LapBandTalk Newsletter 12/15/2012

[Alex Brecher 10,512]

Hey, Banders!

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 Mis73!

• Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties!

• Bander 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

LapBandTalk.com

Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73!

Mis73, aka Missy, is this newsletter’s highlighted member! She’s a 39-year-old Michigander who has fought through obstacles to achieve her current weight loss of 168 pounds. Her high weight was 421 pounds, and her goal weight is 160, at a BMI of 27.5. She has multiple sclerosis and knew that her obesity was making the symptoms worse. So, she decided to get the lap-band and focus on the obesity because that’s something she could control.

Missy says that the “biggest difference is, I am happy. I am happier than I have been in literally decades.” She’s gone from needing a handicapped parking pass and a motorized cart for grocery shopping to being able to take her son to the zoo and walk around for hours! Other great moments have been dropping below 300 pounds, fitting into blue jeans for the first time in 20 years, fitting in the seat at her daughter’s band concert and seeing her father’s look of pride and joy after seeing her for the first time – 100 pounds lighter.

Missy’s biggest challenge right after surgery was to avoid exacerbating her multiple sclerosis, since symptoms can appear after trauma, such as surgery. Luckily, she was able to avoid a full-blown relapse. Missy used LapBandTalk in the early days for reassurance that her experience was normal. She’s grown to depend on the friends she’s made here and she continues to “offer education and support to others.” She has plenty of advice to offer. She suggests meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients and to keep your food to a cup per meal. Also, learn everything you can about the band: what it is, what it does and how you can succeed with it.

Missy, we are so glad that you are finding happiness. We know that it will just get better for you as you keep losing weight, and it’s a pleasure to be able to share in your weight loss journey. Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight!

Please post in the 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.

Bander 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 Bander Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other LapBandTalk.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 LapBandTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to LapBandTalk.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.

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[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Thanks Alex, and thanks Missy for sharing your story with us.

[kll724 3,055]

I agree, it is great to see those people who have successfully lost weight and are living healthier lives. Thanks Missy, thanks Alax for highlighting he on the last issue before the New year. Karen