BariatricPal Newsletter - March 2016

[Alex Brecher 10,515]

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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> Raw veggies or Protein Honey Mustard Chips and dip made with non-fat cream cheese seasoned with Broccoli and Cheddar High Protein Soup Mix. BariatricPal Cinna Crunch N’ chocolate Protein Snack. You can make a gourmet snack mix by adding your own mix-ins like cashews, peanuts, and Protein pretzels. Party mix made with Peanut and Caramel and Chocolate Coated Protein Puffs Snack, plus almonds. Baked “fried chicken” coated in Low Carb Baking Mix and seasoned with Asian Style Sauce. Protein Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies. 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!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

@@proudgrammy rocks! I am so glad you spotlighted her.

[Djmohr 6,965]

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

You go girl!