Reflecting on my RNY in 2006

Greetings, everyone...someone may remember me...as my life got more active, I had less time to sit and read the various websites and spent mire time out in my crazy life..I always lurked though, unsure of what to say because my life has changed so much and did nit feel that I had anything relevant to offer. In another week, it will be my 10th surgiversity.I was 57 sand weighed 431 pounds. Just before the surgery, I was warned about the high risks at my age and size but my mandate was that this is my last chance after a lifetime of obesity.

I lost 125 pounds and stopped...Docs blamed my age and because I have severe lymphodema in both legs, walking./exercise was impossible.But I always dreamed of reaching my personal goal of dipping under 300. This Christmas I hit 297 and continue to remain there, up and down by 3 pounds for the last 3 weeks...I reason that my body has gone from 335 last Spring and has slowly dropped and now needs a rest. At this same time, I am still on my 4th year of chemo pills for a second case of breast cancer...these meds have particularly brutal side effects and I am handling some of them well...osteoporosis (my bone density shows that I have the bone strength of a teenager)...hot flashes seems to be fading somewhat however, I use breathing exercises, self hypnosis and relaxation  to avoid the worst of them. The severe insomnia seems unavoidable despite nightly double sleeping pills because the brutal bone/joint pain make it impossible to relax to sleep, hence my presence here at 4 am. Still, all in all, I am doing well though fatigue is a very real issue.

Having said that, I have recently published HEALING MANDALA COLOURING BOOKS, not just ordinary colouring books but HEALING books...each of the seven topics are dedicated to a topic that people need help with. My original artwork, the mandalas, are created after 45 minutes if deep meditation on a positive affirmation...my energy created is then infused into the artwork of the mandala. Each affirmation is a specially written very positive affirmation which, when read out loud 3-4 times before colouring silently, stimulates the beginnings iof the brain to build NEW POsitIVE neurons that will support the new positive tapes. Gradually these new, stronger brainn neurons actually replace the old negative tapes that we have been accepting since childhood (see The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force [Jeffrey M. Schwartz MD, Sharon Begley] .

There are seven different topics and I already have eight more ready for printing. However, I am already into a THIRD printing for the first group, especially "RELEASING STRESS & ANXIETY" and "BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM & CONFIDENCE"...add to this I am now being asked to present workshops using my art and my passion for helping people...I did one last week on BEING BULLIED and have been asked to come back to do another workshop. A Local Psychologist whose main focus is ANGER MANAGEMENT has ask me to create a book with her, using my healing energy mandalas.

And this week, I will be announcing monthly fun afternoon COLOUR ME HAPPY- workshops....Jan 28...Wine, Chocolate & Colouring at a  local winery, next month, Tea, Treats and Colouring at a local B&B...

I retired as President from BPW but remain as Immediate Past President, Mentor and Visionery, still stuck as treasurer, and I am also SPECIAL EVENTs CHAIR. That means that I am negotiating with local hotels to host the annual provincial conference for Business & professional advocacy women's club of Ontario to work for three days on resolutions that we will address to the govt...it is also our club's 100tyh birthday...we are the oldest BPW club in Canada...so all of this takes a LOT of work for me...again why I have been absent.

Add to that, our older son has a new lady who moved in to his big house in Niagara falls...she has two daughters, 10 and 13,..both girls have adjusted so well(they come from the Maritimes) and  they adore my son.They also brought a cat- add that to Dan's five already. And In December, I had to move into their house to babysit the two girls and six cats for TWO weeks while dealing with the printing of my colouring books and hand binding them each and every one. I confess that I am so happy to have Christmas over, then Derek's birthday, then New Years and can find some semblance of order in my life once again.

I have no idea why my weight, after all these years, is adjusting again but I am thrilled...it may not go much further but every pound off helps my knees.ANY weightloss, I am truly grateful for.

If you have any interest, visit me ion facebook then find my COLOUR ME HAPPY page and find 22 FREE mandalas to colour. Enjoy.

Hello Nancy,

You and I had our surgery around the same time. I was just wondering about you the other day.  I am so happy to hear you are still active and doing good things. 

Another friend of mine who had WLS about the same time that I had it, lost about 110 pounds and stopped, never getting below 280 pounds. She was very upset about it but we met for lunch the other day and I told her to look around and she said why and I said, before your surgery you would never have came into this restaurant to eat nor would you have tried sitting in this booth...remember? I reminded her that she didn't just lose 110 pounds, she lost 110 pounds...three small children or one small adult...that's a lot to be proud of. For most of us, we want or wanted to reach our goals but realistically, it's more about getting us where we are manageable...where we can walk and get out. I applaud you for achieving so much success with your weightless and for getting your business up and going.  

I have recently joined all the other "adult coloring" folks and on the advice of my therapist manage to color about 30 minutes a day and it does relax me. Do you have a website so that I can look at  your books? I go through about one book a week and love love love the more abstract designs.  

I just saw you have a Facebook page. I'm going to head there. 

Hope you are able to hang around for a minute or two and share your vast knowledge on meditation and coloring.  

Yes, absolutely, I am so very GRATEFUL so be able to walk easier despite my severely arthritic knees, all of my clothes are now too big and I have taken eight inches off the waistbands of my skirts...I have quite a collection of long, to the ankles, flared swingy skirts that I love and, of course, being the crazy artsy-fartsy kind gal, I have MANY combinations to match and capes, etc.. I no longer buy something simply because it FITS...Now I have CHOICES! 

Yes, I can fit in booths unless they are very low which is difficult for my knees to get upright..always an awkward looking event....lol. I am now DOWN 134 pounds!! people look at me differently too. Before, all people saw was a FAT OLD WOMAN. Now they see my smile, they LOOK at me and smile at me, even make comments about my unique but classy (their words) style of dressing. So losing weight means people now are seeing me in a much different perspective...sad to be truthful, but I accept that as human nature. Babysitting my two new step-grand daughters (10 and 13 yrs) for TWO weeks in a huge country split-level house while dealing with printing my books and hand binding each one, delivering them to stores and others...could NOT have happened 134 pounds ago!

Daring to believe in my skills enough to invest a thousand dollars in techie support and printing, supplies and support materials took a giant leap of faith in myself and I have almost recovered those costs from sales at this point plus paying my techie who does the computer stuff that I cannot l

I do the studying of the experts, research for positive affirmations, 45 minutes of meditation on EACH affirmation then create the mandalas and she sets them up with the font and spacing that I require.

PLEASE visit my facebook page COLOUR ME HAPPY - DeStressing With Mandalas for 22 FREE mandalas to print off and colour.

My colouring books are far different than "just a colouring book"...they  get people on the path to wellness by using the POSiTIVE AFFIRMATIONS  to create a new positive mindset and also induce a form of relaxing meditation through colouring. When doing so, your breathing rate and heart rate lower, your blood pressure drops and STRESS melts away.

We are experiencing a nasty ice storm today so I can likely drop in HERE Monday if anyone cares to ask questions.

Hello Nancy....I was just going to go to Facebook and suggest you let people on OFF know about your wonderful books.

You are the one that got me started and I have been an addict since!! You have such beautiful Mandalas. I can't wait for my new ones to arrive!!  No big rush I still have two that my neighbor gave me as a Christmas gift. 

I so wish I lived near you and could spend actual real time with you. Your BPW would be so wonderful to attend as well as your Colour Me Happy Workshops!!  

I always keep you in my  daily prayers and have for many years now. I hope once you are off the 4th round of Chemo pills you will start to feel much better. It is for just 4 years right?? Did that change? CRS!

I love you and cherish our friendship. I am so happy that you are on Facebook and I see you and many others from OFF. It is nice to catch up!

More love and hugs...and prayers.....connie d

Thank you kindly, dear Connie- your books will be in the mail in a week because I have to wait for Derek to send them.  I t IS a bit of a commute to get to Niagara on the Lake for one of my afternoon workshops, what a shame! hugs

I recognize that some people simply cannot handle my passion and have finally decided not to "dumb myself down" anymore..I am what I am, just as I accept how others are. Having decided this, my passion and vision has grown exponentially, to the point that I am almost overwhelmed that people "get it" and are buying my books and WANTING to attend my workshops. I could NEVER have dared to take such a risk 134 pounds ago. I am still a big woman at 297 lbs BUT I come from a long line of tall women with the classic HOURGLASS figure (only I just have too much SAND!)...and I carry my weight in such a way that people are shocked at my true weight.

Having said that, last week, I introduced myself at a workshop that I was asked to present for a psychology group and they had difficulty believing me when I told them that I am almost 68 yrs old....lol..what a TREAT!

Life has become much more busy than I had expected from retirement, but the additions to our family and the sudden "relative" success of my artwork has actually energized me at the same time of my achievement of my NEW lowest weight in so many years.  I firmly believe that a POSITIVE ATTITUDE has been very pertinent to my "NOW".

Just under Two more years of chemo pills...woohoo...and I will be PARTYING happily as I kiss them GOODBYE! Thank you kindly for your constant support...much love!

Nancy

Nancy-  I too remember you and your posts when I was recovering from surgery.  As we have chatted about coloring I thought of you and your mandela's.  I have not started coloring yet as I am unpacking from a major move but I did give all my friends coloring sheets from the internet and good colored pencils.  My plan is to start coloring in the next week and I redefine my life.

Cindi B.

Hello, Cindi..I DO remember!  If you are on facebook, you can find my humble webpage at https://www.facebook.com/Color-Me-Happy-De-Stressing-With-Mandalas-1636733583210634/

COLOUR ME HAPPY- De-Stressing with Mandalas

You are all welcome to print out ANY or ALL of the 22 FREE mandalas on that page to colour!

I have now just published seven different colouring books...colouring mandalas for de-stressing and HEALING ENERGY Mandalas for colouring that are specifically created to deal with emotional issues.

The titles are:

POSITIVE ME!
RELEASING STRESS & ANXIETY
LETTING GO
BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE & SELF ESTEEM
GETTING MOTIVATED
RECONNECTING WITH MY FEMININE POWER
ACHIEVING GOALS

$20 EACH (plus shipping if needed) or $10 per e-book (instant pdf download)
Contact us at [email protected]
OR visit our Etsy site at www.etsy.com/shop/CMHMandalas

Glad to hear from you again!

Nancy

Hi my name is also Nancy. I live by San Francisco. I had my gastric bypass surgery in Feb of 2002. I was previously 303 lbs I went down to 190 within the first few years. I finally got to my goal weight of 150 lbs. but that part was done the hard way. My husband of 44 years passed away after a long illness. In the next 3 months I had lost 45 pounds. I've been lonely and this is the first time I have ever joined this group. I also need a stress release. I will look up your books on line. Thank you Can u tell me is there anyway that I can look up members from that long ago? Also is there a way to do a profile on here? Thanks for ALL of your help.

Hello there, Nancy...pleased to make your acquaintance! I live in Canada just 20 minutes from the amazing NIAGARA FALLS. You sure have had a difficult path to walk but please know that all of these challenges DO make us stronger than we ever thought possible. I am an Illustrator by trade and a Certified LifePath Coach. Right now I am fighting cancer for the 3rd time but I am well-armed with a very strong positive attitude and that has been the force behind me.

I decided to use my art skills and my training to try and help others. COLOURING is an ancient technique used by Buddhists & Tibetans to facilitate MEDITATION.  When you are COLOURING, you are actually in a form of meditation,. Studies prove that when you are engaged in colouring, your HEART RATE lowers, your BREATHING RATE slows down and your BLOOD PRESSURE lowers as STRESS MELTS AWAY.

But, being the over-achiever that I am, I decided I wanted to do even more to help people.  So I created HEALING ENERGY MANDALA Colouring Books (please see my reply to Cindi (above) to learn more. 

My colouring books are MORE THAN JUST A COLOURING BOOK....they are filled with unique original artwork...a mandala on each page, created after 45 minutes of meditation on a POSITIVE AFFIRMATION.

By reading the AFFIRMATION OUT LOUD four times before colouring, the brain is triggered to stimulate the growth of NEW NEURONS (research THE BRAIN THAT HEALS ITSELF....and THE PLASTICITY OF THE BRAIN and MIND POWER) that will support the NEW affirmations and release the OLD negative tapes that we all have accepted from long ago which have held us back so much. This is incredibly HEALING and starts people on the new positive outlook.

I present workshops for psychologists and doctors here and I am continuing to create NEW topics as I see the need.

Try out the FREE mandala colouring sheets and see how it works for you.

Best wishes,

Nancy B