Newbie....help needed!

Hi there, I'm totally new to this scene...actually found this website by fluke. I'm sooo frustrated and I want to lose this extra weight. I was thinking about going on the whole "Kirstee Alley" thing until I found out how expensive it was. Then I saw a late night ad for lap band surgery. I'm 32 and I live in B.C. Canada. I honestly don't know where to even start. Do I need surgery? or can I just finally find the answer to this horrible nightmare that is becoming my whole life?? I would really like to lose the weight without surgery. I would luv to meet some people who are trying to lose a lot of weight without going the surgery route. Maybe if I can find some support here I can do it withouth as well. I would just go get it done, but I not in any financial condition to do that. Also I don't know what is worse...the blood, sweat, and tears way? or the risk of surgery complications that will haunt me the rest of my life slim or not.... If anyone can offer any support or advice I would be forever grateful.

Hi Kate and welcome I think that whatever decision you make, it will be hard. There are a number of people on this board who will truly inspire you! They have had much success without surgerical intervention. Neecee is right, this board is not very active, but I once heard a person say that once the weight starts coming off, you begin living. That's exactly what I think many oof the people on this board are doing. They are out enjoying their new lives. Know that this board is a place of support regardless of your choice. Again, welcome Cam

Hi Kate... Welcome to the non-op board! There's alot of people here who for whatever reason have decided to go about their weight-loss without surgery. Each of us has our own approach -- it all begins with knowing your body, knowing how you got the be the weight you're at, knowing how your mind works, and LEARNING what will work for YOU and YOUR BODY. I put myself on the post-op diet. I tricked my brain into beleiving that I had the surgery. I "acted" like a gastric bypass patient during the post-op stage where they just begin to introduce solid foods. I follow the same guidelines they follow. Protein firs****er water water, 3oz meals, etc etc etc. It worked for me. I've lost about 100lbs (+/- 5 depending on my week, these days ugh). The most important thing to remember is that no matter how you do it.... it has to be a change of lifestyle. If you think of it as a diet, you will fail. You have to force yourself to beleive that this new lifestyle is the ONLY way to live or else you will die. Which is true... Feel free to ask any questions... everyone has alot of good info and experiences to share. I do strongly encourage you to meet with a nutritionist or personal trainer (or both!) so you can learn how your body functions with food. For example, I learned that my body cannot handle carbohydrates like pasta, white bread, white flour... and I can't have fruit. My digestive system doesn't process them like normal bodies do. I have to eat good carbs and lots of veggies in order for my metabolism to function properly. Also, my nutritionist figured out that my metabolisim doesn't work on it's own... and I have to keep it going other wise it shuts down. Little things like that play a big role in our battle with the bulge. You need to learn WHY you gained weight to begin with. Deep down, solid, honest-to-god reasons. Once you can honestly accept why you gained the weight, then you'll be ready to conquor it. I wish you the best of luck, and don't be afraid to speak up! -CJ 250/154/140

Hi there ladies, Thanks so much for making me feel so welcome! I really need to find a support network, even if it's online. I've been overweight off and on since I was about 10, and I know eating has always been a substitute for love. It really doesn't matter to me anymore why or how I gained the weight, all I know is I want it gone now. My BMI is 42....that means according to their calculations I'm "MORBIDLY" obese. Those words resonate in my head like nails on a chalkboard. I live in Canada, and due to our wonderful restrictions, I can't seem to find a doctor who would even think about prescribing me appetite suppressants, nevermind one that performs wls (not that I could afford it) The last app supp I had were ephedrine based, which worked, but ended up with me having a breakdown and having to be in the psych ward for three weeks. I know I don't look fat in that picture.....I'm pretty with a camera huh??...lol ;) I don't really get a lot of exercise, but honestly even when I do I don't lose the weight. I was so active when I was a kid, dance, running, and swimming. I could literally eat anything I wanted. When I hit 18 my weight went from just being a little chubby off and on to the good year blimp!! I'm seriously curious about your method CJ. I was already thinking about following the post op diet and seeing if that would get things started. I was even thinking about following the eating plan for patients who have to lose weight before a heart surgery etc. My only problem with that all is that I'm always so freakin hungry. lol Maybe those of us that are here can liven this place up, cuz I don't know about any of you ladies but I could sure use a place where I could find support. If I keep a blog, I also like the idea of feeling accountable to someone....s....lol It keeps me motivated. Thanks again, Looking forward Kate

Hey Neecee, I totally agree about whiners...I suppose that's why I don't really complain about my weight to people around me, because I think that they're just thinking well if you're fat then do something about it and stop complaining. I just wi**** was that easy. I do try, but next Monday....lol is part of my vocabulary it seems. Plus I like you, hate whiners and don't want to be one. I'm going to start my blog when I get home from work on Monday....lmao Then I will try to check in regularly with it. I hope you don't mind, but I added you as a friend. Maybe we can help each other. Sometimes I really wish I didn't live in Canada.....cuz I would never get the pills you are on here. *sigh* I have really been thinking about CJ's idea to eat as if I was post op and I've been looking at that way of eating in the past couple of days. I'm thinking about it, but I know as usual the problem is going to be that I'll be hungry all the time....lol and when I'm hungry I'm usually the biggest B*tch! I just have to try something. If poof!! I could have $10000 tomorrow and just go and find a doctor and get the lap band surgery, at this point I think I would. I'm whining.....lol I'm just tired of being hungry or being fat! I have lots of willpower that's why I just keep trying through failed attempts at this....but my willpower is just not in the right place. I need to find my focus and concentrate on what's more important....the food and eating?? or having a life that I can ACTUALLY enjoy!! TC all Kate

Hello there Kate, I happened to bo lurking on this board.....and noticed your post. I was just like you, contemplating surgery and then not. I have been considered chunky most of my life...until I had a child and gained all of my weight. I have tried so many weight loss plans including Jenny Craig three times. I did lose weight....but because I didn't continue to buy their food....I gained again. I ended up getting high blood pressure, high cholesterol, aches, pains, etc. I was so afraid of weight loss surgery until I came to this fabulous website. I researched and asked alot of questions on the message boards....all of them. I ended up having to Lap Band surgery on 4/10/06, weighing in at 290 lbs. with a BMI of 44.1. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I made this choice....I wouldn't trade what I've done for a minute. Alot of people think it is a cop out or a quick fix......quite the contrary. It is still hard work with or without surgery. The most important thing that you have to remember is that no matter what you decide it is a lifestyle change. You have to do it for your health....the longer we stay heavy, the harder it is on your body. Let me suggest the book that Mehmet Oz (from the Oprah show) wrote, "You on a Diet". He covers everything about lifesytle change eating and also some info on WLS. Good luck on your weight loss journey and remember, we at OH are always here for you. Feel free to view my profile and experience my journey. Lisa 290/230/170 start/now/goal

I'm in the same boat as you. The best advice is to eat right and exercise. You NEED to be hungry, it means the body doesn't have food in the tummy to draw calories from..so it needs to break down the fat it's been storing. You won't die and if you don't cut a ridiculous amount of calories (I need to get back into the swing of things...I was eating around 800) your metabolism won't drop too much. Exercising is key though...I would do 2 hours of cardio 3 or 4 days a week. I would just get on the stationary bike for about an hour or hour and a half and make up the rest of the time speedwalking on a treadmill. My goal was to burn off the calories I'd consumed that day. It's really funny too because by the end I would be STARVING like I hadn't eaten all day long...then I'd gorge on salad..I ALWAYS craved salad, fruits and berries after a work out. I lost 10lbs in about a month. It doesn't seem like alot at all but my clothes fit so much better. It makes me wonder though...if I need help b/c I had to go to extreams to lose only 10lbs. It's kinda depressing...I've gained 13 back since june/july. I think I'm gunna have to go to a doctor and explain my situation (both my parents are obese) and my BMI is 22.7...so I'm well on my way...I used to weight 195...now Im 173 and I'm freaking out because I never want to be obese again. My best friend from high school had gastric bypass. She lost 109 lbs in like 6 months...I just wanna scream at her. I find it to be a cop-out. She told me straight to my face why she gained so much weight (eating bags of dorritos and gallons of ice cream). Everyone is congratulating her on her weight loss. I never have. For what? Because she had enough $$ to do it? Whatever. I want *No Will Power Involved* weight loss. There's a reason most people that have the op stayed sewed up after they lost the weight. Because they will be hungry and then they'll go back to their funky eating habits. It's hard NOT to lose weight when your tummy is 1/3 it's size...right? Do the right think and change your lifestyle and eating habits....not your internal organs.