Helpful information I came across

Hi everyone! I came across this and thought you might like to read it also. It's very helpful with the stages some of us are struggling with. I've found it to be very helpful in getting my mindset back to the basics. Yesterday was my 8 monthiversary since I had gastric bypass. EIGHT MONTHS ALREADY!! WOW! I hope this helps someone . http://www.livingafterwls.com/Library/Four%20Rules.html#featured

Cool, I will try it out. I am finally feeling better, I started to lose again about three days ago. I realized that I had my appointment with my weight surgeon yesterday and so I started really keeping better track of what I was actually eating everyday. Low and behold, I began to lose after all of these weeks wondering if this was it for me! It is one thing to read everyone's advise, it is another to have it happening to oneself. So a little common sense, and following the advise of lower calories in, means more weight loss really does work. DAH, I feel like an idot, being nearly 40yrs old and having to re-learn the basics. AGAIN. Feeling good, looking great. Trying to get my husbands to go see my surgeon to get started on his own journey without being a BIG PAIN IN THE @$). It is a fine line to not be a pain but to encourage him to get help. His medications alone are costing us an arm and leg. It will be cheaper to have the surgery with our medical plan than to buy all of his medications. I am off to see Carrie Underwood concert tonight. Later Sami Sue

Brenda....Thank you so much for sharing this article. It is 0315am and reading this really opened my eyes to what I have NOT been doing. As I work the night shift, I find it is a pretty layed back shift and find myself looking for the snacks. I tell myself that I am snacking on "good" foods so it shouldn't matter. When in fact, I know that that way of thinking is wrong. I have to get back to my NO snacks! I have never been a "good" water drinker but that also is going to change. I did start working out about 3 months ago and am a complete addict when it comes to the treadmill. I constantly am pushing myself to see just how fast I can run and for how long I can keep that pace up. I really found that I am pushing myself in the gym. I haven't been there though this whole past week with all sorts of different excuses so next week I am back on. Just wanted to thank you again for the article...it really has got me thinking of all the "bad" I have been doing and all the "good" I am going to start doing. Your the best girl!!

Hi Heather! I'm glad this information helped. I know that the past few days have been VERY difficult for me and I've had to read and look back at where I goofed. I thought this information was exactly what I needed to refocus my efforts. I know that only a few days doesn't make a failure, but I wanted to catch myself and read back on what the basics are. It helped me immensely also. Thank you for the compliment! I think you're the best too! We are all winners...er...loser type winners LOL. Great job, Heather! Brenda

Really great article but I wish they'd included sugar on that list. I'm finding that to be a big clue about who keeps this weight off long term. I'm paying very close attention now to people who had this surgery a long time ago. I know people who are still THIN and people who have gained a significant amount of weight back or never really lost all they probably could have. And before anyone panics I don't know anyone who's gained it ALL back. I want to say that because I see people panicking on here sometimes. But what I've found is it seems to be people who eat CRAP who gain it back. People who were back at McDonald's a couple months after surgery eating stuff like that even though it made them sick. People who seemed determined to work as hard as they could AGAINST the tool. I mean some of these people seemed to put forth some serious effort on making sure they did not succeed. I think that's important to keep in mind when you see people who have gained. I know a few who have remained very thin and all of them have one thing in common, sugar. They avoid it like plague. I haven't met anyone so far who has kept it all off who eats any kind of sweets anymore. They'll tell you they don't eat perfect but I've noticed none of them went back to sweets. Protein, no snacking, water and excercise are all big but I wish they'd added avoiding sugar to the list too.

Hi Paige! I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think sugar is one of THE biggest things to stay away from. Sugar and alcohol. Those two things (in more ways than one) can make or break our success. I know I've had a rough time this past week staying focused on doing things the right way. It's been a true test of will. My emotions have been raw this week with several thing****ting all at once. This sort of thing is exactly what used to send me into an eating tailspin. I found myself feeling the same old feelings of wanting the comfort food used to give me. What I didn't get was the same satisfaction that I used to feel temporarily after eating for comfort. This past week was my first experience since surgery of feeling those old feelings towards food. It shook me up a bit, but it also reminded me that when I feel those things, it's ok. I just need to keep my focus on my health and wade through it. That's when I find myself looking up sites or recipes for bariatric eating instead of eating for comfort. So far I have one whale of a collection of recipes I haven't tried yet and my "favorites" on my computer is filling up fast, LOL. I might not read everything I want to read at the time, so I bookmark it and plan to look back at it later. We're all doing great! We will have issues, probably for our whole lives, when it comes to food. But knowledge is power ...so I go hunting down new and different websites full of information, or I go back and look at ones I know have helped me in the past. It seems like those are the times I find something new that revives my sanity and my thought processes. I hope you all have a SUPER week! Let's go gettem! We're all AWESOME!! We can do this for a lifetime! Especially when we look back at our "before" pictures and remind ourselves that we're NEVER EVER gonna feel or look like that again. God bless you all! Brenda