New to this Board..Looking for suggestions.

Well I was recently going to do the weight loss surgery and well I am still scheduled to do it..however, I am scared and am not sure if I am going to do it. So I was thinking of having the motivation in myself to go and try this on my own..Just wanted to get myself on  here to see if anyone has weighed 329 pounds and put themselves on a diet and exercise and lost weight? Does anyone know if slim quick works? or Alli?

Welcome to the non-op board, Denise.  There are several people on this board who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off.  I lost 140 pounds and maintain my weight loss with healthy eating, exercise and changing my lifestyle.  I also worked on identifying the reasons why I overate and addressed those issues (and still work on them; it's a lifelong journey).

I don't know anything about slim quick or alli but perhaps someone on the board has tried them and will chime in.  None of us gained weight overnight so it doesn't come off overnight but if you find the right plan for your lifestyle you can be a successful loser!
Best wishes on your journey,
Kim

 Hi Denise welcome!

I too was going to have WLS I began my journey at 322 lb's, and I currently have lost 53 lb''s without surgery and am going for 108 more pounds, I truly believe it can be done without surgery, there are many here on this board who have done just that! for me nutritional Cleansing was/is the answer, PM me if you have any questions i would be happy to tell you what I have learned, but what ever path you choose just be sure you are able to be 100% committed and locked into your vision of what you are going to achieve! I heard a wonderful saying that I agree with and that is that you are only as successful as your belief level is deep. so Good luck to you on your weight loss journey!

 

Hi there, I was 304 not too long ago, and just by cutting back on snacking I've lost 25lbs.  That has proven to be that I CAN do this.  If I decide later on WLS, I dunno (you can read my profile for my wacky WLS journey) lol...

Iam now having regular gallbladder attacks, so I have no choice but to eat "cleaner"....

This forum is not as buzy as others cause, well, geez, we are not losing 30lbs. in one month!  lol...Butt, there are great folks here always ready to help!

May I call you Queen Dee?  Cool name! And Welcome...

you look young, so i hope that you do explore non-surgical approaches for the next several years. You can always have surgery later. With or without surgery, you will have to acquire good habits, so why not see how it goes?

My highest weight was 230, and I know how hard it has been for me. I am now 190ish, and struggle to stay here. Others here have had fabulous results. Also, do not discount other benefits of living better:  good mobility, improved energy, immune system stronger, etc. Having eaten really really crappy in my life, I know that when we do that, we feel like pure crap.

I have used alli - I took it on vacation when I would tend to eat bad-fat foods (fast foods) just to purge it.  lemme tell you they mean it when they say anal leakage, so there will be a stiff price to use it. Otherwise, this is not a useful drug in my opnion; eating good fats, like dairy, meats, olive/nut oils is good for you.  Fat is not bad - only certain types of fat.

Likewise, sugar is another loaded term. Naturally occuring sugar (like in fruits/vegetables) is okay in limited amounts; added table sugar, not so much.

 

This is a good place to hang out while you decide what to do.  I had surgery and it worked out well for me but I like this board because it keeps me informed of the many different approaches and possibilities for weight loss.  One misconception about WLS is that once you lose the weight your home free.  Not true.  Many gain their weight back and it's necessary to change your lifestyle forever in order to maintain that weight loss.  I am still dieting nearly three years following WLS.  I've learned a lot here and I hope I've helped a few.  We're all in this together and there are lots of ways to achieving and maintaining weight loss.  Good luck with your journey.  Donna

Welcome,
I found this board when I  signed up and was scheduled for WLS last spring and changed my mind because I was doing the pre/post surgery low carb diet and lost 20 pounds so easily and without starving. Now I am on the Atkins program and losing at a moderate rate and never hungry like I was when I did W.W. (though I did lose 65 pounds on W.W.) My 36 year old son started it the end of March and has lost 25 pounds and feels better than he has in years. He is optimistic (unusual for him) that he will lose the remaining 80 pounds and eat well the rest of his life.
I personally do think taking drugs is necessary for me to loose just getting the processed foods out seems to have made a huge difference.
This is generally a supportive place and folks will sometimes kick you in the butt to make you think - but that is good sometimes. Mary is my Atkins mentor and she really knows her stuff and has been successful in the face of some serious obstacles.

Jan

Hi Queen Dee,

I'm here because I'm scared of WLS - so I'd rather do it without surgical intervention.

Skylar

I too came here thinking about WLS but am most likely going to do this on my own.  I lost 80 + pounds a few years again the problem for me was I didn't make it a complete life style change got in a happy relationship and stopped worrying about myself and gained all but about 20 pounds of my weight back.  I started losing weight this time on April 12th and since I have lost 22.4 pounds I'm very proud of the weight I have lost and I know this time I will keep it off because i've changed the way I think about weight loss and exercise.  I'm making it a daily part of my life and I plan to keep it up I'm actually really enjoying the exercise and I think this will allow me to do it for the long term not just short term to get the weight off.   I think WLS is great and works wonderful for most people but like some others have said even with WLS you still have to make a life style change to be sucessful long term and for me I just think I want to try this without the surgery and see if I can do it this time and keep the weight off.  I really have enjoyed coming to this site and reading the successful stories of everyone who has lost weight and kept it off long term.  


Johnita

Hi!
Welcome to the board.

I want to start by saying I (as many others do) totally understand what you are feeling and going through.  I spent at least 30 years of my life in a body I hated and could not dig up the motivation and drive to truly take control until 18 months ago (at 50 yrs old).  My highest weight was 308 so I know all about lossing a lot of weight.  And trust me it's much harder to do so as you get older!

In my humble opinion whether you do it with the help of WLS or "on your own" is not as important as doing it.

First I have to be brutally honest.....the motivation MUST come from within.  Nobody can motivate you.  You have to want this.  You have to want to improve and your health and live a longer healthy life (that is what motivated me).   I feel blessed that God kept me alive long enough to take control and I hope and pray I didn't wait till it was too late.  Walking around in an obese state for about 30 years must have done some damage to my internal organs....I hope not....but realistically it is very possible.  I have been very fortunate that I did not get diabetes or cancer or other diseases known to be caused by obesity.  Like I said I hope and pray I didn't wait till it was too late.  I remember being 28 and saying I will turn 30 and be this fat......I DID.  I remember saying I will not turn 40 and be this fat.....but I DID.  I remember saying I WILL NOT turn 50 and be this fat.......BUT I DID!!!!!!! and then I said I WILL NOT LIVE THIS WAY ANYMORE and I made a change!!!!!

I tell you this not to anger or discourage you but to encourage you not to waste your young beautiful life like I DID!  My biggest regret is that I didn't take control and make a real change sooner.  So many things I would have done.......so many things I missed out on all because I was miserable in my fat body.  The saddest part for me is realizing it was all within my own control but I didn't fully recognize that and didn't make a real change.

I hope you can dig within yourself enough of a desire want to live that you can get started. 
If there is anything I can do to help you with learning how to eat healthy or how to properly exercise I would be happy to do so........just send me a PM to discuss.

Once again, I hope I didn't upset you with this post......It is my strongest desire to help younger people like yourself to make a change and not wait too long like I did.
Best wishes to you today and in your future
Ruth