PlumpKitty

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

So I woke up completely depressed today. Big surprise since I have life long depression but this wasn’t my usual affliction. Yesterday as many of you know I got flamed on the main board. Getting flamed when you say something obviously wrong or off topic or even about other board members is not really something to complain about (loudly at least.) Getting flamed because people jump to conclusions or misinterpret words is much less fun. I get notified by email when I receive a response to my posts so I was getting a flashing mail sign most of the day. The majority of people responded with opinions of their own one way or another on the topic I posed. The 10 or so people who responded with picking apart and misinterpreting my opinions really made for a bad day. If I had known at the beginning so many people flame on the main board I never would have gone out there in the first place and I most certainly wouldn’t have even bothered trying to chat with those that did. By the end of the day I had to turn off my mail notify and just let it go.

My opinion on flaming. Disagreement is not a bad thing. Enjoying a conversation with people while presenting stories, jokes, and information is an enjoyable way to get to know people and pass the time. Ripping someone a new one for starting a thread or stating an opinion that they disagree with is flaming not discussing or disagreeing. I could probably check all of those flamers "latest posts" and find most of them never actually start threads or topics. I start topics quite regularly and I do it for my personal enjoyment, to make friends and help others make friends. There is only so much you can learn from someone in a "where do you get protein" type of thread.

I say it often but yesterday was more proof than I had ever imagined that the people who lurk, read, post and enjoy the RNY forum are simply great people. The majority of people here aren’t sitting at their computers just waiting to tell someone off. The majority of people here are looking to learn, teach, get help, give help, participate, share, support and have a good time. When someone posts a topic I don’t have anything positive to say about I try to keep my negativity to myself. I can only assume most of you are the same way. There is no way we all agree with each other on everything. A few people are likely annoyed or offended by most every post in here. But do you see flaming on a regular basis? Nope.

I, like all of you, have real problems that affect me everyday. I don’t come here to create problems for others or for myself. I come here to be with the only people I’ve been around in years that I truly feel comfortable with and close to. So if ever you read something I say and it sounds like its offensive please remember that is not the intention. Either I didn’t make my point clear or I was joking. I actually have a smiley addiction :P :) ;) to hopefully warn people when I’m teasing, being silly or looking for fun.

I admit I am not impervious to flaming I did rip one guy a new one for calling a poster a failure. I would do it again too and not just because the woman he insulted is a good friend of mine because I would have done the same thing if she had been a complete stranger. So I won’t pretend like I’m all holier than thou. I know that I try to be kind, comforting and nice to everyone and in my opinion I’ve gotten the same back and more from all of you.

Just my morning musings to start some thought and conflict ;)

I hope you parents know how much your children will appreciate you later if you stop eating and feeding them the simple carbohydrate junk food when you stop eating them yourselves. S/he will have a MUCH lower chance of experiencing food addictions or having weight issues as they get older.

My mom is overweight and so was her mom and probably her mom too.. I wouldn't call it "genes" as much as cultural diet. They all ate and fed their children a diet full of starch, very low on complex carbohydrates and very low in meats/dairy. Growing up a meal was 75% - 100% starch: pasta or potato, corn, bread and a little meat (often the meat had starch in and on it too) all of this dripping with melted hard margarine and for dessert a big slab of flavored sugar! None of it was ever whole grain and the vegetables were never raw. Of course that was just dinner. Breakfast was usually toast and oatmeal or cereal (sugar, sugar and sugar on top) and lunch was a sandwich and piece of fruit (no scurvy for us!) bedtime was a piece of cake or a few cookies, oh and I forgot to mention the jugs of Tang and Kool-aid all day long.. wow sugar! This was our homemade "healthy" food and if we ate out it was always way worse.

Obviously just about everyone in my family is at least overweight and most are obese. Most have either heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure and a few are lucky enough to have all of them. Almost all would appear to be stress eaters but the truth is they just eat for every emotion, stress eating is just the new fad term in my opinion. People have been celebrating life, weddings, holidays, anniversaries and birthdays with food forever. A funeral wake has always had a huge spread of food as long as my family can remember. I think the only new eating styles are eating out of boredom and in excess at every meal. Not that they are new but just more prevalent in the middle and lower classes.

There is obviously a cycle of overweight in many families that needs to end somewhere, and maybe with you. Some big people are simply anomalies with their whole family small, I would bet most of these people have an emotional attachment to food they likely aren’t even aware of. If you are the only obese person in your family go to the doctor. If the doctor can’t help you then go to a therapist.

If I were a parent I would be less concerned about them sneaking pot or booze and more concerned about them taking care of their bodies in general. At least kids grow out of being stupid so the mistakes they make with friends and school can only go on so long. Eating will be with them forever and their choices will be based on tastes they developed while eating with you.

I would think the biggest issue is how many things does your obesity affect? The answer is usually way more than most "nomal" people could ever imagine. Obesity affects your body and mind so just about everything you do is tainted with your condition. Feeling better about yourself and less stressed in general as well as gaining the additional energy from not lugging around a ton of fat actually does make your problems diminish. Mainly because its so much easier to face external challenges when your internal is healthy.

There are issues the surgery can cause and you need to be ready to exchange some of your current problems for new ones. You will likely experience significant depression in the first six months following surgery from the change in diet and calories and from burning up your stored fats which are holding unpleasant chemicals. I have had depression my whole life so this wasn't much of a deterant for me ;) You may have complications that take days, weeks or months to be fixed. You may have a lot of pain. You may not lose as much weight as you want or lose too much weight. If you keep all of this in mind and be realistic about the outcomes there is no reason for you to fall :)

My personal life changes are nothing remotely close to Australia ;) I think this scale should be more focused on where we began instead of where we ended. A 600 pound woman who can't walk, leave her house, work, socialize, breath comfortably and more would consider the opposite of these things a big 10 on her scale if she loses 400 pounds. Pre op I was barely able to walk around the house which didn't matter much since all I did was eat, watch tv, play on the computer and sleep. I took a daily meds for asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, pcod, depresion and chronic pain. Currently I am a little over 6 months out and Im off all of those meds except the antidepressants (it never was a obesity issue.) I have lost 102 pounds and 21 inches off of my waist. I am able to clean my house, cook, go out shopping, go for walks, and just enjoy my life. I don't wake up 3 - 5 times a night choking on my syliva, my neck and face were so fat I think everything inside was shrinking and I was breathing in my drool, how crazy is that? To be honest I would say I'm already at an 8. I will lose a lot more weight and get a lot smaller but the real changes happened for me in the first 6 months. I've been thin many times before its not much different than being over weight (for me.) The differences between being super obese, morbidly obese and just obese are far more obvious.

Never forget RNY isn't fool proof many people gain their weight back because they are too non chalant about food post op. Normal people don't just get obese those of us who do are always susceptible to weight gain.

I know I’m one of those people who is always giving advice. Not just here but everywhere, work, school, relationships, friends. People have always come to me for help and I have always enjoyed helping others. My pearls of wisdom are often much easier to say than do which of course I know. I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that by handing out advice on every subject known to man that I might be problem free or under any delusions of being infallibile. I actually solve my own problems by helping others with their problems. The more help I give the better I am at dealing with my own current issues and issues I have yet to face.

So when I have given advice on eating out and living a normal life I have hoped that I too could be as good as most of you who have already been tested many times by real world situations. I am addicted to fast, high carbohydrate, high fat and lousy with chemicals food. I have been my whole life. I loved the high I got from eating these foods, maybe because I have had depression most of my life and am lacking in the happy chemicals other people make on their own or maybe because I’m too weak to fight the impulses. I once read some doctor debunking "The Carbohydrate Addict’s Handbook" and saying that there is no such this as a carbohydrate addiction. I would have to say that person is WRONG in the greatest degree of wrongness possible! When you wake up in the middle of the night needing french fries and a cheeseburger, the thought so over powering you can’t sleep, think or do much of anything but ride the wave of insane craving by eating everything in sight in the kitchen or just getting the keys and driving to an all night drive through to binge, eventually returning to bed with a sense of peace and tranquility that can only be appreciated by an addict who just got their fix, well you are quite simply an addict.

Like all addicts I know I will be addicted to junk food forever and have vowed to never ever eat it again. This has been easy since I practically live in a bubble here at home, never leaving the house for more than an hour with hubby. I went out to lunch today. My mother in law and I had decided on a day of shopping, which has always included lunch too. I have been so scared I would cheat seeing that it hasn’t been easy for many people here. The MIL has no real concept of what I can and can’t eat so its not like she would in any way make a statement on anything I ordered. I was completely on my own. I am proud to say I was PERFECT!!! I had a roasted chicken breast, told the waitress no potato and no drink of any kind. I pealed the crunchy yummy skin back and ate a simple, healthy, plain ½ cup of chicken breast. I ate slow, setting my utensils down between bites and chewed a million times taking as much time to eat my chicken as it took MIL to have a bowl of soup, a BLT sandwich, coleslaw and 4 cups of tea.

So while I am patting myself on the back I want to give proper kudos to the post RNY-ers who fight temptation everyday. I think we all know there is no such thing as an easy way out to weight loss with all of the tests we face for life.

Well its been 6 months now. I’m down to 226/7 pounds and have lost 100 big pounds :) I’m still pretty big but I’m much happier about my size. Its funny when I weighed this much before I was a lot smaller, a lot more muscular and a lot tighter. The weight really has had long term effects on my body. In the next 9 months I want to lose an additional 55 pounds, get my muscles built up and then get plastic surgery in January 2008. I expect to lose between 10 and 15 pounds in skin removal which will take my post PS weight to under 160 pounds which I am perfectly happy with. If I lose more after that’s good or even if I gain a little more I won’t be upset. I looked great anytime I weighed less than 200 in the past and my ultimate goal is to stay below 200 for life. Obviously I look extra good under 150 pounds but to be honest I don’t need to look perfect. I’m happy with my usual chubbalicious self.

I get my six month blood work in a few days and then I will go back to see my GP for the results and to check on her progress into finding me a plastic surgeon to talk to. I started my new anti depressants. They are welbutrin instant release capsules and work very well. I can feel them working minutes after I take them. I have to take them 4 hours apart starting when I wake up. I have been VERY bad about getting in all 3 pills everyday. I always forget the last or middle one. I need to find a timer to set every day :P

I have been experimenting with my protein shakes and enjoying mixing my chocolate with instant chocolate pudding for a change. I also bought some fruity flavors: orange dreamsicle swirl and pineapple delight. The orange tastes super good mixed with water and my orange flavored metamucil. I haven’t yet figured out how to make the pineapple taste good but I’m working on it. My favorite new food of the month has been taco salad MMM.

Not a lot new here. I’ve been slowly working on packing my room so its all done long before moving day on April 15^th. Have a good month!

Hugs N Kisses to all :)

Kitty

I've gone to a few nutritionalists over the years and in my opinion they weren't qualified to tell me how to eat because they are completely under-educated in psychological eating/comfort food endorphines. For me eating starches changes how I think and how my appetite expresses itself. A few is simply too much for me. I am getting all of the nutrition I "need" from my suppliments and protein. If 100 nutritionalists told me to eat more starch carbs I would tell them all thanks, but NO thanks. They may be qualified nutritionalists but they aren't addiction specialists. I can eat "just" one bread today, tomorow and maybe even the next day too but eventually one carb turns into a meal of carbs and then all meals carbs and then all weight is back, I've been there before several times.
 
Some nutritionalists try to say things like it doesn't matter anymore because you can't eat as much. Wrong!!! Do you know anyone who has failed RNY longterm? Go watch them eat if you do. You will see them eating carbs, carbs and carbs smothered with carbs on top. They didn't start out that way after RNY they evolved or de-evolved back into their old habits. Knowing a couple of people who failed RNY is really good for the soul. It makes me stay accountable for all of my choices knowing that this isn't fool proof and I have to work hard and stay on top of everything I do.

Last Nutritionalist dis I promise :P but nutritionalists are educated in making people healthy in body. I was dying pre op from my obesity. I wouldn't have lived another 2 years be it a natural death or not. My "second" chance isn't about winning marathons or living to see 90 it's about changing the quality of my life for the better for as long as possible. 5 years of great health and then fat again is simply NOT an option for me and I have been proactive about that since day 1.

I'm of course assuming when you said more carbs you weren't talking broccoli apples and milk... I don't actually count non starch carbs as they don't affect me. Refined sugar, breads, grains and potatoes are on my no more than a couple of times a week in a recipe, for life. 

The biggest problem with listening to other peoples adivice, be it a doctor, nutritionalist, friend or board members is that they have no personal stake involved in my mistakes and failures. I have been fighting weight gain with my body and mind for long enough to know what things are my personal weaknesses. I know what foods help me lose weight and I know what foods sabatoged weight loss.This is not to say I don't get advice but in the end I do what I think is best for me and if I'm wrong I accept it and correct it.

Sorry about the rant :P I just feel very strongly about following advice "just" because it comes from a medical professional, since it has led me so far astray a few times in the past. I really worry about the gals I see who are 6 months post op and more and basically eating everything they did before in smaller quantities. If that eating plan failed you once don't expect it to be your saviour now. I just heard a stat on a documentary the other day "half ton man" they said only 50% of rny patients keep their weight off long term.. That was quite a bit lower than I read elsewhere, I'm going to look into their references as I really hope its higher than that.

A lot of people here think that RNY is obviously great and therefore anyone who knows the facts is going to be supportive of such a great decision so logically all doctors are going to consider it a miracle of medicine.  Of course by now you have discovered that is not the case. Many doctors do not consider obesity a disease they consider it a weight problem and NOT their problem. 

I have polycystic ovarian disease. Many doctors still consider it a "cosmetic" disease and act like a little extra facial hair and acne is just tough luck so get over it. Of course they are ignoring the fact that PCOD actually causes diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, (all but HD I had pre op) very NON cosmetic diseases. My weight has been screaming out of control for years and my GP has sent me to many specialists from gynocologists to a gastrointestinal specialist to endocrinologists and a few more. Obviously none of them helped, some actually tried and some were openly rude.

After I made my decision to have RNY I went to my GP to get her in the loop and tell her my surgery date and what I would like/need from her thereafter. She has been my doc for 12 years and I love her to death. When I told her what I was going to do I could see the dissapointment in her face and though she didn't say anything openly negative it was still there. So after knowing me and watching me suffer for 12 years she still wasn't thrilled I was getting the surgery. It was very painful for me as I hadn't told hardly anyone I was getting the surgery and I really wanted her to say something positive, anything at all and she didn't.

So I totally know the frustration of not only trying to get laypersons to understand why I had surgery  and how great it has been. Its somehow even worse when it is someone you expect to know better :(

Since you have to deal with so many doctors you will just have to grow thick skin and be a Bitch if need be to take care of your best interests if they won't.

100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever
Provided by Prevention.com
Courtesy of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), we took our readers' 11 toughest diet problems and ran them by some of the top dietitians in the US: RDs who, in addition to their private careers, serve as media spokespersons or heads of specialty practice groups for the ADA. 

I can only handle one diet change right now. What should I do?

1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach eight to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions -- unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Are there any easy tricks to help me cut calories?
7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage and dessert.

8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.

9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.

10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.

11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-ounce glass a day, you'll lose 5 pounds in a year.

13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-ounce glass of fruit juice a day.

14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."

17. Use mustard instead of mayo.

18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.

19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 pounds in a year.

20. Take your lunch to work.

21. Sit when you eat.

22. Dilute juice with water.

23. Have mostly veggies for lunch.

24. Eat at home.

25. Limit alcohol to weekends.

How can I eat more veggies?

26. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3PM.

27. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.

28. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.

29. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.

30. Rediscover the sweet potato.

31. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as "lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta and added to salads.

32. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.

33. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes and melons).

34. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.

Can you give me a mantra that will help me stick to my diet?

35. "The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one ... period."

36. "I'll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere."

37. "I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now."

38. "I am a work in progress."

39. "It's more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating."

I eat healthy, but I'm overweight. What mistakes could I be making without realizing it?

40. Skipping meals: Many healthy eaters "diet by day and binge by night."

41. Don't "graze" yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it.

42. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.

43. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks

44. Ignoring "Serving Size" on the Nutrition Facts panel

45. Snacking on bowls of nuts: Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.

46. Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.

What can I eat for a healthy low-cal dinner if I don't want to cook?

47. A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit and wheat germ

48. The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage: At home, have an apple or baby carrots.

49. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple

50. Precooked chicken strips and microwaved frozen broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese

51. A healthy frozen entree with a salad and a glass of 1 percent milk

52. Scramble eggs in a nonstick skillet. Pop some asparagus in the microwave, and add whole wheat toast. If your cholesterol levels are normal, you can have seven eggs a week!

53. A bag of frozen vegetables heated in the microwave, topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts

54. Prebagged salad topped with canned tuna, grape tomatoes, shredded reduced-fat cheese and low-cal Italian dressing

55. Keep lean sandwich fixings on hand: whole wheat bread, sliced turkey, reduced-fat cheese, tomatoes, mustard with horseradish.

56. Heat up a can of good soup.

57. Cereal, fruit, and fat-free milk makes a good meal anytime

58. Try a veggie sandwich from Subway.

59. Precut fruit for a salad and add yogurt

What's your best advice for avoiding those extra holiday pounds?

60. Don't tell yourself, "It's OK, it's the holidays." That opens the door to six weeks of splurging.

61. Remember, EAT before you meet. Have this small meal before you go to any parties: a hardboiled egg, apple and a thirst quencher (water, seltzer, diet soda, tea).

62. As obvious as it sounds, don't stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you'll find you eat less.

63. At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.

64. For the duration of the holidays, wear your snuggest clothes that don't allow much room for expansion. Wearing sweats is out until January.

65. Give it away! After company leaves, give away leftover food to neighbors, doormen, or delivery people or take it to work the next day.

66. Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.

67. Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.

68. Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.

How can I control a raging sweet tooth?

69. Once in a while, have a lean, mean salad for lunch or dinner, and save the meal's calories for a full dessert.

70. Are you the kind of person who does better if you make up your mind to do without sweets and just not have them around? Or are you going to do better if you have a limited amount of sweets every day? One RD reported that most of her clients pick the latter and find they can avoid bingeing after a few days.

71. If your family thinks they need a very sweet treat every night, try to strike a balance between offering healthy choices but allowing them some "free will." Compromise with low-fat ice cream and fruit, or sometimes just fruit with a dollop of whipped cream.

72. Try two weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.

73. Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.

74. Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

75. Try these smart little sweets: sugar-free hot cocoa, frozen red grapes, fudgsicles, sugar-free gum, Nutri-Grain chocolate fudge twists, Tootsie Rolls and hard candy.

How can I conquer my downfall: bingeing at night?

76. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

77. Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.

78. Drink cold unsweetened raspberry tea. It tastes great and keeps your mouth busy.

79. Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands.

80. If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.

81. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after Dinner."

82. Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: no more food.

83. Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity: no reading, watching TV or sitting at the computer.

84. Eating late at night won't itself cause weight gain. It's how many calories -- not when you eat them -- that counts.

How can I reap added health benefits from my dieting?

85. Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.

86. Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. To fill up healthfully and tastefully, try this sweet, fruity breakfast full of antioxidants. In a blender, process 1 cup nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 1/3 cup frozen strawberries (no added sugar), 1 peeled kiwi, and 1 peeled banana. Pulse until mixture is milkshake consistency. Makes one 2-cup serving; 348 calories and 1.5 fat grams.

87. If you're famished by 4 PM and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts. The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.

88. Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients. If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.

89. Making just a few changes to your pantry shelves can get you a lot closer to your weight-loss goals. Here's what to do: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil. Same goes for breads -- go for whole wheat. Trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them canned tuna, sliced turkey breast and lean roast beef. Change from drinking whole milk to fat-free milk or low-fat soy milk. This is hard for a lot of people so try transitioning down to 2 percent and then 1 percent before you go fat-free.

90. Nothing's less appetizing than a crisper drawer full of mushy vegetables. Frozen vegetables store much better, plus they may have greater nutritional value than fresh. Food suppliers typically freeze veggies just a few hours after harvest, locking in the nutrients. Fresh veggies, on the other hand, often spend days in the back of a truck before they reach your supermarket.

91. Worried about the trans-fat content in your peanut butter? Good news: In a test done on Skippy, JIF, Peter Pan and a supermarket brand, the levels of trans fats per 2-tablespoon serving were far lower than 0.5 gram -- low enough that under proposed laws, the brands can legally claim zero trans fats on the label. They also contained only 1 gram more sugar than natural brands -- not a significant difference.

Eating less isn't enough -- Which exercising tips will help me shed pounds?

92. Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

93. When you're exercising, you shouldn't wait for thirst to strike before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Try this: Drink at least 16 ounces of water, sports drinks, or juices two hours before you exercise. Then drink 8 ounces an hour before and another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. Finish with at least 16 ounces after you're done exercising.

94. Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk -- and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!

95. Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility and endurance.

96. Drinking too little water can hamper your weight-loss efforts. That's because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn't how much you drink, it's how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.

How can I manage my emotional eating and get the support I need?

97. A registered dietitian (RD) can help you find healthy ways to manage your weight with food. To find one in your area who consults with private clients call (800) 366-1655.

98. The best place to drop pounds may be your own house of worship. Researchers set up healthy eating and exercise programs in 16 Baltimore churches. More than 500 women participated and after a year the most successful lost an average of 20 pounds. Weight-loss programs based on faith are so successful because there's a built-in community component that people can feel comfortable with.

99. Here's another reason to keep levelheaded all the time: Pennsylvania State University research has found that women less able to cope with stress -- shown by blood pressure and heart rate elevations -- ate twice as many fatty snacks as stress-resistant women did, even after the stress stopped (in this case, 25 minutes of periodic jackhammer-level noise and an unsolvable maze).

100. Sitting at a computer may help you slim down. When researchers at Brown University School of Medicine put 92 people on online weight-loss programs for a year, those who received weekly e-mail counseling shed 5 1/2 more pounds than those who got none. Counselors provided weekly feedback on diet and exercise logs, answered questions and cheered them on. Most major online diet programs offer many of these features.

For starters, until your pouch is completely healed you can actually eat too much without feeling full because you aren't feeling much of anything. Hence the rule to measure food until it becomes habit. Generally speaking unlike "just" following a normal diet, people post op are actually scared of killing themselves by causing a leak or hurting their pouch in one way or another and don't over eat! If you have ever had a serious cut you will know that it will be healed over and look fine long before you have feeling in it again. Time, patience and a healthy dose of fear get most people through weight loss surgery. 
There are ways around the pouch. There are people who fail at RNY. Two women I know who have had it done are currently about 300 - 330 pounds (5 and 10 years post op). They both drink with their meals, eat way too many carbs, eat way too much and don't follow the rules of the pouch. 
If you measure, eat primarily dense protein first and low carb veggies second you will feel full and satisfied BUT it takes weeks of not eating carbs to get to that mental point of saiety (gernerally accomplished in the liquid and purreed phases for most people.)
Go back to basics and follow the rules of the pouch. 

if I can comfortably eat large quantities of food, what was the point of the surgery?
Would what you ate yesterday have been a large quantity of food pre op?? You are eating more than most RNYers, yes but not more than most 3 years olds. You aren't lost yet just get the help or support you need from your Nut/sur and follow their advice to the letter because there may be other reasons for your ability to eat.
We're all works in progress ;)
PK

I am 5.5 months out and have not had any side effects that I considered "problems"  its all a matter of perspective. I had real pain and problems pre op so I didn't consider any of the following to be a big deal. Some people handle the new lifestyle and healing better than others. If you are prepared and mentally sound you will be fine.

My side effects so far:
- dehydration head ache 7 days out lasted about an hour until I rehydrated
- surface infection in my incisions, lasted about a week and was given topical antibiotic, didn't hurt just kinda pusy.
- vomiting once or more a day for about a month, it didnt hurt it was more like seeing a baby spit up, the food/fluid just bubbles back up when I drank/ate too quickly.
- foamies only during the transition from puree to solids and only when I ate too fast (took me a while to get the hang of it)
- month 3 - 4.5 frequent constipation and eventually bowel obstruction which was left too long and my own fault as I know better :P
- hormonal influx 

I know you didn't want to see more posts about yucky side affects but the truth is you will likely have a few of them and they probably won't be that bad, and even the ones that are less savoury than the rest pass quickly. In the end if you can hack a cold for 7 days without thinking the world is going to end you likely have enough resistance to find these very non issue. Personally I dont even dump and have been drinking 8 oz of five alive juice 2 - 7 days a week since week 2. I only used pain killers for the first 8 hours after surgery on the 3rd dose they asked if I wanted it and I said no as the pain wasn't significant.

Worrying about these things is like deciding not to get pregnant for fear of delivering a baby. Its decades of joy for months of discomfort and hours of pain.