Yikes, has it really been this many years since I've done a blog post? Apparently so. The support group still meets on the 3rd of the month at the Alameda Hospital. Attend when you can. Add the meetings to your calendar so you don't book yourself elsewhere.

I hope that many of you will be able to join us on Saturday, March 16, because our group will hit one heck of a milestone: our 12th anniversary.  I am amazed I gotta confess.  My surgery was 12 years ago on March 6.  At the time when I was pre-op, my doctor wanted me to find a support group but back then the only one in the Bay Area that I could attend met on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Walnut Creek (I was in Alameda so getting there from work on time in rush hour traffic would have been close to impossible).

Taking her advice to heart, I somehow got it in my head "well, I'll just start my own!"  Knowing that hospitals provide free space for health-related groups, I contacted my uncle who was Chief of Surgery at San Leandro Hospital for help.  It must have been fate because the person he put me in touch with was their community relations person who had a gastric bypass a year earlier!  She was a great resource for me and helped get our group off the ground.

We met at San Leandro once a month on Saturday until this past December 2011 when they surprisingly tossed all of their support groups from the hospital due to staff training.  So much for community relations, but I digress. 

Thankfully, Alameda Hospital had a weekend meeting space and so in January 2012 we began meeting there with great success and attendance.

I am very grateful to both hospitals for providing the free meeting space to us and to all the hundreds of people that have attended our meetings, whether it was for just one meeting for several, you helped keep us going.

Congratulations members,

Kimberlee

Ok, so hitting a 6th wedding anniversary probably isn't a big deal, but something struck me that morning that I thought I'd share with you: I weigh what I weighed on my wedding day.

Although I'm heavier than I would like to be (gee, who doesn't say that), a light bulb went off overhead that while I'm not gaining, I'm maintaining and that's worth celebrating.  To weigh basically the same for 6 years should be something to celebrate.  While I did have a child (gained 48 there) and it took two years to get that pregnancy weight off, being able to wear the same clothing size is a moment to celebrate and an example of progress.  I didn't realize that something like that could be important or could be worth noting.  Now that I think about it, it sure feels like quite the accomplishment.

I bring this up because, as serial dieters, we spend out life looking at the scale hoping for it to go down without every pausing to enjoy when it stays the same.  I don't know about you but I need to start grasping that maintenance is something worth cheering about to.

Happy Maintenance,

Kimberlee

At some point in November, our e-mail listserv, Topica.com, decided to simply stop sending our messages to you.  Our November and December meetings weren't canceled, you just didn't get the reminder notice I mailed.  Argh. 

We are, therefore, switching to MailChimp.com.  You should received an announcement if you were in our Topic-based list.  E-mail me if you didn't get it.  Thank you for your patience while we searched for a new system to communicate with you.

January 19th is the date of our next meeting. 

See you there,

Kimberlee

East Bay Bariatric Support Group