43 lbs lost in 3 weeks

p444cod41

Well done you have done great!and I'm sure now you have found the motivation you will try to do it yourself and as those pounds go u will feel extra proud of yourself as you have done it yourself.

nuvimi

rcookenc wrote: »

Hello everyone, my name is Roger, I am a 47 y/o male from North Carolina and I weighed 547 lbs (bmi=74.2) at my first bariatric clinic appt. 4 weeks ago. They wont allow surgery on anyone over a bmi of 70, so I have to lose about 50 lbs to qualify. I have another appt. with them for a nutrition evaluation on Monday the 10th, but I didn't want to wait for that-so I started a diet plan myself to get a head start. All the online charts and calorie counters say to maintain my weight of 547, that I was eating around 4800 calories a day. So I checked and saw that I should be eating 1500 a day if I was at normal weight, so I set my goal at 1500 calories a day. By reading from some literature I got from the bariatric clinic and online sites, I noticed that PROTEIN was very important. So I set out to eat between 80-100 grams of protein a day, while keeping under 1500 calories a day, and watching my fat and sugar intake too. Well yesterday I went to my regular doctor and when I weighed in I was astonished. I have only been on my diet for a full 3 weeks and just started my 4th week. I knew I had lost some, I was expecting around 10-15 lbs.... I lost 43 lbs!!!!!!! I am so excited and pumped up Also, my bmi is now under the 70 mark I do think tho, that I am not gonna have the surgery right away. The more weight I can lose before it, the better. And who knows, I may not even need to have surgery if I can keep losing the weight myself. Guess I just needed a little motivation. And if I do get to a point where I stop losing it myself, then I can still go ahead with the surgery then at that time. Oh, one other thing-I feel that using the daily food log on myfitnesspal was very helpful for me. I love that you can just search for the foods you eat and it has all the numbers for you. Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself and say Hello to everyone. Thought I would share a bit of good news on my progress. Hopefully I will sharing a lot more success. If anyone wants to ask me anything or wants to know more about my diet plan, just ask.

You will be much happier with the result if you do it yourself. A bariatric surgery will cause you to lose an astonishing amount of muscle, putting you at a smaller size with a disproportionate amount of body fat to other people who are that size. Have you ever wondered why post-surgery people are so squishy after they've lost the weight (especially ones who had a bypass)? This is why. You've already shown yourself that you can do it, so keep going!

CariJean64

Sending a friend request. I would love to follow your progress!

dazwan

Great job, make sure to keep us all updated.

rcookenc

thanks again to everyone that has left me words of encouragement. I really need it and appreciate it. Some of you are saying 1500 calories a day is not enough, but the thing is-that even tho I have dropped from about 4800 to 1500-I am not all that hungry. Actually, I feel I am still eating quite a bit of food, it's just that I used to eat bad foods and now I am eating more healthy. My big downfall was sweets, especially ice cream and those little debbie cakes. I could eat a whole gallon of ice cream or a whole box of cakes at one sitting. I have had zero sweets since I started my diet. I am single, living alone, so most of the time I ate out. It was more convenient, and actually cheaper to eat out then to cook. I still eat out 1 day a week with my friend, we get together once a week and have lunch and hang out. But what I normally eat with him is not too bad. We normally go out for hot wings, and I normally have 10 wings and a salad. I use a "cheat day" I feel it helps me, but I try not to go crazy with it either. Again, thanks for all the great comments, I will keep you up to date

Aemely

Good luck, Roger! I'm interested to hear what the doctor says. Stay strong, and be sure to reach out for help when you need it!

Operationweddings

Great! Well done :-)

auddii

rcookenc wrote: »

thanks again to everyone that has left me words of encouragement. I really need it and appreciate it. Some of you are saying 1500 calories a day is not enough, but the thing is-that even tho I have dropped from about 4800 to 1500-I am not all that hungry. Actually, I feel I am still eating quite a bit of food, it's just that I used to eat bad foods and now I am eating more healthy. My big downfall was sweets, especially ice cream and those little debbie cakes. I could eat a whole gallon of ice cream or a whole box of cakes at one sitting. I have had zero sweets since I started my diet. I am single, living alone, so most of the time I ate out. It was more convenient, and actually cheaper to eat out then to cook. I still eat out 1 day a week with my friend, we get together once a week and have lunch and hang out. But what I normally eat with him is not too bad. We normally go out for hot wings, and I normally have 10 wings and a salad. I use a "cheat day" I feel it helps me, but I try not to go crazy with it either. Again, thanks for all the great comments, I will keep you up to date

Cutting out sweets and stuff can definitely help cut the calories, and if you're anything like me, you may not be in a place mentally to have stuff in the house that is sweet or a trigger food and have it in normal portions.

I'm a big fan of moderation and not denying yourself something just because you're trying to lose weight. Personally, cutting everything out lead to MASSIVE binges. I finally found I could cope by every once in a while going out and buying a single serving of something from a deli/bakery/whatever.

It is a large deficit, and you aren't hungry now, but just track your overall energy levels and how your sleeping. And because it is a large deficit, definitely keep regular appointments with your doctor.

And good luck at your appointment on Monday. The surgery is a big decision, and you've seen what you can do on your own!

slowly_changing12

proud of you!!!!!!! great job!!!!!!!!!!!

Healthydiner65

Keep doing what you are doing! Much of the initial weight loss if fluid so hopefully the lymphedema will improve. Make sure your Dr. is following you closely and that you are testing your blood sugar frequently. You are an inspiration to many and I know you will succeed!

baileybiddles

That's amazing, my friend!

My mom had bariatric surgery a year ago. She lost about 30 pounds before she was able to go into her surgery, and she did it just like you did - lots of protein, stuck within her calories and logged here on MFP. Unfortunately with her thyroid disease, she can lose about that much weight and then she just stops no matter what she does, exercise, proper nutrition, anything. That's why she had her surgery and she has done very well since. I believe she is now down almost 100 pounds and she looks AMAZING.

I will say that it's very hard work. She still can't have quite a bit of things that she used to enjoy. She basically can't eat wheat because it's too bloating for her. If you eat too quickly, you puke (and this is even a year after the surgery). However, if you're willing to make the lifestyle changes, it will work for you, period. This surgery is fool proof if the person getting the surgery is 100% dedicated and committed to making the changes and following the steps.

I wish you all of the luck in the WORLD! You're off to a truly amazing start.

Smirnoff65

Fantastic start on this path, keep it going sir you are an inspiration. You can do this.

michaelanna2003

Hey there Sweetie - I am very tempted to go through weight loss surgery. I'm in healthcare and I see people who have had it once a week or more due to affluence in our town. However, while on the edge of committing, I read in Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book ("End of Dieting"), a testimony. The lady wrote that she had had bariatric surgery done, and found that the foods that slip through the easiest are refined sugars like juice, ice cream and cake. Then it suddenly hit me; if I did this surgery, and became even half the athlete I once was, I would not be able to get the calories I need to do the kayaking and mountain biking and 1/2 marathon running that I used to love.
Please consider staying on the plan. I started to meet with a Nurse Practitioner weekly and she gave me small goals to start changing my life, and knowing I was meeting her one on one was enough to keep me accountable. I am losing weight (don't know how much, she records it though) but more importantly I can breathe, move and feel great. But I'm in Canada and I have the availability of the nurse through our healthcare. Chin up! You will not make a mistake either way, but just some food for thought!!!
Annie the Canadian

bumblebreezy91

Outstanding!

VeryKatie

That's amazing, great job! It almost makes it fun, doesn't it Maybe you'll have the chance to lose weight naturally and you could keep the money for something later. Maybe a special treat or holiday, maybe skin tightening or weight training or something (who knows right haha). You have been doing fantastic and I always feel like 3 weeks is where it starts to feel more habitual. So keep up the good work!

Hotshoe1200

Congratulations! You are one of the reasons I keep coming to this area of MFP. It's so inspiring to hear about your success. I wanted to add that since you have given up sweets, you will eventually lose the craving for it. My daughter told me that and I found it had to believe, but when I got serious and cut my calories to what I should be eating, ice cream, candy, cakes and all that just didn't fit in and I found that after a while, I wasn't tempted by stuff in the break room at work any more.

And don't worry about the 1500 calorie goal you set. You'll find that sometimes your weight loss will stall or plateau. I have gone over my calorie limit quite a bit at times and it seems to kick start my weight loss again. Strange but true. Keep up the good work, allow those occasional cheat days and listen to your body. I think you find it's just as exciting when you are able to start exercising. It takes the focus off of food alone and I've read some pretty good success stories from people who just walked!

Also want to add that I know a three people who went through the surgery route and all of them slipped back into the bad eating habits and gained back some, if not all of the weight. If you can do this well in such a short period of time, imagine what you can accomplish in 1year!

Keep posting! I want to hear how you are doing.

Michellekutz1

That is amazing, keep up the great work!

Deena_Bean

Nice! Glad you found a good motivator. Congratulations!

thiswillhappen

You're amazing! Thanks for sharing!

mrsdenno82

Great job!!!

ljones27uk

Brilliant job! Keep pushing yourself, keep the focus and keep the faith... Calorie counting works and whilst the loss will slow down at some point you can keep losing. Don't give up if it slows or you don't lose some weeks, you'll get 'a whoosh' further down the line and, like this time, lose more than expected. Good on ya for the progress to date, truly awesome. These stories are the best part of MFP!

joseccastaneda

Way to go. I had also contemplated surgery at some point and am now glad that didn't work out. Started my journey in April of this year at 530 lbs. I was just weighed this Friday at my doctor's office at 424 lbs. Keep at it and you'll get there without the surgery.

Slinky92

Incredible job! Keep up the good work!

Mary407

Thank you for sharing your experience - I am so impressed with your determination and success! YOU CAN MEET YOUR GOALS!

Pynkklady

Excellent, Roger!! Good for you, and way to be an inspiration to others!

Jlennhikes

Wow! I'm impressed with your accomplishment and your attitude! Seems like it will be a lot healthier in the long run to keep up your no-surgery strategy. Congrats!

silentKayak

That's fantastic. Keep it up! My understanding is that what you're doing now is relatively easy compared with the surgery, which is still calorie reduction plus a host of other challenges. I'd really encourage you to stick with it. There's tons of help and support here. We're all rooting for you!

opalsqueak007

Keep going Roger - you have shown phenomenal determination!

FitOldMomma

Yeah! I think we're going to be reading a lot more about your journey. You've started off great and have the mindset to continue. Good for you! Congrats on the weight loss so far too.

rcookenc

Thanks everyone for the comments. In case you haven't see my other post. last week I weighed in at 496. 52 lbs in 4 weeks and first time under 500 in 6 years. I go back to doctor next Tuesday, and I am hoping for 473 or under. 473 would be 75 lbs in 6 weeks. I will do an update post Tuesday night. Again, thats for all the comments, advice and just plain love. I really appreciate it.