January Theme:
A new year traveling the WLS road Together!
"Take the basic tenets of weight loss surgery, curate knowledge that supports your chosen dietary path, collaborate with others sharing your dietary circumstances, apply personal experience, and build a dietary health-management way-of-life that enables you to thrive. This is the responsibility of every person who desires to live a healthy balanced well-managed life with WLS."
~ Kaye Bailey
 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. When we meet patients who have maintained a healthy body weight for several years with weight loss surgery we learn that in most cases they live by the Four Rules. 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 Protein First. Actually, this is my favorite rule because it means good food without the guilt! Link to the articles of interest and take a look at some of our great WLS recipes. There is something for everyone as we get excited again about the Four Rules! 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual 2nd Edition
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Links:
Books
5DPT Support
Dietary Support
Hair Loss Recovery
Carb Monster Soups
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The Works! Everything you need to do your very best with the 5 Day Pouch Test! Bundle Price $39.94 Save 15% |
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 | | Was my 5DPT a success? |
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Learning & Practice
If we complete the 5 Day Pouch Test having learned a few things about our self, our weight loss surgery and our capability in managing life and weight loss surgery in relationship to one another we have succeeded: we can deem the 5 Day Pouch Test a success. Here are some things to consider while treating the 5DPT as a learning experience:
-- What can I eat that gives my pouch a feeling of fullness? What do I eat that fails to give my pouch a feeling of fullness?
-- Have the liquid restrictions become automatic to me? Do I have heightened awareness of how I consume liquids with my meals and snacks?
-- Am I eating protein in a ratio of 2 bites protein to 1 bite complex carbohydrate? (2B/1B Rhythm)
-- Have I found time to include physical activity in my daily routine?
-- Am I allowing myself to feel empowered when I make choices that nourish my body and respect my weight loss surgery?
-- Am I forgiving lapses in compliance with my guidelines and moving forward to make better choices the next time?
If this process wasn't all about learning each of us would have walked away from bariatric surgery and got it right the first time around.
But it is about learning, about getting some things right, about messing some things up, and about trying harder the next time.
We don't give up on our children as they are growing up and taking some lessons in the school of hard knocks. So let's not give up on ourselves or one another. We can do this! Come on! I'll race you to the front of the class!~Kaye Bailey
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January 2013 Bulletin:Obesity is a Metabolic Disease. Why do we treat it clinically? View HereFebruary 2013 Bulletin:Rule #1: Protein First. Why protein and how much? View HereMay 2013 Bulletin:Day 4: Your New Normal View HereJune 2013 Bulletin:Don't blame the equipment, just make the play View Here5DPT June Special Edition:Top FAQ's January - June 2013 Questions & Answers to improve your 5DPT Experience View Here 5DPT July Bulletin:WLS Secret Revealed View Here5DPT August Bulletin:Get back to basics fast with the 5 Day Pouch Test View Here5DPT September Bulletin:The Hunger Quandry View Here5DPT October Bulletin:Stop the Comparison View Here |
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Greetings!
Happy New Year! Thank you for joining me for our first 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin of 2014. I do hope your holidays were meaningful and inspired. And perhaps you are feeling a sense of excitement as we start this new year. I certainly am happy to start fresh in 2014 and have my sights set on dedicating myself to healthy behaviors and living well. Over the holidays I found myself managing my diet and health more emotionally than clinically or medically. By that I mean eating to feel happy and celebrate (when I wasn't hungry) and eating for comfort during times of stress (when I wasn't hungry). I ignored the reality that food is fuel and providing my body the correct food at the right time is the appropriate way to manage my medical condition of obesity. It seems insane that I repeat and re-learn this lesson every holiday season!
But here we are, a fresh new start. First, let's think back to the beginning of this journey. WLS patients recall very well the research we did prior to surgery, the questions and answers, and the learning. As a group we are above average knowledge seekers. So it stands to reason that along the way, well after surgery, we again turn to education and learning in support of our weight loss goals. Today let's look at managing our obesity from a clinical approach rather than an emotional reaction. The medical community officially recognizes obesity as a disease. So its time we start doing the same. When we treat obesity as a disease rather than a personal moral failure or emotional weakness we can rationally take the action which brings forth favorable results.
I wish you the very best of health this New Year! You have the power to make this your healthiest year ever - Let's do it together!
Sincerely, Kaye Bailey
"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
You are our valued reader. We respect your rights and privacy by never sharing your information with a third party. Please respect our creative rights by honoring copyright laws and prevent plagiarism.
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Treating Obesity the Disease:
A Clinical Approach vs. Emotional Approach 
by Kaye Bailey
Recently in a question and answer session I was asked "What is the single most important advice you give to post weight loss surgery patients?" Well, I was certainly caught off guard by this and on the spot I'm not sure I gave the best answer when I said "Make your own health a priority before taking care of anyone else so that when it is time to care for and nurture others you have the physical and mental strength to do so." I am not original with this advice and it does sound good in a sentence, but how do we do that in the real world of family-work-friends-social-religious-networking commitments?
I am taking the opportunity with this 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin to amend my answer and offer something a bit different, although I do know that we do our best when we are healthy. Knowing this, I suggest we actively pursue an internal peace treaty whereby we separate the medical condition of obesity and/or morbid obesity from our moral character and personal self-worth. In 2010 I wrote an article that explains this better:
"I Am Not Obese. Since kindergarten the word "fat" defined me and I actually thought that was who I was because "You are fat" and "I am fat" were constant phrases in my world. By about age 40 I finally figured out that I am not fat. I have obesity, a disease. Have you heard a heart attack patient say, "I am heart disease" or a leukemia patient say, "I am cancer"? We are not the disease. Heart attacks and leukemia are not a moral failure and neither is obesity. We are not the disease! We have a disease that is part of the whole person that makes us the wonderfully unique and powerful person we are." Read the full article.
When we disjoint our moral character, our spiritual self, and our self-worth from the medical condition we are fighting with weight loss surgery we are able to pragmatically approach the control and treatment of the condition without making it personal. We are not bad people if we relapse with weight gain and we are not bad for having this illness in the first place. It just happens to be the cards we were dealt in this life. If you have ever been the parent of a child with an illness you understand the emotional baggage that comes with the news that something is wrong. But you also know that when you take a knowledgeable and deliberate approach in the management of the problem you are better able to function and do the right things.
Let's consider taking a clinical approach toward our obesity. management. When we lose weight we put obesity in remission. When we gain weight obesity is in relapse. As intelligent beings we can take an active role in managing our remission by using our experience and the knowledge we glean from others. We can return to the behaviors that worked shortly after surgery to help us lose weight. Behaviors that are not supportive of our health can be considered and replaced. We have opportunities every day to improve our health and enjoy the pleasures good health brings.
Please consider this if you are using the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track. Take your knowledge and let it empower you because you are a good and worthy person. You are not your disease. I have met enough of you, my WLS Neighbors , to say this with complete conviction. You deserve to be your very best - obesity be damned for getting in the way! For more informative and inspiring reading please visit
5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual 2nd Edition
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Learn more about the new second edition:
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Take a tip from the professionals
This WLS Living takes Practice Practice Practice
 With diet and wellness with WLS we make an assumption that we should simply be able to get it right following a few written or verbal instructions. We assume that intuition, a little experience, and some instructions are all we need to get it right. We tend to measure our progress on an all-or-nothing scale. Listen to your self-talk. Do you hear yourself saying "I did really bad today" or "I did really good today?" When I leave things to chance, hoping to get by on luck and intuition, my end of the day critique usually starts with "I did really bad today."
As life-long dieters we have never been told that following a prescribed diet to manage health and weight requires practice. There is no amount of intuition, experience, or written instruction that will ever take the place of practice.
Practice practice practice.
Consider the talented athlete or musician: No matter their natural ability, their intuition, their experience, or their education - one thing they all have in common - they practice their craft daily. They practice, observe, make changes and refinements. They follow coaching advice and they take ownership and responsibility for the improvements that lead to success. They do not define their performance in moral terms of good or bad. They evaluate their skill and the execution of their skills in terms of improved, needing improvement, or on the mark. They take the good with the bad using feedback for learning, never allowing a sub-standard performance to catapult them into a "to hell with it" downward spiral. They take the ups and downs in stride. Most athletes and musicians will say above all else they strive for consistency in their performance.
It would be hard to find a someone who is very good at what they do who does not engage in practice, evaluation and improvement. So it should be for us as we practice the art of health and weight management using surgery as an instrument of change.
Practice practice practice.
~ Professional musicians practice 8 to 10 hours a day, every day, for life.
~ Olympic athletes practice their sport 7 days a week for 3 years and 50 weeks before each Olympic showdown.
~ Doctors, dentists, lawyers, nurses: they spend their career in practice.
~ Actors, singers, circus performers, writers, comedians all practice their craft no matter how many times they have performed.
Considering all this, doesn't it make sense that we should actively engage in practicing healthy habits that support our weight loss surgery? We don't need to get everything right on the day, we need to practice doing our best and making improvements. Imagine what we can accomplish when we release the burden of all-or-nothing-get-it-perfect in favor of practicing with a goal of improvement and ultimately winning the game of healthy living. Just imagine it - then practice it.
Chanel that piano teacher or little league coach and remember their advice, "Practice practice practice". Please join me in practicing healthy WLS living today. Let's Go! The 5DPT is a great way to warm-up for a life-long session in practicing LivingAfterWLS.
This is where I hope your find yourself after using the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track. Take your knowledge and let it empower you because you are a good and worthy person. You are not your disease. I have met enough of you, my WLS Neighbors, to say this with complete conviction.
You deserve to be your very best:
Obesity be damned for getting in the way!
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Food for Thought:
Comfort Eating is Okay IF....
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From the moment we were born food has provided comfort to us. It is natural that we are compelled to reach for food when seeking comfort. This is not a character flaw: this is the human condition. Weight loss surgery does not take away our intrinsic human need to be comforted with nourishment. WLS gives us a second chance to rethink the type of nourishment we reach for when seeking comfort. Gone are the days of empty calorie comfort snacking. We are better served with a warm cup of soup or a delicious meal of perfectly-cooked protein and vegetables. Sweet berries or fruit provide far more nourishment and comfort than convenience store snacks and they come without the post-noshing guilt. So I say, indeed, comfort yourself with nourishment: it is human nature. Just use wisdom in selecting your comfort foods.
When Comfort Eating Leads to Obesity Relapse
Pot of Soup
Never underestimate the comforting power of a healthy well-made soup: it is your best weapon in the battle against the Carb Monster. Use any fresh vegetables that you like. Saute them in a scant amount of olive oil which will help your body absorb the nutrients and then simmer in reduced sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth until nice and tender Serve yourself some delicious goodness one cup at a time and feel the love.
Carb Monster Soup Recipes
Focus:
Practice mental presence during the 5 Day Pouch Test. Be mindful of all you eat, how you move your body and observe your energy levels and patterns. Be completely aware of yourself and identify the things that are working and helping you to feel refreshed and alive. Use the 5 Day Pouch Test journal to record your experience and focus on learning about yourself. Awareness is not selfish, it is part of the process of understanding so that we may improve our health and wellness. Carry this focus forward to Day 6 and continue to treat your body in a kind and healthy manner and avoid stepping back into the the self-loathing and unhealthy behavior that brought you here.
 Featured Recipe: Cooking with Kaye
Simple White Bean Soup
Approved for Days 1 & 2
 During the winter I make this often for my lunch. With the pantry ingredients on hand it comes together quickly and I know it will sit well in my
little pouch. Great for days when I don't have time for food upset. Try it - I hope it becomes a favorite for you as well!
~ Kaye
Reprinted with permission from
Page 58.
Simple White Bean Soup
Indy Chef, pantry ingredients,
helps resolve Moody Pouch Syndrome (MPS)
There are days in our post WLS life when nothing sounds appealing to eat and nothing will sit well in our small stomach pouch. Keep this simple satisfying soup in mind for those days. Using convenient pantry ingredients you can prepare a soothing soup in a matter of minutes. It also travels well and reheats easily for a convenient workday lunch.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ white onion, diced
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions: In a 2-quart saucepot heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook and stir until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in Italian herb seasoning blend. Add drained great northern beans and broth. Bring to a slow simmer and continue to simmer for 5 minutes: season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls or mugs and top each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
If a soup puree is desired, after soup has simmered 5 minutes use an immersion blender to puree soup or blend soup in batches in blender, returning to pot to keep warm.
Nutrition: Serves 3. Each 1-cup serving provides 253 calories, 19 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 32 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams dietary fiber.
Try This: To include more vegetables sauté a diced carrot and one stalk of sliced celery with the onion. ~ In place of the Italian herb seasoning use 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh pesto to flavor your soup. ~ Make a double batch for a family meal; serve with crusty bread..
Page 58, Cooking with Kaye: Methods to Meals
5 Day Pouch Test Recipes | LivingAfterWLS Recipes |
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LivingAfterWLS:
Serving the WLS Community Since 2006
Don't trust your weight loss surgery life to anyplace else.
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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.
LivingAfterWLS, LLC
Kaye Bailey, Founder
Evanston, Wyoming 82931
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