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Why Weigh Yourself? Yes, you weigh yourself to know how much you weigh. But what is the point if you are on your weight program and your doctor will weigh you at your next appointment? Weighing yourself can have some benefits. It can help you lose more weight by keeping you accountable. Just like logging your food can make you think twice before taking that extra bite, knowing that you will face the scale can keep you from serving yourself another portion. It can be motivating. When you see the number of the scale go down, you might be more eager to wake up early for your workout, or order a salad instead of a sandwich. It can be empowering. Knowing your weight gives you another piece of information about your body, and embracing rather than avoiding yourself can empower you to do your best for yourself. How Often? You can weigh yourself as often as you like, but it does not make sense to take too many weigh-ins too seriously. For many people, a good rule of thumb is to do a weekly weigh-in. You can take this weight as your “official current weight.” Some people like to stay off of the scale between their weekly “official” weigh-ins, while others like to weigh themselves daily, or even more than once a day, just to see what is going on. That is fine, as long as you do not take each weigh-in too seriously and do not let it bother you. How to Weigh Yourself You may be a 10, 20, or 40-year veteran of weighing yourself, but there are better and, well, worse ways to do so. It may be worth reviewing or revising your weigh-in practices to get better results. Here are some guidelines for accurate weigh-ins. Weigh yourself at the same time of the day for your weigh-in, usually first thing in the morning. Choose the same day each week to weigh yourself. Wear minimal or no clothing. Use the same scale, and a trustworthy one, each time. Mistakes to Avoid In theory, weighing yourself is as simple as stepping on the scale. Not! Your weight can be deceptively high or low if you find yourself making any of these mistakes. Weighing yourself after a heavy meal. While 1 lb. of lettuce has only 50 calories, it weighs…1 lb. If it is in your stomach, you will weigh an extra pound. Weighing yourself in the morning before you eat anything can help avoid the problem of extra weight inside your stomach. Weighing yourself wearing shoes or clothes. Heavy shoes and a full set of clothes can weigh 5 or more lb. That is a big chunk of weight that is not yours! Weighing yourself with too much salt in your system. With salty foods comes sodium, with sodium comes thirst, and with thirst comes extra water. Water is heavy. It can still be in your system the next morning, and show up on the scale. Weighing yourself right after exercising. Exercise does help you lose body fat, but it also helps you lose body water through sweat. You can lose a few lb. of water in one workout, and your body weight might be artificially low right after. Weighing in Monday morning. If your weekdays are picture-perfect in terms of eating, and your weekends progress from Friday night at the bar to Sunday afternoon in front of the TV, your Monday morning weight can be variable, and possibly high. Friday morning may be a better time for you to weigh in. Getting inaccurate numbers can be bad in many ways. You might get discouraged for no reason if your weight shows up as higher than it really is. You could become confused about how what you eat affects your weight if there seems to be no correlation. You might have trouble detecting regain, and not modify your diet until you have gained more than you wanted. Choosing a Scale On top of making sure you are ready for a good weigh-in, you need to make sure that your scale is also ready. Using a cheap scale can drive you crazy because it may not be accurate. It could be difficult to read, or it could vary within a few pounds even if you are the same weight. There are many affordable Body Scales that are highly accurate. You can find features that help you read the scale easily, track your weight, and see other information. These are some features to consider. Digital read-outs. Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone. Memory of your recent weights. Measurements such as body fat and lean muscle mass. Use the scale to help you on your weight loss journey, and you can consider it another weapon in your weight loss arsenal. The more tools you have, the better your weight loss success can be!

Drinking water after surgery can cause some discomfort (like a rock hitting your stomach), sometimes it doesn’t taste right because of taste changes after surgery, and sometimes the temperature of the water can leave you feeling uncomfortable. Other times, you may simply just forget to drink and you just don’t feel as thirsty. Not drinking enough water can leave you dehydrated. How do you know if you’re beginning to get dehydrated? There are 3 main ways of figuring this out: Do I pee 3 times per day, or less? Is my pee dark yellow in colour and smells more than usual? Do I get dizzy when I stand/sit up or bend over? If you’ve had bariatric surgery and answered yes to one or more of these questions, there’s a chance you may be dehydrated. Some of these symptoms can be related to other causes as well, so check with your doctor, bariatric dietitian, or nurse if you’re unsure. Here are our tips for drinking more water after surgery: Make water more convenient by… Buying a fun new water bottle for work and home that gets you excited. Ideally, something colourful that catches your eye; Keeping a water bottle or water glass within arm’s reach at all times, regardless of where you are (e.g. at work, in the car, on the couch, in bed, etc.); Keeping cold water in the fridge at all times. Buy a water pitcher or a water filtering jug and place it at the front of your fridge. It needs to be visible and easy to reach to be convenient; Knowing your environment. Do a tour of your workplace to remind yourself of where the water fountains or coolers are. Check if the cafeteria charges for hot water or if there’s a vending machine that sells water bottles close by; Buy a smaller water bottle to carry in your purse or backpack for when you’re on the go. Ideally, it should hold no more than one to two cups. Large water bottles are often intimidating and if they are too heavy or bulky, they’re more likely to get left behind; Leave a reusable water bottle in your car at all times so that you always have some on-hand. Get excited and add some flavour by… Trying infused water. Add one of the following combinations to your water pitcher or water bottle: Sliced cucumber + fresh mint leaves; Sliced strawberries + fresh basil leaves; Sliced lemon + fresh lavender; Blackberries + fresh thyme; One cinnamon stick (for best results leave overnight in your water bottle); Using flavoured ice cubes. This idea involves freezing concentrated fruit purees, spirals of citrus rinds, and/or fresh herbs into ice cube trays. Adding one to three of these ice cubes into your water not only adds a fun flavour and keeps your water colder, but it’s also a colourful touch. This is a great alternative to store-bought water enhancers that contain artificial sweeteners. Example: puree two cups of chopped watermelon with the juice of one lime. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. Add two ice cubes into your reusable water bottle; Making a homemade tea with an added twist. Add eight ounces (one cup) of boiling water to the combinations below. Drink hot or refrigerate overnight and enjoy cold. 1/2 sliced lemon + 1/2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger + 1 tsp honey; A green tea bag + fresh mint leaves; A black tea bag + orange slices or peach slices; An earl grey tea bag + sprig of lavender + lemon slices +1 tsp honey; A white tea bag + mint leaves + dash of lime juice; Treating yourself to some loose tea leaves or flavoured tea bags at specialty shops. Set reminders by… 1. Downloading an app. There are countless free apps out there to help you track your daily water intake and even ones that will send you constant reminders throughout the day to drink; 2. Add a sticky note to your computer monitor. Be sure to change the placement of the sticky note every week so it doesn’t blend into the background; 3. If you’re someone who does repetitive tasks at work, use this to your advantage! For example, challenge yourself to take three sips of water every time you read a new email and every time you send an email; 4. Buy a ‘time stamped’ water bottle or simply recreate one by writing the hours of your work day down the side of your bottle with a permanent marker. For example, evenly space 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 a.m. down one side of the bottle and 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. down the opposite side of the bottle. This strategy will also help you to pace yourself throughout the day. – Lisa & Monica, your bariatric surgery dietitians

Essentials to Pack After packing your clothes and toiletries, make sure you pack some items that will make your plan easier to follow. Protein foods – such as Protein Chips and Protein Cookies for snacks. Protein Bars and Shakes. Workout clothes and good shoes. Your headphones and your playlists if you normally listen to music while working out. Portion control aids, such as compact Portion Control Rings. Planning for Exercise Myth: You cannot exercise well when you are on vacation away from home. Fact: Your vacation may offer many opportunities to get active. It is true that you will be out of your regular routine and will have to work in activity a little differently than at home. Excuses end here. While on vacation, you can: Walk to explore the town or beach. Use your hotel’s fitness center or pool. Take a surfing, kayaking, or other class – many tourist destinations have them. You do not have to work out alone, although that works, too. Ask your travel companions to join you on hikes or walks to explore, or hang out with any kids in your group – you are sure to burn quite a few calories if you swim with them or join in their games of volleyball or tag. Hotel Breakfasts – Starting the Day off Right Hotel breakfasts can range from the simple to the expansive and are often all-you-can-eat. Change it to, “all-you-should-eat,” and you’re already making progress towards starting the day off right. Go right past the doughnuts, muffins, waffle-making machine, and danishes. You can look for some better options and helpful modifications if your hotel has a continental breakfast. Fat-free yogurt. Fresh fruit. Unsweetened whole-grain cereal or plain oatmeal. Ham instead of bacon. Hard-boiled egg whites. If you are not sure that your hotel will have healthy breakfast options, just bring your own. You can easily pack enough Protein Bars and Protein Shakes for breakfast. Protein Oatmeal is another option since you can make it with hot water from the hotel. Restaurants 101: Review Eating out on vacation is not much different than eating out while at home. You probably already know the rules: the goal is to get some protein and fiber, without too many calories or grams of carbohydrates. Simple? Maybe. It can be easier in the U.S. if you are familiar with menus, but you can probably do okay in foreign countries with even a small amount of communication. Look for: Grilled or plain baked fish, shrimp, or chicken. Take the skin off yourself if necessary. Cooked vegetables without sauce. Salads with dressing on the side. If the menu does not include foods you can eat, do not be shy about asking. Be clear about what you need. You can ask for a plain piece of chicken or fish with some steamed or grilled vegetables or a side salad. Or, you can point to a menu item and ask for it without sauce and with vegetables instead of the standard sides such as potatoes or rice. No matter what the restaurant serves, you can always eat less, chew more times, and bring your own snacks. Tracking Tools Vacation can be an escape from technology and daily routine, but spending a few minutes of each day to track your food and activity can keep you from straying from your plan. Use your favorite app or, if you are going to be completely offline, take an old-fashioned notebook and a pen to jot notes each day. First and foremost, enjoy your summer vacation! Recharge and recover…and if you can, stay healthy during it. You will feel even better when you get back and gain confidence that you can stick to your plan no matter where you are.