When I decided to have weight loss surgery, my husband’s main concern was my health. What if I didn’t survive the surgery? You know what I mean. You’ve probably been there with your family. He had many fears. Way down on that list of fears was the fear that we wouldn’t be able to go out and enjoy dinner together.  We have always shared this as a special time together.

I think back 11 years ago when I had my surgery to what restaurants were like.  They have made incredible strides in how healthy they are. There is real movement forward. The most recent is one I would never have expected!

My husband and daughter love breakfast – me, not so much. Their favorite place for breakfast is IHOP. IHOP of all places; the home of the 1200 calorie Big Steak Omelet and a menu full of other nutritional disasters! I could never find anything special to eat at IHOP, until now. IHOP has just introduced their Simple and Fit Spinach, Mushroom, Tomato Omelet with a side of fresh fruit all for 330 calories!  I never thought I would see nutritional responsibility at IHOP.

And don’t forget Applebee’s entrees under 550 calories. They are outstanding.

So there are no more excuses when going out to dinner. Many restaurants are taking up the good nutrition cause.  We have more and more choices when going out to eat to be able to stay on track!

Get Ready for Summertime Fun

	Are you suffering from emotional eating and can’t stop?
	Are you grazing on carbohydrates and can’t control it?
	Are you lacking inspiration to lose the weight you have regained?
	Do you feel that you don’t know what to do now that you have had surgery?
	Are you dying to be in better shape?

My Back on Track Internet Mentoring Program will give you the
support you need to get your weight under control.

View a FREE Lesson and Listen to a FREE Telephone Seminar by
clicking here and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

Barbara,
I had my gastric bypass in February 2008.  I have lost 115-120 pounds, and work out every day.  One mistake I guess I made was not weighing regularly.  Just last week, I got on the scale and it showed an 8 pound gain, which about put me over the edge.

In three years I have not had any dessert unless it is sugar-free, I eat no fried foods, and consume no alcohol.  I faithfully work out 1-2 hours every day.  I have a personal trainer.

I still throw up more than I want, and these are some of the items I cannot eat:  fish, chicken, pork, eggs, and apples.  If I eat beef, it has to be either in a sauce or with gravy, or it won't go down.  I fear that I may compensate by eating more carbs because they go down easily.

I do have an appointment to see my bariatric surgeon. I know you said 3-5 years out people begin to put some weight on if they are not careful.  But I think I am careful.

Your insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Donna

Dear Donna,
It is hard to say what the problem may be.  Frankly you sound like the poster child for post-surgery eating and exercise. An eight pound gain is not that bad. Part of that could be caused by eating something salty and just retaining the water. The important thing is that you caught yourself and can address it.

My suspicion about starting to regain weight after 3 to 5 years is that our bodies start to adjust to our new anatomy, and retain more of what we eat. Therefore we have to be even more vigilant about what we eat.

You do have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.  If you have increased your exercise and changed to to a more muscle-building routine, some of your increased weight could be from muscle.

I wonder if perhaps you are really starting to eat more than you think. You should take at least a week and weigh and measure everything that you would normally eat, and then journal to discover the number of calories you are consuming. It has been found that people eat 25% more than they think they do without weighing and measuring.

Also I question (as do you) the amount of carbohydrates you may be eating.  Because you can eat so few meats, your protein level is probably low. Ground meats may be the only way you may be able to go.  Just be sure they are low in fat.  You should also include a protein supplement in your diet.  And be sure to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.

Let me know how you are doing, and please don’t get discouraged.

Barbara Thompson's

Inspiration to Lose Weight

Weekly Email Messages that Will Keep
You Motivated to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy

Start receiving weekly motivational messages today
to stay on track with your weight loss.

Click for more information

Caribbean Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 chicken breast halves (3 ounces each), boneless and skinless

In a large shallow bowl or a resealable plastic bag, combine orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, olive oil, ginger, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and oregano; add chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 3 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade. Sprinkle chicken with coarse salt and pepper. Place chicken on prepared grill 4 minutes each side or until done.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information for each serving:
187 calories, 2.7 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 6 grams fat

If you have a recipe that you would like to share in future issues of this newsletter, please send it to me at Barbara@WLScenter.com

I want to offer a special thanks to Margaret White for sharing her success with us. Here is her story:

Dear Barbara,
I have been overweight all my life.  As I got older, I got bigger.  No matter how hard I tried, I kept gaining.  I tried every diet known to man, including the predigested protein diet.  I did Weight Watchers, Atkins, and low-cal, low-fat diets.  I would lose, and then gain.  It was a vicious cycle.  I decided it was time for me to break the cycle.  I was tired of being overweight and depressed. 

I had Lap Band surgery on April 30, 2010 and have lost 84 pounds to date.  I weighed in at 332 pounds and am down to an amazing 248, which I have not seen in many, many years.  My surgeon is Dr. Jonathon Reich at SOCH Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ.  He has a great team. 

Although I have not reached my goal, I feel very successful, and have counted my successes in many ways.  I have the ability to walk more than 10 feet without feeling like I was going to die; the ability to sit in a booth at a restaurant; the ability to play with my children who are 3 and 8; the ability to work out; and the ability to ride on Mt. Everest and Soarin at Disney.   These are many successes I am experiencing on the way to my actual weight goal, which is 162.  Other goals I am looking to achieve are learning to swim this summer and running the half-marathon at Disney in 2012. 

I had to have six months of nutrition classes before my surgery along with cardiology, psych, pulmonary and GI evaluations.  At the beginning, I thought I was never going to make it, that the six months would never pass.  Just the opposite happened, they went very quickly.  I learned a lot about myself and my eating habits.  I found out that I was an emotional stress-eater and swallowed everything with a piece of chocolate. 

By the end of the six months, I was both physically and mentally ready for my new journey in life.  At this point I have found myself to be very energetic, less stressed, more interested in life, and living it.  I cannot wait to see what is around the corner and what tomorrow will bring. 

We went to Disney for my daughter’s birthday and I was able to go on rides and really enjoy myself.  In the past, I was always afraid that I would not fit, or that maybe the ride would not run.  I was too embarrassed to even get on.  Now, the new ME enjoyed Disney to its fullest. 

Now my new lifestyle includes eating healthy foods, making wise choices, exercising regularly, and taking care of myself.  I hired a personal trainer, Arlene, through hometraininggroup.com.  I am very excited by this.  I have all the equipment in my home including a bike, treadmill, elliptical machine and weight system. Arlene is very helpful because I was not sure that I was using each piece of equipment to either my or its potential. 

These days I own my life, and nothing can change that.  There are no excuses; there is no reason for them.  I have lost the guilt of overeating and dieting, then overeating and dieting again.  I have broken the vicious cycle and never want to return to that life again. 

One of my biggest supporters is my husband.  He has helped me in any way he can, and cheers me on.  He has built a gym in our home, so I do not have to worry about traveling to one.  He makes sure that if we go out, we go to a “ME friendly” place.  A very close second are my children.  Even at their ages, they always make sure I can eat what I am eating.  My 3 year old always asks if my booboo is getting better.  She rubs my scar so it feels better.  I have a great support system with friends and family.  This has been one of the most positive experiences in my life. I thank these people for all their help. I like to talk to anyone that wants to listen and needs help.  It is very important to give back when you have been so lucky.

I also want to thank you, Barbara.  Not only do I look forward to receiving your newsletters, I also receive your “Inspirations to Lose Weight” messages.  I love them and they have helped so much through some rough days.  I have printed them and keep them with me.  I have been able to get strength from them and keep going.  I am sure you have made a difference in many lives, and I know that I am one of them.

I want everyone to know that they should take pride in even the smallest successes that they have accomplished, like being able to bend over and tie your shoes.  I know I find something new every day to take joy in, and try for something more tomorrow.  I now have such a positive attitude.

Something I will never forget is a line from the movie “Flashdance.”  “When you lose your dreams, you die.”   Even if you do not die physically, you do die mentally.  My goals are my dreams, and I will make them come true.  I will never lose sight of them; and they are coming true one at a time.  I will keep making new ones every time I achieve one. 

Margaret White
aam1213@gmail.com

I love good news.  If you have good news, a success story to share, or inspiration, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.com so that I can include it in future issues.

 

Congratulations Margaret

There are a variety of ways you can make a difference, but the first step is to become an OAC Member.  The great thing about OAC Membership is that you can be as involved as you would like.  Simply being a member contributes to the cause of obesity.