I've been noticing something kind of sad lately. I have several friends online at non-diet-related forums who have been posting about how they have gained weight, or regained weight they've previously lost, asking for tips about how to lose weight and keep it off.

And you know what? It just makes me sad, sad, sad. I've known most of these people online for years, and all of us have been dieting unsuccessfully, or losing and regaining, all that time. I feel so freakin' lucky that I was able to have this surgery and that my weight is finally coming off for good (and I've been open about it with these friends and they have been very supportive), but I honestly have no idea what to say to people asking for diet tips.

The reality is, diets don't work unless you stay on them forever. You have to eat way less than you want to, you have to be hungry, you have to bust your butt in the gym, you can't ever let up even a little, and then if you are very very lucky and are able to make your diet and exercise program the main focus of your life FOREVER, you may be able to lose your excess weight and keep it off. And if you're not able to do that near-impossible feat, then you hate yourself for being weak.

Man. I guess I'm just rambling at this point, but I have been there and done that for so long that it just makes me all kinds of sad to see the people who are still stuck in the diet trap. I guess the best thing for me is to just keep my cyber-mouth shut when the topic of diets comes up, huh?

Totally agree with you MlkPas! before my WLS i was on diets all the time. . at one time i took phentermine and lost 90 lbs! Yup worked great until i had to stop because it messed up my cardiac rythmn. . . (inverted the T wave, now every EKG shows ischemia) . . well it didn't take long thereafter to regain the 90 lbs plus more. . . it was horrible. . . i tried so hard not to gain the weight, but without the emphedimine effect, it was next to impossible. . . I was so happy to get this surgery, it's been a blessing in every way!

I'm only 4 months out and I can't imagine going back to a life of deprevation and failure. That was such a miserable way to live. I feel bad when I hear people talking about thier frustrations with diets. We all know from experience that they are probably killing themselves.... doing everything in their power... but still comming up short (or fat, as it were). I just wish I could help somehow... but I don't want to go about the business of "selling" my surgery. I haven't told a bunch of people about my surgery but I tell those people. It seems cruel to let them believe that I'm loosing weight through deprevation.

Hey,

Oh my!!

This is sooooo ringing bells with me too... I have only told a handful of people, but in particular, only two in work... Now, back after summer holidays and 9 weeks post op I have returned to work - I work in a school - and I have started to get a lot of comments about my weight loss...

People as asking, 'oh what diet are you on?' and 'how can I lose weight like you?' All I can say, is 'Oh I eat less and lots of Protein, I keep my carbs down, I drink a lot of Water and I exercise more.' which, in essence is true BUT I know that this tiny tummy is my life line and saviour from the cruel world of dieting!

I do feel guilty but I also want to keep my operation to myself... I am not confident that people would be accepting here in the UK ???

Hmmm, awkward position ain't it!!

x

Totally agree with you MlkPas! before my WLS i was on diets all the time. . at one time i took phentermine and lost 90 lbs! Yup worked great until i had to stop because it messed up my cardiac rythmn. . . (inverted the T wave, now every EKG shows ischemia) . . well it didn't take long thereafter to regain the 90 lbs plus more. . . it was horrible. . . i tried so hard not to gain the weight, but without the emphedimine effect, it was next to impossible. . . I was so happy to get this surgery, it's been a blessing in every way!

Oh the dreaded phentermine! I used the medication several times to lose weight....yes it works huh, but damn if I didnt turn into a raging B*tch (ask the hubby and kids). I also am convinced it totally jacked up the already shakey metabolism. The minute you stop using it...whamo here comes the pounds.

Just thinking about that medication makes me grouchy hehe.

Fen-Phen, when a friend of mine was 15 her Mother put her on it, her desire to have a thin daughter meant more to her than her daughter's health. Oh my friend lost weight all right, and has never been the same since. The drug caused her to not sleep (hello-speed) so what did her Mom do? Gave her sleeping pills. Once she went off the fen-phen she gained weight at an astonishing speed, before the drug she was merely a healthy chubby, a few months after the drug she was morbidly obese. It is my opinion that using fen-phen kicked her bipolarism into gear, though I suppose its emergence at the same time could be a coincidence ...

Hey,

Oh my!!

This is sooooo ringing bells with me too... I have only told a handful of people, but in particular, only two in work... Now, back after summer holidays and 9 weeks post op I have returned to work - I work in a school - and I have started to get a lot of comments about my weight loss...

People as asking, 'oh what diet are you on?' and 'how can I lose weight like you?' All I can say, is 'Oh I eat less and lots of Protein, I keep my carbs down, I drink a lot of Water and I exercise more.' which, in essence is true BUT I know that this tiny tummy is my life line and saviour from the cruel world of dieting!

I do feel guilty but I also want to keep my operation to myself... I am not confident that people would be accepting here in the UK ???

Hmmm, awkward position ain't it!!

x

Hi I was Ok with my work colleagues here in the UK but I have heard that school staff rooms can be particularly poisonous, so I can understand your concerns!

Jane x

thanks Jane... I really don't think they would 'get' it... I remember, probably this time last year, I mentioned good old Fern Briton and her band ... oh you should have heard what they said... it was criminal and sooo judgement... I then pipped up, 'God I would have it done at the drop of a hat!' and they told me off... nothing wrong with you or your weight came the reply... hence the reason why I have told only two peeps!!