Carbohydrates are they truly EVIL?

Everyone has heard the bad press that Carbohydrates has received over the last 10 years.  How could you not have followed the Atkins craze or the South Beach Diet, or the Zone that allot of Hollywood stars rushed to try.  With all of the press about Carbohydrates I have learned through all of my medical courses in College a few things that I wanted to share.


Carbohydrates are the bodies ideal fuel for most functions.  Yes you heard right.  They supply the body with energy needed for the muscles, brain and central nervous system.  In fact your brain relies solely on Carbohydrates for its energy.  So when you are thinking of going on a low carb diet please keep this in mind.  Your brain does not function well without them.


Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grains, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.


There are three basic types of carbohydrates; simple carbs that are broken down quickly and complex carbohydrates that are broken down slower over time.  There are indigestible carbs that are considered fiber.  Simple carbs are the ones that can cause extreme surges in our blood sugar, and increase our appetite.  These are the ones that our bodies store as fat.  The complex ones enter our blood slower and actually can control appetite and increase our sugar levels more slowly, which lowers the amount of sugar that is stored as fat.  


Some of you may have had a nutritionist through your surgeons office that helped you to understand this concept, and perhaps some of  you did not.


I just want to say again to everyone, Carbs are not all bad or evil as they have been portrayed.  The simple carbs need to be monitored very closely, the others you need to add and eat each and every day.  For those of us who have gone on low carb diets, you found that certainly you will lose weight.  In fact, it will melt away.  Why is this?  Well there is a scientific reason for it.

With no glucose available for enegry the body uses protein from food for fuel. Therefore this fuel is no longer available for more important functions such as making new cells, tissues, enzymes, hormones and antibodies and the regulation of fluid levels.  When carbohydrates are lacking our bodies cannot burn fat in the proper way.  When carbs are lacking the body incompletely breaks down our fat and a by product is produced call ketones.  When the body begins this process you are thrown into a state of famine.  The body believes it is useless to  search for food, and will waste energy so your appetite goes away.  You will get bad breath, become dehydrated and nauseous, dizzy and extremely fatigued you will even become constipated.  Your work outs will not be as productive either, you may find you do not have enough energy to complete the workout.    A person that is on a low carb diet will also be at higher risk for kidney stones and heart disease and even cancer.

So bottom line is to eat your carbs, just keep them in check with your daily allowance and be sure there is a variety of them in your diet.  It is hard for people with the band to eat carbs, when we are instructed to eat our protein first.  We usually become full,and have trouble getting in those vegetables, but it is so imperative that you do.


So the next time you hear the TV ads and see the books and spokes person for that wonderful low carb diet, think again!

Bandaversary 4 years!

November 5, 2007

It took me awhile to decide what I wanted to say for this post, and now that finals are over I can actually sit down and do it.


November 9, 2007, four years......where have I come?  I have been around the block of banding I can tell you that much.
I vowed before the band that I would never, ever go back to my old habits of abusing and misusing food, but I did.


I also vowed that I would never regain those 85 pounds that I lost back then, but I did.


I watched as my broken and sore body, became fitter, and actually craved exercise, and I found myself addicted to it, only to find excuses to keep me from doing it.


I basically broke all bandster rules, and I did it in no time at all.  It only took me about 6 months to put back on 50+ pounds, and it was hard for me.  I became depressed and angry at me, myself and I.  


Then I found blogging, yes I had already put on the brakes to my insane falling off of the wagon, but it was not until I found Catherine55 and others blogs, that what I had done truly changed my life for the better.  She now knows what she did for me because I was so fortunate to meet her at BOOBS 2.0.!

Catherine and Kristin BOOBS 2.0 Chicago

So what were the rules that I broke you ask?

1.        I stopped measuring my food.
2.        I got a fill that was too tight to eat solid protein.
3.        I did not go back to the Surgeon to be unfilled.
4.        I began to eat around my band (eating sliders, things that would pass easily through it mostly high calorie liquids, ice cream yes lots of ice cream) eating out more than cooking.
5.        I stopped stepping on the scale.
6.        I was not diligent in drinking my water.
7.        I stopped logging my food.
8.        I had no idea if I was eating enough protein, I stopped doing my protein shakes.
9.        I began to eat sugar again in large quantities.
10.        I began to drink orange soda again like it was OK! (only orange though I never went full bore back to all soda)  like that was an alright move on my part.
11.       I ate out of the site of anyone, I closet ate.  Denying even to myself what I was eating.
12.       I became depressed and did not ask for help.
13.       I stopped going to support group for my lap band.
14.       I would not listen to those who love me that I live with, when they began to notice my gain!
15.       I made it OK, to eat pasta and rice and even bread again, when I know this NOT on the bandster diet.

These are the things that I did, that I vowed I would never, ever do again.  These are the basics that I let slip away and I was  WRONG, I did them all.

I stopped the madness though, on June 28th, 2011, I saw my beloved surgeon once again and after a much needed ass chewing on his part.  Kristin at 276 pounds hung her head, and then smiled and said I am going to change my life once and for all.  On July 5th I had the second fill in my LapBand. Only the second fill I have ever had.  I remember that day so vividly, I was scared.  I was afraid of being to tight as I was after the first one so long ago.  I told myself you silly girl, you can eat 4 small pieces of pizza, you can eat bread, you need this fill and you need it NOW!  Stop the whining, and Just Do It!  I stopped at Taco Bell, and I had two taco's before getting filled.  Wow, I was a full fledged addict even still.


Since July, I have gotten my ass back in the gym.  I began to go each and every day, and I did something amazing.  I began to swim laps!  Me, the fat girl, who could never pull her ass through the water before, actually did and I increased and increased those laps and times til I can now swim for 60 minutes and I feel amazing when I do.  I started taking Zumba and found that I totally love this class and dancing.  It is fun and not like working out at all, I have even begun to run.  Yeah you heard right,  I can now say I run, not far mind you.  The most I have done is 1.5 miles and that is walk/ running.  But hey, it is a far cry from where I started.  I am down to 234.5 and I know that I still have a long way to go, to get where I need to be.


I am happy though, I feel I have turned that corner, I have really decided to not USE food for comfort, or think it is OK to eat the things I should not be. Maybe when I reach goal, I will go easier on myself with this, but for now, I am strict when it comes to everything.  I measure, I log, I count, I weigh and I move! I drink water, eat my protein and I thank god everyday for my BOOBS!


Going to BOOBS this year, really gave me motivation, to stay on track.  Seeing these amazing and beautiful women all in one location, and knowing that they all struggled with the same issues as me, made it OK!  I was not horrible, or a failure, I was simply a food addict, who needs support to get past it.

I have lost a freaking lot of weight.  I have lost over 130 pounds since my banding date of November 7, 2007.  I would be at goal if that weight loss had not included the 60+ gain.


If anyone takes anything away from my post, let it be this.  Your band is your best friend, treat it as so!  Your band will see you through the rough times, if you let it.  Your band is there to make you eat SOLID PROTEIN and Vegetables.  Your band is a tool, and you are it's source of power and enable it to do it's job effectively.  When you start making excuses, stop!  Walk away and reevaluate what and why this is happening, do not put it off.  You owe your life to it!

I am happy for the first time in a long time, truly happy.  I am not at goal and have much more work to do, but I know that I can get there now, because I have admitted to myself why I ate, and worked through it with counseling. 


I now EAT TO LIVE and I no longer LIVE TO EAT!  What a great feeling that is.

Kristin, Alan and Nichole November 11, 2011

Stop the insanity..................NOW!

A healthy lifestyle is not an all or nothing proposition.  Plans will go awry and obstacles will pop up.  Don't get down.  Get down to business.  






It doesn't matter how often you fall.  What matters is how you land and where you end up.  Cats have nine lives, and always seem to get second chances.  Cats also land on their feet when they fall.  Coincidence?  Healthy living is a process of learning.  Life does not always pan out as we thought, and fate has a toolbox full of wrenches to throw into your plans.

In the years ahead, you will go through success and failures, highs and lows, steps forward and steps back, times of plenty and times of difficulty.  When the dust settles and the books of life are squared away, you are doing well if you come out the other side, better, stronger and happier for the experience.

Some of us see weight loss and healthy living as struggles.  I believe this is because we have an all or nothing approach and will only accept perfection.  When we have to face anything less than 100% success, we fall into the vat of guilty despair, convinced that we have failed.  We then revert to our old habits and the cycle begins again.

Guess what, it does not have to be this way.  Healthy living is a process of learning.  Setbacks can show up in a lot of ways.  

Plateaus:  "the scale is just not moving anymore!"
Burnout:  "I just can't keep up this tough regiment anymore!"
Week Moments:  "I had a really bad week, and spent all weekend drinking, eating cheeseburgers, and donuts!"
Discouragement:  "I'm never going to make it all the way, I might as well just give up now!"
Interruptions:  "Why did I have to get sick now!"
Injuries:  "Can't believe I pulled a muscle right when I was starting to see progress!"

Since you are developing a new healthy life style, you can choose to do things differently this time.  Instead of expecting perfection, you can concentrate on damage control, on bouncing back.



Keep a positive attitude:  Studies have shown the optimists reach more goals than pessimists.   You see, a setback is not a brick wall that must be climbed, it is merely a gate that must be opened and gone through, you will soon be on your way.

Trust in your plan:  You spent allot of time, money and energy deciding to get your band.  You laid out the steps before you.  You knew it was only a matter of time to reach your goal.  You also knew, it was not an easy fix.  What was true in the beginning of your journey, still holds true today.  Stay the course. 


Believe in yourself: Self discipline is hard.  But you have what it takes to build a healthy lifestyle.  When things go wrong, do not beat yourself up, instead give yourself a pep talk.  You are worth the effort.  Your weight loss goals deserve another shot.  You are already doing more than most people even try to do.


Give yourself good reason to keep going: return to the basics of motivation to get back on track.  Look back over the reasons you got your band.  Remind yourself of how you felt those first weeks after surgery when you had no intention of cheating what so ever. Who can you connect with that can give you a lift?  Are you rewarding yourself often enough?  The answer to those questions may hold the golden nugget of motivation that you have forgotten about. 

Lets Talk Protein

I am often asked how I can eat so little and not be hungry.  I have friends and even family members who are amazed at how little I consume on a daily basis.  I have to admit that it is so hard for me to eat the amount of calories that I am suppose to be.  Simply because I cannot eat that much in one sitting.  Since my fill on 7-5-11 when I eat solid protein I get maybe four to five bites that is all.

There is one thing that I have come to realize and learn during this nearly four year process for me is this:  " eating enough protein is the essential thing in keeping me fuller longer".   If I try to get by with not eating it, I can barely go two hours before I think that I am hungry.

If on the other hand, I eat eggs for breakfast and a little cheese, I am good til lunch.   I love to eat this because I know it is good for me and will keep me full.  I will admit I always failed on other diets because I was starving myself, and I would be hungry all the time.

When you cut out food groups I believe this is what causes constant hunger.  I think we must evaluate what we eat, and eat as healthy as possible always.  But not make this a crusade either.  When humans feel deprived, that is when we normally  over indulge with both food and beverage.

That is why the band creates a lifestyle not a DIET!  You have to rethink food and why we eat.  

I no longer "LIVE TO EAT" I now know that I "EAT TO LIVE".  This is not an easy concept for someone who used food to comfort me.  I did this in the privacy of myself.  Meaning I closet ate when no one knew.  I had a huge obsession with if someone or something upset me my first thought was "Chocolate".  I thought the feeling I got from eating it was comfort enough.  How wrong I was.  I could not be satisfied with just a morsel of chocolate, I wanted the whole damn bar.

So PROTEIN is the word of the day!  Eat as much as you can possibly eat.  I like to say 65-90 grams a day is good for people with the LapBand.  


I use unflavored protein powder on my food by UNJURY to help me to get that amount in.  I would always talk to people in support group who were starving and wanting a fill and once we looked at what they were eating each day, their Protein was falling way below the above guidelines.


So if you are thinking about a fill, or are hungry all the time take a look at what you are eating.  Go back to the basics.  Journal your food.  There are some great places to do this free online.  Whatever works, look at your amount of protein daily and up it by 30 grams.  I guarantee you will feel an improvement in your hunger.

There are no guarantees in life.  But one thing I do know from experience.  You write it down it makes it real.  So write down your protein, calories and carbs.  It helps keep us honest!