Hello, my name is Leisha Blaylock and I am a Certified Bariatric Nurse here at Bariatric Solutions at Wise Regional Health System. I have had my adjustable gastric band for almost 4 years now. I am so happy to be a “bander”. There are a few tips that help me to maintain my success. I hope you can use my experience to enhance your weight loss journey. Here are 10 tips that worked for me.

Walk 45 minutes a day: I love a lot of different activities but I do not have time for all of them all of the time. Bike riding is my favorite and hiking are my two favorites. My neighbor and I have buddied up to walk in the evenings. We get to visit while on our walks and the time passes so fast.  The accountability of having a partner is huge! Taking the stairs is also a great way to increase activity. The society we live in today is the fastest pace ever and hard as we try working out everyday is some times impossible. One way to offset our lack of time to work out is to make use of our regular daily activities. I choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator about 75% of the time. If you work in a building with stairs this can be of great benefit to you. You do not have to change into work out clothes or go to the gym but you can increase your activity level with this simple decision.  If you have the emergency meeting at work and miss you’re walking date no worries, you haven’t completely missed out that day. Injecting your day with small bursts of activity is a talent but can easily become a habit with just a little effort.

Watch one less hour of TV a day: This is very easy to do if you try the walking every day! You may want to make a 24 hour log sheet and log what you do every hour for about 3 days and then review it. WOW what an eye opener. I always said I did not have any time to do anything and the truth was I did have time I just let it slip by in front of the TV and on top of that I had a tendency to eat mindlessly in front of the TV. I am not suggesting giving up your favorite show, just 1 hour a day doing something else. Frisbee with the kids, walking with your neighbor, planting flowers, sweeping the garage, the possibilities are endless. The key is to be up and moving in the time you previously spent sitting, try it, you will notice a difference.

Get rid of your “Fat” clothes: Don’t leave the variety of sized clothes that you have been used too. For some reason we hang on to the old things just in case. Don’t even give your mind a chance to entertain the thought!! You have made a lifestyle change, not gone on a diet. If you give your mind the option of going back it will try too! Setting up an account at a resale shop is a great option or donating clothes to help someone else is great, especially if you can give them to someone else that is on there weight loss journey like at the support group clothing exchange!!. Hmmmm….that extra hour can be spent cleaning the closet……see how everything works together….Its an overall change that makes the differences not just one thing.

Focus on the Positive: Now how many of us are super models. Really! We all have our imperfections and we have a tendency to focus on them. Don’t focus on what you can’t do but what you can. I battle with this all the time. I pick out my imperfections instead of evaluating the fact that I hiked up a mountain in New Mexico with my husband this summer and I didn’t die (although I wondered a couple of times). I have to remind myself all the time of the positive! You may have to repeat “I will get my walk in today” over and over throughout the day to be able to really get it in. Also, just think about what accomplishments you have made, not what you haven’t.  There is no way I could have made the hike if I had not worked up to it doing those daily walks, eating healthy and my protein at the bottom of the mountain.

Don’t be a slave to the scales: If you are a weight loss surgery patient and I have talked with you for any length of time you have heard me say this. Weight loss is what we are here for but skinny is not our goal, healthy is. Don’t be on the scales every day!! You will just become obsessed and get frustrated. Frustration is the enemy of success. A successful WLS patient is healthy not just “skinny” At the most, choose a day of the week to weigh and weigh on that day only. If you weigh dressed wear similar clothing each time or take out the variable and wear your birthday suit, but whatever you do use weighing as a tool to help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle not as a reward/punishment system.

Eat 90% of your meals at home: Have you noticed the ever increasing portions at restaurants!! You are more likely to eat a greater quantity with higher fat content and less protein when you eat out! If you are a busy bee like me you need meals in a flash. To help myself out I cook on the weekends for meals during the week. Also, one of my favorite flash meals is fish filets and steamed veggies. Whatever you do, don’t sacrifice flavor. I season my fish with a few drops of olive oil and Cajun seasoning and place in a steamer bag and steam for 3-4 minutes according on thickness of filet. Yum, and 3 minutes! I wash fresh veggies and use olive oil and seasoning and they are ready in minutes also. This is so easy and quick, about 15 minutes from start to plate! That’s what I’m talking about! Flavor, Flavor, Flavor, don’t be afraid of flavor!! Your portions may be smaller but the flavor doesn’t have to be. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new flavors such as spices or fresh herbs. You can take steamed vegetables to a whole new level with a combination of fresh herbs sprinkled on them such as basil and flat leaf parsley. Of course my all time favorite way to start just about anything is to sauté onion, garlic and peppers in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), it is a great way to infuse flavor to meats or veggies.

Serve your dinner restaurant style: Restaurant style is served on a plate, Family style is served in bowls and you fill your plate at the table. Plate size can also help you out. The plate size has increased over the years to keep up with ongoing portion size increase. Please find you an appropriate plate, resale shops often have old China sets, check them out the plates will probably be smaller! Restaurant style can be multi purposeful. Fill your plate in the kitchen and remember to make it pretty with appropriate portions on an appropriate sized plate, and then eat in the dinning room. When you are finished with your plate you are done, no mindless nibbling from what is left in the bowl. This can also fill the pampered feeling of being served if you can encourage your family or friends into doing this for you at least once a week. What is really fun is if you have a friend or neighbor or a bari-buddy and you can do this for each other!

When you do go out to eat, wear one of your most flattering outfits or jeans:

You will feel great about yourself and as the compliments roll in you will want to continue the healthy choices you make at home at the restaurant. I wear scrubs most of the time, not the most flattering clothing, so when I dress up with a dress or my starched jeans people will tell me how nice I look and ask if I did something new with my hair. Go figure. I also share a meal with my sweetie or my friends, saves money and calories.

Eat Fruit instead of drinking fruit juice: You really have to shop these days to get pure fruit juice with no sugar added and it doesn’t fill you up and if you have bypass you have to watch your natural sugar intake AND it won’t keep you satisfied because its gone before you know it…..whoa…Now think of that in relation to a piece of fruit. A piece of fruit, say a fresh apple, has fiber and it has no preservatives and it fills you up AND it keeps you satisfied AND it crunches. That is oh so much better! Liquid calories can be a pitfall for everyone so be aware and play it smart.

Eat slowly and evenly:  Use the 1,2,3 method, Pause between your first three bites, set the pace right off the bat. Put your fork down between bites throughout your meal. If you are eating with a dinner partner actually talk to them between bites. Conversation during dinner, Hmmmm, something people just don’t seem to do anymore. You can look forward to catching up on your family and friends events of the day and share your day too. This is a great time to cut that extra hour of TV out!! Ok, let’s talk about snacks. We need them, we want them, and they are so beneficial if used in the correct way. I like my 10 am snack the best, but it is not a sugary one!! It seems to be so easy to get in to the sweet habit so it is time to take control and break that habit. I make my snack have protein! Nuts or a low fat mozzarella stick is my choices. Having a reasonable snack can sneak in some protein and keep you from being so hungry come meal time and also keep your metabolism stoked. When we are famished we tend to either overeat by eating too much too fast! A well planned snack can help you avoid this.

I am in hopes there are a few things that you can take from these tips and apply it to yourself. Not everything works for everyone but the key is to keep up what works for you. Try new things and stay active.