Bariatric Support Group
Date: December 15, 2016
Facilitator: Chris Bovos, RN, CBN
Chris reviewed some of the high points from Dr. Saradih’s talk last time and answered questions from several patients who stated their weight loss has stalled. This can be very frustrating, and sometimes understanding how energy is managed by the body can help. Your body gets energy from 3 sources – protein, fat and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are converted into energy more quickly than the other 2. So if you eat a carbohydrate, your body uses it for energy first. That means it doesn’t use any of the fat you are trying to get rid of. If you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body is just using those for its energy. You have to decrease your carbohydrates a lot so that your body burns the fatty tissue for energy. That’s why carbs are so dangerous.
Remember, your protein to carb ratio should be 1 to 1. So if you are eating 60 grams of protein a day, your carbs should be no more than 60 grams a day. Simple carbs are the ones we love – like sugar; but you need to remember, they can set off the dopamine receptors in your brain just like cocaine and heroin. They are addictive. So stop eating sugar for at least 2 weeks, and then you will decrease the craving. We also talked about how to handle cravings. If you crave something – wait 10 minutes. Usually cravings will go away in 10 minutes. Every time you resist a craving, you get stronger at resisting the craving and you slowly develop more will power. As you get stronger, the cravings will decrease and you will be able to manage them better.
Our next support group is January 5th at 5:30 pm. Greg Justice, our exercise physiologist, will be here to talk about how to increase your metabolism and lose that extra weight! Don’t miss it.
Posted in Bariatric Health, Bariatric Nutrition, Support Group Minutes