America is getting Fatter!

I am so sorry I have not been good at blogging.  I promise to be better. 

I recently returned from a trip to Italy and France and I learned so much!  My husband and I were on an American ship for the first part of our trip.  The servings were huge and if you wanted more, there was always more.  If you wanted potato chips at 4am, they were brought to the room.  My lapband did alot of work during this trip and thank God it was there or I would have gained.  My husband, Nick, did gain!

Then we went to France.  Our first night in Paris, we went to visit Nick's cousins.  They had us out for dinner.  We were served off of smaller than dinner but larger than salad plates.  I have come to learn that they are called luncheon plates.  The plate was smaller and therefore, the portions were smaller.

We then got on a barge.  This was a french ship.  The meals we had were wonderful!  We were served smaller portions and in courses.  The portions were 3oz of protein with about a half cup of vegetables and about 2 tablespoons of a starch.  A salad was served with a cheese course.  At lunch and dinner, we were served a presentation of 3 cheeses as well.  Again the portions were small.  In the US, the cheese presentations would have included 3 hunks of cheese.  In France,  we were given a taste of the 3 cheeses.  About two bites worth.  Nick actually lost weight on this part of the trip.  There was never one minute that he complained that he was hungry and not getting enough food.  Since the food came in courses, there really wasn't time to ask for seconds.

So, what did I learn on this trip?  America is getting fatter.  Our plate sizes are huge!  It use to be 12 inches, but now most plates are 13 inches.  I promptly looked up luncheon sized plates on Amazon.com and ordered some.  Nick and I have agreed to eat off these plates when we are not entertaining.  I am also going to start to serve in courses.  It sounds difficult, but if it keeps us eating smaller amounts, I am all for it.  French people are thin and healthy.  I believe it is due to the smaller amounts and the courses.

Stay tuned and I will keep you updated on how our little experiment is working.

The Meantime

There are several times in my life that I have been in the "meantime".  The meantime is when you have finished a chapter in life and are waiting for the next chapter to start.  Does this sound familiar to you?  I read the book, "In The  Meantime" by Ivana Van Zandt years ago when I was waiting for my husband to enter my life. 

Currently, I am in the meantime in some areas of my life.  In other areas, I am in the thick of it and it allows the "meantime" parts to be OK.  My beautiful step daughter is getting married and I am in the midst of wedding planning.  I am busy! 

Everyone who is in the midst of losing weight right now is in the "meantime".  Compare it to having all your clothes be too big, but not wanting to buy a nice new wardrobe because you are not close to your goal.  Leave it to me to make a clothing reference! 

Sometimes it would drive me crazy being in the "meantime"!  You feel like you are in the starting gate, ready to burst forward, but you have to wait.    Argh! 

How do you get through this time with your sanity in tact?  Get busy!  Pick up a craft,  start cleaning out your closet and eventually every room in the house, or better yet-exercise.  Find something positive and healthy to focus on and DO IT!

Learn french, go back to school, do all the things you have been meaning to but haven't had a chance.  You have the time now!  You are spending less time in the grocery store and cooking.  Get out there and add something to your life!

The "meantime" will end.  You will get to your goal and if you make good use of your time, you will not only be healthier, but better all around.  What are you going to do while you are in your weight loss "meantime"?

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

A patient asked me yesterday, what is the biggest adjustment one has to make with the Band or Sleeve?
I answered, "You have to plan".

I currently have my band tight enough to lose weight.  When the band is tight, you need to be sure that you are getting enough protein and plenty of water.  You have to plan for that.  You cannot chug a gallon of water to make up for not drinking any liquids all day.  You have to plan to space your protein out at intervals and not eat a side of a cow in one sitting. 

Even with a sleeve, you have to make plans.  Small amounts is all you can take in.  If you eat too much, you will feel queasy and may even spit up.  Going slow and chewing well are very important with either procedure.  If you wait to eat until you are very hungry, you may eat too quickly and get an air bubble trapped in there or not chew your food well.

I hate to exercise!  If I don't have some sort of plan, I will find any excuse to avoid working out.  I have to think about what I am doing.  Remember, your body works on predictive behavior.  It wants to store energy.  Your job is to get it to expend  energy.  Therefore, one needs to switch it up.  Don't do the same thing all the time.  Trick your body into working harder for you and then you don't have to work out as much!

Any weight loss surgery is a commitment, but you need to make some adjustments.  I make a plan and stick to it.  I might have lunch plans or I might have a busy schedule and no time for lunch.  When I am busy, I need to take a protein bar with me or maybe bring some turkey and cheese roll ups to cover lunch.  I don't need to be too hungry and I don't need to look for options at Walgreens or 7-11.

So I plan.  I think of my day or what is coming up for me and I adjust accordingly.  So, if you are thinking about weight loss surgery, do you have a plan?

CHA CHA CHA CHANGES!

Change is good.  At least that is what I keep telling myself.  So many things seem to be happening all at once that my head is spinning.  I keep thinking that I need to step away and take a breath, but there is never any time.  Some changes seem to be for good and others, well, lets just call them learning experiences.

Change is stressful.  How does one handle stress?  Many people eat ice cream and sweets, others drink alcohol, and even others may find comfort in "comfort foods".  A few people may find themselves turning to some sort of pills.  Lately I have not been sleeping well.  I also have injured myself while working out and cannot do a normal workout.  I am frustrated!

I am trying to think of healthy things I can do to alleviate stress.  Exercising is out for the moment as I need to rehab my various injuries.  Reading isn't helping.  I spend so much time worrying about my future.  A friend of mine told me that whatever is going to ahppen, will happen.  She is right.  I can't control what other people do, but I can control what I do.

I need to think of my future and the choices I have available to me.  No more worrying about the things I have no control over.  Concentrate on relaxing when not working and trying to get more sleep.  I am open to any suggestions on how to handle change and stress.  Thoughts?

Blowing Some Steam

My husband calls me 'sensitive'.  I hate that word.  The moment he says 'sensitive' to me, I can guarantee we will have an animated 'discussion'.  OK, so I get a bit sensitive when people are ugly to me.  I also am very sensitive to what people are feeling (I view that as a good thing) and can correctly choose the right way to proceed in order to spare their feelings.  So, my sensitivity has good and bad features.  Regardless, I am known as the designated family crier, as anything that is sad, sweet, exciting, et al. can cause me to well up with tears.  My niece is getting married this July, break out the tissues!

Today, I figured out that at times I am not being sensitive enough in some situations.  Whereas in my home life, I can become weepy at the drop of a hat, in my work life, I seem to be a bit hardened.  Fancy that!  I like the people I work with and I adore my patients.  I feel that it is an honor that they have selected my company and myself to help them through this process.

What drive me nuts is when they no show for appointments.  I don't mind if you cancel.  Life happens and things come up, but don't make me track you down to find out that you forgot.  I have no patience for that.  If you expect me to be here to help you, the least you can do is show up!
Sheesh!  OK stepping down off of the soapbox.  Better now.

Today I am just "over it"!  I am tired of the heat (way too soon to be saying that), tired of the traffic, tired of work, tired of exercising, tired of watching what I eat, etc.  All I want to do is float in my blow up pool and read.

The reality check is that I cannot float and read all the time because I would be bored after the first day.  I would feel like I needed to be doing something.  My husband says I never just give myself permission to do nothing.  I admire that he can shut off the day and just watch some mindless movie.  Me?  I must be DOING something while watching TV.  Pay bills, run through my endless stream of magazines, clean something.

With all the things I keep doing, you would think I kept a nice, neat and tidy house.  No.  It looks like most people's houses.  Well, the ones who don't have Mighty Maids on speed dial.  It isn't  ready for "Hoarders" either.  Just "cleanish".

This past weekend, I had a neighbor who loves to organize come over and help me clean out the art closet.  She has had surgery and I am trying to keep her busy with things that won't have her lifting.  I only allowed her to point and direct.  I did all the moving of crap.  It looks wonderful and I was exhausted after all the work.  This Saturday we are doing my closet.  I am terrified!  She will be ruthless.  I won't have any clothes left! 

I guess I am delivering this random stream of consciousness with a purpose.  I plan on giving myself permission to do nothing one evening in the next week.   What do you need to give yourself permission to do?

MOTIVATION

What motivates you to lose weight?  Better health?  That short skirt hanging in the closet?  An upcoming event?
My sister and I have been on the "Bridal Diet".  Now this is no specific diet, but it is one that has motivated both of us to lose about 15 pounds a piece.  We both are shooting for at least 5 more pounds.  We are motivated because her daughter is getting married this July and we want to look good in the pictures.  Even our husbands have jumped in on the dieting.  We all are working out like crazy and trying to drink less and eat better.  It hasn't been too hard because we all have a common goal.  I must say I do have an advantage over them by having the LapBand, but I don't have it so tight that I can't eat anything, just small portions.
It is funny how weight can creep up on you.  We have all been complacent about our weight for quite awhile, but once my niece was engaged, we decided we were all too heavy.  Even banded, I had let a few pounds slide on.  Granted, I had Mono last year and that threw me backwards, but I should have started paying attention to the pounds that had jumped on, long before March of this year.  It feels good to be back into all my clothes.  I am sleeping better!  My husband isn't snoring as much!  It is a positive all around!  Maybe not a complete positive, my pants are getting too loose and I believe that there is shopping in my future.  Husband isn't too happy about that!  My sister is looking fantastic!  She did some shopping and looks fabulous in her new dresses.  She will do well as the Mother of the Bride.
So, what will happen when the wedding is over?  How will we all stay motivated to continue on and either lose a few more pounds or maintain our new healthier status?  What motivates you to keep going?  I am open to all suggestions.