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Weight Loss Surgery: Can It Help with Emotional Overeating?

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If you have trouble with emotional overeating, you may have considered weight loss surgery of some sort. But how do you know if it’s for you? What kinds of surgery options are available?

Here are some ideas as to the more common surgical options currently available and some of the better-known pros and cons associated with them.

weight loss

1. Lap-Band

This is a type of restrictive weight loss surgery, and it is adjustable. A silicon doughnut or ring is placed around the top of the stomach, leaving a small pouch above the ring. This is where the food goes first, and the pouch, being so small, fills up quickly. The person feels full on less food, in other words. Slowly, the food makes its way from the pouch into the main stomach.

The doctor or surgeon may, from time to time, inject saline into the ring in order to inflate it, thus decreasing the pouch’s capacity even further. The opposite can be done as well.

Pros:

  • It’s adjustable, as noted above – fluid can be removed or injected into the ring.
  • The digestive process is not compromised; food is digested “the usual way.”
  • The surgical procedure is usually done laproscopically, meaning it’s minimally invasive.

Cons:

  • Additional surgery may be required in the case of twisting of the access port or perforation of the stomach.
  • Weight loss tends to be rather slow and gradual, and not as dramatic as some other options.
  • Repeated follow-up visits with your doctor are required.

2. Gastric Bypass

This is what’s known as a malabsorptive technique. In gastric bypass surgery, a small pouch is created at the top of the stomach using “staples” rather than a ring. Then part of the small intestine is re-routed to connect to this pouch, essentially creating a permanently smaller stomach. It is called “bypass” surgery because food bypasses the rest of the stomach and the original small intestine connection, called the duodenum.

Pros:

  • Weight loss tends to be significant and permanent.
  • Mild side effects, such as heartburn, tend to be resolved easily.

Cons:

  • Compromised nutrient absorption is a significant concern, and patients are generally required to take many supplements to prevent nutritional deficiency.
  • Dumping syndrome, or a too-fast emptying of stomach contents, is a potentially difficult side effect.
  • It’s harder for doctors to view the stomach and intestine via endoscopy, meaning cancer and other problems may go undetected.

These are just two of the more common types of weight loss surgery. The bottom line is, weight loss surgery can help with the weight gain and excessive caloric intake associated with emotional overeating, but it does not address the underlying emotional issues. If you do choose some sort of surgery to treat emotional overeating, it’s a good idea to make sure it’s part of a “whole person” treatment plan that includes counseling and emotional therapy.

5 Tips To Losing Weight While Keeping Your Sanity

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Losing weight is the goal of many individuals worldwide however there is no simple way to drop the pounds like taking a pill or simply wishing them away. Unfortunately, losing weight takes determination and commitment to a healthy diet and exercise plan and even then it takes longer than we would like to drop those extra pounds.

So, what can you do to lose weight and keep your sanity? The following five tips should help you out.

weight

Tip #1 Lower Your Expectations

If you begin an exercise or diet plan, or both, and have heard you will lose incredible amounts of weight in no time at all and then it doesn’t happen then you feel let down and won’t have the same dedication to carry on and your diet fails miserably. However, if you are more realistic to begin with and realize that most people lose 1-2 pounds per week on a healthy exercise and diet plan then you will be better informed and can expect these types of results ahead of time rather than being disappointed.

Tip #2 Don’t Tell Everyone You are Dieting

When people first start diets they tell everyone they are dieting and their great weight loss plans. However, this can frequently work against you because people will talk and judge your weight loss progress and make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you eat something others don’t believe is part of your diet plan. This will give you a complex, so simply start your diet, inform close family and friends for support, and keep your dieting to yourself and you won’t go crazy.

Tip #3 Don’t Eliminate a Food Group

Many times when you eliminate a complete food group from your diet you feel as if you are really sacrificing too much and you will simply lose your sanity and your diet will fail. On the other hand, if you eat a well balanced diet and allow yourself little treats along the way you will lose weight and keep your sanity as well.

Tip #4 Household Support

When you start a diet you need to make sure the entire household will support you in your efforts. If you are not eating sugar yet your spouse continues to come home with cookies, ice cream, and doughnuts then you will have a hard time sticking to the diet and you won’t feel much support, either, which will drive you crazy. So, make sure your entire family is ready to support you and if they choose to eat unhealthy to do it away from the home.

Tip #5 Work Out

Losing weight takes a lot of time, which can really test your sanity. However, if you include a work out routine with your diet then you will see a much quicker weight loss, have more energy, sleep better, and simply feel better about yourself. This will help you keep your sanity and stay true to your weight loss plan.
When you follow these five tips you will be able to keep your sanity while staying on your diet and exercise plan better than if you give it a try all on your own.

Essential Amino Acids

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Known as building blocks of protein, there are about 20 of them but only 9 are considered as essential amino acids. They cannot be produced by the body alone so human beings can only obtain them from foods or supplements.

Here are 7 of the 9 essential amino acids with a brief description of each:

amino acids

Isoleucine

Coded for in the DNA, isoleucine has a chemical composition that is similar to that of leucine. However, the arrangement of its atoms is different which then has other properties. It is a hydrophobolic amino acid that thas two chiral centers. Meaning there are four stereoisomers and two diastereomers. It can be found in eggs, pork, mutton, chicken, pulses and beans.

Leucine

Nutritionally one of the essential amino acids, leucine is isometric with isoleucine. Most commonly found in proteins, it is also significant in optimal growth especially in infancy and childhood, also in nitrogen balance in adults. It plays a major part in the maintenance of the muscles by equalizing synthesis and breakdown. Whole grains and milk products are its best sources.

Lysine

Commonly found in proteins, lysine has a 4-aminobutyl side- chain classified together with arginine and histidine. Its human nutritional requirement is 1- 1.5 grams a day. Deficiency of which can lead to lack of niacin or vitamin B that causes a disease called pellagra. It can actually function as a nutritional supplement to help fight against herpes. It is obtained in most legumes, cereal grains and fish.

Methionine

Lipotropic in nature, methionine is considered as one of the essential amino acids. Together with cyesteine, they are the only sulfur- containing proteinogenic amino acids. It has a part in carnitine and taurine synthesis by the processes called transsulfuration pathway, lecithin production and phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Astheroclerosis can be achieved if there is improper conversion of such. Meats, vegetables, nuts and legumes are its best supply.

Phenylalanine

Existing in two forms, phenylalanine are enantiomers or mirror- image molecules of one another. With a benzyl side- chain, its name was derived from its chemical structure composed of a phenyl group alternated for one of the hydrogens of alanine. Due to its phenyl group, it is considered as an aromatic compound. Its great sources are milk, avocados, pulses, legumes, nuts and seafoods.

Threonine

One of the essential amino acids that contains two chiral centers, threonine has four possible stereoisomers and two diastereomers. With its name that can be used in a single enantiomer, its side chain can also undergo O- linked glycosylation. It can become phosphorylated through the action of a threonine kinase. Lentils, fish, meats and cheese are its best supply.

Tryptophan

It may not be easily synthesized, tryptophan functions as building blocks in protein biosynthesis. A precursor for serotonin, melatonin and niacin, its functional group is indole. It has been implicated to bring about schizophrenia in persons that cannot be able to metabolize it correctly. It can be obtained in turkey, chicken, sesame , peanuts and chocolates.

Could Your Weight Gain Be the Result of Emotional Overeating?

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Weight gain is frustrating enough, but when you can’t seem to identify the cause(s) of it, the frustration is compounded. Emotional overeating is a somewhat sneaky problem – because it can involve mindless eating, it’s the sort of thing that can occur without you realizing it.

If you are having trouble figuring out what’s causing your weight gain, here are some tips on identifying emotional overeating (as opposed to just overeating).

weight gain

Seemingly Unexplainable Weight Gain

If you are gaining weight and you can’t seem to figure out why, this is (ironically) a sign that the problem may lie with emotional overeating. As noted above, you often don’t know you’re doing it when it comes to emotional overeating. You may even be working out regularly and preparing healthy meals and still gaining weight, because you are mindlessly eating other foods when you feel negative emotions.

A Sudden Urge

Sources say that emotional “hunger” comes on quite suddenly, perhaps in the form of an irresistible craving for a certain food or just the urge to eat right now. True hunger is usually more gradual than that – unless you have low blood sugar or have gone a very long time without eating, true hunger does not usually take the form of an urgent need to eat a whole lot right away.

Depression

More and more the connection between emotional overeating and depression is being discovered. Do you feel depressed periodically? When you even think of feeling depressed, what goes through your mind? How do you cope? If you are picturing a big serving of your favorite comfort food, then this may be a sign that your overeating is emotion-based.

Stress

Are you going through a stressful time in your life simultaneous to your weight gain? Have you seen that pattern before? Stress, with its accompanying anxiety and other negative feelings, can trigger someone to overeat in response to those feelings.

Guilt

How do you feel after you eat? Are you consumed with guilt? Do you feel ashamed? These feelings are signs that you have a problem with emotional overeating. Normal eating to satisfy normal hunger does not make a person feel guilty.

Specific Cravings

As many parents know, genuine hunger usually means that you’re more open to various food options. In emotional overeating, though, cravings may be so specific that no other food will do to satisfy your “hunger.” You feel like you have to have that particular food to feel satisfied.

3 Biggest Benefits of Strength Training

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Strength training is exercise that uses resistance to strengthen and condition the musculo-skeletal system, improving muscle tone and endurance. “Strength training” is used as a general term synonymous with other common terms: “weightlifting” and “resistance training.”

Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscular strength, and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Lifting weights has also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem, confidence and self-worth.

strength training

Improved Physical Appearance and Performance

One important result of strength training is increased physical performance. Muscles quite literally utilize energy to produce movement, functioning as the engine or powerhouse of the body. Strength training increases the muscles’ size, strength, and endurance, which contribute to improvements in our work, favorite sports hobbies, and our general day-to-day activities.

Another benefit of a good strength-training program is its effect on our overall appearance and body composition. Which can directly influence self-esteem, self-worth, and level of confidence. Take, for example, a 170-pound man who has 20 percent body fat; 34 pounds of fat weight and 136 pounds of lean body weight (muscle, bones, organs, water, etc). By beginning an effective strength training program, he replaces five pounds of fat with five pounds of muscle. He still weighs 170 pounds, but he is now 17 percent fat with 29 pounds of fat weight and 141 pounds of lean body weight. Although his body weight remains the same, his strength, muscle tone, and metabolism have improved, giving him a fit appearance.

Both our physical appearance and our physical performance can be improved by muscle gain or hampered by muscle loss. Research indicates that unless we strength train regularly; we lose about one-half pound of muscle every year of our lives after age 30. Unless we implement a safe and effective weight lifting program, our muscles gradually decrease in size and strength in the process called “atrophy.”

Lifting weights is therefore important for preventing the muscle loss that normally accompanies the aging process. A common misconception is that as we reach the age of senior citizens, it is normal to stop being active and to start using ambulatory aides like canes and wheelchairs. Many people think we have no choice; they think this is normal.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. There is absolutely no reason why all of us can’t be physically, mentally, socially, and sexually active, living a healthy vibrant life until our last day on Earth! The reason many elderly people rely on ambulatory aides and become slower and fatter is simply that over the years their muscles have been wasting away, so their physical performance and metabolism also decrease, becoming less efficient.

Increased Metabolic Efficiency (your ability to burn excess calories)

That one-half pound of muscle loss every year after age 30 produces a one-half percent reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) every year. A reduction in BMR means that our bodies are less able to use the food we consume as energy, thus more gets stored as body fat. “Basal metabolic rate” refers to the energy used by our body at rest to maintain normal body functions.

Our muscles have high-energy requirements. Even when we are sleeping, our muscles use more than 25% of our energy (calories). When you implement the principles of effective strength training and you are consistent in your program, you will achieve an increase in lean muscle mass throughout your body and increase your BMR. In other words, you can actually condition your metabolism to work better and more efficiently even when you are at rest.

An increase in muscle tissue causes an increase in metabolic rate, and a decrease in muscle tissue causes a decrease in metabolic rate. You can see that anyone interested in decreasing body fat percentage and their risk of disease as well as in increasing physical performance and appearance, should be strength training to help condition their metabolism (BMR).

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a weight-management program is not including a strength training routine with their cardiovascular exercise and low-fat eating regimen. This is unfortunate because when we cut calories without exercise, we can lose muscle as well as fat.

Decreased Risk of Sustaining an Injury

Our muscles also function as shock absorbers and serve as important balancing agents throughout our body. Well-conditioned muscles help to lessen the repetitive landing forces in weight-bearing activities such as jogging or playing basketball. Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of injuries that result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group.

To reduce the risk of unbalanced muscle development, you should make sure that when you are training a specific muscle group, the opposing muscle groups are being trained as well (though not necessarily on the same day). For example, if you are doing bench-pressing exercises for your chest, you should include some rowing exercises for your back muscles as well.

By now you have probably realized that weightlifting should be an important part of your exercise routine. Weightlifting provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Good luck; I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective strength training program.

Amino Acid Metabolism

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Described for its complexity brought about by the large number involved, amino acid metabolism can actually be split into 20 protein block- builders that are significant for biosynthesis.

Functioning as precursors for the manufacturing of a lot of molecules that send signals, they are also unique from the peculiar ones that are utilized for a variety of intermediary pathways and activated one- carbon unit for the aromatic production.

metabolism

Degradation

Prior to the metabolic fate of the carbon atoms, they can actually be detected to all the chief intermediates due to the close interaction of amino acid metabolism with the citric acid cycle and glycolysis. Those intermediates comprises of carbons from pyruvate, acetyl- CoA, acetoacetyl- CoA, a- ketoglutarate, succinyl- CoA, fumarate, malate and oxaloacetate.

It is actually separated into several pathways according to the diverse length of carbon structures engaged. They are referred to as C3, C4 and C5 families of protein block- builders that generate common end products during catabolism. C3 includes alanine, serine and cysteine which are all corrupted to pyruvate. C4 have aspartate and asparagoine that are tainted to oxaloacetate that are closely linked to glutamate. C5 comprises of glutamine, proline, arginine and hitidine that are all deaminated to alpha- ketoglutarate.

Aromatic Engineers

Phenylalanine, tyrosine trytophan are the three pungent amino acid metabolism. They all contain benzene ring which are hydroxylated. The relationships they have for each other actually cause the acceleration to an intricate nutritional liberty. The disorder in the otherhand like the impairment of fabricating tyrosine from phenylalanine makes the previous one of the essentials needed very much in the body. The lack of biosynthetic pathways in human beings is the reason why there are plenty of sicknesses associated with malnutrition.

Phenylalanine

First converted to tyrosine by the accumulation of a hydroxyl unit, phenylalanine is a reaction catalyzed by phenylalanine hydroxylase. This is actually a liver specific enzyme which belongs to the group of monooxygenases. Such requires molecular oxygen, NADPH and coenzyme tetra- hydrobiopterine. Rememeber that hydroxylation of the benzene ring is utilized to destabilize in the preparation of the ring formation for breakup.

Tyrosine

An amino acid metabolism that is a liver resident process, Tyrosine starts out with alteration of its amino group to alpha- ketoglutarate by a certain method used. This is similar to both that accepts transminases and less substrate which acts on aspartate. It is an enzyme isoform that is obtained from aromatic amino acid transaminase by restrained proteolysis.

Tryptophan

With the degradation in human that yields to precursors for glucose synthesis, tryptophan is the first step that is catalyzed and controlled by cortisol. It stimulates its own degradation by allosterically activating tryptophan oxygenase. The product of the said reaction is L- formylkynurenine that is further degraded by kynurenine formidase.

What Causes Emotional Overeating Disorder?

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Emotional overeating disorders can be difficult and devastating for those who suffer from them. What makes this happen? Why is it that some people, knowingly or unknowingly, turn to food for comfort? Here are some thoughts and ideas on those questions.

Emotional overeating disorder is a general term that refers to any of various eating habits where genuine hunger is not the motivational factor. It is more common among women than men, but men are not immune – especially young men in their teens and twenties. Those who suffer from this disorder associate food with emotional comfort, and will turn to eating to escape negative feelings.

emotional

 

Past Trauma

For some with emotional overeating disorder, the problem stems from past traumatic events. Someone who suffered sexual abuse, for example, or some other kind of sexual trauma may overeat in response to feelings of anxiety and confusion. The result is a fatter body, which some sources suggest may cause the sufferer to feel “protected” from being attractive to the opposite sex. Subconsciously or consciously, the sufferer wants to be unattractive. Other examples of past trauma or unmet needs may cause a person to turn to emotional overeating.

Poor Self-Image

People who suffer from low self-esteem and a negative self-image may seek escape by overeating. In a way, emotional overeating is a physical expression of what the sufferer feels inside, and the resulting weight projects the same image of self-disrespect.

Self-Medication

Like alcoholics, those who struggle with emotional overeating may be unconsciously using food as a drug. Eating numbs or dulls the emotions that might be too hard to deal with otherwise.

Depression

Studies indicate a strong correlation between depression and emotional overeating. Ironically, sometimes as depression grows worse a sufferer loses weight; weight loss means the sufferer is not eating as much, and therefore not engaging in his or her coping mechanism.

Stress

Prolonged, unrelieved stress can have a profound effect on the body. Stress stimulates the body to produce, among other chemicals, the hormone cortisol. Cortisol apparently has a hunger-stimulating effect, and as the stressful emotions increase along with the cortisol, a cycle of emotional eating can play out.

Individual Triggers

There are triggers or causes of emotional overeating that are not necessarily in the categories above. Some examples might be:

  • Boredom
  • Oral need or a need to satisfy your mouth’s need to do something
  • Social pressure or embarrassment at eating in public, resulting in overeating in private
  • Financial stress
  • Relationship difficulties

Keeping Your Body Healthy-Your Physical Fitness

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It is important to be fit, everyone knows that. Your physical fitness has a big impact upon how you feel about yourself, and how much effort your body has to expend in order to keep working. Lack of physical fitness has supposedly reached an epidemic proportion in America, though the truth is that Americans are obsessed with physical fitness, and TV doctors and celebrities alike make a fortune through selling fitness videos and books to the public.

Unless you’re planning to buy ‘em all and use them as weights to lift up and down every day, none of these will ever do your physical fitness any good at all.

physical fitness

The best way to improve your physical fitness is by incorporating regular activity into your daily routine. It is not necessary to take out full membership of your local gym, or even attend one exercise class. What it does mean is choosing an activity that increases your heart rate, or improves your strength and general flexibility. Walking a few more blocks, doing some gardening or housework, climbing the stairs, are all examples of something that can fit quite easily into your routine, but which can also increase your physical fitness. Taking the elevator, driving the car to the shop at the corner of your street, and spending more time in bed are all things that will not improve your fitness level.

A healthy lifestyle cannot be a fad, or something that you will do ‘next year’. It should be on your ‘to-do’ list all year round, not just as a New Year Resolution that you never intend to keep. Once you start on an exercise regime, you will need to keep that up for the rest of your life; or your physical fitness will be lost, and you will have to start all over again. Without regular exercise, the muscles reduce, and fat takes its place (muscles do not become fat, they merely move over to make more room for it if they aren’t used). It is therefore important that you choose a regime that is going to keep you interested in the long term; every year throws up a new ‘fitness fad’, but most people take them up and then discard them after a fortnight. Instead, choose something that you enjoy. If the thought of being instructed on stepping up and down on a plastic board fills you with scorn, then you might try something else – martial arts are always popular, and a physical fitness regime which incorporates some kind of team sport will also help to keep you interested.

Remember: physical activity everyday is the key to fitness, and that is what is important. Improving your physical fitness can provide you with more energy, and will help you to feel more positive about yourself.

Amino Acids that Promote Growth

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Hormones for development are released by the pituitary gland in the brain. It is responsible for enhancing muscles, burning fats and immune system maintenance.

amino acids

Ornithine

This is one of the amino acids that promote growth which is derived from arginine. Large quantities of which have successfully raised growth hormone levels in some studies. Bucci, et al, studied the the effect of 40, 100 and 170 mg/kg of L-ornithine HCl on 12 bodybuilders. A percentage of twenty- five of the subjects experienced significant increases in serum growth hormone levels at the two lower doses. In the otherhand, half the subjects illustrated an increase in growth hormone at the highest dose.

Arginine

Investigated in numerous studies with conflicting results, this is one of the amino acids that promote growth. Take for example, in one study, 6 subjects were given 6 grams of arginine. They all experienced a 100% increase in plasma levels without any growth hormone release. Other researchers administered it to 12 young and 5 elderly non-obese adults, all of whom had a body mass of less than 30. The subjects participated in three trials: resistive weight-lifting exercise with no placebo, 5 grams of arginine supplementation prior to exercise and 5 grams of oral L-arginine only.

Lysine

One of the amino acids that promote growth, lysine may work to release growth hormone. In a study of 15 healthy male subjects, there was a separate consumption of lysine as single nutrients did not significantly increase growth hormone compared to the baseline. In another study of normal young males, oral administration of 1,200 milligrams of L-lysine did not raise serum growth hormone levels.

Glycine

It may be the non- essentials but this is also one of the amino acids that promote growth. Glycine is contained in gelatin protein and is an important component of collagen. Although much of the early research revolved around its ability to increase strength in athletes, more recent studies have documented that it can indeed raise growth hormone levels in humans. As a matter of fact, researchers have concluded that the explanation why it has been found to increase muscle strength in many studies may be the result of its growth-hormone-boosting capabilities.

Glutamine

An abundant protein block- builder, this is one of the amino acids that promote growth. Glutamine is the most copious in human muscle and plasma. It directly regulates both the production and wearing-down of protein and immune cell activity. When about nine healthy subjects consumed two grams of oral glutamine 45 minutes after a light breakfast, there were eight out of the nine that subjects experienced elevated plasma growth hormone within 90 minutes. These findings demonstrate, the study authors wrote, that a surprisingly small oral glutamine load is capable of elevating hormones for development.

amino acids

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Could You Have an Eating Disorder?

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Do you find yourself gaining weight during times of stress? Do you fear boredom because you know you’ll simply eat to fill the time? These are just some of the symptoms of emotional overeating.

If you think you may suffer from this relatively common eating disorder, here are some signs and symptoms that may help you identify whether or not this is what you’re struggling with.

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Mindless Eating

If you have a binge eating disorder or emotional overeating problem, you may stuff food in and not even really taste it or realize what you’re doing. It’s as though you are “out of it” and just mindlessly stuffing food into your mouth.

Feelings of Guilt and Shame

Many people with emotional overeating disorders feel really embarrassed and hateful of themselves after they’ve got through with an eating binge. The problem, of course, is that these negative feelings may make you reach for more food for comfort.

Eating in Secret

Because of being embarrassed, may emotional over-eaters will eat in private, reserving their “naughty” foods for when no one is looking.

Always on My Mind…

Do you think about food all the time? Do you feel anxious about the prospect of leaving the house without snacks or money to buy food? Constantly thinking about food (food obsession) may be a sign that you have an emotional overeating disorder.

Feeling Sick

Sometimes, emotional over-eaters will eat and eat to comfort themselves, and then feel sick afterward. Obviously, this is your body’s way of telling you you’ve eaten far too much more than is good for you; but for emotional over-eaters, this sickness does not necessarily deter the next binge.

Identify Your Triggers

Emotional overeating is usually triggered by something – emotions, yes, but sometimes we need to be more specific than that. Identifying your personal triggers can go a long way toward helping you overcome the disorder. Basic trigger categories include:

  • Emotional – Eating to relieve boredom, stress, or anxiety

  • Psychological – You may eat in response to negative, self-destructive thoughts

  • Environmental/Situational – You may eat simply because the opportunity is there. Also in this category is the habit of eating while doing another activity, such as reading or watching TV.

Do any of these signs and symptoms describe you? If so, don’t despair – there are treatment options available for emotional over-eaters. Check with your healthcare provider for advice on therapists or specialists in your area.