Changes that are working

It seems like it's taken me forever to start really succeeding in the changes the nutritionist has challenged me to make.  I've already met with her three times and I am required to meet with her six times minimum per insurance requirements.  So I'm half way through it...but only just now REALLY starting to achieve the changes I've set out to make.

Before your surgery, there's a whole list of things you MUST change prior to your surgery. Making these changes ahead of time will make your post-surgery adjustments so much easier.

For my program, I have to change the following:

• start eating 6 mini meals (and they do mean MINI)
• reduce portion sizes (again...MINI)
• consume adequate fruits and veggies (easy on the fruit)
• reduce intake of sugar and fat
• consume adequate protein and fiber (these two will become your whole life!)
• reduce (or eliminate) pasta, rice, thick/soft breads (think "gummy"... you don't want gummy)
• eliminate caffeine (and avoid for 6 mos after surgery)
• eliminate carbonated beverages - permanently
• eliminate alcohol (and avoid for 6 mos after surgery) 
• drink adequate fluids - 64 oz+ daily (and start practicing sipping slowly and small drinks.  Stop guzzling or drinking quickly.)
• avoid liquids at meals - no liquids 15 mins before or 30 mins after eating
• start taking multivitamin, mineral supplements and Vitamin D
• increase physical activity
• quit smoking!
• start completing food records for daily consumption

Things to note:
Make sure your multivitamin has sufficient ZINC and MAGNESIUM.  This will help keep you from losing your hair, which is a sometimes side effect after having bariatric surgery.

Completing the food records are really helpful, and you have to get good at being HONEST about what you're eating.  Sometimes it's really hard to record what you ate, because...YIKES!  I ate all that??  But this allows you to take a good look and see where you can make positive changes, do it differently.

The six mini meals take a bit of getting used to, but now that I'm doing well with it, it's really good!  Don't think of it as eating breakfast lunch and dinner with 3 snacks thrown in.  At least for me, that caused me to eat BIG meal, little snack, BIG meal, little snack.... when what you actually want to do is get used to eating small amount of food filled with lots of protein and some fiber.  You don't want to eat carbs alone...always pair it with protein.  Retraining your mind as to what is an appropriate size of a meal is a big change that takes some getting used to!  But I have been pleasantly surprised by the small amount of food that is actually satisfying.  It really doesn't take much at all.  What a concept!

My greatest challenges are getting away from too much CHEESE.  I am most definitely addicted to cheese and have been eating far too much cheese for decades.  It's my favorite food and it's my biggest trigger to overeating.  Cheese addiction is real in the sense that it triggers the "rewards" section of one's brain, much like chocolate does.  Cheddar cheese has been a most coveted comfort food for me for far too long.  Breaking that cycle has been challenging, but I'm getting there!

Also learning to drink slowly.  I'm a guzzler!  Plus I love to sit and drink flavored water and crunch ice all evening, consuming large quantities of liquid.

As I adjust how I'm doing things, I have already lost around 10 lbs.  I have so much to lose that you can't really tell (maybe a little in my face), but the fact that I'm down is ... I don't know... like a miracle!  These things are working!  And it will only get better as I continue to make changes.