WLS support and inspirational information
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This where having good habits comes in. If tracking your food, taking your supplements, getting in your protein, water and any other nutrient you are monitoring is a habit, then it tends to be something that it's easier to just do than not do. Then it's more likely to not drop by the wayside when you are feeling unmotivated.0
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Here is a good link that some of you may be interested in. It is long but very good.
50 TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED AT “NORMAL” EATING
from psychology of eating expert Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed.
author of
NICE GIRLS FINISH FAT, THE RULES OF “NORMAL” EATING, THE FOOD AND
FEELINGS WORKBOOK, and WHAT EVERY THERAPIST NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT
TREATING EATING AND WEIGHT ISSUES
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/allinthemind/discussion/4216949/50-TIPS-TO-HELP-YOU-SUCCEED-AT-NORMAL-EATING/#346092830 -
I've got her book: The Rules of Normal Eating. Also, I am going through the 50 tips and doing a blog entry on each one. I think they are very useful.0
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I've got her book: The Rules of Normal Eating. Also, I am going through the 50 tips and doing a blog entry on each one. I think they are very useful.
Maybe you are the one I heard it from, but when I get home I am going to print these out because I like the very beginning of it. I will see if my library has it also. These days I only buy books after I read them to see if I will read again or need to have for a reference.0 -
Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 3, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Ask for help.
It is estimated that 70 percent of weight loss surgery patients have an eating disorder, also known as a food addiction. The number one reason most people avoid seeking help for food addiction is they don't believe they can stop their negative eating behaviors. They have such a track record of failure with weight loss and weight control that they feel absolutely hopeless.
The truth is people recover from food addiction all the time. You can, too. Consider asking for help.
Action for the day: Do you struggle with a food addiction? If you are not sure, do some online research today. If you do have a food addiction, research online to find out what kinds of help are available to you.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
Based on what I see on the boards, I think it's a lot lower than 70%.
What I find interesting is that a lot of this stuff is a chicken & egg kind of thing. So, in starvation studies, the subjects often end up behaving like Anorexics even though they started out psychologically normal. I see the same thing with obese people. Our relationship with food gets turned around by our struggles with our weight. So... did disordered eating cause the obesity or does obesity cause disordered eating? It's a little of both, I think.0 -
Based on what I see on the boards, I think it's a lot lower than 70%.
What I find interesting is that a lot of this stuff is a chicken & egg kind of thing. So, in starvation studies, the subjects often end up behaving like Anorexics even though they started out psychologically normal. I see the same thing with obese people. Our relationship with food gets turned around by our struggles with our weight. So... did disordered eating cause the obesity or does obesity cause disordered eating? It's a little of both, I think.
Food for thought for sure. Regardless of which one it is--help should be seeked out. The WLS does not fix the eating disorder or the food addiction if a person has one. In 2004 the statitics were that 50% of the people who have WLS gain back 50% of their weight back in 5 yrs. The percentages is probably higher because people will not go back to their surgeons for help when they start to gain like I did. My group was so happy I seeked help because they say many wait until they gain all their weight back or they never come back. It was very hard to go back because I did feel like a failure to some extent.
Now I am happy to say I am doing much better than I was in beginning of the year. I go to OA now and started back attending WLS support groups. OA meetings are the most helpful. Then a month later I MFP was recommended on BOT boards on OH.com and I love it and everyone here helps me stay mindful in between support group meetings.
Thank you for your support and checking in on this thread :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I see there are more viewers so I have to believe others are being help also. It helps just because I have to read them before I post them and it will be handy if I need a point of reference0 -
Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 4, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Set your angel free.
When you decided to have weight loss surgery, were you longing to set free something inside you? Obesity had hidden your true self from view. You longed to reveal the inner you. So, each day WLS has chipped away at your exterior.
Michelangelo said, "I saw the angel in the stone and carved until I set him free." Yet at the end of his first day, the rock still looked like&a rock.
Only slowly did it become the beautiful creation that was locked within. As you lose weight, you will change many times; you will wake up mornings and not recognize the thinner face that has replaced the rounded one. In time, with consistency, effort, and a firm vision, you will release your angel within.
Action for the day: Today, set aside a few quiet moments and visualize the inner you--your inner angel. In your mind, embrace that vision, talk to it, and plan together how your inner angel can help you remain steadfast.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
The studies I've seen say that 75-90% of people keep off at least 50% of their excess weight. I think today's modern surgery techniques are responsible for that. There are some new operations that weren't being done much in the early 2000s either and they have less issues with regain than the old-school bypass.
Now, I'm not saying people shouldn't seek help, if they need it. I'm just saying for most of us it's a physiological issues, not psychological. But that's good because it's easier to fix the body than the brain. :laugh:
This reminds me of what I wanted to post... here's a question for everyone:
What's the first good habit that falls by the wayside when you are going through tough times? I just had a stressful couple of weeks and all my work to get to bed earlier just blew up in my face. The first two nights after I was particularly upset, I was up past midnight again.
This upset me, but I was also happy that it wasn't my good eating or my food diary that I dropped. That gave me a lot of hope for the future and it showed me that I've changed. I remember going on my first diet when I was 13, losing 15 lb. and looking fantastic. Then I went back to school in the Fall and all the kids were still mean to me. I remember very clearly thinking: why did I bother to lose all that weight and then going back to eating junk in between meals and double portions at meal time. (And putting it back on plus friends.)
I'm glad that didn't happen this time. I think it's because my eating is now tied to my triathlon goals and those are more important to me than pretty much everything except my family. Now I just have to feel that way about sleep. It is part of my training to get enough sleep, but it's not as direct as doing my workouts and eating properly.0 -
This reminds me of what I wanted to post... here's a question for everyone:
What's the first good habit that falls by the wayside when you are going through tough times? I just had a stressful couple of weeks and all my work to get to bed earlier just blew up in my face. The first two nights after I was particularly upset, I was up past midnight again.
This upset me, but I was also happy that it wasn't my good eating or my food diary that I dropped. That gave me a lot of hope for the future and it showed me that I've changed. I remember going on my first diet when I was 13, losing 15 lb. and looking fantastic. Then I went back to school in the Fall and all the kids were still mean to me. I remember very clearly thinking: why did I bother to lose all that weight and then going back to eating junk in between meals and double portions at meal time. (And putting it back on plus friends.)
I'm glad that didn't happen this time. I think it's because my eating is now tied to my triathlon goals and those are more important to me than pretty much everything except my family. Now I just have to feel that way about sleep. It is part of my training to get enough sleep, but it's not as direct as doing my workouts and eating properly.
For me it is still my eating habits go to pot. I have not had anything happen to me so far since I have been with MFP so I do not know yet. But since my RNY it has been food I call back on like a old friend.
I am going to change that though. I went to my WLS support group meeting last night and it was wonderful and I have to keep going back for sure. This has really been helping me to get back on track. Finally I have stopped the yo-yoing I have been doing since June.0 -
Our attitudes mean everything when we are embarking on making new healthy habits for ourselves. Our attitude will be the deciding factor on our success on this journey we are on. We have to believe the impossible is possible. A new healthy lifestyle is possible. Do you believe it is possible? I do.:flowerforyou: Some inspirational quotes I obtained from spark people. You can do it! We can do it! Just do it!
"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress" - Barack Obama
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference" - Winston Churchill
"If you are going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" -
Oprah Winfrey0 -
Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 5, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Shield yourself from your triggers.
Are there trigger foods that get you every single time? All you have to do is smell them, or see them, and the next thing you know you're licking your fingers and savoring the lingering flavor. If you're like most WLS patients, though, you find that other than the fleeting moment of bliss you experience as you bite into the trigger food, you feel disappointed in yourself. And fear of completely losing control sets in. Why can't you resist that temptation?
It doesn't matter why. Food is tempting, and certain foods are nearly irresistible. So what can you do? Shield your senses from the most alluring foods. If you don't see it, and you can't smell it, you are much less likely to eat it. Create a safety zone in which you do not have to see, smell, and resist trigger foods all the time.
Action for the day: Choose a trigger food that has been enticing you recently. Remove it from your house today. If you think this will be difficult for you, enlist the help of a trusted friend. Have him or her come over and help you get rid of the trigger food.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
A friend of mine said something similar... Surround yourself with people who believe in you more than you believe in yourself."Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" -
Oprah Winfrey
This made me realize that I need a new job. I am surrounded by people who seem to be actively willing me to mess up rather than people who believe in me. So screw them!
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A friend of mine said something similar... Surround yourself with people who believe in you more than you believe in yourself."Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" -
Oprah Winfrey
This made me realize that I need a new job. I am surrounded by people who seem to be actively willing me to mess up rather than people who believe in me. So screw them!
Some people (more than I would have ever suspected) do want us to fail. A friend of mines had to change jobs because people were off the chain. She got down to a size 4 and is still a size 4. You would think people would be estatic about her success. Sad to say there were more people NOT happy for her than there were happy ones.
I remember when I was down to 310 -- people were telling me I was getting too skinny!!! I was like what!! Well this time I will be ignoring all of the negativity. I was scared to go to the 200's but not anymore.0 -
Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 6, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Hold your horses.
Eating out can be an enjoyable social event, and most WLS patients don't want to miss out. But do you have a plan for how you'll handle the appetizers? It's hard to resist that mouth-watering fare as others at your table dig in. While you may not want to eat too much, you also don't want to avoid the appetizer all together if you will feel deprived.
If you tend to feel deprived and then overeat later on in private, go ahead and have a taste. To keep the amount you eat to a minimum, put off your taste until most of the appetizer is gone. Just reassure yourself you're going to have some soon, and enjoy the conversation.
Action for the day: If you are in a restaurant today and are faced with the appetizer dilemma, delay as long as you can. This way, you'll have less time (and less food) to eat.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
Thank you again Molly, for your posts x0
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Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 7, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Stay focused.
Life is full of distractions. Your company is downsizing, your debt has become unmanageable, your basement has flooded again--the list is endless.
What is the one thing that would make all this worse? You know all too well. Being obese and ill. Certainly, life can hand us whoppers--challenges beyond what we feel we can handle--but most of your stresses are distractions from what is truly important. Most of them need to take second place to your health.
Action for the day: Are you allowing life's distractions to interfere with living the lifestyle (physically, mentally, and spiritually) that will keep you healthy in the long run? In your journal, write a list of the distractions that are robbing you of the success you desire. Resolve not to let distractions steal your resolve.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 9, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Make decisions based on facts, not feelings.
In 12-step programs there is a saying: "There are only two times to go to a 12-step meeting: when you want to go and when you don't want to go." How can you apply this philosophy to your WLS lifestyle? Do you think it is a good idea to base what you do (with exercise and food choices) on how you feel?
If you only do the right thing when you feel like it, how likely are you to lose your excess weight and keep it off for life?
Action for the day: Today, do what supports your WLS success. For example, don't base your decision to exercise on whether or not you feel like it. Do it because you have planned to do it. No excuses.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
I'm typing this on my new iPad! I know that has nothing to do with motivation and support. It just makes me happy. 0
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QUOTE OF THE DAY ... CONSISTANCY
Habit is Habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. --Mark Twain
Every giant leap forward is in reality a series of baby steps. For every major breakthrough you see in your performance, don’t forget all the hundreds of little things that had to happen, day after day, for that to happen. Habits are the basis of improvement, but they don’t happen overnight.
The easiest – and most difficult – way to improve your life is to make or break a habit. It’s easy because habits are built one single action at a time. It’s difficult because you need to be consistent. It’s much more of a mental game than a physical challenge. If you don’t see progress right away, don’t be discouraged. In fact, some of the habits you have right now have been a lifetime in the making and repeating. They can be as stubborn as a mule. It might take some coaxing to get them to move.0 -
Here is something interesting about habits. It turns out that it's a lot harder to break a habit than you'd think. This is because, with a new habit, you are not just trying to set a new behavior but also trying to erase the old behavior.
If you think of yourself as a big hill of sand, when you drop a marble on top, it randomly falls down a path and makes a slight groove. The next time you do that behavior, the grove gets deeper. Then, when you randomly drop the marble the next time, it's much more likely to go down the path with the groove than some random path. Now you've got a habit.
So then you decide to change your habit. Not only do you have to make the marble go down a different path, when it wants to go down it's same old groove, but you also want to erase the old groove. So you go down the new path and you get a faint groove and the old groove gets a little less deep. If you keep up with the habit, eventually the old groove wears away and the new groove gets established.
But what most of us do is do the new habit for a little while but then one day we aren't paying attention and we drop into the old habit. Now, we've made our new habit's groove more shallow and BOOM our old habit's groove can be as deep as it was before!
Once I learned this, I made two changes in my behavior/thinking. First, I try harder not to slip up when I'm establishing a new habit. I realize now that going to bed at 1am one day after going to bed at 11pm for 10 days in a row is going to really mess up my new habit. So I try harder not to go back to the old ways.
The second thing I've done is to be less hard on myself. I realize now that one day of 1am bedtime can mess up my habit so when it happens, I don't despair and think it's hopeless. I remind myself that I'm now essentially starting over so of course it's going to take a while longer. Before I would slip up once, not thing anything of it, and then find myself slipping up over and over and give up. Now i don't give up because I understand what's happening.
I hope that made sense!0 -
Here is something interesting about habits. It turns out that it's a lot harder to break a habit than you'd think. This is because, with a new habit, you are not just trying to set a new behavior but also trying to erase the old behavior.
If you think of yourself as a big hill of sand, when you drop a marble on top, it randomly falls down a path and makes a slight groove. The next time you do that behavior, the grove gets deeper. Then, when you randomly drop the marble the next time, it's much more likely to go down the path with the groove than some random path. Now you've got a habit.
So then you decide to change your habit. Not only do you have to make the marble go down a different path, when it wants to go down it's same old groove, but you also want to erase the old groove. So you go down the new path and you get a faint groove and the old groove gets a little less deep. If you keep up with the habit, eventually the old groove wears away and the new groove gets established.
But what most of us do is do the new habit for a little while but then one day we aren't paying attention and we drop into the old habit. Now, we've made our new habit's groove more shallow and BOOM our old habit's groove can be as deep as it was before!
Once I learned this, I made two changes in my behavior/thinking. First, I try harder not to slip up when I'm establishing a new habit. I realize now that going to bed at 1am one day after going to bed at 11pm for 10 days in a row is going to really mess up my new habit. So I try harder not to go back to the old ways.
The second thing I've done is to be less hard on myself. I realize now that one day of 1am bedtime can mess up my habit so when it happens, I don't despair and think it's hopeless. I remind myself that I'm now essentially starting over so of course it's going to take a while longer. Before I would slip up once, not thing anything of it, and then find myself slipping up over and over and give up. Now i don't give up because I understand what's happening.
I hope that made sense!
I love it and yes it makes too much sense. Well I am definitely in this for the duration, meaning for life, so I am definitely not giving up and I do not beat myself up anymore for relapses or mistakes I make along the way. But you are right I will definitely keep trying not to revert to the engrained old habits.0 -
I'm going to print out the habits analogy and put it on the wall. Thanks for that! x0
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Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 11, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Keep a short list.
It's okay to have grand goals and a long list of things you'd like to eventually accomplish in your lifetime. Just make sure you don't use that master list as your day-to-day list. Reading such a long, daunting list may prove to be so discouraging you'll convince yourself you'll never accomplish anything.
Better to make a short list that includes only a few goals at a time. Then work on your short list of goals for the day. You'll have plenty of time to get to the others on the master list. Each day brings with it the chance to accomplish more. Do it in manageable chunks, and you'll soon be pleasantly surprised at how fast you're checking items off.
Action for the day: Review your "to-do" list to make sure it isn't overwhelming. Put your master list in a place where it won't be constantly visible, and vow to consult it only when you've completed your short list.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
Let's post our goals here! I have to get mine off my blog so I'll come back later and do that. My Aug goals are in my signature.0
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Goals for the month of August are:
1. Continue to reduce grazing.
2. Continue to reduce Aspartame intake.
3. Continue to exercise 5 or more days a week.
4. Lose 10 pounds.0 -
(completed)Get off my BP meds
(completed)Get rid of my plantar fasciitis once and for all
(completed)Get rid of my GERD
(completed)Go swimming with my daughter and stop making excuses every time she asks because I don't want to deal with appearing in a bathing suit in public
(completed)Be at least a size 10, maybe smaller, and to shop in regular stores and not just the fat old lady department at Macys
(completed)Get down to 175
(completed)No longer be clinically obese
(completed)Get down to 155
(completed)Have a normal BMI
(completed)Get down to 125 (possible goal weight?)
(completed)Be in a true size 6
(completed)Have a body fat percentage in the 18 - 22% range
(completed)Get my resting pulse rate into the low 50s
(completed)Walk 10,000 steps a day at least 4 days a week
(completed)Complete a 5K
(completed)Complete a Sprint Triathlon
(completed)Complete a Sprint Triathlon in under 2:30
(completed)Complete a Century Ride
(completed)Complete a Half marathon
Complete a Sprint Triathlon in under 1:30
Get on the podium at a triathlon
Complete a Half-ironman
Complete an Ironman
Qualify for Age Grouper Nationals
Qualify for the Boston Marathon
Qualify for Kona
Give my inner "skinny *****" the body she deserves (going to need PS for this one)
Have a "normal" relationship with food
Get my personal life in order (yeah, that's kind of vague)
Live into my 90s as one of those cantakerous little old ladies with 10x as much energy as the youngsters I run circles around (so far so good)
I also have goals for the season:
Run a stand-alone mile in 7:30 minutes
Swim 1.2 miles in 45 minutes
Be able to average 16-17 mph on the bike when the course is flat/fast
Be able to run for two hours at a time without a lot of drama (gastro-intestinal issues, aches & pains)
Be able to bike for four hours without getting exhausted
Swim an average of 2 times a week0 -
Oh, I just noticed I didn't mark the Half-ironman as completed!0
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Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for August 13, 2010
Katie Jay, MSW
Be patient in your efforts.
Most people long for a quick fix to their eating problems. They don't want to have to work at it or wait for the much-delayed reward.
But, patience is what it takes--countless hours of trying various tools and finding out which ones work best. Then, you have to put in more hours practicing new behaviors. Shaping a new life that really works requires painstaking effort.
Action for the day: Pay attention to your attitude about your WLS lifestyle today. Are you impatient or rebellious? Practice patience today. Trust the process.
© 2007, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. All rights reserved. Daily Inspirations are provided by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Get our free report, How to Regain-Proof Your Weight Loss Surgery at .www.nawls.com0 -
I had a Lap Band on April 15, 2008. My highest weight was 310 and I have plateaued around 245-250, so it pretty effortlessly helped me lose 60 lbs. The rest is up to me, and I need to put the effort into it now. I am hoping this site will help me to do that! I would love to have any other WLS people out there add me as your friend!0
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