What can I Learn from Stomach Bypass Surgery without the surgery?
Since my insurance won’t cover stomach bypass surgery in my state (I’d have to go to NY – one state over from me), I figured it might be useful to research as much about it as I can in order to decide whether or not to go out of state for the surgery.
One thing to keep in mind – stomach bypass surgery is ONLY a tool to get you started on a life long journey to wellness, it is not fool proof, not everyone succeeds, and it is pretty drastic. Though I will admit if I could have it done in my state, I’d be scheduling the surgery day as soon as possible.
Any way I found this article very interesting.
The Four Secret Rules of Gastric Bypass Surgery:
Rule 1: Protein First:
The first rule for living after Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is Protein First – that means eating protein for three daily meals, and protein must be 50 percent of food intake. Weight loss surgery patients don’t have a choice, they must eat lean protein or they will get sick, anemic, and weary. Weight loss will cease if they eat processed carbohydrates instead of lean protein. The distinction must be made between high fat proteins and lean proteins. A gastric bypass patient cannot tolerate high fat proteins such as bacon, fatty beef or sausage products or greasy fried chicken: these foods cause nausea and vomiting.
Rule 2: Drink lots of water
Dieters are often told – drink water. Drink a minimum of 64 ounces a day – eight glasses a day. Gastric-bypass patients don’t have a choice: they must drink lots water. Other beverages including coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks and alcohol are forbidden. Water is the essential fluid for living. Water is one of the most important nutrients the body needs to stay healthy, vibrant and energetic. A tell-tell sign of a gastric bypass patient is the ever-present water bottle.
The human body is a magnificent vessel full of water. The brain is more than 75 percent water and 80 percent of blood is water.
Nutritionists say a precise measure of the body’s need for water is to divide body weight (pounds) in half and drink that many ounces every day. That number could well exceed 200 ounces a day for morbidly obese people actively engaged in weight loss.
The body will panic if actual water intake is significantly less than required. Blood cannot flow, waste processes are disrupted and the electrolytes become imbalanced. Proper hydration prevents inflammation, promotes osmosis and moistens lung surfaces for gas diffusion. It helps the body regulate temperature, irrigate the cells and organs and promotes all functions of elimination. Certainly by drinking plenty of water many people could resolve inflammation and elimination problems that result from insufficient water intake. Adequate water facilitates weight loss.
Rule 3: No Snacking
Gastric bypass patients are instructed to avoid snacking. No exceptions.
If patients snack they cease to lose weight and could possibly regain weight. In addition gastric bypass snackers risk severe swings in blood sugar levels and glucose overdose.
When a patient eats three protein-rich meals a day the body’s fuel requirements are met and satiation results. Hunger does not occur if water is sipped throughout the day. If a patient is taking vitamins they will not be nutritionally wanting. Given that, patients who snack are doing so out of the very habit that contributed to obesity.
If a dieter must snack they must be mindful of their choices. Fruits, vegetables and lean proteins will contributed to wellness and weight loss. Processed carbohydrate convenience foods fail to meet nutritional needs or facilitate weight loss and should be avoided.
Successful weight loss patients – those who maintain their weight loss years after surgery – do NOT snack. The same is true for all successful dieters regardless of the means by which they initially lost weight.
Rule 4: Exercise
The final rule, the one WLS despise the most, patients must exercise every day. Nothing is more disappointing than hearing a gastric bypass patient brag that they didn’t have to exercise to lose weight. It’s true; patients will lose weight without lifting a finger. But patients who do not use the time of rapid weight loss to incorporate exercise into their lifestyle are doing themselves a grave disservice.
Obesity cripples the body. Bone tissues are compromised, joints are swollen, the vascular system is inadequate and the skeleton overburdened. As weight is lost, the burden on the bones, joints and vascular system is decreased. However, the body is a magnificent machine. Given proper nutrition and physical motion it will rebuild its broken framework. The systems can become strong and vital.
The most effective way to heal the body from the ravages of obesity is to exercise. Exercise means moving the body: walking, stretching, bending, inhaling and exhaling. Exercise is the most effective, most enjoyable, most beneficial gift one can bestow on themselves in the recovery from life threatening, crippling morbid obesity. People who successfully maintain their weight exercise daily.
Conclusion: Successful weight loss surgery patients will tell you these are the four rules they live by, that the gastric bypass is only a tool to facilitate mindful behavior for better health. They will confirm that weight control, even with surgery, takes a lifetime of diligent attention to their bodies and behavior. They will assure you it isn’t easy, but the results are worth the effort.
My Conclusion - Even with stomach bypass surgery, weight loss and being healthy takes a commitment for a lifetime, I’d have to still exercise, I’d still have to give up all my favorite foods — SO I think I will continue what I’m doing (eating healthy), try very hard to drink more water, once all my heart tests are done and the doctor OKs exercise I guess I’ll have to do some — but I still refuse to sweat and jump around (I’ll probably get a new stationary bike and sit in front of the air conditioner). It may take me longer to lose weight — but what every one needs is a hobby, this will be mine.
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Currently Diet Pulpit is rarely updated. Lady Rose is now blogging at Blissful Moon, where she is staying healthy and continuing to have adventures, please stop by and visit.
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