April 2, 2024 • 25 mins
Have you ever wondered how a simple cup can become your ally on a transformational journey? Join Tammie as she shares the hydration hacks that are crucial for anyone navigating life after bariatric surgery. In the intimate setting of our latest episode, Tammie opens up about her go-to tools for keeping hydrated, including the versatile Stanley cup, chic Brumate, and the tech-savvy Hydrate Spark Cup. But it's not all about the gadgets; Tammie also taps into the heart of the Core Bariatrics community, sharing golden nuggets of wisdom from Ashley, founder of the Bariatric Woman Support Facebook group. Together, they remind us that the road to self-improvement is unique, and celebrating your own milestones is where the true joy lies.
Stepping away from the physical transformation, we shift our focus to the mental and emotional journey that often accompanies bariatric surgery. While Maria isn't with us in the studio, her insights resonate as we balance raw, personal storytelling with hard facts. This episode is a call to those who understand that beyond every physical change, there's a mental game being played. It's a rallying cry for building a community where tough love meets genuine support, where victories and setbacks are shared with equal openness. Tune in as we extend an invitation to join our statewide network—a haven of empathy and understanding for anyone touched by the bariatric experience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Core Bariatrics Podcast, hosted by
bariatric surgeon Dr MariaIliakova and Tami LaCose,
bariatric coordinator and apatient herself.
Our goal is building andelevating our community.
The Core Bariatrics Podcastdoes not offer medical advice,
diagnosis or treatment.
On this podcast, we aim toshare stories, support and
(00:22):
insight into the world beyondthe clinic.
Let's get into it.
Hello Maria, how are you?
Maria?
Hello, oh, my goodness, justkidding y'all, it's just me.
Today I figured that I wouldrecord an episode by myself.
Maria is pretty busy all overthe place.
(00:43):
Maria is pretty busy all overthe place, like always, but
she's up to good.
I would say worse if she was upto no good.
But anyways, today I just wantto do an episode, a short little
clip.
Maybe an extra one I'll put out, but on recommendations that I
have that also our CoreBariatrics community Facebook
page has, head on over there ifyou want to join us.
(01:05):
We also might have put up aPatreon that I just want to see
how it goes.
And also there's a lot ofcontent that Maria has given me,
I should say, and I want toshare it with the world because,
honestly, that's the wholereason why I've done all of this
is to share Maria with theworld and share her caring and
(01:26):
knowledge and everything.
So let's just get right on intoit.
So if you've listened to any ofour previous episode, you will
have heard that I love myStanley cup, so I suggest
getting a cup that you love.
I love my Stanley cup mainlybecause it keeps stuff really
cold, but I've actuallysidetracked to a different cup
(01:48):
and if you are watching thevideo, I have the Brumate Cup
and all I got to say is if youhave kids like I do three of
them things always spill.
Honestly, my middle son hastaken my Stanley Cup and just
straight on poured it out.
This you cannot and no, we'renot sponsored with anything that
(02:09):
I'm saying Any people that Irecommend.
I just this is my own personalrecommendations or
recommendations from otherpeople, that we are not
affiliated with them.
We are not getting any payback,anything like that.
This is just me loving thingsand wanting to share it with you
all.
So I do have my Stanley.
I do love it very much.
I tend to use it more at work,where my kids aren't and where
(02:33):
things aren't more prone to bespilled.
But now I'm using this Brumate,which is so amazing that you
can lock it and I just love it.
I love it, love it.
Another thing, another cup thatI actually have is called a
Hydrate Spark Cup.
It actually lights up to remindyou to drink.
So when I was doing more officework, I always had it on my
(02:55):
desk and I told it when toremind me to drink, and every
time it that time came up, itblinked at me.
And then I also found out thatit had an app that can remind
you even when the cup isn'taround, that it will remind you
via your phone or your watch andtell you some stupid little
jokes to get you to drink yourwater.
(03:16):
So those are a few cups that Iabsolutely love, because
hydration is super important forus.
If you don't sip throughout theday, it's so much easier to get
dehydrated and it's so hard toget caught up.
This past summer I really didstruggle with being in the pool
a little too long and got reallyreal thirsty and tried to chug
(03:38):
and it just didn't work.
So those are a few of the cupsthat I recommend.
I'm going to go on to havingplatforms, having resources, so
I'm going to go down the listhere and you all have them, but
here are a few of that I havefound and I recommend Obviously
going over to our CoreBariatrics community podcast
(04:00):
Facebook group.
You can request to join inthere.
Otherwise, we did just start aPatreon as well, but when I
started my journey, I relied alot on Facebook groups.
I didn't really get intoInstagram yet or podcasts a
whole lot, so I really did relyon Facebook groups and after
surgery and just realizing howtoxic and judgy those groups can
(04:26):
get, I shied away from a lot ofthem.
But there is one out there thatI absolutely love.
Unfortunately, this one isgeared towards women and if I do
find one that is good overall,I'll let you all know, but the
Facebook group Bariatric WomanSupport, I absolutely love it.
I actually asked the creator,ashley, what her number one
(04:46):
piece of advice was forbariatric patients and she
responded my tip forpost-bariatric patients would be
to not compare your journey toothers.
We all have differentmetabolisms, physical abilities,
health concerns, body shapesand lifestyles.
Focus on what works best foryou.
As long as you are progressing,you are winning.
(05:07):
Oh gosh, I love that.
She continues to say someone'sstart weight might be your goal
weight, and that's okay.
Comparison is the thief of joyand you cannot discount your
progress based on someone else'sjourney.
Celebrate your success andevery victory, holy moly.
And this is why I love her groupso much is she keeps things so
(05:28):
positive, and I think she does areally good job at monitoring
her Facebook group of makingsure things do stay positive,
because, as I said, there are somany Facebook groups out there
that aren't so positive and whensomeone is reaching out looking
for recommendations becausethey've gained some weight and
most of the commenters are areyou eating enough protein?
(05:51):
Are you drinking enough water?
Are you eating out too much,like it all of a sudden just
goes straight to what are youdoing wrong?
Which in some cases, yes, theymight be doing something wrong,
but in some cases they might becommenting to a lady who has had
bariatric surgery in the pastand is now going through
menopause, not doing anythingwrong or different and all of a
(06:14):
sudden gaining weight.
And if I was in someone'sposition like that, I would just
be so defeated and just feellike I failed, when in reality,
that person's body just might benot working as well as some
others may be working.
And I feel like those commentscome from people who surgery has
(06:35):
done great for them continuesto do great for them, even if
they aren't doing thingsperfectly.
It still works for them andthat's great, good for them,
continues to do great for them,even if they aren't doing things
perfectly.
It still works for them andthat's great, good for them.
But there are some of us I amincluded that struggle post-op
year and a half down the road,two years down the road, even if
they're not changing anything.
And so this is where BariatricWomen's Support Group.
(06:57):
I absolutely love her, I lovethe positivity she keeps in that
group and really monitorsthings.
Another group or not group, butplatform that I have gotten onto
, now forced onto, is Instagram,because I feel like a lot of
people are on Instagram now andcorrect me if I'm wrong, but so
I started scrolling through justlooking personally for my own
(07:20):
support and looking for justsupport in general, and so this
one I absolutely love.
Again, none of these aresponsored.
I have not been like, yeah, youdo this for me, I'll do this
for you.
None of this.
This is me just personallyloving this content and wanting
to share it with you guys if youhave not already found them.
(07:42):
So this next one is onInstagram weight loss, surgery,
nutrition coach and her name isMargaret Hayes.
She's from Australia.
We have tried to get her on thepodcast but and things just got
super crazy with me and Maria,so we haven't yet had a chance
to get her on, but we hope to inthe future.
But basically I just love herposts.
(08:04):
She's very fact-based, which issomething that I love, because a
lot of people out there thinkthey're pros about bariatric
surgery and post-op andnutrition and all of that, when
in reality, even bariatricsurgeons Maria will say this are
not completely in the know.
(08:24):
They don't know everything.
This is why we practicemedicine.
We're not perfecting medicine,because every single day,
something new is coming out.
We're figuring out things moreand more, and so this is what I
love about Margaret is she'svery fact-based.
When she gives advice, shefollows it with the why.
That's where I'm at.
I don't want to.
I don't want you spitting outthings at me.
(08:46):
I want to know why, and sothat's why I've done so much
research myself is I want toknow the why.
So, for an example of this, oneof her posts states that she is
, or she says, sleep isimportant.
Of course sleep is important.
Everybody knows sleep isimportant, but she follows it
with why it is important and sheexplains why it keeps your
(09:07):
hunger hormones in the rightlevels, which prevents you from
overeating throughout the day,and how, when you're tired, you
don't necessarily make the bestfood decisions, which is so true
Guilty guilty here, and soshe's super realistic as well,
and she's not one of the strict.
If you've listened to theprevious podcast episodes, maria
(09:27):
has said eat that piece ofHalloween candy, and so I feel
like Margaret is very much solike this as well.
She's very realistic.
One of my favorite posts fromher is her explaining how
struggling with weight gainafter surgery is not just from
your food habits it could be andthen she just lists a bunch of
reasons why you might bestruggling with weight gain,
(09:48):
even mental health, physicalactivity, just your lifestyle in
general, and I just I lovefollowing her so much she I just
want to scream at her yes, girl, yes, preach it, because I just
love that.
She's so realistic and knowingthat sometimes we are not the
reason why we're not being assuccessful as we think we should
(10:11):
, which is another thing that Ifeel like I even struggle with,
is I feel like I should havelost more weight.
I could, I should have donebetter, but in reality I should
have lost more weight.
I should have done better, butin reality I always have to look
back at where I started,because where we started is
where we need to look at whenwe're feeling down like that,
(10:32):
because when I look at beforeand afters I'm like, wow, okay,
I really have done a lot.
And when I look at what I wasdoing two years ago, physically
with my kids, and what I'm doingnow, there's such a big
difference.
And so always remember we'renot failing.
Nobody is ever failing.
All of our journeys just likeAshley said from the Bariatric
(10:55):
Women's Support Group onFacebook everybody's is
different.
Comparison is just going tosteal your joy and you cannot
discount your progress based onsomeone else's, and so I still
struggle to that with that tothis day.
Another thing that I recommendothers recommend are obviously
(11:15):
like podcasts.
I can't say I have found awhole lot of good podcasts, so
if you have any you want torecommend, please feel free to
let me know on Instagram oranything.
But this is why I wanted tomake this podcast is because I
struggled to find them that Icould really enjoy as well.
(11:35):
So I hope that we can help youguys enjoy listening to some of
the stuff that we talk about.
It can be boring, but it's goodto know it's good information,
so hopefully we can keep it fun.
But I was struggling to find apodcast because it was either a
patient who talks about theirjourney and their program
materials and what theirresearch or provider has given
(11:57):
them and just their point ofview versus facts, and so that's
why I really liked the thoughtof having Maria here, of I'm
going to tell you my experience,tell me the facts, and she is
very fact-based and I love thatso much about her.
So that's where I found thisopportunity to make this podcast
.
I have the journey, maria hasthe facts and we can discuss
(12:17):
both sides and I think you guysreally appreciate that, because
I've gotten a lot of goodfeedback and the thing is with
like podcasts or YouTube pagesand stuff that most people stop
recording once their journeystalls out or they start
struggling, when I feel likethis is where we need the
content the most.
The content I really looked forpre-op was mental health aspect
(12:40):
and marriage aspect, because Ihave had a few people around me
that have had bariatric surgeryand have struggled mentally and
I just wanted to make sure,because I do have so many risk
factors with my family andeverything.
I just wanted to make sure thatI was fully prepared and
knowing what I was getting intobefore getting into it.
(13:01):
And ain't nobody talking aboutthe mental health struggle after
bariatric surgery?
Ain't nobody talking about?
Sure, my body is smaller, butnow I struggle with looking at
my body more now because I haveloose skin.
That is a mental game.
This is all a mental game, butnobody really talks about it.
Nobody talks about the struggleof being in a marriage, that
(13:24):
you guys are growing apartbecause your hobbies are
different, and stuff like that.
So, again, I struggled to findthis content and I want to give
it to you guys.
So please reach out and let usknow what you want to hear,
because even if I can't getMaria on a recording, I'm going
to text her constantly, get theinformation from her and maybe
I'll start recording more bymyself, just so we can have more
(13:46):
content, because this fills mycup.
Honestly, as I said, I wentfrom Maria's bariatric surgery
clinic and now I'm back being arespiratory therapist, which I
love.
But bariatric surgery fills mycup and talking about it fills
my cup, so more content comingout and just know I absolutely
love it, love it so much and I'mlearning every single day.
(14:09):
Again, everything we say, takewith a grain of salt, because
everybody is different, allprograms are different.
Everybody knows a little bit ofeverything.
Just like Maria has said, shedoesn't know it all.
Your surgeon doesn't know itall.
Make sure you're talking withyour healthcare providers.
Another recommendation is havinga tribe.
That's what I wanted to buildOn top of resources.
(14:32):
I wanted to build a communityfor us Okay, for me, selfishly,
but there's others around methat I just saw could use a
community and I started thatwithin our bariatric surgery and
once that kind of once me andMaria went separate ways.
I really wanted to continuethis because I saw how much it
(14:54):
helped my patients our patientsjust loving having that support,
even if it was a once a month30 minute support group on teams
.
They just they loved it so muchand I wanted to keep it up and
I wanted to make it bigger.
Having a tribe Surround yourselfwith people and content that
fills your cup.
Again, this fills my cup andkeeps you motivated.
(15:16):
This is also a lot of mentalright when you surround yourself
with people that fill your cup,that understand what you're
going through, your mentalhealth is a little bit better,
at least for me anyways.
I love having people around methat aren't afraid to call me
out on bringing back bad habitssuch as drinking soda daily,
eating out more.
I told my husband pre-op if yousee me eating ice cream every
(15:38):
single night again, you need totell me Because even though I
know, let's be honest, deep downwe know we shouldn't be.
I need someone to tell me, andsome people might not be like
that, some people may not wantthat type of communication or
bluntness, but I was that typeand I like to surround myself
with people that are not afraidto tell me that.
(16:01):
I also loved having co-workersthat did not have kids.
That meal prepped really welland were willing to share it
with me, because she alwayspacked way more than she needed
and Tammy's I didn't pack mylunch today, cared to share and
she always helped me stay ontrack as much as we could.
Honestly, I think the biggestthing of having a tribe is
having a support system ofindividuals who have undergone
(16:24):
surgery and truly I emphasize,empathize.
Words are hard with yourjourney and that's invaluable.
That's why I wanted to build acommunity.
I really want to build acommunity for each state.
Honestly, I want every state tohave a place that is not
necessarily tied to a bariatricsurgery clinic, because we have
(16:46):
tons of them in Iowa, right?
I want everybody to be able tocome to one place maybe in
central Iowa and all have aplace to go and just talk and be
surrounded by people that havebeen through the same thing,
because you know, when you walkthrough that door, you're not
going to be judged for havingbariatric surgery.
Nobody around you is going tobe thinking you took the easy
(17:06):
way out.
So that's honestly what I'mtrying to build.
But I know it's also hard,especially in small Iowa here,
that a lot of people also don'tshut to the rooftops that
they've had bariatric surgery,and so finding people that can
be in that in your little circlecan be difficult.
But that's what I'm trying tobuild here as well, because we
(17:27):
need it not only on the internet, on Facebook groups and all of
that, but we need it in persontoo.
And stay tuned, we have thingsup our sleeves.
Another recommendation I havejust in general, so the rest is
just in general Don't waste yourmoney on all the things labeled
with bariatric surgery, I willsay vitamins are pretty good to
(17:55):
keep the bariatric label on,just because they are geared
towards us and the people makingthem know what we can be
deficient in and stuff.
But protein bar bariatricsurgery you're paying for the
fact that it has bariatricsurgery attached to it.
I feel like protein bar ispretty much protein bar give or
take some calories or some carbsor sugars or whatnot.
That was just a random thing Irealized because I went
(18:19):
searching for foods and stufflike that and I'm like, wow,
this is more expensive than this, even though it's the same
thing, but it had bariatricsurgery attached to it.
So just be mindful of that,because we all know that money
is hard right, all right, thisone.
If y'all have anyrecommendations because we all
(18:41):
want it, send it our way andmaybe I'll post a good post
about what other recommendationsare.
But shapewear for saggy skin weall got it and if you don't, you
were God's favorite.
But ever since I actually hadmy first son, I've worn maiden
form from like Walmart.
They're just a tank top.
(19:02):
I call it more of thecompression tank top versus just
like a shapewear.
I love that.
It doesn't roll up and it givesa little versus just like a
shapewear.
I love that it doesn't roll upand it gives a little extra
compression in the right places.
I don't want my boobscompressioned, especially after
surgery, because they're not asbig as they used to be, so I
don't want to make them anysmaller than they already are.
I love again Maidenform.
(19:23):
They're from Walmart.
I get them from Walmart or evenTarget or Kohl's around the $20
range.
I wear one every single day andhave since I've had my son 12
years ago.
But ever since having surgery Ilove them even more because I
do have that saggy skin.
I also prefer tank tops andbody suits over the ones that
just come up.
(19:44):
You put on like pants and theycome up to your chest because
those roll down, or at least forme they do.
That's one type of shapewearthat I use.
If you have any that yourecommend, please send them our
way, because I will make a postabout what recommendations y'all
are making to saggy skin.
(20:04):
And then comes bras.
Sorry, men, sorry, a lot ofthis is geared towards women.
I apologize, but bras.
In our core bariatric communityFacebook group, A Bra that Fits
no, that's the company A Brathat Fits was recommended, as it
was heard that they fit weightloss surgery patients well and
(20:25):
that they aren't super likefabric heavy and they're like a
t-shirt bra kind of thing.
I haven't tried them yet but mysister in law has and she says
she took the quiz and there'seven a thing on there that shows
you exactly how to measure andwhen she got hers it fit like a
glove and was very good.
So a bra that fits Some of therecommendations is always being
(20:49):
prepared and planning ahead.
Of course we all know this.
Anything that has to do withbariatric surgery, I feel, is
planning ahead and beingprepared, and this is something
I struggle with a lot,especially having three boys.
This is me just making myexcuses, right, I'll call myself
out there.
But having three boys busy, Iam making sure that their stuff
(21:10):
is packed for the next day, thatif my middle, very picky son
doesn't like lunch the next day,that he has his lunch, and then
by the end of making sure thateverybody else is taken care of.
I'm just tired and I don't wantto think about what I need to
prep ahead of time, but I feellike everything bariatric
surgery, post-op is planningahead and preparing, I do always
(21:32):
have my water bottle handy.
I always have sometimes morethan one cup with me, one with
like regular water, one withcrystal light maybe, but
obviously we want to preventgetting dehydrated, so we want
to keep that water bottle withus, and if I forget my water
bottle and I'm already 10minutes down the road, I'm not
going to turn around to go getit.
I've struggled those days withkeeping my water intake.
(21:55):
Also, having snacks ready thatI have snacks chilling in my car
.
I have snacks chilling in mydrawer at work.
Our hospital is so great withTuesdays and Thursdays they have
coffee catered in and they alsoalways have protein bars.
Love them for that.
So I always stock up on those.
(22:15):
Even if I don't eat it that day, I have some for the next day
and whatnot.
Some other people have saidpacking a small cooler if you
need to.
That's actually a really goodidea, especially if you're going
shopping for a whole day andbottles of water are expensive
and so keeping prepared with asmall cooler that has some ice
packs in it, that's a great idea.
(22:37):
The last one I have is getmoving right.
We've all been told to be moreactive, but I really do try to
find ways to move that don'tfeel like a workout, because if
someone says go work out, I'mjust like.
If Maria says let's go to thegym, I'm like.
Some days, on the other hand, Iactually don't mind a good
(22:59):
workout and getting real sweatyand everything, but finding
something that doesn'tnecessarily feel like a workout,
parking further away from thestore door I found myself doing
this a lot.
My husband is still oh my gosh.
I tell him all the time I'mlike just go park way back there
.
I don't care anymore, as longas it's not raining, snowing or
anything like that.
(23:20):
Please park far away, so thenwe'll walk in.
We've all heard this.
Taking the stairs instead of theelevator.
Some people will say I can'ttake the stairs.
I work on the third floor.
That's a whole lot of stairs.
Look, girl, if you can't do, orman, if you can't do, three
flights of stairs, start withjust one and take the elevator
(23:41):
the rest of the way.
You've done more than you didyesterday.
Little by little, that's all itis.
Little by little.
This is something I need to do,especially while I'm on the
phone with Maria, pacing yourhouse or taking a walk instead
of sitting down while you're onthe phone.
That's actually I love thatidea.
I would say scrolling whileyou're scrolling through
Facebook pacing around, but ifyou're anything like me, you'll
definitely run into something.
(24:03):
This is something one of thegirls in our Facebook group has
said is having a standing desk,which I've found a lot of people
I feel like are getting them.
Having a standing desk, whichI've found a lot of people I
feel like are getting them, andthat's awesome.
But also my old coworker hasgotten a walking pad for under
her desk and she said the onethat she got was under $150 or
something.
Obviously, prices are or moneyis always a thing but something
(24:26):
little like that, or even apedal.
My boss has a little pedalthing under her desk because she
had knee surgery and I can'timagine that'd be too expensive,
but it keeps your body movingeven while you're sitting still.
So those are my randomrecommendations.
It was my random.
Let's see how this goes,recording by myself.
(24:49):
Hopefully I get better at it,because I feel like I'm not
great at it, but anyways, I justwant to thank you guys for all
of your support, everybodyreaching out saying I love this,
this is what I want, can youtalk about this and just
reaching out and saying thankyou for posting this content,
because I'm struggling with thisand I couldn't find this
(25:09):
content anywhere else.
Absolutely love you guys.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you for supporting us.
This has blown up a lot morethan me and Maria has thought
for sure.
But yeah, don't hesitate to goover to Instagram, Follow us on
there.
I always post little snippetsof the episode coming up.
Make sure you're downloadingthe episodes every week.
But, yeah, don't hesitate toreach out.
(25:31):
We hope to hear from peoplemore and what they want to hear,
and we love you guys so much.
Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you next time, thankyou.
Welcome to Core Bariatrics Podcast, hosted by
bariatric surgeon Dr MariaIliakova and Tami LaCose,
bariatric coordinator and apatient herself.
Our goal is building andelevating our community.
The Core Bariatrics Podcastdoes not offer medical advice,
diagnosis or treatment.
On this podcast, we aim toshare stories, support and
(00:22):
insight into the world beyondthe clinic.
Let's get into it.
Hello Maria, how are you?
Maria?
Hello, oh, my goodness, justkidding y'all, it's just me.
Today I figured that I wouldrecord an episode by myself.
Maria is pretty busy all overthe place.
(00:43):
Maria is pretty busy all overthe place, like always, but
she's up to good.
I would say worse if she was upto no good.
But anyways, today I just wantto do an episode, a short little
clip.
Maybe an extra one I'll put out, but on recommendations that I
have that also our CoreBariatrics community Facebook
page has, head on over there ifyou want to join us.
(01:05):
We also might have put up aPatreon that I just want to see
how it goes.
And also there's a lot ofcontent that Maria has given me,
I should say, and I want toshare it with the world because,
honestly, that's the wholereason why I've done all of this
is to share Maria with theworld and share her caring and
(01:26):
knowledge and everything.
So let's just get right on intoit.
So if you've listened to any ofour previous episode, you will
have heard that I love myStanley cup, so I suggest
getting a cup that you love.
I love my Stanley cup mainlybecause it keeps stuff really
cold, but I've actuallysidetracked to a different cup
(01:48):
and if you are watching thevideo, I have the Brumate Cup
and all I got to say is if youhave kids like I do three of
them things always spill.
Honestly, my middle son hastaken my Stanley Cup and just
straight on poured it out.
This you cannot and no, we'renot sponsored with anything that
(02:09):
I'm saying Any people that Irecommend.
I just this is my own personalrecommendations or
recommendations from otherpeople, that we are not
affiliated with them.
We are not getting any payback,anything like that.
This is just me loving thingsand wanting to share it with you
all.
So I do have my Stanley.
I do love it very much.
I tend to use it more at work,where my kids aren't and where
(02:33):
things aren't more prone to bespilled.
But now I'm using this Brumate,which is so amazing that you
can lock it and I just love it.
I love it, love it.
Another thing, another cup thatI actually have is called a
Hydrate Spark Cup.
It actually lights up to remindyou to drink.
So when I was doing more officework, I always had it on my
(02:55):
desk and I told it when toremind me to drink, and every
time it that time came up, itblinked at me.
And then I also found out thatit had an app that can remind
you even when the cup isn'taround, that it will remind you
via your phone or your watch andtell you some stupid little
jokes to get you to drink yourwater.
(03:16):
So those are a few cups that Iabsolutely love, because
hydration is super important forus.
If you don't sip throughout theday, it's so much easier to get
dehydrated and it's so hard toget caught up.
This past summer I really didstruggle with being in the pool
a little too long and got reallyreal thirsty and tried to chug
(03:38):
and it just didn't work.
So those are a few of the cupsthat I recommend.
I'm going to go on to havingplatforms, having resources, so
I'm going to go down the listhere and you all have them, but
here are a few of that I havefound and I recommend Obviously
going over to our CoreBariatrics community podcast
(04:00):
Facebook group.
You can request to join inthere.
Otherwise, we did just start aPatreon as well, but when I
started my journey, I relied alot on Facebook groups.
I didn't really get intoInstagram yet or podcasts a
whole lot, so I really did relyon Facebook groups and after
surgery and just realizing howtoxic and judgy those groups can
(04:26):
get, I shied away from a lot ofthem.
But there is one out there thatI absolutely love.
Unfortunately, this one isgeared towards women and if I do
find one that is good overall,I'll let you all know, but the
Facebook group Bariatric WomanSupport, I absolutely love it.
I actually asked the creator,ashley, what her number one
(04:46):
piece of advice was forbariatric patients and she
responded my tip forpost-bariatric patients would be
to not compare your journey toothers.
We all have differentmetabolisms, physical abilities,
health concerns, body shapesand lifestyles.
Focus on what works best foryou.
As long as you are progressing,you are winning.
(05:07):
Oh gosh, I love that.
She continues to say someone'sstart weight might be your goal
weight, and that's okay.
Comparison is the thief of joyand you cannot discount your
progress based on someone else'sjourney.
Celebrate your success andevery victory, holy moly.
And this is why I love her groupso much is she keeps things so
(05:28):
positive, and I think she does areally good job at monitoring
her Facebook group of makingsure things do stay positive,
because, as I said, there are somany Facebook groups out there
that aren't so positive and whensomeone is reaching out looking
for recommendations becausethey've gained some weight and
most of the commenters are areyou eating enough protein?
(05:51):
Are you drinking enough water?
Are you eating out too much,like it all of a sudden just
goes straight to what are youdoing wrong?
Which in some cases, yes, theymight be doing something wrong,
but in some cases they might becommenting to a lady who has had
bariatric surgery in the pastand is now going through
menopause, not doing anythingwrong or different and all of a
(06:14):
sudden gaining weight.
And if I was in someone'sposition like that, I would just
be so defeated and just feellike I failed, when in reality,
that person's body just might benot working as well as some
others may be working.
And I feel like those commentscome from people who surgery has
(06:35):
done great for them continuesto do great for them, even if
they aren't doing thingsperfectly.
It still works for them andthat's great, good for them,
continues to do great for them,even if they aren't doing things
perfectly.
It still works for them andthat's great, good for them.
But there are some of us I amincluded that struggle post-op
year and a half down the road,two years down the road, even if
they're not changing anything.
And so this is where BariatricWomen's Support Group.
(06:57):
I absolutely love her, I lovethe positivity she keeps in that
group and really monitorsthings.
Another group or not group, butplatform that I have gotten onto
, now forced onto, is Instagram,because I feel like a lot of
people are on Instagram now andcorrect me if I'm wrong, but so
I started scrolling through justlooking personally for my own
(07:20):
support and looking for justsupport in general, and so this
one I absolutely love.
Again, none of these aresponsored.
I have not been like, yeah, youdo this for me, I'll do this
for you.
None of this.
This is me just personallyloving this content and wanting
to share it with you guys if youhave not already found them.
(07:42):
So this next one is onInstagram weight loss, surgery,
nutrition coach and her name isMargaret Hayes.
She's from Australia.
We have tried to get her on thepodcast but and things just got
super crazy with me and Maria,so we haven't yet had a chance
to get her on, but we hope to inthe future.
But basically I just love herposts.
(08:04):
She's very fact-based, which issomething that I love, because a
lot of people out there thinkthey're pros about bariatric
surgery and post-op andnutrition and all of that, when
in reality, even bariatricsurgeons Maria will say this are
not completely in the know.
(08:24):
They don't know everything.
This is why we practicemedicine.
We're not perfecting medicine,because every single day,
something new is coming out.
We're figuring out things moreand more, and so this is what I
love about Margaret is she'svery fact-based.
When she gives advice, shefollows it with the why.
That's where I'm at.
I don't want to.
I don't want you spitting outthings at me.
(08:46):
I want to know why, and sothat's why I've done so much
research myself is I want toknow the why.
So, for an example of this, oneof her posts states that she is
, or she says, sleep isimportant.
Of course sleep is important.
Everybody knows sleep isimportant, but she follows it
with why it is important and sheexplains why it keeps your
(09:07):
hunger hormones in the rightlevels, which prevents you from
overeating throughout the day,and how, when you're tired, you
don't necessarily make the bestfood decisions, which is so true
Guilty guilty here, and soshe's super realistic as well,
and she's not one of the strict.
If you've listened to theprevious podcast episodes, maria
(09:27):
has said eat that piece ofHalloween candy, and so I feel
like Margaret is very much solike this as well.
She's very realistic.
One of my favorite posts fromher is her explaining how
struggling with weight gainafter surgery is not just from
your food habits it could be andthen she just lists a bunch of
reasons why you might bestruggling with weight gain,
(09:48):
even mental health, physicalactivity, just your lifestyle in
general, and I just I lovefollowing her so much she I just
want to scream at her yes, girl, yes, preach it, because I just
love that.
She's so realistic and knowingthat sometimes we are not the
reason why we're not being assuccessful as we think we should
(10:11):
, which is another thing that Ifeel like I even struggle with,
is I feel like I should havelost more weight.
I could, I should have donebetter, but in reality I should
have lost more weight.
I should have done better, butin reality I always have to look
back at where I started,because where we started is
where we need to look at whenwe're feeling down like that,
(10:32):
because when I look at beforeand afters I'm like, wow, okay,
I really have done a lot.
And when I look at what I wasdoing two years ago, physically
with my kids, and what I'm doingnow, there's such a big
difference.
And so always remember we'renot failing.
Nobody is ever failing.
All of our journeys just likeAshley said from the Bariatric
(10:55):
Women's Support Group onFacebook everybody's is
different.
Comparison is just going tosteal your joy and you cannot
discount your progress based onsomeone else's, and so I still
struggle to that with that tothis day.
Another thing that I recommendothers recommend are obviously
(11:15):
like podcasts.
I can't say I have found awhole lot of good podcasts, so
if you have any you want torecommend, please feel free to
let me know on Instagram oranything.
But this is why I wanted tomake this podcast is because I
struggled to find them that Icould really enjoy as well.
(11:35):
So I hope that we can help youguys enjoy listening to some of
the stuff that we talk about.
It can be boring, but it's goodto know it's good information,
so hopefully we can keep it fun.
But I was struggling to find apodcast because it was either a
patient who talks about theirjourney and their program
materials and what theirresearch or provider has given
(11:57):
them and just their point ofview versus facts, and so that's
why I really liked the thoughtof having Maria here, of I'm
going to tell you my experience,tell me the facts, and she is
very fact-based and I love thatso much about her.
So that's where I found thisopportunity to make this podcast
.
I have the journey, maria hasthe facts and we can discuss
(12:17):
both sides and I think you guysreally appreciate that, because
I've gotten a lot of goodfeedback and the thing is with
like podcasts or YouTube pagesand stuff that most people stop
recording once their journeystalls out or they start
struggling, when I feel likethis is where we need the
content the most.
The content I really looked forpre-op was mental health aspect
(12:40):
and marriage aspect, because Ihave had a few people around me
that have had bariatric surgeryand have struggled mentally and
I just wanted to make sure,because I do have so many risk
factors with my family andeverything.
I just wanted to make sure thatI was fully prepared and
knowing what I was getting intobefore getting into it.
(13:01):
And ain't nobody talking aboutthe mental health struggle after
bariatric surgery?
Ain't nobody talking about?
Sure, my body is smaller, butnow I struggle with looking at
my body more now because I haveloose skin.
That is a mental game.
This is all a mental game, butnobody really talks about it.
Nobody talks about the struggleof being in a marriage, that
(13:24):
you guys are growing apartbecause your hobbies are
different, and stuff like that.
So, again, I struggled to findthis content and I want to give
it to you guys.
So please reach out and let usknow what you want to hear,
because even if I can't getMaria on a recording, I'm going
to text her constantly, get theinformation from her and maybe
I'll start recording more bymyself, just so we can have more
(13:46):
content, because this fills mycup.
Honestly, as I said, I wentfrom Maria's bariatric surgery
clinic and now I'm back being arespiratory therapist, which I
love.
But bariatric surgery fills mycup and talking about it fills
my cup, so more content comingout and just know I absolutely
love it, love it so much and I'mlearning every single day.
(14:09):
Again, everything we say, takewith a grain of salt, because
everybody is different, allprograms are different.
Everybody knows a little bit ofeverything.
Just like Maria has said, shedoesn't know it all.
Your surgeon doesn't know itall.
Make sure you're talking withyour healthcare providers.
Another recommendation is havinga tribe.
That's what I wanted to buildOn top of resources.
(14:32):
I wanted to build a communityfor us Okay, for me, selfishly,
but there's others around methat I just saw could use a
community and I started thatwithin our bariatric surgery and
once that kind of once me andMaria went separate ways.
I really wanted to continuethis because I saw how much it
(14:54):
helped my patients our patientsjust loving having that support,
even if it was a once a month30 minute support group on teams
.
They just they loved it so muchand I wanted to keep it up and
I wanted to make it bigger.
Having a tribe Surround yourselfwith people and content that
fills your cup.
Again, this fills my cup andkeeps you motivated.
(15:16):
This is also a lot of mentalright when you surround yourself
with people that fill your cup,that understand what you're
going through, your mentalhealth is a little bit better,
at least for me anyways.
I love having people around methat aren't afraid to call me
out on bringing back bad habitssuch as drinking soda daily,
eating out more.
I told my husband pre-op if yousee me eating ice cream every
(15:38):
single night again, you need totell me Because even though I
know, let's be honest, deep downwe know we shouldn't be.
I need someone to tell me, andsome people might not be like
that, some people may not wantthat type of communication or
bluntness, but I was that typeand I like to surround myself
with people that are not afraidto tell me that.
(16:01):
I also loved having co-workersthat did not have kids.
That meal prepped really welland were willing to share it
with me, because she alwayspacked way more than she needed
and Tammy's I didn't pack mylunch today, cared to share and
she always helped me stay ontrack as much as we could.
Honestly, I think the biggestthing of having a tribe is
having a support system ofindividuals who have undergone
(16:24):
surgery and truly I emphasize,empathize.
Words are hard with yourjourney and that's invaluable.
That's why I wanted to build acommunity.
I really want to build acommunity for each state.
Honestly, I want every state tohave a place that is not
necessarily tied to a bariatricsurgery clinic, because we have
(16:46):
tons of them in Iowa, right?
I want everybody to be able tocome to one place maybe in
central Iowa and all have aplace to go and just talk and be
surrounded by people that havebeen through the same thing,
because you know, when you walkthrough that door, you're not
going to be judged for havingbariatric surgery.
Nobody around you is going tobe thinking you took the easy
(17:06):
way out.
So that's honestly what I'mtrying to build.
But I know it's also hard,especially in small Iowa here,
that a lot of people also don'tshut to the rooftops that
they've had bariatric surgery,and so finding people that can
be in that in your little circlecan be difficult.
But that's what I'm trying tobuild here as well, because we
(17:27):
need it not only on the internet, on Facebook groups and all of
that, but we need it in persontoo.
And stay tuned, we have thingsup our sleeves.
Another recommendation I havejust in general, so the rest is
just in general Don't waste yourmoney on all the things labeled
with bariatric surgery, I willsay vitamins are pretty good to
(17:55):
keep the bariatric label on,just because they are geared
towards us and the people makingthem know what we can be
deficient in and stuff.
But protein bar bariatricsurgery you're paying for the
fact that it has bariatricsurgery attached to it.
I feel like protein bar ispretty much protein bar give or
take some calories or some carbsor sugars or whatnot.
That was just a random thing Irealized because I went
(18:19):
searching for foods and stufflike that and I'm like, wow,
this is more expensive than this, even though it's the same
thing, but it had bariatricsurgery attached to it.
So just be mindful of that,because we all know that money
is hard right, all right, thisone.
If y'all have anyrecommendations because we all
(18:41):
want it, send it our way andmaybe I'll post a good post
about what other recommendationsare.
But shapewear for saggy skin weall got it and if you don't, you
were God's favorite.
But ever since I actually hadmy first son, I've worn maiden
form from like Walmart.
They're just a tank top.
(19:02):
I call it more of thecompression tank top versus just
like a shapewear.
I love that.
It doesn't roll up and it givesa little versus just like a
shapewear.
I love that it doesn't roll upand it gives a little extra
compression in the right places.
I don't want my boobscompressioned, especially after
surgery, because they're not asbig as they used to be, so I
don't want to make them anysmaller than they already are.
I love again Maidenform.
(19:23):
They're from Walmart.
I get them from Walmart or evenTarget or Kohl's around the $20
range.
I wear one every single day andhave since I've had my son 12
years ago.
But ever since having surgery Ilove them even more because I
do have that saggy skin.
I also prefer tank tops andbody suits over the ones that
just come up.
(19:44):
You put on like pants and theycome up to your chest because
those roll down, or at least forme they do.
That's one type of shapewearthat I use.
If you have any that yourecommend, please send them our
way, because I will make a postabout what recommendations y'all
are making to saggy skin.
(20:04):
And then comes bras.
Sorry, men, sorry, a lot ofthis is geared towards women.
I apologize, but bras.
In our core bariatric communityFacebook group, A Bra that Fits
no, that's the company A Brathat Fits was recommended, as it
was heard that they fit weightloss surgery patients well and
(20:25):
that they aren't super likefabric heavy and they're like a
t-shirt bra kind of thing.
I haven't tried them yet but mysister in law has and she says
she took the quiz and there'seven a thing on there that shows
you exactly how to measure andwhen she got hers it fit like a
glove and was very good.
So a bra that fits Some of therecommendations is always being
(20:49):
prepared and planning ahead.
Of course we all know this.
Anything that has to do withbariatric surgery, I feel, is
planning ahead and beingprepared, and this is something
I struggle with a lot,especially having three boys.
This is me just making myexcuses, right, I'll call myself
out there.
But having three boys busy, Iam making sure that their stuff
(21:10):
is packed for the next day, thatif my middle, very picky son
doesn't like lunch the next day,that he has his lunch, and then
by the end of making sure thateverybody else is taken care of.
I'm just tired and I don't wantto think about what I need to
prep ahead of time, but I feellike everything bariatric
surgery, post-op is planningahead and preparing, I do always
(21:32):
have my water bottle handy.
I always have sometimes morethan one cup with me, one with
like regular water, one withcrystal light maybe, but
obviously we want to preventgetting dehydrated, so we want
to keep that water bottle withus, and if I forget my water
bottle and I'm already 10minutes down the road, I'm not
going to turn around to go getit.
I've struggled those days withkeeping my water intake.
(21:55):
Also, having snacks ready thatI have snacks chilling in my car
.
I have snacks chilling in mydrawer at work.
Our hospital is so great withTuesdays and Thursdays they have
coffee catered in and they alsoalways have protein bars.
Love them for that.
So I always stock up on those.
(22:15):
Even if I don't eat it that day, I have some for the next day
and whatnot.
Some other people have saidpacking a small cooler if you
need to.
That's actually a really goodidea, especially if you're going
shopping for a whole day andbottles of water are expensive
and so keeping prepared with asmall cooler that has some ice
packs in it, that's a great idea.
(22:37):
The last one I have is getmoving right.
We've all been told to be moreactive, but I really do try to
find ways to move that don'tfeel like a workout, because if
someone says go work out, I'mjust like.
If Maria says let's go to thegym, I'm like.
Some days, on the other hand, Iactually don't mind a good
(22:59):
workout and getting real sweatyand everything, but finding
something that doesn'tnecessarily feel like a workout,
parking further away from thestore door I found myself doing
this a lot.
My husband is still oh my gosh.
I tell him all the time I'mlike just go park way back there
.
I don't care anymore, as longas it's not raining, snowing or
anything like that.
(23:20):
Please park far away, so thenwe'll walk in.
We've all heard this.
Taking the stairs instead of theelevator.
Some people will say I can'ttake the stairs.
I work on the third floor.
That's a whole lot of stairs.
Look, girl, if you can't do, orman, if you can't do, three
flights of stairs, start withjust one and take the elevator
(23:41):
the rest of the way.
You've done more than you didyesterday.
Little by little, that's all itis.
Little by little.
This is something I need to do,especially while I'm on the
phone with Maria, pacing yourhouse or taking a walk instead
of sitting down while you're onthe phone.
That's actually I love thatidea.
I would say scrolling whileyou're scrolling through
Facebook pacing around, but ifyou're anything like me, you'll
definitely run into something.
(24:03):
This is something one of thegirls in our Facebook group has
said is having a standing desk,which I've found a lot of people
I feel like are getting them.
Having a standing desk, whichI've found a lot of people I
feel like are getting them, andthat's awesome.
But also my old coworker hasgotten a walking pad for under
her desk and she said the onethat she got was under $150 or
something.
Obviously, prices are or moneyis always a thing but something
(24:26):
little like that, or even apedal.
My boss has a little pedalthing under her desk because she
had knee surgery and I can'timagine that'd be too expensive,
but it keeps your body movingeven while you're sitting still.
So those are my randomrecommendations.
It was my random.
Let's see how this goes,recording by myself.
(24:49):
Hopefully I get better at it,because I feel like I'm not
great at it, but anyways, I justwant to thank you guys for all
of your support, everybodyreaching out saying I love this,
this is what I want, can youtalk about this and just
reaching out and saying thankyou for posting this content,
because I'm struggling with thisand I couldn't find this
(25:09):
content anywhere else.
Absolutely love you guys.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you for supporting us.
This has blown up a lot morethan me and Maria has thought
for sure.
But yeah, don't hesitate to goover to Instagram, Follow us on
there.
I always post little snippetsof the episode coming up.
Make sure you're downloadingthe episodes every week.
But, yeah, don't hesitate toreach out.
(25:31):
We hope to hear from peoplemore and what they want to hear,
and we love you guys so much.
Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you next time, thankyou.
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