Bariatric Diary: Happy New Year!

I for one have never been happier to start a new year. This past year has brought on lots of changes in my life. I come into 2011 with a renewed spirit and a new body to go with it.

The holidays are one of the many challenges you will come across as a bariatric patient. You have the fears of what you will eat, when you will eat it, and how your body will be affected. I am a big believer that the whole process of recovery is a mental game. I told myself going into the holidays that it was just going to be business as usual and that it wouldn’t be a big deal to watch everyone around me eating the normal foods and enjoying what might have been my favorite dishes from the past. I have to admit that those things didn’t bother me so much. The thing that did get under my skin a little was everyone being so darn concerned with my diet. I quit counting how many times people would ask what I could eat, if it was hard for me to pass up certain foods, or if there was anything special I needed for food options. I would have never thought my eating habits would affect so many people!!

So as I start this New Year, I have for the most part overcome any difficulties I once had from my surgery. If you remember, a few months ago I had to have a couple endoscopies to dilate my stomach due to a stricture. It’s a miracle, it worked!! My food options have expanded greatly and I am maintaining my weight without any major fluctuations. There are still foods that I cannot eat and others that I have psyched myself out from eating.

One thing I will mention that I have found to be the most challenging part of the surgery is shopping for clothes. One thing you take for granted many times when you are bigger is the options your smaller counterparts have when clothes shopping. Before, I would head straight to the big and tall section and pick from a limited supply of clothes in one of a handful of colors. Now, I actually have to shop through the entire store. Don’t get me wrong, I like having more options and more trendy clothing but who would have known shopping was such hard work. This probably isn’t an issue for all bariatric patients, but I have never been a big shopper. This is slowly changing with my new body and my shrinking closet.

Now the information you all want to know. I started off in January 2010 at 354 lbs. Based on being 6 foot tall I had a BMI of 48. I was wearing a size 50 waist in pants and 4x in shirts. As of today, I weigh in at 198 lbs with a BMI of 26.9. I am now wearing a 38 waist in pants and XL in shirts. So as you can see I have made a big transition in less than 8 months since surgery.

The journey continues…..

Rev Up Your Metabolism in 2011

Are you sick of being 10, 20 or more pounds overweight and ready for a change? Let’s rev up your metabolism in 2011 so you can look and more importantly, feel great! Many people want a quick fix and get caught up in all of the fad diets and temporary weight-loss eating programs, but the problem is they cannot maintain it and end up gaining weight back. One goal of starting a new eating program should be to get your metabolism burning and make lifestyle eating changes. It’s often not the easy way, but is a healthier form of weight loss that tends to outlast the fad diet results. It’s not rocket science! There are 3 easy ways to get the metabolism burning:

Eat Small Frequent Meals

Many people think skipping meals is the way to lose weight. Not true!!! Your metabolism actually raises each time you eat to digest the food you are eating. Thus, eating 6 times per day versus 3 times per day keeps the metabolizing up and running. Your goal should be to eat 3 small meals and 2-3 snacks per day. Each meal should contain nutrient rich foods to help you stay full and satiated throughout the day.

Eating frequently does take some time and effort. Just remember, if it was easy everybody would be doing it! So, in order to be successful, consider making your meals and snacks on the weekends so it does not cause extra work during the week. Grab some snack baggies and bag up nuts, whole grain crackers, turkey, raw veggies, etc so they are ready to grab. Make it a habit and it will get easier!

Pay Attention to What You Are Eating

Each meal should contain a serving of whole grain carbohydrate (granola bar, whole wheat crackers, 1 slice whole wheat bread) or fruit. Carbohydrate will give your body energy over the course of the day. However, eating carbohydrates along will spike your blood sugar and cause it to drop more drastically. So, pair your carbohydrate with a lean protein (2% cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, deli meat) or healthy fat (peanut butter, nuts, avocado, egg). Protein and fat slow down digestion, help prevent blood sugar from spiking and keep you feeling full longer.

Be sure to include non-starchy vegetables (starchy = corn, peas, potatoes, winter squash) in as many meals as possible. Veggies are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber! They will help you feel full for little calories.

Exercise

If you want your metabolism to rev up, you gotta get moving!!! Exercise not only speeds up metabolism, but also burns calories. Cardiovascular and strength training togetherburns calories and builds lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is more dense than fat and thus takes up less space. So the more muscle you have, the smaller and leaner you look! In addition, exercise has a variety of cardiovascular benefits from helping lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol to increasing good cholesterol and decreasing triglycerides.


The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60-90 minutes a day of moderate exercise, most days of the week, for weight loss. So if you are not moving at all, let’s get started! Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week to get your metabolism up and burning!













Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Registered Dietitian

If you have a question for the dietitian, visit www.texashealth.org/askamy