Holiday Holding Pattern: Minimize the Damage

There are many tips and useful strategies in the 5 Day Pouch Test plan that support our goals, even while in a holding pattern. Check out this quick read: The 5 Day Pouch Test: Express Study Guide

Kindness: Above all else, be kind to yourself. Express gratitude for your weight loss tool and for your personal empowerment. Celebrate doing the best you could to find a middle ground to respect yourself and your traditions.

Can you believe we are in the midst of the winter high holidays? It sure feels like it crept up on me this year and I'm not ready for it. While this is a joyful time of year it is also, I believe, the most challenging time of the year when it comes to meeting and reaching our health goals. The food temptations are many and our schedules are full leaving little time for exercise or self-care. Something is bound to give.
 

Lately I've found myself thinking if I can just get through the holidays without doing too much damage to my diet and fitness routine, if I can just maintain a "holding pattern," then I can begin the new year renewed and enthusiastic.

In aviation a holding pattern is a maneuver that delays aircraft in flight from landing. The planes are held in a specific airspace flying a racetrack shaped pattern until it is safe to land. A holding pattern may be enforced because of traffic congestion, poor weather, or runway unavailability. While a holding pattern is inconvenient for travelers the objective is to ensure a safe landing.

For the next several days I'm going to put myself in a "holding pattern" using the principals of the 5 Day Pouch Test to define my airspace and designate my flight pattern. Doing so will keep me safe for landing come January 1st.  I hope this gives you the tools and desire to prepare for your safe landing in the New Year.

Principals to Build Your Holding Pattern
Here are some 5 Day Pouch Test strategies to help you build a holding pattern and prepare for a safe landing:

Breakfast: Eat a protein breakfast first thing. Use recipes for Day 3 including Breakfast Bakes. A protein dense meal will kick-start your metabolism: it will also provide a feeling of fullness. Have a second serving of your breakfast bake three hours later to stave hunger while yummy holiday smells fill the air.

Water & Beverages: Drink 24 ounces of water between breakfast and your mid-morning snack. A well-hydrated body works efficiently and reduces hunger cravings. Continue to drink water throughout the day: at least 64 ounces. Avoid high-calorie punch or mixed drinks. Drink alcohol only at meals. Read more about liquid restrictions.

Appetizer Buffet: Practice the 2 Bite-1 Bite Rhythm and liquid restrictions while cruising the appetizer buffet. Specifically, eat two bites of protein for every bite of fruit or vegetable carbohydrate. If you are eating from the buffet avoid liquids until you have finished your appetizers. Best bet - wait 30 minutes before and after the appetizer buffet for liquids. (This is tough - even a 10-minute liquid pause before and after will help). Make sure buffet food is presented safely, learn more what to look for.

Slider Foods: Remember that crackers, pretzels, cookies and white breads are non-nutritional slider foods. If you give yourself permission to enjoy some of your favorites remember the liquid restrictions (above) to avoid sliding your way up the scale. Even slider foods will help you feel full when observing the liquid restrictions. Learn more about slider foods.

The Big Feast: Get greedy with the protein; be stingy with the side dishes. I'm a sucker for the ubiquitous green bean casserole so I'll indulge with a bite or two on this special day. Treat yourself to a favorite and then let it go. It is just food. Remember your liquid restrictions, but celebrate too. It is okay to sip a bit with the big meal. A moist mouth facilitates conversation and surgical weight loss does not exempt us from sharing a toast with our loved ones. When the meal is over, it is over. Remove your plate and avoid post-meal nibbles during kitchen duty. Better yet, let someone else do clean up. Go for a long walk: assign kitchen duty to the kid table. (Go ahead and say, "My doctor prescribed that I must walk after every meal, I'd love to help but it is important that I take care of my health.")


Use these recipes to support your weight management goals:
The 5 Day Pouch Test: Complete Recipe Collection

Dessert: After dinner sweets are neither good nor bad: they are just desserts. If you have a perennial favorite take a bite or two and savor the moment. Then let it go. Toss the rest (you may have to be crafty about this to avoid hurting Aunt Edna's feelings, but it is ok to throw away a chunk of pie). Being in control of your fork always feels better than pie tastes.

Kindness: Above all else, be kind to yourself. Express gratitude for your weight loss tool and for your personal empowerment. Celebrate doing the best you could to find a middle ground to respect yourself and your traditions.

Day After: Follow the food plan for Day 3. Again, start your day with a protein dense breakfast. Day 3 is a "soft protein" day and the food plan is gentle with your little tummy. Drink lots of water. Avoid slider foods. Take your vitamins and exercise (shopping counts!). Plan your meals and snacks: do not eat leftovers standing at the refrigerator. Pat yourself on the back! You have the power to celebrate an eating day without allowing it to become the launching pad for a 6-week feast.

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Goal Setting: Check Your BMI Today

Have you checked your BMI lately? Use the American Heart Associations online calculator to see your BMI status and make a plan for continued health and weight management with WLS. From the American Heart Association:

Body Mass Index (BMI Calculator)

The benefits of maintaining a healthy weight go far beyond improved energy and smaller clothing sizes. By losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, you are also likely to enjoy these quality-of-life factors too.

• Fewer joint and muscle pains
• Greater ability to join in desired activities
• Better regulation of bodily fluids and blood pressure
• Reduced burden on your heart and circulatory system
• Better sleep patterns
• More effective metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates
• Reduced risk for heart disease and certain cancers

Your BMI is a good indicator of whether you're at a healthy or unhealthy weight. Find your BMI and what it means with our handy BMI Calculator.

• BMI stands for Body Mass Index
  This is a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height. BMIs are good indicators of healthy or unhealthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size. A BMI of less than 25 kg/m² indicates a healthy weight. A BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m² is considered underweight. A BMI between 25 kg/m² and 29.9 kg/m² is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher indicates obesity.
• Excess weight increases the heart's work.
  It also raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can make diabetes more likely to develop, too. Losing as few as 10 pounds can lower your heart disease risk.
• To calculate your BMI:
  • Type your height and weight into the calculator.
  • Select a status option if you're under 20 years old, highly trained/athletic, pregnant or breastfeeding. If one of these situations applies to you, the BMI may not be the best method of assessing your risk from overweight or obesity.

This content was last reviewed on 01/10/2013.

AMA BMI Calculator

Whole Foods Tips for Healthy Holidays

Staying Healthy During the Holidays

From Whole Story: The Official Whole Foods Blog

So, you’ve recovered from your Halloween sugar crash and you’re committed to better eating habits for the holiday season. There’s just one problem: mom’s sweet potato casserole covered in butter and marshmallows… or grandma’s ultra rich pumpkin pie… or all of that leftover Halloween candy! Okay, maybe we’ve got a few problems on our hands here.


Many traditional holiday foods are high in sugar, fat and salt — and the sheer length of the modern holiday season (does it seem to last from Halloween to New Year's?) can exhaust even the best of dietary intentions. Here are a few suggestions for staying health-focused during this time of year.

Cooking and Entertaining
When creating meals for your loved ones, keep in mind that they may share your holiday eating woes. Don’t be afraid to substitute some favorite classes with updated healthful, delicious holiday recipes. You may find yourself creating new faves among your family and friends. A meal prepared from a wide range of delicious, natural, and whole fresh foods is one of the greatest gifts you can give friends and family.

A great starting place for menu planning is to choose recipes that feature seasonal vegetables such as leafy greens, winter squashes and root vegetables. Plan to always serve a green salad and plenty of vegetable and whole grain side dishes with your holiday meals. Speaking of whole grains, try working more of these into your holiday baking. Most recipes will produce great results with half the amount of all-purpose flour replaced with whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour.

At Parties
When you’re not deciding the menu, staying on a healthy path can prove more challenging. We’ve got tips for navigating the nutritional landmines of holiday parties.
Eat a healthy, filling snack or small meal before heading out; it's easier to make sensible food and drink choices when you aren’t famished.

Once you’re at the party, think about portion sizes. Choose a smaller plate when you head over to a holiday buffet, and have just a spoon or two or a single slice of each offering. Emphasize vegetables and whole grains on your plate with larger portion sizes, which will help you feel satisfied and boost your nutrient intake.

Also, if asked to share a dish for a holiday meal, party or potluck, make it a healthy one! This way you'll always have at least one great option to fill up on. You can try one of our excellent holiday recipes, or even visit our prepared foods department and look for Health Starts Here-labeled dishes.

Just at Home
Since holiday parties and celebrations tend to derail normal eating habits, too, commit to healthy eating during non-holiday related meals during the season. Base your meals around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins and avoid processed, salty, sugary and fatty foods. You’ll enjoy splurges more if you know you’re balancing them out with a healthy foundation.

And don’t forget, health is more than just food. Stick to a good exercise plan, and try to add some fun activities like skating, sledding, hiking and walking to your schedule. Take a walk with family after big meals, integrate activity into the party plan, get people moving!
Last but not least, remember to relax, get enough sleep, have some laughs and enjoy the season!

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Source URL: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/staying-healthy-during-holidays

Patient-Doctor Communication: What patients want

Just show me that you care.

"The patient will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

(Terry Canale in his American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Vice Presidential Address)

Doctor-patient communication is a major component of the process of health care. Doctors are in a unique position of respect and power. Hippocrates suggested that doctors may influence patients' health. Effective doctor-patient communication can be a source of motivation, incentive, reassurance, and support. A good doctor-patient relationship can increase job satisfaction and reinforce patients' self-confidence, motivation, and positive view of their health status, which may influence their health outcomes.

Most complaints about doctors are related to issues of communication, not clinical competency. Patients want doctors who can skillfully diagnose and treat their sicknesses as well as communicate with them effectively.
  Doctors with better communication and interpersonal skills are able to detect problems earlier, can prevent medical crises and expensive intervention, and provide better support to their patients. This may lead to higher-quality outcomes and better satisfaction, lower costs of care, greater patient understanding of health issues, and better adherence to the treatment process. There is currently a greater expectation of collaborative decision making, with physicians and patients participating as partners to achieve the agreed upon goals and the attainment of quality of life.

More on this topic: LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest

The Secret to Lasting WLS Success

Shared from the:

July 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin

The Weight Management Secret
We haven't heard before

This will change how you think about WLS

 

I hope this message finds you well and thank you so much for selecting this correspondence from the many that fill your Inbox, I appreciate the time you share with me.

In this Bulletin I have taken the liberty of exploring an idea that came to me during a research project I was involved with recently. What if getting WLS surgery right wasn't about the goal weight or my favorite Four Rules or any other little list of instructions.

What if WLS living is about dedication to an ideal goal that, like any other worthy pursuit, requires practice?

What if we put ourselves in training for healthy living? Forget relying on intuition or instructions alone.

What if we take each day as a new training session for healthy living and practice what we know in the pursuit of improvement.

What if daily practice is what makes the difference between hopelessness and thriving?

Is that the secret of making WLS work for us and work for life?  Please take a look at the feature article "Take a Tip from the Professionals" and consider how you can employ the theories of practice into your WLS lifestyle. I've found some really great quotes and shared them throughout this newsletter - they are inspiring to me and I hope you will also find them inspiring.  While you are here please enjoy one of my favorite recipes shared from Cooking with Kaye: Sweet Italian Sausage with Veggies and Pasta. It is delicious and makes practicing this high protein diet satisfying.  I've also shared a terrific piece by Dr. Christine Carter on the Science of Success.  You guessed it - it's all about practice.

Thank you for joining me this month for our 5DPT Bulletin. I wish you the very best today and always!

CHEERS!
Kaye

Note: In case you missed it last month, we published our mid-year Special Edition of the 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - the most commonly asked questions so far this year. Check it out in our archive: 2013 June Special Edition Bulletin

Is it too late for me to do the 5DPT?

One of our LivingAfterWLS Friends asked, Is it too late for me to do the 5DPT? Maybe you are asking yourself the same thing. Here is the standard answer from our 5DPT Bulletin and a link to another helpful article. I hope you find it helpful. Have a fine healthy day everyone!

"Question: I had surgery X-many years ago. Is it to late for me to do the 5DPT?

Answer: Only you can answer this question. I know of people who had bariatric surgery back in the 1980's --when the procedure was a simple staple line down the stomach-- who have successfully done the 5DPT. Many times when people ask me if it is too late to do the 5DPT it is out of fear: fear they will learn their pouch no longer works or fear they will learn the pouch does work. The simple back to basics 5DPT will not cause you harm and it is only 5 days of your life. So it is up to you to decide if it is too late."

Helpful read: Three Keys to WLS Success

Check-up: Do you know your BMI?

Have you checked your BMI lately? Use the American Heart Associations online calculator to see your BMI status and make a plan for continued health and weight management with WLS. From the American Heart Association:

Body Mass Index (BMI Calculator)

The benefits of maintaining a healthy weight go far beyond improved energy and smaller clothing sizes. By losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, you are also likely to enjoy these quality-of-life factors too.

• Fewer joint and muscle pains
• Greater ability to join in desired activities
• Better regulation of bodily fluids and blood pressure
• Reduced burden on your heart and circulatory system
• Better sleep patterns
• More effective metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates
• Reduced risk for heart disease and certain cancers

Your BMI is a good indicator of whether you're at a healthy or unhealthy weight. Find your BMI and what it means with our handy BMI Calculator.

• BMI stands for Body Mass Index
  This is a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height. BMIs are good indicators of healthy or unhealthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size. A BMI of less than 25 kg/m² indicates a healthy weight. A BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m² is considered underweight. A BMI between 25 kg/m² and 29.9 kg/m² is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher indicates obesity.
• Excess weight increases the heart's work.
  It also raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can make diabetes more likely to develop, too. Losing as few as 10 pounds can lower your heart disease risk.
• To calculate your BMI:
  • Type your height and weight into the calculator.
  • Select a status option if you're under 20 years old, highly trained/athletic, pregnant or breastfeeding. If one of these situations applies to you, the BMI may not be the best method of assessing your risk from overweight or obesity.

This content was last reviewed on 01/10/2013.

AMA BMI Calculator

A Well-Reasoned Approach for WLS Basics

5 Day Pouch Test:
A Well-Reasoned Approach for WLS Basics

"Take the basic tenets of weight loss surgery, curate knowledge that supports your chosen dietary path, collaborate with others sharing your dietary circumstances, apply personal experience, and build a dietary health-management way-of-life that enables you to thrive.

This is the responsibility of every person who desires to live a healthy balanced well-managed life with WLS."
~ Kaye Bailey


Shared with permission from the January 2013 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin.

I wish you the very best of health this New Year! You have the power to make this your healthiest year ever - Let's do it together!

View complete bulletin to find answers to common FAQ's about the 5 Day Pouch Test.

Protein First: It's a Really Big Deal!

5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - Read in our Archive
February Theme:
Long-term weight management with WLS requires a life-long commitment to a high protein diet. Rule #1 Protein First: It works.

"After any bariatric surgery our nutritional focus must be following Rule #1: Protein First. That is how we can lose weight after a surgical gastric procedure and that is how we can maintain a healthy weight. Most of us need 100 grams or more of protein a day. By the time we eat that before anything else there is little pouch real estate to surrender to simple carbs and empty calories. Protein First: it works immediately after surgery and it sustains us for life." ~ Kaye Bailey

A protein-rich diet can lead to increased satiety, enhanced weight loss, and improved body composition.




Greetings from Kaye:
Happy heart health month to you! I hope this newsletter finds you well and Living after WLS!  This February bulletin addresses dietary protein as it fits in our "Protein First" post-WLS diet.  An abundance of proof exists that shows when our protein intake drops weight loss stalls and weight gain may occur. The "Protein First" rule must be followed with some rigor well beyond the so-called honeymoon period of weight loss. In order to sustain a healthy weight we must eat a high protein diet. I don't know of anyone with WLS who has not, at some point, struggled to follow a high protein diet. I've gone through spells where animal protein was repulsive to me so I had to supplement my nutritional intake with protein bars and shakes. If you struggle now and again with the high protein diet take a look at the articles in this newsletter to learn why protein is so important and how to increase your intake of protein.


Read in our Archive

"Bring them a plate anyway....."

Hello Everyone! I'm about to lay-out a rant here, but I want to preface it by saying I mindfully practice acceptance and give a good benefit of the doubt when personal philosophies differ from my own. I get it, that we all have a different bent on life and living. That said, this little nugget of "advice" really irks the carbs right out of me. From Feb/March issue of "Taste of Home" food magazine page 78 in big bold letters: Mom's Best Advice: If you offer people food and they say "No, thank you," what they really mean is "Yes, please!" Bring a heaping plate anyway.

Shame on you Taste of Home! https://www.facebook.com/tasteofhome?ref=ts&fref=ts

To me this is wrong on so many levels! "NO" means no be it NO food, NO drink, No fries, NO dessert, etc. NO is NO. Presuming someone means the opposite when they have mustered the courage to decline a food offering for whatever reason is extremely disrespectful. When an alcoholic says no to a drink does that mean yes? When a type I diabetic says no to candy does that mean yes? NO is NO!

As recovering obese people don't we struggle enough? We know who the food pushers in our lives are and we collaborate with other WLSers to evolve strategies that support our weight management goals in the face of those who may knowingly or unknowingly sabotage our efforts. It is hard work and the battle never ends. Do we really need, in 2013, a mainstream magazine encouraging people to push food upon those who have declined?

Yes, I know Taste of Home is not written for people minding their weight, but as a food magazine of any sort this ADVICE is highly irresponsible and offensive. They could have just as easily said mom's best advice is to disrespect all who sit at your table. I hope their readers spot this bad advice and toss it on the compost heap.

What are your thoughts? Share your thoughts on my Facebook Page

Weekly Digest: Tips & Hints for WLS Success

LivingAfterWLS Digest 

Success Secrets Shared

Strategies for lasting weight loss & weight maintenance

    

July 17,  2012

LivingAfterWLS, LLC - All Rights Reserved 

Greetings!

I hope you this message finds you well as we reach the mid-point of summer. Recently I was asked to share my best diet and weight loss tips. I think like any of us in pursuit of better health and life-long weight management we can never satisfy an appetite for healthy tips and sound advice. Long before WLS I was collecting tips, and occasionally including them in dietary and health management.  It seems to me that the best tips are tried-and-true wisdom recycled over and over, while poor advise simply fades away to forgotten. So in this week's digest I've gathered some of tips and wisdom that works for me and for many of my LivingAfterWLS Neighbors as well. I hope you find a new gem to treasure and spot an old favorite among the lot. Drop by the LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood and share your wisdom for better health and weight management. After all, we are all in this together!

Best Wishes & Good Health! 

Kaye

Go to Newsletter

Articles:

10 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss

Food Diary: Study shows helps dieters lose weight

Eating Out: Can-do Strategies

Buffet Table Tips for People with Diabetes

Recipe: California Omelet with Tomato & Avocado