My Bariatric Life

I challenge you to find an easier way to lose weight than drinking plenty of ice cold water. Get your fill of pro tips and more in this story... We take it for granted and perhaps do not recognize the many properties of water. Open the tap, and here it comes. Travel to the shore front and there it is, oceans and oceans of the stuff. It fills rivers and streams. It fills the shelves of markets and convenience stores. It falls on golfers who shake an angry fist and lament that their day on the green is ruined. Just imagine how ruined all our days would be if it never rained. To state the obvious, water is vital. How Much Water Should I Drink? For as long as I can remember we have been told to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day – more if you exercise heavily but less if you drink other beverages frequently. That seems a bit outdated to me. More recently, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that men should consume about 3.7 liters (about 13 cups) of water daily and women should consume about 2.7 liters (about 9 cups). Read, Planning a Great Bariatric Diet Grocery List During a workout or other physical activities, on hot or cold days, and owing to your weight and certain medical conditions, you may need more. The online daily hydration calculator is a great tool that calculates how much water you need by factoring in those criteria. I just used it to calculate how much water I need today. The result - 3.2 liters. The benefits of this simple discipline are many. Water for Optimal Health Water is an energy booster, relieving the dehydration that makes you feel fatigued. When you are thirsty, you have already become a bit dehydrated. Dehydration also makes the body and mind feel stressed whereas 70 to 80% of your brain tissue is water. Water helps to prevent muscle cramping and is a lubricate for the joints of your body. Water also hydrates your skin cells and gives your face a younger appearance. In addition, it is a good for digestion and helps to keep your bowels regular. As an added bonus, it has been proven that drinking water helps to lose weight. Water for Weight Loss It has been shown that people who drink two glasses of water twenty to thirty minutes before they have a meal lost weight more quickly and lost a greater number of pounds then those who did not drink water prior to eating. It was also discovered that people who drank water before meals consumed an average of 75 less calories over that course of that meal. If this action were continued for one year, a person would lose 14 ½ pounds. It has also been shown that being just 1% dehydration causes a drop in metabolism that can interfere with weight loss. The body has difficulty differentiating hunger from thirst. If you do not consume enough water across the day, thirst might be interpreted as hunger and more food will be eaten then is necessary. Read, My Top 10 Bariatric Diet Tips for You! Finally, drinking plenty of water to stay healthy during a fasting diet is essential. Drink Iced Water for Maximum Calorie Burn Calories can be used to define the amount of energy contained in food. Another definition for calorie can be the measure of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. Therefore, your body burns calories when you simply drink iced water. Read, Eating Foods that Burn More Calories Your body burns 17.5 calories raising the temperature of a sixteen ounce glass of iced water. If you comply with the eight glasses of eight ounces of water per day recommendation but drink iced water instead of non-iced water, you will burn 70 calories per day. Over the course of a year, the numbers will add up and translate into weight loss. Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life

We take it for granted and perhaps do not recognize the many properties of water. Open the tap, and here it comes. Travel to the shore front and there it is, oceans and oceans of the stuff. It fills rivers and streams. It fills the shelves of markets and convenience stores. It falls on golfers who shake an angry fist and lament that their day on the green is ruined. Just imagine how ruined all our days would be if it never rained. To state the obvious, water is vital. How Much Water Should I Drink? For as long as I can remember we have been told to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day – more if you exercise heavily but less if you drink other beverages frequently. That seems a bit outdated to me. More recently, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that men should consume about 3.7 liters (about 13 cups) of water daily and women should consume about 2.7 liters (about 9 cups). Read, Planning a Great Bariatric Diet Grocery List During a workout or other physical activities, on hot or cold days, and owing to your weight and certain medical conditions, you may need more. The online daily hydration calculator is a great tool that calculates how much water you need by factoring in those criteria. I just used it to calculate how much water I need today. The result - 3.2 liters. The benefits of this simple discipline are many. Water for Optimal Health Water is an energy booster, relieving the dehydration that makes you feel fatigued. When you are thirsty, you have already become a bit dehydrated. Dehydration also makes the body and mind feel stressed whereas 70 to 80% of your brain tissue is water. Water helps to prevent muscle cramping and is a lubricate for the joints of your body. Water also hydrates your skin cells and gives your face a younger appearance. In addition, it is a good for digestion and helps to keep your bowels regular. As an added bonus, it has been proven that drinking water helps to lose weight. Water for Weight Loss It has been shown that people who drink two glasses of water twenty to thirty minutes before they have a meal lost weight more quickly and lost a greater number of pounds then those who did not drink water prior to eating. It was also discovered that people who drank water before meals consumed an average of 75 less calories over that course of that meal. If this action were continued for one year, a person would lose 14 ½ pounds. It has also been shown that being just 1% dehydration causes a drop in metabolism that can interfere with weight loss. The body has difficulty differentiating hunger from thirst. If you do not consume enough water across the day, thirst might be interpreted as hunger and more food will be eaten then is necessary. Read, My Top 10 Bariatric Diet Tips for You! Finally, drinking plenty of water to stay healthy during a fasting diet is essential. Drink Iced Water for Maximum Calorie Burn Calories can be used to define the amount of energy contained in food. Another definition for calorie can be the measure of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. Therefore, your body burns calories when you simply drink iced water. Read, Eating Foods that Burn More Calories Your body burns 17.5 calories raising the temperature of a sixteen ounce glass of iced water. If you comply with the eight glasses of eight ounces of water per day recommendation but drink iced water instead of non-iced water, you will burn 70 calories per day. Over the course of a year, the numbers will add up and translate into weight loss. Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life

People looking for alternative obesity treatments to bariatric surgery now have a potential solution. A study showed that patients lost 33.5 pounds in 16 weeks -- about a third of their excess weight. The method by which these patients lost a large amount of weight was not through an invasive surgical procedure. People looking for alternative obesity treatments to bariatric surgery now have a potential solution. A small study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal, showed that the 38 patients enrolled in the trial had lost a mean 15.2kg (33.5 lbs) by the end of the 16 weeks, which amounted to about a third (mean 31%) of their excess weight. The method by which these patients lost a large amount of weight was not through an invasive surgical procedure. Rather, the patients had a temporary gastric balloon, about the size of a grapefruit, inserted into their stomachs to effectively restrict its capacity for food. People magazine reports of one woman, Virginia Trice age 59, who lost over 70 pounds with the balloon. Two versions of the gastric balloon are currently on the market in the US, the ReShape and Orbera balloon. The gastric balloon costs around $8,000, and includes a 1-year nutritional support program. The ORBERA Balloon The ORBERA gastric balloon is an FDA-approved weight loss approach that allows you to lose and maintain a significant amount of weight. After the balloon procedure is complete, a support team and an online after-care program will guide you through the lifestyle changes you need to ensure you keep your weight where you want it to be. During the procedure (lasting approximately 30 minutes), a balloon made of soft silicone is placed into the stomach using an endoscope and filled with a sterile saline solution until it’s about the size of a grapefruit. The balloon, which helps you feel fuller, will remain in your stomach for the next six months at which point it is removed. After the six months, you are used to eating less and feeling fuller quicker, setting you up (and training your body) for a whole new lifestyle. FOR MORE INFO, READ The ORBERA Balloon: A Different Approach to Weight Loss ReShape Gastric Balloon ReShape is an FDA-approved weight loss approach that helps people achieve and maintain a significant amount of weight loss through a simple outpatient procedure that does not permanently alter your digestive anatomy or leave any scars. The procedure is completely reversible, and the majority of people who undergo it can resume normal activity within a few days. Two balloons are placed in your stomach and filled with saline (salt water) in order to occupy some of the space, making you feel full and less hungry. It’s like built-in portion control. In addition to the balloons, it includes a year of all-inclusive coaching and helpful tools. The coaching helps you make healthier choices regarding food and lifestyle while the tools provided help you stay the course. FOR MORE INFO, READ Is ReShape Right for Me?

Hi RTL, I hope that your procedure went well! Like you, I was under the impression that the support program was included in the cost of the device/procedure. I think that your best bet would be to call the manufacturer's customer service/support enter for the ORBERA balloon and ask them. Please let us know what you find out. Thanks and good luck on your journey!!! EDIT: I found the following info on the product website. It sounds to me like the 12-month aftercare program is included but the Coach app and program costs extra. Aftercare Support and ORBERA® Coach Included in the ORBERA® weight loss program is ongoing aftercare support for the entire 12-month program, which is essential for the success of your weight loss goals. After the procedure, you will receive support from your team of coaches which may include an ORBERA®-trained Dietitian, fitness trainer, psychologist and treatment team. Also available is access to ORBERA® Coach, which is an online tool and mobile App exclusively available for ORBERA® System patients. The ORBERA® Coach program makes daily tasks like meal planning, finding healthy recipes and grocery shopping a piece of cake (minus the cake). To keep you on the right track throughout the weight loss program an entire support team will be there to help you every step of the way. Your ORBERA® Coach support team would be led by an ORBERA®-trained Dietitian and your physician to help guide you on your weight loss journey.

It will be interesting to see the results after a few years that this has been in the market. It is actually a year-long program, not 6-months although the balloon is only in place for that long. It sounds like a good idea on paper, so-to-speak, and I am glad to see that more comprehensive options that combine support and a procedure are being offered to people who don't qualify for or whom do not wish to undergo weight loss surgery. The proof will be in the outcomes data in the year(s) ahead as to how successful this program is for the masses of people.

Paralleling the increasing use of bariatric surgery, there is a high demand for body contouring through plastic surgery. If you’re just beginning down this path, the questions are many. Who will do my surgery? How is recovery? What can I expect? Choosing and Evaluating a Plastic Surgeon Many of the surgical procedures performed on the massive weight-loss patient are complex and labor-intensive. The wide spectrum of body contour deformities that can follow massive weight loss often exceed the magnitude of what plastic surgeons have traditionally addressed. That is why weight-loss surgery patients need to work with a surgeon who specializes in bariatric plastic surgery. Dr. Joseph F. Capella, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, affirms: Post-bariatric body contouring is a relatively new area within the field of plastic surgery, in that bariatric surgery only has become popular in the last 10 to 15 years. And because of that, many surgeons have come through their training not having been exposed to post-bariatric body contouring. Because of that these surgeries are not considered traditional procedures, in the sense that they’ve been honed over decades like many of the other plastic surgery procedures. And so what plastic surgeons may do is use these more traditional procedures and apply them to the post-bariatric patient, which often will lead to sub-optimal results. So, it’s very helpful then, in that regard, to go to a plastic surgeon who has committed to this kind of surgery and does this surgery frequently — and this would be true for any kind of plastic surgery, for that matter. But what’s different about post-bariatric surgery contouring is it is relatively new, and probably greater than 50% or more of plastic surgeons out there right now did not have any exposure to it in their training. Obviously there are on-going conferences to educate surgeons but there’s a difference with having it as part of your training rather than learning about it from a lecture. Read Dr. Capella’s comprehensive list of criteria for choosing and evaluating a plastic surgeon. Healing Body and Mind After a Post-Weight Loss Body Lift Once you’ve removed the loose skin and sagging, is the journey over? Are you obstacle-free? Well, not quite. The Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey says: You’ve been through a life-altering experience, and with that, your body and mind need time to heal and adjust. It’s important to acknowledge that, so you can assist in your own recovery and eventually move on … Recovery from body lift surgery is extensive, which sometimes catches people off guard. And it can be painful, depending on the extent of the surgery and your perception of pain. You should be prepared for swelling (or even numbness) that can last for weeks and sometimes even months. In fact, most surgeons say that complete recovery and final results take up to a year. Of course scarring is a fact of body lift surgery, and scars are particularly distinct up until the first year following the procedure. Many (if not most) people experience strong emotions following plastic surgery. While excitement and elation are a natural result of such a positive life change, it is also customary that an entire range of feelings can result, including a phenomenon called post-plastic surgery depression which can resemble post-partum depression. Recovery creates the time and opportunity to focus on these emotions. On the plus side, the surgical results of a body lift are apparent almost immediately. They will remain permanent if you are able to maintain a stable weight (although normal aging obviously results in physical changes). And, depending on the person, the body’s healing process should mitigate scarring. Read The Plastic Surgery Center’s great advice for healing body and mind after a post-weight loss body lift. Plastic Surgery Improves Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being People may not be fully aware of the many benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss. There are aesthetic refinements in the appearance and improvements in functional mobility, as well as an increased sense of emotional well-being. Dr. Edward Domanskis, a plastic surgeon in California, says: I think that the benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss are tremendous. When you’re massively overweight it’s one problem. When you lose the weight I think a lot of times the patient doesn’t realize that the problems don’t really go away; it’s just a different problem. It’s a problem of all this hanging skin. And to some people that can be almost as much of a problem as being overweight and having all this excess fatty tissue — physiologically for sure. In my experience I think it [plastic surgery after weight loss] is a very, very satisfying type of surgery not only to the patient but also for the physician to see the transformation in the patient. To see the reaction of their friends and family to what they’ve gone through and how their overall appearance and psyche tend to change. There’s no question that these procedures are very. very beneficial to the patient. Watch Dr. Domanskis’ video segment, “What to Expect: Improving Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being through Bariatric Plastic Surgery.”

You’ve lost all the weight. So, after all that hard work, anxiety and relief, what’s next? Many WLS patients are at least curious about plastic surgery to remove excess skin and fat. And if you’re among them, check out this article for the real world advice of three plastic surgeons. Paralleling the increasing use of bariatric surgery, there is a high demand for body contouring through plastic surgery. If you’re just beginning down this path, the questions are many. Who will do my surgery? How is recovery? What can I expect? Choosing and Evaluating a Plastic Surgeon Many of the surgical procedures performed on the massive weight-loss patient are complex and labor-intensive. The wide spectrum of body contour deformities that can follow massive weight loss often exceed the magnitude of what plastic surgeons have traditionally addressed. That is why weight-loss surgery patients need to work with a surgeon who specializes in bariatric plastic surgery. Dr. Joseph F. Capella, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, affirms: Post-bariatric body contouring is a relatively new area within the field of plastic surgery, in that bariatric surgery only has become popular in the last 10 to 15 years. And because of that, many surgeons have come through their training not having been exposed to post-bariatric body contouring. Because of that these surgeries are not considered traditional procedures, in the sense that they’ve been honed over decades like many of the other plastic surgery procedures. And so what plastic surgeons may do is use these more traditional procedures and apply them to the post-bariatric patient, which often will lead to sub-optimal results. So, it’s very helpful then, in that regard, to go to a plastic surgeon who has committed to this kind of surgery and does this surgery frequently — and this would be true for any kind of plastic surgery, for that matter. But what’s different about post-bariatric surgery contouring is it is relatively new, and probably greater than 50% or more of plastic surgeons out there right now did not have any exposure to it in their training. Obviously there are on-going conferences to educate surgeons but there’s a difference with having it as part of your training rather than learning about it from a lecture. Read Dr. Capella’s comprehensive list of criteria for choosing and evaluating a plastic surgeon. Healing Body and Mind After a Post-Weight Loss Body Lift Once you’ve removed the loose skin and sagging, is the journey over? Are you obstacle-free? Well, not quite. The Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey says: You’ve been through a life-altering experience, and with that, your body and mind need time to heal and adjust. It’s important to acknowledge that, so you can assist in your own recovery and eventually move on … Recovery from body lift surgery is extensive, which sometimes catches people off guard. And it can be painful, depending on the extent of the surgery and your perception of pain. You should be prepared for swelling (or even numbness) that can last for weeks and sometimes even months. In fact, most surgeons say that complete recovery and final results take up to a year. Of course scarring is a fact of body lift surgery, and scars are particularly distinct up until the first year following the procedure. Many (if not most) people experience strong emotions following plastic surgery. While excitement and elation are a natural result of such a positive life change, it is also customary that an entire range of feelings can result, including a phenomenon called post-plastic surgery depression which can resemble post-partum depression. Recovery creates the time and opportunity to focus on these emotions. On the plus side, the surgical results of a body lift are apparent almost immediately. They will remain permanent if you are able to maintain a stable weight (although normal aging obviously results in physical changes). And, depending on the person, the body’s healing process should mitigate scarring. Read The Plastic Surgery Center’s great advice for healing body and mind after a post-weight loss body lift. Plastic Surgery Improves Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being People may not be fully aware of the many benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss. There are aesthetic refinements in the appearance and improvements in functional mobility, as well as an increased sense of emotional well-being. Dr. Edward Domanskis, a plastic surgeon in California, says: I think that the benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss are tremendous. When you’re massively overweight it’s one problem. When you lose the weight I think a lot of times the patient doesn’t realize that the problems don’t really go away; it’s just a different problem. It’s a problem of all this hanging skin. And to some people that can be almost as much of a problem as being overweight and having all this excess fatty tissue — physiologically for sure. In my experience I think it [plastic surgery after weight loss] is a very, very satisfying type of surgery not only to the patient but also for the physician to see the transformation in the patient. To see the reaction of their friends and family to what they’ve gone through and how their overall appearance and psyche tend to change. There’s no question that these procedures are very. very beneficial to the patient. Watch Dr. Domanskis’ video segment, “What to Expect: Improving Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being through Bariatric Plastic Surgery.”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~Mahatma Gandhi Many of us are or have been emotional eaters, an attempt to soothe our souls with food, maybe grow a physical buffer of fat to insulate us from the emotional assault. Now that you have had WLS no longer can you turn to food in times of crisis. How do you forgive someone when every fiber of your being resists? How do you look at them lovingly when you still have the memory of their unloving action? How do you let go of the way you wish things had worked out if only they made a different choice? After all, no one is purely bad, and everyone carries their own pain which influences the decisions they make. This doesn’t condone their thoughtless, insensitive, or selfish decisions, but it makes them easier to understand.

If you could site on this bench with your younger self and give one piece of advice about weight or bariatric surgery, what would it be? If I could sit with my 16 year old self, I would tell her that there was going to come a time when her anorexic eating would no longer work. Her hunger would come back full force and she would not be able to control it. I would tell her that eventually she will resort to bulimia and her life would become out of control in ways that she could not even now imagine. I would describe to her the hell on earth that it would become, so that she understood the gravity of her situation. Then I would tell her that it is critical she tell her parents to get her really good professional help for her eating disorder right away.

I don't have any dental issues. But I know of people who do.

If asked what your long-term weight loss goals are, you would probably give positive, upbeat responses. It would be a shock to hear that your intention is to gain back every pound you lost over the course of the next 5 years. But it happens. Unfortunately, any bariatric surgery fails in the long-term when not followed-up with a weight loss maintenance plan. Persons who fail to make the necessary dietary changes after bariatric surgery frequently regain much of the weight they have lost, particularly around the 5-year mark. Read, “Bariatric Surgery is Just the First Step.” Bariatric Eating Made Simple When we change our anatomy through bariatric surgery, many of those old dietary rules and plans can do more harm than good. For our bariatric tool to work best, we need to be very aware of what we eat to get proper nutrition. There are three simple points that you need for smart bariatric eating. Read, “Bariatric Eating: Getting Back on Track.” Drinking and Eating after Bariatric Surgery How long we should wait before and after eating to drink again? There’s a lot of confusion around drinking and eating after bariatric surgery. It’s important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to drinking and eating after bariatric surgery. Get the Top 5 Tips in “Eating and Drinking Do’s and Don’ts.” Push Back Against Emotional Eating Emotional eating is an attempt to erase discomfort with food. Many people use food to relieve stress only to find that it is not much of a solution. Emotional eating will not provide the long-term remedy we want. We need to shake off failed habits and try something new. Read, “Steer Clear of Emotional Eating.” Bariatric Eating: The Bottom Line Knowing what we need to do can quickly overturn the impulse to do what we want to do. We can reprogram our conditioned responses to food, which likely led to us being morbidly obese, with new positive bariatric eating habits. Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life http://www.mybariatriclife.org

Knowing what we need to do can quickly overturn the impulse to do what we want to do. We can reprogram our conditioned responses to food, which likely led to us being morbidly obese, with new positive bariatric eating habits. If asked what your long-term weight loss goals are, you would probably give positive, upbeat responses. It would be a shock to hear that your intention is to gain back every pound you lost over the course of the next 5 years. But it happens. Unfortunately, any bariatric surgery fails in the long-term when not followed-up with a weight loss maintenance plan. Persons who fail to make the necessary dietary changes after bariatric surgery frequently regain much of the weight they have lost, particularly around the 5-year mark. Read, “Bariatric Surgery is Just the First Step.” Bariatric Eating Made Simple When we change our anatomy through bariatric surgery, many of those old dietary rules and plans can do more harm than good. For our bariatric tool to work best, we need to be very aware of what we eat to get proper nutrition. There are three simple points that you need for smart bariatric eating. Read, “Bariatric Eating: Getting Back on Track.” Drinking and Eating after Bariatric Surgery How long we should wait before and after eating to drink again? There’s a lot of confusion around drinking and eating after bariatric surgery. It’s important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to drinking and eating after bariatric surgery. Get the Top 5 Tips in “Eating and Drinking Do’s and Don’ts.” Push Back Against Emotional Eating Emotional eating is an attempt to erase discomfort with food. Many people use food to relieve stress only to find that it is not much of a solution. Emotional eating will not provide the long-term remedy we want. We need to shake off failed habits and try something new. Read, “Steer Clear of Emotional Eating.” Bariatric Eating: The Bottom Line Knowing what we need to do can quickly overturn the impulse to do what we want to do. We can reprogram our conditioned responses to food, which likely led to us being morbidly obese, with new positive bariatric eating habits. Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life http://www.mybariatriclife.org

Thank you for your inspiring words and for showing us how to "get it done" in the real world. When we realize how truly powerful we are in directing our thoughts and emotions to serve us rather than harm us, then we truly are in the driver's seat on our path to permanent weight loss. GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Thank you for your inspiring words and for showing us how to "get it done" in the real world. When we realize how truly powerful we are in directing our thoughts and emotions to serve us rather than harm us, then we truly are in the driver's seat on our path to permanent weight loss. GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Thank you for your inspiring words and for showing us how to "get it done" in the real world. When we realize how truly powerful we are in directing our thoughts and emotions to serve us rather than harm us, then we truly are in the driver's seat on our path to permanent weight loss. GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Don't know what went wrong with my reply above. It should read "in charge of your health."

mlbdl that is an awesome response. i am glad to see you are in charge of your health!

I had gastric bypass with gall bladder removal in 2003. I have been having serious issues related to my digestive tract for the past 2-3 years. Things like serious pain, gas and bloating, distention, constipation, diarrhea, acne, fatigue, hormonal imbalance and whole body inflammation. I have been through many types of healthcare practitioners and tests and therapies and yet I still struggle to return to normal healthy functioning. I am reaching out to see if anyone has experienced something similar and what you did about it. Thank you. Cheryl

I WISH I COULD PARTICIPATE! THANKS FOR SHARING.

I take a ton of vitamins and always have... something to be aware of with vitamins is that many brands, even the expensive ones, even the bariatric brands, contain fillers and are too low dose to be therapeutic. My clinical nutritionist has me on Thorne Research and Designs for Health. My Bariatric LifePublisher ofwww.MyBariatricLife.org online bariatric magazine PS when I had my RNY in 2003, I was told that I need only take a children's Multivitamin, an Iron tablet, and a Calcium tablet. THAT is completely untrue. I suggest working with a really good clinical nutritionist to set yourself up so that you might avoid nutritional deficiencies and the ripple effect of those deficiencies.

I don't like that the number of views each article has received has been removed. I have noticed that the article views have gone down substantially. Now I don't even see them listed at all. As a contributing writer, I want to know how many people are reading my articles.

I had the gastric bypass in 2003. For the past two years I have been having digestive disorder. Despite multi modal treatments with an array of healthcare providers, my condition has gotten worse rather than improved. It is owing to the malabsorptive component of the gastric bypass. I would suggest people explore the long term effects of malabsorption (obviously not a consideration with the sleeve). I know of people who have lost their teeth and hair, too. In hindsight, I really don't know why the medical community did not foresee the long term effects of NOT absorbing 20% or more of the vital nutrients your body needs. My Bariatric Life Publisher of www.MyBariatricLife.org online bariatric magazine

A half-lived life, as Herman Melville describes it, is one in which we do not get to that inner place of peace and joy. Perhaps the most devistating scenario imaginable is to face death knowing that because of some imagined fear, you have always chosen a half-lived life in which you avoided doing the things your heart beckoned you to do. I allowed fear to hold me back for a long time. But I have made a commitment to never let fear hold me back from doing the things I want to do or saying what is in my heart. And I am living larger than ever. I urge you to change the scenario now. Start living your life with the courage to follow your heart.