joatsaint

Thank you, that's exactly what I was looking for. I'd never realized that it was the complex carbs that weren't listed. I had tried Googling the answer a few times, but I was never able to get a straight answer.

Great article, but I have a question. Sometimes I will read a label and it will have a "total carbs" amount, for example: 20 total carbs. The label then lists the sugar carbs and sugar alcohol carbs and Fiber. But they don't always add up to the total carbs listed. Do you know what and why these unlisted carbs are? Thanks, Randy

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.

Jerkey and Protein bars (especially the Oh Yeah! Victory bars) are my goto's when it comes to keeping an emergency stash. I have to keep them at work, cause if I keep them around the house, it's too easy to eat them rather than cooking. :-( Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

"The food industry also has somehow convinced us that it takes too long to cook a meal from scratch." - I agree with that quote. I try to cook almost everything myself, that way, I know what's in it. And I try to live by this quote as well, "Only eat things that are considered the ingredients for other foods." :-) In other words, eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible or with minimal processing.

5 Steps to Cool Down Quickly After a Hot Workout . 1) Pre-cool before the workout To pre-cool, begin hydrating at least two hours before your workout with cold drinks, sit in an air-conditioned room, or have some cooling packs on hand. 2) Stretch it out post-workout Walk and stretch for at least ten minutes until your heart rate slows down. 3) Take a hot-and-cold shower A Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport study found that athletes who alternated soaking in hot and cold water after exercising experienced a significant reduction in their heart rate and blood lactate levels. 4) Smooth on skin-cooling lotion After a shower, hydrate your skin with a lotion that contains cooling properties like menthol. 5) Drink peppermint tea—hot or cold Research shows that in dry, hot climates, having a hot drink actually helps us cool off, since the heat from the drink triggers a sweating response. read the entire article: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/wellbeing/fitness/5-steps-to-cool-down-quickly-after-a-hot-workout.php

I did notice that it was harder to digest milk and cheese and yogurt post-op. But it seemed to clear up. It never occurred to me that I might become lactose intolerant.

"Why are you at the restaurant?" As the date of my WLS drew near, my best friend offered to stop our habit of eating out each Sat night. We had been going out to buffets every Sat. night for years. I told him there was no need to stop. I was going there to hang out with him and socialize, not for the food. 31 months later, we are still eating out on Sat nights. I just eat a WHOLE LOT less and do a lot more people watching. :-)

Weight loss surgery: To Tell or Not to Tell? I find it interesting that we are so conditioned by the weight loss industry that we feel NOT disclosing weight loss surgery is being deceptive. Like we are hiding a fault within us. That there’s something wrong with us and YOU need to know about it so you can decide whether you want to know me or not. We don’t feel the same way about other non-communicable diseases. On your first date, job interview, or social gathering, did you make a point of announcing that you had Lasik eye surgery? Chemo therapy? A heart/lung transplant? So everyone could decide if you were good enough to be part of the group. Not being up front about WLS does not rank as high as not disclosing to your date that you used to be a dude before the sex change. :-p It’s not the same. Not telling anyone that you had weight loss surgery is not going to impact/change their life in the slightest… unless they might benefit from it. But I would not ever suggest to them that they need weight loss surgery. I would not have taken the suggestion as being helpful. :-P You would think that with all the societal pressure to be young thin and beautiful, people wouldn’t care how you achieved it. And would even congratulate you for doing what you had to do to take control of your life. But I guess there will always be those that will make comments or criticize us because they don’t understand, think we’re taking the easy way out, fear of losing us or are afraid of seeing us succeed.

Book Review - Alex Brecher's The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery by joatsaint I just recently bought Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery. You maybe asking, "Randy (by the way, my real name is Randy), you're almost 3 years post-op, why are you still reading weight loss surgery success books?" Go ahead, ask me... I'll wait. :-) (insert the theme song from Jeopardy)...... Okay, here's the answer. Years ago, I was listening to and still listen to a great motivational speaker - Zig Zigglar. He said champions never stop training and learning. Even after Micheal Jordan was at the pinnacle of his success, he still trained like he was a rookie. Even though the workouts were grueling and he didn't like it, he still met with a trainer that pushed him to his limits on every workout. Champions in any area, read and reread articles, books, listen to audio books, and watch video on being a success in their field. I know I don't know everything there is to know about successful WLS. And by continually reading, I remind myself (I have the attention span of a gnat!) of the things I need to do to maintain my WLS success. Sometimes it's just a reminder and sometimes I learn something new that I can apply to my life. So, on to Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery My favorite quote from the book: "From recovering from surgery to losing the extra pounds to keeping them off, weight loss surgery is a part of your life forever. The path to losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging at times, but the rewards can be worth the investment many times over." You need to know up front, this book is not about choosing the right weight loss surgery for you. It’s great resource if you want to know what to expect life will be like after weight loss surgery. I found the book well written and very informative. The book's style is such that it doesn't assume that you know everything already, and is easy to understand. The most important part to me was the emphasis on the importance of lifestyle changes. Weight loss surgery is not a set and forget procedure. WLS success is a continuing process that requires active participation from the patient. Alex doesn't pull any punches in describing how hard WLS can be. I know! Been there, done that! Had 80% of my stomach removed and I didnt' even get a T-shirt! You don’t just wake up after surgery and are magically thin! For months after my sleeve surgery, I had trouble steadily losing the weight. I'd have stalls and get discouraged, or worse, I'd gain a pound or two and freak out. So I especially like emphasis on taking a long-term view of the surgery and life. Alex reminds the reader that successful WLS is not all about the scale. The book is a great resource for information about: discussing diet exercise mental toughness success factors that contribute to the long term weight loss surgery success setting goals dealing with friends and family members who may or may not be supportive eating right setting realistic expectations for your weight loss goal I walked away with new ideas on everyday things, like scheduling my meals and supplements, getting in enough protein without getting too bored with eating the same old things again and again, and making meals that both my friends will like and that I can eat – so I don’t have to worry about social events! Overall, I found it full of useful/practical information and even some funny parts. Well-written and easy to read, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery to anyone considering weight loss surgery, as well as to anyone who has had any type of bariatric surgery. http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/books/recommended.html

I'm only a 31 months post-op Sleever, and I realize that's not really long enough for a scientific study. But, my epsiodes of head hunger have almost disappeared and the intensity of the head hunger is nothing compared to the constant "little nagging voice to eat" I dealt with daily pre-op. I still get the occasional head hunger, but it's because of a trigger food. Pre-op, head hunger used to happen every 2 hours. And I knew that no matter how much I ate, in 2 hours, I'd be hungry again. I've had to learn what are my trigger foods and how much I can eat before the cravings kick in.

From personal observations, I know that my head hunger kicks in harder when I'm sleep deprived. My brain knows it will get a temporary boost from the sugar and craves it. Unfortunately, it's only a temporary boost, in a few hours, my head hunger will return. :-(

My best friend asked my how eating out was going to change post-op. We had been eating out every Sat. night for years and we always went to buffet type places. I told him that nothing was going to change as far as I was concerned. I went out to eat with him for the company, not for the food. And as far as I was concerned, the $12 - $20 bucks I spent each week was nothing that would change my quality of life, so I didn't care about getting my money's worth. I wish I had taken a picture of my plate the 1st time I went to a restaurant post-op. I think I had 1 fajita chicken strip, 1 tablespoon of guacamole, 1 tablespoon of refried beans... and I couldn't finish all of it. Here's a before and after photo from last weeks trip to the buffet. . BEFORE: AFTER:

BladeFox, Thanks for taking the time to comment. I don't know how successful I would have been at losing the weight if I didn't live alone. I can completely control what foods are in the house and don't have any temptations laying around. And I'm too lazy to drive to the store for a snack once I'm home from work. So I'm forced to eat what's in the house. :-) The hardest part is leaving my mom's house. She ALWAYS wants to send pie and cake and rice and mashed potatoes home with me. I don't want to make her feel like I don't like and appreciate her cooking. So I bring it home and try to ration it out over a week, instead of eating all of it in a day. (Even though I really want to)