Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss

If you have lost a significant amount of weight either through diet and exercise or weight-loss surgery, you may wish to have excess skin and tissue surgically removed to contour your body and be more comfortable.

Body contouring is surgery to improve the shape or contour of a person’s body. Liposuction is the traditional method for body contouring. It remains best suited for small, isolated deposits of fat that have only little extra skin.

The concept of body contouring can also be expanded to include procedures that alter and improve the overall shape of a patient’s body. For instance, as the number of Americans choosing bariatric surgery to lose a substantial amount weight is climbing, body contouring can help these individuals take the final step to looking and feeling their very best.

Who is a good candidate?

Bariatric patients should wait about two years after their procedure before considering body contouring surgery. It can take a full year to reach your goal weight, and then another six months to a year for your weight to stabilize.

If you have lost an extreme amount of weight through other techniques, it is important that your weight stabilize before having this surgery.

It is also important to note that body contouring procedures are considered cosmetic surgery and not covered by most insurances. Work with your doctor’s office to find out if your procedure will be covered.

Risks

Like all surgical procedures, body contouring surgery has risks, but you can help prevent complications by carefully following your physician's instructions both before and after surgery. Talk with your plastic surgeon to be sure you understand the potential risks and complications.

Recovery

Bariatric patients may have complex health issues. After carrying extra weight, many have developed diabetes, heart failure and other chronic conditions.

These existing conditions can mean that bariatric patients need more time to heal after body contouring surgery and may be more prone to infection. Talk to your doctor about what to expect during your recovery.

Penn Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you ready to commit to a healthier life?

Learn if bariatric surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn during this free session and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program

Register for this free event here.

Dress Up Your Salads with These Grains

Salads as a meal? Why not! When you add in vegetables, healthy, lean meats like fish and chicken, and grains, a salad can be a delicious and filling alternative to a tradition “meat and potatoes” type of meal.

Wait, grains? Yes, grains!

Adding whole grains to your salads adds nutty flavor. It gives a salad more texture, and provides a healthy, filling alternative to processed breads or rolls you might add as a salad side.

Here are some grains you can try adding to your salad. To make things easier, cook grains ahead of time and store in your fridge so you always have a healthy salad ingredient on hand. An appropriate portion of healthy grains is ½ cup- 1 cup, which will add approximately 80 to 160 calories to your salad.

Farro

Farro seems to be gaining popularity, and there’s a good reason why. Like most whole grains, farro is very versatile – you can eat it as a hot breakfast cereal with fruit, toss it in soups and salads, or even have it as a side dish. Farro is not wheat, but its own plant. It has a nutty taste with undertones of oats and barley. It has a consistency similar to risotto, while retaining its tender bite. In fact, it’s a favorite among rustic Italian restaurants and dishes.

Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") is a grain-like seed that has recently gained popularity for its unique super food qualities.

Originally found in ancient Peru, this nutty seed is packed with protein and nutrients making it a great choice for vegetarians and vegans as well as individuals following a gluten-free diet. It looks similar to couscous, however has a nuttier and more complex flavor.

Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids, including lysine. Many grains lack lysine, making quinoa an excellent addition to the diet. It is also rich in iron, vitamin E, potassium, fiber and magnesium.

• Learn how to cook quinoa with this helpful article from Penn dietitian Danielle Rosenfeld, MS, RD.
• Check out this recipe for Colorful Qunioa Grecian Salad here.

Rice

Why not sprinkle brown rice into your salad? Technically speaking, brown rice is hulled, or unmilled rice. While brown rice has the same amount of carbohydrates and calories as white rice, brown rice is processed in such a way that only the top layer (the husk) is removed. When subsequent layers are removed, such as in the processing of white rice, nutrients and minerals are removed as well. Thus, brown rice retains more nutritional value than white rice.

Bulgur

Bulgur is a whole grain cereal made from different types of wheat. Compared to white rice, bulgur has more fiber and protein and higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Per cup (uncooked) bulgur has 25 grams of fiber and 17 grams of protein.

Penn Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you ready to commit to a healthier life?

Learn if bariatric surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn during this free session and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program

Register for this free event here.

How to Work Out When It’s Dark Out

Ahh… the fall. Time for cooler weather, warm fires and cozy sweaters.

Fall also means shorter days, and unless you’ve got a lunchtime workout routine, you’re probably working out in the dark before or after your work schedule.

Working out in the dark, pre-dawn or post-sunset hours can be challenging. Naturally, your body wants to stay – or get ready for sleep. But we know that exercise is essential and since you’ve got a workout goal in mind, taking off for shorter days just isn’t in your weight-loss plan!

Here are some tips to get moving when it seems like the world is sleeping.

Prepare Your Wear

Working out when your body might not want to is difficult to overcome, but with the proper planning, you can do it.

If you are an early-morning exerciser, consider wearing your workout clothing to bed so all you need to do is put on your sneakers and head out of the door for a walk or jog. Or, just lay all your clothing out so it’s easier for you to get ready without thinking too much about what you’re preparing to do.

If you work out after your workday, bring your clothing with you – or even change at work so you are already in your workout gear. When you get home, or if you go to the gym, you’ll have no excuse.

Protect Yourself

Darker hours mean it’s harder to see and be seen on the roads. Invest in some good reflective gear such as a reflective vest, stickers, pant or shirts so drivers can see you clearly in the dark.

If you are a runner or walker, the dark hours can hide obstacles on your route. A crack in the sidewalk, uneven pavement or tree root can be a real danger to your ankles and bones! Try wearing a headlamp to illuminate your path, or carry a flashlight to help light the way.

Stay Hydrated

If you are working out in the morning, consider what you are eating and drinking the night before as fuel for your workout. Not enough water before bed can lead to cramps while you work out. Also, make sure you are getting the proper nutrition at your meals to fuel up.

If you work out at night, make sure you have healthy snacks throughout the day that provide protein and complex carbohydrates to take you through your work out and last until you get a chance to eat again. Avoid high sugar sports drinks, which can lead to dumping syndrome and weight gain in post bariatric surgery patients.

Plan to Get Your Groove On

Whether you wake up and “go go” or work out after your office hours, keep your playlist fun and bumping with jams to get you moving.

• 25 Workout Songs to Get You Moving
• More Workout Songs to Get You Moving

Penn Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you ready to commit to a healthier life?

Learn if bariatric surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn during this free session and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program

Register for this free event here.

October Weight-Loss Support Group at Penn Medicine

Get support throughout your weight-loss journey and join members of the Penn Medicine Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program at this month's support group meeting.

The group meets on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at the Penn Tower Lobby on the ground floor.

Join us, connect with others who've had weight-loss surgery, or are considering weight-loss surgery at Penn, and get some great tips!

Get more info here.

Lose Weight at Penn Medicine

Penn can help you lose weight.

Learn about medical weight loss in Philadelphia, and the Penn Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at a free information session about weight-loss surgery in Philadelphia.

There, you will hear about your weight-loss surgery options, and how Penn can help you lose weight and get healthy for good.

Register for a free information session today.

20 Alternatives to Halloween Candy

It’s estimated that the average American consumes up to 24 pounds of candy per year. And, if you’ve gone to a grocery store in the past few days or so, chances are you’ve witnessed the gobs of Halloween candy gracing the aisles.

But when it comes to celebrating the holiday and giving out treats to trick-or-treaters, who says you have to give out candy?

Here are 20 alternatives to Halloween candy you can give out to neighborhood kids. Added bonus? You won’t have any of the Halloween candy around your house to tempt you!

You can get a lot of these items at a bog box bulk store, or at an online trading company/bulk item store.

1. Glow sticks
2. Pencils
3. Crayons
4. Toothbrushes
5. Small bags of pretzels
6. Squeezable applesauce packs
7. Stickers
8. Rubber ducks
9. Dried fruit (no sugar added)
10. Money
11. Hawaiian leis
12. Temporary tattoos
13. Fun kid bracelets
14. Spider rings
15. Super balls
16. Stamps
17. Toy cars
18. Finger puppets
19. Bubbles
20. Mini puzzles

Penn Can Help You Lose Weight

Are you ready to commit to a healthier life?

Learn if bariatric surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn during this free session and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program

Register for this free event here.

93 Pounds Down And Counting After Weight-Loss Surgery at Penn

Fred Jiminez knows a thing or two about how to build the perfect body. As a competitive power weight lifter for three decades, Fred knew what to put into his body in order to achieve maximum strength and performance.

“I was extremely competitive,” he remembers. “I ate very healthy with a lot of protein, and was dedicated to working out. I weighed 275 pounds, but I was all muscle.”

But 15 years ago, things changed. Fred stopped eating well and working out. He fell into a sort of depression and a pattern of poor eating habits and not enough exercise.

“I was getting heavier and heavier,” remembers the Belmawr, NJ resident. “It was hard to keep up with the girls I was coaching through my softball pitching clinic, and I began having health problems creep up like high blood pressure and sleep apnea.”

Fred tried every diet – Weight Watchers, The Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins – he even mixed and matched diets to try to make them work for him, but nothing worked long term.

Then, Fred fell. He couldn’t get back up.

“I laid on the ground, not able to get my 472-pound body up off the floor, and I thought long and hard about where my weight had led me, and how I needed to reverse this cycle I was in.”

Fred knew he needed to make a change, but it wasn’t until he met Bruce Sachais, a Penn physician who had weight-loss surgery, that he decided to learn if weight-loss surgery was right for him.

“I met Bruce through the softball clinic, and I hadn’t seen him in a while. When I did see him, he’d lost so much weight I hardly recognized him. It was Bruce that really helped me take the first step,” says Fred.

Taking the First Step

Fred went to a free information session at Penn Medicine in February, and after speaking with his surgeon, Noel Williams, MD, director of the Penn Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery Program, Fred was scheduled for a vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

“I felt like this was the right thing for me, but at the same time,” says Fred. “I know this is a tool and not a quick-fix strategy. For me, I needed to give myself a no-option way of life. I knew this surgery would change the way I would live forever.”

Fred began his weight-loss surgery journey by meeting with a team of physicians including cardiologists, pulmonologists and, of course, members of the bariatric surgery team at Penn including his surgeon, nurses, dietitians and psychologists.

“Everyone was amazing and made me feel like part of the team,” says Fred. “There were no surprises, and I everyone was always on the same page. It was a great feeling knowing I was in their care.”

Fred had surgery on July 18, and soon thereafter, began to see the weight come off – and his health come back.

“In the first month, I lost almost 70 pounds,” says Fred. “I completely changed the way I eat and look at food.”

Fred also was able to stop taking his blood pressure medication, and started exercising again.

“I’ve followed my team’s instructions to tee, and the weight just was melting off,” says Fred. “Weight-loss surgery has changed my perspective on everything I eat. I used to have six eggs for breakfast every morning, and now I am totally satisfied with some yogurt, or one egg. I never want to go back to the way I used to be.”

To date, Fred has lost 93pounds, and continues to lose. He is no longer on medications, and no longer needs his CPAP machine to sleep.

“I have five grandchildren and I want to see them have children,” says Fred. “I feel like I’ve already added 20 years to my life.”

Lose Weight at Penn Medicine

Penn can help you lose weight.

Learn about medical weight loss in Philadelphia, and the Penn Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at a free information session about weight-loss surgery in Philadelphia.

There, you will hear about your weight-loss surgery options, and how Penn can help you lose weight and get healthy for good.

Register for a free information session today.