TEXASLADY52

You didn't mention the skill set of the person you are seeing to support you. Although they're not focussed on the food aspects it could be the same thinking Liz and I have with our clients - that it's never about the food but about other triggers, often from a person's past that keep you thinking in a negative way.
If you looking for a different type of support find a really good hypnotherapist that is experienced in eating disorders. A lot of what you may be struggling with may be below your conscious awareness so you want a therapist that works with the subconscious mind. A hypnotherapist will bypass your critical mind to work over time on your trigger issues so that your mind aligns with your desire to lose weight. Be kind to yourself. Sally

The weight loss surgery journey is easier for some than for others. That’s true not only mentally, but physically as well. Some patients are confident as they get the surgery, follow their prescribed diets, and lose weight until they approach their goal weights.
But most have doubts at some point. Those doubts can be strong especially in the first few weeks after surgery.


I see this lack of confidence time and time again in the forums. Weeks or a month after surgery, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, lap-band, and other Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) patients start to wonder whether Weight Loss Surgery was the right choice. Most often, they are disappointing in the number of pounds they have lost, and they wonder, “Am I going to be the Weight Loss Surgery patient who fails?”
I can say this with confidence: If you follow the Weight Loss Surgery diet, you’ll lose weight.
“I’m Not Losing Weight Fast Enough!”
That’s a common post on BariatricPal. The poster is usually a week or a few weeks post-op, and worries their weight loss isn’t fast enough. They think their “slow” rate of weight loss means Weight Loss Surgery didn’t “work” for them. They think they will never be able to lose significant amounts of weight, since WLS was a last-ditch effort to lose weight and get healthy after years of dieting didn’t work.
But in most cases, these fears just aren’t true. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying these fears are unreasonable. I understand them perfectly. I, and probably every Weight Loss Surgery patient, wondered whether it would work for me. And the answer for me, and for everyone who followed their Weight Loss Surgery diet, was “YES!”
The Perfect Storm for Frustration
So why the panic? I like to think of the first few weeks or even months after weight loss surgery as a perfect storm for generating doubts. It’s a time when the following are true.
You realize you have made a decision that led to a change to your body that is irreversible (in the case of sleeve gastrectomy) or meant to be permanent (in the case of the gastric bypass), or
You realize a lifetime commitment to changing your eating habits and lifestyle is a pretty big deal.
You have not eaten solid foods for weeks, or even more if you had a liquid diet for long before surgery, and it’s getting you down.
You are struggling in your daily life as you try to make time for exercise or you find your family members continue to eat junk food in front of you.

All that is enough to get anyone down before you even start thinking about the reason you got the surgery in the first place – to lose weight! If you doubt you’re losing weight “fast enough”, you might start wondering if you made the wrong decision when you got Weight Loss Surgery – and that’s a depressing thought.
Crunching the Numbers
Almost without fail, the BariatricPal member who posts about disappointing early weight loss is losing weight quite quickly. The only person who is disappointed in this number, typically, is the member him or herself. I’ve seen members post with concerns about losing “only” 20 pounds in the first month, or “only” 10 pounds in the first week. Guess what. That’s great!
Think about it. A general round number for great first-year weight loss after Weight Loss Surgery is 100 pounds. That’s an average of 2 pounds a week, or 8 pounds a month. If you lost 20 lbs in your first month, you’re doing fantastic! To hit 100 pounds in your first year, you won’t even lose a pound every three days! So don’t worry if the scale doesn’t plummet every single day. If you’re eating right, you’ll lose weight.
Try to keep yourself motivated by keeping it all in perspective. Another motivating thought is to consider how long it took you to gain the extra weight. 5 years? 10 years? Your whole life? And now you have a chance to lose it within 1 or 2 or 5 years? That’s a pretty good bargain, right?
Recovery Now for Weight Loss Later
Now, I know you’ve prepared for Weight Loss Surgery for a long time, and you’re eager to lose weight. But really, you’re not quite ready to focus on weight loss if you’re still recovering from surgery. It’s far more important to heal properly. That’ll help you lose weight faster later and avoid complications that’ll set you back, not to mention cause possibly serious health problems.
So, no matter how frustrated you are, stay positive, and focus on following your surgeon and nutritionist’s instructions to the letter. Continue to eat a liquid diet and then pureed foods without cheating and sneaking in solid foods. Use this time to establish a pattern for your long-term success. Learn to measure your food, and to set aside time for food prep and for exercise.
Weight loss surgery is a lifetime adventure, and that realization can really hit hard in the early days and weeks post-op. You can get through this tough period by focusing on one day at a time and not worrying about your rate of weight loss. Measure your success not by the scale number, but by how well you stick to your plan.

It’s often quite a surprise to learn how slowly you really need to eat after surgery. For those of you that have had surgery, you know that even one very small bite too many can be painful or lead to vomiting. Before surgery, we encourage you to eat slowly to learn that it takes about 20 minutes of slowly eating before your brain recognizes your stomach is full. After surgery it may only take a few bites to begin feeling full.


It’s often quite a surprise to learn how slowly you really need to eat after surgery. For those of you that have had surgery, you know that even one very small bite too many can be painful or lead to vomiting. Before surgery, we encourage you to eat slowly to learn that it takes about 20 minutes of slowly eating before your brain recognizes your stomach is full. After surgery it may only take a few bites to begin feeling full.
The first step in slowing down your eating is to chew your food to applesauce consistency. A lot of our patients find success by making each bite last 25 chews. Chewing to applesauce consistency works better when you take a very small bite. Think of a bite of food being about the size of a pencil eraser or the size of the tip of your pinky finger. Use smaller utensils like the salad fork or teaspoon or even toddler or baby spoons and forks.
Speaking of utensils, put them down between bites which helps you slow down your eating. A lot of us already have a bite of food loaded on a fork or spoon ready to put in our mouth immediately after swallowing bite of food. Use a saucer or salad plate to reduce portions so you have less food in front of you.
No seat, no eat. Sitting at a table without distractions around you will help you focus on business of chewing. Remove distractions from your eating area. Eating while standing at the sink, driving, watching TV, working on the computer, answering texts or e-mails, reading, making “to do” lists or doing another load of laundry are common distractors in our busy lives.
When you are able to start eating food you can chew foods like cottage cheese or scrambled eggs, start with eating 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) every 10 minutes. Discover your “I’m just about to get full” signal. Our patients report they will hiccup, sneeze, sigh quickly or just realize that next bite of food really isn’t going to work. Focus on the enjoying the few bites you are able to have. Concentrate on the flavor and texture of the food. Many of our patients discover that chewing food well often results in finding out that the foods they really liked before don’t taste as good as they remembered.
If you are eating with others, focus on the conversation and people at the table. Many of our post-surgery patients report that the focus of the meal becomes the conversations, enjoying the company and socializing rather than the food. Learning to slow down your eating will be a difficult skill to master, but is an essential skill to have successful surgical outcomes.

I have a dream! That dream is to bring a Message Board to LIFE! I know it is possible because I have seen it happen. I've lived it. Imagine a Message Board in which you can hear each other, sometimes see each other, actually get to know each other in a deeper way than just typed words. Now imagine that a Weight Loss Surgery Coach moderates and guides the multi-sensory discussion, inviting self-inquiry in a safe environment within a small group.
In a safe, nurturing group of eight beginning on October 19th we will make friends with our stressful, limiting beliefs about food and our bodies and transform our thoughts and behaviors. Have you ever noticed in the Message Boards how many of us have the same critical thinking about our bodies and our abilities (or inabilities) to relate to food in a healthy way?
In this class, which will meet by phone in a conference-call, we will kindly and compassionately look at the beliefs we have created about our bodies and food, and consider:
- Which of our beliefs are actually true?
- Where did those beliefs come from and what unhealthy behaviors are triggered by them?
- How do those beliefs serve us?
- How do those beliefs limit us?
- What beliefs can we create that may be truer, kinder and serve our health and well-being?
Each week for 6 weeks our group will meet for 90 minutes together in which we will discuss and share the insights and struggles of each of our journeys with food and body image. Each week 1-2 participants will be coached by me on an issue common to us all. Then, for one hour during the week, in pairs, you will meet (by phone or Skype, your choice) with a different class-mate each week and coach each other on a body-image or food belief following easy steps I will teach you. This structure actually creates a support network that in prior groups has lived beyond the end of the class.
The benefits of this class will include:
- Greater awareness of the beliefs you have about your life that trigger unhealthy eating.
- The creation of new, healthy beliefs about yourself that support healthy eating and healthy body image.
- a plan for changing your unhealthy patterns into healthy patterns
- you will learn to nourish yourself and your soul in ways that don't have calories. You will find that you need food less and less for comfort and more often for fuel.
- A community that understands your challenges and supports you making the changes you want to make in your life.
This group is only open to 8 participants to allow individual attention for each person over the course of our 6 weeks together. I have participated in and facilitated this group dynamic many times and it has allowed me and others to be free of damaging, hurtful beliefs about our bodies that triggered self-abusive eating.
I am honored and delighted to guide this class and be taught by you as well. I am passionate about this work and I have witnessed its' power to transform. Will you join us?
Group Details: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Pacific (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern) for 6 consecutive Sundays. October 19, 26, November 2 and 9, 16, 23, 2014. The last meeting will take place several days before Thanksgiving and will put us into a healthier, stronger frame of mind the the Holiday Season.
To get more information, including cost, and to apply please email me at CoachMeSara@att.net or www.lifecoachsara.com to learn more about me and what I offer. There is an Early Bird discount until October 1, 2014.
LET'S HEAL TOGETHER!!

I saw the other day where they grated the cauliflower to rice and then fried it in a nonstick pan and made a "tortilla".......it looked so good! I also love potatoe salad made out of cauliflower! Thinking about it makes me wish I could eat!!

The “no white foods” diet is still around. We encourage our bariatrics patients to give up white bread, white rice, white pasta or white potatoes. These foods typically raise blood sugars. However, cauliflower is not one of those white foods.


The “no white foods” diet is still around. We encourage our bariatrics patients to give up white bread, white rice, white pasta or white potatoes. These foods typically raise blood sugars. However, cauliflower is not one of those white foods. One cup of raw cauliflower has 27 calories, 77 percent daily value for vitamin C, 5 grams carbohydrate, 2.5 grams fiber, 2 grams protein and is a good source of potassium, folate, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.
Cauliflower is a low glycemic food, which means is has very little carbohydrate to raise your blood sugars. Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable group which also includes broccoli, cabbage, bok choy and Brussels sprouts. Cruciferous vegetables provide sulforaphane, a phytochemical linked to a decreased risk for cancer.
Instead of rice and potatoes as a side dish, think cauliflower. Whipped cauliflower as a side dish instead of potatoes has been around since the low-carb craze from a couple of decades ago. Here’s a quick recipe to try. You can make this recipe four weeks after surgery, when cooked vegetables are reintroduced to your diet.
Cauliflower “rice” is chopping this vegetable in a food processor or grating by hand to look like rice and then steaming it. Here is a recipe, which can be prepared in Phase 4 after surgery when fresh produce comes back in - four months after surgery.

As a dietician working in a bariatric clinic I meet a lot of patients who over eat. This is far from surprising. However, what never fails to astound me is how many of these very same people are malnourished.
It’s easy for the general public to make the connection between malnutrition and starvation in the developing world, but when it comes to overweight Westerners being malnourished it’s a different story.
In the developed world, where obesity has reached epidemic proportions, we are seeing more and more people who are overweight or obese being diagnosed with malnutrition because they consume too much of the wrong foods; foods with little to no nutritional value that are low in protein, vitamins and minerals.
To understand this contradictory situation you must understand the different types of nutrients and how vital they are. This is one of the main reasons why so many Westerners are plagued by chronic diseases.
According to Joanne Slavin, a nutrition professor at the University of Minnesota, the main culprit of malnutrition is usually poor protein.
“If you don’t get enough protein, you might still get enough calories without getting enough nutrients,” says Slavin.
In my experience the main “shortfall” nutrients tend to be calcium, fiber, potassium and vitamin D. Many overweight individuals have packed on extra weight over the years because they have poor diets that are typically high in refined foods. These highly refined foods are high in unhealthy fats and sugars and low in the aforementioned nutrients.
In this age of calorie counting, it’s important to consider all aspects of your diet. But let me tell you, calorie content is not the be all and end all. A calorie from a Mars bar is the same as a calorie from an Apple when it comes to energy exchange, however, an apple is much richer in vitamins and minerals.
As US based nutritional consultant, Carol Cottrill, points out “when we eat the empty calories found in processed foods instead of wholesome, real food, our appetite is curbed temporarily, and our stomachs feel full, though our bodies have not taken in the nutrients they crave. This is the setup for what's known as subclinical malnutrition. Not to be confused with the undernourishment experienced in famine-stricken countries.”
To keep our body healthy, we must fuel it with the necessary ingredients that can only come from a healthy, well-balanced diet. When we don't get nutrients, our internal functions don't work as well - and this is when we become vulnerable to diseases such as obesity.
Image Credit: Melissa Gruntkosky

A lot of us have slightly different habits during the summer compared to the rest of the year. We often have a little bit more time in the summer, and the extra time, sunny days, and long evenings give us the chance to do things we can't always do year-round. Some of your healthy summer habits might be swimming, walking around town with your friends, or playing with your children at the park.
Unfortunately, not all summer traditions are healthy. Before weight loss surgery, you may have depended on frozen treats to help beat the heat and have fun. Ice cream cones, bars, and sandwiches, popsicles, smoothies, and slushies are cold choices, but they do not belong on your weight loss surgery diet.
They can be high in calories, so your weight loss can stall.
They can be high in sugar, so you can get dumping syndrome, especially if you are a gastric bypass patient.
They can be low in nutrients, so you are less likely to meet your daily needs.
They can be high in saturated fat, which is bad for your heart.
They’re low in protein.

So what can you do when you want something cold and refreshing but don’t want to throw your weight loss off track? There are plenty of options for cold summer treats to buy or make while sticking to your diet.


Avoid the Bad Choices
There’s no doubt that ice cream tastes good, so you may need a little extra help gathering the willpower to resist it. The following scary statistics should be enough to make you think twice before indulging.
An ice cream sandwich can have 360 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat (more than half the maximum you should have in a day).
A cup of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream (half of a pint) has 600 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat. That’s like having two meals and only getting 8 grams of protein!
A brownie sundae from Baskin Robbins has 920 calories and 97 grams of sugars. Eat one of those, and you’ll be near your calorie limit for the day.
A fruit smoothie can seem innocent, but an original Mega Mango smoothie from Jamba Juice has 340 calories and 78 grams of sugars. You’re likely to feel pretty sick from all that sugar and hardly any protein.

The best way to arm yourself against these diet disasters is to have your own alternatives at the ready.
Try These Healthy Options
Fruit is high in fiber and low in calories, and is a great choice for frozen snacks. Add protein to your treat by using Greek yogurt or a small portion of nuts or peanuts. Try these ideas, or create your own variations.
Roll a banana in chopped peanuts and freeze it. Mix the peanuts with cinnamon before rolling, if you want.
Freeze melon or watermelon balls or grapes.
Make raspberry lemonade pops by blending raspberries – or your choice of berries – and light lemonade. Pour into paper cups, stick popsicle sticks in the centers, and freeze them.
Blend mango, peach, or another soft fruit with Greek yogurt, keeping it chunky. Freeze.
Dip strawberries, peach slices, or cherries into light Greek vanilla yogurt. Put the fruit on wax paper on a cookie sheet, and freeze your treats.

Check the Ice Cream Aisle
The ice cream aisle has some options that are good for occasional treats.
Sugar-free popsicles have 15 calories each.
No sugar added fudge pops have 40 calories each.
A small no sugar added ice cream sandwich has 100 calories.
A half-cup of no sugar added vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream has 90 calories.

Don't Get Tricked!
Never assume anything is healthy or low-calorie. Always read the nutrition facts panel and list of ingredients. Then make your own decision about whether the food belongs on your weight loss surgery diet.
Low-fat and fat-free products can be high in sugar and calories.
“Light” can mean light in color, light in calories, or light in something else.
Low-carb and low-sugar products can be high-calorie and high-fat.
Fat-free toppings, such as caramel or chocolate topping, can be high in sugar and contain 50 calories per tablespoon (that’s not a big serving size!).

Frozen Treats and Your Weight Loss Surgery Diet Rules: Solids and Liquids
After weight loss surgery, you are supposed to drink liquids separately from when you eat solid foods. This is true whether you have the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, lap-band, sleeve plication, or another kind of surgery. The reason is that solid foods stay in your stomach, pouch, or sleeve for a while, while liquids flow through more quickly and leave your stomach empty.
When you eat ice cream or ice pops, they melt in your stomach, sleeve, or pouch. This means that you do not stay full for as long as you would if you ate the same number of calories in solid foods. This does not mean that you can never have frozen treats, but it does mean that you should be aware of the extra calories you are taking in when you eat them. If possible, eat them with solid foods, such as fruit or nuts, to stay full.
Frozen Treats and Your Weight Loss Surgery Diet Rules: Portion Control
Another weight loss surgery diet rule is to use portion control. An innocent 90-calorie half-cup serving of non-fat frozen yogurt becomes a 360-calorie mistake if you sit down with the pint or fill up a regular-sized bowl with frozen yogurt. Always measure your portions.
Treats for the Liquid and Pureed Foods Stages
Ice cream and fresh fruit are off limits during the liquid post-op stage, and you can only eat selected fresh fruit on the pureed foods diet. You can still enjoy healthy, refreshing treats this summer. For example, you can enjoy frozen juice pops or make a fruit slushie without the added sugars.
Freeze one or more kinds of juice in ice cube trays.
Mix and match flavor combinations, such as apple and grape, a citrus blend with grapefruit, tangerine, and orange juices, or a tropical mixture using pineapple and raspberry lemonade juices. Be sure to choose 100 percent juice instead sugar-sweetened juice drinks.
When you are ready for your treat, grind the cubes in the blender until they are more like chips.
If your surgeon has suggested that you avoid orange juice because of its acidity, look for a low-acid brand in your supermarket.