Welcome to some new to the board but nearly at goal – you have been so successful – I think others would benefit from your advice.

We have all been given a tool by Dr. Zapata, not all will get to goal – it is sort of like tires – mileage varies widely depending on the driver. On occasion wls fails because of mechanics – it can happen and I think it is important not to blame the patient but look at the total picture. The possibilities for metabolism are infinite so we go into this literally fighting with our bodies, our bodies love being fat, it is our genetic heritage! However, sometimes we don’t all use our tool as wisely as we should – our inner child (and mine is a spoiled rotten brat) win out over sensible decisions of what to put in the mouth.

We are all in this together – people who have never had weight issues don’t have a clue about how hard it is to diet stringently with no success – or to lose a large amount of weight only to regain with friends. Even with the best of tools, success can be challenging – without our tool there is almost no hope of beating the odds.

So for today, we each have a tool – and we can work it one day at a time. Take this moment to be thankful and make good decisions only for today without worrying about tomorrow. This is how people succeed at weight loss – one day at a time, being mindful of the rules and forgiving yourself if you have a weak moment. We all have weak moments – the goal is to make good food choices 95% of the time and forgive the other 5% because we are human. Keep the voices in your head kind and gentle – we all respond better to kindness than criticism and we are all our own worst enemy. Today is a gift, use it wisely.

1# Rule of banding – just because you can – doesn’t mean you should.

There is no band tight enough to keep ice cream or chips from going down. A Lapband controls the quantity – you still must control the quality. Actually – there isn’t a weight loss surgery that is infallible – all have good points and bad points. The Lapband and Sleeve are purely restrictive procedures, they will restrict the volume of your stomach and you are supposed to eat reasonably healthy. When I say reasonably – no one is perfect – we all have good days and bad days, the goal is to strive for 95% of your days to be good days. When you have a bad day don’t beat yourself up – just make a conscious choice to try harder the next day.

Eating healthy – there is no reason to have certain foods in your house -just as if you were an alcoholic or drug abuser you wouldn’t stock vodka or pot in case a family member wanted them – you simply wouldn’t allow them in the house. The same holds true for foods! Pringles are one of my trigger foods – they are not allowed in my house regardless of circumstances. If my sons want to OD on Pringles they need to do it in their homes, in their cars or at work and not in front of me because I will fall off my wagon. I don’t allow things like Cakesters, HoHos, Ding Dongs, crap that my grandkids would love but will give them the same weight issues I have – I am opting for better choices for them. Snacks of fresh berries, yogurt and granola, raw vegetables or lean meats.

How many of you have OD’d on carrots, celery, pineapple, spinach salad, broccoli, tuna, chicken? These are the foods that should be in your fridge and your chances of eating too many carrots or apples are slim at best, you will hork before you can eat so many that you will gain weight. Just like drugs – say NO to ice cream in your freezer, pizza, or foods that you know are trigger foods for you. Keep that white board on the side of your fridge and change the listing daily of what is available in there for you for snacks so when you are hungry or stressed – good choice ideas are right in front of you. For me, bad choices happen when I am hungry, tired or feeling vulnerable. I NEED this reminder of what is acceptable to grab and eat.

Learn your triggers, find your weak points and craft a plan to avoid being in circumstances that might allow you to make bad choices. Planning is so essential to effective weight control, success isn’t just luck – it is great planning, good execution of your plan and being able to examine your mistakes when you deviate from your plan and using creative thinking to keep yourself on track.

Success with weight loss surgery doesn’t just automatically happen, and it isn’t the easy way out. Success is the result of examining your life and habits without demeaning yourself and creating, crafting and executing a plan for success that you can live with.

I just came back from a Seattle WLS convention and am preparing for our Houston event. We talked at length about what helps us be successful and what things undermine our success and we came up with some strategies for success. View our Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories.

• Journal your food and feelings daily – keep an accountable finger
on your pulse daily!

• Never grocery shop on an empty stomach!

• Stay on the perimeter of the store – the inside isles are filled
with processed foods you don’t need! dairy, meat, fresh fruit, fresh
vegetables and good whole grain breads are on the perimeter.

• Use a white board on your fridge – when my kids lived at home I
posted daily what was for dinner and what was available in the fridge for snacks. If you know what is in there and have a variety of healthy snacks – you won’t be as tempted to fall off the wagon.

• 5- P’s – Poor Planning Predicts Poor Performance – translated -
plan your menus a week ahead- buy what you need to complete those menus. Be flexible enough to be able to switch Thursdays 10 min grilled chicken and veggies to Wednesday if you run short of time on a particular day. Start your meal preparation in the morning when you are rested and have eaten your breakfast. We live in a world where time gets away from us too easily – if the salad is made, the veggies prepped and a meat or protein dish prepped – your odds of sticking to your plan are significantly increased than if you walk in the door after a day from hell with hungry kids, a crabby husband and the pizza fridge magnet screaming your name.

• Don’t allow trigger foods into your home! You don’t keep alcohol
or drugs in front of an addict – don’t put pizza, chips, ice cream in your
home – this will actually help your children have healthier relationships
with food!

• Make sure you are well rested by setting boundaries on your
evening time. Don’t allow other people or events to intrude on your down time. Boundaries are important and successful people establish boundaries and guard them.

• Give yourself adequate time to eat with your family in a
stress-free environment. When you slam down food in a car with cranky kids is when you will PB or eat beyond full and be in pain.

• Get adequate exercise, walking the dog, cleaning your yard,
gardening, biking, hiking, – time doing any activity with children or
friends outside of your home.

• Don’t be afraid to ask loved ones for what you need – you don’t
have to be in this alone, your children/husband can help by peeling veggies, helping with chores if you explain to them that being overwhelmed is a trigger for heading off your path.

• Be kind to yourself – keep the voices in your head gentle and kind
- change is the result of being kind to yourself, self criticism defeats
you.

• Write up a disaster recovery plan – what you can do to put
yourself back on track – mine is a long list of small daily goals that are
achievable – results are cumulative.