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BariatricPal Newsletter - March 2016



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Hey BariatricPal Members!

I hope you are doing well as winter may be coming to a close and spring is within sight! Hopefully, this winter has seen you move closer to your weight loss goals, whether that means scheduling surgery, losing some pounds, or keeping your healthy habits going strong as you maintain your loss. If you need a little motivation or some tips, look no further. The newsletter is here to help! Here’s what you’ll find.

  • Choosing a Surgeon: Time-Tested Tips
  • Member Spotlight in the Newsletter: Meet proudgrammy!
  • Party Time! A Few Tips for the Perfect Healthy Bash

If that’s not enough to get you going – or even if it is – make your next stop BariatricPal! The forums are there for encouragement, light banter, and heavy advice, while the store is there to make your bariatric diet so much easier. See you there!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder, BariatricPal

Choosing a Surgeon: Time-Tested Tips

Choosing a surgeon for your weight loss surgery can be one of the biggest decisions you make on the journey. You may not have much choice if you’re in an HMO or your insurance limits your options. If you’re self-pay or in some PPOs or other healthcare plans, though, you may have tons of choices. How can you get the surgeon that will you give you the tools you need to lose weight successfully?

These are some of the basic tips for choosing a surgeon.

  • Choose one with plenty of experience.
  • Read reviews.
  • Ask for recommendations from your primary care doctor and any friends or family members who are weight loss surgery patients.
  • Find out about follow-up care and dietary support.
  • Use your gut. It’s often good at telling which surgeon is right for you.

Do You Understand Everything?

Communication is a big part of weight loss surgery success. You need to understand what is happening to you and what your surgeon and nutritionist ask you to do. When choosing a surgeon, ask all of your questions about the procedure and the after care.

Don’t blame yourself if you don’t understand what your surgeon answers. It’s your surgeon’s job to explain everything in terms you can understand. If you can’t understand and can’t get the surgeon to explain, it may be time for you to move on. This is too important of a decision to risk going with someone who cannot communicate.

This Is as Good as It Gets

It’s only natural to think things will get better, but don’t count on it when you’re choosing a surgeon. If surgeons don’t have time to meet with you and explain everything now, they won’t have time later. If you can’t get an appointment with the nutritionist now, it’s not going to be any easier later.

In short, surgeons are putting their best foot forward when they’re trying to get you to commit to surgery with them. If they’re not satisfying you now, they’re not going to meet your expectations later. Go find a surgeon who starts off by going beyond your expectations – plenty of outstanding surgeons are out there!

Member Spotlight in the Newsletter: Meet Proudgrammy!

We are so delighted this month to feature proudgrammy in the Member Spotlight section of the newsletter. This 62-year-old was born in Hungary and escaped with her family during the Hungarian Revolution at the age of two. She is an encouraging and positive presence on BariatricPal, but things haven’t always been easy for her!

Proudgrammy became overweight in her late teens. Her parents and four siblings were normal weight, and her mother was her worst critic. She even found out later that her ex talked to her parents about her weight!

Proudgramy made many attempts to lose weight using the usual diets such as Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Weight Watchers, but the weight did not stay off. It kept going up after her daughter was born.

At 5’3”, proudgrammy’s high weight was 235 lbs. She decided to get the gastric sleeve because she was afraid of complications with the lap-band, and didn’t like the idea of malnutrition with the gastric bypass. She got surgery in 2011 at the age of 57, and is now weighing in at 130 lbs. and a BMI of 23.

She’s had all kinds of victories on and off the scale. She’s cut out most medications, and is taking only half the amount of her epilepsy prescription as before. She feels healthier and happier than before. Some of the proud moments include having room to spare when sitting in the middle seat on an airplane, and shopping for smaller clothing sizes in regular stores. She’s also been able to enjoy volunteering at a hospital three days a week, whereas before surgery she had taken an early retirement and been reluctant to leave the house much.

In the early days, proudgrammy came to BP to ask questions and get answers. Now she comes to give advice to newbies. She says that helps her stay on track and remember where she came from. Some of her advice is to be patient: the weight didn’t come on overnight, and won’t come off overnight. She also warns that maintenance is lifetime struggle.

Thanks, proudgrammy, for being in our Member Spotlight and for being a great presence on BariatricPal. It is great to have you in the community!

If you want to be in the newsletter or you want to nominate someone, please let us know in the Member Spotlight forum or by sending a private message (PM) to Alex Brecher. Everyone has a story to tell, and we want to hear yours! Remember, you don’t have to be at or near goal weight to be in the newsletter!

Party Time! A Few Tips for the Perfect Healthy Bash

Special occasions are some of the toughest time for weight loss surgery patients. Things like birthdays, get-togethers, and sports events – like March Madness – can remind you that life used to revolve around food – and that it no longer does.

So what do you do when you want to party? Don’t worry, weight loss surgery patients can party just as hard as everyone else. It just may be a little different than it was before.

Branch Out a Little

Or a lot. You’re not a slave to the food table anymore. You now have the chance to enjoy all kinds of other activities besides guarding the buffet line. You can play with the kids, run the betting table, and circulate around the room to say hi to everyone else. You can take pictures. You can play volleyball. You can do whatever you want, because you’re not chained to your plate anymore!

Score Big on Party Favorites!

Still, let’s face it. Any good party needs good food. The BariatricPal Store has you covered! Let the others stick with their sugary cupcakes, starchy potato chips, and fatty dips. You can supply your own healthy fare – and you may find the others begging for more!

These are a few great-tasting party ideas that use products from The BariatricPal Store.< /p>

Love the party even more when you eat health and give yourself the chance to get involved in other activities!

Whether or not you have any parties coming up, you can still use this advice every day. Weight loss surgery can be your inspiration to branch out and develop new interests while you choose healthy substitutes for old food favorites. Good luck finding your own healthy ways to Celebrate special occasions and everyday life, and remember to share the experience on the forums!


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@@proudgrammy definately rocks! She is a great cheerleader and is very inspirational!

You go girl!

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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