Improve Your Nutrition
Vitamins and protein are key to the healing process following surgery. Protein will help you maintain muscle mass while losing weight and make you feel full longer after your meals. Your doctor will instruct you as to which vitamins and supplements you will need. Plan to incorporate a multi-vitamin, B12, calcium into your daily intake. Start doing this as soon as you can, not only because it will help your health, but it will also to help you get in the habit of taking important vitamin supplements on a continual basis.

Get a Sleep Study
Many over weight individuals suffer from Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) and don’t even know it. SAS is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing. In a recent study of patients who had completed a preoperative evaluation for bariatric surgery, 73% of tested patients had SAS that required treatment. As a result of the study, researchers recommended that patients who undergo bariatric surgery should be screened, tested and treated for sleep apnea.

Start Exercising—everyday
Exercise is crucial to weight loss success; it shortens the recovery period and reduces the risk of postsurgical complications. Our doctors have found that patients who start an exercise program before weight loss surgery are twice as likely to have an easier time exercising after surgery. Because exercise tends to be difficult for people who are overweight, the key is to start slowly. Walk in place for 10 minutes, twice a day. Resume exercising two to three weeks after surgery. Cardio and strength training should be part of your exercise routine, three to five days a week.

Cut Down on Alcohol and Quit Smoking
Smoking can make lungs more sensitive during surgery and can slow the healing process by narrowing the blood vessels and restricting the flow of blood to the healing sites. Smoking contradicts the purpose for having surgery: Improving your health! Alcohol is full of empty calories that provide no nutritional value. Weight loss surgery makes you more sensitive to alcohol, so a little goes a long way.

You have committed to changing your lifestyle. You are ready to achieve and maintain a healthy weight with a regimen of healthy choices. The comprehensive weight loss program, including MyWeight Nutition & Wellness Counseling designed by the Surgical Specialists of LA addresses all of these issues, and we will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Visit www.whyweight.com or call 1-877-691-3001 and ask to speak to a patient advocate to answer questions you may have regarding weight loss and bariatric surgery, including questions about our new incisionless procedure—POSE, a one hour endoscopic procedure that is transforming the lives of our patients.

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There are many suggestions for maintaining a healthy diet and achieving overall health and fitness. In order to reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health, individuals should seriously consider focusing on items such as:

• Developing eating patterns focused on consuming fewer calories
• Making more informed food choices
  • Less dining out
  • Fewer high saturated fats
  • More fruits and vegetables
• Increasing physical activity (2-3 times/week)
• Maintaining a healthy weight

The United States government oversees health and dietary recommendations and by law, reviews, updates if necessary, and publishes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years. Each edition is jointly created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 Key Recommendations encompass two concepts: 1) Balancing calories to manage weight and, 2) Focus on consuming nutritional foods and beverages. Each of these concepts includes key recommendations.

Balancing Calories to Manage Weight

• Prevent and/or reduce overweight and obesity through improved eating and physical activity behaviors.
• Control total calorie intake to manage body weight. For people who are overweight or obese, this means consuming fewer calories from foods and beverages.
• Increase physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors
• Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life

Food and Food Components to Reduce

• Reduce daily sodium intake to less that 2,300 mg. People 51 years old, African Americans, diabetics, hypertensive individuals, and chronic kidney disease patients should limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg.
• Consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fatty acids
• Consume less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol
• Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fats
• Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars
• Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
• If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation – up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men – and only by adults of legal drinking age.

The Surgical Specialists of LA promote a combination of healthy eating habits and exercise to achieve an ideal body weight. MyWeight is a medically supervised weight loss program where we create a personalized weight loss diet plan designed specifically for you. If you’d like more information about MyWeight and how it or any of the programs offered by the Surgical Specialist of LA can help change your life, learn more at www.whyweight.com, or or call 1-877-691-3001.

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As humans we are very efficient creatures, built to defend our weight. The increase of obesity rates in America can, in part, be explained by the disparity between our sedentary lifestyle and the genes that once helped our ancestors survive famines. You might say that our genes load the gun, but our environment pulls the trigger.

The rapid increase of technology, and the subsequent conveniences it brings, has dramatically shifted the typical environment and lifestyle of most Americans:

• Many of our cities are built for driving rather than walking. Public transportation can be inconvenient.

• People are working in increasingly sedentary jobs and enjoying sedentary leisure activities such as TV, video games, and surfing the web.

• There are safety concerns that lead many to forgo outdoor activities such as cycling or walking, and this affects children and adults alike.

And our environment isn’t the only thing that is changing. Over the past few decades the nature of food itself has changed significantly:

• Food is plentiful year round and inexpensive. Cheaper, less healthy, processed foods are eaten more frequently. In fact, Americans spend far less of their disposable income on food than other any other nation.

• Consumers are inundated with advertising messages hooking us on unhealthy foods and creating bad eating habits. In one year, an average child will watch about 10,000 commercials touting food and beverages.

• Portion sizes are out of control! In 1955 McDonald’s French fries were 210 calories for a 2.4 oz. serving. In 2004, McDonald’s fries were 610 calories for a 7 oz. serving. In 1916, a Coca Cola was served in a 6.5 fluid oz. bottle containing 79 calories. Today, a 16 oz. bottle of Coke has 194 calories.

With both our genes and our environment fighting against us, the outlook may seem bleak. But understanding how these two factors, our genes and our environment, go hand in hand is the first step in the right direction. By acknowledging the environmental factors that may fight against you, you can make healthier decisions and fight back.

This is just as important for those who have already had weight loss surgery, or have committed to a medically supervised weight loss program, as it is for those trying to lose weight on their own. Bariatric surgery and medically supervised diets are excellent, safe and effective tools that go together with new habit formation and positive lifestyle change to produce long-term weight loss.

MyWeight^TM is a medically supervised non-surgical weight loss program that offers a variety of options and focuses on individualized plans. There are three phases to this program. Patients can decide which phase or phases work best for them.

1. Physician Supervised Program
2. Nutritional Counseling and Products
3. Physical Program

The staff at MyWeight^TM will lead you through a simple and customized approach to successful weight loss, based on your weight loss goals and your lifestyle.

The first phase of the MyWeight^TM Individualized Weight Loss Solution Program is an initial patient consultation with a medical team member and the physician. A review of your health history will allow them to formulate a plan just for you. This plan may include FDA-approved appetite suppressants, dietary changes, injections to boost your energy and regularly scheduled follow up visits. We will walk with you through your weight loss journey. We want you to succeed and will provide ongoing weight loss support and resources to help you.

Proper nutrients are the fuel for your body to function every day. The second phase of the MyWeight^TMProgram consists of Nutritional counseling and guidance on caloric intake, supplements, grocery shopping, and cooking for healthy eating. Our free cookbook offers easy-to-prepare, wonderful, low-calorie recipes.

Physical focus is a key part of an overall wellness program and, for some, this can be the most difficult phase. As part of the MyWeight^TM program, you will receive one free session with a Personal Trainer. Our fitness expert will direct you through an exercise routine that will be fun, not work! As you gradually increase your exertion, your muscle mass will increase, and we all know that muscle burns fat!

MyWeight^TM is a multi-level weight loss program focusing on the Medical, Nutritional, and Physical components for a healthy lifestyle. Contact us or call today at 985-640-8255 to schedule your initial visit.

Before undergoing Roux-n-Y gastric bypass surgery with the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana, Chad had difficultly performing simple daily tasks such as walking or tying his shoes. He was forced to exit a roller coaster at a local amusement park because he could no longer fit in the seat. He was even required to turn down a promotion to 1st Lieutenant in the Army because he was on their weight control program. But it was a visit to the doctor’s office that made him finally take action. “The simple fact was I would be dead in 5 to 10 years if I didn’t do something” said Chad on his website www.team464.com, named fittingly after his pre-op weight of 464 pounds.

Soileau lost 100 pounds following his surgery in 2006 and dedicated himself to losing the remaining 162 pounds through a controlled diet and intense exercise regime. He has since participated in over 20 triathlons all over the United States as well as numerous 5-K and 10-K races.

The Ironman World Championship only accepts entrants via lottery but Chad has applied for one of two “media slots” that will allow him to attend and have his story told. If chosen, his competition would include a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and conclude with a full marathon—a 26.2 mile run. Quite a feat for someone who once believed he had hit the point of no return!

Soileau wants potential patients to understand that weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. “It’s not a magic bullet, it’s only a tool. You have to make a commitment to eating right after your weight loss surgery and exercising”.

While his ultimate goal is the Kona race, Chad has already registered for the Ironman Florida scheduled for November 7th. In the rare event that he is selected for the World Championship, Chad will compete in two Ironman triathlons in two months!

“My triathlon journey didn’t start when I got on the bike for the first time or when I ran the first 100 meters from my driveway to the stop sign down the street. My journey to Iron started when I was booted off that roller coaster for being too big; it started when I stared in dismay at the number 464 on the scale; it started when I lost my commission in the Army; it started when I finally realized that it was time to make a change!”

Our team at The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana wishes Chad Soileau the best of luck and looks forward to updating you on his progress.