#BFHoliday Challenge - the #PhotoFriday Challenge, sponsored by Big Train!

What does success LOOK like for you? That's what Big Train wants to know for this week's one-day challenge.

Big Train are the makers of Fit Frappe, a line of coffee-house style protein drinks that includes flavors such as mocha, vanilla and even chai protein!(Click here to read my review of Fit Frappe's coffee-based Espresso, Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Spiced Chai flavors and their non-caffeinated Chocolate and Vanilla flavors.)

This week they are challenging YOU to share your picture of success with the rest of the Foodie Nation. Here's how it works:

• Find a picture that represents your success, a photo that makes you feel proud of yourself!
• Share your picture on the Bariatric Foodie Facebook wall and on Twitter. When I do, reply to that post with your picture and tell us WHY it makes you proud.
• Everyone who does that will be entered to win one of THREE Fit Frappe prize packs (containing your choice of Fit Frappe protein powder and a sugar-free syrup), courtesy of Big

Questions you might have:

• "Nik, I'm shy! Do I have to be in the picture?" Nope. But it does need to be a that in some way represents success to you and you have to be able to say WHY. So it could be a pic of your first running sneakers or your airplane seatbelt fastened easily for the first time or even a healthful dish you learned to prepare. As long as you can speak on why that photo represents success, it counts!
• "Can it be my before/after?" Sure. But again, you have to say why it represents success to you and not just "Because I lost weight." Tell us what the photo means to you! 
• "I don't use Facebook/Twitter. How do I enter?"  If you absolutely don't use social media you can enter by emailing your picture and explanation to me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. IMPORTANT: Unless you indicate otherwise, I will consider your submission as permission to share the photo (only your first name, last initial will be used) to help inspire others. If you don't want your photo to be shared, that's fine but !

The official deadline to do this will be NOON EST Sunday, December 28. Everyone who submits their photos with explanations will be entered to receive one of three Fit Frappe prize packs, courtesy of Big Train!

After you have posted your picture on social media OR emailed it to me, you can earn some extra chances by:

• Liking Big Train on Facebook
• Following @BigTrain on Twitter
• Putting a thank you message on either their Facebook Page wall or tweeting to @BigTrain and mentioning @Bariatric Foodie.
• NEW! You can also earn an extra chance for encouraging your fellow Foodies. If you see someone's photo that inspires you, tell them so for an extra chance.

If you do any extra chance items, please leave a blog comment with your name, email address and tell me what you did so I can give you your extra chances!

I'll announce this week's winners on Sunday evening. Good luck everyone and Happy #PhotoFriday!

#BFHoliday Challenge - Week 4 Winners



I apologize , guys. I am really tardy posting this. I could give you the usual excuses but instead I think I'll just do what I haven't been able to do the last few days...focus!

Firstly, I want to thank CLICK Espresso Protein for sponsoring this week's challenge. Vitamin intake is very important and it's something we should all keep working at until we've found a sustainable way to be compliant!

So without further adieu, the week four winners are:

• Ahbra M.
• Patty Bombyk
• Kristin W.

All winners were notified earlier this week. Patty and Kristin, I see that you've already claimed your prize - thanks!

Ahbra has until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 26 to claim her prize or I have to redraw. Don't make me do it!

Congrats to the winners!

About this week's challenge

This week's challenge is going to be a one-day challenge, which will be held on Friday, December 26. It is sponsored by our good friends at Big Train, makers of Fit Frappe!

I'll post about the challenge tomorrow evening with all the details, so after all the presents are unwrapped, babies kissed, pictures taken and memories made, come back here and check out the challenge so that you can win yourself a prize pack, courtesy of Big Train!

#BFHolidayChallenge Week 4 - Time to Report Back to Win Some Click!



Can I just say...you all inspire me. Seriously.

This week has been tough. I've posted here and there about my vitamin intake (nowhere near what I'd planned to post) and even shared my personal "vitamin scare story." This is such a challenge to me!

In all honesty my struggle with vitamin intake is what make me believe the saying "failure is not falling down but refusing to get back up." So each time I forget a dose, I get back on that schedule and keep going. So long as I'm alive I'll keep trying!

I hope you did too because it's time to report back to win some Click Espresso Protein! Remember you have until 11:59 p.m. EST Sunday (December 21) to report back to enter to be one of three winners of a prize pack from Click which will include a canister of espresso protein and some other goodies.

How to Report Back

Let's keep with the way we've been reporting back, which is in the comments of this (and only this) blog post. Please leave a blog comment with the following:

1. Please confirm that you did actually take the challenge this week. (If you did not I invite you to join us on Sunday to find out next week's challenge!) Also share how you did.
2. Your name (first name, last initial) and your email address (That's important. If I draw a name with no email address I have to draw again!)
3. Please let me know if you did any of the extra chances listed below.

Extra Chances

You can earn one extra chance each for doing the following:

• Like Click on Facebook
• Follow Click on Twitter
• Leave a message on their Facebook wall thanking them for sponsoring the #BFHolidayChallenge (and be sure to tell them Bariatric Foodie sent you!)
• Tweet a message of thanks to Click and be sure to mention Bariatric Foodie
• Sign-up for Click's email list to receive exclusive recipes and discounts (if you're already on there, let me know and that's an extra chance)

Not to sound like a broken record but you have until 11:59 p.m. EST Sunday, December 20 to enter! I'll draw the winners on Monday. Next week's challenge will be announced sometime on Sunday.

Four Things You Should Never Say to a Person Who Had Weight Loss Surgery



This is inspired by a piece done recently on The Today Show: 6 Things You Never Say to Someone Who Has Lost Weight. Those things apply but I feel like there's things people say to us after our surgeries that are just wrong (and some are potentially harmful) so here goes.

"Yeah, I'm losing weight the hard way."

Ok so I should start off telling you that here at Bariatric Foodie we call folks who haven't had weight loss surgery "non-ops."

You. Non-op. Come closer so we can speak.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and your stomach was a fraction of the size it was before. Imagine taking your first bite of food in the morning and that bite of food makes you violently ill - and you don't quite know why. Imagine everything you eat makes you violently ill. Imagine going out to eat with friends and being done your whole meal before your friends have taken three bites of an appetizer. Imagine having the whole world see you shrink into a person you don't know and have never been before, all while you are supposed to be joyful (instead of freaking out, which is what you really are). Imagine having to remember to take vitamins every day. Imagine having doing the same workout you are doing "the hard way" except your body has only a fraction of the calories to sustain it. Imaging going through all that and having someone imply that you are doing things the "easy" way.

No matter what way you do it, losing weight is hard. So don't say that anymore.

"My sister's cousin's boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's sister had weight loss surgery and they gained all their weight back."

Firstly, no they didn't. That person is an urban legend. While folks who have weight loss surgery can regain, you don't personally know anyone who did and we know that.

Beyond that, if you believe in the power of positive thinking, this statement can be really destructive. It spawns fear, self-doubt, self-consciousness. Weight loss surgery patients live in a constant tension between adhering to many guidelines and trying to live a normal life. Many of us are already so petrified of regain that, for all intents and purposes, we've actually worked in earnest to develop eating disorders.

A better thing to say is "I wish you all the best" and leave it at that.

"You've lost too much! You need to stop."

On this one, non-ops, I have a bit of sympathy. Chances are your friend or family member was overweight or obese for a while before having surgery. And there's a good chance you only ever knew them that way. They are going through big changes. They are shrinking fast.

Rest assured your loved one is being monitored by an expert medical team. They have a bariatric surgeon, a registered dietician and other staff who monitor their weight very closely for the first two years after surgery. Very often their weight and health is monitored pretty closely even after that.

Each person has a different way to determine their goal weight. Unfortunately, it's not up to you to decide what that weight is. Telling someone they've lost too much is just as bad as telling them they have gained too much weight. It promotes low self-esteem and self-consciousness.

A simple "Wow, you've lost a lot of weight!" is both honest and much more respectful.

And lastly my personal favorite...

"You've changed since you had surgery."

My initial response the first time someone said this to me was "Well...yeah. Isn't that the point?"

My grandmother had a wonderful saying. "If nothing changes, nothing changes." Obesity is not just a disease of eating. Our environments, emotions and stressors can all contribute to our obesity. The only way to sustainably address obesity is to work at all of its causes in our lives.

That said, if your loved one suddenly is less tolerant of demands on their time, or they take longer to get ready to go out the door because they want to look nice, or they like to go clothes shopping, YES they have changed. No, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

On the same token some of us go through a serious "butthole phase" where we are a bit self-centered and hard to deal with (present company included). In those cases, address the behavior in particular. For example, if you find your loved one talks nonstop about their post-op life, you might say: "Hey, I know you've got lots going on, what else is happening in your life?" We go through stages after surgery and we are human. If we are being inconsiderate it may be a stage and we may not be aware we are doing it. But implying that it's bad we are changing isn't helpful or constructive.

If we're doing something that bugs you, talk to us respectfully about the thing we are doing instead of generalizing. Bonus: you actually have a chance of working it out when you do it this way!

What happens if I don't take my vitamins?

This week's #BFHolidayChallenge is to take all your vitamins every day. I often get asked, "What happens if I don't take my vitamins?" Here is my story about why vitamin compliance is a critical habit for weight loss surgery patients to learn.

It was late. Way late. So late, in fact, that I almost wondered why I was bothering with dinner at all. The day had been an absolute disaster and I’d have loved to sink into bed and pray for a better tomorrow, but unfortunately my two young children were hungry – and none too amused that it was 9 p.m. and they had not yet been fed dinner!

I decided to throw together something quick. Chili. The kids love chili, especially spicy chili. I figured this was perfect because it doesn’t take long to make, it produces lots of leftovers, and those leftovers taste better with each passing day.

So as soon as I got home from my class, I set to chopping onions and green peppers, browning ground turkey and draining cans of beans. It only took me about 30 minutes to make the chili and when it was done I called my children down to help set the table. I was determined we’d sit down to eat together.

My oldest daughter was the first downstairs so I set her to work. I pointed to the cabinet to ask her to hand me a…a…

What is that thing called? The thing. That you put soup in. And chili in. The thing???

Forgetting the word for "bowl" scared me and made me get my short-term memory loss checked out!

Yes, people. Standing there in my kitchen, rushed and stressed, I forgot the word for bowl.

Scared Straight

Now if any of you have had a family member with dementia, you can understand why I was freaked out by this incident. But as I thought about it later that night, I realized that my memory had been fairly shoddy lately. I’d walk into a room and not remember why I was there. I’d put my keys down and just a minute later couldn’t find them. And heaven help me if I didn’t immediately put an event on a calendar. I missed quite a few because I failed to jot it down, then forgot it completely.

There are myriad medical conditions that can cause memory loss. When I went to the doctor to inquire about mine, the doctor ordered labs and when they came back I got a stern talking to. My doctor asked one simple question that “outed” me, “Have you been taking your b12 supplement regularly?”

I had not. At that time I took it by injection. I was instructed to do so monthly. One fact I’ve since learned is that the less often I am required to do something, the more likely I am to forget to do it. So I forgot my monthly injection – for many, many, many months.

(NOTE: This was a problem for me because, as a RNY patient, I no longer have the ability to properly absorb B12 in the body's natural way - because that portion of my stomach is missing. So instead we need to take sublingual B12 which allows the B12 to be instantly absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin under your tongue.)

While my doctor was hesitant to deem that the only source of my short-term memory problems (after all I was also a working single mother and that carries a certain amount of stress which can also exacerbate short-term memory problems), the fact that mine was low at the time led us both to believe it was contributing to my problems. Again, my past freaked me out.

B12 is no joke!

My grandfather, before he died, suffered from dementia. At first he was thought to have developed Alzheimer’s Disease – a disorder that can only be 100% confirmed after death. As it turns out, he did not have Alzheimer’s Disease, but a very severe b12 deficiency. So hearing that I was low kind of scared me straight.

So what did I do? Well, several things. First, I asked if I could switch to a more regular regimen of taking b12. My doctor told me that I could switch to a daily sublingual tablet (one that melts under the tongue) instead of doing the monthly shot. (IMPORTANT: When figuring out what’s best for you, ALWAYS talk to your own doctor. My method and your method may not be the same!)

I also took advantage of an app called “My Med Schedule” to remind me to take ALL my vitamins, not just b12. It was easy to set up and I get daily reminders for all my vitamin doses. I still am not perfect about vitamins all the time but at least the reminder is there and persistent.

Lastly, I had to accept the fact that my short term memory problems might not go away, so I had to work with them and not against them. So I put my bottle of b12 tablets next to my toothbrush. I brush my teeth every day. When I brush my teeth, I see the bottle and I take my b12. I am the same way now with most things I want to remember. Put something I don’t want to forget next to something I can’t forget. I put my work ID next to my house keys, and my car keys are attached to my house keys, etc.

The Bottom Line

I share this with you all to encourage you to do whatever YOU need to do to stick to your vitamin regimen. In my case it vitamin B12 was low, but you can have many different kinds of deficiencies and they can cause many different kinds of problems. Here are a few things to think about:

·       Vitamin deficiencies can take a while to show up in lab work. I get a lot of folks who are a year or so post-op who tout their good lab numbers despite not being vitamin compliant. Remember your body usually has a store of vitamins it can draw on when deficient. Unfortunately that means that in some cases when your lab work comes back with a deficiency the stuff has actually hit the fan.

·       Some deficiencies can cause permanent damage. B12 deficiency is one of them. If you have severe memory loss, nerve damage, etc. as a result of this deficiency it can be irreparable and sometimes the best your medical team can do is help you manage.

·       WLS patients have DIED because of vitamin deficiencies. I don’t say that to upset you but to let you know this IS important. Failing to take your vitamins doesn’t have the same immediate negative effects as, say, eating sugar and dumping but it can be so much more harmful!

So I hope sharing my story has inspired you all, not only to take this week’s #BFHolidayChallenge, but to figure out a good, convenient and, most of all, sustainable system for taking your vitamins. Because you have to do it – for the rest of your life.

If you're unsure what vitamins you should take, here are the American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery guidelines for:

• RNY
• Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Lap-Band
• Duodenal Switch

If you've not had a conversation with your surgical practice about vitamins, make sure you talk about it the next time you are seen!

And if you have any questions about my story, leave them in the comments below. I’m happy to answer.

#BFHolidayChallenge Week 3 Winners

 

But first...have you checked out this week's challenge, sponsored by CLICK Espresso Protein? If not, go check it out!

Sorry I could not post the winners yesterday, but I am very, very, very encouraged by how hard folks went at last week's challenge. For some of you the challenge is what you were already doing, but for others it was very hard and I commend you all for doing your best!

The winners of the week 3 prize back of Torani sugar-free syrups are:

• Mary Ann Atzrott
• Jodi B.
• Maryann Forest

It was a big week for people named Mary Ann, eh? Congratulations, ladies! All three of them have been emailed and all three claimed their prize (thank you for making my life easier!).

After this challenge we still have two left. Like I said, check out this week's challenge, where you can win a fantastic prize from my friends at CLICK.

Keep on inspiring each other. You all inspire me!

#BFHolidayChallenge Week 4 - Sponsored by Click Espresso Protein!

Ok so I lied about something.

Well,  not really lied. I accidentally didn't tell the truth. (Isn't that the same thing.)

You see, I said last week's challenge was the most challenging for me and that's just not true. This week's challenge is far harder. That's why this week I'm going to blog about doing the challenge right along with you, Keeps me honest!

But first...

This Week's Prize Sponsor

CLICK! If you've never tried CLICK Espresso Protein Powder, you don't know what you've been missing! Seriously. (Well unless you hate coffee, in which case...yeah.) The folks at CLICK have made a rich, smooth coffee-based protein powder that packs lots of vitamins and minerals, along with 15g of protein per serving (making it the perfect post-workout recovery snack). It comes in Mocha (my favorite), Mocha Decaf, Vanilla Latte (not decaf) and Caramel (also not decaf). Aside from the Mocha Decaf, the others have the amount of caffeine equivalent to a triple shot of espresso.

I love the stuff. I love the stuff so much I have a whole selection of recipes I call Click Frapps. Heck, I love the stuff so much I wrote an e-recipe book for them called 50 Ways to CLICK! (You can download for free by the way.) You can check CLICK out for yourself at www.drinkclick.com.

This Week's Challenge

Ok so back to this being a challenging challenge for me. For some of you this will be easy. For me this has ALWAYS been hard.

This week, CLICK Espresso Protein challenges you to:

Get all of your vitamin doses, every day this week.

Oy. I mean...yay! For those who take the challenge - and report back at the end of the week - you will be entered to win one of THREE prize packs from CLICK, which includes a canister in the flavor of your choice AND some stylish CLICK swag.

Some Questions I imagine you have:

• "Nik, can you tell me what vitamins I should be taking?" No. That's both wrong and illegal (as I'm not a physician or a registered dietician. BUT I can tell you what the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommends for RNY, Lap-Band, the Sleeve and the Duodenal Switch (DS). From there, you'd need to consult your surgeon or RD if you don't already know what you should be taking.
• "Every dose, Nik? Really?" As I've said in all the past challenges, do your best. As long as you are accountable it counts, so simply reporting back (whether you are successful or not) will get you entered. But I encourage you to pay attention to any roadblocks you experience in doing any of these challenges. Identifying them will help you in the long run.
• "I'm joining in late, can I still participate?" Absolutely. But once you accept the challenge you have to do your best to meet the challenge AND you have to report back in order to enter to win the prize. I will post here on the blog starting on Saturday, December 20 asking you to report back. You'll have until 11:59 p.m. EST  Sunday, December, 21 to enter.

If you have other questions leave them in the comments. Also (just for my curiosity) leave in the comments: ARE YOU IN???

#BFHolidayChallenge: Time to Report Back to Win Some Torani!

Are you all floating away yet?

I must say I read everyone's check-ins this week on Facebook and you guys showed UP to this challenge! For some of you this was easy peasy (as some of the other challenges probably are to others) but guess what? Even if drinking 64 oz. water/day isn't challenging for you, this week you reinforced a good habit and that is a beautiful thing.

Now it's time to be accountable so that you can win some sugar-free goodness from Torani! THREE of you will win a starter set of syrups (full sized bottles too, not the sample sizes!)

Since the report back last week was fairly uneventful, I'm going to do it the same way. Leave a blog comment with the following information:

1. Your name (first name/last initial will do)
2. Your email address
3. Did you take this week's challenge? (Last week I had folks who entered who did not do the challenge. If that's you - join us next week! But I do want to limit the entries to those who gave this week's challenge a try. Thanks for understanding!)
4. If you took the challenge, how did you do? Did you get 64 oz./day? If not, did you increase your intake over the amount you were getting before?
5. Please list ALL the extra chance items you did (see below).

Then of course there are bonus entries! If you do any of these things please put that in your blog comment so I can give you the # of chances you deserve!

1. Like Torani on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (if you do both, say so as you get one extra entry for each one).
2. Leave a thank you note on their Facebook wall or Tweet them a thank you. IMPORTANT: Make sure you mention that Bariatric Foodie sent you so I know to give you your extra chance! (Again, if you do both please let me know and I'll give you an extra entry for both.)

That's it! The winner will be announced Monday evening. And a new challenge starts tomorrow (Sunday, December 14)!

I hope you're enjoying the Challenge so far. Good luck, everyone!

#BFHolidayChallenge - Week 2 Winners!

Congratulations to the three Foodies who scored themselves a protein snack prize pack, courtesy of Kay's Naturals! I'm going to list the names of folks who won, with their comment number on the report back post. If you're not sure if it's you, refer to that post!

• Barbara (comment #12)
• Becca Smith (comment #38)
• April Crowe (comment #40)

Congrats, ladies! Here's what you need to do now.

Email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with your full name and mailing address so I can get that prize sent to you! You have 48 hours to do this (so by 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 10, 2014) or I have to redraw. Don't make me do it!

Congratulations again. Remember, each week until New Year's there'll be a new challenge. The Week 3 Challenge, sponsored by Torani, is now up. Check out the details and win you some prizes!

#BFHolidayChallenge Week 3 - Sponsored by Torani!



But first...have you reported back on week 2 yet so you can win some Kay's Naturals protein goodies? If not, go do it! You only have until 11:59 p.m. EST tonight. Here's the link to report back.

So now that Thanksgiving is past us, and we're getting our activity and logging our food (I hope) it's time to work on something I personally have struggled with since my surgery nearly 7 years ago. But more on that in a moment.

This week's sponsor

As you saw this week's sponsor is Torani, maker of flavored syrups that I use in all kinds of ways, including in protein shakes, protein puddings, desserts and more!



Torani syrups are sold in stores, but I'd still encourage you to go to their website and check out the VAST selection of sugar-free offerings.  I have too many bottles to count, and later in the week I'll be talking more about my favorites. But first let's get to this week's challenge!

This week's challenge

This week Torani challenges you to:

Get 64 oz. of hydration each day this week

 

As always I anticipate a few questions:

• "Why did you say hydration, Nik?" Each of us is on a different program and for each program the concept of getting enough "water" is a bit different. My program, for instance, counts any liquid that is non-alcohol, non-carbonated and sugar-free. Your mileage may vary, but I definitely encourage you to follow your program as far as how you get your hydration. Not sure? Call your registered dietician or surgeon's office!
• "I'm new/I have "X health condition", I can't get 64 oz. of water a day!" I understand! That's why, as with all challenges, as long as you are accountable, it counts. So don't harm yourself trying to meet a number goal. Do the best that you can do and pay attention to the obstacles you face and how you handle them. THAT is the point of this challenge, not necessarily doing each challenge perfectly. The point here is that you should never go against medical advice to do a challenge.  If trying to meet this goal will be detrimental to your health, do what you can do and don't do what you shouldn't!
• "I'm joining in late, can I still do it?" Sure! But once you're in, you gotta try your best. Not for me OR for the prize but for yourself.

Other questions? Leave them in the comments and I'm happy to answer. Until then, get that water and remember to report back next week. If you'd like to be reminded to report back, click this link to sign up for a reminder e-mail.

 

Good luck and have a great week everyone! And look for the week 2 winners tomorrow!

#BFHolidayChallenge - Week Two. Time to report back to win some Kay's Naturals Goodies!

So how'd this week go? Did you track your food? Did you learn anything from doing it?

I realize for some of you this week was easy because many of you already track your food religiously every day. But I know that some of us never got into the habit or fell out of the habit and for you, I hope this was helpful and you keep it up! For what it's worth I don't track every day anymore. I do a tracking week every few months to make sure I'm on the up and up and I return to tracking when I feel like I'm not doing what I am supposed to do. My point here is that we are each different and we should do what works best for us but food tracking is a powerful tool for keeping your eating habits in check.

That's why I'm so thankful to Kay's Naturals for sponsoring this week's challenge! Their healthy snacks will be things you can feel good about logging because they are low in calories, high in fiber and in protein and they taste great. The three winners this week are going to get a treat!

Wanna be one of those winners? Here's what you need to do.

Please pay attention because this is different from last week!

So last week I used Rafflecopter for you guys to report back and many of you had problems with it. For this week, I'm going to keep it simple. To report back, leave a comment on this blog post with the following information:

1. Did you do the challenge? (To log your food every day? Don't worry if you came into it late, it's ok! And be honest - as long as you are accountable, it counts!)
2. Did you learn anything new about yourself from doing this?
3. Please list any bonus entries you did (see the list below).
4. Please leave your name and email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

NOTE: To get to the comments, scroll down to the bottom of this post and look for red text that says the # of comments. Click on it to leave a comment.

You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to submit your entry. If you'd like to earn some bonus entries, you can do any of the following, for one extra chance each:

• Share about the #BFHoliday Challenge on Facebook or Twitter. Be sure to use the following link so that people can learn what the challenge is: http://bit.ly/bfholidaychallenge
• Like Kay's Naturals on Facebook or follow them on Twitter
• Post a note of thanks on Kay's Naturals wall or on Facebook and or Tweet a note of thanks and mention that Bariatric Foodie sent you!

Good luck, everyone! And remember, Sunday starts a new challenge with a new prize!

#BFHolidayChallenge - Week One Winners!



Have you checked out the week two challenge yet, sponsored by Kay's Naturals? If not, here it is!

Thanks again to Quest Nutrition for sponsoring the first week's challenge. I was SO inspired by all of you. So many of you get your activity in last week, even in the face of Thanksgiving!

Here are the week one winners, who will each receive a free box of Quest bars:

• Kim O'Brien
• Susan Fowler-Thompson
• Sherry Lee

If that's you, email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can get you your prize.

Not you? Like I said, there's a new challenge up this week - and there will be one EVERY week through the end of the year!

Remember to check the blog this weekend to report back and enter to win this week's challenge prize, sponsored by Kay's Naturals. Are you forgetful (like me)? If so, I've created an email reminder list. Sign up for it if you want me to remind you to report back!