WLS support and inspirational information

IsMollyReallyHungry

I hope you feel better Kris!!

Welcome Jackie!! You can do it! Glad you found us.....:-)

IsMollyReallyHungry

Weight Loss Surgery Daily Inspiration for January 5, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Be uncomfortable.

When you want to change, it is impossible to be comfortable all the time. Change makes your brain work harder and sometimes your body, too. When you are making a change, you can't go on automatic pilot, which means you are going to be mentally present and conscious of what you are doing. You also have to make the effort to move your body in a different direction.

To stop grazing, for example, you have to make a plan and pay attention to what you are eating in the moment. You also must interrupt old patterns, choosing to avoid the kitchen in the evening, or driving a route to work that doesn't pass Starbucks. You will be inconvenienced, frustrated, anxious, and maybe even annoyed. These uncomfortable emotions can sabotage your efforts to change. So, allow yourself to be uncomfortable and accept the process.

Action for the day: Identify something about your WLS lifestyle you want to change. Think about the ways in which you will be uncomfortable during your process of change. Spend a few minutes visualizing yourself handling the discomfort in a healthy, self-loving way. Do this visualization for a few days to prepare for your change -- and then go for it.

© 2009, Katie Jay. All rights reserved.

IsMollyReallyHungry

Weight Loss Surgery Daily Inspiration for January 6, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Have hope.

Life can be very challenging. From small annoyances to big stresses, being a WLS person, you try to deal with what gets thrown at you without turning to food for comfort. It can be a battle, and sometimes the food wins.

When you notice you are eating to relieve emotions, try to be encouraging to yourself, rather than critical. While you may have temporarily turned to food to relieve your stress, you can acknowledge your misstep and resolve to make a different choice next time. Do this as often as necessary. The hope lies in your ever-present option to start over.

Action for the day: If you are using food to relieve life's stresses, spend a few minutes making a plan for how you will respond to stress today, instead of by eating. Start over, and tell yourself to have hope. (Start over as often as you need to.)

© 2009, Katie Jay. All rights reserved.

mnheather

Thanks for the info. I will have to check it out.

angelintx

When I get the growly thing in my stomach, it's almost always acid. I was on a PPI for the first 20 months and it took care of that but every time I tried to get off it, I'd find myself eating all day.

After a few weeks of eating all day this past month, I realized I do have some low-grade heartburn so I'm back on the PPI.

Luckily, the first one I tried worked for me and I only have to take it once a day and just one kind of pill. I do know some people who had to experiment with different PPIs and had to add things like Pepcid to the PPI or take it twice a day or all 3.

I did find that this time around I had to work out a lot more to get the same rate of loss as with prior dieting attempts but I think that's just age. It kind of sucks, but it turned out well as I went from being a coach potato to an athlete and I don't think that would have happened if I'd lost just fine going to the gym a couple of times a week as I have in the past.

P.S. Don't get me started on so-called starvation mode! :laugh:

I'm sorry, but what is a PPI? I'm familiar with Pepcid and I took that for the first month I suppose after surgery, but then the PA said I could stop taking it and did. I was already experiencing the growling/aching pain with taking it though. What are you taking that resolved your symptoms -- maybe I could give it a shot?

angelintx

Thanks MacMadame for information!

Welcome Angel! - I have not had the issues your describe but I agree with MacMadame on the exercise and definitely on starvation mode being a myth at your size for sure. You are not small enough to be starving. I was told that our bodies can survive a long time on our fat and water. Just give the body time to drop the pounds and it will. Our bodies can be very stuborn sometimes when it comes to letting go of the fat.

Thanks for the welcome! Maybe I need to clarify something -- I definitely don't think I'm starving, LOL, I'm quite sure my body could live quite a long time on my big 'ol fat body! I was just saying that I'm feeling actual hunger as opposed to "head hunger." My nutritionist and the PA both brought up "starvation mode" as a reason for being on the plateau. They saw my food/exercise logs and thought that my cals weren't high enough based on my activity therefore my body is "holding on" to everything instead of allowing the weight loss. I'm frustrated as all get out over it too!! GRRR!

angelintx

Welcome newbies like me! LOL Hope we can beat this thing together!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Thanks MacMadame for information!

Welcome Angel! - I have not had the issues your describe but I agree with MacMadame on the exercise and definitely on starvation mode being a myth at your size for sure. You are not small enough to be starving. I was told that our bodies can survive a long time on our fat and water. Just give the body time to drop the pounds and it will. Our bodies can be very stuborn sometimes when it comes to letting go of the fat.

Thanks for the welcome! Maybe I need to clarify something -- I definitely don't think I'm starving, LOL, I'm quite sure my body could live quite a long time on my big 'ol fat body! I was just saying that I'm feeling actual hunger as opposed to "head hunger." My nutritionist and the PA both brought up "starvation mode" as a reason for being on the plateau. They saw my food/exercise logs and thought that my cals weren't high enough based on my activity therefore my body is "holding on" to everything instead of allowing the weight loss. I'm frustrated as all get out over it too!! GRRR!

LOL! Well this could certianly be true Angel!! If you are exercising a lot you do need to eat a little more. Just keep experimenting and you will break your stall. If you search on here there is plenty of advice on brake pleauteus on this site because it is common. The longest I had a pleatue was almost 6 weeks.

MacMadame

My nutritionist and the PA both brought up "starvation mode" as a reason for being on the plateau. They saw my food/exercise logs and thought that my cals weren't high enough based on my activity therefore my body is "holding on" to everything instead of allowing the weight loss. I'm frustrated as all get out over it too!! GRRR!

Yes, but the idea that this happens is a completely myth. I'm kind of sad that a PA and a NUT are spreading it. They really should know better.

Calories are energy and one law of energy is that it can't be created or destroyed. If you are operating at a calorie deficit then you are burning off stored energy. It's impossible not to. Now, your scale might not show it for a week or two due to water retention. But you can't consume 400-800 calorie a day and not lose weight.

Think of it this way: if your car gets 20 miles to the gallon and holds 10 gallons you can only drive 200 miles before you have to fill it up again (from the reserves at the gas station). Your car can't "hold on" to the gas and refuse to burn it so that you can somehow drive 300 miles. It's the same with calories. If you burn 2000 calories and you eat 800 then those 1200 extra calories have to come from *somewhere*. So they come from your fat (and maybe a bit from your muscles). Your body can't refuse to burn the fat because that would involve creating 1200 calories of energy from thin air!

Here's an article about the myth of starvation mode:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

And here's what I ate and how much I exercised my first year to give an idea of what is typical at various stage and what kind of exercise you have to be doing to be able to still lose at a good clip on higher calories:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2010/07/calories-protein-carbs-exercise-weight.html

Lisamarie1226

I think it's important not to use the holiday season as an excuse to stuff yourself like a pig and loll around. But I also think it's important to give ourselves a break.

My goal for Dec. is always to maintain, not to lose. In fact, I am deliberately taking off from triathlon training and just doing an occasional workout. I'll start back up again in Jan. refreshed and (hopefully) healed up.

I agree! I went on vacation to northern Cali to visit my family for the holidays. I had PLANNED on working out "as usual" but only got in 2 FORMAL workouts. I did indulge a bit but not to excess, maybe some hershey's kisses with almonds here, an ice cream there. it was not an all out "hey! the holidays are here" pigout. We kept busy, lots of running around and stuff. I just wanted to spend quality time with my family.

Somehow, I also managed to maintain. I was thrilled! And now that I'm back home and back to my normal routine, I'm hitting the gym and back on track as far as training for my first half marathon at the end of March.

TrudyLea

Good morning everyone!

Let me introduce myself - I will tell you I'll have a hard time keeping it short!

I have open RNY in Nov. of 2006. In a year I lost 180 pounds. It was a wonderful time. I worked hard! but it was also easy. I wasn't hungry. The weight fell off easily. I exercised. I followed the doctors orders to a T and never did anything I wasn't supposed to. I was a poster child! I began at 358 so even at 180 I only go to 168 but that still got me into size 12 clothes which I was perfect with. I am large boned - I know I know - but really my hands are huge and I wear a size 11 shoe - which never changed. My perfectionism was so pleased!

Then life and my food addiction took back over! I have two children who are great (My son is now 18 and will go to college next year and my daughter is 12.) but they are children and act like it. My husband who has had a dormant kidney disease every since I've known him started feeling bad. In the end his kidney's completely shut down. He is on dialysis, he goes three times a week for 4 hours each time. My focus changed from me and my health and I totally lost all my good momentum. Over the next three years I've gained back 80 of what I've lost.

My husband remains on dialysis. He is a candidate for a transplant but must loose some more weight before they will even run the test to see if he is healthy enough for the procedure and if there are any matches etc. I have to focus on me and my health. I have to be healthy for me, for him and for the kids.

I recommitted this year. I will not be a perfectionist about it! I will forgive myself! I will use balance! I will never give up!

For today, I am healthy and making healthy choices.

I have been active in overeaters anonymous in the past, but live in a rural area now where it is not available but have found the program and the support very helpful.

Well if you have read this far I hope you are blest! I look forward to getting to know you better. I know we can be here to support each other in our journey to a healthy lifestyle!

IsMollyReallyHungry

I think it's important not to use the holiday season as an excuse to stuff yourself like a pig and loll around. But I also think it's important to give ourselves a break.

My goal for Dec. is always to maintain, not to lose. In fact, I am deliberately taking off from triathlon training and just doing an occasional workout. I'll start back up again in Jan. refreshed and (hopefully) healed up.

I agree! I went on vacation to northern Cali to visit my family for the holidays. I had PLANNED on working out "as usual" but only got in 2 FORMAL workouts. I did indulge a bit but not to excess, maybe some hershey's kisses with almonds here, an ice cream there. it was not an all out "hey! the holidays are here" pigout. We kept busy, lots of running around and stuff. I just wanted to spend quality time with my family.

Somehow, I also managed to maintain. I was thrilled! And now that I'm back home and back to my normal routine, I'm hitting the gym and back on track as far as training for my first half marathon at the end of March.

Awesome Lisamarie!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

IsMollyReallyHungry

Good morning everyone!

Let me introduce myself - I will tell you I'll have a hard time keeping it short!

I have open RNY in Nov. of 2006. In a year I lost 180 pounds. It was a wonderful time. I worked hard! but it was also easy. I wasn't hungry. The weight fell off easily. I exercised. I followed the doctors orders to a T and never did anything I wasn't supposed to. I was a poster child! I began at 358 so even at 180 I only go to 168 but that still got me into size 12 clothes which I was perfect with. I am large boned - I know I know - but really my hands are huge and I wear a size 11 shoe - which never changed. My perfectionism was so pleased!

Then life and my food addiction took back over! I have two children who are great (My son is now 18 and will go to college next year and my daughter is 12.) but they are children and act like it. My husband who has had a dormant kidney disease every since I've known him started feeling bad. In the end his kidney's completely shut down. He is on dialysis, he goes three times a week for 4 hours each time. My focus changed from me and my health and I totally lost all my good momentum. Over the next three years I've gained back 80 of what I've lost.

My husband remains on dialysis. He is a candidate for a transplant but must loose some more weight before they will even run the test to see if he is healthy enough for the procedure and if there are any matches etc. I have to focus on me and my health. I have to be healthy for me, for him and for the kids.

I recommitted this year. I will not be a perfectionist about it! I will forgive myself! I will use balance! I will never give up!

For today, I am healthy and making healthy choices.

I have been active in overeaters anonymous in the past, but live in a rural area now where it is not available but have found the program and the support very helpful.

Well if you have read this far I hope you are blest! I look forward to getting to know you better. I know we can be here to support each other in our journey to a healthy lifestyle!

Welcome Trudy!!! Congrats on keeping off 100 pounds over 5 year period! You had to be doing something right some of the time because as we all know you can gain back weight so easy. So at some times or point in the last 3 years you were mindful. So now you are going to get serious to push those 80 pounds back off. Our experiences are similar!

I look forward to getting to know you dear!! BTW - OA has online support and telephone support also. WLS has telephone support also. I posted it on this thread, let me know if you need me to re post it.

IsMollyReallyHungry

Thanks MacMaDame for that wonderful illistration on the so called starvation mode. I was told that is so not right. That your body does try to hold on to the fat but if you keep starving it, it has no choice but to let it go eventually and unfortuantely the smaller we get the more it fights us on letting go of stored fat.

Of course we want immediate gratifiacation because that is what we are use to, right? lol!! But it is good to be reminded there is no such thing as starvation mode. Just keep eating right and at a deficit and your body has to respond to less calories in.



I am so excited about all the new ones starting to post here for WLS support. Welcome!! This was my hope when I started the thread. For a while it was just me and MacMadame.....:-) and very lonely we were. I like having support because it helps me stay mindful of my goals and my commitment to them. So thanks for jumping in and thanks to Priskar for helping in spreading the word.

I think it is important for us to have a safe haven to vent, encourage and support one another. I also think it is important for others to know that WLS is not the easy way out and that anyone who had any type of WLS has to work hard to keep their weight in check. Otherwise we will re-gain weight just like anyone else. Many do not know this....:-( But oh well we don't care!

Keep coming back! Have a good day all and weekend!

MacMadame

Yes, it was deifnitely getting a bit lonely. :laugh:

Anyway, today is my big weigh in for our fitness center's "Maintain, Don't Gain" program and, um, I've gained. Not a lot. But any gain means I'm not entered into the raffle to win cool prizes. Plus, it makes me feel bad.

Today as I was getting ready for work, I started thinking:
I could wear my lightest outfit
I could not drink or eat all day until the weigh in
I could cut my toe nails
I could shave

Then I mentally slapped myself ... how completely crazy that would be just to be able to say I didn't gain and enter a contest! It reminded me of my WW and JC days when I would do stuff to weigh in at a lower weight than the week before. I decided I would shave and clip my toe nails because they needed it but I wasn't going to do any of the other stuff because it's just too crazy.

IsMollyReallyHungry

Yes, it was deifnitely getting a bit lonely. :laugh:

Anyway, today is my big weigh in for our fitness center's "Maintain, Don't Gain" program and, um, I've gained. Not a lot. But any gain means I'm not entered into the raffle to win cool prizes. Plus, it makes me feel bad.

Today as I was getting ready for work, I started thinking:
I could wear my lightest outfit
I could not drink or eat all day until the weigh in
I could cut my toe nails
I could shave

Then I mentally slapped myself ... how completely crazy that would be just to be able to say I didn't gain and enter a contest! It reminded me of my WW and JC days when I would do stuff to weigh in at a lower weight than the week before. I decided I would shave and clip my toe nails because they needed it but I wasn't going to do any of the other stuff because it's just too crazy.

:laugh: :laugh: We can get a little obsessed at times can't we.

IsMollyReallyHungry

Weight Loss Surgery Daily Inspiration for January 7, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Stick with it.

Usually, when someone is trying to change an unhealthy habit they do really well initially and then their resolve fades. Part of the reason for dwindling motivation is the discomfort of change.

You can develop a tolerance for the discomfort by continuing to start over when you falter. If a baby stopped trying to walk after a few stumbles, she would never get anywhere under her own power. Resolve to stick with your new habit, even if you make one, two, three, or three million false starts.

Action for the day: If you have given up on changing an unhealthy habit, do yourself the kindness of trying again -- and stick with it, even if you stumble from time to time.

© 2011Katie Jay. All rights reserved.

MacMadame

I read the best analogy of turning a bad habit into a good one in the book, The Rules of Normal Eating. I may have posted it here but, if so, it's WAY BACK in the thread or even on another thread so I'm going to risk repeating myself.

Think of a pile of sand. You drop a marble on top and it take a random path down the hill to the bottom. But, the next time you drop it, that path is there and the marble is more likely to go down that path. Eventually there is a deep groove and the marble pretty much always goes down this path. This is how a habit is created.

Now, you want to change your habit. So, when the marble gets dropped, you try to make it go down a different groove. But that other groove is there and it's much deeper than your new groove. The marble tends to want to go down the old groove instead. If you don't pay attention, it does. And every time it goes down the old groove, the new one gets fainter.

But, every time you go down the new groove, the old groove gets fainter.

So, if you can just keep going down the new groove, eventually the old groove is gone or at least very faint.

This is why they say it takes 21 days to make a new habit. It takes a long time to make the new groove deep enough that it's the one the marble wants to go down without thinking.

But it can be done... you just have to wear away at your sand hill, bit by bit, and don't get frustrated when you backslide, but go back to the new habit as soon as you can.

MacMadame

Oh, I missed some posts. Hi Trudy! Hi other new people! :happy:

I was going to say that I bet OA has online support but Mollie beat me too it.

IsMollyReallyHungry

I read the best analogy of turning a bad habit into a good one in the book, The Rules of Normal Eating. I may have posted it here but, if so, it's WAY BACK in the thread or even on another thread so I'm going to risk repeating myself.

Think of a pile of sand. You drop a marble on top and it take a random path down the hill to the bottom. But, the next time you drop it, that path is there and the marble is more likely to go down that path. Eventually there is a deep groove and the marble pretty much always goes down this path. This is how a habit is created.

Now, you want to change your habit. So, when the marble gets dropped, you try to make it go down a different groove. But that other groove is there and it's much deeper than your new groove. The marble tends to want to go down the old groove instead. If you don't pay attention, it does. And every time it goes down the old groove, the new one gets fainter.

But, every time you go down the new groove, the old groove gets fainter.

So, if you can just keep going down the new groove, eventually the old groove is gone or at least very faint.

This is why they say it takes 21 days to make a new habit. It takes a long time to make the new groove deep enough that it's the one the marble wants to go down without thinking.

But it can be done... you just have to wear away at your sand hill, bit by bit, and don't get frustrated when you backslide, but go back to the new habit as soon as you can.

Thanks for reminder!! I have read this analogy before, not sure where I have read so much.

priskar

Just wanted to check in and say "Hello & Welcome" to all the new folks I see posting in the thread. I've sent Friend Requests to everyone, I think. If not, please feel free to add me.

Thank you, Mollie for all the great motivational/inspirational quotes that add just another piece to my list of "tools" to use as I make my new journey to better health.

Have been down with "the crud", now bronchitis, and will keep it short. Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here and listening, reading and sending supportive thoughts your way.I hope to be participating a bit more as I get myself and everyone around me healthier. It's just that time of year when bugs go around.

One good thing...snow! Dallas is expecting a bit of snow on Sunday and Monday. I can't wait! Hopefully, I'll be up for a walk in the snow by then. ;-)

IsMollyReallyHungry

Just wanted to check in and say "Hello & Welcome" to all the new folks I see posting in the thread. I've sent Friend Requests to everyone, I think. If not, please feel free to add me.

Thank you, Mollie for all the great motivational/inspirational quotes that add just another piece to my list of "tools" to use as I make my new journey to better health.

Have been down with "the crud", now bronchitis, and will keep it short. Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here and listening, reading and sending supportive thoughts your way.I hope to be participating a bit more as I get myself and everyone around me healthier. It's just that time of year when bugs go around.

One good thing...snow! Dallas is expecting a bit of snow on Sunday and Monday. I can't wait! Hopefully, I'll be up for a walk in the snow by then. ;-)

LOL! I am from Chicago so I have seen enough snow to last me a lifetime......:-) Hope you feel better soon!

MacMadame

Ooh, friend requests. I'm so bad about that. I'm going to make sure I've got everyone right now before I forget!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Weight Loss Surgery Daily Inspiration for January 8, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Have hope.

Life can be very challenging. From small annoyances to big stresses, being a WLS person, you try to deal with what gets thrown at you without turning to food for comfort. It can be a battle, and sometimes the food wins.

When you notice you are eating to relieve emotions, try to be encouraging to yourself, rather than critical. While you may have temporarily turned to food to relieve your stress, you can acknowledge your misstep and resolve to make a different choice next time. Do this as often as necessary. The hope lies in your ever-present option to start over.

Action for the day: If you are using food to relieve life's stresses, spend a few minutes making a plan for how you will respond to stress today, instead of by eating. Start over, and tell yourself to have hope. (Start over as often as you need to.)

© 2009, Katie Jay. All rights reserved.

TrudyLea

Ok - maybe a little over the top but still pretty funny! I can't tell you how many times I've stripped jewelry to for the WW weigh in!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Weight Loss Surgery Daily Inspiration for January 10, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Don't bunt.

Before WLS, you probably tried every diet in the book--and then some. You undoubtedly withstood a phenomenal amount of abuse. Many people struggling with obesity spend a good part of their lives in shame. Even after you reach your goal weight, it may be hard for you to appreciate your perseverance and victory in light of your past scars that you continue to carry with you. Don't let those scars slow you down. Now is not the time to hold back.

You were not put here on this earth to make a sacrifice bunt for other players. You were put here to accomplish extraordinary things. Step up to the plate! Even if you occasionally hit a fly ball, or only manage a single, one of your hits is bound to be a homer. Every single attempt you make could be your next home run, so act accordingly.

Action for the day: Whatever is on your task list for today, make a vow to do each thing with gusto. Whether it's washing the car or finishing up that project at work, knock it out of the park!

© 2009, Katie Jay. All rights reserved.

Katz85340

Let's have a roll call. How many people on this site have had WLS?

:drinker: Me! (Those are protein drinks, of course.)

Me!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Let's have a roll call. How many people on this site have had WLS?

:drinker: Me! (Those are protein drinks, of course.)

Me!

Welcome Katz775!!

MacMadame

Don't bunt.

I like this one!

IsMollyReallyHungry

I am not sure how many of you have been told too much protien will ruin your kidneys. I have heard it and been told it on many occassions. See below passage from, Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko

Myth #1: Too much protein hurts your kidneys
Reality: Protein helps burn fat, build muscle, and won’t harm your kidneys at all

Way back in 1983, researchers discovered that eating more protein increases the amount of blood your kidneys filter per minute. Many scientists immediately made the leap that a high-protein diet places your kidneys under greater stress. They were proven wrong. Over the past two decades, several studies have found that while protein-rich meals do increase blood flow to the kidneys, this doesn't have an adverse effect on overall kidney function.

Put the Truth to Work for You: Eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you're a chubby 180-pound woman and want to be a lean 160, have 160 grams of protein a day. If you're a 160-pound guy hoping to pack on 20 pounds of muscle, aim for 180 grams each day.