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Happy Birthday, BariatricPal!



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Today, BariatricPal celebrates its 11th birthday! I am very proud of this accomplishment and of our dedicated BariatricPal members who have made the last 11 years possible.

How It All Started

I got the lap-band and came home from the hospital on July 2th 2003. Almost immediately, I went online to find out the answers to some of my questions and to share experiences with other weight loss surgery patients. To my dismay, I could not find an online social site that met my needs. The very next day, I started LapBandTalk.com with the goal of providing a welcoming community for lap-band patients and potential patients to provide support, encouragement, and advice to each other.

The Evolution of BariatricPal

LapBandTalk.com took off, and I eventually started VerticalSleeveTalk.com for gastric sleeve pre and post-op patients, RNYTalk.com for gastric bypass pre and post-op patients, and SleevePlicationTalk.com for sleeve plication pre and post-op patients. In 2013, 10 years after the launch of LapBandTalk.com, I decided to merge the boards into BariatricPal.com. This single community retains the welcoming environment of the individual boards, but has a stronger voice in advocating for weight loss surgery as a way to fight obesity.

We Hit Post Number 3.5 Million!

BariatricPal is still growing. Our community includes hundreds of thousands of members and 7 million monthly site visits. Our most recent milestone is an impressive 3.5 millionth post, which we hit on July 10! Don’t forget that the lucky poster who made post number 3.5 million will receive a free copy of my latest book: The Big Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery.

Thank you for your continued support. Without your participation and feedback, BariatricPal would not be the top site that it is today. I am truly grateful for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Alex

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Thank you for this site and for it not being filled with annoying ads. This helps so many of us.

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Don't thank us Alex,

Thank you! You started this and without it where would we be? It was sad to see some old faithfuls leave the board but with your help and support they got what they needed and left. Maybe someday they 'll just check in to say hi!

Happy Anniversary to BPS! Growing in leaps and bounds as we support each other to lose the pounds!

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Thank you, Alex. This site is an invaluable resource, and so much more.

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Thank you Alex for starting this website. It is so good to have one place to go to get all the support and information that we need. I have been on this site just about every day since I joined April 24, 2014. I love seeing everyone's success and it is nice to know that if I have a problem I can either search the subject or start a new topic. At least one person has had the same problem.

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Thank you Alex!

This site has been worth more than words can express to me in this journey down the "loser's" highway.

Kathleen

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This site has been my number one resource before, during and after WLS. At my surgeon's monthly support group meeting I always make sure to tell newbies (pre- and post-op) about BariatricPal.com. Spread the word!

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BariatricPal is an amazing resource not only to the WLS community but to the overweight population as well as those who are seeking nutritional support and overall health. There are so many forums and topics covered, and every day the site keeps growing.

You have started something truly AMAZING here and we all thank you for being bold enough to take those first steps and include us all on the journey!

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  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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