Introducing Myself to the Group

JourneytoHealth
on 6/7/07 3:24 am - Non-OP

Hello everyone – my name is Tali (rhymes with Sally) and I just joined OH a couple of days ago. I am morbidly obese and have been so for most of my adult life – I’m 53 years old. Like all of you I have tried more diets and weight loss programs than I care to remember. I have no problem losing weight, keeping it off is another story. My problem is consistency, when I first start a program I’m gung ho, but after a few weeks or a couple of months my commitment fades. I’m currently a little over 250 lbs (I’m just 5’2”). I panicked a couple of weeks ago when I got on the scale and it read 256. I have never been over 250 lbs. so I knew that if I didn’t do something quick that the scale would only continue to creep up. But, what do I do? I’ve tried almost everything out there haven’t I? So, my mind took me to a place that I thought it would never go – weight loss surgery. I started doing research and decided that I would get the adjustable Band. The Lap Band seemed much less invasive than any of the other procedures. During my research I stumbled upon OH and started reading the posts in the Lap Band forum. Wow, I got a few surprises. At no time did I believe that WLS was a panacea. I knew that if I got the Band or had any other type of WLS that I would have to make permanent lifestyle changes. What surprised me though was when I found out how difficult it was to get approved for surgery and everything that you had to do for the approval. You mean you have to go on a doctor supervised program for 6-months? After that you have to go on a liquid diet for 10 days before the surgery and after the surgery you are on a liquid diet and then a baby food diet for weeks? All of this new knowledge was eye opening for me. My response to all this information was that if I have change my eating habits whether I have the surgery or not, why the hell would I put myself through the surgery if I didn’t really have to? I was delighted when I found this “Non-Surgical” support group because I’ve decided that I’m going to try to lose the weight one last time without any surgery. So, here I am. My plan of attack is three-fold. (1) I have joined the on-line diet program at Duke University Diet and Fitness Center. Through this tool I will be given a menu to follow, advice on fitness and diet and most importantly will be assigned a “life coach” who will guide me through my weight loss experience. (2) I have an appointment with my PCP next week for a complete physical. I usually get my annual physical at the beginning of the year but I have been putting it off. I’ve decided to bite the bullet and see where I stand health-wise. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol for which I take daily medication, but I have been eating poorly and not exercising for awhile so I’m dreading what else the blood work will reveal. I’m going to let my doctor know that I’m now serious about losing weight and see what she can do to assist me. (3) I think joining this group will help me tremendously. Everyone of you know what I’m going through and can relate, but the best thing is that you’ve decided not to take the WLS route. I haven’t set up my profile yet, but I will soon. I’ll probably also start a blog. I would love to post a picture too, but I think that is beyond my skill set. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you!!

~Tali~

andy113
on 6/7/07 4:21 am - Non-Op, SC

tali - welcome!! it sounds like you are in the right place to start making some changes. andof course i must comment about your 3 fold plan, which sounds fantastic. especially the Duke DFC part! it is a very good, sound, realistic, plan that works with the concept of moderation and developing a plan you can live with for the long haul. no liquid diets, no crazy 4 hours workouts - just well rounded nutrition, exercise and support. my entire family has been to the DFC and both my sister and i have lost and kept off large weight losses for a number of years. you can read about my story "andrea" and my sister "laura" on the www.dukediet.com under success stories. i also know bill and marilyn - and they are real people who have had amazing long-term success. anyway, i haven't had the chance to "join" the online program, but from what i had read about it on the website and through the literature they have sent us, it sounds very good and pretty much exactly what the program they do onsite is. they also just put out a hardcover book with theplan in it as well. how much interaction do you get from the experts? elisabetta (nutrition) and gerald (fitness guy) are both phenomenal and you can ask them any kind of question you want. everyone there is very dedicated to a moderate lifestyle change. you won't drop 10 lbs a week but if you follow the program you will lose weight consistently without feeling deprived. it took me about 2 years to lose 110 lbs. i think joining here is also an excellent thing to do. you'll learn that duke promotes 3 factors that are necessary for sustainable lifestyle change - exercise, monitoring (keeping track of what you eat in whatever manner fits your life) and support from professionals, peers, family, friends etc. i am very excited for you!! please feel free to email me privately if you want to talk DFC stuff. i look forward to hearing what you think of it and how you experience the program. good luck! andrea

JourneytoHealth
on 6/7/07 5:24 am - Non-OP

Andrea -- thanks so much for your warm welcome. It was from reading one of your posts that I heard about Duke. Thanks so much for that info. I will be sure to read your and your sister's stories on the site. Although I haven't officially gotten started yet, I have been in communication with Deborah Blood who is in charge of all of the life coaches. From all the information that I have given her about myself she is going to choose someone for me. Their approach sounds good -- slow but steady wins the race. I'm looking forward to the program and I will probably take you up on your offer if I have questions along the way -- and I know that I will. ~Tali~

sickofH20
on 6/7/07 6:57 am - OR

Welcome, I to need to get this wt. off, I was ready for surgery march 23rd, I had all pre-ops and was ready to go, then in the hospital for a pickline placement I had a major panick attack.. crying and said I can not do this, and went home

as fast as I could. called my hubby and said I can't do it he said thank God, I was scared to death for you to have this surgery.. so I am doing like what I would have to do it I had the surgery. portein drinks, water with crystal lite, and chicken and salad etc. I have lost 20 pounds so far... I wish you luck and hope to keep in touch often.. I need support

so please please keep in touch, I will check this site daily. bye for now Virgie Oregon

Janine P.
on 6/7/07 8:06 am - Long Island, NY

DS on 05/03/11

Tali, welcome aboard. We look forward to holding your hand during your weight loss journey.

Janine Me on Youtube

bettyboop2
on 6/7/07 10:23 pm - Cincinnati, OH

Hi Tali! glad to get to know you, you have come to the best place, everyone here is so thoughtful, and helpful, Delilah

Neecee O.
on 6/7/07 11:27 pm - CA

Yeah Tali!!! You are well on your way. Please share your successes with us, as you say it is the group effort that makes the difference. Like you, my research about wls did make a very big impact. Early on, i felt i had found THE ANSWER in wls, but a part of me knew i would barely qualify, therefore knew deep down it would fall back on me. When I was rejected, i took it pretty hard. I cried that whole weekend after both the local surgeon and my pcp said no for me, but on the other hand, i felt relieved in a big way. The path was suddenly more clear. i went back to a bariatric doctor in town here, even though i'd been before and basically failed after a while. I have new eyes this time around, a fresh prospective. in my case, i have lots of good habits in place, lots of knowledge, it is application and the "little things". i simply do not need very much food anymore and need to focus on consistency. You and I are basically the same age..this is rough in the weight loss arena. Welcome!

andy113
on 6/8/07 1:31 am - Non-Op, SC

neecee - i know you've probably talked about this experience before but i think its reall interesting that being rejected gave you the power to do something. i feel like so many obese people even who are "working on it" still always have WLS in the back of their mind which i think keeps people from fully committing. its like a circular problem. but then finding out once and for all that it is not an option can be really motivating. i think its great that you were able to turn things around like that.

JourneytoHealth
on 6/8/07 12:40 am, edited 6/8/07 12:42 am - Non-OP

Vergie, Janina, Delilah and Neecee – thank you all for the welcome. I feel like I’ve found the perfect place for my long journey and I’m very happy to be here!

Andrea – I read your and your sister’s success stories on the Duke site. It is so inspiring to read stories such as those, stories that let us all know that it really can be done. You should be so proud of yourself. I’ve been finding it difficult to maneuver my way around the site because of the work that is being done on it, so I haven’t really explored the site as I should. Hopefully this weekend I’ll be able to spend some quality time learning my way around. I have to admit that I’m a little overwhelmed about all of the meal planning. I’m going grocery shopping this weekend to buy a lot of stuff so that I can start preparing some of the meals. Do you have any advice in that area? I don’t have the time to cook everyday but I’m thinking about whipping up a couple of meals over the weekends and maybe freezing them for the following week. Any tips would be appreciated.

Virgie – Your post had me laughing. I’m glad that you didn’t have the surgery, if you were that frightened, I don’t think it was right for you. I would be happy to be a part of your support system. I need all the support I can get as well. Congrats on your 20 pounds lost! I will add you to my (as of now nonexistent) friends list as soon as I figure out how to do it. Please add me to yours as well!!

Neecee – Why is rejection so hard, even when we get rejected by someone or something that’s not in our best interest? Looks like you dried your tears, dusted yourself off and decided that you were going to lose the weight the old fashioned way – good for you!! I look forward to sharing weight loss journeys with you.

~Tali~

andy113
on 6/8/07 1:50 am - Non-Op, SC

hi tali! like i said, i'm not totally sure of how the website program works since i haven't been able to explore it. basically, it is very easy to get overwhelmed. most people at the end of their first week at the DFC are completely overwhelmed and exhausted. the most important thing to remember is that its all about small maintainable changes. you don't need ot overhaul everything at once. maybe this week, you just get used to monitoring your food. the next week, planning your menu and monitoring, the week after incorporating soy or more veggies etc. maybe this week you go on a 15 minute walk 2 times, next week 30 minutes, week after 3 times a week for 30 mins - you get the idea. basically they throw a whole lot of info at you and you kind of pick and choose what will work for you best. you could take a week just to be in preparationmode. tour the jewel and see what lifestyle change friendly items they have (for example, 80 calorie lite wheat buns). #1 thing to do is invest in some very good measuring cups and spoons and a food scale. we are very prone to being all-or-nothing and then being upset when we're not perfect. theidea of the DFC is that youdon't need to be perfect all of the time. moderation is the key to happiness! have you ever used seattle sutton meal delivery? i used to live in chicago right near their distribution center in the gold coast. http://www.seattlesutton.com/home.asp obviously something like that may be expensive and practicality may depend on if you have a family to feed etc. i used a delivery service during a really crazy time in my life and it really helped to keep me on track. do you belong to a gym? the multiplex i belonged to up there is stillt he best gym i have ever been in! as for cooking during the week- yes there are lots of short cuts. often i wil make rice and it will last me 3 or 4 meals. you just have to be careful with portioning things out. yesterday i made soup and portioned it out it 4 containers. two went in the fridge, two in the freezer. they are lots of tips and tricks but really you have to see how the basic program works for you and then make adjustments where you run into problems. problem-solving is very important and its hard to anticipate what kind of issues you'll runinto because we don't know a whole lot about you. no matter what though, just don't give up!

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Introducing Myself to the Group