Change of plans... New direction...

Hi all, First of all, thank you for the support and suggestions you gave me when I told you that I'd been denied by my insurance company. I thought I'd come by and let you all know that I've decided against appealing the denial. I've put it off and put it off and not made a single effort in the direction of appeal. I finally figured out why. I was denied because I didn't have 6 months worth of documented, doctor supervised weight loss attempts. For a while I sat sputtering in disbelief. Surely, I had six tiny little months of documented weight loss attempts. I mean, after all, haven't I been battling the weight for years? The surgeons told me that I could have a doctor write me a powerful letter requesting that the 6 month requirement be waived in an effort to save my life. I was told to scrape up every attempt, every scrap of effort, even if it hadn't been 6 consecutive months. And I considered it. And I thought about it. And the more I thought about it, the clearer it became to me that my difficulties in documenting my efforts was due to the FACT that I hadn't tried very hard to lose weight on my own in the first place. I haven't given it my all. I haven't busted my ass every morning on exercise equipment, cried my way through intense daily cravings, and gone the extra mile to change MY life MYSELF before allowing someone else to do it for me. So I'm going to change that. I'm going 100% diet and exercise. I'm going to change my eating lifestyle and I'm going to make exercise an intense and daily part of my life. I've seen a lot of great successes with these surgeries and I don't have a single thing against them. I think they're wonderful tools. I'm just not ready to use it. Best of luck to you all on your weight loss journeys. Brandy

Brandy!! Congrats!! Its an amazing thing to be willing to push yourself to try something new. Remember that even those of us that had had the surgery have a very hard time losing weight and keeping it off. I hope that everything in your journey goes smoothly. That you don't have a great amount of struggle and that every day is a new one. Work towards your goal. Take baby steps. Remember stumbling happens its the getting back up that is hard. Faith Lap RNY 350/208/160

Thank you Faith, I'll definitely be taking baby steps this time. I've gone all nuts with diet and exercise before and lost a lot of weight quickly only to burn out pretty quickly too. This time, its "slow and steady wins the race." Then again, I see that "The Biggest Loser" is having open call outs for their next season. That's worth pondering! Maybe I need a national audience to bet my butt moving. LOL Congrats on your weight loss. That must feel incredible! Brandy

Brandy, good for you! I think it is great that you have taken a step back and decided to try the good old "diet and exercise" . Weight loss is a frustrating and difficult journey no matter which road you take so dont go anywhere, we will still be great support for you if you want it. I cant speak for anyone else, but in my opinion you are doing the right thing because if you can honestly say you have never given 100% to diet and exercise you definitely should do that first. I have tried several times and I feel confident that I did the best I could, otherwise I would NOT be having surgery. I will pray for you that this is the answer for you and you dont have to have surgery but either way, you know we are all here for you! (((HUGS))) Karyn

Karyn (((HUGS))) Thank you for your support. I think I will stick around. Weight loss is hard no matter how its done and really, our methods aren't that dissimilar. Even after the surgery, diet and exercise are the key to taking it off and keeping it off. I may someday choose to pursue surgery so I'm not burning this bridge. No way. Besides, you guys are just too awesome to leave behind. I hope your surgery goes perfectly and that your weight loss is as big and long lasting as you want it to be. Brandy

Brandy, I think your decision is a very wise one. I know that a whole lotta people who do have this surgery who have a lot of problems adjusting to the lifestyle after WLS really was not ready for it to begin with. I think you should make sure that this exercise and weight loss program is medically supervised and documented, just in case you ever need it! Good luck to you! Lori 384/263.5/168

Good idea Lori! I'll definitely make an appointment with my doctor. I also plan on keeping darn good records of my own. Full accountability. You know? I've told several of my close friends and plan on sending them progress reports... maybe biweekly. Its all about accountability. Wow! Look at your weight loss! Less than 100 pounds to go huh? That's fantastic! Brandy

Yes Brandy, I'm very pleased. I want to let you know that I did what you are doing. My doctors have been strongly suggesting weight loss surgery to me for the past 5 years. I thought, no way, I can do this myself. So, I got together with a dietician and worked on it for about a year. I lost about 45 lbs and felt great. Then I got diagnosed with breast cancer and all my eating and exercise stuff kind of fell by the way side. I made a few more serious attempts, but, kept losing, then gaining back and getting fatter. Then when my mobility was severely threatened and my work insurance started to cover WLS I finally succumbed. But, luckily, I had worked with that dietician and had the 1 year documented weight loss attempt. I also had many letters from my current doctors telling about my health and my health risks for the future if I didn't lose the weight. It is quite a journey WLS is not a cure, it is a tool. I still struggle with head hunger on a daily basis! Lori

Brandi, if you haven't done so already, come on over to the nonops board: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/member-interests/non_postops/ Best of luck. Kasey 365/210 (nonop)

Ooooh nifty! I didn't even realize there was such a board! Thank you so much!