Ken S.

To those of you attempting to make a new topic, when you're in a Forum or Category that accepts new topics, you should see a menu identifier at the top right in the form of 3 dots. If you click on that, you're able to post a new topic within the category you're currently viewing.
To reply to any topic that you're currently viewing, you'll have a bar at the bottom of the screen (it's always there, as long as you're logged in and viewing a topic you're allowed to post to) that says "Write a Reply". Clicking there will popup your keyboard and allow you to reply.
Both of the above require that you're logged into the app. Those of you who are logged into the app and are still having issues, please message me as we'll have to dig a bit deeper and may require additional information.
Thanks!

@@summerset This should be resolved now!

Let's see.

@@dashofsunshine Hi there! Thanks for reporting the issue you were experiencing with notifications. I have resolved this issue and you should now be able to view the notifications as you normally would. If you have any additional issues please don't hesitate to let us know.
Thanks again!

Is everyone here using an Android device by any chance?

@@JustWatchMe Hi there! You can sub/unsubscribe to a topic by using the star that's next to the topic/view count. It will appear as yellow when you're following the topic, and white when you're not. (see attached)

Hopefully that helps!

Thanks!

@@JustWatchMe Hi there! You can sub/unsubscribe to a topic by using the star that's next to the topic/view count. It will appear as yellow when you're following the topic, and white when you're not. (see attached)

Hopefully that helps!

Thanks!

Hi All! If you're still getting ads on the mobile app after signing up for VIP, please log out of the app and then log back in. You should not be seeing ANY ads on the mobile app once doing this.

Hi All! If you're still getting ads on the mobile app after signing up for VIP, please log out of the app and then log back in. You should not be seeing ANY ads on the mobile app once doing this.

Your weight loss surgery diet takes a lot of work. You need to measure your portions, focus on Protein, and think about every bite that goes into your mouth. There may be days when you run out of time or are sick of worrying about everything. That’s when you turn to your freezer.


Nope, you’re not about to desperately dig into a carton of Haagen-Dazs. You’re reaching for a pre-portioned meal or snack that is high enough in protein and low enough in calories to fit into your diet. A frozen meal or snack may not quite be a locally grown, organic, freshly made gourmet meal, but it sure beats the alternative if the alternative is opening a bag of chips or ordering a pizza.< /p>
If you like having frozen meals around, these are some good ones to consider. What better time than now to think about your freezer, since March is National Frozen Foods Month? These suggestions are good sources of protein and not too high in calories.
Heat and Eat
You’re on your way home from work, you’re exhausted, and you’re starving. Is it time for you to swing by the Chinese or restaurant on your street for some take-out? No, because you don’t have thousands of calories to play with. Plus, you know you have some good choices in your freezer that are just a few minutes away from being ready to eat. At least, you do if you’ve stocked up your freezer!
Read labels carefully when shopping for frozen meals. Check not only the protein and calorie content, but also the serving sizes. Some meals, especially pizzas, seem like they’re for one person, when they really have three or more servings.
Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers Smart Ones, Michelina’s Lean Gourmet, and Amy’s Kitchen have frozen meals you can work with. Keep some in your freezer at home, and, if you can, stash a few at work to have for lunch. They sure beat opting into your coworkers’ group order for Italian subs and potato chips.
Here are some frozen meals with at least 10 to 15 grams of protein and no more than 250 calories.
Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello with 15 grams of protein, 150 calories, and 14 grams of carbohydrates.
Lean Cuisine Herb Roasted chicken with 16 grams of protein, 180 calories, and 5 grams of Fiber.< /em>
Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey and Vegetables, with 16 grams of protein and 200 calories.
Lean Cuisine cheese and Tomato Snack Pizza with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Snack Pizza with 12 grams of protein and 210 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Salisbury Steak with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Shrimp with Pasta and Vegetables with 11 grams of protein and 240 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Baked Pepperoni Pizza Snacks with 11 grams of protein and 250 calories
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Quesadilla with 170 calories and 12 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Spicy Szechuan Style Vegetable and Chicken with 240 calories and 11 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe with 160 calories and 19 grams of protein.
Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Swedish Meatballs with 260 calories and 12 grams of protein.
Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Quinoa and Black Beans with Butternut Squash and Chard with 240 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber.

Start Your Day Off Right
Okay, what would be the ideal Breakfast on your weight loss surgery diet? Maybe an omelet made with baby spinach and mushrooms and low-fat feta cheese? Cottage cheese protein pancakes served with freshly cut fruit? Nice, but you probably can’t make these kinds of breakfasts every day.
If you’re going to talk about being too rushed to cook healthy homemade meals, you have to mention breakfast! Most of us just don’t have time to cook a hot, high-protein breakfast. Frozen meals can do the trick in a pinch. If you’re feeling ambitious, grab a piece of fruit to eat with your breakfast and up the fiber. Here are a few good choices. You can easily turn these breakfasts into grab-n-go meals by wrapping up the sandwiches or packing the other meal options into a container.
Lean Cuisine Veggie Scramble 16 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Lean Cuisine Turkey Sausage Scramble with 18 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich with 210 calories and 13 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Three Cheese Omelet with 13 grams of protein and 200 calories.
Jimmy Dean Delights Egg White with Spinach and Mozzarella Honey Wheat Flatbread with 11 grams of protein and 160 calories.

Meal Minus One
What else should you have in your freezer so that you’re just minutes away from a meal that fits on your weight loss surgery diet? I like to call these “Meals Minus One” because you just need to add one (or a few) ingredients to make them a meal. Here are a few ideas – but check your grocer’s freezer for other healthy varieties.
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, with 9 grams of protein and 70 calories per half-cup. Toss with fresh or frozen veggies and – optional – top with low-fat cheese for an easy breakfast scramble.
Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties with 10 grams of protein and 110 calories. Stir fry with frozen stir-fry vegetable mix and teriyaki sauce.
Van’s 8 Whole Grains Lite Waffles with 3 grams of protein and 65 calories for 2. Serve with nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh or frozen berries.
Jimmy Dean Delights Fully Cooked Applewood Smoke Sausage Links with 120 calories and 10 grams of protein, served with 1 packet of instant oatmeal.< br>
You can have a quick, high-protein breakfast with only a little bit of imagination, and even less time and effort.
A Note on Frozen Foods and Health
Are frozen meals really that healthy? Aren’t they processed? Don’t they have preservatives in them? Yes, you’re right. Many frozen meals are high in sodium. They can contain added sugars, and be higher in fat that you expect. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe, for example, has 800 milligrams of sodium or more than one-third of what you need in a day.
Ideally, you could cook each meal from scratch using fresh, wholesome ingredients. That’s not possible for most people. When “perfect” isn’t possible, it’s time to look at the “next best” option. And if your choice happens to be between a Jimmy Dean Delights Maple Pancakes and Turkey Sausage Griddlers with 10 grams of protein and 240 calories and, admittedly, 12 grams of sugars, versus, say, a fast food sausage biscuit with over 500 calories and a day’s worth of saturated fat, frozen doesn’t look quite so bad.
Frozen foods can bail you out those times when you just need something quick and easy. Spend some time going through the freezer section at your local supermarket so you’re not caught empty-handed when you get desperate. And this March, check the specials at the grocery store to capitalize on Frozen Foods Month.

Howdy ya'll! We've released an update that addresses this issue. If you haven't yet, be sure to update the BariatricPal app via the App Store! Thanks for the reports and patience while we worked on resolving this!

Howdy ya'll! We've released an update that addresses this issue. If you haven't yet, be sure to update the BariatricPal app via the App Store! Thanks for the reports and patience while we worked on resolving this!

@@Kitt3000 Were you using a kindle as well when you saw this happen, by any chance?

@@jessiquoi You can slide out a menu from the left side of the screen. The menu is accessible on nearly all screens throughout the application. The only 2 places that it is not accessible is while reading an actual topic, or while composing a post/reply or topic.

@@jessiquoi Before you check your android version number, please check again to see if an upgrade is now showing for BP on the Google Play Store.
Thanks!

Weight loss surgery is difficult, to say the least. The operation takes place after years or a lifetime of being obese and after months of research and preparation. Recovery can be anywhere from “not too bad” to riddled with complications. Nearly every aspect of your lifestyle changes, from your diet to the way you look to your relationships to your mental state. The entire experience is long and challenging, no matter how rewarding.


BariatricPal recognizes the challenges of being in the weight loss surgery community. You need every bit of support and information you can get to choose the best surgery for yourself, prepare for surgery, lose weight, and get healthy for the long term. The peer-to-peer support that BariatricPal members provide can be among the most powerful tools you have to help you achieve your goals. So please, help build the community up instead of tearing it down.
Potential for a Powerful, Unified Community
Our weight loss surgery communities began as WLSBoards, with four separate forums: LapBandTalk, VerticalSleeveTalk, RNYTalk, and SleevePlicationTalk. Each forum was dedicated to a single type of weight loss surgery. Members could discuss surgeons, diets, complications, and anything else related to weight loss surgery in general or the specific type of weight loss surgery in particular.
Then we merged the four WLSBoards to create BariatricPal, which is geared toward all types of weight loss surgery. This decision was based on the following beliefs.
We are all in this together. We have the same goal of fighting obesity through weight loss surgery.
The surgery types share many common characteristics and BariatricPal members can therefore benefit from having more input on topics such as the post-surgery diet progression, choosing a surgeon, ways to get more Protein, and dealing with head hunger.
As a single community, we have greater potential to be a unified and strong voice for weight loss surgery than we did as separate communities.
Some topics are surgery-specific, and there is a need for surgery-specific subforums for certain topics such as fills for lap-band patients, experience with Protein Shakes for sleeve patients who may not be able to eat enough on a regular basis, and dumping syndrome for gastric bypass patients.

Has BariatricPal Become a Divisive Arena?
Unfortunately, BariatricPal members have had some regrettable experiences that contradict these principles. Rather than being supported, encouraged, and assisted, some members have felt attacked or belittled by other members who do not believe in their choices, whether in regards to type of surgery, food choices, or other lifestyle choices. Rude behavior, while unacceptable in any circumstance, is especially damaging in our community.
It weakens our collective voice.
It prevents some weight loss surgery patients and potential patients from getting the information they need.
It discourages WLS patients from pursuing their healthy lifestyles.

Avoid Destructive Posts
Most BariatricPal members are polite, helpful, and encourage. Occasionally, though, members post inappropriate and potentially hurtful posts that put down one type of weight loss surgery or another individual’s choice. In general, a poor post is one that makes a person feel bad and does not offer any useful information. These are examples of unacceptable posts.
“I didn’t even know they offered the lap-band surgery anymore because it’s so dangerous.”
“Weight loss is easy with the gastric bypass surgery. The rest of us have to work harder.”
“You shouldn’t be asking if you can eat that. If you even are thinking about it, you shouldn’t have gotten WLS.”

It’s okay to offer your opinion, but do it kindly. If you’re not sure if your post is okay, think about it before your post. The rule of thumb is to always err on the side of caution. Think how you would act if you were face-to-face with a good friend who had an opinion with which you disagree. You would listen to his or her position, then acknowledge the reasoning for that opinion. Then you would state your opinion and explain why you feel that way. Remember that feelings are harder to convey in written online conversations, and gentle words of advice can be interpreted harshly.
What We Have to Gain (or Lose)
When we all support each other, regardless of type of weight loss surgery, we have a lot to gain.
Positive atmosphere where everyone feels welcome, so those who need it feel comfortable to come and ask questions
Unbelievable wealth of experience and knowledge…among people who are kind enough to share it
A place where open discussions can lead to brainstorming and generation of ideas and strategies for success
A sense of pride that we are all here, with the same goal through the same means. Let us celebrate!

When rudeness and disrespect take over, we have just as much to lose. Just think about what would happen if you had a question, asked it, and got told that your question is dumb or that you are doing something wrong in your weight loss journey. Maybe you would leave BariatricPal or, worse, you would be afraid to ask your question anywhere else because you didn’t feel comfortable anymore. Nobody deserves to be treated like that.
Take a moment when you are on BariatricPal to appreciate the warm community, and think about what it means to you. The next time you post, ask yourself: are you helping to build a stronger weight loss surgery community, or are you tearing it down?

This should be a must read upon signing up. Not allowed to post until acknowledging having read this.
Thanks, Alex.
It is funny some of us feel we have to fight the "normies" regarding WLS all the while fighting each other.

FATAL ERROR FATAL ERROR FATAL ERROR. What the Hell!? Did the OBAMACARE folks design this website?!

This seems to be fixed now. Thanks!

Hi Canary,
That line is referring to the "About Me" section of your profile. You can write several paragraphs or a single line, it's the first thing that appears in the profile content area if it's entered.
Thanks,
Ken

Today was my first class of the 12 weeks and the only thing I noticed is that the goal is to exercise 30 minutes every day or 60 minutes five days a week. Has anyone else been told that?

Okay Everyone!
We've gotten the beta version up and ready for ya'll to start testing. You'll notice a new feedback forum on the home page, which you can use to download the application, and keep us updated as to how your testing is going.
You can download the application here. If you have any questions about getting it installed, just let us know in that topic.
If you're unable to access the page, you may have to log out and log back in.
Thanks a million!!!!!!!

Hey Everyone!
We have been hard at work on our new Mobile Apps, and we're finally ready to release our beta version to a few lucky members for testing!

We're looking for about 20 testers for our new Android Mobile App. We are looking for members who are active on the site, and are able to use the app several times a day, to be sure it's being tested thoroughly.

If you're interested in testing for us, please go ahead and respond to this topic. We'll select the beta testers based on criteria that we've determined internally.

Happy Testing!

Hi all,
I understand that you may be frustrated - but we've outlined how to revert to the old settings. We'll look into a "one-click" method to set your settings to the immediate notifications - but that will be a ways out.
The "offline" method is not new functionality, it's be around for years. The thing is, our default notification settings were pretty aggressive. Notifying users about nearly everything that they may or may not want to know. This caused huge issues with members marking the e-mails as SPAM, which results in a very low deliverability rate for our service.
In relation to the number of members signed up here (nearly 60 thousand), we have gotten very few complaints. We wish we could avoid causing an inconvenience - but this was the only way to comply with the ever so strict rules of the e-mail industry. We've reduced our spam complaints dramatically and increased our deliverability to members by a very large amount since this change.
All in all - over the long run, the site wide change will benefit users, even the ones who like being notified of everything (since it can be enabled to do so, still) because we wont be put on e-mail blacklists now, which is what ISP's and other internet e-mail services were planning to do. This was the best way (and perhaps the only way) to prevent them from doing so, and allow you to receive e-mails from us.

Hi all,
We've made some changes to the notifications. Please read this topic - you can revert back to the old method (instructions in that post) if you choose :-)