Our Bariatric & General Surgery Blog
It’s a Journey Not a Destination
By Collin E.M. Brathwaite, MD, FACS, FASMBS
These are wise words that we often hear in our lives, and we should take heed. The journey for weight loss is not what we “get to”. It is about taking a lifetime to travel through and maintain a healthy weight.
Bariatric Surgeons often talk to their patients about measurable and attainable number goals. We measure abdominal girths, calculate BMI’s and discuss excess weight percentages. I find this to be a bit misleading for the patient. I think it is better to look at the weight loss after bariatric surgery, regardless of which procedure, as a continuum of care, rather than a finite number patients need to attain.
How To Make Healthy Habits Stick
By Barbara Brathwaite, RN, MSN
The most important thing to remember in trying to maintain healthy habits is that you must allow your health and well being to come before anything else. All the other things will follow.
- Assess your readiness— Motivation must come from within with a heartfelt desire to change.
- Plan realistic SMALL changes— Major changes can seem overwhelming. Instead, start small.
- Believe in yourself —confidence in your ability to change is essential.
- Track behavior— monitor your behaviors – studies show people who use a food diary are more effective in making changes.
- Sleep— adequate sleep is so important in trying to make changes. Lack of sleep can lead to poor decisions and irritability, which can affect your attempts to change. Remember: anxiety and irritability can contribute to emotional eating.
- Manage stress— stressful situations can detour the best of healthy intentions. To be successful we need to find ways to cope, we need to set aside time to relax, and we need to let go or delegate some responsibilities.
- Surround yourself with support— family and friends and support group participants encourage and reinforce positive changes.
- Bounce back— Old habits can be ingrained and occasional lapses will occur. We are not perfect. It’s important to get back on track with another small step forward and carry on.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) & Obesity
By Raymond G. Lau, MD & Antonia Pinckney, CDE, RD, RN
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that is observed in women who have obesity. One symptom of this disease is increased hair growth in abnormal areas. Women may find growth in areas such as the face or chest. Another common symptom may include irregular periods with possible infertility. If you have either of these symptoms, you may possibly have polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Surviving Setbacks After Bariatric Surgery
By Barbara Brathwaite, RN, MSN
All or nothing thinking: “I am a total success in my meal plan or a total failure.”
Black or white thinking: “I ate those cookies so I may as well forget healthy eating.”
Do it perfectly or not at all thinking: “I am either perfect or a total failure.”
All or nothing thinking, and black and white thinking, and perfectionist thinking can get us into trouble. They will sabotage any plan for change. There are gray areas! If we slip up, we can forgive ourselves and get back up.
Food Safety Facts
By Elizabeth Schledorn RN, MSN, CNOR, CBN, CHHC
After weight loss surgery, making conscious decisions about what types of foods you ingest is very important. The best way to accomplish this is to cook your own meals at home. Home-cooking allows you to control exactly what ingredients are going into the meals you ingest. This enables you to meet your post-WLS nutritional requirements while keeping questionable, and even harmful, additives and chemicals out of your body. The process of home-cooking is not without its own risks, though. If you are a novice home cook, or even a more experienced cook, it is vital to keep food safety practices in mind to keep your nutritious, bariatric-friendly meals from making you sick to your (smaller) stomach.
Eating What You Want Within Reason
By Michele Lubin, MS, RD, CDN
Think back to the time you were preparing for your weight loss surgery. What were your expectations? You must have heard from your doctor, nurse, dietitian, therapist or other patients that “this is only a tool…..you need to follow the healthy lifestyle guidelines to be successful.” Although patients may hear this, that concept may be interpreted to mean: “I can eat the same foods I was eating before surgery, but in much smaller amounts and still be successful; I can eat what I want within reason and in moderation.”
Slow Thyroid – Separating Truth from Myth
by Patricia D. Cherasard PA-C, MBA
Chief Bariatric Surgical Physician Assistant
Winthrop Surgical Associates, PC
You’ve been diagnosed with a Slow or Underactive Thyroid (aka hypothyroidism). What does that mean? It means your thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormones. Low Thyroid hormone levels can make you feel tired and weak. Untreated it can cause lasting effects to your whole body. Slow thyroid comes with many generalized symptoms that are often mistaken for other conditions such as aging and menopause. It typically affects middle-aged more than younger adults and women more than men.
Exercise Outside of the Gym
By Elizabeth Schledorn RN, MSN, CNOR, CBN, CHHC
While some of us have visions of walking into the gym in perfectly coordinated athletic gear, killing it in cardio class and weight training like a boss, others of us don’t remember how to drive to our gyms, forgot the membership card is on our keychain, and only recall a gym interior of a gym from Jersey Shore. And the truth is, that’s all fair.
Working out in the gym is not for everyone. Fortunately, getting great exercise does not rely on formal gym attendance, expensive personal trainers, or any expensive group trend in exercise. Let’s explore some options as to how you can get the exercise you need by taking the “G” our of “GTL.”
5 Reasons Women Should Train with Weights
Many women come to the office with frustrations of not accomplishing successful weight loss goals through their daily exercise regimen. They understand that the key to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is by maintaining a lifestyle of healthy food choices and exercise. In reviewing their diet and exercise regimen often times a lack of proper resistance training workout is usually the root cause of disappointment. The main excuse given is the lack of time after completing a cardiovascular/areobic session to focus on weights. The truth is that there are two factors attributing to the disinterest in weight training. The first is intimidation of the weights and the second is the lack of benefits behind a weight training routine.
Here are the five reasons why women should train with weights :
The Bariatric Kitchen Makeover
Smart Substitutions that Satisfy!!
by Antonia Pinckney, RD, CDE, RN
The New Year is a time for many new beginnings. Why not start the season anew by “making over” your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer ?
You’ve heard the guidelines before – protein, calorie free beverages, lots of fruits and veggies, and whole grains. Now it’s time to apply these principles to your home environment, and do an honest assessment of your “local” food supply.
