Just a Few Ramblings and Gripes
don't have "the bulk" of skin at my middle area. I carried my weight everywhere, which means that I have sagging skin, literally everywhere. Financially I know I can't afford plastic surgery, so I do plan on using an attorney to "force" my insurance company to get at the very least my tummy tuck done and we'll most likely pay cash for my arms. They are probably the worst (but they don't cause any physical problems - other than my sagging arms being a size 24 and my upper body being an XL - just trying finding a coat that fits ! WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!) Just in case you doubt me, there's a picture of my arms!!I recently watched a Dr. Phil show, where a woman lost 160lbs and she was so traumatized by her sagging droopy skin and I have to quote how she described her pain because it was EXACTLY how I'd been feeling "Now that I am at my goal, it's like a cruel joke. I have excess skin. My body resembles a melting candle. I feel like I'm in a 70-year-old body. My skin just hangs. It reminds me of pizza dough." Now I know I'm not at my goal weight and I have to say I know it's only going to look worse. I sure hope I can mentally deal with it. Here is the link to the Dr. Phil Show, just scroll down to the last "story" and click on "Will her husband ever see his wife unclothed" http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/648/
My Daughter and Summer Gym
As I mentioned in my story, my daughter was also diagnosed with PCOS last year. She had normal blood sugars but extremely high levels of insulin. Poor thing inherited my mom and I's tiny rolling veins and after 7 sticks they were able to get some blood out of her. They had her take a 2hr fasting glucose tolerance test. Then they FORGOT to take a few tests fasting, so she had to come back the next morning to get those done again!! Anyways, she was prescribed Glucophage 500mg 3x a day. The beautiful thing about treating teens and young girls with diagnosed PCOS is that they respond MUCH better than women do (the Glucophage does nothing for me). Thanks to my mother who was reading up on the it and alerted me to it! She has lost almost 40lbs since October of last year. She wants to lose another 20-300lbs. She won't be super skinny (the doctor advised against it as she is pretty tall and big boned and said she'd look "funny" being too thin). We also embrace curvy women. We are NOT looking to be "stick figures" in this house!! Here's a before and after pic and with her new hair cut/color:
BEFORE......................... AFTER........... NEW HAIR CUT/COLOR
Well, it's been especially hard on her. She works her hind end off, but is INCREDIBLY sore every day and comes home to sleep for 2-3 hrs each day afterwards. I do worry about her having Fibromyalgia, but won't even put that thought in her head at this point.
Well, the gripe about all of this is here. The Summer gym program is being run by the coaches, not the regular gym teacher and they are working them, like they work the ATHLETES. We're heard a bunch about Childhood Obesity, but I think that someone who is out of shape and formerly obese (but still overweight) is not going to be able to achieve what a "fit" or "athletic" person is going to be able to achieve - at least not right off the bat. And if one of the teachers she had this week, doesn't emulate the "hard-ass - I'm going to make a point out of you fatties" than I don't know who does.
First off he accused my daughter and 2 other heavy girls of "cheating" and not doing the exercise. When my daughter clearly did it and she said he even looked at her during it. But then to "make an example out of them" - he took the whole class to a new area of steps (they were supposed to run up and down 2 flights of steps 3 times originally), and made those 3 girls do it again FIVE more times!!! Now what kind of point is he trying to make? That he's an asshole? Well he got the grade on that one. But to call my daughter a liar and then "make an example" of "cheaters" when they clearly didn't cheat. I was LIVID. I mean to tell you, it actually affected my sleep that night. Well she started crying (she could only do the steps one more time before she gave up out of exhaustion and can barely walk now BTW) and one of the counselors was there and he talked to her. You know what HE SAID??? "Maybe you shouldn't be doing Summer Gym". This is the man at the beginning of Summer gym that said "it's all about improving". My daughter HAS improved. When she first started and had to "run/walk" 1.25 miles - it took her 44 minutes. The 2ND time, due to the ENCOURAGEMENT of the jocks, she did it the next time in 24 minutes!!! How is this HELPING HER??? She is not only discouraged about being fit, but about taking Summer Gym, I'm furious. Is this the way we're going to help the obese teenagers??? To humiliate them and make "examples" of them?
Which reminded me of an article I read. Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP - talks about the humiliation and torment of gym. She also talks about the body of evidence, documenting the especially intense negative feelings towards fat children held by PE teachers. I quote her here: "International Journal of Obesity. Led by Dr. Kerry S. O’Brien, Ph.D., at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University of Otago, New Zealand, “measures of implicit and explicit anti-fat prejudice were administered to university health professional students” and found that PE student teachers displayed higher levels of anti-fat bias than any other group of health professional. Associating obesity with being bad, lazy and stupid increased during their years of university study — the longer they were immersed in the PE environment and came to adopt ideological beliefs, according to the researchers. As the Sunday Telegraph reported: “PE teachers harbour a deep dislike of fat pupils.” "
I truly believe this is what this teacher is doing. I'm going to keep on eye on the situation and I told her if one more incident happens I'll step in and talk to him. He'll probably hate me and think I'm a stupid fat person too! But see, I don't care and won't take his crap! Fortunately she only has him on a rotation basis, so she doesn't have to deal with him every day. She is one DETERMINED kid. She hit the winning run today in baseball. Guess she's not so nonathletic as "some" may think!!
If you have a child that is overweight or you know anyone who does, you really need to read this article!! It's fabulous and talks from facts not just opinions! http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/03/is-school-pe-really-answer-to-childhood.html
Just a link to a You-Tube video that was really pretty good. Now I don't condone being fat AND unhealthy. I can't just "eat what I want" and "Screw the world". Due to the Insulin Resistance etc., I HAVE to eat well and I HAVE to lose weight. But her candor and self esteem is really refreshing! And I say "You GO GIRL". I think she's beautiful just the way she is and am glad she's found such peace with herself! It's Called "A Fat Rant"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA
I hope to be back later with a new creation I made called 10 minutes Szechuan Chicken - now I kind of "borrowed" the recipe from another site, and added my own tweaks to it. I'll let you know how it turned out and how the family liked it. I also need to do a bit more posts on some studies/articles I've found on both Obesity and Childhood Obesity. But the grocery store calls my name - sadly!
1 comment:
You know I reckon if governments and insurance companies helped out more with the sagging skin problems (everywhere not just tummy) we would have a whole lot more successful formerly obese people and thus less pressure on their precious "health care" system!
That is absolutely horrible about your daughter, I would be tempted to put him and the counselor in their place now LOL
You know with low carb being good for PCOS your daughter is very lucky your going through the journey you are now, your experiences must help her a ton.
Post a Comment