Morning, folks!
I'm not so new here, but I'm back for another go-round. I hit an all time high and have now begun taking Meridia. I'm not sure how well this is going to go, but I'm only on Day One.
Went to the Doctor last night to discuss weight loss options. We decided that bariatric surgery was likely the best option for me, but in the interim, I'm to take Meridia and go through the hoops for surgery approval.
Does anyone have any experience with any of this? The surgery or the prescriptions, I mean? My BMI is off the chart (literally, it computes to 48) and I should probably be dead, but I don't have any of the co-morbidities that are supposed to go along with this. I just know that I can't keep going the way I have been.

Welcome, or welcome back. I don't know anything about the prescription you're on, and (for me) weight loss surgery was too scary to consider. I spent many years trying to lose weight, so I do know where you're coming from. The one thing I realise now is that every time I tried to lose weight I did pretty much the same thing. I ate a ridiculously small amount of food and couldn't maintain it. Eventually hunger would lead to me eating a large amount of food, then I'd give up. I've become a big advocate of eating more. For me, more is still 2000 - 2300 calories a day. Forget the 1200 a day calorie diets, as they are not 'one size fits all'. I'm not saying that they don't work for some, as I'm sure that they do.

Calorie counting (which I do) allows you to eat what you want. Although eventually I've decided it's more like a budget system. I can 'spend' anything that I want but generally I come to the conclusion that what I want isn't 'worth it'. As with any weight loss, it's about finding what works for you. For some, that it surgery. I do hope that you find what works for you. I'd suggest that you commit to one change today. It doesn't have to be a big one, just a start. Although it's probably a little sappy:

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Hi!

Thanks for coming back. How old are you and how long have you been struggling with a weight problem? These may be key factors in deciding whether the weight loss surgery is right for you. If you do have problems controlling the amount of food you eat, you do have to remember that after the surgery, you will have to eat very tiny meals. You won't have a choice. Also, having the surgery means a lifetime of dietary changes, low sugar and high protein.

I don't know why so many doctors are quick to recommend surgery. You do have to have the willpower to make lifelong changes. I have a friend that had a gastric bypass, she can still only eat very small meals. She has regained some, not all of the weight though. She has to follow a strict high-protein, and a nearly sugarless diet (to avoid dumping syndrome). Also her hair is falling out and she has some vitamin deficiences from the changes in absorption that goes on. I'd be really cautious. You need to decide if it's right for you, not anyone else.

For me, personally, I got to the point where I was even considering the surgery, but that scared me so much, I decided it was really time to make a change and I could do it, not on my own, but with the support I have around me. It has been a challenge but not impossible. Please let us know how you are doing.

Thanks!

My BMI was the same as your in Jan this year. I have lost 82lbs and feel great. I would still(and will) love to lose about 50-60 more lbs. I am doing as Anne said and counting calories. I have found for me I am eating 14-1600 per day. Its works great as long as I stay with it.
Weight loss surgery works wonders for some. I can tell you that my brother had it just a few weeks ago and is still fighting for his life. Its very scary and as of this day he still has no kidney function. He had his done by top drs in our state and was told they were the best. BUt he is still a very sick man! I would say he would have been better off by far by not having had it!! He had an abcess form where they made his pouch. Its rare but it does happen and he will have life long health issues now because of the choice to have the surgery.
I hope you will talk with your reg medical dr and see if they will be willing to help you get started on counting calories and give it a try before you make a harsh decision. If you choose to have the surgery I want to wish you the best of luck with it.
We are always here for you anytime!!

I have never considered gastric bypass but was considering the lapband. A friend of mine had it done 18 months ago. She has lost weight but her health, her hair, her nails, are all gone. I couldn't believe the way it ravaged her. I decided last Spring I was NOT going to do it.

I have become a calorie counter. All I use is a pad and pen. I plan to do this the rest of my life. Once addicted to sweets and just food in general, I am learning how to care for myself and feed myself what I need to feel well. You can do this too. We are here for you. The information and answers are here too.

There is a forum here for those who are going through WL surgery. Good luck no matter your decision. We are all on the same path as you.

I've considered surgery (both gastric bypass and lapband) and decided against them (at this point, anyway) because of the risks (not only those inherent in the surgeries, but the increased and specific risks I have because of certain health problems).

I've also been on Meridia. I lost about 15 to 20 lbs on Meridia, that I didn't maintain when I stopped taking the med. That doesn't mean I don't think Meridia can be a useful tool for some folks. I had terrible mood swings and other emotional side effects on the med, and hubby asked me to stop taking it.

I've had doctors recommend the wls despite the risks. I've even had a doctor predict that there was "no way" I was going to lost the weight without surgery. Ptooey on him. Maybe it's even true, but he decides this in the first five minutes of having met me? The risks weren't a concern for him, and at the time he was so charismatic, I almost believed him - until hubby asked me what the doctor had said that had changed my mind - and I realized that it was just him telling me not to worry about the risks. I've researched the risks and I know what they are, and decided that for me they weren't worth it. A doctor "not worried" (especially as he wasn't a surgeon, but a rheumatologist) shouldn't really change my mind - as his lack of concern doesn't make the risks any less real, it just means that he doesn't have to deal with the consequences of those risks. If I die, it's no loss to him.

I'm not saying all doctors are gung ho about surgery, but the decision has to be because YOU are willing to take the risks, not because your doctor is. And you've got to research the risks on your own, rather than rely on only your doctors for information, because many aren't unbiased, especially those that have a positive view of surgery.

One prediction of the doctors recommending surgery that was true, is that I cannot match the speed of wls. It's taking me a lot longer to get the weight off than if I'd taken the surgery route, but this isn't a race in which fast necessarily wins.

My starting BMI was higher than yours (53.6) and I tried to get my doctor to prescribe Meridia to me and he refused saying that it is a life style change I need not pills because if you take pills and lose and don't change your life style (as most don't) you just gain back the pound after you stop taking the pills.

I then I asked him if he would recommend gastric bypass surgery and again he refused. He is really big into exercise and lifestyle change even those he is a doctor than surgery and pills. I was even a little PO's at him because I was looking for a helping hand in losing weight.

What he did was refer me to the MOVE program at the Veteran's Administration which turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I got to sit down with a nutritionalist and a dietician and talk to them about what I needed to do to lose weight and how to go about it. I got to talk to a psycologist and find out WHY I am eating emotionally.

Now I am not saying my way is they way you should go, you should listen to your doctor but know that even surgery is not a magic pill. I have 3 friends that have had surgery and two are still quite large and one is thin but works at it constantly.

After seeing what my friends have gone through I have not asked for the surgery anymore and have since started the Alli Diet (it's over the counter) and exercise every day and count calories and so far it is working. I know that what I am doing I will have to do the rest of my life not just until I get down to the weight I want.

What helped me a lot was that my doctor had a heart to heart talk with me and told me that I have to get "MAD AT IT!"

Ever since then I have not felt sorry for myself and I am angry, not at myself but at the unwanted weight that I carry. It motivates me, it keeps me going on the elliptical when I am tired and want to quit.

Welcome back!

I have been where you are and understand what you are going through. I tried Meridia in the past. My insurance does not cover it so I paid for it myself. It helped a little but did not help enough to be worth the cost to me. I have also taken phentermine. With the phentermine, I lost weight but had two big problems with it. I could not sleep well while taking it. Then when I quit taking it, I quickly gained the weight back. For a long time, I just gave up on losing the weight.

In August I became desperate after having medical and mobility problems because of my weight. My highest weight was a little under yours but as I am shorter, my BMI was higher. Actually, it was 51. Because of desperation, I would have gladly had weight loss surgery but my insurance does not cover it. I decided to start saving for the surgery but to do everything that I could in the meantime.

I went to see a doctor that specializes in weight loss without surgery. My insurance does not cover that either but the cost was much less than the surgery. First, the doctor wanted to see what medical factors I had that influenced my weight gain. I was already on Thyroid medication. It turned out that I was anemic, was very low on B12 and other vitamins. My insurance covered treatment of those problems so they paid part of the costs associated.

Getting started was the hardest part. She put me on Tenuate, a weight loss medication that I had never heard of. I was very leery of it as I had had such a bad experience with phentermine. I want to permanently change my habits so I did not want to depend on the medication. I started on a very low dosage of the Tenuate. I was allowed 3 pills a day but only took one. This helped me get started with a healthy eating plan but I hoped to leave the medication off soon.

The doctor also had me meet with a dietitian to create an eating plan that would work for me. I ended up taking her plan and modifying it into something that I think that I can live with forever. I am still modifying but it is working.

I also believe it was easier to stick with the plan because I felt better after getting my iron and vitamin deficiencies under control.

I am glad that I did not get the surgery. Some people really need it and I would never criticize them. There is a forum for the surgery on this site so you might want to post to that group. However, I was able to lose without it and I no longer feel desperate. I still take one Tenuate pill occasionally. It has been a real help during the holidays. But since I don’t use it regularly, I don’t think that my weight loss has been dependent on it.

I will be finding out how well I will do without any medication help. My doctor was working out of our local hospital. The hospital closed the practice and now only has a weight loss practice that does the surgery. At our last appointment, my doctor told me the hospital is closing her practice because weight loss surgery makes money. A weight loss practice without surgery does not make nearly as much money. I think that says a lot.

I suggest that while you are going though the hoops for surgery approval you keep trying to lose weight. You may find that with patience and persistence, you can do it without surgery.

Thank you all so much for your advice! I think I'm going to "get mad at it" and give it an honest-to-goodness try the old-fashioned way. I didn't put all this weight on overnight and it's not going to come off overnight.

Thanks! Happy New Year!!