Problem Solving and Planning for Success—Mark Mortonson, MS, MDiv
Once you have had surgery, learning how to
use this new tool when dealing with the
challenges that life throws your way will
require developing new skills. The more skills
you hone, the more success you will have.
That is why attending a monthly support
group for at least a year is a real aid in the
development of those new skills. It allows you
to experience birthdays, holidays, vacations,
and other annual events while being
connected to others who are traveling the
same road. It allows you to help one another
toward your goal and your success.
Because the post-surgery world is different for
each person, developing these new skills is
important. What follows is a straightforward
method that helps one successfully solve
problems and plan for success. Once this
method is learned, it can be applied to any
challenge you might face, not just those that
managing your weight presents.
Here are the steps:
1. What is your problem or challenge?
Defi ning the issue is always the fi rst step in
focusing your efforts at success. What do
you want to overcome?
2. What is your goal or desired result?
What is the problem or challenge keeping
you from accomplishing?
3. What are three possible solutions to the
problem or challenge? You may need
some help with coming up with solutions.
Enlisting the help of your support person,
a family member, or a friend and asking for
some ideas can often help. Asking other
members of your support group is another
good option. Write down at least three
solutions from which to choose.
4. Of the three solutions, which one
behavior can you start doing
immediately? This step is critical. Pick
just one solution and prepare to act on it
tomorrow. The longer you put off action,
the less likely you will do anything.
5. What do you need to do to be successful
with your plan for tomorrow? Think
through and organize your plan. Think
about what you will need to do to make it
happen. Write down your plan and leave it
where you will see it in the morning. Put as
many things in as possible place to help you
succeed (such as sticky notes, phone or
computer alarms and reminders, enlisting
friends for help, and so on.)
6. What can derail your plan for
tomorrow? (Life happens!) Thinking
about what could mess up your efforts will
enable you to plan for the unexpected.
7. What are some alternative behaviors
you could do if your original plan gets
derailed? Having a backup plan is essential.
Even if you don’t succeed with the original
solution as planned, doing something that
moves you toward accomplishing your goal
is a huge step in developing new skills and
achieving the success you want.
8. How do you feel about your chances
of success tomorrow? One last check:
Do you feel ready to take on this challenge?
Is everything possible in place?
9. Call or e-mail someone to let them
know how tomorrow goes! This is one
last piece of accountability. Sharing your
successes and your challenges is one more
step in becoming a great problem solver and
building the skills necessary to succeed.
As you practice these steps, it will become
easier to overcome those things that in
the past could have stopped you in your tracks.
And as you develop more and more skills
around using your new tool to help you
lose and manage your weight, the more
long-term success you will have.
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Recipe:
Barbecued Lime Shrimp
and Corn
1/3 C lime juice
1/4 C orange juice
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 T honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t peeled and grated ginger
2 T sugar
1 t ground coriander seeds
1/4 t black pepper
2 ea. corn, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
1½ lbs. lg. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients but the corn and shrimp. Put corn and shrimp in a foil bag or aluminum foil pouch and place in a glass baking dish. Pour liquid mixture over corn and shrimp and seal tightly.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Amount per Serving Yield: Seven 1½-cup servings; Calories: 473; Protein: 42.8 g; Fat: 3.9 g; Carbohydrates: 66.7 g;
Fiber: 4 g; Cholesterol: 259 mg Source: www.weightlossalternatives.com
Helpful Hints
Here are a few more tips to support you in maintaining a healthy weight after bariatric surgery.
• Learn to use a smaller plate. Often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. If we fill a smaller plate, we will eat less than if it is a standard or larger plate.
• Slow down! Take your time while
eating and try to focus on your meal.
This will give your brain a chance to
receive the message that you have eaten and cause you to feel full sooner.
• Don’t skip meals. Eating three square
meals a day will keep your metabolism
working and help prevent overeating
when hungry.
• Stay physically active. We need to burn the calories that we consume each day.
Get in 30 to 60 minutes of movement
that gets the heart rate up; three to four times a week is a good goal.
• Drink plenty of water. It will help flush
out the body consistently.
—Kathleen Kellenbeck |
Live well and live your life!
by Reeger Cortell
This spring the Southern Oregon Bariatric Center (SOBC) sponsored a lecture by Leslie Jester, a nurse practitioner specializing in bariatrics who personally had a gastric bypass 15 years ago. Leslie’s lecture at the Smullin Health Education Center was part education and part behavior therapy counseling for successful weight maintenance after bariatric surgery. Here are some of Leslie’s pearls of wisdom:
• What’s your “250”?
Most people have an extra food that they regularly eat. It can be a treat, a stress reliever, or a comfort food. This extra food generally equals about 250 calories, however, which can add up to 10 pounds of gained weight over a single year. Therefore, know your 250—and recognize that these calories do add up. To avoid weight regain, seek ways to reduce the quantity and the frequency of these unneeded calories.
• Don’t bring the enemy home.
Many people have a food that is irresistible, and once they start eating it they can’t stop. If this is the case for you, recognize this food as your “Kryptonite,” as Leslie called it—food that saps you of your strength to resist—and do
not bring that food into your house.
• There is no bad food—it’s just how you eat it.
Your job after bariatric surgery, however, is to eat protein first, then
vegetables, then starch. If you succeed at that, it can be okay to have your “guilty pleasure” food—just make sure it is in small quantities and only infrequently.
Calendar of Events
Upcoming bariatric symposiums:
Medford • 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, October 16
Thursday, November 20
Thursday, December 18
Thursday, January 15
Grants Pass • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, October 4
Saturday, November 1
Saturday, December 6
Saturday, January 10
For more information call 1-877-404-SOBC
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