WLS Surgical Associates, PLLC

Newly approved drug heralded as 'game changer' in the growing national obesity crisis

Welcome back to chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. Whether looking for medical weight loss before or after surgery while dealing with some weight regain there have not been too many medication changes. This medication shows promise and just gained approval. Now it is trying to get insurance coverage as less than 10% of plans cover medications for weight loss. A loophole can be using this for diabetic treatment.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/newly-approved-drug-heralded-game-changer-growing-national/story?id=78065574

Newly approved drug heralded as 'game changer' in the growing national obesity crisis The CDC says 42.4% of all adults in the United States suffer from obesity.

Bariatric Surgery Saves Lives, So Why Do People Balk? - ConscienHealth

Welcome back to May chat everyone! Hope all of you have been doing well. As always, please feel free to ask questions. Although there is limited insurance coverage for metabolic surgery, even fewer eligible patients take advantage. There can be a stigma, a fear, thoughts of failure, or any other number of reasons. Despite being safer than many other procedures, there is also the feeling of choice when compared to having gallbladder surgery or other procedures that are actively causing pain. The article below offers some resources if you are considering. As always, talking to other l8ke those on this chat that have been through surgery can help.

https://conscienhealth.org/2021/04/bariatric-surgery-saves-lives-so-why-do-people-balk/

Bariatric Surgery Saves Lives, So Why Do People Balk? - ConscienHealth Why do so many people balk at bariatric surgery? Because it's hard and health systems make it needlessly harder. So health suffers.

Welcome to our April chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. Tonight I thought we would tackle the most common complaint/side effect from bariatric surgery. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) otherwise known as heartburn or acid reflux. More common after sleeve than bypass (which can treat symptoms) can be a nuisance or worse. Often treated with medication with good relief there are also home remedies. Certain foods can worsen. Can you tell anyone who might be suffering what worked for you or foods that you avoided to help?

Welcome to our April chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. Tonight I thought we would tackle the most common complaint/side effect from bariatric surgery. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) otherwise known as heartburn or acid reflux. More common after sleeve than bypass (which can treat symptoms) can be a nuisance or worse. Often treated with medication with good relief there are also home remedies. Certain foods can worsen. Can you tell anyone who might be suffering what worked for you or foods that you avoided to help?

[03/24/21]   Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of chat lately. I was unexpectedly unavailable last week. We will be changing chat moving forward. I think with all the time we spend in front of screens through the pandemic and other things there has been some fatigue and attendance has dropped some. I know timing with every other week has been hard as well. We will be switching to once a month with the plan being the first Tuesday of every month from 9pm to 10pm. I hope you all will join me then! I definitely want to continue to be a resource and hopefully give you helpful information. I will plan to see you here on April 6th!

Welcome to chat! Vitamin D is by far the most common deficiency we see. It is key to healthy bones, teeth, and muscles. Sunlight helps. Here are some vitamin D rich foods.

Welcome to chat! Vitamin D is by far the most common deficiency we see. It is key to healthy bones, teeth, and muscles. Sunlight helps. Here are some vitamin D rich foods.

Welcome to chat! Hope everyone survived our winter storm without too many issues last week! Please feel free to ask questions. One of the biggest vitamins we need to carefully watch after surgery is B1 (thiamine). Early signs of depletion include numbness and tingling in the legs and hands. If treated early, those symptoms disappear. Late stages can be permanent and lead to memory loss. Your vitamins help but here are some natural sources.

Welcome to chat! Hope everyone survived our winter storm without too many issues last week! Please feel free to ask questions. One of the biggest vitamins we need to carefully watch after surgery is B1 (thiamine). Early signs of depletion include numbness and tingling in the legs and hands. If treated early, those symptoms disappear. Late stages can be permanent and lead to memory loss. Your vitamins help but here are some natural sources.

Welcome back to chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. One of the few positives of COVID has been the ability to to telemedicine. It has helped made follow up even easier for patients. Long term weight loss maintenance is helped by long term follow up according to studies. This graphic shows that so far televisits with self reported weight has been helpful.

Welcome back to chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. One of the few positives of COVID has been the ability to to telemedicine. It has helped made follow up even easier for patients. Long term weight loss maintenance is helped by long term follow up according to studies. This graphic shows that so far televisits with self reported weight has been helpful.

Welcome to chat! As always, please feel free to ask questions. We often talk about weight loss surgery but technically it is called metabolic surgery. It is a treatment for different metabolic imbalances and problems that this causes. The graph below is a bit busy but shows 10 year follow up. It demonstrates better scores in all quality of life measures for those having metabolic surgery than diet and lifestyle changes. It also shows significant decreases in macro vascular (clogged major arteries) and micro vascular (loss of circulation in legs and retinopathy) complications than medical treatment.

Welcome to chat! As always, please feel free to ask questions. We often talk about weight loss surgery but technically it is called metabolic surgery. It is a treatment for different metabolic imbalances and problems that this causes. The graph below is a bit busy but shows 10 year follow up. It demonstrates better scores in all quality of life measures for those having metabolic surgery than diet and lifestyle changes. It also shows significant decreases in macro vascular (clogged major arteries) and micro vascular (loss of circulation in legs and retinopathy) complications than medical treatment.

Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions. At times it it difficult to visualize the small portions you need to get your protein in for the day when preop you are used to big portions. This helps show how much protein you can get from certain items and the calories. It also shows why peanut butter might not be a great option.

Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions. At times it it difficult to visualize the small portions you need to get your protein in for the day when preop you are used to big portions. This helps show how much protein you can get from certain items and the calories. It also shows why peanut butter might not be a great option.

[01/13/21]   Sorry everyone for missing chat . I had something come up and could just get to it tonight. We will plan to do it next week and the following week to make up. If you have questions in between, please feel free to comment. Again sorry, unexpected issue. See you next week!

[01/05/21]   Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay between chats. December gets pretty busy for a variety of reasons. We will restart chat every other week starting next week on 1/12. We will plan chat at 9:15pm on 1/12 and 1/26 this month. Hope to see everyone here next week! Happy New Year!

Fear of COVID-19 fueling increase in bariatric surgeries

Welcome to chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. I try to avoid talking about COVID but truth be told obesity is a clear risk factor for severity of disease. Fortunately, we have seen a protective benefit with a decrease is severity for those that have had bariatric surgery. For those on the fence, it can be a good time to consider or come talk about treatment.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/health/article/Fear-of-COVID-19-fueling-increase-in-bariatric-15759088.php

houstonchronicle.com Bariatric surgery, the treatment most effective at combating obesity, is gaining popularity because of fears of the additional risks associated with COVID-19.

Welcome to pre Thanksgiving chat! Please feel free to ask questions. Some are experiencing their first Thanksgiving after surgery, some are pros, and some may be looking to do better. What are your questions or tips for how you stay on track during a holiday with such a food focus?

13 Ways to Prevent Stress Eating When You’re Stuck at Home

Welcome to chat! Feel free to ask questions. With more time at home snacking and stress eating has become an issue for many. How do you combat this? Hydration is another key. All the time in a mask leads to less drinking time and drying you out.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-prevent-stress-eating-when-youre-stuck-at-home

healthline.com Though self-isolating is the best way to protect against COVID-19, being stuck at home can lead to some unhealthy habits. Here are 13 ways to prevent stress eating when you’re stuck at home.

Welcome to chat! Feel free to ask any questions. Although below is over simplified, it does show a possible stepwise progression or consideration for what treatments to consider at a certain BMI and expected results. Certainly newer evidence suggests surgery for a BMI > 30, especially is diabetics is tremendously beneficial. It can also be useful for other healthcare professionals as a diagram for treatment.

Medicine to Treat Constipation

Welcome to chat tonight everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. Constipation is a common complaint after surgery. Some of this is lack of fiber and less fluid intake as well as an increase in protein. Here are some levels and types of medication to know.

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/prescription-medications-to-treat-constipation

webmd.com Find out what kind of prescription and over-the-counter medicine can help treat chronic constipation.

The Underused Weight Loss Option: Bariatric Surgery

Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions. Bariatric surgery continues to be underutilized throughout the United States. There are many factors, but patient fear of surgery, judgement, or failure is a part of this. If you could tell someone one thing to encourage from your experiences, what would it be?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/well/live/the-underused-weight-loss-option-bariatric-surgery.html

nytimes.com Experts say it can result in long-term weight loss and significantly improve physical and emotional health and even longevity.

Welcome to chat everyone! Feel free to ask questions. Obesity has at least 13 cancers linked to it as a risk factor and only a few cancers have been proven to have beneficial screening studies. Colon cancer and colonoscopy is one. You can still complete a colonoscopy after weight loss surgery but the prep takes longer. If you are older than 50 before surgery, it is a little easier to do it before.

[09/02/20]   Welcome to chat tonight everyone! Will keep it open for Q and A tonight or if anyone has anything in particular they want to discuss.

Welcome to chat! Feel free to ask questions. Reflux (heartburn) can be a problem both before and after surgery. Weight loss surgery can eliminate it for some and worsen it for others depending on the procedure. What do you use to help? Watch certain foods like coffee, chocolate, and high fat foods.

After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight

Welcome to Tuesday night chat! Feel free to fire away with any questions. Losing weight and keeping it off is a struggle no matter how you lose. I often hear patients coming in after years of yo yo weight loss with loss and regain and then some. Bariatric surgery has the highest rate of success giving you a tool to try to keep small portions and low calories. Here is an older on how some of those patients with “successful” weight loss seen by the nation fared long term.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

nytimes.com Contestants lost hundreds of pounds during Season 8, but gained them back. A study of their struggles helps explain why so many people fail to keep off the weight they lose.

Welcome to chat! As always, feel free to ask questions. Many patients further out ask about the pouch reset and if/how it works. Who has tried a reset and if you did what did you do and how did it work?

Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions. The soft diet is often a challenge after the first 2 weeks you spend on liquids after surgery. Finding good protein options can be tough. What were your go to options in that phase?

[07/08/20]   No chat tonight. We will be switching to every other Tuesday night this summer. If you have questions between, you can feel free to comment on the post from the previous week. We will have chat July 14 and 28. August 4 and 18. Have a good night!

Welcome back to chat! Feel free to ask questions. Liquid calories are a big reason for weight regain. It is also lucrative and the reason companies pump money into advertising. What are your go to low/no cal drinks?

Welcome to chat! As always, please feel free to ask questions. Certainly with everything going on stress can be at an all time high. This can lead to snacking. Make sure you devote your focus to the things you can act on.

Slideshow: Why Cucumbers Are Good for You

Welcome to chat. Please feel free to ask questions. Healthy snacks are key to success. Fresh veggies are a great option.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-why-cucumbers-are-good-for-you

webmd.com The humble cucumber has more health benefits than you might have thought. Just don't forget the seeds, which have their own special nutrients.

Welcome to chat everyone! Feel free to ask questions. The prevalence of obesity continues to increase in the United States yet very few insurers cover weight loss surgery or even medications. It took the Prime Minister of the UK being hospitalized for COVID and being told the severity for him was related to his obesity to renew a focus on weight loss strategies in the UK. How hard was your insurance approval?

Sorry no chat tonight. First week of no school and while this picture isn’t me, it summarizes me. See you next week everyone!

Insight Timer - #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More

Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions. Stress, anxiety, and poor sleep can all lead to weight gain through various sources. Not to plug one method or app because there are many. Studies with bariatric patients as well as the general public have found meditation techniques to be helpful! How do you relax and get a good night rest?

https://insighttimer.com/

insighttimer.com The best meditation app with the world’s largest FREE library of more than 30k guided meditations, 5k teachers & the world’s most loved meditation Timer.

5 exercises to offset too much sitting

Welcome to chat everyone! Please feel free to ask questions. With all the work from home, many people are doing more sitting even than if they had a desk job in an office. Remember to get up and stretch. Find times to walk around the house or get brief exercises completed.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/health/too-much-sitting-exercise-workout-wellness/index.html

cnn.com The irony is that we're staying home to protect our health, but all that added sitting is putting our health at risk in other ways.

[04/29/20]   Welcome to chat! Please feel free to ask questions tonight.

Welcome to chat! Hope everyone is staying safe. As we briefly hit on last week, being on shelter in place or working from home can lead to increased snacking. What are some of your healthy go to snacks? Ways that you beat that urge? Raw veggies are great but no I am not advocating the way you get kids to eat celery unless you want to try some PB2 in the recipe.

Welcome to chat! Hope everyone is staying safe. With no gyms and social distancing, how are you keeping active to burn those calories? Any fitness recommendations? I like my elliptical and do the occasional run (even with the dog). How do you get sweating?

[04/01/20]   Hi, sorry everyone no chat tonight. In the office, we remain happy to help you via televideo visits for both established and new patients. While we cannot do procedures currently, we can definitely get you through the approval process as both dietician and psychiatry appointments can be completed remotely. Even if you have just had questions about surgery as an option for you, the televisit might be a great low pressure way to learn more. See you next week, and please stay safe!