I Need to talk to somebody about this gastric by-pass. It scares me to death but I'm afraid I'm running out of opptions. A year and a half ago I was Smashed between two trains and lost part of my leg. Since then I have put on almost 90 Pounds bringing me to a humungus 375. Now know I'm a man and I have always been large but always active and exercising. Now I don't think exercise will be much of an option ever again. I will take any help anyone wants to give Please
Aaron

Aaron, scroll down the list of forums til you find the Weight Loss Surgery one, many MANY smart and experienced people post there. Good luck to you!

Hey Aaron, I am so sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident. It's difficult to lose weight while being totally able bodied, much more so with a physical limitation. I agree with Sherrie (goodforme). The Weight Loss Surgery forum has a sticky (a thread which stays on the front page) with the bios of other members who have had or are considering WLS. You could post your questions on a new thread there or just jump in on one of the existing threads. I wish you the best of health, best wishes and good luck on your journey.

There are some wonderful chair-aerobic tapes out there you can do sitting down and they give you a really good workout. Of course, our best workout is pushing ourselves away from the table. Surgery means you have to be able to severely restrict your eating (1/4 cup at most) forever. Or you will gain it all back. My friend did. It is not a magic carpet. Please be sure you do your homework before having it done. Most insurances require you to be under a supervised weight loss plan for 6 months before surgery to be sure this is the only way.

I agree that there are many chair/wheelchair exercise videos out there that you could be able to do, as well as some moderate weightlifting for your shoulders and arms with some modifications-basic bicep curls and shoulder overhead presses. You can also exercise your good leg while still sitting in a chair-sit straight up in the chair, and straighten out your leg-do small lifts to work your front thighs, and then you can work your inner thigh by doing the same thing except for changing the positioning of your leg-this time do it with your inner leg towards the ceiling-or turning your knee away from you. You can lift that leg and do ankle rotations as well. You can also tone your buttocks by squeezing them together tightly and holding for a few seconds, and releasing-doing repetitions of these. This would help you out greatly. I don't think that your problem is as desperate as it may seem to you right now-I think that since you cannot do the regular jogging and playing sports that you don't know what all that you CAN do. Go to Collage Videos website-I believe that the chair videos are under specialty videos. They are for the elderly, those in wheelchairs due to injury or various diseases such as MS, etc.
I greatly disapprove of gastric bypass-no matter how great they make it look in the Bariatric Center commercials. It is painful, and you may have problems with vomiting, etc. as side effects. Controlling your diet and trying to exercise what you can is still the best way to go. I wish you much luck, and am here to help you in any way I can.
Amy

Hi Aaron!! I would like to invite you to the Weight Loss Surgery section of 3fc's.

Weight loss surgery is a vialble option for many, it is not right for everyone.

Come on down (said in my best Rod Roddy voice, from the Price is Right ) to the Weight Loss Surgery area, we will be glad to answer your questions, and tell you our stories.

Debbie

Aaron, Hello!

I was to the point of going with the gastric bypass the end of last year. I was the highest I have ever been at 370 lbs. I had researched it and was getting ready to call when I realized that this was not the thing to do. I believe in taking responsibility for yourself and here I was taking not any easy way out because the surgery is drastic, but a way out where I was not in control. For one thing it costs about $60,000, insurance is still not just jumping on the bandwagon even with celebrities having this done. The biggest thing that kept coming back to me is that I had a cousin who had it done and learned nothing from it. She weighed nearly 300 lbs and went and had it done AGAIN! I thought that if you have to learn to control your eating and you have to exercise anyway, why not keep control and learn how to manage your food.

On Jan 6 of this year, I started a 1600 cal/400 fat cal program on my own. I eat three meals and three snacks a day. I walk for my exercise right now and I know that is not an option for you, but there are other options like the ones mentioned. On top of that, check with the hospitals in your area. Many of them have programs for those who want to exercise and have lost limbs. Also, if and when you can stand without aid of crutches or whatever, try water aerobics. It is wonderful. I have lost 60 lbs so far.

Hope you can find the answer you have been looking for. Good luck to you!

Donna

I studied and studied it before I had it. I knew all the risks, they were explained to me. I knew I could die, (as with any surgery) but was willing to accept that risk. The thing I DIDN'T know, was that it could fail. I did lose around 90 pounds, but the weight loss stopped and I can now eat any amount. I'm still morbidly obese and miserable. I'm embarrassed about the failed operation (I wonder what people must think of me, they probably think, "What a pig, she can't even stop eating when they slice into her stomach"). For the longest time, I even refused to talk about it. The surgeon denies any fault and says the problem is all in my head, this, after I went back for several uncomfortable and invasive tests to find out why it didn't work. So, I do not recomend the surgery. I do have at least three friends that it DID work for. BUT, at least know going in that there is a possibility that it might not work for you. Hope I've not spoken out of turn or upset anyone. But I wish I'd known that it could fail before I had them open me up and ruin my life. Mary in West Virginia

Mary, I don't want you to feel like you have failed. The operation may not have worked like you wanted it to, but your life is not ruined. I would love to talk to you-please pm me.
Aphil