Happy Aniversary!

So how is it going? I know that many of you are coming up on your 1 year anniversary of the surgery! Congratulations! How do you feel like you've done so far? Have you lost the amount of weight that you wanted to lose? Have you stuck with your goals and worked hard to accomplish them?

I know it can be frustrating trying to conquer such a great accomplishment, but have faith! Whether it's weight loss, learning how to be a rocket scientist, or flying an airplane, THINGS TAKE TIME. But just like people in professions that you admire, those people have put in a lot of time and effort to get to where they are. They didn't wake up one day and have all the knowledge they possess. It took time and practice and working through their struggles to accomplish their goals.

Yes, this band will help you on the path to losing weight and becoming a healthier you, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER that it is not a quick fix. You have to WANT to lose weight and you have to really commit to eating the things your should and above all--- exercising!

If you haven't been doing everything you're supposed to, you might have people in your life that are constantly reminding you of your failures, but remember that you are beautiful and that you possess every ounce of ability as anyone else! Start believing in yourself and love your body enough to put in some effort! It's an awesome journey that you're on to a healthier life!!!

Can't wait to see you all again!

***Katie***

What IS fiber, anyway?

Fiber is essentially defined as carbohydrates that can't be digested.  You can find fiber in various plants that you eat such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes (a.k.a. beans).  There are different types of fiber, but they are all very important in preventing and fighting disease. 

Fiber can be classified into two main categories:

1. Insoluble fiber.  This type of fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system so, how can I put this lightly...that's right, it helps you go #2... Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water so it helps keep the contents of your intestines a more solid form.  So, if you struggle with constipation, insoluble fiber is your new friend.  Good sources can be found in whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables.
2. Soluble fiber. Do you struggle with high blood cholesterol and/or high blood glucose levels?  Soluble fiber can be especially helpful in keeping blood sugar at check to avoid developing Type II diabetes.  It does this by dissolving in water to form a gel-like material and helps to lower these conditions.  You can find  soluble fiber in foods like oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, and barley.

*Eating foods that are higher in fiber can help you lose weight because not only will they take longer to chew, they will give your body more time to register that you are full.  This can be especially useful when regarding the lap band because you will be less likely to eat more than necessary.  Because they are denser foods, you will stay fuller longer, requiring less food intake throughout the day.*

• Eat a piece of whole fruit instead of  drinking fruit juice or eating canned fruit.  The most fiber is usually in the skin of the fruit or vegetable.
• Check the label for WHOLE GRAINS.  (See previous post on Food Labels)  Bread, cereal, crackers and other grain foods should have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

 

• Add fruit, like berries or melon, to your breakfast every day to start the day off with the right mentality.

 

 

• Eat more beans.  We forget about them too often!  They're a great tasting, cheap source of fiber, good carbs, protein, and other important nutrients. 

 

 

• Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.

 

 

 

• Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.

 

Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.  BUT BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE DRESSING YOU EAT.  If you have to eat it with dressing, try FAT FREE options.

Now go get some FIBER! Mmmm good.

A resource for some of the information provided can be found here.

Exercise Weight Loss 101

My name is David Chen and I am the exercise specialist intern. My major in college was Kinesiology (a fancy word for Exercise Science). My goal is to combine text book knowledge of exercise, mix it in with some music, add some cool dance moves and other fun activities and come out with daily routines that will be enjoyable and result in a healthier you!! So here are the main points I will be focusing on; take notes, because these are important...

1. Lifestyle Changes- If you want to lose weight, you have to make changes to your life. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to lose weight. Simple changes to your daily routine can result in the burning of a lot of calories. Here are some easy ways to burn some extra calories...
a. Always take the stairs, never take the elevator!! The invention of the elevator made life a lot easier, but it also made people heavier. It might be inconvenient, but when you have the chance, take the stairs.
b. Park farther when you are in a parking lot. Never park in front of a store, park farther away so that you can walk a little extra.

2. Consistency- Weight loss isn't a walk in the park... it's many walks in the park. If you want to lose weight, one long exercise routine once a week will not do too much. You have to be consistent. Professionals recommend that you do a simple exercise (walk, jog, skate, play ball) five times a week for 30 minutes each time.

3. Accountability- How are you keeping up with your goals? I recommend having a partner to keep accountable with. When choosing a partner, choose someone that is encouraging, helpful and understands what you are doing. A good partner would be a parent, a sibling, another Lap-band friend. Keep accountable by being honest with you exercise and eating habits.

If you have question, please email me at David.Chen@choa.org

New Exercise routines will be coming soon!!

What's in your wallet? I mean... lunchbox... :)

So you might be wondering, how can I pack a lunch that I actually want to eat?

Ok, Here's some tips for your lunchbox:

You probably want a range of foods that equal to about 300-500 calories. (Towards the 500 side if you are burning calories by exercising significantly throughout the day...)




Example:
3 oz canned tuna (in water, drained) ~100 cal (Some cans come with 2 serving sizes. Check the labels!)
Whole Grain Crackers (Check for serving size as to # of crackers and make sure they are whole grain!)
1 cup vegetables: carrots, celery, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.
***If you want to dip veggies in dressing BUY FAT FREE DRESSING! Normal Ranch dressing has about 77 calories for 1 Tablespoon where as Fat Free Ranch has about 17 calories per tablespoon***
1 piece of fruit: Apple, Orange, Banana
One 100 Calorie Pack Snack



DRINK WATER! Drinking water can be an easy way to cut out calories throughout the day. If you don't like plain water, remember you can add the crystal light powder for various flavors.

Food labels can be tricky!

SO WHAT IS A "HEALTHY DIET???????

FYI: According to MyPyramid, a Healthy Diet is described as one that:

- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products

- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts

- Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugar

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TIPS:

- Whole Grains: Always check the food label on food products. Look at the ingredients list, usually located below the nutrition information. In breads, the first ingredient should be "Whole Grain Flour." If it claims to say "Whole Grain" on the package, yet the first ingredient is something like "Bleached Four", etc.... then just say no. Examples of whole grains:

[whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice, bulgar, graham flour, oatmeal, whole grain corn, whole rye, wild rice]

Example:

Check out the first ingredient "wheat flour." This almost always means "white flour" (which you want to avoid!), otherwise it would say "whole wheat flour". If the label doesn't say the grain is "whole" you can assume it isn't... tricky little labeling people!

- Added Sugars: Check the food label for things like corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, honey, molasses, etc. on their ingredient list. Other names for added sugars can include:

[brown sugar, corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, raw sugar, sucrose, sugar, syrup]

Example:

Ingredients are listed from the highest amount included to the lowest... this means that cokes are mostly carbonated water... and a WHOLE LOT OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!

- Fats: Avoid foods with anything "partially hydrogenated." These suckers contain stinky trans fats! booooo...

Example:

Those Tricksters :(

This label says "No Trans Fatty Acids" (Trans Fats) but STILL HAS PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED CONTENTS!

-partially hydrogenated oil that CAN'T be manufactured without creating trans fatty acids.

-FDA regulations allow rounding to zero any ingredients that account for less than 0.5 grams per serving... So what do they do? They make the serving size super tiny so it looks like they contain no Trans fats when really they do... WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!?!? Lame...

THINK ABOUT IT:

Know anyone who has had a heart attack? It's a real risk... and unfortunately, the American Heart Society states that "obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack."

Notice the plaque buildup...

Saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol tend to raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk for heart disease. (If the plaque builds up too badly, it can block blood flow to the heart, causing some big problems: Last time I checked, we need blood pumping through the heart to live!)

Stay away from these...

Your decisions now REALLY DO AFFECT your future.

Why decrease your lifespan over potato chips and frecnh fries?

If you ask me, it's simply NOT WORTH IT.

Grow to be healthy again!

You are beautifully and wonderfully made! Talk to you again soon!

-Katie

Welcome!

Hey! My name is Katie and you may or may not have met me at CHOA. I am a nutritionist intern working with the lap band study and am really looking forward to meeting each and every one of you if I haven't already!

So the word nutrition doesn't have a good connotation, does it... ? When people usually think of nutrition, they might think of diets, or other restrictions they might have to put on themselves. What I really hope you learn is that eating in a healthy way doesn't have to be about a "diet" where you can't eat anything but celery sticks and lettuce. After all, we're not rabbits... :)



Eating healthy foods to me, is all about COLOR. When I think about most foods that are really high in carbohydrates, saturated fat, and sugar, most of them are pretty boring... kind of "blah" colors. A hamburger is brown, the bun is a yellowy-cream color, and the fries are kind of a dirty brown (though they do glisten from the OIL they fry them in!). The colors of unhealthy snack foods like chips (yellowy-brown...blah), sodas (blah... or WHOA colors from artificial coloring like Mountain Dew), cookies (varying colors of blah), etc. just bore me to tears! When I think of a meal I want to eat, I don't imagine a plate of food that consists of colors ranging from a dirt to dirty socks... :) Seriously! Think about the lack of color in those foods!

Natural foods, on the other hand, are BEAUTIFUL! Look at the gorgeous colors that come naturally out of the earth! These foods were created specifically for us--- straight from the ground! We don't have to do anything to them... this makes them easy to prepare and also makes a more entertaining plate of food!

I'm not asking you to become an food alien... eating weird things all the time...



But I'm going to challenge you... Branch out and get creative with your food! Who wants to be boring anyway?