Center for Bariatric Nutrition
About the Beta Tester Application

References

Thank you for visiting the Center for Bariatric Nutrition. At present we are accepting applications to participate in our Beta-test program starting immediately. If you would like to participate please follow this <link>.

Dear friends,

As you know I was banded on 2/2/06. Over the course of the last 15 months I have lost 100 pounds of excess body weight. However, around 6 months into the program I found that I wasn't keeping up with my nutritional needs. Also around this time I became annoyed and weary with finding time to take off from work and having to drive to a nutritional counseling sessions. Especially working with people who had never had weight issues or experienced the process of Bariatric surgery and all that it entails to make it work.

Even of bigger impact towards my motivation, my mother went on a weight-loss program losing 196 pounds in a year. She looked great and countless people praised her determination and new self. The only problem was she didn't get enough nutrition and ended up dieing as a result. If I can be a catalyst for educating and helping bariatric patients be healthier and live longer it is done in my mothers name.

Knowing that Bariatric success is largely due to diligent oversight of my nutritional needs and being aware of why and how I eat. I developed a software product that allowed me to track everything I ate, how I was feeling at the time, how and what type of exercise I was doing and tracking of my weight loss and BMI. More important I was able to print out my meals, exercise, weight tracking, BMI tracking, overall progress and emotional state when I ate to share with my doctors, NP and Nutritionist!

I did some further research and found that despite the many positive Bariatric surgery outcomes reported in the literature, it is imperative that one be aware of possible vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Studies have documented an increased risk for specific vitamin/mineral deficiencies after Bariatric surgery.[6-21] Nutrient deficiency is proportional to the length of the absorptive area and to the percentage of weight loss,[6,7] with commonly reported deficiencies including iron,[7-10,13-15] calcium,[7,16-19] Vitamin D,[7,16-19] Vitamin B12,[7-14] and folic acid.[8-11] The risk for these deficiencies vastly increases when malabsorptive procedures, such as biliopancreatic diversion, are performed, and may also predispose the patient to fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies and/or protein malnutrition.[22-24] Although not as common, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies have also been reported among gastric banding patients, including negative bone remodeling balance characterized by bone resorption[25] and a rare case of Wernicke's encephalopathy,[26] which is more commonly seen in gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversion procedures.

Nutritional counseling for Bariatric patients has been found to reinforce mindful eating and help with the behavior modification process. Weekly nutritional assessments may provide valuable information to the rest of your Bariatric team (Doctors, NP, Psychiatrist, Primary Care Physicians and other health care providers you may be working with towards success.). Our dietitian's relationship with us is vital in order to encourage both pre- and postoperative weight loss, to educate each of us regarding dietary changes and nutritional risks after surgery, and encourage us to a lifetime of healthy eating habits. And this is the very reason why I have created CFBN V1 Beta! (I'm working on a better name, suggestions welcomed!).

Over the course of the last year I developed my application into an online interactive software product  based on my original pc based program. Called CFBN V1 Beta. This software application is designed specifically and only for Bariatric patients as a way to make sure all nutritional and behavior changes are being met.

As I developed and designed it myself I am seeking volunteers to "beta test" the program. What this entails is using the application daily. Giving me your honest feedback, sharing it with you healthcare providers, giving me their feedback, reporting bugs and completing weekly online forms about the applications ease of use among other questions.

I am the ONLY employee (employment opportunities) all of your information and anything you share will only be viewable by me (unless you choose to share with anyone else.). Down the road if you are invited to be a beta tester for our Gold and Platinum packages you may work with a license nutritionist and they will be able to see your information. But only if you agree to such.

You either heard about the beta program from me or through a friend of mine. You are invited to apply to be a participant. All participants will receive one free year of the silver package product. You may even be invited to beta test my Gold and Platinum packages at no cost to you.

With your help we can make this software into a useful product that will potential helps thousands of Bariatric patients world wide!

Become a Beta Tester <click here>

Much peace and happy losing,

Eileen Conway
Director Internet Strategies
Center for Bariatric Nutrition
(617) 596-1970
 www.centerforbariatricnutrition.com

 PO Box 2159
Boston, MA 02101

REFERENCES
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