Out With The Old: Calories-in Versus Calories-Out

Calories-in, calories-out.  Lose weight.  Gain weight.  You eat.  You exercise.  It's all connected.  Then they say it isn't.  But it has to be a little bit, right???  Otherwise gastric bypass surgery wouldn't work at all. 

I have been doing ALL the stuff.  (You can read that blog HERE.)  I'm eating so much better than I used to.  Almost no fast food (maybe twice in the last few months and those were salads from Wendy's -- my favorite!).  I have cut my sugar intake drastically.  Jellybeans?  Gone!  Vitamin Waters?  Gone!  Donut day?!  Gone (well I have taken a couple of bites here and there but I am not eating them every Friday)!  I'm making the majority of my food at home.  I'm reading labels.  I'M PUTTING SHIT BACK ON THE SHELF WHEN IT DOESN'T HAVE WHAT I NEED!  Who am I?! 

But where's all my weight loss?  I know.  I know.  I didn't do this to lose weight!  I am doing it to get healthy after years of having a horrible relationship with food and my body.  And, sure, there are a lot of good things going on -- I feel great, and am actually requiring less food.  After two weeks of returning home each evening with the afternoon snack I would pack for work, today I finally decided to stop bringing an afternoon snack.  Ellen says this means I'm making better food choices that are sustaining me longer.  YAY! 

I read a couple of articles about calories and why eating real food doesn't equate to weight loss, so I wanted to talk about them. 

For years I made the argument that a calorie was a calorie.  And why did anyone care if I chose my calories to be ice cream and cake instead of fruits and vegetables?  But now I know that is not the truth.  Besides the fact that ice cream and cake take up less room, so they are less filling with more calories, there are VITAL vitamins you get from eating fresh fruits and veggies.  Here are some great tidbits from THIS article:

"Thinking that all calories are the same is an antiquated notion. Granted, by definition calories represent units of energy provided by a particular food, but thinking they’re all alike is like saying a diamond and a rhinestone are the same because they both glitter. With calories, as with diamonds, it’s the quality that matters most and enhances their value."

"So what’s the work-around? Trade hunger, calorie-counting and denial, for filling, nutrient-dense, organic or local produce, poultry, pasture-raised meats and wild fish. Eat them until you are full, not until you’ve hit some abstract, virtually meaningless magic number. By eating these kinds of foods, your body will tell you when you’ve had enough. Eating refined carbs like wheat, grains and sugar—the crystal meth of the supermarket aisle—never will."

I personally still choose to track my food.  Mostly because I'm trying to make that stupid pie chart hit the 40-30-30 mark (40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein).  But I am hitting my calorie goal each day without trying.  I don't feel like I'm dieting.  In fact, I feel like I'm eating better than ever!  I am also eating close to a 50% fat diet since starting with Ellen's nutritional program in early May (good fats like coconut oil, nuts and olive oil) and have lost almost four pounds in the last two months.  I know.  That doesn't sound like a lot, but I don't lose weight quickly.  Ever.  My body has always done this bounce around thing.  Up 4 pounds.  Down 5.  Up 3.  Down 2.  Up 4.  Down 6.  It's crazy.  I am no longer bouncing around and am now consistently losing small amounts of weight each week.  And I am at my lowest weight in almost two years (my highest weight last year after foot surgery was 263 pounds.  I am now down to 252 pounds). 

I was also reading THIS article about why eating real food might not equate to weight loss.  I do take issue with her blaming obesity on certain diseases.  I like something Ellen posted in our Balanced Table group.  It is poor diet choices (processed food, sugar, etc.) causing Type 2 Diabetes, heart attacks, cancer, etc.  Not obesity.  What do they say?  Correlation not causation?  Anyway, I think the article still contains some good information.  Reasons you might not be losing weight?

Digestion: "Weight loss will not happen if the body is malnourished and unhealthy. That’s the least concern of the body, therefore it will focus on repairing and bringing down the inflammation before it even thinks of shrinking fat cells, especially if it doesn’t have the proper energy to do so."

Food sensitivities: "The good news is sensitivities are not allergies and can be reversed, but this requires eliminating certain foods that an individual may be reacting to for a period of time while their body heals."

Yeast overgrowth: "Correcting imbalances can diminish cravings for sugar and sweets, improves digestion and absorption of nutrients, and reduces the amount of toxins the body is exposed to."

Stress: "This is directly linked to maintaining healthy adrenal function which regulates cortisol levels, sex hormones (which is another underlying cause of weight gain), and of course adrenaline and epinephrine- which put you in a state of fight or flight. Stress eats up B vitamins, Magnesium, hinders digestion, and causes imbalances in blood sugar that cause the adrenals to work overtime."

Toxin overload: "Bottom line, we must limit our exposure as much as possible, and more importantly, take a pro active approach to support our body’s ability to decongest and rid these toxins properly to get the stress off our detoxification organs (i.e. LIVER!). The body can then focus on ridding toxins from fat cells which is where they accumulate!"

Dysfunction of the master glands: "Making sure adequate amounts of amino acids are being utilized and getting enough essential fatty acids, along with a diet rich in vitamins and minerals is crucial for support. Possible cause of the weakening of these master glands can include a diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, digestive problems, stress, and even heavy metal toxicity."

So the adventure continues to regain my health through better food choices.  I am also working hard on being strong.  Lots of yoga, pole and cycle.  Next year, my test scores better be perfect!!!

The Psoriasis-Humira Conundrum

I've been watching too much Big Bang Theory.  I freakin' love that show.  I just ordered a bunch of books off Amazon to help me learn bigger, cooler, nerdier words.  :-)

So I'm on here whining about my psoriasis about once a month, I guess.  I first started Enbrel shots in late July.  This was supposed to be the miracle drug.  You shoot yourself up, suppress your own immune system, and VOILA!  Clear skin!  You can check out my two-week update which includes photos here:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/08/enbrel-and-psoriasis-two-week-update.html

That wasn't working for me so my doctor then changed me to Humira.  Let's see if we can make you even more tired and apt to catch colds....all in the name of beautiful skin!  You can read that October post here:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/10/psoriasis-and-humira.html

So now I am four months into the Humira shots.  Sure, my skin is clear-er than it was.  But its not completely clear.  At my last appointment (barely two weeks ago), my doctor brought up the possibility of taking another step up and trying a drug that really has only been around for a couple of years.  You can read about that here:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/01/found-motivation.html

So basically, be an experimental rat.  I'm thinking no thanks.  You want to know when my skin was at its best?  When I was thinner.  So I am going to stick to this Paleo plan, the Twirly Tuff workout and probably just stop taking the medication altogether.

I am going to include a couple of recent photos.  From the pictures, it looks pretty clear.  But a lot of the skin is still rough and some days, its redder than others.  I really have not had a break-out this bad since before my weight loss.  So I have to believe that losing weight is the key -- not drugging myself up.

And here's a picture from June 2011:

Progress?  Yes.  Full victory?  Not yet.

Uncomfortable topics no one wants to discuss after gastric bypass

After you have weight loss surgery, a lot of things will change.  Most of them will be positive changes, but there are a lot of possible issues that people don't like to talk about.  Everyone will have their own issues to deal with. Here are a compilation of issues I have either run into myself or have had my support group members bring up.

     1.     Relationships will change.  Prior to surgery, I attempted to pinpoint who might be a "problem" in my life.  Post-surgery, I was wrong.  People I expected to be jealous were very supportive.  Others I didn't foresee being a problem caused a lot of drama in my life.  After you lose a lot of weight, relationships with significant others, friends and family will change.  Many people accused me of becoming a bitch after I lost weight.  I just realized how many people were using me and started standing up for myself. 

     2.     You will feel hunger again.  Many people believe they will never feel the sensation of hunger again.  The feeling will return.  The timeframe is different for everyone.  For me, it took a year or so.  For others, its right away.  The feeling can be scary for some of us.  For me, an empty stomach was almost painful, even though I wasn't in any real pain.  So learning that its ok to feel a little hungry was important.

     3.     Therapy should be a requirement.  Most of us don't actually ever feel true hunger.  We eat constantly to avoid that feeling.  But we feel "head hunger."  We generally over-ate for emotional reasons.  The surgery will not fix this.  I strongly suggest therapy to every single person who has weight loss surgery. 

     4.     Vitamins are more important than you think.  If you have gastric bypass specifically, vitamins are extremely important.  We are malabsorptive post-surgery and won't get our vitamins from food.  You should have blood tests every single year.  Here are the blood labs I still have my doctor run every year:  CBC; serum iron; serum folate; liver panel - AST, ALT, Alk, Phos, Tbili, direct bili, albumin; B12; serum calcium, electrolytes and cholesterol panel.

Here are some other posts on the subject.

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/11/taking-care-of-ourselves-in-gastric.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/vitamins-and-gastric-bypass-surgery.html

The only update is that this year I was found to be anemic so I do take iron on a daily basis now.

     5.     Constipation hurts.  No way around this one.  It's an uncomfortable subject but it's one I wish someone had warned me about.  Take a stool softener earlier rather than later.  The pain is unbearable.  I now add whole ground flax seed to my protein shake, which helps with the issue. 

     6.     Your hair will fall out.  But you won't go bald.  Get your protein and vitamins in.  If you are really worried, you can use a shampoo like Nioxin.  But mostly just change your hairstyle, wait it out, and your gorgeous hair will return. 

     7.     You will deal with weight gain at some point.  We all do.  Some have bigger issues than others with it.  But we will all come to a point where the surgery is no longer "working" for us and we have to do it on our own.  When it does happen, take care of it when its only five pounds.  Don't wait until its 20, 50 or 100.   

     8.     Exercise is key.  I should have made this number one.  The minute you can get out of the hospital bed, start exercising and never, never, never ever stop. 

     9.     Addiction transfer is very real.  You ate for a reason.  When you can't eat anymore, you may pick another bad habit.  Alcohol.  Shopping.  Be aware of it and refer back to Item Number 3.

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/03/pick-your-poison.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/07/swapping-problems.html

     10.  Support groups are a life line.  Some people come to a meeting or two and then think they don't need a support group.  Other people stop going once they gain a little weight.  They are embarrassed or think they have failed.  But that's exactly when they should be asking for help.  

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/gastric-bypass-support-group.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/10/bari-buddies-walnut-creek-weight-loss.html

     11.     Plastic surgery is your choice and only you can decide if it's right for you.  It's a choice I made.  I didn't like feeling like a Shar-pei.  I also feel like it is what helps "keep me honest."  Gaining weight once everything has been tightened hurts. 

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/hurt-like-bitch.html

******

Here is a post I wrote in March 2011 on my 7th surgiversary, which lists all of my gastric bypass blogs for the previous year.  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-seven.html

Here is another post about a book that might be helpful.  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/02/habits-of-successful-weight-loss.html

Weight loss surgery (gastric bypass, lap-band, gastric sleeve, etc.) is a tool.  I've heard many, many statistics about how many people actually keep their weight off after surgery.  None are very encouraging.  Most say that a lot of people only maintain 50% of their weight loss at five years out.  That's depressing to me.  That also tells me that a lot of people are not taking surgery very seriously.  Be smart and work your program as hard as you can so that you can be a successful weight loss surgery patient. 

*Day 10 of 30 day blogging challenge*

Body image

This week, Natasha Wang wrote a great blog about body image.

What you see in the mirror…

When I was in Wellington, New Zealand, I had a rehearsal session at a studio called well, The Studio. Like any dance studio, The Studio has massive floor-to-ceiling mirrors in which students can check and correct their form, make sure their toes are pointed and lines perfect.

Scribbled on one side of The Studio’s mirrored wall were choreography notes for The Studio’s students who were competing in the New Zealand Pole Championships 2011, Andre Wotton and Mei.

But scribbled on the other side was a list of corporal punishments for pole ‘misdeeds’ — flexed feet gets you 5 push-ups or a 10-second plank, while the more severe ‘I quit’ gets you 10 push-ups and a 20-second plank. But the real punishment is incurred when a student makes an anti or negative body statement. This gets you 100 press ups or a 5 minute plank!

[Read the rest of the post and see photos at the link below...]

http://natashawang.com/?p=705
 
Don't miss the PUNISHMENT LIST, which Natasha received from Shirley Jones of The Studio in New Zealand.

*****

I usually have a lot of negative self-talk.  I'm in this weird place.  I'm 70 pounds heavier than I was 7 years ago.  But I'm still 100 pounds lighter than I was 9 years ago.  I'm definitely 50 pounds heavier than I need or want to be.  I'm in a lot of pain from whatever is wrong with my hip...more pain than I ever dealt with at 350 pounds.  At 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, saying I'm a "big girl" isn't necessarily me talking badly about myself -- its the God awful truth!  Maybe everything is about adding a marketing spin.  I see Shrek.  Bel sees a Viking Warrior.

Except, I don't always see Shrek.  Sometimes, I DO see the Twirling Viking Warrior.  Sometimes, I see a gorgeous girl.  Sometimes, I see an ugly girl.  Sometimes, I see a fat girl.  Sometimes, I see a strong girl.  Sometimes, I see a tired girl.  I'm 35.  Why did I just call myself a girl?  Oh, because in my mind, I'm not five years away from 40.  There are so many different sides of me.  And my brain never seems to know which one I am.  Maybe I am a different one each day.  As I'm trying to dance gracefully on the pole, I am the hippo ballerina.  As I'm shoving jellybeans in my face, I'm just the hippo.

I am trying to cut down on the negative self-talk.  But it's hard.  I get so frustrated with my crazy brain and the things it wills me to do -- like eat food I don't need.  I keep beating myself up because I am thinking, what if I had taken care of this weight gain when it was 10, 20, 30 or even 40 pounds?  Now at 50 pounds, I feel hugely fat again and hopeless about losing that much weight.  I've already had gastric bypass surgery.  What's my "magic pill" this time?  There is no magic pill.  There never was.  Even gastric bypass wasn't a walk in the park or a free ride by any means.

So I will continue to take this day by day.  Watching my food intake and working out as diligently as possible.  I will continue with pilates, yoga, pole and silks.  I will continue to battle myself over the cardio that I know I need to do.  But I know I can do this.  In fact, I have no other options.  I will not be a gastric bypass failure.  And I will do the pole tricks that I've been enviously watching the other girls perform.

Here is my pole goal:  There will be at least one invert in my Lovely Rita routine in April 2012.  I have less than six months.  LET'S DO THIS!

The Blood Type Diet

So last week, I talked about a possible gluten-free diet. 

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/05/gluten-sensitivity-and-psoriasis.html

Friday night, I tried gluten-free pizza at Skipolini's.  It wasn't bad but it sure wasn't great.  My friend has been gluten-free for years and says that it's her favorite, so I assume after years of not eating bread, it probably does taste pretty good.  But when you had a delicious croissant for breakfast, there is no comparison. 

I think I would rather just eat less bread than replace it with gluten-free products.  Plus, my stomach was seriously upset after I ate the gluten-free crust.  Post-gastric bypass, my stomach has to think hard any time I eat new things -- even seven years later.  But, I had one piece Friday night and one piece Saturday.  And both times, my stomach was grumbling and very upset with me. 

I have heard for years about the Blood Type Diet.  It sounds interesting and some of what they say makes sense (and goes along with the whole gluten-free thing).  You can find lots of websites who say its all bullshit too.  I find with any diet, supplement, exercise, store, or whatever, you can usually find someone who loves and someone who hates it. 

My blood type is O positive.  So, according to this website:

Type O was the first blood type, the type O ancestral prototype was a canny, aggressive predator. Aspects of the Type O profile remain essential in every society even to this day – leadership, extroversion, energy and focus are among their best traits. Type O’s can be powerful and productive, however, when stressed Type O’s response can be one of anger, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. When Type O wiring gets crossed, as a result of a poor diet, lack of exercise, unhealthy behaviors or elevated stress levels, Type O’s are more vulnerable to negative metabolic effects, including insulin resistance, sluggish thyroid activity, and weight gain. When you customize your life to Type O’s strengths you can reap the benefits of your ancestry. Your genetic inheritance offers you the opportunity to be strong, lean, productive, long-lived and optimistic. 

The legacy of your Type O ancestry causes an immediate “fight or flight” response in people of this blood type. However, this finely tuned response to stress, so vital in early Type O’s, is not always so beneficial in modern times. The Type O response can cause bouts of excessive anger, temper tantrums, hyperactivity and even create a severe enough chemical imbalance to bring about a manic episode. Since there is a powerful, synergistic relationship between the release of dopamine and feelings of reward, Type O is more vulnerable to destructive behaviors when overly tired, depressed or bored. These can include gambling, sensation seeking, risk taking, substance abuse and impulsivity. To avoid becoming overstressed, Dr. D’Adamo recommends following the Type O diet, which focuses on lean, organic meats, vegetables and fruits and avoid wheat and dairy which can be triggers for digestive and health issues in Type O. Additionally, he suggests that Type O’s avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine can be particularly harmful because of its tendency to raise adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are already high for Type O’s.  

So, it pretty much tells me to avoid gluten too. 

Here's my problem with "diets."  They don't work.  I can think of this as a lifestyle change, of course.  But I already know what works best for me -- ANYTHING in moderation.  I just don't work well when I have to cut something out completely.  Maybe its better for my body, but my crazy brain inserts itself and tells me I need to eat MORE of something if I try to cut it out.  And I can fight it for awhile but I always give in eventually.  It's so  much easier than battling my own mind.

I've lost weight before.  And I've had clear skin before.  I just need to keep eating right and exercising.  The weight will come off and my skin will look better.  I just need to be patient. 

Gluten sensitivity and psoriasis

I ran into a friend last night after Rob and I took a walk around the neighborhood.  She noticed a red spot on my face and asked if I had been in the sun too much.  Nope.  Just psoriasis ruining my life.  I tell her about how much I've been to the doctor lately and how many different medications I'm on just to keep it this crappy looking.  I forgot she also had psoriasis. 

She tells me...I went gluten-free and my psoriasis is essentially gone.  She shows me her elbows.  There is nothing there! 

YAY!  Ugh.

You know all about me and trying to cut something completely out of my life.  How'd that whole no-yeast thing turn out?

I know a couple of people who have gone gluten-free and it has done wonders for them.  This is definitely incentive to try it.  This is the worst my psoriasis has been in probably 8 years.  But I so lack willpower and cutting something out just makes me want it more.  Gluten/wheat is in EVERYTHING.  Even frickin' Doritos CORN chips have wheat in them! 

http://www.dermaharmony.com/psoriasis/celiacandpsoriasis.aspx

Overview

A growing body of evidence is beginning to show that there is a connection between psoriasis and gluten intolerance (celiac disease). For a small percentage of psoriasis sufferers there exists an important connection between what they eat and what happens to the skin.
When wheat flour is mixed with water, a complex protein called gluten develops. Gluten is what gives the dough of wheat an elastic structure that allows it to be crafted in a variety of ways. If wheat is high in gluten content it is called "brown" or "white" If it is called "weak" or "soft" the gluten content is low. If you are sensitive to gluten, avoiding wheat products containing gluten is the only way to prevent reaction.

About Gluten Intolerance

An estimated 2 million Americans suffer from an allergy that many don't even know exists. Celiac or gluten allergy could be the most common allergy afflicting Americans today. Recent research has revealed that an undiagnosed gluten allergy can be especially problematic for those suffering from psoriasis and other skin conditions. Though occasionally patients are asymptomatic, usually symptoms mimic other conditions, and often physicians misdiagnose it as Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS). The wide array of symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Bloating
• Headaches
• Canker sores
• Fatigue
• Irregular Menstrual Cycle
• Joint Pain
• Sleep Irregularity

Dermatitis Herpeformis, a persistent, itchy rash with red skin and watery blisters often appears on the knees, elbows, backs and buttocks of individuals with wheat allergies.

Celiac disease is a genetic condition where the body reacts to giladin, a gluten protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, by producing an enzyme called tissue transglutamise. The enzyme triggers an inflammatory reaction in the bowels which eventually leads to flattening of the villi lining the intestinal wall.

Villi, are finger like protrusions which line the sides of the intestines and filter out nutrients as waste passes through. When villi become flattened and unable to function, malnourishment can occur from vitamin deficiencies. If intestinal distress, and malnutrition aren't motivation enough, the Mayo Clinic website states that gluten intollerant people who continue to consume gluten are "at higher risk of developing cancer, especially bowel cancer or intestinal lymphoma."

Often celiac patients seek help from their doctors because they are suffering from mal-absorption problems and don't yet know the root cause. The most commonly seen problem is anemia due to lack of iron in the blood. Symptoms of anemia include: dizziness, insomnia, pale skin, and difficulty concentrating. Other often seen problems stem from lack of folic acid, B-12, Calcium and Vitamin D, all of which have troubling symptoms and some, like calcium deficiency, can lead to irreversible conditions such as osteoporosis. Those severely deficient in Vitamin K may experience abdominal bleeding. Because the villi are virtually stripped away, or severely incapacitated, often harmful bacteria build up in the small intestine causing a host of other problems such as Candida and/or Leaky Gut.

Celiac and Psoriasis

Since both celiac disease and psoriasis are conditions which affect the auto-immune system, research seeking connections between the two has recently increased. A 2004 article in Psoriasis Advance, a magazine published by the National Psoriasis Foundation, conducted an interview with Gerd Michaelsson, M.D., Ph.D, who in 1993 preformed a study which found that some patients with psoriasis also had one of the markers of celiac disease; increased antibodies to gliadin. Dr Michaelsson stressed that "most patients with psoriasis are not gluten intolerant. However, there is a subgroup with silent celiac disease/gluten intolerance and it is important to identify these patients, as there is a chance to considerably improve the skin lesions on the gluten-free diet (GFD). In some patients there may be a total or nearly total clearance on the diet. When gluten is reintroduced there is a flare up of the psoriasis." Dr. Michaelsson thinks that it is possible that some celiac sufferers may be predisposed to psoriasis, but have not had any problems since they adhere to a strict gluten-free diet.

An article in the April 2007 issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology, by L Abenavoli, L Leggio, G Gasbarrini, G Addolorato, seems to corroborate Dr. Michalessons research. Psoriasis patients who tested positive for the markers that indicate celiac and were put on a GFD. Researchers noticed "thirty of 33 patients strictly complied with GFD, have showed a significant decrease of psoriatic lesions." Celiac is a systemic disease, and not one that is isolated simply to the digestive system. The link between psoriasis is some people is clearly tied to a gluten-sensitive enteropathy (pathology [disease] of the intestine). While the cause for psoriasis still remains unknown, and may in fact be the result of numerous factors, celiac is a genetic condition.

The Psoriasis foundation quotes yet another researcher, Dr. Kruger who thinks that the link might just be odds "simple math dictates that it would be surprising if there weren't some people with both diseases." Indeed," Dr. Krueger says, "there is a certain small percentage of people in the general population with celiac disease, and a certain small percentage of people in the general population with psoriasis, so one should not be surprised to find a significant number of people who have both. Notwithstanding, many psoriatics go into remission when adhering to a GFD.

For many, the link between celiac and psoriasis is common sense. Digestive specialist Elizabeth Lispki, Ph.D., CCN asserts in her book Digestive Wellness, that diet is the cause of most auto-immune afflictions ranging from psoriasis to colitis. Dr. John O.A. Pagano and Deirdre Earls, RD, psoriasis specialists, believe that changing what we eat can help to alleviate psoriasis outbreaks.

At DermaHarmony we offer "Your Healing Diet, a Quick Guide to Reversing Psoriasis and Chronic Diseases with Healing Foods" by Deidre Earls RD, LD, an informative book which clearly outlines rules for an effective healing diet, to our clients. Though these diets don't rule out wheat completely, they suggest it be consumed occasionally in whole grain rather than processed form. All stress the importance of wheat avoidance for celiac sufferers. The consensus among these authors seems to be "healthy gut, healthy skin."

http://www.dermaharmony.com/skinnutrition/default.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet

http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/what-to-eat-on-a-gluten-free-diet-week-one/

http://www.cdhnf.org/user-assets/documents/pdf/GlutenFreeDietGuideWeb.pdf

**********

Has anyone else gone gluten-free?  How has it worked for you and how do you deal with eating out or passing up yummies that you know are bad for you?  How 'bout I just go with watermelon and protein shakes.  Does that work?

Where does my lard ass go when I lose it?

Have you ever wondered where the weight goes when you lose it?  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard how your cells get bigger or smaller as you gain or lose weight.  But where do the pounds GO?!  

I've always heard from Weight Watchers that you pee them out.  That's how they get you to drink your water.  The more water you drink, the more pounds you pee away!  But I lost 165 pounds at one point in my life.  That's A LOT of pee!

Rather than try to re-write all of the science stuff I found, I'll just post links and let you read along with me!

http://www.highlightskids.com/Science/ScienceQuestions/h1sciQloseWeight.asp

According to the site above, you BREATHE out most of your weight.  Thank-you-very-much...I will start hyperventilating every night!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-you-lose-weight-wher

The site above agrees with the carbon dioxide leaving the body via exhalation, however, it also sites urination and sweating.  I sweat A LOT.  So I should be SUPER skinny. 

More big words that seem to agree with the sites above:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/lost-weight.htm

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=57797

The google question/answer is supposed to be in plain English, so I'll finish with this one:

This question is a combination of physics, chemistry, biology, and
fitness.  Taken in three related parts, it can be expressed as 1) If I
eat a pound of butter, I gain more than a pound of fat, so where does
the extra mass come from? 2) People talk about fat "changing" to
muscle, but muscle weighs more than fat, so where does that extra mass
come from? and 3) When I lose weight, is the mass burned for fuel, and
if not, what happens to it?  I would prefer a brief explanation with
links to some fitness or biology-oriented websites that explain these
processes (I already have plenty of sites about chemical reactions and
conservation of matter, this is specifically regarding biological
processes, and the person I'm trying to explain this to is not
satisfied with general chemistry and physics examples).

Answer 1:

I assume that what you are looking for is a "plain English"
explanation to answer your questions so you can explain them to your
friend.  I'll do my best!

I'll address your questions in order ---


1) If I eat a pound of butter, I gain more than a pound of fat, so
where does the extra mass come from?

This is a common misconception among dieters, but not true. Plain and
simple, you can't possibly gain more weight than the weight of the
food you eat. If you eat a pound of food (ANY food, whether butter,
carrots or a juicy hamburger), you will temporarily gain a pound, but
no more.  Then, as your body burns up calories, that initial weight
gain decreases.

The number of calories in the food versus the amount of energy you
expend will determine how much of the original pound of food you
retain.

For example --  a pound of fat equals about 3500 calories. A pound of
carbohydrates equals about 2000 calories. If you eat a pound of fat
you will retain the full pound. If you eat a pound of bread or apples
(mostly complex carbohydrates, the good stuff) you will only gain
4/7ths of a pound.

In any case, you can never gain more than the original pound you have
eaten. So, there is no "extra mass" gained.


2) People talk about fat "changing" to muscle, but muscle weighs more
than fat, so where does that extra mass come from?

Again, this is a myth. Fat does not turn into muscle. Muscle does not
turn into fat. Biologically they are two different kinds of cells. The
kind of cell you build, fat or muscle, depends on your exercise regime
and the food you eat.

Yes, muscle weighs more than fat. That much is true, so if the
calories you consume are converted to fat, you will weigh LESS than if
the calories you consume are converted to muscle.  This is why when
people begin a weight loss program that includes exercise; they often
gain weight, even though they look thinner. (Muscle takes up less
space than fat too).

So again, there is no "extra mass" gained. 

By way of further explanation ---

We are biologically designed to use food in the most effective manner.
 What we need we use, what we don’t need we store.

When we go from being chip-eating couch potatoes to diet and exercise
mavens, we change our body's priorities from storage to usage.

When we exercise, fat is burned first. Fat is our biological storage
unit for calories. It's where we "save food" for a rainy day.  When
sudden exercise kicks in, our body says "Whoa, I need more energy,
better start drawing on the reserves."  And we begin to burn fat.

Also, as a separate process, when we exercise we build muscle because
our body "notices" that we are now using our muscles so begins to send
energy there. The muscles are built directly from the calories we
consume. Again, we won't gain more than a pound of muscle for each
pound of food we eat. In fact, it will be much less since it takes
more energy (calories) to build muscle.

When we exercised, the calories we ate "went to" the muscles instead
of the fat because we are designed to send calories to the places in
our bodies where we need them most. Muscles being exercised a lot need
calories.

If NO muscles are being used, and no other biological functions (such
as pregnancy for example) require extra calories (beyond maintaining
the body), then we just store them as fat.

A brief aside on that topic, if we burn up all of our fat and then
continue to burn more calories than we eat, our body begins to shut
down non-essential functions and also begins to burn muscle mass. As
we continue to deprive our body of energy, even essential systems shut
down. This is the danger that anorexics face. Eventually the body just
can't sustain itself.


3) When I lose weight, is the mass burned for fuel, and if not, what
happens to it?

If, by "mass" you mean the mass of the food, Yes, because we are
talking about a calorie, a unit of heat or energy. When you lose
weight it is because you have expended more energy than you consumed.
This means that you have not only burned off all the food you just ate
(by building muscle and running other bodily functions), you also drew
from your reserves (fat). So yes, you "fuelled" your body with the
mass you consumed.

If you are talking about the mass of the fat we burn, the answer is
still Yes. Our bodies "burn" calories through metabolic processes, by
which enzymes break the carbohydrates (starches) into glucose and
other sugars, the fats into glycerol and fatty acids and the proteins
into amino acids.

These molecules are then transported through the bloodstream to the
cells, where they are either absorbed for immediate use or sent on to
the final stage of metabolism in which they are reacted with oxygen to
release their stored energy.

It helps here to understand the concept of the calorie ---- 

Often the misconceptions about weight gain (and loss) are a result of
people not understanding what we mean by a "calorie". They often think
a calorie is a little "thing" that has to be gotten rid of.   A
calorie is a unit of energy (or heat).  For food it defines how much
energy is needed to burn of a unit measure of a particular food.  For
exercise it means how much energy your body is burning.  So all this
means is that the more calories a food *has* the more energy it takes
to burn it up.


Here are some useful links from which I drew some of the previous
information ---------


"…they think that, if you eat a pound of chocolate, you can gain
more than a pound. I can't understand where the extra weight would
come from."

http://www.homestead.com/prosites-waynewatcher/Support_FatFact.html

A pound is a pound and no more.
http://www.myjanee.com/livelight/eat/weigh.htm

Fat to Muscle
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/homegym/fattomusrevb.html

How is it possible to lose inches but not pounds?
http://www.gymamerica.com/gti/magazine/magazine_qa/0,3291,1_cid_536,00.html

What is a Calorie?
http://www.howstuffworks.com/calorie1.htm

How food works
http://www.howstuffworks.com/food.htm

The Caloric Concept of weight control
http://nbaf.com/nbaf/feb7pgf.htm

How your Metabolism Really Works
http://www.metabolism.com/lifestyles/2001-05-22/

Metabolism - A primer
http://www.mayo.edu/comm/mcs/news/news_1608.html


I've put all of this in the simplest biological terms I could. The
links should provide you with more in-depth discussion. If anything
I've said is not clear, please feel free to ask for a clarification.

Thanks for the great question -

--K~

Search terms

"eat a pound" weight gain
"fat to muscle"
"what is a calorie"
"how we lose weight

"how metabolism works" 

Answer 2:

"If I eat a pound of butter, I gain more than a pound of fat, so where
does the extra mass come from?"

According to most sources, a pound of butter supplies 3200 calories

In order to gain a pound of body fat, you must consume 3500 calories. 

Answer 3:

I believe your answer is not correct.
See the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
http://www.nalusda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

Any of the oils contains roughly 123.7 Calories / .5 ounces or 14
grams
16 ounces in 1 lb
123 * 2 * 16 = 3936 calories
3500 calories in 1 lb of fat and for digestion / thermic effect of
food roughly 3% of calories are used (fat is stored more effeciently
then carbohydrates and protein)
so we have a net gain of 3817.92 Calories which is more than enough
for a pound of fat mass.

The same can be said of lard and other very fatty foods.  It seems
that the weight is not the issue but rather the energy contained in
the food.... the laws of thermodynamics are what comes into play. 

-----------------------

Okay, so if I understood all of that right, I should just breathe, sweat 

and pee more than usual and I'll lose lots of weight!

End of story! 

What price do you pay for a calorie?

Have you had one of those 100 calorie snack packs?  Who even thinks twice about 100 calorie packs?  100 calories sounds so small.  Those stupid packs are so small.  They almost don't seem worth spending 100 calories.  Yet at the same time, 100 calories doesn't sound like a lot, does it? 

What is the cost of eating 100 calories over your daily allotment every day though?  An extra 100 calorie pack doesn't really seem like a big deal.  But eating only 100 calories over your limit every day will lead to a 10 pound weight gain at the end of a year. 

And a calorie is a calorie when we're talking about going over.  Whether I've eaten a carrot, watermelon or candy, if I go over what I should be eating on a daily basis, I'm going to gain.  Don't get me wrong.  I have always been an "everything in moderation" girl and am now a recently reformed "bread is bad" girl.  But I don't know that it necessarily leads to weight gain.  Does a bread calorie really carry more weight than a veggie calorie?  I don't think so.  I just know that I FEEL better when I'm off the sugar and bread. 

I've been keeping a careful eye on my daily food intake and usually don't beat myself up if I go over by 100, 200 or even 300 calories.  Now I'm going to be a little more strict with myself.  There's no point of getting up every morning at the butt crack of dawn for the gym if I'm just going to eat like a little pig and ruin my hard work.  

How is everyone else doing?

I'd like to have my Big Mac and eat it too...thankyouverymuch!

You know, when I was overweight, I used to justify it by telling myself, "big girls don't get raped."  How sick is that?  As if that was the perfect reason to stay fat (and its not as if its true anyway).  I'm not sure if I ever had a healthy relationship with food.  My mom would go running a lot and skip dinner when I was a kid.  I recognize that now as a possible eating disorder.  Back then, that was just called a diet.  Diets wreck your metabolism.  A lifetime of dieting is possibly keeping you fat.

As I said before, I am six feet tall so I was always bigger than the other kids.  We aren't born knowing that different is often considered "wrong."  Society imposes that on us.  I remember being at home when I was a pre-teen.  My mom's best friend was in the front room with me.  She pulled me aside to express concern for my weight (I love my Auntie Lori...may she rest in peace...but she battled anorexia her entire life).  I remember the hot flash across my cheeks.  So embarrassing.  She hadn't even finished her talk with me before my mom, head fully upside down, blow-drying her hair in the bathroom, called me in to have the exact same chat -- like we were just chatting about the fun things we'd be doing that day.  I think it hurt my feelings that it was so clearly pre-planned by them and that their execution was flawed because it made me feel attacked since one wasn't even finished talking to me before the other called me over to beat me down some more.  That's probably the first time I truly remember (or at least still remember 20 plus years down the road) feeling ashamed about being bigger.  And, remember, I was not even close to fat yet.  

Its sad how other people's judgments can affect how we feel about ourselves.  I always thought I was just bigger.  And then I was told, naw, you're fat.  This is how the eating disorders start.  People, even those with good intentions, telling you that you need to change. 

When I was 16, my little sister was born.  As she got older, it became clear she was going to be close to my height.  And I already knew what was in store for her.  I lived it!  Even if you are not "fat," when you are a tall girl, your parts are just bigger than everyone else's.  If you are six feet tall and built like a brick house, yes, you ARE going to look like Shrek next to the five foot tall, 95 pound ballet dancer.  It doesn't mean you're fat.  Go back to my previous blog entry...  I'd rather be a stacked Viking warrior than a delicate ballet dancer who can be blown off the deck of a ship any day! 

Anyway, as I watched my little sister grow, I saw a lot of the same issues I had.  She's a tall, built girl.  Not fat.  Just larger than the other kids.  And I knew she was being raised by the same mom (duh).  I remember once trying to give my mom a book about self-esteem and eating disorders for teenagers.  Not really how to treat one, just how to avoid one and build good self-esteem.  She acted like she had no clue what I was talking about.  Of course no one wants to be told that they're doing a bad job of raising their kids -- no one likes to be judged -- and that wasn't my intention.  However, having lived a similar life, I knew what my sister could be -- or would be -- facing.

I started this blog in my mind this morning in the shower.  It was bothering me so much that I had to jump out and start writing it, even though it is making me late to work.  My now 17-year-old gorgeous sister posted on Facebook that she needs to go on a diet.  So the cycle begins.  Oh how I've been there.  Yet oh how I know that no one else's opinion 

matters at that age. 

So I started thinking about the evil enemy: DIET.  And its friend, METABOLISM.  Your metabolism can either help you or hurt you.  Dieting can make you fat if it lowers your metabolism. 

What the hell IS your metabolism anyway?  Check out this article from the UK about dieting and metabolism.  Here are ways to increase your metabolism, which can help you lose weight.  Another article:  Diets make you fat.  Funny...after I posted this, Women's Health sent an e-mail about boosting your metabolism.  Their links sometimes die fast but I thought I'd include it anyway.  Here you go.

I prefer a lifestyle change!  It sounds so cliché now.  Don't diet!  Change your lifestyle!  But it is so true for me.  Everything in moderation...unless its a trigger food, then I really do try to be careful about eating much of it (helloooooooo, white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory!!!).  I feel like programs such as Weight Watchers are better lifestyle programs than something like the Atkins diet, which completely cuts carbs and throws your body into ketosis. 

I came on to this blog recently and stated publicly that I needed to lose weight.  Sure, my self-esteem is a little low because I'm feeling chubby.  But getting the weight off to help my "old lady hip" is becoming more important to me.  Today was my first official weigh in since starting to work out again (thanks to Keith at Tri-Valley Bodyworks for taking my pain away!!) and I lost 4.4 pounds!  I wasn't even tracking calories this week.  That is purely from increasing my exercise.  It feels so good.  I know that part of what will keep my hip bursitis in check is taking some of the weight off.  I had gone up to 228.4 pounds, so I'm down to 224.  I'm still off track from my original goal of losing 5 pounds per month (which I made when I was at 225 pounds), but I'll catch up.  For me, its about healthy, small changes, rather than big, bad DIET changes that will cause my body to freak out and hang on to the weight. 

Anyway, regardless of your size, you should love yourself.  I really like Dove's beauty campaign.  I know I posted at least one of their videos before, but I wanted to post it again (see below).  If you want to lose weight, do it for yourself and your health, not for anyone else.  

Dove:  Evolution

Dove:  Pressure

Photoshop effect.

Just for the fun of it, I've posted some photos below -- old and new.  Fat and skinny.  I am still learning to love myself, regardless of my size. 

Until next time, keep twirling!!

P.S.  Once again, I posted my blog and walked away thinking, I left something out.  I am completely aware that childhood obesity is an epidemic.  I believe that parents should be encouraging their children to eat healthy and exercise (which, was just called "go outside and play" when I was a kid).  I just think it needs to be approached delicately, especially if you are dealing with a child who is already overweight and doesn't need the additional self-esteem hit of, "you are fat, stop eating."  So if you have a child who may have a tendency to eat too many cheesy poofs and play too many video games, please give them positive encouragement.

My beautiful little sister, Lindsey.

My brothers, sister and me (I'm the oldest).  Don't hate on the awesome perm.  I would guess I'm around 10 or 11.

 

 Lindsey and me when I was around 17.  Again, don't hate on my cool ass hairstyle.

  

At my highest weight.

  

My transformation.

  

Maybe September 2005.

  

I believe this is February 2006

  

This is me lookin' like Shrek next to Jen.  I'm not fat, I'm just big boned!!  LOL!

 

Food: The Final Frontier

This morning I caught a few minutes of the Dr. Oz show.  Carnie Wilson, one of the most famous gastric bypass patients, was a guest.  Clearly, she has gained some of her weight back.  I don't judge her for that (hello, I'm up about 45 pounds myself right now).  But it reminds me that my goal of not gaining anymore weight (and, actually losing that 45 pounds) is so important. 

Before surgery, so many gastric bypass patients feel like they've won the weight loss lottery.  THIS IS IT!  You're going to lose your weight, be skinny, turn into a rockstar, never pay your bills again, and live happily ever after.  You spend about a year losing weight, being the center of attention...hearing compliments about how great you look, talking about how awesome you feel.  Then  -- CRASH.  You still have to get up every day, go to work, pay your bills, and no one cares about how skinny you are anymore.  You aren't the girl (or guy) losing weight and looking like a different person every day anymore.  You are just...you.  And who are you?  Are you the fat girl who sat in the corner, quietly chatting only with the people who came up to you?  Are you the thin(ner) girl who dances on table tops, still trying to be the center of attention?  And, what do you look like with your clothes off?  You look amazing (to everyone else) with your clothes on.  But naked, you look like a saggy elephant.  Most woman compare their post-weight loss boobs to "socks with oranges in the bottom."  Nice visual.  I had them.  They're not cute.

Gastric bypass works two ways.  It makes your stomach smaller so that you can't eat as much.  And it bypasses some of your intestines so that you don't absorb all of the calories you eat.  However, as time passes, you can eat more and more food (plus, if you're really "good," you learn how to eat more often during the day and consume more calories than you should).  Eventually, you are relying on your own willpower once again.  You hope that you have set up the good habits to continue eating in a healthy manner, but bad habits so easily creep back in.  A little taste of chocolate.  A couple of French fries.  A sliver of CAKE!  Ooooh, who doesn't LOVE cake?! 

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I can eat whatever I want when I'm exercising.  I should probably qualify that.  Carnie mentioned that she eats a little too much cheesecake.  I too love cheesecake.  But I have it like three times a year.  So, yes, if I'm working out, I can eat whatever I "want," but what I want to eat doesn't include daily cheesecake.  I just know that if I'm working out consistently, I can eat more calories and I don't have to think as hard about what I'm putting in my mouth.  As long as its not french fries and cheesecake, I maintain pretty well.

Let's be honest, most people are overweight from overeating and not exercising.  I hear the medication excuse but that's the exception rather than the rule.  And honestly, even that excuse is still an excuse.  Its really not usually the medication that makes you gain weight.  A lot of times, it changes your metabolism and so you should have adjusted your food intake and exercise to counter that (see my note at the end of this blog).  Most overweight people are emotional eaters.  One of my biggest issues with the gastric bypass surgery is that post-surgery therapy isn't absolutely required.  You over-ate for a reason.  You're bored. Sad.  Mad.  Happy.  Food was your friend.  You used it to celebrate.  You used it to mourn.  And sometimes, after surgery, people have to mourn the loss of their best friend (which usually makes you want to eat, right?!).  But that best friend was stabbing you in the back!  Every time you turned to her, she was making you gain weight -- setting you up for health problems later in life.  Sometimes you have to clean house in the friend department.  And your friend, food, needs to go!

I mentioned before that Weight Watchers and Overeaters Anonymous didn't work for me.  However, those might just be excuses because I didn't want to be tied down to a program.  I think if you're going to follow a program, Weight Watchers is a healthy way to go.  They usually promote well-rounded eating, rather than cutting something out completely.  I feel like cutting something out completely usually causes you to crave it and, eventually, you'll binge on it.  However, if you know you can't take a bite of cheesecake without wolfing down the entire cake, perhaps its a trigger food you should avoid. 

Clearly, I'm not a doctor.  These are all just my opinions and personal experiences.  My general rule is:  If calories in are less than calories out, you will lose weight.  I realize there are many opinions about carbs, eating late at night, and things like that, but I try to keep it simple.  I wanted to share some websites that might be helpful to others who have issues with food.

Here is the link to see Carnie Wilson's appearance on the Dr. Oz show:

Carnie Wilson's video





Carnie Wilson promo

This is a link to Freddy Camacho's blog, Look Better Naked.  Freddy is famous in the fitness world for working with Crossfit. This blog has great food suggestions. 

http://crossfitoneworld.typepad.com/look_better_naked/

Good calorie counters (and other tools for weight loss or management):

Calorie Counter (caloriecount.com)

Calorie Counter (calorieking.com)

What is your BMR?

How many calories can YOU eat in a day?

Article: How many calories should you eat?

What is your ideal body weight?

What is your BMI (basic calculator)?

And somewhat unrelated -- love yourself!

I know that we all love to eat.  If you have a food addiction, it becomes a whole different ball game.  Unlike other addictions, you can't cut food out of your life.  So you have to figure out what works for you.  For me, its following a balanced diet with allowances to cheat (i.e., live my life).

Until next time, I'll keep twirling (but without the cheeseburger in my hand).  ;-)

------------------------

P.S.  I started thinking about my comment about medication weight gain.  I do want to clarify because I am very sensitive to medications.  With the last medication I tried, I gained 15 pounds in two weeks.  Yuck.  I just wanted to make sure people didn't think I don't believe that medication can cause weight gain, because I do believe that it can.  I just feel like, its not usually the medication...its your metabolism reacting to the medication.  I can eat about 2,500 calories a day to maintain my weight.  But if I gained 15 pounds in two weeks, I gained about a pound a day.  One pound equals 3,500 calories.  So that means (supposedly), I was eating 6,000 calories per day to gain that weight?!  I don't think so.  Or if I was, I was doing it in my sleep.  So, maybe on that medication, I can only eat 1,500 calories per day.  I really don't know.  I'm not an expert on this and have yet to find a doctor who can actually explain it to me (trust me, I've asked a few).  I also routinely gain 8-plus pounds each month of water weight.  And sometimes only 5 come off.  What's that about?!  I don't know.  The body is still a mystery to me but I have to believe that sometimes I must be doing something to keep that weight on even if I didn't necessarily eat food to initially gain it.  I'd love to hear people's opinions and comments on this subject!  For now, I am:  Twirly Girl-Fact Gatherer! 

------------------------