"Weigh yourself once a week" is one of the most important rules we have for weight loss surgery patients, band or sleeve. I ask pre-op patients to tell me how often they weigh themselves and almost every time, they state that they don't even own a scale! This is not good. I believe that many of us get up in weight because we don't weigh. We don't pay attention. It is easier to wear the "fat" jeans or the stretchy pants. Before you know it, we are in trouble.
At TLCEdge, we want the patient to weigh once a week during weight loss. It is awfully tempting to jump on the scale several times a day when you are losing weight. At one point, I was weighing after every bathroom break, just to see if I lost any more. This can drive you a bit bonkers. Going to the other extreme and not weighing at all is a wrong step as well. If you don't weigh, then how will you know where you are in your progress? We tell banded patients, when the scale says the same number as last week, and you are adding food, you should book a fill. Weighing is very important to stay on target.
Once you are at goal, the scale plays a very important role in your life. No one wants to go back to their heavy weight. If you weigh everyday, then you will be on top of any potential problems that may come your way. I have my scale in front of my underwear drawer. I must step on the scale in order to get my underwear. This keeps me responsible for where I am in my progress. I encourage people to mark their scales with a 5 and 10 pound mark. Women will naturally go up and down a few pounds every month, but if you have the scale marked, you will know when it might be going from bloating to gaining.
If you don't own one, go get one. Tanita makes a good scale. There are many reasonably priced ones on the market. It doesn't have to be a fancy scale, just one that will keep track of your weight. Get on it once a week if you are losing and everyday if you are at goal. Pay attention!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Don't Gobble Gobble it all up!
The holiday season is upon us! Here are some helpful hints to help you survive an Banded or Sleeved holiday!
COOKING
Are you the chef? Here are some tips.
1. Eat before you start cooking.
2. Designate a taster and taste only if you think you must.
3. If cooking is a family event, choose a task that involves something you would not be tempted to eat. Make the rolls. Clean the pots and pans. You will burn a few calories along the way.
DINNER
1. Be Realistic! You can't eat like before, so don't even try. Take little bits, not huge spoonfuls. Serve yourself with a teaspoon and not the large serving spoon. Have a bite of everything, but just a bite.
2. If possible, serve yourself from a salad plate. You will feel like you are eating more.
3. Go slow and chew well. You do not need to track with everyone to hurry up and get seconds. Go slow, you won't be needing seconds this year. Cut your food into nickel sized bites so you can enjoy pleasant conversation.
4. If your family is like mine, every conversation is centered around the food. Expand your horizons this year. Read the paper and watch the news before the dinner. Come up with interesting tidbits to pass along. Think about who will be sitting at your table. Ask them questions about themselves. Listen. You will be amazed at what you will learn.
EMOTIONAL
1. If a family member seems overly concerned with every morsel of food you are eating or if someone tells you that they see no weight loss, then explain to them that this is a process. You are doing exactly what your Doctor wants you to do. Thank them for their concern, but remind them that this is your adventure and you will be fine.
2. Have fun! Don't stress! If it ever gets to be too much, make yourself useful in the kitchen. I have washed many plates in the past to avoid difficult situations.
The best part about a banded or sleeved holiday? We usually lose weight!
Happy Thanksgiving!
COOKING
Are you the chef? Here are some tips.
1. Eat before you start cooking.
2. Designate a taster and taste only if you think you must.
3. If cooking is a family event, choose a task that involves something you would not be tempted to eat. Make the rolls. Clean the pots and pans. You will burn a few calories along the way.
DINNER
1. Be Realistic! You can't eat like before, so don't even try. Take little bits, not huge spoonfuls. Serve yourself with a teaspoon and not the large serving spoon. Have a bite of everything, but just a bite.
2. If possible, serve yourself from a salad plate. You will feel like you are eating more.
3. Go slow and chew well. You do not need to track with everyone to hurry up and get seconds. Go slow, you won't be needing seconds this year. Cut your food into nickel sized bites so you can enjoy pleasant conversation.
4. If your family is like mine, every conversation is centered around the food. Expand your horizons this year. Read the paper and watch the news before the dinner. Come up with interesting tidbits to pass along. Think about who will be sitting at your table. Ask them questions about themselves. Listen. You will be amazed at what you will learn.
EMOTIONAL
1. If a family member seems overly concerned with every morsel of food you are eating or if someone tells you that they see no weight loss, then explain to them that this is a process. You are doing exactly what your Doctor wants you to do. Thank them for their concern, but remind them that this is your adventure and you will be fine.
2. Have fun! Don't stress! If it ever gets to be too much, make yourself useful in the kitchen. I have washed many plates in the past to avoid difficult situations.
The best part about a banded or sleeved holiday? We usually lose weight!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Water, Water Everywhere...
One of the most important rules for good weight loss (especially with the band) is:
No Eating or Drinking at the Same Time.
This is the hardest rule to get used to and the easiest rule to break. Maybe if it was explained a bit more, one would likely work hard to follow this rule. When you drink, you flush food through your band or stomach. Therefore, when you flush, you can get more food down. Mary McNeill, registered dietitian, compares it to tuna in a sink. If you dump a can of tuna in the sink, it will sit there. If you run water in the sink, the tuna goes down the drain. We want the food to sit in the upper pouch for awhile as it will help you to feel full. The goal is to lose weight, so it is best not to flush. At TLCEdge, we ask our patients to stop drinking a few minutes before they sit down to their meal. We also want you to wait 30 minutes to an hour after the meal before you drink. This sounds so hard to do. We do not need moisture to enjoy a meal. This is Texas, and we are all used to the 3 glasses of tea lunch. When preparing for weight loss surgery, I often ask the patient to start to train oneself to not drink during a meal. It is more of a mental thing than a physical need.
Often, patients follow this rule for a period of time, and then somehow, get off track. They start drinking with their meals, then they wonder why they are not losing weight. If your weight loss is at a standstill, you might want to re-examine what you are doing during mealtime. Have you "let it slide" a bit and are now washing everything down? Don't let the water drown the weight loss!
No Eating or Drinking at the Same Time.
This is the hardest rule to get used to and the easiest rule to break. Maybe if it was explained a bit more, one would likely work hard to follow this rule. When you drink, you flush food through your band or stomach. Therefore, when you flush, you can get more food down. Mary McNeill, registered dietitian, compares it to tuna in a sink. If you dump a can of tuna in the sink, it will sit there. If you run water in the sink, the tuna goes down the drain. We want the food to sit in the upper pouch for awhile as it will help you to feel full. The goal is to lose weight, so it is best not to flush. At TLCEdge, we ask our patients to stop drinking a few minutes before they sit down to their meal. We also want you to wait 30 minutes to an hour after the meal before you drink. This sounds so hard to do. We do not need moisture to enjoy a meal. This is Texas, and we are all used to the 3 glasses of tea lunch. When preparing for weight loss surgery, I often ask the patient to start to train oneself to not drink during a meal. It is more of a mental thing than a physical need.
Often, patients follow this rule for a period of time, and then somehow, get off track. They start drinking with their meals, then they wonder why they are not losing weight. If your weight loss is at a standstill, you might want to re-examine what you are doing during mealtime. Have you "let it slide" a bit and are now washing everything down? Don't let the water drown the weight loss!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Slow Down There
Remember when you were a kid and your Mom would fuss at you for eating too fast? She might have said, "Slow down, where's the fire"? My dad use to say "Slow down and taste the vanilla". Today, I find myself saying to the men in my family "If you have to angle your bite to get it into your mouth, then it needs to be cut in half".
In today's world, the media has done a great job in trying to get us moving on to the next thing as quick as possible. You see people eating and running all the time. Next time you are out driving at lunch, look around and notice how many people are eating and driving at the same time. We are much too busy to take 15 minutes out of our lives and enjoy a meal at a table. Just as driving and texting is not safe, driving and eating is not safe for a weight loss surgery patient.
The most important rule you can learn for any weight loss surgery is to SLOW DOWN and CHEW your food. Sounds easy huh? Those of us who have had surgery will tell you that it isn't easy to do. One must be able to concentrate on eating. If you get distracted, you will revert back to the old ways and swallow a bite of not well chewed food. Chances are, it might come back for a encore performance!
When I first married my loving husband and added 5 children to my life, dinner was a whirlwind! I would have taken about 3 bites, when everyone at the table would be finished. I would encourage them to leave the table, but they insisted on waiting for me to be finished. So, I would have many pairs of eyes staring at me whilst I ate. Well, that awkwardness would guarantee a spit up as I would attempt to eat quicker and would not chew my food. I finally spoke to my husband and asked his support in tracking with me (eating at my pace) at meals, so I would be able to keep dinner down. He agreed and since he slowed down, he lost 10 pounds without even trying! Go slow, chew well!
In today's world, the media has done a great job in trying to get us moving on to the next thing as quick as possible. You see people eating and running all the time. Next time you are out driving at lunch, look around and notice how many people are eating and driving at the same time. We are much too busy to take 15 minutes out of our lives and enjoy a meal at a table. Just as driving and texting is not safe, driving and eating is not safe for a weight loss surgery patient.
The most important rule you can learn for any weight loss surgery is to SLOW DOWN and CHEW your food. Sounds easy huh? Those of us who have had surgery will tell you that it isn't easy to do. One must be able to concentrate on eating. If you get distracted, you will revert back to the old ways and swallow a bite of not well chewed food. Chances are, it might come back for a encore performance!
When I first married my loving husband and added 5 children to my life, dinner was a whirlwind! I would have taken about 3 bites, when everyone at the table would be finished. I would encourage them to leave the table, but they insisted on waiting for me to be finished. So, I would have many pairs of eyes staring at me whilst I ate. Well, that awkwardness would guarantee a spit up as I would attempt to eat quicker and would not chew my food. I finally spoke to my husband and asked his support in tracking with me (eating at my pace) at meals, so I would be able to keep dinner down. He agreed and since he slowed down, he lost 10 pounds without even trying! Go slow, chew well!
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