blog.wmcbariatric.com

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/vogue-article-mom-7-old-daughter-weight-sparks-175546979.html

The above is a link to an article published in the April edition of Vogue magazine.  The author Dara- Lynn Weiss shared the story of how she helped her 7 year old daughter fight childhood obesity.  IN ALL THE WRONG WAYS!

The gist of the article was that her daughter at 4’4 and weighed 93 pounds.  I calculated her BMI –

A 7 year old (female) child
who is 93 pounds
and is 4 feet and 4 inches tall has
a body mass index of 24.2,

which is over the 95th percentile, and would indicate that your child is overweight.

From the article

“Sometimes Bea’s after-school snack was a slice of pizza or a gyro from the snack vendor,” Weiss wrote. “Other days I forced her to choose a low fat vegetable soup or a single hard-boiled egg. Occasionally I’d give in to her pleas for a square of coffee cake, mainly because I wanted to eat half of it. When she was given access to cupcakes at a party, I alternated between saying, ‘Let’s not eat that, it’s not good for you’; ‘Okay, fine, go ahead, but just one’; and ‘Bea, you have to stop eating crap like that, you’re getting too heavy,’ depending on my mood. Then I’d secretly eat two when she wasn’t looking.”

“I once reproachfully deprived Bea of her dinner after learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate. I stopped letting her enjoy Pizza Fridays when she admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week. I dressed down a Starbucks barista when he professed ignorance of the nutrition content of the kids’ hot chocolate whose calories are listed as “120-210″ on the menu board: Well, which is it? When he couldn’t provide an answer, I dramatically grabbed the drink out of my daughter’s hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.”

Seriously????  This woman in my opinion is crazy and hateful!  She apparently accepts no responsibility in the food choices she provided her child before the doctor’s appt. at the age of 7 that brought on the above diet plan.  That is exactly what it is – a diet plan – not a lifestyle change.  A very harsh diet plan too.  The little girl lost the 16 pounds her mom wanted her to but at what cost?  What did the mother teach the child about having a positive self image?  It is definitely so important that we teach our children to have healthy self images and teach them to love themselves because they are a worthwhile person.  Our self image should not be based on body weight…but it is…  So in all the vitriol that mother spewed, I wonder if the little girl’s self esteem raised even on iota?  Somehow I doubt it. 

In fact the child said, “”That’s still me,” she says of her former self. “I’m not a different person just because I lost sixteen pounds.”  The mother writes that she protests that indeed she is different. At this moment, that fat girl is a thing of the past. A tear rolls down her beautiful cheek, past the glued-in feather. “Just because it’s in the past,” she says, “doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

That breaks my heart.  Yes, because the child has lost 16 pounds she is much healthier physically but the way the mother went about it… I wonder about the little girl’s emotional health.  The child is right about one thing.  I was definitely morbidly obese in the past and I can’t ever forget that it happened.  It keeps me focused on the lifestyle change I have made.  Am I obsessive about what I eat?  Absolutely!  I was given this tool – the gastric bypass and I intend on continuing to use it effectively.  I am almost 4 years out and I don’t regret the lifestyle change I made.  Unlike the child in the above article, I wasn’t emotionally abused during the weight loss process.  It is why it is so important to put a support team in place to help you through this weight loss journey.

According to WebMD: “Type 2 diabetes is believed to have a strong genetic link, which means that it tends to run in families. Several genes are being studied that may be related to the cause of type 2 diabetes. If you have any of the following type 2 diabetes risk factors, it’s important to ask your doctor about a diabetes test. With a proper diabetes diet and healthy lifestyle habits, along with diabetes medication, if necessary, you can manage your type 2 diabetes just like you manage other areas of your life. Be sure to continue seeking the latest information on type 2 diabetes as you become your own health advocate.

Other type 2 diabetes risk factors include the following:

• High blood pressure
• High blood triglyceride (fat) levels
• Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• High-fat diet
• High alcohol intake
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity or being overweight
• Ethnicity: Certain groups, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Japanese Americans, have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
• Aging: Increasing age is a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes begins to rise significantly at about age 45 years, and rises considerably after age 65 years.”

In the news last week (the week of January 16, 2012) Paula Deen announced that she has type 2 diabetes and has become a compensated spokesperson for Novo Nordisk (http://www.novonordisk.com/).

 Many people are up in arms because they believe Paula Deen has had the opportunity since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes to change the perception and path of her entire program. For these past three years as she has battled diabetes she could have shown the healthier side of southern home cooking and even focused on meals for individuals who are battling diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, but instead it seems that she chose to keep her diagnosis a secret only until she had to come clean with the her fans and the viewing public because she had become a paid spokesperson.  I do believe that her announcement would have been met with less controversy if she wasn’t a paid spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company but she is and she now has a platform to talk about how to live a healthier life with type 2 diabetes. 

 Someone told me the other day that they think that Paula Deen has sold out. She is a paid spokesperson for a multitude of things such as SmithField Farms (a division of Smithfield Foods, Inc) along with her own brand of cookware, bake ware sauces, spices, and even coffee. But what is even more disheartening is that some of her loyal fans feel betrayed.  People are blogging, tweeting and posting on facebook regarding her announcement and the consensus is that this entire plan has been orchestrated for a while to turn her loyal fan base, into clients for a host of drugs that they would need if they actually cooked and ate many of her calorie laden recipes.  Seriously???  People think there is some Machiavellian type backroom shenanigans going on to deliberately MAKE people contract Type 2 diabetes?  She hid her diagnosis so she could have company and provide the pharmaceutical companies more people to write prescriptions for???  Okay – that is just STUPID!  If anyone has watched her cook and bake don’t we inherently know that a high caloric, high fat, high salt diet is not good for us?  We choose what to put in our mouths.  She uses excessive amounts of butter, sugar and will deep fry just about anything.

Paula Deen should not have the responsibility to share with the world that she has diabetes.  However, she is a public figure that has influenced the way many individuals cook and eat in the country.  She has never made an apology about using excessive amounts of butter and sugar in all of her recipes but I do believe there was a definite missed opportunity on her part to educate people about Type 2 Diabetes.  I have had gastric bypass surgery and I feel compelled to share my story with others who are obese.  There is a tool out there that can help you lose the weight.

 I have taken one of Paula Deen’s calorie laden, high fat recipes and helped to lighten it up.

The first time I fixed this for my family was probably 18 to 20 months out from surgery.  I didn’t start introducing simple carbs like pasta into my diet until then.  They never knew I lightened it up.

The Lady and Son’s Mac and Cheese – Lightened UP!

 Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked  whole grain elbow macaroni, drained ( 2 cups uncooked)
• 2 cups grated reduced fat cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup Eggbeaters
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.  

 A serving is a HALF CUP!  Eat your protein first, then your veggies and then your HALF CUP of this macaroni and cheese.  It will be MORE than enough!

The holiday season can be a mine field for those of us who struggle with obesity and are consciously working to lose weight.  Whether   we have had gastric bypass,  lapband surgery,  gastric sleeve surgery or even on a medically supervised diet – the holidays can wreak havoc with our forward motion in losing or maintaining weight loss.

I am on the go a lot all year long but I seem to pile on more things to do from October  1 – December 31.  I have no idea why – I just do.  So I have to be more conscious of being confident in the food choices I am making whether at home or out.  Plus – I try (notice I said try – don’t always succeed) in drinking even more fluids than I normally do.

Research has shown that most adults gain weight over the holiday season but that doesn’t have to be the norm.

Probably the best course is to focus on at least maintaining the weight you are now and not become obsessed with losing weight.  Takes the pressure off and while making good food choices, exercising and drinking plenty of fluids is the best choice – we all slip up!  DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP!

The Cleveland Clinic has come up with 8 tips to survive the holiday weight gain with my comments in italics/bold print.  These are not weight loss surgery specific but they can help us focus on surviving the holiday season.  Most importantly – it’s NOT about the food – as long as we always focus on what we “can’t” have we will struggle.  When people ask me if I can eat something – I say – “ I can eat anything I want as long as I am willing to pay the consequences.  I choose to NOT pay the consequences.”

1. Get moving

One of the most effective ways to maintain or lose body weight is to engage in regular, sustained aerobic activity (*).To burn off those extra calories, kick up your exercise. If you exercise for 30 minutes a day, increase it to 45 minutes. If you exercise three times a week, move it up to five times a week.

2. Aim for seven-a-day

Making sure you eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day is a great way to help fill-up your stomach but not your calorie level. When compared to other snack foods like chips, crackers and cookies, gram for gram, fruits and vegetables contain fewer calories and tons more nutrients. What’s more – the fiber in fruits and vegetables fill you up faster than traditional snack foods. Pack your refrigerator with bags of cut-up vegetables and whole or cut-up fruits. Grab a bag while on the go or at work. Make a pact with yourself that you’ll eat your five-a-day before you snack on any cookies or other holiday treats. You’re sure to take in fewer calories overall.

I suggest you contact the Winchester Medical Center Bariatric Registered Dieticians for some guidance in this area – I eat 6 to 7 times a day – small meals and you MUST make sure you are getting in the protein that you need!!!!!!  One of my favorite mid afternoon snacks is 4 to 6 carrots sticks and 2 tbsp of ranch dip made with light sour cream and a packet of ranch dressing mix.

3. Control the risk for temptation

Controlling even the slightest chance of coming in contact with ‘tempting’ foods is one way to effectively reduce your intake. While you won’t be able to control all situations, focus on the many ones you can.  For example, do you keep candy or cookies at your desk or workspace? Do you frequent the dining room table or pantry where you store all your holiday goodies? Make a mental note of tempting places and try to control them. For example, make a pact with co-workers that goodies will be kept solely in the break room, not at the front desk or in various offices. Mentally plan out how you will avoid tempting situations. If you can’t avoid them entirely, see number 4.

4. Limit to one-a-day

While you can’t control every situation, you can control how much food goes into your mouth. If you are constantly bombarded with holiday parties and displays of desserts or candies you can still effectively help prevent overeating and weight gain. One way is the one-a-day method. Allow yourself one small serving of a cookie or piece of candy each day during the holiday season. Remember that you may have to compensate for it later in the day by reducing your total caloric intake or by burning a few extra calories while exercising. If you aren’t confronted with holiday foods that day, just skip your one-a-day – but don’t compensate and double-up on your serving the next day.

Please remember that as weight loss surgery patients – we don’t usually tolerate sweet things well – Try to resist this temptation so that you don’t experience dumping syndrome ( I have experienced it – NOT FUN!!!!!!!!  If you haven’t, if or when you do – you won’t want to experience it again!)  I am 3 and a ½ years out from surgery and I still work very hard to not eat any or very little refined sugar products.  Have a cup of sugar free hot cocoa or a cup of sugar free dark chocolate pudding with a dollop of sugar free cool whip!  Amazing sweet treat! 

5. Always plan ahead – Never go to a party hungry

Before you go to a holiday party, eat a healthy snack such as a serving of your favorite fruit, fat-free yogurt or a low-fat, whole grain granola bar. When you arrive at the party, you won’t be craving hors d’oeuvres.

“If you’re going to a potluck dinner, bring a healthy dish to share such as a salad, veggie or fruit tray, or a low-fat pudding, Jell-O or fruit dessert,” says Zumpano. “That way, you’ll know you have at least one healthy item on the table spread.”

6. Be in charge of your party choices:

    Small plate, please

    Be wise when choosing appetizers – a small portion of some appetizers may help you from overeating at dinner.

    “Pick up a small plate, and stick with vegetables, but limit or avoid the creamy dips,” advises Zumpano. “Restrict your intake of butter crackers, chips, cheese and meats. If you must have a deep-fried appetizer, eat only one small serving. Never go back for seconds. For dinner, fill half of your plate with salad and vegetables, one quarter with meat, and the final quarter with starch,” Zumpano says.

Remember – iceberg lettuce has ZERO nutritional value and takes up a lot of space – focus on eating the protein and skip the simple carbs and stick with protein and veggies!

    Avoid the sauce

    Avoid sauces made from cream, half-and-half or meat drippings. For salads, use oil and vinegar, vinaigrette or low-fat dressings. Broth -based or vegetable sauces are fine.

    What about desserts?

    The best low-calorie choices are fruit, Jell-O, pudding, an unfrosted mini muffin, shortbread cookies, ginger snaps or angel food cake. If you must have a dessert with frosting, butter cream, cream cheese, or chocolate chips, limit yourself to one small cookie or one thin slice of cake.

From my personal experience – AVOID FROSTING!  Worse case of dumping syndrome I ever had was from licking a spoonful of icing!  Won’t do that again!  I am a firm believer in Sugar Free Jello pudding and pudding!  Pop the jello pudding in the freezer – and eat it like ice cream!  SOOOO YUMMY!

    Watch the drinks

    “Besides restricting your alcohol to one or two servings, you also need to restrict the type of alcohol,” says Zumpano. “For example, instead of high-fat eggnog, have a light beer or wine. After that, stick with calorie-free drinks such as water, unsweetened ice tea, hot tea or coffee.”

As a gastric bypass patient – I have to be very careful when I drink alcohol – it seems to go to my head MORE quickly than before surgery.  Alcohol is also a HUGE EMPTY CALORIE!  So be careful making alcohol as a choice at holiday parties.

7. Say No Politely

Many times you feel forced to eat foods because people keep putting it in front of you. Learn to say no politely, such as “No thank you, I’ve had enough. Everything was delicious”, or “I couldn’t eat another bite. Everything tasted wonderful”. You’ll find saying no isn’t so hard to do after all.

8. Focus on socializing

Don’t stand around the food table when you are at a party – focus your energies on making conversation with others instead of focusing on foods. Conversation is calorie-free.

Remember, the holidays are meant to celebrate good times with family and friends. Enjoy the holidays and plan effective strategies to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Achieving what you sought out for will give you one more good reason for holiday cheer!  From my house to yours – Merry Christmas!

Something I suffer from – is being a perfectionist.  I set such high goals for myself and I work very hard to achieve them.  HOWEVER, I think the perfectionist in me caused me to gain weight.  Seriously, it did!  As obese as I was, it wasn’t about willpower to stick to a diet and exercise program.   I was not the lazy, procrastinating, passive-aggressive person that many think obese people are.  I know that I set very high and unfortunately sometimes unreachable, standards for myself.    Most of my perfectionism is the self-imposed type — meaning I expect to be perfect.   Truly NOT a smart move on anyone’s part!

We can all agree that failing just stinks.  Nobody likes to fail, but as a perfectionist I hate it.  Especially when I weighed 400 pounds I would think in “all or nothing” terms; either I would do something very well or I wouldn’t do it at all. There was no middle ground. When I found that I couldn’t reach my dieting goals, I would stop trying because I fear failure.   I am definitely not lazy or a quitter but I would protect myself from facing failure.

 But thankfully, I chose to have weight loss surgery and was provided a tool to help me successfully lose weight and keep it off.  The tool alone is NOT going to make you lose weight.  I had to also pinpoint those triggers that would push me to self –medicate with food.  I had to think about weight loss surgery as a complete lifestyle change and not as just another diet.  For me I needed to re-think my perfectionism.

I have to daily remind myself after weight loss surgery that my goals should be realistic so if I have a day that isn’t so great in terms of food choices I am more likely to recover and continue on the journey.  I never want to set goals that would make me think the journey is way too difficult and that I am unable to be successful.  Every day I work to not indulge my extreme thinking tendency.  As long as I am honest with myself and set realistic goals – I will continue to be successful in this journey.

 I don’t weigh myself daily.  In fact, Dr Glembot suggested to me that I not weigh myself at all for the first six months after surgery.  So after that initial six months, weigh yourself on the same day once a week. I try not to ever weigh myself on Mondays.  I can struggle on the weekends to get all my protein and fluids in.  I get busy with the chores and family activities that I am not always on track with eating  all that I should and drinking the fluids I need.  So instead of weighing myself on a Monday and triggering those extreme thinking thought processes that tell me that I blew it, I weigh myself on Thursdays.  That way I can better prepare myself for the weekend in terms of what I really need to eat and drink. 

I try to think in terms of the middle of the road.  I think about my current goals and I then think about the best possible outcomes, then I think of the worst possible outcomes and then I think about what I am willing to accept.  So I concentrate on what is achievable and not what is impossible.  I am not always successful at keeping it in the middle but it is a lot easier now than it was three years ago when I started this weight loss journey.  As much as I would love to be perfect, I am not.  We don’t need to be perfect; we just need to be taking steps to move forward all the time.

I am a work in progress every day.  One of the best things I did for my weight loss journey was to make regular appointments to see Pam Kuehl, the licensed professional counselor on the bariatric staff after my surgery.  She definitely helped me greatly in terms of my mental health during my ongoing journey.  The program and office staff  are the best resources for us in our weight loss journey.  Reach out with questions through emails or phone calls.  I know they will get back to you as soon as they are able!

Sometimes I feel as if the energy shortage has nothing to do with fossil fuels and a lot to do with the energy I need to get through a day.  As we are losing weight our energy levels are consistently increasing but some days we just need that extra boost of energy.  Some days we are just simply tired. 

There are energy bars, energy drinks and energy supplements (take your vitamins daily to help combat fatigue and low blood levels such as iron, vitamin D, vitamin C etc). I am guessing that these are not good alternatives for weight surgery patients.  They can be loaded with too many calories or empty calories and a lot of caffeine.

So what are some energy drains in my day to day life…? 

• Job pressures
• Financial worries
• Not using the weight loss tool we have been given to lose weight correctly
• Relationship issues or conflict
• Lack of sleep
• Lack of exercise

Okay, I am drained just putting this list together!

So what do I do to combat or avoid these energy drains…?

I work really hard not to become dehydrated.  Dehydration is a sneaky little booger.  By the time I realize I am thirsty – I am probably already on my way to being dehydrated.  Dehydration causes our blood flow to our brain to slow down and subsequently our brain receives less oxygen.  YIKES!  I definitely don’t want my brain slowing down.  I have too much to accomplish.

Be organized!  If my work area, or my home become cluttered I start stressing – which then drains my energy.  I try to make sure that I don’t let mail pile up at home.  Try to stay on top of all projects I am involved in (a good calendar is essential to write things down and I set tasks to pop up through my email as reminders.)  Thankfully, I do not have hoarding tendencies but if I did I would invite a friend of mine over who is DEFINITELY a minimalist and can clear things out!

This next item is one I am soo guilty of – Technology – I am always connected whether it’s with my Blackberry or my laptop or both!  I probably never get disconnected.  What I mean is – that with all the technology available someone can find me 24/7.  I feel compelled to stay “in the know” which means I am forever multi tasking.  Sometimes I just have to unplug myself and go out on my front porch with a glass of iced tea and a book and rock in the rocking chair and read.

This next energy drain is a tough one for everyone I am sure.  The energy drain is TOXIC PEOPLE (that should have a booming and echoing voice to announce it – with possibly some thunder and lightning.)  TOXIC PEOPLE!!!  You know who they are!  Those that complain ALL THE TIME.  Are negative 99% of the times.  They are the ones who gossip or the people who aren’t happy unless they are making someone miserable.  Yes – I have these people in my life but what do you do.  Providing them with a Jethro Gibbs smack to the back of the head a la NCIS is not a really good option.  Could be satisfying until you have to explain to a judge why you slapped someone.  Anyway, these are the kind of people who typically don’t support my weight loss.  So what do I do?  Those people that I feel are sucking the life out of me, I either keep them at arm’s length or I totally eliminate contact with them.  Remember to spend time with those who support your weight loss journey.  (Support Group is the second Wednesday of every month at the conference center at Winchester Medical Center.)

Another energy drain – slouching.  Sit up straight, stand up straight!  We are seated hunched over our computers at work, or we drive for a living.  When we sit slouched over, we go back to the lack of oxygen to the brain.  Just a reminder – that’s not good!  Our chests are compressed and we aren’t taking good deep breaths.  So that makes us tired.  Make sure you do some deep breathing exercises periodically throughout the day.  It will refresh you and re-energize you!

We are going through such a great metamorphosis.  It would be a shame to allow anything to toss up a roadblock to us!  

Jillian Michaels from “The Biggest Loser” once commented,  “If you don’t plan ahead, you plan to fail.” 

That’s actually a very good mindset to have in terms of your weight loss surgery.  I am a planner by nature.  It’s just part of my personality.  I feel unsettled if there isn’t a plan in place.  That’s not to say that I can’t be spontaneous but when it comes to my weight loss journey, I really won’t.  I always have a plan (small goals) set for each day.  When I chose to take this journey I knew that my lifestyle would absolutely have to change so I could be successful.

One thing I do every evening before I go to bed is plan out my food choices for the next day.  I have learned what calories my body needs.  I also know I need to burn more calories than I am taking in.  But I can’t skip meals and have developed a regular eating schedule of three gastric bypass sized meals a day and two to three small snacks a day.  For me this was critical because I started experiencing low blood sugar within a few months of my surgery.  Being three years out from surgery now, I am okay with just eating three meals a day and usually don’t need an afternoon snack but still have a mid morning snack.

I make sure I eat plenty of lean protein and get the majority of my carbs from fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy.  For the most part I have eliminated the “white stuff” in my diet.  If I eat pasta I eat whole grain pasta and make sure it is just ONE serving.  A serving of cooked pasta is one cup.  Measure it out!  I didn’t start eating whole grains until I was probably 18 months out from surgery.  I am sure everyone is different but I was a carb girl and knew that they could be my downfall if I wasn’t careful.  This became part of my mindset.  I was consciously making the choice to not get my carbs from flour based products.  If you have added bread or pasta to your diet – please please make sure you are eating WHOLE grains, brown rice etc.  Just remember that any food that is white (pasta, white rice, white bread) is not a good choice!

Like I said earlier, I do plan everything ahead in terms of meals, snacks and my exercise.  I also make sure I eat my calories and not drink them with the exception of milk.  I get in my fluids, decaf tea, decaf cup of coffee in the morning and then water with Mio the rest of the day.  I don’t fill up on empty calories – even though diet sodas don’t have calories – I count them as a calorie because the carbonation can wreak havoc on my pouch and I just don’t want to undo the great results that have occurred.  In the past three years, I can count on two hands the times I have had a soda.  I just choose to not drink them regularly.

We need to make sure to exercise.  Walking is an amazing exercise.  Personally, I am a huge fan of Zumba.  Just make sure you move at least 30 to 45 minutes a day!  I have an exercise bike and when I can’t get outside to walk or get to the gym for Zumba, I put in a favorite DVD and pedal for at least 30 minutes.

Think about why you have chosen to take this weight loss journey.  I knew that I needed to prioritize my health and my self esteem or else I wasn’t going to be able to take care of my loved ones should they need me.

 As a child, every morning at breakfast I can recall my mother opening the Flintstone’s Chewable Vitamins and putting one beside my breakfast plate and saying the phrase “Take your vitamin”.  

Problems with nutrition or malnutrition can develop after weight loss surgery. The absorption or intake of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients may be reduced enough to adversely effect our health. These problems can usually be corrected with supplements if detected early. This is why the program emphasizes periodic nutritional monitoring with blood tests for life, so deficiencies can be addressed. 

I just celebrated my three year weight loss surgery anniversary.  I had my yearly blood work done and found out that I have some Vitamin D deficiency along with low iron and B 12.  What to do –according to Rick Northcraft, the program Nurse Practitioner I need to make sure I am taking my three Building Blocks multi vitamins a day, increase my Building Blocks iron tablet to two a day, take sublingual B 12 and vitamin D and a calcium citrate supplement daily along with Vitamin C.

Some people may think – wow that’s a lot of vitamins – but for me, I would much rather be taking the vitamins daily to keep my energy level up, my bones healthy, my hair from falling out and my skin looking healthy than taking the three blood pressure pills a day I was taking along with being an undiagnosed diabetic.

I don’t know about anyone else but I certainly can tell if I skip my vitamin regimen for a few days.  I begin to feel a bit run down and achy and tired.  Then I remind myself that I chose to have weight loss surgery so I could be provided with the tool I needed to lose weight because I constantly felt physically and emotionally unwell.  Why would I want to go backwards in my weight loss journey just because I have a memory like a goldfish and forget to take my vitamins?   I have built a vitamin routine into my morning.  Repetition works! 

For weight loss surgery patients it is important for us to make sure we get our fluids in, eat protein and exercise but don’t forget to take your vitamins!

This blog post is mainly for family and friends of people who are overweight. 

The one thing I learned in my weight loss surgery journey is that I wasn’t ready to take the journey until I was ready.  Sounds simplistic…. It wasn’t.  I finally woke up one day in October 2007 and decided I did not want to wake up feeling bad physically and emotionally anymore.  That day my journey began in earnest.

But believe me – people tried repeatedly to tell me that I needed to lose weight.  I wasn’t blind – I saw myself in the mirror.  These are the five things I want you to take note and NOT say to the overweight people in your life.

1.  “You’re going to have a heart attack or a stroke.”  Yes, it’s true that being overweight can cause many health issues from heart attacks to strokes to cancer to diabetes.  But those who are overweight have heard those arguments so often that they are like the buzz of a gnat or a mosquito in our ear.  They are annoying and we swat them away.  The health risks of being overweight aren’t news to anyone.  We just learn to block it out or say whatever we think will make you quit talking about it.
2. “If you loved me, you would lose weight.”  Oh yeah – that’s a brilliant statement.  Guilt doesn’t work, experts say, because if overweight people thought they could magically lose weight, they would.  All that statement does is make us feel guilty and that your love is conditional.  So our self esteem takes a further battering and frankly makes us angry at you for making us feel horrible.
3. “Being fat is unattractive.  I don’t know why you don’t lose weight.”  Making an overweight person feel bad about being overweight is counterproductive.  We already feel that way but sometimes can’t or aren’t ready to admit it to ourselves.  You will just drive a wedge between you and the person you are directing this statement.  The message you want to provide is that you are on their side.  Anyway, don’t you REALLY know why they aren’t losing weight?  They think they can’t be successful because they have so much weight to lose so they don’t even attempt it anymore.
4. “You get out of breath so easily and you need to exercise more or you just need more willpower.”  Instead of pointing out the overweight person’s shortness of breath or inability to be really active, maybe a better approach would be to take up an activity that will encourage a healthier lifestyle.  Such as a cooking class together to eat healthier but tasty meals, short walks after dinner.  It doesn’t have to be a sprint or a marathon.  Even walking to the end of the driveway or half a block is really difficult for someone who is morbidly obese. I have said this before; it took a lot of food and a lot of denial to weigh what I did at the time of my surgery.  It wasn’t about willpower.  It was about how many calories I needed to keep my body going so I could lug around the 398 pounds I weighed. Make getting healthy a joint effort and not a criticism.  Your point will be made for you.
5. “Don’t you want to live to see your grandchildren?”  Well of course we do what a truly stupid question!  While overweight people talk a good game, typically insisting that we are happy with our identity as being overweight (“If people can’t love me for who I am….) deep down we are ashamed of how we look and our dependence on food to comfort us.  Shaming doesn’t work because overweight people are there already!  Much more effective is to take the opposite approach.  Encouraging us to envision how proud we would feel as we take on a weight loss journey to become healthier.  “You’re going to be a wonderful example to not only our family but to others who struggle with losing weight.”

Deciding to begin the weight loss surgery journey is monumental.  But the decision is ultimately up to the person who is overweight.  Be supportive, be encouraging but don’t be part of the problem – become part of the resolution.

The one question I am almost always asked when people find out I have had gastric bypass surgery is “can you eat?”  I answer this way – I can eat anything I want as long as I am willing to pay the consequences.  I just choose to not pay consequences.  As for what I eat…  I of course eat a lot of low fat high protein first, then vegetables, then fruits and occasionally some complex carbs such as potatoes, or whole grain pasta.  HOWEVER, I didn’t introduce potatoes or whole grain pasta etc. into my diet until I was 18 months out of surgery and then that was not often.  I still really limit what I call starchy foods.

Cutting carbs out of your diet is probably a big health mistake, but eating too many of the bad kind of carbs is just as dangerous.    Having weight loss surgery is the first step in creating a healthy lifestyle change and life-long good eating habits.  I am now three years out of surgery and I still monitor what I eat very closely.  It holds me accountable and I want to be aware of any triggers that send me running for food to “comfort” myself. 

Good carbohydrate foods are those that are still in their natural state, or they are still similar to their natural state. They are foods that have not been processed or altered by people or machines.

Good carbohydrates are generally high in fiber. Foods high in fiber will give you energy over longer periods of time. They also give you a sense of feeling full.  Foods that are high in fiber help to lower cholesterol levels, as well as aiding the body in toxin removal.

Bad carbohydrate foods are those that have been refined and processed. These foods are not in their natural state. Most of the nutritional value has been removed from these foods. Bad carbohydrate foods are generally loaded with many additives, including colorings, flavorings and preservatives.

Most bad carbohydrate foods are usually very tasteful and are packaged for easy handling. However, they are generally considered harmful to the body because they are not easily digested and they spike an individual’s blood glucose level. Bad carbohydrate foods include candy, baked goods with refined white flour, white pastas, and sodas.

The most important thing as weight loss surgery patients is to make sure we get our protein in and our fluids!  Then get some good carbs in by eating vegetables, beans, nuts, fruits, some dairy products.  I didn’t introduce good carbs such as nuts into my diet until I was almost 13 months out.  I really stuck to the protein and veggie and dairy food choices. 

I just wanted to submit a recipe that Robyn Hensley (one of the program dieticians) showcased at a Support Group cooking demo that I love to fix and is high in protein, really low in fat and can be pureed for those of you first out of surgery!  I hope you like it as much as I do!

Black Bean ‘n’ Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lb ground turkey, browned
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In a large skillet, sauté the onion, yellow pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 192 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 658 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 16 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.