RNYTalk Newsletter 03/15/2013

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

RNYTalk Newsletter

Hey, RNYTalk members!

It’s been a long winter for many of us, and spring is finally in the air! Take advantage of your new healthy lifestyle as you lose a little weight while celebrating the season. Burn a few calories by doing a little spring cleaning, and eat egg whites instead of chocolate eggs for Easter. If you can, hit the park or gym to shoot some hoops in honor of March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Before you get going, though, take a few minutes to get motivated with this month’s newsletter. Here’s what you’ll find.

• Help Us Out and Win a Book!

• Bypass Poll: How Will You Celebrate March Madness?

• Member Spotlight: Get to Know Baker_gurl!

• What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and have a healthy, happy spring. Be sure to login to RNYTalk.com frequently to stay motivated and get the support you need for success in your journey!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder

food lists, meal plans, recipes, exercise and tips for preventing and dealing with complications. It’ll be a motivational book, too.

The book can be better with your help! This month, we’re asking RNYTalk.com members to send us your recipes to publish in the book. Please submit your recipe by sending a PM (private message) to chicken wings until I can’t eat anymore. Chicken is high in Protein, so what’s the problem?

E. What are you talking about? I’m so busy eating right and working out that I don’t know what March Madness is. It better not interfere with my weight loss!

We want to know how you’re going to celebrate March Madness! Answer the poll and explain your answer on the conversation on RNYTalk.com!

Member Spotlight: Baker_gurl!

This month’s spotlight is on Baker_gurl, aka Emily from Memphis, Tennessee. At 5 feet 8 inches and 350 pounds, Emily had tried several times to lose weight on her own, but couldn’t keep it off. She had wanted the gastric bypass surgery for a few years. Finally, her new job as a department associate gave her insurance last year, and she thought, “This is finally my time to make a change!" She got the gastric bypass in August of 2012 and is now at 260 pounds, nearly halfway to goal weight of 150 pounds!

One of the ways her life has changed is that she is learning to love exercise! Emily goes to Water aerobics and zumba regularly, and now challenges herself on the treadmill and elliptical by slowing increasing the time and resistance. She’s also change her eating habits, of course, and she’s discovered how important it is to keep a food journal. She uses MyFitnessPal to log food and check the nutritional facts before ordering at restaurants. Emily has had to conquer her sweet tooth and “find the discipline to turn down dessert on a daily basis;” she’s learned that she “can indulge in other non-food ways.”

One of her great moments was seeing 299 on the scale! It had been eight years since she had been under 300 pounds. She also enjoyed discovering that previously too-tight clothes that were in storage were actually too big by the time she tried them on!

Emily logs into RNYTalk most days for information and inspiration. She relies on the community because she doesn’t know anyone in her real life who is a gastric bypass patient. She can learn from RNYTalk members who are going through the same changes as Emily. She also loves the “product reviews, tips and advice” from members who are further along.

Emily says that “you really have to be committed to making lifestyle changes to succeed. This is a long term process, not a quick fix! There will be plateaus, but you have to expect them and continue to work hard to pass them. Don't give up during these hard times!” She knows that “everyone makes mistakes during this process. What is important is that you truly learn from your mistakes and don't do the same thing again! Also, realize that you are not alone in this process! There is always someone here to help if you have a question/problem.”

Emily, thanks for all of your advice and support in this newsletter and on the boards. Congratulations on your success so far, and we’re all cheering for you as you get closer to goal weight. Thanks for being in the spotlight!

What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?

For many weight loss surgery patients, weight loss starts off so fast that motivation is no problem. Before surgery, you’re eager to follow your diet perfectly so that you qualify for surgery. Shortly after surgery, you’re motivated to stick to your diet because you are losing weight quickly, you want your surgery wounds to heal properly and your small stomach pouch makes overeating more difficult. Seeing the pounds come off is positive feedback to encourage you to keep working hard.

But what happens a little later, when you’re not losing weight as fast? Where is the encouragement when you hit a plateau and have trouble losing weight; when you’re approaching your goal weight and are having trouble losing those last few pounds; or when you’re at goal and need to keep the pounds off? Since the numbers on the scale aren’t dropping as fast as they were before, you’ll need to find other ways to motivate yourself to stick to your new healthy lifestyle.

These are a few ideas for keeping yourself motivated without focusing on the scale.

• Place your “before” and “after” pictures where you can see them frequently – on the fridge, on your desk or as your computer desktop picture. There’s no question that you don’t want to slip up and go back to your “before” self!

• On the fridge, post a list of reasons why you don’t want to ruin the hard work that you’ve already put in. You might list activities that you can do now but couldn’t do before get where you are now, feeling proud of yourself and having lower blood sugar.

• Pick out a dream outfit in your goal size and keep trying it on to see how well it fits.

• If you notice that you’re slipping back into your former habits, write a note to your former self. Explain that you’re a different person now, and describe the ways in which you are different. You might explain that now, you don’t have to eat because you’re bored or stressed. Now, you measure portions of healthy foods and stop eating when you’re full. Now, you’re proud of yourself and your ability to control your diet.

• Even if you’re not currently having trouble staying motivated, you might want to write a note to your future self. Remind yourself how hard you’re working and how you feel better each day that you stick to your diet and get active. Later, if your resolve ever wavers, you can read this note and remember that you don’t want to undo the effort that you’ve put in.

How do you keep yourself motivated when your weight loss hits a plateau? For those of you who are already approaching goal weight or are at maintenance, how do you convince yourself to stay on track once your weight loss slows or stops? Let us know over in the forums and see if you can pick up a few tips from other RNYTalk.com members!

We hope this newsletter has been motivational for you. Thanks for reading it, and as always, please feel free to contact us! We’re looking for recipes, and we’re also happy to get member feedback!

Take care of yourself and each other.

Sincerely,

Alex

==============================================================

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

[monken 135]

<div>

<h3>RNYTalk Newsletter</h3>

<span style='color: #0000CD'><span style='font-size: 18px;'><strong class='bbc'>Hey' date=' RNYTalk members!</strong></span></span>

It’s been a long winter for many of us, and spring is finally in the air! Take advantage of your new healthy lifestyle as you lose a little weight while celebrating the season. Burn a few calories by doing a little spring cleaning, and eat egg whites instead of chocolate eggs for Easter. If you can, hit the park or gym to shoot some hoops in honor of March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Before you get going, though, take a few minutes to get motivated with this month’s newsletter. Here’s what you’ll find.<ul class='bbc'>

<li>Help Us Out and Win a Book!

</li><li>Bypass Poll: How Will You Celebrate March Madness?

</li><li>Member Spotlight: Get to Know <span style='color: #006400'><strong class='bbc'>Baker_gurl</strong></span>!

</li><li>What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?

</li></ul>

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and have a healthy, happy spring. Be sure to login to RNYTalk.com frequently to stay motivated and get the support you need for success in your journey!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder

<a href='http://www.rnytalk.com/index.php?' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>RNYTalk.com</a>

<span style='color: #0000CD'><span style='font-size: 18px;'><strong class='bbc'>Help Us Out and Get Yourself Published!</strong></span></span>

You know we’re always busy around RNYTalk.com. We already published <strong class='bbc'>The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band</strong>. The book has practical advice for anyone thinking about the lap-band or any 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, we’ll have a Big Book for the Gastric Bypass!

We’re not stopping there, though! We’re working on 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.

The book can be better with your help! This month, we’re asking RNYTalk.com members to send us your recipes to publish in the book. Please submit your recipe by sending a PM (private message) to <a href='http://www.rnytalk.com/user/632-alex-brecher/' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>member Alex Brecher</a> (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!

<strong class='bbc'><span style='color: #0000CD'><span style='font-size: 18px;'>Bypass Poll: How Will You Celebrate March Madness?</span></span></strong>

The NCAA basketball tournament to determine the national collegiate champion is often known as March Madness. There are exciting matchups and upsets throughout the tournament. How are you going to celebrate this year’s tournament?<ul class='bbc'>

<li>A. Not at all. I don’t want to be anywhere near a March Madness party because I’ll eat too much for my weight loss surgery diet.

</li><li>B. In moderation. There are a few treats that I have to have, but I’m going to have tiny portions and eat them slowly.

</li><li>C. The healthy way. I’m going to play basketball or get in another workout before each game, and I’ll watch the game without eating.

</li><li>D. The old way. I’m going to host parties every weekend and drink beer and eat chicken wings until I can’t eat anymore. chicken is high in Protein, so what’s the problem?

</li><li>E. What are you talking about? I’m so busy eating right and working out that I don’t know what March Madness is. It better not interfere with my weight loss!

</li></ul>

We want to know how you’re going to celebrate March Madness! Answer the poll and explain your answer on the conversation on RNYTalk.com!

<strong class='bbc'><span style='color: #0000CD'><span style='font-size: 18px;'>Member Spotlight: Baker_gurl!</span></span></strong>

This month’s spotlight is on <span style='color: #006400'><strong class='bbc'>Baker_gurl</strong></span>, aka Emily from Memphis, Tennessee. At 5 feet 8 inches and 350 pounds, Emily had tried several times to lose weight on her own, but couldn’t keep it off. She had wanted the gastric bypass surgery for a few years. Finally, her new job as a department associate gave her insurance last year, and she thought, “This is finally my time to make a change!" She got the gastric bypass in August of 2012 and is now at 260 pounds, nearly halfway to goal weight of 150 pounds!

One of the ways her life has changed is that she is learning to love exercise! Emily goes to Water aerobics and zumba regularly, and now challenges herself on the treadmill and elliptical by slowing increasing the time and resistance. She’s also change her eating habits, of course, and she’s discovered how important it is to keep a food journal. She uses MyFitnessPal to log food and check the nutritional facts before ordering at restaurants. Emily has had to conquer her sweet tooth and “find the discipline to turn down dessert on a daily basis;” she’s learned that she “can indulge in other non-food ways.”

One of her great moments was seeing 299 on the scale! It had been eight years since she had been under 300 pounds. She also enjoyed discovering that previously too-tight clothes that were in storage were actually too big by the time she tried them on!

Emily logs into RNYTalk most days for information and inspiration. She relies on the community because she doesn’t know anyone in her real life who is a gastric bypass patient. She can learn from RNYTalk members who are going through the same changes as Emily. She also loves the “product reviews, tips and advice” from members who are further along.

Emily says that “you really have to be committed to making lifestyle changes to succeed. This is a long term process, not a quick fix! There will be plateaus, but you have to expect them and continue to work hard to pass them. Don't give up during these hard times!” She knows that “everyone makes mistakes during this process. What is important is that you truly learn from your mistakes and don't do the same thing again! Also, realize that you are not alone in this process! There is always someone here to help if you have a question/problem.”

Emily, thanks for all of your advice and support in this newsletter and on the boards. Congratulations on your success so far, and we’re all cheering for you as you get closer to goal weight. Thanks for being in the spotlight!

<span style='color: #0000CD'><span style='font-size: 18px;'><strong class='bbc'>What Do You Do when You’re Not Losing Weight Fast?</strong></span></span>

For many weight loss surgery patients, weight loss starts off so fast that motivation is no problem. Before surgery, you’re eager to follow your diet perfectly so that you qualify for surgery. Shortly after surgery, you’re motivated to stick to your diet because you are losing weight quickly, you want your surgery wounds to heal properly and your small stomach pouch makes overeating more difficult. Seeing the pounds come off is positive feedback to encourage you to keep working hard.

But what happens a little later, when you’re not losing weight as fast? Where is the encouragement when you hit a plateau and have trouble losing weight; when you’re approaching your goal weight and are having trouble losing those last few pounds; or when you’re at goal and need to keep the pounds off? Since the numbers on the scale aren’t dropping as fast as they were before, you’ll need to find other ways to motivate yourself to stick to your new healthy lifestyle.

These are a few ideas for keeping yourself motivated without focusing on the scale.<ul class='bbc'>

<li>Place your “before” and “after” pictures where you can see them frequently – on the fridge, on your desk or as your computer desktop picture. There’s no question that you don’t want to slip up and go back to your “before” self!

</li><li>On the fridge, post a list of reasons why you don’t want to ruin the hard work that you’ve already put in. You might list activities that you can do now but couldn’t do before get where you are now, feeling proud of yourself and having lower blood sugar.

</li><li>Pick out a dream outfit in your goal size and keep trying it on to see how well it fits.

</li><li>If you notice that you’re slipping back into your former habits, write a note to your former self. Explain that you’re a different person now, and describe the ways in which you are different. You might explain that now, you don’t have to eat because you’re bored or stressed. Now, you measure portions of healthy foods and stop eating when you’re full. Now, you’re proud of yourself and your ability to control your diet.

</li><li>Even if you’re not currently having trouble staying motivated, you might want to write a note to your future self. Remind yourself how hard you’re working and how you feel better each day that you stick to your diet and get active. Later, if your resolve ever wavers, you can read this note and remember that you don’t want to undo the effort that you’ve put in.

</li></ul>

How do you keep yourself motivated when your weight loss hits a plateau? For those of you who are already approaching goal weight or are at maintenance, how do you convince yourself to stay on track once your weight loss slows or stops? Let us know over in the forums and see if you can pick up a few tips from other RNYTalk.com members!

We hope this newsletter has been motivational for you. Thanks for reading it, and as always, please feel free to contact us! We’re looking for recipes, and we’re also happy to get member feedback!

Take care of yourself and each other.

Sincerely,

Alex

</div>

==============================================================

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}[/quote']

Alex how do you post pics?

HW 250/First lapband 198 leak/Second lapband adhesion/scar tissue complications/232/current RNY 205