LIOS Monthly Newsletter

Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery and Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

Richard J. Strauss, MD FACS FACRS David Buchin, MD

LIOS Newsletter Archives

February 2008 Volume 2, Issue 2

January 2008 Volume 2, Issue 1

December 2007 Volume 1, Issue 1

SAVE THE DATE:

Support Group Meetings

· March 11th at 5:30 pm

Guest Speaker:

Nicolette Pace MS, RD, CDE, CDN, CFCS

Dietician / Nutritionist

· April 8th at 5:30pm

Free Informational Seminars for New Patients

· March 11, 2008 at 4:30pm

· March 26th at 5:30pm

· April 8th at 4:30pm—Support group follows

IN THIS ISSUE

Text Box: One of my all-time favorite movies is Parenthood. Steve Martin stars as a charming and imperfect father, who has a wonderfully dysfunctional family. Steve's character, Gil, is stressed out by a chaotic life. He wants very badly for things to settle down, and for his children to be normal. He Thought He Hated the Highs and Lows of Life. Gil was not happy with the curve balls life was throwing him. His wife was unexpectedly pregnant, his son was in therapy, and he had just lost a promotion at work. He Only Had Problems. He was complaining loudly to his wife about his problems when his grandmother came into the room.
She said the following about a roller coaster ride she enjoyed as a young woman: "You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together!" WLS Maintenance Is a Roller Coaster Ride That is the way it is with maintenance after weight loss surgery. You're frightened you're going to gain the weight back, sick of thinking about all the changes you need to make, and excited about your better health and smaller clothing size. If you are struggling to maintain your weight, the excitement is overshadowed by your worries, I bet. Has it been hard for you to sit back and enjoy WLS ride? The Trick Is to Change Your Problems into Opportunities Maybe your life is chaotic. Maybe you are finding it harder to follow your WLS lifestyle than it used to be. Perhaps you are obsessing about food. It could even be that your work situation has changed and you are now having trouble finding time to exercise. No matter. You can be miserable and choose to look at your life like Gil was doing -- like a bunch of problems that you expect to defeat you; or you can change your way of thinking. Focus on Your Opportunities Here's what I do. You can try it, too. Make a list of your problems. That's right just list them out. Make sure you let yourself experience self pity, sadness, anger, and all the other emotions that go along with having problems. Leave room after each problem to add a sentence later. 2) Reframe your problems. To reframe is to look at your problems differently. You'll write a sentence after each problem that restates it as an opportunity. Write your sentences like this: I used to have trouble with (problem), but now I choose to (opportunity). Here's an example: Problem: I have trouble drinking enough water. Opportunity: I used to have trouble drinking enough water, but now I choose to drink a 16 oz. glass of water the minute I get out of bed. 3) Every day when you wake up, read your list of opportunities. Choose a couple to work on for that day. Some days you'll be able to pick a challenging one, other days you'll gravitate toward an easier one. Either way, though, you're living in the solution. And living in the solution brings peace into your life. You Choose Your Opportunities I encourage you to spend some time thinking about what opportunities your problems afford you. Maybe you can use a problem to grow emotionally, or to develop a character trait like courage. The Key Is to Use Your Problems
Be as creative as you want. Spend your time looking for the opportunities in your life. Gil eventually realized the beauty of the roller coaster ride. He let go of his need for a problem-free life and embraced the chaos. So, what has this got to do with maintenance? You know what to do to maintain your weight from a physical standpoint, and if you don't you can ask your dietitian or doctor. The truth is it's usually the emotional and spiritual issues that get people off track. Reframe Your Problems to Reframe Your Life Looking at your problems as opportunities is a way to practice a "can-do" attitude. It's a concrete way to begin to change the way you think. Maintenance will be a roller coaster ride and that's okay. It sure beats the merry-go-round, on which you go around and around, but never really get anywhere.

March 2008

Volume 2, Issue 3

L.I.O.S. - SUPPORT THROUGH THE JOURNEY

WWW.LIOBESITYSURGEY.COM

Helping you on Your Journey to a healthier and happier life

Do You Have A Weight Loss Surgery Maintenance Mindset?
by Katie Jay, MSW, CTA Certified Life Coach, Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery

Text Box: Despite the awful weather quite a few of you still made it out. Thanks for your effort. This month's support group was very informal due to the bad weather. We welcomed new members and had a sample party while everyone mingled. We sampled vitamins, protein drinks, whey protein, liquid calcium and liquid fiber...yummy. The highlight of the sample party was the Almond Macaroons from our recipe list. It was quite tasty for a WLS recipe with such few calories. Our post op patients answered questions from the newbies and friends got a chance to catch up. We then parted to avoid as much of the snow as possible. If anyone is interested in samples that were handed out at the support group, please feel free to ask for it in the office. If you tried any of the samples please give us feedback online on the taste and if it was or will be helpful to you. I look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting. You may also post questions and comment on the ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP—Support Group Rundown on our website. Next meeting: Tues. March 11th, 2008 at 5:30pm at 1999 Marcus Ave. Suite 106C— Guest Speaker: Nicolette Pace MS, RD, CDE, CDN, CFCS / Dietitian/ Nutritionist New and lightly used clothing available—FREE

Baked Spinach-Cheese Dip

ALMOND MACAROONS

This hot appetizer is wonderful on top of turkey burgers or to dip with Kay’s Naturals or Revival protein chips for a filling lunch.

Per Serving: 137 Cal; 8 g Protein; 9 g Tot Fat; 6 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 3 g Sugar; 120 mg Sodium

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup fat-free half & half
Two 9-ounce pkgs. frozen

chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
One 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
One 1-ounce pkg. dry vegetables soup mix (such as Mrs. Grass or Knorr)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 4-cup casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray and

set aside.
In large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook while stirring an additional minute. Add milk and half & half and cook until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in spinach, water chestnuts, cheddar, soup mix, and 2 tablespoons parmesan. Spoon dip into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

Bake dip 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

From: Bariatriceating.com

Text Box: TIP OF THE MONTH: DON'T DRINK WHEN YOU EAT. Liquids will flush the solids from your pouch as you eat them and you will have room for more food. Drinking after a full meal may induce vomiting. Choking is the only acceptable exception to this rule. Drink before your meal to reduce thirst. DRINK ONLY ZERO CALORIE BEVERAGES
Liquids pass right through the small stomach and do not produce a feeling of fullness. You can easily consume 1000 calories a day by drinking alcohol, fruit juice or other beverages. A Starbucks Sugar Free Vanilla Latte has 340 calories and 24 grams of sugar.

L.I.O.S - SUPPORT THROUGH THE JOURNEY WWW.LIOBESITYSURGERY.COM

Do You Have A Weight Loss Maintenance Mindset?	1
February Support Group Minutes	2
Tip of the Month: Taking Vitamins and Minerals	2
Recipe Of The Month: Baked Spinach-Cheese Dip	2