How To Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted

[Woodys 0]

For all of us who wonder the following:

1. How come I'm not losing
   
2. How come I'm not losing fast enough
   
3. How come I'm always hungry
   
4. Do I need another fill
   
5. Do I need an unfil
   
6. Am I eating right

I found this information at another site and it pretty much answers most of the questions I have seen at this forum that are either restriction or food related. I think some of us bandsters here could gain from reading this.

Carol

How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted:

You are losing 1-2 pounds per week.

If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week:

A. You may need an eating adjustment

1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day?

2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber?

3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories?

a. Soup can be sign of soft calorie syndrome

b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories 7 calories per gram.(It's also a stomach irritant).

c. fruit juice is just sugar Water

4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods?

a. Are you avoiding soft foods

b. You can't just eat what's easy

c. cheese is glorified fat

5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of Water a day between meals?

6. Are you eating too much junk?

a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived.

b. Stay out of fast food places

7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily?

8. Do you always eat the protein first?

9. Then the vegetables or fruits

a. Five servings a day

b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable

10. Is your portion size appropriate?

a. meat or fish (3 ounces the size of a deck of cards)

b. Vegetables (½ cup the size of your fist)

c. Starch (If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much - Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta)

11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners

a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite

b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar

c. They teach you to like things too sweet

d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t

12. Avoid most diet foods

a. Real food usually tastes better

b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes

c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine.

d. The body has no way to break down artificial fats).

a. They may go into permanent storage

b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove

hydrolyzed fats from the body

B. You may need a behavior adjustment

1. Are you eating only when you are hungry?

a. If you're not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait

2. Are you eating three meals a day?

a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks

3. Are you sitting down to eat?

4. Are you eating consciously?

a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions

5. Are you eating slowly?

a. Put the fork down between bites

b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal

c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying

6. Are you taking small bites?

a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork

7. Are you chewing well?

8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals?

a. Practice water loading between meals

b. You won't be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal

9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness?

a. Sometimes it's a whisper: not hungry, had enough

b. Hard stop versus soft stop

10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing.

11. Do not eat when you are not hungry

C. You may need an activity adjustment

1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week?

a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day

b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week?

c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes?

2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity?

a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators

b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding

c. Parking your car further away from the entrance

d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through

e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination

f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash

g. Playing with your kids

D. You may need an attitude adjustment

1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey?

2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising?

a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days

3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional

issues?

a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your

eating?

b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those

emotions?

c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor?

4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings?

5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends?

6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically?

7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey?

8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating?

a. Obsessive compulsive thoughts (Obsess about something else)

b. Perfectionism (All or none, black and white thinking)

c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss

9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards?

10. Have you learned how to take a compliment?

11. Are you giving up diet mentality?

a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day

b. Stop dieting

c. Stop depriving yourself

d. Stop defining food as good and bad

e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food

12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place?

E. You may need a band adjustment

1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals?

2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions.

3. You are having to struggle to lose

4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set.

F. You may need your band loosened

1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down

2. You are vomiting too much

a. How much is too much?

3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night?

a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating

b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime

c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime

d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux:

(1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods

(2) Chocolate

(3) Caffeine

(4) Alcohol

(5) Some fruits and vegetables

(6) Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers

(7) Peppermint

(8) Baking soda toothpaste

(9) Carbonated drinks

e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals

f. If you smoke, quit smoking

g. Reduce stress

h. Exercise promotes digestion

i. Raise the head of your bed

j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist

k. Stress increases reflux

l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning

m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (Tylenol is OK)

n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring

o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications

p. See your health care provider

4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if

a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack.

b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise.

c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever

d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention.

(Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.)

e. If your pain is severe

[Randi 0]

Great information, Carol!

[green 6]

bump, bump

[BJean 16]

Hey thanks a bunch! These will be great to put on my bulletin board. I'm guilty of more than a couple of them. It's easy to forget these fairly basic guidelines.

[tonya66 13]

***bump*** good info to review

[juliegeraci 7]

If you are always hungry you either are not eating enough solid Protein or you need a fill. Since I don't know your diet I am assuming you need a fill. You should be losing 1-2 lbs a week. Your consumption shouldn't be more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food at a time. Good luck.

[lizrbit 0]

bump!

this is fabulous info!

[talb 0]

Thank You! Thank You, this is fantastic information for a not yet banded person to read. I am anxious waiting approval and checking into pro's and con's for surgery

[Kaydotrn 1]

I really needed to read this since I have not lost in months and have been toying with the idea of a fill. I think before I do that, I really need to adjust some of my habits. Thanks for the reminder.