if you haven't checked out my blog yet, it's at www.seanstransformation.blogspot.com.  And for those of you who have been there before, there are a few new entries.  I really enjoy those who have emailed me after visiting my blog.  It's always great to hear from everyone.

That is a great WOW, on the airplane.  Congrats! 

My Tailbone

  Sorry I've been so neglectful with my blog lately. Life has been hectic. My work sent me out to Boston. I flew out to Baltimore and then took a connecting flight to Boston. On the way back, I flew from Boston to Atlanta and then to Salt Lake City.

One thing they don't tell you going into this surgery is that when you lose your weight, you feel your tailbone a lot more. I'm always finding I'm sore there. And the flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City was no different. I thought I was going to die it hurt so bad.

But there is always a bright side. In this case it's that I fit in the seat without a problem. Even on the Baltimore to Atlanta flight when I was in the middle. It's so awesome sitting in a seat without overflowing. Yay!

I hope you all are finding little things like this on your journey. Revel in each and every little wonderful thing that happens to you. It's a great ride.

Sean

Beef Jerky/Sodium

  If you eat a lot of beef jerky, you might notice your weight loss slowing down. If you're eating the appropriate amounts, at the appropriate times, and not deviating much for your diet, then the problem most likely is the high sodium content in the beef jerky.

I LOVE beef jerky and eat a ton of it every week. It's and easy food (already prepared), tasty, and it has a ton of protein. However, it does have a tendency to cause water retention. So you can still be losing fat (your body still has to eat) but the scale might not reflect as much because of the water retention.

There are two ways I've found to fight this. (1) Up your water content. As long as you flush your body with a ton of water, it has a hard time retaining water. I usually find if I'm retaining water (even with the beef jerky) it's because I'm not drinking enough. (2) Every so often I go off beef jerky and focus on other things (and stay super close to the eating plan including my water level). This really gives your body a flush and if you've been retaining water you usually notice a huge drop in weight (though I'll warn you if you're retaining water you'll be visiting the little boys/girls room a lot over the course of the next couple of days).

I hope that helps.
Sean

Yogurt

  Over the past year or so, I've had numerous conversations with WLS patients about yogurt. Some like it, some don't. Some believe you should eat it, some don't. It's been referred to as a "slider" food (a food that doesn't have enough consistency to stay in your pouch for long).

For what it's worth, here's my take on yogurt.

UP UNTIL NOW:
My body seems to crave yogurt. For a long time I believed it was because of the calcium. While that might be the case, I'm not of the belief that's because of its sweetness. Most yogurts are insanely sweet. Case in point, Kroger's regular yogurt has 43 grams of sugar.

I personally prefer yogurts without Aspartame in them (the light thick & creamy by yoplait or the Weigh****chers). Each of these yogurts (6 ounces) are 100 calories and are sweetened by sucralose (splenda). While both taste great (I think the Weigh****chers is better), both of them are also sweet tasting. I believe that makes it easier to eat more and have it curb your appetite for less time. Weigh****chers has 6 grams of protein, 3 grams dietary fiber, 17 grams of carbohydrates (12 grams of sugar) -- and it's the better of these two (by a slight margin).

CURRENTLY
Recently, a dear friend of mine put me onto a new type of yogurt. Kroger's (available at Smith's only) has a yogurt called "Carb Master." Yes, it actually says Carb Master on the label. It only has 4 grams of carbohydrates (3 grams sugar) and 1 gram of dietary fiber but get this, it has 10-12 grams of protein. The result is a yogurt that isn't as good tasting (since it's not as sweet) but I've found that it's way more filling and curbs your hunger for longer than those other brands. And it only has 80 calories (6 ounces). I highly recommend it.

As I've always maintained, the more simple carbs you eat (and sugars count here), the more you trigger your hunger. Your body burns off simple carbs FAST and it raises your blood sugar level quickly. Once they've been burned off you have a crash and your blood sugar level drops and your body suddenly wants more. It's like a drug. That's why things like nuts, beef jerky and other meats stay with you longer.