Diet without surgery?

[Lisa.H 5]

A cardiologist I consulted with yesterday suggested WLS. Before they were looking into my issues now it's because I'm obese. Sigh

I do not want surgery or general anesthesia.I feel like I have flu muscle aches and joint pain 100% of the time, have hypothyroidism - my tsh is between 20 - 70 never normal despite synthroid, have severe sleep apnea/hypoxia which is currently untreated, have edema that I take 80 mg of lasix for, high blood pressure that I take 200 mg lopressor, and am always short of breath. I had a 1cm biopsy and was in awful pain for 2 weeks after, besides the health issues and fear of anesthesia, I can't imagine an actual surgery.

So I told him I was scared of surgery, what if I just followed the diet without it. He said I would have to drink Protein and to google the bariatric diet.

Had anyone tried it without the surgery?

I eat measured 1cup grains, unlimited raw/whole fruit and veg, keep my sodium under 700 mg. Sometimes I eat grilled chicken and bread if I eat out.i didn't really like the idea of going to more processed shakes but I will if it helps me lose.

Thank you so much for any advice. It's a really difficult time and doctors telling me you are to blame for being obese and if you would just try to lose is upsetting. I gave 160 pounds after thyroid radiation. The only one who hasn't blamed me and actually assessed what I was eating first before giving advice was a nutritionist.

[GreenTealael 25,630]

I don't know if it will work for you but this is the sample diet of a person 1 year post op. The challenge for you will be to stick to it with very little incentive , I was nervous about surgery and anesthesia too, had surgery anyway, amazing choice for me.

Good luck!

Edited August 2, 2018 by GreenTealael

[MIZ60 1,291]

You can always try going on the bariatric diet but you need some big changes in what you are currently eating. You need lean Protein first, then non-starchy vegetables with some fruit and small amounts of whole grains and dairy. Aim for calories about 1000-1200 per day with daily exercise and a boatload of Water (at least 64 ounces but more is better) No sugar, soda, juice, processed carbs or snack foods. Give it a go.

Three and a half months ago I was in bad shape. Wheezing constantly despite 3 daily asthma/COPD medications, terrible lower back pain if I was standing for more than 5 minutes. Almost a prisoner in my home due to feeling so bad and defeated.

I am a nurse practitioner and hated the idea of surgery and anesthesia but I came to the conclusion that I could not fix my situation without medical assistance. So, I had the gastric sleeve. The first 3 days after the surgery were hard due to pain and general irritation about the whole thing. I got sick of drinking sips of water almost every waking minute and forcing Protein Shakes down a little at a time. At that point, things started getting better every day.

Tomorrow is 3 months since my sleeve and I can tell you honestly it is the best thing I could have done in my situation. I am off all of my asthma/COPD meds, absolutely no back pain, walking 1.75 miles daily and doing weight training and almost 50 pounds lighter. I do get hungry at mealtime but the amount of food it takes to fill me up simply amazes me.

You are not to blame for being obese any more than anyone else on here. It is a serious problem for many and bariatric surgery is just a tool to help us succeed in solving the problem. Spend time reading on here...there is a lot of great information and sometimes brutal honesty. Good luck to you!!

[Lisa.H 5]

Thank you GreenTealael!

[RickM 1,753]

Lot's of people try such things, but without the surgery it is no more successful than any other diet - maybe a 5% success rate at best - it is the surgery that does the trick, not the diet (though that is a part of it.) Diet after WLS is mostly a long term learning process to help you with weight control in the long term, as the diet after surgery during the loss phase makes little difference.

[James Marusek 5,244]

The main reason why I had gastric bypass surgery was to resolve a number of health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, severe acid reflux (GERD) and a few others. In the end all of these issues went into remission within a month after surgery and have not reappeared since. I am 5 years post-op. I was even pleasantly surprised that it also resolved my problem with asthma. So prior to surgery I was taking 5 types of prescription medicine daily and today none.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

Honestly, I don't think anyone should resort to weight-loss surgery unless they have really tried losing without it and been unsuccessful. If you haven't, then definitely give it a try. The statistics say only 5% can lose the weight and maintain, but you may be one of those. However, if you have lost weight many times and regained, research shows that weight-loss surgery is the most successful treatment.

There are a great many bariatric diets out there, in addition to Weight Watchers (very balanced), the mayo Clinic diet and others. If you want to lose without surgery, find one that fits your life and stick to it. Good luck with whatever you choose!

[TakingABreak 2,733]

19 minutes ago, Orchids&Dragons said:

Honestly, I don't think anyone should resort to weight-loss surgery unless they have really tried losing without it and been unsuccessful.

I agree with this statement. I think WLS should be the last alternative after you've exhausted your other options. And my program required a very detailed history of every diet, drug, supplementation you've ever tried prior to the consultation spanning back 10 years. However, its the best decision I've ever done and wished I would have done it years ago. I yo-yo'd for nearly 15 years but I was still always overweight. I feel like I lost that time.

[Lisa.H 5]

I follow a hybrid of WW and my plate now. I like the Ww app for logging and support but I consulted with a dietician for portion sizes and balance food groups. I can't get out of the 270s average is 275 my fluctuations are due to lasix. A long time ago I made my goal compliance because I didn't get the positive weight loss feedback. Even before I did ww I didn't eat white refined flour or hfcs for 16 years apart from the time I had pneumonia coke and Soup was all I could swallow.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Lisa.H

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

1 minute ago, Lisa.H said:

I follow a hybrid of WW and my plate now. I like the Ww app for logging and support but I consulted with a dietician for portion sizes and balance food groups. I can't get out of the 270s average is 275 my fluctuations are due to lasix. A long time ago I made my goal compliance because I didn't get the positive weight loss feedback. Even before I did ww I didn't eat white refined flour or hfcs for 16 years apart from the time I had pneumonia come and Soup was all I could swallow.

One suggestion - this is something I wish I'd known before surgery and would have liked to have tried it to see if it would have helped my weight loss. It's the 30-30-30 rule. Don't drink 30 minutes before, during or after meals. It lets the actual food sit in your stomach longer and maybe gives your "satiety" hormone a chance to kick in. If you decide to have surgery, you'll have to learn to do this anyway and I think it would be a worthwhile experiment.

[Lyndi84 21]

I was terrified of having surgery as I had never had any kind of surgery before. I had never been put to sleep that was my biggest fear.. that I wouldn't wake back up. Long story short I had surgery regardless as I knew I needed to. If i didnt have surgery I knew I wouldn't be around in the next 5 years. I was on the verge of becoming bedridden. I was 517 lbs at my highest in September 2016. I had RNY gastric bypass December 2017. I was down to 412 lbs on the day of my surgery..by working with a dietician and cutting back my calories and learning to eat properly I was able to lose 105 lbs before surgery. I live in Canada they wont do weight loss surgery if your BMI is over 55%. So I needed to lose weight before I could have surgery. I did 4.5 months of Optifast liquid diet.. it was brutal nothing but 4 shakes a day. I knew that I would never be able to lose enough weight on my own and keep it off. The surgery helps me keep it off. I'm 9 months out from surgery and currently weigh 337 lbs. The surgery was the best decision I could have ever made for me. Also another thing you could look into..prior to surgery I was on an injectable drug called Saxenda or Victoza (same drug just different brand)..it helped me lose weight and also helps control hunger. It was an injection once a day. As for food.. my dietician and psychologist both told me that there was no reason that I couldn't enjoy the foods I did before but doing so in moderation. I eat all the same things as the rest of the family just smaller portions. Ultimately only you can make the best decision for you though.

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[gafromca 0]

I know this is over a year old, but I want to reply in case anyone with thyroid issues looks at this.

Lisa, you have serious health problems to take care of before you work on diet.

1. Get a CPAP machine to treat you apnea ASAP. This is essential. Adjusting to the face mask can be hard for some people, but it is worth the effort. I cannot survive without my CPAP. It has changed my life.

2. Get your thyroid dose adjusted so that your TSH comes down. No wonder you feel horrible and gained weight. Your doctor should give you as high a dose as it takes to get your TSH under control. (I took 300 mcg of Synthroid per day for many years. I had thyroid cancer, so no thyroid hormone produced by my body at all. I am guessing you had Graves Disease. That is tricky since you have to keep adjusting your rx dose as the thyroid gland slowly dies off from the radiation.)

Important things that can help you stabilize TSH: As you know, take thyroid pills first thing in the morning, or even middle of the night, and then wait an hour before eating. Be aware that Iron and Calcium supplements will reduce the thyroid pill's effectiveness or absorption. My friend was messed up for years because she drank calcium fortified orange juice. The calcium interfered with the thyroid pills and so her TSH was always high. Her doctor didn't think she was actually taking her pills and wouldn't increase her dose.

So don't eat Vitamin fortified Breakfast Cereal or take morning vitamin/mineral pills with in 3-4 hours of taking thyroid. (Or always eat the cereal and get your doc to increase your dose to compensate.) Other things that can interfere with thyroid pills is large amount of soy or cabbage/kale. Again consistency is most important.

Synthroid or a generic takes six weeks to stabilize a new dose. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you realize, or double up the next day. Finally, since your TSH is sky high, you should increase you dose in steps over a few months.

3. Now with your sleep apnea and thyroid level under control your mind will start to work again and you can focus on your diet. The only comment I will make is that "unlimited fruit and vegetables" can be dangerous. While fruit is healthy, too much is just more sugar. Notice the 7-day menu in an earlier post that fruit was severely limited - only 1/4 cup for 2 out of 7 days. And be sure to distinguish between starchy and non-starchy vegetables.