Wednesday, October 24, 2012

What to Expect After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Most patients recover after gastric bypass surgery without complications. Typically, those who undergo the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, which involves stapling of the stomach and bypassing the first part of the small intestines, have a hospital stay of two to four days. Other gastric bypass procedures may have shorter or longer recovery times.

Aside from common risks associated with surgeries like infection, after gastric bypass surgery, patients must be more sensitive to their nutritional intake. Since the surgery bypasses a portion of the small intestine responsible for much of the body's nutrient absorption, patients may face problems like lack of iron (anemia), lack of calcium leading to osteoporosis, lack of vitamin B12 and more. With nutritional counseling and supplements, these effects can be lessened greatly.

After gastric bypass surgery, there is also the possibility that the patient may experience "dumping syndrome," an unpleasant reaction caused by food high in simple carbohydrates that involves abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, weakness, and sweating after eating.

As the stomach is extremely sensitive for several weeks after gastric bypass surgery, initially patients subsist on a liquid or semi-liquid diet. Afterwards, solid food will make the patient feel full very quickly as the new stomach pouch usually only holds a tablespoon of food. The pouch will eventually expand and the patient will be expected to eat several small meals throughout the day. In addition, the stomach probably will not be able to handle both solid food and liquid at the same time intake of fluid and food will have to be separated by at least 30 minutes. Consumption of high-fat foods, alcohol, and sugar will not be tolerated by the digestive system after gastric bypass surgery and will make you feel ill. Exercise in the form of walking should begin immediately following the hospital stay but more strenuous exercise should be gradually introduced 6-8 weeks after surgery.

Excess weight loss will begin immediately after gastric bypass surgery and typically continues for 18-24 months after surgery at which point many patients have lost between 50% and 100% of their excess weight. This depends, however, on their commitment to follow the dietary and lifestyle guidelines outlined by their physician and dietary counselor. Remember the surgery is not a solution in itself and results will depend on the patient's commitment to eat properly and exercise.

The no-diet approach to weight control

weightloss-planning.blogspot.com - The no-diet approach to weight control by adopting sensible eating habits and practicing portion control, you can eat nutritious foods so that you take in as many calories as you need to maintain your health and well-being at your ideal weight. Often, weight loss occurs on its own simply when you start making better food choices, such as avoiding

  • processed foods,
  • sugar-laden foods,
  • white bread and pasta (substitute whole-grain varieties instead),
  • foods with a high percentage of calories from fat,
  • and alcoholic drinks.

While nothing is absolutely forbidden, when you do succumb to temptation, keep the portion size small and add a bit more exercise to your daily workout.

By replacing some unwise food choices with healthy ones, you'll be cutting back on calories. If you add some moderate physical activity, you have the perfect weight-loss plan without the need for special or inconvenient (and often expensive) diet plans.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

How fast should you expect to lose weight?

One of the most frequent questions arise when we follow a weight loss program is how fast we can expect lose weight. To clarify I put this simple article.

Most experts agree that a safe, healthy rate of weight loss is one to 1 ½ pounds per week. Modification of eating habits along with regular exercise is the most effective way to lose weight over the long term. It is also the ideal way to ensure that the weight stays off.

Starvation diets may result in rapid weight loss, but this weight loss is almost impossible to maintain for most people. When food intake is severely restricted (below approximately 1,200 calories per day), the body begins to adapt to this state of poor nutrition by reducing its metabolic rate, potentially making it even more difficult to lose weight. It is also possible to experience hunger pangs, bouts of hypoglycemia, headaches, and mood changes from overly stringent dieting. These symptoms can result in binge eating and weight gain.

Since a highly restrictive diet is almost impossible to maintain for a long time, people who attempt to starve themselves thin often start to gain weight again when they stop dieting.

Keep the spirit to lose weight, coming soon the article about  The no-diet approach to weight control. See you ... : D

How do you lose weight?

As I tell in previous article about intoduction to weight loss, now let us learn about how do you lose weight?

The most effective method for weight loss is reducing the number of calories you consume while increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. To lose 1 pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3,500 calories. You can achieve this either by cutting back on your food intake, by increasing physical activity, or ideally, by doing both.

For example, if you consume 500 extra calories per day for one week without changing your activity level, you will gain 1 pound in weight (seven days multiplied by 500 calories equals 3,500 calories, or the number of calories resulting in a 1-pound weight gain). Likewise, if you eat 500 fewer calories each day for a week or burn 500 calories per day through exercise for one week, you will lose 1 pound.

Examples of calorie content of some popular foods and beverages include the following:

  • one slice of original-style crust pepperoni pizza - 230 calories
  • one glass of dry white wine - 160 calories
  • one can of cola - 150 calories
  • one quarter-pound hamburger with cheese - 500 calories
  • one jumbo banana nut muffin - 580 calories

Any activities you do throughout the day are added to your BMR (basal metabolic rate) to determine the total number of calories you burn each day. For example, a 170-pound person who spends 45 minutes walking briskly will burn about 300 calories. The same time spent on housecleaning burns about 200 calories, and mowing the lawn for 45 minutes consumes around 275 calories.

In next article, we will learn about How fast should you expect to lose weight? Stay on Weight Loss Planning.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Introduction to Weight Loss

Weight Loss - A reduction of the total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon and other connective tissue. It can occur unintentionally due to an underlying disease or can arise from a conscious effort to improve an actual or perceived overweight or obese state.

Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the following simple guidelines and putting them into practice can lead to weight loss without the aid of any special diet plans, books, or medications.

Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our day. Energy is measured in calories. If your weight remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories that you burn each day. If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.

Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon

  • our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions
  • and our level of physical activity.

For some people, due to genetic (inherited) factors or other conditions, the resting metabolic rate (BMR) can be slightly higher or lower than average. Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- the more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. A 100-pound person requires less energy (food) to maintain body weight than a person who weighs 200 pounds.

Lifestyle and work habits partially determine how many calories we need each day. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labor will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job). For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.

As a rough estimate, an average woman 31-50 years of age who leads a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1,800 calories per day to maintain a normal weight. A man of the same age requires about 2,200 calories. Participating in a moderate level of physical activity (exercising three to five days per week) requires about 200 additional calories per day.

That just introduction to weight loss planning, in next article I will show how do you lose weight?