Gastric bypass and other weight loss surgeries are not easily available to everyone who needs them. In fact, there are some people who have such extreme weight that they are too big for the surgery. Surgeons recommend that these people lose weight and give them a strict diet before proceeding with the actual surgery. Some people reach the point where they must be hospitalized due to weight and its complications.
The procedure known as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the type of weight loss surgery used the most. One of the criteria for this surgery is having a BMI of 40. The requirement for lap band surgery can drop down to 35, depending upon any other health issues the patient might have. The ultimate limit on how high the patient’s BMI can be depends on upon each individual, each surgeon and the type of surgery involved.
Those who have a high BMI that precludes conventional surgery have an option which requires two surgical procedures. The first procedure is known as a sleeve gastrectomy. Later on, a second surgery changes the first into the traditional gastric bypass. The entire process is often called a “banana surgery” since the stomach resembles that shape once the surgery is over. It is a viable option for those who are too obese to simply go straight to the gastric bypass.
Avoid the Fads
There are more than thirty-four million people in the United States today that could be categorized as obese. Twenty million of these people are on some sort of weight loss diet or program at one point during the year. The thing about most diets is that they are not maintained. There is an average of eight diet books in the average American home that go pretty much unread. These same homes have a number of different kinds of weight loss pills and dietary aids in bathroom cabinets or kitchen cabinets, mostly long forgotten. It’s even likely that there is some exercise equipment somewhere, stored away or only approached to dust it off now and again.
Fads are a common part of the weight loss experience, but they just don’t work. Worse still, they may actually be dangerous. Back in the 1980s, there was a diet that promoted an all-liquid protein menu. In the end, it was found that this diet was not sustainable and hazardous to the health. Today’s liquid protein diets are better, but they are not intended to be a permanent solution to weight gain. Rather, they are a way to get started on the route to healthier eating habits. A quarter of the people who use an all-liquid protein diet on a long-term basis develop gall stones. The ultra-low calorie count of liquid protein diets may also slow the metabolism, which makes it that much more difficult to lose weight and keep extra weight off.
The Significance of Metabolism
In essence, metabolism is how fast your body assimilates the food that you eat. There are those who have a fast metabolism. This is that person everyone else envies because they eat virtually whatever they like without gaining a single pound. Then, there are those people who merely seem to look at food and start packing on the pounds. Sometimes it isn’t only what you eat that contributes to your weight, or even how much you eat – it’s largely a function of your metabolism. Luckily, metabolism isn’t set in stone. You can train your body to metabolize food faster with healthy low-calorie diets.
The process of digestion is a fairly complex subject. Your body gives you a certain signal when it is hungry and you need to eat to replenish your supply of nutrients. Once you have enough food, your hunger should go away. Unfortunately, this mechanism does not work perfectly in everyone. The eating process can also have psychological and emotional aspects as well. It is not uncommon for people to eat due to some kind of emotional hunger. As complex as digestion is, the human mind is far more complicated and there are many reasons why people do not eat enough or eat too much. These things can all contribute to changes in metabolism – sometimes even permanent changes.
When you feed your body fewer calories, it starts to draw on the body’s reserve energy, which is stored as fat. That’s the basic principle behind weight loss through diet. If you do this too much, however, the body will go into starvation mode and keep every bit of food you eat. This is a slowed metabolism, which leads to weight gain, even if you are eating less. It is almost impossible to starve yourself to a more svelte you. In the end, you will only lose a few pounds and stay there, at best.
Someone who carries a lot of weight does not have an endless reserve of energy. It is not viewed that way by the body, at least. It will keep the weight on if it feels that you are being starved. The right nutrition is just as important as the right amount of calories. A balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins are all necessary, along with the required vitamins and minerals, to create a good weight loss strategy.
The Central Role of Protein
Both before and after weight loss surgery, protein will play an important part. One of the primary benefits of protein is that it contributes to the feeling of being full, so you have to eat less to feel sated. A snack made of carbohydrates and proteins can go a long way toward preventing overeating when dinnertime comes along. Protein even helps post-surgery recovery, rebuilding your strength so that you can get back to your regular life (or your new life) as quickly as possible.
Using Protein Supplements
All weight loss surgery will result in a diminished capacity for eating. Every bite that you take will be very important because your meals will be tiny. A piece of candy or some cake will fill you up, but that will be wasted calories and none of the nutrients you need to keep healthy. You will have to eat only small portions of the best possible foods and it will be difficult to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. This is why supplements are going to be so important.
Protein bars are too big for the post-surgery stomach, which means you will need a smaller, more concentrated dose, like the kind found in Profect, from Protica. Profect is what is known as a liquid protein shot. It is less than three ounces and only 100 calories, but contains 25 grams of protein with no added carbohydrates of fats. Profect is more than protein, however. It also has a number of vitamins, including a full day’s worth of vitamin C and 10{15aeb35eec840799df247626cfa6821cb9499241e90aba7a245c8546144fd8f4} of the vitamin B complex that you will need for the day.
Profect is also available in several delicious flavors such as: Cool Melon Splash, Blue Raspberry Swirl, Ruby Melon Twist, Fresh Citrus Berry and Fuzzy Peach Nectar