Chantal’s Blogs in English

Born and raised in 's-Hertogenbosch, but officially resident of Vianen (Utrecht) since July 2020, but I still work in the beautiful Brabant capital. This past year has left its mark on life forever. Covid-19 was the main cause of this, but for me there were also a number of other reasons why this is a year to remember. To give 'the world' a look at this, I started writing blogs. With this I give you a glimpse into my life, what is happening and what am I actually doing. Enjoy reading! Ciao! X Chantal

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"How I went through the mud but got back on top of it myself"

April 2, 2021

On Wednesday, March 31 March, Robbert and I went cycling over the dyke after dinner. Halfway the road to Lexmond we took a small road down to go home via the hamlet of Helsdingen.

I just wanted to take a nice photo from a "bridge", of a ditch between the meadows, where the reflection was clearly visible. After this action I wanted to get back on the bike and pushed myself against the wall. However, this went wrong, my foot slid away and I fell over that wall, towards the ditch. I tried grabbing the branches of the overhanging tree, but ... I fell 2.5 meters down. And as a bonus, my bike came after me too, on top of my shoulder / neck.

I Went completely under water, with the bike on top of me... luckily I didn't panic. When I came back up again and looked up, I saw a number of people standing next to Robbert. I stood there, waist-deep in the water and knees in the mud, checking my body to see if something was wrong. At the time I only felt pain in my shoulder (where that bike fell on) and shin, but apparently hadn't broken anything.

One of those people went to the residents - of the house that adjoined the ditch - to ask if they could help pull the bicycle and me out of the water, they had two straps with them. I attached this to my bike so that they could lift it up without a problem.

But I still had to get out. They also wanted to do that with those straps, but that didn't seem like such a good plan. Through that mud I walked to the side and climbed up independently (holding on to the branches that same tree ). I was glad I was wearing sneakers.

At the top, I first let the water drip off me a bit and told my story to the "rescuers", because they naturally wondered how I got there in that water.

After Robbert took a picture of me looking like a drowned cat, I got back on the bike (which luckily was fine) and drove home. We removed all wet stuff in the carport so that it could go straight into the laundry.

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And when I went into the shower, the after shock came, I realized that this could actually have gone very wrong, if, for example, that bike had landed on my head ... but I shouldn't think about that, because it all went well.

Our telephones (Robbert's was - together with his (car) keys - in my bicycle bag) also survived that time under water, I only lost my Ray Ban sunglasses. My Puma sneakers went into the Biotex for one night, I don't know what they are like yet, but I fear the worst for the inside.

Days-after Sleeping was almost impossible, not even with some Tramadol. I could not lie on my right side or back, pain woke me up with every turn. I am now quite stiff and covered with scratches and bruises. Especially the shoulder, neck and right upper arm + shin bone still hurt. My manager called me in ‘sick’ on Thursday, so that I could take it easy and recover from the shock.

That day rest was good, although everything now (Friday) still feels sore and apparently more and more scratches are visible, but I feel a bit fitter. I slept better last night thanks to the oxycodon, hopefully that will continue. Shoulder and shin are still the most important areas of interest, so I will continue to pay attention to that. Hopefully the rest will heal again soon. Thursday evening, Robbert and I went back to take a good look at the scene of the disaster and to make some photos, that would be good processing the "trauma". That scenery came in for a moment, especially the height ...

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While it certainly could have gone wrong, I came out well, that's the most important thing.

This whole action could have been a scene in one of Bridget Jones' movies. And if it hadn't happened on Wednesday, it would have been a joke for  yesterday’s April Fools’ Day ... 

I hope In a little while I can laugh about it myself.

Ciao! Chantal

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January 18, 2021

How am I doing now?

I am at day 109 after gastric bypass (GBP) surgery and things are getting better by the day. It's going pretty well actually. I feel quite fit, move more and more smoothly through life and have the idea that I feel better about myself than a year ago. At least until now, because of the new period of hard lockdown, a few things have changed of course.

Food and drinks

I can still have everything, I like everything as much as before, even black coffee. So nothing really changed in that. I also dare to try more often,to test myself. Not the quantity, but more the type of food or the way we prepare it. And with me being a real foodlover, that’s a good thing. I just eat about 1/3 of a regularplate with food.

Sports

I also started exercising in mid-November: twice a week in the gym (including strength training and fitness building under the supervision of a physiotherapist) and once a week in the water (swimming or Aqua body & mind). Having my warming up by cycling to the gym, on the way back on Wednesday I get myself a espresso macchiato at Flinn’s café bar, buy some groceries at the market and go back home to work. But I haven't canceled anything once, so I've been on the right track.

Work

I started working again early November and since mid-November I have been working my full hours (36). In the beginning I only worked at home, so I could save energy by not driving drive to 's-Hertogenbosch from Vianen. From December until now I work an average of two days a week at home and two days at the hospital. I try to find a good balance in that, because on the days in the office I am still very tired when I get home. All the energy that I have goes into work and that’s not right.

Relaxation

Since I noticed that my energy level is not yet back to 100%, I try to relax at home in as many ways as possible. My new hobby LEGO is one of them. After the Elf Clubhouse and the Volkswagen bus, I recently put together the Gingerbreadhouse. But we also go out together on the weekend. All corona proof, of course. We recently drove the New Dutch Waterline route in a puzzle tour. I also started reading more (book 6 of "The Seven Sisters") and I have made a 1000-piece puzzle (also from Lego). All I still need is sleeping better and then I am completely zen again.

Fifty before 50 list

And in spite of everything, I try to work on my "Fifty before 50" list. Although we can’t undertake all by far, I did quite a bit already. For example, we have already eaten fish at the sea, enjoyed the high tea of ​​the Jan de Groot (from the Bossche Bollen), I have already bought some pieces of the Blue Fold tableware, I have selected and stored my Lego bricks, bought a bicycle bags and nice short boots, I started Italian lessons again, I started exercising more, I regularly put flowers inside, I work at least 1 day a week at home and I keep my administration up better.

All together I look back on the past three months with a satisfied feeling. I have now crossed my -20 kg limit, so the weight loss is also steadily continuing. Up to more kgs, because that's what it's all about of course. The loss especially noticeable in my clothes. You can imagine wil that I can't wait to go shopping again.

That’t is for now. Ciao! X

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Holly & Casper - our story

Holly & Casper: our story

 It's that time of year again: Christmas. Unfortunately for everybody around the world different from what we are used to. Less fun with the family because we are not all allowed to come all together at the same time. And this also means fewer presents to unwrap. Making snowmen will also not be an option this year either. At least we can still enjoy good food, hot chocolate, Netflix and cozy up in your home suit.

Mrs. Boss’ tree has been inside for a while now, on December 6 she changed it from Sinterklaas to Christmas. A tree in which for her are more than 20 years of memories of travels, people, places, moments... Our friends' LEGO Elf Clubhouse has been waiting for weeks to shine and the Rituals Advent Village has also been waiting to make Mrs. Boss a little happy every day since December 1. So the atmosphere has been here at home for a while.

Only on the inside, because outside we have nothing at all. Pretty boring, but well, as Mr. Boss says: “you can't have everything, can you?”

A new tradition starts Besides all these beautiful, warm memories and fun, Mrs. Boss also started a new tradition this year: Elf on the Shelf. As soon as we arrived, she was allowed to give us a name, so since than we are Holly & Casper.

The history of Elf on the Shelf is not that long actualle: an illustrated Christmas children's book by Carol Aebersold was published in 2005, in which we - the scout elves of Santa Claus - play a leading role.

We'll tell the story in a short version: scout elves go to homes where children live and that's where we hide. We watch the children all day long, to see whether they’re nice and don’t do naughty or bad things. When the kids go to sleep, we return to the North Pole to report to Santa. Then we quickly go back to the house to hide (in a different place). So we actually play a game of hide and seek with the family. Because they know we are there, but they can't always see us.

But if you come across one of us somewhere in the house, there are some rules you should follow:

You cannot touch us, because then we will lose our powers.

You can talk to us and we'll listen, but don't expect us to talk back.

We bring letters for Santa to the North Pole.

Be kind! For each other, but also for us.

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Famous North Pole residents  Over the years, this has resulted in photos of us in the most surprising situations, which has become a trend mainly thanks to social media. On many timelines worldwide you see one of us passing by (Mrs. Boss already saw us elves in Canada and Australia) and so - thanks to Amazon - the tradition here in The Netherlands started. Of course it's more about the naughty actions we perform than the story itself, but for Mr. Boss every day it is a surprise what we have been up to this time.

Every scene is a lot of fun. Together with Mrs. Boss we look for the best ideas to steal (thanks to Pinterest), we look for the relevant attributes and we prepare everything. We then have to stand in the right place (or sit / lie down / hang), when she takes the photos, makes up the texts and that's it!

Of course it doesn't go that fast, sometimes we really have to think about it and make an effort to find the right stuff (in the right size for us). And all of this we have to do Mr. Boss is not around.

Mrs. Boss also finds it funny to tease Mr. Boss, she says things like "yes, I need that for Casper," when she brings an empty toilet roll, his matchbox cars or a tape measure. Mr. Boss then gets even more curious.

Although she thinks it is very entertaining to do this with us, we also get nice comments via Instagram or Facebook, such as “You bring a lot of followers a smile on their face every day” or “The best Christmas story in years”, Mrs. Boss tells us. These are the reactions we do it for, we are happy to hear others are also enjoying our adventures. 

That’s it folks!

Greetings from Holly & Casper (and of course Mrs. Boss)

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Update GBP & the way to this track

We’ve been living with a gastric bypass (GBP) for a month now and we're doing pretty well! I only weigh myself once a week and last Friday I saw that I have crossed the limit of - 10 kg (since the operation).

I am still busy finding the right balance between eating, drinking and taking my medication, calcium (3x a day) and vitamin pills (1x a day). Not everything is allowed at the same time, there has to be time in between and that takes some getting used to. But it is certainly already going in the right direction.

Exercising is getting better, but partly due to the corona measures not as good I would like: doing some shopping on the bike or just walking / cycling and doing some exercises at home is fine, but because sports in a group are not allowed now, I can’t do my aqua sports and I miss that enormously. I am also a bit scary of using the gym...

In the weekend Robbert & I go out (corona proof), we just go somewhere to take a break. Robbert has now been working at home for 4 weeks now and it’s nice to be in a different environment during the weekend. We have already looked at airplanes at Schiphol, made a walk on the beach in Bloemendaal, did some LEGO shopping in Gouda, walked through Marken & De Rijp and we went to the Bossche market last Saturday. So I also worked on a number of points from my "Fifty before 50" list 😉

Over the years I have learned not to live too much towards a holiday, but to organize my life as a holiday. This will certainly come in handy this year… Although I would love to have a holiday somewhere where it is warm, in a beautiful setting, close to the sea. But that will certainly come again. Until then, we will do what is now possible within the limits.

Let's go back: why did I choose a GBP? The most difficult part of this entire process was not the operation, the preparation or the rather intense recovery process (which I am still in the middle of), but making the decision to register at the Obesity Clinic to have surgery - after approval. Because you make this decision for the rest of your life. Once you had your surgery, you can’t go back.

It took me a lot of thoughts about the why. Why this step, why can't I do it myself? Sure, I've tried. By myself and with a dietician. By eating a lower carbohydrate diet, I had already lost the necessary kilos, but that was not enough.

After my meniscus (2008) and anterior cruciate ligament (2010) operations, moving has become more difficult, the knee does not want / do what I want for years. Then came the terrible process with the vessels in my lower legs and the wounds on the shin and both ankles (2013-2019). Because I was bandaged for a large part of this period, walking was almost impossible, exercising and sporting in the water was not done.

Saying I gained more weight due to less exercise is of course not true. I put on weight again because I kept eating the same things. Or more snapped because I once again felt sorry for myself when I was fed up with my injuries. I was not only an emotion eater, but also a social eater. As long as it's fun, I’m happy… because I was (and will still be a little bit) Burgundian.

Until last September I no longer knew how to get out of the vicious circle of injuries and not moving. My weight was over the top and I had a good talk with my vascular surgeon, who really recommended this step to me because it wouldn't wrk out otherwise. He then wrote a good referral letter.

Up to the Dutch Obesity Clinic (NOK) Because the JBZ has no partnership with the NOK, I had to divert. After the screening and conversations with the dietitian, doctor and psychologist, I received the message that I had been approved. I only had to undergo a sleep study (now I sleep with a device against apnea) and then the process could start.

Oh yes, there was one more thing I had to ‘arrange : the wound in my left ankle had to be closed. Fortunately, that happened in February.

Then I was allowed to choose when I wanted to start the 13-week program: for 6 weeks, a NOK meeting every Friday. The surgery was scheduled to take place within 7 weeks of the last meeting (sometime between May 11 and July 3).

Because we were going to Lisbon on the last weekend of March, I chose to start on April 1. But then we entered the intellectual lockdown due to corona and that changed everything. Lisbon was canceled, but I started the NOK meetings on April 3. By videocall, because we were not allowed to meet in person. That was strange, because you saw each other on the screen, but don't really build a bond. We also had contact via whatsapp, so we spoke regularly.

Of course, the operation was canceled , it was reported that it had been postponed 3-4 months after the original period. They couldn't say it more precisely. It was an uncertain time, a very busy time at work because of corona and then I decided to take the step to move to Vianen… The psychologist does not yet understand that I did all of this in the same period and still remained positive.

After the move and the time when it became a bit quieter at work, I noticed that I was physically and mentally relaxed. As a result of that, I was able to have a better focus on the NOK process and preparation for the operation. Until mid-September the redeeming letter came with the message that I would be operated on September 30th. So it happened ...

In the beginning I didn’t tell many people that I was going to have this operation, partly while it was uncertain because of corona and I did not want to be constantly asked questions. Of course my own family, in-laws and some colleagues knew it, but otherwise not many people. This has not always been grateful to me, but hey… it is my life. And body.

And now? Meanwhile, I am busy picking up work bit by bit at home, going through the mailbox and reading up on all kinds of things again. So we will continue with how we are doing now, then it will probably be fine.

That's it for now.

Ciao! X Chantal

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Tal’s list of 50: fifty before 50

October 15, 2020

It’s my Birthday this Saturday and I will be 49, so I am entering my 50th year of life. Doesn’t show, eh? I thought turning 40 was less bad than 30, because in 2001 I felt like my youth was over. Then the saying is: life starts at 40. So I celebrated my iForty grand and spread over 2 days.

Although I like to throw a party, my 49th birthday will be a sober one. This due to COVID-19 and the fact that I am still recovering from the surgery. Only the (in-law) family has been invited - in different shifts - to give "my new life" a good start. And then I really turn 50 ... although almost? Fortunately, it will take another whole year, 365 days to get used to and prepare for it. How?

Due to my gastric bypass surgery 2 weeks ago, a lot will change in the coming year anyway, hopefully everything for the better. But on top of that, I found a nice idea, on the internet: a "fifty before 50 list" or: a list of 50 things I want to do before I turn 50: Tal's list of 50.

Because time flies, life is short and I still have quite a lot on my wish list, I had to set myself some goals, this 50-list is a nice stepping stone for that. Of course not everything will work out in the coming year (finances and COVID-19 also play a part in this), but even if I manage to achieve a quarter of them all, I am already happy. And fortunately I have a partner who likes to come with me, that also makes a difference.

The list is in no particular order and is filled with items related to travel, food & drink, health, shopping, family, work, culture, nature ... some goals are easier to achieve than others, but that only makes the challenge more fun .

And if don’t manage to accomplish some goals before October 17, 2021, there is still time afterwards. Let's go!

Tal's list of 50

Eat fish at the sea

Celebrating Christmas in Canada is not going to work, but I will put it on the list anyway

Drive from Toronto to New York by car (Canada / USA)

Touring through Northern Italy and swimming in Laggio di Maggiore (Italy)

Relaxing in Sardinia (Italy)

Go to Beatrix Potter's hometown (Sawrey Lake District, Northern England)

Spotting seals at one of the Wadden Islands, it doesn't matter which one (NL)

Getting to know NL even better by visiting 3 places I have never been

Create blogs with tips, tricks & recipes for people with gastric bypass / sleeve and updating this on my instragram account @talskitchen

Wandering through Valencia with Robbert (Spain)

Lunch at the Avocado Show (Amsterdam)

High Tea at De Groot (will be a challenge, I'll just bring a doggy bag)

Eat at Joris Bijdendijk restaurant (RIJKS or WILS)

And when dinner is at RIJKS, take Robbert to the museum to see the Night Watch again

Save money for the "Blue Fold Tableware" by Heinen Delft's Blauw

Take Robbert to a secret location (night away)

Cleaning my Nike Air Max so that they are finally white again

Select my LEGO and store it neatly in boxes (IKEA)

Buy a bicycle bags so I will take my bike more often (otherwise I cannot take groceries with me)

Sort out all the photos I have and put them in boxes

Make a boattrip in Giethoorn

Take Rick and Lucas to Ouwehand Zoo

Walk through the Loonse and Drunense Dunes

Youth sentiment: shopping for clothes in Eindhoven

Planning a Van Houten family reunion (mom’s family)

Planning a Van den Thillart family reunion - anyone who wants to help is welcome!

Keep my own room tidy and clean (sometimes I am a bit careless about that)

Buy nice short boots with heel, because I can wear them again due to my weight loss (hopefully my knee will agree)

Going back to learning the Italian language. After 24 lessons I unfortunately stopped and couldn't keep up.

Write (and post) blogs more often

Planning an offline weekend (I think the biggest challenge on the list, maybe I need to start with a day?)

Practice making vlogs

Exercise more by cycling more often, going to the swimming pool more, going to the gym at least once a week

Let myself being pampered more often by, going to the pedicure, beauty salon or manicure

In the past COVID-19 year I sent more people a real card, I want to keep this up for the coming year

Go to the Bossche market at least once every 6-8 weeks on Saturday

Realizing our shelf with bird houses at the back of the garden (à la Hotel Hoog Holten)

Create more moments of rest at work by, going for a walk during lunch breaks, having a coffee break with colleagues from another department and take a rest to have lunch

Putting a bunch of fresh flowers in the house more often

Feel the sea with my toes

Reorganize our bathroom: bath out, walk-in shower in

Set the alarm 10 minutes earlier on weekdays to be able to do exercises (at 6:00 am)

Research the gastric-bypass friendliness of restaurants and in particular the price / quantity ratio.

Create our dream house, current house or another, together with Robbert

Collecting, sorting and bundling all individual recipes - scattered around the house

Preparing my iFifty: do (can?) I make it a big celebration? Or do I do fun things for myself… and my loved ones. Or am I going on vacation?

Work from home at least 1 day a week

Remove my stored items from AllSafe and give them a new place in our house (or a new house)

Take Rick to the Moco Museum (Amsterdam)

Keep better track of my administration and immediately throw away what I don’t need

I do not only think it would be fun to work on this list the upcoming year, but I also hope to inspire others to actively undertake fun things. Are you going to set such goals of make a list yourself? Let me know, I like that.

I try to keep you informed of the progress through my regular blogs and my stories on Instagram and Facebook. Hopefully the list will get a bit shorter ...

For now: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Ciao! X Chantal

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My life before & with a gastric bypass

October 9, 2020

It’s September 2019, I was in a vicious circle of injuries, needed to do exercises but not being able to and being a fan of food, my weight was over the top. I just had that nasty wound in my left ankle again and I couldn't cope with myself, because I had been in the medical misery for the past 7 years.

After consultation with my surgeon, I then registered at the Obesity Clinic, I passed the selection and was supposed to undergo surgery in between May 11 and July 3 to get a gastric bypass. But then... Covid-19 eh. An uncertain period started, because the hospital could not specify a more precise period than “3-4 months after the official period”. And because the operation had been postponed anyway, I decided to move to Vianen as well. Why not? :-) When we were in Germany in the middle of September, the letter with the date of the surgery finally arrived: Wednesday, September 30, I would have an operation in Utrecht to get a gastric bypass. Suddenly it was very quickly, but rather this than waiting another 6 weeks not knowing anything… Life after the surgery Last Wednesday the time had finally come. I was in the hospital at 11 am, I was ready so let’s do it! The operation was done laparoscopically, through 5 cuts (3-4 cm) in the abdomen. A bypass was created from the esophagus to the intestine, so that everything I eat / drink from now on is immediately channeled through. So you can't actually eat more than what fits in the bypass. The stomach is passed by in this process, but it still produces gastric juices that are added at a later time for the digestive ritual. The first 4-5 days it was liquid / pureed "food", after that I slowly started to build up to the normal food, including sandwiches, crackers, muesli and even pea soup. Now I don't have to mash anything anymore, but I do have to keep practicing eating quietly and with small bites… The most difficult / weirdest thing is that you don't feel hungry and you actually have to make a time schedule to have your eating moments on time. And that takes some time to get used to, but it will be fine! To give you an idea of ​​what I can eat one day, I have summarized a few things. I need to have about 6 eating moments a day (± every 2.5 hours).  An example of this is: 8:00 breakfast (bread / cracker with butter and toppings or yogurt with muesli) 10:30 in between (yogurt + fruit or cracker, depending on breakfast) 13:00 lunch (bread / soup / salad)15:30 in between (custard / yogurt or fruit) 18:00 dinner (75-100 gr meat / fish / chicken, vegetables and potatoes, wholemeal pasta or brown rice 20:30 in between (yogurt + fruit) (times are variable) I also need to drink 1½ to 2 liters a day. Normally that’s not a problem but… I am not allowed to drink anything 15 minutes before eating and 30 minutes after… This means a pretty strict eating and drinking schedule that I need to follow. I also neef to take calcium and vitamin pills, which again should not be taken just like that. And all that really takes some getting used to, but a nice challenge.

Today We are now more almost two weeks later, the 5 wounds are healing steadily, I really need to take it easy for the first time, you know that me & and are not that good as a combination. With that nice autumn weather outside that is not really a punishment, but still: a walk in the rain is not my thing. I only had one bad evening so far: my food felt - after 3 bites - very bad and did not want to continue, not even with a drink (called dumping). I felt bad for an hour and a half (cold, glowing cheeks, chest pain), then everything came out. After that I felt okay again, I slept a bit restlessly although. Maybe it was too spicy, I ate too big bites or it was the little bit of noodles, I don't know. I have decided to stick with the boring potatoes for a while, they are still going well so far. So yes, it is really going with more and more ups & sometimes a little down, but the surgery was only 10 days ago, so not all can go well yet. And after today? This Monday (October 12) the hospital check-up is scheduled, then we will see if everything is going well and they are satisfied with the developments. Then I will start taking extra vitamins (1x per day) and calcium (3x per day). When the wounds have healed well and I no longer have any pain, I can slowly start doing exercises / sports and go into the water. The advice is not to lift, carry, clean vacuum, etc. for 6 weeks. So I still have to watch out. Vlogging is not my thing, so I try to give a glimpse into my "new life" by writing blogs and my stories on Instagram and Facebook. Up to you to read it or not. And reactions are always welcome!

Ciao! X Chantal