Alex Brecher

All the above issues have been resolved. Thanks to everyone for reporting them. Please let me know if you run into any other issues.

style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#d8dde8;color:#5a5a5a;font:normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif;position:relative;"> Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Mother’s Day from BariatricPal! For all of you mothers out there, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do every day for your children. We couldn’t do it without you! If you are not a mother, take this time to thank yours…and any other figure in your life who has nurtured, educated, supported, and loved you. At BariatricPal, we never miss a chance for a healthy celebration, and what better way to mark Mother’s Day than with a holiday newsletter? Here’s what you’ll find in this edition. Thank a Mother Figure in Your Life! Mother’s Day Brunch the WLS Way Becoming an Active Family – From “Intend” to “Do” I hope you use the tips you find in this newsletter to make your own Mother’s Day a happy and healthy one. Don’t forget to log on to BariatricPal to let us know how your holiday was! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder BariatricPal Thank a Mother Figure in Your Life! Thanks, Mom! How many times did you mean to say it, but forgot? Or maybe you figured she knew you were thinking it, so you didn’t bother saying it? We all forget to say “thank you.” It may be moms who miss the most “thank you’s” because they’re often the people who do the most for us and are taken for granted. That’s what Mother’s Day is for. It’s your chance to say thanks for everything your mom has done for you over the years. If your mother is no longer around, or another person filled that role for you, take the opportunity to thank them instead. You can give your mother a traditional gift, such as a box of chocolates. But why not go for something a little healthier? If you’re the WLS patient, you know the value of a healthy gift to say “I love you” and “I’m here to support your healthy efforts.” And, if you’re a WLS mom, ask for one of these or another healthy gift. A healthy cookbook with bariatric surgery recipes, or go a step further and put together a family recipe book with the healthy recipes you two both love. One or more of the BariatricPal Big Books. A trial membership to your gym so the two of you can try working out together. A juicer or blender, such as a Nutribullet, so you can make protein shakes and fruit and veggie smoothies. VIP Membership to BariatricPal. An activity tracker to motivate you to get in those extra steps. A few hours together to prepare and enjoy a healthy meal. A steamer, spritzer, or other kitchen gadget for low-fat cooking and eating. Whatever you give, your love will shine through even more when it promotes a healthy lifestyle. Mother’s Day Brunch the WLS Way! Mother’s Day is a beautiful day to spend with the family. Are you making the most of it? If your Mother’s Day usually includes breakfast in bed or all-you-can-eat brunch, followed by some couch time, you’re probably not. Here’s how you can approach this year’s celebration. Think about breakfast or brunch before WLS. At a family gathering or casual restaurant, just a few simple breakfast items could add up to thousands of calories. A breakfast of a bagel or muffin and cream cheese and jam, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes with butter and syrup adds up to enough sugar and carbs to make you sick. Go for prime rib, mashed potatoes, cheese omelet, bread and butter, and layered trifle with whipped cream, and you’re looking at enough fat for a week. That kind of breakfast may have been the norm before WLS, but it’s not going to happen now. Healthy Homemade Brunch Instead, go for the choices you know are on your WLS diet. If you’re at home, plan for a family breakfast or brunch that has choices you can enjoy. Make yourself an egg white omelet or scramble with kale or spinach, or high-protein oatmeal pancakes. You can set out healthy foods like fat-free cottage cheese, berries, cut melon, and whole-grain English muffins. If that’s not enough for your family, you can make them omelets with whole eggs, buttermilk or buckwheat pancakes, or their other favorite breakfast foods – nobody says you have to eat them. Chef-Cooked Healthy Brunch If you’re going out for Mother’s Day, you get to let someone else do your healthy cooking for you. Stick to the usual rules: look for high-protein, low-calorie options, and go for vegetables and fruits next. If you don’t see anything you can eat, just ask. There is almost sure to be fresh fruit, canned tuna, cottage cheese, chicken, or fish available in the kitchen. Look for the following options on the menu or the buffet line. Egg white omelets with ham or vegetables. Roast lean beef or turkey breast. Lean turkey or ham. Turkey bacon or turkey sausage. Cottage cheese. Fresh fruit. Steamed vegetables. Low-carb bread or muffins and fat-free cream cheese. Meal Reminders As always when you’re at a restaurant, watch your portion sizes. If you’re ordering off the menu, pack away most of your meal before you start eating so you’re not tempted to overeat. If you’re at a buffet, it gets way tougher. One strategy for buffets is to start by placing lettuce, spinach, or other plain salad greens on your plate. Put a serving of lean protein on top of that. Add a few vegetables or some cut fruit. Then see if there are any “must-haves” in the line – maybe your favorite blueberry muffin or a tiny bite of scalloped potatoes. By this point, you’ll only be able to fit a spoonful or two on your plate, so you can’t do too much damage. Try these other strategies to keep yourself in line. Talk a lot so you can’t eat as fast. Limit yourself to one (ONE) trip through the buffet line. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and put your fork down between bites. Be picky…only taste the foods that look absolutely irresistible. Don’t settle. Take plenty of photos…it keeps you from eating as much. Becoming an Active Family – From “Intend” to “Do” You know those perfect-looking families you see? You know, they’re playing in the front yard in the evenings, and you see them biking down the street on Sunday afternoons? It’s all too easy to say you want to be more active with your family. And, you hear advice all the time to make activity part of your everyday lifestyle. But what does that mean? (Keep reading). Are they really talking to you when they say to be more active with your family? (Yes, this means you). How much time will it take from your already-packed day? (Not much). And is it even worth it? (YES!). We’re not talking anything extreme here. Becoming an active family is about making small changes until being active is just part of everyday life. Mother’s Day is a good time to start thinking about some of these changes if you’re with your family and looking forward to months of good summer weather. Here are a few small steps to take. Take the stairs. If you can’t do that yet, practice moving instead of just standing on the escalator. Park a little further away, including when picking up and dropping off the kids. The extra walking will just become part of life. Consider walking to the next chore. If you’re parked at the supermarket, walk to the post office to mail your letter – and baby steps: if you can’t walk all the way, only move the car halfway instead of driving it all the way to the post office. Include your children and partner in all your extra activity. You can all enjoy a walk to the corner before eating dinner. Have a good but no-nonsense attitude – don’t let your children whine their way out of the activity, and don’t act like it’s a chore. It’s just a way of life. Needless to say, the more you move, the more weight you’ll lose. And the more weight you lose, the more you’ll be able to move. It’s a positive cycle to enjoy with your family. Have a happy and healthy Mother’s Day this year! Wishing you and your family all the best in weight loss and beyond.

Don't take no for an answer! I recommend a great attorney that's won many WLS appeals against the insurance companies, Walter Lindstrom from WLSAppeals.com. His first appeal letter and bariatric insurance “case” was his own, fighting to get his own approval of gastric bypass after his insurance company denied authorization. He won and had “open” gastric bypass surgery on June 30, 1994. Here's his contact info: Walter Lindstrom, Jr. PRESIDENT & CEO LINDSTROM OBESITY ADVOCACY 601-C East Palomar Street, #480 Chula Vista, CA 91911 WWW.WLSAPPEALS.COM Toll Free: 1-877-99-APPEAL (877-992-7732) Fax: 888-992-1188 Please let him know Alex from BariatricPal referred you if you do use his services.

It’s hard. It’s really hard. And good for you for sticking with it. You’re doing fine, and that’s a reasonable amount of weight to lose. The pre-op diet is good practice for later. It helps you learn some self-control (at least it did for me) and it gives you the confidence that you can do it if you really need and want to. Good luck on Monday with your surgery!

nugirl, Glad to hear everything’s going okay…but please be careful! The last thing you want is to develop an infection or food intolerance or slow down healing because you didn’t stick to the WLS diet. Don’t take your health and recovery for granted. Better safe than sorry. Stick to your surgeon’s diet instructions not only for health reasons (above), but also for weight loss reasons. By sticking to the liquid diet, you’ll find how strong you are, and that confidence and practice will help you later, when you want to go off your WLS diet. You’ll have the ability to say “no” to temptations and you’ll be better off for it. Just my two cents…but however you can lose weight and be healthy, go for it!

Joshua Barbour, If your biggest concerns throughout your WLS journey end up being that you lost weight too fast and you didn’t have any acid reflux and barely any nausea…we’re all jealous! No, you’re not necessarily losing weight too fast. You’re having a dream scenario, so far. As long as your surgeon is happy and you’re feeling fine, you’re doing fine. Just a caution: since you are feeling so good, you might be tempted to rush things – like speed through the liquid diet or pureed foods phase. Don’t give in to temptation! These early stages give your body a chance to heal, and that’ll let you keep losing weight fast. Don’t risk eating solids too early and giving yourself a chronic problem that sets back your weight loss. Congratulations on your great experience so far…hope it continues! Keep us posted.

I didn’t have these problems, so I’m only speaking from what I’ve heard/read. It can take a long time to heal – much longer for some than for others. You may need to go through the liquids phase again and take longer with it this time. Also, as the others said, don’t focus on weight loss until you’re healed – no pain. This is the time to heal, not to try to lose weight. Your surgeon and/or nutritionist should be able to help you through this tough time. They should be able to tell you what to eat, and they should also let you know if your symptoms are normal. It will probably “just” take time and patience – not easy, but it will get better. Good luck!

CanyonBaby, Thanks for this conversation! It is definitely full of good advice. I don’t think of it as a formal snack bag, but I do make sure to have something available so I can eat if needed. At home, I always keep tons of fruit ready to eat – I love blueberries especially. Also, I have a lot of Greek yogurt. I try not to snack in the car unless absolutely necessary because that’s an easy way to down way to many calories if I start eating nuts or cheese while focusing on the road. Hard-boiled eggs are another quick snack, and beef jerky, although I know it’s high in sodium.

for_me, You’re at the point in the WLS journey that can be one of the hardest for many of us. You’re over the initial excitement of preparation and surgery, and you’ve gone through the super-quick magical weight loss stage where the pounds melted away like a dream. Now it’s time for the long haul where you fight for each pound. And you are fighting. You have to remember that any loss is good, and 6-7 pounds in 5 weeks is great. At that rate, you’d lose 70 lbs in a year – add that to the initial 20 lbs you lost, and you’d be at 90 lbs – not bad, and almost at goal weight! When you think about how long you’ve struggled with obesity and then think you could hit goal within a year, how can you be disappointed? Just keep doing what you’re doing and what you know is right. You’re losing weight. And, as the others have said, you’re probably in a stall and will start to lose weight even faster.

trulyamazingtoo, I have a different take on this compared to some of the other members who have replied. You have lost 35 pounds in 7 weeks? You’ve averaged 5 lb per week? So you’re on pace for 250 lbs in a year? Are you aware that a “good” amount for the fast-losing WLS patients is 100 lbs in the first year? You don’t even have 40 pounds left to lose to get to your goal weight! So I’m not even sure why you’re disappointed or worried! It seems to me you’re doing absolutely fantastic! I agree with the others that at some point you need to make sure your nutrition is right for your body size and activity levels (get enough nutrients without starving your body), but in terms of your weight loss? I don’t see how you could even hope for anything more – I think you’re doing so well! So I think you are doing fine. Maybe a few things to work on would be Water and Protein intake, and making sure you’re being safe at the gym (but you know your own body – do what feels comfortable to you). In the meantime, good luck and good job.

What does your surgeon or bariatric center say? They may have suggestions for you. Maybe they can get you some samples, too, so you can stop spending money on trying new protein shakes. Hang in there! This will pass and it will get better!

CanyonBaby, I am so sorry about this story. Most medical professionals are so wonderful and their hearts really are in the right places. When they’re not, the consequences are so awful. Going to a medical procedure of any kind is hard because of the nerves and whatever prep you have to do beforehand ((like starving yourself). Then there are the inevitable wait times…which may be necessary and unpredictable due to other patients’ needs, but which still can wreck your whole day. And finally, the absolutely unnecessary part – when you are not treated with respect. It is so sad because most doctors and nurses and other staff really care and do a tremendous job, especially given their super busy schedules. I am sorry you had this experience, and I am glad you have the option not to use this hospital again.

I am so sorry about this – what a devastating piece of news! I hope that, like the others suggested, you will not give up. Maybe your current primary care doctor or another of your current doctors can help you appeal to the insurance company. Or, maybe you will need to look around for a different doctor who can help. Some of the bariatric clinics may be more used to helping patients get reimbursement and other financing options than your current medical care team may be. This is especially true in HMO plans, which are so bureaucratic. Keep up the fight!

snowkitten, We all do that sometimes. I just have a few ideas that might help you get back on track. These are just about changes in your mindset that might help. One is the thought that you’re a failure. (First of all, you’re not!). I wonder if you could get over this by giving yourself more time. Here’s what I mean. I would worry that since said you said you feel like a failure because of your weight (278). Even if you ate perfectly for the next couple months and lost an incredible 20 pounds, you’d still be at 258…which makes me wonder if maybe that would make you feel like a failure, even though you’d be doing amazingly. So maybe you could think about different goals…like patience, and taking it one day at a time, instead of where are you now versus where you want to be in two or five years from now. Another is to think about whether the fear of failure is holding you back. If it is, acknowledge it…and then get over it. Any of us could fail. Nothing is guaranteed in life, and you can’t control everything. But you can control yourself. So, (easier said than done) if you let go of the things you can’t control, you may find yourself in a better position to control what you can – that is, your WLS diet. You can do it. Think of it as an opportunity – you have the power to do something incredible, and difficult, and so rewarding!

Thanks for reporting this issue. We should have it resolved by Monday or Tuesday.

You might want to try taking some omeprozole to see if your "hunger" is actually acid. I had the same feeling and discovered it was acid reflux. Good luck! If Omeprazole isn't very effective for you, try another new time released PPI called Dexilant.

It’s great that you’re doing your research and trying to figure out what to expect and how much weight loss to aim for…just remember that you are YOU! Your experience will be different from everyone else’s. You may lose faster, slower, or right on average. Remember to keep it in perspective. Even if it takes you five years to reach goal weight…who cares? You will be feeling better throughout those five years, and you will still have the rest of your life to maintain your weight. So enjoy the journey, work hard, know what to expect, and expect the curveballs that are definitely going to come.

I’m excited for you…keep working hard and keeping a long-term view!

Kathrine1970, Sounds like you got the reassurance you need. Could be just the first time you ate something more solid than yogurt, or it could be you developed a food intolerance to the fish or carrots. Like the others said, try one food at a time (so you can determine if it’s fish or carrots or neither) and be patient. If it really is an intolerance, it could take days or weeks or months to work itself out, and the only thing you can do to help is to not push it. If your body doesn’t take it, it doesn’t take it. Good luck. You’re doing well!

Por favor, digan a sus amigos de venir aquí. ¡Es la mejor manera de hacer crear este foro! La comunidad de hispanohablantes es disponible para proveer apoyo entre si, pero necesitamos mas personas. Les deseo buena suerte con sus esfuerzos para pereder peso. Por cierto, si ustedes necesitan algo, podrían enviarme un mensaje privado en cualquier momento.

wannaBthinsoon, Yes, they are everywhere! Good thing eating those foods isn’t anywhere near as fulfilling as those commercials would have you believe…at least, that’s what I tell myself! Isn’t it fascinating, once you get WLS and can’t eat those foods and have to step away for a week…isn’t it fascinating to see what we have been bombarded with all our lives? Is it any wonder we end up fighting obesity? I suggest using this time as an opportunity. While you’re on the liquids and pureed foods diet and you can’t eat the foods in the commercials, take the opportunity to think about all the ways you’re being manipulated. Think about the empty promises: that you’ll be happier, more glamorous, a better parent, etc... if you buy hamburgers and Cookies and candy bars. Think about the truth: That you’ll be fatter, less healthy, poorer, and less responsible if you buy those foods. By the time you get through the early stages of your WLS journey and the WLS diet, you’ll hopefully build new eating habits that include a taste for healthy foods and less of a desire for junk food.

CanyonBaby, Congratulations on your weight loss! What you describe is not uncommon. It’s perfectly normal! You were so much heavier before and your body has changed so much. Now you’re not as heavy, so the changes aren’t as dramatic. Plus, you may be used to seeing the changes so quickly, and now when they’re slower, you’re slower to notice and appreciate them. But they’re there! Body dysmorphia is another reason why the scale can be so helpful. Of course sometimes the number on the scale isn’t the only thing to go by, like when we know we’re eating right but the number doesn’t go down. But the number on the scale can be really helpful in cases when you’re doubting what your own eyes are seeing. And the scale can also help alleviate your fear that you’re going to wake up one day back at your old weight and appearance. It’s just NOT going to happen…because the scale’s not going to jump 56 pounds in a day! If the scale starts creeping up, you WILL do something about it. We all get in our own heads, but learn to use other people’s encouragement and the decreasing number on the scale to help you get out of your head and into the real world – the real world where you’re losing weight like you wanted.

Great topic! You are so right – there is no single correct weight loss goal for everyone, and even for one person, the choice can be based on so many different things and can change throughout the journey (which never ends, by the way) depending on so many factors. For me, the “obvious” goal weight was a BMI of 25 – the official “normal” cut-off for BMI. Conveniently, that was, for me, very close to losing about 100 lbs. For me, it turned out to be about the “right” goal. It’s a number that I hit within about a year of getting my lap-band and that I’ve been able to maintain, plus or minus a few, for over a decade. It’s a weight that lets me do what I want, which is the goal in life. I can play with my kids and have fun at the gym. And, I’m healthy. So my goal weight hasn’t changed much, but it’s way more than a number to me.

Coleenrenee, First, congratulations on your huge amount of weight loss so far! You must be working super hard to be down so much in such a short amount of time. Well done! I’m sorry about your situation. It really is tough to adapt to your new lifestyle when the people around you are eating fast food in front of you. Talking to them is always the right first step, but sometimes it doesn’t help. Sometimes, they can’t change, just like you couldn’t before WLS. Another strategy you can use is to take it just one day at a time, like you’ve been doing. For example, obviously you haven’t been eating fast food while you’ve been on the broth and purees. How did you get through the broth stage? By saying it would end soon, not by looking at the rest of your life and feeling like you would be deprived for the rest of your life. So instead of looking at fast food as something you’ll never have again, just look at the next little bit. Focus on what you can eat – purees, now. Don’t think about the rest. If you eat with your family, try to think about the other things you like about eating with your family. Yes, eating pizza might be fun. But what else do you like about eating with them? Talking at the table? Focus on that. Know that deep down, they’re probably feeling guilty about not supporting you and/or jealous at the enormous amount of control and strength you are showing by sticking to your plan. Just wait until your weight loss is visible – which will be super soon if you keep going at this rate! You’ll feel much better, and it will be so worth it. So rather than feeling sorry for yourself that you have to follow this diet (and I’m not saying you’re feeling sorry for yourself), feel sorry for them that they’re still eating junk food while you’re getting healthier. We all know it’s tough. Hang in there. It will be worth it, and you know it will because you already see it on the scale.

Thanks for the great article. It is so true that acceptance is a critical part of living a healthier and happier and higher-quality life, which, as you point out, is the point of WLS. We have to accept that life will not be perfect, but it can sure be better if we do our best to acknowledge our struggles and figure out how to manage them. I also appreciate your reminder that others may or may not accept our struggles because so often, we act based on what other people think, and not always based on what is healthiest for us. Also, we need to face our struggles and our need to deal with food, not deny it. One thing that helps me with acceptance of as part of the process of recovering from obesity is remembering that life isn’t perfect for anyone. I may have – and dislike – my struggles with obesity, but other people have other struggles that maybe I don’t have and maybe they dislike just as much. None of us have the perfect life, and we all have to accept that the best we can hope for and work towards is the best possible situation for us.