Alex Brecher

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I already get plenty out of my own weight loss surgery. I have my health, my energy, my self-esteem, and my freedom from food. But there is another effect of the surgery that is just as thrilling to me: the ability to inspire others. It is always thrilling when someone comes up to me and lets me know that I have inspired them in some way, whether it is to get weight loss surgery or to help others by sharing about their own weight loss surgery journeys. In a less obvious but just as rewarding way, I like to think that I have inspired my kids to live a little healthier. It may not be conscious health decisions on their parts, but I take pride when they ask for fruit instead of dessert after dinner, or when they spend their free time playing outside. So, how have you inspired others? Did you do it consciously, or were you surprised to learn that you had been an inspiration? Did someone come up to you and tell you that you inspired them? Or have you just gotten to watch others following in your footsteps?

We recently started selling PatchMD vitamin patches in the new BariatricPal Store. I'd LOVE to get some feedback from our members who are already using this product. Have they worked for you? Do you find them to be effective and no longer need to take pills?

Whether or not we like to admit it, I think we all have guilty pleasures. They make life worth living! Maybe it’s binge-watching a series on Netflix, or sneaking that forbidden (if you’re a WLS patient) bottle of beer and a buffalo wing on Sunday afternoons while watching the football game with friends, or leaving dirty dishes in the sink all weekend until you get to them Sunday night. Maybe you even like displaying a little bit of passive-aggressive road rage by driving slowly when you can tell that the driver behind you is getting impatient. So what is your biggest guilty pleasure? If it has to do with food, how do you balance it with your weight loss surgery diet and healthy intentions? Some of the best ways to get in that guilty pleasure are to have just a little while throwing away the rest (like eating the burger but not the bun, or the beef and Beans but not the tortilla), or having just a bite. You can also plan for it – for example, if you’re several months or more post-op and you know your stomach can handle it, you can cut back on calories for a couple of days to “save up” the hundreds of extras you’d need to balance out a milkshake.

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There will still be some hot days this year, but the weather is changing. The cooler days and chilly evenings can trigger cravings for comforting, hearty food, but it does not need to come at the expense of your weight loss surgery diet. Soups, stew, and chili can be healthy and filling comfort foods. You can make big batches ahead of time and store the extras. I also like them because they are super flexible; you can change the recipe to make them with almost any ingredients you have on hand. I like them all, but I think stews are my favorite. They are less watery than Soup, and more comforting to me than chili. I like just a simple stew with leftover cooked chicken, canned tomatoes, and diced veggies, all cooked in broth. You can make it thicker by adding Greek yogurt when you serve it. What kind of soup, stew, or chili do you like to make that fits into your weight loss surgery diet but also hits the spot in terms of satisfaction and taste?

They make me insane too! We really need to update it one of these days, thanks.

@@cdeisroth, Congratulations! You look great, and you deserve it with all of that hard work.

@@luzR, Congratulations on starting your liquid diet! It is so exciting to be taking this serious step towards weight loss surgery! I know, it is very difficult. You have gotten some good advice about what to eat and how to fight the headache. Also, remember a couple of things. First, you will probably feel better within a couple of days as your body gets used to this drastic change. Second, this is exciting! Scary and hard and painful, but so exciting! You are working towards something that will change your life, and that you’ve been wanting for a long time. Try to keep that in mind as the going gets tough. And it may help to focus just on this hour or today, and not think about the next few weeks. Good luck!

@@Jim Paulette, Even if we haven’t dealt specifically with that (“you’re not fat enough”), we have all dealt with people who know better than us about our health situations and personal lives. At least, they clearly believe that they do, and are not afraid to tell us, even if they clearly have no clue about the first thing about weight loss surgery. Welcome to the world of being a weight loss surgery patient. Your entire journey will include comments and input and advice and suggestions and criticism from people who have no business telling you these things. “Are you eating THAT?!” “You’re taking the easy way out by getting surgery.” “I guess surgery didn’t work because you haven’t lost much weight.” “You are looking too thin.” Etc. You will have to prepare yourself for all kinds of input, and you can choose how to respond. It could be ignoring them, smiling and nodding, trying to explain the truth, or coming up with a clever comeback. They’re all fair game! As for your BMI – I’m guessing that should be an issue between you and your surgeon.

@@LisaMergs, You did awesome! Great job on a last-minute fast food choice! It definitely wasn’t the healthiest possible food in the world, but it was an excellent choice given the circumstances. You got some Protein and kept the calories and carbs in check. Nobody is perfect, and lessons like this are great. They show that you can still come out on top even if you make mistakes, such as in this case not planning ahead and having your own food with you, and not checking the nutrition facts before ordering. Good work! I agree with @@Inner Surfer Girl that most fast food restaurants have reasonable options as long as you stop and think. Grilled chicken, eggs, side salads, and small burgers are usually possibilities – just skip the bread. Also, sides of fresh fruit including apple slices or yogurt are often available. In general, I think it’s good to have some idea of what to order at some of the major fast food restaurants just in case you end up there. I always try to know what my choices are at McDonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks since I figure there is almost sure to be one of those restaurants no matter where I am. I don’t tend to beat myself up over nutrition. I generally prefer healthy foods, and I know that even if I have some junk occasionally, I know that my diet is overall pretty healthy. Anyway, good choice, and thanks for sharing your NSV!

@@Christy5913, Thanks for getting this started, and for posting your pics. You look phenomenal! These are all great – congratulations to everyone!

@@blu2020, I know this doesn’t help relieve discomfort, but at least know that it’s a pretty common problem for sleeve patients who are two weeks out like you are. I’m sorry; it’s a hard thing to deal with. I would definitely suggest asking your doctor or surgeon to recommend a laxative. They can tell you what the safest and most effective one is. The other thing you can do is to use some of the standard weapons against constipation. You can drink a ton of Water – you didn’t mention how much you are drinking, but a lot of sleeve patients aren’t even hitting the minimum recommend amount of 64 ounces a day, and for fighting constipation, you’d do better with way more than that. The other tool is exercise, if you are not already. Walking can even help. Finally, know that a good portion of your constipation is likely due to not eating. There is not any solid food in your system, so your system is not moving. Once you get to mushies and solid foods, you will probably feel much better. Good luck!

@@LisaMergs, Great topic! My answer: Nothing. I am lucky enough to be able to say I have everything I need. That includes happiness, family, health, a roof over my head, and all of you.

@@stefanie0804, You are right to ask this question! Weight loss surgery is scary and the gastric sleeve is irreversible, so you definitely want to be sure you are making the right choice before you commit to it. You have gotten some good advice on this thread, and it is also good to remember that it is an individual decision. It is up to you. I would ask yourself what worked and didn’t work for you in the past when losing weight. Why could you lose weight (if you could ever), and why did it come back on (if you were yo-yo dieting)? Then go through the reasons why you had trouble losing weight and keeping it off, and for each one, ask whether the sleeve is going to help you with that. For example, the sleeve will not force you to make healthy food choices (at least, not after the first bit once you recover fully from surgery and are able to tolerate a variety of foods), although it may help, since you might get in the habit of eating healthy as you follow the post-op recovery diet, and also since you might (but you might not) have trouble tolerating sugary and/or fatty foods. Or take hunger as another example. You will probably be less hungry, which would of course prevent binging out of hunger if that is what you have done in the past. However, some sleeve patients still have hunger, and if that is the case for you, how will you prevent a binge? I would suggest going through each reason and each scenario for how the sleeve might affect it and how you will handle it in each case. I know – it is such a tough decision! Good luck, and keep asking questions as you need to.

We didn’t all start out as gym rats. You may have been active before WLS, but you may have among those of us who feared going to the gym. A lot of us worry about showing up at a gym for the first time while being overweight and not in the best shape. Will people laugh? Will you figure out how to use the equipment? Will you make a fool out of yourself in group exercise class? Luckily, the worst rarely happens, and often the experience is quite positive. You might make a few friends, find the other gym members encouraging and inspirational, and discover that yes – you can do this! What was your experience exercising in public for the first time? Were you nervous at first? How did it turn out?

It feels good to lose weight. You can gain health, energy, and self-confidence. For many of us, it feels good when people notice our weight loss. It can be a confirmation that looking better isn’t just in our own heads, and also a validation of weight loss surgery and the hard work that goes along with WLS. Some people notice your weight loss sooner, while others notice it later. If you have friends or family members whom you only see rarely, such as at family reunions or over the holidays, they might see you after surgery for the first time after you’ve lost 50 or 100 lbs or more, and have trouble recognizing you! Do you have any great stories about someone noticing your weight loss? Maybe they didn’t recognize you, or got super excited for you, or said something that made you feel grateful and proud. Share your story here!

This is a question mainly for post-op patients who are up to eating solid foods again after surgery, but anyone can weigh in! I am wondering about eating versus drinking your calories and nutrients. When it comes to Protein, do you prefer to chow down on foods such as chicken, fish, yogurt, cheese, and Protein Bars? Or do you opt for protein shakes and powders? If you are still using shakes and powders, is it because using them is the only way you can hit your protein goals, or because they are more convenient, or simply because you like them more? With fruits and vegetables, do you throw them into smoothies and shakes and/or juice them? Or do you eat them whole? And why? A lot of people find that smoothies help them up their fruit and veggie intake, but some people prefer to eat them to get the satisfaction of chewing solid foods…and maybe avoiding the need to clean a blender when making a smoothie! So what is your preference? It’ll also be helpful if you post what type of weight loss surgery you had and how far out you are so other members can get an idea of what to expect or what others are doing. Thanks!

We sell many of our products on Amazon as well as eBay, yup!

We had many customers requesting that we carry these Garcinia patches. I'm personally not a fan of garcinia cambogia in general.

Are you still receiving them?

We sell a ton of Bariatric Advantage in the BariatricPal Store. Customers seem to really love the Bariatric Advantage products.

@@Christy5913, Thanks for your story, and congratulations on your weight loss so far! You look great, and I am so glad that more importantly you feel great.

@@turtle5569, Congratulations on your surgery! You’re barely eating, so it makes sense that you’re hungry. You’re eating Gelatin, broth, and popsicles – basically glorified forms of water! It’s great that you’re getting in your Protein, but that number of calories isn’t going to be enough to satisfy hunger for long. If possible, I would suggest doing what you can to just get through this tough period. If your surgeon or nutritionist has not okayed pureed foods, I wouldn’t recommend them, even if you think you can handle them. As for weight loss…you will lose more weight when your body is ready. Remember, you have lost 10 pounds in the past 15 days. That’s a lot! And your body is under a lot of stress right now. You essentially starved it for 10 days on the pre-op diet, then you went through surgery. That’s a really big deal! Hang in there and follow the diet, and you will lose the weight. Good luck!