|
WLS Center E-Newsletter
A
FREE publication from
http://www.wlscenter.com
Hosted by
Barbara Thompson
Author of:
Weight Loss Surgery:
Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You.
|
Issue #62 |
January 15,
2005 |
|
 |
|
 |
We are into the new year and I hope that all of you
are doing well with any resolutions that you may have made. We did have a
few people join with us on the cancer research project. Please consider
donating your computer to run in the background to help find a cure for
this disease. It’s free, does no harm to your computer and is a way you
can help so easily.
We have a
theme this issue of stress eating, something so many of us are very prone
to. I hope this may help any of you having this problem.
 |
|
In This Issue |
|
* Plastic Surgery Telephone Seminar Almost Here
* Emotional Eating
* Research Article: Joint Pain and Surgery
* Book Excerpt: 4 Rules of Success
* Barbara’s Blog
* Recipe: Chicken Marinara
* Success Story: Nannette Ryan
* Spreading the Word in Gainesville, GA |
 |
|
There are only about 9 days left to
register for the telephone seminar on plastic surgery.
If you can dial a phone, you can join in!
|
Here Is What You Will Learn: |
|
|
Predicting if you
will need plastic surgery |
|
|
Picking the right
time to have it |
|
|
Identifying the
keys to successful surgery |
|
|
Finding the right
plastic surgeon for you |
|
|
Understanding
specific procedures |
|
|
Abdominoplasty/
Panniculectomy - What’s the Difference? |
|
|
Dealing with Pain
- What pain? |
|
|
Questioning: why
not just have liposuction? |
|
|
Double Duty: Tummy
tuck and hernia repair |
|
|
Money Issues: Who
pays and how much? |
|
|
Breast reduction
for men |
This is your chance to talk with a plastic surgeon who is an
expert in performing plastic surgery on weight loss surgery
patients. Dr. J. Peter Rubin, Director of the Life After Weight
Loss Program at the University of Pittsburgh, will be my guest
on a telephone seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 26th, 9:00 PM EST.
Go to
http://www.wlscenter.com/plastic_surgery.htm to hear a
preview of the seminar, and to register. |
 |
Emotional Eating |
|
In the success story below Nannette Ryan
mentions times when she had a rough time with emotional eating.
I think we are all prone to that. What is important is to
recognize what you are doing and to stop!
I fell prey to emotional eating on my most
recent speaking event. I was speaking for Dr. Ben Hung’s
patients in Lincoln, NE on Jan. 13th. It was something I was
really looking forward to. I was supposed to speak there in
September for the Walk from Obesity, but it didn’t work out, so
I was anxious to get there now. Dr. Hung requires that all of
his patients buy my book prior to surgery, so there were a lot
of patients as anxious to meet me as I was to meet them.
But I ended up having the trip from hell!
I left Pittsburgh on Wednesday and flew to
Detroit. As we approached the Detroit airport the pilot
announced that there was so much fog that we couldn’t land and
we circled for an hour waiting for it to clear. My connecting
plane was leaving in an hour so I knew that I would miss my
connection. I was biting my nails hoping to make my connection
but fearful of the fog!
We landed safely and I found that my flight
from Detroit to Lincoln was also delayed. An attendant told me
to grab a bite and relax. It would be awhile. Wow, was he
right!
OK I had my bite as he suggested. I had
fruit and black bean soup. Very healthy. I held it together.
And I waited.
Six hours later after many delays my flight
was cancelled. I wouldn’t make it to Lincoln that night. But I
then had to stand in line 2 hours to get rebooked. I am now
tired and hungry.
My husband at home using the internet found
a hotel room for me. I left the airport (after waiting in
another line for a cab). I was starving, but I still kept it
together. On the way to the hotel I had the cab driver stop and
I got chicken nuggets and chili. Still not too bad.
Four hours later, after a short night I was
back at the airport. Grabbed a yogurt - still OK. We left
Detroit and off to Minneapolis for the connecting flight to
Lincoln.
It was a bright, clear day. What could go
wrong? Plenty! I got to the gate in Minneapolis. One more leg
to go to get to Lincoln. Then the announcement came. Our
flight to Lincoln was delayed. That final delay was what it took
to push me over the edge. Would this be a delay like in Detroit
and I would end up staying in Minneapolis and not making it to
Lincoln at all?
Right next to the gate was a pizza parlor.
It was calling me and I listened. I had a personal pan pizza
and it was great. That time I didn’t hold it together.
Eating and weight control are a life long
struggle. I knew when I ordered that pizza what I was doing. I
wasn’t using that pizza to satisfy hunger. I used that pizza to
soothe myself. I knew because of circumstances I was really
prone to losing it with food, which may be why I resisted so
long. Frustration and fatigue are a tough combination.
After the pizza, I didn’t beat myself up. I
made a mistake and then went on. I recognized what I did and
did not repeat it the next day. And even though it’s been five
years since my surgery, I still fall back on old habits. But I
have the surgery to help me. I fill up faster and feel
satisfied when I do eat. It’s so much better post surgery.
Something like that could have led me to go on eating that way
for days. But the next day was a good day. I’d made it! |
 |
|
|
“Gastric Bypass Surgery
Relieves Joint Pain”
Web MD Oct. 22, 2004 We
have heard all of the reports of weight loss surgery helping
serious diseases such as diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart
disease, but how about the very debilitating disease of pain?
Many of us have gone through years of just plain pain that we
haven’t been able to effectively treat. This really speaks to
the lack of a quality of life prior to surgery. This article
from Web MD reports on how weight loss surgery also helps pain.
For the entire article, go to:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/95/103464.htm
|
 |
Book Excerpt: 4 Rules of Success |
|
Here is an excerpt from my book
“Weight Loss Surgery; Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside
You.” |
This is the time of year to get back to basics. If you
have gotten off track, are starting to regain weight, are on a
plateau, or want to make sure that you make the most before your
Window of Opportunity closes, you need to remind yourself about
the
1)
Eat Protein
First - Concentrate on your
protein
at each and every meal. After you have eaten your portion of
protein, if there is any room left, then eat carbohydrates.
The more carbohydrates you eat, the hungrier you will feel and
the more you will crave them. As you eat carbohydrates, they
raise your blood sugar level. As you digest, your blood sugar
level drops and your body starts to crave more carbohydrates.
Proteins are denser and will linger in your pouch longer so that
you will have a feeling of being full for a longer period of time.
Check with your own surgeon about eating a high protein diet.
It will help tremendously with weight loss, but if you have any
liver problems, it might not be a good idea for you. Let your
surgeon or dietician be the judge
2)
Drink Water-
Be sure to drink at least 64 ounces of water, or
non-carbonated, caffeine
free liquid per day. Do not drink carbonated beverages as the
carbonation will cause your pouch to expand. Water will also
help with feelings of hunger. Sometimes we think we are hungry
when we are actually thirsty. Take a water bottle with you
everywhere and sip, sip, sip, sip sip.
3)
Exercise-
Exercise at least five days per week. Exercise needs to
become a regular part of your life. It is very difficult to
reach your goal weight and even more difficult to maintain that
weight without exercise. Be sure that the exercise is one that
raises your heart rate and increases your metabolism. Also vary
your exercise so that your body does not become accustomed to
the exercise and it stops being as beneficial.
4)
No Grazing-
Do not snack. This is a sure way to sabotage your surgery.
If you are truly hungry between meals, eat a small bite of
protein.
Grazing is a slow but steady way to regain your weight.
Do you want more good information about weight loss surgery?
If you do not have your copy of my book “Weight Loss Surgery;
Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You,” what are you waiting
for? It is recommended by surgeons across the country and has
been dubbed the “unofficial bible of bypass patients” by the
Philadelphia Inquirer.
|
 |
Recipe:
Chicken Marinara
|
|
4 (4-oz) Chicken breasts, skinned and
boneless
1 tsp garlic powder
1 nonstick vegetable spray
1 tsp olive oil
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes with puree
1 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1. Pound the chicken breasts until they are
1/4-inch thick
2. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the garlic powder
3. Spray a non-stick skillet with the spray and add the olive oil
4. Heat oil over medium heat until hot
5. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes
6. Add the canned tomatoes, the rest of the garlic powder, basil,
parsley and pepper
7. Turn down the heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 20
minutes
Makes 4 servings:
Each = 199 Calories, 11 grams of carbohydrates and 29 grams of
protein
If you have a recipe that you would like to share in future
issues of this newsletter, please send
it to me at
Barbara@WLScenter.com |
|
 |
|
Success
Story: Nannette Ryan |
|
|
|
I want to offer a special thanks to Nannette Ryan. Here is her
story: Although I was not a fat teenager, I was large and on
the "voluptuous" side -- wearing a size 14. Because I had lots of
curves in all the right places, I was not considered fat.
Then, when I was 18, I left home and moved to another state. It
was the first time on my own, and I found a job waitressing at a
local chain restaurant where they had lots of ice cream flavors! I
worked the "graveyard" shift from 11pm to 7am five days a week.
Well, of course, during the slow early morning hours, I sampled the
various ice cream flavors. It wasn't long before I had ballooned up
to a size 18. But, that was only the beginning.
I moved back to my family home state, met the man
whom I would
marry and started the weight climb -- weighing 180 when I married,
200 when I got pregnant with my first child, 225 when I got pregnant
with my second child and eventually over the next 18 years went up
to 300 pounds!
Around that time, I resolved that I had to get my weight under
control, and entered a weight loss program. I successfully lost
about 70 pounds in the next six months and kept it off for about a
year. Then, my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the
stress eating started all over again.
By that time, it was decided that all the medical treatments he
went through weren't going to beat the cancer and he was terminal. I
had once again ballooned up to over 300 - hitting the scales at 340
pounds!
By this time, I had developed Type II diabetes, been diagnosed
with severe sleep apnea, and suffered from stress incontinence, high
cholesterol and severe arthritis. I knew that stress eating had
always been a problem for me, and knew that when my husband died, I
would probably end up eating myself to death if I didn't make a
drastic change in my life and get healthy. It was the only way I
would have a future.
I had been thinking about gastric bypass surgery for almost two
years - always chickening out by thinking that it seemed like such a
drastic step and that I should be able to lose weight on my own. Of
course, this wasn't the case and I realized I had to take a drastic
step to save my own life.
In June 2003, I had Roux en-Y gastric bypass surgery at a
starting weight of 336 pounds. Luckily, I had done my research and
prepared all the documentation that my insurance company required
and I was approved on the first try. I followed my surgeon's
protocol and have never had any complications.
I helped to found a local Weight Loss Surgery support group and became an
advocate for others seeking weight loss surgery information.
Helping others on this path helped to keep me focused on my own
weight loss.
Unfortunately, my dear husband never got the chance to see me
realize my ultimate weight loss goal. He died in May 2004. Although
expected, it was still tough to deal with, and being almost a year
out and being able to eat more at that time, I had a short time when
the stress eating started again. But, by being aware of the
pitfalls, and keeping up my exercise program that I had started at
only five weeks post-op, I was able to get a handle on it fairly
quickly.
Now, at almost 19 months out, I have lost a total of 180 pounds
and am now seeking to take the next step with plastic surgery to
remove the excess skin. I hope to be able to complete all my
plastic surgery goals in 2005.
Whenever anyone asks me if I would undertake this weight loss
surgery journey again, I
always respond -- "in a heartbeat." I wish I had been brave or
knowledgeable enough about weight loss surgery to have done it
earlier in my life.
Good luck to all wherever you may be in
your weight loss
surgery journey. It's definitely a ride!
Nannette Ryan
 |
 |
|
Before |
After |
I love good news. If you have good news, a
success story to share, or inspiration,
please send it to me at
Barbara@WLScenter.com so that I can
include it in future issues. |
 |
|
Spreading the Word in
Gainesville, GA |
|
|
|
If you live in the Atlanta or Gainesville, GA
area, I hope you can join me on Saturday January 22nd. I will be
speaking for Dr. Proctor and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
The public is invited.
Click here for details:
http://www.wlscenter.com/calendar/wc01222005.htm
|
I Would Love
To Speak For Your Group |
|
I often get
requests to speak for various practices around the country and in
many cases, I can arrange for sponsorship of my events. If you would
like me to speak for your support group or hospital staff,
have your support group leader or hospital
administrator call me toll free 877-440-1518 for the
details.
I also speak to
corporations on obesity sensitivity in the workplace. To have me
speak for your company, please contact the appropriate person and
have them contact me at the above toll free number.
Thank you,
|
|
|
Permission to
Reprint
|
|
You may reprint any items from this newsletter in your own print or
electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:
“Reprinted
from Barbara Thompson’s free e-newsletter featuring helpful
information and research material to help patients succeed following
weight loss surgery.
Subscribe at
http://www.barbarathompsonnewsletter.com/ ” |
|
Subscription
Corner |
|
Did someone forward this newsletter to you?
Would you like to
receive a personal notification when it is
ready for you to read? It's simple! Just go to
http://www.barbarathompsonnewsletter.com/ and
scroll down to the subscription form. After filling out the form and
submitting it, watch for an email that asks you
to CONFIRM your subscription.
Your
subscription is not complete until we get this confirmation back!
If you like this newsletter, please
pass it on to your friends and family and have
them signup for our notification service.
Do you want to unsubscribe? Go to the
bottom of your newsletter notification email message and click the
unsubscribe link. You will be automatically deleted.
If you have any problems with this
process,
call our office toll free at (877) 440-1518. |
|
Support the
continued FREE delivery of this Newsletter
by clicking the banner
below and purchasing your vitamins.
|
Copyright © 2000-2008 Barbara Thompson All Rights Reserved
|