Archive for the ‘Psychological’ Category
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
Super bowl, parties and snacking; words that just fit together?
What comes up for you when you think of the super bowl? What about parties in general? For many the answer is food. We are constantly seeing articles with healthy snacks for the super bowl but the bigger question is are you physically hungry? If so, how hungry are you? If you are not physically hungry (whether the food choices are healthy or not) calories will be stored as fat.
During this weekend’s game and at other events, become aware. Are parties, the super bowl, and other people eating triggers for you to eat when you are not physically hungry? If you want to stop the vicious cycle of emotional eating or the weight battle, the first step is to become aware of what you are associating with food. This is an essential key to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight long-term. The great thing is that you have options; if you want to be a part of the party crowd, then let the party food be your dinner.
When most people usually snack it has nothing to do with actual physical hunger, rather it is due to a head hunger. Think, have you ever been to a party, gone out to dinner or gone to a function and chosen not to eat? Many of us just want to be apart of the crowd, if we are not eating we feel like we are not included.
Be proactive whatever you decide. You can put yourself to the challenge to stand apart, be your own person by choosing not to eat. Go and enjoy the game, the camaraderie and friends. Get your “feel good” from this. Or, you can plan your day, have the party foods be your dinner and even bring some foods that will support your personal intention to be healthy and fit! Be the inspiration of the party.
The key is to wake up and get out of automatic mode! Here are a few things to remember:
- Plan ahead.
- Think about all the possibilities of the variety of foods that will be at the super bowl celebration. What foods will be there that are worth it to you? Decide ahead of time what foods you will eat. Imagine yourself going to the football party and doing exactly what you have planed to do. Remember, we always do what the mind sees.
- Make sure at least one of your food options is a protein or have a protein shake prior to going to the party. This will assist in stabilizing your blood sugar and decrease the chances of overeating or having a carbohydrate craving!
Remember, becoming mindful is key!
Yours in health,
Prudence
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Tags: bariatric patient, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Mindful Eating, Snacking, Super Bowl
Posted in Eating, Nutrition, Psychological |
Thursday, December 30th, 2010
“You know those goals you’ve set for yourself, those dreams you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to live out? It’s time.” – Maria Shriver
So the big day is almost here. New Year’s Day is on the horizon and the idea of new steps and changing behaviors is racing through the minds of many individuals. Let’s take advantage of this energy and recognize that this year can been different. This is YOUR year and NOW is your time to make your healthy lifestyle dreams become reality.
Take a moment to realize the accomplishments you have had this past year, including the lifestyle changes you’ve already made. Thank yourself for the steps you’ve taken – no matter how large or small the change may have been.
Next, know that life is about dreaming - our challenge is in stepping out of our dreams and taking action. This year, let’s work to move from the dreaming to the doing! Whether your dream is to be healthier through increasing your protein, drinking more water, increasing your fiber, stopping non-hunger eating or incorporating more passion, excitement and fun in your daily living; this system can apply.
Stepping out into the Doing:
1. Dream
2. Write out your intention that supports the dream
3. Write an affirmation to support intention
4. SMART Action
5. Visualize SMART Action
Thinking
Thoughts produce feelings which drive our behaviors. Come up with a specific intention and/or positive affirmation that will produce feelings to act.
Acting
SMART Action: smart, measurable, attainable, realistic, time specific. When you are writing your goal(s) make sure it incorporates being SMART.
Writing
Did you know that when you write a goal down, you have increased your chances on remembering what it was and actually following through up to 50%? Write your affirmation and SMART action daily 10 times.
Visualizing
We do what our mind sees. By visualizing your SMART action daily, you can increase your follow through up to 90%.
Take the time to put a dream into words as an intention and affirmation. Then when January 1st is here, take a few minutes daily to write and visualize!
Please let us know your thoughts as well as if you have any questions by commenting below!
Happy New Year,
Prudence
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Tags: bariatric patient, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Mind Over Eating, Mindful Eating, new years resolutions, Prudence Ticknor, SMART Action
Posted in Eating, Nutrition, Psychological |
Wednesday, December 29th, 2010
“You have the ability, the awareness and the wisdom to manage your thoughts and emotions, which determine your end behaviors.” – Mind Over Eating
Christmas has come and gone and we have one more week until the New Year! With all of the New Year’s resolutions and ideas of change that are discussed this time of year, consider committing to new beginnings for your health and wellbeing. This year, you can make a difference by focusing on your attitude – and incorporating the Mind Over Eating Attitude can be your first step!
Take a moment to think about all of the seasonal treats we all love that only come around this time of year. For example, consider the Starbucks peppermint mocha. A grande is a whopping 480 calories. A peppermint cheesecake treat is an astonishing 960 calories. Add a glass of eggnog, Christmas cookies, sweet potato pie, etc. Most likely you can name treat, after treat, after treat.
The first step in your new Mind Over Eating Attitude is awareness. Without judgment, take notice of what you are putting into your mouth. Did you realize the coffee you were having a few times a week may be 25 – 50% of your caloric intake or that the special cheesecake is almost your entire caloric intake for the day?
Next, take a moment to think about the words you have attached to these items and pay attention to what feelings are created by these words: “treats,” “special,” “only once a year.” These words that we attach to foods can actually drive our behaviors to overeat. Because we all work very hard and many of us take little time for ourselves, we want treats and special things in our lives.
“Christmas cookies only come once a year. I better eat three times as much because I won’t get it again until next year, right?”
Wrong. Imagine that you had your favorite holiday foods every day, three times a day for the rest of your life. How special are the foods now? The key is to find balance. To do this, create a dialogue to support a feeling of control. Change “I want a treat” to “I want a taste” and notice the difference in your feelings. Most likely, the feeling is not as strong to overindulge. Change “I only get this once a year” to “I can have this anytime I’m physically hungry” and again notice the difference that occurs when you change your dialogue or thoughts about food. With this technique, you can actually change the drive to overeat.
Much of the time our inner dialogue is untruthful because we do not really listen to what is being said and just act based off of the feelings that are being produced. For example, many foods that seem specific to the holidays are actually available throughout the year. Consider chocolate chip cookies. How often are variations of this cookie available? Because we add “Christmas” to the food, is it now a more special chocolate chip cookie? Similar phrasing applies to pies, candies, chocolates, etc. that are actually available and consumed during the year. Acknowledge that these foods may not be as special as your current thoughts might have you believing.
Changing your “treats” into “tastes” is all a mind challenge. Become aware of the few foods that you love that are specific to the holiday time and figure out how you can have them any time of year. Love peppermint? Purchase chocolate peppermint Teechino coffee and make your own latte or Sweet Leaf peppermint sweetener or extract. Make your own flavored cheesecake or flavor your own Greek Yogurt.
Have any ideas or tips that have worked for you and want to share? Let us know by commenting below!
Mindful Season’s Greetings,
Prudence
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Tags: bariatric patient, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, holiday eating habits, Mind Over Eating, Mindful Eating, new years resolutions, Prudence Ticknor, weight loss resolutions
Posted in Eating, Nutrition, Psychological |
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Each holiday season, many of us use food to add “joy” and “merry” to our celebrations. Think for a minute about Christmas treats such as cookies, pies and peppermint chocolates – yummy! During just those few seconds of focused thinking, how were your feelings affected? Did you smile or feel excited? As these reactions are common for many of us, let’s challenge ourselves this year to focus on creating our holiday “joy” and “merry” in different ways in order to stay on track and stay mindful with our food choices.
By creating your own “merry” and “joy” you create the energy you will emanate to others during this holiday season. To get started, make a list of what comes up for you when you think about your ideas of Christmas. How can you incorporate these ideas into your holiday routine to create smiles and excitement? Do you love the idea of Christmas trees, the smell of pine, the idea of snow, fire places and hot chocolate or pretty gift wrap? The key is finding out what ideas about Christmas bring a smile to your face and heart.
Love Christmas Music?
Take some time in the evenings to enjoy Christmas music or sing Christmas carols while you are driving to work. If you have children they will love singing along in the car. On a personal note, Christmas songs have recently helped me refocus my thinking to pleasant, joyful thoughts. I was driving my daughter to school the other day after spending the morning putting Christmas giftbags together for all of the kids in her class. I was running late and found myself full of anxiety due to a severe state of rush and the energy I was emanating to the world was “get out of my way” – forget about joy and merry. However, I became present to what I was feeling and decided I would get to work when I got there as worrying was not doing me any good. I asked my daughter if she wanted to sing some Christmas songs and with the biggest “YES” of excitement we began to sing Rudolph. This took my thinking of nervousness and anxiety to a pure state of merry and joy in an instant! It was such a peaceful ride to work instead of frantic state of stress.
Love the Smell of Pine Trees?
Find joy in creating your holiday environment! I believe the smell of blue spruce fresh pine can put a smile on anyone’s face. If you have a real tree, close your eyes and take in the fresh, crisp scent. If you have a fake tree, consider purchasing scented ornaments. If pine does not put you in the holiday spirit, discover which holiday scent you enjoy and purchase candles to fill your home. Take a few moments first thing when you wake up as well as when you get home in the evening to enjoy the scents of the season. Notice what positive thoughts you have associated with the smells and bask in the freshness of the smells you love.
Love the Lights and Colors of Christmas?
Each day take time with your family to turn on your Christmas lights. Start the fire place and pay attention to your surroundings. Meditate on the vibrancy of the green tree, the beautiful masterpiece you and your family have put together with the lights and bulbs. Pay attention and notice what you love about it. Meditate on the fire place and recognize the associations you may have with it. Is it providing warmth to your soul or creating the sense of being cozy with a special one? Meditate on the poinsettias that you bought or the flowers or plants you have out for Christmas. Pay attention to the colors and the creativity of putting it together.
For family fun or even by yourself, walk or drive around your neighborhood to enjoying all the festive lights. There are many areas of Las Vegas that have houses with the most beautiful lighting and Christmas décor. This is a great way to get out in the brisk cool air, get in some activity and enjoy the festivities of the Christmas spirit.
Love Get-Togethers?
Much of the holiday spirit is around food and eating. As you host get-togethers with family and friends, know that it is your time to be creative. Dare to be different with a scavenger hunt or pull out other games. There is nothing wrong with the delight of food any time of year but we do not want it to be our only or main form of joy or enjoyment. Make the gatherings about something other than food. What other ideas do you have for the main party focus?
Remember, the key is becoming aware of the merry and joyful ideas you have associated with Christmas and create them in your everyday life during the holiday season (or really any season). When you shift your thinking you will find that you are creating your own daily sweetness in life and looking for it less and less in food.
Wishing you a merry, joyful and mindful season!
Prudence
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Tags: Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, holiday eating, holiday tips, Mind Over Eating, Mindful Eating, Prudence Ticknor
Posted in Eating, Nutrition, Psychological |
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
It’s that time again! With one week before Christmas and New Years closely following, are you feeling holiday joy or holiday havoc? For those of your who might be experiencing a more stressful season, let’s consider how Mind Over Eating techniques may assist us in staying on track as we bring in the new year.
While many of us take on tremendous amounts of work with holiday activities, the season can sometimes become a time of anxiety or pressure. Additional stress can be added as there are shopping lists to create, presents to wrap, parties to attend, food to prepare, more money going out and so on. Take a moment now to close your eyes and think of your idea of Christmas; what comes up for you? Do memories from your childhood come up such as decorating the tree, singing or listening to Christmas carols, the excitement you felt from Santa bringing you toys, friends and family getting together, the cookies and yummy treats that are available? Do these memories and activities form part of your current holiday to-dos?
As you continue through this blog, take a moment to tap into what you are currently feeling. Is your blood pressuring rising as you consider ALL the things you NEED to do? Now, take a breath. Consider how mindful eating techniques can apply.
The first step to being mindful is becoming aware of the present moment. Does your idea of Christmas match up with the reality that you experience during the holiday season? How does that make you feel? Now remember, our thoughts create our feelings; if we spend the holidays in the past or the future and build to-do lists accordingly, we may actually miss the holidays altogether. Many of us spend our time in the past thinking about what we forgot to do yesterday or the future thinking about what I have to buy or do tomorrow instead of being in the present moment.
Instead of focusing on buying presents practice being present; this is the best gift you can give yourself and others!
The key is in our thinking! Go back to the phrase from earlier: “ALL the things you NEED to do.” Let’s look at this statement and how it affects our body chemistry. “All” creates a feeling of no escape and no options. “Need” creates a feeling of pressure. If you spend your holiday season with this recorded thought playing over and over again, you get an ongoing, no option, constant pressure feeling. No wonder we are turning to food! From the delicious gourmet cookies, chocolates, and pies that are provided to us during the holidays – they are a moment out of the stress and pressure many of us are feeling during the season.
Before buying gifts, baking cookies or moving through your list, tap into what you are thinking. Change “I need to do…” or “I have to do…” to “I want to do… because I love, appreciate or want to spend time with this person.” For example, change the thought “I have to make the cookies for the work Christmas party,” to “I want to make the cookies for the Christmas party because I want my co-workers to feel appreciated and loved.” Become aware of your present thinking and then reframe or change the thinking to create a positive feeling. This small simple change in thinking changed the feeling from pressured to positive!
What “wants” are you looking forward to over the next couple weeks? Share how you’ve shifted your “needs” to “wants” by commenting below! Be sure to check back this week as we will continue to share mindful tips to bring more holiday joy (and less havoc) to your holiday celebrations!
Season’s Greetings,
Prudence
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Tags: holiday activities, holiday tips, Mind Over Eating, Mindful Eating
Posted in Eating, Nutrition, Psychological |
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Congratulations on making it to the tenth week of training! Over the next few weeks we’ll start to taper our training as we get closer to race day. Many people training for a marathon for the first time do not realize the importance of tapering your training as race day approaches. By reducing your long run during the file two weeks prior to training is very important so that your body will feel recovered from previous workouts and be rested for the main event – the Las Vegas Rock n’ Roll half marathon!
Below please find some physical and psychological tools to prepare yourself for race day and help your tapering process.
Physical Preparation
Keep in mind these tips to physically prepare your body for race day during the tapering phase of training:
- Reduce distance and the intensity of your long runs during the last two weeks of training.
- A couple weeks prior to the race begin more frequent stretching.
- Clip long toenails in preparation for race day.
Psychological Preparation
Your mental state is just as important as your physical state of mind when training for a marathon. Consider implementing these tips during the tapering phase of training:
- Read books, magazine articles or other materials that will provide you with the motivation and inspiration your mind is requiring at the time.
- Try to eliminate stress before the race. Remember it’s normal to feel nervous before the race; however, you want to control the stress level before it gets overbearing.
- Remove yourself from spending time with participants who are extremely stressed out or are negative.
Remember to think about the goals you would like to accomplish! Deciding to train for the Las Vegas Rock n’ Roll ½ Marathon is a huge undertaking and you should feel very proud of yourself for the training you’ve already put forth.
Happy Training,
GBI Team
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Tags: Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Half Marathon Training, Las Vegas Half Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon, Marathon Training Tips, tapering your training
Posted in Half Marathon Training, Physical Activity, Psychological, Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon |
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Hi GBIers,
Now that your training is in full force you may be getting anxiety or feeling a bit guilty when the schedule requires you to take a rest day. That is a very common feeling during intense training workouts. However, when training at a high performance level, it’s essential to get enough rest after exercise. The body uses that time to repair and strengthen itself inbetween workouts.
Rest days are critical for a multitude of reasons, both physical and psychological. Your body needs a physical rest so that your muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen before the next big training. On a psychological level, your mind also needs the time to mentally prepare itself for your next training feat and/or goal.
In this blog, we’ll share what happens during that recover time, the types of recovery and how to stay balanced during the last month or so of training.
What happens during recovery?
During recovery your body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery allows your body to replenish energy and repair damaged tissue that may have occurred during your training. If you skip your recovery time, the body will continue to breakdown from too much exercise and you will begin to see signs of overtraining. These signs may consist of feelings of discomfort, depression, decreased performance resulting in an increase chance of injury; this is why the recovery period is so important.
What are the types of recovery?
There are two types of recovery that your body requires, the first is short-term recovery and the second is long-term recovery. Both are import for optimal training performance, for your mind and body. Short-term recovery normally occurs in the hours immediately after a long training. During this time your body should engage in low-intensity exercise during the cool-down phase immediately after a long training. Short-term recovery is linked to long-term performance benefits if done properly. Also, during this time, your body can begin to replenish and restore energy and fluids lost during training.
Long-term recovery refers to those training for a specific event and or meets such as the Las Vegas Half Marathon! We’ve built in our designated training days as part of our training program to help build the most effective training for the needs of our team members.
Remember to stay balanced!
As with any training program, it’s important to stay balanced both physically and mentally. As mentioned in the beginning of this blog, the higher level training you do requires a greater need for planned rest and recovery. Remember to monitor your workouts and pay attention to your body’s ques. Recovery is about the healing of the body so that you can be prepared to take your training to the next level.
Happy and Healthy training,
GBI Team
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Tags: benefit performance, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Half Marathon Training, Las Vegas Half Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon, Marathon Training Tips, stamina, training rest days
Posted in Gastric Band Institute Events, Half Marathon Training, Physical Activity, Psychological, Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon |
Monday, June 21st, 2010
Do you find that you are physically hungry between meals? While many patients have become aware of their mindless snacking patterns throughout the day, others may actually be experiencing physical hunger. If this applies to you, please take a few minutes to think about the recommendations below to assist in alleviating hunger between meals.
Are you getting enough protein?
I know many of you have been told to eat 60 grams of protein per day, 20 grams per meal. Sixty grams of protein is for minimal health, not optimal health goals. Research is now showing that for optimal weight loss and minimal muscle loss, the magic number is 90 grams of protein per day. Keep in mind that for every pound of muscle, your body burns calories 4 times as fast. Many of you may have lost an initial amount of weight but cannot seem to lose the rest. This could possibly be due to muscle loss.
How does a bariatric patient get 90 grams of protein?
Following the 4 ounce rule (3 ounces in protein + 1 ounce of additional food) you receive approximately 60 grams of protein per day. We are now recommending that you have 3 meals plus the addition of a protein shake each day. The shake will add the extra 30 grams of protein you need to your diet. Please note that the protein shake is not equivalent to a fourth meal.
After bariatric surgery it is difficult to get the recommended fiber intake of 21 – 35 grams per day.
Fiber has the great benefits of filling you up and assisting you with staying satisfied between meals. Bariatric patients can consume the recommended amount of fiber by adding Chia seeds to their meal plan. Chia seeds expand in your stomach pouch making you feel as if you are full. We recommend consuming one tablespoon 3 times per day to reach the minimum requirement of 21 grams of fiber. Remember, when eating Chia seeds you need to make sure you are drinking water. Chia seeds can be added to water, protein drinks or other foods. You can purchase Chia seeds in the GBI office or at Whole Foods.
Are you still experiencing hunger in-between meals?
After assessing your protein and fiber intake, band patients who still feel physically hungry may need to make an appointment for a fill.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or post a comment here!
Prudence
PrudenceT@bandandbypass.com
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Tags: bariatric patient, Bariatric Surgeons, between meals, chia seeds, Dr. Darren Soong, Dr. Donald Tice, Dr. James Atkinson, fiber intake, Gastric Band, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, lap band, lap band adjustment, lap band surgery, Las Vegas Weight Loss Doctors, physical hunger, protein intake, Prudence Ticknor, staying full, staying full between meals, Weight Loss Surgeons, Weight Loss Surgery
Posted in Eating, Gastric Band, Las Vegas Weight Loss Surgeons, Nutrition, Psychological, Weight Loss Products, Weight Loss Support, Weight Loss Surgery, lap band |
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Hello. You may have heard about the new medical weight loss center at the Gastric Band Institute. My name is Dr. Donald Tice and I am the Medical Director of the WhyDiet Weight Management and Wellness Center, an all-encompassing weight management institute to serve individuals of all medical backgrounds and body types in efforts to promote healthy weight loss options. You will learn more from me about the new center in a video introduction soon to come. I will be joining Dr. Soong and our nutritionist, Prudence Ticknor, in lending my professional expertise on obesity and weight management here on this blog. Take a look at my first post and feel free to share your thoughts, or ask questions, by leaving me a comment below.
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Tags: Dr. Donald Tice, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Medical Weight Loss, Medical Weight Loss Doctor, obesity, WhyDiet Weight Management and Wellness Center
Posted in Bariatric Surgeons, Psychological, Weight Loss Support, obesity |
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
The rising rate of obesity in the U.S. adult population creates a need for more attention to be given to sexuality and sexual function. There are many myths and misconceptions concerning women and higher body mass indexes. It appears there is a notion of a negative relationship between hip and waist size and sexual frequency and that women with larger body sizes have a more difficult time finding partners than leaner women do. Several studies have looked into these notions and found they are NOT true.
The conclusions of a study reviewed* are as follows:
1. Overweight and obese women do not report a decrease in the frequency of sexual encounters as compared with their leaner counterparts.
2. Overweight or obese women are not shunned more by their sexual partners.
3. If you are one of those women who feel that your weight is interfering with your sexual activity, according to the studies, it has less to do with your weight than you might think. The numbers in almost all sexually based categories studied between women with BMI’s less than 25, between 25 and 30 and higher than 30 are the same. There is little to no statistical difference in the age range under 45 years of age that was studied. In one category, “Lifetime history of sexual intercourse with a male,” the women with a BMI of 25-30 and higher had a significantly higher percentage than women under a 25 BMI.
*Kaneshiro B, et al. Obstst and Gynecol. 2008
The point I take from this is that a woman is, or can be sexual, according to her own attitude and self-confidence. If you are having difficulty with how sexually attractive you feel, consider whether it could have more to do with your own perception of yourself as reinforced by society, Hollywood and advertising, than it is with fact. Feel free to share your thoughts or questions here.
– Dr. Donald Tice
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Tags: bariatric patient, Bariatric Surgeons, Dr. Donald Tice, Gastric Band, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Gastric bypass, lap band, lap band surgery, obesity, obesity and sexuality, sex and weight, Weight Loss Surgeons, Weight Loss Surgery
Posted in Bariatric Surgeons, Psychological, Weight Loss Support |
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