CoachCher

Please join Cher & Jeff as they welcome Mary Jo Rapini from TLC's Big Medicine. The popular TV Show, "BIG MEDICINE" follows the personal stories of severely obese patients who turn to Houston’s Methodist Weight Management Center as a life-changing last resort. One of the most innovative bariatric surgery practices, Methodist adheres to a long-term, multidisciplinary approach that includes a plan for lifelong follow-up. Mary Jo Rapini is a part-time Psychotherapist at the Methodist Weight Management Center. Plus another great WLS recipe from Chef Leslie! (banded Chef) Date 07/09/08 Time: 8:00pm ET, 7:00pm CT and 5:00pm PT Where: www.blogtalkradio.com/thewlscoaches Call in number: 646-716-9413 We hope to "Hear" you there!

It’s like when the new car smell leaves and we start treating our Twenty Five thousand dollar car like a Five hundred Junker. It’s the same principle the newness of it all has faded and we feel like we can revert back to old eating habits. I don’t think we set out to do this on a conscience level; but we do it none the less. So how do you get it back, well we have to start with being honest with ourselves. Ask yourself “What changed?” to make you want to revert to your old eating habits and exercise habits. Does your job suck, and you hate your boss, Are you fighting with your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend, does the price of gas have you freaking out? All of these could be triggers that are leading you down a road of destructive behavior. If you are reaching for food to help take away the “feeling of being overwhelmed” you are “stuffing” what you really feel. This is a behavior we were used to doing, it’s familiar, and it’s our safe haven. This is the time to say “NO” I am not going to reach for food to stuff what I’m feeling, this time I am really going to feel what I feel and work through it without reaching for food. Trust me others are freaked out by the price of gas, a lot of folks think their job sucks and they hate their boss and guess what they have fights with their significant other. But there is a difference they don’t all reach for food to help get them through their tough times. You have adopted a new “Lifestyle” and with this new lifestyle is a new relationship with food. Food is fuel, it’s just that simple. The only way to avoid reaching for food; is to have a plan or multiple plans in place when these occurrences present themselves. Instead of reaching for food to take away the “feeling of being overwhelmed” decide what your plan is. It’s your plan; so make it be something you know you will do. For example when a trigger strikes plan on taking a walk to clear your mind, or you could go to the movies and get lost in someone else’s problems (skip the popcorn with the vat of butter), schedule a manicure or a massage so you can relax (this works for guys too). Or find a hobby that keeps you busy and your mind off of food. When you are in a state that is ripe for triggers, you have to remember why you had your surgery in the first place. You wanted to become healthy, strong emotionally and physically, you were sick and tired of being sick and tired. Reaching for food is what led you to the OR to have surgery. Reaching for food is what got you to size 18,20,22,24 and so forth. Reaching for food is what made you depressed and angry at yourself. Reaching for food is what left you with that lonely isolated feeling. Reaching for food is the “LIE” everything is going to be better. Reaching for food is a band aid to the real problem. We can make food whatever we want it to be; we can justify this in our minds. But guess who suffers in the long run “YOU DO”. You have a new lease on life, Reaching for food was your “OLD” way of doing things. Now that you have a “Plan” there is no excuse to reach for food to stuff your feelings. We did that far too long and we know where that got us. Each one of you deserves to have a successful “WLS Journey”. It’s ok to remind yourself why you had your surgery in the first place, remember where you came from and where you want to go. Is it hard “You bet it’s hard” but if it wasn’t hard where would the reward be in it? You want to feel like you have accomplished something, you are successful, you overcame the fear and you crossed the finish line.

Hi Jasmine!! Here is the thread for the conference. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/update-2008-national-agb-conference-64441/ It is open to both pre-op's and post-ops. I hope you can join us, it's going to be life changing.

I have created the Lap-band Blueprint, hopefully this will help you as well. The band was designed to eat a normal meal. A normal meal means you eat a smaller meal without side effects. If you are properly adjusted you can eat without experiencing Productive Burping or much sliming. · Learn to chew your food to liquid form. Chewing your food to liquid form will reduce the amount of productive burps; this will also help reduce the sliming effect as well. · Avoid Soft Food Syndrome. If you are eating softer foods because it is easier, you have no way of knowing if you are properly adjusted. Eating softer foods allows you eat more and can halt your weight loss altogether. · Eat your Protein first. Eating protein first ensures you are getting enough protein to keep your energy levels up. · Don’t be so dependent on the band. Some patients are expecting the band to be their “Food Police”. Taking responsibility for what you are eating and how you are eating will take away the disappointed feeling. · The band is tighter in the morning. There is no scientific reason why the band is tighter in the morning. Just because the band is tight in the morning is no excuse to skip a meal. Mix up a Protein shake to start your day. · Being too tight serves no good purpose. If the band is too tight and you are experiencing PB after PB this will not aid in the weight loss efforts. Also having a band that is too tight could result in a slip; which could result in another surgery. · The band is not properly adjusted. You are wide open and can eat anything you want, this is a sign you are not properly adjusted. Make an appointment with your surgeon to get another fill. · Tweaking your band. It could be as simple as .01 CC to get you to your sweet spot. Don’t think you have to have a full 1.0 CC to be properly adjusted. · Don’t compare yourself to others. Just because someone has reached their sweet spot with 2.50 CC’s doesn’t mean you are going to reach your sweet spot with the same amount of fill. There are too many different size bands on the market and the person you are comparing your fill to might not even have the same band as you do. · Don’t deprive yourself. Eat what you like in moderation. The more processed the food the easier it is to eat with the band; it also means more calories. Read your labels if a serving size is 15 chips then only eat 15 chips not the whole bag. Keep in touch with your surgeon so he/she knows what is going on. If you are not following up with your surgeon they can’t get you to your sweet spot. Don’t feel bad if you have not lost any weight since your last visit; your surgeon will not yell at you. Especially if you keep a food diary and exercise diary; this will aid your surgeon to help you stay on track. If you are newly post-op take advantage of this time to really learn how to chew your food; trust me you will “Thank” yourself down the road. If you are properly adjusted; you will have to chew your food to liquid form; otherwise you will be experiencing productive burping and sliming. This leads to frustration and could possibly lead you to soft food syndrome which will halt your weight loss efforts. You have worked so hard to have the surgery and expected to have amazing results. It is possible if you work with your band as opposed to working against it. Don’t think of this as being another diet; think of this as being a “Lifestyle”. If you watch skinny fit people eat you will see they still allow themselves treats; you should be no different. Remember you had surgery on your stomach not your brain. It will be hard at times and you might make poor choices. Getting back on the band-wagon is easy to do. Go back to the band basics and you will see the results you want and deserve.

WOW I have never heard it explained in such a manner. What you said really makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing!!

It's a process I'm not going to sugarcoat it (no pun intended). If you commit to your band you will do amazing. I am here to support and encourage. Feel free to contact me anytime. I'm also hosting The 2008 National Lap-band Conference in Dallas Oct 3-5, 2008. We would be honored if you could make it. This would be a great opportunity for you to meet people who are taking the same journey you are.

Congratulations on your approval and embarking on the best journey ever. You are right there are ways to cheat the band, and if you don't change your thinking it's going to be hard to be successful. I have created what I call the six/one rule. I eat well for six days and then on the seventh day I allow myself my treats. This way I am not deprived of the things I love. You have to think of this as a lifestyle not a diet, quick fix or something that is going to solve the world problems . The band is as effective as you allow it to be. Remember why you are having this surgery to begin with, to become a healthier you. If you don't change your eating you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment; that's a promise. If you eat the same crap post-op as you did pre-op well you know where that got you. I'm not saying that to be mean, because it happened to each one of us as well. We obviously didn't have the best diet to begin with or we wouldn't have to have surgery. You have to find what works for you and go with it. I wish you best of luck!!

Maybe she was trying to get her a little something something ) You should be so proud!!

I'm glad you found it useful!

I personally don't have a problem with salads but some bandsters do. It just depends on the individual.

The band was designed to eat a normal meal. A normal meal means you eat a smaller meal without side effects. If you are properly adjusted you can eat without experiencing Productive Burping or much sliming. · Learn to chew your food to liquid form. Chewing your food to liquid form will reduce the amount of productive burps; this will also help reduce the sliming effect as well. · Avoid Soft Food Syndrome. If you are eating softer foods because it is easier, you have no way of knowing if you are properly adjusted. Eating softer foods allows you eat more and can halt your weight loss altogether. · Eat your protein first. Eating protein first ensures you are getting enough protein to keep your energy levels up. · Don’t be so dependent on the band. Some patients are expecting the band to be their “Food Police”. Taking responsibility for what you are eating and how you are eating will take away the disappointed feeling. · The band is tighter in the morning. There is no scientific reason why the band is tighter in the morning. Just because the band is tight in the morning is no excuse to skip a meal. Mix up a protein shake to start your day. · Being too tight serves no good purpose. If the band is too tight and you are experiencing PB after PB this will not aid in the weight loss efforts. Also having a band that is too tight could result in a slip; which could result in another surgery. · The band is not properly adjusted. You are wide open and can eat anything you want, this is a sign you are not properly adjusted. Make an appointment with your surgeon to get another fill. · Tweaking your band. It could be as simple as .01 CC to get you to your sweet spot. Don’t think you have to have a full 1.0 CC to be properly adjusted. · Don’t compare yourself to others. Just because someone has reached their sweet spot with 2.50 CC’s doesn’t mean you are going to reach your sweet spot with the same amount of fill. There are too many different size bands on the market and the person you are comparing your fill to might not even have the same band as you do. · Don’t deprive yourself. Eat what you like in moderation. The more processed the food the easier it is to eat with the band; it also means more calories. Read your labels if a serving size is 15 chips then only eat 15 chips not the whole bag. Keep in touch with your surgeon so he/she knows what is going on. If you are not following up with your surgeon they can’t get you to your sweet spot. Don’t feel bad if you have not lost any weight since your last visit; your surgeon will not yell at you. Especially if you keep a food diary and exercise diary; this will aid your surgeon to help you stay on track. If you are newly post-op take advantage of this time to really learn how to chew your food; trust me you will “Thank” yourself down the road. If you are properly adjusted; you will have to chew your food to liquid form; otherwise you will be experiencing productive burping and sliming. This leads to frustration and could possibly lead you to soft food syndrome which will halt your weight loss efforts. You have worked so hard to have the surgery and expected to have amazing results. It is possible if you work with your band as opposed to working against it. Don’t think of this as being another diet; think of this as being a “Lifestyle”. If you watch skinny fit people eat you will see they still allow themselves treats; you should be no different. Remember you had surgery on your stomach not your brain. It will be hard at times and you might make poor choices. Getting back on the band-wagon is easy to do. Go back to the band basics and you will see the results you want and deserve.

Trust me you will "Thank" yourself if you learn how to chew your food prior to the procedure. It takes practice and it's best to learn before you have the band than when you have it and you are forced to chew to liquid. Keep up the good work you are going to do great!!

You do adjust I promise. When I go out to eat with friends or family I try to eat softer foods. As I have stated in other post softer foods tend to have more calories. If I know I'm going out to eat I make sure to adjust my eating through out the day so I can afford to eat some higher calorie food. Granted I don't finish a meal ever so it's not going to wreck my week or anything like that.

Hi Rhonda, First let me say "Congratulations" on being banded, you are going to do amazing. As far as being nauseated this is very normal. You are still swollen from the surgery and your system is still in shock. This feeling will pass within 3-5 days. You will start to feel better as each day passes. Then your appetite will come back with a vengences, so be prepared for that as well. Follow your surgeons guidelines until you get your first fill and you will do fine. We are pulling for you and can't wait to hear about your scale victories. ((HUGS)) ~Cher~

Yes it got stuck in the new opening, it had traveled down my esophagus and got lodged. If I had chewed it well enough it probably would not have happened. Who knows the band can be fickle at times.

Hey Frazzled, You are going to do fine, don't let this scare you. Let this be a lesson to you. If you eat too fast or don't chew well enough the food can get stuck, you will get this extremely tightness feeling in your chest. The great thing about the human anatomy is your body will take over to help you out. You will start getting a lot of saliva or foaming, this is your body helping out. As I stated I should have never let my episode go on as long as it did. I was finally able to cough up (for lack of a better description) the pork chop. I have only had one other experience that sort of compared to this episode. I have been banded for four years now so you can see it’s not the norm. PB’ing can be avoided if you chew, chew and chew some more. Again please don’t let this scare you; we all go through it or have experienced it one time or another. Consider it your right of passage J

Thanks for the sweet compliment. I am working my program hard right now. With the conference fast approaching I have to look my best )

Love It!! I probably named him Earl subconsciously.

Some people have automatic restriction after surgery. Granted it doesn't happen to a lot of folks but you might be one of the lucky people. You probably were not choking just stuck. That is the exact feeling you get when you are properly restricted and don't chew well enough. Follow up with your surgeon to let them know what happened and find out what his/her thoughts are. It is scarey when it happens but trust me once you experience it you are more aware and a lot more careful when you eat.

Hi Lonestar, You have an awesome surgeon so rest assured you are in great hands. Please feel free to contact me anytime I am here to help. ((HUGS)) ~Cher~

Earl can a be a huge pain in the chest (No pun intended) Thankfully there are ways to not invite him to have a party on our chest. Chew Chew and Chew some more. The best way to avoid PB'ing is to chew your food to liquid form. This will ensure Earl will not receive the invitation.

Please join Cher & Jeff as they interview Melting Mama (Beth). Beth is going to share her "Gastric Bypass" journey with us and how now she wishes she would of had the LAP-BAND Surgery instead. This is the perfect show for those who are on the fence between the Bypass and the Band. When 06/25/08 Where: www.blogtalkradio.com/thewlscoaches Time: 8:00 pm ET 7:00 pm CT and 5:00 pm PT We hope to "Hear" you there.

I would love for you to join us Shelby. It's going to be life changing!!

I'm glad you found the Blog. I would love for you to be a part of this amazing weekend!!

I hear this from my clients more than I would like to admit "I'm not worth the effort, time or energy required to be successful in my weight loss efforts". As I'm coaching my clients I hear this over and over. Some of them don't say it in so many words; it’s more of their actions than the actual words. Most people want to put the needs of their family, friends and work before their own needs. I know I was guilty of this prior to my LAP-BAND Surgery. I never thought about what was best for me, or what would make me a better person. My thought process was if I please everyone else then my pleasure would come. Well guess what it didn't. I continued down the same lonely path and trust me it was very sad and lonely. No one understood the pain I was in, because I didn't share it with anyone. I was always the funny carefree person to the world but on the inside I was a sad lonely depressed woman. Obesity is a terrible disease; it robs of our happiness, pleasure and most importantly of our self respect. For some reason we sub-consciously believe the lie we hear from society; we are lazy, unmotivated and unworthy. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Think back to when to you were going through the approval process; it was scary, frustrating and exciting all at the same time. This was it, you were finally going to get the weight off and be the person you have always longed to be. Then reality sets in about 2-3 months post-op “Work is involved” and commitment to the process is required. Umm this is not what you signed up for; this was supposed to be the be-all end-all. Slowly you revert back to old patterns, you stop watching what you eat like you did immediately post op, you slack up on your exercise plan and then you just give up and say “Another diet that failed me”. Do you know where this comes from? It comes from low self-esteem, low self-confidence and most importantly low self-worth. I know how you feel because it happened to me throughout my LAP-BAND journey. I had my good days and good months; then something would shift and I would revert back to old patterns. This went on during year two and three of my journey. Thankfully all that changed; after I got fed up with being fed up. I knew this was not what I had signed up for, I realized it is hard but it needs to be embraced. If it was easy or required no work or effort on my part where would the reward come from? Making the decision to stay committed to my LAP-BAND journey is hard, but trust me the rewards outweigh the guilt, and the low self-worth. I remembered back to when I was a little girl and all the dreams I had and how none of them had come true. For most that would be depressing; it actually inspired me. I had allowed Obesity to rob me of my dreams. Then I had my light-bulb moment. "Hey I'm not dead I can still make my dreams come true". I realized I was "Worth the effort". So my question to you is "Are you worth the effort?" If you are having a hard time realizing you are worth it; let's talk. I believe in each and everyone of you. I am inspired by your courage to get on that table to change your life. Now is the time to embrace every change you are going to experience and allow yourself to be a priority. The happier you are, the better you are to everyone around you.