Non-Surgery Weight Loss!

I am an over-weight woman, 299 lbs @ 5'3'', I don't have the money or the insurance to have the surgery, and even if I did have the money and insurance, I don't think I would be able to go thru with the surgery. So here is my question. What should I be eating? Like,  how many calories, how many grams of proteins, portion sizes, etc. I have been losing about 10 lbs a month since Jan. first of 2008, but I don't see a difference. I want more drastic results without starving myself. Will it hurt me to follow a RNY post op diet? If not, what does that consist of? PLEASE HELP??!! Rhonda

I know it sounds slow, but 10 lbs a month is a good amount of weight to lose.  If you keep that up for a year, you'll have lost 120 lbs.  That's not shabby results.   I don't think it would hurt you to follow a RNY post-op diet, but it would be REALLY difficult.  For example, I'm perfectly comfortable eating 4 oz of fish for lunch - and that will last me until dinner.  Most non-WLS patients would be STARVING TO DEATH (not literally) after a short time and end up in a binge.      A very good program is Weigh****chers.  You may have "been there, done that" - but it does work (although i tend to like the idea of the core program better than points).   Not only does it help to teach you what you should be eating - but how much. In all honesty, even AFTER WLS surgery, the one thing I've learned is that the ONLY true way to keep from gaining weight is to get up and move.  Walking, classes, swimming, whatever - find something you enjoy doing and then just do it.   

Thank you for your feedback, it means a great deal to me. I have been following (to the best of my knowledge) the RNY meal plan, I have been eating 4 - 5 oz per meal and a fruit inbetween for 8 weeks now, and my results have been 10 lbs a week. I find it hard to do things I enjoy, being a stay at home mom to 4 children, 2 of which are still home. I'm pretty much here al by myself until dinner, then it's bed time for me. I don't have much support here where I am, so it is hard for "mommy" time to actually be "mommy" time. But thank you very much for your help. Do you know of any websites or anything that offer "free" meal plans for RNY post-op patients?

I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to you.  You are doing great so far.  If you can keep that up and add exercise you will be just fine.   You won't continue to lose at such a fast rate and at some point expect your weight loss to stall.  This is completely normal and to be expected.  Just keep working your program and it will pick up again.  Try sparkspeople.com as another source of support.  Good luck to you.  I wish you the best! Wanda

Thank you Wanda, I will also go to that website for the extra support that I may need. So far everyone here on OH is so understanding and supportive, I don't think I could ask for me. I have recieved a lot of feedback about the message I posted and 100% of it has been useful knowledge.  Thank you so much, Rhonda

The only website that has helped me in regards to my WLS eating is the 5daypouchtest.com.   You could actually follow that if you wanted to.  The BEST part about that is that it completely banishes the carb monster and helps us to gain control over what we're eating.   When you're done with the 5 days, you won't crave ANY carbs whatsoever (bad ones), and you'll be eating a very healthy diet.  And, heck, it's only 5 days long - you can do that with your eyes closed!     There's also a community board there where people are VERY into healthy eating habits. 

Have you visited/posted a similar question on the non-ops forum here on OH? They have a forum for folks who are dealing with their weight loss in a non-operative way. :) Might be worth checking out. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/non_postops/ I'm happy to share with you what my post-op diet looks like. My guidelines from my NUT are to eat a balanced diet, focusing on protein first. We also have minimum servings of each food group we're supposed to get in. If you don't currently track your food intake, that might be very beneficial. My guidelines are as follows: Up to 1200 calories per day...more if I am exercising regularly (which I am, but I still seem to stay under that 1200 mark most days, typically around 1100) Minimum of 75 g of protein daily, usually from chicken, fish, or lean pork or beef 3 to 4 half-cup servings of veggies daily 1 to 2 servings of fruit daily 1 to 2 servings of dairy daily 25 g of fat daily, minimum, and no more than 40 g daily (for me) Whole grain foods to balance out the meals Minimum of 64 oz. of water (my personal minimum is 80 oz. daily) I eat 3 "meals" daily and 2 to 3 snacks daily...so I'm eating something about every 3 hours. And I weigh and measure everything so my portions are "on". I also exercise 3 to 4 times per week. Today, my meals will be: Breakfast - 1 VitaMuffin CranBran with 1 teaspoon Olivio and 1/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese sweetened with a little Splenda and cinnamon Snack - 1 oz. turkey jerky and an apple Lunch - 4 oz. boneless skinless teriyaki chicken breast and 1 cup of oven-roasted cauliflower Snack - 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt with 1/2 cup Fiber One Cereal Dinner - Baked Salmon (with a little olive oil to keep it moist) with some lemon and onion and 1 cup of steamed broccoli with about a teaspoon of Olivio Snack - Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bar Totals for the day will be: 1062 calories, 26 g fat, 144 g carbs, 39 g fiber, 98 g protein

Thank you so much, that seems like a very easy diet, I have been following something similar but I haven't been watching the carb or protein intake. I love fruits and veggies more than meat and that is my downfall.  Thank you so much for taking the time out to help me. And i will check out the non post-op forum.  God Bless everyone! Rhonda

Keep the foods higher protein has helped me 1) be satisfied more at meals and 2) remain satisfied longer/few cravings. I also love my fruits and veggies, and I still have them...I just concentrate on protein first. :) Best of luck!