You know what? During my 6 month pre-op journey I had times like this as well. Being on a diet an watching everyone else eat stuff I wanted so much. I work in a nursing home. Its no picnic there. You sometimes dont have a minute to even think for yourself much less take 10 mins to sit down an eat healthy. An it never helped that someone was always bringing food in.. whether it is doctors or patients families. But you know what I did? I kept my focus an concentrated on the end result. I said to myself.. do I want to eat that an gain back the few pounds I just lost an then feel guilty about it? Ive worked to hard to lose a pound or 2 a month.

But it sounds like maybe you just hit a plateau with your weight loss. It happens. It did with me. My last 3 months of my 6 month diet, I stayed at the same exact weight. At my weigh in 4 days before surgery, I had gained 4 pounds back. Probly cause of my last meal lol. But what my nurse told me was that all the weight I lost before surgery wasnt counted at all when I had it. So whatever my official weigh in was right before was what they went by.

Ive read an responded to your posts on here an it sounds like you are doing a great job. Dont let a little discouragement set you back. No journey is ever easy but keep working towards it. What you are experiencing is quite normal. Everyone has down days where they rethink the things they are doing. Dont let the weight gain bring you down. Just refocus on your goal an you will do fine. Good luck.

Hi there,

so i didn't have to do a pre-surgery weight loss program. my heart goes out to those that did.

I did have to go through a 5 week class to learn how to eat and they weighed us each week. and i gained every week but one. I was like "why would i put myself on a DIET, when i am going to have a surgery to fix this?"

i did not care one whit! now i can understand caring if you are going to be booted out of the program. But let's think about this.

why are we having surgery? because we have dieted our whole lives and have always gained it back.

i would say that unless your surgeon needs you to lose weight to actually perform the surgery (some peoples BMI is just so high they do HAVE to lose before surgery) then losing and gaining actually SUPPORTS you having the surgery.

This is exactly why you need it. you are simply showing them what you have been doing for years. You lose a few pounds and then it comes back on.

don't get down. you are not failing.

i struggled with my surgery AFTER i had it. i kept telling myself i should have been able to lose without it. but you know what? i couldn't and modern medicine helped me.

I remember as a kid praying and praying that God would have me wake up skinny. That didn't happen until i was 36. But my prayer was finally answered.

Don't worry about this preop diet thing. i think its pointless anyway - most docs have you do it just because the insurance company requires it.

hang in there! you're going to do fine.

Rochelle

Rochelle... some ppls insurance, like mine, require a 6 month supervised diet before they will even think about approving you. They want to see if you can do the program an lose weight..even if its a pound. If during that 6 month period you gain more weight then what your starting weight is, they will deny you. They figure if you cant try at this, then you will fail with the wls. It sux but it also prepares you. Because you have time to prepare yourself for the new eating ways an have time to stop your bad habits.

Oh my God thank you both so much - I've been waking up this past week every morning at 4am in a panic and unable to go back to sleep just at the thought of seeing the NUT this week wondering if I would be turned away from the surgery. Your responses help to put things back into perspective for me helping to jar my brain as to why I need the surgery in the first place. It's obvious I can't do this by myself. I am proud of my decision and seeing it through thus far and as I read all the success stories I find myself loosing patience with wanting and needing my day to get here. This was a 3 year long decision I had to make with my doctor cautioning me to do it and me running from it. I've been at this 5 months now and I'm ready to be on the other side I just beat myself up because I really wanted to loose 50 pounds pre op, but I guess i was been a little unrealistic.

I understand the whole wanting to wake up skinny believe me - when I see the pictures from my youthful days, I am like God what if i could go back to that weight and it's amazing because there is nothing fat about me in my head. I've never thought of myself that way until now and I guess that goes with the territory in accepting this is who I am. I am obese and unhealthy and if this change doesn't come my health will continue to deteriorate. I can't afford that to happen, I really can't, (in tears) I thank God for this forum because the fears that wake me up out of my sleep lately are not things you can say or discuss with everybody, only those who live it knows how it feels so i thank you both with all my heart

Your right gwaters my insurance requires the 6 months pre op regimen and as my nutritionist said - i just can't exceed my start weight loss which was 367 and i'm now at 350, I did go lower but I went back up. Primarily they need to see that you tried to do it and have that documented on record. Like Rochelle said if keeping it off was the goal the surgery would not be necessary because trust me I hyped myself up to thinking the opposite when I saw the immediate weight loss. I had for the first time in my life dropped 35 pounds so I was convinced, I got this and literally almost cancelled the whole weight loss program. As life would have it I lost 3 major people in my life in less than a month, my job is at its most crucial period in terms of "busy long hours" etc., etc., and my whole program got thrown off course. Not making excuses, this is real. Sometimes I am at work and I may have a protein shake in the morning so I'm feeling good on my way out the door. I get to work and as the Administrative Assistant in the office I'm called on for every little/big thing that must get done immediately, servicing students at the customer service counter, I'm the transcript coordinator which means every request that comes in is processed by yours truly. I am also the office manager/etc. and supervisor when the senior staff is out the office so I look around and its 3pm and Tami has not taken a break much less eaten lunch. And this insanity has been going on since November (early registration) and intensified since the New Year came in (Continuing/Late Registration). I have even question how i will maintain post op - but come what may I will do this and celebrate the victory - I just have to find a concrete way to manage it all.

You still lost 15!! Shows them you can
I am relieved I didn't have to do the 6 month wait. That's a very long time to prove yourself when I'd fail at WW in 2 weeks
Lucky my Dr / Ins was a 2 week Pre-op diet to just shrink my liver
Must be extremely difficult
Hang in there, you are almost on the loser bench
Keep your hands and head busy:)

And keep a huge ice water on your desk, sip constantly!
It'll keep tummy full and have practice for after surgery. Buy something nice and fun to sip out of. Make it enjoyable:):)

This is your test period. If you can do this preop you can do it post op. learning to change now will help to assure you that you can do it for life.

Don't worry I lost 15 pds., gained and at the end only lost a total of 8 pds. before surgery. Continue to keep your eye on the prize,that is to get healthy. Knowing what this means for some of us is taking drastic measures and meeting your objectives. Don't get discouraged. In a short time you will be trying to figure out what 2 oz. mushy foods will go down easy. Keep your NUT in the loop.

Thanks ladies, I will take all of your suggestions to heart and incorporate them into my regimen especially the water and learning to sip now. i have gained so much knowledge from this site and i am so grateful.