Diet

by desib77 33 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Mary

  Well, I've been dieting for years and I can't seem to get anywhere so next week, I'm going in for weight loss surgery!! I'm having something done called a mini gastroplasty. It's where they staple your stomach vertically and that's it---there's no bypass and hence, very few complications and side effects.

  If anyone is interested, here's a diagram of what they do: http://clos.net/lib/03-mini-gastroplasty/

  I'll lose the weight more slowly than those who get the bypass, but I believe it's the best thing for me to do. I'll let you know how it goes!
• 

  desib77

  Good luck with your surgery Mary...
• 

  Sassy

  Does your insurance cover the surgery Mary? what are the costs involved?
• 

  Mary

  OHIP pays for it.........I don't have to pay for any of it, even though I'm going to the States to have it done. The cost is $17,000 U.S. plus there's medications you have to pay for. Here in Ontario, the prescriptions came to just over $400.00 so it'd probably be about $1,200.00 in the States. My benefits through work pay for that. So the only thing I have to pay for is the hotel!! The surgery itself only takes about 15 minutes (yep, you read that right), I'll be in the hospital overnight, discharged the next day but they want you to stay in the area for 7 days.

  There was ALOT of work to get this far. Dr. Rutledge, the doctor who does the surgery, has an excellent reputation and he makes darn sure that we know what we're doing. Anyone considering this surgery has to read the 85 page manual that describes obesity, the risks of obesity, ALL the different weight loss surgeries, how they're performed, what risks are involved in each, mortality rate, how much people lose, etc. etc.

  And to make sure you have read the manual, you have to answer a whole bunch of questions they ask you regarding the info that's in the manual. You have to have a Psychological Evaluation done (how the hell did I pass that?!), plus a letter of support from your family, you have to list all the diets you've tried, you have to contact 10 other people that have had the surgery done----it takes a while and you think it's a pain, but believe me, in the end it's worth it because now I know exactly what I'm doing. Most people get the full Mini Gastric Bypass surgery, but I've opted for just the Mini Gastroplasty.

  I'm actually getting quite excited! This time next week, I'll be on my way to a thinner me!!! If anyone's interested in knowing more about this procedure, click on this link: http://clos.net/
• 

  Odrade

  I belong to TOPS. www.tops.org

  local chapter just down the street. I've made some great friends, and it's way cheaper than WW, and plus they don't really have you adhere to their diet plan or promote their products. It's really more support group than anything else. Very low key and fun. When I started I was about 40lbs overweight, very little muscle and continuing to gain. Well, I started there and was very motivated, so I lost all the extra weight in about 9-10 months by walking and diet modification. It was hard, but worth it. BUT, I didn't spend any time building muscle or creating a reasonable routine, so gradually things went back to "normal" and I put back on about 25 pounds over the next 2+ years.

  Now, I am still in TOPS for the support and the weekly weigh-in. I joined the Y and started lifting weights as my primary exercise. I also do cardio about 3x week. I haven't greatly modified my diet other than to stop eating before I'm full up. Easier said than done! Anyways, I haven't lost a pound since I started lifting, but with the muscle I've built, I and my doc and weight recorder figure I'm no more than about 15 pounds or so overweight. And I feel really good. (and I can see my muscles!!! w00t!)

  Of course, all of the above is made infinitely easier if we are talking about moderately overweight from lifestyle not medical condition weight loss. It certainly doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for me.

  One last note: being in the TOPS support group is a pretty critical part of this whole thing for me. Having the weigh in, and the congrats of my friends when I do well, means a tremendous amount. Without it, yeah I could still go down to the Y and do my routine, but from experience, I know it's easier to fall of the wagon and sit around at home on my butt instead of go to the Y. LOL!

  Good luck you guys! (and me too!)

  Odrade
• 

  Purza

  I have had success with WW. I never actually joined -- my friend told me how it worked, gave me a points counter and another getting started book and I lost 25 lbs last year. Yes, I did exercise too (and I still do). I liked WW because I could have whatever I wanted as long as I did not go over my points for the day. Trader Joes is a great place to find "cheap" (meaning low point) food. At some restaurants, their menus even list the WW points. Here is a great site to use to find out how many points are at different restaurants and such. http://www.dwlz.com/

  I really like WW and I always go back to it when I need to maintain.

  Purza
• 

  Sirona

  Hi Derek,

  Didn't mean to offend. The method I suggested is very similar to the secret of success on the stock market: Buy low, sell high. It's good advice, and following it will work, but it's not as easy as it seems.

  Thanks for clarifying. I'm glad you commented on the thread actually, there are a fair few women commenting and we need the balance of male / female views.

  So you're not in the "its easy" group then.

  I've recently begun to experience a small localised weight problem. Potential solutions are: drink less, start doing lots of sit-ups or find a less picky girlfriend. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

  LOL. You do hit upon a problem that society seems to have with body image overall. Girls are to be skinny, guys are to be muscular. That is unrealistic IMHO and I know that both sexes can be attractive without having to conform to that sort of "standard".

  Dh,

  Whilst I can see that works for you, I wouldn't advise anyone else to follow that diet for any length of time. Maybe 3 days (if you're in good health as it is?) I agree with detox plans, say a fruit diet for a couple of days.

  Overall we should eat regularly and as balance as possible, I think, which I guess agrees with many on this thread.

  Sirona (still struggling with weight)
• 

  confusedjw

  I can tell you what won't work. Steak, beer and ice cream - a diet I've been on for years, but the last three have really gotten to me. A bunch of added pounds that I need to shed.

  (drinking water now and walking the dog and eating less and am pissed off about all of it, except walking the dog)
• 

  doogie

  it was said a couple of times before but just basically burn more calories than you take in. your body will be forced to use what it has stored (also, calories can only be used or stored. think about that next time you reach for a twinkie...you'll have to use each and every one of those calories, either now or you'll store it for later.)

  1. eat small amounts often (every 3 hours, or about 5 times a day) but not after 6 or 7 at night.

  2. workout at least 3 times a week (i keep my workouts to about a half hour. more is not necessarily better).

  3. doing cardio does not burn fat faster than strength training (i.e. weights). the more calories you burn the faster you will lose weight. simple as that. weight training burns more calories than any other type of training (compare amt of calories burned in half hour of weights vs. half hour on the treadmill.) also, if women do weights they will not end up looking like a man. women don't have the hormones to develop broad shoulders or bulging biceps. if you do end up manish, thank god, because you're going to be a filthy rich female body builder...my point is that it doesn't happen. the freakish women are all on roids.).

  4. if you can't give up your pizza and beer (it's understandable, i gotta say...), just exercise more and don't worry about the diet. i read a study in which they took a group of sedentary women and split them up for 8 weeks. one group exercised 3 times a week and cut 100 calories a day, one group only worked out, one group only dieted and one group changed nothing. the group that worked out and dieted lost the highest percentage of body fat (of course), but it was only a couple of percentage points more than the group that just worked out. the group that just dieted lost a little, but it was negligible when compared with the work out groups.

  hope this helps. good luck!
• 

  doogie

  oh, one more thing. this is something me and my girlfriend fall victim to all the time. you have to be patient and stick to your program.

  whether you're dieting or starting a new exercise program, it should take 6-8 weeks to see a major difference (i say 'should' because of course you can starve yourself for a day or two and see a drastic change, but this isn't healthy and you're probably doing more harm than good). especially at first we have a harder time noticing the changes in our body and tend to give up. concentrate on a future date, not on what the scale says today or what we see in the mirror today.

  wait a few weeks and then assess your progress. i would suggest to stay away from scales or calipers or anything that puts a number on your body. just take a look at yourself and see what you think (before and after pictures are my favorite...you can see all the tiny improvements lumped all together all at once).