http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:33:06 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/images/family/misc/rss.jpg http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1176&goto=newpost Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:01:33 GMT Hey, anyone from Utah interested in a support group? I have started a Utah support group and would love to have anyone even remotely close to Utah... Hey, anyone from Utah interested in a support group? I have started a Utah support group and would love to have anyone even remotely close to Utah join in!!
What say? ]]> laurabmd84 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1176 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1175&goto=newpost Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:41:23 GMT By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com *6 Great Ways to Start Your Day* The way you spend your morning can add a certain flavor to the rest of your... By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com

6 Great Ways to Start Your Day
The way you spend your morning can add a certain flavor to the rest of your day. Here are some healthy lifestyle habits to incorporate into your morning routine that can leave you better able to handle the stress you experience. Try one or several, and experiment until you find what suits you.

Put On Some Music
Music therapy has been shown to reduce stress and have a positive effect on health. But you don't need a therapist to enjoy some of the benefits music has to offer. Listening to music as you get ready and start your day will create positive energy and a soothing sense of peace (or a sense of fun, if you play party music). Music can compliment other healthy lifestyle habits, adding a sense of peace to a yoga workout, putting a spring in your step on a morning walk, or stimulating your mind as you write in your journal.

Stretch in the Shower
The hot water will loosen up your muscles, so it’s easier to get a good stretch. The act of stretching will help to release stored tension and enable you to start the day feeling more relaxed, at peace, and ready to handle what comes your way.

Eat a Balanced Breakfast
For those of you who start the day on a bagel and coffee, read this! Breakfast is known as ‘the most important meal of the day’ for a very good reason: a healthy meal in the morning can balance your blood sugar levels and give you the sustenance you need to handle physical and mental stress. Without it, you will be less resilient, both physically and mentally. Be sure to have plenty of protein and fruit, not just caffeine and empty calories!

Drink Green Tea
Sipping a warm cup of tea is a soothing activity that will help you prepare for the day ahead and feel nurtured. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so it’s a delicious and healthy lifestyle choice.

Write in Your Journal
Journaling has many health and stress management benefits, and can also lead to increased self-awareness. Writing once a day can help you feel focused, process negative emotions, and solve problems.

Morning Walk
Walking has so many health benefits, the stress management benefits are practically just gravy! A morning walk can get you ready for your day, help you sleep better at night, lower your stress level, and reduce your risk of numerous health conditions. And if you bring a dog with you, you’ll be lavished with attention as well!

Yoga
For a healthy body and peaceful mind, few activities give as much ‘bang for your buck’ as yoga. Combining all the goodness of several stress management techniques, such as diaphragmic breathing, meditation, stretching and more, yoga provides some of the best stress management and health benefits you can find in a single technique. A good way to start your morning is by doing a series of yoga poses called Sun Salutations. ]]> Comments Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1175 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1174&goto=newpost Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:02 GMT Nutrition Blog By Shereen Jegtvig Thousands of processed food products have been recalled due to salmonella contamination of a flavor enhancer... Nutrition Blog
By Shereen Jegtvig

Thousands of processed food products have been recalled due to salmonella contamination of a flavor enhancer called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP. This flavor enhancer is found in a wide variety of processed foods including soups, stews, hot dogs, snack chips and dressings.

Although no one has become sick from salmonella-tainted HVP yet, the FDA believes this may become the largest recall ever. The FDA has a list of food brands that may contain the recalled HVP. Go to http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/ ]]> General Nutrition Discussion Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1174 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1173&goto=newpost Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:50:22 GMT I just wanted to let people know that I have a hot drink addiction....usually its coffee, but for the last five days I have been putting my Crystal... I just wanted to let people know that I have a hot drink addiction....usually its coffee, but for the last five days I have been putting my Crystal Light packets into hot water and its really good....So I have slowed the coffee down to like one every couple days.... ]]> charitylane http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1173 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1172&goto=newpost Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:26:14 GMT I am now 5 days out from my lap band and so far I am fabulously happy. For those who are scheduled to have the surgery, just a few little things... I am now 5 days out from my lap band and so far I am fabulously happy.

For those who are scheduled to have the surgery, just a few little things that might help you be more comfortable during your stay

1)Bring your own pillow. The pillows at the hospital and the hotel are...well...not the best in the world. Plus a pillow makes an ideal support to hold over your tummy if you have to cough or sneeze.

2)Bring a support person who is not having surgery if at all possible. I was really glad to have someone there for me.

3)I was really glad to have the gas X, it made a difference. Dont forget it.

4)If you have shoulder or back pain, lie down with some pillows under your hips so your hips are higher than your head, lean your legs on a chair, up the wall or just bend your knees. This really really helped my post op shoulder pain.

For all you who are signed up and waiting. All I can say is I am really really glad I did it and that Dr Kuri is the best, along with absolutely everyone of his support team. Thanks a million!!

Laura ]]> laurabmd84 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1172 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1171&goto=newpost Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:24:53 GMT By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com *The First Step To Sticking With A New Healthy Habit is Choosing The Right One!* Whether you’re looking... By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com

The First Step To Sticking With A New Healthy Habit is Choosing The Right One!

Whether you’re looking for health benefits, less stress in your life, or just the enjoyment of something you do for yourself, there are many reasons why maintaining at least one regular stress management practice is worth your time. However, there’s a difference between wanting to take on some stress relief habits and actially maintaining these habits on a regular basis. Sometimes maintaining a new healthy habit is harder than it seems. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that can make it easier to maintain a new healthy habit. The easiest way to stick with a new habit—as well as the first step toward making that habit a regular part of your life—is to choose wisely. If you want to make it easy to stay with a healthy habit, it must be something you enjoy, and something that fits well with who you are. Here are some things to consider:

Choose Something Simple:
Unless you’re really ready for a challenge, don’t take on something meant to relieve stress that will actually end up causing you excessive stress as you attempt to master it! For example, if certain types of yoga seem too difficult to take on right now, don’t force it. Choose something easier, like walking; you can always switch to yoga or add it to your routine as you become less stressed and more ready to take on a new healthy habit.

Pick A Habit That Compliments Your Lifestyle:
If you’re not a morning person and find yourself struggling to make it on time to the office as it is, don’t choose a morning workout as your new stress management habit; you’ll find it too difficult to maintain. Likewise, if you get exhausted by nighttime, perhaps a meditation session right before bedtime isn’t the best choice for you; you may be too tired to stay awake for more than a couple minutes of it! And if you have small children that you care for full-time, it would be much easier for you to pop them in a stroller and go for a power walk than to attempt a practice that requires privacy, silence, or even your full attention for very long unless you have someone who can watch them for you for a little while. Instead of forcing something that doesn’t fit with your circumstances, look at your lifestyle and see where you have the most ‘space’ for something new, and see what would fit well there.

Work With Your Strengths:
If you’re a very verbal person, perhaps journaling would be right up you alley. If you have a creative imagination, guided imagery could be just what you’re looking for. If you’re already trying to lose weight, an exercise-based stress reliever would be great, whereas it might not be so useful for someone with certain physical limitations. Looking at your strengths and weaknesses, and finding a stress reliever that fits with them, is one of the most important steps in choosing a new stress management practice. Once you’ve carefully looked at yourself and your needs, choosing the right new healthy habit will be much easier. And once you’ve chosen a stress management practice that fits well with your lifestyle and that you enjoy, you’re much more likely to stick with your new healthy habit. ]]> Comments Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1171 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1170&goto=newpost Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:08:15 GMT By Jen Hoy, About.com This fragrant green, creamy spinach and basil soup is nutrient rich and has the added bonus of being “love food”. Basil is... By Jen Hoy, About.com

This fragrant green, creamy spinach and basil soup is nutrient rich and has the added bonus of being “love food”. Basil is said to be helpful for the libido, fertility, and an overall sense of well-being for the body and spirit.

Prep Time: 0 hour, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 leek, green and white parts, chopped
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 2 small or 1 large Japanese yam, peeled and chopped (or 1 large Yukon gold potato)
* 1 quart vegetable stock
* Sea salt
* 1 bunch spinach, washed and chopped
* 1 bunch basil, leaves only (about 2 cups)

Preparation:
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, shallot and leek, and saute 5 minutes. Add yam and cook another 5 minutes.

Add stock, 2 cups water, and two pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Add soup to blender in batches, along with spinach and basil. Blend until smooth, Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Note: The base of this soup can be made ahead, and finished when ready to serve, to maintain a bright green color. Simply blend the base with the spinach and basil and heat to serve. ]]> Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1170 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1169&goto=newpost Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:02:59 GMT By Kimberley Eggleston, About.com A certain restaurant that we frequent serves the most delicious lettuce wraps. This is the closest I could come... By Kimberley Eggleston, About.com

A certain restaurant that we frequent serves the most delicious lettuce wraps. This is the closest I could come to mimicking these tasty, lean wraps. We especially like the crunch of water chestnuts, so we make ours with a few extra.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1 tsp canola oil
* 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
* 2 cups chopped button mushrooms
* 1 lb. ground chicken
* 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
* 2 8-oz. cans water chestnuts, chopped
* 1 cup chopped green onion
* 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
* 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
* 12 lettuce leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden. Add the mushrooms and chicken, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the next six ingredients (cabbage through red pepper), and cook an additional 5 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted and the dish is heated through.

2. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture down the center of each lettuce leaf, and roll the lettuce leaf as you would a tortilla.

Serves 6

Per Serving Calories 137 ]]> Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1169 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1168&goto=newpost Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:05:01 GMT By Paige Waehner, About.com If your doctor graded you on your health, what would you get? According to The GE Better Health Study, it might not be... By Paige Waehner, About.com

If your doctor graded you on your health, what would you get? According to The GE Better Health Study, it might not be the grade you expect.

In the survey, more than 2,000 people answered questions about how they and their health care professionals rate the country's health. What's interesting is the difference between what they thought about their health and what their doctors had to say. You can see evidence of this disconnect in some of their answers:

* Almost 30% gave themselves an A for managing their health, while almost 92% of doctors gave them a C or lower.

* More than 50% said other people's health was on the wrong track while just 17% thought the same of their own.

* About 33% gave themselves an A for healthy eating and exercising, while 92% of doctors gave them a C or lower.

* Most respondents agreed that having a healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, calorie intake and glucose levels (among other numbers) were key to good health. Yet, most didn't actually know these numbers.

* Most also agreed that getting regular checkups was important, yet 70% found ways to avoid seeing their doctors. In fact, many respondents said they would rather live in pain than visit their doctor.

This survey is pretty eye-opening and makes me wonder: Do we see our health the way we see our driving? Ask most people and they'll say they're good drivers, but if that were true, I wouldn't have had to slam on my brakes this morning to avoid a woman backing out of her driveway. Not that I've ever done such a thing.

What do you think? How many of us think we're healthy even if we're not? I suspect that, for many of us, it's not just based on what we do but on how we feel. After all, what does high cholesterol or hardening arteries actually feel like? Not much, at least until it leads to a heart attack.

Grade yourself on how healthy you are, keeping in mind that your answer depends on your definition of 'health.' Since I could spend all day trying to define health, let's make it easy by setting some broad parameters:
Eating healthfully, exercising regularly, not smoking, being active, getting regular checkups from your doctor, managing stress and getting quality sleep on a regular basis. That clearly doesn't cover it all, so please leave a comment to tell us how you define being healthy and what your grade is all about. ]]> Comments Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1168 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1167&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:00:15 GMT Number of Servings: 30 kebabs *Ingredients:* ~ 2 pounds large shrimp in the shell ~ 1/3 cup safflower oil ~ 1/2 cup fresh lime juice ~ 3... Number of Servings: 30 kebabs

Ingredients:
~ 2 pounds large shrimp in the shell
~ 1/3 cup safflower oil
~ 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
~ 3 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth
~ 1 tablespoon minced shallots or green onions (white part only)
~ 1 clove garlic minced
~ 1 teaspoon salt
~ 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried
~ several dashes Tabasco sauce

Instructions:
Place shrimp in a shallow ceramic or glass baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over shrimp. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.
Drain shrimp and reserve marinade.

Thread on skewers or place in a wire grill basket.
Grill shrimp over hot coals, turning and brushing with reserved marinade, until pink and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
Serve with wooden picks. ]]> Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1167 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1166&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:58:53 GMT Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients (shrimp and salad):
~ 1 lb Raw Peeled & Deveined Shrimp
~ 2 garlic cloves (minced)
~ 4 tablespoons olive oil
~ 1/2 lb mixed greens
~ 1 ripe avocado cut in slices
~ 1 orange, peeled and cut in slices
~ 1 jicama, peeled and cut Julianne style
~ 1 red pepper cut Julianne style

Ingredients (Lime Cilantro Dressing):
~ 2 limes (juice)
~ 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
~ 2 garlic cloves, minced
~ 1/2 cup olive oil
~ pinch oregano

Instructions:
Shrimp: Whisk together garlic and olive oil in large bowl. Add Shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate 1 hour. Grill Shrimp 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Dressing: Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on low speed until smooth.

Salad: Toss together mixed greens, avocado, orange slices, jicama, red pepper and 1/2 of the lime-cilantro dressing.

To serve: Divide salad on 4 plates and place 4 grilled shrimp on top of each salad. Drizzle remaining lime-cilantro dressing over top of shrimp. ]]> Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1166 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1165&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:56:45 GMT Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients:
~ 1 lb Cooked Peeled & Deveined Shrimp
~ 3 lemons, juiced
~ 3 limes, juiced
~ 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
~ 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
~ 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
~ 1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
~ 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
~ 1/2 bunch cilantro roughly chopped, plus leaves for garnish

Instructions:
Defrost and drain shrimp. Transfer to a bowl. Add lime, and lemon juices. Stir in cucumber, red onion and Serrano chile.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Stir in tomato, avocado and chopped cilantro. Mix gently, taste and season with salt.
Allow to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

To Serve: Spoon ceviche into martini glasses or small bowls.
Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of lime.
Serve with tortilla chips or fried plantain strips. ]]> Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1165 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1164&goto=newpost Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:52:50 GMT By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Tips for Recognizing Unsafe Exercises
It's best to learn about exercise safety from a pro, but you should also use common sense and avoid exercises that aren't right for your fitness level. Listen to your body and when in doubt, back off. You can always increase your intensity during your next workout.

Top 8 Unsafe or Dangerous Exercise Habits

1. Working Through Pain
Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Ignoring this message and pushing on is the fastest way to get a serious or chronic injury. Although it seems obvious to stop if you feel pain, many athletes exercise with pain. Don't. If you feel pain, stop what you are doing and rest.

2. Not Resting
Any exercise routine that lacks rest days is potentially unsafe. A large number of sports injuries are the result of overuse. These injuries occur from simply doing too much exercise. To avoid overuse injuries, balance rest days with exercise to allow the body to recover from the stress of training.

3. Doing Only One Type of Exercise
Doing the same exercise day after day may help you become very skilled at a sport, but it is another way to end up with an overuse injury. Stressing the same muscle groups and performing the same movement patterns repeatedly can put a tremendous amount of strain on muscles, tendons and ligaments, causing irritation, inflammation and even stress fractures. Even if you successfully avoid an overuse injury, you may end up with muscle imbalance, weakness, tightness and alignment problems. To avoid these problems, vary your exercise training routine. Do a variety of different types of exercise and cross train.

4. Performing Uncontrolled or Sloppy Movements
Sloppy or uncontrolled movements occur for a variety of reasons, including fatigue, lack of appropriate skill, going too fast, and a lack of attention. When you are exercising, it's essential to be in control of your body. Sloppy execution or poor control is a set-up for injury. Even the safest exercise can become unsafe when done in an uncontrolled manner.

5. Forcing Unnatural Joint Movement
Any unnatural joint movements put you at high risk for an injury. Unnatural movements are typically caused by using a machine that isn't designed for your specific body shape or size and forces your joints to move in a way that doesn't follow your normal range of motion. One exercise that forces an unnatural joint movement is the behind the neck lat pulldown. This exercise works against the structural design of the shoulder joint. It puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles and forces the shoulders to rotate externally, a position vulnerable to dislocation. Additionally, you are forced to drop the head forward to the chest during the movement, which causes additional neck strain. Instead of this unnatural and dangerous exercise, consider lat pulldowns to the front, which work with the body's natural range of motion.

6. Doing Too Much Too Soon
Gradually increasing both the time and intensity of exercise is the ideal way to allow the body to adapt, grow stronger and become more fit. However, pushing your body beyond its ability to adapt will result in illness or injury. Many beginners find this out the hard way. They go out too hard, too fast and too furious and end up sore, injured and hating exercise. Even elite athletes can fall into this trap by thinking that if they are extremely fit in one sport, they can do anything. Not so. No matter what level of ability they have in another sport, athletes can get injured if they attempt to perform an exercise that is beyond their fitness level for that particular exercise. Remember to be realistic when assessing your ability and skill level.

7. Using Poor Form or Technique
When you are new to exercise or learning a new routine, it's important to learn how to do the movements properly. Most people should get some professional coaching at the beginning of a new sport to learn the fundamentals and develop good habits. If meeting with a professional coach, trainer or instructor is not possible, at least take a look at some books or videos about sports technique and exercise form. Keep in mind that we are all unique and some movements may be better-suited to your abilities or biomechanics. An instructor can help you modify exercises to fit your unique needs.

8. Lifting Too Much
Any weight training exercise that is done with weights that are too heavy for you is risky. It's that simple. If you can't maintain proper form while lifting, the weights are too heavy for you.

Source

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 7th Edition 2005.

2008 American Council on Exercise, Exercise Safety Guidelines
]]> Comments Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1164 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1163&goto=newpost Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:31:16 GMT By Paige Waehner, About.com

Do you have your best body? By that, I don't just mean how it looks, but how it works. Does it take on your daily activities with energy and ease or does get in the way? Getting your best body doesn't necessarily mean being the smallest size or having the buffest body. It means having a body that does what you need it to do without aches and pains. The good news is, it doesn't take much to get your best body.

Your Best Body - Lift Weights

Strength training is essential for getting your best body because it improves both appearance and function. You build lean muscle tissue which raises your metabolism and helps you lose body fat. At the same time, you build strong bones and connective tissue, which gives you a solid foundation for all your daily activities.

Functional strength training has become popular for getting a better body because you focus on whole body movements that mimic the activities you do each day. Rather than isolate muscle groups, you work the body as a whole, just the way it works in real life.

Think of it like this: A bicep curl is great for strengthening the biceps, but how often do you lift and lower a weight like that in real life? In real life, you might squat down to pick up a laundry basket and lift it as you stand up.

These functional exercises not only burn more calories, because you're working more muscle groups, but train your body to be strong for the dynamic movements you make in a typical day.

Make Your Workouts More Functional

When you isolate body parts, as you sometimes do with traditional strength training, you end up training your muscles but not your movements. One way to change that is to look for ways to make your strength exercises more functional:

* Incorporate free weights: Machines have a place in strength training, but they offer so much support that the body doesn't have to work as hard to maintain balance and good form. In real life, we don't have that kind of support. Using dumbbells, bands or cables forces your body to create it's own support, which leads to a stronger body overall.

* Use a stability ball: Doing some exercises on a ball, such as chest presses or pushups involves more stabilizers, the muscles that work to protect joints and maintain alignment.

* Combine movements: We usually do a combination of motions throughout the day. We lunge forward to open a door and then rotate while stepping through. Combining strength exercises together, like lunging forward with a reach or squatting with an overhead press can mimic this dynamic way of moving.

* Try unilateral exercises: Doing one-legged squats or using one arm at a time for moves like flies or chest presses forces your core to engage as well as your stabilizers, making these moves more functional and challenging.

Being creative with your workouts can build functionality while making your routines more fun. ]]> Comments Gena Brown http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1163 http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1162&goto=newpost Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:31:15 GMT I can hardly believe that 3 weeks from today I will be a bandster! I am so excited and cannot wait! I do have a question though and its more for... I can hardly believe that 3 weeks from today I will be a bandster! I am so excited and cannot wait! I do have a question though and its more for my husband than myself. Does anyone know if Hospital Angeles has wireless internet service? I want to make sure that hubs has something to keep him busy while I'm doing tests and in surgery. If not, he can always play solataire!!

Any other Mar. 24 bandsters-to-be out there? ]]> jacquie http://forum.lapbandsurgery.com/showthread.php?t=1162