TOP TEN LIST:

This, plus many other educational posts can be found on my blog at www.seanstransformation.blogspot.com

With WLS, the ability to lose weight finally becomes a battle that we not only can win but that is easier to win than I ever imagined. Here is my breakdown on how losing 250 lbs (for me) happened so easily (21 months).  
 

1) Get into a routine. I stopped trying to think of food as exciting and taught myself to think of it as fuel for my body. I quickly learned that if food was boring and just something I had to eat in order to fuel my body, I didn't have the cravings.   
 
2) Water. Pushing water between meals helps curb your appetite and keep you from eating too soon after each meal. Setting times for when you have to drink a certain amount of water helps, as does carrying water with you everywhere you go.   

3) Types of Food. After about 3-4 months, start looking for foods that curb your appetite longer. For me, beef jerky and nuts were great for this.  This gets more and more important as you get further and further out from your surgery.   

4) Preparation/Grocery Shopping. We all have those times when we're super hungry and during those times it's much more difficult to stay away from eating the wrong thing. It's great if you can prepare your food, especially if you can freeze it for quick use later. However, don't find yourself unprepared. Have quick things like beef jerky, nuts, protein bars on hand for those times when preparation isn't possible. If you use them, be wise in your choice of protein bars. Atkins Advantage (Double Chocolate Crunch - yum!) are my favorite but High Protein Slim Fast are also good (the Peanut Granola, not the Chocolate -- trust me). And don't go grocery shopping hungry. Ever.   

5) Exercise. Some people love to exercise, some don't. It's just the way it is. Like some people love purple but others hate it. But even if you don't like to formally exercise, do yourself a favor and move as much as possible during the day. Make it a point to park far away from the store or mall when you go shopping or far away when you go to work. Whenever you find yourself saying "oh I'll do that later" because you don't want to get up to do something (like perhaps get the laundry out of the dryer), make yourself just get up and do it. Move, move, move. As much as possible all day long.   

6) Bad Days. Even after WLS, you'll have bad days. Especially as you get farther out from surgery. DON'T worry about it. It happens to everyone. Just chalk it up to a bad day, focus on how successful you've been so far, and recommit to doing better the next day.   

7) Carb Addictions. There will also be periods where you will eat the wrong types of carbs (pasta, bread, sweets). Perhaps for a few days in a row. Those slips should be few and far between but you need to be realistic. They will happen. The important thing is to realize that when you have those slip ups, it's HARD to get back on track because your body is addicted to simple carbs. And when you start trying to get back on track, your body goes through withdrawals. For me, getting back on track after that is a process. I try to be perfect from day one but realistically it's usually day 3 before I get back to where I should be. I do better on day one than during the slip up and better on day two than on day three. Just keep that in mind and don't get discouraged as you try to get back on track. Discouragement just leads to failure. Think about what you've done so far, be proud of yourself, and know that you are now the one in control.   

(8) Malabsorption. Okay, we all know this one. We've talked about it a lot. Don't mess around with it. Get your multi vitamin in. Push water every day so you can take your calcium (preferrably with Vitamin D). Take your daily B12 supplement. Don't take your calcium and multi-vitamin (or iron) at the same time. And never justify eating the wrong thing by saying "that's okay, my body won't absorb it all."   

9) Revel in your Weight Loss. I've read a lot of posts about how hard it is when eating with your family or friends and not being able to enjoy the meal or feeling a little out of place. Stop thinking of it like that. How many of us know that skinny person who is the one in the crowd who doesn't eat sweets while everyone else is? Or perhaps the vegetarian who doesn't join in when everyone else is eating because there's nothing for them to eat? This is you now. It doesn't matter what you tell them, you don't really even need to explain. Personally, I like being seen as the skinny person who doesn't indulge and who is in control of what I eat and when. It doesn't offend anyone when I don't eat. They sometimes try to talk me into it but they respect me so much when I stand by what I know is best for me.   

10) Your new body. Spend time each day noticing the changes in your body. Can you see your collar bone? How about your hands and feet? Are you noticing veins and bones there that you never saw before? Are you kneecaps more visible? How about your jawline? Can you feel your lymphnodes? Did you think they were tumors? How much easier is it for you to move? Does it excite you to be able to jog (or even walk) up a flight of stairs and notice that you no longer feel like you're about to have a coronary? When you lay down, is your stomach flat now whereas before it wasn't? Even if you noticed things the day before, spend time every day marveling in the changes.   

Enjoy every day of the journey.  

Sean

The following was posted by a RMAP member on their website.  Carly, of course, deleted it.  I've removed his name from the post but wanted to post it here so everyone can see it.  Draw your own conclusions.
___________________________

Sean, I just posted on RMAP site;

I would like to ask RMAP to consider re-instating SeanJ back to the forums. I believe that re-instating Sean would show members that RMAP has compassion and understanding. I do not believe that it would be a sign of weakness. Yes, I am asking for a favor.

I do not understand what he did to get banned. I have read posts from members and RMAP about this issue. I did read his comments about the administration or education fee. I cannot find fault with the post in the context of vulgar, slander, offensive, etc...I actually agreed with many points. I think that RMAP could improve on patient care, including patient interactions. In all fairness, basically all doctor’s offices have room for improvement.

I believe that every forum should be a safe area for people to discuss issues. I found the fee post from Sean very analytical. The post showed thought and insight. It also showed opinion as well. Since when is it offensive to the point of banning someone over posting their opinion or perspective? I find it healthy to have a civil debate to allow everyone to share their perspective. People can often gain insight from such debates or conversations.

If RMAP felt that the business was abused by the posting, I really have to ask can RMAP take constructive criticism to help improve patient care. I also believe that Sean has sung the praises of the practice numerous times. To point out concerns (fee or not being able to pass a message to provider) is something that is healthy and should be encourage by RMAP, not punished.

If I am out of line, I do apologize. I would support RMAP or any other message board for banning someone for continued abuse. However, I believe that many members of this forum would agree that Sean has been a positive influence. He is very analytical and logical on some posts. Sometimes, that may come across not as intended. However, if you review his over 600 (almost 700) posts, I can guarantee that you will find that he has been a positive influence on this site.

I am humbled by the dedication of Sean and all the other members of this site. Undertaking surgery and making life altering changes is not easy. We need support from everyone. I draw strength to continue in my pursuit of a healthier life from other members. I believe that things such as fee can and should be debated. I strongly feel that RMAP should put in an area for complaints. Some members just need to vent. Some need to share experiences. I believe that RMAP could improve patient care and make their business even better if they allowed people to voice concerns, whether it is about fees, interactions with staff, insurance, or other problems. For any business to be blind or deaf to the concerns of it clientele lays the groundwork for failure.

Again, I apologize to members and RMAP is I am out of line. My intent is not to be offensive. I am grateful for every on this site and their dedication, their power, their energy, their desire and their love.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

***** above is message I posted.

Sean, you are an inspiration to me. I wish you the best and would like to be friends. I am grateful to you for your experiences and willingness to share and to uplift.

To add to the So Utah group, I currently live in Hurricane.  I had my RNY surgery at Stanford Hospital in California in 2005.  When Hubby was told he could live anywhere and work from home, it took us 3 weeks to get the h....out of California and back to Utah.  I've had complications of my surgery but not from having the surgery itself.  Supposedly my intestines herniated into the voids where the fat once was.  I had that corrected exactly 1 year and 3 days after the initial surgery.  Then in the fall of 2007 I had my gall bladder out.  Since then I've found out that if you really have surgical needs it is best to go north to SLC or south to Vegas.  I have had a nightmare of a time, and still have repercussions from a botched surgical job.  It has caused me to become diabetic which I did the weight loss thing to avoid.  I now have perferated ulcers that were not there when they did the first gall bladder surgery.  It has caused liver damage, and pancreatitis.  I'm in a holding pattern waiting for still further surgery to fix the botched gall bladder removal.  I would never reccomend So. Utah for gastric surgery of any kind since it was the same group that nearly killed me.  It took 4 more surgeries after the gall bladder site blew out to save my life, and a month in the hospital.  Then to find out 4 months later they didn't fix it properly and I have to go through it all again.  If they can't do a simple gall bladder surgery, how can they do something so major as gastric surgery.  OK my rant is over.  I just wanted to let those in So. Utah know that they really need to do some background work on type of surgery, and who will preform it.  What are the stats of survival and complications for that surgeon. 

Would I do gastric surgery again?  YES in a heart beat.  Other than this nightmare with the gall bladder it has changed my life for the better.  I have energy that was not there.  I have collar bones that I never in my life had had, even when I was an emaciated little kid.  It got my Hasimotos under control.  I was traveling and having fun.  People didn't treat me like I was subhuman any longer.  hubby called me a cheap date to take to dinner.  It is not something I would say do unless you do your homework.  It is not the easy way out, but a tool to use with a lot of hard work. 

DATING EXPERIENCE
I'm now at the point where I have a lot of confidence and so I started dating.  My real complex is about all the loose skin but in clothes you can't really tell other than I do have more of a roll (because of the excess skin) around the middle that you can kind of see (it just makes me look bigger than I really am).

Anyway, so I met this girl I really really liked.  Her name is Stacy Parker and she lives up in Farmington with her 6 year old boy.  We really hit things off but when she found out about the surgery and the loose skin, things got cold really fast.  She didn't want to come off as shallow so at first she just stop having so much contact with me.  Then when I told her I knew something was up and I just wanted a little honesty, she came up with another reason to make it sound like it was all about me.

At first I was a little hurt but then I realized what I've learned through this weight loss journey.  It's all about me.  I have a lot to give someone and if she doesn't realize that it's her loss.  If she is that shallow and let's face it dishonest, then I'm better off without her.  Why would I want to put energy into a relationship with a person like that.

It's better to learn these things about people upfront.  And keep aware of the warning signs.  If they're obsessed with weight.  If they say negative things about heavy people.  These are not the type of people you really want to be in a relationship with.  But in this particular case the kicker for me was the dishonesty.  If you can't be upfront and honest with someone at the beginning of a relationship, do we really delude ourselves into thinking that once we get into the relationship that magically that's suddenly going to change and happen differently?  No.  It just gets harder as you get further into the relationship.  So I'm glad I learned these things about her in the beginning because it would have just been more difficult to end things down the road.

I wish Stacy the best.  She's fun.  I have no doubt that she will find someone that's perfect for her and her little boy.  It's just not me.  I need someone with a little more depth and honesty.

Sean

 She's  Medical Assistant for one of the Orthopedic Surgeons there. 

We do travel quite a bit, but it is always nice to get home and relax. Home is my favorite place and I've seen and been to lots of places.

Kerry