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WLS Center.com E-Newsletter
A FREE publication by
http://www.wlscenter.com
Issue # 36, Nov. 15, 2003
Circulation: 9,319

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From the Desk of Barbara Thompson
Author of "Weight Loss Surgery, Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You"

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** In this Issue **
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* Thoughts on Courage
* Shopping Online
* Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
* Energy in a Bottle
* Weight Loss Surgery: Live Broadcast
* Success Story: Wendy
* Spreading the Word in Sedalia, MO

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Dear Subscriber,

Thanksgiving will soon be here. This is a time for family members who haven’t seen you in a long time to marvel at how much weight you have lost. It is a time to give thanks for the wonderful life saving surgery that we have found, our surgeons who have had the skill and knowledge to perform the surgery and the office staff who guide, console and advise us. It is also a time to give thanks for those family members who have stood by us and supported us no matter what we looked like. Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

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** Thoughts on Courage **
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As I was thinking about a message to write for this newsletter, I received a call from “Mary” who was calling to reorder some vitamins. I had some unexpected time and had the luxury of chatting with her for awhile. We got onto the subject of courage of weight loss surgery patients which is something that I always marvel at. We are such a courageous group. Those of us who have had our surgery have faced this life altering procedure and grabbed onto it. We have chosen life. Not knowing if we would survive the surgery, or what eating would be like afterwards, we have foraged ahead, some of us smiling and some of us trembling. That doesn’t matter because we have done it.

But what Mary reminded me was that we were courageous before our surgery. We had the courage to face life “when we felt like heck and looked like heck,” as Mary said. We continued on when life was a lot tougher before surgery than after. You see Mary, who had her surgery 2 years ago, recently fell off of a chair that she was standing on and broke her foot. It has caused her pain and discomfort, but she had to compare it to when she had a similar accident a few years ago when she was 125 pounds heavier. At her heaviest she was in agony over her injury, yet she went on. The pain was excruciating, but she did not let it stop her. She continued to work and to go through all we do in life. So she had courage then also. Now her foot hurts, but not like the pain that she experienced before. So courage does indeed come in many shapes and sizes.

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** Shopping Online **
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Did you shop online for the holidays last year? I know I did. I saved so much time doing that and goodness knows I don’t have much time to spare. One of the things that I find difficult though is figuring out all the URL addresses for the stores at which I want to shop online. But I won’t have that problem this year! I invite you to use what I am using, which is my web portal, to save yourself tons of time navigating the internet when you are shopping online.

Here’s what you do. Call our office toll free at (877) 440-1518 and Frank will give you a personal tour of our online shopping mall that contains over 600 major named stores and over 1 million products.  

This is internet shopping at its best.

If you can’t find “the” perfect gift for those who are hard to shop for and live far away, try sending an e-card and an online gift certificate. It is too cool!

Use our online shopping mall to save time and save money by doing comparative shopping in seconds. And remember in many cases you save sales tax.

Don't forget.  Call my office toll free (877) 440-1518 for your personal tour.

Happy holiday shopping!

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** Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole **
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A special thanks to Karen Paquette for submitting this recipe, just in time for Thanksgiving!

Barbara, I developed a low fat no sugar way to make sweet potato casserole which is a must at our Thanksgiving dinner. My daughter is on Dr. Phil’s diet which restricts sugar as well and we formulated this recipe so we both could still enjoy it at Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked to mashing consistency
1/2 stick of light margarine
1/8 cup of fat free evaporated milk
1/4 cup of sugar free maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Mash the first 5 ingredients with an electric mixer. Spoon the mixture into a glass casserole dish. Sprinkle the nuts on top and heat through at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

If you have a recipe that you would like to share in future issues of this newsletter, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.com

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** Energy in a Bottle **
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How would you like to get through the holidays with enough energy to really enjoy them? The holidays are always such an exhausting time. Shopping, decorating, cooking, present wrapping, doesn’t that list just go on and on? The best form of energy I have found is our OPC product that is an extremely powerful anti-oxidant!

A friend of mine shared with me that she was feeling so run down and exhausted that she just didn’t know what she was going to do. I suggested to her that she try our OPC product. She admitted that she was so tired that she would try anything. I saw her yesterday, which was the first time I had seen her since she had started taking our OPC product. She has been taking it for about 1 1/2 months. She ran up to me and said, “You know maybe it’s psychological, but I really do feel different!” She said she couldn’t believe how much better she feels, and how much more energy she has. She also told me that she wanted another bottle now so that she would be sure she wouldn’t run out.

Get your boost of energy now so that you will get through these holidays more easily. And as a bonus, it is wonderful to increase your immunity. It gives you energy and helps you to fight colds. The cost of this 90 serving bottle is $64.95. You can get more information and order directly over the internet by clicking on the below banner. If you prefer, you can call our office today with your order, (877) 440-1518.

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** Weight Loss Surgery: Live Broadcast **
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There will be a live webcast of a gastric bypass surgery performed laparoscopically on Wednesday Nov. 19th, 5:30 PM, EST The surgery will be performed by Dr. Paul Macik of Northside Hospital in Atlanta.

If you have had surgery and wondered what was actually done to you or if you are approaching surgery and want to know what will go on while you are under anesthesia, follow this link: http://www.or-live.com/northside/1116/

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** Success Story: Wendy **
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I want to offer special thanks to Wendy for sharing her story with us. Here is her story:

Hello, my name is Wendy and I am a grateful Weight Loss Surgery recipient! I am 48 years old, married, with one 12 year old son.

Weight has always been an issue for me. I went on my first diet when I was in 6th grade. In 12th grade my family doctor prescribed Dexedrine to help me lose and maintain weight. After college I tried: 1) thyroid pills even though there was nothing wrong with my thyroid, 2) a hypnotist, 3) Weight Watchers (multiple times), 4) Nutri-System (several times), 5) Jenny Craig (twice), 6) a liquid diet program, 7) the phen/fen drug combination, 8) the Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal program, and 9) the Weigh Down Workshop (twice, and boy did I feel like a bad Christian when I failed this program!!).

After all these weight loss attempts my weight was up to an all time high of approximately 315 pounds. I realized that nothing I had ever tried was going to give me a permanent weight loss. That is, until my sister-in-law told me about Carnie Wilson and her weight loss surgery. I started investigating weight loss surgery seriously in January of 2001. I filled out my paperwork the first week in February and was approved by insurance in May. In that time between February and my surgery date, I ate like an out of control eating machine. By my pre-op appointment, my weight had climbed to 333.5 pounds. I had my lap RNY on 9/25/01 with Dr. Wittgrove in San Diego and have not looked back since. I am now almost 2 years out and have lost 203 pounds!!

As far as how I feel – I feel better than I have since I was a teenager! I have so much energy now it is amazing. And I eat a normal amount of calories so my body is not starving or feeling deprived in any way. Losing weight does not magically change your life. If emotional or other problems exist now, they still have to be dealt with after weight loss surgery. However, life does not seem to be so hard anymore. My outlook on life has really improved!

I just had plastic surgery to remove excess skin and so I am feeling better about myself than I have in many years. Several people have asked me if I am glad I had the surgery and I always answer with an emphatic “YES”!!!!!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Go to http://www.wlscenter.com/SuccessStories/Wendy.htm and scroll to the bottom of the page for before and after photos.

Wendy
Lap RNY 9/25/01
Dr. Wittgrove, Alvarado Hospital
Minus 203 pounds
http://www.wworw.com

I love good news.  If you have good news, a success story to share, or inspiration, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.comso that I can include it in future issues.

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** How Do You Maintain Your Weight Loss? **
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Are you 2 or more years post-op? If so, I need to know what your secret is for maintaining your weight. I will be using your story to include in a mini e-book on the secrets of success of weight loss surgery patients. You must write at least 1 full page. Anything less than 1 page will not be useable. I need to know how you eat, what you do for exercise, and any tips that you have to offer. This will be a tremendous help to people who are having the common problem of weight gain following surgery, or are struggling to maintain their weight loss.

Send your stories to Barbara@wlscenter.com

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** Permission to Reprint **
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You may reprint any items from this newsletter in your own print or electronic newsletter. But please include the following paragraph:

Reprinted from Barbara Thompson’s free e-newsletter featuring helpful information and research material to help patients succeed following weight loss surgery. Subscribe at http://www.wlscenter.com. If you like this newsletter, please pass it on to your friends and family.