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by Colleen M. Cook and Charles
Edwards, MD.
Published in Obesity Surgery,
September 1999.
EATING: Successful patients ate
three well-balanced meals and two snacks per day. Included 3 servings each of
protein, vegetables, one serving fruit, two servings bread/starches and two
servings sweets.
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.
VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS:
Successful patients took daily multiple vitamins, calcium (mainly Tums) and
iron if needed. 39% continued to take supplemental iron, such as Trinsicon or
Chromagen.
SLEEPING: Successful patients
slept 7 hours per night on the average. 76% rated their personal energy as
being average or high.
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.
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.
NOT SUCCESSFUL: In those
patients surveyed who were not classified as successful, an absence of at
least one or more of the six successful habits was found. The most common was
lack of exercise, poorly balanced meals, constant grazing and snacking, and
drinking carbonated beverages. In the entire number of patients surveyed,
including those who have gained back part of their weight, 97% of patients
viewed their gastric bypass as a success. The first postoperative year is a
critical time that MUST be dedicated to changing old behavior and forming new
lifelong habits. By identifying these six common habits of the most successful
long-term gastric bypass patients, the doctors established specific guidelines
for new patients to implement. (Received July 2, 1998)
Presented at Allied Health
Session, 15th Annual Meeting of ASBS,Orlando, June 22, 1998.
If you are interested in getting a copy of Colleen's book
"The Success Habits of Weight-loss Surgery Patients" just click here: www.bariatricsupportcenter.com |
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