BariatricPal Newsletter - March 2015

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Hey BariatricPal Members!

Spring is just around the corner, and it’s time to shake off the cobwebs and plan a little spring cleaning. If your diet and exercise routine need a little cleaning up, too, you’re in luck. This newsletter can get you motivated to get back on your feet so you’ll be all set for spring break. Here’s what you’ll find this month.

• Polls ‘n’ More: Your Opinion Matters


• Member Spotlight: Meet TheRealMeIsHere!


• Something to Celebrate in March

So, take a few minutes to read the newsletter. Then log on to BariatricPal so you can give your opinions about it and talk about whatever else is on your mind. An army of BariatricPal members is waiting to help you out on your weight loss surgery journey, so don’t be a stranger.

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder, BariatricPal

Polls ‘n’ More: Your Opinion Matters

BariatricPal is a pretty busy place, between the polls, other conversations, and member blogs and photo galleries. Not sure where to start? Here are a couple of places where your opinion is especially valuable!

Something to Help You Decide About Weight Loss Surgery

We asked members about their complications after weight loss surgery, and it turned into a hot topic! This poll may help you make your decision if you’re still up in the air about getting weight loss surgery or if you’re not sure which type is for you. Hint: the answers are pretty encouraging!

Interested in answering and reading other members’ answers to more polls? Go to the BariatricPal Polls Forum and chime in!

Should BariatricPal Launch an Online Store?

BariatricPal is here to help you through your weight loss surgery journey. The social part is a big deal, and that’s what the forums and other parts of the community are for. But the diet is also important, and BariatricPal may be able to help out with that, too.

We are thinking about opening an online store to sell bariatric nutritional products at competitive prices. Before we do, we need to know whether you like that idea. Please let us know what you think and give us your suggestions! You can either post on this thread or PM Alex Brecher. Thanks!

Insure Nutrition

We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify.

Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs.

Exciting News – We're welcoming Unjury and opurity to BariatricPal!

BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity Vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month.

Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished.

Launched in 2007, Opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages:

First, each Multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China.

Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable Calcium, Vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.”

Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership!

*You still need calcium and sublingual B-12.

Member Spotlight: Meet The RealMeIsHere!

This month’s member spotlight is on TheRealMeIsHere from Ferndale, New York. She spent most of her life bouncing between 115 and 275 pounds. Life was great when she was closer to 115 pounds – she had energy and confidence. At her higher weight, she sat on the couch a lot, drank, ate, and talked on the phone.

TheRealMeIsHere was not able to lose weight on healthy diets, and she developed eating disorders. She was anorexic and bulimic at times. When she gained weight, she developed high blood pressure and severe sleep apnea. She stopped breathing nearly 50 times an hour! Her orthopedic conditions kept her in pain and prevented her from moving much, turning it into a vicious cycle.

When TheRealMeIsHere got health insurance, she researched weight loss surgery. She chose the gastric sleeve because of its permanence – unlike the lap-band. She also liked the fact that it did not cause malabsorption since she has ulcerative colitis. She got the surgery in 2012, as soon as her insurance covered it.

TheRealMeIsHere just had her two-year surgiversary – and what a difference two years makes! She has maintained her weight at 115 pounds. Her sleep apnea and hypertension have diminished, and her energy has exploded. Other great moments have been realizing that she had the ability to get back to the weight she wanted, and getting a panniculectomy/abdominoplasty after reaching goal weight.

food does not control her, but she still loves it and is able to enjoy in healthy ways. Instead of acting on every craving, she might make sleeve-friendly versions of her favorites. She loves salads and lean meats, and thinks of cauliflower as the “chameleon” vegetable that “can masquerade as Pasta, Pizza Crust, bread, or potatoes.” She delights in tricking guests with her healthy dishes. TheRealMeIsHere has figured out how to enjoy restaurant outing within her gastric sleeve diet restrictions.

From the beginning, getting enough liquids and protein was difficult. She could not drink much without cramping, and she did not start hitting her 80 daily grams of protein until 18 months post-surgery. Her stomach was so small it was difficult to eat enough, so she had to stick to nothing but high-protein foods.

TheRealMeIsHere was definitely grateful to be able to eat salads again! She mostly eats meats and vegetables now, and her sleeve holds about ¾ to 1 cup of food. She found out recently – the hard way – that eating too much still gives her severe diarrhea and cramps. Not worth it!

TheRealMeIsHere came to BariatricPal before surgery to see success stories, learn about concerns, and look at pictures. Later, the site helped keep her focused on the goal and get feedback when needed. She also finds it helpful to answer others’ questions. TheRealMeIsHere has some tips for other weight loss surgery patients.

• Follow your surgeon’s and nutritionist’s guidelines.


• Keep your carbohydrate intake low.


• Stay hydrated.


• Stick with an exercise routine by being specific about your goals.


• Acknowledge and fix your mistakes.


• Use the surgery as a tool.


• Make one small change at a time.


• Enjoy the journey and the new you!

Those are all great pieces of advice, and they are clearly working for TheRealMeIsHere. Congratulations on your weight loss surgery success, and thanks for sharing your story with us!

Please let us know in the Member Spotlight Forum if you or someone you know would like to be in the member spotlight. We want to hear from you! You can also send Alex Brecher a PM to nominate yourself or someone else.

Something to Celebrate in March

In like a lion, out like a lamb. That usually does hold true, but it’s hard to believe that winter will soon be over when it’s been around for so long. Waiting for the sun to come back and the last bits of snow to melt can make March seem dreary, so we wanted to find something to celebrate.

What’s special about March? Lots of things, it turns out! Here are just a couple of national food days in March, and some ideas for celebrating them.

March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day

Peanut butter…packed with antioxidants, Fiber, healthy fats, and 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons. And, of course, with a taste to die for. If you haven’t jumped onto the peanut butter bandwagon yet, this may be a good opportunity for you to do so! Of course, it’s high in calories, with 180, so don’t overindulge! Here are some peanut butter ideas.

• Make a shake with Protein powder, almond milk, and ice - and you can enjoy this when you’re still on your liquid post-op diet!


• Eat it with celery sticks or carrot sticks – lap-banders, be careful of the stringy celery and sticky PB.


• Spread it on a half of a whole-grain, high-fiber English muffin or some whole-wheat crackers.

March 19: Poultry Day

If you’re a weight loss surgery patient who struggles to get enough protein, you already know that chicken and turkey can bail you out. A 2-ounce serving of white meat has about 13 grams of protein and 60 calories. Vegetarian? Try soy bacon and low-fat vegetarian chicken! Add a serving of poultry morning, noon, and night, and you’ve already got 39 grams compared to the 65 to 80 you need for the day. Try:

• Turkey bacon with your egg whites for Breakfast.< /li>
  
• Low-fat white chicken chili with Beans and broccoli for lunch.< /li>
  
• Turkey roll-ups with low-fat cheese or fat free cream cheese and tomatoes for a snack.< /li>
  
• Ground chicken burgers in lettuce for dinner.< /li>
  

March 28: National Something on a Stick Day

You could celebrate this day with traditional fair food…fried Twinkies on a stick, corn dog on a stick, or cheese on a stick. Or, you could celebrate this day with something healthy and fun. The following can keep you on your weight loss surgery diet while you feel like you’re celebrating.

• Ham and eggs on a stick: Alternate slices of ham or any lean meat with quartered egg whites and cubes of melon.


• Grilled eggplant on a stick: Slice and salt eggplant, dip in a mixture of low-fat grated parmesan cheese and ground Fiber One Cereal crumbs, skewer the eggplant slices, alternating with low-fat mozzarella cheese, and grill.


• salad on a stick: Coarsely cut a head of lettuce. On your stick, put pieces of lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, grilled chicken or shrimp, and whatever else you like in your salads. To enjoy, dip it in dressing.

Of course, you can also celebrate non-food celebrations. For example, mark your calendar for Good Samaritan Day on March 13, and everyone deserves to celebrate National Everything You Do Is Right Day on March 16!

And, to be honest, every day is a cause for celebration when you’re getting healthy, whether you’re dancing on the scale or congratulating yourself for a non-scale victory (NSV). Don’t forget to tell us about it at BariatricPal!