WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AS A TOOL

Welcome to some new to the board but nearly at goal – you have been so
successful – I think others would benefit from your advice.

We have all been given a tool by Dr. Zapata, not all will get to goal – it
is sort of like tires – mileage varies widely depending on the driver. On
occasion wls fails because of mechanics – it can happen and I think it is
important not to blame the patient but look at the total picture. The
possibilities for metabolism are infinite so we go into this literally
fighting with our bodies, our bodies love being fat, it is our genetic
heritage! However, sometimes we don’t all use our tool as wisely as we
should – our inner child (and mine is a spoiled rotten brat) win out over
sensible decisions of what to put in the mouth.

We are all in this together – people who have never had weight issues don’t
have a clue about how hard it is to diet stringently with no success – or to
lose a large amount of weight only to regain with friends. Even with the
best of tools, success can be challenging – without our tool there is almost
no hope of beating the odds.

So for today, we each have a tool – and we can work it one day at a time.
Take this moment to be thankful and make good decisions only for today
without worrying about tomorrow. This is how people succeed at weight loss
- one day at a time, being mindful of the rules and forgiving yourself if
you have a weak moment. We all have weak moments – the goal is to make
good food choices 95% of the time and forgive the other 5% because we are
human. Keep the voices in your head kind and gentle – we all respond better
to kindness than criticism and we are all our own worst enemy. Today is a
gift, use it wisely.

Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

1# Rule of banding – just because you can – doesn’t mean you should.

There is no band tight enough to keep ice cream or chips from going down. A
Lapband controls the quantity – you still must control the quality.
Actually – there isn’t a weight loss surgery that is infallible – all have
good points and bad points. The Lapband and Sleeve are purely restrictive
procedures, they will restrict the volume of your stomach and you are
supposed to eat reasonably healthy. When I say reasonably – no one is
perfect – we all have good days and bad days, the goal is to strive for 95%
of your days to be good days. When you have a bad day don’t beat yourself
up – just make a conscious choice to try harder the next day.

Eating healthy – there is no reason to have certain foods in your house -
just as if you were an alcoholic or drug abuser you wouldn’t stock vodka or
pot in case a family member wanted them – you simply wouldn’t allow them in
the house. The same holds true for foods! Pringles are one of my trigger
foods – they are not allowed in my house regardless of circumstances. If
my sons want to OD on Pringles they need to do it in their homes, in their
cars or at work and not in front of me because I will fall off my wagon. I
don’t allow things like Cakesters, HoHos, Ding Dongs, crap that my grandkids
would love but will give them the same weight issues I have – I am opting
for better choices for them. Snacks of fresh berries, yogurt and granola,
raw vegetables or lean meats.

How many of you have OD’d on carrots, celery, pineapple, spinach salad,
broccoli, tuna, chicken? These are the foods that should be in your fridge
and your chances of eating too many carrots or apples are slim at best, you
will hork before you can eat so many that you will gain weight. Just like
drugs – say NO to ice cream in your freezer, pizza, or foods that you know
are trigger foods for you. Keep that white board on the side of your fridge
and change the listing daily of what is available in there for you for
snacks so when you are hungry or stressed – good choice ideas are right in
front of you. For me, bad choices happen when I am hungry, tired or
feeling vulnerable. I NEED this reminder of what is acceptable to grab and
eat.

Learn your triggers, find your weak points and craft a plan to avoid being
in circumstances that might allow you to make bad choices. Planning is so
essential to effective weight control, success isn’t just luck – it is great
planning, good execution of your plan and being able to examine your
mistakes when you deviate from your plan and using creative thinking to keep
yourself on track.

Success with weight loss surgery doesn’t just automatically happen, and it
isn’t the easy way out. Success is the result of examining your life and
habits without demeaning yourself and creating, crafting and executing a
plan for success that you can live with

Strategies for Success

I just came back from a Seattle WLS convention and am preparing for our Houston event. We talked at length about what helps us be successful and what things undermine our success and we came up with some strategies for success.

Pineapple Cake

This moist cake does not use any fat. It can be served plain, or with fat-free whipped topping. Cream Cheese Topping is very good on this cake.

Sausage and Bean Soup

Here are some more recipes from Brenda of Quick and Health fame.
Keep up your weight loss but don’t forget to eat well.
This is delicious I tried it out.

This meal in a bowl can be prepared in minutes. Also makes enough for leftovers.

Quick & Healthy Recipes and Ideas, 3rd Edition, © 2008 Brenda J. Ponichtera, R.D.; www.QuickandHealthy.net; Published by Small Steps Press.