WLS support and inspirational information

Weight Loss Surgery Support:
Daily Inspiration for February 14, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Drop some rocks.

We live in a busy world. Often success is measured by how much we do, how busy we are, and how heavy the load is that we carry. Imagine that your job in life is to swim across a fast-moving river carrying a bag of rocks. People often fill their bags with too many rocks, including rocks that don't belong to them.

Are you carrying other people's rocks? Are you doing all the work for the team at your job? Are you volunteering again because no other parent stepped up? Carrying more rocks than you need is risky. Carrying your rocks and everyone else's will sabotage your WLS recovery.

Action for the day: In your journal today, make a list of the rocks in your bag -- your various responsibilities. Drop at least one of the rocks that doesn't belong to you.

Do You Know the Best Remedy for Regain?
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach

Fleas love me. When they are nearby, I always come down
with a case of "flea-bite-us"...

The red welts and itching are annoying during the day,
but life keeps me somewhat distracted. The itching gets
much worse at night.

Sometimes a food craving is that way. Hard to get rid of
and worse at night.

With the fleas, the short-term answer is to use topical
anti-itch creams, but getting rid of the source of the
problem -- the actual fleas -- is much more of a challenge.
One that requires a good bit of effort.

When a food craving hits, there is no fast-acting,
anti-hunger cream we can rub on. But, most of us employ
various tactics to help us avoid eating on a whim.

I've heard many: distracting yourself with a good book,
putting a stop sign in your kitchen doorway between meal
times, making a phone call, getting engaged in a hobby
you enjoy... I could go on and on.

These short-term tactics can help immensely, but getting
rid of the source of the problem is much more challenging.

Some of my coaching clients have agreed to become scientists
rather than critics. What I mean by that is instead of
fighting the cravings, giving in, and beating themselves up
-- over and over again, they have undertaken an effort to
get a better understanding of themselves and their
situations.

The number one tool they used is a "Food/Hunger/Mood/
Activity/Sleep Log." I know that some people hate to keep
a log, but your beliefs about logs are worth challenging,
especially considering the major benefits (Did you know
studies show that keeping a food log practically doubles
your weight loss?).

Honestly, when I started to regain, I decided I was willing
to do anything to keep the weight off, and I embraced my log
as the number one tool to help me.

Through logging I discovered an association between my
low-grade depression and certain foods I was eating (donuts).
I also learned I am hungrier during my PMS week (chocolate).
I realized I was snacking at the same time every day
(popcorn or cheese, or both), when I wasn't hungry. I made a
connection between a stressful day at work and a midnight
snack (toast with peanut butter). I even noticed that I
consistently craved certain foods at certain times of day,
probably due to a daily pattern of feelings I was attempting
to manage with food.

While using my log, I took the role of a scientist observing
herself, not a critic judging herself. Once I had a better
understanding of my feelings and behavior I began to
experiment with small changes and I saw the pounds I had
regained begin to slip away.

I made the following changes, one at a time:

*Go back to therapy with someone who understands eating and weight issues.
*Fill out my food log.
*Go to bed one hour earlier.
*Get trigger foods out of sight -- or out of the house altogether.
*Each morning, or the night before, plan and pack my food for the day.
*Eat dense protein first at each meal.
*Walk an extra 10 minutes per exercise session.
*Measure the foods I tend to overdo (cheese, fats, carbs).
*ry a new vegetable each week.
*Nap once a week.
*Sit still and breathe for 5 minutes every day.
*Limit my exposure to negative people and to bad news in the world.
*Stop using the telephone, TV, or internet one hour before bedtime and for one hour after awakening each morning (except when I use my yoga DVD).

Seeing the scale go down gave me motivation to try some of
the more difficult changes. Over time, I lost all the weight
I regained.

Fleas are much easier to get rid of when you catch the
infestation in its early stages. At the first sign of fleas,
I take action. It's that way with my weight and cravings,
too.

Now, at the first sign of weight gain, or of sliding into
old unhealthy behavior, I take action. I get my log book out
and observe, non-judgmentally, what's going on.

Then, I experiment some more -- making the easiest changes
first.

I don't know why fleas love me so much. That is their
secret. But the way for me to combat food cravings and
regain is not a secret.

*****************************************************************

Tell a Friend

Please forward this email newsletter to at least three people,
who might benefit from it. Thanks.

*****************************************************************

Want to Reprint this Newsletter?

If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit, including the copyright
line:

From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today and get your F'REE report,
How to Regain-proof Your Weight Loss
Surgery at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2011 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery,
Inc. All rights reserved.

Hello All,

Well Friday I made my 40 pounds and to celebrate this loss I had a eat feast for 4 days. This is what I do and I have to turn it around some how and I don't know how because celebrating with food is what I like and I feel is a true reward to me because that is what I like to do. Needless to say I when I weighed in on Tuesday I was up 11 pounds at 359 and today back at 355 which is probably more like it. I am not even say what I had but it was technically bad and I could not stop myself. My 1st mistake was to stop getting on the scale daily while I was having my food feast.

Do any of you have this issue of eating to celebrate a loss or milstone and if so, how do you reward yourself? I have to stop this food reward issue that I have. I normally stop at one day but once it started on Friday I kept right on going for 4 days.

The good thing is I did not beat myself up or dwell on it that long because I know I am still working on this and I am just glad I got right back on it and every since Tuesday I have stepped on the scale daily. Since I am a food addict and binge eater I have to step on that scale every day because that is the one thing that will stop me from binge eating.

A great piece from Tyler over at 344pounds.com just after he pigged out for superbowl sunday, that I thought I would share:

"One meal doesn’t derail a weight loss journey and neither does a Super Bowl. You don’t want to look for excuses to pig out and to eat whatever you want, but again, this is a lifestyle, not a diet. The free birthday cake at your office for the co-worker you’ve never liked isn’t an excuse to pig out, but the Super Bowl can be, if you’d like. So can the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and out on the lake on Memorial Day.

There are over 52 weeks in a year and Super Bowl Sunday is one day out of those 52 weeks. Even if you stop counting calories on every post office holiday throughout the year (what I mentioned above, plus some), plus 30 more random days (a whole month!) throughout the year, you’d be “cheating” 41 days a year.

That still means by any standards you’d be eating and living “well,” healthy, whatever you want to call it, most of the time — about 325 days a year. If you could manage to do this, you’d slowly lose weight and improve your health. And, if you could manage to count our calories even more days, you’d lose even more weight.

Unfortunately, most people don’t try to be healthy 325 days. Instead, we all try to make a commitment to be healthy and lose weight 365 days a year by being perfect boys and girls with our grilled chicken and salads, then when the Super Bowl comes around we think we failed when we have some hot wings.

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t a failure. It’s just the first day out of 41. Just make sure that you don’t make today day number two and you’ll be just fine."
[/quote]

Mollie- your 4 day feast is now behind you. I also like to reward myself with food, but can usually manage to keepit to one really special treat. Being addicted to food is tough-- you can't just quit cold turkey. I mean, you have to eat. I quit smoking several years ago and that's how I did it. I know that if I lit just one cigarette that it would be all over and I would be back to smoking again. I am the same with a bag of miniature chocolate candy bars, I can't eat just one. I have one, then another, then another until the whole bag is gone. I guess the best way that I have found to help this is to keep all junk food or bad food out of the house.

You have worked so hard. I have been watching your daily exercise, and you rock! Now just get back on track with the eating. Maybe next time you reach a goal, celebrate with a pedicure!

Lynn

Thanks so much Lynn!! Your support means the world to me! Have a wonderful weekend!:flowerforyou:

Just checking in... I am logging my food on the BodyMedia site so I'm not here much. I didn't want to just disappear never to be heard from again...

Is that with the BodyBugg HRM? Thanks for checking in.....:-) I just figured you were busy training, running or just plain old living life!!! Have a good weekend!

Have a good week everyone!!:flowerforyou: Something I found today and wanted to share. If you don't like quotes, etc, then don't read.....:-) Hugs!!

If you're not getting what you want from life, chances are it's because you have not defined your objectives clearly enough. When you can clearly and precisely articulate what you seek to create, you're well on your way to creating it and it will indeed come to be.

Whatever advantages or disadvantages you may have, you absolutely have the means and the ability to experience the life you wish to experience. To utilize the power of that ability, though, you must be completely clear about where to direct it.

Think about it, and you'll realize that you are extremely well equipped and intended for achievement. Since the moment you were born, you have found a way to get your way.

However, when you're vague or inconsistent about where you want to go, you won't go much of anywhere. An absolutely essential part of success is precisely defining what that success is.

Go beyond merely wishing for something better. Figure out exactly what that something looks like, what it feels like, and how it will impact your life.

Forget about what you don't want, and get completely clear about what you do want. Then you'll discover that you are indeed able to make it happen.

---

" Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step". Martin Luther King, Jr.