Dr. Nelson is great..every appt u need is right in her office. She has a nutritionist in office, a psychologist in office...one thing is her office and dr. Keith ..like to push you to buy there product. According to patients in support group. Dr. Keiths office is the worst about this..dr. nelsons nutritionist will work with you. Cause they sell protein powder and meal replacements and snacks and vitamins. High priced, so i did research and found products that are cheaper and offer the same nutrition that their product does..

Thanks Nancy.  I had already checked OSCN (I was a police officer/detective for over 15 years so it was done out of habit...lol).  I am going with Dr. Hamilton Le out of Integris.  I have heard nothing but good things and so far the staff has been great.

Dr.nelson of journey clinic search online she has a website, shes great! Everything at her clinic...the nutritionist,psych dr, physical is all in one place..the support groups are very informative. I too have health issues out the wazoo! And now im looking forward to living a long healthy life

Greetings!

Man it has been a long time since I have visited this forum! I too sought out Dr. Walton for the restart program because I felt I had "fallen off the wagon". This was probably 1 1/2 years ago to 2 years ago. This July I will be 4 years post-op (just so you know where I am at with all this... my heaviest was 275, lowest after surgery 149...when I went for restart I was 170). I was sadly disappointed in myself after visiting the clinic and getting all my protein shakes etc. Yes, I was eating more than I should have... yes, I was selecting the wrong foods. No, the restart program was not for me. I tried the shakes, but for some reason shakes (be they soy or dairy based) don't agree with me since having WLS. I hated the food and it was like all the other "dieting" I had done before finally resorting to WLS.

After a couple months of trying to do something about my issues alone, I visited another weight loss doctor (a habit I formed prior to gaining so much weight before) and he bluntly told me that I needed to stop acting like a baby and figure out what I wanted most in life. If it was rapid weight loss and control then he suggested a very low calorie diet for 30-48 days. If it was "support" then perhaps I should join weigh****chers (which he was not a fan of...).

I thought long and hard about my options. I have been to weigh****chers... it doesn't work for me. I end up getting all my points from bad food choices and pretty much I was already doing that (not to mention the ridiculous cost now-a-days). Besides, weigh****chers doesn't look too kindly on WLS people. So I decided to go the very low calorie route and "see what happens". I bought the product (HCG) and they gave me the diet. It was MISERABLE for about 1 week. BUT I was eating 3-4 ounces of protein twice a day with approx 1 cup of veggies 2 times a day (green leafy, tomato, onion, etc. no starch or carbs) and 2 fruits a day! I was in control! I was down 10 pounds in the first week! Boy was it working! I drank way more water and my brain was happy to be in control of my eating.

So yes, I chose a different route for 30 days and was happy with my success. The good thing is that its not a "one time thing", after my 30 days were up I added more calories (from 500 a day to about 1200-1500) but kept my carb intake low. I didn't gain the weight back and three weeks after increasing my calories I slowly started adding some carbs back to my diet. I figured out which ones made me gain and I stay away from them now.

I have since done another round on HCG (which is soooo much easier than the first) and am happily back to the lowest weight after WLS. I am now turning 30 and have seen my cholesterol (hereditary issues here) increase to the high end of the "healthy" range. So, I am changing my habits slightly; I am adding fish 2 times a week, reducing red meat to approx. 1 time a week (at most) and am staying away from the bad fats and some dairy (like cheese...which is killing me because I LOVE cheese) and slowly adding some legumes (like lentils). I am adding exercise back to my routine (which you cannot really do on 500 calories a day) and I feel great!

Sometimes we have to branch out from the typical thought processes (like WW and shakes) and take control of what's going on. I have found that for me, taking control means not just physically what I eat, but psychologically why I am eating a certain way. Its a life-long battle but I refuse to lose now.

Hi joejoe,

 

I have an appointment with Dr. Walton today, 04-01-13.  I'm going to see what the Restart Program is all about.

 

I will keep in touch!

 

 

I went to Weight Wise in Edmond, OK. I think Dr. Walton can help you. What have you got loose by going to a seminar? I can't say enough nice things about my experience with them. They have a comprehensive program. Dr. Walton and his team really care about what they are doing.........go and talk to them and see what you think...........

Thank you...I know no one can really give a direct connection to the health issues, but I want to gain a general consensus on how the surgery effects the health issues and if its for the better...I don't really have too many other options.

I am new to the site and just want to start getting some feedback to help with my decision to pursue WLS.  I am a 42-year-old male and have been fighting my weight since I was 17.  Because of the way my body reacted to eating and weightlifting growing up I was always considered obese by medical standards even though I was very muscular.  However, 4 years ago I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) and I lost my left kidney.  Prior to this I was already type II diabetic, had HBP, a-fib and a pvc, and severe sleep apnea.  Needless to say I am on an abundance of medications and supplements just basically to keep me alive.  I have tried dieting up the wazoo, gym memberships, personal trainers, nutritionists, etc and cannot lose any weight.  The probable reason is every med I am on has the side effect of weight gain!  I am so frustrated.  I can't come off the meds and the doctors keep telling me to lose weight and when I tell them I am trying, they just tell me to keep trying.  My family and two friends who have had gastric bypass tell me the surgery may be my salvation.  They came off their meds and lost the weight which gave them a quality of life I do not have right now.  Would this surgery truly help me? I have a 5-year-old son I want to see grow up, but I know right now, with the state of my health, I will be lucky to live another 10 years.  Any opinions or responses are welcome please.

OK.  I moved to Tulsa in December for a new job.  I'm a contract worker, so I'm not permanately employed and really have no idea how long I'm going to have a job.  I'm assuming I have several more months at this job at the least, but who knows.  I was planning on having my surgery in Mexico as I thought I'd be self pay.  Now I find out my BCBS of IL will cover the surgery, but I have an HSA so everything is going to be going to the deductible until I hit, I think, $3800, then 20% until I hit my out of pocket max.  My surgery in Mexico is currently scheduled for July 5th.  I figure the cost will be a bit less going with the insurance, but not by much.  I don't know what my insurance carrier will require of me, or how long it will take to get approved.

I just read in this forum that the 6 month pre surgery mandatory diet requirement has been done away with by the insurance company.  Does anyone know what else the insurance might require in order for them to approve the surgery?  If I can get approved right away and get the surgery right away, that would be better than having to wait until July.

So, basically asking what other requirements the insurance carrier might want of me that would take time to complete?

Thanks...sorry for the long post.

Jane

Dr. David Seitsinger in Moore, OK is great and has always been very supportive of me when I had the lap band done.