I'm basically vegan - I've lost over 190 pounds in less than two years - I've just had my first reconstructive surgery (lower body lift and arm lift). My diet allows me to eat animal products if I want on just a few "feast" days a year - however I don't miss meat. Funny thing is I found this diet after reading "The China Study" by Dr. Campbell - it was on the NYTime best seller list - he is an NIH funded nutritionist - from him I found Dr. John McDougall and OMG this diet has been a lifesaver. I won't ever change eating this way - I've even gotten rid of diseases I had no idea could be eliminated by diet including allergies and asthma I've had since childhood when I was not obese and arthritis that I've had since I was a teenage.

My diet consists of only whole foods - no junk, no processed foods. BTW, I lost approximately 3 pounds a week for a long time and the weight loss only slowed down as I got near to normal BMI. I eat until I'm satisfied - and I never let myself get hungry.

I've been able to take many of my old favorite recipes and McDougall them - sometimes it means replacing meat with spices. I've found replacing hamburger with black beans works well with a lot of Tex mex dishes or things like Sloppy Joes. I've also worked hard at changing my taste buds so I don't crave unhealthy food. My favorite products are Eden brand canned beans because I'm too lazy to cook them myself and canned are always ready to go as well as Pomi brand chopped tomatoes which are the closed thing to fresh.

Interesting post - I know in the past I've tried to severely limit my calories and went about extremely hungry for a short time - shed weight quickly and then something inside my head exploded and I went on a rampage eating everything in sight. I finally got to my sane approach and it's been mostly smooth sailing for me. I guess that's part of finding success?

Excellent post Mollie. I'm reading a book "Breaking the Food Seduction" by Dr. Neal Barnard and there is a section in his book addressing just this - making changes to get out of your rut of poor eating. He cites research that shows changing where or when you do things can make a big difference in making changes in your diet. As it turns out DH and I did some of that when we switched to our new way of eating - and we did it without knowing it was a smart thing to do. We decided to go to the mall and walk before eating dinner. By changing when we ate, it changed a lot of things - we were hungry so that early new food tasted good while I was learning new ways to cook and still looking for new and tasty recipes. It left us less time infront of the TV to eat snack food etc.

I can see changing your exercise routine can also be good too.

I've never taken Alli and I've heard the horror stories - but I think if you do what you're supposed to do you won't have any problems. The bathroom/pant problems are due to eating too much fat. I would think that the day you eat too much fat and have an accident would help you stop eating the junky fat food. I would guess it would give you that quick swift kick in the pants (literally and figuratively) to remind you not to eat poorly? I think that works for some people - will it work for you - well you know yourself best. Will it make you stop and think about what you're putting in your mouth? Will you be able to say - hey I can't eat this because I take alli? If you can do that, then I think it would help you learn new, better habits. And I would be prepared with a change of pants handy just in case the worst happens. It's not the worst thing that can happen.

If you do try it, please come back and let us know how it's working.

Hi Mary - ooooh, now you have me scared about the hernia repair - but it has to be done and I'll just have to get through it. I would imagine that muscle tightening is just as painful? Didn't you have your muscles tightened with your tummy tuck?

I'm don't want to get my hopes up too high but I'm excited at the prospect of having good boobs and a good butt LOL. I keep pointing out to DH that I'm doing it all for him but the truth is I can't wait to have a nice shapely body. I'm thrilled that I don't need any implants - the idea of having to committ to future surgeries with implants made me nervous.

My boo boo is healed and I got the sutures out yesterday - it''s looking good. I was able to keep my bangs overy that eye so no one noticed - thankfully. Oh and some people were joking that I was DH's trophy wife and how good I looked so I was thrilled.

I think the smartest thing I've learned this time is planning to be successful with my diet to shed weight.

When I started my diet I gave away or threw out all food that wasn't allowed or that I ate in an out of controll fashion. I filled my pantry and freezer with foods that are healthy and tasty. There are no cookies, chips etc. in my house to tempt me off my diet.

I also thought ahead of what I would order in different restaurants and how I would handle going some where that didn't have food I could eat. I figured out ahead of time what I would do when travelling. I have so many options in my head that it would be extremely rare to come into a situation that I don't have plan on how to eat. You can't imagine how helpful this is and how many times it has saved me from making a mistake. I know one mistake won't hurt but it's always hard to get back on that wagon when you made a mistake.

I also worked on head issues related to success - I had to see that I was worthy of success - I deserve to have good self esteem.

Can you share things you've done to be successful in shedding weight?

Sherrie, I'm so happy for you and thanks for sharing your success. Fantastic. 

Hi and welcome. I was mid way through the process for RNY but hadn't been scheduled yet. I will say I'm glad I had that sleep study because they found sleep apnea and I loved the sleep I had with my machine but I no longer need it.

I found OH and discovered DS and VSG were options my surgeon didn't offer. Did some research and spent a lot of time on OH reading through older posts to discover a truth that isn't always mentioned. They operate on your digestive tract, not on your head. Problem is there is nothing wrong with your digestive tract and it still doesn't solve the head issues. If you work on the head issues then you don't need surgery. The hard part is the head issues and they don't go away even if you have surgery. I had some psychotherapy to deal with some and the rest was finding the right diet that worked for me. I'm addicted to unhealthy, slider foods that ruin any WLS. I would have done well initially but gained my weight back eating chocolate, chips, ice cream. I also had problems with KFC, steak etc. I've read many helpful books to help me understand that certain foods are a true addiction - self medication. I can't eat this stuff even in moderation because like a crack cocaine addict I'm out of control. I have found peace from completely avoiding this food which has little to no nutrition and replaced it with food that is high nutritious. I'm not unique, probably everyone who posts at OH is addicted so some foods, maybe not the same ones that I have problems with, but anything you have no control over when you eat is addicting. I found healthy replacements for some and others I just don't eat - it's not food for me, can be for someone else, but not for me. I found a whole foods diet that has allowed me to not only shed my weight quickly but also caused significant healthy changes in my body that are unrelated to diet. I will never change what I eat because of the way I feel now. I also started to walk - I went from having trouble getting up out of a chair and only being able to walk a short distance two years ago in August to now walking 5 miles regularly. I've completely changed my lifestyle - the foods I eat, how I prepare them etc. You can do it to - it's hard to get started but make it a new routine - change things around so you're not stuck in the same rut that you always fall back into.

If you can do it without surgery, you will be far healthier for having done so. Surgery truly should be the last resort and there are many things to do before opting for it. Please post any questions or problems you're having, especially when you fall off the wagon and we'll help kick you back on.

I was overwhelmed and embarrassed by how much weight I had to shed and you may feel the same way. Now I can't believe that I'm near the end of my weight loss phase, thinking about maintenance and even planning plastic surgery. I know you can do it too.

Hi Loving Tim

Yes I've had those moments with doughnuts and they never, ever fix anything.

Hi again, well I think you are extremely lucky to have that clinic and I'm surprised that OHIP is paying for it knowing they are so stingy. What a wonderful resource ,all those classes. I envy you.  I'm also iimpressed that you have 4 kids under 7 yo - that has got to keep you busy with little time for yourself (((HUGS))) this is hard.

As for exercise, anything that can get you moving will work - and even stuff that you can have the kids participate along with you. I'm thinking of something like those old Dancing to the Oldies tapes from Richard Simmonds - or whatever is similar that you can follow the routine while the kids do whatever kids do when they hear music and start jumping around. We have cable tv and I often listen to the music channels like "hit list" etc. where the music has strong dance beats - just get up and move your arms and legs and everything else. It will be hard to start getting a routine going with the kids, but the rewards is if you keep it up both you and the kids will be healthier for it. Remember kids watch everything you do and they will do as you do and not as you say. Soooooo if you get them dancing to music every day they will grow up with both fond memories of dancing with Mommy and loving to move. I'm sure if you think about it, you will find other ways to get exercise with your kids. I'm like you, I'm not crazy about walking alone at night too.

Hi Jen, I didn't have WLS, instead I made huge changes in my diet and lifestyle - permanent ones. I've lost over 170 pounds since I started in November 2008 and I'm actually 17 pounds away from my goal weight. Even as I type this, I have a hard time believing it. I can tell you that it is indeed doable and you can do it too. I also had a couple of very intense and effective sessions with a psychotherapist which I believe made a huge difference.

If you look through some of the older posts you'll find many from Moosie (Ruth) who lost I believe 190 pounds and she has recently finished the last of a series of plastic surgery to get rid of all the excess skin. There had been others since I started coming here who have lost significant amounts. Some of them pop in every once and a while to post.

I hope we can help you find and maintain the motivation. I can't begin to tell you all the things that I can do and the simple pleasures I've enjoyed since I've shed all this weight.

What kind of medical center is this? How are you shedding your weight? Is this something that your regular doctor or perhaps a nurse in the office can help you do by meeting with you more often? What can we do here to help you? You can post questions or start new topics to discuss problems you're having.

You can do it and everyone here can help.

Years ago I got a free pedometer at work which I loved until the thing feel apart a month later.

This weekend DH decided he wanted a pedometer so we bought new and hopefully sturdier pedometers and we've been wearing them to count our steps. It's fun to track how far you walk, set yourself new goals etc. I'm in that phase of weight loss where I'm so close I can taste it but it gets harder and harder to shed that weight so every little bit I can do is important to help me cross that finish line.

Do you have any tricks or tools that you find helpful?