Heartbroke and defeated...

I felt this way a few months ago - I got tired of working so hard for "nothing", but sometimes the invisible progress has to happen before the visible progress begins. Some folks refer to Non Scale Victories (NSV)

There is so much hype about quick solutions...instant gratification, but weight loss surgery is very drastic and can permanently affect the quatlity of life. I understand your despair, but I agree with the others. YOU CAN DO THIS! I was inspired by the stories on this site of people who lost literally hundreds of pounds. You might find them inspirational as well.

There are 5 pages of responses and I sadly don't have time to read through them all so I apologize if this has been said.

#1 You CAN do this without surgery!! There is no way you'd be considered "too big" to do this on your own.
#2 You exercise 7 days a week. Your diary isn't open for us to see so I can't tell if you're eating ENOUGH for the amount of exercise you're doing. Not eating enough could stall progress and in many, caused plateaus or even weight gain.
#3 Did I mention you CAN do this?

Good luck to you.

P.S. I want to lose a total of 182 pounds. I refuse to consider surgery an option.

Your doctor sounds mad as cheese.

Brilliant! :laugh:

It's true though - your doctor is clearly talking rubbish. Surgery is so drastic, please don't give up. Losing weight can be really hard but if you keep trying it will happen.

You may want to try a raw fast. I tried it and it was wonderful. Just raw uncooked fruit and veggies and water or 100% fruit juice. If you start off small like 1 day, and then gradually build yourself up, you can go on this fast for a while and still feel satisfied and it also helps cleanse the toxins from your body. I went for 6 days and it actually got rid of a killer cold I had been trying to kick for weeks before, and I lost 7 lbs that week. There were a couple times when I felt overly hungry and broke down but I just ate a little rice and got back to the fast. You can do more research on the web and see what others have to say about it.

New doctor, definitely. If you only have 100 lbs before being in a normal BMI, then you're not big enough to for non surgical weight loss to be "hopeless".

This makes me so heartbroke that I can't even go into the why's of why you shouldn't listen and how you can do this on your own but I've had gastric bypass. It almost took my life. I don't know if I would have in fact died without it but if there is even the smallest chance that you can make changes in your life and not go that route then please don't. You can search my past posts and pick up pieces of my story here and there or you can friend me and I will tell you later. I am not a bypass basher, I know many people have legitimate reasons, I was one of them, but life will never be normal for me again.

Apologies in advance for the long response. I saw myself in a lot of what you said, and I wanted to reach out to you.

Glad to hear you decided against the lap band. I know a couple of people who have had success with it, and I've also had one doctor suggest it as an option for me, but I've always been suspicious of it - mainly of the constant barrage of ads I've seen and heard. They make it seem like all you have to do is have this done and the pounds will magically come off.

I've fought obesity my entire adult life and have lost and regained weight more times than I can count. Discovered this site six months ago through a friend and it has been a powerful tool.

But it's not just about battling the bulge around your waist. You're also fighting a battle against frustration, impatience, and boredom. In the past, I would give up because I didn't get the results I wanted fast enough, or because I would plateau despite pounding the Stairmaster and exercise bike to the point of sheer exhaustion and give up out of frustration. I knew I had to do things differently this time.

When I got to the six month mark the other day, I took the time to reflect on what's worked for me and what hasn't along the way. I summarized the lessons learned in a message board post, which can be found here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/590668-six-months-in-40-there-and-lessons-learned

I don't know how long you've been at this current effort. Seven pounds is a good start, no matter how you look at it. I've never tried any of the high intensity workout programs like Jillian or the RI30, so I don't know how good they are at simple fat burning as opposed to muscle development. And I'm no expert at this, so I can only tell you what's worked for me so far.

In my case, my exercise routine has mainly consisted of walking - lots and lots of walking. I plan to change this up soon to add strength training, but I wanted to kickstart the lifestyle change with some serious weight loss before starting to work on toning. And so far, I've been pleased with the progress. But if other types of exercise work for you, then by all means stick with them.

If you've plateaued and can't figure out why, take a look at your food and exercise diary and see what might be causing it. You may need to shake things up in your routine to get your metabolism a kick in the pants.

As someone who's been where you are now, I can tell you.... you CAN do this, WITHOUT the crutch of a lap band. I can tell you want to succeed - and if you can fight the mental blocks that are holding you back, you'll start to see the results you're looking for.

Friend request sent - i look forward to helping cheer you on your journey!

I agree with everyone else! Find another doctor and don't give up. You can do this! Feel free to add me as a friend. :-)

You can do it, and yes it is hard. Find a nutritionist, and another doctor for another opinion. Open your diary so your friends and others can give you suggestions. There can be many reasons for lack weight loss, including Undereating. So don't quit.

Get a new doctor!!! Don't give up diet and exercise is the right way to do it!! Feel free to add me!!

My heart goes out to you. It's hard, but not impossible and you CAN do it. This is a great tool so just make sure to accurately record what you are doing. You should be able to see where you are getting off the path.... the path is long, take it one day at a time and focus on your accomplishments not matter how small. Please do not give up, you are worth it and you deserve it.

I agree with the 'mad as cheese' comment (no offense cheese)... Your doctor is just plain idiotic!

You can do this. This takes time. With the huge amounts of exercise you are doing, you may well need to eat a bit more! Yes, it sounds strange but everyone is different. Look up 'Eat More to Weigh Less'..

There are a lot of great comments and suggestions here. Take what you want, leave the rest. Try it.. You have nothing to lose!!
Friend every last one of us if it will help!! Please, don't give up!

You story really broke my heart. You are RIGHT. You don't have to have the surgery neither of us can afford. Like others here I know people who have had success with lap band and I also know people who have to have it so tight they're always uncomfortable and throwing up after eating anything at all. As far a gastric by-pass. I know one person who died due to complications from it - years later and another who had a near death experience - her life will never be the same again. I stand shoulder to shoulder with you and all the others who've commented: 1) You CAN do this (if I'm trying to lose 55 lbs at nearly 55 years of age you can do this with me) and 2) After we all get done kicking the doctor who told you that bunch of junk, I think we should take turns force feeding your doctor until they know what it's like to be 100 lbs over weight with no surgical options! JMHO (feel free to friend me)

Two things...

First, the doctor sounds reasonable in my opinion. I don't think there is anything wrong with suggesting a consult for bariatric surgery for a patient who is overweight by 100 lbs. From the doc's perspective, it is a good tool and the statistics show that the many people who are obese will never lose and keep off the weight. Hence the obesity epidemic. Now if the doc actually suggested that she was some sort of lost cause on a personal level, then yeah he or she's an *kitten*.

Second, it is COMPLETELY possible for you to reach your weight loss goals without surgery. Interestingly the old fashioned way requires many of the same things it takes to have a successful long-term weight loss surgery: lifestyle change, focus, research and picking yourself up when you slip or have setbacks. Stick with it, log everything and read up on how to eat healthy. You CAN do it.

*Edited to add: Forget the BMI stuff, it's a formula from the 1800s used for population studies and NOT for individual diagnosis. Focusing on BMI will only distract and discourage you.

you can do it.. this is a marathon not a sprint.. tell your doc to shove it and prove them wrong, You will feel soo much more accomplished doing it on your own