Hello, new person here

Hi my name is David,
I am new to the site but have been wanting to get surgery for years now. I have started the process and did the 6 month weight thing with my doctor. Went to a seminar and then to a consult only to have them tell me my BMI was too high to get the surgery. I am lost at the moment. I moved to a new area and got a new doctor and went to another seminar and now going for another consult but am afraid I will be turned down again. Was told at first to lose 90lbs. in order to be able to get the surgery. How do I do this? I am so stuck. Looking for friends for encouragement and someone to talk to. 

Hi David!  Welcome to this wonderful group of WLS folks and  Welcome to the world of WLS - it's a roller coaster, but always seems to have a happy ending. 
  I've heard of many doctors who insist on a large amount of pre-surgery initial weight loss, and I think they are cautious (overly cautious?  I don't know).   Give the new doctor a chance and listen to what they say.  A young woman in my support group was told she had to lose 75 pounds and now she is nearly there, with weigh****chers and exercise.  Someone asked her "as long as you can do it this way, why would you have surgery?"  The answer, for her, is simple.  She wants to have the powerful tool the surgery provides.  It's not a miracle, but it's a good help.
 
My husband and I both had the surgery in the past year and our lives have changed for the better - dramatically.  We are living the life we wanted and had watched from the sidelines.  You'll get there.  Just be patient and dedicated to the process.

All the best to you as you find your way!

Welcome

When I started I was at 440. Doc told me I needed to be below #390 to improve the safety of the wls. I took it to heart. Hasn't been easy but he says those who can do before surgery lose more after and are better prepared. All I did was follow the nuts diet plan and start walking. Lost about 55 so far and surgery is in the morning. If this is what you want stick with it. Go to the seminar a d get healthy first.

Welcome-

Don't give up your dream of WLS. I,too, waited many years due to insurance exclusions and finally am on my way. I am here for you if you need a pre-op buddy.

Kim

I started the journey at 416 and lost 15 or so lbs before surgery.  I am 19 weeks post op and have lost 110 lbs!!  Don't give up on the dream.  Talk to people on this forum and the main RNY forum, you will garner some solid advice.

Welcome and best of luck!

Hi David,

You can do this! I see people on these boards who lose 100 plus pounds before surgery and you can too. I only had to lose 50, but at the time it felt like a million!

If you can do low-carb, high protein and maybe even some meal replacement with protein shakes you can totally do it!

I hope that your new doc has lesser requirements and you're able to get your surgery soon! 

Bonne Chance,
:Danni

well, unlike others here, I could not do the diet before surgery. At first I was told I needed to lose 40lbs before surgery. I cried, and my attitude was "If I could do that, why would I be here?" I never had any success with diets. I would lose 10lbs and then fall off and gain it back.. over and over. Dieting was just not a good thing for me. Finally, my general Dr. told me that dieting would not work for me anymore, and I found out why. My body had shut down from dieting, I was insulin resistant, and low thyroid, alot of things that go against us in losing weight by dieting. My Dr. felt I was a perfect candidate for WLS for this reason. So I changed to a different Bariatric Surgeon, one who did not require me to lose weight first, he only required the two week pre-op diet for the liver... I got a letter of medical necessity and I was on my way. Some people struggle with diets and are not successful, but the surgery is an answer for them. I am thankful for the surgery. For the first time in years, I am losing weight.
Its good to get second opinions sometimes with the surgeons.
Best Wishes!!

Thank you all for your encouragement, I unfortunately got turned down by the doctor again and was told I needed to be at most 400lbs. Well they did say that there was a surgeon in Oakland that does over 450 but they will have to find out who it is for me. That sucks! Now I got to find another doctor.

Hi David,

You might try posting on the California forum and see if anyone there can suggest a doctor.

In the meantime, you might try Weigh****chers to get started. Some centers have special meetings for people who have a lot to lose, so you don't have to be in there with the people who need-to-lose-15-pounds-to-fit-back-in-their-prom-dress types. I lost 140 pounds at Weigh****chers about 10 years ago -- you can lose there. (Keeping it off is another thing altogether.)

Make sure your regular doctor keeps track of your weight so you can show any new WLS doctors that you've been working on it.

Best of luck!!

Patti