Welcome to Escaping Fat!

My name is Heather and in March of 2006 I underwent Gastric Bypass surgery. It has NOT been the cure-all that many would suspect, however, I have been successful in maintaining a healthy weight and would now like to pass some of the rules, exercises, recipes, and such that I feel have contributed to my success to anyone who also struggles with their weight and/or fitness.

A little more about me, prior to my surgery I rocked the scales at a staggering 281 pounds. I stand 5’5” tall, which brought my BMI (Body Mass Index) to 46.8. Morbidly Obese is anything over 30. You can calculate your BMI here. I have found my most comfortable weight to be 145. At this weight, I feel at my “fittest” and most comfortable in my own skin. Yes, that’s a loss of over 130 pounds!

But, don’t get me wrong! I am NOT an advocate of weight loss surgery! In fact, most often, everyone I have personally met or encountered via the media, have definitely FAILED with the surgery! I feel that the most probably reason for this failure is because the surgery has been viewed as a quick-fix, surgical miracle, or easy-out to what is more than likely an unrealistic goal. I believe that the surgery is probably only appropriate for the rare individual, who truly sees it only as one TOOL of many, to be utilized for the rest of their lives on a journey to a “healthy lifestyle”.

If I have learned one thing over the last 3 years, it's that a DIET will NOT solve my weight problems. I've had to change my life. For most, it’s not realistic to change your entire life overnight, so my goal is to provide various tidbits that you will be able to implement into your lifestyle, one or two weeks at a time. These are changes that will be for the REST of YOUR LIFE, so this is much more easily done step-by-step. I encourage first examining your lifestyle, in depth (being brutally honest with yourself), then formulating a plan whereby you commit to making a small change every week or two. With that in mind, I will be posting a “A MORSEL of Conjecture ” every week or so (this will be a post that will capitalize on one of the healthy “rules” of life that I have personally found success with), “Tasty MORSELS ” (a healthy recipe that I personally use AND like), and a “morsel of movement” (an exercise that I personally do/have done and have found to be worth it).

I also have another, more selfish, reason for this project, and that would be creating a means of “personal accountability” for me. Why, you ask? Well, in September of 2008, my family moved from Florida to Oregon, causing me to lose several circles of “exercise buddies” that I very much enjoyed having. With the loss of these friends, my level of exercise dropped dramatically, and of course, my weight again began to climb back up. In those first 4 months, I gained back about 15 pounds. A definite eye-opener for me and proof positive how extremely important exercise is! To achieve this accountability, I will be weekly posting how much and what type of exercise I have accomplished for the week AND I will also be posting my actual WEIGHT! As you say, “Are you nuts?!? You’re going to post your real weight on the World Wide Web!”, I will explain that for me, I personally do well under this type of pressure and it is one thing that I know will most definitely keep me honest with myself, my weight at my preferred 145 and my fitness to the level that I am most comfortable with. Rest assured, I have already “amped” up my exercise routine and will be posting my starting weight shortly.

I look forward to developing many friendships here as we join together to travel the same path, each of us encouraging the others. Please, I implore you, be generous with your feedback! We all know that what works for “one”, doesn’t work for “every” one. If you have a different opinion that mine by all means, say so! There’s probably someone out there who can benefit from your opinion/advice. I DEFINITELY look forward to YOUR “healthy” recipes! I can’t wait to try them out and then add them to our catalog, and the same with your exercise tips! Should you just be at the beginning of your journey and be totally confused as to where to even begin, I would be more than happy to help if I can. I will have you log everything you consume for a week and any/all exercise that you currently do, then give some suggestions as to what you may want to try to change for the first week, and so on. Sometimes, an honest outside opinion is just the trick. Remember, I DO NOT endorse any diets, nor will I ever suggest anything that I haven’t tried myself and been pleased with! And the best benefits that EVERYONE will enjoy will only come with the PARTICIPATION of everyone! So have your say!

I know that by working together we’ll be CHANGING LIVES and ESCAPING FAT!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

2009 Current Resume

Heather Merriman
One Jefferson Parkway #132
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
503-305-6607
h_merriman@yahoo.com


Objective :
After moving from Florida to Oregon and ready to jump back into the work force am currently seeking challenging managerial position in a fast-paced, team environment. Enthusiastically seeks a position in which to utilize current business experience while also developing further advanced business acumen.

Summary :
With nearly 15 years management experience in both the transportation and lighting industries, garnering hands-on experience in nearly every department; HR, Customer Service, Marketing, Shipping/Receiving, Dispatch, Production, etc and successful with coaching, training, procedure establishment, negotiations, B2B, customer relations and more.

Experience :
Aug 2006- Sept 2008 Legends of Mernac, Pompano Beach, FL Publicity Mgr (Temp Project)
Key Accomplishments:
* Surpassed business plan goals i.e.: promotions, programming, & user interactions.
* Coordinated contests including, advertising, maintaining entries, judging, & payment schedules.
* Write & distribute Press Releases pertaining to all matters of contests, promotions, industry news, & new releases.

May 2004-Aug 2006 Delta Light USA/ FAD Lighting, Ft Lauderdale, FL Operations Manager
Key Accomplishments:
* Wholly responsible for day-to-day operations, staff supervision, production schedule, P&L, purchasing, inventory, accounts payable/receivable, customer service, collections, logistics of European imported product, sales support, provided back-up support for Shipping Manager.
* Constructed teams for Bills of Materials, Lighting Quotations & Customer Service.
* Successfully re-negotiated several vendor contracts, realizing a 35% savings for the company.
* Developed procedure for Order Entry, Purchasing, & invoicing allowing business to expand with no decrease in service while also eliminating the need for further human resources.

August 2000-Sept 2003 East to West Lighting, Severn, MD Operations Manager
Key Accomplishments:
* Worked in conjunction with partner to create & stabilize a new start-up lighting supply company.
* Responsible for legal matters, P&L, marketing functions, liaison between customers & manufacturers, sales travel matters & customer service.

July 1998-October2000 HBI of Maryland, Hanover, MD Operations Manager
Key Accomplishments:
* Provided all reporting for weekly business trend meetings with all terminals, A/P reconciling, Payroll reconciling, & provided back-up support for all office positions.
* Supervised all office, driver, and warehouse personnel at busy airfreight company & oversaw all Customs, D.O.T., vehicle maintenance regulations.
* Implemented successful procedure for In-Bond freight, regarding customs, billing, & customer notification.

July 94-June 98 AutoQuik/Roberts Express, Akron, OH Customer Svs Manager
Key Accomplishments:
* Supervised & coached Customer Service Agents & assumed final responsibility for service failures while developing, implementing, & managing project teams.
* Responsible for D.O.T. safety regulations & compliances.
* Recognized repeatedly for innovative methods of problem resolution.
* Created tracking method for Service Failures that deduced causes & was integral in reducing the failures & improving customer relations.

Education :
1990 Honors Graduate Barberton High School Barberton, OH
“Meet you at the Top” -Zig Ziggler
“Communications & Team Building” -Creative Training Concepts
“Harassment and Hostility in the Work Place” -Creative Training Concepts
“7 Step Correction Action Process” -Oakland Community College

Skills :
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Project Expert
Microsoft Access Novice
Goldmine Intermediate
Dreamweaver Novice
QuickBooks Expert
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