LAWLS Bookstore

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Have you met your WLS goals?

Monday is a new month and the beginning of the last quarter of 2012. Have you met your Weight Loss Surgery #WLS Goals yet this year? Maybe it's time for the 5 Day Pouch Test - the tried, tested, and proven, back to basics plan for all baria
tric procedures. Get your supplies at the LivingAfterWLS General Store and we'll help you get back on track. Use Coupon Code FB2012 at checkout and take $3 off your order - no minimum. Ok -Let's do this! Monday is Day 1 for me! And I am looking forward to soft gentle soups and getting back in control! Join me!

LivingAfterWLS General Store - 5 Day Pouch Test Support

5 Day Pouch Test bargain bundle

Customer Favorite 5 Day Pouch Test Bargain Bundle
5DPT Bargain Bundle

The Works! Everything you need to do your very best with the 5 Day Pouch Test!
--5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual 2nd Edition (2012)
--Feed the Carb Monster Soup Mixes (16 Servings - 2 Mixes)
--Emergen-C Bundle pack (7 Servings)
--FREE -- Goody Bag that includes samples, fun stuff, and worksheets to get you off to a great start on the 5 Day Pouch Test. Save 15% when you purchase the bundle. Ships UPS Priority Mail so you can get back on track right away! SKU #LAWLS-5DPTBB
List Price: $46.95
Bundle Price: $39.95
Add to Cart

Octoboer 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - Lots of Water

The October 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin is available for your reading and reference purposes. Check it out here in our Archive: October 2012: 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin
Below is the introductory article. 

Greetings Neighbors!
In the September 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin we discussed Protein First, the first of our four WLS rules. As reported, many of us are not getting enough protein. I was pleased to hear from so many of you who were inspired to increase your protein intake and you noticed the results on the bathroom scale. Congratulations to all of you! Even if we do not need to do the 5 Day Pouch Test, we almost always can do a little something different that improves the results we are a getting with our healthy weight management. If you missed last month's bulletin you can check it out here: September 2012 5DPT Bulletin.
Coffee Protein Smoothie
Does coffee count?

This month we move to Rule #2 - Drink Lots of Water.  The advice to drink lots of water is universal across the diet spectrum. Water flushes toxins, including the body fat we shed, improves circulation, promotes skin health, brain function, kidney function -- the list is long. With all the great benefits that come from drinking lots of water you'd think it would be easy to get it done. But drinking lots of water every day can be very challenging.  The more we drink, the more we eliminate (not always convenient). Water is tasteless and can seem tedious. There are many other better flavored beverages tempting us. And then there are the liquid restrictions: no water with meals; no water for 15 to 30 minutes before and after meals. And what actually counts as water?

It is really confusing!

It seems like almost everyone has their own standard for what counts as water and what doesn't.  Even from one bariatric center to the next it is difficult to get a consistent answer about how much water we need and what counts as water. Over the years I've come to my own conclusion about what "counts" as water for me. First, water counts. Next, if there are nutrients in the beverage such as Green Tea or a protein drink, I count it toward my fluid intake. One glass of red wine with its health promoting antioxidants counts -- four glasses of red wine do not count. Coffee with protein powder blended in counts; black coffee doesn't (because of the caffeine).  I aim for 60 to 80 ounces of water or countable fluid a day. This puts me in the bathroom about every 2 hours and I am able to maintain my weight without frustrating water weight gain or false weight loss.

I imagine that is the real bottom line regarding water intake is answered with this question:  What does it take to help us feel our very best? It will be different for each one of us but it certainly helps to learn what is working for others traveling this not-so-easy WLS terrain. I hope you will find some nuggets of helpful information in this month's 5DPT Bulletin. Thanks for joining me!

We are all in this together!
You are more powerful than you think and
You Can Do This!

Kaye

"Keep learning. Use the 5 Day Pouch Test and beyond to continue your education about health, nutrition, weight management, and living after weight loss surgery. Continued education works to keep us informed, trying new things, and renewed hope that lasting remission from our medical disorder is achievable. Seek knowledge from reputable publications and from peers. This process of support and learning becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as we benefit from the give-and-take of a generous spirit. Learn, teach, and share. We are in this together."
~Kaye Bailey - 5DPT Owner's Manual 2nd Edition, p.29

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Addiction, Transfer-Addiction, You & WLS

LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest: 09/19/2012
Hello and Welcome!

Today I address the topic of addiction and transfer addiction after weight loss surgery. I have been asked many times to offer an opinion on this topic and have avoided it because I am not trained in the field of addiction medicine. True addiction is serious and may be life threatening - it is not simply a word we can toss about glibly as an excuse like "I'm addicted to chocolate".  We are doing the weight loss surgery community an injustice when we presume to diagnose addiction without taking the proper clinical steps for assessment, screening, and then treatment. Addiction is serious business.  I hope the information in this Digest is useful to you as you consider this topic in relation to our collective weight loss surgery experience.

Read the full newsletter:

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Remembering & Honoring


We join you in remembering and honoring those whose lives were taken.
Dear LivingAfterWLS Neighbor,

While our usual motto at LivingAfterWLS is to celebrate the moment, "Stop and look where you are - You have arrived"  today we join you in taking time to reflect on the 11th Anniversary of a day none of us will ever forget. Let us come together to grieve, to remember, to honor, and to express our gratitude to those who demonstrated what it is to be a hero, and to pledge ourselves to live in honor of their bravery.

In Remembrance,
Kaye Bailey & LivingAfterWLS Team
LivingAfterWLS

Friday, September 07, 2012

WLS - What is the real goal?

From the LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest August 6, 2012
Link to Digest in our Archive


The Real Goal:  
Improve your health;
Celebrate Your Journey  
Petals of Light by Kaye Bailey

Remember, obesity is a chronic disease, like diabetes or hypertension. In a sense, patients are struggling against their own body's coordinated effort to stop them from losing weight.

Acknowledge the challenging nature of weight control by adopting problem-solving responses to goals that are not fully met. Remember, the examination of circumstances leading to unmet goals can lead to new and more effective strategies.

Improvement of one's health is the goal of obesity treatment.

Use simple charts or graphs to summarize changes in weight and  the associated risk factors that were present at the time treatment for obesity was sought. Looking at the big picture -- beyond body weight -- is motivational in one's ongoing quest to improve health.
--National Institutes of Health

View online LivingAfterWLS Digest September 6, 2012

Get back to Protein First with 5 Day Pouch Test

Are you struggling to manage your weight or lose weight with weight loss surgery? Maybe you are not eating enough protein. Check out the September 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin for little hints that make a big difference in your success.  Here is one of them:


Measure Portions:
We worry so much about the reading on the bathroom scale and so little about the reading on the kitchen scale.
 
The only way to know exactly what we are serving our self is to measure and weigh portions.
 
Eyeballing hasn't worked for us in the past. Leaving it to pouch control doesn't necessarily work. Weigh protein, 3 to 4 ounces per meal. Measure soup, 1/2 to 1 cup per meal. Count bites: 2B/1B Rhythm - 2 Bites Protein to 1 Bite Carbohydrate. Monitor water, at least 64 ounces a day. Measure food and water intake as vigilantly as we measure body weight on the bathroom scale - one becomes the other.
We are so ready to celebrate or agonize over a few ounces changed on the bathroom scale, yet so indifferent to measuring our meals on the kitchen scale. Can't we see the two are intrinsically related and one affects the other?


September 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin

LivingAfterWLS Coupon: FALL2012 - Save $2 Off Any Order



Save on 5 Day Pouch Test Publications and Supplies


Is your health at risk because of Rule #1?

From the September 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin

Greetings Neighbors!
How much protein have you had so far today?
  
 "As a group, we are not eating enough protein and this shortfall is putting our health at risk."

Protein & Fruit WLS Perfect Meal We know that after weight loss surgery we should follow a high protein diet. We call this "Protein First" - the first of the Four Rules of WLS. Mainstream studies of people managing their weight without bariatric surgery continue to indicate a diet high in protein supports weight loss and weight management in addition to promoting health.

WebMD recently reported, "Diets higher in protein and moderate in carbs, along with a lifestyle of regular exercise are often purported by experts to reduce blood fats and maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel without constant hunger sidetracking dieters." Researchers don't understand exactly how protein works to turn down appetite. They surmise that it may be because a high-protein diet causes the brain to receive lower levels of appetite-stimulating hormones. It may be due to eating fewer carbs and/or the specific protein effect on hunger hormones and brain chemistry.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

The experts are now suggesting dieters eat 120 grams of protein a day to get the potential weight loss benefit. They advise advancing protein intake gradually, "If you want to increase your protein intake, do it slowly over the course of a week.  To be on the safe side, check with your doctor before adding large amounts of protein to your diet."

120 grams = 20 ounces or 1.25 pounds protein/day

Bariatric centers are less precise in their protein recommendations. In fact, a 2008 study reveals nutritionists recommend anywhere from 60 to 105 grams of protein a day for patients following a 1,200-calorie diet. The recommendations vary so much that there is confusion in the WLS population about how much protein we need. What we do know is that as a group, we are not eating enough protein and this shortfall is putting our health at risk.
In 2011 a leading researcher and bariatric specialist reported, "We found that there have been few studies on protein intake recommendations for bariatric patients. Dietary protein ingestion among this population tends to be inadequate, potentially leading to a loss of lean body mass, reduced metabolic rates, and physiological damage. Conversely, a protein-rich diet can lead to increased satiety, enhanced weight loss, and improved body composition. The quality and composition of protein sources are also very important."

We need to turn this trend around. Today's 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin takes a look at how we can use our 5DPT experience as a catalyst to following and enjoying a high protein diet and the health benefits and weight loss that accompany it.  As we turn the page on summer stepping into autumn let's use the enthusiasm of "back to learning" to make a new commitment to the goals and health objectives that we valued so much when we underwent surgery in the first place.
We are all in this together!
You are more powerful than you think and
You Can Do This!

Kaye

Link to the bulletin: 5DPT September