kteminem

This diet is hard!! I'm having a really difficult time giving up carbs .... tonight I bought some cauliflower rice and mashed cauliflower to try to replace some of the carbs I would have normally put on my plate and it's getting tough and I'm only a couple weeks in. I tried both substitutes and thought they were gross... I am getting a little sick of salads and I'm desperately trying to stay positive though a few ppl i know are very very good at putting me down and telling me I won't succeed. I really want to be better but I'm not gonna lie this is becoming way harder than I thought it would be!!.... Thanx Sincerely Positively discouraged KT

On the carbs thing I'm Italian I love pasta and bread and potatoes and rice every meal I've pretty much ever had growing up had one or more of those items in it. Ik me too but I also know its probably best I dont have their dietitian. Well I could probably have a cheeseburger with no bun as long as its cooked a specific way and made with extra lean meat KT

Nope KT

I am on a no carb low fat diet all I can have is 3 oz of meat and then veggies and I have to eat them in that order as well as not having any liquid within 30 min of my meal. Your diet sounds much simpler than mine... but I trust my dietitian and he had a lot of great reasons for the different parts of it. It is just hard. KT

The nutritionist is the one who told me that I had to have a specific blend of vitamins designed for someone who has my specific surgery ... they have a special brand that you can buy on amazon and its website and at the office. As for the meal replacements the center must use those in particular because they are familiar and can make it simple for the patient (I am guessing) but i think i only need the 2 weeks for it but i will definitely ask these questions at my next visit and see what they say. Thank you for the advice ... idk if there is an OA around here. KT

Hey everyone, I just thought I would introduce myself and tell ya'll a little about me and my journey. So I have been severely obese my whole life and when i was young my mother and grandmother had gastric bypass surgery. When i was about 16 my mother decided that i needed to have the surgery. I went through the process for several months before they realized i was too young for the insurance to cover the surgery. They approached and asked me to wait a few more months until I was almost 18 and then continue the program where I left off. Upset i left and waited coming back to the program a few months before i turned 18 i again attended the appointments as instructed. I was about a month or two away from the surgery and then my private therapist told me that he had gotten the information back from the clinic and they had included their notes. He told me that they didn't think I was dedicated enough to the surgery . I was heart broken what did that even mean I wasn't dedicated enough I had done so much to prepare for the program driving hours away jumping through hoops trying to do everything they asked of me. The only explanation i could come up with that fir the description was that they expected me to lose weight when doing the things they had asked and I had instead gained about 25 pounds. Devastated I gave up on the thought of losing weight through that method and just continued my life as I was ... Here I am 24 I have now gained about 50 to 75 more pounds from what I was at that time and hardly able to move. I dont know if I want the surgery but I feel I have no real choice in the matter. I am terrified that I will put in all the work and just be denied again. If it doesn't happen this time I dont know what I will have left. I'm almost 25 years old and i weigh about 415lbs and in 5'4". My BMI is over 70 my body is giving away and everyone wants to tell me what I need to do as if I dont look in the mirror and see it clear as day. I just want things to get better I want to have a life . Be able to have kids and go to theme parks and be some kind of normal. I called and scheduled an appointment with roller weight loss program in Fayetteville Arkansas today. And in about a week and a half I should have some answers. I am scared! I just want to know if anyone has been in my situation. And what kind of advice anyone has. I will try to post updates on what is going on. KT

Ok so I had the big first appointment today and as promised I'm filling everyone in. I went in and found out they have a new procedure I hadn't heard about called the duodenal switch I was informed that they believe this will be the best procedure for me both now and long term. I was pleased to hear that and through each step I was excited and ready for making my first step towards it, cracking jokes and keeping that smile on my face and then I met the dietitian. I was terrified he was going to tell me to throw out my kitchens worth of food... and i went in he was hella awesome. He did of course tell me a lot of no's. No carbs at all. To eat my lean protein first at every meal. No carbonated beverages ever again, and only 0 cal beverages. No liquids within 30 min of meals and no starchy veggies. Some groans out of me for the overall plan but in general it seems pretty doable. So I left his office still in a great mood. Then they did a scope and found a hyatial hernia and found that the ibuprofen I take semi often is starting to burn a hole in my stomach (very early stages) but that I need to lay off . Still smiling I go through the labs and the ekg and finally I wait for the patient care coordinator to come back from lunch (which makes me a little irritable because I haven't had anything to eat or during since midnight and it is now like 1230-1) and she comes in and drops a few big bombs on me. 1) medicaid insurance is not going to pay for the assistant surgeon. $300 2) Medicaid isn't going to pay for the dietitian that they require me to see for the next 7 months(including today)... which was not terrible $15 a visit 3) I have to pay for required supplements for meal replacements $250 4)I have to see a cardiologist 5)I have to find a special bariatric psychologist ... and the closest one who takes my insurance is 2 and a half hours from my house in the opposite direction from the weight loss center(which is an hour and a half away from my house) 6) I will have to pay $100 each time for vitamin supplement specific to the surgery I am getting. So after hearing that I was pretty deflated "where am I going to come up with all this money" I asked to which her response was well there are loan programs. "Loans require good credit and employment" I said "well I am just trying to help"she replied. So I sat and listened to the rest of her rehearsed speech and I came home.... Am i still going to try.... yes Is it going to affect other things that I had planned ...yes As I mentioned before I'm left with little choice because if I am to have s ok me kind of future I need this. KT

Hey I definitely know where you are coming from I felt like I got tossed around s ok much and to be completely honest I never quite knew what they wanted or expected from me I am really happy happy that you stuck with it and I am excited for you to go to your appointment in a few hours ... I think that the fact that you feel at home at this new program speaks volumes for how you will feel throughout the process. I hope you keep me posted on this thread and let me know what happens for you through this journey KT

You too!!! I will keep this thread going with updates on my journey ... I am happy that we have a chance to turn things around! I hope things go well for you at your consult too. KT

I will definitely keep this thread going... I go for the first appointment and consult Friday I will be meeting with the surgeon and the other people for the program. I am so excited and nervous. I am a little worried about how my fiance will hold up though all of this but I feel like if he can work through his jealousy we will be better than ever he is pretty incredible through everything else. (He cleans better than I do.) But I have to remember it is one step at a time. The only other concern i have is the stress around here, but I dont se it getting better without fixing my weight prob. KT

I am getting really excited about the first appointment... I know that things have to change for me and I keep thinking of new things I'll be able to do when the weight drops. I haven't been able to do most of these things for over a decade if I was ever able at all. I told my fiance that when I get put on liquids he is going to have to eat in another room. I told him I won't be able to eat anything and he said awe I'm gonna feel so bad. I told him no it's ok all the money we are gonna save when we go out will mean we can do other stuff too. KT

I appreciate it ... that is exactly what I need. I dont seem to have the will power .. plus I think that part of my problem is I am always hungry no matter what. KT

Of course.. and I understand that however I was taking it seriously and I ended up gaining weight. Also I know that on some level I have a choice but I was meaning that if I want to have a real life where I am not struggling with everything I dont have much of a choice I can choose to live my sad existence or get the surgery and try to make things better KT

Thanx I really appreciate it I'm just trying to keep my head up about all this but with it warming up I am hoping to get a lot of swimming in this year KT

Of course. That's still pretty awesome tho... is it a lot easier to get around now? KT

How is it going so far? Is the loss pretty steady still? KT

Thanx I really appreciate the support KT