One of the latest potential weight loss techniques currently being evaluated in clinical trials is the TOGA System by Satiety, Inc.Recent news articles have raised awareness about the device and early results show at least some initial benefit following the procedure. The transoral gastroplasty is done by inserting a stapling device through the mouth into the stomach and creating a smaller pouch to hold food.The advantage of this technique is the avoidance of the tiny laproscopic abdominal incisions needed to perform gastric banding, bypass, and sleeve gastrectomies.However, like the other procedures, general anesthesia is still currently required with the TOGA procedure.
Whereas the durability of the weight loss from bypass, gastric band, and sleeve gastrectomy is well documented, whether this will hold true for the TOGA procedure is still very much undetermined.The TOGA procedure is most similar to the gastric stapling procedure, which was abandoned 20 years ago because the majority of patients regained their weight as the staple lines eventually reopened.This does not occur with a properly performed sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass as the stomach is completed divided, not just stapled.
It is still too soon to tell if the TOGA procedure will have long term benefits.As we have always done, Dr. Atkinson and I will continue to monitor the newest weight loss techniques to decide if they can be of benefit to our patients in Las Vegas.
Several patients were in the office today who have done very well with their weight loss using the gastric band.Losing the last 15-20lbs is usually more about food choices, exercise and avoiding high calorie snacks than it is about finding a perfect band “adjustment.”Most patients learn this by having their bands adjusted too tight and needing a little bit taken out.When I see patients undergo a series of tiny fluid adjustments and complaining of stagnant weight loss, usually they are depending too much on the band and need to depend more on their food choices.Our support groups and Mindful Eating classes, taught by our nutritionist Prudence Ticknor, are a great way to refocus for those last few pounds.To sign up for the Mindful Eating series or to find out more about our support groups, give us a call at 702-313-8446.
After several months and many, many short run/walks, group run/walks and strength training sessions, Team GBI crossed the Half Marathon finish line December 6, 2009. Excitement, accomplishment and even a little relief were felt as each GBI patient finished the 13.1 mile Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon course. Below are some photos from race day.
On Friday, December 11, 2009, Dr. Atkinson, Dr. Soong, Marathon Coach Prudence Ticknor and Team GBI gathered to celebrate and share stories about their marathon training and race experience. Food, support and friendship were shared at this congratulatory event! Below are some photos and a video from the dinner.
Congratulations team and good luck in your future trainings and races!
Congratulations on completing your half-marathon training for this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on the Las Vegas Strip! We are very proud of you, your weight loss success and your dedication to healthy lifestyle changes. That’s what Gastric Band Institute’s philosophy is all about.
Remember to have fun on race day and keep your friends and family close by for extra support. Also, be sure to share your training and marathon success stories with others.Your journey is an inspiration to us all.
It’s finally almost here: the big race day! Many of our minds have already started racing with doubts of not being able to finish or walk/run the race fast enough and we are a bundle of nerves. On race day, instead of focusing on running/walking the total 13.1 miles, focus on doing a mile at a time. Your goal is to get to the next drink station, then the next and the next. We all can do one mile. Before you know it, you will be at the finish line. Remind yourself that words and thoughts create feelings and feelings do not always tell the truth. Here are a few techniques you can do to keep yourself strong now and throughout the race.
The night before or the morning of the race take a few minutes to visualize yourself walking/running 13.1 miles. See yourself crossing the finish line with all of your friends and family and the crowds cheering you on. Visualize yourself waking up full of energy, feeling vibrant and energetic throughout the marathon. Visualize yourself finishing without any injuries and a smooth easy journey. Remember whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.
Take some time to come up with positive mantras to counteract the negative internal dialogue creating the fear, nerves and doubt. Saying these mantras the night before will allow you to get a bit more sleep and will assist you during the race to the finish line. Remind yourself you have done the training, you are physically ready, fear is just a false expectation appearing real and that pain is temporary while this accomplishment is for a lifetime. Find a few mantras that will work for you and when you notice you are focusing on anything negative, switch focus to the mantras you have picked for yourself.
You should all be proud of yourselves for getting to this point. You all have the mental toughness, focus and determination it takes to finish. See you at the finish line!
Congratulations to everyone for making it to this point. I know many of you did not make it to the last few group long runs but I am happy to hear you were training on your own. Way to stay focused and determined!
My blogs this week will focus on getting us ready for race day. Today, let’s make sure we all prepare our feet properly to have an enjoyable 13.1 mile walk/run. Below are tips to get your feet ready for race day and to prevent black toenails and blisters.
1. Your running shoes should be half a size larger than what size you would normally wear. Hopefully you already have been wearing a good pair of supportive running sneakers.
2.Trim your toenails as smooth as possible along the natural shape of your toes. Make sure the nail is not hanging over on any toe. I know some of us are worried about our toes being cute – but trust me, a trim will look much cuter than a black toe nail!
3.Keep your feet dry by wearing the correct socks. If you have not already done so, purchase wicking material (Teflon, cool-max) socks. NO COTTON SOCKS.
4.Do not treat yourself to a pedicure prior to the marathon. Any calluses that you may have are a protection from future blisters.(Save your pedi for an after race bonus!)
5.Make sure you lace your shoes tightly to prevent sliding around in your shoes.
6.Use body glide, blister powder or athletic tape over areas of your feet that are prone to blisters. Be mindful not to use too much body glide or if you plan to use tape, it needs to be smooth and wrinkle free.
7.Stay off your feet as much as possible the day before the race.Other than going to the expo, let Saturday be a rest day.
As the temperature drops and the seasons change, we can sometimes be deceived into drinking less water during our training, which may lead to dehydration. Be careful that the cold weather is not masking the amount of fluid you are losing during your training.
Being dehydrated can affect your performance during training as well as on race day. Did you know that even a 1% dehydration level is a 2-lb loss for a 200lb person? Dehydration can also affect the rate at which your body metabolizes calories. With a 1% dehydration rate your body can decrease its ability of burning calories up to 5% of its efficiency. Although you may not feel the sweat while you are training your body is still losing fluids. Therefore, we need to remember to continue to stay hydrated.Below are a few hydration tips to prevent performance decline during your training:
1.Do not wait until you are thirsty to start drinking water. If you feel thirsty you are already at a 3% dehydration rate and possibly up to a 15% decline in performance activity.
2.Two hours prior to your runs/walks, hydrate yourself with an additional 16oz. of water.
3.During the cold weather training, warm your core by drinking herbal tea or hot chocolate made with no added sugar cocoa and warm milk. This works great to replenish electrolytes.
4.Know how much you sweat during your trainings and replenish accordingly. Track both pre and post work out weight naked. For every pound lost due to exercise you need 16oz. of additional fluid.
5.For trainings that will be more than 90 minutes, remember to replenish with an additional electrolyte drink, gel, beans, etc.The most important electrolytes to be concerned with are sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Remember our goal is not to weigh less after our training. If you do, it only means you have dehydrated yourself which means you will more than likely perform at a slower rate and slow down the rate at which your body burns calories. Before cold weather trainings think about having a nice hot cup of herbal tea or no added sugar hot chocolate made with low fat milk.
“Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.”
-Oprah Winfrey
For months Team GBI has put forth amazing training efforts that include stretching, cross training, cardio training and distance training.Go Team GBI! However, today I’d like to remind everyone that what you put into your training also includes what you do on your rest days. Rest days are important in order to allow our muscles to relax and rejuvenate as injury is the #1 mistake of beginning marathon runners. Remember that our muscles are resting on these days but our nutritional habits should remain consistent.
The brain is a powerful thing which can help or sometimes hinder us. For some of us when we hear the word “rest” we think “take a break” and sometimes this includes a break from being focused on what you are eating. Keep in mind that rest days are not meant to be rest days with food. You may even need to focus more on nutrition during rest days because while your body is not exercising, beta endorphins are not being produced. The production of beta endorphins causes the “feel good” rush you have after exercise. Another reason you may need additional nutritional focus on rest days is that you may have more down time during rest days. This can create an environment for possible snacking. Remember that mental stamina is an essential part of training.
What to do during rest days:
1.Stay mentally focused by reading motivational books, taking the time to do a meditation, journal your training progress or stretch.
2.If you have injuries or sore muscles do light swimming, biking or stretching. Keeping the body in motion may alleviate the soreness. Remember to be mindful not to overdo it.
3.Continue to stay focused on hydrating yourself and eating foods that will support your goals like complex carbohydrates and healthy proteins. Remember, what you eat on rest days will affect how you run the next day. A perfect example may be our last long run on Sunday. It was our smallest turn out since we started training. Halloween was the day before. I trained that day but I have to say that was the hardest training day for me since we started the training. I ate more candy on Saturday than I usually do which I know affected my run on Sunday.
It’s all about awareness and making choices that will support your intentions as well as creating an environment for enjoying the process of training. Let’s keep up our good work and give it all we’ve got!
Deciding to walk/run in this year’s Las Vegas half marathon is a great feat to accomplish.So, don’t be shy and be sure to ask your friends and family for support on race day.You will want the encouragement of the crowd cheering you on.What will be better than seeing a friendly face in that crowd?!It will be a lot of fun for the spectators (and us) because this year the Las Vegas Marathon is being put on by Rock n’ Roll Marathons who will be organizingmusic stations on/near the marathon path.
Here are some tips to help guide your friends and family so they can make sure that they see you during the race.
Start/Finish Line:
This year’s race will be starting at Mandalay Bay.The start line is actually located on Las Vegas Boulevard in front of the hotel casino.The race will also finish at Mandalay Bay in the parking lot at the south end of the property.So, for early or late risers this is a good spot to show their support!
Las Vegas Strip – Between Reno and Sahara:
This year’s course is set up so that spectators will be able to catch half marathon runners anywhere along the strip, not once, but twice!Your friends and family can pick their favorite spot on the strip and they will have the opportunity to see you heading northbound and then southbound when headed toward the finish line.
Las Vegas Strip – Southbound at Spring Mountain Road:
At this point in the race, the half marathon participants will have less than three miles remaining to the finish line!Less than half a mile north of this location there will be a band stage on the Desert Inn overpass.This is a great spot for spectators to catch some music while also showing their support on race day!
Also, be sure to tell your friends and family that Las Vegas Boulevard is CLOSED for the race.If they are coming from west to east or east to west they will need to find a parking spot on that particular side of the Strip.Parking will most likely be jammed so be sure your friends and family have a game plan in place before leaving the house!
The race is only one month away.Keep up the good work and be sure to share this blog with your friends and family!
Recently, United Healthcare has become the first major insurer to recognize the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy as a proven, not experimental, bariatric surgical procedure. I suspect that other insurers will soon likely follow suit. This will open up further choices and options for our patients. We have been performing the Sleeve Gastrectomy with great success over the last few years and as more insurance companies start covering it, I’m sure the procedure will rise in popularity.
