Crusher75060

Very honest of you. Thank you for that. I have some food issues, some health issues and some emotinal issues that all contribute to this overweight thing. But in the end I know I have to make better choices and eat the right stuff. I struggle so hard doing something like the HCG or the Atkins that I don't know that I could actually do the diet that is required after surgery. To me it seems like I will do it for a while, then be absolutely miserable and struggle every day to try to do it right. Shoot... I'm doing that now. And I didn't have to spend 13k to get there. I'm leaning toward going back on the HCG and giving it the most serious effort I can. Do the thing right. I will lose 30 lbs or so in 6 weeks if I can do that. The weight loss is rewarding and feel good about it. However, being denied my favorite foods completely starts to get old after a while and I need a little break. So after 6 weeks it is so difficult to maintain, waiting for enough days to pass so I can go back on. I need to find help for that. And on a side note, I just found out that my hematocrit is high. I just donated blood in November so this is a concern for my doctor. Being aspirin sensitive means I'll have to take some other drug. Ugh... this is getting to be a drag... Crusher

Wow thanks guys. I'm at that place where I know I have to lose weight and my life back on track but I am unsure if the sleeve is going to make a change I can live with. My problem with food is that I am a snacker. I eat little bits of stuff between meals and after dinner, usually late in the evening watching TV. I eat apple, crasins, almonds, celery with a little soft spread cream cheese and sometimes chips and salsa (my favorite). Not the worst Snacks, but horrible to eat them late at night. I know all that will have to change and I feel I can do that. But I am also a "social" eater. Since I am simi-retired, I have time to meet with old friends for lunch or for coffee somewhere. I truly enjoy meeting friends and talking about life over a meal. It is somehow comforting to me. The problem is, once in a while I will eat lunch early and a friend will call to meet them. Since I treasure the time with them, I go along anyway. I always eat something while I'm there. Even if it is just a salad or Soup. Giving up that time would be difficult. It's a choice I will have to make. I'm asking myself if having this surgery and going though a very rough first 4 weeks or so, then having to manage a strict 4 oz at a time diet is going to be any different than the normal struggles I have with any other diet. I'm asking "am I going to spend $13k and end up with something just as difficult as the dieting I'm already doing, except there is no going back". What I'm doing here is asking for input on the positives and negatives of doing what I consider a fairly drastic thing to get my food under control. I'd love to hear what some of you have to say. And I'm not thin skinned so just say what you mean Crusher

I've been a normal weight, active person all my life. That is until about age 35 I developed sinus issues living here in Texas. The only thing that helps is prednisone when the polyps get really bad until I have surgery to remove them. Over the last 15 or so years I have gained 60+ pounds. It is hurting me now because I have difficulty getting around and dealing with being "a fat guy". I have lost weight with diets like Atkins and the HCG. In fact I lost 51 pounds in 2009 and kept it off for just over a year. However, soon my old habits returned and I started gaining again. Now I've gained the weight back and a few pounds more. I'm just getting over pneumonia and a round of steroids and I feel like a hotdog. This is the heaviest I've ever been. I said all this to ask a question: Doing a low calorie restricted diet works for me but it is so hard to do. It feels like I just can't make myself leave the carbs (chips and other snacks) alone. My question is, will having the sleeve make it any easier? Will it help me to have more joy at leaving these killers behind and getting on with getting my eating under control? Seriously, I have been on a diet for a year where I am eating mostly the right foods, but keeping the calories under 1800 per day. I am a 5'10, 260 lb man and 50+ years old. At 1800 calories, I should be losing weight. But I'm not. Only when I inject the HCG and eat 500 calories a day do I lose anything. And then I lose about 15 pounds and it stops. Even though I continue the diet, I stop losing weight. Is getting the sleeve surgery going to change that? I love the feeling of exercise but I've been unable to do much more than my job. I haven't had my heart over 100 bpm in probably a year. That bothers me. I'd love to hear some input from those of you who have been there done that. I am in need of a little advice and encouragement. Thanks in advance for your help. Crusher