May 17th 2017 Orientation TWH

Hello! I was referred to the bariatric network on March 11th 2016 and got my orientation papers on Friday. I have my orientation scheduled May 17th at Toronto Western Hospital and I couldn't be happier! I have been reading through the forums and downloading diet guidelines as well as following many people on Instagram, needless to say I am excited!

I have a few concerns however;

I am moving to Trenton (from Whitby) at the end of the summer and I'm am worried how this will affect the process

I am boarderline for the BMI referral. If I went down 15 pounds I would no longer qualify based on the BMI requirements. My doctor said to be as healthy as possible but it sounds ridiculous I would hate to lose 15 pounds, not qualify, then gain back 20 (as per my on going pattern)

thirdly would be that I currently don't eat all that much food, I just don't eat healthy I have three children and by the time I'm done work and done with them the last thing I want to do it eat healthy I just want a burger LOL I also don't eat fast by any means it takes me 30 minutes or longer to eat a meal as it is. I cant help but wonder if this will impact the results.

Any information and encouragement is appreciated!

Hi Alisha,

I am in the same boat! If I loose more than 20 pounds, then I don't qualify (I was told this at the orientation). Actually when I started this process (almost a year now) it was 10 pounds, but I have gained 10 more since then. It's been a crazy way to think about weight loss and it has really stressed me out. My BMI is between 30-35 and I have two co-morbidities so at the moment I qualify. I also went to a support meeting for WLS and was told I was a "lightweight". I left there feeling really weird and a bit confused. I am still obese. I still want to loose the weight that has been keeping me back all these years. And yes, it is a constant struggle. Anyway, here is what I've decided to do. I still don't know when my surgery will be, but I suspect because of my recent appointments that it may be in the fall. So, I have decided to try to lose the 20 pounds between now and then and then try to maintain that weight until surgery. I went on myfitnesspal and figured out how many calories a day I would need to lose that amount of weight within that timeframe. It's actually a really steady and slow rate and it works for me. I also thought it would be a good idea to do this to practise tracking my food to prepare me for after surgery. Finally, I have heard that the lower your weight is for surgery, the lower your "set point" will be once you stopped losing weight (after surgery). Just sharing this with you so you might want to think about doing the same thing.

That's a great idea! I have no idea when or if I will be eligible for surgery but I'm going to assume it would be approximately 1 year so it really wouldn't be such a bad idea to get into the habit of tracking food and getting down to the lowest point possible. Thanks for the advice Barbara!

I was also just barely eligible based on BMI (no other contributing factors) but I asked at TWH orientation and the woman running the session (Program Manager: Sandra Robinson) told me that approval is based upon your BMI at referral and that if I was to drop below 40 I would still be approved.

Good luck, its such an exciting time.

Thanks that's good to know. I really do want to be the lowest weight possible going into surgery!

I was also assured that it's BMI at referral. They are aware that weight loss is achievable however regain is the norm. I just qualified at referral. BMI 40.2, not long into the process I was BMI 38 and no one has blinked an eye. I will likely be under 200 day of surgery but they have assured me that won't change a thing.

If you move to Trenton they will allow appointments via FaceTime type meetings. So that can cut down your travel days.

I can't speak to how it will work with how long it takes you to eat. But I can speak to the issue a little bit regarding how little you eat. I was concerned if this process would work for me because I already eat low carb and around 1200 calories per day. I track in Fitness Pal. However the reason I think this will work is it actually changes your set point. It totally changes your gut flora and also appears to correct your bodies bile and stomach acid production. These are the reasons I believe this is the only answer for me. This surgery seems to have more to with those points than with actual restriction/malabsorption.

Oh that would be great if they could do the appointments via FaceTime/skype! The day and age we live in eh!?

How is everything going weight loss wise since your surgery? Since you were in the same type of situation nutritionally as myself. Interesting perspective as it's not only changing the size but the entire anatomy including the gut flora. I have soooo many digestion issues it would be nice for it to solve them. I have a slow moving esophagus as well as I have stomach paralysis a few times a year that lasts a few days which.. is.. the.. worst! So painful all my food comes up whole! So painful! I would love for that to stop!

I am still 2 months from surgery. I was actually referred at the beginning on March 2016. The nurse practitioner will probably be able to answer your questions with regards to your special cir****tances. I would write down all your questions because they have a million they ask first and then it's easy to forget what you wanted to know!