Today was a bit tough for me....I went too long between breakfast and lunch and ended up overeating a bit once I fanally ate. (That and I ate some chicken- not a totally bad thing, but I had already eaten my lean protein for the week.)
More and more I am thinking about how planning is so essential to the success of any weight loss / get healthy type endeavor. Is it because I don't make good food decisions on the fly? Yes (or I wouldn't be overweight). Is it because there is a sense of control over something that previously had control over you? Again, yes.
Regardless of the reasons, planning your daily meals/snacks is essential. The trick is to not plan too far ahead. If you do that you are stuck eating something you are not in the mood for which opens you right up to swapping out your plan for something that is full of chemical, fat, calories and god onlyknows what else.
I so wish that there was a daily farmer's market that allowed me to pick up only the fresh food I needed for that day. I have been stopping at Earth's Fare a couple of times a week, but it isn't quite the same. I would love to get into a routine that allowed for farmer's markets on the weekend....of course, the only thing standing in the way of that, is me.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Obese.
That word is pretty highly charged for many people. To some it is even worse than being call fat. I was reading an entry from McNee, of the website "Former Fat Dudes", about the term obesity. It made me really rethink the term and its connotations. Really, it is a diagnosis not a descriptor.
http://formerfatdudes.com/2010/05/flashback-go-ahead-call-me-obese-i-dare-ya/
What struck me the most was Gastric Barbie's (http://gastricbypassbarbie.com/) comment.
"My obesity is in remission, but it could flair up at any moment. I recognize and respect that fact, but I choose not to fear it.
I think you and I share the philosophy that life is to be lived to the fullest. Morbid obesity robbed us of that opportunity; bariatric surgery gave it back.
Keep fighting that good fight. One day. One bite. One chew at a time."
My hope is to keep that mantra in my head...I am in remission, but it can flare up at any moment. I am the only one who can manage that.
http://formerfatdudes.com/2010/05/flashback-go-ahead-call-me-obese-i-dare-ya/
What struck me the most was Gastric Barbie's (http://gastricbypassbarbie.com/) comment.
"My obesity is in remission, but it could flair up at any moment. I recognize and respect that fact, but I choose not to fear it.
I think you and I share the philosophy that life is to be lived to the fullest. Morbid obesity robbed us of that opportunity; bariatric surgery gave it back.
Keep fighting that good fight. One day. One bite. One chew at a time."
My hope is to keep that mantra in my head...I am in remission, but it can flare up at any moment. I am the only one who can manage that.
Portions.
This is such an interesting article. It is no wonder that so many people are struggling with obesity. If you think about it, our generation (Gen X) was still getting the "clean your plate" lecture growing up even though the portions were expanding. The whole concept of cleaning your plate is crap. I struggle with it all the time. It trains you to completely disregard your internal hunger cues and rely solely on external ones.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/79975/49492-portion-size--vs--now
http://www.divinecaroline.com/79975/49492-portion-size--vs--now
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
What I am Munching
Okay, by now I assume you are curious about what this liquid diet entails. So, here you go:
The main requirements are to get between 90-120 grams of protein a day. Keep the carbs under 100 per day and stick with under 1300 calories.
Clear liquids are fine, as are protein shakes, l.f. yogurt, fresh or cooked veggies, l.f. cream soups, decaffeinated tea or coffee, skim milk, and my doctor said protein bars are also acceptable.
A typical day looks like this:
Breakfast- a vanilla protein shake mixed with pumpkin pie spice
Snack- s.f. Popsicle
Lunch- celery and l.f. laughing cow cheese, yogurt, protein bar
Snack: 1/4 cup of nuts, chicken broth
Dinner: sauteed mushrooms and steamed broccoli and cauliflower, protein bites
Snack: s.f. pudding, shake
This tallies up to about 900 calories, 60 carbs and 93 protein
The main requirements are to get between 90-120 grams of protein a day. Keep the carbs under 100 per day and stick with under 1300 calories.
Clear liquids are fine, as are protein shakes, l.f. yogurt, fresh or cooked veggies, l.f. cream soups, decaffeinated tea or coffee, skim milk, and my doctor said protein bars are also acceptable.
A typical day looks like this:
Breakfast- a vanilla protein shake mixed with pumpkin pie spice
Snack- s.f. Popsicle
Lunch- celery and l.f. laughing cow cheese, yogurt, protein bar
Snack: 1/4 cup of nuts, chicken broth
Dinner: sauteed mushrooms and steamed broccoli and cauliflower, protein bites
Snack: s.f. pudding, shake
This tallies up to about 900 calories, 60 carbs and 93 protein
The Mountain.
"If the mountain was smooth, you wouldn't be able to climb it"
So, here I am on day 8 of my liquid pre-op diet. It has been tough. Much easier this week than last. I know I can get through it.
The first day was really hard. I thought constantly of food. It was almost embarrassing. Days two and three were better. Day four and five were good. By then I was able to concentrate again and I didn't have a headache.
I have only "fell off the wagon" once. Damn that roasted chicken. It was taunting me with its spectacularly juice breast. (Now I know how men at a strip club feel.) Instead of the 4 oz I was supposed to have, I ate 8 or maybe 10. At least it was protein.
So, here I am on Day 8...feeling good, not thinking about food all day and generally pretty peppy.
Plus, I have lost 13 pounds!
So, here I am on day 8 of my liquid pre-op diet. It has been tough. Much easier this week than last. I know I can get through it.
The first day was really hard. I thought constantly of food. It was almost embarrassing. Days two and three were better. Day four and five were good. By then I was able to concentrate again and I didn't have a headache.
I have only "fell off the wagon" once. Damn that roasted chicken. It was taunting me with its spectacularly juice breast. (Now I know how men at a strip club feel.) Instead of the 4 oz I was supposed to have, I ate 8 or maybe 10. At least it was protein.
So, here I am on Day 8...feeling good, not thinking about food all day and generally pretty peppy.
Plus, I have lost 13 pounds!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Easy?
In my first post I mentioned how I had always regarded surgery as the easy way out and how once I had learned more about it, nothing could be further from the truth. I wanted to explain...
I always thought that if you had surgery you just had to eat smaller portions, but could eat whatever you wanted.
Right.
Once you decide to have surgery, you have to go through a TON of stuff to make sure you are mentally and physically prepared for the changes that await you. Sleep study, blood work (lots of blood work), endoscopy, psych evaluations, support meetings, nutritionist meetings, exercise consultations, EKG, a two week liquid diet to shrink your liver in preparation for surgery and the list goes on. That doesn't even necessarily include the work you have to do for insurance approval! Documentation of weights for previous years, supervised weight loss programs, and documentation of previous weight loss attempts.
Now, let's look at the work you have to do mentally to prepare for life after surgery. As anyone who has researched surgery knows, everyone will tell you that the surgery is only a tool...that the work and success is completely dependant upon you. Sure, most people will loose weight afterwards, but to lose it all and KEEP IT OFF, you have to work hard. I will be on vitamin supplements for the rest of my life. I may not be able to tolerate dairy or sugar ever again. I will have to weight and measure my foods to make sure that they are not going to stretch out my stomach. I will have to make sure that I eat my protein first since this is what will sustain my body...and since I will only be able to eat a few tablespoons at a time (at least in the beginning), I have to make sure every bite counts. This surgery will force me to completely change how I look and treat food.
So, why do this? Why not just lose weight the "old fashioned" way? That is an important question. In fact, it was the question most of my friends and family asked me. The truth is, I have been fat since I was young. I have tried most diets that you can think of and although some were successful at first, I would gain back the weight plus some. I realized that I could not do this alone. I needed help.
Food is like any other addiction and the first step is to realize you are powerless over it.
I always thought that if you had surgery you just had to eat smaller portions, but could eat whatever you wanted.
Right.
Once you decide to have surgery, you have to go through a TON of stuff to make sure you are mentally and physically prepared for the changes that await you. Sleep study, blood work (lots of blood work), endoscopy, psych evaluations, support meetings, nutritionist meetings, exercise consultations, EKG, a two week liquid diet to shrink your liver in preparation for surgery and the list goes on. That doesn't even necessarily include the work you have to do for insurance approval! Documentation of weights for previous years, supervised weight loss programs, and documentation of previous weight loss attempts.
Now, let's look at the work you have to do mentally to prepare for life after surgery. As anyone who has researched surgery knows, everyone will tell you that the surgery is only a tool...that the work and success is completely dependant upon you. Sure, most people will loose weight afterwards, but to lose it all and KEEP IT OFF, you have to work hard. I will be on vitamin supplements for the rest of my life. I may not be able to tolerate dairy or sugar ever again. I will have to weight and measure my foods to make sure that they are not going to stretch out my stomach. I will have to make sure that I eat my protein first since this is what will sustain my body...and since I will only be able to eat a few tablespoons at a time (at least in the beginning), I have to make sure every bite counts. This surgery will force me to completely change how I look and treat food.
So, why do this? Why not just lose weight the "old fashioned" way? That is an important question. In fact, it was the question most of my friends and family asked me. The truth is, I have been fat since I was young. I have tried most diets that you can think of and although some were successful at first, I would gain back the weight plus some. I realized that I could not do this alone. I needed help.
Food is like any other addiction and the first step is to realize you are powerless over it.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Emotional Eating
Type 1. Food: My Adult Pacifier
If you get really hungry when you feel angry, depressed, anxious, bored or lonely, you use food to dull the pain that these emotions cause.
Type 2. I Stick Up For Myself by Stuffing Myself Up
If you react by getting hungry when others talk down to you, take advantage of you, belittle you, or take you for granted, you eat to avoid confrontation.
Type 3. Food: My One Faithful Friend
If you crave food when you have tension in your close relationships, you eat to avoid feeling the pain of rejection or anger.
Type 4. When I’m Chewing I Can’t Hear My Inner Critic
If you tend to become hypercritical of yourself, if you label yourself "stupid," "lazy," or "a loser," you eat to stuff down self-hatred.
Type 5. I Don’t Have Love but I Have Food
If your hunger gets activated because your intimate relationships don't satisfy some basic need like trust or security, you use food to try to fill the gap.
Type 6. Food Can’t Fill Up the Missing Parts in My Past
If you eat to make up for the deprivation you experienced as a child, you eat to forget the past.
Type 7. Don’t Tell Me What to Eat
If you eat to assert your independence because you don't want anyone telling you what to do, you eat to rebel.
Type 9. Fall in Love? I’d Rather Fall in Chocolate.
If you stuff your face in order to avoid your sexuality — either to stay overweight so that nobody desires you or to hide from intimate encounters — you eat to protect yourself from getting too close.
Type 10. I Use My Body as a Battleground
Emotional eaters often eat to pay back those who have hurt them, often in the distant past. They use their bodies as battlegrounds for working out old resentments. If you do this, you eat to get revenge or control anger.
Type 11. I Won’t Grow Up
If you eat to make yourself feel carefree, like a child, you eat to keep yourself from facing the challenges of growing up.
Type 12. I’m Secretly Afraid of Being Thin
If you overeat because you fear getting thin, either consciously or unconsciously, you eat to avoid the fear of change.
If you get really hungry when you feel angry, depressed, anxious, bored or lonely, you use food to dull the pain that these emotions cause.
Type 2. I Stick Up For Myself by Stuffing Myself Up
If you react by getting hungry when others talk down to you, take advantage of you, belittle you, or take you for granted, you eat to avoid confrontation.
Type 3. Food: My One Faithful Friend
If you crave food when you have tension in your close relationships, you eat to avoid feeling the pain of rejection or anger.
Type 4. When I’m Chewing I Can’t Hear My Inner Critic
If you tend to become hypercritical of yourself, if you label yourself "stupid," "lazy," or "a loser," you eat to stuff down self-hatred.
Type 5. I Don’t Have Love but I Have Food
If your hunger gets activated because your intimate relationships don't satisfy some basic need like trust or security, you use food to try to fill the gap.
Type 6. Food Can’t Fill Up the Missing Parts in My Past
If you eat to make up for the deprivation you experienced as a child, you eat to forget the past.
Type 7. Don’t Tell Me What to Eat
If you eat to assert your independence because you don't want anyone telling you what to do, you eat to rebel.
Type 9. Fall in Love? I’d Rather Fall in Chocolate.
If you stuff your face in order to avoid your sexuality — either to stay overweight so that nobody desires you or to hide from intimate encounters — you eat to protect yourself from getting too close.
Type 10. I Use My Body as a Battleground
Emotional eaters often eat to pay back those who have hurt them, often in the distant past. They use their bodies as battlegrounds for working out old resentments. If you do this, you eat to get revenge or control anger.
Type 11. I Won’t Grow Up
If you eat to make yourself feel carefree, like a child, you eat to keep yourself from facing the challenges of growing up.
Type 12. I’m Secretly Afraid of Being Thin
If you overeat because you fear getting thin, either consciously or unconsciously, you eat to avoid the fear of change.
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