If you are in America and grumbling about your insurance company's requirement to do a three or six month weight loss program before surgery, it may help you to know this information.

In the metro Vancouver area and  Vancouver Island, including Victoria,  there is a population of about 3.2 million people. To the best of my knowledge there are only  two surgeons doing gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries. Government health care pays for the surgery, but has limited the surgeons to a total of 52 surgeries PER YEAR. A gastric bypass up here who is about 18 months…

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Did you know the average American consumes more than 3,500 mg of sodium daily? That's a little more than 1.5 teaspoons of salt! The recommendation from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is less than 2,300 mg a day. If you already have high blood pressure, it is recommended that you aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. In addition to reducing the amount of salt you add to your food, purchase foods that are labeled "no salt added", "reduced sodium", or "low sodium". They will still contain some sodium but not as much as…

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I’m in Las Vegas, NV at the annual American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) conference.   Thousands of weight loss professionals from around the world and from the United Sates meet once a year to share research and the up and coming weight loss methods.  In addition, most every weight loss food product that specializes in bariatric weight loss is available to sample. During the convention I get to taste the latest protein shakes, bars, and other foods and will be able to share with you what made the grade, and in my opinion, what didn’t so you…

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You know the old saying: “Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner.” The maxim is one to live by. Eating hearty at the start of the day provides fuel for the rest of your waking hours, and can actually kick start your metabolism into high gear. What’s more, studies have proven that those who eat breakfast are less likely to overindulge on empty calories later in the day, and that kids who eat breakfast have better concentration. In the latest episode of Eating Right Every Bite, Chef Dave demonstrates a couple…

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It has been a mighty wet spring in Vancouver and we are still waiting for summer. It rains  a lot up here, and it has been record setting in the past  four weeks.  The rain doesn't slow down people from getting out there and being active. Unlike fair weather walkers in Reno (where I lived for many years) who don't go out because it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too windy, there's a raindrop, I see people out here being active unless it's raining sideways. When it rains, the walkers pop open their umbrellas and hit the trails.…

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I was reading your Bio online when I came across the part where you mentioned that obese people don't cook; they eat out all the time. God that was an epiphany, I have rarely cooked most of life. My niece used to joke that she loved how I cooked, "Hello, do you deliver?" I'm making the commitment to try a new recipe at ...least once a week. I'm 3 months out from a gastric bypass revision and I'm gonna learn to cook!

Robin Simmons

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I always write, but it is 2010 and wanted to make use of technology.  This first video blog is about processed VS. made from scratch food.

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Can you give me any recommendations on Protein powders? I went to my last Nutritionist appointment today and she informed me I need to start finding ones I like before my surgery. I do not have a surgery date yet but am told by my doctor that once I finish my last visit with him which is on the 18th of June they will submit to my insurance company and I could be scheduled the middle of July. Thank you for any help in this matter.

Sincerely
Nicole Smith

 

How…

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This tip comes from a friend of ours, Will Clower, who is a proponent of the Mediterranean diet (www.willclower.com). Think about this tip. Most of us eat too fast and then we eat too much. If you have had weight loss surgery, you know how unpleasant this can be. We need to slow down the eating machine and eat until we are no longer hungry, not full. You can't experience the feeling of no longer hungry if you eat dinner in 7 minutes.  Don't pick up your fork, spoon, or food until you have swallowed the food in your…

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Good-bye Mickey and Friends

With expired  park passes, a later flight, and thoroughly exhausted, we decided to order breakfast room service.  This a photo of the "fitness breakfast" for ONE that was delivered. Does this look like a "fitness breakfast" to you? If you look closely you will see 2 cups of oatmeal, a large bran (high fat) muffin, about 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup half and half, 12 oz. juice and various condiments. Please note there is 1 cup fruit, 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt, and 1 cup nonfat milk.  If you were to eat all of this…

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