072 My Problem is Social Eating

Yesterday, I re-realized just how big of a problem Jimmy and I have with social eating. You see we don't really eat when we are sad or overwhelmed but we do eat when we are happy or everyone else around us is eating. So what made me re-realize this?

In continuing to show my support for Jimmy, I decided to participate in the community weight loss challenge called the Pound Plunge. I thought some healthy competition would be great incentive for me to really buckle down and try to eat healthier and exercise. So far so good...

Then yesterday I was walking down the hall at work and passed a co-worker who has eating a snickers and my brain instantly says, "You're hungry! You should eat." I was like, "Whoa. Where did that come from? I was just fine a second ago." Thankfully I was only half an hour from my lunch break and the vending machine was empty of all the things which normally tempt me.

I dodged the bullet yesterday but I stopped to think how often I am surrounded by food at work (and Jimmy is too). All my co-workers who are busy eating aren't going to tell me to stop. I have to learn this restraint and self-discipline on my own. Yikes!

I say all this to say that if you have trouble not eating when surrounded by food--you are not alone! Hang in there and maybe we can learn some self-discipline together :)

056 Eating on Stage 3 Day 1

Jimmy looked forward to Stage 3 Day 1 for weeks. Why? It's the first time he could plan meals with some amount of true eating freedom! So what did he eat? Well, I am going to show you that in a minute.

First, if you don't know what the heck we are talking about...

After bariatric surgery, you should go through a series of diet changes--our program calls them Stages. This will allow you to gradually get back to a "normal" diet and will allow time for your stomach to heal properly. Every program has different requirements and different diets. Read more about Jimmy's Stage 3 Diet. Please remember that although we provide you the information about what Jimmy's doctor has prescribed for him you should still consult your own doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program.

Drum roll please! (Seriously I almost started singing the 12 Days of Christmas in my head--bariatric style--as I started to write this next part. How funny!)

Stage 3 Day 1: Breakfast

This is the first time in six weeks that Jimmy has been able to eat a banana, which used to be a daily activity.  He was very, very excited about eating even half a banana! (slice of reduced fat sharp cheddar and half a banana with a dab of reduced fat peanut butter)

Stage 3 Day 1: Lunch

The plate on the left is Jimmy's food. He thought it would be funny to compare it to the plate of one of the teenagers we were eating with at church. (1oz of sliced Turkey from the deli, reduced fat sharp cheddar, 1 oz wheat thins which we found out Krystal really meant to be Triscuits. haha)

Stage 3 Day 1: Dinner

For dinner we had my homemade turkey chili. In this shot Jimmy is comparing what he used to eat in one serving of chili (the big white bowl) with what he is allowed to have right now (1/2 cup pictured in the yellow bowl).

I hope you enjoyed getting to see what Jimmy ate on the first day of his Stage 3 diet!

022 Judy Shares About Why It's Important to Talk to Your Doctor

Salam and good evening to you worthy friend! Thanks for dropping by Jimmy Goes Gastric. Today I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name is Judy. Judy and I have known each other since we were kids. We went to school together and played together. I remember the struggles that Judy's family went through when tragedy struck unexpectedly. Judy has been following our story here on Jimmy Goes Gastric and as a result she contacted me the other day to share some of her family's experience with WLS. After talking to her I asked if she would kindly share some of her story with everyone here, and she graciously agreed.

Please keep reading as Judy shares from her own personal experience why it is important to keep an open line of communication between you and your doctor when you are undergoing WLS.

Why It's Important to Talk to Your Doctor

Hi. My name is Judy. My family (two brothers, Mom, & Dad) lived in Fulton, Missouri, for most of my childhood.

My father died when I was just twelve years old. He died because of his obesity. My mother, who was also obese, was worried that she would die soon, as well if she didn't lose weight.

Mom dieted and exercised and still struggled with her weight. It was then that she decided to have gastric bypass. She was thrilled that she was accepted to have the surgery done. I remember her being worried for the actual surgery. She worried she wouldn't survive the procedure, but never worried about what would follow the surgery.

The surgery was a success, and the pounds began to melt away. She lost 150 pounds in no time. But her road was not easy. Everything she ate made her sick. Because I was so young I don't know if her doctors had prepared her for that, or if they had told her what to eat to keep her healthy and she just struggled with it.

I remember her eating cheese sticks all the time because that is all that she was able to keep down. Because she wasn't getting the nutrition she needed her blood sugar would drop and she would go into diabetic comas. Many times my brother called for an ambulance because she was incoherent and didn't know who we were.

The last time she went into a diabetic comma, she didn't wake up. After my mother died I was angry that she had had the surgery, but since I have come to understand that her obesity could have killed just like it had my father. I was blessed to have those six extra years with her.

I know this surgery can be life changing. I have seen many people who have had it done successfully. I would just like to encourage all those who are considering having this done to be well educated about this decision. Keep a close dialogue with your doctor before and after the surgery. Fill your life with people who can support you and help you through this journey. Nothing is more important than that!

Thanks for letting me share my story with you.

Judy

018 Portion Size Matters

Another of the appointments we had during our doctor appointment blitz was with a Nutritionist named Krystal Staggs. Let me tell you right now that Krystal is A-MAZ-ING! I know that she has really helped Jimmy A LOT! So much so that we have even set up additional monthly meetings with her so that Jimmy can talk about ways he can prepare himself for healthier living and what he can be doing now to gradually ease into the new way of eating he will have after the surgery.

The biggest realization that we have come to is that PORTION SIZE MATTERS. I would guess that about 90% of people are regularly overeating and they don't even realize it. It's not because they are "pigging out" necessarily but it is because of an ignorance of portion size. I about cried laughing when Krystal pulled out the little rubber piece of beef that was an ounce portion. It was minuscule compared to what is normally on my plate. When she held it out to us she said, "This is how much Jimmy's stomach will be able to hold right after surgery." Let me tell you that my jaw about dropped to the floor. I mean--come on--I knew that he wouldn't be able to eat a lot but this easily fit into the palm of my hand!

It was in that moment that I truly realized just how much I was overeating without even giving it a second thought. I know that Jimmy must have been thinking the same thing from the look on his face. So in addition, to setting some other realistic goals for ourselves--like not keeping chips or sweets in the house--we also decided to make a conscious effort to actually pay attention to the amount of food and the number of portions we were putting into our mouths.

Because PORTIONS DO MATTER!

014 Getting Down to Business

Unless you are still in school, on disability or in between jobs right now you know what it's like to go to work on a regular basis. You probably also know how good or bad employers can be about allowing you to take time off of work. That's why it is important for you to carefully think things through when considering whether or not to do a weight loss surgery (WLS).

WLS effects more than just your body. It effects your emotions, your mind, your family/relationships, your job and so much more. If you are going to do a wls you need to realize that your near future includes many trips to the doctors office along with various medical tests and expenses. You have to be prepared.

One of the biggest areas of preparedness is your job. It's important to know your rights and to keep communication lines open between you and your employer. When I was hired at the St. Joseph News-Press, I was open with my potential employer about the hours that I would be taking off so that I could attend doctors appointments with my husband and the hours I would take off when he finally has his surgery. They were okay with my choices and appreciated my honesty. I know that not everyone has a job like that. That's why it's important for you to know about things like the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Admittedly I don't know how best to explain it but you can learn more by talking to your companies human resources person and/or by visiting The Department of Labor Website.

No matter how easy or difficult your employer is to work with it is important to let them know how much time off you need, when you need it, and what they will be able to expect from you once your doctor clears you to come back to work after surgery. So get down to business and make a visit to your HR department. You need to know what you are getting yourself into before you dive into the deep end!

013 The Wonderful World of Water

Water is literally all around us. It’s in the ground, the air, and our bodies. So what the big deal with water?

In June, Jimmy and I went to Youth Camp. If you don’t know or don’t remember, Jimmy is a youth minister. This was his first ever camp that he planned from the ground up and we were both really excited to see how it was going to turn out. I was personally really excited that the camp had a swimming pool because I hadn’t swam in probably 3+ years. The thing about camp in Missouri during June is that it is HOT and it is HUMID. You just can’t get away from it! So to escape the heat you have to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water, and why not take advantage of that nice cool pool I was just talking about. That’s when it hit me that water is really great for Jimmy and me in two distinct ways.

When it comes to losing weight—especially when you are severely over weight—there are two really great things about water!

#1 Drinking water helps you lose weight. It flushes out your body and keeps you hydrated. Hydration allows your body to function properly and to get rid of toxins and excess water. I know that it seems really backward that you get bloated and hold on to water weight when you aren’t drinking enough water every day but it is true! So it you are interested in shedding the pounds and keeping them off make sure that you are fueling your calorie burning engine (your body) with plenty of H2O!

#2 Water exercises/aerobics are a wonderful way to burn calories that is easy on your back, legs, and joints. When you exercise in water you have the natural resistance that comes with being partially submerged but you also have a buoyancy (lift/floating) that reduces the weight your joints are bearing during the exercise. That means that you can exercise more efficiently with less pain and probably for a longer period of time than if you were to exercise outside of the pool.

Yes, Jimmy and I saw great results from drinking water. We were able to stay hydrated. We didn’t get sick or overheated, and we lost extra weight. Still I have to say that we both enjoyed the benefits of the pool the most. Jimmy got in a few days for about 2.5 hours each time. He had a blast and the next day he told me that he could really feel the difference that exercising in the pool made versus the walking he normally. So it was a great experience all around—even if a dog did run off with one of Jimmy’s water shoes!

011 Waiting is the Hardest

Whether I find myself waiting for a birthday, special event, doctor's appointment or date, I find myself impatient and easily frustrated. Why is it that waiting is so hard and yet we have to do so much of it in life? I truly believe waiting is the hardest.

In this case it was waiting for the six months of doctor supervised weight loss to be over! You get into a routine--eat right, exercise and repeat. Things get boring. There seems to be no end in sight (although you really know that it is only going to take six months). Everything seems to be moving so slowly! What to do?

Well, the answer is NOT to fall off the wagon. HOWEVER, that's where we found ourselves. We started slacking off and caught ourselves thinking more than once "oh we still have months left to…fill in the blank". Then you start to backslide.

In our case this resulted in a stern talking to from Dr. Weiderholt. At first we were a little put off by how forceful she was (especially Jimmy) but looking back on it now I can see that it was exactly what we needed to hear at that moment. If we thought for a second that she was going to call off the supervised weight loss then she knew that we would re-double our efforts to keep going. She knew that we want this more than anything and she had to make us see that even though we still had four or three or two months left to go before all the actual surgery appointments and insurance approval processes could begin that it was still important to stick with it.

Does that mean that we are now perfect and never ever backslide? NO! By no means! We are still human and very prone to ordering pizza when we are feeling tired or lazy but at least we know that are not in this alone and we will be held accountable for our actions and we know that we don't have to wait for that!

010 White Coat Syndrome

Have you ever experienced a severe spike in anxiety and blood pressure when you know you are going to the doctor or at the doctor's office? If so then you might be suffering from white coat syndrome. I personally didn't believe in this at one point and time. BUT then I started going to the doctor with my hubby, Jimmy.

Jimmy doesn't like doctors. He doesn't like needles, and he doesn't like waiting. All these things combined can make for a very stressful doctors visit. Especially when you combine a couple of those elements in the same visit. These things have a very real effect on his blood pressure.

I have been in a doctor's visit where they took Jimmy's blood pressure upon entering the exam room and found it to be high. Then upon his request they would take it after he had time to talk to the nurses and laugh things off and it has been as much as 15 points lower in both numbers.

If you are like Jimmy and the doctor is monitoring your blood pressure closely then you want to make sure that they get an accurate reading. Here are some things that you need to consider to get the most accurate blood pressure reading at the doctor's office:

• Are they using the right size blood pressure cuff?
• Jimmy has large arms because he is over weight so they have to use a thigh sized cuff to get an accurate reading on his upper arm.
• If they attempt to use a cuff that is too small then your readings will be high and vice versa if the cuff is too large.
• Are they taking your blood pressure in the same place each visit?
• Jimmy's blood pressure varies greatly when they take readings in his forearm versus his upper arm.
• Forearm readings (at least in Jimmy's case) are higher approx. 99% of the time.
• Have you considered asking the nurse to take a second blood pressure reading after you have had a few moments to get settled in the exam room?
• Answering the mundane health questions they ask every visit often takes your mind off the anxiety of the visit and helps you calm down.
• You may get a better reading if you have your blood pressure taken at this time.

Please remember that I am not a doctor but these are things that we have found to be true in Jimmy's case. Maybe you can find something in here that can help you too. Rest assured that White Coat Symptom is a very real thing and can drastically effect your blood pressure and heart rate.

Until Next Time,

009 So You Think You Can Dance?

So you think you can dance? No. I am not talking about the TV show. Got you there for a minute though didn’t I. Well I definitely didn’t think that I could dance--that is until the doctor wanted us to add some exercise into our budding healthy lifestyle.

I don’t know if you know this but people who are morbidly obese or just overweight (like me) get more than a little self-conscious when it comes to exercising in public. Go figure! It doesn’t matter if you are walking down the streets in your neighborhood or trying to lift weights at the Y there is inevitably that one person (usually an adult) that says or does something really obnoxious and inappropriate like “Look how big that guy is!” that makes them feel uncomfortable. *Side note: Adults should DEFINITELY KNOW BETTER!!! It still hurts when it’s a child but you have to give them a little grace because they are young. No such excuse for adults!* Whew! Now that I got that out I can move on.

Anyway, as you can imagine when you combine the physical stress of exercising with the emotional stress of what people may say or do towards you, it’s no wonder that overweight people don’t want to exercise! However...it can be done and in the privacy of your own home. One day Jimmy and I were talking about video games and we hit upon a great solution that works for us.

It’s Kinect! If you don’t know, Kinect is a body motion sensor for the Xbox 360 that you can use to play games such as Kinect Adventures and Just Dance 3. You may not think it’s true but let me tell you playing Just Dance 3 IS a workout. By the end of most of those songs your pulse it elevated and you breathing is increased by just putting in a little aerobic exercise. Plus you can judge how much effort you are putting into it by the score you are receiving in the game. Just Dance 3 doesn’t judge on pure perfection--especially set on the lower difficulties but it judges on the amount of movement and the relative timing to the song you are dancing to. So anybody--even a white-y like me--can do it.

Yes, there are other ways to exercise at home but it you are looking for a fun and interactive way to exercise I highly recommend that you try using the Kinect for Xbox360!

008 Our Journey Begins with a Fitness Pal

Our Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) begins...again...in December 2011. We actually visited and got established with Dr. Weiderholt in October but we missed the month of November so we basically had to start our consecutive six months over again in December. So for all practical purposes our WLS Adventure began in December.

Nothing much exciting happened right away. We were just getting established and setting the foundation for the insurance approval. Dr. Weiderholt wanted to know diet history, what our eating and lifestyle habits are like now (we established that pizza is Jimmy’s only recreational drug--the nurses thought it was funny!), and we set some goals for diet and exercise.

One of Dr. Weiderholt’s goals for Jimmy is to log all of the food he consumes using the app My Fitness Pal. Now I really have to sing the praises of this app for a second because I think it has really helped Jimmy to stick with it and get a more accurate picture of the amount and types of food he is eating.

My Fitness Pal has kept Jimmy using it because it is interactive and SUPER easy to use. Yes! We love that you can log foods by simply scanning the barcode on the packaging. I know it sounds lame but it makes entering foods easy and scanning the barcodes is fun. The other bonus is that they are making changes to the app to make it better all the time. So props to whoever invented and programmed the My Fitness Pal app. Keep up the great work!

The doctor also set the guideline that “If you bite it--write it.” Meaning that he should track every single thing that he put into his mouth no matter how big or small we make think it is. It was surprising how quickly all those little bites started to add up. No wonder we consume more calories than we realize!

By using this principle and the My Fitness Pal app, Jimmy is visibly able to see the calories he was consuming. It continues to help him get a grasp on the difference between good food choices and bad food choices that waste calories and leave you feeling empty. Knowing the difference has helped both of to start making healthier lifestyle choices when it comes to food.

If you are serious about being healthy and losing weight I URGE you to start logging your food. It may shock you to realize how many calories you are really consuming everyday. Plus you need to get a grasp on the amount of fuel you are putting into your body so you know how much you need to burn. I’m not trying to sell My Fitness Pal--because it’s FREE!--but honestly it can really help you have an easy and mobile way to track your diet and exercise.

Until next time...

Use MyFitness Pal for free by visiting www.myfitnesspal.com or download the free app.

002 Why Consider Weight Loss Surgery (WLS)?

I would hazard a guess that if you are reading this then you may have either had or be considering some kind of WLS. Therefore you are not the person that says “They can’t lose the weight because they are lazy” or “Why do surgery when you can lose it naturally” or “They are just looking for a ‘magic’ fix to their problem”. Those people DRIVE ME CRAZY! In some cases their questions might be valid but in the vast majority they are just wrong and their questions are inappropriate. Let me explain...

Most people are not aware that there have been medical studies conducted that have concluded that most morbidly obese people (anyone with a BMI 40+) are physically incapable of losing their weight naturally and keeping it off long term. These studies are the reason that insurance companies have decided to provide coverage for WLS surgeries such as the gastric bypass and Lap-Band. They realize that many of the people they insure will never be able to lose their excess weight without surgical assistance.

However, surgery never has and probably never will be an easy or magical fix. You MUST WORK to change your eating and exercise habits in order to receive the benefits of the surgery. “Failed” surgeries are the cause of many of the snide and demeaning comments like the examples I gave above. Really it is not the surgery that has failed but the people who have failed to commit to a lifestyle change that have failed to receive the results they were hoping to achieve. More on this later.

Jimmy and I decided to consider WLS because we realized that he needs help to achieve his weight loss goals. We are committed to making lifestyle changes that will make us healthier and will help to achieve and maintain long-term health and weight management. We are ready and willing to start putting in the work it will take to make those dreams happen. Join us!

Other Resources:

Calculate Your BMI

Learn More About Obesity

Tools to Help You Plan Your Food & Fitness Standards

001 Getting to Know You

Jimmy making funny faces at a youth event.

Hi there! My name is Christiana. You may or may not know me, but if you are visiting this blog then there’s a pretty good chance that you are thinking about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS).

I’m not personally planning on going through WLS--even though I could stand to lose a few pounds--but my wonderful hubby is. My hubby’s name is Jimmy. Yep, that's him there on the left with the funny look on his face!

So you may be wondering why I am writing the blog if I’m not the one going through the WLS. Well the answer is two fold: First and foremost Jimmy and I are a team. We love and support each other no matter what and I am in this with him even though I am not having surgery. Secondly (and probably more importantly to this question), Jimmy doesn’t like writing/blogging very much so if you want the scoop then I guess you are stuck with me :) *sigh* But I will encourage him to get on here and post his thoughts in his own words but I can’t guarantee that it will happen or that it will happen often.

Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you and I hope we can be of some help and/or assistance to you. Feel free to post questions and comments you may have. We will do our best to answer from our own personal experiences (remember that we are NOT doctors and our advice should NOT be taken as the medical gospel) but we are happy to share. Please join Jimmy and I as we go through this life-changing experience.