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Weight Loss Surgery: A Last Resort

One of the most common types of weight loss surgery is liposuction, a procedure that removes excess fat from the waistline. Thousands of people – mostly women – undergo liposuction surgery every year. For many, it appears to be a much easier alternative to diet and exercise. Yet recent studies show that removing abdominal fat with liposuction provides almost none of the health benefits of “normal” weight loss: lowered levels of blood sugar, insulin and inflammation-related biomarkers, not to mention increased cardiovascular fitness, improved muscle tone, stronger bones, etc.

Another little-known problem with liposuction weight loss surgery: over 40% of patients regain the weight they lose from the procedure. Why? Simply because they make no healthy lifestyle changes. Some even believe that they can exercise less and eat more now that they have fewer abdominal fat cells. Obviously this isn’t true and thousands of people find that out the hard way.

Other types of weight loss surgery are designed for the severely obese – generally those people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. These surgeries, which include gastric bypass and various “banding” and “stapling” procedures, have helped many formerly-obese people enjoy a higher-quality of life. However, all of these operations involve a considerable amount of risk.

Some of the risks associated with weight loss surgery include:

Death – According to the Mayo Clinic, about one in 200 to 300 people who has gastric bypass surgery dies from the procedure.

Post-surgery complications – Some weight loss surgery patients experience severe complications such as internal bleeding, infections, and blood clots. Others have to undergo follow-up procedures to correct complications such as abdominal hernias.

Gallstones – More than a third of patients develop gallstones as a result of losing large amounts of bodyweight following a weight loss surgery procedure.

Nutrient deficiencies – Some weight loss surgeries disrupt the digestion process. Without careful dietary supplementation this can lead to deficiencies in many important nutrients, especially vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium, and folate.

Anyone considering weight loss surgery needs to weigh the risks against the benefits. They also need to realize that these extreme procedures are not cosmetic. Most patients only end up losing about 30% of their bodyweight and remain overweight for life. Simply put, weight loss surgery alone will not make you thin and beautiful. Yes, if you are extremely overweight, it may provide tremendous health benefits. But if you’re just looking for a way to get thin without the “hassles” of healthy diet and regular exercise you better think again.

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How to manage Bland Diet

What is a bland diet? It is a diet specially set to treat certain gastrointestinal or stomach problems such as heartburns, ulcers and gas.

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An answer to a question, what is a bland diet, is that it is a simple treatment for people suffering from any one or more gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic gastritis, ulcer, esophagitis and dyspepsia.

Bland diet is a dietary regimen for people suffering from stomach disorders. Hence, it is quite understood that ingredients of a bland diet are soft food items, which are easy to digest with a capacity to keep the acidity to low levels. Questions about diet may be asked to your physicians and he/she can suggest the diet or recommend a dietician to do it.

Diet medical questions may include the queries about the food stuffs to eat and food stuffs to avoid during the time while a person experien ces any gastrointestinal disorders. However, before a dietician could decide the bland diet for a person, he/she needs to seek answers to several medical questions related to the person such as any food allergies or irritations associated with any food items and emotions medical questions of people.

Bland Diet:

The diet prescribed as a bland diet will include food items that are easy to digest and low in fiber and acid contents. Even giving up alcohol and smoking is advised while patient is on bland diet. Also a patient is advised to have 4 to 6 light meals after regular interval to avoid heavy and large meals.

Chewing food properly and eating slowly helps in the digestion of the food. Adequate sleep, avoiding smoking and controlling anxiety are supportive treatments for the standard treatment of the problem.

Allowed Food Items:

• Dairy Products
Milk, cheese, yogurt with low-fats and other dairy products are easily digested and hence, can be included as a part of bland diet. However, there is no restriction on ice-creams and one may consume even ice creams during bland diet, but it should not have any product such as nuts that are not allowed in bland diet.

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh vegetables and fruits are allowed to a bland dieter. However, while carrot, squash, green peas are good to eat in a bland diet, broccoli, onions and green peeper should be avoided as it forms gas. In fruits, oranges, grapefruits, and bananas are allowed.

• Proteins
Protein requirement of the body, while on a bland diet should be met with soy products and meat. Fried chicken and greasy hamburgers are not allowed to be consumed, while grilled and baked chicken is allowed.
Low-fat peanut butter and eggs are also efficient to meet the body’s protein requirement in a bland diet.

• Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are contained in whole grain breads, pasta, oatmeal, corn flakes, white rice and sweet potatoes. All these food items are allowed.

Bland diet is designed for treating certain medical circumstances such as gastrointestinal problems. Hence, to answer what is a bland diet, we can say that this is a diet that aims at improving the digestion with the help of a timed-routine diet and soft to digest food items. Once the problem is controlled patients can return to their normal diet.

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Foods That Can Help You Shed Pounds

If you are trying to lose weight like so many Americans then you have very likely attempted a million various diet plans and extreme weight loss tips. Sometimes those things that work the best are just those smaller things that can help you lose weight by making only minimal dietary changes. Remember just a few simple foods can add up to big weight loss in the long run.

Anyone who is looking to shed weight should try and start off their day with eggs, preferably an omelet which has lots of veggies. It is important that this be something that you like however studies show that eating eggs in the morning will leave you feeling full for longer and that they can really help to keep your calorie count down.

Whole grain cereals make wonderful lunch and snack items. These cereals tend to be low calorie and low in sugar and if you are looking for a little sweetness or energy boost you can always add some banana or strawberries. Filling in with something that contains a lot of nutritional value and is low in calories can be a great way to stick to your diet when you’re hungry between meals.

Water is by far one of the most incredible things that could help you lose weight. Drinking water in place of other beverages each day can help to boost the function of your body and your skin tone in addition to help you shed the pounds by taking the calories out of what you’re drinking. Some like to add some low calorie flavoring to water however whenever possible drink regular bottled or tap water to help clean your system and keep away from carbonated water alternatives as carbonation is proven to work against a diet.

Fruits can be wonderful fillers when you happen to be looking to eat better. They provide your body with some natural sugar that works well to fill in between meals, to fill a sweet tooth craving, and they also work well to boost energy. Using in place of an energy drink, soft drink, or coffee, fruit can help you get that little extra push that you’re looking for towards the end of the work day and the good news is that it is going to give you a natural boost which will last a little longer then a caffeine boost without the ill effects.

With just a few simple changes in your diet you are going to probably find that you’re feeling better and looking better in no time. Small changes over time will work more effectively in helping you to shape up.

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