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joatsaint

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by joatsaint

  3. Posted

    I know everyone is different in the way they think about how often to weigh themselves.

    Those first few days following surgery,

    I couldn't wait to jump on the scale and watch as my weight started to fall.

    I got very anxious if I saw the scale stay the same or (gasp!) creep up.

    I chose not to take it too seriously and made a deal with myself.

    #1 - The only weigh in that counted was 1st thing in the morning - before I got dressed, drank or ate.

    #2 - I could weigh myself as often as I wanted during the day. If I started getting anxious about the fluctuations in my weight during the day.... see rule #1!

    This system has worked well for me for almost 3 years.

    And when I start worrying about not losing or losing slower than I wanted,

    I just remind myself of how fast I WAS NOT losing weight before surgery.

  5. Posted

    The #1 motivator for me was being held accountable.

    The week after surgery I told everyone that I was starting a walking program.

    People at work saw me walking before work and at lunch, and asked me how I was progressing - almost daily.

    My mom, dad, and my best friend asked me how I was doing and encouraged me to keep walking.

    When I started the C25K jogging program, I make an announcement on my Youtube channel to let everyone know I was jumping into it.

    And that kept me on track.

    There were days when I would have skipped the workout if I didn't know there were supporters out there waiting to see me succeed.

    If you want to reach your goals - whatever they are - let the people around you know.

    Make it public.

    Be held accountable.

    Compare what you say you want against what you actually do.

    Do they match?

    If not, it’s time to change and figure out what really matters.

    Once you do, line up your priority with the actions you need to achieve it.

    And then become the person you need to be to achieve the big goals and dreams.

  8. Posted

    I know where you're coming from.

    I freaked out everytime I had a stall.

    I'd be thinking, "Is this it? Is this all I'm going to lose?"

    But I stuck to my walking and diet plan.

    And eventually, the weight would start falling off again.

    It took me almost a year to lose the fear of a stall.

    And it took that long from me to gain the confidence that, if it was working before, just stick with it, it will work again.

    Weight loss is not a steady downward trend, there are times when your body has to take a time-out and adjust to its new way of living.

    Hang in there, it does get better. Stick to your diet and exercise program and the weight will start dropping again. I promise! :-)

    Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

    Empowering Weight Loss Surgery newbies and veterans with confidence and knowledge to lose weight and keep it off for life

  9. Posted

    I was very happy when most of my old favorite foods didn't taste as good or upset Frankensleeve.

    It really helped me stay on track.

    Even after 3 years, my old favorite hamburgers don't taste as good as I remember them pre-op.

    So now, everytime I have a "favorite food" memory and am tempted to try them again,

    I remind myself that

    a) they just don't taste as good as I remember and

    B) the amount of calories I'm eating ain't worth the lack of flavor! :-)

    Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

    Empowering Weight Loss Surgery newbies and veterans with confidence and knowledge to lose weight and keep it off for life

  10. Posted

    My doc gave me one of his cards, but the restaurants don't have to sell you a kid's meal.

    It's just a courtesy on their part if they choose to do it.

    I never used the card.

    I take the leftovers home or just get a small order.

    Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

    Empowering Weight Loss Surgery newbies and veterans with confidence and knowledge to lose weight and keep it off for life

  11. Posted

    I ran across these tips a while back. Hope they help.

    Get my FREE eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

    Empowering Weight Loss Surgery newbies and veterans with confidence and knowledge to lose weight and keep it off for life

    1. It is easier to get distracted from signals of physical hunger and satiety at social gatherings, especially if food is the main event. Make an effort to pay close attention to your body's signals.

    2. Be a food snob. Skip the store-bought goodies, the dried-out fudge and the so-so stuffing. If the food you select doesn't taste as good as you expected, stop eating it and choose something else. Think of how much less you'd eat if you only ate things that tasted fabulous!

    3. Think of your appetite as an expense account. How much do you want to spend on appetizers or the entree? Do you want to save some room for dessert? Go through this process mentally to avoid eating too much food and feeling uncomfortable for the rest of the evening.

    4. Pace your eating prior to the event so you’ll be hungry but not famished at mealtime. But please, ignore the old diet advice of "eat before you go to a party so you won't be tempted." That is absurd! You want to be hungry enough to enjoy your favorites.

    5. Socialize away from the sight of the food. People who tend to overeat are "food suggestible" so just hanging around food causes them to eat more than they need.

    6. Survey all of the food at a buffet before making your choices. Choose the foods that you really want most at that time and remind yourself that you can have the other foods at a later time.

    7. If the food is so special, give it your full attention rather than eating on autopilot. Eat mindfully by reducing distractions and sitting down to eat - even if it's just a cookie. Appreciate the appearance and aroma of your food and savor one small bite at a time by putting your fork down. You'll eat less food but enjoy it more.

    8. If the food doesn't taste as good as you expected, stop eating it and choose something else.

    9. Since the duration of the meal tends to be extended at social events, you may need to have your plate taken away (or put your napkin on it) once you are satisfied to avoid nibbling unconsciously.

    10. Be aware of the effects of alcohol on your food intake. And don't forget that many beverages contain calories too.

    11. Be cautious of "obligatory eating" - avoid eating just because it is on the table, on your plate, because you paid for it, it’s free, or because someone made it. Deal with Food Pushers with a polite but firm, "No thank you." If you're concerned about hurting their feelings, ask for the recipe or a small portion to take home with you for another meal.

    12. It's common to have candy and Snacks lying all over the place this time of year. Avoid indulging in food just because it's there. Grazing unconsciously leads to extra calories that you probably won't even remember enjoying.

    13. Before having a cookie, a piece of fudge or other holiday treat that was laid in the break room, check your hunger level. If you’re hungry and you choose a favorite food to satisfy you, remember to sit down and eat it mindfully – no guilt.

    14. At restaurants, the portion sizes are usually huge - almost always "two for the price of one." Request appetizer portions, co-order and co-eat with your dining partner, or have the server package up your meal to go as soon as you feel satisfied. Remember, "super-size" is no bargain if you didn't need that much food in the first place!

    15. Look for opportunities for physical activity - take a walk after dinner to enjoy the lights, take a few laps around the mall before it opens to do some window shopping or take guests to local attractions.

    http://www.bsciresourcecenter.com/proddetail.php?prod=FAHolidayEatingMMay

  13. Posted

    I had a very tough recovery.

    Days 1 - 10: sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jell-O, chicken broth

    Days 11 - 60: Cream of Mushroom Soup, refried Beans, finely chopped boiled eggs, peanutbutter, sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jell-O, chicken broth, low carb Protein shakes (Premier Protein chocolate)

    Sometime near the end of 60 days, I added this concoction and primarily ate it for 6 months.

    Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

  16. Posted

    I don't think it's the restriction that is lifted.

    I believe it is more psychological.

    I am tending to slip back into eating old habits

    or not to stick to my diet as closely the farther out I get.

    My fear of regain keeps me on track.

    But I don't have the social pressures or the food temptations in my life

    that others may experience.

    I'm sure that Star Jones had all kinds of tempting foods laying around her workplace.

    Plus the constant scrutiny about her weight probably weighs heavily on her mind.

    Or she may feel like she does not deserve to have lost the weight.

    Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

  21. Posted

    My 1st 6 months was primarily about getting into good habits:

    *Learning to choose the right foods

    *Sticking with my diet guidelines - 75% Protein, 25% good carbs

    *Getting into a regular exercise routine - for me it was walking

    *Learning to have faith that WLS was going to work for me. I hit a stall about once every month, and it freaked me out each time. I had to learn to have confidence that what worked before would keep on working. My body just needed a time-out to adjust to this new way of life.
    I think those are the biggies. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

  22. Posted

    Making and posting videos is very easy. I started out with the mini iPad I used at work.

    Now I use a combination of my Android phone and video camera and a tablet.

    But any smart phone will do.

    Your videos can even be directly uploaded to your Youtube channel from your phone.

    I make too many mistakes/pauses/lose my thoughts/say "ummm" to do a direct upload, so I edit my videos in Camtasia first. That is the most time intensive part.

    But all of it is very easy to learn.

    If you are interested in making videos and have any questions, please PM me. I'll be happy to help.

    Joatsaint, is it hard to make a video and post it on the you tubes? :)

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  24. Posted

    I love Clusie L too. Here's her channel -

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJGHPqGhf1TOLpJ4hUVF08w/videos

    And of course, here's my channel too - :-)

    https://www.youtube.com/user/Frankensleeve/videos

    And I like Finding Elizabeth -

    https://www.youtube.com/user/findingelizabeth

    And the show The Naked Truth (which I will be on - the 1st WLS guy they've interviewed - On Oct 4th at 7pm CST)

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2gfgx3NcfBCB-_2SkCarQ

    And I like Jennifer -

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWP_D0itOrzIfgsP09P6StQ

    Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

  25. Posted

    The one thing that I've loved doing since surgery is answering questions on this forum.

    And making Youtube videos, trying to help those that are as nervous and unsure as I was pre-op.

    I tried my hand at blogging about my adventure, but my life got really boring and normal very quickly.

    So I ran out of stuff to blog about. :-( http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018-gastric-sleeve-surgery-an-unexpected-journey

    So now I'm trying my hand at writing books. :-)

    Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

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