PRE-OP WEIGHT LOSS...Giving Up VENT!

I am having a big problem. I have been in a surgical program since March 15, 2010. I still have yet to get my RNY surgery because I have not been able to lose 25 pounds pre-op requirement. I've done all the testing and gone to all the support groups but to no luck I still can't lose the weight. I started off at 292 and now am at 307. The lowest weight I have managed to get to while in this surgical program is 287. I need to be at least 267 for my surgeon to even request the surgery through insurance. Whats wrong with me? I took about 2 months off the program due to stress getting the best of me and gained 15 pounds! Now, that 25 pounds has turned into 40 pounds I need to lost post-op. I have started this week with a strict regimen and hopefully can lose at least 30-35 pounds by November 14, 2011. I need to lose this weight by then because that is my pre-op. My surgery is supposed to be in Mid-Late December possibly Early January. I am currently doing 1100-1200 calories a day and walking my son in his stroller for 30 minutes as well as Zumba for 1 hour everyday. Can someone please tell me if it is possible to lose this amount of weight in 50 days! I know that I about 10 pounds of my excess is water weight because I was having a pitting edema problem last month so my Doc put me on water pills...PLEASE HELP and give any suggestions, I really need to lose this weight and I am slowly gving up on this whole WLS process. I want this surgery so bad its ridiculous...

Are you working with a dietician?  Did the surgeon recommend a plan to help you lose the weight or just tell you to lose it?

My surgeon did not require any pre op weight loss and I don't fully understand why some do.  I would have had a very hard time losing 25 pounds before my surgery.

The only thing I have ever been told by a Nurse Practicioner is to stay away from carbs and cut my calories down to 1400. But other than that, it's pretty vague. I asked my primary to send me to another surgeon because I was having a hard time losing the 25 pounds but she said that "they all ask for a pre-op weight loss" I just don't get it, its so messed up that I people are coming to these surgeons for help to lose weight and a condition of the surgery is weight loss...it just really confuses me. I need help because time is really running out and I am just plain exhausted with rescheduling every pre-op I have, I have done it 3 times already! I am just at a loss...

You sound really stressed and I'm sorry about that. What's helping me is therapy. It may not be the answer you're looking for but it may help you to figure out why you can't stay on your plan. Otherwise, if you can stick to your 1200 cal/day then you will likely lose a lot of weight. I would keep a food journal, weight and measure everything, and be willing to get some emotional help to deal with your overeating issues. The surgery won't fix that; it's not a magic cure even though I had hoped it would be. Therapy is helping me to let go of food as a coping mechanism. It might help you, too. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. :)

Thank you for the kind words. I do see a psychologist but other than that, I just can't seem to see why I can't lost weight. The only thing I could think of is that in the past I have not been very disciplined and have not stuck with my calorie limits to a T. Unfortunately, I have also realized that I am one of those people that needs to stick to 1200 calories and I need to watch is meticulously and journal religiously or else I will not lose anything. Maybe if I really stick to this plan of 1200 cals a day and working out every day and logging every item I put into my mouth, I can lose the weight in time.

The other thing to remember is that none of us would be here if we could maintain our weight loss. For me, I could lose weight but never keep it off- I always went back to overeating and emotional eating and would gain 20 lbs more than I lost. Don't be too hard on yourself. The 6 month pre-op diet/exercise process was really difficult for me and was a roller coaster ride of emotions. I cried frequently and had more problems sticking to my plan than ever before. It was like all the years of shame, anger, struggle, frustration, etc. all came to a head and never stopped. What finally got me off that cycle was surgery. I really hope you can be as kind to yourself as possible during this difficult process. Do your best for yourself. I was supposed to lose weight but ended up gaining 8 pounds for my last pre-op appointment. I was like a live wire waiting for my doctor to say the surgery would be canceled. He simply noticed the weight gain and when I stuttered..."I'm struggling" with tears in my eyes, his response was kind and hopeful. He said, "Don't worry. In a year you won't recognize yourself" and he smiled and moved on discuss the surgery and 2 week preop liquid diet he hoped I could follow. So, you never know what will happen. But a little kindness, if only from ourselves, can go a long way in healing all the painful scars obesity has left on us. So, don't be too hard on yourself and remember- you're not alone. We're here for you and we really do get it... Take care. :)

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story. After the original post, I decided to stop being such a "DEB" as in Debbie Downer (no offense to anyone named Debbie ) and really concentrate on giving this diet plan all I could and not worrying about the outcome. I figure if I just focus on the positive and making positive food choices and exercise daily, and if I still end up NOT losing the weight which is highly unlikely, then at least I could say I did my best and it wasn't meant to be. On the other hand, I really opened my eyes and realized that if 25 or 30 or even 40 pounds is all I have to lose to get a life-saving opportunity like this surgery than any little I can do to help the surgeon I will be much obliged. I have insurance through my employer and my surgery is going to cost me...wait for it...NOTHING! I am not going to pay a dime for the surgeons pretty much giving me a new life. I have been acting like a selfless, helpless, negative person so fixated on what my next meal is going to be that I have realized in these last two days that its just food. Honestly its always going to be there, I used to have this feeling that if I didn't go to a different fast food restaurant everyday or taste different cakes at office parties, or have a portion of every single dish at a potluck that I would be missing out on something. I figured out by asking myself what? what am i really missing out on? Let me tell you and its not food! I am missing out on being young and healthy and thin! I am not asking to be a size 0 but I do know one thing, Kate Moss was right when she said that "NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS"...With that said I did also ask God for a sign to let me know if this surgery was every going to become of anything or if I should just give up and cut my losses. That night I did Zumba for the first time and let me tell you, I am weaksauce when it comes to exercising. That night I pushed myself harder than I ever had and I really had no idea where my strength was coming from. I think the man up above is trying to tell me something because since my original post 2 days ago, I have lost 4 pounds. I think this is my sign to keep going and never stop on my journey to being myself again and losing all this excess weight! Take care of yourself and good luck in the future!

I started a pre-op diet in May, and lost about 22 lbs by July.  I concentrated on high protein, low carbs, low fat, lots of exercise (lots of sweat for an hour), and lots of sleep.  I put this first in my priorities, so I was able to relax and not let work stress etc bother me.  I think 30 lbs by November is very aggressive, but I started out lighter, so you may be able to achieve the same % weight loss.

Good Luck!!

That's the thing. I would love for them to give me some sort of diet but they haven't. If I had some sort of guide, I would be able to stick to it better.

 I would go back to my PCP and tell them that NO, not all doctors require this kind of weight loss.  I know one girl that her doctor said she had to lose over 100 lbs prior to him doing her surgery.  OK Let me repharse that.  I do not know the girl but she is a friend of my friend, and my friend was so upset over them telling her that.  Mine said just don't gain and do your best.