Anyone try the WLS post-op diet without having the wls?

 So after finding out that due to medications I must take, RNY is not for me.   LAP Band is just not something I feel comfortable with (and the stats are not very convincing).   And Ins. won't cover the VSG....I have decided to see what else I could try to do (anything is better than nothing at all)

I was wondering if anyone has tried using the Post Op weight loss surgery diet as a guide or a version thereof to lose weight.  Please comment on if you have had any sucess, problems, etc.

Thanks,
Shell

Do you have access to a dietitian?

I was turned down for surgery because I did too well on the dietitian guided diet at the local Bariatric clinic. The Dr, who is one of the top in the world, said that he wouldn't expect me to lose much more than the 45# I have at this point if I had surgery, and when balanced against the risks of surgery he couldn't refer me. Since I've lost almost all that he said would be a realistic amount to expect after surgery he said they'll treat me as if I had it and refer me to have my pannis removed (no cost to me) if I maintain the loss for 6 months.

I was pretty upset for several days, then I gave myself a shake and decided that since the diet I'm on is giving me a pretty steady 1# a
week loss right now I'm going to stick with it and gradually build
more exercise into my life so as to keep it going as long as possible. I figure I should get another 20# or so of loss before the exercise I'm will/able to do will balance my intake and I'll stop losing.

So - back to my question. If you have access to a dietition, get yourself an appointment, journal (totally honestly) your eating until that appointment. Tell her/him you need help setting up a diet you can live with long term that will help you shed the weight. (mine is 1400 calories. I'll be happy to tell you more privately)

Know that you will have to stick with the eating plan forever and build in some sort of exercise if you want to lose and KEEP it off. It WILL be difficult at first, but it gets easier as you develop strategies to deal with things like social eating and traveling.

The reason for doing something like this instead of the post surgical diet is that because we don't have surgical restriction we need something that works in the long term without that restriction.

I've found that by avoiding most prepackaged food (except calorie controlled frozen meals, which can be super helpful), reading packages carefully, applying strategies taught by my local Weight Wise program and journaling honestly my plan isn't too difficult to follow, and the improvement in quality of life after losing even the
amount I have is huge!

Kelly-Anne

No I have not tried that but it sounds like a good option for you. I've read a lot of about losing weight. It seems over the years it really comes down to calories in / calories out. If you can just lower your food intake, then you should start to see a loss on the scale. At some point if you can add extra movement into your day then you'll be able to keep that loss going or maintain the loss once you hit a plateau.

When I started losing weight I lowered my calories to 1,600 per day. I was so big that I just couldn't do much exercise and I couldn't afford a gym at the time. After about a year I started walking three times a week. It HURT and I hated it. I'm back on the weight loss train post baby and I'm doing what worked before but I'm adding in workouts and joined a gym I can afford. I'm seeing results once again!

I honestly wish you the best of luck! Some times we need that structure in the beginning with a fixed diet because we've been so out of hand for so long... Go with what will work for YOU!

Not exactly, but I’ve been trying to get close to a pre / post WLS diet the past few weeks. Initially I was scheduled for VSG (with Dr Kelly in TJ, MX) on May 13^th, and was supposed to start the pre-op diet 2 weeks before (April 29). But I got freaked out by a couple posts about leaks that I read on the VSG forum. So I decided to start the liquid diet 2 weeks earlier than necessary (April 15^th), give it 2-3 weeks and see how things went. If I did well enough I would cancel my VSG. Below are my stats.

Female 5’4"

254.4 high weight      1/03/11

240.0 start weight      4/15/11

231.8 (-8.2) week 1   4/22/11

228.6 (-3.2) week 2   4/28/11

225.2 (-3.4) week 3   5/06/11

130-140 goal weight

My diet consists mostly of protein shakes, but I’ll through in a lean & green meal (lean protein and veggies) every now and then. I plan to keep this up for about 12 weeks and just see how I feel. If I feel as great at 12 weeks as I do now, I may continue this longer. At some point I will transition to a daily lean & green meal, then maybe two lean & green meals. Needless to say (or maybe not), I have changed my mind about surgery. I decided to work on my head a little more before taking the drastic measure of altering myself surgically. Things have really changed for me. Yesterday I treated my mom and sister (both gastric bypass survivors) to Chili’s for lunch. Chili’s would normally be a big challenge for me (chips & queso, margaritas etc.) but all I had was a piece of grilled chicken and some steamed broccoli. I never used to eat veggis, so this is all a super big deal for me and I’m very proud of myself. If you would like the support of a weight-loss buddy, let’s exchange email addresses.

I did it with a support group and dietician. I had to focus on my health for 12 weeks to give me a boost mentally that I could sustain this new lifestyle. After the three months, I decided to keep going since it was working for me. Now, after almost 18 months of stable weight loss (and a few bumps) I am sixty pounds from being underweight! I haven't decided where my goal weight is, but I have decided to take surgery off the table. I'm comfortable with having the option. I do protein shakes for breakfast and dinner with a healthy lunch. I do the weigh****cher frozen meals/lean cuisine/etc or a ton of veggies with a little lean protein like chicken/turkey/pork. After just having the shakes I can actually have a 90 calorie cheese stick with a big bowl of cucumbers or broccoli and feel full. The key for me has been physical activity. I did NONE before. I almost could not walk up one flight of stairs! As the weight came off, it hurt a lot less and my tolerance went up. It was the consequences. When I didn't follow the plan or had two popsicles instead of the one I planned for myself, then I would punish myself by walking for an hour or until my heart rate was in the red zone (187 for me) It is a very personal journey. Pick what works for you. If it isn't working, change it. Don't wait for more than two weeks. It's too easy to quit. LIFE is BETTER skinny. Think of the Kia Soul commercial. You can have THIS or you can have THAT. Once you have a nice body, you'll think it was totally worth it!

Am I understanding correctly - you've been living on mostly shakes for 18 months? How difficult have you found it? How much have you lost? Are you able to maintain the loss while eating a "normal" mixed diet or will you need to stay on shakes and small meals of protein and veg forever?

I ask that because the Bariatric specialist I saw said he could put me on 900 calories of shakes a day and I'd lose a bunch, but that I'd have to stay on that level forever to keep it off. (I'd be thrilled to hear that he's wrong)

Kelly- Anne

Hi,

Right now, I only have one shake a day for breakfast.  My calorie range is 1180-1250/day. The hospital I attend says any lower just ruins your metabolism and we're working on improving mine by eating every two hours. I have Optifast bars for lunch but I really mix it up quite a lot. Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones are my main food choices, but always under 250. 

I'll have a big bowl of cucumber sticks with the black pepper trisket crackers or a 60 calorie cheese stick. I found oatmeal for 100 calories. I do grill and coo****asionally, but I'm not as comfortable with that yet.  If I grill a whole chicken, it's hard not to eat the whole thing since I used to eat two and think chicken is healthy!  I make a lot of fruit salads, strawberries and walnuts, oranges and pecans, cherries with cashews. Anything easy to measure in advance.  

The directions I try to follow is EAT every two hours. They explained it to me with a fire metaphor. You don't want to have a big meal. It's as if you throw a huge log on the fire and expect it to burn. You want to keep the metabolism burning sugar by giving it small kindling sticks frequently.  So, numbers. Mentally, I focus on a new lifestyle. I spend a lot of time trying to improve my physical fitness. 

I watch Biggest Loser!  16 weeks to a new you and think I've failed.  I was 220-230 range and now I'm in the 160s. If I could just give up Krispy Kreme, my body would shrink faster. I find I still have to work in cravings and that puts the weight loss back. About once a month (it's not scheduled, just necessary) I have Chicago Deep Dish pizza slice, a Rocky Mountain chocolate factory carmel apple, or some craving and then get back ontrack and double my exercise to try and compensate.  So far, I find the lifestyle manageable. I'm never hungry, but that doesn't mean I don't WANT food and alcohol. I hope that answers all your questions.