Just wondering what everyone on this forum is trying and success rates

I am currently going through the six month process toward weight loss surgery that is required by my insurance company, because, as with most people, I have spent thousands of dollars and tried everything, only to be as big as I ever have been. I am 5 feet tall and weigh 230 pounds now. I am reasonably active and healthy for my age (62) and I still have a lot of reservations about the surgery. I have a lot going on in my life right now, and my counselor told me last week that I need to get to the place that I will have more time for myself before they will recommend me for surgery. My husband and I are downsizing, moving and it is very complicated. Plus I babysit my granddaughter every day. I am planning on just keeping up with the required visits, testing, et****il after the holidays. However, I would really like to find something that I can try in the meantime. I never know which of many diets, etc, is the one to go back to. Like I said, I have done them all, and never had all that much success. Usually, I gain during the cold months, and the holidays, and I certainly don't want to repeat that again this year. So if anyone has found something that seems to work, please let me know. Thanks so much!

Good morning Cathy, You can't find the right diet because diets don't work. The only answer is a life long comittment to portion control, healthy food choices and exercise. Diets, diet pills, jaws wired shut, etc are not long term solutions to the battle of the bulge. People ask me all the time how I did it and then when I tell them it took nearly 3 years and a comittment to a healthy lifestyle, they look at me like I'm from Mars. They expect a magical cure for an answer. Please know I am not flaming or trying to sound rude at all. It's just that the same things that we were taught as kids really do work but it takes a lot of effort. It's not a temporary 3 month or 9 month diet. It's for life. I hope you don't take my words as an insult. Good luck to you. Juli

HI Cathy, At the risk of sounding repetitive and annoying, the only "diet" that works is one that incorporates a lifestyle change that you can live with. To me it's all about choices every single time I look at food. My days are planned and the foods are planned. I don't allow myself to get caught off guard. It really is an all over approach to the process of weight loss. I started in July of 2005. By July of 2006 I had lost 140 pounds. I didn't diet. I just changed my lifestyle. I ate less and exercised more. It's actually very simple when it comes down to it. But the hard part is how difficult it is to start. Good luck. Donna

since you're already exercising, that's great! that's half the battle (literally). like everyone is going to say, you need to choose a plan that you can actually stick to. there are a few key things, but otherwise, there are no hard and fast rules. here are some things that were key to me: - if there is one thing to do, its monitor! most of us have no idea what we're actually eating and far underestimate our calories. this means buying a food scale and measuring cups and weighing, measuring and writing down EVERYTHING you eat. this means if you eat 10 M&Ms from your co-workers candy bowl, you figure that out as well. some people use a basic journal, there are also websites like fitday.com. i used a program called balencelog, which worked on the computer or palm pilot. start off just tracking a normal day and see what you're at. most women need between 1200-1600 a day, but obviously this varies on your age, fitness levels etc etc. i cannot stress monitoring enough - its been scientifically proven over and over again to be THE most important factor for weight loss and long-term maintenance. accountability and awareness is sooooooooooooooooooo important. - get RID of the diet mentality! - everything in moderation - there are no BAD foods. anything, even BBQ ribs and cupcakes can fit into a balenced and PLANNED food plan. - speaking of planning - PLAN! write out a menu for the week and stick to it. make it easy to for yourself so you don't stand in front of the open fridge saying "hmm, what do i want?" instead you say, hey its wednesday, i'm having the turkey sandwich that i planned to have. maybe this means cooking on a sunday night and dividing up portions to last you the next few days dinner. you can plan your menu at the same time as you write out your grocery list. - find support. whether its a walking buddy, a weigh****chers meeting, writing on this board etc. - KNOW THYSELF! i know i'm a volume eater, so i buy stuff that is low-cal, low-fat etc. other people like quality over quantity. so if all calories are equal, i'd rather have 4 sugar free baby chocolate bars, while someone else would rather have 1 piece of godiva. and figure out what your triggers are that make you overeat. you have to learn how to sort of outsmart yourself. i have portions problems so i have found ways to make sure i don't eat more than i should - ie - as soon as i make rice or something, i measure out my half a cup and put the rest in the fridge right away. i only cook exactly 2 ounces of pasta etc etc. - everyone has difficulty with the holidays, but there are lots of tips and tricks out there that can help you - if not lose weight during this time, at least not GAIN any. those are some of the things i can think of right now. good luck! you can do it!

Hi Cathy.. I dont have much time to respond in full detail.... but basically I put myself on the "post-op diet" and followed the same guidelines as a post-op.... starting right after the "mushy stage". I've lost 100 lbs doing this... along with excersizing of course. Like everyone said... it's a lifelong commitment to change. Something I've been slacking in alot lately... been straying away from my "normal routine" and it'****ting me quite negatively. But no matter how you go about it... there will always be challenges to stay on track, and it's going to take work and a commitment to YOURSELF. Something that I have to remind myself a bit more often -- I'm doing this for ME. -CJ

Hi Kathy! I'm going to have to agree with everyone who said that lifestyle change is the key. What helped me ALOT with my eating was a guideline that I got from Self magizine. It is a 1400-1600 cal. guideline. I say guideline because it does not tell you what foods to eat just how many and what portions of proteins, grains, fats, fruits, veggies, dairy, and even "fun foods" (free cals) that you should get in per day. At first I measured out portions because I didn't understand what a portion was (which is why I was overweight). Now I can recognize what a portion is. Another thing that helped me was adjusting my vitamins. If you are not getting the nutrients that your body needs you will crave all day long. Finally, exercise! I find that on the days that I exercise I feel better and make better decisions about food all day. Try to find a friend or other support that can understand your struggle. My close friend had WLS and she and I support each other so much! She is at her goal and looks healthy and beautiful! I am getting close to my goal and feeling much better about myself. I had to laugh at the post about hating the before and after pictures. Many people have questioned me about how I feel about my friend's success and some of our "friends" have really turned on her, and on me. I don't understand it because I am just so happy for her, and me, and we have a much more healthy friendship that has less to do with eating and more to do with getting out there and having fun! Feel good about yourself and your accomplishments and find friends that keep you moving instead of eating!!! Good luck!! Sally

Hello and thanks to all who took the time to reply. I have basically good eating habits, and it has always been a mystery why I can't lose weight. I have tried every plan and after the first initial weight loss ( from 8 pounds to maybe 15), they just don't work any more. I even did Medifast last year, because it is supposed to be a way to lose quite a bit of weight. I stuck to it for over 2 months, and only lost 12 pounds, and most of that was in the first week or so. I have had testing done, like for thyroid, etc, and nothing seems to be physically wrong with me. I don't drink soft drinks, or eat candy, chips, etc. And I have drastically cut portions down. I walk whenever I can, and I am a very active person. We are moving, and this past weekend, I dug up and re-planted a lot of perennials, and shrubs all by myself. Nobody else in my family is overweight. My 28 year old daughter struggles not to lose any weight, ironically. She weighs about 86 right now. My 40 yr old son wears a size 32 pant. As far as I know, there were no overweight people in past generations, either. So, this is why I am considering have the surgery, since that seems to be the only thing left for me to do. The only thing that has ever worked for me is taking a lot of pills, and not eating much of anything, but I don't think that is a very healthy thing to do. I don't expect anyone to really have any magic answers, but I keep hoping that something new will appear that will be a new approach. It is not a vanity issue with me; I just want to lose weight to prolong my life, and be able to do things easier. I am just not sure which thing is the correct answer for me.

It certainly sounds like we have basically the same problem. I have a hard time sleeping if I take enough diet pills to really help me to not eat very much, and I can't get by like that. And, ironically enough, my weight makes it hard for me to get enough exercise without hurting my knees, etc. I think I mentioned that we are involved in a very complicated "downsize" and move to another house. Neitherme or my husband, who has arthritis and feet problems, need to be going to another house with stairs, but we are. We bought it for location, (next door to my son) and also for the setting, and other amentities, as well as price. It is a bi-level, with short flights of stairs going both up and down. Although we are going to change the current steps, they are very difficult to walk up because they are wide, and are not all the same height. I have been carrying things in, in the moving process, and trying to "push through the pain", and I have really messed up my knees. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I am only 5 feet tall, and tall steps are very hard for me. I also babysit my granddaughter and it is difficult for me to carry her up and down. So, this is still another reason that I simply must lose some weight. If I can't get from one level to the next without difficulty now, how will it be for me in another 10 years? Groceries have to be carried in, etc. So I will have to figure out something else, or get the surgery. I don't have to lose all of the 100 pounds that I have gained to be able to live out my life. I just have to lose about 50, and figure out how to stay there. On top of all the other difficulties in dieting for me, my son owns a popular family restaurant that is literally 2 minutes away from our houses, and that is how everyone eats. I can, of course, get other food, but it is very hard to be around it all the time. (Family style fried chicken and all the fixings!) One of our employees was telling me the other day about a plan her mother is on, and I might try to follow it. I don't think it is a chain that is all over the nation. It is called The Perfect Plan. I can get all of the information from her. Her mother, who never exercises, has lost about 70 pounds since last spring. It seems to be all about following a eating plan that calls for preparing some recipes, based around a certain type of muffin. That is about all that I know right now. Right now, I am dreading the lures of holiday eating, which is always the way I get messed up for the winter. Being the grandmother figure, I am the one who makes the cookies, has the big meals, etc. And if the holidays themselves don't mess you up enough, there is always the left-overs!!! I send stuff home with my children, but some things linger, because my husband deserves to enjoy them. January is always a dreadful month of cold weather and overeating in front of television and the fireplace! I see a lot of people who still get out and walk or jog in very cold weather, but I just can't take that much cold. I do a lot outside in the warm months, but not nearly enough in the winter. Sorry for rambling on, but this is the basic thing that I am fighting. I would be happy to talk to any other people out there who can relate. At least we might find small ideas or support to keep fighting the good fight. I don't have the will power to ignore great food at holidays parties, and totally keep on the straight and narrow, but I DO hope to keep it in more control this year.