Question:
Is there a quick weight loss regiment if surgery is not an option?

There use to be liquid diets monitered by health care professionals. Is surgery still now the only option?    — Janet D. (posted on August 7, 2005)

August 7, 2005
Janet, don't go down that road...if it does work, it's only temporary. Just as a side note---My MIL and her sister joined weight watchers the day I had surgery. They both lost 100lbs before I did. Food for thought.
   — RebeccaP

August 7, 2005
Janet, my clinic offers a non-surgical option, which is a supervised diet. I'm not sure if it is all liquids, but I know liquids are involved. I'd call around to the clinics and programs in your area and see if anyone offers something like this.
   — Jeanie

August 7, 2005
If you can do it without surgery, GO FOR IT!!! The trick will be maintenance once you lose the weight... it's always the difficult, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE, part. Maintenace is hard for everyone, surgery or no surgery. But there are success stories of folks who lost the weight without surgery and have kept it off. It's mind over matter :-) Go to the nutritionist, or a doctor and start a monitored lifestyle change... GOOD LUCK!!!
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 7, 2005
There still is the OPTIFAST program which is the liquid program, talk to your PCP and see if he has the name of a dr in your area that provides this service and support
   — afs720

August 7, 2005
I did several liquid diets many years ago, then a thousand other diets before succombing to surgery. I've had numerous complications because of the surgery (6 hour surgery for a scheduled 1 1/2 hour procedure because my stomach was adhered to my diaphram, low blood sugar possibly because too much intestines were bypassed, an intestinal ulcer landing me in the hospital 5 days, lots of nausea for reasons I'm still not sure of, and many others), but I'd still do the surgery all over again, even KNOWING the complications up front. This might not be everyone's answer, but it's mine. I don't have the same concerns I had before the surgery. I don't have to work to keep off that 5 pounds that took me a month to lose, I feel incredibly sexy (a big change for me...I never knew how to feel sexy before), I feel accepted more by the general public, etc. (I could go on along that strand). The liquid diets made me weak and became the biggest problem if I "slipped". With the surgery, the only "slipping" I do is when I eat a bite or two too much. The consequences of my "slipping" post surgery last 10 minutes max. The consequences of eating something I shouldn't have with the liquid diets last a week. It throws everything in your body off. Also, with the liquid programs you really need to go to the support groups. I'm not a support group person. I hated the groups personally. No groups for post op. I didn't go to any groups for surgery, though they were available if I had wanted to. The liquid diets cost me a fortune, too. Insurance wouldn't pay anything. The surgery was covered by my insurance. I don't regret ANY of the surgery. I DO regret the TONS of money I spent and the time & energy & worry I spent on the liquids. I can't say DON'T do the liquids....I had to learn for myself the hard way. It's your money, your time, your investment of energy and your decision. By the way, on the liquids, the first time I was 25 years old, I was 180 and went to 140 in about 4 months but went up to 200 in about 3-4 months as soon as I stopped. That doesn't mean you will do that...as I said, I hated the groups, which are crucial to the success of the liquid diets. On the other liquids, I never lost more than 15 pounds because I didn't stay 100% to them, since I was so sick with the first one. I guess you could say with the second, third and fourth ones, I "cheated" (if you can call it that). I didn't eat chocolate or whatever..but I did eat. I ate what is considered "smart" food (low cal, low fat, etc). On the liquids, it's all or nothing (at least in my experience). Good luck to you.
   — Amy M.

August 8, 2005

   — Kasey