Book Review: When Food Is Your Frenemy by Jacob Bustos

The wonderful part of traveling to many different healthy-related conferences is you get to meet so many great people. One such person is Jacob Bustos. Like me, he is committed to helping people change their lives and live as their healthiest selves. He does this by sharing his personal story and the insights he has gained through his own weight loss journey.

When Food is Your Frenemy is an authentic and heartfelt book. Jacob shares his own personal story in an honest and forthright way of how he chose bariatric surgery and practices portion control to take back his health and put back the joy in his life. Not only does he tell his story but he also offers sage advice regarding the realities and challenges of weight loss surgery and reclaiming your life.

Some of his sage advice includes:

 

Mindset Matters.

He believes you have to have the mindset to be willing to embrace change. One of the ways you embrace change is by setting “SMART” goals. He also makes the point that positive thinking will yield better results.

 

Choose Your Path.

Jacob points out that no matter how grim a person’s health situation may be, you always have options. It is your choice what path you choose. The key is in sticking to it.

 

Moving Forward Requires Forgiving Yourself and Learning to Love Yourself.

As Jacob states in chapter 7, “ In order for your mind to move forward, you have to forgive yourself.” As he points out, the biggest change that happens when you lose significant weight is inside. In fact he goes on to say, “…I had to learn to love again. Not to love just anyone, but to love myself!” He makes it clear that in order to truly move forward you have to address your self-esteem and work at being “at home” with yourself.

 

Get Back Cooking in the Kitchen.

In order to control our food environment we have to change the way we eat. The best way to do that is to get back cooking in the kitchen. It is how we can control what we eat as well as how much we serve up.

 

Portion Control Matters.

He makes it clear in chapter 9 that “In order for you to be successful in your weight loss endeavor, portion control will be absolutely crucial to your victory.” He believes to lose weight and keep it off you need to think about eating only 1000 calories a day. The best way to manage your limited calories is to eat several small meals throughout the day to prevent your body from going into starvation mode. Perhaps the most important point he makes in this section is that “You should also use small plates when enjoying a meal—since it will look like more food than you think.” Jacob has served up more than one meal on our Just Right Set® bariatric when competing as a chef at the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLSFA) Bariatric Chopped event during their annual conference.

It is clear that Jacob cares and has shared his personal story to help people with their own weight loss and health journey. His book is filled with information and advice to help guide those looking for answers and insight. He even offers up a few of his own recipes. If you are one of those looking for someone who understands and can help you along your journey, Jacob and his book, When Food Is Your Frenemy, is a good place to start.

Are you looking for some more bariatric-friendly recipes to serve up right-sized?

Download Our Free
Just Right Set^® Bariatric eCookbook

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Change Your World View

 I read this thought provoking reflection on how we can find hope, particularly when grappling with our issues with food. Mostly I find we are provided information on what we need to do but not how to get there. It is obvious what we are doing "wrong" but how do we figure out how to change patterns and stick to the path we want for a healthier life? Mark David is a talented professional who concentrates on the psychology of eating. He is one of the few who is helping us to get in touch with what we are doing and also helping us to understand not only the "why" of what we are doing but also "how" we might make the changes we need to in order to arrive at the lifestyle we are seeking. I don't know the man, but I feel he really understands me! It is nearly impossible to find hope if you are stuck hitting your head against the same spot on the wall, over and over again. How to change by finding hope and seeing the possibilities of self enlightenment?

In reading the thoughts below, I see how I need to approach my life and my habits with honesty and "fresh eyes". I have to search for the beliefs I am holding on to that are limiting me and my ability to have hope. I am excited about stretching and finding the flexibility I need. Read on for your own understanding:

Change Your Worldview- One of the first steps to finding hope with whatever eating concern, or health issue you might face, is to notice where your worldview needs to change. We get locked into apathy and despair the moment we believe in an unfriendly universe that either doesn’t care, or at worst: is out to get us. It’s easy to think that we’re truly alone in our suffering, and that no one could possibly understand what we’re going through. To find hope, at some point, we have to see the world through fresh eyes. We have to notice the kinds of limiting beliefs that keep us locked into a cycle of pain and frustration. Changing one’s worldview isn’t easy. We get locked into strong beliefs about how we see life. Republicans stay staunchly Republican, Democrats stay locked into their Democrat-ness, and it’s easy to assume that our religion, our way of eating, and our philosophy of living is clearly the right one. Yet, one of the greatest acts of transformation that a human can do is to change to a better and more efficient way of seeing the world. Rigidity is death. Flexibility is life. If you need proof of this, simply compare dead bodies to living ones. So, if you’re ready to stretch a bit, then you’re ready to find the hope that you want and the solution that you need.

See more at: http://psychologyofeating.com/hope-eating-challenge/#sthash.P9BOBI4N.dpuf

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Portion Distortion- The Real Danger of Eating Out of The Bag

Bag of Potato Chips

I have so many bad habits. Some are harder to change than others. It is really about being mindless to what we are doing, a zombie-like state. I have had way too many repetitive, mindless moments. I came across a great article that reminded me NEVER to eat out of a bag. Pre-portioning is definitely the way to go before eating. You can do the whole bag at once in Ziplocs or count out the serving on to a plate before taking even one bite of your snack. Eating a piece of fruit before divvying up servings of a snack also helps me from going crazy and snacking without counting! No way around it, I have to help myself become mindful in all ways related to food.

Here is the link to the article I found a great reminder and helpful...

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