VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter 04/15/2013

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. Better weather is here, and summer is just around the corner, so April is a perfect time to fulfill or renew commitments to your weight and health! Let the fresh air and green plants inspire you to try new recipes and get outside for some calorie-burning fun! First, though, why not read through this month’s newsletter for some inspiration?

These are the contents of the April VerticalSleeveTalk.com newsletter.

• Sleever Poll – Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again?

• Member Spotlight – Meet Dean!

• Claim Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

• Stay Hydrated and Healthy!

Enjoy the newsletter. Then log onto Alex Brecher. See you on the boards!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder

VerticalSleeveTalk.com

Sleever Poll: Would You Have Weight Loss Surgery Again?

Knowing what you know now about weight loss surgery, would you do it again if you had the chance to make your decision again?

• Yes, without a doubt! The surgery has been everything I’d hoped for.

• Yes, probably. The journey hasn’t been easy, but I’m losing weight and feel that this was my best option.

• Yes, but I would have chosen a different type of weight loss surgery, not the lap-band.

• No. I’ve had complications and my health has suffered and/or I haven’t been hitting my weight loss goals.

• I haven’t had the surgery yet, but I’m looking at the results of this poll carefully to help me make my decision!

• Other...read my response!

Choose your option, and then explain it in the discussion forum food. Becoming free from the hold that food had over him lets him enjoy people and events instead of focusing on what and how much he could eat. He also learned that he was an emotional eater before surgery, even though he didn’t realize it before. Dean is learning not to give in to “head hunger,” and to instead drink some Water, exercise or talk to someone instead of eating.

Dean has met some of his Australian VerticalSleeveTalk.com friends in person and would one day like to meet his American friends. He tries to answer other members’ questions, both to help them out and to keep himself on track! To help you succeed, Dean suggests planning your food. He also says that he’s getting better at listening to his body to match his foods to his body’s needs.

Dean, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Thanks for sharing your story and tips with us in the Member Spotlight!

Do you want to be in the Member Spotlight, or do you know someone who does? Fluid recommendations is one of the most common challenges that weight loss surgery patients report. You wouldn’t expect that staying hydrated would be a major concern compared to challenges of eating right and exercising, but it is. Why?

• You can’t drink fluids during or around meal and snack times.

• You might not like the taste of water

• You need more fluid than before because you’re trying to be healthier

• You can’t drink caloric or carbonated beverages, like juice, soda and sugar-sweetened drinks, such as coffee drinks and sports drinks

You need at least 1.5 liters, or 6 8-ounce cups, of fluid each day. If you don’t get enough water, you can become dehydrated. This can delay your recovery from surgery if your procedure is recent. Even if your surgery was long ago, dehydration can give you headaches and make you tired. It can also interfere with weight loss by making you feel hungrier.

These tips can help you stay hydrated.

• Get in the habit so it’s natural! Drink 1 to 2 8-ounce glasses when you wake up in the morning, and 30 minutes after each meal or snack.

• Drink an extra glass of water before and after you exercise. If you sweat a lot, drink a cup of water each 20 minutes during exercise.

• Instead of plain water, try ice water, water with lime, lemon or a sprig of mint.

• Decaffeinated coffee and tea and non-carbonated diet drinks, such as diet Fruit Drinks, are good alternatives to water.

Claim Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

You know we’re always busy around VerticalSleeveTalk.com. We already published The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band. The book has practical advice for anyone thinking about weight loss surgery. It’s packed with information from the earliest stages of your weight loss journey through your lifelong diet. It’s available in print and ebook from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Soon, you’ll be able to find The Big Book on the Gastric Sleeve!

That’s not all, though! We’re working on yet another book. This one’s going to be a lifesaver for life after weight loss surgery. It’ll have diet help, food lists, meal plans, recipes, exercise and tips for preventing and dealing with complications. It’ll be a motivational book, too.

We need your help to make the new book great! We’re asking VerticalSleeveTalk.com members – that’s you! - to share your favorite recipe or recipes to publish in the book. You can submit your recipe by sending a PM (private message) to member Alex Brecher (the board’s founder). Include the name of your recipe, the ingredients and quantities, how many servings it makes, which stage(s) of the weight loss surgery diet you can use it for and how to make it. Also let us know when you use it, how you learned or created the recipe and any other stories you have related to the recipe, such as the first time you tried it. Thanks! We’ve loved reading the recipes that you’ve sent us so far – keep them coming and don’t miss your chance to have your recipe published!

That’s all we’ve got for this newsletter, but there’s plenty more to talk about on the boards! Thanks for all of your support and feedback – you, our members are what make VerticalSleeveTalk.com the great community that it is. Don’t forget to send us your recipes and give us any other feedback!

Take care of yourself and each other.

Sincerely,

Alex