Alex Brecher

Can you please provide us with an example or two ? Is this for specific forums or you get the message randomly ?

Are you a LAP-BAND patient? Has your life changed significantly and now you want to share your story with others? If so, Apollo Endosurgery, the makers of the LAP-BAND System, would love to hear about it! Email LAPBANDstories@apolloendo.com.

It's an awesome app! I used it when I first started out running and it helped me tremendously!

Nutritional deficiencies are among the common risks of weight loss surgery. Calcium deficiency in particular can be a serious problem because it may not show up until years or even decades have passed and you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, or weak bones. Osteoporosis can cause: Broken ribs from something as innocent as coughing or sneezing. Broken hips and wrists from falling. Broken ankles from stepping off a curb. Loss of height and back pain from vertebral compression in your spine. You can take charge of your bone health. Learn why calcium can help, and how you can get enough calcium after weight loss surgery. Bone Loss Is Irreversible Obesity is a serious disease that’s tough to overcome, but there is at least one positive thing about obesity: it is reversible. Hard as it may be, you can lose weight and get your health back. After losing weight, you may have lower blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels, less joint pain, and more energy than you’ve had in years. That’s not true with your bones. Your bone density increases from birth until your mid or late 20s. After your skeleton is mature and you reach peak bone mass, your bone density decreases for the rest of your life. Your job is to keep the decreases as slow as possible to preserve your bone mass. Bone Health is for Everyone A lot of people think that osteoporosis is something that only frail, older women need to worry about. That’s just not true. Men and women of all ages need to think about bone health after weight loss surgery. Younger weight loss surgery patients are still building bone mass. If you get weight loss surgery before your late 20s, you may never reach your highest possible peak bone mass. Middle aged adults need to protect bone mass so you’re not at high risk for fractures when you get older. Women around menopause are already losing bone density quickly. If you don’t protect yourself after weight loss surgery, you could quickly develop osteoporosis even if you had healthy bones a few years ago. Men have higher bone density than women, but you can still get osteoporosis. Your risk increases as you get older, and you don’t want weight loss surgery to increase your risk. Calcium in Your Body Most of the calcium in your body is in your bones, but 1 percent of the calcium is in your blood and other tissues. Calcium is necessary for vital processes, like muscle contraction, hormone secretion, blood pressure regulation, and sending nerve impulses. Calcium levels in your blood are very tightly monitored. If blood levels of calcium drop, you need more calcium in your blood. Ideally, your body uses calcium from your diet to bring calcium levels back to normal. This works well when you get enough calcium in your diet. If you don’t, your bones suffer. That’s because your body pulls calcium from your bones to put in your blood when there’s no dietary calcium available. Your bones slowly get weaker every time this happens. Why Bone Loss Is a Problem After Weight Loss Surgery It’s harder to get enough calcium from your diet when you lose weight fast. That’s why you're at high risk for osteoporosis after weight loss surgery. You’re eating less food overall. You’re cutting out liquid calories, such as from milk. You’re cutting way back on junk foods that have calcium, such as pizza, fortified but sugary breakfast cereal, and ice cream. You may also be absorbing less calcium from your diet after weight loss surgery. Calcium absorption drops after gastric bypass. Vitamin D absorption, which is necessary for calcium absorption, drops after gastric bypass. Vitamin D absorption drops if you eat a very low-fat diet, which is likely after weight loss surgery. Get Three Servings of High-Calcium Foods Each Day The following foods are good sources of calcium. They also have protein, making them great choices for your weight loss surgery diet. 1 cup of non-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt. ½ cup of non-fat cottage cheese. 1 ounce of reduced-fat cheese. 3 ounces of canned salmon. 3 ounces of canned mackerel. ½ cup of tofu. Calcium at Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Aim for one serving of a high-calcium food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These are some ideas for dishes with a good amount of calcium. Oatmeal cottage cheese pancakes. Baked tomatoes with low-fat feta cheese. Broccoli with melted low-fat cheddar cheese and crushed cashews. Salmon salad made with Greek yogurt instead of mayo and wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Chili made with tofu instead of beef. A fish wrap with canned mackerel, basil, tomato slices, and spinach or arugula on a small, high-fiber tortilla. Other Ways to Protect Your Bone Health Take the dietary supplements that your surgical center recommends. Those will probably include a daily multivitamin supplement and one or two daily doses of calcium. You may also be told to take vitamin D. Other nutrients affect your bone health, so make sure to eat the healthy foods on your meal plan. Regular exercise is another great way to keep your bones strong. Osteoporosis puts you at risk for devastating fractures, and you may not even know you have it until you break a bone. You can lose bone mass after weight loss surgery, but you can protect yourself with a healthy diet and exercise plan. In particular, getting enough calcium on a daily basis can keep you healthy.

Are you positive you're using our latest version ?

This feature will be added over the next month or so.

We're listening and taking notes as you guys and gals provide both positive as well as negative feedback. We *WILL* be making changes based on the feedback we receive. It might not take a day or two but we really will make sure that most members are completely satisfied with their BariatricPal app experience (free or paid.)

I spoke too soon. You'll have access to all social group forums shortly.

Please join fellow WLS peeps and help save lives one grant at a time and enjoy a 1940's Big Band Celebration! Go to this URL to learn more!

This is an issue with social groups, not the app. We hope to address this over the next month or so. Until that point, you won't be able to access social group forums from our app.

This feature isn't available at the moment. It most definitely will be available in the near future. We're also working on a partnership with the leading food and calorie tracking company. Hopefully should have some good news on that front shortly as well.

Please keep the positive as well as negative feedback coming. They're equally important to us. Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback. We're reading every comment and will try to address every post asap.

Do you access BariatricPal from your smartphone or other mobile device? You need to hear this important announcement! It’s time to download your new BariatricPal app. We're discontinuing support for the old apps on September 24. That means that you won't be able to access BariatricPal if you don’t download the new app. To get your new app: Go to the Apple store if you have an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod). Go to the Google Play Store to get your app for Android. The new apps are available right now. Take two minutes to download your free new app to make sure you stay connected with BariatricPal! Be sure to get the new app before September 24! If you haven’t already been using BariatricPal’s mobile app, you might want to try it out. You can access all of the BariatricPal forums and features you love from your iOS or Android device, so you can connect with the community from anywhere. Thanks as always for your support!

We (literally) just released our new iOS app which works on iPads. You might want to give it a spin. You should be able to update your password from the mobile or regular skin here.

We HIGHLY recommend using another surgeon, until we're able to reach Dr. Illan and discuss the Omar issue with him directly. Since Omar is in charge of all his communication, all attempts to reach Dr. Illan have failed. I will update this topic if anything changes.

Please let us know how your experience goes Friday! I've been to a few Obesity and weight loss conferences this past year and Dr. Gagner was presenting at each. He's considered a leader in the Bariatric professional community and is credited as one of the first surgeons to start performing Gastric Sleeve's.

The OAC has alerted us to a new bias issue regarding fat-shaming apps available for download on app stores hosted by Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. Apps such as, “Fatify,” “Fatbooth,” “Fat You” and others greatly perpetuate fat-shaming and weight bias in today’s society. Children are the primary users of these types of apps, and the apps are teaching children that the disease of obesity is a funny cosmetic issue, which we know is not true. Approximately 30 percent of girls with excess weight and 24 percent of boys with excess weight report being teased by peers at school. These apps have the potential to further exacerbate weight-based bullying and fat-shaming – especially in children. The OAC, along with supporting organizations, have issued formal letters to the leaders of Amazon.com, Apple Inc., Google Inc., and the Microsoft Corporation calling on each of them to remove offensive fat-shaming applications from their online app stores and strengthen their review process to ensure no further fat-shaming apps are approved for download. To view each letter, please click the below corresponding link(s): Amazon (PDF) Apple (PDF) Google (PDF) Microsoft (PDF) We Need YOUR Voice! Along with serious medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea and more, obesity carries the burden of being the last acceptable form of discrimination in today’s society. These types of apps intensify the short-sided understanding of obesity and minimalize it to a cosmetic issue, which we know it is not. In order to make sure our voice, the voice of all individuals affected by the disease of obesity, is heard loud and clear, we need YOUR help! Take action with the OAC today and sign the OAC’s petition for the removal of fat-shaming apps! CLICK HERE to Take Action Today! Thank You!

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Are you using our app or website please ?

I sent you a temporary password via email. Did you receive it ?

Just emailed you.

Hey, BariatricPal Members! Happy Labor Day from BariatricPal! Whether your family traditions include a cookout, parades, relaxing at home, seeing the fireworks, or going to the Labor Day sales, we say “Go for it!” Just make sure you take your own healthy Snacks instead of hitting the mall food court. Labor Day can be a high-calorie nightmare, but not when you follow the tips in this newsletter. We hope you’ll get through the day and make yourself proud of the healthy way you’re ending the summer and getting ready for fall. Here’s what you’ll find in this newsletter. Survival Tips for Your Labor Day Cookout Looking Ahead – Ready to Work Towards an Autumn 5K? On the Menu: Grilled chicken Breast with pineapple Watermelon Salsa and Shrimp and Peach Skewers Back to School Review: Packing a Healthy lunch We wish you a safe and happy holiday whether you have a busy day planned or you get to relax with friends and family. We’re looking forward to seeing you on BariatricPal when you get a chance! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Survival Tips for Your Labor Day Cookout What happens when you have the following at a Labor Day barbecue? A cheeseburger A hot dog ½ cup coleslaw ½ cup baked Beans A frosted cupcake A can of soda The answer is that you have a diet disaster. It’ll get in the way of your weight loss, and will probably end up making you feel sick. The above meal contains: 1,400 calories. More than a day’s worth of saturated fat and sugar. Over 200 grams of carbohydrates. Tips for a Healthier Barbecue You don’t always have a lot of healthy options when you’re not the host, but you can always make an effort to be healthy. Use portion control. You don’t need to eat an entire six-ounce burger with the bun. Just eat half of the burger, and leave the bun. Skip the mayonnaise-laden coleslaw, Pasta salad, and egg salad. Load up your plate instead with vegetables or fruit. Bring a healthy dish to share. This is a can’t-fail strategy to make sure there’s something you can eat. Bring a green salad with sliced egg whites or a cut watermelon. Now you can enjoy the party, too! Join in the activities. Don’t sit out this year’s volleyball game or tug-of-war. Join it! Nobody cares how good or bad you are as long as you add to the fun. Bring a ball. It’s actually really fun to kick or throw a ball around, and people will enjoy letting their inner child out. You can pick up a beach ball or rubber ball from any drugstore or toy store for a couple of dollars. Looking Ahead – Ready to Work Towards an Autumn 5K? The calendar says we have another few weeks of summer, but Labor Day marks the unofficial end of the season. Use this day as motivation to kickstart your own healthy fall. Maybe you’ve been working hard at the gym and you’re ready to take it up a notch, or you want to start a walking program and just haven’t found the motivation. Now’s your chance. We challenge you to finish a 5K road race. There are tons of local 5Ks around the country in September, October, and November. Why not register for one of them? As temperatures get cooler, it’s easier to train outside. Start with short walks, and see if you can build up from there. If you’re already a good walker and you’re closer to your goal weight, think about throwing in a few steps of jogging when you feel good. Think about your goal of finishing the 5K, and you’ll have extra motivation to work out. Tell everyone on BariatricPal your goal race and let us know how your training is coming! On the Menu: Grilled Chicken Breast with Pineapple Watermelon Salsa and Shrimp and Peach Skewers When you’re hosting the Labor Day party, you get to choose the menu. You can always serve beef patties, hot dogs, and chocolate chip Cookies to your guests who wouldn’t consider eating anything else. For yourself and the rest of your guests who are watching their weight (there’s probably more than you think!), do everyone a favor and make a few healthy dishes. Grilled Chicken Breast with Pineapple Watermelon Salsa First, prepare the pineapple watermelon salsa. Mix together 2 cups of cut watermelon, ¼ cup chopped red onion, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, and the juice from ½ a lime. Grill four slices of fresh pineapple (about half of a small pineapple) on each side, chop the hot pineapple, and add it to the watermelon mixture. Sprinkle low-sodium seasoning on 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and grill them. Serve them with the fruit salsa. You can substitute strawberries or mango for the watermelon, or use peaches or nectarines instead of pineapple. You can also try the recipe with mint instead of cilantro. Shrimp and Peach Skewers Mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, and the juice from a lemon. Add three jalapenos in large pieces (for a milder flavor, use an Anaheim pepper or a sweet bell pepper), 24 medium-sized shrimp, and 2 peaches, in chunks. Make 8 kebabs on sharp skewers, and grill them. If you’re following your weight loss surgery diet, this meal with a 3-ounce serving of chicken and 1 shrimp skewer has: 2 servings of Protein. 1 serving of vegetables. 1 serving of fruits. 1 serving of healthy fats. If that doesn’t fill you up, fill up on some green salad without dressing. Back to School Review: Packing a Healthy Lunch Are you still packing a healthy lunch every day for work? Or have you slipped up and gone back to your old ways? Maybe you grab a few slices of pizza if they show up at work, or you head to the nearby fast food restaurant with your coworkers because it’s easier than actually planning a healthy lunch. Well, treat yourself as you would treat your children. You wouldn’t send them off to school without a lunch and tell them just to eat whatever was convenient at the time. You’d take the time to make them a balanced, healthy lunch to take. Do the same for yourself. Sack Lunch Ideas Stick to your weight loss surgery diet as you plan your lunch. You might aim to get 1 to 2 servings of protein and a serving of dairy, plus 1 to 2 servings of a starch, vegetable, or fruit. These are some healthy items that are easy to take with you. Half of a whole wheat bagel with lettuce, tomato, and low-fat mozzarella cheese, plus a half-ounce of .almonds. Half of a whole-grain pita with hummus, low-fat feta cheese, sprouts, and red bell peppers. A packet of instant oatmeal that you can make at work with hot Water, plus frozen blueberries that you store in your freezer at work and two hard-boiled egg whites. Hard-boiled eggs – you can make several early in the week and store them in the fridge. A slice of whole-wheat bread with turkey and low-fat cheddar slices and half of an apple. Last night’s leftover grilled chicken breast on a green salad with tangerine slices and low-fat dressing. Healthy Snacks to Pack Don’t forget to include a few snacks if your meal plan includes them. You don’t want to get so hungry that you can’t resist a candy bar or bag of chips from the vending machine. Whole-grain pretzels Carrot, celery or cucumber sticks. Hummus or Peanut Butter for dipping. Low-fat popcorn (unless you’re a lap-band patient and it can get stuck in your band). Whole or cut fruit. Low-fat cheese sticks Sliced turkey, low-fat ham, or chicken breast. Canned tuna. Treat yourself as well as you would treat your children. There’s no reason to let lunch get the better of you. You can still go with your coworkers to their favorite fast food restaurants – just take your own food and keep on losing weight! Have a safe and happy Labor Day! Don’t forget to come talk about your holiday on BariatricPal!

Absolutely!!

The new App was submitted to Apple 6 days ago. It should be approved at any point. Might not be before the holiday weekend. We shall see! You'll be able to upgrade the current app from the app store by just clicking upgrade.

Get even more out of BariatricPal! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, see what we’re pinning on Pinterest, and come hang out with us on Google Plus! We post several updates every day to keep you in the loop when it comes to weight loss surgery. You’ll get to see: • food tips for better weight loss. • New research on weight loss surgery procedures, risks, and benefits. • The hottest discussions on BariatricPal. • The latest from weight loss surgery celebrities. • Current topics such as childhood obesity, nutrition, and insurance coverage. Stay connected to BariatricPal with social media so you’re never out of the loop! I also want to invite you to connect with me personally. • Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn I can't wait to connect with you on social media!