No surgery, need non-op guidance

Hello everyone, I will not be getting WLS any time soon, but since beginning my journey and doing the research, it is hard not to have ones views on eating and health not change. I was hoping that those of you who have been successful at losing without the surgeries could maybe point me in the right direction to begin. I am not sure if things will change in the future for me around getting the surgery, but I cannot stand it anymore. I feel like I am allowing my future and my behavior to be controlled by the insurance companies and such. Therefore, I need to do something for myself while I wait. I guess it would help if I share a little about me. I have hypothyroidism, hypertension, severe spinal arthritis in all quadrants with stenosis, depression(severe, chronic), severe anxiety, to name a few . I have also been fighting Fibromyalgia for many years and refuse to take narcotics so I am in pain from morning to night. Recently, I was diagnosed with ischemic colitis. I know if I do not do something soon, I will die. I am not being morbid or negative only realistic, I refuse to sit and wait to die while bureaucrats and politicians make decisions about my surgery worthiness...If I go I go fighting. Anyhow, that is my tangent; I would appreciate any guidance as to what to do, where to look, and how to begin this non-op journey. I listed some of the major illnesses as I am on a broad array of meds. Thanks bunches!

Good morning! You have certainly come to the right place!! One thing to keep in mind at all times is that what works for one may not work for all... we learn how our bodies function through trial and error, and that my friend is the only way you figure out what will work for you. In my case, I 'convinced' myself that I had the surgery, and followed the post-op diet like it was my religion. It has worked wonders for me. Even to the point where if I LOOK at food that I KNOW is bad, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I would suggest... since you still have hopes of getting the surgery... prep yourself for it. Put yourself on the pre-op diet... once you feel success with that, then switch to the post op diet. Have yourself convinced that you HAVE to eat a certain way in order to survive. In enough time, you'll find that you've switched from Living to Eat, to Eating to LIVE. I only eat the foods that I know my body NEEDS. I don't eat for taste anymore. I eat to survive. There's a difference between head hunger, and REAL hunger. The most important thing, in my experience, is to NEVER let yourself get "hungry" -- because once that happens you grab whatever is available and you go after what your HEAD wants, and not your body. Meet with a nutritionist or a personal trainer -- they have LOTS of good advice and information... and there's so much to learn about different foods and their effects on the human body. Primarily focus on a healthy eating plan that promotes good digestive tract function. (Leafy greans and fiber, for example). And always drink water. Water is the KEY to ANY weight loss effort. Also... it's important to remember that it is NOT a diet. It's a way of life. You need to be completely ready to change your life... and live like that from now on. If you have any more questions please feel free to e-mail me, or post a message here on the board. My e-mail is [email protected]. I wish you great success in your journey!! You're among the best support possible around here on ObesityHelp!! -CJ 250/162/140

Hi CJ, You are so right about it not being a Diet. I think that is why I've been struggling so much with it lately. I have finally realized I must make it a way of life and not a game to see how much I can eat and get away with. Or that it is a special occasion so pig out. Those days are gone. Ann

Thank you CJ a lot of information to process. I think my biggest fear is failure AGAIN! I know OH is a great place, I don't think I have ever seen an online community quite like it. Thank you again for all of your advise.

I am a 30 year old woman from Iceland, and have been fighting obesity all my life. In january 2006 I got to be a whopping 403 lbs, but then I changed my lifestyle and now I have lost over 70 lbs, simply by changing my diet, I dont exercise with this lifestyle change, at least not for now, but its on the schedule to do when I get to the weight where it is possible to do exercise. The diet I am on allows me to eat nearly every food I want, except for anything with sugar in it. I only have to weigh the food I eat, and to eat the same portions everyday. Of course I eat mainly vegetables and fruits, but I eat also everyday a portion of meat/fish, dairy products, fat and bread. I know you have to find some method to loose weight, but this diet change I am on has really worked for me, specially since I am able to eat such varied food and it has become a joy to cook from the ingredients, and I am always astonished that healthy food can really taste this good. I havent eaten sugar since 2. january and I think that has helped the most. I am a food addict and mostly sugar addict. If I eat something with sugar I cant stop eating, it simply creates such strong craving to food I cant control myself. To boycot sugar alltogether I have finally gained control over my appetite, and now I feel I have stopped to constantly think of food all the time, and that is a great victory for me, and the feeling to be in control of the food for the first time in my life is greater then I can describe. I have had mental problems most of my life, including deep depression, so I can really relate to your problems. I also had unexplained pains in my body that would certainly have been diagnosed fibromyalgia if I had gone to a doctor with that problem. Now when I have won over my mental problems the pain has stopped, and now I realize that my body was aching all over simply because of my mental problems. Dont get me wrong, it is real pain I felt, and I always wondered why it came, but I am also convinced that most diagnosed fibromyalgia stems from mental problems. That is because of the anxiety and mental pain we feel, the body gives a response: physical pain. I know it is hard to believe but my diet change has really helped me win over my mental problems. I see now that when I ate sugar then I got depressed, irritated, pessimistic and had violent moodswings. After around 1-3 weeks into my diet my mental state changed drastically. I got to be much more positive, optimistic and happy, and that is not because I lost weight. The food I ate was giving me the nutrition that I needed to deal with my personal problems. When my bloodsugar wasnt on a rollercost ride all the time because of the sugar I ate, I had the energy to face every obstacle. Those 4-5 months I have been loosing weight I have found out how you succeed in continous weightloss. It is not simply a physical thing, eating less=loosing weight. No, it is Mind/Body/Soul affair. For me it really helped me that I started to face my demons, the things that made me eat. The reason for overeating doesnt lie in appetite or that we dont have control over ourselfs. No, to be a obese is simply a symptom of a unresolved mental pain that causes emotional eating, and if you dont deal with that pain then you will never get control over the food. It is not enough to deal with the symptom when you dont deal with the reason, because the reason for overeating is the thing that makes the problem continue. You could loose the weight without dealing with the reason for your overweight, but that would mean that you would have to struggle all the time and the risk of falling back into emotional eating would always be present. I could go on forever talking about those things, but I think I stop now and invite you to see my blogsite: http://kilokiller.blogspot.com/ On that site you can read more about the things that have helped me. Hugs and kissess from Iceland, Heidrun

Hi Heidrum, Thank you for your advise. I agree with you that many physical ailments are connected to our mental health. I believe the body is a whole being, spirit, mind, soul all housed in our body. My background is in mental health so I am well aware of the connections. I think I have a bit of a head start as I know why I am obese, and I know how I got this way...so that is a good thing. What I am not sure of is what my body would like to have to help it to heal and be heathy, I don't drink soda, I don't use refined sugar, I try to eat whole food when I can afford to buy it. I have also taken nutrition classes and seen a nutritionist. I quit smoking and gained about 25 pounds after that, anyhow, I digress . I wanted to say thank you for your great advice and I will be posting to let everyone know where I am and what I am doing. Hugs back to you!

Hi Dream, I was in the same position you are. I needed to do something about my health right away! My problem started with being dx with Diabetes Type II. It scared me straight. I immediately adopted a healthly lifestyle in order to protect my eyesight, kidneys and nerves. As everyone on the board will tell you, you have to find a diet (lifestyle) that works for you. However, I would like to suggest you pick up the book Low Carb Dieting for Dummies. No it is not Akins. It is a diet based on fruits, vegtables, whole grains and lean meats. This diet is great for the heart. (and blood sugar). I lost about 80 pounds in 8 months. Within several weeks I got my blood sugar under control and felt so much better. Give it a shot or give CJ idea a shot. But do something, it will empower you to take control. Good luck and keep us posted. Ann

Thank you Ann, I will get that book, I have heard about it before. I will do something, I have to. Thanks for the advise.

Dream, First of all I'd like to commend you for debunking my pet peeve! I have such an issue with people who say "I waited 2,3,4,5 (fill in the blank) years for this surgery!!!!!" I always want to ask, "well if you found that it was time to take such a drastic step, why not start losing in those years?" However, that is not the most popular question to pose on the Main Board, so I kept mum. So again, thank you for trying hard to take control of your life without waiting on something that may take a while to happen, if at all. You don't mention your weight or your height, so I have no idea if you are Super Morbidly Obese or just Obese enough to qualify for surgery. In the end I suppose it's irrelevant, because healthy lifestyle changes can happy at any point in our lives. Like others have posted, you truly have to find a program that works for you, and realize that there won't be an end to it. You can't look at it as an easy fix, a quick XX amount of pounds before you can fit into a dress, etc. It's about forever. As the chronically overweight, the morbidly obese, we have to realize that what we are struggling with is something that will haunt us if we don't work hard on conquering it first. Read some of the profiles for people on this board to get an idea of where we came from and what types of plans we are being successful with. Welcome to the non-op board. Donna

Thank you for the welcome Donna, I have been looking at profiles and before and afters, actually I spend hours doing so sometimes. I never cease to be amazed at the wonderful results so many have achieved either with WLS, or by changing the way they live, it is truly amazing. Thank you again for the welcome and the advice. I am going to look for the book that was suggested and start wtih that. I will be around!