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Last night I held a local Grads Group Get Together. It's directed towards those who have had their surgery a year or more ago.
As we were talking, I mentioned that I think that there are four major components to long-term success and that without all of them, We end up in a precarious position that can cause us to falter; just like when you have a weak leg on a chair. I think that the four legs of success are:
Accountability
Exercise
Support
Pouch
Acountability varies for each of us. Some like to post what they eat in a public venue. Personally, I weigh every day. If I noticed an upward trend, I know that I need to get more 'accountable' about what I'm putting in my mouth, so I start logging what I'm eating. Seeing my weight on a daily basis allows me to really keep a close eye on my weight. Unfortunately, even though I no longer wear elastic waist anything, I can't rely on my clothes to alert me if I've gained 5 lbs, so I hit the scales.
Exercise is crucial to our long term succesa and health. Some go the gym, some run, some take classes... I wear a pedometer and if I don't have 10K on it, I know I have to get my tail out and move it.
Support has been found to be essential to long-term success in a number of studies. I think that OH has been a pivotal support mechanism for me, but I have found the need to connect with others in person as well. That's why I started our local support group and why I have expanded beyond the general meetings to include special interest groups.
Surgery and the pouch has given us the tool we need to strip off the excess weight as well as an effective tool to help us keep it off if we learn to use it. Initally, it seems that we have to wrestle with our pouches as we learn to adjust to them, but with time they ease up on us and we learn to work with them. As we move past the initial weight loss, we need to learn to USE the pouch to continue to reap the long-term benefits that it offers to help us maintain the weight loss and incredible quality of life improvements.
So... Do you have all four legs of your 'chair' on the floor to ensure that you can not only lose the weight, but keep it off long term?
Barbara
ObesityHelp Coach and Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bcumbo_group/
High-264, Current-148, Goal-145
my knees are killing me and i feel liek one day am going to pass out because they are soooooooooooooo swollen by the way am only 5-5... i trymany diets and i leave them half way i cant do it...........am so depress andi wish this was different before i didint mind being the way i am cause beside being big i take good care of alwasy looking pretty from head to toe... so that always kept me goign but now........
i cant sleep...
my back killing
my knee and ankles are so swollen i cant even walk
i get massive headaches
i get my perios for too month straight and then dont get it for 2- 3 month back and forth
my hair falling
my pressure sky high
i feel like am going to get a attck preety soon cause i jsut can;'t handle this weight anymore
my sex drive also left.... :
my whole body aches even my breast because they getting so heavy before i could run now i cant even dance anymore once i hit 300 pounds i feel swolle not me and i cry everyday because i dont tell noone how i feel... i dunno where to because wish surgery to pic wish dr to trust because am very scare of somethign going wrong ...
where do i start...? plz help :(
Paige
I am interested in joining this group. I am in the process of approval and hope to have surgery in November or December of 2009. My FB address is pfeibelman.
Thanks,
Paige Feibelman
We are from Vero Beach (8 hours away) from his office. Considering his Sleeve. Noticed online he had 3 malpractices filed with the State by patients in 2007 -
Would love to hear anything you can contribute..(did u get the sleeve also?)
Thank you.
Ann
my stoma had stretched and my food intake was not being processed properly. There was some other small issues but my insurance company was ok with the stretched stoma and consistent weight gain even with diet and exercise
My surgeon called to let me know it was a silisatic band placed to prevent stretching of the pouch long term.