Hello there......... first of all I have been lurking at this site for a while now and I absolutely love it!! THANK YOU AIMEE!!But I am so in a delema...I am extremely obese I need to loose almost 250 pounds. I went to my doctor yesterday and have been told once again by another doctor to have the gastric surgery done.My entire family and friends are telling me to JUST DO IT!! I have tried and re tried dieting in the past and in the present.But like others I do well and then fail with time.I NEED to get this weight off.The sooner the better.But truthfully I have to admit I am afraid of it.And I love to eat!! Which is why I am this way.Does anyone know of any suggestions for me.Do I do this surgery to getter done or keep plugging along with WW and Aimees recipes.Does anyone actually know anyone who has been able to loose this much on their own or is this surgery my last chance??

I've been going to WW on and off for the last 30 yrs. and I've gained and lost and gained and lost. but I always went back with only 20 to 25 lbs on me,

My very first encounter with WW when my last child was 2 (hes now 34) there was a very very heavy husband and wife that had over 200 lbs each to lose, and over the course of 1 year, weekly they went to meetings and weigh ins and both lost over 100 lbs, they looked like 2 different people just after 12 mo..

I guess they continued to go, I made goal and stopped going, but I did bump into them in a local store and the both made goal and life time..

so your answer to your question is, yes WW can be the answer, but... make sure you go to weigh in weekly and stay for the meetings.. thats a must in your case, its a must for me too.. I only have .8 to goal again!!!!!!
I know me if I stop going, I'm going to get cocky again and start my old habits back, and I don't want to go that route again ever never...!!!!!

This time for me, its going to be a life committment, and WW has to be my way of life, till the end.

I feel so good, and its a great feeling to put on a skimpy size M top, and size M shorts... even my foot shrunk a size... go figure... i can say why, feet get fat too....

So Cheryl give WW one more shot, and come in here daily and keep posting...

I think we should have a daily thread pledging ourselves to stay focused and on program... daily
yoo hoo Aimee what do you think about that??????

I do it in another site, (not WW.com) and sometimes I have to come back twice or three times a day, depending on where my head is...

That may be a scary number. Gastric bypass may seem like the way to get rid of it the fastest. But remember all the risks associated with it, and the fact that you can't change it once it happens. It a serious surgery and will cause your life to seriously change...

If you choose to lose the weight through diet changes and increasing activity, it will come off much slower. There will be ups. There will be downs. There will be times when you want to throw in the towel and give up. BUT...just think of how much better you will feel because you reached that goal without the solution everyone told you to do. It is possible, and people lose more than you have to lose as well!

There are positives and negatives to both sides, but personally I think WW would be the most positive. It is the healthiest to lose weight at a slow rate, and when you finish you will feel so much better about yourself AND don't have to worry about the risks associated with something as risky as gastric bypass, as well as the fact that your stomach can never be larger than the size they make it.

Read up more on each and maybe go to the WW boards (careful, they can be mean in some boards...but the 200+ are VERY kind and inspirational) and get stories and advice...best of luck!!

Gee did you find the WW boards nasty..so I'm not the only one... good!!!!!

I found them to be clicky and now I refuse to go back, and I was involved with the lifetimers, who thought they were hoiler than thou.... they were just WW people like the rest of us...

I'm a lifetimer but I'm not blowing my horn, no need to... I know what it took me to get where I am today, it was terribly hard work, but worth it in the long run..

Cheryl,
Weight Watchers does work. I proved it to myself before by losing 110 pounds (I had failed at every diet I tried before weight watchers). The only reason I gained it back was because I stopped caring about myself and trying. The program works, if you work the program, and I just stopped doing it. There are people who have lost over 200 pounds doing Weight Watchers (there are people who have probably even lost a lot more than that). We all want a quick fix, but I honestly think surgery is the answer ONLY after you've exhausted all attempts at doing it on your own and your health is at serious risk. I'm not against weight loss surgery, I know it's just not for me. I'm sure it's helped a lot of people. But even after exhausting all attempts at losing weight on your own, make sure you look into all of your options and read A LOT! There is a lap band now that is less invasive and can be undone. It's slower weight loss than bypass, but no matter what method you chose to lose the weight, you won't lose the weight over night. There are side affects and serious risks with any surgery. Even if you make it through the surgery with flying colors, the work doesn't stop there. You could be sick every time you put something into your mouth, lose your hair, lack nutrients that your body needs, etc. And then on top of it all, you're still going to have to learn how to eat. If you don't, you'll just stretch your stomach back out and be right back to where you started. I've heard of many people doing that, then you went through all the pain and suffering for nothing. I've seen people do bypass surgery, and then just a few years later, turn around and go to Weight Watchers because they gained it all back and have to start over. Please give Weight Watchers another try. I know almost 250 pounds seems like a lot to lose, but you can do it. You're worth it!

Oh, Tobe I almost forgot. You said "I think we should have a daily thread pledging ourselves to stay focused and on program... daily yoo hoo. Aimee what do you think about that??????"

I think if that's something you think will help us, then by all means, post a daily pledge. I've got enough on my plate right now, but if you want to start it everyday, that would be great. This board belongs to everyone here, so anytime anyone comes up with an idea, by all means... feel free. We can use all the help we can get. I say whatever gets us through. :)

Thanks!

i love the daily thread pledging for ourselves is a great idea. i read in another post one time, that we wish i meetings were a little "more"

dont get me wrong, i love the meetings and they are a huge help & motivator, but it feels like sometimes when someone starts to REALLY talk about feelings, the leader goes straight back to the "topic" of the day.

my husband supports me, all my family & friends support me, but NONE of them have any idea what its like for me. so.........YES i love coming to this board and talking! and YES sometimes i need to just announce that this sucks or that things are great!

thanks

Dear Cheryl,
All I can say is "DITTO" to all the statements already made. The one that comes the closest to my sentiments is AIMEE'S. But here is a bit of my spin: I get on this board very late at night or in the early hours of the morn before I go to bed, so my posts are usually stale, because everyone else has already posted what I would have or nearly what I would have. I just wanted you to consider this:

The most important thing I can tell you is this:
You KNOW your age and your health (we do not)
Your doctor is recommending this because either your heart or life is at risk if you do not and you need it NOW OR he or she does not 'believe' that you can do it on your own with WW or any other food plan or group.

IF you are young and healthy enough and you have 'time' on your side, if this is not an immediate life saving surgery, then give WW a try! We will ALL be here for you. And there will be ups and downs along the way. But that is life and how we learn. IF you feel like you can't wait any longer after loosing 50 or 100 pounds, then get the surgery. At that time it will be safer for you because you will weigh less. BUT at that time if you have some success behind you, you may also feel that you do not want to go through with it and wish to go for goal.

Give yourself a chance to give this a try. And if you decide 5, 10, or 100 pounds from now that you want the surgery, we will STILL be here, right here for you!

Lots of love for you and prayers,

JeanCat