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I can tell you from 13 months of experience post-op that you do not have to eat perfectly to lose weight. I believe too many people are under the assumption that they can't have this or a bite of that ever again. I can't live with that kind of thinking. It only makes me obsess about what I can't have. Do you think you have to be perfect in your diet and exercise goals? Try this experiment: Being rigid is similar to holding your breath, keep holding it, don't blow it out yet, hold it, okay, now blow it out. You probably blew it out with a lot of force because you held it for longer than you felt comfortable. Rigid dieting and exercise are like a tightly wound spring that eventually has to release. It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. You will not be perfect in your diet and exercise program, nor should you be. Before you begin a diet and exercise program, tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle, you'll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can. You do not have to wait until the following Monday, the first day of the next month or next year. Don't want until the next day; start again with your next meal. You always have an opportunity for a fresh start to get right back on track with your healthy habits continuing to move to your weight loss goals. It is equally important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. Whatever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it's not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle as soon as possible afterward. If you keep moving forward and you don't let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you'll eventually have improved eating and exercise habits - with great results and success in your weight loss and health goals. With this approach, there is no such thing as "cheating." When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we will feel guilt, frustration and as though we've failed. We also get into the perfectionist thinking. We can't have this or that ever again and if we stray, then we've blown it. Replacing the negative concept of cheating with the idea of "straying temporarily from healthy habits" takes away the all-or-nothing emphasis of right and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won't get very far. Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier and more enjoyable - today and in the long-run. If you don't allow any opportunity to vary your eating and exercise and go into all or nothing thinking, you don't practice moderation and balance. Healthy habits of diet and fitness are most success when you don't think of them as success or failure. It is progress and not perfection. Practice healthy habits more times than you don't. Think in terms of the 80/20 guidelines. 80% of the time, you eat according to your healthy nutritional program and are active; 20% of the time, you relax your guidelines. This allows for balance and living your life in a healthy, easier mode of moderation. Cathy Wilson is a certified life coach specializing in weight loss. Cathy lost 147 pounds seven years ago. Her passion is to help clients achieve weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with clients to create a weight loss life plan custom to each client. Cathy is a member of the International Coaching Federation, International Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition. Visit Cathy's website: LoseWeightFindLife.com

I had my 1 month post-op check up this morning. I had several questions for my surgeon about my daily food & protein, and here's what I found out: Thankfully, I seem to be healing well Talked about BM's & that I seem to have to add stool softners, and MoM to help me go. Not worried as long as I'm going. Focus on fluids, which continues to be my major weakness OK to have Chai-tea again, yeah!!! I so missed this. It has caffeine in it so I had to stay away. I'm not a coffee drinker so Chai is just fine for me Work my way up to 60 grams of protein per day Work my way up to 800 calories per day, no rush Continue to eat 1/4 - 1/2 cup per meal. Whatever my tummy tells me I can handle. Continue to focus on protein first, but OK to add steamed veggies & fruits Eat only when I'm hungry. It can be 5 small meals or 3 basic meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) per day I can start eating breakfast type foods. For example, lean turkey crumbles with eggs or oatmeal w/ fruits She suggested I can add new foods but to wait a few days so if something upsets me I'll know what it is OK to start working out, slowly but surely. As we all know, walking is the best exercise but I can start going on my recumbent bike again. OK to add low weights, several reps. Oh, working out in a pool in also good (thought I don't have access to one). I can start taking my vitamins again (Multi vitamin, B complex, Biotin). No worries about adding calcium at this point. But she did order e 50,000 iu's of vitamin D once a week for 12 weeks. I had low Vit D count which I was taking vitamins for. She said this would help get it back up sooner & so mch easier to have it once a week. After that, I can have lower doses to my daily intake 3 month blood work follow up & appointment made Since I had lost a descent amount of weight with the band & a little more with the sleeve, my food goal will pretty much be focused on maintenance more than anything. Wow, maintenance. That sounds great! She said I might lose another 5-10 pounds but doesn't think my body will go for more. I'm good with that IMPORTANT > soreness that I sometimes get on my left side that travels a little to the same area but in my lower back is due to scar tissue hitting on nerve endings. Dr said that area felt a little tougher. She said a body massage focused in that area a few times a day for a weeks and/or heat would help (hot bath, hot tub). Overall, a thumbs up, and I'm quite thankful for that!!