What is your favorite tool and/or tip?

You may be pre-op, a newbie who has just had surgery and is learning to navigate the waters, someone who is well underway in the weight loss process, but has reach goal or you may have reached goal and are either maintaining or working to get back to it. It doesn't matter where you are in your journey, everyone has some experience and wisdom to offer. With this in mind, I'd like you to share your favorite tools and tips that have helped you get to where you are today; whereever that may be. We all learn from one another, so please share.

I am 3 years post op with my RNY. Here are my favorite tools and tips: 

* Lead with protein. We all hear that we need to do this, no matter which surgery we choose, but I have to admit that a you get farther out many of us will resort to simple carbs and that can get you in a boat load of trouble, no matter which surgery you had. They tend to go down easier and pack a caloric punch without much nutritional value. While I'm now back down to my lowest weight spectrum, about a year ago or so, I was up about 20 lbs. As you can imagine, I panicked and thought "OMG, I'm going to be one of those people that regains all of the weight lost!" I was afraid that my worst fear was coming true and at the time, it was. I realized through logging what I was eating that I had turned the tables and was eating far more simple carbs than anything else and that I wasn't getting my allotment of protein. I didn't want to 'diet' forever, but could let this go on, so I decided to try to just follow the 'rules.' I lead with 3 to 4 ounces of lean protien, then I have my complex carbs... i.e., vegitables and fruits. If I have room, I have simple carbs. This has allowed me to have my provebial cake and eat too while getting and keeping my weight at a healthy level and I haven't had to 'diet' or give up the things I love. 

*Log what you eat. Right after I had my surgery  I was meticulous about logging my intake to be sure that I had enough hydration, protein, etc... As I moved forward, I started paying attention to the calorie count to ensure that I got enough calories. I often found that when my weight loss stalled, that if I checked my calorie counts they were dropping below my program's recommended 800-900 calories a day and when I would get it back there, the weight would start to come off again. Once I reached goal, I rarely logged what I ate and if you read the tip above, you will see that I had a regain of 15 to 20 lbs which scared the pants right off of me. It was logging again that helped me 'see' what I was doing and then make a few corrections. When I did that the weight really did come right off and I've been able to maintain it. To be honest, now that I'm more than 3 years post op, I don't log regularly, but do try to do several times a month. Again, it helps me 'see' what I'm eating from a nutritional perspective. I also find that I tend to make 'better' choices when I'm logging. I think in part, it's because I'm not sure I want to enter that extra simple carb, but also because I reconsider if that simple carb item I'm considering is really 'worth it' to me; more often than not, it isn't.

*Get support. I have found getting support online and in person absolutely essential to my weight loss success. Of course, the support is critical during the actual weight loss phase because people that have not walked this path have a hard time understanding what you are going through. However, many make the mistake of getting and using support during the weight loss phase and then abandoning it when they get to goal. I find that support is necessary in the long term, not 'just' in the losing weight phase, but in the maintenance phase as well. We can and do get this false sense of security when we are actively losing and getting close to goal that we have 'got it and will NEVER go back.' However, it is very possible to slip into old habits without the support of others.

*Take detailed measurements before surgery and once a month following surgery. When  you are losing weight, the scale provides an important barometer of our progress, but it isn't the only one. Your tape measure you will show you a different view of your progress and help your head to catch up with the reality of the changes your body is under going. Sometimes the scales will not show progress for 1, 2, 3 or more weeks, but you will see progress through your tape measure. OH has a good measurement tracker, but I have to say that my favorite one is at www.thinnerself.com because it is more complete and it also provides a graphic illustration of what your measurements looked like before, during and what it will look like at goal. It really helped me to see the changes in my shape and size. 

*Take a photo of yourself in front of a door showing your full body from the front, profile and back before surgery and once a month following your surgery. Much like taking your measurements, this is another tool that will help your head catch up with the phenominal changes that are happening. It's amazing how others can see the progress that we cannot see until we see a photograph.

*The Beck Diet Solution. This is not a diet, but a book and workbook program that was created by Dr. Judith Beck for anyone trying to lose weight, no matter how you are trying to do so. It's not a diet, but a way for you to look at your relationship to and with food and the behaviors that surround that. I think it's a 6 week program, but it took me 6 months to go through it. Now I run a special interest support group that is losely based on the book because I and many others have found it to be such a useful and powerful tool. This works no matter which surgery you have had or are considering because it's not surgery related, but behavior related. 

Before I write a whole book, I'd better say goodbye, but I hope to see your tips and tools that are helping you on this journey.