kimini

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Lots of these are familiar to me too. I will say now that i'm two and a half years out from surgery (down 125, 20 yet to go!) I found the hot/cold thing pretty much stopped. I'd already been through menopause though when I had my sleeve done.
My 'skinny' rant is this; people I'm close to who would be loving and supportive about anything else in my life, when it comes to something that's hard for me at this lower weight they can't resist a snide comment or a sarcastic 'poor you' crack. Sheesh! I hate it. Case in point;
My husband asked how this day went last week knowing it was a long one and important to me. I told him the worst part was getting up and putting on what i planned to wear only to find the skirt part of the suit almost fell off. I had worn it a couple months back, but now it's way big. I switched and put something else on (slacks and kimono jacket) and it looked like a silk potato sack. It was 5am and I had to be out the door soon and in front of people all day - I was panicked and frustrated. His comment was along the lines of 'Yeah, poor you for losing so much weight.' in this sarcastic tone. He asked!! I won't be answering that again any time soon. But to his credit he circled around when hours later and apologized, though it was clear he didn't get it, just knew i was pissed.
My sister did a similar thing when i said i was sad to take a favorite piece to the consignment shop--why ask people?! And yes, both she and hubby are somewhat overweight and doing nothing about it (other than complaining).
Okay, end of rant.
Kate

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson is no stranger to the faux-pas. She's put her foot in her mouth on more than one occasion.
In her unending quest for improvement, she may have found a solution for navigating the thin line between compliments and criticism.


Lara loves it when people comment on her weight loss. She’s 6 months out from surgery and she’s on top of the world. She admits she gets a little ‘high’ from the positive attention of family, coworkers and even strangers. If someone doesn’t mention her new look, she feels a little irritated. Why haven’t they noticed??
Melissa wishes you would mind your own freakin’ business. She’s three months out from surgery. She considers her weight loss private and wishes everyone would just stop making a fuss over it; it’s embarrassing. For Melissa, it really boils down to this: did she really look so awful BEFORE surgery?
Where do you fall on the spectrum?
I’ll bet there are as many different preferences here as there are people who’ve had WLS.
As a provider, this is a dilemma. Obviously rapid and dramatic weight loss is hard to ignore. My natural inclination is to gush and hug.
But the ‘Melissas’ out there do not want my hero-confetti parade.
Recently, I learned about a new strategy for this conundrum-- thanks to the experts the 13th annual Bariatric Summit in Nashville.
One of the psychologists who’s also a dietitian suggested we all ditch the ‘You look GREAT!’ greeting for our WLS clients.
Why? Because it can lead some people to feel their value/worth/success is rooted in their appearance and weight.
Looking slim? You’ll surely be regaled with, “Fabulous!” and “You look awesome!”
But what if you’ve regained some weight? Are you suddenly less interesting? A failure? Invisible?
And what if people perceive the comment like Melissa, as sort of a velvet hammer or thinly veiled insult, “Thank God she finally did something about her weight.”
I’m not new to this planet people; I know what you’re saying. Yes, our society does put the focus on external appearance. I’m just declaring that I’m joining the movement recognizing the remarkable human inside the body.
And here’s another good reason to hit the pause button on our mouths. Ever been congratulated on a pregnancy that is in essence a poor fitting garment? I have.
While it’s awkward and painful there’s another side to that coin.
Think of all the folks among us--in your own town, that’ve lost a noticeable amount of weight because they’re undergoing chemo or just lost a parent or spouse?
I'm pretty sure they don't want to be told how fantastic they look.
So from here on out, when I see a client for the first time in a few months, I’m going to greet them and take in their energy vibe.
If they’re glowing, I’ll remark that it looks like things are going well and ask if I’m on target.
If they seem down, I’ll remind them how smart they are to stay in touch with a loving support system through the highs and lows after surgery.
I invite you to join me. After all, we’re simply acknowledging what we already know-- our appearance is only the gift wrapping our (presents!) brings to the universe.

These stadium chairs are awesome!

When you decide to get weight loss surgery, you join a unique community. Bariatric patients have a lot in common. We’ve struggled with weight for years. We’ve been unable to keep the weight off with regular diets and exercise. And now, we’re bound to each other by a special bond: the weight loss surgery.


Weight loss surgery is for life. The journey isn’t easy, but I believe that the best way to make it work is to take the best of both worlds. Recognize that we are bound to each other through our weight loss surgery, but don’t let that special tie isolate you from everyone who has not had weight loss surgery. Instead, recognizing the similarities in all of our lives can make our own challenges easier to overcome.
These are some of the things we all share, weight loss surgery or not. For each, there are some unique aspects for bariatric patients, but also parallels with everyone else.
We all have a daily struggle.
If you’re overweight, there’s a good chance you’ve looked enviously at people who are at a “normal” weight. You see them walking down the street, maybe wearing a cute outfit that you can only dream of wearing, and wish you had it as easy as they did. You’re jealous because your own weight problem is visible to the world.
But we all have our own struggles, and you don’t know what is going on in that person’s life. They may face abuse, struggle to pay the bills, suffer from a chronic disease, care for a sick child at home, or work at a job they hate. Just as you struggle every day to eat right and exercise, they may struggle every day to wake up and face their own challenges. Rather than envy them, think of other people as inspiration to get through your day. We are all in this together, doing the best we can with what we have.
We all keep certain things from our bosses.
Many bariatric patients are hesitant to tell our bosses about our surgery. We may fear judgment or retribution. We may just want to keep our personal lives private. It’s not always that easy to keep quiet about Weight Loss Surgery, since we need to eat differently and our appearances change as the weight comes off. There may even be times when we need to leave work because we feel sick or have doctor’s appointments.
But guess what – nobody tells their boss everything about their personal lives. I am certain that all of your coworkers have their own secrets from your boss. Looking just at alcohol abuse, an estimated 15% of the workforce has come to work after drinking or with a hangover! Add to that secrets such as playing hooky to see a sports match, searching for a new job, or living out of a camper to save money, and you can bet that every employee has their own personal issues that they don’t want to publicize to the boss.
We all want to be there for our families (or worry about our futures).
One of the most compelling reasons to get weight loss surgery is to be there. We want to be alive and be healthy for as many years as possible to support our families and get to enjoy them. With obesity, the pressure to improve health is real and personal, since we may already have our own health problems or have seen family members struggle with or die from conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.
But everyone worries about the future. They may worry about their job security, about having enough money for rent and to put the kids through college, and – yes, it’s true – about their health and weight.
We’re all short on time.
Weight loss surgery success is time-consuming, from meal planning and grocery shopping to food prep and measurement, not to mention working out. It takes some sacrifice to get in all those healthy behaviors, especially before they become habits.
But everyone is short on time. We’re all busy with work, school, and family obligations. And that includes diet and exercise commitments, even for people who don’t look like they need to be careful. In fact, the people who are most dedicated to their health are the ones who are best at prioritizing their lives, and making the necessary sacrifices to clear the time to work out and eat right.
We can all use a helping hand.
Hopefully, this article has shown that we’re all in this together. We can all use a helping hand. Within the bariatric community, resources like BariatricPal can give us the chance to ask questions and give advice. Outside, try to remember that giving someone a smile or encouraging word can mean a lot, and possibly make someone’s day a lot easier.

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

More carbs! Wow, I did not know that... they're even worse than I thought. It is a shame how misled we are about food. A friend the other day told me that he was diagnosed with diabetes and now he has to go gluten-free. I told him that unless he was diagnosed with celiac that he did not have to go gluten-free. Beyond that, I have celiac and I have eliminated grains rather than eat unhealthy over-priced gluten-free products. Thanks for your comment!!

Our number one priority is to lose weight. In search of a new healthy lifestyle, we often self sabotage our well-intended efforts by investing in diet myths and misinformation about weight loss. Don’t fall into the trap! Check out these 8 Diet Myths.


8 Diet Myths Debunked!

Our number one priority is to lose weight. In search of a new healthy lifestyle, we often self sabotage our well-intended efforts by investing in diet myths and misinformation about weight loss. Don’t fall into the trap! Check out these 8 Diet Myths.
1 Negative-calorie foods
Some high fiber foods like celery and citrus fruits are claimed to be negative calorie foods. The presumption is that it takes more energy for the body to digest these foods, and thus burns more calories than the calories in the food itself. The truth is that the amount of calories it takes the body to digest food are minuscule compared to the calories in the food.
Read a counter-viewpoint and decide what is true for you, “Eating Foods that Burn More Calories.”

2. Muscle weighs more than fat
Don’t fool yourself. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weight the same — 1-pound! However, because muscle is more dense than fat, having more muscle on your frame will make you look leaner. Also, 1-pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day whereas 1-pound of fat burns only 2 calories — so muscle increases your metabolic rate.
Learn about “Metabolic Syndrome and Weight Loss.”

3. A diet is the best way to lose weight
In the short-term “dieting,” that is following a prescriptive plan of eating fewer calories for a period of time, results in weight loss. But the weight loss is only temporary and weight is regained when former eating habits are resumed. Instead, find a way to eat healthy forever. That’s the way to lose weight and keep it off.
More articles on Eating Healthy after weight loss surgery!

4. An entree salad is the low-cal choice on the menu
Salads can be a very healthy choice — or a very unhealthy choice! A general rule of thumb might be the yummier that you make a salad the less healthy it becomes. Watch those toppings: cheeses, candied walnuts, dressing — yikes! Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad has 580 calories, and 30 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat. Compare that to a McDonald’s double cheeseburger with 440 calories, and 23 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat.
More Unhealthy Foods we think are healthy!

5. Skipping meals speeds up weight loss
Not eating actually slows down metabolism. So to keep your metabolism going eat a healthy breakfast, followed by healthy lunch and dinner, several hours apart. Not eating also can cause ravenous hunger later in the day, which may drive you to overindulge.
Check out this Healthy Lunch Solution after Bariatrics!

6. “Light” foods are better
Light foods may contain fewer calories or fat, but not without increasing sodium, sugar, chemical additives, or artificial sweeteners. A serving of fat-free cream cheese is only 15-calories less than the real, full-fate version. But the sodium content is 11 milligrams more. Sodium is a major cause of bloating. Add to that, when people perceive a food as light they tend to eat more of it, sometimes consuming more calories than if they had eaten the real version.
Read “The Bitter Truth about Aspartame”

7. A gluten-free diet will help you lose weight
A gluten-free diet is assumed to be a no-carb diet. That is not true. A gluten-free product replaces gluten-containing grains like wheat flour with non-gluten-containing grains like rice flour. Both wheat flour and rice flour are high in carbohydrates — and gluten-free pastries are high in calories. A gluten-free diet was designed for people with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the small intestine cannot digest gluten.
Read “Gluten-Free is Unhealthy and Expensive”


8. Over-the-counter diet pills help weight loss
The Federal Trade Commission charged four weight loss companies with fraud. The companies charged with deceptive marketing practices include diet products we’ve all seen nationally-advertised: HCG Diet Direct, Sensa Products, LeanSpa, and L’Occitane. Talk to your doctor about your options for safe and effective medications for weight loss, combined with dietary and physical activity improvements.
Learn about Getting Active after weight loss.

This information was sourced from authoritative sources and is shared for informational purposes only. Use your best judgement and consult with your trusted healthcare provider before changing your diet and exercise habits.

Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

I don't get the controversy...... Either i drink coffee and be the super amazing bubbly cheerful loving incredible person i am..... Or......... No Coffee... and you get the Devil on Earth.
See... i pick coffee and so do the people around me..... lol

Thank you for this informed advice! I would love to see more posts like this about some of the other myths that have been debunked by science. My surgeon told me from the beginning to ignore advice about straws, SF gum and crushing pills, which has been very helpful to me. I would love to hear more about carbonated beverages and any others we have debates about on this forum.

Coffee confusion abounds. Some surgeons say, "Sure." Others say, "Never!"
And the forums? As many opinions as there are people.
Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson sets us straight with science.


"Elizabeth, regular coffee after surgery or decaf for life?
Let's keep this simple. If you can drink a cup of regular coffee every day without trouble, go for it.
This isn't my opinion folks and that's why it's so magically delicious.
There is a ground-swell movement among bariatric dietitians to fact-check some of the standard nutrition no-no's we've been sharing with clients.
If there's no science to back up the recommendation, we're not going to keep promoting it.
The latest worn-out bariatric rules without evidence? No straws, no gum, no soda.
Today I'm dispelling the no coffee/caffeine rule.
A recent review of the scientific literature reveals no evidence supporting the avoidance of caffeinated drinks to prevent dehydration or stomach lining damage.
“Here I come quad espresso over ice???” Whoa, Nelly.
Sane caffeine consumption after WLS means:
1. waiting six weeks post op or until you are fully healed from surgery
2. aiming to limit regular coffee to one cup per day
3. groping with the painful truth that a medium pumpkin spice latte with whip = 420 calories
Dietitians are working hard to create nutrition plans individually based on client’s unique needs and wants.
The next time you hear one of those bariatric no no’s, ask the provider if the current science is still robustly supporting that recommendation.
It might take them aback a bit but a good provider will thank you for your smart thoughtfulness and self-advocacy.