From the Desk of Susan Maria…

With the snow melting and daffodils soon to follow, how can you not be positive about life? Make sure you are taking lots of photos documenting your journey; subtle changes do not escape the digital camera. If you need reaffirmation of why you are going through all of this or need a reason to not slide off the path, nothing turns a Cadbury Cream Egg into a lump of coal as quickly as a Before & After display of our past and present. Remember that the surgeon’s handiwork gives us that first one hundred pounds, but the rest can be very difficult unless we change our outlook and life. Read the quotes that I have selected for us this month slowly and carefully – give them a great deal of consideration in setting your tone for this new month, this new season, this new life.

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."
--Norman Vincent Peale

“Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing."
--Abraham Lincoln

On a ‘Wow!’ note – there are only a few rooms left at the Mirage for our Before & After Celebration in Las Vegas. If you haven’t made your reservation, call the reservations desk at the Mirage and do so today. There will not be another block of rooms once these are gone. If going is a stretch for you and seems a little too far outside of your comfort zone, that’s all the more reason why you should go. For those of you who have already made your reservation and bought new shoes – I am going to the mall today to catch up with you! This is an opportunity to wear all your closet jewels and clothes you are too shy to wear out of the house. If you don’t have any, borrow some – it’s Vegas baby!

Ciao,
Susan Maria


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Kate Continues on Her Journey…

My last month pre-op was full of challenges. A few weeks ago, I received a call from my surgeon's office saying that my surgeon would be on trauma call the day my surgery was originally scheduled. This meant that they had to change my surgery date to March 26, which was only a two week delay but at the time if felt like forever.

The first thing I did was post of my disappointment on our message board. I got so much support and so many caring replies that it helped me handle my frustration and sadness. The one thing got me through was the thought that someone in trauma on my original surgery date might need him more than I would. With the help of the board, I realized that in a year from now when I am healthy and happy those 2 weeks will not have mattered in the least.

My next challenge came when I started my two-week pre-op diet. The daily total consisted of two protein shakes, 4 ounces of meat, 1/2 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of dairy, and 1 tablespoon of healthy fat. It didn’t sound too bad, until I had to do it! I was starving that entire first day but thank goodness it got a little easier every day after that. A big part of that comes from the support I am getting from my new friends at beforeandafterhelp.com. When I weighed in at my doctor's appointment just 3 days after I started my pre-op 'starvation diet' I had already lost four pounds. Every little bit counts and this small victory put me in a positive frame of mind for my journey!

The next few days were filled with appointment after appointment for all my pre-op testing. Although it was super-busy, I was so excited! I couldn’t believe it was almost time for my life to change forever—to become the thinner, healthier girl inside me!

My surgery went very well—no complications, everything was routine. I am fortunate that I don't have a lot to write about! I feel good and I’m finally on the road to recovering from my surgery. Each day I learn how to live with the changes I have made to my body, and make adjustments to my new lifestyle. I can’t wait to share new pictures with you each month as I am already melting. It’s great to know that I have a team of “cheerleaders” behind me, who I can turn to any time of day or night, with a question, or self-doubt, a little pain or stitch, or to share a tiny victory. Thanks for your encouragement and support!

*Kate*


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Don’t Wait to Celebrate!

Many of us become so focused on the final result that we fail to appreciate, enjoy and celebrate the small accomplishments and victories in our journey.

We've spent years letting life pass us by while we waited until we lost all our weight. What are we waiting for? I say we owe it to ourselves to put an end to that “stinkin' thinkin'” and not let another day go by without celebrating our new life. Celebration should not be reserved just for the final goal, so don't disregard those wonderful daily victories -- yes, even the tiniest of victories should be celebrated!

Our success should not be defined merely by the fact that we went from 335 pounds to 150 in eight months (or whatever the case may be). Just as important is the fact that we had many smaller triumphs along the way...each one just as important as the other, and each one playing an important role in our overall success.

Making this lifestyle change can be a real trying time, but no matter where we are in our journey -- just beginning, 20 pounds lost, 40, 65, halfway there, 7 pounds from goal, 2 pounds from “ONEderland” or just arrived at “TWOterville” -- it is important that we never forget to acknowledge each and every successful step we make. Don't be in such a rush to get to your "goal weight" that you fail to celebrate the "small stuff." You may think some of your victories are insignificant when trying to compare to others, but if they are meaningful to you then they are important and worthy of celebration nonetheless!

Did you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and feel proud of the changes you saw? CELEBRATE IT! Did you bend over to tie your tennis shoes and your head didn't feel
like it was going to explode? CELEBRATE IT! Does that piece of one-size-fits-all clothing that's been hanging in your closet finally fit? CELEBRATE IT! Did you get back on track after having a setback? Can you exercise longer and harder...without gasping for breath? Did you resist
temptation to make a bad food choice? CELEBRATE IT!
Do you find yourself wanting to socialize and no longer just hide away at home? Did someone give you a compliment
and you were finally able to accept it gracefully? Did a long-time acquaintance not recognize you? Can you now allow someone to take your picture without hyperventilating? CELEBRATE IT! Did you all of a sudden notice you were sitting with your legs crossed? Did you discover you were now smiling and making eye contact with people? Did you get a hug from someone and they were able to reach all the way around you? Did you do something today that was outside of what used to be your comfort zone? CELEBRATE IT! Did you
notice a reflection of a "normal-sized" person in the store window and discover it was you? Were you able to run and play with your child or grandchild? Did you fit into the restaurant booth, the theater seat, the amusement ride -- with room to spare? CELEBRATE IT! Did you hear laughter and not automatically assume someone was laughing at you? Do you live life now instead of just exist? And the list goes on..........

If your weight loss has stalled, find something else to celebrate while your body plays catch up. Maybe you have lost inches or you can now fit into something that had previously been too tight. Recalculate your BMI and celebrate your new result! Look at how far you've come -- not how far you have yet to go -- and celebrate it!

Don't let the day come to an end without taking a few minutes to acknowledge your successes and feel the excitement of your accomplishments.

Celebrating the small stuff will EMPOWER YOU! ~Bettyboo


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Post-Op Pregnancy

When Austin was 10, we decided that we were ready to add on to our family. But it didn’t turn out to be that easy for us. We did get pregnant, 2 times confirmed by doctor, but I lost both of the pregnancies very early on--within 2-3 weeks of conception.

Through countless doctor’s appointments and referrals to specialists, we found that I have Luteal Phase Deficiency (LPD), where there is a short luteal phase, insufficient progesterone production by the corpus luteum, or poor responsiveness of the endometrium to normal progesterone levels, which possibly causes infertility. Luteal Phase Deficiency is the root of the problem for 3-4% of women with infertility, and up to 5% in women with a history of miscarriages.

We went to a fertility center; every test they ran came out positive, no problems. The only conclusion they came to regarding us not being able to conceive was the possibility that my weight was an issue (of course they were not so nice in their wording about it, but we won’t go there!)

Over the next few months, August of 2005, I found out that my Lap-Band system had once again broken at the port; this would be the second time in three years. My options were to replace it, remove it or convert to RNY. Through lots of research and talking to my doctor, we decided the best option for me would be to convert to LAP RNY.

My RNY surgery was on September 19, 2005. My doctor and I agreed that since I had already lost some weight with the band and had about half way to go, that we would focus on this and agree to not try to get pregnant until my one year anniversary from RNY surgery at the soonest. This timing turned out to be a godsend as we changed custody and would now have Austin living with us full time as he started the 6th grade. This would also give us the entire year to just focus on Austin with him being the center of attention as he adjusts to his new life, school and friends.

Fast-forward to December 2006; I am within 10 pounds from goal. On December 20th, my husband and I received a very special Christmas present....I found out I was pregnant! I had to immediately go to the OB/GYN, as I had to be put on progesterone supplements to correct the Luteal Phase Deficiency if I, in fact, still had it. That course of action proved to be successful as we are 4 months pregnant right now and going strong.

I am happy to say we have had a very uneventful pregnancy thus far. I was very lucky not to have morning sickness (not even once). Part of me thinks this may be due to how our stomachs are re-routed, but that is just my guess--I may just be very lucky! I was lucky to find a very well-educated OB/GYN who has knowledge of Gastric Bypass; this was a very critical requirement for me when I was looking for my baby’s doctor.

The first trimester has been a wonderful experience. I would say that, emotionally, this was the hardest part of the pregnancy for us. When we hit the second trimester, the risk of miscarriages is much less, and our nerves can settle a bit more. We have seen over 7 ultrasounds of our baby, as we get to have one with each visit since I was first considered a high-risk pregnancy. We are happy to report we are now a normal pregnancy and not considered high risk! My main focus has been on continuing to eat healthy, I still make sure I get in at least 2 protein drinks a day and still eat my protein first. And I’ve learned how important exercise is--I now try to walk for at least a half hour each day.

My advice for anyone considering pregnancy after WLS is to make sure you do your homework and educate your doctor on your needs, as they may not be aware or know what you need. I know my body works very well with Vista Vitamins, so my doctor and I came to a compromise--I take my Vistas every other day; then I take a prenatal vitamin pack on the other days, as well as iron, calcium and folic acid. It is a lot of pills, but I know it is what I need to do. In case the prenatal vitamins are not absorbing correctly, at least I know my Vistas are! I also have them check my iron levels every visit if it has been more than 4 weeks since the last.

I will check in again towards the end of my second trimester to let you all know how we are progressing!

-Lisa Purmort


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Spring into Action

Golf – 6 cals/min
Swimming – 11 cals cals/min
Running – 12 cals/min
Walking – 8 cals/min
Hiking – 5 cals/min
Gardening – 3 cals/min
Cycling – 6 cals/min
Martial Arts – 16 cals/min


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Triggers to Eating

Do you have food triggers? What do they do to you or for you? Do they work against you?

We all have any number of triggers: anger, depression, joy, pain, sadness, loneliness, and eating, just to name a few. The most obvious trigger to eating is hunger. But there are other triggers masquerading as hunger.

Have you ever been aggravated about something and realized you were reaching for “comfort” food? Have you ever felt depressed and started grazing? These emotions can blow the lid off your eating program!

Quite often, your mood can be a trigger to eating and hunger. This is because of all the situations--even from our infancy--that have taught us to eat when we feel something, good or bad. An infant cries, and is given a bottle. Food becomes connected with comfort and safety assurances. As a child we quickly learn that food is not only necessary but also good. When we felt hunger, we were usually picked up, cuddled and fed something to distract us, leading us to connect those feelings and goals to food. As we grew up, food was used to celebrate birthdays, holiday family gatherings, and all manner of celebrations. Food was connected to soothing adverse emotional feelings. As children we were fed ice cream when we had a sore throat, fell off our bikes, or brought home a good report card.

As we mature, we remember that food was comforting. We naturally tend to repeat behaviors and actions that make us feel good, so we eat our comfort food to make the bad go away. We hide our emotions with food.

We turn to comfort food during joyous times, as well. We associate food with fun times such as a date or a celebration of some nice event, and again, we eat--but not necessarily because we are hungry.

Thus, any number of events and emotions are associated with food, and given that vast association with food, these events and emotions can masquerade as hunger. We then eat to lessen this “hunger.”

So, how can we recognize our triggers? The first thing to do is to begin a feelings journal. We journal what we eat, as well as what we were feeling when we ate. We also look at what has happened recently in our lives. This can give us a clue as to what our triggers are, and there are many of them, as described above.

When we become aware of the purpose something serves, it begins to lose its grip over us. We begin to think twice about why we are eating, or when we eat. This can go a long way in helping us avoid empty hunger.

Secondly, we can begin to substitute more positive, healthy behaviors for our previously destructive eating habits. This is important for those who have had Weight Loss Surgery of one kind or another.

“Head hunger” follows a trigger. We are not really hungry, but we are feeling a need to eat based on some trigger. If you stop to look at why you want to eat, you can interrupt that cycle and introduce a different solution to this “head hunger.”

Ron and Marcia Hestand


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Hey, Guys! A section just for YOU!

The goal is to try to shed the excess fat that is covering your abdominal muscles. You want to use a program that engages the core while also creating a heart-pumping, heavy-breathing, body-sweating routine. Running is suggested as a great activity for doing just this. If you’re not at a point where you’re ready to go to full-blown running, consider fast-paced walking, jogging, or interval training. There’s a great “Couch Potato-to-5K” running program available at www.coolrunning.com that you might want to check out. There are also several DVDs available that provide core-engaging cardiovascular activities. Take some time to research this workout concept, and get your bodies moving!

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