lisacaron

@@roundisashape Let your PCP know about the end of year and timing issue. Often they can push things through faster, and stay on the stick and don't let the Dr.'s or the labs make you wait. Push push push, people don't like to be pushed around...but if you are honest with them and let them know your plight, and push with a little love they will soon be beside you helping you get where you need to go. Don't give up, stay on the Dr. and either way find out what's going on with the counts and get a resolution Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

@@TatorTot I just read your post and I want to let you know that there are those of us out there that understand where you are coming from, and I am sure there are others on the board here who also battle mental illness. My stepson falls in this category and I know it is not always easy and it's even harder for someone who is trying to navigate all the hoop jumping required to make it to and through surgery. You can do this! If you want it, you can make it a reality. Yes your emotional eater, and so are probably 99.9% of the people on these boards who have had surgery. You can make it, if you put your mind and you heart behind what you want. We have all had to jump through hoops it's not an easy process, and it's a change in lifestyle that lasts for the rest of your life not when you feel like it you have reached a goal, it's forever. So if you can wrap your self around that understanding..then you are ready to go. Take a deep breath, get back on the program. Talk to you dietician, go for the therapy, honey keep going every day if that's what makes success for you, it can't hurt right? So go for it!! I come here when I need to vent or talk or share with others who are in the same places I find myself. You can come here too, but don't give up. Never give up, keep on going. You can do this...where there is a will there is a way and I believe that!!!

@@parisshel I'm sorry, but your first sentence had me laughing!! I know it's not something funny especially when you are living around people with that type of thinking. I was just picturing in my head a bunch of skinny mini's trying to force the biggin's behind bars...and I needed a good laugh today! People in general need to be more tolerant of others, and more importantly we need to be more loving to ourselves. We might not be a size 0 we might not ever we might not even be a size 8 and I don't know about you all but having surgery for me was for health first and foremost and if I can use the smaller blood pressure cuff now and fit into jeans and plane seats comfortably those are all bonuses!!!

@@Kitt3000 perhaps you can try cooking with Flaxseed oil rather then taking the gel cap?

@@Seymour1971 I have used gummy Vitamins after surgery and still use them today. I also use a chewable kind of gummy calcium supplement as well. Should not be a problem for you but make sure you chew them well and one at at time if you have to take more then one.

@@Seymour1971 Warm liquids like decaf tea helped me with some gas issues, and nice ice cold ice pops helped with the internal swelling. Outside, a nice heating pad under your back shoulders also helps the gas pains, and a nice ice pack on your port location will help with pain and any discomfort you have in that area. Good luck with your surgery!! Let us know how it goes.

@@JustWatchMe Boy oh boy friend you have had a row of it lately!! There are some salons that use that polish. They use it during pregnancy as well. The covers might be an issue since there is an adhesive component to it. You keep rocking those nails and toes and don't let anything stop you!!

@@Kitt3000 You questions are great! Thanks for posting. My answers as just about everyone's answers are going to be subjective as the band and the way it works is different for everyone. The band becomes almost as much a part of us as our personality does and can vary as much from person to person with some similar traits. Obviously, if you can't get Water down, you are too tight. 100% if you can't swallow water or your own saliva get thee to the Dr. ASAP! If you can get a full cup of water down in one continuous drink- not sipping, are you too loose?No you are not too loose. You should be able to drink normally, you never want to guzzle down water in one continuous gulp and even without the band you would not want to do this. It's not good for your digestion. If your food goes right past your band with no stopping, but you can eat smaller portions and feel satisfied for two hours, are you too loose? No you are not too loose. This is exactly what the band is supposed to do. You should not have to struggle to have food pass the band. Or feel it squeeze it's way through, if you are too often that could be a sign that your a bit on the tight side. If your food stays with you for four or more hours, feeling satisfied and not hungry, are you too tight? ​This is a double sided question. So #1 if your food stays with you and is not passing the band to the lower part of your stomach...and/or if you have upset tummy acid reflux or reguritation then YES you are too tight and need to see the Dr. ASAP. If you are satisfied and not hungry for 4 or more hours with no symptoms of food laying in your upper pouch, then your in the right place and our band is working optimally. If all you can think about is food, are you hungry and obsessed ? Or just obsessed? This is a subjective question that for me has more to do with my state of mind at the time. Sometimes I am truly hungry and I will eat and sometimes I am ravenously hungry and I can eat more then I can at other times. There are also times when I am obsessed...or just looking for that "comfort" of food to soothe my emotions and these are the times you want to learn to distinguish from each other. If you are hungry you should eat, if you are obsessing about food then you need to find something to do that gratifies you without the extra calories. For me that can be reading, writing, meditating listening to music, or even calling a friend to vent. If you never think of food, but know you have ate very little that day, are you too tight?​ No you are not too tight you are in the sweet spot eating little feeling good and not even thinking about food. It's the unicorn we all want to find. What is a portion size? Is it 1/4 cup of dense Protein? One slice of deli meat? Portion sizes for the band should be the size of a tennis ball or the palm of your hand. A slice of deli meat is not enough. You want to ensure that you are getting in the correct number of grams of protein, and that can vary from person to person. You can use tools like cups and grams to measure portion sizes. There are some bariatric plates you can use, to section out meals I love the Precise Portion plates and dinner ware because it's pretty and no one has to know what it is if you don't want them to:) http://www.preciseportions.com

Yeah I always knew my stomach ruled the world! I am one of those people who feels it in the gut first before anything else. When I meet someone I don't like...(for what ever reason or no reason at all) I feel it in my stomach. When something is just not right, yup you guessed it tummy responds first. If you know me you might often find me rubbing my tummy like it's some kind of crystal ball and honestly it sort of is, it tells me a lot about things around me. There are some environments that I am in that literally make me sick to my stomach. They can be the fanciest department store or upscale restaurant and I just have to get out of there. I know it sounds odd but I have learned to trust that uneasy feeling and believe me its not coming down with a bug or anything like that. Once the situation is removed or I remove myself from it all uneasy stomach feelings go away instantly.

@@jessiquoi I feel you pain my friend! I have days like this all too often! I think it's because I think I look good in hats and I have far to many of them to be able to wear them all in a given day I want to SMH when I forget to eat because that just leads to eating all the wrong things when the hunger beast comes out and it's not Halloween just yet...even though you could never tell from the flood of candy and chocolate in here!

Sigh...you know the band is the band but sometimes it's too easy to beat the band! It does not go around my head and in my case that is the BIG problem!! I have to tell you yesterday, it was not the best day. I was distracted and frustrated and I could go on about my "feelings" but the biggest part of it was that I was distracted and frustrated. So during the day, I puttered around and did not eat well. I had a Protein bar mid-morning and some sting cheese and junk. I was wallowing...and whining and there was nothing around that I really "wanted" to eat but my body kept calling for "food" yes of course it did I haven't been putting in very nutritious fuel the last few days if I put in anything at all so I'm running on empty and filling the tank with coffee and sugar. I know so bad..... Last night I had 4 Wendy's chicken nuggets, and that was the extent of protein or solid "food" if you can call it that...so now it's time for bed. I have a headache I'm exhausted mentally feeling fried yet my brain will not power down to rest. It's rambling kind of like this post is ...and all I could think is that I AM HUNGRY. I don't think I was, I had a Protein Bar....and that nagging was still there. I wanted something sweet and then something salty and then I wanted some shrimp hello it's 12am and 5 am comes fast what the heck am I doing thinking about seafood?! So yeah, I finally went to sleep and woke up in a mad rush over tired and irritated. It's great to not sit down and drown in food, but that was never really my issue to begin with. My issue is just as I described above...distraction forgetting to make those bites count with food that's worthy of eating!! This is a bad cycle to get caught up in for me, because it just perpetuates the issue. Round and round it goes until I crash and it's not just about the weight gain or loss for me. It's about my health, and that's what ends up taking the hit. OK so I'll make it a better day today, though it has not started out that way....perhaps some shrimp for lunch though....

Here on Long Island it's layer weather. Starts out freezing needing warm and fuzzy wear, and then the temps go up with the sun and down again with the sun. It's nice but it can make getting dressed for the day difficult. I need to take my band home and get some dinner and see if I can leave my dark and stormy mood here at the office today along with all the candy and bad habits that normally don't get to me. These last few days... I'm just not focusing on eating right. Just junking it along the way....grabbing this and that to keep the "hunger" at bay. Bad Lisa bad. Not because I had some mini bites of candy or a pretzel but because I made that my lunch! Maybe some nice chicken for dinner and a nice mug of decaf coffee and some decompression with puppy kisses and tomorrow will be a better day. Let's hope so on many levels.

OK so heads up I am in a bad mood today.... All this judgement passing by these public figures makes me think they are mad because their secret is out!!! Surgery is not something exclusive to celebrity anymore it's becoming something that more and more people need to help cope with the obesity epidemic. Probably caused by public figures eating Twinkies and tell us that it was good. Gggrowl

@@Inner Surfer Girl I'm sorry this just brought back some very funny memories for me of the day I had surgery in the hospital. I was in a recliner and I am all of 5'2" and I could not reach the handle either. I was so comfortable in that recliner that when my hubby left for the night I said just leave me there I would move when the nurse came to move me. She came in and took out the catheter but I told her I was fine there...until guess what a few hours later I needed the bathroom and I could not reach the floor!!! Thank goodness they had to come back for my vitals...and I was able to convince the poor guy to help me out of the chair and to the rest room because I was going to hold my vitals hostage until then Anathesia is a wonderful thing isn't it...makes us silly!!

You are doing great!@@Jyoyonomore!! @LivingFree! Thank you I am feeling so much better. Took the weekend to just relax and keep off the leg. Dr. gave me some muscle relaxers which are horrible they make me feel like a zombie but they are also keeping me from doing too much and that's a good thing. I did get out today with our puppies and Mamma doggie Celine, for a little walk to the lake and back. It was really an enjoyable day. Here are some fun photo's that we took of them this weekend. They probably hate that I am home...cause I am dressing them up and making them take photo's lol.

You are doing great!@@Jyoyonomore!! @LivingFree! Thank you I am feeling so much better. Took the weekend to just relax and keep off the leg. Dr. gave me some muscle relaxers which are horrible they make me feel like a zombie but they are also keeping me from doing too much and that's a good thing. I did get out today with our puppies and Mamma doggie Celine, for a little walk to the lake and back. It was really an enjoyable day. Here are some fun photo's that we took of them this weekend. They probably hate that I am home...cause I am dressing them up and making them take photo's lol.

Hi Friends!!! The next meeting of the NYC/Long Island Bariatric Pal Support Group will be held on November 1st from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends!!! The next meeting of the NYC/Long Island Bariatric Pal Support Group will be held on November 1st from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends!!! The next meeting of the NYC/Long Island Bariatric Pal Support Group will be held on November 1st from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends!!! The next meeting of the NYC/Long Island Bariatric Pal Support Group will be held on November 1st from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends!!! I am sorry to do this at the last moment, but we are going to have to reschedule this weekends meeting to next Saturday. I pulled the hamstring muscle in my leg this morning at the gym! Ouch ouch and more ouch!! All appears to be OK and it's just a sprain so I have a lovely knee brace and working on staying off of it this weekend so it can heal. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

@@flmommyof2 I agree with what Labwalker wrote. You need to call your insurance company and find out what they require. Then you can speak to your Dr. about it directly. Sometimes the office staff like to play God in the office as if they know it all and are infallible. Don't rely on that, check for yourself get the requirements directly from your carrier and then speak to the Dr. about what is required. If the doctor is requiring you to lose 22 pounds prior to surgery be sure that it's not a requirement for him to operate, and if it is ask him why it is. Good luck let us know how it goes.

@RJ'S/beginning I'm sorry but I refuse to let anyone be condescending toward me. At least we took matters in hand and tried to make things better for ourselves. You could be having complications from open heart surgery would that be met with such snarky comments and uninterested behavior probably not. I also wonder if Mr. Obese Dr. was looking you up and down because he was interested in surgery for himself, and embarrassed about it. I often find that when people are uncomfortable, they cover it up with jokes or sarcasm or down right rudeness. So shrug it off and if you are not being treated well by someone and being taken care of properly then you need to start biting back and being a bit snarky and rude yourself and get the treatment and respect that you need. You are paying THEM to take care of you, and if they are not doing a good job fire them and find someone who will girlfriend! You deserve to be happy and healthy!!