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 #114

April 1, 2007


Barbara Thompson
The Voice of Obesity

Hello Everyone,
 Bicycle season officially started in the Thompson household. Those of you who have been newsletter subscribers for awhile know how much I love bicycling. I was thinking today about how much my life has changed since surgery.  Pre-surgery I could barely get through grocery shopping. My back would be hurting so badly! Well this afternoon after grocery shopping, we went bicycling for 14 miles.  And that is a short ride for us. Life following surgery is grand!! I wish the same for each and every one of you.

In this issue there are so many changes that we have to announce. I have a new blog, I have improved the Back on Track program, and I am featured in People Magazine. I hope you will be as excited about all of this as I am.

In This Issue

  

* Blogging Along
* Super Changes in the Back on Track Program
* Research Article: Enova oil
* Milwaukee Retreat
* Barbara in People Magazine
* Puzzle: All About Surgery
* Cruise to Paradise
* Recipe: Zucchini Beef Soup
* Success Story: Kim Valera
* Spreading the Word in Park Rapids, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Charlotte, NC; Greenville, PA;
 The Caribbean; and Columbus, OH

Blogging Along

For those of you who really enjoy my newsletter and wish it came out more often, you will be happy to learn that I have started a Blog.  I will be posting short informational articles about weight loss surgery 2 or 3 times a week. Here is the link for the blog http://www.weightlosssurgeryblog.net/  I hope that you will comment on the articles that you find there and visit often.

I have 2 articles posted there right now.  They are:
* How stress affects your weight and
* Choosing a surgeon.

I hope you enjoy them.

Super Changes in the
  Back on Track Program:
  Now As Low As $19.95 Per Month

There are some great changes to the Back on Track Program. Formerly the program has been 6 months long with a lesson every week for 6 months at a cost of $35 per month. 

Now you have an additional option. You can spread the Program out over 12 months so that you are receiving a lesson every other week. And the cost has dropped to $19.95 per month. This helps people in the following ways:

  • With 2 weeks instead of one, there is more time to complete the lessons so they will be less likely to build up
  • The per monthly cost is lowered from $35 per month to $19.95 per month
  • Since the program lasts 12 months instead of 6 months, you have a longer time in the yahoo group and receive 6 additional telephone seminars.

For those who would like to get through the program faster, the 6-month program will continue to be available.

For more information and to register for the program, click below.

Research Article:
  Enova Oil

You may have seen a new oil on your grocery shelves.  It is Enova which boasts on the label, “Less is stored in the body as fat.” You may have wondered what this is all about.

When it comes to oil, you have probably heard of triglycerides.  These are oils that have 3 fatty acids, as most oils do.  But there is a new oil that has only 2 fatty acids.  Instead of being a triglyceride, it is a diglyceride which means it contains only 2 fatty acids.

The advantage of a diglyceride is that research has found that the body burns the majority of diglycerides for energy rather than storing it as fat.

Enova is a diglyceride oil, which is how it can make that claim on the label. It has a very neutral taste so it is perfect for salad dressing. You can bake with it as well as sauté with it but you cannot use it for frying.

Enova is a mix of soy and canola oil and does not cause stomach or digestive distress. I have been using it for a month with no ill effects. It has the same calorie content as other oils, but it is digested differently so fewer calories are absorbed. Calorie for calorie it is less fattening, but it would, however, be wrong to think that you can use it freely.  But when you are using oil it is an excellent choice. 

Barbara Thompson in People Magazine:
  More on Trading Addictions

Check out the current issue of People Magazine. It’s the April 9th issue and has the American Idols on the cover.  If you check page 60 you will find an article about transfering addictions following weight loss surgery and leads off with quotes by Barbara.

Although trading addictions affects about 5% of patients, this is a very important issue that patients need to be aware of. Many have gone for years thinking they were the only ones having this problem until we started to highlight the problem last year and those affected really opened up with their personal stories.  Here is a link to the original article from my newsletter last year http://www.wlscenter.com/alcoholism.htm . And check out People Magazine!!!

Puzzle: All About Surgery

Test your knowledge of weight loss surgery in this crossword puzzle titled  "All About Surgery."

Recipe:
Zucchini Beef Soup

Thanks to Pamela Matthews who submitted this recipe. Pamela attended one of my reteats. I am a soup lover so this recipe is perfect for me.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

ZUCCHINI BEEF SOUP 

1/2 pound ground beef
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 medium zucchini, cubed
2 cups water
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt, optional
1 tsp beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

In a large saucepan, cook beef, celery, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meet is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain.  Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, water, Italian seasoning, salt, bouillon, sugar and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until zucchini is tender.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.  Yield - 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis:  One serving (prepared with lean ground beef and without salt & Parmesan Cheese) equals 106 calories, 10 g carbohydrate, and 10 g 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:
  Kim Valera

I want to offer Kim Valera a special thanks. Here is her story:

Hi, Barbara!
I am writing to you to tell you my weight loss story.  It is my story, which is not yet complete, but one which may help others in some way.

Like most others suffering from obesity, I struggled throughout my life with issues related to weight.  I lost and gained more weight than I can calculate, and had come to the point where I felt that there was no way that I would ever be able to achieve a "normal" weight in my life.  I was actually quite sure I would not live to retirement age, so I did not worry much about preparing for retirement.  I had nearly given up on my life being anything more than what it was at the time, which was, I realize now, miserable.

I had my laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on September 27, 2005 here in Houston.  I weighed in at 388 pounds the morning of surgery, which was 87 pounds less than my known highest weight of 475. My surgeon, Garth Davis, insisted that I lose weight before undergoing the procedure for my safety.  After surgery, I initially began losing the weight pretty quickly, and got down to 319, where I was stuck for a couple of months.  At about the time when I was convinced that I was going to be the one person this surgery did not work for, I met and began to work with my trainer, Austin Davis.  It was then that I learned how important exercise really is to the success of the surgery, and that the surgery itself was not the magic bullet that was going to solve my problems.  Through my work with Austin, I faced many important issues and came to realize how small I had allowed my world to become.

I have come to realize that there is a lot I did not allow myself to do...or even dream of doing...because of the weight that I carried around.  I allowed my world to shrink down to a size just barely big enough to hold me, and didn't dare to dream of anything bigger.  Now that I'm losing the weight (I'm down to 265), I see how many things I stopped myself from doing and enjoying.  I wasn't really living.  That is definitely not the case anymore!  I am loving life, and last Sunday I conquered fear and took my life to a whole new level when I did a tandem skydive.  Yep, I jumped out of a plane, and I have the pictures to prove it.

The fat girl who used to control my life (we call her old kim...lower case intentional) has pretty much lost her grip on me.  I am a whole new person who loves life and gets out there and lives it...to the absolute fullest!  Don't get me wrong, I still have weight to lose and there are still times that I struggle, I just don't let old kim get me down...I am truly living!

I hope that you can use my story.  I am passionate about helping others get out of the pain and loneliness of obesity, and if my story can help someone do that, I would love to share it.

Kim Valera
KVALERA@houstonisd.org

Congratulations Kim

You achieved your goal, be proud and tell the world.

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
  Park Rapids, MN; Milwaukee, WI;
  Charlotte, NC; Greenville, PA;
  the Western Caribbean
  and Columbus, OH

Park Rapids, MN:
Saturday April 14th, 10 AM to 11:15 AM, sponsored by Dakota Clinic. Call Laurie Hanson, 218-732-2829 for information.

Charlotte, NC:
Monday May 14, 2008, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Heaton Hall at the Cornwell Center, Behind Myers Park Baptist Church, 2001 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC. Sponsored by Dr. David Voellinger, Southeast Bariatrics. Call Jennifer Sawyer, 704-347-4144 for more information.

Greenville, PA
Wednesday May 23rd, 6:00 to 8:00 PM, Thiel College Auditorium, sponsored by UPMC Horizon, Greenville, PA. Call Jonathan Bailey, 724-589-6642 for information

Columbus, OH.
Speaking for Dr. Needleman and Dr. Mikami, Ohio State University, Date not yet set.

Please Note: I am asked very often about coming to speak for various practices. If you would like me to speak, I am sponsored to speak by either the Hospital or by a corporation. Call me for details 877-440-1518.

Attention Nurses

If you are a nurse and would like for me to speak on positive patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, or obesity sensitivity for your State Nurses Association, please have the conference planner for your State Association contact me. I have a corporate sponsor who will pay my fee and expenses so it is free for your Association. I also speak for many hospitals on the same topics. 

Contact me at Barbara@WLScenter.com or 412-851-4195.

 

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“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  ”

 
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