I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring.  Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?

~~Edward Giobbi

Rule #2 - Lots of Water

  LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest February 2, 2011 

Rule #3 - No Snacking

LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest February 9, 2011  

Rule #4 - Daily Exercise

LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest February 18, 2011 

The Four Rules: Before surgery most of us were taught the Four Rules we must follow in order to achieve the best results with weight loss surgery - any procedure. Those rules (with minor variations from one bariatric surgeon to the next) are:

• Protein First
• Lots of Water
• No Snacking
• Daily Exercise  

In order to maintain weight loss and keep the obesity from which we suffer in remission we must follow these rules for life. If it has been a while since you have given consideration to the Four Rules I invite you today to spend a little time refreshing your knowledge and enthusiasm about the rules.

Understand the Four Rules of WLS Before Going Under the Knife 

Weight loss surgery is frequently perceived as an easy means to weight loss that requires little or no effort by the patient. However, patients who undergo bariatric surgery are prescribed Four Rules of dietary and lifestyle management that they will follow for the rest of their life if they wish to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. Here is what you need to know about the Four Rules of weight loss surgery before going under the knife.

Link to Article  

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300 Recipes for weight loss surgery patients BY weight loss surgery patients. Quality spiral bound cookbook features Appetizers & Beverages, Protein Breakfasts, On the Go Protein, Healthy Snacks, Condiments & Sauces, Soups & Salads, Vegetables & Side Dishes, Main Dishes, Sensible Desserts and Healthy Grains. Nutritional data included on most recipes.

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In the  first few weeks out of surgery when patients can only eat is Jell-O or protein shakes or broth patients frequently report grieving for food. After all, food is a beloved friend of the morbidly obese. Now it's gone and emotional grieving results. The sense of loss is magnified during the post-op healing phase because patients don't feel well enough to do anything. That leaves time to focus on the foods we loved but are no longer allowed.

How can a patient distract their thoughts from food? Here are a few suggestions to help "newbies" get past this stage!

Read fashion magazines and daydream about your new body in the season's latest fashions.

Practice accepting compliments graciously so you are ready when the cheers start coming your way.

Read a book about nutrition so you are well informed and ready to take care of your new body.

Visit gyms in your area, meet trainers and consider how you are going to exercise the minute you get released for activity.

Read LivingAfterWLS.com for information & inspiration. (Ok, so I had to plug my own site - SMILING!)

Network with other WLS people and share your common experience.

Begin a journal of your weight loss experience. Be sure to include statistics like weight, BMI and measurements.

Begin your walking program - most patients are instructed to start walking the day after surgery.

Enjoy yourself! This bland phase of eating is the start of your brand new life.

Neighborhood Forum:

Pre-ops & Newbies

Try using case studies, success stories, testimonials or examples of how others used your product or service successfully. Solicit material from clients and vendors, or ask your readers to write. It's a win-win! You get relevant content, and they get exposure.

The Works! Everything you need to get back on Track!

-5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual by Kaye Bailey

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The LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood: an online compassion driven social space evoking feelings of comfort, understanding, knowledge, warmth, acceptance, trust and happiness for those who have undergone gastric bypass, lap-band or any type of weight loss surgery or those struggling with weight control.

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Don't trust your weight loss surgery life to anyplace else.

Introductions 

Come in and tell us about yourself! We love meeting new Neighbors and everyone is welcome here in our little community.

Introduce Yourself! 

Want to join the Neighborhood, but not sure where to start? Tell us in this Volume 4: What brought YOU to the Neighborhood? Everyone is welcome - Can't wait to meet you!

Start Here 

Weight Loss Surgery Chat 

All things weight loss surgery. Find your procedure peer in our gastric banding, gastric sleeve forums. Or talk to veterans of weight loss surgery. Learn about diet, nutrition, exercise and more after weight loss surgery.

Spring Sunshine Accountability Challenge 

Spring sunshine... is there anything better? Granted, the old saying goes "April showers bring May flowers". What to we most look forward to though? Sunshine. Warmer temperatures. Flowers and fresh vegetables growing in our gardens. The thought of it makes me smile. If we emulate the spring, the season of rebirth and growth, then we will indeed glow like the sun. Let's all eat, breathe, and live like the spring sunshine; let the warmth and happiness that we have shine through. Let's cast off the cares of winter, those dark, cold and gloomy days that weighed us down and embrace the light. Join Us for this Challenge! You set your goals and participate at your pace in your way - empowered by the Neighborhood. 

5 Day Pouch Test Forum 

Always a popular destination the 5 Day Pouch Test Forum is your place to connect with others who are using this popular plan to get back on track with their weight loss surgery tool.

Harness the momentum of your 5 Day Pouch Test and continue forward with a positive effort at Day 6 Living. Great support from others, like you, who are trying their best to live healthy happy lives with weight loss surgery.

The You Have Arrived Alumni Club 

Connect with others who had weight loss surgery the same year you did and share the journey! From the Pioneers of the 1980s to our newbies of 2010, everyone has a place in the Alumni Club to call home.

The Picket Fence 

A place to stop and share the things in our daily lives beyond weight loss surgery. A neighborly place of support and friendship.

People who have undergone weight loss surgery and later gain weight are often told to "get back to basics" but we are seldom given more in depth directions. I was told that when I reported a weight gain to my bariatric center. Many of us have feelings of hopelessness: we are lost without a place to begin the act of losing weight again.

Over the years with much learned there is an effective way to get back to basics and make the most of our gastric bypass or gastric banding surgeries as tools in weight maintenance. In addition to following the food plan there are three key things we can do to sustain weight loss and maintain a healthy weight:

Plan Ahead - Do Not Leave it to Chance

Read, study, and understand the basics completely before you begin. Plan for five days with limited disruptions including life, work, and cyclical (menstruation). Create a meal plan for all five back to basics days and purchase the food to avoid tempting trips to the market. In advance cook a pot of hearty vegetable soup and divide into 1-cup portions. Mentally excite yourself over the opportunity to make new friends with your old pouch. Prepare for carbohydrate withdrawal by having fruit on hand or a supply of Emergen-C. Announce your plan to those who will support you and ask for their encouragement. Visualize feeling wonderful over next few days as you return to the basics. Plan to succeed and you will.

Download free Day 6 Weekly Menu Planners 

Use the 5 Day Pouch Test Journal

Please do not stop reading, I know keeping a food and exercise log is inconvenient. But it is a waste of five days if we do not make a record of what happens and learn from that record. Your journal does not need to be complicated: track your food, activity, motivation, and energy levels. Record your weight. In so doing you learn how your eating and activity affect your daily function. Identify hunger trends and also learn how, to arrest them. A food journal opens a window to personal discovery.

Download free 5DPT 2-Page Journal 

Get a Buddy

Do not go alone. Get support. Get a partner. Get a buddy. I am repeatedly impressed by the momentum of the buddy system when people go back to basics together. Almost like spontaneous combustion an online group will organize and return to the basics together. And people who are not doing it join to cheer along their fellow neighbors. Others report tremendous success when joined by a spouse, a friend or fellow support group member. Buddies offer support, encouragement, and accountability. Do not go alone.

Your online destination for support is:

LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood 

Link: Helpful Back on Track Articles