How strong is your chain? - part 2

Here is the second part of the dramatisation of the choices I’m facing each day – I wonder if it’s just me-me-me or is it actually useful to anyone to know this?

 

• Take home (WL score: 2): But sometimes I do buy things – when they ask for it, or when we shop together and it makes its way into our trolley sneakily. And it gets home. I noticed that if I put these things into certain places in my kitchen then they don’t bother me much. If they need to go to the fridge, then they do bother me more. So, lately all the cookies go into our bread drawer (I don’t eat bread since my op, so I do not open that drawer). Ice cream is a lucky situation, as D only likes the big tub of Walls vanilla, while I would only eat Haagen Dazs praline&cream – therefore I’m absolutely safe from that.
• Make or bake (WL score: 5): now I found this my pitfall. I’m an avid baker! I love to bake. It is my hobby and it relaxes me. If I had a really crap day just pottering in my kitchen baking something makes me feel recharged and relaxed. I collected a massive amount of cookbooks – most about baking stuff. I have all the kit and gadget a self-confessed baking addict can have. I love making macaroons, for heaven’s sake! You can wisely say: baking doesn’t make you fat; eating the goods make you fat – and you would be very right. But – actually BUT – although my family loves eating my baked goods, they do not have a real sweet tooth. I do. So when I bake a cake or some brownies or macaroons, I absolutely MUST eat them. Otherwise they just sit on the counter/in the fridge, unloved and unappreciated and they go bad. I haven’t mastered the technique of letting that happen. I normally fine on the day of baking – I can have a sliver (calories all counted) and leave it for the rest of the day. But the next day and the day after, when I notice that no-one really touched it, I just have to have some more... and more... and more. Major alarm bells there!!! I did a fruity scrummy cake just 4 weeks after my surgery. I was still on mushies, but because no-one touched the wonderfully looking cake on the counter, I had to have a couple of slices. It stuck. That was my first experience of having food stuck on my upper stomach because of my band. It was not pleasant. It did not come back, but made me oh-so-wary regarding baked goods. Two weeks ago, on a sunny and quite Sunday afternoon I suddenly had the urge to bake profiteroles. Filled with cream, doused in homemade chocolate sauce. One of D’s favourite. I just WANTED to make them, so much! I craved for the time in the kitchen! Of course I ended up having a few – with sugar free chocolate sauce on top. That evening I told my husband: I only ever going to bake for occasions from now on. Christmas, birthdays: bring them on! But no more recreational baking for me! It is really difficult. I’m collecting WLS friendly baking recipes, but not doing too good (until I’ve found Shelley’s blog) Now I’m planning to try her protein muffins over the weekend. Family’s not going to like them, but it is about me now. I need to find a way to channel my Inner Baking Goddess, but not jeopardize my weight loss efforts. I have to solve this!
• Display on the kitchen counter (WL score: 5): as above. These are normally goods I baked/made. Things we buy in store end up in their rightful places around the kitchen, and I do have quite a lot of temptation free area – I make a conscious effort to visit those, if I must eat. I stuffed my cupboard with various Atkins bars... they’ll do when I’m in sore need of a sweet-kick and they boost my protein intake too.
• Eat (WL score: 2): Ok, if/when I reach the point of putting things into my mouth that has been a conscious decision on my part. The days of eating meaninglessly are over for good! I can hand-on-heart honestly say that. And when I eat anything I measure it out, I count the calories and I log it in my food diary. ALWAYS. No exceptions. Even little bites – they all add up. Because of hubby and the family, I do cook for all of us (no special meals for me L ) and I eat the same as they do – with minor tweaks. Let’s say we have roast chicken with all the trimmings (potato included): I will roast some cauliflowers and have that instead of potato. Or if we have some curry I do not have rice (haven’t touched rice since my op) but I have a ¼ of a flatbread or pitta. Between work, exercise, family life and my reading addiction I do not have the time to cook separately for myself and my family. But I’m trying to make best of this situation, and so far it’s working. (knock-knock-knock)
• And eat some more (WL score: 2): you know the feeling when you become aware that you should stop eating, but the food is so tasty or you still feel hunger and just keep on eating? Another important thing I’ve learnt on my journey is that my stomach doesn’t need much food to be happy and my brains does not have eyes to see how much I eat. It’s my eyes and my old bad habits that keep me wanting more than my little WLS share of a meal. Two months out, and they still do: “oh, that’s not going to be enough! You are going to stay hungry! Are you kidding us?!” and so on and so forth. I’ve got this with every single meal. So what I do it that I measure and calculate the calories in my meal BEFORE I eat it. Then I sit down and try to eat VERY slowly, with tiny bites, chewing my food to an inch of its life and when I finish I walk away from the table. Sometimes I still feel hungry, and the leftovers are calling for me. But I wrestle those thoughts temporarily – in less than 10 minutes I know I’m not hungry anymore and the temptation goes away. It really does. Try it!

So, to conclude this massive two part drama, it is obvious that I have to work on the following areas:

• Making/baking food
• Leaving tempting food in sight permanently

Somewhat less serious, but still needs work:

• Buying things

I have to work on coping strategies for these. Doesn’t seem much, but when baking is your hobby how on earth can you abandon it cold-turkey? I’ve been thinking about piano lessons...

I would really appreciate your thoughts on these. What are your weak links and how did you/do you conquer them? Let me know...

Have a great weekend Everyone!

How strong is your chain? - part 1

I read a very interesting book lately about diets and weight-loss (Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata). I’ve been oooh-ing and aaah-ing all the way through, nodding vigorously and having a permanent lightbulb of realization flashing above my head, but one sentence stuck with me in particular: what is your weakest point in your weight-loss efforts? Historically, I mean. Because, you know the proverb, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link in it.

So I’ve been conducting a mini experiment to unmask my weakest link(s) and learn to deal with them more efficiently.

My little experiment is very unscientific, and it involves watching myself like a hawk every time I think about/fancy/walk past/touch/put in my basket/buy/take home/make or bake/display on the kitchen counter/eat anything I am not supposed to. (Yeah, for those who are not banded in the audience: the band does NOT stop you eating crap... I stop me eating crap.)

So let’s analyse these links in my chain – I will score each link from 1 to 5 according to the likeliness it leads me to eat “out of order”; 1 being ‘highly unlikely’, 5 being ‘highly likely’

• Think about (WeakLink score: 1): that is where I find my band really helping, as I’m not nearly as interested in food as I used to be. Pre-band I was willing to rearrange my day if I fancied something from a store at the other end of town and needed time to get it. And I thought that was normal... duh! Now I can watch a food show (it’s like porn for us, as I’m sure other band-mates can attest) and not wanting to jump up from the sofa and try to recreate it in the kitchen. I actually enjoy these shows more, as I can be more absorbed without feeling the instant force of head-hunger. I haven’t even cancelled my Good Food magazine subscription – I enjoy finding new (WLS friendly) dishes and trying them at home. Interestingly, my focus shifted naturally from cakes and bakes to high protein meat based dishes... And I haven’t even tried to do that, it’s just happened!
• Fancy (WL score: 1): I do have cravings every now and then (yep, the band did not eliminate those either...). However, so far I haven’t given in once since my op. Whenever I ate some crap, that was a conscious decision made by me, calculated and accounted for in my food log and paid for by extra sessions in the gym or less calories on other meals that day or a not-so-great loss next time I stepped on the scale. I haven’t once fallen of my Band Wagon yet! And I don’t feel that such a chore either. It seems I have now the power to say NO in the early stages of a craving, and then to stick to my decision. That’s pretty cool.
• Walk past (WL score: 1): sometimes the previous link of fancying something even takes me to the shops. Or I’m at the supermarket when I suddenly fancy something naughty (I curse them every time for blowing in the scents of the bakery at the entrance!!). I go to the aisle; I face my foe; ... I face it some more...; then I can decide I do not really need it. Having gone through all the unpleasant parts of the surgery (have I mentioned vacuum pump hanging out from my stomach for 24 hours to automatically suck out the leftover blood in my abdominal cavity? I haven’t – I shall rectify that soon.) I acquired an uncanny tool of recalling all that and it puts a great perspective on my current foe: I don’t really need this, that’s not why I done this; I deserve more from myself.
• Touch (WL score: 2): Well, sometimes I’m tired or stressed or excited and my visual recall of the nasty post-surgery things just not working. So I pick up the offending food item. Now, listen to this: I always read the labels!!! Yes! And more often than not, I found the calorie/sugar/fat content so off-putting, that I put the thing straight back on the shelf.
• Put in my basket (WL score: 2): recently I went to the movies with my sis. Pre-op that meant a bag of M&Ms for yours truly. So, I picked up the pack and – after reading the label and tsk-tsking all the way – I proceeded by putting it in my basket. I had other things to buy too – good things. By the time I finished with the other stuff, the bag of M&Ms in my basket was burning a hole in my conscious and inducing a major amount of self loathing. Thin Me – who I recently empowered to take charge every now and then – was asking fat me: “remind me why did we go through all This (that’s how I refer to procedure – with capital T)? Not to ruin it with keeping up silly habits. You can take a protein bar to the movies, if you fancy something sweet.” Let me tell you: Thin Me won. I put the bag of sweets back where they come from. She keeps winning more and more easily each time.
• Buy (WL score: 3): If the story would go every time like in the last five points, there would be nothing to worry about, right? WRONG! One of the earliest thing I realised is that this whole WLS journey must be much easier for a single person. When you are single/do not have family you do not have to take other person(s) into consideration when you do your shopping. You only buy what You need, you only cook what You fancy... This is much harder when you have others to think about. And I’ve found that my mind makes it even harder by playing tricks on me. Prime example: My husband and stepsons LOVE cookies, amongst other naughty foods. And they can eat it by the truckload, because they are lucky that way. Sometimes I think of treating them to their favourite Millie’s box of 24 various shop-baked cookies. Or a dozen of Krispy Kremes. But when I’m paying really close attention, I always find that I don’t really want to treat THEM, but want to treat MYSELF by giving in and buying it. I caught myself several times thinking “oh, David would loooove these xxxxxx (you can put anything from cheesecake to brownies in the empty space). Let’s buy him some!” But then I take an honest – HONESTLY HONEST – look deep into my reasons, and I am constantly shocked that it is really me who I want to treat with these naughty foods, not so much my husband... Figure that! So now, when I pull the “let’s treat D” card on crap food, I always ask myself: did he ask me to buy it? Does he really want it? Can he live without it? And the end of this honest conversation inside my head is that I have bought only one “treat for D” since my surgery – it’s a Hungarian sweetbread D really-really loves, and I bought it in our specialist shop at Budapest when I walked past. I bought him 3. I ate one.... Well, my point exactly!!!!

To be continued...

First milestone - CHECK!

It is not my "official" weigh in day (that's Monday) but being a scale-whore pays off sometimes:

As of this morning, I'm reached my first goal of getting under 210lbs!

What about that! I'm soooooo elated that I'm feeling like going back to the gym this evening and have another 2mile run just like yesterday! Onwards and downwards, readers! 

Ohhh - and I owe myself a massage too for this! I think I'll save it up for our holiday.

The next one is a bit of a thoughie: I have set goal to be under 195lbs by the end of September. It is going to be our first holiday since our honeymoon two years ago, and I would like to be at the weight I was back then. That means I have 15lbs to lose in 6 weeks, which equals 2.5lbs per week.
I know, I know: that is a bit over-ambitious! It's not enough that I know this fact in my head, but all my carefully designed target and goal estimating spreadsheets* are also telling me that I have the chance of the snowball in hell reaching that goal in time... Well, none the less I'll do my best. But I'm not going to commit hara-kiri if I fall short of that one. At the end of the day: it is OVER ambitious. (I definitely want to be under 200 by then, which is slightly more reasonable).

*= this reminded me: I must work on a post telling you more about all my beloved recording tools. Their number is high (around ten) but I love filling them out in various intervals (they all have their own rules and requirements). Yes, I've a slight OCD when it comes to details - especially gadget related ones.

But for now: let's celebrate my first mile stone!!! Well done me!

Exercise roadblocks - mindblocks

What are your “roadblocks” (or shall I call them mind-blocks?) when it comes to exercise? And how do you push yourself through them?

I’m doing a Couch to 5K  9 week programme, and apparently – says the expert – it is week 4 when most people give up on it. Guess where I'm at? 

Yep, week 4...

You supposed to do 3 sessions per week, and I did my first of w4 on Sunday. The second should have been yesterday (in honour of “put your sweat on Wednesdays”) but it did not happen. I was not feeling too well yesterday (really) and was also anxious to get home and set up my wonderfully clever Ki Fit. So I skipped my run. And I felt bad about it... So I told myself I’m doing it today. And the third, instead of Friday, I’ll do on Sunday. (I'll have a date with Sis to watch Inbetweeners movie - Can't wait!)

I want to get through this ominous week 4, because the fact that most people give up during this week is clearly playing on my mind to the extent of producing all kind of physical ailments to justify not doing it. But I don’t want to give in! I want to prove my mind wrong! I want to be able to proudly start week 5 next week and shove the statistics down anyone’s throat who doubted me – yours truly included. I need to beat my mind in this game, because I’m only at the beginning of the whole WLS game and I want to be on the Losers’ Bench for good! And these little tricks during my pre-WLS life were always proved to be stronger than little weak Thin Me inside my head. I’m on my way to empower Thin Me from now on! Brimstones to the road(mind)blocks!

Here is for you, Thin Me! Cheers! 

My WLS reading list

I'm a huge fan of comprehensive research - especially when it comes to myself and my health.
So, in preparation to - and right after - my surgery I've collected a couple of WLS "pearls" from Amazon, and kept reading-reading-reading.
When you are reading books about the same topic week in week out, you notice that most of them are repeats and you already know what they are going to say under certain topics. Nonetheless, I kept reading them.

And then, the week following my surgery I re-read some of them.
Two of them I actually keep close on my extensive bookshelf: they provide daily support when I have questions.

Maybe someone will find this little list useful researching for an upcoming operation. I know that the knowledge helped me immensely! Although my surgeon is great and I can always call him, the hospital I've been at is a kind of "NHS-Hungary" - which means they do not really have a support program accompanying the surgery: they do their best when you are there (or if you ever have any complications) but other then the couple of days in the hospital you are on your own, making it work for yourself. I know this sounds crazy! I have two "surgery buddies" - to lovely gals who have been banded on the same day as me. We talked a lot and I was absolutely terrified how little they knew about living with the band on the day before surgery! Mind you, if I haven't read this collection of books and various blogs and other internet sources, I would have been in the  same situation. I found that scary, as I needed all the knowledge I can accumulate to feel safe and know I'm doing the right thing. They didn't just miss out on the support program form the hospital, but they do not have access to the same books either - because they don't speak English and these books haven't been translated and published in Hungarian.
Not so surprisingly, one of my doc's team member - a young doctor with great band related track record - actually left the team and the hospital to set up Hungary's first proper WLS support clinic. I totally understand why he decided so...

So now for the list:

• The Lap-Band Solution (Paul O'Brien MD) - the must-have piece on any bandster's bookshelf!
• The Emotional First Aid Kit - A Practical guide to life after bariatric surgery (Cynthia L. Alexander, PsyD) - I honestly believe this is one of the greatest help you can read regarding issues and solutions for emotional eating, changing circumstances, relationships after WLS, etc.. Great book!
• Lap-Band for Life (Ariel Ortiz Lagardere MD FACS) - very detailed! Really great info and useful "Troubleshooting" guide at the back.
• Gastric Band and Beyond (Mrs Sharon E Bates; Dr Simon J.W. Monkhouse) - my first band-book

The rest are much less band-specific, but I use them for recipes and other hints-and-tips:

• Return to Slender (Carol Bowen Ball)
• Weight-Loss Surgery Connection (Melissa Debin-Parish)
• Okay.. I've gone through weight loss surgery NOW WHAT DO I DO? (Joanne M. Moff, PA-C)
• Before & After (Susan Maria Leach) - I think this now classified as "classic"
• Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies (Kurian, Thompson, Davidson) - helpful and easy to read
• Gastric Bypass Surgery - The Psychological Journey (Ranesa McNally, LCSW-C)

And two really helpful book for the brave and/or spiritual amongst us:

• Rethinking Thin (Gina Kolata) - more about this in another blog later: just finished reading it yesterday and I must collect and analyse my thoughts. It's a tough read for everyone who believes/hopes that the weight will just disappear and never come back.... Brace yourselves!
• A Course in Weight Loss - 21spiritual lessons for surrender our weight forever (Marianne Williamson) - I'm still only on lesson 5... but I do want to complete it - if you have any kind of faith, this is a great help.

I know what you  think - this is just far too much read! But I'm a real bookie and I learn and gather information best by reading it. (and I'm also slightly obsessed with books... and buying them. Amazon could sponsor me...)

Ok,this is turning out a slightly boring blog unless you are a fellow bookie - sorry.

Here is something more interesting: First time in my life I watched Biggest Loser USA on Saturday. And I - first time ever - saw the BodyBugg. And I fell in love, head over heals, helplessly, blindly... Do you know what I'm talking about? Not? Then check out Ki Fit.
And then came the breakdown of promises: I know I had a new heart rate monitor "scheduled"as one of my awards (see this entry)- but honestly: how can any selfrespecting weight-loser live their life fully without this gadget? (I can hear you saying"very well, thanks", but that's not MY point!)
So, I had a heart-to-heart with myself and my bank account, and we made the executive decision to buy the kit now as an early "award" - it will help me track my calories in/out and so much more, will give me an ultimate tool to control my weight loss and I'll be happy as Larry - as I'm always when using a new gadget.(And I also lost over 20lbs since my surgery, so some kind of award is just!)
Hopefully it will  be delivered tomorrow (I ordered it just before 2pm) and I can start using it from Wednesday. I will give you regular updates on how it's shaping my journey: I have high hopes for the thing!

With love to all! Have a great week!

My WLS Goals - for 2011 and 2012

I believe the more I “advertise” my goals the more accountable I can keep myself. Because as soon as it becomes public domain I feel I wouldn't just let myself down not achieving them, but everyone else who knows them and believes I can do it. (Hey, are You rooting for me too? I always welcome positive thoughts through the ether)

I also set out my rewards list alongside my goals – it just feels much sweeter thinking about them. I’m also an impulsive online shopper, and firmly attaching these items to goals to be reached might (might...) keep me from buying them “prematurely”.

We know what well set goals should be: SMART!

In the usual management spiel:

·         Smart

·         Measurable

·         Adds value

·         Realistic

·         Time based

So here is my list freshly copied from my written journal:

Getting under 210 - DONE! 25/08/11	Anytime soon	90 minutes Swedish massage
Getting under 200 - Done! 26/09/11	sometime in September	2 new dresses (already picked them, but holding back buying them) Hell no! I'd be shrinking out of them too soon. I do a rain-check on this reward.
Getting under 195 - failed	By end of September (start of our holiday)	Some gorgeous silver jewellery from Egypt
Getting under 180	before Christmas ’11	Laxman meditation machine (this is my biggest driver!! I’ve been pining for this for nearly a year now! It would make a perfect Christmas present for little me...)
Finishing Couch to 5K - Done! 27/09/11	October ‘11	New Polar heart rate monitor (Ft40F in white) I've got myself a Body Bug - much better option!

Ultimate goal:

Getting under 150 – by end of May ’12 (our 3^rd wedding anniversary) – going back to our honeymoon hotel in Bali (http://www.alilahotels.com/ubud) Now if that doesn’t keep me on track, what will?? Look at that infinity pool!!!!

 Well, of course along the way there are also less obvious (duhh...) but maybe more important rewards: losing hypertension, losing ankle pain, losing knee pain, losing fat... but you all know that, don’t you? J

What are your goals? What they have been a month after your op? Have you achieved them? What kept you motivated? 

(would be nice to see a comment or two... it feels like I'm writing for myself only... pity party - pity party... Never mind.)

There’s an App for that!

Hi everyone. My name is Krisztina and I’m an addict...

I’m addicted to apps (applications for my iPhone) – and other gadgets.

I cannot get enough and I keep finding new treasures to make my life – supposedly – easier.

Here is a short list of those apps which I use on my WLS journey:

MyFitnessPal (Link here)

Honestly the best calorie tracker I’ve tried – and I tried a lot! I signed up for the website on the day I started my pre-op diet and faithfully tracking every bite ever since (and exercise). Having it on my phone also makes it easier to account for everything passing my lips (Hey, don’t think dirty! This is a weight loss blog!). I believe accountability starts at basic level, and I must be totally honest with myself if I expect results (therefore even the lick of peanut butter and the bite of naan bread makes it to my log – no bite is too small to account for!) Honestly, I would be devastated without it!

Ticker Factory (Link here)

I’m using their weight-loss ticker on this blog (see my little choo-choo train on the top? You know, as in “being chained to it”?). You can decide if you want to show your current weight or what you lost or how far are you from your goal. They have an really good app for androids, and a not-that-good for iPhone (it only tracks dates so far, not weight loss. And the import function does not work for iPhones either. I hope they correct this soon). You can add your ticker to your iGoogle page or website too. Great motivator to see the decreasing figures all day every day! I love it!

Target Weight for Adults (Personal Daily Weight Tracker and BMI)

My newest obsession – it turns out to be. I set out a scale related non-scale-related goal which sounds like a contradiction in itself, but just listen to my problem:

I’ve been suffering from major scale-scare due to a painfully slow digestion (all my life). So many times, when weigh-in day comes (or came on my various previous attempt to lose weight including both SW and WW) I go into extremes to make sure the figure on that day will show MY weight, as opposed to the weight of all the food I’ve eaten in the days running up to the weigh-in. (Whoever has been afflicted with the same problem will surely understand that.) If that does not happen I shy away from the scale as I know it will not show a great result – due to no fault of my own. So I do all I can to make sure the REAL figure shows on the day. However, I KNOW it is not necessarily good and healthy habit to have so I set out to break it. And my way of trying to break it is to weigh myself every single morning. This, for one, makes me more confident in stepping on the scale and also – after a transitory period, I guess – I will be able to take the number showing regardless of the state of my digestion on that particular morning. I hope to brake the lax habit eventually (that is also part of my Goals List – but more about that later).

This little app (not so little, when you get to know it) is a great tool to help you in that. I love my details and researches and graphs, and this gives you all and more! Just after a week using it I cannot wait till the morning weigh-in, so I can enter my daily number. Major improvement on my previous attitude! Fab graph on the main screen straight away! It also shows how many days you have left until your next goal and how much weight you need to lose to reach it. I love it!

C25K – couch to 5K running programme (Link here)

Another of my non-weight related goals is to be able to run/jog 5K and to enter a 5K run sometime soon. I tried similar programmes before, but they were printed so you either had to take the paper to the gym (or park) or try to remember that day’s routine... Also, clock watching while trying to stay alive on the treadmill does not work for me... And enter C25K – it not only gives you the complete 9 weeks program (which I hope to finish before going on holiday end of September), but it actually talks you through it. You can pick from  male or female trainer, who will instruct you when you need to run or walk, tell you when you are half way through...etc. You can also link it with your music on your phone, so it’s playing while you are running. Now I only have to concentrate on changing the speed when instructed. Ohh, nearly forgot: at the end you can enter the details of each training and it gives you pretty charts of your progress! I love it!

P.s.: I'm on week 3 now, and like it so much I offered to translate the program into Hungarian for their website - it just went live :)

Not WLS related:

MultiConvert – a converter of all things. Not in the religious sense. I use it a lot when entering weights and speed and volumes into my various other apps. I don’t like the frustration of not knowing exactly how many mph is 7kmph... and the likes.

My Polar F7 heart rate monitor and fitness thingy... (Link here)

If you take your calorie counting seriously you also want to know how much energy you expend. You can rely on databases (like the one on MyFitnessPal) or the screen of the machine you use – or you can go seriously serious and know what you REALLY do by using a one of these monitors (or any other make/brand doing the same). As you have to enter you height and your weight and you must wear a transmitter around your chest while using it, it pretty much gives you the real deal – not general calculations, but figures relating your body and your heart. And it not only counts your exercise time and calories burnt, but also indicates how much of the energy you spent was from fat stores. How about that! After using mine for over 2 years, I’m planning on updating to an FT40... I will attach that as a reward to one of my goals. And I might just give away my old F7 to a lucky reader – watch this space!

So these are my apps and gadgets helping me through and pushing me forward every day. But I’m a techy girl – this might not be everybody’s cup of tea. What helps you do your bit and stay accountable each day? I would love to know!

Take care all!

Do you do your bit? REALLY?

This is my favourite “horse” which I’m planning to flog to death all through this blog.

So, this is one of my favourite videos from Banded Wendy, and she cuts through the chase – it’s really worth watching:

Are you ready for the last chance?? ARE YOU??

Do you follow the ALL rules ALL the time (well, at least 90% of the time – I’m being lenient here)???

Do you exercise 210 minutes a week???

Have you turned your life over to WLS??

Or are you one of those for whom WLS “does not work”? Are you a Loser or a loser? Biiiiig difference!

I couldn’t help but notice how many more topics, threads, comments, etc are out there from people who honestly believe WLS (any form of it) does not work for them.*

But do THEY work FOR WLS?

Between you, me and the fencepost – I don’t think so! Honestly, there is NOOOOO way you will not lose weight if – for example – you have a band and follow the basic rules of 1200Kcal per day max, 30 min exercise per day, no slider foods, healthy food choices, 1.5 dl/portion, no snacking, no sugary drinks, chew-chew-chew.

I mean, if any other people (meaning not WLS patient) would follow these rules they will lose weight for sure! And you have the advantage of not feeling so hungry in between meals...

So I’m putting my cards here on the table – tearing my shirt up for the firing squad: if you believe your band (our RNY, or sleeve, or anything) is not working as it should you better take an honest look in the mirror, dig a bit deeper and have another read of the rule book, because I’m pretty sure the fault is in  you: your actions (or lack of it) and/or food choices and not in your surgery!

There, I said it! You can shoot me now!

Before you tear me up into bits, I have a confession: I’m not perfect either. I do sometimes eat something naughty (it happens when I visit my family at Hungary... mostly) and regret it later. But I’m doing my very best to make sure that 90% of the time I’m absolutely playing by the rules. And I never blame my surgery when I hop on the scales and the figure is not going down... Because I know it was me – something I ate or did or didn’t do in the previous days. But this luckily does not happen often. Generally the scale is showing lower and lower figures each week. Even if it’s just 0.2lb – I take it: it’s a loss!

And today I give you another chance to tear my throat out: I’m sick – already... ha! – of hearing the whingeing of all the unsuccessful ones. You’ve been given a great, life altering chance – it’s yours for good to take all the benefits and milk it for life!!! Yes, they asked you to turn your life over to it and make RADICAL changes in lifestyle. But honestly – we were all obese, that’s why we got this chance. Our old lifestyle which made us obese. It’s just fair that they ask us to change that when they gave us our various tools! Nothing in life is free (not to mention costs...). So, if you are one of the losers: hello, what did you think? That you are going to wake up after surgery and the pounds will melt away without you doing anything for it? Well, think again! And it’s never too late to change! Even if you had your surgery years ago and now you are on the losers’ bench: you can still take charge and change to the Loser’s bench! It’s never, never too late to start a better life! Don’t give up on your surgery – it’s the same great tool you thought it was the day before your surgery! It’s there to help you. But you MUST do your bit! If you are unhappy with your results, recall the state of mind you had just before and right after your op – all the hopes and possibilities and goals – and make a conscious effort to live it again.

And stop blaming the tool!

*Please note: there are genuine cases when something happens to your health and you need a revision or further surgery. Mostly from band to something else. I understand that. That number is around 10-15% (according to various sources). I’m not talking about those cases here.

Weigh-in habits - the good, the bad and the ugly

• How do you do it?
• On what day?
• What time of the day?
• Once a week or more?
• Any magic spells for before/after?

I do it once a week (officially). Monday morning, first thing (well, second... but you know what I mean: all that water must go before...).

My scale were playing up recently. Last Monday I stepped on, and it showed 1lb off. Cool! However, I stepped off and on again, and it showed 2lbs up... ho-hum... Which one is correct then? I haven't done a third try. I settled for the 1lb off (while making a mental note of the 2lbs up). I changed the batteries in the monster - that might teaches him changing its mind in quick succession! Hahh!

So, this morning, second thing, I stepped on again. Now, if I took the optimistic figure from last week, then I stayed the same. However, if I take the other number, then I'm down 3lbs. So I did another step off and on again, but the monster stuck to its first opinion (changing the batteries worked, at least!). So did I. I stayed the same. TOM is approaching, so I take this for the week and looking forward to next Monday. ;)
(I will sneak on on Thursday afternoon, just to make sure I'm on track...)

And all this above sounds like a reasonable approach. HOWEVER...
Do you sometimes take some laxatives the day before your weigh-in, just to make sure the monster is showing your "real weight" as opposed to all the food you were eating in the last 4 days? No, neither do I.
Do you keep re-weighting yourself throughout the morning (and day) just to see what difference a no.1 or 2 makes? No, neither do I.
Do you keep various spreadsheet to record your weight, but there is one for "official use" (meaning only the Monday figures) and one for "with all honesty"? No, neither do I.
Do you try various days of the week and times of the day just to see if there is big enough fluctuation in the right direction so you can show it on your spreadsheets? No, neither do I.
Do you secretly know the reason why you did not lose that week, but pretend not to? (Maybe a sneaky cheesecake...) No, neither do I.
Do you shout from the rooftop and wake your beloved at 5.30am when you lose, but keep ominously quite when not? No, neither do I.

That's all folks. Have a great Monday!