Thoughts on Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz has been in the spotlight quite a bit this week, after being criticized at a Senate hearing for his "health claims" about a lot of weight loss products he's recommended on his show. I honestly didn't read much about the whole thing, because I formed my opinion of his claims a while ago. I'm no longer a viewer of The Dr. Oz Show, and haven't been for quite some time. I wrote a post in February 2013 about my thoughts on the direction the show has taken.

With all the hype about it this week, I thought that today I'd write an updated post to the one I wrote in 2013. But when I re-read what I wrote last year, I realized that I still feel exactly the same way. I don't normally repost things from the past, but because my thoughts haven't changed on this, I decided to go ahead and share (again) my thoughts on Dr. Oz's claims of "losing weight without diet or exercise". 

Repost from February 5, 2013:

Jerry and I had a bit of a lazy morning. Since he was off work, we sat around and chatted once the boys went to school. I turned on The Dr. Oz Show from the DVR, and was immediately annoyed with the theme he's had going on for while now with this shows: "Lose weight without diet or exercise!"

This annoys me for a couple of reasons:

1) Exercise is good for our bodies--particularly, our hearts. Dr. Oz is a cardiologist, who knows that fact better than anyone, but he still does these shows where he makes it sound like exercise is something to dread (or avoid, in this case).

2) This gives people unrealistic expectations. "Take this supplement, and you don't have to diet or exercise, but you'll lose weight!"

I used to love Dr. Oz when he was on Oprah, because you could really tell that he was passionate about telling people about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. He always got very excited when talking about it. The first time I met him, in October 2009, I still got that same vibe from him (his show was pretty new at the time).

When I met him again in November 2011, I didn't get that impression so much. He didn't seem to have that passion, and he just went through the motions on the show as it was written. I think I mentioned this before, but I wasn't allowed to talk about running while I was on the show. When I asked the producers about it, I was told that it was discouraging for the target audience to hear that I run, because that is unrealistic for them.

Um, I NEVER thought I could be a runner. When I was morbidly obese, becoming a runner was what I would label as "impossible". I like to write about running on my blog because I want other people to feel like they, too, can do what they once thought was impossible--whether it's running, or walking a race, reaching goal weight, cycling, competing in triathlons, or just being an active parent. Those are things that may feel impossible, but they most definitely are possible for most people.

Did I have any clue that I would run a marathon just a few
years after this photo was taken? Um, heck no!!

But anyways, back to the show--I watched for about 15 minutes before I turned it off. I think that there are people out there looking for a solution to their weight problem, and when Dr. Oz says it can be done without diet or exercise, it's like telling these people that they should look for an easy way out. Exercise shouldn't be looked at like a punishment, but more as a solution.

Yes, I'm the first to admit that I hate exercise--but I'm also the first to admit that I LOVE what it does for my body and how it makes me feel. I can't imagine my life without it, now that I know how much good it's doing me!

If there is one thing that I've learned while losing weight, and maintaining weight (and even gaining here and there) it is this: Exercise is crucial to losing weight and keeping it off. Period.

I've lost weight lots of times in the past through diet alone; but I always gained it back, because I wasn't exercising. Now that I'm at goal, I'm no longer working toward a specific weight--so I need other goals to focus on, and running gives me that focus. I am setting goals of getting faster, and running farther, and pushing myself. If I wasn't doing this, there would be nothing stopping me from slipping back into old habits--which did not include goal setting. 

Exercise doesn't have to be as challenging as running, either. Dr. Oz could talk about the benefits of walking, which is something that most people can do. My friend Stephanie wasn't remotely interested in running, so she walked while she was losing weight. She set goals just like you would as a runner--first, to work up to walking 5K; then to walk it faster; and even though it wasn't originally part of her plan, she is now running. I started out by walking for exercise, as well:

This was in Jan. 2010, after my first walk while losing weight

On to the "diet" part... the word "diet" has different meanings, and people interpret it in different ways. Most of us think of it as a way of eating in order to lose weight. When I talk about my diet on the blog, I'm referring to the foods I eat on a daily basis--"my daily diet". Others despise the word, and prefer "lifestyle change" in regards to eating for health or weight loss. But obviously, The Dr. Oz Show was referring to what you eat in order to lose weight.

I also am a firm believer that people have to change their diets (what they eat on a daily basis) in order to lose weight. When Dr. Oz says that you can take a certain supplement and lose weight without diet or exercise, that immediately makes it sound like people can eat the same stuff they are eating as an overweight person and still lose weight. Again, very unrealistic!

I didn't mean to turn this into a rant about the show, or Dr. Oz--I still greatly respect him as a doctor and health advocate. I just wish that he would go back to teaching people about a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy diet and exercise, rather than doing shows like this.

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I'd been meaning to swap out the photo of me with Dr. Oz that's been on the home page of my blog for a long time, so I finally got around to doing it today :)

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Losing weight without diet or exercise

Jerry and I had a bit of a lazy morning. Since he was off work, we sat around and chatted once the boys went to school. I turned on The Dr. Oz Show from the DVR, and was immediately annoyed with the theme he's had going on for while now with this shows: "Lose weight without diet or exercise!"

This annoys me for a couple of reasons:

1) Exercise is good for our bodies--particularly, our hearts. Dr. Oz is a cardiologist, who knows that fact better than anyone, but he still does these shows where he makes it sound like exercise is something to dread (or avoid, in this case).

2) This gives people unrealistic expectations. "Take this supplement, and you don't have to diet or exercise, but you'll lose weight!"

I used to love Dr. Oz when he was on Oprah, because you could really tell that he was passionate about telling people about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. He always got very excited when talking about it. The first time I met him, in October 2009, I still got that same vibe from him (his show was pretty new at the time).

When I met him again in November 2011, I didn't get that impression so much. He didn't seem to have that passion, and he just went through the motions on the show as it was written. I think I mentioned this before, but I wasn't allowed to talk about running while I was on the show. When I asked the producers about it, I was told that it was discouraging for the target audience to hear that I run, because that is unrealistic for them.

Um, I NEVER thought I could be a runner. When I was morbidly obese, becoming a runner was what I would label as "impossible". I like to write about running on my blog because I want other people to feel like they, too, can do what they once thought was impossible--whether it's running, or walking a race, reaching goal weight, cycling, competing in triathlons, or just being an active parent. Those are things that may feel impossible, but they most definitely are possible for most people.

Did I have any clue that I would run a marathon just a few
years after this photo was taken? Um, heck no!!

But anyways, back to the show--I watched for about 15 minutes before I turned it off. I think that there are people out there looking for a solution to their weight problem, and when Dr. Oz says it can be done without diet or exercise, it's like telling these people that they should look for an easy way out. Exercise shouldn't be looked at like a punishment, but more as a solution.

Yes, I'm the first to admit that I hate exercise--but I'm also the first to admit that I LOVE what it does for my body and how it makes me feel. I can't imagine my life without it, now that I know how much good it's doing me!

If there is one thing that I've learned while losing weight, and maintaining weight (and even gaining here and there) it is this: Exercise is crucial to losing weight and keeping it off. Period.

I've lost weight lots of times in the past through diet alone; but I always gained it back, because I wasn't exercising. Now that I'm at goal, I'm no longer working toward a specific weight--so I need other goals to focus on, and running gives me that focus. I am setting goals of getting faster, and running farther, and pushing myself. If I wasn't doing this, there would be nothing stopping me from slipping back into old habits--which did not include goal setting.

Exercise doesn't have to be as challenging as running, either. Dr. Oz could talk about the benefits of walking, which is something that most people can do. My friend Stephanie wasn't remotely interested in running, so she walked while she was losing weight. She set goals just like you would as a runner--first, to work up to walking 5K; then to walk it faster; and even though it wasn't originally part of her plan, she is now running. I started out by walking for exercise, as well:

This was in Jan. 2010, after my first walk while losing weight

On to the "diet" part... the word "diet" has different meanings, and people interpret it in different ways. Most of us think of it as a way of eating in order to lose weight. When I talk about my diet on the blog, I'm referring to the foods I eat on a daily basis--"my daily diet". Others despise the word, and prefer "lifestyle change" in regards to eating for health or weight loss. But obviously, The Dr. Oz Show was referring to what you eat in order to lose weight.

I also am a firm believer that people have to change their diets (what they eat on a daily basis) in order to lose weight. When Dr. Oz says that you can take a certain supplement and lose weight without diet or exercise, that immediately makes it sound like people can eat the same stuff they are eating as an overweight person and still lose weight. Again, very unrealistic!

I didn't mean to turn this into a rant about the show, or Dr. Oz--I still greatly respect him as a doctor and health advocate. I just wish that he would go back to teaching people about a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy diet and exercise, rather than doing shows like this.

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Binge eating

I woke up this morning feeling a little better about my choices last night at the restaurant. I still wish I had stuck with my plan, but I am glad that I at least accounted for the extra food I ate and calculated the points in it. And it wasn't a binge!

I had 60 minutes on the schedule today with tempo intervals:
15 minutes easy (6.0 mph)
5x (5 minutes hard 7.0 mph, 2 minutes easy 6.0)
10 minutes easy (6.0)

My knee hasn't given me any problems, but again, I decided to stop if it started hurting at all. As soon as I started the first tempo interval, I was tempted to take the speed down to 6.5; but I knew I was just being a baby, and that 7.0 was was a good tempo pace for me. So I sucked it up and did all of the intervals at 7.0.

I started to feel a little twinge in my knee after my last interval, so I called it quits instead of doing the 10 minutes at an easy pace. I haven't gotten to the point of actual pain--it's just a weird tight feeling that I can tell it will be painful if I keep running on it. So I'm going to take it easy (like I have been) and hopefully it won't get to the point of injury like it did last time when I ran through the pain.

When I uploaded the run from my Garmin, I saw that I almost hit a big running milestone today:

Look how close I am to 2,000 miles total! I'm pretty excited that I'll hit 1,000 miles this year, too. Running a thousand miles in a year is an (unofficial) goal of mine.

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Dr. Oz had a show about binge eating today, and it was really hard for me to watch. I could relate to the guests so much. My binge eating isn't nearly as severe as the guests on the show (anymore), but when I was obese, my binges were very similar. Dr. Oz showed some images of a person before and after a binge, and the huge mass you see on the "after" photo is actually the person's stomach:

As if that wasn't bad enough, I was completely SHOCKED when I saw the autopsy photo that Dr. Oz showed. He said it was a person who had binged just before dying--and the stomach was SO BIG that the tissue actually died. I even took a picture of the TV screen, because I just couldn't believe it:

That huge purple/blue thing is the person's stomach! I had no idea that a stomach could get so big. He said the intestines were basically suffocated from being crushed by the size of the stomach. The person actually died from a binge episode. That is VERY scary.

I'm absolutely terrified of posting what I'm about to post, but I think it may give some hope to people who have binge eating disorder. I am going to share an embarrassing journal entry from April 14, 2008--I wrote a tell-all, no-secrets entry about my binge eating. It's one of the most honest things I've ever written, and it makes me feel so ashamed when I read it.

I was in a very bad place when I wrote it, feeling like I had hit rock bottom. I was very ashamed to write it all down, and it's hard to read now that I've changed my lifestyle. Anyway, here is the post:

April 14, 2008

Every single night that I go to bed feeling full, I make promises to myself that I'm going to "do good" on the diet tomorrow and lose weight. I plan in my head how I'm going to do it--counting points or calories, or eating only when I'm hungry, or just eating healthy.  I go to bed disgusted with myself for being such a pig.

Lately I've noticed just how bad my food addiction has gotten. And it truly is an addiction. It has interfered with my life in ways that are totally embarrassing. I probably think about food 99% of the day. I even dream about it. When I wake up, I think about what I'm going to eat first. When I'm eating, I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat next.

Smiling, but completely unhappy with myself

And the worst part is (this is the embarrassing part that I've never told anyone) that this affects the type of mom I am. I honestly LOOK FORWARD to my kids going to bed (naptime and bedtime) so that I can binge. I even rush them into napping and the second they lie down, I rush to the kitchen to grab food to binge on in front of the TV. I even find myself getting mad at my kids if they don't fall asleep right away or if they wake up early, because it ends my binge.

I've also been hiding food lately. I know that I can "safely" binge in front of my husband, but I'm embarrassed about it now. If I think I hear him wake up while I'm eating (he works nights, so he sleeps during the day), then I'll hurry up and hide the food I'm eating.  I'll hide wrappers in the bottom of the trash so that he doesn't see it. 

I've been using my kids as an excuse to binge, too. I'll tell my husband that the kids want pizza for dinner or something, which is a big binge food for me. Or fast food. Or I'll make cookies "to spend time with the kids" and then eat the whole batch.

I wish I could be satisfied with just a small amount of something, but I get this urge to fill my mouth, chew really fast and swallow over and over again. And as much as my stomach hurts afterwards, I crave that full feeling in my stomach. When I even think about restricting food, I get very anxious.

Another thing I do is plan out binges in my head. I'll think about what I'm going to eat and then I just have to wait for the appropriate time (usually when the kids are asleep).  Once I've decided when I'm going to binge and on what, I get anxious--wanting to just do it now. It's like I can't do it fast enough.

During the binge itself, I just keep thinking, "Okay, what else can I eat?" and I eat until I'm so full I can't stand it. Afterwards, I get pissed at myself for doing it, and make promises to myself not to do it again. Then later, I think "Well, I already binged once today, I might as well do it again". I know what I'm doing could have serious consequences for me and my family, and I want to fix this. I just don't know how.

Revealing those secrets was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Reading that just makes me feel awful; but I am also very proud of myself for overcoming it. I saw what it was doing to me as a mother, and doing to my family, and I changed it. The main reason I changed my lifestyle was because I wanted to be a better mom to my boys.

Getting over the binge eating wasn't easy by any means. I had to learn other ways to relax and relieve anxiety.  And even now, sometimes my methods don't work, and I'll binge--but even the binges are different post-weight loss. I'm not secretive about it anymore, I don't buy the crappy binge food I used to, and I don't do it nearly as often as I used to. I am constantly thinking about what's best for my kids, and how I can be a good role model for them.

Anyway, posting this is extremely hard for me, so please be kind ;) I just want others who may be binge eaters to see that it IS possible to get better. It takes a lot of determination, but it's worth it! I am actually proud of the example I set for my kids now.

After completing my first marathon

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Top 11 of 2011

Since I have no plans tonight, and I'm sitting home on New Year's Eve, I decided to go back through my blog and write a list of eleven of my favorite things that happened to me in 2011. This year has been a really big year for me--some exciting things have happened!

11. I started the year off in January by getting my arch bars removed. After breaking my jaw in November, I had to wear the ugly things for about 7 weeks. Getting them off was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life, but I was SO HAPPY to have them gone! ;)

Not one of my most flattering pictures... ;)

10. In February, my kids went to Florida with my parents, and Jerry and I had a "staycation" at home. It was so much fun! We felt like we were married without kids for five days, so we went shopping, made "adult" food for our meals, went to a comedy club, and slept in every day.

9. I started my Runs for Cookies blog in April. After blogging on Open Diary from 2000-2011, it was a drastic change! I'm still amazed at how much the blog has grown in just eight months. As of today, I have 299 "followers" and 653 "subscribers". That seriously blows my mind! I cannot imagine my life without Runs for Cookies now :)   Here is my very first entry I wrote on this blog.

8. Also in April, I went on an AMAZING vacation with my family--my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my brother Brian, Jerry, me, and the kids all went to Tennessee and stayed in a cabin in the mountains. I went zip-lining, which was completely out of my comfort zone, but so glad that I did it! I also went on a run through Cade's Cove with my brother, despite tornado-like winds, hills, and a downpour of rain.

Zip-lining in the hills of Tennessee

7. In May, I ran the Indy 500 Festival One America Mini-Marathon! This was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I walked this in 2008, 2009, and 2010. I never, ever, imagined that I would one day run it. I finished in 2:10:40, a respectable time, and I loved every second of the race.

6. In June, I bought a hybrid bike as a present to myself for maintaining 100+ pounds lost for a year. I've never owned a "nice" bike before, and I was so excited to get this. It took a couple of tries, but I had to conquer a fear of going into a bike shop first.

5. In July, Jerry, me, and the kids went to Illinois to visit my sister. She kept the boys overnight and Jerry and I went to Madison for a night. It was one of my favorite trips I've ever been on, even though it was short. We loved Madison!

4. Also in July, I went on a super fun overnight girls trip with Renee, Jessica, and Rachael. We spent 24 hours drinking wine, laughing hysterically, and hanging out on the beach. So much fun!!

Rachael, me, Renee, and Jessica

3. In October, I flew to Arizona to be matron-of-honor in my friend Sarah's wedding. I was terrified to fly, but the trip made the flight totally worth it. I loved seeing Sarah's house and seeing Arizona. Her wedding was fun and beautiful.

 

2. In November, I was a guest on The Dr. Oz Show! One of the most exciting moments of my life. I flew to NYC all by myself, and had my hair and make-up done by celebrity stylists/make-up artists, and stepped waaaay out of my comfort zone onto national television. I still can't believe I actually did it!

1. In November, I also had a lower-body lift, something I've dreamed of for at least a decade. I've never had a flat tummy, and now I absolutely love it! My doctor removed 2-3 pounds of excess skin, and it has made a world of difference in not only my appearance, but my self-confidence as well.

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Some fun facts of 2011:
*I ran 679 miles.
*My longest run was 13.1 miles.
*In September, I ran the most miles I've ever done in a month--106.2.
*The food I consumed the most of was probably peanut butter.
*My most memorable meal was a pasty from Teddywedgers in Madison, WI.
*I conquered my fear of flying twice--once to Arizona and once to NYC.
*I'm finishing 2011 at the exact same weight that I started it.
*My most memorable run was a scheduled 12-miler the week before my half-marathon.
*I quit drinking coffee.
*My longest binge-free streak is 48 days (and counting).
*I ran a minimum of three times per week every single week (except for the four weeks after my surgery).

And finally, a few goals for 2012:
*Maintain a weight of less than 135 pounds.
*Run a minimum of three times per week.
*Stay binge-free.
*Pay off $5,000+ of credit card debit.

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Four weeks post-op

I cannot believe it's been 4 weeks since my surgery!! I remember thinking that six weeks seemed like SUCH a long time to recover, but I'm already 2/3 of the way through the worst of it. I only have to wear my compression garment for two more weeks.

I had Jerry take some weekly comparison pictures today. Again, it doesn't seem like a big change since last Monday, but I do notice a subtle difference in the pictures (for the better); my stomach seems a little flatter:

3 weeks after lower body lift

4 weeks after lower body lift

The best part is, I definitely noticed that the swelling is going down. I'm still swollen in my lower abdomen, but it's much better than it was a couple of weeks ago.
My incision is healing really well, too. It looks red right now, but my doctor told me it will look worse before it looks better--she said it would get red and then start getting paler, and after a couple of years, it should be very light.  The incision above my butt looks REALLY good--it's barely noticeable. I'm too shy to show you that one, sorry ;)

My belly button still looks pretty red inside, and the incision inside of it is kind of hard feeling. My surgeon told me to put Aquaphor on my incisions, and it would soften up. The red marks up by my ribs show how tight the compression garment is.

I'm still (slowly but surely) working on the post about all the surgery info. I've gotten a lot of good questions from you all, so I will try and answer all of them.

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Jerry and I ended up not doing much today. We went to Goodwill, but they didn't have much of anything. I bought the kids some snow pants, and myself a denim skirt and two tops--but nothing special. It was strange looking for clothes; I'm so used to having to find either long kind of bulky tops to hide my belly, or pants that go up high enough for me to tuck my belly into them. Now that I've had that skin removed, I can wear tight jeans AND tight tops, and I don't have any hangover of skin. I was kind of confused while looking for clothes, because I had to keep reminding myself that I don't have a bunch of excess skin on my belly.

The skirt that I bought is actually meant to sit very low, like right across my hips. I would never have been able to wear it before. Jerry saw it and his eyes got huge, and he said, "You HAVE to buy that!"  It's fun being able to wear a whole different style of clothes, and have no limitations. I guess I'm obligated to show a pic of the skirt now, too ;)

 Hmm, now that I see a picture of it, I'm not sure that I like it anymore. My mind is very backwards sometimes. I'll think I look absolutely terrible, but then when I see a picture of myself, I'm surprised that I actually look good. Or I'll think something looks really good, and then when I see a picture of it, I realize I was wrong.

When I was getting ready to go on stage with Dr. Oz, one of the producers put a necklace on me, that I thought was really ugly. I looked in the mirror and told her I didn't like it. She took my picture and showed it to me, and I realized I was wrong--so that's the necklace you saw me wearing on the show.

When I get ready to go out with friends or a party or something, I have to have Jerry take my picture to show me what I look like in different outfits, since I don't "see" it in the mirror. Same thing with my weight--I always think I look fat when I look in the mirror, but when I see a picture, I realize that I look normal. Does anyone else do this, or am I the only one with a fucked up perception of myself?! ;)

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I was actually pretty sore today from my run yesterday. I forgot what that feels like! My inner thighs are feeling the burn, as are my hips.  I love that feeling!

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I need thicker skin

I feel so fortunate to have such amazing readers that are so positive. I'm such a sensitive person, and I don't handle criticism very well. That is one of the reasons I don't advertise my blog--I'm afraid that if I have too many readers, some of them will start to be critical or I'll have people leave me critical comments. It's a fear I really need to get over. I can be myself on my blog, and I think I just fear that if people criticize, it means they don't like ME.

Today, I noticed that my pumpkin brownie recipe was posted on the Dr. Oz Show website. It's not even a "real" recipe, just something I throw together sometimes--a box of brownie mix + a can of pumpkin + a couple tablespoons of peanut butter swirled on top. It gives me a chocolate-peanut butter fix with a little extra fiber from the pumpkin. (Oh, and FYI-- the food stylist added the lemon zest completely on her own--I would never add lemon zest to my brownies!)

When I told the producers about the brownies, they loved that idea and wanted to use that on the show. A food stylist made them and they looked amazing. I talked about them for a minute on the show (which was cut out). I also talked about how you don't have to eat healthy food 100% of the time in order to lose weight. That I ate healthy all day long, but always allowed for an indulgent (read: junky) dessert at night. I managed to lose 125 pounds doing this, and never thought anything of it.

These were my brownies and wine part of the show that was cut

So today, when I read the comments that were posted on the recipe on the website, a lot of people were critical about it being a boxed brownie mix and not from scratch--and that brownies from scratch are so much healthier. I get that--I totally understand that we should avoid processed foods--but those people have no clue all the other sacrifices I made to get healthy. I used to eat ice cream by the half-gallon, M&M's by the one-pound bag... so it was hard to read people being critical of my making a healthier version of a boxed brownie mix.

I think the producers liked the idea because it was so simple--not everyone wants to make brownies from scratch! People like simplicity, and this was an easy way to make a healthier brownie. NOT a "healthy" brownie... but a "healthier" one.

I could NEVER be a celebrity--I don't have thick enough skin for it! I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to read things in tabloids about myself. I feel bad for the celebrities that have to deal with it all the time. They must have very thick skin!

If I may ask, PLEASE don't try and defend me (or even mention me) in the comments on the recipe page--Jerry wanted to so badly when he saw that I was crying while reading them. It would just make me feel worse. I wrote one comment, and left it at that. I'm just not going to read any more of the comments about it!

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I'm really starting to feel soooo lazy. My legs are aching to run, and I can almost feel the muscles turning to Jello. I'm going to give it the full six weeks recovery, but I think I'll ask the doctor if I can at least walk slowly on the dreadmill every day. Then I won't feel like I'm doing NOTHING.

I'm going to post a weigh-in on Wednesday. My doctor said that I shouldn't even look at the scale for weeks after surgery because I'll be so swollen, but I am expecting that, so it's okay to see the number. I haven't been bingeing, and I've been focusing on eating tons of protein to heal as fast as possible. I'm not in any rush to lose weight, so it is what it is.

I actually feel like I could be happy at the weight I've been maintaining for over a year--145ish. Now that my belly skin is gone, my clothes will fit so much better. I don't feel any pressure to reach a certain number (because of the People magazine goal being non-existant now). My sole focus is going to be on eating "normally", exercising for health and fitness, and setting some other goals.

Since my 30th birthday is in January, I am going to compile a list of small goals to accomplish in my 30th year--30 goals, of course.  I used to have a 30x30 list (30 goals to accomplish before I turned 30) and I actually DID accomplish all the major ones. The others seemed unimportant, so I stopped marking them off. I'm going to pick 30 simple and meaningful goals for my 30th year.

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For those of you that were asking about whether my Dr. Oz segment was going to be available online, it is! I posted the links here.

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My episode of The Dr. Oz Show is online!

One of my readers just pointed out that my episode of The Dr. Oz Show is online!

Here is the preview (you can only catch a quick glimpse of me):



My segment is split into two parts, so obviously you want to watch them in order.

Katie on Dr. Oz Show "Part 2"  (Watch this first, and I come in on the end of this clip at 2:53).
Katie on Dr. Oz Show "Part 3"  (Watch this second, and my part finishes up in the beginning).

So glad that if you missed it, you can still see it!  Make sure to watch Jennie's story too (she's part 1 and 2)--she's AMAZING and I feel so happy to have met her at the show!

If you haven't read about my experience in NYC for the taping of the show, you can read that here and here.

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Lower body lift, post-op day 7 progress

I can't believe I'm already on Day 7 following my lower body lift surgery. Surprisingly, the week has flown by for me. I haven't been able to do much, but I've been recovering really well. And having my Dr. Oz Show air on Friday definitely took my mind off the surgery for a little bit.  For those of you that haven't seen the Nov. 18th episode that I was on, I still don't know whether I'll be able to post it to my blog. I'm hoping that the show posts it on the website or something!

Yep, I'm much prettier on TV! lol

I took a new progress photo of my belly today--it doesn't look much different than the last comparison pic, though. I still feel swollen and my stomach protrudes a little because of the swelling. The incision is healing really well, and my drains aren't draining much any more--which is good, because I'll probably get them removed at my post-op appointment on Tuesday. Here is the comparison pic--last Sunday vs. today:

Before lower body lift

Day 7 after lower body lift

My belly button is still very scabby, but I don't want to pull the scabs off. It looks like it hurts, but it doesn't. Actually, the weird thing about this surgery (that I wasn't expecting) is the numbness! My whole abdomen and lower back are completely numb. It's a very weird feeling when I touch it.

My belly button is starting to look more centered, thankfully. However, I read about off-centered belly buttons after tummy tucks, and it's very common--but not necessarily a fault of the surgeon. Your belly button "stalk" stays in the same place, but the surgeon makes an incision around it and then pulls the belly skin down around the stalk, and makes a new hole to sew to the stalk (hard to explain).

So if your belly button isn't centered before surgery, it's not going to be centered after surgery unless you request extra work to center it. Hard to explain, but chances are, my belly button was off center prior to surgery, and it will remain a little off-center. I don't think it looks too bad though, and I'm not going to be showing my belly off--too many stretch marks remain to wear a bikini!

Something that I really didn't think I would care much about before surgery was my butt lift (part of the lower body lift). My butt was just never something I really complained about, even though I knew it was very jiggly from the loose skin. I'm so shocked at how much perkier my butt is now! When I walk, I can actually put my hand there and feel my glutes really well--my butt feels firm for the first time ever.  I might post a comparison of that (in undies, of course!) soon, but I'm not brave enough yet.

I'm so excited to try on my jeans after I get these drains out! I used to have to tuck my skin into my jeans, so I hope that they go on much easier now.

I think my biggest complaint right now is how much my throat hurts. I don't think it's related to the surgery itself, because it was fine for a couple of days post-op. But I have that horrible lump in my throat and it's sooo hard to swallow or think of anything else. I've also had a headache on and off, which I discovered can be a little relieved with a cup of caffeinated tea. I hope I'm not getting sick, but those are the only bothersome symptoms I have.

Right now, I'm totally looking forward to my post-op appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday to (hopefully) get these drains removed!  I'll take more pictures then too.

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A trip to the ER

Thank you for all the kind things you had to say about the show yesterday! I am so glad that I can finally talk about it now... not that there is anything left to say, with my four blog posts yesterday!

Last night I noticed that my left hip was hurting a little bit more than usual. There is a drain there that hasn't had any drainage since the day after my surgery. I poked around a little, and felt a hard lump. I immediately started thinking of all the bad things it could be-- hematoma, seroma. I was very careful with how I slept last night to avoid any trauma to it.

This morning, when I was taking a shower, I noticed that it's definitely a noticeable lump. I pressed on it and it felt really hard, so I didn't think it was just normal swelling. I showed my mom, and she was worried that the drain tube was blocked, and all the fluid was just collecting in there. I called my doctor (who is away) and one of the residents who works with her called me back. She asked me about all the usual signs of infection, and I had no other symptoms. She said for peace of mind (if nothing else), I could go to the nearest emergency room and have it looked at.

I debated whether to go, and finally decided I would rather be safe than sorry. So my mom drove me to the ER, and I was seen right away. The first person to check it out (a nurse practitioner) seemed completely undisturbed, but he got a doctor to come look. The doctor was pressing around, and I pointed out the spot. I said, "It's a hard lump right here. It's hard enough that it feels like my hip bone."

The doctor said, "Katie, that IS your hip bone."

Cue stupidity.  It gave me deja vu from when I went to my gynecologist and during the breast exam, I told her I had a lump--she felt it and laughed and said it was my rib!  I just didn't know what a rib felt like, because I was always fat.

Now, I've certainly gotten used to my hip bones since losing the weight, but only by feel--when I looked in the mirror, I just saw skin hanging over them. So my seroma or hemotoma--whatever--just turned out to be my hip bone. It's slightly more swollen on one side than the other, but nothing unusual.

That was a waste of time. Thankfully I have a lot of time on my hands right now (four posts yesterday, Katie? Really?)

When the mail came today, I was SO shocked and excited and touched--I got an amazing care package from Stacey at Runs for Red Velvet.  She had asked me for my mailing address because she was addressing Christmas cards--very sneaky! There were all kinds of goodies in there:

Sorry for the really bad picture--I still can't stand up straight and I was hunched over trying to arrange everything.  There were lots of high protein snacks, tea, super soft socks, emery boards, a running book, Hershey's kisses, word puzzles, all kinds of good stuff! The neck pillow was perfect, because I've been sleeping in the recliner with a towel rolled up and wrapped around my neck.

I originally met Stacey on Sparkpeople, and she is one of the first people I started conversing with. Hopefully we'll meet in real life someday, too!

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My thoughts about being a guest on The Dr. Oz Show

Sorry to bombard you with posts today! So much stuff going on. I just wanted to comment on a few things and post the pictures that the producer sent me as soon as the show aired.

First, I never said I didn't like NYC!  I barely saw the city because I was so busy. The only encounters I had with people were the taxi drivers (who were extremely rude if they didn't want to drive where you wanted to go) and the people at the restaurant when I ordered food. I guess I didn't mean everyone was rude, I just meant that I'm from a super small town where everybody waves hello to each other on the street and people know who you are when you say your last name and where you graduated high school from. My experience with NYC was--well, the total opposite of that. I would definitely like to go back some day when I have more time!

The producers didn't make me say anything I didn't feel comfortable with. They interviewed me a lot through the week, and took little tidbits of things I said and wrote the show. They just had me repeat the things they wanted me to mention. In fact, there was one thing they asked me to read in that little narrative that wasn't true, so I pointed it out and they changed it--no questions asked. They kept saying that there are no right or wrong answers--I'm just telling my story. The producers were fantastic!

I'm definitely bummed that a lot of the show was edited out, but if they left everything in, the show would be two hours long. It wasn't just MY part that was edited--Jennie had some stuff that was cut too.  I was so completely amazed at how much WORK the producers do for each show. To top it off, as soon as the show aired, Ali e-mailed me the pictures from the show... I was excited that I didn't have to wait forever to get them.

Yes, the red dresses were ugly. I'm glad I made the choice I did to wear the dress I brought with me. The producers agreed that the blue dress was more flattering and said it was my choice--thankfully! They had the idea to add the little black belt and the necklace, which I liked. The Lucky stylist chose the shoes--wish I could have kept them!

I felt guilty that Dr. Oz said I was 125 pounds lighter--because I'm only 110 pounds lighter today. I was completely honest with the producers, but it must have gotten confusing along the way. I just don't want anyone to think I was lying and still claiming to be 128 pounds!

Anyway, here are my "after" photos--after 25 months in the making :)

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My appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Day 2 (of 2)

I woke up at 5:00 am. There was no chance of me going back to sleep, thinking of the day ahead of me, so I took a shower and dried my hair. Put on my jeans and a sweatshirt. I got a text at 7:10 saying that the driver was on location to take me to the studio. I didn't have to be there until 8, but I was already ready, so I just went down anyway.

I had the same driver that picked me up from the airport. He was surprised that I was ready so early. When I got to the studio, there was someone waiting for the guests, and he took us upstairs. I saw Margaret and Ali, and they showed me to my dressing room.

I drank a bottle of water immediately, because I was super thirsty. I'm used to drinking tons of water, but I was afraid to drink the bottles that were in the hotel room--I figured they'd charge me $10 a bottle or something! ;)  There were bran muffins, fruit skewers, and almonds too. But I didn't eat anything. I was too nervous to eat, and I really didn't want to have to go to the bathroom after eating all that fiber, lol.

I was sharing this dressing room with Jennie, who was in the same segment of the show as me. She appears just before me on the show. She's lost 300 pounds!! And she did it all by diet and exercise. We were swapping recipes and tips in the dressing room.

Someone from the Dr. Oz Show came in and had me sign a waiver and also gave me a $60 stipend for food and/or parking expenses. I wish I'd have known they would do that when I got my dinner last night! I would have chosen something much more indulgent ;)

Margaret insisted that I take out my nose piercing :(  She also wanted to shorten the length of my dress, which I was fine with (as long as it would still allow me to wear Spanx!). I went into the wardrobe room and a woman had me try on my dress, then she used some sort of tape to hem it shorter. I was wearing Spanx underneath, which came down almost to the bottom of my dress, so I was worried the Spanx would show when I sat down on stage to talk to Dr. Oz. Margaret saw it after it was hemmed and STILL wanted to go even shorter, but when I showed her how short it got when I sat, she agreed to let it be. I'm not a prude, I swear! I just didn't want my Spanx sticking out.

Next began what would be my FAVORITE part of the day. The show brought in a celebrity hair-stylist and make-up artist (and their assistants) to fix us up! Normally the show doesn't do the hair and make-up stuff, but this show included a couple of make-overs, so they had all of us get done up.

I don't watch the show What Not to Wear, but I learned that my hairstylist is a stylist on that show! His name is Ted Gibson. I didn't learn just who he was until after I did my part on the show. He was SO NICE and I absolutely loved what he did with my hair. He cut some more layers into it and blew it out straight. Then he used a curling iron to add some big curls.

Meanwhile, I got my make-up done as well by the sweetest man--and dammit, I forget his name!  I was in shock at how great my skin looked when he was done. He kept fussing to make sure everything was perfect, and he remained so calm, even though Margaret was telling them that we needed to be done NOW. I wanted to take him home with me!

I loved the hair and make-up! I was a little concerned about how RED my lipstick was, but I figured that he knew better than me, so I might as well just go with it. I quickly put my dress back on and then Margaret hurried us to the stage for a quick rehearsal.

I was amazed by the audience! They were having so much fun, and I wanted to be in the audience as soon as I saw them. There was a comedian there, and loud music playing, and everyone was singing and dancing. They saw us come out for rehearsal, but didn't really watch us. Jennie and I had to practice stepping through a huge zero... this was the 400th show, and they had the numerals up on stage and that is how we would make our appearance.

It was so hard to do! My shoes were a little too big, so they wanted to slide on and off. The (stage director?) told me to go slowly and NOT touch the side of the 0 while I stepped through. It included going up a step, over the bottom of the 0 and onto another step, then down to the floor. I felt like it took me forever to step through!

After that, we waited backstage with a bunch of the (stage crew? not sure what the technical names of these positions are!)  We got to watch a TV that was basically like watching the show live. Jennie's story was first, and I almost cried watching her photos and narrative. I had to turn away when they revealed her surprise phone call from Dr. Oz about her teeth. Then she walked out on the stage and did an AMAZING job--she was funny, she looked natural, she had great answers.

I was just thinking, "How the hell am I supposed to follow THAT story?!"

Then, as I was sitting there, I heard my voice--loud. I saw that they were playing my photos and narrative, and I just cringed. I felt like I sounded horrible. Then it was my turn to walk out. The stage director man walked with me toward the 0, and told me to go slow and easy, stop at my mark, wave and smile, then watch for a the signal to go to Dr. Oz.  I stepped through the 0, trembling something fierce, and walked to my spot. I smiled and waved, feeling a little silly, then walked to Dr. Oz and gave him a hug.

I don't remember the first few things he said as we sat down, but then I made sure to listen really well in case he asked me something that I didn't prepare for. I couldn't.stop.trembling.  It was driving me crazy! You know how your body shakes when you try to hold a certain pose (like holding plank!) Well, I was shaking like that, and I couldn't control it. I hope it wasn't visible on TV!

I answered a few questions in the chairs, then we walked over to the food props. I talked about breakfast and I wasn't too thrilled with the way my "No Bake Cookie Oatmeal" looked, but I hope I sounded okay there.  Then I walked to the dessert table, where I saw my pumpkin brownies with peanut butter swirled on top. They looked fantastic! I was surprised to see red wine there, because I thought that had been cut from the show. I wasn't prepared to talk about it! I just said that I love wine, especially red wine, and I like to have it with chocolate sometimes (or something like that!)

After that, Dr. Oz mentioned my "before" picture with him, and asked if I would like to take an "after" pic with him as well. I said "Absolutely!" and we posed on stage for a photographer. And then it was over! The stage director waved me off, and I stood by watching the rest of the segment when they surprised a mother and daughter with make-overs by the team that did my hair and make-up.

I went back to my dressing room and watched some of the show, but mostly chatted with Jennie. I made sure to grab my make-up artist and hair stylist to tell them thank you, and I got a picture with each of them.

I changed into the clothes I wore the day before, because I didn't want to wear my dress home. And I had to give the heels back to the stylist. My driver arrived (a different man this time, who didn't speak more than a couple of words to me). He drove me to the airport (it was about 12:30, and my flight was at 3:00). My plan was to go through security and then find a bar restaurant that I could sit and have a big lunch (I was starving at this point) and a glass or two of wine. Well, La Guardia sucks! All the sit-down restaurants (and alcohol!) were BEFORE security.

So once I got past security, my options were a couple of shops that sold tons of baked goods and Au Bon Pain. I got a turkey sandwich from Au Bon Pain and a little container of chocolate covered almonds (to have on the plane). The sandwich was super dry and gross, but I ate about 3/4 of it because I was so hungry.

The plane was just a little bigger than the last one--four seats per row this time--but there were only 15 people total on the flight!! I was seated in an aisle (which I hate--I must be by a window to avoid sheer panic) next to a woman. I asked the flight attendant if I could move up a row, and it was fine. Everyone on the plane got their own row!

I paid $7 for a glass of cheap pinot grigio on the plane, but I totally needed that. I ate all of my almonds, and enjoyed every bite.  Flight was a little bumpy, but it didn't bother me after the wine.  Got into Detroit and rushed to get out of the airport and to my parents' house to pick up my boys. They gave me flowers :)

It was SUCH an amazing experience, and I'm so happy that I got to do it!!

I e-mailed Margaret and Ali to find out when I will get the "after" photos of me with Dr. Oz (as well as a DVD of the show) and they said they will mail them out as soon as the show airs. So I'll post them when I get them!

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I just watched the show, and a LOT of it was edited--not just from me, but from Jennie as well. Bummer! Did you see the brownies and wine in the background at least?!  lol

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