Texas Lap Band Surgeons Talk With You

I jokingly call my new cell phone the “crack-phone” because I never seem to be able to put it down for more than five minutes.  I’ve got tons of silly stuff installed, like Sudoku and a picture of a whip that makes a “snap” when you flick the phone (the beatings will continue until morale improves…).  But two of my programs are invaluable: a calorie tracker and a protein tracker.

For years I’ve kept track of my daily calories on whatever spare piece of paper was in my pocket – my list of patients, the back of my grocery list, a receipt from bookstore.  But whether electronic or paper, writing down what you eat helps keep you honest and lets you learn from your own habits and mistakes.  If breakfast is your favorite meal, that’s great, but by writing it down you’ll know how to budget the rest of your day.  If you keep a daily target on your paper (either a rough estimate or the calorie target from the Korr metabolic test in the office) you can parcel out those calories more evenly over the day.  If you know that you’re a late afternoon or late evening snacker, put that in your “schedule” so you’ve got the calories left at the end of the day to cover it.  It might help you mentally from over-indulging at lunch if you can look forward to that snack later and still end up within your calorie range.

The other important thing to watch is protein.  I’m always trying to add muscle ‘cause Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2 has always been my ideal figure.  But my heart yearns for carbohydrates like a football fan for a national championship.  So before I launch into a bagel, I make sure that I still have the calories left in my daily “budget” for a protein shake to help me reach my daily protein goal. By following both numbers together, you almost can’t help but follow a fairly healthy diet plan.