Do you underhandedly believe you will always gain your weight back regardless of what type of food plan you are trying to follow? Your old habits/beliefs may hinder your current behavior and eliminate your continual success of weight loss. Even if this was true for you in the past it does not mean you can not change your future!
I have no will power! Does that statement sound familiar? Do you continually make that comment therefore use it as an excuse to overeat? Instead of assuming that you don’t have willpower revisit the thought of making choices. Sometimes we eat because we miss a particular taste or texture. Ask yourself why am I truly eating? What is missing? How do I feel? What do I need?
Have an additional question about causes of obesity and weight loss surgery? Then leave a comment below or send a confidential email to bariatric@clarian.org and I will be happy to respond!
A very important article for all post-operative patients and those individuals considering weight loss surgery. At Clarain Bariatrics our team of expert dieticians and Indianapolis bariatric surgeons will work closely with you to monitor your progress and ensure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients.
However, the most important part of this article is the last sentence:
"Don't skip checkups, where doctors monitor bone health, and aggressively treat nutrient deficiencies."
The few few paragraphs are below and full text of this
weight loss surgery related article from the
Associated Press can be found by clicking on the link.
It isn't just the thunder thighs that shrink after obesity surgery. Melting fat somehow thins bones, too.
Doctors don't yet know how likely patients' bones are to thin enough to break in the years after surgery. But one of the first attempts to tell suggests they might have twice the average person's risk, and be even more likely to break a hand or foot.
The Mayo Clinic's finding is surprising, and further research is under way to see if the link is real. But with bariatric surgery booming and even teenagers in their key bone-building years increasingly trying it, specialists say uncovering long-term side effects and how to counter them takes on new urgency.
Hey all, if you did not attend the cooking class on June 25 you missed a great time. Anessa introduced some great ideas and recipes to keep our summer on track. The crowd was great with more than 60 patients in attendance! Just one more way our team stands behind our you after surgery. I hope to see all of you at the next class later this year.
During the next few weeks, I will be posting the recipes Anessa developed for the class, (they all tasted so good). Remember the recipes can be tweaked to your tastes, experiment and ejoy.
Caramel Drizzle Protein Shake
Most of us will use a protein supplement for the first year after weight loss surgery. Therefore, we better find food we like! After the first year, most bariatric patients can get the protein needed through food. However, if you need a shake...use it!
8 ounces skim milk or 1% soy milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon sugar free instant pudding mix, butterscotch flavor
1 teaspoon sugar free caramel syrup (such as Starbucks sugar free caramel latte syrup)
A handful of ice
In a blender, combine all the ingredients, blending until smooth. Add more ice if desired.
Enjoy your cold and frothy shake!
We have received a lot of questions about how obesity can affect different races. I did some research and found that all human bodies, regardless of race/ethnicity, respond to surgery basically the same way. There are some perceptions that African-Americans have less desirable outcomes, but that may be more a matter of culture than race.
Regardless, there are some health issues related to obesity that do affect ethnic groups in different ways. The following article from
Weight Loss Surgery magazine highlights one such issue related to sleep disorders.
People who get too little sleep are at risk for obesity, and for blacks the risk is greater than for whites, New York researchers have found. Studying the connection between short sleep duration and obesity, researchers analyzed national data from 29,818 adults aged 18 to 85. The study found that 52 percent of blacks and 38 percent of whites were obese (body-mass index of 30 or higher). Rates of short sleep duration (five hours or less per night) were 12 percent for blacks and 8 percent for whites.The adjusted obesity/short sleep duration odds ratio was 1.78 for blacks and 1.43 for whites, which shows that blacks have a 35 percent greater risk of obesity associated with short sleep duration, the researchers said.
"Compared to white Americans, black Americans had a greater prevalence of short sleep and a greater prevalence of obesity. Both black and white Americans who were obese tended to have short sleep duration," study author Girardin Jean-Louis, an associate professor at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center at the Brooklyn Health Disparities Research Center, said in a news release.The findings suggest that short sleep time may be a contributor to the obesity crisis in the United States, Jean-Louis said. Previous research has found that people who sleep for less than seven hours a night are at increased risk for obesity. The study was to be presented Monday at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting, in Chicago.Do you have a question about causes of obesity, Indiana bariatric surgeons or the different types of weight loss surgery? Then join us at a FREE informational seminar. Information can be found by clicking on the image at the right of this page or by visiting this
Web site.
What do we do in those situations when “life happens?" The new bariatric lifestyle we have adopted becomes habit and part of our daily routine. When life happens and it throws a wrench in our new system how we react can be detrimental in our success. I recently experienced the loss of my grandfather along with the loss of my long time, four legged, furry companion of 15 years. For me that was the loss of two family members within a short period of each other. Can you say emotional wreck?
My initial thoughts are how do I numb this pain and make it disappear? Life happened and I have no desire to face it head on. I would simply prefer to dull the pain by indulging myself in a huge foot long chili cheese dog followed by a Reese’s peanut butter cup blizzard. Once I finished I would embrace the euphoric feeling of my sugar high laughing at the grim reaper screaming take that! Would I eventually crash from the euphoric feeling and be miserable? Yes… Would the pain still be there? Yes…
As a bariatric patient the above mentioned option would not be a wise choice for me. Life is going to happen and we need a backup plan. Personally, I know if I’m not careful emotional eating will undermine my weight loss surgery success. I’m taking this minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day. The day it happened I chose to take my son on a long bike ride, feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair and take deep breaths. The following evening I chose to continually keep myself busy by re arranging my bedroom, hanging curtains, dusting and vacuuming. Whenever I slowed down I physically had to take a step back, let myself cry, take a few deep breaths and start another task. Today my choice is to blog about my personal struggles with you! Tomorrow is a new day and I again will have to make a choice!
Do you find yourself struggling with life situations and emotional eating? When was the last time you attended support group? Please visit our website for any upcoming support groups or feel free to contact me confidentially and directly at bariatric.clarian.org or 317-275-7010/877275-2555.
This article from
Endocrine Today, highlights one of the ongoing discussions about how bariatric surgery has been proven to cure Type 2 diabetes. We've discussed this topic on the blog before and I would encourage anyone with the disease to talk with your physician about how weight loss surgery may help your condition. The first few paragraphs are below and full text can be found
here.
A surgeon argued today that the criteria for bariatric surgery should be changed, allowing more overweight people to undergo the procedure.
Even though there is a 92% reduction in diabetes-specific mortality risk after gastric bypass, only a small percentage of patients who could benefit are eligible to undergo the procedure, Francesco A. Rubino, MD, said. Those with a BMI greater than 40 are eligible for the procedure; those with a BMI greater than 35 are eligible only if comorbidities are present. “These criteria should change,” he said.
Rubino, chief of gastrointestinal metabolic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and head of the Diabetes Surgery Center at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College, also argued that the success of gastric bypass surgery “challenges the idea that diabetes is chronic and irreversible.”
The outcomes of the surgical procedure suggest an intestinal contribution to diabetes pathophysiology. Diabetes may be a “dysfunction of the bowel,” he said.
The following factors will be considered in determining if you are a candidate for bariatric surgery:
- You have tried to lose weight by changing your eating habits and exercise and are still severely obese.
- You are unable to perform routine daily activities without being seriously affected.
- You understand the procedure and the lifestyle changes you will need to make after bariatric surgery.
- You are motivated to make a lifelong behavioral commitment that includes well-balanced meals and physical exercise.
- You understand that this surgery won't solve all your problems, but can make you healthier -- and probably much happier.
Before patients undergo surgery for morbid obesity, they must qualify for our bariatrics program. Our basic program guidelines are:
- Being 100 pounds or more over your "ideal body weight," according to the established weight charts.
- Having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40 with no co-morbidities or greater than 35 with serious co-morbidities.
- Being able and willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes.
Learn more by attending a FREE informational session. Sessions are held at Clarian Bariatrics' Indianapolis location and include discussions with surgeons and weight loss specialists about the types of bariatric surgery - including Lap Band and Gastric Bypass - and the costs associated with surgery. Visit our
Web site for more information and for dates and times.
While I think this article raises some interesting points, it only skims the surface of what really constitutes a successful weight loss surgery outcome. Can the type of insurance a patient has be a pre-cursor to how successful they will be in a bariatric weight loss program? Maybe.
I think more telling is how willing they are to make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle. That is, how many support groups will they attend? Can they give up the unhealthy eating habits and focus on intake? Are they committed to a regular exercise routine? In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you have commercial insurance, a government funded plan or a self-pay option, if you have the will...there will be a way!
Click here to read the quick article.
If you are interested in learning more about causes of obesity and how you can have a successful surgery outcome, then join us at a FREE informational seminar. At the seminar you can hear from past patients and listen to Indianapolis Weight Loss Surgery Doctors talk about the process. Click on the image at the right of this page to view dates.
Be prepared for your family to ask questions about bariatric weight loss and be ready/willing to answer them. Know that you may not receive the reaction you thought might occur. Make sure you are ready for negative and positive comments.
Prepare yourself mentally for what may happen and have a plan of how you will handle those situations. The more prepared you are, the less anxiety you will feel which will help give you a sense of calmness. Understand that your family may need some time to let the information soak in. Remember that you didn’t make the decision to have surgery overnight. Give your family the opportunity to absorb the information, think about it and come back to you with questions.
Clarian Bariatrics is here to help you. Encourage a family member to attend a FREE informational weight loss seminar or support group with you. At the seminar they can learn about Indianapolis Bariatric Physicians, causes of obesity and the lifestyle changes that this life-altering procedure can bring. Visit our Web site at
www.ACallToChange.org for all upcoming event dates times and locations or click on the "Free Surgical Weight Loss Seminar" photo on the right side of this page.
It was much easier for our ancestors to burn calories all day long, because there weren’t as many sedentary activities back then. If you think about it, they didn’t have access to hundreds of TV channels or internet to keep them seated all evening long! Since these
things are readily available nowadays, it requires us to make an extra effort to burn calories throughout the day…especially if we are looking to lose weight! In addition to a structured exercise program, we can tap into some of the physical labor that our ancestors used to do while we continue to do our daily activities. Check out some of these ideas from the American Heart Association:
- Do housework yourself instead of hiring someone else to do it.
- Work in the garden or mow the grass. Using a riding mower doesn't count! Rake leaves, prune, dig and pick up trash.
- Go out for a short walk before breakfast, after dinner or both! Start with 5-10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes.
- Walk or bike to the corner store instead of driving.
- When walking, pick up the pace from leisurely to brisk. Choose a hilly route. When watching TV, sit up instead of lying on the sofa. Better yet, spend a few minutes pedaling on your stationary bicycle while watching TV. Throw away your video remote control. Instead of asking someone to bring you a drink, get up off the couch and get it yourself.
- Stand up while talking on the telephone.
- Walk the dog.
- Park farther away at the shopping mall and walk the extra distance. Wear your walking shoes and sneak in an extra lap or two around the mall.
- Stretch to reach items in high places and squat or bend to look at items at floor level.
- Keep exercise equipment repaired and use it!
Bariatric surgery is now accepted as the best and most effective treatment for morbid obesity. About 65 percent of all bariatric surgery patients are able to lose their excess weight and keep it off for more than five years.
When you consider that only approximately two percent of nonsurgical treatment patients are able to lose and keep off their weight for more than a year, you can appreciate these surgical results.
Health problems resolved or improved after surgery:
- 86 percent diabetes
- 70 percent high cholesterol
- 78 percent high blood pressure
- 84 percent sleep apnea
Expected weight loss (weight loss occurs for 18-24 months after surgery — mostly in first year):
- Lap-band surgery — 40-48 percent excess weight loss (national avg. = 47 percent)
- Gastric bypass surgery — 65-80 percent excess weight loss (national avg. = 62 percent)
- Duodenal switch — excess weight loss (national avg. = 70 percent)
Learn more about how weight loss surgery can change your life, by attending a FREE Indianapolis surgical weight loss seminar. Dates and times can be found by clicking on the image at the right of this page.
I thought this article from the
Sustainable Industries e-zine was full of practical tips that all of us can apply to help combat the growing waistlines of ourselves and our coworkers. These tips are not new to bariatric weight loss surgery patients who learn many of these tricks pre and post-operatively. The first few paragraphs are below and full text can be found by
clicking here.
No matter what popular diet books say, losing weight is about eating fewer calories. New research recently confirmed this simple formula without equivocation. So why do most successful dieters gain weight back? And is this conundrum related to our obesity epidemic? The answer isn’t simple but it’s fascinating, and businesses can play a bigger role than they may think.
If you’re reading this article, chances are your company has already adopted many socially responsible business practices. But has overfeeding your employees gotten any attention? Perhaps it’s time to think about some new patterns in creative ways. We’ve got a lot to gain, and perhaps even more to lose.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It doesn’t matter what time of the day, the rules don’t apply anymore. Just because it is breakfast time are we are supposed to consume “breakfast” type foods? What exactly does that mean?
Since my Indianapolis weight loss surgery, I find that it doesn’t matter what time of day it is but what I am consuming! My breakfast of champions may be my leftovers from dinner the night before.
The main focus is of nutrients for patients who have undergone morbid obesity surgery is protein! If your meal is full of protein the rules of eating it at a specific time of day no longer apply. There is nothing wrong with eating breakfast type food at dinner time or dinner type food at breakfast time. Be creative with your foods and try new things!
What types of foods are you consuming? Have any protein packed recipes you’d like to share?
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me confidentially and directly at bariatric@clarian.org or 317-275-7010/877-275-2555.
Following up on a post from Wednesday, below are the benefits of weight loss surgery discussed by Dr. Gonzalez in a recent news article in a medical journal. Cardiovascular BenefitsCompared to patients undergoing conventional dietary regimens, patients undergoing bariatric surgery have lower incidence rates of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and high blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Type 2 DiabetesThe first reports that weight loss through bariatric surgery improves type 2 diabetes were published in 1982. Improvement occurs in over 80 percent of patients, depending on the type of bariatric operation performed. An interesting phenomenon was described following gastric bypass surgery: diabetes disappears even before substantial weight loss is achieved. This triggered investigations regarding hormonal changes occurring following the intestinal disconnection, one of the most promising fields in the search for the cure of diabetes even in non-obese people.
Obstructive Sleep ApneaObesity is the single most important factor for developing obstructive sleep apnea, a disease characterized by limited oxygen supply and diminished pulmonary ventilation resulting in pulmonary hypertension and respiratory insufficiency. Bariatric surgery reduces the incidence of sleep apnea to less than one third before surgery.
Risk of Developing CancerObesity is responsible for at least 20 percent of cancer-related deaths in women and 14 percent in men, which represents over 90,000 people every year. A recently published study showed that patients undergoing weight loss surgery reduce the risk for developing cancer in up to 80 percent of the times. The benefits were greatest in breast cancer (85 percent) and colon cancer (75 percent). Others significantly reduced were pancreas, skin, uterus, and non-hodgkin lymphoma.
Overall Mortality and Quality of LifeObesity is second only to smoking as the most common preventable cause of death. It is estimated that life expectancy in obese patients is shortened between 10 and 20 years. Quality of life is also significantly affected. Resolution of obesity-associated diseases following bariatric surgery not only improves the quality of life, but also lengthens patients’ survival.
Join the staff at Clarian Bariatrics at a FREE informational seminar and find out how weight loss surgery can help improve your life. Visit our
Web site to view upcoming dates. We look forward to meeting you!
f you are wondering if bariatric surgery is right for you then attend this FREE surgical weight loss seminar. Attendees can meet Indianapolis bariatric surgeons and staff members as well as former patients and learn about the many benefits of weight loss surgery.
At Clarian Bariatrics we know it is important to have a strong support group, so please feel free to bring as many people as you would like.
This seminar will be held at our Indianapolis location: 6625 Network Way, Suite 100, Indianapolis. Please RSVP by visiting this
Web site. If you have additional questions, please call 317-275-7010 or toll free at 877-275-2555 or by e-mail at bariatric@clarian.org.
Many exercise professionals talk about doing one kind of exercise (like high intensity or low intensity) in order to lose the most weight or get the best body. Most of the time what they are claiming is true (although I’d have to check the sources!), because ALL kinds of exercise programs produce results…the results just differ.
High intensity exercise produces quick results and a lot of other benefits, but you run the risk of burning yourself out. And moderate-to-low intensity exercise produces relatively slower results and is able to be incorporated into daily activities which tend to help build a lasting program. In addition to that, walking is different than running, Yoga is different than Pilates, elliptical is different than StairMaster, etc.
It is really up to you to choose what kind of exercise programs you enjoy and produce the results that YOU are looking for.
Yes, I know this topic has been covered before, but this blog is just as much for post-surgical patients as it is for those in the Indianapolis, Indiana area that are interested in learning about weight loss surgery and bariatric surgeons.
If you are a new visitor to this blog looking for answers to bariatric weight loss, welcome! We are so glad you stopped by no matter where in the globe you live. I came across this article from Rodrigo Gonzalez, MD, and I think he sums it up best:
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing certain disorders, which either disappear or are better controlled with conventional treatments following weight loss. The number of people suffering from obesity has almost tripled during the last two decades. Since bariatric operations result in significant long-term weight loss, they are rapidly becoming among the most common procedures in North America. This escalating number of operations mirrors the epidemic of obesity seen in developed countries as well as the universal failure of non-operative treatments.
Want to learn more about Clarian Bariatrics? Then call us at 317-275-7010 or visit our
Web site to sign-up for a FREE informational seminar.
From their very first visit at
Clarian Bariatrics, all patients receive extensive education about the incidence of obesity, the presumed causes of the epidemic rise in obesity, the medical, psychological, social and economic consequences of obesity, and the keys to maintained successful weight loss. These educational sessions are conducted by physicians, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists and other experts.
The sessions are also attended by former patients who provide a personal perspective of their experience and describe the challenges they faced after weight loss. Attendees are also provided with a tour of the facility and are given numerous references for further research.
At about two weeks prior to surgery, patients attend a "preoperative visit," during which the major technical aspects of the operation are discussed, in addition to the required preparation at home, the details of the hospital stay and tips on how to optimize recovery at home.
The educational process continues through into the postoperative period. At each postoperative encounter, patients are seen by a physician and a nutritionist. These meetings are valuable opportunities for continued reinforcement of feeding and lifestyle guidelines. We adhere to the principle that all our efforts are essentially a form of behavior modification, and we understand that success is only gained through repetition and progressive cultivation and strengthening of our relationships with each individual patient.
Want to know more about how to be successful before AND after weight loss surgery? Come to
Clarian Bariatric’s Cooking Class! Learn about disease-fighting power-packed foods, and how to make them taste delicious. Come have a blast of an evening with us! Just sign up….IT’S FREE!
Where: Clarian Bariatrics
When: Thursday, June 25 at 6 p.m.
Why: To learn healthy cooking habits for you and your family
How: Just sign-up! Send an e-mail to Annessa at: achumble@clariannorth.com or call 317-275-6067, and leave a message with your name and reservation. Please contact Annessa with any questions!
