Hello Everyone!
It’s a new week and a new month – the “Dog Days of Summer!” What goal have you set to better embrace your new life after WLS? I’ve set a goal to walk 60 fitness miles – a big goal for me - but I believe I can do it. I WANT to do it. I WILL do it. I will do it for me, for my mental health and my physical wellness. Have you set an August goal? Tell us about it in the “Comments” section of this post.
Warm Wishes: We have five community members undergoing surgery this week to begin their new lives. Please send warm wishes to Kelly, Hope, Lisa, Maggie and Nancy. Congratulations on beginning your new life.
Early Success: I want to brag about one of our community members, Sara. She had her surgery last Thursday and came home with sore calf muscles. Why sore calves? Because she started her walking program immediately after surgery and logged four hours (YES! 4 hours) of walking in the 24-hours from the recovery room to her discharge from the hospital! The hospital staff nicknamed her “Energizer Bunny.” Talk about inspiring! Way-to-go Sara! This woman is an extraordinary individual who has endured much in her life – I hope she will elect to share her story with LivingAfterWLS very soon. Keep up the good work, Sara, and thanks for the inspiration.
Help Needed: Last week I called your attention to a friend of one of our community members who is in urgent need of a liver transplant. Our prayers continue to go out to Shari as she fights for life. Please link to Shari Kurzrok’s site for a downloadable flyer that can be distributed to hospitals, fire and police departments and posted on bulletin boards. Shari has made her career leading fundraisers for the American Red Cross – now is a chance to give back to her.
August Newsletter: To all the LivingAfterWLS subscribers – I hope you received and enjoyed your August issue “You Have Arrived – Food Is Not The Enemy”. For the first time, the monthly newsletter included an 11-page Word document of recipes for living and eating well after WLS. If you are a new reader please subscribe to receive this important newsletter – Free!
Have a great week & enjoy LivingAfterWLS!
Kaye
LAWLS Bookstore
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Saturday, July 30, 2005
The Crazy Things People Say
As we enjoy massive weight loss after gastric bypass it seems the people around us get foot-in-mouth disease. Most of the time they are trying to deliver a sincere compliment, but oops! Does it come out bad sometimes! One day I heard a yell across a crowded restaurant of all places – “Kaye! Where’s the other half of you? You’ve shrunk!” I wanted to crawl under the table and never get out because I was with people who didn’t know me when there was another half to love!
Kabuki Dancer had a similar experience last weekend. She said a woman shouted out to her, “Oh my god! Did you lose like 100 pounds?” Can you imagine? But our good spirited Kabuki took it in stride, she wrote “To be honest with you, I did not even know her name. I guess I am wrong when I reassure everyone that we are just blips on other people's radar, I guess I was a blimp on her radar.” LOL!
With similar humor Kim Stover told me “A personal favorite is how everyone thinks that you are now living a wild and crazy life. "Don't you just find yourself with so much more energy?" No, I don't. I find that I don't take naps anymore, but as I've said before, I was great at being fat.”
Kim added that people monitor her diet for her. She said, “From those who know about my surgery I am asked "Can you eat that???" I really enjoy the folks that monitor what goes in my mouth. Makes me realize that they had to have been keeping track prior to WLS as well. That list must have been lengthy!”
What crazy things have people said to you? Post your comments here!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the crazy talk – it means people are noticing the New You!!
Kaye
Kabuki Dancer had a similar experience last weekend. She said a woman shouted out to her, “Oh my god! Did you lose like 100 pounds?” Can you imagine? But our good spirited Kabuki took it in stride, she wrote “To be honest with you, I did not even know her name. I guess I am wrong when I reassure everyone that we are just blips on other people's radar, I guess I was a blimp on her radar.” LOL!
With similar humor Kim Stover told me “A personal favorite is how everyone thinks that you are now living a wild and crazy life. "Don't you just find yourself with so much more energy?" No, I don't. I find that I don't take naps anymore, but as I've said before, I was great at being fat.”
Kim added that people monitor her diet for her. She said, “From those who know about my surgery I am asked "Can you eat that???" I really enjoy the folks that monitor what goes in my mouth. Makes me realize that they had to have been keeping track prior to WLS as well. That list must have been lengthy!”
What crazy things have people said to you? Post your comments here!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the crazy talk – it means people are noticing the New You!!
Kaye
Friday, July 29, 2005
How do I leave comments on LivingAfterWLS?
You will see a "comments" link at the end of each post: If you click this link, you will go to the comment posting page.
In the upper left corner, there is an option to show or hide the original blog post that the comments relate to. The rest of the left-hand column contains any comments that have already been made.
On the right hand side of the page is the space for you to enter your comment. Beneath that are the identity options.
The options are these:
Blogger username: Your display name will appear, along with a link to your profile and your photo (if you have one).
Other: You can enter your name and a link to your website, without having to have a Blogger account.
Anonymous: No identifying information is displayed. The comment is credited to "Anonymous" without a link.
Type your comment, chose your identity and click "Preview" to see how your comment will post or click "Publish Your Comment" to add it to the post.
In the upper left corner, there is an option to show or hide the original blog post that the comments relate to. The rest of the left-hand column contains any comments that have already been made.
On the right hand side of the page is the space for you to enter your comment. Beneath that are the identity options.
The options are these:
Blogger username: Your display name will appear, along with a link to your profile and your photo (if you have one).
Other: You can enter your name and a link to your website, without having to have a Blogger account.
Anonymous: No identifying information is displayed. The comment is credited to "Anonymous" without a link.
Type your comment, chose your identity and click "Preview" to see how your comment will post or click "Publish Your Comment" to add it to the post.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Kabuki’s Kitchen:
Proteins without Eyelashes or Faces
Leave it to our very own Kabuki Dancer to think up such a clever name for vegetable proteins. I think we often forget that vegetables do contain healthful protein and can be successfully incorporated in the living after WLS diet. Of course beans come to mind as a healthful source of protein. Try Kabuki’s 8-Layers-Bean Casserole for some healthful bean protein.
Another protein – without Eyelashes or Faces – is textured soy protein, also known as TVP: Textured Vegetable Protein. TVP comes from defatted soy flour, which is a by-product of soybean oil, so it is plentiful in supply. It’s also quick to cook, and a great source of vegetable protein without all the fat.
TVP comes in small dry chunks resembling dried vegetables. It is flavorless until rehydration when flavors may be added with broth or sauces. Because of its varying texture, it’s versatile, and can take on the texture of many meats. For instance, it’s excellent in chili, tacos, veggie burgers, and soups.
A 43-gram serving of TVP contains 120 calories and 21 grams of protein, hardly any fat. When it’s used to replace meat in stews and soups, it is difficult to distinguish a difference between it and animal protein.
Natural and health food stores and large supermarkets generally carry TVP; check the bulk section if you can’t find it. Kabuki has supplied us two great recipes using TVP. These were delicious and enjoyed by my family. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Kabuki’s TVP Nachos
Kabuki’s Meatless Meatloaf
Thanks Kabuki for sharing your kitchen!
Happy Cooking & Living Everyone!
Kaye
Another protein – without Eyelashes or Faces – is textured soy protein, also known as TVP: Textured Vegetable Protein. TVP comes from defatted soy flour, which is a by-product of soybean oil, so it is plentiful in supply. It’s also quick to cook, and a great source of vegetable protein without all the fat.
TVP comes in small dry chunks resembling dried vegetables. It is flavorless until rehydration when flavors may be added with broth or sauces. Because of its varying texture, it’s versatile, and can take on the texture of many meats. For instance, it’s excellent in chili, tacos, veggie burgers, and soups.
A 43-gram serving of TVP contains 120 calories and 21 grams of protein, hardly any fat. When it’s used to replace meat in stews and soups, it is difficult to distinguish a difference between it and animal protein.
Natural and health food stores and large supermarkets generally carry TVP; check the bulk section if you can’t find it. Kabuki has supplied us two great recipes using TVP. These were delicious and enjoyed by my family. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Kabuki’s TVP Nachos
Kabuki’s Meatless Meatloaf
Thanks Kabuki for sharing your kitchen!
Happy Cooking & Living Everyone!
Kaye
Diet Tip WLS Patients Should Not Follow!
I just read this conventional diet tip – and we’ve heard it before – “Burn away fat with ice cold water! Ice cold water is calorie-free and fills you up so you can eat less. It can also help flush away premenstrual bloating. Drink it ice-cold water and you’ll even burn a few extra calories as your body warms it up!”
If you are in the phase of rapid weight loss or have lost quite a bit of weight you know exactly why WLS patients don’t drink ice cold water - we’re already freezing – even in the heat of summer. The last thing we want to do is get colder! Here is one of my EzineArticles about why WLS patients are cold.
What temperature do you drink your water? Click on Today's Topic and post your comment.
By Kaye Bailey
Body temperature is the result of your body generating and radiating heat. The body is adept at keeping its temperature within a narrow range even though ambient air conditions vary. A normal body temperature is 98.6°F. It is common during the period of rapid weight loss for bariatric patients to feel cold or chilled, even when their temperature reads normal.
People who experience the massive weight loss associated with weight loss surgery experience feeling cold for two reasons: loss of insulation and less energy generation.
Fat is a highly efficient insulator. Consider animals native to cold climates: for example sea lions and polar bears. They are loaded with insulation and thrive in cold climates. When gastric bypass patients follow the rules: eating protein and exercising, the weight lost can only come from fat or stored energy. In effect you are losing your insulation. Less insulation increases the likelihood that you will feel cold.
The second reason for feeling chilled is that the metabolic cell processes are not working as hard as when you were heavier; it takes fewer calories and less energy to maintain and move a smaller body. Think about using an electric mixer: if you are whipping egg whites for a meringue the mixer will do this task effortlessly. But use the same mixer to knead bread dough and it will become warm to the touch, it is working harder because it is moving more mass. The same thing happens with your body; the more mass it must move, the harder it works. As a result more heat is generated.
The body has two well-tuned mechanisms for regulating body temperature: sweating and shivering. What overweight person hasn’t been embarrassed by a sticky bout of sweating at the most inappropriate time? Sweating is a mechanism for cooling your body when it becomes too hot inside. The body rids itself of excess heat by expanding the blood vessels in the skin so the heat may be carried to the surface. When this energy or heat in the form of sweat reaches the skin’s surface it evaporates and helps cool the body.
Gastric bypass patients become more familiar with the second temperature regulator, shivering, as they lose weight. When you are too cold your blood vessels will contract reducing blood flow to the skin. The body responds by shivering which creates extra muscle activity to help generate more heat. If you allow your body to shiver it will begin to feel warmer. But this is also a good clue that it’s time to put on a sweater or turn up the heat. I think most weight loss patients will happily wear a sweater – a sweater is much easier to shed than that insulation we’ve worked so hard to lose!
Most weight loss patients report that their body temperature regulates after their weight is stabilized, usually eighteen to twenty-four months after surgery. Keep in mind your body is rapidly losing weight and the rest of your body’s functions are caught off guard when this weight loss begins. The body’s thermostat needs time to catch up to the weight loss, and it will. Patients who incorporate exercise in their weight loss program experience less chilling than patients who do not exercise.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
If you are in the phase of rapid weight loss or have lost quite a bit of weight you know exactly why WLS patients don’t drink ice cold water - we’re already freezing – even in the heat of summer. The last thing we want to do is get colder! Here is one of my EzineArticles about why WLS patients are cold.
What temperature do you drink your water? Click on Today's Topic and post your comment.
I'm Freezing! Why Gastric Bypass Causes Patients to be Cold
By Kaye Bailey
Body temperature is the result of your body generating and radiating heat. The body is adept at keeping its temperature within a narrow range even though ambient air conditions vary. A normal body temperature is 98.6°F. It is common during the period of rapid weight loss for bariatric patients to feel cold or chilled, even when their temperature reads normal.
People who experience the massive weight loss associated with weight loss surgery experience feeling cold for two reasons: loss of insulation and less energy generation.
Fat is a highly efficient insulator. Consider animals native to cold climates: for example sea lions and polar bears. They are loaded with insulation and thrive in cold climates. When gastric bypass patients follow the rules: eating protein and exercising, the weight lost can only come from fat or stored energy. In effect you are losing your insulation. Less insulation increases the likelihood that you will feel cold.
The second reason for feeling chilled is that the metabolic cell processes are not working as hard as when you were heavier; it takes fewer calories and less energy to maintain and move a smaller body. Think about using an electric mixer: if you are whipping egg whites for a meringue the mixer will do this task effortlessly. But use the same mixer to knead bread dough and it will become warm to the touch, it is working harder because it is moving more mass. The same thing happens with your body; the more mass it must move, the harder it works. As a result more heat is generated.
The body has two well-tuned mechanisms for regulating body temperature: sweating and shivering. What overweight person hasn’t been embarrassed by a sticky bout of sweating at the most inappropriate time? Sweating is a mechanism for cooling your body when it becomes too hot inside. The body rids itself of excess heat by expanding the blood vessels in the skin so the heat may be carried to the surface. When this energy or heat in the form of sweat reaches the skin’s surface it evaporates and helps cool the body.
Gastric bypass patients become more familiar with the second temperature regulator, shivering, as they lose weight. When you are too cold your blood vessels will contract reducing blood flow to the skin. The body responds by shivering which creates extra muscle activity to help generate more heat. If you allow your body to shiver it will begin to feel warmer. But this is also a good clue that it’s time to put on a sweater or turn up the heat. I think most weight loss patients will happily wear a sweater – a sweater is much easier to shed than that insulation we’ve worked so hard to lose!
Most weight loss patients report that their body temperature regulates after their weight is stabilized, usually eighteen to twenty-four months after surgery. Keep in mind your body is rapidly losing weight and the rest of your body’s functions are caught off guard when this weight loss begins. The body’s thermostat needs time to catch up to the weight loss, and it will. Patients who incorporate exercise in their weight loss program experience less chilling than patients who do not exercise.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Tomatoes, Lycopene
& Eating Well After WLS
As we are living after WLS it is important to include as many healthy foods in our diet as possible while still respecting the nature of the gastric bypass system. One of the foods that many patients report having a high tolerance for is tomatoes. It's well known that a high intake of tomato products is associated with lowered risk of colon and prostate cancers, a beneficial effect thought to be due to tomatoes' high content of the carotenoids, lycopene and beta-carotene.
Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals and is the natural pigment responsible for the deep red color of several fruits, most notably tomatoes. Recently scientists have found evidence that supports the role of lycopene in human health, specifically in the prevention of cancers of the prostate, pancreas, stomach, breast, cervix and lung, as well as in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
Lycopene is also believed to play a role in the prevention of heart disease by inhibiting free radical damage to LDL cholesterol. Before cholesterol can be deposited in the plaques that harden and narrow arteries, it must be oxidized by free radicals. With its powerful antioxidant activity, lycopene can prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized.
Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance, and as such requires the presence of dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract. To facilitate proper absorption tomatoes can be prepared with minimal healthy fat such as olive oil, canola oil or even dairy fat found in cheese.
Shopping for Tomatoes:
Choose tomatoes that have a deep rich color. Not only is this one of the signs of a delicious tasting tomato, but the deep color indicates that it has a greater supply of the health-promoting phytochemical red pigment, lycopene. Tomatoes should be well shaped and smooth skinned with no wrinkles, cracks, bruises or soft spots. They should not have a puffy appearance since this indicates that they will be of inferior flavor and will cause excess waste during preparation. Ripe tomatoes will yield to slight pressure and will have a noticeably sweet fragrance.
Tips for Preparing Tomatoes:
Before serving, wash tomatoes under cool running water and pat dry.
If your recipe requires seeded tomatoes, cut the fruit in half horizontally and gently squeeze out the seeds and the juice.
It is especially important when cooking tomatoes to not use aluminum cookware since their high acid content will interact with the metal. This may result in the migration of the aluminum into the food, which will not only impart an unpleasant taste, but more importantly, may have deleterious effects on your health.
Recipes:
Breaded Broiled Tomatoes
Chicken-and-Brie Salad with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Spinach Frittata and Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Boats with Melted Mozzarella
Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals and is the natural pigment responsible for the deep red color of several fruits, most notably tomatoes. Recently scientists have found evidence that supports the role of lycopene in human health, specifically in the prevention of cancers of the prostate, pancreas, stomach, breast, cervix and lung, as well as in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
Lycopene is also believed to play a role in the prevention of heart disease by inhibiting free radical damage to LDL cholesterol. Before cholesterol can be deposited in the plaques that harden and narrow arteries, it must be oxidized by free radicals. With its powerful antioxidant activity, lycopene can prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized.
Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance, and as such requires the presence of dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract. To facilitate proper absorption tomatoes can be prepared with minimal healthy fat such as olive oil, canola oil or even dairy fat found in cheese.
Shopping for Tomatoes:
Choose tomatoes that have a deep rich color. Not only is this one of the signs of a delicious tasting tomato, but the deep color indicates that it has a greater supply of the health-promoting phytochemical red pigment, lycopene. Tomatoes should be well shaped and smooth skinned with no wrinkles, cracks, bruises or soft spots. They should not have a puffy appearance since this indicates that they will be of inferior flavor and will cause excess waste during preparation. Ripe tomatoes will yield to slight pressure and will have a noticeably sweet fragrance.
Tips for Preparing Tomatoes:
Before serving, wash tomatoes under cool running water and pat dry.
If your recipe requires seeded tomatoes, cut the fruit in half horizontally and gently squeeze out the seeds and the juice.
It is especially important when cooking tomatoes to not use aluminum cookware since their high acid content will interact with the metal. This may result in the migration of the aluminum into the food, which will not only impart an unpleasant taste, but more importantly, may have deleterious effects on your health.
Recipes:
Breaded Broiled Tomatoes
Chicken-and-Brie Salad with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Spinach Frittata and Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Boats with Melted Mozzarella
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Warm Wishes for Carol
Our new subscriber, Carol, is having her surgery today. Please send warm wishes her way!
Thanks,
Kaye
Thanks,
Kaye
Monday, July 25, 2005
Avenging The Training Room Tyrant
When I was a sophomore in college I decided that if I was going to be big girl – the polite way to say fat - then I was going to be a strong big girl. I enrolled in a weight lifting class. An early morning weight lifting class! Just the habit a big girl ought to have, right? Two of my fatty-friends joined me and united we arrived at the first class with our best strong-gal faces!
We stepped forward to meet the instructor, our guide to the land of the strong and powerful. His name may as well have been Training Room Tyrant. He was lean, fit and fine to look at. And he was a fat bigot. He was on a mission to rid the world of the obese and unworthy and purify his planet with the fit and strong. He barked orders like a prison warden and belittled us three little pigs. Certainly we were fat by choice, out-of-control gluttons wasting earth’s precious resources -like air and water! But fat girls like to please; we yearn to be accepted in an unforgiving world. Without complaint we lifted, tugged and pulled on weights that were much too heavy too many times on this our first day of class. The more we tried to please the Tyrant the more he pushed – he was on a mission.
We spent the next four days in hell. Our entire muscular systems were broken and torn and we suffered together. After four days our muscles healed, but our spirits remained shattered. One more time we had failed and we felt like unworthy little pigs living in a thin man’s world. So we did what fat girls do; we ate ourselves silly, drowning our sorrows in tubs of ice cream. We never went back to class. And even though I spent but 40 minutes under his command, I never forgot the Training Room Tyrant.
Years later I declared war on my fatness and underwent gastric bypass surgery. Ten days later I stepped on my treadmill (after dusting it off, of course) and I spent ten minutes walking laboriously. With every slow steady step I took I cursed the Tyrant and I vowed to avenge the shame and humiliation he had wrought upon my compatriots and me. And the next day I walked and I was mad as hell at the Tyrant. In my mind’s parade I saw all the others who had belittled me throughout my life and I avenged myself with every step. Every day I walked madder and faster and further fueled by my anger. “I’ll-show-them, I’ll-show-them” sang the cadence of my step.
Then one day I noticed how great it felt to fill my lungs with air, and breathe out effortlessly. My legs were strong, my heart beat steady and I was becoming a fit person. My body became strong and I pulled myself tall with confident posture. I loved swinging my arms to every step. I put music on the stereo and turned it up loud! I walked for me – for the pure joy of motion! And the anger slipped away. When I let this anger go it was replaced with positive thoughts and the countless wounds inflicted upon my spirit over the years began to heal.
I had triumphed over the Tyrant and I was crowned victorious! Looking back, it seems silly to have wasted so much energy on anger and revenge. But the fact is, it motivated me to move and from there I discovered this wonderful powerful body. I found it didn’t really matter what motivated me to move. What mattered was that I got out and took one step and then the next down the road of self-discovery, health and wellness.
We stepped forward to meet the instructor, our guide to the land of the strong and powerful. His name may as well have been Training Room Tyrant. He was lean, fit and fine to look at. And he was a fat bigot. He was on a mission to rid the world of the obese and unworthy and purify his planet with the fit and strong. He barked orders like a prison warden and belittled us three little pigs. Certainly we were fat by choice, out-of-control gluttons wasting earth’s precious resources -like air and water! But fat girls like to please; we yearn to be accepted in an unforgiving world. Without complaint we lifted, tugged and pulled on weights that were much too heavy too many times on this our first day of class. The more we tried to please the Tyrant the more he pushed – he was on a mission.
We spent the next four days in hell. Our entire muscular systems were broken and torn and we suffered together. After four days our muscles healed, but our spirits remained shattered. One more time we had failed and we felt like unworthy little pigs living in a thin man’s world. So we did what fat girls do; we ate ourselves silly, drowning our sorrows in tubs of ice cream. We never went back to class. And even though I spent but 40 minutes under his command, I never forgot the Training Room Tyrant.
Years later I declared war on my fatness and underwent gastric bypass surgery. Ten days later I stepped on my treadmill (after dusting it off, of course) and I spent ten minutes walking laboriously. With every slow steady step I took I cursed the Tyrant and I vowed to avenge the shame and humiliation he had wrought upon my compatriots and me. And the next day I walked and I was mad as hell at the Tyrant. In my mind’s parade I saw all the others who had belittled me throughout my life and I avenged myself with every step. Every day I walked madder and faster and further fueled by my anger. “I’ll-show-them, I’ll-show-them” sang the cadence of my step.
Then one day I noticed how great it felt to fill my lungs with air, and breathe out effortlessly. My legs were strong, my heart beat steady and I was becoming a fit person. My body became strong and I pulled myself tall with confident posture. I loved swinging my arms to every step. I put music on the stereo and turned it up loud! I walked for me – for the pure joy of motion! And the anger slipped away. When I let this anger go it was replaced with positive thoughts and the countless wounds inflicted upon my spirit over the years began to heal.
I had triumphed over the Tyrant and I was crowned victorious! Looking back, it seems silly to have wasted so much energy on anger and revenge. But the fact is, it motivated me to move and from there I discovered this wonderful powerful body. I found it didn’t really matter what motivated me to move. What mattered was that I got out and took one step and then the next down the road of self-discovery, health and wellness.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Monday Message from Kaye
Hello Everyone! It’s a new week and a new chance to do right by living well after weight loss surgery. What have you planned for this week to treat your body, mind and soul well? I’m planning a stop at the Farmer’s Market for melons and apricots – both seasonably fresh fruits that are well tolerated after gastric bypass surgery. Think about adding them to your menu this week.
Warm Wishes: We have three community members undergoing surgery this week to begin their new lives. Please send warm wishes to Kathy, Anita and Sara. (Kathy’s surgery was delayed from last week so send her extra love as we all can imagine how frustrating that must have been.)
Help Needed: Last week I called your attention to a friend of one of our community members who is in urgent need of a liver transplant. Please link to Shari Kurzrok’s site for a downloadable flyer that can be distributed to hospitals, fire and police departments and posted on bulletin boards. Shari has made her career leading fundraisers for the American Red Cross – now is a chance to give back to her.
Dinner Tonight: Are you looking for a fabulous three-ingredient chicken recipe that is healthful, delicious, and quite frankly, a real showstopper? Try my Grilled Salsa Chicken – I threw it together impromptu Saturday night and won the hearts of our drop-in dinner guests who are now convinced I’m a gourmet chef! (LOL!) I hope you enjoy!
Have a great week & enjoy LivingAfterWLS!
Kaye
Warm Wishes: We have three community members undergoing surgery this week to begin their new lives. Please send warm wishes to Kathy, Anita and Sara. (Kathy’s surgery was delayed from last week so send her extra love as we all can imagine how frustrating that must have been.)
Help Needed: Last week I called your attention to a friend of one of our community members who is in urgent need of a liver transplant. Please link to Shari Kurzrok’s site for a downloadable flyer that can be distributed to hospitals, fire and police departments and posted on bulletin boards. Shari has made her career leading fundraisers for the American Red Cross – now is a chance to give back to her.
Dinner Tonight: Are you looking for a fabulous three-ingredient chicken recipe that is healthful, delicious, and quite frankly, a real showstopper? Try my Grilled Salsa Chicken – I threw it together impromptu Saturday night and won the hearts of our drop-in dinner guests who are now convinced I’m a gourmet chef! (LOL!) I hope you enjoy!
Have a great week & enjoy LivingAfterWLS!
Kaye
Friday, July 22, 2005
Urgent Help Needed!
A close family friend of one of our longtime LivingAfterWLS readers is in dire need of a liver transplant. Please link here for her full story. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shari Kurzrok and her family at this time.
NEW YORK (July 20, 2005) – Shari Kurzrok is two months away from her wedding. The 31-year-old PR executive recently spearheaded the American Red Cross’ largest-ever blood donor campaign. Today, she is fighting for her life. Her doctors say she will not live if she doesn’t receive a complete liver transplant within days, and her colleagues in the PR industry are urgently mobilizing to help her.
“I just pray that what Shari has loved to do for a living comes back to help her,” says her fiancée Robby Schnall, 35, a marketing executive at Cole Haan. Their wedding is planned for October 15 at Woodbury Jewish Center in Long Island.
Shari’s sudden illness has taken her family, friends and doctors by surprise. She was admitted to New York University Medical Center last weekend, and within 24 hours she was told she needed a liver transplant to save her life. Her illness is still unexplained.
31-Year-Old Shari Kurzrok Will Die Unless She Receives Complete Liver Within Days
NEW YORK (July 20, 2005) – Shari Kurzrok is two months away from her wedding. The 31-year-old PR executive recently spearheaded the American Red Cross’ largest-ever blood donor campaign. Today, she is fighting for her life. Her doctors say she will not live if she doesn’t receive a complete liver transplant within days, and her colleagues in the PR industry are urgently mobilizing to help her.
“I just pray that what Shari has loved to do for a living comes back to help her,” says her fiancée Robby Schnall, 35, a marketing executive at Cole Haan. Their wedding is planned for October 15 at Woodbury Jewish Center in Long Island.
Shari’s sudden illness has taken her family, friends and doctors by surprise. She was admitted to New York University Medical Center last weekend, and within 24 hours she was told she needed a liver transplant to save her life. Her illness is still unexplained.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Kabuki’s Kitchen:
Entertaining Graciously
Often times after weight loss surgery we tend to think our days of entertaining or socializing are over – we can’t do that anymore. We feel a sense of deprivation if we are among others who can indulge in foods we can no longer enjoy. But really, we do not need to deprive ourselves the joy of entertaining and socializing.
Our own Kabuki Dancer is a beautiful example of one who is thriving as a WLS patient and entertaining in a world full of “normal” people. This past weekend she hosted a pool party and she did it graciously with thoughtfulness for herself and her invited guests.
The first thing Kabuki did right was to make sure her own dietary and palate needs were met with the foods she served. “I made a fruit and cheese plate, so beautiful. I rolled flour tortillas with ham and cheese and sliced them in spirals. I ate a lot of the fruit and had three spirals of the tortilla with ham and cheese. It was all good. As you know, food still figures mightily in my life.”
In addition, for her invited guests she made pigs-in-the-blanket for the children, Cuban sandwiches and served chips, cashews and truffles. She also served dessert. “I baked two cakes, neither of them conducive to our health but they were so well received by the crowd that I felt like I had standing ovations. One was a chocolate cake with a cream cheese topping and a coconut and pecan crust, and the other was a freezer cake of mandarin oranges and cool whip and condensed sweetened milk over an orange cake batter.”
And then, in gracious Kabuki style she sent food home with her guests. “I let people take food home with them and the desserts, I divided up among my neighbors who really love my baked goods. There are two pieces of orange cake left for my husband when he wants it.”
Our own Kabuki Dancer – Living Well & Eating Well after WLS. Thank Kabuki for sharing with us your beautiful self!
Our own Kabuki Dancer is a beautiful example of one who is thriving as a WLS patient and entertaining in a world full of “normal” people. This past weekend she hosted a pool party and she did it graciously with thoughtfulness for herself and her invited guests.
The first thing Kabuki did right was to make sure her own dietary and palate needs were met with the foods she served. “I made a fruit and cheese plate, so beautiful. I rolled flour tortillas with ham and cheese and sliced them in spirals. I ate a lot of the fruit and had three spirals of the tortilla with ham and cheese. It was all good. As you know, food still figures mightily in my life.”
In addition, for her invited guests she made pigs-in-the-blanket for the children, Cuban sandwiches and served chips, cashews and truffles. She also served dessert. “I baked two cakes, neither of them conducive to our health but they were so well received by the crowd that I felt like I had standing ovations. One was a chocolate cake with a cream cheese topping and a coconut and pecan crust, and the other was a freezer cake of mandarin oranges and cool whip and condensed sweetened milk over an orange cake batter.”
And then, in gracious Kabuki style she sent food home with her guests. “I let people take food home with them and the desserts, I divided up among my neighbors who really love my baked goods. There are two pieces of orange cake left for my husband when he wants it.”
Our own Kabuki Dancer – Living Well & Eating Well after WLS. Thank Kabuki for sharing with us your beautiful self!
If the Shoe Fits You Must Have Lost Weight!
When you started planning your weight loss surgery did you ever think, “Wow! The place I really need to lose weight is my feet!!” Probably not – we look at our belly’s or butts or bodies and never really think about those poor peds packing the pounds around. Surprisingly, both men and women report shrinking feet after massive weight loss. It’s pleasant surprise. One of our male readers, Rob, wrote, “I’ve even lost inches (maybe centimeters?) in my feet, so I’ve had fun replacing all of my old shoes.”
I grew up wearing “sturdy shoes” – the kind grannies wear and I hated them. I was embarrassed all through high school – the fat girl in the sturdy shoes.
These days you wouldn’t catch me in a pair of sturdy shoes – I’m in sandals and heels and sassy sexy footwear all the time. I’m not the only one with a burgeoning shoe collection, so is our frequent contributor, Kim Stover. Here’s her personal shoe story as only Kim can tell it - with humor, blunt honesty and sheer joy. Thanks Kim!
© 2005 Kim Stover - All Rights Reserved
Shoes.
Prior to WLS, I had a very hard time finding a shoe that would fit.At almost 400 pounds, fashion was neither here nor there...comfort was the focus. I had that terrible condition that most obese people have...the dreaded plantar fascitis. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, consider yourself lucky. For me, it was the most intense pain that I have ever experienced. Crippling at times. I would wake in the middle of the night to use the restroom and literally have to hobble to the toilet, hanging on to the vanity counter on my way. Shear misery. Thank goodness that went away as the pounds dropped off!
Shoes needed to be comfortable and supportive. Cute wasn't part of the selection process. I have a VERY high instep/arch, along with a very fat foot and my toes pretty much go straight across. Picture Fred Flintstone doing ballet and you're basically looking at my foot...but I have a fifth toe! Anyhow, last summer I needed to get a replacement sandal for the season. I was one year post-op and had lost quite a bit of weight. I was still clinically obese, but feeling much better with my plantar fascitis being a distant memory. All of my shoes were fitting sloppy, so I bit the bullet and went to shop for a new shoe.
Shoe shopping was not something that I looked forward to. As a matter of fact, if I found a shoe that fit well, I'd buy two or three pairs to have them on hand for the future. My closet looked like a stockroom at times, especially if there was a sale on said shoe. Okay, back to my sandal shopping experience...I went to the local upscale department store (the more expensive the shoe, the better it felt on my foot). I tried on a pair of sandals, expecting my foot to not slide all of the way in and much to my surprise, it went in and was a perfect fit.
It was a Cinderella moment.
Stunned, I said, "Wow!" out loud three or four times and walked around from mirror to mirror. They fit and they were sort of cute. How lucky I was to find a shoe on my FIRST try that actually wasn’t making my toes numb. I asked the clerk, who must have thought that I was nuts, if this particular brand ran big. She sort of shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something. Maybe she didn't mumble. It could have been the screams of excitement that were going on in my head that blocked her out. I was so thrilled that there was a manufacturer out there that made shoes for the fat foot. I must write down the brand of this shoe since they are cut just perfect for me and perhaps I'll even invest in their company. This could really take off as a success!
Not once did it occur to me that my foot had taken a new shape,that of "normal". Sure enough, my foot HAD shrunk, with the rest of me and ALL of the brands now fit. Years of shoe deprivation and now I had been freed. I decided to get re-measured at this point...formerly a size 9WW...now a 7.5 no W's necessary.
It has been a year since that experience in the department store. I still get just as giddy as I was that day when a shoe slides on my foot without getting stuck mid-way. All the seasons have since passed and I have the shoes to fill each wardrobe assignment. New sneakers, boots, pumps, heels, flats, sandals and even slippers. It's just amazing how such a small item can make me so gosh darned happy. I now have more shoes than I need and feel guilty on occasion, but then I remember all of the years that I had stocked up on that one brand of walking shoe—in black. I realize that I deserve to own a pink pump that I'll only wear once in a blue moon. I deserve it!
I grew up wearing “sturdy shoes” – the kind grannies wear and I hated them. I was embarrassed all through high school – the fat girl in the sturdy shoes.
These days you wouldn’t catch me in a pair of sturdy shoes – I’m in sandals and heels and sassy sexy footwear all the time. I’m not the only one with a burgeoning shoe collection, so is our frequent contributor, Kim Stover. Here’s her personal shoe story as only Kim can tell it - with humor, blunt honesty and sheer joy. Thanks Kim!
“If The Shoe Fits Buy IT!”
© 2005 Kim Stover - All Rights Reserved
Shoes.
Prior to WLS, I had a very hard time finding a shoe that would fit.At almost 400 pounds, fashion was neither here nor there...comfort was the focus. I had that terrible condition that most obese people have...the dreaded plantar fascitis. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, consider yourself lucky. For me, it was the most intense pain that I have ever experienced. Crippling at times. I would wake in the middle of the night to use the restroom and literally have to hobble to the toilet, hanging on to the vanity counter on my way. Shear misery. Thank goodness that went away as the pounds dropped off!
Shoes needed to be comfortable and supportive. Cute wasn't part of the selection process. I have a VERY high instep/arch, along with a very fat foot and my toes pretty much go straight across. Picture Fred Flintstone doing ballet and you're basically looking at my foot...but I have a fifth toe! Anyhow, last summer I needed to get a replacement sandal for the season. I was one year post-op and had lost quite a bit of weight. I was still clinically obese, but feeling much better with my plantar fascitis being a distant memory. All of my shoes were fitting sloppy, so I bit the bullet and went to shop for a new shoe.
Shoe shopping was not something that I looked forward to. As a matter of fact, if I found a shoe that fit well, I'd buy two or three pairs to have them on hand for the future. My closet looked like a stockroom at times, especially if there was a sale on said shoe. Okay, back to my sandal shopping experience...I went to the local upscale department store (the more expensive the shoe, the better it felt on my foot). I tried on a pair of sandals, expecting my foot to not slide all of the way in and much to my surprise, it went in and was a perfect fit.
It was a Cinderella moment.
Stunned, I said, "Wow!" out loud three or four times and walked around from mirror to mirror. They fit and they were sort of cute. How lucky I was to find a shoe on my FIRST try that actually wasn’t making my toes numb. I asked the clerk, who must have thought that I was nuts, if this particular brand ran big. She sort of shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something. Maybe she didn't mumble. It could have been the screams of excitement that were going on in my head that blocked her out. I was so thrilled that there was a manufacturer out there that made shoes for the fat foot. I must write down the brand of this shoe since they are cut just perfect for me and perhaps I'll even invest in their company. This could really take off as a success!
Not once did it occur to me that my foot had taken a new shape,that of "normal". Sure enough, my foot HAD shrunk, with the rest of me and ALL of the brands now fit. Years of shoe deprivation and now I had been freed. I decided to get re-measured at this point...formerly a size 9WW...now a 7.5 no W's necessary.
It has been a year since that experience in the department store. I still get just as giddy as I was that day when a shoe slides on my foot without getting stuck mid-way. All the seasons have since passed and I have the shoes to fill each wardrobe assignment. New sneakers, boots, pumps, heels, flats, sandals and even slippers. It's just amazing how such a small item can make me so gosh darned happy. I now have more shoes than I need and feel guilty on occasion, but then I remember all of the years that I had stocked up on that one brand of walking shoe—in black. I realize that I deserve to own a pink pump that I'll only wear once in a blue moon. I deserve it!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
After WLS: Eating Well
I don’t know what my family ate in the months immediately following my surgery. I’m sure they ate something, they seemed to be healthy and well showing no signs of malnutrition or starvation. Whatever it was that they ate, they planned and prepared it on their own – I was too distracted to be of any help. It’s not that I didn’t care about them or their well being. But the immediate days and months after surgery are overwhelming. My single task was to take care of myself, heal my body, celebrate the weight loss, face the emotional issues and do the best I could taking each day at a time. It was an around the clock assignment: the most challenging task I have ever undertaken.
This was a time of great fear and realization for me as I started to comprehend just how dramatically weight loss surgery changed my lifestyle. I was a devout bread and pasta eater before; not after. A meat loving steak eater, not anymore. A skilled baker with a repertoire of cookies envied by Mrs. Fields, but never again. Eating breads and pasta, steaks and sweets was no longer a part of my life. It had been unequivocally excised from me without reprieve. All these beloved foods were history. Gone. Never again. No going back. Weight loss surgery is for life.
For the first few months I ate four foods: hard cooked eggs, tuna, shrimp and sugar-free gelatin. At first I tried mixing my morning egg with commercial mayonnaise to kill the taste of the egg, but that made me nauseous. I learned to eat the egg plain. The egg sustained me until lunch. Then slowly and deliberately I ate two ounces of canned tuna mixed with a little relish and mayo. Yum-yum. Then for dinner, a real extravaganza, six peeled and boiled shrimp. I’d have a spoonful of sugar-free gelatin as a special treat. That was all. That’s what I ate. I didn’t feel hungry and I was indifferent to eating. I, the self-made gastronome, had lost her taste for food.
One reason for eating just these four things was a loss of appetite – I just wasn’t hungry for anything. Who would have thought that could be possible? The mention or sight of many foods made me sick. Can you imagine watching the late night television advertisement for a burger and getting ill at the site of the greasy drippy mess of heavenly fast food? Retching ill at the site of the very food!
Worse than seeing food was smelling it – I couldn’t stand the smell of most foods cooking. Raw meat – ugh! Cookies baking – disgusting! Coffee brewing – putrid! It was as if the smells of food were exaggerated beyond tolerance putting me in a state of nausea at the first whiff.
The other reason for my limited selection of high protein foods was fear. I was afraid to try anything except my safe foods. I was afraid of dumping, afraid of vomiting, afraid of breaking my stomach pouch, afraid of gaining weight. I didn’t know what to do with this new tool of mine, but I was certain I didn’t want to irreparably harm it because I was losing weight swiftly without hunger or dieting stress. The tool was working.
Time passed and I became acquainted with my bariatric infant tummy. With cautious hesitation I introduced new foods to my infant tummy: some deli turkey, bits of braised chicken. Cottage cheese, then hard cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella. And, glory be, I continued to lose weight and my energy soared.
It seems for some time we had two dinner menus at our house – the bariatric menu and the normal menu. The bariatric menu was little portions of lean protein. The normal menu included some protein sided with pasta, potatoes or bread, a salad, some vegetables and possibly a sweet treat for dessert. When I did return to the stove to resume the responsibilities of family chef I accepted that I would fix dual meals. And this I did for some time. It was a hassle, a lot of work, and I started to resent cooking things I could not eat. And I resented my family for “flaunting” normal tummies in my face.
But then the awakening moment arrived and I asked myself, isn’t this a golden opportunity for all of us to learn to eat more healthy, prepare better foods and start to practice some portion control? Can’t we all benefit from the things I’m learning about health and wellness by way of bariatric surgery? Is there a way to create one meal for the family that satisfies all of our health, nutrition and nurturing needs?
Eating well isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle choice.
It should never be a choice of deprivation – it is the deliberate selection and preparation of food that leaves us nutritionally fit and emotionally fulfilled. Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures: who knows this better than the bariatric patient? We lived to eat and that passion resulted in morbid obesity. Now we must eat to live. It is an astounding turn of events. Every bite, every flavor, every taste must be the best it possibly can be to satisfy and nurture contentment.
Having bariatric surgery does not mean you’ve lost the right to have variety, flavor, and texture in your diet. It does not nullify your need to be emotionally fulfilled by the ceremony and tradition of eating well. It simply means redefining your lifestyle so your diet meets your nutritional and emotional needs – and respects the science of your medically altered digestive system.
Weight loss surgery is truly a second chance to make good on feeding your body well. And for those patients with families, it is the golden opportunity to learn together that eating well is a pleasure with tangible benefits. And perhaps, you may save someone you love from needing bariatric surgery or worse, an early death from an obesity related illness.
I was unwilling to eat eggs, tuna, shrimp and jell-o for the rest of my life, I love food too much. I fully understood that not only couldn’t I return to my old eating habits – I shouldn’t return to them – they were killing me before surgery. I wanted a healthy, normal way of eating that met my bariatric needs, but also provided a healthy well-balanced menu for my family so they too could be nutritionally well. This was my chance to redefine our eating lifestyle.
The exciting thing for bariatric patients is that healthy eating is a lifestyle, it is not a diet. Dietary and nutritional changes can be made at your own pace. Perhaps you are a person who will dive headfirst into healthy eating, changing all at once the habits and behaviors you identify as unhealthy. Others may choose a more gradual approach, beginning with one healthy meal a week moving towards an overall healthy lifestyle. In the past, diets required us to make immediate dramatic change without room for forgiveness; that’s why they didn’t work. The changes were also temporary. Now, you are in a new life and you can make healthy changes at a pace you are comfortable with, a pace at which you can succeed. Permanent changes you can live with.
But don’t stall and put healthy living off for too long. The sooner you incorporate healthy eating into your life the sooner you, and your loved ones, will reap the benefits of nutritional wellness. It is interesting to note many patients are enthusiastic and dedicated to a healthy lifestyle after surgery – it is the first time the rewards of such lifestyle are substantive. We feel it in our energy and we see it in the mirror. For me, it seemed natural to ease from eating bland protein to developing a varied collection of healthy recipes to meet my bariatric needs, and the nutritional and nurturing needs of my family.
Another woman was thrilled at the new lease on life weight loss surgery gave her and embraced the change to healthy eating. “This is not an overnight thing,” she said. “Temptation is all around, but so are six grandchildren I want to live for. I want to spoil them. I am using weight loss surgery as way to get my healthy eating priorities straight and be in control of my life again. For me and for my grandkids.” Inadvertently, her six grandchildren are learning by her example to eat well.
Tomorrow we’ll look at Table Traditions and how we can celebrate life with eating and still succeed with WLS.
Best wishes,
Kaye
This was a time of great fear and realization for me as I started to comprehend just how dramatically weight loss surgery changed my lifestyle. I was a devout bread and pasta eater before; not after. A meat loving steak eater, not anymore. A skilled baker with a repertoire of cookies envied by Mrs. Fields, but never again. Eating breads and pasta, steaks and sweets was no longer a part of my life. It had been unequivocally excised from me without reprieve. All these beloved foods were history. Gone. Never again. No going back. Weight loss surgery is for life.
For the first few months I ate four foods: hard cooked eggs, tuna, shrimp and sugar-free gelatin. At first I tried mixing my morning egg with commercial mayonnaise to kill the taste of the egg, but that made me nauseous. I learned to eat the egg plain. The egg sustained me until lunch. Then slowly and deliberately I ate two ounces of canned tuna mixed with a little relish and mayo. Yum-yum. Then for dinner, a real extravaganza, six peeled and boiled shrimp. I’d have a spoonful of sugar-free gelatin as a special treat. That was all. That’s what I ate. I didn’t feel hungry and I was indifferent to eating. I, the self-made gastronome, had lost her taste for food.
One reason for eating just these four things was a loss of appetite – I just wasn’t hungry for anything. Who would have thought that could be possible? The mention or sight of many foods made me sick. Can you imagine watching the late night television advertisement for a burger and getting ill at the site of the greasy drippy mess of heavenly fast food? Retching ill at the site of the very food!
Worse than seeing food was smelling it – I couldn’t stand the smell of most foods cooking. Raw meat – ugh! Cookies baking – disgusting! Coffee brewing – putrid! It was as if the smells of food were exaggerated beyond tolerance putting me in a state of nausea at the first whiff.
The other reason for my limited selection of high protein foods was fear. I was afraid to try anything except my safe foods. I was afraid of dumping, afraid of vomiting, afraid of breaking my stomach pouch, afraid of gaining weight. I didn’t know what to do with this new tool of mine, but I was certain I didn’t want to irreparably harm it because I was losing weight swiftly without hunger or dieting stress. The tool was working.
Time passed and I became acquainted with my bariatric infant tummy. With cautious hesitation I introduced new foods to my infant tummy: some deli turkey, bits of braised chicken. Cottage cheese, then hard cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella. And, glory be, I continued to lose weight and my energy soared.
It seems for some time we had two dinner menus at our house – the bariatric menu and the normal menu. The bariatric menu was little portions of lean protein. The normal menu included some protein sided with pasta, potatoes or bread, a salad, some vegetables and possibly a sweet treat for dessert. When I did return to the stove to resume the responsibilities of family chef I accepted that I would fix dual meals. And this I did for some time. It was a hassle, a lot of work, and I started to resent cooking things I could not eat. And I resented my family for “flaunting” normal tummies in my face.
But then the awakening moment arrived and I asked myself, isn’t this a golden opportunity for all of us to learn to eat more healthy, prepare better foods and start to practice some portion control? Can’t we all benefit from the things I’m learning about health and wellness by way of bariatric surgery? Is there a way to create one meal for the family that satisfies all of our health, nutrition and nurturing needs?
Eating well isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle choice.
It should never be a choice of deprivation – it is the deliberate selection and preparation of food that leaves us nutritionally fit and emotionally fulfilled. Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures: who knows this better than the bariatric patient? We lived to eat and that passion resulted in morbid obesity. Now we must eat to live. It is an astounding turn of events. Every bite, every flavor, every taste must be the best it possibly can be to satisfy and nurture contentment.
Having bariatric surgery does not mean you’ve lost the right to have variety, flavor, and texture in your diet. It does not nullify your need to be emotionally fulfilled by the ceremony and tradition of eating well. It simply means redefining your lifestyle so your diet meets your nutritional and emotional needs – and respects the science of your medically altered digestive system.
Weight loss surgery is truly a second chance to make good on feeding your body well. And for those patients with families, it is the golden opportunity to learn together that eating well is a pleasure with tangible benefits. And perhaps, you may save someone you love from needing bariatric surgery or worse, an early death from an obesity related illness.
I was unwilling to eat eggs, tuna, shrimp and jell-o for the rest of my life, I love food too much. I fully understood that not only couldn’t I return to my old eating habits – I shouldn’t return to them – they were killing me before surgery. I wanted a healthy, normal way of eating that met my bariatric needs, but also provided a healthy well-balanced menu for my family so they too could be nutritionally well. This was my chance to redefine our eating lifestyle.
The exciting thing for bariatric patients is that healthy eating is a lifestyle, it is not a diet. Dietary and nutritional changes can be made at your own pace. Perhaps you are a person who will dive headfirst into healthy eating, changing all at once the habits and behaviors you identify as unhealthy. Others may choose a more gradual approach, beginning with one healthy meal a week moving towards an overall healthy lifestyle. In the past, diets required us to make immediate dramatic change without room for forgiveness; that’s why they didn’t work. The changes were also temporary. Now, you are in a new life and you can make healthy changes at a pace you are comfortable with, a pace at which you can succeed. Permanent changes you can live with.
But don’t stall and put healthy living off for too long. The sooner you incorporate healthy eating into your life the sooner you, and your loved ones, will reap the benefits of nutritional wellness. It is interesting to note many patients are enthusiastic and dedicated to a healthy lifestyle after surgery – it is the first time the rewards of such lifestyle are substantive. We feel it in our energy and we see it in the mirror. For me, it seemed natural to ease from eating bland protein to developing a varied collection of healthy recipes to meet my bariatric needs, and the nutritional and nurturing needs of my family.
Another woman was thrilled at the new lease on life weight loss surgery gave her and embraced the change to healthy eating. “This is not an overnight thing,” she said. “Temptation is all around, but so are six grandchildren I want to live for. I want to spoil them. I am using weight loss surgery as way to get my healthy eating priorities straight and be in control of my life again. For me and for my grandkids.” Inadvertently, her six grandchildren are learning by her example to eat well.
Tomorrow we’ll look at Table Traditions and how we can celebrate life with eating and still succeed with WLS.
Best wishes,
Kaye
Warm Wishes for New Member
We have a new member of our community, Kathy, who is having her surgery this Friday. Please put some warm wishes in your heart and send them out to her as she begins her new life.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Health Insurance:
Denied After WLS
We have a reader who is trying to obtain personal healthcare coverage. She has been denied 9 times by insurance companies because she has undergone gastric bypass surgery. They say they won’t insure her until 5 years after the surgery date.
Is anyone else having this problem? Please post a comment or if you prefer send me a private email kayebailey@livingafterwls.com
Thanks,
Kaye
Is anyone else having this problem? Please post a comment or if you prefer send me a private email kayebailey@livingafterwls.com
Thanks,
Kaye
LivingAfterWLS Success Eileen Bellsey
With great pleasure I present another wonderful LivingAfterWLS Success Story: Eileen Bellsey: Life Is Good After WLS. Not only does her story have a romantic twist, Eileen shares some really great secrets for success.
Thank you, Eileen for sharing your story with us and best wishes to you as you celebrate your new life!
Kaye
Thank you, Eileen for sharing your story with us and best wishes to you as you celebrate your new life!
Kaye
Play by the WLS Rules & Live Well
For the last 7 weeks I’ve been playing by the WLS rules: Eat Protein First, No Snacking, Lots of Water and Exercise. I set out to do this, in part, because of the pressure I feel as author of this website to be a good example for my readers. The other reason was the scale – the number was going up and I needed to get control of that. Some remarkable things happened during this time:
I did not experience a single dumping or vomiting episode.
I never even suffered from dizziness or feeling “off”.
I found that my food intake decreased, as if my little pouch was tightening up slightly.
I lost 4 pounds and am right back in my “safe weight zone”.
My energy level has been fresh and constant – no highs or lows.
I’ve been able to sleep well and wake refreshed.
My clothes fit better and I feel better in them.
What do you think about that? I’m pretty pleased with myself for being able to return to a more steady healthier lifestyle. Frankly, it just wasn’t that hard to follow the rules. In fact it felt liberating to follow the rules and not live in fear of the unpleasant consequences of poor food choices. Now, I’m not saying I did perfectly – I did snack on the protein bars like our contributor Kim has suggested and I missed some exercise sessions here and there. But for the most part I was committed to doing right and enjoying myself in the process.
I think I’m going to keep playing by the rules and live well after WLS!
How about you?
LivingAfterWLS Newsletter Catalog
Special Edition Published Today
July 18: You Have Arrived: Beating the Snack Monster featuring the essay, "If nobody ever saw me eating, Then it couldn't be my fault I was fat" and healthful snacking strategies for LivingAfterWLS.
July 5: You Have Arrived: Issue #2: with the essay "Our Daily Bread" and helpful food information. Also introducing our new contributor, my husband, J.Bailey.
June 24: A Special Edition “You Have Arrived” Independence Day Special featuring the essay “Let Freedom Ring, It’s Independence Day” and three WLS friendly menus with recipes.
June 10: A Special Edition “You Have Arrived” for Pre-Ops featuring the personal essay “The Window of Opportunity & Other Things I Wish I Understood Before Surgery”.
June 1: Premier Newsletter “You Have Arrived” featuring the article “If WLS Was the Easy Way Out Then Why Am I Struggling”
Email kayebailey@livingafterwls.com if you wish to receive any of these issues and be included on our subscriber list for future issues.
Warm Wishes to Carol, Lynn, Maureen & Shelly
Warm wishes this week go out to four of our LivingAfterWLS community members who will undergo surgery: Carol, Lynn, Maureen & Shelly. Our thoughts are with you for a safe and speedy recovery.
Congratulations & Welcome to Your New Life!
Congratulations & Welcome to Your New Life!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Kabuki’s Kitchen: Snack Treats
Today in Kabuki’s Kitchen we’re featuring snacks – safe snacks for living after gastric bypass surgery. One is a protein dense savory baked chickpea snack – you’ll be surprised how scrumptious this treat is. Then to help cool off in the dog days of summer, a frozen sugar free pop. Give these recipes a try. And as always, many thanks to Kabuki Dancer for sharing her recipes and beautiful spirit with us.
Sugar-Free Popsicle
Chickpea Crunches
Sugar-Free Popsicle
Chickpea Crunches
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