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Beginners guide to weight loss

I have listed 5 methods of the many available when considering a nutrition protocol for weight loss. The fundamentals must exist when choosing your protocol but the protocol must also be fit with your lifestyle and level of engagement, choosing a protocol that is too drastic for you will lead too poor compliance and ultimately failure but choosing something you can stick to may not be optimal but provide you with good results still.

 

1)   Habit change

Simply record a food diary for 7 days with a rough guide to food quantities and timing of meals as well as fluid intakes including tea, coffee, soda and alcohol which will give you an overview of your current diet. You may know exactly what area you wish to change already but this will give you a better picture as to what you eat over the course of a week, which often comes as a surprise to many.

 

Now identify one habit you wish to implement into your diets such as a fruit and vegetable target or something you wish to remove from your current nutritional intake that could be along the lines of alcohol or you find your self at the vending machine between meals.

 

Now act upon this by adding in or removing your chosen habit for 3-5 weeks. I would recommend 3 weeks as a minimum to ensure the habit has been achieved before working towards your second habit and you build from here.

 

Pro:

 

Available to everyone, great for the obese with bad habits

 

Cons:

 

People may struggle with choosing an appropriate habit, simple in theory but harder to execute in reality.

 

 

2)   Meal plans

 

By taking the choice away from the individual it can make dieting a lot less stressful and room for error decreases. Having a professional develop a meal plan can be a good way for a beginner to stick to a protocol as they struggle with the flexibility of other methods such as IIFYM which can be confusing and overwhelming for beginners. This keeps high-calorie foods that are extremely palatable out of reach, which often leads to overeating and eventually weight gain. Long term this isn’t something you should stick with as you may develop certain nutrient deficiencies if not varied enough and a bad relationship with food groups can develop but for a beginner starting out this is a great tool to start the wheels moving.

 

Pro:

 

Easy to use, removes stress around choice and can hit calorie target consistently

 

Con:

 

Can become tedious, without variety or changing of meal plan nutrient deficiencies may occur, assistance may be needed in creating the meal plan

 

 

 

 

 

3)   Calories & protein tracking

 

One of the best methods for tracking food when body composition is a priority yet has a good amount of flexibility around food groups. Using certain apps that track your food you can set the overall calorie target depending on whether you want to gain or lose weight as well as have a sufficient protein intake while being flexible with the rest of your macronutrients i.e. fats and carbohydrates.

 

Having a good amount of flexibility creates adherence for dieters, as they don’t have to miss out on social events with friends and family yet having those two targets to hit leads to great results for those who adhere to it properly.

 

Pro:

 

Teaches portion sizes, being consistent with calories gives you the ability to make changes when change is needed, and flexibility around food creates adherence

 

Con:

 

Requires technology not everyone may have, requires weighing of foods which can be troublesome when cooking in bulk or eating out

 

4)   Flexible dieting/ IIFYM

 

Probably the most talked about nutritional protocol in the last 18 months!

 

I would say this is the more advanced version of calorie and protein tracking. Now you’re going to track your fats and carbohydrate intake also which requires a higher amount of dedication from the dieter and suits people who are very detailed oriented.

 

You still have a flexible approach to eating in the sense that you can eat food groups that you wish and enjoy but you must have achieved a certain target for protein, fat, and carbohydrate by the end of each day.

 

Pro:

 

Accuracy, macro targets hit, and some flexibility left with your food groups

 

Con:

 

You will need a tracking app, means weighing all your food, unnecessary for the general population

 

 

5)   Intuitive eating

 

It is suggested that you eat intuitively with your hunger signals and your sense of fullness when eating. This can take years to achieve an accurate indication of food quantities and even then you can be wrong especially when eating processed foods. For most people, this is almost impossible as the default in this country is being overweight because we have such accessibility to foods and our satiety signals such a leptin and ghrelin are often out of balance in overweight individuals giving us a poor judgment of fullness and hunger.

 

On many occasions, we humans tend to eat or drink not down to hunger but because of our emotions around food which another factor to consider when considering your dietary plan.

 

Pro:

 

Very relaxed approach with no calculations or weighing

 

 

Con:

 

Lots of room for error

 

 

 

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Natural Home Remedies For Weight Loss

This is just some of the home remedies for weight loss that has an incredible history and alot of really resourceful things it is used for, one of which is supposedly being a fat magnet. One thing you should know if you are thinking about trying this as one of the home remedies for weight loss – if you have shellfish allergies do not take this product.

Chitosan is a starch found mostly in crab, shrimp and other shellfish-like skeletons. Its has many uses, the one we are going to focus on is the one used as one of the home remedies for weight loss. I know you are probably wandering where does Chitosan fit into losing fat? Here’s where the fat magnet thing comes into play. Its mostly sold in health food stores and known as a substance that grabs fat from your digestive system and gets rid of it from the body. This would mean a dieter could more than most likely lose weight without eating less.

Researchers has proven that ‘unmodified’ Chitosan could possibly take out about 30 calories a day from the average persons diet. Now ‘modified’, this product is said to have boasts claims of absorbing anywhere from three to six times its weight in oil and fat.

It seems that Bitter Orange is the “next” ephedra, and as such has much of the same side effects. Home remedies for losing weight that have Bitter Orange in them are sold as Ephedra Free when in reality their make up is pretty much a mimic of the ephedrine in Ephedra. All the more reason why you need to be reading labels as much as possible and research the ingredients on any product you are considering for your weight loss.

Now one of the most popular home remedies for weight loss method is cleansing your body of the toxins and bad materials that are built up within. Performing a cleansing of the body is just that, a cleansing of you body and its tissues and organs. This process of cleansing is pretty much like pushing the restart button on your body. All the conditions you may have formed from a bad diet and lifestyle will start to disappear. Cleansing diets are designed to help give your body the nutritional support it needs to function at an optimum level.

To better help you understand what cleansing of the body means we will break it down. The body needs to rid itself of harm toxic elements through the skin, lungs, colon and bladder. To help assist with this, your body will use its liver, kidneys and lymphatic system. The liver is the main organ of the body that is solely responsible for body detox. If the liver is not functioning properly it cannot change some of these harmful elements like alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, into waste matter. If your liver doesn`t work, you are poisoning yourself. This is probably the best method and most used as one of the many home remedies for weight loss. 

Struggling With Weight Loss? Visit http://www.BellyBeGone.net for more information on Home Remedies For Weight Loss!

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Weight Loss for Health

Since the start of January, the media has been full of weight loss plans and exercise regimes. My gym, which was quiet over Christmas, was full to the brim on Monday and I struggled to park the car at 6.30am so knew I’d struggle to find a treadmill!

So are you contemplating a weight loss or new exercise plan for 2018, and if so what is your motivation?

My motivation is simple. I’m in my 50s and well aware that things can start to go wrong from now on – heart disease, stroke, diabetes are all there lurking in the background. In the Spring of last year, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with bladder cancer. It was a shock and whilst he doesn’t fit the standard profile of a bladder cancer patient as he’s healthy and fit in every way, cancer touched him. It made me question my health and well-being and I decided I wasn’t doing myself any favours by being both overweight and not doing any regular exercise. In fact, when I look back I’d become not only unhealthy but quite miserable too. Clothes didn’t fit me properly, I felt lethargic, I was drinking too much and felt generally low.

Two photos taken in Gran Canaria – the one on the left in November 2016 & the one on the right November 2017

So I decided to do something about it. I didn’t make a big deal about it as I was concerned that if I shouted from the rooftops about what I was doing I might just fail and that would be embarrassing. I met with a personal trainer at my gym and told him I wanted to lose at least 2 stone, and I wanted to get back to my running, something I’d put on hold due to constant injury and excruciating pain in my knees. He told me that this was all possible, but that I needed to make a minimum commitment of 3 months, follow his advice and guidance, which meant recording EVERYTHING I ate and drank, and do some exercise at least 3 times a week. Oh yes, and the important weigh-in every Monday morning at 7am on his scales! Knowing it wasn’t going to be easy but wanting to make changes, I committed to the plan and my journey started on 18 July 2017.

I have completed my food and drink intake every day from the beginning in my app (even on days when I’ve eaten way too much and eaten the wrong things as there’s no point in kidding yourself you’ve not had a bad day). To be honest it’s now part of what I do everyday and isn’t onerous at all. I’m used to it. In fact I quite enjoy doing it. It also allows me to plan my day, particularly if I know, for example, I’m going out for a meal.

I’ve also exercised regularly – perhaps a little too much at times. But I’ve discovered a Core class at my gym which I love, and a Glute class which has helped my running no end! I go to gym classes 3 mornings a week and run 3 days a week. I’m running faster than ever before and I have loads of energy, despite having been on a calorie deficit for 171 days! And I truly believe it’s because I’m eating the right foods. A high protein diet rich in fresh vet, low carbs and some fat. I’ve pretty much cut out refined sugar and whilst I had been drinking a little, I’m now not drinking at all. Oh and I drink lots of water too (with the occasional latte which is always noted in my app).

The one thing I’ve struggled with is sleep! So, ‘New Year New Me’ is attempting to get into bed at 9pm, read and then lights out no later than 9.45pm so I’m able to get up at 5.30am more easily. Better sleep is also know to help stress levels – see below!

I also recently did a blood test to assess the effect of what’s going on inside my body since I’ve taken control of my food and exercise. The results came back yesterday and I am delighted that my body is in pretty good shape on the inside – controlled cholesterol, low risk of heart disease and no sign of diabetes. I have a bit of work to do on my cortisol (stress) but overall healthy for my age.

I’ve lost 2 stone and 2lbs in total and would like to lose another 6-7lbs. I can honestly say I’ve never felt better and only wish I’d taken control sooner.

We all owe it to ourselves to stay as fit and healthy as we can not only for ourselves, but for our nearest and dearest. There are so many health issues associated with being overweight that are mostly preventable from heart disease, to diabetes and high cholesterol to some cancers.

So if you’re thinking you’d like to lose weight and improve your health, remember it’s only you that’s stopping that from happening. Good luck in whatever way you decide to improve your health.

If you’ve lost weight, for whatever reason, tell us about it below. The more positive stories we share the better.

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Natural Remedies For Weight Loss

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 60 percent of American adults are overweight and 25 percent are obese. In addition, about 25 percent of American children are overweight or obese.

Obesity is more than just a cosmetic concern. Being obese poses a lot of health risks on the body. Obese people are prone to common health problems such as constipation, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. They also tend to develop degenerative diseases such as heart problems, certain cancers, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, strokes, kidney problems, gallstones, liver disease, and so on.

Causes of Obesity

There are a lot of possible causes of obesity. Some of the main causes are:

Unhealthy Diet and Eating Habits: Eating high-fat, high-calorie foods and drinks causes weight gain. As well, skipping breakfast and eating a big meal at night can contribute to weight gain.

Lack of Exercise: Sedentary people do not burn as many calories as active people.

Genetics: Your genes may influence how much fat your body stores and where it is stored. Genetics also makes it more difficult for some people to lose weight than others. However, genes alone do not cause obesity.

Age: People gain weight as they get older, because they tend to be less active and lose muscle mass.

Certain Medications: Some medications, such as corticosteroids, blood pressure medication, diabetes medications, and tricyclic antidepressants, can lead to weight gain.

Medical Problems: Sometimes, obesity is due to a medical problem, such as Cushing’s disease, or hypothyroidism. Conditions such as osteoarthritis cause people to be less active, which can lead to weight gain.

Psychological Issues: Some people overeat when they are upset or stressed.

Natural Remedies for Weight Loss

The best natural weight loss remedies should be a combination of dietary management, exercise, and the use of some herbs, essential oils, and natural supplements to help burn fat and improve metabolism.

Diet Although there are a lot of weight loss diet plans available, the truth is, there isn’t one specific diet that works for everyone. More importantly, no diet works without the other essential components of weight loss, such as exercise and stress management.

Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
Be low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugar

Nutritional Supplements for Weight Loss

Below are some nutritional supplements that are commonly used as natural weight loss remedies. Note that these supplements alone, without dietary changes and sufficient exercise, probably cannot have significant effect on weight loss. Talk to your doctor before using these supplements.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
Pyruvate
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
7-KETO DHEA
Chromium

Herbs for Weight Loss

Several herbs have been found to be effective in helping weight loss. They include green tea, plantain, psyllium, cayenne, and bladderwrack.

Essential Oils to Help Weight Loss

Essential oils can be used as natural weight loss remedies in various ways.

Some essential oils, such as bergamot, can blunt hunger pangs. You can just hold a vial of bergamot oil under your nose and inhale.

Some essential oils can help with digestion. If you have had too much to eat (e.g. during Christmas time), here is a good formula to help you digest the foods.

10 drops of Mandarin oil
5 drops of Lemon
3 drops of Coriander
2 drops of Ginger
2 drops of Peppermint

Mix the above oils together and add one to two drops of the oil mixture to a cup. Add a teaspoon of honey and hot water. Stir well and sip the drink slowly. Finally, if you tend to overeat when you feel stressed or down, try to lift your mood by essential oils instead of sugar! Mood-lifting essential oils include lavender, rose, orange, and geranium.

For more information on using natural remedies to lose weight, please visit Natural Weight Loss Remedies.

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Protein requirements for weight loss

My top points when looking at protein needs in general and when trying to lose weight. My top points when looking at protein needs in general and when trying to lose weight.

  1. When our aim is weight loss by default we need to be in a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than we need) to achieve the desired results. Protein can support this because it is the more satiating macronutrient therefore making us feel fuller for longer which can be much needed when hunger kicks in as you begin your diet. Fiber can also have a similar effect by bulking out the food, slowing down the digestive process as with protein usually taking a longer time to break down and digest.
  2. Having your protein equally split out throughout the day isn’t needed but it can massively help with the above point as well as balancing blood sugar high’s and low’s. Pairing protein with carbohydrates will lower the GI of that particular carb and be broken down together therefore effecting blood sugar gradually often giving you a more controlled energy supply. I think everyone can relate to a sugar low / hypo after eating to much sugar at once.
  3. Protein’s impact of energy expenditure is higher in comparison to fats and carbs. The thermal effect of food means how much energy the body put’s into breaking down the food we put into the body. As protein often comes from animal sources it can be difficult to breakdown, firstly from chewing and secondly from the stomach’s need to produce digestive enzymes to break it down so we can use it for energy and nutrients.
  4. During weight loss we tend to lose mass from both muscle and fat storage, this is unavoidable but we want to minimize the loss of muscle and utilize fat loss as much as possible. We do this by eating adequate amounts of protein to support the preservation of current tissue and do resistance training 2-4 times a week will suffice. People often fall into the trap of looking at the scales and seeing weight loss but not realizing the proportion of muscle and fat lost. There is no real accurate way to measure this but I like to have an idea with measurements and skinfold testing to give us an indicator.
  5. Most people now know that one of proteins main roles is to support growth and repair in the body which is even heightened for athletes and physically active people as protein is not a first choice when it comes to a source of energy / fuel. Protein is required to promote growth, repair damaged cells, and synthesize hormones. It can come from a variety of sources, but animal sources provide the essential amino acids and are considered complete proteins. There are multiple studies showing that those who engage in exercise require more dietary protein than sedentary individuals. Furthermore, evidence indicates that ingesting protein prior to or after exercise can enhance recovery, immune function, along with growth and maintenance of lean body mass. It is important to note that any macronutrient in excess can lead to weight gain if a surplus happens as a result, this will stop you achieving your goals so we need to account for this into our deficit. A guideline I often give people is 1.6-1.8 grams per kilo of lean body weight and arrange your carbohydrate and fat intake accordingly.

High protein foods

  • Chicken
  • Steak
  • Fish
  • Greek yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Whey

 

High protein non-animal sources

  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Lentils
  • Tofu
  • Grains
  • Quinoa
  • Chick peas / hummus

Good luck moving forward with your weight loss goals and introduction of adequate amounts of protein. A lot of people struggle with the quantity of protein been suggested to begin with but persistence is needed and forward planning. Planning out meals ahead of time is vital and finding high protein snacks that you can have to help you reach you protein target.

References 
Atherton, P. and Smith, K. (2012). Muscle protein synthesis in response to nutrition and exercise. The Journal of Physiology, 590(5), pp.1049-1057.
Burd, N., West, D., Moore, D., Atherton, P., Staples, A., Prior, T., Tang, J., Rennie, M., Baker, S. and Phillips, S. (2011). Enhanced Amino Acid Sensitivity of Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Persists for up to 24 h after Resistance Exercise in Young Men. Journal of Nutrition, 141(4), pp.568-573.
Dreyer, H., Fujita, S., Cadenas, J., Chinkes, D., Volpi, E. and Rasmussen, B. (2006). Resistance exercise increases AMPK activity and reduces 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and protein synthesis in human skeletal muscle. The Journal of Physiology, 576(2), pp.613-624.

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Successful Weight Loss

So many people out there are having difficulties with their weight, in fact more and more people are becoming overweight and plenty are on a losing battle to reduce the weight they have gained for a couple of reason.

Firstly, some people are emotional eaters; these people are gaining something from eating regardless of their emotional reasons for eating (comfort, reward, stress release etc.)

Secondly, some are just simply over eating; by having 1 mouthful extra per meal is enough to make a big gain over the course of a year. I have added my “Fuel Tank Analogy” to help you understand what I mean.

Fuel Tank Analogy

Food is fuel like petrol is for a car, a car uses what it needs, now imagine if a car had an elasticated fuel tank, we would fill up the tank and the car would use what it needs with the reserves being kept back, you then refill what you initially put in the car and possibly a little extra and so on, the fuel tank keeps expanding at the same time as using what it needs.

This is a classic trait for overeaters, just one mouthful extra per meal per day than what we require is enough to put on weight over time.

1 extra mouthful per meal = 1 unneeded mouthful x by 3 meals per day = 3 unneeded mouthfuls per day, if you do this everyday every year then that’s 3 x 365 = 1095 of unrequired mouthfuls per year which is a lot of meals extra per year than your body requires and so I would encourage people to leave a little something on their plate each meal time.

The most important thing to remember is that you should NOT expect to lose lots of weight quickly, no one gains 2 Stone over night and should not expect to lose 2 Stone over night. A healthy and steady pace of about 1LB-2LB per week is good to aim for. If however, you lose a little more then fantastic, if you lose a little less, that’s also just as good, a loss is still a loss and therefore you are succeeding in achieving your goal. Forward is the right direction and a small loss is still moving forward.

Successful weight loss is about getting your body back to its natural way of eating by returning back to nature and to eat how we were designed to eat.

Speaking of nature this is a great place to start; there are no overweight animals in nature, FACT! An elephant is the right size for an elephant and an ant is the right size for an ant and the reasons why there are no over weight animals is because of the eating habits they have and this is exactly what I teach my clients.

There will be times when you will “fall off the wagon” but I want to reassure you that it is ok, you are human after all. The key point is not to beat yourself up but to accept what has happened and then to go back to the points I have set out in this course.

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Purchasing Homeopathic Hcg Drops For Weight Loss

There are more and more people who are trying a homeopathic HCG diets at home that may have many questions about it. There are many online resources like websites and forums that act as support groups and places for discussion and answers about following homeopathic HCG diets.

One of the most common questions is in regards to the very low calorie diet that dieters are supposed to follow. Typically, they should only consume 500 calories per day! Almost everyone wonders if their metabolism will shut down or slow down because of the lack of calories. Normally, when a person lowers their intake of calories and fat, their body begins to store the fat and the metabolism slows way down. Simply put, the body thinks it is starving and tries to save that source of stored energy. When you add to a low calorie diet the homeopathic HCG, it signals the body to start using and burning the stored fat for its energy, eliminating excess fat reserves. This means that there are no bad effects on the metabolism. When fat deposits are released, the body uses them as fuel, and this is what causes a persons appetite to decrease.

Another common question about homeopathic HCG is that people wonder if they will just lose weight by eating a low amount of calories without HCG. The answer is yes, people will lose some weight. However, there are risks and negative consequences to just cutting out a majority of the calories that are eaten. The body tends to get rid of muscle before fat, and when the body is deprived of calories, it stores fat! This will make the metabolism slow down, which makes it easier for a person to gain weight and lose muscle. When a person combines the low calorie diet with the homeopathic HCG, the excess fat is used and the rest of it in the body is disposed of, and it also prevents the empty fat cells from refilling.

Finally, people wonder if they should see their doctor before starting this type of regimen, and the answer is yes. This is the case with any diet product or exercise program. People also wonder about the shelf life of the hormone. Although different products have different specific shelf lives, it seems on average that the products can have a shelf life of up to a year when they are unopened and kept out of direct sunlight in a cool place. After they are opened, they can last about six months. People are recommended to keep their homeopathic HCG drops in the refrigerator, but they are still safe at room temperature, too.

For more information on homeopathic HCG, please visit our website.

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How good is the Homeopathic HCG for Weight Loss

The HCG weight reduction method is always trying to make the life of users a lot better. The first time HCG got the attention of overweight people, they can only have it through shots. They only had one reference, which is the “Pounds and Inches” book, written by the founder of the program, Dr. ATW Simeon.

Today, there’s Kevin Trudeau’s the weight loss cure to make the program even more effective and there is the oral HCG, easy to administer, cheaper, less-consuming and every bit affective as the injected HCG.

There is another recent development in the program which really aroused the interest of people, not only the overweight but even members of the dieting community. This is the homeopathic HCG. This HCG can be administered through the drops or injection. You have a choice. However, people will most like prefer the drops for the various advantages it offers.

What is homeopathic HCG? To understand what it is, you must know the meaning of homeopathic medicine first. It is a powerful of medicine wherein in the original medicine gets more powerful as it is diluted. The medicine ends up losing its original content, but becomes more potent.

There is another characteristic of homeopathic medicine which puzzles many medical professionals why there is homeopathic HCG at all. Homeopathic medicine is supposed to be using a substance that causes the illness to cure the illness. Nobody can say that HCG causes obesity. Most expert experts will agree that it’s the placebo effect at work and, of course, homeopathic medicine is all about placebo.

The homeopathic HCG is swiftly gaining many adherents. You can easily determine this fact by reading feedbacks from users. Most will attest that it did them a lot of good. There are even reports that in some cases it works even better than the traditional HCG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get more information about Homeopathic HCG and the free Uncensored Guide to the HCG Diet, then please visit http://www.PureHCGDiet.com to download it now.

 

Meal delivery services – is this the new way to lose weight and eat healthily?

In theory, losing weight should be easy – eat fewer calories than you burn. But in practice most of us know that it’s really difficult to lose weight and requires a combination of the right food and portion size, with lots of focus and determination to succeed, particularly in terms of establishing new habits and breaking old bad ones.

If you want to lose weight then you may have tried a calorie controlled diet, one of the well known diet plans or joined a weight loss club.

More recently, there has been  sharp growth a new type of healthy eating / weight loss programme in the form of meal delivery services. These offer convenient and healthy meals that are either fully prepared, or raw ingredients that come with detailed menus to follow so you can make your own nutritious meals. But do they work?

Celebrities such as Michael McIntyre reckon they do, according to a recent Daily Mail article. Having lost weight in the past, and like many of us put it back on, he turned to a specialist diet delivery service to help him lose weight by having 3 healthy meals delivered to his door each day. Plus he has cut out carbohydrates and alcohol.

Other celebrities such as Gabby Logan, Caroline Flack and Kirsty Gallagher also use meal delivery services and find they work from both a convenience and health perspective.

Do you use a meal delivery service or have you tried one? What do you think of the meals / ingredients? Did you feel the service offered value for money?

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Weight loss surgery: which option is best for me?

Being overweight can have all sorts of side-effects. There are lots of well-advertised health risks associated, like heart attacks and strokes, but it can affect you in other ways too. It can cause your joints to hurt, make it difficult to get pregnant, or drag down your self-confidence and make you miserable.

If you’ve been trying to lose weight but struggling using the conventional methods of diet and exercise, weight loss (otherwise known as ‘bariatric’) surgery could be an option.

There are different types of weight loss surgery and BMI Healthcare have written this guide to explain how they work. Some options are usually only recommended for people with a body mass index over 40, or 35 if you have certain medical conditions.

Some procedures are more extreme than others, and your doctor can talk you through which options are available for you based on your current health.

bmi-weightlosssurgery-th

Option 1: Gastric Balloon

Gastric balloon surgery  is temporary. A soft, silicon balloon is inserted into your stomach through your gullet and filled with sterile saline. By partially filling your stomach, the balloon will make you feel less hungry, and also feel fuller much sooner whenever you eat. As a consequence, you should lose weight because you’re eating less. The balloon is removed after six months.

While the balloon is in your stomach you’ll undergo a healthy eating and drinking programme, in which dieticians and nurses will teach you about how to maintain a healthier lifestyle after the balloon is removed. After it is removed, you could regain weight if you allow your new diet and exercise regime to slip, but help and support is on hand to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Option 2: Gastric Band

With gastric band surgery, an inflatable band is placed around your stomach to (not quite completely) divide it into two parts. When you eat, your stomach will be tricked into thinking you’re full much sooner. Your food will then pass into the second, larger part of your stomach and continue through your gut as normal. The band isn’t inflated until you’ve recovered from the surgery, and can be adjusted to change the size of the opening into the lower part of the stomach.

If you lose weight successfully and are confident about keeping it off, the procedure can be reversed and you will be able to eat full-sized meals again.

Option 3: Banded Gastric Band

If your BMI is over 40 and you are at least 100lbs overweight, you may be considered for banded gastric band surgery, in which the stomach is divided into two parts using an elasticated band. Your gut is re-routed to connect it to the new, smaller stomach, and an additional ring is placed between the new stomach and the gut to prevent it from stretching – and you from regaining weight. As with gastric band surgery, this is reversible.

Option 4: Gastric Bypass

During gastric bypass surgery, a stapler is used to divide your stomach into two parts, leaving you with just a small, pouch-sized stomach. Your gut is then re-routed and connected to this small, remaining part. Because you eat much less than before and you’re bypassing part of your bowel, you’ll lose a significant amount of weight very quickly.

It’s a major procedure with permanent effects and lots of risks associated. You won’t be able to eat a full-sized meal ever again, and will need to take nutritional supplements for the rest of your life. A gastric bypass is therefore only recommended for a small number of patients.

Option 5: Sleeve gastrectomy / ‘Gastric Sleeve’

When you undergo a sleeve gastrectomy, about 75% of your stomach is removed, turning it from something that looks like a bag into something that looks like a sleeve. Aside from this, everything else remains unchanged, so your stomach continues to function in the way it used to – you’ll just feel fuller much sooner.

As a result, there are fewer side-effects and complications associated with gastric sleeve operations than with a gastric bypass. You can lose weight quickly, although it’s possible your stomach will stretch again in future if you overeat. This means you could regain weight in future if you don’t permanently change your lifestyle.

Life after surgery

Weight loss surgery is usually a last resort for those people who cannot lose weight through diet and exercise. To keep the weight off, you’ll need to change what you eat, stop smoking and, if possible, start exercising.

Some options can have a profound and permanent impact on your day-to-day lifestyle, so think carefully about how this will make you feel. If you have a gastric bypass, for instance, this will make going out for a meal with your family or friends extremely challenging.

Rapid weight loss resulting from surgery can also leave you with sagging or excess skin that requires more operations to remove. These additional surgeries can leave you with large and visible scars, so you should take this into account.

Find out more about weight loss surgery options here, or you can make an online enquiry and a member of the BMI Healthcare team will be in touch.

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