Frustrated............

Hello all..  

This is my situation.. My Dietician and Surgent are requesting me to lose weight way before having a date of surgery. My Frustration is the following... The whole reason i took the steps to getting WLS is because i have tried losing weight on my own and it is not happend. I have PCOS and it is so difficult to lose weight, i have cut out so many things of my daily eating, that i should be losing weight and i just am not!! 

the past month my food intake consists of SLim fast shakes sugar free jello or pudding, cheese sticks (lowFat) chicken salads or soups. No Soda pop No juices No rice No bread No sweets etc etc. Still if i lose weight it's a pound and then next thing you know im up two pounds.

I tend to retain alot of water, That i have noticed..

Sorry for venting so much, just had to get it out here.. This is not an easy Journey at all. 

no one said it was going to be an easy journey.  It is what it is.  The reason they want you to be on the liquids is not to lose weight per se, but to shrink the liver. 

This journey is a lifestyle change commitment.  You also need to have a bit of patience.  So my advice is:

1.  Journal your food daily.  This keeps us all honest and accountable.  It really shows us what we are truly eating each and every day.  I think you would be surprised at what you are eating and the portions.

2. Weigh and measure everything.  

3.  are you drinking 64 ounces of water each and every day.

These are the habits you can start to work on now because they are what will make you successful after surgery.

You get to vent your frustrations all you want but in the end only you get to decide what you will do with those frustrations. 

For example, what will you do the first time you hit the dreaded 3 week stall after WLS surgery?  So deal with the frustration now and move along.

Im not Yet on a Liquid Diet.. That's the issue. 

I am clear that this journey i have chosen is and not will be easy. Yes im  writing down everday my meals keeping my intake to 1200 as asked my Dietician, drinking water yes i am. 

I understand after surgery there are stalls and i will deal with that at that moment obviously it will be under different measures at that time already being post op and all.  thanks for your reply.

Chart what you are doing on something like fitday or my fitness pal (food/drink/water and exercise) and bring that with you to your appointments. Ask them where you can make adjustments if possible or if they have suggestions. A lot of times they just want to see someone is committed to making healthy lifestyle changes. Do what you can and share your frustrations with them too.

On the water retention... watch those soups (notoriously full of sodium if storebought) and make sure you are drinking plenty of water... I know sounds odd drink more when you are retaining but your body holds on to it when it thinks its not getting enough so be sure you get plenty each day so feels its OK to release stores. 

Best to you!! P.S. It is worth all the hoops ;) eyes on the prize.

~Michelle "Shelly"

Thanks for the reply.. Soups i eat maybe once in the week and yea they do have a lot of sodium. I am drinking my water, i go from 32 to 64 oz. I am keeping a journal on everything i eat. Lets see on my next visit how this goes.

If you have a water retention issue have they ever considered putting you on a water pill to help with that? I have PCOS as well. Have they checked your thyroid? My PCOS and thyroid issued had me at the same place you are at, once they got me on the medication for thyroid I was finally able to drop weight when I dieted. Have you considered upping your protein, doing baked chicken, grill some lean pork chops with some steamed veggies for dinners? It would fill you up, it is high in protein and it is low in fat...

They checked my thyroid no problem there, no water pills as of yet. I do eat alot of protein. Basically my day consists of 2 shakes and one meal full of protein as chicken breast  and turkey meat. I drink alot of water and green tea. Thanks for the reply i will talk to the doctor abou****er pills.

Hey!

I wanted to let you know that you're not alone!! I have PCOS and cannot lose weight whatsoever. I've done just about everything- low glycemic, low carb, low fat, low calorie, nutrisystem, weigh****chers, jenny craig, medifast, dukan... you name it, I've done it.

I had lap band surgery in 2007 and lost some weight- about 30 pounds. Nothing ideal. Keeping the weight off was pretty simple for years until about a year ago when my band slipped! I gained the weight back PLUS 30 pounds! I had my band removed last month and I'm scheduled for RNY on Thursday. I've gained 10 pounds since my band removal without eating junk food!

I wanted to let you know that you're not alone in this difficult journey. I understand your frustration completely. Are you doing any physical activity/exercise? I'm rooting for you!

Kara

Thank you very much for your reply. It's good to have people who know the challenge of having PCOS and dieting it is no easy deal. i also have tried numerous diets from the hardest to the simplest. 

I do 30 - 50 mins treadmill slow and moderate pace from 3- 4 days a week.

Best of luck on your surgery and God bless.

Yes the thought of losing weight before surgery can be daunting. That's why we are here, right? we can't lose weight. I'll share the 2 diets my Doc gave me pre-op and maybe they would help you. I lost 25-30lbs total pre-op in about 2 months.

The pre-liquid pre-op diet was: 100g protein a day and up to 100g carbs. Included in this was 1 protein shake a day with no more than 200 calories, 5g sugar and minimum 20g protein. You could also add some olive oil to salads or for sauteeing veggies. Usual condiments OK.(small amounts)  And Veggies didn't have to be counted in your carbs. So much easier than counting calories.

Liquid phase pre-op (3 weeks) 3 protein shakes a day, and one meal of protein and veggies or salad. Preferably have meal at lunch.  2 fruit servings. (a large fruit is 2 servings- lower carb too, berries, apples, pears).

I am post-menopausal and have hormone issues forever too so I do get it. Good Luck!