Are You Willing To Do Whatever It Takes ...

Making the decision to have Weight Loss Surgery is life changing for everyone. Most of us are so excited that we would eat and drink anything to lose weight and by looking at the products and food supplements we have ingested during our lifetimes we probably did eat just about anything. Those of us who lost 10 pounds on a diet to go off the diet and gain back 15 pounds are the people who have struggled the hardest and have been taken advantage of the most.

When I visited with the physiologist prior to my first surgery her list of possible diets was not long enough to cover all I had tried. She only had about 20 listed on her questionnaire. I had been on over 46 diet/diet supplement programs and only listed 46 because I ran out of room on the paper. I know many of you have been in the same situation. I did not really want to be that frank but decided if I was going to go through with the surgery I needed to be totally honest and open. Of course this was 10 years ago and the process has become more streamlined and the questionnaires are more defined.

I read through the literature that my Doctor provided. He recommended a medical supplement drink that was prepackaged and I had to drink it for 14 days prior to the surgery. This was full on nutrition but really was unappetizing. With the second surgery we visited the support group and learned about adding flavorings and spices to the packaged drinks to make them more palatable but I was so excited I would have drank chalk ground up if it would get me where I wanted to be.

WLS has come a long way and we are able to help each other and reach out much more than were possible even just 10 years ago. I am so thankful for the friends I have been able to make through talking about my journey. The social media can be a support group for the busy person, but should never be the only support you get. There are just too many emotional issues that only can be addressed by setting down one on one.

I look back and think how excited I was to make the initial decision for WLS. I know how that excitement propelled me for the first few months. I was so careful that I had lost 25 pounds prior to the surgery and dropped 80 pounds in 6 months. Those numbers look astounding to me now. How in the world did I do it?

We did not have websites with recipes and ideas on how to make food that would fit my needs. I looked for a plan that I could eat on that would fulfill my nutritional needs without being so weird that my family could not eat along with me.

For me the High Protein/Low Carb plan was the best. Even then I started with the protein first then vegetables, eliminating bread, rice and potatoes. Although mashed potatoes were some of the first solid food I did not eat them long before I realized that they would not help me in the long run.

Most High Protein/Low Carb plans work for “normal” people because they can eat a ton and it burns itself up. But with restrictive surgeries like Lap-Band or Sleeve we just can’t indulge in huge amounts of anything. We have to start with the protein first. This diet/lifestyle can also be hard for people that do not cook, do not like meat/chicken/fish and can be a little pricey if you are feeding a family, though I didn’t really believe this, so many buy food prepackaged that is more expensive that fresh meat and veg. I have heard every reason in the world not to eat fresh that I just take those arguments with a grain of salt! If it is a lifestyle change, it is a CHANGE that you have to live with.

There are those that choose to go to group diet programs. I did not like those before my surgery and definitely not afterwards, but many do well with the extra support and those programs are really high protein/low carb so they make it easy for some.

I was so afraid of gaining that I made sure that I stuck with the diet almost to my detriment. How did it become a detriment? Well, I kept drinking the liquid protein supplement every day for 8 years! I was so afraid to not get the minimum of 60 grams of protein daily that I clung to the protein drink like a Monkey to a Banana Tree!

When I wasn’t able to eat right I made sure I got the protein. Sounds like a good plan doesn’t it? Well, it was a crutch that did not really help me. I was having problems with the band and because I was not eating correctly it was hidden. I knew I was throwing up after every meal of solid food but I felt fine because I had the protein to keep me going. When I decided to look into having the revision, it was the first time I had honestly told the Doctor what was going on. I had x-rays done and there was no restriction, no mushrooming and the esophagus looked fine, except it was not! I had a hiatal hernia and would have had serious issues if I had not decided to have the band removed and have the gastric vertical sleeve.

Now, I know that those reading this are saying that can’t happen to me. Most likely it won’t but it made me realize that I had outsmarted myself by staying on the protein drink for 8 years. After having the sleeve I became lactose intolerant, sugar dumping was and is an issue and soy is not an option for me so normal protein drinks are not something I can fall back on. I get my protein from good old food.

I also find that by chewing my protein 5 times a day that my head hunger had dissipated and that when I eat I am really hungry and don’t have to force myself to eat. I feel better and more active and don’t crave carbs near as much.

I continue to reevaluate what I eat on a daily basis; I am at goal and have been for over a year. I am proud of the fact that I haven’t gained, BUT I live in fear of gaining and I think that is pretty normal for most of us. It makes us conscious of where we have been and where we want to be. If you haven’t reached goal keep on keepin’ on, it will happen. Not everyone’s body responds the same to the surgery and some of you have a lot more weight to lose than I did. I am down 150 pounds from 286 and at 5ft 2 inches there was a lot of shade cast by my body!

I hope that as you do your weekly food plans you think of ways to include solid protein in your diets by starting to get off the protein supplements and getting on to real solid food. Now if you are within the first two months of recovery you will be a little more restricted and definitely need to supplement during the healing process. Protein increases the speed of recovery, the regrowth of hair loss and will affect your mental attitude, don’t ask me how, I just know it does.

When you are learning how to live your new lifestyle know that others have gone before and are willing to share their knowledge. We don’t know it all, we just know where we have been and we want the success for all of you. My goals for my lifestyle is to live life to the fullest, enjoy every day, don’t sweat falling off the program but climb back on the next day and share my experiences and recipes every day, and finally, be discriminating on what goes into my new body!

*Suzette*

Eating Like a Bariatric Patient

My mom and I were having a discussion the other day.
I'm fairly happy with where I am now, for the most part. But there's one thing that I've been noticing lately, and that's my eating habits.
Let's face it.
I eat crap.
There. I said it out loud (please don't throw stuff).
It's something I'm working through, but it's not an easy feat.
Especially when you're addicted to things like chocolate chip cookies. And Doritos. And those really horrible (delicious) deep-fried burritos you get at the local gas station ...
Like I said. I've been eating CRAP.
Now, besides the fact that I feel like a HUGE hypocrite telling you guys to eat certain things and I'm going and eating stuff just as bad - if not worse, I am not eating the way I'm supposed to be eating.
I am not eating "like a bariatric patient"!
I am not eating my protein first, nor am I eating 70-90 g. protein daily.
I am not staying away from sugary foods, carbonated beverages, or slider foods such as chips and crackers.
I am not measuring my portions and not keeping water at all times.
I do not take vitamins.
Let's face it ...
I NEED A SWIFT KICK IN THE PANTS AND I NEED IT NOW!!!
Friends, do YOU eat like a bariatric patient?
Would love to hear your insight on this!

Quit Bullying God's Creation!!

I started this journey two years ago with one thing in mind:
"I want to be HEALTHY".

Being thin was never a goal for me. Not because I didn't think I could actually attain that, but because I didn't necessarily WANT that. But then, after surgery, something inside me changed dramatically ...

My first weight loss goal was set at 145. Much less than my doctor's recommendation of 160. At the time I thought, "Well, if I can make it to 160, why not?" But, the reality of it was, my desire had shifted.

I started looking at society's view of the "perfect body" - rail thin with big boobs. The magazines made fun of women like Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashian sisters for having curves - not for being fat or overweight, but for having curves. I started seeing women like Jennifer Hudson and Jessica Simpson all over the media for their supposed weight issues (Oh no! She gained five pounds!!) And let's not even start in on what the tabloids say about Jennifer Lawrence's body ...

It seemed to me that everywhere I looked another Hollywood starlet that I admired was being admonished for being, well ... NORMAL!

I have spent much of my adult life as a body-image advocate. I think that all women have an inner beauty about themselves that they need to find and recognize. Weight and size should not be an issue if you're a healthy person (those of us that have had WLS were NOT healthy beforehand - let me make that point clear!). It should not matter if you're a size 2 or a size 20 - if you love yourself JUST AS YOU ARE. I had personally lost that perspective.

Everyone around me seemed to be dieting. Juicing, low-carbing, paleo-ing, shake-ing ... Trying to get weight off that, honestly, I didn't see. For some, there was a desire to be healthier. I completely understand and respect that. You can be thin and have the perfect body and not be healthy. But for some others, it became a race to see who could be the thinnest. "I'm down to a 4! Won't be happy 'till I see a 2!!" was an actual post I saw from one woman that started as a size 8. While she was getting thinner, she wasn't actually getting healthier. Rather, she was losing muscle mass and looking more and more frail and skeletal with each pound lost. It made me so sad to watch her wasting away to nothing because she wanted to be thin.

There were also those friends of mine that cannot gain weight no matter what they try. But the sad thing here is that many of them think the way for them to gain weight is to eat unhealthy - which is accomplishing nothing for them but giving them more and more issues.

All women are beautiful - regardless of size or weight.
Fat, thin, curvy, in-between ... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

God doesn't make ugly. When you look at yourself as fat, ugly, or any other negative thing you can call yourself, you are bullying God's creation.

It is good to want to make healthy changes in your life - HEALTHY changes. Those things that bring about positive changes in body, mind and soul. Changing these things because we want to be healthier, stronger, better. NOT because society tells us we need to be these things.

People look at fashion models for inspiration, for example. BAD idea. Fashion models look the way they look for a purpose. Their purpose in life is to make the clothes they are trying to sell look at good as possible. They HAVE to have the body shape they have in order for the clothes to "drape" properly and accentuate all the aspects of the piece they are wearing. No one expects a normal every day woman to be a 6 ft. tall size 2. That's unrealistic. And you shouldn't expect that you will ever look like them. You don't NEED to. Your job is not to walk a catwalk in a $72,000 Dolce and Gabbana gown.

If you want to make a change - a HEALTHY change - before you can do that you have to love and accept yourself  the way you are! Look at yourself daily and say, "Hello beautiful! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! I love you!"

I'm going to invite you guys to do something with me. My friend Audra is an amazing coach. She is doing a 21-day challenge called the Freedom Challenge. The entire purpose of this challenge is NOT to make you diet and exercise your way through three weeks. Instead, it is about giving yourself the FREEDOM to LOVE YOURSELF AND YOUR BODY! I am not associated with this challenge in any way, other than the fact that I am a willing participant. I would like to invite you to join me in joining Audra's 21-Day Freedom Challenge. It's completely free and there's not diets, exercise, or pills. Go here to sign up. When you do, let me know! I can't wait to do this with you all!

Remember, God made you JUST AS YOU ARE. And He loves you JUST AS YOU ARE!! Don't bully God's creation!!

Love and God's Blessings to you all,
<3 Jen <3

Helping the Un-Suspecting

When we started writing and making changes to recipes I never realized how big an audience there was out in the world of the WEB. I figured that most of the people who would like what we are doing would be our partners in weight loss surgery. To my surprise there are bodybuilders, people who just watch what they eat, and, interestingly enough, people who never ever considered weight loss surgery as an option.

This is a very broad audience and I am so grateful for each and everyone of you all.

A couple of weeks ago, I met some U.S. Forestry Service firefighters that were preparing for controlled burn on the LBJ National Grasslands near our farm. They were all young, most under 30, and one or two mid thirties. They were all physically fit and were joking about one of the guys always finding a place to take a nap when they were on down time. A couple of them were talking about how much they worked out, and how hard it was to keep to a regimen when sleeping in a fire hut or dorm. We began talking about planning meals and how it can be made easy if you are the one buying the food, but how hard it is when someone who is not interested in a certain way of eating indiscriminately buys food. How the “junk” and “high sugar” can become a staple rather than a treat.

I was amazed that they wanted our website information and, of course, I gladly shared. One fellow said that he did some of the cooking and was always looking for new ideas to keep the “diet” from getting boring. That is one of the keys to keeping to regimen. Eliminate the boring.

To eliminate the boring for me. is to look for new ideas from others on the internet. But, also looking for fresh early spring vegetables and fruit. I love berries - especially blackberries - so I have been getting as many as I can find, even though for us the blackberry season is in June. The grocery stores are keeping strawberries and blackberries year round now. So I feed my addiction to berries.

When the peaches come in this summer I will be right there finding the local cling peaches that are so wonderful. And coming from a long line of watermelon and cantaloupe farmers I can’t wait till the local melons come in.

Find a way to eliminate the boring like these young men do. They have a lot of ”stand around and wait” time, so they are on their phones tracking their intake, workout time, and most importantly for them, water. Working outside and on a hot fire line they need 6 oz every 30 minutes minimum. We need this too! We just don’t always get the message! So next time you are working outside, or just working out, remember these young men and what I learned from them. You never know who you are going to make friends with, change a point in their lives, or just have a common interest in. My family says I can talk to a fence post and carry on a conversation, but I think of it as making friends that will remember me with good thoughts because I was interested in something they take as everyday habits. I hope that each of you will talk to someone today about your diet, exercise and how your life has been changed for the better because of your bariatric surgery. Get out there and help the un-suspecting!

Tracking: Is It THAT Important? PLUS - BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD!

Many of us start off in the weight loss world gung-ho. We are 100% invested in doing everything "right" and "just-so". Then, we start to trail off from things. We're not as vigilant as we were. We backslide, we falter, we mess up.

This is how the majority of us started our weight loss journey - even pre-surgery. In fact, for most of us, the faltering and messing up is what made us stop doing whatever current diet fad we were on and go back into old habits.

While it's almost impossible for most of us to return to old habits such as extreme overeating and sugar consumption, we can still "eat around" our surguries. And for those that haven't had WLS, falling into old habits is a simplistic task.

With these thoughts in mind, I have asked several successful friends things they did to become and remain successful in their endeavors. And every one of them said the same thing:

"I tracked every bite of food ..."
EVERY. BITE.

For a while I fought against the prospect of tracking my food. I had a hard time writing down everything I was eating. For one thing, I was often embarrassed at what - and sometimes how much! - I was eating! Often I'd go through an entire bag of popcorn or sleeve of crackers (gotta love slider foods!) Who wants to write that down and look at it later??

Then, after talking to friends, I came to a realization.
The fear of tracking comes from my food addiction.

I don't want to track, because I don't want to admit there's still a problem.
I don't want to track, because when I do, I'll see the things I'm eating - and need to stop eating.
I don't want to track, because it will force me to do something I don't want to do - regardless of how much I NEED to do it.

So, why is tracking important?

There are several reasons:

First, it helps us figure out if we're getting enough protein. We're supposed to be getting a MINIMUM of 60 grams of protein (optimum of 90g).
Second, it helps us figure out "where we went wrong". For example - if we are stalled out or gain weight, tracking can help us see exactly what and how much we're eating. This can help us to find a trend somewhere, such as eating too many carbs, or not eating enough protein.
Third, it helps us stay accountable. Often, we'll eat what we're supposed to, simply because we don't want to have to track the bad things and see them again later.

What should we be tracking?
For bariatric patients, the first thing we need to track beyond everything else is protein. We HAVE to keep our protein counts up.
Equally important is our water. We should be getting at least 64 oz of water, (that's eight 8-oz glasses of water).
Then we need to track our exercise. Why is tracking exercise important? Sometimes our caloric output is more than our input. When that happens, our bodies tend to hold on to what it can - this can cause a stall or, in some cases, can cause us to even gain weight. Sounds strange doesn't it? That even with our surgeries we can gain weight? Even when exercising! So tracking this is important - too much and we can have issues. Too little, and we can have issues. Tracking helps us gauge if we're getting to much or too little activity.
We also need to track our vitamins. Are you taking your vitamins? If not, YOU SHOULD! And tracking can help you remember to take them! When you revisit your tracker if you haven't marked them, you know you should take them!

To help you with your tracking goals, mom and I have developed our ultimate tracker. The 7 Bites Ultimate Tracker will enable you to track your food, your protein, water, vitamins, and exercise. The best part? It's 100% FREE! It is a one-page PDF download - and you are welcome to print off as many as you need. Try it for a week and see if it helps you stay on track!