LivingAfterWLS Rainbow
Spring's Rebirth:

Joy & Hope

Spring Flowers


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

 

In This Digest
2011 Refresher Course Archive
Newbies: How to avoid mourning the loss of food
Quarterly Self-Assessment
The Neighborhood
3 Keys to Back to Basics
You Have Arrived

  
Whatever else you have on your mind,  
Wherever else you think you're going, Stop for a moment and
 look where you are:
 

You Have Arrived!





I believe in you.
You deserve to be healthy.
 You deserve to be kind to yourself.
You deserve to achieve your greatest level of success with weight loss surgery when you harness your inner resources.
--Kaye Bailey
5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual
  

2011 Refresher Course
Weekly Digest Archive:
The Four Rules


Rule #1 - Protein First:

LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest January 20, 2011

 

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  

 



 

A Collection of Neighborhood Recipes

Back in Stock!

Now in the Fourth Printing!

 

LAWLS Cookbook 

 

Edited by Kaye Bailey

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.

 

List Price: $20.00

Sale Price: $18.00 -- Save $2.00 Off Cover Price!

Buy Now 

 

Coupon Code: SPRING2011

- Save $2.00 Off your Order!

 

Social Connections
Go beyond the LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood and connect with Kaye Bailey in these popular social media destinations: 

Find us on Facebook 

Follow us on Twitter

View our videos on YouTube

After WLS: How To Avoid Mourning The Loss of Food

 

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

 

 

The Nurse Warned Me,
But I Gained Some Weight Back Anyway

"Dear Kaye,
Thank you for the Day 6 book. I guess I am one of "those people" - had the surgery and lost and then it came back, the weight. My WLS nurse warned me I could regain the weight and I didn't take her serious or maybe I thought I was more determined than everybody else or smarter or something. I wish I had asked her what would cause me to gain the weight back. I'm not sure that back in 2007 I ever heard of slider foods or liquid rules or anything like that. I just knew WLS was the answer for me. So now I'm up 48 pounds and want to stop it before it gets to 50 pounds and all of the sudden another 50 and I'll be back where I started. Thanks for explaining so many things in the Day 6 book. I wish I read this book before I even had the surgery, maybe I wouldn't be one of "those people" or at least not a 48-pound-regain one of those people.

This is the first time I have hope since the re-gain started.
Kelly Marca
Northern Ohio"

Printed with Permission.

Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test
Because we are all "One of those people" who have or could regain our weight.

Day 6 by Kaye Bailey

LivingAfterWLS Digest

Spring Renewal: It's Your Time to Bloom!

March 28, 2011

LivingAfterWLS, LLC - All Rights Reserved 

Greetings!

Happy Spring to you! I hope your world is renewed and awakening after a long winters rest. Pink PeonyLike most of North America our winter has been long and harsh and it has outstayed its welcome. If you squint your eyes today I think you may be able to see a hint of green in the grass! 

Spring is such a sweet time of renewal and it seems many  "reminders" pop-up this time of year. Change the batteries in the smoke detectors. Have vehicles serviced and seasonal tires changed. Schedule quarterly teeth cleaning. And it so it goes. Looking at this list of "To Do's" I couldn't help but notice the absence of "Review health and WLS status and wellness; plan healthy habits for coming days and weeks." Wouldn't it be nice if we received a gentle reminder in the mail to spring clean our weight loss surgery house?

Here it is! Rather than delay an assessment of our health and weight loss surgery until there is a problem (similar to delaying a visit to the dentist office until we have a toothache) here is our chance to take a look and celebrate what we are getting right, where we have opportunity to improve, and make a map for taking us through the new season. You'll find more about this in the article below that features a favorite LivingAfterWLS tool - the Quarterly Self Assessment. Please accept this gentle reminder to check your health and your weight loss surgery this week. Not many of us are brave enough to go to the market without a list, so why would we hope for the best with our WLS without making a list and a plan?  The worksheet is free and it doesn't hurt. And you will be glad you have sprung forward into a new season - It is your time to bloom!  
   

Happy 2011 - We are all in this together!

Kaye

KayeBailey@LivingAfterWLS.com

 

 

LivingAfterWLS General Store  

Coupon Code: SPRING2011 - Save $2 at Checkout

Books - Soup Mixes - Seasoning Blends

5 Day Pouch Test Support

SHOP NOW 

 
Self-Assessment:

It's up to you, here's the tool

 

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.

 

Insert a "read on" link at the bottom of your article to drive traffic to your website. Links are tracked, allowing you to see which articles create the most interest for your readers.

 

As the LivingAfterWLS community grows I learn more and more that weight loss surgery is not easy. In fact, many of us struggle to lose weight and keep it off. This causes me to question, what is wrong with us that we fight this would-be miracle of modern medicine? Are we weak failures destined to be fat no matter what extreme measures we take to not be obese? Why is it so hard day after day?


These are harsh self-loathing questions.

Several years ago I received a letter from a member of our  LivingAfterWLS community. As she marked another WLS anniversary she wrote to me with a common refrain of weight loss surgery patients. She said, "In reality I lost all sight of what I should be doing with my diet and exercise." If you are a few years out from surgery I suspect you too are able to relate to this honest sentiment.

 

Her sentence "I really lost all sight of what I should be doing " spoke to my heart. Could the absence of long-term accountability be one reason we lose sight of the goal and struggle after WLS? We know the slogans, "WLS is only a tool" and "WLS is for life" but those statements are vague lacking accountability and action. What if we accounted to ourselves and committed to paper an action plan for improvement? Imagine a tangible tool to account, applaud and assess our present state and plot our direction with WLS? Could that be the key to greater success long term with WLS?


WLS patients are notoriously prudent to follow the pre-op directions. After surgery we religiously attend our first year follow-up appointments and support groups. After the first year we tend to slack off, we start feeling normal. Support groups seem repetitious and focus on pre-ops or newbies. Perhaps a backslide keeps us home; we are embarrassed to have stalled at losing or have regained a few pounds. Distance from my center has been an easy excuse for me, and now I don't call because staff turnover means I have to talk to strangers. By losing touch with my WLS center I have surrendered any accountability for how I use "The Tool."

 

For the last six years, because I needed community support as much as anyone, we have the LivingAfterWLS Community: A no-nonsense resource for living after weight loss surgery. We have worked with that community to add to our tool box - beyond the surgery itself. One of the best tools, used by folks just like you around the world is the "LivingAfterWLS Quarterly Personal Self-Assessment" worksheet. It is a two-page question and answer contract that is private and respectable. And it has the power to keep us on track if we use it.

 

The LivingAfterWLS Quarterly Personal Self-Assessment is a free download on our websites and such an important tool we include it with orders from the LivingAfterWLS General Store in our free Goody Bag. This worksheet should be used as a private tool with the intent to pursue better living with WLS. It is a solemn personal contract; a contract of honor and self-respect. Anyone brave enough to have WLS deserves to treat him or herself well and engage in appropriate long-term behaviors to make the most of life after WLS.

 

Download the free LivingAfterWLS Quarterly Personal Self-Assessment Worksheet

The "Quarterly Personal Self-Assessment" tool is a two-page worksheet. Yesterday I spent quiet time in self-assessment, this is my 22nd worksheet since we started. As always it is a tad bit emotional to review my performance and make plans for the next three months. It is true, we are always our own worst critiques. But having done the worksheet I know where I stand today, I know where I have been and where I intend to go. And I have a plan. I signed this solemn contract with myself. If Mother Nature gets a new-do every three months as the seasons change don't we deserve the same opportunity?

 

I completed my worksheet and signed the solemn contract with myself. It felt great to account to myself and promise specific actions of improvement to make my WLS work better for me. I like seeing on paper the actions for which I am now accountable. I am looking forward to reviewing this contract over the next few months. I deserve to honor these commitments and succeed long-term with WLS.

 

You deserve to make commitments to yourself for better living with WLS.

 

Download the LivingAfterWLS Self-Assessment Worksheet

 

Please accept this invitation to join me in the Quarterly Personal Self-Assessment. Print the worksheet, take some quiet time to evaluate where you are and where you are going. Put your WLS goal back in sight. Pre-ops, Newbies and Old-timers can all use this tool. You don't have to share it with anyone or you can share it with the world. If it works for you let me know. If it's missing something let me know.

 

We are all in this together.

 

LivingAfterWLS Free Downloads

 

 

5 Day Pouch Test Bargain Bundle

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

 

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

-Feed the Carb Monster Soup Mixes (16 Servings - 2 Mixes)

-Emergen-C Bundle pack (7 Servings)

-FREE -- 2010 Goody Bag ($1.95 Value)

$45.50 Value --- for $38.50

SHIPPED USPS PRIORITY MAIL

SAVE 15% when you purchase the Bundle!!!  

SHOP NOW

Our Price:

$38.50

List Price:

$45.50

The Neighborhood

Your Safe Haven Circle of Friends
9,800 Neighbors - 161,540 Posts  

Neighborhood Logo 

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.

 

LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood:

Advertising-Free ~  Spam-Free  ~  Privacy Protected

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.

 

Rainbow ButtonSpring 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.

 

Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test 

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.

 

Need more fun in your week? After a summer recess Fun Friday is back! Learn about our fun Neighborhood game and the chance to win fabulous prizes!
Meet our Fun Friday Hostess!

Fun Friday
Community Kitchen
Neighborhood Cookbook
3 Keys to Back to Basics After Weight Loss Surgery

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:

 

Rainbow ButtonPlan 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 

 

Rainbow ButtonUse 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 

 

Rainbow ButtonGet 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 

 

Thank you for being a loyal Neighbor of LivingAfterWLS. We are proud to serve you in your weight loss surgery journey.

 

Sincerely,

Kaye Bailey

LivingAfterWLS, LLC

The health content in the LivingAfterWLS website is intended to inform, not prescribe, and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice and care of a qualified health-care professional.