Most people know I had a gastric bypass in 2001. They know I lost 140 pounds. They might also know I gained back half of the weight I lost. The reason I gained the weight back is simple. I didn’t change my lifestyle. The gastric bypass only works for about 18 months. After the first year and a half you adapt to the surgery. You find that you can eat a little more than you could before. You find that certain foods that used to cause you to have dumping syndrome no longer bother you, so you begin to eat those foods. I got where I could eat a whole bag of M & M Peanuts with no nasty side effects. I went back to all the old habits that made me 400 pounds in the first place. It is only because my stomach is too small to eat big meals that I haven’t put all the weight back on.
Something happened to change my life around. I started having bad pains in my epigastric region of my abdomen. Sometimes it felt like I was having a heart attack. I went to my doctor and he ordered a CT scan and found that I have gall stones. My doctor said to go on a low fat diet and my symptoms should go away. That next day I joined Weight Watchers. I’m on my 3rd week now and all the pain I had is gone. I have not had any pain after the first 3 days of changing how I eat.
The weight is starting to come off. I’ve lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks. As everyone knows you can’t just go on a diet to lose weight. Going on a diet implies that at some point you will go off your diet, and then you can just wait for your pounds to find their way back to you. I made lifestyle changes I can live with. The first order of business was to take beef off the menu. Turkey, chicken, and fish took the place of beef. The nearly new container of margarine got dumped in the garbage, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter took it’s place.
Salad dressings got tossed in the trash and the light versions or fat free versions took their place. I only use them for dipping carrots. When I have a salad I just use some vinegar off the banana peppers and add a teaspoon of olive oil to it, which makes a terrific salad dressing. I made lots of changes at my house. All the white bread got thrown away and I replaced it with 100% whole grain bread and English Muffins.
You might say you don’t eat very much. I have a tiny stomach, but I can put away some food in 24 hours time. I used to eat 10 or 12 times a day! In my mind I was hungry. The reason I was hungry was because I was eating foods that stimulated my hunger. Now I don’t get hungry. I eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have a small snack in the evening and I’m done.
I track everything I put in my mouth. You might think you know exactly what you are eating every day, but trust me; you forget. Weight Watches has taught me to track. In other words, if you bite it, you need to write it, because you will soon forget all that you put into your mouth every day.
There is more to losing weight than just eating the right foods. You have to move your body. Always, before making any dietary or activity changes consult with your physician to make sure you are healthy enough. I’ll be talking more about ways to become active in another factoid.
