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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin 3/28

Read the full bulletin in our online archive


Liquid Restrictions - More Than Just Rules
Greetings Neighbors!

One of the first places we go off track after weight loss surgery is forgetting to follow the liquid restrictions. Some centers call them water rules. In short, the liquid restrictions mean to cease drinking beverages 30 minutes before meals and refrain from drinking beverages with meals and for 30 minutes thereafter. This is so our pouch fills more quickly on solid food, we stay full longer, and our bodies have ample opportunity to digest food and absorb its nutrients. Most bariatric centers apply the liquid restrictions to all surgical procedures including gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding (lap-band), and gastric sleeve.

As informed and well-intentioned patients we do not willfully ignore the liquid restrictions. The reason it is easy to get away from them is that eating is more comfortable when we mix food with water to form a slurry rather than solid mass which tends to sit like a lump in our gastric pouch. Over time it becomes common to abandon the liquid restrictions all together as we return to a physically and socially more comfortable practice of eating and drinking together. This often leads to feelings of hunger not long after meals, and ultimately may lead to weight gain.

On the 5 Day Pouch Test website we read, "It is difficult for weight loss surgery patients to follow liquid restrictions because doing so causes tightness to occur in the stomach pouch, which for some is quite uncomfortable. Paradoxically, this discomfort is the mechanism by which gastric surgeries work: it is the signal to stop eating."

Days 1 and 2 of the 5 Day Pouch Test menu include liquid meals only. Participants can plan to have clear broth, protein drinks, or the carb monster soups. A person who has been following a strict weight loss surgery diet free of soft processed carbohydrates (snacks) will be able to complete Days 1&2 successfully on clear broth and protein shakes. To break a soft carbohyrdate snacking habit one will do better to enjoy the carb monster soups which facilitate a more gentle transition from snacky carbohydrates to complex vegetable and grain carbohydrates.

Because Days 1&2 are liquids people following the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track often ask if is necessary to observe the liquid restrictions. Yes it is necessary, for two reasons. First we are using the 5DPT as a mechanism to get back to our WLS basics, which includes liquid restrictions. Days 1&2 are the starting point of return to good habits. Next, we need to give our body time to digest the liquid and absorb the nutrients. Learn more about this in the article below.

Any time we eat it should be with the intention of providing our body food that it can digest and absorb in order to efficiently and powerfully fuel the metabolic process of living. If you have practiced guided imagery or meditation for other purposes apply those techniques as you visualize your food as it moves through your body and powers you through the day. Such practices facilitate moments of appreciation and understanding ultimately leading to treating our bodies and health more compassionately.  
   
Please review the liquid restrictions and your habits if you are using the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track this week. Take your knowledge and let it empower you.

You deserve to be your very best!

For more informative and inspiring reading please visit
our 5 Day Pouch Test Articles Collection.

You Can Do This!
Kaye

"I believe in you.
You deserve to be healthy.
 You deserve to be kind to yourself.
You deserve to achieve your greatest level of success with weight loss surgery when you harness your inner resources."
--Kaye Bailey
5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual

5 Day Pouch Test in the Neighborhood
5 Day Pouch Test Group on Facebook

Monday, March 28, 2011

The Neighborhood
Your Safe Haven Circle of Friends
9,800 Neighbors - 161,540 Posts  
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The LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood: an online compassion driven social space evoking feelings of comfort, understanding, knowledge, warmth, acceptance, trust and happiness for those who have undergone gastric bypass, lap-band or any type of weight loss surgery or those struggling with weight control.

LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood:
Advertising-Free ~  Spam-Free  ~  Privacy Protected
Don't trust your weight loss surgery life to anyplace else.

Come in and tell us about yourself! We love meeting new Neighbors and everyone is welcome here in our little community.
Want to join the Neighborhood, but not sure where to start? Tell us in this Volume 4: What brought YOU to the Neighborhood? Everyone is welcome - Can't wait to meet you!

All things weight loss surgery. Find your procedure peer in our gastric banding, gastric sleeve forums. Or talk to veterans of weight loss surgery. Learn about diet, nutrition, exercise and more after weight loss surgery.

Spring sunshine... is there anything better? Granted, the old saying goes "April showers bring May flowers". What to we most look forward to though? Sunshine. Warmer temperatures. Flowers and fresh vegetables growing in our gardens. The thought of it makes me smile. If we emulate the spring, the season of rebirth and growth, then we will indeed glow like the sun. Let's all eat, breathe, and live like the spring sunshine; let the warmth and happiness that we have shine through. Let's cast off the cares of winter, those dark, cold and gloomy days that weighed us down and embrace the light. Join Us for this Challenge! You set your goals and participate at your pace in your way - empowered by the Neighborhood. 

Always a popular destination the 5 Day Pouch Test Forum is your place to connect with others who are using this popular plan to get back on track with their weight loss surgery tool.

Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test 
Harness the momentum of your 5 Day Pouch Test and continue forward with a positive effort at Day 6 Living. Great support from others, like you, who are trying their best to live healthy happy lives with weight loss surgery.

Connect with others who had weight loss surgery the same year you did and share the journey! From the Pioneers of the 1980s to our newbies of 2010, everyone has a place in the Alumni Club to call home.

A place to stop and share the things in our daily lives beyond weight loss surgery. A neighborly place of support and friendship.

Need more fun in your week? After a summer recess Fun Friday is back! Learn about our fun Neighborhood game and the chance to win fabulous prizes!
Meet our Fun Friday Hostess!

Fun Friday
Community Kitchen
Neighborhood Cookbook

Spring Renewal - It's Your Time to Bloom!

Spring Renewal - It's Your Time to Bloom!
Happy Spring to you! I hope your world is renewed and awakening after a long winters rest. Like most of North America our winter has been long and harsh and it has outstayed its welcome. If you squint your eyes today I think you may be able to see a hint of green in the grass!

Spring is such a sweet time of renewal and it seems many  "reminders" pop-up this time of year. Change the batteries in the smoke detectors. Have vehicles serviced and seasonal tires changed. Schedule quarterly teeth cleaning. And it so it goes. Looking at this list of "To Do's" I couldn't help but notice the absence of "Review health and WLS status and wellness; plan healthy habits for coming days and weeks." Wouldn't it be nice if we received a gentle reminder in the mail to spring clean our weight loss surgery house?

Here it is! Rather than delay an assessment of our health and weight loss surgery until there is a problem (similar to delaying a visit to the dentist office until we have a toothache) here is our chance to take a look and celebrate what we are getting right, where we have opportunity to improve, and make a map for taking us through the new season. You'll find more about this in the article below that features a favorite LivingAfterWLS tool - the Quarterly Self Assessment. Please accept this gentle reminder to check your health and your weight loss surgery this week. Not many of us are brave enough to go to the market without a list, so why would we hope for the best with our WLS without making a list and a plan?  The worksheet is free and it doesn't hurt. And you will be glad you have sprung forward into a new season - It is your time to bloom!    

Happy 2011 - We are all in this together!
Free LivingAfterWLS Downloads

Kaye

KayeBailey@LivingAfterWLS.com

Read the LivingAfterWLS Digest March 27, 2011

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

March Coupon Code: LivingAfterWLS General Store

Coupon Code: SPRING2011
LivingAfterWLS and Kaye Bailey are pleased you have chosen to make us part of your long-term success with weight loss surgery. We are committed to supporting you with quality products to enhance your life and empower your success.


Shop Now and Save!
Coupon Code: SPRING2011
SAVE $2 On All Orders!
No Minimum Purchase

Click to go to Store






Supporting your best LivingAfterWLS!

  "Just want to say how great the customer service is in Kayes store. I ordered several items and one item was missing from my package that got here in 3 days. I sent a message to Kaye and she PERSONALY answered. In two days I had the missing item sent priority shipment. Thanx so much for helping me resolve this issue fast and nice."
--Karen K.,  New Mexico 
Coupon Code: SPRING2011

Obesity be Damned!

LivingAfterWLS 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - March 2010
Below is the opening article from today's 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin. Click the link above to read the Bulletin in its entirety.


Greetings Neighbors!
Spring FlowersCan you feel it? I'm on the edge of my seat just knowing and believing that Spring must be right around the corner. Winter for most of the Northern Hemisphere has been long, dark and cold. I'm ready for the vibrant colors of spring, the warmth of the sun and the promise of new beginnings and new life that come with the season. I imagine you are as well.

Recently in a question and answer session I was asked "What is the single most important advice you give to post weight loss surgery patients?" Well, I was certainly caught off guard by this and on the spot I'm not sure I gave the best answer when I said "Make your own health a priority before taking care of anyone else so that when it is time to care for and nurture  others you have the physical and mental strength to do so." I am not original with this advice and it does sound good in a sentence, but how do we do that in the real world of family-work-friends-social-religious-networking commitments?

So, I am taking the opportunity with this 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin to amend my answer and offer something a bit different, although I do know that we do our best  when we are healthy. Knowing this, I suggest we actively pursue an internal peace treaty whereby we separate the medical condition of obesity and/or morbid obesity from our moral character and personal self-worth. In 2010 I wrote an article that explains this better:

"I Am Not Obese. Since kindergarten the word "fat" defined me and I actually thought that was who I was because "You are fat" and "I am fat" were constant phrases in my world. By about age 40 I finally figured out that I am not fat. I have obesity, a disease. Have you heard a heart attack patient say, "I am heart disease" or a leukemia patient say, "I am cancer"? We are not the disease. Heart attacks and leukemia are not a moral failure and neither is obesity. We are not the disease! We have a disease that is part of the whole person that makes us the wonderfully unique and powerful person we are."  Read the full article.

When we disjoint our moral character, our spiritual self, and our self-worth from the medical condition we are fighting with weight loss surgery we are able to pragmatically approach the control and treatment of the condition without making it personal. We are not bad people if we relapse with weight gain  and we are not bad for having this illness in the first place. It just happens to be the cards we were dealt in this life. If you have ever been the parent of a child with an illness you understand the emotional baggage that comes with the news that something is wrong.  But you also know that when you take a knowledgeable and deliberate approach in the management of the problem you are better able to function and do the right things.

So, I suggest we take a clinical approach toward our obesity. management. When we lose weight we put obesity in remission. When we gain weight obesity is in relapse. As intelligent beings we can take an active role in managing our remission by using our experience and the knowledge we glean from others. We can return to the behaviors that worked shortly after surgery to help us lose weight. Behaviors that are not supportive of our health can be considered and replaced. We have opportunities every day to improve our health and enjoy the pleasures good health brings.

Please consider this if you are using the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track. Take your knowledge and let it empower you because you are a good and worthy person. You are not your disease. I have met enough of you, my WLS Neighbors ,  to say this with complete conviction. You deserve to be your very best - obesity be damned for getting in the way!

For more informative and inspiring reading please visit
our 5 Day Pouch Test Articles Collection.

You Can Do This!
Kaye

"I believe in you.
You deserve to be healthy.
 You deserve to be kind to yourself.
You deserve to achieve your greatest level of success with weight loss surgery when you harness your inner resources."
--Kaye Bailey
5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual

Link to the Bulletin