Len657

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

(Re-printed from my Surgeon's website)
1. Your co-worker heard a strange noise and doesn’t bat an eye…knowing it was your stomach.
Patients often ask me why their new pouch makes odd gurgling noises. It could be too big of bites or eating too quickly. It could also just be your stomach moving around and making noises for all to hear
2. You have a space heater under your desk in the middle of July.
It may be in part to losing some “insulation” but many postop wls patients are colder than they’ve ever been using more blankets at night and space heaters to keep warm.
3. Your alarm just went off for the third time today to remember your next Vitamin.< /b>
While bariatric Vitamins have become much more simpler in recent years, it still takes reminders to get in your vitamins. Your family might even hear the alarm and hand you your calcium!
4. Protein is always first on your mind at your meals – it might as well be plastered inside your forehead.
Protein…protein..where’s the protein? Protein is what fills you up and keeps you full! You get the most out of your surgery when you focus on lean and solid protein sources.
5. Your waitress keeps asking if the food is okay. And if you’re sure you don’t want a drink.
When you can only eat an ounce or so, the wait staff may think something is wrong with the food. And what do you mean you don’t want anything to drink??
6. Your pants are barely holding on but you’re still holding off to go shopping.
Just make sure you don’t carry a heavy object and walk up a flight of stairs. At least not around anyone
7. Speaking of shopping, you still go to the plus sized section first out of habit.
It’s hard to wrap your mind around your new body. Leave plenty of time and stay patient with yourself as you find out what size your body is. Take a good friend to be your “runner” and someone to talk it out with.
8. You get overjoyed at the release of a new Protein Bar flavor…or a sale on your favorite Protein Bars.< /strong>
Quest® has a new flavor?!?!??! Ahhhhh!!!!!!
9. You rejoice at the small things like crossing your legs or getting a pair of boots that zip up your calves.
Some things you’ll never take for granted again. It may seem like nothing to others, but to you it’s something big.
10. You use lingo like “wls”…”bariatric friendly”…”pouch”…”vsg”…
You gotta know the lingo to be in the club!
11. You smile as you think of how far you’ve come and get excited to think of where you’ll be soon.
Patients wonder why they didn’t have their surgery sooner.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

I do go to the Gym.
This was most certainly not the easy way out.
I did not tell you because I needed someone to support me not Judge me.

Just please read the labels for country of origin...some of Dollar Tree food in my area is from China. I, personally, would not trust any food and safety regulations for food processed in China.

I became mournful and miserable. My life had no meaning…no purpose. My purpose had become feeding Charlie….my captor. Don’t get me wrong, he gave me things too…anxiety, paranoia, high blood pressure, depression, and in return I gave him my health, my happiness and my freedom. There came a day when I felt that I might suffocate myself with Charlie. I could see my life slipping away. I looked at him with loathing as we sat in silence and stuffed ourselves to the point of intoxication.


Well, the divorce is final! Let me explain. I spent 25 years in an oppressive, controlling, stifling and very demoralizing relationship with “my other half”. By other half, I mean that 250 pounds of extra body weight that all but smothered me. It somehow took on a life of its own and eventually took away mine in the process. Let’s call that other half Charlie. Charlie was a gleeful soul at first. We spent lots of time together. We had fun eating and drinking to our hearts content. Loosening our belts as they became tighter and tighter. Charlie’s philosophy was always “Go big or go home” and boy oh boy did we ever live by that principle. We did everything to extreme, extra-large pizzas smothered in extra cheese, double quarter pounders with cheese…super-sized please. As time went on we began spending all of our time together. Charlie became so possessive. It got to the point where he would not let me leave the house. I could not see my friends or visit with my family. We stayed home all the time. We did not go on dates; no movies, carnivals or concerts. “We had a big screen TV” he said…”What else do we need?” Like the devil, he seduced me in to staying home and accommodating his needs….oh and he was oh so needy!
I became mournful and miserable. My life had no meaning…no purpose. My purpose had become feeding Charlie….my captor. Don’t get me wrong, he gave me things too…anxiety, paranoia, high blood pressure, depression, and in return I gave him my health, my happiness and my freedom. There came a day when I felt that I might suffocate myself with Charlie. I could see my life slipping away. I looked at him with loathing as we sat in silence and stuffed ourselves to the point of intoxication. We were indeed a TOXIC couple. One night I asked him for a trial separation. Oh, he fought like the dickens to hold on to me, playing head games and mental manipulation. I fought back. I had my weight loss surgery, I began walking, and I went back to school and slowly began taking my life back.
Charlie continued to hang around …to hold on, to tempt and entice. As I became stronger and healthier I began to see less and less of him. So today, I declare my independence! My divorce is final! Charlie my “other half” who, by the way, is most certainly not my “better” half, is officially gone and out of my life. He won’t be back. Good bye and good riddance. I realize today, that I only held on because I was afraid to let go.
Alana Marie
Follow my journey at http://pickastrugglecupcake.com

If you were sleeved in June, I assume you HAVE been going to the gym or exercising regularly since then, so your actions and progress should disprove her "You didn't want to go to the gym" and "Easy way out" comments, right?

I recently posted an article titled “The Biggest Loser:” Irresponsible Weight Loss Surgery Comments? . We received many fantastic comments from our concerned members. I've decided to follow up our article with an Open Letter to Dr. Robert Huizenga or Dr. H as he's known on the show. The letter will also be sent to the shows producers and staff members.


Dear Dr. Huizenga,
I am the founder of BariatricPal, the world’s largest online community for weight loss surgery patients and potential patients.
I am writing to you today regarding your role as an expert on “The Biggest Loser.” I am asking you to please stop publicly portraying weight loss surgery in a negative light without any explanation. Most recently, during the Season 16 Finale, you stated that losing weight using methods used on the show were far healthier than turning to weight loss surgery. The implication was that bariatric surgery is under no circumstances the best choice for individuals struggling with obesity.
I am asking you to stop making comments like this. You and “The Biggest Loser” have a significant amount of influence on America. The season finale attracted 5.4 million live viewers, with untold millions watching the show at a later time. Given that one-third of American adults are obese, it is almost certain that many viewers have obesity.
“The Biggest Loser” reaches out to this audience throughout the show. Contestants, trainers, and health experts like yourself directly address viewers who need to lose weight, offering encouragement and tips. As you know, positive gestures like this can motivate people to change their lives.
Unfortunately, the derogatory comments about bariatric surgery can have just as much impact, but in a negative way. Your statement at the Season 16 finale of “The Biggest Loser” and similar ones make weight loss surgery sound like a shameful, dangerous, and ineffective choice in all cases, with no further explanation.
According to the Weight-Control Information Network (WIN), 4% of men and 8% of women in the U.S. have extreme obesity (BMI over 40). That translates to about 20 million American adults who are potentially eligible for weight loss surgery. This figure does not include the approximately 60 million Americans whose BMIs are between 30 and 40, and who might be eligible for surgery due to the existence of a co-morbidity.
Not all of these individuals are eligible for and interested in weight loss surgery, but many are. BariatricPal alone, for example, has a quarter-million members who are weight loss surgery patients or who are considering surgery.
For weight loss surgery patients, your comments can be hurtful. Weight loss surgery is not the “easy way out.” It is a tool to help control food intake. Eligibility criteria include a requirement that patients be committed to the strict dietary changes necessary to lose weight after bariatric surgery. I and millions of other weight loss surgery patients who have successfully used weight loss surgery as a tool against obesity worked hard to get where we are today. We do not deserve for you and your colleagues to suggest that we have cheated to lose weight.
Comments that groundlessly condemn weight loss surgery can harm potential patients just as much if not more. Eligible candidates might decide not to get the surgery in part because of your position. First, your comments can lead to a feeling of shame for even considering bariatric surgery to fight obesity. This is unjust, since the post-surgery diet is strict and requires a lifetime of attention, just as “The Biggest Loser” contestants must modify their own diets for the rest of their lives to maintain weight loss.
Secondly, your comments on the show seem to imply weight loss surgery does not work. While there are patients who do not respond to surgery, and complications are always a threat, the scientific literature overwhelmingly agrees that weight loss surgery is a viable option for the treatment of morbid obesity.
Furthermore, the scientific community largely agrees that weight loss surgery can improve health and metabolic parameters. To varying degrees, methods such as gastric bypass, adjustable gastric band, and gastric sleeve have been linked to improvements in diabetes and other obesity-related conditions, such as hypertension, sleep apnea, and dyslipidemia. The UK’s healthcare system, known as the National Health System or NHS, is so convinced of bariatric surgery’s effectiveness, safety, and cost savings potential it covers bariatric surgery procedures.
Unconditionally stating that weight loss surgery is the wrong choice is particularly unfair given that “The Biggest Loser” contestants do not always achieve or maintain their goal weights. An article on Today.com, which is owned by NBC, looked at initial, finale, and current weights of selected contestants from the first 11 seasons of the show. Of the 56 contestants they highlighted, 20 were within 10 pounds of their finale weights, and 8 had gained back at least 40 pounds since the finale.
These results are impressive but not perfect. And, “The Biggest Loser” is not for everyone. So far, only hundreds of individuals have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to lose weight on the show. For a few others, losing weight at one of the Biggest Loser resorts is an option – but not a practical one for most people. At $3,000 per week, it could take $50,000 or $100,000 or more to reach goal weight, not including time out from work and life.
Weight loss surgery may be the only practical choice for people who have work and family obligations, and who live within a budget. People struggling with obesity do not choose weight loss surgery because they think it will be easy. They choose it because they have no other choice. Nothing else has worked for them. For me and hundreds of thousands of other weight loss surgery patients, it worked.
Because of this, I ask you again to please stop publicly attacking weight loss surgery without explanation. You and I and everyone else who is connected to obesity knows what a terrible disease it is. We should join forces in fighting it. Let’s work together to get the greatest possible number of people healthy, and not work against each other with derogatory and divisive comments.
Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to fighting obesity. You have established yourself as one of the most influential health experts in obesity, and I hope you will use your voice in a positive way. Thank you for considering this.
Sincerely,
Alex Brecher
Founder, BariatricPal

Well, Dr. Huizenga's motivations to critisize WLS may lie in his investment and celebrity on Biggest Loser. Biggest Loser is a brand, and right now it's a lucrative brand to be associated with and Dr. Huizenga is profiting from it, even to the extent of opening his own resort style fat ranch, which I'm certain is aimed at a particular wealthy demographic. His views are very single dimensional and ignores the many complexities of mental and physical reasons for weight loss. He has been quoted as citing a study comprised of just 35 subjects, hardly a statistically accurate sampling, for many of his conclusions. Although we might expect him, as an MD, to proffesionally consider other medically accepted options, he chooses to select publications that support his business. I believe Dr Oz has been critisized for questionable claims, seems to be a Hollywood weakness.
In the end, Dr Huizenga can make all the claims he likes, it's a free country, but results speak louder than words. In actuality, he has not found the "magic pill", I therefore suspect his program, or Biggest Loser, is not likely to produce results unlike many studies with thousands of data points, which say diet and exercise has a low statistical success rate vs. WLS. As far as the damage he might do to discourage obese viewers of the show from WLS, I don't think he has the credibility as a TV personality verses a patient having a serious conversation wth their primary doctor or their surgeon.

I used to LOVE the biggest loser! Jillian and Bob are amazing. I have their programs and they do work.... For a period of time. Sustainability is what I needed.
I just recently have been able to admit to people that I had surgery. No one knows how much research and soul searching goes in to this huge decision. We feel like failures going in but come out as "losers" (winners) , so now if they have a problem with it they can go find my lost 100pnds and suck it.

"Does it really matter what a reality television show says in passing about weight loss surgery? I believe it does. For one thing, the country already has a culture that largely views bariatric surgery negatively. We don’t need to increase the negative feelings with these vague statements proclaiming that the show helps contestants lose weight the “right” way, and other methods of weight loss are “wrong.”
Second, the show has millions of loyal viewers, including many who may be eligible for weight loss surgery. In my opinion, the show is doing them a disservice by stating unequivocally that bariatric surgery is a bad option. For some of these viewers, bariatric surgery may be the only option that would allow them to lose the weight that has plagued them their entire lives."
PS: I wear boxer briefs

I get why my panties were in a bunch about the comment. Here's the deal:
The complete and utter HYPOCRISY of his statement! The contestants on that show exercise for 8 hours a day. According to his statement, they are losing weight the RIGHT way, and not turning to "distasteful weight loss surgery." How about he give us the skinny (pardon the pun) on how many of those contestants keep the weight off after they are back in the real world and the show is long over? I'll be willing to bet the stats are better with WLS patients.
Notice how I used the word "contestant"? This guy is the spokesperson for a GAME SHOW, and he wants to tell us what the right way is to lose weight?
And for those of you who say "Oh, who cares what some guy on TV says about WLS. I'm happy with mine"...that's the EXACT reason why we need to speak up and defend our choice to lose weight and keep it off! If we as the WLS community just stand idly by and let people misinform and misguide millions of people about it, we are doing a disservice to ourselves, current and future WLS patients. You say you don't need to be an advocate for WLS just because you had it? If we all in the WLS community aren't willing to speak up and fight the ignorance and misinformation that's floating around out there, who will?

Bravo, well said.

Try the almonds that have cocoa on them. I find them just sweet and chocolate enough to kill those cravings. Also just discovered dole strawberry dippers in the freezer section of grocery. They are halved frozen strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. 60 calories a serving, 4 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of Protein. They also gave banana dippers, but I'm not a fan of banana, much less frozen banana.

Why I chose VSG:
1. Decreased risk of dumping syndrome. Three years from now, if I want a bite of donut, I can have a bite of donut - enjoy a bite of donut, and odds are, not feel like I'm going to fall out.
2. Increased ability to eat 'healthy' food.. Lean and green are the mainstays of this lifestyle.
3. I read a study that indicated that families where the mom has had VSG lose weight and the children are less likely to be obese. I think that has to do with #2.. I want that; I want my kids to see me eating healthy, not to see me able to eat 'whatever' and still lose weight.
4. I work with ALOT of people who have had both surgeries. It has been my observation that post bypass, while the weightloss is faster, the skin is MUCH looser, the overall appearance is less healthy (dry, ashen, etc..), and to quote my husband they look like 'a pillowcase with the s*t slung out of it'.
5. I'm not the best at taking supplements long term. I stuck with prenatals for a year of planning + pregnancy and then another year of nursing.. and then Vitamins became hit or miss for me. I don't want to lose bone mass, blood cells, etc because of massive supplement needs secondary to malabsorption.
6. Research indicates that the part of the stomach left after gb can restretch; not so much with vsg due to the fact that the fundus is removed.
7. The intestines increase their ability to absorb, it's a survival thing. What if I get used to being able to eat crap and lose weight, stretch my stomach out, and my intestines start absorbing enough calories that I put it back on?
8. I want a normal colonoscopy, where all my insides can be visualized without having to have a special procedure.
For me - bypass was a very brief fleeting thought. I believe the VSG will be effective. If it's not, I can always have a revision to the DS. If it is, I've avoided all the stuff that steered me away from gastric bypass for the last decade.

It took me 6 months to break my caffeine addiction! I used to start out with several large cups of coffee, then drink diet coke like it was Water all day long. I managed to wean off completely starting with half-caf coffee and subbing LaCroix for some of the diet coke, but it was not easy! I had headaches off and on for months. I stayed completely off for the first several months post op, and have returned to a single k-cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning. If I want more coffee, it's Decaf. I don't do any kind of soda at all any more. Bubbles are banned and make me feel icky anyway. Do what you can to get off that stuff now! You don't want to be dealing with kicking that addiction post op.