Hi Misty, and welcome! I am so excited for you, and am confident you are going to do well. You will love the support you get and friendships you make here.
I'm gonna put this disclaimer up first: I'm almost 5 weeks out from surgery and am NOT thinking about drinking now or anytime in the near future.
That being said...
My NUT told me that after getting the sleeve, one's alcohol tolerance is really low. I don't drink very much...a drink at Christmas, a drink out at dinner with friends, etc. So, not drinking right now is no biggie at all. However, I'm curious, if and when I have a drink at some point down the road, how much of a lightweight will I be? Are we talking one sip of a Fuzzy Naval and I'm stripping my clothes off and licking the bar top? How bad is it?
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Hey BariatricPal Members!
I hope this newsletter finds you well and making progress towards your surgery, weight loss, and health goals. Now that summer is officially over, it’s about time to take advantage of what autumn has to offer to help you lose more weight. We hope this newsletter will help you do that, and here is what you will find.
Ready for Weight Loss Anytime, Anywhere
Appreciating the Weight Loss Surgery Journey
Autumn Weight Loss: Take Advantage of the Season
Take a look at the newsletter for some inspiration and ideas. Then, why not put what you learned to the test by planning the next stage in your weight loss surgery journey? The BariatricPal forums are always there for encouragement and support, so you can be confident that you’re never alone in your journey. To your health!
Sincerely,
Alex Brecher
Founder, BariatricPal
Ready for Weight Loss Anytime, Anywhere
Your best bet for sticking to your weight loss surgery diet is to be prepared. For starters, you can stock your kitchen with fresh vegetables and fruit, chicken, tuna, yogurt, and other lean Proteins, and instant protein breakfasts and entrees to use in a pinch. There may be times when you need something even faster, and you can be prepared to get a healthy meal or snack anytime, anywhere.
Shakes, Bars, and Snacks
A healthy snack can give you needed Protein while curbing hunger, but putting together a fresh snack is not always practical. Protein shakes, protein bars, and protein Snacks, such as protein chips and protein pretzels, can do the trick when you are time-crunched or have other things on your mind.
You can find the calorie-controlled, ready to use choices you need at The BariatricPal Store. New to our store? Use coupon code BPNLSEP2016 for a 15% discount on your first purchase!
Insure Nutrition
We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify.
Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs.
Unjury and Opurity
BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are Unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity Vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month.
Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, Chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished.
Launched in 2007, opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages:
First, each Multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China.
Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable Calcium, Vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.”
Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership!
*You still need calcium and sublingual B-12.
Healthy Options at Every Corner
No matter how careful you are to plan ahead, life can throw a wrench into your plans. When life happens, you can be caught empty-handed and starving. Even then, you can find something that fits into your weight loss surgery diet.
Fast food restaurants have a lot of bad options, but they have some good choices, too. Whether you are stuck with a coffee shop, a burger joint, a pizza parlor, a sandwich shop, or another type of national franchise restaurant, you can fit something into your WLS diet if you order carefully. You might want to consider your options ahead of time so you can be confident in your choice when you have only a few quick minutes to decide what to order.
These are some likely possibilities to look for.
Eggs and cheese from a Breakfast sandwich.
Chicken or turkey breast, a burger patty, or cheese from a burger, sandwich, or taco.
A side salad or green salad with chicken breast.
Fat-free yogurt.
You always have the choice of how much to eat, so do not ever pressure yourself to eat too much just because you received too much food. Also, you can pick and choose what to eat. Never feel obligated to eat the bread when all you wanted was the chicken breast inside the sandwich, and feel free to pick out the shrimp and vegetables from a rice bowl, while leaving the rice untouched.
Appreciating the Weight Loss Surgery Journey
There is a lot to think about from the moment you begin the weight loss surgery journey. Goal weight may be at the front of your mind. Also at the forefront are probably milestones such as getting through your pre-op diet, having surgery itself, progressing to solid foods, and, if you are a lap-band patient, finding the green zone with your band. On top of all that, you need to focus on working hard day in, day out, on following your WLS diet.
There is truly a lot to concentrate on as you chase weight loss surgery success. That is good because it can keep you focused on track, but it can keep you from noticing some of the great things that are happening every day of your WLS. Making an effort to notice these exciting moments on a daily basis can keep you motivated and make your entire journey easier.
Recognize Great Choices
On a daily basis, you are faced with countless choices that affect your weight loss surgery journey, from what to eat to whether to exercise. No matter what else happens in your life, you are in control of your choices. If you make a habit of noticing and praising yourself each time you make a good weight loss surgery choice, you will be motivated to make more good choices. They build on each other.
Here are a few choices you might recognize. They may seem small, but they show your commitment to your weight loss, and they add up to big results.
Measuring portions instead of eyeballing them.
Packing a lunch the night before so you don’t rush out of the house empty-handed the next day.
Getting up to walk in the morning instead of rolling over in bed.
Making the effort to go to your support group meeting instead of staying at home.
Phoning a friend to talk through your feelings instead of drowning them in food.
Enjoy Daily Progress
You will not hit a major milestone each day. The scale will not go down each day, or even each week. But you can still progress in your weight loss surgery every day. When you appreciate your progress, you can see the links between your hard work and the benefits that it leads to. In turn, that can increase your motivation.
All kinds of progress can happen on a daily basis. Many of them will be NSVs (non-scale victories) that can pop up at any time. For example, there might be that first day when it takes you a moment to see that the skinny figure reflecting back at you from the shop window is…you. You might find that you ar Or, you might realize that you chose to order the grilled chicken salad instead of your old go-to of nachos supreme not because you had to, but because the salad actually sounded more appealing for your new palate.
Autumn Weight Loss: Take Advantage of the Season
Ready or not, summer is over and the chillier weather is coming in. You might as well embrace it, though, since autumn can be a great season for weight loss. For one thing, the distractions of summer vacations are over, so it is easier to focus on routine, including the routine that you know will get you to your weight loss goals.
Here are a few more ways you can take advantage of fall for weight loss.
Walk outside in the invigorating brisk air instead of avoiding the summer heat.
Snack on crisp fall apples, or bake them with cinnamon and serve them with Greek yogurt for a guilt-free dessert.
Discover winter squashes such as acorn and butternut as one of the most nutritious starch choices you can make – packed with Fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
Find a local farm where you can burn calories picking apples or pears.
Curl up with a hot cup of protein cocoa or cappuccino on a chilly evening.
Go to a gym regularly, since they are fairly empty at this time of year.
Get creative as you think of ways that the fall season can help you lose weight, and take advantage of every opportunity that comes along. Whenever you have ideas or need ideas, hop on over to BariatricPal and get those conversations going!
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter and got some inspiration from it. You are always welcome to share your questions and comments over on the forums, and I hope you will! Have a great fall, and thanks for your support.
I'm so jealous of those of you who don't have the strange noises anymore! I am six years out and have all kinds of crazy sounds in there. And, of course, my totally obnoxious and loud hiccough that notifies me I have officially had enough to eat. ????
Sent from my SM-T810 using the BariatricPal App
Many people have had success with the Patches. And, for those of us who have had WLS, they are much easier than trying to swallow or chew large pills. Have you looked at the Patches we offer in our store?
https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatric-Vitamins
The best way to determine if they are effective for you is by having blood work.
I'm so jealous of those of you who don't have the strange noises anymore! I am six years out and have all kinds of crazy sounds in there. And, of course, my totally obnoxious and loud hiccough that notifies me I have officially had enough to eat. ????
Sent from my SM-T810 using the BariatricPal App
I'm so jealous of those of you who don't have the strange noises anymore! I am six years out and have all kinds of crazy sounds in there. And, of course, my totally obnoxious and loud hiccough that notifies me I have officially had enough to eat. ????
Sent from my SM-T810 using the BariatricPal App
Brenda, kudos to you for recommitting. Don't hate yourself, it happens to many, including myself. I am sure you have heard this before, but weight loss surgery is a tool, not a magical cure. During the "honeymoon" phase, we tend to forget that because the weight just seems to melt off. But, for long-term, sustainable results, we need to really learn proper nutrition and healthy eating habits. I live with a certified nutritionist, and still didn't get that part! I gained back 50 pounds. But, now, with following proper, healthy eating habits and tracking every single bite that goes in my mouth, I too am back on track.
I get the part about the clear head, calm and being in control again. It is really a great feeling, isn't it? You can do this. We can do this, especially with the wonderful support from our friends here on BariatricPal.
Cedar's Garlic Lovers Hommus (yep, that is how they spell it) is amazing. I eat it with all small amount of measured out pita chips or vegetable chips for a nice afternoon snack.< /p>
Sent from my SM-T810 using the BariatricPal App
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
I love that, and agree we should pamper ourselves. One thing I have never done, but am seriously considering, is getting a massage. Actually, there is a place near me that specializes in foot therapy massage, and I think I am going to "reward" myself with giving it a try.
*susan* got a reaction from Shayisready in New to forum
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*susan* got a reaction from ridingrae in So glad to be back on track
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