I agree with All that... and Kudos to you!!

Hi, hope you are still around... I just found your posts and greatly appreciate the topic of being unable or unwilling to have surgery and needing to keep trudging ahead best we can anyway... This website, forums, and your posts do help.

So here I go, and I apologize in advance for the long post:

I just joined this site Nov. 2017 when I first started the 6-month pre-op program with my health providers for VSG, and have been voraciously reading and studying everything here and everywhere else I can find (for over two years actually) to not only continuously increase my education in these topics but to stay motivated. I love this site and all the wonderful posts and posters!

I have been working towards WLS for a few years, dieting my whole life, etc, and have gone through all the requirements except final surgeon meetings (too early for that) - but - have lost enough weight now that I won't qualify for surgery. This has forced me to think very hard and try to infuse even more open-minded views on using the better nutritious eating and lifestyle practices I've been able to reinforce this time to gradually lose the weight since I won't likely be able to have surgery (unless I let myself get sloppy to regain the weight in order to have the surgery!). Now that I feel "in a groove" with this, I'll have to stick it out and strive for averaging maybe a 1 pound loss per week, giving myself to the month of when I would have had the surgery to see how well I can do using all that I've learned and practiced. There's nothing better I can do anyway... but that should give me sufficient motivation to be patient and go another 6 months, etc, at a time. At least I will know it will be the healthiest way to lose weight that I can manage.

I too have cardiac issues, had a heart attack, apparently a mild stroke I didn't know about (tiny white spot in my grey matter?!), and the usual host of qualifying co-morbs and other obesity ailments... and need to take some weight off before I have a knee replacement, etc. So I truly need to stick with a healthy forever lifestyle, with or without surgery. I like your efforts to eliminate your worst bugaboos, even if one at a time. Pepsi - big one. Mine were also breads, brown rice and pastas, some sweets. I gradually lessened each, which now seem to be well-managed if not eliminated. I am always looking for a healthy substitution for each taste, sensation, urge, etc to be satisfying without feeling deprived; increasing activity and exercise; weighing-counting-tracking everything (Baritastic app); leading with protein, getting it all in; same for fluids (living on extra-diluted Crystal Light or similar beverages), and taking vitamins and calcium. Works, so far so good, just losing on average 1 lb a week, and feeling great. I have also worked on trying to more quickly reduce my stress responses (good for heart anyway), not overloading my time, and I am retired so want to appreciate and enjoy what I have earned. Yes, don't give up and don't give in! We are doing this!

As an aside, I have been "living" in the VSG forum and spent time in many other forums here to glean so much knowledge and motivation.. I have not found any other sites to be nearly as helpful and enjoyable. I hope you all continue, even without surgery, to participate, and I hope those of us who now cannot have the surgery are always welcome, since I am practicing the very measures the vets and others here reinforce for weight loss and maintenance. In effect, I am now on lifetime maintenance with 1200 calories, sadly without the surgery, but working to keep this positive. All posts and tons of helpful, healthful measures given here are the things that will get us through slow times, plateaus, lazy, tired and frustrated times, and work so much better (for me) than the support groups in the city (which I probably won't be allowed to attend much longer anyway). When I get booted out of the program, this is all I will have, and it's the best, so it's crucial we all feel comfortable here.

You are all brave, strong for making all the efforts and improvements you make every day, and very much appreciated. Looking forward to more! *hugs*

Hello fellow members!

I am new to the Optifast program (originally started on the surgical route, but got very scared the more I learned!), and I wanted to ask anyone for suggestions on how to make this successful - are there specific times of the day to take the shakes (I am doing 4/day)? any add-ins for flavour supplements? (I read somewhere that cold coffee was added to the vanilla :-) Does everyone add the fibre to the shake itself?

Any other tips?

Thanks!

Thank you so much. i am now at the 6 week mark and down 30 lbs. its been an incredible journey !!!

You are doing an amazing job so far!! I am starting my Optifast 900 on January 2, 2018. I am travelling this up coming weekend and we are only bringing backpacks on our flight. So no room for extras except warm clothes. Please keep posting on how fabulous you are doing!!