Weight Loss Surgery: A Last ResortWritten by Jamie Clark
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Some of risks associated with weight loss surgery include: Death - According to Mayo Clinic, about one in 200 to 300 people who has gastric bypass surgery dies from procedure. Post-surgery complications - Some weight loss surgery patients experience severe complications such as internal bleeding, infections, and blood clots. Others have to undergo follow-up procedures to correct complications such as abdominal hernias. Gallstones - More than a third of patients develop gallstones as a result of losing large amounts of bodyweight following a weight loss surgery procedure. Nutrient deficiencies - Some weight loss surgeries disrupt digestion process. Without careful dietary supplementation this can lead to deficiencies in many important nutrients, especially vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium, and folate. Anyone considering weight loss surgery needs to weigh risks against benefits. They also need to realize that these extreme procedures are not cosmetic. Most patients only end up losing about 30% of their bodyweight and remain overweight for life. Simply put, weight loss surgery alone will not make you thin and beautiful. Yes, if you are extremely overweight, it may provide tremendous health benefits. But if you're just looking for a way to get thin without "hassles" of healthy diet and regular exercise you better think again.
Jamie Clark is editor of fitFAQ.com, one of the Web's top fitness information sites. Learn more about healthy weight loss option by visiting http://www.fitfaq.com.
| | Low-Carb Diets: Are You Losing More than Weight?Written by Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc.
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Another reason weight loss is achieved on these low-carb diets, at least temporarily, is due to water loss. The increase in amount of protein consumed, especially from meat and dairy products, raises levels of uric acid and urea in blood. These are toxic by-products of protein breakdown and metabolism. The body eliminates this uric acid and urea by pumping lots of water into kidneys and urinary tract to help flush it out. However, a detrimental side effect of this diuretic response is loss of essential minerals from body, including calcium. The high intake of protein leaches calcium from bones, which leads to osteoporosis. Medical evidence shows that for every 1 gram increase in animal protein ingested body loses an average of 1.75 milligrams of calcium in urine. Additionally, as calcium and other minerals are leached from our bones, they are deposited in kidneys, which can form into painful kidney stones. If a kidney stone becomes large enough to cause a blockage, it stops flow of urine from kidney and must be removed by surgery or other methods. Plant-based proteins, like beans, legumes and soyfoods, also provide fiber, which helps lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL (the good) cholesterol. This prevents build up of arterial plaque, which leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) and heart disease, thus reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. The amount and type of protein in your diet also has an important impact on calcium absorption and excretion. Vegetable-protein diets enhance calcium retention in body, and causes less calcium excretion in urine. This reduces risk of osteoporosis and kidney problems. Interestingly, kidney disease is far less common in people who eat a vegetable-based diet than it is in people who eat an animal-based diet. By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein, and replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat (like olive and canola oils), you can avoid pitfalls of typical high-protein low-carb diet. You will improve your health and regulate your weight while enjoying a vast array of delicious, nutritionally dense, high fiber foods. Remember, eat everything in moderation and nothing in excess. Also, healthy way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat nutritiously and make permanent lifestyle changes that allow you burn more calories than you take in. Copyright © 2005 Monique N. Gilbert. All rights reserved. Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. is a Health, Nutrition, Weight-Loss and Lifestyle Coach; Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor; Recipe Developer; Freelance Writer and Author of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. Monique has offered guidance in natural health, nutrition, fitness, weight-loss and stress management since 1989. She can be reached at http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com ****************************************
Monique N. Gilbert helps people get healthy and manage stress. Through her coaching program and writings, Monique motivates and teaches how to improve your well-being and vitality with balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy living. For more information, visit - http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com
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