The Work out Trifecta...

You might be wandering what’s that work out trifecta and it’s nothing from the outside world, actually is really simple it consist on doing Endurance training, Flexibility and Strength. Yeah that’s it by doing this three steps you can embark on a fitness journey.

Let’s begin with Endurance training!

• Walking is the best way to go by doing a walking plan and setting an initial daily goal. Then increase the goal by 10% each day that you walk. A great way to go about this is to count your steps using a pedometer. To set your baseline goal, clip on your pedometer and walk for 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day. Spread your walks throughout the day so you don’t get too tired… three 10 minute walks, for example...

• After a few weeks, you’ll be well on your way to better shape and will be ready to take your endurance routine to the next level. As the walking gets easier increase the difficulty of your daily steps. First, start taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible, or walk hills instead of flat ground if you have them in your area.

• As you keep on progressing in your endurance you can increase the difficulty by riding a stationary bike at the gym or if you have then at your house. Another fun work out you can do is hula hoping and with this you can strengthen your core, arms and legs.

• Also you can try swimming It contributes to endurance, strength and flexibility with minimal impact on the joints and works virtually every part of your body.

Now let’s go ahead and talk about a little bit of Flexibility...

Stretch… That’s the secret at the beginning its going to burn but also you will feel the euphoria that you are making changes in your life and after that pain there is a feeling good sensation and satisfaction that you are becoming more flexible.

Just as importantly, flexibility exercise for bariatric surgery patients improves coordination, increases blood flow to your muscles resulting in less soreness and more energy and improves chronic problems such as lower back pain.

To stretch properly, you should go far enough to “feel the burn” but not so far that it hurts. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds while feeling the burn, breathe deeply and consistently, and don’t bounce.

FYI: Beginners YOGA can help you with this and on the long run it also helps build muscle.

Now let finish this off with Strength! While it is the last it’s also really important to have it on you daily work out and it only should be started after your Endurance and Flexibility has been done.

As a good recommendation for starters, the exercise ball is a good way to go, these provide a great low-impact workout for core strength. Just sitting on them while watching TV or working at your desk will work your abs, sides and lower back. As you get stronger, start to incorporate exercises.

The size you need depends on your height:

·         Under 5 feet – 45 cm

·         5’1" – 5’8" – 55 cm

·         5’9" – 6’2" – 65cm

·         6’3" – 6’7" – 75cm

·         Over 6’8 " – 85cm

And as you progress start adding weights to the work out, you can start with dumbbells (from 1 to 5 pounds).
And also you can incorporate it to the other workouts and from there do your arm and shoulders exercises.

Well now that you know the 3 basic steps to do a full work out remember that you also have to use the correct equipment and clothing.

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Nutrition - Pregnancy after weight loss surgery…

Will my baby be able to get enough nutrients?

Pregnancy after gastric bypass can be safe and healthy if managed well by you and your health care provider. In fact, research suggests that pregnancy after weight-loss surgery might be safer for both mother and baby than pregnancy complicated by obesity.

Although more research is needed, studies suggest that weight-loss surgery might protect obese women and their babies from obesity-related problems during pregnancy. Examples include gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia — high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, often the kidneys, after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

If you have had weight-loss surgery and are considering pregnancy, consult your health care provider for preconception planning. You might also consult a registered dietitian along with your gastric bypass surgeon for advice on nutrition and weight gain during pregnancy.

Experts typically recommend postponing pregnancy until your weight stabilizes — typically at least 12 to 18 months after surgery. Some experts recommend waiting longer. Rapid or persistent weight loss might deprive a growing baby of important nutrients, leading to low birth weight. To monitor your baby's growth, your health care provider might recommend a fetal ultrasound during the third trimester....

10 General advises to have a good and healthy life changing meal plan!

1.-Plan your meals!

Once you get any bariatric procedure you cannot wait 3 hours before you eat to start thinking on what you are going to cook, this can cause a poor choice on what you are preparing o it doesn’t let you choose food with good nutrients

2.-Join support groups!

It is really important that you surround yourself with people that have gone under the same procedure, that way you can share experiences, share meals, exercises and keep on helping you stay on track.

One of the perks of going under surgery with Long Term WLS / VSG is that we have that support group you need, that we will help you make that positive change in your life and it also has a Nutritionist that you can find Monday through Friday in the mornings.

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3.-Put yourself real goals!

Remember to achieve your goals and don’t have to feel like you are doing too much you have to be patient and take things one step at a time.

You can start by suppressing bad eating habits and start adding the new and healthy eating habits to your new lifestyle.

4.-Establish short time goals!

Starts by Meals have what you are going to be eating and how you are going to prepare it. Then with exercises and try to do this every two weeks, it’s better to establish weekly goals that you can keep track on than monthly goals.

5.-Avoid Snacks!

This is really important you have to teach your stomach to have 5 full meals a day, no snacks!!

That way you can have a better digestion and make sure that you are eating healthy.

6.-Do your groceries right!

Make sure that you buy more vegetables, fruits, high protein food and food that helps your digestion.

7.-Serve your meal in small plates!

When you do this you’ll feel like you are eating a whole meal and also you’ll start training your mind to eat small portions of food.

8.-Start knowing when it’s hunger and when its anxiety!

Sometimes we eat depending on how we feel or what we feel, it’s really important to eat only when we are really hungry and going to eat full meal or also when you are scheduled for your meal.

9.-Watch less TV!

Try switching your habits go out more, take long walks, do outdoor activities, this will help you to improve your lifestyle, also when watching TV normally you see a lot of fast food advertisements and believe this only pushes your cravings for junk food, that’s why I recommend being more active.

10.-Exercise more often!

Instead of being bored or watching long hours of TV do more workout activities, this will ensure a better calorie burn and a better digestion.

Remember that a healthy lifestyle is not easy to achieve, but it’s not impossible.

Always have a Healthy mind in a Healthy body…

Advise depending on the type of bariatric procedure that was made....

While getting the post-op meal plan that we provide it’s also good to know some recommendations or specifications that go with that procedure. But always remember eat healthy...

Gastric Sleeve:

• After a gastric sleeve the first thing that you need to know is that your stomach is going to be smaller than it used to be that’s why it’s really important to eat healthy and it will also help you to achieve better result on your weight loss.

• After eating you’ll feel full a lot faster, eating too much and fast can cause discomfort and also a natural defense system gets activated and prevents food from going down, when this happens you normally vomit.

• To prevent this, take your time to eat your meal, chew from 25 to 30 times, take small bites not mouth full ones.

• Diarrhea is a common side effect so don’t get scared and also happens when you have to much dairy products in your diet, try drinking more water to prevent dehydration and eat less dairy products.

Gastric Bypass:

• This type of surgery doesn’t only reduce your stomach size but it also makes some hormone changes to your body.

• When eating too much fat mostly 80 % of these type of patient get affected by the Dumping Syndrome (a group of symptoms, including weakness, abdominal discomfort, and sometimes abnormally rapid bowel evacuation, occurring after meals in some patients who have undergone gastric surgery.).

• Some patients present diarrhea and others constipation that’s why we always recommend to drink water along the day.

• And remember to have your multivitamins to prevent any future problems.

Duodenal Switch:

These procedure not only changes your stomach size it also re-routes how your food gets digested, that’s why it’s really important to get the vitamins, minerals and protein your body requires.

The most common ones are:

• Calcium

• Iron

• Vitamins A, K, E, and D

• Probiotics

Also you have to keep track on what you are eating and stay in contact with your Doctor to make sure you are getting all the absorption that you need

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4 Easy Steps for a better bariatric meal plan!

Step 1: Eat Healthy

When we say eat healthy we are referring to have time to get a full meal, a balanced meal that has all the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to be healthy, you can include this types of foods:

• Farm Animals like Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Milk and Eggs. Try to stay away from steak (Cow), it’s harder to digest and can cause indigestion.

• Water Animals: Fish, Sardines and Tuna are recommended but don’t go eating to many seafood because it can also give you indigestion.

• Fruits and Veggies are also recommended, whole grains and nuts.

What should I be aware on my meals?

• Stay away from Chemically Modified Foods

• Try not to buy food that in the label has 4 o more ingredients your doctor told you not to consume.

• DO NOT FRY YOUR MEALS!! Use the Oven or the grill or a different method of cooking.

• Drink Skim Milk instead of whole milk

• Use different cooking oil.

Step 2: Make Protein your priority

Protein is really important and now it’s even more because of the procedure that you just went in, Protein helps you recover muscle tissue and right now that’s what you need so you can have a better healing process and your body can get use to your new stomach.

If you do not get your recommended protein intake you’re your body starts attacking your muscles and also you’ll feel week and tired, not just that some people may experience hair loss, swelling and on the skin.

Sometimes it’s recommended to have protein shakes or protein bars but we have to make sure how much protein are we getting from them and also how much carbs.

Step 3: Beware of the sugar you eat

Why is this important, mostly is because sugar in our body translates to Carbs that translates to glucose, if you know how to manage that glucose level you’ll have a better chance to make a faster recovery.

How to stop the carb cravings?

It’s easy just stop eating simple carbs like white bread, potatoes, white rice, corn, peas, food that has a lot of sugar in it like ice cream and donuts.

Try more of these instead, whole grain bread and whole grain rice.

Step 4: Drink water through the day

Remember that it’s really important to drink water all day try to keep it between 1 ½ to 2 quarts of liquid a day. This will help you keep your body hydrated and helps you digest your food better.

Try drinking water 45 min. before and after 45 min. after your meals that way you don’t feel bloated, also try drinking one glass a soon as you wake up and one before going to sleep.

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