OK, those of you that know me, know I have spent most of my life trying to lose weight (and those of you that don't, do now)..from the time I ingested my first diet pill at 11 yrs old (which was speed..prescribed by my doctor) to today. I have been on every f*ckin diet imaginable..from unhealthy to absolutely suicidal. No dice.. never lost any serious amount of weight and I always managed to gain everything I lost and a few more.
So Lesson #1 to be learned, campers...diets never work!
I have never made excuses ..like the big bone theory...or under active thyroid theory.... I know I just eat crappy...not a lot of food..just the wrong foods for my body and ironically I don't like eating, but like alot of people, I just equate food and love. You bought me cookies? You must love me. that is incorrect thinking. I have now come to realize food is food...that's it... and all those feelings that pop up, they suck out loud, I know...well, time to put on the big girl panties and deal.. Not easy..much easier to "eat" feelings" especially the bad ones.
I also hail from a culture that has food as the centerpoint of every social experience...and not just food...LOTS of food. It was considered insulting and ill mannered to not have an over abundance of food for your guests. So, when I grew up, food was power packed with messages and they got burned in my little brain.
Something that really pisses me off is people that tell me all I need to do is go on a diet and/or eat less. People that assume that I have no self control and no willpower...people that assume I am lazy and stupid. Those people are lucky I let them live... I am a non-violent person, but I might be coaxed to make exceptions. Cloris Leechman once said and I quote.."maybe fat catchers should go out and catch all fat people and put them on diets. Fat people pollute the aesthetic environment." I am not stupid, lazy, lack self control, or lack willpower and I do not polute the aesthetic enviroment of the world. For a lot of us weight is a lot more complicated than calories in and calories expended..Trust me...
Now, the educational stuff..don't skip it cause it's boring!! It's not, it's eye opening.
When I was at my heaviest weight, I also had too many doctors (not my present one) ask me about bypass surgery or lapband surgery aka bariatric surgery as an option for me (and ironically enough, I had a dr tell me I would have to lose weight before they would even consider me for bariatric surgery...anyone else see the aburdity here?) And as my way, I did copious amounts of research on the subject. And I do share..cause I love you and don't want you to die!
I will explain what that is exactly.. Gastrointestinal surgery for obesity, also called bariatric surgery, alters the digestive process by making the stomach smaller. In a gastric bypass, the part of the intestine where many minerals and vitamins are most easily absorbed is bypassed. They restrict both food intake and the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs. People who have open gastric bypass surgery can quickly begin to lose weight and continue to lose weight for up to 12 months.
Here is my deal on that...I will NOT under any circumstances, mutilate my body...to fit what you think I should look like (I have enough issues dealing with what I think I should look like). I am not befuddled enough to think having surgery like this is an answer to health problems.. I KNOW better!! The side effects of bariatric surgery? Well, just delightful, read on...
Documented side effects of gastric bypass:
* An iron and vitamin B12 deficiency occurs more than 30% of the time. About 50% of those with an iron deficiency develop anemia.
* The connection between the stomach and the intestines narrows (stomal stenosis) 5% to 15% of the time, leading to nausea and vomiting after eating.
* Ulcers develop 5% to 15% of the time.
* The staples may pull loose.
* Hernia may develop.
* The bypassed stomach may enlarge, resulting in hiccups and bloating (and weight gain).
20% of people who choose this option have to have follow-up operations to correct complications (abdominal hernias being the most common), and more than one third develop gallstones from the rapid weight loss. An unpublicized side effect of gastric bypass surgery is excessive and malodorous (google, campers) flatulence odor (but you can buy deodorant pads to put on your chair..to help absorb the odor...so people will sit near you again).
Other common side effects of gastric bypass:
* Nausea and Vomiting
* Dehydration
* Food Intolerance
* Changed Bowel Habits
* Cold Intolerance
* Difficulty swallowing (also called dysphagia)
* Hair loss
* Increased dependence on alcohol
In case you don't like that research form the University of Pittsburg and Tufts Medical Center in Boston, this info from the Mayo Clinic:
As with any major surgery, gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries pose potential health risks, both in the short term and long term.
Risks associated with the surgical procedure can include:
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection
- Adverse reactions to anesthesia
- Blood clots
- Lung or breathing problems
- Leaks in your gastrointestinal system
- Death
- Bowel obstruction
- Dumping syndrome, causing diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
- Gallstones
- Hernias
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Malnutrition
- Stomach perforation
- Ulcers
- Vomiting
- Death
Foods should to be eliminated from your diet...according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
The following foods have to be eliminated from your diet forever…
- Sugar, sugar-containing foods and concentrated sweets
- Fruit juice
- High-saturated fat
- Fried foods
Is anyone else seeing the insanity in this??? If you ate like this, of course you would lose weight!! No solid food for 2 months.. 3 meals..each meal no larger than 4 ounces total... eliminating all the foods above....anything with sugar, anything fried, etc. So surgery or not, you would lose huge amounts of weight and not become an alcoholic (10% of all bariatric patients do after surgery)... and don't give me bullshit about lapbands and the other crap they tout.. It's all money making.. and if you don't believe that you are even more naive than I am. Doctors are not gods..they don't know everything and that don't have all the answers. They are just people with good diagnosing (guessing) skills.
And let's be real..life without french fries or birthday cake (not to mention bacon) ??? Is that life at all? Especially when you read the following...
Food for Thought: Encouraging patients to increase their activity and eat better can have a significant effect on health, even if it doesn’t affect weight. A recent study in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine indicated that obese people who eat well, exercise, drink in moderation, and do not smoke have better mortality rates than people of “normal” weight who did the same. Wow..it's not being fat that is the problem..surprised? Studies have also shown patients who have bariatric surgery are at greater risk of dying from causes other than disease, such as suicide, accidents and drug overdose.
Lesson #2 ..Bariatric Surgery is not the answer, either.
I am not telling anyone else what to do, but if I loved you, I would strongly counsel you against dieting or surgery as a solution.
Now I am over 40 (stop snickering..that's all I claim to), anyways...I did lose a large amount of weight...first it started because I had stomach problems and couldn't eat and progressed to not wanting to eat. Now I will be the first to admit a diet of toast, tea and tomato soup..no matter how good the soup is ..is like the "crazy train" of eating...you get there, but its a bumpy ride. I did lose 138 lbs so far, but I have also compromised my health. I had a problem with malnutrition, anemia, gray dry skin, brittle hair and nails..and general malaise. (Remember depression is merely rage spread thin). And although I eat less than 900 calories a day, my weight loss is stalled.
Well, I did a couple of things...first and foremost I found and excellent PCP..who saw me as a woman not as a fat woman. And he helped me address my health issues one by one (and still does). He told me my problem was I tried to do everything at once..a complete overhaul..and it's just too overwhelming...so his solution was..one issue at a time. Once that is resolved we move on to something else new and exciting (and don't let me kid you, I do this kicking and screaming..but I do it).
And I found a psychotherapist who doesn't think I am crazy and helps me look at my food issues for what they are..and (hint, hint) they are not about food (surprised?).
Doug (of Doug and June fame) and I have discussed how the body work on a nutritional level and physical level (the advantages of glomming on to a man who has also been a successful personal trainer.) And he does understand how metabolism gets screwed up and even though you eat less than 1000 calories a day..you stop losing weight because your body says, "Hey what the hell you doing??? We are gonna die here...well we will fix this - slow down metabolism. She wont lose any more weight that way and she won't die...solution"
Some other things he has told me (and he thinks I don't pay attention)
- a good, healthy breakfast will kick start your metabolism..turn it up so to speak
- exercise is essential to building muscle, raising metabolism and ultimately lose weight
- planning is essential to optimum health and general happiness in life (but I add..stay flexible...if you plan on eating broccoli and it doesn't happen, the world will not end.)
- having a meal plan takes stress out of meals
- tracking your exercise makes you feel better about yourself (and doesn't let you lie to yourself about your progress or lack there of)
(an incentive to eat more salad..this is not Doug -Doug is cuter- but
Doug assured me this man eats bacon)
You know the difference between growing up with a fat mom and a thin mom? You fall down and skin your knee, a thin mom says...come on sweetie..lets walk it off. You fall down and skin your knee with a fat mom she says...aww sweetie, her I baked some fresh cookies for you. (Sorry to my kids).
After doing research, from the cardiac association program and the diabetic programs and some common sense. I have come up with these helpful hints:
Daily
eat 4-6 servings of fruit and veggies daily
eat 4-8 servings of grains
eat 2-3 TBSP of oils (olive being first choice)
eat 2-3 cups of low fat dairy
eat 4-8 ounces of protein
weekly:
eat 4 servings of nuts and/or beans a week
eat none to < than processed meats a week
eat 2 servings of fish a week
eat 2-3 servings of red meat a week
daily:
saturated fat should be should be less than 7% of your daily intake of calories
LDL (bad) cholesterol should be less than < 100mg
HDL (good) > 40 mg
total fat < 100 grams
saturated fat < 20 grams
trans fat 0 to <3 grams
sodium < 2 grams
This is based on a 2500 calorie diet..which is the average calorie intake for a human who is reasonably active. These are the guidelines that are heart healthy.
Men need to add calories depending on activity level.
Now I can also tell you..I cannot eat that many calories a day and lose weight.. but Bob/Dad did (it's the unfair man advantage).
The guidelines I use are from LiveStrong.com..so my recommended calorie intake to "extreme" weight loss is 1400. (recommended calorie intake is 1800 to lose weight for women). The trick is to make those calories low sodium, low cholesterol and nutrition dense ( no Cheetos, no sugar soda, no processed "crap").
So, campers, this is my master plan...(to take over the world first and eat healthier second...no no no reverse that order)
I have health issues that require the following..an almost no salt food plan (definitely no added sodium..and that baby hides everywhere), and I was advised to drink 3 liters of water a day ..... and I don't eat dairy (except for cheese..you go figure) and I don't particularly like red meat (cow variety anyways) or the "other" white meat, pork...But I do love almost every veggie on earth except okra..that is just gross..I like all fruits..and I like chicken and turkey, but only white meat. So you may say ..this is simple, June....au contraire, mes amis. I am a carb freak... I crave carbs... I jones for them (anyone under 40..google).. I crave carbs like Doug craves meat (add joke of your choice here). Yes, bread of all kinds croissants, bagels, biscuits, foccacia, etc (she waxes drooling)..good bakery bread (not American white bread), potatoes in any way shape or form, not so much rice and pasta... So if I had my druthers, I would eat veggies, fruit, cheese, bread and potatoes only. THAT is NOT healthy...well it's almost healthy. So that is my personal challenge..eat more protein less carbs! (sounds good on paper).
This is what our research and development team (me) came up with for a personal basic template for June:
Breakfast:
1 ounce of protein (like an egg, or a slice of cheese or some peanut butter)
2 servings of bread/potato/rice (2 pieces of toast, a bagel, 1/2 home fries, etc)
1 fruit (first choice always blackberries in season)
1 fat (TBSP)
Lunch:
2 ounces of protein
2 servings bread/potato/rice
2 veggie
1 salad (or add another veg)
1 fat (TBSP)
1 fruit
Dinner:
1-2 ounces of protein
1 serving bread/potato/rice
2 servings of veggies or a salad
1 fat(TBSP)
1 fruit
3 L of water a day.
and I have to add hot tea. I drink mine black (or clear, as Doug says).
This gets in the essentials..now you can add "other" stuff that you love. There is nothing to deny yourself. You really can eat anything, even bacon. But before you eat that cheesecake make sure you ate all the good stuff. Ohh and throw in a couple of servings of dairy to be on the safe side (I don't like it..just a crazy June thing). And you can adapt and change as necessary...and desire.. afterall..if there was no pizza or french fries would life actually be worth living?
For me, this is a daunting task most days...it feels like too much food. I never eat more than 4 ounces of protein...and getting down 3L of water...sometimes seems impossible, I don't believe in eating anything "unlimited"...lets face it, there has to be a limit somewhere. Ohh and I wont eat anything I don't like/love (stop laughing, Doug!!).
I asked the afore mentioned Doug, if this sounded too preachy... I tend to get on my soapbox about things I am passionate about. He assured me no, that I had done the research and I was sharing parts of myself.. and that it was all good. My Laura, however mentioned.."Mom, you do know that you are writing about weight loss in a "bacon" blog". Alas!! That is what our blog has morfed into?? A Bacon Blog!!! (but I love chocolate!!)
You know I am not done with this subject...updates will be available!
Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands and then eat just one of those pieces...lol
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