Shampoo Warning 

Please share with all your friends.

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner! 

I use shampoo in the shower.

When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body,

and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning,

"FOR EXTRA VOLUME AND BODY."

No wonder I have been gaining weight!

Well, I have gotten rid of that shampoo

and I am going to start using Dawn dish soap instead. 

Its label reads,

"DISSOLVES FAT

THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."

Problem solved.

If I don't answer the phone,

I'll be in the shower.

In the next post I'll be sharing my favorite recipe for a soup that I will never forget. It is called, “Jan’s Save the Day Soup”, and it is appropriately named in honor of my neighbor, Jan, who gave me the recipe. There is a story behind the Jan’s Save the Day Soup that is quite funny in retrospect. It happened during the full liquid phase after my surgery, just after having had a good ole-fashion meltdown.

I had been wanting a cup of hot cocoa for days. I had been experimenting with some protein powders that morning and after about four tries I had finally created one that tasted similar to hot cocoa. Yes, there is an art to adding protein into a warm liquid, if you want to still be able to drink it, if it’s too hot, it will resemble ground-up cardboard! I couldn’t drink it all at once so I left the unfinished cup in the kitchen until I could finish it and went to get my morning shower. In the meantime my helpful husband cleaned the kitchen and threw away the remainder of my hot cocoa protein breakfast.

Disappointed, I proceeded to lunch. I don’t remember now what lunch was, but I do remember it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for. What I really wanted was a fudge pop. Still unable to drive, my family promised to deliver by the end of the day. Well, by dinnertime no fudge pops had arrived. Although by this time they were at KFC getting a take out for the rest of the family and mashed potatoes for me. I was looking forward to the mashed potatoes! However, after a disappointing day and the realization that I was not going to be able to eat chicken from KFC, ever again…no cocoa, no fudge pops, dinner was late and I was hungry…life, as I knew it, was over!

I found myself the sole member of a pity-party, which took place under the covers in my bedroom with no one around to console me. My neighbor had called earlier that day with a soup recipe, so upon hearing the arrival of the mashed potatoes, I gathered myself from underneath the bed covers with a box of tissue in hand and made my way to the kitchen to make the soup. If this wasn’t good, it would be the last straw and I was ready for another crying spell, but to my delight, it was the best soup I had ever tasted. It helped lift my spirit and saved the day.  (Please note for those on the full liquid diet, I used the soup to thin down the mashed potatoes, until they were the appropriate thinness.)

For those of you just starting out, you will pull through. You might just have a moment or two, like all of us do early on, when the reality of life as you knew it meets you face to face and you ask yourself, “What in the world have I done?”

Go ahead and have yourself an ole fashioned meltdown, then pick your self up, dust yourself off and as my friend, LaCretia says, “Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!” Talk to most any weight loss surgery patient and they will agree, it is so worth the sacrifices you make when you reach your goal, then you can look back with me and laugh at your meltdown moment …

....recipe to follow. 

This is a great soup for the full liquid second stage of your journey.

Jan's Save The Day Soup

1 can cream of Tomato Soup

1 can Beef Consume

1 3/4 cups water

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Heat and serve. Great with mashed potatoes, thinly stirred in.

Cheer up your going to make it. You’re on the right road to a brand-new healthy life!

Having a meltdown?  Be sure to read the story behind my meltdown experience just after surgery.  

BACK ON TRACK
Bariatric Nutrition Support Group

Are you a post-op bariatric patient struggling to stay on track with your weight loss, weight maintenance, or nutrition goals? 

We welcome you to join a 4-week nutrition education & support group that will be led by Chaundra Klein RD, LDN. 

Call (910) 790-9500 in advance to reserve your spot by February 21, 2012

**Limited Space Available, First Come First Serve**

Four - 90 Minute Classes

Tuesday Evenings, March 6 – March 27, 2012

6:00 - 7:30pm @ Chrysalis Center

Cost of Program: $150 in advance or $40 per class

Agenda for Each Meeting

 Mar 6 —Back to Basics - What Should I Be Eating?

 Mar 13 —Mindful Eating - How Should I Be Eating?

 Mar 20 —Meal Planning, Shopping, & Supplements

 Mar 27—Exercise Goal Setting & Relapse Prevention

I have learned during my weight-loss journey that sometimes we can get a little "snowed under".  It could be called denial. 

In the beginning, part of the grieving process over food includes denial, and I've been down that road several times. But denial can come at other times, too, when we aren't motivated to change. There are times when we just get out of our routine and we get a little too comfortable in another place.   

There is a quote that goes something like this, "You won't find a solution by saying there is no problem." 

We must be willing to admit our need for a solution and step into change with courage and determination. 

One of my biggest issues right now is getting in enough exercise. It seems I've been "snowed under" by the cold weather.  I must admit my shortcoming, find solutions, motivate myself to kick it up a notch, clear more time in my schedule, and make it a priority.

It takes a little self-examination of the problem and focusing on the end result that I want to see happen. I must find my motivation and be willing to do what it takes to achieve it.

Finding my motivation for reaching my goal will be to focus on the benefits it affords. My short-term everyday routines will help me fulfill my long-term goal. Easy, no...but possible, yes. 

One day at a time. 

Yes, we can....we have many more miles to go.