Fellow Iowans?

[Luckygrl 87]

Hello....any Iowans out there? :-) From Des Moines here. Still on the fence about the surgery. Give a shout out if you're in the area.

[hyggelieg 43]

I am! I went to Unity Point Weight Loss in West Des Moines. Dr. Theresa Lamasters is amazing and the whole experience was great. They have a team- Surgeon, psychologist, nutritionist, exercise physiologist. You meet with all of them. You need to sign up for an initial appt- there are other patients there as well- to get the ball rolling. So worth it. It was exactly a year ago that I went to my first meeting. Due to my own schedule, I didn't have the surgery until Dec. I am down 60 lbs! Best decision I ever made!! I was convinced I would be the one person it didn't work for- It works!!

Good luck!

[Luckygrl 87]

So far, I've gone to the info meeting and the initial consultation with the surgeon (Dr Lamasters). At that consultation I met the dietitian, nurse and insurance lady. Next up is a support group and psychiatrist appts. I'm still on the fence. My emotions are all over the place. :-/ Just found out today that insurance covers it except like $5,500. Do you have any regrets? What was the worst/best parts of the experience?

[hyggelieg 43]

What is it that is holding you back? It is definitely a life change, but once you are through the the liquid and puree stage and can start on normal foods, it all becomes normal.

My main issue with food was portions. It is still unbelievable to me how much 4oz of food is vs. what I was eating before. It truly is a tool. It keeps you from overeating. The other pluses for me: I WANT to exercise! It feels so good starting a summer wearing short sleeved shirts. I look 10 years younger. I no longer have to sleep with a machine. I feel such peace. My mind is finally quiet. I used to spend so much time obsessing about food, what I was going to eat, how much I could eat, eating in secret, feeling guilt and shame because I did eat. That took up most of my day and colored everything I did. This surgery affects you metabolically, so you do not have the hunger anymore. You can have head hunger in the beginning, but everything about food is just so much easier. Now, a person can choose to only eat Fritos all day and not get in their Protein or Water and not exercise (I do Water aerobics and walk) and they will not be successful. It is still about choices, this tool just makes it easier to make good ones.

I have been extremely fortunate in that I have had no ill effects from the surgery. Food has never made me sick. I still don't like how I feel after I eat white carbs (potatoes mainly- they feel really heavy.) Almost 6 months out and I can eat pretty much anything...just a whole lot less of it! I feel Dr. Lamasters program- IF you FOLLOW IT!- sets you up for success. Keep up Protein, water and exercise and it will happen. I am averaging 10 lbs a month.

So for me, no regrets whatsoever. I can't imagine how I would be feeling at 290 vs. 228 (my weight this morning.) This choice is about you deciding to find some peace.

[Luckygrl 87]

Ok, attempt number 3 at replying to this!!! I've written two long responses and lost them both into cyber space.

My hurdles are the vicious mental cycles.

-What if I fail?

-What if I still binge?

-What if I end up with ugly loose skin that looks worse than my fat?

-What if I could have done this without surgery but I just didn't try hard enough.

-Maybe I just need to try harder. (even though I can hear Dr. Lamasters saying that even those that do lose it on their own, only about 1% can keep it off without surgery) :-(

Then I just get angry with myself for allowing myself to get fat in the first place.

​-Maybe there's a way to lose the weight without surgery and I just haven't found it.

-What if I lose a bunch of my hair? I'm already thinning.

Those are some of my hang ups right now.

My therapist has asked me to start making small changes now.

-Have a Protein shake each morning, rather than skipping bf.

-Eat a healthy lunch, rather than either skipping lunch or having just a pb sandwich.

-Cut my portions at dinner time.

-Drink more Water.

-Be more active. I'm using my fitbit and challenging myself to hit at least 5,000 steps a day. Eventually I'd like to lose enough that I feel ok in a swimsuit so I can learn how to swim and do some Water aerobics.

I do well at most of these small goals for 2-3 days then I'll slip up. Once I slip up, I toss the whole process out the window. Then I get depressed, angry, feel defeated, etc. When I mess up I feel like I punish myself by sabotaging the entire plan.

As for your success, way to go!! It's very inspiring to hear about your journey. I'm going to one of the support group meetings this Saturday. I'm looking forward to hearing more great stories and information. Maybe it'll help me make my decision.

[hyggelieg 43]

You can always find reasons why you shouldn't do this. Just like you find reasons that it is ok to have one more piece of pizza. How many diets have you tried? I guess that is more rhetorical:) I don't know about you, but no longer being out of breath, a borderline diabetic, having to sleep with a machine, manic/depressed thoughts is worth some loose skin and some thinning hair that will grow back. I guess I was just in the place where I knew I had no other choice. I am just so thankful that there seems to have been an answer. I guess starving myself or bingeing/purging seems much more radical and dangerous to me than having the surgery

FYI...I really disliked the support groups. This is the one area where Unity Point needs to get a little more organized. There is usually 100+ people there and most of the time was spent answering questions that really should have been asked in an individual session (specific insurance, etc...) It might be better this month, I think it is small group.

[Luckygrl 87]

You're right. It's a mental cycle. It would be worth it to get my health back. It's still frightening. I'm an over thinker, over analyzer. I just need to work through some of this mental stuff.

Thank you for the heads up on the support group. I'm hoping to hear some success stories. That's really motivational. Also would be helpful to hear of the roadblocks too.

Thank you for the help and insight. I appreciate it.

[hyggelieg 43]

No problem! I wish you all the best!

[hyggelieg 43]

Just checking in to see how the support group went yesterday?

[Luckygrl 87]

Unfortunately I missed it. My husband had a show Friday night and we didn't get home until after 3 a.m. I'll have to check out the next one. Thank you for checking in. I appreciate it.