Alex Brecher

byebyefat, I’m sorry. Your surgeon is completely out of line, to say the least. What a jerk! That would be absolutely unacceptable behavior even if you WERE losing at a disappointing rate…but you’re not! You lost 20 lbs in six weeks since your surgery November 29?? That’s something to be proud of, and we’re all here celebrating with you, even if your surgeon is too rushed or disappointed to do so. Regarding constipation and vitamins: yes, if your surgeon won’t help, your regular doctor should, and can probably do a better job. At least, in terms of monitoring levels of things like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Iron, your doctor should be best for that. The basics of constipation are getting enough fluids – are you? – and getting in some exercise, if you’re allowed (another thing to ask your primary care doctor). Also, Fiber can help with constipation. Now that you’re probably starting to eat a more varied diet again after getting the sleeve, you can focus on high-fiber foods (after protein), like vegetables and fruit and Beans and some whole grains and starchy vegetables like squash. Don’t let the surgeon get to you, although of course it’s easier said than done. He shouldn’t be allowed to see patients!

Team 10: Doctor accused killing many weight loss surgery patients shares his story http://www.10news.com/news/team-10/team-10-doctor-accused-of-injuring-and-killing-patients-shares-his-story "For the first time, the doctor accused of severely injuring several patients after their weight loss surgeries in Mexico spoke to Team 10 to share his version of events."

Nope, sorry

Happy Labor Day from BariatricPal!#subject#> body,div,dl,dt,dd,ul,ol,li,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,pre,form,fieldset,input,textarea,p,blockquote,th,td { margin:0; padding:0; } table { border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0; } fieldset,img { border:0; } address,caption,cite,code,dfn,th,var { font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; } caption,th { text-align:left; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { font-size:100%; font-weight:normal; } q:before,q:after { content:''; } abbr,acronym { border:0; } address{ display: inline; } html, body { background-color: #d8dde8; color: #5a5a5a; } body { font: normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; } h3, strong { font-weight: bold; } em { font-style: italic; } img, .input_check, .input_radio { vertical-align: middle; } legend { display: none; } table { width: 100%; } td { padding: 3px; } a { color: #225985; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #328586; } div.outer { margin: 0 auto; padding: 14px; } table.wrap { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; } td.logo { background-color: #0f3854; padding: 8px; } td.content { background-color: #fff; font-size: 14px !important; color: black !important; line-height: 150% !important; padding: 8px; } ul { margin-left: 25px; } Hey BariatricPal Members, Happy Labor Day! It’s the last official chance to throw a summer party, go to a parade, and if you’re lucky, see a few fireworks. It’s a good chance to make sure you give summer a healthy send-off and you greet autumn with healthy intentions…and that’s what we hope this newsletter does. Here’s what you’ll find. Packing Your Labor Day Picnic Basket Getting Back into the Groove Enjoying the New You – A Reminder Have a great time going through the newsletter, and also have a great and healthy holiday. Happy Labor Day from BariatricPal! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Packing Your Labor Day Picnic Basket Going on a picnic this Labor Day? It’s a nice idea if you’re going to watch a parade, take the family to the park, or watch fireworks later on. Here’s how you can get in a good meal without going off your WLS diet. Picnic Favs You Can Eat Picnics tend to have a lot of food you can’t eat, at least, not if you’re serious about losing weight. Fried chicken, tuna salad subs, and potato chips just aren’t on the diet. But there’s no reason you can’t make your own picnic favs! Have grilled chicken or baked “fried” chicken coated with high-fiber cereal instead of breadcrumbs, or make tuna lettuce wraps instead of tuna salad sandwiches. Instead of potato chips? Try baked kale chips. You can round out your basket with proteins and veggies like hard-boiled eggs, fat-free refried bean dip, salad, and cut raw carrots, cucumbers, and celery sticks. Prepared Salads…The Healthy Way It’s not a picnic unless it has pasta salad. Just skip the pasta! Take your favorite pasta salad recipe and make a few small changes. Use cooked zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Substitute fat-free Italian dressing for full-fat dressing, or use Dijon or spicy brown mustard as your main flavor. Add plenty of veggies, such as cherry tomatoes, green onions, and broccoli florets. Add some sliced olives for a little healthy fat and a lot of flavor. Add low-fat feta or diced lean pastrami for some flavorful protein. You can always healthify other traditional prepared salads, too. Use cooked cauliflower instead of potatoes in potato salad. Toss shredded cabbage with low-fat Asian dressing instead of mayo for coleslaw. Use Greek yogurt or fat-free mayo instead of full-fat mayo when making tuna or other salads. The “Extras” Can Fit into Your WLS Diet The “extras” at a picnic can be high-sugar, high-calorie, and devastating to your weight loss efforts. Drinks like soft drinks and sweet tea, and desserts like brownies and chocolate chip cookies, can set you back by days, not to mention make you feel sick. Be sure to pack plenty of cold water to drink. Also, bring some appetizing fresh fruit to eat instead of sugary, fatty desserts. Apples and oranges are about as easy as it gets, but you could also make a red, white, and blue fruit salad with strawberries, white peaches, and blueberries. Getting Back into the Groove Summer is a little more relaxed than the rest of the year. Even if you’re not a student or teacher who gets an extended summer break, the season is a little slower moving. It’s easy to lose focus. Your diet may get a little less strict, or you might have trouble getting out the door for a workout in the summer heat, or you may be a little less aggressive about being on the phone with the insurance company or finding the right surgeon for your WLS. After Labor Day, that all changes. Now that kids are back in school and people are back from vacation and going back to their regular schedules, it’s time to take a look at your own schedule. Did you hit your summer goals? Are you following your WLS diet to a “T?” If you haven’t had surgery yet, are you doing everything you can to get it scheduled and paid for? Think Back and Ahead Think back over the past couple of months. Were there some times when you knew you weren’t making the best choice for your health, like when you went out for ice cream and got your own scoop instead of bringing an apple to munch on? Did you skip a few workouts? Did you get out of the habit of measuring your food? Did you stop making phone calls to the insurance company because you just couldn’t face being on the phone anymore? Plan Your Schedule With everything starting up all at once, things can get pretty hectic. That gives you the opportunity to create a new schedule for yourself. You can be sure to include the things that are important to your new healthy lifestyle, such as time for cooking at least once a week, and going to the gym a few times a week. Sometimes it seems hard, but success is largely a question of building a habit. The sooner you get started, the sooner your healthy behaviors will be habit. You won’t have to think about making the “right” decisions, and it’ll be easier for the weight to come off! Enjoying the New You – A Reminder The WLS journey is hard, no question. You form new eating habits, give up some favorite foods, develop new relationships with food and sometimes with people. You may spend a lot more time thinking about your health and acting on those thoughts. With all that hard work, we thought we should take a second to remind you to enjoy the rewards! There are probably some victories you can’t help but notice and celebrate, like hitting milestones on the scale. But don’t bury yourself so deep in the daily choices that you forget to enjoy the journey. Notice how much better you feel when you’re sitting in the car, or how much easier it is to push the shopping cart around the grocery store. Notice how much easier it is to spend time with your kids, friends, and other people. You can even appreciate your changes in mentality, from “I can’t,” “I’m not worth it,” and “Maybe I shouldn’t be eating this pizza,” to “I can,” “I deserve it just as much as everyone else,” and “I’m so proud of myself for enjoying these carrot sticks!” Thanks for reading the newsletter and making BariatricPal part of your Labor Day weekend. Have a healthy, happy, and safe holiday, and thanks for your support!

Bellabloom, It sounds like a struggle for you. The others have had some great points and ideas. Focusing on some calorie-dense foods might help. What about nuts? cheese? Going back to the Protein shakes, as you may have used in the first stages post-op, could also help. Can you blend in, say, avocado and/or Peanut Butter to shakes to increase the calories? Could you cook foods with sneaky fats, like baking your protein with olive oil, or tossing Pasta with olive oil? Finding some slider foods seems like a great idea! Wheat Thins or other crackers, Cereal, macaroni and cheese (make it whole grain and real cheese, if you’re worried about junk food), or whatever may work for you. I understand you don’t want to eat junk food, but if you’ve honestly tried every healthy food on the planet and you can’t get enough calories, junk food may be your best (and only) bet to make up the calories you need to stop losing weight. Maybe in a while, you’ll be able to eat more “healthy” foods and reduce the calories from “unhealthy” foods I agree with some of the other members who suggest simply making it a priority – the same way after surgery when it’s really, really tough to get down those Protein Shakes to make 65 grams a day, and to get down that Water to make 64 ounces a day. Maybe eating will feel like a full-time job, but maybe it needs to be if the alternative is getting thinner than you want to be. Experimenting until you find your own “slider” foods seems like a possibly great idea! If you’re really and truly at a point where you cannot eat enough to subsist, that’s a serious problem! I hope you can find a nutritionist who addresses your particular problems and doesn’t just label you before listening to your story. @@jenn1, I don’t have a ton of personal experience with eating disorders of the non-overeating type, but I know it’s definitely a big deal in our WLS community! There’s a nice article here from the Obesity Action Coalition discussing obesity, eating disorders (binge eating disorder or BED, anorexia, and bulimia), and cross addictions. I’ve also heard them referred to as replacement addictions: after WLS, the addiction to food can be “replaced” by an addiction to something else. The article makes a very interesting point that after WLS, the person may not realize they are developing a replacement addiction. They think they can handle the alcohol, or whatever it is they are turning to, and don’t realize when they get to a point that’s dangerous. Anyway, it is definitely very common to have eating disorders (especially if you’ve struggled in the past) or other cross addictions post-op. Thanks for that info, @@jenn1. @@bellabloom, I would say to be super honest with yourself – can you physically eat more and do you want to? – and if the answer is that you’re in physical pain and you cannot get enough nutrients, then you need serious medical help. You’ve posted about this for several weeks (if not longer), and that’s way too long to live with bad pain. You have worked so hard to get to where you are now, and you’re worth a trip to the doctor.

New Year’s is a time for parties, and that means you need to be extra careful with your diet. Most party food is pretty bad for your waistline if not outright forbidden on the weight loss surgery diet: think cocktail franks, cheese dip with crackers, and bacon wrapped onion rings. Still, there are plenty of healthier options…and after WLS, you’ve probably explored a lot of them! They can be simple, like fruit and veggie trays or skewers with cheese and veggies, but you may have explored some more gourmet – but still healthy – options. The trick is to keep it healthy – for you – while making it delicious for everyone else. So, when you go to a party or host one, what is your favorite dish to bring?

As we go into the New Year, a lot of us are making resolutions for 2016. We have hopes and dreams, and a few expectations based on reality, too! So, what do you see for yourself in the coming year of 2016? Do you see yourself getting weight loss surgery? Maybe hitting goal weight? Maybe accomplishing a few fitness goals? And in the non-weight loss and non-health arena, what do you see in 2016? Maybe some new career opportunities? Family relationships growing stronger? In my year, I see a few pounds coming off to get back to goal weight, and maybe increasing my running once winter ends and it’s a lot more pleasant to get back on the streets. I see leading a busy year for BariatricPal and following a lot of your successes! What’s in your future in 2016?

Okay, it sounds cute, but it’s a serious question. If you want to lose weight or keep it off and get healthy, you need a plan. The old saying, “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail” could have been intended specifically for weight loss surgery patients. Fail to plan after Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), and you’re planning for plateaus or regains and possible complications. What should you be planning? You don’t want to become fixated on planning, but there are a few key areas to be aware of. These are some of the questions you might ask yourself to make sure you’re planning enough. Each question is followed by the pitfall you might fall into if you don’t think ahead. Where are you shopping, and what are you buying? Possible pitfall: Finding an empty fridge and opting for McDonald’s or pizza delivery, or going to the supermarket without a list and buying whatever looks good – which usually doesn’t include lettuce and chicken breast. A solid answer identifies when you’ll shop, and it includes a list of proteins and other essentials, such as vegetables, fruit, healthy starches, and healthy fats. Check the list to make sure it has enough healthy foods for the meals and snacks that will get you through to the next shopping trip. What are you having for breakfast tomorrow? Possible pitfall: Being so rushed you grab a pair of Pop-Tarts on your way out, get a bagel at the coffee place, or get to work so hungry you sneak in a doughnut from the reception area. A solid answer is realistic, so if you know you’ll be in a rush, it doesn’t involve a lot of preparation. You may want to get your breakfast ready the night before, even if it’s as simple as putting some cottage cheese and a few slices of turkey in a portable container with a tight-fitting lid. What are you ordering for lunch? Possible pitfall: Going out with the gang and ordering what they do…anything from a burger and fries to pasta primavera. A solid answer considers where you’re likely to find yourself at lunch and what’s on the menu. Identify your source of protein and a vegetable beforehand and stick to your pre-made decision when you order. If you end up going out unexpectedly, look for salads, grilled chicken and fish, and sides of vegetables and fruit. What are you making for dinner? Possible pitfall: Ordering in or getting take-out, or falling back on a high-calorie, low-nutrition quick fix such as macaroni and cheese or taco kits. A solid answer identifies your source of protein and vegetables so you can figure out what you need to buy and how much preparation is necessary. When, where, and what is today’s workout? Possible pitfall: Running out of time if you haven’t scheduled it into your day, or chickening out of the workout if you haven’t quite made the commitment to a specific exercise. A solid answer says when you’ll work out, whether you’ll do it at home, at the gym, or somewhere else, and what clothes, shoes, and other equipment you need to bring with you, if any. Your answer should also include what you’ll be doing, whether it’s 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill plus 15 minutes of lifting weights, going to a Zumba class, or pulling weeds and sweeping the driveway. What will you snack on at the party? Possible pitfall: Eating whatever happens to look good, and ending up with not enough protein, too many calories, too much fat and sugar, and possibly nausea or dumping syndrome. A solid answer doesn’t depend on what the host may serve. Your plan may be to bring some hard-boiled eggs or beef jerky for yourself, plus a large green salad, vegetable skewers, or fruit salad for you and the rest of the guests to enjoy. How will you answer your mother when she offers you a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie (your favorite) or the entire batch? Possible pitfall: Feeling guilty for refusing or being caught off guard, and accepting the cookie or batch. A solid answer includes a polite refusal, possibly with an explanation, such as, “No, thank you. My doctor has advised me not to eat cookies.” If you can’t avoid taking the batch home as a “gift,” don’t be afraid to throw it out. Nobody likes to throw away food, but if you’re going to, better to throw it away in the trash can than in your body. How are you going to feel at the end of the day? Possible pitfall: Let doubt creep in, and you may be setting yourself up for bad decisions with eating and exercise. A solid answer is positive and confident with no room for self-doubt. At the end of a day of good eating and a bit of exercise, you may be tired, but satisfied, proud, and a little lower in weight. Staying positive and optimistic sets you up for good decision making without even thinking about it. You always hear about the importance of planning for weight loss surgery success, but that advice may seem confusing if you’re not a natural planner, or even if you’re just not used to thinking so much about your WLS-related habits. Know the answers to these questions, and your planning skills can help you lose more weight and stay healthy.

America has an interesting fascination with celebrity. We build up certain people to be larger than life and then follow their every move and decision. The United States, as a country, also struggles with obesity and weight loss. Many celebrities also struggle with weight issues and the famous people on this list have all undergone weight loss surgery to help start their weight loss journey. Sharon Osbourne: LAP-BAND in 1999 Randy Jackson: Gastric bypass in 2003 Brian Dennehy: LAP-BAND in the early 2000s Roseanne Barr: Gastric bypass in 1998 John Popper: Gastric bypass in 1999 Star Jones: Gastric bypass in 2003 Al Roker: Gastric bypass 2002 Anne Rice: Gastric bypass in 2003 Carnie Wilson: Gastric bypass in 1999, Lap-Band in 2012 Ralphie May: Gastric bypass in 2003 Patti Austin: Gastric bypass in 2004 Graham Elliot: Sleeve gastrectomy in 2013 Lisa Lampanelli: Sleeve gastrectomy in 2012 Rex Ryan: LAP-BAND in 2010 Chris Christie: LAP-BAND in 2013 Adam Goldstein: Gastic bypass in 2003 Ann Wilson: LAP-BAND in 2002 Diego Maradona: Gastric bypass in 2005 Paul Wall: Gastric sleeve in 2010 Charlie Weis: Gastric bypass in 2002 William Moody: Gastric bypass in 2003 Etta James: Gastric bypass in 2001 Jesse Jackson, Jr.: Duodenal Switch in 2004 Jennifer Holliday: Gastric bypass in 1990 Deborah Voigt: Gastric bypass in 2004 John Daly: LAP-BAND in 2008 Khaliah Ali: LAP-BAND in 2008 Anne Diamond: LAP-BAND in 2005 Joseph R. Gannascoli: LAP-BAND 2003 Caitlin Van Zandt: LAP-BAND in 2008 David Lange: Gastric bypass in 1982 Fern Britton: LAP-BAND in 2006 Jineane Ford: LAP-BAND in 2007 Benedict Francis: LAP-BAND in 2009 Mikey Robbins: LAP-BAND in 2006 Lauren Manzo: LAP-BAND in 2011 Corey Harrison: LAP-BAND in 2010 Jo Marie Payton: Gastric bypass in 1985 Rosie O'Donnell: Gastric Sleeve in 2013 Ron Lester: Duodenal Switch in 2001 E.J. Johnson: Gastric Sleeve in 2013 Elvis Duran: Gastric Sleeve in 2014 Paul Wall: Gastric Bypass in 2010 Lavell Crawford: Gastric Sleeve in 2016 Mariah Carey: Gastric Sleeve in 2017 Please let me know if you're aware of any other celebrities that have undergone Weight Loss Surgery!

Have to say…what @@Babbs said. That’s all!

carfeli2004, You’ve gotten some great tips here! Choosing better foods might help. You can eat more of the low-calorie foods like vegetables, so they fill you up. Plus high-Fiber, high-Protein foods reduce hunger for way longer than sugary and carby foods. Plus cravings go down when you stop with the sugar, fatty, carby, and salty foods. So, go for healthy choices! Also, meal and snack timing might be important, too. If you’re “grazing,” you might be getting in more than you realize, but still feel hungry at meals. If you’re only eating meals and feeling starving before the next meal, maybe you need to plan some healthy (low-calorie) Snacks. Good luck!

rachelr28, Sorry to hear of your discomfort. I wouldn’t give up hope yet, though! I know five weeks seems like a really long time, but it’s not long in the scheme of things. Some patients don’t even try to start pureed foods until 4 or 5 weeks post-op. You got some great tips from the other members on eating slowly. I’d also see if you can find out what your nutritionist or surgeon has to say. I really don’t think it’s permanent, though! It just unfortunately seems like a long time.

lwmatch, I am SO SORRY to hear this! That’s just despicable. The only thing I can think of to offer is: do you have any weigh-ins on record of being over BMI 35 at the time you got insurance approval? I just don’t know what to say. I am floored.

LOL! I haven’t watched it yet, but maybe I will when I find it online somewhere. I did see an article about the trainers, and yes, I cringed when I read some of the tips from Clean Momma. It sounds like her goal is to make bad aspects of our lives worse (don’t like washing dishes? Try throwing in some calf raises and squats!), and to make good parts not-so-good (I can just imagine…”Going out with friends? Do a pushup every time someone says the word “the!”) I don’t know quite what to think. All these weight loss shows are silly – can you really have a lasting lifestyle change within the short duration of a TV show, and is it a healthy environment? On the other hand, maybe these shows do change the contestants’ lives, and maybe they inspire a few viewers to get healthy, and maybe they give some good information and ideas along with the obviously questionable ones. And I guess for all of us who made a different decision, we get to feel happy about ours!

Andrew0929, Good for you for nipping the regain in the bud! I doubt if the cereal per se is actually causing the weight gain if you’re truly staying within your calorie goals, but I agree with some of the others that maybe it is an unhealthy habit if you’re depending on it and it’s driving you to make other unhealthy decisions. I love some of these ideas! As you think of some more, I’d also try to think about why the cereal is so attractive. Part of it may be the sweetness and crunch, but part of it may just be its convenience. It’s there, and it’s ready to eat. Maybe if you make sure that it’s not there, and that other, healthier, Snacks are ready to eat, you’ll go for the healthier snacks without another thought. Maybe the trick is to have ready to eat foods on hand, so some ideas are carrot sticks and other cut veggies, peeled oranges, washed grapes and other fruit, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, and other prepared foods. I also like seaweed snacks for a low-calorie crunch.

I love these! There are so many things here that I love! I love that so many of you see GOAL WEIGHT in your 2016 future! What I think I love most of all is that so many of you see yourself doing things that wouldn’t be possible before WLS – that now weight is not such a barrier to life. You can look for a job and plan to do things without worrying about weight holding you back, or about developing horrible health problems, for that matter! Thanks for sharing your goals, and good luck achieving them! I hope you keep sharing throughout the year as great things happen to you.

Wow, I have to say…it sounds like the holidays didn’t get too bad for most of you, and that’s great! And even better is that you have some sensible – not extreme – plan for getting back on track! Cervidae, Congratulations on having a treat, enjoying it, and stopping there! What an accomplishment, and something to be proud of and to remember when the going gets rough. Jennolsen, Protein and fluids – that’s the right idea! Congratulations on still losing during the holidays, and being so close to goal weight! It sounds like going back to counting, focusing on protein and Water, and getting rid of the junk are at the top of the list. For me, the first thing was to clean out my house to get rid of whatever holiday treats somehow snuck in and accumulated! Then I went grocery shopping for all kinds of good things, including fresh fruits and vegetables like lettuce, Snacks like carrots and grapes, and veggies to cook like broccoli and zucchini. I also stocked up on all the other healthy essentials, like yogurt, plus frozen staples like blueberries, and chicken. Now there’s no reason not to eat right!

Okay, I know we’re not supposed to be on diets. It’s a lifestyle. But maybe, just maybe, a few little treats crept into your diet over the last few weeks with the holidays. So, here are my questions. First, how “bad” did the holidays get? Did you learn a few things about yourself, such as what was worth eating and what wasn’t? And did you come up with any strategies that worked for you to pass up some of the temptations? And now, what are you doing to get back on track? Are you eating special foods and/or cutting out certain foods? Are you going back to the basics of measuring and logging? Are you drinking tons of Water? What’s your advice for getting back on track?

Thank you! You'd be surprised how many WLS professionals and patients have never heard about us. We definitely need to do a better job at publicizing our existence. That's one of the reasons we've started attending events like YourWeightMatters, WLSFA and ObesityWeek. When I mentioned this site at my surgeon's office, they scoffed and told me not to believe everything I read online. I just smiled and nodded and continue 3 years later to log on and soak up all I can almost daily. This site has been a lifeline for many of us and I know that I would not have been able to be as successful as I have without it. Thanks a million times for your dedication to the WLS community. You are very welcome! You made my week, thanks!!!

Our members now have two great options for financing their weight loss surgery! We've partnered with the top three lenders to offer our members flexible Payment Plans to finance their weight loss surgery! They're able to cater towards members with great or not such great credit scores. They've approved multiple BariatricPal members, just this week alone. Interest-Free up to 15 Months Multiple Loan Options No Pre-Payment Penalty 0% Initial Interest Rate Options Lowest Interest Rates Available Secured and Unsecured Options Terms up to 60 Months Contact us for more info!

Just tracked your order and it's arriving later today (Friday 1/8.) We are almost 100% back to normal now and most orders are shipping same day or within 24 hours of receipt. Thanks to all of our members that have had the patience to work with us through these small growing pains!

It looks good. I removed your email from the blacklist for reporting us as spam

Kindle, Great topic! Miss: not much. (I’m a bander, not a VSG patient). I guess I miss being able to eat certain things without thinking twice. I mean healthy but stringy or fibrous things, like celery or popcorn: healthy foods that can stick in the band. Don’t miss: being fat, missing life, being tired, thinking about food, being ruled by food, being embarrassed, fad diets. On balance…things I DON’T MISS far outweigh things I miss! Thanks for bringing that up and reminding me how much I’ve gained since losing!

goblue9280, Thanks for bringing up this topic! It’s a sensitive one! I think you have a great answer to say something vague like, “I don’t really know,” and I love Dub’s addition of, “but I have a lot more to go.” Thanks also for pointing out that most people actually do mean well, even if you’d rather they didn’t say anything. It’s hard for us to think about how a lot of people see WLS patients; they are on the outside looking in, and they (most of them) just are curious or want to be positive. The way they see it, asking how much you lost gives you a chance to brag. lauraellen80…that’s great! Anyway, congrats to all of you who have lost so much weight that people are asking you about it!

Looks like we have some good ones. It’s great to see how many have “goal weight” in the forecast for 2016! Good luck getting there, and keep sharing your progress on the forums! I agree somewhat about the silliness of January 1 being a day to make resolutions and start healthy behaviors. Of course we can (and should) start whenever we can. On the other hand…having that day as a semi official day to spur us on can be a good thing, because many of us – certainly myself included – tend to put things off for another day, another week...so January 1 forces me to start NOW! Good luck to all, and Happy New Year! Let us all be part of the gym crowd that sticks around past February!