Tag: Unwanted Weight

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Weight Loss Exercise

Weight Loss Surgery Risks



Weight loss surgery risks always seem to be downplayed for people looking at losing weight. A couple years ago my wife was considering weight loss surgery as her years off dieting and exercise and the yoyo weight loss/gain nightmare had mad her tired of the whole weight loss industry. Using Weight Watchers and getting the exercise to a more moderate lvel have helped Michelle lose three pounds or so per week and she is quickly dropping the weight that was so stubborn just a couple of years back.

Yesterday Michelle got a call for the gastric bypass surgery consultation which here in Alberta Canada takes 19 months, I am happy to say that she turned it down because a healthy lifestyle has maed the difference for her. As you probably know there are a lot of instances where this surgery is really helpful for people but only in cases where there is a risk of imminent death by now doing something as drastic as this surgery is.

Is Weight Loss Surgery Dangerous?

I have found an article from Bloomberg that I think really shows the importance of this surgery and the possible weight loss surgery risks. Below are some exerpts from that article.

The surge in weight loss surgery in the U.S. may be putting obese people at higher risk for illness and death than is generally known, three studies report.

More than 100,000 Americans underwent bariatric surgery to reduce weight in 2003, an eight-fold increase in five years, researchers report in the Oct. 19 Journal of the American Medical Association. A separate analysis of Medicare patients published in the same issue found that 4.6 percent of patients undergoing the procedure died nationwide a year after, some from the weight loss surgery risks.

The researchers said the findings on weight loss surgery risks may help obese people gauge the weight loss surgery risks as compared to health problems caused by being overweight. The operations can help patients shed more than half their unwanted weight and can reverse diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep problems, researchers said.

This is not a vanity operation, it’s a high-risk operation,” said David R. Flum, associate professor of surgery and public health at the University of Washington in Seattle. “This at least allows people who are considering this surgery to go in a little bit more with their eyes open.

Small Stomach Pouch Surgery

Weight Loss Surgery Risks

Weight Loss Surgery Risks

Researchers said they expect 130,000 bariatric surgeries to be performed in the U.S. this year. The procedure is considered the only proven method to reduce extreme weight, the researchers said.

Gastric bypass was the most common procedure used in the studies. Surgeons make a small stomach pouch to restrict the amount of food that can be eaten and connect it to the lower part of the small intestine to limit digestion and absorption of calories. The operation can reduce weight in some cases by almost 100 pounds.

Medicare patients may be most vulnerable to the weight loss surgery risks. Death rates were highest for men older than 65, with more than one in 10 dying within a year of surgery. Dying within a month was twice as likely after obesity surgery than with heart surgery or hip replacement, found the study of all 16,155 Medicare beneficiaries who had the operation from 1997 to 2002.

“That is significantly higher than most people expect when they think of obesity surgery,” Flum said. “Patients are at higher risk for having bad things happen after surgery because of their advanced age or other conditions.”

Experienced Surgeons Helps

Death rates plunged even among the highest risk patients in the hands of experienced surgeons, the study found.

If we’re going to do this operation at all in patients 65 and older, it should really be done in places that can deliver the lowest risks to the patient,Flum said.

All patients should expect hospitalizations after surgery because of weight loss surgery risks, another study from the University of California at Los Angeles found. The number of hospital stays more than doubled in the year after surgery compared with the year earlier, scuttling hopes that better health after the operation would lessen health care needs, researchers said.

Almost 8 percent of patients were hospitalized, mostly for obesity-related problems like arthritis, in the year before surgery, a review of all 60,000 patients getting the operation from 1995 to 2004 in California found. In the following 12 months, almost 20 percent were hospitalized, often for surgical complications.

You May Go Back Under The Knife Again Later

With the number of surgeries increasing and the number of patients considering surgery, they should be truly informed about what they are undergoing,” said lead researcher David S. Zingmond, assistant professor of medicine at the UCLA’s School of Medicine. While many patients lose 60 to 100 pounds, “those pounds come at a price for some people, he said.

The rate declined to 14.9 percent three years after surgery, with most hospitalizations triggered by the need for plastic surgery to remove excess skin or elective procedures such as back and knee surgery that were postponed because of the excess weight.

The researchers originally anticipated that use of health care services would decline following surgery. Now, they say insurance companies and patients should be aware that hospitalization rates may be elevated for up to five years because of the weight loss surgery risks.

Vulnerable Patients – weight loss surgery risks

None of the studies examined the effectiveness of surgery, which the researchers agreed is the best weight loss method for obese people. Even with rising surgery rates, less than 1 percent of people who qualify undergo it, wrote surgeons Bruce M. Wolfe, from Oregon Health Science University in Portland and John M. Morton, of Stanford University in California, in an editorial.

“There are vulnerable patient populations and potential additional costs associated with surgery,” they wrote. “Bariatric surgery may be a potentially life-saving intervention in the right patients and in the right surgeons’ hands.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Michelle Fay Cortez in Minneapolis at mcortez@bloomberg.net

So what are your experiences? I know that there are lots of supporters of this surgery as well as many people that are opposed almost completely to it. Are the weight loss surgery risks worth it?

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General Weight Loss Tips

Reduce Stress Through Meditation

Stress is an issue for many people living in the fast and furious 21st century. Many people when they are stressed, turn to food as a method of relief. This results in unwanted weight gain. There are techniques to manage and effectively reduce stress. One of stress reduction method that has gained tremendous momentum is meditation. Meditation techniques still the mind and focus it on calm and steady thoughts. As deliberation turns inward, the introversion frees the flow of thoughts, visions and memories aligning the mind and the body in awareness and relaxation.

Purpose

Meditation and mindfulness are routes to reduce stress and regain the equanimity needed for a productive life. Many types of meditation address the importance of breathing while focusing the mind on thinking positive thoughts or visualizing constructive images. Guided meditation is a growing practice for many who desire to relieve stress and enhance the peace, health and composure of their life. With various guidance topics and recordings available, meditation, sometimes termed “centering,” calls the individual to tune into the body and breathe with the energy force of the world.

Benefits

According to Andrew Weil, M.D., “Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.” This reduction in stress levels often results in creating a positive energy flow through the body that can prove effective in alleviating anxiety and even chronic pain. With relaxation of the muscles and nerves, blood and energy flow more freely to all parts of the body generating an enhanced feeling of well-being.

Proponents of mindfulness and breathing additionally laud “Improvement of body luster and general health” and “improvement in concentration” as benefits of meditation.

Though meditation is essentially a spiritual practice reaching across cultures throughout recorded history, its purpose elaborates as it is embraced. Individuals involved in guided breath meditation often evolve their practice to explore the very nature of themselves as they find success in dealing with problems and issues.
Relaxing at Beach.
Interviews with people involved in meditation reveal that it can be an antidote for depression, stress and even fear. Offering increased joy, confidence and health, advocates find that meditation and breathing exercises assist them in gaining strength, when combined with yoga, and general health as they make meditation a way of life. Mindful breathing when combined with meditation helps practitioners to expand their horizons of life consciousness.

Process

Process and methods of meditation span a wide range. A simple Zen practice of counting breath exhalations up to five and then repeating is a good place to begin. This simplified technique means that while never counting above the number 5, the breathing meditation can continue for hours.

With guided meditation processes your imagination is exercised as you are piloted through a journey. Often a word of intention is selected as a focus for breathing and meditation that helps with discovery of healing and healthful realizations. Frequently, practitioners of breathing, mindfulness and meditation utilize recordings. This accompaniment of appropriate music or sounds of nature can add depth and texture to the experience. Recordings are readily available in stores and online. Also, you may decide to compose a recording of your own from music, poetry or quotations that you find inspirational.

Many times meditations will begin with concentration on one aspect of the body such as the breath. As you begin a meditation it is necessary to find a comfortable sitting position. Once sitting comfortably with eyes closed, you will be guided to hold your stillness and breathe deeply. Initially you will turn your mind to focus on your breathing, shifting your attention to inhaling and exhaling. As you breathe deeply you will notice your body becoming relaxed. Then there will be guidance to concentrate on other areas of the body moving from the right side to the left side. For instance, focusing on the right shoulder as you breathe noticing the muscles there and imagining those muscles becoming a stream of liquid as you breathe. This will be repeated with the left shoulder and so on moving your focus around the body as lead by the recording or leader of the meditation.

As the meditation progresses, you will transition into listening to words that you have selected. Slowly, you will begin visualizing these words or ideas with your mind’s eye. It is these words that guide you through the meditation giving your subconscious time to flow along with the meditative message or visualizations.

Meditation is such an enjoyable and healthful experience that is sometimes necessary to tear yourself out of the elixir that it manifests. Closing the meditation is like saying goodbye to a pleasant journey though the next journey into mindfulness and peace already beckons.

Relaxation Tips

  • Finding a comfortable sitting position is vital to effective meditation and stress reduction.
  • Achieving relaxation and breathing requires a comfortable position for reflection. Sitting with head slightly tilted forward and hands folded or placed palm up on the knees is recommended for guided breathing mediation.
  • It is frequently the case with daily stress that the tongue is glued to the top of the mouth. If so, relax the tongue to rest at the bottom of the mouth inside the teeth.
  • As you progress in your mediation you will often experience distraction, return gently to focus on your selected message and your breathing.
  • Finding a regular spot to meditate daily supports guided meditation by giving place to it in your life.

Incorporating meditation in your life, will help you feel better about yourself, reduce stress, help you to stop using food as a crutch…thus leading to weight loss. I think much of our stress is self-imposed and prevents us from reaching goals we set for ourselves (ie: weight loss).

Give meditation a try and come back and share how it’s helped you with your life goals.

Resources on the Meditation Process and Exercises

General Meditation Resources

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Weight Loss Exercise

Weight Loss Fast Also Has Health Benefits




Many religions use fasting as part of their faith and as an opportunity to slow down and meditate about spiritual issues. Fasting is also a method to begin a weight loss program on a positive note by removing toxins and pollutants from your body. A weight loss fast might be drinking only water, juices or tea for a day or more, or it can mean that you drastically cut your calories for a length of time.

When you cut calories, your body is forced to rely on the stores of fat it’s accumulated for energy. It’s normal to feel lethargic and experience headaches and dizziness during a strict weight loss fast, but that usually lasts for a short amount of time. You may want to fast one day or alternate days while you’re going through a weight loss plan if you have a busy schedule and don’t have time to rest during the day.

Another good weight loss fast plan is to skip meals. Skipping a dinner, for example can drastically cut calories and give your digestive system a rest while you’re sleeping. It’s been scientifically proven that when we restrict the calories in animals, they’re healthier, keep off unwanted weight and also enjoy longer lives.

Heart disease is a major problem among overweight or obese people, so we’re beginning to study and find ways to restrict calories and lose weight for health as well as to feel better about our bodies and look better in our clothes. A scientific study in Utah revealed that heart disease among people of the Mormon religion is significantly lower than the rest of the population. Mormons usually fast on the first Sunday of the month and also maintain healthy diets, avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.

Longevity is another reason to periodically engage in a weight loss fast. By cutting calories, losing weight, eating a healthy diet and avoiding processed, chemical- and pesticide-laden foods and other things you ingest that plug up our systems, your body performs better and your immune system is better prepared to ward off diseases. As you age, changes occur in your insulin level and body temperature. Periodic fasting and restricting calories on an every day basis can slow those changes and help you to age more gracefully.

Begin a weight loss fast carefully by researching which type of fasting plan is best for the lifestyle you live. One thing to beware of when fasting is that your metabolism will slow down during the fast and when you resume your normal diet, you’re likely to put the pounds back on unless you ease into it.


Along with the weight loss fast, choose an exercise plan that you can stick to. It doesn’t have to be rigorous ? a walk around the block with your pet can do wonders in keeping your metabolism up and your weight down. Good luck!



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