It's ALL About Perspective...

Don't say you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.  ~Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This is not my usual long post, and no I have not forgotten about the forgiveness posts.... I will have another one ready this weekend.  I did want to share with you all that you will probably see that I have switched my ticker to show how many pounds I have left to lose.  I decided to do this because I don't want to live in the past! I am moving ahead with the goal in mind. I have 43 more pounds to lose to get to my set goal of being 150 lbs.  I know that I can do this so I am looking forward to seeing how close I get to it each week.

I have always been one to buck the status quo and to prove that I can DO it.  I hope that as you all see and read about my struggles, that you too, know that you can do it.  Believe me, I have my moments.  Like when I ate two Moonpie Minis the other day and then realized that I would have to run for an extra 30 minutes in order to burn the calories.  Boy, was that ever a reality check!!! Or when I decided to go for a healthy alternative to chips- flaxseed chips, only to have my body tell me, "Don't EVER do that to me again!!!".... I also don't want to run some days. I want to be able to eat without getting sick sometimes, but all of these things are what I go through to be stronger in the end.

Don't let what people say or do stop you!  I was told that I would never graduate from college, that I would never amount to much, that no man would ever want me, that I would never get married because I was mixed, that I would never have a child, that I would end up a statistic, that I would fail at losing this weight, that I was lazy, etc.  Don't let people pigeonhole you or label you!  Prove them wrong!!! As with anything, including weight loss, don't let what people say about you DEFINE you!!! If that was the case then I would be in a pretty sorry state and constantly worrying about what people think of me.  I live by this philosophy: I will do what I KNOW is right, REGARDLESS of if it is popular, if it puts people off, because in the end, I have to live with myself knowing that I could have done better. 

Right now, I am struggling with certain people in respect to boundaries.  I don't have an issue with the boundaries that I have set, but they sure do.  Case in point, how do you trust someone who obviously needs your support, but he or she has lied, backstabbed, thrown you under the bus, and then backed over you time and time again?  Not easy to forgive, but I have.  However, I have not forgotten.  So right now, I am trying to decide how close is too close.  I have pretty much decided NOT to let that person get close to me ever again. With that said, I WILL be kind to him or her because it is the RIGHT thing to do... I'm a nice person, but I wasn't born yesterday...

So how do you view things?  Do you see things as the glass half full or the glass half empty?  Let me challenge you to do something that I am doing this month... And it has nothing to do with weight loss or exercise (unless you want it to).  How about you chose one thing on a daily basis that you are thankful for.  When you see how much you have to be grateful for, it makes the other things in life seem so trivial.  And yes you can find something... But remember, it is all about perspective!

Opportunities Abound!

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~Sir Winston Churchill

If you know me well, and many of you do, I am a talker!  I have never met a stranger and I love to meet people and see new things.  I am a daredevil, but I am also realistic, which is why what I am going to share with you next seems kind of unreal.  I have lost 77 lbs now and at a bit of a plateau but still losing inches (which I can deal with). I have started running again and even my family is pretty impressed that I am sticking with it. But one thing that has never changed about me, is my friendliness.  I tend to talk to anyone and everyone and also LOVE to network.  My job actually requires us to network, which is how I stumbled upon this opportunity.

Monthly our campus director, sends us out reminders to do what we can to engage the world at large as well as build community partners.  I LOVE this part of my job, but I also decided to go beyond the realm of the Twin Cities metro area. I decided to set my goals pretty high.  Which most of you know is something that I do often. I also am a huge advocate of social networking and professional networking like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Our university also advocates the use of them professionally as well.  We even have classes that teach us about online reputation.  So it should be no surprise that I took an interesting exchange to a new level.

Two weeks ago, I was perusing Facebook and found that my favorite new store, LOFT was advertising for an event at the Mall of America.  Now, because I love LOFT, I thought, "Wow, this is a great opportunity to network with other teachers!". However, then I immediately noticed that they were asking people to help co-host the event.  Well you know me, the first to volunteer?  Yep, I did it, but I will say that I was skeptical because, how many people who enter this event are actually chosen? I sent an email of interest and thought, surely NO ONE will contact me, but at least I tried. Well...

I was wrong... I received an email on Tuesday (I sent the email on Sunday) asking for more information. So this is what I sent:

Hi Jamie!  I apologize for not getting back to you sooner!  I have been incredibly busy with finals week fast approaching.  Below I have answered your questions and have also included pictures of myself as requested.

I am a professor and I run a B.S in HealthCare Management Program.  I teach everything from medical classes (anatomy and physiology) to Business Classes (Intro to Business and Governance). I currently am teaching 4 classes and have had a wonderful time meeting with and helping students learn how to market, network, and advocate for themselves.  I am 35 years old  and will be celebrating my 6th annual 30th birthday in December!  I am married to Bill a warrant officer candidate in the US Army Reserve. He is also an engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, and we have a 2 1/2 year old daughter named Chloe. My interests include educational opportunities for under served populations, spending time outdoors, reading, and currently working on my doctorate in education. We also enjoy fishing and boating on the Mississippi. As an educator, wife, mother, and military spouse, I have the unique challenge of figuring out how effectively balance everything.  I am also in school for my doctorate in education which adds a new "ball" to the whole juggling act!  I recently had gastric bypass and have lost 75lbs and am so excited to not only be healthy but a role model for my daughter! I also believe that as teachers regardless of what grade or level, we are responsible for educating and preparing the discerning global citizens of tomorrow.

Thank you for your consideration!
Ami 


So with that and two pictures that they requested, I sent off my email thinking that there was no way that they would ever chose me.... I was wrong!!!! I received a phone call about a week later following up on the email and in the interview, I was asked about community engagement and involvement.  Because I do this extensively, I named a few of the places that I am in contact with regularly and they wanted to know more about what our school does to help the community.  At the end of the conversation, I told that they wanted me to co-host the event because of my obvious dedication to education.  I am SOOOOOO Thrilled!!!! Most of all I am happy that people recognize what teachers do, but also I am not sure that people realize that this is a passion.  I will also say that even though people seem to think that we get paid alot, we really don't and to stay in this profession, you have to LOVE what you do!!!

So how does this relate to the blog.  Indirectly, me getting healthier and losing this weight, has had an impact on the world around me.  I have an opportunity to use my story to highlight how important education is, regardless of your circumstances.  I have had so many friends in the last year either return to school or start school for the first time.   I am so incredibly proud of them for their drive and determination.  Even if you aren't on a weight loss journey of your own, I hope that what I shared today, shows that even when we think that we aren't going to make an impact or get an answer, we do and we can!!! Don't be afraid to try something new or do something because you don't think that it could possibly happen... Dream big and remember, opportunities abound.  You just have to take them!!!!
 

Progress!!!

Progress!!!

Adjusting and Lessons Learned...

So lately, I have been realizing that my body is trying to adjust to the weight loss.  Some days are great, and other days not so great.  The physical toll that my body was put under by the excess weight was horrible, but the after effects are not so pretty either.  Right now, my muscles are trying to adjust to less weight with leads to some major cramping even though I am taking my vitamins and supplements. I also am having back pain, and headaches due to the changes in my posture and hip placement.  Though the weight loss is awesome, I am getting sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Today is one of those days... I am a bit discouraged because starting yesterday, I have had a migraine for over 24 hours.  I can't take Excedrine Migraine like I used to and the Imitrex shot makes my heart race so I usually don't use it unless I am dying or Bill is home because I feel like I am having a heart attack.  Yesterday I also broke out in an unknown rash which could be allergy related or could be stress/immune related.  I used to get these types of hives when I was younger due to stress. Though my migraines are not as bad as they once were, they still are quite debilitating. I had an inservice today for work and the chairs were so uncomfortable but I managed to make it through the day.

So why am I telling you all this?  Because as I promised before I started this journey, I would expose the good and the bad about gastric bypass.  This is one of those bad days. It should be a better day because my family is up North and I have the house to myself, but here I sit, writing my blog while I wait for this headache to go away....

So what else do I have to adjust to?  Well surprisingly enough, I have to adjust to how people treat and react to me.  I was not always this size... I was about 135 pounds until my Grandmother Rosalie died and my divorce.  So I did get some attention when I was younger... I am just still amazed as I have mentioned before, that we as a society are so biased against large or obese people.  I think that people need to be aware that people who are overweight or obese are aware of these biases.  We stay in our homes and concentrate on things that we can control to make ourselves feel better.  My outlet was my education.  My theory was, I may be fat, but I AM intelligent.  I also have been blessed with a decent amount of self esteem. It has been noted by many of my friends that even when I was heavier, I looked and was put together.  My belief was that even though I was a "big" girl, that didn't mean that I had to sacrifice nice or pretty things solely because I was obese.  So I didn't. However, some people have been so discriminated again for their weight, that they don't even try anymore.  How sad is that?  Not that they quit per se but that they are so discouraged that they quit caring.

How do I feel about overweight or obese people?  I have compassion... When I was younger, I did not.  I thought that people who were heavier were lazy and other things.  I truly believe that my gaining weight was a life lesson and God teaching me not to judge others because I didn't know, "their story". Yes, since I am an ethnic mix, I am not biased against other races.  I have worked with people with disabilities and had relatives with disabilities, so I am not biased against them either.  I was raised to accepting, but I am ashamed to say that I was not okay with heavier people.... Until I was one and then my perspective changed SIGNIFICANTLY.  There is truth in the Native American saying, "Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their moccasins (shoes)".  Am I happy that I had to walk in someone else's shoes?  No way!!! It was very painful.  I honestly believe that I was treated differently because of my weight. But now I have a different perspective on what it means to obese or morbidly obese in today's society.

We are slammed with media touting how being almost anorexic is the way to be. So no wonder people have biases.  I am still adjusting to those biases.  People are talking to me or looking at me in ways that they have not in years.  It is a bit uncomfortable because I have been spending the last 10 years trying to hide and to not be seen.  If I wasn't good enough to talk to then, then why am I good enough to talk to now? It's a weird thing to watch unfold... On the flip side, I have also encountered people who have no problem spreading rumors.  I stay heavy, people talk... I lose weight, people talk... Some days it is discouraging because the negative comments always seem to get back to me.  However, I will say that so many people have been supportive of me, so that cancels out all of the toxic people, to a point!

So let me end this with saying, thank you to everyone who has supported me.  I truly appreciate it!  I will have my good days and my bad days, but I am still me.  I am hopeful for my future and enjoy the ability to continue to educated people about gastric bypass and my journey.  Remember, it is not always, about the journey, it is the destination, but sometimes to appreciate the destination, you have to reflect on the journey. 

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