Journal11_08_04

November 8, 2004

TIPS ON ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING GOAL WEIGHT:
From Gina G's Profile (I just really liked this and want to always have them on hand for myself and others)

People do not make the change until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change.
How bad is your pain? Enough to make that change? Have you hit that wall where you have absolutely had enough and want control? Then read on for my plan because I too have hit that wall and took back my life by doing this:

1. No sugars, keep all meals under 6-10 grams of sugar and NEVER push it. This includes natural sugars and sugar alcohols.
2. 96oz or more of water daily BEFORE any other drink is allowed in my mouth.
3. No alcohol.
4. No milk, very high in sugar and I can get the protein in other foods that have lower sugars and a higher protein count.
5. Exercise cardio 3-4 times per week for life and make it a plan that is something you can stick to for life and is reasonable to set it as a good long term habit. Don't kill yourself exercising just to get to goal to know that you will never be able to do the program you designed for life and then you get tired of it and stop it and start gaining again. Long term post ops successful 1-23 yrs out exercised for life as a long term habit. Make it one of yours just like brushing your teeth everyday. Change and vary the workouts every 6 weeks so your body does not get a plateau in exercise.
6. Weight bearing exercises for life to fight bone loss 2-3 times a week. Start out with light weights and learn good form so you stay safe. Build as your body sees these reps as easy and add more weight and do less reps and add cardio as this is also weight bearing. Again change the workout every 6 weeks.
7. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night so I can make good choices the next day.
8. No grazing(this is why small frequent meals and protein shakes are needed to help curb this behavior).
9. If I feel weak or hungry, I drink water because it is usually what my body is asking for even if I think it may be food and have been eating through out the day.
10. No white foods like pasta, bread, rice or potato because the sugars stop and slow weight loss. Use whole grain instead.
11. 60-120oz of a good quality protein shake that is low in sugar or no sugars, no carbs and no fat but not more than the 30-35 grams of protein that my RNY can physically absorb in an hour. Protein shakes fool your body into thinking everything is just dandy and will not try to correct the surgery nor hold onto your excess weight and keep your muscle.
12. Always make shakes with water and or S/F syrups.Never use high sugar juices and milk and watch the fruit sugar grams you add in.
13. High protein meals followed by some good carb veggies and whole grain bread choices.
14. No bakery or processed foods.
15. Take vitamins and minerals regularly.
I take the following: Vit C-2, Flinestone-2 , Carbonyl Iron-2, Vit E-1 , Vit A and D-1, B-12 sublingual-1 , zinc-1 , calcium citrate with D and Mag-3 , hair skin and nails-1, milk thistle-3(for my high bulirubin of my liver and it keeps it in check)
16. 6 month full extensive blood work and keep a copy for yourself in a three ring binder at home everytime and watch the changes don't take the doctor's word for it.
17. Get a simple harmless dexascan yearly for bone loss, have your PCP use osteopenia(rapid weight loss) as the diagnosis for approval.
18. Attend a good supportive and positive support group with a leader to goal or holding themselves truly accountable if you can find one.
19. Regular post op office visits with your surgeon as he requires.
20. Hold yourself accountable and no one else. Stop making excuses. Failure to plan is a plan to fail.
21. Make and set short and long term goals.
22. Put yourself first. This may seem hard at first especially when you are a mom and need to exercise, but you cannot give away to your family what you do not have. If you are not all together then what do you have left for them but crappie left overs. Who wants that? You will be surprised how easy it gets to do this in time and the new found respect that will come your way and how good you feel feel about this.
23. No major committments the first year as a post op. This means no huge job changes, purchases or new relationships that can drag you down and sabbatoge your coping patterns ect. You REALLY and I cannot stress it enough need to work on yourself this year and your eating habits while the tool works the best to get a handle on this coping through food and it's patterns or you will never win this battle.
24. No drinking with meals EVER!
25. No drinking after meals until after 1 hour so; you stay fuller longer.
26. No pop EVER again!
27. Give the body what it craves and never deny it or you will go insane. If I want a taboo food like a donut, I calculate the sugar grams and bite just that amount and no more. I have gotten rid of my craving and have not deprived myself and stayed in control. I also make sure that I have eaten well that day before I do this because our bodies only absorb so much of our food so make them good choices. You still need to care for yourself.
28. Choose protein shakes(good ones)over bars. You will get 100% of the benefits of a shake vs a bar. It is like a good high protein candy bar and we only absorb half of the 17g in it. So a shake I know I will get the full 32g of protein my body really needs.
29. Keep meals small in volume and at 5-6 small ones a day ALONG with the shakes and water.
30. Journal.
31. Make a scrap book of your journey.
32. Take pictures monthly.
33. Measure monthly.
34. Keep one pair of before slack and put them on when you feel you are not doing 100%.
35. Surround yourself with positive people, and I just cannot say that enough.
36. Win in life instead of just being right.
37. Work on your core on consiousness and hit those head battles.
38. Read and do self help books and tapes or seek counseling. Don't be ashamed be proud that you are doing something about it to change yourlife.
39. Give back to those who follow in your WLS footsteps.
40. Learn how to break a plateau and re start your plan.
41. Learn to re set your dump o meter.
42. Continue to educate yourself regarding your health with this surgery.
43. Stop coping through food and recognize the patterns, talk about what bothers you to a counselor or someone instead of eating them down or pushing them down.
44. Check in to see how you are managing your life daily. Do you need to be fired? Is this who you would want to be in control of your life and it's choices?
45. One day at a time!
46. Protein shakes for life are a MUST and ALL those e mails I gathered ALL did good ones. The protein keeps us healthy and it is the only thing we absorb 100% of. It gives you energy, stops grazing, keeps you looking good and you will feel so much better on them. It keeps you at goal as well. Now, they are an aquired taste like the first time you drank a beer so no lying here! Find one you like and go for it. If you are craving sugars and carbs again hit the shakes harder but never go less on the smaller meals a day. So in other words if your small meals are at 4-5 a day with three good shakes and 96 oz of water and you are still in the crazy craving mode add another shake to your day. That simple.
47. Become a label reader and understand what the heck is in the food you put in your mouth.
48. Watch your sodium. Lunchmeat and beef jerky are very high in sodium, and when I cut these out of my diet BAM I started to drop again like crazy.
49. Step back and be honest about your diet and evaluate it. Are you loosing the high protein meals and hitting more carbs? Where do you need to clean up your act to stay on track?
50. Plateaus equal a need for more protein shakes, same amount of small meals, more water(8oz increments at a time increase), and reving up your work outs.
51. Eat your meals with a smaller plate rather than a dinner plate. I use a salad plate.
52. Brush, floss and use a good mouth wash to get rid of the excess food left on teeth for the hour we cannot drink after meals. Many post ops have been having or refering to tooth decay and more dental work than usual post op. Also make sure you have been on a good calcium citrate supplement with D and Mag in it to help avoid this.
53. I drink 96oz of water because it also keeps me from getting constipated which is a common post op problem and I use Milk of Magnesia once a month.
54. Always move forward and never back. Attitude and gusto always more and positive.....never backwards always forward!
55. Know that this surgery will not only change your body but improve yourself esteem and independance and people who love you and feel close to you will be effected the most and become confused and scared in all the positive changes you have made. Seek a conselor at these times for clarity, truth and an unbiased opinion.