Alex Brecher

Thanks for posting this. What an interesting study – it shows what a deep-rooted problem sugar consumption is among American children. Even parents who want the best for their children are giving them sugary beverages, which are linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It is so important to be aware of what we are giving our children. Sugary drinks are the top source of added sugars, ahead of the more “obvious” sources such as candy and Desserts. Children’s overall sugar consumption has decreased in recent years, but consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is still rampant. Thanks for this article!

Thanks for this recipe. It’s a good one for any chilly day, not just St. Patrick’s Day! You can also give it a little twist and cut the carbs by switching half the potatoes for sweet potatoes and the other half of the potatoes for turnips. I love the suggestion to serve it with a salad!

Thanks for continuing your series here! I loved the way you looked at relationships as mirrors to your soul in Part 1. Here, I like your points about unconditional love and about actions coming from love and fear. At some point, we need to let go and trust in a relationship, and hopefully it will all work out.

Amanda, Thanks for this great visual. It always helps to see an image to help understand exactly how much sugar we are talking about. It is shocking how much sugar is in some of these beverages. Coffee beverages are another high-sugar beverage – for example, a latte can have 20 or more grams of sugar. Another way to help put these high-sugar beverages in perspective is to compare them to sweets – something like a cookie might have 20 grams of sugar – or less than the amount in a soda.

Thanks for these guidelines! Packing a lunch really can be the difference between a healthy diet and a “stall” because if you go for fast food or the vending machine, you can end up with hundreds of extra calories and tons of sugar. I love the recipe ideas you’ve suggested! Another kind of prepared salad you can make on the weekend is bean salad – it can give you the satisfaction of a grain salad, but it’s a little higher in Protein. It’s easy if you use regular or low-sodium canned Beans, such as garbanzo, pinto, or black. Also, throw in some green beans. Add vinegar and spices such as cumin and black pepper. You can add some sweetener. The night before you want to take it for lunch, or that morning, you can add fresh tomatoes and cilantro, or diced red peppers and onions. On your list of quick items to grab and snack items, I’d also add soy nuts and edamame. They’re high-protein and fun to eat.

Jean, thanks for this story and lesson. I think you have taught us a few things. One is that we all still have personal baggage – like it or not, and recognize it or not. Even if we think we’re “over” being obese, we all still have those insecurities somewhere in us, and they can be brought out at any time. I have to admire you for being so self-aware. Someone else in your shoes might have come away from the incident feeling like the customer had a chip on her shoulder, but you managed to look within yourself. It’s also a good lesson to carry every day that ewe don’t always have time to explain ourselves to others. Even though we may have the best of intentions, we can come off as sounding uncaring, just the way your customer unfortunately found you, even though you knew exactly how she felt and wanted to help her think of herself as a person and not as a “fat girl.” Thanks for the lesson in the importance of not getting carried away in the moment and saying something that may come off as insensitive.

What are these two companies called, please? How much do they charge and what are they offering in case of a future complication?

Can you please post your research findings once they're completed ?

This issue is now completely resolved.

Your weight loss surgery diet takes a lot of work. You need to measure your portions, focus on protein, and think about every bite that goes into your mouth. There may be days when you run out of time or are sick of worrying about everything. That’s when you turn to your freezer. Nope, you’re not about to desperately dig into a carton of Haagen-Dazs. You’re reaching for a pre-portioned meal or snack that is high enough in protein and low enough in calories to fit into your diet. A frozen meal or snack may not quite be a locally grown, organic, freshly made gourmet meal, but it sure beats the alternative if the alternative is opening a bag of chips or ordering a pizza. If you like having frozen meals around, these are some good ones to consider. What better time than now to think about your freezer, since March is National Frozen Foods Month? These suggestions are good sources of protein and not too high in calories. Heat and Eat You’re on your way home from work, you’re exhausted, and you’re starving. Is it time for you to swing by the Chinese or restaurant on your street for some take-out? No, because you don’t have thousands of calories to play with. Plus, you know you have some good choices in your freezer that are just a few minutes away from being ready to eat. At least, you do if you’ve stocked up your freezer! Read labels carefully when shopping for frozen meals. Check not only the protein and calorie content, but also the serving sizes. Some meals, especially pizzas, seem like they’re for one person, when they really have three or more servings. Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers Smart Ones, Michelina’s Lean Gourmet, and Amy’s Kitchen have frozen meals you can work with. Keep some in your freezer at home, and, if you can, stash a few at work to have for lunch. They sure beat opting into your coworkers’ group order for Italian subs and potato chips. Here are some frozen meals with at least 10 to 15 grams of protein and no more than 250 calories. Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello with 15 grams of protein, 150 calories, and 14 grams of carbohydrates. Lean Cuisine Herb Roasted Chicken with 16 grams of protein, 180 calories, and 5 grams of fiber. Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey and Vegetables, with 16 grams of protein and 200 calories. Lean Cuisine Cheese and Tomato Snack Pizza with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories. Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Snack Pizza with 12 grams of protein and 210 calories. Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Salisbury Steak with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories. Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Shrimp with Pasta and Vegetables with 11 grams of protein and 240 calories. Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Baked Pepperoni Pizza Snacks with 11 grams of protein and 250 calories Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Quesadilla with 170 calories and 12 grams of protein. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Spicy Szechuan Style Vegetable and Chicken with 240 calories and 11 grams of protein. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe with 160 calories and 19 grams of protein. Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Swedish Meatballs with 260 calories and 12 grams of protein. Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Quinoa and Black Beans with Butternut Squash and Chard with 240 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber. Start Your Day Off Right Okay, what would be the ideal breakfast on your weight loss surgery diet? Maybe an omelet made with baby spinach and mushrooms and low-fat feta cheese? Cottage cheese protein pancakes served with freshly cut fruit? Nice, but you probably can’t make these kinds of breakfasts every day. If you’re going to talk about being too rushed to cook healthy homemade meals, you have to mention breakfast! Most of us just don’t have time to cook a hot, high-protein breakfast. Frozen meals can do the trick in a pinch. If you’re feeling ambitious, grab a piece of fruit to eat with your breakfast and up the fiber. Here are a few good choices. You can easily turn these breakfasts into grab-n-go meals by wrapping up the sandwiches or packing the other meal options into a container. Lean Cuisine Veggie Scramble 16 grams of protein and 180 calories. Lean Cuisine Turkey Sausage Scramble with 18 grams of protein and 180 calories. Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich with 210 calories and 13 grams of protein. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Three Cheese Omelet with 13 grams of protein and 200 calories. Jimmy Dean Delights Egg White with Spinach and Mozzarella Honey Wheat Flatbread with 11 grams of protein and 160 calories. Meal Minus One What else should you have in your freezer so that you’re just minutes away from a meal that fits on your weight loss surgery diet? I like to call these “Meals Minus One” because you just need to add one (or a few) ingredients to make them a meal. Here are a few ideas – but check your grocer’s freezer for other healthy varieties. Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, with 9 grams of protein and 70 calories per half-cup. Toss with fresh or frozen veggies and – optional – top with low-fat cheese for an easy breakfast scramble. Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties with 10 grams of protein and 110 calories. Stir fry with frozen stir-fry vegetable mix and teriyaki sauce. Van’s 8 Whole Grains Lite Waffles with 3 grams of protein and 65 calories for 2. Serve with nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh or frozen berries. Jimmy Dean Delights Fully Cooked Applewood Smoke Sausage Links with 120 calories and 10 grams of protein, served with 1 packet of instant oatmeal. You can have a quick, high-protein breakfast with only a little bit of imagination, and even less time and effort. A Note on Frozen Foods and Health Are frozen meals really that healthy? Aren’t they processed? Don’t they have preservatives in them? Yes, you’re right. Many frozen meals are high in sodium. They can contain added sugars, and be higher in fat that you expect. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe, for example, has 800 milligrams of sodium or more than one-third of what you need in a day. Ideally, you could cook each meal from scratch using fresh, wholesome ingredients. That’s not possible for most people. When “perfect” isn’t possible, it’s time to look at the “next best” option. And if your choice happens to be between a Jimmy Dean Delights Maple Pancakes and Turkey Sausage Griddlers with 10 grams of protein and 240 calories and, admittedly, 12 grams of sugars, versus, say, a fast food sausage biscuit with over 500 calories and a day’s worth of saturated fat, frozen doesn’t look quite so bad. Frozen foods can bail you out those times when you just need something quick and easy. Spend some time going through the freezer section at your local supermarket so you’re not caught empty-handed when you get desperate. And this March, check the specials at the grocery store to capitalize on Frozen Foods Month.

Try to recruit some your fellow YouTubers if at all possible, please! We're going to add a Video sidebar in a few weeks, good suggestion.

Do you mean Google's Chrome browser ?

Are you gals on desktops? iPads? Which browser are you using please? We're going to get to the bottom of your problems.

@@JustWatchMe How's the site been for you today?

We're looking into this, thanks.

Hi BariatricPal members! Do you scour the web for weight loss surgery videos? Do you love to share great bariatric surgery videos when you find or make them? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could come to one place to find and share bariatric surgery videos? Now you can! Announcing…BariatricPal’s new Video Gallery! This is your one-stop shop for all kinds of videos related to weight loss surgery. Each video has a short description so you know what you’re about to watch, and it’s related – in some way – to weight loss surgery. Of course, all videos are BariatricPal member-approved. You can also post links to your favorites on Youtube, Google Video, Flickr, Vimeo, Vine, Facebook Video and others. Just make sure it meets the BariatricPal criteria for relevance and good taste – no offensive content, please. Write a short summary, so other members know what they’re clicking on, and put the video or link into the appropriate category. You’ll find the list of categories on the Video Gallery page. I hope you enjoy the video gallery! Please let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback!

How is the app behaving for you today please ?

Thanks for your feedback. Would you mind leaving a review at Amazon or wherever you purchased it? They really assist us. Thanks in advance!!

I went from NutriBullet -> Ninja -> VitaMix.

I believe Michigan does cover weight loss surgery.

A “stall” or “plateau” is what it’s called when you feel like you’re eating right, but for no apparent reason, your weight suddenly stops coming off. We’ve all experienced them…or have we? Some doctors say there’s no such thing as a plateau, but some weight loss surgery patients think they’re just part of the journey. What do you think? Of course there is. I’ve been through them. There are times when I do everything right, and no weight comes off. Probably. I haven’t had one myself, but I’ve heard enough about them to be afraid of them! No, I don’t think so. As long as I follow my diet and exercise plan, I lose weight. When the weight stops coming off, I know it’s because I haven’t been behaving and I have to fix it. I don’t know. It sure feels like it sometimes, but maybe I’m doing something wrong. No, my surgeon doesn’t believe in them, and I’m hoping he/she is right! Other – read my answer below. Mark your answer and talk about it in the discussion below. Plus, let us know how you get over stalls…or how you prevent them!

Colleen, Thank you for addressing one of my biggest frustrations – bias in bariatrics! I think everyone who has ever been obese has experienced bias or outright discrimination from everyone from colleagues to, sadly, healthcare professionals. But I don’t know if we take the time to think about our own bias, as you suggest. Are we proud of ourselves, or ashamed? Can we honestly say we treat and think about obese, formerly obese, and never-obese people the same? That’s a great checklist for beginning to think about our own thoughts and actions. Also, I love the link to the ATOP and BAOP – taking those tests can be so enlightening and give us ideas for how to help ourselves and others.

Cari and Dr. Stapleton, thanks for this essay on awareness! It is so true that we need be aware in order to change – why do something if we don’t know what it is and why we should do it? Comparing awareness to an ingredient in a recipe is a sensible way of looking at it, too. It’s an essential ingredient, and it needs to be used right…but other ingredients are necessary, too, for the “recipe” to come out right!

Jean, thanks as always for your wisdom. It’s always easy to see why you’ve done so well with the band and sleeve – you are positive and smart. Thanks for this reminder that it’s (probably) not that bad, whatever it is. You’re right – it feels devastating when we’re told there’ll be a few months of delay because of some complication or other, but does it really matter? Probably not. Just accept and deal with it…and you give really good tips for doing so. And ask your surgeon – great advice!

@@AuriP, Like others here, I’d say you’re doing just fine! There are so many ways to look at this, and they all point to the fact that you’re doing fine! First, how long did it take you to put on the weight? And you’ve already lost 50-something pounds in five months?? Second, like someone else pointed out, what’s the rush? Does it matter if you hit goal weight this year, next, or in 2017? You’ll still be eating right for the rest of your life! I don’t know how old you are, but you may have 30, 40, or 70 years left! Who cares when you hit goal weight? Eat healthy and be proud, and that’s all you can ask of yourself – and all you should need.