Nicholson Clinic Blog

According to a study reported by BBC.co.uk you should be taking 100 steps each minute for half an hour a day if you want to achieve “moderate” exercise by walking.

Although health guidelines urge half an hour of moderate exercise five days a week there is often confusion as to what constitutes moderate exercise.

Read the BBC article here.

I recently came across a creative tool for tracking what you eat. It’s called Tweet What You Eat.

TweetWhatYouEat.com (TWYE) is a Twitter based food diary. You can use Twitter to track what you eat and your weight by tweeting food items to your personal food diary through Twitter.

• Setup your own Twitter food diary
• Track what you eat through your phone, IM or the web.
• Enter calories for the food items you know, search the database for those you don’t

Since you’re sending food diary entries as direct messages to TWYE it’s a completely private way of logging your eating habits. However, your TWYE food diary is publicly accessible through their website, so don’t use your real name if you are worried about your privacy.

To get started, follow the instructions on their signup page and you can find answers to frequently asked questions here.

If you’re already on Twitter, be sure and follow us, @NicholsonClinic. Not sure what Twitter is or how to use it? Leave your questions below and we’ll do our best to explain how it works.

No matter where you go to get your lap-band surgery, there are a standard set of diet guidelines that everyone should follow post-op. You should follow these standards for best results and to reduce your risk of complications. Everyone is different and may not progress at the same rate.

• Chew slowly and thoroughly – Each meal should take 15 to 20 minutes to eat. The stomach can hold only a small amount of food after surgery, and eventually it can hold more. If you eat large amounts of food, your band may need to be tightened.
• Pay close attention to early signs of fullness and stop eating. This may be discomfort at the breastbone. If ignored, vomiting or pain may follow. Over time, eating too much may stretch the stomach pouch. You do not need to feel full.
• Avoid concentrated sugars and fats. They can lead to slower weight loss. Avoid high calorie liquids and high fat foods that can melt in your mouth, such as milkshakes.
• Drink at least 75-100 oz of fluid per day to prevent dehydration and constipation. Take frequent sips. Drinking 1-1.5 cups per waking hour equals 12 cups a day. Remember not to eat and drink together at the same time and do not drink for 60 minutes after eating. Carry a water bottle.
• Carbonated drinks should not be used after Lap-Band surgery. They can cause gas and bloating.
• Limit coffee and caffeine drinks to one cup per day in the first few weeks. It can cause dehydration and can stimulate the bowel, causing cramps or diarrhea.
• Eat three small high-protein, low-fat meals and one or two snacks containing protein each day. Meals will be mostly soft proteins. After a few weeks, gradually add fruits (no skins), soft cooked vegetables, and firmer proteins. No citrus pulp.
• If you cannot tolerate dairy, try using Lactaid milk. You may also try Lactase or Dairy Ease.
• Introduce new foods slowly, one food at a time in order to rule out intolerance. If a food causes discomfort, wait before trying it again.
• Food reheated in the microwave may become tough and difficult to digest.
• Be consistent about taking your vitamins/minerals, and medications.

Those are some basic guidelines to follow post-op Lap-Band surgery. Stay tuned right here for more information about the progression of stages to follow as you learn to live in your new healthy lifestyle.

Thanks to RD411.com for the guidelines.

We all know that it is unhealthy to be overweight, but according to a new study from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, better diets, more exercise and controlling weight could also prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries.

The study involved 23 experts who analyzed both the incidence of 12 common cancers across the world and data on diet, exercise and weight to see how these factors contributed to kidney, mouth, lung, gallbladder and the other cancers.

The researchers found that healthier living would prevent 45 percent of bowel cancer and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States. The findings follow the same groups’ study in 2007 that showed how quickly people grow and what they eat are both significant causes of cancer.

They recommended that people follow diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats. Overall improving diet, exercise and weight would in the United States prevent more than a third of the 12 most common cancers — which also included stomach, womb (uterus), prostate, pancreas and esophagus tumors.

Read the article on Reuters or at AICR.org.

Gastric bypass and Lap-Band surgery are both proven tools to help you lose weight quickly, but many people don’t understand the difference between the two procedures. Gastric bypasses has been performed for many more years than Lap-Band surgery, but each procedure has specific characteristics. Each requires similar incisions and average recovery time, but they differ in these ways:

Lap-Band Surgery

• Average 36% excess weight loss in one year; average expected 60%-65% excess weight loss in 3-5 years
• Technically lower risk than gastric bypass
• No dumping syndrome discomfort
• Band may require multiple fills, at an additional cost, to be effective
• Typically day surgery

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

• Average expected 77% excess weight loss in 12-18 months
• Technically higher risk than Lap- Band
• Some dumping syndrome discomfortNo need for fills or adjustments
• Typically requires at least one night hospital stay

For more detailed information sign up for our free Weight Loss Surgery Information Seminar.

The internet is full of very useful (and free) tools to help you lose weight, stay accountable, track your progress, share with others, ask questions, find encouragement, and stay motivated.

Personal Journals and Support Sites

Skinnyr.com - Chart your weight progress. You can even share your progress on your blog or social network like myspace or facebook. And if you are shy about giving your real weight, Skinnyr can hide your true weight and just show the progress.

PEERtrainer.com - All the normal features of a weight loss website, except their focus is small groups that keep you accountable.

TheDailyPlate.com - You can track what you’re eating each day. They have a calorie calculator, a food journal, a fitness log, and a forum full of supportive people to help you achieve your goal.

SparkPeople.com - Personalized diet and fitness plan, calorie counter, exercise tracker, fitness demos, recipes, online support community, and more.

traineo.com - Focused on helping it’s users change their life to become healthy, fit, and happy. Track your activity, food, weight, and set a goal. A unique feature is the ability to choose friends and family to become your motivators who will receive reports with your progress.

Nutridiary.com - A free online food and exercise diary. Lots of charts and statistics on your progress and food consumption.

Food Database and Nutritional Information

CalorieKing.com - Calorie counter, recipes, resources, and a support community. The Food Database is especially interesting.

Exercise & Muscle Directory - Tons of information on how to work out specific muscle groups.

NutritionData.com - Lots of detailed information to help you lose weight. Food comparison, nutrient search tool, caloric ratio search, daily needs, calculator, and many other tools.

Weight loss surgery seems like an easy way to fix the problem of obesity. Consuming less calories than you burn is the only real way to lose weight, but what characteristics can make your weight loss surgery more successful? How can you know that this time it will work?

Let’s take a look at a list of common characteristics that will make your weight loss journey more likely to succeed.

1. A Commitment to Change - Start your journey with a strong commitment. Maybe you’ve tried all the diet gimicks, but with it’s time to commit to trying something new.

2. Change Your Lifestyle - You can’t achieve the goals you have set for yourself without addressing your way of life. A patient must change the way they eat, the amount of food they eat, and the time spent eating. You must also take on other aspects of a healthly lifestyle like exercise.

3. Change your Behavior - A successful person must change their behavior in relation to food. They must change how they view food as well as making themselves aware of the situations that they put themselves in.

Have you had gastric bypass surgery? Let us know what helped you to be successful by leaving a comment below.

If you’ve decided it’s time for change and are willing to alter your lifestyle, weight loss surgery could be the solution. Many bariatric surgery options are available, but not everyone is a candidate. As with any medical procedure it is important to get the facts before making a decision. If you answer yes to all of these questions, you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery:

• Are you between 18 and 60 years old?
• Do you have a BMI of 40 or greater?
• Do you have a BMI of 35 or over with other medical conditions present?
• Is your obesity non-endocrine related?
• Are you willing to make permanent lifestyle changes?
• Do you accept responsibility for long-term follow-up?

If you answered no to any of these, bariatric surgery might not be for you, but if you answered yes to all or most, the next step is learning more. The risk factors and success rates of each weight loss surgery are different. What may be a good option for one could be inappropriate for another.

Which option is right for you? Make an appointment with one of our physicians or sign up for the next seminar here in Dallas to learn more about gastric bypass, Lap-Band surgery and sleeve gastrectomy and other important facts before making this life-altering decision.

Let’s take a look at an animation of the Lap Band surgical procedure and how the Lap Band is adjusted once in place.