Alli or Full Bar??

This is the first time I posted on this board, actually this is the first time Ive even visited this board.  I am at this point in the process of going thru the process for WLS however I still of doing it on my own without WLS.   I dont feel that I have the willpower or self disipline to stick to something to make me lose the weight, I feel having WLS will be the tool I need to teach myself how to have self control.  IDK maybe im just fooling myself, but I thought id get advice if any of you used Alli or Full Bar or anything else as a tool to help you lose the weight.

Hello Kimberly, welcome to the non-op board.  I don't know much about Alli or Full Bar but I do know a li'l sumpn't about weight loss.  ;-)

I've lost 131 pounds and I know what it feels like to feel like you have no will power or self discipline.  Seems like without that there is no hope of any permanent weight loss.  But let me let you in on a little secret, WLS does not teach you self control or will power, that's something you will have to learn on your journey whether you have surgery or not.  It may teach you self disclipline, but only because if you eat something you are not supposed to, then you dump, feel miserable, and you learn not to eat that again.  I have made friends with people who are four and five years out from surgery who have the same issues with regain that I do and they are dealing with the same issues that you are now.  Surgery doesn't teach you anything, it just allows you to eat less...for a while.  It also doesn't promise that you will lose all of your weight, just two thirds of it.  Once the honeymoon is over, you're on your own, same as you are now. 

If I had any tool for you at all is to go through sugar and starch detox, once you're done, it helps you not have cravings.  It's not a pretty process and you may feel like crap, but all of the sugar and starch and processed foods you are eating are making you crave more sugar and starch and processed foods the same way that a crack head has to have his dope.  While you are going through it, just keep reminding yourself of the years of abuse you have put your body through and the healing process is going to take some time.  Be kind to yourself, love yourself, and your body will follow suit.

I find that the best tool is to love yourself enough to take care of the only body you get in this life, it has a long way to go to take care of you.

Best wishes,

Mary 

Kimberly...I love your ticker....so true, one pound is a small step to a big change....one in the right direction!!!

I have to agree whole heartedly with Mary...for me it is all about an addiction to the white stuff....sugar and flour.  I swear if you can get through 3-4 days without any of it, the cravings disappear and you will feel much more in control.  I know my ticker doesn't show any success in this realm (once again trying WW as that seems to help me with portion control), but my only real success at losing weight was when I did just that...give up the flour and sugar.

This time I'm doing WW making healthy choices within my points range.  Only eating lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies and allowing myself one of those Skinny Cow low fat ice cream treats at the end of the day (makes me not feel deprived and something to look forward to).

However you choose to lose the weight, make it something you can do for a lifetime, it has to be a lifestyle change.  I have sabotaged myself many a time and I think the key to success is also loving yourself, like Mary said, so that you feel you really DESERVE to make these healthy choices and experience the increased energy and self esteem they provide.  I'm just starting out on my journey this week too....let's do it together!!  This is a great board and you will find all kinds of support and encouragement here.

I want to support what Mary and Sherrie said.  The best way to start is to detox your body from processed foods THEY ARE ADDICTIVE.  I am talking from experience because I am going through the process right now and it is a very difficult struggle but I have decided that I'm going to do this now.  I've tried all those weight loss shakes, bars etc looking for a quick fix to weight loss and they don't work, you lose the weight and regain all and then some because your body is starving and wants to be nourished with REAL food.  All that weight loss crap is toxic.  You have to get your body and taste buds used to food that God/nature intended for it.  So my advice would be to eat as much natural foods as you can, eliminate oils and fats, excess sugars and excess salt from your diet and get moving.  I see amazing results everytime I stick to my exercise program.  I'm taking the stairs more now and I am way less tired than I used to be and my depression is not as bad as before.  The more I eliminate those toxic foods from my diet the better I feel.  I want to stress it is not easy at first because your body and mind will resist the change but you must keep at it and it will get better with time if you give it a chance.  Good luck and keep posting on this message board.

PS about the willpower and self discipline.  I used to think I didn't have the will power but I am realizing that it's not so much about my will power as it is about the process I use to get healthy.  If you use the right process the body is amazing and forgiving and will regulate itself naturally but you have to give it the right foods.  The reason we can't resist eating what we are not supposed to is because half the time we are starving ourselves without realizing it and the urge to eat is unstoppable.  Once you start eating right and exercising you won't have to worry about will power.  I find that exercise also helps to control my appetite.

HI and welcome to our corner of the world.....

CONGRATS on taking control. 
I asked my Dr about Ali a few years ago (before I started my own journey).  He discouraged me from using it.  He actually said, if I didn't mind soiling my pants I could use it...... I asked him to clarify and he did....     
Since Ali stops the absorption of fat it slides through the body quickly and easily and often times with little warning, ergo, the pants soiling.  

I once ate a Full Bar as a snack meal when on the road but didn't look into it as a serious weight loss plan.

I just want to toss out a couple thoughts..........
"You mentioned you don't think you have willpower or self discipline to stick with something to lose weight."  I have a number of friends who had WLS...in order to lose the weight and keep it off you still need will power and self control.   

I lost my weight by eating healthy and exercising.  Bottom line its all about calories in and calories out.  I did not starve myself.  I ate all day (and still do).  I finally learned that I can't lose weight by eating only 800 cals a day.  Yes, I would lose temporarily but I would crack and go back to old/bad habits and regain the 40 or 50 lbs I lost......PLUS MORE.  When I started on my journey I started out by eating about 1,800 cals a day (hey, I was almost 300 lbs at that point so I need more food to keep the body working), PLUS I worked out 6 days a week.

The difference for me this time and the hundreds of times in the past I failed was this........ I finally realized I would die very young if I didn't take control and I I wanted to live.  I hoped it was not too late for me but I decided to take control.  I looked into WLS but decided I would give it one more try.   I sort of sat down and talked to myself and decided to make me my priority for the first time in my life.  I told my friends and family I was going to be selfish but I had to take the time to focus on me.  I tried to select healthy foods for every meal and snack.

Hope you post often and share with us...
Best Wishes on your decisions and journey!

i can't use ali because i have no gallbladder and i won't get into the problems that can cause!!  but regarding the full bar- i compared it to a regular protein bar and this is what i came up with:

the fullbar has less calories, sodium and fat than the protein bar and is 1 point less (ww) than the protein bar.  however, it has more sugar, carbs and less protein than the protein bar, so i choose to eat the protein bar because it keeps me full longer.  i normally eat one either mid morning or mid afternoon when i get hungry but don't want to waste points something non-nutritional, the protein bar has 20 grams of protein and only 2g of sugar, so, for me, it's a good replacement to my habitual candy bar at that time and normally keeps me satisfied until dinner.  hope that helped!! 

I know that even if I do have WLS I still need the self disiplin, I just feel like having the surgery is more of a tool to teach it to me, I know you dump when you eat foods that your not supposed and stuff like that, and I feel like thats what i need in order to learn the self disiplin I need.

Like I said I want to try it on my own the thought of all the risks with the surgery I have a 3 year old and I want to be here to see him grow up, I dont want my weight to kill me and I dont want to have sever complications from WLS and that kill me.

I am giving it my all to learn the healthy ways to eat and the right choices. I have no clue how to fix a healthy meal I cant find anything online with free help to teach me or give me a meal plan. I feel like if I could have someone tell me weekly or even monthly what my meal plan is dor each day I could do it, but having to think it on my own I have no clue and it makes me feel hopeless. I would so much rather lose the weight on my own then have WLS I just feel I have no other options.

i do understand that, truely!!  i was supposed to have surgery this past tuesday (27th) but changed my mind at the last minute because with the surgery there are possibilities of hypoglycemia and ulcers, which i felt were just as bad as some of the obesity related diseases- now that was a little easier for me to decide because even though i am morbidly obese, i don't actually have any co-morbidity diseases.  i am in no way trying to sway your decision, this is a big decision and although everyone on all these boards have different opinions, in the end it's your opinion that matters!!  however, if you want to try the healthy cooking, there are tons of cookbooks on the market now to teach you how to cook a little more healthy- you can check these out at your library as well, instead of going out and investing tons of money, check them out to decide which one works best for you.  good luck, think long and hard and remember to listen to your heart and your decision will be the right one!!  i'll be praying for you whatever you decide!!

Hello. I've used them both and neither worked for me. I didn't have a problem with Alli when I was on it. Some people say it makes you go #2 in your pants  but if you don't eat alot of fatty foods you would be ok. As for the Full bar it tasted gross so I never tried it again.