ProudGrammy

Why Weigh Yourself?
Yes, you weigh yourself to know how much you weigh. But what is the point if you are on your weight program and your doctor will weigh you at your next appointment? Weighing yourself can have some benefits.
It can help you lose more weight by keeping you accountable. Just like logging your food can make you think twice before taking that extra bite, knowing that you will face the scale can keep you from serving yourself another portion.
It can be motivating. When you see the number of the scale go down, you might be more eager to wake up early for your workout, or order a salad instead of a sandwich.
It can be empowering. Knowing your weight gives you another piece of information about your body, and embracing rather than avoiding yourself can empower you to do your best for yourself.
How Often?
You can weigh yourself as often as you like, but it does not make sense to take too many weigh-ins too seriously. For many people, a good rule of thumb is to do a weekly weigh-in. You can take this weight as your “official current weight.” Some people like to stay off of the scale between their weekly “official” weigh-ins, while others like to weigh themselves daily, or even more than once a day, just to see what is going on. That is fine, as long as you do not take each weigh-in too seriously and do not let it bother you.
How to Weigh Yourself
You may be a 10, 20, or 40-year veteran of weighing yourself, but there are better and, well, worse ways to do so. It may be worth reviewing or revising your weigh-in practices to get better results. Here are some guidelines for accurate weigh-ins.
Weigh yourself at the same time of the day for your weigh-in, usually first thing in the morning.
Choose the same day each week to weigh yourself.
Wear minimal or no clothing.
Use the same scale, and a trustworthy one, each time.
Mistakes to Avoid
In theory, weighing yourself is as simple as stepping on the scale. Not! Your weight can be deceptively high or low if you find yourself making any of these mistakes.
Weighing yourself after a heavy meal. While 1 lb. of lettuce has only 50 calories, it weighs…1 lb. If it is in your stomach, you will weigh an extra pound. Weighing yourself in the morning before you eat anything can help avoid the problem of extra weight inside your stomach.
Weighing yourself wearing shoes or clothes. Heavy shoes and a full set of clothes can weigh 5 or more lb. That is a big chunk of weight that is not yours!
Weighing yourself with too much salt in your system. With salty foods comes sodium, with sodium comes thirst, and with thirst comes extra water. Water is heavy. It can still be in your system the next morning, and show up on the scale.
Weighing yourself right after exercising. Exercise does help you lose body fat, but it also helps you lose body water through sweat. You can lose a few lb. of water in one workout, and your body weight might be artificially low right after.
Weighing in Monday morning. If your weekdays are picture-perfect in terms of eating, and your weekends progress from Friday night at the bar to Sunday afternoon in front of the TV, your Monday morning weight can be variable, and possibly high. Friday morning may be a better time for you to weigh in.
Getting inaccurate numbers can be bad in many ways.
You might get discouraged for no reason if your weight shows up as higher than it really is.
You could become confused about how what you eat affects your weight if there seems to be no correlation.
You might have trouble detecting regain, and not modify your diet until you have gained more than you wanted.
Choosing a Scale
On top of making sure you are ready for a good weigh-in, you need to make sure that your scale is also ready. Using a cheap scale can drive you crazy because it may not be accurate. It could be difficult to read, or it could vary within a few pounds even if you are the same weight.
There are many affordable Body Scales that are highly accurate. You can find features that help you read the scale easily, track your weight, and see other information. These are some features to consider.
Digital read-outs.
Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone.
Memory of your recent weights.
Measurements such as body fat and lean muscle mass.
Use the scale to help you on your weight loss journey, and you can consider it another weapon in your weight loss arsenal. The more tools you have, the better your weight loss success can be!

Love at First Sight
I was enthusiastic about the promise of the lap-band from the moment I first heard about you. Could you be the tool that could end my struggles with weight? Could it be possible that there could be an end to my unhealthy relationship with food? Could I say goodbye to the liquid diets, the low-carb diets, the fat-free diets, and all the other fad diets I had tried?
You had worked for my friend; could you work magic for me, too? I dared to hope. I got surgery in July of 2003.
Honeymoon and Beyond
Surgery went as expected, and you lived up to your promise. I lost weight – nearly 100 lbs. – and hit a healthy BMI. I felt better than I ever had. Sure, you made me work hard for every pound, but each victory was so sweet that there was no question that I would not follow your guidance.
In so many ways, the honeymoon period did not seem to end. Life has gotten better and better as I have gained confidence that I can maintain goal weight and prevent regain. Not once did I look back with regret.
A Helping Hand for a New Lease on Life
With the lap-band, I was able to gain control of myself and my life. I enjoy life’s events for themselves, and not for the food that comes with or after them. I am able to keep up with my children, who are my greatest joys. I have energy and confidence.
You have made my relationship with food better, and that is liberating. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I give in to my cravings and become satisfied with only a reasonable amount of the food I craved. There have been bumps along the way, but you have been my dependable gauge and silent cheerleader throughout.
My Life and My Livelihood
Along with my health, you also gave me my career. Out of necessity, I started LapBandTalk.com as soon as I came home from the hospital after surgery because I needed the help of other patients. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that impromptu discussion forum would become my career.
To LapBandTalk, I added other boards for the other weight loss surgery types, and they eventually became BariatricPal to recognize that we are all in this together. I am now honored and grateful to be able to call my life’s work my true passion – helping people through weight loss surgery. Nearly 15 years after I started a discussion board to help myself, BariatricPal now includes the forums, the store with protein products and bariatric vitamins, and even a full-service program for weight loss surgery in Mexico – at BariatricPal’s own hospital. I have gotten to meet and work with all kinds of wonderful patients, surgeons, and others in the weight loss surgery community.
Time to Part Ways
It is on a bittersweet note that I bid you, my lap-band, farewell. I have no real choice; multiple medical professionals agree that the safest decision is for us to part ways. I have been struggling with acid reflux (GERD) for a few years, and symptoms are getting worse, especially after my Lap-Band slipped. I also have been diagnosed with pre-Barrett’s esophagus and severe erosive gastritis, most likely caused by my lap-band. I will get my lap-band removed and opt for gastric bypass to help me maintain my goal weight.
The lap-band may not last forever, as it was meant to. I know the I will succeed with the Gastric Bypass because I already have the skills I need to eat right. Of course, I am a little worried. How could I not be, after having been so successful with you as my partner for 15 years?
But as is necessary with anything in life, I will do my best. I will take what I have gained from you, my lap-band, and carry it forward. Thank you, and farewell.

Reversibility
Each Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) type is designed to be permanent. However, the Adjustable Gastric Band (AGB) is fully reversible if necessary since the surgeon can remove the band from around your stomach. The Gastric Bypass (RNY) can be reversed, although the procedure is more complicated. The Gastric Sleeve (VSG) is absolutely irreversible since it involves removing most of your stomach from your body. Because of its reversibility, the AGB may be the choice for some younger patients or for those who do not want to take a dramatic step that affects their actual body parts.
Invasiveness and Recovery
The AGB is least invasive and has the shortest recovery time. It can even be an outpatient procedure, and you could get back to work in a week. This might be the only realistic option if you have very little sick leave available or you do not want to tell work colleagues about your surgery. The RNY and VSG are inpatient and require longer recovery times
Safety: Complications and Side Effects
Some risks of the AGB are band slippage or leakage, or erosion of the band. You could have vomiting or reflux if your band is displaced or filled too tight. Since the band can be removed, most of the complications can be stopped by emptying or removing the band.
The VSG has a higher rate of complications than the band. They can include leakage at the suture site. Nearly a quarter of RNY patients have complications of some sort, with more serious ones including staple line separation or leaks. You might opt for the AGB if you have a lower BMI without many health issues, or you might be more willing to take on RNY risks if your BMI is higher and you are more concerned about obesity-related issues such as diabetes.
The risk for nutritional deficiencies is higher with RNY and VSG. You can greatly lower your risk by taking the appropriate nutritional supplements, but you need to be prepared to take your bariatric vitamins for life. The effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies can include osteoporosis, anemia, and nerve damage.
A Sweet Tooth and Dumping Syndrome
What are you looking to get out of your WLS? If all you need is help with portion control, AGB may be for you. It only helps with portion control, and it is up to you to make healthy food choices. On the other hand, the gastric bypass is best if you are looking for a tool to help you avoid sweets. That is because of the malabsorptive nature of RNY.
With RNY, your food passes through the lower part of your small intestine with less digestion than it would before surgery. Sugars that get to your small intestine can give you symptoms of dumping syndrome, including weakness, extreme fullness, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Foods that cause dumping syndrome tend to be sugary and high-carb foods, such as candy, soft drinks, cakes, and pastries. Dairy and alcohol can also cause problems.
Most patients who get RNY have dumping syndrome at some point. Dumping syndrome can be beneficial because it gives you extra motivation to eat right – you know that if you grab that brownie, you may be headed for hours of misery! That can be a good reason to choose RNY. However, if the thought of dumping syndrome scares you, RNY is not for you!
There are many factors to consider as you choose your WLS type, but keep in mind that the decision is individual. You need to choose the WLS type that will work for you, even if it is not the one that worked for someone else. The decision is something to make after one or more serious conversations with your surgeon.

Unicorns are symbols of healing and peaceful strength, but what kind of magic do you get from a Unicorn Frappuccino? It is not the magic you want as a weight loss surgery patient. Here is the truth about the drink that is less magical than it is terrifying. To set the stage, let us tell you that an actual health department warned consumers about the drink on its Facebook page!
Does This Drink Make My Butt Look Big?
Well, yeah, kinda. The standard 16-oz Grande Frappuccino with whole milk and whipped cream has 410 calories. That may be a third or more of your daily goal, and those calories are not from filling nutrients. Most of them are from simple sugars that spike your blood sugar levels and lead to hunger within an hour or two. Cave into your craving for the 24-oz Venti blend, and you are looking at 500 calories. they are not the filling kind.
Sugar for a Day…or Week
The real problem here is the sugar. The exceedingly high sugar content is no surprise when you consider that sugar is an ingredient in the drink’s combination of Frappuccino syrup, mango syrup, blue drizzle, and classic syrup. The default Grande with whole milk has 59 grams of sugar. To put this into perspective, that is about twice the maximum amount of added sugars you should have in a day according to experts including the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association.
Sugar has empty calories without essential nutrients; it bumps up your blood sugar and is linked to diabetes, and it makes weight loss even harder because it leads to more sugar and carb cravings. The lowest sugar version is an improvement, but still nothing to brag about. A tall 12-oz Unicorn Frappuccino made with almond milk has 33 grams of sugar, still more than your daily maximum goal.
Where Is the Protein?
As a weight loss surgery patient, you are probably aiming for at least 65 grams of filling protein per day. A simple rule of thumb when choosing your healthy foods and beverages is to make sure you get at least 2 grams of protein for every gram of sugar. A Unicorn Frappuccino is not going to help much! When you get a Grande, you are getting only 5 grams of protein – so you should limit sugar to 2.5 grams, not the 59 grams of sugar that are actually in the drink! You would really need some unicorn magic to help you justify that kind of choice
Beware Dumping Syndrome
Unicorn horns are reputed to be powerful antidotes to toxins, but this drink might put you in search of some magical healing powers! If you are prone to dumping syndrome, especially after gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery, beware the Unicorn Frappuccino. Besides weight loss and cravings, there is another reason your surgeon and nutritionist suggest limiting sugar intake: dumping syndrome. If you are prone, you might want to take your Frappuccino back home before you start drinking it, because you may want to be pretty close to a bathroom!
Delicious and Nutritious Alternatives
Weight loss-wise, you can do way better than a Unicorn Frappuccino without feeling deprived. If you want the taste of mango, try an Aloha Mango Smoothie. Blue Raspberry Protein Drink may do the trick if you want sweet and tart. Vanilla Cappuccino can give you the sweet, creamy flavor that can take you to a fantasy land. Each of these choices has 15 grams of protein and no more than 4 grams of protein. Now that is magic!