, and chunked.) So,  I was STARVING.  1/2 croissant, sausage, egg cheese minus most of the croissant that I threw out the car window.
• Venti soy cappuccino + 1 petite vanilla scone (Eww, what a waste of carb grams.)
• 1 egg foo yung (OMG love, I haven't had this in years!  Eggs have not been my friend for so long.)
• 1/2 biscotti.
• 4 glucose tabs.  (Hypo crash!  Didn't even test, I didn't need to, felt it coming a mile away.)
• (Back home) Cheese + black olives from the top of a slice of pizza.
• Unsweetened soy cappuccino.

Half-Assed. A Contest Entry.

How to lose 192 pounds in 7 seconds.

Friday.

Weight - 157 lbs.

• Unsweetened soy milk cappuccino, 1/2 scoop Syntrax Sweets Chocolate Protein mixed in (it almost worked, it chunked a little, ick...)
• Review! To! Come!  DELISH!
  
• 1 serving Genisoy Soy Crisps BBQ Flavor + Salsa
• Green salad, cheese.  Ran out of my dressing, crap. (50 calories)
• Hunka chicken breast, it's gone too. Crap. (50 calories)
• Green salad, cheese,  no dressing. (50 calories)
• Rockstar Roasted Light (100 calories)
• Two bites Premier Nutrition Titan Protein Bar, gave up on it and had 1 snack cup 2% cottage cheese instead (90 calories)
• 3/4 of an egg roll, three bites rice (OMG THE PAIN!?)

Join Team MM at The Walk From Obesity 2008

Join Team MM for The Walk From Obesity in Lowell, Massachusetts.  Join us to walk, I would love to meet you!  Details at the link.

By all means, do not read this if you are enjoying your summer.

(I need a summer vacation.  I'm not asking much.

I would consider camping! But, the camper is for sale, and it was never registered or anything and I don't have a tow vehicle. LOL.)

It's 7:37am on a Friday and it's still only June and when does school start again?  When can I drive again?  When?  When?  When?

I feel like one of those annoying fucking yippy dogs at the window. 

"Yippy!  Yippy!  Yippy!  Yip!  Yip  Yip!!"   (Translated:  "Go for a ride, Go for a ride, Go Go Go?")

I have already used day-camp as a threat for one child, because her attitude sucked and she hated it last time, so her attitude changed.

The other two big kids might still get a little day-camp thrown in for good measure.  Maybe just a session, if it is available, as it is quite inexpensive and cheaper than the sheer amount of duct tape it will require to affix the two of them to the ceiling for the same length of time because they have:

"Nothing to do because everyone else gets to leave and we have to stay home all the time because you can't drive and everyone else has camp/swimming/sports/friends and we have to stay here and whine."

If I start hearing too much misery, I tell everyone to get sneakers on, and we walk.  But, if you read my last post about that, it doesn't happen that often, because it causes more misery.

For what it's worth, even when I do drive, we didn't do that much in the summer, although it was a hell of a lot more than this.  We would leave the house at least once a day if I wasn't working.  (Lots of playground time, beach, walking, grandma's pool... and they had camp, if I worked.)

My response?  "Go read a book.  Would it hurt you to read a book?"

"Probably." 

Then they go play for a length of time and the cycle repeats until Dad gets home between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

Thursday.

Weight - 157 lbs.  Woot.  But, WTF?

• Unsweetened soy milk cappuccino + diet hot cocoa mix in it (MM Mocha)
• Plain cold grilled chicken breast (I finally turned the grill on.  Man do I love the grill.)
• Green salad, parmesan cheese, zero cal dressing
• 1/2 Power Crunch Bar
• 1/2 Power Crunch Bar
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1/2 cup edamame, with Smart Balance Butter Spray
• 1/2 Premier Titan Protein Bar
• 1/2 Premier Titan Protein Bar
• 1 square raspberry ChocoPerfection.
• Unsweetened soy milk cappuccino + Lean Dessert Protein Chocolate (IT WORKED!  IT TASTES A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN THE COCOA!)

Exercise

40 minutes walking, outdoors.

Neil Entwistle Gets Life.

Mr. MM Goes On A Diet?

Mr. MM must have stepped on the scale.  (We have a don't ask, don't tell policy.)

Certainly, I tell, but I never ask.  He's sensitive.  He typically only sees a weight change by how his pants are fitting.  When the pants no LONGER fit?  It's time to cut back.  (I hadn't noticed if the pants did not fit.)

How do I know this?  He's logged on to Fit-day two days in a row,  but I got him to sign up for The Daily Plate and he's asking questions, like:

"How many calories do you think are in how much cream  (points to the part of the styrofoam cup where the moo fat comes up to each time the Dunkin' Donuts clerk fills it up when he orders his drink)
I have in my cup of coffee?"

"Dude, you don't want to know."

"Why?"

"When you ask for a large EXTRA LIGHT four plus times a day, what do you think that means?"

Today, he went to work, proclaiming that he was going to order, BLACK COFFEE, and he would purchase his own half and half and pour it himself as necessary, you know, to save his arteries, after the shock of seeing what he has been drinking.

He just called, and said that he tried his morning cup with the fat-free half and half.  It's not a new thing, it's what we've had at home, many times before.  I don't use half and half, I use soy, but I keep a container for him, just in case he makes a cup. 

"But, it tastes so BLAH."

I hear you.  It's gross.  I suggested that maybe if he just cut back on the sheer amount of fat-laden cream, and learn to appreciate less of it or a smaller cup of coffee at a time?  I don't think he even likes coffee to be honest.  He likes sweet cream.

It's hard.  I know.  He has a Dunkin' Donuts on site at work, within feet of his nose.  He is lucky he has not gained 100 lbs. of donut and cinnamon roll weight back already.  He knows this and is lucky to have some built in mal-absorption left. 

You are all too aware that he tends to tote home a glazed stick or two and I am a compulsive nibbler.  (Even four bites do me in, but, I still tempt fate.)  But he?  He has always been much more of a carb-o-holic, it is his addiction.  This boy will never be addicted to anything but brownies.  (Yes, it's no secret I would prefer that he were 500 lbs. than an alcoholic or drug addict, thank you.) 

But, he's very lucky, still, he can sort of cut back to eggs, soup and protein bars for a bit, and drop that 15 lbs of donut weight like nothing, you just watch, whereas it will take me YEARS to lose 15 lbs.

The doctor's office called.

That took more than a WEEK.  The results of my X-RAY? 

Are of course - "negative."  I ask the nurse, "Negative for WHAT?"  She said, "Are you still having pain?" 

I tell her, no, not really, it was really bad for a while - but I figured I wouldn't explode, but what did "negative" mean?  She said that meant that "nothing showed up."

Oh.  Phantom pain.  Now I'm going to be a hypochondriac.  Super.