The Weigh We Were

Which wolf will you feed?

My roommate emailed me this tale.

With the journey of weight loss surgery, there are so many emotions that we go through - before, during and after. Keep this in mind when you read the following:

An elder Cherokee Indigenous American was teaching her grandchildren about life. She said to them, "A fight is going on inside me...it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked her Grandmother, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee woman simply replied... "The one you feed."

Water, Water, Water - YOU DROWNING YET?

It occured to me that I take a lot of things for granted regarding people's kowledge of weight loss. Since I have been dieting all of my life and had a mother who actually worked for Weight Watchers, I just assume that everyone knows how effective drinking water can be. And that everyone knows that they should be drinking eight (8 oz) glasses a day.

Well, I got a rude awakening from a member of a Weight Loss internet group that I belong to. I offered her some advise regarding her issue with cravings. I told her that if I was having a craving, I would chug water until I filled up my stomach. (Of course, this is what I did prior to having weight loss surgery! - LOL) It seemed to really help me fool my brain that I was full. She wrote me back telling me that she found my suggestion helpful and that she would start using it on a regular basis.

I guess my mother's influence (with her Weight Watchers techniques) through all these years has really helped me. I can still hear her saying, "How do you think you are going to get rid of the fat? You gotta pee in out!" Well, that has stuck with me over all of these years.

And I have to say even after my gastric bypass, I have maintained the amount of water that I have always drank - just not as fast. Now that I do not eat much, as well as the protein shakes that I drink every day, I have more risk of getting dehydrated - making consumtion of water even more important.

Water helps your body with so many other ways. In case you don't know the many benefits, here is a link for reference.

To make sure I get the right amount of water every day, I fill a 32 oz tumbler with water, twice a day. It sits on my desk throughout my work day and I don't even think about drinking from it anymore. It is amazing - I automatically pick it up and take a sip throughout the day. Easy! I sure know that it has helped me for many years.

Are you getting your 64 oz of water a day?

Protein Resource

As you may know, one of the main points that my surgeon made to me after gastric bypass surgery was to make sure that I get enough protein into my diet.

I was very fortunate to have a friend who also had gastric bypass - two years prior to my surgery. He and I have spoke often about our eating habits. He suggested that I try to drink protein shakes every morning so that I do not need worry about protein throughout the day.

Currently, my morning ritual is to have a protein shake every morning. My favorite is chocolate. The great thing about these shakes is that it supplements my diet with between 40 and 50 grams of protein as I start my day. The product I use is called Pro Complex.

I am so thankful for this resource, since I work from home and being human, I don't always have the time to constantly eat protein every couple of hours - not to mention, keeping track of the amount of protein I get in.

My friend mentioned to me that you can increase the amount of protein grams by mixing these shakes with milk and even more grams with soy milk or other variety of mik product. I also have the choice to mix it with just water (which he likes) in those cases that I want a no-so-heavy drink.

Also, if I am a "bad boy" and forget to drink my protein shake, Pro Complex also has a night time formula that I can have before bed. These are also a great source of needed protein (50 grams). Fortunately, it is made with Splenda so it won't keep me up.

You can order this type of protein from www.optimumnutrition.com

Think about adding additional flavors to you shakes as well. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of peanut butter to my chocolate shakes or 1/4 cup of berries or 1/2 of a banana to my vanilla or strawberry shakes. An assortment of different recipes will also help you from becoming bored. Variety is the spice of life, right?!

There are so many other protein sources out there. You can find a lot of different brands and flavors out there. In fact, you can look at a few at www.vitalady.com/products-protein.htm This resource also has so many different products that will help you increase your protein everyday. The owner had gastric bypass in 1994.

I want to thank my friend, Mac, for giving me his advice. It has helped me immensely. I will be mentioning him, I am sure, a lot in future posts.