Gastric Bypass Patients Succeed Eating High Protein Diet
The first rule for successful weight loss and weight maintenance 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. Some bariatric centers advise as much as 70 grams of protein a day. The gastric bypass diet should be high-protein, low-carbohydrate and low-volume. This is what successful WLS patients will eat for the rest of their life if they wish to maintain weight loss after surgery.
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. Tofu is another remarkable good source of vegetable protein and there are many quality flavorful products on the market for making it easy to incorporate into the diet.
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.
WLS patients do not have the luxury of eating high-carbohydrate foods. They must eat lean protein or they will get sick, anemic, and weary. Weight loss will cease if patients 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 fact, many WLS patients report even smelling high fat foods, such a fried chicken, makes them nauseous. In addition, these high fat protein rich items are contributors to obesity, clogged arteries and heart disease. High fat foods should be avoided by anyone wishing to control their weight.
Kaye Bailey ? 2005 – All Rights Reserved
An award winning journalist and former newspaper editor Kaye Bailey brings expertise in writing and personal experience with gastric bypass surgery to EzineArticles.com. Having spent most of her life overweight Ms. Bailey is strongly empathetic toward the obese, particularly overweight children. This compassion compelled her to found the website livingafterwls.com, a fast-growing resource of information, understanding and support for the weight loss surgery community.
The LivingAfterWLS.com site is complimented with daily blog. The blog, http://livingafterwls.blogspot.com offers readers the chance to comment or leave feedback about fresh content added daily. This site contains success stories and recipes, general information and WLS inspired topics. Complementing the site is a monthly newsletter titled "You Have Arrived" available exclusively to people who subscribe through the website or the blog.
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Farewell To The Atkins Low Carb Diet
Atkins Nutritionals recently announced that they are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It seems that the "low carb craze" was nothing more than just a passing fad. Well my friends I have come to both praise and bury the Atkins Diet.
I first discovered low carb diets about 15 years ago — well before their recent popularity. My first introduction was by way of a book entitled "The Endocrine Control Diet." Like the Atkins Diet and other low carb diets for that matter, it was based on a severely restricted carbohydrate intake — less than 50 grams of carbs per day. You put your body into a state of ketosis and force it to burn fat instead of glucose.
I was amazed at how quickly I was able to drop weight on the diet. If memory serves correctly, I dropped 15 lbs in little over a week. Sure, a portion of it was water and muscle weight, but I also dropped quite a bit of body fat. I could tell it was fat because my waistline shrunk substantially.
The "Endocrine Control Diet" was strict about keeping carbs low and remaining in a state of ketosis until you reached your weight loss goal. This was tracked on a daily basis by peeing on Keto Strips to make sure you were still in ketosis. I stayed on the diet for about 2 months before reverting back to my former diet. The interesting thing was that I was able to keep my weight down for another 3 months before getting back up to where I was before the diet.
I should mention that during the diet that I was lifting weights and doing cardio exercise on a regular basis. I sincerely believe that this factor was vital in retaining lean muscle mass while dropping as much body fat as possible while on a calorie restricted, low carb diet.
In the intervening years I tried other low carb diets that were all variations on the same theme. The one constant for me was keeping up with my weight training and cardio exercise. Each and every time I was able to drop 15 – 20 lbs in as little as 3 weeks and keep it off for at least 3 months after stopping the diet.
The biggest problem I have with low carb diets is that I’m personally unable to stay on them for more that 3 months at a time. It’s just too damn hard! Let’s face it I like my carbs. Being of Italian extraction I was raised on pasta and bread. I also love Chinese cuisine with extra rice and have a fondness for potatoes. All of these foods are taboo on a low carb diet!
In the end, a low carb diet is not very realistic or very sociable for that matter. I’ve never been too worried about the health effects though. I’ve had my cholesterol checked both on and off the low carb diets and there have been no variation in the readings even when I’ve consumed extra fat during some of the diets. My total cholesterol has always hovered around 200, which could be lower, but is the cutoff for a normal level.
Now that I know the power of a low carb diet to quickly take off weight, it will always be part of my fitness arsenal. The real secret is to combine the diet, and any diet for that matter, with a program of regular exercise that includes both weight training and cardiovascular exercise.
I think the best approach is to cycle your diet plan like professional bodybuilders do. Target a period for when you want to be at your leanest like the summer months at the beach or a high school reunion or wedding and start a low carb diet about 2-3 months out. You’ll hit your peak right when you’re ready to go back to your normal eating habits and you can count on staying lean for several weeks afterward.
The real secret is to always stay within 10-15 lbs of your "fighting weight" and know that you can get there in a hurry with a low carb diet.
Rich Rojas
Elliptical Trainer Reviews and Fitness Ideas
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