Human Growth Hormone & Phentermine Question-sorry kind of long

Hello everyone!

So, I have some weight to lose ( 60 to 90 lbs ) and have concluded that maybe WLS is just too risky especially since I am a lightweight ( BMI 32 ) and quite frankly, surgery scares the sh#% out of me.  I have been researching the VSG procedure and there is a wonderful group of people on that forum here but a few weeks ago a lady died from a blood clot from her surgery and on the Texas board a member's brother died a couple of days ago after having RNY back in July ( he never came out of the hospital ).  I just don't know if it would be right to elect to have a surgery like this if there is any possible way I can do it otherwise. 

I found out that there is a clinic here in my town that has a doctor supervised program whi*****ludes all kinds of testing beforehand, counseling, B-12 injections, and a prescription for the appetite suppressant Phentermine.  They also offer Human Growth Hormone injections which I am not sure if that is along with the Phentermine or only if you don't take that.  I think you also go on a very low calorie diet ( 500 cal. ) as well which I guess could be possible for me with the appetie suppressant???  Obviously I don't know a whole lot about the program yet.  I will have a consultation next week and find out more.

Mostly what I am wondering is if any of you have any knowledge or experience with this type of thing.  I absolutely know that I can't/won't stick to any kind of diet for very long on my own which is what led me to research WLS in the first place.  I have the knowledge to eat healthy and live a very healthy lifestyle but I just can't seem to stick with it long enough to get any significant results.  I have lost and gained the same 15-25 pounds over and over and over for going on 15 years now.  I have tried just about every diet out there at one time or another and many over the counter diet aids as well but I have yet to try any kind of prescription drug or hormone such as human growth hormone. I also know that if I did lose weight I would have to totally change my habits in order to not regain so I would hope that I could get that aspect under control during the weightloss phase.  Please help if you have any knowledge or experience.  Thank you so much.

Kimberly

 

 I have tried everything you have listed including HGH injections.  They were popular many years ago then were outlawed.  Yes, I lost weight but I gained even more weight after I stopped all these methods.  I had lap band surgery over 3 years ago and lost 90 lbs.  I have not regretted it once.  The reason I chose the band is because it permanently restricts the stoma from stretching.  That is why a lot of the other surgeries fail.  It is adjustable and it doesn't get any better than that.  No other surgery has this feature.  The VSG sound good but several people have had major complications with leaks lately.  Also the thought of losing most of my stomach grosses me out.  They talk about the ghrelin hormone for appetite is removed.  Well without the hormone ghrelin you can get major depression.  Your hormones are there for a reason.  The band involves being placed where the vagus nerve is stimulated after you eat.  This also controls appetite without excising any part of your body.  If the band were available 20 years ago I would have saved myself thousands of dollars.  Being fat is no fun.  A lot of people are making a lot of money off the backs of fat people.  If  you do more research you will find that most people regain all of the weight they lose and more and only 5% of people are successful with diets.  Weight loss surgery reverses this percentage.  I also want to add, I can eat anything and have had no problems what so ever.  Once you get restriction you don't need any more adjustments.  The surgery was so easy and painless I drove myself home from the hospital.  As far as a foreign object, well breast implants, heart pacemakers and artificial knees are also foreign objects.  Well, I guess I've covered just everything. Good luck to you. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post.  I am very happy to hear that you have done so well with your band.  The band and VSG are the only WLS I will even consider.  Thanks again.

Kimberly..hi!

First of all, without any co-morbids like diabetes or high blood pressure, i wonder if you can find a surgeon to do you?

at 32 bmi, I would definitely try to do this without surgery.  hell, I am at 31ish bmi and feeling like that's okay with me, tho sure i should be more like 25 or so for best health.

I ran to the bariatric doc here in my town and took (still do once in a while, Mary do not read this) take the app suppressants related to phentermine - mine is phendimetrazine, 35 mg pills.

Never took, probably never would take HGH, but that is me. I'd rather stay this fat! I never tried the b vitamin shots, i was offered, but in my opnion, since B vits are water soluble, it seems like a waste.

Like you, i have played with weight, up/down most of my adult life.  i say i am a yo yo ho. Since age 40 ish (I'm now 51), I kind of stuck at about 205 ish.

I bloated up to a crisp 225# (37 bmi) by 2006 and got really scared - cripes, i was not eating crap anymore, am an exercise freak, so that's when i ran to the doctor. I wanted the lapband, but my primary doc said he would not support that, so i did go get the pills with his blessing.

Since 2006, I lost 40#, not hovering at 185 ish and struggling to stay here. It's kind of my bewitching weight, a place i always have gotten stuck.

This is not easy, but do tell us more about your story.  WLS is only a way to get it off, but the question is, can you keep it off?

 

Thanks Neecee for your reply.  It does seem kind of crazy but yes, I have a doctor here in my town that will do my surgery even though my bmi is low and I have no comorbids ( I do have a strong family history of heart disease ) and any of the Mexico docs would do it as well and since I am self pay that is an option I have looked into even thought it sounds very frightening.

After more research yesterday I know that I definitely would not do the hgh but I really think I should probably give the phentermine a try.  I have always been scared of drugs but now I think maybe I should try before I opt for surgery which is probably way riskier.  I just know that I won't do it without something to help me.  I just do not seem to have enough willpower or drive or whatever it is that makes people be successful on things such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, etc.  If you look at my profile you will see that I have tried pretty much every program out there.  I get all gung ho for a few weeks, drop a few pounds, then fall off the wagon and gain more on top of what I lost.  I am the quintessential yo-yo dieter.  I really believe if I don't do something drastic I will continue to go up and the weight I am at right now is making me completely miserable both phycically and emotionally.  I am just so uncomfortable in every way but in all honesty all that would change with a loss of 30 to 50 pounds.  I actually think I would probably look better at that weight versus losing all I have gained over the years.  I was one who had no curves before I gained weight.  So anyway, writing this out is pretty much convincing me that I am not probably someone who needs to have a major surgery to lose weight.  I just hope the phentermine can help give the boost I need to stay on track and make some healthy changes in my life.  Do you feel the app suppressants help you very much?  Thanks again for your help.

Kimberly

Bos, you look pretty young, so give yourself some time here. Honestly, in my book, if a person is age 40 and 100+ pounds overweight, yeah, maybe take a long hard look at WLS. 

Other n that...you are not truly obese...just a hair around the corner from merely overweight! It's not like any of these surgeries is the Get Out of Jail Free Card! There is lots of work to do after all that happens, so ask yourself why not do it without the surgery.

There are people active &/or lurking on this board who would KILL to trade bmi's with you right now, no questions asked.

As for the pills, yeah, they helped me get on track to eat bariatric foods.  After a point, they do not work any longer.  They helped that scale budge, down 40#, now it is up to me to keep it off.

Mainly, i kind of made up my mind to accept that whatever i chose as the vehicle to lose weight, it would have to be something fairly reasonable that I know I would do forever. The bariatric doc taught me to keep high protein foods on my person at all times, so that is basically what I do for my work days.

I augment those foods with fruit, veggies, healthy fats like walnuts/cashews/peanuts, or dairy like greek yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, etc. I bring HB eggs, other lean meats to not completely get bored. At night I eat a regular meal, just apply WW portions when I'm on my game.

Like you, I have lost with WW, Atkins...but in the end those are not things that I know *I* will do - go for weigh ins, not eat pastas, for the long run.  I will do that type of thing in fits & spurts.

Bos...STOP...right now, typing and thinking the self talk I just read up in your post:  you CAN do this.  It is okay to need help (me too, or i would not have gone to a bariatric clinic!).

You may need help, but you certainly can choose to do the work, or keep on researching whatever it is that you WILL do for the longest time possible. 

You are not lost, or you would not be here, researching WLS.  It changed me forever, I realized this is still something I would have to take on - even after suregery.  Especially after surgery! Why risk your life literally to gain it all back?  lots of people do, you know.  Keep reading - go to the RnY board, it is completely amazing the people who eff it all up again after all they have been thru!

Stick around!

Thank you.  I have found your words to be very encouraging.  I am making an appointment with the weight loss clinic today and I will keep posting on this forum.  Thanks again for taking your time to encourage me.  BTW, I looked at your profile and pics and your are totally adorable and you look amazing at the weight you are at!

Kimberly

Kimberly:
I too was considering WLS but after correcting a thyroid problem, my BMI wasn't high enough.  You have to get rid of the "all or nothing" mindset.  If you screw up at one meal, get back on track at the next meal....take it one day or one meal at a time.  Pretty soon, your success builds on itself and it becomes very encouraging.  Part of it - a BIG part of it IMO is willpower and giving up the things you want to eat so that you will look and feel better.  I also believe total and complete deprivation and very low calorie plans lead to binge eating - at least they do for me.  So I allow myself to eat what I want but I no longer eat out 5-7 times a week, I plan my meals, I measure my food, I exercise (when I'm not recovering from surgery) and food is not my comfort anymore.  I've lost 125 pounds and kept it off by 'doing the do'.
Choose a plan you can live with for the rest of your life because if it's a 'diet', it won't be sustainable...it has to become a way of life.
Best wishes,
Kim

Wow, you have had great success.  What thyroid medication are you on?  I have Hashimoto's and take armour for it but it hasn't seemed to help one bit with weight.  It has stopped my hairloss completely and I do feel better though.  I know that everything you say is right but it is easier said than done for most people, myself included.  I just need a boost to help me get going in the right direction.  I have been overweight for a really long time and I have been doing the yoyo thing for 15 years.  I have the knowledge but....

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and you really are an inspiration. 

Kimberly

 

 

Hi Kimberly:
I take synthroid for hypothyroidism; the first 50 pounds came off very easily with the meds.
I know it's hard!  I didn't intend to say it was easy.  I've been yo yo dieting my whole life and this isn't the first significant amount of weight I've lost.  What's different this time?  It's a lifestyle for me, not a diet; I would rather look good than eat unhealthily; and I don't binge eat.  I don't know why I don't binge eat, but I NEVER do anymore.  I suppose I get gratification in other ways?  I dealt with the reasons I turned to food for comfort.
Most people lose weight for health reasons.  At my fattest, I was healthy - perfect cholesterol, perfect blood pressure, no comorbidities (and could even jog 3 miles) but I hated how I looked.  I lost weight for vanity and I suppose that helps keep me on track?  Not sure.  (and I probably shouldn't admit to being so shallow on a message board;-).
There's a great group of cheerleaders on this board.  You can do it!  You really can...just one meal or one day at a time,
Kim