Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Hi Robyn, You always seem to be so in tune on finding article of great importance . I have been in the same boat as and Shell for a while and not really too sure on how to get back on track. Thank you finding all of this great information. Ramona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Do You Long for Those WLS "Honeymoon" Days? by Ken , President of BSCI This article is especially for all of you WLS patients who never quite reached your desired weight-loss goal, or maybe you’ve regained some excess weight after reaching your initial goal. At BSCI we refer to people in your situation as “Back-On-Trackers.” Back-On-Trackers have a very different set of needs compared to first year patients. First year patients are excited and on top of the world because they’ve just been through the “honeymoon phase” of their weight-loss and new worlds of opportunity have been opened up to them. They’re almost giddy when talking about the comparisons of what they can do now with all the things they couldn’t do prior to surgery. If you’re a Back-On-Tracker, it’s very likely that you long for those “honeymoon” days and you wonder if there is any hope for you to ever be able to reach your goal weight after you’ve left the “honeymoon phase” far behind. Yes, you can do it. Absolutely! But it’s more difficult to accomplish when you’re not recovering from the effects of the trauma your body was put through when a WLS procedure was done to it. I believe that most of the weight-loss miracles that WLS patients enjoy during their "honeymoon phase" are directly caused by the trauma their intestinal tract suffers during their WLS operation and these effects typically last a little bit longer than the amount of time it takes for those injuries to heal. You may clearly remember how you felt when you reached the end of your honeymoon phase: As your pouch healed it relaxed and allowed you to eat a larger volume of food. And the desire to eat returned and was much stronger than it was while your system was healing. Since that point in time, you’ve had at least three things going against you that make it more difficult for you to lose weight than it was for you right after surgery: Your enjoyment of eating and your appetite has returned; this typically occurs at about 6-8 months post-op. After the first year post-op, you can eat much more volume at a single sitting (and therefore many more calories) than a new patient can eat. As you lose weight, it takes progressively less energy to accomplish your daily tasks so you don’t burn as many calories doing them. You’ve lost a lot of weight so your body doesn’t have to expend as much energy just to keep your cells alive and you don’t have to do as much work to move yourself around as you did when you were fresh out of surgery. After your WL surgery, your body naturally went into a metabolic state that’s commonly referred to as “ketosis” and as long as it remained in that metabolic state the pounds just fell off and it seemed like very little effort was required on your part to lose that weight. Ketosis is a chemical condition where your body produces excess ketones through the process of burning its fat stores. While you were in ketosis, your body burned stored fat to obtain its immediate energy needs rather than constantly demanding that you eat more carbohydrates. When you were in ketosis, many of your body’s physical cravings were less demanding than they were when you were in a "normal" metabolic state. You may remember that strange metallic taste in your mouth that affected how foods tasted to you. Some foods that you liked before surgery didn’t taste good to you after surgery, and vise versa. That metallic taste is one of the main indicators that you’re in a state of ketosis. The taste isn’t pleasant, but the weight-loss effects certainly are! Several months after surgery, your new gastric system healed and your desire to eat returned. Shortly thereafter, your memories and desires for sweets and other refined carbohydrates returned with a vengeance . . . and you thought, “Just this once won’t hurt,” so you tasted that “forbidden food” . . . just once . . . and the refined carb cravings became stronger . . . and stronger . . . and you found that you couldn’t eat them “just once”, but you ate them more and more often, and then . . . you fell out of that blessed state of ketosis. Your honeymoon was over and those relatively easy days of weight-loss never returned . . . and now you long for them and wish they could be yours “just once more,” because you know you’d use them more wisely if you could have them back again. Well, there’s good news and bad news . . . first, the good news . . . It IS possible to put your body back into a state of ketosis, similar to the state it was in after you first had surgery, and you can do it without having to go through surgery again, but it requires strict adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet to get it kick-started into that state. Then, it requires constant diligence to keep your body in the state of ketosis. It only takes one or two minor instances of "cheating" to drop out of ketosis and back into a "normal" metabolic state where it‘s much harder to lose weight. .. . . and the bad news is . . . it will never be as easy to shed those pounds as it was when your gastric system was healing after surgery. BUT, you can choose whether you want to give up, do it the hard way, or you can do it the easier way. That is the point of this discussion . . . achieving a state of ketosis, and maintaining it is definitely the easiest way to lose weight. So, how do you do it? We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, there are a couple of principles you need to understand before you jump right in and get started. There is a fine balance between providing your body with enough food and water so that it doesn’t go into starvation mode (where it will protect its fat stores rather than burning them) and providing it with so many calories that it doesn't need to burn fat stores to accomplish the tasks you require of it each day. You must feed your body enough water, protein, and complex carbohydrates (like non-starchy vegetables) so it senses there is an abundant volume of food available. Then it will realize that it doesn't have to squirrel away every last little calorie you eat and it will feel free to burn your fat stores to obtain its daily energy requirements. It will feel safe to burn fat because it doesn’t have to worry about endangering your long-term survival. Your body must receive enough protein to maintain good health and enough low calorie vegetables to provide it with the bulk it needs to feel full when you eat. The combination of feeling full (satiety), with plenty of protein and water, and no simple carbohydrates or sugars will produce a state of ketosis, where your body is using up your fat stores and yet it isn't in starvation mode because it’s satisfied with the volume of food it receives each day. That's why it’s vitally important that you eat at least 3 meals per day and that you eat enough to feel full at each of those meals. Also, it’s very important that you consume fewer calories each day than you burn THAT day. When you achieve this balanced state, you’ll lose weight, feel comfortably full, and have all the energy you need to accomplish your daily tasks. OK, those are the general principles you need to understand before you attempt to kick-start your body into ketosis. It’s very important that you understand these principles or you are likely to find yourself yo-yoing in and out of ketosis and finally giving up because you don’t understand all of the factors that must be in place so you can stay in ketosis. Janean G. Hall, BSCI Support Group Lesson Development Director has researched and prepared an Online Learning Lesson that describes “How to Kick-Start Your Weight Loss – A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism”. Her lesson contains all of the principles you can use to get yourself into ketosis and recipes you can use to get there if you don’t want to create your own menu. Following this new program will assure that your body will quickly switch from a carbohydrate based metabolism to a fat-based (ketosis) metabolism. Click here to go to the Online Learning lesson: How to Kick Start Your Weight-Loss - A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss – A five day program to shift your body to a Ketosis-Based Metabolismby Janean G. Hall If you have not already read the article "Do You Long for Those WLS "Honeymoon" Days? by BSCI President, Ken , please read it before you read this lesson. You can access the article by clicking on this link: Do You Long for Those WLS "Honeymoon" Days? This program has been developed for WLS patients, like you, who have come to a long, difficult plateau or perhaps have regained some weight. When you had your surgery the size of your new little stomach helped you attain the state of ketosis - or burning the fat in your body for energy. Later on, your body shifted back to a carbohydrate based metabolism and now you need to take specific steps to get back into the losing mode (ketosis) again. Your WLS tool is still there, available to help you, but you must recommit to making your tool work to your greatest advantage. The goal of this program is to help you make the shift to burning fat instead of sugar for your daily energy needs, thus causing you to begin rapidly losing weight again. Several types of surgical procedures are currently being used for weight-loss. It’s important that you take personal responsibility to understand the basic nutritional requirements of the WL procedure you have chosen. Even then you may experience variations of food tolerance and nutritional challenges that are different from others who have received the identical surgical procedure. Page 1 of 12 Vitamins How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss Burning Fat for Fuel When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat (your goal should be less than 10g per meal) in conjunction with the tool your WLS has given you, (eating a limited amount of food) your body starts to break down the fat storage you have built up. When fats are used exclusively as fuels they are converted to energy and excess ketones are a byproduct of this chemical process. The build up of ketones in your bloodstream results in a condition called “ketosis”. Ketones are a normal and efficient source of energy for the human body. Ketones are produced in the liver from fatty acids when there is not enough glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream to supply the body with the energy it needs. The fats in your last meal and those stored in your body are used for fuel (energy). Once the liver converts fats to ketones, they cannot be converted back to fat, and so they are excreted from your body through your urine and saliva glands. It is the excretion of this energy that doesn’t have to be burned up by your normal metabolic processes that accelerates your weight-loss. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss How Do I Know if I’m Burning Fat for Fuel?These are some ways you may identify if you are burning fat as your primary source of fuel: Ketones give your breath a sickly, fruity odor. This causes a bad taste in the mouth and can cause food and liquids to have an undesirable taste. Some people describe it as a ”metallic” taste. Your cravings will go away. As you modify your diet, you will correct the way your body reacts to the very foods that made you overweight. The physical cravings that ruled your eating habits will be gone, and they’ll stay away for as long as you stick with the program. By the end of 7 days most of your carbohydrate cravings should be gone. As a matter of fact, you may not even feel like eating. (However, if after 7 days you’re still experiencing cravings the chances are you are unintentionally eating carbohydrate foods. (These may be hidden carbohydrates.) You will feel full while eating less food. When you’re eating correctly you feel in balance, you feel satisfied, and you stop eating naturally. Your energy level will increase. About the third day you will experience an increase in your energy level. You may find you no longer suffer those tired periods that used to hit a couple of times each day. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss How Can I Test to Make Sure I'm In Ketosis?To verify that you're in ketosis, you may choose to use Ketone test strips. Ketone test strips are small plastic strips that have a little absorptive pad on the end. The pad contains chemicals that will change color in the presence of ketones in your urine. You just hold the strip in the flow of urine. The container will have a scale on the label, with blocks of color for you to compare with the strip after a certain time lapse, usually 15 seconds. Ketone test strips can be purchased at any pharmacy. You’ll find them in the area with the diabetic supplies. Caution: If you are diabetic you should be sure to purchase test strips that indicate both the amount of ketones and the amount of sugar in your urine. See http://www.survivediabetes.com/ketosis.htm for a diabetic’s description of symptoms that you need to watch for. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss Let’s Get Started If you’re serious about getting off your plateau, losing more weight or losing the few pounds you’ve regained, you’ll need to follow the instructions below and follow them exactly. To switch your body’s main fuel source from burning sugar to burning fats for fuel instead: Eat 10 grams of carbohydrate or less at each meal. Do not exceed 40 grams per day. Eat 3 to 5 small meals per day; or 3 small meals and two high protein snacks per day. Do not skip meals or go more than 4 waking hours without eating. Eat protein and vegetables only. Do not drink during mealtime. Do not drink 30 minutes before eating and wait 30 minutes after eating before you start drinking. Drink at least 64 oz of liquid each day. Be sure to count the carbohydrates listed on the drink in your daily carbohydrate count. Remember . . . water has no carbohydrates. Absolutely NO bread, pasta, grains, or starchy vegetables. Make sure you know the quantity of food your WLS Dr. feels is appropriate for you to be eating at this time. Eat SLOWLY until you feel comfortably satisfied, knowing you will be eating again soon. Eat a small, controlled, protein snack between meals. Don’t assume any food is low in carbohydrates – read the labels! Check the carbohydrate count that is on every package. Journal your food intake for the five kick start days. (You can find a journal list at the back of your Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Final Success Workbook) Only eat foods that are on the acceptable foods list during these five days. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss Oils and Fats You may use a variety of oils including corn, olive, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, vegetable, or canola. Carbohydrate Comparison Look at the comparison chart below, then make a wise choice. This may be one of the main reasons you're not losing weight or a reason for your weight regain. Ingredients Carbs Calories Protein Fat ¼ cup almond flour 6.00 160 6.00 14.00 ¼ cup soy flour 8.35 82 10.24 4.44 ¼ cup white flour 23.85 114 3.22 ..31 ¼ cup wheat flour 24.85 124 4.10 ..57 ¼ cup cornstarch 29.21 122 ..08 ..02 How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss Do NOT Eat These Foods During Your 5 Day Kick Start The following foods should be EXCLUDED ENTIRELY from your diet during your kick start because they interfere with your body’s ability to switch from a sugar-based energy source to a fat-based energy source. Sugar in any form (cookies, donuts, candy, cake, ice-cream, etc.) Milk and yogurt Fruit and fruit juice Flour products (bread, pasta, crackers) Grains Cereals Beans and legumes Starchy or high sugar-containing vegetables (potatoes, yams, corn, peas, parsnips, beets) Sweet condiments (ketchup, barbeque sauce and balsamic vinegar) Nuts and seeds How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss ACCEPTABLE FOODS Eat Liberally Two to Three Cups Daily Three to Four Ounces Daily * tuna (water packed) celery * mozzarella cheese * salmon * cucumber * cheddar cheese * chicken (breast) * lettuce * cream cheese turkey (breast) * mushrooms * cottage cheese lobster peppers * gouda cheese * shrimp * radishes *swiss cheese crabmeat romaine * parmesan cheese * beef zucchini * gruyere cheese pork broccoli * monterey jack cheese * ham asparagus roquefort cheese veal * summer squash bleu cheese * bacon * tomato * bouillon green beans * cream (light or heavy) *carrots egg egg substitute Condiments and Thickener needed for recipes * Salt and Pepper * Garlic Salt * Salsa * Mayonnaise * Worcestershire sauce * Soy flour * These are the foods you will need to purchase for the recipes found in the recipes list. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss You can use the previous lists of foods to avoid and acceptable foods to eat during your 5 day kick start and create a variety of dishes from those foods - making sure you count the TOTAL number of carbs in each meal as you use your own recipes that contain ONLY the acceptable foods. OR, you can simply use the following recipes to prepare meals that are precalculated for you. Click Here for a Menu of LOW CARB KICK START RECIPES CAUTION: This very low carb 5 Day Kick Start program is intended to be used for a limited period of time. It is not intended to be used as a constant diet for periods of time longer than 2 weeks. How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss What do I do after the 5 Day Kick Start Program? After you have successfully reached a state of ketosis, as measured by ketosis test strips, or after 2 weeks, whichever comes first, you should modify your diet to include other sources of proteins and vegetables that are excluded from this program. After you have ended your 5 Day Kick Start program, you can maintain a metabolic state of ketosis by concentrating on eating 70% protein and 30% low carbohydrate, (non starchy) vegetables. Eat 3 bites of protien and 1 bite of vegetables to easily maintain these proportions of proteins to vegetables during your meal.. [At several different times during your meal, LOOK AROUND . . . Is your mother there? If mom's not there, it's OK to leave some food on your plate! If you're really concened about those starving people in third world countries that your mom told you about, just write a short note asking your host or server to send the food you left to someone who needs it more than you do . . . then just get up and walk away.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Wow Robynn Thank you so much, this article is great. I am going to print it out and refer to it often. Huggles > Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? > > > by Ken , President of BSCI > > This article is especially for all of you WLS patients who never quite reached your desired weight-loss goal, or maybe you've regained some excess weight after reaching your initial goal. At BSCI we refer to people in your situation as " Back-On-Trackers. " > > Back-On-Trackers have a very different set of needs compared to first year patients. First year patients are excited and on top of the world because they've just been through the " honeymoon phase " of their weight-loss and new worlds of opportunity have been opened up to them. They're almost giddy when talking about the comparisons of what they can do now with all the things they couldn't do prior to surgery. > > If you're a Back-On-Tracker, it's very likely that you long for those " honeymoon " days and you wonder if there is any hope for you to ever be able to reach your goal weight after you've left the " honeymoon phase " far behind. Yes, you can do it. Absolutely! But it's more difficult to accomplish when you're not recovering from the effects of the trauma your body was put through when a WLS procedure was done to it. > > I believe that most of the weight-loss miracles that WLS patients enjoy during their " honeymoon phase " are directly caused by the trauma their intestinal tract suffers during their WLS operation and these effects typically last a little bit longer than the amount of time it takes for those injuries to heal. > > You may clearly remember how you felt when you reached the end of your honeymoon phase: As your pouch healed it relaxed and allowed you to eat a larger volume of food. And the desire to eat returned and was much stronger than it was while your system was healing. Since that point in time, you've had at least three things going against you that make it more difficult for you to lose weight than it was for you right after surgery: > > Your enjoyment of eating and your appetite has returned; this typically occurs at about 6-8 months post-op. > After the first year post-op, you can eat much more volume at a single sitting (and therefore many more calories) than a new patient can eat. > As you lose weight, it takes progressively less energy to accomplish your daily tasks so you don't burn as many calories doing them. You've lost a lot of weight so your body doesn't have to expend as much energy just to keep your cells alive and you don't have to do as much work to move yourself around as you did when you were fresh out of surgery. > > After your WL surgery, your body naturally went into a metabolic state that's commonly referred to as " ketosis " and as long as it remained in that metabolic state the pounds just fell off and it seemed like very little effort was required on your part to lose that weight. Ketosis is a chemical condition where your body produces excess ketones through the process of burning its fat stores. While you were in ketosis, your body burned stored fat to obtain its immediate energy needs rather than constantly demanding that you eat more carbohydrates. When you were in ketosis, many of your body's physical cravings were less demanding than they were when you were in a " normal " metabolic state. > > You may remember that strange metallic taste in your mouth that affected how foods tasted to you. Some foods that you liked before surgery didn't taste good to you after surgery, and vise versa. That metallic taste is one of the main indicators that you're in a state of ketosis. The taste isn't pleasant, but the weight-loss effects certainly are! > > Several months after surgery, your new gastric system healed and your desire to eat returned. Shortly thereafter, your memories and desires for sweets and other refined carbohydrates returned with a vengeance . . . and you thought, " Just this once won't hurt, " so you tasted that " forbidden food " . . . just once . . . and the refined carb cravings became stronger . . . and stronger . . . and you found that you couldn't eat them " just once " , but you ate them more and more often, and then . . . you fell out of that blessed state of ketosis. Your honeymoon was over and those relatively easy days of weight-loss never returned . . . and now you long for them and wish they could be yours " just once more, " because you know you'd use them more wisely if you could have them back again. > > Well, there's good news and bad news . . . first, the good news . . . > > It IS possible to put your body back into a state of ketosis, similar to the state it was in after you first had surgery, and you can do it without having to go through surgery again, but it requires strict adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet to get it kick-started into that state. Then, it requires constant diligence to keep your body in the state of ketosis. It only takes one or two minor instances of " cheating " to drop out of ketosis and back into a " normal " metabolic state where it`s much harder to lose weight. > > . . . and the bad news is . . . it will never be as easy to shed those pounds as it was when your gastric system was healing after surgery. BUT, you can choose whether you want to give up, do it the hard way, or you can do it the easier way. That is the point of this discussion . . . achieving a state of ketosis, and maintaining it is definitely the easiest way to lose weight. > > So, how do you do it? We'll get to that in a minute, but first, there are a couple of principles you need to understand before you jump right in and get started. > > There is a fine balance between providing your body with enough food and water so that it doesn't go into starvation mode (where it will protect its fat stores rather than burning them) and providing it with so many calories that it doesn't need to burn fat stores to accomplish the tasks you require of it each day. You must feed your body enough water, protein, and complex carbohydrates (like non- starchy vegetables) so it senses there is an abundant volume of food available. Then it will realize that it doesn't have to squirrel away every last little calorie you eat and it will feel free to burn your fat stores to obtain its daily energy requirements. It will feel safe to burn fat because it doesn't have to worry about endangering your long-term survival. > > Your body must receive enough protein to maintain good health and enough low calorie vegetables to provide it with the bulk it needs to feel full when you eat. The combination of feeling full (satiety), with plenty of protein and water, and no simple carbohydrates or sugars will produce a state of ketosis, where your body is using up your fat stores and yet it isn't in starvation mode because it's satisfied with the volume of food it receives each day. > > That's why it's vitally important that you eat at least 3 meals per day and that you eat enough to feel full at each of those meals. Also, it's very important that you consume fewer calories each day than you burn THAT day. When you achieve this balanced state, you'll lose weight, feel comfortably full, and have all the energy you need to accomplish your daily tasks. > > OK, those are the general principles you need to understand before you attempt to kick-start your body into ketosis. It's very important that you understand these principles or you are likely to find yourself yo-yoing in and out of ketosis and finally giving up because you don't understand all of the factors that must be in place so you can stay in ketosis. > > Janean G. Hall, BSCI Support Group Lesson Development Director has researched and prepared an Online Learning Lesson that describes " How to Kick-Start Your Weight Loss – A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism " . Her lesson contains all of the principles you can use to get yourself into ketosis and recipes you can use to get there if you don't want to create your own menu. Following this new program will assure that your body will quickly switch from a carbohydrate based metabolism to a fat-based (ketosis) metabolism. > > Click here to go to the Online Learning lesson: How to Kick Start Your Weight-Loss - A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism. > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > – A five day program to shift your body to a Ketosis-Based Metabolism > by Janean G. Hall > > > If you have not already read the article " Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? by BSCI President, Ken , please read it before you read this lesson. You can access the article by clicking on this link: Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? > > > This program has been developed for WLS patients, like you, who have come to a long, difficult plateau or perhaps have regained some weight. When you had your surgery the size of your new little stomach helped you attain the state of ketosis - or burning the fat in your body for energy. Later on, your body shifted back to a carbohydrate based metabolism and now you need to take specific steps to get back into the losing mode (ketosis) again. > > Your WLS tool is still there, available to help you, but you must recommit to making your tool work to your greatest advantage. The goal of this program is to help you make the shift to burning fat instead of sugar for your daily energy needs, thus causing you to begin rapidly losing weight again. > > Several types of surgical procedures are currently being used for weight-loss. It's important that you take personal responsibility to understand the basic nutritional requirements of the WL procedure you have chosen. Even then you may experience variations of food tolerance and nutritional challenges that are different from others who have received the identical surgical procedure. > > Page 1 of 12 > > > > > Vitamins > > > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > Burning Fat for Fuel > When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat (your goal should be less than 10g per meal) in conjunction with the tool your WLS has given you, (eating a limited amount of food) your body starts to break down the fat storage you have built up. > > When fats are used exclusively as fuels they are converted to energy and excess ketones are a byproduct of this chemical process. The build up of ketones in your bloodstream results in a condition called " ketosis " . Ketones are a normal and efficient source of energy for the human body. > > Ketones are produced in the liver from fatty acids when there is not enough glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream to supply the body with the energy it needs. The fats in your last meal and those stored in your body are used for fuel (energy). Once the liver converts fats to ketones, they cannot be converted back to fat, and so they are excreted from your body through your urine and saliva glands. It is the excretion of this energy that doesn't have to be burned up by your normal metabolic processes that accelerates your weight-loss. > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > How Do I Know if I'm Burning Fat for Fuel? > These are some ways you may identify if you are burning fat as your primary source of fuel: > Ketones give your breath a sickly, fruity odor. This causes a bad taste in the mouth and can cause food and liquids to have an undesirable taste. Some people describe it as a " metallic " taste. > Your cravings will go away. > As you modify your diet, you will correct the way your body reacts to the very foods that made you overweight. The physical cravings that ruled your eating habits will be gone, and they'll stay away for as long as you stick with the program. By the end of 7 days most of your carbohydrate cravings should be gone. As a matter of fact, you may not even feel like eating. (However, if after 7 days you're still experiencing cravings the chances are you are unintentionally eating carbohydrate foods. (These may be hidden carbohydrates.) > You will feel full while eating less food. When you're eating correctly you feel in balance, you feel satisfied, and you stop eating naturally. > Your energy level will increase. About the third day you will experience an increase in your energy level. You may find you no longer suffer those tired periods that used to hit a couple of times each day. > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > How Can I Test to Make Sure I'm In Ketosis? > > To verify that you're in ketosis, you may choose to use Ketone test strips. Ketone test strips are small plastic strips that have a little absorptive pad on the end. The pad contains chemicals that will change color in the presence of ketones in your urine. You just hold the strip in the flow of urine. The container will have a scale on the label, with blocks of color for you to compare with the strip after a certain time lapse, usually 15 seconds. > > Ketone test strips can be purchased at any pharmacy. You'll find them in the area with the diabetic supplies. > > Caution: If you are diabetic you should be sure to purchase test strips that indicate both the amount of ketones and the amount of sugar in your urine. See http://www.survivediabetes.com/ketosis.htm for a diabetic's description of symptoms that you need to watch for. > > > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > Let's Get Started > If you're serious about getting off your plateau, losing more weight or losing the few pounds you've regained, you'll need to follow the instructions below and follow them exactly. > To switch your body's main fuel source from burning sugar to burning fats for fuel instead: > Eat 10 grams of carbohydrate or less at each meal. Do not exceed 40 grams per day. > > Eat 3 to 5 small meals per day; or 3 small meals and two high protein snacks per day. > > > Do not skip meals or go more than 4 waking hours without eating. > > Eat protein and vegetables only. > > Do not drink during mealtime. Do not drink 30 minutes before eating and wait 30 minutes after eating before you start drinking. > > Drink at least 64 oz of liquid each day. Be sure to count the carbohydrates listed on the drink in your daily carbohydrate count. Remember . . . water has no carbohydrates. > > Absolutely NO bread, pasta, grains, or starchy vegetables. > > Make sure you know the quantity of food your WLS Dr. feels is appropriate for you to be eating at this time. > > Eat SLOWLY until you feel comfortably satisfied, knowing you will be eating again soon. > > Eat a small, controlled, protein snack between meals. > > Don't assume any food is low in carbohydrates – read the labels! Check the carbohydrate count that is on every package. > > Journal your food intake for the five kick start days. (You can find a journal list at the back of your Success Habits of Weight- Loss Surgery Patients Final Success Workbook) > > Only eat foods that are on the acceptable foods list during these five days. > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > Oils and Fats > > You may use a variety of oils including corn, olive, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, vegetable, or canola. > > Carbohydrate Comparison > Look at the comparison chart below, then make a wise choice. This may be one of the main reasons you're not losing weight or a reason for your weight regain. > Ingredients Carbs Calories Protein Fat ¼ cup almond flour 6.00 160 6.00 14.00 ¼ cup soy flour 8.35 82 10.24 4.44 ¼ cup white flour 23.85 114 3.22 .31 ¼ cup wheat flour 24.85 124 4.10 .57 ¼ cup cornstarch 29.21 122 .08 .02 > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > Do NOT Eat These Foods During Your 5 Day Kick Start > > The following foods should be EXCLUDED ENTIRELY from your diet during your kick start because they interfere with your body's ability to switch from a sugar-based energy source to a fat-based energy source. > > Sugar in any form (cookies, donuts, candy, cake, ice-cream, etc.) > > Milk and yogurt > Fruit and fruit juice > Flour products (bread, pasta, crackers) > Grains > Cereals > Beans and legumes > Starchy or high sugar-containing vegetables (potatoes, yams, corn, peas, parsnips, beets) > Sweet condiments (ketchup, barbeque sauce and balsamic vinegar) > Nuts and seeds > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > ACCEPTABLE FOODS > Eat Liberally Two to Three Cups Daily Three to Four Ounces Daily * tuna (water packed) celery * mozzarella cheese * salmon * cucumber * cheddar cheese * chicken (breast) * lettuce * cream cheese turkey (breast) * mushrooms * cottage cheese lobster peppers * gouda cheese * shrimp * radishes *swiss cheese crabmeat romaine * parmesan cheese * beef zucchini * gruyere cheese pork broccoli * monterey jack cheese * ham asparagus roquefort cheese veal * summer squash bleu cheese * bacon * tomato * bouillon > green beans * cream (light or heavy) > *carrots egg > > egg substitute > > Condiments and Thickener needed for recipes * Salt and Pepper * Garlic Salt* Salsa* Mayonnaise * Worcestershire sauce* Soy flour > > * These are the foods you will need to purchase for the recipes found in the recipes list. > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > You can use the previous lists of foods to avoid and acceptable foods to eat during your 5 day kick start and create a variety of dishes from those foods - making sure you count the TOTAL number of carbs in each meal as you use your own recipes that contain ONLY the acceptable foods. > > > > OR, you can simply use the following recipes to prepare meals that are precalculated for you. > > > Click Here for a Menu of LOW CARB KICK START RECIPES > > > CAUTION: This very low carb 5 Day Kick Start program is intended to be used for a limited period of time. It is not intended to be used as a constant diet for periods of time longer than 2 weeks. > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > What do I do after the 5 Day Kick Start Program? > After you have successfully reached a state of ketosis, as measured by ketosis test strips, or after 2 weeks, whichever comes first, you should modify your diet to include other sources of proteins and vegetables that are excluded from this program. > > > After you have ended your 5 Day Kick Start program, you can maintain a metabolic state of ketosis by concentrating on eating 70% protein and 30% low carbohydrate, (non starchy) vegetables. > > > Eat 3 bites of protien and 1 bite of vegetables to easily maintain these proportions of proteins to vegetables during your meal.. > > > [At several different times during your meal, LOOK AROUND . . . Is your mother there? If mom's not there, it's OK to leave some food on your plate! If you're really concened about those starving people in third world countries that your mom told you about, just write a short note asking your host or server to send the food you left to someone who needs it more than you do . . . then just get up and walk away.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Thanks Ramona...I hope it proves to be helpful for any of you who are looking for answers. Love to you all...and I think you are all greaat JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. But, i know this is a personal journey, and you must do what you believe to be right for you. Robynnsweetgemlady656@... wrote: Hi Robyn, You always seem to be so in tune on finding article of great importance . I have been in the same boat as and Shell for a while and not really too sure on how to get back on track. Thank you finding all of this great information. Ramona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Robynn, Thank you sweetie!! I to am going to print it out!!!! Can you put this in the file section? Thanks Shell (2 days till vacation) > Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? > > > by Ken , President of BSCI > > This article is especially for all of you WLS patients who never quite reached your desired weight-loss goal, or maybe you've regained some excess weight after reaching your initial goal. At BSCI we refer to people in your situation as " Back-On-Trackers. " > > Back-On-Trackers have a very different set of needs compared to first year patients. First year patients are excited and on top of the world because they've just been through the " honeymoon phase " of their weight-loss and new worlds of opportunity have been opened up to them. They're almost giddy when talking about the comparisons of what they can do now with all the things they couldn't do prior to surgery. > > If you're a Back-On-Tracker, it's very likely that you long for those " honeymoon " days and you wonder if there is any hope for you to ever be able to reach your goal weight after you've left the " honeymoon phase " far behind. Yes, you can do it. Absolutely! But it's more difficult to accomplish when you're not recovering from the effects of the trauma your body was put through when a WLS procedure was done to it. > > I believe that most of the weight-loss miracles that WLS patients enjoy during their " honeymoon phase " are directly caused by the trauma their intestinal tract suffers during their WLS operation and these effects typically last a little bit longer than the amount of time it takes for those injuries to heal. > > You may clearly remember how you felt when you reached the end of your honeymoon phase: As your pouch healed it relaxed and allowed you to eat a larger volume of food. And the desire to eat returned and was much stronger than it was while your system was healing. Since that point in time, you've had at least three things going against you that make it more difficult for you to lose weight than it was for you right after surgery: > > Your enjoyment of eating and your appetite has returned; this typically occurs at about 6-8 months post-op. > After the first year post-op, you can eat much more volume at a single sitting (and therefore many more calories) than a new patient can eat. > As you lose weight, it takes progressively less energy to accomplish your daily tasks so you don't burn as many calories doing them. You've lost a lot of weight so your body doesn't have to expend as much energy just to keep your cells alive and you don't have to do as much work to move yourself around as you did when you were fresh out of surgery. > > After your WL surgery, your body naturally went into a metabolic state that's commonly referred to as " ketosis " and as long as it remained in that metabolic state the pounds just fell off and it seemed like very little effort was required on your part to lose that weight. Ketosis is a chemical condition where your body produces excess ketones through the process of burning its fat stores. While you were in ketosis, your body burned stored fat to obtain its immediate energy needs rather than constantly demanding that you eat more carbohydrates. When you were in ketosis, many of your body's physical cravings were less demanding than they were when you were in a " normal " metabolic state. > > You may remember that strange metallic taste in your mouth that affected how foods tasted to you. Some foods that you liked before surgery didn't taste good to you after surgery, and vise versa. That metallic taste is one of the main indicators that you're in a state of ketosis. The taste isn't pleasant, but the weight-loss effects certainly are! > > Several months after surgery, your new gastric system healed and your desire to eat returned. Shortly thereafter, your memories and desires for sweets and other refined carbohydrates returned with a vengeance . . . and you thought, " Just this once won't hurt, " so you tasted that " forbidden food " . . . just once . . . and the refined carb cravings became stronger . . . and stronger . . . and you found that you couldn't eat them " just once " , but you ate them more and more often, and then . . . you fell out of that blessed state of ketosis. Your honeymoon was over and those relatively easy days of weight-loss never returned . . . and now you long for them and wish they could be yours " just once more, " because you know you'd use them more wisely if you could have them back again. > > Well, there's good news and bad news . . . first, the good news . . . > > It IS possible to put your body back into a state of ketosis, similar to the state it was in after you first had surgery, and you can do it without having to go through surgery again, but it requires strict adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet to get it kick-started into that state. Then, it requires constant diligence to keep your body in the state of ketosis. It only takes one or two minor instances of " cheating " to drop out of ketosis and back into a " normal " metabolic state where it`s much harder to lose weight. > > . . . and the bad news is . . . it will never be as easy to shed those pounds as it was when your gastric system was healing after surgery. BUT, you can choose whether you want to give up, do it the hard way, or you can do it the easier way. That is the point of this discussion . . . achieving a state of ketosis, and maintaining it is definitely the easiest way to lose weight. > > So, how do you do it? We'll get to that in a minute, but first, there are a couple of principles you need to understand before you jump right in and get started. > > There is a fine balance between providing your body with enough food and water so that it doesn't go into starvation mode (where it will protect its fat stores rather than burning them) and providing it with so many calories that it doesn't need to burn fat stores to accomplish the tasks you require of it each day. You must feed your body enough water, protein, and complex carbohydrates (like non- starchy vegetables) so it senses there is an abundant volume of food available. Then it will realize that it doesn't have to squirrel away every last little calorie you eat and it will feel free to burn your fat stores to obtain its daily energy requirements. It will feel safe to burn fat because it doesn't have to worry about endangering your long-term survival. > > Your body must receive enough protein to maintain good health and enough low calorie vegetables to provide it with the bulk it needs to feel full when you eat. The combination of feeling full (satiety), with plenty of protein and water, and no simple carbohydrates or sugars will produce a state of ketosis, where your body is using up your fat stores and yet it isn't in starvation mode because it's satisfied with the volume of food it receives each day. > > That's why it's vitally important that you eat at least 3 meals per day and that you eat enough to feel full at each of those meals. Also, it's very important that you consume fewer calories each day than you burn THAT day. When you achieve this balanced state, you'll lose weight, feel comfortably full, and have all the energy you need to accomplish your daily tasks. > > OK, those are the general principles you need to understand before you attempt to kick-start your body into ketosis. It's very important that you understand these principles or you are likely to find yourself yo-yoing in and out of ketosis and finally giving up because you don't understand all of the factors that must be in place so you can stay in ketosis. > > Janean G. Hall, BSCI Support Group Lesson Development Director has researched and prepared an Online Learning Lesson that describes " How to Kick-Start Your Weight Loss – A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism " . Her lesson contains all of the principles you can use to get yourself into ketosis and recipes you can use to get there if you don't want to create your own menu. Following this new program will assure that your body will quickly switch from a carbohydrate based metabolism to a fat-based (ketosis) metabolism. > > Click here to go to the Online Learning lesson: How to Kick Start Your Weight-Loss - A five day program to shift your body to a ketosis based metabolism. > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > – A five day program to shift your body to a Ketosis-Based Metabolism > by Janean G. Hall > > > If you have not already read the article " Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? by BSCI President, Ken , please read it before you read this lesson. You can access the article by clicking on this link: Do You Long for Those WLS " Honeymoon " Days? > > > This program has been developed for WLS patients, like you, who have come to a long, difficult plateau or perhaps have regained some weight. When you had your surgery the size of your new little stomach helped you attain the state of ketosis - or burning the fat in your body for energy. Later on, your body shifted back to a carbohydrate based metabolism and now you need to take specific steps to get back into the losing mode (ketosis) again. > > Your WLS tool is still there, available to help you, but you must recommit to making your tool work to your greatest advantage. The goal of this program is to help you make the shift to burning fat instead of sugar for your daily energy needs, thus causing you to begin rapidly losing weight again. > > Several types of surgical procedures are currently being used for weight-loss. It's important that you take personal responsibility to understand the basic nutritional requirements of the WL procedure you have chosen. Even then you may experience variations of food tolerance and nutritional challenges that are different from others who have received the identical surgical procedure. > > Page 1 of 12 > > > > > Vitamins > > > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > Burning Fat for Fuel > When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat (your goal should be less than 10g per meal) in conjunction with the tool your WLS has given you, (eating a limited amount of food) your body starts to break down the fat storage you have built up. > > When fats are used exclusively as fuels they are converted to energy and excess ketones are a byproduct of this chemical process. The build up of ketones in your bloodstream results in a condition called " ketosis " . Ketones are a normal and efficient source of energy for the human body. > > Ketones are produced in the liver from fatty acids when there is not enough glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream to supply the body with the energy it needs. The fats in your last meal and those stored in your body are used for fuel (energy). Once the liver converts fats to ketones, they cannot be converted back to fat, and so they are excreted from your body through your urine and saliva glands. It is the excretion of this energy that doesn't have to be burned up by your normal metabolic processes that accelerates your weight-loss. > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > How Do I Know if I'm Burning Fat for Fuel? > These are some ways you may identify if you are burning fat as your primary source of fuel: > Ketones give your breath a sickly, fruity odor. This causes a bad taste in the mouth and can cause food and liquids to have an undesirable taste. Some people describe it as a " metallic " taste. > Your cravings will go away. > As you modify your diet, you will correct the way your body reacts to the very foods that made you overweight. The physical cravings that ruled your eating habits will be gone, and they'll stay away for as long as you stick with the program. By the end of 7 days most of your carbohydrate cravings should be gone. As a matter of fact, you may not even feel like eating. (However, if after 7 days you're still experiencing cravings the chances are you are unintentionally eating carbohydrate foods. (These may be hidden carbohydrates.) > You will feel full while eating less food. When you're eating correctly you feel in balance, you feel satisfied, and you stop eating naturally. > Your energy level will increase. About the third day you will experience an increase in your energy level. You may find you no longer suffer those tired periods that used to hit a couple of times each day. > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > How Can I Test to Make Sure I'm In Ketosis? > > To verify that you're in ketosis, you may choose to use Ketone test strips. Ketone test strips are small plastic strips that have a little absorptive pad on the end. The pad contains chemicals that will change color in the presence of ketones in your urine. You just hold the strip in the flow of urine. The container will have a scale on the label, with blocks of color for you to compare with the strip after a certain time lapse, usually 15 seconds. > > Ketone test strips can be purchased at any pharmacy. You'll find them in the area with the diabetic supplies. > > Caution: If you are diabetic you should be sure to purchase test strips that indicate both the amount of ketones and the amount of sugar in your urine. See http://www.survivediabetes.com/ketosis.htm for a diabetic's description of symptoms that you need to watch for. > > > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > Let's Get Started > If you're serious about getting off your plateau, losing more weight or losing the few pounds you've regained, you'll need to follow the instructions below and follow them exactly. > To switch your body's main fuel source from burning sugar to burning fats for fuel instead: > Eat 10 grams of carbohydrate or less at each meal. Do not exceed 40 grams per day. > > Eat 3 to 5 small meals per day; or 3 small meals and two high protein snacks per day. > > > Do not skip meals or go more than 4 waking hours without eating. > > Eat protein and vegetables only. > > Do not drink during mealtime. Do not drink 30 minutes before eating and wait 30 minutes after eating before you start drinking. > > Drink at least 64 oz of liquid each day. Be sure to count the carbohydrates listed on the drink in your daily carbohydrate count. Remember . . . water has no carbohydrates. > > Absolutely NO bread, pasta, grains, or starchy vegetables. > > Make sure you know the quantity of food your WLS Dr. feels is appropriate for you to be eating at this time. > > Eat SLOWLY until you feel comfortably satisfied, knowing you will be eating again soon. > > Eat a small, controlled, protein snack between meals. > > Don't assume any food is low in carbohydrates – read the labels! Check the carbohydrate count that is on every package. > > Journal your food intake for the five kick start days. (You can find a journal list at the back of your Success Habits of Weight- Loss Surgery Patients Final Success Workbook) > > Only eat foods that are on the acceptable foods list during these five days. > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > Oils and Fats > > You may use a variety of oils including corn, olive, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, vegetable, or canola. > > Carbohydrate Comparison > Look at the comparison chart below, then make a wise choice. This may be one of the main reasons you're not losing weight or a reason for your weight regain. > Ingredients Carbs Calories Protein Fat ¼ cup almond flour 6.00 160 6.00 14.00 ¼ cup soy flour 8.35 82 10.24 4.44 ¼ cup white flour 23.85 114 3.22 .31 ¼ cup wheat flour 24.85 124 4.10 .57 ¼ cup cornstarch 29.21 122 .08 .02 > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > Do NOT Eat These Foods During Your 5 Day Kick Start > > The following foods should be EXCLUDED ENTIRELY from your diet during your kick start because they interfere with your body's ability to switch from a sugar-based energy source to a fat-based energy source. > > Sugar in any form (cookies, donuts, candy, cake, ice-cream, etc.) > > Milk and yogurt > Fruit and fruit juice > Flour products (bread, pasta, crackers) > Grains > Cereals > Beans and legumes > Starchy or high sugar-containing vegetables (potatoes, yams, corn, peas, parsnips, beets) > Sweet condiments (ketchup, barbeque sauce and balsamic vinegar) > Nuts and seeds > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > ACCEPTABLE FOODS > Eat Liberally Two to Three Cups Daily Three to Four Ounces Daily * tuna (water packed) celery * mozzarella cheese * salmon * cucumber * cheddar cheese * chicken (breast) * lettuce * cream cheese turkey (breast) * mushrooms * cottage cheese lobster peppers * gouda cheese * shrimp * radishes *swiss cheese crabmeat romaine * parmesan cheese * beef zucchini * gruyere cheese pork broccoli * monterey jack cheese * ham asparagus roquefort cheese veal * summer squash bleu cheese * bacon * tomato * bouillon > green beans * cream (light or heavy) > *carrots egg > > egg substitute > > Condiments and Thickener needed for recipes * Salt and Pepper * Garlic Salt* Salsa* Mayonnaise * Worcestershire sauce* Soy flour > > * These are the foods you will need to purchase for the recipes found in the recipes list. > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > You can use the previous lists of foods to avoid and acceptable foods to eat during your 5 day kick start and create a variety of dishes from those foods - making sure you count the TOTAL number of carbs in each meal as you use your own recipes that contain ONLY the acceptable foods. > > > > OR, you can simply use the following recipes to prepare meals that are precalculated for you. > > > Click Here for a Menu of LOW CARB KICK START RECIPES > > > CAUTION: This very low carb 5 Day Kick Start program is intended to be used for a limited period of time. It is not intended to be used as a constant diet for periods of time longer than 2 weeks. > > > How To Kick Start Your Weight Loss > > > > What do I do after the 5 Day Kick Start Program? > After you have successfully reached a state of ketosis, as measured by ketosis test strips, or after 2 weeks, whichever comes first, you should modify your diet to include other sources of proteins and vegetables that are excluded from this program. > > > After you have ended your 5 Day Kick Start program, you can maintain a metabolic state of ketosis by concentrating on eating 70% protein and 30% low carbohydrate, (non starchy) vegetables. > > > Eat 3 bites of protien and 1 bite of vegetables to easily maintain these proportions of proteins to vegetables during your meal.. > > > [At several different times during your meal, LOOK AROUND . . . Is your mother there? If mom's not there, it's OK to leave some food on your plate! If you're really concened about those starving people in third world countries that your mom told you about, just write a short note asking your host or server to send the food you left to someone who needs it more than you do . . . then just get up and walk away.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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