Struggling to lose weight before I can have WLS

I attended my first bariatric orientation class 2 weeks ago. The first thing they did was weigh us, and then they told us that we will be required to lose aprox. 10% of our body weight before a surgery date will be scheduled. For me, that would be somewhere between 30-40 lbs. It feels overwhelming. I mean, if I was good at losing weight on my own, I wouldn't be requesting to have weight loss surgery in the first place. For a month and a half prior to the orientation class, I was pretty much eating with reckless abandon and not working out. Then for the past two weeks I've been really working on following the diet (though not perfectly) and exercising again. And when I weighed myself on the scale at work last night, I was extremely bummed to discover that I have actually GAINED about a half a pound since 2 weeks ago. ARGH!!! The diet they want me to follow has pretty tiny portions, and leaves me sooo hungry. Which is why I want lap band surgery, so that I CAN eat small amounts and not be hungry. If I eat larger portions than what they want me to eat, then apparently I don't lose any weight. Anybody else wrestled with this?

Penina ~  I do urge you to call Obesity Law at 1-619-656-5251, and visit their web site obesitylaw.com.  It is agonist DMHC (Dept. of Managed Health Care) to require weight loss prior to wls.  I appealed and won!  If I hadn't done that, I probably still be waiting for my surgery.  Please feel free to visit my page, (it is long) but it does explain what I went through.  I have Kaiser.   Annabelle

Thanks for the info, Annabelle. I haven't yet met with my surgeon, so I'm not sure how much weight he has in mind that I need to lose. I will check out the obesitylaw website beforehand though. How much weight did Kaiser want you to lose? And how long did it take for you to appeal that requirement before you could have your surgery? I know that they need you to shrink your liver before the surgery to make it easier to access the stomach, so I can understand that part of it. I'm just not sure how much weight loss is actually needed. I'll check out your page, too. Thanks, Penny

Hi Penny ~ I went to Kaiser in 9/2005 and my highest weight they took that was with in the last 12 months was 326 lbs, I weighed in that day at 312, and goal weight was 291 lbs.  I would lose then gain back and gain more back.  I had edema and high blood pressure that was making me retain water.  So on 4/3/07 I sent out my first payment to Obesity Law and started the appeal process.  Kaisers decision to deny my surgery was overturned by DMHC on 8/6/07, they out scoured me to UC Davis of Sacramento and had my surgery on 3/4/08.  in 10/2007 I weighed 355 lbs and after getting my blood pressure under control I lost 43 lbs and weighed 312 lbs by surgery.  I would have had to wait longer with Kaiser because my goal weight was 291 lbs.  It was well worth the money I sent to Obesity Law, not only for my health, but because I exposed Kaiser.  Kaiser knows if 100 people come only a small % of people will be able to lose the amount of weight they require.   Southern Cal. Kaiser doesn't require weight loss because they know they can't and out source all their patents for WLS.  This was the right decision for me.  I lost 43 before surgery and 57 since 3/4/08, 3 months out for a total of 100 lbs lost since 10/2007! Good Luck to you, Annabelle

Do you have Kaiser? That's what they are making me do also.

Yes, I have Kaiser too. Where are you at in the process? Still waiting to lose weight to have the surgery?

I also have Kaiser, NorCal and I am at the Kaiser Fremont Bariatric Center, all the Kaisers up here in Northern California require a minimum of 10% weight loss before they will even schedule the psyche eval. right now I am at goal but I have a couple of pounds that keep bouncing up and down. if you are even 1 lb over goal on surgery day they will not do the surgery.  it's extremely stressful.  Right now I am on the surgery list waiting for a date but if I don't get at least a few more pounds down I may be screwed on surgery day if their scale weighs me higher than my own scale. 

It makes me wonder if what Annabelle (Missladybug) said was true - that Kaiser knows that most people aren't going to be able to lose the weight they require, and therefore they won't have to do so many surgeries. I"m sure that a lot of people drop out too, after that orientation class where they come across so strict and regimented. It's enough to make a lot of people balk and decide it's not for them.  How much weight did you have to lose altogether, and how long did it take you to get there? And how long do you have to stay on the surgery list waiting for a date? Jeez.... I can see where that would be stressful. You can't afford to gain even an ounce. Maybe have to be on liquid fasting or something to make sure you don't gain anything. Let me know how it goes for you. I wish you all the best in maintaining that weight loss.  ----  Penny

Penny, I had to lose 26 lbs. I got there a couple of weeks ago, last week I was over 1 lb. so now i'm cutting back again. I first went to surgeon in November and I had already lost 8 lbs. but I didn't get real serious until Feb. when I decided to join Nutrisystem to get a jump. I was on the program a month lost 9 lbs so that helped alot.  I was #12 on the surgery list as of middle of May, was supposed to get done in June but my surgeon went on urgent leave and will return next week and so I am hoping to be done in July. 2 weeks before my surgery I am going to go back on nutrisystem (still have food left over) and just be real strict :)

sorry can't remember, where are you in the journey? are you preop or postop?

Penny, it's okay I remembered you're preop!