keeping weight stable leading upto surgery?

[gemma-lou88]

i attended the group seminar at sunderland royal hospital on march 17th and have been told to either keep my weight stable or lose weight leading upto surgery as a gain can mess everything up and delay things.. i have just been given the depo injection contraceptive and also been re started on anti depressants and am finding it a real struggle to stop my weight getting any higher. normally i would not have any problems as iv kept it stable for a long time just not been able to lose it. im trying my hardest just always seem to get so far then mess it up as my heads not in the best of states at the moment. i know its all my own fault and only i can change it but was just wondering if anyone has been through this or any tips? any help is appreciated

 

[phatmomma]

In all honestly and forgive me if i upset you saying this...

If you don't buy crap at the shops you can't eat it! I know before you shout the kids want crisps and they got lunch boxes etc etc.... Whenever i am on 'one of my diets' i just don't buy the rubbish in the first place. I figure either one of two things, my kids are 10 & 12 they can walk to the shops and buy crisps for lunchboxes.... or if they are too young then i can walk them to the shop for crisps for lunchboxes.....

The thought of surgery being stopped should be enough to give you the strength to resist....

Also.......get loads of sugar free jelly n vlc yoghurts and fruit in the house to munch on when you have the urge... It's amazing but after a couple of days without choc n stuff a nice bit of chopped fruit with a flavoured yog poured over tastes like manna from heaven!

Good luck, i hope you can keep the strength up xx

 

[jaynefrances]

I really battled with this in the time between each of my appointments at Sunderland. The amount of time you have to wait does make it difficult to maintain it or sustain any loss. I used to kid myself into thinking, "oh well i'll start the diet two months before my next appointment and it will be fine" but then i would find myself 4 weeks before hand having to lose the weight i'd gained and then a few extra pound to show commitment. This meant an intense vlc slimfast based diet and lots of panic !
Don't get caught out, as they can decide to send you to the psychologist if you have gained, which will delay your process even further.
Just keep doing your best to maintain as its your second appointment where they will set you a weight loss target. And whilst this is not ideal advice to give anyone, if you stuff up over the first few months, don't give up as you can make it right if you work hard in the month leading up to your appointment. Good luck.

 

[Twiggie]

If you don't buy crap at the shops you can't eat it! I know before you shout the kids want crisps and they got lunch boxes etc etc.... Whenever i am on 'one of my diets' i just don't buy the rubbish in the first place. I figure either one of two things, my kids are 10 & 12 they can walk to the shops and buy crisps for lunchboxes.... or if they are too young then i can walk them to the shop for crisps for lunchboxes.....

I think this is a little harsh and unfair Julie. Not all of us buy and eat 'rubbish' nor do we feed it to our kids. I wouldn't entertain putting crisps in a child's lunchbox anyway. Also, I can't actually see where Gemma-Lou has even indicated she has any kids!

She has however mentioned she's just had a contraceptive Depo injection as well as starting on new anti-depressants, both of which are an extremely common cause of weight gain initially. I think she has every right to be concerned about how she can maintain a stable weight until her next appointment.

As you're aware, I've been struggling to keep my own weight stable over the past few weeks & months and it's been up and down like a yo-yo, but it's all due to different medications I take and not because I've been eating 'rubbish'!!

Gemma, the only thing I can suggest if you are struggling and your weight is going up and down is to keep a food diary, which is what I've done. I've also plotted my weight gains/losses onto a graph to take along to my next appt to show exactly what's been going on and that I am making effort even if it doesn't appear that way.

One thing I will say though, you need to avoid going on crash/starvation diets or attempting any of the pre-op liver shrinkage diets (until you get your op date of course) as these are counterproductive and will actually result in a weight gain during the week(s) following your appt, making it harder to get back below again.

Good luck and post back for more advice if you're struggling xxx

 

[phatmomma]

Dear Twiggie, i do believe i started my post of with the comment that it was not meant in a harsh way and i hope Gemma saw and believed that. I have (like everyone on here) struggled with weight for a long time and would never knock a person for having a weight problem.

I did not mean to sound harsh and hope that is not the way gemma saw it....

I'm merely giving the advice to Gemma that i give myself, if it's not in the house i won't eat it.. This unfortunately also applies to fruit, i love it but very rarely buy it for one reason or another...

And i don't mind admitting i'm fat cos i love eating 'crap', i dont love the fact that i do it, like most people with a weight problem i crave the day coming when i no longer want to eat chocolate... I don't buy it in but am a buggar for getting it when stopping at the shop for milk/petrol whatever...

I have no idea about contraceptive injections causing weight gain as i've never had one neither do i know about anti depressants as again i've been quite lucky that it is an illness i've mostly managed to avoid... As for if Gemma has children i have no idea, i was talking from my own perspective.

I do agree with you though that crash diets are the devil in disguise...... Sensible healthy eating is the way to go, which means in my books avoiding foods that give no feeling of satiety (hope i spelt this right) and filling up on good for you foods such as fruit n veg...

Anyhow, i don't intend to make a issue out of it.. I am just like everyone else wishing Gemma all the best and am confident she will succeed in her quest for maintenance xx