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.

Upcoming Telephone Seminar

Exercise:

You Can’t Reach Goal without It

What: Barbara Thompson Interviews Exercise Guru, Jon Gestl

When: Wednesday June 23^rd, 2004, 8:00 PM Eastern Time

I receive so many emails from people who are concerned because they are gaining weight.  It is very scary after going through so much to get thin.  So in planning my next telephone seminar, I wanted to address this vital topic by approaching it through exercise.  Exercise is such an important key to getting to and maintaining your goal weight.  But let’s face it, very few of us really enjoy exercising. 

I am very excited to announce that my next telephone seminar will be on exercise with Jon Gestl, a former US National Sportsaerobic Champion who had his own negative issues about exercise to overcome. We will cover issues as what to do if you have hit a plateau, how to exercise if you have limited mobility such as a bad back or are wheel chair bound, and how to stay motivated to keep exercising. Jon has a lot of handouts for you that you will be able to download that will give you additional information. 

The last telephone seminar was so popular that 114 people signed up!  That is quite a crowd to be on a line and asking questions. This time we will have an operator to field questions so that none of us will be bothered by any background noise. 

If you are really serious about wanting to do your best with your surgery, you won’t want to miss this fabulous telephone seminar.  

Click here for more information and to register:
http://www.wlscenter.com/teleseminar/exercise/jongestl.htm

In my book, “Weight Loss Surgery, Finding the Thin Person Hiding inside You” I stress the 4 Rules of Success to help you to reach your goal weight.  The first rule is “Eat Protein First at Any Meal.”  Eating protein first following your surgery will help you to heal by rebuilding red blood cells. And it takes 60 grams of protein per day to maintain your muscle mass. This is so important because you want to not only maintain but increase your muscle mass because muscle burns more calories than fat does. 

It is important to avoid carbohydrates because they raise our blood sugar level and set off cravings. In this respect low-carb foods certainly have their place. However, the article in Consumer Reports details how packed with calories many of the low-carb foods are.  It also points out that there is no agreed upon, much less regulated definition of what low-carb is.  The same applies to the definition of “net carbs.”  “Net carbs” are supposedly the number of grams of carbohydrates minus the number of grams of fiber and sugar alcohol. Fiber and sugar alcohols tend to pass into the large intestines without being digested and absorbed in the small intestines therefore do not raise our blood sugar level.

Eat 2 Carbolite cookies and you will be consuming only 6 “net” carbs but the calories count is 240. The rule “Eat your protein first,” does not necessarily translate into “Eat low-carb food first,” because we are still the product of calories in versus calories used. We still have to be careful of our consumption of calories. 

To read the entire enlightening article, pick up a copy of “The Truth About Low-Carb Foods,” Consumer Reports, June 2004.

Have you been helped in your struggles for insurance approval by Walter Linstrom of The Obesity Law and Advocacy Center?  I am writing a feature article on Walter Linstrom for the next issue of WLS Life Styles Magazine and would like to interview people that he has helped.  If you would like to be interviewed for this article, email me as soon as possible at Barbara@wlscenter.com.

      Mahi Mahi with Salsa Mayo

I want to say a special thanks to Roxanne Bachman for sending along this great fish recipe.  Since my surgery I have really gotten so fond of fish.  It just goes down so easily.  So I am really enjoying this recipe.

Hi,
My name is Roxanne Bachman.  One day early on in my soft food diet, I became hungry for something that was low in fat and carbs but still had a lot of flavor and a bit of salsa to it.  I came up with this recipe to curb that craving.  It worked beautifully.  I make it often as my husband is not a fish man but does enjoy this recipe.  I make extra because the leftover fish can be placed in my homemade veggie soup the next day which turns it into an even more protein packed fish soup.

                        Mahi Mahi with Salsa Mayo 

4      ounces            Mahi Mahi -- brushed with mayo
1      ounce              ground pork rind -- to coat fish
4      tablespoons     Hellmans Mayo -- 2 tbsp set asid
2      tablespoons   Salsa -- add to saved mayo
Salt/Pepper -- to taste

Brush fish on both sides with mayo.  Add salt & pepper then dredge in ground pork rinds.  Heat some olive oil and butter in a heavy skillet.  Carefully add fish to the skillet and cook 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the 2nd side according to the thickness of the fish.

In a small food processor, place 2 tbsp salsa and 2 tbsp mayo.  Combine until smooth.

Once the fish is finished cooking, drain on paper towels.  Serve with sauce either by pouring it over the fish or using the sauce as a side dish.

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 Linda Kaiser for sharing her success with us.  Here is her story:

Barbara:
My story really begins in high school.  I graduated in 1973 and had always been considered a larger framed gal, a size 14 to be exact.  I always felt larger than the other girls, definitely not the "cheerleader" framed type. 

I married and went on to have 3 children by 1979 but managed to maintain my size.  Upon a couple of occasions, I had gone down to a size 12, which I was very proud of.  A few years later, I forced myself into only eating one meal a day and managed to get to a size 9.  I must admit I felt a little sexy. 

Shortly after that I was divorced and went back up to a size 16 in a short amount of time.  I concentrated on cutting out the pizza and fast food, had less ice cream and soon was back to a 14.  I maintained this weight for about 8 years until I had a car accident that caused me to have a ventricular shunt placed within my head.  The surgeon explained that there were only 4 locations to place this so that the fluids would equalize my speech, balance, and more.  We opted for the top of the head area. 

Later I discovered that my migraines, speech, balance and vision had improved but the weight was beginning to increase.  I didn't relate this new change and went to my first Weight Watchers meeting.  I worked very hard to lose 12 pounds, and because of no patience on my part, I gave up.  I checked with friends and tried to figure out the best diet for me, whether it be portioned foods bought at a center, real foods that were measured, deprivation of certain foods or what.  I also had a complete checkup to see if my thyroid was in balance or if there was any medical problem. 

For the rest of Linda's story with photos, go to:
http://www.wlscenter.com/successstories/lindakaiser.htm

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.

More Success Stories Needed for My Next Book

Are you 2 or more years post-op? If so, I need to know what your secret is for maintaining your weight. I will be using your story in my next book on maintaining your weight loss long term. You must write at least 1 full page. Anything less than 1 page will not be useable. I also need your before and after pictures sent via email. I need to know how you eat, what you do for exercise, and any tips that you have to offer. This will be a tremendous help to people who are having the common problem of weight gain following surgery, or are struggling to maintain their weight loss.

Send your stories to Barbara@wlscenter.com

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