New, 48 & need to lose 50lbs for bypass surgery.

I'm not a registered dietician or even a student at a medical school, however I can say that juice fasting worked pretty well for me and anyone else who has ever tried it honestly. You should check it out and if you think its something you would like to try then you can talk to your doctor and see if he agrees and figure something out. Basically you drink about 3-4 32 oz's of homemade juice everyday. Usually juices can contain a variety of carrots, tomato, kale, spinach, beets, celery, pear, apple, cucumber, lemon, green pepper, etc etc (you can juice just about anything). The point being that its like 95% veggie and 5% fruit. So you drink these and its supposed to clean you out and you lose weight and feel better. This is just my experience and my research, I seriously urge you to look into it on your own though and make your own opinion on it. Also there is a documentary called "fat sick and nearly dead" that goes into it a bit more. I lost about 9 lbs in 4 days which was mostly water weight but a lot of people have done these for like 30 days (including someone I know personally) and they usually lose between 60-150 lbs. My friend did hers for 14 days and she lost 30.

Hi, I am a nutritionist and I know you are just trying to be helpful but I don't think recommending someone blend their entire diet is a great first step towards weight loss. With so much to lose 50lb should come off quite quickly with some less extreme dietary changes, like eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking water or low fat milk instead of soda, and basically getting used to the taste and feel of a healthier diet.

I'm sure juice cleanses 'work' for some people as a weight loss tool but from a health or medical perspective it is just another over-promoted quick fix and fad diet that has more of a psychological effect than any effect on body fat percentage.

I understand your concerns but I know that many people have seen very positive effects from this and it is not lacking nutrition wise. Some people have done this and their arteries have cleared up dramatically, blood pressure returned to normal, and many other issues have been cleared up and then when the fast is over you implement healthy eating to continue it. I'm just saying that I don't necessarily think it should be ruled out. Also I know for myself in just my 4 days of doing it, I had a completely different relationship with what I considered healthy food, and I realized that I had an addiction to food that otherwise probably would've went completely ignored. I understand what you are saying, but sometimes things that aren't exactly conventional in nature can be someone's saving grace. It was for many people. It is not a quick fix, it is a 30 day commitment that requires people to examine their lives and it is not a fad diet, it is exactly what you called it, a cleanse. And I don't think the 60-150 lbs. that was lost by these people was just "psychological". I respect your status as a nutritionist however and I'm not trying to say you're wrong about approaches to diet, just that you aren't necessarily right about methods that work for different people and with so much weight to lose in so little time, I don't think this should be taken off the table as an option if she decides that it could work for her.

When you say they "work" is that a permanent loss?

If someone tried that and has kept the weight off for say 2 years. Ok, I'd say that worked. But that's often not how it "works" in reality.

If you lost the 50 lbs and you knew you could lose another 50 or more on your own would you still elect to go forward with the surgery?

I'm wondering this too. Congrats on taking the first couple steps toward a healthier lifestyle!

I'm not sure of the exact things they go over during pre-surgery counseling, but if I were you I'd check out what your diet is going to be like after the surgery. I just had to design some sample menus for people 1 month out of surgery, and they're very specific. You basically have to eat or drink something every hour. My understanding is that you'll have to follow a meal plan similar to that for the rest of your life. You may already know all about this, so if you do just ignore my post. I just think how the surgery affects your eating for the rest of your life is sometimes glossed over.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Sarah,

This is a decision where you choose what is best for you. I know your pain. At my heaviest I was 475 lbs and nearly dead. I started Weight Watchers in 2006 and lost 152 lbs in just over a year, then went back to old eating patterns when life turned on the stress. I did some doctor recommended programs that worked fine until I went back to "Normal" eating, long and short of it I was back to 438 lbs just over a year ago, once again on 24 hour a day oxygen, unable to walk more than a few feet at a time and again looking at dying. Some asked me how I could allow myself to get back to that point, they didn't think I had asked myself that question a few hundred (thousand) times?

I finally listened to my doctor and started much the same process you have, although I was too heavy for full bypass surgery, and my surgeon didn't recommend it for me anyway. I had a VSG done May first. I started on my loss just before Thanksgiving last year and had lost about 30 lbs by May when my surgery came up. Fortunately for me that was sufficient for the insurance company to be willing to proceed. Since the surgery, I'm down almost another 100 lbs. It is NOT easy, but listening to my stomach is a lot easier now. The pre surgery work with the nutritionist and psychologist were crucial to getting mentally ready.

There are groups on MFP for VSG. I'll bet there are for full bypass as well. I suggest you look for those and connect with those who have gone through with what you are considering.

This is radical. I wouldn't recommend it for those young enough or healthy enough to do it without surgery, but if you reach the point in life where you realize this is your last true chance, then you have to gamble that it will make your life better. My gamble has worked. It may cause unforeseen problems that kill me in 20 years, but I was looking at maybe living only five more and feeling like hell the entire time. I'm happy with my choice and how I'm feeling. I hope you to make a decision that is right for you and your circumstance!

Best of luck to you.

I'm not a registered dietician or even a student at a medical school, however I can say that juice fasting worked pretty well for me and anyone else who has ever tried it honestly. You should check it out and if you think its something you would like to try then you can talk to your doctor and see if he agrees and figure something out. Basically you drink about 3-4 32 oz's of homemade juice everyday. Usually juices can contain a variety of carrots, tomato, kale, spinach, beets, celery, pear, apple, cucumber, lemon, green pepper, etc etc (you can juice just about anything). The point being that its like 95% veggie and 5% fruit. So you drink these and its supposed to clean you out and you lose weight and feel better. This is just my experience and my research, I seriously urge you to look into it on your own though and make your own opinion on it. Also there is a documentary called "fat sick and nearly dead" that goes into it a bit more. I lost about 9 lbs in 4 days which was mostly water weight but a lot of people have done these for like 30 days (including someone I know personally) and they usually lose between 60-150 lbs. My friend did hers for 14 days and she lost 30.

Hi, I am a nutritionist and I know you are just trying to be helpful but I don't think recommending someone blend their entire diet is a great first step towards weight loss. With so much to lose 50lb should come off quite quickly with some less extreme dietary changes, like eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking water or low fat milk instead of soda, and basically getting used to the taste and feel of a healthier diet.

I'm sure juice cleanses 'work' for some people as a weight loss tool but from a health or medical perspective it is just another over-promoted quick fix and fad diet that has more of a psychological effect than any effect on body fat percentage.

I understand your concerns but I know that many people have seen very positive effects from this and it is not lacking nutrition wise. Some people have done this and their arteries have cleared up dramatically, blood pressure returned to normal, and many other issues have been cleared up and then when the fast is over you implement healthy eating to continue it. I'm just saying that I don't necessarily think it should be ruled out. Also I know for myself in just my 4 days of doing it, I had a completely different relationship with what I considered healthy food, and I realized that I had an addiction to food that otherwise probably would've went completely ignored. I understand what you are saying, but sometimes things that aren't exactly conventional in nature can be someone's saving grace. It was for many people. It is not a quick fix, it is a 30 day commitment that requires people to examine their lives and it is not a fad diet, it is exactly what you called it, a cleanse. And I don't think the 60-150 lbs. that was lost by these people was just "psychological". I respect your status as a nutritionist however and I'm not trying to say you're wrong about approaches to diet, just that you aren't necessarily right about methods that work for different people and with so much weight to lose in so little time, I don't think this should be taken off the table as an option if she decides that it could work for her.

Fair enough. Thanks for not posting an aggro reply! I get your point that it does work for some people.

Hello! I commend you on your weight loss efforts! I work in the medical field and I would advise strongly to avoid the bypass surgery for weight loss. I've seen it cause terrible health problems for many, many people. I, too, need to take pounds off but the safest and healthiest way is calories in and calories out. Watch what we eat and move more! I hear you - there are many challenges and obstacles, but none greater than the potential issues with an altered GI tract!
I wish you good luck in your endeaver!

I have a friend who had the surgery, lost a fair bit but then put it all on again by eating how he used to eat. He explains his weight problem as a mental issue rather than a physical one and the surgery just can't alter the way you think if your eating isn't appetite led. He's now getting it off again with Slimming World - but you do wonder why he had to go through all the pain and discomfort to get to this stage.

Hopefully you'll do really well here and not even need the surgery!

Everyone has to find their own way. Sometimes we have to remember that works for one person will not be an option for another. Our life situations, existing health problems, relationships and other factors enter into this. No one can judge another person's decisions until they have "walked a mile" in that person's shoes.

This is a forum that can be immensely helpful in our efforts. Keep in mind that most of us are not health care professionals.

Listen to your doctors and your family. Do what is best for you. You have a huge incentive to get healthy to help care for your son, and yourself.

Best of luck to you! You can do this! Take the support where ever you can find it. People here are amazing and can help enormously on your way to becoming healthier.

I also had my first visit with the dietician. My clients and friends don't think i should have surgery, but i keep gaining. The weight loss is possible for me for about three weeks, then i stop journaling so thats our first goal. I will let you know how it goes this week. Hang in there and stick with the dietician!