Approved by the FDA in June 2001, the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is the newest and the only adjustable surgical treatment for morbid obesity in the United States. It induces safe weight loss by reducing the capacity of the stomach, which restricts the amount of food that can be consumed. Since its clinical introduction in 1993, more than 100,000 LAP-BAND® procedures have been performed around the world.

The LAP-BAND® System is also the only adjustable weight loss surgery. The diameter of the band is adjustable for a customized weight-loss rate. Your individual needs can change as you lose weight.

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The best weight loss tips are to eat sensibly with the right exercise program attached. We can then set to achieve our desired weight loss goals with a structured eating plan that incorporates good food recipes that are based on a healthy for life eating program. I shall talk about this program later on in this article.

So what maybe is a good weight loss cure for you right now?

As we are aware, we need not only to lose the weight we have put on slowly in the years gone by but somehow have to find a way to manage to keep it off once we have achieved our goal if we want optimum health. The simple tip is not treat the weight loss programs as a quick solution to your weight problem. It never works if you approach it from that angle.

There are two easy and quick weight loss tips you can implement immediately:

1. A healthy eating low carbohydrate diet plan. This should be a set of instructions on what to eat as well as how much you need to eat per meal per day. Its important not to fill your self with just one food type such as carbohydrates and leave out others. The reason is that we need a variety of nutrients and these can only be made available from varied food sources. No one source can give you all what you need in one meal alone. Secondly the diet plan should give you the science behind the program as to why certain foods are chosen and others left out. For example eating a low carbohydrate meal and high in fibre will result in weight loss. There are low calories present. Secondly pick a diet plan that is low in proteins. It is found that a low carbohydrate – high protein diet can reduce your weight but it can also make your blood cholesterol level rise due to the fats in the proteins. Be careful of high protein diets that force you to have alot of meat. There are a number of studies out now that say that though there is very little difference in the weight loss of the two diet plans, it is found that low carbohydrate – high protein diets tend to increase cholesterol. So if you are looking for optimum health go for a low carbohydrate – high fibre diet.

2. Personal weight loss support. A diet plan without backup support is no good. Most people fail or quit in their weight loss programs because of the lack of a buddy system to back them up when they are ready to quit. We all need encouragement, help and support on the journey to lose weight. Find a program that gives you support either by email or a website where you can go and join a forum. It’s normally in the 3rd day or 2nd week of the program where you will find the most distraction and want to quit. The weighing scales will not show the great readings of the first week. You will feel discouraged and be tempted to go back and fall into those great high carbohydrate – protein meals you were so used to. This is where a good support system will show you that you too can enjoy life to the fullest. It will introduce you to great diet cookery recipes where you can have fun with your food and still be able to keep the weight off for a long time to come.

Please research the program that you are looking at to see if it offers you advice on eating healthy, good food recipes and wonderful support when you start the weight loss program. Effective programs will also introduce you to good nutrition to help you get your desired results.

What foods are good to eat to lose weight immediately?

Its is simple to lose weight almost immediately by following a smart plan. When you go on a weight loss diet pick foods that are nutrient dense and rich in as many minerals and nutrients as possible. The easiest way to know what is dense is look for foods that are whole grain or heavy when you hold them, they should smell good and always look fresh. By choosing dense foods you do not have to over eat to get the same level of nutrients. Dense foods fill you up faster and are slow to digest resulting in less hunger pangs and hence stops the urge to pick at foods al day long.

Pick foods that are nutrient dense and with less calories. This way you will get your required amounts of vitamins, phyto-nutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and minerals for the least number of calories you need and that is a very good problem to have. Remember fresh is best. Avoid processed foods. You just have to look around at the fruits, vegetables, nuts , berries, seeds and meats to realise which are the better choices in food selection. Buy foods when they are in season as they will be fresh and full of essential nutrients you need.

By going for denser foods you will find that the GI level of these foods will be relatively lower than processed foods and will have a tendency to help reduce degenerative diseases as your blood sugar levels and cholesterol will begin to drop. Picking the right type of diet will help in lowering heart disease. and diabetes among many others.

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Some people may feel that you stop cooking while on a diet, but the opposite is true. People who are serious about taking off weight, and keeping it off, read more about nutrition and experiment with recipes to cut calories and improve flavor then others.

This is the time when it’s really important to prepare food attractively and vary your menus. Boredom is the biggest cause for falling off a diet. And when I say diet I don’t mean eating hard-boiled eggs and cottage cheese for 5 days. I mean a balanced, varied diet of eating less and cooking with fewer calories forever. If you are aware of calories it’s easy. You may even find yourself eating a larger quantity and certainly a better quality of food.

There are many painless substitutions you can make to save calories. For instance by using well chilled evaporated skim milk instead of whipped cream in molded salads and desserts that contain gelatin you save 40 calories per tablespoon. Try unsweetened dry cereal as a topping for fruit or ice cream instead of nuts or coconut. If you replace the graham cracker crumbs with dry cereal in a piecrust you’ll save 94 calories per 1/8 piecrust. Plain skim milk, either powder or liquid, saves 12 calories per cup over fortified skim milk, 57 per cup over 2% milk and 71 calories per cup over whole milk.

Substitute diet soda or fruit juices for cokes and alcohol. Cut down on salt. I always use less then the amount called for in a recipe unless it’s a bakery type item. Try different herbs and spices instead. Use yogurt in recipes that call for sour cream.

When you substitute 2 slices of Canadian bacon for 2 slices of bacon you save 65 calories. Substituting 4 ounces of broiled chicken for 4 ounces of fried chicken you save 85 calories. Having 1 cup of chicken noodle soup instead of 1 cup cream of chicken soup saves you 105 calories. A poached egg over a fried egg saves 30 calories. Substituting 1 cup of ice milk for 1 cup of ice cream will save you 80 calories and 1/7 of a pumpkin pie for 1/7 of a pecan pie will save 215 calories. 1 cup popcorn for 10 potato chips saves 75 calories.

All the substitutions I’ve listed taste just as good and are better for you. Individually they may not sound like big savings, but remember, every little bit helps.

I also cook a lot with diet margarine and nonfat dry milk. And I always skim off surface fat. Cut the edges off the steak and when browning meat, drain it well and then blot the meat with a paper towel. Make sauces, soups and stews a day before and refrigerate. Before reheating lift off the congealed fat. Believe me, when you see that you won’t want to eat it!

Young chickens (broilers and fryers) have fewer calories than roasting and stewing chickens. Light meat without skin has less fat than dark meat. When browning chicken it’s not necessary to brown in fat. Just place the pieces in a shallow pan skin side up and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes on one side, 10 minutes on the other and 5 more back on the first side.

Fish is lower in calories and higher in protein and nutrients than beef. And pound for pound, lean cuts of meat contain more vitamins and protein than fattier cuts.

Cut down on sugar! Eating it creates an unnatural desire for more. That quick burst of energy you may feel is phony. Almost immediately the body’s own blood sugar is lowered and your energy is lower than before. Eat fruit instead. An apple is much more filling than a candy bar. And it takes more calories to chew and digest celery than there are in it!

To get the most vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables, buy in small amounts and eat soon. Quick use assures the highest quality and maximum benefits. Cook in a small amount of water and reuse the water. It contains many of the water-soluble vitamins extracted during cooking. You can rewarm leftover vegetables in this water or use it in soups, gravies, sauces or molded salads. The water from canned vegetables is also full of vitamins and can be used in the same ways.

Following are 2 recipes that will save you a lot of calories every week:

Mock Sour Cream

Mix well in a blender: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon skim milk and a dash of salt. Makes 1 cup and saves 12 calories per tablespoon.

Mayonnaise

In a blender, mix: 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 raw egg yolk, 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 small diced shallots, a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Crumble 2 hard cooked egg yolks into the container and blend until smooth. Fold egg mixture into ½ cup low fat yogurt and refrigerate. Makes ¾ cup at only 21 calories per tablespoon.

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Filed under: Diet Recipes