Weight Loss Surgery Directory

Recent Posts

Topic: 2013: 20 Funny New Year's Resolutions

2013:  20 Funny New Year's Resolutions

When it comes to New Year's resolutions, our family members and friends can get quite creative and even funny with what they resolve to do in the New Year.  Here a few good ones I have heard along the way...Oh, and a few of my own!

1.  I resolve to stop procrastinating about procrastinating!

2.  I will stop sending Facebook messages and emails to my loved ones when they are in the same room as I am!

3.  I will use my treadmill for something other than a place to hang my jacket.

4.  I will not sit at the kitchen table in my PJ's all day.  Instead, I will move my computer to my bedroom.

5.  I vow to never take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same night!

Click here to read more!

All my best, 

Tammy Colter
Director of Media & PR
Editor-In-Chief
ObesityHelp.com
OH Magazine
Topic: Super Storm Sandy and OH Members

 

Even though ObesityHelp members are around the world, at times like these with Superstorm Sandy, we are united and here for each other.

For our ObesityHelp members, families and friends that are in the disaster areas, our thoughts are with you.  We’ve listed some helpful links below to provide information so we can support you. 

If you live in an area not impacted by Sandy but still want to help, there’s information for you too.  Make sure you are prepared for a natural disaster by checking out the information in the links below. 

If you’d like the latest info from the Federal Emergency Management Association on Superstorm Sandy, clickHERE.

FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE

If you need to find an emergency shelter near you, text:
SHELTER and YOUR ZIP CODE  to 43362

If you want to apply for assistance from your computer, click HERE.

If you want to apply for assistance from your mobile device, click HERE.

If you want to apply for assistance, call (800) 621-3362


DISASTER SURVIVOR RESOURCES:

General information from FEMA, click HERE.

Here’s how you and your loved ones can prepare for natural disasters, click HERE.

During times of disasters, the American Red Cross is always among the first at the scene.  The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need.

TO HELP THE AMERICAN RED CROSS:

Click HERE to donate funds for survivors of Superstorm Sandy.

Donations help the Red Cross provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by disasters throughout the country including Superstorm Sandy. To donate, people can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

You can contact the “Join The Movement” of the American Red Cross to donate funds, donate blood, and read about other ways to help by clicking HERE.

With our support,
ObesityHelp Management and Staff

Topic: RE: Surgery and Green Mountain Care?
 I actually moved right across the border to Massachusetts and I now have CommonWealth Care, which DOES cover it :D  

But thank you for taking the time to respond, I appreciate it!
Topic: Where are all the locals?
Hi, I live in Southern Vermont. I would love to connect with a few people in my area. :) I notice most of the posts on the Vermont message boards are old ones. Is there anybody out there?
Topic: RE: Surgery and Green Mountain Care?
I have not heard of anyone on VHAP having the surgery, but it can't hurt to research. You should call the phone number on the back of your card and ask them.

I have Cigna throught the State of Vermont. I called their number to get all the information I needed.

I see this was posted in July, if you haven't received your answer already, I hope this helped.
Topic: Meet Our Speakers: Ask The Experts!
                       Save the dates: October 5th and 6th!

Come to Atlanta, GA and ask our panel of experts the questions you want answers to!  If you are unable to atend the event, email your questions to:  Editor@ObesityHelp.com and we will ask the experts to answer your questions and then we will post them on the message boards after the OH event!

Click here to reserve your tickets today!  We hope to see you there!


Mixed Q & A Panel, 
Grads & Professionals

Friday  2:00pm - 4:30pm

Dr.  Paul E. Macik

Performing operations laparoscopically since 1991.  His practice offers Gastric Bypass, LapBand and Sleeve Gastrectomy options.  Also an Instructor for Quarterly In-Service Program of Bariatric Surgery at Emory Dunwoody Medical Center and Northside Hospital.

Jim Blackburn

Jim lost 215 pounds and found a love for running.  With 58,038 Race finishers at an avg time of 01:17:35, Jim finished the 2012 Peachtree Road Race (10k) in 1:07:57, a goal he's worked towards since having Gastric Bypass.

Dr.  Michael Williams 

Dr. Williams principal clinical and research interest include minimally invasive techniques, and the surgical therapy of morbid obesity.  He has been involved in training surgeons in laparocopic techniques in the United States and the Caribbean.  

Beth Sheldon-Badore

Blogger, & Founder of Bariatric Bad Girls. "Melting Mama" as she's known through her blog has been blogging about life since her WLS in 2004.  Her witty, honest approach to life after WLS has inspired and supported thousands.

Dr. Sheldon Lincenberg

Double-board certified, plastic and reconstructive surgeon and a board-certified general surgeon.  In 1995, he created and began sponsoring Pink Ribbons, an annual October event during Breast Cancer Month to benefit breast cancer organizations.

 Courtney aka tripmom02

An active OH member for 5 years and a frequent poster on the VSG forum! She's bringing her post-op experience as a Lap Band to VSG Revision. Courtney has lost 170 lbs and is training for her 1st half marathon in October. Her goal is to complete an Iron Man in 2014!



Professional Q & A Panel

Saturday  10:30am - 11:55am

Scott Steinberg, MD

Fellow-ship trained advanced laparoscopic surgeon. A member of the American College of Surgeons and the ASMBS. 

Qammar Rashid, MD

Fellow-ship trained in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery.  A large part of her practice is breast and bariatric surgery.    

Dr. Dennis C. Smith  

The 3rd surgeon in the world to perform the totally laparoscopic DS and the 1st bariatric surgeon in the world to present the Hand-Sewn Duedenal-Ileal Anastomosis technique. 

Connie Stapleton, Ph.D

Dr. Stapleton is a licensed clinical psychologist, received her doctorol degree from Texas A&M University in Counseling Psychology.  

Donna DeMild, LPBLC

Post-Op and CEO of BodySmart, LLC. Donna works at NJ Bariatrics and is a licensed bariatric life coach. Her focus is lifestyle change after wls.   

Jeremy Gentles

A Ph.D Candidate in Sport Science at East Tennessee State University and for a number of years, served as ObesityHelp's Exercise Physiologist. 


Topic: Announcing Forum Upgrades!

Its been over six years since we've launched our forums. During this time it has seen thousands of fresh faces, greetings, meetings, partings, arguments, kind words, life transformations, cathartic rants, and simply happy time pass. It has been with us throughout this time, silently observing and facilitating. But like any wise old man, its bones were getting old. Its joints were aching, and it has been needing a new jolt of energy.

A Mobile World
Did you know that over 30% of you visit our website using a mobile device? For those who do visit us via mobile, we owe you a sincere apology, because our forums have been horrendous on a mobile browser. But the big news is that things are about to change! Our new forums are completely mobile friendly and compatible with iPhone, Android, and pretty much any other modern smart phone.

Each post, topic, and forum shows up beautifully, with the full set of features, and in nice large font. See the screenshots for yourself.

You dont have do anything different, just browse to the forums like you normally would. This means that you can finally put these away:



Not Just for Mobile
The interface on your desktop browser has also been cleaned up a great deal. There is now less clutter on the page, and the overall experience is a lot cleaner. Check out some more screenshots here!



You will notice that each post no longer has 400 buttons below it. Only the buttons that are relevant to each post show up, making your screen space a lot less cluttered. Also, when you reply to another person's post, the entire post is indented inside, making it a lot easier to figure out who has replied to whom.

Launching soon! Maybe as early as next week! Maybe.
And do remember that this is not in any way a be-all-end-all when it comes to the forums. We are in the process of constantly learning and improving upon what we have, and this is just one step along the way.

Stay tuned for the changes! We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

 ObesityHelp Developer
Topic: Meet Our Speakers: Colleen M. Cook

Meet Our Speakers: Colleen M. Cook

 

Hope & Help for the Pain of Regain

Join 17 year WLS veteran Colleen M. Cook for both a shot in the arm and a kick in the seat as she shares lessons from long-term losers and imparts insight, inspiration, and hope for WLS patients struggling with extended plateaus or weight regain. Her thoughts, stories, and personal experiences will inspire and motivate you to reach and maintain your optimum weight loss.

Also, don't miss her Keynote on Friday: Nothing Succeeds Like Success

We hope to see you in Atlanta, GA October 5th and 6th! Click here to book your ticket today!

Fast Facts About Colleen

-Colleen is the author of The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients.
- She is the president or Bariatric Support Centers International, a company that specializes in providing education and support services for weight loss surgery patients and the professionals who serve them.
- Colleen currently serves on the National Advisory board for the Walk From Obesity.
-Known as Ms. Enthusiasm, Colleen helps men and women from all walks of life recognize their extraordinary potential and then inspires then to aspire.

Topic: MEDICAID AND MEDICARE SURGEONS LIST!
Hello Members,

On a daily basis we get calls from members in desperate need of surgeons that will accept Medicaid and or Medicare for Bariatric surgery.  It breaks our hearts when we have to say "we don't know of any surgeons in your state we can refer you to". 

Can you please help us? If you know of any surgeons in your state that accepts Medicaid and or Medicare, will you list their:

Name

If they accept Medicare and or Medcaid

Phone number

Facility

Address

This list will remain here for our members to access and use.

Thank you so much!!!

ObesityHelp,

Member Services

Topic: WLS EVENT IN CONCORD, NH

Meet Me (Katie Jay!) in New Hampshire...A Rare Opportunity for the WLS Community

 

 
   
 

(When you are one of the first 5 people to register for my exclusive seminar, you'll get a free book!)

Dear Small Bites Reader,

Many weight loss surgery patients contact me about how well they did initially, only to start to regain after some months or years. Or they haven't regained, but they sense they are changing and know they need to do something before the regain begins.

Other patients find life after surgery more challenging for other reasons, like relationship issues, boundaries, transfer addiction, and other stresses.

No matter what, I've got information you won't hear anywhere else to help you on your journey.

I am thrilled to announce I am coming to Concord, New Hampshire, on August 11, 2012, to provide a seminar for people who want to create their best WLS life after bariatric surgery!

**************************************************

August 11, 2012, 10am - 4pm (Lunch provided!)

The Susan N. McLane Audubon Center, Concord, New Hampshire

Emotional Dessert: How to Move from Emotional Eating to Emotional Living (and Create a Life that Feels Better than Food Tastes!)

To register:

http://www.nawls.com/products/item92.cfm

**************************************************

I've traveled all over the country doing this seminar and have gotten a tremendous response. I hope you will consider coming!

(And please let your WLS friends know about this event, too. Just forward this email to them.)

Topic: Surgery and Green Mountain Care?
 Hi, my apologies if this has been asked before, but there is no easily accessible search tool for this forum... 

I was just wondering if anyone got approved with VHAP (vermont health access plan)? Green Mountain Care is a decent plan for most other things.. but  I haven't been able to find information on it, so I just figured I'd ask.

Thanks
Topic: LGBT forum invitation
Hello,
I just wanted to let people know   there is a forum for the community and anyone who is friendly and want to stop by. I was very active 3 years ago and would like to see it become active again.   It is listed under  "weight loss related"

I am not attempting to offend anyone. I understand that some might not agree with me posting. I am doing it to help LGBT people. Everyone has the right to not agree. I respect that.

                                                             Thank You !
    
                                                                    Sean


If you have trouble finding it just PM me
Sean  
 
YOU CANNOT GIVE SOMEONE HELP........YOU CAN OFFER HELP,  IT IS UP TO THE OTHER PERSON TO ACCEPT  OR REJECT IT !!!
  
Topic: You're invited to join us in Long Island, NY!
 You're invited to join us in Long Island, NY!  October 21st & October 22nd

We've got info...
 
You will get breakout sessions, main stage speakers, and a Q&A panel! 

Information on bariatric surgery, plastic surgery, nutrition, self esteem, relationships, exercise, and clothing advice. 

An Exhibit area that has vendors, authors and industry partners that love being a part of the Bariatric Community.  This area is full of resources, support, information and free samples!   

We've got fun...
 
You will get FREE photos of you and your friends because Dr. Rajeev Vohra is sponsoring the NY Event Photo Booth!  You're going to love it! 

A Fashion Show, featuring YOU! (
click here for more exciting info on that...) 

A welcome meet & greet, a closing party and lots of prize giveaways! 

We've got promo codes...
 
Where? Who? How? (
click here for more info on that...)

Or simply use ILOVENY to get in for $40

       

Special Notes!  
The event ticket purchase includes Friday evening welcome coffee and Saturday lunch. No tickets are mailed; check in is at the OH tables on Friday or Saturday.

This is the last event to get your 2011 OH Event T-shirt!  They are men's sizing, not fitted women's. Shirts are $10 if purchased online, $15 if purchased on-site at the event. If you order online - pick your t-shirt up at the event, it will not be shipped. The shirts will be available for online ordering until October 5th, 2011. (Check out the 
OH Facebook for photos of the t-shirts and some pictures from our last event!)
 
Topic: NY OH Conference in October
Anyone interested in participating in the fashion show for the Long Island, NY OH conference on October 22, 2011 please contact me to provide information and photos.

The OH Fashion Shows are open to anyone who wants to participate. After having surgery and working so hard to stay on track, you deserve to show off a bit! We ask that you send high resolution "before" photos and a brief blurb stating your surgeon's name, surgery type, starting weight and current weight (your choice). OH will put them all together to be shown on a large screen while you strut your stuff on the catwalk to music! This starts at 8pm on Saturday evening and we ask that you provide the outfit that you would like to be photographed in! To keep with our schedule, you may be asked to join the other models by 7:45pm that evening to coordinate the lineup.

Upon submitting your photo, you are giving ObesityHelp your permission to use your likeness on our website or in our magazine.

Any other questions? Just ask!!!

OH Support Group Leader
Surgery Date 03/12/10
HW 302/SW 294/CW 199/GW 169

Topic: OH's New York Event.....You want in?
Would you like to attend OH's New York Event on October 21 and October 22, 2011? 

We will "Let You In".  Click below to post on the forum and you might win a FREE TICKET:

YES, I WANT IN

GOOD LUCK! 

Cathy



Topic: MY FIRST VIDEO and VLOG
 Hello everyone, I created a video and Youtube account to share my journey and would love for you to have a peek, comment, etc.  It is the start of many new and fun uploads so please make me your favourite and keep in touch!  



 http://youtu.be/deF2erXqZCo
 
Topic: Support Groups in the NEK
I live in Ottawa, Ontario but spend the summer and most weekends in Norton, Vermont. I had RNY on February 11, 2011 and would like to know if there are any support groups in the NEK. Also, it would be great to meet other WLS patients in the area on an individual basis. Thanks.
  Heading for my goal    
Topic: 4 BASIC TIPS FOR LOSING WEIGHT
1. First start by getting up earlier than usual. Around 5:30 AM to do some of you workouts. Getting up early shocks your metabolism because the body needs more energy to get going. Right? This will start your system on the road to weight loss. That early start with about 10 minutes of stretching. Have a cup of coffee to get the blood going also


 
Topic: RE: Dartmouth Hitch****
I love Dr. Trus, he is very caring, kind and a fantastic surgeon. I like the entire team. He was able to get the approval for my surgery and I had it on March 3rd of this year. I see him  for my four month appointment on July 8th. I am hoping to be at a 40lbs loss by then.

 
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Topic: RE: Dartmouth Hitch****
Any luck with the denial?  How has it been working with Dr. Trus?  I am scheduled for rny with him on 7/1...