Question:
I had to go through 4-6 months of supervised weight management. I haven't lost any

weight going into my 3rd month is this bad that i haven't lost and weight of do i need to use some type of diet pill of more help to loose weight?    — Vanessa Dates (posted on December 1, 2006)

December 1, 2006
My doctor put me on phentremine (may have misspelled by a letter or two). That truly works. It cuts your appetite, cuts down on sweets, sodas, and carbohydrates, i.e. french fries, pasta, breads. I've been off the meds since about September per my surgeon. My surgery is on Jan 18th and they wanted me off long enough to get it out of my system. Ask your physician if they can prescribe that one for you. You want to eat when you take it because when I didn't I'd become irritable and so ready to eat something. I lost aobut 20 lbs.
   — the7thdean

December 1, 2006
I take it you have not had surgery, and I am not sure what type of surgery you are considering. let us explore the possibilities 1. You have lost some weight initially 2. You have not lost any weight at all. 3. you have not had much nutritional counseling 4 nobody has ever explained the physiollogical way the body stores fat These things in mind I will try to explain If you have lost some weight (for every 3 grams of weight lost, 2 thirds of that is fluid. and you always lose allot of fluid first. once you have lost 20 to thirty pounds, then your body does not need as many calories to feed itself with to maintain a smaller size. So you need to decrease your portions and at the same time up your exercise to keep your metabolism all fired up and working, otherwise your body will think it is starving and slow down (Starvation mode) and you mon't lose anything or hardly anything.If you start out every morning BEFORE BREAKFAST and walk at first 20 minutes and increase this by 2 minutes daily and go faster each time the weight will come off. When you do this after surgery it comes off faster still. remember to drink water plentifuly and take your protein and what ever suplements your surgeon recomends. Above all don't listen to negative imput and connect with somone in a support group who can show you the ropes ad encourage you. Don't forget to keep all your post op appointments and go to your support group meetings keep posting and tell me how you are going
   — Lise K.

December 1, 2006
Hi Vanessa... I read your question and am stumped. You say that you have been on your weight loss program for 3 months and haven't lost any weight. That tells me that you probably aren't sticking to the diet and not exercising. It is not possible to follow a medically based (Weight watchers, Jenny Craig, LA Wt loss, etc) and not lose any weight. I think that you need to be honest, start keeping a food journal, start measuring your portions and start exercising, if you are not already. And the exercise means 20min of continuous cardio to increase your heart rate and keep it up for at least 20 minutes. Your body will not start burning up its fat stores until you have hit that 20 min mark. If you don't do these things.... you will be wasting the surgery. Sure you will lose weight in the first 6 months.... anyone will, even if they sit on the sofa and watch TV all day, but after that, if you have not changed your mind set and got some kinds of exercise routines instituted, then your weight loss is going to come to a standstill or maybe even start gaining some of it back. It is possible to gain the weight back by grazing all day or eating the wrong foods.... just read some of the people posting and it will prove that true. So be truthful with yourself and stick to your diet to the letter. If you are honestly, and I mean honestly doing this already, then you need to find a new diet program, because the one you are on is not working. Drugs are not the answer and some of them have some very nasty side effects.... good luck to you........
   — Kari_K

December 1, 2006
I agree with Kari...there's NO way, after 3 months of "dieting" that you couldn't lose SOMETHING! That just doesn't make sense...Have you cut out sugar, caffeine, and only have NO more than 25carbs a day? Do you walk? Hmmmmmm Your nutritionist needs to counsel you. The surgery works ONLY if you're willing to do what your surgeon asks! It's a GREAT tool and I hope you take full advantage of it! Good luck and don't give up! YOU can make the difference in your life and there are LOTS of people to support you!
   — zoeysgrami

December 1, 2006
I would say you should have lost some weight, however, the 6 mos supervised diet is required by your insurance whether you lose or not, however many drs will make you lose weight before surgery, which makes it easier on you at your surgery.
   — geneswife

December 1, 2006
Vanessa - I was required to lose 10 pounds before surgery (per my surgeon) and to have 3 months of supervised weight management (per my insurance). I went to a gym 3 times a week and tried to follow the diet given to me by the nutritionist, but I still struggled with those last 4 pounds. I then went on protein shakes just to see what it would be like, and voila, the last 4 pounds came off. I used protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and ate a "normal" dinner. Good luck to you! Patty.
   — Patricia R.

December 2, 2006
Hi Vanessa, I had to do a 6 month diet/exercise plan with my PCP for my insurance company too. I was not required to lose any amt of weight but when I went to one of my appts, I had gained about 10 pounds. My PCP told me that if I didnt get serious and show that I was trying, my surgeon would not do surgery because I did not show that i could change my lifestyle, which is a requirement after WLS. I took that advice to heart, even though I knew it already. I lost that weight by the next appt and more. I have maintained that loss through the end of my appts, my last one was yesterday. The ins co does not want weight loss, they just want to know that you have been compliant with whatever program you and your dr. have discussed. At the end of the 4 or 6 month period, your PCP will be the one who will write your letter confiming whether you have done this or not. That is what is submitted to insurance. It helps if you can lose some weight, it just makes surgery easier to perform, less for you to have to lose post-surgery and helps you to prepare for your new lifestyle. Good luck to you, I know it can be difficult, especially when you havent had surgery to control cravings and "last meals" but it can be done and will help you in the long run. I personally would not do diet pills--been there done that, they cause a lot of damage sometimes, and could create problems with blood pressure and things like that. I refuse to take them ever again. Weight watchers, south beach or even a modified Atkins program will work well for you for this time period to help you get a jump start. Angela
   — A Q.

December 3, 2006
Phentermine did not work for me at all - i actually gained weight on it. However, that is the reason for the surgery. If I could have lost weight without it, i would have!
   — Novashannon