Lapsf Support group tonight

Ok so tonight was the lapsf support group up here in BFE. It still amazes me that Dr. Cirangle drives all the way up here to see patients and do programs. I think its a fairly prolific area for surgery candidates plus the one local guy that did wls has left the area.

Anyway we had a good discussion regarding the same stuff that you other groups already had i.e. eating strategies for losing and maintaining weight loss. So it was all about the dense protein, fiberous vegetables and such and the illial brake which was interesting. I was supposed to ask about when weight regain occurs and the metabolic reasons. Well I only got it half right and asked when. He said with rny or sleeve its one to three years, ds its more like 5 or 6 and with band it could be any time. He was pretty negative about the band overall  and said he thought in a few years no one would be doing it any more. He said he is even doing the sleeve slightly  differently in the last couple of years than 3 or 4 years ago. So I forgot to ask in detail if there are metabolic changes at those times but he did say that only about 10 percent of his patients have a regain of 10 lbs or more and he thought it was principally from reversion to poor food choices. So thats as much as i got.

Then I had my individual conference on my year (ok 14 month) labs which he thought were great except for my cholesteral being somewhat high. He thought i should try niacin and red rice yeast which i have and which had bad side effects. Ditto statins. he thought i should take some other med but then said let my internist handle it. I am now rather confused about this issue as while the LDL is elevated somewhat, its far lower than it used to be and the HDL is good. I can't do a whole lot more with diet as i need the protein and don't get that much of it from red meat though i do eat a little cheese and put half and half in my coffee (shhh don't tell).  So my internist didn't seem too worried but Dr. C didn't like the number and now I am going to have to go obsess about it for awhile. Anybody else have this and what do you do?

Other wise, he thought my weight was perfect even though its 12 lbs below goal, bmi is 20.8. He said no i am not too thin (contrary to what some people say) and don't worry about it. So thats that.  Now i gotta convince hubby who thinks i am too think. Its always something. 

Diane

well i think the last time my cholesterol was still up too but im not going on statins as im not sure they dont do more harm than good.

im trying to add more raw fruit and veges in which are also supposed to lower it.

as for the regain i can see it being choices over anything else, the more temptation you try the more easy it is to have repeat lots... although i have found for myself if i go off plan for a few days and i dont mean completely off plan, but if i have cake or  desert or something and do it days in a row my body is wanting me to get back to healthy... but im not sure how long it continues to do that ??

yeah, cholesterol is sure a problem for some of us. Mine is way down from years ago when it was 300 or something horrible but its still considered elevated. decided to try the red rice yeast again as i will know pretty quickly if i get that muscle ache side effect I had with the statin drugs. I would happily take the statins again but they truly did make me ache and that side effect is known to cause muscle damage. never had liver issues with it. I actually would not discourage anyone from taking them who can do so as they work very well, but i just had that side effect. I think it actually resulted in me gaining weight because the muscle soreness made me reluctant to move and the more you moved the worse it was. so annoying. guess i gotta hit the veggies too but i have a really tiny sleeve and can't fit much in without losing out on protein. but i am THIN THIN THIN and sure happy with that. showed my "before" picture to the newcomers at the seminar tonight and enjoyed their reactions to my former big fat belly.

Yeah, maybe a good rule is never have two desers two days in a row as the more you eat that stuff the more you crave it. I have been fortunate as I have found it fairly easy to stay away from that stuff as i just don't buy it and my friends know not to offer it and so far i don't crave it much. But like you dear mini-me, i wonder how long this lasts? Only way to find out is to wait and see. diane

High cholesterol levels are correlated with high insulin levels. If you want to improve your cholesterol, lower your carbs (even those from fruits), and replace any other sources of carbs with green veggies and healthy fats.

Thanks for the reply, fellow night owl. I actually eat no bread, potatos, pasta or rice or anything like that. all my carbs come from vegetables, limited fruit and skim milk or gy. even in maintenance phase my carbs are 50ish. Doc said to avoid red meat but i don't do much of it. Guess i am just sort of stuck since i can't take the drugs. may add some fiber to see if that helps. Are you up late studying?  Diane

Unfortunately heredity plays a big part in cholesterol levels. Mine was fine at my 1 year.....like 117,   I think.  I'm wagging my finger now!  (wag) (wag)  Exercise can help too!   

It's an interesting coincidence that I just read an article on statins and cholesterol yesterday that had a different perspective. It basically says that our obsession with lowering our cholesterol number is getting us off track in treating heart disease as the issue isn't that number but the size of our cholesterol particles. Which is something that is easy to test but no one does.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/lower-cholesterol-naturally_b_815393.html

Thanks for sharing this MacMadame. Very interesting and next time i am at my internist i am going to ask about it. My cholesteral is much improved after weight loss but is still higher than it should be and i had bad effects from statin drugs and niacin. So since i got wigged out by Dr. C's comments i did some research on mayo clinic web site and learned about the recommended perameters for daily consumption of cholesteral. I knew which foods were worst but didn't know proportionately how bad. So i guess i will get a working knowledge of these numbers as i did with protein and already had with calories and cut back on a few things and substitute other protein sources. But the more i think about it the more i think I will let my internest manage this and he was only mildly concerned. would take the statins if i could but just can't. gonna try the red rice yeast again and see if i still have issues with it. what else can i do. would hate to have lost all this weight and then blow up from a stroke.

anyway, the article is good. thanks again.   diane

Cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels are partly related to dietary habits, but a very large component has to do with heredity aspects. Some things we can control, other things are beyond our control. HDL levels can be raised with exercise, but if your genetics say something different, it will be difficult to raise your levels. High HDL levels are thought to be heart protective and high LDL levels related to heart disease. Also, cholesterol levels tend to increase as we get older. I would discuss your numbers with your internist.

Thanks for your thoughts and the important reminder on this. I guess I am just one of those who by genetics is going to have higher levels as i am doing quite a bit already on dietary limits. but i have raised the HDL with diet changes and fish oil supplements which is supposed to be good. You are right - i will put my internist in charge of this. diane