Due to our normal meeting room being occupied this month, we will be meeting in the Fireplace Room on February 4th at 10:30am. We will be back to the Ironwood Room starting next month. The Fireplace Room is located next to the Beverly Avenue entrance.
View a TMC Campus Map. The Fireplace Room can be found at the bottom center of the map.
So now that you’ve had the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, are you are wondering how to best maintain your calcium levels? Well, not all calcium supplements will work the same!
Calcium is mostly absorbed in the first part of our small intestine, called the duodenum. As food is diverted from this area following Gastric Bypass, daily calcium supplementation is needed.
An article published in Obesity Surgery examined the difference between two different calcium supplements following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. In completely random fashion, patients were supplemented with either calcium citrate or calcium carbonate. The patients, and even the surgeons, did not know which supplement each was taking, so the experiment is considered a randomized, double-blinded study.
Only eighteen patients completed the study, however, it was well designed. Careful statistical analysis revealed calcium citrate had significantly better blood evidence than calcium carbonate.
Just remember, if you need additional supplementation beyond two daily multivitamins, stick with Calcium citrate. It is typically sold over the counter as Citracal®, or Citracal® Liquitab.
Be realistic. Set appropriate short-term goals for weight loss during the holidays, and be sure to at least maintain your current weight.Simply put, carbohydrates are compounds made of different concentrations of carbon and water. Carbohydrates are sometimes referred to as saccharides. Classified by increasing size, they exist as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. ‘Simple’ carbohydrates usually refer to monosaccharides and disaccharides while ‘complex’ carbohydrates typically represent oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.
We consider the small, simple carbohydrates as sugars. We use them as fuel for energy, and to build many of the important compounds that our bodies need. Glucose is the most important monosaccharide that we use for metabolism. A common disaccharide is sucrose (made of two monosaccharides, glucose and fructose). When we ingest more glucose than our body needs, we combine the monosaccharides into polysaccharides for more efficient storage (glycogen in animals, starch in plants; glycogen is sometimes referred to as ‘animal starch’). We store most of our glycogen in liver and muscle for later use during times of need. Read the rest of this entry »
We are excited to announce Anytime Fitness as our special guest for the December 3rd Support Group. They have different locations amenable to access for all members, offer 24-hour gym services, and are very much geared toward health and wellness. They offer a comfortable environment, personal trainers, and a wide variety of classes (yoga, pilates, and specialized workouts). Anytime Fitness has generously offered a special discount to my patients, so I hope that you can visit with them at our next meeting!
If you are cooking for Thanksgiving, here are just a few ways to avoid unnecessary, excess calories. Most importantly, don’t wait until dinner to eat! Scatter some healthy protein through the day because going to the Thanksgiving table too hungry could be your first mistake! You may want to try cooking the stuffing separate form the bird. You could also consider using fat free mushroom soup in your green bean casserole. Sweet potatoes and yams have less refined carbohydrates than regular mashed potatoes (however, be careful of how canned yams are preserved – many will have unwanted calories from excess carbohydrates used in the preservation process). Always reach for the skinless turkey – yes, the skin does contain some nutrients, but none that are essential and far more fat and cholesterol. As eggs will certainly be needed in some of your recipes, consider using two egg whites instead of one egg white with yolk. Also, consider substitutions for sugar and whipped cream – ie. Splenda, non-dairy Cool Whip Free.
Remember, keep the portions small! Load your plate with vegetables first, and keep in mind that there are often greater than 300 calories in just one piece of pumpkin pie! I know, it’s not fair.
Starting December 3rd, Support Groups will be held at Tucson Medical Center, 5301 E Grant Road. Our dates and times will not change – the group will still meet on the 1st Saturday of each month, from 10:30 am until noon. We will also still be hosting the free Zumba class at each meeting, so dress comfortably. We will hold our first Support Group in the Ironwood Conference Room. If we change to a different room at TMC, I will keep you informed by website postings and facebook notifications, so please be sure to check. I look forward to seeing you!
PS - The Ironwood Room is located near the Marshall Conference Room, which is located on the east side off of Craycroft. Here’s a helpful TMC Campus Map.
Proteins are simply chains of amino acids that are linked together in different ways. Amino acids are divided into two general groups: those essential in our diet (must be obtained from food), and those that are non-essential in our diet (can be made in our bodies by different amino acids). The essential amino acids include leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, penylalanine, and histidine. The non-essential amino acids include arginine, alaninie, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, prolene, serine, and tyrosine. Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids in balanced proportion. Most animal and certain vegetable proteins are complete.
Protein function is typically dependent upon its shape. The ‘tertiary structure’ refers to how amino acid sequences are folded upon each other to give each protein its unique shape, and therefore function.
Proteins serve as the major structural component of all the cells in our bodies, and are second only to water in abundance. We need proteins for proper growth and maintenance, and for many routine body functions including the production of hemoglobin (our blood cells that carry oxygen), formation of antibodies to fight foreign threats, and supply the nitrogen needed to make DNA and RNA. Read the rest of this entry »
So, what is a calorie anyway? A calorie is a unit of energy.
1 calorie equals the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. Dietary energy refers to the amount of energy released when we metabolize what we eat, and it is expressed in calories per gram (or kcal/g).
Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 kcal/g
Ethanol provides 7 kcal/g
Fat provides 9 kcal/g
Greetings! Halloween is just around the corner. Whether you are dressing up some little ones for trick-or-treating or just answering the doorbell, here are a few hints and facts to reduce your holiday calories.
The easiest way to avoid unnecessary calories is to leave the bags of candy at the store! If you insist upon handing out edible treats, buy them on the day of Halloween and give them ALL away (whatever sits around or is left over will be eaten eventually, you and I both know it).
If you have unrelenting cravings, it is often better to allow yourself an occasional small treat than to avoid them all. Use the opportunity to count calories, and set aside 50 to 100 for something small at the end of the day. Stay strong!
Here are some calorie and fat contents of common candies to contrast: Read the rest of this entry »