There is NO quick fix to weight loss. Bariatric surgery is ABSOLUTELY NOT one. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a complete moron! -okay, rant over.
Gastric bypass is only a tool to lose weight. You don't wake up and have an amazing body! The part you wake up to, well, that is the part that takes a LOT of work to make pay off. You have to change everything about your lifestyle or the weight will never come off. Even if it does, at first, you will gain it back if you do not follow the rules and find the motivation required to maintain the loss. Changing your lifestyle is changing everything from your behaviors to how you view your choices. It is hard to change. Easy to say, but, not so easy to really committ. Afterall, if your weight is high enough to qualify for surgery then face the fact that your way does not work! Unlike an alcoholic or other addict, we can't just stop eating. You have to eat to live. So, it can be overwhelming. There are classes you can take and support groups out there. I know it sounds crazy to sit in a room full of people and the words "Hi, my name is _________, and I am a food addict" sounds funny. But, there are people out there that lie to themselves and their loved ones about what and how much they are consuming. They may not even realize how much themselves.
One of the first skills I learned was record keeping. You write down every tiny thing you eat. Every drink, every bite, all of it. There is to be no judgement when you finish the day and go "Oh my, did I really eat ALL that!" Because it gives you a baseline. The very next day, you simply try to improve upon the day before. No harsh punishments. No berating yourself. Just improve. Once you have a goal in mind, you have the records to plan how to get there. By shooting for a goal you have a direction in which to take yourself. If you have gastric bypass it also is an excellent way to make sure you are getting in all your fluids and protein. Also, if you have a pissy-pouch and are sick all the time it is a great way to know which foods to avoid.
The next skill is environmental control. The American way of life is extremely unhealthy. We want it fried, we want it sweet, we want it now. We order through a drive through and down 1500 calories and don't even bat an eye. It is a pain to find fresh fruit or something low sugar low cal on the run. You have heard my gripe on that before. Even though gastric bypass limits the quantity you can eat at one time, it still has to be made up of good choices! If your desk drawer is filled with candy and chips, throw them out! You can not just do it at home. Those afternoon munchies come on hard and fast, last thing you need is to reach in your desk and shovel 300+ calories down your throat just to sit another few hours. Bad idea! Instead you control your enviornment. Keep protein bars handy, keep fruits at hand for that sweet-no guilt pick me up. If you know there are foods that you "can't eat just one" then don't eat any! Overeating is just as bad as the junk. When you control your enviornment from the start you don't have to depend on will power alone. Which honestly, most people's will power sucks!
Another skill is planning and problem solving. The ability to plan ahead is really important. Having food you can eat available is a must. Even if you haven't had surgery, who below your diet for some crap food? Example? At work there is going to be pizza, nachos, etc. Okay, those things are a huge NO NO! Bariatric patients get sick from fatty foods and dieters would have to spend hours in the gym undoing this one snack. No thank you! So, what do you do? Bring foods you can eat. Nutritious and filling instead. You can still join in, only modified. Yet another part of problem solving is involving your physical activity. I sit at a desk for up to 12 hours a day. So, planning my workouts ahead of time sets the expectation of what my day will be like. When I have to work overtime I can rearrange my workout times instead of skipping them all together.
Our sedentary lifestyles are adding to the numbers of patients suffering from heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. The magic pill everyone is searching for is EXCERSIZE! Even light excersize before surgery significantly reduces your risk dor blood clots. It also decreases the risk of osteoporosis which unfortunately goes up when you have this surgery. Ugh! But, obviously excersize burns calories. You have to burn 3500 more calories than you take in to lose even 1 pound! Plan for a minimum of 1 hour purposeful excersize daily! Purposeful meaning focused on moving your body beyond what you do in your normal work day! Like taking a walk.... if your time is very limited then work it into your work day. Example: take the stairs, walk the long way around the office, stand at your desk and do leg lifts or squats. Just a suggestion because it all adds up.
Here are some basic facts about physical activity: In one study, patients who burnt 2000 or more calories in a week as well as kept records to monitor their food intake maintained almost 77% of their weightloss after 1 1/2 years without having to change anything else! Compared to people who only did about 500 calories worth of excersize and did not record their food who only maintained 26% of weightloss. Personally, if I am going to work my butt off (literally) then I am going to do my hardest to maintain it. Easier to maintain than start all over! Another fact I read was that Americans now engage in 75% less physical activity than their grandparents! Oh heck no! I don't want granny lapping me! Sadly, only 2 states in the US have mandatory PE programs in the school curriculum. Meaning our kids need to move more too. Why not make it a family thing? My kids go with me to the YMCA and also we limit their video game and TV time. I can proudly say my boys were the only ones that passed every single Presidential Council on Physical Fitness Tests, and they have passed them all for the last 3 years! The percentage of students who can pass even simple tests has significantly dropped in the last 30 years. I read more than 85% of children tested failed them all. In one state, less than 1 in 1000 could pass all 6 subsets! And people blame fast food for the huge increase in childhood obesity. We need to get everyone moving. There is no way around it!
Excersize in general lowers mortality rates from heart attacks, stroke and cancer. It also lowers incidence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity. Men who lead inactive lives are 3.4 times more likely to die and women 4.6 times. If unhappy thoughts and numbers are not enough to motivate you, how about the fact that increased physical activity slows the aging process. Hmmmm. We are a country obsessed with our appearances. Good looking people are more likely to be successful...if you don't believe me, Google it.
On a happier now, I did find a few links that may be helpful in coming up with your own plan:
Healthy Eating: Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet & Sticking to It
www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm
Discovery Health "7 Step Plan for Healthy Living"
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/preventive-care/seven-step-plan-for-healthy-living.htm
4 Ways to Plan a Healthy Lifestyle for Your Family
www.active.com/parenting-and-family/articles/4-ways-to-plan-a-healthy-lifestyle-for-your-family
I could go on and on with facts and articles I have read, so I will end tonight by saying, I am already proud of you! You are looking for answers and knowledge is power. So, learn the skills, make a plan and ask for help. You don't have to take this rough read alone! Goodnight!
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