Question:
Tips for losing the mandatory weight prior to surgery approval?

Like most, I have a mandatory weight reduction, in my case 5% or 15 pounds, to lose prior to my surgeon scheduling the surgery. Over the past few years I was already trying to lose weight including a 600 to 800 calorie Medifast Liquid Diet regime. It has badly impacted my metabolism and now I have great difficulty with losing any weight even on a high protein 800 calorie a day diet. For those that have the same weight reduction requirement, and also had already been trying to lose weight, can you offer tips on how to get that mandatory pre-op weight off?    — Annette M. (posted on May 30, 2009)

May 30, 2009
Wow! with that low of a calorie count you cannot have a work out routine. You have to at least a 1000 cal diet in order to incorporate an exercise routine, which should help you lose some weight. Please check with your doctor to increase the calories. Good luck
   — Dori M.

May 31, 2009
Six to eight hundred calories? I am also doing a 6 mo. pre-surgery diet. I know everyone is different but I am slowly losing and eating 1800 calories a day, no sweets, no soda, and i ride my exercise bike 15 min. a day (I'm really out of shape :)- but I am losing! I graze most of the day and make sure to have healthy snacks already prepared so I can grab them quickly. My latest fave- slice bananas and strawberries, put in a bowl and dump a single SF chocolate pudding on top- Banana split heaven!
   — Jung

May 31, 2009
If you are doing 600 to 8oo calorie routine over a period of time, your body automaticly goes into starvation mode. The body doesn't know if going to get any more food. So,it tries to hold onto what ever weight you have. Talk to your doctor about going on a 1000 to 1200 calorie, well balanced, and nutrition diet. One with plenty of protein, fruits, and vegies. This way, you are building your body up so it can handle the surgery. Then, trying working out by walking and doing light weight training. My surgeon requires me to lose 10 pounds before surgery. At the center I go to, the dietician goes over your eating habits. Since I've been following a the WW program, the dietician looked at my food journal. After she read my menus, the only thing she recommended was to drink more water and slow down my eating(trying to take 20 minutes to eat, use smaller plates, and use baby forks and spoons to slow the eating down. It takes the brain 20 minutes to know its full. I'm sorry if I ran on. I hope this helps.
   — Kathleen W.

June 1, 2009
If that's all you are eating your body thinks you are starving and it is storing everything you eat to prevent that. My doctor put me on Liver Shrink Diet 2 weeks before surgery and I lost 18 pounds. It's really simple. A protein shake or bar for breakfast, a small piece of fruit and a low fat yogert mid morning (because I was diebetic), a protein bar or drink for lunch, another pc of fruit & sm yogert for mid afternoon, and for dinner - 4 ounces of lean meat (about size of pack of cards, all green & yellow vegies I could eat, a small potato (smal1 enough to fit in palm of hand) and fruit, for bedtime snack, a sm pc of fruit and another yogert. As I said I lost 18 pounds in two weeks and wasn't hungary. You can't stay on this for more than two weeks at a time but it's a good jump start to losing. I'm 14 months post op and have lost 108 pounds, I'm off insulin and blood pressure meds and feel great. Gook Luck on your journey.
   — SLittle1