I recently contacted Obesity Control Center ****) and wanted to take the next step in booking my WLS surgery with Dr Ariel Ortiz after reading and researching him. Seemed like an ideal surgeon to do my WLS in Mexico. But now the coordinator is telling me I need to have a BMI of 50 before they will operate. I'm currently over 60 BMI. 5'7 404 lbs. This means I'd have to lose over 80 lbs according to the bmi chart to get surgery. If I could lose 80 or more pounds on my own without surgery and I would do it. Doesn't this seem strange?? Anyone else experience this having a high BMI???

Hi everyone!!

hw: 337

lw: 193.8

tw: 193.0

next goal: anything lower 

ok so this week I realized I'm rocking two of my New Years goals. I've been drinking 8oz before leaving the house regularly and even look forward to it. Also rocking the exercise and am working longer runs in to get to 5 miles. But for every good there is a bad-- after work grazing. Ugh. I tried limiting myself to 3 specific snacks- that's not working. I'm going to try employing the same drinking 8oz after work like I do in the morning before leaving. So instead of snacks or anything- just push liquids till dinner is ready. I really feel like this is keeping me from moving to the next level. I Tried to do it Friday and succumbed to the usual-- will try again Monday. Funny how this isn't a problem on weekends-- it's just after work-- it's like I'm using snacks to decompress from the work day. So either my job needs to change or my response to it. No hopes for a new job-- so I guess the focus will be on the response. 

I also did the free personal trainer season at the gym. She had me do 3 set for weights- I'd only been doing 2. Wow- what a difference. I will do 3 sets from now on. She used some handheld thingy to determine my body fat- she got 37%. I told her a recent DEXA Scan gave me 31%. She said she never heard of Dexa. I thought it was weird for that she hadn't, being a trainer. She also taught be how to breath properly, exhale with the effort. I was inhaling with the effort. I'm not singing up with her-- but did find it useful to go through. 

New week a ahead- new opportunities to improve! Be good all. 

I hope you make it a regular habit to post here too! As you've seen, there are a few at maintenance who do. I think there's much to share and learn from each other. 

There's so much info out there about  Pre op, and losing phases, but maintenance is still a bit of a mystery....

My surgical BMI was in the 70's and I didn't have to wait long at all.

Sometimes we might have to wait longer for unrelated reasons.  It took months to get some of my clearances for surgery, not due to BMI, but due to the fact specialists have agonizingly long waits.

The best option for us is the duodenal switch, as that has the highest rate of weight loss and best effectiveness long-term.  Having said that, many high BMI people have also been greatly successful with the sleeve and the bypass.  In the end, a lot of that success is up to us.  Read stories, both good and bad, about all the procedures.

One thing I suggest to everyone is to start counseling now.  Many wait until post-op, however having unbiased and objective support during the process was fabulous for me.  It helped me so much to have someone who understood my fear and frustration.  It also helps tremendously now over a year out.

I posted here briefly awhile ago but need to start doing it again.  I think I want to stop where I'm at.  I'm at a 23-24 BMI and my PCP told me not to go under 23 (she likes her "older" patients - which would be me - in the 23-27 range, since she says they tend to be healthier than the skinny minnies).  I'm also happy where I'm at - my face is going to start looking pretty bad if I lose much more.

For awhile I wanted to drop another 10 lbs or so so I'd have some "cushion" in case I rebound, but in order to do that I'd probably have to drop below 1000 kcal a day again - not sure I want to do that, and I know if I dropped the weight and then went back to eating my current 1200-1400 kcal, I'd just gain it back again.  1200-1400 seems really comfortable for me right now.  I'm just hoping I can continue eating that and manage to maintain in the 140s  (150 is my five-alarm limit - although my PCP said I can even make that 160 if I want to - but I like 150 better).  Hope I can do this!!!  I know it's going to take a lot of work!!

anyway, here are my stats:

HW:  372

SW:   316

LW:   144.4

TW:   145.6

I hate being up a pound from last week, but evidently slight fluctuations (a couple of pounds up or down) is the way maintenance works.  I'm SO not used to this mindset after being in major weight loss mode the last three years!!!