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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.
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Barbara
Thompson
The Voice of Obesity |
Hello Everyone,
Yea!! It’s summer!! June 21st is a national holiday for me. I
just love summer so much! Summer means “get outdoors and do
something” to me which usually translates into hitting the
beautiful biking trails that we have around Western Pennsylvania.
Remember to take advantage of the weather and try something new.
This afternoon when I was biking, I saw
someone using a Trikke and as we were passing I yelled
to him, asking how he liked it. He
let me try it. It is tough and takes some getting used to, but it
was certainly different! What an experience and definitely harder
than it looks!
In the article below a reader details her
experience with PLOM Disease. It’s definitely something you don’t
want to catch!
Enjoy your summer!!
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In This Issue |
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* PLOM Disease
* Ask and Ye Shall Learn Results
* Back on Track
* Fat Burning vs. Cardio
* Cruise Info
* Plastic Surgery Responses
* Summer Sale
* Hypoglycemia
* Blogging Along
* Recipe: Almond Fudge Freeze
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Success Story: Becky Hadley |
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PLOM Disease |
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I received the following email recently from JoAnne.
JoAnne learned an important lesson recently that we can all
benefit from. JoAnne’s husband nearly died from pancreatitis
and has not had anything to eat for over a month. All of his
nourishment comes from a PICC line into his vein. He has
lost 36 pounds and is very weak. JoAnne has gracious given
permission to share her lessons learned with you. JoAnne
wrote: Barbara, this whole experience with Joe’s
health has taught me so much. First of all, I take too much
for granted. When faced with possibly losing the love of my
life, I realized that I have taken him for granted for
years. I just never stopped to think about the possibility
of not having him at my side. I will never go
another day without telling him I love him or
thanking God for giving him to me.
Secondly, I have seen food and exercise in a different
light. I have been going through a period of PLOM's disease
(Poor Little Old Me) lately. I have gained back 12 pounds
from the time I lost so much after my gastric bypass
surgery. It seemed like I just couldn't get it off.
Poor little old me! I went through that surgery, suffered
without sweets, can't eat what others are enjoying in front
of me, and still pounds have come back. Poor little old me!
Now let me explain. I was still eating smaller amounts
but not always what I should be eating. I have a wonderful
work out suit that gets worn for trips to the store. I have
an elliptical machine in my family room collecting dust. I
have a 12-year old overweight dachshund that needs (but
doesn't get) his daily walk because I have been too lazy to
walk him. But poor little old me!
Seeing Joe having to go without even a drink of water for
four weeks and getting weaker and weaker along with the
drastic weight loss was horrible. But, one night it hit me
like a ton of bricks: "JoAnne, you are so lazy in
mind and in body! You were given the gift of a new thinner
life with weight loss surgery but you've become too lazy to
follow the rules and have the nerve to feel sorry for
yourself! Living without food has wiped Joe out. He's weak
and sick. You have the luxury of being able to eat and you
stuff your small pouch with garbage. You have the energy to
exercise and you sit on your lazy
hind side. You have Barbara's Back on Track program and
swear to get yourself back on track.
What has happened to
you?"
Well, it might have taken the BIG SMACK from up above to
jerk me into line but I'm grateful for it. I got out my
"Back on Track" notebook and started all over. Now I am
determined to actually walk the talk!
I am taking small steps forward. For five days now I
have improved my diet going back to high protein low carbs
like before. I put on the workout suit and have actually
dusted and worked out on the elliptical machine each
evening. My dachshund is still overweight but the daily
walks will pay off in time (for both of us!).
Your "Back on Track" program, inspirational messages and
book are part of my daily routine once again. Thanks for you
concern, Barbara. And, thanks for caring so much about all
of us!
JoAnne
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Ask and Ye Shall Learn
Results |
| In the last newsletter, I
included a link to survey questions about your experiences,
thoughts, and habits and received really interesting
answers.
Most of you found your surgeon from a recommendation of a
family member or friend or through the internet. And an
aftercare program is very important to you.
Nearly 80% of you exercise, which is much higher than I
would have thought. And although nearly 30% of you exercise
60 to 100 minutes per week, the rest of the times are split.
I was very surprised to find out that over 71 % of you
experienced hair loss after surgery. The literature says
that about 30% have hair loss. From what I have seen
traveling around the country, I knew that statistic was off,
and you have just confirmed it.
And on the question regarding an internet radio show that
I am planing, over 84% of you
would be somewhat or very likely to listen to me on the
radio.
If you would like to see the specific percentages,
click here:
I am compiling a list of questions for the next survey,
so send your questions
directly to me at
Barbara@WLScenter.com. Include anything that you
have been wondering about, and also those questions when you
have wondered if you are the only one. |
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It's Time to get Back On Track
If
you’re not happy with your weight loss,
then join the
Back on Track with Barbara Internet Mentoring
Program.
Back On Track with Barbara is a 6-month or
a 12-month
membership program that provides an
internet mentorship for those
who are struggling with weight regain after weight loss
surgery. It also benefits those who have never reached their
goal weight after surgery |
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Here is a recent
comment from a new member:
“I sure wish I had come here when my eating started slipping.
But we are all on our own journeys--even though we have so much
in common. I highly recommend listening to some of the audio
seminars. I just joined last week and already I have a ray of
hope I haven't had in quite some time.”
Cindy
For more
information or to join the Program, go
to
http://www.BackOnTrackWithBarbara.com
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Fat Burning vs. Cardio |
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Hi Barbara,
I have a question about exercise. I go to the gym and all
the machines ask if you want a fat burning or a cardio
workout. For the cardio workout, obviously it works on
getting your heart rate up for a period of time. However,
for the fat burning workout I guess the idea is to keep your
heart rate lower & steady while exercising. I know that both
have benefits, but can you please explain the physiology of
the two different workouts? Isn't the idea of exercise to
burn the excess calories that your body can't burn off?
Doesn't exercise help you burn calories regardless of your
heart rate?
Thanks
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
This can be very confusing. But before I get into your
question, let’s look at something called “maximum heart
rate.” This was developed by the American College of Sports
Medicine and is equal to the number 220 minus your age. So
if you are 40 years old, the maximum number of times your
heart should beat in one minute would be 180. The normal
resting adult heart rate is somewhere between 60 and 100.
Fat burning sounds so vigorous, yet it is the lower level of
the fat burning/cardio question. Fat burning is a
low-intensity workout for burning the body’s fat reserves.
For fat burning, you should be working at 65% of your
maximum heart rate. Again, if you are 40 years old, you
would calculate that to be 180 x .65 = 117 beats per minute
while you are exercising.
Cardio exercises are higher in intensity to raise your heart
rate. And like the fat burning intensity are also designed
to burn fat, however cardio
exercises are designed to burn maximum fat.
For cardio exercises, you should be working at 80% of
your maximum heart rate. Again, if you are 40 years old,
you would calculate that to be 180 x .8 = 144 beats per
minute while you are exercising.
You will burn more calories in a 30 minute exercise on
cardio than on fat burning. The caloric expenditure is
directly related to the amount of effort an activity
requires. In general, the more difficult it feels the more
calories you burn. The easier it feels the fewer calories
you burn. That’s it. It all comes
down to intensity.
The speed that you exercise doesn’t matter at all. For
instance, I was bicycling today and was doing a leisurely 7
miles per hour on my bike. I was pedaling up a slight
grade. The guys in Speedos were zooming past me. But I had
the satisfaction of knowing that if we both pedaled 10
miles, we would burn the same number of calories no matter
how fast the Speedo guys went.
Where the difference comes in is intensity. If we both
pedal for 1 hour, then the Speedo guy will not only burn
more calories, but will build more muscles. And we want to
build more muscles because the more muscles we have, the
higher our metabolism. A higher metabolism means that we
can eat more and not gain weight.
If you have not been exercising, and are in good health you
could start with the fat burning intensity – as long as it
is OK with your doctor and then work up to cardio. And you
want to reach the cardio level because it is more intense
and with it you will be building more muscles. While any
exercise is good, always have an eye toward increasing
intensity.
Hope that helps.
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Cruise to Paradise
Info |
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The window for group rates for our cruise to the Gran Cayman
Islands and Calico, Mexico on August 18th to 23rd
has passed. But if you would like to go, there is still
room. However your fare might be higher than under our group
rate.
Contact Dan, our cruise
Director at 800-818-3739
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Plastic Surgery Responses |
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I had several responses to the plastic surgery question that
was posed in the last newsletter, “Getting Creative with
Plastic Surgery Finance,”
http://www.wlscenter.com/NLArchive/june_15_2007.htm ,
however no one had a real solution.
What I also heard was tremendous frustration from those who
feel that the weight loss is only
half the journey, having been left with extreme amounts of
hanging skin. And there is no one taking up this battle.
Bariatric surgeons have their own insurance battles to
fight. And plastic surgeons don’t seem to be inclined. They
are accustomed to people self paying, because most of their
practice is cosmetic. They also know that if insurance
pays, they will likely be receiving less than what they
would receive from you. There is no advocate for insurance
to pay. But I never give up a fight, so I will keep my ears
open for any solutions. |
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Summer Sale |
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For the month of July,
my books and CDs are 10% off.
To receive the discount, enter the Code word
Summer just above where you enter your credit card
number on my shopping cart.
To reach
my shopping cart, go to
http://www.wlscenter.com/1shopmain.htm
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Here is a Summer tip
for you people
thinking about Plastic Surgery.
(Don't forget the code word:
Summer)
| Check out my audio CD created especially for YOU!! |
Click Here |
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Hypoglycemia |
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I would be very interested in hearing from
anyone who has been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. Please
email me at
Barbara@WLScenter.com and tell me of your experiences.
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Blogging Along |
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If you haven’t stopped by my Blog lately,
please do. There are some new articles there. And please feel
free to leave me some comments. I would love to hear your
thoughts on any of these topics.
Visit my blog at
http://weightlosssurgeryblog.net/ |
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Recipe:
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Almond
Fudge Freeze
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Here is a yummy and easy to prepare
dessert perfect for summer.
Almond Fudge Freeze
Ingredients:
½ cup ice
2 cups sugar free vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
¼ cup Smucker’s Sugar Free Hot Fudge Topping
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Sugar Free whipped topping, optional
Cocoa powder, optional
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
container in the order listed. Process on and off, stirring in
between, to blend ingredients.
2. Pour into glasses. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and
cocoa powder, if desired.
With hot fudge topping: Remove lid, warm jar in microwave for
approximately 30 seconds. Stir topping.
Do not overheat.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 144
Carbohydrates: 27g
Protein: .3g
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 |
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I want to offer a special thanks to Becky Hadley. Here is her
story:
Dear Barbara,
I wanted to share my success story with you. I'm 33 years old and
have been heavy and overweight all my life. As a child growing up I
was always taller then most, which helped in some ways, but I was
always chunkier then most too. The more I grew the worse the
problem became. Most of my weight was in my stomach and hips but
soon it expanded to my legs and arms.
When I was in the sixth grade, and wearing close to a size 14, my
mom took me to one of the hospital nutrition experts and enrolled me
in the hospital workout program hoping to help me. It didn't help
me much, although I did follow the program for eight weeks. After
that it was one diet program after another. I went to the county
nutritionist, Weight Watchers, Nutri
System, my school nutritionist, Slim Fast, etc., but nothing seemed
to help. I just kept gaining weight.
By the time I graduated high school I was in a size 20 and my weight
was around 250 pounds. I
carried it better then most, since I am 5'9 inches tall but
it was still a huge problem. I married the first guy that came
along, hoping that would make me happier. My weight soared to 309
pounds in 2 years. I got on a diet pill, prescribed by a doctor, and
lost 80 pounds in about 9 months. I was
so thrilled. However once I got off the pill the weight started
coming back and I topped out again around 270
pounds.
I met and married my current husband, some 5 years later and he's
supported me thru everything. I started checking into gastric
bypass surgery in 2000 after a vacation to Tennessee where we went
into some underground caverns and I literally couldn't breathe
trying to climb the stairs to leave the caves.
After the birth of our son in late 2001, I tried the working
out/diet pills again, but no luck this
time. Luckily I did not have any medical problems yet, with the
exception of back and knee pain. We moved from Florida to Texas in
2002 and with my husband’s blessings I had gastric bypass surgery in
May 2003. My weight at the time was 316 pounds.
Luckily I had no complications with surgery and have managed to go
from 316 pounds to 175 pounds, and a size 24/26 to a size 8/10. I
couldn't have done it without the love and support of my family and
friends and I am much happier today. I have a lot more energy. I
can run and play with my son and I'm no longer afraid to leave the
house, for fear
of people looking at me and laughing. I would do it all over again
in a minute and would encourage others to do it as well. It saved
me from a life of misery being overweight and unhappy.
Thanks for letting me tell my story,
Barbara. Keep up the great work!
Becky Hadley
Suthurnb2@yahoo.com
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Congratulations Becky |
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I Need More
Success Stories!!
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. |
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Permission to
Reprint |
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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 ”
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Copyright © 2000-2013 Barbara Thompson All Rights Reserved
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