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Weight Loss Surgery – One of the Tools to Change Your Life

The diet plan industry would like you to believe that losing weight can be so easy if you just take this pill or try that diet. Although we all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch, we want to believe them.

There is no magic pill or easy button when it comes to weight loss. To date, the most effective solution is weight loss surgery. It won’t be easy and you’ll need lots of support along the way.

In a good bariatric program with a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, patient support begins before your operation, from the time you begin learning about bariatric surgery and deciding which procedure is right for you.

Your Bariatric Surgery Options

Although there are several types of bariatric surgery, the most common procedures are gastric banding (lap band), gastric bypass and gastric sleeve.

Lap Band – The advantage of adjustable gastric band is that it is adjustable. The band can be adjusted or filled to ensure that you’re satisfied with 2 or 3 meals a day, eating small portions.

Gastric Bypass – The primary advantage of gastric bypass is losing weight rapidly, facilitated by both a smaller stomach and rerouted intestine. Not only will you eat less, but the food you do eat will pass through your body quickly.

Gastric Sleeve – The main advantage of the gastric sleeve is that it limits the amount of food you can eat with natural digestion process because the digestive tract is not altered.

Surgery is the tool to jumpstart your weight loss process. However, bariatric surgery is just one part of your weight-loss program. If you are considering surgery, you should look for the following in your bariatric surgery team:

A fellowship-trained, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Center of Excellence surgeon.

A clinical nutritionist to work with you on your eating habits and help you develop a healthy eating plan. For long term success, learning to cook health nutritious food is essential. If your nutritionist doesn’t provide this training, there are an abundance of tips and recipes for bariatric surgery friendly cooking online.

A behavioral health professional to talk about your weight-loss goals, provide clear expectations, and help you handle the emotional obstacles that could derail you weight-loss success.

Medical specialists and other healthcare professionals, including cardiologists, pulmonologists, and endocrinologists.

A pre-surgical evaluation, including lab work, electrocardiograms (EKG’s), and stress testing.

Experienced and knowledgeable staff for assistance with insurance forms and other paperwork.

Ongoing support and encouragement from gastric bypass, gastric sleeve and lap band patients who understand your challenges.

Follow-up care, including lifetime monitoring.

Your program should be designed to teach you to address and overcome the causes of your obesity. Combining the proper techniques, lifestyle changes and exercise will help you lose the excess weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Use all the tools at your disposal to support your commitment to changing your lifestyle for the better, especially support from family, friends and your surgical team

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A Quick Look at Some of Today’s Most Effective Diets

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.

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Weight Loss Surgery: Preventing the Health Risks

If you have been watching your weight go up and you are worried about the rising pounds, you may be wondering whether weight loss surgery really works. Is it possible to prevent future weight gain by putting yourself on a well-known weight loss surgical operation?Today, weight loss surgeries are gradually gaining recognition when it comes to losing weight. Many health experts contend that people who are excessively overweight or has slower metabolism would normally require some surgical operations.Surgery at PresentThe greatest progress in the care of the surgical patient has taken place since the beginning of the present century. An increasing knowledge of disease and disorder as a result of research has permitted the development of many diagnostic aids. Some of these depend upon roentgenograms, laboratory procedures such as chemical, bacteriologic, and pathologic determinations, as well as monitoring devices and computer aids. Hence, the result is that the diagnosis of disease and disorder is made with more exactness and certainty than was possible from the simple clinical examinations of previous days. That is why people who wish to undergo weight loss surgery should no longer be afraid of the procedure because high clinical standards are now being implemented in every surgical operation.The Concept of Weight Loss SurgeryHealth experts contend that weight loss surgery is a “major surgery.” One of the most common reasons why people would like to lose weight is to enhance their physical attributes. However, it should not be the underlying motivation that they should undergo the process of weight loss surgery. What people do not know is that weight loss surgery is especially generated to help obese people live longer, healthier, and better.That is why it is important for an individual to meticulously analyze his or her situation, do some research about the process, and analyze if weight loss surgery is the ultimate choice for his or her physiological condition.Moreover, it is important to gather further information about weight loss surgery by consulting an experienced and knowledgeable bariatric surgeon or even just an expert family physician who knows the ins and outs of weight loss surgery.In addition, the patient should also consult the other health experts such as the psychiatrist and dietician with regards to some psychological advices on long-term goals after the operation.Generally, patients who have undergone weight loss surgery are said to be successful if they were able to lose 50% or more of their extra body weight and will be able to maintain that condition for the next five years or so. However, the results of the operation may still vary depending on the clinical information of the patient and the skills of the bariatric surgeon.Normally, the patient will be able to lose at least 30% to a maximum of 50% during the first six months after surgery; and within the year after the operation, the patient has the potential of losing weight up to a maximum of 77%.Best of all, people who were able to loss weight through surgical operations can actually maintain a continuous weight loss of up to 50% to 60% in the next 10 to 14 years after surgery.Factors to ConsiderAs with the other weight loss management programs, there are many factors to consider before the patient should decide to undergo weight loss surgery. Consequently, the actual weight that will be lost is reliant on the weight before surgery, surgical procedure, patient’s age, capability to exercise, total health condition of the patient, dogged determination to maintain the necessary follow-up nurture, and the enthusiasm to succeed with the help of their family, friends, and their colleagues.If you have just put on a few extra pounds and want to avoid gaining more, these weight loss surgeries for better health may seem convincing. But, in addition to being convinced, you may also have to take some action to ensure that your weight does not creep upward.Therefore, it can be concluded that losing weight is not just a question of deciding to be strong-willed and determined or upbeat and positive. Lifestyle changes are where it is at for long-term success with your weight especially after weight loss surgery.

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