Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle-Less Soup with Winter Vegetables

By admin on January 27, 2012 at 6:30 pm

This recipe serves: 8
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts with the bone, about 3 pounds total
• 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

• Remove the skin from the chicken breasts and place them in a large soup pot. Add the chicken broth, bring it to a boil and reduce the heat so that the broth just simmers. Simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate to cool.
• Skim the fat from the broth and bring it back to a boil. Add the onion, carrots, parsnips and celery. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, discard the bones from the chicken and chop the meat into small pieces.
• Add the chicken and parsley to the soup pot and simmer for another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in warm soup bowls with a thick slice of bread.

Nutrition Facts

• 350 calories
• 29 carbs

Remember your portion sizes. Post WLS patients should only consume around 1/2 cup portions, which would also decrease the calorie and carbs from this recipe…

Posted in Recipes

Tips for Eating Right

By admin on January 18, 2012 at 9:44 am

After you have had bariatric surgery, eating out can sometimes seem overwhelming. When you are presented with a slew of tasty looking options on the menu, we sometimes convince ourselves that because we can only eat a small amount, ordering the fried chicken tenders with cream gravy won’t be that bad. The trick to eating out is to plan ahead what you will order by going to the restaurant’s website to find the healthiest options on the menu. If that isn’t an option, I have listed some ways to hopefully help you make healthier choices when dining out.

Remind yourself that you chose to adopt and live a healthier lifestyle. While I know it is a struggle (believe me), this means giving up your old eating habits and beginning to work on a healthier relationship with food. My personal mantra in times of struggle is “Food is fuel”. I myself am an emotional eater and tend to want to eat my emotions at times. It is an on-going internal battle but as long as I stay aware of when, what and why I am eating it helps me to make better choices. After doing this for 6 years, I can honestly say that meal planning is a big key to staying successful!

Make careful menu selections by paying attention to the descriptions on the menu

• Deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin or in a cream sauce = high in calories, unhealthy fats and sodium

“Undress” your food

• Be aware of calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, cheese, sour cream
• Ask for a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayo

Don’t be afraid to special order

• Ask for steamed veggies or a side salad instead of an unhealthy side and make sure to ask they be served without the sauces
• If your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, request to have it grilled, broiled or steamed

Watch portion size – share or bring a portion home

• When possible, order from the kids menu
• Remember you are looking for your entire meal to be around 1 cup in size (which looks like about the size of a tennis ball)

Avoid beverages with calories

• Drink water with lemon or unsweetened iced tea
• Stop drinking 30 minutes prior to eating and up to 30 minutes after your meals. If you drink with your meals you are “washing” your food down and not allowing yourself to feel full causing you to eat more.

Eat mindfully

• Pay attention to what you are eating and savor each bite. Make sure to chew 1 bite per minute for 20 minutes
• Be mindful when you are almost feeling full and lay down your fork

As a general rule of thumb, I try to avoid any kind of bread products. This includes buns, thick pizza crust, white bread, flour tortillas to name a few. If you do eat bread choose either sprouted or whole-grain. Make sure to take the top slice/bun off. Remember the terms you want to look for on a menu are grilled, low-fat, steamed, roasted, and baked and don’t forget to avoid sauces! When choosing a salad try to go for the vinaigrettes, oil and vinegar or low-fat dressings. Try and avoid creamy dressings or those high in sugar like honey mustard. Remember the big picture! Moderation is the key, but planning ahead can help you relax and enjoy your dining out experience without sacrificing good nutrition or diet control.

Until next month,
Mary

Posted in Ask the dietitian

Goal Setting: Forward progress despite real life

By admin on January 11, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Learning workable goal setting is a must in successful weight management. If carrying extra body fat is a disease process, then we need a good plan to treat that disease. When you visit a physician’s office they may treat your infection with an antibiotic and some natural therapies. They then write that plan in a chart and give you education on that plan. Goal setting for the treatment of lifestyle-oriented disease is NO different. Would you ever say, “I am going to treat cancer with no plan and hope it goes away”? No, you wouldn’t, but we do this all the time with weight-related issues. Believe it or not, people with obesity don’t simply choose to eat more or exercise less, there is a disease process inside that results in complications sometimes out of our control. We will work through some goal setting principles and learn to attack difficult to master changes needed to succeed. Pay particular attention to the bold words, they are key. Remember making progress means repeating these steps until you accomplish whatever your goal is, not quitting once you run into trials.

1. Pick a specific activity, eating habit, emotional response, behavior, exercise, etc… that you want to tackle.

• “I want to lose 2 pounds a week for 8 weeks.”
• “I want to go to the gym for 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

2. Make your goal measurable.

• “I keep a log of my weight. I weigh myself on my scale in the nude at 9am every Sunday.”
• “I track my workouts on a calendar log sheet.”

3. I will hold myself accountable.

• I will pick an accountability partner, coach, or mentor to monitor my activity.
• I will give them permission to do two things. First, I will allow them to privately critique my progress even if it means being kindly disciplined or reminded why I am goal setting. Second, I will allow them to encourage me and build me up as I work diligently (not perfectly) towards my goals.

4. My goals are adjustable.

• “If my leg breaks, I will eat healthful to promote healing and hold off the weight loss until I am healed.”
• “If my car breaks down, I will get a ride with my friends.”

5. Set an action to achieve the goals.

• “I am going to do the above by eating 1400 calories per day using meal replacements, scheduled eating times and an adequate protein menu plan.”
• “I am going to achieve the above goal by packing my gym clothes and driving right to the gym on my way home on those three days each week for eight weeks.”

6. Set realistic physically and emotionally healthy goals.

• “I am going to stand up to previous failures with weight loss, set 1 to 2 pounds weight loss per week for eight weeks and keep a positive outlook on my progress.”
• “I am not an athlete and I will set a 30 minute exercise time three days a week to start for eight weeks.”
• “I will increase the amount of non-exercise physical activity during the day at work by walking around 10 minutes every hour of the day.”

7. Set a specific time in which to complete your goal.

• “I will complete my weight loss and exercise goals in 8 weeks!”
• “If for some reason I accomplish less than desired results, I will rebuke feeling as though I failed and repeat steps 1 through 7.”

Download a Goal Setting Worksheet

Posted in Ask the dietitian

Dallas Bariatric Surgeon Featured in Dallas Morning News

By admin on December 7, 2011 at 12:01 am

Weight Loss Surgeon in Dallas Discusses Misconceptions of Bariatric Surgery in Dallas Morning News

At his Dallas bariatric surgery practice, Dr. David Kim was recently featured in the Dallas Morning News to discuss the benefits of weight loss surgery as well as the sacrifices patients must make to achieve successful results. While it is not the cure-all, Dr. Kim says bariatric procedures such as gastric sleeve or gastric bypass can offer patients the means to make a significant change in their lives towards a healthier daily routine and less risk of medical complications associated with obesity. Through strict attention to several aspects of healthy living, he says patients can use weight loss surgery as a tool to feel confident and take control of their weight loss.

Dr. David Kim, a bariatric surgeon in Dallas, recently discussed the misconceptions of weight loss surgery procedures amongst patients in a Dallas Morning News story that ran on the cover of the Arts & Life section. The report features Dr. Kim and one of his more publicly visible patients, former Dallas Cowboy and Super Bowl champion Nate Newton. Weighing in excess of 400 pounds, Newton lost over 200 pounds in the course of a year following a vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure. While many patients view weight loss surgery as a quick-fix solution to their obesity problems, Dr. Kim says procedures such as the LAP-BAND® System are merely tools to help patients in the direction of a healthier life. He adds that a strict regimen of eating right and exercise is essential for the proper results and the reduction of health complications.

Along with healthy dietary choices and regular physical activity, Dr. Kim says proper vitamin and supplement intake is required in order to ensure patients maintain proper levels of nutrients. With a procedure like LAP BAND surgery in Dallas, he says the stomach is restricted and is unable to absorb the same level of essential nutrients, so patients must be diligent in taking vitamin and mineral supplements following treatment. Dr. Kim also adds that weight loss procedures at his practice are accompanied by support groups and programs to help patients implement the necessary changes in their daily life after surgery. “I often ask patients to reflect on unhealthy ways that have become habits and are difficult to break. Bariatric surgery is a restart, another chance to live a long and healthy life. So I ask them what they are going to do differently this time.”

Dr. Kim says patients who are considering bariatric surgery should be ready for the lifestyle implications that will result from such an undertaking. He says that finding the proper practice and surgeon can help facilitate this process and ensure that every patient has the support needed to change their life and start living healthier. “A good bariatric surgeon and his staff provide support much like a life coach may help a patient who has lost their way. This can come in many forms, such as dietary education, new ways to make exercise fun, and motivation to live better every day.”

About David D. Kim, MD

Following his completion of the medical degree program at Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine, Dr. David Kim went on to a general surgery residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and a peripheral vascular surgery fellowship at Ohio State University. He has also completed fellowships in advanced laparoscopic bariatric surgery at both the Medical College of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Kim is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery, and is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, the Tarrant County Medical Society, and the American Society of General Surgeons. He is also a recipient of the “Surgeon of Excellence” award, “Physician of the Year” at North Hills Hospital, and has been selected as a “Top Doc” in Fort Worth Magazine by his peers. Dr. Kim was the first surgeon to perform laparoscopic gastric bypass in Fort Worth.

Dr. Kim’s practice is located at 35 Veranda Lane Ste 100 in Colleyville, TX and can be reached by Fort Worth patients at (817) 717-7447 and Dallas patients at (214) 614-6127. He can also be contacted online via the websites drdkim.net, mylapbanddallas.com, or www.facebook.com/lapbanddallas.

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Posted in In the media

Holiday Party Eating Tips

By admin on November 24, 2011 at 8:28 am

Live Life Again Center for Bariatric Surgery

There is a chill in the air and some department stores have already moved the Halloween merchandise out of the way, to make way for Santa and the reindeer.

So, it’s time to think about how to handle yourself with all of the tempting treats of the upcoming season… Here are a few ideas around Holiday Parties

• Have a light healthy meal or snack to take the edge off your hunger before you go to a party.
• Make just one trip to the party buffet.
• Don’t hang out near the food. Socialize a distance away. This will help prevent unconscious nibbling.
• When you arrive at a party, avoid rushing to the food. Greet people you know- conversation is calorie-free! Get a beverage and settle into the festivities before eating.
• Hold your glass in the hand that you normally eat with to make finger foods less accessible.
• If you’re bringing a dish to share, make it healthful and delicious. That way you know there will be one thing you can munch on without racking up calories too fast.
• Have an accountability partner that will slap your wrist when you reach for too much.
• DON’T go it alone!

Over this holiday weekend, plan to spend (or eat) extra calories, just like you plan your budget. If you know you’ll eat more on a special occasion, you need to bank the calories before and afterward. And get up earlier on Thanksgiving (for example) and go for a long walk or bike ride, thus allowing yourself more in The Bank.

Posted in Ask the dietitian

Liquid Diet Recipes

By admin on November 23, 2011 at 3:12 pm

Here are a few liquid diet recipes to help you on your journey – enjoy!

A Sweet Shake Alternative

Vanilla Shake Powder with GV Orange Early Rise Sugar Free Powder mixed tastes like Orange Sherbet (real sweet) for a shake alternate.

Liquid Chocolate Covered Cherry

You will need the following

• 1 cherry/dark cherry sugar free jello
• 7 to 8 of the cherry pomergrante ice cubes (hey thicker the better right?)
• 8oz of skim milk, if you prefer less you can
• Any one rounded scoop of the lovely Bari Essentials Chocolate Protein Powder

Combine all of these into the mixer, depending on your mixer I suggest the Ice Crush on HIGH first to make sure all the cubes are nicely crushed, then blend for about one minute, and finish it frappe style.

This could be an “ice cream” like treat!!

Another option is a “variety” shake with a scoop of vanilla BariEssential in decaf chocolate truffle flavored coffee.

Posted in Ask the dietitian, Recipes

Understanding Hair Loss after Bariatric Surgery

By admin on November 22, 2011 at 8:18 am

By David Kellenberger, MPAS, RD, PA-C

Hair loss after bariatric surgery is very common and very stressful. We all want to achieve great weight loss results and still have great hair. The hair loss associated with bariatric surgery is called telogen effluvium and has to do with the normal hair growth cycle. It usually starts abruptly and very seldom lasts longer than 6 months. Human hair has a two stage growth cycle. The growth phase is called anagen and 90% of our hair follicles are in this phase at any given time. The resting phase is called telogen, which lasts about 1 to 6 months, with an average of 3 months. About 5-15% of our hair is in the resting phase at any given time. It is also known that telogen effluvium has to do with stress to the body and hormonal changes that can occur. Due to the stress more hair follicles can enter into the resting phase. This is important because the hair in the resting phase at the time of surgery is most likely the hair you will shed. This is why your hair sheds between 1 to 6 months after surgery (usually about3 to 4 months). When the hair starts to grow again the old hair follicle is released and you lose hair. Sometimes the hair comes out before new hair grows, yikes!

So in summary, this type of hair loss is a diffuse shedding of hair as it relates to the normal hair growth cycle. It is common in men and women and all races. It occurs a little more frequently in women typically after child birth and can also happen to infants after the first month or so of life. (1, 2)

Why does this happen in people who have bariatric surgery? The most common reasons are:

• Surgery, acute illness, trauma
• Chronic disease such as liver disease or any chronic debilitating disease
• Hormonal imbalance such as hypothyroidism
• Crash dieting, low protein intake, anorexia, chronic iron deficiency
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Medications such as beta-blockers, excess vitamin A and anticoagulants (1)

So, what we have here are a few things that may be affecting people with hair loss. It starts with surgery, a very low calorie intake and possibly low protein intake. Then you add any illness along the way, an underactive thyroid, iron deficiency, or genetics and you get hair loss of about 5-15% of your hair follicles. Other nutrients implicated in hair loss include zinc, biotin, folate, vitamin B-6 and essential fatty acids. (2) If no deficiency of these nutrients exists, then they will likely be of little use.

The good news is that you can count on the hair returning unless you have a chronic illness or genetic reason for the hair thinning. The following suggestions are the best advice I can give anyone with telogen effluvium, now that we know what it is.

• Relax and don’t worry. It is natural hair loss of 5-15% of your hair due to the stress of surgery and weight loss. It rarely lasts more than 6 months. It grows back.




• Visit your primary care doctor to be evaluated for any illness or non-nutritional reason for hair loss such as thyroid disease or other chronic illnesses.




• Follow our dietary prescription which calls for limited calories and exceptional diverse protein intake on a daily basis. DO NOT add a lot of protein and increase your calories so much that you sabotage your weight loss. Obesity kills, not a little hair loss!




• Take a bariatric specific multi-vitamin with adequate B vitamins, folate, zinc and biotin. Don’t forget your B12 and calcium citrate with vitamin D supplements.




• Avoid excessive vitamin A and high dose zinc supplements they are both potentially harmful.




• Add iron if you are iron deficient based on your lab findings in consultation with your healthcare provider.




• Consider adding an additional B-complex. The B vitamins are not generally toxic and the extra B vitamins with biotin may help keep your metabolism running smoothly.




• Eat fish rich in omega three fatty acids several times a week or supplement with fish oil supplements in consultation with your healthcare provider.




• Consider discussing minoxidil drug therapy with your healthcare provider as a possible means to grow or thicken hair. This drug has not been shown to stop the process of telogen effluvium, but given that it stimulates hair growth it may have some benefit. (2)

References:

1. Jacques J. Micronutrition for the Weight Loss Surgery Patient. Edgemont, PA: Matrix Medical Communications; 2006
2. Hughes E. CW. Telogen Effluvium. Website. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1071566-overview. Updated 12/17/2010. Accessed 8/4/2011

Posted in Ask the dietitian

Help!! I’m On the Liquid Diet!!

By admin on November 21, 2011 at 3:35 pm

If you’re struggling with your pre-surgery liquid diet, take heart. You’re not alone….and YOU CAN DO THIS! And remember, this is not a “forever” thing. Once it’s over and you have your surgery, you’ll have a new, appetite-reducing tool to assist you with healthy, controlled eating for the rest of your life!

Here are a few helpful tips to help you stay on the straight and narrow:

• Make sure you’re drinking the full daily number of protein shakes. (Optifast, 5 a day mixed with water; BariEssential, 4 a day mixed with skim milk.) I recently heard of a patient who complained that he was very hungry on the liquid diet. When asked how many shakes he’d had that day, he replied…”Two.” If you deprive yourself of the daily required amount, you’re setting yourself up for failure and temptation.




• Drink lots of liquids in addition to the protein shakes. Fill yourself up with water, and feel free to enjoy unsweetened tea or coffee as well. Crystal Light (or a comparable store brand) will be your best friend during these weeks! Drink up! (But nothing with calories, carbonation, or alcohol.)




• Try adding sugar-free popsicles (caution: check sugar/carb content to ensure that they’re truly “sugar-free” and not “no sugar added…two very different things) or sugar-free jello as a treat. You can even make Knox Blox out of the sugar-free jello by decreasing the water by half…makes them more chewy and substantial, and you can cut them in squares for portable snacks.




• Enjoy a cup of low-sodium Swanson’s Chicken Broth each day to break up the sweetness of the diet. Even someone with a deadly sweet tooth can grow weary of sweetness all day every day.




• Give yourself some variety by creating new flavors. Be creative and have fun (without adding extra calories). Here are a few suggestions:
• Add vanilla, almond, coconut, or mint extract to any of the basic powder mixes.
• Add any flavor of Crystal Light to the vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate. You’ll probably need to add extra water or ice to off-set the added sweetness.
• The protein drinks are best when very cold and shake-like. Try making ice cubes out of coffee (Frappucino, Baby!) or various Crystal Light flavors and add to the shakes. Some patients have had great success with sprinkling in some sugar-free jello powder too. Just remember, adding a sweet ingredient may necessitate adding extra water or ice or it might be too sweet.
• Let us know if you create a recipe that’s especially good….and please share on Facebook!
• If you’re using BariEssential instead of Optifast, keep in mind that it’s not as sweet. Some patients like that, and others feel like it needs a little sweetener…and that’s fine. Add a packet or teaspoonful of your favorite (i.e. Sweet ‘N Low, Truvia, Splenda, etc.) if you like.




• Exercise is great, obviously, but be careful about adding extra exercise to your schedule during the liquid diet. If you’re burning additional calories, you may get hungrier. Try walking each day or doing some strength-building work each week to keep your strength up (and give you a running start after surgery recovery); however, this is probably not the time to sign up for that Kick-Boxing or Zumba class you’ve always wanted to try, or to train for a 5K. Wait till you’re fully recovered after surgery…then GO FOR IT!




• Ask your family members to assist you. Perhaps they’ll join you on your liquid diet, or at least eat healthier while you’re on it. Either way, ask them to throw away junk food and items that will tempt you…or at least HIDE them…out of sight, out of mind!




• Provide support and accountability for yourself. If you’re tempted to “fall off the wagon”, call a friend who will encourage you, or call our office and get a pep-talk from a staff member. You can do this, and YOU ARE WORTH IT!

So you think you can cheat? In all seriousness, keep in mind that it is vital that you stay on the 800 calorie-per-day liquid diet prior to surgery. Not only will the weight loss give you a running start for your post-surgery weight loss journey, but your liver must shrink in size to ensure a safe laparoscopic procedure. If your liver hasn’t shrunk (i.e. you’ve been cheating on the liquid diet), Dr. Kim may not be able to perform your surgery. This alone should encourage you to follow the prescribed liquid diet TO THE LETTER. Don’t risk losing the opportunity that many of you have looked forward to for months or years.

Your surgery is the proverbial “carrot dangling from a stick in front of you.” This pre-surgery diet is different from any other restrictive diet you’ve tried previously. After this liquid diet, your procedure will give you a life-changing tool that has brought enormous success to so many Dr. Kim’s patients. You can look forward to lower weight, less joint pain, discontinuation of medications, added mobility, more confidence and overall well-being…a chance to live your life again. Now isn’t that worth a few weeks of liquid diet? ABSOLUTELY!!

Posted in Ask the dietitian, Recipes

Size 14 Jeans!!!

By admin on October 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm

I was so excited I told the lady who gives out dressing room numbers & the cashier at Target!!! hahahahaha

That moment when you hope something will fit and try to zip it up came and went for years with me, until I finally gave up trying things on.

There is NOTHING more fun now than trying on clothes. Hoping to get into a 12 before Christmas. I can see single digits just ahead of me and not too many more pounds until I am under 200. These milestones are keeping me motivated & looking ahead.

Here are the highlights that come to mind right now- sitting with my legs crossed comfortably in a pew at church, sitting indian style on the floor with my students, having my son and daughter tell me I am “getting skinny”.

Life is Good:)
XO

Posted in Vicki - Weight Loss Surgery Contest Winner

One Month Post-Op

By admin on September 12, 2011 at 3:16 pm

I am exactly one month post op and I have never felt more thankful & motivated in my life! I have lost 60 pounds. First, I want to say thank you to my awesome doctor, Dr. David Kim. Giving me the ability to control myself is the best gift in the world. It’s something I could not do alone. Also, to his amazing staff for all their support, encouragement and friendship. If you are considering this, I urge you to stop waiting and dreaming, and just do it!

On Mon.Aug. 8th I weighed in just before my surgery at 40 lbs lighter than when I started my pro-op diet. I couldn’t have lost so much without daily exercise. The hospital was beautiful, the staff was warm & friendly and I felt comfortable going into surgery. I was worried about having an IV put in and it was truly painless. I remember being rolled into surgery and the nurse saying they were going to take good care of me….about an hour later I woke up in my room and I was in just a little bit of pain. I did have a hernia which Dr. Kim repaired and unfortunately I had a bit of a reaction to the anesthesia, which caused some discomfort. It’s nothing I wouldn’t go through again right this minute to get to where I am today. I will say the barium swallow for the leak test before you go home was the yuckiest part for me. It tastes terrible. Thank goodness it only takes a few seconds.

The first week out of surgery I worked on drinking liquids and trying to get protein in. You don’t realize that it will be hard work to sip and get things down. I never imagined I would not want anything to eat or drink! I felt guilty the first week because I was sore and could not work out. After exercising daily for months, I felt lazy and guilty–like I wasn’t trying. I will say I found it difficult to get comfortable in the bed at night, so I didn’t sleep well the first week. I found propping pillows all around me and sleeping on the sofa helped. Lastly, because you are on fluids while you are in the hospital I gained 7 pounds! I started to really enjoy weighing myself daily and I was so upset when I had gained weight.

The first 2 weeks home I started getting used to feeling different. I lost the 7 lbs of fluids plus 5 more the first week and then 5 more the second week. I had my staples removed a week after surgery and that did not hurt one bit (though I was worried it would). I was absolutely thrilled when I got to try cream soup, drinkable yogurt and soft things. Not because I was starving, but just to have a texture and different taste. The smallest sip was so satisfying those first few weeks.

By week 3, I was really feeling back to myself. I went back to work 2 weeks after surgery and still felt a bit tired. I started off slowly in the gym on the treadmill and then moved back to the elliptical (which burns double the calories). I was also happy to swim laps again.I was thrilled when I needed to buy a new bathing suit – 4 sizes smaller than the one I was wearing 3 months earlier! As summer comes to an end, I have now gone down a water-slide and off the diving board. These are things I haven’t done in 10 years!

I am optimistic and excited about what this year will bring for me. I am anxious to get to the 100 pounds lost mark. I can not wait to weigh less than 200. I will most definitely celebrate when I am in the one hundreds (not with something sweet either – I will get a pedicure or massage). I will always remember what it felt like to feel uncomfortable, to know that people were looking at me and thinking I had lost myself. To be filled with worry that my children were embarrassed of me or that I was going to die early. I have enjoyed saying goodbye to plus size clothes and would like to say I will not be a customer of Lane Bryant ever again!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and followed my weight loss story. No matter where you are in your journey, know that you have the power and ability to change. I know you may think you can’t, but I am proof that you can. There have been so many times where I thought I couldn’t do it and I took each step one at a time and did it. I was sure I couldn’t stop drinking sodas. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to stop eating bread. I was positive people would laugh and stare at me if I went to the gym. Stop worrying, start imagining how feeling thin and healthy will feel and do it!

Gratefully,
Vicki

Posted in Vicki - Weight Loss Surgery Contest Winner