Annek2014

That sounds like a wise decision. You are having breakthrough pain. Bring your full list of medication to the attention of the pain management doctor. You should also have a new gi workup. Could be something happening that is decreasing absorption. Another option is to cross reference your meds with your pharmacist to make sure you aren’t taking anything that impairs absorption.

Did you get your pysch eval yet? You're friends arent preparing you? It's not up to your friends to decide. If you can have anesthesia. It's up to the Dr. Lol. This isn't about pain tolerance. This is MAJOR surgery not a pipe up your butt. I think it's time to come back to reality.

You probably should see a pain management specialist. It could be an absorption issue.

I'm in the process of getting therapy for these very issues! It's not easy to learn to be objective and realistic about yourself when you have an eating disorder because your reasoning is flawed, and thoughts that you feel are valid and logical are often completely skewed by the disorder.
If anyone reading this has noticed these problems... get help! We didn't go through a life-threatening, life-altering surgery only to keep treating our bodies poorly. You deserve to take fantastic care of yourself, and if you need help to do that, there's no shame in it.
Thanks for the post. It was a good read and a reminder that this is always going to be a journey of health, not a destination.

Fantastic advice!

“I want to lose weight and get healthy this year.” That’s what we all want, but that’s not a solid resolution. A resolution says what you will do and how you will do it. It is clear. It has purpose. Taken together, all of your resolutions can add up to losing (or maintaining) weight and getting healthy. Here are our picks for New Year’s resolutions and why.


“I’ll Make the Call Now”
Are you considering weight loss surgery? Are you worried about an odd feeling in your throat after getting the lap-band? Do you have a question about whether a certain protein powder is safe after gastric bypass? Get help – now!
Too often, we have a tendency to delay. It may be phoning all the surgeons in town to gather WLS information, calling your nutritionist with a diet question, or being on hold with your health insurance provider to find out whether the gastric sleeve is covered. Whatever the call is, make it now. Don’t put it off. It’s a way of prioritizing your health, and the good habits will rub off in the rest of your journey.
“I’ll Eat 5 Servings of Vegetables Each Day.”
Does this one come as a surprise? Did you think we’d start with protein? Here are our reasons for including a veggies resolution near the top of the list.
Most people don’t get enough veggies – but they do get enough protein. Even weight loss surgery patients tend to get enough protein after a few months, while they don’t get enough vegetables.
Vegetables are low in calories and super filling. Long term, it’s veggies that will reduce hunger so you can keep losing weight and eventually prevent weight regain.
Eating more vegetables is linked to lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, some cancers, and even dementia.
They’ll help keep you regular because of their fiber...and that’s a big benefit for weight loss surgery patients!

Unless you’re on your pre-op or post-op liquid diet or you’re having trouble swallowing, there’s no reason not to aim for 5 servings of vegetables. You can have salads, raw veggies for snacks, and steamed veggies on the side. You can also sneak them in, whether you add pureed eggplant and grated carrots to turkey meatloaf, double up on tomato sauce when you have low-carb pasta, or whip pumpkin puree into protein pancakes.
“I’ll Drink 10 Cups of Water Each Day.”
That’s 80 ounces. The standard recommendation is at least 64 ounces, but we think more is better when it comes to water. It helps you recover faster after surgery. When you’re even a little bit dehydrated, you can get headaches, feel weak, and lose energy. Plus, your metabolism slows.
Go for plain water or low-calorie, sugar-free alternatives. Have them available throughout the day, whether it’s a water bottle in your car, a mug of decaffeinated green tea on your desk at work, or a pitcher of water in the fridge at home.
“I’ll Use the Tools I Have.”
The sleeve, bypass, or band is one tool for weight loss, but are you using all the other possible ones? Here are a few that are at your disposal.
Nutrition labels. Do you really know what’s in the food you eat? If you’re not reading labels, you might be very wrong about the ingredients, number of calories, and amount of sugar in your food.
Tracking apps. Research shows tracking your food helps you lose weight and keep it off. It holds you accountable and helps you make better decisions. There are so many apps now that track calories, protein, fluid, and anything else you can think of, and it takes only minutes a day.
Measuring cups and spoons and a kitchen scale. If you’re guessing about your portions, you’re probably guessing wrong. Don’t put in all the effort of losing weight, only to be disappointed by the scale if it turns out you were eating more than you thought you were. Measure your food.
Smaller plates and bowls. Smaller dishes help you take smaller portions.
Smaller spoons and forks. When each bite is smaller, you eat slower, and tend to eat less naturally.

You don’t have to use them all at once, but you might as well give each of them at least one try. They may help you lose weight without much more effort.
“I’ll Eat My Protein First.”
Don’t worry, we weren’t going to skip the protein! It keeps you full for longer, helps you maintain your lean body mass, and lets your immune system stay strong. It’s also helpful in preventing hair loss after surgery.
Think of protein first when you plan meals and snacks, and eat it first so you don’t fill up before you get to it. Go for lean proteins, such as skinless chicken breast, fat-free cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, canned tuna, fresh fish, tofu, and beans. Skip processed and fatty options, such as bacon, ribs, and sausage.
“I Will Exercise Most Days.”
It burns calories, reduces stress, and keeps you focused. It improves mood, lowers disease risk, and gives you confidence. What’s not to love?
If you really don’t like exercising, keep trying! There are so many types to try, from boot camp and Zumba classes to walking around the neighborhood to exercise DVDs to rock climbing to sports leagues. If none of those appeal, hire a personal trainer to give you more ideas and match you up with something you love.
We’re convinced these resolutions are do-able and useful. If you implement some of these, we’re sure you can make good progress towards your overall weight loss and health goals for 2016. Put them together with your own resolutions, and keep us posted on your progress this year!

Planning your eating is an essential skill to have foods you need to be healthy after surgery. But let’s face, some days will fall apart. Unexpected situations come up and you will need an emergency stash of protein foods.


Non-perishable protein foods are ideal to stock up at work, home, in your purse or backpack or in your car. Keep a clean shaker cup and single serve size of protein powder handy. All you need is water to mix. Keeping a ready to drink protein shake handy can be an easier alternative. All you need is to open and sip or find a cup of ice to pour the drink into.
Small cans of tuna or chicken can be open and eaten right out of the can. There are also tuna and chicken salad kits that you can keep stocked at home or work. Softer meat sticks or meat jerky can be stashed in a desk drawer or locker at work. Brands include Ostrim (available at Owasso Nutrition Plus by Fit for her in Owasso or online) and Kratos High Protein Beef Bars (currently at Reasors).
For meat sticks, find ones that have four grams of fat or less and at least seven grams of protein per ounce. High protein Quest chips make for a crunchy snack that can be stashed. These are currently available at GNC stores. Nuts deliver protein and healthy fat. Make sure you measure out the nuts, because that healthy fat leads to higher calories. One ounce of nuts is about ¼ cup. Measure this into snack size baggies or find the 100-calorie packs of nuts. Eating out of the container can lead to overeating.
Protein bars are also great ways to get in some protein. Look for protein bars with more protein than carbohydrate like Pure Protein or Premier Protein. If you are driving about town, you can get protein bars and protein drinks at convenience stores like Quik Trip and Kum & Go. You can also stop at a grocery store and buy string cheese, light yogurt or an Oscar Meyer P3 snack pack. Keep a stash of plastic spoons in your car for eating yogurt. Time to stock up on emergency proteins!

On top of the 3-4 hours of time during the day, which I don't have (nor do I watch TV most days much less for that long on any day), I would potentially need:
a hard core trainer which I really can't afford a dietician to plan my meals the desire to potentially cause serious damage my knees, my back, my ankles by continuing on program if an injury occurs time off work to heal from any injuries incurred as my job is pretty demanding physically a complete lifestyle change to accommodate my new schedule to not only lose the weight but maintain it. Instead, because of weight loss surgery I have been able to:
go to the gym on my own time and take group classes visit the NUT that was included in my follow up care after surgery go easy on my body if an injury occurs take just a few days off work while I got over the initial surgery lose weight and maintain while still spending time with my family, friends, and doing the things I love to do instead of spending every free moment at the gym and most importantly, live a lifestyle that I can easily maintain for the rest of my life, into my 60s, 70s, 80s.

Cheryl Ann Borne hit a high weight of 285 pounds, and got the gastric bypass surgery in 2003. She maintained her weight loss, but the extra skin didn’t go away on its own. In 2013 she began a series of plastic surgeries including a tummy tuck, total body contouring, and facial surgery, and is now a size 2.


Cheryl is an obesity health activist who writes as My Bariatric Life on Health Central and PM360 Online. She recently launched her new site, My Bariatric Life, and you can follow her on social media, including on Twitter @MyBariatricLife and on Google+.
Weight Gain, Gastric Bypass Surgery, and Lasting Weight Loss
Cheryl was an active teen, but she went from “fit to fat” as she turned to processed food. At 5’7”, she got up to a weight of 285 pounds and a size 24W. Cheryl got the gastric bypass surgery in 2003. She had diabetes, celiac disease, depression, acid reflux, asthma, and hypertension. She lost over 100 pounds, managed to get off of 9 of her 10 prescription drugs, and does not have chronic back pain anymore. You can see before and after pictures documenting her transformation by watching this video.
A Typical Day in Cheryl’s Life
As proof that you can follow a diet without red meat and stick to a high-protein weight loss surgery diet, here is a sample day’s diet in Cheryl’s life. The following day has 1,789 calories, 165 grams of protein, and 79 grams of carbohydrates.
Breakfast
2-egg omelet with homemade creamed spinach (dairy-free) and turkey bacon
Snack
Coffee with coconut milk, roasted coconut juice, and egg white protein powder
Mineral water
Vitamins/supplements
Scivation Xtend intraworkout drink with branched chain amino acids
Lunch
Tuna salad
Baby spring mix and grape tomatoes with lemon vinaigrette
Terra Real vegetable chips
Dinner
Smoked turkey leg, no skin
1 cup turnip greens
Snack
Egg white protein powder in water
Getting Rid of the Traces of Obesity
After losing over 100 pounds after the gastric bypass surgery in 2003, Cheryl had a lot of extra skin. In 2006, she met a plastic surgeon whom she really liked. In 2013, she decided to get a tummy tuck. The extra skin hadn’t gone away after weight loss surgery, and she wanted to get rid of it. As she describes below, she was delighted with her surgeon and the results of the tummy tuck, and decided to go further.
I went from a size 14 jeans being tight to a perfect size 8 in just 4-months. I was so thrilled with the transformation that I decided to do "all of me." In October 2013, Dr. Joseph F. Capella revised the tummy tuck to a lower body lift, and performed a medial thigh lift, extended arm lift, and breast lift. Dr. Capella removed 11 pounds of skin and one liter of fat, and this enabled me to get active in ways that I was unable to with my hanging pannis and inner thighs that rubbed together. I ran my first 3k with my daughter and granddaughter and eventually I was running 5k. What's more, the muscle plication from the tummy tuck placed renewed constriction on my pouch so I am full with less food, as well, I tightened up on my diet by doing Whole30 [a strict 30-day low-carb diet] and going Paleo. In total, I lost 50 inches and 50 pounds after my body contouring plastic surgery. Today I am a size 2, down from a 24W before my gastric bypass surgery.
You can go to HealthCentral to read about Cheryl’s decision to get total body contouring after her tummy tuck. She describes the emotional rollercoaster of the experience, the surgery, and her long road to recovery. She is still dealing with complications from her brachioplasty, but stresses the end goal and her luck in finding a fantastic surgeon who cares about her.
She didn’t stop there, and instead decided “to reach for the stars” and see a facial plastic surgeon.
In one surgery, Dr. Catherine Winslow took about 15 years off my face, restoring the once pretty face that I had when I was thin. I had a total of 10 procedures: deep plane face lift, neck lift, upper eye lid lift, SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) to tear troughs and lips, lip lift, chin implant, 35% TCA peel, Botox and filler. I go back from time to time to Nurse Triste at Dr. Winslow's practice for filler and Botox. I look at this maintenance routine along the same vein as maintaining my hair cut and color.
Destined to Be a Healer
Do you believe in fate? When Cheryl visited Guatemala in May of 2011, a Mayan shaman told her her Mayan symbols showed she was a healer. She could, he said, heal herself and others. As Cheryl tells it below, she wasn’t so sure at first. Then she figured it out.
I visited a Mayan Shaman when I was in Guatemala back in May 2011. He said my Mayan symbols told that I am a healer. I can heal myself and I can heal others. He said that I needed to heal others, to not keep this gift to myself, or else I would experience sickness or pain and that this was the only way to cure my chronic back pain, which I had suffered with for years. The Shaman said that I need to realize my true self. The Shaman also said the symbols revealed that I am creative — that I knew for sure, but I wondered was he right about me being a healer?
So I tried to heal my beloved mother who was stricken with a rare disease. And I tried to heal my beloved boxer dog, Cindi Lu, who was stricken with an aggressive cancer. But I could not save them and felt that I had failed my destiny.
Then in 2012 during a personal development training, I discussed this matter with the instructor. And he replied that maybe I was meant to heal people with my words. I did not give much thought to it after that until one night in 2013, I bolted up from my bed and realized that both the shaman and the instructor were right!
Healing with Words
Cheryl’s work has exploded. She describes the growth of her writing and advocacy career since finding her voice.
I began writing as My Bariatric Life for the HealthCentral Obesity vertical in March 2011, nearly eight years after my gastric bypass. I started out writing just a few articles per month as a health guide -- a patient who would share her real world experience in defeating obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and GERD. My work grew legs. I now write 18 articles and develop two recipes per month for HealthCentral where I have a following of roughly 75,000 unique monthly readers. I also write a quarterly patient advocacy column for PM360 Magazine under my name, Cheryl Ann Borne, and I am a long-standing member of their editorial advisory board.
Cheryl also makes her voice heard by posting as My Bariatric Life on social media, including Flickr, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. She is active on BariatricPal and a site for cosmetic procedure patients called RealSelf. Her goal is to provide fair and trustworthy reviews.
And this month I will begin writing a monthly opinion piece as My Bariatric Life for BariatricPal. I also am exploring opportunities with the Obesity Action Coalition, and in the past have partnered with Obesity PPM and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). !
Daring Move to a New Career as a Digital Health Strategy Consultant
Cheryl has been in the health industry since before her surgery. She explains her career as a digital health strategy consultant.
My career has been as a promotions strategist, writer, and designer in the healthcare space with the last 12-yrs in digital marketing. I’ve worked with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and digital health ad agencies and non-CME medical education agencies. I help them to understand the evolving digital health ecosystem and, based on their unique market circumstances, specifically how to communicate with patients and physicians in meaningful ways via digital channels and to ultimately achieve better health outcomes.
Cheryl is determined to help people improve their lives.
Transforming healthcare is important to me. It's is all about the patient. I want to make a difference; I want to help people live healthier lives.
When her company cut her position in 2013, she took a positive approach and decided to focus her energy on fighting obesity. She developed a business plan as a digital health strategy consultant with an emphasis on growing My Bariatric Life, her obesity health activist brand.
Paleo Follower and Recipe Developer
Cheryl believes in the benefits of the Paleolithic Diet. It is a high-protein diet that you can follow after weight loss surgery. It emphasizes meat, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, and oils. It forbids grains, processed foods, dairy products, and potatoes. She plans to help others follow this way of eating.
One aspect of my business plan is to launch the brand Borne Appétit in order to teach healthy eating habits and show busy families/couples/singles that it is easy to prepare real food, real simple, and break the cycle of time starvation and over reliance on convenience/processed foods and obesity. To truly understand what it means to eat healthy and break this cycle was something I had to achieve in my own life, and I want to share with people what I have learned through years of experience and experiment. I find the Paleolitihic Diet works best for me…and I enjoy the art of creating delicious recipes within those constraints. I also eat no red meat, only fish and fowl, so this adds an extra level of complexity, which I find stimulating to develop recipes that are not mundane or repetitious.
Valuable Life Lessons
You can be sure Cheryl has learned a lot of valuable lessons from her weight loss surgery and plastic surgery experiences. She knows the value of maintaining her results, living life fully, and challenging herself to live a life she loves. She also recognizes she has gained freedom and an ability to grow.
Beyond the physical transformation are (very unexpected) emotional and spiritual transformations. I’ve returned to some of my roots: ideals and philosophies around the nature of existence that I had walled off (or perhaps ate to insulate myself against) when the emotional pain became too much for my sensitive nature. Plastic surgery was very freeing for me; it freed my jailed spirit. I’ve never been a wallflower but when it came to my body I was timid because I lacked body confidence. And this trickled over into other areas of my life. There were parts of my life that I hid, or situations in which I could not share my feelings, because I was inhibited by the fear of being rejected or judged. And that’s no longer true. I am now able to be my true self, comfortable in my nakedness both physically and emotionally. I am still learning and growing in these areas, particularly in understanding soul relationships and the expression of real love.
We are here to play and experience as much as we possibly can. We are here to grow. Often it is through times of adversity that we grow the most because these times force us to get out of our comfort zones. I have come to understand that there are only two emotions. We are either acting out of love or we are acting out of fear, which is the opposite of love. All other emotions are a derivative of love (compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrifice) or a derivative of fear (selfishness, retaliation, deceit). From now on I choose always to act out of love. Do I let go of control and trust my intuition and follow my heart even when it defies my rational faculties or can’t be proven? If I am to act out of love, then yes. Otherwise I return to acting out of fear. As well, I have learned that I need to protect myself from the negative energies of toxic people — those emotional vampires who can turn my love into fear.
An Exciting Year to Come
Cheryl is expecting a big 2015 in addition to growing her presence as My Bariatric Life and working on Borne Appétit. At the Pharma Marketing Summit in Palm Beach in May, she will be presenting as My Bariatric Life and sharing her story of defeating obesity and its co-morbidities.
Also new for this year, I'll finally launch my websites, a dream I've had for a couple of years. I've already launched MyBariatricLife.org for transformative information on defeating obesity and co-morbid diseases. I'll also launch my healthy recipe site BorneAppetit.com and my eating healthy on-the-road travel site BorneVoyage.com. These sites will help a lot of people.
It definitely looks as though the Mayan shaman was right when he said Cheryl is a healer. She has come a long way toward healing herself through weight loss surgery, plastic surgery, and healthy living, and she is dedicated to helping others become healthier. Don’t forget to follow Cheryl on social media and through her channel on HealthCentral, and watch for her new monthly opinion piece to be published on BariatricPal!
Please click here to read My Bariatric Life's articles in BariatricPal's Weight Loss Surgery Magazine.

As Australians, we love a summer barbeque! We thought we would share our tips for all the barbeque fans out there.


Summer in Australia means barbeque time! We love to entertain and there is nothing more enjoyable than catching up with friends and family and enjoying a good barbeque. However following weight loss surgery many of our favourite barbeque foods are those that can be more challenging to tolerate; grilled meats, chicken, sausages, bread, sauce and salads fill plates and soft drink, beer and wine are plentiful. The buzzing social aspect of barbeques can also mean the focus on your eating technique is not as sharp. Due to these challenges, some people may find invitations to barbeques make them feel uneasy.

With some forward planning in place and an awareness of common barbeque traps, there is no reason you shouldn’t be welcoming your next invite.

Common Barbeque Trap 1: Dry, overcooked meat and chicken

We have all been there, you head over to the grill to see a pile of meat looking rather dry and shriveled – no matter how much you chew this, or how much sauce you add there is just no way you are going to tolerate it.

So how do you manage this?
Offer to take something to contribute to the grill that is will be more tender when cooked and easier to tolerate:
Make some lean minced meat patties (adding plenty of egg and relish to your mix to ensure they stay moist).
Marinate chicken thigh fillets and thread onto skewers.
Wrap salmon fillets in foil with lemon and herbs and pop on the grill near the end of the cooking time.
Tenderise some good quality steak with marinade and again pop on the grill, again near the end of cooking.

Common Barbeque Trap 2: You overload your plate and push your capacity 

With the wide array of choices at a BBQ it can be tempting to have a little bit of everything, leading to a plate that is overflowing.
To manage this:
Make sure you use a side plate/small plate.
Fill half of this with protein, this may mean you only select one to two of the options on offer. 
Pick your favourite salad items to fill the other half of your plate – avoid those drowned in creamy dressings.
Avoid the bread and butter.

Common Barbeque Trap 3: You forget to focus on your eating technique

It can be very easy to be engaged in conversation and forget to eat slowly and chew well at barbeques, yet focusing on these fundamentals can be the difference between a successful outing and one that sends you home feeling poorly. 

To manage this:
First and foremost, ensure you sit down to eat.
Cut your food into very small pieces, chew each mouthful well and take time between mouthfuls.
Stop when you are satisfied and remember this may be before your plate is empty.

Managed well, barbeques can be both an enjoyable and healthy part of your social calendar this summer. Just be aware of these common traps and plan ahead to avoid them.