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.

Barbara Thompson
The Voice of Obesity

We are well into the biggest sale we have ever had of our products.  If you haven't taken advantage of this huge sale now is your chance.  You don't want to miss this!!!

In This Issue

* Sale Half Over!!!
* Special Bonus: Articles by Barbara Thompson
* A Guide to Post-Op Testing
* Blog Feature
* Recipe: Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
* Success Story: Jennifer Sawyer
* Spreading the Word in Salem, OR

Do you...

• Need inspiration to lose more weight?

• Want to become better educated about weight loss surgery

• Feel you don’t know what to do now that you have had surgery?

• Are suffering from emotional eating or want to become inspired to exercise?

Then you are in luck! My January blow out sale is just what you need!

Would you like to save 10%? OK how about 15%? Wouldn’t 25% be even better? Huge savings on my books and CD’s!!!

What better way to start your weight loss surgery education or to get back in the grove of losing weight again?

Here is the secret to the sale.  On the checkout page of my shopping cart, enter the year 2008 in the box labeled "Coupon/Promotional Code" located on the right side of the page. Be sure to click the Apply  button on the right of the box that will apply your code. Remember, to get the sale price, enter 2008 in the Coupon/Promotional Code box. and click Apply.

Click here to save 25% on all of my books and CD’s!! Best sale ever!!

I am in a situation like many of you.  My surgeon is no longer practicing where I had my surgery.  He has moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Cleveland, OH, much too far for me to conveniently go for a check up.  So I rely on my Primary Care Physician, Dr. Barrett, for my medical needs. 

Dr. Barrett is a wonderful physician, but he is not a surgeon, nor is he a bariatrician. He is very open however to the information that I share with him regarding weight loss surgery.  And he has read both of my books!

But do you know what tests you should have quarterly if you are less than one year post-op or annually if you are 1 year or more post-op? Here is a list of blood tests you that you can take to your PCP:

*ALT, albumin, ALP, AST, BUN, calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, glucose, phosphorous, total protein, triglycerides
Vitamin A
Vitamin B12, folate
Copper
CBC
Vitamin D25 total, fractionated D2 and D3
Iron, TIBC, ferritin, transferring
Magnesium
PTH (intact)
PT/PTT
Selenium
Thiamine (vitamin B1)
Zinc

Have your follow-ups done by your surgeon if at all possible.  You will get the best care from someone who is informed of the most current information about weight loss surgery. But if you are in a situation like I am, make sure that your doctor is well informed and that you can guide him or her by alerting them to what you know about your surgery. By having these tests completed, you can ensure that you will stay as healthy as possible long-term.  And we all want that!

*Goldenberg, Liz, “Nutritional Deficiencies Following Bariatric Surgery,” Gastroenterology and Endoscopy News, Dec. 2007, p. 9-15.

Stay up-to-date on all the latest information about weight loss surgery!!

We tend to think that all carbohydrates are bad for us, but they aren’t.  The trick is to eat the “good” carbs such as those found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains like the whole wheat pasta found in this recipe:

Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta

12 ounces whole-wheat short pasta, such as shells or twists
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups arugula or baby spinach
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta until just tender. Cook sausage in a large non-stick skillet breaking it up into small pieces until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, arugula (or spinach) and tomatoes.  Cook stirring often until the greens wilt and the tomatoes begin to break down; about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.

Combine ½ cup cheese, pepper and salt in a large bowl.  Drain the pasta, measuring out ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Whisk the cooking liquid and oil into the cheese mixture.  Add the pasta and toss to combine.  Serve the pasta topped with the sausage mixture.

Makes 6 servings, a generous 1 ½ cups each.

Nutritional information per serving:
352 calories; 20 g protein; 45 g carbohydrate

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

I want to offer a special thanks to a very good friend of mine, Jennifer Sawyer. Here is her story:

I had yo-yoed all my conscious life, from the grapefruit diet when I was 12 to the Metracal I drank in college to Weight Watchers at various spells after my children were born to Atkins (loved that butter on that steak---wished for a biscuit or a banana) to being a vegetarian and walking 4 miles a day for two years.

I had grown weary of the up’s and down’s.  Somebody said we should love ourselves as we are.  So, I tried.  I really tried.

But, I grew weary of wearing black stretch pants with seams sewn down the front with an over blouse, socks, and sandals.  I didn’t like the way I felt. I felt embarrassed, less than other women in their cutesy outfits. 

So, I made up for it by being funny.  And smart.  And nice.  There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t try to excel in.  I smiled at everyone.  I never complained.  I think I hid my feelings well.  Who knew that I was hurting inside?  

The doctor said, “You are depressed.”  I said, “That can’t be!  I’m a positive thinker!  I’m religious!  I have a wonderful husband (at that time, I did not know that he was cheating on me)!”  The doctor said, “OK,” and sent me home.  I came back the next week and said, “I’m depressed.”  He said, “I know.”

But what I didn’t know is that there was a way out of life-as-I knew-it.  I didn’t know that surgery could transform me and give me mobility and self-respect, and hope that was long lost. 

Ironically, my sister told me about the surgery.  My sister, the skinny one, had met some women who had lost 100 pounds or more by having gastric bypass surgery.  Dare I hope to do the same?

I found a surgeon.  I wrote my letter, filled out my packet, submitted it, saw the doctor, got approved by insurance, and waa laa!  Before I knew it, I was on that gurney going down to the operating room. I remember thinking, “I could die from this.”  And I remember answering myself, “Yes, but I don’t want to live like this.”

And so, my life began again.  Before you can say “Do you want fries with that?” I had lost 110 pounds.  There was nothing in my closet that fit!  I was giddy with myself. To be quite honest, I made some mistakes.

But, as sure as the pendulum swings, my life came back into balance.  Now I help others discover the hope that they can wear cutesy outfits and have self respect and, yes, even make a few mistakes along the way. 

This is my story.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Jennifer Sawyer
Counselor-in-Residence
Southeast Bariatrics, Charlotte, NC

Congratulations Jennifer