When Bariatric Surgeons Start Hawking Alternative Methods of WL ...

 I'm talking about Dr. Michael A. Snyder, a very experienced RNY (and band) surgeon in Denver, Colorado ..

  I saw him on T.V. earlier tonight in a commercial hawking his own product ..   In it he says, in effect, you don't need bariatric surgery to lose weight, and, trust me, I'M a bariatric surgeon telling you this  ..   His solution to the problem?   Of course, his OWN new product:  "Full Bars".   He explains you just eat one of his Full Bars before 2 meals a day and you'll lose weight like crazy ..   \

< eyeroll >

   How shameless ..  I think we all need to drive by Dr. Snyder's office and hurl rocks at it ..  Or maybe we should all send him our "stool samples" for analysis in the mail .. to let him know what we think of his B.S.!

soiunds like a shameless $$$ grab...targeting fat people...it happens all the time...

In Canada, since many WLSs are covered by our universal medical plan, the doctors are probably pushed into forcing patients to try any alternative short of WLS, prior to approving you.

While the weight loss products are a complete waste of time (I was on Optifast twice and regained everything!), it does have one advantage - It gave me time to do some soul searching and make up my mind that I needed WLS.

Over at the RNY board there are several Canadian women who had their surgery done in Michigan or Minnesota. I don't really know why.

Canada is very much behind the obesity problem gripping much of the western world. WLS practices are starting up in Toronto and other select areas, but in general you are SOL if you require WLS and live in Canada - The wait in Toronto ranges from a few months for the trainee surgeons up to several years for an experienced surgeon.

This said, in Ontario, if you really need WLS then the medical insurance plan has made arrangements with certain American doctors to operate on Canadian patients. Myself, I was operated by Dr. Graber, based out of Utica, NY, and so will my wife shortly.

There are charlatans and snake oil salesmen in every profession. CB

I believe I would find another surgeon. Seems to me like your Doc Snyder is more interested in making money than being a physician.   JMO

How ironic... sent the following message to my WL surgeon after first seeing the commercial when I got back from Ride the Rockies.    Dr. Snyder, the "WLS Marketing Hack and Wack" .... this is how I described him to John during the RtR. You may not remember this but when I was first considering WLS, I went to a Dr. Snyder seminar. I was so turned off by the marketing hype (i.e. no fuss, no muss: this can be you...picture of thin, attractive female... thanks to the miracle of WLS). I was also dismayed at the total lack of factual information so I completely dismissed the idea of WLS. A year or so later, my wife pointed out the Denver Post article on you and the rest is history as they say.   As further evidence of Dr. Snyder's marketing driven $$$$$$ practice, I saw a commerical on TV this weekend where Dr. Snyder is hawking his "FullBar" energy bar as a substitute for WLS. I'm still trying to find the nutritional "facts" about this FullBar "FATBAR" but can't find any. The closest thing I've found is the following:   "Why does Fullbar have partially hydrogenated oils?" In food applications, Palm Kernel Oil is used to maintain the creamy texture, moistness and integrity of the caramel during production (need high heat to produce a great caramel and this stands up to it), and in addition, it is it is less prone to oxidation over time."   Sorry if this sounds harsh but... "What a disgrace to the WLS medical profession!"   Please forward this to John if you don't mind.    Terry   Here's a link to his FullBar site. http://www.fullbar.com/meet-dr-snyder.html I subsequently found the nutritional facts about the 'FATBAR.' ...gruesome as I suspected. Here's a review of the product.

Product at a Glance
According to the company website, this product is purportedly not meant to replace meals. It appears to be recommended that consumers eat a Fullbar™ before their meals in order to curb their hunger. It is thought that they will then eat less. It is also recommended as an alternative to candy bars or other unhealthy snacks that tempt people between meals. Currently, the complete ingredient list and nutrition facts for each of the Fullbar™ flavors are posted online for consumer review. These bars are low in fat, but they appear to contain 11 grams of sugar in each bar. We feel this is a rather high amount of sugar to be contained in a product that promotes weight loss. Most people may know that sugar consumption is perhaps one of the most dangerous things in terms of weight gain. Furthermore, sugar is known to cause spikes in blood sugar levels which may eventually increase the appetite rather than suppressing it.
	Product In Focus
After viewing the ingredient list and nutrition facts, we fail to see how Fullbar™ may be different from any other granola bar on the market. We could not see any contained ingredients that may promote weight loss or appetite suppression, and the high sugar content may work against people’s weight loss goals. The concept of this product appears to be to support dieters in eating less during meals, but we feel that adding a couple of these bars to the daily menu may increase overall caloric intake.

By the way, Dr. (and I use the term loosely) Snyder has the largest Bariatric surgery practice in Denver so his "used car" sales tactics must work. I must also add that he must be ok as a technical surgeon since he has a loyal group of patients. Of course, don't we all think our WL surgeon is the "best." Boner

Great job, Boneman!    and proud of ya for the letter   ^5