Why is fiber important?

• Fiber is a compound found only in plant foods.
• It helps foods pass through the digestive system smoothly, preventing constipation.
• It helps decrease cholesterol levels and promotes heart health.
• It helps control your blood sugar.
• It decreases the amount of time food stays in the digestive system, which can decrease your risk for colon cancer.

 How much fiber should I eat?

• Aim for 12 grams of fiber of every 1,000 calories that you eat daily.
• Drinking 73 to 100 ounces of liquids (at least 9 cups) daily from water or other calorie-free beverages is very important to help digest fiber.
• Increase the amount of fiber you are eating gradually to prevent uncomfortable gas and bloating.
• Try to include one fiber rich food in every meal.

 What foods are high in fiber?

High fiber foods are very filling.  You might find yourself eating smaller portions of these foods.  Remember to eat very slowly.  Please chew all foods, especially these high fiber foods, very well to prevent painful symptoms and serious complications.

Fiber supplements:  If you feel like you cannot eat enough food in a day to get enough fiber and you are still having irregular bowel movements, try these fiber supplements, available in most grocery stores and pharmacies.

• Fiber Choice Chewable (Sugar Free):  4 grams per tablet
• Metamucil Flavored Sugar Free Powdered Drink Mixes:  3 grams per serving
• Fibersure by Metamucil cooking and baking supplement:  3 grams per serving
• Benefiber (plus Calcium) chewable or powder:  3 grams per serving

You can add powders or drink mixes to a protein shake or skim milk.  Please follow the instructions on the label of the supplement you choose.

Negative Calorie Balance

Weight loss is primarily achieved through negative calorie balance.  Negative calorie balance refers to burning more calories than you eat in a day.  Your body can naturally burn roughly 1,000 calories per day but that number can be very different from person to person depending on height and gender, so do not assume that that is your own magic number.  The natural amount of calories your body burns just from being alive plus the number of calories you burn during exercise should be greater than the number of calories you eat per day.

If you are trying to lose weight, cutting the number of calories your body uses to maintain weight by 200 per day and exercising for 30 minutes on most days of the week is an excellent goal.  In general, gastric banding patients are told to eat no less than 1,000 calories, but please speak with your dietician to ensure that this is an adequate number for you.  If you are shorter or taller than average, this number is probably different.  Eating less than 1,000 calories per day will inhibit your body from being able to burn adequate calories for weight loss.

For our patients, remember that you will see the dietician at each of your appointments.  Should you have any questions about your calorie intake she will be able to assist you.

Why is protein so important?

• It forms the structure of cells such as hair, skin and nails.
• It keeps the body’s metabolism running at its best by regulating thousands of chemical reactions in the body.
• It helps give your body energy.
• It also helps your body fight infections by building up the immune system.
• It maintains and rebuilds lean body muscle mass.  Unlike fat cells, muscle cells are constantly burning calories.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you are burning all day long.

How much protein do I need with the Gastric Band or Gastric Bypass?

• In general, for both lap-band and bypass patients, women need 60 to 80 grams of protein per day while men need 70 to 90 grams per day.
• For bypass patients, getting enough protein is especially important because you are at higher risk for protein deficiencies.
• Foods such as meats are not only high in protein but also high in Vitamin B12, Iron, Folate and Copper.  These are vitamins and minerals that all weight loss surgery patients, especially bypass patients, are at risk for deficiencies.
• High protein levels can dehydrate you quickly.  Drink at least 73 to 100 ounces of fluid daily, mostly water.
• If you are weightlifting on a regular basis or have become an avid endurance athlete, you should aim for even higher levels of protein.  Talk to your dietician about a more specific protein goal for you.

What are some signs/symptoms of protein deficiency?

• Brittle, easily breakable hair; hair loss
• Brittle nails, unhealthy looking skin
• Delayed wound healing
• Low energy levels; muscle weakness
• Edema (water retention)
• Difficulty losing weight despite a positive change in eating habits and exercise

What foods are high in protein?

• Meats, fish and meat substitutes
• Dairy products
• Beans, nuts and seeds
• Protein supplements

Good morning everyone!  We are developing some new content for our blog and we want your input.  What are some things you would like to know more about in regards to weight loss surgery?  Share your thoughts and ideas with us.

At this month’s support group meeting our focus was on one thing – EXERCISE.  Why should we exercise?  How should we exercise?  What are the best ways to exercise?  How often and how long should we exercise for?  The questions are endless.  To help us get a grip on all things exercise we invited Monica O’Reilly, owner of Fit for Life Fitness Center, to help answer these questions.  Here is a breakdown of what we learned:

• In order to reach your goals you CANNOT continue with the same eating, the same exercise, and the same physical activity behaviors.  You must change these behaviors through self discipline. 
• Physical activity does not discriminate.  Adults of all ages, shapes and sizes will gain health and fitness benefits through physical activity.
• Sitting for prolonged periods of time hurts your body.  How?  It turns off most of the abdominal muscles, over-works the back muscles, over-stretches the spinal ligaments, stresses the back portion of the discs and shortens the psoas, calf and hamstring muscles.  If you have a desk job make sure you get up and stretch every 20 – 30 minutes.
• Sarcopenia is to blame for weight gain in the majority of adults.  Sarcopenia is the gradual decrease in muscle tissue that occurs with age and begins for most people around the age of thirty.  The average adult will lose 1% of musle each year after the age of 40.  Men and women who do NOT strength train will lose 5 – 7 pounds of muscle for each decade of adult life due to disuse atrophy. 
• Lean muscle loss = slower metabolism!  A slower metabolism leads to lower energy requirements for your body to function. Fewer calories are being used so more calories are being stored as fat.  Without a reduction in food intake (calories), this process results in 15 – 17 pounds more body fat for each decade of adult life.
• Keep your muscles!  To replace muscle and raise your metabolism, strength training must be done on a regular basis.  Research reveals that by adding just 3 pounds of muscle you can raise your resting metabolism by about 7 percent. 
• Muscle loss = fat gain.  How do we fix this?  Eat sensibly.  The average person should do cardio exercise at least 3-5 times a week for a period of 25-30 minutes.  Strength train at least 2-3 times a week non-consecutively.  Work the major muscle groups of the body which include the legs, hips, chest, back, abdomen, shoulders and arms.
• Kick off your exercise program gradually.  If you are new to exercise start off with a 10 minute exercise session then increase to 2o minutes and then to 30 minutes.  When strength training start off with 1 set of 8-15 repetitions per exercise.  Progress to 2 to 3 sets over time.
• Make healthy lifestyle changes.  Know your BMI and your waist measurment.  Be aware of how many calories you are consuming.  The more calories you eat the more exercise you have to do in order to burn those calories because what your body doesn’t use will get stored as fat.  Weigh yourself weekly and if you’re goal is to lose weight, aim to lose 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week.