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.

Think about doing something to improve the world. Doing small acts of kindness are easy to do and they affect the world in many wonderful ways. Many people are troubled by the stressful times we live in. A smile at someone can brighten their day.

Think about honoring your gift by giving back to the world. You will get that gift back many times over.

Hello Barbara:
First, I have read your book many, many times. Even after my surgery I still refer to your book.  I congratulate on your accomplishments,  You are doing great things for obese people.  I also enjoy the monthly newsletters.

I am now in my eighth month after RNY surgery. Everything has gone well except for minor ups and downs.  I have lost 70 pounds.  I have reached a few plateaus along the way and for the last six weeks have not lost a pound.  Is there someway I can jump-start the weight loss again.  I have been exercising three times a week at the YMCA, swimming and using cardio machines.  If you can enlighten me on some things I may be able to do, I would appreciate it.  I am 68 years old and feeling great.

Thank you
Isabel Goss

Dear Isabel,
You are a wonderful example for all of those people who write to me and say that they are sixty and are they too old to have weight loss surgery!  Here you are, 68 years old and reaching for something new and better. Good for you! You go girl!

One of the secrets to getting over a plateau is variety. It is great that you have been swimming and using the cardio machines, but now it may be time to change what exercise you are doing. Try using the elliptical machine or a treadmill that is on an incline - something that will get your heart rate up.  Of course check with your doctor that this is OK. And see if you can increase the number of sessions that you exercise from 3 to 4. Change what you are eating also. Don’t eat the same food everyday. Your body will get too accustomed to processing that same food and will do it too efficiently. As we age, our metabolism slows a little more each year, so you have a bit of a battle to keep your metabolism up there. 

Remember my 4 Rules of Success. Make sure you are following all of them!  Since you have my book, you know what they are. Take care and congratulations.

Call my office, 412-851-4195 for rates or email me at Barbara@WLScenter.com

Dear Barbara,
I am going to have the surgery; I have made up in my mind that this is what I want to do.  But I am leaning towards the Lap-Band®. Could you help me with this one? Is it a good thing to do? Do the bands slip easily?  My sister had the surgery and it went well for her and my sister in law had it and she passed away the same day so it's just a lot I have to think of, but I'm going to do it. I am not afraid.  I just want to know more about the band.  Thank you. You rock!

Gloria Watts

Hi Gloria,

The Lap-Band® was approved by the FDA in June 2001. So it is relatively new here in this country. It has been used in Europe and Australia for many years. And the track record there has been good.

After 2001, surgeons started using the Lap-Band® here in this country. And with anything new, there was a learning curve. There was a small learning curve in the safety of patients, but there was a large learning curve in helping patients to lose weight. This is why the early results of people who had the Lap-Band® showed only an 18% loss of excess weight for patients. But all of that has changed drastically. Surgeons now know how to do fills so patients can lose weight more easily and the practices know how to help patients so they can really succeed.  

During surgery, your band is placed and it is actually sewn in place. It is not tightened very much at that time and you go through a couple of weeks of liquids and purees.  This is a very critical time. It is not critical for losing weight, because that is not the goal right then. It is a critical time for the band to heal in place. You asked if the band slips easily. The bands actually don’t slip, but the stomach can.  But if you have a good surgeon who has done a lot of these surgeries and you follow your surgeon’s advice regarding eating and not doing vigorous exercising during that time, then the band should heal in place nicely.  Once the band is set, then you can have the “fills” to tighten the band to help in your weight loss and you can do more vigorous exercising.

Just as Roux-en-Y patients have to commit to certain things, Lap-Band® patients have commitments also that make a difference in weight loss.  You have to commit to visiting your doctor even more than if you were having a Roux-en-Y, because you have to get that band filled so it is exactly right for you.  You don’t want it too tight, because then you won’t be able to eat.  And you don’t want it too loose because then the food won’t linger in that pouch and you will get too hungry. And if you aren’t losing weight, you can’t let those guilt feelings keep you away from your doctor.  That’s when you really need to go in to have things checked.

And you have to commit to a certain way of eating. Lap-Band® patients don’t experience dumping so you have to exercise more control over what you eat. It is easy to eat food high in sugar such as milk shakes that a gastric bypass patient can’t tolerate.  

The jury is still out on whether Lap-Band® patients are able to keep as much weight off as gastric bypass patients. There hasn’t been enough time for long term studies in this country. But like anything, it may come down to the individual patient and their own ability to stick with the program

Are you 2 or more years post-op and have been able to maintain your weight loss? If so, I would love to know what your secret is for maintaining your weight.

I am doing research on identifying the secrets of successful, long-term weight loss maintenance after weight loss surgery. So that I can fully understand what you have done, please include enough detail that approaches 1 full page. It would be great if you included 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. I will be using your input for a project that will be a tremendous help to people who are having the common problem of weight regain following surgery.

Send your stories to Barbara@wlscenter.com

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