BariatricPal Newsletter - April 2015

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

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Hey BariatricPal Members! Spring is here, and not a moment too soon! It’s time to get outdoors and enjoy the warmer air and the fresh scent of spring. We hope you were able to stick to your weight loss surgery plan this winter, but if winter got you down, you can get back on track now that spring’s here. Maybe you can grab the extra motivation you need from this newsletter. Here’s what’s in store. Around the Boards – Polls ‘n’ More Member Spotlight: Meet Dannilynn! Spring Clean Your Kitchen So enjoy the newsletter, come to BariatricPal to talk about it and whatever else is on your mind, and then get moving and burn a few calories in the spring sunshine! BariatricPal is ready for you whenever you are ready to move forward. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Around the Boards – Polls ‘n’ More What’s going on at BariatricPal? Quite a bit, and it’s constant! Members have posted nearly 4 million posts since the beginning, and thousands of users are likely to be online at any given time. Hang out in the general weight loss surgery forums, the specific forums for gastric bypass, lap-band, gastric sleeve, or other WLS types, or chat about topics such as diet, weight loss medications, and reconstructive surgery in the other forums. BariatricPal and the Quarter Million-Member Mark! We’re always growing, and we’re right at an important milestone. BariatricPal is welcoming its quarter-millionth member! That’s 250,000 members – that’s a lot! You can read all about it and how you can join the member drive here! Thanks for making it all possible! VIP Forums – Are You In? Ever wish you could come to BariatricPal and be part of an exclusive group within the community? Now you can with a BariatricPal VIP Membership. You get access to the private VIP lounge, which is only open to other VIP members. You can check out the details here, including benefits like an ad-free experience and discounts off our Big Book series. 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. unjury and Opurity BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are 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. BariatricPolls - Make Your Opinion Count! Where can you go to find interesting questions on weight loss surgery topic and to give your opinion? The BariatricPal Polls Forum, of course. There’s always a new poll to get you thinking about your weight loss surgery. Give your opinion and see what other BariatricPal member think. You may just learn a few strategies to support your weight loss! Recently, members have let us know that giving up caffeine after weight loss surgery is tough, and that the majority of the women of BariatricPal feel that 8-10 is the ideal dress size. The jury’s still out on whether there’s such a thing as a “stall” and how members feel about exercise. What do you think about these and other topics? Let us know by casting your votes in the polls section of BariatricPal! Member Spotlight: Meet Dannilyn! This month, we are pleased to feature dannilynn1, aka Danielle, in the member spotlight. She’s a 34-year-old mom from Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Danielle’s struggles with her weight started in her early 20s after the birth of her third child. She continued to gain weight after that. She tried eating healthy and exercising for six months, but continued to gain weight and eventually hit 250 lb. At that time, she became depressed, could not walk far without getting out of breath, and had knee pain. She found a bariatric surgeon who suggested the gastric sleeve, and she decided to go ahead with it. Her surgery was July of 2014. Danielle’s weight loss has been amazing since then. She now weighs 158 lb. and is on her way down to a goal of 120 lb. She has energy, can run with her daughter, and fits into a size 12-13 now. She still works hard at eating more slowly so she doesn’t get sick. It’s also a challenge to resist cravings and pass on salt. Danielle’s still working at getting in enough protein and taking her daily Vitamins, too. So far, Danielle has used BariatricPal as motivation in her weight loss journey. She uses other members’ successes as inspiration to push herself, and she likes meeting others who’ve been there, done that. She says, “Knowing that you are not alone helps in many ways.” She also says “Good luck!” to everyone on this journey. To other people who are weight loss surgery patients or who are thinking about surgery, Danielle suggests doing your research and sticking to the plan. Also, do your research on your nutritional supplements – make sure you get ones that are meant for bariatric patients. Danielle, congratulations on your weight loss so far, and thanks for sharing your story and advice! Best of luck as you keep going strong towards your goal weight! If you know someone you’d like to see featured in our monthly Member Spotlight section, please let us know. Either post your nomination in the Member Spotlight Forum or send Alex Brecher a PM. And yes, you can nominate yourself! Spring Clean Your Kitchen The arrival of spring means spring cleaning. This year, make it about more than dusting off the furniture, airing your closets, and washing windows. This year, include a focus on your kitchen. How long has it been – if ever – since the last time you took inventory and got rid of the off-limits “extras?” How many errant bags of potato chips and boxes of brownie mix have you accumulated? “When in Doubt, Throw It Out” If it’s not on your weight loss surgery diet and it’s not something your family needs to have in the house, throw it away. Donate it if it is sealed and you know an organization or some people who will take it. Otherwise, toss it. Wasting food is not ideal, but using a trash can sure beats using your body as a trash can. Go through your pantry, fridge, and freezer, and look for foods that have crept into your kitchen. Brownie and cake mixes. Chips and crackers. Frozen hash browns and fried potatoes. Frozen chicken nuggets. Full-fat pork and beef sausage. Sugary cereals. Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages, such sports, energy, and coffee drinks. Boxed mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese mixes, canned Pasta, and instant rice. Creamy and cheesy Soups.< /li> Do You Need to Replace It? In some cases, the “extras” are just that – extra. In other cases, you might want to replace them with healthier alternatives, such as in the following cases: White pasta: whole-wheat pasta, White rice: brown rice, bulgur, or other whole grains. Chips, and pretzels: crunchy snack foods such as air-popped popcorn.< /li> Hamburger Helper and boxed macaroni and cheese: lean frozen meals; frozen vegetables, chicken, fish, and shrimp for quick meals; canned tuna.< /li> Getting your kitchen squeaky clean can really spur your weight loss. By removing temptations and restocking your shelves with healthy alternatives, you can be sure to avoid mindlessly munching on junk food or giving in to late night cravings. Whether it’s to share your spring cleaning story or get a few tips on making over your kitchen, BariatricPal’s the place to be. We hope you enjoyed this newsletter and are ready to spend some of your spring with us.