I am in it for the LONG HAUL!!!

smilingeyes228

:happy: Hi everyone! I am new to myfitnesspal.com I have been exploring the website and I am really liking the options I have to track my weight loss journey! I am hoping to find similar people with the same type of challenges to chat with. I am a 40 year old married woman, recently quit smoking, has a lot of weight to loss, and I am currently working with a local hospital on a weight loss program and I am considering gastric bypass surgery. I am open to hearing suggestions and opinions. Good Luck to everyone!!!

Smilingeyes228
:happy:

melzteach

Welcome and good luck! I'm sure you'll find this site has a fantastic support system and it's easy to use.

Awineburg

I'd try this out first before going under the Knife! It a fun way to lose weight!

key03

Hi there, I am a 40 year old mum of four and granny, like you I have a lot of weight to lose I am looking at about 2 years to lose it all and hopefully keep it off. I love this site, the people here are so supportive I only wish I had found this site 20 years ago!!!. Welcome to MFP, good luck in reaching your goal weight, you can do it!!!! :flowerforyou:

melissa1977

Welcome to MFP! I have a LOT of weight to lose as well, but I figure as long as I can still walk, gastric bypass isn't an option. You'll find a ton of support and good advice here. Good luck on your journey!

♥_Ellybean_♥

I have a lot of weight to lose too (ideally 123lbs!) .. Give your 100% best shot and you will see that it works without Sugergy!

bjberry

This is a good site. Keeping track of your food and being inspired to exercise (walking, singing, dancing to your favorite music) by fellow members, can really help to realize what parts of your life need changes.
These are good for us and help our blood pressure, heart rate, and bad cholesterol levels go down, as our waist size gently gets smaller. At a 1 lb per week loss, you can lose about 52 lbs a year. It will not be steady all the time. Sometimes, you lose 1 lb a week, sometimes 1.5 lbs, and sometimes 0 for that week. It is okay, our body does things on an irregular basis, but you will lose. Have fun finding the new you. :drinker: (lots of water)

♥Violette♥4Ever♥

Hi and welcome! This is a great site. Since joining in the beginning of December I have dropped 18 pounds...I have 92 to go. You don't need gastric bypass surgery. Just ask these people...mcope, polo571, busymom74, and my favorite success story...Taneeisfitforlife. They did it all naturally. Make friends with them, they are great support. Make as many friends as you can. Good luck.

LFern

Hi! I noticed that you are considering the bypass surgery. I have 3 friends that have had this done.

One passed away already at the age of 67. She was crabby ALL THE TIME because she never felt good. But she died thin. And when I say thin - I mean at like 79 lbs...

The second was a man - he lost the weight, found a girlfriend and when she left him, he gained it all back again as well as a plethera of medical issues.

The third is my age (48) she has the genetics factored against her so she has battled the bulge since highschool. She did the bypass and is the happiest I have ever seen her. She lost wieght. Eats healthier. She has found true love finally and most importantly - she has found a love for herself!

All of them have told me that the beginning right after the surgery was the hardest - eating mush gets old FAST. The other complaint - they lost weight so quickly that the excess skin just hung there. Nothing but surgery could remove the large amount.

Even my friend that is now happy - tells me that if she were DEDICATED to eating healthy and had she been able to excersize regularly (she walked her hip joints right down to nothing and is considered too young for hip replacement) she would of rather lost the wieght a healthy way toning as she went along.

Everyone gets tired of being this size. We look for a quick fix but forget that it took us YEARS to get to this point. I have gained 100 pounds in the 31 years that I have been married. Gave birth to 4 children and Developed an unhealthy emotional eating habit.

I have broken that down to = 3.23 pounds per year. 1/4 lb per month. pretty miniscule right? No WONDER it snuck up on me!

So if I reverse the time table. I am only 48 years old. To live another 31 years would make me 79. Reasonable enough. If I lose even 20 lbs per year - I will still be going in the right direction. I will still be improving my health. I will hopefully still be allowed enough time to watch my 7 Grandchildren grow up! I didn't gain it over night - I am not going to lose it over night. I just need to focus on ME now and not everyone around me. My parents and all of my siblings are dead - I am the sole survivor - I WILL be here for a LONG LONG time!

Good Luck to you!

nahhan12

My husband works at a bariatric surgery center so I've gotten to know a lot about the surgeries available out there. Definitely give MFP a try. If you find you're successful with the diet/exercise and logging on MFP, you may not need surgery after all! His doctor usually requires patients to lose about 50 pounds on their own before he'll do the surgery anyway. It lowers the risk of them dieing from the surgery (which is always a possibility!) or having post-op complications. Plus it also shows the doctor they really are committed to change rather than just looking for the easy way out. Surgery sure sounds easier than all of this hard work, but it's so much healthier and better for your body to do it on your own. I would suggest talking to as many post-surgery people as you can to see what their experiences have been like.

When your stomach's the size of an egg, you end up throwing up very often which leads to poor tooth health. You'll have vitamin deficiencies because you can't eat enough to get the nutrients you need which will lead to bone loss, anemia, and a weakened immune system. Post-op patients are always cold because they're metabolisms have slowed down so much and they're bodies are trying to conserve as much energy as possible at all times. Plus you lose the weight so fast with the surgery their skin can't keep up and they end up needing a second surgery to remove all of the excess skin that causes rashes and such.

The surgery will save someone's life if they're in dire need of it. BUT, doing it the slow, healthy, traditional way will be so much better and kinder to your body in the long run.

MFP isn't just another diet site out there. It really works if you use it and give it your best. I've been on here since May and have lost 17 pounds even though I started at a healthy 147 (I'm 5'8") and didn't NEED to lose any weight. The forums can be very motivating too when you're having a down day and just want to eat. : )

I hope you find what you're looking for on here!