Help-No energy-all hunger-not banded

HELP! I am going to have surgery sometime in the next couple of months. Right now I am supose to diet and exercise. If I could diet and exercise I wouldn't need surgery would I? It is very frustrating. I work 8 to 10 hours a day, and am sore and tired when I come home, and hungry! I live in Oregon where it rains all the time....or most of it. The only place here in this small town is Curves and I do not have exercise equipment. How do I get going on loosing and moving. I am at a BMI of 43, and it is hard to move, let alone exercise. I spend hours reading at the Lab Band site. I don't find any post about how to get started. Didn't anyone else have a hard time....was anyone else very over weight and their body sore and hurts all the time like me? I worry about getting banded and then what? I don't have energy now to exercise will I have energy after? Please help me out here someone...I can't be the only person like this...am I??

Hi there and welcome to the Oregon board!    You don't really need any special equipment except for maybe a good pair of shoes.  You work all day -- so do I.  I use my morning and afternoon breaks, as well as most of my lunch hour, to go for walks.  You don't have to go really far to start, and you don't have to walk really fast.  Just get out there and start moving.  Also, do you eat breakfast?  I really is the most important meal of the day.  Have some lowfat cottage cheese with some berries (unsweetened frozen are fine) and add a little splenda.  Have a small sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch with some raw veggie sticks.  Keep yourself mildly full all day and you won't be tempted to binge at night. Best of luck to you! Linda

Thank you for your reply. Yes I eat breakfast, 1 piece of toast and 1 HB egg. Lunch has been a turkey or chicken wrap. I am the kitchen supervisor at our local grade school. I get a short lunch and that is about all. I am a fast walker and walk to the office several times a day but that is about it. thank you for answering me. Kathy

Preop is a good time to practice the skills you will need after surgery. I started by watching my portions, chewing my food, taking smaller bites. I gave up pop and some other things I didn't want to have urges for. I am walking more and trying to get a treadmill, but after surgery you have to watch what you eat and exercise to to be toned.

Good luck starting your new life and you new healthy practices!!

Hi,
I know it's so hard to get going, that's why we are having surgery cause we just couldn't stick with the diets. I lost 20 lbs before because I kept thinking I wanted to get the most off so if I only lost 60 or 70 lbs I wanted my weight loss before to help me reach my goal. I'm glad I did cause I am one of those slow losers. I'm almost 5 months out and have only lost 58 lbs but with the 20 before it's 78 and that's alot better. I just kept thinking about not doing the dieting forever because I would feel alot different after surgery and I did. Before I ate 1250 to 1400 calories and walked outside when the weather was nice and on the treadmill I bought used 1/2 hour 3 times a week. I work but more on my own so don't have to put set hours in at a certain place. I just kept my eyes towards that surgery and trying to get as much off before to help towards my goal as I could. I don't know how I did it except keeping that in my mind cause I hadn't been able to diet for along time before that. I am older and felt this is my last chance to feel like a normal person so I'd better give it my all. After surgery it's alot easier. You do get energy back after awhile . My energy started coming back 6 weeks after and gets better with every lb. I lose So keep your eyes towards your goal and go for it. Good luck

Hi, I also live in rainy and green Oregon. My BMI is in the 60's and I too hurt all of the time. Just moving around is a start, it could be doing housework, which I am doing. Not sitting so much. Basically simple things. I am a school bus driver in Oregon. So I sit alot. So just trying to move more is hard but I do it. I have just made the weight loss requirements to get ready to have my Lap band surgery probably in June. I will more than happy to work along with you before doing surgery and after. In closing, I have heard that our physical pains will subside in time as we lose weight. So hang in there.

Hi, thank you do much for writing. I have nothing to complain about...you have gone through so much. I also work at a school, I am the kitchen manager. Where is Silverthorn, I am in a little town about 30 miles from Grants Pass. And yes I would love to work together through this. How do I send you a private email with my email address? I have been told if I put it on the site I will get a lot of spam. Take care And you will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Hi, I actually live in Independence OR which is west of Salem towards the coast. Silverthorn is actually my mom's maiden name. To contact me, just click on Silverthorn next to my post and you will be taken to my OH page then you can contact me from there privately. Sheryl

Hi there, I know just how you feel. It is SO hard to get started. I had a BMI of 53 and severe arthritis, and just taking a shower or getting ready for work hurt like hell and sometimes felt impossible. The good news is, it's true-once you drop a lot of weight you won't believe how many of those pains disappear! I can walk for miles now and not even notice it! Think how wonderful that will be! Have you tried water aerobics? Before surgery, that was the only exercise I could do, and I actually really loved it. It was tough to get that swimsuit on and be in public in it, but it turns out that lots of people who do water aerobics are big, so I didn't even stand out. If you find that you don't have time for that, or are too exhausted (which I can definitely relate to), I recommend that you make some diet adjustments that aren't too hard. Counting calories might feel overwhelming right now, so what if you just start by taking out a few things like fried food, sugar, and the "white" stuff, like white rice, potatoes, and white bread, and substituting whole grains, brown rice, and yams for those items? Focus on meats, fruits, veggies, and whole grains without worrying about quantities, and that alone would help you lose weight at a steady pace until your surgery. Best of luck-you can do it, I know you can!

Reading everyones story...it is just amazing to me. So many people have done so well, I hope I too will be one of the success stories. Today after work I went to Curves. It is the only place in Cave Junction (on the Redwood Hwy) to go. There are not pools or gyms anywhere near. I really enjoyed the curves and the lady helping me was very understanding. I wasn't able to get my legs up far enough for one of the machines, but she helped and said she would be there to help until I could do it myself. She told me I was not alone, many people starting were in the same place. I needed to hear that....I was so nervous just walking in. Thanks to everyone and all the encouragement I went!!!