Saw PCP to start my additional 3 month diet

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to check in and let you know what is happening. Maybe some of you will remember that I got a shock when right after approval from BCBS my hubbys company changed insurances. Well anyway the new insurance wants me to do another three month diet coaching program. I started it in August as soon as I could. I was told not only do I have to do this until November 1st but also loose another 5% body weight. So lets see. I started at 303 in Feb. (BMI 63) lost to 257 on the six month diet. Officially weighed in at the surgeons office right before approval by BCBS at 258. Then Health Alliance took over. So 258 minus 5% would be 245 by November.    OK,...My first appointment with PCP my officail weight was 241...    I am so happy. I can't believe it. I have lost 62 lbs now.  This pre op liver shrinkage diet really is bad though. Everything tastes like cardboard. NO SALT. No SUGAR, LOW FAT< LOW CARB.  but it works.   Now I can relax and really just try to maintain.(but as we all know that is the hard part) I sure would like to be able to have something that tastes good though.

I was wondering if anyone knows.. I have lost 62 lbs and may loose more before the surgery. I am now eating 800 to 1000 calories a day. After the surgery is that going to make my weight loss slower or make it hard for me to loose less since I already lost 62 lbs.. I am only 4'10" tall so in order to loose any weight I have to do such a low calorie diet.  My BMI is still in the 50's.. I still need to loos over 100 lbs.. any ideas????

I was wondering if anyone knows.. I have lost 62 lbs and may loose more before the surgery. I am now eating 800 to 1000 calories a day. After the surgery is that going to make my weight loss slower or make it hard for me to loose less since I already lost 62 lbs..

I dont think it will make you lose weight slower Teresa.  I haven't had my surgery yet but I have seen many people on the board who have done great even after losing much weight preop. 

it is my understanding that surgery helps you lose between 65 to 80 % of your "excess weight", which could take up to 18 months and then people start to level off and may gain back 10 %.  So for example, the weight charts say I should weigh 175, if I go into surgery at 440, my "excess" is 265.  To be conservative, at 70%, the surgery will help me lose 185 pounds.  So 440 - 185 =  255.  Hence, my goal is 225 because I plan to stick to the program I have been given as perfectly as I can manage.  And I am hoping I will lose more like 80%.  And i want to have a buffer in case I have a slight regain at leveling off.   So I dont think it matters what # you start with, the thing to remember is the surgery will help you lose the "excess" and you cant calculate that from your heighest weight ever, you have to go by the surgery date weight.  And, as you say, you will still have a BMI in the 50s so it seems all us folks who start out the heaviest lose the most at the begining.  So I would say you have nothing to fear about losing preop.  I know I am going to keep working on losing up to the day of my surgery.  I am hoping to go in more like 430.

Hey Teresa, since my guy is working the night shift and I am bored I decided to do your math.

You say you weigh currently 241.  To have a BMI that is considered normal range, you are supposed to weigh no more than 115 going by the BMI chart.  Your excess weight right now is 241 - 115 = 126, and 70% is 88.  So that would get you to 241 - 88 = 153 within a year to a year and half.

However, like I said, if you stick to the plan your doc gives you and you get into exercising as much as your doc recommends you could get much lower.  Remeber, the "math" is an average and people vary in their weight losses and I think much has to do with following the rules, protein first, get in all your water, dont drink 30 min before or after your meal, keep food logs, etc etc ..... 

Hope this helps : )

Donna

Thank you so much for the reply's and doing the math.. I really appreciate it.   I know I have seen people that start after the surgery and loose like 40 lbs the first month or so and others may only loose 20.. I was just trying to figure out if that had anything to do with how they were eating before the surgery. Seems to me if you were eating high calories and then got the surgery and dropped to 800 calories that you would drop a lot of weight right away but if you were already eatiing low calories it made me wonder if it would not be slower. I don't know why I get these questions in my mind,, I do not want to be eatting a lot before surgery and I do want to loose as much as possible before surgery.  I am staying on the diet no matter what. I would love to loose enough that the surgery would get me down to a normal weight. But that is a lot to ask, I am going to really try to comply with all I am told to do and follow everthing I am suppose to do.

I guess these extra three months on me has just got my mind wandering off in all directions. I was all set for the surgery and now I don't know what to do with myself. I am trying to stay busy and not let these weird questions bother me but I just had to see what other people thought.

I really appreciate your answers. They make me feel better..

I've seen lots of posts about folks not losing as much right at first due to the major systemic reaction to the surgery and what they body perceives as starvation mode.

My thinking is that it will be less of a "shock" to the system if you are already eating less with whatever diet your doc recommends or works well for you.

Patty, I would agree.  I think the shock will be less when you have already been eating less before surgery.  My thoughts have also been that once I have the surgery it will not be a big shock to me "mentally" because I have slowly prepared my mind for what is to come. 

Also, Teresa, you have to remember it is all math.  If you deficit 3,500 calories, that is a pound of weight loss.  I myself know the frustration with the scale.  I have a posttraumatic edema in my right leg from a bad injury.  Sometimes my leg gets very puffy.  but I know eventually it will release.  However, it gets frustrating to get on the scale when you know you have been "good" and do not see results.  However, you just have to stay rational in your mind and know mathmatically if you are eating only about 800 cals it really does not matter what the scale is you definitely are losing weight.  It just might take your body a while to catch up.  I think it is common at the begining after surgery to hold onto water weight because you will be swollen in the abdomen.  I have not had the WLS but in 2006 when I had my TAH-BSO my abdomen was so swollen it was more than a week before I could zip my pants!

Donna I am feeling a lot better now. I guess you guys really know how to make people feel better when they are questionting things.

I am sure that things will go well. I jsut have to stop over  thinking things and know that all will work out fine.

Your encouragement is so appreciated.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I guess I am just getting anxious and worried about all the particulars. I know this surgery is the best thing. I just needed a little encouragement I guess.

I hope that with eating this way it will be easier for me after the surgery to stay on track.

God Bless you all for the encouragement.

You guys are so cool. I love all this math and the thinking that goes into it. I agree, the weight will come off whether you are starting at you maximum weight or if you have been cutting back on calories for a while.

How can we NOT be successful; we are pros at this process.

Rhonda.

Thank you for the reply ,, I am so encouraged now that I will loose and not be stuck after the surgery. I was so afraid that I was undoing the surgery ahead of time.. I am glad the sacrifices I am making now will help me and not hurt me. I appreciate the encouragement.

God Bless..