Checklist

I receive email and have read many posts on boards such as this one from folk who have either (a) stopped losing while still on the journey and not made it to goal yet or (b) regained some weight after meeting their goals. When they share what they have been eating, I am always taking notes... and found these continuities. I wanted to post them here (I've posted them on my own site) because it may help someone. I'm not saying a wls patient can never have these things again, just that they must be used conservatively when one reaches maintenance mode, and rarely if one is still in weight loss mode.  Hope this helps some of you that may be struggling.  It has helped me a long my journey. 1. Drinking milk - even using it in protein shakes. Milk (even skim!) contains 11 carbs and 11 sugars, both of which cause stalls. While there is an argument that they are natural sugars, they are still sugar nonetheless and have an effect on weight loss. (Milk seems to be a hot topic of debate among wls communities... but from what I have experienced and observed, its best to not consume milk while trying to lose weight). 2. Using protein bars - I still tread softly around protein bars. They are to be used as MEAL REPLACEMENTS only! They are not to be used as snacks or in the place of candy/candy bars. They normally contain too many carbs, calories, and sugar alcohols which are known to cause a stall in weight loss. The sugar alcohols can also cause gastric distress. 3. Eating bread products including: crackers, low carb tortillas, wheat bread. These simple carbs cause you to get hungry faster. You burn off the energy quickly and then find yourself hungry. Simply, they cause the "carb monster" inside of you to come out... until you are snacking and grazing like crazy... yet never feeling full. Crackers slide down very easily but they are not good for you. *Let me also add, some will consume low carb pasta which still causes the same effect: stalls! These are good for the occasional meal if you are craving pasta very badly. But, if you find that it leaves you wanting more, it's a trigger food for you and should be avoided. 4. Eating sugar free products. Sugar free products are high carbs, fats, calories and even sugar alcohols. Many people do not know this. SF Products, in my opinion, are wolves in sheep's clothing because it gives the appearance of being healthy. If you look at the stats on Oreo and SF Oreo cookies, the sugar free cookies actually contain more carbs! 5. Drinking fluids with too high of calories. You want to save your calories for high protein foods. There are many wonderful ways to add spice to your drinks which are very low in calories. One way is to add Crystal Light (or the cheapo versions from Walmart and Kroger). You can also add lemon and sweet & low for lemonade. There are Fuze Slenderize drinks which are very good. And, many companies that have fruity flavored water drinks that contain no carbs, calories or sugar. *NOTE: I am not making reference here to protein drinks since they are used in place of a meal. These are high in protein and are not used as snacks. I am making reference to liquids used to get in one's daily fluid intake. 6. Intake of too much sugary foods. Sugar contributes negatively in your weight loss. It does several things: causes you to stall, and gives you the taste or desire for "more" sugar. It's even more addicting than alcohol. In short, sugar will have you wanting to eat all the time and not be satisfied with high protein... it will have you reaching for sugary, poor choices. 7. Not journaling food and never really knowing your daily caloric and carb intake. How can you expect to lose weight if you are taking in too much? It's like having a bank account and writing checks, yet not knowing how much you have in the bank! You can be overdrawn and pay the consequences. Food journaling is very important throughout your journey. 8. Eating too much fruit - fruit is high in carbs and sugar. Yes, natural sugar arguments can be made, but my nutritionist advised to keep fruit consumption to a minimum and if you chose to eat it, choose the lower carb ones such as strawberries. 9.  Drinking too soon after a meal.  This washes the food "down the tubes" so to speak and leaves you feeling hungry quicker.  This can lead to snacking in between meals (we're not talking about eating 6 small meals a day, but just outright snacking and grazing), thus causing more daily caloric intake than necessary.  This stalls loss and can cause weight regain. 10.  Skipping meals.  Your body needs a certain amount of meals each day or else it will think that its starving, thus holding on to all calories, etc.  I won't say you need 3 meals a day, as some of us need 5 or 6 "small" meals each day to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). 

I think you've left out another very major contributor to stalls and regain... Drinking with, or too soon after, a meal. This will also encourage eating too much or too often because you wash the food out of your pouch too soon and find yourself hungry between meals. This is an easy habit to fall back into, especially during the summer and while eating with others. Either don't pour yourself a beverage, or order one if eating out, or move it way out of your line of vision and your reach once you are prepared to eat. In the beginning, I would have my husband place my glass of water at the opposite end of the table from where I was sitting. That way I would not mindlessly reach for it while eating. If you need to set a timer or alarm to remind you when it is okay to start drinking again, do it. I have used a kitchen timer while at home and my cell phone when out of the house.

Add salt to the water! When I was first post-op and would go out to eat, I would order water. Mostly because the waiter(s) would be like, you don't want anything to drink if I would say nothing. I hated that so then I started ordering water. And then when talking, would forget and take a sip. So, I put salt in the water and that broke that habit real quick! hahaha. Hey - whatever works. I am 2 years post-op and still do not drink with meals.

Very true!  I added this to my list! You know, Tim & I were talking the other day... I asked him to help me out with a study...  that for one week, to NOT drink after his meals and to see if he still feels a need to snack at nighttime once we get home.  I imagine not, since he will still have the food in his stomach...  I will be anxious to see what the outcome is for a non wls patient...  and also, whether he will lose some weight.

Great list Melinda! I think the milk thing is very overated. If you are taking your calcium supplements like you are supposed to, then you really have no reason to drink milk regularly. It is fairly high in calories for a drink (even to mix with protein drinks like you mentioned). I guess that is easier for me to say since I never could tolerate milk after surgery.  I would also like to add something to the list. Don't skip meals! I am one that truly believes you have to eat to lose weight. You see so many people only eating twice a day or skipping breakfast and this will cause you to stall and not lose weight. Even if one of your meals is a protein bar or protein drink, you have to "eat" three times a day at regular intervals. When you are further out from surgery, you can add one or two snacks a day. I eat 5 times a day (or did pre-prego - it is more now). My three meals and one snack is a banana in the AM and one snack is a yogurt in the early PM. But I think it really keeps your metabolism up, keeps you from getting to hungry so you don't over eat at regular meals and you can use healthy snacks.

I am going to add "Don't skip meals" right now...  you are right. I never thought about adding that one because I eat 5 or 6 times a day!  I do not skip any of my meals unless I am extremely busy... like last Friday I was going to get off work early...  ended up, I got off  much later...  but I felt myself needing food...  so I hurried and made a protein shake...  good thing too or else I would have had a drop in my blood sugar. 

You did add it to the first list. Check #10.  Miss y'all, I've had 4 surgeries, one in April, and 3 in May, so I haven't been online much.  Too painful still to sit up much.  Thanks for the list.  My problem is I can't tolerate food when first waking up.  I drink 2 ozs of milk with my pills because of the chemo pills in the morning and at night.  Helps me to relax to sleep.  I have sips of liquids with my meal if I want it to go down.  Living in a motel with a microwave and a fridge, means having to eat foods made for microwaves.  Don't have freezer, so my food is basically out of boxes or cans for microwave.  I know high in carbs.  My sugar is staying in the 70 bracket, but what is worse is my leukemia white cells are advancing to the next stage.  There's only 3 stages, the third hospice will be notified.  So I have been dealing with a lot of stress.  Just know that I still pray for each of you daily before I start my day and before the end of my day. I love you, and miss each of you, Kathy

Thank you so much for this topic!!!!  I had been at a stall for much longer than I want to admit!  Linda on beforeandafterhelp.com posted something similar about a week ago and I followed it and THANK YOU JESUS!!!!  THE SCALES ARE MOVING AGAIN!!!!!  (sorry...did I scream?)

I have gone back to basics and the only thing that I might add it to measure your food and then give it a little time to see if you are full.  My problem is that I eat too fast and then I get overly full...or I eat some and then pack some more in when the initial serving would have more than satisfied me.

Great thread!!!  Thank you so much!!!  Hey...how do you feel about Hood's in the green carton?

:)  Freddie

Hood in green carton - is that the fat free? Here is my spin on Hood's.  As much as milk costs lately... . I buy the Hood Calorie Countdown in the blue carton - 2%.  I use 2 oz of that with 6 oz of water.  That means I am getting the equivalent to 2 gallons of milk in that 1/2 gallon!  And it cost me 2.99 for the carton. The fat free in the green, if its the one I am thinking of, is good if you (a) don't mind the thin consistency and don't want to water it down yourself and (b) if you don't mind the price cause you won't get as much out of it.  I've gotten pretty good at "eyeing" how much I need to put in my shaker bottle...  so I don't measure it out anymore. But then again, I'm also getting 12 oz of fluid in my double chocolate mocha shakes instead of 8.  I add sugar free choc milk mix to deepen the chocolate and make the shake last longer.

Okay baby girl...you lost me!  "...2 oz of that wtih 6 oz of milk..."  I don't get it....do you mean 2 oz of Hood's 2% with 6 oz of water?  Or powdered milk? 

I really like the Hood's in the green carton because it has the same amount of protein as the blue carton but with only 1/2 the calories (still just 3 grams of sugar, too!)