Medical Bariatric Program

Has anyone here done the Medical Bariatric Program at Guelph or elsewhere?  I have my orientation this Friday and would love to hear from anyone who has gone through it.

My doctor recommended that I look into WLS back in January and sent in a referral for me.  In the six months following that appointment, terrified at the thought of major surgery, I lost 40lbs through diet and exercise so she recommended that I try the Medical program first.  I'm excited about getting the help, but wonder how I'm going to manage 12-18 weeks of Optifast and am afraid of immediate regain after the program ends.  WLS will be the next step if I don't succeed.

It is my understanding (and I could be completely wrong) that if you do the medical program and then decide that surgery is a better option you are made to wait a whole year before being "re-referred" to the surgical program.

Hope everything works out for you and if I'm wrong that someone chimes in with the correct info.

Myndy

Thanks for the info, Myndy. I wasn't aware that I couldn't be referred directly to the surgical program if the medical one wasn't effective. 

I don't know your age or the amount of weight you have to lose

12 - 18 weeks of optifast will assist you in a 50 pound weight loss - maybe a little more ( all figures approximate)

Will you gain it back - maybe and maybe not.  I did the program many years ago and did gain it all back and some - but I am sure some were able to keep it off by due diligence.

If you are young - under 35 - I sure would try the medical program first and see before a choice of surgery.  Surgery is the last resort of weight loss and if you screw it up there are no other choices other then regular diet and exercise to get any excess off

My personal opinion is you need to be very scared of surgery and failing - and to me that means trying all other choices before this so you are completely determined to succeed. 

Good luck with your choice

I am 33 and need to lose another 104 lbs in order to have a normal BMI. I have just lost 45lbs on my own so I would be thrilled if I could lose 50-60 on the Optifast program and then work on the rest on my own. 

I have three children, including one year old twins, and right now the risk of death or serious complications from the surgery is terrifying. I have no co-morbitities at the moment which makes trying everything else first more appealing. 

There are two versions of the medical program.  One called Lifestyle and the other one is the Opti program.  Lifestyle works with you for 12 weeks in teaching you the tools you need to loose weight and be sucessful and also includes an exercise portion as well.  Opti is a longer program as eventually you need to transition off the opti back to food and they do help you with that process.  I have seen people do well doing that.  I have participated in the Lifestyle program but do know others that have done the Opti.  Opti you will obviously loose weight faster than the lifestyle program.  Success on Opti. There are a number of people who have succeeded but not sure how long it lasted, however surgery also has its owns struggles of regain too.  I basically maintained on the lifestyle program, did learn a few things but......  I actually started off being referred to the surgical program went to orientation and was not sure that surgery was for me, found out about the medical program and decided to try that first.  They changed the rules mid stream during my program and you do have to wait a year from the start of the medical program if you want to transfer to the surgical program.  It was not like that originally when I started but that changed.  I am now in the process of transitioning back to surgical.  I feel like I tried the medical program but I need more tools in my shed than that program provided.  If you are unsure other than putting surgery off for a period of time if you try either medical program at least you know you have covered all your bases.  That choice is really yours to take.  It took me doing this to finally decide that surgery is likely where I need to be.  However, I am still trying to do this on my own in the hopes that I can do it but time will tell.  I hope this helps you with your question.  If you want any more info you can always PM me.   They also offer a mentor program of some sort, I am not sure but you might ask them if you could speak to someone who has done the Opti program and you may get a better understanding of their struggles and successes.  Good Luck. 

Thanks for the information!  How long did you have to wait between the Orientation appointment and actually starting the program?  I have orientation Friday and just want to get on with this.

It actually was not all that long.  I went to orientation in January and started the program in late February.  However, it does all depend on when they plan on starting their next program.  You could ask that at orientation.  FYI I was given A LOT of misinformation from them so I suggest that you follow up on what they tell you regularly just to make sure you have the right info.  I almost missed being able to start in February because they gave me the wrong information about when the programs were going to start etc.  Good Luck.  Make the best decision for yourself and don't be shy to ask questions.  They will have you taste the opti too.   Good Luck.

I'm crushed!  At the orientation session today, they indicated that the wait list is still 1-2 years long.  I won't be able to start the program until January 2017 at the earliest.  I don't know what I'm going to do, but I certainly can't wait that long to do something about my weight.