Weight loss researchers at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, performed retrospective chart reviews of 61 adolescents who had previous bariatric surgery. Bone mineral content decreased by 7.4% at 2 years after surgery. There is concern that if the bone loss were to continue after surgery, the patients would be at increased risk of future osteoporosis and fracture.

Bone Loss in Adolescents After Bariatric Surgery

Jack LaLanne:
1) Your waistline is your lifeline. (medically true)
2) If man makes it, don’t eat it.
3) People don’t die of old age, they die of inactivity.
4) The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow.
5) You eat everyday, you sleep everyday, and your body was made to exercise everyday.

In a study published in Obesity journal (4.9.09), habits associated with obesity were researched. Please remember that correlation does not mean causation.

1) Sleep: People who sleep at least 7 hours per night weighed 13-24 lbs less than people who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night.

2) Calcium: People who consume 1000mg of calcium-rich foods daily weighed 15-22 lbs less than those consuming less than 600mg.

3) Control of Emotional Triggers: People who avoid overeating in response to thoughts or emotions weighed 14-22 lbs less than those who tend to overeat in those situations.

4) Low intent to control food intake: People who had low intent to control food intake weighed 10-15 lbs less than those with a high intent to control food intake.

5) Exercise: People who exercise at high-intensity for 30 minutes daily weighed 8-15
lbs less than those who did not.

6) Avoiding High Fat Diet: People who had less than 30% of their calories from fat weighed
9-12 lbs less than those who had greater than 40% of their calories from fat.

7) Vitamins: People who take vitamins weighed 4-12 lbs less than those who did not.

For the majority of patients who experience weight loss through non-surgical methods, they have far less reflux and many of them no longer need to take their heartburn medicines.

However, surgical weight loss (bariatric surgery) can cause increased reflux. This recent journal article discusses a case where a patient developed pre-cancerous esophagus (“Barrett’s esophagus”) after having LapBand surgery. Although the complication of developing cancer from LapBand bariatric surgery is rare, it is not unexpected.

Barrett’s esophagus: a late complication of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

If you seek non-surgical options for weight loss in Charlotte, call our office to schedule an appointment.

That's because it's not true. 

Every few months, the newsmedia catches upon a tidbit from a medical journal and then blows it out of proportion, presenting claims that were never shown in the study.  Worse yet, when you tell an overeater that "Food X" is healthy for them, the overeater will consume a great deal of "Food X" and continue eating unhealthy foods.  And so, they'll gain weight.  The dieter will begin to doubt all the new scientific claims, but many dieters are so desperate for the magic bullet that they'll continue trying every new superfood and supplement out of hope and desperation.

In a recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition , weight loss researchers compared two different dietary approaches.  The first group of patients were encouraged to increase healthy fruits and vegetables.  The second group was advised to limit high-fat foods.  The group who restricted unhealthy foods experienced significantly greater weight loss than the group who increased intake of healthy foods.

Weight loss is not difficult.  Many of my patients return and report that weight loss was much easier than they had ever dreamed.  (And weight maintenance, too.)  However, it is only possible with reducing or eliminating some unhealthy choices in the diet.  Frequently, blood tests are necessary in order to determine exactly which foods these are, because they can be different for different people.  Skim milk and cottage cheese may contain protein to suppress the appetite for some people, but those foods are terrible for people who are lactose-intolerant.  That's only one example.  Blood tests can show which foods are best for you.  Many of my patients are astonished when I show them dramatic improvements in their cholesterol when they eliminate the morning oatmeal, for example.  Learn what foods are unhealthy for you, so you can restrict them and lose weight for the long-term. 

In summary:

1. Make weight loss a priority after pregnancy
2. Make weight loss a priority before pregnancy

Our children do what we do.  They learn from us.  You owe it to your baby to demonstrate the healthiest habits so your child can grow up to be a healthy, happy adult one day.

Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 May;91(5):1336-41. Epub 2010 Mar 17.

No one would think that you could become intelligent by eating Einstein’s brain. Some uncivilized societies eat the powdered bones of their deceased elders in order to absorb their essence, and most of us would find this practice disturbing, foolish, and unscientific. Nevertheless, the superstitions of our society tell us the exact same message of the uncivilized, unscientific societies. We have been told to reduce our intake of cholesterol-rich foods in order to lower our cholesterol. We have been told to decrease our saturated fat intake in order to lower our blood levels of saturated fats. We attempt these practices and are astounded to discover the messages to be false. (In one study, participants reduced their saturated fat intake and 99% of the participants saw an increase in their blood levels of saturated fats.)

In a recent study, participants actually increased their fat intake and saw the resolution of their fatty livers. Fatty liver, also called Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or Non-Alcohlic SteatoHepatosis, can be caused by underlying medical conditions like insulin resistance which also causes cysts on the ovaries (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and fatty liver (NAFLD or NASH) added an omega-3 fatty acid supplement. The result was a reduction in liver fat.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Oct;94(10):3842-8. Epub 2009 Jul 21.

Weight loss researchers studied more than 1,300 individuals over a period of 10 years. Among overweight men, the biggest predictors of weight gain were stress from job demands, difficulty paying bills, lack of skill discretion, and lack of authority to make decisions. Among overweight women, the biggest predictors of weight gain included not only stress from job demands and difficulty paying bills, but also strain in family relations and perceived constraints in life.

Psychosocial stress and change in weight among US adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Jul 15;170(2):181-92. Epub 2009 May 22. Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

In this most recent study, patients who did not even try to diet were given probiotics or a placebo (fake pill). At the end of the study, patients who took probiotic supplements lost 4.6% abdominal organ belly fat, while patients who took placebo saw no improvements in belly fat.
Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055