Most of us who have tried to lose weight using a diet and exercise know how frustrating it can be. You might have to give up some of your favorite foods, avoid sweets, forego sugary drinks and sodas (my personal vice), exercise...the list goes on. Personally I enjoy exercise, but it can be hard for many of us to make time in our busy lives to take a walk or go to the gym. Those of us who have family members who don't care one way or another about their weight have it particularly hard because the others insist on having the other stuff around the house, making it much easier for us to 'cheat'. My husband has the aversion to vegetables that most other men I know have and, since he's the one who pays the grocery bills, we have to consider cost over nutritional value when it comes to buying (most) food items. These things mainly apply to the 'overweight' or 'lesser-obese' of us-those with a Body Mass Index of 25-30 (overweight) or 30-39 (obese).
Unfortunately, things
are a bit more challenging for our friends with a BMI of over 40.
Some people find it so challenging, in fact, that they've considered
weight-loss surgery. This is a major decision, but some see it as
their only option. If this is something you've thought about, I'd
like to give you a bit of information.
As always, check with
your doctor before going on any weight-loss program. I'm not
qualified to give medical advice, just information.
First, let me describe
the different kinds of surgeries. Gastric bypass-the one most of us
think of when we hear the words 'weight-loss surgery'-consists of
reducing your stomach from its normal 'football' size to about the
size of an egg and attaching it to the lower part of the small
intestine, allowing the food to spend less time in your body and
absorb fewer calories. There are a few other types of 'reducing
surgeries', but gastric bypass is the most common. Once the stomach
heals, the patient is then put on a strict diet that runs in stages:
Stage 1-Liquid diet.
This usually consists of things like milk, broth, 'cream' soups.
Stage 2-Pureed
foods. Basically, it's solid foods such as fruits and vegetables
strained and mixed with a liquid until it resembles baby food. In
addition to this, you will be able to have yogurt, cottage cheese and
other soft foods as recommended by your doctor.
Stage 3-Soft
solids. This includes soft fruits or cooked vegetables, as well
as ground or finely-cut meats. Basically, if you can smash your food
with a fork, it fits.
Stage 4-Solids.
You can now have 'regular' foods as long as you can tolerate them.
Avoid things with a 'stringy' or 'fibrous' (celery, corn, broccoli,
cauliflower etc) or a 'crunchy' (granola, cereal, popcorn, dried
fruits, nuts etc) texture, as well as breads. This isn't to say that
you can never have these foods again so much as that it's possible
that they may irritate your still-healing stomach.
After Stage 4, you
should be able to have a more 'normal' diet. Each stage lasts about
four weeks, the exact duration depending on your individual tolerance
and doctor's instructions.
As for drinks, avoid
carbonated drinks. In other words, leave the Dr. Pepper at the store.
:( Hard, I know. But the good news is that you may eventually be able
to drink diet or sugar-free sodas, giving you relief from your Coke-
or Pepsi-withdrawal. :) That's good news, right? :)
(Continued)
