lost and found in retirement
Spring has finally arrived. It’s been a hard winter in Ohio with near record snow. Now that Daylight Savings Time is in effect, evenings are longer allowing more time for enjoying the outdoors. It’s definitely time to get off of your couch for some outdoor activities. On St. Patrick’s Day I enjoyed my first trail ride of the year on the popular Ohio & Erie…
In my earlier post, I answered the most frequent question I get from new cyclists, “Is it OK to buy a bike at Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Target?” I answered that question with quite a few “It depends… and if…” qualifications. With our budgets tight, we often look to these big box retailers as a way to stretch our dollars.
Let me start with a quick primer on fills and restriction for my non-Lapband readers. A gastric band is placed near the top of the stomach and adjusted by adding (fills) or subtracting (unfills) fluid. An optimal fluid level provides good restriction allowing food to pass slower through the stomach creating a feeling of fullness and decreasing hunger. The right restriction allows the patient to maintain…
Here I sit somewhere between middle and senior age. For the past three years I have worked hard to change my life and become that “new“ Tom. I’ve been on a pretty amazing journey of self discovery since I lost weight. As an overweight person, I felt that losing weight would somehow expose a different me. Looking back, I realize that it did indeed do…
You may have seen the recent announcement that the FDA approved lowering the BMI threshold to qualify for adjustable gastric banding, i.e. Lapband, surgery. Previously a person with one obesity-related medical condition such as diabetes needed to have a BMI of 35 or more. The new guidelines lower this to a BMI of 30 or more. For people with no obesity-related medical conditions, the threshold…
Pancakes are classic all American breakfast fare. That bad news is that they are carb laden and generally smothered in butter and maple syrup. This is not a good combination for weight loss surgery patients. As a Lapband patient, they are also way too heavy. I am always on the look-out for a low carb, high protein pancake recipe. Awhile back I posted this recipe for waffles I…
I am an avid cyclist and proponent of cycling for weight loss. Last year I cofounded the Spin Off Cyclists with other weight loss surgery patients. Our group combines bicycle rides and weight loss support. I answer many questions from prospective members as they ponder getting on a bike for the first time or after many years of inactivity. The most frequent question I answer…
This is the third post in my series on developing a wellness vision. In the first, I discussed brainstorming to uncover core behaviors to assure your wellness and finding areas of focus in those behaviors. In the next post, I covered refining the areas of focus into a wellness vision and creating goals to support it. Today’s post offers my top ten tips on keeping your…