Weight Loss Surgery: Benefits and Risks

You may be considering weight loss surgery if you are overweight or obese. For many people, surgical weight reduction is one of the only viable ways to lose a significant amount of weight and enjoy better health. However, it's important to realize that this is a very serious undertaking. You should definitely spend time researching the topic and, if possible, talking with people who have already had a weight reduction procedure performed. Understanding the benefits and risks involved with weight loss surgery is absolutely vital to making an informed decision. To help you get started, here is a brief guide...

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Benefits:

* Fast Weight Loss: Obviously this is the biggest benefit of weight loss surgery. Immediately following the surgery most people begin to lose weight quickly. This rapid weight loss usually continues for at least a year and a half, leading to a very significant reduction in body weight. It's important to note however that many people begin to regain weight within 2 years, especially if they have not made any healthy lifestyle/diet changes!

* Improvement of Obesity-Related Health Conditions: For many people, the improvement in their overall health, following weight loss surgery, is just as important as the weight loss itself. And for good reason: people who have suffered from debilitating obesity-related conditions (such as diabetes) for years often experience tremendous improvements within a short period of time.

Risk and Side-Effects:

* Death: A small percentage of weight loss surgery patients die during the operation or from complications in the days and weeks following the surgery.

* Post-surgery complications: Some patients must have follow-up procedures to correct complications, which can include infections and hernias.

* Nutritional deficiencies: Some types of weight loss surgeries reduce the body's ability to absorb important vitamins and minerals. Many patients must take diet supplements on a daily basis or risk developing anemia, osteoporosis, metabolic bone disease, etc.

* Gallstones: More than a third of gastric surgery patients develop gallstones due to the rapid weight loss that occurs in the months following a weight reduction procedure.

* Side-effects: Some of the most common side-effects experienced by weight loss surgery patients include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, excessive sweating, increased gas, and dizziness.

As you can see, weight loss surgery carries some huge benefits along with some very significant risks. If you are severely obese, it is definitely an option for reducing your body weight and improving - or even eliminating - many of your obesity-related health conditions. Just understand the risk and be prepared to make some relatively extensive lifestyle changes after the procedure. If you are not severely obese you should definitely consider diet and exercise options before you think about weight loss surgery.

Simple Weight Loss Tips: 7 Tips for Slimming Your Sloppy Butt!

Do you have extra weight you're carrying around? Are you tired of avoiding the mirror and bathing suits?

Are you ready to feel better and take control over your fat?

Well okay, you asked for it...

Here is the big deal; losing weight is mainly based the following factor:

* The Total Number of Calories You Consume

Verses.

* The Total Number of Calories You Burn

Now the core formula for losing extra weight is:

** Weight Loss = Calories Burnt (Exercise) - Calories Consumed

(Exercise also builds up your metabolism which continues to help burn fat faster.)

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You can try and trick this formula with fad diets; however those schemes have almost no chance of working on a long term basis. That is more than likely why you are reading this right now.

What the above formula indicates is that in order to lose weight you will have to increase the number of calories you burn and decrease the number of calories you consume.

For Example: When you burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, you lose one pound of pure fat. This is all pretty much common sense so far. However most people do not have trouble knowing what to do when it comes to losing weight, they have trouble doing what they know.

Please keep in mind that our bodies require a certain number of calories (usually around 2,000 per day) to maintain itself and stay healthy. This means that you can't burn more than that amount of calories in a given day. This reinforces the fact that in order to achieve a healthy and guaranteed weight loss, you have to have a balance of consuming and burning calories.

Here are 7 proven tips for you to start winning the battle against your fat right now. These tips will help you to reduce the number of calories you consume, without going hungry or becoming faint. These tips will also increase the number of calories you burn during your exercises without causing you to be tired or very sore. By using these 7 tips in combination with some easy exercises, you will enable yourself to do the following two things:

1. You will stop gaining weight.

2. You will then start losing weight.

** Tip # 1 - Easy Weight Loss - CAN THE SODA!

If you drink soda regularly, you must begin to become very aware of exactly how many sodas you are drinking. Did you know if you reduce one soda can (12 oz. serving of soda) per day from your diet you can lose, or not have to deal with, an additional 14.6 pounds over the course of a year? All sodas (regular, not diet) are loaded with ton of sugar. Each (12 oz.) soda has around 140 calories.

In a year, 365 sodas = 365 x 140 = 51,100 calories

Converting that into pounds gained:

51,100 / 3,500 = 14.6 pounds... with just one 12 oz. soda.

Do not forget that the 14.6 pounds we are dealing with here only concerns 12 ounce servings of soda, which is considered a "small" with today's mega-sized sodas of 16, 24, 32, and 44 ounces! You will definitely reduce your extra fat if you reduce your intake of soda and replace it with fruit juice, water, or seltzer whenever possible.

** Tip # 2 - Easy Weight Loss - WATER, WATER, and more WATER!

Drinking water daily is critical for weight loss. However, drinking water is the most commonly overlooked tip for those looking to lose weight. No matter how much you do in an effort to lose weight, if you are not drinking enough water you are not losing as much weight as you can.

In the best case scenario you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. However, I understand that this is very difficult to do. That is why I recommend that you at least start drinking water with all of your meals. You will be surprised at how much you won't miss your usual sugary drink of choice while you eat. Then as time passes and you become more comfortable drinking water you will be more likely to opt for water in everyday non-meal refreshment situations

The real benefit of drinking water as it pertains to weight loss is that it is excellent for flushing the burnt fat/calories out of your body. Without drinking the right amount of water much of the fat you burn will stay in your body and will cause you to not lose as much weight as you can. Drinking water needs to be taken very seriously because it is one of the most powerful fat loss tips period. Simply drinking it in addition to anything else you do to lose weight will dramatically affect your health and weight loss..

You may ask, "How can I lose the water weight I have if I drink tons of water?" Well, the answer to that is simple. When you drink less water, your body begins storing the water you do drink for emergency purposes; just like camels do when they roam the desert and do not have access to water for many days at a time. Conversely, when you start drinking more water on a regular basis your body gets out of "emergency" mode and releases the excess water. This excess water release could result in a loss of up to 5 pounds!

** Tip # 3 - Easy Weight Loss - VEGETABLES ARE YOUR FRIENDS!

Although eating vegetables with every meal is preferable, I understand the difficultly in doing so and recommend that you make two mealtime trades as often as possible. They are:

A) Trade French fries or any other fried side dish at mealtime for any cooked vegetable with very little butter or salt.

B) Trade potato chips or any other salty lunch snack for raw vegetables with a very little amount of low-fat dip or dressing.

In addition to adding vegetables to your meals, you should also eat a small salad with very little dressing before your main dinner. By doing this your appetite will reduce and you will not overeat during your main course. Above all, vegetables are very low in calories and are also a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which will help keep you healthy along with assisting you to lose weight.

** Tip # 4 - Easy Weight Loss - DO NOT STAY HUNGRY AND NEVER STARVE YOURSELF!

Staying hungry and starving yourself will only make you eat that much more when you do eventually sit down for a meal. The best way to go is to eat frequently (every four hours) in small portions.

Many people think skipping meals is a good way to lose extra pounds. However, that is a big mistake. Skipping meals affects your metabolism and will actually slow down your weight loss! I recommend that you start your day by making breakfast your biggest and healthiest meal. Then continue by eating a small lunch with a slightly bigger dinner. Finally, I encourage everyone to use meal replacement shakes midday or late-evening in rotation with veggies and salads.

** Tip # 5 - Easy Weight Loss - FAST FOOD = FAT YOU!"

Fast food is a convenient, tasty and cost effective reality; but it makes you fat every single time! Now I ask how convenient, tasty or cheap is lugging around extra fat worth to you?

Now that we have given attention to the fact that fast food is a reality that makes you fat, we can lay down some guidelines to minimize the disastrous effects of fatty fast food on your body when you find yourself at the drive through on that very rare occasion. When you place an order at a fatty fast food restaurant, here are some phrases that will help you to minimize your fat intake. "No Mayo," "No Cheese," "No Soda," "No Fries," "No Dessert."

You may ask how much of a difference these phrases really make. Well, as an example, when you say "No Mayo" for your chicken sandwich, you are saving around 30 grams of fat, or about 270 calories per sandwich. Now if you are a regular chicken sandwich eater, saying "No Mayo" for every sandwich you order for a year could translate into approximately 20 less pounds you have to deal with and burn off. Basically, if you can't avoid eating fast foods on occasion you can avoid all the fatty fast extras that are included with them.

** Tip # 6 - Easy Weight Loss - YES, BOOZE MAKES YOU FATTER THAN YOU THINK!

- One 12 oz. can of beer has around 140 calories *

- One 4 oz. glass of wine has between 80 and 200 calories *

- One 1 oz shot of whiskey has between 65 to 85 calories *

Skipping one 12 ounce can of beer on a daily average can save you over 14 pounds of extra weight a year (the same as giving up one 12 oz. can of soda a day). Alcohol is highly concentrated in calories with almost no nutritional value. It is very simple... if you want to lose weight, drink less alcohol. There is no way around it.

** Tip # 7 - Easy Weight Loss - THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO BEAT THE FAT!

With all the fad diets out there, it may seem like there are easy and sacrifice-free ways to beat the fat off your body. Sadly, losing weight will always be as simple as burning more calories than you consume. The diet shakes, pills and programs are dangerous to your health and they most often only win an occasional battle in the war to against fat. Do not be taken in with the hype and the easy path of a slimmer you. It simply is not a reality that lasts.

Now that you know the 7 tips; it is time for you to start burning some calories. Visit your local gym, fitness center, health office, or Doctor so they can recommend an easy, low-impact and equipment free (if necessary) program that is perfect for you to lose the extra weight once and for all!

What Do I Need to Know About Weight Loss Supplements?

Using a supplement to help decrease hunger pangs and increase fullness following a small meal are all the rage. You need only walk down the aisles in the grocery store or pharmacy to see box after box of different options available to help make your lifestyle changes as easy as possible. The weight loss industry has developed many options to take advantage of the different genetic variations that we all care he as well as underlying metabolism and exercise habits of those who want to lose weight.

No matter what program or supplement you choose to use weight loss happened the same way, for everyone, every time. In other words, we literally are what we eat, or rather how much we eat. Weight loss happens when we eat less calories each day then we burn. So, if we eat 2200 calories but only burn 2000 we can expect to gain weight at a rate of 1 pound every 17 days.

Did you know that obesity is a problem that faces approximately 70% of the American adult population today. Approximately 15% of teenagers are also obese and overweight. Much blame has been laid at the feet of reduced exercise, a diet filled with sugar, fat and processed foods as well as a lifestyle that no longer values being physically fit. The number of weight loss supplements are growing as the waistline of American's continues to expand.

Although the concept of weight loss is simple-you eat less than you burn-it is the execution that is difficult. The food industry competes with the weight loss industry in advertising dollars attempting to garner clients from the same target market. In an effort to be able to eat out when they want and still lose weight many people turn to supplements because changing eating habits can be incredibly challenging. Using weight loss supplements and pills can sometimes help people over the proverbial hump.

People also want something to work fast. We live in a fast paced society where everything happens instantly, or at least we want it to happen instantly. It should happen now and it should be relatively painless. . .

Weight loss supplementation can be purchased either over the counter or from a prescription. Prescription supplements are only available through your primary care physician and local pharmacy. The manufacture and packaging of these are strictly regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The products also undergo clinical trials and testing to prove efficacy and safety.

Over the counter supplements are not regulated in any way and are not classified as drugs. Because they are not classified as a drug there is no regulation on distribution or manufacturing and the companies do not have the ability to make specific health-related claims. The manufacturing companies also usually do not have stringently performed clinical studies which give the same information that a prescribed supplement may.

Ephedra is one such example of a weight loss supplement that has a high rate of success but also a high side effect profile that includes hypertension, cardiac problems and even death. Hoodia Gordonii is another supplement that has both positive and negative press. There has been some credible weight loss reported with Hoodia but there are a few manufacturers that can guarantee the authenticity and quality of the product they are delivering. There have also been research studies which have documented significant liver side effects in those who have used a supplement for weight loss.

Many of the over-the-counter weight-loss supplements rely heavily on caffeine as their primary ingredients. Caffeine has the effect of increasing metabolism slightly as well as dehydrating the body. This gives the client the initial feeling of being then but there is also rebound bloating when the body attempts to retain as much fluid is possible in order to improve its chances for survival.

Caffeine has been a weight loss supplement that has been around for decades in both prescription drugs and over-the-counter supplements. And, while there are some negative side effects to the product, individuals is to remember to stay well hydrated and do not overuse the supplement can find some success.

When choosing a weight-loss supplement most of us think that the primary ingredients are the active ingredients. And, while these ingredients are usually the ones which have the most impact on weight loss people can also have adverse effects to the an active ingredients in the pills. Keep track of any side effects you experience with supplements you use so you can compare ingredients with the side effects and avoid those ingredients with any further changes to your medicines.

Remember that when you take any medication, supplement or herb you are putting a chemical into your body that will react with any other chemical which is already there. This means that although you are taking a weight-loss supplement meant to help you lose weight it will react with any other medication you've been prescribed for other underlying medical conditions or any other over-the-counter medication you may be taking. For this reason you must consult with the pharmacist to determine if there are any adverse side effects from taking medications together.

Weight loss supplements should only be used when you are working towards changing your eating habits. Using these supplements a long-term basis will not solve your problem. Instead they should be used in order to help you change your lifestyle habits, improve your nutritional intake and move away from old snacking habits. Once you go off the nutritional supplements if you return to your old habits your weight will rebound and probably you will gain even more.

Weight loss herbal supplements, over-the-counter supplements and prescriptions are only a tool in the battle against obesity. Use these tools correctly and with care you'll develop good eating habits that you can continue to follow when you are no longer using supplementation. Ensure your success for the future by making changes in your habits today.