RNYTalk Newsletter 04/15/2013

RNYTalk 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 RNYTalk.com newsletter.

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

• Member Spotlight – Meet Cyn!

• Claim Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame!

• Stay Hydrated and Healthy after Bypass!

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

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder

RNYTalk.com

Member 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 sleeve plication.

• 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 below!

Choose your option, and then explain it in the discussion forum Protein is one of Cyn’s daily challenges. She also had trouble preventing herself from eating crackers or ginger ale for her upset stomach when she had a stomach virus. Exercising when her joints are flaring up is also tough. Cyn’s looking forward to getting her JP drain out and having her surgery heal! She’s ready to focus on losing weight!

Being released from the hospital was a great moment for Cyn because she was there for more than ten days post op, It was also great to be able to eat without a feeding tube and to have her PICC line removed! She’s already had tons of other great moments, such as trying on smaller clothes.

Cyn uses RNYTalk to “connect with people who have just had the surgery or are years out and can share some insight as to what might be happening with something, a complication, a plateau, supplement, ailment, recipes, tips, ideas or stories.” She says that “sometimes you just need a release outlet [when you’re] having a bad day or need reassurance that someone has gone through it or has been there, done that. She knows that you should always go to the healthcare professionals first to double-check the advice from RNYTalk.com, but members who have experienced it can offer sound advice.

Cyn really appreciates the people she has met on RNYTalk, and is grateful to all be working together toward the common goals of losing weight and living healthy forever. Cyn, we’re grateful to have you as an RNYTalk member and in our spotlight. Congratulations on your weight loss and better health so far! We’re eager to watch your success continue!

Do you want to be in the Member Spotlight, or do you know someone who does? Water after weight loss surgery, you’re not alone! In fact, meeting your 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 RNYTalk.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 and The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The books have 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.

We need your help to make the new book great! We’re asking RNYTalk.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!

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 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!

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 RNYTalk.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