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.

When you see the button group below, clicking one of them will take you to the respective social website where you can sign-in if you are currently a member, or join if you are not a member. There is also a convenient email button where you can easily send email to a friend about information you like from my website.  Developing friendships through one of these social websites will give you the additional support you need to help with your weight loss efforts.

This is what the button group looks like, but these are not active because of email limitations. 

If you want to share this newsletter or another month, go to the Archive Section on my website at http://www.barbarathompsonnewsletter.com/ where you will find newsletter with buttons that work at the top of the newsletter.

I recently got this email from Joyce, “All I do is eat. I am always looking for something to eat. What can I do?”

I thought of Joyce as I was sitting in a doctor’s office the other day, and I happened to come across a great article in the March/April 2011 issue of the magazine Eating Well. The article concerned if it is possible to be addicted to food.

The article cited research done under the direction of Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Dr. Volkow cites many examples of how our addiction to food parallels that of addictions to drugs.   What was evident was the release of the chemical dopamine was the same in individuals who lose their ability to control their actions. There was a similarity in schizophrenics, alcoholics and drug addicts. Dr. Volkow also noticed the similarity in the release of dopamine in drug addicts and compulsive overeaters. Using radioactive receptors, they discovered those afflicted with obesity had fewer dopamine receptors than those of normal weight.  Therefore it took more food to reach the same “high” for the obese than for those of normal weight. People afflicted by obesity were shown warm plates of their favorite food.  Their brain reactions were the same as for drug addicts watching videos of people using cocaine.

In our society, we have a constant crippling exposure to chocolate, high-fat, sugary and salty food. The more we see, the more we want. Dr. Volkow concluded that, “It’s not that obese people lack willpower. There is something physical happening in their brains that prevents them from stopping.”

Here is some advice.  If your overeating rules your life, then seek professional help. If you deal with occasional cravings, here are some steps to take as presented in the article:

1.  Anticipate your weakness. If there is a time of day that you have cravings, be prepared with healthy food at that time. If you eat candy at your computer, cut up honey dew melon to eat while surfing.

2.  Take one flavor at a time. If you eat salted peanuts and crave chocolate also, it is best to seek satiety when eating just one food.  If you are looking to deal with cravings in 2 areas, then you could end up eating twice as much.

3.  No eating in the car or in front of the TV.  Eating must be a conscious activity at the table with a plate and silverware.

4.  Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep has been found to cause obesity. Get 7 to 9 hours per night.

5.  Stay calm. Stress makes matters worse. Try to control your stress with exercise.

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

Yummy Sausage and Cheddar Frittata

Ingredients:

Preparation:
1.      Preheat oven to 325° F.
2.      Brown sausage and drain well; spread over bottom of greased 8 inch pie pan or quiche pan.
3.      Layer zucchini over sausage; sprinkle green onions and seasonings over top.
4.      Whisk egg substitute with milk; pour over zucchini and sausage.
5.      Sprinkle with cream cheese cubes; top with cheddar cheese.
6.      Bake for 45 minutes until top is lightly golden or knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve:
1.      Divide frittata into 6 equal portions.
2.      Serve each portion with ½ toasted English muffin and 1 tablespoon strawberry spread.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving:
240 calories, 8 grams fat, 27 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 3 grams fiber.

Click to order a copy of Chef Dave’s book, 90 Ways to Ditch Your Diet

>> While Supplies Last <<

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 Cindy Schiketantz  a special thanks for sharing her story with us.

Dear Barbara,
In late 2008, I was nearing my 40th birthday. I weighed 444 pounds, was on medication for type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, severe degenerative arthritis in both knees, near-constant lower-back pain and had just been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was only 38 years old. Having been fat my entire life, I was simply sick and tired of being sick and tired. My perfectly functioning brain wanted to do things, but my body was failing me rapidly.

If I felt like this at 38, what might I feel like in 5 years? Or 10? If I lived that long? I could either find a method which allowed me to succeed in my desire to control my weight or I could die. I chose to live.

Fear and hope led me to gastric bypass surgery at the Henry Ford Bariatric Center in Detroit the next summer. Surgery seemed like the best option for me, as I had tried over and over, my whole life, one diet after another. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, pills (over-the-counter and prescription), Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal - you name it, I tried it. And yes, I tried simply eating less and moving more. When you have to lose so much, it seems like an un-climbable mountain in front of you.

I ate less and made better choices. I exercised every day. Of course the surgery made things easier at first, but it was still a hard, long, and sometimes painful process. Two years ago, on February 7 - my 39th birthday - I started a blog to track my weight loss and the journey to surgery and back. I called it ‘Sweeping Cindy’ http://sweepingcindy.blogspot.com/ – out with the old and in with the new. My subscribers are behind me 100% and that kind of support has been invaluable to me in my journey. I believe sharing your story with others may help them, but it comes back and helps YOU tenfold.

Now, about a year and a half later, I have lost 250 pounds, am off all my meds and no longer have to wear the Darth Vader mask to bed at night. No more aches & pains - except when I work out too hard - and I sleep better, think better and yes, look better. I could barely walk across the room two years ago and now I do sprints on a treadmill.

My surgeon in Detroit and my family doctor in Ontario are both thrilled with my progress. I was the first patient my family doctor had referred for this surgery, and I have to say she was somewhat skeptical at first. But she has seen the profound change having surgery and losing the weight has made in my life. In fact, she is now referring other patients, and helping them change their lives as well. I have no regrets as it saved me. I have had no complications beyond a little nausea; but then I did exactly what my doctors told me to do. I haven’t even had a ‘dumping’ episode.

 Even though I have reached my goal, I ain't done. It ain't over. The hardest part of weight loss is maintenance. I will have to work for the rest of my life to keep this weight off. I must take that very seriously. I went to the gym the day after reaching my goal, to remind myself of that. You're not done, Cindy.

A recurring theme in my blogs is freedom. The pain of being imprisoned in your body by obesity is something that changes your soul. It limits you in ways you don’t even realize or understand until you are free. Free to take a stroll at sunset around the neighborhood on your husband’s arm. Free to get down on the floor and play with your kids or grandkids. Free to simply walk into a room and take a seat without being concerned that you will break the chair. It’s the little things that get you caught up in LIFE. This is the way life is supposed to be! It’s enlightening and empowering to realize this is how you are supposed to feel!

Everything is brand new; I feel like a kid discovering new things. I've always been fat so I've had so much fun trying new things that I never got the chance to do like riding roller coasters, canoeing, zip lining or simply walking around downtown browsing the shops. The past year was like a new world of discovery.

I don’t have a single regret about having this surgery. It provided me with the tools to take my life back – a life I didn’t even know was missing.
Cindy Schiketantz
Kitchener, ON
cindi94@gmail.com

Congratulations Cindy

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.