Have gone from working for surgery to no surgery!!

My insurance called for a 6 month doctor recommended weight loss program before I could apply for surgery. (Lap Band). I am now in my 5th month and I have lost 4 dress sizes and about 20+ pounds. Now doc says, forget surgery. you are doing so good, Let's start working out. So I am going to the gym every morning for 30 minutes and doing a 1 hour kickboxing class mon, wed, and friday. If I give up on the surgery now, what if I fail to lose weight on my own? I will have to go through the whole 6 month process all over again! 
 
I am very excited to do this without surgery, but I am very scared too. I am so unsure of myself. I am still not eating totally the way I should be. One step at a time. I quit soda, I am working out. I am slowly getting better eating habits. Is there anything else I should do? I also never really learned good eating habits.

So nervous!!! Any ideas? Shoud I stick with it? Or should I ignore my doc and go for surgery anyway? (I know this was the non-surgical weightloss forum, but I honestly want support for no surgery!)

Anyone else having these issues? I can't be alone in this.....Right?

I am post surgical and just wanted to answer.  I lost over 40 pounds before my surgery.  The reason I decided to have surgery was because I was worried about maintaining the weight loss not the initial weight loss.  I knew I could get the weight off.  I had done it a hundred times before the frustration came from the putting it back on so I chose to have the help of surgery to keep it off.  I am five years post off and maintaining my weight loss.  I had never done this before on my own.
It is a very personal choice.  There are a lot of factors to think about.  Wishing you well.

I think every situation is different and you have to evaluate yours and decide what you think is best for you. If you think you still need/want the surgery, I think you should do it. But if you prefer to keep going on your own, I think you should choose that.  I really think it's a very personal choice that only you can know what is best for you.

How are you liking your kickboxing classes?  This is something I am looking into, and hadn't found anyone who has actually taken the classes.  Do you all do it with or without the punching bags? I'm wanting to find a kickboxing class that offers kickboxing with the bags.



Johnita

You are going about the same rate Iam,  4-5 lbs. a month....I've been at the ins. WLS deal for 3yrs. now and you would think a choice woulld be cemented in my mind, but its just not...I figure as I complete my program's requirements, get on the waiting list, there is still plenty of time to decide...

I understand where you are coming from. I worry about the last 50lbs. or so.  Will I be able to get it off without a WLS...Will I keep it off?  I've never lost as much as I have now (46lbs.), and really, so eaisly.  Iam not dieting, just cutting back, being careful, eating healthy.  I have treats when I want them, and I weigh several times a week...

We all continue to struggle, WLS or not....

I think you are losing a very sensible way, something you CAN keep up.  I know when we "diet", its a depriving, and we just can't keep it up for a long enough time to get ALL the wt. off.  Doing it slowly, thoughtfully, in a healthy way that fits into our lifestyle I believe works..

Hope this helps...

Gael

the Lap band is only a restrictive tool... and you can so easily eat around it... I dont think it's a lot different from dieting the way you are now.... as long as you dont try to eat a whole pizza or something you know?  well, I havent had one so I dont know from first hand experience or anything but in my mind that's how it goes anyway. lol Keep up the good work!

I completely agree with Gael.  In fact, we are both in the same program and I had my VSG surgery scheduled for 2/8/10, but had to reschedule due to work issues. 

I started seriously dieting back in October because I had to take off 25 lbs before the surgeon would schedule the surgery.  They want to see that you are capable of sticking to a diet program and are serious abut weight loss.  Well, I did it and I kept losing.  In fact the actual FEAR of the surgery is kind of what keeps me going.  I've never had surgery and the potential problems scare the living crap out of me. 

I think the actual scheduling of the surgery has really brought to my mind a kind of no-nonsense "gotta get it done" mental state.  I just keep plugging along and the weight keeps coming off.  Of course, it hasn't been super speedy like it would with WLS, but it's been consistent.  Come April (when the surgeon's office is supposed to reschedule my surgery) I may just say "no thanks".  Yes, I am scared that I won't get it all off.  Yes, I'm scared that I will gain it back.  But I just have a different feeling this time.  And believe me, I've been doing the "diet" thing since I was 14 and I'm 45 now!!!  It just feels different this time.

Good luck with your decision and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Terri

I went through the whole shpiel and after I was approved by insurance, I opted out.  I really researched a lot, and realized that losing weight and maintaining it through bariatric surgery is no easier than going at it the natural non-surgical way.  In fact, it comes with more bummers than not.  I believe that you have to be mentally ready to lose weight, and its nromal to fail many times before that one day comes where you truly have had enough...

...Im there.

And hey, you got the same ticker as me

I agree with JennahBLYDNCR - if you read OH long enough you'll see plenty of people who had surgery and lost weight only to gain it back a few years later. I find that incredibly sad. I know not everyone does, but a lot do. The lap band has the highest percentage of people gaining their weight back. I decided not to have surgery and started to lose weight on my own.

You are very lucky to have a Dr. who is honest enough to suggest continuing with diet instead of surgery. You can always have the surgery, but once you have it you can't go back. I also think that the 6 months supervised diet may be good for awhile incase you change your mind. Obviously you have to make up your own mind but reading behind the lines I think you want to give diet alone a solid try to avoid surgery). It will also give you more time to research all the WLS options and look at their post surgical problems etc.

Skylar

I was scheduled to have a lap band last May. I had already started dieting, and trying to get on track. By the time I was supposed to have surgery, I had lost about 50 pounds. I decided then that I could do this on my own. At this point, I've lost about 105, and I feel great. So glad I didn't go through with it. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, and good luck!! 

Just wanted to say I hope you are doing well.
Keep us posted on how your weight loss is going.
Best wishes on your weight loss journey.