Alex Brecher

Ha!

I'll email you shortly, thanks!

Yes, that's absolutely the case. We plan on adding more features to the apps as time goes on.

Not sure I understand what you mean by text updates ? Can you take a screenshot and post please ? Are you on iOS or Android.

Ever get this issue resolved ?

status updates aren't supported via our mobile app. We hope to get that feature added over the next few months.

My good friend Cassie from WLSDailyPlate suggested I read a great article called F*** Yes or No! It's a great read for our single members.

I un-blacklisted your account. Let me know if this resolves your issue please.

Thank you y'all for the well wishes and compliments!

I added the actual video clip of Rosie on The View to my original post.

It's BS. I had them remove it.

You can join in on my convo with Rosie at https://twitter.com/Rosie/status/515475737269510144

I strongly believe that all procedures are safe and effective and that the choice of weight loss procedure is between the patient and their surgeon. Here are key data points for the Safety and Efficacy of the LAP-BAND: 1. The LAP-BAND is the only FDA-Approved device for patients with a BMI of >30 with a comorbidity or BMI>40 LAP-BAND for Lower BMI: 2-Year Results from the Multicenter Pivotal Study Obesity (2013) 21:1148–1158. doi:10.1002/oby.20477, Robert Michaelson, et al. · 149 Patients · BMI of 30 -39.9 w/ Comorbidities · Primary Endpoint - >40% of subjects achieved >30% EWL at 1 year · Results: o 84.6% achieved >30% EWL at 1 year o 65% Mean EWL at 1 year · Conclusion - LAGB is safe and effective for people with 30-30.9 BMI, with weight loss and co-morbidity improvement through at least 2 years. 2. The LAP-BAND has shown Long-Term success when patients are managed with appropriate aftercare Long-Term Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery: Fifteen-Year Follow-Up of Adjustable Gastric Banding and a Systematic Review of the Bariatric Surgical Literature Annals of Surgery , Volume 257, Number 1, January 2013, Paul E. O’Brien, et al. · 50.5% EWL at 3 Years · 49.6% EWL at 5 Years · 47% EWL at 10 Years · 47.2% EWL at 15 years · 3227 patients, 714 with 10+ years follow-up only 5.6% removal rate for the entire group 3. The LAP-BAND has been shown as safe or safer than any other bariatric procedure There are a number of databases that healthcare organizations and professionals use to monitor bariatric procedures after surgery. A recent review of data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American College of Surgeons databases showed the following: LAGB Sleeve RYGB Total Complications 6% 18% 24% Reoperation Rate 1% 3% 5% Hospital Stay After Procedure Less than 1 day Approximately 3 days Approximately 3 days Illness After 30 Days 1% 6% 6% · 75% lower 30-day morbidity compared to sleeve (ACS – Hutter 2011) · 1/3 the complications compared to sleeve through 1 year (BOLD – DeMaria 2010) · 68% lower readmission rate than sleeve (ACS – Hutter 2011) · 1/3 the reoperation rate compared to sleeve (ACS – Hutter 2011) · Shorter length of stay than sleeve and bypass (ACS – Hutter 2011)

It really stinks that the media is always out to crucify the Lap-Band. There are an equal # of WLS "failures" with the Sleeve or Bypass. There isn't a "perfect" weight loss surgery, yet. It's easy to blame a medical device, not so easy to blame staples or sutures.

On Wednesday, ABC’s “The View” included a tactless segment for weight loss surgery patients. In it, Rosie O’Donnell said that she disagreed with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s choice to get the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (lap-band), calling it an “inefficient” way to lose weight. Ms. O’Donnell herself is a gastric sleeve patient who had struggled with her weight throughout her professional life. She got the procedure done in July of 2013, and has since lost about 50 pounds. Upsetting Effects of Ms. O’Donnell’s Words Ms. O’Donnell not only insulted Governor Christie, but also every lap-band patient. She stated outright that the lap-band has a 50 percent rate of removal, and is an inefficient way to lose weight. She strongly implied that anyone who gets the lap-band chooses to do so because they haven’t done enough research. This kind of divisiveness between weight loss surgery patients is harmful to everyone who is affected by obesity. Weight loss surgery can literally save lives and give people back their quality of life. It can be the only way to lose weight for many people. The only way to improve weight loss surgery outcomes and acceptance is to provide a unified front. When someone like Ms. O’Donnell bashes lap-band surgery, it only adds to the public’s general misconception of weight loss surgery as a foolish choice. The Lap-Band Is a Good Choice for Many The gastric sleeve is the right choice for some weight loss surgery patients, and it may have been the right choice for Ms. O’Donnell. For other patients, the lap-band is the right choice – and, in contrast to Ms. O’Donnell’s accusations, they can arrive at that decision after careful research. They may be hesitant to permanently remove most of the stomach, as in the gastric sleeve, and may value the ability to adjust their bands. There’s no shortage of evidence that the lap-band can work. In fact, it may even be working for Governor Christie! He will not publicly discuss specific numbers, but he’s clearly lost weight since getting the lap-band in February of 2013. Rumor has it he’s down 85 pounds, but he hasn’t confirmed this amount. A Better Choice of Words Ms. O’Donnell is certainly entitled to her opinion, but it doesn’t seem necessary for an influential celebrity to insult all lap-band patients in front of millions of viewers on national television. She could easily have praised the gastric sleeve and all that it has done for her without bashing the lap-band. She could have discussed why she chose the sleeve over the lap-band and gastric bypass. She could have praised Governor Christie for his weight loss without insulting his choice of weight loss surgery. How Can “The View” Make Amends? “The View” could have handled the situation a little differently. The show could have done something as simple as asking Ms. O’Donnell for evidence for her claims. For example, where did she learn that half of all lap-bands are removed? That flies in the face of what patients learn from their surgeons, who spend years studying the lap-band and other types of weight loss surgery. There’s still time to make amends and show weight loss surgery patients some respect. “The View” could dedicate a segment of a future show to discussing weight loss surgery more accurately. Any number of bariatric surgeons and allied health professionals could serve as credible guests in an informative interview. Make Your Voice Heard! What you think matters to Hollywood celebrities and TV shows. Their success depends on your approval and continued support. If you want to weigh in on how you feel about Ms. O’Donnell’s insensitive comment about the lap-band, why not tell her and “The View” what you’re thinking? You can tweet them at @Rosie and @theviewTV to explain how hurtful her words were. They’re on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RosieODonnellOfficial and https://www.facebook.com/TheView. Ms. O’Donnell may benefit from learning that the lap-band is a good choice for some weight loss surgery patients, and “The View” may learn that the show needs to take responsibility for presenting a more accurate picture of this – and any other – sensitive topic.

Check out this article on Governor Christie and the Lap-Band. Feeling a little famous at the moment

In 2001, Yvonne McCarthy from Dallas, Texas, decided to get healthy. She hit the ground running and never looked back as she committed to weight loss surgery and learned to manage her food addiction. Her Open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery 13 years ago helped Yvonne lose half of her body weight and keep it off for over a decade. Yvonne has used her weight loss surgery experience to help others. She spends over 80 hours a week advocating for bariatric surgery patients as “Bariatric Girl.” She answers emails and posts on Facebook and from her blog to advocate for weight loss surgery and support people who are fighting obesity just like she did. That’s like working two full-time jobs – for free! Being a great role model and giving back to the weight loss surgery community are what make Yvonne a true weight loss surgery hero. Don’t miss seeing Yvonne’s website or Bariatric Girl Facebook page, You Tube Channel and follow @BariatricGirl on Twitter! She’ll share her experience on bariatric surgery, and you’ll get to learn more about this talented woman’s photography and music! First, read Yvonne McCarthy’s story and our interview with her here. Finding Out How Heavy People Get Treated Yvonne was a strong and athletic girl. That worked out well when it came time to pick teams at school, but her athletic abilities weren’t needed or appreciated elsewhere. Instead, she quickly learned that bigger girls aren’t welcomed. She says, “I figured out pretty young how being different made people treat you badly.” Puberty hit hard, and the dieting started in fourth grade. Yvonne’s struggles got worse through college and beyond. She nearly turned anorexic during her college years, but “couldn’t keep it up.” After college, she “did every diet known to man” and each time, she gained back all the weight she’d lost plus a few pounds. Her highest recorded weight was 260 pounds. Didn’t Listen When They Said Not to Have “Unrealistic Expectations” Yvonne got gastric bypass in 2001. At that time, the bypass was only offered as an open surgery, not as a laparoscopic procedure. She went into surgery with the intention of hitting a “normal” body weight (BMI under 25), and didn’t listen when surgeons warned her not to have “unrealistic expectations.” She followed the prescribed diet and lost 130 pounds in the first 13 months! Yvonne now weighs exactly what she weighed in college over 40 years ago. Never Going Back to “Prison” Yvonne says she has a “really healthy memory of 30 years of obesity” and refuses “to return to that prison [that she] couldn’t break out from.” Post-op care wasn’t a standard part of care in 2001, and she didn’t see another post-op until three years later! She just stuck to the diet because she thought she had to, and she hasn’t strayed more than five pounds from her goal weight! “I assumed that you lost the weight and “IF” you regained that you should fix it while it’s small. When I attended my first weight loss surgery event everyone asked me how I kept it off. I literally didn’t know any better.” By that time, she’d developed the good habits that she maintains today. Learning to Manage an Addiction to Food Some people eat to fill a void. Some eat out of boredom. Others eat for comfort, or to manage stress. Yvonne discovered that she ate to cope with feelings she didn’t want to have. She had a food addiction. She says, “I was fortunate that I chose to work on my head just as much. I am passionate about the acknowledgement of the existence of food addiction and when I admitted I was an addict, I was able to take steps to work on the root problems that fueled my addiction. I don’t know how many years ago I started doing this but today I eat very boring things and practically the same food every day. I can no longer have “sex in a plate” so my food has to be just like the fuel you put in your car.” No More Junk Food The days of eating junk food are over for Yvonne. She’s not comfortable eating it for fear that she’ll fuel her addiction and regain the weight. “ I can’t eat just one so I quit craving sugar and junk food because I quit eating it completely. I haven’t had cake, pie, cookies, candy etc. in 13 years and I don’t even remember what it tastes like. I feel very strongly that if you wish to lose a craving that you need to quit eating it. “You wouldn’t give an alcoholic a sip of beer to get past the craving….why do we think that works with food? There are some people that can eat that stuff and maintain and I’m happy for them but I don’t know very many that can.” The Need to Support Others Yvonne didn’t just go against the grain by setting, achieving, and maintaining a goal of 130 pounds. She also didn’t know that the “only” way to lose weight and keep it off is to have a strong support system. So, she managed to succeed without the standard support system only because there were none and she was forced to figure out her “head” on her own. Yvonne turned to the Obesity Help forums and her profile there transitioned into her blog. Over the years, she “saw the exact same patterns over and over and I felt a passion to help warn others of what was coming down the road.” A Life Dedicated to Helping Others She felt obligated to help others because her own “unique situation of not seeing another post-op for 3 years in the beginning saved me because if I had seen even one other person regain I would have thought, ‘I’m nobody special and if they can’t keep it off, I can’t either.’” Bariatric Girl to the Rescue! Yvonne has done the majority of her advocacy as “Bariatric Girl.” She maintains a website and blog, You Tube channel, and stays active on her Bariatric Girl Facebook page and Twitter. She answers emails and Facebook messages, and even takes phone calls to help others with their struggles and questions. Yvonne now spends over 80 hours a week as a volunteer with the goal of supporting others who are considering weight loss surgery or who are already weight loss surgery patients. “Since the sun and the moon and the stars lined up for me I felt like I didn’t have the right to not help others by sharing the experiences of the thousands of people I’ve communicated with over the years.” In addition, Yvonne has spoken at many events and volunteered for many organizations by taking photographs and videos at events. Her other advocacy work includes: Former faculty with the Weight Loss Surgery Channel. Host of the channel’s Weight Loss Surgery Journeys, a program that included interviews with recent bariatric surgery patients. Member of Apollo Endosurgery Patient Executive Council. Three-year service on the Board of Directors of Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America, which advocates for bariatric surgery patients and provides grants to deserving patients who can’t afford weight loss surgery on their own. Every weight loss surgery patient and candidate wants to hear success stories. These stories are sources of hope because they’re about people who used to feel hopeless and out of control, but who found weight loss surgery as a solution. Yvonne was able to use the gastric bypass surgery as a tool to learn to manage her food addiction and turn over a new leaf. Yvonne is more than just a story, though. She gives her knowledge, love, and support to others who are struggling with their weight and who are weight loss surgery patients. It’s rare to find someone as giving and dedicated as Yvonne is, and everyone whose lives she has touched is grateful.

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We stopped releasing a Kindle specific app. You should be able to use our new Android app on your device. You can download it here.

YAY! You made my night So happy to meet BP members at the event. It's gonna be really educational and fun.

I'm 11+ years with my original Lap-Band

You can change your DIsplay Name in your account settings at: http://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=core&area=displayname

You can change your username here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=core&area=displayname

Just sent you an email.