Lose weight to survive

My cousin died of obesity. After losing a job, he continued to eat even with all family members interjecting. He'd joke about it and say if it happens it happens. He ended up with diabetes and heart failure. In the hospital a few days before he passed, he told me he didn't want to die. That he was too young and if given the chance again, he would heed that advice given him. Unfortunately it was too late.
The feeling of failure happens because you're expecting too much. Weight loss, especially if obese, is a long long process. It takes up to a year on average to lose 100lbs. So you need to be patient and diligent. And you NEED to lose weight because if your thyroid is removed, then it's very common for that person to INCREASE their weight even more due to hormonal shift.
I wish you much luck, but I would also consult a therapist to identify why you kept overconsuming to get you to the weight you are today.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

The best advice I can give anyone is Be Honest with yourself and Believe in yourself.
Being Honest about your calories is very important.
As far as Believing in yourself, you don't need to get overwhelmed with thinking, "I NEED TO LOSE 200 POUNDS!!!" You just have to Believe that you can stay below 1800 calories TODAY. You just have to Believe that you will go walking TODAY. (And that will become a habit faster than you realize.)

There are a million other little things I could add but if you don't do those two, none of those will matter.

I am 64 this year, found a lump in my throat, had no idea that it was thyroid cancer until after the operation
I was so glad that my doctor decided to take it out - his reason was that it would get larger and it would become more difficult to eat.
When I had my operation I was very slim, eat all the time and never put on any weight - thyroid
I lost all of my thyroid and I was put on Synthroid - this means that it is difficult to loose weight, but not impossible - we are totally different from those with a thyroid. I lost 24 lbs on MFP a couple of years ago, but like most people, I forgot that everything in moderation and you know the rest.
I would ask the surgeon realistically how much time you have before the operation MUST be done - even though its serious right now - you really don't want to wait too long
After the operation, I had kept my weight down, because I use to exercise etc, but it is only as I became older that weight have become an issue
These are the things I do for myself regarding eating: I stopped eating white flour, white rice, no soy (whatsoever - this I had to learn after a bad reaction), cut back on sugar, no sodas, limited amount of chips (maybe on a year), cut back on salt
Things I eat: brown rice, wholewheat flour, fresh juice , lots of salad and green vegetables
I gave up eating meat/chicken in 1989 (no reason, just did not enjoy it anymore), never liked sea food - only eat salt water fish (meaning from the sea), no eggs (never liked eating eggs)
If I eat fresh water fish I feel extremely nauseous
I had to learn to become an adventurous cook because of my eating habit.
Your lifestyle will depend on whether all or only part of your thyroid is removed - and you won't know this until after the operation
After the operation, you MUST exercise every day (advice I don't always do - but I have made a conscious decision and told myself that if I have to take my Synthroid daily, there is no reason why I should not exercise every day. This is a decision you have to commit to yourself.
You have a mountain to climb, but it is not impossible, but with determination and a goal in mind, you can reach it. Of course, you will fall down, but then you just have to get back up and keep on going - that's the beauty of life

I never took Synthroid until after my operation - but that was years ago - medical science changes daily

Ladyamanda87 wrote: »

I also have hashimoto disease and a hypothyroid. So my metabolism is next to nothing. I was hoping being on a medication like synthroid, would actually help me, but I guess we will see. Thank you for all your advice, I appreciate it immensely.

The right dose of synthroid can be life changing. I hope it works well for you!

The rule of thumb is that a safe rate of weight loss shouldn’t exceed 1% of body weight per week. That means at 385 you can actually handle a larger deficit than MFP will calculate. And since you have an urgent medical need to lose weight quickly so that you can have an operation, it sounds like you are doing exactly what you need to do.

If you can get a referral to a doctor who specializes in weight loss that might be helpful to you. There are some very low calorie diets which are only appropriate under medical supervision which are sometimes used in people who need to lose weight for surgery.

Best of luck to you! Wanting to live is the best motivation, I lost 125 lbs after a health scare!