Wednesday, December 17, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS: 32mos. Post Op


What a wonderful LIFE!

I certainly am thrilled about my weight loss...and maintenance.

Last night I watch one of my most favorite reality shows -- THE BIGGEST LOSER -- I absolutely LOVE that show! I did the math to percentage of weight I have lost in my 161 lbs. I've lost -- 48.2%! I was amazed...wow.


I feel proud...emotional...connected to those people on such a deep level. I don't think their success is MORE SUCCESSFUL...or that my journey is easier...or that I've taken the "easy way out". It's just DIFFERENT.


I like to look at the similarities...we started in the same place...
  • Morbidly Obese

  • In denial about how we were feeling...

  • Depressed

  • Hurting - physically & mentally

  • STUCK!

And then we ended in the same place...


  • Healthy weight

  • Educated about food

  • Educated about exercise

  • Hopefully more sane

  • LESS PAIN

  • Thrilled with a new lease on LIFE!!!
The only difference is....we took a different pathway! I know, for me, that I could've lost weight that way too! I am a strong, capable woman! Not to mention in my late 20's I lost 120's with Weight watchers and Jazzercise! My problem was during that process....I was SOOOO focused on my weight loss...that I didn't properly HEAL my inner self!

Unfortunately, I gained every pound back + about 35 additional pounds! Now....I have a completely different lease on LIFE.


DONT BE MISTAKEN-- I'm NOT completely OVER my my eating issues...I'll need to blog on those thoughts later -- PROMISE I WILL!!


For now, my encouragement to you is.... just enjoy life....be encouraged....and make a choice -- and BELIEVE!!


Believe in yourself...that no matter your pathway you choose YOU CAN DO THIS!!! -----------------------------------------------------



LIFE IS GREAT!!!
























MY LOVE....















Most thankful that My sweet daughter Isabella will have a Mom that can be active with her...live LIFE...and not hold her back - or pass on unhealthy behaviors!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

JOURNAL: "5 Day Pouch Test"

Do you find yourself asking these questions:

  • Does my pouch still work?

  • Have I broken my pouch?

  • Have I ruined my tool?

On the different support boards...and in WLS News & Blogs these tend to be the most common questions many weight loss surgery PostOps find themselves asking during their journey. I would agree with the consensus that it feels like we can eat more food especially when we see that we are eating more food. Sometimes I ask these questions when I see a bit of weight regain.


The following is a 5-day plan that I found on one of the boards and is commonly used to determine the pouch is working and help it return to that tight newbie feeling. The BONUS is it also gets us back to basics of WLS and helps us follow our POUCH RULES - hopefully triggering weight loss. (I'll let you know about this...)


It seems to not be difficult to follow & if high glycemic benge or on a cycle of carbohydrate cravings - this plan promises to break the pattern. Sounds pretty good, right? Here are some things to keep in mind as you try the 5-Day Pouch Test/Plan:



  • The 5 Day Pouch Test should never leave you feeling hungry.

  • You can eat as much of the prescribed menu as you want during the day to satiate hungry and prevent snacking on slider foods and/or white carbs.

  • You must drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day.

  • A reduction of caffeinated beverages is suggested, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey.

  • Weight loss is not the intent of the 5 Day Pouch Test, however, many who have tried this plan report a significant drop in weight.

  • More importantly they celebrate a renewed sense of control over their pouch and eating habits and easily transition back to a healthy post-surgical weight loss way of eating.

  • Below you will find a brief list of the menu for each day.

  • Please click the "Read more" links for further detail and hints and tips that will enable your success with the 5 Day Pouch Test.


Days One & Two: Liquid Protein low-carb protein shakes, broth, clear or cream soups, sugar-free gelatin and pudding..


Day 3: Soft Protein canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy.


Day 4: Firm Protein ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut.


Day 5: Solid Protein white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game.


I'm beginning this tomorrow...so let me know if you try this...I'll give you my results when I'm finished! Good luck!


Friday, October 24, 2008

Health Assessment: Get Healthy for LIFE!!


Section 1 - Medical and Family History

My Physical Parameters-

  • Height: 68 inches

  • Weight: 177 pounds

  • Body Mass Index (BMI) - My BMI: 26.9


The BMI has become the standard in medicine for determining whether or not you have a weight problem. This has now replaced the traditional height/weight charts. The following is a breakdown of the various ranges of BMI: (This is the same for both men and women)

  • Less than 18.9 -Underweight

  • 19 to 24.9 - Normal Ranges

  • 25 to 29.9 - Overweight (Pre-Obese)

  • 30 to 34.9 - Obesity Class I (Obese)

  • 35 to 39.9 - Obesity Class II (Moderately Obese)

  • Over 40 - Obesity Class III (Severely Obese)
________________________________

Another Standard of Measurement has become the waist circumference....which best determines what is now referred to as abdominal fat (Central Fat).

My waist measurement is given as: "Females: greater than 34 inches" - I have a 34'' waist measurement.

Fat that collects in the abdomen is more metabolically active and has serious health consequences. This is why the mainstream media and the health care community are now referring to this central fat as “killer fat”. You can easily determine the amount of abdominal fat by simply measuring your waist (approximately one inch below your umbilicus—belly button).

When this waist measurement gets over 28 inches for women and over 34 inches for men, there is concern that you have already “tipped over” into this abnormal metabolic state known as insulin resistance. When this becomes greater than 34.5 inches in females or greater than 40 inches in males, you most likely have already developed the full-blown Metabolic Syndrome due to insulin resistance.

____________________________________

Many programs strongly recommend that you do not weigh yourself. When the scale becomes a motivator, it will soon become the reason you quit most programs....

For me, I've had to start thinking differently about my Health and Wellness...not as a "DIET" or a weight loss program but instead - the development of healthy lifestyles - it is simply developing healthy lifestyles that have a side effect of permanent weight loss. It is so much better to simply enjoy your clothes becoming looser or your waist measurement decreasing.
____________________________________


Section 2 - Lifestyle HistoryStress is a great enemy to your overall health and desire to achieve your ideal body weight. Your body can handle a mild to moderate amount of stress without any major health consequences; however, a high amount or prolonged amount of stress is dangerous to your health. It stimulates the release of an excessive amount of stress hormones that not only increase your appetite but also increase the amount of free radical production and inflammation in your body.


Over time this can lead to a depleted immune system, antioxidant system, and eventually to a serious chronic degenerative disease. Developing healthy lifestyles can significantly decrease the amount of stress your body must endure while at the same time protecting against the damaging effects of stress.


The only thing that the body cannot handle is inactivity.


Along with our poor eating habits, lack of exercise is one of the main reasons we are facing the obesity and diabetes epidemic today. When the body is not physically active, we become much less sensitive to our insulin. However, different medical research studies have shown that simply walking briskly or the equivalent physical activity for 30 minutes five times a week will significantly increase the sensitivity to our insulin. This is why exercise is such a critical aspect of developing a healthy life! It doesn’t matter whether you are involved in hiking, swimming, racquetball, tennis, basketball, or biking - what matters is the fact that you are involved in a consistent, modest exercise program that gets the body moving.


Now working out one or two days a week is really not an exercise program. Ideally you want to be involved in an aerobic activity 4 to 5 times per week for around 30 minutes. Having a weight resistance program along with your aerobic activity is even better.


_______________________________________


Less than 10% of the adult population gets the recommended 8 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important recommendations when it comes to your health. Fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that our bodies so desperately need. This is the reason that individuals who eat 8 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables each day decrease their risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s dementia by 2 to 3 fold. This is why if you are a WLS (weight-loss surgery) patient it is imperative that you maintain your nutritional supplements, not to mention that you are taking a nutritional supplement that you can trust.


White bread, wheat flour bread, white flour, rice, pasta, cereals, and potatoes spike your blood sugar faster than if you were slapping table sugar onto your tongue. The health consequences of consuming these foods are not only just as bad as sugar—they can be much, much worse. They lead to what is called glycemic stress, carbohydrate addiction, and can eventually lead to diabetes and heart disease.


Not all carbohydrates are bad. Only these highly processed carbohydrates and potatoes. Eating whole grain breads, cereals, and certain rice and potatoes is critical in protecting your health.
____________________________________________

If you truly start thinking differently about Health and Wellness- living a healthy lifestyle & not as a "DIET" or a weight loss program but instead - you will begin to develop a healthy lifestyles pattern. After reading Dr Ray D. Strand's "Healthy for Life" website...and he states, "[Healthy for Life] is a 15 month program. I have learned over the past 10 years of helping my patients with this program that it takes this long for these new, healthier lifestyles to simply become a way of life." I can attest to this...I'm now 16 months post op...and now after these many months...I see that I've been learning to look at things differently...and am beginning new healthy lifestyle changes.
I've found that a great jump start to getting back on track and helping my body off of a weight-loss stall is thru ISAGENIX....

http://deborahcoates.isagenix.com
- See more at: http://deborahcoates.isagenix.com/us/en/home.dhtml#sthash.zqNMTuIP.dpuf





Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Miss PIGGY -- no More....

Looking thru my photos I found this picture of me this summer.... and it hit me -- I had my photo taken with a "PIG" mural...
HUH?? REALLY??

There was a time this would NOT have escaped me.
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Thursday, August 07, 2008

"IT'S ALL IN THE WAY THAT YOU LOOK...at yourself"


Growing up....



  • - "little piggie"...


  • - "sneaky eater"...


  • - "could be so pretty if... I lost some weight"...


  • - 11/13 sizes bigger than my size "0" best friend...


  • - someone whose mother had to keep snack foods from her.

Many of these words sent me into a lot of spiral of negative thoughts about my body...which in turn further perpetuated my eating disorder. I was what some would call a stereotypical eating disorder sufferer (an adolescent, white female who comes from a middle- to upper-class family.)

The truth is....eating disorders know no gender, ethnic, age or class lines, but there is some truth to the stereotype:

When I saw this mural on a little side street while walking in Brooklyn...I slung my camera at my Mom, and ran across the street yelling back, asking her to snap my picture. The moment I saw this -- I loved it!
It spoke to me....I loved it's artistic nuances....but also loved it for what it meant to me in this new place of my journey.

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