Gotta lose the weight.

[james]

It has been suggested that I lose some weight before I go in and I do not have the juice to exercise without it killing me. (I might be serious about the last part) Anyhow I know that I have lost serious amount of weight when doing heavy detox types of diet in the past. I was thinking about going on a raw food only diet for then next month until I get my AVR or even trying a 10 day detox ala Master Cleanse. My only concern is if these may be something that could actually hurt me at this time. I don't see how since they take away the amount of energy needed to process food in the digestive system but, nothing seems to be good for me right now. Anyways I was a good 20lbs overweight before and have gained 25lbs in the last year due to eating the same and not exercising so dropping that will surely help the recovery.
Anyone -any experience?

 

[ctyguy]

I had a hard time exercising before my AVR for obvious reasons. I got my heart rate above 130 bpm and I would have chest pains and SOB. Im not great at having dicipline with my diet but the best advice I can offer up is to eliminate all the sugars in your diet or at least mostly. When I have had success losing weight without exercise its been no soda, stay out of the snack cabinet, and no beer on the weekends. And if your going to go out for dinner, try eating an apple before you go. Having something in my stomach like that tends to help me avoid bad choices at restaurants. I still do that now. I dropped about 10 pounds in a month with this approach before.

I've put that weight back on unfortunately but I am still 15 lbs less then when I went in for my surgery.

 

[Lynlw]

I can't offer any advice, I'd check with your doctor before doing any cleanses ect, just to make sure if would be safe for you right now. Have you checked out the Throwdown forums? Quite a few members have been working on losing weight and having fun for a while http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

 

[Superman]

My easiest formula has always been to stop getting seconds and cut out junk food. Easier said than done, but weight watchers really does have a good set up. Control portion size. Us guys tend to way over do it. We remember eating a while pizza when we were teenagers and still not maintaining weight and we think we can still do it.

 

[Nancy]

Some of that weight could also be fluid accumulation. When your heart isn't working right that happens. Try to lower your salt intake some and see if that can shed some fluid, along with a good quality diet. Cleansing and other different diets could put a strain on your heart and deplete your body of necessary electrolytes, possibly causing arrhtyhmias. Just use a normal reducing diet and ask your doctor about it.

 

[Wise]

My easiest formula has always been to stop getting seconds and cut out junk food. Easier said than done, but weight watchers really does have a good set up. Control portion size. Us guys tend to way over do it. We remember eating a while pizza when we were teenagers and still not maintaining weight and we think we can still do it.

Ditto. Also, Weight Watchers is a very effective program and a healthy way to lose weight. When you can't exercise, I'd recommend it even more. Whatever works for you is best, but WW is a great recommendation.

 

[Mileena46]

Actually, once I started having symptoms and when my doctor was trying to determine if I should go home or stay in the hospital and have the surgery...ONE of the things he told me NOT to do if he let me go home was start an exercise progam. He said that some people want to "get fit" for surgery, and it's not a good idea.

This probably doesn't apply to you if your doctor told you to exercise, just felt I should mention it.

Mileena

 

[buncle]

When I have wanted to lose weight the only diet that worked for me was the "If it tastes good spit it out diet" lol good luck

 

[john79t]

I used the "Flat Belly Diet" to lose 35 lbs before surgery and 12lbs more after. It is a heart healthy diet and you can find the book in any book store or online. Ask your surgeon but it is a diet that they should agree with and you can stay with the rest of your life. Good luck

 

[Lynlw]

When I have wanted to lose weight the only diet that worked for me was the "If it tastes good spit it out diet" lol good luck

THat was what my GP told me when I was first diagnoses with reflux

 

[Lily]

Sorry, I'm skimming the replies really quickly and don't think I saw [what I'm going to comment on] already addressed.

But, whether it's true or not I don't know but I have read before that it's not a great idea to lose a vast amount of weight before a major surgery such as OHS -- don't quote me but please check with your doctors?

 

[Marguerite53]

My surgeon told me NOT to try to lose weight before the surgery. He saw that I was "healthy" and didn't want that to change. I'm kind of surprised that this was asked of you.

The cutting out of snacks and salty foods is an excellent idea. Just replace the salty carbs with cut up vegetables and see how that goes.

You might also just start a walking program. Go find a HS or Middle School track and walk around it (nice and level and a good soft, even walking surface) it as much as you can. You'd be surprised how easy (okay, mindless and too easy) that is. And it is probably just enough to be helpful and not harmful.. That cleansing stuff has got to be a no-no right now. Honest. Not a good idea, I don't think.

Don't worry so much. Keep your head in the right place and you'll do fine.

Marguerite

 

[JeffM]

Just say no to "detox" type diets

Just say no to "detox" type diets

There's no such thing. And losing a lot of weight quickly is almost always a bad idea. I agree with the respondents who advise a smart, healthy diet. Low sugar and fat and portion control. It's really pretty simple. The less you can exercise, the less you should eat. You'll probably lose a few lbs in the next month but don't make that your goal; make being healthy your goal. After your successful AVR, you can get on the exercise program, which, combined with the smart eating habits will take the weight off in a healthful way. By next June, you should be feeling great and quite a bit lighter. Best to you!

 

[Bina]

Detox....cleansing.....this is ridiculous stuff. You don't need to shock your system right now.
Avoid salt, avoid sugar, avoid fat.
Enjoy lean baked plain chicken breast, baked fish with only lemon, steamed veggies,
drink water, and nibble on an apple or some berries.

 

[Eva]

Detox....cleansing.....this is ridiculous stuff. You don't need to shock your system right now.
Avoid salt, avoid sugar, avoid fat.
Enjoy lean baked plain chicken breast, baked fish with only lemon, steamed veggies,
drink water, and nibble on an apple or some berries.

Totally agree. This is a good season for soups, so you can add clear non-creamy and non-fatty soups. Good luck.

 

[Philip B]

Detox Systems?

Detox Systems?

I'm sure this will draw some fire, but...

My wife used the Alli system to drop some weight. She wasn't happy buying size 8P clothing and dropped the weight necessary to get into the size 4P-6P range. Alli is basically a detox system that keeps one's body from absorbing a lot of the fat content in foods.

I think many detox weight loss systems get a bad rap because people simply try to use the systems to lose weight by blowing what they eat out the opposite end without altering eating habits or changing their lifestyles to include being more active. The systems really aren't intended to help people poop their way to being skinney, but that's how many people expect to use the systems.

Along with taking Alli, my wife started eating more healthy and exercised more. The system worked for her because she followed all of the recommendations involved with the program. She's kept her weight where she wants it because she's maintained the eating and lifestyle changes that were recommended with the diet. Done right, the system doesn't result in instant weight loss; it takes awhile.

I quit drinking pop five years ago and lost five pounds without even trying hard.

-Philip

 

[Pegasus]

I have done detox in the past - not to loose weight but just to stay healthy. Honestly I would think doing a full detox is a not good idea right now as it stresses the body but you certainly could incorporate some of the raw food recipes in your healthier life style.
The easiest way of cutting down weight and keeping weight down is to separate carbs and protein. Do not eat those together. And obviously I mean do not eat any 'empty' carbs at all. So for example you can have salmon with lots of steamed veggies or brown rice/quinoa with veggies and you can even mix legumes (like black beans...) to the good carb/veggie recipes.
Start your day with a cup of warm water and lemon, keep drinking lots of water during the day, maybe even some gentle cleansing teas like dandelion (but check what meds you are on so it doesn't interfere) and fresh fruit smoothies are always great. Grapefruit and apples is said to curb appetite eaten 1/2 hour before meal (again if your digestive system can take it). Walk every day and you should have your weigth down in now time. Do deep breathing / yoga or Tai Chi for extra energy. Good luck!

 

[MarkU]

Eating better and less is a much bigger factor than exercise.

I lost about 20 lbs last year when my wife was on WW (I ended up eating the same stuff that she did).

The biggest challenge for me is consuming empty calories, primarily through alcohol. I'd had to break the habit of having a couple of glasses of wine with dinner every evening. I try now to just drink on the weekends.

I also have tried to focus on portion control and avoiding going back for seconds.

Logging everything I eat also helps.

Mark

 

[catwoman]

James:

Perhaps you should focus on changing your eating habits permanently rather than dieting as a way to lose weight.

Diet has such a negative connotation. Too often we go on a diet, get to where we want and then gain back all that weight -- and more.

Changing eating habits works better. Several have already suggested reducing serving sizes, cutting out seconds and junk food and reducing or eliminating alcohol (empty calores -- but don't they taste good at times!).

Here are several more suggestions:

1. Use a smaller plate. When we use a regular-sized plate, we tend to fill the entire plate up.

2. Eat lean chicken and fish -- baked or grilled -- rather than fried. Portion sizes should be about 3-4 oz. (the size of a deck of cards), rather than the usual 8-12 ounces you see in restaurants.

3. Eliminate or reduce fats. Use salsa on baked potatoes instead of butter. Replace oils with heart-healthy oils (canola, olive oil, sunflower oil).

4. Drink at least 3 servings of low-fat or nonfat milk a day. The calcium helps remove fat. (Saw a study on this on TLC or the Discovery Health channel.) If you can't take the taste of skim milkl, try 2%, then drop to 1%. I took me a while to get to the taste of skim milk, but I did it cold turkey.

5. Choose fresh fruit for desserts. The 94% fat-free popcorn makes a good snack. Eating one of the snack-size packages about 1 hour before dinner will help fill you up and keep you from eating as much.

6. It's hard to resist our favorite foods. You do NOT have to give up on treats, but they should be just that: a treat, rather than a meal.
Also, our taste buds become "jaded" after 3-4 bites of something. The first few bites taste heavenly; after that we're on auto-pilot. A lot of those treats are heavy-duty on fats, sugar, etc., which pile on the calories.

7. Build a meal on more than just 3 items (1 meat and 2 vegetables). I've reduced the size of the meat portion and increased veggie servings. It's basically the same amount of food, but adding bulk rather than fat.

 

[hensylee]

MarkU is right. the WW diet isn't really a diet; it's eating right.

I cannot exercise but I started using a small plate and not refilling it. I ate less food because I was not very active and didn't need nor want it. Suddenly the weight was going and I didn't even know it and was not actually trying to lose. but, there ya go - less food, healthy food.