RE: Losing the 10%

[Guest guest]

I so agree with you. It is frustrating. I am having a hard time losing

it too. The only thing I found that really helped was increasing my

exercise. Good luck.

>

> I am having a very hard time losing the 10% that I need to lose

prior

> to surgery. Any suggestions? If I was able to lose the weight on

my

> own, I wouldn't be having the surgery. The traditional ways of

weight

> loss just don't work with my body. The only thing that I have found

> has been actual not eating at all - certainly much less than the

1200

> calories per day that is recommended. It just gets so frustrating.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, -

I'm also in the " losing the 10% " phase, and it's sloooow and difficult

for me. However, as someone who has always said exactly the same thing

about losing weight (that I can eat a LOT less than 1200 calories a day

and still not lose) I've got some thoughts.

This is a huge lifestyle change we're trying to make. I find it really,

really difficult to make all the changes we're supposed to and do them

consistantly and stick to them. I think it's really easy to get

trapped in the mindset that the 1200-calorie diet is the only thing

involved in losing weight. It's a big part, but it's not the only thing

to work on.

Are you getting enough water? Enough sleep? There have been studies

that link lack of sleep with weight gain, and I've found that my weight

loss stalls in a major way when I get less than seven hours of sleep

per night. If you have sleep apnea that can also have an effect. Are

you taking any medications that affect weight loss, like some of the

oral diabetic meds? If so, you might need to talk to your PCP about

changing them to something else.

How about exercise? One thing I've realized is that I *won't* lose

weight without exercise. Diet alone won't do it. If I don't get moving,

it won't come off. It doesn't take a lot to make a difference, a walk

around the block each day may be enough to get started with; but no

exercise = no change.

Finally, are you tracking and measuring EVERY BITE you eat? If you're

not, you may be fooling yourself about how much you're actually eating.

I know I was. Even when I *thought* I was being pretty good, I wasn't

being 100% honest with myself about every single bite I eat. What

finally got through to me was when I signed up recently on

http://www.sparkpeople.com, and started putting in everything - even if

I just take one bite of something from the staff room at work, it gets

written in. I discovered that I'm actually eating more than I thought.

Not a huge amount more, but even 200 calories a day adds up. And it's

amazing to me how little it takes to make that 200 calorie difference,

especially if I choose the " wrong " foods - I ate ONE peanut butter

cookie the other day, and that was 221 calories. Or coffee - even a

small (tall) NONFAT latte is 120 calories!

You can do it. We've all been there, we all know exactly what you're

talking about - and we all know that you can make it to the 10%. Good

luck!

Cathy C.

>

> I am having a very hard time losing the 10% that I need to lose prior

> to surgery. Any suggestions? If I was able to lose the weight on my

> own, I wouldn't be having the surgery. The traditional ways of

weight

> loss just don't work with my body. The only thing that I have found

> has been actual not eating at all - certainly much less than the 1200

> calories per day that is recommended. It just gets so frustrating.

>

[Guest guest]

:

I think the hardest part of this maybe what you're telling yourself

inside your head. I really had to work on that aspect because it is SO

important post-op.

After the surgery, it is EXTREMELY important to watch what we eat (and

therefore, how we talk to ourselves), or we will gain all the weight

back, or at least a significant amount.

If I kept on telling myself that I would fail, I would NEVER have lost

153 lbs. So I turned the negative self talk around and lost 35 lbs in

2 months. I was determined that nothing was getting in my way. I was

on a mission. I was my biggest and most enthusiastic cheerleader.

When I started to believe that I was deserving of treating myself

better (taking care of my health), I was able to turn that desire for a

higher quality of life into action.

You can do it because you're worth every sacrifice and every effort,

because the reward is unbelievable. As as wise woman once said to

me, " The price of freedom is dear, but its fruit is delicious. "

Now go get your freedom!

Francisco

>

> I am having a very hard time losing the 10% that I need to lose prior

> to surgery. Any suggestions? If I was able to lose the weight on my

> own, I wouldn't be having the surgery. The traditional ways of

weight

> loss just don't work with my body. The only thing that I have found

> has been actual not eating at all - certainly much less than the 1200

> calories per day that is recommended. It just gets so frustrating.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I started to reply a little while ago, but decided to read other

responses to your posting first. I'm glad I did ‘cuz Cathy said most of

what I would have advised.

Cathy's comments about the water, sleep, tracking your intake and

exercise are right on. I especially think that we do need to scrutinize

our intake of food and beverages with a fine-tooth comb. It is so easy

to overlook little things that can make a big difference. Using

sparkpeople.com or fitday.com or some other such program really helps.

What are you doing for exercise? I know that exercise can be difficult

for a lot of us. When I started, I couldn't even stand up without

crutches. Anyway . . . don't let exercise be an intimidating thing.

Remember any and all movement " counts " - not just a structured exercise

routine. So if you walk a few extra steps by parking further away or

climb a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator or do anything

more active than you have been doing, it will all help. Since I wasn't

good on my feet, I " chair danced " - I felt completely foolish, but it

worked. I'm just glad that there was no one around to watch. ;-p

One other bit of advice . . . if you are drinking any carbonated

beverages - even no-calorie ones - stop as soon as you can. There was an

article in the " Beyond Change " newsletter recently about carbonation and

why it is so bad, especially for WLS surgery folks. It is a lot more

than the bubbles possibly stretching your tummy. Unfortunately, I can't

find my copy of the newsletter right now. I do recall that it included

the fact that carbonation neutralizes hydrochloric acid which is

essential for digesting calcium and magnesium as well as protein.

Anyway . . . please don't get discouraged. Many, if not most, of us

struggled through the 10% phase - but it is a great time to start making

the changes we need to incorporate into the rest of our lives.

Take care,

Kay (in San Leandro)

Open RNY Dec. 1, 2003

linda80356 wrote:

> I am having a very hard time losing the 10% that I need to lose prior

> to surgery. Any suggestions? If I was able to lose the weight on my

> own, I wouldn't be having the surgery. The traditional ways of weight

> loss just don't work with my body. The only thing that I have found

> has been actual not eating at all - certainly much less than the 1200

> calories per day that is recommended. It just gets so frustrating.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kay -

Thank you so much for your words of support. I used two drink 2 to 3

carbonated (diet) beverages per day. I no longer do this; I may have 1 or 2

per month and have learned I can live without it. I have incorporated

Crystal Light into a portion of my daily water.

The exercise is where I have recently slacked. Now that the weather is

nice, I will have to start walking every evening.

When the time comes, I also will be having the open RNY in Richmond.