Starting a New Shake Diet & Seeking Tips for Reducing Swollen Legs,ankles and Feet!

Hi Gerrit,

Welcome to OH, we are all here to help you and support you in any plan you have to get healthy!  Be sure and contact our Sarah, she is a great source for support and has some of the same health challenges you do.  Contact us if you need anything [email protected]

Sarahlicious

Gerrit,

It sounds like you might have lymphedema in your legs. http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/about-lymphedema-lipedem a

Insurance will cover physical therapy to get lymph massage and compression, and most will pay for a compression pump you can use at home. Compression stockings are better once you have some therapy to get the fluid out. You can find some therapist and or doctors in your area on the National Lymphedema Network site. http://www.lymphnet.org/find-treatment

Also, I started my journey walking in a pool a medical based gym...actually it was part of physical therapy because I was scared to attempt any unsupervised exercise. I also like Walk Away the Pounds video because it's walking in place.

Gerrit, you have received so many great responses to this post, I cannot beat that.  And I am not a doctor.  But I am a lap bander going for revision for 2 reasons:  to save my life and to stop wasting time.

PLEASE, listen to these people!!  they are all encouraging you to see a doctor to help you on this journey.  If you could do it alone, you wouldn't weigh 530 pounds!  The diet you are thinking of is very similar to the pre-op diet I had before surgery and is not meant for long term.

And these boards, ALL of these boards are here for anyone whether they are having WLS or just trying to figure out how to save their lives.  But you have to open your mind and really listen to the great advice here.  good luck and I hope we see lots more posts as you go.

Your diet plan sounds pretty much like what I did in the two months before I had VSG and I was pretty successful with it.  It was a huge change for me from the foodstyle I had before and I felt really good about it.  (I'm making the assumption that you have talked with your doctor about this - if you haven't, you should!!)

Due to your caloric needs, you might find that you need to add in a small snack or two in the day and that planning for healthy snacks will serve you much better than not planning for them and then failing.  

(I also think it's fine if you don't want to consider surgery right now.  I wasn't ready to consider it for YEARS for myself either.)  

Hi Gerritt. I'm about 2.5 weeks post WLS and down 23 pounds. My highest weight was about 350. I understand the eating habits you're talking about and the swelling in the feet and legs, etc Like the others, I urge you to see your doctor for all the reasons people have given you here. Also, if you are considering WLS, you will probably need 6 months of a doctor supervised plan to help qualify. Showing a weight loss would be great and I'm sure your surgeon will be thrilled that you've lost some weight, if you decide to go that route.

I wish you well on your journey and am so glad you are here and looking for support. 

Talk to your doctor about options for your edema and for help raising your legs. I'm sure he'll be happy to help and monitor you.

Hi Everyone,  thank you so much for all the support and advice.  I will definitely be seeing a doctor this week to inform him that I am starting this diet.  Also to request for help with my possible lymphedema.  I wasn;t sure if I posted in the right forum,  Back in 2009 I signed up because I was attempting to have WLS.  That has not changed,  only difference is,  right now I am trying to lose some extra weight on my own and then will see my Bariatric surgeon to see if I can qualify easier.  WLS has great results, I have seen them from other people having it done.  I just wish to lose a good majority on my own.  I know I have a great chance to gain it all back.  But this will be my first big diet.  I still remember stepping on the scale for the first time in years at the Bariatric Surgeon office,  when I saw the number I went to the waiting room in shock and started to tear up.  I wanted to cry so bad, but wanted to seem strong.  I still remember the first time I weighed in at 300.  I couldn't believe it,  300 was the number I saw as a starting point for disability.  Then several years later I jump on the scale and weigh over 200 pounds heavier.  It's been a giant rollercoaster of weight for me.  I'm thankful I was active in my younger years, all those muscles I built up help me somewhat now with all the weight I bare.  It's a crazy life,  being Morbidly obese.  Not a life I chose on my own, not one I ever imagined.  I desire to lose weight, I desire to look like myself again. 

Thanks everyone for bearing with me.  I know this is mostly a WLS forum.  I Thank you for all the support and tips.  I will definitely follow up after I see my doctors and start the new diet. 

Thanks again. 

-Gerrit

That makes a lot of sense.  It will make surgery safer knce you get it. Keep posting as you work towards it and people will help.

Keep posting Gerrit - we all support your efforts.  Good that you are seeing your doctor for two reasons:  1)  For him to oversee your health issues; and 2)  IF you decide to have WLS in the future, you'll probably need a six month supervised diet - so be sure your doctor records your weight at every visit; if no scale available he can make notes in his chart about your efforts.

We're not pushing you to have surgery.  I hope you continue to read the many boards here to learn as much as you can.

Wishing you good luck and success!

I have not had surgery.  I was approaching 400 pound last year and am down to 345.  I have a long way to go and am struggling so much (doing protein shakes most days) that I am now considering WLS.  I do not recommend eating so late in the day.  Within an hour or so of waking up initially, your body needs fuel to maintain metabolism throughout the day.  I drink two 8 ounce water glasses within the first hour of being up and then I have a healthy balanced carb/protein breakfast.  Skipping breakfast could be a reason why you are overeating at night.  Good luck Gerrit and I would also recommend you look into having WLS.  Someone your size will have a very hard time losing that weight with just diet.  I've now come to the point realizing I've lost a lot of time through the years knowing that I should have had WLS 5 years ago and avoided the diabetes and high blood pressure issues I am now suffering because I wasted too much time with "trying it on my own".  Everyone makes their decision in their own time but realize the time does fly by and those years you can never get back.  Best of luck sir!