Hey everyone,

I am very embarrassed to say this but I did not loose much weight on Optifast...I cheated on the occasion but nothing to my usual callibar due to being so hungry at sometimes nauseous. My surgery is tomorrow and I am scared they will cancel it. I lost 12 lbs and in one day my scale says I gained 5 how is that? Yet agin I feel like I failed myself. Has anyone experience this?

Sure, I've had the scale jump up as much as six lbs in a day when I was either near my TOM or after a fairly salt-laden day. I wish I could tell you for sure what your surgeon's reaction will be, but I don't hink anyone knows but him. I hope other Coburn patients will chime in here, since they've had more experience with him. How long did you do the Optifast for? If it was two weeks, 12 lbs is nothing to sneeze at even with cheating. In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about it, what will be, will be. The cheating period on the pre-op is over tomorrow, you can't go back and change what you ate. You just have to focus on the future and not cheating on the post-op diet, that's VERY important. Eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize. If for some reason you do get cancelled, you can get rescheduled and try again. Try to take some deep breaths and relax. In either case it will be okay.

Good Luck on your surgery sweetforlife. You will probably do fine. Let us know how you did and feel.

Try to relax Sweet - Dr. C told me he only had to cancel one surgery because of the liver size (the reason for the pre-op Optifast). With a 12 lb loss, you should still have experienced enough reduction for it to be okay.

This is however, a good time to remind yourself that tomorrow is another day. We have all beaten ourselves up when we have made poor choices and will likely continue to have times when our choices are less than bright. It happens, we're human.

We're making a committment to ourselves, and when we have bad days, we need to remember why we are doing what we are doing and move forward. Use the support system you have at home and on the boards - all will be fine and we will watch the changes unfold. Good luck tomorrow, I'll be thinking of you and QueenB - I wish my day was here already!

When i talk to Dr C about optifast he told me everyone cheats. I cheated i had plain chicken breast twice, one chicken sandwich on brown, and popcorn twice, and he did the surgery as long as u do the best you can. He told me my liver was small, i was worry for nothing.

Good luck on your big day its pretty soon right?

andrea

Hi Sweet for Life....I was banded 25JUL07 by Dr C....I had to "opti-fast" for 3 weeks. I was disappointed with my weight loss of 18 lbs but thought...he'll let me know if he can't do the surgery. I had no problem, no one, not even the nurses said a word about "hey...you didnt lose enough". So please be kind to yourself. Wishing the the Best.....Yours in losing...d

How active where you. If you just sat around watching TV, your weight loss would be a lot less than if you exercised. Also, you have had a good lesson on staying off the scale. Pick one day of the week and time. Stick to it no matter how curious you are. Weighing each day just causes you to become anxious as the body weight flucuates with water retention. Doddie

Doddie thanks for the reminder about exercise leading to the larger amounts of exercise. Right now I can't do much beyond my daily activity of walking at work and around the house - my back and knees hurt too much if I am standing too long. Once the weight starts to come off, I will be able to start walking - exercise is very difficult at certain stages, depending on other physical challenges. We can only do our best.

I wouldn't worry too much either. I only lost 4 lbs. while I was on Optifast because I wasn't able to stay on the Optifast for more than 2 days. Of course I already knew that because of past stomach stapling I was being done at the hospital by Dr. Cobourn in case he had to do me open. Thankfully he was able to do me lap and in under 16 mths. I am down from 251 day of surgery to 141 for a loss of 110 lbs. My goal is 125 which I will reach this fall. Best wishes on your surgery!

Donna

Banded By Dr. Cobourn /06 Revised from VBG/87

251/141/125 goal

Hi Cindy: I certainly know what you mean and I am sorry I didn't mean to come across as criticizing. I was only exploring all options to help you review what was happening. I can't exercise either as I have osteoarthritis in the knees, hip and shoulder. Our rec staff are on strike and I can't get to aqua fit classes so have to make do with just moving around the house. I have only lost 38 lbs since Feb. but that at least I am not gaining but exercise is a big factor in loosing. That may be the reason you are not loosing as fast too. Doddie

Doddie we're all so different and will lose differently. It is helpful to hear the tips that help others succeed, but if we constantly compare ourselves to someone else, we run the danger of feeding insecurities. This is my race and I'm glad others are along for the view - but you are involved in your own races - and you know what? the only failures are the ones who give up trying....