"Debbie" wrote in message
news:9_zAg.8795$zV6.6134@trnddc03...
Good idea. GP has not turned out to be the magic bullet everyone had
hoped and patients who did not make the necessary mental, lifestyle, and
attitude changes are gaining weight just as easily as before the surgery.

BTW, I believe you wouldn't qualify for the surgery because you need to
have a BMI of 40, or so I thought. I could be wrong, it's happened
before

Can I ask what you started at and how much you weigh now?

I'm not the person you were replying to but I'm 5'5" and my highest
recorded weight was 317. I lost more than half that and have kept off
most of the weight for 3 years now. I use WW to keep from gaining it all
back as I've done in the past on other diets. With the flex points and
the ability to earn AP's I don't find the plan all that difficult to
follow. I can admit I'm not always faithful to the journaling but I
don't stray too far or too long.
--
the volleyballchick

You can have a BMI of 35-50 with co-morbities, i.e. High Blood Pressure,
sleep apnea and it helps if you have a documented five year history of
keeping it off. I was all high on it when I called and talked to a lady
about it and she said they do ppl my size all the time. But then when I
went to the websites I found ppl that were struggling to not gain 20-30
pds back after 4 or 5 years (which they still lost signifant amounts). I
don't know anybody personally that has had it done though, so I don't
know.

You've kept off 150 for 3 years? Aren't you hungry all the time? Is
there a lot of ppl in here who have lost like 75 pds and kept if off for
years and years?

thx volleyball chick

Yes, there are some long term success stories in this particular group and
they help inspire me to keep on keeping on.

Over the last 3 years my weight has fluctuated greatly but I've continually
kept off more than half the weight I lost though hard work. I've also had to
deal with a lifelong eating disorder. I'm no longer "hungry" all of the
time because I learned to recognize what it's like to really be hungry. I've
also learned how to prevent it (eating frequent small meals is what works
for me).

I was overweight all of my life and had to learn how to live like a slender
person. Exercise helps. I started by going to Curves and walking regularly
and ended up doing powerlifting and running 5K races. I got it into my head
that all of the good tasting food isn't going anywhere so I don't have to
eat it all at once. I eat it as often as I want but limit the quantity.

WW is a great plan for learning portion control and choosing healthier foods
over no so healthy ones. Food high in fiber and lower in fat has lower point
values so if you're into volume you can eat plenty of it. A recently
published study showed that people who ate higher fiber and lower fat foods
tended to eat more in quantity but less in overall calorie value and in the
end it's the calories that count! And of course if you get into doing
exercise you earn activity points that let you get away with eating a little
more.

Keep on reading the posts in this group. You'll find motivation and good
advice. I also find the communities on the WW web site a good help too.
--
the volleyballchick