Reality check:  you can never, ever, use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight.  At your goal weight or not, you still have to live with yourself and deal with your problems.  You will still have the same husband, the same job, the same kids, and the same life.  Losing weight is not a cure for life. ~ Phillip C. McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, 2003

The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books – how not to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook. ~ Andy Rooney

Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners. ~ William Shakespeare

If I had been around when Rubens was painting, I would have been revered as a fabulous model.  Kate Moss?  Well, she would have been the paintbrush. ~ Dawn French

I’ve been on a constant diet for the last two decades.  I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds.  By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet. ~ Erma Bombeck

I followed the same diet for 20 years, eliminating starches, living on salads, lean meat, and small portions. ~ Gene Tierney

If you have formed the habit of checking on every new diet that comes along, you will find that, mercifully, they all blur together, leaving you with only one definite piece of information:  french-fried potatoes are out. ~ Jean Kerr

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four.  Unless there are three other people. ~ Orson Welles

Never eat more than you can lift. ~ Miss Piggy

Types of Gastric Bypass Surgery 

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB or RNY): The most common gastric bypass surgery performed in the U.S. First, a small stomach pouch will be created by stapling part of the stomach together or by vertical banding. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the duodenum as well as the first portion of the jejunum. This causes reduced nutrient absorption. This procedure can now be done with a laparoscope for some people. It involves using 5 small incisions to perform the procedure instead of a long vertical incision, and generally has a faster recovery time. 

Extensive gastric bypass (biliopancreatic diversion): This is the most complicated gastric bypass operation. A portion of the stomach is removed. The remaining portion of the stomach is connected to the lower portion of the small intestine.

Due to gastric bypass surgery offering both a malabsorptive and restrictive elements, the result is more weight loss than restrictive operations, which only decreases food intake. People who have bypass surgery generally lose two-thirds of their excess weight in the first couple of years. 

People Who Have Gastric Bypass Surgery are at Risk For: 

1. Leakage of stomach contents into the abdomen
2. Pouch stretching – the pouch gets bigger over time
3. Band erosion – lap-band begins to disintegrate
4. Nutritional deficiencies – can usually be prevented with proper follow up care and supplementation 

Gastric bypass surgery may also cause “dumping syndrome.” In this case, stomach contents move too rapidly through the small intestine. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, bloating, sweating, rapid heartbeat, faintness, and, occasionally, diarrhea after eating.  

Complications Due to Nutritional Deficiencies 

The bodies limited absorption of vitamin B-12 and iron can cause anemia. The lack of calcium absorption can cause osteoporosis.

Let’s focus on what we have control over. You can prevent, and treat nutritional deficiencies by taking your bariatric vitamins religiously, and eating food basics such as vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. Take the time to find bariatric supplements that are free from fillers. The more invasive your surgery the more complications can result. Make sure you are doing everything you can to ensure a speedy recovery by taking supplements and adhering strictly to your new diet.

Two Effective Ways to Combat Obesity with Weight Loss Surgery

Gastric Bypass 

This surgical process makes the stomach smaller and also allows food to bypass part of the small intestine.  Smaller stomach size makes it much easier for bariatric patients to feel full on less food.  In turn, patients eat less and absorb fewer calories and-voila!-gradual weight loss occurs. Thousands upon thousands of people have found their new selves via the gastric bypass procedure.  Those who have had healthy success have all relied on bariatric vitamins to supplement their somewhat limited diet.  A gastric bypass specific vitamin is necessary for optimal bodily healing and function.

Lap – Band

Lap-Band, or gastric banding surgery is another type of weight loss surgery that alters the capacity of your stomach to help reduce food intake.  It utilizes a silicone collar or band that encircles and tightens the upper part of the stomach.  The lap band is even adjustable, which allows for more or less restriction as you necessitate it! As with gastric bypass surgery, the diet portion of post-surgery life requires you to pay careful attention to quantity and quality of your food.  Food alone will most likely not provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals for the body.  A nutritional supplement is an excellent idea after undergoing Lap-Band surgery.

Find Quality Tested and Proven Bariatric Vitamins 

As you may have noticed in the descriptions of these two procedures, taking a bariatric vitamin is necessary for proper health.  These specialty vitamins are made to be easily absorbed in the restricted digestive tract.

Stick to the good stuff–i.e. the specialty stuff.  Don’t mess with vitamins that are designed for use by the general public.  Some doctors will recommend a general multi-vitamin– some have even recommended children’s chewables! Unfortunately, these usually contain fillers, dyes, and unnecessary sweeteners.  These fillers actually make a vitamin less effective, and your labs will suffer.  They contribute to malabsorption by giving your digestive system unnecessary matter to work with, preventing proper absorption. In combination with a well designed and healthy diet, a nutritional supplement can help you reap all the benefits from these cutting edge procedures.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by Kathy Stevens

Yes!  You can exercise before and after Gastric Bypass Surgery – learn why & how to do it safely.

Asking a severely obese person (more than 100 pounds overweight) to exercise can be like suggesting a spicy meal to someone with a stomachache.  Obesity takes a toll on almost every system in the body from your heart and blood vessels to your organs, bones and joints.  This often leads to a vicious cycle of sedentary behavior; the less you move the more you gain …the more you gain the less you feel like moving. When you spend years being inactive you lose important physical abilities and muscle properties that allow you to stay active for life. More and more people are turning to gastric bypass surgery as a solution when traditional diet and exercise are not working. This medical intervention can offer a fresh, new start but won’t be the full solution unless coupled with a healthier lifestyle, including proper nutritional and exercise habits. ->>>READ MORE

Gastric Bypass Perfect Protein: Take Along Egg Breakfast

Considering the protein needs of a bariatric gastric bypass patient, the egg may well be the perfect food. An egg contains the highest quality of food protein known, each Grade A large egg contains 6 grams of protein. It is so nearly perfect that egg protein is the standard by which other protein is measured. The egg is second, only to mother’s milk, for human nutrition…Eggs can become a bit tedious in the after-WLS diet. Here is a great new way to fix the ubiquitous hard cooked eggs. This take along dish can be enjoyed with whole wheat crackers or a toasted whole wheat English muffin. This mixture is also satisfying served on it its own. ->>>READ MORE

Weight-loss procedure starts before surgery

March 10, 2010 

By DENISE M. BARAN-UNLAND For Sun-Times Media

On March 1, Holly Caponi came home from work, ate her dinner and went straight to bed, too hungry to stay awake any longer.

Caponi, 25, of Crest Hill, is having laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery next week, but preparations for the procedure begin two weeks in advance with a special diet to stimulate weight loss and shrink her liver (it’s larger when it digests carbohydrates).

Daily food is limited to two protein powder shakes, four ounces of protein — Caponi chose chicken — a half cup of nonstarchy vegetables and 64 ounces of water. The extra water replaces the hydration patients miss when not consuming fruits and vegetables.

“This makes it easier for the doctors to go in and perform the surgery,” said Susan Murray, registered dietitian at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet. ->>>READ MORE