Alex Brecher

I used to drink 6-8 cups of coffee daily until about 1 1/2 years ago. I replaced the Joe with caffeine free (not "decaf") herbal tea. I normally enjoy plain bottled Water when I'm on the go but occasionally squirt in some Mio, crystal light or other calorie free flavors to give the water some taste.

We're currently working on iOS at the moment. A Windows version should arrive later this year.

The science fair is today. We'll find out shortly!

You're the 14th post in this topic. It's accurate.

Hey Everyone! We have been hard at work on our new Mobile Apps, and we're finally ready to release our first Android version to all members for testing! The iOS version will be released shortly. You can download the new BariatricPal Android app by visiting the Google Play store. Please report any bugs or issues here. We also welcome your general feedback and other requests here.

I have a poland spring machine on every floor in my house. We're a huge fan of water in my household. It's nothing near most of the drinks on the whiteboard but those liquid calories sure do add up. Coffee is technically calorie free. It's the other yummy crap we add that adds those calories. I ended my relationship with coffee almost a 1 1/2 now. It causes me reflux issues and I'm best staying away from it. Transitioned to caffeine free tea. I still have a sweet tooth and mix in stevia, monkfruit or other (un)natual sweeteners.

When it comes to weight loss, there's no lack of diets promising fast results. There are low-carb diets, high-carb diets, low-fat diets, grapefruit diets, cabbage Soup diets, and blood type diets, to name a few. But no matter what diet you may try, to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than your body uses. Most people try to reduce their calorie intake by focusing on food, but another way to cut calories may be to think about what you drink. What Do You Drink? It Makes More Difference Than You Think! Calories in drinks are not hidden (they're listed right on the Nutrition Facts label), but many people don't realize just how many calories beverages can contribute to their daily intake. As you can see in the example below, calories from drinks can really add up. But there is good news: you have plenty of options for reducing the number of calories in what you drink. Attached is my sons 4th grade science project. Makes me so proud!

Hey Everyone! Happy Memorial Day! This solemn occasion is the official day of remembrance to honor the men and women throughout history who have died during their military service. This day of contemplation and the three-day weekend it falls on are an opportunity for you to think about your own personal goals and battles. This newsletter has the following items to help you refocus your weight loss surgery journey. Memorial Day: A Respectful Occasion Memorial Day Picnic Make It a Neighborhood Celebration! Stay Hydrated – It’s Getting Hot! Set Your Summer Goals Have a wonderful weekend, and remember to do yourself and your family justice. If you have a minute after reading the newsletter, come on over to BariatricPal and share some motivation with the other members! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Memorial Day: A Respectful Occasion Memorial Day is the day to remember and give thanks for those who have died in their military service. If you believe that these men and women gave their lives to protect your freedom, you might ask yourself how you are showing your gratitude for your freedom. One way might be to take advantage of the opportunity to live the healthiest life that you can. If you are eligible for weight loss surgery, consider it seriously. Is it the right choice for you? What additional information do you need to make your decision? If you are on your way to getting weight loss surgery, what can you do now to make recovery and weight loss easier? If you are already a weight loss surgery patient, are you making the best eating decisions each day? Are you proudly taking control over your own health? One of the best ways to show your appreciation for the freedom you have is to use it wisely. What freedoms are you grateful for? Memorial Day Picnic Memorial Day can be a disaster if you down hot dogs, baked Beans, coleslaw, and beer, but there are plenty of healthier options for any kind of Memorial Day lunch or dinner. On the Grill Anytime there is a barbecue, there can be something for you to eat. Skip the ribs, hot dogs, and full-fat ground beef, and go for leaner Proteins and vegetables. Grill your food yourself if you are doing the grilling for everyone, or ask the griller to make your food for you as he cooks the other meat. It is no extra work, since you can supply your own ready-to-grill foods. Burger: veggie burger or lean ground turkey or beef chicken breast Skewer with chicken breast pieces, lean beef pieces, or shrimp If you want to grill peaches, Brussels sprouts, watermelon slices, or portabella mushrooms, make sure you have enough for everyone, because these options are delicious! Lap-band patients need to be wary of stringy choices like asparagus, corn on the cob, and pineapple. In the Picnic Basket What does your picnic add up to when you put weight loss surgery together with ham and cheese sandwiches, Pasta salad, and brownies? Over 1,000 calories and the possibility of dumping syndrome or other complications. Avoid this disaster by making sure your picnic basket contains high-Protein and low-calorie options. Hard-boiled egg whites Tuna salad made with Greek yogurt, a diced dill pickle, and black pepper Turkey and cheese rolls Three bean salad Fruit salad Refreshing Treats Skip the ice cream, cream pies, and soft drinks, and finish your meal instead with one of these refreshing choices. Watermelon – be careful to avoid seeds, especially if you are a lap-band patient or you are just starting your solid foods diet Frozen banana slices, or pureed frozen banana if you are on the soft foods phase of the post-surgery diet progression Frozen grapes – as simple as freezing and eating them! sugar-free popsicle or fudge pop Who Is Your Summer Walking Buddy? If you already know who your summer walking buddy is going to be, you are well on the way to putting in a healthy, active summer. If you do not yet know who will be your walking partner, we suggest that you work on finding one. Having an exercise partner can spur weight loss by helping you to work out more consistently, pushing you harder in workouts, and being a supportive friend who can listen to your struggles and encourage you to stay on track. It is easier to get up at dawn before the day gets brutally hot or go walking in the evening hours when you know that your walking partner is waiting for you right outside. A neighbor can be an ideal walking partner because it is so convenient for you and your neighbor to meet up for walks around the neighborhood. If you know of any of your neighbors who are already walkers, ask whether you can join them on one of their walks. Another approach is to knock on neighbors’ doors to ask whether they might be interested in joining you for a walk or even starting a walking group. You will get a lot of polite refusals, but at least knocking on doors lets you meet your neighbors. Best of all, in addition to the “no’s,” you are bound to get one or more enthusiastic acceptances. Now you’re ready for summer! Set Your Pre-Vacation Weight Loss Goals We still have almost another month of spring, but Memorial Day feels like the unofficial start to summer. For many of us, life is a little slower-paced during the summer. Children are out of school, and you might be able to get an extra afternoon off from work every so often. Whether you are planning to travel for a few weeks or you are simply hoping for the occasional weekend trip to the beach, you can use your upcoming summer plans as motivation to work even harder at following your weight loss surgery diet. Make your goals specific and doable to give yourself a boost. These are some examples of goals to set. Lose 10 pounds before my cruise sets sail next month. Lose a dress size before my grandson’s wedding. Come up with five high-protein, low-calorie dishes to take to the beach for a picnic. Exercise five times a week for the next four weeks so I’ll be in shape to walk with my family when we go to Disney World. Now that you’re armed with the tips and suggestions in this newsletter, why don’t enjoy the long weekend with your family, and then head on over to BariatricPal for a bit? We can’t wait to find out how you’re going to spend your summer!

You probably tried to lose weight through dieting and exercising for years before the idea of weight loss surgery ever occurred to you. Eventually, though, you started thinking about it. How did you first learn about weight loss surgery? Mark your answer, and then tell us about it in the discussion below!

Thanks!

Thanks for pointing out this bug. We're going to fix it at some point over the next week or two.

Did you send the PMs from the BariatricPal app or from the mobile website please ?

Yes please Alex thanks It's 23 CE's. Click here for more info on this one day course.

Traditionally, society has treated obesity as a choice. If you have been struggling with obesity for years, you have undoubtedly come across many people who believe that they believe that you have consciously decided to become and remain overweight. They let you know, tactfully or less discreetly, that they have no sympathy for you. However, obesity is a disease that requires as much attention as any other medical condition. % Of Obese Americans Keeps Growing Every Year The CDC, Center for Disease Control, reports the state averages for the percentage of Americans who are obese by year: The American Medical Association’s Designation of Obesity as a Disease The American Medical Association (AMA) officially classified obesity as a disease in June of 2013, describing it as a “multi-metabolic and hormonal disease state.” It was already common knowledge that obesity leads to unhealthy metabolic and hormonal changes, so this new classification may seem at first glance like a question of semantics that is relevant only to academics and scientists. When you dig a little deeper, though, it seems as though this decision can actually have far-reaching effects in the nation’s fight against obesity and in your own life. Why Obesity is a Disease In addition to the AMA, the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and other respected organizations recognize obesity as a disease. It impairs normal body functioning. It has a set of characteristic signs and symptoms. It decreases life expectancy. It can lead to harmful conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. It can be a genetic disorder. Benefits for Society of Recognizing Obesity as a Disease An important benefit of classifying obesity as a disease is the increased awareness. An organization as respected as the AMA is calling the nation’s attention to the fact that obesity rates are alarmingly high and increasing. The AMA is also drawing attention to the wide-ranging set of causes of and treatments for obesity. Policymakers are more likely to support community public health approaches for fighting obesity. They might promote obesity education in schools and provide funding for obesity research. Weight loss drugs could receive more scrutiny and faster approval if they are seen as necessary to fight a disease rather than unnecessary products that encourage consumers to continue unhealthy, obesity-promoting behaviors. How Your Health Care Might Improve The benefits of having obesity seen as a disease can hit closer to home, too. Doctors are more likely to address obesity and work with you to fight it when obesity is considered a disease. They might pay you more respect as society moves away from the current model of finger-pointing when it comes to obesity. Also, since obesity is a disease that can be treated, it is the role of health insurance companies to pave the way for you to seek treatment. Insurance companies are more likely to provide coverage for obesity treatments from lifestyle counseling to weight loss drugs to weight loss surgery. Until now, insurance companies have rarely supported reimbursement for diet counseling and psychotherapy as an obesity treatment, and only some plans provide coverage for weight loss surgery. Often, they only allow certain types of weight loss surgery, and have more stringent requirements. The Psychological Benefits of a Label Finally, there can be psychological benefits when obesity is recognized as a disease. The stigma around obesity, seen in the workplace, on the streets, and maybe even in your own family, may decrease now that there is official recognition. Like HIV/AIDS and depression have already become, obesity may eventually become an accepted condition that deserves compassion and requires medical attention and support rather than a condition to be ashamed of. The designation is a validation of the struggles you currently face and may have faced for years or your entire life. It can be infuriating when others judge your obesity as a choice or lack of willpower. Worse, these descriptions can be discouraging, and prevent you from having the strength or even wanting to continue to fight obesity. An official diagnosis of obesity lets you know that you have a specific battle to fight, and the medical field is in your corner. This can give you confidence to make tough lifestyle changes or life-changing decisions such as weight loss surgery. You Still Need to Treat It What would you do if you were diagnosed with pneumonia? You would not just ignore it. You would discuss your treatment options with your doctor, and follow his or her recommendations. You would get chest x-rays, lab tests, and lung fluid samples to help in determining the nature of your condition. You would aggressively treat it with antibiotics, other medications, hospitalization, and plenty of rest and fluids. High blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and depression are just a few other conditions that you would not think twice about treating. Similarly, a diagnosis of obesity is not a green light to ignore it, but research described in the New York Times suggests that this is exactly what is happening in some cases. In one study, individuals who were told that their obesity was a disease ended up choosing higher-calorie foods than individuals who were not told that they had a disease. That is, individuals who were told that they had a disease called obesity felt that they were victims of a condition beyond their control, and that there was no point in fighting it. The point is that you need to address obesity, whether it is a disease or not. Not everyone will be able to use the same strategy to successfully lose weight and keep it off, but one or more approaches can work for you, whether they are specific dietary changes, exercise, weight loss surgery, or a combination of these.

My kids and I just adopted Ozzy two days ago! He's 2 months old and was in a kill shelter in Delaware.

@LAPBAND Twitter event Thursday , May 22 2014 4PM PST/7PM EST Have questions about the LAP-BAND System? You're in luck because on Thursday, 5/22 @ 4 pm PT/ 7pm ET, Banded Wendy be hosting a Twitterchat with Dr. George Fielding, Bariatric Surgeon & fellow WLS peep. He'll be answering questions about LAP-BAND. To join in on the discussion follow #LAPBANDchat Ask Away! Please remember to identify yourself as a BariatricPal member when posting to the chat!

This topic is closed. It is not conducive of conduct here at Bariatric Pal.

Android and yes I have done all that. I'm attaching a beta version of our Android app. Please let me know if you have ANY issues with this version! HS.BariatricPalMobile.apk

Very interesting!

I know, it's no bueno This is how I get my support :/ In on Android and it worked fine on my other phone till I upgraded to a new one and installed the app on the new phone :/ I just sent you a beta version of the Android app via email. Let me know if that resolves your issues please.

Yes I put my user name and password and when it opens up it says u have successfully logged on with and then has my user name That's not good Are you on Android or iOS ?

I restarted the app a few times. And now that I set up the app on my new phone it doesn't give me the option to start a new topic or the button to mark all read. That usually means you aren't logged in with your BariatricPal username and password.

Are you on Android or iOS ? We've been due for app upgrades for quite some time now. I believe we're going to release a new Android version next week. With iOS to follow shortly thereafter. Tracking is something we're working on but it's going to be another 4-12 months until it's actually available. Please restart the app and make sure you're actually logged in.

A common concern among people who are trying to lose weight is the cost of your lifestyle change. If you are trying to decide whether weight loss surgery is for you, you might be worried about the cost of the procedure. If you have had weight loss surgery but are struggling to lose weight, you might be having trouble justifying the cost of your healthy diet. While it is true that you will have to pay more for certain things, such as the upfront cost of surgery and the cost of healthy foods, it is also true that by getting healthy, you can save plenty of money on long-term healthcare costs and other expenses. How Much Does Obesity Cost? The answer is not simple when you consider the current and future costs of medications and other medical care for obesity and related conditions. Many obese individuals are taking medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and to manage diabetes. You can easily be spending hundreds of dollars a month on your prescription drug regimen. Blood tests are another expense that you probably regularly need to purchase in order to monitor your cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglyceride level. Even with insurance, you might be paying substantial amounts until you hit your maximum out-of-pocket level. You also need to think about the possible costs down the road. These can include major expenses, such as the cost of knee or hip surgery to relieve osteoarthritis pain, a hospital stay for a heart attack or stroke, or dialysis because of kidney failure resulting from complications of diabetes. Obesity is not guaranteed to cause all of these in every individual, but it does increase your risk. Of course, you are also paying for obesity if you take more sick days than you otherwise would, or if you are unable to accept promotions or switch job because you cannot meet the job demands. Do Not Forget the Cost of Temporary Weight Solutions If you are even thinking about weight loss surgery, it is because you have already tried – without success – to lose weight. You might have been unable to lose weight on any diet plan, or you might have been able to lose weight at the beginning, but you gained it back within months or years. Whether you were unable to lose weight at all or were unable to keep it off, you have undoubtedly tried numerous diet programs. They are not cheap. You need to pay for the cost of prepared foods or special diet shakes or supplements. Some diet programs also charge for their support as well as for each pound that you lose. Hundreds of dollars over the course of years puts a serious dent in your budget, especially if you The True Cost of Unhealthy vs. Healthy Food At many fast food restaurants, five dollars can buy you some sort of value meal with a burger, burrito, or chicken sandwich, a side, such as French fries or nachos, and a soft drink. For those same five dollars, you can purchase a can of tuna, a few servings of fresh or frozen vegetables, an apple and an entire loaf of whole-wheat bread. Even if you want to eat lunch at a fast food restaurant after weight loss surgery, you can buy a salad with chicken breast or a small taco or grilled chicken sandwich for those five dollars. The unhealthy value meal can have over 1,000 calories, while the other options might have only a few hundred. While you might not be getting as many calories for those same five dollars when you make the healthy choices, you are still spending the same amount of money (or less) and meeting your needs for that same meal. Get out of the mindset of trying to get the most food per dollar, and get into the mindset of making the best choice for your money. Are the Costs of Weight Loss Surgery and a Healthy Lifestyle Worthwhile? The weight loss surgery procedure itself can cost several thousand dollars without insurance, and that may not include the cost of medical tests before and after surgery, follow-up visits, and any additional care that may be necessary in the case of complications related to surgery. You also need to buy healthy foods. Lean sources of protein, such as chicken and turkey breast, cheese, tuna and extra lean ground beef, are no longer optional. You also need to buy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These can seem expensive, but compare them to what you used to buy. As an example, if you are a man who weighed 260 pounds and exercised lightly a couple of times per week, you needed 2,500 calories per day simply to maintain your weight before surgery – and if you were gaining weight, you were eating more than 2,500 calories per day. After weight loss surgery, your calorie consumption is closer to half that amount. Eating half the calories lets you select nutritious foods while keeping your total costs low. Another cost of a healthy lifestyle is staying active. A gym membership can be a few hundred dollars a year, but you do not need to join a gym to get fit. Throw on a pair of sturdy walking shoes and some comfortable clothes, and you can be pounding the pavement for under $100. Consider the Intangibles Life is not all about dollars and cents. It is about living. As an obese individual, you might be missing out on a lot of life. You might not be able to spend the day on your feet when you go out with friends and family, shopping for clothes might be a humiliating experience, and fitting into an airplane seat or restaurant booth might be impossible. On top of all that, your life expectancy is lower if you are obese. Seeing your children graduate from college or being able to take care of the grandchildren is a privilege that has no cost. Bottom Line: Do Weight Loss and Health Fit into Your Budget? Weight loss surgery is not for everyone, and surgery and a nutritious diet can be large upfront costs. However, you are likely to gain the money back, along with a better quality of life, if you are successfully able to lose weight for good. Because of lower healthcare costs, better attendance at work, and the ability to do more fun activities, weight loss and health can surely fit into your budget.

I found the episode on Dr. Oz's website. Click here for more info.