Publisher’s note: In part 2, Nicky Bicksler shares her bariatric success story — massive weight loss, plus ending an abusive relationship and emotional eating. Read part 1. After facing years of abuse for my weight and being in an emotionally and financially abusive marriage, I reached a point in my life where I was severely […]
Publisher’s note: Binge eating disorder, massive weight gain, and stress from emotional trauma and abuse are common in people with obesity. Here, Nicky Bicksler shares her story of triumph over those forces. In Her Own Words I weighed 428.4 pounds at my heaviest. I was pre-diabetic, with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), […]
A review in JAMA finds that many people seeking surgery for morbid obesity also have psychiatric issues. In this article, we address which psychiatric issues can delay bariatric surgery. For example, depression and eating disorders are common in people seeking weight loss. How serious a concern are they to your bariatric surgery program? Hospitalization […]
When I thought about writing an article on the purpose of the bariatric surgery psychological evaluation, I realized that I won’t be able to give you many “hard facts” about these evaluations. Unfortunately, there are no strict guidelines in the field of bariatric surgery on how to conduct these assessments. This lack of guidelines leads […]
Head hunger is eating out of habit without giving thought to whether or not you are actually hungry. It can also be an attempt to self-sooth. The concept is unfamiliar to many people and many more do not distinguish between head hunger and physical hunger. Head hunger is more associated with those who have problems controlling […]
In part one of my question and answer session with Susan Harrow Rago, MS, RD, LDN, much of the discussion was on nutritional counseling for weight loss. In this second segment of our Q&A, Susan Rago shares her weight loss tips on eating healthy to lose weight in the real world where time, money, and […]
Permanent weight loss is not a guarantee of bariatric surgery. You must do the work to not slip back into ingrained behaviors, habits, and ways of relating to food, as well as physical inactivity. In this 3-part interview with Lori Rosenthal, a bariatric dietician, we examine some of the healthy behaviors necessary and pitfalls to […]
I attended the School of Metaphysics a few years ago. When a person hears the term metaphysics, she might imagine a Harry Potter setting with students flying around a dining hall on brooms. Realistically, metaphysics is the study of how thinking occurs, what it causes, and how to master consciousness. I use metaphysical concentration in my program […]
How do you personally define bariatric surgery success? If asked what are your long-term weight loss goals, you would probably give positive, upbeat responses. It would be a shock to hear that your intention is to gain back every pound you lost over the course of the next 5 years. But it happens. I recall […]
Emotional eating is an attempt to erase discomfort with food. Many people use food to relieve stress only to find that it is not much of a solution. The relief it provides is short-lived and before you know it the issue is back. We are at the point where we started but with the additional […]
Hemingway coined the term “grace under pressure.” Grace under pressure does not mean freedom from stress. It is the ability to deal with stress. Many struggle to cope when they feel anxious or stressed. They seek relief through habitual and unhealthy behaviors. Emotional eating is one such behavior. Causes of Emotional Eating Knowing what we […]
Although most people with binge eating disorder (BED) are overweight or obese, binge eating differs from overeating. There is a greater concern regarding shape and weight with BED and a greater psychiatric comorbidity than there is with overeating. As such, there are different treatment approaches to BED than to obesity alone. What is Binge Eating […]
As you are aware, we are at risk for mineral deficiencies developing after #bariatricsurgery. And the further out we are from surgery the greater the likelihood. Although there are a lot of mineral supplements on the market, I've done my research and Stone Blood Shilajit is a product that I've started using twice each day: 15 drops in my morning coffee and 15 drops in my protein shake at night.
Why did I switch to Shilajit? Because it is a highly absorbable form of 85+ nutrients created from the long process of breakdown of minerals and plant matter over a very long period of time. So it cannot be man-made in a lab. Plus it's high concentration of fulvic acid increases cell membrane permeability and allows for better absorption of the minerals. Shilajit also contains high levels of iron and likewise helps the body to absorb that, so it may help in preventing my #anemia from recurring.
So I highly recommend my fellow #bariatric patients talk to their #bariatrics nutritionists about Shilajit. Note that people with certain health conditions should not take Shilajit, and it is possible to be allergic to it, and we should always talk to our doctors before taking a new supplement. The said, here are a several clinical benefits to consider:
Healthline, a very reputable consumer health information website, states "Shilajit contains fulvic acid and more than 84 minerals! so it offers numerous health benefits. It can function as an #antioxidant to improve your body's immunity and memory, an anti-inflammatory, an energy booster, and a diuretic to remove excess fluid from your body."
Also the NIH and ScienceDirect have numerous studies on Shilajit. So you may want to do an internet search for these. But what I find most interesting are the findings on aging, exercise tolerance, and energy:
One study noted that fulvic acid, one of the key compounds in shilajit, acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound. As such, it may help reduce free radicals and cellular damage in the body, which are two key factors in aging. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296184/
Another study noted that people who were obese who took an oral supplement of purified shilajit responded better to exercise than those who did not. Researchers noted that the shilajit seemed to activate genes in the body that helped the skeletal muscles quickly adapt to the new workout. This could mean less fatigue and more strength over time, says Medical News Today -- an respected website for physicians. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874112003893
And another study found that shilajit helped reduce symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome in test subjects. Researchers noted that shilajit might help improve cell functions in the body, which means it may reduce fatigue at the source of the problem and increase energy levels naturally. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874112003893?via%3Dihub
Shilajit was traditionally sourced in India and Tibet, and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. But the product that I buy, Stone Blood Shilajit, is mined by hand from the Rocky Mountains according to the Himalayan practice. It's the very first North American Shilajit and I think that's really exciting. You can learn more on the product website. This is NOT an affiliate link. stonebloodshilajit.com #MyBariatricLife #WLS #gastricbypass #gastricsleeve
