In my position at TLCEdge, I give a lot of seminars. I also get to speak to loads of post operative patients. The one rule I mention the most is PROTEIN! Protein runs your body. It keeps your hair on your head, keeps your head from hurting, keeps you awake and functioning! Protein is good and necessary for survival. One of the rules is to have at minimum, 60 grams of protein a day. Most people need a little bit more, but that is based on a calculation that I leave to all the Dietitians and Nutritionists.
The best way to figure how much you need to keep your body moving, is to look at your hand. Figure on your palm for protein and your fingers being veggies and starches. The palm, its size and thickness, is what you need 3 times a day for your body. Now I am short (5'1") and my palm is relatively small. When I look at mine, it is the size of a small hamburger pattie, or a 2" by 3" piece of chicken or fish. The thickness is about 1/2 inch. My husband is 6'1". His palm is much bigger and he needs more to survive. Trust me, if he ate my size palm for 3 meals, he would be very grumpy! You don't have to weigh and measure everything. Who has time? Just eyeball your amounts, but be sure and get at least a palm's worth 3 times a day.
When you get your protein in front of you (this would be chicken, fish, pork, beef, beans), before you touch anything on your plate, cut your protein in half and eat one half before you smell, taste or touch anything else on your plate! Sometimes we get full very quickly. If you are eating your protein first, then you will get full on what you need. If you don't give your body enough protein, it goes into a starvation mode and you won't lose weight. I know it sounds weird, but it goes into caveman mode and doesn't release anything cause it doesn't know when you are going to feed it again.
Always know that in weight loss, our bodies work against us. If you don't give it enough of what it needs, it won't give you what you want (weight loss). So go out there and get your protein-Yum!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Detective O'Kelly On The Job!
Upon the advice of my friend Paige, I am starting a blog. I am the Senior Program Director for TLCEdge. I help people get weight loss surgery. I truly love my job! You see, I was one of the FDA trial patients for the lapband back in 1999. I lost and kept off 200 pounds. It works. I have been in the weight loss business in one form or another for almost 10 years. I have seen many people go from unhealthy with low life expectancy to healthy and wearing regular clothing sizes! I love it when I don't recognize a patient. That means they have lost alot of weight. It is wonderful to hear from someone who is in a dressing room trying on a regular size, or getting an email from someone who no longer has to take their diabetes medication. Those are truly blessed moments of my job.
There are days when no one is moving forward or losing weight. When everyone is grumpy and says this band isn't working for them. Those are the days that I really have to use my brain. I go over the rules and the specifics for their lifestyle. I get to become a detective. There is always an answer, I just have to help people find that key. It might be that they are doing the same cardiovascular exercise and not mixing it up enough. Did you know that your body can be your biggest enemy during weight loss? Let me explain.
When you are working out, if you are getting on the treadmill three mornings a week and walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 speed at 8am in the morning, your body gets used to that. Though your treadmill says you are burning a certain amount of calories, you are actually burning less and less each time. Your body gets used to what you are doing and goes into a 'protect' mode. It is saving the calories to burn later (just in case you get chased by a dinosaur). If you use the treadmill for your exercise, please "change it up"! Go up and down in the speed and up and down in the incline every few minutes. Don't ever let your body get used to what you are doing.
If you are someone who walks outside, then walk like you are being followed and never take the same route twice. This is also good advice for women who work out alone. Safety first! Trick your body into working harder for you. If you are a gym type of person, be sure to switch it up. Use all of the cardio equipment and have no set pattern. Most people don't like to exercise, myself included. But, I want to make sure that when I do exercise, I get the full benefits of the work out. Trick your body into working hard for you!
There are days when no one is moving forward or losing weight. When everyone is grumpy and says this band isn't working for them. Those are the days that I really have to use my brain. I go over the rules and the specifics for their lifestyle. I get to become a detective. There is always an answer, I just have to help people find that key. It might be that they are doing the same cardiovascular exercise and not mixing it up enough. Did you know that your body can be your biggest enemy during weight loss? Let me explain.
When you are working out, if you are getting on the treadmill three mornings a week and walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 speed at 8am in the morning, your body gets used to that. Though your treadmill says you are burning a certain amount of calories, you are actually burning less and less each time. Your body gets used to what you are doing and goes into a 'protect' mode. It is saving the calories to burn later (just in case you get chased by a dinosaur). If you use the treadmill for your exercise, please "change it up"! Go up and down in the speed and up and down in the incline every few minutes. Don't ever let your body get used to what you are doing.
If you are someone who walks outside, then walk like you are being followed and never take the same route twice. This is also good advice for women who work out alone. Safety first! Trick your body into working harder for you. If you are a gym type of person, be sure to switch it up. Use all of the cardio equipment and have no set pattern. Most people don't like to exercise, myself included. But, I want to make sure that when I do exercise, I get the full benefits of the work out. Trick your body into working hard for you!
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