Author Archives: colleen

Own it!

Posted on February 25, 2021 by colleen

It’s been 25 years since my weight loss surgery, and I am quite proud that I still wear a size 10 jeans. However, yesterday when I put on a pair of my pants fresh from the dryer, I found myself

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Surely We Can Do Better!?

Posted on February 18, 2021 by colleen

Seriously?! They say a picture is worth a thousand words but this one… oh my. I really think that we can be better neighbors; don’t you? Our world and so many lives are in such chaos these days. There are

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Weaving

Posted on January 25, 2021 by colleen

For so many reasons and in so many ways, the experience of weaving a rug on a 100 year old loom was very special to me. For months I have been collecting strips of fabric from shirts, skirts, old sheets

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Are your patients listening? Are you?

Posted on January 13, 2020 by colleen

Anxious to do everything right, and to finally find their answer to a lifetime of weight loss struggles, pre-op patients will do all that is asked of them. They attended required classes and support groups, complete psych evals & medical

Posted in For Bariatric Educators | 1 Comment

Lost to Followup? 3 Tips to Re-engage Your Patients

Posted on January 21, 2019 by colleen

Lost to follow up happens, to be sure, but don’t we all wonder where they went? Why they are no longer coming to support groups and activities? And how you might recapture their attention and participation?   Since 2000, BSCI

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Holiday Choices

Posted on December 4, 2018 by colleen

My awesome husband knows I love chocolate covered cherries. He buys them for me during the holidays and honestly, throughout the year, especially when they are going for $1.00 a box! Last weekend, we did our grocery shopping and as

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Palisades – Where Three Rivers Converge

Posted on August 30, 2018 by colleen

Enjoy this great article I wrote for Mountain Weekly in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Click here, like and share! https://mtnweekly.com/mountain-lifestyle/palisades-dam-lake-idaho/

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The Ever Elusive Huckleberry

Posted on July 27, 2018 by colleen

This is our third summer here in Star Valley, Wyoming and again, I am still on the hunt for wild huckleberries. They are an awesome little fruit, good for you, rare and hard to find. But now, finally, thanks to

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“Is Weight Loss Surgery the Answer? Well, It’s Good for a Start!”

Posted on June 19, 2018 by colleen

That was the headline of BSCI’s first brochure, way back in the late 1990’s. You see, as a weight loss surgery patient from 1995, I quickly recognized, that while the surgical care, multi-disciplinary clinical team and support groups were important,

Posted in For Bariatric Educators, The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients | 1 Comment

The Dangers and Benefits of Using Bariatric Patients in your Program

Posted on May 16, 2018 by colleen

Through the years, I have been a strong advocate for involving patients in bariatric aftercare programs. Most agree that successful patients bring more patients, but there is also an important role they can play in both support groups and aftercare

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