Gastric bypass is a form of weight-loss surgery done on a lot of Americans today. The reason is because more and more Americans are suffering from obesity and excessive weight problems. In some cases, a gastric bypass is the only way to make losing weight possible. For most of us, gastric bypass is merely an option. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery reports that there were more than 63,000 of such surgeries being done in the United States alone in the year 2002.
However, it is important to note that a Gastric Bypass is not the right surgery for everyone. Think carefully because a gastric bypass is a very important surgery. It is not the magical solution to your weight problems and you will need to do extensive research before you commit to it. We have to emphasize that Gastric Bypass has a very high rate of complications although the procedure may sound relatively simple and effortless. Most doctors who perform gastric bypass would advise the patient to undergo a low-calorie diet for at least 6 months before they go for gastric bypass surgery. Undergoing a gastric bypass surgery, you may have to bear with the consequence of a possible life-threatening complication as a result of the gastric bypass surgery. Your doctor would be in the best position to advice you on whether you’re right for gastric bypass. Emotional and physical issues may have to be taken into account because this is essential to your recovery after the gastric bypass surgery.
However, because of the many possible dangers of undergoing a gastric bypass surgery, the Bariatrics Society designed and launched a program called the mini gastric bypass surgery. The mini gastric bypass surgeries are the less extensive versions of the more commonly used gastric bypass surgery. The mini gastric bypass surgery actually reconfigures the stomach so that absorption of food is reduced irregardless of how much food that person consumed. A mini gastric bypass surgery also changes the way food is absorbed. The mini gastric bypass surgery takes a shorter time to perform and the recovery for the patient is quicker too. However, there aren’t that many researches and studies done on mini gastric bypass surgeries as opposed to a major gastric bypass surgeries, therefore, many insurance companies cover the major gastric bypass surgery but not the mini gastric bypass surgery!
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.obesity-solutions.net on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.obesity-solutions.net/ on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Environmental Factors Fuelling The Growth Of The Gastric Bypass
While it is often easy to see why one particular individual is putting on weight it is often less easy to understand why the average weight of the population of a country should be rising, especially when that rise is both rapid and sustained, as in the case of the United States and the United Kingdom.
There are of course numerous theories being put forward for the increase in the rate of obesity in the US and the UK over the past twenty-five years but, whatever the reason, most observers agree that the following factors all play a part:
Insufficient activity. Both in terms of employment and recreation people are far less active than they once were with far fewer people engaged in manual work and an increasing number of people choosing to pursue relatively sedentary recreational activities. It is also interesting to note that obese people tend to be less active but that this does not stem directly from their obesity. In general weight gain (or loss) does not affect an individual’s level of activity but a change in activity does produce a gain (or loss) in weight.
A reduction in the cost of food. The relative cost of food today is lower in the US and much of Europe than at any time in history and the majority of people in both the US and the UK are able to eat more or less as much food as they want.
The low cost of motoring. Two and even three car families are commonplace today and more and more people are taking to their cars even for the shortest of journeys in preference to using public transport or walking.
Changing work patterns. In addition to the lower activity in many forms of employment as more of us sit behind a desk or at a computer, it is also increasingly common for both partners to work rather than for one partner to look after the home and take care of cooking the meals. This, in turn, results in a rise in the number of people eating out at restaurants or buying take-out meals on the way home.
The rise in the popularity of fast food restaurants. The increasing popularity of fast food restaurants has given rise to intense competition which has, in turn, led to increased portion sizes. A regular order of fries at McDonalds used to be around 200 calories but today is up around 600 calories.
Increased food production. Although perhaps not quite such an obvious cause the fact that US now produces about three times as much food as the country needs also adds to the problem of obesity, principally by further reducing the cost of many staple food items to the food producers.
An ageing population. As we age our metabolism slows and we require fewer calories to meet our daily needs. Eating habits however do not generally recognize this fact and so obesity tends to become an increasing problem with age for an individual. However, where a population as whole is ageing, as is the case in the US and the UK, obesity also increases across that population.
One interesting and apparent anomaly in the environmental factors aiding the growth of obesity would seem to be the craze for dieting and exercise which has swept across both the US and the UK. In fact this is in itself also adding to the problem as studies have clearly shown that the vast majority of diets do not work and invariably people actually gain weight once they come off a diet. Dieting however becomes something of an obsession for many people and they diet almost as frequently as they change their underwear, creating a pattern of falling and rising weight which, over time, results in a gradual rise in weight.
The net result of the rise in obesity on both sides of the pond is a corresponding increase in the number of people abandoning the diet and exercise routine and opting for the gastric bypass as the solution to their problem. While this is not an easy option it is certainly an effective one.
For more information on gastric bypass please visit GastricBypassFacts.info today.
Environmental Factors Fuelling The Growth Of The Gastric Bypass
There are of course numerous theories being put forward for the increase in the rate of obesity in the US and the UK over the past twenty-five years but, whatever the reason, most observers agree that the following factors all play a part:
Insufficient activity. Both in terms of employment and recreation people are far less active than they once were with far fewer people engaged in manual work and an increasing number of people choosing to pursue relatively sedentary recreational activities. It is also interesting to note that obese people tend to be less active but that this does not stem directly from their obesity. In general weight gain (or loss) does not affect an individual’s level of activity but a change in activity does produce a gain (or loss) in weight.
A reduction in the cost of food. The relative cost of food today is lower in the US and much of Europe than at any time in history and the majority of people in both the US and the UK are able to eat more or less as much food as they want.
The low cost of motoring. Two and even three car families are commonplace today and more and more people are taking to their cars even for the shortest of journeys in preference to using public transport or walking.
Changing work patterns. In addition to the lower activity in many forms of employment as more of us sit behind a desk or at a computer, it is also increasingly common for both partners to work rather than for one partner to look after the home and take care of cooking the meals. This, in turn, results in a rise in the number of people eating out at restaurants or buying take-out meals on the way home.
The rise in the popularity of fast food restaurants. The increasing popularity of fast food restaurants has given rise to intense competition which has, in turn, led to increased portion sizes. A regular order of fries at McDonalds used to be around 200 calories but today is up around 600 calories.
Increased food production. Although perhaps not quite such an obvious cause the fact that US now produces about three times as much food as the country needs also adds to the problem of obesity, principally by further reducing the cost of many staple food items to the food producers.
An ageing population. As we age our metabolism slows and we require fewer calories to meet our daily needs. Eating habits however do not generally recognize this fact and so obesity tends to become an increasing problem with age for an individual. However, where a population as whole is ageing, as is the case in the US and the UK, obesity also increases across that population.
One interesting and apparent anomaly in the environmental factors aiding the growth of obesity would seem to be the craze for dieting and exercise which has swept across both the US and the UK. In fact this is in itself also adding to the problem as studies have clearly shown that the vast majority of diets do not work and invariably people actually gain weight once they come off a diet. Dieting however becomes something of an obsession for many people and they diet almost as frequently as they change their underwear, creating a pattern of falling and rising weight which, over time, results in a gradual rise in weight.
The net result of the rise in obesity on both sides of the pond is a corresponding increase in the number of people abandoning the diet and exercise routine and opting for the gastric bypass as the solution to their problem. While this is not an easy option it is certainly an effective one.
For more information on gastric bypass please visit GastricBypassFacts.info today.
Environmental Factors Fuelling The Growth Of The Gastric Bypass
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
How the Dumping Syndrome Affects the Post Gastric Bypass Diet
Your surgeon will send you home with a special diet after your gastric bypass surgery. The diet will be specially formulated for three purposes – to give you all the nutrients your healing body needs, to help you lose weight quickly, and to avoid the uncomfortable symptoms of the “dumping syndrome.” At first you will be asked to follow a liquid diet, but you will gradually move to solid food as your operation heals.
If the wrong foods are eaten after gastric bypass, you may experience nausea, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea and a cold and clammy feeling. These symptoms can be particularly upsetting if they occur in public, so you must stick to the diet even when you eat out. The symptoms are so uncomfortable that few people have any trouble avoiding the wrong foods after the first encounter with the syndrome. In fact, the dumping syndrome may be one of the reasons why gastric bypass patients are able to lose weight in the first year so much faster than Lap-Band patients.
The symptoms of dumping syndrome will probably become less noticeable about a year after your surgery, but may never go away entirely. You should expect to make long-term changes to your diet.
The symptoms of dumping syndrome occur when foods with high sugar content are eaten, or when you drink liquids with your meal. Red meats can also cause the symptoms, as well as high fat foods. Sugar and liquids drunk during meals may cause the food you eat to exit the stomach too quickly, which will bring on nausea.
Your doctor will probably advise you to sip liquids and eat very slowly during your first months after a gastric bypass. A meal will now require 30 to 60 minutes, and once you’re on solid food you’ll be asked to chew each small morsel thoroughly.
Since protein is needed for you to heal properly after your surgery, you may be asked to take liquid protein supplements in place of one of your meals each day. Some protein supplements contain sugar, and these must be avoided because of the dumping syndrome. Your obesity center will give you a list of brands that you can safely drink.
Gastric bypass surgery affects the absorption of nutrients, so multivitamins will be recommended to supplement your diet. A supplement that contains folate, iron and B12 will probably be prescribed, and you may also be given a calcium supplement.
To avoid constipation, you must consume enough liquids throughout the day, but not within 30 minutes of a meal. Your nutritional advisor will give you a list of drinks to choose from. You will be asked to avoid carbonated soft drinks, which cause bloating, alcohol and sweetened fruit drinks. You will be sipping water, tea, low calorie (non-carbonated) beverages or skim milk throughout the day. High-calorie drinks that have been sweetened with sugar will bring on the uncomfortable symptoms of dumping syndrome, (and they certainly won’t help you lose weight).
Calcium and protein are both important nutrients after a gastric bypass surgery, but some post-surgical patients will notice a new intolerance to dairy products. If milk gives you gas, cramps or diarrhea, your doctor may suggest Lactaid or soy milk. During the first few weeks after surgery, while you are still on your liquid diet, you must avoid any yogurt that has been sweetened with sugar or which contains fruit chunks. The sugar would cause nausea or cramping, and in the first few weeks after surgery the fruit chunks could block the opening from the stomach into your intestinal tract.
You will need to follow the post-gastric bypass diet carefully in order to get all the nutrients your body needs, even while eating very small quantities of food. This is not an easy task, especially when so many foods will bring on the nausea and diarrhea or the dumping syndrome. To give yourself the very best chance of success after your surgery, you will want to follow the dietary recommendations carefully.
In fact, most centers will advise you to continue with nutritional and behavioral counseling indefinitely, because it helps you make these drastic changes to your lifestyle. Studies have shown that post-gastric bypass patients who receive ongoing support are the ones most likely to have a successful long-term outcome.
Learn more about the post gastric bypass diet, the costs of gastric bypass surgery, and possible complications, at www.1gastricbypass.com
How the Dumping Syndrome Affects the Post Gastric Bypass Diet
If the wrong foods are eaten after gastric bypass, you may experience nausea, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea and a cold and clammy feeling. These symptoms can be particularly upsetting if they occur in public, so you must stick to the diet even when you eat out. The symptoms are so uncomfortable that few people have any trouble avoiding the wrong foods after the first encounter with the syndrome. In fact, the dumping syndrome may be one of the reasons why gastric bypass patients are able to lose weight in the first year so much faster than Lap-Band patients.
The symptoms of dumping syndrome will probably become less noticeable about a year after your surgery, but may never go away entirely. You should expect to make long-term changes to your diet.
The symptoms of dumping syndrome occur when foods with high sugar content are eaten, or when you drink liquids with your meal. Red meats can also cause the symptoms, as well as high fat foods. Sugar and liquids drunk during meals may cause the food you eat to exit the stomach too quickly, which will bring on nausea.
Your doctor will probably advise you to sip liquids and eat very slowly during your first months after a gastric bypass. A meal will now require 30 to 60 minutes, and once you’re on solid food you’ll be asked to chew each small morsel thoroughly.
Since protein is needed for you to heal properly after your surgery, you may be asked to take liquid protein supplements in place of one of your meals each day. Some protein supplements contain sugar, and these must be avoided because of the dumping syndrome. Your obesity center will give you a list of brands that you can safely drink.
Gastric bypass surgery affects the absorption of nutrients, so multivitamins will be recommended to supplement your diet. A supplement that contains folate, iron and B12 will probably be prescribed, and you may also be given a calcium supplement.
To avoid constipation, you must consume enough liquids throughout the day, but not within 30 minutes of a meal. Your nutritional advisor will give you a list of drinks to choose from. You will be asked to avoid carbonated soft drinks, which cause bloating, alcohol and sweetened fruit drinks. You will be sipping water, tea, low calorie (non-carbonated) beverages or skim milk throughout the day. High-calorie drinks that have been sweetened with sugar will bring on the uncomfortable symptoms of dumping syndrome, (and they certainly won’t help you lose weight).
Calcium and protein are both important nutrients after a gastric bypass surgery, but some post-surgical patients will notice a new intolerance to dairy products. If milk gives you gas, cramps or diarrhea, your doctor may suggest Lactaid or soy milk. During the first few weeks after surgery, while you are still on your liquid diet, you must avoid any yogurt that has been sweetened with sugar or which contains fruit chunks. The sugar would cause nausea or cramping, and in the first few weeks after surgery the fruit chunks could block the opening from the stomach into your intestinal tract.
You will need to follow the post-gastric bypass diet carefully in order to get all the nutrients your body needs, even while eating very small quantities of food. This is not an easy task, especially when so many foods will bring on the nausea and diarrhea or the dumping syndrome. To give yourself the very best chance of success after your surgery, you will want to follow the dietary recommendations carefully.
In fact, most centers will advise you to continue with nutritional and behavioral counseling indefinitely, because it helps you make these drastic changes to your lifestyle. Studies have shown that post-gastric bypass patients who receive ongoing support are the ones most likely to have a successful long-term outcome.
Learn more about the post gastric bypass diet, the costs of gastric bypass surgery, and possible complications, at www.1gastricbypass.com
How the Dumping Syndrome Affects the Post Gastric Bypass Diet
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