toomuchrose

I don't have any worthwhile experience to offer, as I'm only on the third month of prepatory dieting to qualify for insurance payment. As long as ten years ago, I investigated bypass surgery, backed off, then checked out banding a few years later, and once again, didn't commit. Finally, I've reached the point where I can't go on being this big. I'm 69 years old, in a wheelchair most of the time and unable to do any meaningful calorie burning exercise, so I'm not going to lose on my own. I wear a brace as a result of nerve damage during hip replacement surgery, so I basically don't walk outside of puttering around my apartment. I agree with Blissfully Banded about bypass surgery. For some it might be the right choice, but I couldn't get my mind around having my guts rearranged. The band seems to be a sensible alternative with fewer side effects and less drastic changes. At my stage of life, I don't need to end up weighing 115 lbs.; I just want to be healthy and not morbidly obese any longer. I know several people who had a bypass and all are now right back where they started. I don't personally know a band patient unfortunately, so I hope getting to know you folks here will be good for me. If I can offer one piece of advice, it is this: You are young now, but as you get older, losing will be harder and harder. Eventually you'll see physical deterioration like arthritis, sleep apnea, and maybe diabetes if you don't turn your life around. I've had one hip and two knees replaced due to arthritis and, yes, many thin people suffer from arthritis also, but I firmly believe if I hadn't beat up my body for so long with all the extra pounds, I wouldn't have suffered so much. I hope you will have the determination to go down this journey and succeed!

Yeah, maybe I didn't use the right term. I need to stick to a 1400 calorie diet for 5 months to qualify under my insurance. I guess most of you have some sort of similar program. Today it's sunny here after a few warm days and simply not looking out at piles of dirty snow has made a bit of difference in my mental state. I'm a retired horticulturist and I pick up on the subtle details about nature; I see a couple of my houseplants are showing signs of waking up to the coming of spring, setting buds and growing more due to the increasing day length. I try to build optimism on things like that. When I have my weigh in Thursday, i don't think I will see any new loss, but as long as I don't gain even one pound over my starting weight, I will qualify for insurance coverage. I should be safe. Sometimes the slips and failures serve to prove a point. Today I had a bagel, the first one I've had since early November. I used to eat bagels frequently and I was feeling self-pity about giving up all my favorites. The bagel turned out to be like a big lump of gummy dough, and I now feel reconciled that after surgery, I won't be tempted to try to swallow another one. Better to get it over with now, and have closure on that food item, anyway!

Hi, This is my first visit here. I started my pre-op journey in mid November 2013 and my tentative surgery date is in May. I'm on 1400 calories a day and I did very well the first month, dropped 10.5 #. The next month, over the holidays and my birthday, I had a few bad days, but managed to lose another 3 #. February has been awful. This miserable winter has kept me inside. I'm handicapped and use a wheelchair most of the time. I live in a senior building and don't work, so, while I'm glad I don't have to go out and fight the weather, the bad part is the isolation and cabin fever. My attitude has gone from trying to cut out as many calories as possible to trying to sneak in as many as I can get away with. My average daily intake has inched up to around 1550. I'm going in for my next weigh-in in 4 days and it's not gonna be pretty! I am certainly an emotional eater and I can't afford to let depression and discouragement build up to defeat me. I fear that I'm losing faith that my life can change. How can I revitalize my attitude?