There's more to gastric bypass than surgery and rapid massive
weight loss. Patients who undergo weight loss surgery (WLS) sign-up for a
lifetime of rigid behaviors to guarantee their long-term success.
Just
imagine: If you knew what those behaviors were, could you lose the
weight and keep it off without surgery? Take a look at the four rules
WLS patients live by:
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. Animal products are the most nutrient rich source of
protein and include fish, poultry and meat. Dairy protein, including
eggs, is another excellent source of protein. Nuts and legumes are also
good sources of protein, but sometimes difficult for the bariatric
patient to consume.
Science is proving that a protein rich diet
will prompt weight loss and increase energy. The body contains over
fifty-thousand different active proteins all made out of the same
building blocks: amino acids. Amino acids are made of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen and nitrogen as well as sulfur, phosphorus and iron. Many
diseases - including obesity - indicate an amino acid deficiency.
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. Dumping or
vomiting may also result if patients do not eat lean protein for the
first half of every meal.
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. In
addition, these high fat protein rich items are contributors to obesity
and should be avoided by anyone wishing to control their weight.
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. In fact, water plays a critical
role in every system of the human body. Water regulates body
temperature, removes wastes, carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells,
cushions the joints, prevents constipation, flushes toxins from the
kidneys and liver and dissolves vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
for the body's use.
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.
Snacking
is the worst possible thing a WLS patient can do. 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, they fail to move forward to the healthy life that
surgery makes possible. They feel like failures when the WLS does not
result in weight loss.
The nature of gastric bypass surgery gives
patients an edge on beating the snacking habit. 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 WLS patients understand
that snacking is bariatric purgatory. When they begin to snack weight
loss will cease and weight gain will certainly result. 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.
