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RNYTalk Newsletter By Hey, RNYTalk members!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder RNYTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Our Member Spotlight this month is on kristy3k from Oklahoma. Kristy3k has a family that many people only dream of: she has been married for 21 years and she has a 19-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old son. She works as a USPS worker. As she says, she played the “constant blame game” for years as she blamed her weight gain first on her pregnancies and then on her night-shift job. Her wake-up call came when her father passed away last July. Finally, kristy3k realized that she needed to take control of what she could – her weight. Her high weight was 340 pounds. After a lot of research – including many hours lurking on RNYTalk.com! - kristy3k got the gastric bypass done in February of this year. Since then, she’s lost 149 pounds and is well on her way to her goal weight of 165 pounds. She tells us that she’s had so many highlights in her life since the surgery! Just a few include not having to use the handicapped stall in public restrooms because she couldn’t fit in regular stalls; not being out of breath all the time; and not being the “fat mom.” She gets a kick out of her kids telling her she’s skinny, and one of her greatest moments was when her husband was able to wrap his arms around her again. Throughout the process, kristy3k has gained a lot of self-esteem and general happiness. She still wonders how she let herself get so big in the first place, but she’s determined to continue her weight loss journey. She loves RNYTalk.com because she can get information and inspiration from it anytime. Everyone on the boards is “so upbeat.” Kristy3k is modest enough to say that she is hesitant to offer weight loss tips, but she suggests eating your Protein, drinking your Water, exercising and above all, being patient! We know you’re doing all of those things, kristy3k, and thanks for sharing them and your story with us! Please post in the food choices. Holiday parties can interfere with your best intentions to stay on track. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, parties can be regular events at work and the homes of family and friends. Frequently overeating can not only derail your weight loss, but also lead to bypass-related complications, such as dumping syndrome. Whether you’re a weight loss surgery veteran or this is your first holiday after getting the surgery, these tips can help you enjoy the holiday parties without doing damage to your diet. Eat before you go. You don’t want to go into the party on an empty stomach. If you’re starving when you get to the party, you might be tempted to grab whatever’s available – which probably won’t be that healthy. Enjoy the party. The holidays should be about appreciating people. Use parties as opportunities to spend time with coworkers and other people who mean a lot to you. Focus on enjoying the party, not on hiding yourself in the food. Take care of yourself. Make sure there’s something at the party that you can eat. One option is to pack a high-protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other RNYTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of RNYTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to RNYTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

Please don't feel this way. I know it's hard but you have to remember that you are more than likely still swollen and still have gasses in you. Talk to your surgeon about this. As long as you do what they say, you should be fine. You never know, in a couple of days you could get on the scale and see a huge drop. The bigger issue is inches. As overweight people, it's hard for us not to think the scale is the way to go but trust me, you may surprise yourself. Also, you could be getting ready to start your monthly which causes weight gain too. I know it's frustrating, but try to keep your head up. I will be praying for you. The reason for this site seems to be so that we can all support each other....so, I suggest reading posts and asking questions. The only thing I would say is to make sure you walk...the more you walk the more you feel better. It's not easy going through this, but as long as you know you're not alone, you should be able to find some strength. And STAY away from the scale right now!!!!! It has been my downfall many times before this surgery and I am sure it will let me down again....take photos so you can see the changes and take measurments so you can see the inches dropped. Hope you cheer up. I will be thinking about you.

So weight is up on these day more today than yesterday!!! Normal??

I got my APAP machine in January 2013 and have never slept better. I wish I'd have gone for my sleep study long before that. All those years without sleep really was one of my biggest contributors to my weight gain. Getting clearance for surgery from my pulmonary doctor was a requirement for WLS. When I had my upper GI endoscopy and when I had my WLS the hospital told me to bring my hose and mask with me. They said they had machines and would adjust the pressures as needed. But in both cases it was never used. Funny thing is when I went in for my surgery this past Monday I was admitted to the hospital for the night and it wouldn't have mattered if I had used the machine. They never let me get any sleep anyway. I was getting poked, prodded and checked every 15 minutes by one member of the staff or another. It ends up that I had become famous with the surgical staff since I woke up during the surgery and started having a conversation with the surgeon. I don't remember a dang thing, but I guess it freaked them out a bit.

That's interesting, because my doctor won't set the date until everything else is in place. I got my insurance approval in just one week. I do all my pre-op testing and blood work next week. Then, I see the surgeon and we set the date! I am hoping for the week of Dec. 16th, but we will see! So tips to get your primary doc to support you include the following: 1. Discussion of past attempts to lose weight and the outcomes of that over time. For me, each attempt eventually resulted in gaining MORE weight back than I had lost on various plans. So years of yo yo dieting is considered to be very bad. 2. Progressive weight gain year over year as you've aged. 3. Actual or emerging health concerns caused by or increased by being obese. 4. Physical and life limitations caused by your weight. 5. Therapist, family and or friend support of your weight loss goals. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi there, my name is Jen and I was banded in August of last year. Two months ago my general practitioner put me on an antidepressant and since then I have gradually gained 10 pounds. I am following my diet, I work out religiously, and I even attend weight watcher meetings every week. So I'm pretty sure the change of medication is the reason for my weight gain. I am wondering if anyone else has had such a dramatic weight gain with their band after being put on antidepressants? Sorry if this is a repeat topic. I tried to seach for a similar one and couldn't find anything like it. Thanks for reading!

Madigan is a great hospital. I'm a military wife also, and if you get the referral to the weight loss surgery program, you're already approved. You'll have to go through their "program" of nutrition visits etc. but you start out with an approval and the only thing that'll get you kicked out of the program is weight gain. You don't have to lose weight, but you can not gain weight. That's it!

This may or may not be a stupid question but during my 6mth pre op diet can my weight fluctuate? I weighed 272 at my initial visit I'm 5'8" that puts my BMI at 41.3 today was my 2nd mth visit I've gained 11lbs! They have me so stressed about not going under a 40 BMI that I'm gaining weight like crazy. So Dr is saying just don't go under the 40 BMI which will put my weight right at 263, so it's ok to go up and down right? But I should weigh less than my initial visit?

I have gained lots of weight over the years in trial and error of antidepressants and none of the doctors forewarned me about weight gain. Finally I am settled down on combination of cymbalta and abilify and abilify made me gain 30lbs. It was the best med for my depression so I decided to lose weight rather than stop the med because it became a survival issue for me. Let me know the name of your med and I will tell you what it does and will tell you some good alternatives, wellbutrin is one of them as you lose on wellbutrin but it doesn't work for everyone, I know it didn't work for me.

Bariatric surgery is every bit as much "weight gain prevention surgery" as it is "weight loss surgery." If you can document a history of morbid obesity, there's absolutely no reason an insurance company would deny you because you suddenly lost a bunch of weight. Your history would prove conclusively that you WILL gain it all back. Conversely, if you don't have a history of morbid obesity, and you just put on a bunch of weight in the last year or so, no insurance company would approve you because it's still possible the weight gain is temporary and your dieting will be successful.

So I have Highmark BCBS and I have completed everything and had my pre-op appt with my surgeon this pat Monday 5/08/17. She said they would be submitting everything to my insurance for approval. Today is Friday and I found out surgical coordinator has been out sick all week (God bless her soul) but the wait is killing me. I'm so anxious and worried I may not get approved. Patient Selection Criteria for Adults The patient is morbidly obese and is at least 18 years of age. Morbid obesity is defined as a condition of consistent and uncontrollable weight gain that is characterized by a weight which is at least 100 lbs. or 100% over ideal weight or a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of 35 with ANY ONE or more of the following comorbidities: Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite concurrent use of 3 anti-hypertensive agents of different classes); or Cardiovascular heart disease (with objective documentation by exercise stress test, radionuclide stress test, pharmacologic stress test, stress echocardiography, CT angiography, coronary angiography, heart failure or prior myocardial infarction); or Hyperlipidemia; or Diabetes mellitus type II; or Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); or Obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS); or Pickwickian syndrome ( a combination of OSA and OHS); or Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) Patients should have documented failure to respond to conservative measures for weight reduction prior to consideration of bariatric surgery, and these attempts should be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. As a result, some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise. However, there is a lack of evidence on the optimal timing, intensity and duration of nonsurgical attempts at weight loss, and whether a medical weight loss program immediately preceding surgery improves outcomes. The patient must complete a psychological evaluation performed by a licensed mental health care professional and be recommended for bariatric surgery. The patient's medical record documentation should indicate that all psychosocial issues have been identified and addressed; and Patient selection is a critical process requiring psychiatric evaluation and a multidisciplinary team approach. The member's understanding of the procedure and ability to participate and comply with life-long follow-up and the life-style changes (e.g., changes in dietary habits, and beginning an exercise program) are necessary to the success of the procedure. If the patient does not meet ALL of the patient selection criteria for bariatric surgery, the procedure will be denied as not medically necessary. Procedure Codes 43644, 43770, 43775, 43843, 43845, 43846

I am working on my last weigh in for insurance and I have gained weight 5 of the 6 weigh ins. Has anyone had this issue and still got approved. I am so worried this will effect my insurance approval. Help, please and thank you.

Is your doctor or insurance requiring you to lose a certain amount of weight or is it more to make sure that you have no weight gain for liver enlargement issues? Mine was so my liver did not get larger and not for the weight loss. I only lost 10 lbs on my MONTH long pre-op. Just double check with your surgeon and Nut. If you are truly doing everything you can then don't beat yourself up. We all don't lose the same.

Thank you Anaxila, your suggestions are very helpful! I'm 42, our profiles are very similar. I haven't heard of the DVDs you suggested I'll check them out. I'm planning on going to the Y, I just have to get over the intimidation factor of the whole bathing suit thing. It's been such a cycle for me of gaining weight and wanting to isolate because of my appearance which contributes to my weight gain and on and on. I'm ready to step off of this ride!

So i’m a week post-op and today i weighed myself and gained four pounds. I’ve been sticking to my liquids and required protein but have noticed bloating so could this be the cause? I’ve also been working out with some very VERY light moderate weight lifting. Was wondering if this is normal, either way i took the batteries out of my scale because i don’t want to get obsessed with my numbers or discouraged. On another note i’ve noticed my emotions have been all over the place since surgery. Sometimes I’ll get angry and today i’ve just been crying for no reason. Is this common after surgery? Or could it be the fact that I was very emotionally dependent on food so now I’m forced to let it out one way or another. Would a counselor or therapist be good to cope with Post surgery emotions?

I woke up this morning and I'm heavier than I was last month at weigh in like .5lb...I'm so mad at myself and on the verge of crying cause I think I just screwed myself!! Did anyone gain during the 6month weightloss period and if so did you end up getting approved or denied?

I Have been following my preop diet with out an issue an was down 12 pounds but over the last 3 days have gained 2.5 back im frustrated but i have only cheated onece and had extra grilled chicken

So I first had a banded gastroplasty in 2001. I had to have a revision into a gastric bypass in 2012 because of scar tissue issues. I had lost 197 pounds between the two surgeries. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve gained 150 pounds of that back. I’m not supposed to be able to eat sugar or high fatty foods due to dumping, but I can do both with no problems. I’m wondering if anybody else can eat anything they want after bypass? I’m so frustrated it sucks.

Thanksgiving has passed by without weight gain and now on to surgery Wednesday! I was so afraid that I would eat way too much during thanksgiving and gain the weight back and my surgery would be cancelled. But that didn't happen thank goodness!!! Wednesday is my big day and can't wait to join the losers bench. All prayers for surgery and recovery are welcome!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello everyone, I just want to introduce myself. My name is Ammisuu. I am 49 years old and have been yo-yoing weight gains and losses my entire adult life. Since early July 2012 I have been attending a bariatric surgery program. I attended several general information meetings, met with a social worker, met with registered dietitian, met with a nurse practitioner, had blood work, answered multiple questionnaires, took quizzes, communicated with my primary care physicians office several times regarding insurance referrals and prior authorizations with my insurance company………all while exercising, eating right and losing weight. My starting weight was 246. BMI = 45. The center recommended that I lose 5 % total body weight (12 pounds) prior to meeting with the surgeon. I met the recommended goal and had an appointment with my surgeon on Sept 26. I was cleared medically to have the surgery. After that appointment I met one last time at the bariatric center for a 2 hour review session. The presenter lectured a repeated theme, “you cannot gain any weight before surgery or the surgery will be postponed”…. I have been a bit stressed about this since I have a history of frequent gains and losses. This fear is a bit unrealistic at this time since I have lost 22 pounds as of this morning’s weigh-in. Regardless, I still worry. As of this writing, I have completed my preoperative diet and today is the FINAL day. Tomorrow, October 31, 2012 I will undergo Lap-band surgery!!! I’m sure you’ll be hearing more from me soon. Happy Halloween everyone Ammisuu

I am in the process of insurance approval to have a revision from Band to RNY. I have had my band for seven years. I have been very lucky to have not complications, no slips ect. My band is unfilled now, because i never did get the 'sweet' spot, either to tight and things would come back up or I would revert to soft high carb foods, or too loose and I can pretty much eat anything. But since the band I have lost and gained the same 30 to 40 pounds. Now at my heaviest. And the band did not help any of my medical problems. I am hoping the RNY both with the smaller stomach and mal absorption and the actual surgery itself will help with my uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. I am so sensitive to insulin that I swell and ache all over but I have to take large amounts to keep my blood sugar down. It is like I am on a merry go round, hurt, can't exercise, can't exercise, gain weight, blood sugars out of control, more insulin, can't breath because of severe asthma and copd, need steriods about once a year, higher blood sugars, more weight gain, can't exercise, and around and around we go.

Can you get injections in the joint? I get a shot in my right knee every four months. I no longer need it in my left knee since losing a hundred pounds. No weight gain and it's a blessed relief for several months. JustWatchMe

PCOS=Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a lovely disorder that is named after a symptom instead of what is actually is, which is basically a hormone imbalance. Essentially, when PCOS-ers eat our bodies make MUCH more insulin than a normal persons would, causing 1. more hunger 2. more fat storage. All this insulin and fat causes an excess of testosterone which opposed to popular theory does NOT drive up the libido but causes things like facial hair, acne, more weight around the middle, skin tags (basically moles) and..hence the name...a failure to ovulate fully which can cause small cysts on the ovaries. I don't have TOM for months at a time then will spot for like 3 weeks unless on some kind of birth control. I currently have an IUD which has triggered a weight gain of about 50 lbs in the last 2 years, not that I was thin before!!!. It is treated with birth control pills for period regulaiton and some diabetes medications, usually metformin, but the only "cure" is weightloss, which because of the insulin stuff is VERY hard...I can restrict eating and workout like a crazy person and lose half of what others around me are. sorry may be TMI but I love to educate women about it because there are so many out there with it, this is an incredibly common syndrome, who don't know anything about it until they start trying to conceive. I was lucky enough to have a surprise baby back in 2004, but many struggle with infertility their entire lives.

Every WLS surgery has it's problems. The problem with bypass is Mal-absorption, and weight gain after a year or 2, That's not the ones that worry me though... Everyone that I know that had this type of surgery has passed away. I don't mean do to Old Age or Disease either. I wish you good health, and please take care of yourself.

Today I am up a couple of pounds from the water weight gain from salty foods and junk over the weekend. Today I am feeling more in control:clap2: , I hope it lasts., I will try hard. I went grocery shopping and bought my protein. Those out of control, need to push food into my mouth are so intense and sneaky that they are here before you know it. Missed the onset cue. :phanvan AM 3 bites cereal and millk coffee, splenda, cream