Cut the Crap ReCap: Let’s Get a Grip and Get Ready For OH2023!

August 9, 2023

Get Ready For OH2023! As summer wanes, I eagerly begin to await my yearly recharge in my weight loss journey. This year, the ObesityHelp National Conference for 2023 will be drawing patients, family, friends, and professionals together for two days of education, support, and renewal on September 15^th and 16^th. I have been attending the ObesityHelp National Conference since 2016 because the annual OH conference is a time to learn the latest medical news on the war on obesity and a chance to be enfolded in the love and support of my weight loss surgery family. I am incredibly honored to have been selected to share an interactive workshop entitled “Where Do I go From Here? The Long Trek to Getting Back On Track.”

Five years ago, I gave a talk called Cut the Crap, which centered on the traps and sometimes self-induced pitfalls weight loss surgery patients can fall into.

Getting Ready For OH2023!

This year, my focus is on moving forward with a positive mindset and a clear plan of action. However, a quick revisit of my OH2018 talk might give us all a small reality check while getting us ready to soak up all the knowledge and support we will receive at this year’s conference, the 25^th anniversary of ObesityHelp!

A Powerful Enemy in a Lifelong War

As weight loss surgery patients, it is important for us to remember that obesity is a powerful enemy in a lifelong war. Having weight loss surgery is a major victory in that war, but obesity is a wily opponent with a myriad of allies and weapons to use against us. Work obligations, the loss of someone close to us, and even illness can lead us off track. If obesity was a person, obesity would be a spy, lurking around every corner to capitalize on our thoughts and weaknesses. Depression, stress, and complacency are allies to obesity. However, obesity’s staunchest ally is you, and me, and everyone who has ever struggled with their weight. Life can be tough and sometimes we forget what we need to do, or choose an unhealthy path in order to deal with it. It is during those times that we lose ground in the battle for long, healthy lives.

Without belaboring the point, we mess up in our WLS journeys. Here is a quick look at some of the easiest traps to fall into and a list of advice long-term patients shared with me to pull us out of them.

I remember giving this talk in 2018 and folks in the 4-to-10-year range were questioning the need to look at the basics of weight loss surgery and expressing that they were over “the frickin’ basics!” The “basics” vary slightly from surgeon to surgeon, but in a nutshell, they usually consist of low carb intake, drinking 64 ounces of water daily, waiting 30 minutes before AND after a meal before drinking, eating slowly for 20 minutes, and making sure to exercise 30 minutes daily. As patients, we signed up for a life changing (saving) surgery with a lifelong commitment to follow the guidelines to use our tools effectively. We are always going to be weight loss surgery patients with most procedures. There is not a divorce court for our gastric bypass or vertical sleeve. The basics are guidelines to use our tools optimally. Getting back to basics can refresh our weight loss surgery journeys and help all of us refocus on healthier choices.

The idea that everything is fine in moderation could be one of the most devastating misconceptions and excuses in our war with obesity. For a typical person, even for someone who is overweight, moderation may simply be an occasional treat or beverage which, while not the healthiest, is an occasional indulgence. There is nothing wrong if this is indeed the “moderation” to which people refer. However, “in moderation” is often used to excuse or cover frequent unhealthy choices or patterns. It gives us a false sense of relief from the burden of self-accountability. Additionally, for many weight loss surgery patients, our relationship with food crosses boundaries into unhealthy places and, therefore, moderation is an unattainable ideal. I cannot have thin mint Oreos in my house. Ever. I cannot stop eating them once the package is open. My rational mind will say stop eating these. Throw them out. Whose bright idea was this to bring these sweet demons into the house? That internal voice is not strong enough to override the urge to eat the cookies. While my relationship with food has improved dramatically since I had surgery and worked on my internal struggles, I still do not bring triggering types of foods into the house. If my family has them, they are in a cabinet I do not go into.

We exist in a world where unrealistic societal expectations infiltrate our lives on at least a daily, if not hourly, basis. Social media is especially prominent when talking about unattainable ideals. Through ads, algorithms, and influencers, we are told how to look, who to like, and, in some cases, how to think in order to fit into an arbitrary yet fluctuating mold of social norms. At our strongest, we handily dismiss our differences from these expectations. However, in our moments of struggle, our failure to adhere to society’s whims of acceptability becomes internalized and damaging. This type of comparison will sabotage your weight loss journey. Also, one word…photoshop. Don’t believe everything you read or see. The companion to this type of comparison is not unlike “I’m only doing _____ in moderation.” We side-eye and judge others in their struggles or poor health choices and smugly think, or say, I might be doing this unhealthy habit, but I am not as bad as that person. Both comparisons are counter-productive to our healthy weight loss journeys.

There is good news for all of us walking this journey. Today is a new day. Right now is a new minute. It is never too late to reboot and move forward. Here are some quick tips from long-term patients to reboot your journey:

1. See your doctor. No matter how much regain (if any) you have had, no matter how long it has been, go see your surgeon and/or primary care provider and have bloodwork done. Also, your medical care providers may have the latest information for you or will remind you of long forgotten directions for weight loss surgery patient self-care. I remember a friend who is more than 10 years out telling me how she had forgotten that gummy vitamins are not the best option for gastric bypass patients. A doctor visit reminded her of this vital information.
2. TAKE YOUR VITAMINS. Once a wls patient, ALWAYS a wls patient. Vitamin deficiency can lead to both health and mental health problems. Go take one right now. This article will still be here.
3. Choose one thing to change starting today and keep it going for one week. The following week, add another change along with the first. No one says you must completely and perfectly transform overnight. Incidentally, this was how I rejuvenated my journey. I started to substitute water for diet soda for a week. The following week, I continued this and reduced snack times to one per day. After a month, both became positive habits I have maintained.
4. Listen to your body, not your head. Head hunger is real and it intensifies the further out we get from surgery. Eat slowly at every meal and listen to your body tell you that you are done. Your head will say more, even when your body says enough.
5. If you follow people on social media, choose wisely. They should be willing and able to show the best and worst of living as a weight loss surgery patient. They should promote growth, encourage self-care, and provide an authentic voice for their wls journey. One of my favorite content creators is OH2023 Co-Host Yelena Kibasova. You can find her as @morethanmyweight on TikTok and Instagram.
6. And finally, as you get older, your body responds differently. Regain is harder to lose. We don’t run as fast. Our bodies hurt in places we never knew existed. If you are a new WLS patient, or are losing weight without surgery, you too can be a slow loser. Sometimes, our bodies are just built that way. Be patient with yourself. Be kind. Be forgiving. You deserve it.

Kate Nash had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in 2015 and has lost 113 pounds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kate Nash had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in 2015 and has lost 113 pounds. As a veteran high school teacher, Kate spends time not only teaching English, but helping her students make healthy life choices. Her love of running and video games are only eclipsed by her devotion to staying healthy and her ever growing sneaker collection.

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