mick
if you this concerned then i would not do it. i felt the same way and i did it anyway, i wanted it to work. my md wanted me to have the surgery.....i am 5.4 and was 237, I have just dropped off 10 pounds. It was when I began to research the WLS that was how I found 3fc, did I realize how serious my issue was.

i have made a agreement with myself that if i cannot get my weight under control by next spring, then i will have the surgery. giving myself that deadline it has made take my weight control seriously. the surgery is just a tool in weight control, you still have to diet, it is just a forced diet.

I have slowly over the past two months have integrated the south beach diet/low carb and hypnoisis along with this message board and now the dr phil challenge. the next step is exercise for me. i figure that if i don't do everything (and i pretty much have at this point) then i will do the surgery. that is what motivated me to get here, and, if i don't stay, then i will have the surgery.

good luck to you, just stay out of your head....if you go to the fat chicks on the beach thread, frannymae does these great posts every day and she did one that talks about sabaoteurs of our diets...and it is us, it is a good thread to read every day, it keeps thing focused....and keep remembering, we all share a weight issue and we all can be working on it, or not.....at this point i would rather be working on it then hiding from it, and with 70 extra pounds, that makes it darn impossible.

there are so many inspiring women and men who have lost 100s of pounds, they inspire me every single time....i keep waiting for a time that one of these stories doesn't touch me, and it just doesn't happen.

Good luck and keep posting!!!

-rb

Hi I just wanted to drop a quick note I too took merida and I was doing pretty well on it but my bloodpressure shot up and when I went off it came back down stayed off for awhile and tryed again samething so I can not take it! I will say if you really read the papers that come with it Meridia doesn't promise a big weight loss I think it says something like 3 lbs a month are normal! And that is a big price to pay for just 3 lbs!
I hope this helps
Sami

Sami,
I tend to agree with you....I get the same results when I just stop eating sugar and white carbs. I don't know if I would take that chance....I know for me I would be stressed just knowing that I was taking it and then would probably experience more issues.

Take care of yourself and be careful....good luck!!

rb

I took Meridia for one month a few years ago when the commericals were on every channel. My heart rate and blood pressure shot up. I normally am around 112/68. I don't remember how high it was but it was enough for our nurse at work to have me come in daily to be checked. At the end of the month I had lost no weight and was still hungry. Since my insurance wouldn't cover the pills, I decided to discontinue them. I was on the higher dosage.

wow! i made a resolution to explore more of the forum, and here i am!!!! rowan. mick. you are welcome on the wls board ANYTIME!!! we LOVE answering questions. there's so much that goes into this decision that sometimes being able to ask any little tiny thing makes the difference.

we don't push the surgery. it's a VERY individual decision that must be made very very carefully. so.. if there's ever anything we can do, just holler!!!

and it sounds as if you are both off to a great start. i wish that this surgeon weren't necessary for some of us. i wish that another alternative existed. but it doesn't. not at the moment.

I'm thinking about trying that and/or Xenical for that extra needed boost........or incentive. I'm plum out of willpower but see the drastic need for change in my current diet.

Thanks for any help! Kathy

I've never tried meridia, but I've used Xenical for several months. I think Xenical is probably a good drug for folks who eat too much fat. In my case, Xenical became a ticket for me to eat more because the bad stuff, well...got flushed down the toilet So, I really didn't have good results with Xenical because I didn't exercise restraint and portion control.

Thanks for the info! I also looked at past posts (I haven't logged into this website for a "Long" time) and found others opinions.

Kathy

If your heart is OK, go for Meridai - per my doctor pal who is a well-known endocrinologist. Xenical works too if you can stand the side effects!

from what i understand, meridia and xenical increase your weight loss by about 10%. they're not magic pills, but they can help boost the weight loss..

Kathy, don't waste your time or money on Meredia or Xenical. I took Meridia for four months last summer and lost no weight. I would have better spent the money ($350.00 on four months RX) on a good pair of walking shoes and a better pedometer. Meredia is supposed to cut your appetite back but I didn't notice that I ate any more or less. Xenical doesn't allow you to absorb fat but it has a lot of very unpleasant side effects too. Get involved with Weight Watchers. It isn't a drastic diet, you can eat anything, you can do it for life. Forget the supplements. I have tried every one of them and none of them work. Good luck

I have to agree with the others, neither Meridia or Xenical worked for me or a close friend. One of them (can't remember which) gave my friend some terrible gastric problems, in the form of occasional abdominal pains.

I am using Meridia now! I love it!! But of course I follow the plan! I exercise 6 days a week at least and eat no more than 1200 calories a day! My sister used it for 4 months and lost 40 lbs and reached her goal weight. After I saw her success I asked my doctor about it and Started it on May 1 I have lost a total 14 lbs since then and I am beginning to get my self esteem back I also havent had any side effects my blood pressure actually went down probably because of the weight loss, and no gastric problems what so ever, the only thing I noticed was in the first 2 days that I had a little headache but that is gone now and I am having wonderful success! Yes Meridia is very expensive but my insurance covers it so I only pay 20 bucks a month for it!! I would recommend it to anyone!!
Michelle

IMHO the people who didn't experience a loss did not follow the diet of lowered calories and exercise!! but thats my 2 cents! I know my doctor is impressed with my weight loss
Michelle