Lose Weight Before Weight-Loss Surgery

It is found that losing at least a little bit of weight before having weight-loss surgery can reduce the risk of having surgical complications. Medical records of 881 patients who had weight-loss surgery show that the more weight patients lost before surgery, the less likely they suffered from post-operation complications, such as infection, blood clots, and kidney problems. The post-surgery complication rate was almost twice as much in patients who gained weight before surgery than patients who lost weight before surgery.

All of the patients had open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery where staples are used to create a pouch in the stomach that can hold only a small amount of food at a time. A part of the small intestine is attached to the pouch so that food bypasses the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine. Some of the surgeons who perform weight-loss surgery mandate that certain high-risk patients lose weight before having the surgery.

Aid Weight Loss with Calcium

Calcium is found to be good at helping weight loss. It is good at reducing hunger and studies have shown that calcium stored in fat cells in the body play an important role in regulating how fat is stored and broken down by the body. More calcium in a fat cells means more fat will be burned. It is also assumed that when a person is calcium deficient, the brain detects this and compensates by telling your body that it needs food, which works against someone who is trying to lose weight. A research found that when women who were calcium-deficient took a supplement, they lost 4 times more weight than women who didn't take a calcium supplement. Foods that are rich in calcium include low-fat yogurt, milk, beans, and dark leafy greens.

Boost Metabolism with Milk

Drinking milk is good for increasing metabolism to lose weight. It helps by building lean muscle and has nutrients that can repair tiny muscle tears. It also replenishes electrolytes so that you feel refreshed. Milk is a good source of calcium, which is good at building strong healthy bones. It is best to drink low-fat or fat-free milk.

Treat Urinary Incontinence with Weight Loss

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional release of urine and it affects more than 13 million women in the United States. Obesity is a common risk factor for urinary incontinence. A research study done by the University of Alabama-Birmingham found that overweight women who lost just 3 pounds cut the amount of leaks due to urinary incontinence by 28 percent. Women who lost 17 pounds cut the amount of leakage by 47 percent.

Ignite the Body's Weight Loss Hormone

There is a hormone called leptin in the body that can suppress hunger. It is produced in the fat cells of the body and it travels to the brain after a meal to tell the body that you are full and don't need to eat anymore. When the meal is digested, leptin levels decrease and you gain an appetite again. There are things that you can do to help leptin levels and reduce hunger.

It is a good idea to eat foods that are low in triglycerides. Triglycerides are negative in the fact that it prevents leptin from reaching the brain. Studies have found that foods higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat can raise leptin levels.

It is also a good idea to sleep 8 hours each day and exercise regularly. Sleeping less than 8 hours lowers leptin levels in the blood and brain. Regular exercise lowers triglyceride levels and helps the brain to absorb more leptin.

Increase Metabolism with Tea

There are catechins and thermogenic properties in green and oolong teas that can increase metabolism and speed up fat oxidation. One cup of green tea can increase metabolism by 4 percent for 1 and 1/2 hours. One cup of oolong tea can increase metabolism by 10 percent for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Green tea is also an antioxidant that is rich in compounds called polyphenols that reduce the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. It is also a good detoxifier that activates enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins from the body. It has even been shown to increase the effect of radiation on cancer cells to help cancer patients. It prevents the formation of free radicals that can cause diseases, such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

Increase Metabolism with Protein

Protein can be used to increase metabolism. The body uses more energy to process it than fat or carbohydrates. You can burn up to twice as many calories digesting protein as digesting carbohydrates. Having 28 percent of your calories in your diet coming from protein and reducing carbohydrate intake can burn an extra 150 to 200 calories each day.

When it comes to exercise, eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day can keep you nitrogen levels high and allow your body to fully recover from workouts faster. It also helps muscle growth and increasing muscle mass can help to burn even more calories.

Increase Metabolism with Capsaicin

Capsaicin is a bioactive compound in chile peppers that can increase metabolism and reduce hunger. One tablespoon of chopped red or green chile pepper, which is 30 mg of capsaicin, can cause a temporary 23 percent increase in metabolism.

Scientists Developing Foods To Help You Lose Weight

At the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, foods are being developed that would help a person lose weight by slowing down the digestive system and triggering a signal to the brain to suppress appetite. It would control appetite by tricking the brain into thinking that you have eaten too much when you actually haven’t. The products could possibly be sold on the market in a few years.

Scientists at the University of Newcastle are testing a seaweed extract called alginate that would reduce fat absorption by cutting the level of glucose that is digested by the body before it is broken down in the large intestine. In taste testings done with several dozen people, it is found that most people felt that the foods enhanced by alginate tasted as good or even better.

Scientists in North America and Europe are developing products to control appetite, such as chemical injections and implantable devices that would interfere with the digestive system. It is not certain if appetite controlling foods could cure all cases of obesity.

Good Posture Increase Weight Loss

It is found that good posture can help weight loss efforts. Slumping your body during a workout increases the heart rate and makes the workout seem more difficult. Pulling back the shoulder blades lets you take in more oxygen and makes it easier to work harder during exercise, which will allow your to burn more calories.

How Hormones Affect Food Cravings

It is found that how tempting food may seem could depend on a person’s level of the hormone leptin. Weight is not only controlled by calorie intake and exercise, but also by complex brain complexes. Someday, scientists might be able to develop weight-loss drugs that modify the brain’s reaction to food.

Fiber and Diet

If a person wants to lose weight, it is a good idea to have a diet rich in fiber. Fiber leads to decreased food intake and an increase of excretion of calories from the digestive system to help a person lose weight. The average person should be eating 20 to 30 grams of fiber each day. Foods that are rich in fiber include whole-grain breads, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, unpeeled fruit, and some cereals.

Weight Gain Genes

It is found that overeating is related to the same gene involved in alcoholism and drug addiction. People who carried a certain variant of the gene and who used food to motivate themselves were the highest at risk for eating too many snacks when compared to people who had only one or neither of these traits. People with this gene variant could have a lack in reward-signaling in the brain and have to participate in more of the behavior to get as much pleasure as people with normal signaling. Exercising is something more positive that can release the same reward chemicals in the brain.

Weight Reduction to Treat Diabetes

It is found that weight reduction surgery works better than standard medical therapy to treat type 2 Diabetes in people who are obese. The surgery is also recommended for people who are not morbidly obese but still overweight.

In a recent study, researchers monitored two groups of obese people with type 2 diabetes. Half of the people had gastric binding done, where surgeons put a silicone strap around the stomach so that less food goes into it. The other half of the people was put on a standard diet and exercise plan. After two years passed, the people on the diet lost an average of 3 pounds while the people who had surgery done lost an average of 46 pounds. 22 of the people that had surgery also had their diabetes go into remission while only 3 of the dieters had that happen.

Artificial Sweeteners Could Make You Gain Weight

It is found that artificial sweeteners could make a person gain weight. The sweeteners confuse the body and the body is already programmed to associate sweet tastes with calories consumed. When we break that connection by eating or drinking something with little or no calories, our bodies become confused and want more food. Also, sugar substitutes don’t increase metabolism so fewer calories are burned. A larger appetite combined with a slower metabolism can cause a lot of weight gain.

How to Get Over the Weight Loss Plateau

After a while of exercising and dieting the body often hits a plateau where it seems like the pounds have stopped dropping. A plateau happens when your body wants to hang on to your current weight for fear of future starvation. It is possible to get over the plateau by increasing the intensity of your workout. More intense workouts signal your body to release extra fat stores for energy.

It is good to try a new exercise or activity so that you work new muscles that you haven’t worked yet. It is also a good idea to check your calorie intake to make sure that you are not eating too many calories. With these couple of simple tricks it is possible to get over the plateau more quickly and easily.