I have a list of habits for successful life after weight loss surgery that I am trying to set in stone. It helps me every once and a while to go through the list and see how I’m doing:

Move:

1. Exercise 45 minutes 6 days a week – Yes!
2. Rotate between cardio, strength training, endurance, balance and flexibility– Yes!
3. Make it fun– Yes!
4. Set goals– Yes!

Eat:

1. Eat and drink the right way: slowly; split up calories across 3-6 small meals; stop when satisfied (stop when full first – it takes time to learn to stop when satisfied); chew thoroughly; no drinks with meals; 64 oz water minimum. Having some challenges here – keep slipping back into old habits. I don’t drink with my meals, I am getting in my water, and eat 3-6 meals BUT – I am often eating too quickly, not chewing enough and have noticed that I am eating “just one more bite” which are all danger signals. I’m going to make that my focus for the next little while and see if I can get back on track with that.
2. Be committed to eating lower fat and good carbs for the rest of your life (insert link to good carbs versus useless carbs – Yes!
3. Take all your vitamins and supplements EVERY DAY – Yes- for the most part – see below for more details
4. Get 100+ grams of protein a day (protein load in the mornings to reduce cravings/hunger) – Yes!
5. No mindless eating. If you didn’t plan it, don’t eat it. If you do, journal and track the Points – Slipping a bit here. Some mindless grazing in front of the computer. Need to remember the next rule
6. No grazing: stick to zero calorie liquids when sitting in front of your computer/reading or watching tv – No!
7. Keep homemade meals frozen for days/weeks when there “isn’t enough time” – Yes!

Live by your Plan:

Plan your work and then work your plan should apply to your life, too:

1. When and how you are going to move and get exercise into your life – Yes!
2. What and when you are going to eat – you need fuel to move – Yes!
3. How and when you will reward yourself – shouldn’t be based on food– Yes!

Think and journal:

1. What you’re eating – No! This is probably one if not THE most important and I’m just not doing it consistently.
2. What you’re doing – Ditto
3. How you feel – Ditto
4. Weight – weekly (okay – daily, but three times a day is not healthy!) – Yes!
5. Measurements –  monthly: chest, stomach, waist, hips, arms and thighs – Yes!
6. Your goals: short-term, near term and long-term – not just weight related goals – Yes!
7. Counter the negative self talk with positive self talk and reality checks – Yes!
8. Keep looking for new things to try so you don’t get bored with food or exercise – Yes!
9. Do not get complacent – keep setting new goals – the only limit to how far you can go is in your own head.– Yes!

Total Score: 17 out of a possible 23 – 74%. Well, I’m passing…but I need to ace this. Obviously, need to keep working. I’ll do this assessment again in a couple of months to see how I am doing.

I also posted a list of indicators for successful weight loss surgery from a study that followed WLS patients. I also like to check this periodically. It is less strict than my own list, but I think of my list as reaching for the stars and if I am doing everything on this list, then I’m at least going to make it to the moon. Here is how I am doing:

EXERCISING: Successful patients exercised regularly to maintain their weight.  Average was 4 x a week for at least 40 mins. Patients reported exercise as a key factor in their ability to maintain their weight.

How I’m doing: On average, I am exercising at least 4 times a week, for at least 40 minutes. I aim for 6-7 days a week at least 30 minutes a day. But this is an area that is easy for me to slide so I have to keep watching it.

EATING: Successful patients ate three small, well-balanced meals and two – three snacks per day. Included 3 servings each of protein, vegetables, one serving fruit, two servings bread/starches and two servings sweets.

How I’m doing: I eat 3 small meals and 1-3 snacks a day. I get in protein, vegetables and fruit. I have recently begun to add in some bread every other day and a sweet once a week. I am still losing, so I don’t plan to do more than that until I reach maintenance. Then I’ll need to experiment to see how much I need to eat and maintain.

DRINKING: Successful patients drank water and did not drink carbonated beverages. On the average, patients drank 40-64 oz of water per day, 74% do not drink alcoholic beverages, 55% do not drink juices or sweetened beverages.

How I’m doing: I have had about 3 sips of carbonated beverage, and about the same for juice,  in the last 10 months. I drink at least 40 ounces of water each day. I might have an ounce of alcohol about once a month.

VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS: Successful patients took daily multiple vitamins, calcium and iron if needed. 39% continued to take supplemental iron.

How I’m doing:Weekdays at work, I rock! I get in all my vitamins and supplements. Night time iron is getting better now that I have a bottle in the kitchen and a bottle next to my bed and a bottle in the bathroom. But still working on the weekends. More often than not, I forget the weekends. Maybe I need to put packets of them in the pockets of my weekend clothes? Hmm…

SLEEPING: Successful patients slept 7 hours per night on the average. 76% rated their personal energy as being average or high.

How I’m doing: On average I sleep 8 hours a night – sleep by 10 and awake by 6. I have some mild bi-polar issues and with the increase in energy am seeing a little bit of manic behavior which keeps me awake more at night. It has been interesting because it has been years since I saw the other end of that spectrum, it has typically been just the depression that I experienced.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: Successful patients took personal responsibility for staying in control. 69% weighed themselves at least weekly. General feeling that maintaining their weight was up to them, and surgery was only a tool they used to reach and maintain a healthy weight. By weighing often and allowing themselves only a few kilograms of leeway, patients stayed in control.

How I’m doing: I confess, I am maybe a little overboard on this: I weigh almost every day. I’m getting better – I was weighing more than once a day. My goal is to just weigh in on Tuesdays at Weight Watchers and once a week on the Wii Fit on the 26th of each month. I do feel that it is all up to me. The surgery WAS just a tool and I will use it, but I have to choose what to put in my mouth and how to move my body and live my life in a non-obese way.

I may not be getting to the stars yet, but I’m definitely going to make it to the moon!